AN: So we are rapidly approaching the end of this volume. :) Enjoy!

Chapter 19: Shh baby, It's Okay.

The choice seemed obvious to Scott after a moment of thought. Monsters were stronger at night. If he could not handle the thing that was out there right now, he definitely could not deal with it when night fell. Plus, it would still be there in the morning, possibly with a friend.

“Better make a few preparations,” he said. Unfortunately, he did not have a handy little radio to draw off the monsters like Daniel's crew prepared previously. What he did have was a robo-loli who could give him armed back-up from the window. The ghouls on the street below probably ranged between level four and six, nothing about them seemed special beyond the big fella's presence. Harley would be able to use her Loot Master to easily take some of them down.

Just to be certain, he asked her about the potential power of the monsters below. She verified his original assessment, though cautioned him once more that the large monster was level ten.

Scott went into the bathroom and washed the dust of the road from his face. There was a mirror on the medicine cabinet that caught his attention. For a moment he was confused by what he saw. While the man in the mirror was one that he'd seen recently at his own home, it was a shock to see him now.

"What the hell man...?" he asked softly while looking at his reflection. Thin white scars lined his face in several locations. One particularly bad one ran from between his bloodshot eyes and down his nose before skewing left.

Constant warfare and a lack of real rest took their toll on him. His body was a mass of scar tissue and poorly healed wounds. "Damn, keep this up and I'll have to change my name to Scott the Stampede, or some shit."

Trigun anime references aside, he did carry a large number of wounds. He could not keep his recent level of activity up for too much longer. Scott reached out and lightly ran his fingers down along the curve of his reflection's face. He then reached up and poked at a quarter-sized discoloration that sat mockingly in the center of his forehead, just above his eyebrows. "Guess I can't just keep trying to solo the world..."

"What am I even doing?" he asked softly. It was not particularly bright to do the sort of things that he'd done recently. Far from invincible, his body bore countless scars from the many instances of his near death.

Scott closed his eyes tightly then took in a deep breath. "Since when am I this kind of guy? I've never fought hard for anything in my life, but since all this shit started..."

A brief moment of self-reflection passed before he slapped himself lightly across the face. He huffed out a breath then slapped himself again. "Focus, man. Have your he-bitch breakdown when you're taking a sad little shit back at Rosa's place."

There was too much to do, and too little time to do it. Scott checked his equipment, and then prepared to leave the bathroom. However, as soon as he turned away he thought of something else. He never did choose which time of day he wanted his leveling to occur. Acting more on instinct that planning, he opted to set it for twilight. If he was fortunate, he would gain a level before sundown. If not, it would be tomorrow around that time.

He went back out to talk to Harley. She revealed that she'd reached level nine. He was not particularly surprised by the revelation, though it was great news.

“What do you think? Can you take out that big guy with your Loot Master?” asked Scott.

“Unlikely, Master. It is possible that Harley can provide a distraction and even slightly injure that monster, but the weapon is too weak to overcome its defense easily.”

“The rest of the ghouls?”

“They can be dealt with easily, Master,” said Harley with confidence.

“Right, start taking them out and I’ll head down to deal with the big boy,” said Scott.

He left the room, and headed down the fire escape. Harley waited till he was out the back window before she said, “Understood, Master.”

She immediately broke the window in front of her then aimed down at the ghouls below. The moment she fired her weapon, a dark black wave of energy erupted outward from the center of the area.

Scott blinked as the wave of energy washed out him. The battle was on.

"Harley Robo-Loli VS. Discount Chopper and the Crew!" cried the announcer voice. No mention was made of Scott. A strangely bright and cheerful electronica dance mix began to play as the battle background music, however.

He spent his turn climbing the rest of the way down the fire escape and dropped down to street level just as it ended. Harley's turn came up. The round that she'd previously fired was released from its paralysis. It sped toward one of the ghouls near the back of the back, but was soon followed by several more of its destructive little friends. The hapless ghoul was riddled with bullets, but it took Harley's full turn to finish it off. It fell limply to the ground as the bullets finally stopped raining down.

The undead in the area were at least as strong as Scott suspected. Each of them would take several bursts of automatic fire before any of them would go down. They were slow but they had a lot of vitality, and ordinary weapon attack damage was reduced against the undead.

Harley's master waited patiently for his turn to come again. While he waited, a sound that could only be the big monster lashing out at the wall of the apartment building echoed through the air. It was a booming, crash, that made Scott’s teeth rattle. The pure power of those strikes was obvious even when the actual attack was out of sight.

His turn came around. Scott crept forward and hid behind a dumpster to end his turn. He was close enough to enter the battle during the next round, but Scott waited until she took three turns before he moved in to the area near the shopping arcade. The booming sound of the big monster's attacks worried him.

If the behemoth could hit the wall with that much sound and fury, it might be strong enough to tear down the outside wall. Harley would be in danger. If not for that, he would have simply let her kill them all with her loot master so that he could face the big guy alone.

Instead of allowing Harley to handle all of his light-weight, Scott rushed into the area on his next turn. His kaiser blade began to burn as he activated his flame strike ability. Several ghouls were dispatched already, but dozens more still moaned and clawed at the wall.

The big undead monster swung at the wall again when its turn came up. Harley had the attention of all of the monsters at the moment, none saw him. The rotten boss of the block was left in an awkward position after its last attack. However, there was obvious damage to the wall. The bottom section was caved in, and part of the supporting structures were damaged. A few more hits would put Harley in danger of being part of a partial building collapse.

The duo's turn came around once more. Harley concentrated fire on the next ghoul, one that her sensors told her was the highest level remaining in the horde, outside of the boss.

It was not long before Scott's turn arrived. Imbalanced by its attack, and taken from behind, the large beast could not respond to its new opponent. However, Scott was forced to carve his way through four different ghouls before he reached his target. That left him only enough movement and speed remaining to launch a single full-power burning soul and flame strike combination as part of his hit and run strategy. The kaiser blade cleaved heavily into its lower back with extreme fiery force.

-32

Scott's eyes widened in disbelief. His strongest attack combination, performed in perfect conditions, only generated thirty-two points of damage. He would have loved to have attacked it again, but his turn was close to ending. He moved back as far as he could to grant himself breathing room, and only left enough movement and speed to allow him to move with a little ease when it came time to dodge.

The large ghoul glanced over his shoulder at Scott then revealed a shark-toothed smile, "Little meat wants to play..." It laughed in a deep, ominous, manner then moved suddenly with great speed. It leapt high into the air and came crashing down toward the fresh meat.

At the last second, Scott jumped sideways a full-step in the hopes of avoid the attack altogether. Unfortunately, life was not so simple. The utility pole that the monster swung, like a concrete clad hammer, smashed down where Scott was standing only a brief instance before. The force of the blow sent shockwaves throughout the area that blew Scott and lesser ghouls away one and the same. Scott went flying through the air and landed several feet away.

-12

-14

Twenty-eight hit points worth of damage from a single strike was a heavy blow to Scott. Worse, it was merely the splash damage from the attack. It was possible that the monster's attack would have killed him outright, or at least left him badly injured. In the place where the crude hammer slammed down onto the street, a knee-deep crater was formed. Cracks radiated outward from its epi-center further detailing the brutal power of the beast.

The big guy tilted his head toward Scott, grinned ferociously, then swung his hammer up and leaned it against his shoulder. The massive slab of undead beef strolled casually toward the downed man then stopped just a little short of attacking him once more.

The ghouls began to swarm toward him one after the other. None were close enough to reach him, save the scant few that were also affected by the area-of-effect of the big guy's attack. Shaking off the shock of that blow was difficult even for ghouls. However, Scott did receive a few weak attacks from the growing swarm.

During Harley's next turn, she changed tactics. She targeted only the ghouls that were not near Scott in a bid to lower the numbers of the swarm that could reach him.

Scott recovered in his next turn, and cut a fiery swath through the surrounding ghouls. Each of them fell with one or two strikes, but he did not stay in the area long enough to finish off more than a few. He used his turn to get as far from the powerful ghouls as he could. It would be difficult to fight the thing even when it was one on one. It would be impossible to do while swarmed by ghouls. If they blocked him in during his turn, and could not dodge properly because of it, he was as good as dead.

A loud barking laugh, escaped the decayed mega-goon's ragged lips, just before he cried out, "Batter up!"

The beast glowed brightly for a brief moment, and then raced forward in a surprising burst of speed. The moment it was within striking range, it whipped its hammer around with incredible force. The creature was incredibly surprised, however, when Scott hurled himself forward in a quick roll that let him move between the beast's legs then sprang up with a hard strike to its unprotected back.

"Counter!" cried the announcer. Scott smiled briefly before he rolled once more, moving with the flow of the beast. Unlike the first attack on the monster, he'd left himself a bit of movement to allow for proper dodging.

-6

The beast could move surprisingly fast when it wished to, but its normal attacks were slow and easy to discern. Scott managed three counters during their brief exchange. The damage, unfortunately, was ridiculously low. It was like chipping away at a brick wall with an ice pick.

"Stand still, meat!" snarled Discount Chopper, the oversized ghoul, as its turn came to an end.

Harley killed off two weakened ghouls before it was Scott's turn. The arcane hunter snorted at the beast then slipped around behind it to hack at the back of its left knee. The only plan he could come up with at the moment was to work the knee till it dropped.

Discount Chopper tried to counter but was unable to turn quickly enough. Scott moved and struck again. The process continued for a few strikes. His plan was to keep count of his movement and speed away when he figured it was opportune to do so. He went in for on last strike, but to his surprise the gargantuan beast whipped its massive foot backwards in a surprisingly agile back kick that caught Scot square in the chest. The powerful blow generated large cracks in his chest armor and sent him flying dozens of feet away to land unceremoniously on the ground.

"Counter!" cried the announcer voice.

-46

-17

Scott clutched at his chest while he gasped for air. Heavily winded, he barely noticed when a window popped up announcing the fact that he now had severe injuries, including two fractured ribs. His turn was over before he could recover enough to even try to get up.

The big monster, unconcerned for its hideous brethren, whirled his broken street lamp around and sent five of them flying away. They landed heavily on the ground in various positions that made them look like broken marionettes. "Time to pound the meat..."

The monster plodded heavily toward Scott. Its great strides made it faster than most ghouls, but it was still a lumbering behemoth. The beast casually tossed its lesser brethren out of the way, while it marched toward its prey.

Dozens of ghouls stood around on the outskirts of the battle beyond the black light. They did not enter the fight, but still gathered near for some reason.

The constant gunfire and crashing sound was no doubt drawing monsters from all over that part of town. Thankfully, the whole city was a warzone, so there was no limit to the amount of noise generated in various places. The whole city would not come down on them, but they had to work faster to avoid drawing too much attention.

As Discount Chopper near the fallen man, something strange happened. The world seemingly froze in place. Everyone stood perfectly still, save for a single ghoul who ran in from outside of the barrier. Counter to the rules of the game, this ghoul dressed in a sport's jacket and business casual clothes, raced over to the behemoth without care or concern for turn-taking.

The smartly dressed ghoul jumped up onto the big guy's outstretched knee, he was frozen in place mid-step, and whispered into the big guy's ear. The big guy became unfrozen. It looked to Scott, an incredulous expression on his rotten face. It blew out a fetid breath then heatedly said, "Bullshit..."

Smartly dressed ghoul waved his hands around frantically then pointed at Scott. The big guy snorted then shook his head. "Fuck that. I refuse to believe that this little turd is ..."

Suddenly, the background music died away. It was replaced by a powerful voice that rang out across the area. "Hello everyone! Are you having a good time...?"

Discount Chopper groaned loudly then looked toward the source of the disturbance. Atop the shopping mall stood a familiar figure. "Seriously?"

"I know you all came to see me tonight, but when my fans get this rowdy it just makes me sad," called out Brittani. "Can't we all just enjoy a lovely evening?"

"Go home! This guy doesn't have what it takes!" snapped Discount Chopper.

"Well, isn't he just lacking..." Brittani turned to the side then blew a kiss toward Scott and offered a saucy wink. "Motivation."

Scott gasped loudly as a vibrant warm energy raced through his body. Rapid-fire message screens appeared before him. He could not read them all, but the ones that he did read mentioned removal of status effects and rapid health restoration.

"You'd go this far?" asked Discount Chopper. He pointed his hammer at Scott, "For that pathetic meat?"

Scott rose to his feet, somehow able to move despite being part of a battle scene. "Hey, Brittani."

"Hi, Scott!" exclaimed Brittani cheerfully. She jumped up and down while waving at him.

"I think I'm gonna puke..." muttered the big guy.

"Now, now, Chopper. Don't be that way..." said Brittani with a smile. "The heart wants, what the heart wants."

Chopper blinked owlishly, made an odd noise, then leaned forward and loudly vomited. Unfortunately for the smartly dressed ghoul, he was unable to get out of the way in time and received a heavy dose of the foulest smelling bile in history.

"Man! My new threads!" cried the smartly dressed ghoul. "Ghoul puke doesn't come out!"

Chopped snarled at the complaining ghoul then snatched him up on one hand and threw him out of the area. "Get lost, you bastard."

Brittani called out, "Now that's just rude!"

"So's this!" snapped Chopper before running toward Scott with a killing intent.

Brittani saw what was happening and acted. She unleashed a piercing cry that ripped the very air itself as it moved across the area. Chopper was hit hard by the sonic attack and was sent flying.

"You bitch!" snarled the massive beast as he regained his footing. "Your father's gonna hear about this!"

"I'm sure you'll remember to tell daddy all about how you insulted me, as well?" asked Brittani sweetly.

The big ghoul took a step back then acquired a disturbed look. "Well... that..."

Brittani sighed softly then gestured with her hand. "Look, Chopper, we've done this little dance before..."

The beast growled at her then shrugged. "You planning to fight me? I'm not in your faction, you know."

"No, no... That would be rude..." said Brittani lightly. "I'm asking you to just let them go."

"Let it go? My faction runs this area! Why would I let this meat-pie and his little robo-slut go?"

"Well, obviously it's because I'm asking nicely..." said Brittani.

Chopper snorted then started to say something. Brittani beat him to it. "I could ask not-nicely if you like..."

"Fuck...!" snarled Chopper before tossing his hammer to the side. "This is such fucking bullshit!"

Brittani tilted her head to the side and smiled warmly. Chopped grumbled loudly as he walked away and left the area.

"Yay!" exclaimed Brittani while jumping up and down and clapping her hands. She then came to a complete stop, smacked her fist into her palm, and bowed slightly. "Flawless victory."

Scott's left eyebrow rose up at the strangeness of the fight. There were so many unanswered questions that he wanted to ask. Up in the apartment, Harley kept her loot master trained on the ghouls. She could do more for her master where she was, than down on the ground.

"Now then..." said Brittani with a cheeky grin. She hopped down from the top of the three story building she stood on, and landed with no issue. A moment later she stood in front of Scott.

"Hi, Scott," she said sweetly. She leaned forward, her eyes partially closed.

"Hey Brittani," said Scott in response. He smiled slightly then leaned back a little. Something about her was off, and not just her undead status.

"Oh! You do remember my name..." she said cutely. "I was uncertain..."

"Well, you're hard to forget," admitted Scott.

She laughed prettily, though the laughter did not reach her eyes. "Good! That's... good."

Scott laughed a little as well, though a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. What was with the intense pressure that she exuded?

Brittani placed a hand to her chest and laughed even louder for a moment before calming down long enough to lightly punch the side of his shoulder "So, Scott... How ya been? Been staying busy?"

"Uh, well... yes," said Scott, before leaning further away from the pretty ghoul girl.

Her smile widened. "Good... That's real good..." She nodded her head quickly then laughed again. Her nostrils flared and she made a strange little noise.

"Thanks for the help..." said Scott after a brief awkward pause in the conversation, not that the entire conversation wasn't awkward.

"It's cool..." she said softly, before biting her lower lip a little.

"I—" he began to say.

Brittani interrupted by blurting out, "Who's Eloa, Scott!"

Her wide curious eyes, slightly pink cheeks, and flared nostrils told the tale. The source of the strange pressure was revealed. Brittani was onto him.

--

AN:Oh snap, son. Go ahead, big pimpin'... tell her, "Shh baby, its okay."

--