Chapter 82 – Battle In The Sewers.

“Give me yer coin?”

“Huh?”

“The coin? You do have it right?”

“Oh… yeah…”

‘Rusty are you okay?’

‘I’m fine but this human… he is fighting me, I think I’ve used the possession skill for too long.’

Rusty was momentarily disoriented as he fumbled through the thug’s clothes, searching for the thieves’ guild coin. The token served as his key to open the secret passage, their equivalent of an adventurer’s card. Despite the mana potions, his abilities were starting to falter. It was possible the man he had knocked out was waking up, and Rusty’s skill was struggling to keep him subdued. He needed to register himself and leave quickly.

He slapped it down onto the counter with a bit more force than intended. The burly man on the other side raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he inspected the coin. After a brief moment, he gave it back along with an almost identical one that looked old and used.

“Alright, give this to them.”

The man didn’t explain much but this coin looked slightly different than the one he was using now. Luckily, Alexander had enough knowledge about the thieves guild to enlighten him without having to ask questions that he should know.

‘That must be a temporary token, I bet these entrances won’t open if you try to use it after the trial period is over. They will probably give you a permanent one when you bring in the loot. It’s an interesting way of getting new people in and they get one gold coin for each new member, not something most lesser criminals can afford.’

Everything started making sense but Rusty felt the strain of maintaining control over the body, as his possession skill wavered dangerously. His connection to the thug was weakening, and he could feel the man’s consciousness pushing back. Time was running out, and Rusty knew he had to act quickly before things spiraled out of control. If he was exposed in the den of thieves, his plan to save his friend would be over.

With the temporary coin now in his possession, Rusty didn’t waste a moment. He nodded weakly at the burly man behind the counter and turned to leave, doing his best to suppress the disorienting sensations that plagued him. Each step felt heavier, his vision flickering as the thug’s mind struggled to resurface.

‘Stay focused, Rusty, You’re almost done. First, we need to get out of here, you’ll be able to get back to your real body outside.’

Alexander urged Rusty to flee the black market. With the temporary thief token, he would be able to instantly return disguised as Albert. Rusty staggered out of the bar-like area, the temporary token clutched tightly in his hand. His control over the thug’s body was slipping, each step becoming more of a struggle as the man’s mind fought to break free. The stench of the sewers and the oppressive atmosphere of the thieves’ guild did little to help his focus, but he pushed forward toward the exit.

After stumbling through the black market and bumping into a few people, Rusty broke into a run. Some thieves shouted at him in anger, but luckily, none gave chase. He retraced his steps back to the entrance he’d come through. There, he grasped a hand lever to activate the mechanism as there was no need to use the coin token or a slot that would fit it on this side.

‘He’s getting louder…’

The man’s voice began echoing in Rusty’s mind as his consciousness started to return. Rusty could feel the man’s arms resisting his control, moving up to clutch his helmet in an attempt to remove it. If the man’s head was freed, he’d quickly regain full awareness, so Rusty focused on running. The passage opened just enough for him to squeeze through, and he darted forward.

“Argh… g-get off…”

The person he was possessing shouted, his hands clawing at the helmet, though not yet able to tear it off. Rusty still had control of the man’s legs, propelling him through the foul-smelling sewers. Rats squeaked and scurried away as he passed. He didn’t know where he was going, but he needed to put some distance between himself and the thieves’ guild entrance before his possession skill wore off. Once the man was fully conscious, Rusty planned to take care of him and dispose of the body. But as he rounded a corner, something unexpected blocked his path.

“Woah… hold on there, friend. This is a private party.”

“Did someone rat us out?”

“Could be, but even if you want to join, you’ll have to wait in line!”

Two people stood in his way, both looking like members of the guild. Rusty’s possession skill was failing fast, and he could feel the man’s consciousness clawing its way back to the surface. The thug gritted his teeth and, with a powerful motion, managed to rip off his helmet, throwing it as far as he could. Rusty, who was reduced to the helmet itself, flew through the air and collided against a nearby wall, eventually splashing into the foul-smelling sewer water a few meters away from the two thieves blocking the path.

“Hey, I think I know this one… What are you doing here? Thought you had business to take care of?”

One of the thieves asked, recognizing the man Rusty had been possessing. He moved closer for a better look. The man slumped against the wall, gripping his head, clearly in pain. To the two onlookers, however, he seemed like someone under the influence of drugs, something they found amusing. They burst out laughing, pointing fingers at him, oblivious to the scene unfolding behind them.

Rusty, now free from the thug’s control, quickly activated one of his loadouts. The helmet, which had tumbled into the sewer water, began to rise. Metal formed around it, starting with the torso, which rapidly expanded to fill the narrow corridor. A massive suit of living armor materialized, much bulkier than the standard varieties typically encountered in dungeons.

“Y-you i-idiots… t-turn around…”

The thug stammered, clutching his head, and tried pointing to the monstrosity taking form behind them.

“Hah, are you drunk? You never could handle your liquor.”

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One thief laughed at the man, oblivious to the warning. It wasn’t until they heard the metallic crunch of shifting armor that they finally turned their heads. But by then, it was already too late. Before them stood a towering behemoth of metal, over two meters tall and impressively wide. One of its enormous fists was already in motion, barreling toward the first thief.

The massive metal fist connected with a sickening crunch, sending the first thief crashing into the sewer wall. He slumped to the ground, bloody and unconscious before he even hit the floor. His companion barely had time to register the monstrous suit of armor looming over them. Rusty had now fully transformed into one of his metallic forms, choosing the largest for this occasion. Spikes jutted from his knuckles, now drenched in the first thief’s blood.