His weakness left him entirely helpless and unable to help Florence. It struck fear into his friend, utterly humiliated him, proved that people like Elena are just as corrupt as he thinks they are, and showed him that there’s a massive gap that he’ll somehow have to bridge. If he can’t protect his friend, then what’s the point of fighting? Knowing that he’s far too weak to deal with these issues on his own, he’s on his quest to find ways to grow stronger.
“So, Elena, have you ever met her before?”, he asks her. “Is there any way to track down that "Drifter" or whatever she called it.”
“Drifters are often quite nifty when it comes to evading Dream Catchers. Aside from the leftovers of victims, they don’t really leave behind any kind of trail. It’s probably already claimed another life,” she claims. King can’t trust a word she’s uttering. All he can do for now is note them down and check for inconsistencies in her claims.
“Then about her? Who is she? Have you ever heard of someone like that?”, he asks.
“I’ve been the lone protector of this city for two years. Hyperion has been with us for a week. You’ve been with us for two or three months. There’s someone else but she’s also been a rather recent addition so it can’t be her. Too little experience,” she replies.
He still can’t buy that she may not know the person that was threatening to kill them.
“Why have you been the lone protector for two years?”, he asks believing that that part of her story is rather strange. “Did something happen two years ago?”
“There were three people responsible for this city but apparently one of them owed some other Dream Catcher from another city a huge sum. The other two fought each other because of a territorial dispute killing one of them. The one that remained died fighting a Fusion. I don’t know too much as I decided to relocate as not to leave a city completely helpless.”
Taking note of everything she’s claimed so far, he believes it’s best not to question her further. Right now he’s just coming across as worried and curious. Keeping up that facade may be best in case there really is something shady going on with Elena.
“Wait, there’s one more besides the three of us?”, he asks. “For how long? You never told us.”
“You’re rather nice and curious today, aren’t you?”
“Want me to uninvite you to any future outings?”, he replies.
“I’m just joking,” she claims. “Well anyway… If you want to meet her, I can give you her number. Just be half as creepy as you are right now and you should get along with her fine since that’s all she does anyway.”
“Since that’s all she does?”, he thinks after hanging up.
Meanwhile, he confronts the only other Dream Catcher he knows of, one who spends his time near the outskirts of their city protecting villages and the like. They met while Franky was trying to deal with a demon all by himself just one week after becoming a Dream Catcher. Just before he could be killed, Hellfire intervened. Though they haven’t talked since then, Franky believes Hellfire is powerful but naive and a little younger than him too. Probing questions should get him anything he needs out of Hellfire.
“You’re visiting me?? You didn’t have to!”, exclaims Hellfire. “It’s been so long since I had someone over! Most of the time I’m just referred to as a "Country Catcher", some guy working within the void in between cities. But I guess that’s a good thing since I never have to deal with territorial disputes.”
“I didn’t come here to visit. I was just-”
“Oh… I’m sorry. I guess I… Then what are you here for?” Hellfire says rather dejected. “Ask away. I’ll try to answer anything I can.”
With the permission to ask away, he decides to tackle all the questions he’s had so far. What concerns him most is Florence’s safety. As such, he’ll have to know who made relics and what effect they may have on the person.
“A relic is… I honestly never found out what makes them so special. And I’ve never heard of any drawbacks either! Maybe they’re just remnants of a civilization long gone?”, answers Hellfire.
Pondering just a little bit before he can ask the next question, he comes to the conclusion that Hellfire himself may not know as much as other veterans do.
“But only the strongest and most influential Dream Catchers have had them so far and replicating them seems to be impossible. Maybe he’ll be in danger if he presents it to the wrong people! So he should keep it hidden,” adds Hellfire.
“Then what about that girl that attacked the two of us? Have you heard of someone like her?”, Franky asks.
“I don’t really interact with a lot of Dream Catchers. People like me are often called “Country Catchers” because of the fact that we deal with fewer territorial disputes. So I guess that makes me less likely to interact with others? Maybe I can ask around for a bit and see who’s making the rounds?”
“It’s fine. I don’t need you asking around giving us extra attention.”
“I could at least take care of them if I come across them? Maybe make the rounds for a bit? I can rough 'em up for you”, Hellfire offers.
“Maybe… And there’s another thing I want to ask you before I leave. It’s about demons.”
“I thought Elena told you everything? Did she not?”
“We’re not on good terms because of… It’s just that I need a basic rundown on them. Classifications, Devil Seeds, and their origin if you don’t mind…”
As far as Hellfire knows, there are three main classifications used for demons according to their threat levels. Calamities, known for their nigh-infinite destructive potential, are the ultimate form of demons. Contractors, known for their legions of minions, are second to Calamities. Ranked third in threat level are Ravagers trying to satiate their hunger for dark magic by tearing through as many people as possible.
Every class has its own sub-classifications but since Franky is unlikely to encounter any of them for a while, he only expands on Fusions, an amalgam of demons that can appear through various means. As a form of Calamity, they are rather dangerous and should never be fought alone even as a longtime veteran. Even the strongest Dream Catchers tend to have at least one other Dream Catcher on lookout ensuring they aren’t struck by a sneak attack.
“I’m sorry but I think I have to go,” says Hellfire after his little presentation on demons. “You can come back any time and ask more questions if you’d like to!”
“There’s one more thing!”, Franky says believing Hellfire came off as rather disappointed when he told him that they wouldn’t talk for long. “Your number? This way I can ask you anything whenever you’re free and you can do so too.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Beaming with joy, Hellfire shares his contact information with Franky.
After his odd but satisfying encounter with Hellfire, he gets a message from Olivia.
“Hey! Nice to meet you! I’m Olivia and heard from Elena that you were trying to contact me. Didn’t know there were more rookies like me out there. I look forward to meeting you!”, she texted him while he was talking to Hellfire.
“Maybe we can meet with the others and chat someday?”, she added just an hour later.
Not knowing how to reply, Franky decides to sleep on it and believes it’s best to reply some other day. On top of that, he has to get up early tomorrow morning because he has found a way to grow stronger. Apparently, all he needs to do is use a key he’s been gifted by Hellfire and he’ll be led to his destination. Any keyhole will do as long as the door is attached to a closed-off room. Before he leaves, he writes a note addressing Ben and transforms.
The door leads him into a small room where a random masked woman in a lab coat holding a tablet and a stylus pen is waiting for him. The black walls, bright lights, and the two lone plastic chairs.
After a rather invasive body search that luckily came to an end before it could lead to a cavity search thanks to his glare. Apparently, his cold eyes struck fear into her and guaranteed that she wouldn’t lay another finger on him. He notes down that the people here can be rather touchy. The more he finds out about Dream Catchers, the more disgusted he is with them.
Walking down a long hallway, he inspects his surroundings. He’s not the only one to find his way down this seemingly endless corridor. Though every time he blinks, some people appear or disappear. Abstract paintings, swirling void sticking to the window, and a bright light at the end of the corridor… People are surprisingly silent while walking through here as no one dares to approach each other. Everyone here is at most as old as him or far younger than he is. A good amount of them are male.
Up ahead is a child getting tripped up by someone older than him. It looks like someone his age is picking on a fifth-grader.
“Is something wrong?”, asks Franky.
“How is that your problem?”, the bully barks at him. “Just scram!”
Under the assumption that everyone walking down this corridor is a rookie, Franky places his right hand atop the stranger's shoulder asking him once again but this time with a smile. As his hand is brushed off, he holds onto the stranger's hand as if he’s going for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you! I’m King.”
Squeezing until bones break, Franky lets go of the stranger and picks up the kid running off into the light. While blinking, he’s moved to another space and runs into a metallic door. The child he was just carrying vanished. Enclosed in a small tight space, all he can do is wait and pray that the child wasn’t left behind to deal with the aftermath of King fighting back for him.
Finally, the door slides to the side exposing Franky to his true destination, Ace Base. Ace Base is a compound and a marketplace for Dream Catchers and people of high status only. Apparently, it’s a gathering place for drug trade, the arms market, training divisions, various Dream Catcher organizations, the food industry, an event center, and the news center. This time, a masked man armed with all kinds of weapons is standing by gesturing at King to walk forward. There’s still one more process he’ll have to go through before he’s allowed to explore and go off on his own.
Another long corridor awaits him but this time it’s just another office building where everyone seems to have their own offices. Looking back, he spots the child he just helped out coming out from the door he just stepped out of.
“So I’m guessing that you’re King, right?”, says a young man standing next to one of the doors. “I’m Erich (von Stroheim). I’ll handle the rest of your registration.”
Accepting Erich’s handshake, King follows him into his office as he winks at the child he just helped out. Taking a closer look at Erich, he can’t spot anything unusual or special about this man. His attire is that of an office worker, a tie, a button-up shirt tucked into his waistband, straight pants, and loafers. Even his hairdo seems perfectly average and nothing to marvel at.
His office doesn’t exude any special energy either. An office desk, two office cabinets full of files and folders, two office chairs… The only thing that stands out is the small dresser with a coffee maker on top standing next to a mini fridge full of beverages.
“I’ve heard all about how intimidating you are thanks to Rachelle, the woman that searched you but refrain from doing that in the future. Not everyone is as nice as I am, okay?”, Erich says as he puts one of his hands on Franky’s.
Not reacting in any shape or form, Franky is trying to restrain himself from beating a man whose threat level is unknown. Knowing too little, he believes it’s best to keep calm and only answer formally.
“Okay, King… Your date of birth is May 14th, 1998, am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t be so tense. You can just talk to me. I won’t bite,” says Erich. “Well you’re from Germany, right?”
“Yes.”
“177 centimeters tall, weighing 65 kilos, right?”
King nods.
Pulling out a white bracelet from a drawer underneath his desk, Erich attempts to make small talk as he is shot down by King’s glare. The only thing he can do is hand King the last thing he needs to be officially recognized as a Dream Catcher.
As soon as he puts it on, he is met with a shock as the bracelet turns blue.
“Y-Vambrance is the name of this gadget. It will appear and disappear at will and is not destroyable by any means. You can place orders for weapons and drugs, check out the latest Dream Catcher News, contact other Dream Catchers you work with and so much more! If you ask for instructions, it will display them on there.”
“Is that all?”, asks King.
“Unless you’re asking for more… There’s nothing else you can do except walk through that door and walk down that corridor.”
Leaving with haste, he looks for the child he just helped out earlier. Spotting him up ahead, he can finally get a closer look at him. All he’s wearing is a white shirt and white shorts on top of a skin-tight body suit reaching from head to toe. He’s also wearing white gloves and white boots with metal plating all over them. Most interesting is the red gem looking like a red poppy attached to his belt.
“Hey! You’re the kid from-”
Franky is stunned by the child’s face. His eyes constantly look closed and his whole face is gray. For a brief moment, his face looks like static noise on a TV screen.
“Thank you for helping out earlier,” he says right before he attempts to scurry off.
“Don’t worry. I’m not here to harm you or ask for money. We can just walk and talk till we get to the end, right?”
Franky asks as they walk off into the distance, “So… what’s your name?”
“Don… I think.”
“I think?”, Franky repeats.
“I don’t really remember my real name, where I was born, where I’m from, or when I was born. I just remember waking up in a dumpster.”
“So I’m guessing you’re here for money?”, Franky asks.
“Yes… And for clues! We’ve never met before, right?”
Franky shakes his head.
“If only I had some kind of starting point… something to go off… then maybe I could find my way home?”
“Then I’m guessing you’re from Austria?”
“You can tell?”, asks Don rather shocked.
“It just kinda sounds like how my aunt would pronounce things in English… Maybe you can come over someday?”, Franky replies. “I have some extra space anyway and you don’t seem to have a home so might as well have you live with us, right?”
“Really?! But wouldn’t I be in the way?”
“Not really. It’s just me and my brother and I don’t think he’d mind…”
Finally reaching the end of the corridor, they step out into the open, into the true Ace Base.