Chapter Ten: First Steps

    Walking up behind the old woman, I couldn't do anything but stare as she and the three next to her began to weep. It was strange. I'd never felt this feeling before. This mourning, this uneasiness. But what were they mourning? Janet, why are you crying?

I went beside the woman, and reached out, my hand passing through like air. Janet cried more, the others grabbing her in a huge embrace, Hugo and Dan and Jenny. What is going on? I just want to be with my family again. We can be together again.

Janet said something but it was jumbled, a language I couldn't understand. She laid a hand on the bed, machines all about beeping. She then touched the man lying there, still as night, quiet as a mouse. He....he looked familiar. I reached out again, but this time I was yanked back, back more, pulled into nothing. Then I was flying up into the sky, where a bright light was welcoming me. I tried to swim away, forced myself to get away, back to my family. Screaming, I didn't want to leave. Not yet.

Not yet.

XXXX

    As the resident necromancer, I like to consider myself an expert in things like ghosts, death, life, and the works. Being someone who can easily see spirits flying around like banshees on a sugar rush is boring to me now. How desperate can one be for entertainment? What's joy to a man who has been restricted to the dull experiences of life and it's finite rules? Fuck if I know. But something I do think is unfair is when I'm challenged as a person, as a being, as someone who matters.

    Halina and I were sitting down, enjoying a nice calm breakfast, when the doorbell rang. I groaned loudly, vividly showing my displeasure. "Ah! I haven't even finished my orange juice. The hell?"

    "Are you expecting someone?" Halina shoved a large piece of waffle into her face, chomping down. It had been two days since I called the meeting, and so far things had been rather relaxed. Granted I hadn't done that much yet. Gotta take things slow, ya'know? "I didn't think anybody knew about this place?"

    "My security measures didn't go off. They must have come from the dock. I must've been to busy eating to have not noticed." Sniffing, I nearly gagged. "Fuck. It's a damn magi."

    "You must not have any magi friends," Halina retorted, giving me a scoff. "What's one doing here?"

    "Meh, probably a handler." The chair scraped across the tile floor as I stood. In my loose pajamas and sweatshirt, it's pretty clear that I'm not prepared to be intimidating. Hopefully that won't be a factor in whatever this is about.

Opening up the door, the woman magi in the very expensive business suit and tie was talking on a cell phone with her left hand on hip, briefcase in hand. Her short cropped hair and sunglasses gave me a spook. She was here on important matters, at least from the vibe she gave off. I coughed, but she gave a 'wait' gesture.

The audacity.

She hung up, and tucked the phone in her pocket. Adjusting her glasses, the woman pushed past me into my living room, glaring even though I couldn't see it. She threw her case down onto the small table. "This is much cleaner than I thought it'd be. But it sure smells disgusting."

"Uh, who are you? And why are you in my house?" I asked, watching Halina creep up in the background. Personally, and I'm sure most people feel this way, I don't appreciate strangers strolling around my house. "And you smell disgusting."

"I am Katherine van Hanse, a Representative of the Pillar Magi." Miss Katherine gingerly sat down on my recliner, hands on knees, trying to hide her revolt. Ugh, why is the Pillar bothering me now? I'm pretty sure I've gotten away with everything..... "And I am here because it was reported to us that you were seen walking with a lone woman. As you well know, you are forbidden to have children, so we want to know what's going on."

My face plummeted. Holy fuck, of all the things I thought I'd have to deal with, this honestly never crossed my mind once. Damn, even Halina was looking like she was punched in the stomach. Attempting to gain my composure, I said, "Ah, well you see Katherine--hey, wait, who ratted me out? Not the light of my life Quinn?"

"That is to remain closed."

"Whatever," I said. "I am Halina's consultant." Waving her closer, the writer gave shy smile, probably scared of this bitch woman barging into my home with these accusations. "She's a writer, and is writing about the Hidden. I am helping her out."

"Really? I find this behaviour very unconventional," she said coldly. "And very unbelievable. While it is understood that you've never engaged in a relationship before, it does not surprise me that one has formed now. Now, if you'd stop this lying, I'd like to get on with my investigation--"

"--Uh, if I may speak, I like women," Halina interrupted. Naturally, I gestured with a 'shut the fuck up' motion at the magi, while Halina continued. "I'm a lesbian. I'm not sure how familiar the magi are with that term..."

"Yes, same-sex relations is practiced with the magi, if you are indeed a writer, and wish to add that." Katherine removed her sunglasses and her kaleidoscope eyes went from red to blue to green. Distracting if you ask me. "Yet there is no way for you to prove that."

"She hasn't seen me naked."

Both women looked at me, to which it dawned upon me maybe that wasn't the best sentence to say. But it's the truth, and I'm all about that truth.

"What? She hasn't. And I'm sure she finds you more attractive than me." I faced Halina, getting mixed messages that I couldn't read. Anger at myself? That's fair. "Er--or maybe not. Makes sense. You magi are all gross in my opinion. Minus Quinn, when you see her again."

"Listen, Ditto, can you stop for a moment?" Halina left the room, returning quickly with her phone. Pulling up some pictures, she showed us a photo with her and another woman, holding hands. Damn, they look happy. "Here I am with an ex. Happy now?"

Katherine squinted, apparently not accepting what was in her face. A few seconds later, and she nodded with a satisfied frown. "I suppose that is fine. How interesting Mr. Ditto that you'd take on this project. I have it here in my notes you are rather lazy, and unempathetic."

"Meh, I like a good challenge now and again." This is the shit I'm talking about. The magi don't care. Because they are dumb and only see what they want to see. God, if only they knew.....

"Then the Pillar have nothing to worry about. And I'll be on my way." Katherine put on her sunglasses and went straight for the door. "But if I find out you are lying, then the consequences will be sever."

"Yeah yeah, Miss Magi. No one really cares what you magic pansies have to say. Now please get out." I ushered her through the door, before she could even say another word, and slammed it shut. "Sweet shit, what a way to start the day."

"That was certainly interesting," Halina said, heading back for the kitchen. "I thought you said the magi don't follow you around any more."

"They don't. Quinn must have noticed us and told on me. Which is kinda bad because that might put me back on the magicians radar again. I'd rather them leave me alone. Until it's relevant."

We sat back down like nothing happened, both drinking simultaneously. While I dove back into my food, Halina just poked around with her fork, a depressed look shadowing her face. A good friend would ask what's wrong. A good friend would question why the sudden act of sadness. A good friend would be curious as to why this happened all of a sudden.

So I just sat there and said nothing.

And clearly Halina sensed that I wasn't going to say anything because she coughed real loud, saying, "Ahem."

"Oh, you got something caught in your throat?"

"No. When someone is feeling sad, you're supposed to ask 'what is wrong?'."

"Ah," I said, wiping off with a napkin. "I've heard of that before. Something about empathy for emotions or whatever. The things they don't teach in school. Alright Halina, what is wrong?"

This time she flushed, acting as though I shouldn't have mentioned it. "Well, you see, that old picture, brought up some memories that I kinda wish were still locked away. Not that I wish they were gone, since I kept the picture, but they still hurt."

Writers, always got to be the poetic ones. "A bad break up huh?"

"Yeah. Things were going so well, and I truly thought she was the one." Hopes and dreams for children. Remember that. Goals are for adults, with expectations and desires sprinkled on top. Halina smiled. "Then she dumped me. Out of nowhere, and when I tried to figure out why, I got ignored. Jessica broke my heart."

"As a warning, I'm not well versed in the whole 'romance' thing," I said. "But sounds to me like this Jessica might have been taking advantage of you. Or at least was simply a cheater. I don't know. Bad actions aren't ever justified, they're just done. Eventually there comes a point where you must ask, if what you had was worth it."

"And if I never reach that point?"

I shrugged. "Then the locked away memories remain painful. But, as I said, I'm not experienced in romance. I am though in asking 'is it worth it?' because, at the end of the day, every action has a consequence."

"Hmph, that's alright advice." She gave a small smile. "I am surprised though that you've never had a relationship before."

"It's as they say. Dead bodies are better than real ones."

Halina laughed choked in her throat. "That makes you sound perverted."

Though I don't know much about romance, I do know a thing or two in friendship. "Hey, I know what will cheer you up. The mall is filled with singles. We can do some mingling. It'll give us something to do before tonight."

"I don't know. I'm not much of a mingler."

"And I'm not much of a people person," I said. "Doesn't mean I'm not willing to try. Don't worry, we can bail whenever."

Maybe that won her over. Being promised to leave whenever she wanted. That usually gets me to parties, you know, if I ever was invited to any.

"Okay then. That sounds sorta fun. But," she looked at me funny, as though I got something in my teeth. "What's going on tonight."

"Well it officially hasn't been arranged yet, but we got an important date with a man." I cracked my knuckles, feeling the pop pop of them. The sound soothed me, which might be weird. Fuck if I know what's normal. "Don't worry about it now. It's just super important."

"To the mall then."

"To the mall!" I said as I stood and fell, tripping over my own feet.

XXXX

Now, here's the thing you got to understand about Ohio malls: they're boring. Not like in the way where there isn't anything to do or half the shops are closed. It's that everything you can do is dull, and you can find it in any other mall across the country. Hell, even the few Hidden malls that exist have cooler options than human malls. They are boring.

Fortunately for us, however, this mall happened to have a decent amount of people in it most of the time. And as Halina and I watched the slow moving crowd from the bench, sipping on slushies, it finally occurred to me just how much of a non people person I really am. Kids were wearing odd clothing and children were screaming and I wanted to die.

Halina was also being difficult.

"Come on," I said. "Mingling isn't that hard. Just gotta find the singles."

"You obviously don't know anything. I'm not as social as it seems." She eyed a woman, who grabbed a man by his ass. Damn. "The internet is a better place for mingling."

"I can't tell if anyone is single Halina. I'm just spewing nonsense." Obviously everything I say is bullshit. A lesson I learned is trust but confirm, which goes for myself as well. "Anyways, it never hurts to just try."

"I just--don't want to be shut down you know?" Halina tossed her drink into the nearest trash can. "I can't really handle rejection."

"Nah it's fine. Talking to people is like trying to ride a bike. Hard at first, easier as you go along." I also threw out my drink, shivering as it made me cold. It made a thunk as it landed. "Who looks like good options? Start out with less intimidating people. Who are you least afraid of?"

Halina looked around, trying to find a profitable chance, her eyes scanning the battlefield. As a hero, you must learn to pick your battles carefully, but always willing to just jump right in. I think. Really, I just want to get paid, so maybe I'm a little biased as to what I will and won't do. Anyways, Halina pointed out a woman, who walked into a clothing store. "What about her?"

"Uh, I don't know. Have I not made myself clear about not knowing anything?" I flipped through a fiction book I had bought, one about mystic lands and sword fights and the works. A short book, but something to do in my limited spare time. "I guess go ahead and try. Make it natural though, you know. Don't be weird about it."

"But what if she says no?"

"Then we'll call it a day. Why rush things?" I shooed her away, pushing her gently. "Now go on. Get. Can't get the biscuit if you don't risk it."

The writer whined, then eventually made her way over, pulling down her golden sundress and adjusting her sun hat. Even though it was nearing fall, it was particularly warm out this afternoon. Which is why I choose only to wear a black long sleeve shirt and jeans. It breathed well this day, giving me a peaceful sensation. A nice breeze from the air conditioning hit my face, and I sighed in relief. My troubles seemed less......troubling right now. The Sleeping Witch is a problem that would require more support than just me. So if you are willing to wait, be strategic, and prepare in a way that already secures your victory.

Why worry?

The breeze brought a scent to my nose. That's strange, it sorta smelled like a shifter, yet not quite.....

   A scream sounded, and I turned to see a huge grey bear burst out of a store, with clothes and glass flying everywhere. In a loud roar, it ran straight into the next store, destroying the entrance. It swiped at fleeing people, sending one man across the mall. And that's when it sniffed.

Looking me right in the eye.

"Ditto, what's going on?" Halina ran over to me, the woman behind, grabbing me by the arm. "What is that?"

"I don't know. Wait, yes, I do. It's a shifter, but jacked on some magic." I stepped forward, gritting my teeth. It was a bad day to not bring my sword or satchel. "Get behind me, both of you. In fact, running might be best."

The beast charged as I ignited my palms in two necro-circles, arms covered in arcane symbols. The ground shook as it ran, spit flinging from its mouth. Bracing myself, as the bear stood and swung a meaty, hairy arm, I punched its side. The effect brought a stench of death, and the bears side steamed and turned to ash.

The bear reared back, clutching at its grainy body, before regenerating. Mother fuck, that's never a good sign. I jumped back as another paw came down, cracking the tile and sending chunks high up. Dodging another attack, there was little time to strike back, barely landing a hit on it's leg. I narrowly got out of the way as it threw its body at me. Slamming my palms to the ground, I dumped energy into a large shifter zombie, and the ground behind me exploded as it rose, a normal dead woman, who immediately shifted into a gorilla.

But that slowed me down a fraction, which let a huge paw smack me across the open hallway. Grunting in slight pain, the gorilla attacked, rearing its fangs. As they threw punches at each other, Halina and the other woman came to my side. "Ditto, are you alright?"

"Ugh, I've been better." I got onto my knees, my back aching. Oh, the plight of knowledge. "Either of you got a knife?"

"I don't think a knife is going to stop that thing," the mystery woman said.

"Wait here." Halina ran quickly to the first store the bear destroyed, picked up something and avoided the two creatures fighting. "Will glass work?"

I smiled. "Perfect." Slashing it across my palm, blood pooled up, red and beautiful. Summoning a circle, a very complex and dangerous one, I squeezed a decent amount of my essence into it. The circle hummed with joy, and what I like to call a half-blood came into view. A half-blood is a creature that breaks rule number five. It is a ghost that is given a large amount of blood, so much so that it is almost reverted back to an actual living creature. But not quite.

"Go," I commanded. The half-blood smiled, red eyes bright, raising a phantom sword, and charged the bear. Quickly following were four more, all yelling in a ghoulish cry.

    "Stay here," I repeated. "Make sure no one comes near the circle. Oh, and here." I gave her my phone, typing in the password. "Call Sasha please."

    Not waiting for whatever she had to say, I sprinted for the battle. My five half-bloods were circling recklessly, following my left arm commands and slashing when an opening presented itself. My undead shifter punched the bear in the face, only have it's right arm ripped off. Ugh, this is going nowhere. I ordered the half-bloods to attack at once, slashing at the beast, causing blood to go everywhere, yet to only see the bear heal again and again.

"Pin it down!" I screamed, trying to get in for my own attack. I turned its chest to ash, which did literally nothing to stop the thing from getting back up. It smacked my soldiers away, even throwing one into a clothing store. While this fight was getting annoying, I'm pretty sure there is no need to resort to anything else.

The bear charged again, and the dead shifter grappled pointlessly with one arm. Whatever magic this thing was souped up on, I'm betting life magic blended with some bodily curse, it was doing wonders at fucking up everything in its path. Big boy here tossed my gorilla into the escalator like it just tossed a frisbee.

Sweet heaven, this bad boy needed to die.

    As the half-bloods continued their assault, I called for two more undead. By the way, strip malls are the worst for necromancers, since I half to raise something through twenty feet of concrete. A normal bengal tiger and vampire clawed their way out, rushing into the mess. And mustering as much energy I could, everything tackled the bear, doing as much damage as possible.

A half-blood slashed the hind legs, causing the bear to momentarily stagger, which let the other forces grab it by the head and neck, forcing it to yield and thrash about, trying to escape but was pinned down for good.

I walked up, rolling my shoulders. "Shifter, change back. There is no need for another death."

The bear clearly didn't really care for what I had to say, and continued to thrash about. Indifferent, I repeated myself. "Shift, damnit."

Still, nothing. Whatever. I can only negotiate so much before losing my patience and will for life. Grabbing the beast at the neck, it turned to ash all the way through, the head rolling away in a dry thud sound. Before any other shenanigans could spark, I turned that to ash as well.

"That was unexpected. I guess it's a day for it." Tired, I released my zombies, and forced the half-bloods to give up my blood, returning them to the Spirit Layer. "What a mess."

Sniffing again, I looked up to the second level, and saw a figure walking away, hood over head. But my nose doesn't lie. A fae, with a strong dose of power flowing through their veins. Retreat for now, whoever you are. Go back to your master. I'm not scared.

Halina had a look of awe, like from the demon fight. Geez, I'm not that cool. But I'll take what I can get. She started laughing. "Wow, is this your daily life or what?"

"Er, not usually." The sounds of police sirens hit my ears. Good timing, as usual, by the humans. "Come on. Let's leave. Once a hero shows up, they can probably figure out what happened and explain it to the cops."

Opening up a portal to the Spirit Layer, we travelled back to the parking lot and got into Halina's car. "Say, what happened to that woman?"

"Oh, Nicki? She escaped when you went all out. But good news." She lifted up a piece of paper. "I got her number."

"Haha, nice!" Giving her a quick high five, we went on our way as more cops and firemen showed up. The humans would be having a field day with this.

But what concerned me was that attack probably had nothing to do with me. Well, it probably did a little bit, yet since I'm such a small part to anyone who cares, I suppose my presence was just unexpected.

No, what this was about was seeing if their little experiment would work. A form of magic that created near impossible to kill soldiers. That would obviously be problematic. The Sleeping Witch must be mobilizing her research and development side, letting them release their experiments out into the world.

"What should we name the soldier?" I asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What soldier?"

"That's what I believe that creature was. A soldier, created by the Sleeping Witch. But not just a mere soldier." Pause for effect. "One that can heal itself immediately. They need a good name."

"How about unendings?" Halina suggested. "Short, sweet, to the point."

"Yeah, I like that. 'Unendings'. Got a good ring to it. I suspect that these will be apart of the enemies we face in the future. How many? No clue. Hopefully not a lot, 'cause that thing was a bitch to kill."

"The blog will love this," she exclaimed. "Though, it kinda sucks that the mall got destroyed."

"Nah, you humans will fix it. You always seem to." Innovation and perseverance, traits that only the humans seem to have. They keep building when destruction happens. People die and fail, and yet they still keep creating. Process is the human way.

Glad I'm not a human.

"Anyways, this will help with the man I'm meeting. An extra motivator if you will."

"What's with you and these shady backdoor deals?"

"I'm one man Halina." Eventually I'll have to put a little more action into it. These subtle motions won't work forever. "Something tells me though you'll know who we're seeing."