by Jez Cajiao
Brightblade
Contents
Brightblade
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
End of Book One
Copyright © 2020 by R J Cajiao
Editing by Stephanie of Lit Forge Edits
Cover by Chris Cold
Typography by May Dawney Designs
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author/publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction, all characters, places, spells, realities and secrets of the Upper and Lower Realms are entirely my own work, and if they offend you, its not intentional. Probably.
Thanks
There is no way that a section this small could ever convey the thanks I have to give for those that have helped me, so I’ll keep this brief…
To my wonderful wife; I would never have managed this without your love, support and occasional ass-kicking. You knew I could do this far before I did. Thank you Chrissy, I love you.
To my Son Max; See! Daddy did it! And one day, you’ll be begging me NOT to read to you at bedtime, love you son.
To my soon to arrive child; Bet this is as weird for you as it is for me…love you!
To my family, especially my mother, thank you. You have all supported me in so many ways all my life, bet you didn’t expect this though! HAH! (Also, surprise, I’m an author!) Love you guys.
To my wonderful second family, you always believe I can do it, regardless of what it is, so thank you, it means a lot. Love you all.
To my very brave and selfless beta readers, Dave, Nick, Vicky, Colm, Tash and Luke, and the even braver alpha readers Gary, Chris and Zane (and Dave again), thank you, you have no idea how many times I read over things, until you pointed them out, and they stood out like sore thumbs! (Especially my million-mile-long sentences and love of the comma!)
To Luke Chmilenko, Nathan A Thompson and Aleron Kong; Thank you for your advice, for your recommendations and for telling me to just get off my ass and do it! (Here’s looking at you Luke!)
To all the LitRPG authors, thank you, I’ve read hundreds of your books through the Kindle program now, and they make the world a better place!
To Stephanie, my poor worn out and probably exceedingly exhausted editor; thank you, for your advice, your teaching and your damn hard work, you turned my waffling into a book that’s considerably better than it ever would have been otherwise. Thank you.
To my wife, again: You make the flowers bloom and the sun shine. I love you.
(You’ve probably guessed by now that I had a lot of help, support and love, and I could never thank them all properly. I’m very lucky I know. Thank YOU for your support and for reading this book.)
Hope you enjoy it!
Prologue
“Jack!”
I raised my head from the fridge I was refilling as Jordan called my name.
“Aye, whadda ya want, ya bandit?” I called back at him, grinning despite how tired I was. It’d been a damn long shift tonight; Saturdays always were.
“Your turn to kick out, mate! Tenner says you get into a fight!” Jordan grinned back at me, lifting the note in one hand as he gestured across the club at the drunken idiots that had been exposed in the corners when the lights had come on.
I nodded my agreement and shrugged as I stood up, cracking my back and stretching. ‘Bottling up,’ as it was called, was one of my least favorite jobs. I hated being down on my knees and moving from fridge to fridge. Kicking people out? Yeah, that was more my style, even though I couldn’t get a door license with my record.
“I’m being good these days, ya know!” I called back to him, pulling a ten from my own wallet and slapping it down on the back counter as I accepted the bet. The other employees working the bar, cleaning down or going over the tills and card machines, laughed and started their own bets, mostly to trade away the shit detail jobs. By the time I’d cleared the bar and started to walk towards my first target, I’d been offered everything from cleaning the lines to a blow job, if I was good or bad, depending on the person.
I liked these assholes, I decided. I’d been working in the club for about six months now, starting as a barman, before gradually filling in the gaps to do all the jobs- a bit of sound work here, restocking there, cleaning when it needed to be done, and just occasionally, kicking out. I didn’t mind it, really. I might be a ‘Jack of all trades,’ as they called me, and I might never be great at any of them, but I always had work. Plus, working here is how I’d met Lou, and that was worth it in itself.
“Here, mate, . Come on, wakey, wakey!” I tapped a drunk on the shoulder, then gave him a rougher shake as he mumbled something at me. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here!” He pushed himself up from the table he’d been slouched against and nodded at me blearily before yawning and hauling himself to his feet.
“Wha’… what time ish it?” he slurred at me, weaving a little unsteadily as he tried to focus.
“It’s after three, mate, leaving time.” I said, shaking my head in amusement as he blinked, looking around in confusion.
“Ma…my mates…they…” he stammered, pointing off deeper into the club, and I took his arm firmly, turning him towards the door.
“If they’re here, they’ll be kicked out now as well. If not, they’re probably waiting for you outside. Go on, up the stairs there, good lad.” I finished, giving him a gentle push towards the stairs out to get him started. He stumbled a little, but started moving under his own steam, so I went to the next one, moving from small groups to singletons to passed-out drunks. A few words here and there, and people were moving along.
I finally reached the back of the club, a section we called ‘Shagger’s Alley,’ and sure enough, there was a couple in the narrow space between a pillar and the wall at the very back. I sighed and set off towards them, giving them plenty of time to hear me and stop.
Absolutely nothing changed. I called out as I walked over. The lights are all on full, for fuck’s sake! I thought as I called out again.
“Come on, guys, closing time!” The guy turned around to look at me and sneered. Typical rich kid: nice shirt, expensive jeans and shoes, and one who obviously spent a lot of time at the gym, judging from his muscles. I groaned mentally. It was always the last ones I came across, the troublemakers I’d learned to spot a mile away.
“Fuck off!” He said, turning back to the girl he had pressed up against the back wall. She was short, dark haired, and pretty, judging from the few seconds’ glimpse I got, but her choices left a lot to be desired. Especially considering the dickhead that was trying to make a finger puppet out of her in the back of a nightclub.
“Come on, mate, no need to be a dick, it’s just chucking out time.” I said firmly, coming to a halt a few feet from him. “You need to leave...now.”
&
nbsp; “I said…fuck off!” He turned around fully, taking his hand out of the girl’s jeans and held up his middle finger. “Go on! Get lost!” I took a deep breath and tried to control my irritation. There’s always one. Why couldn’t tonight be the night I get propositioned by a drunken group of girls? I don’t mind when I get those nights, but noooo, I have to put up with this… Right. Just behave, and get him out, easy money. I took a calming breath before starting again.
“Look, pal, the bar’s closed, so grab your gear and fuck off.” Yeah, Jack, really subtle… Well done on the ‘well-behaved…’
He stared at me as though he just didn’t get it. He was maybe six three, six four, and about the same across the shoulders; a fair bit bigger than me, to be honest, but they never did understand. Gym-bought muscles weren’t worth shit in the real world. He ran the conversation through his head again, clearly having an issue with the fact I’d not run away, and came to the obvious conclusion.
“You want a fight? Is that it? I’ll kick your fucking…”
“Jesus, man, no…just get your coat and go home. Take her home, if she wants to go, just get out of here. We’re closed!” I said, exasperated, and gestured to the door. He followed my finger, then looked back at me, then the girl, who had tried to make herself decent again and was pushing past him to stagger towards the door, looking mortified. Judging from her looks, this was the first time she’d been caught like this…in fact…
“Excuse me, darlin’” I said, holding my hand up as she tried to walk around me. “Can I see some ID?”
She grinned weakly and clutched her handbag closer before shaking her head.
“I…don’t…have…me…” She mumbled, and I frowned. I could already see the rich meathead behind her getting worked up again, but something was very wrong. She looked far too young to be in a club, couldn’t string two words together, and could barely walk.
“Stop for a minute, please. I do need to see some ID.” I wasn’t sure if I had the right to ask for that, considering she wasn’t trying to buy alcohol, but…
Meathead shoved me from behind, making me stagger and fall over, my foot shooting out from under me as I slipped on a discarded beer bottle.
“Fuck off, you prick!” he snarled before grabbing her roughly by the elbow and half-dragging her towards the door. I landed hard, banging my forehead off the floor and seeing stars for a second before blinking them away. I gave a snort of disgust as I braced my hands on the floor and shoved hard, coming to my feet faster than the guy had obviously expected. His eyes widened as he turned to find me back on my feet. He shoved his partner towards the door and swung a punch at me. I heard the staff on the back bar, who could see everything, call out to the others, and the sound of running feet grew as I stepped into the punch.
I swept my right hand across to divert his punch in a variant of a Tan Sau Kung Fu block, redirecting the blow to my right and sending him off balance, before twisting his wrist and locking his elbow at full extension.
Once he was immobilized, I dealt rapid fire jabs with my left fist‒one to the kidney, one to the ribs, one to the side of his head‒before yanking his right arm up and shoving him backwards.
“Last chance, asshole!” I growled, my blood thundering in my ears and my instincts roaring to life at the threat. He staggered back, shaking his head and trying to figure out what had happened. Growling in anger, he rushed toward me and cocked his fist back for another strike.
I caught his arm when he swung, twisting it away as I punched out with my right fist. His head rocked back before I grabbed the collar of his expensive shirt and lunged in with a headbutt. He crashed to the floor, blood spurting from his broken nose.
Before he could get to his feet, I stepped in close, catching his flailing right arm and twisting it cruelly to immobilize him while setting my foot against his throat and taking a deep breath. He’d never back down, after all. Guys like him needed to be taught a lesson; they deserved to be taught respect…
“Jack! Fuck, man, let him go!” I heard Jordan shout, and I blinked, coming back to myself in time to see everyone come running. Most of them hadn’t seen anything, so the first they saw was me basically kick the shit out of someone. Fuck…not again.
I let the guy go, stepping back as he began screaming. I felt a momentary stab of amusement that his voice was higher pitched than the young girl he had brought with him, who had started to scream as well. In a flash, I was hurried back to the office, Jordan pushing me with one hand as he gestured to the girl and the meathead on the floor. He quickly instructed the assistant bar manager, the boss’s idiot son, to get a first aider and call both the police and an ambulance.
I took it and let him push me along, feeling sick as I realized what I’d been about to do… I’d planned to crush his windpipe, to kill him, not stop him…oh, god…
“You fucking stand there, and get your story straight before the police arrive, alright? Seriously, man, this’ll be all over social media tomorrow! The boss is gonna lose his fucking mind!”
“Shit…sorry, man.” I muttered, realizing how much I’d let the fight get out of hand. They’d all been expecting me to get into trouble, maybe throw a punch or two, but probably just a bit of shoving before the bouncers would be called down to take them outside and ‘explain’ things to them. Not this.
I walked over to a booth off to one side and sat down, watching the drama unfold. It wasn’t long before the police were there, the paramedics and police checking the meathead over, while the girl made excuses and tried to leave.
One officer approached me and snorted in disgust before taking a seat opposite me and getting out his notebook.
“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that, lad?” He said, and I looked at him for the first time, tearing my eyes away from the guy I’d attacked.
“Jonno…” I faltered, seeing his face, rather than just the outfit. “…I didn’t mean…he swung for me, and I just…”
“Stop, lad.” He said, holding up one hand. “I’m going to find a pen…and then I’ll take a statement. Maybe you should think hard about what happened…hmmm?” He waved his pen in his hand, and I took the hint. I drew in a deep breath, closing my eyes, and thinking before I spoke.
“Okay…Officer…thank you. I asked him to leave, and he became aggressive. Then when the young lady started to leave, I asked to see her ID, as she seemed far too young to be in here, and he attacked me. I reacted in self-defense, then somehow tripped him when I slipped on the mess on the floor and nearly fell on him. At that point, the other staff arrived, having heard me shout for help, and I was told to back away, leaving them to give first aid.” It was a slightly bullshit answer, and judging from Jonno’s look, he knew it, but I also knew where the cameras were here, and what they were likely to show. I could get away with that, especially as an ‘innocent staff member’ who’d been attacked…
He asked me a handful of questions and made sure they had my correct address. The ambulance staff took meathead away before we both turned to look at the young girl. We sat watching her for a long minute; she was doing her best to be left alone in the corner, other than asking people if she could go home yet.
“What made you ask about her?” Jonno finally asked me quietly.
“I don’t know, man, she just seemed…wrong. Way too young, but more than that, as well… I don’t know.” I said, sitting back and huffing out a breath. “Honestly, man, it’s been a long time since I saw you last, but I’ve been good, ya know? Since Tommy disappeared, I’ve been behaving myself, but seeing her… something just seemed wrong.”
“I know, lad. I’ve not seen you in, what? Three, four years? You must have been behaving, or gotten a lot better at hiding the shit you’ve been up to…”
“Hah! Yeah, like this proves it!” I said bitterly.
“Bah. I know you, Jack. I saw what happened to the dealers down at Jesmond Dene. You’ve a dark gift; you don’t like it, you try and keep it under control, and that’s why I give you the be
nefit of the doubt.” He shifted in his seat and got up, nodding to me as he set off to talk to the girl. “I’ll look into her and see what I can find out, lad. Go on, you get yourself home, and hopefully, we won’t see each other again for a while.”
“Thanks, man.” I said, pulling myself out of the booth and walking in the opposite direction toward the bar and Jordan. The assistant bar manager looked pissed, and more than a little scared of me.
“I…uh, guess I owe you a tenner?” I said with a weak grin, getting a snort from Jordan in reply.
“Yeah, I think that tenner is well and truly mine, mate, well done. Jesus, man, never seen anything like the way you did that! Fluid…like a snake. You’re a scary bastard, Jack.”
“Ah…yeah. I did a lot of martial arts when I was younger?” I said, lying through my teeth. I’d done some training, but most of my skills had been far harder won than in ‘training.’
“Right, well…” Jordan ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “Lucas wants me to tell you you’re suspended while they investigate you ‘attacking a customer’. He’s giving a copy of the CCTV to the police now, so I guess it’s a case of ‘wait until the old man is in and have a chat with him about things.’ Sorry, man.” I winced and shook my head in response.
“I guess I can’t blame him for that, but making you tell me? Shitty move, man.”
“Tell me about it. He’s probably trying to figure out how to explain to ‘Daddy’ that he was banging Maria in his office when it all kicked off.” Jordan gave me a lopsided grin and we both looked over at Maria, who was complaining fiercely about the damage to her nails as she did the jobs that were normally ‘beneath her’ as Lucas’s favorite. She saw us looking and went white, ducking her head and getting on with it in silence.
I grimaced as Jordan looked back at me, both of us realizing that she was afraid of me, if she was…I looked around at the rest of the staff, and discovered only a handful would meet my eye. Fuck, looks like it’s time to move on anyway…
