Austin, Texas, Summer 2055
“Congresswoman Johnson-Lopez, welcome to our city!”
Mayor Sammy Levy shook her hand in a surprisingly calloused and grinding grip at odds with her aged, but still trophy wife-ish look.
“Thank you, mayor! I hope we can work together to bring the best lives possible to all the people in our wonderful city.”
“Of course, you and I wouldn’t have gone into the thankless life of public service if not for that.” A dazzling smile, perfect teeth, perfectly white.
Her staff had done their research on Austin and the mayor was in her 60’s, if not 70’s.
Instead she looked more like she was still in her 50’s. A young 50’s at that.
Class, Skills, spells?
There were plenty of alchemical potions to slow the aging process.
At least there was nothing in the mayor’s history that suggested bathing in the blood of youthful virgins.
Such things weren’t unheard of, but all verified accounts tended to end in similar ways.
Bathing in virgin blood tended to get one disappeared or displayed on a fence.
“But, I’m sure you’re tired from the long, dangerous drive.”
“Not at all. Our escort was both competent and professional. They defended the entire convoy from no less than five different monster attacks. And I’m happy to say that no civilian suffered so much as a scratch.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “It was still terrifying.”
“I don’t doubt it. Well, I hope our city can make your journey worth it. We’ve spared no expense and effort to make your stay as pleasant as possible. So, feel free to settle into your hotel. Decompress. If you want to explore what our city has to offer, feel free to ask the front desk. We have friendly and knowledgeable tour guides available. Maps and brochures if you and your staff prefer to explore on your own. Although, I have to warn you to keep your distance from the walls. We take pride in our defenses, but it never hurts to be cautious.”
“Of course. We wouldn’t call them random monster attacks if they were predictable.”
Laughter.
Only half faked if she was a good judge of it.
Which, as a congresswoman, she had become.
“We’ll talk more at the welcome dinner,” Mayor Levy leaned in to whisper. “The ambassador’s starting to look like I stole his ice cream. I better welcome him and the rest.” She winked as she sauntered away.
The congresswoman hadn’t missed the not so subtle slight toward the ambassador and his delegation.
To greet what was essentially a tag-a-long first was certainly a choice.
A short drive brought them to a very nice hotel.
More smiling greetings took them to their suite.
“Looks like it’s very walkable.”
Reg, her chief of staff, thumbed through a brochure he had picked up from the lobby.
She ran a lean team.
Reg had one assistant.
Milly, whose father was the chief of staff in Senator Ocampo’s office and whose mother was a… murderhobo… in the common parlance. Officially the scary woman was a military contractor. Skilled and strong enough to dictate some of the terms of what was usually compulsory service.
Reg and Milly handled everything from scheduling to helping her craft her speeches.
The congresswoman did her own hair, makeup and clothing, which fit her persona of the normal everyday woman.
The rest of her team was security.
A five man and woman team provided by Congress.
That was one part of the reason why she had come to Austin.
She wanted her security answerable to her.
Most of the people she saw herself competing against in the rest of her future political life had their own men and women guarding them.
“So, welcome dinner tonight.”
“Do we need to go over your speech?” Milly shoved her hand into a bag of holding and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper.
The young woman took more after the mother than the father.
“In a little bit. I want to go over our agenda for the rest of the week. Minus the scheduled dog shows.”
Milly frowned. “There are… dog… shows?”
“Used to be, from what my grandmother says,” Reg said. “But no, the only dogs we’ll come across will be guard dogs and battle companions. Rarely, pets.”
“I’d like to visit a few of these… orphanages.”
“Hmm…” Reg mused. “That would fit your persona.”
“It’s not my persona, Reg.” She sighed. “At least that part.”
“Yeah, Reg. The congresswoman cares about kids. They are the future upon which we will rebuild our nation.”
“Finally, got the slogan. And only with a month to go until the election.”
“So, I’ll be filming the orphanage stuff?” Milly said.
“No.”
“Seriously?” Reg raised a brow. “It’d be perfect.”
“This isn’t a campaign stunt.”
“Sure, but why waste the opportunity. You act like normal, Milly films, unobtrusively. I can edit and have it posted to your page and sent to the media outlets by that night.”
“No cameras. Not for this.”
Reg nodded.
He knew why.
Milly didn’t.
Time to take her biggest leap yet.
Her mysterious benefactor hadn’t steered her wrong from that first time that a spires message had warned her not to drink anything handed to her at a senator’s son’s party back when she was a teenager.
It would’ve been amusing to watch the boys get continually angrier and angrier as none of girls would drink anything handed to them, if it hadn’t been downright diabolical.
That night had opened her eyes.
Easier to dismiss things when she didn’t think it was something she had to worry about.
The attitude bled into everything.
It was hard to not see exploitation everywhere she looked.
“Change wasn’t a thing that happened,” her parents had liked to say, “change was done by people brave enough to risk what came next.”
She missed their wisdom.
It would’ve been useful at times like these.
----------------------------------------
“You young people have no appreciation for your lives.” Ms. Daniels tutted before turning the kids loose on Galen.
The orphanage matron? Mistress?
Alin, didn’t know the proper term, was just as stiff and stern as a poleaxe.
Hayden and Galen hadn’t been underselling it.
He had felt her disapproval branching off Galen to him like chain lightning or a cleave.
It was funny watching her scold him for literal minutes after welcoming him into the entry way of the huge house with a tight hug.
He had almost laughed until those eagle-like eyes had zeroed in on him.
“Apparently, I have to welcome some kind of congress critter,” she harrumphed.
“Yeah, I heard, uh…” Galen cleared his throat, “can you, please have her wait when you’re done. I might have to talk with her.”
That arch look could’ve withered iron, but she threw Galen a bone with a slight tilt of her head.
The kids were unleashed like a pack of puppies.
Clambering all over Galen, asking for stories of his latest adventure and for presents, like candies and enchanted battleaxes.
They had brought plenty of the former.
Alana and Alin were on candy handing out duty.
“Who are you?” a young girl missing her front teeth regarded him through narrowed eyes.
“Hi! I’m Alin. A lieutenant in the Mist Spekters.”
What followed was a barrage of questions.
Answering was a mistake because it only took a pebble to start an avalanche.
Those that couldn’t mob Galen, mobbed him.
Alana, the cold-hearted woman, actually used a spell to keep her immediate area uncomfortably cold.
The kids braved it for treats, but retreated as quickly as they could.
The mist mage regarded him with a raised brow, daring him to speak out.
“You. Are. Awful,” he whispered
“I told him I should’ve been the one to meet with the Golden Eagles,” she said flatly.
The last lieutenant, Dremond, had won the coin toss.
Alin didn’t dislike kids.
The murder of kids moved into the huge living room on Galen’s heels for story time.
Alin took a seat on the stairs, while Alana leaned against the wall.
“I don’t like kids, but aren’t we cutting it close?” she said.
Something was coming to Austin.
What?
Not even his dad knew.
What they did know was that it would likely be through the demigod’s portals.
The same way the enemy had managed to get inside the walls of Alin’s home.
He eyed the silver bracelets around the kids’ wrists.
“It should be fine. Although, I’d rather we just get them on the skyship now.”
“Same, but that’d give up the game. Just have a bad feeling.” She shrugged. “I guess we don’t have to worry too much as long as that diplomatic delegation is here. It’d take some cold bastards to put their own people in the shit soup.”
“You mean, like us?”
“That’s different because we put ourselves in the soup.”
Footsteps on the second floor drew his attention.
“Soup? What kind?” a voice whispered in his ear a moment before thin, but strong arms pulled him into a hug.
“Hi, Dayana,” he said flatly as she ruffled his hair.
“I love your curls!” she laughed.
“Time for a haircut.” The second set of footsteps made her presence known up on the landing. “Long hair gets grabbed.”
“Only if I don’t wear a helmet.” He extricated himself. “Greetings fellow strangers. We are the Mist Spekters. My name is Alin and that is Alana.”
The mist mage had stiffened like a board.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Ah, yes.
Hayden and Dayana were more like legendary figures to the former Golden Eagle than the babysitters that had sometimes fed him ice cream before dinner, sometimes in lieu of.
“That is correct,” Hayden said flatly.
Fake introductions were concluded.
“We must depart on a supply run, strange mercenaries. Enjoy the orphanage,” Hayden said.
“Yup,” Dayana grinned, “need to see about that rat poison. Damn rats are scratching on the outer walls. It’s going to be tough to keep them out even with some high level poison.”
Alana let out the breath she had been holding the minute the front door closed.
“The Heartfuries,” she murmured.
Two of the original three.
Never to be whole again.
“Yeah.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Story time ended.
Kids pouted, but they were on a schedule, so was the congresswoman, though she didn’t know it yet.
They followed Galen into the rear of the house where Ms. Daniels kept an office converted from a small bedroom.
Not so coincidentally, Ms. Daniels led the congresswoman and her support staff through on a tour a short while later..
Galen started the introductions. “Hello, Congresswoman Johnson-Lopez.”
She recovered quickly from the surprise.
Alin poked a bit with the gray.
Surprise giving way to suspicion.
“Galen here is a graduate,” Ms. Daniels said.
“Sorry for the surprise,” Galen said. “But I was visiting and I heard you were here too. If you don’t mind we can discuss what you wanted to speak with us about? I don’t mind. Efficiency, you know?”
The congresswoman studied them for a long moment. “That’s acceptable, if Ms. Daniels doesn’t mind us using her home,” she said.
“You may use my office, but please be gone before lunch. The children have already been stirred up too much.” Ms. Daniels glared at Galen.
There was the blow back again.
Galen may have taken the brunt of the frag, but that didn’t mean the shrapnel didn’t catch them on the edges of the blast radius.
“Ma’am, shouldn’t we get your security team?” the chief of staff said.
The dark-skinned man went by Reg to those he liked.
29 years old.
Level 33 congressional chief of staff.
Reg had a file.
Just like Milly.
Almost 20 years old.
Level 9 congressional aide and Level 20 fighter.
She took after her father and mother, respectively.
As for the security team?
The congresswoman had left them outside.
That took guts.
Going into an unfamiliar place without her muscle.
Granted, it was an orphanage.
“No. That won’t be necessary.” She gestured to Ms. Daniel’s office. “After you.”
It took a moment to settle seating arrangements.
The office had been an auxiliary bedroom, which meant it was small.
Just enough space for a small folding table pressed into service as a desk, a small bookshelf against one wall, a tall, potted plant in the opposite corner, and two folding chairs in front of said desk.
The congresswoman demurred, so Galen reluctantly took the desk chair.
One could almost see the past flashing in Galen’s eyes.
How many times had he gotten in trouble when he was a kid by doing just that?
The congresswoman and Reg took the remaining chairs.
Alin and Alana stood where they were visible, while Milly stayed near the door.
“So,” Galen spread his hands over the table desk. “I can guess that you’d like to hire us on an exclusive contract? I’m not too big on negotiations. It’s why the Mist Spekters’ page in the spires is so exhaustive. My time in the Golden Eagles taught me that firm boundaries are a must if we want to avoid positions wherein our ethos are at risk.”
“Prudent. I can’t imagine what it must be like to operate out in monsterland, USA,” the congresswoman smiled. Polished, but she couldn’t conceal her nervousness from Alin.
Her heartbeat was a like a dinner bell in the gray.
Oddly enough, Milly was the calmest of the three.
“Unpleasant, but rewarding when we can funnel our gains to places and people like this,” Galen gazed lovingly at one of the framed pictures on the wall. “Third row, fifth from the left. You can see the top of my head.”
“I want the same thing, but for everyone in our country. Unfortunately, I need more than idealistic dreams and political savvy. I need tangible strength.”
“We’re not looking to be someone’s private army, unless said someone’s ethos aligned with our own.”
“I wouldn’t insult your intelligence by suggesting they’re the same. What I can promise you is that I won’t try to force you to go against what you believe.
“Then what’s in it for you? In my experience a patron doesn’t back a company only expecting to get something out of them some of the time.”
“You’re on ground floor of what I’m building. Your company would just be the first.”
“So, we’d be your right hand. The clean one, while your left hand wielded the red knife, so to speak.” Galen sighed. “That’s still a compromise we might not be willing to make depending on how dirty that left hand gets.”
“I’m willing to make a magically binding contract with opt-out provisions for any moment.”
“That would be acceptable, pending the contents of this contract. One other concern we have are the conscription laws of your country. We aren’t the sort of company that wields our violence against noncombatants. Nor do we desire to be sent to die in fights we don’t believe in. We aren’t meatshields.”
“Entering my service covers those laws. Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that someone with more power than me might try just that to weaken me.”
“I heard your government makes mercs swear oaths before taking jobs from them.”
“That’s correct, but, again, an exclusive contract with me fulfills those requirements.”
“Beyond all that, what can you offer us in return for being your strong right hand?”
“To start? A hope and a dream. Something similar to what you’ve done here, but on a much wider scale. Is an end to this pointless war a bridge too far for me to sell you?”
“Honestly, yes. We hear stories out in murderhobo circles. About your country’s outworld patrons. Eidolons at first and now demigods?”
“Unfortunately, I can neither confirm nor deny while you are still an independent mercenary company.”
“Sign the contract first before finding out what sort of soup we’re jumping head first into?” Galen raised a brow.
The congresswoman mirrored him. “There are laws I can’t break even if I wanted to.” She cleared her throat. “As far as tangible rewards? Not much to start. You’ll have a stipend for living expenses. I can arrange for a portion of an apartment building or a block of homes.”
“A short block,” Reg interjected. “And three meals a day are covered in the stipend,” he added hurriedly. “That’s for a 50-person company…”
“50 is correct, but we’re always looking out for promising recruits.”
Reg nodded to the congresswoman.
“You will also have access to almost all the encounter challenges and spawn zones under our control,” she said. “With priority over unattached groups.”
“The Office of Encounter Challenge Management will probably give you a 3rd or 4th rank priority level based on the congresswoman’s patronage,” Reg said. “As she rises, so will your company.”
“Is there a separate office overseeing spawn zones?” Galen continued to play the part of ignorant and interested mercenary lieutenant.
“We consider those no different from Encounter Challenges for simplicity and morale purposes,” Reg said. “We also maintain security. What happened to you outside Carlsbad Caverns is a very rare occurrence where we are in control. You won’t really have to worry about being shot in the back by murderhobos.”
“Rare isn’t never.”
The congresswoman pressed forward.
“I’m willing to go below market rate for my portion of what you take from the challenges.”
“The dungeon tax?”
“Nonnegotiable. We all pay our fair share.”
“We don’t at this moment.”
“I’m confident that you’ll gain more than what you lose through that tax.”
“There’s also the general income tax.”
“That? I can have waived for a year.”
“I’ll make sure to put it in the contract.”
“How would you like to proceed, Mr. Alvarado?”
“You write up your side of the contract. We’ll do ours. And we’ll try to meet in the middle? We can meet again tomorrow to start the negotiation. Unless you need more time.”
“That’s acceptable. Perhaps, in my suite?”
“Sounds good.” Galen stood.
Hands were shaken.
The congresswoman and her aides departed.
“Scout the hotel,” Galen said.
“They didn’t bring any sleepers, bombs or otherwise.”
Alin had cleared the congresswoman’s security team.
His dad had checked each person in the diplomatic convoy a few days ago as they drove their way from the east coast.
The old American’s were playing the diplomacy thing straight.
Less so, whatever secret plan they had up their sleeve.
“The hotel’s in Austin’s downtown area. It won’t look odd for Mist Spekters to be moving in and out sampling the food and fun at all hours of the day,” Alana said.
“Sounds like I know where I’m going for dinner,” he said.
“Keep a light touch. I don’t see any reason to doubt your dad’s intel,” Galen said.
----------------------------------------
London, Summer 2055
“So, that’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium,” Eron pointed across the street, “soccer— excuse me, football, was played in there once. They use it for training and shit now, but sometimes also football. It used to be called White Hart Lane, but that was the old stadium, which they tore down.”
“Yeah, I can read the sign. It’s in English,” Cal said.
“So, get this, they built this stadium basically exactly where the old one was, according to that old guy,” Eron waved at said old guy standing on top of a nearby pub. “He told me that I shouldn’t ‘cock it up’ and be ‘spursy’ or something like that.” He gestured to the middle of the street.
Four walls made out of everything from giant stone slabs to rusted out cars enclosed most of the street.
A red glow peeked through the cracks.
“You got details for me?”
“It made people do three things. Bleed out of their eyes, shit their pants and go into a murderous rage.”
“And you?”
“I felt an unpleasant tingle in my belly, but didn’t feel the need to clench.”
“I can feel magic, but I’m telling you now that I don’t think I can do anything about it.” It was easy enough for him to detect and block the effects, but he had no idea on how to even begin to approach putting a stop to it. “This is magery.”
“Yeah, well, the queen’s best mage is probably done cleaning his pants, so we can ask him to try again, I guess.”
“What else have you tried?”
“Punching didn’t work. Fist went right through. Eye beams did the same. I tried to lift the ground, but the equation just kept hovering in midair.”
“I guess I can take a closer look.” He was leery.
“At least you’re wearing your armor. No one will know if you get problems. Good luck, big bro!” Eron clanged the back of said armor. “I’m just going to go… over there…” he waved in a vague direction and floated off.
Cal checked the gawkers, making sure that none of them had even the slightest chance to look at what he was about to uncover.
He pried the wall facing the stadium open a sliver.
Red light poured out with tangible weight.
He opened it more until he could take a look at the entirety of what was hidden inside.
As expected the HUD went crazy.
Super science didn’t like powerful magic.
Never had.
So, he shut it off.
An equation hovered from about waist high to the height of his outstretched hand.
Red light.
Glowing.
Pulsating.
Nothing ever good came out of things that pulsated.
Numbers and letters.
Some he even recognized.
One look was enough.
He sealed the equation and flew up to join his brother.
“Shit’s wack.”
“Literally, in many cases,” Eron said. “So, you fix?”
“Nope. There’s nothing there for me to interact with.”
“How is that possible? It’s red light. Light is made up of, like, molecules and shit. You can move molecules. Ergo, you fix.”
“Like I said. Nothing for me to move.”
“Well, do the psychic thing,” Eron wiggled his fingers.
“Same difference.”
“So… we just leave it there?”
“The queen’s mage is pretty high level. That means there’s only one other person that I’d have take a look and this isn’t intriguing enough to tempt her.”
“It makes people crazy murderous,” Eron said flatly.
“Terrible to be sure, but rather mundane by her standards.”
“You know, that doesn’t really sell the Brits on the whole alliance thing. It’s not like they don’t have a war in their subways they’re currently fighting.”
“I can help more with that.”
“Nope. They won’t budge. They don’t want to owe you, plus they want the levels and rewards all to themselves.”
“Best I can do is seal it up better than whatever excuse for containment that is.”
“Hey, dude! It was a rush job. I can do a way better job. There’s a bank vault a few blocks away with that evil equation’s name on it.”
“That’d block the road.”
“A minor inconvenience. They don’t do a lot of driving anyways. Light rails all day. Griffins if you’re fancy.” Eron wiggled his hand in what he thought was a posh manner according to his misconceptions of the locals.
Cal decided not to correct him because not everything needed correction and it was funny.
“Bank vault’s not good enough anyways. I’d want something seamless to contain it. Mixture of elements to cover potential leakage points. Think the language of magic bullshit.”
“Collective belief type stuff.” Eron nodded. “This is going to take time,” he sighed.
“Just tell the queen to listen to me and you can go.”
“How much time can you spare?”
“Enough.”
“What about that South Africa thing you’re supposed to check out?”
Cal regarded his brother for a long, silent moment.
“Fine, I’ll go take a look.”
“From a distance.”
“Yeah, yeah, God is watching us,” Eron rolled his eyes.
“Huh?”
Eron blinked. “That wasn’t a dumb joke?”
“No.”
“Whatever, man. I’ll let the queen know. Any specific requests?”
“Metal, the more the better. And anything else that they’d want to use to seal away an ancient evil. I wouldn’t be opposed to enchantments and prayer magic to that effect. Tell them I can keep the equation’s effects from hitting them if they’re worried about getting close.”
“On it.”
Eron was gone with a boom.
Cal started by lifting the road a few hundred meters in both directions with the equation in the center. He pulled earth and stone from further below ground while carefully maintaining the structural integrity of the nearby subway tunnels.
It gave quite a fright to a tunneling sapper team of outworld invaders, but he left them alone.
The Londoners had been explicit about him not helping in their war.
Still, he made a note to keep a psychic eye on the outworlders so that he could casually let slip their location later.
“A long, gentle slope in both directions was preferable to a steep, sudden rise and fall.”
If he was altering the road to hide the evil equation then he’d do it properly.