"First rule."
Jax tossed the wrench onto the bench. Wiped the fog off his goggles with a glove slick with engine oil.
"Going out without a scrambler is suicide. Don't look a Glitch-walker in the eye. And if a client's blood glows blue, you don't ask what he does for a living."
He glanced up at the arc lamp buzzing overhead.
Sparks flickered inside the tube. Light and shadow kept switching places in the shop.
This place was called The Underbelly.
The real one.
Seventeen layers of steel dome above. Cut this dump off from the world completely. Sunlight never reached down here. Just endless neon and steam pipes hissing.
Jax had been here two years.
Went from some poor dumb crosser to Bone-saw Old Joe's apprentice.
Wasn't easy.
[Ding! Your master "Bone-saw Old Joe" has issued a task: Open for business. Activate the EMP scrambler at the entrance. Rewards: New Coins ×10, Basic EXP ×5, B-grade Engine Oil ×100ml.]
Jax stood up. Cracked his neck.
Half a mechanical body lay on the iron-frame bed behind him. Old Joe dragged it back from the Junkyard an hour ago. Not stripped yet.
He didn't look at it. Pushed open the rusted iron door.
Steam pipes in the corridor screamed.
He walked to the entrance. Pulled the red switch down.
*Bzzzz—*
The scrambler kicked on. Sent out an invisible EMP pulse.
[Ding! Task complete. New Coins ×10, Basic EXP ×5, B-grade Engine Oil ×100ml distributed.]
Jax turned to head back.
**Click.**
Soft sound. Above his head.
He looked up.
Human-skin lantern swinging from the doorframe. Old Joe reclaimed it from some client. Said it could detect anomalous creatures.
The flame inside was flickering hard.
**This visitor was trouble.**
Jax's face didn't move. His left hand drifted toward the revolver at his waist.
Down the foggy corridor, a hunched figure shuffled closer.
Old woman. Tattered burlap sack for clothes. Pulling a cart rusted to hell. Wheels grinding over iron plates. Squealing. Screeching.
She looked up.
Wrinkled face. Kind smile.
The lantern in her hand was made of human skin.
[Ding! The Human-Skin Scavenger has issued an optional task: Deliver the "Useless Trash" to the Scavenger. Rewards: Scavenger Favorability +10, New Coins +20, Scavenger's Reward ×1.]
Jax's face stayed blank.
"Wait."
He turned. Went inside. Dragged two burlap sacks from the scrap pile behind the door. The smell hit him—rotten, thick. Something inside squirmed. Let out low, wet groans.
He tossed them onto her cart.
The old woman's smile got wider.
Then she reached up with fingers like dead branches. Gouged out her left eye. Right in front of him.
Bloody. Still connected by thin metal wires.
"Good child. This is this old woman's thank-you."
[Ding! Task complete. Scavenger Favorability +10, New Coins +20!]
[Ding! You may accept the Scavenger's reward or refuse. Refusal will reduce Scavenger Favorability by -50.]
Jax took the mechanical eye.
Still glowing faintly.
"Thanks."
He pocketed it.
The old woman chuckled. Pulled her cart back into the mist. Disappeared.
[Ding! You have received the Scavenger's Reward: Prosthetic Shop Owner's Left Eye ×1, Mechanical Slaughterhouse Owner's Right Eye ×1, Scavenger Favorability +20.]
Jax turned. Went back inside.
The moment the iron door closed, he let his fingers uncurl.
Every time that old hag shows up, he thought. Breaks out in a cold sweat every damn time.
He sat back down at the bench. Picked up the wrench.
**Knock knock knock.**
Three knocks.
He looked up.
Little girl at the door. Filthy. Holding a doll. One mechanical arm torn off. Wires hanging out, sparking.
She gave him those big pitiful eyes.
"Mister... can you fix my dolly?"
[Ding! The Mechanical Blood Infant has issued a task: Repair the damaged doll. Rewards: New Coins +30, Mechanical Repair EXP +50, Special Component ×1.]
Jax's eyes slid past her. Landed on the lantern by the door.
Flame still flickering hard.
Text popped up in front of him.
[Mechanical Blood Infant]
[Level]: 5
[Type]: Mechanical Wraith Fusion
[Danger Level]: Low. But don't touch the doll.
[Description]: Wearing a dirty dress. Holding a sparking doll. Kids in The Underbelly are never just kids. They're rejects from some lab. You don't wanna know which.
Jax was quiet for two seconds.
"Come in."
The girl ran inside. Sat on the metal chair across from the bench.
Jax picked up the doll. Looked at the broken arm.
[Ding! System auto-diagnosis in progress... Bite marks detected at fracture point. Metal tooth marks match target's bite force at 95%. Preliminary diagnosis: Target bit off the doll's own arm during attempted maintenance.]
Jax stared at the screen.
Then at the girl.
"You bit it off yourself."
The girl's face went stiff.
The doll in her arms giggled. Sparks crackled from the short.
"Yummy— yummy—"
[Ding! Sanity -5.]
Jax didn't blink. Grabbed a soldering iron and a mechanical arm from the tool rack. Put them on the table.
"Can you solder?"
The girl blinked. Shook her head. Pitiful again.
"Learn."
Her lip trembled. Eyes got wet.
A long pause. Then she hugged the doll tight. Whispered, "Mister, you're mean."
Jax pointed at the door.
She ran out. Doll clutched to her chest.
Footsteps faded down the corridor.
Jax picked up the wrench again. Went back to stripping the half-mechanical body.
Soldering iron and part still sat on the table.
He never mentioned payment.
In this dump, people who owe don't last a week.
Didn't matter.
The human-skin lantern by the door kept flickering.
Another day in The Underbelly.
---
**[Ding! Hidden quest triggered: The Mechanical Blood Infant's Origins. Objective: Help the Blood Infant locate her creator. Current progress: 13%.]**
Jax glanced at the text. Swiped it away.
The wrench spun once in his hand.
He lowered his head. Kept working.
From the corridor outside, faint crying drifted in.
He pretended he didn't hear it.