A moment later, Nareth found an abandoned sewage pipe on the outskirts of Tizca's trash mountain.
Hive cities always develop from the bottom up. When humans first settle a planet, they establish communities on the surface. Over time, expansion occurs upward.
Due to population shifts and other factors, most of the facilities in the lower hives have become abandoned.
He crawled into the pipe, walking forward through sludge formed by industrial wastewater.
Inside the five-person-wide sewage tunnel, Nareth proceeded about a kilometer before his ears twitched. The sound waves he caught painted a mental picture of a brawl involving hundreds of people.
A few hundred meters further, he discerned a chase, one pursuing, one fleeing.
Suddenly, a scream echoed ahead. The one fleeing collapsed, followed quickly by another scream as the pursuer also fell.
Nareth tilted his head, listening. Apart from those two, he heard no other signs of life. How did both fall?
Moments later, he arrived at the scene. The two were already dead, he found both corpses floating in wastewater.
Even in the dim light, he clearly saw what was wrong. Their shoes were torn, and their feet were mangled and bloody—hundreds of overlapping wounds.
Scanning the area, Nareth spotted crystal clusters in the murky water.
[Not a creature—Spine Crystals.]
He recognized them. Spine Crystals appear in sewage pits, pipes, and long-polluted places in hive cities. They are more mineral than plant, similar to coral, formed of dense, fragile, and razor-sharp crystal clusters.
Fools who fall into Spine Crystals quickly learn their horror. The shards cause thousands of tiny but excruciating wounds.
Worse, the crystals carry toxins and corrosive chemicals that turn even the smallest cut into festering rot. Without medical treatment, death is likely.
Sadly, most in the lower hives have no access to medicine. Stepping on them often means a quick end to their miserable lives.
'Didn't expect to find one supplementary ingredient so soon.'
Kneeling, Nareth searched the sludge and quickly found two intact crystal clusters.
He pulled out spare clothes from his backpack, wrapped one cluster in a shirt and the other in pants, then stashed them away.
In high spirits, he moved on. Several tunnels converged ahead into a platform.
Two gangs were fighting around a forge, exchanging fire with makeshift laser guns crafted from scrap.
On the left, the leader of the gang with red cloth headbands shot down an enemy with a scrap laser pistol, rolled to dodge, and suddenly spotted something.
He saw a boy who clearly didn't belong in the lower hive. Though his clothes were ragged, his aristocratic features stood out. He looked more valuable than the forge itself.
The gang leader charged at Nareth, reaching out to grab him.
"Kid, come here!"
Nareth sidestepped, the man grabbing at empty air. At that moment, the boy seized his wrist, yanked him forward, and stabbed a silver-gray shard into his gut.
Looting the corpse, Nareth found five energy cartridges and stuffed them into one of the many mismatched patch pockets sewn into his clothes, a trick common among mutants for stashing "treasures."
He picked up the jury-rigged laser pistol. Familiar with its parts, he quickly checked its energy levels.
[Vostroyan gangs have better craftsmanship than other planets. Their scrap laser pistols are above average. This one can fire 23 times total, with 17 shots remaining.]
Nareth shouted, "CEASE FIRE!"
Despite being a boy, his voice carried no childishness.
The two warring gangs froze at the sharp tone, like an Arbiter suddenly visiting the lower hive. They flinched, turning toward him.
They were stunned at the sight of him.
From the right side of the platform, another gang leader poked his head out and spat.
"Who the f—"
Before he finished, a laser beam pierced the space between his eyes. He collapsed.
Both gangs were in shock. The boy had shot him from over thirty meters away, far beyond the effective range of a scrap laser pistol. Yet it was a perfect kill. Unbelievable.
Some sharp-eyed gang members noticed the pistol in Nareth's hand, it belonged to their boss, whose corpse now lay at the tunnel entrance.
"The boss is dead!"
That shout awakened everyone. Several gang lieutenants' eyes lit up. With the top dog dead, the throne was up for grabs.
They immediately turned their guns on each other, aiming to seize power.
As for the boy? He was just a kid. No matter how strong he was, once someone took control, they could gang up on him.
Nareth was ready to dodge, but they turned out even more foolish than he'd expected.
Time to make a statement.
"They crossed me, and now they're mine. Time to establish dominance."
"I said... CEASE FIRE."
He raised the gun and fired three quick shots, killing three people on the left side. Two more died from sneak attacks by their rivals.
He finished off the last remaining survivor and faced the rest.
"From now on, I'm your boss. Disobey me, and you'll end up like them."
Everyone was stunned stiff. No one moved. They had never seen such accuracy, every shot a kill. It was unheard of.
And so, on his first day in Vostroya, Nareth formed his own gang—310 members strong.
When he poured all the fungus from his backpack into a large vat, the gang members' eyes turned green with desire. If not for fear of his shooting skills, they would've swarmed like starving wolves.
Standing atop the platform, Nareth looked down. Knowing the lower hive dwellers lacked education, he used the simplest words.
"I don't mistreat those who follow me, but I don't feed freeloaders either."
"What you get depends on your skill."
"Whether you drink soup or eat scraps, that's on you."
Scanning the crowd, he saw most craning their necks, eyes wide, staring at his feet. Only a few were still scratching their heads.
"I've got a question. Whoever answers it gets to drink the soup."
"First question: Where can I find giant give rats over one meter long?"
The better the potion ingredients, the stronger the effects.
Nareth wasn't afraid of people learning his alchemy recipes. He only needed two ingredients.
"Me!" shouted a skinny bald man, quickest to react. "Boss, those rats are everywhere around here, plenty over a meter long. I can't give you numbers, but every tunnel and pipe's crawling with them!"
Nareth looked around. No one objected. Everyone else wore expressions of regret or frustration.
"Good. You get the first scoop."
The bald man bolted up the platform and even twisted his ankle in the rush.
Catching himself with his left hand, he sprang up and hurriedly scooped a full ladle of soup, terrified the boss might change his mind.
Smelling the aroma, he crouched and eagerly licked the broth.
The others watched in envy, ears pricked for the next question.
"Second question: Who knows where wirevine grows?"