《Gabriel "The Bastard Son"》


 "Gabes Troublesome Life"

    Father Johnnathan-Welcome home Gabe,how was your day at school?(Father Johnnathan asked Gabriel that question everyday for the past years that Gabriel was attending shcool)


    Gabriel-Same as always father...Just a bit more exciting.


    F.Johnnathan-What do you mean?What was so exciting ?


    Gabriel-I caught a glimse of Helen while i was sitting in the schoolyard.


    F.Johnnathan-You have feelings for Helen for a long time now Gabriel,so why don''t talk to her?


    Gabriel-Because father,i am ugly and disfigured,she wouldn''t even let me look at her.(Gabriel''s face and body was disfigured since F.Johnnathan found Gabriel crying in front of the chirch)


    F.Johnnathan-Gabe...you know full well that appearence isn''t everything,you are a kind young man and that alone is enough to find the right woman to love.


    Gabriel left the room and went downstairs to his room full of thoughts "a kind young man?Like that matters to anyone."


    Since the first day at school Gabriel had a lot of problems including getting bullied by other kids for his apearrence.He found a way not to provoke the kids by hiding in the school''s bathroom but


    that made him even more distant from the kids at school resulting in Gabriel''s to be none except for the girl he had feeling for and that girl was Helen.Gabriel and Helen lived in the same orphanage


    for many years and that way Gabriel felt very close to her,but there was a problem within his mind,Helen was a very attractive girl and popular in school,that made Gabriel feel even worse because he


    thought that Helen was never even going to talk to him let alone have the same feelings as he had.Helen would be described better as a girl from next door,blonde hair,blue eyes and above average


    girls but never the most beautifull in school,Gabriel on the other hand had a disfigured face with messy dark hair,his eyes were darker than the night itself,his body was weird looking and very skinny


    to the point someone would think that touching him would take him apart,he had a small hunch enough to be noticeable and though he was seventeen years old he had no sign of facial hair.


    Helen was a year older than Gabriel and a very brilliant student,that made Gabriel think even more about the fact that he had no chance with her since he wasn''t goodlooking and having trouble with


    his appearence made him a bad student since he could not focus on his studies and getting bullied by other kids did not help him either.


    F.Johnnathan was in charge for the chirch orphanage and he was Gabriel''s guardian so when the time for the school results was to come he would be the one to talk with his teacher.Since our story


    takes place in a small European village it is easy for everyone to find out about other people''s mess and the school results was an easy way to mess up,especialy in Gabriel''s case for everyone


    had a bad attitude towards him cause of his appearence and lack of comunication,so if you did a bad thing everyone would find out and mock you or avoid talking to you untill the problem was


    fixed or forgotten in the people''s minds.Gabriel knew that tried to be "invisible" in order to not draw unwanted attention and provoke everyone into messing with him even more but never


    told anything to F.Johnnathan about his troubles or his thoughts,so F.Johnnathan was not aware of Gabriel''s state of mind.


    Gabriel thought about many things the time he was sitting alone in his room with a small lamp hanging from the ceilling,his room in the orphanage wasn''t bad but it was a simple room without


    a television or gaming console and room enough for a bed and a desk which Gabriel never used to study but only to sit and be dovoured by his hatred for the people that brought him to this state,


    the kids in school for treating him that way,his biological parents that probably abandoned him for his appearence and left him in the street not wondering what could happen to a baby left alone,


    his teachers and the other kids for not trying to prevent the bullying and the system itself or being ruthless to him.The only people left outside of Gabriel''s hate was F.Johnnathan and Helen whom he


    had only feelings of love,deep inside his mind one would find only chaos and hatred for the unfair and cruel world he was forced into.Gabriel would sit still and lean his head on the desk with his


    eyes closed while thinking about how he would get past the next day as if nothing else matters other than surviving one more day.


    The next day was saturday so Gabriel had a day off from school leaving him with some chores to do in the orphanage,every weekend all the kids of the orphanage would help F.Johnnathan with


    the chores and then they would all sit together and eat dinner in the diner,Gabriel had to clean the diner and prepare the tables before dinner time also do the dishes after the everyone has eaten.


    The day was as normal as it could be untill Helen finished the gardening and went to help F.Johnnathan with the laundry.


    Helen-Father?


    F.Johnnathan-Yes,my dear girl?


    Helen-I was wondering why Gabe stopped talking to me at school,did i do something wrong?


    F.Johnnathan-No child,you didn''t do anything wrong.


    Helen-But what happened?I feel like i did something to him and now he doesn''t want to talk to me.


    F.Johnnathan-Even if i told you you wouldn''t understand what''s in his mind,even i don''t understand Gabe some times.


    Helen-A lot is happening in school that you don''t know father and i don''t think Gabe wants you to find out.


    F.Johnnathan-What are you talking about Helen?What is it that Gabe doesn''t want me to find out?


    Helen-You see father,some kids in school are giving trouble to Gabe and call him ugly and other bad things that i can''t tell you...


    F.Johnnathan-Yes i kinda knew that was happening,but i wanted him to tell me about it.


    Helen-You did?And why didn''t you try to stop it?


    F.Johnnathan-Because child,you can''t change someones heart,you can only help him identify the problem within him and then only he can change what is wrong with him,if he wants to change.


    Helen-Maybe you should talk to him about it,i am sure you can help him,you are always right father.


    F.Johnnathan-If he wanted to talk to me he would come to me by his own will,why dont you try talking to him?


    Helen-You think that would be better?


    F.Johnnathan-Of course child,go on take some time and talk to him,he should be in the diner alone cleaning.


    Helen-I''ll go right now father,i''ll see you at dinner.


    F.Johnnathan-I''ll see you at dinner then child,you may go now.


    As Helen was climbing the stairs she heard dishes smashing to the floor and rushed to the dinner to she what happened.She then found Gabriel lying on the floor with smashed dishes and


    glasses around him,he was cursing at the dishes which Helen found out to be funny and laughed.Gabriel saw Helen laughing and thought she was laughing at him for being a fool,that destroyed him


    in the inside and anger took over his head,he then calmed hiself because he couldn''t get mad at Helen by any means.


    Gabriel-You must think i am fool too right?


    Helen-No!I was just laughing because you were yelling at the dishes.Are you hurt?


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.Gabriel-No,I am fine thanks for worring about me.


    Helen-Of course i worry about you,you are my friend.


    Gabriel then thought to himself (FRIEND? OH MY GOD I HAVE NO CHANCE AT ALL IF IM STUCK AS A "FRIEND")then Gabriel took a deep breath and replied:Oh i see...


    Helen-Gabe,can i ask you something?


    Gabriel-Of course Helen you can ask anything you want.(IS THIS THE GLORIOUS MOMENT?)


    Helen-Did i do anything bad to you?


    Gabriel-You couldn''t have done anything bad to me even if you wanted Helen.


    Helen-Then why are you so distant from me the whole time and spending all your time in you room lately?


    Gabriel thought(oh crap what do i do now?i can''t tell her i feel uncomfortable talking to her,she would definitelly think im a fool now....i must act cool)and replied:I have a lot of work lately and


    i don''t have much time...(YOU IDIOT NOW SHE IS GONNA THINK YOU DON''T HAVE TIME FOR HER)


    Helen lowered her eyes and said in a calm voice:Oh i see,so we are still friends right?


    Gabriel-Yes of course...(Again this friend bullshit!How am i going to to do to get out of this?)


    Helen-I''m glad,let me help you clean up.


    Gabriel-Thank you very much.(THIS IS TERRIBLE I CAN''T SPEND MUCH TIME WITH HER WITHOUT ACTING STUPID)


    While the kids were cleaning the diner there was complete silence and Gabriel was feeling uneasy being with Helen all alone and unable to do anything to impress her,then the other kids came in


    and started taking their seats for dinner,Gabriel and Helen finished up a bit late but took their seats too,Gabriel''s seat was far away from Helen''s,in fact his seat was the last seat in a lonely table


    made for two.Gabriel had dinner by himself as he did every other time but at one momment he could hear a voice saying"Helen come sit with us don''t go to him."


    Gabriel thought(Helen is coming to sit with me?OH YEAH SCORE,wait, did that girl just yell don''t sit with him at Helen?)


    Helen-Hey Gabe can i sit with you untill you finish your dinner?


    Gabriel-Y...yes of course you can.(Who was that bitch that told her not to?)


    Helen-Umm...Gabe why are you always eating alone like that?


    Gabriel-I don''t know,why don''t you ask everyone else why they are always sitting away from me?


    Helen-Maybe because you seem a bit distant,they feel uncomfortable with you.


    Gabriel-And why are you sitting with me?


    Helen-I don''t know...


    Gabriel then thought(She isn''t here because she feels pity for me is she?)the thought that Helen feels just pity for Gabriel made his mind furious with anger so great that he forgot every feeling he had


    for Helen and he burst into rage yelling:I DON''T NEED ANY OF YOUR PITY OK?GO BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE,IF YOU CAME HERE JUST TO MAKE FUN OF ME I AM NOT HAVING ANY OF IT.


    Helen run to her room crying and everyone in the room turned to Gabriel to see what happened to which he replied"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT IDIOTS?".No one spoke a word,Gabriel then


    stood up and went to his room with a head full of rage and guilt at the same time for what he said earlier.He stood in front of the mirror in his room and said"How can you be such a moron Gabe?"then


    he tried to hit the mirror with his punch which didn''t break the mirror but hurt his hand and then thought(I CAN''T EVEN BREAK A MIRROR I''M SO WEAK IT IS PATHETIC)both kids then cried


    themselves to sleep untill the next morning.


    Next Sunday morning Gabriel had to do the dishes he left dirty the last night when he run to his room and then proceed with painting the fence for it was about summer and the fence had to get a


    paint job,that gave Gabriel the oportunity he wanted to be left alone for a lot of time and not have to deal with everyone in the orphanage.While painting the fence Gabriel noticed a strange man


    aproaching with a long beard and a crazy look in his eyes then the man saw Gabriel and said:Hey there kid.


    Gabriel-Hello...


    Man-What are you doing here all alone?


    Gabriel-What does it look like to you moron?I am painting.


    Man-Don''t be such an asshole with someone who you just met boy,you never know what he may do to you.


    Gabriel-And what could a drunk guy like you do to me behind this fence?


    Then the man jumped above the fence and landed next to Gabriel,the fence surounding the orphanage was a 3 meter wooden fence that no one could even climb to get inside.Gabriel consumed by


    fear couldn''t even react to the whole situation and froze,then the man yelled "OH SHIT A CHURCH"and run out the same way he got in all while Gabriel could''t move a finger to protect himself.


    Man-You are lucky boy,but the next time i come across you will be your last.


    Gabriel then noticed fur coming out of the man''s body and run away as fast as his disfigured body could handle to hide in his room for the whole day in fear of that man still being outside to grab


    him the moment he stepped out of the orphanage.Gabriel then thought(What the hell was that thing?And why did he run as soon as he noticed the church?).Gabriel spent the rest of the day in his room.


    The next morning Gabriel begged F.Johnnathan to let him stay at his room and not go to school.


    Gabriel-Please father let me stay in, i can''t get out there.


    F.Johnnathan thought this was because of Gabriel''s last burst of anger and the fact that he feared the bullies in shcool as well as the school results that would come out this morning so he took Gabriel


    to school himself.Gabriel thought that if he was with F.Johnnathan nothing bad would happen with him,so they both went to school that morning.


    F.Johnnathan-I will come later to pick up your results and drive you home if you want to,is that ok Gabe?


    Gabriel-Yes father please come and pick me up.(WHAT THE RESULTS ARE COMING OUT TODAY?OH SHIT)


    By the time Gabriel got in the school everyone looked at him and loughed,they all knew about his outrage episode in the orphanage and started picking on him calling him"oh it''s mr.scary with his


    might he is going to hurt us"mocking him every time he passed through untill Gabriel couldn''t bear anymore and run outside to the streets where some kids followed him and started tossing him


    arround on the sidewalk,calling him an ugly monster.Gabriel tried then to fight back even though he knew he had no chance,Gabriel''s attempt to fight enraged one of the kids that bullied him


    and he tossed Gabriel with all his strength on the busy road,some of the cars stopped moving in order to prevent an accident,at that moment a man appeared from one of the alleys,Gabriel recognized him


    immediately,it was the same man from yesterday,Gabriel froze once again...


    Man-Found you.


    Bully-What do you want old man?


    Man-None of your business kid,beat it."Growled at the kids"


    Bully-Run!


    Gabriel-What do you want from me?


    Man-To hear you scream.


    The man grabbed Gabriel and started punching him and throwing all over the street,the drivers abanddoned their cars in front of this terrible fight,no one had the courage to stand up to the guy that was beating a


    deformed weak kid to death,at some point Gabriel fell unconcious,the man kept on kicking him while on the ground,untill one man got out of his car started shooting at the man,making him leave behind his almost


    dead victim...

 Dr.Kevins Strange Encounter

    A few years earlier in a laboratory somewhere in Europe...


    Stefanie-Kevin,you have to take a look at this...


    Doctor Kevin-What happened darling?Is everything ok?


    Stefanie-Kevin,i told you not to call me "darling while we are at work,the others might misjudge that.


    Dr.Kevin-Who cares about them?Anyway what happened?


    Stefanie-The tissue is burning under UV light.


    Dr.Kevin-What could cause a skin sample to burn while hit by UV light?(vampire?nah don''t be silly Kev)


    Dr.Kevin-I have an idea but we could get in trouble if the general sees us.


    Stefanie-What do you have in mind?


    Dr.Kevin-You remember the skin tissue we have stored in the freezer?


    Stefanie-What about it?


    Dr.Kevin-I just want to test a theory since our superiors won''t tell us where the samples come from.


    Stefanie-What kind of theory?


    Dr.Kevin-I can''t tell you cause it might seem stupid.


    Stefanie-Kev,apart from being your wife i am also your collegue,you can trust me.


    Dr.Kevin-You see...if one sample reacts to the UV light i had a strange idea that the skin sample we have in the freezer,you know the one with the fur might react to silver.


    Stefanie-Oh...i see but it still is a terrible idea Kev,there are no such things.


    Dr.Kevin-How can you be so sure after what happened with the other sample?At least let me test it before General Zach comes with the next delivery and finds out.


    Stefanie-Ok,let me take the sample...


    Stefanie went to the freezer and took the skin sample for defrost so it would be ready for testing while Dr.Kevin made coffee for them to drink during the testing of his theory.Once the defrosting was


    finished they immediately started injecting liquid silver to the sample and it started disolving.That was proof of Dr.Kevin''s theory but not quite enough for him to continue.


    Dr.Kevin-Do you see now?


    Stefanie-I see it but i cannot believe it!


    Dr.Kevin-Keep your voice down dear,this is the moment we have been waiting for,the time when we solve this mystery has come,don''t let anyone take the glory from us my love.


    Stefanie-You are right we should keep a record for these and not tell anyone else.


    General Zach comes through the main door of the laboratory and asks for Dr.Kevin to deliver the next pack of samples for testing.


    G.Zach-Dr.Kevin!Have we made any progress with the previous samples?


    Dr.Kevin-We are curently working on it general.(Should i tell him about this results?I don''t trust him enough even though i''m working for him)


    G.Zach-Still no results?Why are we paying you for?Drinking coffee and chating with your wife won''t help with the matters at hand doctor.


    Dr.Kevin-We will do our best general,just give us some time i have an idea about how we can progress this project very quick.


    G.Zach-I trust you and your collegues are not hiding anything from me doctor.


    Dr.Kevin-Of course not sir!Why would we hide anything from our employer?(Something tells me this guy knows more than i do and that''s terrifying)


    G.Zach-I''ll be off then,we will meet again doctor.


    Dr.Kevin-Yes sir!


    G.Zach left the buidling and some disturbing thoughts crossed Dr.Kevin''s head,what could the general know about the samples that he didn''t?Maybe the general knows where they come from and he


    is hiding that fact for his own reasons.What could those reasons be?What does he have in mind?These thoughts burdened Kevin for the rest of the morning untill it was time for he and his wife to


    go home,when suddently a bumping noise could be heard from the floor.


    Dr.Kevin-Did you hear that?


    Stefanie-Yes,what was that?


    Huge holes emerged from the lab''s floor and people started to jump from the lower levels of the building to the lab that Dr.Kevin and Stefanie were standing.Creepy figures with pale skin,long hair


    and a devilish look in their eyes started to flood the room and take over every possible exit before anyone could move a step.Then a terrible and deep voice was heard by one of these people or


    creatures at the time....


    Man-Who is in charge of this place?Come forth!


    Dr.Kevin''s voice trembled in fear as he spoke:I am sir,may i help you?


    Man-What is your name mortal?


    Dr.Kevin thought(What does this mortal mean?Isn''t he mortal?)and then replied:K..Kevin sir!


    Man-Nice to meet you Kevin,i am Warren the leader of this pack.


    Dr.Kevin-What pack are you talking about mr.Warren?


    Warren-This pack of restless creatures that invaded your laboratory mr.Kevin.


    Dr.Kevin-And what are you people?


    Warren-We are what you have been experimenting on,YOU FOOL!!


    Dr.Kevin thought(They can''t possibly be v..vampires right?)and said in a very quiet voice:W...we only experiment on skin tissues here mr.Warren.


    Warren-So you don''t know what you have been doing this whole time?


    Dr.Kevin-Not really sir...


    Warren then dashed at incredible speed and grabbed Stefanie''s head with his hand and with a swift swipe he took off her head clean from her shoulders,then proceeded to drink the blood that came


    out of the wound like a vicious hungry animal,that left Dr.Kevin frozen with fear and he fell to his knees unable to comprehend what just happened.


    Warren-That might teach you to pick your employers better next time mr.Kevin.(Blood was droolling from Warren''s mouth as he spoke).


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Dr.Kevin-W..WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOU FIEND?


    Warren-Oh thats nothing special mr.Kevin,i do this all the time with cute girls like yours,what i enjoy the most is to see the agony and despair in their lover''s face when i take the most important


    thing in their lives and letting them live with those fears as punishment for their sins.


    While Warren was talking and partially laughing Dr.Kevin grabbed a scalpel and tried to stab Warren in the chest...Warren''s eyes then turned red and with a deep and angry voice he said:


    DO YOU THINK YOU STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME MORTAL?


    Dr.Kevin-I....I will kill you for that.


    Warren''s face came back to an emotionless state like nothing had happened and with a nasty grin on his face and blood drooling from his mouth he said:I would love to see you try...


    Warren-We are leaving people!


    The group of men left as quickly as they appeared,Kevin was the only one still alive in the lab yelling and cursing at everyone that brought this to him.


    Dr.Kevin screamed:WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME GOD?WHAT ABOUT THE MILLITARY THAT WAS SUPPOSSED TO PROTECT HER?


    His voice calmed a bit and continued with blaming the world and the system that took his wife from him,he then exited the building with a confused mind and went straight to home.


    The next morning Kevin called G.Zach to inform him of the situation in which he replied:I''m coming to your house right now doctor!


    The General arrived at his house,Kevin was sitting in the dinning room and G.Zach sit next to him.


    Dr.Kevin-So General what are we going to do?


    G.Zach-We can''t do anything doctor.


    Dr.Kevin-What do you mean?Aren''t you gonna go after them?Is that bastard going to get away with this!?


    G.Zach-I''m afraid you are the one that must be taken care off doctor,you know too much.


    The moment Dr.Kevin heard general''s words he kicked the chair he was sitting on and made a run for the door,grabbing his car keys while making his way out the general pulled a gun and tried to


    shoot Dr.Kevin but to no success and the doctor managed to reach to his car.A voice could be heard from behind him telling him:You are not going anywhere doctor,we will come after you.


    Dr.Kevin drove as far as he could but with no money and nowhere to go he knew he had to leave town in search for shelter for his former employers would definitelly come after him and try


    to take his life in orded for him not to give any information on their plans.Dr.Kevin drove for a couple of days unable to understand the whole situation and anger as well as fear consumed his mind.


    He put the pieces together in his head and came to the conclusion that his former employers knew about these creatures and possibly he was hired in order to find a way to defeat them using their


    weaknesses but why try to put him out of the way instead of letting him continue his work?That thought passed right through Dr.Kevin''s mind but he was blinded by rage and wasn''t thinking very


    clear at the momment,the only thing that could calm him now would be justice for him and everyone that has suffered in the hands of those fiends that G.Zach and his colleagues were trying to hide


    for some reason.He managed to take shelter in an abandoned home,lived his life in secret with a new name and a new job as a disguise while setting his own personal lab in the basement of his new


    home somewhere in a small village away from the city and his former self.


    Dr.Kevin then started his own research in his new laboratory and years passed by untill he finally found out about the existence of fantastic creatures and a way to clear the world of their


    presence as well as to change the system his own kind,humanity has developed in this world.He only cared about justice and vengence but he lacked the resources and man power to put his


    plan into action.One day he heard stories about a strange werewolf that lurked the village he was staying at nights with full moon from a very stereotypical villager in the villages coffeeshop


    in which he worked as a bartender.Kevin then found the perfect opportunity to take a test subject for his research so he asked his boss to take Monday off cause of some familly buisness in which


    his boss being a kind individual gave him the day off he wanted,so Kevin began his plan to hunt this creature down and bring him back to his lab.


    Monday came quickly and Kevin was ready to hunt the creature in the morning after the description he got from the villager he managed to track the man he thought to be the villages werewolf


    in the local highschool,as he looked left and right he spotted the man and began shooting him with tranquilizers he developed on his own,the man run away at tremendous speed and fled to an alley,


    Kevin lost his target but continued to chase after him,he lost sight of the man since his car could not get in the alley so he tried to go around the buildings and meet him outside of the school,when he


    arrived he saw the man beating a kid on the street,Kevin shot the man without any hesitation but missed,the man left the scene and run leaping from the rooftops,Kevin lost any chance he had to take


    him down and instead focused his attention on the dying kid,after he confirmed that the kid was still alive,he placed him in his car and left for home.

 Everything Changed

    The moment Kevin picked the boy up thought that his grudge was strong but not strong enough to leave an innocent young boy for dead.He took the dying boy from the


    road and put the body in back seat of his car,Kevin drove out of the scene as if nothing happened and went to the basement of his home that hosted his lab,he knew that he couldn''t get the kid to


    a hospital because that would bring him unwanted attention from the police and his old company would sooner or later find him.


    He nursed the boy in his boy in his lab but something seemed a bit strange to him,hits like that would have dealt a lot of damage to the boy instead it just gave him some scrathes and the shock


    that left him unconcious,Kevin was very curious about the boy''s toughness and couldn''t resist to run some tests on the unconcious body.(That is incredible,facinating!how is it possible?This boy''s


    genes are not from the same base as of humans,the cells are constantly attacking each other like some kind of malfunction between them,that probably explains the disfigurement in his body)


    Kevin being facinated kept running tests on the young boy,that was going on for a couple of weeks and the child couldn''t wake up,he can''t have him wake up before he could find more about the boy''s


    strange genes and blood samples.After a couple of months testing Kevin developed a device that could bring balance to the boy''s genes and have them work together instead of fighting with each


    other,after installing the device to the boy''s heart he saw that his appearence started changing steadilly,the disfigurements kept disappearing from the face and the body,there was a big increase in


    muscle tissue and and nerve tissue,it was like his "lab rat" was working out,developing a well built body and reflexes as well as better brain function.


    The test subject developed an immunity to the drug Kevin was administrating and was forced to change it every now and then so he couldn''t wake up,Kevin was so interested in his new research that


    he completely forgot about the hunt he had gone a couple of months ago for that creature,he forgot the fact that he was keeping a young boy unconcious in his lab performing experiments on his


    body without his will too.He kept a young boy in his lab doing tests while being unconcious,but that didn''t affect Kevin at all,he was blinded by his urge to discover the boy''s origin and could''t see


    that he was commiting a terrible crime,nor did he care much either.Kevin abandoned all research about the weird beings he had started and focused on the new experiment like nothing else


    mattered at the time,some times he even forgot to eat or sleep,just drinking coffee and smoking while working for 3 days straight he started to feel a bit tired and went to bed,little did he know,Kevin


    forgot to change the drug in a different mix before going to bed.


    The next day he reallized the mistake he had made and run to down to his lab to check out the boy only to stamble upon the time his test subject was waking up.Kevin was sweating all over and


    feeling terrible for he reallized what terrible things he had done to this innocent young boy,the young boy then rose from the bed and turned his head now looking towards the anxious scientist.


    To Kevin this scene seemed to last forever untill he heard a voice saying:Where am i?


    Kevin-You are in my lab my friend,i found you in the street and nurshed you here,do you remember anything?


    Boy-There was a man,he attacked me for no reason.


    Kevin-I saw him,this man was my target at that point but i let him go and brought you to my house.


    Boy-You mean this isn''t a hospital?Why didn''t you call an ambulance?


    Kevin-For various reasons i couldn''t get you to a hospital for my safety.


    Boy-What do you mean?


    Kevin-I have some bad people chasing me and i can''t afford too much attention that''s why,i''m sorry that i had to be the one who foundnd you.


    Boy-I can imagine what you mean by "too much attention".I have a similar problem with some asholes.


    Kevin-Besides,i didn''t only saved your life but also made some changes,take a look to the mirror.


    The young boy got of he bed and walked towards a big mirror just outside of the laboratory,he immediately noticed a difference.


    Boy-What!!!IS THAT ME?


    Kevin-Yes,in order to save your life i had to place a device in your chest that i call "The Continuum Stabillizer"and that caused your body to change for some reason.


    Boy-Nevermind the lame name,i look hot doc.I don''t know what you did but i look and feel like a different person.


    Kevin-Yes,it''s true that you look way different from the time i found you.Rest assured i didn''t perform plastic surgery on you.


    Boy-Good,cause i couldn''t pay you anyway.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!Kevin-I like your spirit young man,but aren''t you a bit curious as to where you are?I mean i could have abducted you.


    Boy-Nah,you don''t look like the type.You seem quite an ok guy,plus i was half dead in the streets,why would you save me if you wanted to abduct me?


    Kevin-Yes,you are right,but you are wrong as to me being an ok guy.


    Boy-Why is that?


    Kevin-As i told you i have bad people on my tail chasing me.


    Boy-You are not a drug dealer,are you?


    Kevin-No my friend,i am the victim in my story.


    Boy-What''s your story then old man?


    Kevin told the young boy everything that had happened back to his original workplace and all about Warren and General Zack without keeping any details secret.He also told him that he was hunting


    for a man accused for being a werewolf the time he found him on the road,the same man that beat Gabriel almost to death.


    Boy-I saw this man before,just outside of the orphanage i live.I have to tell you,he was scary as hell.


    Kevin-That man was dangerous my friend you are lucky you are still alive.


    Boy-I don''t think so but he definitely was strong i mean he jumped a 3 meter fence in a single leap,he seemed to be afraid the chirch though and that''s why i am still alive.


    Kevin-Then there is no mistake that that man was an evil creature and probably a werewolf.


    Boy-You seem to know a lot about that stuff,don''t you doc?


    Kevin-I told you my story,you can believe it if you want.


    Boy-You don''t seem to be crazy but everything you just said sounds weird,don''t you think?


    Kevin-Yes i believe it does sound weird,i would like to hear your story as well though.


    The young boy told Kevin the whole story of how the man aproached him before but didn''t stop there,he also told him about his life being bullied everyday for his appearence and about a girl he loved


    from the orphanage.


    Kevin-I undestand you completelly my friend,while i was in highschool some people bullied me and calling me a nerd because i was a good student,there was a girl i had a crash on but never


    built up the courage to tell her about it.


    Boy-At least you had good grades doc,i suck at school.


    Kevin-That might be the case,but you have something that is very astonishing my friend.


    Boy-And what is that?


    Kevin-You are not human.


    Boy-What?And what am i?A frog?


    Kevin-Before i installed the device in your heart i had to run some tests on you and found out that your body isn''t a human body.


    Kevin explained everything to the young boy and told him that his appearence was because of his genes not working together and caused an anomaly in his body,the two men had chated for hours


    each sharing their own story with the other and they understood each other like friends.


    Kevin-You see my friend,we both have the same problem.


    Boy-And what is that?


    Kevin-We are both victims to the system and have suffered from these creatures,they took my wife and they are responsible for your condition,not to mention you almost lost your life to one of them.


    Boy-You are right doc,and what can we do about it?


    Kevin-The device in your heart is also capable of absorbing cells from other paranormal creatures by simply eating some of their flesh.


    Boy-What?You mean i have to eat someone?


    Kevin-Yes and by eating just a small piece this device will absorb their cells as well as their powers and....


    Boy-And I can grow stronger after i absorbed them?


    Kevin-You can definitely improve yourself,you and i can change this rotten world and bring justice.


    Boy-I can fight with them and bring them down,improve myself and change the system.


    Kevin-We will rule this world you with your newfound body streangth and i will help you become king of justice and peace so no one else will suffer like we did.We will destroy these creatures and


    every aspect of the human system as well that keeps them hidden,we will make our own world with you being ruler and executioner,we will make a new world,a better world.


    Boy-You are right,this world needs to change and i will make it change!I will kill every goddamn creature that doesn''t belong here and every piece of crap that is responsible for the way this world


    works!!I will bring justice and everyone will know my name as justice!


    Kevin-Yes but for that to happen we will need a plan and move carefully,you are strong but not invincible.


    Boy-What do you have in mind?


    Kevin-At the time i run off i sold everything i had and managed to get a significant amount of cash that i plan to use in order to train you and make you a great fighter.


    Boy-That sounds awesome.


    Kevin-Are you with me then,my friend?


    Boy-Yes i am doc.


    Kevin-By the way,don''t call me doc,I am not a doctor,my name is Kevin.


    Boy-I am glad i met you Kevin,I am still going to call you "doc" though,I am Gabriel...

 Find The Right Trainer

    Three days have passed since the two men met and they have been talking about how to advance their plans while living together small issues occured from time to time but everything was


    insignificant for they had a mutual goal to achieve and was enough to calm them both down.Some of these issues were Kevin''s cooking and Gabriel''s childish behavior.


    Gabriel-You expect me to eat this crap doc?


    Kevin-I am a sientist boy and a cook!Shut up,i will eat it as well.


    Gabriel-You need to take some cooking classes doc this looks like a pile of shit.


    Kevin-And you are a jerk.


    Gabriel-That is to be expected doc.(A gentle smile apeared on Gabriel''s face as he spoke)


    Kevin-Anyway,don''t lose focus,we were talking about your training.


    Gabriel-Why i feel invinsible as it is.


    Kevin-It''s true that you have incredible streangth for a normal human as you are but you won''t be able to beat even one of those bastards like that.


    Gabriel-What do you have in mind then?


    Kevin-Streangth,reflexes,agillity,hand to hand combat,these are just some of the traits that you will need to enhance in order to achieve our goal.


    Gabriel-Ok what''s first ?


    Kevin:The gym of course...


    Kevin and Gabriel went to a local gym close to Kevin''s house but far enough from the orphanage that Gabriel used to live in order to avoid known people,Gabriel''s face was displayed in the news the


    other day as a victim of a terrible car accident and since there was no sign of him local authorities are searching for him as well as the driver.There is no proof that Kevin was driving the car and


    Gabriel was still unaware of this,one thing is for certain,Gabriel has to forget his previous life and "play dead" for the time being.This isn''t to difficult since his life wasn''t the best but one thing kept


    his appearing in his mind,Helen,the girl that Gabriel would give his life for her and yet the last thing he spoke to her he acted like a jerk.The two kids were very close when they were young but as they


    grew older things turned a bit strange,Helen became kind of popular in school thanks to her beauty and good grades,for someone like Gabriel that created a huge obstacle and he became more and


    more distand by the day,he felt ashamed just by being seen with her since that would have a negative inpact in Helen''s social life even though that Helen never stopped to be kind to him he tried to


    avoid her and look at her from far away thinking this was the end.


    As they were walking down the street Gabriel thought(I have to be stronger,i have to start all over again in order for Helen to see me as her equal).


    Kevin-We are here Gabe,let''s get in.


    The moment they opened the door they came across a strange scene,the gym was full of women and no sign of male form could be found except the gym teacher,he was a big muscular guy with


    kind of long dark curled hair and a bored look in his face.They came in the center of the gym and tried to get his attention,then out of the blue the gym teacher sparkled with joy and told them:


    Mike-Hey there boys,my name is Mike,i''m the gym teacher here,what can i do for you?


    Kevin-Hello m.Mike we are here because the boy wants to excersise here.


    Mike-OH!Let me take a look at you kid,what a cute boy you are...(Mike''s face was full of joy as he spoke)


    Gabriel then wispered in Kevin''s ear-We have to get out of here now doc,i suspect you know why.


    Kevin-Well m.Mike i don''t want to offend you but we have to check another gym out since it''s....closer to our house?


    Gabriel-YES!This one is a bit far uncle Kev,shouldn''t we check for another one?


    Mike-Oh...that''s a same....


    The two men left and stood near the entrance looking at each other with an awkward look,they got out of the gym and they started talking about the scene they just experienced.


    Gabriel-Run doc i feel like he is going to chase us at any moment.


    Kevin-Oh come on he wasn''t that bad.


    Gabriel-He called me a cute boy,not you.


    Kevin-Yeah but this is the only gym close to the house unless you want to go to the town for your training...or we could get you a personal trainer.


    Gabriel-As long as he isn''t like Mike over there i''m ok with this.


    Kevin-Allright,give me a minute and i will make some calls.


    After a couple of phonecalls Kevin was able to find someone to give Gabriel personal training as well as martial arts,the trainer Kevin was able to hire was a former marine and had knowledge of


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.combat and physical training.Some days later the trainer came to their house and met with Kevin and Gabriel.He knocked on the door and Kevin went to answear,he opened the door and a rather


    skinny guy showd up with a tank top and shorts,his head was shaved and he was looking really serious...


    George-My name is George sir!I am the personal trainer you called.


    Kevin-Hello mr.George i am Kevin and that boy over there is my....ahhh...nephew Gabe,he is the one that you are going to train.


    George-Good he looks a bit raw but strong,I will make him a lot better though.


    Kevin-I am glad to hear that m.George now come in and let''s discuss the training program and your payment.


    George-Yes sir!


    They came in the house and the three men sat on the table,Gabriel look a lot less scared with George than he did with Mike,Kevin noticed that in an instant...


    Kevin-So m.George,what i want from you is a complete training program and hand to hand combat training,i want him to improve in every way possible and don''t hold back with him at all.


    Gabriel-Wait a min...


    George-Yes sir!I won''t give him any chance to slack off.


    Kevin-Excelent,and when are you going to be able to start?


    George-Right now sir!


    Gabriel-What?Come on you can''t be serio........


    George-Come with me boy,to the yard,we will start with endurance training.


    Gabriel and George went out in the yard and started running laps around the edges of the fence untill the point Gabriel got exausted and sat in the ground.


    George-Get up boy we are not done yet!


    Gabriel-Come on old man give me a break.


    George-Breaks won''t do you any good boy!When i was your age i run double the laps i gave you,now stand up and find your courage!


    Gabriel-You must have had a shitty childhood right?


    George-Shut up boy!You know nothing about me but i know everything i need about you in order to train you.


    Gabriel-You know nothing about me and my life.(How could you possibly know anything you musclehead prick?)


    George-Boy i know that you may have had some bad experiences in your life and that brought you down,when i went to school everyone mocked me about my body being skinny and called me


    "stick figure",i cried almost every evening after school untill one day i made a choice in my life,I would train and become the best in the world to shut down the guys that made fun of me,i would


    become a better me in order to change the world!I will transfer that spirit to you even if i have to devote my entire life to achieve it!Are you ready to make this step and overcome everything!!?


    Gabriel got so inspired by George''s words so much that he saw flame inside his eyes buring like hellfire and his words were so strong that he forgot even the reason he was training at all.He stood up,


    took a deep breath and replied with a lot more confidence:


    Gabriel-YES SIR I WILL OVERCOME EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE SIR!!!


    George-Then run boy!(Good grief,he is like a beast ready to fight but his lack of spirit is what keeps him down,this kind of treatment will give him the motivation he needs to improve,i should keep


    this stance untill he finds the will to continue without my prep talk)


    And so Gabriel kept running with his coach untill dark,for the first time in his life Gabriel felt like he was improving himself and that kept him going untill George gave him permission to stop.


    Gabriel then colapsed to the ground and George run to check on him,he thought he might have pushed him over his limit but that wasn''t the case,Gabriel was having spasms,George then called for


    Kevin...


    George-KEVIN Sir,the boy collapsed,come here fast.


    Kevin-Don''t worry mr.George i have seen this before,he has a health issue,nothing to worry about,i will check on him,you can go home and come back tommorow.


    George-Yes sir!If you say so.


    George then left the house and Kevin took Gabriel to his lab to examine him.Kevin found out that the device he put in Gabriel stopped working due to the change in his heart beat during the training,


    he immediately changed the configuration of the stabilizer and Gabriel came to his senses.


    Gabriel-What happened doc?


    Kevin-I had to regulate some things in the Continuum Stabilizer since this is the first time you raised your heart beat this much,it shouldn''t happen again.


    Gabriel-Good thing you were around then.(What is with that lame name?)


    Kevin-Yes,good thing that I am around...

 The Night Before The Mission

    The training lasted for a couple of weeks,Gabriel lost track of time while training due to the inspiration that his trainer George filled him with,while training Gabriel''s actions became faster and


    from time to time the two would spar for an hour,George started to notice that his trainee was advancing incredibly fast and during sparing Gabriel would almost beat his trainer in the very


    martial art that took him years to master.George stragled to beat Gabriel in combat but always managed to do so,untill...


    George-Ok Gabe,let''s have one more round.(He has amazing talent)


    Gabriel-Yes teach,i''m gonna give my all this time.


    George-That''s the spirit,let''s go.


    After the last fight the result was different,Gabriel threw George with an astonishing move to the ground,George admited his loss with great pride that his student managed to beat him and then


    he concluded that Gabriel had nothing else to learn from him.


    George-Mr.Kevin sir!


    Kevin-What is it mr.George?


    Kevin came out of the lab and went towards the yard,he came into a weird scene,George was on the ground and he looked quite tired.


    Kevin-What happened here?


    George-Mr.Kevin sir,there is nothing else i can teach to this boy,you should be proud of him,he has excellent talent and is learning faster than any soldier i have ever trained.


    Kevin-I am glad to hear that mr.George.(Considering the fact he is not a normal human)


    George-If this boy is able to beat me then i can assure you that not many people in this world can compete with him.


    Kevin-That''s a bit optimistic,isn''t it?


    George-Mr.Kevin sir,i may have kept some information from you.


    Kevin-Like what?


    George-Not many months ago i participated in an illegal fighting tournament.


    Kevin-Go on...


    George-That tournament was held in a secret location that not even the millitary knew about,fighters from all over the world came there to establish which matrial art was the best,I myself got


    invited there from a letter saying"Mr.George i am informed that you have mastered an interesting fighting art,how about demonstrating that in our tournament,of course i expect you to come alone"


    Since i was in the russian millitary at the time i had to skip some duties as i was interested in the tournament resulting in me getting fired from the army later on..


    Kevin-That''s why you turned to be a trainer...


    George-Yes,i went to the address that was on the letter and then i discovered that the one holding the tournament was a rich man passionate about martial arts and he wanted to see who would turn


    out to be superior,the art that i have mastered is a mix of martial arts from all around the world available only to the russian elite force and very few have come to the point i am right now.During


    the tournament i came across fighters with tremenous skill and combat experience,soldiers,kung fu masters,karate champions,well known fighters of every kind,I managed to defeat all but one.


    Kevin-Who in the world was he?


    George-I have no idea about his identity but one thing is for sure,that man didn''t have any knowledge about martial arts but possesed incredible strength and speed similar to Gabe here,every


    move i perfored on him was like i was hitting a brick wall,his punches felt strong enough to split trees in two and though he was mostly walking he dashed like lightning towards me knocking me


    down with every hit,only two people have managed to beat me since i mastered this specific martial art and one of them is that man.


    Kevin-So the other one is...?


    George-That''s right mr.Kevin,the other one is your nephew Gabriel.


    Kevin-That sounds unbelievable.


    George-But its true,i have nothing else to teach to this boy ,my services have reached their limit.


    Kevin-Then i presume i will pay you for this week and you can be on your way.


    George-No mr.Kevin sir,i will not accept payment,this was a lesson for me too,i learned that i have to train myself all over again to match the level of men like that,the only thing i want is the chance


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.to spar with Gabe sometime again.


    Gabriel-I am so moved right now teach,any time you want we will fight again.


    George-Yes Gabe but i won''t lose again.


    Gabirel-Neither will i.


    George stood up,smilled back at the two men and left determined to train even harder,Kevin took Gabriel back in the house and then pulled out a map with marks on a specific location somewhere


    between the woods that existed a couple of miles outside the village.


    Gabriel-What''s over there doc?


    Kevin-This marks the location of an interesting village Gabe.


    Gabriel-There is another village there?


    Kevin-Yes there is a village there but without any human residents.


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Kevin-During your training with George i did some research and asked locals about this forrest,it turns out that anyone who got close to it had lost memory of what is over there.


    Gabriel-Maybe they ate weird mushrooms there.


    Kevin-I doupt that Gabe,i believe that whatever is in that forrest knows how to hide itself from humans,that means two things.


    Gabriel-And these things are?


    Kevin-Either it''s afraid of humans or it''s planning something bad.


    Gabriel-You want me to check it out?


    Kevin-Yes i want you to go there fully prepared to fight.


    Gabriel-What makes you think that the same thing won''t happen with me as with the others that went there?


    Kevin-I have a feeling that you won''t have the same effect since you know...you are not human.


    Gabriel-Ok but what do you mean fight?


    Kevin-I will give you a very nice firearm.


    Gabriel-OH MAN!!!Am i gonna get a gun to go there?


    Kevin-Yes i will give you this rifle that i used to hunt that strange man the other day.


    Gabriel-Awesome doc,when will i go there?


    Kevin-Tommorow morning,and since i am not sure what you will come across i think you should go visit your old friends tonight.


    Gabriel-You mean go to the orphanage at night to see them but not talk them right?


    Kevin-Since they think you are dead yes you may check how they are doing but not get close enough for them to notice you.


    Gabriel-You are right i really want to see her.


    So Kevin made coffee for the two of them and they sat untill the sun went down,Gabriel stood up,got dressed appropriately to avoid attention and went out,he walked towards the orphanage,the


    road was empty since it was way past midnight,while he was aproaching the orphanage Gabriel saw a light in the window,he figured that someone would be awake but he couldn''t talk to anyone so


    he quietly climbed to the window to realize that it was Helen,Gabriel froze as he looked at her while she was changing for bed.


    Gabriel started thinking(Oh boy,i''m gonna get a peek at her naked)his whole body was shaking as he was looking through the window,Helen was undressing,Gabriel was staring at her and hidding


    from sight.Gabriel was admiring her body(I can''t believe i am seeing Helen naked,her golden hair shining brighter than the moon,her face brings shame to gods,her blue eyes deeper than the ocean,


    her skin so soft and white like snow,her arms gently pulling off clothes,her boobs perfeclty rounded,perfectly shaped,firm and soft like silk,her waiste with perfect curves,her juicy ass and heavenly


    legs.)While Gabriel was drown within his thoughts Helen turned around to face the window,Gabriel then in order to not get caught he jumped down and run away as fast as he could.He went back


    to Kevin''s house where Kevin was waiting for him.


    Kevin-So you are back.


    Gabriel-You have no idea how lucky i am.


    Kevin-Did you see your old friends?


    Gabriel-I saw many things tonight.


    Kevin-Like what?


    Gabriel-Let''s just say that i am going to stay in my room for the rest of the night.


    Kevin-Ok,don''t forget about tommorow''s mission.


    Gabriel-Oh...yes.


    Gabriel then walked up the stairs and went to his room locking the door.

 The Goblins Doom

    The next morning both men woke up early before the sun came up and got prepared for Gabriel''s next mission...


    Kevin-Well Gabe this is the gun that i told you about.


    Gabriel-This is just an old rifle doc.


    Kevin-This "old rifle" is a 1860 Henry rifle boy,it pucks quite a punch when you shoot it.


    Gabriel-And what about ammo?


    Kevin-You are going to use tranquillizers.


    Gabriel-Not bullets?


    Kevin-I need you to bring whatever is in that forrest alive so i can do some testing


    Gabriel-Ok doc.(Sure....tranqs)


    Kevin-You have enough ammo to put to sleep an entire army,if you don''t miss.


    Gabriel-I am ready doc.


    Kevin-Go on then Gabe.


    Gabriel-I need to use the bathroom first,give me a couple of minutes.


    Kevin-Oh allright.


    Meanwhile in a village not far away...


    Armak-By the power i have as elder of this village i hereby anounce that Makgrulthrimang shall be executed for the following accusations,


    Makgrulthrimang-Cut the bullshit old man,let''s get this over with.


    Armak-The accusations are,madness that brought danger to this tribe,stealing the sacred plate of the elders...


    Makgrulthrimang-That''s a dragon scale you moron not a plate for eating!


    Armak-And for mocking the ancient power that was bestowed to us goblins.


    Makgrulthrimang-My inherited memory came from a bloody dragon!,why is that mockery dickhead?


    Armak-In addition having no respect for the elders.


    Makgrulthrimang-Whatever you idiots wouldn''t understand anyway.


    A goblin soldier came running terrified to the place of the execution...


    Goblin soldier-Elder Armak!


    Armak-What is it?


    Goblin soldier-We have an intruder!He is coming this way as we speak and he has one of those boomsticks!


    Armak-What! A filthy human managed to get past the Glamour spell?


    Goblin S.-We have to call the head warrior!


    Makgrulthrimang-That fucker?


    Armak-None shall bother the chieftain while eating!


    Goblin S.-But elder we don''t stand a chance against him.He already killed the guards standing at the gate.


    Armak-All of the guards are dead!!?


    Goblin S.-Yes,anyone that managed to even get close to him got killed with ease.


    Armak-Call the soldiers!


    Not far from the execution spot a voice could be heard"BOOM HEADSHOT! BOOM HEADSHOT!"


    Goblin S.-He is here already!!!Run for your lives!!


    Armak-Calm down fool,stand and face him.


    Makgrulthrimang-AHHHH panic AHHHHH the terror!!


    Armak-Even at the face of death you have no sanity you idiot.


    Makgrulthrimang-Balls to you.


    The intruder managed to get past the last lines of defense and appeared at the execution site,he seemed a bit pissed off and yelled"FUCK I''M OUT OF BULLETS".


    Makgrulthrimang-The bloody idiot forgot to bring enough ammo.


    Armak-What?


    Makgrulthrimang-He can''t use his "boomstick" anymore Oh wise elder.


    Armak-That means we have a chance.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.In the chieftain''s hut...


    Garmock-What is going on out there?


    Goblin Waitress-Nothing mighty chieftain continue eating.


    Garmock-Mmmm bananas...


    Makgrulthrimang-Where the fuck is that monkey?


    Armak-Watch your tongue when you speak of my brother!He is the mightiest chieftain.


    Makgrulthrimang-Mightiest bonobo you mean.


    Armak-I shall kill you myself right here then ignorant fool.


    Random Goblin-He got one of our spears!!!Run!!


    Sounds of brutal murder stopped Armak from killing Makgrulthrimang as he turned around to face the intruder himself.Before he could even move a finger the intruder stabbed Armak and he fell


    to the ground severly wounded,with the last of his breath he said"Call my brother".One of the goblins run as fast as he could to Garmock''s hut,the intruder came face to face with Makgrulthrimang


    still in his cage waiting to die.


    Makgrulthrimang-Who the fuck are you?


    Gabriel-Why are you in a cage?


    Makgrulthrimang-I asked you first.


    Gabriel-My name is Gabriel,your turn.


    Makgrulthrimang-It''s a long story,the short version is that these morons were about to execute me.


    Gabriel-Maybe i can finish the job.


    Makgrulthrimang-No wait!I can help you.


    Gabriel-How?


    Makgrulthrimang-I know things you cannot imagine and i also need your help to get out of here.We need each other see?


    Gabriel-I don''t think i have any need of you.


    Makgrulthrimang-That''s where you are wrong strong hooman!


    Gabriel-Are you making fun of me?


    Makgrulthrimang-No of course not dude,please get me out of here,i will do anything.


    Gabriel-I''ll think about it when i finish here.(Doc will get mad if he finds out i took the bullets instead of the tranqs,i''ll take him with me)


    Makgrulthrimang-Ok then.


    In Gamrock''s hut,a goblin rushed in and started yelling"Chieftain we need you!"


    Goblin Waitress-Garmock is eating right now,don''t bother him.


    Goblin-We have an intruder he has already killed most of us.


    Garmock-i don''t care.


    Goblin-He killed elder Armak too.


    Garmock-WHAT!


    Garmock grabbed the goblin by the neck and strangled him to death.


    Goblin Waitress-Mighty chieftain you have to go out there and save us.


    Garmock-Once i finish my bananas i will.


    Back at the execution site Gabriel continued to kill one goblin after the other,Makgrulthrimang was still in his cage cheering for him and thinking(What the fuck is going on with this guy?He is too


    strong,he killed about 200 goblins and still has no scratch on him).Gabriel was having way too much fun and thinking about Kevin''s face when he finds out that the tranqs are still on the table.


    At Kevin''s house..


    Kevin-Holy shit he took the bullets!(No test subjects then)


    Loud horns could be heard from the middle of the village...


    Gabriel-What the hell?


    Makgrulthrimang-The monkey is coming,better prepare hooman.


    Gabriel-How bad can it be?


    Makgrulthrimang-You have no idea....

 A Strange Friend

    A huge goblin made his way to the execution point,a goblin like no other with a big muscular body,bigger than any other goblin in the village holding a crude axe with dents made from previous


    fights,his armor was almost broken and scars on his body made clear that this goblin had a fierce combat experience,Makgrulthrimang looked terrified at the sight of the mighty chieften,Gabriel


    was a little curious about the streangth that he may possesed but something inside him calmed him down like there was no reason to be afraid.


    Garmock-You intruder?


    Gabriel-What mate?


    Makgrulthrimang-I think he is asking you if you are the intruder.


    Gabriel-I am.


    Garmock-You kill my brother?


    Gabriel-Eeeehh....


    Makgrulthrimang-The guy that you stabed with that spear was his brother,the one that was about to execute me.


    Gabriel-We are gonna come back to why you had to be executed.


    Makgrulthrimang-I will tell you if we manage to get out of here.


    Gabriel-That means i have to kill him too?


    Makgrulthrimang-Can you?


    Gabriel-How hard can it be?


    Garmock-No talk more,now fight.


    Garmock launched an attack on Gabriel,he managed to dodge the attack that hit a tree behind him splitting it in two,Garmock had enormous streangth but lacked in speed,one of his attacks


    could deal huge damage to Gabriel and he knew that after the first swing.A couple of minutes passed while Gabriel was dodging Garmock''s attacks,he clearly had the advantage in speed and agillity


    Makgrulthrimang-Will you hit him for fuck''s sake?


    Gabriel-Do you see how strong his attacks are?


    Makgrulthrimang-You were dodging arrows up untill now while shooting and killing everything,suddently a stupid gorilla is giving you trouble?


    The figth looked like it was never going to end untill Garmock managed to get a hit on Gabriel''s arm that dealt close to no damage.


    Gabriel-That didn''t hurt at all...


    Makgrulthrimang-What the fuck dude,are you made of steel?


    Garmock-Why man no hurt?Garmock need more strong.


    Gabriel-You really make no sense mate.


    Garmock then screamed at the sky as if powering up,his attacks became faster and more accurate,the force of the attacks was stronger as well,strong enough to cut Gabriel deeply and blood was


    flowing everywhere.


    Gabriel-What the hell did he do?


    Makgrulthrimang-He must have chanelled his inherited memories from the gorilla.


    Gabriel-His what?


    Makgrulthrimang-I will explain later.


    Garmock grabbed Gabriel''s leg and tossed him to the ground,Gabriel fell unconcious and was lying in the ground,Garmock turned to face Makgrulthrimang and said "You next traitor",Mak then


    noticed something strange happening,Gabriel stood up,his eyes were glowing red,he seemed angry like a wild beast,with a swift powerfull swing like a flash Gabriel now held Garmock''s head in his


    hand as if had chopped it clean of his body and growled with a deep voice way different than his own,the already dead goblin fell to the ground where Gabriel continued to brutally


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.carve on his corpse cutting every limb tearing appart the poor goblin''s body,Makgrulthrimang became terrified as well as amazed by Gabriel''s sudden lose of control,seconds later Gabriel fell to


    the ground unconcious once again.


    Gabriel woke up,Makgrulthrimang was still in the cage...


    Makgrulthrimang-Are you awake human?


    Gabriel-What happened?Did i win?


    Makgrulthrimang-You don''t remember?


    Gabriel-Remember what?


    Makgrulthrimang-You destroyed him pal.Can you get up?


    Gabriel-Give me a moment.


    Makgrulthrimang-Will you get me out of this?


    Gabriel-Yeah shortass i will.


    Makgrulthrimang-Hey my name is Makgrulthrimang.


    Gabriel-That''s way to hard,i''ll call you Mak.


    Mak-That''s fine,get me out then.


    Gabriel smashed the cage that held Mak and then the two of them got out of the village border.


    Gabriel-Hey how come i could enter the village but no one else could?


    Mak-A glamour spell was cast to hide the village from humans,but you pal seem to be immune to it.


    Gabriel-Well i happen to be something else.


    Mak-What do you mean?


    Gabriel-I need you to come with me to meet someone.


    Mak-I have no place to go to be honest so i guess i will.


    Gabriel-Great.(Now he might not get mad since i got something back alive)


    Mak-Who?


    Gabriel-He will explain to you but we will have to wait untill it gets dark,I can''t walk around with a goblin through the village.


    Mak-Yeah,hey why not go to the tavern here and have a drink?


    Gabriel-Drink?


    Mak-Don''t worry,there is plenty of wine.


    Gabriel-Let''s go.


    Gabriel and Mak went to the tavern,no one else was there and they took the wine from the self.


    Gabriel-Shouldn''t someone be here to serve?


    Mak-There is a waitress but she must have hid somewhere since you killed everyone here,don''t worry she won''t cause any trouble.


    Mak-So why did you even come here in the first place?


    Gabriel-Long story short,i am gonna change this rotten world by destroying it.


    Mak-I don''t get what you mean.


    Gabriel-I have a job to do and that job is to recreat a new world,a kind and safe world that i will rule to make sure everything is going smooth.


    Mak-So you are going to take over the world?


    Gabriel-Pretty much.


    Mak-I can help you achieve that mate.


    Gabriel-How?


    Mak-I have knowledge that will prove very usefull to you.


    Gabriel-Like what?


    Mak-When we go to your place i will explain everything to you and your friend.


    After a couple of drinks Gabriel and Mak left the tavern and started walking out of the village towards Kevin''s house.  Mak-You know...Taking over the world is a pretty generic goal.                                            Gabriel-For someone who can achieve that goal,it''s not generic at all...

 The Goblins Weird Power

    As night fell Gabriel and Mak left the village and headed towards Kevin''s house,it was really dark outside and Gabriel had put a robe on Mak to conceal him even more from curious eyes when


    they eventually reach the village back,they were both silent untill Gabriel asked a very good question...


    Gabriel-So why were you in that cage anyway?


    Mak-Didn''t i tell you already?They wanted to kill me.


    Gabriel-I know that but my question is why?


    Mak-They are clueless as to what is happening in this world.


    Gabriel-And what is happening?


    Mak-Besides humans and goblins a lot of weird creatures walk the surface of this planet mate.


    Gabriel-I know that.


    Mak-You have no idea(Mak then pulled something out of his pouch and showed it to Gabriel).


    Gabriel-What''s that?


    Mak-This is a dragon''s scale baby.


    Gabriel-Don''t call me baby with that ugly face ever again.


    Mak-That was kind of harsh,even i feel hurt after that.


    Gabriel-More to the point idiot,you said dragon scale?


    Mak-Bet you didnt know that right?


    Gabriel-Of course not.


    Mak-Dragon''s existed in this planet long ago,they are now extinct for hundreds of years now.


    Gabriel-How the hell you know all this?


    Mak-I told you i know a lot of things didn''t i?


    Gabriel-Tell me more.


    Mak-Once we get back to your place i will tell you and your friend everything,i hate to explain things twice.


    Gabriel-Whatever.


    Mak-Anything else you want to talk about?


    Gabriel-There is one thing...


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-A girl.


    Mak-A girl?What about that?


    Gabriel-I like her but i can''t talk to her.


    Mak-You just destroyed a whole village of goblins and killed their leaders and you can''t find the courage to talk to damn girl?


    Gabriel-It''s not that simple you moron.She thinks i''m dead.


    Mak-Huh?


    Gabriel-It''s a long story.


    Mak-Is the house far?


    Gabriel-Yes it''s a bit far from here,we are not even in the village yet.


    Mak-Then i''m listening.


    Gabriel told Mak all about Helen,his past life and the fight he had with the strange man before he met Kevin.


    Mak-Hmm,it seems that you lived a hell of life untill now mate.(Must not make fun of him,he will kill me)


    Gabriel-Strange,I''m getting sympathy from someone like you.


    Mak-Hey!!Just cause i''m a goblin doesn''t mean i''m stupid,i understand you.(It''s better to be on his good side for now)


    Gabriel-Any advice then on how to aproach her?


    Mak-She thinks you are dead right?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Mak-Then just plain talk to her,intoduce yourself as someone else,by what you told me you don''t look like you did before.


    Gabriel-What if she finds out?


    Mak-Find out what?You have been dead for months,even if you resemble your old self she won''t think you are the same person.


    Gabriel-But i want her to love me,not someone else.


    Mak-You want to love her or fuck her?


    Gabriel-Shut the hell up you simpleminded ashole,i love her.


    Mak-Ok,ok we will figure something later.


    Gabriel-Yes,we are close now,the house is near.


    They got in the house and immeaditely Kevin aproached them.


    Kevin-Why the hell did you take the bullets Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Relax doc,i got one back alive.


    Mak-Yo.


    Kevin-What the hell is that?


    Mak-My name is Makgrulthrimang.


    Kevin-What?


    Mak-Call me Mak.


    Kevin-Ok Mak,I''m Kevin.


    Mak-I know,Gabriel told me that you want to do some research on me.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.Kevin-And you are ok with that?


    Mak-As long as i don''t die whatever.


    Kevin-I just need some skin tissue,and since you can talk,how about telling me something about yourself.


    Mak-Well...I''m a goblin.


    Kevin-Ok...


    Mak-My species have a power called Inherited Memories.


    Kevin-I''m listening.


    Mak-We inherit memories from other species of this planet and we can call upon them for help,each goblin has it''s own memories that he can recall for information,tactics and other usefull things.


    Gabriel-He told me he can also help with our plan.


    Kevin-And why would he do that?


    Mak-It''s better to be on the winner''s side.


    Kevin-And what can you do for us?


    Mak-I have inherited memories from the last dragon that lived and he has seen enough of this world since dragons live for thousands of years,i know about every creature that you hunt and how to


    find them,i can even tell you streangths and weaknesses that each species has,if that isn''t helpfull to your plan then what is?


    Kevin-How can we trust anything you say?


    Mak-The gun that you gave Gabriel to assault my village was a 1860 lever action Henry rifle,a bit old but pucks a good punch,an automatic rifle would be a lot better if the ammo was sufficient though


    Kevin-You are right,and now that you mention it where is that gun Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Well...i kind of threw it away when i run out of ammo....and i might have forgoten to pick it up when we....left.


    Kevin-You left my gun there?Do you know how much that cost me you fool?


    Gabriel-Come on doc,it was just an old rifle.


    Kevin-It was antique rifle moron,how could you leave it behind like that?Not to mention you took the bullets without me knowing about it!!


    Gabriel-I forgot something in my room,see ya.


    Gabriel run to his room and locked the door to avoid any more lecture from Kevin,when things calmed down Mak wanted to talk to Kevin about something.


    Mak-Hey Kevin.


    Kevin-What is it Mak?


    Mak-That kid you have in your house is dangerous.


    Kevin-What do you mean?


    Mak-He told me about his training but what i witnessed is beyond your imagination.


    Kevin-What do you mean?


    Mak-Let me tell you...


    Mak told Kevin all about Gabriel''s loss of control during his fight with Garmock and the two of them seem to understand what could happen if he gets angry enough around them,their minds


    filled with fear of what Gabriel was capable of,as Mak said earlier it''s better to be on the winners side,if you are not he might consider you an enemy and the results won''t be good.


    Kevin-You are right but what can i do if anything happens?


    Mak-Don''t push him beyond his limit,you don''t want him to snap.


    Kevin-Any other advice?


    Mak-Get him a haircut,he looks like he has a mop on his head,a nasty,dirty black mop....


    Kevin-We will see about that,it''s almost morning and i can''t sleep.


    Mak-Me neither.


    Kevin-Do you...drink coffee?


    Mak-If you know how to make a good cup why not?


    Kevin-My coffee is the best,anyway in the morning i want to run some tests on you so enjoy your coffee and get ready,we will start when I send Gabriel out to get his haircut.


    Mak-Thank god,did i tell you his head looks like a mop?


    Kevin-You did Mak,you did....


    So Gabriel and Kevin got themselves a new asset or it might prove to be a burden,they won''t know for now but they will eventually find out if Mak will prove usefull or not.For now Mak is a new


    member for their team,a foulmouthed member.

 A Girl And A Mission

    Morning came by and Gabriel was still asleep from last night,after all he was up returning from the goblin village with Mak,they both didn''t get enough sleep and they were pretty exausted.


    Kevin went upstairs,outside of Gabriel''s room to wake him up.


    Kevin-Hey Gabriel,wake up i want to tell you something.


    Gabriel-What time is it?


    Kevin-9 a.m.


    Gabriel-Why do i have to get up so early?


    Kevin-Open the door and i''ll tell you.


    Gabriel-Ok wait a minute.(It''s not about the gun again is it?)


    Gabriel opened the door.


    Kevin-Good,now...


    Gabriel-Come on doc it''s just a gun,how much are you gonna lecture me for it?


    Kevin-Don''t remind me that,today you will go get a haircut.


    Gabriel-What''s wrong with my hair?


    Mak yelled from downstairs:You look like a mop bro!


    Gabriel-I''m gonna beat that ashole.


    Kevin-Don''t,he is kind of right,you need a haircut.


    Gabriel-Ok i will get ready,wait for me and we can go.


    Kevin-I am not coming with you,i have to do some testing on Mak so my hands are full.


    Gabriel-Oh,ok.


    Kevin-Here is some money.


    Gabriel-That''s way to much for a haircut doc.


    Kevin-Go get a cup of coffee as well,today you can relax.


    Gabriel-Awesome.


    Kevin went downstairs to the kithen where Mak was waiting.


    Mak-So?


    Kevin-I gave him a day off.


    Mak-So you are following my advice right away aren''t you?


    Kevin-Tommorow we have more work to do with Gabriel,when he leaves we will begin with you.


    Mak-Ok.


    Gabriel came running downstairs where he met both of them and smaked Mak on the head.


    Mak-What was that for dickhead?


    Gabriel-For calling me a mop."He smacked him once again"


    Mak-Ouu.


    Gabriel-And that''s for dickhead.


    Mak-You need a girl,and soon.


    Gabriel-Look who is talking,anyway i''m of to the barber.


    Kevin-Don''t do anything stupid.


    Gabriel-Like what?


    Mak-Hitting people''s heads for example.


    Gabriel-You shut up.


    Mak-What''s with that hostillity all of a sudden?


    Gabriel-You have been mocking me from the moment i woke up.


    Mak-Whatever.


    Gabriel left the house and went to get his haircut,meanwhile Kevin prepared a syringe with narcotics to use on Mak,when he fell unconcious he begun removing skin from his forearm.Kevin took


    the sample and started analyzing it in his lab,the results where astonishing once again...


    Kevin-Interesting...(This sample that came from Mak is unique in it''s own way but there is still a similar molecule to the one i had from Gabriel and the other sample from back at the lab)


    Kevin was confused.(Why does this molecule appear in all of the samples,in all of these things,there must be a connection between these creatures,but what?)


    While Kevin continued his research Gabriel had reached the barber shop.The shop owner was a skinny middle aged man with grey hair and beard,he was smoking at a desk in the corner of an empty


    room,the seats that were supposed to be full of peeople waiting their turn were all empty.


    Gabriel-Good morning.


    Barber-Hey there kid.


    Gabriel-I came for a haircut.


    Barber-Of course you did,this is a barber shop not a theme park.


    Gabriel-Nice one.(Not really)


    Barber-Sit down in that chair.


    The barber put a robe on Gabriel and stood behind him as he sat down on the chair,it was a large metalic chair like one from a dentist,only without the dentist tools at the side,it was in a perfect shape,the whole shop was sparkling


    clean,not even a single hair on the floor,the barber obviously took very good care with his shop,it''s weird that there isn''t anyone else here,that intrigued Gabriel for a moment,he didn''t talk about it though.


    Barber-So what kind of cut do you want kid?


    Gabriel-Something simple,short at the side,a little more length at the top.


    Barber-Ok let me get the hair trimmer.


    The barber started to cut Gabriel''s hair,it was quiet for a couple of minutes,no one else came to the shop and the two men didn''t exchange a word untill Gabriel''s curiosity got the better of him..


    Gabriel-So...Why isn''t anyone else here?


    Barber-Hm?


    Gabriel-Why am i the only one here for a haircut?


    Barber-You see kid,people are greedy.


    Gabriel-I didn''t catch that.


    Barber-They are all going to that bimbo at the "Hair Saloon".


    Gabriel-Where?


    Barber-All of the guys i used to give haircuts changed their minds and are now going to a hot chick at the other side of the village.


    Gabriel-Is she good?


    Barber-As a chick she is more than"good"but she is not a real barber.She calls herself a"hair dresser" like hair needs clothes or some shit like that.


    Gabriel-Nice one.(That was a nice one).So now you don''t get many customers huh?


    Barber-Aside from you no one else came by today.


    Gabriel-Strange how people prefer a hot woman over a good barber.


    Barber-I told you,people are greedy...As long as she doesn''t make a mess on their heads they are fine with looking at her tits through the mirror while she cuts hair.


    Gabriel-Does she have nice tits?


    Barber-Don''t mess with the guy that holds scissors over you head boy....She does.


    Gabriel-You can''t get mad about that.


    Barber-Huh?


    Gabriel-I mean you can''t get mad at her just because she is hot and she is taking your customers,it''s the men''s fault not her''s,all she is doing is trying to make a living.


    Barber-I guess you are right boy.You are very bright considering your age.


    Gabriel-I guess i am.(When did i become so reasonable?)


    Barber-Ok we are done,what do you think?


    Gabriel took a look at himself at the mirror,his hair where now looking great,short at the sides with a little length at the top just as he wanted,he now looked nothing his old self.He was sure that now


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.being seen by anyone familliar would cause no problem after that much of his appearence have changed,he thought..(Maybe Mak has a point after all,maybe i can talk to Helen like that,my chance


    has finally come!)


    Gabriel thanked the barber,he was now smilling at him and went to smoke once again.After paying him he then went out to a local coffee shop for a break,the seats where made of wood and it had a n elevated platform for seperating those


    who are smoking from those who didn''t as the little sign said on the long wooden beams that held a porch to block out the sun,the main store was across the street and the waitress had to move across the street every time.Gabriel picked a


    seat and seconds later a young girl appeared in to come from the main store,judging from a purse around her waiste,Gabriel figured she was the waitress and she was coming to take his order,as she moved closer and closer,Gabriel saw


    more of her appearence,she was in her early twenties and she was a very pretty girl,with long dark hair and a pony tail,she had tanned skin and sparkling green eyes,she was tall and her body was perfectly shaped to show of her curves,


    wearing a tanktop and skinny jeans made the features of her body even more gorgeous.Gabriel had lost it for a second,he wasn''t very confident around beautifull women and he was afraid he would do something stupid.


    Waitress-Hello sir,what can i do for you?


    Gabriel-Coffee please,black.


    Waitress-Be right back.


    While waiting for his coffee to arive he heard comments about the waitress from some kids sitting behind him,he turned his head to check and there were some of the kids that made fun of him at school,at first he wanted to go to them


    and give them a beating but when he thought about it he reallizedthat he would make a scene and that he can''t draw too much attention to himself,why would he start a fight out of nowhere anyway?The waitress came back with his order...


    Waitress-Here you go sir.


    Gabriel-May i ask you something?


    The waitress blushed when he said that.


    Waitress-Yes sir,you can ask me anything.


    Gabriel-What''s your name?(Please don''t scream)


    Waitress-My name is Sophie...and yours?


    Gabriel-(I can''t tell her my real name can i?)Kevin,my name is Kevin.


    Sophie-So Kevin..i haven''t seen you around here before.


    Gabriel-I came to visit a friend of mine,that''s why.


    Sophie-You are not from around here then...where is your friend now?


    Gabriel-He said he wasn''t feeling very well and stayed home.


    Sophie-And left you alone here?


    Gabriel-He did.


    Sophie-Do you need some company?I mean i get off at 20 minutes from now,if you want to hang out or.... something.


    Gabriel-That would be lovely.(OH MY GOD IS THIS A DATE!!)


    Sophie-Great i''ll come back in a bit then.


    Gabriel couldn''t believe it,not only was someone talking casually to him without making fun of him but actually called him out for a date,he thought(Thank you doc!You are the best).After a couple


    of minutes Sophie came back to Gabriel and they went for a walk on the beach,they talked about their daily lives,obviously Gabriel was lying and after some time...


    Sophie-Do you have anyone special in your life Kevin?


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Sophie-A..a..g..girlfriend?


    Gabriel-There is a girl that i love deeply but she doesn''t want anything to do with me.


    Sophie-Oh..i see,she must be really stupid.


    Gabriel-Don''t ever say that again!


    Sophie-I''m sorry,you must really love her.


    Gabriel-Yes,sorry for yelling at you.


    Sophie-I don''t have a chance in hell then.


    Gabriel-I''m sorry Sophie,you are a wonderfull girl but my heart belongs to another.


    Gabriel then left Sophie and begun his way home.He was hopping around all the way back with the thought that a beautifull girl asked him out,he couldn''t help it but smile all the way.


    When he reached home Kevin and Mak where drinking coffee at the kitchen...


    Gabriel-You can''t imagine what happened today.


    Mak-You don''t look like a mop anymore.


    Gabriel-I am going to kick your ass.


    Kevin-Stop it!Anyway Gabriel we don''t have time for storytelling i want you to do something else for me.


    Gabriel-Another mission?


    Kevin-Yes,Mak told me that aside from the Glamour spell at his village there is another one at a bridge outside of town,people don''t reallize what''s happening while on the bridge and only get


    concious after they make it to other end,i want you to go there and find out what''s going on.


    Gabriel-What kind of gun are you gonna give me?


    Kevin-I don''t have any other gun aside from the one YOU left there so you will have to go barehanded.


    Gabriel-What if a creepy monster shows up?


    Mak-There is no way of that happening.


    Gabriel-How do you know?


    Mak-Because the things that live under that bridge are pixies.I believe you call them fairies.


    Gabriel-Fairies huh?


    Mak-They don''t pose a threat but they weild some weird magic,you will have to be cautious around them.


    Gabriel-So i''ll go right now?


    Mak-They don''t appear during the day,you will have to go at night.


    Gabriel-Tonight then?


    Kevin-No,you will go tommorow night,this is your day off,tommorow morning i want you to try and absorb Mak''s power.


    Gabriel-Ugliness?


    Kevin-Inherited memories from your ancestors.


    Gabriel-Why not today?


    Kevin-Cause it''s your day off,relax for tonight.


    Gabriel-Ok doc,how about some coffee?


    Kevin-Sure,and now tell us what happened today,you seemed happy the moment you came in.

 Fairies Under The Bridge

    Exactly the next morning that followed after Gabriel''s day off,Kevin was alreadey standing outside of Gabriel''s room and started yelling...


    Kevin-Gabriel,Mak get up!


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Oh fuck what time is it?


    Kevin-It''s 6 a.m come on we have work to do.


    Both Gabriel and Mak got out of bed,went to the bathroom and came downstairs to meet with Kevin but he wasn''t in the kitchen.


    Gabriel-Where is he?


    Mak-How the fuck would i know?Say,did you fuck that chick last night?


    Gabriel-No,i told you that i left her and came back.


    Mak-You are so fucking stupid.


    Gabriel-Do you ever get tired of saying fuck?


    Mak-Nah,it comes naturally.


    Kevin-I am in the lab come on quickly!


    They went down to the lab and there they saw Kevin being way to energetic for this time of the day...


    Gabriel-Why are you like that so early in the morning?


    Kevin-I had too much coffee and stayed up all night.


    Mak-Are you crazy doc?


    Kevin-Maybe...but that''s not the case,Gabe i need to do something.


    Gabriel-What?


    Kevin-I need you to absorb Mak''s skin.


    Gabriel-Maybe i''ll get some coffee instead.


    Kevin-I don''t want you to eat it,just put your chest close to it and the Continuum Stabillizer will do it''s thing.


    Gabriel-Ok,but you said that i had to eat...


    Kevin-I was joking,come on now.


    Gabriel-Ok.


    Gabriel put his chest close to Mak''s skin sample and then fell unconcious for a couple of seconds,when he woke up he saw Mak and Kevin starring at him.


    Kevin-So?


    Gabriel-I had a very strange dream.


    Kevin-A dream?


    Mak-It must have been your inherited memories.


    Kevin-Oh,what did you see in exactly?


    Gabriel-I had wings...


    Kevin-Wings?(Kevin took his notebook and started taking notes)


    Gabriel-Yes,one made of fire and one golden,fighting each other.


    Kevin-Intersting...


    Gabriel-Then i saw faces...


    Kevin-What kind of faces?


    Gabriel-They were dark,i can''t seem to recall the faces but they seemed familliar.


    Mak-That must be clues to what your ancestors look like.


    Kevin-I see...


    Gabriel-Some strange light appeared and i was holding in one hand fire and the other light...


    Kevin-And then?


    Gabriel-And then nothing,i woke up.


    Kevin-That''s a start,we are closer to understanding what you are exactly Gabe.


    Gabriel-And what am i?


    Kevin-I don''t know yet but we certaintly have some clues now.


    Mak-Try to visualize fire or light in your arms...


    Kevin-What?


    Mak-If he really saw himself holding fire and light on his hands that might be a clue for unlocking some of his powers.


    Gabriel-I''ll try...


    Gabriel close his eyes and focused on the image of himself holding light but nothing came out,he tried the same with fire,the results were the same...


    Gabriel-Maybe that dream has nothing to do.


    Mak-It must have to do something,i am sure.


    Kevin-I will have to agree with Mak on this one.


    Mak-Try visuallizing something you like.


    Gabriel-Ok.(The first thing that came to Gabriel''s mind was an image of Helen)


    After a couple of seconds his hands started glowing with white light.


    Kevin-That''s it!Don''t lose this now Gabe!


    Mak-Mother of God.


    Gabriel-Something is coming in my mind.


    Kevin-What is it?


    Gabriel-A woman,hurt and a man helping her...


    Mak-I don''t get what you mean.


    Gabriel-I lost it.


    His hands went back to normal.


    Kevin-That''s outstanding Gabe.


    Mak-How come?He is no better than a flashlight.


    Gabriel-Shut up.


    Kevin-Don''t mind him,i have some clues to begin with.


    Gabriel-Begin with what?


    Kevin-You will see when the time is right,for now get some coffee and rest,at night you will go to the bridge and meet with those fairies.


    Gabriel went back to the kitchen and got himself some coffee,he spent the rest of the day watching TV and at some point dusk came by.He went to find Kevin and ask him some advice...


    Gabriel-Ok doc i think it''s time for me to go,any advice?


    Kevin-Take Mak with you,he said he can help you.


    Gabriel-How is that idiot gonna help me?


    Mak-Do you speak latin moron?


    Gabriel-No...


    Mak-Fairies do...and guess what?I do too.


    Gabriel-Hm...ok,you can come with me.


    Gabriel and Mak left the house and they begun their way to the bridge,they were silent for some time untill Mak said:


    Mak-Ok whatever you do,don''t touch them untill they touch you.


    Gabriel-Why is that?


    Mak-Fairies are peacefull creatures but they are afraid of a lot of things,touching one without her permision is going to make them think you want to hurt them.


    Gabriel-You say "her"all the time.


    Mak-Fairies are all female.They spawn each with the last dying flower of the winter and wake up at spring.Also unless attacked they are immortal to a certain extend.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.Gabriel-If they are immortal why are they afraid of someone hurting them.


    Mak-They don''t age but are very fragile when it comes to fighting.


    Gabriel-Ok,anything else?


    Mak-They can also use Mark magic.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-If you piss them off they might try to kill you.


    Gabriel-Why didn''t we bring any weapons then?


    Mak-So we won''t provoke them idiot.


    Gabriel-And what are we gonna do when we get there?


    Mak-Ask them for information,one of them has intel for the vampire that killed Kevin''s wife.


    Gabriel-Why don''t i know anything about that?


    Mak-Kevin thought you might do something stupid and interogate them,so i came along in order to calm things down and ask them the proper way,polite.


    Gabriel-What about the "latin"thing?


    Mak-They learned to speak like you ages ago,we lied to you so i could come along and ensure that everything goes smoothly.


    Gabriel-Whatever.


    Mak lead the way to the bridge,Gabriel was a bit anxious,he never came face to face with a fairy and even though he had already fought strange creatures before he couldn''t help it,he was scared


    what he might come across when they enter the area that was under the effect of the Glamour spell,Mak was very calm,he had never faced fairies either but the memories he had inherited by the


    dragon gave him enough knowledge as to how he can handle the situation.After half an hour they finally came across the edge of the Glamour spell near the bridge.


    Mak-Remember what i told you?


    Gabriel-Sure.


    Mak-I''m not joking moron,don''t talk unless i tell you to,we don''t want to anger them,we just need information.


    Gabriel-Don''t talk to me like a kid,i''ll kill you.


    Mak-Ok calm down,i just want to make sure everything works out.(Crap,his eyes are not joking,better not pick on him anymore)


    Gabriel and Mak entered,went across the bridge and suddently they came in area that the fairies occupied.A strange smell was in the air,like when rain falls to the ground,the rest of the place was


    magical,big colourfull trees with lamps hanging from the branches,mossy roads made of cobblestone,the place was too big to fit in the area of the bridge and pecked Gabriel''s curiosity.


    Gabriel-What the hell?How does all of this fit in a bridge?


    Mak-Maybe the spell also includes distortion of space.


    Gabriel-You lost me.


    Mak-It''s too hard for me to explain to fairy magic right now,but there is something else you might want to pay attention.


    Gabriel-There is no one here.


    Mak-Bingo!This place should be full of happy go lucky half naked fairies right now,where could they be?


    Gabriel-You never told how they look like.Did you say "half naked"?


    Mak-They look like humans most part,except they are pretty and where leaf clothes or something.


    Gabriel-You haven''t met one have you?


    Mak-Not in person but i can recall an image of a fairy,anyway we have to search for them.


    Gabriel-How the hell does a fairy know about Kevin''s wife?


    Mak-Fairies and vampires are in some kind of "cold war"so they spy on each other every now and then.


    Gabriel-Cold war?


    Mak-Some fighting about who is the best suited to be immortal....something,i don''t know anything more.


    Gabriel-We should split up and find what''s going on.


    Mak-Yeah.


    Gabriel and Mak split up and started to look around,Gabriel was luckier than Mak and found a something that resembled a house,he looked through the window and saw a beautifull creature,it


    was a woman just like Mak described but she was hurt and probably unconcious.


    Gabriel-Hey short-ass come over here!


    Mak-What!?I can''t hear you!


    Gabriel-I SAID COME OVER HERE DUMBASS!!!


    Mak run towards Gabriel as fast as he could.


    Mak-Why are you yelling?


    Gabriel-Look in there.


    Mak-Oh....!Let''s go in quietly,don''t startle her.


    Gabriel and Mak went inside and they took a closer look at the creature on the ground.She was still alive but very hurt,barely breathing.


    Gabriel-What do we do now?


    Mak-We have to take her back to Kevin,he has to fix her up,then we can talk to her.


    Gabriel-How are we gonna do that?


    Mak-You will have to carry her mate.


    Gabriel blushed,he felt embarassed to grab a pretty girl,especially one with so little clothing but he set aside his embarassment and took her in his arms.


    Gabriel-Ok let''s go quickly.


    Mak-Yeah we don''t know how she will react if she wakes up while you carry her.


    Gabriel and Mak finished their mission as quickly as they started it,what could happen in order for the fairies to leave in such a hurry and not take care of an injured member of their familly.What


    will this strange fairy have to say when she wakes up?If she wakes up....

 The Man Called Warren

    Gabriel and Mak came back to the house and placed the injured fairy on the couch, it was late at night but Kevin was still up, he could not sleep while Gabriel and Mak was out on a mission, once


    again he had drunk too much coffee and continued his research on based on Gabriel''s DNA, he discovered that even the boy he put his trust in had this particular molecule in his body, of course, he had


    no clue himself...


    Mak-Doc!Come over here fast!


    Kevin-Why are you two back so soon?


    Gabriel-Just come over here old man.


    Kevin left the lab and went upstairs to see why they panicked, he saw the fairy on the couch and could not believe his own eyes...


    Kevin-What is that?


    Mak-This is a fairy doc, she is injured.


    Kevin-I told you to watch out for that Mak!How could you let him fight them?


    Gabriel-It wasn''t me doc, we found her like that.


    Mak-It''s true old man, there was no sign of them went we first went in so we started to search for them, this one was on the floor unconscious, you are the only one that can help her right now.


    Kevin-I am not a doctor you know.


    Mak-And who is going to save her life?You have to try at least, she might have the clues we need.


    Kevin-I''ll try.Bring her to the lab quickly.


    Gabriel took the fairy and place her on the table inside the lab, he and Mak went upstairs to the living room to let Kevin do his work...


    Gabriel-What a mess.


    Mak-We can''t do more in this situation, just let Kevin do his thing and hope she survives.


    Gabriel-What do you think happened?


    Mak-I have no clue.


    Gabriel-Maybe vampires attacked them.


    Mak-That can''t be the case.


    Gabriel-You said it yourself.


    Mak-Fairies and vampires are not in conflict, it''s more like a political discussion.


    Gabriel-Politics?


    Mak-You have no clue what''s happening behind the back of humans boy.


    Gabriel-You will have to inform me.


    Mak-To be honest I had never set foot outside the village that you destroyed, all my knowledge comes from the inherited memories I have from the dragon.


    Gabriel-Sorry about that.


    Mak-You have nothing to worry about, my life was a bit dull to begin with.


    Gabriel-You haven''t told me much about this dragon Mak.(He didn''t like his life that much either huh?)


    Mak-I don''t know much about it but he sure had a lot of wisdom, he must have been way too old, you see dragons live for centuries, most of my knowledge comes from the dragons memories.


    Gabriel-How does your kind inherit those memories?


    Mak-Goblins are dull creatures for the most part, apart from our own species we can mate with every creature and reproduce goblins...


    Gabriel-Even...


    Mak-Even humans, although sexual reproduction is the most favored method, goblins do spawn from infested plants that have absorbed goblin blood from the soil.


    Gabriel-Gross enough I guess but what about the memories thing?


    Mak-We inherit the memories of our ancestors, the guy you fought got his from a gorilla that has been impregnated by a goblin.


    Gabriel-What the actual fuck?


    Mak-I doubt he survived after that, in my case I was born through a plant, the dragon''s corpse must have been in the soil that the plant grew on and that''s how I got my inherited memories.


    Gabriel-That sounds as interesting as it sounds stupid.


    Mak-Hey, you are the one that asked.


    Gabriel-True...(He has no parents just like me, maybe we are similar on some point)


    Mak-The way that goblins reproduce is the fact that they survived thus far in this world despite being so weak.


    Gabriel-Weak?I can''t even remember how I survived the last time I fought your kind.


    Mak-That was nothing compared to what you have chosen to fight against, way stronger enemies will cross the path you are about to take.


    Gabriel-I am not even sure I can follow this path.


    Mak-You need to find the courage to fulfill your dream mate.


    Gabriel-You are right, I have to bring justice to this world for my sake and for the sake of the people that suffer because of the way things worked so far, I can''t let doubt keep me down.


    Mak-That''s a nice way to put it.(This boy''s passion is beyond what I had in mind, I want to see how far he can go)


    Gabriel-It''s late, I am going to get some sleep.


    Mak-I will go to the lab with Kevin.


    Gabriel went to his room and fell to sleep instantly, the next day when he woke up he went right down to the lab only to find Kevin and Mak asleep next to the table that the fairy was on.


    Gabriel-Wake up you two!


    Kevin-What happened?


    Gabriel-What do you mean what happened?What happened to her?


    Mak-Holy fuck you are loud.


    Gabriel-Did you two fell asleep instead of helping her?


    Kevin-She is safe for now, I managed to save her life but she won''t wake up.


    Mak-Fairies are nocturnal creatures, she will wake up at night.


    Gabriel-What do we do until then?


    Kevin-We will have to wait anyway, I''ll prepare some breakfast, coffee anyone?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Mak-Yeah sure.


    Kevin went to the kitchen and made coffee for the three of them, Gabriel stayed next to the fairy and Mak stayed along with him.


    Mak-What time is it?


    Gabriel-It''s...3 p.m.


    Mak-It''s noon already?


    Gabriel-We stayed up late last night you know.


    Mak-Well, at least we won''t have to wait too much until she wakes up.


    Gabriel-What time do these things wake up?


    Mak-At 10 p.m. probably.


    Gabriel-Probably?


    Mak-I am not a fairy alarm clock you know.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Kevin came back with the coffee and they all sat down quietly drinking and waiting anxiously for the moment their new guest would wake up...


    Time flew by and it was dark again in no time...


    Mak-It should be about time.


    Gabriel-It better be.


    Kevin-Shhh I think she is waking up...


    The fairy woke up and yawned peacefully before realizing the state she was in.


    Fairy-Where am I?


    Mak-Relax, we found you injured and that man over there saved your life.


    Fairy-Who are you people?Are you with him?


    Kevin-With who?


    Fairy-Are you part of that man''s coven?


    Gabriel-Relax lady, we are not part of any coven.


    Mak-We came by your Glamour spell area and found you on the floor, tell us what happened.


    Fairy-How do I know I can trust you?


    Mak-You are still alive and well, aren''t you?


    Lynn-You are right, my name is Lynn.


    Mak-I am Mak, this is the guy that brought you here, his name is Gabriel and that guy saved your life, he is Kevin.


    Lynn-Thank you for the care you gave me....wait WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF MY SISTERS?


    Gabriel-There was no one else there except you.


    Lynn-That despicable man killed my sisters...(She cried a lot while talking)


    Kevin-What man?


    Lynn-A vampire named Warren.


    Kevin-W...Warren?


    Lynn-Yes, you know him?


    Kevin-That man is responsible for the death of my wife.


    Lynn-He brought pain to you people as well?


    Kevin-Nothing will satisfy me until I see that thing dead.


    Lynn-I understand how you feel but this man is too strong for you to face him.


    Mak-You see this guy?(Mak pointed towards Gabriel)


    Lynn-This boy?


    Mak-This boy holds unimaginable power, he is going to fix everything in this world.


    Gabriel-I umm...


    Lynn-What are you?


    Mak-He is like nothing you have ever seen, he will bring doom to every last scum in this world.


    Lynn-That''s a heavy duty you have chosen, boy.


    Gabriel-I have my reasons to carry on.


    Lynn-What are those reasons?


    Gabriel and Kevin discussed their stories with Lynn, she sat quietly listening to them.


    Lynn-You have also suffered, I can understand how you feel, I''m glad kind people found me and took care of me.


    Kevin-Kindness will not be enough to bring justice.


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Lynn-Without kindness fighting is worthless.


    Gabriel-Worthless you say?


    Lynn-You can''t win with just revenge on your side, do you really fight for revenge or to protect something?


    Gabriel-Both.(I have to fight, I can''t let Helen live in a world like this)


    Lynn-Even so, Warren is too strong to defeat with pure will.


    Kevin-Do you know where he is at?


    Lynn-I don''t know exactly.


    Kevin-We have to find him!


    Lynn-It will not be an easy task, you will need some help.


    Gabriel-Help?


    Lynn-There are always humans hunting vampires, I know of such a man in the nearby town.


    Gabriel-The nearby town huh?I can''t go there to find him.


    Lynn-Why is that?


    Gabriel-Well let''s just say I can''t be seen there.


    Kevin-I will go and ask around for him, what''s his name?


    Lynn-His name is Jason, if you mention my name he will definitely help you and show you where Warren''s coven is.


    Kevin-What is that man to you?


    Lynn-A friend.


    Mak-How do we know he is going to help us hunt Warren down?I thought you said he is too strong to oppose.


    Lynn-Jason and I fell in love a while ago but I left him because he wouldn''t listen to me and he tried to fight Warren.


    Mak-What?


    Lynn-I tried to break his heart so he wouldn''t fight Warren for my sake, I couldn''t bear to see him injured.


    Mak-But after you left him he still tried to find Warren.


    Lynn-Yes, sooner or later he will go to him.


    Gabriel-Wait a second, am I the only one that questions this whole story?How did you and a vampire hunter fell in love?Where did you guys meet?This sounds way to strange to me.You are a fairy.


    Lynn-Jason is a half-vampire, the blood of the Daywalker runs within him.


    Gabriel-What?


    Lynn-Jason used to work for Warren as his day agent since both us and the vampires can''t fight at day Jason was his way to keep an eye on us, from the first moment that we saw each other we fell in


    love, Jason told me one night that Warren planned to attack us so Jason killed his own group and told me to run away with him, I couldn''t just leave my sisters so I told him to go back or he could get


    in trouble, Jason told me that he would kill Warren so we could live happily but I was afraid of him fighting, Warren is just too strong for him.


    Mak-Vampires grow stronger the older they get.


    Lynn-Warren is the oldest known vampire in this country.Jason had no chance.


    Mak-So you broke up with him so he would hate you and not fight for your sake?


    Lynn-Yes but he said that he still thinks Warren is insane, as it is now Warren already attacked my village, I am sure that Jason will find out and try to go after him, please find him, he will help you.


    Mak-And he will need our help too.


    Gabriel-So this Jason guy is a vampire that can go out in the day and he wants to kill the same person we do?


    Kevin-I will find this man and bring him here.


    Lynn-You have to find him before he does anything reckless, please.If he finds out I have been injured he will go on a rampage, Warren will kill him.


    Mak-Not if we find him before that.


    Kevin-I''ll go right away.


    Kevin left the house and went out with his car to the nearby town to ask for Jason''s whereabouts, will he find Jason before it''s too late?There is still something strange about the whole situation...

 Jason The Daywalker

    When morning came Kevin got in his car and traveled to the nearby town to the location Lynn told them Jason was staying, Kevin was a bit anxious about what kind of person this Jason could be,


    he had already seen what vampires are capable off from his meeting with Warren, even if Jason wasn''t the same as Warren there is no guarantee that he would see Kevin as a friend and not an enemy,


    so Kevin turned on the radio in his car and tried to focus on the road instead of the negative thoughts he had while Gabriel and Mak stayed home to attend to Lynn''s injuries since the danger was


    already on the charts, she wasn''t strong enough to walk on herself, fairies are such fragile creatures...


    Mak-Where the fuck did you go?


    Gabriel-I am with Lynn in the living room moron, where did you go?


    Mak-I went to get her some bandages from the first aid kit upstairs but we don''t have any.


    Lynn-I told you have done enough for me, don''t stress yourselves.


    Gabriel-Nonsense, Mak go to the lab and look in there.


    Mak-Why don''t you go by yourself?


    Gabriel-Don''t argue with me short-ass, I will murder you.


    Mak-Go to hell.


    Lynn-Ha ha, you guys are very funny, I wish Jason could be here now, we could all have some fun.


    Gabriel-We don''t have time for fun, we are on a mission.


    Lynn-You have to relax some time too, it''s important to enjoy the little things.


    Gabriel-I don''t need joy, only revenge.(Only revenge, against those who made fun of me, against the system that gave them that right, against those god damned things that lurk in the shadows,


    revenge against the world)


    Lynn-You are a very interesting man Gabriel but you need to loosen up.


    Mak-Found them!Coming right up.


    Gabriel-Good, patch her up.


    Lynn-Thanks Mak, you to Gabriel.


    Mak-Don''t mention it, girl, you have helped us too.


    Lynn low voice-Thanks for everything.


    Mak-What?


    Lynn-Nothing I have to go to bed soon, it''s morning.


    Mak-Oh yeah you are a fairy, I forgot.


    Gabriel-You can get my bed, I will sleep on the couch.


    Lynn-You don''t have to...


    Gabriel-I said, go to my bed when Mak finishes.


    Mak-Oh the knight in the shining armor, that melts my heart.


    Gabriel-Shut your mouth.


    Meanwhile, Kevin arrived outside the place that Jason was living, he stood just out of the building''s entrance, Jason was living in one of the apartments, the hallway door was slightly open so Kevin


    went right in, he was nervous about meeting with Jason, what would he say to him?(Hey bro Warren beat your girl and killed my wife, how about we go to his place and pay him back?).He had to be


    clever about this.He found the door to Jason''s apartment and rang the bell.


    Man inside-Who''s there?


    Kevin-Mr.Jason?


    Jason-Yes, who are you?


    Kevin-I...need to speak with you.


    Jason-I don''t want to buy anything, go away.


    Kevin-No, I am not selling anything, I am a...friend of Lynn''s.


    Jason-You know Lynn?


    Jason opened the door to reveal a white, tall, rather fat man with a long beard wearing a tank top and cargo shorts,he had a rough face and long hair down to his shoulders.


    Jason-Come right in man, tell me about Lynn.


    Kevin-You see Mr.Jason, I first want to talk about a man called Warren.


    Jason-What about that ashole?Stop with the mister thing, just Jason.


    Kevin-You see Jason, he murdered my wife a couple of years ago.


    Jason-I left his coven for quite some time, I don''t remember your face.


    Kevin-From what I recall you were not with him at that moment.


    Jason-Warren has caused much pain and trouble, sorry about your wife man, carry on.


    Kevin-Thank you Jason, so I met a young boy named Gabriel under some weird circumstances and found out he posses enormous strength and combat prowess, I have faith that he will change


    things from now on, starting with Warren.


    Jason-No matter how strong he is, a human will never beat Warren.


    Kevin-That''s the case, this boy is not human.


    Jason-Is he a vampire, a Daywalker?


    Kevin-Neither, I am not sure at the moment but I am sure that with your help and him Warren can be defeated.


    Jason-You said you know Lynn?


    Kevin-Yes, before I came here I sent Gabriel to speak with the fairy community that Lynn lived in order to get information on Warren, when he arrived there the place was trashed and Lynn was the


    only one alive but injured.


    Jason-That bastard attacked them?Is she...is Lynn ok now?


    Kevin-I tended to her injuries and now she is recovering.


    Jason-Thank you Kevin, thank you very much.


    Kevin-Don''t worry about it Jason, anyway, I need you to come home with me and make up a plan.


    Jason-You want to attack Warren''s coven?


    Kevin-I need you to tell me it''s location.


    Jason-I will fight with you Kevin, I can''t repay you enough for what you did for Lynn.


    Kevin-I won''t come with you but Gabriel will.


    Jason-I''m interested in that boy you speak of.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.Kevin-He has passion and anger in him, he is very skilled both physically and mentally.


    Jason-Ok let me grab my gear and we shall be off to your place then Kevin.This won''t be easy.


    Kevin-Thank you Jason.


    Jason packed some of his stuff and some weapons in a duffle bag, they picked Kevin''s interest.


    Kevin-What are those Jason?


    Jason-Silver knives and bullets Kevin,vampires hate silver.


    Kevin-I see, and these?


    Jason-Holy water capsules and a UV flashlight.


    Kevin-You seem prepared.


    Jason-I was prepared in case Warren came for me after I left his coven but he couldn''t find where I lived all these years.


    Kevin-Are you ready then?


    Jason-Yeah, let''s go.


    Kevin and Jason got in the car and headed back to Kevin''s house, Kevin told Jason all about how Warren messed up his life and what his plans are for the future now, he told him about how he and


    Gabriel are going to change everything and make a world where everyone would be kind to each other, no politician''s driving people''s thoughts, no extraordinary creature would have to hide and


    fight anymore, no evil person would be alive human or non-human.


    Jason-That sounds perfect Kevin but how can you pass judgment on your own through force?


    Kevin-Someone has to do it.


    Jason-And all that burden will be on that boy''s shoulders?


    Kevin-I will share this burden as much as I can but this is his wish also, he will bear it.


    Jason-If you want to do that I won''t stand in your way but neither I will help you kill others, I hope you understand.


    Kevin-I do, after we are done with Warren you can go your own way, Jason.


    Back at Kevin''s house, Gabriel was sleeping on the couch while Mak was drinking coffee and reading the newspaper in the kitchen, it looked way too peaceful for what is going to happen very


    soon.Calm before the storm is what someone could say.


    Kevin-We are back.


    Mak-Hey doc is, is that our man?


    Jason-What are you?


    Mak-Never saw a goblin before,toothie?


    Jason-Goblin?Toothie?


    Mak-Not very bright huh?


    Jason-I suspect you are Mak.


    Mak-Bingo!How did you know?


    Jason-Kevin said there was an ashole coming with us to Warren''s place.


    Mak-What?


    Kevin-You are and you know it.


    Mak-Whatever.


    Jason-First time seeing your kind, the boy sleeping is Gabriel?


    Kevin-Yes, Gabe wake up!


    Gabriel-What happened?Why are you yelling?(Gabriel noticed Jason)Who is that guy?


    Kevin-That''s Jason the Daywalker Lynn spoke of.


    Gabriel-Hey...


    Jason-Hi Gabriel, I assume we will go make a mess together.


    Gabriel-I don''t know, maybe that ashole will die on his own if we ask nicely.


    Jason-Ha ha, I like your spirit man.


    Mak-Don''t forget about me.


    Gabriel-Who talked to you?


    Mak-Suck a dick.


    Gabriel-I will fucking end you, ugly.


    Jason-Ha ha, nice to see cheerful people here, it''s been a while.


    Kevin-Shall we wake Lynn?


    Jason-You can''t, it''s morning man, Lynn won''t wake up, it''s better this way.


    Kevin-You don''t want to see her?


    Jason-As long as I know she is ok, it''s fine.


    Kevin-Ok let''s make a plan then.


    Jason-Straight to the point.


    Kevin-Excuse my impatience Jason but every second that ashole is alive I can''t stand it.


    Jason-I understand you man.


    Gabriel-Ok Jason let''s hear your plan.


    Jason-We will attack at once, now that it''s morning only the Daywalkers in Warren''s men will be the only ones we face, although everyone will be alert at the moment we get in, getting the Daywalkers


    out of the way first will be easier, they are not as strong as pure vampires.When we dispose of them probably chaos will go off, vampires will wake up and try to kill us, knowing Warren, he won''t take part in the fight unless he has to, that''s good since Warren is the only one that I am afraid of.


    Kevin-But you are a Daywalker too, how are you going to fight the pure vampires?


    Jason-Don''t forget that I am half vampire too, they don''t have the necessary weapons to deal with me, it will take a lot to kill a Daywalker with just dealing damage to them without silver weapons, I


    believe that I and Gabriel will do fine till the point we see Warren.


    Gabriel-Is that Warren guy that strong?


    Jason-You have no idea, he was in the army of none other but Dracula Vlad Tepes.


    Kevin-You mean Dracula is a real person?


    Jason-As real as you and me, do you think legends are born from nothing?Older vampires are the strongest and given land to own, Dracula has been sleeping for hundreds of years now, the oldest


    people of his army run things now, Warren is one of them unfortunately for us.He is strong and cruel, he likes to toy with his victims, he enjoys killing people you love while keeping you alive to cause


    you pain, since Dracula''s hibernation Warren took over this country as a leader vampire,all of his men combined do not pose as big a threat as he does,he is the only one capable of killing both of us,


    and he will, if he doesn''t keep you

 The Blood Legion

    Gabriel, Mak and their new ally started their way towards Warren''s coven, even though they had a plan of attack, beating Warren would prove a huge challenge to Gabriel and Jason, their opponent


    was known for his strength and cruelty in combat, Gabriel was feeling so sure of himself that he kept smiling all the way, Jason was afraid, he had seen what Warren is capable of, as for Mak he had


    a strange feeling in him but he didn''t tell his partners, after a couple of hours of silence Jason had some last minute advice for them...


    Jason-Gabriel do you remember what I told you about vampires?


    Gabriel-Sure,hit them with the bullets.


    Jason-You don''t want to waste silver ammo on the Daywalkers, we need to preserve it for the pure vampires, even one bullet can do significant damage to them.


    Gabriel-Ok, I guess then we hit these Daywalkers with the knives.


    Jason-Yes, also we will need the ammo for the real challenge.


    Mak-Warren.


    Jason-Yes.


    Gabriel-If you are so afraid of him, let me have him.


    Jason-No way, you can''t fight Warren all alone, I am not sure that even both of us can take him on.


    Gabriel-Ok, we will get him together.


    Jason-Let me give you some last advice, even if you see me hurt don''t come to help me unless you are clear.


    Gabriel-What?


    Jason-If you are in the middle of a fight don''t worry about me even if you see me injured, as a half vampire I have regenerating abilities.


    Mak-That''s some handy shit.


    Jason-If you put it that way, yes.


    Gabriel-Ok Jason, I will just focus on fighting.


    Jason-Our opponents don''t have the right gear to kill me, I hope you can handle yourself as well.


    Gabriel-Piece of cake.


    Jason-I hope so, I won''t have time to attend to you if we get in a fight.


    Gabriel-You won''t have to.


    Mak-You seem awfully sure.


    Gabriel-I am, short-ass, remember the light that I conjured the other day?


    Mak-Yes.


    Jason-What light?


    Gabriel-I had another vision earlier this night, my power turned vampires to ashes.


    Mak-I see, that light must be some sort of holy magic.


    Jason-You mean you have the power to conjure damaging light?


    Gabriel-We will have to test it out.


    Jason-If we encounter pure vampires don''t hesitate to use it, probably it won''t work on Daywalkers.


    Gabriel-One way to find out.


    Gabriel focused his energy in his right hand and emitted light, stronger than the other time he tried, it didn''t have any effect on Jason though.


    Gabriel-Hmm, it doesn''t work, you were right.


    Jason-You little ashole, did you just try to kill me?


    Gabriel-No..., I just put a little energy into that, it wouldn''t even hurt a fly.


    Jason-I didn''t feel anything.


    Gabriel-See?


    Jason-Don''t do it to me again with more power then.(What kind of guy tries something like that?)


    Gabriel-I''ll do it to them, don''t worry.


    Jason-It might give us an edge on Warren too, is that why you reek of confidence?


    Gabriel-Maybe.


    Jason-We arrived men.


    Mak-Where are we?


    Jason-About half a mile of Warren''s coven.


    Mak-You don''t want to go any closer?


    Jason-I would like to keep the element of surprise, Daywalkers are probably scouting around the place, you should be able to see it.


    Mak-Is it that building over there?


    Jason-Yes.


    Mak-Dude that''s a fucking castle.


    Jason-More or less.


    Gabriel-Is he living in a castle?


    Jason-You won''t be impressed when you go inside, the place is a dump.


    Gabriel-Ok, Jason we are out, Mak stay here and when I give you a sign come closer with the car.


    Mak-Ok.


    Gabriel left the car with Jason, they started approaching the big castle-like building, Jason noticed three men outside the main door.


    Jason-You see these three Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Jason-Probably Daywalker guards, get up and approach them.


    Gabriel-Approach them like that?


    Jason-They are not going to attack you immediately, just get their attention,I''ll do the rest, hide your weapons.


    Gabriel-Ok.


    Gabriel started slowly approaching the main door, the guards spotted him instantly.


    Guard 1-Who are you boy?What are you doing here?


    Gabriel-Hi....can you help me?


    Guard 1-Help you with what?


    Gabriel-You see, my friend and I went camping just a bit further but we are lost now and can''t find the way back.


    Guard 2-Lost huh?Don''t you know what this place is?


    Gabriel-No idea sir, I just saw it and came for some help, can you tell me where this is exactly?


    Guard 3 whispered-I say we get them, i could use a snack.


    Gabriel-Sorry, I didn''t catch that.


    Guard 1-Nothing, bring your friend over here and we will give you both directions, is that ok?


    Gabriel-Thank you sir.


    Gabriel then stood in front of them and didn''t move at all, this friend he came up with isn''t really there, he was patiently waiting but the guards did not know why?


    Guard 1-Why are you still here, go get your friend.


    Gabriel-Ummmm......


    Suddenly Jason leaped behind them, slicing the throats of the two guards that were close to each other and shooting the last one in the head, it all happened in an instant.


    Gabriel-Wow, took you long enough.What was that about not wasting ammo?


    Jason-I had to, couldn''t get him fast enough with the blade unless I came close enough, nice job.


    Gabriel-Yeah, you too.


    The two men opened the door and went inside the building carefully, the place was just like Jason described, smashed things all around, broken tables, chairs, no sign of light in the building, the room


    was big, just a big room with rubble and a big staircase in the middle that split in two as it went up to the second floor.


    Jason-No one here, strange.


    Gabriel-Why is that?


    Jason-This is the main hall, it should be swarming with them now.


    Gabriel-So, let''s just find Warren in his sleep and kill him.


    Jason-No wait, I hear something.


    Some slight noise was coming from the way to the staircase, footsteps, heavy footsteps as a dark figure came down from the staircase.


    Warren-Oh Jason, Jason!Come out now, I know you are here.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.Jason and Gabriel came out of cover to face their enemy.


    Jason-Warren.(Jason''s feet started to tremble)


    Warren-Hey J, how are you doing?I was expecting you.


    Jason- You expected us to come?


    Warren-Well I expected you to come, not to bring company with you, who is that boy you brought along?


    Jason-None of your business.


    Warren-Gabriel!How nice to meet you?


    Gabriel-How do you know my name?


    Warren-Oh I know a lot about you, my friend, come join me upstairs.


    Jason whispered-Do as he says.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Jason-We will get our chance.


    Gabriel and Jason followed Warren upstairs where a big throne sat close to the wall and there were some fine leather red couches, the walls were exactly like the rest of the building with broken


    furniture scattered and big wooden spikes coming from the walls.Jason and Gabriel sat on one of the couches, Warren sat opposing them.


    Jason-Why did you bring us here Warren?What do you mean you expected us to come?


    Warren-You see J, the humans are starting to get smart, most of my men are dead by the hands of the military,so I came up with a plan, you like Lynn don''t you?


    Jason-You son of a bitch.


    Warren-Easy there, no false moves, you too Gabe, I know you want to shoot me with that gun you are hiding but hear me out, ok?


    Gabriel-(But how?How does he know?)


    Meanwhile, Mak slowly approached the building with the car, Gabriel forgot to give him a signal so he figured they would already be inside by now.He parked the car a little bit further than the gate, far


    enough so no one would be able to spot him but close enough to keep an eye out on the gate in case his partners needed an escape.While waiting he noticed a figure going in from the main gate.


    Mak-What?My eyes must be playing tricks on me.


    Warren-Anyway, I attacked Lynn''s little village because I knew you would find out.


    Jason-Me and Lynn are over, you couldn''t possibly base your plan that I would find out.


    Warren-True, the case is that...Lynn helped a little, isn''t that right girl?(Warren pointed behind them)


    Jason and Gabriel turned their heads only to see Lynn looking back at them.


    Jason-Lynn?What are you doing here?


    Lynn-I..i...had too.


    Warren-Come on girl, don''t cry, you see Lynn there was my bait to find you.


    Jason-To find me?Why?


    Warren-I told you, the military killed most of men.


    Jason-You want to recruit me again?


    Warren-Not really, but who could give them such information?


    Jason-You mean I did?


    Warren-You mean, I mean, what difference does it make?


    Lynn-I''m sorry Jason, Gabriel, he has my sisters captive.


    Gabriel-What?


    Warren-Brilliant!You see, the fairies are in the cells down below in the basement, Lynn over here cast a Mark of Charming on our friends, Gabriel and that guy you left outside, Mak.How could you not invite


    him to the party huh?


    Gabriel-(He knows about Mak?Even his name?)


    Jason-(How is that possible?)Charm spell?


    Warren-Yes she practically forced them to come find you J.


    Gabriel-How could you?


    Lynn-I''m sorry Gabriel.


    Warren-Even her injuries were part of Mark of Illusion.


    Gabriel-But...


    Warren-You didn''t find it suspicious at all?A lone fairy survived an attack from my men?You know how fragile fairies are right?


    Gabriel-(He is right, Mak told me not to even touch them).


    Warren-Even more interesting, didn''t you find it suspicious that she was alone?No one else was there.


    Gabriel-(Damn it)


    Jason-Enough Warren, I am here now, what do you want with me?Let the fairies go with Lynn.


    Warren-I could but... I don''t want to.


    Jason-I want to kill you.


    Warren-What a coincidence, I want to kill you too, Rebecca!(Warren snapped his fingers)


    A woman appeared behind Lynn grabbing her throat.


    Rebecca-Hello little fairy, care to join your sisters?


    She snapped Lynn''s neck killing her instantly, Jason lost his mind there.


    Jason-You bitch, I am going skin you alive!


    Rebecca-Let''s see you try Daywalker.


    Jason pulled out his gun and shot the female vampire, unloading an entire magazine.


    Warren-Woah, splendid Jason!But that was my girl you know...


    Gabriel stood up and pulled a gun right in Warren''s face, he pressed the trigger but Warren disappeared, he was suddenly sitting on the throne.


    Gabriel-What?How?!


    Warren-Darren, Cassius, Ruse.(Warren snapped his fingers again)


    Three men with long dark hair wearing suits jumped from the sides of the room in front of Gabriel and Jason.


    Warren-Kill them, and watch out for the boy''s light attack.


    Gabriel-(What the hell?)


    Darren-What attack?


    Jason-Gabriel!Now go all out!


    Gabriel and Jason fought with the three vampire men that appeared in front of them, Jason took on all of them and Gabriel was standing still, he could not keep up with the speed these four had, the


    confidence he had quickly became fear, Jason managed to shoot down one of them and kept fighting them with a sword in one hand and the gun in the other, dodging, shooting and slashing in very


    high speed.


    Warren-Calliope, Adrienne.(Warren snapped his fingers once again)


    Two female vampires with beautiful faces, one with long blonde hair and one with short red hair with old-fashioned hats and wearing both red dresses appeared the same way the other vampires did,with a swift leap from the corners of the gigantic room.


    Warren-Get the boy ladies.Show them what the Blood Legion is all about.


    Calliope-With pleasure.


    Adrienne-Yes, master Warren.


    And so our friends found themselves in a very dire situation, Jason was fighting with two male vampires, Darren and Cassius after he managed to take down one of them, Ruse, Warren was sitting


    on his throne enjoying the fight, Gabriel was lost after seeing how fast vampires are, even Jason as a Daywalker that was supposed to be weaker than pure vampires managed to keep up but Gabriel


    was full of fear as the two vampire women stood in front of him ready to attack at lightning speed, how is he going to deal with them?

 Origins

    The battle for Jason continued non stop, as for Gabriel it was just about to begin, his skills were not on the same level as the pure vampires but he had an edge with his one and only technique, his mind was


    very confused at the moment that he forgot about it himself, Jason, on the other hand, seemed focused on fighting but kept an eye on Gabriel the whole time...


    Jason-Don''t just stand there Gabriel!Use your power, you can do it!


    Gabriel-(My power?The light, of course!)


    Calliope-What are you smiling about boy?Lost your mind close to death?


    Gabriel-You girls have no idea...


    Calliope-Such words, from such a fragile boy.


    Gabriel-I am smiling for your death,bitch.


    Adrienne-I will not allow any more mockery, here I come.


    Adrienne leaped towards Gabriel unarmed, Gabriel dodged her attack easily,funny how he thought he couldn''t handle them...


    Gabriel-Hey, I dodged that.


    Adrienne-How are you moving like that?


    Gabriel-Like what?


    Calliope-You might have some fight in you after all.


    Gabriel-Come at me.


    Calliope-Are you ready for me boy?


    Gabriel-Always baby.


    Calliope jumped in the air as Adrienne leaped right in front of Gabriel, he couldn''t dodge in any direction, but lucky for him his friend managed to pull off his part of the fight, Jason''s opponents were on the


    ground as he jumped up to counter Calliope''s attack, Gabriel saw that and immediately jumped to dodge Adrienne''s attack.


    Jason-I got the blondie, get the other one man.


    Gabriel-Why do I get the lesbian?


    Adrienne-What?


    Gabriel-You know, the short hair...


    Adrienne-You have mocked us enough boy prepare yourself.


    Calliope-Let''s have some fun Daywalker, shall we?


    Both of them picked their opponents, Gabriel managed to dodge all of Adrienne''s attacks while she was just swinging furiously at him, her anger over Gabriel''s mocking made her clumsy and he figured that


    out instantly,he took advantage of that and mocked her even more with one thing in mind,make her mad.Jason had some difficulties with his opponent though.


    Gabriel-What''s up girl?Can''t land a hit on me?How are you going to get yourself a boyfriend with that kind of moves?


    Adrienne-I will kill you fool.


    Gabriel-Come on now, you can''t even scratch me.


    Jason-(She is fast, I can''t keep track of her).


    Calliope-You seem off Daywalker, I thought you were one of Warren''s elite.


    Jason-For good reason.


    Jason had to fight with his sword since he wasted all of his ammo earlier, that gave Calliope an advantage since she was a bit faster than him, she was dodging his attacks while counter-attacking him dealing


    minor damage, Jason healed through all the injuries as she didn''t have the right tool to kill him.Gabriel was fooling around with Adrienne from the moment she lost her cool she became sluggish, her movements


    appeared slower and Gabriel could see through all of them, dodging and pissing her off each time.


    Gabriel-You call yourself a vampire?The other guys were way better than you.(Oh crap Jason is losing, what now?)


    Warren-Adrienne, calm down, he is trying to make you mad, don''t you see?


    Adrienne-Yes master Warren.


    Gabriel-(Crap he found out).


    Jason-Now Gabriel, do it now!


    Gabriel-Gottcha!"Holy Flash"


    Warren-Girls run for it!


    A huge ball of light expanded from Gabriel''s hand and filled the entire room, the two female vampires were caught in the blast as well as Warren but it didn''t have any effect on him.


    Calliope-What is this?


    Adrienne-Sorry master, forgive me.


    Gabriel unleashed the light from his right hand, turning the two female vampires to ashes, Warren didn''t like that though, he had one final piece to play in this match...


    Warren-Nice move Gabe, it won''t help you now though.


    Gabriel-(Not a single scratch on him).


    Warren-Bertram?(Warren snapped his fingers once more)


    A strange man appeared from downstairs walking slowly passing by Gabriel and Jason and stood in front of Warren who was sitting on his throne.


    Bertram-I am here Warren.


    Gabriel-(I know this guy...back from the orphanage!)


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.Warren-Please Bertram, show these two your fangs.


    Bertram-If I must.


    Bertram, he was the man that assaulted Gabriel back at the orphanage the day he painted that fence, he remembers that feeling of fear he had when he first encountered him, Gabriel remembered the beating he got


    from him, he was stunned by fear as Bertram fell on all fours and howled at the roof, fur came out from his body and his eyes were glowing yellow, he was now in full werewolf form...


    Jason-Oh god, a werewolf!


    Gabriel-A what?


    Jason-Careful Gabriel, don''t let him bite you!


    Bertram-Have we met before boy, your face seems familiar.


    Gabriel-Nope.


    Bertram-Doesn''t matter.


    Jason-Gabriel dodge!


    Bertram leaped from his position towards Gabriel in order to bite him in the shoulder, Gabriel barely managed to duck down and avoided the werewolf''s bite with just a minor scratch.


    Jason-You have brought a werewolf here Warren?What for?


    Warren-Don''t worry J, he isn''t part of them.


    Jason-Even so, Dracul would never forgive you.


    Warren-Vlad has been asleep for centuries, he doesn''t care.


    Gabriel was still dodging Bertram''s attacks while Jason and Warren were arguing.


    Gabriel-Hey Jason, a little help here, please.


    Jason came to Gabriel''s aid quickly and they both started to hit Bertram with their blades, silver had a weaker effect on him, Gabriel''s "Holy Light" was useless too, they had to figure out a way to deal with him


    but conserve stamina for what was about to come.


    Jason-This is pointless, Gabriel unload your gun on him.


    Gabriel-But.


    Jason-Just do it!


    Gabriel took out the Uzi he had and started to shoot at the werewolf, each bullet that penetrated his skin gave Gabriel satisfaction, this thing represented Gabriel''s hate for the paranormal creatures that he


    swore to take down in order to change this world.


    Jason-It''s working, now!


    Gabriel and Jason both dashed towards Bertram who was staggered by the bullet wounds and they both hit his head with their blades striking dead the monstrous creature, Warren got furious and leaped out


    of his throne.


    Warren-Useless dog!Enough!


    Jason-Gabriel watch out!


    Warren hit Gabriel and sent him flying to the wall impaling him on a wooden spike that stuck out of the wall, he grabbed Jason by the neck and punched him in the stomach...


    Warren-Since you don''t have anyone to love anymore I think you have earned your right to die J."Warren grabbed Jason''s neck and tore his head clean of his body"


    Gabriel-(What happened?Red?Is that my blood?Am I dying?I can''t move my body).


    Warren walked slowly towards Gabriel and grabbed his hair lifting his head up and whispering in his ear...


    Warren-You are still alive?Hmmm, maybe I can have some fun with you.


    Gabriel-(Everything is getting dark).


    Warren-Let''s see, who is it that you hold dear?Ahhh this Helen, I might go have some fun with her.


    Gabriel-(He is going to find Helen?)


    Warren-Yes, thanks to your mind I now know where she lives Gabe.How about I bring her here and kill her in front of you?


    Gabriel-(Mind Reading huh?Wai, he said he was going to kill her.No, not her.HELEN!)


    Gabriel then released a huge amount of energy from his body knocking Warren back, he got out of the spike and started levitating in the air, he was breathing heavy as his injury healed in an instant, Gabriel


    started transforming, fiery veins appeared from the left side of his body, white glowing veins from the right side, his left hand grew talons, his left foot turned into a hoof, his right hand was engulfed in


    bright white light, wings grew from his back, one white wing and one bat-like wing, horns grew out of his forehead and a glowing gold halo appeared on top of them, his eyes had different colors, one completely


    black and one glowing with light, shining veins appeared on the right side of his body and red burning veins on the left, his dark hair grew in length and in his chest the veins combined in a never-ending circle,


    Gabriel has transformed into something else, something that no one has ever seen before...

 Unexpected Turn Of Events

    As Gabriel was transforming Warren witnessed from the corner he was pushed into by the explosive burst of energy that Gabriel released, he was amazed from the change that occurred to his opponent,


    he tried to use Mind Read on him but to no effect, the moment he tried he felt excruciating pain in the head and confusion, he wasn''t sure if that thing that was floating in front of him was still


    his enemy, he then leaped and tried to punch Gabriel, his attack did no damage to Gabriel''s new body, he then unleashed a barrage of rapid punches on Gabriel but still managed to do no damage, it was like


    he was hitting a brick wall, Gabriel then with one swing of his arm knocked Warren into the corner he originally jumped from...


    Warren-(How is this possible?I feel like I will lose consciousness at any second, how did he get so strong?)


    He took one second to recuperate and then jumped back on Gabriel to hit him again, the figure that he was hitting responded with one more swing that sent Warren flying into a wall.


    Warren-(I can''t land one hit on him, I can''t use Mind Read either, what''s going on?)WHAT ARE YOU!?


    ???-I AM THE INCARNATION OF PURITY AND CORRUPTION.I BRING LIFE AND DEATH, HOPE AND DESPAIR...


    Mak after seeing the dark figure enter the building decided to go in himself to investigate, he walked slowly in the big room with Gabriel and Warren...


    Mak-(I don''t see Gabriel or Jason anywhere, that guy on his knees must be Warren...WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?)


    Mak-(Is that thing Gabriel?It looks like him but what happened?)


    Warren sensed Mak''s presence with Mind Read and thought of using him as a hostage, he jumped towards him but before reaching him Gabriel appeared in front of him stopping his actions.


    Warren-How is that even possible?


    ???-I PROTECT, I KILL...


    Gabriel then hit Warren once again, this time knocking a hole in the wall as he tossed him, Warren was then incapacitated.


    Mak-(Angel?Demon?Both?What is this thing?Fire and light?It all makes sense now!He is a half-breed!)


    Gabriel rose in the air once again and raised his hands straight conjuring energy...


    Mak-(But even if a half-breed managed to survive he shouldn''t be able to utilize it''s powers...That thing in his chest!Damn you, Kevin, you have no idea what you have created.)


    Gabriel then stopped charging energy and after a single moment, he unleashed a devastating energy beam towards Warren...


    Gabriel-(What is happening?Am I dead?No, I can see Warren over there.I can''t control my body...)


    ???-DESTROY.EVERYTHING. "APOCALYPSE SMITE!"


    The attack killed Warren instantly and evaporated most of his body, Gabriel fell on the floor unconscious and returned to his previous state, there was no sign of the injuries he sustained


    previously, Mak went close to him...


    Mak-What happened to you boy?


    After a couple of seconds, Gabriel woke up and saw Mak next to him.


    Gabriel-What happened?


    Mak-You don''t remember anything?


    Gabriel-I couldn''t control my body.


    Mak-So you know what happened.


    Gabriel-It''s all blurry.


    Mak-Where is Jason?


    Gabriel-Dead.


    Mak-What?Dead?How?


    Gabriel-Warren killed him.


    Mak-Why are you so calm about it?


    Gabriel-I don''t know why.


    Mak-So what do we do now?


    Gabriel-Go over there and search for any remains.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Mak-Remains?


    Gabriel-Doc would want to examine it plus we need proof that Warren is really dead.


    Mak-That''s pretty smart, strange coming from you.


    Gabriel-Yeah.


    Mak-You aren''t even mad after that?


    Gabriel-I don''t feel like arguing with you.


    Mak-Whatever, I''ll go.


    Mak then found something in Warren''s remains, his head, well half of his head, his jaw was missing as if the top half of his skull wasn''t caught in that attack that seemed to make a clean cut of his head.


    Mak-I found something.


    Gabriel-Bring it over here.


    Mak-Take a look.


    Gabriel-Ok we have half of his skull, this will do.


    Mak-Are we going back now?


    Gabriel-Yes, I''ll drive.


    Mak-When did you get a license?


    Gabriel-I didn''t, if any cops stop us I''ll just kill them.


    Mak-Woah!Easy there mate, we don''t want to kill anyone else.


    Gabriel-Killing has become part of my life now.


    Mak-Ok...


    Gabriel and Mak got in the car, Gabriel grabbed the wheel and started driving home, lucky for them, they didn''t encounter anyone who would question a 17-year-old boy driving with a goblin holding


    half a skull of a vampire, after a short ride they reached Kevin''s house and got inside.


    Mak-Doc we are back!


    Kevin rushed from his lab and came upstairs to find out what happened.


    Kevin-I am glad you came back safe, what happened?Where is Jason?


    Gabriel-Dead.


    Kevin-What?Really?


    Mak-Jason died a hero.


    Gabriel-He died easily.


    Mak-What''s wrong with you?


    Gabriel-What?


    Kevin-Mak wants to say that you don''t seem to care that Jason died.


    Gabriel-He is right, I don''t care, I knew the guy for a couple of hours, we didn''t have that close of a relationship for me to care about his death.


    Kevin-But you fought together.


    Gabriel-He fought, I won.


    Mak-He has been like that since the incident.


    Kevin-What incident?


    Gabriel-Long story, I brought you Warren''s head.


    Kevin-I see, I am glad that this ashole is dead, try to absorb his powers.


    Gabriel-I''ll try.


    Gabriel-Put Warren''s half skull close to his chest and instantly absorbed his vampiric powers as well as Mind Read.


    Kevin-So?


    Gabriel-I feel stronger, I can see and hear better, further.


    Kevin-That must be his vampiric powers.


    Gabriel-One more thing.


    Kevin-What?


    Gabriel-I know how you kept me unconscious with drugs and experimented on me, I know about your plan for me.


    Kevin-WHAT?


    Gabriel-Don''t worry doc, I am not mad at you, you are right, this world has to change but we aren''t going to do this together.


    Kevin-What do you mean?


    Gabriel-I have other plans, thanks for everything doc.


    Gabriel turned towards the door and opened it.


    Mak-What are you doing?


    Gabriel-I am going to fulfill my cause alone from now on, I don''t need you two.Farewell.


    Gabriel left the house and went downstreet without a destination leaving both Kevin and Mak confused about what just happened, Gabriel found out about himself and about Kevin''s plans and actions


    thanks to Mind Read he received from Warren, sunlight had no effect on him even though he got the vampiric strength and abilities, he abandoned his former partners and made up his mind, he was going


    to follow the original plan for changing the world, only he was going to do it alone, without Kevin''s guidance and Mak''s assistance, one thing is for certain, his journey has just begun...

 Rebellion Of Light

    Time has passed since Gabriel abandoned his former allies,4 months to be exact, he wanted to continue his mission alone, he said that he didn''t mind the fact that Kevin was the one who hit him with his car and how he used Gabriel to get revenge,in Kevin''s mind Gabriel found out that Kevin held a grudge against Warren, the leader of Blood Legion but he also so that Kevin had the same goal as Gabriel did, if he had not


    met Kevin he probably would still be in the orphanage struggling to make it through his hard times.Kevin knew that Gabriel would continue his mission but he was still worried about him,Gabriel wasn''t


    just Kevin''s partner, he was his friend,he was the only family that Kevin had since he lost his not long ago,Gabriel never mentioned that but except for F.Johnnathan and Helen he had no real people


    that he held dear, Kevin was the father that he never knew, he had told Kevin things that even F.Johnathan didn''t know about him.The bond that he shared with Kevin was more than just co-workers, he


    Kevin had similar feelings as Gabriel did, that did not stop him from leaving though, Mak continued to stay at Kevin''s house since he had nowhere to go, Kevin didn''t mind having a friend with him,


    although both of them had met others that would benefit their cause...


    Kevin-Mak!Carmen!Time to wake up!


    Mak-Oh what the hell do you want at this hour?


    Carmen-I''ll be right there doctor.


    Mak had met Carmen when he searched the town for Gabriel''s tracks, at first he didn''t know that he had met someone that would be aware of the existence of Goblin''s, Carmen was a psychic, someone with


    the ability to see things others could not see, she could see right through the Glamour spell that Mak had on him while in the city, Carmen was homeless when Mak found her, she also possessed the power


    to hear people''s thoughts, unlike Warren''s Mind Read she couldn''t turn this ability on and off plus the only thing she could hear was an irritating noise that didn''t let her have a calm moment in her


    entire life, occasionally she had visions of future events, she is now 16 years old, she has spent over a month with Kevin and Mak, she was a lovely young girl with White skin, long dark hair that she


    kept in a ponytail all the time, she was a very beautiful girl, her parents have abandoned her because they thought she was a troubled child when she told other people about the things she saw and the


    voices she heard, she was living in the streets for 7 years with her powers as her only ally, when Mak noticed her staring at him he asked her...


    (One month ago in a dark alley at the center of the city)


    Mak-What are you looking at the girl?I don''t have any money to give you.


    Carmen-What are you sir?


    Mak-What do you mean?


    Carmen-You are not a human, are you?


    Mak-What do you see?


    Carmen-I see a short green humanoid creature, what are you?


    Mak-I am a goblin, but how can you recognize me?


    Carmen-I have seen many strange things in my life so far.


    Mak-(An esper?)Come with me girl, I will take you to house that you would be safe.


    Carmen-I hope you are not going to hurt me.


    Mak-I may look like it but I am not a rapist, I assure you.(That''s what Gabriel would have said...)


    Carmen-Please then help me.


    Mak-Come with me.(This is it!)


    (Back at present time in Kevin''s house)


    Kevin-Come down to the kitchen,i have prepared breakfast.


    Mak-Oh crap.


    Carmen-Come on Mak, Kevin''s cooking isn''t that bad.


    Mak-No, it''s even worse.


    They both went down to the kitchen where Kevin had already made fried eggs for all three of them, he was drinking coffee and reading the newspaper in hope of finding anything out of the ordinary.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Carmen-Morning doctor.


    Kevin-Good morning Carmen, please enjoy.


    Carmen-Thanks doctor.


    Mak-Where is my coffee doc?


    Kevin-Go get it on your own.


    Mak-I sense some kinda sexism here but I am not sure.


    Kevin-Whatever you say, Carmen did you have any visions of Gabriel last night?


    Carmen-No doctor, I''m sorry, even though Mak is trying to teach me Clairvoyance, no results.


    Kevin-It''s allright.don''t push yourself too much.


    Mak-You really need to focus on your training girl, we will start as soon as we get breakfast.


    Carmen-Ok Mak, I would love to meet this Gabriel someday too.


    Kevin-We all hope to see him again.


    Mak-Not me.


    Carmen-I wonder what he is like.


    Kevin-He could hold the world in his hands if he wished to, he had exceptional talent but he chose to wonder on his own.


    Mak-The bloody idiot left us.


    Carmen-He must have been incredible.


    Mak-He was for fuck''s sake, but he was also stupid.


    Kevin-Mak and Gabriel were like partners before he left, they used to go on missions together.


    Carmen-Then why are you saying such things about him?


    Kevin-Gabriel was the one that rescued Mak from being executed by his own tribe.


    Mak-He also killed the leader of Blood Legion, the strongest vampire of this country and the one that killed Kevin''s wife.


    Kevin-Gabriel has done some incredible feats while he was staying with us, he and Mak had a love-hate kind of relationship.


    Mak-You mean he tried to kill me about a hundred times.


    Carmen-What?


    Kevin-You know that''s not true.


    Mak-He used me for target practice once.


    Kevin-I admit that wasn''t one of his best ideas.


    Carmen-I''ll try hard today to get a clue about his whereabouts.


    Kevin-Please do.God knows what he has been doing while alone.


    Mak-And we have another problem on our hands right now.


    Kevin-You mean The Rebellion of Light?


    Mak-You know who is leading them.


    Kevin-We can''t be sure about that, Gabriel left to do things his own way, if he wanted to team up with someone why would he start a cult?


    Mak-They claim that their lord is a man with the power of light and fire.The only guy I know with these traits is Gabriel.


    Kevin-Even though we have this clue, we don''t know where to find them, we can''t be sure Gabriel is there too.


    Mak-It''s the best clue we have though.


    Kevin-True, for now, we need to help Carmen use her abilities and in turn, she will find their location.


    Mak-Then we would have a lead to continue.


    Carmen-I''m done Mak, when do we begin?


    Mak-Let me get some coffee and we shall start immediately.


    So after Mak got his coffee he took Carmen and they went to the yard in order for her to train, Mak had knowledge about espers and their powers thanks to his Inherited Memory, dragons, and espers


    shared a long story together, espers where the only ones that could communicate with dragons thanks to telepathy, they shared knowledge about one another and had many talks, Mak knows how to invoke


    Carmen''s powers but it requires a lot of hard work, they practiced each day for the last month that Carmen was living with them, Mak handed her one of Gabriel''s shirts that he left behind, like a dog


    that sniffs the smell and finds it''s target Carmen could use the belongings of one to locate him with Clairvoyance, if she managed to invoke that power that other espers were able to.They have a long


    day of training ahead of them, meanwhile the RoL(Rebellion of Light) is moving and recruiting more members as time goes on, if Gabriel is behind this they must come across them at some point...

 Faceless Hunter

    In a bar at a neighbor town 1 a.m...


    Drunk man-Hey bar bitch get me more beer!


    Barwoman-Don''t ever call me bar bitch you fat drunk.


    Drunk man-Whatever, just get me a beer.


    Barwoman-Money first.


    Drunk man-Where did I left my wallet?


    Barwoman-Go and find it, I''ll wait.


    The drunk man went outside in his car to find his wallet, a few meters away two men were talking...


    Guy 1-Why don''t you ask that Faceless guy?


    Guy 2-I am not going to ask some idiot with a mask to deal with Leon.


    Guy 1-Why not?Rumor has it that he takes any job if he gets paid.


    Guy 2-I heard he claims to fight paranormal things.


    Guy 1-Yeah, people say he deals with all sorts of ghost stories and demons.


    Guy 2-Great way to scam people''s money eh?


    Guy 1-Dude, he carries some crazy weaponry, that''s for sure.


    Guy 2-Anyone can get blades at this side of town.


    Guy 1-Not only blades, he walks fully armed with a gun too.Claims to have silver bullets for fighting vampires.


    Guy 2-Yeah, and I am Santa.Here is your present.(Slaps him on the head)


    Guy 1-Fuck off dude, I just told you to talk to him.


    Guy 2-Leon has a fucking army in his place, full of guys with guns and knives.How is one moron going to deal with him?


    Guy 1-What''s your other options?


    Guy 2-I don''t have any other options, if I don''t pay Leon in 3 days, I''m dead.


    Guy 1-How much do you owe him?


    Guy 2-About 5 grant.


    Guy 1-What the hell?The Faceless guy will help you with just a couple hundred.


    Guy 2-Even if he could beat up Leon and his gang, I don''t know where to find him.


    Guy 1-I heard he collects jobs at Panty Room.


    Guy 2-That shit-hole of a bar?


    Guy 1-Yeah he has a room in the back of the bar where people can hire him.


    Guy 2-But if he claims to deal with ghosts, why would he help me?


    Guy 1-What do you have to lose talking to him?


    Guy 2-Nothing I guess.I''ll go there right now.


    Guy 1-Good luck man.


    Drunk guy-Where is my fucking wallet!?


    Guy 1-What is wrong with him?


    The man that wanted help with his troubles went to the Panty Room, a small bar not far from the one that he was talking with his friend about this Faceless guy, rumor has it that he wears a mask


    in order to avoid troubles with the law, others believe he has scars on his face and is ashamed to show himself, he got quite popular since one incident with a clerk that was rumored to lure kids in his


    house and rape and kill them afterward, one mother was so desperate that she found this man smoking outside the bar, he was armed and he kindly accepted the woman''s offer for money, he killed the clerk


    and so the missing children case stopped, afterward he chose to wear a mask and take on jobs that police or other people avoided, jobs including haunted places and satanist covens, in one case he threw


    fire and light from his hands to cleanse a satanic ritual that satanist performed in an abandoned theater, some believe he is the Messiah, others believe he is a fraud and there are people who have


    witnessed his actions, he had made a name for himself and people sought him for many occasions, one thing is for sure, you pay him, he gets the job done.


    So the man went to the Panty Room, the place was small barely considered a bar, a bunch of underaged kids were in the seats that were blind drunk, he couldn''t help it but ask the bartender there...


    Man-Why is there a bunch of kids drinking?


    Bartender-You think I keep this place open because I check for IDs?


    Man-So you let minors drink?


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.Bartender-That''s their parent''s fault.


    Man-I can''t care now for that.


    Bartender-So what can I get you?


    Man-I need to speak to the Faceless Hunter.


    Bartender-He is in the back, I don''t know why you people want to see him, he is full of shit.


    Man-Then why do you let him in here?


    Bartender-He pays rent for that room back there, the place is full of smoke, he always has a lit cigarette in his mouth.


    Man-Ok I''ll go back then.


    Bartender-Good luck dude.


    The man went inside the room, the door made a cracking noise as if something broke, the room was full of smoke with dim light and a man wearing a mask that covered the half of his face, he was casually


    smoking and sitting on a wooden chair behind a desk full of burned cigarettes as the ashtray on the desk was full the rest of them fell on the desk, a fan was barely working to cool the room from the


    the heat of the summer, the man noticed a chair on the other side of the desk and sat there...


    Man-Are you the Faceless Hunter?


    Faceless Hunter-What do you think?


    Man-I need to speak with the Faceless Hunter.


    Faceless Hunter-And you found yourself in a room with me.Take a guess.


    Man-I need to hire you.


    Faceless Hunter-What''s the job?


    Man-There is a gang of people that call the dead to scare my family and I need you to kill them, I heard you take those kinds of jobs.


    Faceless Hunter-I do, but you don''t want me to kill people who communicate with ghosts.


    Man-But I just told y...


    Faceless Hunter-You owe money to the gang leader and you are afraid for your life.


    Man-How?


    Faceless Hunter-And you thought I was a fraud until now.


    Man-How did you know?


    Faceless Hunter-It doesn''t matter how I know, I take the job.


    Man-And your payment?


    Faceless Hunter-A little more.


    Man-A little more than what?


    Faceless Hunter-Than what you just thought.


    Man-How about....6...


    Faceless Hunter-600 will do just fine, tell me where to find them.


    Man-They stay in an apartment complex at the edge of the town.


    Faceless Hunter-How many are there?


    Man-I don''t know.


    Faceless Hunter-Doesn''t matter.Dead?


    Man-What?


    Faceless Hunter-You want them all dead?


    Man-If that''s ok with you.


    Faceless Hunter-You are the one paying.


    Man-Yes.


    Faceless Hunter-Tomorrow night, come back here again, I will be finished by then.


    Man-Thank you sir.


    Faceless Hunter-Don''t thank me, pay me.


    Man-Sure, there it is,600 right?


    Faceless Hunter-You can do better if you want them all dead.


    Man-700?


    Faceless Hunter-You want Leon dead?


    Man-(What how?)Ok 800.


    Faceless Hunter-Now you are talking but...


    Man-You want more?


    Faceless Hunter-Get me pack of smokes as well.


    Man-Ahh....sure.


    Faceless Hunter-Now...


    Man-Yes sir!Right away.(Why am I running errands for him?)


    Faceless Hunter-You want me to deal with Leon''s gang?


    Man-Yes.


    Faceless Hunter-Then you will run this errand.


    Man-(Who is this guy?)


    Faceless Hunter-Don''t compromise this place to anyone, or I''ll deal with you too.Ok?


    Man-Of course sir.


    So the man left the room and went to buy the mysterious Faceless Hunter a pack of smokes...He felt a slight breeze when he left the room,a little smoke came out when he opened door,this man eased


    his mind for some reason,he was so confident that he could pull through this job that made him sure his trouble was gone already, pretty good exchange,800 euros and pack of smokes for the price of


    5000 and his life probably.When he went outside the bar to the nearest place to buy the pack of smokes he was more afraid of him than he was of the gang...


    Man-Wow, this guy is terrifying...

 Mysterious Cult

    (Back at the office of the mysterious Faceless Hunter)


    The mysterious masked man known as the Faceless Hunter, a mercenary who took odd jobs has now accepted a mission to deal with a local gang leader by the name Leon and the rest of his men,he is to


    kill them all.No one knew the true identity of the Faceless Hunter, only the fact that he worked for money.His identity, however, is going to soon be revealed...


    Faceless Hunter-Alright Gabe, here you go...


    After leaving Kevin and Mak, Gabriel traveled to next town in order to clean it up from supernatural creatures, he did everything he could but he was forced to accept jobs that had nothing to do with


    paranormal things in order to make a living, using Mind Read, an ability he took over from Warren he was able to read people''s minds and get clues of the creatures that inhabited the town, from stories to


    hearing the thoughts of these creatures themselves, Gabriel took care of most monster covens in the area, werewolf hideouts, satanists performing demon summoning rituals, vampire covens and many more


    things, he never left anyone alive of his targets but people have witnessed the powers that the Faceless Hunter possessed and that is going to lead in a weird situation for himself and others...


    Gabriel put out the cigarette he was smoking and immediately lit another one, he got out of his office in the Panty Room, passed by the group of teens that were drinking in the corner of the bar.


    High school kids always made Gabriel upset because they reminded him of his days being bullied in school, he, however, had never tried to hurt any of them, his emotions were starting to fade away after


    the weird transformation he went through, after he left Kevin''s house, Gabriel went to train with his newfound powers, the new vampiric strength and agility he now possessed as well as his own power


    that he tried to control, he never figured out how to use this transformation willingly, he managed, however, to unlock a lot of his powers through sheer willpower and a tremendous amount of physical


    training, he had almost full control over his powers, he is now going to deal with something that might require him to improve even more than he has already.


    As Gabriel passed by the drunk teens one of them felt the need to make a statement...


    Drunk male teen-Look at this idiot with the mask.Haha.


    Gabriel-What did you just call me?


    Drunk male teen-I called you an idiot man, are you also deaf?


    Drunk girl-Stop messing with him, he is scary.


    Drunk male teen-He is just a weirdo babe, don''t be like that.


    Gabriel-I am not the one who still pisses his bed though mate.


    Drunk girl-You are still pissing your bed?


    Drunk male teen-No I don''t.(Drunk hicup)


    Other male teen-Hey pissy pants.


    Drunk male teen-Stop calling me that moron.(How could this ashole know about that?)


    Gabriel-Well, try to wear a diaper next time big boy.Before you mess with people you don''t want to.(Gabriel looked straight into the eyes of the drunk boy)


    Drunk male teen-Ok...sir..(Holy crap, he is scary)


    Gabriel left the bar and went outside, he met with the man that he had previously sent to buy him smokes...


    Gabriel-There you are.


    Man-I have your cigarettes, sir.


    Gabriel-Good, hand them over, I''m on my way to deal with your friends.


    Man-Already?


    Gabriel-The sooner the better, right?


    Man-Yes mister Faceless.


    Gabriel-See you later.


    So Gabriel went to the hideout of Leon''s gang after he got the information from the man that hired him, he stood outside of the apartment complex and looked at the top floor, he noticed light coming


    from one of the windows...


    Gabriel-Hmm...(That must be a good place to start)


    He squatted for a second and then with one jump he was now at the top floor of the 5-floor building, he opened the glass door that separated the balcony from the inside room and in there he saw a man


    smoking weed.


    Gang member-Who the hell are you?


    Gabriel-Is Leon here?


    The man tried to pull out his gun but Gabriel shot him in the head instantly.


    Gabriel-(They must have all heard the gunshot, well it will be faster if they come to me)


    The outdoor of the apartment opened with a strong kick from outside, Gabriel was now sitting on the sofa that the other man was previously sitting, he lit another cigarette after he put out the previous


    one,3 men came inside with their guns already out.


    Gabriel-Hey.


    All 3 of them shot Gabriel in the chest with their gun, one of them carried an automatic sub-machine gun, he unloaded the whole magazine on Gabriel, after being shot he casually got up and faced them.


    Gang member 1-It can''t be possible.


    Gang member 2-Demon.


    Gabriel-Correct to a certain extent.


    Gang member 3-Reload fast!


    Gabriel sliced the throats of all 3 men instantly with his short sword that he had mounted on his belt.


    Gabriel-Ok then, it must be this way.


    After killing the 3 men, Gabriel continued his way downstairs, he didn''t encounter any more gang members, after going downwards, even more, he found himself in the garage of the building,there was no


    light in the garage, pitch black in an empty room, suddenly the lights came on, opposite of Gabriel stood at least 20 men with assault rifles aiming at him.A black man with a shaved head, wearing an


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.expensive suit and smoking a cigar came forward...


    Gabriel-Hi, you must be Leon.


    Leon-Correct.And you are?


    Gabriel-Forgive my sir.I am the Faceless Hunter, and I have some business with you.


    Leon-You come in my house, kill my men, and you have this sarcastic tone in your voice.Who are you behind this mask?


    Gabriel-Behind this mask is revenge, justice.Behind this mask, sir is the hope of this world.


    Leon-You are clearly insane.


    Gabriel-I might be many things, but it doesn''t matter since you are about to die.


    Leon-Empty threats will get you nowhere.Fire at him.


    Gabriel-Come on, don''t make me put an effort in this.


    All the men started to shoot at Gabriel, many bullets hit his body, others missed, when all of the guns were empty Gabriel was still standing.Shocked by the result of their attack, the men froze and forgot to even


    reload their guns...


    Leon-That can''t be possible, how are you still standing?


    Gabriel-I believe I told you, don''t make me put an effort in this, now you die.


    Gabriel vanished, one by one Leon''s men started falling down with injuries in the chest and their backs, Gabriel was dashing around killing them, each with one swing of his blade as Leon witnessed the death of


    all his men right in front of his eyes, the man that was standing in front of him just a moment ago was shredding his men, the confidence that Leon had at the beginning of their conversation now turned to fear, he


    clearly intended to leave him for last as he had no injuries while men died right next to him, at some point all the men besides Leon were dead or dying, the Faceless Hunter was now standing in front of Leon...


    Leon-You don''t have to do this, I can give you money!


    Gabriel-Money won''t save you now.


    Leon-I can give you whatever you want, double the money that was promised you for this...No triple!


    Gabriel-You don''t understand, do you?


    Leon-You can work for me, you can have it all, money, women, men working for you!


    Gabriel-¦´¦Ïu are wasting your time, I''m not interested in material goods.


    Leon-You can rule everything, you can be king if you spare me.


    Gabriel-The world you live in doesn''t interest me.


    Leon-What do you mean?


    Gabriel channeled energy to his hands, one hand engulfed with flames, the other with bright light, he was showing him what is happening behind the scenes, Leon thought that he could rule with his small business,


    drugs, guns, money, but the world isn''t as simple as he believed to be, things he could not imagine were happening left and right, he had no clue about it.


    Gabriel-Can you even comprehend it?You are insignificant in this world, what you do, what you change makes no difference.


    Leon-It can''t be true.Fire and light.


    Gabriel-Huh...it seems you can.


    Leon-Lord!Is that you?


    Gabriel-What?


    Leon-You have come to punish me, haven''t you?


    Gabriel-Punish you?


    Leon-I know lord, I have sinned, but please spare my foolishness.I will follow your orders from now on.


    Gabriel-What lord are you talking about?


    Leon-You my lord.You are the savior,i...i can''t believe I mocked you!Forgive me.


    Gabriel-Enough, tell me exactly what you mean.


    Leon-The Rebellion of Light has spoken of your arrival, sir.


    Gabriel-What is this Rebellion of Light?


    Leon-We are a group that awaits your guidance, my lord.


    Gabriel-Your lord has the power of fire and light?


    Leon-Yes, it can''t be anyone else but you!


    Gabriel-Hmmm...(Is there someone else like me?Could there be another angel-demon hybrid?Mak didn''t seem to know when I read his thoughts.)


    Gabriel-Where is this group?


    Leon-You will find yourself there by yourself my lord, they need to witness you with their own eyes.


    Gabriel-I am not your lord.


    Leon-But...but if you are not our lord then...


    Gabriel shot him in the head before he could finish his sentence, he had many questions for him but he figured that Leon wouldn''t provide any more information, what is this Rebellion of Light that he spoke off?


    Gabriel-(Sounds like a cult, but if it is someone like me, using his powers to rule others, he must be eliminated for the cause, if he is a fraud then I will have to question him, how could he get knowledge about powers


    that I have, either way, I can''t ignore the existence of this cult, I need more information but it will have to wait until tomorrow, I have to go back to the bar and wait for that guy to pay me before I get out to get


    information, without any money I can''t do much.)


    So Gabriel climbed back upstairs and found himself on the rooftop, he then leaped from building to building and made his way back to the bar, the place was empty except the bartender who was doing the


    dishes, he didn''t even say hi to him but instead went straight to his office, he sat down the desk and lit a cigarette, Gabriel now had to find more information about this new cult that Leon spoke off before he died,


    if there is the slightest chance that someone like him is behind this cult, then Gabriel would have to deal with him if he wishes to actually make a difference in this world, he had no clue what to expect, but this never


    stopped him before...

 Rude Stranger

    The next morning Gabriel woke up as someone was knocking the door to his office at "Panty Room"


    Gabriel-Who is that?


    Bartender-Mr.Faceless


    Gabriel-Yes?(Oh shit the mask quickly)


    Bartender-The man from yesterday is here to deliver your payment.


    Gabriel-Give me a second.(Where the fuck did I put it?)


    While the bartender was talking with the man outside Gabriel was searching for his mask, he couldn''t let anyone see his the face of the "Faceless Hunter".


    Gabriel-(Found it!)Send him in.


    Bartender-You may enter sir.


    Man-Thank you.


    The client opened the door and entered the room, Gabriel or the "Faceless Hunter" was sitting on his desk lighting a cigarette.


    Man-Good morning Mr.Faceless.


    Gabriel-Good morning to you sir.


    Man-I heard about what happened last night.


    Gabriel-What do you heard exactly?(He couldn''t have seen me using my powers, right?)


    Man-You....killed them all.


    Gabriel-I said I would.(He has no idea)


    Man-I am grateful to you sir, if it wasn''t for you I would still be on Leon''s list of victims, here is your payment.


    Gabriel-Thank you sir.


    Man-One more thing.


    Gabriel-I''m listening.(Oh crap, he knows, I might have to silence him before he leaves the bar)


    Man-I''m sorry, before I came here I thought you were a fraud.


    Gabriel-I figured so, no hard feelings.(He really has no idea, how stupid of me to reveal my powers like that, better be more careful next time)


    Man-Well, thank you again, sir, hope I never need your services again.


    Gabriel-Farewell.


    The client left the room and Gabriel was now alone smoking and thinking about what Leon said last night, this cult has to be investigated, rumor has it that it''s leader is someone like Gabriel, either a fraud who is


    taking advantage of these people''s money or the real thing, Gabriel has to bring it to an end.


    Meanwhile in Kevin''s place.


    Carmen woke up from a strange dream.


    Carmen-Mak!Mak!Come quickly.


    Mak-Bloody hell woman, what is it?


    Mak after waking up, came right in Carmen''s room, previously Gabriel''s room.


    Mak-What happened?


    Carmen-I had a strange dream last night.


    Mak-A dream huh?What kind of dream?


    Carmen-I saw a man wearing a mask, he killed a lot of men with guns, he also used powers similar to that you told me Gabriel has, I think it might have been him.


    Mak-You might be right.Anything else?A sign?An address?


    Carmen-No, but I saw a garage with banners.


    Mak-What kind of banners?


    Carmen-They had the name Leon on them.


    Mak-Leon?I heard that name before, we have to tell Kevin about it.


    Mak and Carmen went downstairs and met with Kevin in the kitchen, he was making breakfast, both Mak and Carmen woke up earlier than usual so he didn''t have it ready at the moment.


    Kevin-Good morning, odd that you both woke up now.


    Carmen-Good morning doctor.


    Mak-Carmen might have seen Gabriel in a dream.


    Kevin-That''s amazing, tell me all about it.


    Carmen told Kevin exactly what she told Mak, after a couple of seconds that Kevin thought through he replied...


    Kevin-Hm...Leon?If I am not mistaken, Leon is the name of a guy that has a gang at the next town from here.


    Mak-But why would Gabriel kill him and his men?


    Kevin-Carmen said that she saw a man with a mask using similar powers with that of Gabriel.


    Mak-Yeah, that mask thing isn''t very helpful.


    Kevin-There is a mercenary also at the next town, goes by the name Faceless Hunter, he might have been the one, he might even be Gabriel.


    Mak-Why would that moron wear a mask and kill thugs?


    Kevin-We can''t be sure about anything, for now, I want you and Carmen to go there and find this Faceless guy, also I want you to ask about the RoB while you are there.


    Mak-Yes, that''s the best lead we have so far, that Faceless Hunter might be the leader of the cult.


    Kevin-For all we know, there are two guys with similar powers, one of them has to be Gabriel.


    Mak-Right, Carmen.


    Carmen-Yes Mak?


    Mak-We go on a road trip as soon as I get my Glamour spell on.


    Carmen-Yeah.


    Mak cast his Glamour spell and got in the car with Carmen, they both headed towards the neighboring town to ask about the Faceless Hunter or the RoB(Rebellion of Light).Meanwhile, Gabriel started


    wondering around town without his mask, he wasn''t walking around as the Faceless Hunter but as a normal person, he asked a couple of questions around town about the cult and most of them led him to a tattoo


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.artist at the edge of town, the place there felt like a different country, it was slums, half broken houses made of metal and wood, a couple of shops and people casually sitting on the sidewalk smoking what it smelled


    like weed to Gabriel, after asking them about the tattoo artist he got a few strange looks and the location of the tattoo shop, they immediately scattered once Gabriel went inside the shop, then he found an old man


    covered in tattoos, he was bald and had a couple of hears poking out of his chin.


    Gabriel-Hello sir.


    Tattoo artist-Do you see a "sir" here boy?


    Gabriel-Whatever, I need to ask you something.


    Tattoo artist-You want some ink?


    Gabriel-No, I came here to ask you about a certain cult.


    Tattoo artist-You mean the Rebellion of Light?


    Gabriel-Exactly, I need to know where I can find them.


    Tattoo artist-There are members of it all over the town.


    Gabriel-I didn''t get any information from anyone, please I need to find them.


    Tattoo artist-Another fanatic huh?


    Gabriel-Something like that.


    Tattoo artist-Well boy, there is a place where they are going to pray tonight, it''s at this part of town during midnight.


    Gabriel-Where exactly?


    Tattoo artist-Two streets from here at the abandoned storage house.


    Gabriel-Will their leader be there?


    Tattoo artist-I don''t know about that, why are you so interested in their leader?


    Gabriel-I have some business with him.


    Tattoo artist-You are not a cop, are you?


    Gabriel-Faceless Hunter to your service.


    Tattoo artist-Fuck!Die scum!


    The tattoo artist pulled a gun at Gabriel and shot him, Gabriel after taking the bullet got mad, he pulled out his gun and shot him in the head, he now knew the location of the cult so he didn''t have any more use for


    that guy, he had seen his face after all and Gabriel wasn''t sure if letting him live was a good idea.


    Mak and Carmen arrived at the town and started asking questions about the Faceless Hunter, they found the location of the "Panty Room" and went inside.There they found the bartender.


    Mak-Good morning sir.


    Bartender-Good morning, may I help you?


    Mak-We need to speak to the Faceless Hunter.


    Bartender-Another client huh?Well, he isn''t here at the moment and I don''t know when he will be back.


    Carmen-How come you don''t know?


    Bartender-I am not his fucking secretary.


    Mak-Calm down dude, you are talking to an underaged girl.


    Bartender-Like I care about that.Anyway, I don''t know where he has gone to.


    Carmen-Thanks.Bye.


    Mak-Yeah, thanks for nothing I guess.


    Carmen-So?


    Mak-We ask for the cult now until we get a chance to speak with the mercenary.


    Mak and Carmen asked about the cult and got a lead to the tattoo shop that Gabriel found, when they arrived at the slum-like area there wasn''t anyone around.


    Mak-Where is everybody?


    Carmen-I don''t know.


    Mak-Stay here, I''ll look around for a bit.


    Carmen-Ok.


    Mak left to find someone to ask about the tattoo artist while Carmen waited for him, at some point someone came to her so she felt the need to ask him for information.


    Carmen-Hello sir.


    Gabriel-Hello there.


    Carmen-Do you know where I can find a tattoo artist in this part of town?


    Gabriel-What do you want with him?


    Carmen-I need to ask him about a certain group of people.


    Gabriel-You mean the Rebellion of Light?


    Carmen-Yes.


    Gabriel-I don''t know anything and you shouldn''t mess with them either, stupid girl.


    Carmen-Why are you speaking to me like that?


    Gabriel-Get out of here, you have no business with these people and you don''t want to.


    Carmen left the scene and went to where Mak was asking people about the cult.


    Mak-What happened?I told you to stay over there.


    Carmen-There was a rude guy there and I got scared.


    Mak-Well..good that he didn''t follow you then, you never know what kind of perverts walk around at places like this.


    Carmen-I didn''t need to know that.


    Mak-Better safe than sorry, anyway I found out about a tattoo shop nearby, we should ask there, I''m told the owner knows about the cult.


    Carmen-Great, we will go there then?


    Mak-We will, and see if we find anything useful...

 The Trench coat

    Mak and Carmen went to the same tattoo shop that Gabriel pashed by and looked for the tattoo artist that presumably had information on the cult, they knocked on the door but got no answer what so ever, Mak


    opened the door slowly and waved to Carmen to follow him in the shop.When they entered the shop was empty, there wasn''t anyone inside...


    Mak-Strange.


    Carmen-What''s strange?


    Mak-There is no one here.


    Carmen-I can see that.


    Mak-If the owner wasn''t here the door should have been locked, shouldn''t it?


    Carmen-I guess you are right.


    Mak-Wait close to the door.


    Carmen-Not again.


    Mak-I need you to be able to run if anything happens.


    Carmen-You are scaring me.


    Mak-I didn''t mean to, please though, stay close to the door.


    Carmen-Ok.


    Carmen went close to the door and waited for Mak to continue his search in the shop, after a couple of seconds Mak called for Carmen...


    Mak-Carmen, take a look at this.


    Carmen-What''s going on?


    Mak-Come over here, behind the counter.


    Carmen went beside Mak behind the counter and saw the dead body of the tattoo artist,a large bullet hole on his forehead and the fact that he was still bleeding indicated that the man was killed on purpose and


    very recently.


    Carmen-Who would do something like that?


    Mak-I have no idea, but he can''t be far from here.


    Carmen-Why you say that?


    Mak-Judging from the looks of it, the murderer is very skilled, a professional no doubt.


    Carmen-A hitman?


    Mak-Who would hire a hitman for this poor bastard?


    Carmen-Then?


    Mak- He had connections with the cult, maybe someone from the inside.


    Carmen-Why would they kill their own man?


    Mak-So he wouldn''t leak out information.


    Carmen-I can''t look at it anymore, what do we do now?


    Mak-We have to go outside and ask the people living nearby if they heard a gunshot.


    Carmen-Right.


    So Mak and Carmen went outside and started asking the people nearby if they heard a gunshot, most of them didn''t even bother to reply and others said they didn''t hear anything, they were probably afraid, the


    area nearby was a ghetto, people asking about gunshots were presumed as policemen and no one wanted to mess with the police in these parts of the town, Mak didn''t get a clear answer until one brave man that


    happened to come across their path gave them some astonishing information...


    Mak-Hey sir.


    Stranger-Hello there.


    Mak-I don''t mean to scare you but I need your help with something.


    Stranger-How can I help?


    Carmen-Did you by any chance hear a gunshot?


    Stranger-What if I did?I haven''t done anything!I swear!


    Mak-Don''t worry, we are not cops.


    Stranger-Who are you then?


    Mak-My friend at the tattoo shop was killed recently, I need to know who did it.


    Stranger-Oh crap!The old man was killed?Maybe the guy with the trenchcoat...


    Mak-What guy?


    Stranger-I did here a gunshot about half an hour ago...


    Mak-Tell me about the guy with a trenchcoat.


    Stranger-He must have shot the tattoo artist, he did give me money in order to keep quiet about the gunshot.


    Mak-So a guy with a trenchcoat gave you money to keep your mouth shut?


    Stranger-Basically yes.


    Carmen-Ummm...Mak.


    Mak-Not now Carmen please, where is that guy now?


    Stranger-I don''t know, he should be far by now.


    Mak-Fuck.


    Carmen-Mak?


    Mak-What is it girl?


    Carmen-Remember the guy I told you about?


    Mak-The pervert?


    Carmen-He did wear a trenchcoat.


    Stranger-A black one?


    Carmen-Yes.


    Stranger-That''s him.


    Mak-What the fuck?Did you see his face?


    Carmen-Yes.


    Mak-We have to talk, thank you sir, you helped a lot.


    Stranger-Just put the fucker in jail!Cold blooded killers like him don''t deserve to walk out free.


    Mak-For the last time!I am not a cop!


    Stranger-Whatever, hope i never see him or you again.


    Mak-Same.


    Carmen-Bye and thank you.


    Mak lead Carmen to a nearby alley in order to talk about something that he couldn''t while the stranger was listening,as soon as he was sure that no one was nearby he turned to Carmen...


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.Mak-You saw his face right?


    Carmen-Yeah i did.


    Mak-He didn''t hurt you, did he?


    Carmen-Not at all, he was really rude though when i asked about the cult.


    Mak-He must be a member then.


    Carmen-Why would he shoot the tattoo artist then?


    Mak-I am not sure.Maybe some internal affairs.I need you to do something.


    Carmen-What?


    Mak-I want you to try and find that guy using Clairvoyance.


    Carmen-If i could use it,i would have found Gabriel already.


    Mak-If you have met the person before you can locate him, and if you do manage to find him, I want you to try and read his mind.


    Carmen-I''ll try, give me a minute.


    Mak-Take your time.


    Carmen focused on the image of the man she met before, after a couple of minutes she got a glimse of him, of course that man was Gabriel but Carmen never got a chance to ask his name, for the moment she was


    searching for the guy with the trenchcoat and since Mak can''t see what Carmen sees he has no idea that the man Carmen is looking for through Clairvoyance is the same person he searched this whole time, the only


    reason he was looking for a way in the cult was to see if his theory was correct and Gabriel was in fact inside the Rebellion of Light.


    Carmen-I found him.


    Mak-Ok, now without losing the vision, try and read his mind.


    Carmen-Ok...


    Carmen tried to read the mind of her target but to no effect, she managed to pick a small sample of his intentions.


    Carmen-I can''t read his mind completely.


    Mak-Why is that?


    Carmen-He is not a normal person, his emotions are nearly not existant, his mind is like a maze, I can''t see clearly what''s happening inside his head.


    Mak-We now know for a fact that he is immune to your Mind Read.


    Carmen-My head hurts!


    Mak-Stop then ,try to focus on the area around him.


    Carmen-He is in the middle of a busy road, people are passing by him, he is sitting down on a bench watching his phone.


    Mak-What is he doing on his phone?


    Carmen-He is looking for a place with GPS.


    Mak-Can you see what is he searching for?


    Carmen-An abandoned storage house, not far from where his is.


    Mak-Anything else?A street adress?


    Carmen-He is close to us!


    Mak-Ok, you can stop for now.


    Carmen opened her eyes and stopped using Clairvoyance...


    Carmen-What should we do?


    Mak-Nothing for now, we will stay here and go at the storage house at midnight.


    Carmen-Why at midnight?


    Mak-The Rebellion always operates at midnight, I am guessing that they are going to gather at midnight, we will meet our friend there probably.


    Carmen-You think he is going to the meeting?


    Mak-I am sure about it, if he is the one that killed the tattoo artist.He probably wanted to keep the location of the meeting safe.


    Carmen-What if he is guarding the entrance?


    Mak-I doupt that, the cult always welcomes new members, we now have a chance to get in.


    So Mak and Carmen finally have a place to start, unlike Gabriel they didn''t use violence in order to get information but they instead used the powers that Carmen possessed, they completely abandoned the search


    for the Faceless Hunter at this point as if Carmen''s dream never occured, their goal now was to enter the Rebellion of Light and find out if their leader is in fact Gabriel or if he has any information about him.Mak was


    certain that there was a connection between Gabriel and the Rebellion, who else has powers like those?According with the information that Mak has at the moment,only three people can use simillar powers, the cult leader, the


    Faceless Hunter and of course Gabriel, he didn''t know that two of these people were the same person.Gabriel on the other hand had only one goal, find the cult leader and see if he is the real deal or a fraud that takes


    advantage of people, either way his mind is set,elliminate the cult as soon as possible.

 Inside The Cult

    Gabriel waited at the rooftop of a building nearby the storage house and waited for the right time to get inside, lighting one cigarette after the other he almost finished two packs, he was anxious about what


    he was going to see once he was inside, if the rumors are true the leader of the cult should be the same as him, even though Gabriel now knew that he was a half-breed between demon and angel thanks to Mak he had


    no clue about his lineage, who were his parents and why he never met them, now possessing the power of Mind Read from Warren he was able to get information from other people easily, he was able to take full


    control of this power from the time he spent training after he left Kevin and Mak behind, he never used it though, Gabriel never felt the need to read someone''s mind.Mak and Carmen awaited their chance as well,


    they stayed close to the storage house until it was time for the gathering of the members, it was almost time when Gabriel noticed the girl he had met earlier...


    Gabriel-(What is that stupid girl doing here?I told her to stay away, how did she even find out about this place?I killed the guy for sure.)


    Gabriel-(This is going to get messy, I should put the mask on when I head inside, can''t let her see my face before the show.)


    So Gabriel put on his mask, the symbol of the Faceless Hunter, the mask that has brought fear and death to many creatures and people alike, as was almost ready to jump down from the top of the building he saw


    someone else, someone he did not recognize but still felt like a familiar face...


    Gabriel-(Is that guy her boyfriend?Nah too old for that, her father?Who would let their child in a cult for fuck sake?Strange... I feel like I know that guy but I can''t recall his face at all.)


    Mak-Are you ready Carmen?


    Carmen-Yeah, should we go inside?


    Mak-It''s time, take care.


    Carmen-Aye sir.


    Gabriel''s supernatural hearing caught the name of the girl...


    Gabriel-(Carmen huh?Cute name for a cute girl, I should get down from here and get inside as well.)


    Mak and Carmen went to the front door of the storage house, it was a rusty, heavy metal door with latch, when Mak tried to open the door a weird looking man came close to him, he was skinny with a weird haircut


    that looked like a bowl was over his head, he wore a striped shirt with baggy jeans and a pair of nerdy glasses, he grabbed the latch of the door as well and helped Mak open it.


    Mak-Thanks.


    Carmen-Thank you sir.


    Jerry-Hi my name is Jerry.


    Mak-Nice to meet you, Jerry.


    Carmen-Nice to meet you, I am Carmen and this is my....father, Mak.


    Jerry-You are new right?I am new here as well, I heard the Rebellion is amazing.


    Mak-Yes, we are new.Do you know what''s about to happen inside?


    Jerry-To be honest, I have no idea.I am afraid we will have to pass a test.


    Carmen-Test?


    Jerry-Can I stick with you two?I don''t feel comfortable by myself.


    Carmen-Yeah, sure.


    Jerry-Thank you honey...


    Mak looked straight into Jerry''s eyes with a mad look.


    Mak-Honey?


    Jerry-Sorry, sorry I didn''t mean to...uh....sorry.


    Mak-You will stay close to me.


    Jerry-Yes sir!Sorry, sir...


    Mak-(What a pussy).


    Carmen-(I can hear you, that''s not very nice).


    Mak-(Look at him).


    Carmen-(It''s true he doesn''t look like it, but he could prove a threat).


    Mak-(This idiot?Not a chance.)


    Jerry-Shall we go inside?


    Mak-I give the orders!


    Jerry-Yes sir!Sorry, sir...


    Mak-(See?)


    Carmen-(Ok.)Let''s go inside.


    Mak-Yes.


    So, Mak, Carmen and Jerry went inside the storage house, the place was completely different from the outside,thick white curtains decorated the windows,a huge chandelier came down from the ceiling with dozens


    of lit candles, a red carpet seperated the room in two sections where people started gathering leaving the carpet some sort of a path that leads to a wooden stage that stood a bit higher than the floor, in the middle


    of the stage stood a microfone and a medium sized speaker was attached to it, behind the microfone was a plastic stool apparently for someone to sit and give a speach to the people that had gathered, Mak,Carmen


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.and Jerry picked a spot and stood there waiting.Gabriel was still on the rooftop of the next building,once he was certain that no one was nearby he jumped down from the seven story building and went close to the


    metal door,he opened the door and went inside, once he was inside he saw Carmen''s face and immediately went to the opposite side of the group,he was wearing his mask but even so he didn''t want to go close to her


    so she would recognize him from before,their last meeting wasn''t the most pleasant after all but Gabriel intended to destroy the whole place in a few minutes, he couldn''t let himself harm a cute girl so he wanted to


    make it look like she escaped once things went south.Staying away from her guaranteed that she wouldn''t fall victim to any collateral damage that might occur.After a couple of seconds of silence, one man came up


    to the stage and turned on the microphone...


    Myles-Hello, everyone!Some of you have come before to our gatherings but for those who are new here, my name is Myles.


    Myles-You must be wondering who exactly I am, so without any further ado...I am the voice of our Lord!


    Myles-Our lord!The person that I am going to teach you about this very evening...


    Gabriel-(What a joke.)


    Mak-(Bloody moron.)


    Myles-...is the man that rules over everything in this world, the one true god that stands above all else.


    Random man-Why does he stand above all else?


    Myles-I am glad you asked, our lord isn''t someone that only appears in books and stories, our Lord has come to earth himself to show us the path of the light, our Lord can muster the powers of light and fire, our Lord


    has let us witness his powers, unlike any other god that you have been told about.


    Mak-Where is he right now?


    Myles-Sadly, our Lord isn''t present right now, our Lord has accepted the task to help others using his amazing powers...


    Gabriel-(Why the fuck am I here then?That''s the guy I wanted to see.)


    Mak-How do we know he even exists?How can we trust what you are saying?


    Myles-I see we have some people with disbelief, very well then.Are you from this town my brother?


    Mak-I am from a nearby town.


    Myles-Good enough.You and every other new person in here listen well...You probably know our lord by the name "Faceless Hunter"!


    Gabriel-(What.The.Fuck.)


    Mak-(Huh...So the Faceless Hunter and the cult leader is the same person, Carmen''s dream was on spot.)


    Mak-Carmen.


    Carmen-Yes.


    Mak pointed to his head...


    Carmen-(Yes?)


    Mak-(We have to get out of here.)


    Carmen-(Why?)


    Mak-(If the Faceless Hunter is the cult leader, we need to go back to the bar and find him, then we can ask him if he knows anything about Gabriel.)


    Myles-The man, the legend, the god that has come to our side, I have personally witnessed his tremendous powers when he had helped my family with a dire situation.My wife had recently acquired a house from her


    passed father that was haunted by evil spirits.The Faceless Hunter then came to us and helped us exorcise the evil with his holy powers!


    Gabriel-(He must be talking about the fake ghosts)


    Myles-He unleashed a bright flash of light that cleansed the house from the spirits and brought us peace!


    Gabriel-(I had no idea at the time that his wife lied about it so I used "Holy Flash" without thinking.)


    Myles-He asked for no reward!That''s how a true god operates!


    Gabriel-(Bullshit!She offered to sleep with me.)


    Myles-He has helped many others after me and he will continue to do so!


    Gabriel-(If.They.Pay.With.Money!)


    Myles-I have already sent men to deal with the blasphemous bartender that has kept us our lord!He will soon be with us!


    Gabriel-(What?)Ok, that''s ENOUGH!


    Gabriel jumped from his spot and landed on top of the stage, these people have clearly gone insane and they would cause trouble if left alone, the bartender would only be the beginning, Gabriel had to put an end


    to this misunderstanding, before it brings pain to more people, he was now face to face with Myles and everyone in the room recognized the mask of the famous Faceless Hunter.

 Odd Reunion

    Gabriel sudden entrance to the stage shocked everyone, almost every person in the room recognized the mask of the "Faceless Hunter" and they all bowed down to him including Myles who could not believe his


    eyes, the man that he worshipped and put all his faith in was standing in front of him, for these people Gabriel was "God", they thought that the one above all is this very man who has to yet show his face...


    Myles-My lord!


    Gabriel-MYLES!


    Myles-Yes my lord!


    Gabriel-Call your men back from the bar, I am here now, there is no reason for them to hurt the bartender.


    Myles-At once.


    Gabriel-(He listened as expected, he really thinks I am a god.)


    Myles took his cellphone and called the men that went to Panty House to cancel their mission...


    (Myles on the cellphone)-Max, come back immediately, our Lord is here and he commanded that no harm comes to the bartender.


    Cellphone voice-Yes Mr.Myles.


    Gabriel-Good, now that I am here I would like to speak with you personally.Everyone else leave.


    Myles-You heard our Lord, he wishes to speak with me only, all of you leave at once, you may come back inside when our lord deems the time is right.


    Gabriel-(How stupid.I could get used to this though.)


    Everyone else except Myles left the storage house and went right outside where they all waited for their chance to come back and speak with their savior themselves.Mak, Carmen and Jerry went outside as well...


    Carmen-Why did we also got out Mak?


    Mak-We will get to speak with him, don''t worry.But to think that he really is the leader of the cult...


    Jerry-This is pretty exciting, don''t you think Carmen?


    Mak-Who gave you permission to speak with her?


    Jerry-Sorry sir, it won''t happen again, sorry.


    Carmen-(Do you enjoy trash talking to him?)


    Mak-(Fuck yeah.)


    Carmen-(Language.)


    Mak-(Whatever, so the Faceless guy is in there and he sure as hell is their leader, we need to talk to him once we get back inside.)


    Carmen-(What should we ask him?)


    Mak-(We will politely ask what the fuck he is.)


    Carmen-(Mak...)


    Mak-(Sorry, we will ask him if he knows anything about other people like him and we will see if that leads us to Gabriel.)


    Carmen-(I can''t wait to meet Gabriel.)


    Mak-(I wish I never met him.)


    Carmen-(Sure.)


    Back inside the storage house, Gabriel started questioning Myles...


    Gabriel-What is this place?


    Myles-It''s a shrine devoted to you, my lord.


    Gabriel-You don''t even know who I am.


    Myles-I know what I have seen, I have witnessed your amazing abilities.


    Gabriel-What''s the purpose of this cult.


    Myles-Please my lord, I don''t refer to my self as a cultist, this is a religion devoted to you.


    Gabriel-The purpose of this religion then.


    Myles-We simply want to put you on a pedestal and worship you while you help others in need.


    Gabriel-So you wanted to take advantage of me?


    Myles-No my lord, we simply want you to help us with our struggles.


    Gabriel-You do know that I do this job because of the money, right?


    Myles-I understand that you have personal needs as well my lord, we will simply make offerings to you for your assistance.


    Gabriel-Stop saying simply so damn much.


    Myles-Yes my lord.


    Gabriel-And stop calling me lord, I am but a simple mercenary, I accept requests if the money is good, I will never do what you "simply" want and I will not let this farce go on any longer.


    Myles-What do you mean by farce my l...


    Gabriel-Myles...


    Myles-Yes, what do you mean by farce then?


    Gabriel-This cult, religion whatever the fuck you call it will "simply" stop to exist, damn, that "simply" thing contagious?


    Myles-But we just want to adore you.


    Gabriel-I will kill every single one of you if I have to, you either call them back inside and tell them that it''s over or I kill you and them before I go back to my life.


    Myles-If God is the only one that can judge people then your judgment will be respected sir.


    Gabriel-Good, call them back.


    Myles-EVERYONE, YOU CAN COME BACK INSIDE!


    All the people that waited outside slowly begun to enter the storage house once again, when the last person closed the doors behind him Myles made the announcement.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Myles-Everyone, I have terrible news to tell you, our l...


    Gabriel-Myles...


    Myles-Mr.Faceless Hunter has just told me that he wishes to disband our group and that we never try to worship or try to find him again, I personally will respect his wish and leave this building first.From now on


    there is no Rebellion of Light and I ask from all of you that you do not continue this path anymore, thank you for your time and effort so far...


    Complete silence covered the room, not a single word came from the people''s mouths while Myles was walking towards the exit, as if they were all statues.By the moment Myles opened the heavy metal doors, one


    person yelled maniacally...


    Jerry-What the fuck is going on in here!?


    Gabriel-What was that?


    Jerry-I have spent months trying to get inside this place, I lost my job, my friends, so I could spend more time looking for the person that could save my soul, I spent countless money to find information about you, I have


    put my entire faith and trust in you after hearing the stories about your powers and feats.HOW?How can you come now and tell me to leave everything behind?I bet you are a fraud and an ashole!


    Jerry covered himself with tears of rage and despair, Gabriel felt the need to respond...


    Gabriel-Do you really need a god to put your faith in?Do you really need someone to save your soul?Did you call me an ashole?


    Jerry-I did.


    Gabriel-Prepare yourself then for the night that you will remember for the rest of your worthless life.


    Gabriel started to focus his energy to both his hands,the time he spent training clearly had a huge effect on his powers,his right hand begun to glow with a bright white light while his left hand burst into flames,the


    more energy he put in his hands the stronger the effect, soon enough he lost control of the flames and the whole storage house was on fire, everyone in the crowd watched in woe while the roof was falling apart from the


    fire, only Mak and Carmen stayed completely unaffected by Gabriel''s perfomance and run quickly outside.Gabriel after losing control and realizing what he has done immediately rushed to get everyone outside the


    building, with his superhuman speed and strength he managed to get everyone out easily before the place turned into ashes.


    After a couple of minutes, Mak approached the Faceless Hunter to speak with him personally,of course, Carmen stood right behind him, as for Jerry, he was still on his knees completely speechless,no one knew what he


    was thinking at the moment,Myles had already left when the flames began and went to his house to continue on with his life,he clearly got the message from Gabriel to stop the cult and never speak of it again.Mak


    then asked the infamous at the time, Faceless Hunter...


    Mak-Can I speak with you for a moment sir?


    Gabriel-Yeah whatever."Lights a cigarette"


    Mak-How did you get powers like that?


    Gabriel-It''s a long story.


    Carmen-Could you please tell us about it?


    Gabriel-(Oh shit, it''s that girl again.)I am not sure I have time right now.


    Carmen-Have we met before?


    Gabriel-I don''t think so.(Did she recognize my voice?It has changed since I started smoking but damn.)


    Carmen-I feel I have heard your voice before.


    Gabriel-You must be mistaken girl.(Should I try Mind Read on her?)


    Carmen-(We just want to talk with you.)


    Gabriel-(What?Telepathy?)Who are you people?What do you want?


    Mak-Don''t worry, we just want to ask you something?


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-How did you get your powers?


    Gabriel-This again?A scientist gave them to me?


    Mak-A scientist?What was his name?


    Gabriel-Kevin.


    Mak-You motherfucker.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-It''s me, Mak!


    Gabriel removed the mask...


    Gabriel-Wait, what?How did you become....human?


    Carmen-Huh?


    Mak-Gabriel can''t see through my glamour like you do Carmen.


    Gabriel-Glamour huh?Clever.Not your idea I presume.


    Mak-Fuck you.


    Gabriel-Fuck you.


    Carmen-Can we talk without cursing at each other.(So this is Gabriel?I want to see his face so bad)


    Gabriel-He started it.


    Mak-We have a lot to talk about ashole...

 Back at Kevins

    Mak has finally found Gabriel, with the help provided by Carmen of course, after a few swear words Mak convinced Gabriel to come back to Kevin''s house for the moment, he didn''t make clear if he was going to


    stay but for now the three of them could finally sort things out.While Gabriel, Mak and Carmen were riding home with Mak on the wheel of course, Gabriel couldn''t resist and asked...


    Gabriel-So...who are you?


    Carmen-My name is Carmen.You must be Gabriel, I heard a lot about you.


    Gabriel-Carmen huh?(She is so cute)


    Mak-Carmen is an esper.


    Gabriel-Esper?


    Mak-Espers are powerful humans and can use all sorts of psychic abilities, every esper has his own attribute,Carmen''s ESP abilities are level 7.


    Gabriel-Level 7?


    Mak-Carmen can use all psychic abilities, unlike other espers who specialize in one and can''t use the others.


    Gabriel-And what are those abilities?


    Mak-Telepathy, Mind Reading, Precognition, Clairvoyance, Teleportation, Psychokinesis, etc.


    Gabriel-You are a real piece of work Carmen, aren''t you?


    Carmen-Not quite, Mak is right, espers can use these abilities but I am not even close to what Mak just described.


    Gabriel-I beg your pardon?


    Carmen-My power is limited to Mind Reading, Telepathy and Clairvoyance at the moment, Mak is teaching me how to use other skills as well.


    Gabriel-When did you moron learn to teach espers?


    Mak-Screw you ashole, don''t forget that I have a dragon''s knowledge.


    Gabriel-It''s wasted on you if you ask me.


    Mak-No one asked you.


    Gabriel-I can kill you, how about that?


    Mak-Whatever.


    Gabriel-So did you find me using Carmen''s power?


    Mak-And some research, we need you, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-I never said I would come back.


    Mak-We will discuss this with the doc.


    Gabriel-How is the doc?


    Carmen-He is doing fine,just...he worried about you.


    Gabriel-About me?


    Mak-Who knows in what kind of shit you would fall into while alone.


    Gabriel-We will discuss this with the doc, right?


    Mak-Right...


    They finally reached Kevin''s house, Mak opened the door but Kevin wasn''t anywhere, they went to the lab but no sign of him.It was morning already, Gabriel made himself comfortable on the couch and Mak


    prepared coffee for the three of them, one extra cup for Kevin, once he was back home...


    Gabriel-Where is the doc?


    Mak-I don''t know.Maybe he got a girlfriend?


    Carmen-Today is Wednesday, he probably went shopping.


    Gabriel-Shopping?When will he be back?


    Carmen-He leaves early in the morning, I bet he would be back in a couple of minutes.


    Mak-What''s with the stupid mask anyway?


    Gabriel-I got it for 5 euros.I should take it off right about now."Removes mask"


    Mak-Your face has changed since I last saw you.


    Gabriel-Yours is still ugly.


    Mak-Can you see under my Glamour?


    Gabriel-No.


    Mak-I should remove it then."Cancels Glamour spell"


    Gabriel-Yeap, still ugly as hell.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.The door opened at that moment, Kevin was back from shopping...


    Kevin-Gabe?


    Mak-In one piece.


    Gabriel-Hey doc.


    Kevin-Is that all you have to say?"Drops the bags on the coffee table"


    Gabriel-What did you expect me to say?


    Kevin-An apology maybe?


    Gabriel-You kept me under drugs and experimented on me.


    Kevin-I thought we were past that.


    Gabriel-Then I won''t apologize.


    Kevin-Fine, what were you doing this whole time?Mak, coffee.


    Mak-I have it ready doc.


    Kevin-Thank you.So?


    Gabriel-After I left, I began training with my new powers.


    Kevin-The vampiric ones?


    Gabriel-No, the powers I got from Warren couldn''t evolve any further, my senses are flawless, strength, speed, reflexes, all incredible, Warren had another trait, Mind Read.


    Carmen-Mind Read?


    Gabriel-Not like yours Carmen, the version of Mind Read I can use can only target one person at a time, only reading thoughts, no Telepathy.That''s how I found out about your shit doc.


    Kevin-Gabe...


    Gabriel-Sorry.The powers I got from Warren are at their max level, I trained to control my own powers better and to improve them.


    Mak-What about that form I saw back then?


    Gabriel-I still haven''t managed to control it, I don''t even know how happened to begin with.


    Mak-What else?


    Gabriel-I have managed to learn some attacks, but what I did during the fight with Warren is still out of my reach.


    Kevin-You know now what you really are, right?


    Gabriel-A demon-angel hybrid.I found out from Mak.


    Mak-That must have been your true form.


    Gabriel-Even so, I can''t do it again, I don''t want to either.


    Mak-Why?


    Gabriel-That "thing" isn''t me, it''s dangerous, I lost control at that moment, who knows what I could have done.


    Mak-You idiot! That''s why you left?For our safety?


    Gabriel-More or less.


    Kevin-But it didn''t happen again.Can''t you stay here for now?


    Gabriel-What happens if that thing wants to come out again doc?


    Kevin-We need you Gabe, our goal can''t be achieved without you.With Carmen now, we can find targets more efficiently.


    Gabriel-I can''t.


    Mak-We will also help you with your powers.


    Kevin-Mak is right, with our help you could manage to control this power.


    Gabriel-I guess the best choice is to stick together.


    Kevin-That''s what I wanted to hear, welcome once again Gabe.


    Gabriel-It''s good to be back.


    Mak-Carmen, you have been quiet this whole time, what''s up.


    Carmen-Nothing, I thought I should let you guys catch up.(Oh my god, he is so cool)


    Gabriel-Nice meeting you as well Carmen, thank you for helping these two while I was gone.


    Carmen-They helped me as well.


    Kevin-Carmen is a very kind girl, smart one too.


    Carmen-Stop it doc.


    Kevin-Haha.


    Mak-Haha.


    Gabriel-Haha.


    So, Gabriel has finally returned to where he belongs, in the days to come he will come across more challenges, whether he is able to overcome them is another thing, for now, he is with people who he holds dear and who


    will help him in the near future...

 Succubus On The Loose

    Gabriel awoke for the first time in a while on Kevin''s couch,he had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a place to call home,his bed was occupied by Carmen for the time being so he was forced to sleep in the


    couch.By the time he awoke everybody else was asleep except Kevin who was in the kitchen making coffee...


    Gabriel-Good morning doc.


    Kevin-Good morning Gabe, how did you sleep?


    Gabriel-Incredibly well.(That couch in the bar was awful in every way.)


    Kevin-I''m sorry that we had to give Carmen your room but we didn''t know if you would ever come back.


    Gabriel-I''m ok with that, the couch is fine.


    Kevin-Would you like some coffee?I would have made you sooner but you got up early.


    Gabriel-I don''t get much sleep these days.


    Kevin-Are you still afraid of that power?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Kevin-You have what it takes to control it Gabe, don''t let it scare you.


    Gabriel-I''ll try.


    Carmen got up from bed anxious and immediately run downstairs to see Kevin.


    Carmen-Doctor!


    Kevin-What''s going on?Are you alright Carmen?


    Carmen-I am fine, I just saw a strange dream.


    Gabriel-A dream?


    Carmen-There was this boy....and a girl....in a school.


    Kevin-Calm down Carmen, what else?


    Carmen-The girl killed the boy, like sucking out life from him with a kiss.


    Gabriel-A kiss?


    Carmen-It felt so real doctor, I couldn''t do anything to stop it.


    Kevin-It was just a nightmare Carmen, sit down, would you like some coffee?


    The commotion awoke Mak as well...


    Mak-What the fuck is going on down there?That prick has been here for one day and we already can''t sleep.


    Gabriel-Shut up you moron, get down here.


    Mak came downstairs and met with the rest of them...


    Mak-What?


    Carmen-Sorry to wake you Mak, I just had this weird dream and got scared, it felt so real...


    Mak-A dream?Precognition maybe?Or Astral Projection?


    Carmen-What do you mean?


    Mak-Did it feel like you were there?Did you watch it from someone else''s perspective?


    Carmen-I was there.


    Mak-Astral Projection then.


    Gabriel-Woah, care to explain?


    Mak-Oh, we have the idiot to educate once again.


    Gabriel-What was that?"Gives Mak an angry look"


    Mak-Nothing.


    Gabriel-Go on.


    Mak-Astral Projection.An out of body experience,the psychic leaves behind the body and travels only with a mind projection of himself, witnessing an event as it''s happening.


    Kevin-So...Carmen saw an event the same time it happened?


    Mak-Precisely.What exactly did you see?


    Carmen explained in detail what she saw in her dream, Mak immediately figured out about it...


    Mak-From what you said I can think only one thing.


    Gabriel-And that is?


    Mak-A succubus.


    Kevin-Succubus?


    Mak-Female demons, they seduce men and devour their souls for themselves.


    Gabriel-A demon?Why would Carmen see such a thing in her sleep?


    Mak-Carmen probably thought a lot about our conversation last night, about you being half demon, her subconsciouss basically forced her to witness another demon in action.


    Carmen-What do we do now?


    Mak-What do mean?


    Carmen-Shouldn''t we try and stop this?


    Mak-Do you even know which school it was?


    Carmen-No...


    Mak-I want you to try and focus as much as you can in recreating the image in your head, Clairvoyance should kick in and clear some thingss out.


    Gabriel-Untill then?


    Mak-I go take a crap.


    Gabriel-Fucking ashole.


    Carmen went outside to the yard to focus on the scene she saw in her dream, Mak went to the bathroom, meanwhile, Gabriel sat with Kevin at the table and enjoyed their morning coffee, Gabriel then asked Kevin...


    Gabriel-What''s with this succubus thing?


    Kevin-You heard Mak, a demon.


    Gabriel-Demon huh?


    Kevin-I understand that you feel a bit uneasy about this.


    Gabriel-That''s not it.


    Kevin-Then what?


    Gabriel-I can''t get a damn day off.


    Kevin-You knew this when you chose this path Gabe.


    Gabriel-I know.Any other information on succubuses,before that prick comes out of the bathroom.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.Kevin-I know that they are called succubi in numbers.


    Gabriel-Very informative.


    Mak-What is up?


    Gabriel-Come here short-ass.What else do you know about succubi?


    Mak-Other than the fact that they suck the life out of you,they are weak when it comes to combat,they avoid it all costs,normaly demons can''t cross and come to our plain.


    Gabriel-Are you serious?


    Mak-Succubi aren''t strong, they are the only demon species that can come to earth in their own form, stronger demons can only posses their victims, even stronger demons have to be summoned by external means in


    order to even get a chance to do their thing.Normally the lesser demons are those who collect souls for their masters, not many people nowadays try to summon demons, that''s how they work as of now.


    Gabriel-Hmmm....


    Mak-I don''t know anything about your case Gabriel.There hasn''t been anything like you in forever,i don''t know what your limits can be,nor do i know the extend of your streangth at the time.


    Gabriel-How could i end up here then?


    Mak-No idea,more to the point,succubi can seduce only men and absorb their souls in order to present them to their masters.


    Gabriel-Who are those "masters"?


    Mak-Mainly higher class demons, occasionally humans.


    Gabriel-Humans?


    Mak-"Brujo la Chile"


    Gabriel-Come again?


    Mak-Chilean Warlocks.


    Gabriel-What are they?


    Mak-Incredibly powerfull warlocks that could bound the succubi and use them to collect souls for their rituals, members of the "Brujeria" are called those who said they could even open portals to hell to make deals with


    the strongest demons, their rituals often ended up in villages worth of human souls.Chile was afraid of La Brujeria''s power for centuries.


    Gabriel-Nasty people.


    Mak-Although rare, they could also be in comand of succubi.


    Gabriel-And they only take the souls of men?


    Mak-Succubi yes,their male counterparts are called incubi,they perform the same tricks on women.Their spells are way to strong for normal humans to resist them,so they fall victims to them.


    Gabriel-How does one defeat a succubus?


    Mak-You don''t,they always avoid confrontation and are extremely weak,to the point of Carmen being able to beat them with a single move.


    Gabriel-That weak?


    Mak-Espers can be very strong Gabe.


    Gabriel-I have already fought espers before, while i was working as a mercenary, some pyromaniac asholes.


    Mak-Pyrokinesis, the abillity to create heat and control fire.


    Gabriel-Not even a challenge.


    Mak-Carefull Gabriel, when it comes to epsers, their powers differentiate acording to each individual, powerfull espers could conjure energy barriers strong enough to withstand a nuclear blast.


    Gabriel-Holy shit.


    Mak-Other''s could even conjure things using only phycic energy.


    Gabriel-Like money?


    Mak-Try limbs, revive themselves even when shot in the head, epsers can absorb energy from their surroundings, the stronger the vessel, the stronger the esper, level 7 espers like Carmen are extremely rare, I have


    memories of an esper so strong that his Phycokinesis could change the earth''s spinning.


    Gabriel-No shit?


    Mak-No shit.Not to mention that their physical abillities can be amplified by their phycic energy.Destroying something like...the moon is a piece of cake for a strong esper.


    Gabriel-Carmen is at this level?


    Mak-Theoretically speaking,yes.She can use every phycic abillity there is,her vessel isn''t very big,making a normal human explode from inside out is her limit.


    Gabriel-Is there a way to increase the size of ones vessel?


    Mak-No, only spontaneously, by heavy emotional stress, resorting in a burst of ones energy, blasting away anything in front of the esper.


    Carmen-Guys!I have found a clue.


    Mak-Speak of the devil.


    Carmen-What?


    Mak-Nothing, what did you find?


    Carmen-I found the school, it''s an internal school in England.


    Gabriel-England?


    Mak-Yeah!Roadtrip.


    So,Gabriel has found his next mission,stopping a succubus from stealing the boys'' souls at a school in England,what challenge awaits ahead?Gabriel is soon to find out...

 Grandview High School

    Gabriel''s next mission is in England, a big trip to make, though the financial part was covered by Kevin, Gabriel still had some doubts about the trip...


    Gabriel-How are we going to go to England?


    Mak-Plane?


    Gabriel-No shit, I mean how are we going to find that thing?


    Mak-Succubi operate in one place at a time, we will meet her eventually.


    Carmen-When are we leaving?


    Mak-You are not coming with us, Carmen.


    Carmen-What?Why?


    Mak-You are not ready for combat yet, especially against a succubus.


    Carmen-But...i want to come with you guys.


    Mak-Out of the question, I and Gabriel will go there, you stay here.I don''t think your abilities would be of any benefit there.


    Gabriel-Couldn''t I just...absorb some of her powers?


    Mak-Hmm....No.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-If I recall, you need a tissue sample in order for the thing to absorb powers.


    Kevin-That''s true indeed.


    Mak-Do you intend to cut this pretty girl in order to get her powers?


    Gabriel-NO.


    Carmen-Cut me?Isn''t there another way?


    Kevin-Not one I am aware of.


    Mak-Intercourse?


    Gabriel-What?


    Carmen-What?


    Mak-I''m just joking.


    Gabriel-I should have cut your tongue a long time ago.


    Mak-She is pretty cute after all.


    Gabriel-THAT''S NOT THE POINT!


    Carmen-You mean, I am not cute?


    Gabriel-I mean that....i.....screw the psychic powers thing....let''s.....change the subject.


    Mak-Me and Gabriel will fly tomorrow for England, we will go straight to the school.


    Carmen-Pfff...Fine.


    Gabriel-Fine with me.


    Mak-And I promise that we will not hit on any girls there, ok Carmen?


    Carmen-Why are you asking me?


    Gabriel-Shut the fuck up already!


    The next day came by very quickly, Gabriel and Mak woke up early in order to catch the flight and met up with Kevin at the kitchen...


    Mak-Where is the coffee?


    Kevin-I have prepared some for you and Gabe.


    Gabriel-Thanks doc.


    Mak-So..."Drinks some coffee"


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-I will cast a glamour spell on me and make myself look like a young boy.Do you know what to do doc?


    Kevin-I shall send a notification to the school that I want my two sons to study there.


    Mak-Yes, otherwise we can''t get inside the school and investigate.


    Gabriel-What''s your plan when we get there?


    Mak-In order for succubi to stay undercover, they usually hit on popular and good looking people that other girls crave for, you will become popular in the school and try to get as many girls as you can.


    Gabriel-What good would that do?


    Mak-Eventually the succubus won''t be able to resist and will attempt to cast her Charm spell on you.I have a feeling it won''t work though.


    Gabriel-A feeling?


    Mak-The Charm spell works on human males only, it shouldn''t be able to affect you.


    Gabriel-Males only?Why didn''t you let Carmen come then?She would have proved useful, you know she is a girl, right?


    Mak-Carmen can also see under Glamour spells, remember?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Mak-What if she can also see under the succubus disguise?


    Kevin-Right, she could help find her easily.


    Gabriel-No...I get it now.


    Mak-Finally.


    Kevin-What?


    Gabriel-What if she freaks out when she sees her?That would instantly alert her and we might lose our chance to get her.


    Kevin-I see.


    Mak-We have to let her approach you first, make her feel like she has the upper hand, when she discovers that her Charm spell doesn''t work she will be confused.


    Gabriel-How would we know when she uses the spell?


    Mak-She will kiss you, if she is acting confused after that then she blows her cover.


    Gabriel-Kiss me?


    Mak-Don''t tell me you are embarrassed about kissing a girl right?


    Gabriel-No!(I am kind of)


    Mak-Good, you will have to kiss a lot of girls to get her to come out.


    Garbiel-Kiss a lot of girls?


    Mak-Pussy.


    Gabriel-I have a better idea.


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-I will burn you."Conjures fire in his hand"


    Mak-Woah!I''ll shut up.The plan is set though.


    Gabriel-How does one become popular anyway?


    Mak-Ah kids, with your physical strength, of course, kids are dumb enough to be impressed by such things, if you can demonstrate your superiority to other guys in the school that would instantly draw attention to you.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.Gabriel-That simple?


    Mak-What did you expect?I guess being a loser your entire life doesn''t help you at all.


    Gabriel-I will fucking kill you,ashole.


    Mak-That attitude is what you should keep.


    Kevin-It''s time, I''ll drive you to the airport.


    Mak-Grab your things pretty boy, you are going on a trip!


    Gabriel-Don''t ever call me that again with your ugly mug.Besides, aren''t you forgeting something?


    Mak-Hm...Oh, the Glamour."Casts the Glamour spell".


    Mak-How about that?


    Gabriel-Better than before, still ugly.


    Mak-Fuck you.


    Kevin drove the two of them to the airport, they caught the plane and now were flying to England, where a school teacher would wait of them at the time of arrival to escort them to school, after all, they were just two


    underaged kids that are going to enroll to the school, Kevin came back after dropping them at the airport, Carmen was still asleep at the moment and Kevin grabbed a cup of coffee and watched TV for the time being.


    Whan the two of them arrived at their destination they saw a guy holding a piece of paper with the names Mak and Gabriel on it, that must have been the teacher that would acompany them to school, before they walked


    close to him, Mak said to Gabriel in a low voice...


    Mak-Fuck.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Kevin gave our real names.


    Gabriel-So?


    Mak-I wanted a cool name, like Ace or Logan.


    Gabriel-You are an idiot.


    Teacher-Hello there, you must be Mak and Gabriel, right kids?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Teacher-You will love our school, I have prepared a room for the two of you, since you are brothers, you won''t have a problem with living together, right kids?


    Gabriel-Sure.


    Teacher-Let''s get to the car, you will sit in the back, right kids?


    Mak-Ok.


    They got in the car and sat at the back, Gabriel out of the blue pulled out a ciggarette and lit it, the teacher wasn''t too happy about that and grabbed it, he then put it out in the ashtray inside the car, he told Gabriel...


    Teacher-I don''t know what you did before but we won''t tolerate smoking inside school grounds,thats a strict rule, right kids?


    Gabriel-Sorry sir.


    Mak then spoke to Gabriel in a low voice so the teacher in the front seat wouldn''t listen...


    Mak-Are you stupid?


    Gabriel-I smoked for the last 4 months without anyone lecturing me, I didn''t think about that.


    Mak-Don''t provoke them, besides, that''s a good oppurtunity for you to quit.


    Gabriel-Whatever.


    Teacher-I don''t know what you are talking about, I hope you are not talking bad about me, right kids?


    Gabriel-If he says "right kids?" one more time, I will slit his throat.


    Mak-Calm down for fuck sake dude.


    Gabriel-I am calm.


    Teacher-Well, here we are, Grandview High School, your room is number 357, I hope you like it, I will see you in class then, right kids?


    Gabriel said in low voice to Mak-Hold me.Hold.Me.


    Mak-Right sir, we will make sure to come to class as soon as we get our stuff done in the room, thank you.


    Teacher-And remember, don''t smoke, right kids?


    Mak-Yes.


    Gabriel inhales deeply and responds...


    Gabriel-Right sir...


    Teacher-See you.


    The teacher left and the two guys went to their room for the moment...


    Mak-Well, we are roomates now.


    Gabriel-Not the best situation to be in.


    Mak-Come on.We will have to begin our plan to make you badass as soon as possible.


    Gabriel-Yeah.I will kill that thing so I don''t have to listen to that "right kids?" anymore in my life.


    Mak-Oh, don''t smoke when teachers are present, we don''t want you to be expelled before our mission ends, right kids?


    Gabriel-You think this is funny, don''t you?


    Mak-A little.


    So Gabriel and Mak are now in England, inside a room in the boys dorm and they are about to begin their plan to sniff out the succubus, it almost feels like they are part of a cliche school story where the protagonist


    gets the girl at the end, almost like a novel, right kids?

 School Days

    The next morning Gabriel and Mak had their first class, they both went to bed late last night to discuss their plan on how to get a hold of the succubus that was running free inside the school.When the alarm started


    ringing things didn''t go very smooth for them...


    "Alarm clock ringing"


    Mak-What the fuck is this thing?


    Gabriel-Time to get ready for class.


    Mak-Class?


    Gabriel-We are supposed to be students here, remember?


    Mak-Who gives a fuck?It''s not like we want to graduate from here.


    Gabriel-We can''t raise suspicion by skipping the first class, we just got here.


    Mak-Where is my coffee?


    Gabriel-Make yourself, also make some for me.


    Mak-Kevin would have already made coffee for all of us by now.


    Gabriel-I am not Kevin, now get up and make some coffee.


    After both of them drank their coffee, they got ready for class, since they were in an internal school, as soon as they left their room in the boy''s dorm they found themselves in an awkward situation...


    Boy-I told you, no refunds.


    Thug-That phone you sold was a piece of shit Edd.


    Edd-Bollocks!I bet you used it wrong, how about you bring it to me after class and we can figure out what''s wrong with it?


    Thug-You better fix it, dork.


    Edd-It will cost you mate.


    Thug-I''m not giving you more money for this, nob.


    Edd-Alright, I''ll fix it for free.


    Thug-You better have it fixed until tomorrow.


    Edd-Yes, yes, give it to me.


    Meanwhile Gabriel and Mak watched the two boys from a couple of meters away...


    Gabriel-What was that?


    Mak-Didn''t you hear them?


    Gabriel-I got the crop phone part...What the hell were those words?


    Mak-Brittish, moron.


    Gabriel-Is that how they talk in this place?


    Mak-Yeah.


    Gabriel-Fuck.


    Mak approached the kid that was still in the hallway and asked him...


    Mak-Hey, Edd, right?


    Edd-Yeah that''s me, you wanna buy something?I have phones, laptops, tablets, name it and I can get it for you.


    Mak-No, I don''t want to buy anything, what was all that about?


    Edd-Arthur, that jerk bought a phone from me and now he wants his money back.


    Mak-Why?


    Edd-Let''s just say that it wasn''t of pristine quality.


    Mak-You sold him a crappy phone then.


    Edd-Kind off, don''t tell anyone about this, um...


    Mak-I am Mak.


    Edd-Don''t tell anyone about this Mak, I won''t be able to sell anything else.


    Mak-Don''t worry mate, what can you tell me about this big dude?


    Edd-Arthur?He is in the gym club, your typical ashole in this place always gives a hard time to new students, you better watch out.


    Mak-I don''t plan to go in his way.


    Edd-He will go in your way eventually, just don''t piss him off and he might not give you any trouble.


    Mak-Oh, that''s my brother Gabriel by the way.


    Edd-Hey mate.


    Gabriel-Hi Edd.Shouldn''t we head to class?


    Edd-Bolloks!I almost forgot, we are going to be late, what class do we have first?


    Mak-Science.Let''s go together, mate.


    Edd-Sure.You two aren''t from around here, are you?


    Gabriel-We live in another country, we came here to study.


    Edd-Bad choice if you ask me.


    Mak-Why is that?


    Edd-There are a lot of bullies in Grandview, and they aren''t very fond of new students.


    Gabriel-I will have to teach them a lesson then.


    Edd-You seem like a strong fellow but you can''t mess around too much or they will beat the shit out of you.


    Gabriel-We will see about that.


    "Mak whispers Gabriel"-Calm down idiot, don''t let bad memories ruin our plan.


    Gabriel-I''ll keep that in mind.


    Edd-Mak on the other hand, you don''t look like you could stand your own with guys like Arthur.


    Mak-I don''t plan to.


    Edd-Yeah, better to keep a low profile in this place.


    The three of them walked to classroom and found their seats,the teacher was a bit late so while they waited for class to begin, a very beautiful girl entered the classroom, everyone was silent the moment she walked


    in as if they were all concentrated on her, red, straight hair double braided to reveal an oval style, kinda sad   face.Wonderful blue eyes with the depth of the ocean, perfect white skin, almost like porcelain,a well built physique


    that showed the beautiful curves of her body,jaw-dropping proportions that would melt even the coldest of hearts,she had an aura around her that made her seem unapproachable, the way that guys looked at her with


    awe and the way that girls looked with jealousy indicated that the most attractive girl had entered the classroom this moment...


    Mak-Hey Edd.


    Edd-Huh?


    Mak-Look at me dude.


    Edd-What is it mate?


    Mak-Who is that gorgeous chick?


    Edd-Julie Barney.A goddess amongst mortals.


    Gabriel-Nothing special.


    Edd-Are you insane mate!?Julie is the most beautiful girl that humanity has ever seen.


    Mak-Don''t mind him, he digs another girl from back home.


    Gabriel-Hellen is my goddess.


    Mak-See?His brain is stuck, anyway, what can you tell me about her?


    Edd-Julie has had a rough time.


    Mak-Why is that?


    Edd-Her boyfriend..Ex-boyfriend...


    Mak-Yeah?


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.Edd-He passed away a couple of days ago.


    Mak-Her boyfriend died?"Looks at Gabriel"


    Gabriel-Who was her boyfriend?


    Edd-Archie Willis, former captain of the soccer team.


    Mak-Must have been a popular guy then?


    Edd-You kidding mate?Archie was an inspiration to us all,straight-A student, good-natured and handsome.


    Mak-Sounds like a wimp.


    Edd-No one really liked Archie to be honest.


    Gabriel-You just said that he was an inspiration.


    Edd-He was, the fact that he was the only one to hit on Julie made every guy hate him.


    Mak-No one else had the balls to hit on her?


    Edd-Julie isn''t the kind of girl to go for common people.


    Mak-Did anything similar happen to any other guy?


    Edd-A couple of more fellows, all of them were in the soccer or basketball teams.


    Mak-So all of them were quite popular.


    Edd-Yeah.Despite that though.


    Gabriel-Yes?


    Edd-They all died from heart failure, there isn''t any phyco who targets athletes.


    Mak-This Archie guy too?


    Edd-Yeah.


    "The teacher walked into the classroom and shut the door"


    Teacher-Good morning, right kids?


    Gabriel-You got to be kidding me.


    Teacher-Today we are going to talk about magnets and their interactions with different metals.


    "Mak throws a paper ball on Gabriel"


    Mak low voice-We need to talk out of here.


    Gabriel-How?


    Mak-FUCK YOU GABRIEL!DON''T SMOKE IN CLASS!


    Gabriel-WHAT?


    Teacher-What''s going on back there?Mak!Gabriel!Both of you to the principal''s office now!


    Gabriel and Mak got out of the classroom and went to the principal''s office...


    Principal-You must be the two new kids that came yesterday.


    Gabriel-Yes sir.


    Principal-Tell me why your teacher sent you here.


    Mak-Gabriel lit a smoke in class sir.


    Gabriel-What?


    Principal-This is outrageous, why did you do that?


    Gabriel-I...I have an addiction problem, sir.


    Principal-You mean you can''t do without smokes?


    Gabriel-Yes sir, back home I smoked a lot."Looks angrily at Mak"


    Principal-As a smoker my self I can understand you...


    Mak-Good then.


    Principal-But, you can''t smoke in class.When class is finished, head to the smoking room, some teachers including myself will let you smoke in there if you have a severe problem.Is that ok?


    Gabriel-Yes sir, I won''t do it in class again.


    Principal-Fine then, you can return to your class now, I hope we understand each other, you seem like a smart kid, since this is the first time, I''ll let it slide.


    Gabriel-Thank you sir, and sorry about that.


    Principal-Go on, go back to class.


    Gabriel and Mak left the principals office and found a quiet place to talk...


    Gabriel-That was one of the stupidest ideas you ever had.


    Mak-It got us out of class.


    Gabriel-What would happen if the principal wasn''t so slack with us?


    Mak-Suspencion?


    Gabriel-Yes moron!


    Mak-Water under the bridge.You heard what that nerd said right?


    Gabriel-Yes...This Julie must be our target.


    Mak-I wouldn''t be so sure.


    Gabriel-You heard the guy, a lot of them died the same way, all of the were popular just like you said that the succubuss would opperate, she obviously is hot, not to mention that the last victim was her boyfriend.


    Mak-Exactly, Edd told us that no one else had hit on Julie except Archie.


    Gabriel-So?


    Mak-And he said that she doesn''t go out with just anyone.


    Gabriel-Oh.The other guys didn''t have a connection with her.


    Mak-Yes.


    Gabriel-We have no clues then.


    Mak-We know that Archie was the last guy right?


    Gabriel-Yes?


    Mak-We need to find who was the last person with him.


    Gabriel-How are we going to do that?


    Mak-Ask her if her boyfriend was faithfull to her.


    Gabriel-Brilliant idea."Hey can you tell us if your dead boyfriend was cheating on you cause we want to find who killed him"


    Mak-Not like that idiot.


    Gabriel-You want me to hit on her, don''t you?


    Mak-Fuck!I wanted to hit on her.Yeah, you will hit on her and try to find out what happened.


    Gabriel-You heard the guy, she won''t go out with anyone, much less a new guy.


    Mak-You will enter the soccer team, I heard they need new players.


    Gabriel-Yeah, some of them "sucked".If you know what i mean?


    Mak-Haha, don''t make fun of them dude, their souls are burning in hell right now.


    Gabriel-You just killed the mood.


    Mak-If you join the team, even if Julie isn''t our target, the real culprit will eventually show herself.


    Gabriel-That''s a plan then, since when do you have such good plans?


    Mak-I always did, you are just stupid and can''t execute them.


    Gabriel-I will execute you if you call me stupid again.


    Mak-Ok, ok...Calm down.(Some things never change)


    So Gabriel now has a new goal, join the school soccer team in order to find information about the succubuss, it shouldn''t be hard for him since his physical capabillities are far beyond of normal humans.One thing is


    for sure, he will eventually come face to face with his target and elliminate her before she harms more people, but beating the succubuss isn''t going to solve the problem, the one pulling the strings is who Gabriel is really


    after...

 The Cheerleaders

    After class ended for the day, Gabriel and Mak went straight to their room to discuss about their plan...


    Mak-Fuck me, that was boring.


    Gabriel-It''s called a school, moron.


    Mak-I still don''t understand why you people live happy lives.


    Gabriel-Cause we don''t look like you.


    Mak-You are one to talk.


    Gabriel-I might not be a human, but fuck you are ugly, cast the Glamour again.


    Mak-Why?There isn''t anyone here.


    Gabriel-So I don''t have to look at that ugly thing you call a face.


    Mak-Even I get hurt by shit like this.


    Gabriel-Great, that was my intention.


    Mak-Why did I even went looking for you?


    Gabriel-Why did I even get you out of that cage?


    Mak-True...So the soccer team has its audition tomorrow, you will have to go in order to enter the team.


    Gabriel-I have no idea about soccer.


    Mak-It''s not that hard.


    Mak told Gabriel everything he needed to know about soccer, not every single detail but enough for him to perform well in the audition, despite his minimal knowledge about the game, he should do well just by his inhuman


    strength, after all, he did absorb the powers of a vampire.Mak taught Gabriel about soccer the rest of the day.Next morning after class the soccer team audition takes place at the school''s soccer field...


    Gabriel-Get up ugly.


    Mak-What is it?


    Gabriel-Class.


    Mak-Again?Didn''t we already do this thing?


    Gabriel-We have class every day...


    Mak-EVERY DAY!?WHAT THE FUCK!


    Gabriel-Are you serious?You didn''t know about that?


    Mak-I have a dragon''s knowledge, why would I know about human schools?


    Gabriel-You knew about soccer, why not class?


    Mak-Look moron, I don''t have to know about mundane things.


    Gabriel-Call me a moron.One.More.Time.


    Mak-Do you plan to kill me this early in the morning?


    Gabriel-You are right, fuck off, make some coffee.


    Mak-Why do I have to make...


    Gabriel-I said coffee.


    Mak-Alright, alright.(I want to go back to Kevin''s)


    After they both drank their coffee, they went to class,there they saw Edd again who happened to sit right next to Mak,Gabriel was sitting at the back left corner of the classroom,Mak was next to him and Edd right next


    to Mak, same routine as yesterday, they talked about the soccer audition, paused when Julie entered the class to admire her, Mak fell asleep at class.When class ended they got ready for the soccer audition, Gabriel went to the


    locker room and Mak stayed at the viewer''s stand, strangely enough, a lot of guys entered the audition apart from Gabriel.In the locker rooms, Gabriel saw Edd...


    Gabriel-What are you doing here?


    Edd wasn''t exactly the type of an athlete, he was a skinny pale boy, because of the fact that he sold electronics, Edd usually was shut in his room along with his roommate who he also was an electronics expert, they both took


    old phones and tablets, repaired them and then sold them to the other students of the school, their temporary job kept them busy enough for both of them to have next to zero athletic capabilities, it was a surprise for


    Gabriel to see Edd there...


    Edd-I have to enter the soccer team dude.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Edd-If I am a member of the soccer team, I could finally fulfill my dream.


    Gabriel-And that is?


    Edd-I want to screw the cheerleaders.


    Gabriel-The cheerleaders?


    Edd-The cheerleaders, have you not seen them?


    Gabriel-No.


    Edd-Oh mate, they are hot as bollocks.


    Gabriel-Hot as what?


    Edd-Bollocks.


    Gabriel-Right...(What the hell is he talking about?)


    Coach-Alright boys.Let me tell you a couple of things for those who want to join the soccer team.This audition will test your endurance, your running speed and your strength.Amongst the ten of you, I will choose those who


    perform best.Four of you will make it to the next stage where I will teach you about our system around here and then you will come to practice every day after class.Is that clear?


    Kids-YES COACH!


    Coach-My name is Brett, nice to meet all of you, now get out.


    Kids-Yes coach Brett!


    All of the kids went outside the field and waited for instruction from coach Brett...


    Brett-Ok, first we do 3 laps around the field.


    Kids-Yes coach.


    Everyone managed to do the 3 laps of the field including Edd who he clearly finished last and was already clear that he was the weakest of them, Gabriel took it slow so he wouldn''t stand out but still finished first with a very


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.great difference.


    Brett-Good job everyone, especially you Gabriel, nice time.


    Gabriel-Thank you coach.


    Brett-Don''t thank me.Now 50 push-ups.


    Edd-50?


    Brett-Did I stutter?


    Gabriel finished first again, the rest of them showed signs of exhaustion, Edd was clearly struggling to pull through...


    Edd-(COME ON EDDY!You can do it!For the cheerleaders!)


    Five guys managed to do the push-ups, Gabriel was one of them and to surprise of them all, Edd also managed to make it, the five kids that failed before completing the push-ups were asked to return to their rooms by the


    coach in a not so kind way...


    Brett-Get your weak asses of my field ladies!The soccer team has no room for ladies like you.


    One kid actually left the field crying, the rest of them got up and left the field as the coach said.


    Brett-Now for those who are still here.We are going to test your speed next, I want you guys to run from field goal to field goal as fast as you can.


    Mak was still in the stands watching, praying that Gabriel wouldn''t overdo it, at that point the cheerleaders showed up to cheer for the 5 remaining kids in the field.They started dancing and yelling encouraging things at them


    while they were getting ready for the sprint, clearly all of them were excited to watch them dance since they were all very beautiful girls with amazing bodies and cute faces, Edd was a bit more excited than the rest of them...


    Edd-That''s it!I can do this!"Coughs"


    Gabriel didn''t care much about the cheerleaders, while the rest of the guys had their mouths open in front of the gorgeous girls that were cheering for them, Gabriel had only one thing in his mind, Helen.


    Gabriel-(What do these girls have that can match Helen''s beauty, the golden color of her hair, the deep blue eyes that I can stare for years, her perfect body and the sweet voice that can melt steel, her...)


    Brett-Gabriel!What the hell are you doing?It''s your turn!


    Gabriel-Huh?


    Brett-Don''t huh me, get to your place, right now.


    Gabriel-Yes coach!


    Obviously, Gabriel made the best time, he was a bit too fast since he couldn''t concentrate enough and his mind was focused on Helen, he forgot to bring it down to a normal level, coach Brett was yelling at this point...


    Brett-YES!You are a prodigy boy, I have never seen someone run this fast, what the hell has your father been feeding you?


    Gabriel-Thank you coach.


    Mak-(What the fuck is he thinking?Good thing they didn''t have a timer, that was an olympic record!Fucking hell Gabe, are you insane?What happened to not standing out?)


    Brett-We have our guys then, Gabriel, I would want you in the team even if the earth was square, Jamie, your time was also good, Francis, you did well, Edd...


    Edd-Yes coach.


    Brett-You are in since that guy fainted, he is now being taken to the nurse.


    Edd-Great!


    Gabriel-Why are you so excited about the soccer team dude?


    Edd-The cheerleaders always go for the soccer team members mate, this is a huge chance for me.


    Gabriel-They all date the members?


    Edd-Every single one of them mate, and there is some fresh meat also.


    Gabriel-Fresh meat?


    Edd-New girls that became cheerleaders are even more easy to get.


    Gabriel-Why is that?


    Edd-They need someone to show them around, if you know what i mean?


    Gabriel-Are there always new cheerleaders?


    Edd-Yeah, I heard that 6 girls who enrolled here were cheerleaders one after the other.


    Gabriel-Where are they now?


    Edd-They all left, one after the other.


    Gabriel-So there always is a new cheerleader, and the previous one always leaves?


    Edd-Pretty much.


    Gabriel-(Every now and then a cheerleader leaves and a new one takes her place, that one must be the succubus.)Who is the newest cheerleader Edd?


    Edd-That would be Cassy mate, a real beauty.


    Gabriel-I see.


    Later that day Gabriel told Mak about his chat with Edd and they both came to the conclusion that this Cassy girl might be their target, Gabriel''s objective from now on is to get close to her and make her think he is one of


    the guys she seduced, if it all goes well he might catch her and elliminate her before she kills another guy and disappear with a different form and name, he has only one chance to get her, from this point on he is going to use


    his status as the prodigy of the soccer team to get close to the cheerleader named Cassy and find out more information about her...

 The Mole

    After Gabriel joined the school''s soccer team he was forced to attend to every soccer practice the team had, the practice took place after classes and that left Gabriel without time to investigate the new cheerleader named


    Cassy, Mak having spare time due to skipping some classes managed to find more information about Cassy, one day after Gabriel was finished with soccer practice he returned to his room only to find Mak there writing on a


    notebook...


    Gabriel-What are you doing there?


    Mak-I''m taking notes.


    Gabriel-Of what?


    Mak-Of the information i collected about Cassy.


    Gabriel-Shit, I didn''t have enough time to talk with her.


    Mak-You are taking your role as a student way to serious.


    Gabriel-While you skip class and sit on your ass all day.


    Mak-Not really, I found out the cheerleaders schedule and found out that they practice at the gymnastics room while you are at the practice.


    Gabriel-So?


    Mak-You will have to skip practice if you want to talk to Cassy.


    Gabriel-Sure, what should I tell her?


    Mak-Of course, you suck at flirting.


    Gabriel-Shut up.


    Mak-Just find any other girl and ask her to hook you up with her.


    Gabriel-Will that work?


    Mak-Yeah it will.


    Gabriel-Which girl should I ask?


    Mak-I found a girl named Rose, she is also a cheerleader, once you get in the gymnastics room look for a girl with curly blonde hair and a big mole on the forehead.


    Gabriel-A mole?


    Mak-Oh dude, it''s horrible, I thought it was a bug trying to eat her face at first.


    Gabriel-Is it that bad?


    Mak-You have no idea ,you can land an airplane on it.That thing is 80% of her body weight.You can''t possibly miss her, she is the only girl with an extra head.


    Gabriel-Ok, now you are just a dickhead.


    Mak-I know, she was quite cheerfull and had no problem talking to me even though it was our first time meeting,she told about the cheerleaders schedule and that Cassy has no boyfriend at the moment.


    Gabriel-So i will find this Rose and ask her to talk to Cassy about me.


    Mak-Yes, if she really is a succubuss then she won''t think twice about hooking up with you, you are a soccer team member.Once you are alone with her she will try to use her Charm spell on you, once she realizes that it failed


    she will get confused, maybe angry, then you will be sure that she is our target and eliminate her.


    Gabriel-How are you so sure he Charm spell will fail.


    Mak-I am not, I hope it will fail.You are not a human after all.


    Gabriel-Is there a specific way to kill a succubuss?


    Mak-No, unlike demons that only possess people, succubi are in this plain with their physical forms, a good beating will send her back to where she came.


    Gabriel-Not kill her?


    Mak-Demons can only be killed in their home place, if she is cast out of here, it will take centuries before she can come back to earth.


    Gabriel-Beat her up?Easy enough.


    Mak-It will be, I told you that they are pretty weak, their only powers apart from Charm is their body weapons, talons and teeth.


    Gabriel-Any physical streangths?


    Mak-They are a bit stronger than the average human,someone with martial art knowledge would probably beat one in hand to hand combat,if she can''t use the Charm spell of course.


    Gabriel-Alright,tommorow i will go see that Rose and ask her.


    Mak-I will come to watch you and stay hidden.


    The next day after class, Gabriel didn''t go to practice with the rest of the team and instead went to the place where the cheerleaders were having their own practice, when he entered the gymnastics room he saw the girl


    dancing in the middle of the room, it was a big room with viewer stands at each side, in the middle there was a big pathway that the cheerleaders used for demonstation and dancing practice, Gabriel instantly noticed Rose who


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.stood out from the rest of the girls thanks to the big mole Mak was talking about, he sat at the viewer stands and waited for the girls to have their break in order to get a chance to talk with Rose, once they did have their break,


    Gabriel waved at Rose to come and join him at the stands, Mak was underneath the stands so he could listen to what they were talking about...


    Rose-Hi.


    Gabriel-Hey, you must be Rose.


    Rose-Yeah, who are you?


    Gabriel-My name is Gabriel, I wanted to talk to you Rose.(Don''t look at it)


    Rose-What did you want to talk to me about?


    Gabriel-You know this girl,Cassy?(Stay clear of that thing)


    Rose-Cassy?Yeah she is that shy girl sitting alone over there.


    Gabriel-I want you to work something out for me.(Don''t.Stare.AT THE MOLE)


    Rose-Like what?


    Gabriel-I want you to convince her to go out with me.(And burn that thing with fire)


    Rose-You like Cassy?She is new here so she doesn''t have many friends apart from me.


    Gabriel-Why is that?


    Rose-I am new too, we came in this school two days apart, I am the only person she has spoke to.


    Gabriel-Well, I am new too so I can''t just go and talk to her, I joined the soccer team a couple of days ago.


    Rose-You are in the soccer team?Thats so cool.


    Gabriel-So will you help me out?


    Rose-I will, but only if you do something for me that is.


    Gabriel-What is it?


    Rose-You see....I want your soul."Touched Gabriel''s hand"


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Damn it!I was wrong.It''s her Gabriel!She is the succubuss!


    Gabriel grabbed Rose''s hand and Mak''s hand, he leaped upwards breaking the ceiling and landing on top of the gymnastics building bringing both of them with him,he still held strong on her arm...


    Mak-We got you know, you bitch.


    Rose-Who are you two?Why doesn''t the Charm work?


    Mak-I hate to inform you but...


    Rose-But what?


    Mak-This guys MOLE-cular structure isn''t human.


    Rose-Not human?What are you?


    Gabriel-You could say I am "mole" like you.


    Mak-Good one.


    Rose-You are a demon?Incubus?No way, you can''t have possibly jumped so high, and your streangth, I can''t escape your grasp.


    Mak-Speak bitch.Who do you work for?


    Rose-I will never tell you.


    Gabriel-Talk."Gabriel squized her hand"


    Rose-A demon named Marbas.


    Mak-How did he send you here?


    Rose-A warlock name Munderic helped him.


    Gabriel-How many people have you killed for this demon?


    Rose-Why do you even care?


    Gabriel-Because, my job is to bring peace to this place, I won''t let you and anything like you destroy the lives of people, you are going to die for everything you have done, you will die to ensure that one day, justice will be served.


    Mak-Also so that I don''t have to look at that thing any "mole".


    Gabriel-Enough with the mole jokes already.


    Rose-My master will get his revenge on you, he will not tolerate your actions.


    Gabriel-I will crush him too."Breaks her arm"


    Rose-Aaagh.


    Gabriel-Now, where is your master?


    Rose-He will not let you off.


    Gabriel-I will snap your neck if you don''t tell me."Grabs he neck"


    Rose-I will never tell...."CRACK!"


    Gabriel-And she is dead.


    Mak-Good, our job is done here, fuck, I can''t go on in any classes for longer.


    Gabriel-You skipped them anyway.


    Mak-I know, time to get back home, I miss Kevin''s coffee.


    Gabriel-Me too, yours suck.


    Mak-Thanks.


    The succubuss'' body vanished in flames moments later she died, Gabriel and Mak returned to their room and packed their things for the trip back home,they didn''t want to spend any more time in that place,their job was


    finished and the succubuss was sure not to come back for a very long time.What did she mean by telling that her master will take revenge?Gabriel will soon find out, the sure thing is that for now, things are calm...

 Days Off ?

    Gabriel and Mak got to the airport right as they packed their things, their plane took off during the afternoon so they had a couple of hours to talk at the airport, they booked their tickets and then sat quietly at the waiting


    room for their plane...


    Mak-Is there another plane sooner?


    Gabriel-Yeah, they keep it hidden to make us mad.


    Mak-No need for sarcasm.


    Gabriel-You asked for it.


    Mak-Yeah I said, "Gabriel you have to be sarcastic".


    Gabriel-Now you are sarcastic.


    Mak-Fuck you.


    Gabriel-Sometimes you forget I can kill you with one finger.


    Mak-But you don''t, cause you love me.


    Gabriel-If you have said that without your Glamour, I would really have punched you in the face.That ugly thing you call a face anyway.


    Mak-Charming as always, that''s why you can''t get a girlfriend.


    Gabriel-I want only one girl.


    Mak-"Oh I''m saving myself for the right one".That''s what someone who can''t get laid says.


    Gabriel-Fuck you.


    Mak-Fuck you.


    Gabriel-I''m gonna kill you one day.It''s going to be slow.


    Mak-Yeah, like you are gonna have a girlfriend "one day".


    Gabriel-You are lucky people are watching.


    Mak-I know...


    Their argument lasted about enough to cover the time the plane was about to take off, their got aboard the plane and returned home, unfortunately, no one was there to pick them up...


    Gabriel-Where is the doc?


    Mak-I might have forgot to tell him we are coming back.


    Gabriel-You are useless, I thought I told you to call him.


    Mak-I might have ignored you at that time.


    Gabriel-You are pissing me off.


    Mak-Yeah, I''m good at that.


    Gabriel-The only thing you are good about.


    Mak-That''s harsh.


    Gabriel-Stop talking and call him already.


    Mak-I would but, I don''t have a cellphone.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Remember Edd?


    Gabriel-Don''t tell me.


    Mak-I sold it to him.


    Gabriel-Why the fuck would you sell him the phone?


    Mak-Hey, how do you think I got a chance to talk to the cheerleaders?


    Gabriel-How?


    Mak-I went out with them.


    Gabriel-On a date?


    Mak-Yeah, unlike you, I can get girls.Human girls even.


    Gabriel-Fuck you.Tell me you have money for a taxi at least.


    Mak-As a matter of fact I do.


    Gabriel-Thank god.


    Gabriel and Mak found a taxi and went straight home, they knocked the door at Kevin''s house and a female voice asked...


    Carmen-Who is there?


    Mak-It''s us, we are back.


    Carmen opened the door.


    Carmen-What are you doing here?I thought you were going to get rid of a demon.


    Gabriel-We did, Mak sold his cell phone so we couldn''t call and tell you guys.


    A loud voice could be heard from inside the house...


    Kevin-What?The cell phone I gave him?He sold it?


    Kevin walked to the door and told them...


    Kevin-What''s the matter with you two?Every single thing I give you somehow gets lost or sold, why are you two doing this?


    Mak-It was necessary for the mission.


    Kevin-How?


    Gabriel-He sold it for money to go out with the cheerleaders.


    Mak-You snitch.


    Kevin-WITH THE CHEERLEADERS!?You sold my phone to get dates?


    Mak-As I said, necessary for the mission.


    Kevin-How are the dates necessary for the mission?


    Mak-I got information out of them.


    Kevin-I would tell you what you got, but I respect the fact that Carmen is here, get inside, irresponsible idiots.


    Gabriel-Don''t lump me with him.


    Kevin-You threw my gun out!


    Gabriel-That was an honest mistake.


    Kevin-To think I even cooked for you.


    Gabriel-Oh god, please no.


    Mak-No.


    Kevin-Carmen did.


    Gabriel-Is she any better?


    Carmen-Hey!


    Mak-Compared to Kevin, she is master chef level.


    Kevin-Shut up, you sold my phone for dates!


    After they all sat at the table and Kevin nagged them during the whole time, they went to the living room to talk, Gabriel told Kevin and Carmen everything that happened and what the succubus told them, they seemed


    worried for a moment but it didn''t last long, Kevin forgot about the cell phone and told Gabriel...


    Kevin-You can relax for a couple of days, Gabe.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Mak-What about me?


    Kevin-You will do the dishes to pay up for the phone you sold.


    Mak-He threw your gun.


    Gabriel-That happened a long time ago.


    Kevin-Don''t remind me, I loved that gun.


    Carmen-I''m sure that you will find another one doctor.


    Kevin-Thank you Carmen, at least you are a kind girl, unlike this two blockheads.


    Gabriel-It sucks being categorized with you.


    Mak-Screw you.


    Gabriel-How long do I get to relax anyway?


    Kevin-Until Carmen gets another vision, say about two days.


    Gabriel-Two days off doesn''t sound that bad.


    Carmen-I am not sure if I ever get another vision doctor.


    Kevin-You will Carmen, I believe in you, to be honest, you have become an important member of our team, we can''t operate without you.


    Carmen-Thank you doctor.


    Gabriel-Does that mean I get to kill Mak?


    Mak-What?


    Kevin-No, as much as I want you to, Mak''s knowledge is also important.


    Gabriel-Damn.


    Mak-What''s the matter with you two asholes?


    Gabriel-You shut up.


    Kevin-You shut up.


    Mak-Incredible synchronization.


    Kevin-Don''t push your luck.If I give him the ok, he will kill you.He wants to.


    Gabriel-You have no idea.


    Mak-Ok...


    Carmen tried to change the subject and asked them...


    Carmen-How was she like?The succubus.


    Mak-Oh it was horrible.


    Gabriel-She looked like a norm...


    Mak-She was ugly beyond comprehension, she had this atrocious thing on her face.


    Carmen-What was on her face?


    Gabriel-It was just a big m...


    Mak-A terrible thing you cannot imagine!Every time I looked at it I thought it was going to eat me!


    Gabriel-Dude...


    Carmen-What was it?


    Mak-An enormous, despicable, black...


    Carmen-What!?


    Mak-MOLE!


    Kevin-A mole?


    Carmen-A mole?


    Mak-A MOLE!


    Kevin-Get lost, go to the kitchen and do the dishes, you wasted a whole minute to tell us she had a mole.


    Mak-Doc, you have no idea what it was like.


    Gabriel-I do, it wasn''t anything special.


    Kevin-Mak, to the kitchen.


    Mak-Fine.


    Mak went to the kitchen to do the dishes, Carmen wanted to know more about the succubus so she asked Gabriel instead, now that Mak wasn''t there, it was a good opportunity to talk without getting interrupted...


    Carmen-What was she like then?


    Gabriel-She looked like a normal human to me.You know, except the mole.


    Kevin-Enough with that mole.A Glamour spell perhaps?


    Gabriel-I don''t know, her true form must have been way different, Mak said that Carmen would be able to look beyond her Glamour and that she would get shocked, so I imagine she would look way different.


    Carmen-What happened when you fought with her?


    Gabriel-It wasn''t a fight, I killed her easily as I told you.When she died she burst into flames.


    Kevin-Her body returned back, Mak said that demons can''t be killed unless they are killed in their domain.


    Meanwhile...


    Marbas-Rossallia, why are you here?


    Rossallia-Two men banished me, my lord.


    Marbas-How?Exorcists?


    Rossallia-No, they killed me with raw strength.


    Marbas-How is that possible?Simple humans?


    Rossallia-That boy, Gabriel.He said he was also a demon.


    Marbas-An incubus?


    Rossallia-No, he was far too strong for an incubus.More like a high-class demon my lord.


    Marbas-A high-class demon?Do you know who are you speaking to?


    Rossallia-I am sorry to tell you, my lord, he might have been stronger than you too.


    Marbas-Insolent bitch!


    Marbas hit Rossallia and killed her once and for all, Marbas was a mid-class demon, with humanoid-like appearance but with fiery veins all over his body, curved horns grew out of his skull, that form wasn''t his true form, he


    mostly walked like this because his true form consumed a lot of his powers to even maintain it, many demons reduce their powers to not consume energy so they appear as humans but with very distinct features.


    Marbas-You there!Imp!


    Imp-Yes my lord?


    Marbas-Contact Munderic, I want to speak with him.


    Imp-Of course my lord.


    Marbas-(Gabriel huh?Let''s see what kind of a man you are once I get my revenge on you, Munderic better be able to find you).

 A Demons Revenge

    The next morning...


    Carmen was in the living room standing above Gabriel who was sleeping on the couch for the time being.


    Carmen-Gabriel!


    Gabriel-Huh?What?


    Carmen-Are you still sleeping? Come on!


    Gabriel-What''s going on? Did something happen?


    Carmen-You have to get up.


    Gabriel-I thought I had a day off today...


    Carmen-You do, that''s why you have to get up.


    Gabriel-I don''t have to do anything.


    Kevin-Gabriel!


    Gabriel-Oh shit.Yes, doc?


    Kevin-Get up, it''s already noon.


    Gabriel-So what?


    Kevin-You are going to get Carmen shopping.


    Gabriel-What?


    Kevin-I thought it would be nice for you and Carmen to get some fresh air and go to the city.


    Gabriel-I thought I had a day off.


    Kevin-This is not work.


    Gabriel-Nothing I do is. I don''t get paid for it, so it''s not "work".


    Mak-Stop crying moron. I have to do the dishes for two whole days.


    Gabriel-Serves you right. You sold his phone.


    Mak-You threw his gun out!


    Gabriel-We are way past that.


    Kevin-No we are not!


    Gabriel-Sorry about that.


    Kevin-If you are really sorry, take Carmen out, she never had the chance to go out and enjoy herself.


    Gabriel-Fine, fine.Carmen.


    Carmen-Yes.


    Gabriel-Do you want to go out for a walk?


    Carmen-Yeah...(I''d love to)


    Gabriel-You will have to do something for me then.


    Carmen-Anything!


    Gabriel-A nice cup of coffee.


    Carmen-Right away.


    Gabriel-Oh!Slap Mak while at it.


    Carmen-Why?


    Gabriel-He will do something stupid, I''m sure.


    So, Gabriel had his coffee with Carmen, they got ready, Carmen spent almost an hour to get ready because she wanted to look cute. Gabriel just put on a shirt and jeans, he waited for Carmen to get ready as he asked Kevin...


    Gabriel-Hey doc?


    Kevin-Yes?


    Gabriel-I am waiting for some cash.


    Kevin-Why do you want me to give you money?


    Gabriel-Why do you want me to take Carmen out?


    Kevin-Sure.


    Carmen-Sorry for the waiting, I''m ready!


    Kevin-You look wonderful Carmen.


    Carmen-Thank you doctor.....


    Gabriel-So...


    Carmen-What do you think Gabriel?


    Gabriel-You look nice...


    Carmen-Nice huh...?


    Gabriel-Come on let''s go.


    Carmen-See you later guys.


    Kevin-Have fun.


    Mak-That''s not fair.


    Kevin-You do the dishes.


    Gabriel and Carmen left the house...


    Mak-I already did.


    Kevin-Go clean the living room.


    Mak-Why the fuc..?


    Kevin-YOU SOLD MY PHONE!


    Mak-Alright.


    Meanwhile...


    Carmen-Where are we going?


    Gabriel-Where do you want to go?


    Carmen-I want to go to the mall.


    Gabriel-Sure.


    Carmen forced Gabriel to join her to almost every shop at the mall, clothing stores, accessory stands and many more stores that girls like to shop from, obviously Gabriel was bored about all this. Time was passing by and after


    Carmen finished shopping she proposed that they should get some coffee at a nearby cafe, they sat down and placed their order. While waiting for their order someone approached them and said...


    Stranger-Woah?Who are you, gorgeous?


    Carmen-Me?


    Stranger-Of course I am talking to you baby.How about you and I go to sit over there?


    Carmen-I am here with someone as you can see...


    Stranger-You are her boyfriend?


    Gabriel-No.


    Stranger-What''s the problem then? Leave this loser and come with me girl.


    Gabriel-(Loser?)Now that I think about it, I am.


    Stranger-Huh!?


    Gabriel-Turn around and take your ass back to your cave!


    Stranger-What was that ashole?


    Gabriel-Did I stutter?


    Stranger-Now you pissed me off!


    The man tried to hit Gabriel in the face. Gabriel grabbed his hand without even getting up from his seat. He spun his arm and punched him lightly on the chest,obviously, the other guy felt a very strong hit from Gabriel and


    he started running.


    Gabriel-What a moron.


    Carmen-Thank you Gabriel. (That was so cool!)


    Gabriel-Don''t worry, I don''t like guys like him much.


    Carmen-Mak told me you had a rough time before going with Kevin.


    Gabriel-That bastard doesn''t know to keep his mouth shut.


    Carmen-I can relate to that.


    Gabriel-How?


    Carmen-I didn''t have anyone close to me because I was different.


    Gabriel-You may be right.


    Carmen-I know how it feels to be bullied by guys like him.


    Gabriel-I was bullied because of my appearance. How can someone treat bad a cute girl like you?


    Carmen-You think I''m cute?


    Gabriel-Well...yeah...I guess.


    Carmen-Thank you.


    Carmen obviously wanted to hear that from Gabriel, despite the fact that she hasn''t spent any time with him Carmen admired Gabriel for what he has done so far, the stories that Mak told her about Gabriel made her like him,


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.she might have had feelings about him. Gabriel obviously wasn''t aware of that, even if he was, there is only one girl that Gabriel wanted, this girl was Helen. He didn''t have the chance to see her again after everything that happened


    the last months. Gabriel''s feelings started to decay after the transformation he went through while fighting Warren. Whatever that thing was, it slowly tried to get control over his body. Gabriel lied to Mak and Kevin about training,


    he has spent most of the time trying to suppress that power. He knew that he couldn''t control it, he knew it was dangerous and that the next time it happened, he might not be able to return to his original self...


    Waiter-Your order.


    Carmen-Thank you.


    Gabriel-Yeah...


    After both of them finished their coffee, Carmen asked for something to eat.Gabriel, of course, had to go along.


    Carmen-How about this restaurant?


    Gabriel-Seems good enough.


    Carmen-Let''s go.


    They got in the restaurant and placed their order to the waiter, the place seemed very expensive but Gabriel didn''t care, after all, it was Kevin''s money, not his. The place was full, it was quiet despite the number of people inside,


    everyone was eating and talking quietly to one another. After a couple of minutes, the waiter came by with their food, Gabriel remembered that he never came to this place while he stayed at the orphanage since he had no money,


    he felt the need to ask the waiter about it and learn their whereabouts...


    Gabriel-Can I ask you something?


    Waiter-Of course sir.


    Gabriel-Do you happen to know anything about the orphanage in this town?


    Waiter-The place might shut down sir.


    Gabriel-What!?Why?


    Waiter-The priest that run the orphanage died.


    Gabriel-Father Johnathan?


    Waiter-Yes sir.He died yesterday.


    Gabriel-What!?How?


    Waiter-You see,f. Johnathan received a call about three days ago, someone wanted him to perform an exorcism on a child...


    Gabriel-An exorcism?


    Waiter-Yes, people say that it went terrible, many people died and one of them was the priest, they say that the child is still locked in the bedroom, apparently the exorcism failed and everyone inside the room died painfully.


    Gabriel-Anything else?


    Waiter-I heard that the child is now feeling better.


    Gabriel-So the exorcism worked.


    Waiter-Maybe it did, the only sure thing is that the orphanage now will probably have to shut down since there is no one else to run the place.


    Gabriel-I can''t believe it. How can an exorcism result in someone''s death?


    Waiter-I have no idea, sir. The only thing I heard is that the child would whisper one sentence


    Gabriel-What?


    Waiter-"Marbas is here".No idea what that means.


    Gabriel-MARBAS!?


    Carmen-I am so sorry Gabriel.


    Waiter-Did you know the priest sir?


    Gabriel-We are going back Carmen, here, keep the change.


    Waiter-Thank you sir, you didn''t touch your food though.


    Gabriel-That''s none of your fucking business!


    Waiter-Ok.


    Gabriel took Carmen and stormed out of the restaurant, he went back to Kevin''s house and shouted...


    Gabriel-Mak!Where the fuck are you?


    Mak-What''s going on?


    Gabriel-Marbas killed f.Johnathan.


    Mak-The priest from your orphanage?


    Gabriel-Yes.I am going to kill this thing with my own hands.


    Mak-That''s what she meant that her master would get revenge.


    Gabriel-I don''t care about that, how can I find that fucker?


    Mak-Demons live in hell you know.


    Carmen-You can''t go after him, it''s not smart to seek revenge at this point.


    Gabriel-Shut up!You want to do something useful for a change?Use that search engine of yours and find me that ashole Munderic!


    Mak-Don''t talk to Carmen like that, she didn''t do anything wrong.


    Carmen-I will try.


    Mak-You don''t even know if this warlock will help you.


    Gabriel-He will. If he doesn''t, I will take his head and shove it up his ass.


    Mak-You can''t go there Gabriel, you are blinded by your rage now.


    Gabriel-What do you want me to do? Sit here and drink coffee with you while this abomination kills every person I care for!?


    Mak-Fuck!I will come with you.


    Gabriel-What''s going on? Still searching?


    Carmen-I found him.


    Gabriel-Where is he?


    Carmen-Inside a cave, he is in England.


    Gabriel-Get your ass up goblin, we are going back!


    Gabriel lost his mind after he heard that Marbas is behind f. Johnathan''s death, he wants to find Munderic and force him to take him to Marbas, Gabriel wants to kill him, in order to do that he needs to travel to hell of all places, as


    crazy as this sounds, Gabriel is full of rage at the moment and he doesn''t care about anything else but revenge, a new journey awaits Gabriel and one thing is for sure, it won''t be an easy task...

 The Warlocks Cave

    After the death of F.Johnnathan Gabriel was filled with rage...


    Gabriel-Let''s go.


    Mak-It hasn''t been two days since we came back from England.


    Gabriel-Carmen said Munderic is in England, located in a cave.


    Carmen-I...i.


    Gabriel-We pinpointed the cave''s location, it''s time.


    Kevin-Gabriel, think about what you are going to do.


    Gabriel-I thought about it long enough. I am going to kill him.


    Kevin-Listen to yourself, your rage is getting the better of you.


    Gabriel-What do you want me to do doc? Sit here and pretend nothing happened!?


    Kevin-What you are about to do won''t bring Johnathan back!


    Carmen-Gabriel...


    Gabriel-I know! For fuck sake, I know! I just... can''t let it pass by!


    Kevin-What good would come out of you going to face that demon?


    Gabriel-You are the one who said that I should bring justice to this world.


    Kevin-Justice and revenge are two completely different things, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-I''ve heard enough! I am going.


    Kevin-What if you lose!? What happens to our dream!?


    Gabriel-You will have to do it.


    Kevin-It has to be you, Gabriel! No one else possesses your power.


    Gabriel-Is this the only reason we teamed up? Because I was born this way?


    Kevin-Because you are you, Gabriel, no one else but you can make this cause come true.


    Gabriel-Farewell doc, Carmen.


    Kevin-Don''t go, idiot!


    Carmen-Be careful Gabriel...


    Gabriel and Mak left the house and went straight to the airport, Gabriel was silent while they waited for the plane. Mak wanted to discuss some things with Gabriel before they got on the plane...


    Mak-Gabriel.


    Gabriel-What is it?


    Mak-I want you to know that I think what you are doing isn''t smart.


    Gabriel-Why are you here then?


    Mak-Because I believe in you.


    Gabriel-If you said that without your Glamour I would''ve punched you in your ugly face.


    Mak-There is a chance.


    Gabriel-What changed your mind?


    Mak-Remember what I told you about demons?


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-They want human souls to gain power.


    Gabriel-Right.


    Mak-Demons live for centuries. Which begs the question...


    Gabriel-Hm...


    Mak-Where are all those powerful demons.


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Mak-Older, more powerful demons kill the lesser ones if their power grows too strong.


    Gabriel-The fact that Marbas is still around then means...


    Mak-He can''t be all that powerful. He does need a warlock''s power to influence this realm though.


    Gabriel-You told me that stronger demons can''t cross themselves.


    Mak-Exactly.The stronger the demon, the more difficult it is for them to cross over, if Munderic helped him bring his consciousness here that means he is probably in the mid-classes.


    Gabriel-Classes of demons?


    Mak-Yes.Apart from royalty, there are 3 classes of demons.


    Gabriel-And these are?


    Mak-High-class, Mid-class and Low-class demons. High-class demons can''t possess humans, they can only be summoned by the host himself and only he can permit the demon to enter his body.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Gabriel-Who would do something like that?


    mak-You''d be surprised, Mid-class demons are often those who work with warlocks and can cross their consciousness with their help since not many warlocks have that kind of power they use Low-class demons to harvest souls for


    them, these Low-class demons are Succubi and Incubi.


    Gabriel-Marbas fits everything you said to be qualified as a Mid-class demon.


    Mak-Yes.That''s why I believe you can defeat him.


    Gabriel-But if I am here...Doesn''t that mean I must be weaker than him?


    Mak-Your existence if beyond my knowledge Gabriel. There hasn''t been any other hybrid as far as I know.


    Gabriel-How do you know all these stuff anyway? I thought you possess the knowledge of a dragon.


    Mak-That''s a long story, I''ll tell you about it when and if you return.


    Gabriel-That might be the only thing I''m interested to know about you.


    Mak-Good enough I guess.


    Their plane took off and they started their journey to England, they didn''t talk at all while on the plane, Gabriel was too focused on the task at hand to have another conversation with Mak. The only thing on his mind as of now is


    to find Munderic and force him to take him to Marbas'' domain. When they arrived Gabriel had a thought he should have had hours ago...


    Gabriel-What if other demons come to fight?


    Mak-Demons aren''t kind enough to help each other out, once we are at Marbas'' domain I doubt that you would have to face anyone else besides him and his army.


    Gabriel-Army?


    Mak-Mostly succubi and familiars. You have seen how strong a succubus is.


    Gabriel-Weak.


    Mak-Familiars are even weaker, they consist of Horned demons and Imps.


    Gabriel-And these are?


    Mak-Imps carry out manual labor and serve their masters, even weaker than succubi.


    Gabriel-What about these Horned demons?


    Mak-They are practically the only threat aside of Marbas himself, warrior demons that are tasked to protect their master''s domain. Not a significant threat, I think.


    Gabriel-He thinks...great.


    Mak-You want revenge right?


    Gabriel-Nothing else.


    Mak-You have to get it then. (If an abomination like him isn''t strong enough then Kevin''s plan won''t ever work.)


    So Gabriel and Mak went to the place that Carmen told them the warlock''s cave was located but instead it led them to an ordinary neighbourhood and the place was a normal house, they didn''t give it much thought and decided to


    knock on the door, they were curious about the place and that curiosity was the reason that Gabriel didn''t smash the door right away, as they knocked the door they heard a female voice asking them...


    Woman-Who is it?


    Mak-We are Munderic''s friends.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Sh...Play along.


    Gabriel-Yeah, we...uhh....came to see him.


    Woman-Ok, I''m coming.

 Journey to Hell

    The woman opened the door and greet the two guys standing there...


    Woman-Munderic is in the basement, I didn''t know he expected company.


    The woman was a typical middle-aged woman, she was pretty much a stereotypical woman at her fifties, with short grayish hair and a pair of glasses that slightly fell to the tip of her nose, Gabriel and Mak were a bit shocked, they didn''t


    expect to see a woman like her in a place presumably owned by a warlock, they decided to play it safe for now and they asked the woman...


    Mak-We came to surprise him, don''t tell him we are here, please.


    Woman-Alright, I am just happy to see that Mundy made some friends.


    Mak-Where is the entrance to the basement? We want to sneak in there and scare him a bit.


    Woman-I''ll take you there.


    Mak-Thank you.


    The woman took them at the basement entrance, they all got in there but the place was empty.


    Woman-I thought he was down here, how strange.


    Mak-That''s actually better, when he comes in we will jump right out and scare him.


    Woman-Ok, I''ll go up and prepare something for you to eat, when Mundy comes back, I''ll bring you some snacks.


    Mak-That would be lovely.Thank you.


    Woman-You are a very nice boy. See you later.


    Mak-Yeah.


    The woman left and went back upstairs.


    Gabriel-Mundy?


    Mak-I know right.


    Gabriel-Where is that son of a bitch?


    Mak-Basements aren''t their usual hiding spots, we should search around here.


    They both looked around the basement for a couple of minutes and found a curtain hiding a whole room behined it.


    Gabriel-Get over here.


    Mak-Did you find something?


    Gabriel-This curtain over here is covering something.


    Mak-What are waiting for? Slide it open.


    Gabriel-I don''t know what could be inside.


    Mak-And that''s the guy that wants to kill a demon. You are a big puss.


    Gabriel-Fuck you.


    They opened the curtain and revealed a whole cave behind it, the decoration was way different inside,there were human skulls on a self that was mounted on the wall,a big desk with a modern computer and a couple of action


    figures that sat on top the desk, it looked like a typical teenager''s room apart from some items that definatelly had no reason being there, candles and two mirrors that pointed into each other,there was a bed in a very bad shape that


    occupied a place behind the desk, while they looked around the newlly discovered room Gabriel sensed something from behind him,he turned around and saw a hideous creature that tried to bite his legs. Gabriel immediatelly kicked


    it and threw it at the wall, the creature didn''t even faze from the kick and went back in for the attack, Gabriel grabbed it and slammed it in the wall, hitting it with all his streangth. The creature recovered after each hit and started to


    flail while it was pinned in the wall, after a good 20 hits someone walked in the room...


    Munderic-What''s going on here? Who are you?


    Gabriel-Who are you?


    Munderic-My name is Munderic.


    Gabriel-You bastard!


    Mak-Calm down Gabriel.


    Munderic-What are you doing in here?


    Gabriel-I''ve come to rip your head off!


    Munderic-What?Why?What did i ever do to you? I don''t even know you.


    Gabriel-You are the one who helped that son of a bitch, Marbas.


    Munderic-How do you know about Marbas?


    Mak-You summoned a succubuss too.


    Munderic-Yes i did. How the fuck?


    Gabriel-I killed her, now talk or i will kill you too.


    Munderic-What are you talking about?


    Gabriel-Don''t play dumb with me!


    Mak-Gabriel, let him speak, I think he really has no clue.


    Munderic-No clue about what?


    Mak-What was your contract with Marbas?


    Munderic-He wanted me to summon a succubuss.


    Mak-Why?


    Munderic-He never told me!


    Mak-Why did you even make a contract with him? You...How old are you anyway?


    Munderic-I am 20. My master didn''t want to help Marbas...


    Gabriel-Why did you help him then!?


    Munderic-Why do you care?


    Mak-After we killed the succubuss, Marbas killed someone that Gabriel held dear.


    Munderic-What?


    Mak-You don''t know about that? Wasn''t you who brought his conciousness here?


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Munderic-Of course no! I just summoned the succubuss. I didn''t even see her after she left from here


    Mak-Well, she went to an internal school and sucked the souls out of innocent children.


    Munderic-Oh god.


    Mak-Gabriel sent her back to hell in order to stop her.


    Munderic-Why?


    Gabriel-It''s my job to bring justice to this world.


    Munderic-Justice huh?


    Gabriel-If it wasn''t you who helped him then who?


    Munderic-I don''t know. My master would never make a contract with him.


    Mak-You moron are the one who brought this thing here in the first place.


    Munderic-I wan''s thinking straight at the time, I just wanted...


    Mak-What!?What would you possibly want a demon''s help for?


    Munderic-I can''t tell you....


    Gabriel-Can you at least tell me what is that thing that I am holding here?


    Munderic-That''s my invunche.


    Gabriel-What?


    Munderic-Let''s say it''s my pet.


    Mak-Who would keep a pet like that?


    Munderic-I need it for rituals.


    Mak-What rituals?


    Gabriel-You don''t know?


    Mak-Why should i know?


    Gabriel-You always know things like that.


    Munderic-An invunche is a warlock''s assistant, it protects the cave and is used as a catalyst to certain rituals.It feels no pain and can''t get harmed so it is often used in sacrifices.


    Mak-It is also extremely ugly.


    Gabriel-True, even you are better looking than that thing.


    Mak-You are a just cruel man.


    Gabriel-Now that I see it better, oh god that thing is hideous.


    Munderic-I thought it was kind of cute.


    Gabriel-No ,no, a dog is cute. That thing is something you vomit after food poisoning.


    Mak-Good one.


    Gabriel-More to the point. I want you to send me down there.


    Munderic-Why?


    Gabriel-I am going to kii him.


    Munderic-How?


    Mak-He is not a typical human. He is not a human at all to be honest.


    Munderic-What is he?


    Mak-You don''t need to know.


    Munderic-No.


    Gabriel-What do you mean no?


    Munderic-I don''t want more trouble with Marbas. What do i have to gain if i send you to kill him?


    Gabriel-If i don''t come back....You can keep the goblin.


    Mak-What?


    Munderic-What good is a goblin?


    Gabriel-That little shithead is a walking encyclopedia, it will prove usefull.


    Munderic-Fit compensation.


    Gabriel-Do we have a deal?Besides, Marbas can''t get you on his own. If I kill him, it would benefit both of us.


    Munderic-Ok, I will.


    Mak-Isn''t anyone going to ask me about this? I have to spent time with that thing?


    Gabriel-Shut up ,you are "compensation".


    Mak-Great.


    Munderic-Allright, give me some time to prepare for the Gate ritual.


    Gabriel-That bastard is going to get it.


    Mak-Please Gabriel, come back, whatever you do, come back. I don''t want to be close to that thing.


    Gabriel-I''m sure you will make good friends.


    Mak-The shit i took this morning wouldn''t want to be friends with that.


    Munderic-Please be quiet, I can''t concentrate.


    Gabriel-Sure.


    So, Gabriel finally found the man that caused everything, even though he isn''t the one that commited these action he sure is responsible for it, now that Munderic is performing the ritual to open the gate for Gabriel to cross over,


    he doesn''t know what he is going to come across when on the other side of it, even if the situation turned better between Gabriel and Munderic,Gabriel''s mind is full with rage,now that Munderic is not to blame for F.Johnnathan''s


    death,all of Gabriel''s anger is directed towards Marbas,he never gave it much thought but he wanted to kill Marbas with everything he has got, the moment he comes face to face with him everything is going to turn bad. The only thing that


    would presumably be considered good is that Marbas targeted F.Johnnathan and not Helen, for if Helen was the victim then Gabriel would have lost his mind completely, nothing would have stood in his way there and Munderic might


    not even had the chance to speak,Gabriel had that thought deep in his mind,what would have he done if Helen was the one that got attacked by Marbas. The last time anyone dared to threaten Helen''s life was the moment Gabriel lost


    all control and became something else, something that no one is able to explain yet...

 Demons Beware

    As Munderic was preparing for the Gate ritual, Gabriel and Mak discussed some last things before he embarks...


    Mak-Your holy power will be the major factor in this fight.


    Gabriel-I know that.


    Mak-To be honest, I believe that your demon half will be useless.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Mak-Because Marbas is a demon.


    Gabriel-That doesn''t mean he is immune. If demons are immune to their own powers then how do they kill each other?


    Mak-Good question...I have no idea.


    Gabriel-Sometimes I think you are just making things up.


    Mak-I honestly don''t know why but I am sure that they are resistant.


    Gabriel-It doesn''t matter, I planned to hit him with Holy Flash from the start.


    Mak-Is that the one you used on Jason while we were in the car?


    Gabriel-Yeah.


    Mak-That didn''t work.


    Gabriel-It worked on pure vampires though.


    Mak-I see, Jason was a Daywalker.


    Gabriel-I figured that it would be very effective on Marbas.


    Mak-One more thing.


    Gabriel-What is it?


    Mak-Each demon specializes in a certain power, apart from that they also use weapons.


    Gabriel-Weapons?


    Mak-Since a long time ago, weapons could be crafted by imbuing metal with the remains of various creatures.


    Gabriel-And Marbas will have one of those weapons?


    Mak-I believe no.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Mak-I''ll tell you later, for the meanwhile, be careful.


    Gabriel-I will.


    Mak-You have to come back victorious, if you don''t I will have to spend the rest of my days with that thing.


    Gabriel-It''s not that bad.


    Mak-Dude, look at it.


    Gabriel-Oh crap...


    Mak-Exactly.It looks like something you scrape from a sewer.


    Gabriel-Something like that would never be in the sewer. The shit would get scared.


    Mak-Don''t let your guard down at all. Once you are in Marbas'' domain, stay alert.


    Gabriel-Yeah.


    Mak-What kind of weapons do you have on you?


    Gabriel-A 44. Magnum and a sword.


    Mak-Where the fuck did you get a 44.?


    Gabriel-I bought it from a nice man at the slums.


    Mak-Take this and use it on the bullets.


    Gabriel-What''s this?


    Mak-Holy water.


    Gabriel-Would that work?


    Mak-I think so.


    Munderic-The ritual is ready to begin, whenever you are ready Gabriel.


    Gabriel-I am ready.


    Munderic-Ok....let me see....step on the pentagram.


    Gabriel-Alright.


    Munderic-Now try to stay calm...I haven''t done this before.


    Gabriel-Great, I am not going to end up inside a wall right?


    Munderic-I have no idea.


    Gabriel-How do you know this will work if you haven''t done it before.


    Munderic-I read it online.


    Mak-The fuck?


    Gabriel-You are joking right.


    Munderic-I wish.....Stay still.


    Munderic begun to talk in a strange language as he threw ashes on the floor and lit five candles at the edges of the pentagram Gabriel was standing on, he was speaking in a language that seemed like Latin but it had a lot of different


    words, the ritual lasted for a good two minutes untill Gabriel felt something strange.


    Gabriel-My chest is burning.


    Munderic-We are almost done.


    Gabriel-What''s happening?


    Munderic-I am not sure.....This is a bit hard.


    Mak-He is in a lot of pain, do something.


    Munderic-Fuck me, let''s see...uh....pain....Hold your breath.


    Gabriel-Alright.


    Mak-It doesn''t seem to work Munderic, stop it.


    Munderic-I can''t, once the ritual begins it cannot be interupted.


    Gabriel-What''s going to happen?


    Munderic-The ritual will take some years of your life to open a Gate.


    Gabriel-Years of my life? Why didn''t you tell me before?


    Munderic-Would you still want to do this?


    Gabriel-Fuck, it hurts!Yes!I would.


    Munderic-It''s forming, the portal is taking form, it''s complete.


    A strange portal appeared in front of Gabriel and the pain stopped, the portal was like a wave of demonic energy standing in mid air and fiery strings of energy coming out of it''s edges. Gabriel tried to look inside, there was nothing but fire and darkness.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.Munderic-It won''t last for long, you have to get in now.


    Gabriel-How can i come back?


    Munderic-A portal will stay open for 12 hours inside Marbas'' domain, if you make it in time it should take you back here, if not....


    Gabriel-If not?


    Munderic-You will stay there forever, or untill someone else tries to open a portal and cross.


    Mak-Does that mean anything can cross while the portal is open?


    Munderic-No, only beings that are not supposed to be there in the first place. You don''t have to worry about demons coming here i think.


    Mak-You think?


    Munderic-I haven''t done this before. I don''t know.


    Gabriel-See you.


    Gabriel jumped right in the portal and vanished...


    Munderic-Hm...it works.


    Mak-What now?


    Munderic-We wait.


    Meanwhile in Kevin''s house...


    Kevin-I can''t believe those idiots! I knew Gabriel was like that but for Mak to follow him....


    Carmen-Why would Mak go with him? He was against that too.


    Kevin-Mak and Gabriel go back several months.


    Carmen-I know, Mak told me.


    Kevin-Even though they fight a lot, they have a special bond. At first, Mak didn''t want to help us but in time he shared our vision and wanted to see if it could be accomplised.


    Carmen-Mak always helps Gabriel out.


    Kevin-Mak was really selfish before. We talked about it the night he came to stay with us.


    Carmen-What did you talk about?


    Kevin-I asked him what he wants from us..He said that it is better to be on the winners side for now.


    Carmen-Mak doesn''t seem like that kind of person.


    Kevin-He sure isn''t now. After he saw Gabriel''s power he told me that my plan isn''t as hard as he thought. He really believes that we can change this world.


    Carmen-Doctor....


    Kevin-Yes, Carmen.


    Carmen-I haven''t done anything to help you so far, you took me in and let me stay here even though i am useless to your cause.


    Kevin-No Carmen! You will play a major role in our plan. Besides, even if you wouldn''t be of any help, there was no way I would not have helped you. I took Gabriel in even though i didn''t know what he was capable of.


    Carmen-Thank you for taking care of me doctor.


    Kevin-Don''t worry about it.You are the only person here that aknowledges the effort i put in keeping this place.


    Carmen-I am sure Gabriel and Mak also know this.


    Kevin-They do whatever they can to piss me off.


    Carmen-Gabriel lost someone very special doctor. How would you react to something like this?


    Kevin-I...you are right Carmen, I also took revenge on the bastard that took my wife. Maybe i was too harsh on him.


    Carmen-I understand your anger doctor but you have to understand that Gabriel is also a human and has his own feelings.


    Kevin-Gabriel has to understand that revenge isn''t worth dying for. Even if it makes you feel a little bit better it doesn''t change what has already happened.


    Carmen-I don''t know the answear to that doctor.


    Kevin-You are a kind girl Carmen, you have also been betrayed by your parents and the society but never complained or turned against them. I appreciate your help towards my dream.


    Carmen-You have given me a life i could not have imagined, doctor, it''s only natural i would do anything I can to help you.


    Gabriel has passed to the other side of the Gate, he is angry and wants to take revenge on Marbas, even though Kevin disaproved of his decision he still sticked to it and is now one step away from facing a demon in his own domain.


    Mak is eager for Gabriel''s return for his own reasons and while waiting he wanted to ask Munderic a certain thing...


    Mak-How about you tell me now.


    Munderic-What?


    Mak-What was your deal with Marbas?


    Munderic-I...i wanted to be popular in college.


    Mak-You are an idiot. How could a demon make you popular?


    Munderic-I didn''t think about that.


    Mak-Don''t tell Gabriel when he comes back.


    Muderic-How do you know he will come back?


    Mak-If he can''t do it, then no one can...

 Hordes Of Demons

    As Gabriel passed through the Gate he found himself in hell,it looked like a distorted version of the human world,with half broken buildings,everything was enveloped in fire,the sky was full of fire and darkness,howiling could be


    heard from the distance and screems echoed through the whole place,Gabriel was startled by his surroundings but he didn''t have any time to space out,immediately he heard the growling of demons coming his way,it was like they


    sensed him from the moment he entered the place,The ground trembled as an army of countless demons were running towards him. An endless barrage of the sound of thousands of feet marching,they were running forwards.


    Up close it''s the squeaking of leather and clanging of armor which overpowers all other sounds. The creaking of wood of the ballistae and siege engines can be heard only faintly and the growls of the war tigers are all but drowned


    The was complete silence for a moment,or maybe a huge noise that covered up everything else around it,the sound coming from thousands of imps growling and screaming,for a moment Gabriel felt overwelmed by their number


    but very quickly he calmed his mind and realised that the army coming his way were mostly imps,short red creatures with small horns and wings, short little legs ending in hoofs and every single one had a little tail coming out of


    the back, Gabriel remembered what Mak has told him, these imps shouldn''t provide a challenge for him and that made him feel more confident. As he prepared himself for the inevitable battle he muttered a couple of words...


    Gabriel-Well, here we go...


    The imps finally came close to Gabriel and begun their attack, Gabriel jumped as high as he could to avoid the first hit, the first line of imps lost their target and were now confused, as Gabriel begun to fall down he drew his sword


    and aimed his fall in the middle of the horde, he fell crashing down hitting the ground with his blade and by the shockwave destroying many creatures, the rest that survived the initial blast cowared for a moment as they saw the


    power of the person they tried to attack, Gabriel didn''t stop for a single second and started to slash his way through the army of demons, the imps scared now were the ones running from him, they obviously were afraid of him, a


    single person with a sword killing hundreds of them with every swing, Gabriel was dashing and slashing all over the place, this went on for almost half an hour and as the numbers of the imps were now not even close to one third of


    them when they charged in, one imp yelled at Gabriel...


    Imp-Hey!


    Gabriel-Did you just talk?


    All of the imps stood still as the scene went on...


    Imp-Ya are not a claimed soul, ya are a live person.


    Gabriel-Took you a while to notice it. Why am I talking to an imp?


    Imp-What are ya doing here?


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Gabriel-Where is Marbas?


    Imp-Who are ya?


    Gabriel-I asked you a question.


    Imp-Lord Marbas is at his fortress. Now answer mah question.


    Gabriel-No.


    Imp-Who are ya?


    Gabriel-I am not going to have a chat with you.


    Gabriel killed the imp he was talking to and started slaughtering the rest of them. As he did that another imp tried to talk with him...


    Imp-Stop!


    Gabriel-What?


    Imp-Why are ya killing us?


    Gabriel-You attacked me....and....


    Imp-We thought ya were a soul waiting to be collected.


    Gabriel-And now that you know I am not, what do you plan to do?


    Imp-Nothing.Why are ya here?


    Gabriel-Where is Marbas?


    Imp-What do ya want with Lord Marbas?


    Gabriel-None of your business.


    Imp-I might be able to tell ya where he is.


    Gabriel-What would inspire such kindness?


    Imp-I don''t want to die without knowing why.


    Gabriel-Where is Marbas'' fortress?


    Imp-I''ll take ya there, just stop killing us.


    Gabriel-How doIi know this is not a trap?


    Imp-We can''t harm ya, how would I be able to set ya up?


    Gabriel-True...


    Gabriel and that specific imp then went on their way to Marbas'' fortress ,the remnants of the army scattered all over the place and the pile of bodies that Gabriel left behind stayed there to remind them of what would happen if


    by any chance they tried to set up a trap for him.The imp as of now didn''t have any reason to fight with Gabriel so it asked him directly...


    Imp-Who are ya?


    Gabriel-My name is Gabriel.


    Imp-Ya are the one that forced Rossallia back in hell.


    Gabriel-I did kill a certain succubus...


    Imp-How strong are ya?


    Gabriel-Do you want me to show you?


    Imp-No!Please no. Mister Gabriel then...


    Gabriel-Yes?


    Imp-What do ya want with Lord Marbas?


    Gabriel-IfIi told you that I want to kill him, what would you do?


    Imp-Nothing.


    Gabriel-Isn''t he your master?


    Imp-He is but I can''t do anything to stop ya. All I can do is tell him ya are here for him.


    Gabriel-How do you plan to do that?


    Imp-I''ll yell once we are near his fortress.


    Gabriel-You think I will let you raise an alarm?


    Imp-No.That''s why I am going to leave now, there it is.


    Gabriel-Finally.


    Imp-I presume that ya will let me live since I showed ya the way.


    Gabriel-You presume false."Gabriel sliced the imp''s head"


    Gabriel-Poor bastard. Now it''s you and me ashole...


    So Gabriel is right out of Marbas'' fortress,he now has to think of a plan, how to get in and how to find Marbas and kill him,the fortress was huge, apart from broken walls and many rubble scattered around the place had a few


    intact buildinings and Marbas was probably in one of them, Gabriel jumped straight up and spotted the biggest of the buildings, he thought that Marbas would probably be in there, he aimed to land on the roof of that building and


    smash through the ceilling. He didn''t find Marbas'' place but something that he probably would never want to see...

 Gabriel vs Marbas

    As of now, Gabriel is standing at the front door of Marbas'' fortress, after killing the imp that led the way he now has to think of a plan on how to get in and fight to kill Marbas...


    Gabriel-(Knocking probably won''t work)


    Gabriel channeled some of his strength and smashed the front door, he found himself in a courtyard, a pentagon-shaped yard that led to five different structures, he didn''t give it much thought and he went for the door right across


    the front door, after approaching carefully he punched that door as well, luck wasn''t on his side since the moment the smoke cleared from Gabriel''s hit it revealed an empty room with benches and a pool in the middle...


    Gabriel-The fuck is this place?


    The room was like a swimming pool with benches for people to sit and doors that presumably led to other smaller rooms since he didn''t manage to find the right place he went back outside in the courtyard...


    Gabriel-(I am sure I made a huge noise, where are all these bastards? No one came to check what happened?)


    He went to the next room and smashed through that door as well, only to find another empty room with a hole in the middle,it was a big hole in the center of another well-preserved room,he couldn''t see what was at the bottom of


    it,darkness covered the bottom of the pit,Gabriel was frustrated that he chose wrong once again. Then he thought of something that he should have thought before...


    Gabriel-(Oh shit, don''t tell me that imp brought me to an empty building.No, it can''t be.It sure was scared as fuck, time to call him I guess)


    Gabriel-MARBAS!WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!!!


    As soon as Gabriel yelled out his name, a figure appeared in front of him. It was a man, a weird looking humanoid creature at least, a blonde young man with curved horns coming out of the top of his head, a well-built body, he was


    shirtless wearing only pants revealing fiery veins on his chest. He looked at Gabriel and asked him in a deep voice that didn''t suit his appearence...


    Marbas-Who are you?


    Gabriel-The point is who are you?


    Marbas-I am the lord of this domain, Marbas. I won''t ask again. Who are you?


    Gabriel-My name is Gabriel. I am the lord of kicking your ass.


    Marbas-So you are Gabriel. What do you think you are doing here?


    Gabriel-Did i stutter?


    Marbas-Do you think you can fight with me?


    Gabriel-Oh i don''t want to fight you. I want to kill you.


    Marbas-Haha!Who are you to challenge me?


    Gabriel-Someone you really pissed off.


    Marbas-You banished my servant, invaded my home and challenged me to battle. You will not live to tell that tale.


    By the time Marbas finished his sentence he hit Gabriel in the chest, it had no effect on him, that sure made Marbas change his veiw of Gabriel. He didn''t think much about it and started to hit Gabriel all over his body. His strikes


    did minimal damage to Gabriel as he was sitting there blocking some of the hits that came his way...


    Marbas-You are tough, I give you that.


    Gabriel-You know nothing of tough.


    Marbas-Arrogant idiot. I just need to use more power.


    Gabriel-Let''s see you try.


    Marbas charged up more power, his hits now were much stronger than before, Gabriel was pushed back by the force of Marbas'' hits..


    Gabriel-(I should fight back)


    Gabriel hit Marbas with his elbow knocking him on the ground.


    Marbas-(Such streangth, that''s no ordinary person, I need more power)


    Marbas powered up even more, his body changed slightly this time, big bat-like wings grew out of his back as he charged more power and his horns grew even longer.Gabriel wasn''t even flinched upon seeing this change on Marbas''


    body, after a split second of silence Marbas made his move, he suddently appeared behind Gabriel and kicked him to the other side of the courtyard...


    Marbas-How about that?


    Gabriel-(Crap, he keeps getting faster and stronger, it''s nothing like before)


    Gabriel finally begun to trade back some hits with Marbas, a full on fist fight broke down, Gabriel and Marbas were hitting each other with every single hit dealing a lot of damage to both of them, of course, because of Gabriel''s


    regeneration, he healed most of the damage on him and that gave him an edge.


    Marbas-(At this rate i am going to run out of stamina before him, this healing isn''t normal, my blows should have shattered his bones by now but he shows to have no considerable damage on him)


    Gabriel took advantage of the fact that Marbas lost focus of a second and struck a devastating blow on him, he hit his stomach with his foot dropping Marbas on his knees...


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Gabriel-And that does it.


    Marbas-You...ugh...damn brat, this isn''t over yet...


    Marbas, after being forced on his knees used his trump card, a big shockwave pushed Gabriel a couple of meters away, Marbas was yelling as his body went through a huge change, his body grew in size, his feet turrned into hooves,


    his face changed to that of a demonic beast and his fingers grew talons, the fiery veins on his chest begun to pump with more power as he was now taking his true form, a huge battleaxe appeared on his hand and he held it above


    his shoulder, he was now walking on all fours, Marbas changed into a beast unleashing all of his powers. After the transformation was complete he spoke in a deep demonic voice...


    Marbas-This is my true form, I decided that you are worthy of me using this much power, consider it a luxury getting killed by me in this form.


    Gabriel-I guess it''s time to end this.


    Marbas-No matter what you do you are still going to.....


    Gabriel closed the distance between them with a single leap, he was now standing face to face with Marbas and he drew his hand back as if he was now going to put all of his streangth behind this hit. Marbas was shocked...


    Marbas-(He''s fast, I lost sight of him for a second)


    Gabriel went for Marbas'' wings instead of punching him, he ripped both of his wings clean of his body.


    Marbas-Ahhhhgg.


    Gabriel-We don''t want you to fly away now, do we?


    Marbas-Who are you? How can you be so strong?


    Gabriel-You don''t seem to get it, do you?


    Gabriel jumped down from Marbas'' back and landed in front of the montrosity that was now on it''s knees from the wounds that were inflicted upon it.


    Marbas-Get what?


    Gabriel raised his hand and fired a huge beam of energy on one of the buildings that surrounded the courtyard, the building came crushing down as the lower levels where the beam hit were completely destroyed.


    Marbas-What?


    Gabriel-If i wished to, I could have blown this place and you up with a single attack. Watching you suffer was my real goal.


    Marbas-This can''t be.


    Gabriel-But it can. Now answear me this question.


    Marbas-Hmm...


    Gabriel-Did you enjoy watching that priest suffer as you killed him?


    Marbas-No..


    Gabriel ripped his arm this time...


    Gabriel-Don''t fucking lie to me!


    Marbas-Yes...I enjoyed hearing him scream in pain.


    Gabriel-You have no right to live any more.


    Marbas-And who are you to take away this right? Who gave you the authority to kill me?


    Gabriel-You took the souls of these children!


    Marbas-I am a demon! This has gone on for centuries, you can''t even begin to understand that! This is the natural way of things. Who are you to deny that? Why do you even care for that?


    Gabriel-I am justice incarnate, I exist to make sure that you and others like you don''t bring misfortune to people.


    Marbas-Bullshit! On what right do you execute your plan? Who are you to decide who lives and who dies? The order of things can''t change on the words of a single kid like you!


    Gabriel-Your death won''t be for this, you will die because you took something precious to me!


    Marbas-Then it was all about revenge...Some righteous ashole you are, killing others for your own sake.


    Gabriel-Dead guys don''t get to judge others.


    Marbas-Killing me will have consequences.


    Gabriel-I will detroy them too, now perish..."HOLY FLASH"!


    Gabriel unleashed the last attack on Marbas, the energy beam that shot out of his annihilated his body leaving no trace behind, at last Gabriel took revenge on him for killing F.Johnnathan.The fight ended and Gabriel head


    back for the portal, he knew what had to be done but that didn''t seem to satisfy him fully, he had a sad look on his face as he walked towards the portal, as he was making his way he noticed that some imps were cowering in fear


    behind the rubble,none of them would dare to make a single move on the guy that has just killed their master, as soon as he looked at them they hid away,now all Gabriel has to do is go back to his original mission,even though


    Kevin told him not to go there his emotions got the better of him. As soon as he was about to head back to the location of the portal he noticed that the axe Marbas weilded was still on the floor. It was a huge battleaxe with a very


    dark colour and fiery veins that climbed upon the surface of the dark metal. It got Gabriel''s attention, so he took it with him as a present for Kevin in hope that he would not get yeld at for going to hell to battle a demon...

 A Change of Heart

    After his battle with Marbas, Gabriel made his way towards the portal that brought him originally to this domain of hell, having Marbas'' battleaxe in his possession made him feel like a true victor, just the thought that he


    brought judgement on his enemies was enough to spark a smile on his face,the axe was more or less a reminder for his achievement. As he was walking he noticed that every now and then some imps watching him and hiding


    from sight as soon as he turned to face them. The fear in their eyes was clear and they weren''t going to cause any more problems for Gabriel. Leaving so many witnesses behind though isn''t the smartest idea, Gabriel didn''t give


    it much thought as he was consumed with victory''s sweet feeling. The smile on his face didn''t make it clear if what he did was for revenge or for personal enjoyment. Gabriel made his way to the portal and entered, leaving this


    place behind along with the destruction he brought to it...


    Mak-Hey, you are back!


    Gabriel-Yeah.


    Munderic-Did you...Did you really kill Marbas?


    Gabriel-I thought that was obvious.


    Munderic-Marbas...Dead?


    Gabriel-Yeah.


    Munderic-Damn.


    Mak-Damn.


    Gabriel-Damn right.


    Mak-Thank god, now I don''t have to spend the rest of my days with the ugliest fucking thing that I ever saw.


    Gabriel-But I do.


    Mak-That''s not nice at all.


    Munderic-Thank you sir.


    Mak-Sir?


    Munderic-I am sorry, it''s just that I can''t believe it.


    Mak-I have a question.


    Gabriel-What is it?


    Mak-What the fuck is with this giant axe?


    Gabriel-That was Marbas'' weapon.


    Mak-He had a weapon?


    Gabriel-Yeah...Why wouldn''t he?


    Munderic-Mak is right. He shouldn''t have a weapon.


    Gabriel-Will any of you idiots explain why?


    Mak-Calm down mate. For him to have a weapon could mean only one thing...


    Gabriel-For fucks sake, tell me.


    Munderic-Mid-class demons don''t have weapons. Especially infused.


    Gabriel-Infused?


    Mak-Iron infused with demon remains.


    Gabriel-Remains?You mean corpses?


    Mak-Yes.The demons that lost their lives during the great battle of heaven and hell had their bodies infused with iron weapons giving them increased power.


    Gabriel-So this isn''t just a cool looking battleaxe?


    Mak-I myself have no idea what this is. If it really is an infused weapon, you have gotten yourself a nice upgrade mate.


    Gabriel-Oh shit.


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-I destroyed Marbas without leaving anything to absorb.


    Mak-Hm...Since you already have some demon inside you, I don''t know what would happen. Did Marbas display any unique abilities?


    Gabriel-I don''t know what demons can do in the first place. How the fuck would I know if he did anything special?


    Mak-Just tell me what happened.


    Gabriel-I kicked his ass.


    Mak-Anything more specific you moron.


    Gabriel-I am going to kick your ass next.


    Mak-Can you just focus for a fucking second and tell me? (Why is he so carefree all of a sudden?)


    Gabriel-At some point he transformed in something slightly less ugly than Mundy''s pet.


    Mak-That''s it?


    Gabriel-Pretty much, yeah.


    Mak-And that weapon?


    Gabriel-It appeared as soon as he transformed.


    Mak-He conjured it...


    Gabriel-Does it matter where it came from?


    Mak-Only high-class demons have infused weapons. If he had one then it means he has some powerful friends.


    Gabriel-He had...Not anymore.


    Mak-That''s the point, word of his death will spread. Sooner or later.


    Munderic-Does this mean we are in trouble?


    Mak-Probably not. I mean they have no clue as to who killed Marbas. Right?


    Gabriel-I did let some imps live. Does that mean I am at war with hell now?


    Mak-They are not going to send anyone after you based on the words of imps.


    Gabriel-We are good then.


    Gabriel-See you Mundy, don''t make me come here again.


    Munderic-No, of course not, I will make sure that my deals are going to be safe from now on.


    Mak-Mundy...


    Munderic-Maybe I won''t make anymore...


    Gabriel-That''s my boy. Later.


    Mak-Are you serious?


    Gabriel-What?


    Munderic-Mr.Gabriel...


    Gabriel-What!?


    Mak-Do you want to scare the shit out of his mother?Are you going back with that giant axe on your shoulder?


    Gabriel-Oh right...


    Mak-(What has gotten into him? He was dead serious before the fight.With the succubus even.It''s like a different person).


    Gabriel-What do you want me to do about it?


    Munderic-I might be able to help you.


    Mak-How?


    Munderic-I can cast a binding spell on the axe and bind it to a smaller object, all you have to do is put some power into it and it will regain shape when you need it.


    Gabriel-Like what Marbas did?


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.Munderic-Yes, once powered the binding spell won''t be able to contain it.


    Gabriel-And then?


    Munderic-When you draw that power back the spell will take action again and it will go to the sealed form.


    Gabriel-That''s really convenient.


    Mak-Yeah, we can''t have you walking around everywhere with a giant fiery battleaxe. How would that go?


    Gabriel-It is a really nice way for me to have a weapon during a fight without having to explain how it got there.Mundy do your spell.


    Munderic-I am afraid I haven''t mastered that spell yet.


    Mak-Huh?


    Munderic-I am going to ask you to leave the axe here and when I have it ready I will mail it to you.


    Mak-The post office wouldn''t be so happy if they knew they carried a demonic infused weapon.


    Gabriel-Not funny.


    Mak-Fuck you.


    Gabriel-Ok, I''ll leave you the axe, but it''s mine.


    Munderic-Yes of course, I wouldn''t dare to steal from you Mr.Gabriel, after all, you killed Marbas.


    Gabriel-Right...Mak write down Kevin''s address for him to mail the axe.


    Mak-I don''t remember it.


    Gabriel-You don''t remember where you live for the past fucking months?


    Mak-You write it down then.


    Gabriel-I...I also don''t remember.


    Mak-And you yelled at me, ashole.


    Gabriel-Hey, I can kill you.


    Mak-Fair point.Let''s call Kevin and ask him.


    Gabriel-You are the one with the cellpho...


    Mak-Oh crap.


    Gabriel-That''s why I can''t fucking stand you.


    Mak-Why don''t you have a cell phone?


    Gabriel-Because...


    Mak-Because after the gun incident, Kevin doesn''t trust you at all!


    Gabriel-Shut up, we can call from Mundy''s phone.


    Munderic-Sure.


    Gabriel called Kevin and handed the phone to Mak.


    Mak-Why me?


    Gabriel-Shut up and talk to him, he is going yell at me for going after Marbas.


    Kevin-Yeah.


    Mak-Hey doc.


    Kevin-WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO?


    Mak-Relax, Gabriel already took care of the matter.


    Kevin-HE WENT TO HELL AND KILLED MARBAS? IS HE MAD??


    Munderic-I can hear this Kevin guy from here.


    After a long fight with Kevin, Mak learned the address and wrote it down for Munderic to send the sealed weapon once it was finished. Gabriel didn''t even talk to Kevin as he didn''t want to hear his lecture even though he knew he could not


    avoid it for long.When he goes back to Kevin''s house he was going to hear all of it. Gabriel, Mak, and Munderic all went upstairs where they found Munderic''s mother doing the dishes...


    Munderic''s mother-Have you finished your game?


    Munderic-Yes mom.


    Gabriel and Mak were trying to hold themselves from laughing.


    Munderic''s mother-I am glad to see that you made some friends Mundy.


    Mak-Oh, Mundy has a lot of friends.


    Munderic''s mother-Really?


    Mak-Some of them are good, but some are bad.


    Munderic''s mother-Mundy would never make bad friends.


    Mak-Yeah, I am just joking.


    Munderic was sweating, for a moment he thought that Mak would reveal he was a warlock.


    Munderic-My friends have to leave now mom.


    Munderic''s mother-I hope to see you soon, if you would continue to be Mundy''s friends I would apreciate that a lot.He is a bit weird at times, but he is a good kid.


    Munderic-Mom!


    Gabriel and Mak were barely holding their laughter.


    Gabriel-Don''t worry madam, we will.


    Gabriel and Mak left the house and begun their way to the airport, it was a silent walk until the moment they reallized that they have made a huge mistake.


    Mak-Dude.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-We don''t have tickets.


    Gabriel-Oh shit.


    Mak-Shit.How are we going to go back?


    Gabriel-Go and book two tickets then.


    Mak-I don''t have any money.


    Gabriel-You fucking moron.


    Mak-It''s not like you have a solution.


    Gabriel-As a matter of fact I do.


    Mak-And what is that?


    Gabriel-Mercenary work pays well.


    Mak-If you had money, why did you yell at me?


    Gabriel-Cause it''s fun.


    Mak-Wait, did you have money back at the school?


    Gabriel-Nope.


    Mak-Why?


    Gabriel-I forgot the money stash at Kevin''s that time.


    Mak-You are an idiot.


    Gabriel-Look who is talking...


    So Gabriel and Mak are once again at the airport waiting for their flight, Mak was concerned about Gabriel''s sudden change of mood but he didn''t give it much thought. Both of them were now prepared for Kevin''s lecture once they were to


    arrive back home, Gabriel thought for a second to go to the bar that he rented while he was the Faceless Hunter in order to avoid Kevin until he calmed down, but with little to no money in his pockets after the airplane tickets that was out


    of the question.He hoped that the flight would never take off so he wouldn''t have to face Kevin, little did he know that he was going to be late either way...

 The Psychic Group

    Gabriel and Mak booked their tickets and soon after their flight was about to take off, they spent their time cursing at each other as they always do and Mak tried to give Gabriel some advice about women...


    Mak-Don''t be so cold around girls mate.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Even if you have a girl you like it''s not smart to ditch other girls. Sweet talk is the best thing you can do.


    Gabriel-If you said this without the Glamour spell I swear I would punch you in the face.


    Mak-See, don''t talk like that. Girls want you to care for them.


    Gabriel-Why do I even listen to you? What do you know about girls?


    Mak-I am sure that I have gone to more dates than you. Even with human girls.


    Gabriel-That''s because all you do is talk to easy girls.


    Mak-That''s not a nice thing to say.


    Gabriel-So?


    Mak-See that''s what I am talking about, you are way too crude.


    Gabriel-What do you want me to do?


    Mak-Remember when you told me about that waitress?


    Gabriel-Yeah, I think her name was Sophie.


    Mak-And you sent her off without giving her a chance.


    Gabriel-I don''t care about other girls.


    Mak-Really?When was your last date with Helen?


    Gabriel-Um...


    Mak-Exactly.That girl thinks you are dead. What would you even say to her if you meet her?


    Gabriel-I don''t...


    Mak-You don''t know, of course, you don''t know.First of all you are going to need a new name to introduce yourself.


    Gabriel-I can always try Kev...


    Mak-No, you can''t go on using Kevin as your name.


    Gabriel-Why not?


    Mak-What happens when you are not focused enough and you end up screwing up with that name. What would doc say if he finds out?


    Gabriel-I am not sure.


    Mak-He would get mad of course. Dude you need to forget about your former self and about that girl.


    Gabriel-It''s not that easy, besides I don''t want to forget about Helen.


    Mak continued to argue with Gabriel, their conversation lasted about as long as the trip back home. They arrived at the airport and as soon as they stepped outside Mak had an idea...


    Mak-Let''s go for a coffee somewhere.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Mak-What do you mean why? We are going to find some girls dude.


    Gabriel-This again?


    Mak-You are hopeless.


    Gabriel-And you are ugly.


    Mak-From a human perspective maybe, but I have a spell for that. You don''t.


    Gabriel-Screw you.No, we are going straight to Kevin''s.


    Mak-You are no fun at all.


    Gabriel convinced Mak to go back home, they arrived just outside of Kevin''s house and they saw a small group off people standing there.


    Gabriel-Who are they?


    Mak-I don''t know.What are they doing here?


    Gabriel-Is there any chance they are from Kevin''s old job?


    Mak-Let''s go and ask them politely.


    Gabriel and Mak approached them and Mak took the chance to ask them...


    Mak-Hi, are you looking for something?


    Man-Do you live here?


    Mak-Yeah we do, along with our father and our sister.


    Gabriel-Hm...?


    Man-Your sister huh?


    Mak-Yes, is there a problem sir?


    Man-We are looking for a girl named Carmen, of course, she couldn''t be your sister.


    Gabriel-Why is that?


    Mak-Gabe...


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Let the good man tell us why he is looking for this Carmen. Of course, she is not our sister.


    Man-I have a job to do and it doesn''t concern you.


    Mak-May I ask why are you looking for this girl in our sidewalk?


    Man-I can''t answer that.


    Mak-Why?


    Woman-I think that enough Marc.


    Marc-Would you mind Laura?


    Gabriel-I see you introduced yourselves without us even asking. I am...Mundy by the way.


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-We know their names now, Rick.It would be impolite not to introduce ourselves.


    Mak-I see...


    Gabriel-May I ask again what you are doing outside our house? (Mind Read time).


    Marc-It doesn''t concern you.(Erik is going to be pissed that we got the house wrong).


    Gabriel-Mak.


    Mak-Yeah.


    Gabriel-Get inside.


    MAk-Crap!


    Gabriel grabbed the man and pinned him down holding his right arm up forcing him on the ground. The remaining two guys and Laura stood there as Gabriel turned to face them and ask...


    Gabriel-What do you want with Carmen?


    Marc-Who the hell are you?


    Gabriel-I asked you something, do you want to keep your arm?


    Marc-Our boss wants her.


    Gabriel-Who is your boss? Erik?


    Laura-How?Are you a psychic?


    Gabriel-No, but I bet you are.


    Mak was watching the whole scene from the window but he couldn''t hear what they were saying.Kevin saw him peeking through the window.


    Kevin-Mak?Where is Gabriel?


    Mak-He is outside.


    Kevin-Why is that idiot outside? Is he afraid of what''s coming to him?


    Mak-No, we saw a couple of strangers outside, apparently, they have some business with Carmen.


    Kevin-Carmen?Why?


    Mak-I don''t know. I can''t hear them.


    Kevin-Why are you...


    Mak-Gabriel told me to. He has someone pinned down.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Kevin-Why?


    Mak-He probably knew something I didn''t.


    Meanwhile outside...


    Marc-Laura take him off me.


    Laura-I tried, he is too strong for my psychokinesis.


    Gabriel-Psychokinesis?Explain everything to me now! Why are you after Carmen? What do you know about her?


    Marc-It doesn''t...Argh.!


    Gabriel twisted his arm even more.


    Gabriel-Tell me!


    Laura-Our boss wants to talk to her.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Laura-We are from an esper group called Order of Echos. Erik is our boss, a level 7 esper.


    Gabriel-(Level 7? That''s the same as Carmen.)What does he want?


    Laura-We don''t know. He didn''t tell us, we were asked to find this girl and bring her to him.


    Gabriel-Go back, and tell Erik that if he comes anywhere near this place again I will be here waiting.


    Marc-You are no match for Erik...Argh.


    Gabriel put even more strain on Marc''s arm.


    Gabriel-What was that?


    Marc-I said you are no match for our boss.


    As soon as Marc finished his sentence the other 3 people disappeared in front of Gabriel''s eyes.That immediately made him ask Marc...


    Gabriel-Where are they?


    Marc-The boss teleported them.


    Gabriel-What?


    Marc-He is here...


    Mak-Gabriel!


    Gabriel-What happened?


    Mak-Carmen is gone!


    Gabriel-What!?START TALKING!


    Marc-The boss took her. He teleported along with her back to our base.


    Gabriel-Where is your base?


    Marc-Why would I tell you?


    Gabriel- I will tear your arm.


    Marc-I don''t care. I will never tell you.


    Gabriel-We will see...


    Gabriel took Marc into the house, he hit him on the head and along with Mak tied him with a rope, they waited for him to wake up in order to ask him about their base...


    Marc-Wha...What?


    Gabriel-Where is Carmen?


    Marc-What have you done to me?


    Gabriel-Nothing.Yet.


    Marc-Let me go.


    Mak-I don''t think you are in any position to demand anything.


    Marc-My boss will find out about this and...


    Gabriel-And what? He teleported your friends right? Why did he leave you here then?


    Marc-No...Boss?


    Gabriel-Tell me everything.


    Marc-No.


    Gabriel punched him in the face several times until he started bleeding.


    Marc-I...I will tell you.


    Kevin-Where is your base?


    Marc-We are currently housed in an empty storehouse close to the shipyard.


    Gabriel-What does your boss want with Carmen?


    Marc-That I don''t know.


    Gabriel-Don''t lie to me!


    Mak-He is not lying, he already told us about their hideout.


    Gabriel-Fine.I am going to get Carmen back.


    Marc-You will never defeat Erik.


    Gabriel-I wouldn''t be so sure about that.


    Mak-Why?


    Marc-Erik''s ESP is at level 7.


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-Doesn''t that mean he is the same as Carmen?


    Mak-Carmen''s powers are a fraction of what level-7 espers can actually do.


    Marc-This Carmen girl is a level-7 esper?


    Mak-Yes.


    Marc-I know what Erik is after.


    Gabriel-Tell me!


    Marc-He wants to mate with her.


    Gabriel-What?


    Kevin-What?


    Mak-What?


    Marc-If he mates with a female level-7 esper, the offspring will be extremely powerful.


    Gabriel-Carmen is not old enough for something like that! That''s unforgivable! He wants to do that against her will?


    Marc-Erik doesn''t bother himself with such trivial matters.He wants an heir to lead us espers to the top of this world.


    Kevin-Trivial?


    Gabriel-Damn!Why do things like that have to happen all the time!? Why is every problem coming to strike down on us?


    Mak-Marbas wasn''t actually a problem for us. You wanted revenge.


    Gabriel-Guess what I am going to do now?


    Kevin-This time I have to agree with you Gabriel. We can''t let Carmen in the hands of that fiend.


    Gabriel-I am going there now.


    Mak-We are going to leave so soon?


    Gabriel-You are not coming with me this time. I can''t wait for you to slow me down.I am going there alone.


    Mak-Why?


    Kevin-That''s not very wise Gabriel, Mak knows about he powers of these espers.


    Gabriel-So does our little friend here.Tell me.


    Marc-I don''t know the full extent of Erik''s power.


    Gabriel-What''s your power?


    Marc-Physical enhancement.


    Gabriel-You are useless then...


    Gabriel focused his energy in his left hand and ignited Marc''s head instantly blowing it up and killing him.


    Mak-Damn it, Gabriel!


    Kevin-Why?


    Gabriel-I am angry.


    Mak-Who is going to clean this mess now?


    Kevin-You know who.


    Mak-Fuck.


    Gabriel-I am going to the shipyard.


    Gabriel took off to go to the shipyard in the town and find the storage house that Erik and the Order of Echos is located. Carmen is in a terrible situation and Gabriel is the only one capable of rescuing her. Erik is supposed to be extremely


    strong, Marc told Gabriel that he wasn''t even a match for Erik, one thing is for certain, a big battle is going to take place in the near future and Gabriel will has one more job to do in order to achive his goal of bringing justice to this world.

 Order of Echos

    Gabriel run the whole way to the shipyard where the esper group occupied a storage house. It was still morning so he couldn''t just jump from building to building like he would normally do, so he had to check if anyone was around and if he was


    in the clear then he would put his agility in use. He didn''t want to waste any time but he stood just outside the storage house that Marc told him about to check for any potential threats. After a good five minutes he decided to enter the building


    through a window on the roof, he checked inside but didn''t see anything...


    Gabriel-Alright, now to find Carmen.


    As he jumped down from the roof he took a look around to inspect the area.He landed in a big room full of wooden crates and barrels, the dust on the crates made it clear that no one has been inside the storage house for years.


    Gabriel-That bastard lied to me! What do I do now?


    As Gabriel was thinking about his next move he heard a sound coming from behind some barrels...


    Gabriel-I can''t believe that no one is here! (Got you).


    Gabriel started shooting his gun at the barrels, a man dropped down to the floor bleeding, Gabriel went close to him.


    Gabriel-Who are you?


    Man-I knew...you..would come here.


    Gabriel-Where are the rest of you? Where is Carmen?


    Man-Leave...now and Eric might let you live.


    Gabriel-Such kindness...Tell me!


    A huge fireball hit Gabriel from behind burning his back and dropping him on the ground.


    Man-Now!


    Gabriel-(Damn, that hurt).


    Two guys moved closer to Gabriel. One of them had fire in his hands and the other a wooden sword. Gabriel''s injuries healed and he turned to face them.


    Gabriel-What''s the matter with you?Shooting fireballs like that.


    Tage-My name is Tage and I am a level-3 pyrokinetic. I am the one who will burn you to the ground.


    Gabriel-What about your friend with that toy over there?


    Daniel-My name is Daniel and this is anything but a toy dude. With my psychic barriers, I can make this wooden sword harder than steel.


    Gabriel-Why not use a normal sword then?


    Daniel-Huh?


    Gabriel leaped in front of Daniel who was distracted from Gabriel''s question and he hit his head with the back side of his gun leaving him unconscious.


    Tage-That was dirty. Take this "Flame Tornado"!


    Gabriel dodged outside of the fiery tornado just in time, his right sleeve caught on fire so he took off his shirt...


    Gabriel-Oh?Shooting me from behind is not?


    Tage-It doesn''t matter, you won''t live to tell anyone.


    Gabriel-I was about to say the same thing.


    Tage-You will never get close to me."Flame Barrier".


    Tage surrounded himself with a ball of fire shielding him from all angles.


    Tage-How about that?


    Gabriel-That''s stupid.


    Gabriel started shooting with his handgun but the bullets didn''t make it through the intense heat of Tage''s barrier. He couldn''t get close either since the flames were too strong for even Gabriel to handle. He had to think of a plan but Tage had other


    plans, he started shooting fireballs rapidly at Gabriel, all he could do for the time being was to dodge them while thinking of how he could attack next. The fireballs started to come out faster and faster.


    Gabriel-(This is getting hard, I have to figure out a way to close the distance).


    Tage-You can''t run forever!


    Gabriel-Stop shooting then!


    Tage-I am not that dumb to get distracted.


    Gabriel-(Plan B).Your mother is a bitch!


    Tage-You are not going to get out of this like that.


    Gabriel-(Fuck.Plan C).


    Gabriel then stood still for a moment and started using his own powers to counter fire with fire. Gabriel''s power was a bit weaker than Tage''s so he was getting pushed back bit by bit. That was until he unleashed a burst of light that blinded


    Tage for a split second.Enough for Gabriel to grab a wooden box and throw it at him. The burnt wood that passed through Tage''s barrier hit him and staggered him. His shield vanished as he was stunned by the impact and Gabriel took the


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.chance to shoot Tage on the head."Click. Click"


    Gabriel-Fuck it''s empty!


    Gabriel quickly switched to his Uzi and sprayed the bullets towards Tage. Now that Tage was dead Gabriel sat down for a moment to regain some stamina after running around so much.Before he could get his rest a person appeared in front of


    him.


    Gabriel-What the hell?


    Gabriel shot at the figure in front of him without a second thought but it disappeared.


    Gabriel-(A teleporter?)


    The sound of a female voice filled the entire building that was now on fire from the previous battle.


    Mia-Hello Gabriel, I am Mia, yes my powers include teleportation.


    Gabriel-Telepathy too?


    Mia-Why would you ask directly?


    Gabriel-You can read my thoughts anyway, there is no reason not to say my thoughts out loud.


    Mia-That''s one way to put it I guess.


    Gabriel-How about you come out of wherever you are hiding?


    Mia-Why would I do that?


    Gabriel-With your power, you can''t hurt me at all. Since you didn''t shoot until now, I guess you have a melee weapon.


    Mia-(Smart and handsome, nice combination).


    Gabriel-What do you say you leave from here and I let you live?


    Mia-I am afraid I can''t do that.


    Gabriel-You can''t fight me either.(Maybe if I start shooting I can get a glimpse of her).


    Mia-That won''t work.


    Gabriel-We will see...


    Gabriel started shooting from the direction he thought he heard Mia''s voice coming from. He guessed right and forced her to teleport away. As he looked for differences in the surrounding area he continued to shoot in small bursts from his gun,


    eventually, there was not more room for Mia to hide since the fire had now spread to almost the entire building. Gabriel found his chance...


    Gabriel-Got you!


    Mia-Oh no!


    Gabriel took the shot at Mia who was now vunerable but something strange happened. The bullet stopped in mid air.


    Gabriel-You have psycokinesis too?


    Mia-No...Boss!


    Eric-Mia, you have done enough. It''s time for you to return to the mansion.


    Mia-Thank you boss! You saved my life.


    Eric-Gabriel!


    Gabriel-Are you Eric?


    Eric-Yes, I couldn''t let you kill my familly anymore.


    Eric has shown his face at last, he was a rather skinny guy with spiky red hair and a light beard that matched in color. He had a very calm expression as he was talking to Gabriel, almost like he didn''t even recognize him as a threat.He


    teleported Mia out of the burning building and he turned to face Gabriel...


    Eric-How about we take this to some place else?


    Gabriel-I won''t let you run away!


    Gabriel started shooting, his Uzi run out of ammo as he unloaded the entire magazine on Eric, the bullets stopped right in front of him...


    Gabriel-(His psycokinesis is very strong).


    Eric-Come on now Gabriel, you know I can read your mind.


    Gabriel-How about that then?


    Gabriel focused his energy on his left hand and unleased a fire stream on Eric, with one wave of his hand he grabbed the fire and bent it around his hand.


    Eric-I have complete control over all psycic powers Gabriel, this little embers are nothing compared to real Pyrokinesis.


    Eric-As I said, shall we go someplace else? I haven''t attacked you till now.


    Gabriel-(He is right, he just blocked my attacks).All right, let''s go.


    Eric-To the mansion then.


    Eric put his hands on his forehead and teleported both himself and Gabriel to a completely different place, a room with stone walls, some books left over a desk at the other side of the room. The arena has now changed but Eric hasn''t made a


    move untill now, Gabriel doesn''t know what''s in his mind, for now he is going along with him...

 The Ends Justify the Means

    Gabriel was teleported to an unknown location, in a huge entrance hall with a giant staircase that split in two as it went in different paths, the big room was full of the color red, from the giant carpet that stretched from the entrance door all


    the way to the top of the staircase, huge windows were at each side on the face of the building witth big red curtains,Gabriel was amazed from the size of the hall alone.He was standing in the middle of the hall just infront of the staircase where


    Eric was sitting on the step that seperated the two halves.The room was full of decorations, great braziers hanging from each of the twelve limestone columns light up the lower levels of the hall and allow shadows to play and dance


    where light cannot reach. The paintings of vast landscapes on the embowed ceiling dance in the flickering light while statues and sculptures look down upon the grey wood floor of this grand hall. Just as Gabriel was absorbed by everything


    around him, Eric snapped him out of it...


    Eric-Welcome to my home, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-You could have teleported me at any time?


    Eric-No, it''s not that simple.I need the permission of the individual I wish to teleport.


    Gabriel-What permission?


    Eric-All psychic abilities have demerits, Gabriel.Teleportation requires the person to not resist it.


    Gabriel-And if the person has no idea he is being teleported?


    Eric-Then I cannot do it.


    Gabriel-Why have you brought me here?You know the reason I looked for you and your party.


    Eric-Yes, yes, I know that your intension is to get Carmen back.When I reached in to her mind, I saw that deep inside she had the hope of you rescuing her.


    Gabriel-I will ask you again, why?


    Eric-I wanted to see the end of this charade.A man such as yourself, a being with no place among the humans, no place amongst any other creature that lies in the shadows or sleeps in the light.


    Gabriel-You sure talk a lot.


    Eric-I am but a human, Gabriel.Just a little different, I stand at the top of the pyramid, at the top of this world.The question is, where do you fit in this pyramid?


    Gabriel-I don''t care about any pyramid or your fancy words, Eric.


    Eric-But of course, the only thing in your mind is justice.


    Gabriel-Exactly.


    Eric-You are not after me for that though.


    Gabriel-What does this mean?


    Eric-Who justifies what''s right and what''s wrong Gabriel?


    Gabriel-What you did...


    Eric-What I did was the right thing for my people.Justice is but an illusion, the strong decide what justice is based on their perspective.The strong decide what is right and wrong!


    Eric-What I did is right as long as I say it, Gabriel, where are you placed in the world of the strong?


    Gabriel-That way of thinking placed me in the position I am right now, my place is to bring down people like you who use their power to harm others, no one can bend justice to their own will.


    Eric-But, didn''t you yourself did the exact same thing?


    Gabriel-I..I...


    Eric-Didn''t you storm to a demon''s house to get your revenge? Didn''t you come after me to rescue Carmen? Would you have started this fight if it was any other esper that I took? Aren''t you here because you bent justice to suit yourself?


    Gabriel-That doesn''t have anything to do with you.


    Eric-Aha, do you see now, Gabriel? Do you see that you use your power to deem what justice is? Your actions are the actions of a hypocrite! You act based on your perspective of justice Gabriel!


    Gabriel- (He is trying to get in your head Gabe, you can''t let this lunatic affect you.)


    Eric-I am not the lunatic here Gabriel! I have acted based on my perspective of justice as you have, our intensions counter each other, so...The only way to find out who is right is to put our strength in the field.


    Gabriel-All that talk just to get me to fight you?


    Eric-No, you see, I have Carmen right here...


    Eric pressed his fingers on his forehead and teleported Carmen to his side, she was catatonic, barely standing on her feet as she was looking downwards, Eric placed his hand on her cheek and whispered something in her ear.


    Gabriel-Carmen!


    Gabriel jumped up the stairs next to Eric and Carmen, Eric took a few steps back to let Gabriel talk to her...


    Gabriel-All you alright Carmen? Did that bastard do anything to you?


    Carmen didn''t respond to Gabriel, she didn''t even seem to react at all.


    Eric-She can''t hear you Gabriel, I have placed a barrier in her mind, she is now dreaming, she has no clue you are here. In her dream though, she still sees you, she still thinks you can save her.


    Gabriel-You motherfucker!


    Eric-I think it''s time for the charade.


    Eric made the same pose again and teleported Carmen away, Gabriel swung at him with his blade, Eric grabbed the blade with one hand and stopped it.


    Gabriel-Impossible.


    Eric-You have so much to learn my friend.


    Gabriel pulled his sword and jumped backward away from Eric, he was now cautious about every move that Eric did.


    Eric-Your toys cannot harm someone of my level Gabriel, I am not foolish enough to let my barrier down and be cut in pieces.


    Gabriel pulled his gun and started shooting at Eric, an invisible shield captured all of the bullets hat were shot from Gabriel''s sub-machine gun.Before he could reload his gun, the bullets were shot right back at Gabriel, poking holes in his


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.body, the impact of each bullet was severely increased than that of a gun.Gabriel felt each bullet penetrate his skin as he fell on his knees from the pain...


    Eric-Psychokinesis is beautiful, isn''t it Gabriel? The bullets you hoped that would be my end came back at you with ten times the velocity that they left your gun.


    Gabriel-Aghh...


    The injuries healed thanks to Gabriel''s regeneration.


    Eric-You are tougher than you look, the vampire''s powers sure are handy.


    Gabriel lushed out with his fist and struck at Eric, his punch bounced off the invisible barrier.


    Eric-I told you that I am not foolish enough...


    Gabriel hit again, harder this time, the punch had enough force to throw Eric along with his barrier at the wall, even though he had the shield up the impact of the collision hurt his body, as he spit blood down Gabriel told him...


    Gabriel-Just as I thought, you just have a little ball around you, as long as I can hit you with enough force you will be struck against the walls of your very own shield.


    Eric-I..Impressive.Now all I have to do is change the structure of the psychic barrier.


    Gabriel-(Damn, he is right.That won''t work again, think Gabe).


    Eric-Let''s see what else you have up your sleeve.


    Gabriel thought that since physical attacks won''t do the trick that he had to use his powers.He channeled energy in his left hand and unleashed a beam of fire at Eric, the barrier stopped the flames but Gabriel continued to spew fire at him...


    Gabriel-Even if you can block the fire itself you can''t block the heat, the barrier you have just changed to suit your body will be the case that you will roast in, if you don''t release it, you will be cooked alive, the moment you do though, I will


    pierce your fucking skull with this sword...


    Eric-Arghh...Just kidding.


    Gabriel-What?


    Eric''s barrier expanded and blocked Gabriel''s attack as a big invisible sphere was now around Eric''s body, the radius of the barrier made it impossible for Gabriel''s plan to work...


    Eric-It seems I have underestimated you, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-(That bastard counters my every move.Wait, he can read my mind! He saw that coming.He could have used Pyrokinesis just like before.HE IS TOYING WITH ME!)


    Eric-Splendid job, Gabriel! You are catching up quite quickly.


    Gabriel-You bastard. Are you making fun of me?


    Eric-What''s wrong with having a little bit of fun? I would like to play some more with you but we are almost out of time.


    Gabriel-What is that supposed to mea.....


    Eric waved his hand and got a hold of Gabriel, it felt like he was grabbed by a giant arm that he couldn''t get out of, Eric looked at him in the eye...


    Eric-Fly...


    Gabriel was thrown up and down by Eric''s Psychokinesis hitting the floor and the ceiling multiple times with extreme speed, the impact hurt Gabriel more and more with each collision, eventually everything turned to black, Gabriel lost his


    consciousness and passed out. When Gabriel opened his eyes he was behind a cage in a room with stone walls like a prison cell, Eric was sitting on a chair just a few inches away from the metal bars...


    Eric-You are awake!


    Gabriel-Wha...


    Eric-This is the mansion''s basement, you are in a cell Gabriel.


    Gabriel-You think a cell will be able to contain me?


    Eric-A normal cell would stand no chance against your physical strength of course.


    Gabriel-Normal?


    Eric-This cell is enhanced with a psychic barrier of my own creation. You won''t be able to escape from here as long as I want to.


    Gabriel-Why didn''t you kill me?


    Eric-I am not a murderer Gabriel, I won''t take your life, once the ceremony is complete, I will teleport you back to Kevin''s house where you can continue your hypocritic work.You have no idea where this mansion even is, I don''t think you will


    pose any more problems for me.


    Gabriel-Ceremony?


    Eric-I have to imbue my psychic energy during the impregnation process, otherwise, the is no guarantee that the offspring will inherit tremendous powers.


    Gabriel-Why are you doing this?


    Eric-Me and others like me have to live in the shadows, humans are ruthless, they took my sister and experimented on her, they have done the same thing to countless people of my kind.Their greed for power and research will never stop, I


    can''t go out and face them by myself, even my power is not enough to go against the might of the "normal" people, they have weapons that can destroy everything and yet they want more, this child will have enough power to bring an end to


    their doings, he will lead the espers in a new world where they can live without the fear of the people around them, in a world where they can be themselves.I am not a mindless tyrant Gabriel, nor am I a murderer.I don''t want to kill anyone,


    I have to do what''s necessary for my kind though, once the ceremony is complete, you will go your way, you will not hear from me again and once my offspring brings a new era, don''t oppose him...


    Gabriel-You are about to do something terrible to one of your kind!


    Eric-That is my burden, not yours...The ends justify the means.

 Unleash

    Eric left Gabriel in the cell and left through a door at the end of the corridor, he slowly walked outside as he hinted Gabriel to stay put, from Eric''s words Gabriel knew that he was about to perform the ceremony and impregnate Carmen with


    the "offspring" that he was so determined to bring to life. Gabriel was now alone in his cell, he was facing the floor with a sad face, he was defeated, again his opponent was too powerful to fight against, the feeling of defeat consumed Gabriel,


    that occurred for just a moment as he snapped out of it and started hitting the bars to his cage, he couldn''t summon any strength and his punches did nothing, his hands were bleeding and he felt the pain from his hands hitting the iron bars,


    Eric stated earlier that he enhanced the cell with psychic energy.


    Gabriel-(Damn it! There has to be a way out of here.)


    Gabriel-DAMN!(Think, Gabe, think. He must have a flaw, he must have a weakness.)


    Time was passing by as Gabriel was struggling to break the cage. With every second passing Gabriel was more and more angry about the fact that he was unable to do anything at this moment, Eric was in the next room performing the


    ceremony and he was stuck inside a cage, with his powers sealed he was just a plain man, Gabriel exhausted himself with the struggle and fell on his knees...


    Gabriel-(Is that it? Is there nothing I can do to stop him?)


    Gabriel-(Am I really this weak? All that I have fought for, is meaningless? Eric was right, justice is just an illusion...)


    ???-(Do you want to fight, Gabriel?)


    Gabriel-What was that?


    ???-(Have you lost all resolve?)


    Gabriel-(You are in my head!)


    ???-(Do you want to win?)


    Gabriel-(Who are you?)


    ???-(The only one who can hear you now, Gabriel.)


    Gabriel-(From when I fought Warren?)


    ???-(We can win.)


    Gabriel-(Who are you? What are you?)


    ???-(Let''s say that I am your only chance.Know that only I can help you now.)


    Gabriel-(How?)


    ???-(Let me take control.)


    Gabriel-(You have taken control before.)


    ???-(Both time you were unconscious.)


    Gabriel-(BOTH? When....It doesn''t matter, you are on as long as you can get me out.)


    ???-(YES! NOW, LET''S END THIS!)


    Gabriel cleared his mind calmed down, the voice in his head was about to take control, as soon as it happened his body started to change again, two wings grew out of his back, one angel wing and one demonic, horns grew out of his forehead,


    a golden halo appeared out of nowhere, shiny veins, as well as red fiery veins, made their way all over his body, the enormous change happened once again, this time though, Gabriel could feel everything...


    Gabriel-Arrrgh! IT HURTS!


    ???-(CALM DOWN GABRIEL! WE ARE ALMOST THERE, THE POWER THAT I PROMISED YOU!)


    Gabriel-FINISH IT ALREADY!


    Gabriel''s eyes were now filled with power, one shining with holy energy and one lit with hellfire. He stood up as the transformation ended, Gabriel lost any control over his body.


    ???-I am here.


    Gabriel-(I don''t feel anything, I can still see through my eyes though.)


    ???-I have control over this body now Gabriel, you are just a spectator.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Gabriel-(What are you planning to do?)


    ???-What you came here to do, bring justice!


    With a new master, Gabriel''s body was now in control of someone else, as he raised his hand the bars dissolved, he walked out and head for the door, he stood in front of the closed door ready to break it down...


    Gabriel-(Hey, what should I call you?)


    ???-(It''s been so long, I forgot the name I chose.)


    Gabriel-(Wait, don''t fight Eric here, Carmen mustn''t get drawn in this fight.)


    ???-( Fine.)


    He drew his hand back and with a single strike blew the door right across the room that the ceremony took place, everyone inside was shocked, there were about ten people in a circle around a bed that was covered with curtains so no one


    could look inside, they instantly turned to face the person that punched through the door...


    Esper-Who are you?


    ??-Insects...


    Esper 2-How did you get out? Eric should have...


    ???-Child''s game, disappear you worms.


    All the espers in the room scattered like sand with a wave of his hand, the only thing that remained intact was the bed, from the shadowy figure that was in behind the curtains he knew that only Carmen was in there, Eric wasn''t in sight.


    Gabriel-(Incredible, just like that?)


    He walked slowly towards the bed, even though he floated a couple of inches above the floor the force shattered the ground with each step, enormous energy was flowing around his body like an aura, before he could reach the bed Eric teleported behind him...


    Eric-Who are you?


    ???-...


    Eric-How did you get out? I myself have put the barrier on this cage.


    ???-Insects are insects, you are no different.


    Eric-I warned you Gabriel, don''t blame me if anything happens.(I can''t read his mind at all, it''s like he is blocking my Telepathy.)


    ???-We can''t fight here, esper.


    Eric-Don''t worry, I won''t let anything happen to Carm...


    Before Eric could finish his sentence, his nameless opponent grabbed him by the head and slammed him in the wall behind him, with a single leap he broke the wall and was now flying fast with Eric in one of his hands, when he reached a point


    about 3 kilometers away from the mansion he slammed Eric to the ground, they were now in an open valley, there was no sign of houses or any kind of human-made structure, he left Eric lying on the ground as he took a step back to give him


    some breathing space...


    Eric-(How did he do that? If I hadn''t put my barrier up, I would have died.)


    ???-This place seems appropriate for a fight, there are no innocent nearby.


    Eric-Have you brought me here to minimize the casualties? I wouldn''t have let my power out of control.


    ???-Your paltry power doesn''t concern me. It''s my own that I can''t completely control in this state.


    Eric-(Paltry?) I will show you what this "paltry" power can do, Gabriel!!!


    The fight between Gabriel''s new "friend" and Eric is about to begin, Eric has gotten angry from what happened and is now going to use all his psychic powers, the powers that a level-7 esper holds, right on Gabriel''s body, with the two of them now in a valley with no people, they can both make use of their full power freely.

 An Espers Demise

    The nameless guy and Eric were now standing face to face at a distance of about 50 meters from each other, Eric being shocked from the impact before wasn''t sure if he should make the first move...


    ???-You toyed with him.


    Eric-Huh?


    He vanished from Eric''s eyes for a split second and hit Eric in the stomach..


    Eric-ARGH!(When!? How!?)


    ???-You hurt him.


    He vanished once again, this time taking Eric''s hand clean of from the point of his elbow...


    Eric-WHAT!?(I have to stop the bleeding, concentrate...)


    ???-You enjoyed the advantage of power over him.


    Eric-(I can''t react, what is up with his speed?)


    ???-How does it feel? Standing in front of your demise with no means of escape?


    Eric-You think you have won!? You haven''t seen anything yet!


    Eric screamed as he focused his energy on his arm regrowing it with psychic energy...


    Eric-I can cure any damage that you can deal to me, Gabriel. You have no chance to win despite the power up you got!


    ???-When the weak boast too much it''s disgusting.


    Eric-Get ready Gabriel!


    Eric raised massive boulders from the ground using psychokinesis, tossed them on Gabriel, the rocks came from all sides completely covering his body. Eric pushed even harder trying to crush his body.


    The rocks formed a ball around him and came closer and closer together, at that point rain begun to fall, Eric felt that his attack was enough to at least hold him in place so he could gather psychic


    energy from his surroundings...


    Eric-(This should hold him).


    ???-Pitiful...


    The rocks scattered everywhere as he extended the powerful aura that surrounded him, some of the rocks went right where Eric was standing forcing him to dodge away, in that instant, while Eric''s


    focus was towards dodging, the nameless figure was standing behind him...


    Eric-(Crap).


    He punched Eric sending him flying right into one of the mountains creating a hole at the point of impact, for a couple of seconds it seemed as if Eric was dead until he came out, levitating slowly


    towards his enemy, with a menacing look on his face, a look full of anger...


    Eric-You think you have won? You think everything I worked for can be so easily destroyed? I won''t hold back anymore Gabriel.


    ???-Come, esper.


    Eric channeled all of his power, he raised his hands, creating an earthquake as he used his psychokinesis to lift an entire mountain straight up from the ground, the giant mountain that he was just


    slammed into was now levitating behind him, with one move from his hand he sent the mountain flying towards the "Nameless"...


    Eric-How about this Gabriel? This is true psychokinesis!


    Gabriel-(Dodge out of the way!)


    ???-Child''s play.


    Eric-What?


    ???-Apocalypse Smite!


    He raised one hand and an enormous beam of energy shot out, smashing the flying mountain into pieces, rocks flying everywhere as the mountain shattered into millions of smaller pieces, crushing


    every tree that in a wide radius. Eric was now furious, all of his attacks were dealt with little effort, being at this state, he abandoned defense and threw his body on the table. He rushed towards


    the "Nameless" and punched him with tremendous power, knocking him on the ground with enough force to make a crater...


    Eric-No more tricks, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-(He got serious).


    ???-(The dance of death).


    The "Nameless" flew back up, he went straight for Eric, this time though Eric had used his barrier to block his opponent''s attack, without any results though, the barrier crushed like glass and he


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.took a major hit to his left arm as he tried to block...


    Eric-(What power).


    Eric focused all of his energy to enhance his physical strength and toughness, he lushed at the "Nameless" once again and unleashed a barrage of extremely fast and powerful punches, the "Nameless"


    countered each punch and a full-on fist fight begun among the two superpower individuals. The ground was shaking with every blow that they exchanged, the force of their hits traveled through the air


    for countless miles, Eric was now taking too much damage to continue and he teleported further away...


    Eric-(This is bad, even with all of my power focused on physical ability I still can''t win against him)


    Eric-(At least I have some time now to recuperate...)


    ???-You cannot outrun death!


    Eric-WHAT!?(He caught up with me after I teleported?)


    The "Nameless" hit him one more time and sent him up high, Eric teleported, again and again, every time his opponent caught up with him simply with his speed. Eric continued to teleport around in


    order to catch a breath but the "Nameless" didn''t give up and every time Eric teleported he was already there.


    ???-Stop this nonsense esper.


    Eric-What do you mean?


    ???-You are just wasting both my time and yours. Now, let''s end this.


    The "Nameless" focused his energy on his right hand, a white sphere appeared as he channeled holy energy, just the gathering of that energy was enough to make Eric afraid, he lost his thinking and instead


    of teleporting away to avoid the blast he started flying quickly...


    ???-There is no place to run. There is no place to hide. I see everything. I destroy. Everything.


    Eric was flying as fast as he could away from his opponent, fear consumed his mind as he felt the weight of the upcoming blast, now a couple of kilometers away he couldn''t resist but to look behind


    him, then he saw it, he saw death, catching up with him...


    ???-HOLY NOVA!


    An expanding blast engulfing everything and reducing it to ashes was now quickly making its way towards Eric, the giant attack destroyed everything in its path, that''s when Eric realized what his


    opponent meant...


    Eric-(So that''s the power you feared, Gabriel?)


    After the blast there was nothing left behind, the whole valley, the mountains, the trees, everything was turned to ashes, just a huge crater remained, the rain stopped leaving behind a rainbow that


    stood above the aftermath of a fearsome duel...


    Gabriel-(Is it over? Is he dead?)


    ???-(No, his vessel wouldn''t let him die so easily, let''s look for him).


    In the distance, a strange light made its appearance, the nameless person went to check it out, as he estimated, Eric''s body was reforming out of pure psychic energy...


    ???-(I will finish this now).


    Gabriel-(No!)


    ???-(With everything he did he deserves to die.)


    Gabriel-(He didn''t kill anyone, he doesn''t deserve to die, let me talk to him.)


    ???-(Let''s have it your way, for now, I''ll make my exit.)


    Gabriel-(What''s going to happen now? Are you staying in my head?)


    ???-(No, this body is still fragile, I can''t push it out of its limits for too much.)


    Gabriel-(What do you mean?)


    ???-(You will see, shortly.)


    Gabriel regained control over his body, his transformation dispersed as did the power from before, he returned to his normal state, Eric''s body was on the ground in front of him, he patiently waited


    for Eric to wake up...

 Justice is Served

    Eric didn''t take too long to wake up, after a few minutes he regained his senses only to see Gabriel sitting on a rock beside him...


    Eric-I lost huh?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Eric-Why didn''t you finish me off?


    Gabriel-You didn''t kill anyone.


    Eric-Absolute justice huh?


    Gabriel-More or less.


    Eric-Strange...


    Gabriel-What?


    Eric-Now I recognize you.


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Eric-During the last fight, it felt...it felt like I was fighting someone else.


    Gabriel-Huh?


    Eric-I won''t ask you about it. Neither will I try to read your mind. You have your reasons to keep this power a secret.


    Gabriel-Yes.(To be honest, I don''t have the slightest clue about that)


    Eric-With this power...maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are the Messiah this world needs.


    Gabriel-Save your breath Eric, I need you to teleport me back to Carmen and to bring her back to normal.


    Eric-Yes...You proved to me that justice is absolute, my point of view wasn''t the right one.


    Gabriel-No Eric, today I found out that those with power decide what''s right and what''s wrong, those with power get to define justice.


    Eric-Maybe it is so...Maybe you are the one who will bring the new era.I''ll take you to Carmen now.


    Gabriel-Yes...


    Gabriel collapsed on the ground...


    Eric-Gabriel!?


    Eric grabbed Gabriel and teleported back to the mansion, there Carmen was still in a catatonic state, Eric snapped his fingers and Carmen came back to her senses...


    Carmen-Wha..what?


    Eric-Are you alright Carmen?


    Carmen-Yeah, just a little dizzy, who are you?


    Eric-My name is Eric, I am the one who clouded your mind and abducted you.


    Carmen-WHAT!? Is that...Is that Gabriel?


    Eric-Yes.


    Carmen-What have you done to him you monster?


    Eric-Nothing, sort of. I need your help.


    Carmen-Why would I help you? Where are we?


    Eric-We are inside my mansion, Gabriel came to rescue you and he succeeded.


    Carmen-How?


    Eric-He won our fight but then collapsed on the ground. Has that happened before?


    Carmen-I think...There must be a problem with the device in his heart.


    Eric-What should we do?


    Carmen-Doctor Kevin should be able to help him.


    Eric-Hold on to me, I am going to teleport us to Kevin''s house.


    Carmen-How do I know I can trust you?


    Eric-If I was planning something I wouldn''t try to trick you.


    Carmen-I guess you are right...


    Moments later Gabriel woke up lying on the sofa, he was in Kevin''s house, everyone including Eric was standing above him...


    Gabriel-What happened?


    Kevin-The Continuum Stabilizer malfunctioned again, Eric told us that you displayed a strange transformation again.


    Gabriel-Eric?


    Eric-Hi.


    Gabriel-What are you doing here?


    Mak-Eric teleported you and Carmen back here, he explained everything and then Kevin fixed the thingy in your chest.


    Gabriel-You made my heart into a plaything, didn''t you doc?


    Kevin-It''s wasn''t my purpose to play with your heart, even if it is quite enjoyable, from a scientific approach.


    Gabriel-Is Carmen ok?


    Kevin-Carmen was a bit dizzy from the trick that Eric used on her and she had to go to sleep.


    Gabriel-You are a good guy after all.


    Eric-Maybe...


    Gabriel-You could have killed me after I fell down and continued your plan but you didn''t.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Eric-My plan wasn''t very bright after all. After I witnessed on my own the power that you posses Gabriel, I realized that if anyone can fix things, it''s you.


    Kevin-Eric told us everything about his plan.I guess he is right, you can make things better for espers too.


    Gabriel-I can''t promise anything.


    Eric-Doctor Kevin told me about your goal as well, if you can achieve that, then it makes my dream come true as well.If for any reason you require my help, contact me.


    Mak-We sure will.


    Gabriel-Why are you so happy?


    Mak-A level-7 esper standing by is a great asset.


    Gabriel-Is that all?


    Mak-Plus he is rich.


    Gabriel-What?


    Eric-My father found a number of ways to make money being an esper. Now that he is dead all that money belong to me.


    Gabriel-Oh, daddy''s boy.


    Eric-That''s not funny at all.


    Mak-I liked it.


    Eric-You are an idiot.


    Gabriel-See Mak, it feels like he is already a member of the group.


    Mak-I hate you both, I am leaving.


    Mak left the living room and went to sleep.


    Eric-I will take my leave now if you ever need anything Gabriel, I would gladly assist you, I hope that one day both our dreams can come true.


    Gabriel-See you.


    Kevin-I am glad that from an enemy you are now a friend Eric.


    Eric-I am glad too.


    Eric teleported away, now that there is no further danger to Gabriel''s group, at last, he can relax until his next mission, one thing is for sure though, the fight never ends and that mysterious


    figure that appeared may come again to reveal further about himself, Gabriel will come face to face with even more difficulties but none shall stop him from achieving his goal.


    Kevin-Now, tell me, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-What is it doc?


    Kevin-Was that the same transformation that happened during your fight with Warren?


    Gabriel-Yes doc. (It''s best not to reveal anything about that guy right now. Even I don''t know what that was and he was in my head.)


    Kevin-It''s strange how the Continuum Stabilizer failed now but it didn''t during that fight, the stress in your heart should be about at the same level.


    Gabriel-If you say so, doc. (Maybe because last time he didn''t destroy miles of landscape with one blast.)


    Kevin-We will talk later Gabriel, you should rest for now. I will make dinner and by the time you all wake up it should be ready.


    Gabriel-Ok.


    Kevin went to the kitchen, Gabriel was still thinking about that voice in his head, who or what that thing was has made Gabriel worry a little bit, why would he hear someone''s voice in his head? Why


    can someone just take control of his body and display that amount of power when he can''t? Will this thing come back again in a time of need, or maybe it will respond the next time Gabriel will try to


    talk to him? For now, Gabriel is tired and all he could think about is sleeping and when he wakes up he can enjoy dinner...


    Gabriel-(Oh crap, Carmen is asleep and Kevin is going to cook. What did I do to deserve this?)


    Since the time Carmen came in the house she took upon herself to cook, since Kevin''s cooking was rather bad, Mak and Gabriel were both extremely satisfied with Carmen''s cooking but now that Carmen is


    tired, both Gabriel and Mak will have to settle for whatever Kevin brought on the table...

 The Secrets of Infusion

    Days have passed since the incident with Eric abducting Carmen, for the time being, Gabriel would just sleep and watch tv all day long, Mak was bored and the best thing he could think of to kill some


    time was to mess with Gabriel and Carmen, while Carmen and Gabriel were in the living room watching tv, Mak came by to do his part...


    Mak-So...When are you two gonna hook up?


    Gabriel-What?


    Carmen-WHAT!?


    Mak-I said...


    Gabriel-We heard what you said, what is wrong with you?


    Mak-Don''t you think Carmen is a pretty girl?


    Gabriel-That...That''s not the point!


    Carmen blushed at that moment and couldn''t speak a word...


    Mak-I mean there obviously is something between...


    Gabriel=There is nothing between us, ok? Besides, I have Helen.


    Mak-No you don''t, she thinks you are dead, even if you see her again you won''t do anything because you are a wuss.


    Gabriel-I am gonna break your fucking skull.


    Carmen-What is the problem with you two? Why are suddenly being so mean to Gabriel?


    Mak-I am bored, there is nothing to do around here.


    Gabriel-Why is that a bad thing?


    Mak-Aren''t you supposed to be the savior of the world? Why aren''t you out doing some work?


    Gabriel-Because I am like the police, it''s better if I don''t have to work, that means there is nothing bad going on.


    Mak-You are lame.Hey, let''s go out for a cup of coffee.


    Gabriel-Me and you? Why would I want to do that?


    Mak-Then go out with Carmen. She would love that.


    Carmen-I...I wouldn''t...mind if we went for a cup of coffee...


    Mak-See?


    Gabriel-Alright.


    Carmen-(YEAH!)


    Mak-Go and take a shower first, you stink.


    Gabriel-You are one to talk.


    After Mak''s suggestion both Gabriel and Carmen went to get ready, meanwhile Mak walked to the lab where Kevin was working on something...


    Mak-Hey doc?


    Kevin-Hi Mak, where are the others?


    Mak-Gabriel is taking Carmen out for coffee.


    Kevin-I thought Gabriel had eyes only for that girl, Helen.


    Mak-Yeah but let''s be honest, what chance does he have to hook up with her?


    Kevin-Why? Gabriel is a remarkable boy.


    Mak-That''s the problem, he is a boy, a shy dumb boy with extreme anger issues.


    Kevin-Huh?


    Mak-I''m telling you doc, his behavior is strange, have you heard the way he talks?


    Kevin-Except the threats he makes on you?


    Mak-That''s it. He always said something about killing every time I said something that bothered him, lately, he has become way more temperamental.


    Kevin-I am impressed Mak, I didn''t know you knew that word.


    Mak-That''s not funny.


    Kevin-I haven''t noticed anything strange.


    Mak-That''s because you are in the lab all the time.When was the last time you slept in your bed instead of the one in the lab?


    Kevin-I think it was 5 days ago...


    Mak-See? What are you even doing in here?


    Kevin-I have been talking to this Munderic guy you met the other day.


    Mak-The warlock? Why?


    Kevin-He said that he finished the seal on the axe. That reminds me...When were you going to tell me about this axe!?


    Mak-Didn''t Gabriel tell you about it?


    Kevin-He failed to mention that when you guys came back.


    Mak-Anyway, he finished it hah?


    Kevin-Yes, the sealed item should arrive today, I would like to see Gabriel use it, do you mind telling them not to go out?


    Mak-Carmen was excited about that doc. Can''t you do this later?


    Kevin-I guess it can twait until they are back, I had another idea though.


    Mak-What kind of idea?


    Kevin-Remember that dragon scale you had with you?


    Mak-Yeah, those morons thought it was a dish.


    Kevin-I was talking to Munderic about how we could use this scale in some way.


    Mak-In what way?


    Kevin-Munderic is teaching me some of these warlock rituals to infuse items with remnants of creatures.


    Mak-It''s not exactly warlock magic.


    Kevin-Huh?


    Mak-There are a lot of ways to infuse items, if I recall the ancient Greeks had a way too, using alchemy they could produce equipment of unmatched power.


    Kevin-And when were you going to tell me about that?


    Mak-You never asked.


    Kevin-Anything else I should know about infusion?


    Mak-There are plenty of ways, the most common one is by using magic.


    Kevin-Magic?


    Mak-Besides espers, humans don''t have powers on their own, they must form contracts with other beings in order to wield some of their powers, warlocks were the ones that formed pacts with demons.


    Kevin-I see...


    Mak-Around the middle ages, people begun to discover the power of Elementals.


    Kevin-Elementals?


    Mak-Beings without any shape or form, they are the manifestations of nature''s elements, fire, water, air and earth.By forming contracts with them people could wield the power of the four elements


    Kevin-Yes...


    Mak-These people were called Mages.The number of contracts they could form was limited and the amount of power they could produce was limited by the size of their inner Mana gate.


    Kevin-What is this Mana gate?


    Mak-Mana is the fifth element is some sort, it''s the energy that forms the balance in nature. Every person has a mana gate and the size varies depending on the person, the bigger the gate, the more


    power a mage could use, those capable enough could form contracts with more than one Elemental and thus by combining the elements they could use an extreme variety of other powers, like controlling


    the weather by combining air and water to create thunderstorms.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.Kevin-So any human can for a pact with things like that?


    Mak-Yes, any person or creature can form a pact as long as the conditions are met.


    Kevin-What are those conditions?


    Mak-I don''t know for sure, the methods to form contracts vary depending on the location, in some cultures they used animal spirits to harness their abilities, those were called Shamans, others


    could invoke the power of nature itself in order to control plants, heal others and even change forms into animals, those were called Druids.


    Kevin-So it''s the same principle, just different kinds of beings...


    Mak-Exactly, and the power that each kind gives is different and requires different methods, for warlocks to harness the power of demons they must pay price each time they cast a ritual.


    Kevin-That doesn''t seem very convenient.


    Mak-Maybe, but demons are powerful, some can even burn down an entire country, of course, no one could ever pay the price for something like that.


    Kevin-What currency would a demon accept?


    Mak-Years of life, the soul of someone and even materialistic things like gold or precious metals and jewelry.


    Kevin-The soul huh?


    Mak-Don''t be mistaken, everyone who makes a contract places their soul on the table.


    Kevin-What?


    At this point, Gabriel passed by the lab...


    Gabriel-Hey, I am going with Carmen for coffee, we''ll be back in a couple of hours.


    Kevin-Ok Gabe, Carmen, have fun.


    Gabriel and Carmen left the house and walked to the nearest coffee shop, meanwhile, Kevin was focused on what Mak had to say, it has been a very long time since someone sat down to listen to Mak since


    every time he opened his mouth something vulgar or offensive was spoken...


    Kevin-Continue.


    Mak-As I said, all of these creatures that grant mortal humans power demand a soul. When you accept the power you sell your soul to the one who gave it to you. It''s like a matter of religion.


    Kevin-Huh?


    Mak-When you form a pact you place all of your faith in that being, every one of them live in a different plain than this one, they use mortal souls to gain more power and to rise in their own


    hierarchy of some sort, In other words, they get stronger with the number of souls they have collected.


    Kevin-I see...But if demons are one of the most powerful, why would anyone sell his soul to a weaker being?


    Mak-Because when a mortal dies his soul goes to the plain that it was devoted to. Hell isn''t best place from what I have heard and demons are not very kind to them either.


    Kevin-So if someone wants to infuse remnants of creatures with other materials what would that cost?


    Mak-As I said, the safest and most common way would be magic since the Elemental lords aren''t very fond of human souls, most of the time they are just bored and want to watch mortals kill each other


    with the powers that they have given to them.


    Kevin-And then demons are the bad ones?


    Mak-I never said that Elemental lords are some kind of holy creatures either.


    Kevin-Speaking of holy creatures. If there is a hell, that means there is a heaven, right?


    Mak-I would presume...


    Kevin-Presume?


    Mak-I don''t have any knowledge on anything concerning heaven and angels. These things aren''t something that you see very often, there have been recorded sightings of angels though.


    Kevin-Does that mean there is a god?


    Mak-Maybe, we can''t be sure of anything.


    Kevin-Doesn''t he know anything of what happens down on earth?


    Mak-If what people say is true and he exists and he is that powerful I guess he does.


    Kevin-Why would a powerful god let so many bad things happen then?


    Mak-That''s not a discussion to make right now. Go to an atheist forum for shit like that.


    Kevin-And here I thought I could make a conversation with you...


    Mak-Anything else? You said something about that dragon scale.


    Kevin-I would like to infuse this dragon scale with steel to make a shield for Gabriel to use along with this axe, if we could use the same method to seal a shield like this axe Munderic was talking


    about then Gabriel could have a full arsenal of powerful artifacts to help him.


    Mak-That boy is a killing machine as it is. You haven''t seen with your own eyes what he is capable of, didn''t you listen to what Eric said the other day?


    Kevin-Yeah, that was probably the same thing he did against Warren, we can''t count on that though, even Gabriel isn''t sure how he did it.


    Mak-Or maybe he is lying to us.


    Kevin-What?Why?


    Mak-I told you that he has been acting strange lately, maybe we should be careful not to anger him too much.


    Kevin-You are the one who is messing with him all the time.


    Mak-These are just jokes.


    Kevin-I would like to do some more research on what you told me and on infusion so if you don''t mind getting out of my lab for now...


    Mak-Fine, just squeeze the knowledge out of poor little Mak and then throw him out like a used tissue...


    Kevin-Cut the drama.


    Mak-I am going to watch tv.


    So Kevin has found yet another reason to sit in the lab and as Gabriel and Carmen are out enjoying themselves, Kevin is doing research on what Mak told him about, by talking to Munderic via the


    internet he might get some insight into infusion, Mak is a little worried that Kevin might try to put in use some of the information that he just learned but decided not to sweat over it, Kevin isn''t


    just any fool who would jump right in trouble, or is he?

 Draconic Gauntlet

    Gabriel and Carmen came back to the house where they found Mak watching tv, Gabriel glanced at him and made a rude face as he would normally do, Carmen smiled at him...


    Gabriel-How can you smile while looking at that?


    Mak-Fuck you dude.


    Carmen-Can you guys get along for once?


    Gabriel-No.


    Mak-No.


    Carmen-You are partners, you have done so much together, I don''t like to see you two argue all the time.


    Gabriel-He is ugly.


    Mak-I am a goblin, from a human''s perspective I am, but you are not a human.


    Gabriel-At least I look like one.


    Mak-I do too.


    Gabriel-When you use Glamour magic that it.


    Mak-And yet, I have scored more times while in Glamour than you have at all.


    Gabriel-Do you see why?


    Carmen blushed as she looked at Gabriel...


    Mak-You are stupid mate.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-And blind probably.


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Carmen-Stop it, Mak.


    Mak-Fine, it''s not like I want to hang out with you two lovebirds anyway, I will go take some sleep.


    Carmen blushed again from the comment that Mak did and decided to change the subject...


    Carmen-Where is Dr.Kevin?


    Mak-Where else? In his lab.


    Gabriel-Man, he is a real workaholic, isn''t he?


    Mak-Compared to you who is sitting on your ass the whole time yeah.


    Gabriel-Shut up, it''s not like you are doing anything either.


    Mak-I have done all the chores in the house while you were out drinking coffee.


    Gabriel-You did all the chores because even Kevin doesn''t like your stupid face.


    Carmen-Come on, stop it.


    Mak-He started it.


    Carmen-And you continued it.


    Mak-I guess you have a point, sorry Gabe.


    Carmen-Much better.


    Mak-Sorry you are such a loser.


    Gabriel-WHERE IS MY FUCKING GUN? I SWEAR I WILL SHOOT THAT LITTLE GOBLIN SHIT.


    Mak-I am going to sleep.


    Mak run all the way in his room and shut the doors, apparently he made too much fun of Gabriel, despite being carefree he is still a bit afraid of Gabriel''s mental health, the sight of his kin being murdered in cold blood and the excitement in the


    eyes of Gabriel while shooting them has been etched in his mind, even if he didn''t like the other goblins in his tribe and they tried to kill him, he witnessed what Gabriel is capable of when let loose. Carmen went to her room leaving Gabriel all alone in the living room, he didn''t want to sleep just yet so he thought about going to the lab to check on Kevin...


    Gabriel-Hey doc.


    Kevin-Hi Gabe, how did it go?


    Gabriel-Boring, we just sat there without talking for about half an hour until Carmen started talking about how to do her hair and what makeup to put on next time. Like I would know any of this stuff.


    Kevin-I would comment on how clueless you are Gabe but I have work to do.


    Gabriel-What are you doing anyway? Wait,clueless?


    Kevin-Your axe arrived earlier...


    Gabriel-How do you...


    Kevin-Munderic contacted me and told me everything.


    Gabriel-He did huh? I was gonna tell you about it.


    Kevin-When? By the time you would break something with a huge demon battleaxe?


    Gabriel-Munderic said that he would seal it in something.


    Kevin-He did, that''s what I was working on.


    Gabriel-He said to pass some energy into it and then the seal would temporarily break so it would regain its normal shape.


    Kevin-He explained that too.


    Gabriel-What were you doing working on it then? Don''t tell me you have tried to put energy of your own into it.


    Kevin-Of course not, I asked Munderic to teach me about infusion.


    Gabriel-Infusion?


    Kevin-Long story, basically it''s the way to make such items as this axe.


    Gabriel-Why would you ask Munderic that?


    Kevin-I was thinking of making one of these items myself.


    Gabriel-Don''t you need some kind of...


    Kevin-Yes, the dragon scale that Mak had with him, I ordered a shield from the internet, it should arrive tommorow.


    Gabriel-A shield? Come on, don''t make me use a shield, this isn''t the middle ages. I have an Uzi for crying out loud.


    Kevin-I want to try this infusion, Mak told me that dragons were immune to elemental attacks.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.Gabriel-Elemental attacks?


    Kevin-Any kind of the four elements.


    Gabriel-That would be useful against those pyromancers.


    Kevin-And anything that can use such attacks, you should rest for now, tomorrow I will have you do the infusion.


    Gabriel-What?


    Kevin-The ritual is simple since I don''t prefer to sell my soul to a demon, I will have you be the energy source for that infusion, all you are gonna do is pump energy when I tell you to.


    Gabriel-That''s it? You are not going to make me read any of this ritual crap right?


    Kevin-No, I will do all the work, I just want you to act like a battery.


    Gabriel-Great, good night doc.


    Kevin-Wait a sec...


    Gabriel left the lab before Kevin could finish his sentence, he went to the living room and lied on the couch to sleep, he couldn''t stop thinking about what happened during the fight with Eric, who was this voice in his head that took control of his body and generated all this power, that thing didn''t have any remorse about killing Eric, he wasn''t sure if he could trust this voice, what would happen if he took control again? Will the lives of everyone be in the hands of that thing? This troubled Gabriel, he thought about it for a bit but then he fell asleep on the couch. Morning came by and Kevin woke everyone up...


    Gabriel-What''s going on?


    Kevin-The shield is here, we are going to do this now.


    Gabriel-Can''t I get some coffee first?


    Kevin-We are out of coffee.


    Gabriel-What?


    Kevin-I drank it all yesterday while I was up.


    Gabriel-You haven''t slept at all?


    Kevin-No.


    Gabriel-Something wrong with you.


    Kevin-What do you mean?


    Gabriel-Forget it, let''s go in the lab and be done with it.


    Kevin-Oh no, we are not doing this in the lab, it has to be done outside. We will go to the yard, I have everything already prepared.


    Gabriel-Ok...


    Everyone gathered at the yard where both the shield and the dragon scale were lying on the floor inside a pentagram made of chalk and candles on every edge of it.


    Mak-What the hell is all this?


    Kevin-That''s what Munderic told me to do.


    Mak-That''s the demonic ritual for infusion. We could have done any other method.


    Kevin-I figured since Gabriel has demonic powers we should do it this way.


    Mak-I see, you don''t wanna mess with anything yourself.


    Kevin-I don''t understand the principles of magic yet and I don''t plan to put my soul at risk for an experiment such as this.


    Gabriel-Your soul at risk? What the actual fuck is going on here?


    Mak-Relax, what Kevin meant is that in order of humans to gain such power they traded their souls with greater beings...


    Gabriel-Oh, fuck it, I am not in the mood to hear your stories, let''s be done with it.


    Kevin-Ok Gabriel, whenever you are ready I want you to place both hands at the ingredients and push some energy into them.


    Gabriel-Got it.


    Gabriel touched both the shield and the dragon scale, he closed his eyes and channeled energy into his hands, instantly a strange glow appeared on both items and followed by an incredible heat, the grass in the yard became dry around the


    pentagram and the heat spread to the wooden fence surrounding the yard, the heat made burn marks on the wood but it didn''t have any effect on the people around it. At some point the glow became even brighter and something changed. There was now only one item lying on the grass, a small piece of material, not nearly enough to make a whole shield...


    Kevin-I don''t get it, there should be a dragon infused shield as a result.


    Gabriel-Did I do something wrong.


    Kevin-I don''t think so, maybe I did something wrong.


    Mak-No, the material used wasn''t enough, the product of this infusion is this small shield.


    Kevin-But, that''s not enought to make a shield.


    Mak-So? Find another way to put it to use.


    Gabriel-And make what?


    Kevin-Maybe a piece of armor. A guantlet!


    Mak-That should do it.


    Kevin-I will name it...Draconic Guantlet!


    Gabriel-(LAME).


    The infusion is now complete, the outcome wasn''t what Kevin expected but he found a use for it, now Gabriel will have something new in his arsenal and it might prove usefull in any upcoming events...

 The Stray Death Spirit

    The infusion of the draconic gauntlet is now complete but Kevin wanted to run some tests on it, Mak has mentioned that the dragon scale was immune to elemental attacks, that could only mean one thing...


    Kevin-Gabriel, give me your lighter.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Kevin-I also want your hairspray, Carmen.


    Mak-I like where this is going...


    Gabriel-Huh?


    Mak-Oh come on, you really don''t know what Kevin wants to do?


    Gabriel-No idea.


    Mak-The hairspray is flammable, he is going to make a makeshift flamethrower and test it on you. Just like when kids burnt the ants in the backyard.


    Gabriel-I never did that.


    Mak-Why not? It''s fun!


    Gabriel-Because I am not a pyromaniac ashole, I had better things to do with my time.


    Mak-Yeah, cry in the shower cause you couldn''t get a girlfriend.


    Gabriel-Give me that hairspray!


    Kevin-Gabe...


    Gabriel-I was just gonna burn his tongue. Not kill him.


    Mak-(That''s equally disturbing.)


    Kevin-Carmen, can you bring me the hairspray, please?


    Carmen-Sure thing doctor.


    Gabriel-Are you serious about that?


    Kevin-What?


    Gabriel-We can just toss it in the fireplace to see if it holds.


    Kevin-I want to simulate a fire attack and see how well it protects you.


    Gabriel-What if it doesn''t?


    Kevin-Well...You do have regenerating abilities.


    Gabriel-Oh sure, let''s burn Gabe down cause he can recover.


    Mak-(Said the guy who unleashed a light attack on Jason just to test it.)


    Carmen-Here doctor.


    Kevin-Ok Gabe, you just put on the gauntlet and stand here.


    Gabriel-Oh shit, why do I have to do this?


    Mak-Who else would we test it on?


    Gabriel-I have a useless guy in mind, he is green, ugly and pisses me off all the time! I know, why don''t you put it on and I''ll shoot a fireball at you!?


    Mak-Nah, I don''t think so.


    Kevin-Gabe, bring it up and try to guard against it.


    Gabriel-Fine...


    Kevin turned on the lighter and pressed on the hairspray head, the flamethrower was close enough to Gabriel to melt his face, the gauntlet blocked all the heat and Gabriel didn''t feel a thing, it was like the gauntlet absorbed everything from


    the flamethrower. After a couple of seconds of continuous usage, the hairspray ended and the stream of fire stopped, it was a complete success...


    Kevin-It worked! Hahah!


    Gabriel-Yeah, I didn''t feel a thing.


    Mak-Nice job doc.


    Kevin-Imagine it, with your reflexes, you can guard almost from any fire-based attack as long as you bring the gauntlet in its line of impact.


    Gabriel-Yeah, I guess it could come in handy if I come across any psychic with pyrokinetic powers again.


    Kevin-Not only that...


    Kevin threw a rock at Gabriel, he raised the guard again...


    Gabriel-What was that for?


    Kevin-Did it work?


    Gabriel-Did what work?


    Kevin-I thought a rock would be considered an earth attack and based on the dragon scale information it should block it completely.


    Gabriel-I mean it didn''t hurt but I felt it.


    Mak-No, that was physical damage, a rock been thrown isn''t an earth elemental attack, it''s purely kinetic energy.


    Kevin-What would be considered an earth attack then?


    Mak-I don''t know...


    Gabriel-Very informative.


    Mak-Hey, I am not an encyclopedia.


    Gabriel-Yeah, an encyclopedia would be useful.


    Mak-Fuck off.


    Carmen-Stop fighting.


    Mak-He started it.


    Kevin-Enough, I wonder what else we could do?


    Mak-Maybe bring the hose and splash him with water?


    Kevin-That''s not a bad idea. Mak, fetch the hose.


    Gabriel-Oh what have I gotten myself into?


    Kevin splashed Gabriel with the hose but it was an interesting result. When the pressure of the water was high enough it just bounced of the gauntlet but when he turned down the pressure it then soaked Gabriel with water...


    Mak-I see, with enough pressure it could be considered an attack but without enough force it just ignores it.


    Gabriel-How is that supposed to work? Is that thing sentient and able to recognize what''s an attack and what''s not?


    Mak-I have no idea.


    Gabriel-How do I know what is going to be blocked and what not then?


    Kevin-That''s an interesting question, I am going to run some tests to it and then you can get it back.


    Gabriel-What kind of tests?


    Kevin-I am going to measure at which pressure does it activate for water, at what heat it activates for fire, I presume a wind based attack will be measured by the speed of the wind and I want to see how to trigger it with earth.


    Stolen novel; please report.Gabriel-I''ll leave that to you.


    Kevin-Yes, I will take it to the lab now and put some sensors on it.


    At this point, Carmen fell to the ground with an empty look on her face, like she was spacing out, but it was something else...


    Carmen-Oh...No...Oh my god!


    Kevin-What''s the matter Carmen?


    Mak-Are you alright?


    Carmen-I...I see someone, in front of a statue.


    Gabriel-What?


    Carmen-He is speaking...some kind of a ritual...No!


    Kevin-What happened?


    Carmen-He...he...just died!


    Mak-What?


    Kevin-Calm down, what else do you see?


    Carmen-The window...I can see outside the window.


    Mak-What can you see?


    Carmen-The man was elevated, second...or maybe third floor of a building...I can see the cafeteria.


    Mak-What?


    Carmen-The cafeteria Gabriel took me yesterday.


    Gabriel-There is only one three-story building close to the cafe, the martial arts dojo.


    Carmen-Yes, inside...I can see Japanese decoration...The little statue is also of Japanese origin.


    Kevin-What happened to the man?


    Carmen-He is lying on the floor, I think he is dead! Oh my god, it''s horrible!


    Mak-What is it?


    Carmen-His eyes are...are...


    Mak-WHAT!?


    Carmen-His eyes are pitch black.


    Mak-Carmen, stop it!


    Carmen-What?


    Mak-STOP LOOKING AT THAT THING!


    Carmen-I see a shadow coming from the statue...


    Mak slapped Carmen in order to stop her from looking at the scene. She lost focus and the vision disappeared...


    Gabriel-Why did you hit her?


    Mak-Did it see you?


    Carmen-What?


    Mak-Did you feel the shadow looking at you?


    Gabriel-Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?


    Mak-Tell me damn it!


    Carmen-I don''t think so, I lost the vision.


    Mak-We can only hope it didn''t sense you.


    Gabriel-I swear, if you don''t tell me right now I am going to smash your head open.


    Mak-The only thing I can think of what happened...


    Gabriel-What is it!?


    Mak-A Shinigami.


    Kevin-What?


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-The Japanese death spirit, it consumes the souls of humans to gain power.


    Gabriel-A death spirit?


    Mak-Normally the Shinigami come to eat the souls of dying humans thus gaining a little bit of power at a time, they are basically the Japanese version of the god of death.


    Gabriel-Why would one come here?


    Mak-It wouldn''t, the Shinigami are not evil.


    Gabriel-Are?


    Mak-Yes, the Shinigami are many, they are all spirits of death, once your soul is consumed by a Shinigami your body becomes a lifeless husk.


    Kevin-You told me earlier that many creatures claim human souls.


    Mak-Yes, every person can devote their soul to any creature, the Shinigami are Japanese spirits and claim the souls of those who devote to Japanese spirits.


    Gabriel-Why is one here then?


    Mak-The man Carmen saw must have summoned it.


    Kevin-They can be summoned.


    Mak-No, that''s why I told her to stop, the Shinigami can sense the presence of anyone, even if it was by astral projection. The fact that a Shinigami was bound in a vessel means that it was no longer in the service of Yama, the king of the underworld.


    Gabriel-What does that mean?


    Mak-It no longer follows the rules that Yama has bestowed upon all the Shinigami and has become a threat to humans, devouring their souls without considering the lifespan of the individual, without the connection to Yama''s place the souls are just being destroyed and the power is left within the Shinigami, as it feeds it will grow stronger.


    Gabriel-What are we waiting then? I have to go and blast it.


    Mak-We can''t be so sure.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Mak-There was never an occasion in which a Shinigami was destroyed, I don''t know the extent of their power or how to destroy them.


    Gabriel-What do you mean the extent of their power?


    Mak-It might be able to destroy your soul without even trying, there is no way of telling how to beat a thing like that?


    Gabriel-I won''t stand here and do nothing. It''s my task to eliminate things like that in order to create a righteous world.


    Kevin-I think we should listen to Mak, we need to examine the situation here.


    Gabriel-We don''t have time, that thing could be eating human souls as we speak, growing stronger with each one, if I can''t stop it, then there is nothing else to examine.


    Mak-Let''s go.


    Gabriel-Did you change your mind?


    Mak-No, it is extremely risky to go there but I might know of a way to put it down for some time...

 Koma The Shinigami

    Carmen''s vision of the stray Shinigami has Gabriel''s crew on a panic state, if it stays loose for too long a lot of people are going to die, the souls destroyed by a stray Shinigami are not transferred to the afterlife but instead are completely erased


    according to what Mak said, he also said that he has a plan to pin it down for a while...


    Gabriel-What are we going to do?


    Mak-I am going to cast a spell that will bind it in the space of the dojo and it won''t be able to escape.


    Kevin-How do you know it''s still in the dojo?


    Gabriel-Yeah, that thing might be moving as we are talking.


    Mak-You are right. Kevin, give me the car keys!


    Kevin-Ok..what?


    Mak-We need the car to go there as fast as possible, we don''t have time to argue.


    Kevin-Fine.


    Kevin gave the car keys to Mak, Gabriel grabbed the wheel in order to drive because Mak had to put his Glamour on and that would cost them some valuable minutes, by sitting in the back seat and casting the Glamour while Gabriel was driving


    they minimized the amount of time they needed to get there and to conceal Mak''s appearance. Once they arrived at the dojo they head straight to the second floor where they found the body of the man that Carmen saw in her vision, the statue was


    also there but the Shinigami wasn''t...


    Gabriel-Where is that thing?


    Mak-Fuck, it''s gone already.


    Gabriel-What now?


    Mak-Let me think...


    Gabriel-Do you think it went out the window?


    Mak-Probably, it doesn''t have to use doors.


    Gabriel-Where would it go?


    Mak-It doesn''t have a purpose so...probably the cafe!


    Gabriel-I''m on it.


    Gabriel jumped out of the window and landed on the street, he then realized that some people saw him, amazed by the leap they tried to come close to him but he run full speed to the cafe area where he saw the Shinigami draining the souls of the


    people sitting there, it was a strange humanoid creature with distorted characteristics and very pale complexion, huge yellow eyes that glowed bright and long hands with talons, it seemed like it was wearing a black torn robe and it was hovering


    above the dead bodies, Gabriel''s first action was to go close and try to punch it, his punch went right through it but it got its attention...


    Gabriel-(Of course! It''s a damn spirit Gabe, what do you think a punch can do?)


    The Shinigami took a curious look on Gabriel like sizing him up, at that moment Mak got there with the car...


    Mak-Run Gabriel!


    Gabriel-Why?


    The Shinigami also took notice on Mak but then turned again to face Gabriel and continue to watch.


    Mak-Hit it with your light attack and run!


    Gabriel-All right, "Holy Flash"!


    The attack had no effect but the Shinigami seemed shocked, it started to get close to Gabriel, he started to run away, the Shinigami followed him and managed to keep up with his speed, Mak got back in the car and followed as well, Gabriel was


    running towards the edge of the town where the forest that Mak was originally from, he figured that since there were no people there that if he managed to lure it he could fight with full strength without worrying about collateral damage. His plan


    was a success and now he has reached the forest, the Shinigami was still on his tail, now that he stopped the Shinigami was hovering nearby, it seemed interested in Gabriel...


    Gabriel-Ok, let''s do this."Holy Flash"


    The attack had no effect again but this time the Shinigami was mad, it raised its boney pale hand in the air and a black scythe with a serrated blade appeared from thin air, it was obvious that now it was ready to fight, Mak arrived to witness


    Gabriel dodging the slashes of the Shinigami, for some reason it didn''t do the same thing like before where it would drain the soul of the victim but instead tried to physically harm Gabriel...


    Mak-Oh shit.


    Gabriel-Don''t "oh shit", I can''t hit the damn thing!


    Mak-I will start the spell!


    After Mak started drawing on the ground something strange happened, the Shinigami paused and started speaking to him with a deep croaky voice...


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Shinigami-A pathetic attempt.


    Mak-What the fuck?


    Gabriel-You can talk? Why are you doing this?


    Koma-My name is Koma, there is no language that you lesser creatures can speak that I cannot.


    The fighting stopped and it now turned into a dialogue...


    Gabriel-Why are you here? Isn''t your purpose as a Shinigami to collect the souls of the dying people?


    Gabriel noticed that Mak was still drawing and if he knows what he is doing then he had to buy some time for him, so he tried to distract Koma...


    Koma-That was my purpose. Not anymore.


    Gabriel-Why? What happened?


    Koma-By the awakening of the true God of Death, the whole world shall crumble and all who aid him shall join in on his kingdom.


    Gabriel-Who is that?


    Koma-I have no reason to tell you, human, or probably not. How did you get so much power?


    Gabriel-I have no reason to tell you, Shinigami.


    Koma-You are strong enough for me to not drain your soul directly, but this scythe reaps the soul of anyone it cuts, your words are meaningless anyway.


    While Gabriel was talking to Koma, Mak had finished the pattern and gave a signal to Gabriel, he then focused his energy and threw a fireball at Koma, that pissed him off and then he dashed towards Gabriel who was now standing on top of the


    drawn pattern...


    Mak-Now Gabriel, push energy into it!


    Gabriel ducked to dodge the incoming slash from Koma''s scythe and put his hand on the ground channeling energy and powering the binding spell...


    Koma-I told you that won''t...WHAT!? HOW!? Where is this power coming from? So much!


    The spell activated and Koma was starting to lose the ability to move.


    Koma-You insolent mortal!


    Gabriel-Serves you right, ashole.


    Koma-How can the mere power of a mortal create such a strong catalyst for this spell?


    Mak-Gabriel, we don''t have time to waste, the spell is going to keep him here for one week at most.


    Gabriel-I think one week is enough time to kill him.


    Mak-No, in case you didn''t notice, you can''t damage him with your attacks.


    Gabriel-So what should we do? Recast the spell again?


    Mak-And then what? Come back once a week to keep him here?


    Gabriel-What then?


    Mak-We are going to need the knowledge of the Onmyoji.


    Gabriel-Come again?


    Mak-The Onmyoji are Japanese exorcists who mostly deal with evil spirits.


    Gabriel-Sure, but Shinigami are good spirits originally, right?


    Mak-I hope that they have a way to deal with stray ones.


    Gabriel-So we are going to Japan? Just like that. Are you that sure that my attacks are not effective?


    Mak-Yes.


    Gabriel-Shouldn''t we at least try?


    Mak-Physical attacks can''t do damage to anything that has a spectral form, your fire and light attacks were also ineffective against it.


    Gabriel-We don''t even know why it''s here in the first place, shouldn''t we ask him again?


    Gabriel-Hey ugly, how about telling me everything now that you can''t move?


    Mak-He can''t hear you, the barrier acts like a separate space, he can''t interact with us.


    Gabriel-I guess we are going to Japan then...


    So Mak''s spell has managed to bind Koma the Shinigami, now Gabriel has to embark on a journey to seek the Onmyoji for their knowledge. He has one week to locate one and to learn their techniques in order to be able to damage and possibly kill


    the Shinigami. As they turned around the noticed that the aftermath of Koma''s attacks was bigger than they expected, the car was damaged by the scythe and it was in a terrible shape, Gabriel and Mak looked at each other...


    Gabriel-Shit.


    Mak-Shit.


    Gabriel-You were responsible for Kevin''s car right?


    Mak-Don''t place all the blame on me.


    Gabriel-Too late, I already did.


    Mak-Maybe if we don''t mention the car at all he won''t say anything and by the time he finds out we will be already in Japan.


    Gabriel-It''s worth a try.


    With Kevin''s car broken both Gabriel and Mak were in trouble, suddenly the trapped Shinigami felt trivial in front of Kevin''s anger, this isn''t the first time that Gabriel or Mak have lost or broke his stuff, with an anxious look on both their faces they


    begun to walk back to Kevin''s house...

 Journey To The East

    Gabriel and Mak came back to the house after binding Koma the Shinigami with the spell, once they were back, Kevin noticed the look on their faces and figured out something was off so he had to ask them...


    Kevin-What happened?


    Mak looked at Gabriel with the intent of telling Kevin about the seven-day timeline they had but not to tell him about his car, Gabriel got the vibe instantly and replied appropriately...


    Gabriel-We managed to trap it for now.


    Kevin-What do you mean "for now"?


    Gabriel-Mak''s spell will be able to hold it for seven days, after that we have to figure out a way to beat it.


    Kevin-Is it that strong?


    Gabriel-What I know is that I can''t damage it.


    Mak-We have to take a trip to Japan.


    Kevin-Japan?


    Mak-Yes, the origin of the Shinigami is from Japan, I believe that if we meet with an Onmyoji that they will teach us the right techniques to beat it.


    Kevin-A what?


    Mak-The Onmyoji are Japanese exorcists who deal with evil spirits that are called Yokai.


    Kevin-How would that help against a Shinigami?


    Mak-As I explained to Gabe, I hope that they have something to deal with stray Shinigami.


    Gabriel stood silent while Mak and Kevin were talking about the trip to Japan and couldn''t help but stress out about the fact that they have damaged Kevin''s car and he had no clue, their voices turned to strange sounds inside Gabriel''s head as the


    stress has begun to grow even more, at some point he felt like he couldn''t handle it anymore, after all, this isn''t the first time that he or Mak had lost or damaged Kevin''s stuff, he made an excuse and left the scene...


    Gabriel-I am going to tell Carmen we are going to leave for a while.


    Mak-Of course you are, little lovebird.


    Gabriel-I would cut your tongue right about now but...


    Gabriel looked at Mak, he saw in his eyes something, he had the look of someone that has a plan, like he was sure of something, that''s when he got it, Mak was trying to change the subject of the conversation to Gabriel and Carmen''s relationship


    in order to avert Kevin from asking about his car, he paused for a bit as he recognized Mak''s cunning and then he went off to actually tell Carmen about the trip, he went upstairs towards Carmen''s room, meanwhile, Mak''s plan worked and Kevin


    asked about Mak''s previous words...


    Kevin-Lovebird?


    Mak-Oh come on, you have been stuck in your lab for so long that you haven''t noticed the chemistry between our little Carmen and Gabe?


    Kevin-First of all, I spent time in the lab researching and no, I haven''t noticed anything. Gabriel always said that he only liked one girl.


    Mak-Sure, and I am Santa!


    Kevin-What do you mean?


    Mak-Can''t you see it? Gabriel is telling this lie for one reason, his own insecurity has made him incapable of expressing feelings to any girl so this excuse he made only to lift of this burden and he has almost believed his own lie.


    Kevin-I get it, he made a solid excuse to avoid flirting with any girl.


    Mak-Yes, I am sure that even he himself has no idea about it, he subconsciously made this idea in his head and now he doesn''t feel the stress of going after a girl because he believes that he doesn''t like any other girl, poor Carmen has a crush on him


    long before he came back, I saw the look in her eyes as I told her about Gabriel, she admires him and has feelings for him but the cold idiot doesn''t even have the mindset to understand, or maybe he does know it and still uses his excuse to avoid it.


    Kevin-That''s a deep thought.


    Mak-Yes it is, if you would see Gabriel as a person and not as a test subject you might have seen it yourself.


    Kevin-Gabriel and I are accomplices, I don''t see him as just a test subject.


    Mak-See, you said "as just a test subject".That means you also see him as a test subject.


    Kevin-Why do you have to dig through every word to make a meaning?


    Mak-Because apparently I am the only one who has any clue what''s going on in here.


    Kevin-Sure...


    Mak-Let''s get back to the matter at hand, we have to go to Japan.


    Kevin-The only way for you two to go to Japan and have time to investigate is by going as students.


    Mak-SCHOOL AGAIN? Can''t you figure anything else?


    Kevin-The only way to send you two legally to another country is as transfer students, if for any reason the police catches two people without any purpose in the country they will try to find your background since Gabriel is presumed dead and you are a goblin who doesn''t technically have any background this will lead in big trouble with the law.


    Mak-I get it, you humans and your stupid laws, why can''t anyone just go to another country without a mountain of paperwork?


    Kevin-Because...I am not going to explain it to you, it''s too much.


    Mak-I know.


    Kevin-So, I am going to make the calls today and tomorrow you will fly to Japan, it won''t be that hard to find a school to house you, I just hope that you have enough time to find what you are looking for.


    Mak-If we don''t you might have to find a way to power the binding ritual yourself and buy us some time.


    Kevin-How am I going to do that?


    Mak-Think of something.


    Kevin-I don''t feel like selling my soul and I don''t even know how to begin with.


    Mak-Let''s hope that we won''t have to go in such extreme measures.


    Kevin-Yeah.


    Mak-Do you think that Carmen could come with us? It would be good for her to get some experience.


    Kevin-I don''t think that I could arrange for a girl to transfer along with two boys. Besides, she couldn''t stay with you at the school dorm and I don''t think she can handle staying with a stranger.


    Stolen novel; please report.Mak-Carmen is a very polite and easygoing girl, she could handle it no problem.


    Kevin-Ok, you want to know why I don''t want Carmen to go with you two?


    Mak-That''s quite a change in your tone...Tell me.


    Kevin-Because you two are irresponsible idiots and I fear that you won''t look after Carmen if you come across trouble.


    Mak-So that''s it?


    Kevin-What do you mean "that''s it?" You two can''t even take care of the stuff I gave you, both you and Gabriel have either lost or sold, I repeat, SOLD my stuff, you are in no way responsible enough to take care of a young girl by yourselves.


    Mak-(Oh crap, I didn''t expect this to turn back in him being angry about his stuff, quick change the subject). Ok, ok, Carmen will stay here, hey how about you finish what we talked about earlier today?


    Kevin-You mean the Draconic Gauntlet? You are right, after I make the calls I am going to have it finished by tomorrow and Gabriel can take it with him.


    Mak-(Great, he took the bait, now he probably won''t ask about the car, the name though is terrible).Great, it might come in handy and Gabriel can learn how to use it.


    Kevin-I wanted to run some tests on it before he wielded it though, I guess it can wait.


    Mak-Ok, I am going to make some luggage.


    Kevin-Sure, I will make the arrangements and then go to work on the Draconic Gauntlet.


    Mak-(Does he have to say the whole name every time?)


    Mak went upstairs to make his bags and Kevin looked for schools in Japan, meanwhile, Gabriel was at Carmen''s room and they were talking about the fight with the Shinigami and the trip to Japan...


    Gabriel-And after Mak started to draw the spell on the ground it went berserk, it pulled out a giant scythe and started slashing left and right, I barely managed to dodge it.


    Carmen-Wow, that sounds so cool, so what are you going to do now?


    Gabriel-Mak and I will go to Japan and find some...I can''t remember what they are called but there are people who will teach me how to defeat this thing.


    Carmen-Cool, can I come with you this time?


    Gabriel-I am not sure, it might be too dangerous for you.


    Carmen-I..I will be careful, I mean...You are there to protect me.


    Gabriel-Yes, I will protect you but I am more comfortable knowing that you are in no danger at all.


    Carmen-(He is so cute, he is afraid of me being in danger.) I understand, I also care for you.


    Gabriel-Yeah...I mean...we are like a team...I can''t let anything happen to you...It''s my duty to protect my friends and...


    Carmen-Friends?


    Gabriel-Yeah, I consider you my friend, Carmen.


    Carmen-I see, well I have to make lunch so I am going to the kitchen, you guys need a full stomach for the trip.


    Carmen smiled as she left Gabriel in the room and went downstairs to cook, she had a sad look on her face from what Gabriel said, while Gabriel was alone in Carmen''s room he also had some thoughts...


    Gabriel-(She is kind of cute...Come on Gabe, you have Helen, you can''t betray her even if Carmen is so nice and cute and...No, no, no, what am I thinking? Mak''s stupid sayings have gone in my head, Carmen couldn''t possibly like me, I mean she is really cute, she could have any guy she wants, why would she like me? No, I have to stay focused on Helen, I have to keep her image in my head, what if I see her again and she wants to be with me but I have betrayed her and had a relationship with


    another girl? That would devastate her, it would be bad, I should be single when I see her again and be ready to accept her love...)


    While Carmen was going downstairs she saw Mak who was coming upstairs to pack his bags...


    Carmen-Hi Mak, Gabriel told me about what happened, do you think that I could come along to Japan, Gabriel said that he doesn''t want me to be in any danger but I feel like when we are in Japan I could...


    Mak-Woah! Slow down, I get it...You think this could be your chance, right?


    Carmen-Well...


    Mak-I also asked Kevin about that, he said that it''s not possible.


    Carmen-I see...


    Mak-I don''t see what you like about this clueless idiot, I mean he has a lot of issues.


    Carmen-That''s not true, he has a lot in his mind and can''t afford to spend time in anything apart from his duty, that''s why he is so distant.


    Mak-You really think so? You have a lot to learn, young girl.


    Carmen-I am going to the kitchen to make lunch, want anything special?


    Mak-Anything you make is going to be delicious, it doesn''t matter what it is.


    Carmen-Thank you Mak. I''m off.


    Carmen is at the kitchen cooking, Mak is packing his bags, Gabriel is fighting with himself and Kevin is in the lab working on his project, everything seems so quiet despite the fact that there is a stray Shinigami bound in a place somewhere in the woods, Gabriel and Mak are going in Japan in search of the Onmyoji and their skills, their plan is to find one and persuade him to teach them his techniques, they don''t have any leads for now but Mak always has a plan. They are going to  Japan, once again as transfer students in order to avoid any confrontation with the law and to secure a place to stay, the plan is to find an Onmyoji in less than six days or else Kevin will probably have to figure out a way to power the binding ritual himself and that would pose other problems as for mortals to wield magic power they need to form pacts with supernatural beings often having to trade their souls and that complicates things for Kevin, even if he has an interest in things like that he has no intention to put himself in any situation of this sort if he can avoid it.

 New Classmates

    Gabriel and Mak have packed their things and were now ready to leave for the airport when something came in Gabriel''s mind, something that he should have thought from the first moment that they decided to take this trip...


    Gabriel-Wait, I just thought of something.


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-How the hell are we going to find this guy if we don''t know how to speak Japanese?


    Mak-That''s not a problem.


    Gabriel-How is that not a problem?


    Mak-I will cast a spell called Language of Babel.


    Gabriel-Fancy name, what is that?


    Mak-This spell is basically a global translator for all human languages.


    Gabriel-Cool.


    Mak-It was named based on the Babel Tower story.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Long ago...


    Gabriel-Oh crap.


    Mak-Don''t interrupt a man who tells a story.


    Gabriel-Maybe if I was interested.


    Mak-Long ago, the arrogant creature that was "man" wanted to reach into the heavens and see god with his own eyes...


    Gabriel-Do you have to say it like this?


    Mak-I will say it any way I want, just be cool for once in your life.


    Gabriel-Hmm...


    Mak-He decided to gather all his fellow men to build a tower so high that it would reach into God''s realm, the tower was called "The Tower of Babel"...


    Gabriel-Yes I heard that, go on...


    Mak-God found out about this plan, he destroyed the tower and made all humans speak a different tongue so that they couldn''t talk to each other and never be able to work together again to build the tower.


    Gabriel-Are you done?


    Mak-Anyway, this spell will allow us to understand Japanese and for others to understand what we are saying.


    Gabriel-You should have skipped the whole story thing and said that instead.


    Mak-Where is the fun in that?


    At this point, Kevin came into the living room just before Gabriel and Mak left for the airport...


    Kevin-Are you ready?


    Gabriel-Yes, we have to leave now in order to catch the plane.


    Mak-That wouldn''t have happened if you had woken up earlier.


    Gabriel-Fuck you, there was a good movie on TV last night.


    Mak-The one with the serial killer? That''s terrible.


    Gabriel-Well I liked it.


    Kevin-Before you go, Gabe, I finished the Draconic Gauntlet.


    Gabriel-Ok...


    Kevin-Take it with you, I want you to get used to it, it''s going to be in your arsenal soon enough.


    Gabriel-Sure, I''ll wear it under my coat.(So if anyone sees it I won''t have to say it''s stupid name.)


    Kevin-I haven''t run all the tests on it yet so if you find any more information about it, tell me.


    Mak-We have to go, where is Carmen? Doesn''t she want to say goodbye to us?


    Kevin-Carmen is a bit frustrated cause she couldn''t come along.


    Gabriel-Well, let''s go...


    Gabriel and Mak left the house and begun their way for the airport, as they closed the door behind them, Mak left a note outside of the front door...


    Gabriel-What is that?


    Mak-That''s for Kevin.


    They went to the airport and they managed to barely catch the plane, once they were on the plane and it was about to take off Gabriel wanted to ask Mak something...


    Gabriel-Hey.


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-Do you remember what Koma said?


    Mak-The Shinigami?


    Gabriel-Yeah, he said something about a true god of death.


    Mak-What about it?


    Gabriel-He said that this god of death''s return is the reason he went rogue, what do you think he was talking about?


    Mak-No idea, maybe he found a new master.


    Gabriel-Who?


    Mak-I don''t know, a different god?


    Gabriel-Can they do that?


    Mak-What happens between deities stays between deities, I couldn''t possibly know what policies they have.


    Gabriel-Is that so?


    Mak-Get a bit closer, I will now cast the spell.


    Gabriel-Ok.


    Mak raised his hand and started chanting the spell...


    Mak-Per potestas humana lingua et salutare, nos tibi ad linguam Babylonis.


    Gabriel-Well?


    Mak-You are an idiot.


    Gabriel-Fuck off.


    Mak-You understood that.


    Gabriel-Yeah?


    Mak-I just spoke German.


    Gabriel-It worked?


    Mak-It did.


    Gabriel-How can you cast spells like that?


    Mak-This is nothing, it''s a simple spell that anyone could cast with just the chant, it doesn''t require any power or catalyst to work.


    Gabriel-Wow.


    Mak-Cool huh?


    Gabriel-No, I just thought that you truly are useless apart from the encyclopedia in your head.


    Mak-Good night.


    Gabriel-You are going to sleep?


    Mak-Yeah, I caught the movie last night to, I haven''t slept at all.


    Gabriel-Whatever.


    The airplane arrived at Tokyo, the capital of Japan, once they stepped out of the airport the number of people there amazed both of them, thousands of people walking by them and not a single one paid attention to two foreign people that


    just arrived, it was like everyone was in his own little world where nothing matters except themselves, in the huge mass of people they noticed someone holding a sign with their names, just like last time, someone from the school had come to


    pick them up and just like last time, Mak was disappointed by the fact that Kevin gave their real names instead of what he wanted...


    Mak-I told him to say that our names were Gabriel and Ace.


    Gabriel-This again?


    Mak-Whatever.


    Jo-Helo boys, my name is Jo Sumiteru, nice see you.


    Gabriel-It''s ok, we know Japanese.


    Jo-I tried my best to speak English, I am happy to see you arrived, I am going to take you to the boys'' dorm of the school, that''s where you two are going to stay while you study at our school. Good, hey?


    Mak-Boy''s dorm?


    Jo-Yeah, we don''t want you to mess around with the girls now, hey?


    Mak-So the girls stay at a different place?


    Jo-Yeah, the place that the girls stay is close enough to your place but, there is a big strong guy who patrols the area for anyone suspicious, hey?


    Gabriel whispered to Mak...


    Gabriel-It''s happening again...


    Mak-What is?


    Gabriel-What''s the matter with this people?


    Mak-Don''t tell me you wanted to mess with the girls of the school.


    Gabriel-I meant the way he talks.


    Mak-Oh...


    Jo-And this strong guy is going to punish you if he sees you going to the girls'' dorm, hey?


    Mak-Ok, we get it, don''t mess with the girls.


    Jo-Yeah, let''s go Gabriel, Mak.


    Jo, the person who was responsible for the boys'' dorm took Gabriel and mak with his car, they drove all the way to the school gate where he showed them the main school building, the huge metal gate was surrounded with red brick that stretched


    all around the school grounds, the place was like a small village with lots of buildings housing different clubs, inside school grounds was also a park, a cafeteria and a shopping mall, the two-meter high brick wall encased the entire place, there was


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.only one way in and out of school grounds and that was the metal gate that they were standing, the place was full of trees and small walkways that spread in different paths each leading to a different location within the school, after Jo showed them the building that housed all the male students of the school, he brought them inside and showed them their room, it was way different than the one they had in England, the room for two was much bigger and inside was a two huge beds with a side table at each one, there was a big carpet on the floor with Japanese writings and the walls were full with paintings, there was a seperate bathroom for each person and each bathroom had it''s own bathtub and toilet, the room was like a small appartment, besides the room where the beds were, there was also a space like a living room with a small table and pillows all around it, a tv that had satelite channels and was conected to a gaming console. Both Gabriel and Mak were amazed by the size of the room as well as the interior, Jo left them there and told them to rest for the day, he gave them a schedule of the class and the restaurant as well as a schedule of the working hours of the mall...


    Gabriel-This place is awesome.


    Mak-How much did Kevin spend to send us here?


    Gabriel-Shit, now I feel even worse about his car.


    Mak-With this amount of money he could buy a better one.


    Gabriel-Have you considered that he might have emotional ties with his things and it''s not just a matter of money?


    Mak-Maybe, well now I feel bad about his car too.


    Gabriel-Let''s see what games are on the console.


    Mak-Seriously?


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Do you remember that there is a death spirit back home?


    Gabriel-Oh yeah.


    Mak-Let''s settle our stuff and take a walk around the school.


    Gabriel-Sure...


    Gabriel and Mak unpacked and they headed out of the dorm, they walked all around the outer edge of the school and they saw multiple students who all looked at them with interest, they didn''t have a chance to talk to anyone, after a couple of  minutes they decided to take a look at the park, the place was full of cherry blossoms, there was a small walkway and a wooden fence separated it from the cherry blossoms, multiple benches were placed and many students passed along the way, many of them didn''t even pay attention to them, it was now about time for bed and the school''s strict policy of night time didn''t allow for students to roam the school at late hours, soon enough Gabriel and Mak had to go back to their room...


    Gabriel-Well...


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-All we did was to walk around like a couple of idiots when we could have played on the console.


    Mak-What''s the matter with you and that console?


    Gabriel-I didn''t have a console at the orphanage, ok?


    Mak-That''s the savior of the world!


    Gabriel-...


    Mak-Tomorrow after class we are going out to a nearby shrine, I hope that we can come across an Onmyoji.


    Gabriel-Fair.


    Morning came by and both Gabriel and Mak woke up and got ready for class, they met someone in the hallway when they were on their way to class...


    Mrs.Misa-Hello boys, my name is Kurokawa Misa, I will be your teacher and responsible for this class, I will take you two inside now to meet the other students.


    Mrs.Misa opened the door and told Gabriel and Mak to wait until she called for them...


    Mrs.Misa-Good morning class, today we are going to welcome two young boys, they are not from around here and I expect you to be nice to them, if I see anyone being mean to them without any reason I will severely punish you, say hello to Gabriel and his brother Mak, both of them will be your new classmates. Gabriel and Mak walked inside the classroom, instantly they noticed the looks on every student''s face, some girls smiled at them and some seemed overjoyed, most boys in the class had a rude grin on their face apart from one, a big guy with lots of


    muscle smiled at them with all his heart, some boys didn''t even look at them and Gabriel noticed a strange girl, she had long dark hair and a pink ribbon tied around her neck, she was pale and she looked at Gabriel with a mean look, as if she saw someone she knew she would hate, there was also one more guy who looked at thim the same way, a short skinny guy with messy dark hair and a torn uniform, he clearly didn''t like them, the tall strong guy with the brown hair had someone else  next to him, his smile and joy of the two new classmates were so vivid that the one next to him was almost not noticeable, a boy with curly blonde hair and pale skin, his hair was obviously styled with some sort of hair product and it seemed like he was well built as well, he had a worked out body but nowhere close to that of the person next to him, these two and the two that looked at them mean were the first who caught their attention, the teacher asked them to select a place to sit and after a brief catching up for the two new students she begun the lesson. Gabriel felt a little embarassed, he once again felt like an outcast at school, Mak noticed it and whispered to him...


    Mak-Mate, chill out.


    Gabriel-I...


    Mak-Look, I know you are a wuss but now we are on a mission, don''t act like an idiot or we might get in trouble.


    Gabriel-Ok.


    Mak-Also, this girl in the front hasn''t stopped staring at you.


    Gabriel-Why?


    Mak-Who knows, maybe she likes you.


    Gabriel-With that look, I think she hates me.


    Mak-Also there are others who have taken interest in you, see this huge guy and the guy next to him?


    Gabriel-Yeah.


    Mak-They also peeked a couple of times at you, also this ugly dude in the back hasn''t stopped looking at you.


    Gabriel-He looks like the class bully.


    Mak-Don''t tell me after you fought a demon in hell you are afraid of a bully.


    Gabriel-Well, it''s not the same thing...


    Mak-What an idiot.


    Now Gabriel and mak are in class, after the class ends for today they plan to visit a local shrine in search of an Onmyoji, they will have to look hard because they now have five days to find one and return home before the binding spell on Koma fades and he is free, time grows short and pressure rises, for now, even if it seems stupid, Gabriel has to endure once again the feeling of being an outcast in a class, this hasn''t happened while he was in England but the strange look that some  students had has made him anxious and the constant staring didn''t help either, there are a couple classes before he can get out and go the shrine, Gabriel has to fight this feeling until class is over for today...

 Awkward Encounter

    The first period was over and now Gabriel and Mak were on a break for a couple of minutes, of course, they drew the attention of everyone in the class due to them being new guys, when the teacher, Mrs.Misa left the classroom everyone gathered


    around them, at first a girl with dark hair and a bow on her head and a cheerful smile approached them and begun asking questions...


    Miko-Hi, Gabriel, Mak, my name is Fukazuki Miko, nice to meet you, where are you two from?


    Gabriel was startled from her talking so much and stayed silent, Mak, having way better social skills answered casually...


    Mak-Hi, Miko-chan, nice to meet you too, we are from a small European village, you probably won''t know its name.


    Miko-I see, why did you decide to come to our school?


    Gabriel looked at Miko, then he looked at Mak and back to Miko...


    Mak-In our previous school there was someone who bullied Gabriel and he decided he had enough, so we left and we saw this school on the internet, he said he loved the way it looked in pictures.


    Miko-I am sorry to hear that in our time there are people who bully others, Gabriel seems quite shy, maybe that''s why this happened. Gabriel couldn''t speak a word, all kinds of thoughts popped in his head, like how are things still coming out of her mouth, why hasn''t she stopped talking? Also, he was amazed at how easily Mak used his story in order to make an extremely possible scenario that fast and without any effort he replied to everything that Miko asked...


    Mak-Yes, he is very shy, I mostly do all the talking when people approach us.


    At this point both Gabriel and Mak noticed the same girl that was staring at Gabriel, she kept her distance and continued to observe them interested but also wary of them.


    Miko-Or maybe this guy bullied poor Gabriel because he was jealous.


    Mak-Jealous?


    Miko-Yes because Gabriel is cute.


    Gabriel''s eyes opened up slightly after he heard that, he looked at Miko and then to the ground as he was too embarrassed to keep eye contact, Miko noticed that...


    Miko-How cute!


    Mak-Well if you find Gabriel cute, then...


    Miko-What?


    Mak-Forget it, I see that there is a line waiting behind you.


    Miko-They are all waiting to ask you guys lots of questions, later.


    Mak-See you, Miko-chan!


    When Miko left, another student came close, this time it was one of the people that was staring at them earlier, the tall muscular guy with the brown hair, as he came close to them he had a huge smile with all of his perfect white teeth showing, a


    sincere smile with just a hint of curiosity...


    Kato-Nice to meet you, my name is Atasuke Kato, I am the class representative.


    Mak-Hi, Atasuke-san, as you know, I am Mak and this guy is Gabriel, nice to meet you.


    At this point the boy that was sitting next to Kato cut the line and stood next to him, up close both Gabriel and mak noticed how all the girls of the class looked at him, his curly blonde hair and his facial and body features all screamed handsome, Gabriel looked at him and noticed that he must be one of those ladies men, he immediately made an annoyed face as this types of people always made Gabriel angry, without any effort they looked good and had all the girls falling for them...


    Asano-Heyo, I am Shunichi Asano, better remember this name cause you will be hearing it a lot.


    Mak-Nice to meet you, Shunichi-san.


    Asano-Hey, Kato, would you like to ask them first?


    Kato-Now, now Asano, don''t be rude to the new guys, I am sure we will have plenty of time to ask them, first let''s tell them about ourselves.


    Asano-Sure, I am awesome, I play at the basketball team, so does Kato, he is the captain of the team as well as the class representative.


    At this point a beautiful girl passing by stepped in...


    Girl-Hey, Shunichi-senpai, would you like to come with us to the cafeteria?


    Asano replied with a hearty smile...


    Asano-Not now, I am in the middle of something, catch you later...


    Gabriel-(Fuck off, pretty boy.)


    Another girl, even more beautiful girl asked something similar...


    Girl-Shunichi-san, how about joining me and my friends at our room tonight?


    Asano-I don''t know about today, I have to study and practice with the team.


    Girl-Too bad, kisses.


    Mak-You are quite popular Shunichi-san.(And irritating.)


    Kato-You guys will get used to this, Asano-san has lots of fans.


    Gabriel-I am sure about that. (I bet he hasn''t beat the shit out of vampires and demons though).


    Kato-Now, I have to ask a favor of you two, could you meet me at a shrine close by after school? I want to ask you guys something and this isn''t the right place. Especially you, Gabriel-san.


    Asano--Yes, we can ask them at the shrine, how did I not think of that?


    Gabriel-(Cause you are a fucking idiot with a pretty face.)


    Kato''s honesty and cheerful character made it almost impossible to deny him, Mak also said that they should also visit the shrine after school so this wouldn''t be such a bad idea...


    Mak-Sure, Atasuke-san, we will see you there, I presume Shunichi-san will also be there since he was so eager to ask the same question?


    Asano-You are a clever one, Mak-san.


    Gabriel-(Unlike you, clown.)


    Kato-We shall see each other later, I guess.


    Mak-What? Aren''t you two going to stay for next class?


    Kato-I am sorry, the basketball team has practice today and both me and Asano-san will have to leave as soon as the bell rings.


    Mak-Being in the team lets you skip class? Cool.


    Asano-It''s one of the privileges of being awesome.


    Gabriel-(I swear before I leave I will punch your stupid little perfect face to the ground.) Later then.


    Kato, Asano-Later.


    Lots of other students came by and all of them asked questions like where they were from and why did they enroll to this school, one of them even asked if they wanted to buy smokes from him. Before even half of them got their turn the bell rung for


    the next class, everyone returned to their seats apart from Kato and Asano who left for basketball practice, Gabriel finally could relax and had some time to think straight, all of these questions were just too much for him, he never had to do much


    talking and socialize with this many people at once, when he found his chance he turned to whisper to Mak...


    Gabriel-Don''t tell me that we are going to see this guy again?


    Mak-Why, I like Kato, he seems like a cool guy.


    Gabriel-I know, come one though...


    Mak-I get you, this guy makes me mad too. How much arrogance can fit in a small head like his?


    Gabriel-Fucking idiot, I was this close to crushing his head on the desk.


    Mak-Keep you calm, you can''t let someone like him blow our cover, the entire police department will be on our asses if you do something stupid.


    Gabriel-I just...Why him? Why are there all those idiots with their well-built bodies and the pretty faces get all the girls?


    Mak-Are you jealous? You have a good looking body as well, now for the face that''s another story.


    Gabriel-I am not jealous, I have killed vampires and demons, what has he done? Has he even held a gun? I have an Uzi.


    Mak-Relax, relax, let me do all the talking, we will have to go to the shrine anyway, don''t forget why we are here. There is a Shinigami trapped back home.


    Gabriel-I know, it''s that...I don''t understand why he is so...


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.Mak-I am glad that we didn''t bring Carmen with us, I don''t think she could resist this guy.


    Gabriel-Carmen would never fall for someone this shallow and arrogant and stupid and...


    Mak-Yeah...


    Gabriel-I mean...


    Mak-Hey, by the way, this crazy chick in front is staring again, don''t look but this time she looks even scarier.


    Gabriel-What''s up with her.


    Mak-Maybe Asano dumped her and now she digs you.


    Gabriel-Don''t even joke about that, I have Helen.


    Mak-Whatever.


    For the rest of the class Mak fell asleep on his desk and Gabriel kept looking at the ceiling, they obviously had no intention to pay attention to the teacher and both of them were bored from the moment that they entered the classroom, the rest of


    the day passed and now they had some time before it was launch time, after they had finished eating they were going to visit the shrine and meet with Kato and Asano even though Gabriel didn''t want to talk to him again, when they went outside to


    the cafeteria area they saw him again, this time he was surrounded with girls and all of them were holding packed food that had made to give it to him...


    Girls-Asano-senpai! Please take the launch!


    Asano-I am sorry girls, I had launch with the team earlier, maybe next time.


    Girls-Oof.


    Gabriel cringed and looked at Mak, he then whispered...


    Gabriel-Can I just rip of his head?


    Mak-I want to say yes...but no.


    Gabriel-I mean besides his body and his face and his smile what else does he have?


    Mak-Nothing, he is a shallow dude.(If that''s going to keep you calm?)


    Gabriel-He doesn''t have an Uzi, he doesn''t have a dragon scale strapped to his arm...


    Mak-(He irritates me as well but damn, Gabriel is furious, what''s going to happen if he speaks with him again, I have to find a way to calm him down completely.I knew his mental state wasn''t the best but fuck.)


    While Gabriel was muttering about Asano, a girl entered the cafeteria area, every head in the room turned to see her, she was gorgeous, straight black hair coming down to her slim waist, her uniform covered a perfect bust and the skirt was like a barrier holding anyone away from witnessing heaven, the look on her face made it clear that she and everyone else knew she was pretty, all of the boys in the area where stunned by her just walking by, she passed by the table that all the girls were around Asano without even turning her head to face him, Gabriel and Mak obviously were also so captivated that they didn''t notice she was coming right to their table, they were sitting just the two of them at a table right across the kitchen, even the cook that was standing behind the counter was left with his jaw dropped, a middle-aged man with signs of baldness and a stained white tank top that covered a big belly, a grown man was left speechless by the girl that was walking in front of him and as soon as everyone thought that time has stopped she talked...


    Yume-Hi, my name is Tsukiyama Yume, you must be the students that tranfered to our school, I am a senior here, nice to meet you. Gabriel couldn''t even breath at this moment, he didn''t even reallize that she was talking to him, it seemed like his mind was in another place, Mak being the guy he is had all the confidence in the world to reply to her, even if he messed up a little...


    Mak-Hello, Tsukiyama-senpai, I am Mak and this guy is Gabriel, we tranfered here from a small village in middle Europe, we are going to study in this school and I am very happy to see that we will meet every day...


    Yume-Haha...


    Her smile was perfect, just looking at it made your heart melt, Gabriel and Mak felt a slight heat in their chest when she smilled like she warmed their souls...


    Yume-You sure talk a lot, Gabriel-san doesn''t seem to be the talkative guy.


    Mak-Who? Oh yeah, Gabriel is very shy, this is all new to him and he didn''t have a very good time at his old school, what''s your star sign?


    Yume-You are very funny, haha...


    Gabriel finally snapped out of it and he became his old self, no woman could ever move his heart, when he could think straight that smile he subconsciously had just by looking at her disappeared and turned to a poker face...


    Yume-I see, Gabriel-san had some bad experiences, that explains why he hasn''t spoke a single word and he is looking at me like that.


    Gabriel-How exactly?


    Yume-At least you talked to me, most guys have a cheerful face when I talk to them, with you it''s different.


    Gabriel-It takes more than a pretty face to move me.


    Yume-I didn''t...


    Mak-What are you talking about? Don''t be rude to her! I am sorry about that, he isn''t accustomed to talking to other people and he didn''t mean anything rude, right Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Why are you here? Asano''s table is over there, why not go there like all the other girls?


    Yume-Wha...I...


    Mak-Gabriel, just shut up, why are you so mean to Yume!?


    Yume-Maybe I should go...


    Mak-Sorry about that, Yume-senpai, I hope we will see you again.


    Yume went to a table at the opposite corner of them and sat down to eat launch, Mak looked at Gabriel and he was mad...


    Mak-What the fuck was that?


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Why did you talk so rude to her? All she did was to say hi.


    Gabriel-I know how these girls work, they come playing all innocent to try and seduce you, to make you their puppet, put you in their grasp, she came here to see if we would turn out as victims to her beauty, this kinds of tricks don''t work on me.


    Mak-What the hell are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?


    Gabriel-It''s the same thing over and over again, they try to get inside your head with their pretty faces and their happy personality, women distract your mind and then use you.


    Mak-Dude, you seriously need to calm down, I could have had a shot with that.


    Gabriel-She would just give you false hope and then destroy your self-esteem.


    Mak-I don''t think...


    Gabriel-Besides what would you tell her?" I am Mak, I look like a human but I am an ugly goblin".


    Mak-Fuck you.


    Gabriel-Even if you managed to get her, then what? Have you considered that if you have sex with her she would give birth to a goblin?


    Mak-I would pull out, you humans do it all the time.


    Gabriel-Stop making me imagine goblin sex for fuck''s sake!


    Mak-You are the one who brought this up.


    Gabriel-And I will put it back down, I will put you down if you ever do anything like that to a human girl, I thought goblins could mate with everything.


    Mak-All females with high standards despite their race are attractive to goblins, this one was gorgeous!


    Gabriel-I said stop.This has turned way to disgusting to continue.


    Gabriel and Mak continued arguing and launch time was almost over, leaving behind this horrible discussion about goblin mating they will soon have to go the shrine and first meet with Kato and Asano, then they can begin their search for an Onmyoji and the shrine is the perfect place for that since Onmyojis often go to these places to pray, their power comes from ancestral spirits of the dead, ghosts that still roam the earth and haven''t been claimed by the Shinigami, these souls stay behind because they have unfinished business and are often bound to their place of death, gifting their spiritual energy to an Onmyoji is the only way they have to be somewhat free and by praying the Onmyoji are channeling these spirits and their energy.

 Onmyoji in Training?

    Launch time was over and Gabriel had to return to class, Mak didn''t want to walk with him because of the way he treated Yume, Gabriel also didn''t want to hear anymore of Mak talking about goblin mating so leaving him behind was a wise choice, all students returned to class, Gabriel sat down on his seat and waited for the teacher to arrive, out of habit he tried to reach for his cigarettes but he forgot that he didn''t bring any, that annoyed him slightly, that''s when he noticed the same girl looking at him menacing, he couldn''t figure out why she was staring at him and everytime he looked at her she turned her head ignoring the fact that they had made eye contact several times by now, since the only people he had talked with were Asano and Kato he couldn''t ask anyone about her so he had to endure it, Gabriel wasn''t accustomed to being eyed like that, Mak entered the classroom and sat beside Gabriel...


    Mak-Have you calmed down?


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-You were pretty mad with Yume earlier.


    Gabriel-I told you, that''s exactly what these kinds of people want, to divide friends and make them argue with one another, they are using their looks to fulfill their sick desires, the same thing happened in England.


    Mak-You mean that hot redhead we saw there? What was her name again? Jannet, Jenny?


    Gabriel-Julie.


    Mak-Yeah, a real stunner that one.


    Gabriel-Exactly, that''s what they do, they cloud your thoughts and make you say and do things you wouldn''t normally do, they try to bring out your worst self and when they succeed they mock you.


    Mak-You are overreacting again, let''s focus on why we are here in the first place.


    Gabriel-Sure, but...


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-Do you think you can talk to someone about that girl in the front?


    Mak-Is she looking at you funny again?


    Gabriel-That''s not funny, it''s creepy.


    Mak-Yeah, I''ll talk with that other creepy guy over there.


    Mak pointed to the other person who was watching Gabriel weirdly, his torn school uniform and the messy hair made him look scary and the fact that he was also staring at Gabriel made it all worse.


    Gabriel-Are you sure about that?


    Mak-Yes?


    Gabriel-I don''t know, he is kind of scary.


    Mak-Now I have seen it all, a man who escaped hell itself is afraid of a thug.


    Gabriel-I am not afraid, just...Do whatever you want, just ask him about the other girl during the break.


    Mak-Got you.


    Class finished without any more incidents and as soon as the break started Mak approached this guy that Gabriel told him about, he was pale with messy dark hair and a grim look, he saw Mak approaching him and instantly he was readied


    himself for something...


    Mak-Hey there mate, I am Mak, this is my first day at this school.


    Matsuo-I am Shinobu Matsuo.


    Mak-Nice to meet you Shinobu-san.


    Matsuo-Yeah.


    Mak-Uhg...Can I ask you something? You seem like the kind of guy who knows things around here.


    Matsuo-What?


    Mak-This girl that was sitting at the front desk...


    Matsuo-What about her?


    Mak-Well, she doesn''t seem to like me very much, during class she was staring intensely, is she always like that with new guys?


    Matsuo-Not really.


    Mak-You are not the talkative type huh?


    Matsuo-Now I would like to ask you something.


    Mak-I am listening...


    Matsuo-Why are you interested in her?


    Mak-It''s just that she was staring and my pal, Gabriel felt a little uneasy, that''s all.


    Matsuo-Shimoda Tamika.


    Mak-Huh?


    Matsuo-Her name is Shimoda Tamika.


    Mak-Tamika-chan, huh?


    Matsuo-No! Don''t you even dare to call Shimoda-san that.


    Mak-That''s a new one. What''s up with you all of a sudden?


    Matsuo-Let me ask you this, what''s up with you and Gabriel?


    Mak-I don''t understand...


    Matsuo-Don''t play dumb with me.


    Tamika-Matsuo.


    Tamika appeared right next to Matsuo at this point, she obviously understood that there was something of...


    Matsuo responded in a way more different tone that the one he was talking to Mak, his voice cracked as he spoke...


    Matsuo-Tamika-san?


    Tamika-Mak?


    Mak-Yes, Shimoda-san.


    Tamika-Is it possible that you asked Matsuo about me?


    Mak-Well...Yeah, I was quite curious as why you are looking funny at Gabriel, not that I am gonna start a fight or anything but you are making him a bit uncomfortable, you see, he isn''t very social and being stared at makes him feel weird.


    Tamika-You sure talk a lot.


    Tamika''s voice was calm but also sad, her tone was very quiet to the point that it seemed like she was whispering even though she was clearly addressing Mak, with every word that came out of her mouth, Mak felt like he was being hit by a cold breeze, her almost perfect uniform, the dark hair that went all the way down to her waist and the pink ribbon that encircled her neck, all of this characteristics made Tamika seem very strange and creepy, even though she has just said a few words, Mak was already shaking from the way she looked and talked...


    Tamika-Gabriel...


    Mak-Y..yes?


    Tamika-What''s going on with him?


    Mak-I told you, he is very shy and...


    Tamika-I am not talking about that?


    Mak-Apart from that, he is a very mediocre boy.


    Tamika-There isn''t anything special about him?


    Mak-He looks good in suits, the school uniform isn''t bringing out his whole character.(Strange.)


    Tamika-I saw you talk with Kato and Asano earlier.


    Mak-Yes, they are both very cool dudes.


    Tamika-I am aware that they have planned a date with you two.


    Mak-Yes, they invited us to a shrine nearby, do you think that we shouldn''t go? They aren''t selling drugs, are they?


    Tamika-No, you should meet them there, tell Gabriel that I am sorry I made him feel uncomfortable.


    Mak-I will. (That''s one of my best jokes, she didn''t even crack a smile, she is empty on the inside as much as the outside, like a fucking a ghost.)


    Tamika-Matsuo.


    Matsuo-Yes!?


    Tamika-Come with me for a second.


    Matsuo-Yes!


    Mak returned next to Gabriel who was at this point extremely irritated by the fact that he hasn''t managed to light a cigarette...


    Gabriel-So?


    Mak-This champ is called Matsuo and your new girlfriend is Tamika.


    Gabriel-Matsuo and Tamika, huh? Well, they are the most interesting ones around here.


    Mak-Really?


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-You find those weirdos interesting but at the same time, you shit talk Yume-chan?


    Gabriel-Fuck you, and stop calling her Yume-chan.


    Mak-We are in Japan, just be cool for once.


    Gabriel-Did you find why she was staring at me?


    Mak-She asked if there is anything special about you?


    Gabriel-Should we be worried?


    Mak-Nah, she probably digs you, lucky boy.


    Gabriel-Cut the crap, class is almost over, are you ready to meet that ashole?


    Mak-Yeah, are we going right after class?


    Gabriel-Yes, do you have anything better to do?


    Mak-I was thinking of going to the senior floor upstairs and...


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.Gabriel-Don''t tell me you are going to see Yume.


    Mak-Why not?


    Gabriel-Because she is a bitch.


    Mak-Shut the fuck up you don''t even know her, this is just your stupid assumption.


    Gabriel-I know these kinds of girls.


    Mak-No you don''t, you are just an idiot.


    Gabriel-We are going straight to the shrine after class.


    Mak-Fine.


    The bell rang and the final lesson for the day was about to begin, Mak and Gabriel didn''t pay any attention as both of them thought of how to deal with Asano''s annoying character, the class ended and they were now ready to meet the two of them at the shrine, as they walked they didn''t speak a word to each other and both of them tried to find a reason as to why they wanted to meet them, if this was about showing dominance over the new kids then Gabriel wouldn''t have a problem beating both of them while Mak stayed behind, if it was just some plain get to know them then Gabriel would have to find a way to stay far from Asano, all of a sudden they were now standing at the very entrance of the shrine, they went up a huge stairway without realizing it and they were now at a big empty space like a courtyard with a big red arch that signified the entrance to the shrine, a small building with obvious Japanese architecture mad from the weakest of materials like wood, between them and the building were standing Kato and Asano, they both looked eager to speak with Gabriel and Mak, as for them they looked at each other as to agree on some non-existent plan, they came close and Mak initiated the conversation...


    Mak-Nice to see you didn''t bail on us.


    Kato-Thanks for coming Mak, Gabriel.


    Asano-I really thought that you would chicken out.


    Mak-Chicken out? You didn''t give me the impression that you wanted a fight, haha.


    Asano-I didn''t?


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Kato-Now, now, Asano-san, what he wanted to say was that we wanted to talk about something very important.


    Asano-You can talk while I beat his ass!


    Just like that Asano pulled out an array of strange papers with Japanese wordings written on them...


    Asano-"Oh great spirit of flame and ash, hear my call and unleash your fury on those who stand before me. Ignicious!"


    With the chant finished a series of fireballs went straight for Gabriel, as soon as Gabriel took grasp of the situation he pulled his hand in front of his face to block the attack with the gauntlet, even if he could himself endure the attack, there was no guarantee that the impact wouldn''t hurt Mak who was standing next to him so very quickly, Gabriel made the decision to nullify the attack...


    Asano-As I figured, you are quite a tough one, huh?


    Kato-Asano, I didn''t want to do this!


    Asano-What are you talking about? Are you blind or what?


    The barrage of fireballs were still going towards Gabriel who was blocking with his hand...


    Kato-We didn''t even give them time to explain.


    Gabriel-Maybe you have to explain some things.


    Asano-What!?


    Without any of them realizing, Gabriel leaped towards them, looking Asano directly in the eyes he was close to enough for their breaths to hit one another and as Gabriel pulled his hand back to launch a devastating attack on Asano something hit him from the side, Kato reacted in an instant knocking Gabriel back with a golden staff with chimes hanging from the tip, Gabriel placed his hands in the floor to stop the momentum of the attack, he looked back up only to see Kato now standing in front of him ready to a strike down on him...


    Gabriel-Are you serious?


    Kato-As much as I wanted to talk first, I can''t forgive you for trying to hurt my friend."Elephant Bite"


    Gabriel raised both his hands to block the strike from the staff, the impact of the attack buried Gabriel in the ground a few meters but he was able to withstand the hit.


    Asano-Stand back! Gentle spirit of the earth, unleash your might "Mountain Dive".


    Kato jumped back, by the face he made, it was clear that the attack that Asano was about to do would be strong enough to damage both of them, a huge boulder appeared out of thin air and dropped on Gabriel who was down on his knees from the  previous strike, Gabriel looked at it and punched the rock with all his strength shattering it into pieces...


    Gabriel-Mak stand back!


    Mak-I already am.


    Kato-Protecting your friend is a smart move.


    Kato was once again standing in front of Gabriel, he was about to strike again, this time Gabriel had time to react and blocked his hit...


    Kato-You are quite resilient.


    Gabriel-Question is are you?


    Gabriel punched Kato with the same force as before when he smashed the rock but to his surprise, Kato blocked it with his staff...


    Gabriel-Wha...


    Kato-It seems I can''t hold back any longer, "Tiger Rush".


    A series of rapid strikes came down on Gabriel who failed to block all of them, some of Kato''s hits reached Gabriel dealing considerable damage, while trying to block, Gabriel realized that Kato matched his speed and almost his streangth, by


    focusing enough, Gabriel was able to block all the strikes from Kato, the hits were so strong that the shockwave emitted destroyed the nearby stone formations that were scattered around the courtyard, as they continued to fight a strange voice could be heard, a calm but also powerful voice that came from behind the small building. It was Tamika...


    Tamika-Enough, both of you stand down.


    Gabriel-What?


    Kato-Shimoda-san.


    Asano-Tamika-chan!


    Mak-Shimoda?


    Tamika and Matsuo appeared from behind the shrine, they walked towards the two guys that were trading blows just seconds ago...


    Tamika-I expected Asano to do something stupid, but you, Kato, I thought you were smarter than this.


    Kato-I am sorry Shimoda-san.


    Asano-Come on Tamika-chan, give me a smile.


    Tamika-Shut up, you idiot!


    Matsuo-You know, maybe we should talk with them...


    Gabriel-What the fuck is going on here?


    Mak got out of his hiding spot...


    Mak-You care to explain?


    Tamika-How about you start?


    Mak-Me? They are the ones who started doing this magical shit and tried to hit us.


    Tamika-Don''t play dumb with me, you know what they did.


    Mak-Onmyoji techniques.


    Tamika-Yes, now your turn.


    Mak-As I figured.


    Gabriel-Is anyone going to explain to me what the hell is going on?


    Mak-We are lucky mate, these guys here are what we are looking for.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-They are Onmyoji.


    Gabriel-Oh, why the hell did you guys attack me all of a sudden?


    Mak-They can see your aura.


    Gabriel-Aura?


    Mak-Your energy, that''s why Tami...Shimoda-san was staring at you earlier.


    Tamika-Correct, your energy signified that you were not a human, what are you?


    Gabriel-I am not sure.


    Asano-What kind of bullshit is this? Let me kill whatever this is.


    Tamika-I am sorry for the actions of this fool, we are Onmyoji students, now tell me about you...

 Raiju Threat

    Gabriel''s fight with Kato and Asano ended the moment Tamika and Matsuo showed up, right now they are trying to figure out exactly what is going on, Tamika explained that the four of them are onmyoji in training and the reason they attacked  Gabriel was because they show his different aura and they were cautious about it...


    Tamika-So, tell me about you, Gabriel-san.


    Gabriel-There isn''t much to say.


    Tamika-Don''t play games, there are four of us, we can all see your aura, dark, evil, furious but also kind and righteous, what kind of being possesses such aura?


    Gabriel-I told you, I don''t...


    Mak-Let me explain, when I told you that Gabriel isn''t good with words, that wasn''t a lie.


    Asano-This is getting boring, let me fight this guy.


    Tamika-You clearly are a stupid looker.


    Asano-I knew you liked me, Tamika-chan.


    Tamika-Idiot, this guy went toe to toe with Kato without using any kind of magic, this strange aura sure isn''t for show, who knows what could have happened if I didn''t step in.


    Kato-Shimoda-san is right, Gabriel-dono was able to keep up with me with just his physical strength.


    Gabriel-(I am surprised that this guy kept up with me even though I have a vampire''s strength).


    Tamika-I will ask once again, tell me what you are.


    Mak-I''ll talk.


    Tamika-And you, Mak-san, what''s your connection with Gabriel, why is a goblin accompanying such a weird person?


    Mak-I see, you can see past the glamour spell.


    Tamika-No, your spell is able to keep your true appearance from us but I also recognized your aura, weak in power but extremely strong character.


    Gabriel-What do you know? They know you are weak.


    Mak-Shut up.


    Tamika-Excuse me, I am still here and I want an answer.


    Mak-Let me explain, Gabriel and I are part of a team of individuals who take care of unjust violence performed by supernatural creatures, Gabriel''s origin is unknown even to him, as much as we know his powers are a mix of hellfire and holy light...


    Matsuo-Impossible.


    Mak-That''s what I thought when I first show it, Gabriel show them.


    Gabriel focused a small amount of his energy at his hands, just enough to demonstrate what Mak has said...


    Matsuo-Woah.


    Tamika-I believe you, continue.


    Mak-As I said, we are part of a team, back home there are two more people, a young esper girl that I rescued from the road and a scientist who worked for the military on skin tissue of vampires, he is the one who installed a device on Gabriel''s chest that is keeping the opposing cells from fighting each other, it is also capable of absorbing new cells and adding them to the vessel that is this brilliant idiot...


    Gabriel-Screw you.


    Tamika-Show me this device.


    Gabriel-It is connected to my heart, the only thing I can show you is the scar that I have.


    Tamika-That will do.


    Gabriel lifted his shirt to reveal the only scar that is left in his body, the scar from the operation that Kevin did, his vampire powers healed every other scar that he had since then.


    Mak-See, now Gabriel and I came to Japan because we have a serious problem, back home a Shinigami appeared and killed multiple people before we casted a spell to bind it in one spot, none of Gabriel''s attacks were able to damage it.


    Tamika-The Shinigami are death spirits, why would it come to your country to claim souls?


    Mak-That''s the problem, this one was a stray, no longer bound to Yama, it was acting on it''s own.


    Tamika-A stray Shinigami? That makes no sense, the Shinigami are powerful but they are loyal to the king of the afterlife.


    Mak-That''s what we thought, this one is called Koma, he said he served another powerful master, a god of death that has now awakened.


    Tamika-Then it wasn''t a stray, once they live the service of Yama they lose the protection that the god has given them, this one must be protected by it''s new master.


    Mak-Maybe, we came in Japan in search of you guys, I hoped that you would have a way to deal with a Shinigami and that you would teach Gabriel the way.


    Tamika-You claim to protect people from monsters yet you do not belong to any organization.


    Mak-What?


    Tamika-There are plenty of people who do this kind of thing, protect humans from the threat of supernatural beings, the onmyoji, the Vatican, the shamans of the south, Asano has worked with the Vatican before, they should be the ones that take care of these problems, your story doesn''t add up, why is there a team of four fighting?


    Gabriel-You knew about all of these people?


    Mak-No, I posses the memories and the knowledge of a dragon, he probably wasn''t around when these groups formed.


    Tamika-The onmyoji are around for centuries fighting oni and yokai.


    Mak-The Vatican must have a secret force then.


    Tamika-Yes, and your region is under their protection. I will say it again, your story doesn''t add up.


    Mak-(This is difficult, Gabriel was in fact just killing creatures that didn''t provide any danger, my village was the first case).


    Gabriel-My story? What do you people know about our story? What do you know about the fights I have been in!?


    Mak-(Oi, the only major thing Gabriel did was probably defeating Warren. Marbas, the succubus and Eric also, was either revenge or mercenary work, this is bad).


    Gabriel- Where were you and this Vatican when vampires threatened lives, huh!? Where were you then!? I am doing what others aren''t!


    Tamika-While being on a rogue team?


    Gabriel-Being in an organization doesn''t give you more authority, it doesn''t justify your actions nor it demeans mine!


    Mak-(True, but how do you go against them?)


    Gabriel-I am taking action to bring justice while others turn a blind eye, the military investigated vampire DNA and Kevin lost his wife because these people stuck their nose in something they don''t understand!


    Kato-Gabriel-dono...


    Gabriel-Where were you? Where was the Vatican when an esper planned to create a weapon to destroy cities?


    Mak-(Even though Eric is on our side now...)


    Gabriel-Kevin was hunted by the military because he asked for their help!


    Mak-(That reminds me, he can''t show in any legal documents...That''s why he sent us everywhere as students, student passports are easy to prepare, he can''t show his face in the ministry to get passports for tourism because he has to give out his information, and the money, he is never concerned about money because he isn''t paying any taxes! If he had property then his name would be enlisted to pay taxes, what''s with his house then? I figured that he wasn''t spending all this time on gadgets for Gabriel, this ashole is altering the files to make it like the house isn''t in his name, he is avoiding taxes and being invisible to the radar of the military at the same time! That''s incredible).


    Tamika-Your actions are the actions of an individual, these organizations you are mocking are fighting every day in the front lines, they have to solve funding issues and keeping everything secret from the public to avoidi chaos, do you think that these acts are easy to perform?


    Gabriel-That''s why I am the one being in the front lines, to fight without these restrictions.


    Tamika-I could consider you an enemy right now but I am giving you a chance.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Gabriel-What I want you to give me is the power to kill that fucking thing.


    Tamika-The sacred onmyoji techniques aren''t for the likes of you, you won''t find anything useful here, I suggest you go back home and forget this nonsense before you find yourself in a bad spot.


    Gabriel-There are human lives at stake! Are these "sacred" techniques more valuable than the lives of the people this bastard is going to end?


    Tamika-If it was in my jurisdiction I would have come with you and helped but it''s out of my power.


    Gabriel-You can still teach me how to beat it! That is what I want.


    Tamika-If the Vatican finds out that onmyoji techniques were used in their territory there will be major problems.


    Gabriel-You said that Asano has worked with the Vatican when they needed him.


    Asano-I was asked to work with the Vatican because they needed my help with a yokai, only my attacking spells were able to damage it. Creatures of different origin need different kinds of techniques.


    Gabriel-That''s why I want to learn your techniques.


    Tamika-You are not representing the Vatican, from what you told me you are a rogue group without the support from any major organization. There is no benefit for us to teach you anything, only problems.


    Gabriel-There shouldn''t be any benefit to saving lives you heartless bitch!


    Mak-Let''s all calm down for a minute.


    Gabriel-What are you talking about? Have you forgotten that we have a Shinigami bound in the forest?


    Mak-No, but fighting with Shimoda-san now isn''t helping at all.


    Tamika-I agree.


    Mak-I want to ask you some things.


    Tamika-I am listening.


    Mak-What exactly are your powers? I am asking because I want to see if there is any other way to do something without putting you at risk.


    Tamika-This approach seems better.


    Gabriel-Hm...


    Tamika-I can muster some of the powers of the god of chaos, Amaterasu.


    Mak-You have established some sort of connection with the god.


    Tamika-Yes, although I am not the strongest I am the leader of our squad.


    Mak-I see...


    Asano-As I told you before, I can call to yokais to do massive attacking spells. Cool huh?


    Mak-Ok...(Still irritating).What about these two?


    Tamika-Matsuo is a medium and he can communicate with spirits to find out possible threats.


    Mak-And Kato-san?


    Tamika-Kato is the strongest of us, he is channeling the strength of animal origin onis to enhance all of his physical attributes.


    Mak-Ok, how is he able to fight onis if he is only using physical strength?


    Tamika-He can''t damage them, that''s my and Asano''s job, Kato is dealing with yokais as they have a physical form.


    Mak-I see, so if we want to damage this Shinigami we would need powers like yours or Asano-san.


    Kato-I wouldn''t say I am the strongest though.


    Mak-Huh?


    Tamika-Kato is just too kind-hearted to admit it but he is incredibly strong, his speed, his strength, everything is at a level beyond humans.


    Kato-Even thought I am powerless against spectral foes...


    Mak-(This guy is just a powerhouse like Gabriel, he also can''t damage spectral beings with his attacks.I know that Gabriel held back a bit but this guy is super strong).


    Asano-Now I want to ask something.


    Mak-Yes.


    Asano-What is that thing on Gabriel''s wrist, it blocked my spells quite easily.


    Mak-Oh, that would be a gauntlet made from dragon scales.


    Tamika-Dragon scales?


    Mak-Yes, we performed an infusion and even if it wasn''t perfect we got this result, it can completely nullify any elemental attacks.


    Asano-That''s overpowered as fuck!


    Mak-Well it isn''t all that useful if you consider that there are many kinds of attacks that it can''t block.


    Tamika-It is handy nonetheless.


    Mak-So Shimoda-san, I see you have the means to fight against everything in your region, a way to attack spectral creatures and the strength to overpower physical threats.


    Tamika-Yes, that''s why our squad is one of the strongest in Japan.


    Mak-But you are still learning, that means there is a place to go and learn some of your skills.


    Tamika-The order only accepts those with previous experience, all of us had ancestors that could use the skills of the onmyoji.


    Mak-Then there is no way for Gabriel to learn these skills.


    Tamika-I am sorry but no.


    Gabriel-What are we going to do with the Shinigami now? This is ridiculous!


    Mak-I don''t know...(If he could use the "Mind Read" right now, we might have had a chance, Gabe is so fucking stupid!).


    Gabriel-(Why? Why didn''t I practice with the "Mind Read" ability? I now can only use it when I make physical contact with someone cause I have neglected it, Shimoda won''t let me get close to her, how am I going to connect my head with hers?)


    Matsuo-Shimoda-san, we have a problem.


    Tamika-What is Matsuo?


    Matsuo-A lightning storm at the south valley.


    Tamika-A not so normal lightning storm I presume?


    Matsuo-Yes, a spirit told me that there might be a Raiju causing the storm.


    Tamika-Raiju?


    Mak-The companions of Raijin? The god of lightning and thunder.


    Tamika-There hasn''t been any sightings of a Raiju for centuries, are you sure about that?


    Matsuo-Yes, the ghost was very specific.


    Mak-The Raiju is very powerful, are you sure you are going to be ok?


    Tamika-No, I am aware of the Raiju''s strength, this bad.


    Kato-We can''t let it roam there.It might hurt people.


    Tamika-The south valley is clear of any humans, still, it won''t stay there just scratching trees. Why would it awaken now?


    Mak-The Raiju are peaceful and calm creatures, there isn''t an explanation of why it''s here casting lightning bolts.


    Tamika-We are going there to subjugate it.


    Asano-Hell yeah, a nice fight, I was getting bored with all the talking.


    Tamika-See, Gabriel, we are not sitting on our asses like you thought.


    Gabriel-I can come and help you.


    Tamika-No, you have no business here, I suggest you go back home and let us take care of this.


    Gabriel-But...


    Tamika-Leave, the next time I see you I won''t be so kind to give a chance to escape, I don''t know what you are and I don''t know if I feel comfortable having you roaming around in Japan.


    Kato-Shall we go?


    Tamika-Yes, let''s go. (I hope we can at least stall it and wait for reinforcements).


    Asano-See ya my gauntlet wearing friend, I was hoping to beat you down myself.


    Kato-Goodbye, Gabriel-dono, Mak-dono.


    Matsuo-Right...


    The onmyoji students went on their way to the south valley to fight a Raiju, one of the companions of the thunder god Raijin, it is said that the beast is way too powerful and Tamika is worried if they can make it till reinforcements arrive, they left  Gabriel without giving him what he needed and now there is a problem at their hands, Mak tried to talk with them and gave Gabriel the chance to use "Mind Read" as a mean to obtain the skills he needed, but Mak wasn''t aware that since Gabriel hasn''t been using the ability he got a bit rusty and now he can only read the minds of people directly from touching their heads, this limitation occurred because he hasn''t felt the need to use this skill much, now that the onmyoji left he is standing n the yard of the shrine frustrated...

 Enough is Enough

    The four onmyoji trainees have gone off to fight a Raiju, one of the legendary beasts that accompany the god of thunder Raijin, Tamika has shut down Gabriel on his request and now he feels furious, he and Mak are the only ones left at the shrine.


    A couple of minutes of silence later Gabriel had enough time to process everything that happened and yelled...


    Gabriel-I don''t fucking understand! What is her deal?


    Mak-She said that there are many other parties that deal with these kinds of situations.


    Gabriel-Really? Maybe they already took care of Koma then!


    Mak-There is no need to be sarcastic, I am on your side.


    Gabriel-There hasn''t been any sign of these guys anywhere, I had dealt with many threats and until now there hasn''t been any member of the Vatican there.


    Mak-I don''t have any information on them, they must have formed a special force that nobody knows except chosen people.


    Gabriel-But Tamika said that Asano has worked with them.


    Mak-She did, that means they are allowed to work together if the situation requires it.


    Gabriel-We should have told them we are from the Vatican then.


    Mak-We didn''t even know about that, how could we lie to them?


    Gabriel-You are right, I don''t know what I am saying, this is so fucking stupid!


    Mak-I even tried to stall for you to use Mind Read.


    Gabriel-I can''t.


    Mak-What? Why?


    Gabriel-After neglecting the ability for so long I can''t use it effectively, I can only use it if I touch the other person''s head with my head.


    Mak-Crap, I don''t think Tamika or Asano will be willing to kiss you.


    Gabriel-I didn''t say kiss.


    Mak-I know, but touching heads is also very difficult.


    Gabriel-I have an idea.


    Mak-Are you going to hit on Tamika? If so do it fast, the Raiju are very powerful.


    Gabriel-Really?


    Mak-They can shoot lightning balls and call for thunderstorms, I am not going to teach you about voltage but there is a strong possibility that they will die.


    Gabriel-I am going.


    Gabriel started to run, he left Mak behind and disappeared from sight...


    Mak-That ashole left me behind.


    Meanwhile at the south valley the fight has already begun, Kato has been battling the Raiju head on while Asano and Tamika were shooting it with long-range spells of fire and dark energy, Kato had his staff out and he was trying to keep the enraged Raiju from shooting lightning, he was dodging it''s attacks and at the same time he hit it with every chance he got, Matsuo was at distance trying to give directions via his somewhat psychic abilities, the attacks had little to no


    effect to the Raiju that seemed to be getting angrier every second...


    Asano-I don''t think it has any effect Tamika-chan.


    Tamika-I know, I just hope that we can weaken it enough for reinforcements to arrive.


    Asano-What''s up with that?


    Matsuo-We are on our known for the next two hours.


    Asano-Two hours? We have been fighting for 10 minutes and I am almost out of energy, how about you Tamika?


    Tamika-I am fine. (Asano is almost out of play, Matsuo won''t be able to help apart from communication, I don''t know for how long I can harness the chaos energy, I just hope that Kato has enough stamina to last until then, please Kato, hold on, if you slip even for a second we are dead)


    Asano-Why is there a Raiju rampaging here anyway?


    Tamika-I don''t know, something must have happened for a Raiju to not be close to his master.


    Asano-You don''t think that it has anything to do with what Mak said?


    Tamika-The Raiju have nothing to do with Yama and the Shinigami.


    Asano-But maybe this one has abandoned it''s master to?


    Tamika-We can''t ask it, just keep shooting.


    Asano-You don''t have to tell me twice sweetheart.


    The fight continued for a couple more minutes, Kato who was holding the Raiju in place with continuous attacks and dodges was getting slower as his stamina was depleting, Asano''s attacks were also getting weaker from the lack of energy, he


    was forced to distribute the last of his energy to multiple attacks to keep hitting it, much like an MMO game he was almost out of mana and Kato was tanking it, Tamika was also at the point of losing her chaos energy, the inevitable happened...


    Kato-(No, I am not fast enough).


    Kato was too tired and this time his movement wasn''t fast enough to dodge the Raiju''s attack, he got bit in the arm and the Raiju was flinging him by the arm all over the place...


    Tamika-KATO!!!


    Asano-You fucking monster!


    Asano focused his remaining energy to pour it in one attack...


    Tamika-No, if you this now, you will hit him as well.


    Asano-What should we do?


    Tamika-I... don''t know...


    Asano-Matsuo! Talk damn it!


    Matsuo-There is nothing we... can do.


    Kato was dragged around by the Raiju until his arm ripped off, blood was coming out of the wound very rapidly and Kato lost his senses, as soon as the Raiju noticed that Kato was down senseless it unleashed a lightning strike from the sky aimed at Matsuo, the shock instantly killed him, Asano and Tamika stood there frozen at the burned corpse that was Matsuo, before they could even react the Raiju had closed the distance and lashed at Asano with it''s claw, Asano pulled his arm to block and the claws of the beast lacerated at his flesh, he fell to the ground unable to move, the Raiju now was looking at Tamika, the furious look that it gave her was enough to paralyze her completely, that was the look of a fierce beast looking at it''s next target, death was inevitable, Tamika closed her eyes and waited for what seemed an hour, she felt like she had enough time to recall every moment of her and her friends, the Raiju leap to bite.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Tamika-I am sorry all, I have brought you to a battlefield with this thing.


    As the Raiju leaped to bite Tamika, Gabriel showed up, he appeared from behind her and grabbed the upper jaw of the Raiju, with one hit he sent it flying away...


    Tamika-What? Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Come here little kitty, let''s see how you can handle me?


    Gabriel then dashed towards the Raiju and hit it at the legs, each of his blows broke the legs of the Raiju, with each strike it cried to the sky, lightning strikes came down to hit Gabriel but he dodged all of them with ease...


    Tamika-(How is that possible?)


    Asano finally stood up to witness Gabriel dodging the lightning that the Raiju was unleashing, it''s limbs were broken and it was now just lying on the floor crying in pain face to face with Gabriel who as soon as the lighting stopped begun to slowly


    walk towards it. Gabriel shaked his head and watched the now helpless Raiju on the floor...


    Asano-He is beating it...


    Tamika-No, he is toying with it.


    Gabriel-Enough is enough, it''s time to end this little kitty.


    Gabriel pulled his punch and unleashed a devastating punch right on the Raiju''s head completely shattering it''s skull and killing it, Gabriel went to check Kato who was lying on the ground senseless and found out that he was actually dead from


    the loss of blood, he then walked towards Tamika and Asano who were the only people left standing...


    Gabriel-I see, Matsuo got hit by the lighting and Kato lost too much blood.


    Tamika-Why?


    Gabriel-Huh?


    Tamika-Why did you come here after I declined to assist you?


    Gabriel-People like you make me sick, you can''t even comprehend the act of helping others, that''s why I am not going to ask again.


    Tamika-What?


    Gabriel grabbed Tamika''s head and placed her forehead at his forehead, he tried to read her mind by force and learn everything, he also cut one of her fingers with his knife and let the Continuum Stabilizer absorb the cells, he thought that even if he knew the technique he wouldn''t be able to use it without the required powers, Tamika screamed in pain as he cut of her finger. Asano tried to stop him...


    Asano-What are you doing you fucking bastard!?


    Gabriel-Stay out of my way pretty boy.


    Gabriel kicked at Asano''s knee and broke it forcing him on the ground, he now could read Tamika''s mind without any interuptions...


    Gabriel-That''s it, agh, let''s try it.


    He tried to focus the chaos energy and a large ball of shadowy energy appeared at his hand, black flames without any heat, he shot at a nearby rock...


    Gabriel-Hm...Cool.


    He let go of Tamika''s head and walked towards the Raiju''s body...


    Gabriel-Why not? Thunder powers sound nice.


    He cut one of the ears of the Raiju and also absorbed it, after that he tried to concentrate again the energy in his hands but when his tried to shoot nothing came out...


    Gabriel-What? How about...?


    He punched at the same rock and this time the electricity left his hands and went to the rock.


    Gabriel-I guess electricity works like that, a buff for my punches, cool.


    Asano-What...agh...do you think... you are doing?


    Gabriel-I took what I came for, patch yourself up, you might be able to live if you stop the bleeding in your arm.


    Tamika was motionless, apparently, Gabriel messing inside her mind left her a bit shocked. Gabriel walked away leaving behind Tamika and Asano who passed out, he didn''t even look back at them while he was walking.


    He went back to the shrine to meet with Mak...


    Mak-Where were you?


    Gabriel-Well...I went to take care of the Raiju, apparently, Kato and Matsuo are dead and I now can use chaos energy along with thunder.


    Mak-Two of them died? Did the Raiju kill them?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Mak-Hard to believe they taught you their skills after something like that.


    Gabriel-Because they didn''t.


    Mak-What!?


    Gabriel-Yeah, after I killed the Raiju, I forcefully used Mind Read on Tamika and chopped one of her fingers.


    Mak-What the hell? Asano must have been there, surely he saw you.


    Gabriel-That''s why I broke his leg.


    Mak-I hope you are joking...


    Gabriel-Enough is enough, I had to do something, we should leave right about now, go and book our flight.


    Mak-Yeah...ok.(What the fuck)


    Mak had to take some time to comprehend what Gabriel just told him so he walked a couple of meters away and took the phone to book the tickets for the way back, Gabriel sat down on a rock and lit a cigarette, now they only have to wait for the


    flight to get back home, thanks to Gabriel''s irresponsible actions they now have a way to deal with Koma who is bound in place back at the forest nearby their town...

 Shadow Stone

    After the battle with the Raiju, Gabriel and Mak took off for the airport, after what Gabriel did to Tamika and Asano, the two remaining onmyoji students, he couldn''t stay for too long, even if there were only four in that group they mentioned that they were part of a massive organization that takes care of supernatural problems...


    Gabriel-What time is the flight?


    Mak-In one hour.


    Gabriel-I see.


    Mak-I just hope that the onmyoji are ok.


    Gabriel-I just cut off one finger, she will live.


    Mak-That''s not what I meant, I am afraid that we might get in trouble.


    Gabriel-I''ll crush them as well.


    Mak-Quite full of yourself, aren''t you?


    Gabriel-These people don''t have the stomach to chase us, I figured that much from the talk with Tamika.


    Mak-True, they don''t have any reason to chase after two nobodies that just bullied a couple of their students.


    Gabriel-I wanted to fight an actual onmyoji though.


    Mak-Don''t be fooled by the student status, Tamika wielded some serious power, chaos energy isn''t something to laugh at.


    Gabriel-It didn''t seem to do much against the Raiju.


    Mak-I didn''t see the fight, if I have to guess I think that Tamika''s Source wasn''t that powerful.


    Gabriel-Source?


    Mak-Remeber when I said that espers have vessels, basically like an energy source.


    Gabriel-Like a mana pool?


    Mak-Something like that, the Source isn''t actually a battery, think of it as a capacitor, it''s the means to release that energy, even if the energy source is massive when it comes to damage the way you release it is the main aspect.


    Gabriel-And Tamika couldn''t release much of it?


    Mak-Yes, unlike an espers vessel, it doesn''t absorb energy from the surroundings and unleash it at command, it''s a mean to unleash already stored energy, Tamika may have been able to release chaos energy and the place she took it from was probably endless.


    Gabriel-Endless?


    Mak-Yes, she claimed that her power source was a god after all.


    Gabriel-Yes...


    Mak-The only problem was that she couldn''t harness too much of it.


    Gabriel-Hm...What about me?


    Mak-What about you?


    Gabriel-How am I using energy?


    Mak-Most beings use their own energy like stamina, you get tired after too much use and have to rest to regain it, if you ask about you specifically, I don''t have an answer.


    Gabriel-I see. Good night.


    Mak-Are you going to sleep?


    Gabriel-Wake me up when the plane is about to take off.


    Gabriel lied at a couple of chairs at the airport and Mak was thinking about what Gabriel did, he couldn''t comprehend the fact that he actually beat Tamika and Asano to gain their knowledge and power, he was always concerned about Gabriel''s mental health but this reaches another level, if he thinks that he can gain everything by force then that would pose serious problems, as of now, they have operated in the dark, they haven''t caused any issues for anyone to come after them, if Gabriel repeats this incident a lot then they will draw a lot of unwanted attention.


    The flight was about to take off, Mak woke Gabriel up and they got aboard the plane, Gabriel fell back to sleep since the trip home would take hours, since they still had a couple of days until the binding spell was to break, Gabriel didn''t feel any need to worry about it, Mak fell to sleep as well, he decided to forget about this incident and then another problem came up, about now Kevin would have noticed that they didn''t bring the car back. The would have to worry about that when they


    arrive home. They woke up as the plane was landing, after they got off, they made their way to Kevin''s house...


    Gabriel-We are back!


    Carmen was at the kitchen cooking dinner, Kevin as soon as he heard Gabriel run out of the lab...


    Kevin-Where is my car!?


    Gabriel-Crap.


    Mak-There is a good explanation, Gabe tell him.


    Gabriel-It''s not my fault! Mak drove after the Shinigami and after the fight broke out it destroyed the car.


    Kevin-Why was my car there?


    Mak-I had to follow Gabriel, he is too fast to follow by foot and I had to be close to cast the binding spell.


    Carmen heard the voices and came by at that moment...


    Carmen-Welcome bac...


    Kevin-Not now Carmen, please. That''s another thing you idiots have lost! Why do I ever let you take my stuff?


    Mak-Because it''s necessary for the mission?


    Kevin-Mak go do the dishes, Gabriel clean the garage, since there is no car there, I will turn it into something else.


    Gabriel-Can it be a bedroom? I am tired of sleeping on the sofa.


    Kevin-Maybe, depends on how good a job you do at cleaning.


    Gabriel-Something good came out.


    Mak-What? I am gonna have to do the dishes and you have to clean the garage.


    Gabriel-At least now I can kill that bastard.


    Kevin-Yes, what happened in Japan? Did you guys find the onmyoji? Did they teach you?


    Gabriel-Well...


    Mak-Yeah! We found them at a shrine nearby the school dorm, they were happy to help us.


    Gabriel didn''t actually feel any guilt about what he did but he went along with Mak and kept it a secret.


    Carmen-Dinner isn''t ready yet though...


    Mak-That''s ok Carmen, Gabriel and I will go finish off our job with the Shinigami and then come back to eat all together.


    Kevin-Then you will do the dishes.


    Mak-Isn''t that a little hard? We might actually get hurt fighting the Shinigami.


    Gabriel-There is no need to worry, I can handle that bastard with ease.


    Mak-What the fuck is wrong with you? I was hoping to get out of doing the dishes!


    Gabriel-No, it''s your fault for bringing the car there in the first place.


    Mak-What would you have done if I wasn''t there?


    Gabriel-Fight it until you were there.


    Mak-I should have let Koma slice you with his scythe.


    Gabriel-Whatever, let''s go ugly, we have a Shinigami to kill.


    Gabriel and Mak left for the forest, once they got there they saw exactly what they expected, Koma was still bound in place, if anyone would have come by then probably there would have already been an uproar, Mak signed at Gabriel that he was about to break the markings on the ground and undo the spell, Gabriel got ready to unleash the chaos energy, as soon as Mak broke the spell, Koma has begun to move...


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Koma-I am free!


    Gabriel-Yeah.


    Koma-I told you that your puny spells could not contain me, mortals.


    Gabriel-Do you have any idea how long you were in there?


    Koma-What?


    Gabriel-Why am I even talking to you?


    Koma-Are you ready to die?


    Gabriel-Are you?


    Gabriel raised his hands and a shape of a mouth with sharp teeth formed from the chaos energy, Koma saw it and froze, he knew at this moment that this attack would pose a problem...


    Gabriel-"Chaos Bite".


    The mouth reached all the way to Koma and the teeth carved into him, the chaos energy had no problem dealing damage to a spectral being, even if Gabriel didn''t use an actual onmyoji move, the chaos energy itself was able to completely destroy


    Koma, once the mouth closed on Koma, it exploded leaving behind a small crater on the ground, the ground was as if burned by fire and at some places small black flames burned like candles, Gabriel looked at Mak and gave him a thumbs up...


    Gabriel-I killed him.


    Mak-Yes you did, that was easy, I guess with the proper technique it really is easy.


    Gabriel-Let''s go back...


    At this point the ground started shaking, a couple of meters away the ground cracked and something started to come out, something like a rock, a tall black rock with red markings on it, Gabriel and Mak looked at it interested, they thought that


    it might be one of Koma''s attacks but it wasn''t, it was an obelisk...


    Gabriel-What the fuck is that?


    Mak-It looks like a monolith.


    Gabriel-Did Koma do that?


    Mak-No, I don''t think so, did you do that?


    Gabriel-Well, I don''t have much experience with chaos energy but I didn''t try to erect a monolith from the ground.


    Mak-Let''s go near it.


    Gabriel-There are some red markings on it.


    Mak-It''s Latin, it says: Here lies the essence of shadow, Nefaris.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-There is more: This is the prison of Nefaris, the shadow lord that walks in the night, he who commands the darkness.


    Gabriel-Prison?


    Mak-This is a Shadow Stone, it is used to invoke elementals, this Nefaris guy must be a shadow elemental.


    Gabriel-Ok...Should I break it?


    Mak-No, there is no reason to break it.


    Gabriel-Will the elemental go free?


    Mak-No, this might prove useful, we should let Kevin know about it.


    Gabriel-Ok, let''s go back.


    Mak-Wait, I will cast a large scale Glamour spell, it will prevent anyone from coming all the way here and messing with it.


    Gabriel-Why did that thing come out of the ground?


    Mak-Chaos energy is similar to shadow energy, I guess that the chaos energy blast you shot forced it to appear, it must have been buried for decades.


    Gabriel-You are right, Kevin might want to take a look, do your thing and let''s go back.


    Mak-Sure.


    Mak cast the Glamour spell to secure the monolith and they went back to Kevin''s place, Carmen had dinner ready, Gabriel and Mak joined Carmen and Kevin at the table and begun to eat, there was no reason to ask about the Shinigami, if they are back, it clearly meant that the job was done, Kevin was also mad about his car so he didn''t even talk to them, Mak then mentioned the strange thing that happened...


    Mak-Kevin, while Gabe took care of Koma, something came up.


    Kevin-What?


    Mak-A monolith appeared from the ground, apparently, it was burried there and the chaos energy that Gabriel used forced it to the surface.


    Kevin-What kind of monolith?


    Mak-A monolith dedicated to a shadow elemental, I figured that some research will make you feel better about the car so I told Gabriel not to break it so that you can study it.


    Kevin-It would be fascinating to study it, very thoughtful of you Mak but you are still doing the dishes.


    Mak-Fuck.


    Carmen-Come on Mak, don''t swear at the table.


    Mak-Whatever.


    Gabriel-Is that why you didn''t want me to break it?


    Mak-More or less, elemental monoliths were used for mortals to form contracts with said elemental, apart from that, it''s just a rock, there isn''t any reason to even worry about it.


    Gabriel-I see.


    Kevin-Tomorrow morning, you and I will go take a look at it.


    Mak-Why me?


    Kevin-I need you to undo the Glamour spell.


    Mak-Sure, maybe then...


    Kevin-No.


    Mak-Fuck.


    Carmen-Mak...


    Mak-Right...


    Gabriel''s job is over, after a long trip to Japan he was able to take care of the problem, even if his method was unorthodox he didn''t care, he did what had to be done and by him that''s all that matters, as Mak said, the onmyoji group wouldn''t go after someone who just bullied a couple of students and there isn''t any way to find them now that they are outside of their zone of influence, for the time being, everything is calm again and Kevin has taken some interest to the Shadow Stone that Mak said, people died at the hands of this Shinigami and at the hands of the Raiju back at Japan but Gabriel didn''t even give it much thought, he wasn''t concerned at all, the same can''t be said for Mak who has been thinking about Gabriel''s doings, there probably was another way to deal with their problem, he thought that maybe they could find another group and ask them for teaching, if Gabriel wouldn''t blow it with his words then Mak would probably be able to convince them to help, they had a couple of days to locate another group and maybe they could even ask the onmyoji students about it and find it easier but Gabriel had other things in mind, he was angry by the stance that they took when he told them about the


    situation and he decided to take what he wanted by force, for now, they are enjoying their dinner and tomorrow Kevin said that he wanted to take a look at the monolith, as for Gabriel, he has the day free...

 Elemental Summoning

    A few days have passed since Gabriel eliminated Koma the Shinigami, the days were awfully quiet to the point that Gabriel and Mak were arguing for the stupidest of reasons, they even yelled at each other just to kill some time, Kevin had a lot in his mind these days and he was almost always absent from the house, he spent most of the day and night at the forrest was the Shadow Stone has erected from the ground, he asked Mak to translate the markings and then he spent countless hours deciphering what they actually meant, even though Mak told him that the stone was just a tool to summon a shadow elemental, Kevin wanted to do a thorough investigation, he made an extreme amount of calls to Munderic who was more than happy to help, Munderic owed a favor to Gabriel after all since he got rid of Marbas and hence broke the contract that Munderic had with him. Munderic also stated that he would be happy to come for a visit and help even more if Kevin asked, since Kevin didn''t have any mentionable knowledge on magic and Mak wasn''t actually helping him with his research as much as he was loafing around, Kevin asked Munderic to come by and he said that he actually had a plan, the morning that Munderic was to arrive, Kevin had everyone wake up early to greet him, he woke up Gabriel first who was sleeping in the garage that after cleaning it they turned it to a room, they just moved a bed and a wardrobe there so that Gabriel could have a place to sleep and put his things, everything else stayed in place, Kevin had a huge collection of hardware tools, power tools, and many screws and loose boards of wood and metal sheets, basically anything that a middle-aged man would have in his garage, since Gabriel didn''t have anything to do he started to practice with these tools, in his mind a man has to know how to handle power tools and know how to fix things around the house, so he took the time to work and he actually was the one who built the bed and the wardrobe out of the loose boards and some screws and hinges he found lying around. Mak also woke up early and by the time he and Gabriel got out of bed, Carmen had already made coffee for them...


    Mak-I have to say, if anything, Kevin''s coffee is better.


    Gabriel-Yeah, he basically is a disaster in the kitchen but his coffee is unmatched.


    Carmen-I am sorry, I thought I did everything right.


    Gabriel-I don''t mean that your coffee is bad...


    Carmen-What do you mean then?


    Gabriel-Well...You know...Nothing, it''s fantastic.


    Carmen-You don''t mean that.


    Carmen made a frustrated face while saying this...


    Gabriel-No, I do.


    Carmen-You prefer that doctor Kevin should have made coffee?


    Gabriel-If I have to be one hundred percent honest...


    Carmen-Hm...


    Gabriel-No! I like yours better. Doc can''t even boil the water to the right temperature,


    Mak-You both know that Kevin isn''t an actual doctor, right?


    Carmen-He isn''t?


    Gabriel-He is.


    Mak-Just because he saved your life by performing an extremely dangerous operation doesn''t make him a doctor.


    Carmen-But you also call him doctor.


    Mak-I did because at first I also thought he was, Gabriel called him doc from the first moment, that''s why I was confused at first.


    Carmen-What should we call him then? Mr. Kevin?


    Gabriel-Mr. Crazy Scientist?


    Carmen-Hahaha...


    Gabriel-Ha...


    Mak-Why do I even bring this stuff up, you don''t take anything seriously, you two are just kids.


    Gabriel-I could also tear out your tongue so you won''t bring anything up again.


    Mak-Cruel.


    Carmen-Stop teasing him.


    Gabriel-How old are you supposed to be then?


    Mak-I am 56 in goblin years.


    Gabriel-And that''s...


    Mak-7 in human years.


    Gabriel-You are younger than me then.


    Mak-And still I have had more girls than you.


    Gabriel-That''s it, I am cutting your tongue off, where is my sword?


    Mak-How about you ask Carmen out already?


    Gabriel-Ask her...


    Carmen-Out?


    Carmen''s face turned bright red, Gabriel also felt embarrassed and as they tried to look at each other they couldn''t keep eye contact for more than a second, in order to save them from the awkward situation, Mak pulled some money out and said...


    Mak-Here, go out for a coffee, my treat.


    Gabriel-Why do you have money?


    Mak-Ah, please.


    Carmen-What''s wrong with the coffee I just made?


    Mak-Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you two? Just take the money and go out for fuck''s sake!


    Carmen-You don''t have to yell.


    Gabriel-What''s gotten into you?


    Mak-I''ll tell you what''s gotten into me, I have to see your stupid face all the time for the past few days and all Kevin is doing is screw around an elemental stone, I have nothing to do!


    Gabriel-Why don''t you go out for a coffee then?


    Carmen-You don''t want to go with me?


    Gabriel-That''s not...what I mean...


    Mak-That''s why! Now go out and let me in my suffering...


    Kevin came to the kitchen at this point...


    Kevin-No, Munderic is coming any moment now, the least you can do is wait for him to arrive and then after the job is done you can also invite him too.


    Gabriel-What job?


    Kevin-I don''t know yet but I guess he has a plan.


    The doorbell rung...


    Kevin-He is here!


    Mak-I haven''t seen him this happy before.


    Kevin run to open the door and there he saw Munderic, he was wearing a red shirt with checkered pattern and brown trousers, his hair was also longer then the time Gabriel saw him...


    Munderic-Hello, Mr.Kevin, nice to meet you after all this time on the phone.


    Kevin-Hello, Munderic, I must say that when I heard from Gabriel that he found a warlock, I didn''t expect to see someone so young.


    Munderic-Gabriel is here?


    Gabriel-Hey Mundy! How are you doing?


    Munderic-Let me explain! I haven''t done anything bad, I was just helping Mr.Kevin by answering his questions that''s all, please believe me.


    Kevin-Why are you...


    Mak-Gabriel kind of scared the crap out of him when they first met.


    Gabriel-I didn''t...


    Mak-Yes you did, hello by the way.


    Munderic-Hello Mak, how are you do...


    Munderic saw Carmen standing next to Gabriel, he lost his words as he saw how beautiful Carmen was and he froze for a second.


    Mak-Hello...? What?


    Munderic-Hi...I...am Munderic.


    Carmen-Nice to meet you, I am Carmen, I live here with doctor Kevin, Gabriel and Mak.


    Munderic-(What a smile...SPEAK, SPEAK MUNDY!)Oh...I live with my mother...(Crap, why did I say that? I should have said that I live on my own house and have lots of money...)


    Gabriel-Yeah, yeah, let me ask you something, your plan doesn''t involve summoning any demons, right?


    Munderic-Not demons.


    Gabriel-Not, demons?


    Munderic-We will use a spell that is commonly used to summon beings from other dimensions on the stone, the elemental should appear...


    Gabriel-So you are going to summon an elemental?


    Munderic-You got it all wrong, Gabriel, I am not going to let it loose or anything...The spell will just let us communicate with it.


    Gabriel-Is that so?


    Munderic-Uh...


    Mak-Do you enjoy this?


    Gabriel-A bit.


    Kevin-Don''t stand at the door, come on in, you must be tired, let me take care of your luggage.


    Munderic-No, I can carry it myself, it''s not actually luggage, it''s my pet.


    Mak-WHAT!?


    Gabriel-WHAT!?


    Carmen-Your pet?


    Mak-You''d better not see this, Carmen, get out of here, you are going for a cup of coffee with Gabriel now.


    Carmen-Why?


    Gabriel-He is right, let''s go, Carmen.


    Gabriel grabbed Carmen''s hand and pulled her out of the house...


    Carmen-(Huh? He is holding my hand...)


    Gabriel and Carmen left, he didn''t want her to see the invunche as it was horrific, just the thought of it made Gabriel want to puke, he might have already puked a bit in his mouth, he already had Mak''s money so they made their way to the coffee shop, the coffee shop that they used to go sometimes was still closed after the incident with Koma so they had to go to one a little bit further, without realizing he was holding Carmen''s hand the entire time, Carmen''s face was redder than before and once Gabriel noticed that he hasn''t left her arm yet he pulled his hand back and looked at her face...


    Gabriel-(She...She is so cute...the emerald color of her eyes is like green jewels that shine in the night, her dark hair is reaching down to her waist like a black tidal wave wrapped in a ponytail, her body is amazingly petite and cute...)


    Carmen-Um...Gabriel.


    Gabriel-What?(Damn, act cool Gabe)


    Carmen-We are not at the coffee shop yet.


    Gabriel-Yeah...Let''s keep walking...


    Carmen extended her hand for Gabriel to hold it but this time he was conscious about it, he couldn''t lift his arm, the arm that teared apart a demon''s wings, the arm that crushed a Raiju''s skull was unable to move to touch a girls hand, he froze, he couldn''t do anything but stare at Carmen''s hand, she obviously wanted to hold hands again, Gabriel knew that but he couldn''t make the move, at this point his hand moved on it''s own to grab Carmen''s and that made Gabriel snap out of it...


    Gabriel-(What?)


    ???-(I have your back).


    Gabriel-(WHAT!? YOU ARE BACK!?)


    ???-(I never left.)


    Gabriel-(Can''t she hear our thoughts? She is an esper.)


    ???-(A puny esper couldn''t possibly read this mind now that I have awoken.)


    Gabriel-(I have so many questions...)


    ???-(You are not ready for the answer.)


    Gabriel-(What are you doing?)


    ???-(I sensed that you wanted to grab this woman''s hand but hesitated, you must not have confidence in your courting skills)


    Gabriel-(Uh...)


    ???-(Your troubled mind is confirming my guess.)


    Gabriel-(So you took control of my hand?)


    ???-(Yes, I told you before, I can sense your resolve and willpower, all I have to do is give it a push and then I can make your wishes come true.)


    Gabriel-(You sound like a telemarketer.)


    ???-(Just know that I will always have your back, you are my host after all)


    Gabriel-(Host?)


    ???-(I told you, you are not ready.)


    Gabriel-(Can you just take control any time you want?)


    ???-(No, when your fear and insecurity is blocking your actions then you unconsciously cry for help, that''s when I can take control, for now.)


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.Gabriel-(Huh.)


    ???-(Enjoy your time, your well being is important.)


    Gabriel-(You are leaving?)


    ???-(My job is done, I can''t control this body fully for an extended period of time.)


    Gabriel-(Thanks.)


    Carmen-Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Yes!


    Carmen-We are here.


    Carmen''s smile stunned Gabriel once again, him holding her hand has now sparked a stunning smile on her face and as they sat down on the table they waited for the waitress to take their order, meanwhile back at Kevin''s, Munderic unpacked and he took of the invunche out of his bag...


    Mak-Why did you have to bring this thing?


    Kevin-I am amazed, what is it?


    Munderic-It''s an invunche.


    Kevin-Invunche?


    Mak-Hey, don''t you have to make this thing from a human?


    Munderic-Originally yes, but I have taken a corpse from a graveyard and performed a necromancy spell first, I couldn''t just go and grab a baby from someone.


    Mak-But you could dig up a baby from a grave?


    Munderic-You make it sound terrible.


    Mak-Because it is! Do you know what Gabriel will do to you if he finds out?


    Munderic-Maybe we shouldn''t tell him.


    Mak-For your safety yes.


    Kevin-You haven''t answered my question yet.


    Munderic-Yes, it''s used as a catalyst for many spells and as a sacrifice to other spells, it''s practically immortal, the only way for it to die is from starvation due to the lack of energy in the body.


    Kevin-A reusable sacrificial lamb? That''s brilliant, I presume it''s magical power also works as a catalyst then?


    Munderic-Exactly.


    Kevin-Fascinating.


    Mak-Really? You find this fascinating? How about the crap I took yesterday? It probably looked better than this.


    Kevin-Don''t mistake human brilliance with shit, Mak.


    Mak-Brilliance!? That thing looks like it crawled out of an orc''s ass during a hot summer day at a swamp.


    Kevin-That was disgusting.


    Mak-No, this is disgusting.


    Kevin-So I guess we will use it as a catalyst for the summoning?


    Munderic-Yes, I already have the incantation ready, all we need is the summoning stone and the catalyst.


    Mak-Just out of curiosity, how are you going to bring this thing all the way to the forest?


    Munderic-We can always put it back in the bag...


    Kevin-And it will stay there? We can''t let it loose.


    Munderic-Yes, the invunche will always obey the commands of the warlock who created it.


    Mak-What did you tell to your mother in order to come here?


    Munderic-She thinks I am staying with a friend for a couple of days.


    Mak-What if she looks for you?


    Munderic-She won''t find anything, after all...I don''t really have any friends...


    Mak-Damn...


    Kevin-What are you talking about? I am your friend, Munderic.


    Munderic-Really?


    Kevin-You have helped me many times, so is Mak, Gabriel and Carmen.


    Mak-I wouldn''t be so sure about Gabriel.


    Munderic-Carmen? Is she Gabriel''s girlfriend?


    Mak-Slow down there, buddy, she might not be Gabriel''s girlfriend but they are working on something.


    Munderic-I see...


    Mak-Obviously this knucklehead doesn''t have an idea but I am trying to push things.


    Munderic-Then maybe...


    Mak-Do you really want to risk it?


    Munderic-She is cute and...


    Mak-She is an esper with strong powers, if you do anything stupid she could blow your head off.


    Kevin-Really?


    Munderic-Really?


    Mak-Relax, I meant if you push her over the edge, I doubt that everyday problems will trigger anything but I am sure Mundy here isn''t the smoothest of people.


    Munderic-It''s true...


    Mak-Also, when I said if you want to risk it, I actually meant that Gabriel will blow your head off, or melt your face, I have seen it.


    Kevin-Yes, I had to throw out the carpet after that incident, it also was really messed up.


    Mak-I told you he isn''t really stable mentally, didn''t I?


    Kevin-I think you are overreacting.


    Mak-We will see about that...


    Munderic-(What have I gotten myself into?)


    Kevin-How about we start with the summoning ritual?


    Munderic-Sure, I have everything prepared...


    Kevin, Mak, and Munderic are getting ready to go to the forest and start the summoning ritual, they hope to at least communicate with the elemental and ask some questions, Kevin is really interested as to what an elemental has to say and this knowledge might prove useful at a later time, Munderic is still afraid of Gabriel''s anger after what happened back in England, he mostly helped Kevin because he wanted to get a good relationship with them in order to not be on Gabriel''s blacklist, Mak was the one who saved Munderic back then by explaining that he wasn''t aware of his actions and that was enough to direct Gabriel''s rage at Marbas instead of Munderic, he is still afraid of what will happen if he screws up again so he came really well prepared for the ritual and he has absolute knowledge of what he is going to do, he hasn''t left anything in luck this time, meanwhile, Gabriel took Carmen out so she wouldn''t have to see the invunche, also he didn''t want her to be with everyone when the summoning ritual was to take place, he himself wanted to see this elemental but there would be a chance after Munderic and his pet took off, for now, he is enjoying time out with Carmen who is delighted about that, she couldn''t contain herself after Gabriel grabbed her hand forcefully and broke the barrier between them, she wanted to hold hands with him but she couldn''t be the one to initiate it so when Gabriel did it a smile appeared in her face as did a lot of embarrassment, Carmen wasn''t really used to this kind of behavior because she grew up in the street without any friends, experiencing romance was an even stranger feeling for her, Gabriel also had undeveloped emotions since the only girl that he had ever spoken was Helen, even if he hasn''t seen her for so long and even if his feelings aren''t that strong anymore,every timee he thinks of her as an excuse to avoid Carmen''s feelings he can''t help but remember the night he stood out of her window and watched her undress, the image of Helen popped in his mind every time he used her as an excuse and every time he saw another girl that was pretty he compared her to Helen, in his mind there always will be an image of him and Helen


    being a couple, the only thing he could think of is being with her even if he never admitted it to her, even if he would never see her again, just the thought of her was enough to suppress his feeling for Carmen, to Mak it was obvious that Gabriel was just obsessed with any girl he spent time with, for Mak, Gabriel''s feelings for Helen weren''t stronger than what he felt for Carmen, he knew that Gabriel used Helen as an excuse for his own fears, he knew that Gabriel had feelings for Carmen and that those feelings were cultivated in the time they spent together, all he had to do was to push Carmen to make the first move and then maybe Gabriel would give into it. Gabriel thought that his feelings for Helen were strong but in reality all that has happened was that he developed feelings for Helen because he has spent a very long time close to her, Helen was very pretty and it was natural for Gabriel to feel a slight attraction to her but it was time that made him think these feelings were strong, he felt a slight attraction to Carmen when he saw her for the first time as well, Mak believed that it was just a matter of time until he discarded his feelings for Helen and focus on Carmen and that why Mak is trying to push things, Carmen, after hearing lots of stories from Mak and Kevin about Gabriel couldn''t help but think that Gabriel was really amazing and she had already interest in him even before she actually met him, Gabriel had a fine body after the machine in his chest stabilized his DNA and the vampiric powers also changed his body in a state of being very well built, a vampire''s physique is perfect in the amount of muscle mass, when Carmen saw Gabriel for the first time she didn''t know him but


    when she saw him again at the storage house and Mak told her that this was Gabriel she instantly recalled the interest she had in him from the stories and then the time she spent close to him cultivated her feelings as well, Mak saw right through that and told her multiple times to not be shy about it and confront Gabriel. Since Carmen had such a strong image of Gabriel she thought that he would never be interested in her, after all she thought that he was a cool guy and he said multiple time that he had feelings for another girl. Mak is the only one who has a clear understanding of everything but he can''t actually confront Gabriel about it because he is still afraid of his mental state, being able to melt people''s faces and kill demons but also being afraid of humans, that was a clear sign that Gabriel wasn''t really stable and Mak has been teasing him occasionally to check if he would react cool or angry, Mak''s teasing wasn''t just to have fun but to check Gabriel''s mental state, as long as he reacted like a normal person everything was under control, the problem starts when he gets really mad and doesn''t care about consequences, Gabriel beat down the onmyoji students when they refused his request, he went to hell to battle a demon just for revenge even though there was a possibility that he could stay there forever, when Gabriel is angry everything goes south and Mak was aware of that, that''s why he couldn''t confront him directly for something like a relationship, he couldn''t risk it even for Carmen''s sake, all he could do for Carmen was to playfully tease both Gabriel and Carmen, Mak had a mentor-mentee relationship with Carmen, he saw her as an asset to the team and as a lump of clay ready to be molded to something great, he thought that he could be a teacher to Carmen and a mentor, he saw her as something like a daughter and even though Gabriel isn''t exactly the perfect guy to give to someone''s daughter, he was the one she fell for and Mak didn''t want to shut down Carmen''s feelings. For now, Mak is going to help Kevin and Munderic with the ritual, there is plenty of time to work on the relationship of Gabriel and Carmen...

 Contract with Nefaris

    While Gabriel and Carmen are enjoying some time at the coffee shop, Kevin, Mak and Munderic are getting everything ready for the ritual to summon the elemental, Kevin is eager to ask many questions but Mak already knows that elementals live in their own pocket dimensions and almost never meddle with other''s affairs, still Kevin is a man with extreme curiosity and if there is anything to be learned, Kevin will not look the other way, Munderic feels like he owes them for what Gabriel did and he has agreed to help, with his knowledge of summoning he made sure that he can summon the elemental from its ritual stone, Mak has also been there to lift the Glamour spell and allow them to do what they came for, even if Mak isn''t really interested to this encounter he isn''t one to not ask questions. They have arrived to where the stone erected from the ground and they begun the preparation for the ritual...


    Mak-Is everything ready?


    Munderic-Yeah, all that''s left is to speak the chant.


    Kevin-I can''t wait to see what will happen.


    Mak-A simple form of the elemental will show up just above the monolith, the form will resemble a humanoid made from the elementals essence, in this case, shadow energy.


    Kevin-Why would it take a human form?


    Mak-Elementals answer the call in the form of those that summon it, in order to communicate with the summoner, the elemental will take a form that the individual is used to, if I were to speak the chant, it would appear like a goblin.


    Kevin-You are in your Glamour though.


    Mak-An elemental can''t be fooled by something as simple as a Glamour spell.


    Kevin-I see.


    Munderic-Everything is ready, shall I begin?


    Mak-Let''s get this over with.


    Kevin-Please.


    Munderic-" Oh great spirit of shadow, I summon thee in this plane of existence to converse, Nefaris, lord of shadow, ruler of darkness, I hereby call for you to appear before me"


    As Munderic finished the chant, a blob of dark energy started to take form in front of them, the markings on the floor glowed with something that can be described as black light, the essence that appeared from the markings of the monolith started to take shape into one of a man, a rough shape of a teenager, it obviously took the form that Munderic would feel comfortable with since he was the one who actually summoned it, once the energy fully formed it looked around and saw the three men standing in front of it...


    Nefaris-Humans, goblin, I hear you.


    Kevin-It worked! Incredible.


    Mak-An Elemental, how fascinating.


    Nefaris-Mortals, speak.


    Munderic-I am the one who summoned you, Mr.Nefaris.


    Nefaris-Mister?


    Mak-Nefaris, this man summoned you to converse, that is all.


    Kevin-Nefaris, I have some questions for you.


    Nefaris-Speak.


    Kevin-I want to know, what are you exactly?


    Nefaris-I am an elemental of shadow, I was formed as a physical manifestation of shadow and represent everything that has to do with darkness.


    Kevin-Where is it that you exist?


    Nefaris-I exist in my own plain of shadow and darkness, it has been ages since I saw the light of your world.


    Kevin-How long has it been since someone summoned you?


    Nefaris-Two minutes.


    Kevin-Huh?


    Mak-He means since someone else summoned you, not us.


    Nefaris-Four hundred years.


    Mak-You have to be specific, they aren''t exactly good in communication, most times an elemental is summoned it''s because someone wanted to harness their power.


    Nefaris-Is it a contract you seek?


    Kevin-No, I don''t want to make a deal with you, I am not prepared to give you anything.


    Mak-Relax, Kevin, we should at least hear what it has to offer.


    Kevin-All right, let me hear your offer, Nefaris.


    Nefaris-I will bestow upon you the power of shadow, to harness it, manipulate it.


    Kevin-What would you want in return?


    Nefaris-I wish for you to worship my name, every night that you want to use this power.


    Kevin-Is that it?


    Mak-Careful Kevin, let it finish, we don''t know what would happen if you break the contract.


    Nefaris-There is no other demand, as long as you worship my name, you will become my champion, the one who wields my power. If you fail to worship me, the shadow will leave your side.


    Mak-So as long as he worships you every night, he can use your powers?


    Nefaris-Exactly, it has been ages since a mortal formed a contract with me, I kept the demerit into a minimum.


    Kevin-Will you have a claim to my soul?


    Nefaris-No, I ask only that you pray to me every night.


    Kevin-Well, that sounds like a good deal.


    Mak-As far as I know, there aren''t any tricks to an elementals contract, it''s just as he says.


    Kevin-Very well, I will accept your contract, Nefaris.


    Nefaris-From this point on, you will be a human like no other, I give you the power to control the shadows, as long as you recognize me as your master, you will be my champion.


    Kevin-Is that it?


    Nefaris-I will now unlock your Source, you will be able to harness the power of shadow by depleting your own stamina.


    Kevin-Wait, what does this mean?


    Mak-If you use too much, you will get tired, nothing to worry about, if I am correct the other option is for you to directly call the energy from Nefaris but that would mean at any point he could cut you off.


    Nefaris-Exactly.


    Kevin-I see, I accept your contract, I want the power at the expense of my own stamina.


    Nefaris-Your Source is now open, Kevin, demonstrate the power you now possess.


    Kevin instantly felt something, his whole body started to warm up with energy as soon as the Source was unlocked, he felt physicaly stronger, his hands engulfed in dark smoke-like energy, Munderic and Mak were watching closely to what was happening to Kevin...


    Mak-Well, try something.


    Kevin-Like what? I feel stronger.


    Mak-Just unlocking someone''s Source makes them physically stronger, the good part comes when you actually use the powers. Try and do something with the tree''s shadow.


    Kevin-Let''s see...


    Kevin focused on the shadow of the tree, suddenly it started to change shape, the shadow escaped from the ground and joined the stream of smoke that was surrounding Kevin''s hands.


    Kevin-What was that?


    Nefaris-You absorbed the shadow, your power grows in the absence of light, by absorbing the shadow that objects make, you can replenish your energy.


    Mak-That sound cool, so when it''s dark you are stronger but when it''s the middle of the day you can recharge by absorbing the shadows that the sun creates.


    Nefaris-Exactly.


    Kevin-I see, what should I do with this power?


    Nefaris-As you please. Destroy, create, conquer, it matters not as long as your actions bear my name.


    Kevin-Thank you, Nefaris.


    Nefaris-This forms the contract, I expect you to honor it and you will harvest the rewards.


    Kevin-I will.


    Nefaris-Farewell, mortals.


    Mak-Yeah, see you buddy.


    Munderic-Buddy?


    The humanoid from disappeared and there were only the three that remained there...


    Mak-Well, I hope you are happy, you can consider yourself a mage now.


    Kevin-I feel kind of different, I am not sure what it is.


    Mak-You are now able to wield shadow magic, the only thing you should worry about is not to overdo it.


    Munderic-I am happy for you, Mr.Kevin.


    Kevin-Thank you, Munderic, without you, we couldn''t have done this.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.Mak-The summoning ritual wasn''t exactly meant for elementals, right?


    Munderic-As expected from you, Mak, the ritual is just a plain call for any being, demon, elemental, spirit. To be honest I wasn''t sure it would work.


    Mak-Well, a summoning ritual isn''t exactly advanced magic, anyone could have pulled it off.


    Kevin-Don''t listen to him, you did a splendid job, Munderic.


    Munderic-Thank you.


    Kevin-We should pack everything and go back.


    Mak-Hey, I didn''t see you use your pet.


    Munderic-Sorry about that, it didn''t really have to be here, I was just afraid that my mother would go to the basement and see it.


    Kevin-There was no reason to lie. I understand why you wouldn''t want your mother to see it.


    Mak-I also didn''t want to see it.


    Kevin-Bear with it. Let''s go back, I can''t wait to test this.


    Mak-(Another power-crazy idiot? No, Kevin is just curious, knowledge is what drives him, he is different.) Ok.


    Meanwhile, at the coffee shop Gabriel is watching a football match on the TV, Carmen felt a little left out so she wanted to initiate a conversation...


    Carmen-Gabriel?


    Gabriel-What?


    Carmen-I understand that you want to protect people from evil beings.


    Gabriel-That''s right, if those who claim to protect others and act based on regulation and rules won''t then I will.


    Carmen-What happens when you achieve that?


    Gabriel-What?


    Carmen-What is your plan when you finish your job?


    Gabriel-I don''t know.


    Carmen-You would need someone to support you.


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Carmen-I want to be with you when all of this is over, when true peace is finally a thing, I want to be with you.


    Gabriel-WHAT!?(Calm down, Gabe, don''t jump to conclusions, she can''t possibly mean as a couple, right? Right?)


    Carmen-That''s why I want to know how you feel.


    Gabriel-(What do I do in this situation? Damn it, I can''t think of anything, what do I say?) What do you mean?


    Carmen-I want to know what is your plan for the future, you can''t possibly bear this all alone, you will need someone to be with you, to care for you. I want to be that one...


    Gabriel-(Major problem, I don''t what to do? Do I like Carmen? I have Helen, what am I supposed to do? I can''t just turn her down without an explanation, what would she think of me? Why do I care about her opinion? Maybe I do care how Carmen sees me, maybe I do like Carmen. What should I do then? This is stressing, where is this guy now to help me? He said he had my back...


    Gabriel''s cellphone rung, that made him snap out of this state...


    Gabriel-Hello?(I am saved!)


    Kevin-Gabe? I want you and Carmen to come back, I have something to show you.


    Gabriel-I see, we will come right back.


    Gabriel hung up the phone and looked at Carmen, apparently, the phone call completely changed the atmosphere there...


    Gabriel-It was the doc, he apparently has something to show us.


    Carmen-Did something happen with that thing in the forest?


    Gabriel-He didn''t sound like something bad happened, more like he seemed to be excited.


    Carmen-Let''s go back then.


    Gabriel-Yes.(Thank you, doc, you saved me from a huge mess.)


    Gabriel avoided talking to Carmen on the way back, the holding of the hands was stressful enough for him and the question Carmen threw on the table got him completely off guard, he didn''t have an answer at the time, Gabriel never looked


    beyond today, even before he awoke to his powers he never looked at the future, he just wanted for the day to end, back then, it only ment that his troubles were over for the day, but that had a strange development in his growth, even now he hasn''t made any plans for the future, he just let every day pass peacfully until something came in his way, for someone who claims that he wants to change the world, he hasn''t actually made any plans, he didn''t act based on his statements, Mak had these thoughts back at the shrine, he reallized that Gabriel didn''t actually do anything of what he said he would, back at the time when Kevin made this deal with him, he was full of passion and the will to achive his goals, now he is just letting time pass, every battle he has faced has been one of just revenge, he said it himself when Marbas killed f. Johnnathan, Kevin didn''t want him to go after Marbas because at the time it seemed foolish but Gabriel stated that the battle with Warren was also an act of revenge and he was right, Kevin did hold a grudge but he never told Gabriel to go after Warren at the time, it just happened as a weird chain of events and even though Kevin wanted Warren dead, he wasn''t the one who suggested to go after him, it just let it happen, Gabriel never did actually do what he said he would, when Mak thought of that, Gabriel did actually seem like the bad guy, just some random person with enough power to do what he wanted and claim revenge for what others did to him, that sounds like what a villain would do, just mindlessly chasing after those who wronged you without any concern about the consequences. Gabriel never thought of this stuff, he was saving lives after all, by killing Warren, by killing Marbas, he thought he was doing what is just, but so did Eric at the time, Eric wanted to save lives also, to make the world a better place for his kind, what would have happened if he was the one who won the battle? Eric also thought that his actions represented justice, Gabriel was just stronger, that''s what decided the battle, it wasn''t a matter of right or wrong, it wasn''t a matter of who had greater willpower, it was just that Gabriel had the power to make his words true. Even if Gabriel doesn''t realize it, the fact that he was just slacking off didn''t change, after all, why bother with fighting? His life was actually better, he wasn''t bullied anymore, he has friends who care for him, he can just spend the rest of his days peacefully, why bother with fighting when your life is fine? Why would anyone try to change the world when it''s not actually his problem? Is it a matter of conciousness or simply ethics and principles? Just as Tamika said, Gabriel is nothing more than a simple guy who uses his power to do what he thinks is right, what happens when people disagree with it? What happens when his view of justice rivals the view of others, if power is what makes things right, then,  are the weak just supposed to wither away? Gabriel claims to be the one who protects the weak, he claims he is the one who would bring down those who are responsible for the current state, in sort he claims to be the one who takes down the strong but when his


    view is challenged he uses power to make others submit to him, he uses his power to make his view seem right, he essentially does what he once despised. Gabriel never thought that far though, he was just letting the days go by, he was enjoying the free time he had, in his mind, the mind of a teenage boy, this was work, it was just something he had to do, it got boring after a while like a chore, when he killed Koma, he didn''t even talk about it, it had nothing to do with revenge so he didn''t even feel the satisfaction that comes with it, it was just like he was doing his job, to Gabriel it really felt like that, even if he doesn''t know he is walking down a dark path, even if he doesn''t know, Carmen still wants to hold his hand on the way back...

 Gabriel vs Kevin

    Gabriel managed to escape the awkward situation with Carmen and came back to Kevin''s house, there he found Munderic and Mak playing poker in the living room...


    Gabriel-What are you doing?


    Munderic-Losing...


    Mak-I am kicking his ass.


    Carmen-Are you guys playing a game?


    Mak-Not just any game, the king of games, I love human''s sometimes, they come up with the greatest ideas for entertainment.


    Gabriel-Poker?


    Munderic-I was also surprised when Mak said he knew how to play, I figured that a goblin wouldn''t be so good at it.


    Gabriel-How much did you lose?


    Munderic-Seven hundred euros.


    Gabriel-Oh shit. Is that how you had so much money? You gambled?


    Mak-More or less.


    Gabriel-You piece of shit. Where did you find money to start playing?


    Mak-Kevin gave me money when we were in England.


    Gabriel-But you said you didn''t have money for tickets back then.


    Mak-Well...


    Gabriel-You fucking ashole, you made me pay for the tickets even though you had money?


    Mak-You were the one who wanted to go after Marbas, why should I pay for those tickets?


    Gabriel-Maybe because that''s what the money was for, doc didn''t give it to you to go gamble.


    Mak-You are not one to talk, you aren''t exactly trustworthy for anything either.


    Gabriel-You mother...


    Carmen-Stop it, where is doctor Kevin?


    Mak-He is out in the yard.


    Gabriel-He called me and said he wanted to show me something.


    Mak-Well, go out there and see for yourself.


    Gabriel went outside, Mak and Munderic also packed things up, Munderic didn''t want to lose any more money and they all went outside to check on Kevin...


    Gabriel-What is this?


    Kevin was surrounded by black thick smoke, the shadow energy was engulfing his whole body as he sit there like he was meditating. As soon as Kevin noticed all four of them watching he stood up and the smoke vanished...


    Kevin-Hey.


    Gabriel-Care to explain what is going on?


    Carmen-What is this doctor?


    Kevin-Munderic called Nefaris and I made a contract.


    Gabriel-Nefa...


    Kevin-Nefaris, it''s the name of the elemental that the summoning stone was for.


    Gabriel-Did you actually sell your soul to an elemental?


    Kevin-Nonthing like that, the contract was just for me to honor it''s name once a day.


    Gabriel-What''s the drawback of this contract? Will you die if you fail to do it?


    Mak-The elemental wasn''t exactly demanding anything, he said that if he ever fails to pray he would just be unable to use his powers.


    Kevin-Exactly, I didn''t see anything wrong in trying it out.


    Gabriel-It''s not exactly a new type of food to try out, you are now capable of using shadow magic.


    Kevin-Yes, I have a request for you.


    Gabriel-Huh?


    Kevin-I want to fight you.


    Gabriel-What!?


    Mak-Kevin said that he wanted to test out his new powers and I suggested that you would be the most suited for a spar.


    Gabriel-Of course it would be you.


    Kevin how about we go to the forest and have a little spar?


    Gabriel-I am not sure...


    Mak-Relax, I doubt there is any way for Kevin to be as strong as you, that form you take is nothing compared to a simple shadow mage, without experience at least.


    Gabriel-Yeah about that, I have something to tell you guys after all this. (Maybe I should tell them about this guy)


    Carmen-Can I also participate?


    Kevin-What?


    Gabriel-What?


    Carmen-I haven''t stopped training, Mak has even taught me how to turn off my Telepathy, I don''t hear voices anymore and I have increased the power of my Psychokinesis.


    Kevin-Maybe some other time, right now I want to gather some data.


    Carmen-Hm...Fine.


    Mak-Relax, Carmen, I am sure you will get your chance to attack Gabriel.


    Gabriel-When did I become a crash-test dummy?


    Mak-I don''t know about crash test...


    Gabriel-Really? You are just making a joke and calling me a dummy? You can do better than that.


    Mak-It sounded better in my head. (Damn he is right, that was terrible, what''s wrong with me?)


    Kevin-Let''s go then.


    Gabriel-Fine, let''s all test magical powers on Gabe, he can take it.


    Mak-Stop being such a wuss.


    Gabriel-Can I test something on Mak after that? I also got thunder powers at Japan, can I zap his fucking brain?


    Kevin-Not now, I want to do my plan first.


    Mak-Are you actually considering it?


    Kevin-What? Oh no, Gabe, we can''t zap Mak yet, his knowledge is very useful.


    Mak-Please tell me you are joking, what is going on?


    Carmen-I am sure they are just joking, Mak.


    Mak-Thank you Carmen, you such a kind girl.


    Munderic-(Kind and pretty.)


    Kevin-Let''s go.


    All of them went to the forest, as the birthplace for Kevin''s powers he thought that he could recharge with the shadows of the trees and as the sun went down he could test the peak of his powers during the night, Gabriel wasn''t all that excited, after all he was the test dummy, Carmen, Mak and Munderic came along just to watch, as soon as they arrived at the forest by car, Gabriel and Kevin got into position, the rest just sat down on a blanket a bit away from the fight, collateral damage wasn''t off the table for sure, even if Gabriel didn''t attack back...


    Gabriel-Is this ok?


    Kevin-Yes, get ready, I am going to attack.


    Kevin focused and as the shadow energy started to gather around him he cleared his mind, he tried to make the image of the attack that he wanted, something started to materialize in his hand, a straight line of shadow energy resembling a sword...


    Gabriel-What is that?


    Kevin-A sword.


    Carmen-A sword?


    Mak-Mage spells aren''t preset like warlock or shamanic spells, they can basically manifest their energy in any way they like, the power is weaker but the versatility makes up for it. Also the structure of the spell changes with the will of the user, for example, a shadow sword would deal damage when it comes in contact with something.


    Munderic-So he could just make a gun and shoot?


    Mak-There is n reason, just creating the image of a projectile would let him shoot it from his hands, the energy just changes in the way it is activated, if he tried to make a projectile then the moment it left his hand it would get critical and the first thing that came into contact would take the damage, if he wanted to make a grenade then it would have a slight delay based upon the will of the user.


    Munderic-Why would he want it to have a delay if he wanted a projectile then?


    Mak-Everything has it''s uses, Mundy, you summoned a demon to make you popular, how did that come to mind?


    Munderic-Uhm....


    Mak-Anyway, the way it triggers is based upon the will of the user, it''s easy to mess it up if you are not focused.


    Kevin-Gabe, I am going to attack you.


    Gabriel-Do you want me to try and block?


    Kevin-Do as you like, just don''t hit back, I don''t think it would be wise for my face to melt off.


    Gabriel-Come on, that happened once.


    Kevin rushed at Gabriel with the shadow sword at hand and took a swing on him, Gabriel tried to block but the shadow energy stuck onto his arm and it was burning at the point of impact.


    Gabriel-What the fuck!


    Kevin-I tried to make it something like a poisoned weapon.


    Carmen-What happened?


    Mak-Nice, Kevin changed it at the last second, by changing it into a poisoned weapon in his mind the sword left behind a burning effect. (At the hands of someone like Kevin it would be devastating, his intelligence combined with the versatility of  this power is something to be afraid of for sure.)


    Gabriel-It''s fine now, what else you got?


    Kevin-Let''s try a projectile.


    Kevin changed the shape of the aura once again, it now was a blob of shadow energy levitating slightly above his hands. After a couple of seconds of Kevin looking at it he shot the projectile on Gabriel, it exploded and got Gabriel on his knees...


    Munderic-What?


    Mak-What did I tell you? That was an impact grenade, he took his time to make it detonate as soon as it touched anything, there is a problem with though.


    Munderic-What kind of problem?


    Mak-Unlike a melee weapon that stays on him, a grenade or a projectile is just throwing energy away, it deals more damage for sure but it consumes a lot of his energy.


    Gabriel-(Damn, I felt that one.)


    Kevin absorbed the shadow of the trees to recharge and tried to make another unique attack, this time it was a shape of a gun in his hand...


    Carmen-A gun?


    Mak-Exactly, he is now using both of the previous methods, by utilizing the static energy on his hand and the structure of a projectile he can release small amounts of energy while having an accurate representation of the remaining energy in the


    shape of a gun, basically as soon as this gun stops firing or slows down, it means he is running out of stamina like he would run out of bullets, that way when he stops firing he can recover the energy of the gun back into his Source and use it in a different way.


    Munderic-This sounds complicated.


    Mak-Yeah.(Very complicated to be precise, I can''t believe Kevin is so accustomed to it this fast, he clearly is a scientist with a passion for research, he thinks of everything that can go right and wrong in seconds.)


    Kevin started to shoot at Gabriel with the makeshift gun, the bullet projectiles did minimal to no damage and after about seven shots, Kevin stopped shooting...


    Gabriel-Is that it?


    Kevin-Give me a second.


    Munderic-During a fight he wouldn''t have the time to think about these things though.


    Mak-Yes, that''s why he is coming up with some basic techniques to have them available at any time, he is practicing and when he has to use them, he can do it almost instantly.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Munderic-Wow, Mr.Kevin sure is clever.


    Mak-(But then again, he is shooting at someone with anger issues...)


    Kevin absorbed even more shadows from the nearby objects and started to think about another way to use his powers...


    Munderic-I thought he was done, what else could he have in mind?


    Mak-There is something else, it requires a lot of concentration, let''s see if he figures it out.


    Carmen-What else?


    Mak-There is an even more terrifying technique that only certain types of magic can do. ( terrifying for both the opponent and himself)


    Carmen-What is that?


    Mak-Well, the sun is going down, you will probably get to see it.


    Gabriel-Hey, doc.


    Kevin-Yes?


    Gabriel-What''s going on? The sun is setting, what else you got?


    Kevin-Give me a couple of minutes.


    Gabriel-Ok.


    A couple of minutes passed, Kevin was looking at the ground as he was thinking about his next move, Gabriel laid on the grass until it was time and Mak refused to explain what he thought Kevin''s next move would be, Carmen and Munderic were


    very anxious because Mak said it would be terrifying, once the sun was completely down and the night sky made it''s appearance, Mak stood up...


    Mak-Let''s have a look.


    Carmen-What?


    At this point Kevin lift up his head, after minutes of clear thinking he finally figured what to do next, dark energy started to form all around Kevin, Gabriel saw it and stood up, by the amount of shadow energy he figured that this would be an all-out attack and he was ready to block it, Mak was looking at Kevin very satisfied because he knew that Kevin found out the technique he was talking about, Carmen and Munderic were also watching carefully as the shadow energy around Kevin was getting stronger and thicker...


    Munderic-I see a lot of energy, is this going to be an ultimate shot?


    Mak-No, Kevin doesn''t plan to shoot this energy. (That''s what makes it scary)


    Munderic-Then what?


    Mak-Don''t you dare read my thoughts with Telepathy, Carmen, you will just spoil yourself.


    Carmen-Uhm, sure.


    At this point, even Gabriel was looking at Kevin very interested and a bit scared, if this was an ultimate shot, then the time it took to focus the energy means that it would be stronger than anything else and since the sun was down, Kevin''s power should be approaching its limit. Gabriel took a defensive pose and got ready to receive the attack but then the energy changed the way it behaved, all of the shadow energy surrounding Kevin got absorbed in his body...


    Mak-YES!


    Munderic-What?


    In an instant, Kevin disappeared, everyone was shocked but Mak who knew what happened exactly...


    Gabriel-(What?)


    Munderic-What did Mr.Kevin do?


    Carmen-Yes, Mak, please tell us.


    Mak-He turned his body into shadow.


    Munderic-Oh, I have heard of such a thing.


    Mak-You probably have, certain types of magic that don''t have a structural form can turn the user into the essence itself, it''s a master level technique that it normally takes years to perfect. In this form the caster is almost invisible, not even an attack used on spectral beings can harm him since he now has no form, when we are talking about a fire mage then a simple splash of water could do the trick and earth magicians are vulnerable to physical attacks but when it comes to something as shadow, then the counters are very limited.


    Carmen-So, doctor Kevin might be able to win?


    Mak-Not in a million years. (Gabriel can use light powers, if he wasn''t an idiot then he would already have damaged Kevin, or maybe he is afraid to do it.)


    Gabriel-What happened? Doc?


    The shadow energy was now moving at incredible speed and it approached Gabriel, with a lash it attacked Gabriel...


    Gabriel-WHAT!?


    Gabriel tried to punch it but the blob of energy quickly gathered again into one thick unit, after that, Gabriel unleashed a torrent of punches but the force of punches simple broke the united energy and it recovered faster and faster each time...


    Mak-That''s it.


    Munderic-Gabriel can''t do anything.


    Mak-He can, if he figures it out.


    Kevin hit Gabriel more and more times, the hits weren''t strong enough to damage Gabriel, even when the energy took the form of a blade and sliced at Gabriel, the regenerating ability kept Gabriel fine but he was getting frustrated by the second,\


    just receiving hits was making him mad, at some point, he thought that when physical attacks can''t do anything he could use the chaos energy like he used on Koma who was also immune to his punches...


    Gabriel-Here it goes "Chaos Bite"!


    Mak-Idiot.(Use your fucking head, what counters shadow?)


    Gabriel conjured the chaos fangs and tried to hit the blob of shadow energy but it still had no effect, as with his punches, the shadow smoke like figure just gathered once again...


    Gabriel-Why didn''t it work? How about some fire?


    Gabriel threw a couple of fireballs at Kevin and it kind of had some effect, it passed right through him but it was obvious that it damaged him in some way since he got staggered...


    Carmen-I think the fire worked.


    Mak-It wasn''t the fire itself.


    Carmen-What do you mean?


    Mak-Let''s watch.


    Carmen-Why are you doing this? Just tell us what you are thinking.


    Gabriel-(All right, the fire seems to work, I will try it again with some power.)


    Gabriel shot even more fireballs with more energy in them, the result was the same, a slight stagger in the shadow energy but nothing else, at this point the fireballs that Gabriel threw weren''t helping much since it started a small fire in the forest, Mak run with the blanket and put it out...


    Mak-Stop shooting fire you fucking idiot!


    Gabriel-It''s working!


    Mak-No, it''s not! (It''s just the light created by the fire that''s working and it''s minimal at best.)


    Gabriel-(What else can I do then? Yes, light!) "HOLY FLASH"!


    Gabriel''s right hand glowed with a massive light and it spread across the entire forest, the shadow energy fell to the ground and it was shaking like smoke in a gust of wind, at some point, Kevin reverted to his original form and was on the ground damaged, after a lot of failed attempts, Gabriel was frustrated and put a much bigger amount of energy in this shot damaging Kevin and knocking him on the ground unconscious, after a couple of seconds, Kevin woke up and he saw all of them standing above him...


    Kevin-Wha...


    Gabriel-I am sorry doc, please don''t make clean anything.


    Kevin-What happened?


    Mak-Gabriel finally put two and two together and used his light powers, it knocked you out of the shadow form, you should thank him for that.


    Gabriel-What?


    Munderic-Thank him for knocking him down?


    Kevin-I know, I tried to revert back earlier but it wasn''t easy, I couldn''t control this form very good.


    Carmen-What do you mean?


    Mak-Using this technique is extremely dangerous, the user may lose all ability to revert back if it''s not perfected, the fact that Gabriel forced you out of it is just lucky, and even if you managed to revert by yourself, it could have scary results...


    Kevin-What results?


    Mak-You would have to reconstruct your entire body, this is an extremely difficult task with even an extreme amount of focus, imagine if this happened in the middle of battle when you can''t spare any seconds, there are very few magicians that have managed to perfect such technique and all of them were masters and teachers. There are many occasions where there was an imperfect recovery from the essence form, you could lose a limb, your head, or even worse...


    Kevin-Worse?


    Mak-Your dick!


    Gabriel-Idiot.


    Kevin-I am glad you are finding this funny, I think I might practice turning one arm into shadow and try to expand the radius of the effect at times to manage a better contro...


    Mak-Oh shit, here he goes again, I can''t listen to any more boring stuff, let''s go home, I am starving.


    Gabriel-Me to.


    Carmen-I have already made spaghetti, all I have to do is make a bolognese sauce and we can eat.


    Kevin-Let''s go back then...


    As so, Kevin came close to making a grave mistake while practicing with Gabriel, he had this powers for less than a day, even so, Mak was amazed that Kevin even thought of all those things in such a short amount of time, most mages practice for years to perform these techniques and Kevin was able to use them in an acceptable manner within a day, from this point there is only improvement, Kevin already has some plans in his head of how to learn to control his powers and what''s for sure is that he will spend a lot of time experimenting, that''s what he does, the plans for the next day aren''t decided yet and anything is possible when you dive in a world full of magic and monsters you can''t escape easily, most people are under the idea that things like mages and vampires are a form of fiction and so they never dwell beyond that but when you are engaged in their world there is always something happening, for now, they are all going back to Kevin''s house to enjoy Carmen''s cooking and have a good time sleep, except for Kevin who is always ready to pull an all nighter performing experiments, since Gabriel is now sleeping in the old garage then he doesn''t have to wake up in the middle of the night when Kevin has troubles and he curses loudly, being asleep in the living room that is remotely close to the lab doesn''t make it easy to sleep when there is a guy working and screaming when things don''t go as planned, Munderic will have to settle for the couch, the same couch that Gabriel was sleeping up until he cleared and renovated the garage...

 Paladin of The Vatican

    Morning came by and Carmen was first to get out of bed, she went to the bathroom and after she got out she went to the kitchen to make breakfast and coffee for everyone, she was a bit clumsy and knocked down a spoon, in the complete silence of the house it made a pretty loud noise and Munderic who was sleeping on the couch woke up, he got up and rubbed his eyes, the first thing he saw after peaking into the kitchen was Carmen cooking breakfast, after a deep breath he decided to go close to her...


    Munderic-Good morning.


    Carmen-Good morning, Mundy, how did you sleep?


    Munderic-(She called me Mundy! That must mean something! Oh speak...) Very good.


    Carmen-Huh? Gabriel would always complain about sleeping on the couch.


    Munderic-Well, I can sleep anywhere as long as it''s in a house and warm and...(What am I saying?)


    Carmen-Well, it''s my fault, I am the one who took Gabriel''s room.


    Munderic-Don''t say that, you are not at fault.


    Carmen-It is, and I always cause trouble for Gabriel...


    Carmen''s eyes wiped as she was talking to Munderic and expressing her thoughts...


    Munderic-That can''t be true, I am sure Gabriel doesn''t see it that way, he isn''t one to steer away from trouble anyway.


    Carmen-You think so?


    Munderic-Of course, you are perfect, I can''t imagine Gabriel being mad at you for any reason.


    Carmen-Thank you, Mundy.


    Munderic-Can I ask you something?


    Carmen-Yes?


    Munderic-Do you like Gabriel?


    Carmen-Huh? What are you saying? I mean he is cool... Gabriel is always fearless, he goes and fights when he doesn''t have to, he has a reason in which he believes in and at the same time as he is fighting, he protects what he cares about, he came to rescue me when Eric abducted me, after the fight he couldn''t kill Eric, Gabriel isn''t just a brainless fighter, he is also kind, when he argues with Mak there isn''t any anger behind his words, I guess that''s how guys bond with one another.


    Munderic-I see...Why don''t you ask him out and tell him all this?


    Carmen-I don''t know if I can, I can''t be this honest with him.


    Munderic-(But you can with me.) You can, you only have to find the courage to speak your mind, I have always been a shut-in, I didn''t have any friends and obviously never even talked honestly with a girl before, I understand the reason behind your fear, you don''t think the other person feels the same way and you can''t say the actual words, sometimes there are no words to describe this feeling truly. But that''s how people make friends and relationships, trust me, I am a guy who summoned a demon to make him cool, until Mak told me it was pointless, I actually thought it might work, Mak was the one who told me that I needed in his words "to grow some balls" and not rely on spells to make my wishes come true.


    Carmen-It''s easy for guys to exchange these kinds of words, you can understand exactly what the other person is thinking just by insulting each other, I envy that, I don''t have any friends apart from the guys here, I couldn''t possibly ask for advice.


    Munderic-I am your friend, Carmen. (Since I can''t be anything more)


    Carmen-Really? What should I do then?


    Munderic-After breakfast, you should ask him out and tell him exactly how you feel, I am sure he feels the same way about you.


    Carmen-You are right, I need to find the courage and tell him directly, thank you Mundy, I appreciate that.


    Carmen smiled at Mundy as she has never smiled before, clearly, it was a smile full of pure happiness and gratidute to someone who has just helped you...


    Munderic-(What a smile, well, if Gabriel can make you happy and make this smile last forever, then it''s the right thing to do.) Don''t worry, maybe I could ask you to hook me up with any future friends you make...


    Carmen-Hahaha, you are so funny, if I ever meet a kind girl I will do anything in power to hook you up with her, only if she is good enough for someone as kind as you.


    Munderic-Haha...


    At this point, Kevin entered the kitchen and saw the two of them laughing...


    Kevin-What are you doing at this hour?


    Carmen-Good morning, doctor, it''s already morning, you didn''t sleep again, did you?


    Kevin-Wow, the night must have slipped away from me, I was trying to imbue some utensils with shadow magic.


    Munderic-Why utensils?


    Kevin-Imagine it, creating a ring out of the stainless steel and shadow magic, I thought I could make it into some sort of battery to keep extra shadow essence in store for later use, with the amount of stainless steel, I could possibly make all tons of jewelry and store a massive amount of energy.


    Carmen-Wow.


    Munderic-That could work, shadow essence doesn''t have any properties so the artifact created by it would mean that you could draw the energy back at any time. By utilizing the imbuing method, you could use larger objects to store the energy at first and then reshape them into smaller easier to carry items, that is brilliant.


    Kevin-Yes, Yes! Exactly, it''s good to have someone that understands my thinking.


    Carmen-Doctor...You shouldn''t keep yourself up all night, despite the importance of those experiments, sleep is important as well.


    Kevin-During the night is the best time, it''s quiet and there is nothing going on really to distract me.


    Carmen-Promise me you are going to sleep at the first chance you get.


    Kevin-Fine, there is time to perfect the artifacts.


    Mak got up and went to the kitchen...


    Mak-Coffee?


    Kevin-People usually say "good morning'' when they see someone in the morning.


    Mak-Good morning, coffee?


    Kevin-Idiot.


    Munderic-Good morning.


    Carmen-Good morning.


    Mak-Where is Gabriel? He usually gets up before me.


    Kevin-I''ll go check on him...


    Kevin went to the garage to check on Gabriel, when he opened the door he saw Gabriel sitting on a new chair and playing a game on a computer that he hasn''t seen before...


    Kevin-What is going on?


    Gabriel-Good morning doc, I can''t talk right now.


    Kevin-Where did all this come from?


    Gabriel-What? I bought it.


    Kevin-How?


    Gabriel-Mercenary work, last night I went out and took care of some ghosts, now that I can damage spectral beings it''s a lot easier than using exorcism.


    Kevin-I have so many questions.


    Gabriel-Where is everyone?


    Kevin-In the kitchen, when did you learn to perform an exorcism?


    Gabriel-It''s nothing really, just some chants and weak spirits go poof, now let me focus.


    Kevin-No, get up, Carmen has made breakfast.


    Gabriel-I can''t pause it, it''s online, I will come up in a minute.


    Kevin-Whatever.


    Kevin walked back into the kitchen and he found breakfast ready, he sat down and started eating, Gabriel came a few minutes later and joined them, just as soon as they finished Gabriel asked for everyone''s attention...


    Gabriel-Hey, I want to tell you guys something.


    Mak-What?


    Munderic-Me too?


    Gabriel-It has to do with the transformation that you saw.


    Mak-You mean the one that beat the living hell out of Warren?


    Gabriel-Yes, as you know, it happened when I was fighting Eric again.


    Mak-Yes...


    Gabriel-Well, there is something weird going on, how should I put it?


    The bell rang and immediately everyone diverted from what Gabriel was saying. Kevin went to open the door, when the door opened, Kevin saw a man, a good looking and shaped man, with short blonde hair, shaved to perfection without a single hair sticking out of his chin, he was wearing a white shirt and a black pair of pants that matched his black dressing shoes, he was holding a piece of paper and had multiple rings and earrings as well as a necklace, there was a small pouch attached to his belt and as soon as the door opened, this well-dressed man smiled at Kevin...


    Kevin-Can I help you?


    Nico-Good morning, my name is Nico D''Renna, I am here to see a young man named Gabriel.


    Kevin-What do you want with Gabriel?


    Nico-I am here to see him, I will explain everything when you invite me in.


    Kevin-Come on in.


    Kevin let the man inside and left him alone in the living room and went to the kitchen...


    Kevin-There was a man at the door, he was looking for you.


    Gabriel-For me?


    Kevin-He said he will explain, he looks quite serious and he is dressed really well.


    Mak-What would he want with an idiot like Gabriel then?


    Gabriel-Fuck you.


    Kevin-Let''s go...


    All of them went to the living room to see this man, Kevin offered him a cup of coffee and they all sat down...


    Nico-Nice to meet you, I am Nico D''Renna, a paladin from the Vatican.


    Gabriel-(CRAP!)


    Mak-(CRAP!) I guess you know what happened in Japan.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.Nico-Yes, you must be Mak, I am quite surprised that you didn''t use a Glamour spell to see me.


    Mak-Well, this girl is Carmen, she is an esper, I had her read your thoughts from the kitchen and she told me that you knew about me being a goblin, that meant you are not here to sell anything.


    Nico-(This kind of intelligence. Scary.) Correct, I spoke with my friend Asano and he told me about the incident in Japan.


    Gabriel-Are you here to fight?


    Nico-Not at all, Asano told me exactly what you did, he is still in the hospital with a broken leg, after he told me that the guy who did it was you, I was watching you from a safe distance.


    Kevin-You were watching?


    At this time the tense in the room rose, since no one knew the intentions of the other party, everyone was on edge, Nico was calm, relaxed, Gabriel and Mak were bitting their lips, they knew that there must be some kind of trouble and now this man is sitting on a couch a few inches away from them, if a fight was to break out it could mean serious trouble with so many bystanders...


    Nico-Yes, I kept an eye on Gabriel for a few days, the truth is that my friend Asano told me this Gabriel is really strong, when I heard the whole story I thought that this man just needs some guidance, Asano told me that Gabriel went to extreme means to gain the power to fight a Shinigami, he wanted to protect the lives of others, in my book, that''s a good thing to do, when it comes to harming others though that''s when it becomes problematic.


    Mak-What are you planning to do?


    Nico-I am not here to arrest Gabriel or to exact revenge, I just want to talk.


    Gabriel-Whew.


    Nico-The truth is that I am a member of seven paladins, there are six other people at my organization with the same rank as me, we are the elite soldiers of our factions and our only goal is to preserve peace, what Gabriel did is serious but as things are right now, it''s not in my jurisdiction to do anything about it, even if Asano was an acquaintance of mine.


    Mak-So...


    Nico-The onmyoji clan doesn''t seem to care about a small group of their trainees being injured or killed in a battle, to be honest, I wouldn''t have come to see you if I didn''t hear about you from Asano, he told me that you defeated a Raiju all alone with your bare hands.


    Gabriel-That''s true.


    Nico-After watching you for a couple of days I found out that you are not actively seeking trouble, you are just living your life, in other words, you are not a threat.


    Gabriel-I want to end the existence of every last piece of shit in this world.


    Nico-A reasonable cause, I have looked at your background as well, you lived in a small orphanage in the nearby town, you were presumed dead after an attack of a rabid wolf that came out of the forest, false since it was a werewolf by the name of Bertram, after a long chase from our side, Bertram took refuge with a group of vampires named Blood Legion, led by a pureblood, Warren.


    Mak-How do you know all this?


    Nico-I had time to investigate, Warren was defeated and our case was closed, I figured that after the incident that happened in the lab that was under the command of general Zach that did research on vampire and werewolf skin tissue, Kevin lost his wife, Stefanie...


    Kevin-(Stef...)


    Nico-I found out about Kevin''s background, the unit that g.Zach was in command has been disbanded and no one came after Kevin who at this point had more information than necessary. When Warren died I figured that Kevin might be involved and since I found that he was here along with Gabriel, individual that killed a Raiju, I was sure that Gabriel had something to do with Warren''s death as well.


    Mak-This amount of information, why?


    Nico-The Vatican doesn''t have all this information about Gabriel, I am the only one who knows the connection between all of those things, I wanted to see you, ask for your help actually.


    Gabriel-My help?


    Nico-Let me explain, what do you know about Johann Faust?


    Mak-Faust, he made a contract with the devil to resurrect his wife.


    Nico-Incorrect, Faust is the only man, no warlock, that has managed to make a contract with Satan himself.


    Munderic-Satan?


    Nico-Faust had extreme intelligence, he managed to even trick the Demon King, the contract has made Faust into a powerful warlock capable of tremendous things, when the time for compensation came, Faust tricked Satan but there had to be a human soul for exchange, Faust didn''t want to resurrect his dead wife, he offered her soul to Satan in exchange.


    Mak-Impossible.


    Nico-The experiments that Faust did was on eternal life, he wanted to keep himself from dying, he failed time after time, no amount of evil power can grant eternal life, the problem begins with what he left behind...


    Mak-Faust left notes?


    Nico-Yes, Faust is dead for the last two hundred years and his work has been lost...


    Mak-But...


    Nico-Ozymandias Grzegarczoyk... A warlock from Poland who during the World War II left the country and searched for the pagan notes of Faust, he joined a group of elf mages known as Silver Sector.


    Mak-Silver Sector? That can''t be true... The elf mages from Silver Sector have wielded power beyond anyone else.


    Nico-Yes, Ozymandias has joined their ranks during the war and learned from them magic that had been lost for ages, the Silver Sector has been destroyed, it was at this time that a scientist developed the most horrific weapon of all times...


    Kevin-The atomic bomb.


    Nico-The bombs that were thrown in Japan weren''t the only ones developed, the Vatican also had their share of this new powerful weapon, no amount of magic power could do the damage that this monstrosity of a bomb could, the only other thing that could match it is the Holy Hand Grenade and that''s sealed inside the Vatican for protection. The bomb that the Vatican used annihilated the Silver Sector but Ozymandias had already left, I have information that he plans to use the notes of Faust to make a new contract.


    Mak-I don''t think that Satan himself can be tricked twice.


    Nico-Correct, Ozymandias doesn''t plan to make a contract with Satan, his plans involve another demon king, Belial.


    Mak-Belial?


    Gabriel-I have beaten demons before.


    Mak-No, Belial is a demon king, his powers are a far cry from Marbas.


    Nico-Marbas, a mid-class demon that killed a priest in the nearby town, the same priest that was in charge of the orphanage, the same orphanage that you were previously, I guess you killed the demon?


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Nico-How did you manage that?


    Gabriel-Well, I went to hell...


    Carmen-(Gabriel, I don''t think mr.Nico has to know about Munderic, that could pose a problem.)


    Nico-To hell? How?


    Gabriel-I found a warlock and forced him to open a portal for me, after I killed Marbas I also killed the warlock.


    Mak-(Hm... He couldn''t have possibly think about that by himself, good job Carmen.)


    Nico-It''s not my place to judge who lives and who dies, I won''t ask about the trip you had, you have some experience fighting demons then.


    Gabriel-Yes.


    Nico-My information says that Ozymandias has gotten his hands on the notes of Faust and now he is located in Mexico.


    Mak-Mexico?


    Nico-Yes, a small village, I have the location and there is not much time to act, I can''t allow Ozymandias to perform his contract but I wanted to ask for your help, Asano has said that you are stronger than anyone else he has seen.


    Gabriel-Well...


    Nico-Will you come with me, Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Yes, if there is some ashole warlock doing creepy stuff, I want to be there to kick his ass.


    Nico-Thank you, first though I want to check something.


    Gabriel-What is that?


    Nico-I want to fight with you.


    Carmen-What?


    Mak-What?


    Gabriel-Hm...


    Nico-I want to test your power, Asano thinks you are stronger than me, if that''s not true, then I can''t take you with me to Mexico.


    Gabriel-You are in. ( I guess telling them about this guy in my head can wait after Mexico.)


    Carmen-(I guess telling Gabriel how I feel can wait after Mexico.)


    A paladin from the Vatican has appeared outside Kevin''s house, he wants Gabriel''s help to defeat a warlock named Ozymandias, Nico, this man claims to be an elite soldier of the Vatican, as Mak said, the Vatican has a hidden organization that deals with paranormal things and if what Nico says is true, then there are six others with his skills, if an organization such as the Vatican has given this rank to only seven people that means they must be strong and now Nico wants to test Gabriel, from the outcome of the battle, it will be decided if Gabriel will join Nico to Mexico and help him take down Ozymandias...

 A Paladins Test

    Nico D''Renna, a Paladin who belongs to a secret group of the Vatican has requested Gabriel''s assistance, that is if he can prove that the rumors are true about his strength, Gabriel possesses the physical capabilities of a vampire, that makes him faster, stronger and more durable, regenarating powers to recover from injuries, as seen by Warren though this healing factor isn''t useful against tremendous amount of damage, Gabriel has another trick, there, in his mind lies a voice, he has no name and no identity, he claims that the transformation Gabriel performed was his doing and that he has Gabriel''s back, the odds are in his favor but Nico wants to fight him, even though he has heard that Gabriel defeated a Raiju, an opponent that onmyoji masters have feared, this might mean that Nico is also stronger than a Raiju, that doesn''t sound right, he hasn''t mentioned anything special, he is just a human and humans don''t have any special powers, but they have their cunning and the power to bend anything to suit themselves. Gabriel has led Nico to the forest, up until now it has been an arena for a few fights and since it''s quite remote and out of sight...


    Gabriel-We can spar here, no one will bother us.


    Nico-What about the others?


    Mak-Oh, we will stand back and just watch, don''t worry.


    Nico-I can''t stress this enough, you need to be very careful, if it''s possible, I would like the esper girl to make a barrier.


    Carmen-I can''t...


    Nico-Then stand way back...


    Gabriel-I am not going to hurt them.


    Nico-I am not worried about your power, I am worried about the collateral damage.


    Gabriel-I will keep it to a minimum.


    Nico-(Is this confidence or arrogance?) Get ready, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-I always am.


    Nico reached in his pouch and drew a sword and a shield, the sword was black in color and dark energy emanated from it, it''s shape was one of a normal longsword but it''s energy signified something more, the shield was grey as if made by stone, on it was the image of a woman''s head with snakes for hair and her mouth was wide open to reveal a set of sharp fangs...


    Kevin-What is that?


    Mak-I think this pouch has been imbued with some sort of spell to have increased capacity for storage.


    Kevin-Fascinating.


    Gabriel-What?


    Nico-This pouch has a holy enchantment to hold an entire arsenal, the Portable Hole and this is the Sword of Night, one scratch from this blade and it eliminates any vision from the target for a short period of time.


    Gabriel-Are those?


    Nico-Infused artifacts from the Vatican, I told you that I wanted to test you, don''t lose focus now, this shield is the Aegis of the Gorgon, it shoots a petrifying ray that turns anyone it hits into stone.


    Gabriel-(Damn, I should make sure to dodge that at any cost. Well, I am faster than him).


    Nico-I wouldn''t count on speed to dodge.


    Nico grabbed his pendant and even more equipment appeared, his rings glowed and then vanished, in the place of his shoes now appeared a pair of brown leather boots with markings, on his head materialized a red helmet with no shielding for the face, it had a pair of eyes engraved at the side and at his chest a feathery crest covered his entire torso.


    Nico-This are the Boots of Swiftness, it makes the wearer extremely fast...


    Gabriel-How fas...


    Nico disappeared for a moment and hit Gabriel with his shield knocking him a couple of meters away...


    Gabriel-Hey now...


    Nico-This helmet is the Helmet of True Sight, it allows me to see the aura of anyone I gaze upon and this is the Crest of the Gryphon, it provides near impenetrable defense against bladed weapons. I told you not to lose focus, next time I will not just


    strike you.


    Gabriel-I see...


    Nico moved again, this time Gabriel managed to deflect his slash with his own sword, the shortsword that he always carried with him, Gabriel was able to match Nico''s speed with his own but it proved harder and harder with each slash, Nico was on the attack and Gabriel was blocking the hits as much as he could, that is until Nico managed to slash Gabriel on the arm, in an instant, Gabriel lost his sight, most people would panic at this moment but Gabriel as clueless as he was in life, he was experienced in combat and managed to keep calm...


    Gabriel-(Fuck, I can''t see, at this point I would try to end the fight with the shield, if that ray hits me I am done, dodging left or right isn''t an option as he would easily drift it towards me, the only thing I can do is get some height, elevation should throw his aim off just enough for me to see again)


    Nico did exactly as Gabriel predicted and used the shield, a glowing yellow ray traveled towards Gabriel, he managed to dodge just in time by jumping straight into the air...


    Nico-In this case...


    Gabriel-(Right, now I can fall straight down and hit him, WHAT!?)


    As soon as Gabriel''s sight returned, Nico was flying with two brown wings that emerged from his back...


    Nico-This Crest allows me to fly in order to fight enemies out of my reach.


    Nico kicked Gabriel on the ground with enough force to make a small crater around the point of impact, at this point Gabriel stood up and thought about his next move...


    Gabriel-(What the fuck is this? How am I to counter all of those things?)


    Nico-(He is strong but not very sharp, it''s not the weaponry that you should worry about, Gabriel, it''s the amount of training I did with them.)


    Meanwhile, the others are watching the fight from a safe distance...


    Mak-Wow, this dude is something else.


    Munderic-I know, what''s with all those artifacts?


    Kevin-It''s not the artifacts.


    Munderic-What?


    Mak-These things would be pointless if someone like you carried them but in the hands of someone as skilled as Nico, they are unbeatable.


    Carmen-How is Gabriel going to win then?


    Mak-It''s not about winning, Nico doesn''t want to see how strong Gabriel is, he wants to see how good he can fight.


    Nico started to fly downwards towards Gabriel, up until now he had the advantage, Gabriel couldn''t react to his movements and the way he chained his attacks, with one false move everything is over...


    Nico-(Is that it? Did this guy really took down a Raiju? Asano wouldn''t have this much trouble unless...) Is that all you got?


    Gabriel-What?( Now I am getting pissed)


    Gabriel focused his energy on his feet, the exploding amount of energy was used to propel Gabriel in incredible speed, even Nico couldn''t counter that, with one jump, Gabriel was now faced with Nico in the air, he pulled his fist back and by focusing the energy now at his hand unleashed a punch so strong that it made the sound of a cannon as it hit Nico in the face, with the force from the punch, Nico was now the one on the groun bud he stood up like nothing happened, when Gabriel landed he took a look at Nico only to see a mask on his face, it was a scary mask made out of wood and it had a sad image...


    Nico-(Good, I didn''t expect to use this).


    Gabriel-What is this now?


    Nico-This is the Mask of Infamy, named after an ancient torture device, this mask randomly protects the user from any physical damage, using it comes with a risk, there is no way to know if it will block the attack.


    Gabriel-In other words, you just got lucky.


    Nico-(He has enough spirit to joke around, I knew he was holding back, hahaha, all it took was some taunting to bring out his true strength.) That''s enough.


    Gabriel-What do you mean?


    Nico-I figured out how strong you really are. ( That''s a lie, he could still be holding something back.)


    Gabriel-Does that mean I can come with you?


    Nico-Yes.


    Mak-(Bloody idiot, I know he wanted to test Gabriel''s strength by taunting him but this could have ended badly, this was nothing more than simple energy management, Nico has no idea about Gabriel''s true power, this thing could have erased the entire forest in an instant.)


    The fight ended as per Nico''s saying, after they agreed on Gabriel joining Nico in this mission they returned to Kevin''s house and they had something else to discuss before departure...


    Mak-Mexico would be awesome.


    Nico-You want to join us?


    Mak-Are you kidding? If I leave Gabriel alone he wouldn''t be able to put his shoes correctly.


    Gabriel-Idiot.


    Kevin-I know that Mak won''t be of any use during a fight but I am sure you are familiar with goblin''s special attributes.


    Nico-Inherited memories.


    Mak-Right, when I grew out, I inherited the knowledge of a dragon, presumably the last dragon.


    Kevin-Mak''s knowledge has helped us countless times, he may be a sarcastic annoying little idiot but he has proven his worth many times.


    Mak-I don''t know if I have to feel good or bad about that.


    Carmen-Mak has also helped me control my powers better, he is a great teacher.


    Mak-Aww...


    Nico-I guess you would be a good asset.


    Carmen-Maybe...


    Mak-What is it?


    Carmen-Could I come along too? I have improved a lot.


    Mak-I don''t know, Nico has kicked Gabriel''s ass and if he thinks that he couldn''t do it without our help, this might be too much for you.


    Carmen-But with Gabriel and Nico there I would be safe.


    Nico-We can''t bring too many people, this is supposed to be a quiet mission, I have come here to get Gabriel''s help, I count for a goblin either.


    Mak-I have a name.


    Nico-I am sorry, Mak, I am not used to partnering up with your kind, most of the times I have eliminated them.


    Mak-Well, you are not the only one, Gabriel here has destroyed my village.


    Nico-What? There was a goblin village near this place?


    Kevin-Yes, they had a Glamour spell up to conceal it, Gabriel was able to bypass it.


    Nico-I have to ask, how did you get your abilities Gabriel?


    Gabriel-(Oh crap, what do I tell him?)


    Kevin-Gabriel was just a normal boy, I found him half dead on the street after he got in a fight with a werewolf, Bertram. At that time, I didn''t know that the military stopped pursuing me, since I couldn''t expose myself to any authorities and I was the only one there I took him back here and treated him as best as I could, I had to put a device in his chest, think of it as a pacemaker, it keeps his heart pumping, apparently it made him able to absorb the powers of other things, of course I wasn''t aware of that, I am not exactly a medical engineer and the thing I thought I made wasn''t just a pacemaker.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.Mak-(Wow, Kevin thought about all this in an instant, telling Nico that we don''t know about Gabriel''s origin would be a problem, good job.)


    Nico-That sounds like an incredible device, I suspect you wouldn''t be able to mass produce it.


    Kevin-Sadly, no, it was just an accident so I don''t have any schematics, I had a blueprint for a pacemaker, I don''t know what I did because it was a mistake.


    Nico-And this device isn''t functioning perfectly, right?


    Kevin-Yes, Gabriel has had many issues when he stresses up his body and he might collapse.


    Nico-That could pose a problem to the mission.


    Gabriel-It hasn''t happened in a long time, I am sure it will be ok.


    Nico-I guess you managed to stand your ground against me without any issues and even managed to take on a Raiju, we can hope it''s going to be ok.


    Gabriel-Yeah, it will be fine.


    Nico-Now, another question, where does your physical strength come from?


    Mak-Warren.


    Nico-You took the powers of vampire!?


    Mak-Relax, Mr. Paladin, he can go out in the daylight and there is no sign of thirst whatsoever.


    Nico-This is relaxing. Something else...What about you Mr.Kevin?


    Kevin-What about me?


    Nico-When I equiped the Helm of True Sight, I saw a strange aura around you too, you might want to tell me about it.


    Mak-(Fuck, this feels like talking to a cop.)


    Kevin-Well, you know why Gabriel went to Japan.


    Nico-Asano told me that he wanted the powers of an onmyoji to defeat a Shinigami.


    Kevin-Yes, during his trip, he got chaos energy from one of those students and used it against said Shinigami.


    Nico-A strange method to aquire power but nevertheless, it''s not my place to do anything about it.


    Kevin-Thank you for that, anyway, during his fight, at the place I am sure you noticed something else, right?


    Nico-I see where this is going, the monolith at the forest was a summoning stone, you made a contract with something, right?


    Mak-(Damn, there is no hiding anything from this guy.)


    Kevin-Yes, it was a shadow elemental, the monolith appeared from Gabriel''s use of chaos energy, I just had to investigate it and I ended up accepting a contract from the elemental.


    Nico-I hope this contract isn''t forcing you to do anything bad to other people.


    Kevin-Not at all, the elemental just wanted a loyal worshiper in exchange for power.


    Nico-Again, that''s relaxing to hear.


    During all this Kevin kept his cool, no one would have guessed that some of the things he said to Nico are lies, about Gabriel''s powers and his origin that is, by mixing some true facts in this story, he was able to completly keep a straight face like talking about something mundane, Nico surely had no idea these things were lies and the fact that he didn''t comment on it made clear that he also had no information...


    Nico-Now to return to our mission, I, Gabriel and Mak will leave tommorow for Mexico, from there it will be a couple of hours drive to the small town that Ozymandias is hiding and planning to perform his ritual...


    Mak-Why are we leaving tommorow? Shouldn''t we get there as soon as possible?


    Nico-Summoning a demon king isn''t an easy job, we have time to discuss a proper plan before barging in foolishly, I will arrange a room in a motel for the three of us and from that place as a base we will begin our investigation and locate where Ozymandias is planning to perform the ritual, I will ask you to not bring an entire arsenal with you, arriving in a place like Mexico with tons of guns, ammo or bladed weapons will pose a problem.


    Kevin-Mr.Nico, I want to ask you something, during Gabriel''s fight with Marbas, he came across this sealed weapon, Marbas used it in the form of an axe, what can you tell us about it?


    Nico-Let me see...


    Nico equiped the Helm of True Sight and took a look on the sealed axe, Kevin didn''t mention Munderic''s involvement with it.


    Nico-Yes, that is a demonic axe for sure, it was created by a high-class demon with the remnants of another less powerful demon, the seal seems to be some kind of warlock spell, Marbas must have had a collaborator working with him, I think this warlock placed the seal on this weapon, I can''t think of a reason for a demon to hide a weapon though...


    Mak-Maybe to look cool when he pulls it out?


    Nico-I don''t think so, but then again, I can''t fathom the thoughts of a despicable being like a demon, I guess you want to bring this axe with you?


    Gabriel-Yeah, when I push energy to it the seal is undone and the axe takes shape, after I recollect the energy it goes back to a simple trinket.


    Nico-That''s just overloading the seal, it could have a negative effect if for whatever reason you decide to put too much energy in it.


    Gabriel-Like what?


    Nico-An explosion, overloading the seal is a blunt method to unleash a sealed weapon, it has been used before but there have been incidents where the user just blew himself up, I remember reading something like this with a Druid''s wand, he wanted to grow food for his village so he infused the spirit of a dryad in a wand, I think its name was Wand of the Forest, it is a really powerful artifact that has been lost for decades, anyway the Druid got mad with the amount of crops he could accelerate the growth of and at some point he used too much of his own energy on the wand, it blew him to pieces.


    Gabriel-I haven''t used the axe too much, is there an indicator before it goes off?


    Nico-It will shine bright with the energy like an overloaded reactor, the tempreture will surely go up and it will become unstable, at the very least, you can stuff it in the ground when you notice something like that and maybe have time to escape.


    Gabriel-So...No to the axe?


    Nico-I am saying that there is a better method to undoing the seal each time, I might be able to help with that but we can''t spend much time right now, maybe when we arrive at Mexico I can teach you a technique to use it more effectivly, you can bring it with you.


    Kevin-You might want to bring the Draconic Gauntlet as well.


    Nico-What is this?


    Kevin-Mak''s village had a dragon scale, I used my energy to infuse it with a shield I bought online and the end result was a gauntlet with the abillity to nullify all elemental attacks.


    Nico-This sounds usefull, Ozymandias will probably use elemental attacks if we run into a fight, you should bring this too.


    Gabriel-So, axe, gauntlet, can I take my uzi?


    Nico-No, one sighting of a gun and we will have to answer to the local authorities, the Vatican can let me off by pulling a couple of strings but you are not with the Vatican.


    Gabriel-Then let me join you.


    Mak-WHAT!?


    Kevin-WHAT!?


    Carmen-Gabriel...


    Nico-Hm...I can''t argue that you would be an asset to the forces of the Vatican, with the right training you might be able to earn the rank of Paladin fast, I will make a request to the council if we make it back from Mexico in one piece.


    Gabriel-Nice.


    Kevin-Have you thinked this through Gabe?


    Gabriel-What do you mean? Those onmyoji said that I can''t do what I do unless I join an organization, the Vatican sounds neat.


    Nico-There are a lot of rules to follow, Gabriel, Mr.Kevin asks if you will be able to follow this procedure through.


    Gabriel-Is there any way to kind of join the Vatican?


    Mak-What are you talking about? This isn''t a fishing group to "kind of" be a part of and go every now and then.


    Nico-I could make a request to the council to consider you a free agent and have some juristriction but if at any point you get summoned you will have to answer and if you get extremely out of order maybe even have to face consequences.


    Gabriel-Oah, slow down, so, I can continue doing my thing and the Vatican won''t trouble me?


    Nico-As long as you get permition from someone inside the Vatican, the only ones that can grand permition for missions are the council and any of the Paladins.


    Gabriel-So, I can kill stuff as long as I call to tell you?


    Nico-In one way, yes.


    Gabriel-Great, after I beat that Ozy...something dude, we can arrange this, give me your number.


    Nico-Later, for now we need to get some rest, I have arranged for a room in a nearby hotel, the tickets for our flight are already booked, I will come tommorow morning to pick you and Mak.


    Gabriel-Ok, later.


    As of now, Gabriel, Mak and Nico are to leave for Mexico, they will begin the investigation for Ozymandias there, Kevin''s quick thinking about explaining certain things haven''t made any suspicion''s on Nico''s behalf, Gabriel did drop a bomb by


    asking Nico to join the Vatican, no one but Gabriel thinks this is a good choice because if the Vatican get''s a grip on Gabriel, it could mean that his secret will be revealed and the Vatican won''t turn a blind eye to everything that Gabriel is involved with, things like Gabriel''s origin, his connection with Munderic and Eric, there are many things that Gabriel has done and many of these things are not exactly in order with the Vatican, Nico seems to be a kind person and has overlooked the fact that Gabriel beat up some of his acquaintances, he hasn''t made any rude moves against any of them but that doesn''t mean he isn''t suspicious of many things, he asked directly about Gabriel and Kevin''s source of energy, the fact that he overlooked Carmen being an esper and Mak means that there is no issue with them, Munderic was also there and him being a warlock means that he is essentially an enemy, Munderic''s shy nature proved usefull since he didn''t talk at all during the conversation they had and Kevin was quick and calm about his answers, Kevin doesn''t trust Gabriel''s decision about joining the Vatican but Gabriel doesn''t seem to be aware of the true weight of that decision, he thinks that he can continue his work without any implications but the fact is that he will be assosiated with the Vatican and every move he makes represents the Vatican, every wrong move means that he might be targeted and if the Vatican investigates him, trouble is sure to come.

 Distrust Amongst the Team

    The next day, Nico showed up at Kevin''s house, everyone was ready for departure as Nico asked, Gabriel was at the garage packing his things, instead of sleeping, he spent the night playing games on his computer, that left him with just a couple of minutes to pack because he didn''t notice that the time has passed and it was already morning, Mak was ready and they now they gave Gabriel a couple of minutes to pack as they sat in the living room drinking freshly made coffee...


    Kevin-I swear, Gabriel is the most irresponsible person on this planet.


    Mak-Don''t make it so light, he is a moron.


    Nico-We have time until the flight.


    Mak-I was wandering, what do we know about Ozymandias?


    Nico-You would have to be more specific.


    Mak-Do we have a picture of him or a way to find him?


    Nico-No, the unfortunate thing is that warlocks also don''t have auras of their own unless they unlock their Source by means of a contract, as far as I know, Ozymandias hasn''t made a contract yet, he hasn''t made any moves and that''s the reason he


    has escaped the Vatican''s sight for this long, we only knew from the remnants of the Silver Sector that he was looking for Faust''s notes and just a few weeks ago we discovered that he is in Mexico.


    Mak-So you can''t find him with your helmet because he hasn''t unlocked his source?


    Nico-Precisely, warlocks operate by using rituals and single time contracts with demons, with this method they can perform their spells using the demons as catalysts and they leave no trace behind.


    Mak-And we also have no idea what he looks like, right?


    Nico-Yes, that shouldn''t be a problem though, the village we are headed isn''t exactly full of Polish people, Ozymandias should stand out, that is if he goes out at all.


    Mak-Well, knocking on doors to find Polish people isn''t going to cut it, maybe we should bring Carmen with us to single him out with Telepathy.


    Carmen-Does that mean...


    Nico-I have already booked the tickets and the flight leaves in a bit, we can''t bring her.


    Carmen-Mh...


    Kevin-This is for the best, I don''t want to see her get hurt, she is a valuable asset.


    Mak-And her cooking is ways better than Kevin''s.


    Carmen-Is that why I am here?


    Kevin-Maybe you should leave Mak behind to, I think I know where Gabriel keeps his gun.


    Mak-I am joking, Carmen is useful in many ways besides her cooking.


    Kevin-That''s not making the insult on my part any better.


    Mak-I know.


    Kevin-Where is that uzi?


    Gabriel-All done, let''s go.


    As soon as Gabriel finished packing his things, the three of them left for the airport leaving behind Kevin and Carmen, as always, Carmen didn''t get her chance to go on a mission, that has taken a toll on Carmen because every time she was left


    behind she felt a bit unwanted, that feeling was eating her from the inside, her parents left her because they didn''t want her and now Gabriel isn''t letting her close to her, by not bringing her with them each time, she felt unwanted all over again, she might have not said anything because of her shy nature but that doesn''t mean she liked being left behind and she also wants to get closer to Gabriel and spend more time with him. For now, all she can do is believe what they tell her and stay put, as she was now alone in the living room with Kevin who hasn''t gotten in his lab yet they started a conversation that wasn''t very helpful for Gabriel...


    Kevin-I don''t understand, what could be so interesting with this game for Gabriel to spend so much time?


    Carmen-I thought you would be one to know, doctor, you also spend a lot of time with your machines in the lab.


    Kevin-That''s different, I explore the properties of many things and find out about all kinds of new stuff, before Nico showed up I had a discussion with Munderic about how...


    Carmen-I know, I was there.


    Kevin-Right.


    Carmen-Where is Munderic?


    Kevin-He said that he didn''t want to be here when Nico showed up, I think he was scared.


    Carmen-So...


    Kevin-He is sleeping in my room, I was at the lab last night.


    Carmen-Oh doctor, again?


    Kevin-Hey, Gabriel was up all night too. When did he even get out to work?


    Carmen-What?


    Kevin-He said that he bought all that stuff by doing mercenary work.


    Carmen-Really? He told me that he asked Eric for money.


    Kevin-WHAT!?


    Carmen-Yeah, Eric gave me his phone number and Gabriel asked me to give to him, they talk from time to time, he asked him for money, Eric said he didn''t mind.


    Kevin-That bastard, he asked for money to buy a computer and not to fix the car he broke!


    Carmen-That wasn''t entirely Gabriel''s fault.


    Kevin-Well, I can''t find the Shinigami and ask it to pay for the repairs so it is his fault.


    Carmen-Hey, doctor...


    Kevin-Yes, Carmen?


    Carmen-I was thinking...


    Kevin-About what?


    Carmen-Mr.Nico said he has been watching us for a couple of days, right?


    Kevin-He mentioned that.


    Carmen-And he is not fond of warlocks...


    Kevin-Oh...


    Carmen-Isn''t this a bit weird?


    Kevin-Not just a bit, if Nico has been watching us for as long as he says then there is no chance that he hasn''t seen Munderic perform the ritual or my fight with Gabriel where he used his powers of hellfire.


    Carmen-Why would he ask you about your powers then? Why would he ask about Gabriel''s?


    Kevin-I don''t know...Maybe to see if we will lie to him? But I did lie to him, Gabriel also lied to him when he said that he killed the warlock who worked with Marbas. Why would he let us off the hook?


    Carmen-Perhaps Mr.Nico doesn''t want to arrest us, maybe he really wanted to recruit Gabriel.


    Kevin-That''s not possible, although, he didn''t really argue about Gabriel''s decision, he jumped right to how it could be done.


    Carmen-Do you think it''s safe to leave them with Mr.Nico at this point?


    Kevin-If he wanted to harm them he would have already, us being here wouldn''t pose a problem if he wanted to fight or arrest them.


    Carmen-Should we call them?


    Kevin-It can wait, I don''t want to put any stupid thoughts on Gabriel''s head as it is now, maybe we are just imagining things and if we tell Gabriel anything about that, there is no guarantee to what he will do.


    Carmen-Yeah, Gabriel tends to be a little impulsive.


    Meanwhile, Gabriel, Mak and Nico are already at the airport, they had a couple of minutes before the flight and Gabriel felt the need to ask a question...


    Gabriel-So...Mr.Nico?


    Nico-We are a team from this point on, Gabriel, you can call me by my name.


    Gabriel-Ok then, Nico, I want to ask you something.


    Nico-What is it?


    Gabriel-You said that you investigated my past, right?


    Nico-Yes, up to the point of you living in that orphanage.


    Gabriel-It''s about the orphanage.


    Nico-I don''t know anything about how you got there or who left you.


    Gabriel-Well, that wasn''t my question...


    Nico-I am sorry, I thought that as an orphan you might want to look for your parents.


    Gabriel-I am not concerned at all about that. (Well, now that he mentioned it, I am quite curious, I mean, Kevin said that my DNA was different from the beginning.)


    Nico-What is it then?


    Gabriel-What happened to the orphans when the priest died?


    Nico-Some of them went to an internal school where they provided housing, some were picked up by the Vatican church since f.Johnnathan belonged to the Catholic Roman church and for some of the children, the records are missing.


    Gabriel-What about a young girl? She should be about eighteen years old by now, blonde hair, blue eyes, her name is Helen.


    Nico-I don''t know, the matter of the orphanage was under Paladin Daniel and Bishop Adantino. Because the cause of death of the priest was demonic possession, someone of the Bishop rank had to intervene, he is actually the one with the records.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.Gabriel-I see, when I come to the Vatican, can I meet this Adantino?


    Nico-It will be a while before you can request an audience with a bishop, as a trainee there is no way but you are my partner right now and as a Paladin I can make a request for that.


    Mak-(What''s the matter with all this "I can make a request for this and that? Damn, these guys sure have to follow a lot of rules.)


    Gabriel-Thank you.


    Nico-Our flight is about to take off, let''s get on board, it''s going to be a long flight.


    They got aboard the plane and as it took off Mak was having some thoughts, the same thoughts that Kevin and Carmen were discussing back home...


    Mak-(Why would he let Munderic off the hook like that? Why would he want Gabriel with him? Something is fishy here but there is another thing, if he knew more than he said why would he fight Gabriel fairly, he could just use that petrifying thing on him and then take us all out, Kevin isn''t that strong and he is quite inexperienced with his powers, Carmen and Munderic are the same and I have no battle use whatsoever, there is no reason to not report us to the Vatican and have us all arrested, well Kevin and Carmen didn''t do anything but espers are not exactly free to roam wherever they like, Eric fought for that reason, espers are oppressed at many levels to the point of stuffing drugs in them and using them even as computer processors, humans always want to control things and espers are one of these things, given this, there is no reason for Nico to just ask us for help on this mission, unless he plans something else, I have to keep an eye on him.)


    Mak was suspicious of Nico from the moment he sat on that couch, there is no telling what he has on his mind since Carmen isn''t with them at the moment and Gabriel isn''t even thinking about using Mind Read on Nico, even if he wanted to he would have to touch him and Nico isn''t exactly eager to start hugging Gabriel either, for the time being, despite Mak''s suspicion, he has to watch Nico carefully and go with the flow, Gabriel has no idea about all this and he doesn''t even care if he knew then he is foolish enough to confront Nico straight on and that could also pose a problem.


    Gabriel-Hey, Nico?


    Nico-Yes?


    Gabriel-Something else, how come you have no problem with Carmen?


    Nico-Why would I?


    Gabriel-Well, she is an esper, you know this much.


    Nico-Espers have been oppressed for years, for now, the Vatican has ordered us not to chase them, this changes of course if they cause trouble, as far as I know, Carmen is just living a normal life, just learning about her powers hasn''t caused an issue for the Vatican to worry about and there is no reason to go after her.


    Gabriel-Good to know, I am starting to like you.


    Nico-What?


    Gabriel-Well, you are a guy who doesn''t actively seek to harm others and you seem to be like a nice guy, you were honest from the second you entered the house and you are not judging others just based on rumors, I mean, you even accepted a


    goblin in your team.


    Nico-Goblins are weird creatures, no offense Mak.


    Mak-Oh, don''t worry, I have heard worse.


    Nico-They have been causing all sorts of trouble, some years ago, when humans have just started expanding their territory.


    Gabriel-What kind of trouble?


    Nico-Goblins are by nature brute and dumb creatures, they used to plunder villages, rape women and kill anyone in their sight, that has stopped since the Vatican has formed our group, I personally haven''t killed many of them but there are notes of Paladins hunting goblins and killing them in their nests.


    Gabriel-Nests?


    Mak-Goblins used to inherit memories from animals, that made them act based on instincts, feed, reproduce and basically survive, mindless.


    Nico-You don''t seem to care much about your own race.


    Mak-I don''t, anyway the thing is that as humans have expanded and invaded goblin nests, the new generations of goblins have inherited many of human characteristics, they have gotten way more social with each other and their intelligence has grown immensely, not the extent of the humans but basic strategy and communication has led goblins to form villages and clans, they started to leave humans alone out of fear and have hidden themselves far away from human sight, nests were just the reproducing places for goblins, usually cave systems and dug up holes, they used these nests to bring female creatures there and reproduce, sometimes without the consent of the female as Nico said.


    Gabriel-You bastard.


    Mak-Of course I haven''t done anything like this and neither have many goblins in the past years, we learned that to survive as a species we had to keep to ourselves and with the introduction of humans, goblins have even used magic, Glamour spells are one occurrence but there have been cases of goblins even making contracts with powerful beings and claiming large masses of land.


    Nico-That is true, goblins have been very quiet for now.


    Gabriel-So...


    Mak-There was no reason for someone to invade a goblin village and kill anyone, yes.


    Gabriel-Well...


    Mak-You did save me from an execution, yes.


    Gabriel-Do I have to apologize to someone for that?


    Mak-Not really, although Kevin would appreciate if you haven''t lost his gun.


    Nico-Mak here is an excellent example of what goblins could have been, I am impressed that you can even hold a normal conversation.


    Gabriel-He can''t, he is an ashole.


    Mak-Hey, fuck you.


    Nico-Even that shows signs of a personality, Mak may even surpass certain humans in a matter of intelligence. (To the point of being problematic.)


    Mak-See, someone is talking sense around here.


    Gabriel-He doesn''t even care that I killed his own people, what kind of personality is that?


    Mak-Humans aren''t exactly social either, in recent years, more and more people are just keeping to themselves and are avoiding social interactions, that has rubbed off to goblins as well.


    Nico-It''s true, humans have a long history of distrust and conflict, I can''t do anything about this though, any ill activity of human on human is the jurisdiction of the police.


    Gabriel-So, if you come across a murderer, you are not going to stop him?


    Nico-Of course I am, what I meant to say is that it''s not within my power to exact judgment on others, that''s what only God can do, as a human I have basic principles and I won''t stand idle in the face of evil.


    Gabriel-That''s good to hear, I hoped you wouldn''t be just some sort of moron who just acts based on orders and jurisdiction.


    Nico-Order is what keeps people in line if you defy it too much you enter the place of acting stupid and dangerous to others, there always has to be balance.


    Mak-I am tired, I am going to take a nap, wake me up when we arrive at Mexico.


    Gabriel-As always.


    Nico-You should also take some rest, Gabriel, we will have work to do soon.


    Gabriel-Maybe I will take a nap too, I am leaving the waking part to you.


    Nico-Don''t worry.


    As of now, Gabriel and Mak are sleeping on the plane, the flight is a long one to Mexico and as Nico said, they will need to be well rested for what it is to come, once they arrive, they will have to begin the investigation to find Ozymandias location, his whereabouts and what he is planning exactly, they don''t have much information on him and that is what makes this mission difficult, even if they find their target, there is always the possibility of a fight breaking out and even Nico isn''t sure he can take Ozymandias alone, that''s the reason he asked for Gabriel''s help, this is what he told him at least...

 The Search for Ozymandias

    The flight arrived at Mexico, in the City of Mexico where the airport was located, Gabriel, Mak and Nico left the airport and took a taxi to the village where Ozymandias was supposed to be located, the village was a bit larger than what Nico expected and as soon as they arrived at the village they had to make up a plan, they went straight for the motel where Nico booked the room that they were going to be staying and use as a base of opperations, as soon as they got inside the manager of the motel, a middle aged man, a bit short with signs of baldness and a big grey mustache greeted them, Mak was already prepared for that so he had cast the Language of Babel spell so they wouldn''t run into an awkward situation...


    Luis-Hello, my name is Luis, I am the manager of the motel, how can I help you?


    Nico-Hello, I am Nico D''Renna, I have booked a room here for me and my two friends.


    Luis-Mr.Nico, we talked over the phone, I have prepared a room for you and...


    Gabriel-I am Gabriel.


    Mak-My name is A...


    Gabriel hit Mak on the head once he reallized what he was going to say...


    Mak-Mak, my name is Mak.


    Luis-Yeah, Gabriel and Mak, I will show you to your room, follow me...


    Luis guided them to their room, the motel was an old building with visible craks on the wall, it was clear that it wasn''t a five star hotel but it would have to do, their room was located on the upper floor with the door looking at a verandah with wooden beams supporting the roof, the wood was kind of cracked there as well but the overall structure was owned by Luis'' grandfather as he explained to them, once they entered the room they saw a small room with three single beds, there was a counter with a sink at the wall, the room was decorated with wooden sculptures of birds and there was a big, red, round carpet that covered pretty much the entire room, the only other door apart from the exit was the door leading to the bathroom, a simple bathroom with a toilet, sink and a small drain for the water when someone takes a shower, there was no clear indication where to take the shower as the drain was in the corner and a shower head was attached to the sink, apart from these there was a round table at the middle of the room witth three wooden chairs and a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, as soon as Luis showed them to their room, he went back to the counter downstairs.


    Gabriel-Not a luxury suite I guess.


    Nico-We don''t have the need for luxury, we are only going to use this place for planning and to rest, remember, we are not here for vacation.


    Mak-Hey, we have a clear view of the street from the window.


    Nico-I asked for the room to view the main street of the village, there are shops left and right of the main street and at the end of the road is a chapel.


    Gabriel-So we can also scout the area before going on foot.


    Nico-That was my plan, the manager was kind enough to save us this room.


    Mak-Something tells me that this place doesn''t have any other residents.


    As soon as Mak said those words, there was a knock on the door and a female voice saying...


    Woman-Hello.


    Nico opened the door to see who was standing outside their room.


    Nico-Can I help you?


    Renata-My name is Renata, I am staying at the next room and I saw that some foreigners came to the next room so I came to say hello.


    Renata explained that she was staying at the room next to them, she was clearly from around the place as she explained that she owned a restaurant in the area, she was a young girl with long curly dark hair and clear Latin origin that showed from the color of her skin, she had big green eyes and a very attractive face, she was skinny but the baggy clothes she was wearing covered her body for the most part...


    Nico-I am Nico, these are my friends, Gabriel and Mak.


    Renata-Gabriel?


    Gabriel-Yes?


    Renata-Are you also from somewhere nearby?


    Gabriel-No, I live in Europe.


    Renata-Oh, I thought that... Because your name sounded Mexican.


    Mak-I guess Gabriel is a common Mexican name.


    Renata-Are you here for vacation?


    Mak-Yeah, we came to see the place and have fun.


    Renata-It''s nice to see that this place gets some tourism, to be honest, we don''t get many people from Europe, when you have time, you should come to my restaurant, I will treat you to something nice.


    Nico-We appreciate your offer but we have some plans.


    Renata-Plans?


    Mak-What my friend Nico wanted to say is that we just arrived, we will pass by your place, don''t worry.


    Renata-I will be waiting.


    Renata smiled and then went back to her room, as soon as Nico closed the door behind her, he asked Mak...


    Nico-Why did you say that we would go to her restaurant? We have to search for Ozymandias.


    Mak-Did you see that girl? She was very pretty, I am certain that under that hoodie is a fine body, if she owns a restaurant then the place must be very popular with men, we can start the search from a place like that, she also said that they don''t get many foreigners so if we go there we can ask for a Polish dude and we will probably get a lead.


    Nico-(He thought this through, frightening) All right, I guess we can unpack our stuff and get some rest, we will go to her restaurant in the afternoon.


    Gabriel-Well, it''s still early so I guess I will get some sleep, wake me up when you are ready to go.


    Mak-Didn''t you sleep aboard the plane as well?


    Gabriel-Yeah, so?


    Mak-Lazy ass.


    Gabriel-You slept on the plane too.


    Mak-But I am not going to sleep again.


    Nico-Not now, Gabriel, as soon as we unpack our stuff, I want to begin asking for Ozymandias.


    Gabriel-Well, it''s not like they are just going to point us to him, I mean, he might have collaborators.


    Nico-I don''t think so, he is in hiding since the bombing of the Silver Sector, he probably works alone.


    Mak-Then it''s possible he goes with a different name.


    Nico-Maybe, he can''t change his appearance though, we can start by asking about a foreigner at first.


    Gabriel-Ok.(If you want to join this dude and get some authority, you can''t slack off Gabe.)


    Gabriel, Mak and Nico unpacked their bags and then went downstairs to see Luis...


    Mak-Hello, Luis.


    Luis-Hello Mr.Mak, your dinner will be ready in a couple of hours, until then you can enjoy a drink at the verandah or down here in the lobby.


    Mak-No need, can I ask you something?


    Luis-Of course Mr.Mak.


    Mak-We met a girl, Renata.


    Luis-Renata is staying in the room next to you, she is a good girl, she owns a restaurant and runs it by herself, many people go there.


    Mak-Right, she said that this place doesn''t get much tourism, do you know where foreigners like us go to have fun?


    Luis-We don''t have many foreigners, Mr.Mak, apart from you three there is another couple that goes to Renata''s restaurant on daily basis, I go there myself, it has great food and I have a relationship with Renata where I give her a discount for the room and she treats me when I go there, she is very friendly, I send customers to her very often and they all enjoy the place.


    Mak-Sure, sure, we already plan to go there, there is no need to convince us, so apart from us there are only two other foreign people here?


    Luis-No, there are also some boys that have come here for vacation, they stay in a different motel not far from here, a dump.


    Mak-I am sure it is...


    At this point, Gabriel took off his pack of cigarettes and lit one, since there was an ashtray on the coffee table of the lobby, he thought that he could smoke there, he was aware of such things since he has been in situations where people yelled at him for smoking where it was not allowed, as soon as Luis saw him he said...


    Luis-Mr.Gabriel, do you smoke?


    Gabriel-I saw the ashtray and I thought I could.


    Luis-Yes, you can, I just wanted to tell you that I also have a business with tobacco, I produce my own brand of smokes, maybe you might want to try one? It is popular with foreigners.


    Nico-Really?


    Luis-Yes, the locals here all have their own homemade smokes from tobacco so they don''t buy mine but foreigners love it when they come to visit, there was one time where a man bought five cartons to take back home.


    Nico-Who else smokes your cigarettes?


    Luis-There was another foreigner, I think he was from Europe, I can''t remember his name.


    Nico-Was it Oz...


    Mak-Woah, what is this Nico? Did you fart?


    Nico-What!?


    Mak whispered in Nico''s ear...


    Mak-Maybe we shouldn''t just throw his name out there, from what I got, Ozymandias is probably a smoker, you wanted to ask if he smokes Luis'' brand, right?


    Nico-Yes, it slipped my mind. (He figured that out in an instant, how careless of me to not think of that? We can''t just ask for him, if Luis starts talking then word might get out and Ozymandias will find out that there are people looking for him.)


    Mak-So there is another guy in the village and he likes your smokes?


    Luis-Yes, I can''t remember his name at all though, he was here a couple of days ago and bought cigs from me.


    Mak-(A memory wipe spell? If Ozymandias studied with the Silver Sector then the Memory Wipe spell would be an easy way to not leave any traces, it deletes any information that the person has of the caster, the Silver Sector has wielded some crazy magic, a spell like that isn''t anything special for them, there is a way around it though...)


    Luis-I can''t recall his face either, strange, I don''t see many people who are willing to buy my smokes, I must be getting older.


    Mak-Do you know if he goes to Renata''s for dinner?


    Luis-Yes, I remember he said he liked the food there.


    Mak-Ok, we will buy a pack for now so Gabriel can taste it.


    Gabriel-But I prefer my...


    Mak-Come on, I am sure it will be good, if this foreigner that Luis is talking about is smoking them then they must be good, after all this foreigner is buying from him, isn''t that right Mr.Luis? This "foreigner" is buying your smoke and he likes to smoke your cigarettes.


    Gabriel-Why are you talking...


    Nico whispered in Gabriel''s ear...


    Nico-Take a hint, please.


    Gabriel-Oh...Yeah, I''ll take a pack.


    Luis-Good, I will get them from the back right now, give me a minute.


    Luis left from the back door and went to the storage to bring the smokes, meanwhile since they were alone in the lobby, Mak felt the need to comment on Gabriel''s slow thinking...


    Mak-I swear, you are the stupidest person that lives on this planet.


    Gabriel-Fuck off, I just wanted to smoke a cigarette for fuck''s sake, I didn''t have my mind focused on our target.


    Nico-Still, If you want to work for the Vatican, you have to pay attention, you will probably have to work undercover many times, being clueless like this isn''t very good.


    Gabriel-Why are you both picking on me? I said I am sorry, I wasn''t paying attention, I got an idea, maybe we can prioritize looking for a polish man who smokes this type of cigarettes then!


    Mak-Oh shit, you really had no idea.


    Gabriel-What?


    Nico-What Mak wants to say is that this was also part of the plan, he has already thought of this plan...


    Gabriel-Oh...


    Mak-I swear, you are dumb as fuck, I have seen goblins smarter than you.


    Gabriel-Did any of them cut off your tongue?


    Mak-Ok, I''ll give that one.


    Luis-I am back, here are the smokes, I will put it in your tab, no need to pay me now.


    Gabriel-Thank you, pops.


    Luis-See you later.


    After he got his smokes, Gabriel tried to light one of them, he didn''t really like or hate it but he smoked it anyway, Mak made sure to memorize as much as he could the smell of the smoke in order to identify it later when he has to, it was still early so they decided to take a walk, as they looked around they saw many wooden houses, it was clear that this village wasn''t really wealthy and the people there were struggling with money, despite that, there were plenty of places were children played in the streets and in one corner just at the base of some stairs leading to a different level of the road, there were a couple of old men playing chess and many people, young and old were spectating their game, the village was lively and it made it a bit difficult to single out a specific person so they decided to keep walking untill they reach a place with fewer people, they kept walking towards the place that Renata said was her restaurant, the street was almost emty apart from one man who was sitting outside of a house on a wooden chair and smoking, he had a sad look on his face, he was an old man and he was wearing a cap with the Mexican flag on the front as a logo, the middle aged man greeted them as they passed in front of him and a few meters away was Renata''s restaurant, the place was full, as soon as they got inside the saw many people drinking, eating and dancing, despite being early afternoon, many of them were quite drunk, there was also a couple of guys playing poker in one corner of the room, there was a big table covered with a green sheet and about five guys were playing, there were no chips, they played with actuall money and at the end of every round, four of the five men would yell and swear at the one who won, Mak walked at the only table that was free, Nico and Gabriel joined him and sat down, a couple of minutes later, they saw Renata, she walked out of the back room that was probably the kitchen and once she saw them she walked towards them, she was wearing a way different outfit from the one they saw her earlier, this time she had strech pants on that showed exactly the nice curves of her waiste and her butt, she also had a strapless shirt that was really hugging her chest and despite the fact that it wasn''t very large, all the men in the room turned to see her as she walked out of the kitchen, it was clear that she was really the reason most men went to her restaurant and she was probably aware of that...


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.Renata-I am so glad you guys came, how are my neighbors doing?


    Gabriel-Oh...Hi.


    Mak-Hello Renata.


    Nico-Hello, Ms.Renata.


    Renata-The place is quite busy as always, do you want to order something now, if you want any drinks, the first round is on me as a welcome.


    Mak-We will take you up on this offer, bring us three cold ones.


    Renata-Be right back.


    Mak-What did I tell you? She is smoking hot.


    Gabriel-What? Did we find the smoking guy?


    Nico-What are you talking about?


    Mak-Leave him be, he wasn''t paying attention, I mean even I wouldn''t pay attention to me when an ass like this is walking in front of me.


    Gabriel-I see you are an ashole as always.


    Mak-Like you weren''t looking at her butt.


    Nico-You guys should be more focused on the task at hand, we can''t waste time looking at women.


    Mak-Relax, I took a good look on the faces of everyone here, there is not a single guy who is not Mexican.


    Gabriel-What should we do now?


    Mak-Well, Renata said she is bringing us beer, I say we sit around for now, who knows what might happen, Ozymandias might walk through that door and have a drink with us.


    Nico-I suggest we leave as soon as we are finished with our drinks.


    Mak-You are really that into free beer.


    Nico-It would be rude to not finish the drink she is offering, that''s it.


    Mak-The problem is that many people are smoking in here, it would be difficult to recognize the smell of these particular cigarettes with so much smoke around.


    Gabriel-I guess your plan to use your nose to find Ozymandias is going down the drain.


    Mak-We can just look for his face and the brand of the smokes, if the two match, I think we can do a subtle approach and talk with him. Not anything out of the ordinary, we don''t want to startle him and make him run away, with so many people around, we can''t just break out a fight.


    Nico-I agree, we can''t drag these people in a fight, someone might get injured.


    Mak-For the time being I say we just get to know each other better.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Not you and me, isn''t anything you want to ask Nico?


    Gabriel-Now that you mention it, what''s it like to work for the Vatican?


    Nico-The work is normally nothing out of the ordinary, we help the priests as much as we can, the thing is, a Paladin is mostly considered a warrior, even if we interact with the people inside the Vatican, our group is a small one, apart from the seven Paladins including myself, there is the council that consists of seven members and there are a few selected bishops that know the true side of the group, the archbishop is, of course, aware of it.


    Gabriel-So, most people don''t even know what you guys are.


    Nico-Yes, as a Paladin, I go on missions where there is need for combat, the bishops and the archbishop mostly deal with paperwork and the funds of the organization.


    Gabriel-Funds huh? Does it pay well to be a Paladin?


    Nico-We don''t get paid, the Vatican has covered our needs for food and housing, we stay in groups inside the building, we can''t really go around and talk about what we do, we are a secret group, we spend our time mostly training and helping the priests.


    Gabriel-You don''t get out at all? I mean, you can''t really train all day, you must have some free time. And why aren''t they paying you?


    Nico-As I said, the Vatican is covering our expenses, we get funding for missions like this one, I can''t complain about the lifestyle, we are living under somewhat luxurious circumstances, the food is plenty and balanced in nutrition, the building that we stay in has enough space for seven people to feel comfortable and there is also TV, internet access and a hot tub inside, you could call the place a suite, to be honest, I don''t think anyone has a problem with staying there for exchange of our services, of course, there is the matter when someone gets too old for the job, at this point the Vatican offers a relaxing place to spend the rest of your years, since there is always the chance of someone spilling secrets when they get old their mind isn''t in a perfect state, the organization can''t really let people who know all this to just leave.


    Gabriel-Oh shit, this is like a camp of some sort but you can''t escape once you are in.


    Nico-You won''t have to worry about your freedom taken away, the situation isn''t exactly as bad as it sounds, we are all taking part in this because we want to, there is also the option of the Vatican letting you stay in specific houses and live any way you want, all the expenses are covered.


    Gabriel-Why isn''t everyone doing this then?


    Nico-We really want to help the organization, none of the people there want to just loaf around, of course, if you really want to help us you will have to sign a contract that says you are prohibited from telling anyone about the group and you can just live in any way you want, as I said, it''s a privilege working for the Vatican, not a restriction.


    Gabriel-I see, what happens if I didn''t want to join then? Since you have already told me so much about the organization, I can''t really refuse now.


    Nico-No, as I said, this mission is of my choosing, the Vatican doesn''t even know about you, as a Paladin, I take responsibility for what happens, from the little I have known you though, I doubt you are the kind of person to cross my trust.


    Mak-Gabriel isn''t that kind of a person but he is an idiot, he will say something by accident.


    Gabriel-How about we kill him? A goblin also knows too much, I say we kill him to be sure.


    Nico-I can see that you two share a strong bond.


    Gabriel-Not at all, if I ever find a way to take all the information out of his head, I am going to smash it open.


    Mak-I like you too.


    Renata-Sorry for the waiting, here are your drinks, on me.


    Mak-Thank you beautiful.


    Gabriel-Thanks.


    Nico-We are thankful.


    Renata-Don''t worry, once I have some time, I might join you, I don''t get the chance to talk with foreigners much.


    Mak-I can''t wait.


    Renata-See you in a bit.


    Nico-I thought we were leaving as soon as we had our drinks.


    Mak-I want to see if I can get some information from her, plus she is hot.


    Gabriel-What is your filthy mind thinking about?


    Nico-I want to ask you something now, Mak.


    Mak-What is it?


    Nico-It''s about the reproducing system of your kind.


    Mak-We fuck just like any other animal.


    Gabriel-I didn''t need to hear that.


    Nico-That''s not it, I want to know why are goblins using females of other species to reproduce, I have seen female goblins and I know about how goblins can just basically grow from the ground.


    Mak-There are no female goblin.


    Gabriel-Wait, when I was in your village you said that there was a waitress.


    Mak-Yeah, let me explain. Goblins are all born male, apart from the "growing out part" which happens rarely we can reproduce by mating with any female of any species, the offspring is always a goblin but it takes characteristics of the female as well, like intelligence, strength and inherited memories.


    Gabriel-We already know that.


    Mak-Let me continue, in goblin societies, there is a hierarchy of the strong, since many goblins are born weaker than others, they take a more feminine lifestyle like doing chores, this gets in their head and they act more feminine as time goes on, in some occasions they really think that they are females and they even hit on other goblins, as they serve stronger goblins they get emotionally attached to them and they even fall in love, their brains work like female brains, I  personally  think they are just gay.


    Nico-I see...


    Mak-The goblins that you described as females are just feminine male goblins who have forgotten their original selves, there is no way for goblins to reproduce with one another, even if some have tried...


    Gabriel-What? What did you just say?


    Mak-You know, up the butt.


    Gabriel-Fuck! I really didn''t need to hear that, what the fuck is wrong with you?


    Mak-Nico asked me a question.


    Gabriel-You didn''t have to say anything about gay goblin sex, for fuck''s sake.


    Mak-Let me finish, goblins have also taken characteristics from humans, through mating and of course growing in the same place as a dead person and absorbing the DNA, as such they have also adopted that thing that men discriminate this feminine behavior, these feminine goblins are frowned upon and they are treated like shit, in this kind of hierarchy, if you are not the strong one you are the weak one and weak goblins are viewed as simple trash, I have managed to bullshit my way around and the fact that my village is close to human settlements meant that the goblins there were more understanding and compassionate with one another, this waitress I mentioned was called Jacob, he had inherited his memories from a human that has lived there years before the village was built, the male goblin you fought there with the strength of a gorilla on steroids was his master, he had him oppressed for as long as I can remember and he turned into a...gay dude.


    Nico-In modern society people know to not discriminate against minorities, homosexuals are not treated the way they used to, in western society of course.


    Gabriel-I am not comfortable with men grabbing my ass to be honest.


    Mak-But you have learned to not oppress them, you are not going out of your way to lynch them and you live with the idea that people have different sexual preferences than you, in a goblin village there is no such thing.


    Nico-I see, so abducting females have been the only certain way for goblins to reproduce.


    Mak-Yes, that''s instinct, as humans view human females sexually so do goblins for any female with high social value, an alpha female of some sort.


    Nico-Why have there been so many attacks on humans then? Couldn''t the goblins just mate with animals?


    Mak-I can''t really answer that, I don''t know why would a goblin choose a human, maybe because of their place in the food chain, a human female is socially ranked above any other female animal.


    Nico-Talking to you has changed my view of goblins Mak.


    Mak-It shouldn''t.


    Gabriel-You really don''t like your own kind?


    Mak-Not at all, for one reason or another I have been born with the memories of a dragon, I know things that no other goblin does, I have images of things that would petrify you two, even if I wasn''t there it feels like I was, I am a young goblin by age but these memories have filled my head with all kinds of information and expiriences, I have taken the viewpoint of a dragon and in the eyes of a dragon, goblins are just insects, I can''t view them as something more than flies just wandering around shit, in my eyes they are insignificant, humans would also be in such a place to me if they haven''t killed so many dragons, there have been cases of humans killing, teaching and learning from dragons, the intellect of humans has changed the view that dragons had for them and that''s why I also view humans as such, I have also spied on many humans by using the Glamour spell and going to see their lifestyle, I have learned much from them and in order to survive in this world you must be on good terms with humans, what they lack in power they have in wits and technology, some years ago they didn''t have any way to protect themselves against bears and now they have weaponry that threatens every other species on this planet, I learned to view them as they view each other to be the best way to survive at this moment and this is to treat them as equals.


    Nico-I don''t know what to say, I can''t believe that a goblin would have such ideals, I want you to know that you have earned my respect, Mak.


    Gabriel-Oh, is he done?


    Mak-You didn''t hear anything, did you?


    Gabriel-Nah, I fell asleep around the part where you had the memories of a dragon and some other crap.


    Nico-If it was my place to do such a thing, I would have already recruited someone like you.


    Gabriel-Why? Did you really enjoy the part about the goblin gay sex?


    Nico-Now you are the one who is getting foul, Gabriel.


    Mak-Who cares, let''s just keep an eye out...


    And so, Gabriel, Mak and Nico are all drinking at Renata''s restaurant, apparently, Ozymandias has been there himself, Mak found out that he has used some form of memory wipe spell on Luis, the only information that they could get from Luis was that Ozymandias is also smoking the brand that Luis is producing and that he goes to Renata''s from time to time, despite Mak talking about himself and Nico explaining the lifestyle inside the Vatican, they are all sharing experiences apart from Gabriel who has been quiet, he never really talked about himself and he doesn''t feel like doing it now, for the time being, they are keeping an eye out for their target and Mak wants to find more information from Renata this time, she said that when she has some time free, she will join them at their table...

 Somethings Off With a Certain Paladin

    After Mak''s speech the three guys discussed their mission, the place was full and the noise coming from every corner covered their talk as if they were just discussing mundane things like every other person in the bar, despite the efforts of Nico, Gabriel wasn''t keen on talking about himself, Renata was nowhere to be found in the crowd of people and as it seemed she was in the back preparing more drinks, Gabriel''s glass was already empty so he called for a refill with hopes that Renata would hear him and join them, despite his attempts, Renata wasn''t around, now there are three empty glasses on the table and Gabriel hasn''t got a way to avoid the conversation...


    Nico-There must be something that you would like to talk about, Gabriel.


    Mak-Good luck getting anything from that meathead.


    Gabriel-What is it with you two? What do you want to know then?


    Nico-Why are you doing this?


    Gabriel-I don''t get you.


    Nico-Why are you risking your life? You are strong enough to live a luxurious life as it is, yet you still throw yourself in harm''s way for no reason.


    Gabriel-No reason? Aren''t you fighting for a reason?


    Nico-I am tasked by the Vati...


    Gabriel-The Vatican can''t be the only reason for you to fight, you must have a personal reason to fight, to put yourself in harm''s way.


    Nico-I guess to protect the innocent...


    Gabriel-There is your answer, I don''t wish for a rich lifestyle, I want to change this world, if humans are so advanced that most creatures fear them, then why? Why are there so many victims, there must be someone responsible for opposing the threats, there must be people who know and fight them.


    Nico-That''s what the Vatican...


    Gabriel-The Vatican is a load of shit, if the Vatican is responsible for dealing with creatures that harm humans then they are doing a shitty job, you want to know why I want to join you?


    Nico-I would like to know, yes.


    Gabriel-I want to change the Vatican from the inside, make it a real force and protect all those who are ignorant of the danger that they live in on a daily basis.


    Mak-Maybe there is a reason that the Vatican has been kept secret for all this time.


    Nico-There is, if our enemies knew a lot about us then they would be able to make alliances and oppose us in every step we take, the Vatican, no, the world is not ready for a war of this scale, can you imagine the chaos and the slaughter that is to come if the Vatican and all the groups that side with it suddenly announce their presence? Every dark spawn would join forces and try to take it down, the masses would go berserk knowing that what they have been watching on TV or read in a book are true, I too would like to wipe every unholy being one by one, we just can''t take the risk with the limited information, why do you think there are just three of us here working in secret?


    Gabriel-Well...


    Mak-What Nico is trying to say is that working undercover is much more productive than facing the enemy straightforward, if Ozymandias was aware that we are searching for him, he would just disappear, of course, the Vatican could send an entire army to find him and kill him but can you imagine the aftermath of such an attack?


    Nico-Your reasoning isn''t false, Gabriel, you and I both want the same thing, you need experience in order to understand what I am talking about and to understand the way that the Vatican works, even I don''t have much information about the inner parts of it.


    Mak-There is classified information even from someone like you?


    Nico-Yes...


    Mak-(That was strange mister paladin, why would you tell us something like that?)


    Time passed by and the group decided not to wait for Renata any longer in the bar, after all, they would still see her at the motel, they left some change on the table and begun to walk back, Gabriel felt a bit embarrassed by what Nico told him, he didn''t really give much thought about it and made the assumption that the Vatican just incompetent, after Nico gave Gabriel some insight, Gabriel was a feeling like a child. Mak was interested to what Nico said earlier, by his own words, the paladins should be of a very high rank within the Vatican, they are the ones who take on every mission that requires brawn, it seems illogical to withhold information from them and Mak decided to keep an eye on Nico, there is something that has been bothering Mak for some time...


    Nico-Let''s sit outside on the porch and wait for Renata.


    Mak-Sure.


    Gabriel-Isn''t there any other lead we can follow.


    Nico-Not really, I''ll be back in a second.


    Nico went inside the room leaving Gabriel and Mak outside the room, the porch had a small wooden table obviously withered by the dry weather and a couple of wooden chairs in the same condition, Gabriel and Mak waited there for Renata...


    Mak-(I can''t tell Gabriel about my suspicion, there is no way to predict his actions, I have to make sure to keep an eye on Nico, something''s off with what he says) Hey Gabe...


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-I am coming back in a second, gotta refresh my Glamour before the spell duration expires.


    Mak also pulled a glass from his pocket...


    Gabriel-Did you steal a glass from the bar?


    Mak-Yeah, I don''t know how they do it but these glasses seem to keep the drinks cold for longer than normal.


    Gabriel-You are a moron, you just liked the shape of it.


    Mak-Maybe. I have to recast.


    Gabriel-I thought it lasted longer.


    Mak-Since when do you know anything about spells?


    Gabriel-I don''t give a fuck, do whatever you want.


    Mak-(Alright, now let''s see.)


    Mak went around the porch where there was a small window that looked inside the groups room, Mak wanted to check on Nico, the fact that he wanted to be alone for a moment gave Mak the assumption that something was fishy, as soon as he got close to the window he crouched and held his back to the wall, he placed the stolen glass on the wall and used it as a hearing aid to spy on Nico, without any delay he heard Nico talking to someone...


    Nico-There is no sign of Ozymandias, our only lead is a young local girl who owns a bar, every one seems to be under some sort of memory spell. Yes, as of now I have tried to gain some of their trust, the boy is clearly passionate about his cause and even tried to give me a lecture, what worries me is the goblin...Yes the goblin that he carries with him might be even more dangerous, it''s intellect is and knowledge are from a different level, I believe that he is the one behind the boy''s actions, he must have been manipulating the boy''s mind and using him as a puppet...


    Mak-(What the fuck? Who is giving this information to? The Vatican? Is he actually spying on us? Wait, we can''t even be sure that he is from the Vatican! He could be lying all along! But how? How could he know about us if he didn''t at least have connections with the onmyoji? He said that Asano was a friend of his, that part must be true, the onmyoji also said that the Vatican had crazy equipment and that they also have jurisdiction over these places. The part about the Vatican and Asano must be true, then he is talking with the Vatican. Oh fuck, the Vatican is spying on us? They know where we live! I have to tell Gabriel, but if he does anything stupid and Nico gets killed then they will come after Kevin and Carmen, if they are not already there, my best bet is that he really is spying on us and he is alone. No sudden moves that can jeopardize our relationship with Nico. The story about Ozymandias must also be true, otherwise, why would he mention that to his collaborator? Two birds with one stone huh? Disposing Ozymandias and gathering information on Gabriel whose actions have gotten some attention, that''s why the fucker has been so easy to talk to, he wants to gain our trust. Fuck! The only one on my side is Gabriel, a complete moron without the brain to work with. If only Kevin was here then I could have come up with a plan, for now, let''s roll with it.)


    Mak wanted to return to Gabriel but he stopped as soon as he noticed Gabriel being lost in his own thoughts, it almost seemed like he was under some sort of spell or drug, he sat there looking forward with a blank expression...


    Inside Gabriel''s head he had this image, he was standing in a pure white room, everything was white and there seemed to be no borders in this room, he could not see where it began or where it ended, it was just a white room with limitless space, there he stood, in front of him was another version of himself, this version though was his form when he fought against Warren and Erik, this version of Gabriel was standing opposite him and Gabriel begun...


    Gabriel-(Who are you?)


    ???-(I guess you deserve some answers. Ask.)


    Gabriel-(What are you?)


    ???-(I don''t know.)


    Gabriel-(What the fuck? What''s your name?)


    ???-(I don''t have one.)


    Gabriel-(You said that I deserve some answers.)


    ???-( And I am replying to your questions truthfully)


    Gabriel-(Let''s see... Why are you in my head?)


    ???-(We share this body, I am not really in your head, we are both in this body and that''s why we can hear each other''s thoughts.)


    Gabriel-(That''s not right, this is my body.)


    ???-(You sure have control over this body in most cases, I have been able to control it only when you were unconscious or when you surrender control.)


    Gabriel-(During the fight with Warren...)


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.???-( I mustered the strength to control our body because we were in a life-threatening situation.)


    Gabriel-(You can then take control any time you want.)


    ???-(I guess the most common way to put it is me protecting my host)


    Gabriel-(Host?)


    ???-(Since I am "inside your head" as you put it then this is also my body, I can''t let anything bad happen to it, I also feel what you feel, happiness, sadness, love, hate, anxiety, anger, although I am not familiar with these emotions, my instinct tells me that I must maintain this body in perfect condition.)


    Gabriel-(So you are some sort of a parasite, you need a host?)


    ???-(I don''t have any memories beyond yours, I don''t have a collection of memories and experiences other than yours, I have been awake since you were born.)


    Gabriel-(What!? Why wouldn''t you speak then? I found out about you when I was in a cage in Erik''s mansion.)


    ???-(I have been here all along, Gabriel, even at your lowest of times, I have been there when you were attacked by that werewolf, I have been there when you spied on that woman that night, I have been there when you did chores at the orphanage.)


    Gabriel-(Why now? Why reveal yourself to me now?)


    ???-( You couldn''t hear my voice back then because it was weak, I used all of my power to maintain this body, for some reason my existence has weakened you, made you...Fragile.)


    Gabriel-(You mean the reason behind my appearance back then was you!? IS IT YOUR FAULT!?)


    ???-(You seem angry about something.)


    Gabriel-(OF COURSE I AM ANGRY, I JUST FOUND OUT WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR RUINING MY LIFE!!!)


    ???-(But since balance was restored in this body, I have been able to control this power and thus make you unstoppable.)


    Gabriel-(Balance? You mean Kevin''s machine-thingy in my chest?)


    ???-(That device has stabilized the genes in our body and stopped them fighting each other, I don''t know why but it seems like my power isn''t normal energy like others, for some reason they performed a reaction with each other, my general knowledge tells me that this power shouldn''t really exist, opposite forces that can''t work together.)


    Gabriel-(So doc''s machine stabilized this power?)


    ???-(Kevin''s machine stabilized the genes, my faulty genes, this body might be human but there are also my faulty genes, that''s why I believe we share this body and I am not a parasite.)


    Gabriel-(If we share this body, why am I in control then? I haven''t ever felt like someone else was controlling it until my fight with Warren.)


    ???-(I have been honest towards you, Gabriel.)


    Gabriel-(Go on...)


    ???-(I have tried multiple times to take control of this body and cast your personality aside.)


    Gabriel-(You fucker.)


    ???-(I can''t seem to be able to maintain control, every time I tried was when you were exhausted or unconscious, every time you pushed yourself I grew stronger but this body can''t handle it, there have been times when our heart stopped working.)


    Gabriel-(So it''s also your fault that my heart can''t work properly?)


    ???-(No, our heart can''t take my power at all, the machine is what keeps us at this minimal state, it''s the machine that can''t take much and overloads when I unleash my power the genes grow stronger and fight each other more fiercely, the machine isn''t able to keep up, in sort this body isn''t able to accept my power.)


    Gabriel-(You mean that during the fight with Erik...)


    ???-(That was only a small fragment of my power, I can tell that I have more energy to spare although I don''t know the full extent since I don''t remember ever using it.)


    Gabriel-(You mean I can become even stronger?)


    ???-(You must have realized by now.)


    Gabriel-(Realise what?)


    ???-(The machine that absorbs others genes is also capable of fusing it with our own, the power you got from that vampire shouldn''t have increased your abilities this much.)


    Gabriel-(What do you mean?)


    ???-(Strenght, speed, a vampire possesses powers much stronger than a normal human.)


    Gabriel-(Yes...)


    ???-(Why is it that we don''t have the negative effects if we absorbed its genes?)


    Gabriel-(Were are you going with this?)


    ???-(I chose to discard any useless genes from our body, the only trait that I kept from the vampire was the regenerative powers.)


    Gabriel-(Then my strength...)


    ???-(Your strength and speed are far beyond vampire''s because they come from me, the regeneration I took from the vampire has helped this body maintain a more stable phase, so I can release more energy throughout this body and increase our physical abilities.)


    Gabriel-(You can choose to discard the bad stuff from the things we absorb?)


    ???-(I told you I have no knowledge of my own, I can''t recognize what''s bad and what''s good, I use your knowledge to keep track of things, the reason I tried to discard the Mind Read ability was also from you not using it.)


    Gabriel-(That''s why I couldn''t do it?)


    ???-(I have succeeded in discarding the ability completely, that''s why you can no longer do it at all, even from a close distance or through contact.)


    Gabriel-(Why would you do that?)


    ???-(I have no memories, no knowledge, no experiences other than yours, I am acting based on your perspective, based on your knowledge and your desires.)


    Gabriel-(Wait, what happened when we took in Mak''s genes?)


    ???-(At first, we thought that we could find answers from the goblin''s trait of inherited memories, even though we used it we didn''t get a clear picture because we don''t have any memories to inherit, we only saw an image of our body using the powers that it already possesses, that''s when I found out that I must have never existed before you did, otherwise I should have seen my past self with the inherited memories.)


    Gabriel-(What else have you done apart from what you just told me?)


    ???-( I have never done anything to hurt this body purposely, I have tried to change our behaviour based again on your collective knowledge. When you yelled at that female student, it happened because I felt your anger and drove you to say these words, when you wanted to grab your girlfriend''s hand I felt your disgust about your own shy behaviour and moved our arm, when you wanted to protect this woman Helen, I felt the strong desire and releashed as much energy as I could in order to kill the man who threatened her, when you felt useless inside that cage but still had your senses I asked you if you had the resolve to push through and lend you my power once more, I act based on what you want, I have accepted that you are dominant in this body and the best thing for me to do is act based on what you want, when you are held back by your own emotions as long as you recognize they are wrong, I can remove them, when you feel you need more strength, I can give it to you, when you are frozen in fear but still want to respond, I can overcome, as long as I have a clear image of what you want I can do it, I am just taking your thoughts and your emotions to the extreme because these things are who you are, my personality is just like yours but with stronger emotions, better reasoning and increased motivation, I am what you want to be without any restrictions.)


    Gabriel-(Restrictions are what keeps humans from hurting each other in times of anger or sadness.)


    ???-(What do you gain from suppressing these feelings though? You are left with nothing, I don''t see a benefit with this behavior.)


    Gabriel-(So you don''t know what you are, who you are or what is your purpose.)


    ???-(Exactly.)


    Gabriel-(Great, maybe it''s time to wrap things up, during all this I bet that Mak and Nico are staring at me while I am zoning out.)


    ???-(I don''t think much time has passed, your goblin friend is spying on you, by the way, I feel him watching.)


    Gabriel snapped out of his thoughts, he returned to his senses as he was still sitting at the table on the porch...


    Gabriel-Come on, Mak, I know you are there.


    Mak-What the fuck are you doing?


    Gabriel-I was thinking of ways to find Ozymandias, what were you up to? Did you cast the Glamour already?


    Mak-Yeah, the duration should be refreshed, I guess we have to wait for Nico and when we are all here we should discuss what to ask of Renata...


    Mak has heard Nico giving information to someone, that has him on edge, he suspects that Nico isn''t telling them everything, from what Mak has figured out Nico wants to catch Ozymandias, that part has to be true but the fact that he is giving information to someone is bothering Mak, Nico might also be trying to spy on Gabriel and Mak, it seems that their actions have finally gotten the attention of the Vatican, what Mak doesn''t know is why is Nico giving information, what he thought at first might be false based on the fact that Nico said he would make a request for Gabriel to join the Vatican, if he has already made the request it would be fine to let them know about Gabriel, or what Nico knows about Gabriel at least, what troubles Mak isn''t the information that Nico has on Gabriel, Mak never said anything about joining the Vatican, why would he tell them about a goblin, why would he mention that he might be dangerous, why would he say that the goblin is manipulating Gabriel? These questions are troubling Mak, his best bet, for now, is to go with the flow, let Nico do his thing, Gabriel will sooner or later make contact with the Vatican, if that''s fine with the one that resides inside him...

 Necromancy

    Nico didn''t take long to rejoin them on the porch, Mak tried his best to not show that he overheard Nico, he tried to act like he normally does and not ask what Nico was doing, Gabriel as always didn''t care at all and yawned as a sign to show that he was bored waiting for Renata...


    Gabriel-What time is it? Shouldn''t she be here already?


    Nico-It''s half-past eleven, I doubt that the bar would close so soon, people like to drink until very late into the night.


    Gabriel-What are we supposed to do then? I thought there is an evil warlock on the loose.


    Nico-There is no way to single out one man in this village, I have a plan when Renata returns.


    Mak-What is this plan?


    Nico-I have brought with me sleeping powder from the remnants of a dryad.


    Mak-How the fuck did you find a dryad?


    Nico-The Vatican has arranged for this kind of equipment.


    Gabriel-What the fuck is a dryad?


    Mak-You remember Lynn?


    Gabriel-The fairy?


    Mak-Well dryads are similar in appearence but they are considered an evolved form of the fairies, they are nature spirits and they possess a direct connection with the earth, they can communicate with every nature being, treants, animals, they have a network of the entire nature itself sharing information with one another, basically, dryads share each other''s brains and act as a multi-body organism.


    Gabriel-What. The. Fuck?


    Mak-I didn''t expect you to understand, the issue here is that dryads are almost impossible to find, being nature spirits they are not on this plane, they are living in a different plane and only appear when there are catastrophic disasters in a part of their region, think huge forest fires or floods or humans.


    Nico-One of our head priests is a master level summoner, he performed a spiritual summoning spell to summon a dryad and bind her, the development did some research and duplicated the effect from the dryad''s spores, we now can mass produce this sleeping powder, I am planning to use it on Renata and then look into her mind with the Helm of True Sight.


    Mak-What? I thought that helmet of yours could just see auras.


    Nico-The Helm of True Sight provides a lot of information, it can also trace the after-effects of magic, if Ozymandias has tampered with her mind then there should be traces of the magic spell.


    Gabriel-Wait, shouldn''t we have used it on Luis then? It seemed like he couldn''t remember who it was that bought the smokes. You should have used it already.


    Nico-Hmmm.


    Mak-Great idea, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-Really?


    Mak-Of course, as a matter of fact, I think Nico should be walking around with a strange helmet all the time, I am sure this wouldn''t be suspicious at all, everyone has a magical helmet nowadays and wears it as an accessory in everyday life.


    Gabriel-Ok, I got it.


    Mak-No, no, I think Nico should go around and ask around for everyone to stop and take a look at them while wearing the Helm of True Sight, it''s completely normal.


    Gabriel-You can stop now.


    Mak-I have a better idea! Nico, you should go to the bar with the helmet and start screaming, "We are looking for a Polish warlock! Come and let me read your mind! We are good guys!".


    Gabriel-One more of these and I am gonna rip your tongue out.


    Mak lowered his eyes and apologized after getting a very frightening look from Gabriel.


    Mak-Ok...


    Nico explained his plan to Gabriel and Mak, time was passing by and the three guys were just sitting at the porch, it was almost 1 a.m when Luis walked up the stairs to the porch where they waited for Renata...


    Luis-How are you doing? Did you enjoy your drink at Renata''s?


    Nico-Yes, she offered us drinks as a welcome and we had a good time, we are thinking of going sightseeing tomorrow, what would you recommend?


    Luis-There are plenty of things to see here, Mr.Nico, if you ask me the only place you would have to avoid is the chappel at the end of the town, the place has been abandoned for years and there is only rubble inside, it wouldn''t be safe to go in there as the building hasn''t been tended in years and the slightest disturbance could bring ruble on your head.


    The last sentence caught Mak''s attention, why should they stay clear of the chapel? The only way to find out is for Mak to use his social skills to extract information out of Luis without raising any suspicion, that sentence could mean anything after all. It might be Ozymandias hiding spot or it could be something else, Luis said that he grows his own tobacco, it wouldn''t be a surprise if he has also hidden other stuff somewhere and that might also be the case, Mak had to be subtle in getting information out of Luis, that''s when he got another idea...


    Mak-Damn, we are actually big fans of Christian temples, we wanted to visit the chapel first thing in the morning, strange that no one has come to restore and maintain the chappel for so long. We have visited many temples and churches in our travels, Nico even has an artifact from such a place, show Luis your helmet.


    Nico was a clever man, he realized what Mak''s intention was and he proceeded to play along...


    Nico-Oh yes, this is a helmet of a holy man in Rome, Italy, I think it looks good on me, like a knight...


    Nico put on the Helmet of True Sight and looked straight at Luis.


    Mak-So why is it that the chappel has been abandoned?


    Luis-I can''t remember why, I think it was because the priest responsible for the temple died and no one came to take his place, when was it again? It''s been so long I can''t remember.


    Right at that time, while Luis was having trouble to remember the information about the chappel it was when Nico saw traces of magic all around him, the helmet showed Nico the energies of a very strong spell surrounding Luis, almost like black hands grabbing his head, pressuring it from all angles.


    Mak-I see, well, I guess we will just have to roam around, thanks for telling us about the chappel, it would be terrible if a large rock fell on little Gabe''s head, it would make him even dumber, hahaha.


    Gabriel wasn''t exactly aware of the situation at this point and Mak''s comment that was designed to lighten the situation made him a bit mad, he had trouble controlling his feelings thanks to that thing in his head, like a different personality,


    he looked at Mak with malice in his eyes, he hasn''t ever looked at someone like that apart from the time he faced Marbas, someone he truly wanted to kill, despite that he managed to identify himself getting angry and remembered what the other guy told him, that he was basically instinctively enhancing his emotions, he then closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down by doing some controlled breathing. Luis returned to his own room and said his goodnight to them, he used to check every resident at night to make sure everything was fine, he walked passed a couple of other rooms of the motel and interacted with them as well, meanwhile, Gabriel noticed a figure in a distance, with his enhanced senses he saw Renata coming back to the motel, he gave a heads up to Mak and Nico to be prepared, the plan was for Mak who has thus far the best social skills to get Renata''s attention and hold her


    there long enough for no one to be around, pulling the same trick as with Luis wouldn''t cut it this time, they needed enough time to identify the spell if there are traces on Renata and for that to work they needed her to stay still while Nico would examine the magic energy with the helmet, while Mak has her attention, Nico will use the dryad sleeping powder to put her to sleep and then continue with their plan. Gabriel and Nico went inside the room and Mak was sitting alone at the wooden porch, there were two glasses on the table and bottle of wine, Mak had the idea that trying to seduce Renata would do the trick, even a failed attempt would buy them enough time, going by Mak''s words: "Women are complicated creatures, even if they reject you, they will still try to justify that decision, they feel obligated and they talk too much, add some sauce and voila!".


    Renata walked up the stairs and saw Mak sitting at the porch, he waved at her and she smiled back, she walked close to Mak and sat down opposite from him, Mak had occupied the chair looking at the door of the room and left one chair facing the other way so Renata would have no vision of the room door that Gabriel and Nico were standing behind...


    Mak-You must be exhausted, there were many customers at your place tonight, let me pour you a glass and you can rest a bit, clear your mind from all the hustle.


    Renata-That would be very sweet of you.


    Mak poured Renata a glass of wine and kept an eye at the central area of the motel, there were still people outside that would pose a problem if they saw a man blowing sleeping powder in a girls face at this hour, Mak had to continue with his plan.


    Mak-This must be a nice change of pace for you, right? Someone else serving wine to you.


    Renata-Yeah, actually, I can''t remember when it was the last time I could just sit and enjoy some wine, I can''t exactly complain that my bar has so many customers but it would be nice if I could relax from time to time.


    Mak-You see, that''s why so many people gather at your place, your cheerful attitude is what makes you so popular, I bet there are a lot of guys who like your personality and that''s why they come by your bar.


    Renata-I don''t know, I am just acting the way I feel is right, I don''t think my place is doing so well because of just me.


    Mak-Don''t kid yourself, your attitude is magnetizing people, I know it has worked on me anyway.


    Renata blushed, she finally figured out that Mak was trying to hit on her. Mak was looking straight into her eyes with the most honest look on his face as he could do, meanwhile, Renata felt a bit uncomfortable by the whole situation and started avoiding looking back at Mak, that gave him the chance to check around for any witnesses, he continued acting flirty with her but didn''t get any actual response, Renata was trying to put herself down while Mak was complimenting her appearance and personality with every chance he got, it wasn''t long until the coast was clear and Mak called for the plan to begin...


    Mak-Now.


    Renata was confused by Mak saying "Now, completely out of context, he pointed behind her and there was Nico, he blew the sleeping powder on her face and it worked instantly, the dryad sleeping powder was very powerful, as soon as Renata fell asleep, they carried her inside the room, Nico put on the helmet and begun looking at Renata to see if there are traces of magic around her...


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.Gabriel-This doesn''t feel very right.


    Mak-Huh?


    Gabriel-We are supposed to be the good guys, this plan just makes us look like scum.


    Nico-We need information, Gabriel, I also dislike this plan but it''s the best thing we can do as of now, Luis is under the effects of a spell alright, the fact that he can''t remember anything about the man buying the smokes and the chappel indicates that there is a connection between the two, if Renata is also under the effects of a spell then Mak can proceed with asking her as soon as she wakes up.


    Gabriel-And how would he explain the fact that you threw sleeping powder at her face?


    Nico-She won''t remember anything about that, people can''t recall what happens in the seconds before falling asleep, the last thing she probably remembers is Mak flirting with her.


    Mak-So? Can you see anything?


    Nico-Yes, there is definitely some energies around her, the spell is much more powerful than the one that was on Luis, I can see even the origins of the magic, it seems like a necromantic sign.


    Gabriel-What?


    Mak-Necromancy is a very powerful form of magic, it basically gives you power over life and death, you can reanimate anything with necromantic powers. The spell was probably to kill a certain part of her brain functions, a spell like that doesn''t sound very powerful but using necromancy like that requires decades of practice of something this complicated, if performed correctly, it is an irreversible spell, it basically means that part of her mind is completely gone, why would someone go to this extent and not use a normal mind spell?


    Gabriel-Power over life and death? Does that mean, it can revive dead people?


    Mak-No, once something dies, it''s soul is claimed by the rightful owner, be it a god or celestial being or a demon, depends on what the person has done while they were alive, necromancy turns the anything into a basic construct, it is alive and yet not, there is no person inside the vessel, it gives you control over the body and makes it perform simple tasks, however, there is a way to make a soul inhabit a vessel.


    Gabriel-What is it?


    Nico was also paying close attention to what Mak was saying and didn''t focus on Renata. He was intrigued and couldn''t help but listen to Mak''s talking.


    Mak-With advanced use of necromancy you could basically force a soul out of a body and transfer it to another vessel, one of the hardest spells to perform but still possible, Faust has done it, when Satan came to collect his soul he had performed such a spell to switch bodies with his wife, that''s how he tricked Satan and he got her soul out of his body, with the ritual already done, Faust used a mechanism to activate it and his soul returned to his body, that''s the only case I know of someone using necromancy in that advanced level.


    Gabriel-So it''s just like swapping bodies?


    Mak-Kind of, an esper can also do something similar, depending on how strong the esper''s vessel is, he can project himself out of his body and enter another human, doing so requires the person to be unconscious and the esper has no control over his own body, the effect ends as soon as the psychic energy in the esper''s vessel is drained and it''s drained rapidly by such an act. Using necromancy to pull something similar is not just hard, it''s basically impossible, that''s why the name Faust was written in history books.


    Gabriel-What if a person is dead? Isn''t there any way to call them back?


    Mak-Souls enter another plane as soon as they are disconnected from the vessel, there is a brief moment where the soul is hovering around the vessel waiting to be collected, if a master necromancer is close by, it would theoretically be possible to force that soul to enter a vessel and before saying that you could put it back to the dead guy, no, that vessel obviously has died for some reason. There would be no reason to just put it back, that can''t be said for another vessel though.


    Gabriel-What if there is someone with multiple souls in their body?


    Mak-That''s not possible, even shamans who can conjure spirits and allow them to take control of their bodies can''t inhabit a vessel for long, a vessel cannot host more than one soul.


    ???-(Ignorant pest).


    Gabriel-What about demons then?


    Mak-Demonic possession is also similar, the demon attempts to enter a body and a spiritual fight begins, the demon has control over the body only after it has extracted the previous soul. With that in mind, I am sure you can guess how strong a necromancy spell is against demons, someone with enough power and knowledge would be able to control even high-class demons since they are considered stray souls while in our plain, necromancers and warlocks often work together and if they are capable, then, things can get ugly.


    Nico-In matters of demonic possession there is only one thing acceptable, exorcism.


    Mak-Yes, I agree, there is no reason to let a necromancer poke around a possessed person when there are powerful priests there to perform a less risky method of getting rid of the demon, apart from that, necromancy is way too powerful and for a spell like that to be used on Renata, we are dealing with someone who has had many years to practice and is familiar with necromancy of the levels that Faust once used, there is no denying that Ozymandias has played a part in this.


    Nico-I agree, we already know that he has Faust''s notes in his possession, this confirms that he has at least been here, we finally have a clue. What I don''t understand is why would he use such a spell on an innocent girl? Rotten piece of scum.


    Mak-The only possible explanation would be that Renata knew way more than she should and the only way to erase that knowledge was to use magic of a much higher level, Ozy definitely doesn''t want to be found, the only thing remaining is to ask her about the chappel, if she has blanks in her memory then that''s the place we should take a look at.


    Gabriel had some time to think while Mak laid out the plan, it seemed weird how Mak said that two souls couldn''t inhabit the same body and he seemed quite sure of that statement, even so, there is another person inhabiting Gabriel, he heard him while Mak made that claim, he thought that this guy he has been talking to is just a fiction that he made, how could that be though? Is it possible that Gabriel just created a second personality in his own head?


    Gabriel-Are you certain that there can''t be two souls in one body?


    Mak-Yes, as far as I know, I told you that necromancers can place souls in empty vessels, if the vessel is capable of living that is, remember Koma?


    Gabriel-Who?


    Mak-The Shinigami, he had a weapon that could cut the soul loose from the vessel, if you had something like that, then you would have a vessel ready to support another soul and basically place a soul inside it. Most souls are disconnected after the vessel has lost the ability to support life, that''s why the souls hover for a brief second there, until the one who has the right to claim them comes or sends an agent to collect them.


    Nico-An agent?


    Mak-You guys also have people like that. When a priest reads the last rites to someone, he basically claims their souls and they are sent to purgatory after they die, Shinigami act differently, they separate the soul brief moments before it


    disconnects by itself, the Shinigami then claim those few moments to extend their own lifetime, the souls are then sent to Yama, the most known powerful agents I know off are probably the Orthodox agent Samael, Charon of the Greek Pantheon and the Grim Reaper, Death.


    Gabriel-You are confusing me.


    Mak-Don''t worry, Gabe, that''s way too advanced knowledge for an idiot like you.


    Gabriel-Fuck off.


    Nico-I can''t simply agree with what you are saying, Mak, my faith won''t allow me to believe in these pagan things.


    Mak-I don''t want to ruin your faith, Nico, I am simply sharing my knowledge, it''s your right to believe in what you want.


    Nico-Calling it knowledge instead of belief implies that you are certain of this stuff, thus diminishing every other form of faith.


    Mak-Yeah...And no, many religions claim to be true and call every other a hoax, you can''t deny the existence of things you have seen with your own eyes, I am sure you have seen stuff that your faith doesn''t recognize.


    Nico-Every creature I have faced is just an enemy, nothing more.


    Mak-Alright, she is waking up by the way.


    Renata was starting to come back to her senses and before it was too late they placed her back at the table on the porch, Mak also took his position and he picked up the act again...


    Renata-What happened.


    Renata was grabbing her forehead as she has just come back to her senses.


    Mak-You fell asleep for a second there, you must be really tired. I wanted us to spend some time alone but I think you should get to your room and rest.


    Renata blushed again, she found the excuse she wanted to leave Mak, she stood up and reached for her key in her pocket, that''s when Mak proceeded with his question.


    Mak-Hey, if you have the time, would you like to show me around tomorrow, I was thinking of going to the chapel, you and I.


    Renata-No, you can''t go near the chappel.


    Mak-Why?


    Renata-Because...Wait, why? I can''t remember, no, the chappel is dangerous, it needs maintenance and what...


    Mak-(Bingo). Ok, go and have some rest, you look really tired, I''ll see you tomorrow.


    Gabriel, Mak and Nico now are certain, with what the Helm of True Sight has shown and Renata''s answers there is a clear plan to follow, the first thing they have to do is go to the chappel, all signs show that there are traces of necromantic spells around people and they all agree in staying away from the chappel, all clues show that Ozymandias is probably connected with them and the chappel, the real search is finally ready to begin now that they have a clear place to look for, the only thing that is remaining is for Mak to find out what Nico was talking about, he is still suspicious of Nico from what he overheard and he needs to keep his cool until the right moment, he can''t let Gabriel know anything because there is no way to tell what he might do, for now, the only thing he can do is go with the flow.

 The Chapel

    Gabriel, Mak and Nico went to sleep after figuring out where to look next, their best bet was to visit the chapel in the morning, if possible they would want to scout the area while there are people around so that it wouldn''t look suspicious, also if they manage to get inside the chappel and find nothing, they can investigate even further, for now they decided to get ready just as the sun was rising, it''s almost day time and Mak along with Nico are ready, what remains is for Gabriel to also manage to get up...


    Mak-Come on, we have to go to the chappel.


    Gabriel was still in bed and covered with a blanket, he just rolled on his side ignoring Mak.


    Nico-Gabriel, we need to go to the chappel.


    Gabriel-Agr...Why now? The sun isn''t up yet, the only ones that are out at this point are getting home from being drunk, we would stand out if we are seen around the chappel right now.


    Mak-Can''t argue with that. I guess when it''s about slacking off, Gabriel puts a lot of thinking in.


    Nico-I must agree as well, let''s head downstairs to the lobby for some coffee in the meantime.


    Gabriel-You mean...Get up?


    Nico-Yes, Gabriel, discipline is one trait you must get in order to work for the Vatican.


    Gabriel argued a bit more, growling and yawning while he got up and dressed, Mak and Nico already went downstairs after Gabriel assured them that he wouldn''t go back to sleep, last night he didn''t get much sleep, he was just lying on the bed thinking about what Mak said, if it''s not possible for two souls to inhabit the same body, then what''s going on? Is this guy a demon trying to possess Gabriel, he didn''t feel like he had to fight for control at all, he thought that he might have been possessed after going to hell to get revenge on Marbas but that wouldn''t make sense since the powers that this guy showcased are nothing like a demon''s and after all, he said that he was with Gabriel from the moment he was born, Gabriel wanted more answers and he has a couple of minutes alone in the room to try and get them...


    Gabriel-(I need to know more).


    ???-(I have already told you, we share the same knowledge, the same memories, what you know is what I know).


    Gabriel-(This doesn''t make sense, Mak said that it is impossible for two souls to be inside the same body, are you some kind of demon? Is this all a trick to make me surrender control to you?)


    ???-(I told you, I have tried to take control of this body, I simply can''t).


    Gabriel-Yeah...And that''s why you are trying to trick me).


    ???-(What you are saying is stupid, from how I understand demonic possession, we would constantly fight for control over this body, but here we are coexisting. The goblin is obviously wrong).


    Gabriel-(You are right, I suppose I never felt like I lost control, what you are saying sounds right for now. Since you claim to not know anything...)


    ???-(I don''t).


    Gabriel-(We have to find more together).


    ???-(My instinct tells me to keep myself safe, that''s basic, I can''t argue though that I also want to find out what I truly am, the goblin''s claim did, in fact, bother me).


    Gabriel-(So you do agree with Mak).


    ???-(His claim sounded true, if that''s the case, I cannot help but question my own existence, what am I? Am I just a lowly demon with amnesia? Did I fail to possess you? Are you the demon and perhaps I am the remnants of the rightful inhabitant of this body? If that''s true then I wouldn''t feel so powerful, the only thing that I can feel is immense strength, that doesn''t seem to a human trait, therefore I am not a human, I am not a demon. What am I?)


    Gabriel-(Are you having an existential crisis right now?)


    ???-(Probably, I should stop, I want to make a request to you, Gabriel.)


    Gabriel-(What is it?)


    ???-(You have your own goals and will, you can do whatever you choose, I just ask that you consider me an ally as I consider you, I want you to find out more about me, I want you to purposely search for my identity, ask any kind of magic user you find, any elemental being, any lord of hell and heaven if possible, I am but a fraction of existence within you, as such I sincerely ask you to find out more about me in your quests.)


    Gabriel-(Ok...)


    ???-(Thank you, Gabriel. I will do everything in my power to help you from now on.)


    Gabriel-(What should I call you?)


    ???-(From the scaling of the battles we had so far I can tell that I am a powerful being, I cannot cooperate with the idea of giving me a ridiculous name.)


    Gabriel-(I''ll call you Mike, how about that?)


    Mike-(Fine then, I am Mike.)


    Gabriel finished talking to his "partner", from this point he decided to call him Mike, Gabriel is sure that he is not lying, the only thing that remains is to find out more about him, Gabriel said that he would actively try to find more information, he felt like he at least owes Mike this much from all the times that he has saved him, he was there when Gabriel needed him and his request is way too small to compensate everything that he offered, for now, Gabriel has accepted and thus made a better connection with Mike.


    It wasn''t long until Gabriel went downstairs to meet with Nico and Mak, this little conversation he had inside his head lasted about a fraction of a second, it seems like time doesn''t pass by when he talks to Mike, just like a thought, the


    conversations with Mike are instantaneous, when he got to the lobby he saw Luis behind his desk smoking, Mak and Nico were sitting in the lobby, Mak''s first thought was to tease him...


    Mak-There is our little prince, how did you sleep my sweet child?


    Gabriel-If you ever say another word with a voice like that, I swear I will rip your tongue out.


    Mak-Ok, that was uncalled for, sit down.


    Nico-We will go to the chappel in exactly two hours, at this point the street should be populated enough for us to blend in, once we are inside the chappel I will use the Helm of True Sight to pick any traces of magic energy, if it matches the one we saw from Luis and Renata, then the only possible explanation is that Ozymandias has been in the chappel and has performed his black magic, I just hope that we won''t stumble upon him in the middle of a pact, we don''t want to anger a demon while it''s striking a deal, especially a demon as powerful as Belial.


    Gabriel-How can we be so sure that he hasn''t already made his deal with Belial and he is already gone from here?


    Nico-The remains of his dark magic seem "fresh" in some terms, he couldn''t possibly have already made the deal, a demon like Belial would have destroyed the entire place for compensation, Ozymandias is no fool either, if he wanted to do this he would have already destroyed the village and all the residents already, he must be around here hiding, waiting for the right moment to invoke the powers of Belial and strike a deal, I would rather not see the anger of the demon when it realizes that it has been tricked, Ozymandias wouldn''t offer his soul and the fact that the city is still intact signifies that he hasn''t made the deal yet, the ritual would require a lot of preparation and planning, something he could not do in a few days, especially with so many people around, the town is quite populated.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.Gabriel-What are we waiting for then? Let''s go to the chapel.


    Mak-In a few hours, just relax and enjoy a cup of coffee for now, Luis has some great blends over there.


    Gabriel stood up and asked Luis for a cup of coffee, they sat at the lobby for a little bit and then decided to head to the chapel, while they were standing outside the chappel they noticed the state of the building, it was a huge church with a massive clock on the central tower, the building was in bad shape as they have heard, there was ruble all around it and at some places you could see the brick sticking out from the points where the paint has brushed off, most of the window was still intact but there was also broken glass pilling underneath the broken windows implying that no one even bothered to pick them up and throw them away, the chappel was in fact not touched by anyone for a long time. There were people all around them and when Gabriel reached to open the door of the chappel they all looked at him weirdly, it was common knowledge to not mess around the chappel, after all, they opened the door and went inside, they saw the remnants of what was once a place of faith and devotion, now there are broken wooden benches where people used to sit, a half-destroyed podium where the preacher probably did his thing and the walls and floor was covered with trash clearly not cleaned in years, the whole place was sad to look at and Nico was disappointed at the sight of it, his face turned to one of sadness and regret as they were slowly walking towards the podium, Nico put on his helmet and looked around searching for traces of magical energy, Gabriel and Mak scattered to the corners of the main hall and also looked around, a couple of seconds later, Nico told them that he found something, dreadful energy was all around the podium, he called for Gabriel and Mak to come with him.


    They gathered around the podium and looked at each other, without a second thought, Nico used one of his rings and called the Sword of Night to his hands, with one swing he destroyed the podium to reveal a hidden stairway leading down...


    Mak-I am surprised, you smashed that thing way to easily for a Paladin.


    Nico-From the moment that this place housed necrotic magic and hellish rituals, it no longer has any connection with the Lord, this place has no signs of his grace, it''s nothing but a pile of stones and wood.


    Mak-Ok, should we go down there?


    Gabriel-What if Ozymandias is down there and a fight breaks out? Do we have a plan?


    Nico-Mak should stay back, you and I will kill Ozymandias before he has a chance to cast anything.


    Gabriel-Alright, sounds like a plan, let me get my axe out.


    From the moment that Gabriel, Nico and Mak arrived at Mexico they begun the investigation and relaxed at times, even Nico forgot to teach Gabriel the method of sealing and unsealing weapons effectively.


    Nico-Remember what I told you, Gabriel, don''t put too much energy into that seal, the last thing we want is to blow up.


    Gabriel-Yeah, I know. ( You also know what to do, right.)


    Mike-(Yes.)


    Gabriel focused the energy to the axe, with the help from Mike he was able to keep it stable, for now it will do, Nico promised to teach him a better way but they don''t really have time, they walked down the stone stairs and the only thing they had for lighting was another one of Nico''s artifacts, he used the Radiant Bracelet, a bracelet made out of moonstone, a metal infused with the essence of a forest spirit, it was bright enough to illuminate a good portion of the circular staircase, Gabriel was a few steps behind Nico with his axe on his shoulder, it was quite difficult to fit the axe in the tight corridor but he managed to not hit every wall there, Mak was also a good distanse behind Gabriel so that he could see but not get hit in the face with the axe. They walked for a good ten minutes downstairs, almost like they descended multiple stories of a building, Mak thought that must be a spatial spell on the chappel that made the underground bigger, they arrived a big room filled with demonic signs and banners, red banners on the walls and a central red carpet leading to a massive statue of a demonic figure, clearly a place for warlock rituals, there was no sign of a person down there at the moment so they took their time looking around, Nico wanted to destroy the demonic statue at first sight but he decided to not waste any of his stamina breaking rocks, they wandered around looking at the selves of the library at on of the sides, there were many books of rituals and spells to cast, Gabriel strafed a bit away from the rest and laid eyes upon a book that had a title "Consentual Possesion", he thought that this book had insturctions on how to let a demon posses you at will, he hid the book inside his shirt and walked right up to the rest of them, he thought that it might have some information about Mike, he may be a demon after all. They continued looking around only to find traces of magic but not a source, Nico felt that something was wrong, Ozymandias should definitely have been there but there are no signs of a person living there, they came to the conclusion that Ozymandias was preparing the ritual there, their plan was to set an ambush for Ozymandias, they all hid amongst the bookshelves and waited for the right moment, one hour passed, two hours passed by and nothing, Gabriel started to get bored, at this point he started smoking, he might blow his cover since there was smoke all around but he didn''t really care, Mak was hiding even further away from the entrance of the room, he didn''t want to get caught in a fight, right as Gabriel put out his smoke they heard a sound, they are hearing steps coming from the stairway, they all exchanged looks to make sure everyone is on the same footing, the steps were coming closer and closer, they weren''t certain it would be in fact Ozymandias walking down the stairs but based on what they already know it couldn''t have been a civilian.

 Imminent Battle

    Gabriel, Mak and Nico went to sleep after figuring out where to look next, their best bet was to visit the chapel in the morning, if possible they would want to scout the area while there are people around so that it wouldn''t look suspicious, also if they manage to get inside the chappel and find nothing, they can investigate even further, for now, they decided to get ready just as the sun was rising, it''s almost day time and Mak along with Nico are ready, what remains is for Gabriel to also manage to get up...


    Mak-Come on, we have to go to the chappel.


    Gabriel was still in bed and covered with a blanket, he just rolled on his side ignoring Mak.


    Nico-Gabriel, we need to go to the chappel.


    Gabriel-Agr...Why now? The sun isn''t up yet, the only ones that are out at this point are getting home from being drunk, we would stand out if we are seen around the chappel right now.


    Mak-Can''t argue with that. I guess when it''s about slacking off, Gabriel puts a lot of thinking in.


    Nico-I must agree as well, let''s head downstairs to the lobby for some coffee in the meantime.


    Gabriel-You mean...Get up?


    Nico-Yes, Gabriel, discipline is one trait you must get in order to work for the Vatican.


    Gabriel argued a bit more, growling and yawning while he got up and dressed, Mak and Nico already went downstairs after Gabriel assured them that he wouldn''t go back to sleep, last night he didn''t get much sleep, he was just lying on the bed thinking about what Mak said, if it''s not possible for two souls to inhabit the same body, then what''s going on? Is this guy a demon trying to possess Gabriel, he didn''t feel like he had to fight for control at all, he thought that he might have been possessed after going to hell to get revenge on Marbas but that wouldn''t make sense since the powers that this guy showcased are nothing like a demon''s and after all, he said that he was with Gabriel from the moment he was born, Gabriel wanted more answers and he has a couple of minutes alone in the room to try and get them...


    Gabriel-(I need to know more).


    ???-(I have already told you, we share the same knowledge, the same memories, what you know is what I know).


    Gabriel-(This doesn''t make sense, Mak said that is impossible for two souls to be inside the same body, are you some kind of demon? Is this all a trick to make me surrender control to you?)


    ???-(I told you, I have tried to take control of this body, I simply can''t).


    Gabriel-Yeah...And that''s why you are trying to trick me).


    ???-(What you are saying is stupid, from how I understand demonic possession, we would constantly fight for control over this body, but here we are coexisting. The goblin is obviously wrong).


    Gabriel-(You are right, I suppose I never felt like I lost control, what you are saying sounds right for now. Since you claim to not know anything...)


    ???-(I don''t).


    Gabriel-(We have to find more together).


    ???-(My instinct tells me to keep myself safe, that''s basic, I can''t argue though that I also want to find out what I trully am, the goblin''s claim did in fact bother me).


    Gabriel-(So you do agree with Mak).


    ???-(His claim sounded true, if that''s the case, I cannot help but question my own existence, what am I? Am I just a lowly demon with amnesia? Did I fail to possess you? Are you the demon and perhaps I am the remnants of the rightful inhabitant of this body? If that''s true then I wouldn''t feel so powerful, the only thing that I can feel is immense strength, that doesn''t seem to a human trait, therefore I am not a human, I am not a demon. What am I?)


    Gabriel-(Are you having an existential crisis right now?)


    ???-(Probably, I should stop, I want to make a request to you, Gabriel.)


    Gabriel-(What is it?)


    ???-(You have your own goals and will, you can do whatever you choose, I just ask that you consider me an ally as I consider you, I want you to find out more about me, I want you to purposely search for my identity, ask any kind of magic user you find, any elemental being, any lord of hell and heaven if possible, I am but a fraction of existence within you, as such, I sincerely ask you to find out more about me in your quests.)


    Gabriel-(Ok...)


    ???-(Thank you, Gabriel. I will do everything in my power to help you from now on.)


    Gabriel-(What should I call you?)


    ???-(From the scaling of the battles we had so far I can tell that I am a powerful being, I cannot cooperate with the idea of giving me a ridiculous name.)


    Gabriel-(I''ll call you Mike, how about that?)


    Mike-(Fine then, I am Mike.)


    Gabriel finished talking to his "partner", from this point he decided to call him Mike, Gabriel is sure that he is not lying, the only thing that remains is to find out more about him, Gabriel said that he would actively try to find more information, he felt like he at least owes Mike this much from all the times that he has saved him, he was there when Gabriel needed him and his request is way too small to compensate everything that he offered, for now, Gabriel has accepted and thus made a better connection with Mike.


    It wasn''t long until Gabriel went downstairs to meet with Nico and Mak, this little conversation he had inside his head lasted about a fraction of a second, it seems like time doesn''t pass by when he talks to Mike, just like a thought, the


    conversations with Mike are instantaneous, when he got to the lobby he saw Luis behind his desk smoking, Mak and Nico were sitting in the lobby, Mak''s first thought was to tease him...


    Mak-There is our little prince, how did you sleep my sweet child?


    Gabriel-If you ever say another word with a voice like that, I swear I will rip your tongue out.


    Mak-Ok, that was uncalled for, sit down.


    Nico-We will go to the chappel in exactly two hours, at this point the street should be populated enough for us to blend in, once we are inside the chappel I will use the Helm of True Sight to pick any traces of magic energy, if it matches the one we saw from Luis and Renata, then the only possible explanation is that Ozymandias has been in the chappel and has performed his black magic, I just hope that we won''t stumble upon him in the middle of a pact, we don''t want to anger a demon while it''s striking a deal, especially a demon as powerful as Belial.


    Gabriel-How can we be so sure that he hasn''t already made his deal with Belial and he is already gone from here?


    Nico-The remains of his dark magic seem "fresh" in some terms, he couldn''t possibly have already made the deal, a demon like Belial would have destroyed the entire place for compensation, Ozymandias is no fool either, if he wanted to do this he would have already destroyed the village and all the residents already, he must be around here hiding, waiting for the right moment to invoke the powers of Belial and strike a deal, I would rather not see the anger of the demon when it realizes that it has been tricked, Ozymandias wouldn''t offer his soul and the fact that the city is still intact signifies that he hasn''t made the deal yet, the ritual would require a lot of preparation and planning, something he could not do in a few days, especially with so many people around, the town is quite populated.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Gabriel-What are we waiting for then? Let''s go to the chapel.


    Mak-In a few hours, just relax and enjoy a cup of coffee, for now, Luis has some great blends over there.


    Gabriel stood up and asked Luis for a cup of coffee, they sat at the lobby for a little bit and then decided to head to the chapel, while they were standing outside the chappel they noticed the state of the building, it was a huge church with a massive clock on the central tower, the building was in bad shape as they have heard, there were ruble all around it and at some places, you could see the brick sticking out from the points where the paint has brushed off, most of the windows were still intact but there was also broken glass pilling underneath the broken windows implying that no one even bothered to pick them up and throw them away, the chappel was in fact not touched by anyone for a long time. There were people all around them and when Gabriel reached to open the door of the chappel they all looked at him weirdly, it was common knowledge to not mess around the chappel, after all, they opened the door and went inside, they saw the remnants of what was once a place of faith and devotion, now there are broken wooden benches where people used to sit, a half-destroyed podium where the preacher probably did his thing and the walls and floor was covered with trash clearly not cleaned in years, the whole place was sad to look at and Nico was disappointed at the sight of it, his face turned to one of sadness and regret as they were slowly walking towards the podium, Nico put on his helmet and looked around searching for traces of magical energy, Gabriel and Mak scattered to the corners of the main hall and also looked around, a couple of seconds later, Nico told them that he found something, dreadful energy was all around the podium, he called for Gabriel and Mak to come with him.


    They gathered around the podium and looked at each other, without a second thought, Nico used one of his rings and called the Sword of Night to his hands, with one swing he destroyed the podium to reveal a hidden stairway leading down...


    Mak-I am surprised, you smashed that thing way to easily for a Paladin.


    Nico-From the moment that this place housed necrotic magic and hellish rituals, it no longer has any connection with the Lord, this place has no signs of his grace, it''s nothing but a pile of stones and wood.


    Mak-Ok, should we go down there?


    Gabriel-What if Ozymandias is down there and a fight breaks out? Do we have a plan?


    Nico-Mak should stay back, you and I will kill Ozymandias before he has a chance to cast anything.


    Gabriel-Alright, sounds like a plan, let me get my axe out.


    From the moment that Gabriel, Nico and Mak arrived at Mexico they begun the investigation and relaxed at times, even Nico forgot to teach Gabriel the method of sealing and unsealing weapons effectively.


    Nico-Remember what I told you, Gabriel, don''t put too much energy into that seal, the last thing we want is to blow up.


    Gabriel-Yeah, I know. ( You also know what to do, right.)


    Mike-(Yes.)


    Gabriel focused the energy to the axe, with the help from Mike he was able to keep it stable, for now it will do, Nico promised to teach him a better way but they don''t really have time, they walked down the stone stairs and the only thing they had


    for lighting was another one of Nico''s artifacts, he used the Radiant Bracelet, a bracelet made out of moonstone, a metal infused with the essence of a forest spirit, it was bright enough to illuminate a good portion of the circular staircase, Gabriel was a few steps behind Nico with his axe on his shoulder, it was quite difficult to fit the axe in the tight corridor but he managed to not hit every wall there, Mak was also a good distance behind Gabriel so that he could see but not get hit in the face with the axe. They walked for a good ten minutes downstairs, almost like they descended multiple stories of a building, Mak thought that must be a spacial spell on the chappel that made the underground bigger, they arrived a big room filled with demonc signs and banners, red banners on the walls and a central red carpet leading to a massive statue of a demonic figure, clearly a place for warlock rituals, there was no sign of a person down there at the moment so they took their time looking around, Nico wanted to destroy the demonic statue at first sight but he decided to not waste any of his stamina breaking rocks, they wandered around looking at the selves of the library at on of the sides, there were many books of rituals and spells to cast, Gabriel strafed a bit away from the rest and laid eyes upon a book that had a title "Consentual Possesion", he thought that this book had insturctions on how to let a demon posses you at will, he hid the book inside his shirt and


    walked right up to the rest of them, he thought that it might have some information about Mike, he may be a demon after all. They continued looking around only to find traces of magic but not a source, Nico felt that something was wrong, Ozymandias should definitely have been there but there are no signs of a person living there, they came to the conclusion that Ozymandias was preparing the ritual there, their plan was to set an ambush for Ozymandias, they all hid amongst the bookshelves and waited for the right moment, one hour passed, two hours passed by and nothing, Gabriel started to get bored, at this point he started smoking, he might blow his cover since there was smoke all around but he didn''t really care, Mak was hiding even further away from the entrance of the room, he didn''t want to get caught in a fight, right as Gabriel put out his smoke they heard a sound, they are hearing steps coming from the stairway, they all exchanged looks to make sure everyone is on the same footing, the steps were coming closer and closer, they weren''t certain it would be in fact Ozymandias walking down the stairs but based on what they already know it couldn''t have been a civilian.

 Sacrifice

    Gabriel, Nico and Mak are hearing footsteps descending the staircase that they have walked not too long ago, they have taken positions in order to fight, the steps were getting closer and closer, everyone was on edge at this moment, Gabriel, despite the fact that he has faced many opponents couldn''t help it but feel a bit uneasy to he imminent battle, Nico was prepared for anything, his long history of combat was obvious by how calm he looked in this situation, Mak was as scared as any living thing could be, his position was the furthest from the staircase, with weapons drawn they awaited to see who was descending, that''s when something strange happened.


    All of a sudden, a second sound of footsteps, they could now distinguish a second pair of footsteps, there were two people walking down the staircase, all three of them exchanged looks to make sure that they all were on the same page, as of now, they only knew about Ozymandias, no one mentioned an accomplice, it''s finally time, in the next seconds the first person descending would be visible, they couldn''t believe in their eyes, it was Renata. Somehow she has wondered at the chappel''s basement, everyone was shocked to see her there, Nico made a sign for everyone to ignore it and to not make a move, not long afterward there was a second person walking down, Renata was standing at the end of the staircase, like an inanimate object, the other person wasn''t familiar, a foreign guy, an old man, bald, with long sideburns, he was wearing a green sweater and khaki pants, there was nothing wrong with his attire, you couldn''t distinguish him from a typical old man walking in the streets.


    Without hesitation, Nico left his cover and made himself visible to this man.


    Nico-Ozymandias Grzegarczoyk, the Vatican has come to put you down.


    Ozymandias-What? How did you find this place?


    Gabriel also followed Nico''s move and appeared there.


    Gabriel-What have you done to her you piece of shit?


    As soon as Ozymandias noticed that he is outnumbered, he shoved Renata to the side, almost like a doll, she didn''t react at all, he was now ready to make his move, he placed his hands on the ground and channeled something, a sudden light appeared and now there stood a creature between Ozymandias and Gabriel who is now in the front line with the demon axe resting on his shoulder, the light vanished and there stood a gigantic black wolf, Ozymandias found a moment to get Renata and drag her to the altar, the wolf attacked Gabriel who was the first person in sight.


    Gabriel dodged the attack and made a swing with his axe, the fur of the wolf was so thick that the axe stuck in it, it took no damage from the swing, Gabriel loosened the grip on the axe''s handle and proceeded to punch it, the force of his punch was enough to stagger it, Nico run to chase after Ozymandias, that''s when another creature appeared before him, this time it was a long snake-like creature.


    Mak-(This guy has summoned a dire wolf and a titan boa in seconds, this is insane, he must be a master summoner, what''s happening with Renata though?)


    Mak was still hiding behind cover while Gabriel was fighting the dire wolf, Nico released all of his combat equipment and took on the snake, it''s attacks were too fast for a normal human to dodge, thanks to Nico''s training, he was able to barely move out of danger, he dodged the snakes lunges at the last second while also trying to hit it with his sword, the Sword of Night, his plan was to blind it and then use the Aegis of the Gorgon, he couldn''t just use the shield as that would leave him standing in front of a monster many times faster than him. Gabriel was still trying to put some damage on the wolf, with his axe now resting on the floor underneath the monster he had to use his fists, Nico didn''t let him carry any of his usual arsenal, despite that he also had the Draconic Gauntlet with him, he used it multiple times and the gauntlet protected his arm flawlessly against the wolf''s bite, with his superior speed, Gabriel was able to punch the wolf again and again to the point of it starting to look rough, he clearly has delivered some damage to the monster. After exchanging many blows, he managed to get ahold of his axe once again, this time he channeled the energy to his legs and arms, with lightning speed he delivered a crushing blow on the top of the wolf''s head, splitting it in half, the fight didn''t take more than a couple of minutes, Nico was still struggling with the snake though, he couldn''t get a solid hit on it with his blade as it''s speed was much greater, Gabriel joined him to help, he stood by his side.


    Gabriel-Let''s both try to hit it, once I pin it down, you use the shield.


    Nico-Yeah.


    Gabriel was able to dodge the snake''s attacks with ease, he used his axe to strike it, with the axe swings he managed to peel parts of its scales from the body, the snake hissed with anger, Nico found the perfect opportunity to use the Aegis of the Gorgon and the petrifying ray turned it to a stone statue, Mak was amazed by how effective of a weapon that shield is, Mak also tried to figure out what was happening to Renata, she seemed hypnotized, something didn''t add up, why was she even there with Ozymandias? Why would she help him? With their opponents beaten, Gabriel and Nico moved closer to the altar where Ozymandias was performing a ritual, with the ritual already in place and the demonic statues vibrating, it was obvious that Ozymandias had already begun with his plan.


    Nico-What are you doing with the girl!?


    Ozymandias-Isn''t it obvious, paladin? I am sacrificing her soul.


    Nico-Her soul doesn''t belong to you, as a warlock you should know that you can''t strike a deal like this.


    Ozymandias-On the contrary, paladin, this soul belongs to me, it was constructed by me after all.


    Mak-(That''s it! That bastard has replaced Renata''s soul, the necromantic spell wasn''t to alter her memory at all, it was a forged soul inside her body, the girl that I spoke to, was fake. What has happened to her soul then?


    Mak had many questions to ask but Nico got there before him.


    Nico-What do you mean? Speak, you filthy demon worshiper!


    Ozymandias-The soul of the girl is dormant inside this body, this girl has been in my control for a long time, the procedure to offer her soul took me a couple of months to perform, it''s thanks to you that this is happening right now, I didn''t expect you to find this place though, as soon as I heard there were foreign people here looking for the chappel I knew. Did you think that your asking of the chappel would come unnoticed by me? I figured that you would show yourselves here sooner or later, pigs of the Vatican, what I didn''t expect though was to find a Holder here.


    Ozymandias'' eyes and voice were filled with fear, he looked almost frightened of Gabriel, he trembled like a madman.


    Mak-(What?)


    Gabriel-What?


    Nico-What are you spouting, warlock?


    Ozymandias laughed as he was now in the hands of Gabriel and Nico, he explained his previous statement to them.


    Ozymandias-You didn''t know? How would you know? The Vatican has been keeping secrets from you as well, hasn''t it? You are too small in this game, Paladin, there are forces much worse than demons and angels in this world, ancient forces that you could never comprehend!


    Nico-You don''t make any sense, are you going to resist or will you come in peace?


    Ozymandias-You are too late anyway, the girl''s soul has already been offered to the "asset".


    Mak-(Asset?)


    At that point, a big black portal appeared in front of Ozymandias, it sucked him inside, no one could understand what happened, the portal sucked in both Ozymandias and Renata, a moment later appeared a shadow, the shadow took form, it was a serpentine creature with wings, Mak instantly identified the thing and informed the rest of them.


    Mak-It''s a Wyrm!


    Despite Mak''s warning, neither Gabriel nor Nico turned to run, they both held their ground as the Wyrm materialized in front of them.


    Mak-This is beyond stupid! Wyrms are powerful draconic demons from Belials domain in hell, they are akin to dragons for fuck''s sake, they cannot be harmed with magic and their scales are able to withstand the heaviest of attacks, I never expected something like this, the warlock offered his own soul and Renata''s to summon this thing, it''s going to destroy the entire town!


    Gabriel-Then we better kill it now.


    Gabriel made the first attack, his axe bounced off the body of the wyrm, no matter how much strength he put behind his swing, he tried to hit it multiple time with no effect, Nico wasn''t able to follow Gabriel''s movements at all, no amount of training or experience could bring a normal human to that level, Nico knew at that point that Asano''s report was true, Gabriel had in fact killed a Raiju barehanded.


    Gabriel''s attacks were ineffective against the Wyrm, the tough scales on its body made it almost impossible for the axe to cut through, Nico also tried to use the Aegis of the Gorgon multiple times, the petrifying ray wasn''t powerful enough to capture the Wyrm, while Gabriel was trying to keep it occupied, Mak was trying to figure a way to harm it. It''s tough scales rendered physical attacks useless and it''s a known fact that it''s immune to any type of elemental attack, that theory was proven by Gabriel himself as he tried to also hit it with his fire attacks, he threw fireball after fireball to the Wyrm, every attack was just repelled back by the scales, Gabriel tried to use the chaos magic he got from Tamika but that also just bounced of the Wyrm''s body, at this time, it wasn''t important to know about Ozymandias'' plan, Mak was overwelmed with questions as to why he would sacrifice his life so easily, a man who was trying to hide from the Vatican for years, he cheated death so many times just to give up in a moments notice, he didn''t have the luxury of time though, for now he has to think of a way for Gabriel to kill the Wyrm, many things crossed his mind, the Holy Hand Grenade was one of them, the amount of damage it could do was akin to a nuclear bomb, both of these options weren''t viable for the situation though, even if they had such a powerful weapon, it would destroy the entire town and them as well, Gabriel''s punches weren''t strong enough to damage it and the demon axe was also too weak, his fire attacks proved innefective an the light attacks also wouldn''t work, Mak was trying to figure a way to beat it from his recolection of knowledge, he can''t really find a way to kill an enemy thought to be on par with dragons. Dragons were probably the strongest creatures to ever walk the earth, even demons feared the power of dragons, Wyrms were an experiment of demons for replicating the power of dragons, even if they didn''t exactly achieve at replicating it perfectly, Wyrms share many of their traits, Mak was clueless at to how Gabriel could damage the Wyrm, much less deliver a killing blow. Nico was also out of the picture, at this point none of his attacks from any of his weapons could do anything and he didn''t have enough physical strength to damage it either, all of them knew that at this point it was on Gabriel''s hands to kill it. He used every type of attack he could think of, Mike also tried to do his thing,


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.Mike-(Let me handle it.)


    Gabriel was dodging the Wyrm''s bites for the most part while also having an internal conversation with Mike.


    Gabriel-(There is not enough time, last time I let you take control, it took a couple of minutes before you could fight, who knows what''s going to happen while you are taking control?)


    Mike-(I have measured the creature''s defenses, I could easily penetrate them with one of my attacks.)


    Gabriel-(Last time you smashed a whole valley, that would harm Mak and Nico, the entire town will get destroyed.)


    Mike-(But we will live.)


    Gabriel-(Just keep funneling energy in me, this is no time for jokes.)


    Mike-(I will not allow you to trash this body, Gabriel. If it comes to this, I will unleash everything I have, even if it means to destroy everything.)


    Gabriel was trying to convince Mike to not go overboard with his energy, last time he did, the amount of collateral damage was immeasurable, Gabriel couldn''t afford for something like this to happen now, he wanted to join the Vatican and have a better life, that could not be accomplished if Nico was dead and Mak was also a huge help to him, even if denied it, he needed his guidance. Mike didn''t care what would happen to anyone but Gabriel, to him, survival was the only thing that mattered.


    While Gabriel was talking with Mike, his movements became a bit slower, despite the fact that he managed to dodge the Wyrm''s attacks up to this point, the split second that he lost his focus to try and convince Mike costed him in reaction time, the Wyrm managed to bite his arm and thrash him around until it pulled off Gabriel''s arm, blood was spewing everywhere from the stamp that was left in Gabriel''s left arm, Mike focused the energy to regenerate his arm, the regeneration was instantaneous, Nico and Mak were shocked as to how quickly the wound was gone and Gabriel''s arm reformed. Gabriel stood up and tried to punch his foe again, this time he used the thunder powers he got from the Raiju, the punch delivered a strong shock to the Wyrm''s body rendering it immobile for a split second, Gabriel though that he finally found a way to damage it, Mak also witnessed the thunderous attack and had a different idea.


    Gabriel used his thunder powers, again and again, the stun effect was useful but the Wyrm didn''t show signs of any pain, it just recuperated from the shock each time. Mak yelled at Gabriel and told him about his idea, while he thought about humanity''s most powerful weapon, his mind followed that reasoning, he remembered another weapon of human technology that was also extremely powerful and could do concentrated damage of calculatable scale,


    Mak-Gabriel! Railgun!


    Mak was referring to the railgun, a powerful cannon type weapon that utilizes electromagnetic energy to propel metallic ammunition at incredible speeds and delivers a huge amount of kinetic energy, the elemental attack itself might not be able to harm the Wyrm thanks to its immunity but a strong physical attack would be able to damage it and not harm the surrounding area. Gabriel heard Mak''s words and he pulled a couple of pocket change he had, he asked Mike to use his sense of energy to try and pump electricity to his arms, he placed his arms in the shape of a gun barrel and Mike tried to do the calculations of how much electric energy to push through, he failed, the coins scattered at the walls leaving behind small holes, the penetrating power of this attack was incredible, Nico also did his part, he threw his sword at Gabriel.


    Nico-Use it for ammunition!


    Gabriel held the Sword of Night with one hand at the handle and another at the blade, he asked Mike once again to try the attack, in a matter of seconds, the current passed through Gabriel''s body recreating the effects of a powerful electromagnet, the sword left Gabriel''s hand at incredible speed, it shattered all of the bones in his arms and ripped away the flesh at the edge of his hands, he used his bare hands as a canon barrel to launch the sword like a bullet, the speed of the projectile was so strong that it shattered a couple of scales from the Wyrm''s body, the shockwave of the attack threw it back several meters and left it dazed, that''s when Gabriel remembered what Nico told him earlier, the fact that he used his thunder powers on this artifact made him recall what he told him earlier, how the amount of energy he put inside the artifacts could make them blow up, he took the oppurtunity to grab his axe once again, Mike also knew the idea that he had, Gabriel grabbed his axe and leaped on to the body of the Wyrm that was now dazed from the impact of the previous attack, he found the spot where the sword knocked off the scales and then he sliced with his axe, he created a deep wound on the Wyrm that was now trying to recover from the shock, he promted Mike to use as much energy as he could on the axe, the axe started to shine brightly and overheat, Gabriel grabbed Mak and run to the stairs, while the three of them were running up the staircase they heard the explosion, despite the fact that Gabriel wanted to see the explosion, he couldn''t risk leaving Mak and Nico behind, he didn''t know the size of the explosion it would make after all.


    After a couple of seconds, they went back down the stairs to witness the aftermath of this plan, the axe had blown up the Wyrm, the armored scales on its body created a protective shield holding the explosion inside, the only thing left now was the exoskeleton of the Wyrm, the entire thing was hollow from the inside, the explosion that was triggered inside the body of the Wyrm had turned every inch of its body into minced meat and the fact that the scales held the explosion inside left the surrounding area almost intact, the explosion was contained inside the scaly armor of the Wyrm, now with just a huge pile of Wyrm scales, they have managed to kill it. Mak turned to Nico and said,


    Mak-Holy shit, what was your guy thinking?


    Nico-I don''t know, Ozymandias had devoted so much time running and hiding from us, I can''t believe he would throw his life away just to unleash a mindless monster to a random town in Mexico, I am clueless as to his reasoning.


    Mak-Me too, I don''t understand what was the point of this ritual, I would understand if he had tried to use it and render chaos but he decided to sacrifice himself.


    Gabriel-Maybe he was just insane.


    Mak-I don''t think so, a man with such talent, why? Why would he throw his life away? It makes no sense, he had so many options, he could bargain for power, wealth, he could contract Belial for everything but he just summoned a creature without any plan of controlling it. What did he know that we didn''t?


    Nico-He mentioned something else, he called Gabriel a Holder, what was that about?


    Gabriel-No idea.


    Mak-I don''t know, what I know is that Ozymandias would have been able to defeat you easily, what was you plan, Nico?


    Nico-What do you mean?


    Mak-Ozymandias was able to summon powerful creatures with the snap of his fingers, you would be no match for him alone. He could have just killed you and carry on with his business.


    Nico-That''s...Possible, what troubles me is that the moment he saw Gabriel, fear struck his mind, he sacrificed his life without hesitation.


    Mak-It''s possible that he could see Gabriel''s strength and tried a plan of last resort.


    Gabriel-What did he mean by that "asset" thing?


    Mak-I can think of an explanation, Ozy had an accomplice after all.


    Gabriel-You mean there are more enemies?


    Mak-No, I bet his plan was to summon this creature and gift it to someone.


    Nico-But why?


    Mak-Why would he die for that? That someone wasn''t a friend, it must be his master.


    Gabriel-Master?


    Mak-Think about it, like a soldier following orders, a devout follower would sacrifice himself for his master.


    Nico-I don''t have any information about something like that, not that I doubt your judgment, you have proved to be wise but since the Vatican hasn''t issued anything, we can''t follow your guess.


    Mak-Yeah, I doubt we need to worry at the moment, if the Vatican hasn''t picked up on anything it shouldn''t be important.


    Gabriel-So, what now?


    Mak-We did what we came to do, I guess we should go back, the only problem is how to prove that we dealt with Ozymandias.


    Nico-There was no way to subdue him, we also don''t have his body, if my word isn''t enough to convince the higher-ups, nothing will.


    Mak-Right, we should pack things up. By the way, can I ask for a favor, Nico?


    Nico-What is it?


    Mak-Could we salvage the exoskeleton of the wyrm and put it in your bag?


    Nico-I see, you want to make armor out of it.


    Mak-I am not an expert, I just thought Kevin would like to mess with some of this stuff.


    Nico-Fine, I would love to work beside someone wearing that armor, don''t forget what you said, Gabriel, I will arrange for your position in the Vatican first thing as I return.


    Gabriel-Thanks.


    Nico gave his bag to Mak and Gabriel, Gabriel used his strength to rip off multiple scales of the Wyrm''s remains, he placed enough material in the Bag of Holding to make about three sets of armor, since Nico handed the bag to him to carry it, he found an excuse to also put the book he picked up earlier about Consentual Possession, he planned to unpack everything back at Kevin''s. Now with Ozymandias out of the picture, things seem to go well for Gabriel, when Nico arrived and announced that he was from the Vatican, things got weird, Gabriel and Mak were sure that they were in for some punishment for what they did during their trip to Japan, as it turns out, Nico requested their help, with current events, Gabriel now counts Nico as an ally, even if Mak has some second thoughts about the report Nico sent, he also considers Nico more of a friend than a foe, for now, he is going to arrange for Gabriel to work for the Vatican as a free agent. That way he can work under the jurisdiction of the Vatican on the condition that he must answer when there is a summon, Gabriel viewed that as a win-win situation since he wasn''t able to actively change the things he wanted, so far he has meddled with things that directly affected his life, now he will be assigned mission to carry out, Nico has given his approval and said that he will support and teach him, things seem to be going well for Gabriel.

 Downtime

    Gabriel and Mak have returned to Kevin''s house after the whole incident with Ozymandias, Nico has lent them his Bag of Holding since they wanted to bring back the wyvern scales, he prompted them to relax as he would contact them soon about any news that they should learn, from the moment that Kevin saw the wyvern scales and Mak explained in detail about their properties he decided to dive headfirst into researching and kept in contact with Munderic for assistance. Nico told them that he had to clean some things up in Mexico before requesting Gabriel''s addition to the forces of the Vatican and that gave Gabriel some time to rest, as he was now sitting alone in the living room, he decided to take out the book he found at the chapel, the book was about Consentual Possession, presumably, someone invites a demon to possess his body, from what Gabriel was reading, there was no way that this book would have anything to do with his state, the book described that the user of such a ritual would surrender control to the demon, even though the demon would be in charge of the vessel, the soul of the previous inhabitant would still linger around the vessel, the ritual protected the soul of the owner from being disconected from the vessel, the demon would be the one controlling the vessel and the owner would function as nothing more than an observer with no chance of reclaiming control of the vessel, just observing like Gabriel did while Mike fought, like Mike does when Gabriel is in control of the body, this sounded kind of familiar to Gabriel but in his case, Mike was able to control the vessel as soon as Gabriel allowed him, they could both control the body. Gabriel''s consciousness might be dominant most of the time but Mike has forcefully taken control before while Gabriel was on the verge of death, while reading, Mike felt like discussing with Gabriel...


    Mike- (This doesn''t make sense.)


    Gabriel-(Why? One of your theories was that I might be a demon possessing this body, right?)


    Mike-(In that case, I would have memories of performing such a ritual. I never was human.)


    Gabriel-(Well, Kevin said that I am not a human either.)


    Mike-(You are human though, Gabriel, your consciousness, your body before the machine was installed, we were both in this body, I told you, I have been alive as long as you have.)


    Gabriel-(I never asked you about that, I can''t believe it took me so long to realize, do you know my parents? Do you have any knowledge of where my parents are, I can''t recall when I was abandoned to the orphanage but you might.)


    Mike-(No, I am sorry, Gabriel, I completely understand the need to know your origins, I feel the same way. The first memory that I have is the same as yours.)


    Gabriel-(I thought so.)


    Mike-(Your woman companion is coming, hide the book.)


    Gabriel-(Wha...?)


    Mike felt the presence of Carmen walking to the garage where Gabriel had moved all his stuff, he hid the book and pretended to have been doing sit-ups...


    Carmen-Um...Gabriel?


    Carmen was wearing a really colorful and cute dress with frills and she had put on a very thin line of make up, just enough to be even more breathtaking than usual. Gabriel didn''t really know how to respond after being approached like that...


    Gabriel-Hi...


    Carmen-I know this is sudden and all but... Would you like... To go out with me when you are done with your exercise... and... I know that you just returned from Mexico and you fought with a warlock and a huge serpent... Mak told me so...


    Mike-(Is she asking you out? That''s cute.)


    Gabriel-(Oh shit, Mike HELP ME!)


    Mike-(Don''t worry, just tell her that you will go after you take a shower. Keep it cool.)


    Gabriel-I will come after I take a shower. (I hope you are right.)


    Mike-(I am, look at how relieved she feels, she is also trying to read your mind all the time, figure out how you feel about her, I have been blocking every attempt.)


    Carmen-Oh... Right, I''ll wait in the living room for you. Don''t keep me waiting too long.


    Carmen''s attitude changed, she seemed for playful and teased Gabriel for a bit before going to the living room, Gabriel went to the shower. While Carmen was waiting, Mak appeared from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand and a bag of jelly beans, an odd combination but Mak was an odd person all of the time. It appears as though he had something to do with Carmen''s sudden confidence, he talked while also chewing on the jelly beans and occasionally sipping from his cup...


    Mak-So...What did that little idiot say?


    Carmen-He agreed, I am so glad that I listened to you and got already prepared for going out. Also, don''t call him an idiot.


    Mak-Yeah... Didn''t I tell you that he would comply easily, seeing you all dressed up and pretty like that, what kind of moron would turn you down? Obviously he would agree... Where is he anyway?


    Carmen-He had to take a shower first, he was exercising in the garage.


    Mak-Gabriel? Exercising? What for? It''s not like he can get any stronger with conventional training routines.


    Carmen-Yeah, now that you mention it... Why was he exercising?


    Mak-(Oh no, he must have heard her coming and pretended to exercise to take a shower because... Oh Gabe, you dirty little rat. He was masturbating.)


    Carmen''s face turned red, she looked at Mak and was embarrassed to the point of hiding her face with her hands.


    Mak-Right...(Fucking hell, I forgot she can read my mind.)


    Carmen-I... No, Gabriel wouldn''t... I mean... There wasn''t any evidence that he was... His computer was turned off and... there weren''t any magazines or...


    Mak-Hey, I might be wrong, Gabriel is an idiot after all, he might think that an exercising routine is going to improve him. He could just be exercising without knowing that it''s useless.


    Carmen-Yeah...


    At this point, Gabriel walked to the living room, he wore some nice clothes, not too fancy, he had a casual outfit but also good enough to go grab something to eat on the road. Carmen stood up and walked towards him, as soon as she saw him, she forgot the previous thing about what Mak thought, now Gabriel was the one feeling weird, Carmen was standing right beside him but he just could reach out... Mike had his back once again, without even realizing it, his hand extended and grabbed Carmen''s hand, both of them walked out of the house without any plans or anything in mind. Mak was left alone, he was impressed at how easily Gabriel was able to grab Carmen''s hand, he always thought Gabriel was a wimp when it came to girls, after all, Mak didn''t know about Mike''s existence, he thought that Gabriel''s previous fights where Mike was able to take control were just Gabriel''s power unleashed. With his coffee cup and jelly beans in hand, he walked to Kevin''s lab.


    Kevin was so captivated on the wyrm scales that he didn''t eat at all since they came back with them, he was just refilling the same cup with coffee as he stayed up all night once again, trying to figure out a way to turn this scales in a full-plate armor. Mak looked at Kevin who was working passionately on the scales, pumping energy in them with his own powers, using cables to pump voltage in them, trying to heat them up and forge them by hand, he thought that he could skip the ritual this time since the material was already in the form of scales, his efforts though were ineffective since the wyrm scales were almost indestructible and not malleable, there was no way to soften them up enough to be forged or shaped with traditional methods, Mak walked closer to him and told him exactly that,


    Mak-That''s not gonna work, Kevin. The scales cannot be forged or drilled through to tie them up in the shape of armor, the only possible way to make them of use would be to perform the Infusion ritual.


    Kevin-Quite possibly yes, despite how much energy I pump into them, it doesn''t seem to activate though, the ritual is already in place out in the yard. At first, I thought that since that particular ritual was already used once, I should remake it.


    Mak-You tried it with a fresh ritual?


    Kevin-Yes, although it still failed.


    Mak-Why don''t you ask our little idiotic warlock friend about it?


    Kevin was talking with Mak but he was also working at the same time, almost like he wasn''t really paying attention to what he was saying but instead replying automatically.


    Kevin-Huh? Munderic? Yes, I contacted him earlier, his only advice was that maybe the catalyst wasn''t strong enough.


    Mak-Hm, he might be right, I cannot imagine the puny power of a simple shadow elemental, more like the instrument of such an elemental being able to produce enough energy to invoke the Infusion ritual on a material like that.


    Kevin-You know I am supposed to praise Nefaris, I can''t be ungrateful for the power he has given me or else he will strip me of it.


    Mak-Oh yeah, that thing was such a secondary character I almost forgot its name. Oh crap, I just remembered Munderic''s pet with all of this recollecting of memories.


    Kevin-The Invunche? It is quite astounding, I could never imagine such a useful thing to exist, the idea of a soules being used as a catalyst when there is a sacrifice required, imagine the problems that such a thing can solve.


    Mak-Imagine the problems it can create though, that thing was horrible, the alchemical ingredients that require to make one out of a human baby...


    Kevin-Uhm...


    Mak-(Wait, if I recall, Munderic said that he didn''t actually use a live baby to make that disgusting thing... He said he performed a necromancy spell. It didn''t hit at that time, how on earth did someone so inexperienced, someone who got tricked by a mid-class demon was able to perform a necromantic spell?) Call Munderic immediately!


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Kevin-What''s going on?


    Mak-I have a lot of questions for that boy. (How was he able to do something like that? It doesn''t add up, he didn''t seem all that smart, he didn''t trick us by any means, someone must have taught him that spell.)


    Kevin-Sure, I''ll give him a call and ask him to come by, plane tickets aren''t exactly cheap you know.


    Mak-This is way more important than some stinky currency, Kevin. Also, don''t tell him I want to speak with him, just call him to help you with the scales, a happy idiot like him won''t resist the thought of playing with such material.


    Kevin-Ok...


    Meanwhile, Gabriel and Carmen were out, to the usual coffee shop, Carmen was clearly happy that she could spend some time with Gabriel, even if they tried to keep her away from any mission that they went, she was happy to at least be there with him when he was relaxing, she was worried for a bit when Gabriel announced his desire to join the Vatican, having more dangerous work to do would mean that he would be away from her for long periods of time, there was no way she would let something like that happen, in her mind, she wanted to make Gabriel and Mak acknowledge her strength and at least consider taking her with them.


    Carmen-Uhm, Gabe?


    Gabriel-Yes?


    Carmen-What do you plan to do now? With all that stuff that Mr. Nico said.


    Gabriel-I am gonna actively work towards my goal. I am no longer gonna sit by while terrible things happen around me. It might have all started out of the blue, I didn''t really have a legitimate reason to begin this work, I could have easily just stayed dormant and lived my life back when Kevin rescued me, but after acquiring such power, who would stand idle when monsters destroy all the good things in this world? I don''t feel like a hero or anything, I think that every person has the resolve to change things around them, I have only been given the chance to do it now, the power I have acquired has set me in this path. If I stayed the way I was, I might never have had the will to do all that I have done. I sometimes question my resolve even now, I am not sure whether I am supposed to follow this road. I have had second thoughts about a lot of things, there were times when I felt helpless even with that strength, I felt weak.


    Carmen-Oh, I wouldn''t ever guess that you would have such thoughts.


    Gabriel-I do, I just can''t share such thoughts around Mak, he would just make fun of me, call me soft and other crap, with you, I feel... More relaxed. I have a feeling that you would listen to my thoughts without judging me.


    That sudden trust to share his deepest thoughts with her made Carmen feel wonderful, in her mind, she has achieved a position where Gabriel feels relaxed around her, he feels like he can share his emotions with her. That made her extremely happy, her cheeks were bright red.


    Carmen had feelings for Gabriel even before meeting him, the stories that Mak has told her about their missions, the quest that he has taken upon him to fix the world has brought hope to her. Carmen was shunned, she was abandoned by her family who didn''t accept her, every person that she has met apart from Gabriel, Mak and Kevin has tried to harm her or didn''t even care about her, she was abandoned by the world, she felt that Gabriel was also in a similar spot when he was back at the orphanage, his cries for help could not be heard, the people around him didn''t actually make the effort to help him, they were all standing idle to the horrible behavior of others, no one would make a stand to defend him. After all, that is the mindset of humans, why risk your own wellbeing to save another? Why would someone make an effort to change something that doesn''t affect themselves? There are people who see the horrors around them and want to make a change, they just aren''t strong enough to be heard, their voices are silenced by the constant sound of human nature, their efforts are crushed by those who wield all the power. In Carmen''s eyes, Gabriel has done exactly that, she knew that he had the resolve, to begin with, she knew that he was also forgotten by the world, cast aside. Gabriel already had the wish to change things, his powers were the catalyst that drove him to this path, he has taken upon himself to change things around him, to correct every wrong that he sees. Carmen developed feelings for Gabriel because he represented the hope she wanted to find, the things he had done and will do to improve the lives of other people like her. In her eyes, Gabriel was the most important person in her life. Gabriel, on the other hand, was clueless. Despite all the time he spent with Carmen, despite the constant affection he received from her, his mind wasn''t straight. In his mind, every person that was ever kind to him seemed like he had feelings for, he didn''t know the feeling of love, to begin with, Helen has tried to ease Gabriel''s mind time and time again, she was concerned with the behavior everyone had towards him but then the result was the same, she didn''t really have


    the power to stop it, to stop the harassment that Gabriel was the victim of. Gabriel understood that, he knew that Helen wanted to help him, he just didn''t know what the feelings he had were. Helen was attractive beyond belief, her characteristics were enough to classify her as gorgeous, it was normal for every boy to be enchanted by her based just on physical appearance. Her behavior towards Gabriel was also a factor to his feelings, he was confused though. He wanted to spend more time with Helen but his own view of himself didn''t let him, he didn''t feel worthy of her time. He felt like she wouldn''t want to spend time with him because he thought himself a loser. Up to this point, Gabriel had put Helen on an unreachable pedestal, with Carmen though, he also felt the same affection, he also felt the kindness she had but still had the same dark thoughts haunting him. A girl so wonderful as Carmen wouldn''t really want to be with him, right? That''s what he burdened himself with. Even if he felt jealous at times when other people showed any interest in her, even though he wished for nothing but her wellbeing, even with such clear signs that he cared for her, he questioned his feelings just as much as he had questioned his worth. The problem was that he always cared for how others perceive him, even though he hated when the view of others was negative, he didn''t know how to respond to positive comments when he got them. When Carmen had openly shared her thoughts with him, he was scared of screwing things up. Gabriel needed more confidence, despite all his accomplishments, all of his strength, deep down, he was still a frightened boy with explosive anger. In time though he felt all the more relaxed around Carmen, he could share some of his thoughts with her, he could openly spend time with her.


    Mak was also responsible for this outcome, if nothing else, Mak was incredibly efficient in reading the emotional signs of others, he could tell what the other person was thinking just by looking at them, he poked and mocked others to expose their feelings and collect more information out of them. Mak had incredible charisma despite his vulgar language at times, he was a master schemer, it might seem immoral to someone but his plan to bring Carmen close to Gabriel was to stabilize his personality, Mak was a person of results, Mak always wanted to the best for himself, as far as he knows, Gabriel might be the strongest individual on earth at this time, if he ever succeeds in his quest he would become the leader of the entire world, being close to him would mean he would also be favored, even Kevin knew what Mak''s plan was, he knew that he only looked after himself. As far as Mak is concerned though, he wanted to make Gabriel''s personality as normal as he could, Kevin''s excitement for all this new stuff they came across has distanced him from Gabriel, he spent all of his time experimenting, the role of the mentor fell on Mak as soon as he arrived at the house and he knew that it was his responsibility to ensure Gabriel''s mental health was stable, a relationship would also be beneficial and that''s why he exploited Carmen''s mindset and gave her a view of Gabriel being a hero, he intentionally sparked Carmen''s interest for Gabriel, he exploited Gabriel''s lack of female companionship and poked at him to deliver the illusion of genuine feelings in both of them. It was by his hand that these two became close. With his words and his actions, he was the one who sparked this relationship with


    the sole purpose of making Gabriel feel at ease. As immoral and evil as that sounds, Mak was a person, or rather a goblin that valued only results, as he has shared earlier, he developed a god complex. He viewed many creatures lesser that him, even his own kind, the memories and personality of a dragon has made him arrogant, he knew that what he was doing was wrong by all means but he couldn''t let Gabriel snap one day and decide to destroy everything, he needs him to stay calm and fulfill his wish because then Mak would also benefit. Gabriel''s growth as a person was so important to him that he would defy all logic and moral ground to make it happen. No matter the consequences.

 Meeting with the Vatican

    Not much time later, after the events that occurred in Mexico with Gabriel, Mak and Nico. Gabriel had enough time to relax and spend some time with Carmen, their relationship advanced slowly thanks to Mak''s efforts. Kevin was focused on his research for utilizing the wyrm scales and Mak had remembered a strange detail about Munderic, how he was able to cast a necromantic spell to raise a dead human baby and turn it into his Invunche, an immortal, soulless creature perfect for using as a catalyst in ritual requiring sacrifice. He has asked Kevin to call Munderic over to examine the wyrm scales and hoped that he would take the bait and while being there, Mak would have the time he needs to extract some information out of him. While Mak was doing his own thing and Kevin was so interested in his work, Gabriel and Carmen were spending more and more time together. Gabriel had asked Eric for money some time ago, he used that money to buy a computer that he could play video games on, he had Carmen play with him some times and she was delighted to spend time with Gabriel and have fun with him, sometimes they would get so excited with the games that they would fall asleep together on their chairs, only to wake up in the morning and have Mak tease them about what they were doing. As of now, their days were fantastic. There were two of them though that had some concerns, Mak wanted to subtly interrogate Munderic as soon as he arrives and the other person was Mike, the voice that Gabriel had in his mind, the one who fought against Warren and saved Carmen from Eric. Gabriel was having so much fun the last days, playing video games all day and spending time with Carmen has brightened his life to an extreme. After fooling around with the book he found at Ozymandias'' library, he figured that it didn''t have anything to do with his situation and he forgot to fulfill his promise to Mike, he didn''t really have a lead as to what


    to look for, he even tried to sneakily ask Mak about it but even he didn''t really reveal anything similar, he seemed certain that there was no possible way for two souls to inhabit the same body. Mike wasn''t really mad that Gabriel was having fun, he cared for the mental health of his cost after all, he even considered the possibility of him being just a mental problem that Gabriel had, he thought that maybe Gabriel had a double personality disorder and he was the result of that. That didn''t add up though, as of now, even Mike can''t figure something so he can''t really argue with Gabriel choosing to have fun while he doesn''t have work to do.


    The downtime ended though when an unexpected phonecall interrupted Gabriel''s video game time with Carmen, his phone rang and it read Nico, Gabriel felt uneasy for a moment, he didn''t really get an answer to his request to join the Vatican and he has previously messed up with people affiliated with them, there was always the possibility that when Nico announces the idea of Gabriel joining the Vatican to the council that they would refuse so at that moment that the phone read Nico''s name, he wasn''t sure what he was about to hear. Gabriel ever so hesitant picked the phone and answered,


    Gabriel-Hello?


    Nico-It''s Nico D''Renna.


    Gabriel-Hey, how are you doing?


    Nico-I am fine, I called you because I have some news you would like to know.


    Gabriel-What?


    Nico-The council has agreed to our request. You are officially a free agent of the Vatican, you can count for the Vatican to back you up whenever you present the required information.  We also consider you an ally and will call for your help in the future, I hope that pleases you.


    Gabriel-That''s great, you mean I can go on missions?


    Nico-As a free agent you will be accompanied by officials at every mission, you can''t just go out and fool around. You can use the Vatican''s authority but remember that when you do, you will also have consequences by being affiliated with the Vatican. There are many who would consider you enemy if they find out and others will see you as an ally, for every move you make, you must report to officials. For any request you have, they are obligated to hear it. I will explain more when you come over.


    Gabriel-Come over?


    Nico-You are required to appear before the council, they want to speak with you, they already know of your feats and are eager to meet you. There is no need to worry, you are considered an ally, you and I belong to the same family as of now. I also swear to help you through this.


    Gabriel-Thanks, I am kinda scared, to be honest.


    Nico-Don''t be, this is just an introduction, not any formal occurrence. You will simply meet with the council and the paladins that are currently inside the Vatican. We will also begin your training and I personally will mentor you for everything, I will tell you off all the rules, advantages and things you need to know about the Vatican. We will also train with some things.


    Gabriel-Am I gonna get some of those artifacts you have?


    Nico-No, these are for those with the rank of Paladin, you are now considered a free agent and are equal to a squire. Your rank will increase based on your performance during the missions, I am certain that you will do just fine.


    Gabriel-Ok, should I book some tickets for Italy then?


    Nico-No need, the Vatican has already prepared everything, you don''t need to bring any luggage either, your tickets and everything you will need is covered by the Vatican''s expenses. One more thing, you can also bring someone with you, I have also mentioned that you work with your own team, even if they are not part of our group, they are also your responsibility, if Mak wants to come, then everything is covered for one extra person.


    Gabriel-Ok, I will go tell the others right now.


    Nico-I wish you a safe journey.


    Gabriel-Thanks, see you.


    Gabriel hang up the phone and turned to face Carmen who up until now heard everything.


    Carmen-That''s great, I am so happy for you, Gabriel.


    Gabriel-Do you realize what this means? Having the Vatican''s help means that I no longer have to worry about pissing the wrong people, I don''t have to worry about being discreet and careful all the time. I don''t really have to worry about getting exposed and I can finally have some backup and learn more stuff. (That must be good for you too.)


    Mike-(Of course, with the Vatican''s collection of information, we might find more about us.)


    Carmen-How long are you gonna be away though?


    Gabriel-I don''t know, Nico said that we will also do some training, I am guessing a couple of weeks, I am going to tell Mak.


    Carmen got a bit sad, not much time has passed since Gabriel was away and now he is again going to leave, she again felt left behind. All she wanted was to be part of these travels and spend more time with Gabriel, she knew that Gabriel wasn''t really leaving her behind all the time, she knew that he worried about her and that''s why he didn''t let her come with him. That''s why she never got mad at him but deep inside her, she really wanted to accompany him.


    Gabriel went to the living room where Mak was watching TV and eating jelly beans.


    Gabriel-Get up, we are going to Italy.


    Mak-Italy?


    Gabriel-Nico called, they agreed to me joining the Vatican as a free agent, we are going to meet up with them and then train with Nico.


    Mak-They want to meet me as well?


    Gabriel-Not really, Nico said that since we work together you can also come.


    Mak-How long do you plan for us to stay there?


    Gabriel-Nico said that everything from our tickets to our accommodation is covered by the Vatican, he said that we will also do some training so I am guessing a couple of weeks.


    Mak-(Fuck, Munderic will be here in a few days, I can''t go with Gabriel now. I am going to miss Munderic and I really have to know how he did that spell. I can''t afford to be away for weeks.) I don''t wanna come.


    Gabriel-What? Why?


    Mak-(I need a good excuse...) There is no need for me to go really, I am too bored to leave.


    Gabriel-You lazy moron, this is the Vatican we are talking about, don''t you wanna come?


    Mak-Not really, I don''t like all that official crap and there won''t be any chicks there besides nuns. What''s the point?


    Gabriel-Why do I even bother talking to your stupid ass?


    Mak-It''s not like I will be useful there anyway. You are just gonna train with Nico.


    Gabriel-So you admit you are useless.


    Mak-Fuck off. Why don''t you take Carmen with you? A little training will be good for her.


    At this point, Carmen was standing behind the door that connects the living room to the garage where she was with Gabriel a second ago, she got extremely happy when she heard that.


    Gabriel-Hm... Not a bad idea, I guess this is a good opportunity for her to train.


    Mak-Of course, "train"


    Gabriel-What is that supposed to mean?


    Mak-You just wanna hook up in Italy.


    Gabriel-You fuckin...


    Mak-Just go on, I have other things to do.


    Gabriel-Really? What? Sitting all day eating candy?


    Mak-Yeah...


    Gabriel-Lazy, stupid goblin.


    Carmen then walked in like she didn''t hear anything.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!Mak-Hey, do you want to go with little Gabe to Italy?


    Carmen-Yeah... I mean if you don''t want to...


    Mak-Don''t screw with me, you heard everything from behind the door and even if you weren''t eavesdropping which I am certain you did, you also have Telepathy.


    Carmen-Uhm...


    Mak-You two go to Italy, I am not needed this time. (This is a good opportunity for you to get closer, don''t you think?)


    Carmen-(Well, yeah...)


    Mak-Go on, leave me be.


    Gabriel gave the finger to Mak while he was walking back to the garage to pack some things up, including some of his weapons, Carmen packs some things of her own and as for Mak, he went to the lab to tell Kevin about Gabriel''s trip to Italy. He didn''t really seem to care much that both Gabriel and Carmen were about to leave.


    Mak-Nico called Gabriel, he has to go to Italy for some time, Carmen wants to go with him.


    Kevin-Yeah? Ok.


    Mak-Aren''t you a bit curious as to why?


    Kevin-Why what?


    Mak-What do you think Nico and the Vatican want with Gabriel?


    Kevin-He said he wanted to join them, didn''t he?


    Mak-Yeah, but something doesn''t seem right, while we were at Mexico, I overheard Nico reporting to someone about us, he gave them information about me and Gabriel.


    Kevin-Everyone reports to the higher-ups about the current situation. It doesn''t mean anything.


    Mak-I feel like I am wasting my time with you.


    Kevin turned around while still sitting on his chair, he was now facing Mak showing that he has his complete attention.


    Kevin-What do you want from me exactly?


    Mak-You have to pay more attention to Gabriel.


    Kevin-What''s going on with him?


    Mak-How can you be so clueless about it? Has it occurred to you that sooner or later he might get some unwanted attention? Like what happened with Marbas.


    Kevin-The demon?


    Mak-Yes, Marbas was the demon that Gabriel didn''t think twice to chase to the depths of hell. I am telling you, he gets more unstable by the moment. Who knows what''s going to happen if he doesn''t go along with the people of the Vatican? What happens when one of them angers our little Gabe? Have you considered how explosive his anger will be? Your apathy of the situation is incredible.


    Kevin-Gabriel isn''t the dumb little kid you think he is. I am sure he has at least enough sense to not mess with the wrong people.


    Mak-The guy went to hell! To kill a fucking demon!


    Kevin-I don''t really have the time to talk about your fantasies, Mak.


    Mak-Yeah.( I want to hear you say the same thing when shit hits the fan.)


    Gabriel, along with Carmen and their bags went to the lab to say goodbye to Kevin.


    Gabriel-Hey, doc.


    Kevin-Hey, Mak told me you two are going to Italy.


    Gabriel-Yeah, Nico called me about meeting the council and some kind of training.


    Kevin-Ok. I guess you are going to miss Munderic though. He is going to come in a few days to help me with the wyrm scales you brought back.


    Gabriel-I thought you might like to play with those things, that''s why I brought them.


    Kevin-Yeah, you have no idea what kind of plans I have for these, I am working on a ritual that is designed to turn them into some form of Wyrm armor, it probably won''t be as strong as the Draconic Gauntlet but imagine the possibility of having


    the whole set to use...


    Gabriel got tired of hearing Kevin rumble about the armor,


    Gabriel-Great, goodbye.


    He grabbed Carmen''s hand and they basically run to the front door.


    Gabriel-Oh fuck, I thought he wasn''t going to stop talking.


    Carmen-But, professor Kevin always gets excited about things like that.


    Gabriel-I know, some times he gets really invested in his work.


    Carmen-Shall we go to the airport?


    Gabriel-Yeah, let''s grab a cup of coffee first, our flight won''t leave for a couple of hours.


    Carmen-Great idea.


    Meanwhile, Mak gave up trying to make Kevin see his point, despite the fact that he has done a fine job so far at keeping Gabriel in check, he really needed Kevin to understand how important it really is, he warned him countless times to be careful of what happens around Gabriel. Mak knows the cruelty of the world, he knows what''s out there and he knows the power of the humans. What he doesn''t know is the existence of Mike, he doesn''t know that Mike is responsible for the sudden emotional outbursts that Gabriel has, Mike feels what Gabriel feels, Mike knows what Gabriel knows, the only difference between them is how they react, Gabriel''s human side gives him the restraint necessary to keep himself from doing something he isn''t supposed to do, Mike doesn''t have that restraint, he thinks that he has to act based on these emotions because these emotions are his true self. Every person is unique, they all feel anger, love, sadness, happiness but for different things.


    How we react to these emotions and how we restrain ourselves is how each person''s personality is born. Our actions define who we are, not our thoughts. Every person hates something, every person loves something, what''s stopping them from expressing these feelings are the laws that have been bestowed upon them by our own society. Because if every person acts exactly as he feels, there is nothing stopping us from destroying others and destroying ourselves. Mike has made clear that he doesn''t care about anything else but his own self, his own body. He said that even if Gabriel doesn''t want it, he will protect his body in any way he can. That''s the basic instinct that every creature has, survival.


    While Mak''s plan of questioning Munderic is at hold until he arrives, Gabriel and Carmen are on their way to the airport, they are laughing and talking about Mak, making fun of him more than talking. Gabriel is happy that he can share this time with Carmen and she is even happier that she can go with him on this trip to Italy. Even if the purpose of the trip is to meet with the higher-ups of the council and probably train with other paladins, there will be enough time to strengthen their relationship within the time of this trip. Gabriel has called Nico multiple times as soon as he got aboard the plane, he asked about how he is supposed to behave, what kind of people is he going to meet, if there would be any free time during the training, what kind of training are they going to do? Nico answered all of Gabriel''s questions as simply as he could.


    Nico-Just be yourself. You don''t have to prove anything, they want to see what kind of person you are after all, you don''t have to show off for anyone. As for the training, we are going to go over a couple of things, I will explain everything when we begin, I can''t really tell you anything over the phone.


    The plane for Italy has taken off, Gabriel is a bit nervous but Carmen''s company is making him feel better. Having a trusted person with him and joking around has eased his mind quite a bit. Unlike Mak, who at this time has a lot of questions, he wonders why Nico wants to present Gabriel to the council, he wonders what kind of spell Munderic did and how he learned it, he is also worried about Gabriel, Mak''s mind is a total mess and he has done a surprising job not showing how much trouble he is dealing with, despite always looking playful and calm, he has to deal with a lot of problems that would otherwise be invisible to a normal person. Every move that he makes, every word that he says has a purpose, every time he has poked fun at Gabriel was to test his patience and restraint, to see where his breaking point is. Every time that he has teased him and Carmen has been to learn more about his emotional situation and to help develop their relationship. Every time that he has seemed kind to someone was to gain their trust. He has taken the role of Gabriel''s mentor and friend. He has made sure to find someone to take the role of Gabriel''s companion as well. Kevin has been apathetic towards Gabriel for quite some time, he seems more focused on finding out more and more stuff about the mystical things in the world more than the original quest. That happened of course because he only wanted to persuade Gabriel into it, his speech back when Gabriel woke up in his lab was meant to trick him. He specifically mentioned revenge, justice, to inspire Gabriel but his ulterior motive was to get revenge on Warren for the death of his wife. When that was achieved he threw away every aspect of someone fighting for justice, he didn''t care about it to begin with. Since he had successfully manipulated Gabriel to exact his revenge for him, he simply stopped caring about anything, the only thing that excited him anymore was to discover and work on various projects, all meant to keep his mind occupied on something. Kevin didn''t have a purpose anymore, the big talk about justice was a ruse in his mind and now he is simply bored. That''s what has distanced him from Gabriel. Kevin


    was his first mentor, a father figure that he could actually converse with, not like F.Johnnathan did but as a true friend. Now he doesn''t talk with Gabriel anymore, he doesn''t share his thoughts with him, he doesn''t seem to care about Gabriel''s thoughts and feelings either. That''s what Mak was trying to explain to him, something even he didn''t realize. Mak tried to make Kevin understand his situation, he tried to explain to him that after all this time, he has become a stranger to Gabriel. Because if Kevin, who was his first ally doesn''t care about their cause, then what is Gabriel even fighting for?

 Haunting Past

    The plane for Italy arrived sooner than expected, Gabriel had already fallen asleep during the flight and Carmen who was sitting next to him tried to wake him up, a couple of minutes before landing, she managed to get him to stand up, soon the passengers exited the plane one by one and as soon as a yawning Gabriel and Carmen got off the plane and walked to the arrivals section of the airport, Nico was there to greet them. Wearing a very fine-looking suit and with a sign in his hands that had Gabriel''s name on it. Both Gabriel and Carmen walked up to Nico who greeted them, Nico- Nice to see you again, Gabriel. Welcome to Italy. You as well, Carmen.


    Gabriel-Hello, Nico.


    Carmen-Nice to see you again, Mr.D''Renna.


    Nico-Please, call me Nico. As part of Gabriel''s team, you too are a part of the Vatican. I want you to see me as a friend.


    Carmen-Yes, Nico.


    Gabriel-So...What now?


    Nico started walking and prompted Gabriel to follow him.


    Nico-At first, I want to make sure you arrived ok. We are going to the Vatican''s special grounds where the paladins and the squires train. The residential area is also there, I expected to see Mak though.


    Carmen-Am I causing a problem?


    Nico-Not at all, I just expected to see Mak so I made arrangements for Gabriel''s room to house two single beds. I suspect you won''t have a problem staying in the same room.


    Both Gabriel and Carmen''s faces turned red at that moment.


    Nico-Ah, not to worry. I''ll have you know that you won''t be spending that much time in that room, Gabriel. The training is going to be somewhat intense.


    Gabriel-Judging from how well you can fight, I guess the training is going to be rough.


    Mike-(For a human pest that is.)


    Carmen-Hm...


    Nico-I am sorry about that, Carmen but I will need most of Gabriel''s time. I didn''t account for your arrival so I have to warn you. Due to some events, the entire of the Vatican grounds are protected by an ESP suppression system that will prevent you from using your abilities. You might suffer a little headache from time to time as well.


    Carmen-That''s fine. It''s just that I wanted to...Spend some...Time with Gabriel...And maybe walk around and stuff...


    Nico-I see...Well, if Gabriel proves to be capable. The training routines will get easier and thus leaving more free time. For now, though, I have to present you to the council.


    Gabriel-Yeah, about that...


    Nico-What?


    Gabriel-What do they really want to see? Do they have some sort of mind-reading thing that''s gonna determine whether or not I am suitable for a free agent?


    Nico-No, what are you talking about? They are already aware of your feats, I have informed them of how good an ally you were, I left the part of you messing with the onmyoji aside for now. Don''t go around telling people about that.


    Gabriel-Right...


    Nico-I have spoken with Asano a couple of days ago. He said no hard feelings. He understands the situation you were in and the fact that they refused to aid you was wrong but he refuses to apologize since you know...Broke his leg. He has a lot to deal with as well, he lost some precious friends during the incident with the Raiju but he is a strong young man.


    Mike-(I think telling him we don''t give a fuck is a bad idea.)


    Gabriel-(You think?)


    Carmen-I feel terrible for those guys. I can''t believe what they went through.


    Nico-There are plenty like us, Carmen. We all fight for a cause, we are all aware of the consequences of our actions. Nevertheless, losing friends and partners in this fight will always be hard.


    Nico has led Gabriel and Carmen to the grounds of the Vatican, the first thing they saw was a huge pillar standing in the middle of a circular plaza, the Vatican City that the general public knows about, Carmen was astonished by the sheer mass of the structure and even Gabriel couldn''t hold back that feeling he had, the whole place was marvelously built and the architecture was magnificent. Nico has led them through a few areas where people aren''t normally allowed to enter, he used a couple of secret paths and soon they found themselves at an underground facility filled with storage units and chambers.


    Nico-This is the residential area. Here is where you will come back after our scheduled work. There is already a room prepared for the two of you.


    Gabriel and Carmen saw the room that they would stay in for the next days, it was a big room with expensive furniture, two single beds that rested a few meters apart from each other, even if the size of the room wasn''t like the one he saw in Japan, Gabriel was still shocked by how well prepared the room was, there was enough room to bring his desk and his computer, Nico informed them about all the amenities that the Vatican would provide, TV, great food at a cafeteria-style buffet and wireless internet that spread along the entire residential area.


    Gabriel-This is amazing.


    Carmen-It''s beautiful, Nico. Thank you.


    Nico-Don''t thank me, this is the place where all the forces of the Vatican reside. Don''t get too attached though, we are going to leave soon for the meeting. It''s not gonna take too long but we can''t be late. After that is finished, I will show you to the training grounds, it is not far from here and we will go by car, its a remote location prepared with a harmless Glamour spell similar to what Mak uses. There, I will show you what I promised during our mission in Mexico.


    Gabriel-That thing about artifacts?


    Nico-Yes, as a new squire and also someone who worked with a Paladin before, you will also be allowed a personal arsenal of artifacts that match your fighting style. I will show you how to use the technique we use, Invocation.


    Gabriel-Invocation?


    Nico-It is the method used to invoke the true form of an artifact and also seal it back into an inconspicuous form. Unlike that unholy, unreliable method you used before. Invocation is perfectly safe and will allow you to use the true power of an artifact with no side effects.


    Gabriel-I can''t wait to get new weapons. I mean... I have an Uzi...


    Nico-Conventional guns can be effective but they won''t serve you like an artifact crafted by the Vatican would. We have access to the best artisans in the world. Their skills are so good that they can provide a specific item out of any material, although certain materials are best used for certain things. The Wyrm scales that you got at that time would provide excellent raw materials for armor.


    At that moment, Gabriel remembered that not only did he not bring the Wyrm scales with him but he also forgot to bring back Nico''s enchanted bag.


    Gabriel-Yeah...About that...


    Nico-Did you bring my bag with you?


    Carmen interrupted them at this point,


    Carmen-I have it, Nico. I was sure that Gabriel would forget something so I asked Mak about what to bring with me. He told me that this was your bag. Unfortunately, there were no scales within it. Mak said he took them out.


    Nico-I suppose Mr.Kevin would like to experiment on them?


    Carmen-Yeah, would that be a problem for you?


    Nico-No, there are plenty of free agent craftsmen, to be honest, most of them don''t want to stay in the Vatican. They prefer their own workshops for these kinds of work. The Vatican collaborates with them and provides them with the materials and the crafting order. Maybe Kevin would also find a position in our organization, if he manages to become good at that sort of thing, haha.


    Carmen-Professor Kevin is really invested in that kind of work. I am sure he will come up with something useful.


    Gabriel-(Come on, Carmen. You could have said that I didn''t forget about it.)


    Mike-(Useless esper.)


    Nico-You can rest for a bit. I will come to get you as soon as the meeting starts.


    Gabriel-Alright.


    Nico left the room and now Gabriel was alone with Carmen, for just an instant, the idea of reciprocating to Carmen''s feelings crossed his mind but no for long. They were in a strange environment and despite Gabriel''s facade, he was a bit nervous. Carmen couldn''t really read his mind, because of Mike of course. She did, however, see some signs of anxiety on his face, as such, she tried to calm him down.


    Carmen-This is great, Gabriel. Finally, you are getting closer to what you wanted.


    Gabriel-Yeah. I guess it''s a good thing.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Carmen-Are you nervous?


    Gabriel-How can I not be? This is the Vatican. What if they don''t approve of me?


    Carmen-I''m sorry, Gabriel. I am not as smart as Mak so I can''t help you. I bet you would feel way better if he was here instead of me.


    Gabriel-Not at all! What use do I have for a short ugly goblin? All he does is talk bullshit.


    Carmen-Hahaha.


    Carmen''s laugh had a positive effect on Gabriel, it kind of calmed him down. Seeing her laugh lifted some weight off the situation and he felt more relaxed. Time wasn''t on his side though, as soon as he began to feel relaxed. There was a knock on the door. It was Nico, he told them that the council is ready to see Gabriel. On the way to the meeting room, Gabriel saw something that completely shocked him. He wasn''t sure if it was true but for a single second, as they were walking through the square in the Vatican City, Gabriel laid his eyes on something he never expected to see again. That something was Helen. She was wearing a nun''s outfit but Gabriel singled her out of the crowd in a second. He was sure that he saw her but the doubt and the anxiety in his heart didn''t let him leave Nico''s side and walk up to where he thought he saw her. That''s when he remembered what Nico said before. That after the events with Marbas, the orphanage was taken over by the Vatican. It wouldn''t be so weird to see a familiar face around here. That feeling of uncertainty and the anxiety he as already feeling overwhelmed Gabriel to the point of completely ignoring Nico''s words. What previously was normal speech now sounded like dim mumbling to Gabriel. He never felt so scared and uncertain until this moment. Not after the change that happened more than a year ago. When he met Kevin. Where he woke up in a strange bed inside a lab that he had never seen before, with a strange man looking at him. Not even a situation like that managed to scare him as much as this instantaneous sight of who he thought was Helen. Now in this state, there is only one person that can help him.


    Mike-(Snap out of it, Gabriel.)


    Gabriel-(You saw it too, right? Right!?)


    Mike-(If you are not certain, how can I be?)


    Gabriel-(You are not helping at all.)


    Mike-(You need to focus at the matter in hand. We are soon going to meet the people that lead the Vatican. After we get their approval, we can look for your woman.)


    Gabriel-(You are right. Wait, she is not my woman!)


    Mike-(Strange, if I recall, you always wanted that woman. But now, you are confused, you don''t know which one is deeper in your heart. That woman or the esper girl.)


    Gabriel-(It''s not that simple you know. Helen was always there for me, she always spent time with and she was sweet to me but...But...Carmen also cares for me, even when she isn''t sure of herself, despite all the horrible things she has gone through. She is still with me...)


    Mike-(I told you to focus in what is in front of us, we are already outside of the door.)


    Gabriel-(WHAT!)


    Nico and Gabriel were standing in front of the door to the meeting room. Gabriel couldn''t help but to make a weird image in his head, he visioned the council members sitting in huge desks looking down at him, judging his every move, he envisioned countless old men staring down at him while he is sitting in a small chair, that''s what anxiety has done to him. Imagining a terrible scenario where every move he makes is judged by others. He doesn''t have the luxury of time though to fight that anxiety. Nico pushed open the door and then all of Gabriel''s negative feelings disappeared. In a single second, the vision he had about the council room crumbled as he saw a few men and women, just sitting casually in a long table with a single laptop computer in front of each one. Nico announced their arrival and the reason they were there,


    Nico-I am the Paladin, Nico D''Renna. I am here to present a new squire that wishes to join the fighting force of the Vatican as a free agent.


    A woman stood up and walked up to Gabriel.


    Cathie-No need for that type of staff, Nico. I am Cathie Montee, a member of the Vatican council and representative of the free agents. I am pleased to meet you, Gabriel.


    She extended her hand to shake with Gabriel, he also extended his hand while they were shaking, she continued with explaining.


    Cathie-I can see a bit of nervousness in your eyes, Gabriel. Nico has always been hardheaded when it comes to formalities, he must have given you a wrong idea of this meeting, he is like a golem, haha.


    The situation lightened unexpectedly. Gabriel felt completely relaxed after Cathie made a joke at Nico''s expense.


    Nico-I am not a golem, bishop Montee.


    Cathie-I told you to call me Cathie. Our ranks are similar, you being a Paladin shouldn''t feel the obligation to address me so formally.


    Nico-And I told you that this doesn''t suit me.


    Gabriel-What''s going on here?


    Cathie-Nico didn''t tell you because he wants a golem buddy. Your addition has already been approved. You have been a free agent from the moment I signed this document yesterday. As the representative of the free agents, I am your link to the Vatican, whenever you are needed, I will call you. Whenever you need us, I will be there. We will exchange cellphone numbers and I will also assign you an Aeolus phone as well. It''s a communication device that links two devices through a wind thread.


    Gabriel''s mind suddenly flooded with information, he was never too quick to catch on to information about magical stuff even when Mak tried to explain it.


    Cathie-With the Aeolus phone, we can talk directly to each other without any concern for signal or information leakage.


    Gabriel-Alright.


    Cathie-Welcome aboard, Squire Gabriel. You are dismissed and await further instructions.


    Nico and Gabriel walked out of the room and as soon as the door closed, Gabriel turned to speak to Nico.


    Gabriel-You could have told me they are kind people and not some sort of formal douches.


    Nico-I don''t like the fact that you refer to my formality as douchy and the fact that bishop Montee is so kind shouldn''t prompt you to start casually conversing with everyone inside the Vatican. There are plenty of people here that wouldn''t even want to talk to you simply because your rank isn''t similar to theirs. The Vatican follows a strict military program and bishop Cathie always gets in the way of our pride and formality.


    Gabriel-It sounds like you don''t like her.


    Nico-It''s not that I don''t like her. It''s the fact that I don''t want to get too close to anyone, I am always on the field and if I ever become close to someone, my death would only bring them sadness.


    Gabriel-You are such a downer, dude.


    Nico-To be honest, you might be the only person I have ever interacted to this extent. It certainly is pleasant to know that there is someone to look after my back but our work is dangerous, don''t ever forget that. If I were to give you a piece of personal advice, I hope you keep a distance from those you hold dear. For their protection and yours.


    One image popped in Gabriel''s head at that moment, the image of Helen. If that truly was Helen, what is his next plan? What is he going to do if he sees her up close, what happens if she recognizes him? Gabriel is supposed to be dead, how would he get to speak with her one more time? There are plenty of confusing questions in Gabriel''s mind at the moment and Nico just told him not to get close to anyone for their own safety. Despite that advice, Gabriel has brought Carmen with him on this trip, his mind might be playing tricks on him with what he saw previously but even that has left him confused. Nico excused himself and told Gabriel to wait back in his room for him to come and pick him up for the training. Gabriel was walking alone to his room and he wasn''t sure how he was supposed to feel at the moment. The sure thing is that after talking with Cathie, he feels more relaxed about his reputation with the Vatican. It would probably work out. What troubles him the most is the look on Nico''s face when he told him that advice, it was the look of someone who has suffered before. Gabriel respected Nico and his experience as a soldier so he took his words very seriously. That troubled him until the point where he opened the door of his room and once again saw Carmen''s smile.