Chapter 16: Cursed City(4)

BAM

BAM

BAM

The gunshots rang out quickly. Ice Skull, as the children called her, appeared before the duo could even catch their breath.

But Slavik, now mimicking V8's body, moved with inhuman agility. His hands, protected by black ninofiber gloves, deflected the projectiles with precision. Each impact sparked icy flashes that burst in the air like frozen fireworks.

"Alright, kids, let the clown take over," Jasper said, breaking the ice from his hands against a wall.

The kid took the lead and rushed forward.

With a flick of his wrist, the texture of Slavik's gloves began to shift. The ninofiber stretched out, weaving into a black staff like a void. Slavik twirled it across his body and slammed it into the ground.

"Come on, pretty girl. Let me catch you—I wanna move up in rank tonight," he said with a smirk as he advanced.

Jasper found it strange to see that expression on that face.

Ice Skull raised a hand and launched a freezing bolt to the ground. A spike of ice erupted between them like a barrier. Slavik spun midair and landed on the tip of the ice wall, vaulting over it with an acrobatic leap.

He landed right in front of her.

CLACK!

The staff struck her arm. The ice covering the woman's body cracked and splintered. But she countered with a flurry of icy blades from her other hand. Slavik swung the staff, deflecting them one by one as if dancing with death.

She moved fast—but Slavik was reading her. He advanced with a sweeping strike, cut her off, then raised the staff to land a blow on her torso.

THUMP!

It connected. But before Slavik could grab her, Ice Skull threw an icy orb at the ground. The cold exploded outward, filling the area with a thick frosty mist.

When it cleared, she was gone.

"Yeah... she knew she'd lose. I'll go after her. Rookie, call the others," Slavik said, his tone serious, turning to Jasper.

Without hesitation, he took off after her.

"Alright, first things first... let's get that ice off your face," Jasper said, approaching the boy cautiously. With a quick slice of his knife, he freed the kid's mouth from the frozen layer.

"No, no, no! Why'd you let them go into town?!" the boy shouted immediately, desperation shaking his voice. Something was wrong.

"What are you talking about? Sure, those folks might be following the XCP, but that guy can handle himself," Jasper said, tapping his earpiece to contact the team.

To his surprise, no one answered. Static interference.

"What the hell...?" he muttered, frowning.

"Yes... the city worshiped them, no doubt about that... but..." the boy hesitated, his eyes trembling as they dropped to the floor.

"They became monsters too"

***

Inside the team's room, 17 minutes had passed since Jasper and Slavik went down the alley.

"Hey, why can't we leave yet? There's probably a white corn parlor nearby," Neo 8 complained, glued to the window, clearly bored.

F16 turned slowly. "You mean a movie theater? I doubt Gallows Creek has one," she replied calmly, though concern was starting to creep into her voice.

"What if the XCP caught them? Maybe! Why didn't we bring the tablet to track them?" Lin asked, visibly annoyed. His patience was wearing thin.

"I did bring it," F16 said, pulling the device from her bag. "But for some reason it's malfunctioning. When I try to scan the area, it picks up too many anomalies at once... it overloads."

"I see... then we wait," Suse said from her bed, meditating in a lotus position like nothing was wrong.

PAM!

PAM!

PAM!

Knocks echoed through the room.

"Good evening, room service!"

A friendly female voice snapped them out of the conversation. F16 raised an eyebrow. "That's weird... I don't remember ordering anything. Do you?"

Lin shook his head. Suse didn't even react, which was a no on her part.

"Maybe I did? This morning, when we got here?" Neo 8 said, scratching her head, clearly unsure.

F16 glared. "Damn it, Neo 8! I told you not to talk to anyone. You probably said something you shouldn't have." She marched to the door and opened it.

"Oh... right. This must be it."

A young woman with a picture-perfect smile stood outside, handing her a basket full of tequila bottles.

F16 took it cautiously. "Tequila...? Neo 8 can't even drink milk without clearance. How the hell did she order this?"

Then she felt it—that chilling sensation that crawled up her spine before every ambush.

She looked up, slowly.

Where the woman's face should've been... there was only an empty skull, its dark eye sockets staring into her soul like she was already dead.

"Get ready!" she shouted—just before a kick launched her through the air like a rag doll.

Suse reacted instantly, drawing her katana with fluid ease born from experience. The blade gleamed as she took her stance.

The waitress's body shifted—now a silver skeleton still holding the basket like it weighed nothing.

"What the hell... is that the XCP we're looking for?" Lin asked, claws already out.

"I doubt it," F16 said, grimacing as she stood. "If it was him, we'd already be on fire."

The creature didn't hesitate. It lunged again—this time at Suse. She sliced its arm clean off with a swift strike. The basket hit the ground, bottles shattering and spilling alcohol and glass everywhere.

"Then this is worse than we thought," Suse said, twirling the katana onto her back.

"Yeah," F16 said darkly. "There's no XCP in Gallows Creek..."

"Gallows Creek is the XCP" Complete Suse with shady eyes..

"Hey, look down," Lin said, horror in his voice.

Everyone looked and saw that the woman's body was back to normal, with her arm amputated. Blood was beginning to fall from her body

"No, it's more like..." Suse started, guilt creeping into her voice as she looked up.

"An XCP controls Gallows Creek."

***

"Shit... shit... shit... where is that bastard?"

Jasper dashed across the rooftops like a shadow through fog. Every leap was full of tension. If the boy was right, then they were trapped in the heart of enemy territory. Every street, every wall, every shadow might belong to the XCP.

"First, I need to find Slavik... then we regroup," he muttered, vaulting over the edge of a rickety house.

He'd started copying Lin's movements—her feline reflexes, her sharpened senses. And because of that, he felt it before he saw it.

A chill down his spine.

A pressure in the air.

His body dove to the side purely on instinct—like a wild animal dodging a predator's trap.

FWOOOSH!

A fire bullet tore through the spot he'd just been in, the heat searing the edge of his jacket.

"Whoa, buddy. Did someone announce I was coming, or are you just that good?" a man's voice echoed behind him.

Jasper turned—and there he was. A man dressed like a sheriff, rifle in hand.

The XCP they came for in the first place. The Fire XCP.

"Don't give me that look. I just finish off the bad guys—and now I'm gonna burn you," the man said, flashing black eyes at Jasper.

Or by his real name—

Igneous Skull.