Chapter 30.1: Giggling Madness

:::Side stories that occur before Chapter 31 which gives a time skip:::

"Gehehahahaha!" A skinny man cackled maniacally over his cluttered workbench, artificer tools scattered chaotically among the components. Sweat dripped from his forehead, yet his hands performed precise work. Through it all, he kept giggling and laughing, his shoulders shaking non-stop.

Large and filled with mechanical parts and junk piles stacked haphazardly, the room is lit by a single buzzing Chemtech light above the workbench. To his left, a window is opened to let the vapors escape as if it helps when his face is dangerously close to the source.

Near the exit, a relatively well-built man sits. He looked ready to bolt, tense and apprehensive as he guarded the door, his gaze darting now and then to the maniacal artificer.

Bang-Bang-Bang

More maniacal laughing erupted from the lithe fellow as loud banging reverberated through the room. The guard stands, sliding the wooden cover on the spy hole to peer outside. After a moment, he unbolted the door and cautiously opens the door.

The man who walks in has both eyes replaced with artificial lenses, dressed like a scavenger, and an arm replaced with a grabbing claw. Without a word, he throws a sack from his shoulder to the already-heaped pile of junk, the contents crashing noisily against it.

"That's the last of this week's trash," the clawed man grumbled, his lensed gaze darting toward the giggling artificer and expression twisting with disdain.

"Good, good geha," the artificer wheezed through wet coughs, his lungs rattling with an infection but still his hands remained steady. "I have three made already."

The artificer glanced back, grinning while asking with an amused tone, "You look upset! Did you run into those kids again?"

"Yeah," the scavenger scowled, shaking his head with frustration. "Fuckin' booted that blue-haired brat this time. Sick of her nabbin' our shit."

The artificer froze, and his maniacal grin disappeared. Slowly, he placed his artificer tools down and turned to face the man, crooked teeth bared in a scowl of anger and nervousness. His hands went up to the side of his head, nails scratching at his temples in between nervous, hitched giggles.

"No...no, no no... You are stupid! Gehahaha," the artificer's voice pitched higher, cut between with more strange giggles. "Y-you don't mess with them like that. You don't touch them, you idiot! The Hound will come now! The Hound!"

Clink-WzzzT

A small rock shot through the window, striking the device the artificer was meticulously working on. Everyone froze, their gazes snapping to the device which began to whir and shake violently.

"FU-" A large bang cuts off the artificer's shriek, and a brilliant light fills the room. Everyone stumbles and crumbles to the ground, disoriented and unable to get their bearings. Their ears rang mercilessly, the smell of burnt circuitry, and vision distorted.

Thuds break through the chaos as feet land, followed by a sharp feminine voice, filled with fury.

"You fuckers want to kick my sister?"

Chaos ensued immediately. More feet thudded upon entry against the metallic floor, followed by numerous painful shouts and shrieks. As quickly as it began, it stopped.

The artificer was groaning on the ground, clutching his broken nose, and rolling around in place. Blood smeared his face, and his tools were scattered across the ground. The guard slumped against the wall unconscious, blood dripping from his nose.

The scavenger, when the chaos settled, fared far worse. He had his augmented arm ripped off and his left leg bent unnaturally at the knee. His face was bloodied, his nose broken, an eye swelling shut, and black and blue bruising from other strikes. 

Orion stood in the aftermath, having led this little revenge play. He threw the rock and let the others have their time. Orion fixated his attention on the three remaining devices, pondering their effects.

"Flashbangs? ChemFlashs?" Orion muttered bemused. He grabbed the ChemFlashes and examined their exteriors closely. The design was crude, featuring a priming switch and a button, likely triggering a timer before detonation.

Claggor slung the scavenger's sack over his shoulder and called out, "Let's bounce."

Mylo smirked and nodded in agreement, giving the artificer one last kick to the head as Orion stashed the ChemFlashes into his jacket.

"Let's go!" Orion called back to Vi, glancing at her bloodied shoe tips and knuckles. Her fierce gaze continued to hold unresolved violence, but she huffed loudly and strode back toward the window.

Orion patted her back as reassurance as she passed but she just shrugged it off, her fury still burning. After she hopped out, Orion gave one last look at the damages with a satisfied smirk before following suit.

When they returned to the Last Drop, Vi retold their story to Vander while Orion tossed a dismantled ChemFlash to Powder, keeping the remaining two safely tucked in his jacket.

Powder's eyes lit up as the gadget landed in her hands, her fingers eagerly running over it to inspect the crude design. Her wide eyes dazzled and darted up to Orion, giggling and giving him a small hug before diving back into it with focused excitement.

Sighing tiredly, Orion flopped himself onto the couch next to Powder, a faint smile lingered on his face as he watched. Occasionally his gaze would flip to the boys digging through the sack.

"All ended well," Orion thought happily, closing his eyes.