----------------------------------------

ᏐɸᏡᏐƍɸ ϟɸ¥ᕒȣ ☩ɸ ⩞ᚷᛞ ȣШȣႹᛞ ҂ႹᏡ⅄ ☩ɸ

----------------------------------------

ᛞϟ¥ᛞᖵ ⅄ϟ♀ Ш ᖵᛞ¥ᕒᛞɸȣ ƍ♀ШႹΘ

----------------------------------------

A shadow scraped over the city. Through the rain, it sounded like a bullet.

It was a bad day for any travel, so the whole town was hidden away in their homes. Calm pitter-patters of rain on a window set the tone for focus. Yes, this would be the day that progress would be made. A lone human worked at his machination, scraping the crystal with a little metallic probe. He was close. His tinkering with the crystal in his hand needed to be purposeful, direct, and precise. The gray strings that littered his hair were not from ill pointless ventures, they were streaks of wisdom. His pronounced jawline and bold sideburns helped to hide it too. Nothing would hide from his metallic eye as he darted his attention to each detail of his project. An extension of himself. Better, stronger, faster. Under his coat, a body of steel and magic runes replaced most of his chest with a chassis of pure power. Little lights flickered to show what he needed. His long black pants suspended tools he had created or modified.

As he carved into the gem, the crystal glowed with a blue-green energy that he wasn't a stranger to. Lines and shapes created ancient symbols on its surface. Faint echoes came from the inscriptions etched into the surface. The world... The world did not understand him yet, but he would tame it with a chokehold.

His catacomb towered with its large rocky walls. It cost a fortune. The room was scattered with the utterance of a craftsman; Tools, equations, and diagrams all remained scattered from their neat placement. Unreadable symbols scattered some of his drawings. Jacquie Steamborne looked at his creation with intense focus. The echoes faded as it started sizzling with crackles of energy. Little ripples of magic that were ancient. Timeless.

He pulled out one of the gadgets he had created, a small metallic eye, and placed the crystal inside with a chorus of sparks. Reverberations of magic jumped through the metallic form and bonded to it. With a click, he snapped it shut. The faint blue glow started to come from the iris of his synic. Was it working as intended? There were so many failed attempts, but this one looked to be promising. With a beam of anticipation, Jacquie opened his mouth to speak. Would he become the most powerful person in this region?

But before he uttered a word, a single sound interrupted his thought.

There was a light thump on the concrete, followed by a very slight scratching sound as footsteps came through the entrance. The pitter-patter of steps grew louder as someone approached. He sprang up, pocketed his creation, and swung around to confront the noise. Who was here? Gazing with a menacing glare, he pointed a finger gun toward the entrance. Little electrical sparks flicked from his hand as he prepared to fight if necessary. The entrance... Why did he not light the entrance up properly? No matter. Intruders would die.

“And with that, I believe that’s four times now, buddy.” A voice came from the shadows. The figure stood right outside the light, remarking on his victory with a cheeky tone.

Jacquie recognized that voice. It was one of his more 'interesting' acquaintances, and it caused his surprise to turn to annoyance. His hand lowered as he lowered his shoulders and stared at the entrance. Although he felt relieved, he wasn’t privy to interruptions. “The reason I have security is to keep people like you out! I swear, if you wrecked Brick again—"

“Relaaax! Your little construct buddy is fine; I got in way simpler this time.” A lanky figure walked out of the entrance's shadow. Rubbing his messy mop of royal red-orange hair back, a long-eared batfolk slinked into view. His scrunched pink nose had a little hole that once adorned a piercing. Even still, jewelry would be a hard task to hide his rough appearance. A worn outfit of ripped tan shorts and a bare-chested vest adorned him, along with a long collar and holes for wings. Tan wings spanned up from his waist and down past his hands. His expression... arrogance. The sapient beast strode towards Jacquie with arms crossed and claws concealed. Dark grey fur showered the rest of his body, revealing only a slight ounce of muscle beneath his slender, lanky build.

Zeph.

One fateful day, he met the man who saved him from an embarrassingly foolish end. However, that also coupled with the fact that he was a petty criminal with a chip against authority. Jacquie was used to dealing with his kind, but Zeph especially had certain... antics that made him difficult to work with.

“Besides, I wasn’t the one who dared a handsome batfolk like myself to get in his precious little dungeon without tripping an alarm. Not my fault it’s our little tradition nowadays.” Zeph spoke in his snarky, sassy voice with a flair of sarcasm. His tail stretched to the side, with a big tuft of that same red-orange fur spiking at the end.

“That was a regrettable lapse in judgment.” Jacquie held his hand to his head, remembering the overconfident comment he made ages ago. “Though... you have helped me figure out some new flaws in my security, so I suppose it has some form of merit.” He just had to humor him long enough for him to leave. Jacquie was making great progress. It was unlikely he could focus with someone like him watching. “Now, I’d assume you’re not just here to get out of the rain? I tend to attack invaders instead of talking to them.”

Zeph laughed. “What, you think I’m afraid of the rain? C'mon, how many nights do you think it's been storming out wherever and I’ve just been livin’ through it? Getting soaked is practically my natural state of being at this point.” His dirty and disheveled appearance drove his point home. And the pool of water starting to form on the ground. Goodness.

Trying not to cringe at his comment, Jacquie tried to keep a pleasant expression. “Let’s hope you don’t smell up the place, then. I hope you have news on that spy I asked about. Did you deal with him at all yet?” He had asked Zeph for a favor a week ago that he hadn't gotten word on since. Being watched by a suspicious government hampered progress, and he needed secrecy. Jacquie wasn't from around this region, and thus his status here was partially moot. Something like this couldn't be solved with direct conflict. As much of a loudmouth Zeph was, he was impressed by his ability to uncover things and work undetected. Being in the position he was, he could reward Zeph handsomely.

"C'mon, you know me. My main focus is traveling. I haven't tracked that chump down yet, but he's around here.” He snickered. “Besides, before you pay me for that little job, I think it's finally time we talk about that bigger prize I've put off.”

“Yes, I haven't forgotten what you did to save my 'shining buttocks' as you call it.” The terms that the batfolk used were a little daft, but even he thought the colorful term was at least memorable. He put one of his hands in his pocket while gesturing to the side. “I'm glad to let you cash in that favor handsomely, though I wonder why you waivered so long."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Zeph confidently smirked. "Heh. Guess you'll have to keep wondering, cus these lips are sealed."

There was nothing to wonder about Zeph's intentions. Jacquie had already figured out what Zeph was going to ask for. Being a self-proclaimed wizard and a connoisseur of synics, some of his goods were impossible to find elsewhere. Not without issues or flaws. "I can grant you pay, but I’m assuming you want one of my many pieces of technology.”

Zeph responded in an annoyed yet happy tone. “Jeez. Guess it’s that obvious, huh?" That deflated him quickly. "Here I thought I was gonna be all sneaky about it. But really! How many of those things do you even have around here? You don't sell 'em either, ya dirty hoarder.”

“I'm not a hoarder. And I expected as much because that’s the only thing you mention when you're with me. But I can’t blame you… the synics you find overseas are much greater than some amateur from here.” He gestured with his hand around the room. “Ask me about any one of these, and I'll show you how it works. I'll only give you one since these are prototypes, so choose wisely.” Some of these were quite powerful. Jacquie knew Zeph would be keen on using some combat-related ones. “Once you do, I must insist that you leave. Not that I don’t appreciate your company, but I have some business to attend to tonight.”

Zeph turned his head and smirked. “Like your obsessive sketches and notes you plaster everywhere? Heh. You really think you gotta be all persnickety like that around me?” Shrugging, he relaxed his posture and leaned his weight to the side. “But hey. I suppose I'll take it. Not like I could argue that saving your life's a little more valuable than that.”

"Not with you nagging that fact over me for extra favors. After this, I consider my debt fully repaid, Zeph." Out of all the people to indebt his life to, Zeph was simply just lucky.

"Guess I gotta save you a few more times for extra sympathy then." Putting his arms down and glancing around the room, he took a few cautious steps. Looking at the selection with no knowledge of their use, he frowned. The silence echoed that he needed to make a decision, yet most of these were absurd tools that he couldn't dream of a use for. “You really got a knack for all these things...” A few more glances let his eyes rest on a two-ended pitchfork with a metal stock, trigger, and runic markings. He picked it up and looked at it before returning his gaze to Jacquie. “You wouldn’t mind showing me what this thing does, would ya?”

Jacquie found it predictable that he would pick something resembling a weapon. It was a gun that stored and triggered a magical blast of focused electricity. Two metal prongs on the front guided its flow, carrying runic markings that crackled with energy. Of course, the tiny scope helped too. “Certainly.” He walked over to grab it and aimed it towards the stone wall nearby. With a clench of his finger, a sudden flash of light burst from the weapon with a flash. Lighting screamed through the room directly where he pointed, streaking in a few random directions but keeping its main path. It remained for only a moment, but the slight charring of the wall proved it wasn’t just an illusion. “I call this the Mark of Vengeance. Straightforward, both in simplicity and use. It is the power of lightning tamed and at your very command. If you use it sparingly, it will never lose its charge. And with a steady hand, it can hit anything. It can even track movement.”

The spirited thief thought for a moment. Cogs turned in his head before smiling. “Say, you said you wanted me out of your hair quickly, right? Well, I got a real good idea.” He pointed to a target dummy far in the corner of the building. "You hit that thing square in the eye, dead center, and I'll keep it. No complaining, no guilt-tripping. I'll be gone before you know it. You miss though, and you gotta give me two of your synics instead.” He finished his sentence with a wink.

Jacquie realized this was not an even bargain. But of course... Zeph was trying to find some way to get more out of their encounter. Typical. Thieves had such a simple view of life. They only looked out for their own gain and ability. It was hard to empathize with people like him at times, but Jacquie had to. Their desire for power and prestige would always be temporary and shortsighted. Jacquie was nothing like him. He was different. He was precise, determined, and calculated. It took heart and intent to use something like this, and he would show this novice how it was done.

He clenched his hand around the grip. The sight on the top focused his aim and directed it. The rain became a subtle hum in the background. Yes. His hands stood unmoving. His breathing became rhythmic and his eyesight lined up. Electricity started to crackle as the weapon charged up energy. Everything drowned out into static as the noise of energy grew and grew. He focused his shot... and then...

With a pull of the trigger, a bright flash darted through the room and landed square in the middle of the poor dummy’s eye. It blasted backward, charring and steaming. Square in the eye, just like Zeph dared him. He never doubted for a second as his technique in most weapons was excellent. Jacquie smiled. “Looks like I won your bet, Zeph. Now, be a good sport and—"

"Y'know, on second thought, I think I'll just take this one," Zeph said from at the entrance, holding the metallic eye that was in Jacquie's pocket.

"Wh—" Jacquie turned to look at him with confusion. Was that? He suddenly felt around his pocket. A shiver ran down his back as he noticed a hole as he felt slow drips of liquid flowing off it. The liquid was lukewarm to the touch and slimy, yet mostly dark. That...

"We had a good run, but... I think it's time we part ways. Chumps like you are pathetic. Surely you can find someone else to do your dirty work."

That curr. THAT FOOL! Jacquie suddenly turned his weapon around and fired straight at Zeph. The bolt streaked right past him as he slipped out the entrance and ran through the exit hall.

Jacquie ran into a mad sprint, running straight towards the entrance and making chase. In an instant, an explosion collapsed part of the hall into a cloud of rubble. Fury coursed through him, his every fiber quivering with electric wrath. A solid punch tore rocks to pebbles. He kept hitting through the blockage and clawed himself a way forward. Steel and stone scraped and scratched with every grunt of anger and frustration. Zeph was not making it out of here with that trinket. No! He was going to pay!

He ran outside the building, walking out into the rainy night and gazing into the skies. He armed his weapon and looked at a distant figure flying away in the distance. Rat bastard. Zeph was lucky he made it this far, but with another steady aim, he shot another bolt of lightning straight at the thief. Zeph attempted to dodge it, but the bolt stretched and curved directly into his chest with a crackle in his body. Staggering his flight and dropping, his body fell into the nearby trees below. He wasn’t visible, but he was in there.

Jacquie jumped into action. His speed accelerated faster and faster as he dashed straight through streets up to the nearby patch of spotty forest. With the powerful additions to his body, he was beyond any human limitations. That fool. As he ran, thoughts rushed through his mind. Was their friendship always entirely a front? Of course, Zeph was self-centered. Those glimmers of genuine care were all fake. Zeph simply wanted to backstab him all this time.

“That cur!” he shouted into the dark, drizzling landscape. Nobody heard him. Anger grew with each passing second. Why didn't he keep a closer watch on him, and why did he trust him in the first place? Because Zeph saved his life? Was that some setup too?

Jumping into the trees, he dashed around with precision and speed. Every sign was important. Heat signatures, magic presence, tracks, a fallen body. Anything. His glowing eye scanned everything, searching for anything.

But... there was nothing. He kept running and looking to no avail. There was nothing here anymore.

Zeph stole the one project that would change the world. The key to his future success. The potential to create eternal peace.

Oh, Zeph had no clue what path this would lead him down. There were things he didn’t know about Jacquie’s status and power. This was a decision that Zeph would regret forever, and Jacquie was going to make sure of it. This was going to be an inconvenience for Jacquie, but Zeph was about to be in a world of torture.

Because he was no ordinary adversary.

And as a butterfly moves to change the ebb and flow of time forever, Zeph had unknowingly sealed his fate.