A Werewolf In Under-Town

“… Then I kicked him out the window!” Levy said excitedly.

Shaggy nodded dumbly as he stared down at the tablet Rita had given him. The ladies had returned in high spirits and smelling faintly of smoke. While Levy regaled him with stories about their adventure, Rita and Sybil went off to take a break in their rooms. Mell, Xiv, and Ephemara were standing around, watching the conversation with interest. And Shaggy could guess why.

“Is there any chance that the Rakgu Family knows it was us?”

Mell snorted. “Not likely. I wiped us from the cameras, purged all the computer systems, and then we set the building on fire when we left.”

“Then Levy did some of her hocus pocus and we got out of there.”

“It was an obfuscation spell. But a little more subtle. It’s designed to muddle our magical imprints if someone tries to scry anything about the building. It’s broad, but it should work fine.”

Levy and the other woman nodded happily as Shaggy stared back down at the information on the data tablet. It was huge. So big he didn’t know what the hell to do with it.

“So we’ve got three of the Rakgu crime family’s bank accounts? And they can’t do shit to us?”

Ephemara nodded. “Yes, but two of them are personal accounts tied to Damon and Tone. So we’ll need to pull that money fast before anyone realizes they’re dead. I suggest setting up dummy accounts and then pulling all of it out into a chit or stick. Then we can hand it off to the Legion, free and clear.”

Shaggy nodded as he continued to stare down at the credit numbers of each account. Tone’s was hefty, but ultimately nothing when compared to Damon’s. The Rakgu family paid their personnel very well and Damon was apparently a very high-ranking member. Then he turned his eye to the third account. Which was listed as the Happiness and Comfort Initiative account.

“What’s this third one?”

“That one is a business account designed to pay their employees. It’s set up as a savings and checking account. So it can process payroll, track expenses, and receive digital and manual deposits. That one is trickier because it has several names that we would have to dupe in order to pull any money from it.”

Levy nodded and moved to Shaggy’s side. She tapped on the business account and a list of names popped up.

“Also, this account has a CFO attached. Their signature has to be on any digital or physical forms relating to money in that account. Ephe and I believe the account is a lost cause, but…”

“I don’t.” Mell said heatedly. “All we have to do is kidnap this accountant and force them to open the account for us.”

Shaggy grimaced. “After their business was attacked and burned down, the Raks are going to be holding these people close. And probably going over their lives with a fine-tooth comb. It’s an idea, but for way later.”

“Seriously?” Mell asked, sounding surprised.

“Don’t get me wrong. There’s a million ways that could go wrong. But if you do it carefully, it has promise. It’s also going to have to be done after many months in-game. We HAVE to lie low now. We’ve hit the Phreaks and The Rakgu at the same time on the same damn day. The Phreaks know who hit them. But I absolutely don’t want the Raks to know.”

Ephemara smirked at him. “How the hell did you cause so much trouble without going above ground, boss?”

“Adventure can be found around every corner.”

Shaggy smirked to himself and idly fiddled with the data tablet. There was so much money in those accounts. The Legion would have a hell of a leg up if they managed to pull the credits. But like Ephemara said, they had to move fast. He tossed the tablet to Ephemara, whose hand was already out to catch it.

“Take it through the portal to Slink. Don’t show it to anyone else and help him plan the transfer of funds.”

Ephemara started to turn around when Mell and Xiv looked affronted. Shaggy blinked at the two women as Levy held up a placating hand.

“What?” Shaggy asked, confused.

“They have some alternative ideas about what should happen with the money.” Levy answered.

Shaggy raised an eyebrow as Mell nodded aggressively.

“That’s right! We found it. So that money should be ours!”

“Mell…” Xiv said cautiously.

“What? It should! That’s hundreds of thousands of credits right there. Do you know what we could do with that?”

“Do you?” Shaggy asked.

Mell’s voice caught in her throat at Shaggy’s question, and it was her turn to look confused.

“That’s a shit-load of credits. Credits the Legion can use to expand and grow. But a single person? What are you going to do? Buy some kick-ass weapons and armor and then…?”

Shaggy waited a full five seconds before he continued.

“You give this money to the guild and we all profit from it. You try to keep it and you’ll look like an asshole. Also, as you should know by now, the Legion takes care of its own. You’ll get a finder’s fee and I’m willing to bet that Slink will move you up the ladder in the Legion.”

Mell rolled her eyes. “Oh whoop-de-doo! I’m already ranked higher than most of the grunts, anyway.”

“Uh, no we aren’t.” said Xiv.

“What?!”

“Yeah, we are still listed under Lackeys assigned to Shaggy’s division. We don’t even rate higher than his pack.”

“We’re below the NPCs!?”

Shaggy shrugged. “Hey, everyone has to work their way up the ladder. Levy got a pass and my pack has worked their way up to Henchmen. Y’all have to do the same. But with this and your previous help, I’m sure you’ll see a bump.”

Mell crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him for a few tense moments. Electricity sparked across her body and hair. Shaggy could feel both Levy and Ephemara readying themselves. But soon the blue-haired woman blew out a breath and nodded solemnly.

“Fine… You make a lot of sense. The Legion could use the leg-up and we would benefit from that. But I want triple the accolades and Guild Points for the mission and I want me and Xiv to be assigned under Levy.”

Shaggy grabbed onto his chest, feigning injury. “Really? I’m hurt.”

“Bah! She’s a better boss and you’ve got your pack.”

“Fine. But you’re going to have to talk to Slink about your accolades and Guild Points. So you can join Ephe.”

Mell nodded, and Xiv seemed to unwind from a very tense position. The ladies shared a few more short words before Ephemara and the others headed for the portal to Under-Town. Shaggy watched the tablet go as Ephe carried it under her arm.

“That is a shit-load of credits.” Shaggy muttered to Levy.

“Yeah. But you can always make money in games. What’s really hard is setting up a guild and with those funds, Slink can do some great things.”

“If they move fast enough.”

“Speaking of moving fast, did someone say something about shopping tonight?”

Shaggy snorted. “Pfft! Not that kind of shopping. Before your sudden windfall, our cavern was running low on supplies. So the guys and I were thinking about hitting the neighborhood this evening and grabbing what we can. With Maven and her cohorts working with the Bunch, I figured we could also patrol.”

“Oooooh, so a nice little walk beneath the moonlight. Just you and the boys causing trouble?”

“You’re more than welcome to come, Levy. I’m also going to be meeting with Derek and his watch, finally. Stanley’s off getting that set up now.”

“I’d love to come frolicking with you tonight, my love. But first I need to find a spot to relax and spend some of these Sorcery Points. Damon was a decent boss, and he even had some enchanted clothes I want to examine. Do you think Slink will shell out for a proper Mage’s lab out here?”

“I think after the money you just stole, you could ask for a full-on Witch’s Tower and the kid wouldn’t tell you no.”

Levy smiled as she started to walk to their cabin. Shaggy watched her go for a few glorious seconds and then spun around. He wanted to get back topside and explain the new plan to Vick and the others. With this new source of money, they could hold off on a few niceties for now. When the credits came through, they could be bought at a terminal. So they need to switch tonight's shopping plans to the more essential items.

He spent the rest of the afternoon going over the logistics with Vick and Cekrass. Sybil would arrange transport while Vick and Cekrass would lead teams. They’d handle the big items while Shaggy and Levy shopped around for the smaller stuff. He also scheduled visits to Derek and Nuc. When everything was planned out, all they had to do was wait. Which Shaggy did by joining his wife in their cabin and relaxing.

As night fell, Shaggy sent the all-call to his pack and wrapped an arm around Levy’s shoulder. She sighed happily as they journeyed back up the tunnels, followed by a mass of Lackeys and Shaggy’s pack. Cekrass and Vick met them just inside the maintenance tunnels beneath the deli. Cekrass standing as stiff as a board, while Vick smoked a cigarette and leaned against the wall. Sybil passed them to check on the vehicles while Shaggy addressed his pack mates.

“Do you both have your teams ready?”

Cekrass gave a curt nod as Vick waved a hand behind Shaggy. Several humans and aliens were pushing their way toward them. But when they caught sight of Shaggy and Levy, they pulled up short. The couple moved to the side of the tunnel and waved the Lackeys through. Shaggy spoke through the mass of bodies as Vick seemed to be taking a headcount.

“Remember, avoid the south neighborhood and don’t stop for anything. Hit what you can and then get out. Cekrass, I know you're on furniture, so be fast and as quiet as you can. If either of you see any HLO troops, hit up the rest of the pack. Rita, Sybil and Stanley will be roaming in case anyone gets into trouble.”

Again, Cekrass nodded as Vick chuckled. “Boss, we’ve been talking about this all day. We know already. Besides, we’re just robbing some places. Not hitting up an enemy stronghold. Believe me, with the teams we have, we’ll be fine.”

Shaggy nodded as a pair of bear-like aliens went and stood next to Cekrass. The lizard’s team was noticeably bigger than Vick’s, and Shaggy wondered if Sybil had a vehicle for such a team. But Levy’s cool hand on his shoulder stopped him from asking anymore questions. Vick was right. They had this as good as they could right now.

Once all the teams were positioned in the tunnel, Shaggy gave the signal and Vick’s team rushed up the stairs. They would stagger their exits from the deli, to not arouse suspicion. He was sure that he was being paranoid, but Shaggy couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched by the HLO. Thankfully, his pack members and wife went along with his plan and they waited their turn to leave. When the last of Cekrass’ crew was out, Levy turned to Shaggy and kissed him.

“Just the two of us now, my dear. Out on the town for some late night shopping.”

Shaggy bit his lip nervously and looked around. “Yeah… not quite.”

Levy looked confused as Shaggy found who he was looking for and waved a hand down the tunnel. Tom waved a pale hand as Levy jumped a little at seeing him.

“Oh geez! Where did he come from?”

“Tom’s on boss-watch tonight. By order of Rita. But don’t worry, he is only to interfere if we are in trouble.”

“So he’s basically got the night off, then?”

Shaggy grinned and gave Levy a quick peck before pulling her up the stairs. He hoped against all odds that tonight would be a silent, uneventful night of robbery and browbeating civilians. But as he walked into the dark deli and all of his arm hair stood on end, he knew his hopes were probably all for nothing.