My adrenaline-fueled sprint only lasted about a hundred yards before the pain in my feet overcame the fear of being gunned down from behind. Looking around, I could see I was in an old industrial park. It was dark out, save for a few streetlamps, and I had no idea what city I was in. I could have been out for a while after I had been snatched up by the cultists and I had no idea if a few hours or a few days had passed.
I stumble-jogged my way toward the nearest street, trying to figure out which way was south, which was where the other group was supposed to meet me. The sounds of gunfire had grown faint, and it now blended in with the rest of the city noise. A tattered chain link fence separated the industrial area I was in from a street. Squeezing through a gap in the fence, I almost had a heart attack when someone stood up right next to me.
“Yo, whaddya have to make so much noise for. Tryin’ ta sleep,” an elderly man growled before sitting back down to a pile of blankets and his half-empty bottle. More homeless lined the street, living in tents and abandoned buildings.
At the corner, I could see that I was on Crocker Street. It ran north/south so I turned south and started to walk, hoping to blend in with the crowds. I knew this place vaguely as a part of LA that you didn’t want to hang out at after dark. This was Skid Row, and despite its reputation, it was a great place to hide yourself.
Nobody bothered me as I shuffled my way south. My mana was down to nine points, but I had the 1911 in the back of my waistband, as well as my magic missile pistol if trouble showed up. I absently chewed a mana tab as I walked, not wanting to face the rest of the night without more mana at my disposal. It managed to bump my mana back up to 17 points, not great but it helped.
The tablet was chalky, like an antacid, but it had an odd, savory taste that I found unpleasant. It left an oily coating in my mouth as I chewed it, one that I’d need a soda or something with carbonation to cut through once I had the chance. Thinking about things like the taste of the mana tab helped distract my thoughts from drifting back to Celeste.
Now that the adrenaline was all burned off, I began to feel tired which didn’t help my mental state any. There was no sign of the other group that was supposed to help me, but there was a liquor store at the end of the block. The last thing I needed was alcohol, but an energy drink might be just what the doctor ordered. I needed time to think and plan.
The store was nasty and dirty, just like you’d expect in this part of town. Shielded behind a bullet proof glass cage, the clerk gave me a cursory glance as he checked out a customer. I must not have looked very threatening to him, a bit too clean cut despite the chaotic night I’d had. Little did he know I was probably the most dangerous person in here.
At the cooler in the back, I had my choice of energy drink beverages, the small liquor store having a rather surprising selection of them. I had never been a big energy drink fan, but in a pinch they’d work. The trouble was finding which one wouldn’t make me crash hard after the initial rush of energy.
“Mr. Durant, is that you?” A woman asked from behind me. I prepared to fire off a Psionic Jolt or Fail Weapons depending on the situation that met me when I turned around. To my relief it was Marie, the woman that had knocked on my door the other night. She was dressed almost like a security guard in tactical pants and vest. It conflicted with the middle-aged woman’s looks. She seemed more like someone’s mom than a secret agent.
“Marie, I thought your people were going to provide a distraction? Celeste was killed, and nobody was there to help us,” I growled, snapping at Marie and happy to have someone to vent my anger on.
“We were there, at least twenty of the cultists, as well as their summoned being leader, chased after my team. You weren’t the only one that lost someone tonight, Randy died pulling heat off of you,” Marie snapped back, her words holding the same sharpness and barely restrained emotion as my own.
I took a deep breath and tried to tamp back my emotions. It sounded like Marie’s people had tried to help and not only that, at least one had died to allow me the chance to escape. My anger was directed at the wrong person, and I took a moment to calm down before speaking again.
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“Sorry, we both lost people tonight. I didn’t even really know Celeste, but she saved my life. I’m not sure the effort was worth it, two people gone to help me escape from a cult,” I said, trying to come to grips with what had happened tonight. There was no system suppression of my emotions on Earth, and this whole event didn’t have the unreal feeling of a summoning session.
“It’s actually three people that died to help you escape, we lost not only Randy and your friend, but another young man who’d only recently joined us. What you can do now is make sure that their sacrifices weren’t in vain. Come with me and we’ll get you somewhere safe,” Marie offered.
“Let’s go,” I said, turning to follow her out of the dingy store. The clerk started to protest as I began to walk out without paying for the drink in my hand, but Marie pulled out some bills and dropped them on the counter.
Once outside, an old Buick sedan with the clearcoat flaking off the paint waited as our ride. It was definitely not as conspicuous as the giant black SUVs of the Grimslade Group, and the car fit in perfectly for the neighborhood we were in. The windows were lightly tinted, but weren’t too dark where the police would be tempted to pull us over.
“We’re heading home, but it’ll take us an hour or so to get there,” Marie said. The driver just nodded at me once in greeting through the rearview mirror before turning his focus toward the road.
“We have time, why don’t you tell me about your group? What are you called?” I asked, not wanting to sit in silence with my thoughts.
“At first, we were just a group of people who found each other online, some were summoned beings, others were family and friends who wanted to help them. We lost a lot of people before we learned how many others were out there hunting us. For now, we just call ourselves Refuge. There are chapters of our organization across the United States and we’re trying to build up international allies,” Marie replied.
“What kind of help are you offering, and more important, what do you want from me?” I asked. There was no reason to beat around the bush, I wanted to know what their plan was for me, and if was something I didn’t like, I was out of here. Better to be on my own and risk another encounter with cultists, than be some organization’s plaything or lab rat just for the illusion of safety.
“We want your help, and in return, you’ll have ours. As for what we can offer, the most important one is a safe place to stay when you’re here on Earth, or at least a safer place than you would have out on your own. Other than that, you’ll have access to our information on summoned beings, different classes, types of summonings we’ve documented, and a host of other little things that can help you not make the mistakes some of the others have,” Marie said, pausing to wipe tears from her eyes.
She was dealing with loss tonight as well and was probably just as happy to chat as I was. I didn’t detect any deceit in her words, and she seemed genuinely willing to help. Still, I had things I needed to know before I willingly traveled to wherever it was that they were taking me.
“What would you have me do if I join you?’ I asked again.
“Sorry, I know you’re probably concerned about us doing something horrible to you. All we ask for in return for our help is for you to contribute to our knowledge base. We’ll have people debrief you on your experience as a summoned being and add that to the other information we’ve collected. In addition to contributing what you know, we ask that you help us on certain missions where your particular class and skills might be of use,” Marie explained.
“Missions? That’s a little vague, can you give me a bit more? Am I going to have to fight cultists and the like? While I’m prepared to defend myself, signing up for some summoned being army isn’t what I’m looking for,” I said.
“No, you wouldn’t be like a soldier or anything. Just if there was a mission where we needed to help another summoned being out of a spot of trouble, you know, like we did for you tonight. It’s not something we do every day, but there might be times when we call on you to help. When that happens, we expect you to answer just like we did when you needed us,” Marie said a little sharply.
“I get it, and I’m not saying I don’t want to help, or at least return the favor. My only concern is that you will use me up as cannon fodder. Your organization saved my life tonight, and I’ll do what I can to pay that debt,” I replied.
“I’m sorry this happened to you Raymond, but together we’ll figure out what’s going on and how to make the most of it,” Marie said.
“It’s actually not Raymond Durant. My real name is Rico Kline,” I offered as a show of trust as I made my decision to join them. People had risked their lives, and some had lost their lives, to save me tonight. I couldn’t save Celeste, but maybe I could save someone else in the future.
It was time to choose a side, and these Refuge people appeared to be the good guys. I’d keep my eyes open though, and if they tried anything, my minions and I would be ready.
“A pleasure to meet you Rico, you’re not alone in this anymore,” Marie said as we shook hands to seal the deal.