Named Chapter 17

1

John turned away from the last house as the flames grew to encompass the building. He looked back at it with dispassion as smoke churned from the quickly growing fire. With an easy toss, the burning stick he had been using was added to the mess. As John stood watching the inferno grow, he heard an unexpected message.

“You have emptied and razed Teal Base. Outside access to Teal Base has been revoked. Renewal of Teal Base will begin immediately. As the leader of the conquering force, would you like to formally assume control of Teal Base?”

John was surprised. His only plan had been to destroy any remnants of the horrible things that had happened there. Learning that destroying a base was not only possible, but also a means of assuming control was extremely valuable information. John quickly accepted the invitation.

Like a massive wave, a gust of wind burst from John in all directions. All through the base, any fire that still burned was instantly extinguished. The next second, every scrap of remaining material from the burned buildings melted away like ice on a hot day.

Wood, stone, metal, and anything else that the base was made of appeared no more substantial than smoke dissipating. The entire base melted into the ground or dissolved into the air as John watched in amazement. This was yet more proof just how sophisticated a place The Garden was.

When the process was complete, John was standing in a large empty space enclosed by stone walls. Only the distant transition pad remained. John suspected that even a creature like Suné couldn’t destroy one of those.

Liz and Mila stood close to the transition pad, looking around in shock at the sudden lack of furnishing. John made his way toward the two of them as the ground started to rumble ever so slightly. Before he had made it to them, a new message prompted him.

“Deconstruction complete. Would you like to customize reconstruction?

John responded in the negative. He didn’t have time to obsess over the layout of his new base. As soon as he made his choice, new buildings started rising out of the ground. They were in the exact shape and placement of the previous buildings.

John eventually rejoined the two ladies at the transition pad. Before burning anything, they had spent a few hours moving everything of value to their rooms within Thunder Fox Sanctuary. Mila had stood by unspeaking in all that time.

John looked at her now, and the frail girl looked back with a nervous question in her eyes. John understood why. Her unique position made it difficult to decide what to do. John have a reassuring smile before turning to the transition pad.

“Would you like to control the restriction of transition to and from Teal base?”

“Yes,” John said.

“Please specify parameters.”

John didn’t know how to follow the command, but he started by concentrating on the idea that no one but himself should be able to enter the base, as was already the case. To his surprise, a small chime seemed to confirm the concept. With more confidence, John continued.

He quickly imagined himself, Liz, and Mila having permission to transition out. Again, a chime confirmed the change, and the transition pad flared with renewed life. Satisfied for the moment, John ended his alterations.

“Wait here,” he said to the two girls.

Then John hopped to Thunder Fox Sanctuary for a quick chat with Suné. His wings brought him before the massive palace in short order, and soon enough, he was standing before the fox. Suné waited patiently through John’s greeting, as well as the subsequent request before responding.

“If what you say is true, there will be no issue. Proceed with your plans, and I shall await your return.”

John quickly yet profusely thanked the fox before hurrying from the palace. He returned to his room with all haste, zipping back to Teal Base. The two girls startled at his sudden reemergence.

“All right,” he said, ignoring their surprise, “it’s all settled.”

“What is settled?” Mila asked nervously.

“You are,” he said happily.

John held out a hand reassuringly to the woman. He could recognize her anxiety at the gesture, but Mila did only hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and grasping it. John directed her to stand next to him before turning his attention to Liz.

“I have a few things to take care of, so I’ll be busy for the next couple days. It shouldn’t take me too long, but I have a habit of underestimating these things. I’ll drop word at your room in Thunder Fox Sanctuary when I’m done.”

Liz gave a nod of affirmation as John and Mila began to dissipate into nothing. Fresh with the knowledge that he could take others through is access, John had quickly come up with a semi solution to Mila’s conundrum. That was why the two of them rematerialized on a transition pad more ornate than any he had ever seen.

“Oh my,” Mila said with wide eyes the second they came through.

Her expression grew into one of absolute astonishment at the sight of the ridiculously opulent room they now stood in. She looked upon the room with wide, slow eyes starting with the high ceiling, which depicted such magnificent scenes of love and hardship that Michelangelo would have envied them. She gazed in disbelief at the amazing change of scenery.

John too was a bit taken aback at the magnificence. He had only seen the room rivaled by one other in terms of excellence. Since the other room was supposedly attached to the realm of gods, he had to admit he was impressed.

Mila continued to ogle the room, and John gave her time to do so. He knew there would be plenty more fantastic things for the girl to accept before they were done. He didn’t begrudge her this moment of peaceful observance.

He did take the time to inspect the rest of the room while Mila continued to ogle the ceiling. The walls were similarly decorated, with thick gold trim outlining much of the more fantastic scenes. Terrific battles, harrowing adventures, and discoveries so unbelievable that John found himself wanting to know more scored every wall, of which there were five.

The transition pad sat in the center of the room, and John had to physically turn his head to see all of the walls. Each one seemed to follow a different yet similar theme to the others. John was fascinated by what higher ideas the room might have been attempting to impart.

One wall, the one facing their position, was little more than a great archway, however. And John took much too long not just to notice it, but also to notice the figure lurking beneath it. Still, he was not as surprised as Mila was when the figure spoke.

“Hello, human. Welcome to Thunder Fox Sanctuary,” Suné said.

2

When John had gone to speak with Suné about Liz, she had told him about the policies for being granted access to Thunder Fox Sanctuary. As it turned out, Suné had two different sets of criteria for gaining admission. The first was to prove yourself against challenging foes in single combat.

That was the method both John and Liz had used. By proving their worth, Suné formally accepted them into the ranks of her military force. Not that John thought the fox would ever truly have need of any of her subjects. Still, the concept remained in theory, and there wasn’t a single occupant who would deny Suné if she came calling.

The second method, as John had then learned, had a lot different criteria. Just as Suné offered a place for the powerful to grow stronger, so too was it a place for the defenseless to find sanctuary. John had been fascinated to find out that a large section of her palace was set aside to shelter such needy souls.

According to the fox, if one’s need was truly dire, and they lacked certain basic necessities to survive in the world, they would be harbored in Thunder Fox Sanctuary as refugees until such a time that they could more adequately fend for themselves. Apparently, Suné had entire ranks of servants dedicated to rehabilitation and training of such residents. As a Fox with healing powers, it was actually a core doctrine of her governance for residents to bring the injured or impaired to her for care.

Mila, who had still been staring at the ceiling, jumped at the greeting of the fox. Her eyes locked on the beast, and John found confusion in her eyes. She couldn’t figure out who had spoken to her. Only when her eyes found the orb in front of the fox did she begin to understand.

She had seen John use the orb to communicate more than once, so she knew the basic function. She also understood that there was nothing but the fox in the room. Simple process of elimination finally gave the obvious answer to her question.

“You can talk?” She asked the fox nervously.

“I can. But my language is both much more simple and infinitely more complex than that of humans. This does serve as an acceptable medium, however,” Suné said.

“Where am I? What is happening?”

“Be at ease, child. John has told me of your ordeal. You have suffered much and lost even more. I am here to assure you that your hardships are at an end, at least for the immediate future.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Mila said.

“Do not worry. I understand the vulnerability you carry. It is something I can help you to ease with time. For now, however,” Suné said as she stepped forward.

The fox moved slowly and reassuringly toward Mila. The girl only stood on the transition pad and waited as Suné approached. John watched on in fascination.

Suné came right before the girl and extended her nose gently in Mila’s direction. The girl seemed to instinctively reach out a hand to connect with the fox. With an exchange of sparks, the two met.

John watched as a gentle electric current slowly spread through the girl. Hairs stood up, first on her arms, but quickly spreading to her head as well. As he observed, the many scrapes and bruises Mila had sported faded gently into nothingness.

“Hey,” John said in protest, you healed me by shocking the shit out of me! Why doesn’t she get the live battery treatment?”

“You were more injured than she. Also, stop being a pup,” Suné replied.

“Did you just call me a baby?” He asked incredulously.

Instead of answering, Suné expertly guided Mila from the transition pad and toward the exit. Mila followed with distant eyes, as if numb wether from literal or metaphorical shock. Before they left the room, Suné spoke to him again.

“Your job is done here. See yourself out,” she said dismissively.

And with that, the fox and the girl turned the corner and disappeared from sight. John stood there indignantly for several seconds before shaking his head. He supposed he should expect no different from the mischievous fox. With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the extravagant room.

He had been given a one time pass by Suné to access her personal transition pad within the palace. Once he left, he wouldn’t be able to return to the amazing room without another invitation. With that in mind, he took some time to really appreciate what he was seeing.

He gave another sigh, this one much more content as he considered all he had been able to accomplish. It had not all been pleasant, but it had all been necessary. With a nod of self satisfaction, he selected his location and let himself fade away.

In a few short seconds, John was finally back in his room in Emerald Base. He smiled in slight annoyance at the small pile of letters on the floor from Jules. After only a couple days of absence, the man had already man a nuisance of his floor.

John shook his head, unwilling to be baited just then. His entire intention had been to return to the base and inform the man on everything he had learned. He especially wanted to get whoever Jules knew in the topography community to look at the gigantic map he had found.

But when he looked upon the recurring nightmare that was piled up on his floor, the will fled John. Without even stepping free of the transition pad, John primed the pad for another jump. Without another thought, John began the shift back to earth.

He had only been gone a couple days, but he anticipated the lashing from his mother would be enough to leave scars. Surprisingly though, it was with a tired smile and plenty of relief that she met him at the door upon his return. To his further surprise, she didn’t look upset at all.

“Hi mom,” John said, letting his confusion bleed through.

“Welcome home,” she said.

“Uhhh… Thanks. Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?” His mom asked.

“I’ve been gone for days and you haven’t demanded to know why yet,” he said.

“I know why,” she said gently.

“I can exp-” John started before he understood the words his mom had spoken.

“You know why? How?”

“Because of this,” she said.

John watched as she retrieved what looked like a letter from the table by the door. John looked at it in confusion as he tried to understand what she was talking about. When she handed it to him and John started reading, however, it all became clear.

3

Dear Mrs. Greene,

Thank you. You don’t know it, but I owe you everything. You see, if it wasn’t for you, I never would have met your son. John came into my life at its lowest point. He gave me the help and the strength to stand up for myself when the world sought to use me.

I have tried to repay the service. I’ve worked obsessively to grow strong enough to one day offer him help in a time of need. But the stronger I get, the more I fear that your son might truly be one of a kind.

No challenge is too great for him to conquer. He is always willing to help, and he never asks for anything in return. Not really, anyway. I suspect any concession he accepts for himself is simply to ease my guilt. He is kind, compassionate, and more willing to help a stranger than anyone I have ever met.

I know that you worry about him. He worries about you too, you know. He hasn’t admitted it, but I can tell. It’s the same worry I feel for my family. He does a good job of keeping his true feelings hidden, but I can still see it.

It was the same impotent terror I was feeling yesterday. I tried to hide it, but John saw through me like I was made of glass. It was my mom. She was taken from me by some terrible people. I didn’t want to ask John for help, but he’s so damn persistent.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Once he found out the truth, it was like a fire had been ignited inside of him. Nothing would have convinced him not to help me. And before I knew it, we were infiltrating a criminal organization.

I know, that sounds really dangerous. I guess it was really dangerous. But again, John didn’t even hesitate. He threw himself behind enemy lines without a second thought. He single-handedly located my mom, as well as over fifty other women, many younger even than we are.

It would have been enough for me if he had simply set my mom free, but that would never have been enough for your son. He made sure all of the prisoners were accounted for before dismantling the entire organization by himself. Not only did he save my mom, but every single captive was returned home safely.

When I asked him to help me, I had no idea just how thoroughly he would do so. But I should have. He has never given any less. I asked him once why he was so willing to help me, and his answer was that it was the way he was raised.

I don’t know how much of what he says is true and how much is fiction. But I strongly suspect he was telling the truth about that. And so, I want to thank you again Mrs. Greene. I don’t think you will ever know how much my family owes you for the son you raised.

This morning, my family ate breakfast together for the first time in weeks. Tonight, my mother will sleep in her own home for the first time in as long. You gave us these blessings by giving the world someone like John.

I know that you do not want anything to happen to him. I know that you will never rest easy as long as he is away. But if it eases your mind just a little bit, I have never seen a situation John couldn’t find his way out of. He never hesitates, and he never falters. I believe your son will do things the rest of us only dream of.

I write this now as I look upon my family reunited. The joy your family has brought to mine cannot be put into words. John told me your husband has also been taken from you. I’m sorry. I know the pain your family is going through.

What I also know is what a determined and capable son you have raised. No matter the odds, no matter who stands in his way, nothing will stop him from reuniting your family. Just as he let nothing stand in his way of reuniting mine.

I do not think I will meet anyone like John for as long as I live. I consider myself lucky to have met just one. So, again, thank you.

Trust in your son. He is much more than you know.

Sending all of my love to your family,

-Liz

4

John looked at the letter with shock. He had not known that Liz was capable of getting a letter to his mom. As he thought about it though, it made more sense.

Liz had probably given the letter to Jules, knowing the dynamic he had with John’s mom in the case of his absence. It had probably been a simple matter to wait for Emily to come worrying over her son and pass along the letter. He was both embarrassed and grateful to Liz for the gesture.

He looked at his mom, who was smiling at him proudly. Feeling his cheeks redden, he quickly looked back down. He cleared his throat uncomfortably before trying to speak.

“I uh…”

John struggled to find the words but couldn’t think of anything useful to say. His mom didn’t need him to speak, however. She just embraced him like she did every time he came home from a long absence.

“You have grown into such a wonderful person. I couldn’t be prouder of the man you are John.”

“You raised me. It would be hard to grow into anything else.”

His mom silently held him for several seconds. John could feel the unease she tried to hide. After a few more seconds, she spoke again.

“You’re… really going to get him back?” Her voice trembled with the question.

John pulled her away from him so he could look her in the eye. Her own were unsurprisingly filled with tears. He stared hard into those eyes and made sure his words were understood.

“I am,” he said, full of conviction.

After his return home, John spent some time trying to reach a state of balance once more. But when he thought back upon them, recent experiences left him feeling hollow. He had thought he would be left with residual anger or disgust knowing that he had only scratched the surface of the horrible organization.

Instead, he felt completely empty. Like his experiences had burned along with Teal Base, and only a void was left. Despite the implications, John was relieved at the absence. When he had let loose his anger, it had felt bottomless, like he could have burned the entire world with rage as his fuel.

The thought had terrified John. He knew that if he didn’t do something about it, eventually it would overcome him. The problem was, John had no idea how to address it, much less conquer it.

Finding that he had become numb to the experience was a relief that John was ashamed to feel. He should have been seeking resolution, but just then, John was content to put that off for another time. Instead, he focused all of his attention on his Cultivation Scrolls.

Third Eye of Callysta was a stubborn and unyielding wall as it had ever been. He teased grains of salt from the unfathomable ocean of information. Unfortunately, a grain here and there would never be enough to make any progress unless his understanding profoundly evolved.

It wasn’t as if he made no progress at all, but with each new insight gained, he only became more uncertain of what he was actually learning. Most of the time, discovering something new only served to unbalance everything he thought he had learned already. It was a maddening pursuit made all the harder by his own stubborn arrogance.

But where Mind Cultivation was an impassable obstacle, Spiritual Cultivation made leaps and bounds. John spent each evening sitting at the apex of his house, soaking in moonlight as he studied the scroll. He quickly progressed through the knowledge contained there, and every new concept clicked into place to perfectly expand his understanding.

It was like his brain was extra ready to learn each night after failing at mental cultivation throughout each day. It was infuriating in the extreme to know that he understood his Spiritual Cultivation much more thoroughly than the Cultivation he had already made a Gate Breakthrough with. It was a valuable lesson that reaching a goal was not as important as the struggle up to it.

Still, John knew that no matter how little he seemed to know, he still had a universe more insight than anyone else who had ever attempted to learn the Cultivation method. He struggled on through the ocean of confusion, even when each new attempt left him further from the shore of understanding. Unfortunately, no matter how he looked at it, how hard he studied, or how long he lasted before losing his temper, there was just no way of simplifying the material.

Even with all the time and effort Emma had been putting into understanding even a small part of the scroll, John still couldn’t properly bridge the gap between what he knew and what he thought he knew. Small advances in understanding came after hours of toil and often undermined many of his previous advancements. All in all, it was impossible to say if he ever actually made any advancement.

But as the days and nights scrolled by in more ways than one, John felt a substantial leap in his understanding of Lunar Radiance. The gaps in his comprehension lessened more with each night. In addition, he finally got the hang of the exact circulation process described in the scroll.

Mastering the proper methodology gave John a sense of accomplishment that had otherwise been missing from his training. It also gave him the sense of what was actually possible using the Lunar Essence. His progress was becoming so formidable that John was able to retain spiritual saturation well into the next morning each day.

He found that exerting himself, even small exertions would slowly drain his reserves. By the end of his workout each morning, the lunar essence would be completely spent. The addition of direct sunlight also hastened the depletion.

If John stayed indoors and refrained from exerting himself, he could make the essence last until the hottest part of the day. He preferred to place himself in the heat, however. Since passing the trial, he had wanted to find a way to lessen the deleterious effect of sunlight.

His attempts weren’t without merit or results, but even with all of his effort, he could do little more than slow the drain. When the sun was on him, he felt like the essence was a sink turned on full blast, and John’s attempts to stop the escape were like putting a thumb over the spout. Any leakage he could actually contain was forced out with even greater tenacity somewhere else. In the end, he was forced to admit that his Spiritual Cultivation had its limitations.

Still, the pros far outweighed the cons in John’s opinion. For starters, with the Spiritual Essence circulating along the proper pathways, he felt his limbs loosen and his skin became almost elastic in its makeup. His flexibility and grace saw a major leap in potential.

As John had already experienced to a much lesser extent, Lunar Radiance provided both energy and renewal of cells. He found that so long as some Lunar Essence remained within him, he could not be tired out nearly as easy. John used this to great effect each night, pushing the limits of his acrobatics, stamina, and adaptation by moving through the tops of the trees behind his house as dangerously as possible.

It served as an obstacle course in the absence of anything better. John quickly saw the benefits of regularly pushing himself this way. Soon his body was not only leaner than it had ever been, but also seemingly sculpted to perfection. He had never been a very big person, and with his new lifestyle, it was becoming clear that he never would.

“Damn,” he said one night as he noticed the tone of his arms, “I got ripped.”

5

John’s return to The Garden was, for once, not an issue he had to justify with his mom. She had seemed to take a different mentality towards the entire situation since reading the letter from Liz. Instead of the worrying frown and nervous words to come home safe, she just hugged him and told him to be careful with a trusting smile.

John returned first to Thunder Fox Sanctuary to retrieve at least part of the plethora of things he pillaged from Teal Base before setting his destination for Emerald Base. The obnoxious pile of mail on his floor was exponentially larger than it had been on his last visit. John didn’t bother to look at any of it and grabbed one of the crates he had filled with goods from Teal Base before stepping from his room.

He found Jules hard at work in his own room a few minutes later. At his knock, the man let him in with words of welcome and questions of where he had been. John spent over an hour detailing exactly what he and Liz had been up prior to his hiatus.

Jules listened without interruption, only raising his eyebrows in shock at the gruesome and outlandish events described. He was excited to hear of the crates of genes John now had at his disposal. His true excitement, as John had known it would, came from the existence of the rudimentary map he had found.

“Oh man, this is huge! It could change everything. It might be the biggest wealth of knowledge about The Garden that humans have been able to gather. You said it’s centered on the base you found it in? Can I take some people to investigate the accuracy?”

John had hesitated, unsure if he wanted anyone to go there so soon. But he trusted Jules, and the man’s network of contacts was much larger than anything John would be able to muster. So, with some consideration, he agreed.

“I’ll give you permission to connect to it. Anyone you want to take will need to enter from your room’s transition pad,” John said, explaining what he had learned about sharing access.

“Thank you. This is going to change everything. You’ll see.”

John spent a few hours after that laboriously transporting crate after crate of genes to Jules’s room for use as payment in their growing guild. The number of Advanced genes was small, but luckily all but the most difficult of assignments would be paid in quantities of lower ranked genes.

The numbers of Enhanced, Awakened, and Primitive genes on the other hand were almost enough to consume all the free space in Jules’s room after six crates of the goods were delivered. John had no doubt that the man would make perfect use of the materials, and he was again reminded how lucky he was to have made a friend like him so early on.

They discussed the future of their growing guild like two nerds discussing comic books. Jules was excited to tell John about how well the ranks were doing as a whole. Dozens of contracts were carried out each day, and so far every mission had been an absolute success, with zero fatalities though a few clients had been injured.

Such was the nature of things though. No safety was absolutely guaranteed, especially on jobs involving anything over an Awakened target. But the training and discipline Jules expected of his employees kept the mishaps to non serious injury on the few occasions they happened.

John was more than content with how things were going. He couldn’t have imagined two months ago that he would be standing at the top of an entire guild. He definitely couldn’t have imagined he would be operating under a pseudonym, nor that he would choose to name his guild after the same. It had been an unbelievable series of events since his first tragic venture into The Garden.

He had taken catastrophe and turned it into fortune again and again. He almost wondered if he didn’t have some kind of magic power. He reasoned that if he did, it was a pretty horrible power to have. Nevertheless, he thanked whatever fortuitous event set him on the path of prosperity he now walked.

After settling everything with Jules, John started to make his way back to his room to prepare for his next order of business. Before he had gone more than a few blocks though, he felt the unease that came with a sketchy situation settle over him like a blanket. He stopped walking and turned around.

“No need to be cowards about it, you may as well come out,” he said.

From around various corners of buildings, John watched nearly a dozen veiled men step into the street, weapons already in hand. John had felt the men trailing him all the way back at Jules’s room. He hoped the other man had not been a target as well.

Looking over the covered faces of the men, John found that he didn’t recognize any of them. Not that he had expected to, but he would have liked to know who or what was behind such a maneuver. With no better option, John spoke again.

“Which one of you is in charge?”

None spoke. As he waited for a response, John was constantly taking in details about the men. He noted the type of weapon each person carried. He paid special attention to the body language of each, making predictions of how they might act should things come to a head.

For each man he made note of positioning, disposition, nervousness, stance, apparent proficiency with the weapon they held, apparent synergy they had with their fellows, and so many more seemingly unimportant and unrelated details.

By the time he received an answer, John had made predictions based on the three most likely courses of action each person could take. He had no doubt he wasn’t entirely correct about these predictions, but Third Eye of Callysta gave him more certainty than he otherwise would have possessed in making them. As John mentally continued forward in his planning, one of the masked men spoke up.

“I am in charge here. And it’s time you started answering for your actions, Gold.”

“Ahhh,” John said, “so you’re a worthless layabout and you think I owe you something.”

Silence met his words as he felt them lash into the man’s already angry mood. He couldn’t see behind the veil, but he thought he might have made the man snarl. His response was cold and measured.

“You will soon discover how worthless I am.”

“Oh I already know, buddy. Besides your borderline offensive body odor, your ability to lead is subpar at best. In addition, you don’t even know how to hold that big ass sword correctly. You know that even if you have the strength to one hand it, you’re actually supposed to hold it with two hands to get the proper leverage right? It doesn’t even look cool to hold it one handed. It looks like you wanted to become a bad anime character. Well congrats, man. You did it.”

“Your tongue is sharp for a man behind his armor,” the leader shot back.

John was of course wearing his armor as he did every time he went to see Jules. It was a precaution that had until now seen no results. Still, his current situation proved he had been wise to take the caution. He smiled at the man’s easy goading.

“Not as sharp as the cheese coming off of you, good god man. I take it back, it’s way past borderline. You, my man, are offensive.”

“And you are one man. There are ten of us. Do you really think you should be so smug?”

“Smug? I prefer arrogant, actually. And I’m afraid you’re wrong, Cheese. Can I call you Cheese? I’m gonna a call you Cheese. You see Cheese, it’s not ten on one.”

“So, you admit that all of us at once would easily overwhelm you?”

No, it’s not that. You misunderstand, Cheese. It isn’t that I can’t handle all of you. It’s that I won’t have to. Once your pals see what happens to you, I imagine they’ll have better things to do.”

“My name is-“

“Quiet down, Cheese. I’m not done. Now you’ve clearly got an issue, but as far as I can tell, that issue is nothing more than my ability to maintain a healthy hygiene. So, let’s hear it, what did you come here hoping to solve?”

“We came here to put an end to this monopoly you’ve created.”

“Me? I’m more of a Candy Land guy.”

“Enough jokes, Gold. You are the reason hunting around the base has become so sparse. Your little group is making it harder for the rest of us to advance. It stops today,” Cheese said.

“Oh. So, what you’re saying is, the land around Emerald Base is safer now, and you’re upset because any easy chance at progression is gone. I bet you think it’s my fault you can’t bully newbies into following you with such an upstanding organization promising them safe and amicable terms huh? A shame, really. You have my sympathy, Cheese. It must be hard, being so mediocre.”

“I am tired of your mouth, Gold. The time for talk is over. Draw your weapon or die like a coward!”

“No thanks,” John said, turning and walking away.

“Hey! Where are you going? I said draw your weapon!”

“Take a bath, Cheese. I’m not going to kill a man just for being an idiot. But if you make the decision to cross me, there will be blood.”

John continued walking as he spoke. The ten men assembled didn’t move as he casually meandered away. Unfortunately, the group was only as wise as their dumbest member. Seeing as that seemed to be their leader, they had no hope of redemption.

“Shoot him!” John heard Cheese about at the only man holding a bow.

His senses were so sharp that John could feel the moment that the man’s bowstring drew taut. He finally stopped walking and turned deliberately around just as the man loosed his shot. Neither the bow nor the arrow were soul weapons. As a result, the common materials stood no chance against John’s armor.

He expected the arrow to skip off his armor harmlessly. But even he had underestimated how hard the material was. The arrow impacted his chest in an explosion of splinters. No damage was done, and John barely had to adjust his stance afterward.

The men all looked at John with shock. At least he assumed they were shocked. It was hard to tell under the veils. They all watched in horror as the whip unfurled at John’s side.

“Now now, Cheese. If you’re going to do something stupid, you should at least take the risk yourself. Are you afraid that you’ll die instead of one of your pets?”

For the first time, Cheese did not respond. Even he was shaken by the lack of effect the arrow had had. Clearly, not one of them truly knew anything about who they had been sent to harass.

“I warned you once, Cheese. Now you pay in blood.”

John flicked his wrist, sending the Tail of the Kitsune hungrily forward. Cheese had already turned to run, as had nearly every member of the group. John caught him by the leg, three of the tails wrapping around it and anchoring themselves with barbs.

With another flick of the wrist, the whip pulled the man from his feet and brought him tumbling down in front of John. He screamed in pain at the barbs in his leg, but it cut off quickly as he looked up into the face of John’s Chimera armor. What he seen there chilled his blood

“Who told you to kill me?” He asked quietly.

“It w-was Connor. C-Connor McLeary. He lost a lot of business when you came around. I was just doing what I was told, please.”

“Ah cool it with the blubbering. I already told you I wasn’t going to kill you just for being an idiot. Where can I find this Connor fellow?”

“I don’t know! He came to me. I don’t know anything about the guy. I swear.”

“Well then, Cheese. When he finds you again, make sure you give him this message for me.”

“What message?” Cheese asked hopefully.

He was looking up into John’s face with tears in his eyes. The idea that John was not about to kill him had given him the hope he needed. He didn’t see the Advanced dagger that had appeared in John’s hand.

With a flash of motion, John struck. The man looked belatedly down at the stump where his right hand had been before the pain of what had just happened registered. As blood spurted out of the stump, Cheese screamed in renewed pain.

He clutched at the stump as blood pooled under him. John wasn’t concerned that the man would die. Anyone who had taken in more than a handful of genes would have enough vitality to survive long enough to make it to the Kumani for medical help. The public transition pad was only a block away in the worst case. John grabbed the man by the chin as he screamed to deliver his message.

“Tell him to mind his own business. Killing monsters, that’s my business.”

Then John dropped the man from his grip, letting him scrabble to his feet and hurry away. Thick globs of blood trailed behind him. When he was gone, John just sighed. Then he turned away once more and continued on his way.

Unpleasant business handled; John moved on to the true reason he had come to The Garden. There was an unresolved conundrum that had plagued his mind and his home for months. It was finally time for John to find and return his father.