Heavy Metal

Chapter 80 – Old Friends.

Rusty turned his head toward the voice, his visor locking onto the person who had just spoken. A group of figures emerged from the shadows of a nearby alley. The one who had addressed him was a familiar-looking lanky man with a smirk plastered across his face. He wasn't alone, and he certainly wasn't the leader of the group. In the center stood another figure - bald, a bit below two meters in height, with a face covered in tattoos and scars. He was wearing a heavier suit of armor but his face was exposed."Thought you'd never see us again, Albert?"

'It's those thugs again, and this time they've brought friends.'

Alexander whispered to Rusty, who had also recognized the group entering the alley. Rusty had been on his way back from the Guild after depositing the monster materials he'd collected. He'd taken a shortcut through the alley to reach the inn where he was staying. It was the middle of the night, and the city gates wouldn't open for a few more hours. These thugs seemed to have been waiting for him, only approaching once he was alone and out of sight of the city watch.

'I was wondering who these people were, But they don't seem like much of a threat. Can I kill them all?'

Using his life detection skill, Rusty had sensed a few people waiting in the alley ahead. The skill worked in a peculiar way - the stronger the life signal, the more intensely it resonated in his metallic head. With it, he could roughly gauge someone's power level. Even this new, armored individual was no match for him. Compared to the monsters inside the dungeon, this guy was on the level of an E-rank Orc at best.

'Normally I would be against it but they clearly mean business, their intentions are obvious, they are here to kill you and this alleyway is probably the perfect place to make people disappear…'

Alexander assessed the situation for Rusty. It was probably just as he suspected. Rusty didn't respond but stood still, watching as the larger thug stepped forward, his knuckles cracking with a loud pop. The group numbered five men in total, three in the front and two behind him. The moment he was halfway through the alley the three with the lanky man stopped him from the front, while two quickly closed off the escape route from the back.

'That's what I wanted to hear!'

Rusty was eager to crack some skulls, irritated that these thugs had now harassed him not once, but twice. However, just as the moonlight gleamed off the hairless man's bald head, Alexander suddenly stopped him.

'Wait, Rusty. Don't kill that baldie.'

'Oh? Why not?'

'Those tattoos he's got - one of them belongs to the thieves' guild. He might be our way in!'

Rusty's visor flickered as he heard Alexander's words. The bald man, covered in tattoos and scars, wasn't just some common thug - it seemed he had ties to the very organization Rusty had been

Suddenly, he wasn't looking at the world from his metallic frame anymore. He was seeing through the thug's eyes, feeling the weight of his armor, the dull ache in his muscles, and the dizzying sensation of pain lingering from their short brawl. It took him a moment to adjust - his control over the man's body wasn't perfect, like walking in shoes that didn't quite fit. But it would do for now.

'Is this what humans feel? It wasn't like this with Albert.'

Previously, the body he possessed had been long dead, unable to move on its own, requiring Rusty's metallic shell to function. But this was different. This man's body was fully alive, capable of standing on its own. Rusty's true form stood nearby, helmetless. The thug now wore Rusty's helmet, his face hidden beneath it. From the outside, he looked like any ordinary person - convincing enough to get Rusty into the Thieves' Guild.

Rusty flexed the man's fingers, testing the limits. His movements were sluggish, but the thug's body responded. He stood up on shaky legs, dusting off the armor. He could feel the dull throb in his skull where Rusty had bashed him, but the healing potion had worked wonders.

'That's it. Looks like you've got control, now use his memories to pinpoint the location of the guild and their password. '

Alexander's voice echoed in Rusty's mind as he was stuck with him even if he discarded his main body. Rusty took a moment to tap into the thug's memories, sifting through the murky haze of pain and confusion clouding the man's mind. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Unlike Albert's remains, this body still had an active consciousness, albeit dulled from the fight and the potion.

'Come on… show me… there, that should be it!'

Rusty muttered under his breath as he concentrated. Slowly, fragmented memories began to surface. Images of back alleys, secret handshakes, and dimly lit taverns flickered in his mind like pieces of a puzzle. He saw a symbol - a strange black coin and recognized it as the sigil of the Thieves' Guild. Now that the truth was out, he just needed to go there and register himself as a new member…