Once. A long time ago. Ages past, so far past that there is no longer a history for it the agents of Gaia and the agents of Civilization did battle. In the first great cities of the world did the peoples of Humanity seek refuge as peoples of godlike power walked among them. Hoping against hope that they would survive the cataclysms.
They did... sort of. Only by abandoning all that came before. It was into this world that modern man came to be. Still linked in many ways to the akashic fields that had given power to those prior, in many ways no longer aware of their heritage. Time passed, centuries... millennia. Eventually Civilization rose once again. Great cities larger if less advanced than prior stood upon the Earth. This was like an incessant itch upon the realm of Gaia. It turned its attention towards ridding itself of the parasites that caused it such mental pain, only to find that it had its own avatars to protect itself with. The two did battle, first in quiet later in the open. Giants walked open for a time. Until almost nothing was left in the second epoch.
Both entities brought low, nigh on destroyed. They then invested a piece of their own awareness on something to help keep oblivion at bay. This was the birth of Balance.
Time passed again. Time enough for humanity to completely forget everything that came prior.
Now it is the third epoch. It is the time that Civilizations excesses cause grief to Gaia and Gaia's conservative nature grates upon all of Civilization causing them to feel penned in and hated.
Will Balance be able to maintain, or will it be too much for it to handle.
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Mirror Changed - Prologue
Rock quarries could be found throughout the world. Wherever mankind had spent a length of time to create their works, great or small, they could be found. From before the time of the building of the great pyramids on to modern days.
Many of these have been abandoned for various reasons. Most quarries could be included in this consideration. Sometimes due to local economic issues, or the main materials being played out. No matter the cause there are commonalities between many. One of which is that they often contain deep and still pools of water. Some contain what could be considered full lakes.
Groups of individuals would sometimes make these quarries their homes, or their playgrounds. Others would make them places of refuge. Places where they could meet or perhaps hide from the world. There are a multitude of groups to watch out for in these pits deep in the earth. From legalized corporate interests to governments, to small private estates. Sometimes they were entrances to secret paramilitary installations. Other times they would be home to something… more.
One such rock quarry found itself the current residence of something a bit less than mundane.
In many ways it had the same appearance of abandonment that many unused quarries obtain. The steep carved cliffs below a mountain tree line, the mineralized water lake that ran deep. The rock ledge at the bottom could almost be considered the stage flat of an open-air auditorium. A place that would attract the local youth in the hot summer months. That is if it was close to any active town or city.
Today it was not one of those. Rather it was a somewhat cool spring morning, the crisp air sharp in any lung that was to breath it in. In the shade of the cliff there was frost on the ground and patches of ice still at the rims of the water. Part of the shelf was raised above the rest. Facing it was chiseled areas, almost like benches in the stone. Raising in a few rows up to the cliffs edge. In the low center was positioned a platform for a speaker that was standing to address any in which sat there at the time. The granite of the stage a bit darker than the stone around. The prime stage for a grand performance if any was to be had.
This morning there was such a performance occurring. Three individuals sat on the benches nearest to the cliffs edge. Another three opposite closer to an edge of water. Nine stood or otherwise resided in a crescent formation on the raised stone flat.
Of the three nearest the lake the first was a huge grey wolf. Yellow eyes shining of the moon in the wilderness, an intellect greater than lupine shining through. It was almost five feet at its haunches if it was an inch. To its left in the position like that of a guard was an angelic visaged male, wings of soot black and torso like a veteran of the fighting pits of old. He was dressed almost as a Roman Centurion, sword and all. The third was a man with deep purple skin, four tentacles curling and uncurling from his back. Otherwise his hair was chocolate brown and well groomed, to match his dark grey business suite sharply pressed and tailored to fit. These members would be known to the others to be the representatives of Gaia. The very energetic embodiment of nature, of every living creature that ever was and ever would be.
The other trio represented a different group. A stone guardian, perhaps better seen as a gargoyle grown animated and mobile. Face equal parts bestial and manlike demon. Its granite teeth razor sharp behind lips that curled in disgust from time to time. To the creatures side was a woman of truly Amazonian stature. Arms crossed under breasts with legs stood at a stance shoulder width apart. She was dressed like a biker punk turned Walmart employee with attitude to match. Not the cheery commercialized smile either, rather the begrudging resentment of a minimum wage slave in a rural town that had at least two mortgage payments back-owed. Strapped across her back was a great four foot long Warhammer that would look more at place in a Tolkeen book than in isle five of s-mart. The last of them on their part of the rise was perhaps the oddest. Comprised of equal parts man, cogs, circuits, hydraulics, wires and more it seemed to be a humanoid piece of technological art animated to a life more than just animatronics. This was the group representing the growth of Civilizations past and present. Perhaps new to the planet but now no less an integral part of the fabric of existence thanks to the evolution and rise of Humanity.
Normal perhaps by comparison stood the nine in the center platform. If one was to discount that four of the members were only floating nimbuses of light composed of varying hues that is. The other five were three men and two women. Dressed in a range from business formal to hippy to punk band groupie. The centermost man of the group stood tall. Dressed as a sort of coffee shop hipster. A trendy health nut style under a well groomed beard and manbun. His worn denim pants either pre fashioned or had seen better days, the leather vest with the exact right number of scuffs to be stylish rather than beaten up. Yet to all this his eyes were a slate hard as a winters storm. Glints of light not quite seen of diamond and amber, perhaps there and perhaps not.
It was this man who spoke for the Nine who represented the Balance that must now be maintained between Gaia and Civilization.
“We all know why we have been summoned.” His voice steady and clear. Pitched to reach all and through some trick not a trace of echo back from the stone walls of the quarry. “Once again the world is nearing a Tipping point. A point into which there may be no return.” He paused for emphasis looking around at each in turn. “Fewer of us than there should be are here to maintain the Balance, fewer to hold the excesses at bay. Fewer with the longevity of sight and memory of the atrocities of the past to steer the course.”
He looked between the gap of the other two groups rather than speak directly to either. “Remember why the Balance was struck. Why we were called. If Gaia removes Civilization it too may succumb before it can regenerate the damages already wrought. If civilization suppresses Gaia than the very energy that has birthed us all could vanish. Both Gaia and Civilization understood this in millennia past. Both invested in us. In the Balance. And so we of Balance work to maintain the peace between.”
To each of the groups he addressed in turn. “This has been made particularly strenuous this last while as individuals within each of your respective parties either refused to follow the accords of Balance or worse yet, actively work to undermine our very existence on this planet.”
Before the speaker could continue the stonelike representative of Civilization spoke up, “Only you of Balance would believe all that. That to allow one over the other truly would be the end of all. Gaia has had its time in the ascendency, it is time for Civilization to take the lead and show our races a glorious future free of the old constraints that have not been needed for centuries.”
As the gargoyle stepped back the hybrid technological being continued, his voice part synthesized echoing over a regular mans tonals. “Our advancements have made great strides forward. If parts of the old die off we can now create support matrices as needed to replace the obsolete systems that could no longer keep up.”
While Civilization had been speaking the representatives of Gaia showed little interest. The great Wolf yawned and the well dressed aquatic member seemed inscrutable. The Angelic man just inspected talons he had instead of fingernails. As if to make sure his manicure still held.
Left of the central speaker of Balance one of the glowing balls of light pulsed as it spoke. The voice both ethereal and slightly effeminate. “That is something that would be very fool hardy to discover. Are you not aware that without Gaia that Mankind itself may not exist? That it is the only species on the planet comprised of energies of all three of us?”
The clockwork man responded in kind. “Is that really how it is? Or is it in the reverse? That it is the species and beings that feed the energies of the fields and not the energies that feed the species?”
Another of the glowing beings, this one an azure blue floated to the front to speak. “It is only through a Balance between Nature and Mankind’s progress that allows all to continue to live and grow. Mankind MUST nurture its natural elements, and Nature MUST allow Mankind to prosper to allow the cycle.”
“That could be,” the mechanoid replied then turned to address the Gaian congregation. “And would be fine to remain in Balance. That is if those of Gaia would control its chosen and allow us to get on with the business of Civilizations Progress. Strides are made every year towards the goals you state, yet for the life of all the conflict still boils and their crimes are not yet addressed.”
The Amazon continued for him as he trailed off, her voice completely at odds with her appearance. More in conjunction with a highly bred noble or member of a parliamentary body than with someone who would commonly be found on an old style motorcycle tearing up the backroads. “Every year more disasters strike. Tornadoes where there should be none, tsunami’s that destroy whole seaboards, volcanoes coming to life far before their time. These are not the works of Civilization. They are not the work of military technologies. They are the works of those who ‘Represent Nature’. Those who are supposedly tasked with preserving life.” Her voice dropped into a near growl. “They would destroy as much of humanity as possible rather than allow any coexistence.”
Before the rant and rhetoric could continue the great wolf spoke. Its voice resonant and true in sound as to its appearance. “Nonsensical ramblings of the young.” His voice as condescending as it was bestial. “Your own actions bring your downfall. We need only outlive your very foolishness and greed. Once, as before, your great cities fell. Your technology waned. And then Gaia will know peace as it has in times prior. It happened before and it will happen again.”
The tone alone was enough to incise anger in the representatives of Civilization. The patronizing words added enough fuel to the flame to incite action. The Amazon woman stepped down from the rock bench towards the wolf. Warhammer swinging free into hand. She began another step in anger when an eye searing beam of light shot out from the body of the electric blue glowing sphere that had spoke earlier. The edges of the light shaper than a razors edge, the impact of the coherent beam left a scar in the rock large enough to tell the Amazon what would have happened if she continued her forward motion. She pulled her foot back watching as the rock cooled from the slight molten boil it had been induced into.
“There will only be discussions here.” One of the human members of Balance stated. “If you wish to do battle then you shall be banished from this local. Another of your Chosen will be brought in to speak on your factions behalf.”
The stone gargoyle rose from its sitting position. “No more discussion is required. Gaia is as usual uninterested in listening or reaching accord.” It waved its hand in dismissal. “We will now wish to depart.”
“As will we.” The wolf spoke for its side. Both its demeaner and stance speaking towards its boredom.
“Very well.” The central speaker for Balance stated. “Just know that both of your factions are being watched. Remember that our threshold of tolerance is low, and if you violate the accords of Balance you and the violators will be returned here for Judgement.”
The statement made he stepped back and nodded to a pair to his left. The man was dressed business casual and a woman in a military like camouflage outfit. Each went to stand in front of the two factions. In unison the two raised their arms to begin an intricate weaving of hands and fingers through the air. Lights of gemlike fire coalesced in the tracings trailing their motions. Sapphire blue for the woman and amber from the man. The imagery accelerated into large spheres inbetween the Magus’s and the representatives of Gaia and Civilization. In one sphere a great forest grew into view. In the other a cityscape. The two spheres shot forth to engulf the triumvirate of each respective group.
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End Prologue.
Mirror Changed – Chapter 01
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Through most of the world many people have commented that fast food places are really all the same. The same basic concept and layout. Whether it is burgers or tacos or pizza they all share the same formulaic approach. The same waiting in lines. The same grease. Whether inside or out in the car. The same basic eating areas, and if you are lucky the same indoor children’s play places. Sitting down to eat in one of them contained so much of the sameness that to eat in one you could feel like you had eaten in them all.
It was this sameness that was what people craved. Similarity and Conformity. Comfort. Not because it was actually comfortable, or for that matter even pleasant. It was comfortable because it all contained what a person could expect. The comfort of knowing how the whole process worked without having to learn anything new.
No matter whether the person was a customer or they stood behind the counter. Or at least that was what I had told myself so that I could deal with the shear drudgery of my job. There really was a comfort in knowing what to expect I suppose. Not because it was enjoyable, because it most definitely was not. No matter how much I smiled or engaged the endless throng of people. Take my register as an example. From the customers side it looked new and sparkling clean. They didn’t see the keypad though. The buttons worn down from countless repetitive depressions. Much like the people working here, like myself and my coworkers.
All smiling façade and attempted pleasantries.
The specific buttons for specials were the worst. I could never understand why management insisted on keeping the same new combo’s on the same row year after year without replacing the keys. So that us register monkeys just had to mash the worn down buttons harder and harder until something gave. The whole set had to be replaced just to fix one button. So we just prayed that it went out on someone else’s shift because woe be to the person who reported it to management. It was not our fault to have the technology pushed so far past its service life after all.
Perhaps it was just my lot in life. To be a register service attendant in whatever service job would have me. At least until I was replaced by a kiosk or something. I had barely passed high school. Not because it was hard, rather it was so very boring. I wasn’t anything exceptional either. Just a run of the mill gamer geek. I had some friends, not many though. Probably the only thing we had in common was a console or two.
When I looked at myself in the mirror I still saw the same thing I had seen for years. Light colored complexion, not fully white Anglo Saxon, not exactly the olive tint of the Mediterranean. Nor any of the darker skins of a person of Hispanic origin. Just a standard Heinz fifty seven Caucasian mix. Sandy brown hair that was thick and soft. It never seemed to take to any styling. Not even the bed head that seemed to be so popular… again. So I kept it short…. ish. I kind of kept forgetting to get it cut so it was usually too long or too short to style.
Right now it was smack dab in the awkward zone. Just like me. The only nice thing that my friends, few left that they were, commented on regularly was my eyes. They told me that they were a deep blue grey, like a deep stormy sea. I personally just felt that they were a murky blue.
Like the fast food restaurants being all the same, so was my life. I felt bored. Today I was bored, yesterday I was bored, tomorrow? Tomorrow I would likely be bored. Hell, it seemed that I had become so adept at feeling bored that I could list it on my resume as a job skill.
There was a comfort in that as well I guess.
Not that today, or this shift was actually boring. Nope, things were too busy to allow for that. What with the constant ‘Yes Ma’am, would you like to upsize that sir, how about a combo, and all the Here’s your receipt’. Then there’s my personal favorite ‘Sorry, we don’t sell that here’. Whatever ‘that’ turns out to be. Us register apes sometimes compare notes on the best ones. We even had a pool going on it until the manager found out and shot it down.
High school graduation was supposed to be the first major door closing on my life to open many bigger and better doors of opportunity.
Not for me.
Instead I end up working the same jobs, having the same friends, still pining for the same things that were always so far beyond my grasp.
I take that back. There was one MAJOR and Wonderful change. I had finally been able to move out of my dads place. The drunken old bastard had given up on life a long time ago. It had been just the two of us since Mom had up and left. I don’t know why she left. There was no note or reason. Just one day she was there and the next she was not. She and Dad had never really gotten along. He told me they had only stayed together because of me. Dad did the obligatory searching and police reports he was supposed to after she had left.
A couple of years ago he had declared her legally dead so that he could collect the life insurance.
That was when he quit his job. His alcoholism was at least tolerable when he had to be sober for work. Without his job he just climbed right down the throat of that damned bottle. I didn’t understand how someone could do that and still stay alive. I wished to do things with my life. To be someone, to do something. Now just two years later I was beginning to understand. A few months ago I had finally saved up enough to move into a rund down studio apartment near to where I worked. The first months, last months, security, and utilities took everything I had. But I was out of his house. Gone from underneath his thumb.
I could not have left fast enough.
It was supposed to be the start of a new and prosperous life.
Then the routine had started.
The routine of having to work full time and more just to keep the rent paid. To keep the utilities on. I was lucky at the end of each paycheck to have enough to buy a pair of pants or one console game. At least I still had my friends. Those that hadn’t moved off to collage at any rate.
Many times when I am working my mind travelled inwards. Like right now. It was a way to deal with the tedium. To go to a place where maybe I had gone off to collage. Or perhaps played sports. If I had been able to do so I would have left the area.
Not that living just North of Seattle Washington was such a bad place. It was a great place for a nineteen year old loser teen to live. However it was the only place I knew. I could do with some change. Any change.
My contemplation was cut short when a pretty girl standing in front of my register didn’t hold to the normal fast food attendant script.
“Jayde.” She was visibly exasperated. “Wake Up! Earth calling Mr. Roboto.”
From her tone I gathered she had repeated herself at least a time or two.
I broke out of my fugue state enough to recognize that number one – she was the last in line, and that number two – it was my friend Suzi. One of my best, and really only friends. We had grown up a few houses down from each other. In her younger years she had been a tomboy, always running around with unkempt hair and skinned knees. It wasn’t until puberty hit her with a huge bat that I had even known that she was a girl.
Her lack of regular fashion continued to this day. Suzi dressed up however she wanted to dress. As often as not in partial cosplay costume or in shockingly counter culture outfits.
Today her sneakers had seen better times, worn and marker doodled. Ripped stylish jeans frayed beyond the normal point showing more skin than denim on her left leg. A tight midriff showing t-shirt with the latest pop band that for the life of me I could not remember emblazoned across the bust. Tummy showing the nearly obligatory parental defying belly button piercing. A stylish leather jacket over it all. Actually current fashion I think, but I could always be wrong.
Suzi’s hair was punked out today. Spiky jet black with purple and shock pink highlights. The contrast between her hair and porcelain whit skin made her cornflower blue eyes pop so vibrantly that I felt my breath taken away at just the sight. A vibrant electricity that never failed to draw me in.
I am sure that I stood there blinking like some kind of special education kid for far too long. “Sorry… did I ask if you wanted that in a combo again?”
At her nod I cringed. I hated looking like an idiot in front of her.
“Don’t be such a dumbshit, dumbshit.” She said in a deadpan tone. “C’mon, how long till you’re off?”
“Not sure. I think when I’m scheduled to.” I know I was usually a clueless literal person, but sometimes I enjoyed playing it up.
Her half lidded stare told me that she did not consider me the smartest protozoa in the petri-dish right now. After a couple moments of the impasse she let out a sigh through pursed lips. It puffed her cheeks a bit. I really enjoyed how even the smallest of her actions were so expressive.
“Sorry, I don’t know what time it is.” Maybe being too literal right now wasn’t the best idea.
About then, with good sitcom timing, my manager exited his office. He wore the same outfit I did, though it was a bit cleaner and with a managers tag. Oh, it also didn’t have the apron. It really looked like so many of the fast food managers tag and shirt in every place I had ever worked or seen.
He looked over at me for a moment before walking back to the prep area without saying a word. That of course ruined the sitcom moment. No interaction, just the humdrum of real life. This wasn’t some type of friendly people episode or apartment bachelor life. Nope just the standardized cookie cutter of existence I found myself living in. Nothing more than a fleshy cog in the works of society.
“Jayde….”
Suzi was tapping her foot in annoyance now. I think I had mentally wandered off again.
“Sorry. I think I’m supposed to be off at six or so.”
“Why look at that.” She pointed at a clock on the wall that I seemed to keep forgetting is there whenever I spaced out. “It’s six p.m. already.”
I looked over feeling a rush of energy. The type one can only feel when at the end of the daily grind. Freeing oneself to pursue something much more enjoyable.
Doing my best not to let out a whoop of joy I went back to the rear of the prep area. A couple of my coworkers were figuring out the latest hybrid concoction that the franchise corporate marketing had thought up. Some form of burrito pizza thing that we all hoped would fizzle.
The things were a nightmare to put together. Far to messy.
“Don? Hey, it’s six. Can I clock out?” I asked as soon as I got to where he had gotten off to.
He was in the security and safe room counting out a register. He looked up from what he was doing for just and without a word went back to his count.
Donald was another of the sameness of fast food places. Nondescript mid thirties man running towards fat with short hair showing the signs of male pattern baldness. He may have once been physically fit when he was my age. Now he looked like central castings idea of a failed in life highschool quarterback.
Right now I had to wait him out. Whenever Don got like this it was best to just be patient. No matter how irritated I got when my manager acted so dismissive towards me I still had to keep a pleasant smile plastered to my face. He was the one who authorized my paychecks after all. Did all managers go to a class on how to optimally irritate their employees or something?
Almost two minutes to the second Don finished the count and recorded the amounts into his computer log.
“Yes. You may go now. Tell Becky that she is on register two on your way out.” His voice was dull, seemingly bereft of any care towards me or the job. “I will get your register and count it. You better not be off this time Jim or it will come out of your paycheck.”
Of course. He got my name wrong… Again…
“It’s Jayde, Don. Jayde, not Jim.”
“Whatever. Get out of here. Don’t be late to your next shift.” He handed me Becky’s drawer as he talked.
I didn’t bother to reply to his surly nature. Don’t fee the bears and all that. I went to the drive window where Becky was spelling someone else for a quick break. “Hey, Don says to take register two.”
Drawyer places in her hands I quickly punched out before there were any other distractions. I went out front where Suzi had her smartphone out. She was avidly involved in some app or another.
“Please tell me you’re playing something normal.” I sat down across from her.
“Remove the apron.” She didn’t even bother to look up from her device.
Looking down at myself I saw that I hadn’t’ bothered to even take it off. I really did not like what these places did to me. Once the apron was off and placed on the small table Suzi looked up from the phone. Her dark hair and light complexion caught me off guard again. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it but I counted myself lucky to have a friend like her. Even if that was all we could ever be.
When she started to talk it shocked me out of my moment of introspection.
“It’s an augmented reality first person shooter. I’m just readying my weapons for my next encounter.”
She held up the phone so I could look through the screen. The camera was on because I could see everything past the phone. There was a superimposed status and targeting overlays turning it into a sort of heads up display. Just like many of the first person shooters we played. It looked like all of reality had been turned into the game.
“The game’s currently entering early Beta testing. They asked me to review some of its features.”
“Do you ever play a game outside of Beta or Pre-release?” I knew the answer but in good conscience I still had to ask.
“Why would I ever do that? By that time I’ve already figured everything out.” She kicked her legs out and clasped her hands behind and above her head. The motion popping her chest out and drawing attention to her slim profile. I was pretty sure she did these things on purpose, or they could be subconscious actions from watching too much anime. “Booooooorrrrriiiiinnnnnnggggg…….” She then regained animation and leaned forward placing her hands on the table. “So, ready to hang out with David and the crowd?”
Definitely on purpose.
“Yes!” That would lighten my mood considerably. “What’s tonights agenda?”
“I’ll let that be a surprise.” Suzi got up and walked to the door. I gladly fell into step beside her. “Lets get outta here.”
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End Chapter 01
Alright! Two main characters introduced!
So, unlike Summoned, Much of this story is told from Jayde’s point of view in first person narrative. I love to experiment with various styles of writing. Please feel free to comment back on anything. I love to find out what beautiful peoples out in the world think.
Mirror Changed – Chapter 02
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~Jayde~
I didn’t really know where I was. I felt that I should know, but for some reason it was just out of my reach. I stood on a barren path of sorts. Rather indistinct. Looking down I saw that I had nothing on, but it felt natural to be that way here.
Where ever here happened to be.
Could I be dreaming? Since I rarely remembered my dreams I had a hard time telling. However there seemed to be very little of … well anything where I found myself. Wasn’t that a hallmark of dream logic?
“Hello?”
No response. Of course. This had to be a dream of sorts, but it felt real. I leaned over to feel the ground with my hands. It was like a fine gravel, not really large pebbles or stones but not quite granulated sand.
“Anybody?”
I stood back up and took a step forward. When I did so I saw something move in the distance to my left. Did the horizon to that side look slightly greener? Not sure what to do I took another step but stayed on the path.
Definitely greener. Sort of like grass or something was attempting to grow. I turned towards it and waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
I wasn’t sure how much time I spent there. I also wasn’t sure time had meaning here. Since nothing happened.
“Sure, why the hell not.” Another step would be nice after all.
Soon as I took it the green began to get deeper. I wasn’t sure I should walk towards the green or stay on the path. Undecided I continued on the path for now. That seemed a good choice as the green continued to grow.
Sometime and many steps later trees and shrubs of some types were shooting upwards in the distance. Nothing great yet but something beyond a monotonous horizon.
“What does this mean about my psych?” I wondered aloud as I continued to walk. “Nothing too bad I hope.”
After what I thought was a mile or more the green-scape had turned into a veritable jungle of many intermixed species of flora and fauna. Insects and animals had begun to appear. As well several great trees had grown well beyond the tallest skyscrapers I had ever conceived of. In amongst all the foliage flying creatures began to appear.
“Sure. Why not. A pterodactyl.” The large feathered lizard birds flew in great circles overhead.
The further I walked the more examples of life I saw. It was all so tempting to go and explore. I was still more interested in walking along to see what more may come about. Taking a step into the green felt like a commitment for some reason, so I was hesitant to take that approach regardless.
So intent was I on watching the green that I felt I had missed something on the other side. That something caught my eye. I turned and was almost floored as a primitive city like something out of history books was growing out of the ground like the trees before.
There seemed to be some sort of klaxon sounding off in the distance. An alarm of sorts. Not a gong, not a buzzing siren. Was it coming from the Urban environment?
Whatever it was it was getting louder. Closer. It was almost too loud now. I put my hands over my ears, or tried to anyway. Something had my right hand entangled. I looked down to see a vine holding onto it from the green.
Ok, I felt a bit panicked now. I reached with my left hand to try to free it up. Only to find it encased in an iron manacle holding it to a thick bar in the ground from the city.
This was not a good situation.
Still struggling I lost sight of everything and struggled to stand up. With an effort I managed to press off.
And fell out of bed to faceplant on the floor. Covered in sweat and entangled in soaked blankets.
“Ooooookay then…. That was a bit bizarre.”
My room looked normal. Broken computer collecting dust. Bed on the floor as I couldn’t even afford a bedframe. Bathroom door slightly ajar, I never really closed it. Small hand me down television, one of the early high definition twenty two inch deals. It had several dead pixels but it was free. Pair of couple generations out of date game consoles, their game discs scattered around.
Normal.
I stood up disentangling myself from my bedding.
“What time is it?” The sun came in through my window, telling me it was likely late morning. Perhaps early afternoon? I grabbed my phone and shut off its alarm function. Crap, it said it was three pm.
Great… I had slept almost the entire day away and only had a kookie dream to show for it.
“Shit…”
I was late for work….
Again.
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~Elsewhere~
Inside of a trendy downtown coffee shop in Portland Oregon sat a well dressed young man. Neatly dressed in an old fashioned beige tweed suit complete with porkpie hat. Across from him in the cozy booth sat a taller and much more modernly dressed man.
Both were holding steaming mugs of caffeinated beverages and talking about pointless trivialities like almost all such peoples that could be found in places like this. Midway through their conversation about politics and which pop singer controversy would rise its ugly head the man in the tweed suits phone buzzed.
“One moment Jeremiah.” He said to his darker haired companion.
Jeremiah looked to be in his mid to late twenties and was dressed as something akin to extreme sports punk meets corporate executive. Slacks designed to double as running or skating pants, tight stretchy sleeveless shirt that buttoned up the front and an open vest on top. Leather and metal forearm guards, the left one with a smart watch built into it. All this plus a nose ring to complete his wealthy bad boy look. The dark skin tone from his Hispanic heritage set the whole package to a very enjoyably exotic look.
After a few moments on the phone the younger man hung up. He had a much lighter complexion and close trimmed sandy blonde hair. His blue green eyes made him look almost like a depression era extra on a movie set.
“Angela thinks e may have an awakening about to happen to the North. She’s still busy in Canada though.”
“Joy. I’m guessin she wants us up there Jameson? See what chosen shows up or somewhat?” Despite his relaxed and laid back appearance he sounded completely serious.
“I think only one of us for now. This area’s quiet for now but you never know. I can make my own arrangements and then leave for Washington.”
Jeremiah finished his cup and sat in silence. They listened to the shops sounds and chatter. “So why is she calling you? We’re pretty short handed here on the west coast. Why not get some support from the Rockies or possibly further east?”
“She said only Pierce and RedStar were not immediately tied down with any incidents or projects.”
Both men grimaced a bit. Those two were not what anyone could possibly call… stable. Pierce was a loose cannon that had a tendency to bring out the big guns first and ask questions after the dust settled. RedStar was one of the few natives of North America who had found themselves part of their faction. Unfortunately he was a Navajo who was justifiably phobic of any metro area. How he had come to this path and not another was anyone’s guess.
“No time like the present to shift things around, eh?”
Jameson sat up straight and finished his drink primly before standing to go. “Quite. With that said I bid you adieu. Time to be about it.”
“So formal Jameson.” Jeremiah said teasingly over the rim of his cup. “Seriously, you need a girl in your life. Something at least.”
“My love life is perfectly satisfactory.” He said with a sniff.
“No it isn’t. You need to get laid. It’d really relax you, get all the kinks out and what not.”
Though Jameson looked barely twenty, if even that, his mannerisms were an anachronism throwing back to the prior century. However, Portland being Portland the clean cut man didn’t stick out terribly much.
He did blush at his companions blunt remarks, a most violent tomato coloration to go with his fair skin. “You take too well to this culture Jeremiah. Truly proper social etiquette has fallen far.”
“Oh, you’re just nostalgia-ing on only the highlights of an era. Humans have been swimming in the gutters of pleasure and debauchery for all time. Polite social protocol really only existed in the self important uptight arrogant prigs of history and you know it.”
“Be that as it may, I am perfectly content with the way I am and in the state of my bedroom arrangements.”
“Puritan.”
“Social inebriate.” Jameson fired back with apparent righteous indignation.
“Stick up the ass prude.”
“Inarticulate devolved ape.”
“Now that was a low blow. Come here.” Jeremiah stood up, all teasing gone now. Left in its place was brotherly concern. “Take care, watch out, and call me if there are any problems. I’ll only be a days drive or less away.”
Jameson went over and embraced Jeremiah in a quick hug before pulling back. “I will. Don’t worry, I can take care of my self.”
“I know. You still need to get laid though.”
He only sniffed in annoyed amusement as he let.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
“What you’re saying is that we are better off with a basic living stipend than with better wages?”
“Exactly. You see, with so much automation and computer technologies coming about there will be less and less jobs to go around. So who cares if a burger flipper gets fifteen or even twenty dollars an hour if there are only two or three of those jobs per place instead of twelve to fifteen? There not only has to be enough pay to take care of a person, there also needs to be enough jobs available to take care of those who need a job. Those who want more than just a basic life can always get into a career that brings them up higher.”
I could not completely fault his logic. Sometimes I wonder if my friend Bryan should go into politics, or possibly law. He was about as non-descript as I was. Similar unkept light brown hair, about the same height and weight. Same mixed Caucasian mutt skin, brown eyes instead of my grey blue. The biggest difference I saw was that he filled out his frame so much better than I did. Bryan never had the clumsy and awkward puppy still growing into his paws build that I did. He never looked gangly or otherwise. As well, he was a lot better read than I was.
Today we were walking around the mall that was kind of in the path between both of our places. Still a couple miles apart but an easy time skateboarding to and from it.
We both had our boards today, even considered going to the park later. Right now Bryan wanted to grab a bite to eat. So off to the food court we went.
“I mean, look at all these people.” He continued. “Wouldn’t it be so much simpler?”
“Well I guess so. But who would pay for it?”
“The nations entitlement budget. I mean, it is already paying out close to the amount needed to implement a basic stipend already.”
“Would this ‘B.S.’ have enough left over to buy games?” I enjoyed using air quotes for the BS part. It really sounded that way after all.
“I’d say a percentage of it should be for entertainment. Otherwise people wouldn’t have anything to do.”
We arrived at the food court. All the fare looked tasty, I never really could choose. Well, as long as it wasn’t a taco place. I got enough of those at work already.
It looked like Bryan was winding up for another explanation so instead I pointed at the latest Chinese shop to open up at the mall. “So, Asian? Or something else.”
He looked over at the rest of the shops.
“Hrmmm… yeah, teriyaki sounds good. That or something else similar.”
“Sounds good. So hey, have you played that Mecha capture multi battle game yet? What’s it called?” I snapped my fingers at myself trying to remember.
“You mean GigaBash? Or are you referring to Titan’s Fall? Because the latter came out years ago. If the former Yes, I’m trying to get on the Pro Boards. I think Suzi may be able to help me with that.”
I blushed a bit. I had meant Titan’s Fall. But I really got my release timelines backwards sometimes. Especially since I was often relegated to the discount bins for any game disks I wanted.
Instead of continuing that path I looked up at the menu. “So, luck with that. Let’s order.”
After the mall the week passed really slowly. I actually kind of loved lazy slow weeks. Work was work and the rest of the time was my own. Like this very nice Wednesday noon. Or was it Thursday? Didn’t matter. Sure there were clouds in the sky, it was Seattle after all. The rain and drizzle had at least abated for a bit.
Which allowed for some nice layabout time in one of the nearby parks. Great for just looking at the sky while on my back on the ground. Sort of dozing and not really paying much attention to anything.
My legs were a bit sore from the skate park nearby and I felt a touch thirsty. However I couldn’t really be bothered to reach for my water bottle. I was in a state of not boredom that was actually kind of blissful.
That is, outside of Suzi’s griping nearby as she made another valiant attempt to get some new gadget for her phone to interface properly.
“Shitfaced ass dwelling gopher engineers.” She muttered after I heard something make a cracking sound. “It’s not like the dork denizens of design don’t have the turd fornicating iPhone specs…”
“Can I record you for posterity?”
“Cram it.” Another sound of plastic cracking. “Finally! Now to see what’s got their panties in such a bind….” She trailed off getting back into whatever sub reality that Suzi got into when she was testing stuff. I’m not sure why she wanted my company at the park if all she was going to do was to test new hardware.
Still though, I enjoyed being along for the ride. She had pulled some killer tricks earlier. I had just practiced kicking off and riding the small six foot skater tube. I’m not really that good, boarding for me was more of a transportation that it was a sport. Doesn’t mean I don’t wish I was better, that would be awesome after all. It just meant I was aware of how shit my skill level was.
“Are you kidding me? Synch not Valid? What type of error is that?”
“Your invective quotient was low. I give you a four.”
“Yeah yeah. How about I complain about harpies armpit lice or rusted bilge dildo’s inserted somewhere you’d rather them not?”
I looked over at her. Today she had a blonde wig that looked real giving her a Scandinavian Raver look today. Like one of those women on those Russian Jump Step video’s. I pondered for a moment on whether she could pull off those moves as well.
She probably could.
Suzi jump stepping entered into my minds eye. Not a bad picture. Possibly on an open plain. Maybe one from that strange dream last week. The path with the great world jungle off to one side and the metropolis on the other. With acres and acres of similar plans leading into each. The heartbeat sound of the world was in tune to what I imagined Suzi dancing to.
In the fantasy I saw her outline beginning to form. Or was that mine? I wasn’t really sure I was awake any longer.
No, that was Suzi’s shape where she should be sitting. A ghost of her at least. In fact, the gadgets and man made goods on her seamed to be much more real than she did. It was strange to see it that way. To look through her form and see the land behind but the phone, battery pack, something in one of her pockets? Those were absolutely solid. It was both completely strange and perfection normal in this dream state. I would prefer to see her dancing like I had begun to imagine, but even gazing at this so closely was fine.
I’d never get away with just staring at Suzi in real life. And not just because I would be too embarrassed to do so. It was also because she would most likely kick my ass for making assumptions.
The way she was leaning forward to get a better view of the game interface was breathtaking for me. Her intense expressing striking. The way she would bite the lower left side of her lips or look almost cross-eyed in concentration would make my stomach flutter. I watched her ghostly fingers play along the more solid device. Such long and capable digits, so unlike my own clumsy oversized hands. Her lithe agility was like a cool breeze on a hot summers day. Even I knew how corny that would sound, but it is still how it felt to me.
Even in my daydream she seemed so out of reach, luminous ethereal skin that begged observance. Her image looked over to meet my gaze. At first curious then concerned. I was getting worried now, what had I done to make this spirit so concerned?
She seemed to be saying something. She stood up and put her device away. I could just make out the words on her lips.
“Jayde.”
She was saying my name? In this surreal landscape? I knew it wasn’t really Suzi, but something more or perhaps different?
“Jayde, c’mon.”
I was starting Suzi’s voice now. It kind of echoed a little as if said from a long way away. She was no longer beginning to look cross. Great, even in my own dreamscape she was annoyed if I looked or thought of anything beyond pure platonic friendship.
“You’re creeping me out.”
That last came through clear as a bell. I blinked and found myself looking directly at an irate Suzi back in the park. The great Jungle and Cityscape gone to where dreams hide in the bright of day.
“Huh?”
“Geez you’re clueless.” She put her hands on her hips holding her arms akimbo. "Earth to Jayde. Done here, I need to go write a report. Where the hell have you been?”
I looked at her curiously. “Right here? I was just dozing… I think.”
“You’ve been staring at me without blinking for almost twenty minutes. Seriously put me off my game. What’re you doing, taking Hannibal Lecter lessons?”
Damnit all. I found myself blushing in shame. I had gotten her angry when all I had been doing was daydreaming.
“Uh… sorry? I guess I was just lost.”
“No Duh. Listen, I’m heading home. You going to be alright?”
“Sure. I mean I should be.” Shit, she was giving me the concerned friend look. Whoever she ended up dating was going to be so lucky. I mean even her ‘friends’ look was good enough to knock me for a loop.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
Suzi grabbed her skateboard and walked over to the nearby sidewalk. Once there she kicked off and was quickly on her way with one last concerned look over her shoulder.
I think I may have screwed up somehow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 02
Chapter End Notes:
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Mirror Changed – Chapter 03
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
In between the upsells and button pushing's at work my coworker Becky and I were managing to have something of a conversation. Sore feet and Taco seasoning the next two most prevalent things of note in my senses.
“Come on it'll be fun.” Becky said as soon as we had a quick break in customers.
“Fun. Can I quote you?” I turned back to the front as a customer stepped up to my register. A dumpy middle-aged woman who looked like life had taken a literal dump on her and her delightful little bundle of joy. Read here: entitled little shit making preteen Xbox playing brat who manipulated mommy dearest into getting everything he wanted. It didn't help that he was currently whining harder than cartman from South Park about getting home so he could ‘kick some old fuck faces around online'. I think I may have encountered this little troll a few times online. If not him then definitely his doppelganger.
I went through the same script by rote once again. “Hi welcome to –“
“Yeah we want – “
“Would you like – “
And so on and so forth. They finished and moved aside to wait for their order.
“So Jayde, about Friday.”
I didn't roll my eyes but I wanted to. I liked Becky, she was a cool coworker. that was one of the problems. I had seen what happens with being too friendly with coworkers at some of my other jobs.
Then there was also the problem of barely knowing her.
“I would just be awkward.”
She shook her head and collected the prior customers order. After delivering it she continued, “I think you're selling yourself short period it's just a party. Come on, outside of that gamer chick, who you keep assuring me is ‘Just a Friend’ it seems to me you really don't know anyone.” Becky even included the air quotes…. of course….
Well, unfortunately she had me figured out on the friends front. Just Suzi, Bryan, and David were left of everyone I used to know.
“Which makes going to a party where I don't know anyone even more awkward.” I held up my hands palms up arms spread wide. “I can see it now, come and see the amazing wallflower boy. Capable of not uttering a whole sentence in a single evening. Feel awe at his inept abilities when it comes to mingling with those of the opposite gender. Revel in his monumental knowledge of nothing of interest. Stand at – “
“Alright alright.” She said with a giggle.
I do admit to myself, at least inside where no one else can judge me, I did think she was very cute in her manner and speech. “Seriously, I'm really nobody special. Why invite me?”
The look of incredulousness seemed odd. I was sure I haven't put my foot in my mouth again. at least I hope I have not I could not see how I had. Yet I have been known to eat my fair share of gym sock in the day. Oh who am I kidding, I still eat my size ten shoes on a regular basis.
“If you can't see that then you really need to get out more.” She paused to put her hand on her hip. “I'm not taking no for an answer. You're going, and if it's the tales of ‘Awkward Man’ then at least he can Wallflower again. If not, then guess what? You may just meet some new people.”
Her smile hit me like the high beams of a semi truck hitting a deer. I just hope I didn't end up on that truck bumper later on. After all that is what seemed to happen to me whenever I began to get feelings beyond just being an acquaintance.
“Yeah, hope so. That would be nice for a change.”
I was about to strike up some more conversation in between customers when Don came wandering by.
“Talk on break.”
what great management. I could just feel so much more motivated now. it was like I had been given pure inspiration from up on high. I turned back to the front and busied myself with my busy work to stay busy before Don could find something else to keep me busy with. Did I mention that I found something to do to keep me busy?
The rest of Friday had kind of gone in a blur for me. work nominally was usually like that. Between getting back home, showering the Taco seasoning and lettuce smell off, shaving, styling my hair poorly, and perhaps in among all that getting a clean clothes on I somehow found myself ready to head out into town for the night. it was holding a quick bus ride to southern Aurora. A city which wasn't too far of my home area just north of Seattle.
According to the address Becky had given me it was only another half mile away. I could take a connecting bus or walk the rest of the way period since it had probably take less time to walk than to wait I set out to tread the sidewalk. It was amazing how quickly a person could close the distance if they only put one foot in front of the other.
Kind of wish I had a smartphone or at least an old MP3 player right now. I didn't really have the budget for the former and the latter had broken a few weeks ago. At least the scenery wasn't bad. The drizzle wasn't even too heavy today. I should arrive only slightly damp rather than looking like a drowned rat. which was much closer to my normal modis operandi.
There is a joke up here in the Seattle metro area, it is that people do not tan they rust. I used to think that it was actual rain here, but I discovered that for the most part we don't know what rain is when I had visited a distant uncle down in Kansas. In just one afternoon I had learned what real raid was and I had also learned how turkeys could drown in the rain just by looking up with their beaks open. Suffice it to say said turkeys definitely did not live here.
these socks and others kept my mind spinning as I walked. I didn't really notice when I got off the old historic route 99. Nothing specific about the quality of homes clued me in, not really. As I neared my destination I did finally begin to notice a marked increase in relative wealth. It was already dark when I got to the home stretch, and by the number of cars out front I could make a reasonable guess as to which house I had been invited to.
The sight of it was almost enough to make me turn around. A two-story affair with what looked like at least four bedrooms upstairs judging by the number of windows. Also of course the upstairs balcony. The ground floor looked half again as wide and was set up with a wraparound front porch. Their driveway, which of course was filled with expensive cars, was a drive through type that was two vehicle lanes wide. I am not entirely sure if the color of the house as the streetlights were a pleasant old style yellow. That combined with a damp created as surreal haze effect right out of one of Bryans Noir style video games.
“Suzi’d dig this.” I stated not quite sure if it was to myself or to bolster my confidence. Probably it was to help the nerves out. Yeah, I'll go with that.
There were plenty of partygoers out front drinking various drinks and inhaling from either e-cig vaporizers or actual old style cigarettes and rolls. I walked up to the front. A bit more intimidated with almost a dozen people watching me. One guy lifted his glass and welcome as I got to the porch.
I lamely waved at him and the guy he seemed to be standing rather close to. I wonder if they were an item, if so I hope they didn't think I was fair game. I may not really have a hope in hell of dating someone like Suzi, but I wasn't quite ready to attempt life on the other side.
“Hey.” Said in what I hoped was a cool ‘in passing’ tone.
“Hey back at you. New here?” The man asked before I could enter the house.
“Not really. I live South of here.”
His friend leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Both of them giggled, which made me feel more than a little bit awkward. “Rob here says you're cute. Also that he hopes to see you around later.”
Yes they were definitely a couple. Verified giggles and all. And yes, I was now probably beat red in embarrassment. I really was not sure what to do. So I chose the better part of valor and with ears burning I entered the house. Rob and his boyfriend's giggles left behind. I really hope that things do go a bit better inside. So far I may just be better off going back home.
The music inside didn't exactly blare, but it was loud. Loud enough to force people to either yell or lean close to be heard. Great for many of the better-looking people I saw to get together, not so great for wallflower like myself. At least the beats pumping out were a decent remix I could nod to in a corner. Once I found one that is. I had to at least wait around until Becky showed up, I owed her that much courtesy even though I was already getting more than a touch anxious.
After around downstairs I had seen neither hide nor hair of anyone I knew. So I grabbed it drink from the kitchen and then a left in search of a location in which to take my reputation as the Great Unknown Visitor of the modern age.
Of course a corner was hard to come by, between furniture and people making out along the edges of the room it seemed that quarters had become prime real estate. Instead I found a very impressive piece of blank wall to park my ass against.
No sooner had I found my hindquarters plastered against the wall when I found someone else lean up next to me. She was pretty good looking, though a bit older than I was. Early twenties I would guess. She looked like a college student if I had to guess. Knee length skirt, long blue sleeved blouse, and a barrette on her head. Long brown hair loose down her back and a nice mocha colored skin tone. She stood there for a few, took a glance my way before looking into the crowded living room turned dance floor. I wasn't sure what she was doing over on the side of the room next to me. She was probably just waiting for someone.
About the song or two of her standing there and my sneaking peeks sidelong at her she seemed to tire of the spot. With a sigh that did wonderful but distracting things for my libido she pushed off as if she found whatever she was waiting for.
For the next while I just watch people go about doing the things that people did at parties. Drank, chatted, danced, made out, got pissed off with each other, made back up afterwards, drank some more. Pretty much everything I had come to expect out of a good party thanks to Hollywood. I even had a great sideline to watch it all happen to everyone else.
Sometime after the mocha skin woman left a blonde bombshell collapsed in the recliner next to my patch of wall once it had been abandoned by a prior occupant. She had strong features and a well-done tan she had either gotten out of state or at a salon. Matched that with trendy shorts, halter top, and knee length boots and I would bet she could have just about had any straight guy in here. Hell, she could probably have almost any gal she wanted as well. She sat across the chair instead of in it properly, her feet kicking in the air innocently on the opposite side of it from me. She took a deep swallow of whatever was in her cheap plastic cup then lolled her head back to look at me from an upside-down vantage.
Her positioning gave me a great view down the top of her halter which showed no tan lines I could see. She caught me looking and grinned wickedly at me. I felt my face reading in embarrassment, shame, and arousal not necessarily in that order. Definitely shame now as I quickly looked away. The woman reversed herself quickly on the recliner, kneeling on the seat and leaning against the backrest with her chin on her forearms. The way she was positioned it stuck her butt out a little, pointing it back into the room. I did try my best not to be too obvious as I attempted to get a peek at her out of the corner of my eye.
“You like?”
Her voice had been very playful and coffee completely off guard.
“Uh? Yeah… I guess?” I am proud that I did not completely stammer however I still felt like a complete asshole by admitting that.
That was probably not the answer she was looking for as she rolled her eyes at me before getting up to flounce away into another room. I think she said something sarcastic as she left, but I missed whatever it was to the background noise.
“Jeeze…”
I finally pushed off the wall myself to go get another drink. This time something a bit stronger than just a soda I considered.
After a bit of trouble negotiating the hallway I made it to the kitchen. There were, if it was even possible, even more hard liquor and drink varieties now that when I had first arrived. I guess I should have brought something, I didn't really know the etiquette to house parties though. Probably was only going to have one last drink before I left, even though I almost never drank alcohol regardless of my current age. I have not yet spotted Becky in the almost hour since I got here and I was already feeling more than a little bit claustrophobic.
“Oh, Hay Jayde!”
I turned to the completely unexpected voice to find Suzi entering the kitchen from the hallway. I stood there breathless at her current outfit. For the last ten years she had been major into cosplay and costuming. Her repertoire of materials and cosmetics would do a small production studio proud. If I didn't know her real hair color wasn't strawberry blonde and almost two feet in length I would be very hard pressed to guess. That over a loose white peasant blouse with wide sleeves and lacing up the front and below she had on a pair tight skin hugging pants. Simple and elegant, a far cry from her normal punker or gamer wear.
My mouth must have bad hanging open from her mirthful expression. Once again, chalk it up for Mr. Idiot. I am pretty sure I was making a fool of myself, but I could not make myself to respond in any way shape or form.
“Introduce me to your friend please Suz.” A deep male voice sounded out from beside her.
I had been so focused on Suzi I had completely missed the very handsome man off of her arm. Tall and athletic with a slightly Hispanic casters features. He was as incredibly groomed as any actor out of a soap opera could possibly be. Clothes to match my friend, they look like a couple that belonged off at a red-carpet event.
“This is one of my oldest friends, Jayde. Jayde, this is Hernando. He is in town for a limited engagement so I'm treating him around.”
Hernando held his hand out for meat lightly. I stirred for a few like a dumbass. Finally my brain caught up with reality.
“Uh, hi?” I reached out, his handshake was loose and refined. His skin soft to the touch as well as incredibly supple. I could only guess how much he made to look so good and dressed so well.
“Jayde is it?” I couldn't place his accent, but he seemed interested in talking at least. “It is always so wonderful to make the acquaintance of any of deer Suzi’s friends. Especially one is interesting as I am sure you are.”
Who what now? Me interesting? Only if a gamer dork working a toxic Taco place was interesting. Not wanting to look bad in front of Suzi though I didn't think admitting to that would be a good idea.
“Well, I guess so. She has been a constant in my life for a long time now.”
“Wonderful!” he exclaimed before disengaging from Suzy’s arms. “So, what are you having to drink?”
I looked to Susie for help only to find her looking mischievously at me.
“Actually, I think I had better be going. I should get up early tomorrow, lots to do and such.”
Hernando looked a bit put out by this. “Oh, please do not leave on my account. I am quite sure we could have quite the good time this evening.”
“Yes Jayde, please do stay.”
Even with Suzy pitching in I really didn't want to play third fiddle. “No, I’m sorry.”
Susie came forward to give me a hug. “Well give me a call later will you?”
I nodded to her and pulled back only to find her friend pulling me into a very close embrace himself. I felt more than a little uncomfortable with a guy hugging me as I didn't know where to put my hands or how to respond. He gave one quick last squeeze that released me to arm’s length. He looked over at Susie while he had me by my shoulders.
“You really will need to bring him around sometime Suz. Delectable truly.” with the last squeeze that left me even more confused Hernando let go of me. “Please Jayde, if you are free anytime soon do give me a call.”
He handed me a card, I guess it had his information on it. Though I did not look at it just yet. All I wanted to do though was to make a beeline home. One last nod and goodbye to Suzi and I managed to get to the porch more or less intact. Thankfully Rob and his boyfriend were not out front. Also, I saw that Becky was getting out of a blue compact car at the curb. She leaned in to say something to the driver who pulled out before turning towards the house.
“Jayde! You made it.” She came up to me with an infectiously friendly enthusiasm.
"Hi Becky. You look nice.”
She did too. Hair done up in curls and wearing a fashionable set of jeans and blouse outfit. She also had on Several pieces of jewelry that complemented her skin very pleasantly.
Becky cocked her hip and cross her arms under her breasts, "Nice? That’s all?”
“OK, good?” I felt ashamed again. It really was not my evening. “Decent? I dunno?”
A scowl began to set into her pretty face. “Try again.”
“Pretty?”
She sighed and uncrossed her arms. “Passable at least. C’mon let's go in and get a drink.”
I shook my head. I really did not want to go back inside and make an ass out of myself in front of Susie once more. “Sorry, I'm heading out.”
“Oh really.” Becky deadpanned. “I just got here you know.”
Now I felt even more awkward. Arms too long and hams oversized, nowhere to put them. First my pockets then after that nervously in front or behind me. “Yeah, I'm really sorry. I've been looking for you, but I really don't know anyone here.”
She gave me a look like I grown a second head. “That's the point of going.”
“I guess.” I stood like that lamely, Becky waiting for me to continue for a bit. “I guess I'm still sorry? See you at next shift?”
She looked at me crossly before she brushed past into the house. “Fine. Bye.”
Now what did I do? She sounded really angry as she left.
A bit more depressed I made my way back to the bus stop catch the next one towards my crappy apartment. At least there I knew what to expect, I knew what was normal and what was not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 03
Hope everyone loved this chapter. the next chapters of this and Summoned are up on my Patreon, they'll be out in a few weeks here too. If you like my work consider supporting me over there.
https://www.patreon.com/alyssnancyonymous
Also, yes, Jayde is something of a wet blanket.
Mirror Changed – Chapter 04
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not sure how I got back on the path in my dream. I don't remember going to sleep, I guess that since this is a dream that doesn't matter too much.
Once again I found myself on the center path between the great jungle and the huge metropolis. Already I had moved beyond the empty blank slate that I saw the first time I was here. Is this progressing? is this moving on? However it could be something else. I do not know what is going on. Like the time before I did not seem to need to breathe as there did not even seem to really be a sky. Just the landscapes to one side and to the other.
Wait, wasn't like that last time? It was, I think. I do know that there was more definition this time. I also somehow knew that all living things in the jungle were present, as well as all constructed items of the city. From small lizards and birds to the large animals striding across the land over two tiny microchips and great engines of creation. Everything that ever was seemed to permeate this dream realm. I began to wander down the center path. I was sure it was here for the reason, I was sure I was here for that same reason.
While I walked both vistas continue to change and grow .To evolve and strengthen into what they will become, or is it that they have always been.
The forests or was it the jungles trees grew to astounding heights while the creatures of the land and sky interwove among the greenery. A vast body of water I could feel but not see interposed below and beyond. Leviathans traveled the depths while porpoises frolicked in the waves. Great reptile’s scaled and leather bound roamed the lands next to the furry feathered creatures sharp of tooth and claw. Each stage of evolution making its presence known to me as I meandered at the edge of nature’s ground.
As always opposite the jungle was the realm of stone and bronze, iron and brick, concrete and composite. Metamorphosized just the same. From early slabs of granite and tools of Obsidian to Adobe huts with thatched roofs civilization grew. Chariots rolled in among the lanes both cobbled and paved. Complex carved edifices formed to replace many of the older buildings, yet some of the ancient remained. Throughout every epoch this continued. The houses and keeps being replaced continually as newer technologies and materials made themselves known. Yet as bronze age melted into iron and iron into medieval something of ages past always remained. Whether it was a peasants hut, or knights retreat, or even the giant pyramid I saw in the distance all of human achievement were there for me to see.
I kept to my pace.
Staying on the path straight ahead as a great ziggurat of glass and steel rose into the heavens. As an ancient Redwood so large it blotted out the sky that was not there. The ancient of both out and alongside the modern. Both expenses were beginning to make my head spin. Then I noticed something in the distance, something ahead of me for the first time.
I walked along to whatever it was they seemed to cross over the path. My bare feet feeling every aspect of the smooth path, a sort of wind that was not their breezing over my bare skin. Whatever it was I felt drawn to it. Whereas nature had been interesting and the great city fascinating this item was irresistible to me.
As I closed on it, I saw that it was a great arch over the path. Details began to fill in as I walked. The left side of it, which was firmly rooted in the grasses of the forest, was a composite of many technologies. Marble pillar, steel girder, alloy braces, engraved woods, LED's and plasma screens, wires, police, strings, gears and more. On the right side where city had it's reign the arch was living construct. Branches were interwoven with vines. Leaves and mosses and flowers and fruits. Animal scurried in among the various places to hide or to crawl. Every color nature could provide was here, whether on the carapace of the beetle or the feathers of a bird.
This great arch rose dozens of feet and was at least as wide. The closer to it I got the more intricate of both halves seemed to become. As if I was rising out of the depths of a trance and into reality for the first time. Closer I walked until I could see a figure in the distance walking towards me.
The person was as naked as I was. Similarity sparked in my mind from the shock of light brown hair and the pale fair skin to the stormy blue grey eyes. It was not until the last several paces that my mind made the connection that the only difference between the figure before me and myself was that it was a girl.
She was smaller than I was, lithe and skinny in that awkward teenager way that many girls in their late teens can be. She was not like any girl I'd ever dreamt about. This girl stood as calm and introspective as I was. Inspecting me with the same intensity that I used on her. So very unlike the erotic dreams of pop stars or females that I knew. Nor was she like any of the awful nightmares of mockery I had endured from women I knew in real life.
Instead, she just walked up to the portal opposite me to stand and stare. Stopping just as I stopped looking when I looked. A mirror to my action in many ways. Her stance so very close to mine but subtly different. Feet placed just a bit different, knees not quite the same bend. Where I was sure my posture was masculine hers was feminine.
We stood there for a time. I was not sure if she was the mirror of me or I was the mirror of her.
Her hair was tomboy short period her size was very petite. I was not the tallest at five foot nine, but she looked like she was over a head shorter. I doubted she came up to five feet, if that. I was not very muscular nor brought of chest, this translated to a slim carriage on her and small but pert breasts. Very defined, likely the type that would never need a bra in her life.
As it was in a dream state I was not abashed by any nudity. Still I did not believe it to be polite to look down below her narrow waist and flat stomach.
Not sure what to do now that I was in arms reach of her we stood for a time. Finally, I reached up to see if I would touch and invisible plane that reflected her image to me. Or perhaps she was real. At least as real as a one could be while in a dream.
I was not taken completely off guard by the feeling of her fingertips on mine. It was still a near thing. Her skin was smooth and warm, fingers tiny against mine. I move my hand slightly to the side expecting her to do the same, to have the contact extended.
Instead her fingers slipped slightly to the side, allowing her hand to clasp mine. An energy flowed up my arm. It was worse than grabbing onto an electric fence. Fire moved along my skin charging every cell with something that was not pain but felt the same nonetheless. The power was of some sort that coursed up my bones igniting everything in their wake. I could not let go. She would not let go. I could not hold on and yet I did. The moment passed after an eternity of but a moment.
Before my vision cleared I noticed that I no longer felt her grip in my hand. Rather it was a flat field against twitch my palm lay. My nerve endings no longer fired randomly in my limbs seemed to be my own once more. I looked around as my site returned. Things seemed somehow different. The air currents a touch more caressing, the ground a little more defined. My skin felt just a touch more sensitive as if it was more receptive to sensation.
Since this was a dream I guess anything could be possible.
Then I looked at where she had been to get a start. I saw myself writ large. My body, though still lanky and gangly was good head taller than I was. I could see everything on my nude form, and as I moved so did he.
Wait…
No.
I seemed to be outside myself. Not in my body, and if I wasn’t in my body then I had to be in hers. I kept looking up at him through the portal because I didn’t want to look down and confirm what I knew to be true. I had never in my life dreamt of being a girl. Why would I suddenly find myself doing so now?
A swallow. Two. The sounds audible to me, nearly deafening. I found it hard to screw up my courage to look down.
Subconsciously I expected to see my flat and markedly unimpressive chest. In my mind I knew what would be there, in my heart it was something else. So when I saw a small set of pert breasts I had a conflicted surprised feeling that was hard to reconcile. It was like phantom limb syndrome but in reverse. Something that shouldn’t be there but was. I felt my chest ending further out than my mind told me it should.
As I looked I heard a rushing in my ears. I had heard this sound before, right before a panic attack I had once years ago. Even knowing what the rushing noise was did not help me out. Instead, it seemed to only make it worse.
A droning ring began to encroach on me then. One hand still attempting to get back through to my male body, the other frozen beside me as I was unwilling to touch this body for fear of how real it would be.
The ringing began to pulse. Like my heart.
Thump, ring. Thump, ring.
With each consecutive beat something was pushed back. Not only from my sight but from my awareness as well. As if it had never been.
Thump, ring.
The great forest and all the creatures within. Gone. Blank nothingness in their place.
Thump, ring.
The metropolis. The skyscrapers, cars, chariots, huts, sawmills and all. Nevermore.
Thump, ring.
The Archway. Comprised of all that was living and all that man had made retreated above beside and beyond.
All that was left was me, my male reflection, and the invisible plane of force in between. Slick as glass and infinitely strong.
Thump, ring.
He watched me as I watched him. The same concern that was almost fear on his face that I felt on mine.
Thump. Ring.
He was pulled back as if by some great force around his middle. Flying away at speed. Leaving me all alone once more upon an empty field.
Thump… RING!
The nothingness of the landscape reared up and wrapped itself around me. Entangling my limbs in a damp grasping hold. Clasping me. Engulfing my body.
I could not breathe. The constricting forcing everything from my lungs.
Thump! My heartbeat so loud I felt as if my eardrums would burst.
RING! The audible concussive reverberation throughout all of existence.
The grasping landscape eclipsed all of my vision. Nothing remained. A chill began to cover all of my flesh. Clammy and wet. It restrained my legs, holding them together as I attempted to kick away.
THUMP!
My room. I was in my room. My eyes flashed open. I still could not breathe. My heart hammered in my chest, stronger than ever before. The palpitations painful. Everything wasn’t in the right place. I was tangled in my bedding, but it was strewn about. Like I had been fighting it all night. My clothes were half on, half off. Shirt ripped on one side. Television screen knocked to the floor nearby. There was a new hole in the wall nearby, and my left fist felt slightly bruised.
Crap… was I lashing out? Attacking things in my sleep in panicked delirium? It had felt like I had been fighting for my life. My heart finally began its winddown from full panicked fight or flight mode.
My ringtone on my cell went off. Dangnabit. I pulled valiantly at the sheets and my shirt that was half on half off. I was still restricted and couldn’t get free.
It stopped ringing just as I was clear of those despicable materials.
“Ewwww… Gross.” I did NOT want to touch anything. Everything felt like I had been dragged through seawater and hadn’t even had a chance to dry. I was covered in clammy ick. If nothing else I needed a shower something fierce.
“Only a dream.”
I patted myself down just in case. All parts seemed to be accounted for and no extra jiggly bits or padding where it didn’t belong.
“Only a dream. Only a very very strange dream.”
It had felt so real though. More real than this room right now. I was sure I had much worse or stranger dreams, but this one had a texture to it that went beyond imagination.
At least my phone had pulled me out of the dream before it got even more off the deep end. Now I just needed to find the little bastard. I seem to have flung it somewhere in my thrashing about.
Luckily when I found it the thing wasn’t damaged. Especially since it was just an el-cheap-o flip phone from a bygone era. One of those free government things I got over a year ago. Phone in hand I stood, noticed the late afternoon sun beating down into my room.
“Dammmnnn…. How long was I asleep?”
Rhetorical I knew, even in my own mind. Maybe I should start answering myself too? At least then I may be more interesting. I checked the phone and saw several messages and a few missed calls. Most from Suzi and a couple from David, one of my only friends left. The most recent was Suzi.
I stood there groggily, still coming down from my panicked awakening. I rubbed my sore posterior. How had that happened?
“Ouch…”
Ok, that was pretty lame.
My poor cell wasn’t working terribly well right now. It had been clipped by the tire of one of my coworkers cars earlier this month. The screen was cracked, but still legible at last. I just had to be careful with it till next payday when I could see about getting a replacement el-cheep-o from WallyWorld our local low income social club. Unfortunately, ever since it had been run over its time function didn’t seem to work. As such since I had found myself relying on my phones clock to tell time I found I was rather time deficient.
“Stupid phone.”
“Stupid dream.”
Berating things didn’t help, but sure felt good. It took me a couple of times before I got it to dial out properly. Then I waited as it began to ring through to Suzi’s phone.
She picked up almost immediately.
“Sorry I missed your calls.” I got in before she could speak. Lame Ass strikes again.
“Where are you?” She sounded calm, maybe a bit of concern was in her voice. She was never calm when answering the phone. Bubbly, hyper, distracted? Yes. Calm and focused? Never. “I’ve been trying to reach you for a few hours now.
“Home. Just waking up. Why?”
“Because no one saw where you got off to after the party the other night.”
“It’s fine. We weren’t supposed to do anything until this evening right? So I shouldn’t be too late.”
“No it’s not fine you Jackass.” Now she sounded annoyed. Much closer to the Suzi I knew and loved. “You’ve been incommunicado for more than a day.”
That couldn’t be right. I know I got home around midnight last night. But to sleep a whole day away? Wait… more than a day?
“Shit!” My exclamation loud and shrill to my ears. “Sorry, I mean What?”
There was a pause on the other end. I was sure she was switching ears after my outburst. “Get your skinny butt over here or I’ll send David over to kick it for me. You remember what happened last time I had to sic him on you?”
She hung up before I could reply. Not that I could really come up with a proper retort in quick order.
Fully awake I scrambled into some clean, or at least dry, clothes. I didn’t even bother with socks. Just slipped on my worn out old thrift shop special sneakers. Once outside I finger combed my hair into an approximation of some sort of style. Bed head sounded about right for now. Probably just made it stick out even further. I had to blink a few times in the afternoon glare, my eyes not quite adjusting.
It was not far to Dave’s. Still plenty of distance to mull over my dream. The type that seemed to stick around long into the waking world. It rattled around inside my brainpan like a bad commercial song. Weird and complex, probably something a psychologist would have a field day with. I was considering this as I left the area where my run-down apartment complex was at. Crossing into one of the many small strip malls.
Past the stores, some closed most still open. The area had been able to bounce back pretty quickly after the Covid scare. I was still so distracted, almost distraught, by my dream that I was doing my best to not look into any reflective surface for fear of what I would see.
"Keep it together Jayde.” I would mutter sometimes as I walked.
It didn’t help though. I still kept seeing Her out of the far corner of my eye in the windows and mirrored surfaces. Remnants of a dream that felt more real than the world around me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 04
Authors Notes – I’ve been waiting to get this chapter online for a LONG Time! It was the dream that Inspired this Whole Novel! I had this dream a few years ago, it inspired me to write. If not for this dream I would probably not have made a single novel. It was so intense, so REAL, that I had to write it down. I shared it with my father who used to write fanfictions when I was younger. He helped mentor me into my first draft. It began the road to Here.
SO…. With that said. No I am NOT Jayde. Not in any way shape or form. Jayde is inspired by a friend of mine. I would like to think I am closer to Suzi, but even that isn’t really true. There are parts of me in every character, or parts of the people I know and love, aspects here and there. That is true for many authors I believe.
My friend that inspired Jayde joined the military a couple years ago and REALLY grew into his puppy paws. He is Huge now. But when we were lived close to each other he was soooo gangly and awkward. You know who you are, and why nothing worked between us. But I am so happy for you now that you’ve found your wife and have your first kid on the way! I am glad that our friendship survived and so if you read this online then you know how much I’ve treasured the history we had. Give your wife a hug for me.
Also,
Consider popping over to my Patreon, Advanced chapters located there!
https://www.patreon.com/alyssnancyonymous
Toodles!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
Not long after I arrived at David’s house. It was almost as rundown as the place I lived in. However, where the condition of my apartment complex was the owner’s fault, Dave’s house was his own. He said he inhaled inherited it from his father, and it was paid before he only needed to take care of the maintenance utilities and taxes. Yeah, that would be nice. I always felt a touch envious towards his situation.
“Lucky Bastard.” Was my normal quiet comment on the state of his living arrangements whenever they came up.
His lawn was rife with weeds and the bushes next to the house looked like they hadn’t been trimmed in a decade. Tall wooden fence in the back, nothing left of it in the front yard. It was rotted and looked like a stiff breeze would knock it over. One very tall and healthy evergreen grew in the backyard and spread its branches protectively over the rear of the house.
The only odd thing about all of Dave’s greenery was that regardless of its untamed appearance was that it was always vibrant and healthy. No matter of rain, shine, or drought. His water bill was probably nasty during those parts of the year.
The domicile was another matter. As much as the overgrowth of plant life thrived the house was decrepit and probably one inspection away from being condemned. An old brick cottage with a shingle roof. Many were cracked and moldy due to the Seattle damp. One o the windows still had a small hole in it from a rowdy party last year that David still had not repaired. The paint on the window trim was peeled, showing the wood underneath and the porch was a bit soft on one side. None of us really hung out outside his house though so I guess the front didn’t matter. David did keep things cleaner inside and the power worked fine, so it was a teenager’s heaven for gaming and killing time.
Since the front door was ajar, as usual, I decided to call out instead of knocking.
“Hey guys, you there?”
I could slap myself on the forehead. Of course they were, I could hear the videogame and David grousing about something or other.
“Hey Suzi, quit hogging the Princess.” Dave’s gruff voice complained from within.
Since neither answered I poked my head inside.
As usual, Suzi was dressed however she wanted to dress. Meaning completely up to her and convention be damned. She had on her leather jacket from earlier in the week but instead of skater gear she wore a pink cutoff t-shirt and bedazzled jeans combo. Her costume hair was blonde and styled into a pair of pigtails that were jauntily high on her head. She looked like a psychotic bubblegum teen and if I guessed right there was a baseball bat nearby to complete the outfit.
I thought she was going for Harley from DC, except that the hair was a lot more poofy and wasn’t died in any way, plus her makeup was pink, blue, and glittery rather than running mascara on pale white.
Almost a complete counterpoint to the crazed bimbo attire my friend David looked as I have always seen him. Tall with a good build and broad shoulders. Average looks leaning towards handsome with ragged hair that looked rakish on him. His jawline was square without being over defined with a symmetrical quality I could only dream of having myself. I could easily imagine him working at an Abercrombie and Fitch counter. Not quite good enough to be a model, but far beyond my own quality of mousy plainness.
David’s choice of clothes was usually best described as grunge meets hipster meets ‘I don’t give a rat’s fat ass.’ All in all with his darker Caucasian skin tone and deep brown hair he could blend in or stand out in just about any crowd at his own command.
Well, except maybe Japan. He would be Big in Japan. Even sitting down, anyone with half a brain could tell he was taller than six feet.
Both of my friends were sitting on one of Dave’s two oversized and very threadbare couches. The kind that you’d find out back behind a thrift store in the rejection pile. Good enough shape to attempt to donate but not good enough to accept. In front of one of them was an older model but still very large flat panel TV. Somewhere in the mid fifty inch range I think.
They were playing the latest, or perhaps the second to latest, Super Smash Brothers Battle Party something or other game. It was hard to keep track of them as they released them so frequently. The latest match seemed to be loading.
“If that’s Jayde ignoring the fact he can come in at any time again I am going to lower his friendship level.” David didn’t even bother to look over as he gruffly ribbed me.
Suzi glanced at David briefly before glancing back at the screen. “Jayde! Get in here. Jeez you act like such a kicked puppy sometimes.” That last was muttered under her breath but was still loud enough for me to hear.
Walking in I guessed that I was blushing again from the rising heat in my face. I really wished I didn’t blush so easily. It didn’t help that Suzi, as usually, looked very good and that she had just called me a puppy.
“Ok Jayde, that means your friend card is revoked. It has been downgraded to an acquaintance card.” David seemed to be in a mood today. More broody than usual, and that was saying something.
“Don’t mind him Jayde.” Suzi piped in as their battle began. “He’s just being pissy because he’s getting his butt kicked by a princess.”
“Some princess.” He muttered attempting to defend against a nasty combo that Suzi let loose. Once his character was brutally blasted away Dave tossed his control down in a huff. He finally looked over, scowl on face. I think he was always scowling, or brooding, or sulking. The only other expressions I seemed to see on his face was a particularly evil grin he sported when he was playing a prank or was up to something. However he was always around to hang with or play games with. Which was probably why so many people thought he was cool.
Though having his attention wasn’t always a good thing. “Alright Jayde, what’s got your panties in a twist? You’re acting more like a virgin in a whore house than normal.”
“Weird dream. Well, a very very weird dream.” I sat down on the other couch and put my feet up on the coffee table. The game was now back on the character selection screen but neither Dave nor I grabbed a controller.
Suzi had already selected the Princess of course. She put down her controller and made a square of her thumbs and index fingers in the classic ‘Taking a picture’ frame. I could see one of her brilliant blue eyes through the box. “Jayde, if you get any more awkward I am sooo gonna put you into a comic.”
I only groaned in reaction. Sometimes Suzi was like this and I could only ride it out.
David on the other hand laughed. Low and throaty, somewhat like a predator on the hunt. He always like a good jab or put down.
“So, weird dream?”
“Yeah, can’t seem to shake it either.” I replied with a nod.
“And?” Suzi made a come on hand motion.
“Well….” Now I felt silly and a bit more embarrassed than earlier.
“Spill it Princess.”
Suzi looked back at Dave with his last comment then back at me. “Is that it? You dreamt you were a princess?”
I sat up on the couch, probably flushed a couple shades of puce at this point. “Damn it you two.”
“Ok Mr. Acquaintance card. Want to earn you friend card back? Then please elaborate.” He paused for effect, “Were you a good princess or a bad princess?”
I’m pretty sure I could fry an egg on my face right now. Trust David to get in a cutting jab when I am already flustered by Suzi. It wasn’t that what he said was too much worse, but for some reason when it came from him it sounded much worse.
Which left me trying to sputter my way through another inept reply. Poorly.
“I think you should let Jayde play the Princess. Seems to be more his speed.”
Suzi made a face at David, tongue out and eyes crossed. “There’s multiple Princess’s in this game. I think Jayde should take the other one and then you’ll have two Princess’s kicking your ass.”
“Please, enough with the princess jokes.” I finally got out. “Weird dreams are bad enough, but to be double teamed about being a princess….”
As soon as I finished speaking I mentally kicked myself in the ass. Talk about giving Dave a loaded gun. So it was to my surprise that he left it alone and Suzi took the bait.
“OH! I knew it!” She squealed leaning forward towards me so rapidly her blonde pigtails whipped from behind to her front. “You’re finally ready to admit it! You secretly ARE a magical pretty princess and here to stop the dreaded evil Zorklings from taking over!”
Huh? I tried to articulate a response to my mischievous imp of a friend only spluttering a couple times before I could speak. “NO! It was just a weird dream.” I calmed down a little. “Nothing else. It just spooked me enough that I keep seeing things out of the corner of my eye and strange things flash in reflections sometimes.”
I looked away from them. Lamely picking up a controller. The room suddenly seemed to have gained an energized charge to it. Enough so that I could almost feel David’s shift of posture and demeanor. I looked up just in time to catch him stand.
“That’s enough for me today.” He turned and left to go into his single bedroom. “I think I’m gonna rest before I get some stuff done tonight.”
His door closed quickly, but not fast enough to cause it to slam.
Suzi looked over at where he had left then back towards me. Her deep sapphire eyes seemed almost as large as the comic pop idol she was dressed to emulate. “Wow, normally he would have a lot more to say.”
“So… what now?”
She shrugged her shoulders and collected the baseball bat I had known she had somewhere nearby. “Take our chances hanging out somewhere else?” I noddd my reply after which she continued to chat on our way outside. “So, about this dream Princess?”
I just groaned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Elsewhere~
In the old granite quarry the members of the Council of Balance congregated once more. This time only the nine. The humans and the glows. Though the location remained the same as before, the center stage now had a rock table hewn out of the granite shelf. It appeared to have grown up from the bedrock it was on. Veins of quarts and even some gold shot through it. Not unlike the veins in an arm or perhaps an oak leaf. The table of granite had an organic feel to it, yet was still hard stone all the same. The ambience brought by the four glowing beings eemed to pulse in time to a slow heartbeat. Their varied colors blending into the quarts of the table so that the crystal pulsed with photonic blood.
One of the glowing beings pulsed a little faster as she addressed the group. “It has become a problem.” Her voice had a buzz to it though no less feminine for that. “One that we should not… No, that we can Not any longer mark up to coincidence.”
Her orange tinted glow was dim, like the dying embers of a fire. Still warm and comforting on a cold day but not something that a smart person would wish to handle.
The bearded speaker of the Council of Balance addressed the others next. “Yes, far too many of our members have disappeared. Many posts stand vacant, locations unobserved, infractions against Balance left unchallenged.”
His manner of dress was similar to the larger gathering they had prior, still akin to a coffee shop hipster. Now though he had vario8us technological devices on his person including a cellphone in hardshell case on his hip and smartwatch on his wrist. In contract to this he also was entwined with living vines that traced along his limbs, up his torso, and even entangled within his beard.
One of the woman signaled to speak. Dressed in a masculine business suit of dark blue silk her Asianic features hard and sever. Her dark raven hair was shorn close to the scalp. “We have not been able to identify the new Chosen of Balance. Our next generation is in many cases going through their initial Change after accepting the Gifts of Balance. Yet we have too few of us available to find them and shelter them as they grow into their new selves.” Her voice was halting and course, as if unused to speaking.
The first of the glowing beings spoke once more. Now brighter, similar in color but closer to an angry blaze than to a cool ember. “We know it must be the works of either Gaia or Civilization. Not natural effects. Not accidents. There is no other agency that would act to Neutralize the Balance that has held for so many Millenia. We must Act. Not Talk. We need to go out and remove those who would attempt to turn us back to the Chaos of so long ago.” Her energy sharp and discordant. It shifted the feeling of the table, turning it from a gentle stable artifact into something of anger and action. “Too long have the chosen of Gaia and Civilization agitated against the Balance. The very thing put in place by the Great Entities that have granted us all our gifts.”
One of the glowing beings that had yet to speak countered her. The electric blue shifting into a calming ambience to assist in soothing the aggression of her fellow Chosen. “No, first we must take the appropriate steps of investigation. We of Balance must not be the initiators of another war. After all, for all we know it may be normal human organizations who are responsible for this. It has happened in the past, it could happen again.” Her voice turned sad and introspective. “We all remember the unfortunate events in the colony of Massachusetts Bay all those years ago.”
Several of the group repressed shudders of grief and pain. None here could forget the slaughter of a dozen young Magi in training by the fearful people of the time. Most of the youth had only just manifested, not really understanding what they were and how they came to be. Only just gathered together to be properly instructed.
The speaker bowed his head in memory of the tragedy. He looked at the others of the Council. “Then we will task our members to investigate these disappearances. Even if it may leave some area’s uncovered for at time. No direct action is to be taken unless and until there is proof of what is occurring.”
His expression was firm, belying the casual coffee shop anti-establishment looks he sported. His voice cool and would not be out of place in an executive board room or military briefing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
Oooomph!
I tried to regain my breath after a rather unspectacular wipe out. Unspectacular in that I just bellyflopped onto the concrete after my skateboard had jetted out from under me. I got up on hands and knees and wished I could afford more than the helmet on my head.
“That’s one way to get over the rail.” Suzi commented as she passed on a set of custom inline skates.
She was decked out in tight shorts, crop top, and skatewear. Including knee, elbow, head, and wrist protection. Not that she needed it. I had already watched her pull a handless side flip off a rail onto a ramp like a pro at the Red Bull X-Treme Games.
In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen Suzi wipe out in years. Like everything else she does she seems to take to it like a fish to water. I was very glad she invited me. Even if it was because it was at the behest of her friend Hernando from the party a few nights ago.
He came to stand next to where I had biffed it. Dressed up similar to how I was. Though whereas I looked like a schmuck in my loose jeans and ratty t-shirt, Hernando looked like a Guchi model out slumming in the skatepark.
I looked up as he reached down to help me up.
“Thanks.” I dusted my sore elbows and legs off.
“Bienvenidos. Siempre que necesites ayuda estare ahi.”
Oh yeah, he also had an annoying tendency to speak to me in Spanish even though I knew that he spoke flawless English. I think he just enjoyed teasing me for some reason.
“Uh.. yeah… Thank you I guess?” I rubbed the back of my head, clueless to what he was saying as usual.
Hernando just grinned one of his model perfect grins. The type of smile that made women go weak in the knees. It was no wonder that Suzi liked to go out with him so much. If I was a girl I’d probably do the same in her shoes…skates… whatever.
He stepped over to his free skates. A pair of square flat boards about six inches to a side with two skateboard wheels inline underneath each. Basically a skateboard cut in two with the middle removed. I had a hard enough time boarding sometimes, but this guy made freeskating look as easy as Suzi made rollerblading. I watched his roll over to the half pipe. The man had skills. Tucking and stepping, popping up one side and speeding down the other. Sometimes on both skates, sometimes on only one.
While he was in a complicated vertical maneuver Suzi rolled up next to me.
“He’s pretty good.” Her tone appreciative.
“I guess.”
Her laughter was light, music to me as it always was. “Guess? Why Jayde, if I didn’t know better I would say that you were Jealous.”
“What?!” I sputtered. Almost dropped my borrowed board. “Of him? No I’m not!”
She leaned in close, looked me deep in my eyes before she startled me with a boop to my nose. “Totally.”
I rubbed my nose with a touch of annoyance. “Ok, maybe a little. He really is good.”
“Just that?” Suzi continued her close inspection. “Sure there isn’t anything more?”
“Nope. Nothing.”
“Well if that’s the case, Hernando was wondering if you were doing anything later tonight.”
I looked over at Suzi again, not quite getting what she was hinting at. “Working. Besides I don’t want to interrupt your time together.”
Suzi laughed again. That beautiful sound that always seemed to make my heart skip a beat. “Oh Jayde. Don’t ever change.”
“Huh?” I scratched my head underneath where my helmet ended in confusion.
Hernando had finished his set and was wheeling up to us. “Convidada tertulia?” He looked over at Suzi.
She shook her head, a mirthful and mischievous grin on her face. It made her look kind of like a sexy playful pixie.
“Shame.” He shook his head in reply.
“Care to clue me in?” I inquired.
The two of them smiled at me before Suzi answered. “Maybe some other time. C’mon, let’s see you on the pipe now.”
Great, I get to be the follow up to the guys masterful performance. No time like the present at least. I dropped the board on its wheels and kicked off. I’d at least give as good a showing as I could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
Most of the week had passed, and yet that dream still bothered me.
At least I could find solace spending time with Suzi, David, or Byran. As well as at work. Sometimes though I wasn’t able to get away from the Dream.
To get away from ‘Her.’
I wasn’t sure that I was not going insane. She was the only thing that I saw that was out of the ordinary at least.
So to get away from ‘Her’ today I went to the mall a couple miles down from my place. I was sitting across from the Theater doing some people watching.
It was something Bryan and I would do for shiggles and ghits. We would watch them go by and invent storylines for them. Anything from histories and families to odd conversations that they had to be involved in.
Like the couple walking by arm in arm. He was dressed in the latest Manbun McDouche Hipster outfit. Bushy beard trimmed to within an inch of its life and I swore his hands had a better manicure than Suzi. The young woman with him looked like a much harder worker than he was, plus she looked awesome in her dreadlocks.
I would say that he made some serious cash online, probably on some feminist blog site. She was most likely the one who made the real decisions between them.
Once they were out of sight another worthwhile person to comment on walked into view. This one was a tall and skinny androgenous man. Well, I think it was a man. Corn rowed hair ending in beaded braids, poofy peasant’s shirt that was tie died a dark menage of oranges and blues. He was visually loud and quite possibly more gangly than I was…. If that was even possible.
Hrmmm… Collage student majoring in the arts and living off of parent’s money and student loans. Probably an activist of some sort. He’ll be a lawyer for corporations and a major supporter of the establishment that he is currently raging against.
Once he passed I saw across the way to the mirrored glass of the theater. I saw ‘Her’.
Ever since the Dream she was all I saw in the mirror. Only mocking me if I mocked her. Yet I never saw myself any longer. Just ‘Her’ instead.
I no longer went into my bathroom unless absolutely necessary. In fact the lightbulb had gone out a couple days ago and I had yet to bother to replace it. I had a couple of spares, it was just easier not to have any light to see ‘Her’ by.
Was Suzi right in some of her teasing? Was I just suppressing my feminine side so much that she was coming out now to haunt me?
Or was it more to do with life stress?
I didn’t think so, though outside of lack of money my life was pretty stress free.
Of course, I really would like a girlfriend. I knew I didn’t have a hope in hell of dating Suzi, and my last actual date was when I had just turned eighteen. Which ended in some spectacularly clumsy kissing and bad groping. The frustration and humiliation I had felt after that night made me much more hesitant to approach women in general.
At least with Suzi I felt at ease and we seemed to click enough that I could be open with most of my feelings with her. All but the ones that really mattered of course. I was too chick shit for those. Besides I was pretty sure that if she and Hernando didn’t work out that Dave was in her cards as a backup.
He was the epitome of ‘Bad Boy’ after all.
Wow, I think I had a pretty bad expression on my face judging by the ugly scowl that ‘She’ was making at me.
Honestly, even scowling ‘She’ was cute. Very tomboy, and my clothes on her though oversized just seemed to bring out an adorable spunkiness. It’s too bad she was just a figment of my imagination.
“So, would you go out with me?” I quietly said and watched her lips make the identical words out.
“Sure, anytime.” I replied to my reflection, making sure to smile brightly so I could see ‘Her’ radiant smile in return.
“Geez, now I’m flirting with myself.” I murmured to the air looking anywhere but at ‘Her’.
Really wished I could afford a therapist or something right now. I think I am starting to get to myself. Or is it ‘Her’ that is getting to me?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 05
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Mirror Changed – Chapter 06
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
Back at work again. As usual. Another boring Friday daytime shift appeasing customers and ignoring my surly manager.
Becky wasn’t on shift today, which was probably a good thing as she had been acting a bit weird towards me ever since the party. I was sure that she had just as good a time there without me that she would have had if I had stayed.
More so in fact, she probably would have been just plain annoyed with me in only a few minutes if I had stayed.
“Your meal will be out shortly.” I told an obstinate and slightly obese woman.
“Well, it had better be.”
I honestly never understood why some of these fast food buffalo’s, what we called irate heavyset customers, thought that being rude would get them better service. What it actually did was incentivize us wage slaves into fucking around with their order.
A few customers like her later plus one that was blessedly kind and I was now watching the clock like a hawk. I could swear that it had moved backwards by at least five minutes from the last time I had looked at it.
“Any time now…” I quietly internalized.
Sometime later I was almost ready to scream when Suzi walked in, a skateboard under her arm. Finally, something interesting. I glanced back at the clock… Somehow an hour had now passed between that last look and now. So all I had to do now was suffer through the last of the line and then the usual end of shift annoyance with Don. I think he lived here, I know that he was almost always onshift when I was.
Three customers left. One was a family of five though. Surprisingly the rugrats were well behaved and the ordering went quickly. That was one more for my new customer Bingo Card. We started it up again this week after a particularly foul Jerry Springer candidate had reared his ugly head. All of us were surprised he hadn’t managed a Darwin Award yet when he came through.
So far Don wasn’t aware of the pool. Yet. We were working extra hard on keeping it that way.
The last customer in my line had just finished paying as Suzi stood up from whatever she had been doing on her phone. She got into my line so that she’d be my final person of my shift. I was about to close the register when she held her hand up.
“Hold on there Tiger.”
Great, she was in one of her Mary Jane persona’s today. The red haired wig looked vibrant, its long tresses almost down to her waist. I had watched several of the female customers eyeballing her with envy.
Suzi also knew my personal feelings on this particular comic women in Spider Man’s life. That in combination with her normal spunky attitude meant I was going to be on both a hormonal and emotional rollercoaster tonight.
“Lemme guess, you got a hot date tonight and wanted to get a small bite in first before you hit the bar?”
“Not on your life. Dating is sooo last decade. Tonight is for fun with friends.” She cocked her hips to one side and flipped her hair back with the opposite hand.
Have to say to myself that she looked amazing in the dark green top and black pants. Say it inwardly only as I was afraid of what I would say if I mae an attempt to compliment her out loud.
“So, what can I do for you?”
Lame, lame, lame, I was so lame. God I just wanted to smack myself on the forehead.
Suzi put a finger to her lips and gently tapped it for a bit. I know she knew what she was doing to me. So I just squirmed in silence.
“So many dirty ideas with that one Champ.” She spun around and parked her butt up against the counter so she could lean back on both arms, which drove me crazier still. “However, I think it’s best if we stay pro’s here ya’ know. So order me up a few meals. We’re off to Dave’s once they’re ready.”
“That’s it?” I couldn’t hold the relief… and disappointment out of my voice. Much to my dismay. “I mean, well, of course. I’ll get those ready Suzi.”
“Now ya know I’m Mary Jane right now Tiger.” She patted my cheek, much like someone would pet a puppy on the head. “So get that ready.” She got up and bounced away. “And Jayde?”
“Yes?” I almost squeeked.
“Don’t Change.”
Sigh….
It didn’t take long for the meals to be prepared. Once clocked out we headed to the bus station. Her teasing nature was at the back of my mind all the way over to David’s. Of course she continued to do so the entire way over to our friends. Regardless of the fact that she only carried her board and I carried the meals and drinks.
Outside the house Dave was leaning up against the old red bricks smoking a cherry pipe he pulled out every now and then. Suzi sauntered up, still in character, and saucily took the pipe from a wickedly grinning David. She took a good drag on it, the glowing embers in the bowl brightening as more air flowed through them. A couple puffs later and she handed it back, a look of disappointment on her face.
“Sorry, plain old Georgian Tobacco.”
“And here I was hoping that I would actually pull off Mary Jane smoking some Marry Jane.” She pouted.
David grinned while I laughed at her shenanigans. “so, what’s on the Xbox tonight?”
“Depends on whether you brought me some good steak burritos or crappy hamburger fart fests.”
“Mmmm… Both?”
He grabbed the bag from me and headed inside, grumbling about worthless junk food products and ruining perfectly good meat.
By the time Suzi and I had made it in David had the food divvied out into three distinct piles. The biggest one of course in front of his customary spot. I went to sit down at one of the other piles only to have Dave growl.
“Yours is over there.”
I sat at the last pile, Suzi would end up in between us.
“Why this one?”
“Because all the hamburger and bean farts are there.”
Suzi sat down at her designated spot. “And these?”
“Chicken.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Why?”
“Because I like breasts and thighs next to me?” He said with a lecherous expression.
"PIG!" Suzi squealed in mock anger as she hit at him with a throw pillow. “Chauvinistic Pig!”
David put down the burrito he had been about to bite into and proceeded to defend himself against whirlwind Suzi. Likely he was attempting to rough house her into submission. Except that they ended up with Suzi straddling his stomach and Dave halfway off the couch at an odd angle. Her Mary Jane wig askew and no longer looking nearly as real.
“Damn it. It took Forever to get that to sit right.” She complained as she threw it off her head.
Unfortunately it ended right up on top of my head. I reached up to pull it off only to hear Suzi squeal again.
“It’s Perfect!”
Before I knew it I had been tackled by a very energized and peppy bundle of cosplayer. I could only partially see as she maneuvered me around like a rag doll. I felt her tug on my shirt and I attempted to keep it on, but somehow she managed to switch it with a different one while I was partially blinded by wig and my hyper friend.
Finally, wig on head and a different shirt on I was able to properly see my two tormenters.
Suzi was wearing my shirt, how and when that happened I had no clue. Which meant that I was wearing hers. I did NOT want to verify this.
“She really fills it out doesn’t she.” David stated to Suzi from where he stood.
“Damn it.” I reached up to take off the wig.
Only to have Suzi stop me. “Nope, you are Magical Princess Jayde now.” She pulled me down on the seat right next to her, our thighs touching. “Let’s show Dave what a pair of Princesses can do!”
I heard a click and had to blink a couple of times from a flashbulb.
“You two are So cute together!” Dave stated as he lowered an actual camera.
“Oh! Look Dave! She’s turning as red as her hair!”
“Damnit Suzi! You know I’ve been having a bad week.” I was doing my best to hold back tears now, hands were fisted on my knees and eyes burning.
She settled down a little bit. “That’s part of why we’re here.” She put her hand on mine. Which did nothing to lower my blood pressure but did change some of the reason for its rise. “You know, let out some steam. Let our hair down… well or off. You know, to just Be and not to worry.”
“So how bad a week has it been?” David put in.
“I may be having a bit of a break down.” I told them. I wasn’t sure why I was opening up, but it did feel good to do so.
“The dreams then?” Suzi asked.
I nodded in response. “Yeah. Strange thing is that they weren’t even that bizarre. Just, well, very real. A little too real in fact.” I looked over at Suzi. “Can I take off the wig please? It’s hitting a little too close to home right now.”
David’s wicked grin bore me some concern, but Suzi took the wig from me before he could get up to much more. His smile faded and so he sat down on the couch on the other side of Suzi. “Well, that’s no fun. Now I only have a Princess and her puppy to tease.”
“HEY!”
“C’mon Jayde. You are totally Suzi’s little puppy dog. What with the way you are always following her around.”
“Leave him alone David.”
“Arf arf.”
Her glare would have done Medusa proud. Of course having my friend defend me like that didn’t exactly help me out any regarding my self esteem.
“So, you’re still seeing visions?”
I shook my head. “Not exactly. Just the one.”
“The girl?” Suzi said to which I nodded. “So how much of her have you seen?”
“What? I’m not like that!” I said, aghast.
“Oh, come on, she’s just an imagination. Why haven’t you looked all the way?”
Blushing again. Great. Another superpower, the ability to blush at the drop of a comment. “Of course I haven’t looked all the way. That’d be… I don’t know…. Wouldn’t I be like violating her or something? It just doesn’t feel right looking at ‘Her’ body like she was on display or… yeah…” I was rambling but could not help myself.
“I know I would check it out if I was you. It’s not everyone that can just look in on themselves you know.” Suzi paused then looked at me mischievously. I love that look but right now it scared me. “What does she look like? Big tits? Small? Flat tummy? I love flat stomach’s, they’re pretty damned sexy.”
“Small breasts I guess- Wait! No, I’m not going to discuss ‘Her’ like a piece of meat.”
Suzi smirked. “No need to be such a Princess about it.”
Now I was past embarrassed and was beginning to get annoyed. These were my friends, but still I was having a crisis and Suzi was just making light of it.
Strangely David had been silent during this whole thing. Normally he’d be right in there with the digs. I wasn’t going to stick around though. I stood up and walked out.
“Hey! Don’t leave Jayde! We’re only having fun.”
I removed Suzi’s green shirt and threw it inside Dave’s house as I left. I had a bitter taste in my mouth.
Leave it to me to turn a good old gaming hang out with the only girl that seems to understand me into drama central.
To top the evening off it was drizzling on me as I walked home. Without a shirt no less.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
A few days later since I had walked out of David’s had been a bit depressing for me. Well, not a bit depressing. A lot depressing. Especially Sunday as normally Suzi and I would have hung out at the mall or skate park. I bailed on it however. I didn’t really know what to think of our friendship right now, and I think I may have done something really really stupid by walking out. I was too much of a coward to even answer her calls or read her texts.
What does that say about me? About my manhood? Nothing good I guess.
So I had let another two days pass until Byran had pulled me out shopping. I still only saw ‘Her’ in reflections. I had been hoping against hope that this would fade in time, but my psychotic break only seemed to be getting worse. Only getting more entrenched.
Or perhaps what Suzi said in jest was right when she was chattering about magical girls. All I know is that it had gotten tough to shave, and very distracting when I once walked into the bathroom without a shirt on. At least when I was out and about there were other people to look at.
Now out on a sidewalk downtown walking with Bryan things felt somewhat normal. It was nice to just chat. About video games and internet videos as we walked. Bryan was a good friend to hang out with. Neither derogatory like David or hyper active like Suzi. To put together a list of what we had in common outside of video games was a very short list. As well as a sad reminder of how little I had progressed in life. We had met in a first-person shooter contest in a gaming shop. It was the store’s attempt to draw in new customers. It really only just re-netted it’s same old group. I didn’t rank out very well, but Bryan owned most of the competition.
Our friendship began when I was dissing the controller setup I had been forced to use. He kicked my ass and I complained with a whole lot. Thus began our long drawn-out battle of the consoles.
Now on this fine Tuesday afternoon I found myself on the way back to his place after a successful round of purchases at the downtown gaming store. Well his purchases that is. I was playing the part of the faithful companion. Also there was a very good potential of getting my ass handed to me yet again tonight on his admittedly nice setup. At lease I would have some respite from how lonely I had been feeling after my tiff with Suzi.
It was pretty depressing that I really only knew Bryan, Suzi, and David from all the other people I had grown up with. Everyone else moving on and out of my life. I kept thinking on how they had gone to collage or to the military or married or what not. They didn’t have time for a loser like me who wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’m not sure about this latest attempt at a capture game.” Bryan stated out of the blue.
It took me a little off guard as we had been discussing an interesting live action internet video of the latest Final Fantasy. “The Digital Monsters one? Or the Ball Capture knock off?”
Of course I was a touch distracted as we walked along. We were next to the mirrored windows of a long strip of office complexes. I thought about switching sies with Bryan as when I looked over to talk with him I saw ‘Her’ in the window.
“No, I’m talking about some of those freemium games. It seems like the console game developers aren’t even trying anymore. I mean I guess I can understand since any kid can just hop on their tablet and download a game that you used to have to buy at a store.”
Bryan was like that. Very introspective on games, not really on anything else however. Just games. It takes all kinds I guess.
While we walked and talked I continued to take in the scenery. Bryan was better dressed that I was, which really didn’t take a lot of doing. He wore his work t-shirt, complete with corporate brand logo and a new set of jeans. He also wore a pair of brilliantly white sneakers that never seemed to get dirty. I was dressed in an old thrift store bought Zelda Tri-Force tee and some ratty pants I should have thrown away a few months ago.
Soon I was going to go out and buy some better clothes. These had been fine by my opinion until the dream. Now they were very distracting when I saw ‘Her’ in my reflections. Her hair was a short and messy page cut version of my current tassel of hair that was way overdue for a trim. On me I felt it looked nappy and awful. On her it looked adorable and cute. The jeans would have been alright if they fit, but the only reason they stayed up on ‘Her’ in the reflection was because it was all in my head. Finally the Zelda tee. It had a bit of an overstretched neck and was a little tight around my shoulders. On her though it could be positively indecent as it was almost a tent and the collar often flashed bits that should remain hidden.
I guess it was a good thing that I was the only one that could se her then. For all that was worth. I would be mortified if that was actually me that was caught in public.
Rounding a corner we maintained our chatter and I continued to watch people and their reflections. Since the Dream I had been watching people’s reflections a lot. Gaining an interest in those around me, or at least an awareness. It could also mean I was getting ready to break.
At least it gave me something to pay attention to besides myself.
Of course Bryan’s reflection was normal. Was walking along in the reflected sidewalk like normal. Everyone else’s lined up to their real self as well. Only mine was out of place.
A man not far in front of us, dressed in business casual. Probably on an afternoon break. The woman across the street in her ethnic dress that appeared to belong more in the Mediterranean than in a crowded American street. Even the pair of skater punks with their tats, piercings, and chains boarding towards us. We did our best to let them weave around us. Bryan held his bag of games close to his chest to make sure they were not yanked in passing.
Once the two were beyond us on their way I resumed my watch. I found it interesting just how many storefronts and offices were either fully or partially mirror tinted. I don’t think I have ever noticed it before. So introspective had my thoughts turned that I was no longer sure what we were discussing. Not that it was very important. Bryan and I just tended to have wandering conversations on whatever came up.
So I guess I could be forgiven for not noticing it at first. I was in something of a conversational fugue and window watching on the side. Everyone else’s reflections had always been normal. So even a gorgeous red headed woman walking aggressively towards us didn’t fully ping any mental warnings. Even watching her mirrored image didn’t pull me out. It should have. I mean a flame haired woman with large angelic bird like wings sprouting from her back shouldn’t read as normal. Her hair was a brilliant red, seemingly backlit as if by a fire. Hands ended in talonlike claws rather than proper fingernails. Pale alabaster skin, brilliant in the afternoon sun and containing a glow that would be pleasant to the eye.
Finally my introspective wandering ended as she blocked my path. My brain decided that the image belonged in a fantasy game really was her reflection and not just my own delusions. Reality came rushing back to find Bryan gazing very hapilly in her direction. Outside of the reflection I couldn’t blame him.
Hell, even without the reflection I would have been staring. Jaw dropped and everything. She wore tight leatherlike pants that she had to have been poured into. Footwear a pair of high-quality leather stiletto boots with bright studs running up the outsides. Tight blood red leather halter top styled vest over a fishnet long sleeved shirt that showed plenty of skin underneath. The long red hair that was part of reality and not the reflection was bright enough that it had to be a dye job. If it was it was a damned good one.
The very dazzling and also predatory looking woman stood watching us for a reaction. Then I realized it wasn’t us she was watching. It was me. Both of us were unable to speak. Bryan from hormones most likely. Me from that and the shock of her Avenging Angel visage in the mirrored window.
Bryan’s stillness was something of a blessing to me. It helped to extend the moment when any action would need to happen. I felt like prey cornered in the wild and the lioness was ready to pounce. I didn’t think my friend felt like prey though. More that he was a gamer geek who never passed up an opportunity to bask in a hot woman’s presence. Especially if she looked like she had just stepped out of a video game shoot.
Though I couldn’t’ move, couldn’t even look away, I saw the edges of her image move in my peripheral. Kestrel shaped wings that were brilliant white with bleeding red tips flexed slightly as she stood there. Feathers moving slightly in a non-existent breeze. My nervousness and anxiety grew as the moments passed. After a short time I am sure it showed on my face.
Eventually the woman/angel barring our way finally spoke.
“So are you going to just stand there and stare Magus?” Her tone was not exactly condescending. More that of a young woman who had caught her baby brother doing something particularly foul.
I didn’t know what to say, and it looked like Bryan’s brain had yet to catch up with the rest of him. When the woman spoke next she had gone from a slightly perturbed tone to that of the disgust I am sure a model reserves for ugly perverted old men ogling her.
“Well? Nothing to say?’
Neither of us knew yet how to respond to this gorgeous, yet unhinged, woman. I had troubles responding to unknown women, Bryan usually did not however. And it’s not that neither one of us didn’t know any, it was just that this particular one was new to us. Her looks notwithstanding, it was her reflection and the palpable energy I could feel emanating from her that held me cornered like a rabbit.
She didn’t seem like she would be able to wait any longer. Her nostrils flared and her temper was obviously on the rise. She cocked her hip up slightly and put her hand on it. Every motion seemed calculated to draw attention and edged with danger. Panic was rising in my chest as I slowly tore my gaze from her physical form to the Angelic visage in the mirror.
“Come now Magus.” Her voice contained a sneer nastier than the one showing on her face. “Don’t act like you’ve never seen cleavage before. I know what you are. I know you can see what I am. So close your Damned jaw and talk.”
The anger and impatience she wore was so strange to me. I’ve only seen it in movies or across the counter at work. Never once had such actions been directed at me, at my actual person.
Except, that is, from my father. Which was probably why I just stood there attempting to stammer up an apology and not running for my life.
“Oh, I get it now.” Her disdain palpable. Her expression shifted from an angry sneer to derisive revulsion. Sort of how David would look at me whenever I did anything remarkedly stupid. “HA! You’re just a youngling! Newly Chosen! A Baby. I bet you haven’t even Changed yet.”
As she talked, she leaned into my personal space, hands on hips and nasty expression on face. I took a step back and she followed, continuing her taunt. “You don’t look like much as a normal and look at your cute little Magus form.” She switched to almost a singsong tone. “Such a cute widdle ragamuffin. I bet you’ll only be good for one thing in that teeny tiny package.”
She jabbed a very well-manicured finger into my chest, right above my heart. It was well formed and very feminine, yet full of strength that I knew I would not be able to match. It wasn’t her human finger, or even her nasty verbal attack that had me poleaxed. It was the reflection, for if her winged form had been present then her talon would have been stabbed past my ribcage. Into my vitals.
The strange woman opened her mouth to continue her bullying tirade. Before she was able to speak any further Bryan knocked her arm down and stepped in between us.
“I don’t know what your problem is, and I don’t really care.” He stated brazenly. She backed up a little, expression still nasty. “But Back Off lady.”
I was really glad for Bryan’s intervention. I may have a lot of questions about what is going on, but I am pretty sure that this woman was the Wrong person to answer them.
She sniffed disdainfully at the two of us and collected herself back up. “Fine. I’ll find you later perhaps. Maybe after you have finally Changed. Goodbye Youngling.” She brushed past us, her tone so condescending that it almost felt like having been berated by an old lady yelling at us to get off her lawn.
Once she was out of sight Bryan and I finally relaxed.
“Well Jayde, I know you always wanted beautiful girls to pay attention to you but I don’t think that’s what you had in mind.”
I only nodded in agreement to his statement. As we walked along I rubbed the sore spot on my chest where she had poked. The woman had a lot of strength in that finger.
Owie…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 06
Ooof… that was a pair of scenes! Got them out in one sitting no less! My fingers are the hurts now…..
Jayde is definitely less sure of the whole ‘Is it real or is it just a dream’ concept now.
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Mirror Changed – Chapter 07
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~David~
David sat on his couch. An old styled rotary phone in his lap. Not even one from the nineteen nineties. More like something from post world war two era. Coiled cloth phone cord and wooden casing. Old style brass and resinous plastic ear piece located in the proper place.
He picked up the handset and cradled it against his ear and shoulder with an ease of long time use. After a couple deep breaths he dials a long number, international dial code to somewhere in Europe. On the other line a pleasant if cold androgynous voice picked up.
“It pleases us to see one of our North American members still remembers the old numbers.” The person said, no aspect of any emotion to its old voice.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” David’s own tone was neither dark nor brooding. Not it s usual standard late teen slash early twenty year old anti-hero wannabe. Instead his mannerisms and tone was closer to that with some military or police training.
“Do we have the pleasure of a report then? Or is this a social call.”
“I have been watching for signs, as required. One I have been observing has had the dream. I do not yet believe another has found him.” David paused waiting for the person on the other end to respond.
“And the faction? Never mind. You would not report in this nature if you were unsure or if it was not of concern towards the agenda. Observe and verify as needs be.” The person paused for a moment. “And David? You know what to do if we can not use him towards the goal.”
“Alright. I understand. I will keep you posted sir.” He hung up the phone as soon as he finished.
David stood up, holding onto the phone and walked it into his bedroom where he opened a hidden side panel in his antique dresser. He put the phone inside, being careful with the cord to prevent any tangling.
“You’d better be worth it Jayde. I really like this house and don’t want to move.”
A few moments of pacing later and David pulled an old model cell phone off his nightstand. Not any type of smart phone or otherwise. Rather a pre two thousands flip phone from the nineteen nineties. He opened it and waited for it to power up. After it was fully on, which took a bit, David dialed a number much closer to home.
“It’s David. Get over here, there is an Awakening. I may need your help.”
He didn’t wait for a response, just closed the phone and put it down with a sigh.
“I really like this place… damn it…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
I always felt compelled to compare Bryan’s house he rented to David’s place. I had spent so many hours on each of their couches that sometimes I felt it might just be easier if I moved in. However I didn’t want to risk my friendships, and living with friends could do that. Besides David could be so negative and the cutting nature of his comments would probably have driven me to do something drastic within a month.
Also, I think that Suzi and David may be becoming an item. Especially as I think Hernando had left town. I knew I would have to call Suzi and apologize soon, even if the thought of her and Dave getting together turned my stomach. It was bad enough watching Hernando, but he was at least worthwhile for someone as awesome as Suzi.
I shook my head free of that negative though path and back to my current surroundings. Bryan’s furnishings were much newer than Dave’s, yet for all that they were not as comfortable. I think Bryan got them from IKEA or someplace like that.
We sat on the slightly less comfortable couch in a mostly blank living room. Bryan’s only major concession to appearances being some gaming posters and a very large very modern 4k smart TV. Said TV was on a stand made out of two by fours and mason blocks. Bryan would state loudly and proudly when challenged that a gamer had to have priorities and that a proper entertainment mount came secondary to a proper screen. I just think he enjoyed being obtuse.
Currently on deck was a first-person shooter on his Xbox. I’m not sure which one. It was explode and had lots of high tech weapons and armor. My heart just wasn’t in the game. Instead I kept thinking back on some of what the angry red head had said. I mean, ‘Magus’? ‘Changed’? what did she mean by that?
As I roamed about in game I got a good hit on Bryan. Well I think it was a good hit. However when I went over to check if the body was dead it reared up and cut my character in half with some form of energy sword.
“BOOM! That’s what you get Buddy!”
To say that Bryan was pleased with how he killed my virtual self would be an understatement. So far this was the fifth game we had tried today. The futuristic marines was pretty fun, I guess. If my head had been in the game.
And yet…
I sighed quietly and began to go through the motions of dodging the aggressive A.I. units fire while collecting weapons and ammo to take Bryan on. It didn’t take him long to zero in and take me out again.
“Hey man, were you even trying?” I was pretty sure he was looking at me. I just watched the respawn counter on my portion of the screen.
The last several times I had been over we had a blast. No matter the game or movie it had been worth every minute. Truthfully, I usually enjoyed gaming with Bryan more than the larger matches that we had over at David’s. It was probably because Bryan genuinely enjoyed the games and it seemed that David was more into the derogatory and verbal sparring.
“Yeah, I guess I wasn’t.” I tossed the controller down. “Trying that is. I think I’d better go.”
I stood up to go. I don’t think I was showing too much emotion, but Suzi always tole me I was like an open book. Oh, and that I should never play poker. I was just extremely pre-occupied with other thoughts right now.
“What, you still thinking about Crazy Chick?” His emphasis on the Crazy most likely meant to assure me that it was her problem, not mine. “You’ve got to lighten up Jayde. You don’t know who she was, and you definitely don’t know what she was on. Because, brother, she was absolutely on something. Acid, shrooms, super weed, psychotropics, … life….”
He couldn’t see the reflections though. After Suzi’s making fun of me when I began to open up at Dave’s I had decided I wasn’t going to discuss the reflections with anyone else.
“No, it’ll be fine. Besides I’ve got opening shift tomorrow. I don’t want to be too tired.” I headed to the front door. “I’ll be fine. Why don’t you unlock some new options or weapons for when I come over again? I’ll give you a much better match next time.”
Bryan turned back to the screen and was already getting back to the main menu. “Oh, I’ll have them ALL!”
Ok that made me laugh. A little bit.
He sure was gleeful about his games. I smiled sadly as I left. I wished that things could be that simple for me. The only other person who I have ever known who was as adept at games was Suzi. Unlike her though, Bryan refused to play Alpha or Beta. He wanted the full finished version right out of the box.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Outside Bryan’s~
In an alleyway nearby, barely in sight of the door her target had entered, the ‘Crazy Chick’ stood watching. She didn’t know much about this young Magus. In fact, she hadn’t even known one was in the area, so when serendipity reared its head she was not about to let her out of her sight. She had never met one so young before though.
Normally when the woman who was a Chosen of Gaia encountered one the other Changed of Balance or Civilization only after they had learned some control of their gifts. Once or twice she had encountered them recently after their very first change. This was the very first one she had ever encountered who didn’t even know what she yet was.
Of course that still left much to be desired about her current situation. That of standing stakeout in a Seattle area alleyway next to a privacy fence in high healed boots and club wear. Though at least the alleyway was drivable and for the most part clear of debris. She still stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. To make matters worse, like most back alleys there were always vagrants and ne’er do wells.
At this moment a pair of these fine examples of humanity had been switching from sitting and watching her to egging each other on to verbally accosting her. Both potentials annoyed her to no end.
“Hey Babe.” One of them said as he walked forward, having finally gained the courage to approach.
“I said, hey Babe.” He continued when she didn’t respond.
His clothes showed some wear and tear but were decent overall. Of course his voice was on the wrong side of decent. The gravely and hoarse type of voice one gets from screaming in too many mosh pits. The type of voice that was just this side of needing a mechanical voice box. The Gaian woman was also sure that if he got close enough his stench would match his voice.
She just ignored him. She had more important fish to fry after all. Or to watch in this case. She had found a new untended chosen, and had her instructions on what she or others of her group were to do if they found any newly awakened. She just wished she could do this from the sky instead of the squalor on the ground.
“Don’t want to freak out the ‘Normals’ Courtney” she sing song whispered to herself. “You what happened last time Courtney.”
“Hey!” The gravely voiced one said and took some steps towards her. Courtney almost snarled as she caught a whiff of what she swore lived in his ratty beard.
“She don’t like you man.” The cleaner of the two stated with a high pitched laugh and elbowed his companion in the ribs.
“Oh, she wouldn’t still be here unless she liked me.” He said to his friend. “What of it Babe? Are you as good in the sack as you are easy on the eyes?” Then back at his friend. “See, she’s just looking for a good lay, and I’m as good as they come.”
Courtney continued to ignore him. Continuing with the sing song chatter of another conversation she had with herself. She knew she could take them both with ease. Even in her weaker birth form. She was infinitely familiar with these types of bottom feeders, scavengers, and parasites of a society that itself was a cancerous plague feeding off of the spirit of the planet. She had dealt with innumerable examples of their filth throughout the years. So ignoring these two in a long line of breeders was only a mild irritation.
After some more time passed, and quite a few more comments from her own personal peanut gallery, the young Magus left the domicile.
She was about to move to follow when the grubbier of the two got too close.
“So, what say we go and grab a cozy corner Babe? So we can work off this nice sexual tension between us.”
The lower life form Dared to place a weatherworn and calloused hand on her almost bare shoulder. Only when he felt the coiled muscles and barely restrained rage did he get a hint of how very close to the razors edge he tread.
Finally the flame haired vixen responded. A simple restrained statement given in an ice cold tone. “The hand. Remove it.”
With the laughter of his buddy ringing in his ears the vagrant backed off. “Yeah, well yer prolyl a dead fish anyway.”
Courtney didn’t really care about them any longer. Her own quarry was on the move. She licked her lips in anticipation of catching the young Magus of Balance alone.
She so loved to deal with the younglings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
I was sure that I would get myself under control one of these days. It may not be right now. Or even next week. I would figure out a way. Somehow. The encounter on the street, for all its strangeness, did give me a measure of hope. After all, where there was one there had to be others… right?
Had something similar happened to her? A Dream of her own perhaps? Except that the image for her was the Angelic Being rather than that of a small woman? I wondered why mine was what it was then. Was the Dream something that revealed an innermost self? I didn’t like the thought of that if my inner self was a scrawny tomboy.
Obviously, it seemed that people who had the Dream could also see each other’s reflections. I’m not sure that meant anything though. If she hadn’t been so nastily antagonistic I would have been able to ask. She did seem to know something after all.
I wonder. Since she called me a Magus what did that make her?
I probably should also pay attention to where I was going. I now seemed to be heading into a strip mall off course from my place. As I wandered I could see myself in a storefronts television displays. From a central camera pointed out so that the consumer could see how clear the recording and the picture was. I almost cried. It was ME I saw. Not ‘Her’. Just me. Badly groomed, and a couple patches on a cheek where I hadn’t managed to shave very well. But it was Me. It seemed that video wasn’t considered a reflection by whatever had caused this to happen.
Maybe I could invest in a tablet for shaving and checking myself? I thought about the digital revelation. It was probably a good thing about it all things considered. Otherwise wouldn’t all recording devices show ‘Her’ instead of me?
At least my wanderings had taken me here. Close to where Bryan and I had bought the console games earlier today. Most of the stores were now closed and I noticed it was dark outside. When did that happen I wondered.
I was about to turn around and head out when that woman from earlier stepped around the corner behind me. I saw her on the video screens. One of the larger screens was big enough for me to catch her expression. It looked good on her, but the almost predatory snarl to her lips scared the shit out of me.
“Damn...” quietly to myself, “not sure if I should talk or run…”
I think that following the better part of valor may be a great idea right about now. There was just something sinister about the way she was stalking me. I turned to walk away, hoping that like before she would lose interest and walk off. Also hoping that this was just another random encounter and not a case of her stalking me.
Rather than stand there and wait for the crazy angel chick to remove all doubt of her agenda, I moved to go around the other route back to the street. As I walked along I caught brief glances of her when I moved around a parked car or dodged a shopping cart. I didn’t look directly over my shoulder but I was beginning to get genuinely freaked out. This was becoming far to close to one of those slasher horror movies for my taste. So far I hadn’t seen a weapon on her, and could not imagine where she would hide one, but I wouldn’t rule that out yet. Especially as she kept pace with me as I walked.
After I was out of the strip mall area I was only a city block from the street level of the larger mall. I think I would make a beeline into there.
The block passed quickly, my long strides eating up the sidewalk. Once at the doorway entrance I booked it inwards. During the brief time that I was sure I had out of sight of my psychostalker I went into a full out run. Around the kiosks and people. The odd mall cop yelling at me to slow down as I zipped past. Many of the stores were already shuttered for the evening as the last vestiges of the shopping day closed down.
Which also meant I would likely find no solace within any of their walls.
I didn’t glance over my shoulder as I ran. No need or want to slow down. Just focusing on the next steps.
However, for some reason, I was sure that she was keeping pace with me. Even in those murderously ridiculous heeled boots.
There was a movie theater ahead. I slowed to a brisk pace as I came within sight of it. The mirror tinted windows would likely offer me plenty of warning as to anyone following. Namely a red haired vixen with potentially murderous intent. As an added bonus, I was very grateful for my very average appearance now. I hoped that my looks alone would not clue her in. That it was my reflection she was tracking. Well, inside of the glass there was no reflection.
I tried not to pay attention to the movie poster out front, but it was now stuck in my subconscious. It was advertising a really dark slasher flick that Suzi had dragged a few of us to. It had kept me up at night looking over my shoulder for days.
Thanks Suzi. Now it seems like I’m starring in my own version of that movie. On second thought, maybe the movie theater wasn’t the best hiding place to sit this out. Directly across from the theater was a set of public restrooms. Conveniently situated to allow movie goers to get some level of relief after drinking ridiculous levels of soda and eating their body mass of popcorn for two hours.
Hopefully my own stalker wouldn’t enter the men’s side. I also felt that she wouldn’t look for me there first if I was far enough ahead that she didn’t see me enter. Also, when the next movie let out I could disappear with the outgoing crowd.
I left my current area, hastily attempting to reach the relative safety.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 07
So, Back to writing semi-regularly. Advanced chapters available on my Patreon. I'm gonna try to be more productive.
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Also, I've got my Discord Channel for anyone who wants to join, chatter, discuss, and enjoy general zaniness.
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TTFN and good luck to all in their lives and pursuits!
Mirror Changed – Chapter 08
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
It was about fifteen minutes after I took refuge in the men’s restroom across from the theater that the next show got out. As soon as a large group of men entered the facilities I left from my hiding spot in one of the toilettes. I kept my head down and walked along with the wave of people happily chatting on their way home. I saw no sign of the strange red-haired woman as I walked, but I remembered the slasher flick. So, I kept my guard up and didn’t head directly home. Instead, I made my way in a different direction away from the shopping district.
Sort of in the direction of home and sort of towards the university district I rambled along. No real location in mind yet as the nightlife of the city awoke. I kind of wished I had taken up the offer of a fake ID that Dave had suggested last month to Suzi and me. I could get into one of the bars to hang out then.
Of course there was a good chance psycho chick was at one. So maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t have any way to get in.
This double think would give me a serious migraine if I kept it up.
Eventually I found myself in a neighborhood I sort of recognized. Older mid-scale apartment complexes and condominiums dominated the rural environment. The street I was on was only one block away from the terraces where Suzi lived. I pulled my phone out to give her a ring. It’d be nice to say hello. To try to reconnect.
Also, if stalker chick got me then I’d have one more person to have seen me before they dragged my corpse out of the Puget Sound.
Two rings and it went to her voicemail so I hung up and texted her a message.
She must’ve had her phone in hand because she messaged me back in almost no time.
[what’s up?] – Suzi
[Hey, in area. Wat r u do?] – me
[Nothing. God, are you still on that old flip phone?] – Suzi
[You should upgrade to something with at least a keypad.] – Suzi
[Texting using short lettering and abbreviations is so unsexy and infantile.] – Suzi
Leave it to Suzi to message me three times before I could complete even one reply.
[Sry. Hrd 2 complt near as fst msgs as u on phone. U @ home?] – me
[Why? You looking for some fun? * nudge nudge wink wink *] – Suzi
I blushed at her tease. I knew she was just having fun, but even texting I was too abashed to flirt with her.
No matter how much I really wanted to.
[No, I mean Y. Well Im right out ur apt comp. Bout 1 blck away. Can U hang?] – me
[Oh Gods Yes! If only to stop your absolutely foul attempt at texting. Seriously Jayde, I love you like a brother but text conversations with you suck.] – Suzi
Like a brother. Yeah, I do suck I guess. At least I can be around Suzi again. It was often disheartening how she viewed me. I knew it beyond a shadow of a doubt. However she was less than a minute away so I let my feet get me there without too much more internalized conversation.
I got through the parking area outside her place. I’ve never been inside, but I’ve helped load and unload outside her place a few times for comic conventions that Suzi went to. Before I could knock on her door my friend came out.
It seemed I caught Suzi off guard enough that she wasn’t in any of her bizarre or unconventionally rebellious outfits. Like at the party, her simple beauty took me off guard. Her light blonde hair was a little longer than mine and undyed for once. Feathered a little in a popular style it made a great accented frame for her face. Suzi’s outfit was a tightknit dark woolen sweater that hugged her curves and darker slacks that had to be custom fitted. Her open footed pumps on her feet made her whole look perfect for the higher ends of town. As if she had stepped right out of a limo delivering her from up in Medina, Mercer Island, Briarcliff, or another of the millionaire communities.
“Uh… hi…?” I stammered. Far more bashful than I wanted to be.
Damn it, why couldn’t I ever tell her how I felt. Instead I either had terminal foot in mouth syndrome or I jibber-jabbered my stammer like a pro.
“That is exactly the reaction I was going for.” Suzi playfully turned around on one foot in front of me. Her pirouette giving me a wonderful view of her at all angles. “so, let’s close our mouth’s and head over to get a nibble. Shall we?”
My jaw closed on its own volition once Suzi brought attention to its state.
No longer in danger of catching flies I walked with Suzi down to the main street nearby. One of the things that is nice about living in the city was being within walking distance of so many things to do.
Case in point, was Suzi leading us to a nearby Denny’s. Just one in a large grouping of diners true. But like the fast-food industry, diners have a comfortable sameness to them. Which means that I didn’t have to worry much about what I would find there or not.
On our way we did the obligatory ‘Hi’ and ‘How are you’ and other conversational avoidance points with the staff and others there that recognized Suzi. That is until after we had ordered and Suzi put her hands on the table to assume her ‘No Nonsense’ expression. Her startling deep blue eyes piercing and cold. Pinning me in place like a bug collectors pin to the corkboard beneath.
“What’s wrong Jayde.”
“Wrong?” I squirmed a little. “Why would anything be wrong?”
I was happy to go back to the way things were before the Dream. Before I had been so Very Stupid and stormed out of David’s after having reacted badly to Suzi’s horsing around.
Instead, it looked like I was going to be grilled by my friend. That she would not accept anything less than full disclosure. So the illusion of the much simpler small chat had now given way to a very un-comfortable space.
Once more I felt like an idiot.
That’s me. Jayde, terminally idiotic.
“Jayde. You’re my friend. I’ve known you for like ever. We used to bathe together as kids. You have been more skittery than a caffeinated squirrel when it comes to hanging out in one place more than ten minutes lately.”
I looked around uncomfortably. I really wanted to do nothing more than to gaze at her lovely face, but right now it was just too intense.
Finally I answered, while looking down at my hands. “I haven’t been sleeping well. That dream and all. My reflections are all wrong. And I seem to be pissing off my friends. I can’t do anything right and anytime I try I make a fool out of myself.”
“We’re not pissed off Jayde. We’re concerned for you. I didn’t think you’d have such a problem with the whole ‘Princess’ thing. I mean, it really isn’t that big a deal is it?”
“Suzi, for over a week now I don’t see ‘Me’ in the mirror. I see ‘Her’. I haven’t seen my own face in a reflection since that Stupid Dream!” I felt close to tears. Great Jayde… zero masculinity points scored on this one.
“Is that why you’ve been acting so menstrual lately?”
“Huh? I’m a guy, why would I act like I’m having a period?”
She laughed. Not a mocking laugh but one of the genuine full humored laughs that I loved so much. “Oh Jayde. You really are so cute sometimes.”
“Huh?”
“Your reaction. I love you Jayde. You really shouldn’t worry about stuff so much. That is probably what your subconscious is trying to tell you.”
I looked away and down at the floor. “I don’t think so. There’s more. Today someone else saw the reflection. She could see the female me.”
Suzi perked up. “What? Really? Was she a psychic?”
“Psycho maybe.” I ignored her slightly patronizing joking tone and recanted some of my experience with the beautiful but terrifying woman. Suzi especially loved the clothing description and I think was taking mental notes on how to make a similar outfit.
Somehow thought I didn’t think she was buying any of it. She had the same expressiveness that she used when we talked about a movie or a comic. At least it was good to finally talk openly about it. Even if I wasn’t believed.
Our meal had arrived and gone by the time I had highlighted the main points. Suzi had insisted on desert which was just now arriving. A root beer float for me and some supersized ice cream covered brownie instant diabetic shock monstrosity for her.
“I fear for your pancreas.”
“I fear for my hips Jayde, but after a story like that I just have to have something absolutely… orgasmic…” She licked her lips so suggestively that I couldn’t help but squirm in my seat. Didn’t she know how she affected me?
I wish I could affect her the same way.
Instead I sipped my float and did my best to rearrange myself as things down below weren’t in the most comfortable position right now.
“So, what should I do?”
Suzi licked off her latest spoonful carefully. Slowly and a bit seductively. It was worse than a TV drama, I swear.
“Well, if I was you, I’d first find out everything about ‘Her’ that I could.”
“But I don’t want to run into crazy angel lady. How would I find out anything without that happening?”
“Oh Jayde,” her tone was mirthful, “ I don’t mean the red haired bombshell. I’m talking about your reflection. You know, the slim and pretty tomboy?” She took another small bite, her eyes sparkling over her treat. “Without knowing more about your own self how can you figure out any of these other things?”
It wasn’t that what she said wasn’t valid. Or that I hadn’t thought along the exact same lines. It was that I was very uncomfortable about it. I guess I took a bit too long thinking a response because Suzi continued before I could reply.
She leaned forward conspiratorially. “So, have you gotten a good look yet? Like a detailed look? She may have some clues on her if you look close enough.” Suzi leaned back and held up a hand to tick off her points. “So, number one, you have a ‘Dream’ where you encounter all of nature and all of civilization. Which leads to number two, you walk along a path to a great big arch that is comprised of both. Then through this arch is your female doppelganger. You touch hands and switch bodies. That leads to number three, in which our valiant young hero, you, wake up and have your reflection replaced by her. That correct so far?”
I nodded, nervously sipping on my float.
“So, you haven’t seen yourself. Not even once, in the mirror since then. You haven’t experimented with her at all. And now you have a crazy beautiful angelic vixen chasing you down.” She ticked off the fourth finger then paused to take another bite of her own confection. “I don’t know Jayde. It sounds like you’re having one long wet dream that any hot-blooded young man would kill for.”
“It’s not like that!” I pouted.
“HA! It is totally like that. Hell, I know some women who would die to be in your shoes!” She leaned forward again. “Unless you’re gay. You’re not Gay are you Jayde? Cause if you are that totally explains some things.”
Suzi reached out and laid one of her hands on mine. The touch gentle and electric. The energy seemed to zap up my arm and sent my heart racing.
“It’s ok if you’re gay Jayde. I wouldn’t love our friendship and company any less.” She looked serious. Her tone not teasing in the slightest.
“Suzi…”
“In fact I know some really great guys I could hook you up with.” She was beginning to get into this somehow. Her excitement at putting things together starting to show.
“Suzi.” I tried to interject again.
Useless though. She continued her own excited build up. “We could throw a ‘Coming Out’ Party! I know just the place to hos –“
“SUZI!” I whisper shouted.
She stopped cold, curiosity shown clearly on her amazingly gorgeous face. Eyes inquiring as to why I stopped her.
“I’m not gay. I like girls.” I couldn’t stop myself now. If there was ever a chance to tell her, it was now. While all her attention was focused on me. While she was holding onto my hand. “In fact, I like you. A Lot.”
I was expecting a reaction. I got one, but one that confused me.
She pulled her hand back, her expression suddenly guarded. She regarded me like that for a time. I don’t really know how long, but it was long enough.
“So… not gay.” She stated calmly, as if completely ignoring the second part of my confession.
Heart sinking I shook my head slowly. “No. Never even crossed my mind.”
“Straight then.”
“Yessss….?”
She nodded, as if to herself before tucking into the remains of her desert. Without gusto, almost mechanically. As if very disappointed in something.
Me most likely.
“That’s alright then.” She finally said in a bored tone.
The type of tone that one would use when discussing the weather or the type of type font to use on a homework assignment.
Embarrassed and ashamed I could no longer look her in the eye. I knew that she understood what I meant, and her reaction told me all I needed to know about how really badly I had screwed up.
And I thought I had messed up back at David’s place.
I hoped that I could salvage something of our friendship. For now though I felt that it was not the time to do so.
My soda was only half finished. The ice-cream melted all the way through. It tasted like ash. Like the uncomfortable tension now standing between us. A barrier in place making neither of us want to speak or even look at each other.
It was time to go.
I stood up and dropped my last twenty-dollar bill. It wouldn’t cover the whole meal, but it covered my half twice over. It was the least I could do after ruining the meal. I’d have to subsist on rice and peanut butter until I got paid again on Friday, but it wasn’t something I hadn’t suffered through before.
With a murmured and lame goodbye, I left. I think I heard Suzi say something as I got up. I wasn’t sure though. It was tough to hear anything through the rushing sound in my ears. I walked away in shame leaving the diner and possibly my oldest friend and crush behind.
I am such an idiot.
To top it off the sky opened up and it began to rain in earnest.
At least the weather got what was going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
I was dreaming again. It was the Dream but somehow not. Things were a bit more surreal. Still everything seamed lucid, so perhaps it was the Dream. Except that in this one I was walking next to ‘Her’. We also both wore clothes. My ratty jeans and tee combo. On her the same fit her properly.
I know we were having a conversation as we walked between the Jungle and the City. The path was also not straight. Rather it meandered to and fro. I would ask some question of her and she would ask a similar question of me. Neither of us ever had an answer.
Every now and then we would switch, and I would end up as Her and she would end up as Me. The conversation would continue.
Finally, I opened my eyes to a dark room. I was drenched in sweat. Sheets tangled around my legs and breath shallow in my chest. I struggled to remember what time or even day it was. Somehow, I pinged on it being Thursday. I think.
Going back to sleep was probably not going to happen anytime soon given the way my heart was racing. So I got up and went to the bathroom to splash some water on my face. Initially I left the light off, after a while some of what Suzi had been advising finally got through. I would probably never understand any of this unless I confronted this.
Once the light was replaced as the bulb had still been burnt out, I looked at ‘Her’ in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and a little baggy. Hair bedraggled in a pixyish adorable way. Shirt just as drenched on her as on me. However, her nipples were very visible on her chest as the sweat chilled on our skin.
I gritted my teeth for a moment of indecision holding me in place. The expression on ‘Her’ face one that almost stole my breath it was so heart-wrenchingly sad yet determined.
“Grin and bear it Jayde?”
I watched her mouth mimic mine as I asked myself the question.
Mind made up I pulled my shirt up and over my head to let it drop to the floor next to me. I did my best to be analytical in my inspection. When I poked my pectoral area, she poked her small but well formed and perky breasts. I felt I had managed a good milestone here as I got more comfortable with ‘Her’ in the mirror. To be cool and levelheaded, and not to get lost in the fact that I was looking at the image of a very cute topless young woman.
My right hand reached out, almost of its own volition, and touched the mirror. For a second I could swear I felt flesh, but it must’ve been in my mind as it was just cold cool glass beneath my fingertips.
“Who are you?”
Though I asked, she of course remained silent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 08
Oh… Jayde…. You lovable and sad idiot.
Advanced chapters available on my Patreon. I'm gonna try to be more productive.
https://www.patreon.com/alyssnancyonymous(link is external)
Also, I've got my Discord Channel for anyone who wants to join, chatter, discuss, and enjoy general zaniness.
https://discord.gg/37RPTSv7Ua(link is external)
TTFN and good luck to all in their lives and pursuits!
Mirror Changed - Chapter 09
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jameson~
The pub was pretty run of the mill. High end set up masquerading as an old time Irish drinking hole. Wooden topped bar looking hand carved and well oiled. Mirror behind with plentitudes of liquors for the discerning customer on various shelves. The lighting was a dim amber, reminiscent of candleflame and oil lanterns. Tables in the corners and actual wooden barstools that were not bolted in place.
All in all not a bad pub.
And nothing at all near what an authentic pub of the old world would be like.
He would know. After all the young looking man dressed in a depression era tweed suit and pork pie hat had been to the real deal.
Andrew Jameson had traveled a bit in his life. Seen places and events that many would have loved to see. Many more that he same people are probably extremely glad they have only read about.
Today he sat in a corner of the bar. A small bottle of top shelf whisky from a distillery north of Belfast.
An older man, in his late fifties, sat down next to him. Dressed similarly, though his suit looked a bit worn and frayed. Hair going to grey with the heavyset build of a life of hard labor at the docks or with freight companies.
“Daniels.”
“Jameson,” he nodded in reply. “Andrew. How is it every time I see you, you seem the same while I feel the full weight of father time on my shoulders?” His dark tanned craggy features were those of a southern Italian and when he reached for a full snifter of the whisky his hamhock of a hand engulfed the glass.
Jameson held up his own small glass. His hands much smaller and refined. Those of a British noble family’s descent. “The passage of years weighs on each of us regardless of their looks. To each a burden and to each a different weight.”
The dockworker lifted his glass in toast. “To the years. May they continue to march on.”
“Hear hear.”
The glasses clinked quietly. The sound of fine leaded crystal rather than plain silicate-based material. After a sip Daniels sat back contemplating the amber liquid as he let if low over and around his palate.
“You broke out the old glassware.”
Jameson nodded and patted a small purple heartwood box on the counter near to him.
“And that isn’t from behind the counter. It’s too smooth, too complex.” Daniels swirled the small glass again before taking another small sip. “This isn’t local either. European?”
“Irish, and thank you for coming.”
“It must be important for a sip of this ambrosia.”
“Reasonably. I am touching base with some old friends.” Daniels snickered at Jameson’s use of ‘Old’ “looking for information regarding any oddities. Reports of events that don’t match up to the official news groups. Large disturbances or explosions.”
“My friend, there is such a thing as the internet now-a-days. Even an old fogy like you should keep somewhat up with the times.”
Jameson smiled sadly. Almost as if reminiscing of the days of old. “I really have never found the time Daniels. Things just seem so much more complex than they need to be. Besides, didn’t you tell me last year that the internet would never replace the word of mouth?”
“That was over a decade ago my old friend. Besides it didn’t replace the word of mouth. The word of mouth moved online.” He paused to look curiously at the man who looked young enough to be one of his grandchildren. Maybe even one of his great grandchildren playing dress up. “One day we are going to have to get you a smartphone.”
It was Jamesons turn to shake his head. “Sure. Sure. Someday. Maybe after my current mission.”
“Will you finally share your secret fountain of youth then?”
He just smiled mysteriously. Not with humor or mischief, almost a melancholy of a sad secret. The smile of a person with a piece of valuable information that no one else has that he must carry to the grave no matter what he would wish to do with it.
“Damn you old man.” Daniels fumed, a genuine anger on his face. “I’ve helped you all these years because you saved my father in the Korean War. If he hadn’t insisted all those decades ago I wouldn’t even know you.”
“I am aware of your burden, and I am sorry that I may not be more forthcoming. It is my burden as well. I also made a promise to your father. To follow your life, to help you and yours and make sure that you are taken care of. I have never involved you in the things he saw in Korea. He made me promise that as well. You and your family have been a great help as just eyes on the ground. To verify or to find.”
Jameson topped off both glasses before he continued. “I have always valued your friendship Lyman. However, I do age. I am not immortal. Things are… different. We have discussed this before. So please enjoy the gift. I will make sure to wire you some extra funds for your troubles in this. And please be safe. Give my love to the wife.”
As Jameson stood to go he left the liquor case and bottle behind. Daniels finished the drink down in a single shot. He responded gruffly, a deep sadness to his voice. “She passed away.”
“When?”
“Two years ago. You never responded to the invitations. Or the messages.”
“I am so sorry. It would have been … hrmmm.. May then? I was… occupied.” Jameson was a little distracted as he attempted to put a timeline to when he would have been that far out of pocket.
Daniels shook his head. “Even if I didn’t know you were old already, the way you act is a dead giveaway. Some advice from an old friend whether you take it or not. Learn to live. You have the strength and vitality of a twenty-year-old. Enjoy it. Cherish it.”
“Another friend of mine tells me this as well.”
The old dock worker shook his head as he waived Jameson off. “Youth is wasted on the Immortal. Bah.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
The trash area of a fast-food joint. What a wonderfully odorific location to take a break.
Had too though. With everything going on, all the weirdness and my own personal mistakes and self-destructions. It all made it both wonderful and incredibly frustrating to work in the much more mundane world. Had to keep it up though, after all I didn’t have much choice. Needed to eat and needed to pay the rent. I did not relish the idea of being homeless.
Luckily for me, we had just been paid and some of my extra hours had caught up on my bills. Still though, I was a bit short on cash. As if that was anything new. Another perk of fast-food places however was that we employees could often get discounted or even free food.
Thinking of which, I saw the back entrance open up and Becky came out with a small entrée box filled with some extra tacos and burritos made for the rush that hadn’t been sold. Technically she was likely out back to ‘Throw’ them away. In reality she sat down next to me and handed me a dollar menu bean something or other.
“Mmmmm… afternoon leftovers.”
“Just like momma used to make.”
I held my half-unwrapped thing and Becky tapped it with her own.
“Thanks Becky. Don knows I’m a bit cash shy, so he’d probably dock my pay for this if I’d’ve taken it out.”
“No problem. Though you owe me.” She said around her own bite.
Our managers knew that the employees took advantage of unsold leftovers, and corporate policy stated that no prepared product sit for longer than fifteen minutes. So about every hour or so there was at least some spoilage. Most managers just turned a blind eye. Even Don. For everyone but me it seemed sometimes.
“I’ll see if I can get you back for the food sometime. Say next payday? I’m still strapped right now.”
She shifted a little next to me. “I’m not talking about the food. You’d do this for me after all.”
“Oh, you mean covering for my shift the other day? I’m really so sorry about that.” Considering that I had missed half my shift because of freaking out about the Dream I had been exceptionally lucky that Becky and another Co-Worker had pretended to Don that we had all traded and Becky had forgotten. I really did owe her for that.
“Not that either. Guess again.” She said in a teasing voice.
I thought for a few minutes. “Well, I’m pretty sure I paid back that hundred, and helped move your friends place for when you guys helped me with mine. Uh… I helped you get hired here for when you helped me get a job at that burger joint after pizza hut…” I was ticking off my fingers. Took another bite to chew over as I thought back. I was always careful to repay my debts as fast as possible so I didn’t get in too deep. “Umm…. I can’t really think of anything else…”
She hit the back of my head with the flat of her palm. Not enough to hurt, just enough to knock my noggin slightly forward and dishevel my hair further.
“Dolt, it’s a wonder you even remember to put your shirt on right-side out sometimes. You owe me for ditching me at the party.”
“Huh? Whyzat?”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, you mumble your words.”
I swallowed my bite. “Why is that?’
She rolled her eyes. “Because I invited you and I expected to show you a good time. Then you up and left after only an hour. You ditched me on the fecking lawn you dorkus. I had been really looking forward to that party you know.”
Uh… What?
“Why did my being there or not have anything to do with enjoying the party? I mean it looked like it was a blast if you knew people but I didn’t know anyone but you.”
“You dolt.” She stated quietly. “Well, that’s past now isn’t it?”
I nodded and grabbed a taco.
“So now you can make it up to me. There’s another party tonight. So after work, get cleaned up and this time I’ll pick you up.”
Now I felt a bit panicked. I Really did Not want to deal with people. Especially people I did not know. “I’m… well… that is… I’m not sure…”
“Jayde, I know you’re shy and socially awkward. That doesn’t matter to me. Just come with me, okay?”
Oh I so wanted to go with her. But I was actually getting scared now. Not just anxious but scared. What if Suzi or Dave were there? Or Crazy Angel Lady? I wasn’t ready to face anyone but Becky, Bryan, and work.
Work was a very distant third.
“I don’t think it’s a very good idea right now.” I said quietly.
“And why is that?”
“Things have been, well, hectic lately.”
“All the more reason to get out and enjoy yourself.”
“I have some… things…. I need to process Becky. They’re pretty important to life things too. I really don’t want to be around more people than I absolutely have to right now.”
I was pretty down when I said that. My hunger had disappeared halfway through the taco. The aftertaste of my last bite turning to bile in my mouth.
Becky appeared to take some level of solace in my answer at least. We sat in comfortable silence for a time. Her munching on her third item, me holding the unfinished remains of my second. I thought about the other night with Suzi and how my friendships seemed to be destructing on each other one by one. Was this what it was to grow up? To leave everything and everyone behind until all you are left with are strangers and bills? If I had known this in high school I would never have been so eager to move on.
Finally Becky had had her fill and stood to go back in. “There’ll be other parties and things to do later Jayde. When you’re ready we’ll do something.
She went inside. I watched her go and looked down at my work outfit.
Maybe life hadn’t really been so bad. It was too bad that I never seem to realize that until it had passed me by.
I felt like a bad country song.
Country song… I can’t believe I just compared myself to a damned country song. I must be more messed up than I thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
“Alright, Spill It.”
Huh? Now what? “I’m not sure what you mean Bryan.”
He loaded the wood and nails from a pallet cart into the back of his small Toyota pickup. “you’ve been more squirrelly than usual these last two weeks.”
“Well, yeah. I guess so.”
Dang it. Now even Bryan’s starting to notice and bug me about it all.
“Sooooo…?”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“Jayde. We are not going to have a ‘Dude’ ‘Sweet’ ‘Dude’ “Sweet’ back and forth. So do you mind fessing up?”
They had just finished loading up from the Home Depot and needed to walk the cart back into the place. Bryan was adding a new gaming and DVD shelf to his place and wanted company so ended up dragging me out of my place.
Which was a good thing I guess.
I was a bit too much of a shut in lately. Since Tuesdays were one of Bryan’s few days off I spent most of it with him. This was our third errand of the day, and with some clouds rolling in I wasn’t sure how much longer we’d be out.
“Crazy lady chased me, walked out on a party which pissed off my co-worker who had invited me there. Haven’t been sleeping well, which is causing me to be on edge, and I told Suzi how I feel which caused her to go cold and withdrawn and friendzoned me officially. So, you know, late teen drama and all that shit.”
Bryan and I got in the truck before he answered. “Damn, that’s brutal. Seriously? She completely friendzoned you?”
“Yeah, I haven’t heard from her since. I really fucked up this last couple of weeks.” Mentioning all that seemed safe. As long as I remembered not to mention anything about the Dream, and especially about Her, I think I wouldn’t ending up fucking things too much with Bryan as well.
“Harsh. Did she tell you why?”
“No. She just referred to our friendship and how that was really all it is and ever was.”
“I’m not surprised.”
I was not totally sure how to continue the conversation at that point. That and the pretty tomboy in my reflection looked contemplatively back at me. She had nothing to offer other than the sadness in her stormy grey eyes.
“What do you mean ‘Not Surprised.’?”
He fidgeted a little while he drove. “Well, we all knew you were crushing on her bad. And well…? Suzi’s the type to speak her mind. So her reasons are really her own to tell.”
“Great. Everyone’s so damnably secretive. It’s like I’m the last to know anything.”
“Don’t be too depressed Jayde. Part of it is your own secretive nature as well you know.”
I looked over at him instead of towards the road or the mirror besides me. “What? I’m not secretive.”
“You totally are. Never talk about yourself or what’s going on in your life. Getting information out of you is like pulling teeth sometimes. Hells bells man. Getting you out and about can be just as much a pain in the ass!”
After a bit we pulled into the covered carport outside his place. Me uncomfortably deconstructed by my friend, who had turned into a terribly accurate psychoanalyst. Problem was? He was right. I just didn’t want to admit it. After all, it made it sound like I was a reclusive shut in.
That couldn’t be it… could it?
We were a bit silent as we unloaded the supplies to make his new shelving. With the obligatory boxes of books and DVD’s he had nabbed by the pound at a clearance sale today. We worked in the light Seattle drizzle getting everything inside. Not really wet, but a little damp. Finally we were finished unloading and feeling a touch cold standing in his living room. The somewhat awkward silence returned now that the heavy lifting was done.
Bryan broke the silence by asking something. It took me a moment to realize he had asked if I wanted something to drink. I just nodded. He took a moment to grab a pair of Mtn Dews from the fridge. I could definitely use some of the nuclear green carbonated death water after everything.
Can in hand, I stood and contemplated the job. With the materials in hand it looked like another type of bachelor fabulous room in the making. Everything would sure fit in with the current décor.
“What are you gonna do now Jayde?”
I looked over at Bryan in confusion. What am I going to do? About what?
“Don’t look so clueless about it man. You’ve got problems. So what? Or better yet, now what?” Bryan was using his own can of soda to emphasis his point.
“I don’t know. All I seem to be able to do is just keep treading water. Ya know… to keep my head afloat? I’m living paycheck to paycheck. Only one wreck of a night away from missing my rent.” I sat down on his thrift store couch in a whuff. “Hell, I’m down to my work clothes and two pair of jeans for outfits. What happens when I have to replace any of them?”
“Have you considered looking into rooming with someone? I’m sure the rent would be cheaper than even that old rattletrap corner studio you’re in.”
“Yeah I have. Last month I even went to talk to a few of them. I just don’t know if I could get along with someone I don’t know.”
Bryan laughed. I had no clue what he found so funny so I just waited for him to explain.
“Once again, you have just shown how much of a recluse you are.” He paused, getting serious. “Jayde… Have you considered getting some therapy for your social anxiety?”
“Uh… I have no clue what you’re talking about. Besides I can’t afford therapy. I can’t even afford health insurance.”
He looked at me in astonishment. “What? You haven’t applied for Medicaid? You’re only making about a dollar or two above minimum wage.”
My face flushed in shame. He was absolutely right about my social status. Bottom of the pile. Last in line. Lowest on the rung. I looked down at my open and mostly untouched can.
“I don’t want to be a leach on the system. I’m healthy and when I can afford insurance I’ll get it.”
The response was just a shake of the head. Most likely at me, but at least Bryan didn’t press the point. Instead he picked up the first one of the four foot long pre-cut boards and fit it to the metal frame that was part of the setup. The whole setup would make it so that he could put screws through the metal parts and not wood on wood. It wasn’t as pretty, but it was very functional. Which was one of the things I liked about Bryan. He cared more about how well things worked rather than a pretty façade that may just be pressed over junk.
“Alright. Grab a screwdriver and put a couple screws in this will ya?”
I took hold of the material in question and got to work. Much was on my mind. At least instead of conversation Bryan put in a cheesy B-Rate movie. Something I could swear was based on Five Nights at Freddy’s, but what do I know. We worked to the screams and cheesy lines of a badass wannabe while drinking soda and making inane comments.
Why couldn’t more of my days be like this?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was walking in the rain once more. Hands in pockets and not a star in the sky. Which was pretty normal for this area. Once again Seattle had given me weather to match my mood.
The simple pleasure I had gotten from helping assemble the shelf and eating some leftover spaghetti from Bryan’s was already fading away. Leaving a sense of ennui in its place. The calm of it was nice even if the fatalistic feeling of my lack of worth wasn’t something normally pleasant. It was more that the world seemed to come into a greater focus now. To become more crystal, as if I had finally come to a better point of lucidity as it was to my purpose in this world.
Which really did not account for much. I didn’t bother listing my problems or failings. Not even to myself. Instead I just meandered on a rough course home. Letting the misting rain gradually drench me to the bone. I have seen other people walking along in what must be similar moods. Even then I could not bring myself to care. This was just the way things were. By simple merit of deduction I was just a fleshy cog in the great machine of consumerism.
The Dream and the ongoing reflections notwithstanding, I really didn’t bring any worth more than a warm body to fill a position of menial untrained labor. My father had at least been right about that.
I think I had been walking for more than an hour when I saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye. I hoped.. I really really… really… hoped that it was not my psycho stalker.
No such luck.
It was her.
Dressed in a variant of the same outfit as before. Looking better than almost any superheroine in a high budget television show. It’s too bad she was likely one of the supervillains instead. She was a bit more than half a block away and across the street. I only spotted her because she was so visually loud. If the woman had dressed like everyone else who was out and about in the drip and drizzle I would have missed her completely. Even with her vibrant red hair.
Well, a little silver lining to her showing up. Fear had now gotten me out of my depressive funk. Instead it was replaced by a shot of adrenaline straight to the spine. A bit of shock front and center stage.
“Crap.”
Hopefully she hadn’t spotted me and it was just another random encounter. I kept my head down and at the next intersection made the turn towards the mall. Hopefully there were at least some people in the theater I could blend in with like last time.
Two blocks later and it was confirmed. Psycho Stalker mode had been activated.
“Jeeze, she’s worse than those creepy clowns at Halloween.”
Ok, if someone had been with me that would have been funny. Why is it I could only come up with good lines when no one else was around to hear me?
Finally, the mall was in sight. Sanctuary… I hope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 09
Advanced chapters available on my Patreon. I'm gonna try to be more productive.
https://www.patreon.com/alyssnancyonymous
Also, I've got my Discord Channel for anyone who wants to join, chatter, discuss, and enjoy general zaniness.
https://discord.gg/37RPTSv7Ua
TTFN and good luck to all in their lives and pursuits!
Mirror Changed – Chapter 10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Courtney~
The last week had been a frustrating lesson in patience for the dangerous and well dressed Courtney. Though ultimately vindicated by the others of her small grouping, she still felt angry at herself for losing the young magus in the local mall. She swore that the other Chosen had fled into the theater, but after making a bit of a ruckus she had been forced to give up. The threat of the breeders police force didn’t really scare her off. There was little they could possibly do that would more than inconvenience her.
It was near to where her quarry had been most of the evenings this week that she once more found herself. She had been there just at the right time to luck out and the little youngling had wandered cluelessly back into her sights. Of course that was lucky for her, not lucky for the little wastrel. It was her own fault though and she knew it. Wouldn’t admit it, even to herself, yet still she knew it. Self rationalization was a good thing through the years for Courtney, it let her do things that an otherwise closer to sane person would not.
She had wanted to deliver the newly born magus to the clan. She was determined to bring in the Magus no matter what, even though before she had been following the strictures that her clan imposed. Sure the breeders that comprised all but the smallest percentage of this planets intelligent species, that did not make them the true dominant though. It was her kind that were truly dominant, the true Apex of what was and could be. They just did not yet know it. If Gaia was to have its way then they would given time.
For now all Courtney needed to do was to wait for the appropriate moment. In fact it was with ridiculous ease that she was able to track the other Changed individual.
Courtney didn’t think much of her, she was always so distracted and oblivious to her surroundings while in her birth form. The newborn Chosen may as well have been standing still like a deer in the headlights for all the good that it would do.
‘These new Changed were like so much sheep,’ Courtney thought to herself. Not much better than lower humanity that Balance strove so hard to keep the veil of ignorance pulled over their eyes. Making them not much more than mere animals. Yet in their arrogance they lost their place and put themselves far and above all other species. It was not balance as far as the Changed of Gaia felt, but rather incredible imbalance that would only result in the end of life on this wonderful planet.
When she had first taken the Gift of Gaia and made her first Change the world had been different. At least the lower humans had a fire in their guts and were not afraid to fight for what they believed in. She often sneared at the pampered and brain dead existence most of humanity lead these last few decades. Her quarry seemed to be cut whole cloth from that mold. Such a waste of the Gift. Yet, it was supposed to be an opportunity according to her Elder. To bring this weak minded Magus in, so that she may be swayed to her Clans way of thought. And if she was not? Well, that would just be a shame was her malicious thought on the matter.
Unlike the youth she followed and derided, the flame haired woman did not completely lose herself in thought. She was focused on her prey, regardless of any errant observation or introspection. So when the youth once again entered the mall in which Courtney had lost her last she was properly in place to follow. Due to the late hour almost all the stores were closed. So it was with no surprise that the Magus entered into the cinema again. It was the same one where she had lost her prior.
Not this time though, instead she was closer to her prey. Almost entering on the heals of her target in fact. The only people left in the mall were the guards, the hangers on, and the movie goers that would soon head back to their tired and dismal lives. The less people around the better. If Courtney could force the young Magus to follow her then it would be better. If not? Then she would force the Magus to Change and then carry her out. That would be fine as well.
The youth seemed to finally clue in to how close she was. Courtney had felt that the Magus had known she was being pursued, but now that awareness became much more apparent.
‘Good.’
Now the real encounter could begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
So far so good. Especially now that the creepy slasher movie poster had been taken down in the lobby. If I survive this I am never letting anyone take me to one of those. Nope, never again. Never ever.
The entrance lobby was nice and quiet. Some people were hanging out, like I was attempting to do. Others either in line to get snacks or possibly waiting on someone else. So, with a good view of the mall hallway outside through the semi mirrored windows I could cover both entrances and be able to avoid nasty creepy stalker chick.
I was really tired of this weirdness popping up in my life. Hopefully things could go back to the old rigamarole. I almost laughed at how I had been grousing about conformity and mundane comfort not long ago. Perhaps there was a lot more to be said about the comfort of being a fast food worker. At least I knew what to expect from it.
“Shit!”
She was already inside.
How had I missed her? Seeing the psycho close up once more I was stunned by her looks. Her skin had a light sheen of moisture on it. Like either from sweat or the mist from outside lingering after the weather. Her current outfit was the same cut as before except that both the halter vest and the tight leather pants were a dark blood red. She had some type of leather bands on her forearms. From wrist to just below the elbow, and a bronze coiled band on her upper right arm.
Her expression matched her predatory appearance. She was an Amazonian Huntress come to life. All that was missing was the cheesy theme music to go with this surreal situation.
I felt my muscles tighten. My fight or flight body reactions demanding I move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 10
Back at it on a Regular Basis. Yayness.
Shameless Self Insert!
Advanced chapters available on my Patreon. I'm gonna try to be more productive.
https://www.patreon.com/alyssnancyonymous
Also, I've got my Discord Channel for anyone who wants to join, chatter, discuss, and enjoy general zaniness.
https://discord.gg/37RPTSv7Ua
TTFN and good luck to all in their lives and pursuits!
Mirror Changed Chapter 11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Courtney~
The last week had been a frustrating lesson in patience for the dangerous and well dressed Courtney. Though ultimately vindicated by the others of her small grouping, she still felt angry at herself for losing the young magus in the local mall. She swore that the other Chosen had fled into the theater, but after making a bit of a ruckus she had been forced to give up. The threat of the breeders police force didn’t really scare her off. There was little they could possibly do that would more than inconvenience her.
It was near to where her quarry had been most of the evenings this week that she once more found herself. She had been there just at the right time to luck out and the little youngling had wandered cluelessly back into her sights. Of course that was lucky for her, not lucky for the little wastrel. It was her own fault though and she knew it. Wouldn’t admit it, even to herself, yet still she knew it. Self rationalization was a good thing through the years for Courtney, it let her do things that an otherwise closer to sane person would not.
She had wanted to deliver the newly born magus to the clan. She was determined to bring in the Magus no matter what, even though before she had been following the strictures that her clan imposed. Sure the breeders that comprised all but the smallest percentage of this planets intelligent species, that did not make them the true dominant though. It was her kind that were truly dominant, the true Apex of what was and could be. They just did not yet know it. If Gaia was to have its way then they would given time.
For now all Courtney needed to do was to wait for the appropriate moment. In fact it was with ridiculous ease that she was able to track the other Changed individual.
Courtney didn’t think much of her, she was always so distracted and oblivious to her surroundings while in her birth form. The newborn Chosen may as well have been standing still like a deer in the headlights for all the good that it would do.
‘These new Changed were like so much sheep,’ Courtney thought to herself. Not much better than lower humanity that Balance strove so hard to keep the veil of ignorance pulled over their eyes. Making them not much more than mere animals. Yet in their arrogance they lost their place and put themselves far and above all other species. It was not balance as far as the Changed of Gaia felt, but rather incredible imbalance that would only result in the end of life on this wonderful planet.
When she had first taken the Gift of Gaia and made her first Change the world had been different. At least the lower humans had a fire in their guts and were not afraid to fight for what they believed in. She often sneared at the pampered and brain dead existence most of humanity lead these last few decades. Her quarry seemed to be cut whole cloth from that mold. Such a waste of the Gift. Yet, it was supposed to be an opportunity according to her Elder. To bring this weak minded Magus in, so that she may be swayed to her Clans way of thought. And if she was not? Well, that would just be a shame was her malicious thought on the matter.
Unlike the youth she followed and derided, the flame haired woman did not completely lose herself in thought. She was focused on her prey, regardless of any errant observation or introspection. So when the youth once again entered the mall in which Courtney had lost her last she was properly in place to follow. Due to the late hour almost all the stores were closed. So it was with no surprise that the Magus entered into the cinema again. It was the same one where she had lost her prior.
Not this time though, instead she was closer to her prey. Almost entering on the heals of her target in fact. The only people left in the mall were the guards, the hangers on, and the movie goers that would soon head back to their tired and dismal lives. The less people around the better. If Courtney could force the young Magus to follow her then it would be better. If not? Then she would force the Magus to Change and then carry her out. That would be fine as well.
The youth seemed to finally clue in to how close she was. Courtney had felt that the Magus had known she was being pursued, but now that awareness became much more apparent.
‘Good.’
Now the real encounter could begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Jayde~
So far so good. Especially now that the creepy slasher movie poster had been taken down in the lobby. If I survive this I am never letting anyone take me to one of those. Nope, never again. Never ever.
The entrance lobby was nice and quiet. Some people were hanging out, like I was attempting to do. Others either in line to get snacks or possibly waiting on someone else. So, with a good view of the mall hallway outside through the semi mirrored windows I could cover both entrances and be able to avoid nasty creepy stalker chick.
I was really tired of this weirdness popping up in my life. Hopefully things could go back to the old rigamarole. I almost laughed at how I had been grousing about conformity and mundane comfort not long ago. Perhaps there was a lot more to be said about the comfort of being a fast food worker. At least I knew what to expect from it.
“Shit!”
She was already inside.
How had I missed her? Seeing the psycho close up once more I was stunned by her looks. Her skin had a light sheen of moisture on it. Like either from sweat or the mist from outside lingering after the weather. Her current outfit was the same cut as before except that both the halter vest and the tight leather pants were a dark blood red. She had some type of leather bands on her forearms. From wrist to just below the elbow, and a bronze coiled band on her upper right arm.
Her expression matched her predatory appearance. She was an Amazonian Huntress come to life. All that was missing was the cheesy theme music to go with this surreal situation.
I felt my muscles tighten. My fight or flight body reactions demanding I move. For just the small amount of time I think my body almost moved to confront her. Instead common sense reigned my actions as I ran out the other door as fast as possible. The restroom had worked before to avoid her so I ran in there once again. For all of her stockings she at least seemed somewhat to follow the law prior.
Once inside a let out the breath I had not realized I had been holding.
The room was a standard modern mall aesthetically pleasing room. Heh, aesthetically pleasing. Of all the things to notice while running from a potentially very bad no good ending.
I walked further into the main area of the restroom, doing so I caught myself staring at the tomboy wearing my clothes reflected in the mirror. Perspiration visible on her face the sweat showing on the skin on her chest. The shirt was still damp from the rain outside clinging to her torso. Outlining her small but shapely breasts and taught belly. A frightened expression on her cute pixielike face. Eyes wide with a level of fear and lips parted as she panted breathlessly. Her eyes dilated wide as she looked back at me.
As it was in the reflection I knew that I showed the same fear on me. I still felt shame looking at the pretty girl in the mirror though. With her face flushed with the same adrenaline as mine was. I turned my gaze away, feeling dirty as if I was a voyeur steeling her image from someone else. I really did not need this distraction with a crazy person chasing after me.
No matter of how I felt about my reflection I was here, in this restroom, having a near meltdown. It would be best if I could calm down a little while I waited the psycho amazon out. There was even the convenience of the sinks to quickly rinse the sweat and rainwater off. Moving into the front of one I did my best to keep my gaze downward and off of Her.
I took a few calming breaths as I brace myself on the porcelain fixture before I splashed some cold water on my face. Habit made me look up as I did so. Only to catch a full down blouse sight of Her. Embarrassed, I stood fully upright and covered my chest so that I wouldn’t see her hardened nipples. I wasn’t sure how long I waited at that point. I turned around to look at the empty restroom as well as keep watch on the entrance. Across the small area was another set of sinks and their mirrors. Set up so that their reflective surfaces didn’t give that eerie infinite effect.
While I waited I contemplated Her again. Sometimes looking her in the eye, sometimes looking away. To me She was someone else. I don’t know why this was happening. I didn’t think I was perverted or had some form of dementia. I didn’t have any problems with my masculinity contrary to Suzi’s implications earlier. I turned to the mirror closest to me and reached up to touch her face in the reflection. Her hand making the same movements to mine. I could almost feel her hand behind the Mirror. Something was there, beneath the glass. An energy, a warmth I could barely perceive.
I stood there on the brink of some epiphany. The edge of some understanding. To be shattered by the door opening. Around the privacy break at the entrance stepped the person I was both dreading and somehow deep inside hoping to see.
The mirror I was looking at her with showed me the terrifyingly beautiful avenging Angel. Her fiery glowing hair backlit by some unknown nimbus of light. The kestrel-like wings of pearlesque white feathers tipped in crimson hearts blood flexed and rippled in an invisible wind. The edges of which seemed to be both whisper soft and sharpened to a lethal knifes edge. Her alabaster skin aglow with Holy Wrath that only made her sapphire eyes piercing and laser bright as they stared into my soul.
There was no point keeping my back to here, but I was almost more scared to turn around and have my back to her reflection. Still I managed to tear myself from her mesmerizing reflection.
“I swear, it’s like chasing a groundhog into its den.” She said with a flippant waive of her hand. “Ok Magus, let’s see it.”
I had no clue what she was talking about. Her posture and expression was that of impatience. Like it was me who was wasting her time, that I was a difficult child rather than being stalked.
This scene truly belonged much more in one of Bryans games than as something happening to me. I was still gawking at her when her patience wore out.
“Alright, so you’re a bit slow. You are just an itty-bitty tadpole after all.” She rolled her eyes at me before she reached out towards the nearest reflective surface.
Her stance was wide. Both feet just past shoulders width apart. Left arm held out and fingers stretched claw like, just like how the talons showed in her image. Her head was tilted forward, some of the crimson locks flowing to frame her face. She looked at me through hair and beneath sinister eyebrows. An evil visage that pulled the breath right out of my body.
“This is how you do it.”
She touched the mirror, then seemed to reach through the glass to the Angel who grasped her hand. Fingers entwined as a moment outside of time began. Static filled the room as an energy connected her and her reflection. Behind me I felt the same pull towards my own female doppelganger. The energy pulsed. Filled the entire room. A nonphysical explosion shifted along her body rapidly overtaking her entire form. It sprang outwards from her eyes as well as where the Angel grasped her hand. Moving in a wave until in its wake it was the Angel that stood in front of me rather than the woman.
A backlash of the event flung me back against the sink and wall. Not a true blast or explosion, just the push from what had happened. I braced myself back up with both arms, one to the tiled panels and the other touched the mirror.
The epiphany returned. Something coalesced into being inside my core. The mirror was no longer a mirror for me. No longer cold glass. I felt Her hand, the fingers splayed beneath mine. Flesh to flesh, rather than the teasing ‘almost’ sensations of the last few days.
“Yes little Magus. You can finally feel it, can’t you?” Her voice venomous, cold and cruel. She flexed her wings, a shushing sound came forth. Like the whispering flutter of a bird of prey readying for flight. She took a step towards me, both arms low and out to the side, the taloned fingers wide as if readying to slash through my flesh. To gut me like the small animal I was.
“You can feel what has awakened.”
The aggression and hate emanating from her was palpable as she took another step.
“Go on Magus. Change. Do it so we can begin. You will leave with me one way or another, and I’ll be damned by Gaia if I have to haul your filthy breeder birth form back with me.
Ok. Scared now.
Like pee in my pants frightened. I could not face her like this. I was too weak. Incapable of giving a normal person a bruise let alone take on an honest to God supernatural winged and very pissed off Angel.
The echo of her next footstep rang with the finality of oblivion. My panic rose, the bile biting the back of my throat.
“NO!” I finally managed to break the stasis imposed by my fright. The fingers of Her slid in-between my own. For just a moment I felt perfectly calm. That now that She was taking over that I would be able to work on the same level of the being in front of me.
My yell seemed to shatter my reality once more. Time moved back into proper flow. I felt ‘Her’ energy reaching into me. The world shifted and almost seemed to invert. Then, like in the Dream, I was Her. Everything was slightly larger. I was no longer looking across to my tall adversary, now I was looking up at her. I felt my male sides fingers slip from mine, retreating back into the mirror. At the same time my now very baggy clothes made themselves know. Unfortunately in the form of my pants dropping around my ankles before I could think to reach for them.
Angel lady let loose a nasty barking laugh at my predicament. She stood up tall and folded her arms under her ample breasts. “Now you can come with me you elusive tart.”
The glass under my hand once more felt like glass. I leaned down, as calmly as my frightened muscles allowed, and pulled my pants up. I almost stumbled doing so and ended up out of one of my shoes. I wanted to process this more, first though I was just going to ignore that I was ‘Her’ for now. It would only fuck with me hard core. Perhaps the clarity that was falling over me was just shock. Perhaps not. I was not going to waste it either way.
“No…”
I put my fingers to my lips. My voice was wrong. Too high, to soft. My lips felt soft and sensitive underneath my now petite fingertips. “No. Not now.” I continued while the Angel looked on with derisive condemnation. “I don’t want to go with you. I won’t.”
“Well, that is just too bad tadpole. You aren’t protected by any group. Unclaimed. Worthless to anyone as things stand. So be a good little girl and come with me.” How she talked was so hurtful. She practically sneered the words at me. As if talking to a slave or a death row murderer.
My panic began to rise again. A pressure in my chest causing my extremities to tingle and burn. Vision narrowed towards her, the sides of it grayed out into a tunnel with the Angel in the center. I was sure now that if I went with her that I would end up as just one more statistic. Just one more disappeared person. Another poster on a lamp post if anyone would even bother with that. My fear lent me the strength to resist. To at least try whatever I could do to get free.
With that resolution I could feel a gentle warmth in my hands. Like the growing life in a mountains meadow beneath a warm sun. The gentle summers breeze blowing moisture from winters melting snow. All except that the energy of the green growth was in my hands. Pulsing through my veins and rushing along the synapses of my brain.
The psycho Angel was not happy. Not with my defiance, not with my pause. She coiled up and leaned forward. Wings out slightly, arms forward readying to pounce. “You will submit weak little Magus. You will do so now or you WILL regret it.”
Of a sudden the energy I had grabbed a hold of spiked. No longer a gentle springs day, now a raging torrent turning my vision green. As if looking through tinted glasses. My arms drew up of their own volition, time once more slowing down as some form of liquified Emerald flame began to flow around my forearms down to my fingertips. Reaching for her in tendrils of Eldritch energy. Her eyes grew large as the flowing fire raced in her direction.
She managed to duck down and to the right in a tuck and roll motion. Just in time. Her movements quick enough that I could almost see ripples in the air in her wake. The blast continued on past where she had just been. Into the fixtures and wall she had changed at. The Emerald flame moving in a slowed form, a great rushing sound like a river running over its banks in a flood. Everything the fire touched liquified to crumble and fall. Much like mud that was being washed away by a powerful firehose.
I did my best not to stare or pause in the aftermath as time and space resumed their natural states. I ignored all rationality then, I could be startled later, I could cringe and hide in the corner of my room under my bed some other time. I had watched the wall, sink, pipes, and mirror just fall apart. Just disintegrate. Was this why she wanted me? I almost fell down as the ramifications of my actions caught up.
“No….” I said in a whisper.
A harpies screech broke me out of that reverie. So loud and monstrous I really did almost pee right then and there.
Had to get out.
Get out right now.
C’mon Jayde. MOVE!
Another screech and I bolted like a rabbit. With no care as to how I fled. A gathering of cloth seemed to attempt to entangle my legs so I kicked it free. A couple more strides and I could feel my legs bare and free. Finally. The tile of the malls floor cold and smooth beneath my now bare feet.
I just ran. My t-shirt was already soaked and clung to my skin. Uncomfortable but so much better than trying to face that woman.
She was no Angel. A Harpy, a Demon!
This had to be another Dream! There was no way it was real. I had finally cracked.
There was a mad cackle trying to break free from within my chest.
The green flame, the Angel slash Harpy. My change. The bathroom wall flowing like loose sand. My breast moving uncomfortably on my now smaller torso. It could not be real, only a dream.
I was chanting this as I ran, the mall was a blur, the doorways too as I found myself once more outside. All gone from awareness. I had taken a couple hard turns somewhere and the rain was on my skin. Not a normal Seattle drizzle, no this was an actual full on drown me like a rat downpour.
Over and over I kept repeating ‘Just a dream, not happening, just a dream, can’t be real…’ A rhythm to my feet, aloud to whoever may be able to wake me up. Rationality was leaving my world. If this was a dream I would eventually wake up. All I had to do was run until I woke up.
If it was a dream.
“SHIT!”
I had run into something. It was sturdy and unmoving, in my panic I had somehow screamed out. Everything halted in place as I windmilled my ass attempting not to fall onto my now tiny ass. A hand materialized out of the darkness onto my shoulder, large and comforting. Gentle and yet still firm. The sturdy limb it was attached to had steadied me much better than I could have done. It looked huge, attached to a man that looked to my new perspective to be a hulking giant. I looked up and up to see he was well dressed, over a full head taller than I was. His expression was of worry and concern. Though with an underlying anger that seemed to be barely suppressed.
Why would he seem concerned and still look so angry at me?
Then it broke through my panic induced haze. This wasn’t a dream, it was reality. Somehow I really had become ‘Her’. My reflection and I had switched just like in the Dream. Before I could react further I also realized what his expression was for.
It was the same as the one I would have worn whenever I saw a woman child or friend abused and hurt. That they had been put in danger or harmed. He was looking at me like he was a white night and I was the damsel he had come to rescue. It was my appearance. My attire, or lack there of, and rain soaked body that had triggered his protective instincts.
That brought everything to current. I could now feel everything I had been shunting to the side during my flight. The shock fled my system leaving in its wake a cold that was bone deep. The feelings and hurts my panic had protected me from all returned causing a new panic to come forth. A panic based in shame and embarrassment. I could feel every inch of my body now. How it had shifted and changed. No longer were my shoulders broad, no longer were my hands large. My angular and somewhat gangly physique had fled, leaving in its place a petite frame with soft and supple flesh. Many times more sensitive to touch and texture. Every portion of it feeling exposed under this man’s gaze.
Drenched from the rain wearing only my old and threadbare t-shirt.
The conscious realization that I had literally ran out of the rest of my clothes, including my underwear, left me feeling more naked than I had ever felt in my entire life.
“Are you alright miss? Tell us who did this to you. You are safe with us.” He sounded kind and sincere. A well meaning stranger, dark mahogany skin. Likely an athlete like a basketball player.
The last part of his question struck. ‘Us.’
With him were three other people. Two other men and a woman. All dressed like they were going to a nice restaurant or a bar. Friends out on the town underneath their umbrellas. All with nearly identical expressions of compassion mixed with rage.
What he had said stung. Brought tears to my already strung out and weary eyes. No one had ever tried to help me like this since my mother left. To help because it was the Right thing to do without wanting anything in return. Back when my mother had abandoned me and my worthless father had turned into an alcoholic.
The worst part? The part that cut to the quick? I had to become a tiny young woman to find anyone willing to be kind. Like a protector should. It made me feel even more shamed and helpless than before. The way I could feel the cold and damp of the very loose shirt as it clung to me. How my shilled thighs were touching each other with no jeans or anything in between. To the gapping emptiness, where something should be.
I could not face myself right now, let alone a stranger.
His shout of concern was loud and incoherent to me as I reversed course and rabbitted away. Fear and shame now the driving force adding to my speed. Some other voices joined in as he and others pursued what they most likely believed was a victimized young girl. They would not be wrong, but it was a fear of a different type of danger that even I could not comprehend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Courtney~
“Damned…Magus…. BITCH!!!”
Courtney was screaming as she picked herself up out of the dust and debri left in the wake of the Eldrance blast. A couple of pipes in the wall had been severed in the firestorm. The water that sprayed for the turned some of the extremely fine dust into a sort of plaster. She calmed herself and took further stock of the room. Her outfit was a total write off. The fine particulates were already into the pores of the leather. And her beautiful wings… She felt like she had gone a few tumbles in a dust filled cement mixer.
“Well, isn’t this just some fine happy horseshite. I’m going to bloody kill her.”
She considered what had happened. Somehow the newly born Magus had drawn forth Alchemical Fire. Something that many of the Chosen of Balance have a hard time achieving. Even at the peak of their powers. The damage couldn’t have been much worse if the waif had tossed a grenade at the sink. There would not be any of the chemical traces or scorch marks though. The damage done was of a different sort. Instead of an explosion the emerald flames had torn the molecular bonds of matter, breaking them down into their constituent particle elements. The resulting debris was finer than volcanic ash or talcum powder.
“I bet the fuckuin breeder cops are going to have a fucking pretty peach of a time figuring this out.” Courtney was extra careful not to further disturb any of the piles of dust or the spraying water. As it was, the small air movements in the room from her wings had already upset some of the superfine dust. She had absolutely no wish to get a lungful of this crap. It’d be worse than that asbestos crap that some dim witted human had developed. In her opinion that was one for the idiot pile.
“Ok little missy, let’s see who you are.” Said in a cruel sing song voice. Her taloned fingers hands flexed, as if in anticipation of rending flesh from bone. No matter how dangerous those hands may be, they fished up the youths pants with ease. She pulled out a wad of papers and some plastic cards.
“Seriously? The guppy doesn’t even have a wallet?” She groused as she discarded the detritus, cash, and random papers. She got down to a state ID and a few pictures of people. These she put in a vest pocket that could be barely seen due to how tight the leather of her outfit was.
“Jayde… what a plebian name. Odd spelling for a breeder.”
In another pocket she pulled out a slightly used cell phone and a pair of keys. She pocked the keys and tossed the phone in the garbage. “Useless piece of civilization junk.”
“Damn.” She looked down at herself as she turned to the entranceway. “This outfit is trashed. I just got it too…. pooh on that.” She sighed. “Oh well, may as well fly in it since it’s ruined anyway.”
Her flippant tone did not match her angry footsteps as she left. A grimace of distance as she had to walk briefly through one of the spraying ruptures to get to the exit.
Once outside of the restroom a security guard spotted her. His comments or demands frozen on his lips at the sight of the dust covered angel who snarled at him. Putting him in his place as if he was a worm she would gladly grind beneath her booted heal. If a woman could look more like a bird of prey the guard did not know. Outside of the mall Courtney took to the sky. Free of the constraints of both ground and the civilized world she launched herself into the heavens.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 11
Back at it on a Regular Basis. Yayness.
The tune to “Another One Bites the Dust” popped into my head as I did my final save. Then I could only groan as I just dad-joked myself.
Shameless Self Insert!
Advanced chapters available on my Patreon. I'm gonna try to be more productive.
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TTFN and good luck to all in their lives and pursuits!
Summoned:
Book 1 - An Accidental Adventure
In a location, another world, or maybe even another dimension. Which is very far from our own, the Apocalypse has already come and gone. In its wake the decedents of the survivors do their best to eck out an existence. Always under the threat of extra dimensional demons and creatures that exist in the ‘Missing Matter’ that scientist have always theorized to exist.
A mad genius on that planet managed to reach into that quantum realm and brought back the Great Demon Lords and their Minions. Now, with the quantum realm breached, technology and even physics in many areas has surrendered to the Chaos that has engulfed the realms.
Centuries later another enigmatic genius is attempting to revive the fallen Great Generals that had risen up in fighting the Evil Hordes of Chaos. But the Generals life forces, what we would call souls, had already fled their bodies. So he pushed his apparatus and skills further into the Aether to grab a hold of what he thought was the fleeing souls of the Generals.
This would begin the accidental adventure of Nicholas and his friends Chris, James, Felix, and Malachai. As they wake up in a realm not their own. In bodies foreign to them. Not even fully human as well. Unfortunately for them, unlike in so many fantasy settings they knew of, none of them even spoke a whit of language they knew. Worse than the Travels of Gulliver back in their Home World, Nick and Crew find themselves embattled in a very real place where any minute of every day could be their last.
A real adventure indeed.
Summoned:
Book 1 - An Accidental Adventure
Prologue i
Songs have often been sung of battles Great and Small. Of the Villains and Heroes. Those who won versus those who have lost. In many of these bardic tales a person can find almost any example of humanities challenges. There are very few battles through that can encompass every aspect of humanities challenges as one all inclusive tale. This was one such battle, one of the great spun tales to pass down through the ages. To be told verbally in writing or broadcast on one of the few Tri-D stations still recording on station would not do it the full justice that was required of such a story.
In this battle the Legendary Generals of Humanities last stand were gathered. They had finally baited one of the Scourges from beyond the Void that had wrecked devastation upon the civilizations of the planet known to the local inhabitants as Sandax. Which is also, loosely translated their term for earth or ground. Each of these scourges had claimed great swaths of land covering much of the main continent of Sandax. The Fell Beings they were fighting was an unholy melding of flesh and technology bred of chaotic energies found beyond the Void of Matter and Space. In their Stupidity this particular evolution of humanoids had discovered a way to look into the missing space of matter and energy. Into a place of the Void. Past the equivalency of the Holography of the Universe that they knew as material beings. In that place, the end of all and the Abyss of Time there Demons lay. Beings that had prior to this event had only leaked into the humanoids subconscious and the worst of their nightmares. This scouting had allowed the Demons to piggyback through the rift and to inhabit the flesh and neural matrix known as the physical body thus ejecting the prior inhabiting spiritual matrix.
The experiments of this began as a type of Anti-Matter research. Something to solve the energy crisis of the planet. The opponents, and truthfully many of the proponents, of this technology proclaimed that only annihilation would occur. For many of the survivors this would have been an infinitely more preferable outcome to what ended up actually happening. Which was Demonic Possession and a War so vast that it literally remade the surface of the planet they called home.
While all of this was going on the people found that Technology, and in some cases even physics were not functioning as they should. That the very constants that they had worked for ages to discover and understand had been stood up on its collective head. In some pockets of land electronics of any type would not function. Other locations it was chemical combustion. Some places photons lost their wave form and only maintained their particle nature. Regardless of which aspect it became difficult for any side to maintain not only a standing army but also the civilization necessary to support it. This gave an incredible advantage to the Demonic Forces initially. Until one of the disciples of the first Scientist to discover this altered dimensional activity learned to merge technologies and energies together to enhance a being. These first Technomancers as they came to be known became the populaces last hope as they would take Volunteers and give them powers or enhancements that would allow them to fight the Demons form the Void on their own terms. Even if it did have the result of making these people more or perhaps completely different than their base race.
In response to this rose the great Demon Lords. The Strongest of which could now pull new Demons from the void at their need or their want. That was when the forces of civilization knew they were well and truly ‘Screwed’. Luckily for them, through the ranks of the ‘Created’ and the ‘Enhance’ came a few score of the Great Generals after centuries of warfare. Individuals able to take on all but the Greatest of the Demon Lords. Out of these Great Generals came a dozen Legendary Champions. Strong enough to hold their own against the those most powerful of enemies. They were Strong, Fast, Capable, Forceful, Mighty, Powerful, Charismatic, and more. Everything that was needed to be a Paragon of those remaining peoples with the will to survive. They were here in what could be considered the Eleventh Hour of that Era’s need. Each had reached deep into the well of Energy they drew from going from a figurative beacon of light into a Literal Shining Start. Each of their lights corresponding to the aspect that they drew upon, be it love or anger, longing or grief, joy or excitement. The power of their primary emotions allowed the connection that even showed strong in the physical realm around these Champions leaving trails of power in their wake. As their Brilliance doing battle against the Darkness that was swallowing their planet.
That was happening today. In the streets and buildings of one of the great Megalopolis’s. A great city, now destroyed. A testament to the peoples of this planet. The Denizens and citizens of this city watched, or the smarter of them ran, as Godly beings did battle above and below. Seeking what shelter they could as the multiple forces of many armies took the field causing their own death and dismemberment. Even if it was just an echo of their leaders grand show.
On the field could be found every disciple of fighter. The soldiers, runners, pounders, engineers, slingers and slammers. The seers and the Summoners. Rangers and scouts running force recon and sniping. Every type of being imaginable had taken the to the field. Yet they still were an afterthought against the Demons that seemed to rule the land. Demons such as Braashend the Reshaper, a grotesque multi-limbed monstrosity that seemed to be an amalgam of far too many creatures. Or Crens the Temptress who was as beautiful as she was terrifying, and her champion of light who had fallen from grace Mule Enstrand the Turned. Who was once a great Champion himself but tempted to the Void and in his weakness had taken up her torch.
Things would have been bad enough with only these three Great Demon Lords. However the absolute worst of them had shown itself and tipped the balance towards destruction and corruption.
Xentul the Devourer had taken the field.
A creature that was not truly on any side but its own. More of a force of entropy than anything else. Its horde of biomechanical Ravagers followed. Each having a tendency to absorb the remains of the fallen to turn their cadavers or technology into yet more Ravagers. The Generals had timed this battle on the intelligence that Crens and Xentul were both on the other side of the continent. That they would only be going after Braashend. Yet somehow the others had shown up. Turning a potential conquest that was much needed into a route that the Legendary Generals had been giving their lives one after another to make sure that the greatest number of civilians had a chance to retreat.
The only enemy of humanity to not take the field seemed to be Alasan Soreno. The First Summoner. The originator of the Contract with the Void. The first individual who had discovered a pathway to the Energies Beyond the Heat Death of the Universe. The engage interaction with beings or alien sentience’s outside of what mortals could contemplate without going completely insane. No one had encountered the Infamous Summoner in over an age. There were rumors of course. Such as his finally crossing over into the Void himself or becoming a mindless Ravager in his attempts to blend Oblivion to his own will. Perhaps he had been lost during a titanic battle such as the current location had become on the other side of the continent just barely twenty cycles past. To the other Four Demon Lords this was no great matter that the Great Summoner was gone.
One of the several Legendary Champions of Humanity was already down. His energies sucked clean by the battle and his flesh sundered. Two other champions were attempting to hold of Braashend. While a third valiantly tried to save what she could of the downed Champion.
Below and beside all this was an old man. His robes and equipment marking him as some type of advanced technomancer or perhaps even a summoner. One of the rare individuals with training in affecting the quantum field and the Void energies from which the Demons gained their abilities. Utilizing patterns, forms, sounds, techniques, and gadgets they are able to do this. Their enhancements not only worn but also built into them with modified organs as well as technological mishmashes that conventional wisdom stated would not and could not work. Yet they did. Gears made of advanced clockworks, pressure vacuoles, digital touch screens, transister circuitry, DNA Computer control runs, molecular circuits, holo interface tech, and even analogue datastrip operations systems.
The forces around him seemed to ignore him as he wove through the chaos bred of the battle around. Whenever the forces of either side managed to get close he would wend his way around the debris or wander under a fallen pass or seemingly step into nothingness. His intense concentration on his task obvious on his grizzled old features. White, whispy, almost featherlike hair stood on end and moved in the breeze with his movements. He bore no facial hair, but it was more of a natural hairlessness rather than shaving if one was to look closely. Thin, almost non-existent eyebrows above slate gray deep set eyes completed his craggy face. He carried a wood and metal staff that was entwinned by various wires and a couple control interface panels near the main rubber handgrip. At the base of the staff was a brass bulb and opposite on the top was a jagged assembly of metal. The old man moved to kneel over a fallen form of an elfin looking man. The body was brutalized and torn in half. The poor mans expression a grotesque mask of fear and apprehension that was a testament to his final moments.
“Not the best material to work with here.” He said to no one in particular, his aged face wrinkled in disgust at the sight. “Not like there will be many good candidates left at this rate.” He chuckled quietly to himself at his own sardonic tone.
A sound made him look up from his inspection of the dead man. A clicking rock on metal clatter. The Old Man flicked his free hand in an odd manner that could not be performed by someone with all their knuckles in their normal socketed order. With a mutter his eyes glowed as if backlit by an electric diode. He then stepped up and backwards into a fold of nothingness leaving only the battle chattel on the ground.
Through the location where the old man had been standing a tall being moved. Flesh that may once have been handsome, now twisted into a grotesque horror of its own insatiable hunger. Sallow and pallid skin that could once have held a healthy tan now stretched and sagged. Here and there as the flesh had failed materials of all sorts had been used to repair the creature. Be it circuitry, hydraulics, servomotors, flesh of other creatures, or even gearworks. Whatever it could take it had in the living not-death that had to constantly feed or deteriorate even further. One eye had been replaced by an old styled camera lens with some extra electronics the other was a rheumy white within a decaying putrid yellow orb. The left hands flesh stretched taughtly over bones and metal struts that had been stuck inside haphazardly. A great rotting cloak of various patchwork skins covered much of the rest of its body and the creatures right arm. As it moved an observer would be able to make out bits and parts that fit together in no discernable fashion on its horrid body. A whirring and clicking of broken parts could be heard as it shambled along. Not like a well oiled machine but rather like some form of insectile automaton that was broken and still attempting to function even with its damaged parts.
The Old Man had known this creature.
Xentul the Devourer.
It stopped over the body and craned its head to one side. Not to different from a reptile or avian attempting to understand what it was looking at. Its artificial eye lens whirled around in its socket before popping open to allow an undamaged humanlike eye to extend on a servo arm and gaze closer at the deceased creature below it. As soon as it gained a proper vantage point Xentul stopped dead. All noise from it ceased, not a movement nor any sound for several heartbeats as The Devourer became as still as a statue. An instant later with an economy of motion that would have given a robotic servant a good run Xentul reached down and squeezed the right arm of the man off at the elbo with a sickening sound of crunching bones and squelching flesh. Once the partial limb was wretched free the being shrugged back its cloack some and moved its right arm into sight. The end of the arm looked like a hybrid prosthetic and flesh limb that had been run over by a boulder then left to rot in the sun. From the elbow joint down The Devourer allowed the material to slough off onto the ground next to the body. Then it took the dismembered arm and stuck the pulped joint onto the wreckage on the end of the part still attached. A grey sickly goop seeped out of its flesh and onto the fresh meat. This material joined the two dissimilar organisms enough to be connected. Even if only just so.
Xentul flexed its new hand clumsily a couple times. Apparently satisfied it gave what could only be interpreted as a contemptuous wave with its mangled left hand as it walked bast the battle offal. Once the Demon Lord disappeared out of view of the deceased and its own dropped body part the remaining gearworks in the limb began to sluggishly attempt to twitch and move to the body near it.
The Old Man stepped back into existence as if stepping in from another room. “Damn, I had hoped he was still engaged…” He said to himself absent mindedly as he looked down at the revolting limb piece, “Oh no you don’t!”
His staff began to buzz from within. A series of commands were tapped into the mechanical keypad on the staff. After which the chaotic design of prongs on the top of the staff began to flare with a red and purple fire. He pointed the projection at the arm fragment and torched it with the arcane looking flame thrower until it was nothing more than a slag of material melting into the earth below it.
“I am pretty sure that this fallen hero does not wish to walk once more as a Ravager.” He stated as he began to incinerate the body before he moved in a different direction than what Xentul had gone.
Once past the ashen remains of the fallen being the Old Summoners path more often than not brought him in contact with those already slaughtered or destroyed. Every now and then he was forced to fade into the InBetween like before to avoid detection as the battle or forces from either side came tromping through. It also was not only the Demonic forces from the Void and their legions that he was avoiding, but also the forces of the fallen civilizations that he wished to evade. He knew what would happen if those forces of humanities gone past would do if they discovered he was more than the simple Technomancer that he pretended to many to be. After all though it had been many years since Alansan Soreno had created the First Summoning Event the term was still forever tainted in the view of the various civilizations. Alienating all who had felt the inexplicable call of the path of the Summoner. As such he did his absolute best to avoid everyone and everything as he went about his tasks.
Eventually he came upon the fallen body of one of the Great Generals. As he moved slowly to her side he watched another champion nearby engage the still moving Xentul.
“Stupid… you should retreat.” He said towards the Champion under his breath even as he knew that the exemplary fighter could not hear him.
He kept part of his attention on the two embattled beings in case their battle came near. The Demon Lord had manifested a great fell sword made of a fearful melding of ruined metals and still living flesh. Its counterpart was matched by an extremely fit man with braided hair wielding a long sword made of light created seemingly in his own hands. The Old Man saw that the two of them appeared to be moving roughly away from him and as such he put his attention closer to the woman on the ground.
“There may yet be time.”
The tall fair skinned woman was not breathing. A grievous wound in her gut that opened her up from right hip all the way up through the left portion of her ribcage. Internal organs and bones on display to the exposed air around them. Her vibrant hair was plastered with blood and a stark contrast as her skin drained of color. He placed a circular device on her chest above the right breast. Its copper and iron works would seem to be strangely complementary to the Emerald metallic style markings on her body. Once in place the disc shot out four appendages at the compass points around its surface. They turned downward and sunk into the pliant flesh with very little blood flow from the puncture points. After he was satisfied with it the Old Man concentrated and his eyes began to glow as if backlit once again. The clockworks on the device started to spin up, their whirring intensified and lessened as if to the beat of a heart. With every cog styled heartbeat her body became more and more translucent until she faded entirely from view.
Once done the Old Man stood up and looked over at the battle which seemed to once more be drifting his way. “Damnation. I hope I can retrieve at least another few before they are too desecrated beyond recovery.”
With that said he once more stepped backwards into the InBetween. Once there the combatants rampaged through the space he had occupied never knowing that he had been there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Prologue i
Post Note -
If you like my works consider donating to my Patreon so that I may be able to focus more time to write! (Otherwise life gets in the way. Pesky life stuffsssssss....)
So... anyhoo....
https://www.patreon.com/m/8816125
Please at least check it out.
Summoned:
Book 1 - An Accidental Adventure –
Prologue ii
Authors Notes -
Nope. This chapter doesn't take place in the gnarly realm with that Old Man. Here are some more character introductions.
I'm trying for a once a week chapter. Usually friday or saturday, but who knows what life brings. I've got this story pretty much finished and transcribing, but I'm not gonna post it all at once as it is still in very (very very) rough format. Gots lots of stuffs to do in it before I'm completely happy!
Don't forget to like the story and go to my patreon link at the end to get access to new chapters and also to exclusive artwork and previews before I post here and other places on the interwebs!
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“Hey Nick! What demented asinine brain jerky inspired dungeon crawl do you have planned for us this weekend?” Chris Hodges asked his gamer geek friend and sometimes co-worker Nicholas Anderson. Chris himself was a self styled average guy. Around six feet tall, around a hundred and eighty pounds. Average cut brown hair and average brown eyes that set in a reasonably average Caucasian frame. In fact Chris went to some lengths to stay that way. None of his friends, both geek and chic, understood why. Especially since his personality and presence made him stand out in almost every crowd. As well as his constantly being in the middle of most anything going on. Luckily for them he was also a very likable individual not to mention pretty handy in a crunch.
Currently he and his friend Nick worked at the local Best Buy consumer electronics store. Which was great for both of them as they were able to get first pick of great items that came through the damaged or clearance bins. After all, neither of them truly cared if an Xbox came back with a damaged disc reader. Both could repair simple electronics at need.
Nicholas was a bit shorter and definitely the more flamboyant of the pair. He was just as, if not more, energetic than Chris. Though where Chris enjoyed being in the center of any goings on, Nick was more of a prankster and joker than the more serious mind Chris.
“You have the manners of a baboon with a serious sinus infection.” Nick said with a pompous sniff. “Seriously, ‘assinine brain jerky?’ I will have you know that I am serving our dungeon from a nicely chilled platter of Posterially Challenged Salad. Fresh and Crispy with critters and a potential side of Obtuse Opossum for good measure.”
Chris pinched the brow of his nose as he groaned with his eyes screwed shut. “Oh good lord. Not the Morks again. Seriously who let you watch that Futurama movie?”
The shorter of the two responded with a chuckle as he shook his head. “No, not the Morks this time my good friend. But you gotta admit, they were funny.”
“No they weren’t Nick. They Just.. Would… Not… Shut…Up! If I hear one more MindyMindyMindyMindyMindy or Nanu Nanu it’ll be too soon.” He turned away from his friend to do some straitening on the shelves. “And did you honestly have to set up a Sound Board for that session? I mean… Really?”
Nicholas’s reaction was a silent and rather self gratified grin. Which only caused Chris to groan once again. The two of them had to cease their conversation then as a customer came within the range where they could not professionally ignore her. As Nick went off to great the woman Chris contemplated their friendship. No matter how much he and the others may bemoan some of the poor taste of Nicks jokes or puns they still did enjoy their gatherings and games.
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Across the town in one of the many grocery store chains another member of their small yet dedicated group was plying his way through the aisleways in search of various foodstuffs. Sometimes muttering to himself and at others actively seeming to be talking to himself. At least until an observer saw the tiny Bluetooth earbud in one ear.
“No. Yes, yes. They’re out right now. Got it. What? Of Course. No, I’ve got that too.” Was his portion of the conversation that was in response to a list of goods being inquired of. “Look Mom, I have the list you texted me. I can’t figure out what you want that’s not on the list nearly as easily on the phone. Why don’t you just text me an updated list?”
He stopped moving as he paused to listen to her. “Yes, I know you like to hear my voice and want to talk. But I need to keep to my schedule as well."
James Wethers was an orderly man. The grocery cart in front of him was a testament to this in the way every item was neatly arranged and set up. Heavy canned goods stacked on the bottom near the back of the cart, other higher weight items that had a resistance to crushing to the front. On top of those in the next layer was any boxed goods. Perishables above those and all of the frozen goods pulled together to maintain their temperature. The largest item was a heavy fifty pound bag of rice underneath the cart.
His appearance looked quite in line with the way he set his cart.
Tall and heavyset, more stocky than fat. Not too much muscle definition but moving with a sort of grace that only a landslide could show. Only the beginnings of a belly starting to show in his otherwise large frame. James did not quite yet have a second chin, but the makings for one could already be seen under his strong jawline. He was sharply dressed and very well groomed. Though he would never be considered a very good looking man, James felt it important to never be accused of being unkempt. At twenty two years old he had a lot of career options once he finished his college and vocational training in his home town of San Diego. This in conjunction with his constantly being at his mothers beck and call made for a bit of a dearth of dating material. The upside was in the savings tha the found and extra free time to pursue his schooling and hobbies.
Between the scholarships, grants, and college savings from his parents James did not to put out a dime for higher education. His entire course was set for a PhD in Space Robotics and Electronics specializing in automated control systems. One of the few conditions that assisted in this so has to help defray costs and gain more financial support was to live at home with his mother and share vehicles.
His father had been a ships design engineer for the US Navy before passing to cancer a few years ago. James felt the pull to follow in his fathers footsteps. Though it was to design for space rather than nautical designs. Everything he did reflected the very orderly house he was raised in. Where he had doubled down as the man of the house as his fathers health had faded rather than follow the more classic rebellion against their parents upbringing and wishes.
The one social weakness that James had in his own eyes was his inability to stop gaming with his childhood friend Nick. The two of them had been as unlikely a pair as any. Especially as Nick was spontaneous, disorganized, impertinent, and drifted life with nary a care to his own future. His spur of the moment methodology often caused distress to James’s comfortable routines. To make matters worse was that Nick seemed to have an intuitive ability to be where things would benefit him. Sort of a Homer Simpson grade of luck. Where James had needed to work hard in school to get a good test score Nick would game late the night before and show up exhausted to still ace the tests. James needed to share his ride with his mother, Nick on the other hand managed to sneak in and grab a decent car for next to nothing as it needed some simple electrical work done. They really were almost complete antithesis of each other. Yet even if they did often gripe and bicker like a pair of grumpy old men they were still great friends who managed to spend a lot of their free time together.
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In one of the many outdoor park style campus study areas at the San Diego State University sat a pair of smaller guys. In front of them on the park bench table was an eclectic selection of books stacked or placed rather haphazardly. The material varied from advanced chemistry to aerospace engineering principles to composite compression analysis and even a couple books on medieval weapons crafting. There was even a book on Bushido, the ancient ways of the Samurai from Japan.
“And I’m telling you Malachai, you CAN bring a sword to a gunfight and win. There are many plausible scenarios.” Felix stated with an air of both slight exasperation and overconfident braggery.
The young man was small and wiry. Possessing a compact frame that seemed to be bursting with energy. His darker olive skin spoke to his Mediterranean ancestry while his nearly black curly hair begged to be tasseled by any passerby or close friend. Internally he didn’t even mind that he was often mistaken for any of the eastern Mediterranean countries or even those of full Middle East heritage. The reality for him was that Felix was a Euro-mutt with no way to know the full set at all. Instead what he cared about was having his facts straight and winning confrontations in the most unconventional or bizarre ways possible. As such he frequently studied just about every conventional or standard way to tackle challenges. Be they in real life or in some made up fantasy realm. In that way the little gamer munchkin found ways to frustrate whatever simple minded plebian who had been unfortunate enough to challenge his intellect.
What else could anyone expect from a youth by the name of Felix Tuttle after all? Which was also part of the whole classic geek slash nerd discussion of the Sword in a Gunfight Scenario that he currently found himself engrossed in.
Opposite of the intrepid gamer nerd sat a rather contrasting individual. Where Felix was energetically leaned forward and used his hands very emphatically to emphasize each and every point his friend Malachai sat nearly ramrod straight showing a complete physical reserve. From looks, attitude, and even accent one could mistake the two as having absolutely no common ground. Yet that was not accurate in the slightest. Malachai was a foreign exchange student from Romania to the East of Hungary and south of Ukraine. Pale olive tinged skin with light brown hair and sky blue eyes, he was also very fit. Athletic build of a runner or track star and looked equally as academically inclined. He was already far ahead of his current course curriculum. Normally full time college students only took four, maybe five courses at a time. Malachai was currently holding his own at eight courses. Even with that huge burden on his life he still found enough time to spend on interesting side projects like Felix’s current conundrum of the real life potentials of bladed weapons versus projectiles.
The reason that this odd companionships with one of the Campus’s poster boys of darkness instead of hanging around with any of the ‘In Crowd’ was because the youth had finally found proper mental stimulation there. He still maintained his physical fitness regimes that his parents had drilled into him many years ago which had centered on Gymnastics geared towards the Olympian standards. In fact it was that very sports program which allowed him his current schooling and life at the College. His specialty was the parallel bars, and though Malachai was very good he felt that he was only at state and national levels rather than the Olympic level his Ma and Pa had wished him to attain. That was only a matter of time according to his trainer however. Besides for Malachai at least he felt that the majority of the Olympian spotlight was currently on barely pubescent girls. A specific item that he thought was ridiculous as Gymnastics was not nearly much of a challenge for a person at that level of physical development and thus not a true competition. Sort of like a boxer fighting opponents under his weight class.
With that last thought in mind young Malachai often spent his free time in cerebral and often pointless debates with Felix rather than focusing on obtaining full Olympian status. Their usual discussions around the most recent Hollywood bullshit special effects fight that was pedaled to the general populous. So like some of their favorite shows like Mythbusters they would figure out realistic scenarios and equipment to se if there was an actual chance of victory. Such as archaic weapons versus modern firearms.
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“Yes sir, I understand.” Nick stated in a respectful tone.
“Make sure that you do Mr Anderson.” His manager responded in a rather authoritarian tone. One that always caused Nick to have to hide a laugh given his love of classic science fiction characters. “We here at Best Buy are dedicated to our customers satisfaction.”
Given that the perfunctory voice, rote answer, and standardized responses were a given for almost all employee problems Nicholas understood quite well. It was a classic case of Tow the Line or get out that all retail establishments used now a days.
“Yes, I will do my best to be more dedicated to our customers needs in the future.” He said to his manager not quite looking at the older man, making sure that he was using the correct pitch of apologetic and earnest that was required.
The other man quirked an eyebrow in a very space elf sort of way. “Even when you are ignoring one customer for another?”
That particular comment caused Nick to flinch just a little. “You saw that?” He blurted out before thinking. Just as quickly he realized what he had said just barely suppressed saying a classic ‘Doh!’
“Yes.” The one-word answer from his boss was a bit less by rote and much darker in tone. “Mr. Anderson… Nick. I’m going to be honest. If you weren’t so good at the upsell I would have let you go your first week. I don’t like your attitude, and you spend far too much time talking non work-related topics. With both your customers and your co-workers. How you manage to upsell most customers you help is beyond me, but if you continue to go against my policies then I don’t care if you sell good. I will let you go.”
His boss, Dave Russel, was a classic case of career retail manager. He ate, breathed, and slept for big corporate retail climbing. To the point that the man was huge on policy and procedure and much less on moral and well being. Nick felt that Dave was so disconnected from the real customer needs of retail reality that the man truly did not understand that it was exactly that extra time that was spent socializing that earned the sale. If the customer felt that they were being dealt with by a drone then they would just grab their item and go. By chatting with them about their jobs and entertainments Nick was able to steer the customers to other wants and needs they didn’t know they had. So what if it took ten to fifteen more minutes per sale. He needed several thousand in sales under his belt a week above the next best floor sales person. Which not incidentally was Chris who Nick often handed customers off to after he reached the weeks quotas.
“Is there anything else sir?” He asked. He really just wanted to get out from under the man’s disapproving gaze as fast as possible.
“Not at this moment.” Dave gave him a dismissive wave.
Grateful for finally being given permission to leave Nick hightailed it out of the office being careful not to slam the door. After all it wouldn’t be nearly as pleasant if he was called back in immediately.
In the back stock room outside of the Managers office one of Nick’s co-workers, Janelle, was leaning against the wall. The rather rat faced woman was posed in what Nick was sure that she believed would be considered casual. Of course he recognized it for what it really was.
Gloating.
“So, gotta turn your blue in finally?” She asked in her nasally and, at least to Nicks ears, whiny tone.
He took great pleasure in his response. “Nope! In fact Dave admitted I was the best salesman on the floor.”
“Person.” She corrected as she pushed off the wall to follow him into the breakroom where he was heading.
“What?”
“Salesperson.” Her voice was, as always, grating on Nicks nerves. “Salesman denotes that Women can not be in Sales.”
The old line she was spouting off was another thing that bugged Nick. He didn’t like gendertyping people either, but a slip of the tongue was just that. Besides he hated the way she used her politically correct agenda against every man that she could.
“Not this again Janelle.”
“It is attitudes like that that cause women to make less money an hour than you over privileged Men.” She almost bit out at him.
To say she was something of a feminist was similar to saying the sky was a little blue or the ocean was a little wet.
Nicholas resisted the urge to pinch the brow of his nose as he felt a familiar headache coming on. “You make more an hour than I do Janelle. And you haven’t worked here as long.”
“That’s because I had to work so hard at it! Because as a woman I have to work more than twice as hard as you do for the same benefits!”
Another thing that Nick and most everyone he knew could say about Janelle’s vitriolic rhetoric was that she was a bit brain washed by the party line.
Finally Nick had enough and turned to her just as he entered the break area. “If you worked half as hard on customer service as you do on reminding us how hard you have to work compared to a man then you’d probably give me some actual competition as best seller.” He baited her with the statement.
Normally he didn’t like to deal with this type of unfounded and regurgitated bigotry. Especially as her opinion was firmly fixed in her mind. She also happened to be one of those pleasant people that mistook her opinions for facts.
Janelle spluttered a little as her brain attempted to formulate a comeback that fit within her personal worldview. While she made a good impression of a fish out of water Nick made his way over to his lunch that had been left untended when it was interrupted by the dressing down he had received. Much to his dismay as he sat down he saw Janelle had followed him in. Technically she wasn’t even supposed to be in there as it wasn’t her scheduled break and she was on the clock. Yet she was also Dave’s favorite. Probably in large part because she was a good little bureaucratic kiss ass. So she was able to get away with things that would get Nick and most other employees a write up or even fired. As he didn’t have another job lined up yet and rent was always coming around the corner he couldn’t afford another bad note on his file.
“Janelle. As much as I would love to play point and counterpoint with you I really should clock back in and hit the sales floor.”
She turned with a huff and stalked out of the room.
“Great… I’m sure that’s gonna come back and bite me in the ass!” Nick quietly exclaimed to himself as he looked down to his half eaten
burger realizing he had lost his appetite.
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End Prologue ii
Post Notes -
If you like my works consider donating to my Patreon so that I may be able to focus more time to write! (Otherwise life gets in the way. Pesky life stuffsssssss....)
So... anyhoo....
https://www.patreon.com/m/8816125(link is external)
Please at least check it out.
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Prologue iii
Back in that other realm the Old Man worked in a room just as eclectic in form as he was. Due to the vagaries of the Quantum Event that had occurred on this planet it could be separated in Time, Space, or Both from the Universe in which it all started. It could also be neither, and it is just somewhere… Else. The dark location and the Old Man bustled with a strange otherworldy energy. It could be considered a bit of an odd description. Bustling in regards to the pulsating energy located within. Yet it was the most apt description at present.
The room was an Elipse in shape, filled with many machines and technologies from just as many era’s of their history. All of the equipment was connected together in one way or another by wires, tubes, fiber optics, directed energy relays, and even some DNA data transfer paths. The mish mash of gears alongside was even more diverse than the items connecting them. From analogue calculating machines and touch screen computers to cathode ray tube displays and even full holographic interface projections. On one counter against a wall there was even a living half of a bovine like head with several sets of wires and tubes protruding from the brain in its skull. The energized feeling in the room pulsed once, similar to the feel of a heartbeat waking up from a long rest. As if this all was a living construct standing up to meet the demands of the Old Man who was puttering around setting everything up.
Along the rooms center axis were seven beds. Made of similar to the other parts in the room. Their only similarity to each other was in that they all had flat tops perfectly arranged for holding a humanoid body.
Only two of the beds were occupied currently. The first was that of a red haired woman that had been recovered earlier that day from one of the battle fields that the Old Man had been scavenging through. She was stripped of any clothing or gear that may have had on in the field. Just her bare body and many cables and tubes running into various wounds covering her flesh. Apparatus hung from the ceiling where most of the equipment was connected to her. She was tall, easily a head and a half taller than the Old Summoner. Well formed muscle tone contrasting with a very obviously female frame. The deep strawberry red locks had been cleaned somewhat of blood and debris from the field, yet some of it still remained. It had recently been hacked to shoulder length from the uneven yet sharp hair ends. Pale fair skin currently ashen like that of a corpse. A smattering of freckles on her face shoulders and upturned breasts. There was a small privacy towel over her waist with a thicker pair of cables leading out from under it. Over her body could be easily discerned dark green metallic marks or perhaps solid tattoos. A pair of sharp and slim angular lines accentuating her jawline. Three slicker slashes of the marks under her breasts on each side of her chest each over one of her ribs. Two carefully etched geometric rings were on each upper arm. Her forearms sported a strange open centered oval and two trapezoid shapes on the back of each hand. Visible on her thighs were thick elongated triangles, two per thigh each sharp end pointing towards her kneecaps. A set of lines reminiscent of the slashes on her ribcage were crafted into her flesh around each calf. There were others most likely but they were not presently visible on her form.
A few tables down from her lay another body. Just as denuded of clothes as the first with the same privacy towel an array of miscellanea just as confusing as the other beings entered the more masculine body. He was shortish compared to the Old Man and with a torso too. His skin was a pinkish dusky rose tan crisscrossed with old and faded scars. He had a broad islander style of face, wide cheekbones and flattened nose. The sides of his skull were shaved or perhaps hairless, though he grew a near mane of very full hair starting high on the forehead all the way down to the nape of his neck. Shiny and raven black, it was in a long thick braid that would reach his well-defined calves if he was standing up. Two other main points of interest about him was a sort of cybernetic interface with ports built into his right pectoral muscle with several lights glowing dimly in it and one very thick cable from the array above plugged into it. Another item of note was the three metallic silver parallel stripes on each forearm about a fingers width wide starting on the outside of the arm to sweep across and down diagonally to end just before the wrist on the inside of the forearm.
Beyond those and the Old Man there was nothing otherwise in the room. Which included any possible door or even air recirculation systems. Not anything that could be used to enter or exit the room in any way.
The Old Man muttered something rather inaudible and began to fade much the way that he had gathered the womans body in the field earlier. With each heartbeatlike pulse of energies he faded further and further from view until he was gone. The pulsing energy of the room died down to only a slow trickle of motion once the room was vacated by anything moving. Some unknown time later the pulse livened again. A crackle from one of the devices sparked energetically and a sonic vibration pulsed along one of the tables. A thumping rhythm began with a gyrating whooshing like sound as a body of a large hulk of a person with granite like skin began to gain substance from the nothingness. Almost as wide as he was tall, the body was wrent and torn. One arm almost completely sundered from his form, inside clockworks, pistons, and brass works seemed to make up the interior skeletal structure. A gray powder seeped and seemed to ooze from the wounds in the skin. Nothing much remained of his clothing but it must have been from some type of military uniform. On his chest was a disk much the same that the Old Man had used prior.
Not long after the hulk finished materializing the Old Summoner began to fade into view.
“Wilheim, you fool. You knew better to take on Braashend.” He said sorrowfully to the prone body. He began muttering in an odd arcane language. The dirt and grime on the body began to absorb as an apparatus lowered from the ceiling like some deep sea horror part cetacean part insect that was readying itself to eat. It unlimbered some mechanical arms that began to repack the broken bodu back into a more correct form. Under the ministrations of this unit and the Old Man the body was unclothed and repairs begun.
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~ Nick and Felix ~
Away from the Old Man and his strange technological amalgams and back in the San Diego State University campus Felix and his friend Nick were walking along. The two of them were discussing, well more of arguing, various points. Sort of a rambling argument that went from topic to topic. With its cadence as well as a lack of any actual aggression, it was clear to any outside observer that the two did this on quite a regular basis.
That is, until a bevy of the finer half of humanity walked out in front of them. As Felix maintained the conversation in full, Nick’s eyes enjoyed the sight of derriere on display in skinny jeans, yoga pants, and shorts. It took a few dozen paces until the shorter of the two even noticed the lack of conversational reply from his taller companion.
“Yo Nick.” Said with some irritation. “Earth to Nick. Hey Nicholas.” Felix kept up as he snapped his fingers loudly in front of his friend. “You know they wouldn’t give you the time of day so stop oogling."
The snapping did the trick with his friend and brought Nick out of his visually induced torpor. “Yeah, I know. But eye candy is still eye candy.” He patted Felix patronizingly on the shoulder as he continued, “I’ll explain it some day when you get fuzz on your chin.”
Felix had a rather scoffing tone to his reply. “Whatever man. I’m the one who’s dating a Cheerleader, remember?”
“Dude, she’s in high school. Doesn’t count.”
“She’s eighteen. Does count.”
Nick shook his head at his friend. “You know that as soon as she gets into colleges he’s gonna dump you, right?”
With a sigh, “Yeah, you right.” Then the smaller man perked up noticeably. “But until then, I’m the one dating a cheerlearder. Don’t you forget it.” By the end of his statement Felix was grinning like a fiend.
As Nick was about to reply with what he felt was a witty rejoinder his cell phone start to ring out the tune to ‘In the Navy’ by the Village People. He didn’t let it get too far into the chorus line before answering . “Yo, Nick speaking, the answer is 42.”
On the other end of the line Nick could hear his friend Chris laugh before he responded. “So long and thanks for all the Fish.”
It was an old joke between the two of them. Luckily it was also popular enough in their life rather than just obscure nerd trivia like in their parents generation.
“So, get your butt over here. We can game as soon as you and Short Stack arrive.” Chris said to him.
Felix bristled as soon as he saw Nick attempting to smother a laugh at Chris’s description of him. “Tell him to Shove Off Nick!”
At that Nick could no longer smother his laugh as the very persnickety Felix had known exactly what type of comment had been made. The small man knew exactly who Nick was talking too as that ring tone was assigned to only one contact in his phone. It was Nick’s way of poking fun at Chris as the other man had done a short stint in the Coast Guard. Which of course, given Nick’s sense of humor ended up being a double joke on the guy.
“I see that got the appropriate reaction,” Stated the prior puddle hopping not quite swabbie. “Anyway, the other guys have already showed up. We’re killing some time on Mario Kart but anxiously waiting to see what breed of demented ass weasels you are going to throw at us tonight.”
Nick finally calmed down a little from snickering at Felix’s vertical challenged issues. “I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of Ass Weasels in tonight. Neither can I speak to their mental stability.” As he talked about said tubular mammals Felix made the universal gesture of TMI to him. “Also, I’ll drag our pleasant little murder munchkin along. We’re on our way.”
Chris laughed at that. “That’s an insult to murderers you know.”
Felix and Nick were pacing along towards the parking lot as they made a beeline to Nicks car. Felix had his hands in his pockets and a slightly downtrodden expression on his face. “you don’t have to encourage him you know.”
“Oh come on Felix. You know Murder Munchkins would be pretty sick.”
The shorter man continued to sulk for a few more steps before his expression shifted and he finally laughed. “Only if the Lollipop guild’s Lolli’s were shaped like Battle Axe’s.”
On the phone Chris’s excellent hearing managed to pick up a touch of Felix’s comment. “Wait, I call Veto on Lollipop Battleaxe’s!”
Nick got another chuckle at that and responded, “Mayhap it will be Lollipop Battleaxe wielding Murder Munchkins with Demented Ass Weasel Familiars tonight.”
Chris growled out a good bye before keying off his side of the conversation.
Meanwhile the two reached the correct area of the parking lot and Nick pulled out his key fob to remote deactivate his car alarm. A quick bleep bleep later and the two of them were getting into a rather beat up tan Ford Escort that had seen better days. The inside matched the outside in appearance but that was a matter of choice for the owner. Since Nick enjoyed the obtuse, bizarre, and the downright strange he had invested funds into the drive train and performance instead of the exterior and looks. Since that specific year of Ford Escort was built on the same frame as the Mustang he had seen no reason why he couldn’t take out the old four banger and replace it with a more modern performance aluminum block v-6 engine with turbos. The result was something that looked like a run of the mill beater car but drove like a bat outta hell.
They crossed the town in the early afternoon traffic in Oceanside just north of San Diego. Luckily the roads were relatively clear before three or four pm. Relative for Southern California that is. Just a fine easy pace while they continue to chatter away until they pulled up. Outside of the old condo style apartment Chris rented was parked a mid eighties Honda Valkyrie motorcycle and a mid two thousands Chrysler Sebring. The condo itself had nice landscaping and a red front door deep set in a cream colored exterior. The paint was starting to peal… again. After a quick parking job one house over Nick and Felix walked to the front door and noted Malachai’s newer reliable mountain bike leaned up against the wall.
James opened the door and loomed over the two of them with his arms folded and a cross express expression on his face.
“Call the Brute Squad!” Nick hollered past the larger man into the house.
To which James answered “I’m on the Brute Squad.” Complete with grin and bad accent.
In almost as bad an accent Nick continued the almost ritualized commentary “You Are the Brute Squad?”
“I swear you two..” Felix stated more than a little annoyed as he pushed inside past and slightly underneath the two larger guys.
“Hey! There is Adorable Murder Munchkins!” Malachai said from the couch as he steered his kart on the video game he still happened to be playing. His Slavic accent understandable even if he still often talked in a sort of pidgin vocabulary at times.
Felix shot him a glance cross wise as if to say ‘Et Tu Malachai? Et Tu?’ as he walked into the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Prologue iii
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Prologue iv
Authors Note: SOoooooooo.... Embarrassed me.... I pulled a stupid. I thought I had pressed submit but I had only pressed preview when trying to post this chapter. Then a bunch of life happened Stupid Lifes always gettings in the way... hissssssssss Yeah, so, that happened. But I'm Alive! I'm still here and writing!!! I've gotten some great messages but I'd love comments just as much. I hope everyone's been enjoying it so far. This prologue chapter gets the story closer to the actual scenes that make it TG and why the story is here. However, I felt that it was important overall to set some of the tone. Especially with the Old Man and what he is and isn't. Also... Kind of got stuck binge watching She Ra on Netflix... again... my bad...
The Old Man was once more on the field of carnage. He was manty times more disheveled and worn than before. Favoring his right side where his robes were torn and a dark red brown fluid oozed from under them. Even with the injury and pain he was still spry enough to clamber around after any other bodies or at least parts of bodies that he may be able to save.
“Shouldna helped them.” He said quietly to himself as he bent down to inspect some battle spore on the ground. “Ungrateful warriors ready to believe the worst.”
He allowed himself a dark chuckle. “As if my kind has earned trust on first sight.”
The debris he was looking at seemed like a bit of meat and cloth that had been sheared off by a sharp blade. The flesh was green muscle tissue with sharp black metallic bone fragments within. The cloth was most likely either an underarmor jerkin or a soldiers uniform. Due to the color of the flesh the Old Man was most likely looking at an Enhanced, and hopefully one of the fallen Great Ones as it was still fresh. He chanted in his arcane language and waived his left hand over it. The back of his hand had a clear quartz panel built into it with some form of digital display fussily lit from within. With his palm placed over the fleshy bits a humanoid shape took form within the depths of the screen.
“Yes good…” He said in confirmation of what he was seeing.
The Old Man turned to his left and continued to chant quietly under his breath he moved forward. The hand held out in front of him, his palm outwards not unlike a blind person questing for a wall. In this case though whenever his palm passed near a bit of blood or remnant of the same being it flashed an image of the man. Using this method it did not take too terribly long to find the individual. He lay gasping for breath. Holding in his guts by one arm while fending off a human form Ravager with a bent piece of pipe. The light in the mans eyes was fading along with his strength. The blue colored skin of his right side was flayed open, torn free likely by some type of jagged claws. Similar likely to the Ravager in front of him which dripped ichor and green fibrous muscle tissue of its intended victim.
Coming to the rescue was never in question for the Old Man. He jumped immediately onto the attack. His worn and tattered robes flapped as he ran forward. A flame on the tip of his staff triggered by a couple switches on the haft. Once in range he aimed the fire burst flare at the creature. He followed the short plume in to impact with a resounding almost cymbal sound of metal on metal. The forelimb of the dead creature fell at the feet of the wounded man as the Ravager let out a strange sound, much like a electric buzz coupled with a hissing of a broken steam boiler. It moved into the Old Man oblivious to the wound he had just inflicted into the creature. Its hybrid flesh a patchwork of many pieces of fallen foes or battlefield carrion. The inner workings of the Ravager collected in much the same way.
Including a chemical propellant firearm that seemed to be part of its stomach area.
When the small bore cannon fired the Old Man narrowly maneuvered any of his vital parts out of the way. However it did not miss him entirely. Now a matching wound in his left side began to bleed out similar in size and location from its opposite just under his ribcage on his right side.
“Void and Damnation!” He yelled as he shifted his stance incase there was another round that the creature could fire at him. He stepped back, careful not to slip on the destroyed landscape beneath his feet. Precious time taken fighting this fiend instead of on the rescue frustrated him to no end. “End damn you creature, END!”
The Ravager ignored the Summoners calls. Instead it swiped its deformed remaining appendage at him. He barely managed to get his staff into a blocking position before receiving another wound. Behind and below him the wounded man began to emit a death rattle from his damaged throat. With very little remaining on the mans life the Old Man took what action he could as he planted his staff end on the ground as a pivot point for the flare on the other end. With timing gained from many years of experience he brought the incinerating flare down into the torso of the enemy as it attempted to bull him over. Much the same way as a man would set a spear into the ground to let a beast impale itself upon it while on the hunt.
Unlike a spear though, the Technomancers Staff he utilized accessed energies a plain metal tip could never hope to. With these energies in play the Summoner triggered an explosive cascade as soon as the tip entered the major area of the Ravagers chest cavity. He utilized the remaining stored energy reserves in his chem cells and the creature exploded apart as if it had been a grotesque confetti bomb made of decaying body parts and miscellanea of tech.
Now dripping with the remnants of Ravager the Old Man had the time to attempt his mission of mercy. He turned to look down at the man and clicked his tongue in sorrow. He placed another transportation disc on a relatively undamaged portion of the mans chest.
“You may be the last one I am able to rescue…” He said to the being as the corpse vanished. “I only hope that I am not too late.”
Once the man was completely gone the Summoner bent over in a coughing fit that he covered with a hand. He pulled it back and saw some black blood spackled over his palm. “Need to get that fixed…”
He began to fade once more to the heartbeat of his techno sanctuary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Chips.”
“Check.”
“Beer.”
“Check.”
Nicholas’s gaming group continued their pre game munchie check off list. For the most part everything was accounted for. Even though everyone had called a total Veto on Felix’s Sardine Bean dip. Especially as since the last time that Felix had made it the gaming area stank of the salty fish for the entire gaming session and several days afterwards.
The Salty Fish Veto had ended up in another Veto of course. This time was on James’s wish of Cornnuts. Chris was not a fan and it was his apartment after all.
“So Felix, you know you have to choose tonight.” Chris state as they continued to check down the items they had for their game.
“Yeah Felix, choose path.” Malachai added.
The munchkin in question paused a moment in contemplation and when Chris opened his mouth to continue the commentary he raised his hand in a ‘Wait a Moment’ gesture. He used the brief respite to shuffle some sheets around the gaming table in front of him.
As he did so Nick came in from the kitchen sipping on an energy drink to look over the smaller mans shoulder. James had sat down as well to go over his papers and looked up at their game master. “Oh no Nick. No Energy Drinks this early!”
“What!” Malachai exclaimed whipping around to look at the brunette in question. “No good, no good! You put down now Nick!”
“What?” Nick held up his arms innocently with his best ‘pure as the driven snow’ expression.
Chris tossed Nicholas a bag of pretzels and waited to see the results. His target was adpt enough to catch it without spilling the already opened bag. Nick meanwhile was able to resist the urge to throw it back, instead choosing to respond verbally.
“Oh, what’s wrong with an energy drink or three?”
“Two words Nick.” Chris held up his index and middle finger to emphasis his point. “Abyssal Herpes.”
“Nick never allow watch Knights Badassdom again.” Malachai murmured gruffly. The others nodded sagely to the statement.
Their game master put the drink down next to Felix’s stack of characters and information so he could have his hands free begin going through the sheets. Felix made a grabbing motion just a little to late to prevent his friend from getting the topmost piece of paper.
“No, we talked about this Felix. Wrong Genre. I don’t care that it can ‘Technically’ be made.”
Chris made a ‘gimme’ motion with his hand reaching out, though Felix was able to intercept the sheet first.
“Well, I was thinking that my charact4er would have a parent who kept a dream journal with it in from another reality that was seeping into hi—” Felix’s long winded explanation and rule twisting justifications was interrupted by Nick.
“No Sonic Screwdriver. You can pick something from the books for your characters one year downtime, or you can have him only take a vacation. Books Felix, please keep it to the Books.” He attempted not to sound lecturing or patronizing, but sometimes it was just a little bit more difficult than at others.
“Fine.” The Munchkin of the group didn’t even attempt to keep the petulance out of his voice as he reached for a stack of the hardbound rules and games books.
Malachai picked up a pretzel piece to waive it as Felix. “I back take. Is Felix no watch shows.”
“Dude, you seriously need to work on your English.” Chris stated while pinching the brow of his nose. “Pidgin only works in TV Shows with a laugh track.”
James chuckled from down the table. “You do know he purposefully does that, right?”
The object of Chris’s oncoming headache grinned, sort of an impish mischief alight in his eyes. “Your shows here have great examples of foreigners who never learn English.” His Romanian accent was still present though his words and inflections sounded near perfect. He then looked at James while Felix, Chris, and Nick all had an open mouthed shocked expression. “How figure out? I good pidgin, work hard at no speak good English."
“Just because I am slower to state an answer does not mean I’m not observant.” James said with a slow shake of his head. He paused for dramatic effect as the others took in his words. “You ordered the pizza last week remember? I overheard you placing the order.”
Malachai paused and thought back. “Damn. Stupid Hut of Pizza’s phone peoples no understanding. They gave me out….”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven bodies now lay on seven hybrid technological slabs. Making the location look even more like a combination morgue slash life support slash robotic repair location. All of the bodies were as still as death yet they pulsed with the same energetic heart beat like rhythm that the equipment in the room was generating.
The first of the rooms occupants looked the most lifelike at this point. Her body no longer ashen, now more flushed. Lips red once more and skin though pale was no longer contained the pallor of death. If not for the fact that she was not breathing she could easily be mistaken for being asleep. A few beds down the granite slab of a man looked to be nearly complete once more. His hard smooth rocklike skin had the impression of both a well crafted statue as well as that of a living person. With the whorls and sparkles of a figure that had been carved from a single slab of stone free of all imperfections. No longer a broken automaton. The insectile hybrid robotic arms that had been repairing his broken form rising once more into the ceiling now that their job is done.
Next to that was the dusky rose skinned man with the long braid. His repairs long since finished, now looked to finally be at peace with the world around. His youthful though weathered face calm and serene as if within blissful dreams of better times.
Further down the line the repair servitors from above were continuing their work. Sealing a leg closed on the person using a sealant foam that would then be absorbed becoming the same as the strange skin upon the form. Flesh as dark as the mid of night, when an observer looked upon the man it was as if looking through a window into a star filled sky. The shortish hair on his head was a stark and pure white as were his eyebrows and lashes. Otherwise his body was clear of any blemish or hair that could obscure the view of a galactic core strung out along one edge of his chest.
Beyond the starry man was the smallest one of the seven. Her skin was a type of perfection with an opalescent sheen to it that made her look as fragile as delicate ceramics. A slight build with small pert breasts and slim hips. She had a type of almond shaped eyes set above high cheekbones and small lips completing the doll like appearance. Her hair was cut high in the back sweeping towards her jawline in a sharp edged line so as to perfectly frame her face. Several tubes connected into her arms and into the side of her neck. The efficient and industrious nature of the repair apertures having already seen to her form.
The most normal of them was at the opposite end of the room from the red headed woman of Amazonian stature. The woman would be considered pretty in a girl down the street way. Of an athletic trim with modest proportions, the only variance from normal would be the luxurious mane of silver hair that would flow down to her feet when she stood upright.
Of highest importance to the rooms ability to repair the damaged forms was a blue skinned man most recently rescued with the horrible gut wound. Broad fighters shoulders with almost over defined musculature. Raven black shorter hair still covered in the muck of battle. He would be considered striking though not very handsome. Nose a bit large even on the very masculine face, eyes large but perhaps a bit too deep set under a brow that was thick with bone and muscle. Jawline almost comically square in its chiseled form.
The Old Summoner was directing the repair apparatus himself on the nearly completely dismembered form. Using the probes covered in either various metals or chitinous materials to maneuver the exposed digestive tract back into order. Finding some way to put the various parts back together or to remove foreign debris from the wound.
“Finally….” He stated in a tired voice.
One of the steamwork robotic arms pulled out a nasty looking shard of what likely was the tip of a Ravagers claw from deeply lodged within the mans backbone. A little glob of grey goop was at the broken end of the thing and mad the fragment appear to be attempting to wriggle around.
“Nasty piece of work you created Xentul.”
He dropped the claw piece to the floor and pulled a different arm from the ceiling servitor. This one had a small opening in the tip with a single metal situated just in front of it. As the claw tip attempted to move towards one of the bodies the Summoner activated the armature which caused a bright white blue flame to erupt forth in an almost liquid flow to encapsulate and incinerate the infectious entity.
“I wish I could have been sooner.” He told the comatose bodies with some sadness in his voice. “Yet I dared not tip my hand.”
“Normally in a battle like this you would have had a whole contingent of Summoners to retrieve you before your wounds were past the point of fatality.” He tutted at the broken form as he allowed the servitor to get back to work repairing the bodies. “However I guess that is after all our own faults. It was a Summoner who began all of this, yet you Enhanced and Created Generals seem to have forgotten that many of us ‘Contaminated Creatures that Worship the Void’ are attempting to atone for Soreno’s mistake.”
A sigh in sorrow escaped after his last statement. He continued his path around the room. Inspecting some of the gauges and readouts. The route around the ellipse shape was always clockwise. He never went in the opposite direction, even if only a step was required. After a few laps his footsteps began to move with the energy of the room. The thump thump thoom of the heartbeat becoming tangible as each circle was completed.
“Let us just hope this works. I have never attempted to retrieve the Spirit Matrix of ones so powerful as you." He paused to check himself at that last statement, as if remembering or looking back on a memory long past. “Well, as a group that is.”
Another loop was completed. He paused briefly in front of the living bovine head that was connected to an archaic calculation machine made of gearworks to make sure that the creatures eyes were tracking his movements. He continued past that in his near dance to a tall grey equipment cabinet with three tall panels set into its front. He pulled out the middle one, the top half was filled with a web of optical crystals though the lower half with old and corroded circuit boards that snapped and crackled with electricity. He swapped out a few of the boards, their small size making it relatively easy.
“Come on you Bastards! Come Back!” He said through gritted teeth after one particularly strong mote of energy zapped his shoulder.
Down the line a bit he got to a large brass wheel which he attempted to turn. It resisted all movement, the more muscle he put in the harder put it stayed. Sparkling motes began to appear around the room and disappear with a popping burst. He strained against his aging body and reopened a wound in his side. The dark blood dripped down onto the floor only to evaporate as if water under a high desert sun. With a final grunt the wheel began to move, eventually it gained a momentum of its own, the gears it connected to began to spin a more modern capacitance flywheel generator. As the flywheel spun purple hued streamers of energy began to flow free around the room in the same clockwise motion the Old Man was pursuing. A hybrid of lightning and flowing flame.
He continued his spiral through the room. The heartbeat growing more powerful with each pass. Its cadence thrumming into the very molecules of space and time. “I built you in the most powerful Matrices of Techno-Lines you thrice dammed Room. You better not Fail me now!”
The dancelike steps became more pronounced. A foot in between the electric currents and arm weaving to touch a control screen. Duck and weave so as not to interfere with the various sparks, motes, lines, cables, wires, and more. Perhaps not a refined dance, yet a dance it seemed to be. The energetic pulse no longer something felt subliminally. Now fully audible and rising in intensity with each beat. Like a marathon runner on the home stretch. The Old Summoner made several more passes in this nature. The sparks and energies growing in size and now trailing behind him whenever he passed. Every step, every motion. A push of a button or a pull of a lever brought the spell like energy further towards completion.
By the fiftieth revolution of the chamber the Old Man had grabbed his staff to gather the energy motes on its end as he continued on. Whenever he had gathered a largish amount he would fling it at one of the bodies where the pulse would be absorbed. Sometimes the person would twitch as if regaining a semblance of life, sometimes it would not. Still he continued to work on the equipment, fine tuning it with minute or even major adjustments to the control panels holographic interfaces bio-organics and more.
“Come on…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Prologue IV
Post Story Notes –
Again... Sorry for the delay everyone. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. I think that'll be the last one of the prologue but I may be wrong. I try to get around 3k words per chapter. Just my goal.
As the wise Tigger once said.
- TTFN means Ta Ta For Now!
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Prologue v
Chris looked down at the terrain they had set up on the gaming table. It was a detailed forest simulacra with representative building walls, carts, beasts of burden, town folk, guards, and of course unique little figurines representing the various players characters.
“Hmmmmm…..” his gaze was focused downward. Intense as he continued to contemplate the many and varied choices that may or may not actually be available to him in the contextual form of a pen and paper fantasy game. As always, playing with visual representations instead of just words made everything just that more real to the group. So much so that at times the extended study that Chris would often employ could reveal strategies that would have eluded him if done without.
The world of medieval plots and twists, of forests and ogres, of swords and sorcery shattered around the large man as the Jeopardy theme song was hummed loudly right next to him. Loudly and badly in stereo by Felix and Malachai.
“Damnit you two.” He sounded a bit irate after being pulled out of his tactical reverie.
“New Record.” Nicholas stated. “Four seconds to break concentrative trance.”
Felix handed James a one dollar bill, who them proceeded to snap it a couple times to its full extension before placing it carefully folded into his pocket.
“You were Betting on that?!?” Chris was incredulous. “I know I was not THAT unaware!”
“Say who? So much concentrate. So much ‘blivious.” Malachai stated in his normal pidgin.
“They set it up last game session Chris. Your penchant for getting caught up in the tactics is becoming legendary in the guilds after all.” Their most intrepid game referee and master story teller replied. At least that was what he considered himself. The others perhaps a little bit les so.
Chris looked at James before he responded. “But, one dollar?”
Felix was the one to answer, with a poor imitation of an upper crust Wall Street accent. “It is not the Amount of the bet that matters, but rather the transaction of monetary format that takes true precedent in the matter.”
Chris gazed at Felix with an expression of strange incomprehension. As he did so James pulled out the bill once again to pull it open, straight and sharp. “Truly my good man. For at this level what is the value of just one dollar against the Millions it could truly represent?”
“Resist the urge to facepalm Chris. Resist it.” Nick said. “They got a hold of some old Eddie Murphy flicks recently.”
“Game on Guys.” Felix pointed back at the board, once again interested in their weekly session rather than verbal shenanigans.
Chris of course was more than happy to do so. So once again he gathered his attention and turned his mental focus inwards. The figurine stood outside the walls of a ruined castle. To him the painted and etched Styrofoam walls seemed to gain more detail as in his mind he once again because a human of roguish looks and talents. This was altogether a normal thing for him, it was how he would get drawn into the tactical reality of whatever he did after all. Normally it was only a minds eye imagining, no matter how detailed. For some reason this time the damaged landscape felt more there, more true. Sort of like his senses becoming aligned to the textures far and above what had happened in the past. Sight alone would have been a powerful illusion, but the smell of the battlefield carrion amongst the chalk and tar threatened to churn his stomach.
The taller man was brought out of his intense vision by Felix cursing out loud and waiving his hands in front of himself. The smaller person was dealing with his own visual shift. In his case it was a strange swirling vortex of colors that seemed to outline every solid object. As if he could see the very whisps of air and matter as a rainbow kaleidoscope representation gifted directly into his visual cortex. More real than any experimentation that he had yet indulged upon. He could count himself lucky though as it was only seen and not felt by any type of accompaniment like he had dealt with when on various types of substances. The young man could do nothing but curse aloud as he did not trust moving around.
For Nick the world suddenly seemed to get very small and fragile. Like it was made of cardboard and tinfoil. A thought of how easy it would be to destroy the end table next to him if he just twitched his leg wrong. That if he was to sneeze or cough the gaming area would be blown through the wall opposite. If not shred the meat from the bones of his friends nearby. The pressure from sitting down became conscious to him. What would happen if he shifted? Would the couch break, shatter? Worse? He was holding very still until he heard Felix begin cursing up a storm. He startled and felt some of the wood frame crunch below him.
Across from Nick James saw the outlines of people moving through the room. It was completely fascinating, so much so that he didn’t say a thing. Just concentrated on watching them. As he processed what he saw he was tempted to share it. He loved to analyze, it was a part of his core being. Watching others and discerning what they would potentially do was more than just a past time for him. Many would think that James was just a bit slow or perhaps quiet, but in reality he liked to make sure he was spot on before opening up his mouth to state anything. He continued to watch the ghostly figures, it almost like they were acting out a crime scene investigation like he loved to watch on the streaming networks. Yet with barely more than their silhouettes moving around he was not yet sure what he was looking at.
They vanished like the popping of soap bubbles as soon as Felix howled out sparking off the crunching of the wooden frame under their game master.
Where Chris was focusing down and through Malachai found himself pulled up and out. His consciousness expanding to encompass more. He did not know what this ‘More’ was, only that he could now comprehend concepts that had been beyond his ken prior. Now mere child’s play to conceive. The equations of reality his to command. The underlying truths that everything is connected. Everything entangled below the quantum level. With a wave of his hand in one direction a person would make a choice across the world different. A sneeze could make or break an empire. The butterfly effect was a truism to him now rather than a fascinating discussion. He was about to tell his friend Felix how to truly win his age old argument when their cursing pushed him back into his body.
“Damned Cocksucking donkey balled liver goodie two shoe fracking asshole destroyed testicular monkey shit fuck damn box fuck!” Malachai shouted out in his own stream of cursing.
The other four looked at him, expressions of extreme bewilderment on their faces.
“Shit Mal, I didn’t think you had it in you.” Chris said. His own brief sojourn into an altered state of mind temporarily forgotten.
The others watched on, their own inquisitive or querulous expressions at their friends sudden burst of out of character profanity.
“What? Just worked how bring Sword to Gunfight and Win.” He said with a nonplussed tone.
Felix looked around the room. “Did we just experience a group hallucination?” He picked up his beer and looked at it suspiciously. “Fuck Chris, where’d ya get this drink?”
Nick struggled to get out of his now sunken seat in the damaged couch. He was a good foot lower to the ground and was being poked by the framework in ways that were not really that comfortable. “Guys, I’m not sure that was actually a trip.” He gave up attempting to get himself out of the couch. “A hand anyone? I seem to have damaged the couch.”
James got up out of his seat to grab his friends hand. Once grasped he felt a shock, almost like static electricity but not. “I’m not sure we are done quite yet…”
Things began to get weird again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“No, no, no, no, no……” The old man Chanted in rejection as the energy matrix of the room was attempting to stall out.
He stepped out of the Eldritch flow when he came to a largish console with an old style cathode ray tube lower screen and a biological interface clamshell holograph above. The many hued flow of sparks and streams continued in his absence, like a river still moving even after its source went dry.
The keypad below his hands was a mechanical affair, it gave off metallic clacking sounds as his spidery digits rapidly flew across it. Code streamed down the flickering displays. Whispering to it gently the upper graphics flexed into a glowing violet ball. The code sphere bobbed over to the nearest bed, the one containing the granite skinned man.
“So Gonarded. Search protocols are corrupted. Soul encounter programs are being…. Grounded?” He scratched the side of his head in confusion. “Not right. Need to enter an extant algorithmic web."
He stepped away from the console to move in with the Aetheric Flow once more. Presenting his body as a source in the stream not unlike a stirring ladle in a giant cauldron. He moved, pulling the pulsing lights along in his wake. A turn of the room, then another. The large flywheel contraption along one wall began to spin up properly, now discharging the Heart Pulse again. Now that it was stabilizing the Old Man stepped up to a complicated multi format bellows. Seven accordion push and pull oiled cloth bars comprised the machine. In a defined yet slightly chaotic order he worked the control rods. A whistling tune began to caterwaul from inside the vessel. At different pitches as the bagged device hollered out the bodies of the Great Warriors would twitch and flop. First an arm, or leg then a grasp of toes or hands.
“That’s better.”
The next device was a more standardized computer interface. Something mass manufactured rather than cobbled together. Except that with each keystroke a mote of energy would sift in the flow of the room rather than letters appear on the screen.
“There you are Wilheim… But why so far? Your shell is safe. You need not travel to the next inclination.” He tapped out a different combination and the coded sphere moved out of the granite body and on to the dusky rose skinned warrior.
“Bethran. I see you, but is that you? Energy ordered in the way of Essenz. Vital and secure yes, but where is your spark of ingenuity? Xentul could not have devoured that and not devoured you whole.” He walked clockwise once again. Stopping at the bovine head to feed it a long yellow tuber. Once it was munching contentedly and the wired leading out of the side of its skull pulsing with a similar colored energy he moved on to the bellows once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Nice to finally get settled down from all that weirdness.” Felix said as he reorganized his papers for the umpteenth time.
Nick had found a new place to sit after they had checked the various gas and smoke detectors to make sure they hadn’t been breathing something odd.
“Alright, lets get back to it shall we gents? Sheets out and dice up, there’s a keep that needs storming.” The Game Master stifled a large yawn as he spoke.
Chris shook his head as he passed out some drinks to the group. “Don’t start that so early Nick. Especially after already downing an energy drink. We haven’t even had a chance to figure out if we’re getting epileptic octopi or suicide bomber beetles yet.”
The others chuckled as Malachai added with an ominous tone. “Not giving Nick ideas. Bad end we find.”
James was going to add something but found a sudden grounding of his energy. As if suddenly he had been up for an entire week straight. He could not stifle his own yawn as his energy came back just as quickly. “Chris, are you sure your carbon monoxide sensor is working correctly?”
He laughed. “We already checked those. Remember?” We have a few more yawns and suddenly it’s a gas leak again?” Besides we alre-“ He yawned greatly and felt his vision waver for a moment. “Shit. Felix, get the front do-“
Nearest to the door Felix was no slouch and was the fastest of the friends. As Chris fell over mid sentence he was already moving into action, yet he never made it to his objective. His last thoughts were about why they seemed to be suffocating on such a beautiful clear day.
By this time James was already unconscious and had ceased to breath, his head lolled to one side. Malachai slumped forward, falling face first into the table that contained the game miniatures on the fake landscape. In the kitchen doorway Nick was clawing at the trim of the frame. Sweat beading on his forehead as he desperately fought whatever had been pulling him into the abyss. Eventually he too fell. His head hit the hardwood of the floor and bounced once. Nicholas Anderson’s eyes were wide open and glassy. Unseeing and still as the flicker of whatever it was that made a person a person fled from within his body.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Prologue V
Authors Post Script –
So, what do you guys think? End of the Prologue! On to the first chapter of the Book! I’ll be working on this tonight and my hope is that I’ll get at least a couple thousand words of it done before I get too exhausted. The Muse has me by the short hairs tonight, I must comply!
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 01
Authors Note –
Now that we are done with the Prologue, the POV will shift from individual to individual. As such, it is no longer 3rd person Omniscient but 3rd person narrative. Meaning if the character can’t see it then the story won’t show it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Nicholas~
The room was dark beyond his closed eyes. Something reeked of burnt electronics and charred flesh. He found his head was splitting. Throbbing in tune with a powerfully thumping heart. That was a secondary concern for Nick however. His primary consideration was to figure out what was going on, where he found himself to be.
His whole body felt off. It had an ache, that of not moving for a very long time mixed with a sort of tingling like a limb that had fallen asleep. Very similar to when he had an off road dirt bike accident that had put him in traction because he had broken parts of his neck and back. Though this was an order of magnitude stronger. His thoughts were in disorder. Eventually his near full body migraine began to fade. As it did so he began to track better, his mental acuity once more taking the fore. He hoped beyond hope that he wasn’t a physically shattered wreck again.
When the pain subsided enough to form anything coherent his first thoughts were ‘Wouldn’t that just beat all.’
He waited a bit longer to see if anything changed. It did seem to help with abating the pain, yet his body still felt very ‘off’. After what felt like a half hour of gentle breathing but was likely only a few minutes Nick marshaled himself to get up.
“May as well.” He said. Or tried to that is. Instead something else garbled out. That was bad enough. Worse was that the voice doing the garbling was not the one he was used to. He did not know whose it was. It sounded both more and less than what he was used to. Perhaps a bit higher octave, perhaps a bit lower. He couldn’t quite tell. Though that could just be the damage from whatever accident he had to have been in.
Desperately Nick attempted to remember what had happened. He remembered work and a college campus. He also remembered hanging out and gaming together. For the life of him though he could not remember anything passed that. Definitely nothing that could account for the feeling of being of traction.
‘Alrighty then… Talking worked so well, why not just open my eyes.’
‘yeah… eyes. Those things. C’mon Nick.’
With what felt like a herculean effort he managed to get one eye partially open. Only one for a moment. With a grunt he managed to get the other one. Everything felt disjointed. Even just thinking through the simple process of moving his eyelids. It was almost as if he had forgotten how to move them and needed to just think through even the simplest of movements.
‘Did I have a stroke?’ He was in no small amount of panic. ‘At least I can still see… I think…’
It was a sight indeed. In front, or likely above him, were wire runs and plumbing tubes held in servo styled open shelled robotics mixed with some strange technology. It was recessed into a slightly curved rocklike ceiling. Not a few or even several but a veritable rats nest or spiderweb of materials. He attempted to process it all, as he did so something dawned on him. There wasn’t a visible light source. Sure there was a blinking something like a LED off to his left in his peripheral vision. Something bluish glowed behind one of the wire tangles above. Though those were nowhere near enough to be able to see with any clear definition. It was Dark with a capital D in here. Yet he could see as if it was only just after sundown.
He didn’t even know how he knew it was dark. From his vision it wasn’t. He just knew it was. Just as much as he knew there was something wrong with his body. He felt almost like a foot shoehorned into a stiff boot that was a few sizes too small.
At the edges of his vision Nick could see a lot of equipment of various types. Some were video screens straight out of an office complex, others were old school television tubes without any casing. Sort of like the ancient Magnivox he helped his father tear apart to turn it into a custom entertainment center. Then there the items that he could only categorize under ‘something else’.
Nick took his time to work around his headache and the sort of semi-paralysation he found himself under. He attempted to take stock of everything that he was able to. So far he had trouble moving anything without concentrating very hard as well as a lot of pain. He could not remember any wreck, and as for a stroke… he couldn’t actually rule that on out. In fact he could not remember much before waking up here. When he tried to dial into any specifics of his life he seemed to swim or didge into zones of zip, nada, and zilch. Still he did keep on trying to focus on his past even if it was to minimal avail.
He felt like an age or more was passing. He didn’t really know. Right now his internal clock was really messed up. When he focused on it some sort of imagery of figures superimposed themselves into the upper right hand area of his vision.
‘Odd… I think directly on time passing and get something like a clock? But I’ll be damned if that’s English.’ He took a second to focus on it. ‘or any other language I think I’ve ever seen.’
Whatever the figures were they didn’t have any corresponding similarities to anything he was familiar with. Even the sci-fi languages or fantasy shows that he and his friends watched. They were kind of a geometric like shape set in nine distinct places. The ones on the left of the set changing the fastest but felt like they were a bit longer in duration than a full second. With no frame of reference he couldn’t really tell though.
After sixteen changes to the leftmost digit it recycled and the next place shifted on figure.
‘Base sixteen. So a hexadecimal clock? That’ll be a bronze coated bitch to convert on the fly.’
Nicholas did not feel tired, and counting numbers like sheep attempting to brain themselves by jumping over a fence held no interest either. It would be worth the potential pain to get up, if only to figure out what was going on.
“Warlle….” He attempted to speak again, but the unintellectual grunt only proved how hard it was with his tongue still so gluey in his mouth. He cleared his throat and worked his stiff jaw a little. “Wrell.. thart es uh little bettr…”
‘Maybe I just haven’t spoken in a long time. Like my tongue is out of practice or something?’ He was a bit amazed at the concept, after all even when he had awoken in traction after his bike accident it had not been that long he had been unconscious.
With a grunt of discomfort Nick managed to turn his head to the left. Still an odd timbre to his ears but it was definitely from his throat. He closed his eyes for a moment, the distraction of the clock still there even after the room went away. Though it didn’t feel as intrusive as he had initially thought it would.
Eyes open once more he saw that the room was even stranger than he had initially thought. It looked like some the industrial revolution had a bastard offspring with Star Trek while being raised by Frankenstein’s Nanny with a liberal dash of Battlestar Galactica or Farscape for good measure. All of the equipment in the room was exposed in some manner so that the wires or leads shown through and the guts were on full display. None of it made any sense to Nicks trained eye unless it was only there as some strange poor science fiction movie prop. It was like a technophile hoarders dream stash after they had managed to raid the Universal Studio’s special effects dumpster.
Such as the vacuum tube computer. Complete with punch card program file stacks that had a set of heavy duty electrical or data cables leading into a cabinet that resembled a Chinese geared calculation machine. For some reason as confusing as it was he didn’t think it was fake. There seemed to be some actual purpose to the chaotic merging of various technologies. The random screens, cables, pipes, keyboards, pullies, and even a strange set of what looked like accordions that looked functional. Like they had been used a lot over the course of many years.
Though the cybernetic bulls head with a pigs snout that was watching him did kind of freak him out. Only a little bit though. Really.
So far the least bizarre thing in his view was the large granite statue of a man that was on what looked like a surgical examination table. It was only a few feet away and Nick could not really understand why someone would take the time to put it there. It was like someone had decided to carve a dead man and lay him down for a nap. Except that there were wires and tubes coming down from the ceiling or up from the table and leading into the thing. Somewhat like the wires that were above him falling downwards.
“Least there is a privacy towel on you.” His slur was a bit better but still there. “I wouldn’t want a full Statue of David for my only companion.” Something about the tone of his voice still bothered him. Differently though now that he heard more of it. He wasn’t quite sure what it was but it was so he put it to the back of his mind, refusing to resolve it at this time.
“So…. Alien abduction scenario. Check.”
Earlier in his life Nick had gone through a conspiracy nut phase and he still considered himself rather open minded since then. Yet at the end of the day he no longer believed in any of it. However with the evidence of the extra-ordinary in front of him he was beginning to have troubles keeping his breath steady. It took a bit of time and a lot of breathing exercises to pull himself back from the brink of a full on panic attack. Or at least on par enough for the situation he found himself in.
He felt enough less pain to move a bit more. As he sat up he felt his muscles shift and complain. Soreness in places he wasn’t sure he had. Even when he had been on huge benders and woke up afterwards without remembering what had happened he still had never felt the aches and cricks his body was giving him. Yet the most disturbing part was a sort of shifting weight that was pulling him forward a bit located on his chest.
With some trepidation he looked downwards.
“Well, those are new.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Malachai~
“Oooooo……… Do Not want to do that again.” A female voice complained somewhere nearby bringing Malachai to awareness. Also it brought no small amount of pain. Wanting to move or otherwise seemed a bit out of his control at this time. His brainfog was just too much to overcome what seemed to be wrong.
‘That must have been one hell of bender.’ He thought to himself. He had been in the United States long enough to encounter its bizarre culture. Especially its college culture. It had given the youth quite an education on Benders. He made an attempt to reach his hand up to his head so as to massage his temples. Or maybe at least to discover how bad it really was.
Apparently that wasn’t on the agenda for him. For some reason though his arm twitched, as well as any other part he attempted to move, nothing seemed properly connected. It was all thee, the residual pain told him that if nothing else. It was just that he was misfiring. Like the chemicals running his nervous system were being derailed somewhere between his conscious thoughts and the actual implementation of them.
“Take it easy there.” The same voice as before said as he felt a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not sure where you’re from, why they took us, or even if you understand me… but it is best to start slow. Whatever happened we may only have each other to lean on.”
Malachai found he liked the husky alto voice. He would be happy to listen to her as long as he could. Then what she said got through. ‘Took Us’ resonated with much of the problems of his youth. Being from a country so close to both Russia and the Middle East meant that kidnapping and abduction was a very real thing and not just a Hollywood plot or nationwide news event. Something that can and did happen to people you knew.
He tried to sit up. Muscles still rebellious, still aching. A couple false starts and he was panting laying on his back once more with eyes pinched shut.
“Mrrmmrrnnn…” His voice and throat felt dusty from lack of use.
Talking would be out of it for a bit he felt, but it managed to focus him enough to open up his eyes. To see one of the most strikingly attractive women he had ever seen. He wasn’t sure but she also looked to be built of Amazonian proportions. Shoulder length strawberry red hair, fair skin, the perfect amount of freckles. With some type of metallic body paint that did nothing to cover anything. Instead it enhanced her femininity as well as to her lethality more than just the well toned muscles alone. She had deep emerald eyes, pure like gems of the highest grade. These pulled him in, capturing his attention away from all other aspects. Including her nudity.
“Ingerul meu…” He tone was breathless as he called her his Angel in Romanian. For the sight of her not only stole his breath but made what was left only a sultry whisper.
She smiled, the sort of grin of a woman enjoying humor at an inside joke. “So, I guess you can’t understand me then.”
Her face and expression captivated Malachai. Completely. He tried to sit up once more, if only so that he could view her better.
“Hold on miss. You’re connected to the bed. Trust me, you don’t want to get out of the bed or even sit up until some of it is removed.” The Angel still had one warm palm on his shoulder. The other was helping to restrain as well as cover a rather ample bosom.
“For you I wait.” He said in the same breathless whisper. His voice wasn’t just weak. It was off. That didn’t matter too much to him, at least he could still talk.
“Good. You do speak English.” She said with a smirk. “I was worried we wouldn’t be able to communicate.” She looked down at Malachai’s body then back up to his face. “I am going to begin getting some of these tubes and wires out of you. Is that alright? It may feel a bit… different.”
Malachai nodded his consent. The red head leaned forward, her posture one that he found most attractive. He felt a tightening in his core at the sight, but different than normal. One that stemmed in his belly, behind and below his naval rather than in his groin. As he was attempting to figure the warmth out the Angel tugged on something and Malachai’s eyes bulged as something like a jagged metal splinter being pulled out between the muscles in his neck.
His scream was probably the girliest scream that the youth from Romania had ever shouted out in his life.
“Aiiiiiiiiaaaahhhh!!!!”
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End Chapter 01
So! Finally on to the main event! Also, I'm pretty sure many of you figured where each person who end up in. But the reaction's half the fun, ne?
As a side note (And shameless plug): For anyone who wants to get ahead I have up to chapter 06 on my Patreon and I generally post 1 or two chapters a week there or more! (I really enjoy writing, plus your support will give me more time to devote to it!)
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 02
Authors Note - 2nd Chapter! Hope you guys and gals and everything in between enjoy!
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~Felix~
A scream with a capital S brought Felix bolt upright out of a dreamless sleep.
Just as quickly he was floored back down when lightning arcs of pain flared throughout his back, neck, and arms. Like he had been stabbed or shot at each point. The pain as bad as if he had been sent literally though a meat grinder.
Once back down he could feel a few very uncomfortable cables or kinks underneath his back. Had bolts been run through his muscles or something?
Felix tried to talk but his mouth seemed to be as messed up as the rest of his body was. However, he needed to get up as soon as he was able to. A scream like that meant that someone was in trouble. He may be something of a rules-monger with his friends, and troublemaker with others, but when push came to shove Felix always reverted to a straight forward protector. So he made another anguished attempt to get up and out of whatever was holding him down. Once he was mobile, or at least more awake, then whoever was harming the screaming person would be in for a world of hurt.
“Son of Rutting Whore!” A breathy woman’s voice cursed in a Slavic accent. “What bastard put in…” Her voice trailed off before suddenly erupting into an excessively long string of some Eastern European language.
Even without knowing any of it Felix could feel his ears burning as the woman cursed so heavily he was sure that Army Sergeants to Navy Sailors coast to coast would now be blushing.
While the woman cursed he could feel the muscles on his neck and back begin to uncramp. Soon he was able to open his eyes to the rats nest of materials on the ceiling. Interesting as he found it was he needed to figure out more about his other surroundings. Especially as the mish mash of technologies was kind of creeping him out.
'Isn't this where someone yelled something about "It's Alive!"?’ he thought.
Slowly he also began to take note of how well he could see. He couldn’t see any source of light and there did not seem to be any shadows of any type. He could just see in perfect ambience. Sort of like his eyes naturally had light amplification built in.
After what felt like several minutes the cursing finally abated to a slow torrent. Likely not really that long, probably only a minute or two. Long enough though. Once she slowed down another voice spoke up, also female. This one was husky, divine to his ears.
“Settle down please, let me help.”
Some more cursing, and then the sound of metallic items hitting stone. Probably the floor if he was reading the room correctly.
“Ok, that one you REALLY will want me to – “
The other one yelled again followed by a seriously inspired bit of invective.
For the life of him Felix couldn’t suppress laughing. He could only imagine the scene as if it was a Netflix show or something like that.
“Since you have that one taken care of I’m sure you can handle the last few. It sounds like one o the boys are waking up so I’m going to go help him out.”
Felix’s neck was still very stiff and sore from whatever had happened. It was difficult and he may have strained it when he had startled upwards earlier.
“Wait moment. I help.” The whispery voice said followed by more cursing. Then a pair of what sounded like bare feet slapping down onto stone. “Still no understanding why this.”
A pair of stunning faces came into his field of view. The taller, by a few heads, looked almost like an Irish version of Wonder Woman. The shorter woman looked sort of oriental with almost porcelain fine skin and raven black hair cut to a forward swept fame ending at her jawline. It was the smaller one with the whispery phone sex worker voice. Though for some reason he was pretty sure this was her normal form of speaking.
“I had perfect body. Strong. Fierce. Mine!”
Normally Felix wouldn’t have noticed their faces and ethnicities first. Normally he would have been paying more attention to their state of undress. Especially the red headed bombshell standing over him.
“I always knew I’d die and end up in the hands of some beautiful women.” He slurred out through a tongue feeling unused in his mouth as he took in the rest of her form.
The busty taller woman rolled her eyes at his comment. “Now I know how Power Girl feels.” She stated, one arm holding her breasts the other one pointing up at her face. “Eyes up here buddy.”
The smaller girl giggled. She didn’t appear nearly as concerned about her nudity as the metallic green painted one was.
“Did I die and end up in an Adults only Comic Con then?”
Red shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of. Though, given the spectacular state of your skin I would rather doubt it.”
“What’s wrong with my skin?” Felix felt a little bit concerned.
He looked between the two of them quickly but not down yet as even moving his eyes hurt a little let alone his neck. He loved how the metallic body paint enhanced the beauty of the Irish woman. How the geometric designs and patterns flowed under her breasts in three long stripes per side, each one over a rib. The two interposed triangles on each forearm and the thin slashes along her jawline. The other, her porcelain skin seemed to have an opalescent sheen to it. Her shiny raven hair shot through with stipes of crimson and deep blue. The perfect ideal of a modern gothic girl. Where the red head could give She Hulk a run in the buxom bad ass brigade the Asian gal was a slight woman with a whipcord thin athletes build.
The smaller of the two cocked her head to the side with an expression he had seen directed at him far too often. “So, starry sky skin normal?”
“What do you mean? I don’t have…” He trailed off as she grabbed a hold of his hand and lifted it into his field of vision.
He no longer bothered to ogle the two other women. All the aches and pains vanished to the back of his mind as he sat up to look down at himself. Every other concern also fell to the wayside. He watched in fascination as his limb seemed to look like staring into the night sky unblemished by cloud or cover. Stars to every direction and slightly off to one side was something akin to a galactic core. The belt of which had to be the smattering of stars that he thought of as the Milky Way. He gazed at the stellar cloud on one arm as he moved it around. His flesh may move, but the view did not. No matter how he maneuvered or twisted it. As if he was only a window that even if moved did not change the view to the landscape beyond.
“Oh my god… I’m full of Stars.”
A short bark of a laugh escaped from the red head before she could stifle it. She looked a little embarrassed at her reaction, he wasn’t really sure why she would find it that funny. He really was full of stars.
Felix looked over at the two of them and considered them again in a new light. Yes, both of them were nude. Now that he was sitting up he was able to answer the question regarding curtains and drapes as well. On one, though. Not the other. He could also see four other beings of various forms of humanity on the other beds. One woman and three men. All nude, all with tubes wires and leads in them. All with privacy towels on their waists. The woman had lightly tanned skin and very long metallic silver hair. A huge juggernaut made out of stone. A short islander with long braided hair and dusky rose colored skin. Last was a blue skinned man who reminded him of the guys from the movie Avatar, minus the braided hair however. Perhaps dusky rose guy stole it.
“I don’t think this is funny anymore.”
Red answered him. “Me neither. I’m voting Alien Abduction and Experimentation.”
“You already vote that.” The Asian girl said as she started messing with some of Felix’s tubes.
“Then I vote it again.”
Felix saw her look around the room. After a moment he did the same. The oddness of the room not lost on him. He opened his mouth to say something when he felt a sharp yanking pain from his left shoulder.
“OUCH! Wha’d’ya do that for!?!”
The Asian gal stood there one hand on hip and cockily spinning a cable slightly off to the side. “You need uncoiled before more wake.” She laughed a breathy laugh. “I want see how deal with under towel.”
With a sick feeling to his gut Felix looked down at his lap. He found out two things, yes his starry skin went all the way down. Second was that he had tubing connecting up and into his unmentionables.
“You have got to be kidding me. You guys know, I blame Nick for this.”
Felix was pretty sure that sitting here with his skin strangely changed also meant that his companions would hardly catch his reference. Yet both of them became deathly still and stared intensely at him.
“What… did… you… just… say?” Red let out slowly.
“Umm… I blame Nick for this?” His voice pitched up a little towards the end as he cringed. There were many possibilities for her reaction swimming around Felix’s mind right then. Many centered on whatever in that statement may have offended her. Though for the life of him he could not figure out what that would have been.
“I can’t let you do that Dave.” Her voice was deadpan.
That however was definitely not what he was expecting. In fact it left him a bit dumbfounded. There was no sane or reasonable explanation to it. Yet the smaller woman’s equal measure of jaw dropped shock as she looked at Red it seemed that it was the only one that fit.
“Roll a Die Six.” Felix said quietly.
“Who’s gonna run this raid.” She returned.
“Always remember your towel.”
“And Don’t Panic.”
“Thanks for all the Fish.”
“It’s bigger on the inside.”
The petite Asians head had been ping ponging back and for the whole time before she acted. She jumped forward and grabbed the two of them into a big hug. He felt her tears on his strange skin, her cheek nestled into his chest. Meanwhile his own face had been pressed into the red haired amazons own ample assets. Normally this would be a dream come true but considering who the two girls had to be caused no small amount of conflict.
“Uh… Malachai… I think? Please let go?” He asked while attempting to think very unsexy thoughts as he felt his lower half begin to stir.
She continued to hold on tight. Though the one who had to be his friend Nick pushed back a little, managing to separate herself from the three with ease. Which allowed him to rearrange his towel.
Malachai in his, now her, small new body looked up and sniffed a little. “What do now?”
She sounded so small. More so with the whispery voice. A voice that was almost as distracting to Felix as their state of dress. Especially as she was still so close he could feel the heat from her body.
“Fucked if I know. But I’ll lay you guys odds that James and Chris are in one of these others.” Nick said and slapped the table of the granite skinned man lightly. As an afterthought she added, “Oh and there’s an old dead guy.”
“I him blame. Nick only fuck with ass monkeys in Game.”
All three got a laugh as some of their old banter cleared a bit of the anxiety. “So what now?”
“Tubes off.” Malachai whispered in his ear. Before Felix could figure out what she meant he felt another painful tug on his side as something was pulled out from under his fleh. When pulled it caused his vision to flash and sparkle for a moment.
“WHAT IN THE FUCK MAN!”
Malachai came around to stand in front of him. Hand on hips looking just like one of his pissed off girlfriends. Except none of them had ever confronted him in the buff before.
To call it mildly distracting would have been an understatement.
“Cables off ‘Man’ otherwise stuck to bed.”
Felix knew this would be a very conflicting experience. At least he was here with a couple of his friends and not stuck in this strange room all alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 02
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 03
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nicholas~
Wandering off to the side Nick rolled his, well her, eyes at Felix and Malachai’s antics. Seeing everyone in their all together was rather disconcerting. Bodies not-withstanding of course. She was also working on coming to grips with her new body. Definitely taller. At least six and a half feet if not more if her guess at the others heights were anything to go for. The longer legs and arms were actually tripping her up more than her shifted center of gravity and new… ahem… jiggly bits. It didn’t help that her new flesh was so sensitive. It also wasn’t very helpful that though she hadn’t even seen her reflection she knew her new form had to be quite a looker from her friends reactions.
“Could be worse. I could be a warrior slave to some interdimensional tentacle monster.”
“Who know we no slave now?” Malachai returned from where she was battling with getting Felix unhooked.
“Point.” Nick shuddered a little as she leaned forward to look at the Old Man she had tripped over on her way to Malachai when the smaller woman had gained consciousness.
She overbalanced and had to reach out both hands to catch herself on a table. With a curse muttered under her breath she lowered herself to a kneeling position next to the body.
“Ha! Least I no top heavy since I woman too.” Came the breathy whispered reply.
“Yeah, at least Nicky doesn’t sound like a phone sex operator.” Felix shot at the smallest of their group. His grumbled tone spoke volumes of his annoyance of getting disconnected from the bed so forcefully by Malachai.
Both women glared at him.
“Really Felix? ‘Nicky?’ You couldn’t come up with something less trope?”
Felix glanced over to where the tall woman was bending over. “You’re not exactly a Nicholas anymore are youuuueeeeEEOOOUCH!!!”
Malachai had a pair of slim cables that had been snaked under his skin, the leads still dripping a sort of sickly purple liquid. “You are insensitive twat.”
“That really hurt you know.”
She glared delightedly at him. “Good.”
“Why don’t you girls have scars or blood from these?” He paused as the ‘girls’ in question glared at him again. “Sorry, Guys, I meant Guys…. not Girls.”
“See Nick. He teachable.”
“I’m not really sure about that.” Nick said with a quiet laugh. “Though, as the blood? I know how much it hurt to remove, but it was like my skin sealed up immediately. Sort of like a certain varmint named mutant you are fond of?" She was looking down at her forearm where she had pulled out two longish rubbery surgical tubes. There were no marks there, though blood had come out when they had been removed.
“Sounds reasonable enough. Hey! Hands off, let me get that one!” Felix batted Malachai’s hands away from another wire.
Nick chuckled under her breath again and left the two to removing the stuff that she was sure must’ve been some form of life support equipment for their new bodies. She was studiously avoiding what it all meant for now. First she felt it more important to discover more of the strange room she found herself in. The man on the floor wasn’t much to look at compared to the rest of them. Just a bundle of rags and cloaks next to an odd staff that looked like it belonged on the set of Mad Max. His body looked like a fried half mummified piece of human jerky that until only recently clung to the last vestiges of life.
Throughout the body and clothes Nick could see various gadgets or devices just as eclectic and odd as the equipment in the room. Some of the gearworks still ticked away and there were digital displays flickering on and off as well.
She leaned closer and cursed as her breasts swung beneath her. The sensation was very different and one she was not ready for. “Damned body, what am I going to even use as clothes? A Tent?”
Done being sardonic with herself Nick poked at the crumpled form. She flipped a piece of cloth cloak to the side curiously. Underneath and apparently embedded into the right side of his chest was a half circle gadget that seemed to be a hybrid of exposed clockworks and smartphone interface. The gears were busily clacking away even though they seemed to be poorly adjusted and warped out of frame. The two inch by three inch kidney bean shaped screen flickered a blue and black color on and off. However after about four of the sixteen revolutions of the visual clock she saw it would go black and seemingly start again. Lines of text similar to the clock yet different flowed haltingly until the reset then started over.
‘Some sort of reboot sequence?’
There was a piece of jagged metal jammed into the flesh beside the device at an angle that Nick thought would possibly intersect inside the gear housing. She removed the part that really didn’t look like it was part of this specific hodge-podge. As soon as the nearly seven inch long metal shard was removed the clockworks pulled themselves back together. No longer did they click and clack, now they whirled up to a speed and moved to a metronome perfection. This time the display did not reset itself at the end of the fourth cycle of the clock.
“Hey guys, check this out.” She said as she stood up to look over at them. The scene she turned to made her laugh. Felix was fighting Malachai off as she was attempting to remove the last few, and the most uncomfortable of the attachments. “Or maybe I should tell you both to get a room.”
The two looked over at her comically. A sort of twin blink blink action going on. This made Nick laugh again. She was sure that Felix was blushing but with his strange star filled skin she could not tell. At least with his violet eyes and shoulder length white hair she could tell that he was indeed looking at her. Malachai however seemed shameless as she took some of her frustration of her situation out on the most socially dense person of their group.
“No need room. He need tuber out of pecker so he able help with others.”
“It is a cathartic tube and I am perfectly able to remove it myself.” Felix countered in a huff.
“Then do. Or I do.”
“I will when you, uh… well…”
“What. When I? What?”
Yeah Felix was definitely blushing this time. “Could you look away please?”
Nick snorted at the same time that Malachai lunched forward and finally got his towel away from him.
“You no have nothing I never see before.” She looked down at her own body then continued in a purposefully sultry whisper. “I however may have parts you no see yet.”
“HA! Malachai’s got you there,” Nick heard something from the floor beside her. “Huh?”
The desiccated body was moving, her eyes widened in fear as it snaked a hand out to grasp her around her ankle. It said something that sounded both panicked and confused though the guttural clicking language was something she had never heard before. Nicholas watched as the room and her friends began to fade from view.
“NOOOOOOO!!!!”
She attempted to escape the vicelike grip and run to Felix and Malachai who were looking at her with the same panicked terror in their eyes as everything disappeared once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~The Old Man~
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
He was not sure how many times the system had attempted to restart. He was conscious within the damaged shell of his body. Unable to act, or even sense the world around him, the Old Man had watched far to many aborted cycles to rest easy. The only thing he could think of that would prevent his core control and regenerative artifice from working would be if something of similar or stronger materials had jammed into it. Otherwise he would either be dead or his system would have absorbed it for parts.
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
Of the most likely events to have initiated this debilitation upon him the simplest was an explosion of one of the Summoning Artifices which indicated a failure on his part. That was bad enough as it was. The summoning back of the Soul Matrices was a one time chance. A gamble. The energies got geometrically harder to harness back into alignment with the molecular vibrations of their body vessels as time progressed.
Because of the vibrational aspect of the body vessel to its original ‘Soul’ it had to be done right the first time to call it back. If the Science, Aether, and Artifice was not exactly on track it could potentially lead to ‘Bad Things’ happening. Do it wrong and the Void could enter instead. Which is how the very first Demon Lords had gained access to the world.
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
Now if only he could sense anything other than darkness. His entire existence was the attempted initiation of his personal Artifice CyberNeuro systems reboot sequence. The techno-organic components of his body would slowly rebuild his damaged body, even if they had to replace what few regular organics remained. However a functional body would be useless without the Artifice Interface required to link his consciousness to reality.
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
- Reboot Initiated
The other consideration that truly scared him was that his safehold was compromised and either the Void had claimed the Champions he was trying to save. That one or more of the Fell Demon Lords had breached his safehold.
- Reboot Initiated…. Systems Restoration Diagnostics
- Combat Systems Damaged
- Technical Interface Compromised
- Mobility Impairment Detected
- Molecular Phase Nominal
- Systems Interface Nominal
The list continued onwards with various status listings available. Some time had passed but his Artifice could not calculate it as of yet. His actual vision began to reach through the terminal interface overlay. He began to regain control of a body that felt drained and more than partially crippled.
He opened his eyes to what he most feared. If his Soul Rejoining Summons had been successful then the equipment would have kept the Champions in a comatose state until he could have brought them awake one by one properly. It would have kept them under nearly indefinitely. Instead he saw that something wearing the body of one of the Champions, that of Battles Mistress, had gotten up and was squatting over him. Two others, Xyr and Esenz, were arguing over something in a Language that sounded halting and mumbled. As if their words were spoken with gruel and mash in their mouths.
“No…” he whispered.
As they worked on removing more of the obviously failed support systems he took a cursory look around the room. Something must have drained the power nodes from his equipment as almost nothing seemed active. Those nodes would have kept his room secure for generations. However as he was still alive they must not yet have realized where they were or who they inhabited. That of course would change once they had a chance to familiarize themselves with their new corporeal bodies.
“Void Take you Back! From Whence you came I will Send you Again!”
He reached out a ravaged hand and grabbed the ankle of the Fell One inhabiting Angelica Pentel. Though his flesh was regaining structure and capability it was still too far gone for a fight against one of the Champions let alone three. Perhaps if he leveled the field a little he could take her out before the creature discovered to use Pentel’s Wings. He would have to be fast. His aged and degraded systems took longer to regenerate than any of the Champions of the Created Systems. He should know after all, the Old Man had been one of the people who had helped enhance and uplift the Generals. He was but a minor hailstorm to their Glacial Strength. But a hailstorm hitting at the right angle and point can shatter even the mightiest stone.
As the three turned towards him a lever popped up out of the side of his Artifice control interface. He felt it link to his rooms remaining emergency shunts. ‘Still running thank the Brightness for that.’ Even reduced the nodal points should have enough remaining within to do the job. The Old Man hated to do this, but he felt he was out of options. He mentally entered the command lines to cause the hidden bunker to purge itself and all of its contents randomly along the lines of power of the planet. Hopefully the Fell will be killed off by whatever forces they land into as they reappear. If not, then at least everything would be scattered to the winds and unable to be used to awaken more Demon Lords.
That way he could take out his oldest friend and adopted daughter himself.
The feeling of slamming the control lever in his back home was like shattering of two hearts. Both that of his Sanctum and that of his family given what must be his final task.
Everything faded as the shunt activated. All except for the Void Filled Shell of Angelica and himself. All was replaced by a grassy hill with a line of trees off in the distance. The purple hedge grass was beautiful this time of year. Perhaps if more than just his body survived he would take time to recuperate here.
First though, he struggled up using his staff which he had miraculously managed to keep ahold of. While he did that she jumped back several body lengths and covered up her reproductive area and chest. The move really confused him. It was no combat stance that he had ever seen and defied conception. There was no benefit to it, not for Battles Mistress nor for a Void Demon in possession of her body. Even if the Demon had access to her memories and abilities.
Her Castine features turned furious as she began to rapid fire words in that bizarre tongue she had used earlier.
He gave as a thought command in the particular way required to engage his built in systems. The Old Man felt some of the living gears start to click along a different path and a rush as a hind mounted neural chipset pulled the data from the subether as well as the molecular resonances around him.
Something was truly off.
She took a step towards him. Feet unsteady, obviously still unsure of her own body. After a particularly pithy sounding diatribe she rolled her eyes at him and flung her arms out in a universal sign of exasperation. She grabbed at her hair with both hands briefly before stomping towards him again. He backed up quickly as she did so. After a few times of this she stopped and her voice tonals seemed to change to pleading. There were tears in the corners of her eyes as she gesticulated in a foreign manner.
Finally his Artifice chimed its conclusion.
[Analysis Odd] showed in his vision overlay.
“Relay Artifice.”
[Battles Mistress is not Present.]
“I got that Artifice. Explain.”
[Enhanced Champion created present with analogous Spirit Matrice located within apropos physical boundaries]
[Error Received]
[Registered Enhanced Champion Created in current physical proximity of Non-Registered Spirit Matrice. Incomparable Datum]
[Analysis Odd]
Angelica who was not Angelica stood those several paces in front of him still. No longer attempting to communicate in any way. Just standing there tapping her foot with her arms crossed across her chest. There was no way that something from beyond was playing her body like a puppet. Also there should be no way that she was standing here in front of him with a Spirit Matrice that was not Angelica’s.
In the few hundred cycles of his wandering this war wracked planet he had never encountered any empty vessel receiving a Spirit Matrice from another sourse. Only the Fell from the Void could enter a vessel that was emptied of its originating Spirit.
He would know. He was a Summoner. One of the very few able to affect the molecular resonances of the Aethers of the Universe.
“You are not who you should be.”
She only continued to glare at him and tap her foot.
“Who are you?” His question was rhetorical only as he knew she could not understand him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 03
Notes - More chapters are available on my Patreon! Please pop on over and at least comment.
I'm still dedicated to a chapter posted online every week or two, and at least one a week on my Patreon.
I'm also working on a couple other books at the same time. Hopefully I can get them online soon too!
TTFN All.
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 04
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nicholas~
By her count it had been at least an hour since the old geezer had ported them to this strange location. It was an odd looking hill. More of a grassy knoll really. Yet if the body alone was not enough proof that she wasn’t in Kansas anymore then the alien landscape sealed the deal on it. At least the sky was blue here. Even if it was too deep a blue, almost a sapphire blue and startlingly sharp in contrast. Like the super high definition pictures she had seen from mountain expeditions.
Underfoot the grass was more loke broad leafed purple crushed velvet on a stalk. It was sort of like walking on a Super Villains carpet than on any lawn that Nick was familiar with. Off to the side was a copse of trees that looked like a cross between a Douglass Fir and an Orange tree if the fruit like globes at the end of its branches was anything to go by. The sun of the planet was behind an angry dark blue stormfront in the distance. Nick hoped that the Old Man may show some common sense and perhaps poof them some cover before the storm decided to add to the days enjoyment.
All in all she had to give the setting a seven stars out of ten. She subtracted two due to the whole soul-napping thing.
“Alrighty then. Can we get to the whole ‘You Tarzan, Me Jane’ thing already? I’m afraid I have to play the Jane part I guess… kind of lacking the equipment for Tarzan.” She looked around a little then back down at herself. “Though I am kind of built much closer to a savage.”
She was tired of just rambling or cursing at him. Her spleen was now well and truly vented, all that was left was a weary want of returning to herself. For the last while he hadn’t done anything but seem to have a one sided conversation with himself. While he was doing so she could not find any common vocal linguistics between them she was lost as to next steps. If he wasn’t the only potential link to both her friends and getting back home she would be sorely tempted to just go and wander off.
Well… maybe after she mugged him for his cloak. There was no way she was going to attempt adventuring on an alien planet in her brand new birthday suit.
Unfortunately for her sanity that infernal hexadecimal clock was still superimposed in her vision. “C’mon Guy, at least tell me how to turn this damned clock off!”
Almost immediately it left her vision as if it had never been there. “Well, if that doesn’t just beat all. Now. Help menu?” She looked around. “Help system? Interface? Status Menu? Nothing? Damn…”
Still nothing happened. She scowled at the old guy grumpily. He just looked back with a level gaze. Completely unperturbed by her tone.
“Yeah, and it is of course too much to ask for some type of Universe Translator or Mystical Magical God Poofing Ear Canal Fish.”
Tired of the standoff she decided to attempt the more physical approach again. She had been ready for him to get confrontational or argumentative. Something really. Rather he surprised her by gliding backwards in a strange weaving almost float whenever she moved forward. Keeping an exact seven of her paces between the two of them.
At least she was pretty sure it was seven paces of her new body and not her old one. Considering that she had gained almost a whole head in height in the blink of an eye she did feel justified in feeling it all a little bit obnoxious. Not nearly so much so as gaining a pair of breasts, each one the size of her head. In between attempts to move forward she gave a long back popping stretch while considering how much of a pain in the ass they were going to be. About halfway through the stretch Nick remembered her state of dress and rapidly covered at least her bosom in embarrassment.
“This is really going to take some getting used to.”
She looked over at the Old Borg Kenoby look alike. His skin at least didn’t look nearly as horrible as when she first uncovered him. Was he self repairing like her skin had after removing all the shit from the room that was in it?
“Having no way to talk with you is going to get real old real quick you know.”
He clacked gutturally back at her but otherwise remained inscrutable. After several moments he didn’t say anything else and she had had enough of him. Instead of continuing on with the insanity of getting the same results for the same attempts she took a different track.
It was time to see if this ‘grass’ was really as comfortable to sit on as it appeared. Turns out the shin high stuff really was comfortable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Felix~
Felix and Malachai watched in terror as the grizzled cyber-mummy had grabbed Nicks ankle and disappeared with their recently Amazonified friend. Things began to fade from view into a sort of hazy gray nothingness.
“Nick!” He managed to get out before everything faded from view.
His and Malachai’s bickering now seemed petty and childish to him as the room itself faded from view second by second. He felt his friend grab on to him, a desperation in her hold that mirrored his own. Sure the fascination and friendly banter had kept a chittering terror at bay prior, but now it had slammed into him full force.
That had happened an hour ago now. At least as the two of them had been able to determine. The world had faded back into being. The two of them were there, as well as part of the bed he had awoken on. However, now it was on the side of a dirt road running through some sort of rural town. The varying types of building styles and technologies was not as bad as the elliptical room they had found themselves in. That wasn’t saying much though. There were some brick buildings and some scrap metal buildings. One building though looked like something he would expect to see in a Star Wars movie.
At least the population that had been staring at them seemed to be nominally human. For the most part. Some seemed extra-ordinary, like the horse teamster with four arms or the woman with the head of a sparrow. The most common theme was mostly human though. Even the five individuals who held them at gun and swordpoint.
“Felix”
“Yes?”
“I know when sword win in gunfight.”
“You don’t say.” Felix was standing there self consciously under the watch of their guard. “How does a sword win then?”
‘When swordsman partner is gunfighter.” She answered in her distractingly whispery voice.
He looked over for a moment. “Really? We are butt assed naked in some B-Rate movie’s village being held by who knows what Warlords troops and that’s what you come up with?”
She shrugged. “Silence getting me. Better speak than go mad.. Ne?”
They both shut up again when the guard wearing some type of gauntlets inspired by Pinhead gestured at them and spoke in some kind of guttural click clacking words.
“No speak-ze post apocalyptical mumbly jumbo.” Felix responded having secretly wanting to use a line like that for much of his life.
Malachai elbowed him sharply. “Really? Shut mouth you.”
The man pointed at the two of them then said something else. After a time they found themselves bundled off to a sort of jail. It didn’t take them long to get there and they weren’t processed in like Felix was familiar with from back home in Southern California. It wasn’t bad really, and the holding cells were better than the times he had been arrested for warrants due to unpaid traffic tickets and such. A decently large room with a comfortable cloth cot. The toilet was even semi-private. There was a set of bars separating the four cells apart. He and Malachai occupied two of the cells and what looked like a drunk was sleeping off a bender in another.
Something else they had learned was that in daylight his skin became like a pleasant view of the sapphire sky. Clouds and all. Not the sky above them though, almost as if they were viewing through him to another point on the planet. Regardless of where the angle was that Malachai viewed him from. He could get lost just looking into his hand at any time really. Once out from the orange tinted sun’s rays though he ended up back in his starlit norm.
Meanwhile Malachai’s slight opalescence positively beamed in a brilliant iridescent shimmer when any light was on shined onto her flesh. Making her seem carved from a pure pearl when at rest. In motion she was as breathtaking as her whispery voice could be. It was abso-blumin-utely distracting to Felix as neither had yet been given any clothes and felix still considered Malachai a guy.
So far no one had spoken English or any other recognizable language. It would probably make getting a job rather hard around here he was sure. Out of the corner of his eye Felix caught an iridescent movement. “Hey! Knock that off!”
Malachai stopped her gymnastic warmup routine to give him a playful wink. “What. Problem with what see?” She bounced a couple of times before bending backwards to grab her ankles. “Body limber. Different. Need to know limits. You do same?”
He had turned his head away from her antics knowing he will probably never be able to get that latest mental image out of his head. “That sounds smart man, but can’t you wait until they at least give us some clothes?”
She only laughed at him. “This best time ‘Man’. Should examine body. It not human, it different. Have circuitry, have cybernetic or bionic part. Need know how use.”
While he wasn’t looking he heard what sounded like flesh hitting floor and clapping on flesh again in rapid succession. With a sigh he turned to look back to see what it was that Malachai was up to. It turned out that she was doing handless back and front flips. Her capability left him absolutely floored. To be able to do even a running flip was beyond it, yet here was his friend just popping back and forth like a demented supercharged Mexican jumping bean. After a few more sets she stopped and turned to face him. He saw her standing there, not even perspiring. A quizzical look on her face.
“What? You no see gymnastic practice?”
He finally found his voice. “No, not like that. How did you do that?”
“Years practice. You test body now. I help, observe.”
Felix didn’t really have a clue as to what she wanted him to do and it probably showed on his face.
After several moments of non-action she finally gave him an instruction. “Stretch.”
She walked him through various body postures and maneuvers. Much to his discomfort he found. They discovered in quick order that the was indeed much more limber as well as stronger than before. Since Felix had never trained in any sport or otherwise he didn’t know the forms mentally to do any of the cool stuff that she was able to do so. Though Malachai did not that Felix’s body had been trained in martial arts if nothing else.
During their experimentation one of the town guards came in and talked at them in that bizarre sounding language. His uniform was a sort of a cross between urban military camouflage and Spanish Conquistador. A sort of forward curving longsword was on his hip and a snub nosed assault rifle rested on a strap on his shoulder. Otherwise he looked like a highschooler with longish hair and a bad attempt at a mustache on his upper lip.
Malachai stopped helping him for a moment to walk up to the bars of her cell. She clasped her hands behind her back and jutted her chest out a little bit watching the youngsters uncomfortable expression. Her sweet whispery voice soothing to the ears. “You no understand word I say. So I say nonsense. Just Gobbledegook that mean no thing. We just Alien after all. No matter if I call ass badger or face of rutting baboon.”
The youths adams apple bobbed as he swallowed, attempting to stave off arousal. He gestured with his sword hand, the words he replied with were just as unknowable to them as theirs to him.
“You like what see? Oh yes you do, but is me or is my friend?”
Felix was feeling a bit scandalized at this point. “Seriously Dude?”
She looked over her shoulder at him coquettishly. “In America just like Romania woman use body to get what want. What wrong here?”
“Because you’re a guy?” Still scandalized. Very much so.
If Felix thought that his statement held any weight with his friend her response cleared him of that illusion.
“You think I guy right now?” Said with a quiet laugh. “These look like belong to guy? And no tell me you no look between legs. I know you check out.”
“What’s wrong with you Malachai? I would never be ok with that. I’m a guy and I know you were never gay. So why are you suddenly acting like some porn vixen?”
Malachai laughed harder than before. Still not a loud laugh by any means but it was still far to pleasant sounding to Felix’s ears for his peace of mind. If she had been anyone other than one of his best friends he would actually be alright with her state of undress. Well maybe if it was back on Earth as he was stridently sure they were not on Earth. She slowed down and dropped all mannerisms she had been putting on. Off to the side the young guard watched mesmerized and looked unsure of what he was supposed to do.
“Felix, I woman now. Am in strange land. In strange body. Only you friend left. No one else. So I act like Romanian woman and speak like when arrive in States as if I act like Old Malachai I break down.” She dropped her pidgin and spoke proper, if whispery, English. Her voice gaining in intensity as she continued. “Do you think this is easier for me? To be given a woman’s body with a pillow talk voice? Your body is changed, sure. Your skin nothing but a starry field. But… You. Are. Still. A. MAN!!!”
Even yelling her voice was a sultry whisper, one that seemed to permeate the world around though. Leaving the aftersound of an echo without any actual echo present.
She dropped back into her more comfortable mode of pidgin as she quietly continued. “In Romania women often property. Or treated like. Body not choice, naked not choice, place not choice. How act is choice. So I have fun, I tease. I act like women of America or Hollywood. May be act, but act I can enjoy. If you problem Keep to self.”
He looked away in shame. Felix knew he had not really considered how Malachai had felt and had instead projected his own views and feelings onto her situation. “I’m sorry man. I hadn’t considered, pretty stupid of me right?”
“Good. That progress. But as said, I woman now. Please be calling me such till I back to proper self.”
Once the two of them calmed down a touch from venting their spleens at each other the guard said something and walked forward.
“I think he wants us to step back.”
“You think?” Malachai teased but also backed up.
The Guard pressed his hand against what Felix had thought was a key lock but seemed to act like a biometric pad. Both doors slid open and he gestured for them to follow. The motion was obvious to even Felix as the two of them found themselves being led through a hallway where awaited another guard. This one was large and had skin that looked black as obsidian. If not for Felix’s own ability to stargaze through his own thigh he may have been taken aback. The guards led them into a sort of tribunal style courtroom with five people standing behind a long horseshoe curved style bench.
“Don’t look now, but I think we’ve found the town council.”
“You obtuse.” Malachai snipped. “Not look like any choice.”
The tall black skinned guard stated something authoritative that probably meant something like “Quiet Down” or “All Rise”.
“What I wouldn’t give for some translator microbes.” Though it was quiet Malachai still heard it and managed a chuckle at the reference.
A woman behind the bench began to speak. She carried on for some length after which a younger and rotund gentleman picked up where she left off. A third who looked like he was cosplaying as George Jetson said something and gestured at both Felix and Malachai.
After some time he repeated himself and gestured again.
“Sorry George. As my friend said earlier you don’t understand anything I’m saying so I’ll just say gobblygook.”
It looked like the pudgy man was losing patience but as he began to speak the center woman cut him off and nodded to the Mr. Jetson impersonator. He spoke again, sort of like a public servant giving a speech. Everyone listened then devices of various design lowered behind each of them and glowed in just as many different styles.
One of the guards spoke briefly then nodded.
Felix looked over at Malachai. “Wonder what that was about.”
Three of the people including the short pudgy one laughed at the guards statement. Then the guard made another one that caused Mr. Jetson’s skin to flush crimson in agitation.
“We butt of Joke?”
“I think that someone just referred to us as Astro and he is trying to advocate for us.”
“We no dog. Monkey’s? Yes. Dog no.”
“Speak for yourself, I’m a stargazing Aardvark.”
The obsidian guard barked something rather nasty at the two of them. Once the room was quiet again the woman standing in the center made something that was like a closing statement and clapped her hands once with authority.
Felix was about to make another quip when something hard and metallic closed around his neck from behind. Beside him the same happened to Malachai, she began to speak rapidly in Romanian then suddenly dropped boneless to the floor.
“Hey! Don-“ He never finished his statement as something like touching a live electric wire flooded his brain chasing him into darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End Chapter 04
Authors Notes –
New world, new languages, new situations. No Universal Translators, No magical Ear Fish, no Translator Microbes, and no simple Deus Ex Machina communications where everyone seems to speak English though there is NO rational explanation for it (even including universal translators. Otherwise when someone curses in Klingon then the Translator would Translate that). Everyone has to learn by being pitched into the deep end. BWA HA HA HA… *cough* *cough* I meant to laugh like that. Really I did…. Heh.
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 05
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Chris~
Things came slowly into focus as Chris swam up from the realms of unconsciousness. It seemed dark beyond his closed eyelids. Strangely he also felt heavy. Not an exhausted heavy, but rather the difference of being behind the wheel of an economy car versus slamming the gas of a high end Dodge Challenger.
He did not really know what was going on, just that though he had a lot of aches and pains he was non-the-less comfortable. Sort of like being in a nice bed after an all-night bar crawl. The residual headache and body stiffness seemed to be receding and rather than move Chris decided it would be more prudent to just lay there continuing to relax. Things could wait for now.
As he lay there he thought that maybe he could just stay there for the better portion of the day in a semi-conscious dozy blisses. If not for a warm damp cloth that came down onto the left side of his chest that is. He felt a pair of feminine hands that were tenderly moving the cloth around. He mumbled in a sort of sleepy comfort while his brain woke up the rest of the way. One of the hands began to trace patters on his left arm causing him to open his eyes.
There was a pretty young woman in a metallic silver body tube cloth wrap. She had violet hair and seemed to be giving him some sort of ‘sponge’ bath. He was perfectly alright with that. Though he did have a spark of curiosity with the whole punk hair color with slave style dress. He had had worse wake ups however, so who was he to complain. Perhaps he went to an AnimeCon after party and they were still in character or something?
He was about to put his head back down and just enjoy the sensations until something about his skin caught his attention. For some reason something was not clicking with his brain. Facts were not aligning, for instance he knew that there was a difference to him but he could not quite nail it down.
Not fully understanding it Chris came to full consciousness and sat up spilling the slight woman off the bunk. She scrambled back up giving him all sorts of scoldings in an unknown language. At least he thought they were scoldings, the tone was correct as well as her expression. That brought his attention back to her where he noticed a metal collar on her neck against her tan skin. Chris only knew of a few settings where such a thing was considered normal. He hoped this was one of better ones and not one of the worse ones. Except for the niggling thoughts at the back of his mind that focused on her mannerisms and looks. That it was not a costume that she wore.
“What the hell did I do las… the Hell!?”
His voice came back to him. Deep and rumbling. Melodious in a very ominous fashion. Not his voice at all. Sort of like a James Earl Jones rather than the whiney Mark Hamil that he had always considered himself to be in possession of. How the change came about made as much sense as his new surroundings. Meaning, none at all.
That became a secondary consideration as he lifted his hands up to look at them. So large and strong. Not his hands, rather they looked to be made of smoothly carved stone. Malleable as he could move them, yet when he tapped his thigh it sounded like two rocks clacking together.
While he was experimenting the woman was really laying into him with her verbose verbal trouncing.
“Look lady. I do not understand a word you’re saying.” He did not look at her as he talked, he was too busy inspecting his strangely changed form. All of his body looked to be finely finished grey and charcoal granite. Not patchy but whorled and veined as if carved from a single deep earth obelisk. Soft to touch when pushed slowly and rock solid at any faster speed. He was bare of everything but a small cream colored wrap around his waist. He guessed that the stone continued all the way beneath it. Unlike his friend Felix he definitely had no need to verify it visually. The little perv would absolutely had done so regardless of surroundings after all.
Chris was far from finished with figuring himself at this point but he turned his attention to the woman who had been apparently ministering to him while unconscious. She really was a pretty little thing. As long as he was about the same height as before his analytical mind placed her at about five foot two. Maybe five foot three. She was slim and reasonably well built. Long and slightly wild violet hair that had a few pink streaks through it. Large soulful hazel eyes. A good body tan that may be natural rather than from the sun.
As he didn’t really know what was going on he felt it best not to ogle her.
Any other reference points were straight out the window at this point. His hand were much more hamhocked sledgehammers than the slimmer mechanics hands he remembered. His torso had to be at least twice as wide as before and his overly muscled thighs looked as big as his old torso. What he could not tell was his height. Was he six feet tall? Seven? Or was he a pebble to his old self and now of truly Liliputian scale?
“I feel like Atrayu’s friend Rock Crusher.” The woman cocked her head at him as if trying to understand his words. “Never mind, Sebastion would get it.”
His inspections and thoughts were interrupted when another pretty face poked her head around the corner. A brunette with long braided hair blue eyes and pale skin. She rambled something authoritative to them. The violet haired gal nodded and then pushed on his chest to try to get him to lay down again. He felt no reason not to, he was totally relaxed once more after all. A thought tried to force it into his brain and he attempted to resist it a bit, but the relaxation overrode it. He floated into that blissful state once again. His mind comfortably numb on some type of cloud. Body being tended to in a pleasant environment. The details of everything did not matter. Various peoples came and went in the timeless day, the only constant was that nice violet haired girl who was frequently tracing his muscles or massaging him. Sometimes he was poked or prodded but it never really amounted to much. As long as the gal was there then what was the problem.
Sometime later he came aware of himself again. This time he was standing on a stage looking over a large group of… things. It looked like Jim Hensons Studio had an orgy with J.J. Abrams special effects monsters and their bastard offspring all gathered to form a mosh pit. Up above it all on a stage made of stone he stook naked and strangely calm. He didn’t really understand the serenity as a pair of what he could swear were Skeksi’s argued with a Mogui nearby. Across from them was a slug headed creature with a large woman’s body dressed in a toga with an entourage of men that had their faces in their chest with no head above the shoulders. Near the back was a semi-mechanical giant crab on mechanized birdlike legs instead of the normal spiderlike ones. Only a very few actual human looking beings were present and all of them wore the slave-like garb of the violet haired woman who was standing several feet away. She held a leash which was attached to the collar that he found around his neck.
He observed this all with clinical detachment. Filing as much information as he could for a later as he was sure there was not much he could do standing nude in front of the menage of creatures on a stage as an apparent slave in an auction.
The maelstrom of noise and visuals continued for a time until the sound of a great gong rang over the din of the crowd. A wave of quiet moved over the beings and all of the creatures turned towards the stage. Chris felt a tug on his leash and it seemed a good idea to follow as the girl led him around the stage. He wasn’t concerned about it right now. More important was to continue what felt as a type of a routine to him as he walked in her path. Her point of familiarity provided a comfort to him in the strange world.
Some series of laps later as well as many yelled statements finally found Chris led compliantly off the stage to a small pit. There stood a tall blue skinned being with four spindly arms no hair and four obsidian eyes set above and below its nose, easily half again his current height. He was dropping plastic looking coins into the hands of a green humanoid with patchy brown fur on his visible skin. The green one motioned to Chris and his handler as he had come to think of her.
Whatever it said seemed to really piss her off as she began to argue back. He could now feel anger at this green skinned idiot who had no clue as to real value. For now he stayed his aggression while the violet haired woman yelled and stormed in that strange language of theirs. It was not yet time for violence, but he had a nearly insatiable urge to slap the arrogant slaver. This feeling stayed with him through a few rounds between the two. Then in final resignation he felt a resentful ennui creep in as realization came to him that no matter what he needed to follow. The violet haired girl led him after the tall and gaunt blue skinned monster.
They walked through the city which was strange horrifying and wonderful all at the same time. He took in the sights but still felt that odd resignation tinged with resentment and now disgust. They had to have walked about five or six miles by his reckoning at this point If he was still about six feet tall that is. No matter the distance he didn’t feel any physical weariness or exhaustion as he tromped in his new mountain of a body. He followed after the woman who was the only one showing care to him in this new mystery of a world.
Eventually they got to where they were going when the trio stopped next to a large open metal surfaced platform. The being that had led them here gestured his two thin right arms at the pad and barked out an order. Though it sounded more like a phlegmy cough with some words mixed within.
Resentment rose. How dare this thing order them around. He flexed his muscles and rolled his neck around. The feeling of ill will helping him to prepare to put this… thing… in its place for interrupting his routine.
Another bark out came from it and Chris rose to the balls of his feet in defense of his violet haired companion. Then… Anger fled into fear. He felt the consequences of a poor choice compiling in on everything else. He felt his future compact down to a singular point of horror. The woman came back to him and leaned into his chest. She was crooning something that felt of peace and calm. Her very presence brought the eye of a storm to his troubled waters.
Chris pulled her close to him and leaned down to smell her hair which seemed to remind him of open fields in summer.
The blue skinned thing laughed cruelly at Chris’s comforting of the woman he felt compassion towards. His ire spiked back up at it. How dare this Creature speak this way. He began to move the lady behind him for protection. In the process of doing so he felt himself get control of his anger once again. She continued to pet his chest and croon some strange melody. It was not long until he had his emotions fully back under his control. He needed to be in control. Anything could be coming his way and he didn’t know the landscape.
He felt the cool metal under his stonelike feet as they walked as they walked to its center. The platform was about two dozen feet wide and was cobalt in color. Chris wanted to feel surprise as it rose into the air effortlessly. With everything else that had happened to him since waking up though he just could not must any emotion towards it other than the statement of ‘Neat’. Which he muttered internally because he didn’t yet feel safe talking around these creatures that he seemed to be now enslaved by. The next few hours passed quickly. He felt some of his emotions fray a bit yet the violet haired woman’s presence and voice soothed him back to center each time.
Finally the platform landed at the base of a great sone faced building. Something like a mansion made out of huge slabs of rock rather than a castles smaller construction materials. The smallest single piece he could see hat to be at least a dozen feet tall by several feet wide. The thing that seemed to be his new Master yelled out commands in its grating guttural voice. Two human-like women came out.
The first was the closest to human with long legs sporting a second knee reversed from the first, sort of like depictions of werewolf legs from fantasy and anime. Except hers were well shaved and very feminine. Tawny skin, brown hair, and blue eyes completed her looks. The other was a bit less human as she looked very androgenous with four legs. The first two almost like normal and then a thin torso between the front and rear set. Which were had the reverse knee joint like a horses rear legs. All were very feminine looking and with mostly normal human feet. She had short hair in a mohawk that led down her neck and he guessed all the way down her backbone ending in a horse-like hair tail that was off her rear. Would she be some sort of humataur then? Both were dressed in a similar manner to the woman who had come with him from the slave auction.
Upon their gesture he and Violet as he was coming to think of her were led into the building. They followed the buildings skirting outside to a side entrance of course. No one talked and Chris once more settled into a sort of resigned despondency. For some reason it didn’t matter that he couldn’t understand anyone. It felt like being relegated to the bottom run once again.
He was led inside and down to below ground. Through a twisting maze the archaic building gave way to stone tunnels lit by both torch and glowing sconces. Through hallways, tunnels, down twisting ramps, and further, he was eventually let into a cavern deep in the earth. He could see well regardless of whether it was an area that was well lit or an area shrouded in darkness. There were whole tiers of cells along the walls of the large area. The smallest seemed to be hobbit or halfling sized. The largest would easily hold a couple of elephants or so. There didn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason about the size or placement of any of them. One of the largest ones was almost five whole levels above the ground while at the floor level he was still on were several of the tiny cells. The bars were just as different too, not all metal. Some were stone others looked to be made of wood or bamboo. One cell higher up even seemed to be made of some type of energy beams like in a science fiction show.
From there the two led him and Violet further into one of the multitudes of hallways off the cavern holding area. This one off of the second tier, which of course meant they needed to walk up a long ramp to reach it. He didn’t seem interested in paying attention to the pits and devices in the center of the cavern. It just never occurred to him as they walked. He noted it in the back of his mind as he did know it wasn’t normal for him, yet it still was not really worth his while as they walked along. The tunnel they walked down now was very poorly lit. Only by oil lamps with single open flame wicks. Eventually they led him into a very large room carved into the side of the tunnel. It was enclosed with wide spaced stone that seemed to be part of the room, grown like stalactites and stalagmites from the ceiling and floor. Though he was pretty sure they were tougher than normal mineral deposits for some reason.
Violet walked in before him, still holding his leash. A worried feeling began to creep in and she stepped into him, once again crooning her calming song. He felt his caring nature rise once more and reached to bring her close to reaffirm to her that they were safe. That she would be safe as long as he was around. She went up onto tiptoes and whispered something in that still strange language into his ear before kissing him gently on the cheek.
She then removed the leash, but not the collar and stepped backwards retreating out of the room slowly and carefully. Violet made sure to maintain eye contact the whole way with her large soulful eyes that began to shimmer with tears. She turned and fled quickly out of the cave cell as the door to the room slammed shut. His last impression of her was a streamer of violet hair and a bare calf as she vanished around the corner.
Now he was left with the other two standing outside. Immediately everything came clear. Just like that a veil was lifted. He staggered back in confusion as lucidity almost literally hit him in the eyes. For the first time in what had to have been days his mind, his thoughts, his emotions, and his soul were his own.
“That fucking WITCH!” His voice almost seemed to rock the very walls.
“Bitch! Slaving Whoremonger! She was Controlling me!”
Chris was now right damned infuriated. Somehow he had been removed not only from home but also from his very body. He knew that somehow that Violet haired harridan was partially or wholly responsible for his new incarceration.
The two escorts watched him through the bars. The biped with an absence of any emotion and the quadruped with what seemed to be a sharklike hunger. They turned and left him as he looked around the very plain room. Only a small sleeping pallet was off to the side. Worse yet, it looked like it was made of simple bundled straw. Otherwise he was only surrounded by stone that looked as tough as his new flesh.
“Bitch…”
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End Chapter 05
Here's another chapter y'all. Also, up to Chapter 8 on my Patreon, working on 9 and 10 today. Hopefully have them uploaded so I can get Ch 06 uploaded by the end of the week. I try to stay at least 4 chapters ahead there, so that I don't miss a beat on my regular public postings! I don't wanna end up as one of those amazing Disappearing, Reappearing, Disappearing authors.
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 06
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~Nicholas~
“Nmmneeeiiioooiii-klkkll-hisss.”
“No. Damnit. Not that.” A pause then. “N-ee-ko-el-ah-ss. Neek-oh-las.”
“Nniieeiiklackchkless.”
She could not stand this yet she needed to. The Old Man’s butchering of her name was worse than a bad Godzilla dub job. It was almost like he could not even form the N’s and M’s without severe strain. He also had complete trouble with vowel sounds and ended up seriously over stressing them.
The two of them had been at it for the last half hour, but at least she had gotten him to recognize that it was her name. It was better than the initial ‘Eeeek’ he had been calling her when she did the classic ‘Me Nick’ finger pointing.
He rattled something off in his own language, Nick wasn’t sure about the specifics but she was confident that it wasn’t very cheery.
The better part of the day had passed. Evening would be here sooner than later. In that time she had learned that the Old Man was a grumpy and vocal teacher apt to old school methods. Which meant that Nick had learned that he held no compulsion against thwacking her a good one if she frustrated him too much. Luckily it appeared as if she could take a good thump or three. Especially when she had gotten pissed with him earlier and had attempted to pick him up by the scruff.
That had not gone well for her.
As soon as his feet had left the ground a device on his staff spun up with a high pitched whine. He then stepped to his left into nothingness. Like the air had been solid ground as he pushed out of her grip behind a wall in empty space. She had been left there holding only the tactile memory of homespun cloth.
The next thing she knew something hit her lower back.
Hard.
Nick had spun to face whatever it was only to catch the Old Man’s staff to the jaw as he stepped out of thin air on her other side. When she had recovered he stepped backwards into nothingness once more.
That had continued for several minutes as he proceeded to show her what would happen if she dared to lay hands on him again. Nick learned two things about herself then. First was that she could move with a capital M when she wanted to. She was several times faster and stronger than anything outside of comic books back home. The other was that even though she could feel it as fully painful as in her old life she could take a beating without a mark.
It had still taken a few more hours of pantomiming and pseudo charades to get him to understand at a least a little bit of why she was frustrated. As well Nick was able to tell that he had absolutely no social stigmas about nudity. It wasn’t even that he showed any inclination that he was enjoying the sight of her new body. It was more like it truly didn’t matter. So when he cut a few strips off the hem of his cloak so she could make a rudimentary loin cloth it seemed to be just as much an epiphany to him as well.
At least the cool of the night did not bother her, nor did the rocks beneath her bare feet. It wasn’t that her skin was calloused or tougher down there than the rest of her. It was more that the environment didn’t harm her as much.
“I bet this is how Wonder Woman feels much of the time.” She paused and put her finger to her chin. “Well maybe Wonder Woman with a liberal mix of Red Sonja. All I need is a good old sword and my own Conan backup singers.”
The old man stopped walking along the path they were on and turned to look at her. He cocked his head to the side and clacked something at her.
“Hey I get it. Klickeryclackiti fun time, right?”
She was pretty sure he had said something about setting up camp. With her luck she had responded saying something about the tequila’s worm and his sisters nether regions poor hygiene. He seemed to take no notice of her though as he began to draw a circle in the dark brown dirt next to the path they walked on. It was one of those type of travelers way area dirt stopping points next to a dirt road she saw in so many games. That must have been how it was like in medieval times. A large oval of dirt a couple dozen paces wide off to the side of the road or whatever.
Shortly the Old Man had completed the circle he was drawing three times. Immediately he stepped out of it and a purplish bruise colored stone rose out of the dirt to create a firepit. He then went a pace away and acted similarly to raise up a pair of rock seats. Since the wrinkled mummy had done this a few times prior on other nights it was losing the novelty it once had. Yet it still fascinated Nick. Such a simple application of camp magic. She hoped that one day the language barrier would be breached so that she could find out how to cast similar things.
Routine being routine Nick went into the purple felt grass to look for some tubers she had learned to look for. They were sort of like spongy yams that tasted like a cross between duck and broccoli. An odd thing that at least after cooking over a fire was very filling. Once back from her search with about five of the things she groaned for the next part of their daily routine.
It was now time for pointy namey time.
She wished that it was her teaching him English. Nick was realistic enough to understand that she was the stranger in this strange land and therefore the one that needed to learn.
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~Chris~
In the cavelike cell Chris contemplated the disastrous dream world he found himself in. For if it was not a dream then it may be too horrible to contemplate.
His body was bad enough. Nothing like his prior one. It felt things in a completely different manner. He could see in all bands of light he had discovered and only seemed to need sleep as a way to pass the boredom. He was pretty sure he was no longer human, in fact he doubted this body was ever human. He could not even contemplate what had happened to cause this effect. With no one to talk to in the last however long it had been he had not even been able to ask or otherwise. The only sounds he could hear were the screams of the caverns denizens, and the guttural language that reminded him of a toddler cursing at him in infernal using the vocal cords of a strung out rockstar way past his prime. He had no way to tell time, at all. Being underground with no light source other than what his captors allowed meant that he couldn’t even tell things based on any schedule. Plus his time sense was skewed. He always was a patient man, except now he was sure that he was even more patient than ever before.
It was like he didn’t find any discomfort at not having any mental stimuli other than what he thought up for himself. He could go still at the drop of a pin in any position he chose. Once he locked his muscles in place they didn’t feel fatigue in any way. It was as if he became stone for a fact. He had also learned that he only needed to breath when he wanted to. If it wasn’t so built into his core, he probably wouldn’t even do so at any time. His chest seemed to be closer to housing a bellows than functional lungs. He didn’t feel any change in self no matter how much air he took in. And he could take in a LOT. Somehow he could inhale far past what a conceivable lung in a chest his size could possibly contain. As if he had a gas compressor built in. The most he had pushed it last time had to have been at least five minutes or so straight of sucking in air like a drowning man upon reaching the surface.
The last break in the monotony so far had been hours ago when the Violet haired witch creature who had controlled him stopped by to deliver food. That odd type of empathic pushing ability of hers was not going to catch him off guard again. He stayed far enough away from her that she could not touch him, he was pretty sure that was how she used it. Through touch, or the collar. He was not quite sure, but he was not about to let her attempt to get him under her sway again. As far as he knew she was helping out with some of the other caged creatures that may or may not be sentient as far as he knew.
The only things that communicated as far as he was aware seemed to be his jailors. Especially the quadruped who seemed to be the nastiest of the bunch. He had seen them cross in front of his own cage a few times. The latest one was a while ago when she and the Brunette with the extra jointed legs came into view holding the leash of monstrous cross between a wolfhound and a horse. With eight legs. The creature had made a snarling chomp at the bars as it passed.
He was brought out of his thoughts where he sat in the darkest recesses of his cage. A young serving boy wearing what Chris had come to think of as a slaves wrap and a metal collar came to stop before the bars. He looked around into the enclosure for a moment before doing a sort of double blink. A sort of nictating membrane folded from the inside to the outside inside of his regular eyelids. After that the boy was able to focus on Chris who was out of the lamplight thunking one of his knuckles on the ground.
‘Huh… guess that gives him night vision?’
A clacking guttural sound echoed from off to the side. The kid looked that way and gurgled something in reply before running off.
Chris carefully repeated it to himself noting that the inflection seemed to be at the beginning and not at the end. “That how they ask a question? Or is it just a boy being petulant…”
Since finally coming to himself after they had locked him in here he had been slowly studying those nearby. Especially the language. It was only in the barest bits and pieces. He was pretty sure he understood ‘food’, ‘get back’ as well as ‘come’. As well as several other very simple commands.
What he was not so sure of was his abilities to repeat or use the words. Especially in proper context. That would be too easy after all.
‘Least the area isn’t too cold. Or is it that my body is more resilient?’ He internalized rather than making any other noise.
Which was relatively true. Sitting or laying on the hard floor was not uncomfortable. There may be no give to it but it seemed his body didn’t need a soft bed to rest.
He continued to practice the boy’s words quietly, feeling odd using the back of his tongue and throat to make the appropriate noises. Currently he was a prisoner as far as he was concerned. A slave with no knowledge of what was going on. That would not always be the case, and Chris was determined to come out on top. One way or another.
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End Chapter 06
Sorry for the short chapter. Next one is a bit larger to make up for it.
Post Script -
So for shiggles and ghits I was watching my MiastriSs playlist and this song kept popping out at me as I was writing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tSWSpvNT1Y&list=RD_tSWSpvNT...
I don’t know Russian but I truly love this artist and listen to all her stuff. But without knowing the words, it doesn’t take much to understand what the song is about of course.
Also... I seem to have gotten myself the distracted. My Steamdeck came in last week while working on chapters 09 and 10.
I.... uhmmm... sowwies.....
I can not believe how much fun that thing was to play. So... I didn't finish the last two chapters as I had promised.
My Bads *bows head in shame*
The Old Man as illustrated by my Troll Artist friend!
Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 07
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~James~
The man in front of James could have come straight out of a Christian Dior commercial. If it was also mixed with a Star Wars Franchise movie that is.
Overly large alien eyes with white pupils and cobalt where the whites should be. No facial hair what-so-ever and sort of feathers instead of hair on his head. He was also tall and willowy. To make matters better James knew that as frustrated as he currently was he should not stare at the being. Rather attempt to properly repeat the gurgle clicks of their language.
More to the point, he had learned not to say anything in English while under the auspices of the alien looking creatures tutelage. Not that he had anything to complain about regarding anything as gauche as ‘alien’.
Sometime, a few local days ago, he had woken up in a heat of strange equipment. Under an strange sky in a body not his own. Aching like a car wreck victim he still had managed to extricate himself. He would not complain about his body. It was a great body. In prime condition. Far better than the heavyset one left in another world. Yet it was not exactly human. Close yes, but not quite. Analogous perhaps, all the same digits and limbs. In the same proportions no less. Yet he was sure it was cybernetic from the panel over his heart that looked like it belonged on Darth Vaders chest. As well as the metallic hash like marks on his forearms and calves. They bent and flexed as if flesh to a degree but when he tapped them they were definitely not made of tattooed skin.
It was the dusky rose skin and the soft ankle length hair that had strands as thick as thin wires that sealed the deal for him. He could even feel all along the hair, its surface as sensitive as the skin on his arms. Luckily he could also control it. Not well and it was something he was not yet willing to share with those he found himself with. It was easier to control as a mass in a braid but if he concentrated hard he could make the individual strands behave.
His instructor motioned at a ball and clicked twice. One low pitched one high with a nasal echo. James attempted it but could not quite get the nose effect. The failure gained a laugh. Sort of. Like a laugh was cut off right at the beginning by a figurative magical sword. At least laughter seemed to cross the language barrier. He attempted again, knowing that until he got it right he would be standing right there at a sort of parade rest.
Overall James had been treated well by whatever group had found him. They had clothed him in something like unpadded bicycle shorts and nothing else. As many of the strange menage creatures wore little clothing if anything he counted himself lucky for even that little bit. James considered his good circumstances here in this dream that just wouldn’t end. For if he was in his old body he may have found himself automatically one of the downtrodden slaves he had seen. Regular humans of exceptionally good looks seemed to be given a good place as an enslaved people. Anyone who was less than a perfect ten though was nearly unseen and did the most unpleasant tasks of the feudal-like fortress he found himself in.
Another conundrum that James had observed was that there was very little repetition of body features to the beings here. Though the humancentric appreciation of aesthetics was the most applicable one didn’t have to have the same number of limbs or even heads to fall under that aesthetic. The overall feel was that it was produced by a very high end budget Warner Brothers or Fox Studio’s television show. Yet this not quite anime wet dream come true reality wasn’t going away. Even when he went to sleep.
The first couple of days James had been here he had treated it with the bemused indifference of being in an ultra real lucid dream. By the morning of the third day worries began to set it.
Especially for his mother. He was not sure what she would do with him suddenly not there. Was he in a Coma and this was just a Coma dream? Dead and waiting for the next life? Was it purposeful or was he here by accident. Nothing really made sense. All he could do was to play along for now.
At least they had pushed the language lesons on him. It would have been something he would have wanted regardless, but this simplified things for him greatly.
All this was in the back of his mind as he valiantly attempted to say ‘Ball’ or perhaps it was ‘Sphere’ in their language.
The teacher seemed to finally have enough and a long taloned arm snaked out and slashed his shoulder viciously.
“No -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Bad -x-x-x-x- -x-x-x-x- -x- -x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Bad -x-x-x-x-x-x- -x-x- -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- -x-x-x-x- -x- Again.”
Only the three words made some sort of sense. At least he had figured them out… roughly. Instead of lashing out or defending himself he stood there as his shoulder bled. He attempted ‘Ball’ once more. He would heal shortly without blemish, one of the gifts of this body. He didn’t know if there were others and he was sure there must be some. Eventually he would figure it all out, after all it seemed as if he would have plenty of time here in this other worldly place.
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~The Old Summoneer~
It amazed him at times how thick headed or inexperienced the young Spirit Matrice that now inhabited Angelica’s body was. This day she was once again failing to grasp some of the most basic controls of her Enhanced Crafted Combat Systems wetware. However he did admit to himself that most of it was due to the communications issue between the two of them. He was not about to tell her that though. Even if she could understand him.
Unfortunately she was also unduly modest, pig headed, aggressive, abrasive, arrogant, and head strong. Just like Angelica had been when she had been pure human genotype. He sighed to himself at that memory from all those cycles ago. Another life, both better and worse. He did need to work on her modesty though. There were very few armors that could keep up with the abuse she could put out when she opened herself up.
After much gesticulating and eventual breakdown of the initial language barrier he had amusedly come to the conclusion that new Matrice belonged to a young man. As sad as he was to lose his old friend and adoptive daughter he was gladdened to have not had his work go completely to waste. Perhaps he would be able to gather the six others and find out who inhabited each physical shell.
The name too…. Pronounced with far to much tongue and lip noises. Only some of the most remote island nations came close to the sounds. If he attempted to say her full name it sounded to him as if he was mumbling ‘Snake Bite’ with a broken jaw while being electrocuted. It also seemed that if he wasn’t careful with the strange throat holler at the early part of her name it would sound young girls scream to her. At least they had discovered how to say her name in the trade language he was slowly teaching her. Though there was no proper translation for it. Closest analogue to it was ‘Enjoyable to discover’ but he supposed that was good enough.
He chuckled at a thought. She should be glad that he had not been malicious enough to teach her that her name and Shithead were the same. But he wouldn’t do that to Angelica’s Shell, especially as he was confident that though her memories were gone that the child inside was so close in resonance as to practically be her.
It had now been half a cycle of days since he had recovered from his blunder. The first two of which had been… interesting. The Old Summoner regretted his hasty actions of dumping his ritual chamber. It had taken him over a full sixteen solar cycles to build and had lasted well over a hundred. The location had been instrumental in several successful campaigns against the encroachment of the various Demon Lords and their corruption of sentient beings on this planet.
With the chamber gone and the way he had designed the purge system to work there was no way to quickly find everything that had been lost. It was all spread to the various corners of the world. Scattered beyond the winds.
Now his first concern was to get Battles Mistress back up to her old standard and track her companions down. On this there seemed to still be some communication issues. As she claimed it was only four others that came through with her even though only two had awoken by the time he recovered. There had been Seven Matrices to account for though. Seven bodies, seven generals, seven peoples to be raised back up in the fight against all that had befouled this world. So he traveled with the woman he had come to know as Enjoyable to Discover or the bastardization of Neeeeekckckkee. She claimed that only her four other friends were there. That she could not figure out that there were supposed to be seven. Of course, half of that was figured out through use of finger waiving, drawing in the earth at their feet, wild waving of arms (mostly on her part) and otherwise. He knew that the systems he had deployed would have garnished all the matrices from the same quantum plane. It was the double-edged sword of the safety feature.
Which meant that there would be two more individuals who woke up residing in shells that were not what they remembered. Yet they would become who the shells were in originality once they had inhabited them long enough. Maybe not in memory but in action and fact.
“Hell stringent linen yellowed flower.”
He sighed again at her butchering of the common tongue. At least she had properly enunciated the proper clicks necessary for the words. If in a really poor accent. However, she really got the words wrong and the structure emphasis changed the entire meaning of what he was pretty sure she was attempting to state. She was standing upside down on her hands. She had been that way for almost a full sixteenth of a day cycle.
The two of them had an interesting conversation on that as well. The primary numeral check here for math and technology had been based on sixteen rather than ten, which is what the old math had used many thousands of cycles ago. They had transitioned as a logical progression as quantum based technology came to the fore. It allowed for much finer calculations and prediction matrix’s that were less prone to data leakages as they progressed. The time units had been adjusted around the same time in that ancient epoch. Each day broken into sixteen parts and each of those into sixteen partial. Then each broken up into sixteen microcycles.
When Battles Mistress, who still refused to use her forms proper name, explained about their time measurement systems the Old Summoner had almost broken out into hysterical laughter.
To think that she was from such a world that still was stuck counting high level problems on units of measurements based on their fingers and toes. It was pure folly.
She was glaring at him as he recollected on the various units of time. Finally he deigned to answer. One had to maintain the proper master and student relationships after all.
“If you must call me an ‘Old Geezer’ then do so Right.” He punctuated his statement with a line of kinetic energy along the molecular rail that his Artifice stretched between his pointed finger and her sensitive pelvic bone. He knew exactly how much that would smart and distract the tall woman.
With a squawking sound much like that of an injured avian hybrid she whipsawed her legs around attempting in vain to recover from the sudden pressure. To say nothing of the sudden sting of the invisible strike. The attack would likely have felt to her as if he had hit her with a small sharp metal tool that had a sizable amount of force behind it.
It was one of the first quantum tricks that almost all Summoners learned. They were often the recipient of frequent kinetic strikes until they learned both the skill and its corresponding defense.
The strawberry haired warrior failed to maintain her balance after several valiant attempts and fell to the ground. The green markings along her back illuminated from within and projected outwards into the first of Angelica Pentel’s twenty three Wings of Battle.
“Bad health old jumbo. Fair no you playful.” She shot back angrily as she jumped up. The dark otherworldly glow of the Combat Construct stretching out from her back showing death to any who would dare to challenge her, Battles Mistress. They pulled her up off the ground briefly as the two large knife sharded planes of planar energy flapped as if wings in real they were.
“And you have ruined another top.” Listening to her was sometimes like nails scraping along a stone drawing tablet. She was improving at least.
She calmed down as she looked downwards at the shirt that was now just one good breath from falling off. It was one of the many she had insisted on making after they had come across a traveling merchant with some bolts of cloth. Her first wings had shredded the back clear as they deployed upon the field.
He laughed at her disgruntled expression.
Angelica grunted something rude under her breath and ripped the tatters off before concentrating on pulling the wings back within her body. She rummaged around in her pack and pulled a replacement out.
“Specify ruin… prevent.. errrruuhhmm…. Prevent…” She snapped her fingers in that odd manner she used to help her remember words. “Prevent Action?”
“You mean, ‘How did the first Angelica prevent her clothes from being destroyed?’”
She nodded and donned the new shirt snugging it into place with that odd expression she used whenever mentally filing away information. Which of course she had to do until she learned more of her bodies enhancement controls.
“The old Angelica would wreath herself in her Power. It covered her at any and all times she would will it.”
They had to repeat that back and forth a few time still she managed to snort derisively at his answer. She went back to her handstand, she was now able to hold it nearly indefinitely. Unless distracted. Which was one of the things he was working on.
“Just so ‘Gelica Wings out All?”
“Not all the time. We do not care about body coverings as much as you seem to, but we still would cover if needed.”
A pause for a while as she processed his answer. Likely to make sure that she understood it. “Then Cloak. Why?”
“My cloak?” He looked down and pulled some of it away from his body, enough for her to see that many of the parts of his bodies Artifice was integrated into his robe and cloak. They were as much an extension of him now as his own limbs.
The more Artifice scaffolding he incorporated into his core meant that he needed more synthetics and 'other' biologics as well. It was one of the sacrifices one made if one wished to become ‘more’ than the standard sapient on the planet. Each type of enhancement, change, or creation had its mark on the body and spirit. Most Summoners end up something like him as all of their coverings were part of the Artifice Scaffolding needed to extend of themselves to effect the Aethers and the Quantum reality left in the wake of the Fall. Where as one like Angelica utilized a far more direct power than he ever could.
Angelica wrinkled her nose at the sight he had presented to her, then she made one of her long throated not quite howls that he had learned meant disgust. In response to her impudent expression, he levied a kinetic strike to her left knee. She was more ready this time and managed to keep her position.
“Why downside up?”
He was able to understand her a lot more now. He was even beginning to learn some basic phrases in her Eeengleeshshsh. Which never translated well it seemed. Such odd tongue noises for a language.
“Because it is enjoyable to me. You look funny like that after all.” He chuckled internally as he spoke. He knew exactly how his statement would affect her and her likely reaction.
She reverted back to her native language and let out a stream of rapid-fire words. Likely cursing him as she dropped to the ground before flip kicking back up towards him. As her foot was closing on his body he gave his Artifice a command and stepped backwards into the inbetween. The inbetween was not actually a time or a place. Rather it existed a few moments out of phase behind actual time. Sort of like existing in the wake of time, like traveling in the draft of a large vessel breaking the barrier of sound.
As such, he was not really seeing his Ward search for him, rather he was watching what she had done a few moments prior. The after images of the movements of her actions. The trick to finding someone hiding in the inbetween was to look Through. An ability that Angelica had, but needed to relearn.
Since is appeared that she learned best when he annoyed her it was a good thing for the Old Man that he did enjoy being a crotchety old geezer at time. Her poorly translated words no less, not his.
Later that evening, a good ways where they had stopped to train, they sat around a fire. He had procured a pot out of his own personal tesseract. It was over the cooking fire with some water inside for a tisane. There were several sticks with a small land born rodent that he always forgot the name of impaled and cooking on them. At least the critters were reasonably tasty.
“Shunt flew.. why?” His companion asked after being silent for a time.
Her face wasn’t quite shadowed by the fire and darkening sky yet. He still got the impression of something hooded around her. Seemed that she was also getting her anger under better control regarding her specific question.
“I thought the Void had taken you.” He could tell from her expression that with her limited vocabulary she still could not quite understand. “Void. The Beyond. Darkness. Demon place. Thought you were possessed by it.”
She nodded as comprehension seemed to finally got through the language barrier. “You thought me,” she paused then rattled of another string of unintelligible words. He let her continue as she spoke to herself. “Bad? Wrong? Circle.. no circle not…” She was almost crosseyed trying to figure out what to say. “Not good. Void… Evile! You think me Evile!”
He nodded, before correcting the pronunciation. He was impressed, he wasn’t sure he had taught her that word yet.
“Sucks that. Wish waited.” She continued on her thought as she poked at the fire with a stick.
Depressing for both of them as that answer was, at least they were making forward progress.
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End Chapter 07
Language Barriers dropping, moving forward beginning. Time to travel along and find out more of what is going on!
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Summoned: An Accidental Adventure –
Chapter 08
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~Malachai~
“If no get hand where need go I slapping you.” Malachai stated to the worker she had been assigned to work with.
Or at least that’s what she hoped she had said to him. Learning a new language was always tough. At least this manner of speech seemed easier to learn than Americanized English had been. She was also having a much easier time of it than Felix was, much to her companions consternation.
As she was thinking of him she took a quick glance his way on the other side of the large room where he was helping another of the Indents. At least that was what she was sure what they were called. Basically a type of forced servant or possibly slave, but she was still learning the language so there may be more to it that she hadn’t figured out as of yet.
They were touching up a wall that had been damaged when things that she could only describe as rampaging cyborg beetle buffalo slug creatures had assaulted the room. One of the locals had explained to her that they were the soulless spawn of Xentul and that the things were usually referred to as Ravagers. The things came in all types of shapes and sizes and tended to absorb almost anything they attacked so as to maintain their monstrous forms. One of the creatures had even taken the upper torso of one of the guards that had fallen during the latest attack. It had been rather gruesome to watch… sort of like a train wreck happening in front of her. She could not stare but she could not look away.
Her current task was to hold up a heavy cable while the other Indent tacked it in place with a sort of circuitry laden green gray goop. This room was one o the force wall generation stations that helped defend the boarder from those creatures. Normally more than enough to keep the horrid beasts away. Though specific pointed attacks that weren’t repulsed by the patrolling army could still sometimes break through. She had a chuckle at the thought of some of the politicians back home and how they would react to this countries problem with ‘illegal aliens’.
As to the hand she had been threatened, it belonged to a youth who was absolutely fascinated by her skin and kept trying to touch it. Which was highly distracting, and not only because she found she was highly sensitive. At least her overseers had allowed her a simple body wrap or the distractions would have been many times worse.
She and Felix had finally learned after a few days learning the local tongue that they were in a forced servitude until they were considered fluent enough to be given a new evaluative trial.
Oh, and they were forbidden from using their native tongues. Her back had healed over without blemish from the whip marks but it had shown her how serious they were over it. After those first few days they had been sent to work details as well.
“So sorry.” The youth finally answered.
He was a simple youth, slim and gangly like many teenagers. Unlike them though he had a pair of horns that grew out of his forehead and recurved back over his head. He was something they called a ‘Created’, if she understood it correctly. Though she was still learning the full word for it.
The youngling was under a similar sentence as she was because he had troubles following instructions and tended to forget what he had been told. Which combined with his tendency to stare at the boarders with a power that seamed to draw in the Ravagers got him in to no small amount of trouble. So whenever there was an attack he had to help with the repairs.
“You are NO touchie me.” She repeated for the umpteenth time in their strange rather guttural clicky language.
As bad as he was with her he was worse with Felix. Which was why she almost always got paired with him. At least he was watching her face again as her arms were getting tired holding the cable.
“Jimbal! Work!”
He startled a bit then focused on the gelatinous mass in the bucket he held. He coaxed a portion to crawl onto an applicator stick which he touched to the cable. The ooze moved of its own volition and connected things to their correct points. With the heavy item now secured Malachai could finally put her arms down.
That was one down and only a dozen or two to go. She sighed, re-adjusted her wrap and moved to the next portion.
Later that evening after work had finished up Malachai finally made it back to the communal housing unit she shared with her fellow Indents. Outside of a harsh rule enforcement it was not really too bad. The food was relatively good and they were treating her and Felix with a moderatum of respect. They were even regularly educating the two of them in their language. Hopefully when she and Felix had their re-hearing they would find out more of what was going on.
After she came out of her thoughts she noticed that Felix was sitting off to the side in the common area. His star filled skin only interrupted by his hair on his head and the similar Indent wrap around his waist. She walked over and sat down next to him. Malachai took his hand in hers and leaned into him. At first he attempted to refuse but gave in after a quick scowl from her. The last couple of days of working on him was paying off as he was more accepting of the pretense than before. Her reasoning was sound, especially as it was tempered by her country of birth.
They didn’t know what the local culture’s views on women were. Even with the fact that there had been women on the court that had sentenced them here. They may have been exceptions to the rule rather than the norm. Since the two of them were being treated in part like slaves there was also a good chance that they may be intended or seen as property. So if they were seen as a ‘Couple’ prior to the next hearing then it may be more likely they would be kept together.
Or at least that was her thought process on this.
So far it seemed to be working, even if Felix was highly uncomfortable with it. She was getting less and less so as the days progressed. The pleasant feelings she was beginning to feel was by no means love by any measure. She was not some sexually repressed American so she knew how to separate the feelings of the body from the feelings of the mind and soul.
“Felix?”
He looked over at her. They were the same height now, even if this position comfortably put her head on his shoulder. He hrmmmmed at her and shifted a little to get more comfortable. As the wraps were really just stretchy tubes of some type of sturdy fabric it meant that she wore a tube dress and Felix was effectively in a skirt.
“Close legs. You spread wide again. How call it? Manspreading?”
Her friend couldn’t really blush with the skin he had but she felt it get hotter under her cheek.
Across the room a woman named Jan had been enjoying the view. Even though she knew she had been caught at it she didn’t look away. Rather she switched her view to Felix’s chest. Of course it wasn’t just about keeping them from being separated. There was a sort of hierarchy and politic among their fellow Intents to consider.
Just as Malachai didn’t have many of the social inhibitions and hang ups of Americans, she also understood how women in lesser developed nationalities often only gained their status from the men they were attached to. For some reason no matter how many times she explained that to Felix he seemed to remain obtuse to that fact. Which made him a lamb in the woods to the potential wolves around them.
“Did you learn anything new?” He whispered in English to her.
Even with the potential risk of the lash she was glad to have a language the two of them could use mercilessly as a way to communicate if needed.
“Yes, Jan want sleep with you.”
Of course she also enjoyed being able to tease him in a way that only they could understand. Felix did his best not to look directly at the woman across the room from them as Malachai poked at him. Particularly as it was Jan that was licking her chops like a wolf anticipating a tasty meal. Figuratively at the moment but she was sure it was also literal at times.
“That’s not helping Mal.”
“Then put arm around me. We take couples bed. Jan think we be fake.” She cuddled in closer to him.
Around the room several others lounged or rested after the days work awaiting their evening meal. After which was either interviews, therapy, or education. Or any combination of the above. Malachai felt Felix shake his head from her position.
“I can’t do that. It just feels wrong Malachai. You know I’m straight, it’d feel… I don’t know…”
She let loose a long string of curses in Romani, her native language. A couple of other Indents looked over in concern as she got up and moved to sit down on Felix’s lap facing him. Malachai leaned in closely to him. Her hands moving in a manner she knew would cause a stirring in his loins. “I no Guy right now. Also, you no be able to poke me with your meat. You think I want sex like this? I make you woman if you try with no my okay.” She gave his earlobe a sharp nip with her teeth. “I serious though. Jan move on you soon. She think you open. If you open then you think no man make move on me?”
The last bit finally managed to get through the dimensionally displaced collage geek. He pulled back as much as he could given their relative positions and put his hands on her shoulders. She allowed herself to be pushed back to arms length. His larger violet eyes almost seemed to float in a starry sky. Set in soft and now slightly African-European features. His silky white hair gave a shocking yet complimentary finish that managed to complete his alien allure. All together being on his lap and looking at him made her heart flutter and body quicken. That was under her control though. Besides, she was sure that as dense as Felix was he had no actual clue how he affected women in his current form.
Though with his most recent encounter with the ‘get a clue bat’ smacked lopside his head brought out a protective side of his that really annoyed Malachai.
“Oh god Malachai… Oh GOD! I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Quietly.” She whisper scolded him in her breathy voice as they were still speaking in English.
It seemed to have an effect on him, but she was not about to let anything go too far. Instead as a way to not get awkward between them she got off his lap and sat back down beside him.
“So…?” He asked hesitantly.
“So… you put arm around. Hand on waist.” She leaned into him once more.
Across the room Jan folded her arms in annoyance now that Felix seemed to be finally making up his mind and followed orders.
“Did you learn anything else?” He said as he nuzzled her obsidian dark hair. With her body still aroused it drove her to near distraction. The techniques she had learned in her prior life as a guy didn’t work on her body much to her dismay. She would need other ways in the future she knew.
“Yes, they think we created to copy fallen Hero’s. To make fear and confusion.”
Felix kept his reaction in check as he processed what his opalescent skinned friend said. “That actually makes sense.”
It was Malachai’s turn to look confused. “How make sense? That make no-sense. We no these people even if look way that.”
Felix laughed quietly. “It makes perfect sense. That room, the old man, us, the way he made everything disappear. These bodies are like Frankenstein’s Monster. We just ended up being the brains instead of someone else.”
They were silent for a spell as the others in the room went about their own business before Malachai spoke. “So we’re…”
“Yep.”
“And these bodies…”
“Yep.”
“Damn… that screw everyone up.” She stated, as much to herself as to him.
They would have continued talking except that one of the guards entered and motioned to all of them. It was dinnertime it seemed.
Once down in the eating area Jan and one of the other Indents sat down on either side of the two dimensionally displaced friends. At least the male was one of the more pleasant ones. Malachai took a moment to remember his name. Erdez if she was correct. She knew this could not be a coincidence no matter what anyone else would claim.
On Felix’s side Jan was leaning in. About as much as Erdez was attempting to do so to her.
“So what ------- understand ------- that ------ - you are ----- really without?” He asked her politely. She was only able to understand every other word or so. Simple statements and the like she could usually get, but the more complex statements she still had troubles with.
She looked downward for a moment as she attempted to figure out what he had said. “You ask about abilities?”
Her grasp of the language was still halting, but she believed she got it right. Erdez nodded, seemingly happy that she understood.
“No remember.”
Internally Malachai felt that he was kind as well as handsome in his own way. If she needed to attach herself to someone besides Felix she could do worse. Even if he could be a bit strife ridden in his approach and manner, he was much more welcome than some of the controlling and overly aggressive locals she had encountered. Unfortunately she was not from here and having been on the other side of the gender divide only just a short while ago. That made thinking of anything like a regular physical relationship to be rather repulsive in any format.
Jan on the other hand was being just as predatorially flirtatious and touchy as possible. Felix was doing a good job of avoiding any commitment to anything. Though Malachai did find herself puling the other womans hands off of her friend a time or three. Or three dozen. Until they knew more of this strange land the two of them had to act as if they were in the middle of a poisonous snake pit.
Tread carefully and avoiding all sudden strikes.
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End Chapter 08
So, that’s Malachai’s and Felix’s catch up. James is Up Next! Debating which order after that, any feedback is as always welcome. The story may be for the most part outlined and much of it written, but nothin is set in digital stone. Well… except Chris. He is kind of stoned… heh… (bad pun, my dad got me on that one the other day.)
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So, my Trollish Artist came up with this nice and grizzled guy for the Old Man. I hope that you guys enjoy him!!!