Modern Age Online

"Honestly, I thought walking around with an enormous axe would draw more attention." Two Gun said as he kept a hand on the grip of his pistol.

Kaleb shrugged as they stepped around a few leering aliens. More than a few had tried to brush their hands against Kaleb and Roy's gear. The couple that tried to do that to Claire got tossed into the cave ceiling of Under-Town or shot to death by Two Gun. That sent a clear message to the rest of the denizens of Under-Town to keep well back. Although Kaleb and the others were still drawing hungry looks.

Under-Town had gone through significant changes since Kaleb's last visit. The standard shouting and yelling of the main road was still there. But there was now the added background noises of fighting, explosions, and high-powered weaponry going off. The NPCs on main street, casually and calmly shopping, were a harsh counter to the noise. It put them all on edge as they walked their gift down the street.

Kaleb spotted several flying Villains in the air to their left battling it out. They took sustained energy weapons from the ground, though, and were quickly brought down. Kaleb counted several members of the Phreaks and the Rakgu Crime Family running around putting out fires. Sometimes literally. But the main street seemed oddly sacrosanct to the surrounding criminals. Almost like they didn't want their trouble spilling over into where they made their money. Of course, there were exceptions there, too.

"Fuck you! I'm not paying that. Stupid fucking NPC. I'll just take your shit!"

For what had to be the thirteenth time, Kaleb raised a hand and brought his group to a halt. A player was shouting at a street vendor on the side of the dirt road. Kaleb couldn't see what was being sold, but the oddly dressed Player was making a big enough scene to draw a crowd. Which meant things were going to go the same way they had the last few times. The player raised a hand to his temple and fired rainbow-colored beams out of his eyes. The alien vendor dove away from the blast and tried to roll to his feet. But the player was already on him, charging another eye blast. Before the shot could go off, though, several Phreaks, Raks, and heavily armored soldiers tackled the player. The guy was brought down quick and summarily killed before anyone could blink. Then the gangsters went back to whatever they were doing.

"You'd think they would learn by now." Claire muttered, shaking her head.

"Players are always slow to learn." Kaleb answered.

The crowd of people on main street started moving again. So they went with the flow as Two Gun asked. "Who are the armored jerks again?"

"The UGB. The Underground Government Body or something. Another gang with deeper pockets and better gear."

"I can see that. Why don't they run this whole place then? It seems like they've got the tech for it."

Kaleb shrugged. "No idea. As far as I know, the UGB is supposed to be backed by the city government above ground. But I don't know how true that is."

"Probably the hand on the leash, then." Claire stated, looking around.

More UGB troopers were wandering the main street. Some were on rooftops nearby, too. But all of them were keeping their eyes peeled for trouble. They even seemed to be watching the Raks and The Phreaks with a wary eye. Kaleb was surprised he didn't see many Quinica though. He remembered Shaggy saying his group was kind of butting heads with them. But he didn't think they'd be completely gone.

Kaleb was knocked from that train of thought when he spotted Under-Town's arena coming up in front of them. The large metal structure rose high in the sky at the center of Under-Town. The mass of people around the place's entrance seemed to ebb and flow like the sea as people moved about. It seemed that the place was booming as Kaleb spotted several Players rushing into the place. Beside him, Two Gun and Claire laughed out loud.

"You can always count on Players to find the nearest gambling joint."

"Or a place where they can knock each other's teeth in."

Kaleb nodded as they pushed their way past the crowd. They were on the outskirts, but the mass of people trying to get in was huge. He kept a close eye on his belongings as he led the group around to the far side of the arena and then found the path further northward. The Brute Clan was still holding up at the old mansion on the north-side of Under-Town. The way the other Brute lizards spoke about it, Kaleb figured they were almost another gang. But the Brute Clan wasn't patrolling like the other gangs were. Instead, Kaleb spotted several humans and aliens watching their progress as they moved up the narrowing road.

There were more people than usual on the back road toward the mansion. Humans and aliens dotted the narrow side-streets. But the most notable change was all the Brute Lizards now living outside the mansion's grounds. Before, they had used the mansion as a defensible position. They now seemed to have ventured out and claimed some of the nearby houses as their own. Soon, the humans walking the streets lessened until it was just aliens and Brute Clan lizards. The few humans Kaleb spotted were all Players. In fact, more and more Players were popping up now that the Mansion's gate was in view. Kaleb bit back a groan as he spotted a group of Players talking angrily to the large Brute Lizards at the metal gate.

"Well, this looks fun," Roy muttered as his faceless mask peered around.

"It looks annoying." Kaleb countered as he hefted the axe on his shoulder and marched forward.

He counted five players hanging around the gate itself while more were on the roofs nearby. Kaleb could tell by junk stacked on top of the houses, the Players were trying to jump the gate. But Brute Lizards and, oddly, a random assortment of NPC aliens were stopping them. All told, Kaleb thought there were around twenty to thirty Players milling in front of the mansion. Enough to make things a pain in the ass.

"Look, we just want to see what you're hiding back there," shouted a player, who sported red hair and was wearing bright red sunglasses.

"Mansion." The Brute guard said simply.

"We can see that, dumbass! I mean the mansion! What are you hiding in the mansion?! We know it has to be something! So let us in before we force our way inside!"

"No." said the guard.

The four other players surrounding the guard all grimaced as the red-head practically jumped on the spot. His nearest compatriot, a woman with gray hair and a laser rifle on her back, patted his arm.

"Raphael, let's just stop. They've killed us three times already. We know what happens if we rush the gate."

"Yeah, they summon a fucking army of the big things," said another player.

"Which means they have to be protecting something massive, Courtney! We can't just give up. Think of the loot!" Raphael said.

Kaleb snorted loud enough to get the player's attention. Once he had it, he waved a hand beyond the gate. "Their kids."

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"What?!" Raphael shrieked, turning on Kaleb and his friends. "We got here first, guy. Fuck off!"

Kaleb ignored the loud mouth and looked to woman and the others instead. "Their families are back there. The Brute Clans have migrated down to Under-Town to escape persecution. What do you think they'd do to people trying to invade their home?"

"Bullshit! How would you know?!" Raphael shouted, only for Courtney to smack the shorter man in the head.

"Look at him, dumbass. He's the same race as them."

"Wait, is that it?" Another Player asked. "We can't get in unless we're the same race?"

"Y'all didn't try diplomacy? At all?" Two Gun asked tiredly.

The Player's near the guard looked at each other before they all glared at Raphael. The red-head man scowled at all of them before waving a hand at the gate.

"Who the fuck cares!? They're NPCs in a heavily guarded house. I figured it was a gang hideout at first."

Kaleb raised a hand and waggled it. "Kind of. The Brute Clan aren't part of the Big Four…"

"Big Five." Courtney corrected.

Kaleb stopped in confusion as he started counting in his head. "Who's the fifth?"

"A Player-run Guild called The Legion." another Player said.

"Oh shit! Shaggy's group has made it that far?!"

"Not for long." Raphael said, grinning evilly. "Their brawling with the Quinica right now. Those space vamps are going to—"

"Lose." Courtney said dryly.

The angry red-headed man spun on his party member, but Courtney just shrugged. "The Quinica are disappearing, Raph. Soon it'll be the Big Four again and one of those will be a Player guild."

"Which is why we need to get into that house! Even if it's just full of kids, we can still use the house to set ourselves up." Raphael tried to argue.

Kaleb could see the man's friends weren't liking that idea. So he addressed the guard standing stock-still next to Raphael's group.

"Hey, how many clans are down here now?"

"Five."

"And how many clan members did they bring?"

"Each sent one hundred guards to protect their elders."

Raphael's group hissed in disappointment at that, but Kaleb wasn't done. "And how many are on the way?"

"Over thirty-two thousand have agreed to make the trip to Austin."

Kaleb balked at the number as Raphael's group threw up their hands. Raphael was huffing indignantly as Kaleb couldn't help but ask.

"How the fuck do y'all have room?"

"The Legion is helping us excavate." The guard intoned solemnly.

"Nope. I'm out, Raph. I'm not fucking with The Legion."

"Yeah, we can still fight it out on Phreak turf. At least there we have space to grow."

As Raphael watch his world fall apart, Kaleb nodded in understanding. He was going to have to thank Shaggy before he went back to the surface. The werewolf's group was actually helping more than he had anticipated. As he was lost in thought, the mansion's gate slowly creaked open. Raphael and the other Players around the gate went completely still. The large gate door swung slowly, but Kaleb could already see Aqwen standing at attention, her metal staff at her side. Alongside her, revealed as the doors opened more, were twenty large Brute Clan members holding shields and other weapons.

For a moment, Kaleb thought the Players would be smart enough not to try anything. Then a large boulder appeared above the lizard's heads. Aqwen dashed out of the line of lizards as some of the Brute lizards caught the boulder on their shields. More Players tried to dash into the Mansion's grounds but they were quickly beaten back. Kaleb spotted Aqwen knocking the head off a nearby Mage player before she dove into the short scrum at the gate. Two Gun and Claire spread out to help, but the fight was over in seconds. Soon, the space around the gate was a sea of prismatic cubes floating into the air.

Surprisingly, Courtney and several of Raphael's party were still alive as Aqwen took her spot before her soldiers. Raphael, of course, wasn't. But Kaleb had seen the idiot get stabbed through the chest himself. When he sent the Players a confused look, Courtney just waved him off.

"We've seen this happen before. The lizards don't bug you if you don't attack them?"

"Kind of like people in that way," Claire quipped.

"Professor!" Aqwen shouted, even though they were barely ten feet apart. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Kaleb grimaced at the lizard women's tone. But shook it off as he raised the axe on his shoulder. "I have Elder Rhot's order? Apparently, the Elder Council feels it can summon me to appear along with the weapons I provide."

Aqwen scowled as she marched closer, not taking her eyes off the axe. Kaleb tried to hand it to her, but like the other Brute Lizards, she wouldn't hold it. Instead, she studied the thing as her contingent of guards watched the Players. When she was done inspecting the weapon, Aqwen nodded.

"Rhot is just excited to meet you and the other Council Elders agreed it had been far too long since your last visit. Your weapons have been a big help. Especially recently."

Aqwen said the last sentence in a low growl as her lizard-like head spun toward Courtney and her group. The Players raised their weapons, but backed off several steps. Snorting at them, Aqwen turned back to Kaleb and batted his shoulder with a fist.

"I see you've upgraded as well."

"The work topside has been difficult, but rewarding. How are my weapons holding up?"

Several Brute lizards smashed their weapons against their shields as Aqwen grinned. "Splendidly. But come on, we mustn't keep the council waiting."

Kaleb nodded as Aqwen spun on her heel and hurried toward her troop. Kaleb gave Courtney's group a nod as he started following. Before he was inside the gate, one of the other Players called after him.

"You make weapons? For them?"

Kaleb turned and waved a hand down his body. "I've kind of got a cultural in with their group and they've helped me a lot. So they get some help, sure."

Courtney's group looked thoughtful as Kaleb turned back around and started toward the mansion. Behind them, the two iron gates closed and Kaleb heard more lizards moving to block the entrance up. Two Gun, Claire, and Roy all walked alongside him as the noise of Under-Town was replaced with the gentle hum of a lizard community.

"You know we're getting jumped as soon as we leave here, right?" Claire asked.

"What?" Kaleb asked.

"The Players, they wanted to know if you made weapons. If I were the dishonest sort, I'd kill us and take our stuff as soon as we left." Two Gun explained.

"I don't know. Courtney seemed okay."

"Sure, but did you see some of the others? Greedy little loot-goblins. Just you watch. We're fighting our way out of here."

Claire popped her knuckles as Kaleb turned to look at her. If anything, the giant woman looked excited at the prospect. He doubted they would see that much trouble. But if they did, they could handle it. Besides, he was thinking about visiting Shaggy after his visit with the lizards.

"Whoa!" Roy exclaimed, drawing Kaleb's eyes back to the world around them.

The mansion's yard, which had previously comprised a tent city on top of a muddy dirt-ridden landscape. Was now a grassy hilltop supporting various metal houses. They weren't pretty by any means, but the grass and the actual structures made things look much better. Not to mention the kids seemed eager to run around on the grass. Among the stoic-looking large lizards watching the kids play, there were robed figures moving about the place and summoning vegetation from the ground.

"Our friends from the Legion send them occasionally to sculpt the land for us," Aqwen said, making Kaleb look forward again.

"Is that how you're making space for the newcomers?"

The lizard-woman nodded, pointing to the cavern wall behind the mansion. "They've lent us earth mages to dig into the cavern wall. We have to pay, but they'll also construct simple homes."

"Where are you getting the credits?" Two Gun asked.

"Ha! This is Under-Town." Aqwen laughed. "Someone always wants something done for money. Also, we have a steady stream of credits walking themselves right up to our gate."

Kaleb almost felt sorry for the string of Players sacrificing their gear to the pack of lizards. But if they were stupid enough to keep trying, that was on them. Ahead, the large double doors of the mansion swung open and Kaleb spotted Wulkun. The old hunched lizard was standing amongst a few others Kaleb recognized. However, there was one lizard he didn't recognize. Although he would've if he had ever seen him before. The Brute Clan lizard towered over the other Elders. Even Gor'kinak. The massive lizard reminded Kaleb of a green Mass Chuckfist. He was just a solid mass of muscle wrapped around a lizard-like form. The big lizard was smiling creepily at Kaleb, but he couldn't sense any danger in the look. Instead, the lizard elder had the bearing of a puppy.

The massive alien pushed his way around Wulkun and the others. Marching toward Kaleb with footsteps that practically shook the ground. Before he knew what was happening, Kaleb was lifted off the ground in a hug that made his armor groan dangerously.

"I'm so happy to meet you! We're going to be the best friends!" Elder Rhot shouted with the voice of an excited child.

Kaleb looked up into the happy lizard's face before trying to glance around the massive alien. Wulkun and V'alla looked apologetic. But Gor'kinak and Aqwen were looking on with evil smiles. He made a mental note to find a way to get back at them before Rhot picked him up again. Kaleb was shoved unceremoniously under Rhot's arm as the big lizard explained all the fun they'd have. Meanwhile, Kaleb's friends were looking everywhere else but at him.

"Traitors!" Kaleb called as he was carried into the Brute Mansion.