So, here was Rumor's current situation: trapped in one of Mos Espa's numerous backstreet alleyways, all his weapons out of immediate reach, and being held at gunpoint by 5 Krayt Dragon Gang members.

  In other words, he was in deep shit.

  His brain running a mile a second, Rumor first used [ Observe ] on the leading alien. Logic said he was the strongest, and he didn't want to waste his limited MP.

  [ Alo'Reme ]

  [ Species: Sikuridan ]

  [ Strengh: 12 ]

  [ Dexterity: 7 ]

  [ Vitality: 15 ]

  [ Temperance: 6 ]

  [ Spirit: 3 ]

  [ Appeal: 5 ]

  [ Skills: Firearm Mastery lvl 3, Blade Mastery lvl 2, Precise Shot lvl 4 ]

  [ Special skills: None ]

  [ Description: A mid-level enforcer of the Krayt Dragon Gang. ]

  [ Firearm Mastery lvl 3: Passive. You know how to adequately use any firearms. 10% base increase to attack power when using a firearm. Each level in this skill grants a further 2% increase to attack power when using a firearm. Current increase: 16%. ]

  Okay, a mid-level enforcer was a little scary. Three skills, and the none of them were to laugh at. Rumor made a mental note to acquire both [ Firearm Mastery ] and [ Blade Mastery ] as soon as possible. The 10% base bonus was unbelievable.

  And Alo'Reme's attributes, although very skewed towards strength and vitality, gave him a definitive edge over Rumor. Although, it was curious to see how little dexterity he had when it was that stat that affected firearms the most.

  "Whatcha lookin' at, human? Wanna try me?"

  If the alien were alone, maybe. Although he would undoubtedly get hurt, Rumor thought he might have a chance. But with 4 others backing Alo'Reme up, he would be dead before he even got his blaster out of his inventory.

  "That's what I thought. Now get moving. You don't let The Scourge wait."

  Yeah, fuck that. His odds against Alo'Reme and his group were close to zero. Against the leader of the entire Krayt Dragon Gang?

  "Okay."

  Rumor raised his hands as if he were surrendering, a resigned expression on his face.

  Then, when Alo'Reme lowered his gun slightly, disappointed at the lack of resistance, Rumor lashed out with his right leg, booting the alien in the crotch.

  "Waaargh!"

  His gamble that humanoid aliens had similar anatomy to humans paid off. Alo'Reme dropped his weapon with a blood-curling scream, hands shooting to clutch his family jewels.

  Rumor bolted.

  He turned around and charged down the alleyway at a dead sprint, milking the half second of surprise from the gang members for all it was worth.

  "Ugh! Fuck!"

  It still wasn't nearly enough to get away from them. Blasters fired, tearing pieces of the walls of the nearby buildings, and raising puffs of dust when they hit the ground just ahead of Rumor. One passed so close to his head he almost lost an ear.

  Two found their way to him, the aliens holding the blasters having better aim than their counterparts.

  [ Krayt Dragon Gang member Amunabt attacked you. Calculating attack value... Deducting your defense... ]

  [ Krayt Dragon Gang member Amunabt dealt 13 points of damage to you. ]

  [ Krayt Dragon Gang member Ay attacked you. Calculating attack value... Deducting your defense... ]

  [ Krayt Dragon Gang member Ay Precise Shot lvl 1 dealt 21 points of damage to you. ]

  His HP, a measly 100 points, took two big hits, going down to 66. At the moment, however, Rumor was more concerned with getting the fuck away from the gangsters, than with the burning pain from his wounded right shoulder and lower back.

  More dirt sprayed out as he ducked and rolled around a corner, getting up almost immediately and continuing running without looking back.

  Rumor had no idea where he was going. He was still mostly unfamiliar with the layout of Mos Espa even after a day of wandering around, and the thunderous footsteps of his pursuers left no time to look for landmarks.

  All he did was run. More lasers flew towards him every time the Krayt Dragon Gang members caught sight of him, and the only thing that saved him from getting shot into a sieve was how difficult it was to aim at someone while running.

  KA-BANG!

  Every once in a while, there was a different sound amongst that of the blasters, and Rumor understood why, in an universe with technologically superior laser weapons, Alo'Reme would choose the more primitive slugthrower. The holes it left were a lot bigger.

  Taking out his own [ C-21 Scout Saboteur (Damaged) ], he fired a couple of shots blindly over his shoulder.

  As far as he was aware, he hit nothing but the ground behind his feet, but the rain of lasers falling on him diminished a little.

  KA-BANG!

  Rumor felt like he had almost lost them on Mos Espa's outskirts when Alo'Reme's weapon rang loudly again.

  "Ack!"

  The impact carried Rumor off his feet, throwing him on the ground a couple meters away.

  "Ugh..."

  Excruciating pain radiated from his back, and he almost missed the notification in front of his eyes.

  [ Krayt Dragon Gang member Alo'Reme attacked you. Calculating attack value... Deducting your defense... ]

  [ Krayt Dragon Gang member Alo'Reme' Precise Shot lvl 4 dealt 44 points of damage to you. ]

  [ You have been affected with bleeding, losing 3 HP every 5 seconds. ]

  [ Your HP has fallen to a critical point. Strength, dexterity and vitality decrease by 50%. Temperance and spirit increase by 50%. You can no longer recover HP through automatic recovery. ]

  That was one mechanic Rumor didn't mind never finding out about. It was through sheer desperation and force of will that he grit his teeth and got up to run again, although at a much slower pace.

  With his dexterity cut in half, so was his movement speed. Now, it was only a matter of time before the gangsters caught up with him.

  With death looming over his head, Rumor made a sudden and surprising decision. Instead of running towards the center of Mos Espa, where he was fairly certain everybody would just watch as he was hunted, he took a sharp turn to the outskirts of the city, and further beyond.

  "Where is it, where is it..."

  His voice was almost delirious as he mumbled to himself. But his bloodshot eyes lit up when he found what he was looking for.

  In the night, the blood ant colony was just a bunch of shadows. Rumor ran straight past it, then dropped to the ground.

  Sand clung to his skin, mixing with the blood that soaked his torso. Alo'Reme hadn't been lying about the power of his gun. Although not enough to fit his head, it still had left a fist-sized hole in Rumor's body. Were he in the real world instead of an incursion where his life was calculated with HP, he would be dead already.

  While he waited for the Krayt Dragon Gang members - and it wouldn't be long - Rumor took out the [ Delicious Unknown Fruit ] he had received as a reward earlier.

  Without even tasting it, he just crammed the whole thing into his mouth, chewed a couple times, and swallowed.

  [ You have recovered 20 HP. ]

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  [ You have suffered 3 points of bleeding damage. ]

  Without stopping, Rumor pulled out a package of bandages he had bought yesterday, tore it open, and stuffed the whole thing in the whole in his chest.

  [ You have suffered 3 points of bleeding damage. ]

  [ You have recovered 7 HP. ]

  [ You have recovered from bleeding. ]

  Fucking hell, that was close. Thank god for his paranoia. Finding bandages that could be used in a combat state had cost him an hour of his life and an unreasonable amount of wupiupis yesterday, but now he felt it was worth every second and cent.

  He wasn't out of danger yet, but with a grand total of 31 health points to his name now, he felt a rush of strength return to his body.

  [ You have recovered from critical status. You will be in a weakened state for the next 12 hours. All attributes decrease by 20%. ]

  Not nearly as bad as before, although he had lost the boost to temperance and spirit. Not a problem right now.

  "Where the fuck is that grimy human bastard!?"

  Alo'Reme was very enraged. From his position on the ground, Rumor could see the silhouettes of the gangsters, their leader standing out with his weapon.

  Almost there, almost there...

  "Wait, ain't that the blood ant nest?"

  "Too late, asshole."

  Rumor forced a grin as he whispered, one eye closed as he aimed his blaster at the spires.

  Alo'Reme and his companions were right next to them now.

  TZIIING!

  All that practice paid off. Rumor hit his intended target dead-center.

  The spire he had used for target practice earlier, although externally repaired by the blood ants, was still fragile. When the laser blew a hole through it, the structure couldn't handle anymore, and toppled over.

  Right on top of Alo'Reme and the other Krayt Dragon Gang members.

  "Aaaahhhh!!!"

  "Argh!"

  "Get it off, get it off!"

  Smirking, Rumor watched for a few moments as the five aliens ran away and then rolled on the ground in agony as hundreds of blood ants clung to them.

  It wouldn't kill them, but they also wouldn't be pursuing Rumor for the foreseeable future.

  Suppressing a wince when the movement pulled at his throbbing wounds, Rumor got up. For a moment, he considered going over to finish off the enemies.

  But the risk was too great. There was no telling if some of them were of a species that was more resistant or recovered faster, and he was in no state to fight.

  "Alo'Reme... I'll remember that name."

  Vowing to take revenge silently in his heart, Rumor turned around and limped away.

  Away from Mos Espa. Into Tatooine's unforgiving desert.

  ...

  If during the day the two suns made Tatooine a scorching oven, at night all that heat vanished, leaving behind only a deathly chill that numbed the extremities.

  It was in such a climate that Rumor wandered the desert. He had stopped bleeding, and now that he was out of a combative state, the hole in his chest was closing at an astonishing rate.

  His health points were slowly recovering - still slower than the first time he had been hurt, only about 1 HP every 2 minutes, but they were.

  The pain was still there, both from the major wound, as well as the burns left by the two lasers he was hit with. And the sensation of dried blood mixed with sand was unbearable.

  Unfortunately for Rumor, he was freezing. So, he could only keep wearing the dirty rags. While he had the foresight to stock food, water, and medical supplies, clothes had not been on his list.

  In his defense, he hadn't expected to end up run out of town like a mangy dog.

  In hindsight, he had been too brazen. His first battle against the Krayt Dragon Gang had been fairly easy, and he had only had success after success in everything he did since the incursion started.

  He had been blinded by his victories and revealed he was the one who invaded the Graveyard and killed more members of the Krayt Dragon Gang.

  He didn't think that was the wrong thing to do, mind that. But he should have been more careful about it, not walked through Mos Espa like he owned it after the fact.

  A lesson learned, and learned well. Just because he was in The Mind now, didn't mean he should forget everything he had learned as a storyteller in The Quarter.

  Now, he had to decide what to do. He couldn't keep walking aimlessly through the desert. Not only would that be foolish and deadly, but he also had to complete his main mission if he didn't want to be erased.

  But returning to Mos Espa wasn't an option at the moment. The city was still 'too hot' for him. After his stunt tonight, Alo'Reme would be baying for his head.

  First things first, he had to find somewhere to hide. He didn't doubt the Krayt Dragon Gang would be sending people into the Dune Sea looking for him. And against their hovercrafts, he didn't stand a chance at getting away on foot.

  And the gang was far from the only dangers he faced. Tatooine was a hostile environment. The Tusken Raiders were one threat. And another--

  TZIIING!

  "Hiss!"

  "Got you, motherfucker!"

  Rumor had felt something following him for a while now, likely smelling his blood. He was very adapt at shaking any tails, but this one had been relentless, so he instead opted for a more direct approach.

  It was only now that the creature had dared to get closer, and that proved to be their last mistake.

  Rumor approached his fallen stalker. Whatever it was, it was reptilian. A muscular, slender body with four chubby legs, almost like a lizard who was becoming a snake. The large spine fan on its back almost doubled its height, and the curved snout was pulled back into a snarl that revealed two rows of sharp teeth.

  "Grrrr..."

  Despite the cauterized wound on the creature's flank, Rumor decided to shoot it twice in the head from a distance, just to be sure.

  [ Battle summary: You have slain 1 Female Dragonet. ]

  [ You have acquired: Dorsal Spines (Perfect Condition) (x3). ]

  Wait. Dragonet? That name was familiar. It was on the list of creatures he had bought from the food stall owner when he was looking for information on Tatooine's native fauna to complete the [ Desert Predator ] achievement.

  [ Desert Predator (3/5) - Blood Ant, Anooba, Dragonet ]

  Ah, speak of the devil. But what was it that the stall owner had said about dragonets?

  "Hiss!"

  "Hisssss!"

  "Hiiisss!"

  Right.

  They always hunted in packs.