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Dangerously Damaged
Chapter 7

-VB-

As time passed, my studies into all of the basic fields of magecraft came to a finish as I learned all there was to know about those basic fields of study.

One of which was the Bounded Field, and I’ve become … let’s say more than proficient with its usage.

See, if I were a normal mage or even a human, then making a Bounded Field - either through formalcraft or through casting a spell of my own - would have hidden a small building from prying eyes and most people wouldn’t even notice it.

But I?

I networked the Bounded Fields in such a way that many of Brockton Bay’s alleys have come under my direct control by linking the exits of one alley to another. I created a maze of alleys within Brockton Bay, and no one would ever be able to enter them unless I allowed them to.

None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t chosen a phantasmal creature as my Demiservant choice. My mere existence generated mana much like a dragon did, but it was of a more sinister nature; it was why I created an alley maze that would trap and terrify my victims rather than make a Bounded Field designed to just merely keep people away.

It would be a way to mark my territory, though it may be unclear and unseen by most.

The maze also was a perfect way to not only lure enemies and divide them for easier piecemeal conquest and escape but also for territorial acquisition. I only “acquired” the alleys as I have so far because I could get away with doing so much more easily with alleys no one really used, but for actual streets cars passed by? That would take both time and resources I did not yet have.

Still, I needed to test my new creation.

I grinned.

I had a few victims in mind.

-VB-

Jake pushed drugs.

There was no other way for a guy like him to live. He was a middle school drop out, had too many marks on his record including more than a few federal crimes like grand theft, and too many shops and businesses already knew him as a shoplifter.

For a guy who only realized how stupid he had been after reaching his late twenties, getting out of his life was already too late.

So he pushed drugs, but he only pushed marijuana. He hated having to sell drugs to live, not after seeing so many of his friends become addicts and die in one shape or form, but he needed to eat and pay his bills.

Hell, he even prided himself in at least not being a scammer. He sold good stuff that the Empire sold on the streets, not cut stuff ABB and the Merchants told their dealers to sell. Yeah, he dealt with the Empire, but all non-affiliated white dealers dealt with the Empire. ABB would sooner kill him than sell to him, and the Merchants were as likely to drug him up as they were to sell their inferior stuff.

So Jake pushed drugs but he also knew that he wouldn’t get out of the underworld alive. One night, he would go out to sell to his clients and not come home.

When he couldn’t walk out of an alley that he’d taken only a few steps into, he knew tonight was that night.

When he’d turned to leave, a twisted alley greeted him. The unnaturally dark sky above him made things worse because he couldn’t see anything.

“Uh, Charlie? I think-?” he turned to grab at the guy he’d bought his latest batch of marijuana but didn’t see him.

For a moment.

He saw Charlie later.

Charlie was on the ground without his head and laid in a pool of his own blood.

There was a snap as something sliced at the red brick wall right next to him, leaving grooves inches deep.

Jake screamed as he ran away without looking back.

---

Jake walked, gasping for breath. He looked around warily, trying to find the attacker who killed Charlie, but there was no one but him in this dark alley.

How much had he run? How long had he run?

He didn’t dare take his phone out and illuminate himself. He knew that giving himself the spotlight was the easiest way for him to die.

He froze momentarily when he heard the scraping noises of wires sweeping aside leaves coming from behind him.

Jake just ran for his life.

---

His fingers clawed at the walls as he tried to keep himself up and moving, but it was impossible.

He’d run in a straight line but the alley never ended.

W-Was he trapped?

He had to be. There was no way that he hadn’t run at least a mile. There was no fucking alley in all of the world that was a mile long! He’d bet his kidney on it!

He coughed as he slid down.

Damn, he felt cold… Why did he feel cold?

His …

He paused and looked down.

Oh.

He was bleeding.

When did … he get … cut?

He slid down further and sat on the ground.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw him.

Weakly, he looked and grimaced.

Finger Wire, the city’s latest villain.

“Fuck…” he muttered listlessly as the villain’s wires slowly started to float up. “Can you at least make sure it’ll be an open casket funeral?”

There was a pause.

“Sure.”

And then -.

His head spun and then all was dark.

---

The Maze proved to be a resounding success. I only had to use four alleys to make a seemingly neverending alleyway, if a little crooked, and had made a dealer run for hours.

He’d collapsed half from exhaustion and half from blood loss before he died at my hands.

I listened to his last words and heeded them. He would have an open casket funeral, though his beheaded nature would require a decent mortician to sew him up or a decent coffin to keep his head from just rolling away.

… Bah. Whatever.

The Maze was a success.

I just needed to use it now on other villains. Heroes, too, maybe. What would it be like to keep someone walking for days on end with nothing in sight but the alleys?

It would have to drive them crazy.

I cackled as I left the alley while temporarily disabling the Bounded Field so that people could find the bodies.

The dealer and his supplier, side by side, both without a head.

I could imagine the headline tomorrow~.