Thanks once again go to Daylius for help with editing and PR, as well as an anonymous editor. I finished this chapter early so I figured "why not release it early" So I did. Have fun reading!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that I think about it there’s always this one guy who can always find out where I am no matter where I am at the time. Let me give an example, one time I was having some fun with some Lady “friends” in some backwater African country. Of course I was there on….”Business” and somehow the asshole found me. Don’t ask me how, but he did. Although, it’s still really creepy that he always finds me and doesn’t act the least bit surprised when he does. So like I was saying I was having some….”fun” with my lady…”friends” and then in comes that creepy guy, and we just stare at each other for a minute. It was probably the most awkward moment that I’ve ever had with a guy. I mean you try having a conversation when you’re knee deep in coochie. It’s just not happening. I think it was around the time that I first found my Artifact of Power that I met him.
----An Unspecified time X University----
“Archon Richards! sir! What are we doing walking around a University like this? It isn’t important, is it?”
“Calm yourself Walter, it’s not like we’re here to sightsee.”
The one being referred as “Archon” was a tall lanky man who oddly enough was wearing a large trench coat even though it’s summer, he had dark black hair that was very unkempt and wore an old Rolex watch that showed off his wealth, or at least how wealthy he used to be. He held himself together like someone who’d earned his place rather than taken it on a silver plate. And Walter was a short pudgy man dressed in a typical white collar shirt and was still in the prime of his life, or his late 20s.
Sir Archon reached into his deep pockets and pulled out an old compass and opened it, rather than pointing north it pointed towards a spot underneath a tree. The spot being on a dirt path just south of our current position.
“It should be….right over there.””
He walked over to the spot that his compass was pointing to and then once more reached into his deep pockets and pulled out an old coin and placed it on the ground. Upon seeing this coin I gasped a little against my will. It wasn’t your typical coin.
“Sir?! What are you doing placing such an Artifact on the ground like that?! They’re priceless!”
I couldn’t believe that the Archon would have so little regard to an artifact of such importance.
“We’ll see Walter, We’ll see. Just be patient and stay where you are and observe.”
After answering with such an esoteric reply I narrow my eyes and just sigh.
“What should I be expecting from this? I mean it’s not like there’s any personal skill involved in what you do, is there? It always seems like you just get a lucky break, every time.”
“Quiet your worries Walter, it’s not like I ever failed with those “Lucky Breaks” either. As I see it, luck does not appear, it is made. We’re finished.”
Sir Archon, after saying his part immediately turned away from the coin and started to walk away and on to the path that leads out of the campus, seeing that he’s just going to leave the Artifact there, I look at the Archon’s departing back and back to the Artifact a couple times before making up my mind and following after the Archon.
“Sir, are we just going to leave it there?!”
“Of course... What else would we do with it?”
Shocked by the matter of fact answer that I was given, I stopped for a moment to process what I was told and then caught myself and ran to catch up to the Archon. Seeing that he was going to say nothing else on the subject I decided to move on as well.
I look at him and then decided that I’d at least do something productive so I pull his schedule out in my memory and see what the Archon has planned today.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Sir, you have a meeting with the rest of the Archons today at 1 P.M.”
Hearing that he’d have to sit through another meeting of complaining about each others’ jobs made the Archon audibly sigh.
“Another? I thought we had a meeting last week? They’re growing insufferable.”
I saw the Archon look to the side of the road and walk over and pick up a stick, he swung it a couple times and seemed to be satisfied with it.
“Yes sir, the Archons did have a meeting last week. As well as the week before that….and the week before that, so you really shouldn’t be surprised at all.”
Nodding while seeming to not be all there, the Archon used the stick to draw a “+” in the dirt path and then wrote an “N,E,S,W” on each of the four points. Then looking up at the sun he nodded, seeming satisfied with what he just did.
“Call Inquisitor Remus. Inform him of the situation. Tell him to ready his eyes. We’ll have an emergence upon us.”
I was taken aback by the sudden request but I quickly regained my composure, and just nodded pulling out an old fashioned PDA and simply pressed the screen.
“I scheduled a call for later today, is that all you wanted me to do, sir?”
The Archon looked at me for a moment before looking away and nodding
“Walter, life rarely allows for schedules and control. Sometimes it is necessary to remain flexible. To stay open to change. there will be something that happens outside the realm of expectation. When this happens you needn’t be surprised.”
I looked towards the Archon and looked at him with a complicated expression. After all, How could I abandon all that I know, it got me this far didn’t it?
“Yes, sir Archon.”
But even so, even if I don’t personally agree with what he’s saying, doesn’t mean that I should disregard it. Especially since Archons have years of experience that is hard to come by in our line of work. So advice from them is extremely useful, no matter how small it may be. I shouldn’t discard it lightly.
Seeing myself give his advice serious consideration, the Archon nodded in satisfaction. Turning towards the exit of the college both the Archon and I walked up to an expensive looking car that didn’t seem to suit the two of us. Once in, we drove off into the city. The Archon seemed to be in deep contemplation as we were leaving.
----Later that day, Police Station----
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
“Hello?”
……
“Yes, this is he, may I ask who is calling?”
…….
The shadow’s expression visibly changed
“I’ll make sure to set up surveillance in the area”
*Click*
The shadow puts the phone back into the holster that it belongs to and then swiveled around in his chair to stare out of the window.
“A new Artifact holder……... things are going to get, interesting.”
The expression on the shadow greatly changed into one of a fierce smile, anticipating conflict.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afterword
So I’m using a bunch of archaic words in this chapter like”Archon” and “Inquisitor” and they will not hold the original meaning that they were given when they were created. But it’s still fun for trivia so “Archon” is like a lord to the ancient Greeks, so fun stuff.However I’m not gonna go into the entire socio-political stuff that's also involved in that but yeah, they’re lords.
As for “inquisitors” I’m not sure what society used it but it’s latin for “to seek” and the dudes who were inquisitors essentially looked for people who committed acts of heresy for the inquisition so yeah... of course I’ll be changing what my inquisitors do for my own convenience. But it’s still an interesting bit of history.