Wandering in Dark Worlds (Jumpchain SI)

5.2 Maneuver

Three days later and I felt better and there was now a glowing claw scar running up my right arm.


I didn’t risk goblin fruits undoing the effect of the wound being a totem binding me to Earth. After five years I would be able to take it off after I cemented my roots to the dimension a bit more.


It was a spell that bound me here. I needed to do a few things that would make it harder for me to be snatched away so easily.


Rather not become a walking talking scar.


That meant being with my devotees. That meant I needed to have time to call them up and perform the...the...


I snapped back to the bench I had been sitting on at the zoo.


I fed on childhood wonderment at the animals they’ve never seen before.


A shaky breath left from my mouth and I remembered something important I did with someone. Someone who had died in Arcadia because of me.


I got up and took out my cell phone and hit the speed dial.


With a calm pace I walked on with a frown on my face. There were several glares of curiosity and apprehension.


I was a guy in a hooded trench coat obviously I got stares.


The phone rang and I heard the voice of someone picking up.


“Hello.”


It was a man’s voice, her boyfriend maybe.


“I’m sorry for waiting this long to respond, but I simply hadn’t got a chance to call without someone pestering me,” I said in a hush tone.


“Who is this?”


The man sounded irritated.


“Kinjen,” I answered as I hid in a bathroom stall.


There was a bunch of voices on the other side of the line.


I waited on the line and got out the stall and found to bald men in shades and suits waiting for me.


“Kin, this is Kel-”


“Call you back I have some men in black to evade,” I interrupted, quickly I shoved the phone into the pocket of my trench coat.


The men wordlessly took out two guns that made the hair on my arms stand on the end.


I wasn’t going to fight and completed the catch of the 4th rank of the contract of separation with the 1st rank of the contract of stone.


These guys aren’t going to complete their mission.
-------------

The group is not liked.

 

5.3 Maneuver


One stabbed forward with a sparking electric rod. I side stepped and jumped over the other one lounging.


I ducked under another stab at me, I responded in a swift uppercut. The guy dodged most of it, but a glancing blow to the jaw with my augmented strength he stumbled back clumsily. I didn’t waste time at awing at the strength I could reach and ran out the room.


I blew past a guy dressed the same as the two gathering themselves from my path and dashed to the more crowded area of the park.


Know what, I didn’t need this right now.


I dropped down into my portal closed it behind me. Then dashed through the warehouse to the other portal.


I paused and whistled, the headgespun car parked beside me. Opened the door, went inside, and drove through the portal.


It was a good thing this thing can drive through water, on walls, and through snow. Did I mention this thing has an invisibility mode?


I stopped under a bridge.


I took out my phone and called Kelly.


“Yes hello.”


“Hey,” I breathed out “, I give me a moment.”


I didn’t realize just how tired I was.


Kelly’s voice was soft as she asked “, what happened?”


“Oh, you know, the usual,” I answered.


“Specifically?” Another female voice asked


I watched as a fish swam through the water.


“Just dealing with the agents from a conspiracy of evil pharmaceutical and medical companies that like to experiment on supernatural creatures,” I said. I turned the cloaking mechanism on and stared easing forward.


“Wah- seriously?”


It was a guy this time.


I turned the speaker phone on and started to drive.


“Yeah, this is my life now,” I said.


I drove out the lake to the grass. It was about a mile until the nearest highway.


Maybe I can finally make some friends.

Yes there is a super car in this story

 

5.4 Maneuver

This was awkward.

“Can you stop staring at me like that Jonah?” I asked.

The werewolf; who apparently was a stray not local; just huffed and looked away.

Currently I and the group that wanted to talk to me sat in an abandoned apartment complex they were using as a base.

It was cleaned up pretty well. There was a slight hint of bleach in the air.

“So what do you want to know?” I asked.

There was I pause as the group huddled a bit away from me. I glanced out the boarded up windows and looked out to the barren streets.

It was around sunset.

“Okay!” Kelly exclaimed. Jonah fell off his seat away from the group at the sudden shout. Kelly went up too him with a slightly worried expression.

“Uh, you okay Jonah?” She asked.

The man waved her off as he stood.

“I’m fine,” he muttered. His flush of embarrassment was clear to see.

Aw, did someone have a crush.

I hid my smirk and said to them “, know what your going to ask?”

With a more determined face Kelly asked “, what the hell is going on in this city?”

The smile I gave put people on edge. I drained whatever glamour I could from the. I reached into my trench coat, took out the map from the warehouse, and passed it to her.

“The map shows the general territories of each faction, the no go zones you should avoid unless your feeling ballsy.”

Kelly spread the map on the floor and asked

“What about these colors?” Kelly asked.

“The red side would be the vampire, the silver would be the werewolves,” I answered.

“What about the green and white dots?” she asked. Her group converged behind her. Jonah stayed close to her side.

“The green are the spots where ghosts and spirits I’ve noticed while exploring the town,” I answered.

Outside the window showed a still barren street.

“Sh*t, there’s one close by,” one of the boys muttered.

Having the contract to see ghost and spirits was useful. It let me know what places had potential poltergeist activity. In a town with so many supernatural creatures there would be side effects like those.

“And white marks are….?”

“Places that I recommend no one goes near,” I said. I kept my face as stern of an expression I could manage.

“I wouldn’t want anyone going near those points,” I said gravely. No one should go near the God Machine. Why? Because that’s how we get cyborg werewolves, nobody smart wants cyborg werewolves. Or nanite empowered vampires that can walk out into sunlight.

We didn’t need anything like that.

“Any reason why?” Jonah asked.

It was hard for me to take his ‘obligation’ to Kelly at face value. He could just be gathering information for the local pack. Who just happen to be Pure instead of Forsaken. Not the people I wanted to associate with.

“I rather not talk about it directly or I could get it’s attention and that would be bad,” I answered plainly. I didn’t want it pestering me. The G Machine was a pain to work around. If it’s effects weren’t so easy to read I’d have been captured a while ago.

“There’s really something like that in the city, uh what about the big blue marks?” Jonah asked. Seriously, this guy pinged all my suspicion.

“Potential magi spots,” I said. I walked towards the group and sat in front of them. Jonah let out a low growl at the sudden proximity.

“Magi?” the girl said behind Kelly.

Kelly looked through each street of the map in focus. Most likely she was figuring the best ways to maneuver around them.

I took notice that they had more female members than male in their group. . Not sure why that raised a flag in my mind.

“Plural for mages,” I answered calmly.

“Just some ridden then, nothing to worry about,” Jonah said. He rolled his shoulders calmly.

“Nope their the most dangerous beings on the board compared to the white marks, which I reiterate do not play with.”

My very stern expression made them pause. Kelly looked up from the map curiously “, how are a bunch of nerds in cloaks that dangerous?”

I just tilted my head at them like they were crazy. Then I realized of course they think that mages aren’t that dangerous. They were just some guys who could maybe curse you or throw a fireball.

A desperate correction was needed before someone wandered into a sanctum and got themselves body horrored.

I stood up with a click of my tongue and the portal opened behind me.

“I’m going to explain to you why mages are things you fear the most when dealing with unknowns,” I said.

I grabbed a stack of papers, pens, clipboards, and a bottled water.

My warehouse was stacked with a whole lot of stuff I’d never use.

My class stood at attention when I got back out the portal. Jonah was at his seat again. Kelly still stared at the map while a few stopped talking.

“You're all going to take notes because I really don’t want to explain how mages are not possessed by powerful spirits, “ I gave a pointed look at Jonah who growled “ aren’t a bunch of nerds in cloaks, “ I gave Kelly a disappointed look, she looked a bit disheartened.

“But are majorly a powerful bloodline that could be traced back to an age where the world’s continents were one,” I put up my hand to pause people who tried to interrupt “, and remember history is written in the present mostly by people who hear about it second to twentieth hand from other sources.”

I took a deep breath before I continued “, now then what is the difference between a thaumaturg and a real mage.”

“There the same thing, tomato tomahto,” said a more bookish girl.

I walked up to the girl who froze and the people edged away. I smiled and passed her a sheet and a pen “, more like tomato…...”

I held onto the sheet as she tried to pull back. I leaned in and said “, ….. to- nuclear warhead.” I let go of the sheet of paper then started passing around the sheets.

“You need to realize everything you think you know is just something that was fed to you by an authority figure that treats the information they’re repeating as gospel, but I’ll be blunt,” I sat back on the barrel near the window.

My eyes narrowed on a oddly pink butterfly in flight at night.

I turned my eyes back to the group “, personally I do believe in God, but you all need to learn the things that others believe both human and not human in this world. The darkness isn’t something to fear, its what hidden in these various mysteries that will leave you in disbelief.”

Kelly stared at me and nodded. She got that werewolves and vampire meant there were other things that bump in the night.

I gave them a friendly closed lipped smile at them.

“Now what am I?” I asked calmly.

“A fairy,” Jonah answered.

“Seriously,” someone muttered under their breath.

“I am fae, but what am I specifically as a fae?” I asked. There was silence, I chuckled.

“Another question, what is the basic society of my type of fae like?” No one answered

“What are the enemies my type are at odds with that hunt for me?”

Jonah shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Kelly just stared at me wondering what I was getting at. Everyone else was waiting for me to get to my point with various expressions of discomfort.

“Come on, know thy enemy, know thy friend, and you’ll know fear, but it won’t rule you when you encounter them and have at least a general guideline on what to follow when you meet them.”

Realization went through the room.

“Information is a power not to lack, because knowing the difference between a Changeling,” I pointed to myself “, and a true Faery will help you at least know what is going on.”

“So, you got switched out for a real person?” The pouty husky girl asked.

“No, a real changeling is someone the true fae takes and leaves a fetch as a replacement,” I explained.

“So you were human?” Kelly asked. She looked at me with a bit of pity.

I smiled “, yes I was in faery, Arcadia, for about, thirty some years, but I got out.”

I chuckled “, but I think we got a bit off topic.”

I glanced out the window and noticed the butterfly sitting on the window sill. Everyone around me noticed it as well.

I went to smash it but my hand went through it. It was an odd color of pink. It floated then dissipated into motes of light

The crowd got startled at the sight.

My head went out the window and I saw the deserted street light up. In the middle of the street a rent the size of a doorway in space appeared.

“What's happening?” Kelly asked, the glocke I gave her in hand .

The crowd already were taking out various knives and pistols.

They noticed the light, but they were sleepwalkers so no paradoxes occurred.

Jonah was already hairy with a wicked set of claws.

These idiots were going to die if I let them try to fight prepared mages head-on.

I activated the first rank of vainglory. I turned to them catching their attention with a start.

“Into the portal, now!”

Without thought they flew to the portal with only Jonah and Kelly hesitant.

The crunch of boots caused my ears to twitch as I went for the portal. The other two stopped hesitating and went in. I entered it without hesitation.

‘STOP!’ Echoed through my head.

I blasted glamour at the presence and a scream of pain was heard behind me. The urge to glance was there, but I was already in.

I heard a metallic crunch and saw the werewolf standing over on of the robots that took care of the place.

It was sparking and wrecked with a dent on the head area.

I rolled my eyes at the sight and ignored the sight. Time relative in the warehouse was at a ratio a billionth a second. Meaning no time outside the warehouse past in relation to it.

But I had work to do and a demonstration of magic to make.

“Wait, Kingen, wha-”

“Mages located our meeting and they are not to be trifled with, take the stairs to the lounge area and make yourselves comfortable,” I interrupted Kelly while heading to my workshop.

I needed to destroy the memories of the area and curse it against Mage magic.

“Oh come on their not a threat-”

“Jonah you have no idea what they're capable of, if you did you’d know that one mage with proper prep time and intelligence can destroy a city by themselves and they were listening for God only knows how long to us,” I paused and he was quiet, stepped back, pointed ears drooped, and backing down.

Vainglory was going to be used more in the future if this is what having a large wyrd with it could accomplish. Werewolf obedience through mega persuasion was convenient.

“I need to destroy the memories left in that place because they can watch the past like a movie, I don’t think they read my mind to get your names and faces because anything faery can screw up your day if you aren’t careful, now go upstairs and relax, pick a bed it’ll take me a bit to set this up,” I finished.

They didn’t need to be told twice to head up. I watched and waited with the sternest expression I could muster.

They closed the door.

I waited a bit staring at their direction. Then I headed to the workshop, I stepped around circle I drew for s special ritual I was making for absolute emergencies. I got a bottle of beer emptied out the contents then replaced it with new alcohol removed the wrapper around it.

On a new part of the floor I drew a circle slowly. I drew a octagram in the middle, then drew a Jera rune in a flame to burn the year from the place.

The clothes I had on where in a furnace for added effect. My only clothes was a loincloth with three red yellow and orange bangles on the skinniest part of my limbs.

I put the bottle in middle; so happy I remembered to lock the door; I let the dancer enjoy the sound of his heartbeat.

Was going to pray forgiveness for this later.

I forgot what exactly happened as I danced, but I do remember circling the bottle twelve times as I burned glamour. I was sweaty from the intricate movements I had done, but I didn’t have time to rest.

My blood needed to be heated for it.

I stabbed my index lef fingers with my own claw. I let a drip of blood fall into bottle. Then from my middle finger, then the ring finger, last my pinkie.

“Dagaz, Jera, Kenaz, Ihwaz.”

Bottle glowed orange with flints of yellow with red.

I did so four more time and on the fourth I added the drop from my thumb.

By then the bottle looked like it had flame glowing inside it. I grabbed one of the rags I had in my lab and drew the Ihwaz symbol with lighter fluid mixed with ink.

I wrote each rune I spoke in the air and breathed it over the rag. I then said to the rag with burned glamour “, burn away all the time wherever fire burns.”

The rag sparkled with magic and olde wonder. I kept the nausea from my face and form.

Took out the light drew Kenzas on it with ink and blood. The fluid in it glowed bright greenish blue. “Light a flame of new years turning the olde to ash.”

It was sparkling too.

I Dagaz on the bottle and said “, by my right as your owner be joyful in the final day as whole, as all burns around where your content spills.”

Finally I left the room to the portal and ignored the stares I got from the innocent lambs watching me, but I focused on the task at hand. The rag was in the bottle and I lit with the sparkling lighter that turned into ash after the flame was lit.

“Those memories at ye land, burn them to nothing.”

I drained the fear of the power I held and threw the magical Molotov cocktail through the portal and closed it.

I turned to may class.

Their various expressions at what I had done just then were a bunch of gapes. Either at my body or the electric heat of the power of fire in the air.

“Now that the mages are going to be busy for the foreseeable future, let’s all enjoy my luxuries.”

I paused.

“Just so you all know the hot-tub is mine for the next hour, I reek of sweat.”

I could feel the incredulous gazes pointed at my back.

Yet, I was satisfied and secure.

Better work on making them some tokens to use.

Preferably ones that exploded in the hands of people who aren’t under my umbrella.

--------------------------------------------

Jumper Achievements

- Wyrd 16

- Contract of Dream rose to 3rd rank from 1

- Contracts of Omen rank 3rd

- Contracts of the Moon rank 3rd

- Contracts of Hours rank 3rd

- Contracts of Vainglory rank 3rd

- Contract of Thorns and Brambles rank 3rd

- Contracts of Element rank 4th Fire

- Contracts of Communion rank 4th Fire

- Clarity rose to 8 via controlling others and feeding survival instinct

That was fun to write. I'd love some feedback for this one. Its my Favorite so far.

 

Observer Interlude

Clementine bit on her thumb nail as she paced in her apartment.

Everyone was blaming her for what happened, she wasn’t paid for doing her job. Just because she wasn’t backed by a cabal, it was okay.

It was okay that fire that ate memories was blamed on her.

It was okay that one of the Adamantine Arrow who jumped the gun and ended up comatose was her fault.

It was okay that she was suddenly blacklisted from the local cabals.

No, no it wasn’t okay.

The guy that got thrown in a coma was from some important family. Said family was into the old magi related to the Silver Ladders. Add to the fact that she’s an apostate mage that led the group there made her the perfect fall guy.

All those connections and good will she had gathered, gone.

In one week she had gone to be the rose of the local mages to six feet under. People edged away from her or acted like she was poison. It wasn’t her fault that the changeling had that much fire power.

Both figurative and literally.

The fire ate through the apartment then the next, it burned through the mind and ate the very soul of everything it came into contact with. Nightmarish flames that burned neon in brightness from what the report had said.

She wasn’t there.

That’s what everyone wasn’t getting. She sent the signal, a beacon, to one of the teams on the lookout for him. It wasn’t everyday a greater fae made themselves apparent for anything.

Let alone some unknown no name that nobody has heard of.

This guy had his named jammed into the archives involving Arcadia. The Guardians of the Veil were looking into his name throughout all their musty old tomes. The Free Council vouched for her, but they figured it was better to drop her.

All because of a faery that she had met in person.

The sound of her teapot whistling broke her forlorn pacing.

She sat at her coffee table with a cup of vanilla infused chamomile in hand. She took a sip frowned then added a tablespoon of sugar. She sipped again and nodded, that was the level of sweetness she was looking for.

Maybe she needed to take a step back.

Ever since her senior year in high school she had been immersed in magic. She cut off so many non-magi ties that she could count the number of her sleeper friends by hand. It was horrific what happened to her mom and dad. It didn’t take long for other mages to take notice of that amount of mana she had accumulated over a matter of months.

She declined all offers.

Her parents death was her fault…..

She paused her thoughts, maybe she needed to go out for a bit, clear her thoughts.

But not alone.

She activated her watchers at a certain werewolf’s home. It would take a few days to know exactly when to give him a call, but she needed someone.

Someone who didn’t know about her being a mage.

--------------

*Several days later*

“Needed this?” Clementine asked Jonathan. The reluctant werewolf gave out a happy hum as a response. They were eating ice cream away from any mages. It was what both of them really needed.

But Clementine knew there was a catch to all this.

He had been told to stop beating around the bush and seduce her already. Meaning there would be no interruptions for the day. She may had been able to hide how much that made her nervous.

Jonathan was a nervous mess at the start until she said ice cream would be nice.

It was around eighty out. They got the ice cream cones and ate it outside in King’s park. It was close to the University and she didn’t mind sitting next to him under a tree.

Clementine wondered how to get this over with.

It’s not that she didn’t think about sex it was that she never bothered with it. She had a natural connection to the Thyrsus path, but it never affected her love of tech. Other Awakened thought she was just weird because of that.

Her extensive collection of plants in her apartment said otherwise. She may not be animalistic, but she liked her roots where they were.

“So, anything you want to do today?” Jonathan asked

She held her chin in thought and answered “, let’s see, maybe a movie?”

“Well, it has been a while since I’ve seen one,” Jonathan said.

He ate the waffle cone and licked his fingers. Clementine knew he hadn’t really done anything normal other than school. She was pretty sure she knew the last he watched the television ……..

‘Wow,’ was all she thought; she didn’t realize how creepy she was being.

Clementine made sure to have kept all her eyes away from the bathrooms. But some of these pure guys had no qualms with moving around naked. Jonathan was probably the only peep show she hadn’t seen. She had seen him in only boxers a few times. She looked at him still licking his fingers, she wondered what type he had on.

“Uh, do I got something on my face?” He asked. His calm face indicated he had no clue what she was thought. Clementine smiled sweetly and put her cone his way.

“Want it, Jony? I’ll need room for popcorn later,” She said with a slight blush on her face. He smiled back as he took her treat. She stared at him, he took long laps on her barely touched strawberry.

Clementine wondered if he did that on purpose.

“Um,” Jonathan paused for a moment and looked at her.

“Whats up?” she asked with her still present smile.

“Well, ya see, I kinda can’t go home for a a bit, fumigating,” He started to say.

She could practically see his nervous wolf like ears twitch.

“And,” she drawled out.

It was cute that he was so nervous. It was obviously a ploy to get into her apartment. She heard his dad telling him he wasn’t allowed back into the house until he slept with her. They thought that was what he kept meeting up with her for. That it had nothing to do with the fact that they were forcing him to be a part of their pack. Or the probable years of treating him as low as dirt. Or the sexual indiscretions from older women he dealt with.

“Well, I hoped it’d be okay to crash a night at your place?” Jonathan was really nervous.

Clementine once again debated absconding with him.

She felt that he wouldn’t be against it either.

“Sure,” She said as she scooted closer to them.

He stared at her for bit and said “, you sure?”

She got closer to him and leaned into him. Slowly he wrapped an arm around her.

“Sure! just don’t try to lie again, you suck at it,” she said.

He hm’d at her words.

Well, she never had to use the blood of a virgin for any of her spells anyway.

She just hoped the stalkers his family sent weren’t going to watch.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonathan stared down at the girl in her bed sheets.

He had always felt low. He was the unimportant child, the runt of the litter. The one everyone thought would amount to nothing. Jonathan smiled wistfully, nothing by the pure standard anyway. He knew that escaping alive was slim, knew that he had only his life to risk. He supposed his family noticed and kept trying to keep him in line.

They knew he had no real love to this territory.

His family had done very little to endear themselves to him. They were so happy when he changed and congratulated him. Treated him like one of their own, but he was distant. Never wanted to be around them to celebrate victories. To socialize or even shown interest in any of the daughters they introduced him to.

When they finally confronted him about it….

They worked him over to remind him where his place was.

His only response to their constant pestering had been a matter of fact tone.

“Ah, so you all caring was just a act.”

That earned him a beating, nothing he hadn’t known before.

Now, he looked towards Clem. She had snuggled up to him in her sleep. That bought him more satisfaction than any praise his parents gave him. He huffed at the thought of their fake affection. But it also meant something else.

Something now tied him to this wretched place.

It infuriated him that he let his smaller head do the thinking. Even if he could go they’d tear Clem apart in retribution. It was their modus operandi, fear to control the masses, power to cow them. It was why he never mourned whenever a family member died.

It was one less potential opponent to think about.

Jonathan slowly breathed in the earthy scent of herbs and flowers. Around her apartment were menagerie of potted plants, some he never heard of. Clementine’s apartment was not what he expected. He thought about all their talks about the internet, tablets, the new mobile phone coming out, the internet, and computers. There was only one custom tower and monitor in her bedroom.

It was odd that she didn’t have more tech around. But she admitted to having a green thumb and it showed.

Clementine softly snored into red bed sheet covering her. She had been wearing red summer dress and a red hood. It was like she knew he was a wolf. Jonathan may have ripped them off of her like the wild beast.

“Hey, still awake?”

He glanced down at her, she squinted in the dark.

“Yeah.”

“What’s got you up and pouty?”

“Pouty?” He quirked a brow at her.

She snuggled into him with a giggle.

“Yeah, you got serious face on,” she sat up with the blanket covering her “, what’s wrong?”

He looked at her eyes and saw that she was genuinely concerned. He debated on what to do, so he made a decision. He kissed her suddenly, he didn’t let up until she groaned under him. She gasped as he kissed her neck leaving small bites. He traced his lips to her ear and said something that made the girl shiver.

“I want you to see all of me.”

With hands on both sides of her head she stared at hs form. He was always on the slim muscular side. Not one of those guys with bulging muscle, you couldn’t tell without his clothes off that he had them. Now he was more hairy, muscular, bigger and borderline inhuman. He gave Clementine a awkward smile with sharper looking looking.

“Is it wrong that I think you’re hotter like this?”

Jonathan just stared down at her, he thought she might need her glasses. The lights were off after all.

“Well, since we’re finally being honest,” Clementine started, she looked a bit nervous.

Jonathan’s hair stood on end as the scent of flowers and spice exuded from her. It was always around her, he thought it was some nice scented lotion or homemade soap. But it was deeper, it was from her very flesh. Slowly he moved back onto his knees and waited for an explanation.

This was the girl he just spent the day with then had been intimate or several hours.

“What happ- what are you?” Jonathan was surprised and unlike other uratha he had the self-control not to freak out.

She sat up with glowing green eyes.

“I’m a mage,” she said.

Around her room a blueish green glowed around them. The plants glowed brightly and showed the her face as flowers covered the walls on walls.

“So your possessed by a nature spirit?” He asked.

Clementine quirked a curious brow at him “, no my atlantean heritage just acted up and I got magic powers because of them.”

“Atlantea- as in Alantis?” He asked slowly in disbelief.

“Hey, mister I’m descended from a giant wolf and the moon, don’t judge me on weird ancestry.” she stated flatly.

…..

Jonathan paused and admitted ”, fair.”

There was silence in the iridescent glow of the room.

“I may have known you changed a while ago….” she admitted.

Jonathan was bewildered, but he figured out how she did it.

“Magic?”

Clementine put out her hand with a smile. A low light formed in her hand, it was shaped into a butterfly. Multiple of them fluttered around them, Jonathan glanced around the moving pseudo-insects. He poked one and it dissipated in little motes of light.

With a smile she said “, I can see through these little guys when I focus and get a general location when they poof.”

He had no clue what to say. He had a magical stalker who had- wait.

“Poof?”

“Yeah,” she poked one making it break apart “, poof.”

“Heh,” was all that came from Jonathan’s mouth.

Well. it wasn’t as if he had any real complaints about being watched. But…..

He pounced on her with his lips onto hers. It was hungry, primal, and filled with wanting.

Clementine had no problem with that.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is this all?” Trishia asked.

She twirled a piece of her blond hair as she looked through various photos.

The suspected werewolf associates, possible friends, humans with actual knowledge, the ignorant humans that got drag in, and the mages. The Tremre have made contact with the local cabals and drew up a non-aggression pact with them.

As long as their goals didn’t come in conflict with one another they’d avoid fighting each other. She supposed it was easier to work with the more ‘human’ side. Rather the ones that looked more human all the time. It was no secret that the werewolves had a dislike to humanity. At least the locale variety.

Mages viewed their working with the local spirits that wanted mankind out of the wilder territories aggravating. Apparently there may be something worst running around. Something that has the mages wary.

She looked at the picture taken of Kinjen. Him in his human guise from what the Tremre said. He was a furry man, but looked like he could snap you in two with his bare hands. The fairy's glamour hid the supposed cat like appearance he had.

“What do you think?” Her muscular companion asked.

Maybe it was just her, but everyone was far too eager about this fight. There were skirmishes before this little war. But what had made it all become so….

“Hm, I think Van, that our dear fairy man might have the answer to a question that's been bothering me,” Trishia answered.

“Hm, what could that be?” Van asked.

“When did this war even begin?”

Van was quiet and stared at the blond with the others. Wasn't it when a one of their businesses had been destroyed. Or was it that one of theirs went missing in werewolf territory. The territory of Canada had been in conflict for years. They had to have recorded what instigated the fighting, but ....

Van froze, he remembered combing the records of their bouts with the wild curs for the local Mekkhets. But there wasn’t a exact date on when it started. Just vague mutterings of a meeting gone wrong with the prince.

The problem was the local prince had only ever sent representatives to deal with other species.

“She’s very much correct to ask.”

They turned and knelt at the owner of the crisp and experienced voice. The darkly dressed man in an expensive red and black suit with a silver wolf hanging from his shoulder walked in.

“Rise.”

At his word all rose from their position and parted from his path. Trishia really hated being in the presence of the man. He was always staring with his blood red gaze. It was uncomfortable.

“This ‘fairy man’ knows things from what I am told.”

Trishia and the others nodded.

“Bring him here, I would like to discuss what he does and doesn’t know personally.”

They all responded with a bow and a “, yes my liege!”

Trishia wanted to protest, she wanted a taste of the man herself…..

Why did it feel wrong to bow towards the prince?

He was the prince, so why did she feel as if this wasn’t correct?

She looked at one of the photos and saw one of the wolves from the night she met the fairy. That hound with a petite girl with the glasses looked like good leverage. They had just got out of the cinema with him protectively staying near her.

It'd be sweet if it weren't for the fact that one bad mood swing could kill that girl. The girl herself looked far younger than him. Trishia wasn't one to judge one's kinks, but she was sure the man was years older than the girl.

Maybe she can get the a bit of info on what the man could know.

"Get someone to follow this girl, find out her schedule, and see to it that the dog with her doesn't notice any of you," Trishia ordered several by the walls.

They moved out with a series of nods.

Trishia's eyes focused on the Kinjen photo. The man liked to have green tea with a pastry of some sort every morning. She resisted licking her lips in front of the others. Any hint that she might disobey the princes orders would cost her chances at him.

That fairy’s blood was hers.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jumper Achievements
-Obtained a stalker

 

Troupe 6.1

“What the hell did you do!?” A man’s gravelly voices sounded.

Currently, a week after dealing with the mages, I decided to go into the hedge. I was supposed to be a simple hedgespinning mission. Nothing grand as a dnd dungeon crawl, but more trying not to get caught.

“Like always, I didn’t do anything - left,” my voice yelled as the sound of hooves thundered behind us. The wizzing of arrows barely missed their marks. The contract of hearth was a God send.

“Don’t give me that- right, they’re coming from the right!”

I expected a few red badgers, a dangerous hob or two, maybe a quick run from a Gentry. What I didn’t realize was how hard it was to hide because of my wryd. Or the ease I had been able to shift materials to what I needed. The problems only happened when a group of red badgers came running at me.

They were being chased by a group headed by a Gentry. In chariots led by Centaurs. Arrow firing centaurs roaring at us to comeback.

With a chunk of glamour I lobbed several boulder sized fireballs in their direction. There were several screams and crashes behind me. I took note of the metals and cloth I had on hand. The portal to my warehouse opened to my side. I glared when I ran past it while dodging a silver arrow.

With a roll of my eyes, I flipped forward. A portal opened under me and I dropped all my stuff into it.

Arrows flew past my twisting form as the portal closed. I landed with handstand and activated the first contract of stone. I pushed up and flew to the large thorny vines over head.

My claws latched onto the thing and I got on the top side.

“GYAHH.”

“Reese!”

“What are you idiots doi- Drop me you morons.”

I stood in the shadows of that hedge that hid me. I watched the large rottweiler man being carried by a fae faced blond with a scar under her eye and a whisp like shade like man.

……….

Why did I have to be the good guy again?

“The hell we’re letting you die, your the, my, we-” the woman’s voice was struggling to come up with a reason.

“Cas…..drop me,” the rottweiler man’s voice ordered softly.

Darn it sensitive ears, why were you so perceptive?

“Would both of you just-Gyaah, sonova-,” the others voice cried out in pain.

I sighed.

I had to be the good guy.

 

Troupe 6.2

First I reached into my portal and nabbed one of my gemstone projects.

I may have thought more like a nasuverse mage when it came down to making it.

Rin Tohsaka, thanks for the inspiration. This gem, a onyx, filled lovingly with three weeks of dancing rituals involving heavy stomps and safe falls to the ground.

My index finger sliced itself on the sharpened edge and I jumped. With a grip strength that could crush refined steel the onyx became dust in my hand. This dust glowed neon purple. I jumped down head first and swung the dust towards the cut up centaurs headed my and the red badger’s direction.

I righted myself in the air and noticed the dust covered the no bewildered pursuers.

My hands slammed to the ground along with my feet with my bellow echoing.

“Usque ad Terram.”

Immediately fields of purple surrounded the centaur and those on the chariots. But instead of the desired effect of increasing gravity it instead released gravity and blasted them to the unforgiving thorny vines above.

I was a bit bewildered and realized it must have been affected by height. I reached into my portal grabbed my notes and jotted down that height was a factor. It could also had been the last place my feet were on, as opposed to the ground. Noted down it could have been my subconscious mindset on where I stood being the ‘earth’. Faery magick was high level sympathetic magic so that could’ve been a factor too. One differing synaptic response could make all the difference.

I glanced at a unmanned chariots and drew them into the warehouse by putting portals under them. I’d break them down for material later. Yes, there were screams of pain and agony, but it was either them or I.

I refused to choose them.

“Hey!”

My ears twitched as I turned to red badge boys and girl. I sighed and reached for one of the potions I had with me. I rolled it to them.

“This is a medicine I made using healing goblin fruit,” I said. The whines and groans that came from my back irritated me. The Militia brats gaze were annoying too.

I wanted to go, but these injured guys would just get chased by the Gentry in the vines again. I couldn’t let that happen.

“Why save us?”

The question made me pause; I gave the Militia man my attention. Reese the tall shirtless red-orange rottweiler man with a red badge bandanna on my neck glared at me.

It’d be more intimidating if the fae girl, Cas, didn’t help him stand.

I shrugged and said “, it felt like the right thing to do.”

I reached into the portal and took out two large packs of flour. The Militia guys edged away from me, I ignored them and threw the things at the group still stuck in the thorns.

A cloud of white powder covered them above.

“What - oh crap!”

The red badgers started moving away as fast as they could when they saw the fireball floating near me. I started moving away from the area.

I twitched my head upward and the fireball flew to the flour cloud.

I walked into my portal and ignored the resounding boom echoed behind me.

The portal closed behind me and there on the floor of my warehouse were a multitude of hedgespun items and equipment.

I cracked my neck and got to work.

A few friends needed some armor and weapons.

 

Troupe 6.3


“Hm, I think I overdid it,” I said.


Kelly and the others stared at what could only be called a dramatic supernatural success. From a crater the size of small clearing jumped out a a dark brown and green shape. It landed in front of us, dented the ground.


The arena supplement was was the useful otherwise I’d be drop kicking a werewolf through cement for making such a mess.


It was a tall brunette gaoru decked out in green fantasy suit of armor. The color was leaf green with golden accents with each piece from the cuirass to the greaves. It was missing the shoulder guards and plating for the thighs, but I think the mystical add-ons were good enough to make up for them. The armor does triple his natural defense strength and speed.


At least it was supposed to.


Instead our wolf friend Jonah was seven times as strong, seven times as sturdy and seven times as fast. Oh and laser claws, those gauntlets produced lightsaber claws. His words not mine, Jonah was a star wars nerd.


Who would’ve thought?


Apparently jacking the metal, leather, wood, and cloth from the chariots made the wyrd increased my creations success rate. I think it laughed at what happened to the Gentry and decided anything I made from that incident would be a dramatic success.


Like the chainmail covered cloth armor I made for the girls. Those things didn’t dent from gunfire or me taking a sledgehammer to them. The guys prefered more plate armor and heavier weapons.


Oh the weapons, sabers that cut through steel like butter and made the wielder a advanced level fencer. Dual edged sword and bludgeons that increased striking power and speed of the user. The staff that throws fireballs, lightening and various nonsense.


I made myself a suit of chainmail with bracers and greaves.


……


Did I mention several of these guys were dnd nerds in secret. It was an interesting conversation.


I also felt like I was playing dad/life coach.


Why?


Because, I was getting them in shape; made sure they got plenty of sleep; forced the ones in college to study for their classes; make sure the rough housing didn’t go too far; and some of them mistakenly called me dad….


There was something I kept telling myself these past few weeks.


I was not becoming a cult leader.


….. I wasn’t!


“That was pretty cool,” Kelly said.


Jonah preened with a wagging tail.


The guy wasn’t a bad.


He had his changed about mid-May and had to deal with the Pure indoctrination junk. It wasn’t like he chose it, if anything I felt bad for him. Mullet was the one that fathered him in Montreal. Coincidentally his mother was from this town and was there on a road trip with a few friends. His mother's parents weren’t keen on taking care of their eighteen year old daughter’s bastard. When they couldn’t convince her to give him up for adoption they set her up with a job, found her a cheap apartment, and threw her out. He had a difficult childhood, but tried to get his degree.


Then the crazy cult kidnapped him then forced him into their ranks because his ‘dad’ was high up. He wasn’t even the first of the guy’s bastards to be found. At least the man got Jonah’s maternal grandparents to leave town when he heard what they did. The Pure were never happy when they hear one of their kids were mistreated. Whether those two were alive or not was up in the air.


Not that Jonah cared, to them he was the thing that ruined their daughter’s life. They made sure he never forgot that. He doesn’t talk about his mother though, that was a sore spot for some reason. I suspected some kind of abuse, but that was his story to tell if he was ever ready to.


“Hm, it surpassed all expectations, but you’ll need to train in control,” I said while looking at the hole. Jonah growled, I ignored him and said “, you don’t want to hurt your allies and I rather you never have to feel that pain.”


His ears went down a sheepishly and nodded.


He was the only one who lived in the companion housing, it was to stay out of the Pure radar. He viewed me as the superior and respected my ownership of the house. We rarely interacted because of the sheer size of the place. I also slept at the workshop most of the time anyway.


It was pretty clear he was lost on what to do. It was obvious his ‘life debt’ to Kelly was just an excuse avoid dealing with everything. I’m pretty sure the others suspect that too.


“But it was an impressive showing,” I said. The gaoru looked neutral and nodded again.


“I still feel that you all should-”


“No, we’re not going to ignore this, so can we stop having this conversation,” Kelly interrupted.


She and the husky girl; Beth; had been pushing for me to be more…


Inclusive when I go out.


It's not that these guys aren’t capable without me around; I’m just private. Honestly they admitted to taking on a few Kindred and blood dolls already. There are a few blooded too, but the werewolves were in need of culling. Hm maybe isolating a few ….


I was not a cult leader and I am not sending out members to do hits on people.


“I wanna cap’ a wolf.”


This five foot seven, sandy haired Canadian, from the suburbs looking ghetto boy wanna be, who liked rap named Bret holding the rune covered beretta added.


Kelly, Jonah, and Beth just stared deadpanned at the man.


“You know what, fine go out,” I said flatly.


“So where too, O.G?” Bret asked with a smile.


…...I was not a gang leader, Bret.


“ We’re going in separate groups of four, scouting only; am I clear?” I stated loudly.


Everyone nodded, except Bret whose groan filled me with joy.


“Seriously?” Bret asked.


I sighed as I walked up to him. With speed everyone barely noticed I disarmed Bret of his gun and had It pointed to his forehead.


There was silence, Bret gulped.


I put the gun down then passed it towards him.


He took the gun back nervously.


“No fighting werewolves until you can hold onto your gun, Okay Bret?”


He nodded back, I then said “, with words.”


“Yes, O.G.”


……. Really Btret?


I rolled my eyes “, Everyone get the cloth armor under your clothes and head out.”


There was a bit of a commotion as everyone scrambled to get their stuff on.


I headed back to my workshop It wouldn’t do to-


From behind me I smelled wolf. I stopped and turned around to see Jonah standing there. He was nervous, his head was down to avoid eye contact, and he was in his Dalu form.


His armor was charmed to change with his size and weight. So he didn’t look too small for it.


“Well, what is it?” I asked with a quirked brow.


He took a big breath, he sweated a bit.


“What do you think of Kel?” He asked.


I gave him a deadpanned gaze. He really asked what I thought about the girl that wasn’t my type.


“Kid, I have way too many issues in life for a relationship,” I said in the flattest tone.


Jonah perked up at those words, he composed himself then asked “, so if I asked her there wouldn’t be a problem.”


What he wanted he was so obvious he didn’t need to go into detail.


“As long as she wants it too,” I added as I headed into my workshop.


“Uh, duh, I wouldn’t do anything like that,” he denied.


“Obviously, kid,” I said while I closed and locked the door.


“I’m not a kid,” I heard him say through the door.


I shook my head and headed through my lab to do my nightly ritual. I knelt down in front of a wooden cross in the circle of calla lilies. I took the cross made of twelve precious gems fused together. It was capped in gold on each end of the cross. In the horizontal part of the cross has the word ‘heart’ carved in Hebrew letters.


I held it in between my hands in the prayer position.


My eyes then closed in deep prayer……


-------------------------

This is going to get interesting.​