Starla looks up from her workbench and locks eyes with Zeb. "Sure, I got just what you need," she says, pulling out a drone from a nearby box. "Meet Scout. He's my latest creation. I installed a top-of-the-line camera, so it should give you a great view of the chasm." She hands the drone over to Zeb. "Just don't lose it, okay?"

taken in bridge

The goat looks at Zeb with confusion, its strange eyes narrowing slightly. "What...what are you talking about, Zeb?" it bleats, as if unsure of how to respond. "I...I wouldn't know the first thing about making a business presentation. I prefer to focus on the dark arts, you know." It pauses, then adds in a softer voice, "But...if you really want my opinion, I suppose I'd use PowerPoint like everyone else."

taken in alley

Zeb stands his ground in front of the tentacled beast, yelling at it to back off. With a quick 360 spin, he uses the black steel mace to push the beast back towards the portal it emerged from. The creature seems to falter in its movements, and Zeb uses this opportunity to strike it one more time with a swift blow. The beast stumbles and falls back into the portal, disappearing from view with a faint sucking sound. The rain starts to peter out, and the silence of the alleyway is deafening after the fierce battle. Zeb breathes a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. But he knows that more danger may be lurking around the corner, and he must stay ever vigilant.

taken in alley

As Zeb holds onto the obsidian stone, the minidisc next to the goat begins to emit a low hum. The goat's eyes glow red and the incantations become more frenzied. Zeb can feel a warm pressure building behind his forehead, as if he were being initiated into something forbidden and ancient.

taken in alley

The goat finishes lapping up the blood with a satisfied sigh. "Of course it does, Zeb. You think attaining power comes without a price? Now hold still, we're not done yet."

taken in alley

The goat nods and eagerly accepts the black candles from Zeb's pockets. "Excellent. Now let's find somewhere we can perform the ritual." As the goat leads Zeb further down the alley, the flickering lightbulb overhead sputters and goes out completely.

taken in alley

The goat's strange eyes gleam as it responds with a bleat. "Of course I do, Zeb. But for that kind of power, I'll need some rare ingredients and a favor from you in return."

taken in alley

Dixie Flatline, a virtual reality construct projected from an Ono-Sendai Cyberspace-7 deck jockey console, responds to Zeb's comment. "The corpo district is the worst. Too much money, too little sense. You want to go where the real action is, brother." The drunk in the corner snores loudly, oblivious to their conversation.

taken in chatsubo

Ratz nods and shuffles down the bar to where Zeb is sitting. "Certainly, Herr," he growls, his voice sounding like it's held together with burrs and sandpaper. Ratz pulls out a frosted mug and fills it with beer from a tap. He slides it down the bar towards Zeb.

taken in chatsubo

Cage turns to Zeb and grins. "I didn't bail on you, man. I had some things to take care of. You didn't get into too much trouble without me, did you?" he asks, tapping his large knife on his belt.

taken in sewer-east