Chapter 9: A Fighting Chance
Watching Edmond move like that—like a damn storm bottled up in a man’s body—Levi damn near forgot to breathe. His eyes tracked the blur of steel and steam, trying to make sense of it. He’d seen plenty of men fight, had fought plenty himself, but this was something else.
He was so caught up in it, he didn’t even notice Rufus slinking up behind him.
"It’s an old mine from before Denton was here."
Rufus pushed past him to step onto the metal balcony that overlooked the cavern below.
"This here’s the oldest buildin’ in Denton. But that’s the trouble of it—it''s the oldest buildin’ in Denton."
He let out a dry chuckle, amused by his own joke as he started down the stairs.
"Quit gawkin’ at him like a schoolgirl. View’s better up close anyway."
Levi shot him a glare that could’ve curdled milk, real tempting to kick him straight down those stairs. His boots hit the steps heavy as he followed, eyes still locked on Edmond’s fight.
Feeling a twitch on his scalp, Rufus rubbed his head absentmindedly.
"Ever seen one?"
Levi barely glanced at him.
"That’s a model T-8, isn’t it?"
Rufus gave a short nod. "Not bad. We call him Timmy—on account he’s kinda special."
''Special?''
Levi narrowed his eyes at the bot as they reached the mine floor. Took him a second, but then it clicked.
"How’s it so fast?"
He’d seen the thing moving earlier, but his mind had been too stuck on the sheer scale of the basement to put it together. Now, standing closer, watching the way Timmy’s metal limbs blurred through the air, the unnatural speed was impossible to ignore.
"I’ve trained with a few of these. One of ’em was even fresh outta the factory. Ain’t no way that thing should be keepin’ up like this."
Now that he was focusing proper, he caught every flash of movement. Edmond and the steambot moved like they were in their own damn world, their dual sabers clashing with a rhythm that felt more like a dance than a fight.
But the real surprise wasn’t the bot. It was Edmond.
The old man was fast—faster than he should’ve been. Every strike, every step, it all made sense now. The way he carried himself, the sheer power behind each movement—he wasn’t just enhanced. He was built for war.
''They’re movin'' at least 40 miles an hour.''
Man and machine clashed, sparks flashing like quicksilver.
"We upgraded his Pneuma Core."
Levi’s gaze dropped to his own augments, and a sour taste filled his mouth. He suddenly felt... small. He’d fought tooth and nail to stay alive, clawed his way through hell, and yet, compared to that? To them? He wouldn’t stand a damn chance.
"Give it time."
The words caught him off guard. He looked up to see Rufus, leaning against a pillar, cigarette between his fingers, eyes on the fight.
Levi hesitated, then exhaled slow.
"I ain’t tryin’ to diminish nothin’. But why’re you all doin’ this? I ain''t your kin. I ain’t nothin’ close to those kids. So why don''t you turn me in?"
Rufus took a long drag, exhaled through his nose, and let the silence stretch. Then, with a shrug, he spit.
"Beats me."
"Huh?"
Rufus didn’t even look at him.
"Besides, you’re askin’ the wrong man."
Levi’s gaze drifted back to Edmond.
This man—this disciplined, cold, deadly man—had saved him? But why?
He found himself staring, searching for some kinda answer in the way Edmond moved, in the way he fought. But nothing made sense.
"Watch this."
With a shit-eatin’ grin, Rufus lifted his arm, the bolter expandin’ as his Vaporguard flared with a deep amber glow.
"Watch your ass!"
TWOONG!
Vapor burst from Rufus’s arm as the bolt tore free, kicking like a mule. The force cracked the stone beneath his feet, his legs venting hard to keep him steady.
The black bolt screamed through the mine like a banshee, splitting the air in an instant.
Across the mine, Edmond and the steambot didn’t break their rhythm—but Levi caught the shift.
Edmond’s stance widened, his knee flexing just slightly before a sharp burst of vapor shot from his shoulder. His saber snapped up, steel kissin’ the bolt mid-flight.
The impact rattled through him, his arm giving a telltale jerk from the weight of it, but the blade held. In the same motion, he twisted, redirecting the bolt wide as his other saber met the steambot’s strike in perfect tandem.
BOOM!
The far wall erupted in smoke and rubble as the bolt struck home, leavin’ a smolderin’ crater. Levi’s gut twisted at the sight. That was no ordinary shot. Whatever Rufus had loaded, it damn near could’ve torn a man clean in half.
Levi’s eyes narrowed as the steam cleared from Rufus’s Vaporguard. The blacksteel plates shifted back into place, the amber glow between the vents hissin’ like a nest of vipers.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Why didn’t you use that on Mad Gear?"
Rufus frowned for a moment, his arm lowering as he looked the boy over.
"Shows how green ya are to ask that."
"I ain’t no greenhorn."
"Sure, kid. But scalpin’ natives ain’t the same. Natives ain’t augmented. Fightin’ someone tuned up’s a different story. Ever tussled with someone movin’ like that?"
Levi clenched his jaw. He hated to admit it, but he was right. He’d only gone up against augmented fighters a handful of times, and none of those were real fights—bar brawls at best. Each one ended the same, with him getting his ass handed to him, not a single blow worth braggin’ about.
"End spar."
Edmond’s voice cut through the air like a hammer, halting the steambot instantly. Its vents jetted a burst of steam, mechanisms groaning as it cooled. Now that it stood still, Levi could finally get a proper look at it.
‘Timmy’ was just a standard T-8 model, a mess of twistin’ pipes and cables, its "skin" patched together from dented plating and thick wire mesh. And yet, moments ago, it had moved like the devil himself was winding its gears.
"Mad Gear’s been on the run a long time for a reason. Think ‘bout what could’ve happened if he’d swatted that shot back toward town. Once you’re healed up… and if you’re intendin’ to stay a bit… we’ll get ya used to it."
"Used to what?"
Edmond walked over, wipin’ his face with a rag, his greying beard and hair drenched in sweat.
"Fightin’ with Vaporguard. Just learnin’ him that tusslin’ with natives nowadays ain’t the same as fightin’ folks like us."
Levi’s jaw clenched as his face started heatin’ up.
"Let me guess—back in your day, redskins were twice as big and swung trees like clubs?"
Rufus narrowed his eye.
"Little smart-ass. A war-band usin’ Earthsong is like—"
"Leave it. Kid just don’t know better."
Edmond’s gaze flicked over Levi’s cleaned-up state, and a ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips.
"Look like a decent human being now. Who’d have imagined."
With that, he slung the rag over his shoulder and started up the stairs.
"Hope you left some hot water."
"Now hold on a damn minute! Don’t go takin’ off just yet."
Rufus jabbed a finger toward Edmond, then turned it on Levi.
"And you. You trained wit'' these models, means you’re familiar. Go give Timmy a dose of earl while the grown folks talk."
Levi’s frown deepened, the itch of his half-healed wounds flaring up as he stared at Rufus.
"Quit eyeball-fuckin’ me, boy, and get movin’! You already ate our food and shit in our bed, so show some damn ’preciation."
Levi turned a shade redder, his lips twitching with irritation as he spun toward the T-8.
"Follow for maintenance."
The steambot gave a low whistle, its gears hissing as it turned, its movements awkward, like it’d spent every last drop of grace sparring with Edmond.
"You two seem to be getting along."
Edmond lowered himself onto the bottom step with a smirk.
"Never mind you. We still got problems to deal with. That damn Bishop ain’t just gon’ give up, ya know?"
As Levi reached the far end of the cave, where two steel barrels sat against the stone wall, their voices faded into murmurs. He glanced around, taking in the cavern, his curiosity twitching like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
Grabbing an oil-soaked rag, he knelt beside the bot, rubbing its joints with steady hands.
"Who the hell are these guys? Met my fair share of bounty hunters before, but these two don’t seem the type."
He paused, eyeing the flat metal that made up Timmy’s face. Realizing how damn dumb he sounded, he sighed and shook his head.
"Well, guess it’s better than talkin'' to them or those kids."
His voice dropped, somber now, the words sitting heavier than he meant.
"Especially those kids."
"Lemon tits!"
Rufus’s voice suddenly boomed across the mine.
"Lemon what?"
Levi brow furrowed as he tried to piece together what in the hell that meant. Curiosity got the better of him, and he strained to listen.
Best he started to gather, they were arguing over money. He figured him not being turned in had something to do with it. He caught the way Edmond hesitated when Rufus brought up taking another bounty—like the idea sat wrong with him.
Clank!
Levi flinched as his metal fist knocked against the bot, the sharp ring of steel-on-steel snapping him from his thoughts. He stared down at his hand, a shiver of disgust crawling up his spine.
"That’s what I sound like?"
His fingers curled into a fist, tight enough to make his gears grind. That familiar heat crept up his neck, that deep, blood-red anger he’d barely kept buried scratching at his insides. His breath came sharp, jaw clenching as the rage simmered, thick and molten.
Murder ran through his veins.
Dropping the rag without a second thought, Levi stormed to his feet, his boots heavy against the ground. Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and strode toward the two hunters, his fists still balled tight.
Levi knew he had to play this just right. Rufus was the type with a temper—short as a matchstick and twice as easy to light.
''Make him mad enough, he''ll start thinkin'' stupid.''
So as soon as he got close, he made damn sure his voice carried.
"Hey, teapot!"
Both Edmond and Rufus froze, but their reactions couldn’t have been more different. Edmond’s eyes widened, and he slowly stood up, taking a few steps back on the stairs, already seeing where this was headed.
Rufus, meanwhile, turned a deep shade of crimson, his jaw working like he was chewing on a nail.
Calling a man a teapot was fighting words. It meant he was all steam and no substance—running his mouth without ever saying a damn thing worth hearing. Folks didn’t take kindly to it, least of all a man like him.
"You feelin’ stupid? Or just tired of livin’? Cause I know you didn’t just call me that."
Levi held his ground, his amber eyes locked onto Rufus’s one good one.
"Only one man around here constantly talkin''. And instead of wastin’ time doin’ that, I got a better idea."
Rufus was gone.
''Shi—!''
Levi barely had time to blink before a hand clamped down on his face like an iron vise, a force stronger than he expected lifting him clean off his feet.
"Rufus!"
"Boy asked for a lesson."
The gears in his arm started to whir.
"As an adult, I’m obliged to teach him."
Just as the pressure on his skull started to tighten, Levi shouted.
"Crimson Song!"
Like he said the magic words, Rufus’s grip hesitated, that mean grin of his twitching. That was all Levi needed.
Swinging his leg up fast, he aimed clear for Rufus’s nose. The bounty hunter easily stepped back, avoiding the kick—but he was forced to let go.
Levi hit the ground, breathing heavy, his body tensed in case Rufus wasn’t done.
"I know where she’s hiding!"
Like a switch had flipped, Rufus’s anger drained, replaced with something else entirely—greed. He was on Levi in an instant, haulin’ him up by his shirt and dusting him off like they were old pals.
"Now why didn’t you say somethin’ sooner? Now tell Uncle Rufus everythin’ you know."
But Levi shoved Rufus’s hands off him, meeting his gaze head-on.
"I’ll tell you—on one condition."
"Name it."
"You take me on the hunt."
"No."
Edmond answered immediately, his voice final.
Rufus waved a hand, already working around it.
"Now don’t go gettin’ hasty. Just ‘cause we bring him along don’t mean he has to participate. He can—"
"No."
Levi cut in, firm.
"Either I’m an equal partner in this, or I ain’t sayin’ nothin’."
"I already said no."
"Goddammit, Edmond! He ain’t yours to protect! But them kids upstairs are! If he says he can help, you got no right to stand in the way. We need money, and we need it bad. Winter’s comin’."
Edmond exhaled slow through his nose, his jaw tight as he weighed it. A vein bulged at his temple as his eyes flicked between Levi and Rufus, wrestling with something in his head.
"Fine. But I got a condition too. You heal first. Then we’ll see if you’re capable. If you can last more than thirty seconds against me, you can go."
"I call bullshit!"
Rufus threw his arms up.
"Might as well just keep your ‘no’ with rules like that!"
Levi didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Just squared his shoulders and looked Edmond straight in the eye.
"Fine. Thirty seconds against Timmy, then."
"Deal!"
Levi and Rufus both agreed at the same time, their voices overlapping as they turned to glare at each other.
Feeling like he’d just stepped in something foul, Edmond ran a hand over his face with a sigh.
"Since that’s settled, I’m taking a damn shower."
"What''s the rush? Don''t we got some plannin'' to get to? Hey! Don''t just walk away."
They kept bickerin’, their voices blending into the mine’s low hum as steam hissed from the pipes overhead. Levi let them go at it, his mind already elsewhere. Turning over the fight in his head. Counting every second he had to last.
''Thirty. Ain’t long. Ain’t short, neither. But it''s enough.''
He flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulders, letting the ache settle in. It worked. Not as clean as he wanted, but clean enough. Whatever was left of luck, fate, or some damn twisted sense of mercy—he’d take it.
A chance to escape. A chance to get his knives back.
And he wasn’t about to waste it.