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Chapter 9 - The Valley Road Rage

Technicians Manolo and Isidro are taking a nap inside their vehicle. Manolo dreams about his telecommunications company and his son's robot company. Isidro dreams about a harem of women in swimsuits while he is on a throne being fed fruit, but this turns into a nightmare that wakes him up.

—Damn, nightmare. What time is it? —Isidro said, who gets up and checks the time on his smartwatch, adding, —It's about seven in the morning. One more hour won't hurt.—

Isidro goes back to sleep for an hour until Manolo's alarm clock wakes him up.

—Isidro, get up, we must work. —Manolo said.

—Come on, Manolo, don't bother me. —Isidro replied, who doesn't want to get up.

—Come on, get up, we must work. —Manolo answered, shaking him like a rag doll.

—All right, all right! I'm getting up. —Isidro replied, who finally woke up and added, —Damn it, I want to keep sleeping.—

—Sleeping too much isn't good. —Manolo answered.

—Yes, yes, yes, Manolo, whatever you say, where do we have to go? —Isidro replied.

—Let me check the device. —Manolo answered, who looked at the device, the list of customers, filtered it to find the closest customers, and added, —We have one about five kilometers away. —

—Let's go, Manolo. — Isidro replied, who was now fully awake.

Manolo removes the camouflage and starts the vehicle to go to where the customer is. After traveling five kilometers down the road, he installs several customers until they reach a desert where they activate the hovercraft mode to navigate the desert. They travel through the desert.

—It's so cold in the desert. —Manolo said, who was freezing.

—It's always cold, I don't know what you're complaining about. —Isidro replied.

—Yes, but it's worse here; I don't understand why it doesn't snow around here. —Manolo answered.

—It does, but we're not in season. — Isidro replied.

They got into their vehicle, where Manolo turned on the heater to cool down.

—How strange, I don't feel so cold. It must be the side effects of magic. Before, I was freezing to death, but now that I've gotten used to it, I'm scared. — Isidro thought.

In the rearview mirrors, they see lights in the distance.

—They're following us. — Manolo said he speeds up.

Orchestral music begins to play on the road until it turns into a symphonic groove metal. A horde of armed vehicles pursues them.

—Who the hell are they? — Isidro exclaims.

—I don't know, but we must lose them. — Manolo replied that he accelerates as fast as he can.

—We've got them, boys. Now Lord Ulgalion will bless us for it. — one of the runners said.

Some runners overtake them, and some henchmen throw explosive spears at them from behind. Manolo confronts them and releases Pinky to throw explosive spears at them to finish off the henchmen. Manolo activates Isidro's turret to shoot at the vehicles behind and to the right. They are being shot at from behind, so Manolo activates traps that come out from under the vehicle, which are tacks that disable the rear runners, but they recover by turning their wheels into electromagnetic levitators. He slams on the brakes, but they dodge him, taking advantage of the situation to fire an electromagnetic hook that disables the vehicle, causing them to capture it in an electromagnetic cage.

The monsters, which are Lovecraftian entities dressed in Mad Max clothing, celebrate and take them to their lair. They remain locked in a cage while their leader makes an appearance.

—Well, well, well, look who we have here; it's the technicians who caught Lord Ulgalion's attention. —the leader of the desert runners said.

—Look, he looks like Metal Elementor.—Manolo replied, who recognizes that his leader looks like Max Steel's Metal Elementor, except that he has punk pants and a cannon arm with knives like Megatron from Revenge of the Fallen.

—Good job, honey. Now you can rub it in your fellow drivers' faces. —said a female Lovecraftian humanoid dressed in Victorian clothing.

—Yes, Lord Overcult Killian, let's execute them. — replied a hunchbacked Lovecraftian.

—Not yet, Quasar. I want Lord Ulgalion to see them and determine their fate. —Overcult answered.

—Yes, as you say, Lord Overcult, your wishes are my commands. —Quasar replied.

They call Lord Ulgalion to the artifact until he takes the flame.

—Overcult, tell me, how long has it been since you've been to mass, that you're calling me in the middle of a meeting. — Ulgalion said, who is in the middle of a faction meeting.

—I have captured your greatest enemies. —Overcult replied.

—You must be joking. — Ulgalion answered.

—I'm not joking. If you want, you can see for yourself. —Overcult answered, showing them the captured technicians.

—My friends, trembled, Overcult captured Manolo and Isidro. —Ulgalion replied, showing them to his faction mates.

—Incredible, they managed to stop the inquisitor and his partner. —Blackned said as they applauded.

—Congratulations, Ulgalion, and especially Overcult. We'll go there to see your war trophy. — Aldrich replied.

They teleported to Overcult's lair.

—Welcome to my humble abode. —Overcult said.

—It's not humbled at all, but okay. —Infernus replied.

They tour the lair. Overcult's subjects take them to where Manolo and Isidro are imprisoned.

—Wake up, damned souls, you have visitors. — said a henchman who is guarding them.

—Who the hell are you? — Manolo said.

—Indeed, it's true. — Aldrich replied, looking at them closely and adding, —You're not so intimidating in person.

—We are the anti-project faction. — Ulgalion answered.

—Faction? Don't tell me you're behind the attacks we've suffered along the way. — Manolo replied.

—Yes, we have been behind your ordeal in your work as a technician of the dark dimension. — Aldrich answered.

—Damn you, you'll pay for this. —Manolo exclaimed.

—In what position are you, human, threatening me? —Aldrich replied.

—It's not a threat. When I get my hands on you... I... I... —Manolo answered.

—You... you... you... you won't do anything, Manolo. We're going to bring justice in the name of the dark dimension, so get ready to die. — Aldrich replied.

—Justice. — Blackend shouted.

—Overcult, have you decided how they will be executed? — Aldrich asked.

—Not yet. — Overcult replied.

—Perfect, because I want you to take them to the arena to fight for their lives. Their execution will be seen by the whole world. — Aldrich answered, and the others agreed.

—One of them has a contract with a demon. — Quasar said.

—Who has it? —Aldrich replied.

—The skinniest technician. —Quasar answered.

—That's Isidro. — Aldrich replied and added. —All right, thanks for the information, but that won't allow us to execute him for his crimes.

They are taken to the arena for Manolo and Isidro. The desert people fill the stands, and the draft faction sits next to Overcult in special bleachers.

—At least we're gladiators. —Manolo said, looking around.

—We are gladiators, Manolo. —Isidro replied.

—I know, but I'm referring to the movie Gladiator. —Manolo answered.

—Yes, Manolo, I understand your references. — Isidro replied.

—Attention, people of Sanda and our audience on Scream Tube. You are about to witness the death of Manolo...— Overcult said, but Blackend interrupted him and told him that he was the modern inquisitor, which impressed him, and he continued. —The modern inquisitor and Isidro, his companion.

—Damn, the modern inquisitor, what a harsh name you have. —Manolo replied, while everyone else was impressed by it, adding. — Thank you, I didn't even know they called me that in this world.

—You're going to fight to the death, for our enjoyment. — Overcult answered.

—Seriously, I thought you were going to have us fight monsters and stuff like that. Maybe you don't have the budget for it. I can't believe that the leader of a post-apocalyptic kingdom doesn't have any weird beasts for us to fight. —I give Isidro five cookies and he won't stop. —Manolo replied.

—Hey, that's an insult to me. — Isidro replied.

—Insolently, if you want monsters, I'll give you monsters. —Overcult exclaimed, who unleashed monsters, gladiators for them to fight against.

—You and your big mouth. —Isidro replied.

—Yes. — Manolo answered as his eyes lit up white. —Manolo said as one of the gladiators lunged at him, but he stopped his sword, ripped out his intestines, the gladiator threw his sword, he tied him up with a powerful whip, decapitated another gladiator, everyone went crazy, he grabbed the gladiator's body to rip out his intestines, took his sword and tied it to his intestines.

—Come on, you bastards, the modern inquisitor will destroy you all. —Manolo replied, who attacks all the gladiators and monsters as Kratos would.

The audience is ecstatic, and the views are increasing. The people want blood, and Manolo is giving them what they want.

—The crowd is going crazy, do something. —Aldrich said.

—Send more enemies. —Blackend said.

—I'm doing that. — Overcult replied who sends more enemies.

Manolo is finishing off the gladiators and monsters that stand in his way: He rips off a gladiator's arm to hit him with it, then rips off his leg to hit him several times with it, then steps on his head and pulls his body apart until he is completely decapitated and uses his body as a weapon, while using the gladiator's body as a weapon to attack the gladiators until he grabs one, breaks him and bends him backwards. He entangles another in visors to tear him into pieces. He sticks his arm up another's ass to rip out his insides. He decapitates a giant monster as if he were the god of war, with the entrails filling the battlefield with blood. He catches a gladiator with the entrails to pull him in and, with the force of that action, tears him in half with a lasso. Etc.

Poor Isidro finds himself in a breech position in a corner, closing his eyes because he cannot use magic within the magical energy field. The gladiators and monsters try to get close to him, but Manolo stops them.

—What kind of monster is that? — Blackned asked.

—It's a beast that should not be called humans. —Aldrich replied.

—How beastly. — Ulgalion answered.

—Come on, gladiators, do something. — Infernus replied.

—Come on, Manolo, you can do it. — Kulbain answered.

—Wait, which side are you on, Kulbain?— Sargoth replied.

—He's winning, and the crowd's enthusiasm is encouraging me to support him. — Kulbain said.

—Don't let yourself be swayed by the masses. — Infernus replied.

—Okay, but this fight is good. — Kulbain answered.

Manolo continues to destroy the gladiators and beasts until his eyes light up white. He makes a super jump and breaks through the magic shield to reach the stands where the anti-project faction is, to beat them up, but Aldrich conjures up a spear and stands in front of them, lunging at Manolo until they end up falling into the sand. They fight for a moment, but Aldrich beats Manolo up. However, in Pinky's cell, he regurgitates and pulls out a control that emits a noise to make the vehicle go into beast mode. It breaks free from its chains and searches Pinky to devour him, but he dodges it until he climbs on top of it and reaches the arena where Aldrich is about to deliver the final blow to Manolo. The vehicle crosses the magic field as if nothing had happened. Manolo gets up and leaves with Manolo and Isidro outside the city.

—I almost had him. — Aldrich whispers, who is angry.

The horde of vehicles led by Overcult pursues them.

They face the horde, activating anti-EMP mode (EMP stands for electromagnetic pulse) so that no electromagnetic pulse can take them out of action. They destroy several vehicles with various weapons until only Overcult and they remain. They engage in a fierce vehicular battle until they turn the vehicle around, activate the smoke screen, and fire a mine that takes the vehicle out of commission. To finish it off, they fire a nuclear projectile from the vehicle's cannon.

They stop at a gas station to get organized, put Pinky back in the vehicle, and return it too normal.

—What a day, it's so heavy. — Isidro said, almost bursting with emotion.

—I wanted to kill those bastards. —Manolo replied.

—I'd like to, but those people are very influential in this world, so I recommend you don't mess with them. —Isidro answered.

—But they mess with us. Did you hear what they said? They're going to make our lives miserable until the project fails. — Manolo replied.

—I know! I know Manolo! But we're Rare technicians, we're employees, and we can't do anything about it. They could be our future clients, unless there's an IT technician who tells us we can take care of them. — Isidro said.

—Okay, but someday I'm going to finish them off, especially that succubus who kicks my ass. —Manolo answered.

—Let me see what the orders are to see who our next client is. —Isidro replied.

—I can't believe we have to work after this. —Manolo answered.

—Yes, I know, but we must work. I found our client a kilometer away from us. —Isidro replied.

—All right let's go. —Manolo answered.

They go where the customer is, but when they dismount, the customer (an earthworm) is at home in a hole where there is a sign indicating the house.

—You people are jerks for making me wait so long.—Gusan said.

—Sorry, sir... (Checks the device to see the name) Gusan Wornhole.— Isidro said.

—I don't want you to install the service. —Gusan replied.

—Then you're not interested. —Manolo answered.

—I am interested, but I want you to take into consideration the waiting time. You can do that. —Gusan replied.

Isidro calls for his device.

—Who are you calling, Isidro? — Manolo answers.

—Customer relations, so they can take care of this. I'm not going to argue with customers. — Isidro replies.

Isidro speaks to customer relations, gives them the coordinates, and sends an oni through a portal, a dullahan whose head is in a cage held by the oni.

They talk to the customer and reach an agreement.

—You can install it now, but you'll have to modify the order, so please wait a moment. —The dullahan said.

—Thank you for your help, Miss Jensen. —Isidro replied.

They wait a few moments while the order is modified until it is ready.

—And what did they put in again? —Manolo asked.

—You know, access to dirty channels. —Isidro whispered.

—You pervert. —Manolo whispered.

They took the materials to install three services (telephone, internet, and rare tv+) and walked through the tunnels to get to his house and do the installation. Once the service was installed, they started the vehicle and went to other locations to install services.

Returning to the castle, the anti-project faction gathered once again.

—Those bastards escaped. —Aldrich said.

—And they escaped in the most convenient way. —Sargoth replied.

—I wanted Aldrich to avenge my companions. —Blackend answered.

—Any plans to capture them again? — Kulbain asked.

—I have a plan, but I'm not going to like it. —Aldrich answered.

—You're going to tell us. —Oculan replied.

—No, I'm keeping it to myself, but I know it will work. — Aldrich answered.

—All right, we trust you. — Oculan replied. 

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