“C’mon, c’mon… Work!”

After he and Viola piled the confiscated weapons to a corner and shoved the incapacitated bodies of the delinquents they defeated back outside (some had to be re-paralyzed), Davis repeatedly pushed the wall switch’s big red button after pulling out the dagger that pierced it. It wasn’t a stretch to him that more reinforcements from Mary Glow’s faction could be on their way, so he thought on the fly that it was a good idea to barricade himself and his companions inside the armory until a safer time.

No response. Most of the switch’s wires must’ve been loosened or severed.

There was one last option Davis had to try before calling it quits. He removed the switch’s plastic covering, and after a moment’s hesitation, thrust his hand into the mess of multicolored wires. Thankfully, the glove part of his vambraces protected him from electrocution. With that worry out of the way, Davis tried to connect as many wires as possible between his fingers.

It took a bit of trial and error, but after many tests with the red button, the buzzer sounded off its blare.

“Aw, frik yeah! That’s the way!”

Davis couldn’t help but praise himself as the shutter door’s motor started up its familiar hum, but as soon as it started running–

“No! No, not that way!”

--Going frantic, he tried pushing the red button again in hopes of making the door reverse its movement, but the buzzer refused to obey and stayed silent no matter how many times he tried.

The door eventually stopped, half-way open, and several attempts to make it work again failed. It almost felt like a twisted joke that the new gap left behind was just tall enough for the weapon case to slide under it.

Now it was going to be easier for more intruders to invade the armory. Great. Barricading themselves started to sound like a bad idea too, now that Davis gave it some thought. He, Viola, and the blond man had their reasons for wanting to leave San Desquiciado, and it wasn’t like Mary Glow’s faction was going to leave their turf anytime soon.

With a change of plans set to happen, Davis took out his smartphone and made a call.

“Hey, Mack,” he greeted the clerk who was still sitting behind the unbreakable glass counter in the shop. “I need you to lock the armory elevators for a while…” He paused to listen to a response. “Yeah, it was a raid… Yup, it was them… oh wow, this was the first in a long time?” Then he nodded even though Mack wasn’t there to see it. “Great, thanks!”

“So, what now?” Viola asked, leaning an elbow on the weapon case, which was also where the blond man sat.

“We can leave, now that I’ve made sure this place will be fine without us,” Davis said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. “I just informed one of the staff about what happened. Some of them are on their way here to fix the door and guard the armory in our place.”

Viola didn’t feel the need to question how many of the staff were on the way as she watched Davis move over to the side handlebar opposite to hers. With the two of them now in position, they pushed the weapon case outside.

“Listen,” Viola whispered to the blond man who leaned closer to understand her better. “About all those terrible things Davis said to you, I’m sure he didn’t mean any of that. He’s just sour now that he knows what you need to do.”

“It surprises me you don’t feel the same,” the blond man replied.

Viola frowned a little as she explored her take on the situation. “Actually, I do. But for me, it’s more like an obligatory kind of concern since Lucas is part of my family. He and I aren’t really close, so how I feel is nothing compared to someone who’d been through a lot with him.”

The blond man didn’t say anything to continue their conversation. He could tell Davis would rather not have what was in store for his friend in mind and preferred to focus more on how they were going to escape the confines of the district.

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A horde of footsteps from behind grew louder.

“Must go faster.”

The blond man tried to keep his cool as he looked back at a glowing myriad of colored figures chasing after them in the dark alleyway.

“We’re doing the best we can!”

Viola panted. Her lungs were starting to burn from all the time they’d spent pushing and turning the weapon case while fleeing.

“Yeah, maybe you can help by jumping off the case!” Davis, who felt the same, snarled. “That should help me and Viola push faster while those guys can take their time venting out their vengeance on you!”

“Davis.” Viola firmly chastised him.

“What? At least I’m pitching something! It’ll slow them down and give us more time to get away!”

Reinforcements from Mary Glow’s faction did come, and they were far from happy to see several of their comrades sprawled out on the filthy ground when they arrived. While some of them took care of helping out their incapacitated friends, the rest pursued Davis, Viola, and the blond man who now realized they needed to get out of San Desquiciado more than ever or run for the rest of their lives.

The alleyway wasn’t the best place for them to be moving around a big weapon case on wheels. Scattered debris on the ground and turning the weapon case around corners slowed them and brought their pursuers closer. There were also the stone stairs to worry about, as those were practically dead-ends because of the weapon case.

It was thanks to Davis that the dead-end risk was alleviated. Although he didn’t know the structure of the alleyway’s maze as a whole, he at least knew his way around to one exit if the starting point was from C.W.I’s back entrance.

Before long, they were out of the alleyway’s murky darkness and back to the neon lights of San Desquiciado’s open streets. People visiting the district for the pleasures it offered continued to mind their own business at their own pace. So long as anything troublesome wasn’t going to affect them, they were fine with whatever was happening nearby.

“Okay, Viola, hop on to the case!” Davis instructed.

“What!?” Viola swiveled his way, surprised. “You’re going to push us by yourself?”

“It won’t be for long. Now go!”

The force in his words made it clear he was serious. Viola kicked the asphalt beneath her and bounded over the weapon case. She then grabbed on to an outstretched hand of the blond man, who helped her sit down on the free space next to him.

At the same time, Davis shifted his position and tensed the muscles in his legs as he started pushing the case by himself.

The blond man and Viola looked ahead and realized what Davis meant when he said he wouldn’t be pushing them for long.

“Davis…” Anxiety welled up inside the blond man. “What you’re about to do is—how do I say this without sounding offensive? — on the verge of profound retardation!”

“What was that just now!?” Davis spat.

“I said, ‘on the verge!’ You’re not retarded, but you sure are this close!” the blond man emphasized with an inched gap between his thumb and index finger.

Davis wasn’t willing to take the insult sitting down. He mimicked the blond man’s hand gesture. “Yeah, well, you’re this close to becoming the sacrificial lamb for those hungry wolves chasing us!”

“C’mon Davis!" Viola scolded. "We’ve been over this!”

“What!?” Faint tears brimmed under his eyes. “I have feelings, and he hurt them! Plus, he still intends to trade Lucas off to some bozo! If you think about it, my intentions would be poetic justice!”

“Fine! I take back what I said,” the blond man ceased. “Your plan is still one worthy of a prat, though.”

“Got any better ideas!?” Davis challenged.

When he couldn’t think of anything considering the time they had left before the angry mob of delinquents could close in on them, the blond man conceded and fastened a nervous grip to the handlebar in front of him. Viola did the same while clutching her purse tight.

“Yeah, thought so,” Davis muttered for his not-so-special-victory.

He leapfrogged on to the weapon case and landed behind his two companions. Now that no one was pushing them, they should’ve been slowing down until they’d come to a stop.

But that wasn’t going to happen, not where they were.

After a slow crawl, the weapon case’s momentum began to increase on it its own as its wheels started to roll down the top of a steep slope. It was time for the trio to experience a roller-coaster ride with handlebars but no seatbelts or brakes. There was no turning back now.

“Davis…” Viola cast him a look, one that seethed with a mixture of anger, worry, and closeted anticipation for a thrill. “Remind me to not let you come up with any more ide—AAAAAAAAS!!!!!!!”

In a span of fifteen seconds, Davis learned seven new obscene words – all of which came gushing out from Viola’s pretty little mouth. The range of her profanity vocabulary left the blond man weirdly impressed.

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The angry mob of delinquents stopped running.

Those three people they were chasing had just attempted the insane and rode a weapon case as a make-shift ride down the street ahead -- a street far too steep for the delinquents to run down without stumbling.

Giving up on their chase was probably going to be alright. After all, there were more delinquents where those three were heading, and maybe some of Lord Xavion’s fanatics too. Hopefully, they’ll find a reason to put a stop to those meddlers.

Now, the only question they had in mind was, how were they going to explain their failure to Mary Glow?

Their task of raiding C.W.I’s armory through its back entrance was a task given to them by the Tyrant herself, and that task was now be considered a bust. The back entrance had been reinforced with its heavily-armed staff now standing guard while one of them worked on repairing the switch that controlled its massive shutter door.

A delinquent, decorated with turquoise neon paint, refrained from prancing around for an excuse when he noticed something unusual within his group.

“Hey, you!” He wandered to the source, moving past his fellow delinquents until he met a certain person standing behind the mob. “You’re dress code’s incomplete! Where’s your coat of neon paint?”

“…”

This odd newcomer with long ashen hair, who wore disheveled clothes and a fresh bandage bound around his left arm, said nothing. All he did was scratch his right shoulder, which was annoyed by a mild itch ever since the delinquent in turquoise first called him out.

Some of the other delinquents began to gossip, pointing out how this odd guy seemed to have slipped into their group unnoticed ever since they started chasing those three meddlers in the alleyway. They were far too busy with their chase to address his presence, and it also didn’t help how they’d had this strangely heavy feeling in their chests ever since that time. For some reason, that feeling had just worn off.

“Well? Aren’t ya gonna say something?” The delinquent in turquoise pressed on.

All he got in return was an unsettling stare, from eyes that glowed an emerald-green.

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Three people on a dangerous thrill ride screamed their hearts out. There was no stopping the weapon case’s acceleration down the long street.

The forced adrenaline made their blood rush, threatened their stomachs to jump out of their mouths, and prickled the fine hairs on their napes. All of this would’ve been fun if it weren’t for their slipping grasps on the handlebars. Cold drag winds tried to peel their faces, but the blond man slammed one hand on his flat cap. He’d be damned to let it get blown off.

Soon enough, they barged into streets littered with delinquents in neon-painted streetwear brawling it out with fanatics in mostly gothic-inspired fashion.

Get out of the way… Get out of the way… Get out of the way…

To Davis’ relief, those in the way were able to stop what they were doing and scurry out of the improvised vehicle’s path. He could care less about those from Mary Glow’s or Lord Xavion’s factions, but it wasn’t in his interest to turn them into roadkill and, more importantly, bumps that could derail them into an accident.

One delinquent wasn’t pleased with the sudden intrusion. He was but a moment away from driving a wooden stake through his gothic opponent’s heart, that is until the speeding weapon case spoiled the kill.

Both managed to get out of the way. The delinquent retreated to a sidewalk and unclipped the locks of a rectangular case waiting on standby.

Now hoisting a long and heavy launcher weapon over his shoulder, he took aim at the fleeing weapon case through its sights, stuck his blue tongue out through his teeth, pulled the trigger, and fell hard on his butt from an explosive recoil.

A strange hissing noise from behind caught Viola by her ears and made her look back. Davis looked over his shoulder as well as he was curious about what got her attention.

They both gasped with Davis going pale.

“RPG coming right at us!”

A miniature pink rocket with a fiery trail of smoke chased after them while performing spiral acrobatics in its flight, and it was getting closer with every passing second!

“I see it.”

Viola tried to keep her cool as she rotated on her behind to face the projectile. She hooked her feet to the handlebar and cupped her hands before interlocking them with a loud clap.

Davis shook her by the shoulder.

“It’s getting closer!”

“I see it!”

Her friend’s side comments weren’t helping. Viola’s interlocked hands trembled, mostly because she was nervous, but partly because the air trapped in them was fighting to get out.

Fearing that it wouldn’t be long before certain doom, Davis spent the last moment of his life wisely.

At least that’s how it felt for him.

“WE’RE GONNA DIE!!! VIOLA! PLEASE LET ME F--”

“《 龍的 Path of the Dragon: Tempest Thunderclap! 路徑》”

A slip of the tongue happened thanks to Davis’ meddling. Viola shouted the technique’s name and flared her hands outward at the last possible moment, right when the rocket’s tip was but a blink away from impacting them.

An invisible blast unleashed itself from Viola’s hands. Its force changed the rocket’s trajectory while also propelling the weapon case forward with a short speed boost due to recoil. Now redirected, the rocket flew straight up until it reached its limit and exploded into fireworks of many colors in the night sky.

With the danger now averted, Viola leaned back, closed her eyes, inhaled, and breathed out a sigh of relief. Her eyes then narrowed, and Davis became the target of their glare. He guessed why: Viola didn’t like calling out her techniques because she thought it made her appear silly, and for some reason, it was his fault she did that.

“What? We were about to be blown to smithereens!” Davis said in his defense. “Besides, that technique had a pretty sweet name!”

Viola crossed her arms under her bust. Her embarrassment went up a level, showcased by how adorably puffed up her cheeks were.

“You were about to say something else,” she muttered. “Something suspicious that starts with the letter ‘F.’”

Davis’s eyes went dry as he sucked his lips in. Since they didn’t end up blown to smithereens as he predicted, he had to come up with an excuse for what would’ve been his bold “last wish.”

“Can both of you resume the petty argument later?” The blond man interrupted.

“Excuse me!?” went Davis with a frown, but he was also thankful to get dragged away from what would’ve been an awkward accusation.

The blond man pointed him and Viola toward what was awaiting them -- one of the many drinking bars San Desquiciado had to offer, and they were speeding toward it!

“If there’s a way to turn this thing from where we are, now’s a good time to do it!” the blond man urged.

All Davis did was put on a blank expression, the kind that looked like he had already given up on life.

There wasn’t. The weapon case wasn’t built to be a ride in the first place, so it could only be turned by manually pushing it to the desired direction while standing next to it. Turning it while sitting on top was next to impossible without risk. Jumping off the case while it was still speeding was going to be risky too.

“Okay. I have an idea, but we need to work together.” Viola spotted an electric pole situated at a righthand corner that led to a continuation of the streets. “One of you has to put his arms around my waist and… hold me tight.”

She deadpanned before she could say the last words of her idea. Lowering her gaze, Viola saw how Davis thought her plan was a stroke of genius and had shamelessly bearhugged himself to her waist. It was a bonus that doing so meant he could press his face against her body and savor the girly scents emanating from her clothes. His breathing got louder too, and his smile was probably his goofiest version yet.

Viola shouldn’t have been so surprised. After the few hours she’d spent with Davis, it was clear to her that Lucas’ best friend was really into girls. Come to think of it, she had even used that to her advantage a few times.

Whatever. I probably would’ve done the same in his shoes, she thought.

Time was running out. Viola did her best to tolerate Davis’ intrusive behavior as she instructed the blond man to keep one of his hands on the handlebar next to him while putting his other arm around Davis’ waist. Davis would definitely freak out if another male were to do such a thing to him, but thankfully, he was too occupied with getting more coincidental whiffs of Viola’s scent to notice.

With the three of them now linked to the weapon case as a human chain, Viola prepared to do her part and pulled her arms back.

《 蛇的 Path of the Snake: Lasso Bola Boa 路徑》

Her arms shot for the pole, stretching farther beyond human standards while emitting popping noises. To anyone affected by the hallucinogens of her perfume, her arms appeared as a pair of snakes. They curled around the pole several times before meeting to bite each other. Thanks to their teamwork and the law of Centripetal force, the weapon case began drifting to the right in a circular motion.

Viola couldn’t resist the urge to squint as she bit her tongue. Excruciating jolts of pain coursed through her arms and threatened to rip them apart, but she powered through and held on. Her efforts bore fruit as just when she was on the verge of reaching her threshold to the pain, the weapon case made a sharp turn around the corner and continued down another street.

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“And then afta my mom told a joke durin’ our famly reunion, I told her, please don’ tell any more jokes. Yer not good at makin’ em’.”

“Mhh-hmm. That’s nice, sir.”

“Then she shrugged an’ said, ‘well, I did make youuu-hu-hu-hu-hu-hu!’”

A man dressed unkempt in business attire fell to his arms, sobbing over the counter of a bar in which he was currently the only customer. He was drowning his sorrows while relaying a recent story to the bartender, who cleaned a glass with a square of cloth.

“Mhh-hmm. I see.”

As always, the bartender’s responses were all apathetic. Nothing could ever faze him. That is until…

“Hey! Aren’ cha listening? I wus just about to tell ya how my wife an’ kids also joined my mom and the rest of my family in throwin’ shade at me!”

When the bartender refused to go, “Mhh-hmm,” the sobbing man saw how his listener had diverted his attention to the side with widened eyes, and checked out what was going on for himself.

A weapon case on wheels with three people on top of it appeared to be speeding down a slope across them while growing more significant from his point of view – which meant it was heading straight for the bar!

But just as they were about to brace themselves for an accident, one of the three people, a girl, extended her arms and tethered herself to an electric pole around a corner. With her two companions working as a link between her and the weapon case, collateral damage was narrowly avoided as the weapon case swerved past the bar and to another direction.

“…Will that be another shot of Devil Springs Vodka?” the bartender asked, having returned to his stoic demeanor now that the danger had passed. While making the offer, he eyed the countless small glasses on the man’s side.”

“No,” the man answered, now sounding a little sober. “I think I’ve had enough. Human arms just aren’t supposed to stretch that far.”

The bartender would’ve informed him that he too witnessed the unusually extended limbs, but he kept his lips sealed and took the man’s payment.

Working in an unhinged district like San Desquiciado didn’t mean he couldn’t show some concern for his customer’s well-being, especially when this one could tell him a story so dark yet so entertaining.

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Viola laid defenseless as she recuperated from the strain of her technique.

Lasso Bola Boa involved stretching an arm or both beyond its limits for her hand to grab anything from afar like the technique’s namesake, the lasso. Fun fact: Viola had previously used this technique to snatch Davis’ wallet when she was having trouble remembering his name.

The technique is realized by the practitioner thrusting their hand in a direction while simultaneously dislocating the joints inside their arm and using the momentum to travel far and fast. The multiple dislocating of joints and hyperextended length of the arm prevent the practitioner from moving them conventionally beyond the direction they were launched. Strength is retained in their hands, which rely on the muscles in their palms and forearms to move. Of course, the practitioner must also learn to retract their arms and relocate their joints back into place without outside help. This is accomplished through the practice of muscle control.

Viola had practiced the Lasso Bola Boa and variations of it like the Smashing Cobra countless times during her training in Shǔxiàng Academy. The pain from dislocating her arms no longer bothered her, and she had also become proficient in her aim.

It was the first time for her, however, to use it on two people and a heavy object at the same time.

The next street around the corner wasn’t as steep as the last. This lessened the risk of not holding on to the handlebars while also allowing the weapon case on wheels to continue traveling without any outside force pushing it, but at a more moderate speed.

And that made way for a new problem.

“They just won’t stop coming!”

Davis complained and, using the butt of his shotgun as a melee weapon, slammed it against the jaw of an attacking delinquent, knocking him aside before doing the same to a cult fanatic that tried to pounce on Viola with a crooked knife. She wasn’t ready to defend herself yet as she had just finished retracting her arms, but was still in the middle of relocating her joints back into place.

“Thanks, Davis. I needed that.” She beamed him a wink, knowing her praise peppered with a flirty gesture was bound to give him a boost. Of course, she also appreciated him for protecting her.

Delinquents and fanatics, belonging to Mary Glow and Lord Xavion’s factions respectively, were swarming after the runaway weapon case from the left, right, and behind. Neither faction was pleased that a third party had interrupted their feud on the streets.

With Davis, Viola, and the blond man not looking the part for neither of their sides, they were deemed enemies to all of them. Running down a mildly leveled slope helped the delinquents and fanatics move faster without exertion. There were also more of them down the street, and they prepared to attack the weapon case as soon as they saw it coming.

The overall situation had become similar to a light gun arcade game where up to two players had to shoot down waves of attacking enemies from random directions while also trying to take quick opportunities to reload.

Davis could only handle each incoming enemy one at a time, and sticking to melee fighting was only giving the rest more time to catch up to the weapon case.

“That’s it! I’ve had it!”

He decided to switch his style and handle the situation like the game it resembled. Flipping his shotgun around and taking aim at the nearest enemy daring to attack Viola, Davis searched a finger for his shotgun’s trigger.

Right when he found it, he caught a glimpse of the concerned look Viola was giving him. She must’ve been worried that she was about to witness a friend killing someone even though the situation probably called for it.

“It’s alright,” he assured her before pointing the shotgun at a delinquent’s face. “He won’t die from this. Probably.”

A discharge of gunpowder burst out of the shotgun’s barrel and blasted the delinquent off his feet, sending him rolling away across the street. Despite what Davis said, Viola couldn’t find it in herself to believe him completely. Whatever the case, they’d already sped too far away from the motionless delinquent’s body to confirm if he was still alive.

Davis pumped his shotgun’s forend, ejecting a used shell before retaking aim and blasting the next enemy who dared to go near Viola, a fanatic this time. Pointing and shooting the enemy was much more efficient than waiting for them to come close enough to strike. The efficiency kept Viola safe. Soon enough, nobody went five-meters near her without answering to the business end of Davis’ shotgun.

“And you,” Davis addressed the blond man without looking as he took a moment of reprieve to reload, which had to be done one shotgun shell at a time. “Did anyone kill you yet?”

There was no answer.

A smile began to rise.

But then…

“Uh, no. I’m doing rather peachy here, thank you very much!” an angry posh voice finally replied, leading to a click of the tongue that made the blond man guess Davis was thinking, dammit, he’s still alive!

Whatever. At least for Davis, that kind of meant he didn’t have to worry about enemies attacking him from a blind spot. This mindset was why he failed to notice what was happening to those who attacked the blond man.

Viola witnessed the most recent attempt, and that made her want to question why the blond man got his injuries in the first place. A delinquent screamed for his life as he soared high into the sky. All it took to launch him to that height was a decent right uppercut to the chin. That was a spectacle no one sees every day.

Then again, she had been living in the eastern nation of Xina for the past five years.

Then Viola looked far ahead into the distance. Warnings tickled her entire body.

Just like the first street they’d gone down, this one also had a dead-end waiting for them if the weapon case didn’t turn to another direction in time. A brick wall was about fifteen seconds away from handing them an accident.

“Okay, you two! We’re going to turn this thing again!” she said.

“Roger that!”

Davis enthusiastically put away his shotgun and lunged toward Viola, excited for another opportunity to get touchy-feely with her curvy waist -- only to drop hard on his chest, convulsing from an elbow slam to the head.

“Not this time!” A blushing, but annoyed Viola scolded him.

She had surveyed more of what was ahead before calling Davis and the blond man to action. Unlike the previous street, there were no electric poles or anything similar for which to tether herself. That was actually great to some degree because she’d rather not do such a taxing stunt on her arms ever again.

Her new instructions for Davis and the blond man was to sit next to each other and have one of their hands hold the closest handlebar on their respective sides. While doing that, their other arms had to form a link, which they reluctantly did, more so for Davis.

Viola sat in front of them and faced the opposite direction of where they intended the weapon case to turn. Locking her feet to the handlebar, she spread her arms out wide then clasped her cupped hands together with a loud clap and compressed.

“《 龍的 Path of the Dragon: Tempest Thunderclap! 路徑》”

Every technique of the Dragon Path utilized natural elements in some form, and this was no exception. Its execution was simple, but easier said than done. The practitioner traps a mass of air in their hands and pressurizes them to build up power. When ready, they flare out their hands, unleashing the trapped air pressure as a repulsing force powerful enough to cover considerable distances while distorting the space of its execution.

Like every other non-Snake Path technique in her arsenal, Viola’s lack of training in the Dragon Path hindered her from executing the Tempest Thunderclap technique to its full potential. The farthest she studied was some basic pointers from a friend who mastered said Path. As such, her imperfect version of the technique required her to use both hands, and could only unleash the compressed air as a wide, but close-ranged blast, similar to that of a sawed-off shotgun.

At least she wasn’t using it to attack a distant target.

Like firing any kind of gun, there was a kickback that came with the usage of the technique. That was what Viola used to jolt the weapon case about ninety degrees to the right. It was a reckless turning method that threatened to buck off its riders due to sudden swerving, but thanks to Viola’s instructions, they stayed secure. A minor case of whiplash was the only suffering they had to endure.

They covered two more sloped streets this way, all while continuing to fend off attacking forces from either Lord Xavion or Mary Glow’s factions.

Things were going great, that is until they went down one particular street that also marked the end of the ride.

“Oh God, oh man…” Davis’ heart raced for the worst as he recognized where they were going to end up next. “Anywhere, but there!”