《Paladins: Another Rogue》


 Paladins: Another Rogue Intro

    These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is the Lord of lords, and the King of kings: and they that are with him are CALLED, and CHOSEN, and FAITHFUL.


    Revelation 17:14


    Paladins are champions that uphold the Ethos of the Crusaders: an Unbreakable Conviction, an Inspiring Presence, the Protectors of the Innocent, an Unmatched Diligence, a Truthful Humility, Benevolent Charity, and Truly Genuine Kindness. These people are blessed with extra power to help Angels fight any evil that makes it to our world, or attempts to. A Paladin''s power comes with an instinct to help people, but only one knows what they will do with that power. Paladins'' acts, public or not, will eventually be known to all. No matter how they are portrayed, you must remember: Paladins are warriors fighting a war. To some, this warrior will seem misguided, confused, or even a traitor, but even he is a Paladin and he too fights for what is right.


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    Jas¨¹n is by no means your average Paladin, he is known as "The Rogue". He hides his identity and forbidden power from all but a select few. He¡¯s been hiding for so long that the world believes The Rogue is dead, but that¡¯s changed now. Luckily no one knows who he truly is but they know he exists. Now that The Rogue has returned, how will the world react?

 Paladins: Another Rogue: Chapter 1

    "I still don''t think you should''ve brought him.¡±


    "It''s only the first circle, we shouldn''t have much trouble here."


    The first circle of Hell. This place resembles the woods behind Uncle''s house, except it feels off. Like the forest itself is trying to tell me to leave, in a harsh tone. Whenever I¡¯m here I feel a constant, subtle pressure on my body, as if someone were pushing down on my shoulders. It¡¯s apparently good for training. Normally I''m comfortable wearing a faded black hoodie and denim shorts, but here they feel like my training weights. I also have a leather belt going through three belt loops, but not for my pants, it holds the sheath for my dagger, which is another slight issue. The pressure here means I need more strength to hold the dagger in a position so I don''t cut my leg. I''m used to the dagger being as light as a pencil, but now I''m forced to hold the nearly ten inch blade awkwardly with both hands. My walk is almost a limp at this point, but thankfully I''m wearing my training shoes. My dark gray Matim Crucials quarter-tops that are practically falling apart as I walk¡­ I need new training shoes. As we pressed deeper into the creepiest forest ever that managed to get less dense yet still grew darker, I got the feeling we¡¯re being watched through the darkness. Other than that I''m starting to notice how much taller these trees are than the ones back home. Some of them even have a natural red tint to them, at least I hope that''s a natural tint. I reach out with one hand trying to touch one of the red trunks but as my hand is inches away I lose balance. I forgot about the weight of the dagger. Luckily no one saw that, I readjust my grip and straightened my stance. Looking down at the dagger I remember how it used to resemble a common kitchen knife but now looks fitting for an assassin. I slowed down and stared at it, the markings appeared again, but this time it wasn''t the faint glow I¡¯m familiar with. The markings are now a deep, bright crimson that could make brimstone fire jealous. I have no idea what they mean, but I also don''t ask. I look up to see myself trailing behind, I do a little sprint trying to catch up. I only caught up because Father slowed down.


    "Hey Father," I said, "how do you know which circle we''re in?"


    He didn¡¯t answer immediately instead he paused for a moment pondering his answer. "Well now I pretty much know how each circle looks¡­ and feels, they-"


    "Except eight and nine."


    "Yes, except eight and nine," Father agreed while scowling at her, "however, you could also just look at ¨¡na''s hair."


    ¨¡na is short for ¨¡nanda, she¡¯s a demon, Father''s demon, I still don¡¯t fully understand how it all works but she¡¯s practically like his second child. She even manages to look the part, kind of. ¨¡nanda resembles a little girl but is older than Father and me combined, much older. You think I¡¯d know how old she is by now since she¡¯s been helping keep me safe since birth, but no. Father told me I should never ask a lady her age, especially ¨¡nanda. He then gave me one of his patented ¡°Demon Lessons¡±, like a life lesson from your dad but the topic is about Hell, and often not entirely suited for kids, normal kids anyway. When it comes to figuring out the age of demons, devils, and even some Angels it¡¯s best if you ask what or who the current form is based on. This determines the approximate age and touchdown country, the country the demon, devil, or Angel landed in when they arrived on earth. And if they didn¡¯t arrive in that country, it¡¯s most likely where they¡¯re most comfortable. Let¡¯s say a demon¡¯s form is based on traditional Celtic people. In this example the demon in question arrived in early Scotland and adapted to that culture. They could have a Scottish accent, use common idioms from that region or time period, and may even keep hairstyles from the time period. Obviously they can simply adapt to the world around them but if they don¡¯t completely immerse themselves, there will always be something about them reminiscent of traditional Celtic culture. Demons and devils are mostly soldiers of Hell but easily stand out among humans. The solution however is simple: look human. Weaker demons pull this off by possessing humans, but powerful demons are able to change into human forms. These demons do however run the risk of being discovered by means of Holy water and other divine interventions. Demons that transform into humans usually turn into their doppelganger then often kill whoever they¡¯re mimicking and either move away or take over their lives. Most devils already look human enough to blend in with crowds. ¨¡nanda says Devils only need to conceal their non-human parts, but she hasn¡¯t told me what non-human parts they have, which kind of defeats the purpose of teaching me about it. And finally Angels, Angels are powerful enough to turn into a human of their own creation by mimicking what they think a human should look like. They¡¯re also able to copy other people¡¯s appearance but don¡¯t do the killing thing. With that being said, I don¡¯t know anything about the girl or woman ¨¡nanda chose to copy, I doubt she¡¯d ever tell me anyway. She looks like any other blonde fifth grader, kind of. Her knee high boots and stockings are closer to what teens wear, plus the shorts that barely match her frilled blue shirt. She has pigtails now but usually wears her hair down or in a ponytail, wait, did she dye her hair?


    "Um, ¨¡nanda, why is your hair purple¡­-ish?" I asked.


    "It''s the circle we''re in, I would go into detail but-" she stops and turns to me. She gets closer, too close, "no," she said before skipping away and giggling.


    "Hold," Father suddenly declared, raising a fist up.


    He stopped us at a cliff that I swear appeared out of nowhere. I need to work on my awareness if I missed this. We were overlooking a prison that reminded me of pictures from my history book. One large fort-like building with multiple smaller buildings lined up on either side of it and maybe a few acres of barren land around it, all enclosed by moving barbed wire. With all that land around the fence, it¡¯s obvious there''s a minefield. The entrance has a medieval looking drawbridge that also looks like the only way in or out. Lastly there¡¯s four towers at each corner, likely for searchlights and snipers. The more I look at the whole set-up the more familiar it seems, I can¡¯t remember where I¡¯ve seen something like this.


    "It¡¯s influenced by Nazis, but the Nazis got the idea from Hell. Well technically from a demon, from there they improved on it drastically. We usually take prisoners to a different place depending on how we want to torture them but humans. Humans kept all their prisoners in one place, all the blood, all the screams, all the bodies. Demons don''t even do that."


    I looked at ¨¡nanda as she finished. I was annoyed that she had read my mind again, but my anger quickly faded as I saw her face. She looks disgusted, disapproving of what the other demons had done. It shows how different she is from them. I know she''s okay with torture, enjoys it even but she doesn¡¯t torture the innocent. As she says, ¡®I don¡¯t torture for fun but I have fun torturing¡¯, its a confusing motto.


    "Sorry, I know you don''t like me reading your mind, but I was curious. This is your first time here after all," she explained.


    "Uh¡­.yeah," I replied. Wait, did she just apologize to me?


    "You''re not nervous right?" She giggled teasing me.


    "Who are we here for?" I asked Father, ignoring her.


    "The prisoners here are mostly humans who got too close to the gate we entered through," Father answered. ¡°We get in, release them, then you and ¨¡na escort them out. Easy enough, yeah?¡±


    We entered through a Hell Gate next to Ruby Saints Church graveyard. The nuns there asked a nearby Paladin for help. That was a week ago, so now we¡¯re here. Father said a rescue mission like this is a good training opportunity that¡¯ll allow me to test my skills against enemies that¡¯ll actively be trying to kill me. But I don¡¯t see how it¡¯ll be much different from ¨¡nanda fatally wounding me, healing me, and repeating that for a few hours almost everyday. Even though I could die today, I''m happy that this is a mission that requires me to use my armor. The only downside about this mission is that we¡¯re breaking into a prison in Hell and transporting who knows how many people through that "forest" we trudged through to get here. Oh and that¡¯s assuming that they all have their souls, unfortunately we can¡¯t just take soulless humans out of Hell. And then there¡¯s the Paladin issue. You''d think that if we rescued that Paladin we¡¯d have one more person to help us get out of there, right? That¡¯d be a no, if this Paladin is still alive then he¡¯d start swinging at Father first.


    You see, my Father isn¡¯t your average Paladin, he¡¯s BUILT different. No but seriously, he¡¯s known as The Rogue, a Paladin imbued with the power of unholy forces. The world views him as "The Ultimate Evil on Earth". All Paladins have agreed to kill him on site and the Angels, well they¡¯re trying to do something else. Father and ¨¡nanda think the Angels have been ordered to capture him alive, probably so they could figure out how he got his power. Some people think he''s a good guy though, like Medea, Madam C, and the rest of the street. They know that Father is The Rogue but they¡¯ve been keeping that secret since before I was born. I don''t know the whole story but basically he went Rogue so he could save the city, he ended up saving a good chunk of the Southern United States but that¡¯s besides the point. No one saw my Father transform into The Rogue but nearby Paladins were somehow able to confirm that the Split-Shot Paladin, my Father¡¯s previous Paladin name, died in combat in an unusual way. Shortly after, the local news reported sightings of a Paladin that seemed different from the rest but in a troubling way. About a week after my Father made the news as what became known as The Rogue, he¡¯d then be reported fighting a celebrity Paladin known as The South¡¯s Claymore. The South¡¯s Claymore spoke about the battle a few days later claiming that the Paladin he was seen fighting is known as The Rogue. He also claimed that The Rogue killed his best friend, The Split-Shot Paladin. Messed up, I know, but Father had to keep his secret from him, I don¡¯t fully understand why but he said when I¡¯m older I¡¯d get it.


    Most Paladins namesakes come from their weapon of choice, there¡¯s only a few Paladins named after their great feats. My Father was one of them. His original weapon of choice was a bow and arrow. My Father was able to shoot an arrow, then shoot a second arrow fast enough and straight enough to split the first arrow in half in midair. After people saw him do that a couple times they started referring to him as ¡°The Split-Shot Paladin¡±. Then came the transformation, after becoming powered by Hell he was able to summon any weapon made by man, just like a Demon. Paladins are able to summon one or a few weapons. The part that sucks the most, we don¡¯t get to pick our weapons. The Paladin that went missing down here is a sword-wielder, there are so many sword wielders. It doesn¡¯t matter what weapon they have though, I know they won¡¯t be happy to be rescued by The Rogue, a little Paladin, and a demon.


    I return my focus to the prison and come to an alarming realization, we didn''t run into any guards. Even if the human souls aren¡¯t important enough to protect, what about the Paladin? Maybe they are dead, or maybe¡­


    "Hey Father, ya¡¯ think we were followed?" I asked a bit too loudly.


    "No, any guards would have attacked by now," he replied. But as he said that there was a loud gasp behind us, followed by what sounded  like metal falling from a shelf.


    "Right on time," ¨¡nanda said. "You know something I wonder about Jas¨¹n? If you didn¡¯t bring it up, would the problem still exist?"


    Turning around I¡¯m greeted by a red hulking beast with pointed ears clad in faded gray, worn-out armor. This thing is standing at least eight feet tall and dropped a sword that looks to be about my height in length. He¡¯s wearing a cracked helmet that leaves his face exposed and currently looks like a parent disappointed in their child.


    "Are ya¡¯ a Hellknight?" he asked. "Why¡¯re ya¡¯ a lil'' girl? What''re ya'' doin''?"


    "Like right now?" ¨¡nanda asked playfully. "Killing you," she says while summoning a lance.


    Father just grabs my head and gently turns me back around.


    "Let¡¯s let ¨¡na deal with that demon," he said, "you and me¡¯ll focus on this prison. We only have one point of entry and exit, but ¨¡na has multiple."


    "What!?" ¨¡nanda says, followed by the sound of the demon gurgling.


    "You first wave bi-," the demon¡¯s voice is cut off by a quick swiping sound.


    "Like I was sayin¡¯. All we have to do is take out or distract the folks in those towers. Once they¡¯re taken care of ¨¡na¡¯ll be able to enter safely from above. First we¡¯ll take out the guards in front of that unnecessary drawbridge allowing ¨¡na to lower it. After lowering it she¡¯ll disappear so that they¡¯ll think we somehow opened the door. That¡¯s when we¡¯ll rush inside. We need to prioritize handling the armed guards first, then make a move for the prisoners. And son," he looks at me, "keep the mask on."


    "Let me see the dagger,¡± ¨¡nanda said, walking back to us.


    "Sure," I said while awkwardly handing her the blade with two hands. "What''s it for anyway? I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use it in a fight down here."


    "Just in case," she answered, taking the literal weight out of my hands. She eyes it over looking at runes as if she¡¯s reading the message inscribed. I know she knows what the runes say but would she tell me? Probably not. She slowly walks past me to the edge of the cliff and stands there for a moment. She¡¯s probably trying to figure out an alternate plan. She kneels down and jabs the dagger into the side of the cliff. Now there¡¯s a dagger sticking out the side of the cliff¡­


    "Did I carry that all the way here for us to leave it there?"


    "Hopefully," Father and ¨¡nanda answered in unison.


    "JINX!" ¨¡nanda exclaimed like a little girl on a playground.


    "I¡¯m not gettin¡¯ you a devil just so you can treat them like a life-sized doll," Father said, making ¨¡nanda pout. Her pouting makes her seem like an actual little girl. Now that I think about it, does she go to school? I mean she¡¯d be able to blend in based on her appearance, and she¡¯s smart enough to act like a kid when we¡¯re out in public together. If she does go to school, why does go to a different school than me? Wait what if she does go to my school and I somehow never noticed this entire time. Oh no, she noticed me staring.


    "What''cha thinkin'' ''bout Jas¨¹n?" she asked annoyingly.


    "Stop teasin'' ¡®em Ana," Father said, "and you better be ready when those towers aren¡¯t lookin¡¯."


    "I will, I will," ¨¡nanda answered.


    "Jas¨¹n," Father said, turning to me, "how¡¯s the mask?"


    "It''s good, I barely even feel it."


    "Good."


    I¡¯m wearing an Oracle Assassins mask that ¨¡nanda got me and I don¡¯t want to know how she got her hands on it. The Oracle Assassins are a deadly group of international assassins that are hard enough to spot without their masks. All I know about them is that they¡¯re the only assassin group that¡¯ll go after Hellspawn, humans, and Paladins. And this mask proves that they¡¯re not a myth like I originally believed. As for the mask itself, it only covers the bottom half of the face. The eyes are exposed on purpose to help conceal the wearer¡¯s identity and inform other assassins about their soul. ¨¡nanda explained that if your soul is intact the mask turns the eyes glossy or matte black and we also went in front of a mirror to show me. Although the group is pretty scary, their masks still look cool. As for what makes them so scary, Oracle Assassins are known for killing only their targets and leaving their guards either unaware or unconscious, all while being unseen. On the slim chance an assassin is seen, their mask concealed their true identity making it impossible to follow them or single them out in public. For this mission this mask will ensure none of these demons or devils can figure out who I actually am. ¨¡nanda doesn¡¯t really care if anyone finds out who she is, besides she¡¯s a demon too so if need be she could always change her looks. As for Father, his armor comes with a hood that gives him a shadowy, black mass where his face is supposed to be.


    Every Paladin is able to do the same two things: summon a weapon and instantaneously dawn their armor by focusing their divinity, which most Paladins refer to as ¡°armor up¡±. When a Paladin focuses their divinity it causes their armor to appear on them and, like their weapons, Paladins don¡¯t get a choice in armor. Typically a Paladin¡¯s armor and weapon complement each other and seem representative of the Paladin¡¯s personality.  When it comes to Father, I know he has a choice in his weapons but I¡¯ve never seen him change his armor. The Rogue¡¯s armor are sleek dark gray plates on the chest, shoulders, hips, knee and shins with black pants and a black robe with a hood. His face isn¡¯t concealed unless he has on his hood. While the armor as whole looks cool the most defining feature is the hood. He¡¯s not the only Paladin with a hood but he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s hood actually hides his face. He armors up, reminding of his last defining feature, the black smoke. Whenever he armors up or summons his weapon black smoke falls over him like a waterfall and engulfs his old clothes quickly replacing them with his Paladin armor and weapons.


    "Well," Father said, finishing his transformation, "let''s see it Jas¨¹n."


    "Right," I replied.


    I close my eyes, clearing my mind and thinking of only my light. Letting the warmth of divinity wash over me, I instantly feel the familiar weight of my armor. My armor is double that of Father¡¯s with a heavy chestplate, iron orbs on my shoulders and knee, and thick guards on my shins and forearms all of which is a glossy silver. And finally what ¨¡nanda considers my defining feature, a thin silver crown along my hairline with a purple gem as the centerpiece. I don¡¯t have any way to cover my face which is why ¨¡nanda got me the Oracle Assassins mask.


    "Ooooooh, that''s new!" ¨¡nanda said.


    "What!?" I exclaimed, my eyes popped open in excitement over the thought of a new armor piece.


    Father says that my armor will grow with me, pieces will get removed and added after numerous transformations. By the time I¡¯m an adult my armor should be fully developed, but even with all that in mind  it¡¯s been awhile since anything changed.


    "You have a CUTE LITTLE CAPE!!!" ¨¡nanda shouted, bouncing with excitement over it.


    "Calm down, ¨¡na! Stealth," Father said, reminding her.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, but look at him," ¨¡nanda replied. "It¡¯s like he¡¯s a cute little superhero!"


    "...I''m not cute," I said quietly.


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    "It''s okay," Father said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Its a good look, makes you seem regal."


    "Like a cute, wittle prince," ¨¡nanda said teasingly.


    "¨¡nanda," Father said sternly. Sometimes it¡¯s like he¡¯s her father too, but she definitely doesn¡¯t feel like a sister.


    "Okay, Okay, I''m going," ¨¡nanda said while walking off the cliff then floating towards the prison. "Sooo cute," she said one more time before dropping out of sight.


    "Jas¨¹n, ready your blades," Father said, setting his sights back on the prison. "I doubt they¡¯d just let us in or maybe¡­" I think Father came up with a new plan, he usually changes things on the fly like this. On one hand it makes him seem more unpredictable but on the other hand, it¡¯s kind of similar to last minute planning. I guess it¡¯s about perspective. ¡°Actually, you won¡¯t need the blades.¡±


    "Uhh, what?" I replied with worry in my voice.


    "Teleportin¡¯," Father said, turning towards me. ¡°When we get down there, just follow my lead. For now turn around, close your eyes, and keep your hands behind your back. Don''t open your eyes ''til I start talking, and definitely don¡¯t say anything."


    Father''s able to teleport almost anywhere, which is the coolest thing ever. Most Paladins are able to cover great distances inhumanly fast in one form or fashion. Father thinks that since I have two blades, I might have superspeed but to be honest, I''d prefer teleportation like him. Whenever Father teleports he''s engulfed in a black smoke that emerges from the ground like he''s standing over a chimney. This is the same black as night smoke that engulfs him when he armors up or summons a weapon, it¡¯s so thick you can''t even see through it. After his entire figure is covered by the smoke, it begins to dissipate just as quickly as it appeared. Then his target location, the best part in my opinion. You see his foot, maybe both feet, then a thick haze as black as the smoke. The haze rises as his body and reveals his body as if it¡¯s manifesting it. Eventually all that''s left is The Rogue, with thick black smoke clouds coming from his shoulder and knees like smoke stacks. Sometimes he¡¯s even able to walk while teleporting, whenever he does it looks like he walks into a line of smoke and out of a mysterious wall of haze with his own personal smoke trails.


    The ground feels different, we must¡¯ve teleported. There¡¯s a strange smell in the air, not bad but definitely unfamiliar. Father nudged me ahead leading me somewhere.


    "Remember to keep your hands behind your back,¡± he whispered. ¡°How y''all doin''!" He shouted suddenly¡­.but at who?


    I finally open my eyes to be greeted by numerous demons in front of a gate. This is the prison gate, we¡¯re in front of the gate, and I¡¯m not even in handcuffs, rope, even duct tape would suffice. The four demons in front of us are all as tall as the one ¨¡nanda took down, and look both angry and confused by our presence. All their armor is dull, one is even heavily battered probably from combat. The armor also has a similar style as the other demon¡¯s so he was definitely a prison guard. All the guards in front of us are armed with swords except for the one in the back closest to the gate. He might be in charge, he has a strange swirling marking with an ¡°X¡± on top of the swirl. He also has a light shield, a buckler maybe, and a long spear. Well if my hands are supposed to stay behind my back and Father just casually greeted all of them maybe he thinks we¡¯ll be able to sneak in.


    "I got ya¡¯ Prince a present here,¡± Father said, nudging me forward again. ¡°I think he¡¯ll like it! Or do y¡¯all have a princess ¡®round these parts?"


    "I didn''t know The Rogue was from the Southern U.S.," one demon said to the other.


    ¡°Yeah I grew up in Louisiana, but we¡¯d drive to Texas like we were pickin¡¯ a bag sugah," Father exclaimed.


    "What would our lord want with a childish imitation of a Paladin?" the marked demon said, stepping forward. She sounded like a regular lady, if my eyes were still closed I¡¯d have mistaken her for human.


    "Well m''lady," Father started with a bow. "As I''m sure y''all know, I myself was a Paladin not too long ¡®go. If I can convert, don''t ''cha think anotha'' one can too? And, wouldn''t it be better to start ¡®em young? Kids are the future y''know."


    She paused for a moment. "That¡¯s a good point, Rogue." She took a knee in front of me and leaned in, inspecting me closer as if I were an object. "Does it have a voice?"


    "Well o'' course he do!" Father answered slapping my back, "but I can''t have ''em yellin'' all tha'' way down here. A simple silencer is in play, easy ta'' remove if you''d like."


    She stands up, looking more relaxed now. "We¡¯ll leave his throat cuffed for now but why are you two here?" A menacing grin grows on her face as she doesn''t break eye contact with me. She¡¯s actually making me sweat, did she figure us out?


    "Well ya¡¯ see while I am The Rogue, I''m still a human!" Father chuckles a bit, like that was actually funny, the other guards just look as annoyed as I feel. He cleared his throat realizing no one else was laughing. "As I was sayin'', I wanted to leave the youngin'' here with y''all for a few hours while I rested a bit. Once I¡¯m feelin¡¯ back to one hundred percent I¡¯ll gon¡¯ ¡®head and take ¡®em to the Throne Sect. Now I do understand this is a prison facility but I¡¯m sure ya¡¯ mind keepin¡¯ me entertained for a couple hours Warden."


    Warden? She looks like the other guards, did I miss something? Does that swirl signify her status?


    "Well that does sound troublesome, hmmm¡­ Please come in," she said, turning around to lead us in. "Lower entry! And Position for Regal Guests!"


    "Regal?!" Father said with shock. The remaining guards pause for a moment seeming just as shocked as Father is. The warden peeked over her shoulder and the guards immediately separated onto both sides of us.


    "PARDON OUR PRESENT ARMOR!" All four of them said in unison, it only sounds like two distinct voices though.


    "This seems like a bit much for just me Miss Warden," Father said with concern in his voice. I don¡¯t think the others noticed his concerning tone though.


    "All Facilities in every circle have this protocol in place should a Hell Knight, Fallen or even royalty, come by. While you are neither you have slain an Angel, a feat only few royalty has done, and even fewer Hell Knights. So to me, you¡¯re almost equal to the least known Fallen." As she finished the drawbridge made contact with the ground, without making a sound I might add. The way I know it touched the ground is because of the dust.


    "C''mon now boy!" Father commanded while guiding me forward. I started walking forward so nervously that I almost forgot how to walk properly. Somebody¡¯s going to catch onto us unless I can clean this up somehow. I shake myself out of his and start walking at my own pace hoping to keep up the charade. "Heh, nice," Father said under his breath.


    From here I can better see the individual buildings. The main building directly in front of use is three floors and has a row of windows on the second and third floors. The bland structure kind of reminds me of a building you¡¯d see on school grounds. I can tell there¡¯s a one story building that runs alongside the right wall. This building not only has numerous doors and windows it looks like it¡¯s also somewhat separated into uneven sections. Both of these buildings look nothing like a prison. The warden walks in causing the building to ripple. No, not the buildings, everything rippled. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m looking at a reflection on water and she caused that water to ripple distorting what I thought was the prison.


    "It¡¯s a concealment," Father said, catching up to me and pressing me forward. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I¡¯ve never seen a concealment like this but if he says it¡¯s alright I guess I¡¯ll continue forward. I closed my eyes to make the experience easier, well it feels easier, I doubt it actually matters. I can tell I¡¯m crossing the concealment because I feel it crawling under my clothes and armor. It¡¯s a feeling I¡¯ll never get used to. I open my eyes once I feel myself fully crossover to see that most of what we saw with the concealment was a facade. The buildings are still here and in their respective places but the prison is crawling with guards. I try to scan the area without turning my head too much. I can see a line of prisoners being pushed into the building on my right but only one or two of them look human, even then that¡¯s not a guarantee that they are. On my left I see a few guards heading underground with one prisoner. Do Father and ¨¡nanda know there¡¯s an underground?


    "Everyone!" The Warden said suddenly. "Our Regal Guest!" She turns around gesturing to present us, well Father not me. She looks entirely different now. Like a human with slightly purple skin, her elongated ears stick out from her golden blonde hair that goes to her shoulders. She¡¯s also shorter, closer to Father¡¯s height now but still sounds as feminine as before. Instead of armor she now has a suit similar to the ones the lady news anchors wear. Her deep crimson suit with shining gold trim has a skirt that goes below her knees but still shows her off her jet black stockings. Her tall heels are also the same color as the suit and completes a look that screams ¡°I¡¯m in charge¡±. All the guards around us seem to have stopped doing whatever they were doing to salute us. Looking past her I notice that the guards around the main building have different armor, not different in design or symbolism but it looks new. The fresh looking guards have bronze and silver trims on their polished armor, they also look well groomed compared to the guards we met at the gate.


    "Independents!" The Warden shouted. A woman landed on the right of The Warden. She looks out of place wearing shorts and an oversized black shirt with the words ¡°R3D GooN¡± on it. She jogs up to The Warden¡¯s side while pulling her hair into a puff and putting a hair tie in. I didn¡¯t see when she landed but she has an absurd amount of knives on her. There¡¯s six on each leg, two on her upper arm, one on each side of her hip, and it looks like there¡¯s two more in place on her back. She finishes her hair and looks at me with her green eyes, it¡¯s like she¡¯s studying me right now.


    ¡°Yes Madam?¡± she said in a cold tone.


    ¡°Hmm, where¡¯s Mira?¡± The Warden asked.


    ¡°Knowing her, probably sneaking up trying to startle me again,¡± the woman answered.


    ¡°Aww c¡¯mon!¡± a disembodied voice said. A woman then appeared on The Warden¡¯s right, she was taking off the hood of a hoodie? I¡¯ve never seen a hoodie like that. It has grass, or fake grass, on it similar to a ghillie suit but only on the back. The front is a faded gray with the words ¡°GR3N GooN¡± written on it. What even are these colored goons? Her tights are a similar tone gray as her hoodie and her black boots look completely out of place. She also has a rifle on her back with black and purple tape on the barrel and what looks like a homemade silencer on the end. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, y¡¯know that? Well anyway, how may I help Madam?¡±


    ¡°Rogue, these two are my independents. This is Sangiria,¡± The Warden said motioning to the walking knife storage. ¡°She¡¯s a close quarters expert and as you can tell has a preference for knives. The other is Mira,¡± she said motioning to the other woman. ¡°She¡¯s an exceptional marksmen and¨C¡±


    ¡°Hey little guy! What¡¯s your name?,¡± Mira asked, bending over to talk to me. Her personality and tone seem so out of place here. She sounds like a generally happy person, bubbly even.


    ¡°She¡¯s also very talkative,¡± The Warden finished.


    ¡°Oh sorry, I¡¯ve just never killed a Paladin this small and cute before! He even has his own little cape! OH MY GOSH! He¡¯s like a little superhero!¡±


    ¡°Someone seems excited,¡± Father said.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Mira said, taking a few steps back.


    ¡°No one will be killing this young Paladin,¡± The Warden said. ¡°Instead we¡¯ll be helping The Rogue transport this little one, and hopefully replicate the process of favorable ordination. Sangiria is more than able to escort him down, if that¡¯s okay with you that is?¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m okay with that. Hey try not to hurt her too much kid,¡± Father said, nudging me and laughing.


    ¡°If he¡¯s this important I¡¯ll make sure no one else harms him,¡± Sangiria said stepping forward. ¡°This is my word Rogue.¡± She put a fist over her chest and bowed.


    ¡°Oooo, that¡¯s really serious for her. The lil guy will definitely be safe,¡± Mira said.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s all I need. Actually it¡¯d be nice ta¡¯ know your name as well miss Warden,¡± Father said.


    ¡°Oh apologies, I¡¯m Madame Edale, warden of facility 231220. Nothing too special but it¡¯s enough for my title, for now.¡±


    ¡°A titled and all you got was a facility? Surely there¡¯s more to you than this facility?,¡± Father pressed.


    ¡°Well,¡± Madame Edale started, ¡°I was lucky enough to be gifted a child as well. Truthfully, she¡¯s a bit more than I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll grow more fond of the child as time passes,¡± Father said while walking away. ¡°Oh and Sangiria, don¡¯t release that silencer. I really don¡¯t feel like dealing with that right now.¡± Father and Madame Edale continued toward the main building, before I started to walk forward Sangiria drew her sword and put it in front of me. The shortsword is inches away from my face and gives off heat like a fireplace. I look up at Sangiria to see a tint of bright red in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going that way, little one. You¡¯ll be staying in the cells,¡± she said with her voice monotone.


    ¡°Hey now ya¡¯ think you¡¯ll need help? I don¡¯t goin¡¯ underground if it means being with this wittle cutie!,¡± Mira said, patting my head.


    ¡°Thank you but your assistance is unnecessary for this. Besides, I gave my word that he¡¯ll be unharmed.¡±


    ¡°What! I wouldn¡¯t hurt ¡®em¡­much,¡± Mira said giggling.


    ¡°Right then, come young Paladin.¡± Sangiria pointed her sword to the wall on my left. It looks like there¡¯s a cellar door there, that¡¯ll be the underground Mira referred to. The cells down there should hold more prisoners than just me. I began walking towards the cellar doors taking in as much as I could to help escape from this route. It seems pretty close to the main gate so as long as we can keep that drawbridge lowered we should be able to send people out in groups. It¡¯ll be up to Father to deal with whoever¡¯s in those towers but maybe there''ll be some guards down here I can handle myself. Approaching the wall I notice a long crack in it that I hope isn¡¯t aesthetic. Father or ¨¡nanda could use that weak spot to create a hole in the wall, the only problem then is the minefield and the living barbed wire. We finally arrive in front of the cellar doors as Sangiria comes around me and opens them. She motions for me to go down. I start down the stairs and about half way down I can hear the clang of the doors closing. They look wood but sound metal? I¡¯m just going to ignore that for now. I stop at the bottom of the stairs, this place looks completely different from upstairs. It¡¯s one long corridor of unpainted cement walls and hanging lights with a soft hum. And I have a feeling that the gate at the end of this hallway is another concealment.


    ¡°Forward,¡± Sangiria said from behind me.


    Walking down this short hallway somehow feels exhausting. I feel like I¡¯m close to being out of breath but I swear we only walked seven or eight yards. Something¡¯s wrong, I slow down as we approach the gate trying to take a closer look at the walls. It looks like normal concrete but makes me feel uneasy for some reason. I stop in front of the guard at the gate and look up at him. He looks similar to the demon at the cliff too except he has an eyepatch over his left eye, I¡¯m starting to think every demon looks like this. He looks confused looking at me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this one?,¡± he asked, shifting his attention to Sangiria.


    ¡°He¡¯s a young Paladin, the wards are weakening him. It should be easy for you to move him at this point, take him to section C.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he replied. He turned around then pulled me in front of him.


    ¡°And try not to hurt him too much, Warden¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°Tch, whatever, he won¡¯t bleed,¡± he said. ¡°J, rotate bot, T.¡± Whatever he said caused the gate to open revealing prison cells all along the left side. Somehow I wasn¡¯t able to see any of this through the bars of that gate. I look at the right wall, it¡¯s the same gray concrete except it has a light red bar running from this gate to the next. The bar almost looks like a pipe or metallic cable. To my right above the red bar is the letter ¡°K¡±. ¡°Let¡¯s keep movin¡¯,¡± the guard said, pushing me forward. As we walk to the next gate I try to glance into each cell we pass but it¡¯s difficult to peer into the slits of the steel doors while walking. We soon end up at the next gate, well its more of a door given I¡¯m unable to see through it. These wards aren''t helping either but at least their effect on me isn''t worsening. ¡°T, pass, G.¡± The gate opens revealing a similar scene but inverted. The red bar is now on the left with the cells on the right. There¡¯s two more guards here, they look like twins, both have a slim build. Their matching light armor leaves their stomach, arms, and lower legs exposed. They also have the letter C neatly branded on the top corner of their chestpiece. Both also have a whip on their hip. At first they both looked at me with confusion on their faces and then looked up at my escort.


    ¡°What¡¯re we supposed to do with this?¡± they asked in unison.


    ¡°For now just cage it,¡± he answered. ¡°Sangiria told me we¡¯re ordered not to hurt ¡®em. Kinda pointless if ya¡¯ ask me.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s special, we¡¯ll keep it away from the other one,¡± they replied. ¡°C¡¯mon then.¡± The guard on my right started walking ahead of me while the one on the left pushed me forward, no doubt they¡¯ll maintain this formation until we get to my cell. We¡¯re walking a little slower than I was in the previous corridor, maybe I can actually look inside these cells. The doors here are further apart, they also look more like rusted iron. The doors are further apart, the cells must be bigger. Something¡¯s up, I¡¯m starting to feel my strength come back. Are the wards weaker this far in? Maybe I¡¯m getting used to them but that¡¯d defeat the purpose. The guard in front of me stops and reaches up.


    ¡°Z, jun miss.¡±


    A large chest lowers from the ceiling in front of him. He opens it before it reaches the ground but it''s still lowering.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool¡­¡± Wait, did I say that out loud. The guard turned around with a smirk that immediately faded once he saw something behind me. He tried to grab his whip but went flying backwards with a javelin in his chest. He didn¡¯t stop, the wall just caught him with a loud boom. I immediately summon my blades and turn around. ¨¡nanda standing behind arm still extended from the throw, past her I can see the other two guards on the ground. Her focus quickly shifts to me and her expression changes to one of shock.


    ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± she asked, straightening herself.


    ¡°Do what?,¡± I asked, relaxing.


    ¡°You¡¯re, uh. Y¡¯know what, nevermind, just hold still.¡± She writes a weird ¡°L¡± looking sigil with some dots around it in the air then pushes it towards me. It turns to mist as it hits my face and feels like little rain droplets falling into me. I immediately feel weightless again and only now notice that my blades had some weight when I summoned them.


    ¡°So what¡¯d that do?,¡± I asked.


    ¡°It should have nullified the wardings effects on you. The wardings here ensure Paladins are unable to focus their divinity.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay, so uh, what now?¡±


    ¡°Well did you notice anyone on your way in here?,¡± she asked while walking towards the door closest to her. She stood on her toes to peek inside the cell. ¡°This one¡¯s empty.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone but this is the place they wanted to put me so maybe the Paladin is here.¡±


    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s above ground. I saw him on my way in, he should be able to fight which¡¯ll be interesting to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll help us.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he won¡¯t.¡± We both laugh. ¡°Okay so I¡¯ll go this direction,¡± ¨¡nanda said pointing behind me. ¡°You go the other way and be careful when going to the next section. I didn¡¯t drop the concealments here.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± I drop my blades and when they hit the ground they poof out of existence in a cloud of white mist. The best part, when I put my blades away this way, it barely makes a sound. Took me months to get that right. I go to the next cell and through the slit in the door, nothing. I checked the next three cells but they were all empty. It¡¯s a relief that no one¡¯s down here getting tortured but I¡¯m getting worried that all the prisoners may be upstairs. If so, it¡¯ll make this rescue much more complicated. Okay, one more cell than I¡¯ll move onto the next corridor.


    I peek inside and see nothing but this cell is darker than the others. The corner specifically is like a black spot on a painting. Something¡¯s wrong with that dark corner. Looking at it I can almost make out a figure in the shadows. It turns around, I can see eyes in the darkness. The left eye is a golden brown but the right is a deep blue. The figure crawls into the light maintaining eye contact with me. It¡¯s a girl. Her hair is a silky black and she looks bruised on her shoulder and arms. There¡¯s marks on her suggesting she¡¯s been lashed recently. This isn¡¯t right, she¡¯s not supposed to be here, no one is supposed to be here. It doesn¡¯t matter, if she¡¯s here we need to save her. I try to move but I¡¯m paralyzed. No, I have to move. I can feel myself straining just to attempt to lift my arm. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening but I¡¯m not moving.


    ¡°Who are. Who are you? W-where am I?,¡± she asked. Her voice is weak, frail, it¡¯s as if talking is enough to make her cry. She looked at the ground for a moment, ¡°who am I?¡±


    None of this is right. None of this should be happening, the cell was supposed to be empty, we were supposed to go up and help but we¡¯d be too late and Father¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on but I somehow know her name, Iris.


    ¡°Iris, you¡¯re Iris.¡±


    She looked up at me again, this time with blood going down her face and just avoiding her eye. She looks calmer than before but the scars on her seem more prominent than before. I¡¯m only now noticing the rags that¡¯re supposed to be her clothes. She¡¯s not supposed to be here but it looks like she is, and I¡¯m powerless to help her. No, I don¡¯t accept that. I close my eyes and focus my power. If I can¡¯t help her as a Paladin then maybe I can help her as something else. I open my eyes to see the door gone. Her face is painted with shock that immediately turns to relief. She¡¯s not afraid? It doesn¡¯t matter, if the door¡¯s gone then maybe I can move. With what feels like more strength than I¡¯ve ever used in my life I¡¯m finally able to move. And just as I lift my arm, everything goes black.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ~ET Lavillis

 Paladins: Another Rogue: Chapter 2

    I wake up staring at the ceiling but I¡¯m still able to picture her face clearly.


    "I had the strangest dream, I was in this place--. I had the strangest dream, I was--. You-- you-- you won''t believe what happened."


    I lift two fingers, concentrating on the turntable on top of my dresser. After a dream like that, I don''t need a chorus like that, especially from that scratched vinyl. I stretch my arms and feel cold metal touching my neck. I look at my right arm clad in armor. WHEN did I get in my armor? Wait, did she see me in my armor? Did she see me as the Rogue and still reach out for me? No, she must¡¯ve seen my old armor. Inhale...exhale. I feel the familiar softness of my pajama pants now. I slide to the end of my bed getting up to knock on the door to the adjacent bedroom. Before I knock I put on the t-shirt laying next to my turntable.


    "¨¡na," I called out a little over a whisper. "Hey, you up?"


    Maybe it''s too early. I look back at my bed, my phone¡¯s still on the pillow. I crawl back onto the bed grabbing my phone to check the time. 8:57am, I actually got over eight hours of sleep. Now that I think about it, a full night¡¯s sleep feels refreshing. I sit up and slide my slippers on. They¡¯re worn but still soft enough. I go to the other door, opening it and walking into the hallway. Harsh sunlight comes in from the right, I look out the backdoor to see the greenhouse door open. Granny¡¯s probably watering her plants right now. What does ¨¡na do at this time if we''re not training? I walk down the hall one door down and knock on her other door.


    "¨¡na!," I nearly shouted.


    Silence, she must still be sleeping. I close my eyes and focus on her, here''s to hoping the telepathy training paid off. If she''s awake I should be able to hear her. Wait, she''s not even in her room?


    ''Okay, biscuits are almost done, bacon is good, sausage is¡­not red! Am I supposed to season these? Hey Jay, am I supposed to season the eggs too?''


    I open my eyes, breaking my concentration and our connection, why is she cooking breakfast? I continue down the hall to greet her in the kitchen. I round the corner expecting to see her as a kid again. She''s a teen now, maybe a young adult. Her jet black hair is in a loose bun held in with a plastic spoon. She has on a faded black t-shirt, probably mine''s, and it looks like she has no bottoms on.


    "Do you have something on under my shirt?,¡± I ask while taking a seat.


    "Well yea my underwear," she answered, turning to me. She sprays cooking oil in the skillet she''s holding, "the eggs, do I season them?''


    "Granny likes salt and pepper."


    "Okay," she said, turning around to set the skillet atop the stove. "Is seven eggs enough for us?"


    "Sure but-"


    "If you want hashbrowns, you''ll have to fry them yourself," she said while using her power to send seven eggs gently gliding through the air from carton to bowl. She cracked the eggs and poured the yolk in without ever touching them, she manages to do this effortlessly even though she looks more focused on the sausage at the moment.


    ¡°Okay but why are you cookin¡¯ breakfast?¡±


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t think I can?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say-¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause I think I¡¯m doing it wrong,¡± she turns back to me, beating the eggs in a bowl and sending the shells to the trash.


    ¡°What, no, it looks like you''re doin¡¯ good.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she turns back to the stove to flip some sausage patties while continuing to stir the eggs with a levitating fork. ¡°And to answer your question, I¡¯m cookin¡¯ ¡®cause Medea told me to.¡±


    ¡°So is there a reason she told you to cook?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­yeah,¡± she replied quietly. She pours the beaten eggs into the skillet then turns back to me. ¡°She said that I should look more like a lady if I''m goin'' to be staying here, and apparently ladies don¡¯t walk around the house in just their underwear. So I asked about married ladies that live with their husbands then she got upset. I¡¯m guessing ¡®cause she doesn¡¯t approve of married women not living with their husbands unless it¡¯s a special circumstance or somethin¡¯. Then she told me to cook breakfast and not to burn it...or she¡¯ll burn me.¡± When talking about ¨¡na¡¯s current living situation, we kind of don¡¯t. Honestly, I¡¯m not entirely sure what happened, one minute she¡¯s living in Hell and only coming topside to train me, then all of a sudden last month Granny insisted she stay here. It¡¯s not completely new, she used to live with us back then but now it feels awkward. Not only is she interacting with me more often, her usual serious tone is becoming more lax and playful. She¡¯s beginning to act like she used to back then, back when Father was still alive. Maybe this is her actual personality and her seriousness was to ensure I respected her during training, or feared her. She gave me a soft smile then turned back around and bent over opening the oven. I was going to look away but noticed a familiar pattern.


    ¡°Hey are those my boxers!?¡±


    ¡°¨¡na!,¡± Granny shouted.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am!,¡± ¨¡na shot up.


    ¡°Mornin¡¯ Jas¨¹n,¡±  Granny said while putting a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Good mornin¡¯ Granny,¡± I looked up at her. ¡°Did you want me to move for you?¡±


    ¡°No you¡¯re fine sweetie,¡± Granny said before turning to ¨¡na. ¡°An¡¯ what were you doin young lady?¡±


    ¡°I was just checkin¡¯ on tha'' biscuits.¡±


    ¡°While showin¡¯ your lil biscuits huh? An¡¯ what¡¯d I tell ya ¡®bout bendin¡¯ over like that?¡±


    ¡°To always get three tens," ¨¡na said, giggling for all of a second before going silent then squatting down to close the oven. "The biscuits are almost done."


    " Do you have any clothes to wear around the house?" Granny asked while pulling out a chair.


    "Oh yeah."


    "Clothes for decent young ladies?"


    "Oh, no," ¨¡na answered, returning to beating the eggs.


    "I''ll go get you some pajamas then." Granny said.


    "Well thank you Medea," ¨¡na said while taking the bacon off the stove. "And what about your ensemble? Your dress is meant to be worn around the house?"


    Granny is wearing one of her nightgowns. This one is a mix of dark and light browns in what looks like an abstract fall pattern. She usually wears gowns, dresses, or long skirts, along with her walking stick. Her walking stick is like her universal accessory, everybody calls it "Medea''s original Beat-em-to-Hell stick". It''s cut from the tree that Granny''s father was hung from when she was a little girl. After the family found his lifeless body they buried him but Granny didn''t move on just yet. Story goes, she cut down that tree when she was only eleven then carved it into multiple clubs. It took a few years but she finally got the perfect one for the job. This is where the story becomes more of an urban legend, one that Granny won''t confirm nor deny. Some people say that the ones she beat went to heaven because she gave them Hell. Others say she beat demons back to the Hellscape they came from, making them regret ever leaving Hell. No matter what story is told a few things remain undeniable: most Hellspawn fear her, there is never gang activity around her and ¨¡na undoubtedly respects her. And as for the people that lynched her father, well  let¡¯s just say I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever see the klan around here.


    "This is a nightgown, some women prefer to sleep in them," Granny explains, "but I think you might like some light pajamas instead."


    "Light as in they¡¯re brightly colored or they¡¯re short?" ¨¡nanda asked while finally getting the sausage off the fire and returning to the eggs.


    My phone vibrates, I take it out and check my notifications. A text from Jorge ¡°txt me wen ur done¡±. ¡°No trainin 2day, i''ll txt u aftr i eat¡± I reply.


    "Light as in a thin material so you don''t get too hot while sleeping,¡± Granny said sternly. ¡°But I guess that''s not too much of an issue for you."


    "So how thin are nightgowns?"


    "Thin enough for me, I''ll get ya'' some different material pajamas so you can find something comfy for you."


    As Granny finished talking there was a sudden splat followed by the sound of food frying that caused Granny and me to look towards.


    "¨¡na did you just flip tha'' eggs?" Granny asked, sounding as confused as I am.


    "Yeah sorry it''s takin'' so long, it''s seven eggs," ¨¡nanda replied.


    "I thought you were scramblin'' the eggs ¨¡na?," I asked.


    "Yeah, I scrambled the eggs in the bowl then poured them into the skillet to fry. You do fry scrambled eggs right? That''s what it said when I looked it up at least."


    "Okay, so according to the site you went to, what exactly are you making right now?" I asked as delicately as I could.


    "Uh, scrambled eggs. The site said this was, quote on quote, an advanced egg dish. They all seemed simple but this one is often served with various meats, veggies and cheeses. No, it''s not usually served with biscuits buuut I know how we all like biscuits, so I made some anyway!," she sounds so proud of this.


    "Don''t spoil her mood, I''ll talk to her about it later," Granny whispered.


    "Um.. so what was the name of this ''advanced dish''?" I asked, causing Granny to glare at me with eyes that could freeze fire.


    ¨¡na turned around looking happy to share. "It''s called an um...oom...uumm. I don''t remember but there also weren''t any reference pics on the site. " ¨¡na turns back to the stove, "yup, it was ready to flip."


    "¨¡na later we''ll can go an'' get ya'' some house clothes ¡®n¡¯ night clothes then when we get back here you can help me make some breakfast fo'' dinner," Granny said.


    "Hmm, I don''t know, maybe. I have some night clothes, so I guess all I need is house clothes." ¨¡na took the egg pancake off the skillet carefully so it wouldn''t fall apart.


    "¨¡na night clothes are clothes that ya'' can sleep in," Granny explained while passing me a fork. "An'' those biscuits should be done too."


    "Oh," ¨¡na paused for a moment before opening the oven. "I don''t have clothes for sleeping but if you say other women sleep while wearin'' clothes then I don''t mind tryin'' it," ¨¡na said while getting the biscuits out of the oven and setting them atop the stove.


    "Since we''ve gotten all that sorted," Granny said, turning her attention to me. "¨¡na said you were able to induce a nightmare in hopes of stoppin'' one, how''d that go?"


    "Is that what you came in here to talk to me ''bout Jay?" ¨¡na asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Despite what you think, I do care." She set a plate of food down in front of Granny and me.


    "This looks good ¨¡na, you did a great job," Granny said. Granny seldomly compliments ¨¡na so whenever she does ¨¡na''s reactions are usually out of character for her. This time she blushed and smiled.


    ¡°Thank you Medea, I hope it tastes good too,¡± she said happily.


    Looking down at my plate, it does actually look good. A few slices of bacon, two sausage patties, my cut of the omelet, and two hearty biscuits. ¨¡na prepares her plate and takes the seat across from me, we then join hands for grace led by Granny. Shortly after we start eating and the food tastes as good as it looks, then Granny breaks the silence.


    ¡°So Jas¨¹n, nightmare or dream last night?¡±


    ¡°It was actually a contact vision.¡±


    ¡°ACK!¡± ¨¡na almost choked on her food.


    ¡°I take it that¡¯s bad?¡±


    ¡°No, this is just the first time it¡¯s happened to me before, so I guess it¡¯s a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t you just d''scribe what happened while ¨¡na adjusts herself. Drink a lil juice dear,¡± Granny says while rubbing ¨¡na¡¯s back.


    ¡°Okay so it started as the same nightmare, the day we lost Father¡­ I got to where I was taken underground and ¨¡na saved me. Then we start searching the cells, now what¡¯s supposed to happen at this point is that all the cells are empty and we go above ground. But, I found someone in the last cell I checked. I¡¯m staring at them for like a minute and it seems like we¡¯re the last people left in a shrinking world. I blurted out the only thing in my head at the moment, ¡®Iris¡¯. I didn¡¯t know what it meant but then the person turns around, it¡¯s a girl. She looks at me then asks for help while reaching out to me. She looked so weak but I couldn¡¯t move. When I woke up, I had my armor on, so I don¡¯t know if she saw my Rogue armor and still wanted my help. She looked human but also battered and maybe malnourished. The only thing that looked off about her were her eyes, they were two different colors.¡±


    They sat there quietly processing what I had just told them. I go back to eating, though this still doesn¡¯t make sense to me. I¡¯ve never seen that girl before, I don¡¯t even think I¡¯ve seen someone who looks like her. Now that I think about it, Iris doesn¡¯t even sound like a common name. Jorge would know about that, I check my phone, he still hasn¡¯t texted me back yet.


    ¡°Well,¡± ¨¡na said, ripping through the silence. ¡°I think you seem a lil dramatic about this.¡±


    ¡°What¡± I exclaimed, looking up from my phone.


    ¡°Yeah honey,¡± Granny added, ¡°that bit about ''being the last two left in a shrinkin¡¯ world'', c¡¯mon now.¡±


    ¡°I was just tryin¡¯ to describe the moment accurately.¡±


    ¡°More like tryna¡¯ make me jelly,¡± ¨¡na retorted, laughing.


    ¡°Jelly?¡± Granny said, confused.


    ¡°Jealous,¡± I answered. I think about it for a moment, no wait, there¡¯s nothing to think about. ¡°Is it possible she saw me in my current armor?¡±


    ¡°¨¡na,¡± Granny said, ¡°let¡¯s stop laughing for a minute.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± ¨¡na composed herself immediately. ¡°Possibly, do you know how old your body was when she saw you?¡±


    ¡°No, there were no reflections.¡±


    ¡°You said her eyes were two different colors?¡± Granny added.


    ¡°They were amber, and one was half-blue. But they were also cat''s eyes.¡±


    ¡°Cat eyes?!¡± ¨¡na exclaimed.


    ¡°And the tips of her hair were the same shade of blue as her eye.¡±


    ¡°Amber?¡± Granny asked, a little confused.


    ¡°No, ocean blue,¡± I clarified.


    ¡°Okay,¡± ¨¡na jumps in, irritation in her voice. ¡°You think a girl with cat eyes and blue hair is human?¡±


    ¡°Well, the tips were blue, there also wasn¡¯t any proof that she was a hellspawn. Plus, I don¡¯t even know if her cell was in or near Hell so the hair color is kinda useless.¡±


    ¡°He has a good point ¨¡na, girls do dye their hair wild colors now,¡± Granny said. ¡°What did her cell look like, on the inside?¡±


    I close my eyes and try to think back to the moment. I can remember her face clearly but now I have to look past it. I notice a bit more of the room, but it¡¯s still mostly darkness.


    ¡°Jas¨¹n,¡± ¨¡na said with concern in her voice.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, opening my eyes to a different atmosphere. ¡°It¡¯s small, maybe half the size of my bedroom. There were a couple sheets on the left side, on the ground. In the right corner, across from her, there was¡­¡± I clear my throat, like it¡¯ll make what I saw any easier to say  aloud. ¡°Three buckets, and one of them was full..¡± I can see the disgust on Granny¡¯s face, while ¨¡na just looks puzzled.


    ¡°Are you- were there any other indications of where that room may be located?¡± Granny asked.


    ¡°I was thinking maybe the dream is a clue,¡± it sounded like I was asking a question rather than giving a suggestion.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¨¡na finally spoke.


    ¡°What if she¡¯s in that same prison?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean it¡¯s not like we destroyed it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only half true,¡± ¨¡na said after a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Facilities and installations are demolished after being discovered or escaped from,¡± Granny adds.


    ¡°Most of the time, yeah,¡± ¨¡na reassures Granny. ¡°But if this one''s back up after what we did, then it¡¯s definitely more secure¡­ Well I guess I know what I¡¯m doin¡¯ today~!¡±


    ¡°You seem way too excited about this,¡± I said, masking my fear of what she may do.


    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna¡¯ go look at it weird,¡± ¨¡na said. ¡°And hopefully I won¡¯t be seen. It¡¯d be reeeaaally awkward if a few guards went missing.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ll be training tomorrow then?¡± I ask, a little excited about it this time around.


    ¡°You can train together tomorrow after your scripture,¡± Granny interrupted, she then turns to ¨¡na softly putting her hand on ¨¡na¡¯s. ¡°And you be careful, I want you back before dinner.¡±


    ¡°Well with that decision made, me and Jorge will probably head to the mall or boardwalk,¡± I announce proudly.


    ¡°You know you could at least go to the library to see if that girl¡¯s pretty eyes are humanly possible,¡± ¨¡na said, bringing up a good point.


    ¡°Or you can check various missing persons reports for a match,¡± Granny adds, another good point but with far more work, and cops.


    Well I lost, a loud sigh leaves my mouth almost involuntarily. I guess I don¡¯t need to spend all day at the mall anyway. And it doesn¡¯t open until ten either, I¡¯ll be fine going to the library first. I look down at my phone, my old Hellgate picture as my lockscreen, 9:34am.


    ¡°You and...him should be able to do both at the library, I believe in the two of you,¡± ¨¡na said in a condescending tone.


    ¡°C¡¯mon ¨¡na, you know his name is Jorge,¡± I said, trying to validate my best friend to her yet again.


    I¡¯m actually not sure why ¨¡na doesn¡¯t like Jorge. He moved in on the next street down, directly behind us. When we were younger, we¡¯d jump the backyard fence to play together. After what happened to my Father, Jorge and his family were there for me and Granny. Jorge and his family are the only humans that know I¡¯m The Rogue but his parents don''t know what ¨¡na is. Well I hope they don¡¯t at least. Most of the neighborhood assumes that I¡¯m at least a Paladin and think my Father is still alive waiting for the right time to reveal himself. Anyway, despite me being The Rogue, Jorge isn¡¯t afraid of me, he is terrified of ¨¡na though but she tries to be intimidating, among other things. The only negative thing about Jorge is that he can be perverted at times, but it¡¯s mostly a facade. I would say maybe that¡¯s why she doesn¡¯t like him, but ¨¡na likes guys like that so that doesn''t make sense either. I wish it didn¡¯t matter this much but Jorge is like my only friend.


    ¡°So you and JORGE for the library?¡± ¨¡na said.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to help him with a school project. So we¡¯ll add this stuff onto the agenda too. But WE,¡± I say quickly pointing to ¨¡na then back at myself. ¡°Need to help him next weekend."


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming both of you have the same project then?¡± Granny asked.


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s from our Minor Unholy Studies class, simple stuff for me at this point,¡± I answer as I get up to put my dishes away.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think that should be a class for kids,¡± Granny said sternly.


    ¡°Aww but Medea,¡± ¨¡na starts. ¡°Grad students with two children are ¡®kids¡¯ to you.¡±


    I laugh a little too hard at that one. ¡°I have to do a presentation as well but I¡¯ll be presenting the day after him, I think. Also, I¡¯m almost done with mine already, I only need to add a few little tweaks ¡®til it''s time to present.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Granny said, getting up and grabbing her walking stick. ¡°¨¡na I guess I¡¯ll show you how to cook breakfast another time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not gonna take that long,¡±  ¨¡nanda assures her. ¡°Wait, show me how to cook breakfast?"


    "I better go get ready," I said, putting my plate in the sink. I weaved by them grabbing my phone then continued down the hall.


    I can hear Granny trying to politely explain her way out of what she said. I check my phone again, nothing. It''s past nine thirty on a Saturday, I know Jorge didn''t go back to sleep. I text him again, ''Bro, we need to hit mtw''. I come around the corner into my bedroom, there''s some freshly washed clothes I need to fold on my bed. I pick through the pile for something to wear today then head to the bathroom to bathe.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    I come out fresh and refreshed then head to my room to find clothes folded on my bed along with a letter ''You''re Welcome'' with a heart stamp and it''s signed ''¨¡''. I pick up and check my phone, Jorge finally replied, but it looks more like he had a conversation with himself. ''Wut'', ''Dude the library?'', ''So look, i hope u meant the library cuz im here & its a long way back2 yo house''. I text him back, ''So i see ur up'', at least now I don''t have to walk. I toss my phone on my bed and get dressed. I walk over to the door me and ¨¡na share. I put my palm on the cool, wooden door. I keep my focus on the feeling of the wood in my palm. Smooth, cold as ice, no matter how many times I do this I always feel like I''m going to leave an imprint. The familiar black flame starts to spread from where my hand is. The flame eats the wood like any other natural encounter of the two, but instead of the flame leaving behind charred wood I begin to see a perfect reflection form where the door once was. I take a couple steps back after fully altering a concealment turning the door into a full size mirror, now I''m looking at my reflection like some conceited guy. I have on a white tee shirt and denim shorts. I should do something about the shirt though. I focus on the reflection of the shirt, maybe a book, or a book with a sword through it. The image ripples onto the shirt, a blue book with the word "ENGLISH" on it impaled by a sword. Wow, I guess I really do hate English class, but the longer I stare at the sword the more it looks like an awkward butter knife. No, I should use something different, the image starts to ripple and morph. The new image is an open book with its pages on fire and above the fire the words "OUR HISTORY". Nice. I turn around and go to my closet and grab my black and red Matimm high tops. I go to my bed and grab my phone to see if Jorge texted back yet, ''I found a ? alley u can use, txt back wen ur rdy''. I text him back ''Aight get in position'', I grab my wallet off the dresser. My phone''s notification ping sounds, ''ur a go op2¡¯. I start laughing, I focus on his rosary. I can hear his heartbeat, steady but a little faster than usual, I close my eyes¡­


    ¡°Ayy nice shirt bro,¡± Jorge said before I opened my eyes.


    ¡°Yo chill with the jokes,¡± I said, opening my eyes. ¡°Why do you have a cat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a stray,¡±  Jorge explains. ¡°Look, it has two ribbons on it, one as a collar and one on its tail. This way I can keep track of it and people in the neighborhood will think it¡¯s someone¡¯s pet.¡±


    ¡°Are you goin¡¯ to at least get it some shots then?¡± I asked with concern for the small animal. ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t have a name, what gender is it? We don¡¯t need to be callin¡¯ it ¡®IT¡¯.¡±


    Jorge lifts the cat above his head checking, meanwhile the cat is staring at me like I did something wrong. ¡°Well ¡®it¡¯ is a ¡®she¡¯,¡± Jorge said, finally lowering the cat. ¡°What should we name her?¡±


    Suddenly Iris comes to mind. ¡°Blanca is white right?¡±


    ¡°S¨ª¡±


    ¡°Azula Blanca,¡± I say while looking into the cat¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Where¡¯d that come from?¡± Jorge asked, confused.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I put two fingers on the cat¡¯s head, her grey fur is soft but dry, I make sure not to apply pressure, I can hear a soft purr. I¡¯ll find Iris, I know it. I see a black spark appear on the back of my hand, but before I can move my hand the spark jumps to my fingertips. Suddenly the spark becomes lightning that begins to encircle the cat.


    ¡°WHOA!¡± Jorge exclaimed before practically throwing Azula out of his hands.


    The cat landed then immediately leapt back a few feet hissing at us. We can see her full body now, Azula has a pulsating blue lightning bolt on her back. Sparks fly from her tiny eyes as she gives us a rather concerning look, it¡¯s clear that Azula can control electricity. The cat can control electricity.


    ¡°Noooope,¡± I say in protest, getting ready to grab Azula.


    ¡°Whoa whoa whoa,¡± Jorge said as he grabbed my shoulder.


    Azula lowers herself, hissing at us with electricity flowing from her paws. The electricity forms a circle around the cat then rises like waving strings from the ground. If this wasn¡¯t a serious problem it¡¯d be cool. I focus my armor on quickly. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s all there before I turn to face Jorge and cover him. The proceeding shockwave hit me like a strong gust of wind, looking behind Jorge I see the library lights flicker off then on. I quickly turn around to see a unique burn pattern, a circle with a ¡°X¡± and an additional line going down the middle. Azula vanished.


    ¡°Dude, what happened there? Since when could you control electricity?!¡± Jorge asks just as shocked as I am.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I answer while my armor fades.¡±Last time I remember being able to control electricity was when I was little. And that was a one off.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jorge said nervously, "now we gotta figure out how ta¡¯ catch a lightning cat."


    ¡°Did you lure it the first time?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jorge said excited, ¡°so all I gotta do is keep leavin¡¯ food out at the same time right? Or is that fake?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go find out,¡± I reply. We both start walking towards the front of the library.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jorge says suddenly, ¡°what was goin¡¯ on back there? You alright bro?¡±


    I stop, ¡°yeah, we can talk ¡®bout it later.¡± I look up at Jorge, now in front of me. I didn¡¯t notice what he was wearing until now. I start laughing while trying to get out what I want to say. ¡°Wh-why are you? Why do you have on a Hawaiian shirt?¡±


    ¡°Oh my dad let me borrow it,¡± he answered. ¡°I wanted to wear it a bit before Monday. Ya¡¯ know, Hawaiian day, spirit week, all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Right, right,¡± I completely forgot it was spirit week and I¡¯m pretty sure they reminded us yesterday.


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember, do you?¡± Jorge asks.


    ¡°Well I do literally have far more important things to think ¡®bout, and do.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Jorge said sarcastically, ¡°did you forget your library card too?¡±


    ¡°Naw, it¡¯s in my wallet.¡±


    ¡°And your wallet is?¡±


    I tap my pocket, ¡°in my pocket, let¡¯s go.¡± I open the door and Jorge goes in first. I follow behind while taking my phone out to make sure it''s on vibrate. Maybe I should check on ¨¡na, or-


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jorge says, ¡°where we goin¡¯ first?¡±


    ¡°Biology, anatomy, mutations,¡± I answer quickly and quietly as we walk in.


    ¡°Hmm, alright, alright,¡± Jorge cautiously responds. ¡°Excuse me, miss.¡±


    ¡°Miss Papinn, young man,¡± she corrects him.


    Ms. Papinn looks how you¡¯d expect a librarian to look, if a teenager were cosplaying one. She has a flower on her white t-shirt that looks good with her gray cardigan. She takes her glasses off and lets it hang on her beaded glasses chain.


    ¡°How may I help you two?¡± she asked with a soft voice while looking at Jorge.


    I look over at Jorge, now paralyzed by this girl¡¯s presence. ¡°Right, umm are you a volunteer?¡± I ask turning back to Ms. Papinn.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± she answered with an innocent smile. ¡°Regardless of my current status, I remain confident that I know this library better than the two of you,¡± she said defensively.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I riposte, ¡°it¡¯s just, we grew accustomed to Mrs. Russell.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, that¡¯s more understandable, sorry,¡± she said, her tone now more formal. ¡°But, the two of you did come for a book, yes?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Jorge blurted out suddenly, causing Ms. Papinn to jump. I quickly turned him around.


    ¡°Heeey bud, how ¡®bout you head on over to the non-fiction section quietly and I¡¯ll meet ya¡¯ over there,¡± As I nudged him away, I noticed some people turning back around to what they were doing. Jorge must¡¯ve been louder than I realized. As I turned back to Ms. Papin, she had her hand on her chest, trying to steady her breathing. ¡°Sorry about my friend, he gets nervous around...new people. Like I said earlier, we grew accustomed to Mrs. Russell.¡±


    ¡°Riiight,¡± she said sarcastically.


    ¡°Yeah, so we¡¯re lookin¡¯ for a book on anatomical mutations, specifically regarding the eyes.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, switching her attention to her computer. She quickly types for maybe twenty, twenty-five seconds before speaking again. ¡°I¡¯ve found a few options for you, hold on.¡± She grabs a sticky notepad, a small pencil and begins writing. ¡°Alright,¡± she said, finishing her strokes, ¡°here you are.¡± She hands me the note with the book number.


    "Thanks," I said without looking at the sticky note.


    "If you need any more help I''ll be here, but there should also be a volunteer in that section as well."


    "Cool," I said before turning away.


    I head over to the non-fiction section but don''t see Jorge. I walk through an aisle to an open study area. There''s a group of what looks like college students at one of the large tables and a middle aged man at a small table with a few books. I spot Jorge at another small table with a book in his hand. I head towards his table and see that he''s reading a demonology book. Looks like he decided to start on his project, he even has his notebook out.


    "So how''s it goin''?," I ask.


    "Alright check it out," Jorge said, putting the book down and writing down what looks like an ingredient list. "So I think I figured something out for this bizarre project we got."


    "It''s different, not bizarre," I said.


    The class is Minor Unholy Studies I, focusing mostly on demons and devils but even I wasn''t expecting an assignment like this. We have to make up a devil of any kind. We name it, describe its abilities, give it a premise and finally a humane rating. Despite this being the first project of the school year, we''re being graded by a guest instead of the teacher. Whoever the guest is, they''ll be asking five to ten questions based on our descriptions and we receive a second grade based on our answers. The abilities are easy, the premise and rating are where things get complicated.


    A Devil''s Premise is a completely degrading concept, it does make sense though because humans see Hellspawn as "lower beings". It''s basically describing their behavior in an animalistic way. So if a devil is quick-tempered and is constantly seen angry then they may be labeled as aggressive. While that''s technically right, if this personality trait was seen in an average Joe, you may call them hot-headed before calling them aggressive. The premise is usually more complicated as it often depicts a devil''s relationship with another individual. For example, a devil linked to a human by blood is defined as Bloodlinked, from there they''re most likely characterized as Bloodlinked Defensive, Aggressive, or Neutral. This refers to how they act around their Bloodlink, the human they''re linked to, whether they are protective, aggressive or act only when told to or how. I don''t get why we describe their behavior like this since they''re just as intelligent as we are, some even smarter. Their premise is often influenced by their Humane Rating and is usually grouped together.


    Humane Ratings aren''t nearly as prejudicial and look at Hellspawn on a more intelligent and psychological level by comparing them to the human psyche. Humane Ratings measure how similar to a human non-human individuals are, or can be. For our project we''ll be using Humane Rating V, this rating class is for any devil and is determined by the devil''s day-to-day activities. It addresses sleeping patterns, emotional interactions, and diet, if there is one. It also considers behavioral and mood changes related to sleep patterns and diet. While attempting to measure these attributes may seem less demeaning, it still suggests that they are less intelligent than us. I sit next to Jorge, putting the note down on the table.


    "Whoa whoa whoa, hol'' up," Jorge said looking at the note. "Did you get her number?"


    "Wha-dude, no, she''s like twenty-something."


    "Age is just a number bro."


    "And prison is just a room," we both laugh at that one.


    "Wait, how do you know how old she is?," Jorge asked, confused.


    "Jorge, you need a degree to be a librarian."


    "Are you serious? What do you need a degree for?"


    "She¡¯s running the entire library, that has to require some extra education."


    "I''m not sayin'' she''s ain''t smart, I just don''t think you need a degree to be a librarian."


    "Riiight," I said condescendingly. "Anyways, what''d you find bro?"


    "Yeah, so check it out," Jorge turns to the book. "So I''ma be honest chief, I don''t know how to just make up a personality."


    "Is that all you''re strugglin'' wit''? I thought you''d be havin'' trouble with appearance and a name."


    "Wait, what?!," he''s shocked. "Are we makin'' a person?"


    "Well I think of it as a person, but yeah basically."


    "Yeah, then I definitely need this."


    "And what exactly is this?"


    "Here, check it," Jorge said, pointing to the page.


    "Is that a summoner''s seal? Are you tryna release a demon?"


    "What? Course not, c''mon Jas¨¹n."


    "Oh good, ''cause those ones-"


    "I''m summoning a devil," Jorge actually said with a straight face.


    "Hol'' up, are you serious?"


    "Yeah dude, we can just summon one and ask ''em some questions for the project. Easy."


    "Oh easy, mmhm. Okay," I said looking up to avoid eye contact.


    "What''cha doin'', something on tha'' ceilin''?"


    "Just askin'' tha'' Lord for the strength."


    "Strength to help in this endeavor? C''mon it won''t be that hard bro."


    "Nah," I said, turning back to him. "I''m askin'' for tha'' strength not to backhand you through a few bookcases."


    "WOW, so violent."


    "Ya'' know what, maybe I just don''t understand tha'' plan," I said calmly. "What are ya'' goin'' to do after questioning the devil you summon?"


    "So you do think it''ll work?," Jorge asked surprised.


    "No I don''t, so I take it ya'' don''t have a plan then?"


    "I do, I do. We summon ''em, ask ''em some questions ''bout themselves. Ya'' know, tha'' basics."


    "Tha basics, uh huh."


    "Then I''ll go deep-"


    "That don''t sound right, continue."


    "And ask the weird questions about their diet-"


    "They¡¯re normal questions, go on."


    "Then I''ll go even deeper."


    "I swear you''re doin'' this on purpose."


    "And we''ll talk emotions."


    "Okay, maybe that''s not one hundred percent a bad idea," I said, genuinely surprised. With ¨¡na around there''s a good chance it could work. "Whatcha'' gon'' do when you''re done questioning ''em?"


    "I was gonna do one of those contracts or somethin''."


    "Oh naw."


    "C''mon man, it''s just a devil. How much harm could it actually cause?"


    "The main problem is we don''t even know how strong of a devil we''d be summoning," I said while getting up and grabbing the note. "Walk an'' talk bro."


    "Ugh, alright," he said, getting up with his book.


    I look at the note again then go between the aisles, I turn into the correct aisle glancing at the book numbers as I walk. I look back at the note, 576.50 DO.


    "I got it bro," Jorge said, breaking the silence.


    "Ya got what?," I asked, turning to him confused and slightly annoyed. "Whatcha'' talkin''?"


    "This is the book you were lookin'' for right?," Jorge asked while holding a biology book. I snatch it from him, "Ow dude, chill."


    "My bad bro, but how¡¯d you find it without the number?," I asked, checking the book''s spine. It''s the right book too.


    "Well we came into the aisle and I asked you a question. You didn''t answer me so I looked up to find you starin'' at that note. Then I noticed a book sticking out from the shelf, then it started creepin'' out further. So I called your name but yo stare game was on point. Then I approached that baby cautiously, ''cause ya'' never know," he said with a smug look and a casual finger gun like it''s socially acceptable for our generation. "Don''t give me that look. Anyway I was ''bout to catch that thing like a Super Bowl interception. BUT, you had that thing fallin'' in slow-mo bro!"


    "What?"


    "Bro, you had it on the slow descent."


    "Oh please man, you know I don''t like that song."


    "Alright, alright, but it was still cool to see."


    "Oh I bet it was, did anyone else notice?," I asked, trying to mask my worry.


    "Still worried ''bout people finding out?"


    "You know I am, but forget that, this here''s the right book. Check the corners," I said. He nods and turns to check the corner behind him, I turn around and make my way to the end of the aisle. I look both ways down the silent corridor and only see a tall guy heading towards the study area, hopefully he doesn''t take our spot. I turn back to see Jorge giving me a thumb''s up without facing me. I close my eyes and focus on my room, my dresser, the bottom drawer, my laptop bag. I feel a subtle warmth in my hand.


    "Yo chill out with the unholy fire!," I heard Jorge say.


    My eyes snap open and go straight to my hand to see a black fireball. I quickly make a fist snuffing out the flame.


    "Hey, your eyes are doin'' that black as a night in Hell thing, you good?," Jorge asked nervously.


    I guess someone with blacked out eyes can have that kind of effect on people. I close my eyes and take a deep breath in, then out. I open my eyes again.


    "Okay, we''re good," I said calmly.


    "No matter how many times I see your fire snot, it''ll always be cool."


    "C''mon, you know it''s not snot," I said. "I think ¨¡na might''ve moved my bag."


    "Ya know everything''s not always her fault."


    "Yeah, that''s why I said ''might''ve''. Cover me though," I said, taking a knee.


    "Shouldn''t we go outside?," Jorge asked nervously.


    I look up at him, "Naw," I said before looking down and closing my eyes. I open my eyes looking at the library floor, it''s carpet. This carpet is thinner and rougher than mine. It''s a drab mix of green and red, but mine''s a beige or tan color, maybe somewhere between the two. That should be good¡­


    I blink and tense up, I''m surprised by the sound of a vacuum cleaner.


    "BOY! What''re ya'' doin'' here?!," Granny exclaimed, startling me.


    "Sorry Granny," I said standing up. "I forgot my red bag."


    "You mean yo tall girl purse?," she asked with an innocent grin.


    "It''s a laptop bag Granny."


    "Uh-huh, it''s on tha'' bed," she said pulling at the vacuum cord.


    I look over and grab the bag, I don''t even feel the weight of my laptop inside. I sling the strap over my head and go back to the spot I came in at, I think.


    "You comin'' home after ya'' done at the library?," Granny asked.


    "No," I said, kneeling down. I look up to see her unplugging the vacuum. "Me and Jorge are meetin'' ¨¡na at the mall to eat." I get my phone from my pocket and text Jorge, ''We good?''.


    "Can you beep ¨¡na for me?," Granny asked. I look down with my hand over my mouth to hide my grin.


    "Uh yeah, you want me to tell ''er to stop by before she meets us?," I ask as I get ready to text her.


    "Yeah, that works," Granny answered.


    I text ¨¡na then put my phone in my pocket. I put my hand on the floor once again focusing on the carpets of both my room and the library. Now that I''m looking more closely at my carpet I think it''s actually closer to beige, maybe I just need to look at a color wheel. I close my eyes...


    "That was quick, here''s the bio book you wanted," Jorge said, holding the book out to me. I grab the book while standing up. "Hey do you know what this means, ''diabolus o-ra-column come sicario''?"


    "I have no idea what that means but I''m pretty sure you butchered whatever it''s s''pose to say," I answered. I look over and see him in the middle of the book. "Wait," I said, prompting him to look at me. "Why are you in the middle of that book? Isn''t that where the advanced stuff is?"


    "Well yeah, but this is the first summoning I found that we can actually do." He turns around then starts heading to the table, I follow.


    We both sit and set each other''s books in front of the opposite person, me with the summoning book and him with the biology book. The book is still open to the summoning he was talking about. ''Diabolus'', that should be lesser demon or devil, followed by a colon, then ''Oraculum cum Sicario''. I¡¯ve never seen this combination of words before, it must be the type of demon or devil the summoning is for. "Ok so Diabolus is lesser demon or devil, but I''m thinkin'' it''s most likely devil. Oraculum is an oracle, or something similar to an oracle," I explain.


    "So then it''s a summoning for a type of oracle devil?," he asked without looking up from the biology book. "Would that be Hell''s version of oracles then?"


    "No to both, well maybe yes to the first one. If it''s a type of oracle then I don''t know what kind of oracle cum Sicario is. Let me check the requirement list first though, hopefully it''ll have a clue." I turn the page to look at the ingredients list, which for some reason is multiple paragraphs. Then an ingredient pops out at me, "Bro we''re not doin'' this," I said, causing him to snap my direction.


    "Why? What''s up?," he asked, trying to act innocent.


    "This requires a HUMAN SOUL, I''m not gonna let you give away your soul!"


    "Hey man, remember we''re in a library, keep it down. Plus I found a loophole."


    "Yeah yeah, you like holes, what''s new," I said, as he gives me an annoyed look.


    "Right, so you remember my creepy family heirloom?"


    "What creepy heirloom?," I asked, holding back laughter. His family history is actually interesting, especially the creepy heirloom.


    "The creepy thing that ¨¡na likes to talk to, it follows me around the house now dude!"


    "B-bro," I can''t even get it out, I''m laughing so hard. I take a minute to quickly compose myself.


    "Ya'' done?," Jorge asked irritably, "you''re disturbing the peace."


    "I''m sorry, it''s just too funny. Hey, hey," I said, nudging him. "Say it bro"


    "I''m not saying it."


    "C''mon, say it once."


    "Nope, not gonna say it."


    "C''mooooon bro, just once."


    He sighs in agitation, "the doll."


    I immediately feel a burst of energy throughout my body, I exhale from my nose and see my black flames. I don''t know why but whenever Jorge mentions his doll by name, or simply as the doll, I get a small surge of power. It''s also hilarious to see him minorly irritated by it too. He''s tried explaining how the doll got passed down but I get lost at the town massacre part. But, it only goes to the first born child, and Jorge was the first born boy since Texas was called Tejas. The only concerning part of all this is that no one else describes the doll as "paranormal" but Jorge, I''m guessing it''s because he''s the first boy that the doll got stuck with. It also came with a creepy note.


    The note has been slightly edited since the first time it was written, but it does actually make the doll seem alive, or like it''ll come to life. Based on the note, Jorge thinks Susanne "acts out" whenever he gets upset with, neglects, or misplaces her. Her "acting out" is usually Susanne appearing in rooms that Jorge is in, and recently in his dreams. It sounds like she''s trying to give Jorge a message but he''s struggling to decipher it.


    "Well, have you had another dream lately?," I asked.


    "Actually, I think I''ve had THE dream," Jorge answered sadly.


    "What do you mean the dream?"


    "So this time, we were in my mom''s old room. Susanne was on the bed, looking at me. I remembered my mom saying that she kept her journal-"


    "Diary, but continue," I quickly said.


    "...In her nightstand. I go over to the nightstand and Susanne appears on it. I just ignore her and open the top drawer. I see a journal that looks like an old composition book. At first I thought it was my mom''s, but this one was labeled Susanne and Rosalina, my mom named her journal Rosa and Sue."


    "Whoa," I get the familiar surge of power as he says her name.


    "RIGHT! I think it was Sue''s writings about her time with my mom."


    "What was in it?," I asked, brimming with excitement.


    "Oh uhh," Jorge puts his head down. "Given the circumstances, I was unable to obtain the book."


    "Were you paralyzed?"


    "...No."


    "Did you lose control of your body?"


    "Well umm¡­"


    "Dude, you gotta give me something. Why didn''t you just grab it?"


    "Okay okay, look it was in the drawer."


    "Ok, and?"


    "Well, there was some...concerning contents inside."


    "Oh, like some hex stones? I can tell you how to get past ''em."


    "Dude, it was an underwear drawer."


    "....Your underwear drawer?," I asked jokingly.


    "Dude no, it was full of panties man."


    "...Hers or your mother''s?"


    "I DON''T KNOW!"


    I try to hide my laughter by clearing my throat, "that''s, umm, I don''t know what to say man."


    "That''s not funny man! That thing is straight up evil."


    "Let me get this straight though, the only reason ya'' didn''t grab the book is cause it was in an underwear drawer?"


    "Look, that''s one GOOD reason, another reason is because I can''t tell how old my mom was when she had that...drawer."


    "Why does that matter?"


    Jorge looked at me dumbfounded. "Cause if I met my mother when she was a teenager I wouldn''t try ''n hit on her, so I definitely wouldn''t want to see what she has on under her clothes."


    "That sounds weird...anyway what about the doll though."


    "I don''t know man, I think she''s mad about it."


    "What, ya'' told your mom?"


    "Huh, no dude, Sue."


    "How did you manage to piss off a doll?"


    "First of all, we both know that''s not all she is. Second, after I opened the drawer and saw the book with the underwear I was disgusted and actually said ''eww'' aloud."


    "Oh noo, why," I said sarcastically. "So do we kill it now?"


    "No, no, she''s just upset. She followed me around the house all mornin'' ''til I left." Jorge actually seemed down about it.


    "So you''re concerned about her now?"


    "Well I suspected she was trying to communicate and now it''s clear that she is but instead of listening I said ''ewww''. I don''t think of her as a real person but she clearly has feelings and I think I hurt them. I gotta find out what she''s tryin'' to tell me," he said looking sure of himself.


    "Alright then, just add it to the list but for now-"


    "Heterochromia iridum, or iridis, this is when one iris is a different color than the other."


    "Iris¡­." As I hear him say her name, she somehow seems more real. It''s as if saying her name he''s confirming her existence, acknowledging her. I can see her eyes as if they were in front of me once again, her right eye, a light-purple. There''s something else, a fear present. I can''t tell what I''m afraid of but my heartbeat is going up and I can''t calm myself down. This fear is overwhelming, and concerning, I''m sure I''m in a library. This fear, it can''t be mine-


    "Jay!"


    I snap out of my trance as I hear Jorge call my name.


    "Check your eyes man," he says.


    "Sorry bro, I wasn''t expecting to get hit that hard."


    "It''s good, but I''m guessing this is the thing we needed to talk about right?"


    "Yeah," I answered heavily. "I guess it''s my turn to share a creepy dream. It actually turned out to be a contact vision, but it started out as the same nightmare."


    "Your dad again?," Jorge asked, concerned.


    "Yeah, except when me and ¨¡na went underground everything changed. We were supposed to check the cells, they would all be empty, then we go above ground and attack. But when I checked my last cell I found a girl inside. Her clothes were torn and she looked like a teenager or young adult. I involuntarily said her name, ''Iris'', and she turned to me when she heard me. She crawled into the light, reaching out to me with blood and tears mixing down her face. I was able to see her eyes at this point, they were cat eyes and one was half-blue. She asked me what her name was and all I wanted to do was knock down the door and save her but I was paralyzed. All I could do was speak so I told her, ''your name is Iris''. I immediately woke up and was in full armor, but I''m not sure if she saw me as the Rogue or as my younger self before the transformation." Jorge looks shocked by the story.


    "Damn man," he said, "but what does the armor have to do with tha'' dream?"


    "Well if she saw all the black flames and hood and still wanted my help she either doesn''t know what the Rogue looks like or is in so much pain that she doesn''t care who helps her."


    "Bro, what if she wanted the Rogue to help her?"


    "You mean like a trap?"


    "Nah, you said it was a contact vision, those aren''t always random. She could be in that same prison complex, or she could''ve been reaching out to your dad and got you."


    "I didn''t think about that, if she wants my help specifically there might be something else that I''m missing¡­. Okay, we''ll get you a devil," I said reluctantly.


    "For real?," Jorge said, shocked.


    "BUT-"


    "Oh okay, a catch."


    "It has to be someone that can help us find or rescue Iris."


    "Ummm, ''or''?," Jorge asked, puzzled.


    "Yeah, from what I understand it''ll be hard to summon a devil that''s willing to help find and rescue Iris as well as cooperate with us. Honestly it''ll be easier to find a demon that''ll want to help us, in exchange for something obviously," I explained.


    "Wow, you learned all that from hangin'' out wit'' ¨¡nanda?"


    "Wha- no! It''s in our textbook and the recommended reading for our project."


    "Oh yeah," Jorge said as he picked up the biology book. "So then, Iris has heterochromia iridum?"


    "I think so, maybe," I answer unsure. "But only partially, if that''s a thing. The book says that it''s when the eyes are two separate colors, like this picture," I point to a picture of a woman with a green and blue eye. "Iris has cat''s eyes and only one of them is half a different color."


    "The cat eyes thing sounds pretty cool, but if it''s a devil that we''re all going to be needing, can I make a list then you an'' ¨¡nanda can just choose from it?"


    "Uhh...I guess that''s okay," I answer hesitantly. "Make the list and I should be able to cross off the major problem ones. I''ll be right back though, gonna put this book up." I get up and take the biology book from Jorge then head towards its shelf. As I walk into the aisle I find a volunteer with a book cart. She has the same grey cardigan as Ms. Papinn¡­.wait. "Ms. Papinn?"


    She stands up and turns to me, "oh hi. You were the young boy looking for a bio book for mutations right?" Her height caught me off guard, she looks like an eighth grader trying to blend in as an adult. "What''s wrong," she asked with a blank expression. "Did I refer you to the wrong book?"


    "Oh, no," I said, trying to ignore her height. "It was very helpful, umm. Exactly what I was looking for."


    "That''s good," she said, turning back to reshelf books. "Then I''m assuming you were taken aback by my appearance."


    "Yeah, sorry, you''re not a kid though right?," I asked as politely as I could.


    "N-no," she answered through laughter. "I''m around you and your friend''s age. I''m actually going to start attending the nearby high school for four days a week."


    "Northside or Leejay?"


    "Leejay magnet, is that where you and your friend attend?" she asked, visibly excited.


    "Uh, yeah, but I thought you needed a degree to be a librarian."


    "Yes you do, I have a masters in library sciences; however, I also have a degree in psychology and sociology. I will be hosting a social experiment where I will be able to attend high school as a student. Generally these types of experiments are ethical but frowned upon by the scientific community. This will also be my first experience in an educational environment with my peers, peers of age not intellect, no offense."


    "So you ended up skipping high school?"


    "Well technically no, I was home-schooled so I still learned the base high school curriculum. Although I was in Georgia, I''m sure the curriculum is similar to Louisiana''s."


    "Oh okay cool, well is it okay if I gave ya'' this book to put up?"


    "Of course," she grabs the book and places it on the cart. "I''m glad the book was helpful."


    "Yeah thanks for that. So when can we expect to see you around school?"


    "I''ll be picking classes after work Monday, school should be letting out then so maybe we can, um hang out for a bit?"


    "Is ''hangin'' out'' part of your social experiment?"


    "Um, perhaps¡­"


    "I''ll think ''bout it but I might be helpin'' Jorge wit'' his project. Oh, Jorge is tha'' guy that I came in with."


    "Oh okay, education is important so¡­"


    "Yeah, sorry, but hey, now we have another reason to come to tha'' library now," I said hoping to cheer her up.


    "That''s good," she said blushing. "It''ll be good to have more youth coming in¡­"


    "Cool, can I get your number to text ya'' later?"


    "Oh, um, y-yeah, sure."


    I head back to the table with Ms. Papinn''s number and hopefully a new friendship. I''m confident I didn''t hurt her feelings though I could''ve at least learned her first name. And what classes she''ll be taking¡­ And maybe get some details on her social experiment¡­ I definitely should have talked to her more, but at least I''m friends with the librarian. "Wow, that sounds lonely."


    "What sounds lonely?" Jorge asked.


    "Nothin'', let''s check out your book and dip."


    -ET Lavillis

 Paladins: Another Rogue: Chapter 3

    "Can you hear me? I''ve always hated these one way convo''s, sorry conversations. Can you tell that I''ve been spending too much time in school?," I laugh. "You''d be happy to know that Jas¨¹n is doing well. He finished freshman year with straight A''s, sorry I already told you that. Umm¡­ oh, he still doesn''t feel comfortable trying out for sports. Which leads to my next topic, Jorge''s family is still the only non-blood related humans that know Jas¨¹n is the Rogue. Hmm¡­ I believe that''s all the non-official business to report. Something that may be concerning, Jas¨¹n had a contact vision last night. He had brief communications with a female that he believes to be human. Based on his description, she has most likely been tortured, may not be human, and seems to be young, possibly early twenties based on current fashion trends. The vision happened during an induced nightmare about the day we lost you, contact was made in one of the underground cells of the prison. I''m on my way now to confirm the prison''s operational status. Given the deal you made with Madam Edale, it''d be interesting to see what became of the facility." I kneeled down placing the flowers on the ground in front of the tombstone. "I recently learned that I should leave a dime here, don''t worry it''s polished." I took the shiny coin out of my purse and placed it on the gravestone. I looked again at the writing on the gravestone.


    Thomas Combe


    The Split Shot Paladin


    The first taken by the Rogue


    Well it''s not entirely wrong, but I wish it was more accurate. I get up and start the peacefully dreadful walk past the rows of graves towards a clearing. The graveyard here has both normal humans and Paladins buried next to their loved ones, friends, and a few Paladins from the South that never revealed themselves to the public. I think that would have been worse, if Thomas never revealed himself and left a gravestone that only memorialized one half of him. But I guess that''s what his current gravestone reads. I approach the peaceful clearing. It''s always quiet here, even on Sundays after Ruby Saints service ends. I''ve seen many people paying respects often but I doubt they know of the peace at this archway, or of its alternate purpose. I take a match from my purse and light it. The flame probably lasted for less than a second before the wind extinguished it.


    "Oh, c''mon, I haven''t even started the spell yet!" I shout¡­ at no one.


    I light another match and place it under the archway, as close to the middle as possible. Despite being in dry grass, the flame doesn''t spread much. I take a few steps back holding my hand out, reaching for the flame. I slowly make a fist, as the feeling of heat grows in my palm the size of the flame grows to match. The once baby flicker is now a small campfire-like flame as my fist is fully clenched. I quickly raise my other fist, bringing both together to prevent the fire from growing any further. I can feel the heat evenly in both fists, I have full control of my small campfire now. I slowly pull my fists apart, splitting the fire and spreading it to the left and right. The flame stops at each end of the archway, I drop my arms releasing the flame from my control. Depending on the stress this has on the human body, this may be a good workout for the boys, I''m not sure where we would do something like this everyday though.


    "Focus!" I whisper to myself, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I open my eyes and plant my feet, focusing on the arch. "Conjuro potentia ¨¡nanda, patefacas a porta ad inferno sic mea deamones transire et urantamos hic mundus." The flame flickers and the once white archway is now a dismal shade of gray...but nothing beyond that. "Um, hello? Knight of Hell here," I said, knocking on the now cracking arch. Did I forget something? I know I said everything right, OH! "Ut inter mundos iter pereamus." And just like that, my door fizzles open. For a moment there I thought I was going to have to hunt down Charon. I zip up my purse and walk through the portal.


    Once again I''m in the silent garden, I turn around to make sure the door closes behind me...it''s still open. Just as I got ready to step closer and investigate, it snapped shut. I don''t know why it stayed open for so long but hopefully it''s nothing serious. I extend my wings, it''s been so long that it feels like a morning stretch after leg day. I take a moment, flex and flap them a couple times before taking off. I go straight up so I can get a view above the treeline. This place has no clouds to greet you in the sky, only a gray murkiness. I don''t like being this high up when in Hell but unfortunately this is the quickest way to find the facility. I spot it on my left and slowly turn towards it, shifting my wings into position. Now facing the right direction I burst forward, holding back only enough to avoid creating a sonic boom.


    I often forget this feeling of wind on my face, it''s subtle here but it''s enough to make me want to fly more. I''m nearing the cliff, I slowly lean into a dive. On my descent I brake with my wings and land feet first, now I have a clear view of the facility...one that seems familiar. I look down over the cliff and see my old dagger still hanging on, I quickly grab it.


    "Oh how I''ve missed you! We''ll be able to make people cry again," I say to my dagger as if expecting a response. I put the dagger back in my purse and shifted my focus. I can''t tell if the facility is operational from here and if I get too close I run the risk of being spotted.


    "Hey! This area is locked down, state your name!," a voice commanded from behind.


    I guess I have to get my dagger back out, but at least I don''t have to fly over there now. Ugh, I can''t believe this, I might actually have to train Jorge now.


    "HEY! Can you hear?!," the voice continued.


    But if the facility is operational, we don¡¯t know if the girl that Jas¨¹n saw is inside, or if she¡¯s even alive. Well here''s to hoping this guard goes inside sometimes.


    "¨¡nanda, Knight of Hell, the First Legion," I answered while turning around. "And I don''t think I have clearance here, maybe you can help me with that."


    "Oh sorry ma''am but the Warden didn''t say he was expecting any Knights to visit. I''m sure he will still be happy to show you the progress we''ve made though."


    "He?," I asked while taking my dagger out. The guard¡¯s dark green skin and scars is loosely covered in worn armor and bandages, it makes him look more like a brutish ogre than a demon. Oh gosh, I''ve been hanging out with those nerds too much. I hold up my old dagger, the runes glow a seering red as if the dagger knew what was to come. It''s been a few centuries since I''ve used my dagger, properly anyway. "Tell me, do you know what this is?," I asked while holding up my blade.


    "That''s a torture blade right? One of the first I''m assuming."


    "That''s right it''s¡ªwait what do you mean one of the first?"


    "Well, I just thought that, given who you are¨C"


    "Are you calling me old?!" I shout at the shivering brute.


    "No, no, no! Well wait, aren''t you old?" he asked, confused.


    "Mmhmm. So I was just going to interrogate you using the blade for intimidation, but now¡­," I pause for a moment. The blade''s glow, a shivering demon, and I''m in Hell again, this brings back some memories. "How would you like to help me make a new memory?"


    <hr>


    I close the door and walk around the car towards Jorge. "¨¡na should meet up wit'' us after she leaves the house."


    "So should we just go pick up the stuff for the summoning then?," he asked.


    "It''d be best if we waited on ¨¡na, dealin'' wit'' the peoples in Black Terra is more her thing. Besides, I thought we were gon'' watch tha'' Terrion movie."


    "C''mon man, you really think she gon'' take ''bout three hours wit'' Granny?"


    "Well it depends on what she has her doin''," as I say that my phone beeps. "Hol'' up, this might be her."


    "Doubt."


    I check my messages, ''im leavin grannys then ill meet u at wcd''. "¨¡na said she just left, she''ll meet us at the Wild Candy Diner."


    "Ugh, well at least we can chill for a bit. I finished my list, so we can go over it while we get something to drink."


    "How did you do the list?," I was curious how he finished it so fast.


    "What do you mean? All I did was write down the names of the ones that seemed helpful."


    "Umm...what kinda'' names did ya list?"


    "You want me to read it now?"


    "Naw, let''s just head to Wild Candy first," I said, opening the door.


    We came in on the food court side, rumor is it''s closer to Black Terra Market. The food court here is a pretty decent size I think, about as big as the cul-de-sac near our street. I''m not sure where Black Terra is from the food court though, never been there myself, and the only thing ¨¡na tells me about it are the clothes she gets from there, so gossip is all we have to go on. She shouldn''t take long, plus we can get some drinks while I go over Jorge''s list.


    "Here''s the diner," Jorge said, heading in.


    "Let''s try to get a booth this time, yeah?" I asked.


    "Calm down, they added more booths."


    "Oh, they expanded backwards¡­ I don''t like it."


    "C''mon, let''s sit here."


    The Wild Candy Diner is a pretty cool place, it looks like someone took a bar from a classic sitcom then changed the menu to cater for kids. The only alcohol here is the rubbing alcohol in the first aid kit. While the menu is clearly for kids, the place has more of a "teen hangout" vibe. It''s also run almost exclusively by teens, besides the owner and general manager, the oldest employee looks like the cook, and he¡¯s a college freshman. If I didn''t have to train so much, this is the kind of place I''d like to work at after school.


    "Hey there Jorge! How are you?," the bartender asked.


    "We''re good Rudy," Jorge answered, "we''re just chillin'' for a bit. Waitin'' on someone."


    "Aight, hey I''ma send one of our new girls your way, go easy on ''er yeah?"


    "Yeah, no prob''."


    Rudy, is a junior in one of Jorge''s classes, or rather Jorge is in one of her classes, statistics II. Jorge is ahead of the curve when it comes to math and science, but he also gets good grades in every other subject too. He''s currently taking a junior level science, a junior level math, and the Minor Unholy studies I class which is full of juniors, seniors, and me. Plus the rest of the core stuff and P.E.. Although Minor Unholy studies is a religious science, I only surpass him due to my first hand experience. If I weren''t a Paladin, I might not even be in the class this year. We go to sit down and are immediately greeted by a bubbly waitress.


    "Hi! My name is Chloe and I''ll be your server today!," she said, handing us menus. "I don''t have many tables right now, so you can just call me over whenever you''re ready!"


    As I look over the menu for new specials, I hear wheels rolling as Chloe seems to glide away. I look over to see her in roller skates, I think she''s the first waitress I''ve seen here with roller skates.


    "Jorge, are the roller skates somethin'' new?," I ask quietly.


    "Naw, but not every waitress wears ''em," he answered. "When was the last time ya'' were here bro?"


    "Uhh¡­I think that time I summoned a launcher."


    "Bro it sounds like you''re askin'' me not telling."


    "Yeah, it''s been awhile."


    My training has limited my social life to mostly Jorge, but I don''t really mind. ¨¡na says I still need the training but I feel more than ready for a real fight. Then again, there is also the issue of exposure. No matter how many hellspawn I kill or people I save, everyone will still look at me like I''m the antichrist. I guess the only fight I''m truly ready for is against Hell. Besides, even if I did save someone they''d most likely run away instead of thanking me. Then there''s the ones who won''t run¡­ Before Iris I never had a clear image of someone that wanted me to save them. I guess that means we should get to work then.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "Yo let me see tha'' list you got," I said.


    "Uhhh, why don''t you order first," Jorge said.


    "I''m just gettin'' a float, you can order that for me."


    "Mmhmm, alright," Jorge said, handing me his phone.


    "What?¡±


    "You know you can get something besides shakes and floats."


    "I get malts too, besides we''re just waitin'' for ¨¡na, we don''t need to eat right now."


    I shift my focus onto Jorge''s list, I recognize a few of the names: Bael, Furcas, and Seere. This one, Asmoday, seems familiar but I''ve never seen the last two, Shan and Murmur. If I remember correctly, to summon any hellspawn whose name you don''t know you have to summon from their class and get lucky. Demon classes are just that, a class on how to be a demon. Numerous high ranking demons teach lesser hellspawn magic techniques, combat techniques, and even basic education to raise their skill levels. After graduating the class the demon is likely assimilated into a legion, most of the classes are taught by generals and princes. Those same generals and princes of hell may command one or more legions of demons and typically a legion specializes in some form of warfare. Actually, I should probably explain to Jorge how summoning these demons work.


    "Okay so, first of all we won''t be summonin'' any of tha'' peeps listed here," I begin.


    "Awww c''mon," Jorge protested.


    "Ya'' cut me off. We won''t be summonin'' any of them because we''ll actually be summoning one of their students."


    "Hi! Are you two ready to order?," Chloe chimed in.


    "Yeah," Jorge answered. "I''ll have a small caramel sundae wit'' pecans on the side and a medium root beer float for my friend."


    "Okay and did you want anything extra on your float?"


    "Um no, just tha'' float," I answered. What extra stuff am I supposed to get on a float, toppings?


    "Alright, well your ice cream will be ready in a few, can I take your menus?"


    "Sure," Jorge said, handing her his menu.


    "Actually, I''ma hold this one. We''re expecting one more," I said.


    "Oh no prob'', I''ll be back when your ice cream is ready."


    I get my phone and text ¨¡na to see where she is. I''m not sure what Granny needed from her but hopefully it didn''t drain her too much.


    "You textin'' ¨¡nanda?," Jorge asked.


    "Yeah," I answered with a chuckle, "just checkin'' on her. Y''know you could call ''er ¨¡na, right?"


    "No thanks, I prefer to not get hurt over a name."


    "Anyway, like I said, we would be summoning one of these demon''s students. It would be far too dangerous to summon one of these guys directly. You get what I''m sayin''?"


    "I think so. So each of the demons I listed are teachers for other demons and we''re summoning one of their students?"


    "Exactly, so we look at what each one teaches then decide which student to summon."


    "Okay bet¡­ so what do each of them teach?"


    "I only know what a few of them teach. Beal is an eastern king that teaches sciences and invisibility. Furcas is an old knight that teaches logic, philosophy, astrology, pyromancy and something else. Seere teaches umm... how do I word it?"


    "Is it somethin'' weird?"


    "Naw, just kinda hard to explain. To oversimplify it, she trains demons to be the perfect spy."


    "Oh, that''s pretty cool. So if we were to summon from Seere we''d end up with a devil spy? Spy devil?"


    "Yeah, but I''m sure they''d be more than just a spy."


    "Right, right, personality and stuff. ''Human-like is still Human''."


    "Well I actually mean that they may have been taught by someone else as well."


    "...So we could have a fire-breathing spy that can transform into a dragon-human hybrid?"


    "Umm...that''s highly specific, but yeah I guess we could," I answered, concerned for what Jorge may have planned for the poor devil.


    "Okay, okay, chill."


    "Alright boys, here''s your sundae," Chloe interrupted, setting the bowl of caramel delight in front of Jorge. "And your float." Chloe set the float and a bottle of root beer down in front of me. She placed a can of whipped cream between the two of us then gave us some napkins and spoons. "Call me over if you two need anything else," Chloe said, rolling away while Jorge started creating a mountain of whipped cream.


    "Jorge," he looked up at me like a deer in headlights. "Are we able to get all the prerequisites?"


    "What, the soul?," he said, continuing with the whipped cream, "that won''t be a problem."


    "No, no. Bro this is a magical spell, so that means we''ll need prerequisites, A.K.A. the right ingredients."


    "So we''re basically following a cookin'' recipe?"


    "If you want to look at it that way, yeah. But based on these demons listed we''ll need a binding spell."


    "What about ¨¡nanda?"


    "I guess she might know a few,"


    "Nah, we can use her to keep the devil in check."


    "Then what happens when she leaves?"


    "Oh¡­," he answered, leaving his spoon in his mouth.


    "Let me see if I can find something," I said, pulling out my phone. ¨¡na should''ve texted me back already, hopefully we aren''t waiting too long. Did we check out that book to reference later? I need the right words to search¡­ maybe just ''binding spell''?


    "Could I bloodlink with them?," Jorge asked.


    "NO!," I accidentally shouted out. Glancing past him, I notice a group of people look back at us. I clear my throat, "sorry, but that''s a permanent thing. Like ''til death type of permanent."


    "Alright bro, it''s good. You found another way to control ''em?"


    "Control who?," ¨¡na asked from behind, shopping bags in hand, "scoot over Jay."


    "When did you get to the mall and why didn''t you text me back?"


    "Wow, I just got here, can''t I enjoy my ice cream first?," she asked, pulling a spoon from¡­where''d she get a spoon?


    "That''s Jay''s," Jorge pleaded as ¨¡na grabbed my float. "...Okay then."


    "It''s fine bro, I still got the root beer. Anyway-"


    "Yeah, yeah, sorry," she interrupted. "I''ll try to text you back next time so you don''t have to worry." Jorge had trouble holding back his laughter.


    "Right, not worried ''bout you," I quickly respond.


    "What?," she said, looking at me innocently. "You don''t care about me?" Looking at her face it''s hard to imagine her as one of the most ruthless warriors to come out of Hell.


    "Chill, you know I care but we need your help."


    "You should say it, say I care about you, as an apology."


    "Fine, ¨¡na I do care about you," I said, bringing a smile to her face. "Now can you help us?"


    "Is this about the Iris girl?"


    "Her name is Iris, yes."


    "Yeah, well she may be in that facility, I didn''t have the time to check," she said, quickly shifting her attitude and my thought process.


    "So the prison''s fully operational?"


    "No it''s not. Wait were you two lookin'' for something else?"


    "Uhm, bindin'' spells I think," Jorge answered.


    "For devils," I added.


    "Bindings for devils," Jorge snickered at the remark.


    "Dude."


    "Oooh, I get it," ¨¡na said giggling. "Anyway, whyyy?"


    "I need help wi-"


    "WE need help wit'' this mission to get Iris," I interrupted Jorge.


    "...Mmhmm," ¨¡na moved the float to the side. "Jorge, look at me. What do you need a binding spell for?"


    "Uhhh," Jorge looked over at me.


    "Don''t look at Jay!" ¨¡na snapped. "Look at me, why do you want to bind a devil?"


    "Ummm, okay so¡­ We''re gonna kill two birds wit'' one stone see. We get a devil and bind it then I can use it to help wit'' my project and Jay can use ''em to help rescue his new crush."


    "Bro¡­," I said followed by a heavy sigh.


    "Crush?," ¨¡na asked, shocked. "So you are infatuated with this mystery girl."


    "I don''t even know what that means."


    "It means you like ''er like that," Jorge explained.


    "That can''t be the only thing you took from that," I said to ¨¡na.


    "Well you''d obvi¡¯ use- ...obviously use a bloodlink," she said.


    "Forgot we know your secret?," Jorge teased, ¨¡na stuck her tongue out at him.


    "But ain''t bloodlinks permanent? What happens when we''re done?"


    "First, bloodlinks aren''t permanent," ¨¡na began, "they''re just too hard, and painful, to remove. And were you plannin'' on throwin'' ''em out after you were done? I thought I raised you better," she said, returning to the float.


    "What?!," I blurted out somewhat offended, but she does have a point.


    "Yeah bro, that doesn''t seem right," Jorge said.


    "Yeah, yeah. I didn''t think about it like that," I said feeling guilty.


    "Calm down," ¨¡na said. "All we have to do is find a devil or demon that won''t be constantly trying to kill Jorgie"


    "Wait, what," Jorge said.


    "Well, not only will you be interrupting whatever someone''s doin'', you''ll be doing so to question them about homework. Afterwards you want them to help us with Jay''s girl problems, which we might need. But I doubt they''ll turn on their own willingly, or easily, which leaves us with bloodlinking. So basically, you''re ripping a potentially centuries old hellspawn from their life to be a, quote on quote, maid or butler to a hormonal teen boy." ¨¡na left us in an awkward silence as we were only now processing the weight of what we were proposing.


    "Can I be the link?," I asked.


    "No," ¨¡na said sternly. "Paladins can only bloodlink with Angels."


    "Angels can bloodlink?!," I asked shocked, "why?"


    "Usually for survival," she answered.


    "When you say Paladins can only bloodlink with Angels, does that include Jay?," Jorge asked, prompting ¨¡na to look at me as if I were a puzzle.


    "Wait, you never tested it with my father?"


    "Weeeell," she paused. "Look, even if we did test such a thing, which we had no reason to test, you''ve already proven to be nearly contrary to him. And I don''t know how much you remember about his powers but his fire is nothing like yours. That''s excluding the fact that you can play with fire like kids play with their pets."


    I rarely think about it, but ¨¡na''s right. Not only are my powers almost completely different from my father''s, we both don''t even know my limits. I''m not entirely sure how well I''ve developed compared to my father but, ¨¡na has told me a few times that I''m more powerful than him, I just lack experience. Or she could''ve been saying that to keep me attentive during training. However, she does seem genuinely unsure about the bloodlink. After his transformation, father and her tested numerous spells, weapons, prayers, and some other stuff but, the purpose of it all was to find new strengths and weaknesses not double check his capabilities. That, along with me being considered a "Natural Rogue", creates a shroud of mystery that even ¨¡na can''t solve alone.


    "Okay then, how do we safely link Jorge?"


    -ET Lavillis

 Paladins: Another Rogue: Chapter 4

    ¨¡na led us down a corridor that looked like it was missing an ¡°employees only¡± sign. The hallway alone is creepy but to think this is the way to the Black Terra Market ups the horror movie vibes. The only sounds should be us but I  find myself ignoring voices that aren''t ours.


    "Wait," ¨¡na said suddenly, "I need to ward you."


    "What?!" Jorge blurted.


    "Not you. Jay," she said.


    "Wait, what. Why me?"


    "Cause you''re going into what''s basically a flea market for everyone evil."


    "Still not seeing the issue here¡­"


    "You''re a Paladin," she responded with a death stare.


    I guess she has a point, I could be walking into the lion''s den here. If the people that come here have a problem with me as a Paladin I would be like a cop patrolling alone, nobody would even offer us a sample. On the other hand I could end up having to fight someone as we walk in. I still can''t believe I have to watch for Hellspawn and Paladins...


    "We''re not doin'' the warding thing," I said, causing ¨¡na to stop looking through her purse.


    "Explain."


    "I have a plan that should gain the respect of the people here."


    "Oh and what would make hellspawn and witches respect a Paladin?"


    "The fact that the Paladin among them is comfortable...among them."


    "But you''re not¡­"


    "But a Black Paladin is," Jorge intervened.


    "Or that''s the idea at least," I added.


    "So you¡¯re hoping for the perfect scenario, great~," ¨¡na responded sarcastically. She turned and continued leading us down the corridor.


    Jorge and I have discussed how to "promote" the image of The Rogue before. I came up with the idea of impersonating a Black Paladin. Black Paladins are like Black Knights, darker tactics, darker outlook, and more comfortable with evil. However, Black Paladins aren''t real Paladins, but they''re definitely able to hold their own against Hellspawn. We know that newer Paladins have been taught that I''m Hell''s Paladin, I doubt any of us can change their mindset. The normal person views me as evil, I say normal because the people that don''t view me that way are not normal. ¨¡na believes I have the same amount of followers as some of Hell''s princes, she thinks they''re mostly witches though. According to her, going public now may result in these followers increasing in number and creating a public presence. Then there''s the hellspawn, who ¨¡na jokingly says has mixed reviews over me. Apparently their viewpoints range from Hell''s superhero to Lucifer''s second greatest threat. If we could shift Hell''s opinion of me, I might be able to walk through Hell without someone trying to kill me. Changing minds on Earth is a different matter, one I expect to be far more difficult. Not only do I have to fight the slander of other Paladins, I don''t actually know which is true or not. My best option would be to admit that the previous Rogue died but that would mean revealing my father''s true identity to a world that has forgotten him. I''d hate to even consider ruining what little the other Paladins thought of him.


    "Me and Jorge came up wit'' what we think is a decent plan," I start.


    "Yeah, you want demons, devils and Hell''s worshippers not to kill you on site," ¨¡na stopped and turned around, "right?"


    "Who''s Hell''s worshippers?," Jorge asked.


    "Bro, witches and such," I shift back to ¨¡na. "For the most part, yes. But wouldn''t it be better if we can turn to hellspawn for help throughout my life, and even befriend some of them?"


    "You two know demons aren''t as cool as me right? And that seems like a lotta work to get help wit'' school projects," ¨¡na said.


    "Y¡¯know I mean more than just that."


    "Yeah yeah, I get it,¡± she sighed. ¡°Just transform, we can talk about it later."


    I stretch my arms out in front of me looking at my palms. I turn my hands around to welcome the familiar black flame. There''s a comforting warmth as it engulfs me. I feel the presence of my armor as the flame passes over my clothes. I can feel my breastplate as the flames culminate on my chest. I reach for an imaginary hood and pull it over my head causing black flames to rain over my face like a waterfall. As long as my hood is on, my face is hidden; that was one of my first lessons from ¨¡na after my transformation.


    "I always forget you can completely hide your face wit'' just a hood," Jorge commented.


    "Oh bro, I forgot to get something to conceal you!"


    "I need a disguise too?," Jorge asked.


    "Yeah, you do," ¨¡na chimed in, "but don''t worry I have something," she said with a grin. She rumbles through her purse a little before pulling out a small gem-like rock. "This hex should work fine," before any of us had time to react to her comment she pressed the rock on Jorge''s chest.


    "Uhhhhh," Jorge and I are equally confused.


    "Don''t make it weird," she said.


    "It''s too late for that," Jorge replied.


    "So what exactly are you doing?," I asked somewhat concerned.


    "Give it a minute," ¨¡na answered, putting the rock back into her purse. "It usually doesn''t take this long, it could be unstable."


    "WHAT?!," Jorge panicked.


    "Calm down, you''ll only make it worse!," she snapped. Suddenly runes appear on Jorge''s arms. I only recognize a few of them but it looks like disguising runes.


    "Whoa, what''s goin'' on?," his mood changes immediately.


    "It''s a harmless spell."


    "That''s not a thing," I interjected.


    "That only applies when humans do spellwork. And this is harmless because it literally does nothing," she reassured us.


    "Then what''s tha'' point? This stuff feels weird," Jorge said.


    "To make everyone looking at you think you''re using a concealment."


    "Ooohhh, people looking at him will think his face is a disguise," I realize.


    "Well most people yeah," she said with only a hint of concern. "The expert spellcasters may be able to tell that the runes aren''t really doing anything, besides glowing."


    "Isn''t this place full of expert spellcasters?" Jorge asked.


    "Not really, the people here can range from magical amateurs to expert spellcasters to the Titled of Hell. Hell''s princes and princesses even come here from time to time, usually to avoid the big crowds of the major hybrid markets. But even they send representatives and slaves sometimes.  I¡¯ve only seen amateurs here though," ¨¡na explains.


    "So this''ll work fine?," I asked her, concerned for my best friend.


    "...."


    "¨¡na!"


    "Yeah, it''s fine~, now calm down. We''re goin'' in," she said walking towards the wall.


    "Uhh bro¡­" Jorge said, confused.


    "It''s a concealment, c''mon," she said.


    "Wait!,¡± I exclaimed. "I thought you''re not s''pose to mix concealments."


    "First of all, mixing concealments is using more than one concealment on an object or creature. Second, which we just discussed not even two minutes ago, Jorge''s concealment isn''t even real," she explained.


    "Facts bro," Jorge said with newfound confidence in ¨¡na.


    "See, now let''s go," she said before strolling through the wall. This is a new concealment for me, instead of it rippling like water, it acts more like a thick fog. Even though ¨¡na has completely passed through the concealment, you can still make out her silhouette through the fog. Looking past her is difficult but it''s possible to see parts of the market in the distance.


    "Hey, are we in a rush?" Jorge asked.


    "I don''t know bro, she just be like that sometimes," I said heading towards the wall.


    "Yo hol'' up, I''m safe to walk through right?"


    "I mean, I guess so. If not, ¨¡na could heal you."


    "Could or will?"


    "...See ya'' on tha'' otha'' side!"


    I step backwards into the concealment, Jorge''s voice now faint as he protests. It''s as if the wall we once saw is actually between the two of us now. I don''t feel myself on the other side of the concealment but I hear it. It sounds like the mall we just left from, conversations on current events, gossip, people looking for certain stores, and even parents telling kids to stay close. I know they''re like us but for some reason I still expected something more sinister. I turn around to see what looks like the combination of a flea market and a mall. While some stores are refined, others are simply tents with people selling out of boxes like a rummage sale.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Whoa, dude this almost looks like the mall. It''s like we stepped through a funhouse mirror," Jorge said, after finally crossing through.


    "Yeah, it makes me regret not coming here earlier. Your runes don''t burn or anything right?"


    "It tingles a bit, like there''s something crawling on me but not in a creepy way. It''s almost calming actually." I''m surprised but relieved he''s okay. The runes have a vibrant blue glow, but they''re subtle enough that he doesn''t stand out amongst a crowd. He looks at the rune with almost childlike wonder.


    "Well the runes look good on ya'' bro."


    "Ehh, they look alright," ¨¡na chimed in quietly.


    "And where''d you run off to?" I asked.


    "Only a few steps away, master," she answered, motioning for us to get closer. "Okay look, I only now realized that the higher ups'' here should recognize Jay as The Rogue, I think they''ll be the only ones that do. But just in case anyone doubts his identity as The Rogue, Jorge and I will be playing the roles of servant and slave. We''ll both address you as ''master'', Jorge''s runes will make him appear to be a concealed bestial. I''ll flex my power and by addressing you as my master people should naturally assume you''re stronger than me."


    "I thought Jay is stronger than you?" Jorge asked, which he shouldn''t have.


    "You know I could wipe Jay''s memory of you and it''ll take him at least three years before his memories of you come back and they''ll only be faint, vague dreams."


    "...That''s cold. So you think this''ll actually work?" I ask.


    "Hol'' up, we just gon'' skip over the part where she threatened me?!" Jorge exclaimed.


    "Bro calm down, it''s an empty threat."


    "It''s not though¡­"


    "Anyway, ¨¡na what''s the layout here?"


    "So this place is decently organized," she pulls out a brochure to reveal what looks like a cartoon map. "We''re here," she said as a white dot appeared on the map. "This market is similar to the Super Six flea market but with districts. We''re heading to the magic district." This time a section of map was outlined in a soft pink glow along with a rune-like symbol on the bottom of the brochure, labeling the section she called out.


    "These symbols at the bottom, the legend?" I ask.


    "Yeah, each symbol is a district. You read the symbol and the corresponding district glows on the map. There''s the armory, magic, fashion and slavers." As she named them off each symbol, the corresponding section glowed, blood red for armory, soft pink for magic, light blue for fashion, and dim violet for slavers. Right now we''re at the edge of the fashion district next to the magic district.


    "So why don''t we get a slave then release them afterwards?" Jorge asked.


    "You two are looking for more of a servant and less of a slave. Plus the two of you couldn''t afford one," she answered.


    "So we B-line for the magic district and get the summoning ingredients," I interject.


    "Oh so you two did your homework before coming down here, huh?," she seemed surprised.


    "Of course," Jorge answered. "We gotta be prepared y''know."


    "Well then", ¨¡na started while breaking away from the huddle. "This way master."


    I motioned Jorge to get by my side and we followed ¨¡na. We''re in the fashion district and even though its appearance is similar to that of the mall we were in moments ago, it has more of a flea market atmosphere. Actually, a more accurate label here is a flea market for magic users. There''s a jeans store from the surface, name brand stores from Hell, even a store that sells what I''m assuming are mages'' robes.


    "Magic Waters, bikinis for every occasion from water to magma. Can ¨¡na swim in a volcano?" Jorge asked.


    "Master, the magic district is this way," ¨¡na said.


    "Thank you, I''ll continue following you."


    From a classic mall aesthetic to that of a bazaar seen in an adventure movie, it''s obvious that we''re in a different part of the market. There¡¯s more people here and amongst them more hellspawn, but most of the hellspawn here almost look human enough to walk through crowds on earth without causing a panic, almost. Most people here are also hiding their faces in one way or another, we need to be more cautious here.


    "Bro," Jorge whispers. "Is it me or are people staring at us?"


    "It''s probably because ¨¡na is leadin'' us don''t worry ¡®bout it too much." I didn''t notice at first but he''s right. There''s more people looking at us in this district, it''s also significantly more crowded here. More people, more eyes maybe? Even then that doesn''t explain why people are mystified by us. Is ¨¡na''s presence that strong or am I missing something?


    "Master," ¨¡na stopped. "We are here."


    We''re in front of a shop that looks more like a fancy circus tent with a display window. They have normal promotions on display that feel out of place. 2 for 1 on bleach, 12-packs of what I''m assuming is soda or juice on sale this week, and even some clothes on clearance this month. If I saw this display on the surface I''d think it was one of those foreign department stores, Emporium Cultures.


    "Thank you famula, this way J," I called to Jorge. As I walked past ¨¡na I noticed her blushing but paid it no mind. The inside of this place is comically huge compared to what we saw outside. This entire place looks like a grocery store with maybe four times more aisles. It''s hard to see but in the distance is what I''m assuming are checkout lines. Luckily the aisles are numbered and labeled, meticulously labeled: Aisle twelve, reptile parts, amphibian parts, water-dwelling terran mammal parts.


    "Yo bro, what did you call ¨¡nanda back there?," Jorge whispered.


    "What?"


    "What''d you call ''er, she like, froze or something."


    "I didn''t freeze!," ¨¡na snapped. "I was just taken by surprise is all."


    "What are we even talkin'' about right now?," I asked.


    "You called her something like familia but not in spanish, a different language, Portuguese?" Jorge asked.


    "First, it was Latin, why would I teach him Portuguese? Second, he said famula," she said softly.


    "Bro, there were stars in ''er eyes, what does famula even mean?"


    "Dude I wasn''t even aware I knew Latin up ''til now, it was probably instinctual," I explained.


    "Instinctual? You mean it?!," she asked excitedly. Actually, I don''t think I''ve ever seen ¨¡na this excited before. "And I didn''t have ''stars in my eyes'', he caught me off guard is all¡­"


    "Aren''t you always on guard though?" Jorge asked, causing ¨¡na''s death stare.


    "Ayy we could talk ''bout it later, or not at all. Right now we gotta focus on findin'' tha'' stuff," I said, attempting to sound commanding.


    "Calm down, I know where to find what, c''mon," ¨¡na said, taking the lead again. Passing by the aisles, I notice that the store doesn''t feel magical but definitely looks the part. Not only do the aisles seem endless, they don''t scientifically fit into this old circus tent of a store, and they''re all well stocked. The shelves look the height of basketball goals and the more of them we pass the more my concern grows. I can tell Jorge is a little concerned too, maybe because of how daunting all of this is.


    "Alright hol'' up, where is everybody?!" Jorge blurted out.


    "Oh, so you noticed?" I asked calmly.


    "Bro it''s like North Market but after closing, and one hundred times creepier. I feel like we''re the only people here right now."


    "Calm down Jorgie," ¨¡na teased, "they''re probably just in other parts of the store."


    "Okay but why this place, isn''t there a less creepy store we coulda'' went to?" Jorge asked.


    "Well¡­think of it like this. If you went to an American restaurant you''d expect different dishes from the states but, if you went to a fried chicken place, you''d only expect chicken and a few sides. Maybe even grilled chicken."


    "So by that logic, there''s a store we could be at that sells only the ingredients we need?" I asked.


    "If we did it like that then we''d be goin'' to five or six different places. It''s better to come here and get everything from one place, plus less people means less attention."


    "This place is creepy AF, but she got a point bro," Jorge agreed.


    "Hol'' up, I was tryna help you out. Look even if there''s less people this store is still huge, we may need help finding everything."


    "Hi!"


    "OHMAGOSH!" Jorge jumped.


    We turn around to be greeted by a short girl with half her hair matte black, the other half pearl white. She has a blank white tee shirt with a short cloak over her shoulders that looks almost like a cape. A decorated apron hangs in front of her knee length black skirt, coupled with snow white gloves, her look is best described as traditional maid meets salem witch.


    "Apologies, I didn''t mean to startle your acolyte sir," she said softly. "My name is Lurlamia, how may I assist you today?"


    "Your requisition list master," ¨¡na said, handing me a paper. I glance over the list, it looks like everything we need plus some, minus the soul.


    "Here''s everything we need," I said, handing Lurlamia the paper. "Do you have it all?"


    She looked at the list for maybe two seconds before answering. "Common greater summoning, we house all the ingredients, except souls of course. One moment please." She winked at me then turned around. She did some glyph or rune in the air then started to walk up invisible stairs. With each step her foot gracefully lands on a small, violet diamond that shortly fizzled out of existence allowing no more then five diamonds to exist at a time. One ingredient was close by as she stopped not even a couple yards away to grab a jar. A large diamond portal that looked like the diamonds she stood on opened up on her right, she pulled a tote out of it and placed the jar inside. Even hell''s markets use reusable bags, interesting. She opened another portal in front of her and began grabbing multiple items then placing them in the tote.


    "Yo, did she call me an ''acolyte''?" Jorge asked quietly.


    "It''s because of the runes," ¨¡na answered. "They''re similar to the marks of an adept apprentice, aka an acolyte."


    "So she thinks we''re a mage and entourage?" I asked.


    "I''d imagine she thinks you''re The Rogue," ¨¡na answered..


    "So your plan is working as intended?" I asked.


    "I think so, yeah. Heaven and Hell seem to think The Rogue is in hiding for some ''grand scheme'', but I haven''t been able to get all the details. If it helps, I do know that newer Paladins are no longer taught how to combat The Rogue should they encounter you. Sooo, you have that advantage," ¨¡na explained.


    "So the only reason she thinks I''m The Rogue is because you''re with me," I asked.


    "It''s because you''re pulsing."


    "I''m what???"


    "Wait, that''s him?" Jorge asked.


    "Yeah, he''s pulsating his power, probably try¡¯na flex or something," ¨¡na answered.


    "Hol'' up, I''m what?"


    "Are you not doing it on purpose?" ¨¡na asked, confusion on her face.


    "Here you all are, oh is something wrong? I didn''t take too long did I?" Lurlamia asked.


    "No we''re-"


    "Lurlamia," I cut off ¨¡na, "do you know who I am?"


    "Of course."


    "What''s my name?"


    "Oh no no no," she dropped to her knees pleading. "I don''t know your name! I only know you as The Rogue, please you have to believe me!"


    I looked over at ¨¡na completely lost as to what''s actually happening right now. She motioned for me to play along, I turned to Jorge who just shrugged like there isn''t anything wrong with this. This isn''t right but if this is how they choose to see me I''ll have to work with it for now.


    "Stand"


    She scrambled to her trying to hold back tears but unable to mask her fear. The fear is still the most intriguing part to me. I''m not sure of all my father''s actions but there has to be more to what he did than ¨¡na told me. Despite me taking no action since my father''s death, this girl is still terrified of me, or him. This goes beyond "sins of the father", it''s as if my damnification was written before my birth into The Rogue.


    "Did you manage to receive all that I asked for?"


    "Y-yes, it''s all here in these tote bags."


    "Famula,¡± I said, pointing to the bags.


    "Yes, of course master," ¨¡na answered. She approached Lurlamia, taking the totes and inspecting its contents. "It''s all here master," she confirmed. She took a short moment to open a fiery portal beneath her and gently passed the totes through as if they''d break if she were not careful. I turn to Lurlamia, she''s looking down but, I feel like she has more to say.


    "Is something wrong?" I asked firmly.


    "Th-that will be-"


    "Will be what?" I snapped, causing her to flinch.


    "Will be on the house¡­," she muttered, still avoiding eye contact.


    "Thank you Lurlamia, your services will not be forgotten." As I turned to leave she grabbed my cloak. I instinctively swung around grabbing her wrist and glaring into her eyes. I clearly took her by surprise but her eyes, the fear present is¡­familiar. I release my grip slowly, "what else do you want?"


    "C-Can you please sign my apron? Please¡­," she asked gently.


    "...Sure."


    -ET Lavillis