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It’s like a rock, and there’s no sign of pain from the dwarf.

A booted foot tries to sweep me. I jump over it, land like a cat, and kick my attacker in the crotch.

The dwarf barely blinks.

Double puck. This must be a female dwarf—no way would a male be able to keep fighting after that. Both male and female dwarves have beards, though some females opt to get rid of theirs with nano hair removal, probably so that other Cognizant don’t make the same mistake I just did.

Yep. Now that I’m looking for it, I see a hint of breasts under her baggy clothes. Feeling better about ripping out that beard—it’s often a source of male dwarves’ pride—I hit her in the face.

The dwarf staggers back for a moment. Then, with a roar, she launches at me like a rabid honey badger.

Chapter Fourteen

Using a maneuver from a dream of an Aikido master on Earth, I use the dwarf’s momentum to put her on the pavement. Then I break with Aikido philosophy and gracelessly kick my opponent in the head until she stays down.

I don’t get to enjoy my victory for long. As I look up, I see a vampire whooshing my way.

This is it. I’m completely screwed now.

“That’s enough,” Felix’s voice booms through the cul-de-sac, no doubt boosted by his suit.

Startled, the vampire halts, as does everyone else.

Neo Golem’s chest opens up. In the place where Felix’s nipples would be, two giant guns show up and fire at an empty spot nearby.

Boom. The explosion vibrates everyone’s inner organs.

The robot points the guns at the still-standing Filthy Bastards. “Do I make myself clear?”

A few angry nods.

His faceplate turns from orc to orc. “Which one of you is Vas?”

“Inside,” the vampire nearest me hisses.

“Stay here,” I tell Felix. “I’ll go look for him.”

The metal head of the robot nods, and I slip inside the abandoned store.

The gang has transformed the place into a hybrid between a gym and a casino. There are weights everywhere and a boxing ring in the middle of the room, but also card tables and even a small track, likely for illegal races with small animals.

Sleeping bodies are everywhere. The problem is, there are five orcs.

I dig through the pockets of the first one for ID.

Not my guy.

I check the next one. Nope.

On the third orc, I hit pay dirt. Not only is this Vas, but he’s in REM sleep to boot.

Reaching out, I make the connection and get back to the waking world. Then I make connections with a few more members of the gang—in case running around Vas’s dreams doesn’t yield gnome grandfather fruit.

Leaving the store, I nod at my friends as I sterilize my hands.

“You killed him?” the nearest orc booms.

“No. I just needed to see what he looks like,” I lie. “Now that I have, we’ll go.”

“If we let you,” the orc growls.

The guns in Felix’s chest point in his direction, and the orc steps back.

A vampire blurs into the store, then comes out just as quickly.

“Vas is alive,” he reports. “So is everyone else.”

“And they will stay that way if you don’t puck with us,” I say.

The Bastards step out of our way.

I pick up my gun and stand shoulder to shoulder with my friends as we back out of the cul-de-sac. Once we’re out of sight, we break into a run and grab a car a few blocks away.

“That was intense,” Kit says, turning into several gang members in quick succession.

Ariel looks at Felix’s chest. “I thought you only had one round in those boob guns of yours.”

Felix raises the faceplate and grins. “The Filthy Bastards didn’t know that.”

Itzel turns to me, her eyes shining with hope. “Did you find out where my grandfather is?”

“About to.” I touch Pom’s fur.

Appearing in the dream palace, I update Pom on the goings-on as I look for Vas in the tower of sleepers.

“Whew,” I say when I find my green quarry. “The other gang members haven’t woken him up yet.”

Pom flies up to the orc and looks him over with distrust. “You should still hurry. If you don’t mind, I’ll join you.”

I agree, and Pom perches on my shoulder. I can’t resist taking on the visage of a pirate before I make both of us invisible and jump into the orc’s dream.

The room where the dream is taking place is familiar. It’s the Filthy Bastards’ abandoned store hangout. Vas and another orc are wearing gloves and standing in the boxing ring.

The dream is a memory, I realize.

I let it play out until Vas goes to the locker room. While his attention is consumed by changing his outfit, I transform the locker room into Cadmael’s cluttered room that I saw in VR.

Done changing, Vas looks up and fills out the rest of the information himself, starting with the vape gizmo, which shows up in his mouth.

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