by Clayton Wood
Alasar stared back, his shoulders in agony, the muscles spasming uncontrollably. He tried not to think of his wife and son, of what these monsters had done to them.
I’m coming baby.
The creature raised one massive hand, gripping the front of Alasar’s uniform. He felt the hands gripping him from behind fall away, felt himself rising up even higher as the thing in front of him lifted him upward with its one hand, until its eyes were level with his. It stared at him, its black mouth opening, revealing misshapen gray teeth.
“WHERE,” it growled, the word barely intelligible. “…IS…HE.”
Alasar stared at the thing, his jaw dropping.
They can speak!
“WHERE?” it repeated, its lips curling in a snarl. Alasar shook his head.
“Who?” he asked.
The Ironclad pulled him forward, until its gruesome face was inches from his. He could feel its hot breath on his face, the putrid smell making him gag.
“THE…ORIGINAL.”
* * *
Hunter opened his eyes, squinting against the sunlight streaming through his window. He groaned, reaching up to rub his eyes, but his right arm was pinned down by something warm and soft. He frowned, glancing to his right, and saw a woman lying next to him on his bed. She was nude, her lower half covered by a thin blanket, blond hair streaming down over her breasts. He felt his guts squirm as the events of the previous night came to him, memories of what he’d done.
Shit.
He stared at her, sleeping peacefully beside him. Whoever she was. He’d fallen asleep after she’d pleasured him, only to be woken up later that night by her demanding his attention. He’d been disoriented at first, thinking that it was Trixie, only remembering that it wasn’t after she’d already straddled him. By then it’d been too late, his lust taking over yet again, his body betraying him. They’d finished together, lying beside each other afterward. She’d fallen asleep again, and he’d laid there, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what the hell he’d done. Wondering who the hell he was, that he could be capable of such betrayal. Hating himself.
It’d taken a long time for him to fall asleep again.
She shifted, murmuring something in her sleep, then going still.
How did I get myself into this?
She had to be the woman from his test earlier. The woman who’d come at him, trying to seduce him.
I’m lonely, she’d said. I could be yours.
He continued to stare at her, wondering how she’d figured out where his apartment was. Of course she’d known that he couldn’t tell her and Trixie apart. She must have taken advantage of that fact, coming to his apartment, pretending to be Trixie. But why?
The test.
It was the only explanation. This must have been the real test…a test of his loyalty. Thorius had figured out where he lived, and sent this imposter to test him. And if that was true, that meant he’d almost certainly failed…and that he’d ruined his one chance at getting out of the city to find his mother.
He grit his teeth, sitting up in bed and swinging his legs over the edge, no longer able to stand the idea of being next to this woman. He’d betrayed Trixie, and forsaken his mother…all for some cheap thrills.
You’re a damn fool.
She stirred behind him, and he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
“Morning,” she murmured, resting her chin on his shoulder, her lips by his ear. She pulled him backward, and he fell onto his back on the bed. She got to her hands and knees, gazing down at him. “How’d you sleep?”
“Not great,” he muttered.
“Aww,” she replied, smiling at him. “My poor baby. Kept you up all night.”
Hunter said nothing, feeling a now familiar emptiness inside. He wanted nothing more than for her to leave, but after everything they’d done together, telling her to go felt incredibly awkward.
“How about one more before I go?” she inquired, sliding her hand down his belly. He twisted to face her, seeing her eyes twinkling mischievously.
Blue eyes, with faint green speckles. And her skin with a slight golden hue.
He pulled away from her, standing up and staring down at her, his jaw dropping.
“Trixie?” he blurted out.
“Last time I checked,” she replied with a little smirk. He continued to stare at her, hardly believing his eyes.
“But last night,” he protested. “That was…you?” She frowned at him.
“Of course,” she replied. “Who else would it be?”
He stood there, his mouth agape, then shut it with a click. He hesitated, then sat down beside her. It was Trixie!
“I thought…” he began, then stopped himself. “But your eyes were pure blue yesterday,” he protested. “And you didn’t have a tan.”
“Oh,” she replied. “Makes sense.”
“What?” Hunter asked. “How does that make sense?”
“I cleansed last night before I came here,” she explained.
“You what?”
“I cleansed,” Trixie repeated. “Remember how I said I was lucky ‘cause I get to cleanse twice a day?” Hunter hesitated, then nodded. She had said that.
“What does that mean?”
“I go to the altar where I work,” Trixie answered. “We have a special altar there, like at church. It cleanses us of impurities.”
“Impurities?”
“Remember how I said you were contagious?” she asked.
“Uh, no.”
“That’s why people are afraid of you,” she explained. “They don’t want to be brown.” She sighed. “It’s silly really,” she added. “If they cleanse, it’s no big deal.”
“Wait,” Hunter blurted out. “You’re saying my…brownness is contagious?” She nodded.
“That’s right. That’s why I have a tan now.”
“That’s…” he began, then shook his head. “That’s impossible!” She frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“My skin color can’t be contagious,” he protested. “It’s not a frickin’ disease.”
“Oh no,” she replied. “I didn’t say it was a disease. It’s just…well, that’s just the way things are.” She gave him a concerned look. “You mean you didn’t know?”
“Didn’t know what?” he asked. She stared at him for a long moment, then put a hand on the side of his face, giving him a look that was almost pitying.
“Oh baby,” she murmured. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“What?”
“It didn’t even occur to me that you wouldn’t know,” she continued. “I mean, that it might be different where you’re from.”
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” Hunter asked, pulling the sheet over his lap. Trixie, however, didn’t bother to cover herself.
“Gammon,” a deep, muffled voice replied.
“Oh damn,” Hunter blurted out. He’d forgotten that he was supposed to be at the Guild of Seekers at noon. He must’ve overslept…luckily Gammon had taken him home last night, and knew where his apartment was. “Hold on a sec.” He got up, slipping on a pair of underwear and his Seeker pants, then opening the door. Gammon stepped into the apartment, glancing at Trixie, who was still nude…and unabashedly so.
“Oh, hey,” he greeted, his cheeks flushing. “Uh, you need a little time?” he asked.
“No, it’s okay,” Hunter answered. “Is it almost noon?”
“Yeah,” Gammon replied. “I thought you might be a little hung over, so I came to wake you up.”
“Thanks big guy,” Hunter said. He pulled on the rest of his new uniform, then glanced at Trixie. “I’m really sorry,” he told her. “I’ve gotta go…”
“That’s okay,” she replied with a smile. “I’m sure I’ll see you later.”
He hesitated, then walked up to her, giving her a kiss. Which of course had its usual effect on him. He pulled away quickly, hardly wanting Gammon to witness his…response.
“Hey guys,” Hunter greeted. Sukri and Kris grinned at him.
“Thought you weren’t coming,” Kris said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Rough night?”
“Something like that,” Hunter replied.
“He brought a girl home,” Gammon revealed, a big smile on his face. “She looked expensive.”
“Went all out, eh?” Kris stated. “Good for you, man!” He leaned in then. “But just a piece of advice…never pay for something you can get for free.”
“I didn’t pay her anything,” Hunter retorted, rather offended. Kris grinned, slapping him on the shoulder.
“That’s my man!”
“Looks like we have another man-whore in the group,” Sukri grumbled, eyeing them both. “You two will have a lot to talk about.”
“Hardly,” Hunter retorted. “I’m a one-woman man.”
“You’ve clearly never had two at a time,” Kris quipped. Sukri rolled her eyes.
“Pffft. Overrated.”
Kris stared at her.
“Wait, you’ve…”
Just then, the door opened, revealing a Seeker on the other side, one of the ones from yesterday. The man gestured for them to come in, and everyone did, following the Seeker to the room they’d ended up in previously. Moments later, Thorius arrived, standing before the group.
“Good afternoon,” he greeted brusquely, his eyes moving from candidate to candidate. “I trust you enjoyed your selves last night.”
“Oh yeah,” Kris replied. Everyone else remained silent, and he cleared his throat, lowering his gaze. Thorius smirked.
“I hope so,” he stated. “It was your last opportunity to do so.”
Just then, a few more Seekers entered the room, each carrying a bunch of black medallions with golden ribbons. They set these on the floor in front of the candidates, then left as silently as they’d come. Thorius gestured at the medallions.
“Each of you, pick up a medallion,” he ordered. The other initiates hesitated, and Hunter shrugged, stepping forward and picking one up. It was surprisingly heavy, and appeared to be made of obsidian, with unfamiliar symbols carved into its surface. He stepped back, watching as the others picked up theirs. “You will wear your medallion wherever you go. You will bring it home, sleep with it, and bring it back here during training. It will accompany you everywhere. Treat it as your own flesh.”
“Yes sir,” the candidates replied, almost in unison.
“Call me Master Thorius,” Thorius instructed. “Master will also do.” He smirked. “Thorius will not.”
“Yes Master Thorius.”
“If you have…company during sleep,” he continued, “…you may not wear the medallion.”
“Yes Master Thorius.”
“You will each be assigned a trainer,” Thorius continued. “They will work with you one-on-one, and you will return here for group training sessions.” He glanced from student to student. “This is not a competition,” he added. “You will not become a Seeker by besting your peers. If all of you are deemed qualified, you will all become Seekers. And if none of you are qualified, none of you will.”
“Yes Master Thorius.”
“You will be paid an allowance daily, equal to your previous wages,” Thorius stated. “Pay will be distributed at the end of class.”
He paused then, sweeping his gaze over the gathered initiates.
“One more thing,” Thorius added, his tone darkening. “If you reveal any information about your training, or about the guild in general, you will be terminated.” He gave a grim smile. “And by that I mean that I will have you killed.”
Everyone glanced at each other, but no one said anything.
“Likewise,” Thorius continued, “…an attack on you is an attack on the guild. Wear your uniforms in public at all times. If someone should assault you, or threaten to, notify us immediately.”
“Yes Master Thorius.”
“Do not abuse this,” Thorius warned. “We will know if you are lying. And if you lie to us, we will kill you.” He raised an eyebrow. “Any questions?”
No one had any.
“Good.”
As if on cue, a group of Seekers entered the room, standing behind him. “Pair up as we discussed,” he instructed them. The Seekers stepped forward, each grabbing an initiate and directing them through a door to the left. One by one they left, until only Hunter remained. Hunter glanced at the door, then at Thorius.
“Where’s my trainer?” he inquired. Thorius crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing him critically.
“You’re looking at him.”
* * *
Unlike the other Seekers, Thorius did not bring Hunter through the door, instead staying in the room after everyone else had left. The man retrieved a clear, orange-sized orb from his pocket.
“Hold this,” he added, handing Hunter the orb. It was surprisingly heavy, its surface smooth and cool to the touch. “Put it in your pocket.”
“Why?” Hunter asked.
“Because I told you to,” Thorius answered. Hunter hesitated, then complied, putting the sphere in his pants pocket. “Now,” Thorius stated, crossing his arms over his chest. “…you’re clearly not from around here.”
“How’d you guess?” Hunter replied. “Was it my accent?” Thorius didn’t smile.
“Where are you from?”
“Earth,” Hunter answered. Thorius’s eyebrows furrowed.
“From dirt?”
“I’m an Original,” Hunter clarified. Thorius’s eyebrows rose.
“Really,” he murmured. “I did hear of an Original appearing at the Gate a few days ago.” He rubbed his chin with one hand. “This is going to complicate things.”
“What do you mean?” Hunter asked. Thorius sighed.
“I have to start from scratch,” the Master Trainer explained. “You’re going to take a long time to express your potential, and you know nothing of our world, which puts you at a significant disadvantage. I’m glad I chose to train you…you’re going to need all the help you can get.” Hunter frowned at that.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he pressed. “I’m not stupid, you know.”
“I didn’t say you were,” Thorius countered. “But you are ignorant.”
“Ignorant?” Hunter pressed, feeling rather irritated. Thorius had said it like it was an insult.
“You are.”
“Yeah, well I’m not the only one,” he retorted. Thorius raised an eyebrow.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah really,” Hunter shot back. “You think I’m ignorant? You don’t have a goddamn clue how ignorant you are.” He scoffed at Thorius. “You’re a bunch of primitives compared to me,” he added. “Talking about how great your shitty city is. But hey, no running water, no electricity.”
Thorius just stood there, giving him a smug look.
“Guess what?” Hunter continued. “You’re living in the dark ages, asshole. You guys don’t even have showers, for Christ’s sake. You wanna call me ignorant? Tell me what you know about physics, about biology.” He waited, but Thorius said nothing. He smirked. “Exactly,” he muttered. “You don’t know shit.”
Thorius crossed his arms over his chest, giving Hunter a patient look. As if he was tolerating a child. Hunter sneered at him.
“This whole city’s filled with a bunch of racist retards living in shacks,” Hunter stated. “You’re all like knuckle-dragging cavemen compa
red to me.”
“Is that so.”
“Damn right it is,” Hunter replied.
“Now you’re just being insulting,” Thorius stated coolly.
“Yeah, well you started it,” Hunter retorted. “I’m sick of being treated like a leper just because I’ve got a fucking tan. You’re all just a bunch of goddamn Nazi white nationalist hillbilly morons, treating me like I’m fucking contagious. Like being different is a disease.”
Thorius raised one eyebrow.
“We don’t think it’s a disease,” he countered in a condescending tone. “It just makes you inferior.”
“Inferior?” Hunter blurted out. Suddenly he wanted to wipe that smirk right off the man’s face. “If I’m so goddamn inferior, why did I beat out all those other lily-white assholes to get here?”
“Perhaps we made a mistake.”
“Yeah, maybe I did too,” Hunter spat. “You know what? I’d rather deal with shit in the sewers than deal with shit like you.”
“You’d better watch your tone,” Thorius warned. Hunter raised his eyebrows, taking a step toward the man. He was taller than Thorius, and a lot younger and almost certainly a hell of a lot stronger.
“Make me,” he growled.
Thorius didn’t budge, staring up at Hunter with that smug look on his face.
“You have a big mouth,” he said. “Why don’t we practice keeping it shut.”
“Fuck you,” Hunter spat, shoving Thorius backward. Or at least he tried to. Before he knew it, the world was spinning around him, and suddenly he felt his back slam into the floor below, the air blasting from his lungs. He gasped, trying to suck air in, realizing that Thorius was standing above him, gazing down at him. He scrambled to his feet, and Thorius shoved him back onto the ground with one boot, grinding his heel into Hunter’s chest. Hunter gripped the boot, trying to shove it off him, but Thorius just leaned more weight on him, forcing the air out of his lungs.
“Take the orb out of your pocket,” Thorius ordered.
“Go…to hell,” Hunter gasped.
Thorius knelt down, reaching into Hunter’s pocket and retrieving the orb, rolling it across the floor away from them. It struck the wall on the other end of the room, stopping there.
