Adrian

  "We have use of the actor and can't have you kill him." Cash, the leader of the lightsaber wielders, now calling themselves The Swords of Ontario Street, said. Cash had a thin frame and a serious demeanor. "And we are good people. Don't hate us because we like anime." He then flicked off Maeve.

  That abruptly ended the conversation. Both sides heard enough to know they wouldn't get along, and there was only one way to settle the dispute.

  Adrian activated [Stealth] as Maeve summoned two totems to the ground, one that threw fireballs and another that entrapped anyone who came close to it. Maeve then turned into 5 Maeves with the help of being in Paige's mist while Cash's team began to move. Maeve's spear took on a new yellow hue while metal shards were thrown around. The duo landed a few good blows and caused others to fall back from Brody's position. When Maeve went to strike, Brody was gone. Adrian escaped with Brody intact, to Maeve's frustration as she continued her skirmish with Cash and his team.

  Are those ninja stars? I could use those.

  Maeve and Paige created an opening, allowing them to escape the encirclement. The fire totem packed a decent punch, but the lightsabers easily deflected the blows. There were powerful weapons, and every Star Wars fan knew the potential of deflecting energy projectiles with the iconic weapons.

  Paige and Maeve no longer wanted to fight Cash after Brody escaped. As the duo of Paige and Maeve tried to flee, an assassin type came into striking range of Paige. Her eyes widened, knowing she had no time to defend herself from the new threat. Before the attacker could land a strike, a sword came through his chest. Duskwalker sheathed his sword before whispering to the two women, "Shadow Daddy."

  Paige made a fake puking gesture while running with more of Cash's crew on their heels. They headed for the exits. However, the door was locked, causing Maeve to try to knock it down with her spear. When it didn't even make a dent, they knew there was magical fuckery involved. They were trapped inside. A sinking feeling came upon the makeshift group when a system message came,

  Local Power-Generating Event Commencing: Quest: Stop the Funko Pops

  "Christ! We're never going to be able to leave this nightmare!" Maeve raged as the rest of the announcement came, while Paige began to look dejected. "I want out of this hellhole."

  "I'm going to die in the shittiest city on Earth," Paige added with a mutter.

  This is a local event. All participants selected cannot opt out. All Funko Pop deaths generate double experience points.

  Objective: Eliminate all Funko Pops with a survival rate of 80%

  Reward: You'll receive something nice if enough power is generated to support additional AI functionality. I promise ;)

  PS, we are all in this together, so let's see some teamwork!

  "Says the AI who made us kill 3 billion people," Adrian mumbled. He was getting annoyed with this AI. It has been nothing but death since magic was integrated. The AI didn't give anyone time to adapt to this new reality. No one knew what was going on and could only focus on staying alive. Adrian hasn't heard anything from 'Dude', his personal AI. Not that he cared, as his distrust of AI was growing by the second. How much could it possibly help? How much will it tell Earth's AI or The Great System? What does the interaction between the AIs look like? Adrian doubted he would get answers anytime soon.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  The Funko Pop booth started to glow. There had to be at least a hundred of these things. Everyone's favorite characters were coming alive with a bloodlust that made Adrian slightly pale at the sight.

  "Are you going to team up with us or continue to rage against the AI machine alone?" Adrian said to the two women. Adrian's patience was running low. He was tired and overwhelmed by the situation. He didn't have the capacity to bring angry people together. Brody was still over Adrian's shoulder, now awake. He agreed not to talk if Adrian would stop hitting him in the throat. The lightsaber group kept an eye on Adrian's makeshift group but decided to prioritize the Funko Pops, much to his relief. They just killed one of their members and had the numbers on him and Duskwalker. They would die if things continued to go sideways.

  The doors were now locked, and there was only so much space you could put between yourselves and people who wanted to kill you.

  "We'll team up, but we want him dead." Maeve pointed at Brody. "That's non-negotiable."

  Brody fidgeted on Adrian's shoulder before talking, "Everything is negotiable, my dear. I think I can provide more value to you alive than dead." Adrian punched him in the throat, but it wasn't as effective as a hit with the Twin Dragons. Still, it was satisfying for all parties.

  Maeve smiled at Brody, "I'm well aware that everything is negotiable. You'll be seeing my negotiation skills soon," Maeve moved her magical tattoos around her body, "Real soon." Brody visibly gulped at the display.

  "Let's let him help with the quest. His death will hurt our reward, so let's see how he does." Adrian said, letting rational thinking take over.

  Adrian was right. They needed an 80% survival rate for a better prize. Nexus didn't specify the award, but it could be life-saving. Probably.

  Paige and Maeve discussed their options away from Adrian before a mini Ron Weasley Funko Pop hopped around the corner. The collectible transformed into a weird, bug-eyed Ron Weasley that was larger than its original size, but still tiny. Ron Weasley pointed his wand at the group and screamed,

  "Wingardium Leviosa!" The attack came barreling towards them, hitting Brody and causing him to levitate.

  While Adrian was assessing the situation, a misty arrow came out of nowhere. It hit the Ron Weasley collectible in the head, ending its magical terror. "Team Slytherin, you wanker!" Paige cried out in a terrible British accent, pleased with her quip. Maeve reassured Paige that both the attack and the retort were excellent while Adrian rolled his eyes.

  After the Funko Pop was defeated, the spell holding Brody in place dispersed, causing him to fall and hit the ground.

  "Fuck! What the hell!" Brody screamed.

  Maeve put her hand on Adrian's shoulder and gave him a serious look, "I guess he did help. Playing the role of meat shield is perfect." Duskwalker appeared in front of Maeve and Paige, who both jumped at his sudden emergence from the shadows, ready to greet his new allies.

  "I haven't properly introduced myself. You may call me Duskwalker of the Ohio City village. I am honored to welcome more comrades into the Shinobi Brothers."

  "Yeah, no. Can I call you something else?" Maeve said. Duskwalker gave her a side eye and a half smile when he replied,

  "Call me Shadow Daddy."

  Maeve paused for a second before responding with,

  "Great to meet you, Duskwalker."

  Maeve sighed and walked away defeated, throwing her hands up, muttering something about weirdos and wanting the sweet release of death. Paige walked up next,

  "I'm Paige. What did you say about a hidden village and shinobis? My class says I'm a shinobi from the Hidden Mist Village, but I don't know a flying fuck about that."

  Duskwalker's eyes widened as he visibly became giddy, "This is fate, Paige of the Hidden Mist Village. We were meant to find each other and join forces against the evils of this world, to protect those in our village."

  "Slow your roll there, Kimosabe. None of us is Japanese."

  "Kimosabe was Native American..." Adrian retorted, "But there are parallels with him and Dusky."

  "Dusky! That'll stick!" Paige exclaimed as she walked towards Adrian. She looked at Brody, who rubbed his back after hitting the ground hard from the Funko Pop spell. She whispered to Adrian, "We'll need to deal with him eventually."

  Adrian gave a half-shrug and said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Until then," Adrian pulled out his nunchucks that were glowing and cracked his neck, "let's murder some toys for prizes."