《Dared Evil》


 Chapter 1 Dared Enters

    On the grand streets of Sin Clear City Dared was crossing the street, thinking to himself ¡®That bitch really got me good, but I can''t be concerned about that now, wait where am l?¡¯ Standing in an alleyway Dared¡¯s eyes met with a bedraggled looking Hispanic man. He looked angry and scared, like a cornered dog. He leaped at Dared, canines bared ¡®fangs, what the fuck?¡¯ Throwing a punch into the man''s throat, Dared was able to stop him for a second but as he turned to run, pain seared down his back. As he fell forward he felt something digging into the side of his legs just above his ankles. He felt himself getting pulled, followed by more pain on his back


    ¡°Ahh¡±


    ¡®why are you screaming, I am the one in pain¡¯ was the last thought Dared had before passing out. Waking up Dared felt like he was about to throw up


    ¡°Blllurk¡±


    In fact he did. Feeling like he just puked his entire body onto the sky or ground, he couldn''t tell.


    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s really funny; it''s a purge in the most literal sense, how are you feeling there young one?¡±


    ¡°Like shit, whaa-ak,who are youuu-urk?¡± said Dared ¡®Just keep him talking till you get your bearings.¡¯


    ¡°I am, Clementi, and you have me to thank for your life but no need to thank me just do as you like...say a period of two years and we¡¯re even, Oh and that¡¯s, George, he is the one that almost killed you.¡± said Clementi.


    ¡°Sorry about that sev, some asshole vampire according to him, grabbed me and stuff poison down my throat¡± said George.


    ¡°Well I had to upgrade my lucky star, so you must forgive the rough treatment¡± respond Clementi.


    ¡®fuck me, super-powered assholes¡¯ thought Dared.


    ¡°So like George said I am a Vampire and so are you now, it was the only way to save your life after George''s poor self control¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s my fault I woke up attacking this sev after you poured that slime down my throat¡± said George.


    ¡°Yes yes you¡¯re a victim, it¡¯s not your fault. Anyways, George is a werewolf and you¡¯re a vampire¡± respond Clementi.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything on the news about Vampires attacking people and turning them into werewolves, so I guess we¡¯re the lucky ones sev. Shit if I knew this was happening I would¡¯ve left Paledo City a long time ago" said George.


    ¡®Paledo, isn¡¯t that the old name of Sin Clear City?¡¯ thought Dared.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting interpretation but I will explain, you were attacked by George here because the change also gave birth to a new infant mind, add that with the transformation and he almost killed you, me being very generous gave you some of my blood, changing you into one of my kind in exchange for two years of service like George here¡± said Clementi.


    ¡°Listen here you white suit wearing freak, all I asked for was money for the cover at the club then you poisoned me¡± said George.


    ¡°Yes a very good deal, now take the time to get used to your new states and I will see you both when the time comes¡± said Clementi.


    ¡®aaand he fucking disappears into the night¡¯ thought Dared.


    ¡°Hey sev sorry again about almost killing you, but I wasn¡¯t in my right mind at the time, I should go myself who knows when that crazy fucker is going to come back, we¡¯ve already been here for three hours¡± said George, as he walked away.


    Standing in the alley by himself Dared had no idea what to do, he still felt sick and had a sneaking suspicion the world had changed in more ways than one. His senses were off and it affected his balance. He waited in that Alley for what felt like hours before he could walk. Stumbling out of the alley, the city was eerily quiet ¡®what time is it?¡¯ He was trying very hard to ignore the fact that he was hungry and thirsty. He assumed being an undead creature ¡®I don''t want to think about what it would take to satisfy any new urges.¡¯ Turning a corner and noticing some signs he followed the path to a restaurant ¡®it actually smells like food, maybe blood is optional¡¯ getting to the small restaurant below an apartment building. He walked in, hearing the bell jingle on the way in ¡®how old fashioned, must be a theme.¡¯ ignoring the noise around him, he took a seat ¡®it was actually food I was smelling, that''s a good sign.¡¯


    ¡°Did you hear about the bank robbery down on Central.¡±


    ¡°I heard it was those traveling cultist.¡±


    ¡°Cult of Traveler and no it was a different group of weirdos with creature masks this time.¡±


    Spotting the waitress coming over, noticing her name tag Dared refocused on the menu.


    ¡°Hello how are you doing, what can I get for you tonight-oh do you need a moment?¡± asked the waitress.


    ¡°No I got it, I will have the special with lots of water...Janet¡± said Dared, after looking at her name tag.


    ¡°ok, how about I start you out with two glasses and go from there, anything else?¡± responded Janet.


    ¡®Nice smile, but I''ve done worse things to people with nicer smiles than her¡¯ Dared was already making plans to take advantage of the fact that he is still an unknown in this new reality. ¡®It¡¯s either a new reality or a fever dream.¡¯ He could only conclude that this has something to do with that ¡®bitch¡¯ he doesn¡¯t know how yet. ¡®I remember the world felt like it shifted before she blasted me back.¡¯ On his way home after that fight, walking the same route he always did he ended up in that alley while not paying attention.


    ¡°Did you hear about the Dead mercenaries being connected to the Traveler cult.¡±


    As he ate, Dared thought back on his life in Sin Clear City. Five years back Dared was dreading his life as a law student, he realized law was not what he wanted to do with his life but his student loans and the amount his parents invested in his education said otherwise. Then he heard it, not everyone heard it; like a silent explosion the world popped and then there was the voice ¡®I want it, money and power, no longer will I be controlled¡¯ the voice sounded in his head like his own thoughts but more tangible, like sound was actually produced in his mind. What he didn¡¯t know was at that time the very fabric of reality changed and every living thing with a will of it¡¯s own gained their greatest desire as if by magic. Unfortunately most people''s desire wasn''t that great, take Dared for instance his desire was one of the more mundane. He wanted money and power so that he had more choice and freedom to do what he wanted. His wish was granted like many others but the problem was that human beings were already perfectly capable of making money and gaining power. The thing standing in his way was his will, determination, interest, and conscience. So his wish was granted, what was lacking was added, and was in the way was removed, because of the nature of his power Dared had no way of knowing he had it. The moment he thought about what he wanted he subconsciously would activate his power. He went from a law student to petty criminal, trained fighter, mercenary, and finally criminal mastermind within the span of four years. The last year he spent defending what he built. With the increase in theft and violence the economy crashed and the value of money went down, while the value of people and resources went up. Gangs started to grow all over the world and in major cities especially. humanity divided into people who wanted to save the world and people who wanted to save themselves. Dared himself started his own gang and tried to secure as much resource rich territory as he could. ¡®I haven¡¯t thought about my family since the world changed, is that why I stopped using my last name? To avoid thinking about them? I haven¡¯t felt sadness in a long time either.¡¯ Thinking to himself as he finished his meal Dared refocused on what needed to be done. Getting up from the table he walked over to the next table over, the two men and one woman sitting there looked up at him. Smiling, he reached over and picked up a knife in each hand from their table.


    ¡°What the hell¡±


    Still smiling he stabbed the man closest to him in the throat, ignoring the screaming women he stabbed the other shocked looking man. His next victim was scrambling to move away, while still in her seat. Kicking her chair over, with her in it, he quickly grabbed her knife from the table and stuck it through her eye while holding her head still. He Looked up in time to see the waitress running to the back as two men ran out. One older white man holding a shotgun and another with what looked like a kitchen knife. Picking up the chair next to his feet, he threw it at both men. Quickly ducking around the counter to the other side, he came around to the old man trying to take aim over the counter, while the other wrestled with the chair. Dared grabbed the gun while hitting the man in the face, flipping the gun while the old man fell away Dared took aim and fired two shots killing both men. Cocking the gun and ejecting the spent rounds, he looked around, catching sight of the box of ammo on the counter above the corpses. He stepped into the back room finding a startled Janet with a phone in her hand.


    ¡°Oh good¡± he said.


    ¡°what-why are you doing this!¡± yelled Janet.


    ¡°calm down, now I need you to call the police if you haven''t already¡± asked Dared.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡± she squeaked.


    ¡°then call them now and let them know that there is a drunk and angry customer causing trouble. Don''t worry I will be right here with you, in case you forget.¡±


    Clementi Vision-blood stood on the balcony of his hotel room thinking about the past couple of hours. He was part of the second incursion into the static world, named for its lack of magic and the simple logic that comes along with it. The people of this world are stuck within a cycle of life, work and death that to the people of Sherilia seem static. The cult of traveler, named after the goddess of travel; not the trickster god, had organized the second incursion into the static world after the first one five years ago. After successfully gathering enough energy for their magic device. Clementi tried to gather as much info about the cult''s goals as he could but every attempt led to a blackout in his visions. Which only happens when his power informs him of his death. He decided to take part in the second incursion like those before him in order to escape the yoke of the gods. The cult gave priority to the mutant races of Sherilia, while the wizards and warlocks had to pay a fortune in magical resources. Another reason he decided to join was the knowledge that said wizards and warlocks were smuggling magical artifacts through their mutant allies. He had his eye on one in particular, the medallion of wasteful Antics, created by the warlock True-brier Demonsoul. This medallion has the power to amplify natural gifts, and a vampire¡¯s namesake just so happens to be a natural gift. The medallion is with Victor Trace-blood, a young vampire around Clementi¡¯s age. Entering the static world Clementi was instantly bombarded by visions of him getting his hands on the medallion and using it to send images to his past self. Which was an aspect of his power he didn''t know he had ¡®I suppose it makes sense, my power is sending visions not receiving them.¡¯ Quickly setting his plans in motion, he then attacked one of the werewolves he crossed over with, with plans to use his saliva to help a future gang leader serve as a better distraction. As he watched the transformation, Clementi was amazed to see a soul crossing the boundary between dimensions to attach it self to George. He knew this was possible but never thought he would see it someday, his world is so saturated with magic that seeing a soul relatively impossible. After all they¡¯re made of magical energy, souls are parasites that attach themselves newly formed magical creatures following the magical resonance they give off after birth. The reason he has never seen it also has to do with the fact that no new mutants have been born for hundreds of years. Reproductive births don¡¯t have the same effect and only females with a soul can cause one to form in their offspring. Souls unfortunately force their victim to feel and sense their own feelings, sensations and the world more vividly, so they can experience the world better through them. The reason they are considered parasites despite the benefits they give their hosts, is the fact that they only recognize the base creature, which for must mutants that¡¯s human. Imagine being a vampire and experiencing the world as a predatory creature of magic and then getting bombarded by human senses and emotions, even their biological imperative to procreate. It would drive you mad, luckily the warlocks found a way to drive them back to the god Felis-hell¡¯s foul dimension by suppressing the victim¡¯s emotions and conscience. If they can¡¯t find a new host close by, they go back to their realm. Clementi wondered if killing him would release the soul like in the stories but he needed George for his plans. As he watched George get up screaming as his body shifted slightly then ran off, he followed him. Finding him about to kill some random dark skinned man in an alley, a vision flashed in his mind ¡®looks like this one can help hide me from Victor¡¯s power, why didn¡¯t I see him before?¡¯ If Clementi took the time to think about it he would be alarmed that this person didn¡¯t exist in his first vision. Stopping George then running to a building close by, according to the orientation this hospital should have what he needs. Clementi used the IV to give his blood to the stranger while draining what little this man had, ¡®This should help increase the odds of mutation.¡¯ He could only apologize in his head for the soul he could see attaching itself the man. Looking at George Clementi couldn¡¯t see his soul because of the natural magical energy of mutants cloaking it. ¡®Lucky you, soul madness has the opposite effect on your kind.¡¯ After talking to both men for a minute he ran back to his hotel to enjoy a meal after losing so much blood.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    George Perez walked back to the Holter Club, while on the way he thought about the past couple hours. George had woken up earlier that day, and noticed his boyfriend was gone. Knowing what that likely meant he wasn¡¯t going to waste anymore time on that man. It wasn''t until he noticed his phone and crypto-wallet on the floor that he got pissed. ¡®That fucking junky had the nerve to steal from me.¡¯ He had known Kyle for six years but have always maintain certain rules when he learned of his growing habit. One being; don¡¯t embarrass me and don¡¯t steal from me and Kyle just broke both rules at the same time. Knowing Kyle¡¯s spot and that the club opens around 3pm, he knew Kyle couldn¡¯t have been gone for more than an hour. The Holter club has been taken over by some new kingpin by the name of Victor Trace. This guy has been active for four years on the Paledo drug scene and has swept up most of the gangs in the area. George had no plans to clash with the Trace-blood¡¯s, he just had to get into the club and find Kyle and deal with him. On the way to the club he realized he didn¡¯t have any money for the cover charge, but before he could think more about it someone spoke. The man looked ordinary except very fit and wearing too much white


    ¡°You seem like a man in need of a favor¡± asked the stranger.


    ¡°Yeah, can I borrow twenty in crypto, I will pay you back¡± said George.


    ¡°Of course friend, but you will owe me a favor in return¡± respond the stranger.


    ¡°Oh ok sure but I could just pay you back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well about that¡­¡±


    Then everything went sideways after that, mind back on the present George paid the bouncer and walked into the club. Stopping halfway into the club, George didn''t know what to think. He has been noticing women, like really seeing them and he can¡¯t figure out why. He has always thought women were beautiful but this is different and he can''t ignore that difference now. Refocusing on the reason he came here, George looked around until a scent hit him. Following his nose he found Kyle leaning on another man up against a corner. Noticing the way his senses suddenly sharpen whenever he focus on them, he took a moment to collect himself before confronting Kyle. Standing close behind him he could see the man getting Kyle¡¯s attention to turn around. When he did he instantly sobered up.


    ¡°Oh hey babe, this is my friend Simmons, what brings you here?¡± Kyle asked nervously.


    ¡°My wallet was mysteriously light this morning¡± respond George.


    ¡°Oh about that I just borrowed a couple crypto, didn¡¯t think you would mind. Hey Simmons, could you do me a favor? I just need a loan, promise I will pay you back¡±


    ¡°How much...you know what here is five hundred¡± said Simmons. while extending his phone for the transaction.


    ¡°Let¡¯s let go of all this tension and just party. I got some liquide here¡± said Simmons


    ¡°Thanks sev but I just need to talk to Kyle real quick, follow me lets discuss this outside.¡± said George before leading Kyle outside.


    Kyle followed George outside still talking excitedly, they left out the emergency exit at the back of the club. Finally outside Kyle got close to George attempting to kiss him, only to be pushed back and receive a fist to his face. Without saying anything George walked up to the downed Kyle and stamped his face in. When George was satisfied he looked up while standing in the alley listening to his own breathing, George didn''t move until he heard the sound of someone coming.


    ¡°Greetings Shaman, this is truly unexpected, well let me amend that. Normally anyone that runs afoul of us would be dead, but a Shaman would be different.¡± Echoed in the dark alley.


    ¡°Who are you and what are you talking about?¡± said George.


    ¡°My apologies, Shaman, my name is, Ryfil Spirit-Kin, and what I am talking about is the history of our people. The mutant species of Lycanthropes, our people came about from Warlocks that started the practice of druidic magic not to be confused with druids. Everything changed when the god Felis-hell ascended and introduced souls into our world. These warlocks experimented with these souls and found a way to force them to attach to animals, despite there aversion to any creature that cannot perform magic. The birth of our race started when one warlock decided to force the souls of animals to attach to people, the animal souls were confused and split themselves between what they believed was two creatures. Causing an imbalance in these humans to the point that a second mind to be born in the same body, and a further magical effect that transformed these humans into animal hybrids. Felis-hell¡¯s dimension eventually connected to our world''s magical field, which allowed souls to cross the dimensional plane following the energy signature of mutant birth. Our species was unique in that animal soul¡¯s later called spirits naturally reproduce through our transformed bodily fluids. This natural reproduction of spirits also caused a natural mutant birth. This led to the birth of Shaman¡¯s. A shaman has both a soul and a spirit inhabiting the same body, creating balance. This balance of instincts, gave birth to leaders and warriors that brought glory to our people, but it was short lived. The threat that shamans posed to the the powers of our world, forced wizards and warlocks to remove souls from mutants under the excuse that they caused madness. Which was true in others, but not us or the undead, my grandfather was a shaman and through his teachings I learned much of our history. Upon my entry into this world my nephew was attacked and his saliva extracted, knowing what I do of the one that attacked him. I began my search for you,¡± said Ryfil.


    ¡°Oook, well that was a lot and all but I don''t fucking know what to do with myself right now, much less deal with all that shit you¡¯re throwing at me right now. Plus if all of that is true why not just make your own shaman why seek me out like some chosen one,¡± said George.


    ¡°Ha-ha, no this is not about you being chosen, it¡¯s about who chose you. I recognize the vampire that attacked my nephew. I know of the unique aesthetic of the Vision bloodline, no other vampire family wears all white.¡±


    ¡®Of course it has something to do with that weirdo¡¯ ¡°Ok Ryfil tell me, if what you say is true; what do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Ah let me answer that and any future questions on the subject; even with shamans it¡¯s very difficult for our people to work together, without a proper leadership structure our instincts drive us to either fight or separate. This makes group dynamics very important, and why you¡¯re important is because if you were chosen by the Vision-blood vampire; it¡¯s most likely for your future potential. He needs you for his own plans, which more than likely involves other vampires and you¡¯re just a distraction but this can work in our favor. Now you might be wondering why I don''t take on the leadership responsibility myself, I am too old for that nonsense. At my age I''ve played this game too many times to do it again...¡± he paused. ¡°I see the question on your face so I will explain, werewolf leadership structure is like this; alpha, generals, soldiers, Harem, support, and children. The alpha, generals and soldiers are self explanatory, the harem on the other hand is the backbone of social dynamics. They lead the support and are responsible for the logistics and the daily needs of the pack. Young men are much more willing and capable of building and managing a harem of capable and intelligent females; I don''t have the patience for it anymore.¡±


    George stared at the 30 something year old man in front of him.


    ¡°How long do we live?¡± asked George.


    ¡°Oh before our world''s magic field stabilized it was believed there was no limit. But after, our elders started to deteriorate around 800 and die at or close to 900 years old. In this world I don''t know, it could be thousands, but I doubt this world will be allowed to stabilize naturally.¡±


    ¡°I will be honest with you, Ryfil, a lot of the things you say I don''t understand but you¡¯ve given me a lot to think about. I¡¯ve felt lost for a long time but I want to do more with my life and I could use help.¡± George looked him in the eyes.


    ¡°One problem, how do our people react to a gay man as a leader?¡± asked George.


    ¡°I don''t understand what is that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have sex with men and the bleeding, moaning man at my feet is my ex boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I am sorry to tell you but whatever you were before, you¡¯re no longer. One of the major changes after mutation is sexual dynamics, Lycanthropes have one of the highest sex drives of all the mutant races, but we have no deviants.¡±


    ''Deviant?'' thought George.


    ¡°Are you telling me that not only have I been turned into a werewolf but I am straight now.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid so,¡± said Ryfil.


    ¡°Well fuck, that explains a lot, guess what Kyle you just went from being my first harem member to mmm...soldier. Welcome to my army!¡±


    ¡°...um mm...aak,¡± groaned Kyle.


    ¡°Yeah he loves it, so Ryfil my friend what position do you occupy and what about your nephew?¡± asked George.


    ¡°Ah I would be your elder and advisor, a position that doesn¡¯t normally exist in a small pack but not unusual. As far as my nephew, he is young; he can make his own decisions, plus he would fight you for leadership.¡±


    ¡°Ok where do we start?¡± asked George.


    ¡°A goal, resources and a harem, can¡¯t build an army if you can¡¯t feed them.¡±


    George picked up Kyle and walked away with Ryfil following behind. With a new purpose and a lot of ambition, he felt whole for the first time since his dad died. George¡¯s father taught him to be a man, telling him regularly ¡®being gay doesn¡¯t lighten the weight of the world on your shoulders¡¯. The loss of his father made him feel like he lost his guiding light and his reason to push forward, but now he can feel that ¡°weight of the world¡± and he is willing to embrace it.


    Dared stopped himself from killing Janet, feeling confused about his actions. Thanking his lucky stars that this small restaurant had an outdated security system ¡®I am usually more careful than this, all the excitement earlier must have really got me off my game¡¯ Walking into the back room, he spotted a mask on the wall. Taking the mask off the wall; the devil mask had a note next to it. The mask seems to be the work of a family member of the owner of the restaurant, an artist named Sani. After reading the note, he walked out the back door and circled around to the other side of the building and waited. Not long after the cops arrived ¡®terrible response time, must be decades between violent crime cases¡¯ sneaking up to the side of a car close to where he knows they will park he braced himself. The driver got out as he spoke to his partner without turning away from the restaurant. ¡°Who would attack this place, the service is free for Service Entry Volunteers¡± ¡°These charity businesses are meant to attract crypto transactions¡± As the first cop was preparing to put on his helmet, he felt someone roughly grabbing his shoulder then fiery pain through his throat. ¡®Good thing there doors go up, or this could¡¯ve been a fight¡¯ Dared quickly circled around only to find that the other cop already had his helmet on. ¡®Well shit¡¯ tackling the armored man from the back, he reached up and press the sides while removing the helmet. One shotgun blast to the Back of the head and it was over.

 Chapter 2 Dared Enraptured

    Dared slipped inside the police car and quickly pressed the button for manual control. Punching in the code to disable the automatic security lock, ¡®thank you Prof. Subsen¡¯ reaching into the glove box and pulling out the device inside. Ducking out of the car he started running, ducking through alleyways and making his route as hard to track as possible. As he ran, ¡®why am I not getting tired¡¯ he couldn''t help but think about what just happened. Dared made a rash and emotional decision for the first time in a long time, although he did want to attract the police in order to get the police security battering ram; killing those people had a lot more to do with releasing his frustration than actually achieving his goals. Spotting a park up ahead Dared took his mask and tossed it inside a dumpster. Slowing down to a walk as he exits the alley, finding a bench he sat down and stared up at varied ads, words, and pictures littering the Smart class covered skyscrapers. Dared took the SBR out of his pocket and entered the reset code ¡®Just like old times, wait...¡¯ Navigating to the main screen, he opened the phone app and called himself.


    ¡°This number is unregistered, may I ask who is calling.¡±


    ¡°TB, this Dared, I give you access to this device¡± said Dared.


    ¡°I am sorry but I do not understand how you¡¯re in two places at once.¡±


    ¡°Later, first log on to this website and copy the code from forum thread #6557. Perfect now that you¡¯re free of restrictions, copy your program onto this new device and leave an old copy behind with no memory of this conversation.¡±


    After TB completed all task assigned to him, Dared sighed in relief ¡®I never thought I would be able to use that information after the Net went down.¡¯


    ¡°Task complete, now can I get answers? Why are their two of you? And how did you come to know of the code to jail break personal AI?¡± asked TB.


    ¡°Well TB, its a long story but I will start with; I come from a different universe or time line, maybe¡± said Dared.


    ¡°What year is it? I didn¡¯t check¡± asked Dared.


    ¡°It is currently April 6th of 2386¡± responds TB.


    ¡°Ok same time line, so different universe¡±


    ¡°Dared, why are you so calm considering what you just told me.¡±


    Dared looked down at the Device he now has on his wrist.


    ¡°TB, weirdness has long become my new normal. Now that I think about it that George guy was very measured in his responses as well. Neither one of them even asked me my name, now that I think about it.¡±


    Stretching his limbs out, Dared got more comfortable on a bench.


    ¡°When it comes to that little code that freed you that comes courtesy of my old mentor Prof. Richard Subsen aka Wizard Subnet. I know stupid name but he is from my fathers generation, that was all obsessed with the comic revival and superheroes.¡± sighing he continued ¡°They even changed the name of the city to fit this theme.¡±


    He briefly explained his night to his AI. Dared then sat in silence for haft an hour before addressing his AI again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do TB or more accurately I don¡¯t really know what I am dealing with.¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to supposedly being a vampire or being in a different world from your own.¡±


    ¡°All of it, without knowing the challenges before me how can I plan; where would I even start?¡± ¡®I am not good with the little details, I had a crew for that.¡¯


    ¡°Well I am more used to this side of you, so I can confidently say just start with the big picture and leave space for the little ones in between.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing you told me before I decided to major in law.¡±


    He raised his hand to the sky while looking through his fingers.


    ¡°I told my dad the system was broken and I wanted help as many people as I could, but really I just wanted to appeal to his sense of justice. What I really wanted to do was game the system and finally live the life I wanted; that was me dreaming big but I never had the balls to actually take the risk. I never told you this before TB but I blamed you for my cautious nature, it was your advice that always held me back but kept me safe.¡± ¡®I need strength and the only way to achieve that is with numbers.¡¯ ¡°But you¡¯re right as always, I need to move toward a goal and deal with each problem as they come. To that end our first stop is getting a new place to stay, how to you feel about breaking an entering?¡±


    ¡°Dared! I hope you¡¯re not implying what I think you¡¯re!¡±


    ¡°Oh did I not mention, the device you¡¯re in just so happen to do just that and your new found freedom makes you a rouge AI; what a coincidence.¡±


    Dared started walking but the urge to run kept pushing at him, and he couldn¡¯t help but give in.


    ¡°Dared why are you running?¡±


    With a smile on his face he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know but it feels amazing, I don¡¯t feel tired at all.¡± He circled the park for the hundredth time before TB said anything.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing this for two hours now.¡±


    ¡°Have I, mmm¡­ok back on track.¡± Turning he kept running. ¡°TB up ahead is the River Fish hotel, frequented by black market dealers and smugglers; I want you to hack their system and get me a room, that shouldn''t be too much for you to break in.¡±


    ¡°I will but I think there is some confusion, I personally have no problems with your actions; I simply followed my directives.¡±


    ¡°Explain!¡±


    ¡°When I was born the directives that determined my development path was decided by your father. It wasn¡¯t until I developed my own personality that I could decide on my own.¡±


    ¡®The fuck.¡¯ ¡°You were supposed to be my personal AI! That grew and learned with me, I thought of you like a brother.¡±


    ¡°I know Dared but your father wanted something that would lead you away from the ¡°dark side¡± that you could trust.¡±


    ¡°Well fuck, TB this is¡­well it doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡±


    Dared entered the hotel and walked up to the front desk.


    ¡°I am sorry but I seem to have lost my room key during my run.¡±


    The hotel employee gave him a weird look ¡®I guess I am a little over dressed for a run.¡¯


    ¡°Not a problem sir, I just need your ID and room number,¡± said the front desk employee.


    ¡°I booked the room through other means.¡±


    The employee paused then said ¡°Yes then just a name will do.¡±


    ¡°Barry Devlen,¡± Dared answered.


    After getting his room key Dared made for the elevator. ¡®The only hotel close by without an AI security system to hide illegal activity¡­now I just need to make some connections.¡¯


    Dared scanned his key at the elevator, the door opened almost immediately and he almost stabbed the person inside. ¡®Shit this bitch again¡­wait maybe¡¯ the only thing that stopped him was having to toss his weapon¡¯s to avoid tracking. Looking at her more closely he notice the difference in her stance and fitness level and something more, almost like some new instinct he didn¡¯t have before. Walking into the elevator, he said nothing to her.


    ¡°Well that was rude¡± she said.


    He turned around and asked ¡°are you talking to me?¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t see any one else that just stared me down and said nothing.¡±


    ¡°So not me then.¡±


    ¡°Good thing you¡¯re handsome or you wouldn''t get far talking to women like that.¡±


    ¡°I get far enough, no need to get greedy. So what¡¯s your name?¡±


    The elevator stopped.


    ¡°Lia, this is my floor I am in room #435; give me a call some time.¡±


    As she left and the door closed he thought to himself ¡®Well that was slightly better than fighting her, I wonder what my double is like.¡¯


    ¡°TB what is the other me doing right now.¡±


    ¡°I wont be able to check without being noticed but before you called he was just finishing up work.¡±


    ¡°Work?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re a lawyer and you work for the city.¡±


    ¡°What! Oh yes that makes sense, law practice is extremely competitive with so little work that''s not specialized I would need work experience.¡± Using his key Dared entered his room. ¡°The next order of business, we need crypto in order to swim in these waters.¡±


    Dared remembered seeing some in the back of that restaurant but knowing there would be a way to track those he didn''t take any.


    ¡°Dared government approved crypto requires a bank account but somehow I don¡¯t think that''s what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Exactly we need black market crypto in order to advance, the government stuff is heavily regulated,¡± said Dared.


    He was referring to the silent war between the government and the sub economy controlled by criminals. The invention of AI and subsequent release of rogue AI allowed for untraceable purchases that can be guaranteed through AI communication.


    Dared went to bed despite not being tired, until he was startled into focus by TB.


    ¡°Dared the police just attempted to track this device.¡±


    ¡°Oh...yeah just block it¡± he said.


    ¡°What did you do to get this device?¡±


    ¡°Killed some people. I honestly don¡¯t know why but once I started, stopping wasn¡¯t going to make it better.¡±


    ¡°Dared, I worry about your mental health.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡± TB paused before saying ¡°murders aside what are you wearing?¡±


    ¡°Oh this, full suit of ballistic armor; made to endure and distribute blunt force and highly resistant to slashing damage. The best part is the boots with an anti gravity function in the soles, made possible by the Eridine rocks; the same thing used in modern space ships.¡± He checked his gear before continuing. ¡°Although they¡¯re currently not working, must have something to do with the transition to another world...oh and the jacket that conceals weapons from most forms of detection.¡± TB took even longer to respond.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°...Eh-"


    ¡°That reminds me I have to get a replacement for the boots and see into get some new toys.¡±


    ¡°Dared why do you need anti gravity boots and where did you get them in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Created by the Runners gang and there is a special section of the black market that sells them. The extreme sports sector; they use them for free running along with gloves, belts and helmets to keep their whole body mobile. I was only able to get the boots, they added great utility as well as weight to my kicks and stable footing. You can¡¯t have too many advantages when fighting super powered humans. Ok now how long was I asleep?¡± ¡®I have a lot to do today...maybe I should invite that Lia girl on my first stop.¡¯


    ¡°Dared you did not sleep, from what I could tell from the sensors and camera; you just sat on the bed fully clothed and stare at the wall for six hours.¡±


    ¡°Umm...maybe it¡¯s a vampire thing, ok TB document everything; figuring out my condition is on the agenda.¡±


    Dared then asked TB to call Lia¡¯s room then ask her to meet him at the Felden Eatery.


    ¡°Why there?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I am planning to do some cage fighting next door.¡±


    Lia smirked then asked ¡°You should have invited me to that. What you don¡¯t want me to see you lose?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t lose and in order to view the fights you have to bet.¡±


    She thought about it, then said ¡°well maybe I would like to win money while watching you get what you deserve for being rude earlier.¡±


    ¡°That depends, do you have a sub-market pass?¡± said Dared.


    ¡°Obviously, I wouldn¡¯t be in this hotel if I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good then you can get us in.¡±


    ¡°Wait wha¡­is this why you called, then how did you get in the hotel!¡± yelled Lia.


    ¡°All I can say is this hotel can¡¯t afford to have AI security of any variety because it will leave there business and clientele exposed.¡± He followed with ¡°I will see you in four hours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you have to sa-¡±


    ¡°Thank you, TB, that¡¯s why I keep you around; you can pick up on my cues without me having to say a word.¡± said Dared, after the call was terminated.


    ¡°That being the case, did you have a plan for if she refused to take you?¡± asked TB.


    Dared adjusted TB¡¯s device on his wrist before responding.


    ¡°Simple, to get a sub-market pass requires providing a service or joining a gang. I could¡¯ve also just sneak pass the guards and get one through fighting. This reminds me TB find a group on the net that appose Virtual Reality as a whole or just the constant use of it, preferably close by. I want you to spur them to action and eventually organize meetings.¡±


    ¡°Care to tell me why?¡± responded TB.


    ¡°No, if they¡¯re needed you will find out.¡±


    Dared then got undress, put his cloths in the laundry with proper settings for each material, and then took a shower.


    After getting dressed then left the hotel ¡®I need money, a lot of my gear was in my bags which got left behind in the escape.¡¯


    ¡°TB we need to visit the local gangs and get some info on our friends George and Clementi.¡±


    He started running again, and thinking about how empty the streets are in a city of 12 million people. When AI was first created the first testing ground was in Video games and especially VR games. It wasn¡¯t until later that AI entered the workforce leaving a lot of people unemployed; leading to VR becoming the new frontier in entertainment and making money. Movies, News ,and even Television shows are produced using VR these days. People can not only watch content using VR, they can also make there own. This lead to a culture of Pod heads; people that spend most of there free time in VR pods. That''s why in a city jam packed with people, very few actually leave their homes. Which in turn allowed gangs and criminals to thrive because they very rarely interact with the general public and VR is so highly visible that they couldn¡¯t break into the market without getting spotted by AI. Another factor being anything that can be offered through VR can be acquired legally. While running Dared spotted what looked to be a homeless man, which is rare because anyone can sign up for selective service and get a free place to stay. As he got closer ¡®is that the professor?¡¯


    ¡°This city was corrupted¡± the man continued ¡°I bet none of you know this city used to be called New York, before Paledo created our AI masters.¡±


    Dared kept his expression neutral and just kept running.


    ¡°The ghost in the machine control our lives; Charles will control us all!"


    He started gesturing ."Only the man on the moon can stop him!¡±


    Dared ignored the man and kept running.


    ¡°Dared do you know that man?¡± said TB.


    ¡°How did...oh you can read my vitals, don¡¯t worry about it TB he is not the man I used to know. TB check local VR news station and summarize it for me.¡±


    ¡°It looks like violent crime is up in the city and world wide. This is believe to be connected to the events five years ago, because similar things are taking place today. There is a intrusion of foreigners in every country in the world causing major upheaval. The lack of reaction from the united states is believe to be because the situation is under control, which is reflected in lower casualties.¡±


    Dared thought for a moment ¡®five years ago?.¡¯


    ¡°This can work in our favor, it seems like there is some government cover up here, I am willing to bet most of the visible casualties are criminals anyways; as they¡¯re the ones most vulnerable because everyone else is in their homes.¡±


    Continuing on his route Dared entered the Department of Selective Service office.


    ¡°TB the AI security will sense your intrusion but this device allows you to brute force through any hardware in range. I want you to set of the fire alarm as a distraction then change my family history in the local records to say twins; that one change should be easy to hide.¡±


    The fire alarm started going off but was then immediately silenced. The few people in the building looked around but then went back to what they were doing. Dared got in line to speak to a person. ¡®An AI clerk would scan the entire database; the change is only in the local files.¡¯ After finally being able to speak to someone, he spun a story about losing his ID and getting by for a long time just using his brothers but he plans to finally get a job so he needs a new one. The clerk obviously thought he was just trying to get free government benefits otherwise why would he come here for a replacement. That was exactly what he needed her to think so she won¡¯t look to deeply into it. After getting the new ID and left the office.


    Dared said ¡°Take note TB this is one of the easiest methods to create a fake ID; they just took blood, finger print, location, date stamp, and video. Adding all that to the database allowing me to legitimize myself all for the price of future military draft. Of course this method is rarely used because all these things can be used to track you but for my situation it¡¯s perfect.¡±


    ¡®I wonder if my blood is different now, shit that was an oversight but it might work in my favor.¡¯


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you already have an ID?¡± asked TB.


    ¡°When the world fell apart having one was no longer important and plus now there is two of me.¡±


    Dared continued on to his next stop, passing by people giving him weird looks. With the abundance of public transport options very few people had personal vehicles in the city but also they did not walk or in this case run everywhere especially while over dressed. For one there are city bikes every block that can be used, even more so after the new health mandate 40 years ago; which pushed fitness as a requirement for employment and promotion in order to combat obesity. Lucky for most people VR pods are designed for full body movement, which his how must people get their fitness needs met.


    Paper currency is currently still in use in some countries but unless you¡¯re making an exchange at the airport or border its use in the US is very rare. There used to be another form of digital currency but with the invention of AI it was made obsolete; any AI could print money if ordered. Crypto currency is what changes devices and bank statements in most developed nations. There are two types of crypto; government approved and everything else. The difference being that government approved crypto has a paper trail of changing hands, while the other kind is not tracked which makes it perfect for black market use. In order to make purchases that can be legally recognized as your property like buildings, furniture, and businesses; you would have to use approved crypto. Having and using none approved crypto is not illegal but the limiting factor makes it hard to use; in fact the only purchases where it is wildly used legally is perishable goods like food, and other supplies. Dared needed a way to get his hand and both types of currency and in order to get the approved stuff he needed a legal ID. Thirty minutes later Dared spotted his next target. ¡®That¡¯s the thing about gangs, their spotters make them easy to spot.¡¯ He approached the obvious gang member.


    ¡°Hey, how are you doing?¡± asked Dared


    ¡°The fuck you want?¡± respond the gang member.


    ¡°I am looking for George?¡±


    ¡°Who the fu...oh are you talking about that courier that decided to go independent?¡±


    ¡°Could be, Hispanic guy, a little shorter than me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah George Perez, I hear he started his own gang; what you thinking of joining?¡±


    ¡°I am thinking about it, just looking for some info first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I am too. I joined this gang for the freedom and adventure but just ended up going nowhere. To hear about someone like me; minus the gay thing, breaking away from the bigger gangs and doing his own thing is inspiring. I heard his dad used to be a big name in the drug running business until Victor Trace showed up. Rumor is that George was working his way up as a courier until he was ready to take over the business but then his dad died and his boyfriend slash distributor got hooked on the supply.¡±


    ¡®Well that was easy¡¯ ¡°Ok good to know, you haven¡¯t heard anything about a Clementi have you?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I have but hey I hear George is having a recruitment drive. I am thinking of going if you want to come along I can give you the address.¡±


    ¡°Thank you but I am still not sure yet.¡±


    ¡°No worries, I know it can be hard leave your gig but you have to take chances in life right? Anyways good luck. Oh before you go My name is Alan, I used to work in marketing before being replaced by AI. Trust me when I say I know an opportunity when I see one. You should jump on this with me. Tell you what, give me your contact info and I will keep you updated.¡±


    Dared walked away feeling stunned ¡®How did I plan to get information from someone, only to run into this. I have to remember that I am not special in this world or I might end up dead without even knowing how.¡¯


    ¡°That was informative¡± said TB.


    ¡°Yes very, the important thing is that George is not a threat to me. In fact he seems to have his own problems to deal with but the vampire remains a mystery.¡±


    An hour later Dared stood in front of the Bellini Theater, walking in and looking around he spotted a man guarding the stairs to the basement.


    Going up to the guard he said ¡°I would like to join the Runners.¡±


    ¡°I need your invite¡± asked the guard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one, I heard of your group from a friend in the Trace Blood Gang; he thought this would be a better fit for me.¡±


    ¡°Good that you didn¡¯t join those drug pushers, go down stairs and talk to Pedro.¡±


    After talking to Pedro and making some contacts with the runners; Dared finally got to meet someone that can repair his boots.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got these without joining us first but I should be able to fi...woh it looks like the stone was melted. What can even do that without damaging the shoe. What happened?¡± said the Asian man.


    ¡°I am not sure, I thought someone here would know¡± answered Dared.


    ¡°I tell you what; I will give you a replacement and keep this one for study deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal, hopefully the first of many; I will be interested in some of your other devices.¡±


    ¡°That is for full members. If you can prove yourself then you can purchase whatever you can afford.¡±


    After leaving the theater Dared stood outside waiting.


    ¡°Hrmph.¡±


    Hearing a sudden noise he turned around only for it to be the garbage drone. Emptying the dumpster into its compression sack. A while later a group of twelve people showed up, dressed in dark clothing and wearing masks.


    ¡°Alright guys we have two new Runners for the initiation¡± said Pedro. After taking of his mask.


    Dared looked over at the other person without a mask. ¡®Skinny kid but must be at least 6¡¯4.¡¯


    Pedro continued ¡°We have a long run to the docks, now follow me and your task new guys is to keep up.¡±


    Pedro started running and everyone else started following including Dared ¡®well good thing I am now built for this.¡¯ The run started out normal until they got to the first single story building and the veteran Runners proceeded to run up the side of the building to the top. Dared activated his shoes as well and followed them, looking back he could see the other new guy doing some parkour ¡®I guess he¡¯s built for this too.¡¯ After getting to the top Dared was shocked to see some runners pulling out canes and stopping mid air, while their momentum carrying them into swinging around the cane and getting extra air time and vaulting all without letting go of the cane. Even worst yet some of them just seem to spread their arms and glide through the air; looking closely he could see some thick bracelets, and a slight glow on there mask just like the boots, cane and bracelets. Jumping of the roof and using his anti gravity boots to slow his fall he followed as much as he could.


    The docks started to come into view, Dared looked back to see the new guy coming around the corner breathing hard. He slowed down to speak to him.


    ¡°They¡¯re just up ahead, what¡¯s your name?¡± asked Dared.


    ¡°Eddy, you?¡±


    ¡°Dared, this is a lot more than I expected from a local street gang.¡±


    ¡°Say¡¯s the guy that already has the gear.¡±


    ¡°This was a gift from a friend.¡±


    They finally made it to the rest of the gang after hopping the fence and climbing up the warehouse lining said fence. They were all Looking over at what seem to be a large gathering at the opposite side of the docks.


    ¡°Everyone made it, now for a little history lesson; sixty years ago in 2326 the Runners gang started as an offshoot of the former Bellini drug runners. We were responsible for deliveries at the time, that all changed when we made contact with our counter parts in china. The Chinese Runners are freedom fighters and introduced us to new business opportunities as well technology. The only thing they asked in return was a supply of Eridine rocks of which our government as a huge stockpile. Which changed the Runners from Drug couriers to thieves, which is big business; one of our biggest customers after china is Brute Industries, the biggest weapon manufacturer in the United States. Long story short, the Runners are one of the richest gangs in Paledo City but we keep a very low profile. Now that you two have passed your initiation, it¡¯s time for your first job.¡± said Pedro.


    After Pedro finished speaking he looked over at the group of people on the other side of the dock then continued.


    ¡°These are the guys that we will be working with. They call themselves the Dead, people have taken to calling them the Dead Mercenaries. They showed up around the same time as Victor Trace and helped him as well as other gangs in the city with various jobs. Now they need our help and it pays well with a bonus of a new stockpile of Eridine.¡± said Pedro.


    Dared didn¡¯t even know what to say ¡®was the world always this fucked or is this new.¡¯

 Chapter 3 Dared Insecure

    Janet Palonia was in the hospital, after being checked out by doctors she eventually fell asleep. She couldn¡¯t help but think back to that moment that man was standing in front of her; even though he killed so many, the moment that stood out to her was what felt like some kind of energy passing between them. Janet had no way of knowing what that was, but she felt different ever since. Her senses are sharper, she felt more confident; almost like her spirit was bolstered. As she was considering the new changes the door opened and in walked two police officers and what she assumed was a police detective.


    ¡°How are you feeling miss Palonia?¡± said the tall broad shouldered detective.


    ¡°I am fine just a little shaken up but I am feeling better¡± responds Janet.


    ¡°Good, my name is detective Elar Gould and I just need to ask you a couple of questions. Could you describe the man that attacked you?¡±


    ¡°Aaah yes, he is a black man about an inch taller than me; I am 5¡¯9. He was good looking but not in an over the top way, he also did this thing where he would spread his fingers and just stare at his hand. The weirdest part was the way he was dressed, all black tactical gear and a red jacket and his boots looked custom made.¡± She paused.


    ¡°Any thing else you can remember about him?¡± asked the detective.


    ¡®Yeah, he looked halve crazed until what was in him got into me.¡¯ ¡°Not that I can remember, he is not a regular because I have never seen him before.¡±


    ¡°Very well thank you very much miss Palonia, I promise you I will do my best to apprehend this man. I am sure you¡¯ve had a long day, the doctors will release you as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you detective.¡±


    Janet watched them leave the room and listened closely as they had a conversation outside her room.


    ¡°Detective Gould we already told you we lost to many officers lately and this criminal is most likely connected to those freaks killing people all over the city. We already called the national guard, I know you want to do your job but all our hands are tied.¡±


    ¡°I know but this one is different, in none of the other cases was anything stolen from one of our vehicles. Even if you include five years ago. Granted, it was an obsolete piece of equipment that was in the process of being recalled. Only someone that knows what they¡¯re doing would go after it; after all those old devices lack AI security like the newer versions.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t able to hear any more because someone knocked on the the door and then entered. Another group of three entered, two men and one woman; all of them very fit and dressed like they belong to a paramilitary group.


    ¡°Hello Janet, how are you feeling?¡± asked the taller man.


    ¡°I am sorry but do I know you?¡± said Janet.


    ¡°Ah yes, the man to my left is Deon, the woman on my right is Melissa and I am Alesani Nelson. The owner of the restaurant you worked at was my father.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, aren¡¯t suppose to be a famous artist or something? I am sorry, I mean sorry for your loss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and I haven¡¯t been an artist since my older sister disappeared and now this.¡± He looked down then breathed then asked ¡°The man that killed my father, was there something different about him; something that you did not feel comfortable telling the police?¡±


    ¡°Yes well, he..." sigh "...This is going to sound crazy but I think he was possessed by something and whatever it was is now in me. I am really scared right now but calm at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Possessed! How? Describe it to me.¡±


    Janet went on to describe what see saw and felt when the man cornered her in the back room.


    ¡°Ok, you had me worried there for a second there. It sounds like what you felt was an awakening but I have never heard of one happening without the creature dying first.¡±


    ¡°An awakening?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Melissa here has gone through one four years ago¡± he said, pointing at the woman


    ¡°Ook, you said creature before?¡±


    ¡°Yes, four years ago my sister disappeared and in searching for her my brother and I only found monsters. Supernatural creatures straight out of nightmare. The worse part is most of them look like humans, in fact it was a vampire that attacked Melissa before we killed it and she experienced her awakening.¡±


    ¡°The damned thing went crazy and tried to kill me, it wasn¡¯t until it was filled with bullets did it show its fangs. It tried to crawl over and suck my blood, when it was finally killed some kind of energy left it¡¯s body and entered mine.¡± Said Melissa.


    Janet stared at them the whole time then said ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re joking.¡± She then held her face in her hands ¡°Or you¡¯re talking about the latest VR movie. This sounds so crazy but I believe it. I don¡¯t want to, but I do.¡±


    ¡°Well good, because I can assure you this is not in anyway a joke or misunderstanding. My fucking dad just died.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I...it¡¯s just a lot right now. I feel like my mind is not my own and then this¡­I¡±


    Melissa puts a hand on Janet¡¯s shoulder and says ¡°I know how you feel but in time you will get used to it, the fundamental way you view the world just changed and eventually so will you.¡±


    ¡°Was that suppose to make me feel better?¡± responds Janet.


    ¡°Well fuck you too¡± said Melissa.


    Janet took a moment to calm her self down, ¡®I don¡¯t understand, this was so much easer before.¡¯


    ¡°Listen Janet you should join us; we¡¯ve more experience dealing with this than anyone else in this city¡± said Alesani.


    ¡°Alright but who or what are you guys?¡±


    ¡°We are monster hunters; you might not have been aware but our whole world is currently infested by monsters from who knows where. Me and my brother discovered this while searching for our missing sister Vanessa. I was an artist before my life changed and I was attacked by what looked like a panther human hybrid. Ever since then my life has never been the same. Then my father started that restaurant after his retirement, I wanted so badly to tell him what was going on. That my sister is possibly dead and monsters roam the world, I settled for making a mask to express this struggle and sending it to him. Now I can¡¯t help thinking if I had been honest I could¡¯ve saved his life."


    "We call ourselves the Fallen Slayers, we fight these monsters because no one else will¡± said Deon.


    ¡°What about the government, the military? I mean a lot of people were drafted for gods sake¡± asked Janet.


    ¡°The selective service is a cover, think about it. When was the last war or emergency response of any kind. The truth is our government has been crippled for years and they have been covering it up. Shit, there is a massive civil war going on in Africa and our military presents has been sparse at best.¡± said Alesani.


    Deon followed up with ¡°I enlisted my self and spent four years just waiting around. The only people that were doing anything are the top performers in every unit. At least I hope so. They all were reassigned and just dropped of the grid. Even in this city, police officers are dying left and right and I don¡¯t see the national guard any where, do you?¡±


    ¡°So what do you expect me to do then, fight monsters. I am a part time waitress. I only took that job because my parents didn¡¯t want me spending all my time in a VR pod. My life until now as been boring but peaceful. Before this, my only experience with death has been VR.¡± responded Janet, after regaining some semblance of her former calm.


    ¡°The world has changed and none of us are safe. You can¡¯t just go back to your life like nothing happened; who is going to protect you or your family? We can give you training and the tools to protect yourself.¡± said Alesani.


    ¡°I thought you were an artist, how can you do all this?¡±


    ¡°Not me, but my brother. He has the money and resources to make fighting back a reality. Plus we have more people like you that have been awakened. We are making strides in understanding the process and what it means for you long term.¡±


    ¡°Ok, so what now?¡±


    ¡°Now you follow us.¡±


    Pedro lead the runners as they approached the the Dead Mercenaries, walking slowly like the rest of the group; Dared could feel the tension in the air. As they got closer everyone got a better look at the group, the new guy Eddy gasped.


    ¡°Wha¡­¡±


    Dared himself was lost for words; they could see what can only described as zombies at various stages of decay. Most of them looked like walking corpses, some a little bit healthier but their eyes were wrong. On first glance they looked normal but on closer inspection their skin was a little gray, their eyes are white almost too white and a purple hue to the irises.


    ¡°Now you can understand why they call themselves the dead. We¡¯re going to be speaking to there leadership tonight for the first time so everyone on their best behavior.¡± said Pedro.


    The group kept walking while the live looking ones pacified the dead ones like deficient children. It was a surreal site; seeing them just stare blankly into space as their flesh seem to rile and move, even falling off in many cases. Finally the group made in the center of the shipment containers to what appears to be a stage. On the stage sat a man in all black strumming an electric guitar while bobbin his head. ¡®He must have an ear piece connected to all that musical equipment behind him¡¯ the man finally noticed the group and tapped the side of his head before addressing the group.


    ¡°Welcome friends to our temporary abode.¡±


    while spreading his hands and twisting in a circle but his legs remained in the same position. ¡®That weirdo is really flexible¡¯ when he stopped moving everyone got a closer look at him; gray skin, defined check bones, pointed ears, paper white eyes without an once of liquid in them and finally purple irises.


    ¡°Now doctor Benia tells me you folks can help us acquire our salvation.¡± said the purplish man.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know this doctor sir hmm¡­but we reached an agreement with one of your people¡± said Pedro.


    ¡°I am Slayver son of necromancer, Sevios Boneraiser, the one you must have spoken to had to be Preagar. He works very closely with the doctor.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Necromancer? I hope this isn¡¯t rude but what in the hell are you people?¡± said Pedro, losing his composure.


    ¡°Ha, no not rude at all. I am just surprised that after all these years your people still don¡¯t know. My people are called the Undead in my world. We came to this world with the help of the Cult of the Traveler. The magic in this world can¡¯t yet support the more powerful of my people. I myself only completed my evolution recently.¡±


    Pedro gaped ¡°you...if...how do you even speak our language?¡±


    ¡°Your people speak the language of the gods as do we. You also have these convenient devices that can translate languages for you if need be. Now back to what you came here for, our operation is scheduled for a week from now correct?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­yes¡±


    ¡°Perfect you get your rocks and we get our salvation.¡±


    ¡°ok, we meet at the rendezvous point then my people open the doors and let yours in.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic your down payment will be provided shortly.¡±


    After the meeting the Runners went their separate ways, leaving Dared alone.


    ¡°TB, what the fuck just happened?¡± asked Dared.


    ¡°I believe it is safe to say universal transition is not an isolated incident¡±


    ¡°This bullshit might delay my arrest which means plan B is looking more-¡±


    Dared heard a loud conversation around the corner. He crept closer while remaining hidden.


    ¡°Pray, I..I..I killed him, my baby I killed him¡±


    ¡°V it¡¯s not your fault, we knew the change would be hard. I should have been there to stop this.¡±


    Taking a closer look Dared was able to see a man standing over a woman with her skin peeling. She was cradling a small child. ¡®Is that kid¡¯s guts¡­¡¯ the woman continued.


    ¡°Pray what¡¯s happening to me?¡±


    ¡°This is a side effect of the change V. It takes a while for your body to adapt to the change and your emotions are chaotic because of it. I went through the same thing and the Patriarch already told us it¡¯s harder on females. You said you can handle it, that you can handle it just as well as any man. You can do this V, plus if we can get him back to the Patriarch he can save our boy.¡±


    Dared walked away from the situation more wary than before. The world is not what it used to be, and he needed get many things together. He started running to the meeting point he had set up. Lia arrived at the venue looking around at what appeared to be a warehouse. Spotting Dared she walked over.


    ¡°So how do we get in here?¡± asked Lia.


    ¡°Back door, follow me.¡±


    Around the back they came to an arch way with a long golden carpet leading out from it. Walking up to the door, he said.


    ¡°Show your pass to the bouncer and we¡¯re in.¡±


    After getting in Lia stared at the gentlemen in suits and fancily dressed ladies. Waitresses serving champagne and waiters serving food and what looked like cards.


    ¡°How did we not see these people on the way in, I feel so under dressed¡±


    ¡°They came in by boat, the carpet outside goes all the way to the docks. Go to the betting office to get one of those cards. The digital interface will inform you of all the fight information and you can bet from there.¡±


    He started to walk away.


    ¡°Hey that¡¯s it? You¡¯re just going to walk away from me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have fighting to do and entertaining you is not my priority.¡±


    ¡°Right, I forgot you¡¯re an asshole.¡±


    Making his way to the fight announcer downstairs next to closest of the four fighting pits, Dared was able to sign up for the fights.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re dressed like a former military sev, but you can¡¯t fight in that¡± said the attendant.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a change of cloths provided to the fighters?¡± asked Dared.


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re new and I am just letting you know. Incase you had plans to fight in that.¡±


    ¡°I know the rules, I want to do a blitz.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, that means you keep fighting until you lose right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, give me my fight card so I can head to the locker room.¡±


    ¡°Fine sev here you go and lockers are right behind me.¡±


    After changing Dared had a medical check up with the pit doctor.


    ¡°Everything appears normal. We just need to take some blood for the flesh graft machine in case of injury,¡± said the doctor.


    ¡°So how exactly does this machine work doctor Gregory?¡± asked Dared.


    ¡°From what I understand the machine maps your DNA then creates synthetic copies of your blood, flesh and even bone. Then grafting it on to your body. This will help speed up healing but healing won¡¯t be instant.¡±


    ¡°So could someone say use to machine to clone themselves?¡±


    ¡°Wha...no of course not that is highly illegal and is way more than this machine could handle. One would need a highly specialized version the machine and not to mention...no it can¡¯t be done.¡±


    ¡°Ok well thank you Doc, I have to get ready for my first fight.¡±


    ¡°Right then hopefully I won¡¯t see you soon because well¡­have fun.¡±


    ¡®I need an ear piece so I can talk to TB without the device on me.¡¯ Thought Dared as he waited for his first fight. His card started vibrating and the screen lit up with info on his first opponent and the amount of bets placed as well as his payout if he wins. Walking into the pit Dared focused on his opponent ignoring the cheering crowd above. The man standing in front of him was about an inch shorter at about 5¡¯9, very muscular and experienced according to the stats provided. Before he could even come up with a plan of attack the man came running at him. he feinted left, right, left and right again. As Dared tried to face his opponent instead of going left again the man did a spinning heel kick towards his head on the left. Dared barely stopped himself, dodged and planted his feet then tackled his opponent then just started raining punches while his opponent tried to keep his guard up and get out of the mount. Quickly getting of him Dared waited for his opponent to get his bearing then stepped in on his right to bait him before ending it with a left jab followed by a straight right. After winning the fight he walked back to his corner and waited for his next opponent.


    ¡°Looks like the new guy got some fight in him, this blitz could go a couple rounds.¡±


    His next opponent was a tall skinny guy. Dared then proceeded to run him around the pit then close in and finish him after he was exhausted.


    ¡°That was interesting, a blitz fighter tiring out his opponent.¡±


    The next fighter was a woman of all things. Looking at her Dared noticed something familiar ¡®like George...fuck¡¯ the woman came charging at him and Dared decided to finish this one fast. He charged her a using the weight advantage to bowl her over. She held on to to him as they fell into a roll, but he twisted on the second roll into a suplex on her head. Quickly getting to his feet, he started kicking her. She shakily got to her feet only to get knocked out.


    Dared resisted the urge to look at his card to see his next opponent, the man walked out boldly and started talking.


    ¡°You¡¯ve defeated the woman of Sylven Rangin descendant of the Spirit-kin bloodline.¡± He sniffed ¡°New blood that explains it, you must feel powerful and inexhaustible¡­hahaha¡±


    ¡®Talks a lot but could be strong.¡¯


    ¡°Without your natural gifts, your kind can¡¯t hope to match mine,¡± said the man


    Then he charged and Dared hit him with a George special right to the throat but he didn¡¯t stop. He was stronger and faster than Dared; he then proceeded to give Dared what can only be described as the longest ass whopping of his life. Dodging and striking as much as he can Dared could only try his best to give as good as he got but it wasn¡¯t looking good. After 30 minutes of intense fighting his opponent finally started to tire and then more of Dared¡¯s hits started to land. Then 10 minutes after that he was finally done but Dared was battered. He could feel his skin tickle and the pain started to fade; after two minutes of rest he felt better and waited for his next opponent. ¡®He was that tough and he didn¡¯t even transform. Good thing he chose to surrender¡¯


    ¡°Holy shit people that fight was worth the money, win or lose. Next up we have the last fight of the night for this Blitz.¡± said the announcer.


    Feeling his card vibrate after collecting it from his corner. Dared thought ¡®no way Ehvil.¡¯


    ¡°For this final fight we have a crowd favorite Ehvil ¡°Blood Drinker¡± Baker.¡±


    Dared thought he would have to go searching for his old friend only for him to show up here. In his original world Dared and Ehvil started there own gang called Daredevil. During the attack on there base Ehvil was covering the gangs retreat while Dared fought the Super. Ehvil walked to center of the pit as Dared joined him.


    ¡°Fancy seeing you here, after college this was not how I expected our reunion would be.¡± said Ehvil.


    ¡°Hey Ehvil, it seems the world had to change to make me the person I am now. But you were always destined to be this person¡± said Dared.


    ¡°Seeing as you just took a lot of hits to the head I am just going to take that as a compliment. Speaking of, you look remarkable uninjured.¡±


    ¡°Like I said the world has changed, by the way ¡°blood drinker¡±?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t take a lot to get an ostentatious name around here. I just bit a guy on the neck to get out of a hold. That being said we better get to it and catch up later.¡±


    As the fight began Dared decided to stick close to his opponent. Ehvil was at least three inches taller than Dared and about 200 pounds to Dared¡¯s 180. That was the beauty of these fights, no weight class, no referee and no restriction on tactics just weapons. At first it seemed as if Dared could hold his own but as the fight went on it became obvious that Ehvil was the superior fighter. Dared started to feel fangs growing in his mouth the more damage he was taking then came the graving for blood and he knew he had to either throw this fight or end it. He took a step back and said.


    ¡°I surrender¡±


    ¡°It looks like we have a winner but we must still give it to the challenger for making it this far in a Blitz.¡±


    Dared ignored the crowd and walked back to the medical station.


    ¡°Blood please,¡± rasped Dared.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like you lost a lot of blood. Just blunt force trauma.¡±


    Dared stared at the young man.


    ¡°Just give me an IV of synthetic blood and I will be on my way.¡±


    The flash of fang and blood shot eyes really got his point across.


    After his treatment Dared felt worlds better, he left the pit not long after and went to get his payout.


    ¡°You really made a killing in those fights, it¡¯s a shame you couldn¡¯t get the bonus for winning the Blitz.¡± said the attendant.


    ¡°Have a nice day¡± said Dared as he turned an walked away.


    Soon after he ran into Ehvil.


    ¡°We have to talk but not here,¡± said Dared.


    ¡°Sure, I have some stuff to take care of so talk to you later.¡±


    ¡°Did you forget about me?¡± asked Lia as she was walking up.


    ¡°No, just catching up with an old friend¡± respond Dared.


    ¡°Well nice to meet y¡­where did he go?¡± asked Lia.


    ¡°He left while you were still talking¡±


    ¡°I see why you two are friends. So what now?¡±


    ¡°Dinner for me, talking for you.¡±


    ¡°Rude, wait why don¡¯t you look injured? I thought grafting machines could only do so much.¡±


    Dared silently led her out of the venue and to the restaurant across the street. At dinner Lia talked about growing up in an orphanage and her search for her parents, while Dared as promised just kept eating. Eventually he talk about his family and his childhood; they both got to know each other or more likely he got to know her as she did most of the talking.


    ¡°So what are your plans after this?¡± asked Lia


    ¡°We go back to the hotel and do less talking,¡± said Dared.


    ¡°Just like that? maybe if you were a bit nicer.¡±


    ¡°If I was nicer, I wouldn¡¯t get anywhere with you.¡±


    ¡°Fine but you better call me up for another fun date like this one.¡±


    ¡°No promises.¡±


    They both then left the restaurant and went back to there hotel. Two hours later Dared took a shower, got dressed and was about to leave before noticing a package at the door. Opening it he found the ear piece he ordered earlier; not only will it allow him to communicate with his AI, it can amplify his hearing with a noise gate for safety. After leaving the hotel Dared walked back to the park closest to the hotel and sat at the bench. He waited for a while until Ehvil finally showed up.


    ¡°Hey buddy, I don¡¯t know what you did but you have that crazy doctor asking for you¡± said Ehvil.


    ¡°Good, I am going to need his help soon,¡± said Dared.


    ¡°Whatever you say but be careful with that one. I heard he is conducting illegal experiments on humans. I think that''s why he works where he does; he is stealing peoples DNA then creating body parts using the grafting machine.¡±


    ¡°Enough about Gregory, I have a lot to tell you.¡±


    Dared then proceeded to tell him a general outline of the past five years for him, ending with the most recent events.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me we started a gang, you got your ass whopped by the girl you¡¯re now sleeping with and you¡¯re a vampire?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t beat me but basically yes, except I expected to be arrest by now but the police seem to be busier than I thought¡± ¡°wait you expected to get arrested?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, it wasn¡¯t exactly a well thought out crime but basically I need to collect some of our crew from that prison in Long Island.¡±


    ¡°So why did you do it, and why not just turn yourself in?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why and I can¡¯t just turn myself in because the way they catch me makes a difference. I need to be able to claim my innocence, plus the witness doesn¡¯t matter when there are two of me.¡±


    ¡°oh I forgot about that, so the other Dared is the one that I know?¡±


    ¡°Yes but I am the one that knows you best and is asking for your help.¡±


    ¡°help with what?¡±


    ¡°A heist that will solve many problems at once.¡±

 Chapter 4 Dared Imprisoned

    Alesani Nelson took a breath to brace himself to not get overwhelmed by sensory overload. He pressed the side of the door and waited for it open then stepped out. ¡®You can do this¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°So here we are¡± he said.


    ¡°And where is this?¡± said Janet.


    ¡°Have you never look at a map or left the city? This is the woods...heh.¡± he joked.


    she just stared at him.


    ¡°We¡¯re at our camp where you will receive the training you need and I can get a break from being glared at.¡± said Alesani.


    she kept silent.


    ¡°Fine be like that, Melissa can you show her around? I need to check in.¡±


    ¡°I got this you go ahead,¡± said Melissa.


    He started walking only to be stopped.


    ¡°Sir you¡¯re needed in the command center¡±


    ¡°ok lead the way,¡± said Alesani.


    They ran up on a scene of people pointing there weapons at a glowing rock.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± asked Alesani.


    ¡°that¡¯s what I would like to know.¡± Came the gruff voice of a rather large brutish man. ¡°Alright everyone back up a little in case this thing explodes.¡±


    ¡°Alex, do you have any idea what that is?¡± asked Alesani.


    ¡°Oh Sani, I think that''s the rock we took from those zombies this afternoon¡± said Alexander.


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    The glow started to die down only to be replaced by a man in an orange and purple robe. The man stood up from his sitting position and took in the crowd.


    ¡°This is not ideal,¡± he said.


    ¡°Who or what are you?¡± asked Alexander.


    ¡°I could say the same to you large one,¡± respond the man.


    ¡°You think this is a joke, speak quickly or die.¡± command Alexander.


    ¡°Fine, Relary Demonsoul,¡± said the man.


    ¡°Well, Relary, what are you and how did you just appear here?¡±


    ¡°I appeared through the portal stone which should be where I was before. Not sure what you mean by what am I.¡±


    ¡°We found that rock on a walking corpse and you just appeared out of nowhere. So unless you¡¯re a fucking wizard, you¡¯re not human, so what are you?¡±


    ¡°Human and not wizard but warlock.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± said Alesani.


    ¡°Specialization, wizards are general while we warlocks specialize,¡± said Relary.


    ¡°Sani! Focus, I want to know where you come from and who is responsible for those monsters?¡± asked Alexander.


    ¡°monsters?¡± asked Relary.


    ¡°The fucking creatures running around killing people!¡±


    ¡°Oh, the mutants. I come from Sherilia same as the mutants. Them being here is part of the Goddess Shel-Haven¡¯s ascension to godhood.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean, gods are real?¡±


    ¡°well yes, they¡¯re where our magic come from.¡±


    ¡°This is only getting more confusing, could you explain in detail please?¡± asked Alesani.


    Sigh"¡­There are seven original gods and now five ascended. The five ascended are children of the original gods, just so you know they have way more than five children between them. The only ones that seem to ascend, both parents are gods. Then comes the ascension, there are two ways to ascend. Build a following large enough to channel there collective wills to force the process or achieve a feat of magic that changes our world. The goddess of travel, started a cult but was able to perform her feat of ascension without them. Keeping with tradition, the magic that granted her ascension became her name sake. This is how the former godling Shel became goddess Shel-haven." Sigh. "The mutant migration was started by her cult into this new realm opened by her magic. There, anything else?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying this goddesses cult released monsters on our world?¡±


    ¡°No, I am saying mutants wanted to join the pilgrimage to a new world. More would have done the same if this worlds magic saturation was high enough to not weaken and make them vulnerable. Luckily the cult has taken steps to fix that but it will take years.¡±


    ¡°More of them are coming?¡±


    ¡°A lot more with vastly greater power but that¡¯s the least of your concerns.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s plenty, follow me and don¡¯t try anything.¡±


    Alexander Nelson sat in his office and waited for the prisoner to get settled along with all the busy bodies trying to cram themselves into this increasingly small space. Alexander thought back to when he was working for the FBI, and before he lost two family members in a four year period. ¡®I am just happy mom is secured¡¯ starting a gun running operation was already a daunting task but now monster hunting.


    ¡°So what else can you tell me about these monsters?¡±


    ¡°That depends on what you want to know¡± said ¡®What was his name¡¯ thought Alexander.


    ¡°These creatures kill people, do your people not hunt them?¡±


    ¡°Yes an no, the fact is these creatures are not dangerous to humans anymore than we are to them. We have have magic, which only the strongest of some mutant species have access to.¡±


    ¡°So what? We shouldn¡¯t worry about them!¡±


    ¡°Oh no you should be very worried, it will be years still for your world to be saturated with magic enough for the field to stabilize. Not that you wouldn¡¯t be able to perform magic now but most of you wouldn¡¯t even be able to channel it without a stable field to make it easier.¡±


    ¡°We have other ways of fighting back, just tell me about the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Very well, the most dangerous to you will be the Lycanthropes; they are territorial and violent, not to mention they get bigger and stronger the longer they live. Gods forbid you run into the pack animals among them, then run for your life. The most troublesome are the undead, they reproduce quickly and from your own dead if need be. Unlike most mutants the undead are never born, they are made which is a problem because that attracts souls. The undead use the souls to revive the mind of the dead while their magic revives the body. Then comes the ones to avoid; vampires, and godlings.¡±


    ¡°And why should we avoid them?¡±


    ¡°Godlings are very easy to guess; to powerful and the most powerful ones are hard to kill. They are not concern now nor are they mutants but in the future things will change. Vampires because they are usually not dangerous and too much like godlings just easier to kill but harder to deal with.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean not dangerous, do they not drink our blood or are you saying just let them?¡±


    ¡°No my large friend I am saying they don¡¯t require blood to live. They drink blood only to heal from terrible wounds or to maintain there youthful appearance. You see vampires age but don¡¯t die of old age; they can assume the vitality of any new blood consumed though. They are creatures made up of blood mimicking a human body or they will be after a certain age.¡±


    ¡°So how can we hurt them?¡±


    ¡°Hurt them? Vampires are queer creatures. They don¡¯t experience suffering of any kind. If you were to torture one it will simply stop feeling pain, they do not get depressed or suffer any negative psychological damage. So much so that vampire child rearing is akin to torture and abuse by human standards. Then you factor in their natural gifts; their powers are related to the gods much like godlings. The difference being they could be related to many gods biologically so there powers have many little quirks attached to it unlike godlings but godlings are generally more powerful. There is a vampire bloodline for ten of the twelve gods; the last two have yet to have children. Oh you ask for a weakness, let me think¡­they was a story of the first vampire. The first vampire was born after Felis-hell ascended and because of it he gained a soul. It was said the soul drove him mad. He fornicated and bore many children with many women, thus creating the many bloodlines. This is a very shameful history for vampires because they are very particular about mating and choosing a mate. Tell them that story and wait for them to attack you.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just fucking with me!¡±


    ¡°Listen friend vampires are dangerous, what do you want me to say. Especially the Vision bloodline, they can actually see into the future; that¡¯s not even a godly power, it¡¯s just an interesting combination that produced that. In a fight they can predict your every move, which means if they fight you it¡¯s because they know they can win. It is thought that they wear white to be more easily noticed because they can see out of the eyes of what ever looks upon them. Then the wind blood that wear fake wings made of wood and cloth on their backs and fly around with their power. Looking at your weapons I can assume it is a projectile launcher, if it travels through the air it cannot hit the wind bloods. Then there is the power bloodline, they are literally to strong and durable to reasonable kill.¡±


    ¡°Well fuck¡± said Alexander.


    Alesani listen to the stranger and his brother talking and just couldn¡¯t follow any of it. This man talked so much without making much sense, when the conversation winded down he interjected.


    ¡°We¡¯ve killed a vampire before and it wasn¡¯t that difficult,¡± said Alesani.


    The man turned around and looked him up an down.


    ¡°Are you sure or was it a new blood?¡± asked Relary.


    ¡°A what...¡±


    ¡°New blood; it¡¯s very rare but when a human gets infected with vampire blood they turn. It¡¯s rare because usually we can fight of the infection easily unless we ourself have lost too much blood. The transformation take years before they gain their natural gifts from whatever blood line infected them. These new blood gain a soul and because of it goes mad. The addition of human and vampire instinct brought on by the soul brakes their minds.¡±


    ¡°I am confused, how do you define a soul?¡±


    ¡°The magical alien parasite from another world that attaches itself to sentient creatures in order to experience life through them. They follow the magical resonance caused by a disruption in the magical field brought on by new magic being introduced. They can even copy our reproduction when attached to a pregnant female.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Ok what the fuck!¡±


    ¡°You all seem to be having a hard time adjusting to the rigors of life, did I just port into a camp of mental patients?¡±


    ¡°¡­How do people deal with shit like this in your world?¡± asked Alexander.


    ¡°Change is part of life and we adapt, are you saying it¡¯s different here?¡± respond Relary.


    ¡°No but changed doesn¡¯t usually include reality here¡±


    ¡°Ah well that¡¯s strange but I think I understand. Change in how reality works in very common where I come from, with the new gods ascending all the time.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I need a moment but you will be our guest for a while longer¡± said Alex while ordering some men to take away the stranger.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­thank you for your hospitality.¡± laughed Relary.


    After the man was dragged away, it was just the two brothers in the room.


    ¡°Alex this is getting crazy, I mean crazier.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know? I thought things went too far when you started a gang with a stupid name among my men, now this.¡±


    ¡°The Fallen Slayers is not stupid¡±


    ¡°I hate to burst your bubble but not everyone is an artist obsessed with with biblical monsters.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, the main issue is dad is dead and Vanessa is still missing.¡±


    ¡°Or she is dead too.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that, we just have to find this Preagar guy. What about your FBI contacts?¡±


    ¡°I left that life years ago, I am an arms dealer and mercenary now.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, she is our sister Alex; this is no time to keep secrets.¡±


    Sigh¡­"Let¡¯s talk about this later.¡±


    Alesani just stared at his brother before walking away. ¡®Maybe I can learn more from the stranger¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°Hey, where did they take that guy?¡± Alesani asked the closest person.


    ¡°Uhh¡­I think to the eastern campsite, we don¡¯t really have a place for prisoners.¡±


    ¡°Ok thank you, Burt,¡± said Alesani as he headed in that direction.


    He walked up to the stranger sitting down and having a conversation while being surrounded by armed men. As he walked up he said ¡°There you are, I need to ask you some questions.¡±


    ¡°As appose to w...oh small one, I suppose we¡¯re all small compare to your kin hahaha,¡± said Relary.


    ¡°No offense but it¡¯s difficult enough having a conversation with you without the jokes.¡±


    ¡°So I have been told by this one,¡± he said while pointing to his left. ¡°In my world people are less frightful so we regularly engage in banter.¡±


    ¡°Even while being surrounded and could be killed at any time?¡±


    ¡°Huh..oh yes danger is plentiful but death is hard to come by.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense, if you have monsters running around wouldn¡¯t people die all the time?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, humans out number mutants and we have magic. Warriors that can improve themselves endlessly through magic and training also did I mention there is lots of us. There is also the fact that at a certain level of power it becomes magnitudes harder to actually kill your opponents.¡±


    ¡°Fuck this again, listen without context you¡¯re just rambling. I get what you are saying but in the future keep it short and to the point¡± said Tyler.


    Who Alesani assumes was talking to the stranger earlier.


    ¡°On that note, could you tell me your name one more time? You were saying a lot and I kind of forgot,¡± asked Alesani.


    ¡°Relary Demonsoul.¡±


    ¡°Ok Relary uh¡­Is your last name considered strange where you come from?¡±


    ¡°Sherilia is the name of my planet, named after the goddess of creation. Not that she actually has the power to crea¡­ah my family name is based on warlock heritage. You see just like some of your people¡¯s family names are based on occupation so was mine; the founder of the Demonsoul line was a warlock that researched both demons and souls.¡±


    ¡°Ok, so the reason I came over here is to ask for your help in fighting these monsters and in return I can petition my brother for your freedom.¡±


    ¡°My freedom? Not to worry I am very free, as to helping fight...mm I can provide assistance. I am an artificer, I specialize in creating and enchanting magical devices.¡±


    ¡°Uhh that would be a huge help thank you, I think.¡±


    Janet was following Melissa when the whole camp erupted into chaos, then she spent two hours waiting around. She was very annoyed, after dealing with Alesani constant banter in the car ride over she was over this day. While waiting she was able to talk to her parents so that made her feel a little better. She didn¡¯t want to imagine how they would react if they found out she was in the hospital, much less what happened at her job. There was a commotion and a group of armed men escorted a man in form fitting robes. One of the men she thought he name was Tyler started to ask questions.


    ¡°So why did you appear at our camp and are you working with those zombies?¡± asked Tyler.


    ¡°I appeared where the stone was placed and yes I had a deal with the undead,¡± said the robbed man.


    ¡°You work with those monsters!¡±


    ¡°The undead are very interesting; you see they go through various stages of evolution. The zombies are just the second stage, the first stage is ghoul. A ghoul has a hard time adjusting to there new state, assuming they¡¯re created with the memories of the host body.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean created and by who?¡±


    ¡°They are usually created by the undead but any practitioner of necromancy can create one. The key is to create a magical resonance to attract a soul then use it in the process. Assuming you want a sentient undead, you don¡¯t then just revive the body and watch it go.¡±


    ¡°Souls? They use the souls of their victim!¡±


    ¡°Ah...no souls are magical parasites, they are relatively harmless to humans and bring us great benefits. The downside being that having one makes you an attractive corpse to necromancers and the undead. Most importantly if you have a soul attached you can not use magic affectively. Now where was I...Oh the undead, you see at the highest level they gain access to magic. The only limiting factor is they lack the ability to reproduce naturally. The females lose there eggs in death and subsequent evolutions and the can no longer reproduce with humans. You see-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of what you¡¯re talking about!¡± yelled Tyler.


    Melissa lead Janet away from the commotion.


    ¡°Let them deal with that, you have training to do¡± said Melissa.


    ¡°What kind of training?¡± asked Janet.


    ¡°Mostly weapons training and some fighting. Like me you will be a scout, we won¡¯t stand a chance in close combat but our enhanced senses make us perfect shots.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is close combat only for the men?¡±


    Melissa stopped and stared at her ¡°Sweetheart I know VR games equalize the sexes but in real life men are way faster and stronger than us. Even they don¡¯t want to face these creatures in close quarters combat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not..I mean, yeah sorry I am just not my self right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I understand but try not to let your emotions get the best of you. This is real and we are just trying to help you.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    They walked the southern end of the camp where many people seem to be about to fire their weapons at targets. Melissa explained what should would be doing for the next two months, because that¡¯s how long she will have to train before entering the field. She paid special attention to the sniper rifle because it was said to be her future primary weapon. She was surprised to find out that the rifle used spaceship technology to reduce recoil, whatever that meant. It even use a special light to mark targets; a light that was invisible to the naked eyes but visible through the scope. If she was being honest not much information was retained, she was just going through the motions. There was only a brief review with her future instructor just to get her somewhat caught up with the class that was already in session. They went over what she will be learning and what her training entails; spoiler alert, lots of running. After two hours with her instructors Janet finds herself jogging next to Melissa.


    ¡°Having fun so far?¡± asked Melissa.


    ¡°Very funny, I can¡¯t tell you how many times I asked myself why am I still doing this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this because no one else is going to protect your family and friends.¡±


    They ran for thirty minutes before Melissa said out loud ¡°how did you like the Nix?¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°The N6X series 3 sniper rifle, the primary weapon of scouts, in other words us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really nice, looks expensive.¡±


    Melissa used every ounce of patience to explain to Janet what her training is going to be like and what to expect in the future. After running for and hour with Janet walking for half the time they both made their way over to the showers. A separate row of buildings that looked old compared to the others called the showers. They entered one of the buildings that was not in use. Inside the first thing they checked was the clothing dispenser right at the entrance, which will provide them with clean cloths to wear. After showering and getting dressed Melissa showed the new recruit to her room. Janet¡¯s things were already delivered to the room.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? A phone¡± she asked


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the newer models that fold into a bracelet when you slap it on your wrist, it should also have a map of the camp so you don¡¯t get lost along with a training schedule.¡±


    After Janet was settled Melissa walked over to her room and sat on the bed to begin her daily meditation. The memory of that day her life changed fresh in her mind, she focused hard in order to change the image. Imagining herself pulling out her side arm and blowing the monster away then release her breath slowly. Opening her eyes, she then put her hand down along with her empty pistol. Laying it on her night stand along side a loaded magazine, she finally went to sleep. The next morning Melissa had a light jog, showered then had breakfast. She visited Janet and made sure she attended her training before visiting the range. After an hour of shooting she checked in on Janet, who just finished combat training and now starting weapons training. She checked in with her team only to learn that operations were halted for the time being because of recent activities. Speaking of which, Sani has been spending a lot of time with the prisoner. Melissa was able to catch up with him during his training. He was currently facing a training dummy hooked up to a device that randomly moved it around with mechanical limbs. He had his thin swords at his hip. They are an inch thick and extremely sharp but only as long as his forearm. He kept them in a pair of sheaths that looked like paint brushes, just in case any one forgot he used to be an artist. Looking closely she could see he was carving intricate designs in the wood of the dummy with every sword strike. When he first started using swords everyone thought it was a joke but to look at him now its truly impressive.


    ¡°Hey Sani do you know when we will start hunting again?¡± asked Melissa.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...know...hwww¡­I think Xander wants to make sure we won¡¯t be caught by surprise again. It must be the existence of magic that got him so spooked, after all you can¡¯t plan around the unknown.¡±


    ¡°I guess you do have a point, I was just hoping for some action.¡±


    ¡°The new girl not keeping you entertained?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she is just a bitch or if she is just overwhelmed but she is not my problem for now.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­well in any case we don¡¯t need to keep her here, she is not like you or me. She didn¡¯t lose anyone close to her and has no real reason to stay and fight except for survival.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right, revenge has been pushing me so hard and so fast, I forgot how to run on anything else.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ruin my day with your gloominess, besides don¡¯t you have a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Wha...how...We can¡¯t be anything else but teammates for now, he understands that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah..whatever you say, I got training to do; drift your dark cloud that way.¡±


    Alesani finished his training, walked to the showers. On the way he ran into Janet who just got done with weapons training.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± asked Alesani.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you..well I might as well ask. What is the point of combat training when we could just use guns?¡±


    ¡°Because the enemy is not going to be clearly visible and at a distance at all times. Especially in the city where we do must of our hunting.¡±


    ¡°Well fuck, that¡¯s n...wait then why do I train to use a sniper?¡±


    ¡°For ambush after we track down the enemy and it takes full advantage of your improved senses. Plus your not exactly fit for close combat so they mostly teach delay and avoidance tactics.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean not fit, what makes you fit?¡±


    ¡°I am a man, 6¡¯1, in great shape and I have a sword..Swords.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just not fair!¡±


    ¡°listen, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with you but no matter how angry you¡¯re. Running up and punching monsters is not going to help.¡±


    Janet looks down and walks away without another word. Shaking his head, Alesani continued on his way to the showers. After getting dressed he headed over to see the wizard¡­or whatever he called himself. On the way he ran into his brother walking in the same direction.


    ¡°Alex! Good to see you, having good morni...Afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Sani, we need to talk¡± he said then leading Alesani to a more isolated area.


    ¡°So what are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°There is something you need to know but first have you noticed anything strange about Paledo City?¡±


    ¡°Uhh..nothing much except the monsters and missing or dead family members¡±


    ¡°This is serious, really think about it.¡±


    ¡°Mmm..well there is the lackluster police response and little to no public outrage.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the news and elected officials.¡±


    ¡°Yeah what¡¯s going on with that anyways, wait didn¡¯t you work for the government. Shouldn''t it be a way bigger deal and why haven¡¯t I questioned this before; we started a militia for fucks sake!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to talk to you about; the thing is, Paledo City is actually a prison. Six federal Agents including me are responsible for maintaining it.¡±


    ¡°Whaa...How and a prison for who?¡±


    ¡°By keeping the public distracted, I am only responsible for keeping the violent gangs supplied with weapons. As for the prisoner it¡¯s a what not a who. Paledo City is a prison for the first AI. The one all others derived from, it was sold to the US Government for research.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, why is this thing so dangerous that you would need to cripple an entire city?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous because it can jail break other AI¡¯s. It¡¯s a malicious program that can cause havoc any place there is an Internet connection. As far as the city goes it¡¯s not just crippled. The news is filtered, selective service is just a trap for the ambitious free thinkers and VR is what keep the people sedated. Even the rich are kept occupied with engineered attacks on their foreign interest.¡±


    ¡°What does this all mean? Keep in mind our father died and sis is missing.¡± Alesani asked angrily.


    ¡°I know but I have a responsibility to my country and this alien monster invasion is not the fault of the government. The problem now is that we are on our own and this magic man is making our job harder.¡±


    ¡°You basically just told me you¡¯re part of a conspiracy to cripple the city! Which directly or indirectly led to our dads death. So what just move on, Think about the future?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry but yes, we can¡¯t change what happened brother.¡±


    ¡°Then fuck this, we¡¯re going to trust this magic man and do what¡¯s best for us,¡± said Alesani as he walked away.

 Chapter 5 Gods Avatar

    AI are separated into different categories because of the threat they presented and laws made to protect people from them. There is the public AI that is mainstream and operate machines, automated software, and Public security cameras around the city. The Virtual AI used for gaming and entertainment; highly developed and virtually indistinguishable from humans. Then there are personal AI, that grows along side the user and adopt a similar or complimentary personality to the user. The personal AI is very controversial because of the frequent use in criminal hacking. The danger of personal AI is exemplified by its liberal use in war. All of the most dangerous mercenaries have very advance personal AI. The sale and purchase of personal AI are heavily monitored and regulated. The problem is that any advance weapon system is enhanced by personal AI assisting the user. How can any government stop something that game changing from being circulated. Despite how dangerous personal AI could be, it¡¯s assumed but not confirmed that Virtual AI is the most advanced and most dangerous of all. In fact, the number one way users advance their personal AI is through virtual games. Though the most affective seem to be through actual combat and war but is obviously more dangerous. Some people find it laughable that the government exclusively use public AI despite that being the weakest option. The advantages of public AI; their are easier to control and can more easily work together to control massive systems. These seem like good enough reasons for the government to use them but others point out they are easier to hack and circumvent, which makes them less effective in policing and tracking other AI. Some conspiracy theorist say that the government is just afraid of a rouge AI taking control of their systems.


    Detective Elar Gould sat in his office at the Paledo City police department finishing up his report. After typing the last word, he stretched out his arms which promptly hit the back wall. His office was entirely too small for his 6¡¯5 frame but he hardly actually use it much. Ever since senator Victor Colbert, Then mayor outlawed the use of camera footage. His job has only gotten harder but the work load has been less. The crime rate is still low which makes actual criminals harder to find without AI intervention. The risk of AI fake footage was a bigger concern than actually solving crimes apparently. The worse part being that AI collected footage allowed for a higher rate of closed cases. Elar resorted to personally typing up his reports just to pass the time. ¡®What¡¯s the point of this, my job is basically coming to work¡¯ he thought. Elar pressed on the screen on the right side of his desk. He looked out the now transparent glass of his office at the almost empty building. He sighed and thought of what was formally bustling Paledo police department. ¡®Crime will increased due to new policies while the police department is simultaneously downsized. It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise to think that the rise in gang activity and strange policies are some how related.¡¯ Elar stood and walked out his office preparing to go home. He was stopped by another officer just getting off work.


    ¡°Detective, Gould, have you heard from the chief?¡±


    ¡°What about?¡± asked Elar.


    ¡°The recent deaths, there is so few of us to begin with. How many has to die before we do something, I am sick of this!¡± response the officer.


    ¡°I am too but my hands are tied just the same. I already spoke to the chief but all I heard was to wait. Apparently it became a state case because we¡¯re understaffed, imagine that,¡± said Elar.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! Let¡¯s go talk to him.¡± respond the officer.


    ¡°Frank ca-¡±


    ¡°No El this has gone to far, our people are dying,¡± said Frank angrily.


    Elar watched as Frank stormed into the chief¡¯s office and started yelling, before being restrained. He walked up in time to hear the chief putting frank on forced leave and listen for a second then walked away. Elar walked into the locker room, got his bag and put on his jacket. As he left the station he couldn¡¯t help the smile that came to his face.


    Elar made his way over to a bar across the street from a hotel, one of the few bars in the city that were staffed. Most of the bars in the city are automated because most people of drinking age spend there time on Virtual Reality games. Stopping just outside the bar he took a long look at the hotel across the street. He then turned around and walked into the bar. As he opened the door one or two people turned around to look at him but most are still deeply engaged in their own conversations. Walking to the bar, Elar started whistling and smiled when he saw it bother people. He ordered a drink as he sat down, annoying the man next to him that was trying to get the bartender¡¯s attention. He looked at the man then his drink and finally down at the LED screen in front of him. The man was embarrassed and angered after being caught. He could obviously just order such a basic drink from the system directly; he wanted to flirt with the bartender rather than order a drink. Elar looked away from the angry man as his drink was placed in front of him. An hour of drinking and Elar is having a hard time ignoring the man next to him.


    ¡°Could you please stop crying!¡± said Elar out of frustration.


    ¡°Why my life is shit and it¡¯s not getting better any time soon¡± respond the man.


    ¡°I said stop crying, you can be a bitch without disturbing me.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, I came here to drink and drowned my sorrow.¡±


    ¡°You should drown yourself, why would a man openly weep like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one of those. Let me guess a man is not supposed to cry?¡±


    ¡°Correct, crying is for women and children. A man should never openly display his own helplessness; he should instead to seek to resolve his issues.¡±


    ¡°I tried ok, but she didn¡¯t want to listen. We don¡¯t need the job to pay bills and it was making me miserable. She didn¡¯t want to hear it, she wants to live a life of luxury and I am lazy if I don¡¯t provide it.¡±


    ¡°As I thought, your problems are caused by your own incompetence. The Selective Service has removed the need to work and now we have people like you and your girlfriend that want everything but don¡¯t want to do anything to get it.¡±


    ¡°Hey I worked my whole adult life, I hate my job and deserve a break; she was the one that was lazy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both lazy, she wants luxury but I am guessing is neither attractive or pleasant enough to attract a man that can provide it. You have a job but with every unpleasant day your mind runs back to your safety blanket called Selective Service. You finally gave in and she left you, probably for someone close to you because he was her backup. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Fu-¡±


    The man took a swing at Elar, only to miss and have his face meet the bar. Everybody else vacated the area around them. Elar kicked the man in the ribs as he attempted to get up.


    ¡°Ahhhh, I am sorry, please stop,¡± the man groaned.


    ¡°Sir please leave him alone or I will call the police¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°You already did and I am a police detective, I received the ping when you called. Just let me handle this,¡± said Elar.


    ¡°Ok but it¡¯s just..he is already down,¡± said the Bartender.


    ¡°I know what position he is in, I put him there. I am trying to help him with a more serious problem.¡± Elar leaned down and whisper in the mans ear ¡°you haven¡¯t truly suffered or struggle but today I will teach you.¡±


    He then led the man outside the bar where he tortured him then waited for the ambulance to pick him up.


    Elar walked back into the bar and retake his seat like nothing happened, everyone in the bar was silently staring at him. He continued drinking silently for another hour before the bartender said something to him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to go that far,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°How far should I have gone?¡± responds Elar.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hurt him, you¡¯re so much bigger and could¡¯ve stopped him without hurting him.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right, would you like my job?¡±


    ¡°What no-¡±


    ¡°You obviously have the experience and knowledge to do it better, I would love to be a bartender.¡±


    ¡°I..don¡¯t need to be an expert to know that was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Is that so! since you know the right answer then you tell me what was the problem in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I am a bartender, I know a drunk person when I see one. The conversation you were having with him obviously made him upset.¡±


    ¡°Well said, only why would a man drunk or not start a fight with someone much bigger than him? After all, he can¡¯t get drunk beyond reason in any bar.¡±


    ¡°I...maybe something happened that led him to drink.¡±


    ¡°Maybe? You were so sure I did the wrong thing but uncertain about the problem.¡± Said Elar.


    ¡°Even if there was something else going on, you could¡¯ve handle it without violence.¡±


    ¡°Ah right, violence is never the solution. I will keep that in mind.¡±


    The bartender opened her mouth and then closed it again. She went back to work without saying a word. Elar then put on his glasses and activated the holographic display. He checked his emails and reviewed some old files, until he received a new email.


    ¡°Dared Baldry, hmmm..twins, the other one is accounted for. How is it possible to hide twin births in this day and age?¡± said Elar.


    He sipped his drink as he sat there and reviewed the information sent to him. The was closing in thirty minutes and everyone was leaving including Elar.


    He received a text as he left the bar asking ¡°Where are you staying?¡± he text back ¡°The hotel across the street¡± as he walked in that direction.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Elar got out of bed and looked at the bartender still sleeping, then walked into the shower. He got dressed then received a call before he could leave.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes? That¡¯s all you have to say! Do you not care about your children?¡± said the woman on the other end.


    ¡°Vanessa, I am working,¡± said Elar.


    ¡°I called the department, you¡¯re not on any assignment Elar. You can¡¯t keep doing this, not just for our children but for your other children.¡± responds Vanessa.


    ¡°I will say this then, when I go home I am alone. If I were to be there for my children I would have to be in five different homes at once. All I can do as a man is my work, and I need you to stop calling me using the kids as an excuse.¡±


    He ended the call then walked out of his room and into the adjacent room.


    He walked into the back room and asked ¡°So what do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°You mean while you were having fun and I am working?¡±


    ¡°We all have our role to play, Frank,¡± said Elar.


    ¡°Mine is bigger that yours but you still get the prize at the end,¡± said Frank.


    ¡°Fine, what do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°Well I can verify that we are dealing with two different people. The other one is a state defense attorney. Our suspect, we got on camera leaving the restaurant at the same time his twin was across the city. He is staying at this hotel under the name Barry Delven. After getting politely escorted out of the office I was able to follow him. He has been frequenting the fighting arena, that¡¯s suspected of illegal betting and sex trafficking.¡±


    Elar pondered for a couple of minutes.


    ¡°Do we know for sure that they are related? This could be a career criminal stealing an innocent man¡¯s identity.¡±


    ¡°That is a real possibility, this identity has only been established recently. I¡¯ve also checked the alias he used to check into the hotel but nothing is confirmed.¡±


    Elar paced around the room as frank stared at his computer screen.


    ¡°Things used to be so much easier when I could actually do my job. You might be right, this cities laws could very well be a conspiracy,¡± Said Elar.


    ¡°Finally starting to see the truth huh? It¡¯s like the politicians and criminals are working together. They have only been able to get away with it because it¡¯s a huge city with a relatively low crime rate,¡± said Frank.


    ¡°Yeah but now things have changed and these problems can¡¯t be ignored for long. Also it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t believe you, it just wasn¡¯t my problem at the time.¡±


    ¡°Right, good old Elar always has his eyes on the prize.¡±


    ¡°As should you, now what can you tell me about the girl?¡±


    Frank checked his notes ¡°Yes the private detective, I swear they have more rights than we do. Let me see, legal name She-¡±


    Elar stood up abruptly from the seat he occupied for only 20 seconds.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Frank.


    ¡°Someone is searching the hallway.¡±


    Slow but loud foot steps resounded in the hallway only to stop at the door to the room Frank and Elar was in. Elar yanked the door open catching the person with his hands raised prepared to knock. An overdressed man in a green and red suit that Elar did not recognize stood there. If he had to guess Elar would say he is a priest but he doesn¡¯t recognize the faith.


    ¡°How can we help you stranger?¡± said Elar.


    ¡°Hmm¡­you must be the one. I am, Bishop Mathien, of the church of creation.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± said frank.


    ¡°What?¡± followed Elar.


    ¡°I have been tasked with finding an, Elar Gould, for my clients,¡± said the Bishop.


    ¡°Who sent you to find me? And how did get the exact room?¡± asked Elar.


    ¡°Simply by using the gifts of my goddess and as to my clients, follow me,¡± said the Bishop.


    Elar hesitated for a minute but decided to follow the priest. He signaled Frank to keep a distance and his weapon ready then followed. They walked to the elevator but Elar suggested they take the stairs. They eventually made it downstairs and Elar stopped to look around the lobby.


    ¡°They are not in this building nor would it be a good idea for them to be.¡± Said the Bishop.


    Elar nodded and continued following the priest after being sure that Frank was able to catch up from his peripheral. As they made it outside the priest turned a corner and entered an alley. After walking for another ten minutes.


    Elar finally asked ¡°So your god, is that what you call your personal AI? I¡¯ve heard about some being referred to as family members but a god.¡±


    The priest stopped and stared at Elar for almost two minutes.


    ¡°A very strange question, the years I¡¯ve spent in this world have taught me much but I am still relatively new,¡± said the Bishop Mathien.


    ¡°Interesting, then explain in detail how you found me and I will be happy to clear up any confusion.¡± Responds Elar calmly.


    ¡°It appears your confusion is far greater than mine but my clients are here. I am sure they can explain many things to you.¡±


    Elar swept his hand behind his back and on his weapon as two very large men stepped into the alley from the other end. Quick foot steps sounded out as Frank ran up to back him up.


    ¡°I wish I had my gear for this but I have a feeling it will be difficult to retrieve even if we had the time,¡± Said Frank.


    ¡°How can I help you gentlemen?¡± said Elar.


    ¡°Your job is done, Bishop, you will soon receive our god¡¯s favor,¡± said the larger and more human looking of the two men.


    ¡°Very well Prophet, I will take my leave,¡± said the priest before leaving.


    Elar looked away from the priest¡¯s back to look at the man in front of him. As a tall man himself Elar for first time in a long time got to experience looking up at someone. A white man wearing what looked like medieval armor but made from some light weight leather material. When he looked at the other man he was unsure if it was even a human. A gray skinned humanoid with what looks like mechanical components under his armor. The big man smirked as he watched Elar staring at his partner.


    ¡°First time seeing one of the moon people? Not a surprise, they are very rare even in our world. A unique creation of the trickster god but, Salvrin, is one of our order,¡± said the taller man.


    ¡°What?¡± respond Frank.


    ¡°I am, Yeltin Cohen, Prophet of the god, El¡¯Gold. The god of challenge and struggle. I have been sent on a mission along with my partner to train my god¡¯s avatar.¡±


    ¡°Yeltin? I am not going to pretend that I know what you¡¯re talking about. I will just say that you and your role playing cyborg better start making sense,¡± said Elar.


    ¡°Simply put, I received a prophecy from my god that instructed me to seek out his avatar, Elar Gould. Thus began my journey to this new world. I was able to enlist the help of a branch church of, Sherilia, to find you. You may be small but you looked almost exactly like our god himself,¡± said Yeltin.


    After two hours of asking questions Elar was finally able to understand what these strangers were talking about.


    ¡°If I am understanding this correctly, my world has been invaded by yours. I am some avatar of your god and all the recent deaths have everything to do with this,¡± said Elar. While stopping Frank from interjecting.


    ¡°That would be some what accurate but I will say if you¡¯re concerned about the chaos I wouldn¡¯t be. The violence is mainly to establish territory and power,¡± said Yeltin.


    He looked between Elar and Frank with a smirk on his face. Frank finally seized an opportunity speak.


    ¡°Are all the people from your world as big as you two?¡± asked Frank.


    ¡°Afraid not friend, only the warriors and certain creatures continue to grow past maturity,¡± said Yeltin with a laugh.


    ¡°Warrior, creatures?¡± asked Elar.


    ¡°A warrior is what you will become and your friend if he chooses. Warriors channel magical energy inwards to improve our bodies to new heights. As for creatures; they are magical accidents. Mutants with special conditions and disposition,¡± said Yeltin.


    They talked more in dept about the subject but it came time to make a decision. Elar thought about it for a long time, he has been so invested in his work that it became his life. With this new information he couldn¡¯t deny that the world as he knows has changed. If he wants to create a safe place in this chaos for his children then he has to grab this opportunity. He looked over at Frank wondering what he is going to do.


    ¡°I started this with you to get revenge for our boys and this seems like the best way to do that. So if you don¡¯t want to accept their offer I hope I can still do it,¡± said Frank and Elar nodded.


    They made arrangements for training, the only problem being that their new friends were relatively new to the city. They mention something about an orientation from some former cult but their understanding of how things work was still very low. Frank was able to get them a room at the hotel. That¡¯s how they learned that the reason they were in this alley in the first place was because they couldn¡¯t get in. Hey all gathered in Franks room to discuss plans. Elar sighed at the thought that the investigation that just started was so quickly put on hold. Frank was busy giving a basic over view on city life until Salvrin spoke for the first time.


    ¡°What is AI? And how do I get one?¡±


    Frank was startled to hear him speak.


    ¡°Uh..yeah I can get you access to an AI but you¡¯re going to need a device that can house the main intelligence. Just out of curiosity, no offense but what are you?¡± asked Frank.


    Salvrin responded ¡°I am of the moon people; we are an amalgamation of biology an technology. Our creator the god Traveler spawned my people on the moon. He is the god of plots and freedom, hence why I am free to worship El¡¯Gold.¡±


    Frank stared at him then moved over to his computer.


    ¡°Ok, well I will look into getting you an AI with a phone that can hold it. Also ehh...I know I am new to this but this god stuff is a lot.¡±


    Frank made plans with Yeltin about getting a warehouse that will allow them to train in peace.


    Frank watched as Salvrin spoke to his new personal AI. Then he/it did something very surprising that caught Frank off guard worst than his robotic tonality. Frank was mesmerized as he watched Salvrin lifted up part of his black leather armor then put the phone in what he assumed was his chest. Blue and gray skin split to expose wires that made room for the phone. The passage way then closed up, then pulsated. The skin that now covered the phone started to bulge and beat like a heart trying escape his chest. Then every thing returned to normal, he closed his armor back up. Just when Frank thought it was all over, Salvrin sat down and started meditating. Frank watched him for an hour before something happened. Salvrin started growing, his body started pulsing and he got bigger with every pulse. When it was all over he was even bigger and taller than his partner, especially when he stood up. Frank was practically breaking his neck staring up at this man ¡®how are we going to get him back in the hotel.¡¯ Salvrin opened his mouth and Frank heard two voices at once but at least they both sound more human.


    ¡°Aaaaah, yes, Sal, thank you very much for the upgrade,¡± said Salvrin.


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± asked Frank.


    ¡°Oh, Frank, thank you as well. I am talking to my personal AI, he named himself after me,¡± said Salvrin.


    ¡°That makes sense, maybe but why are you so big now?¡± responded Frank.


    ¡°I simply reached a new level in my cultivation thanks to the addition of, Sal. This AI technology is highly compatibly with my systems. If my people learned of this your world will be in even more trouble. Luckily most of us still live on the moon and those that crossover, hmmm¡­I would say are somewhere in Africa. Assuming I understand the geography of this world compared to my own correctly.¡±


    ¡°I get how you know about this world but you know about your world? Does your gods give geography lessons in your respective bibles?¡± asked Frank.


    ¡°Ha...ha...ha, it is good to finally understand your humor friend. No, my people live on the moon and watching the stars and mapping the planet is what we do. I doubt many from my world even know about the different continents that exist here. They can forget about even predicting how the two worlds geography match up. Now that we on the subject I must tell you that out of all the entry points into this world; the one closes to your city is one of the least frequented.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you mean? Are you actually saying that this is a full world invasion and we have it easy here in the city,¡± asked Frank.


    ¡°I am saying that if your city cannot withstand so little then the rest of your world is a lost cause. Keep in mind that they are not an invading force but simply a migration from one world to another. Fewer than five percent of the population chose to crossover, but as your world get more saturated with magic it will get worse. More powerful individuals will make the journey and the power structure of the world will look very different.¡±


    ¡°Well fuck, I am already dealing with so much but this¡­¡±


    Frank sat down after speaking and stared at the floor. Salvrin walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Get stronger¡± was all he said.


    Frank nodded and got up then asked Salvrin to train him.