Challenge Series CH64-70

“Good evening, gentlemen; I hope the show those madmen put on hasn’t ruined your evening. Though I’m surprised, you didn’t kill them yourself after what you did to the werewolf.” The man said.

The vampire seemed hesitant to reach through the window to rip Blue out and use him as a hostage. Blue continued to dutifully squat, and by my count, he should be near 100. After that, he had to do 100 pushups and run 1km. If he could do that, he would be right where I started; if not, he would have to play catch up.

When his words registered about the werewolf, I felt more uneasy than before. This guy had either followed me or used someone or something to keep track of me.

“What was that? I haven’t seen anything like that before?” I said.

“I assure you what you saw happens more often than you think. Mages are hungry for power and will do nearly anything to acquire it. They have a sickness with only one cure.” The vampire said.

“Where are my manners? I’m jawing here and haven’t introduced myself. Marcus Tavern, at your service, you are Red and Blue quite peculiar names. I don’t think I’ve heard their like in this area, but I’ve met plenty of China and Asias.” Marcus said.

“I’m going to be direct. You’re a vampire, and this situation happens more frequently than we realize. Does that mean you can either erase or subdue memories?” I asked.

“Nothing so violent, I assure you. I merely convince your minds that memories like these are inconsequential, but there is no reason to do that for you. You’ve acquired a mana source like the ancient sources possessed by old houses, but you are of mundane blood. If those cultists were allowed to complete their little ritual, they would have hunted you down and stolen your mana upon death. By stopping their ritual and killing their sacrifices, you polluted their ritual with a will not their own. You were callous and brutal like no mundane of this age I’ve seen before.” The vampire turned to look at Blue. “Why is he doing pushups?”

“A simple yes or no would have sufficed. You remind me of my stepfather, a good man and quite the talker, and my brother is seeking strength through his own ritual. You revealed a lot about the mages. Far more than their society would like to be known more than likely. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess they aren’t friends of yours.” I said.

“I know you, boy, and your stepfather is a dear friend. Though he has many friends and many from families of powerful bloodlines though he’s ignorant of us. He does like to talk, and we like him because few mortals in this age talk like he does. I can talk about hats with him for a dog's age. You met many supernatural beings at your church; it's neutral ground though you could guess I’ve never shown myself there. Werewolves, angels, mages, and demons, they can’t help but spend time with mortals in those supposedly holy houses.” Marcus said.

“It sounds like everything we know is either a lie or suspect. That or you’re making everything up as you go along.” Blue said.

“Is there any truth to the bible at all?” I asked.

“There are books for all the supernaturals written thousands of years ago merged into their own bibles. Each claims to have the answer, but I haven’t faced my true death and can’t say for sure. I have faith in my own book, and many humans believe in their book. Demons are quite fervent in their beliefs, especially their priests. If you want a direct answer, take it up with god.” The vampire stared at me with hunger-filled crimson eyes and approached the window. “Would you kindly invite me in and shut your window? I need to ensure the two of you are safe.” Marcus said.

I felt something move from his eyes, and my vision went hazy. When I shook my head, his eyes widened. Then, even as the vampire’s voice echoed through my mind like a shout down a hallway, I regained my composure.

“I was waiting for the attack; thank you for exposing your true intentions,” I said.

“Let me in. I’m not trying to hurt you, but it’s better to forget. You aren’t mages, and you don’t belong to a pack, choir, legion, or coven. Knowing that the world around you is not what it will do nothing but drive you insane. People who know and aren’t connected to the greater world can’t cope. But it’s better than suicide.” Marcus said.

Blue stopped his pushups, rested on his knees, and looked at me. “Red, I don’t want my house burned down.”

I waved my hand at him and straightened up. My body shook with barely contained energy, and a smile stretched across my face. I stared at the vampire, and the creature took a step back.

“What are you? Not your species but your position. Do you hold some special title or position in the greater word?” I asked.

“What a foolish question for someone about to forget everything they saw here today. If you must know, I am a sheriff of this North Mississippi. I keep the peace, call up possies, and keep mundanes like yourself ignorant through hypnosis.”

I threw myself through the open window and smashed him in the chest with a superman punch. Hitting the vampire felt like punching a marble statue. While the bastard felt feather-light and went flying, his skin was damn hard and barely had any give to it. I didn’t even feel any bones when I hit him, but he squished like he was made of the same substance aligned in a latticework. Honestly, it was like punching a beehive made of flexible marble.

My feet caught on the window seal, and after hitting Marcus, I lost most of my momentum. I fell face forward and smacked myself in the dirt. Picking myself up with one hand, I scooted my feet out and under me and closed the window. Then I heard Blue’s treadmill turn on for the kilometer run. A chill ran up my spine, and before a blow slammed hard into the brick wall of Blue’s house. The brick shattered as a mold of me was impressed into the wall.

“You’re a fucking moron, I felt the wall more than your shove, and that barely tickled.”

“You might be able to reinforce yourself with magic, but you’re just an amateur.” A crimson mist surrounded the vampire as I tossed a tree-sized stake out of my inventory. Waves of crimson lines slashed out in front of the vampire, bisecting the log in six places with little effort. I smelled copper.

Mentally I marked down reinforcement as an avenue of study and pulled out two more stakes. The vampire blurred, and I threw the second one where he would go next. My compound bow appeared in my hands, and I fired a few arrows at the vampire. They were caught and tossed back at me only to bounce off my skin.

I was starting to have a good time. Marcus could fight a little better than the werewolf, so I decided to move just a little faster and see how the vampire would react. He stopped moving, and the mist appeared around him again. My next blow had tossed his hat to rest on a bed of pine needles behind him. The vampire’s body had a little more give to it this time, but I still didn’t feel my knuckles hit any bones. So instead of letting his body fly away and giving the vampire time to recover and get its bearings, I followed through. The mist splattered into drops of blood while my blows rained down on the vampire. Whatever he was trying to do had been interrupted.

Every punch cracked and mangled the vampire’s face, only for the creature to regenerate before the next blow. A second flew by, and I had already hit the vampire dozens of times. I thought about slowly raising my qi to its normal passive levels but declined the opportunity. The vampire could only survive my blows due to the strangeness of its body’s constitution and its regeneration. If it were a human with the same strength, I would have splattered him on my fists.

Between blows, I concluded that the werewolf wasn’t an outlier; all supernaturals besides wizards apparently were unnaturally tough. There was also the chance that this vampire and that werewolf were just extremely durable specimens of their species. He was a sheriff, and the other creature was a beta taking care of their pack’s territory.

I slammed an uppercut into the vampire’s chin, grabbed his fancy leather boot, and slammed him on the ground over my shoulder. Another stake appeared in my hand, aimed down for the vampire’s chest. Marcus struggled to get his hands up the catch several tons of wood thrown aided in its descent by gravity. When I grabbed the handle on the stake, the vampire’s eyes widened. Perhaps it knew this would be the end for it.

“I surrender,” The vampire said, and I stopped the stake’s descent holding it like the sword of Damocles over the vampire’s head. Honestly, I thought it was strange that something of this level could potentially kill a vampire, but maybe a stake through the heart was legit. If that’s the case, then vampires had an obvious weakness. That or losing its chest to a stake wider than its torso would have been fatal.

“I accept it then, and so long as you act in good faith, we won’t have a problem. Now explain this greater world in better detail, or next time I won’t hold back.” I said.

“How you’re human, but I’ve never been hit like that by a human. Even mages of the old families are limited to the elementals they summon and merge with. At that point, they’re practically demons themselves. Have you discovered some ancient forgotten secret?” Marcus asked.

“I am simply amazing; now enough about me you lost. So, tell me what I want to know.” I said.

“Right, I lost to a human who was reportedly mundane a week ago. We can start with my kind. We call ourselves vampires though we aren’t traditional vampires. Sunlight doesn’t burn us on contact, but we struggle to remain awake, and young vampires will become catatonic during the day. Five bloodlines were founded in the new world named after one of six red Indian tribes.” I raised an eyebrow. “I know what I said, young man. You can beat me in a fistfight, but I’ll tell you what I know my way. We didn’t wipe out the whole tribes; we just sacrificed a good number of them to empower our blood in this land. If we don’t empower our bloodlines every few centuries, each generation of vampires will become weaker. That’s common knowledge. If you joined a mage family, they would hand you a textbook full of this knowledge. You can buy one on amazon. I would suggest you get one for reference.” Marcus said.

“What are you, a teacher?” I asked.

“I used to teach college with your stepfather. Native American history and African study night classes are surprisingly competitive subjects.”

“Let’s stay on topic; ok, five vampire bloodlines named after red Indian tribes massacred to empower your bloodlines. That is common knowledge, and are you paying any reparations for it?”

“We lobby to increase the welfare funded to those tribes; you could call that a form of reparations.”

“Is there anything else I need to know about vampires?” I asked.

“We drink blood more than we need to and kill less than you think. Hypnosis works well on most humans, and tinder is very useful for male and female vampires.”

“I see good to know; I’ll learn the rest from the textbook. Thank you for your help, but that’s enough for tonight.” I said.

Marcus didn’t look happy. His eyes glazed over, and I prepared to return to the fight. Knowing that this guy had some power in the supernatural world didn’t change the difference between our physical strengths. Ending the conversation on my own terms was an extension of my power. It showed that I didn’t need his information.

“I wanted to give you a job offer. As sheriff of north Mississippi, I can deputize others, whether they are vampires or humans. If you work for me, then I can protect your family more than I already am and all you would need to do is handle a job for me from time to time.” Marcus said and pulled out his phone. Moments later, my phone buzzed. I saved the number under Marcus, the spiritual Choctaw. Of course, the man was almost as pale and white as me, only his skin didn’t glow like mine.

“Your salary starts at 150k, and if you do well, you could see a raise in your future. Not all the jobs I assign to you will be difficult, but I expect you to work. If I find you aren’t at least trying, then you won’t get paid.”

I ran the numbers with our current inflation, and I would make the equivalent of 60k a year ago. While it sounded like a lot compared to the 30k I had been living on before, it was a lot. Power deserved respect, and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to pull one over on me or if 150k was genuinely all he could afford to pay me. Being a vampire didn’t automatically make him rich. If I was going to survive, I needed to supplement my income, boost my credit, and do some grunt work.

“We can discuss the final details later, then just forward me the job, and I’ll do what I can,” I said.

Something like a deputy job sounded like something I wasn’t equipped to deal with. While I could fistfight a werewolf and come out on top, detective work and sleuthing wasn’t my practice. Then against my practice was selling insurance. So, maybe I could just sell myself as a detective instead or a concerned citizen. I doubted there were any official badges or anything since I was working under a vampire.

“I would ask to come inside to watch the game with you, but our interests don’t seem to align. So why aren’t you supporting our team? It’s important to any community to give your support and tune in when our state teams are playing.”

“Just because I work for you doesn’t mean you get to dictate what I watch. Thank you for coming, but my brother and I haven’t seen each other in a while and would like to continue our night.” I said.

“I understand; tomorrow morning, I’ll forward you the documents for your first job. Do well, and this job can open many doors for your future or shut them in your face if you make the wrong impression. The strength you showed me, while impressive, doesn’t forgive your attitude. I’m surprised your stepfather tolerated it.” Marcus said.

Under normal circumstances, I might have just blasted the vampire and been done with it. But he was now my meal ticket. Without him, I wouldn’t have any income, and until I found an independent revenue stream, he was important.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said and turned my back on the vampire and walked back to my brother’s house. A smirk spread across my face. I could sense the sheer disbelief radiating off the vampire even without looking. Turning my back on such a predator should have been completely insane. No human would do something like that and risk provoking a predator. But instead, I did it to show him that he wasn't a threat to me, no matter what he could do or what he thought of himself. Pissing on him might have been kinder.

While my brother ran, I stared at my phone, counting the minutes until his time ran out. Then, I heard him turn up the speed on the treadmill and waited. Finally, the time elapsed, and the treadmill was turned off. Blue walked out of his room, covered in sweat and stumbling for the couch, holding his side. He hit the ad on his phone, and I walked up behind him to see what played.

The ad in question was another rendition of the world of giants where human-sized natives were gobbled up. Blood bathed the scene, which seemed to be a video feature. The giants weren’t only after the bodies of their prey but enjoyed slurping the blood from their veins. That led me to a few assumptions about the giants in the ad.

“Don’t go there for your first world. The pills will make you around two and a half times stronger, but it won’t matter against those things.” So I said and took some of my own pills and swigged some Pepsi. But unfortunately, our pizza was cold, and Blue’s microwave was out of commission.

“I’m not an idiot. What did that guy have to say?”

“Vampires are real, their local bloodlines are named after red Indian tribes, and he’s the sheriff of north Mississippi.”

“Do you think he’s full of shit?”

“I hope not; he offered me a job with a fat salary. You should get a good night’s sleep; you’ll be transported in the morning. I was gone for 7months my time, and you could be gone longer depending on your world.”

“Could you come to power level me?” Blue asked.

“No, I don’t think I can. Besides, I have work to do here. I need to establish myself. You’ll be fine; the first quest in the new world depends on your situation more than anything. Keep your head down, and you’ll be ok.” I said.

“Fine, you can have the couch tonight,” Blue said.

I nodded and turned the mecha show off, and went to bed. When the sun rose, I felt Blue vanish in a flash of static to my senses. He was gone and wouldn’t be back for some time. A file was downloaded to my phone, and I opened it up to see a werewolf girl named Suzie McCarthy missing from her home. An article of her clothing was found near the hidden Natchez trace forest reserve. The address fed into my GPS, and I put on my ape fur robe.

After following the British robot voice to my destination, I saw a series of signs in a forest I’d never seen before. Strange rune-covered rocks near the reserve’s entrance made me feel dizzy. I made my way to the ranger station in the reserve and went inside.

Some light pleasantries later, Paul, the 6ft 6in werewolf ranger with arms like anacondas, gave me a look over. “You smell different for a human. And that pelt your wearing doesn’t do you any favors. If you weren’t the sheriff’s deputy, I might be less than polite to you. You shouldn’t expect better while you wear that suit. I shouldn’t even let you go out looking.” Paul said.

Before I could protest, Paul raised his hand to stop me. “If she smelled you, the girl would try to run away. It’s only been a few days, but the search looks promising. We’ll find her, and I’ll tell the sheriff you helped us out. How does that sound?” Paul said.

“I would fill better if you clear something up for me. How did she go missing in the first place? Don’t werewolves normally have a good sense of direction?” I asked.

“We suspect she was taken from her home and sold to one of the forest residents. This forest is one of the great reserves created during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency. All manner of beast lives in these woods; some were rare and on the edge of extinction, only to make a comeback. Unfortunately, many creatures are known for kidnapping young girls. So we narrowed our search down to the grandmother tigers in our woods.” Paul said.

“What does an elderly tiger have to do with anything?” I asked.

“You aren’t well-read. Have you ever heard the story of little red riding hood?”

“So it’s a tiger with a fetish for dressing up like old women. That’s like a reverse furry.”

“Please don’t say the F word around here; many of us don’t take kindly to it. You’re a deputy, so I can’t stop you from searching, but you won't find her if none of us wolves could.” Paul said.

“Is there even a chance she’s alive?” I asked.

“Be glad her parents aren’t here to hear you say something so insensitive. But what else could I expect from someone working for a vampire? They are the type to toss people into the deep end. By your lack of fangs, I’m guessing you’re a mage and a powerful one if old Marcus hired you.” Paul said.

“Why would you think that? I could be an angel or a demon?”

The man snorted. “Paid or not, neither of them would piss on us if we were on fire. Do you have any skill in clairvoyance?” I shook my head.

“None of the mages on staff could find her with her belongings. I was hoping you had some crazy 4th tier clairvoyance spells to break through the grandmother tiger’s cloaking ability.”  Paul said.

I decided to pick up on some clairvoyance spells later when I had time to dig into magic. Finding a single werewolf girl out here was worse odds than finding a diamond ring in a junkyard.

“So, just to be sure, there is no chance the grandmother tiger left the reserve,” I said.

Paul’s eyes narrowed, and he didn’t seem to like what I was saying at all. A growl escaped his throat. “This is the only way in or out of the reserve on this side. But no one would let one of them out of the reserve. They are nothing but trouble.”

“Is there anything else I should know before I head out?” I asked.

“Don’t anger the greater beasts in the reserve; even alphas don’t push their luck with them,” Paul said.

That changed things, and I liked it. Something like a more fabulous beast sounded like a great addition to my deck. All I had to do was find one I liked, beat it into submission, and capture it just like pokémon.

I stepped out of the ranger station and stared out into the forest. Ancient hardwoods dotted the reserved heavy with history and carvings from people long since dead. In front of the station, there was a large oak with a large T.R. and some old rusty chains still screwed into the tree. The forest ahead was a blank to my qi sense, meaning I couldn’t tell how strong anything in those woods was. So, I decided to go all out against anything I saw.

My inventory opened, and Lotus flew out, slithering through the air, gaining altitude rapidly. The second she was free, I saw the world through her eyes in the crystal-clear clarity of life and death. She accepted my memories of the meeting with the ranger and flew out over the reserve. With her bird’s eye view, this might not be too difficult.

“I found one of the orange striped cats should I pursue,” Lotus asked.

The forest blurred around me as I moved, building up speed to ram the tiger. “No, find the next one; there is no guarantee this is the one we’re looking for,” I said and redoubled my speed again.

Birds flew out overhead as I moved, some of which had the strangest color patterns I’ve ever seen. Strange blackbirds larger than a pickup leaped out of their trees as I passed. Lotus swooped down and unleashed her negative energy beam on one before catching it in her talons to pick it apart midair. Then, finally, the tiger came into view, and I tackled it to the ground.

It cried out in pain as my hands wrapped around its throat. Massive paws the size of dinner plates raked against my skin only to find no purchase. If bullets flattened against my skin, claws weren’t likely to do anything. They barely tickled, and it wasn’t enough to distract me from choking the tiger out.

“Please,” the tiger said, and I loosened my grip on it.

“Where is the girl?” I said in my best Batman impression.

“Don’t know,” The tiger responded.

“Then I’ll find others who do.” So I said and prepared to finish what I started.

“Wait!” The tiger said.

My grip loosened by a fraction. It didn't matter to me how a tiger spoke and why it sounded human. This was my job now, and saving a little girl sounded like doing the right thing. How she ended up in the reserve of all places didn’t matter to me at this point either?”

“I can lead you to her.” The tiger said.

“You won’t escape me if you run,” I said.

When I let off the tiger, the beast yowled and rolled over before shaking her head. Slowly light gathered around her until, in her place, there was a woman. I would call her cute if this wasn’t just an illusion. Despite the lack of qi, I could practically taste how light bent to show me an image superimposed on the tiger. This really put a new spin on the adage the lady or the tiger.

“You smell wrong. We warned granny that something bad would happen if she went through with the trade.” The tigress said.

“So, you’re saying she was kidnapped by a third party and traded here,” I said to confirm the ranger’s suspicions.

“We wouldn’t be able to get to her if that wasn’t the case. Not many parents are brave enough to come here to camp anymore with their children.” The image of a woman liked her lips. “Maybe it's better that they don’t. I can take you to her if you promise to take the girl and leave the rest of us alone.”

“I’m not here for any of you.”

“Follow me.” The tiger said and ran as I followed her at a leisurely pace.

If not for Lotus, I wouldn’t know where I was in the reserve. This place was convoluted and stacked upon itself. Every few yards, a hole filled with angry green men ready to burst out like fire ants. Massive green hives covered trees filled with little pixie women who fluttered about, whispering about crowns, power, and deals. I realized my world wasn’t as mundane as I first thought with each creature I ran into. Really it was just like the US to take magical creatures and force them on a scrap of land trail of tears style.

Of course, the tigers that could disguise themselves as human women to hunt down people needed to be removed. The tiger led the way in her illusionary form. But with every step she took, I saw clear tiger tracks.

We came upon a small house in a clearing between the trees. Smoke flowed up through the chimney, and I wondered if this was also an illusion. I smelled the werewolf girl somewhere in the house and couldn’t know what state she was in. Approaching the house would be a mistake.

“Did she swallow the child whole?” I asked.

The house seemed to face away, revealing the form of a house-sized tiger with a dirty ten-year-old girl in her grasp. “No, what kind of granny would eat a child.” The massive tiger said.

“One that is a tiger and kidnapper; she needs to return to her parents,” I said.

“Why did you lead this mage to me? Did he promise to let you out of our prison?”

“This isn’t about her. You must have seen the search parties. Someone who really cared for her would have returned her.” I said.

The giant tiger pressed her paw into the child’s back, driving her into the mud. “She’s mine. I gave up too much to get her just to let her go.” I sighed.

“What did you give up? Maybe I can compensate you for your loss?” I said.

“Someone like you wouldn’t understand. I can see the dullness in your eyes and how you carry yourself.”

“I’m a granny tiger, and there is only one thing that can truly give us pleasure. We care for discarded children until they learn to love us like their real parents. It's at that moment when they love us the most that they taste the best. That love and our betrayal empower us more than you could ever imagine.”

My gaze left the granny tiger for the one who led me here. Our eyes met, and she blinked at me slowly.

“You’re a degenerate, and you give the rest of us a bad name. The old crowd may have enjoyed their degeneracy, but we don’t support you. Give back the child and finally die.” The tiger said.

“I don’t care what you spoiled brats say. This is what we’re made to do.” The tiger lifted the werewolf girl in her paws. “Child, I have saved you from the monsters of the forest. Do you love me?”

“She’s using her illusions to block out our conversation.” The tiger that led me here said.

The child nodded her head, and I moved. Honestly, it was like going from pro baseball down to minor league. While the granny tiger was still a massive tiger, she wasn’t that much tougher than one. My spear appeared off its hotkey, and I thrust its long tip through the granny tiger’s left eye. The elderly tiger’s feet kicked, and its jaws snapped closed before going slack. I raised my corpse collector card, and the granny tiger’s body vanished inside. The werewolf stumbled back, and I caught her in my arms.

“Thanks for your help. Now, what did she trade?” I asked.

“It was a book from the old world. She traded it to some mages for the girl. It was a play script with a weird symbol on its cover. Have you heard of it before?” She asked.

One did come to mind but thinking about it literally did no one any good. “It doesn’t ring a bell. Thank you for your help, and I’m sorry about attacking you before. But saving her was important.” I said and, under Lotus’s guidance, made my way back to the ranger station with the little werewolf girl in tow.

“I helped you, so could you set me free?”

I thought about it for half a second. A tiger that could shapeshift by bending light around her could be useful. She was an infiltrator that doubled as a wild animal. If something went wrong, she could transform into something else. Unfortunately, her kind was known for eating children. It was a complete deal-breaker.

“There is a way,” I said and pulled a blank card from my inventory. She didn’t flinch when I placed it against her forehead and activated it. The tiger woman turned into a data stream and vanished into the card. After thinking about it for a second, I scanned the card and put it up for sale on the market for 500SP. The flashing title of juvenile grandmother tiger would hopefully be warning enough.

Someone else could deal with a half-ton sex offender tiger.

“Mister, are you a mage?” The werewolf girl asked.

“Kid, my name is Red; what’s yours?”

“Suzie, I’m not a kid. I don’t like being called a kid.” Suzie said.

“Good to know; well, to answer your question, yes, I’m a mage and a deputy to sheriff Marcus. I’m going to get you out of here.” I said and held out my hand.

We walked out of the reserve at a sedate pace. Not much happened on the way out. Anytime something tried to set an ambush, Lotus blasted them with a negative energy beam. She quickly ate her fill of them while I walked Suzie out of the woods.

Something was bugging me the whole time we walked. Suzie wasn’t taken near the woods; a group of mages kidnapped her and sold her off to the tiger for a book. I thought about the mages in the woods sacrificing Blue’s neighbors and tried to connect the dots.

“Do you know what the mages who kidnapped you look like?” I asked.

“Their leader was a chad in a strange yellow suit, and his face was like a clown.” I nodded slowly, picturing a strange clown man in a yellow business suit. My image winked at me, then shattered. Then I grabbed Suzie and dodged out of the way of a yellow fireball. The ground ruptured in a geyser of sickly yellow flames. “Don’t picture him too long in your mind, or that happens. I thought all mages knew about that.”

“I’m new to being a mage,” I said.

“He’ll be able to find you now.”

“Good, if he’s worried about me, he won’t be able to come after you again.” I winked at her. “If he finds me, it won’t be a good day for him,” I said.

“You’re a weirdo,” Suzie said.

“Ouch, I felt that. But how do you expect me not to think about the clown guy?” I raised my finger and blasted the incoming fireball just as it appeared.

Suzie’s eyes sparkled when she saw the energy firing from my fingertips. “Spill the tea; how can you do that with no symbols? Is it premade?”

I blinked, and the cringe hit me like a freight train. “You seem to know a lot about magic,” I said.

“My BFF Carry is a mage but trash at it; she always complains about how long it takes to form a spell. Like girl same, I can’t full-body transform without attacking someone. Chill, so you can’t save them yet, and it takes a lot of mana to practice; no lie, it’s hard for me too.” Suzie said.

I had to get her back immediately.

“Master did English update.”

“Fuck no,” I said.

We arrived at the ranger station, and the werewolf at the counter stared between the child and me. “Deputy, I thought you didn’t have any tier 4 clairvoyance spells,” Paul said.

“I still don’t, but there are other grandmother tigers in the woods, and they talk.” The ranger didn’t look convinced. “Just get her back to her parents. It's nearly noon, and I need to grab something to eat.”

“Nearly noon, we’ve been searching for her for a week, and you found her before noon. Where did Marcus find you? Are you a cross-bloodline mage with Damphire ancestry or something equally ridiculous? Grandmother tigers don’t just talk even when we trap them.” Paul said.

“I just throttled her a little, then she showed me the way. Really it was easy.” I checked my phone; if I hurried, I could make it to Wendy's before the lunch rush.

“Do you like steak?”

Suzie perked up, and the man even had my attention. “Well, one of the golden cows in the reserve had to be put down, and we butchered it. So I have a few steaks in the fridge, and you can meet her family. The grill is back if you want to start it while I radio her parents and prepare the steaks.” Paul said.

Free food and something exotic like Apollo’s golden cows sounded mighty tasty, but there was the myth to worry about. “What does Apollo think about it?” I asked.

“They aren’t his golden cows; they belong to the reserve,” Paul said.

I blinked at both the confirmation that Apollo was read and that his sacred cattle could be owned by other people without the sun god getting mad. While I was strong, I didn’t want to fight a god on an empty stomach, but I could fight a god.

A sickly yellow fireball fell down like a vengeful meteor while I turned on the propane. With a twitch of my fingers, another blast destroyed it in midair. The dangerous spell detonated midair, unleashing a devastating shockwave but doing little else.

“Someone is sus. Why are you trying to flex on the clown?” Suzie asked.

“There is a cost to using a long-range spell like that. Every time I force him to activate it, he loses mana to either replace the spells or the time needed to reapply them. While for me, all I must do is point and expend very little energy.” I said.

I thought about the clown again, but there was no fireball this time. If only I had some clairvoyance spells to take advantage of this lull in fireballs.

…

When Paul said he had steak for us, I didn’t expect 64oz of the best damn cut of meat I’ve ever tasted. Each bite was dripping with flavor; he cooked it to medium rare just like I liked it, and I couldn’t get over how juicy it was. I took another bite and enjoyed the explosion of salty, succulent flavor and took a bite of the homemade loaf of bread Paul added for a side. My baked sweet potato had cooled off, and I split it down the middle and added a scoop of goat butter. Honestly, I could eat two more of the steaks; they were just that good. They tasted like the man sautéed them in butter. By the time I felt full, I had eaten two steaks, four potatoes, and 3 loaves of bread and washed it down with a tall glass of locally brewed beer. I also managed to take the last of my pills while I was at it.

A tall man who appeared to be in his early twenties with a wild red beard fused with his shaggy hair approached me. “I can’t thank you again, deputy, for what you did for our Suzie.” Mr. McCarthy said.

“No trouble, it's my job, and I’m glad I could help,” I said.

“Have you met my other daughter?” The older

The slip of a woman he introduced had long red hair braided into pigtails, kind blue eyes, and freckles on her cheeks. I could smell the wildness radiating off her that was common with werewolves. From my experience, werewolves were tough as hell, and fooling around with her could be fun. The werewolf girl wore leggings with a green top that showed off her midriff. She looked me over, smiled, and looked away.

I held out my hand to speed this meeting along and hopefully make it less awkward. “My name is Red; it's nice to meet you.”

“Kassidy, do you want to get another beer with me?”

She walked off, tugging me along while Suzie made kissy faces. Then, we walked into another room.

“Thank you for rescuing my sister. I really appreciate it, but I have a boyfriend. Before we go any further, you need to know that so there aren’t any misunderstandings. We’re in an open relationship, and you did save my sister, so if you don’t tell anyone, you can call me up and have fun. Here is my number.” Kassidy said.