My iNet screen came up and I checked the exchange. They’re worth five hundred dollars? Apparently, the price had been ticking up over the last few months with predictions of a token hitting a thousand by this time next year.
“Not interested,” I finally told him. With that money, I could almost pay Iris off.
“Hey, wait a minute now,” he said, giving me his biggest, toothiest grin. “I’ve got something else much more valuable than that.”
“Then why do you want mine?”
“I make a living trading Proxima cryptocurrencies. Tritanian Rupees, Steam shillings, hell, I even have a little Unigaean lira, among other things. Anyway, I’ll be frank with you, tokens are going up in price, and I want in.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, don’t turn away, at least let me finish my piece. Look, kid…”
“Chase.”
“Okay, Chase, you can call me Sal. Anyway, we don’t really need to know each other’s names. I just want to offer you a little proposal.” His hands came up, waving away my concern. “Just consider it.”
“Hurry.”
“Wow, okay, I’ll make it short and sweet: I have an exclusive ticket to enter Sagelock’s yearly tournament.”
“Sagelock?”
“Ever heard of an NVA Seed?”
“Nope.”
“Well, look it up later,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Anyway, this Sagelock is pretty big in EverLife, and he has a yearly tournament for newcomers, like you and me, except I’m not a newcomer, I have another Monster Hunt app installed on a backup life chip. Anyway, you want this invite, that’s what I’m trying to say here.”
“Why’s that?”
He looked at me like I was an idiot. “Because the winner not only wins a ton of cash, they win an exclusive prize. Last year, it was entry to EverLife. I heard you get a choice actually, entry or a Monster Hunt code to distribute.”
I considered this for a moment as a plane moved in the sky above us. It was still gray, but the clouds were slowly fading away. “How do I know you aren’t bullshitting me?”
“Take a look for yourself, pal.”
A prompt appeared on my pane of vision and I quickly read through it. The Sagelock’s tournament was indeed legit, and the man also showed me in real time that his invite was good by using an auto-evaluator program.
“So you give me the token, I give you the invite,” he said. “How’s that sound?”
“Why is there a dress code?” I asked, scanning the invite again.
“This Sagelock is a big fashion lover, so all the Alphas got to dress up. Get yourself a suit, kid, and make sure your Huntresses are presentable, talk about two hot pieces of ass. So what will it be? We doing this? You want this invite or what?”
I bit my lip as I considered the man’s offer. If I could get a Monster Hunt code, Iris would be able to hunt with me.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
The man had just left when Iris appeared on my pane of vision. “I need you to come quick,” she said, “Thad is on his way over to my apartment.”
I froze, and the people in Central Park continued to move all around me. Aya, who now stood to my left in her hat, noticed the look on my face. Her ghost limb lightly touched down on my shoulder, and Lady C., who was walking and reading, stopped and turned back to us.
“What’s wrong?” Lady C. asked.
“I’ll be over as soon as I can,” I told Iris.
“Oh, that’s what’s wrong,” Aya said. “Your girlfriend needs your help.”
“She’s not his girlfriend,” Lady C. reminded the Thulean.
I had twenty-five dollars in my bank account, which was enough to take an aeros to Clinton Hill. The thought of an aeros triggered the UberLyft app. I selected a pickup location, the driver’s information was presented to me, and I accepted the charges.
It was a joke seeing my bank account go down to less than a dollar, but something had to give, and I wanted to be there when Thad arrived. I fired off an instant message to Iris as I took off towards the pickup point. The words appeared on my pane of vision next to a listening icon that quickly faded away.
Me: Why don’t we call the cops?
Iris: I don’t want them to get involved.
Me: What if he has a weapon?
Iris: He won’t.
“Dammit, Iris,” I said as I reached the pickup point.
Aeros landed and lifted into the air; people exiting pressed their hats down as a breeze blew past; a policeman in head to toe armor stood at the park’s entry point, a PHASR in his hands.
“Your policemen look so serious,” Aya said.
“That’s their job,” I replied with a grunt.
“Do you want us to kill this Thad of yours?” the Thulean asked, no hint of humor in her voice.
I wish.
“We would if we could, Chase,” Lady C. said as she snapped her book shut. She watched one of the aeros land. “Is our transport going to be similar to the train?”
“You two haven’t been in an aeros before, right?”
They shook their heads. A grandmother standing near them saw me talking to thin air and gave me a funny look.
“Just get ready,” I told them both.
The UberLyft landed and the door opened on its own. I got inside, and the self-driving vehicle rose into the air. It found its appropriate airlane, the vehicle completely oblivious to the ‘ooos’ and ‘ahhhs’ of Lady C., and the vomit face from Aya.
“I don’t think you two should be there when I confront him,” I said suddenly.
“Why? We can tell you if we think he’d beat you or not. Maybe give you some advice about how to throw a better punch.”
Even though Aya looked like she was going to vomit, she laughed at Lady C.’s joke.
I had no idea what I’d say to Thad when I saw him, but it was going to take a lot of willpower to not lash out at him.
Or worse.
“I was just teasing you, relax,” Lady C. said as she placed her hand on my leg. I glanced over, down a bit to see her partially exposed breasts, away, and then back to her, arriving at her eyes this time.
“I’ll do my best.”
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
The UberLyft dropped in front of Iris’ apartment and I quickly got out.
“At least let us see him,” Aya said as she filed out after me. Her buster sword reappeared on her back and I realized then that I didn’t remember seeing it disappear in the first place.
“That’s him,” I gulped, as I caught Iris standing in front of her place, her face red, her arms crossed over her chest.
“He looks like a skeleton,” Lady C. started to say as I deactivated the Monster Hunt app.
“Bye,” I told the two Huntresses, even though they had already faded away.
Thad stood in front of Iris, his form shaky, his eyes bloodshot. He had blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and he was tall, at least a foot taller than me. Thad was thin, his nose long and his shoulders hunched forward in a way that made his shirt look uneven.
“...I didn’t do shit and you know it,” he told Iris as I approached.
“Hey!”
Thad turned and a crooked grin spread across his face. “What’s up, Chase?”
“You know what the fuck is up,” I said, trying to contain my anger but failing. “You destroyed our gear and you fucking punched me. I’m calling the cops if you don’t get the hell out of here.”
“Calling the cops?” He stroked his chin as he laughed, his eyes twitching back and forth. He was wasted, evident in his gait, evident in his dilated pupils and the sneer on his face.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I started to mumble. “I’m serious.”
“Chase, this isn’t about you. I don’t even know how you knew I was coming over here.” He glanced lazily to Iris. “Oh yeah, that’s right, you two always had a thing, although I’m the one that, ha, had that thing. Past tense, but still. I don’t have time for this. So if you’ll get me my shit, I’ll be o
n my way.”
I took another step closer to him, my fists clenching up.
I could do it.
If I had swung right then, I would have easily taken him off his feet. But then what? And what about the people across the street? What about the cameras installed on every street lamp?
“You going to try something?” he asked, his eyes dropping to my clenched fists.
I tried to think of a clever comeback but it didn’t come. Instead I just grunted.
“Relax, Chase,” Iris said. “Just go inside. I’ll get his stuff.”
I shook my head. “You broke my rig, man, all of it. You broke my fucking bass. Who ...who does something like that?”
“Broke your what?” he asks, genuine confusion spreading across his face. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Thad took a step closer to me, reminding me of his size advantage.
I looked away, gritting my teeth as I again saw the path I’d need to take to knock the shit out of him. This isn’t a game, I reminded myself.
“You can’t do it,” he whispered, a predatory smile forming on his face. I tried to move past him to walk up Iris’ stoop and Thad made a mistake he’d come to regret as he rammed his shoulder into me.
It was on.
I reared back and connected with his face, my fist squishing against his cheek and nose.
“Fuck!” he shrieked as he hit the ground.
“Chase!”
I looked down at Thad, back to my fist, back to Thad, not sure of what to do as the adrenaline surged through me.
Everything was suddenly a blur.
Even though I’d experienced augmented adrenaline recently, and even though I’d felt adrenaline before on stage, I’d never actually fought someone.
I was reeling by the time I reached Iris’ top step.
My senses were heightened. I was ready to snap back at a moment’s notice; and even though Thad was now on his feet, wiping blood on his jacket sleeve, I was ready for him to come at me.
We made eye contact just as Iris pulled me into her building.
“Chase, can you hear me?” she asked, her voice cutting in and out of my head. “Chase. Chase!”
“What?”
Everything was suddenly still, in its right place. Thad was out there, I was in here, and what had happened had happened. There’d be repercussions, but that was to be expected.
“I’m sorry,” I said, bowing my head slightly.
“Just get inside.”
She led me to her door, pushed me in, and followed after me. I turned to her to see the sweatered twenty-one-year-old in glasses frantically moving to a box near her door.
Thad’s stuff.
I wished then that I hadn’t punched him, that I hadn’t let Iris see that side of me. The adrenaline leaving my body made my mouth dry, made me feel cold. I was practically panting as Iris left, my heart still thumping in my chest, my fists still clenched together.
I sat down on Iris’ futon, took a deep breath, and rested my elbows on my knees. I wanted water, I wanted to take back what I just done only for Iris’ sake, only so she wouldn't have seen a dark side of me.
The Monster Hunt app flashed on my viewing pane, I wanted to activate it, I wanted Aya or Lady C. to spawn here. I wanted them to be here, I wanted to talk to someone.
“Keep your cool,” I whispered to myself. If I could somehow rewind time and prevented what I’d just done ...
It’s too late.
I had opened that door, I had laid in that bed, and now, it had become part of who I was.
What were all these thoughts racing through my mind? Why couldn't I get control of my thoughts, why couldn't I focus?
Adrenaline.
My God was adrenaline powerful, and even though it had left my body, it had done its damage. I stood, stepped over to Iris’ small kitchen, and poured myself a glass of water.
The water did nothing to quench my thirst, so I filled up another glass and chugged it down again.
I pressed my palm on Iris’ countertop and bent over, the urge to vomit rising in me.
“No, Chase, no,” I kept telling myself.
After steadying myself, I returned to the futon, and thankfully, my heart started to relax.
I could finally take a full breath in, I could now recall in detail what had just happened, remembering what it felt like to calculate my trajectory, remembering what it felt like to strike someone.
I looked down at my fist.
It was slightly red, my knuckles just a little pink. I touched it with my other hand, felt my skin, noticed the fresh blood that had risen to the surface.
I took another deep breath, closed my eyes, and lay back on her futon.
I heard the door open.
“You really shouldn't have done that, Chase,” said Iris.
“I'm ... Sorry,” I whispered, not able to open my eyes and look at her.
“It's just going to make more trouble for us.”
“I don't know what came over me,” I said, looking up at her. “He stepped in front of me, and, I just did it. It was almost as if I couldn't control myself, my fist connected with his face before I could stop it. If he hadn't stepped in front of me, I wouldn't have done it, but he slammed his shoulder into me, you saw that, right?”
“I saw it,” she said softly. “But you just shouldn't have done it.”
“Why? Do you still like him?”
“Of course not, and that's not what matters! You just shouldn't have done it because it was ... We were, yeah, that's it, we were out in public. Maybe you could have done it back at the practice space, or, backstage at a gig or something, but not out in public, you could get in trouble for this, and he would get away with what he did! If he tries to do something like file charges…”
“We can prove that he did something,” I pointed at my eyes. “We both saw it.”
The truth was, everyone recorded everything at all times. iNet allowed for this. We actually had him on video destroying our gear, just like he had me on video slugging him.
“There are just so many factors,” she said, as she sat next to me.
I pressed myself up and looked at her as calmly as I could. “I didn't mean to do it, Iris, and you know that. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for getting you involved with all this, I'm sorry ...”
“It's okay, Chase,” she said, raising a hand to my cheek. We held eye contact for a moment, both our eyes shielded by our glasses.
It was a nerdy moment. A moment that lasted a few seconds longer than it should have. I swallowed hard and Iris pulled her hand away.
“What now?” she asked.
“Let’s go to the Dojo. Let’s escape for a moment and…” I grinned at her.
“What?”
“I have a small surprise for you.”
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I never thought taking a breath in what was essentially a Proxima world, albeit a small one, could be such a relief.
My avatar materialized before Iris’, and as soon as it took shape, Aya and Lady C. appeared around me.
“What happened?” Aya asked, excitement in her eyes. “Did you destroy your enemy and burn his home to the ground?”
“Did I what?” I smiled awkwardly at her. “I, well, not exactly.”
I still wasn’t proud of what I did, and I didn’t feel like exploring the topic.
“Oh, how cute,” Aya said as she pinched my cheek with her ghost limb. “You did it, didn’t you?”
Lady C. placed her hand on Aya’s shoulder. “Leave him alone about it. If he wants to talk, he will.”
Aya didn’t exactly roll her eyes, but she did blow a strand of hair out of her face. Iris’ avatar took shape and she smiled as she saw the two Huntresses.
“So, what is it you wanted to tell me?” she asked, her smile thinning for me.
“First, I have a new capture.”
“Did he attack his enemy?” Aya asked Iris.
“His enemy? Oh.” She shook her head.
> “Is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no?’” Lady C. asked, overtaken by curiosity. “It is hard to tell with American women.”
“I punched him,” I told them both. “End of story. Now, as I was saying, check out my new capture, Iris.”
The golden allocamelus was in the meadow to the north of the space. He, it was clearly a he, ate some grass and didn’t pay very much attention to us as we approached.
“It was worth four tokens,” I told Iris.
“Yeah, but it’s not really fighting party material. Still,” she said as she placed her hand on its muzzle. The allocamelus’ big eyes were shielded by huge lashes. It blinked slowly as Iris petted it. “It’s good to have these types of mythcrea around. They can attract other, rare, dojo-only creatures.”
“You can ride it too,” Aya said. “Lady C. and I already rode it. Just for a second though.”
“It’s a bumpy ride,” said Lady Cassandra with a cute smile on her face.
“Up to you, Iris.”
“You ride, I’ll walk,” she said, and I could tell by her tone that she wasn’t through being agitated at me.
“Ooo, lover’s quarrel. Those are always fun,” Aya said, winking at me.
“Yeah,” Iris said, her voice rising as she turned to the Thulean. “I’m mad at Chase because he lost his temper and punched Thad. Now, who knows what will happen. Your guess is as good as mine. Point is, there are repercussions in our world up there.”
Aya scoffed at this statement. “I would have done much worse to this Thad of yours than punch him. Did he provoke you?”
“Yes,” I said with certainty.
She shrugged. “Then he got what was coming to him.”
“If he provoked our Alpha, then he got what he deserved,” Lady C. said.
“Please don’t call me your Alpha like that,” I reminded her. She’d done it once or twice before and it rubbed me the wrong way.
Iris cleared her throat. “Things are a bit more complicated than that in our world, but for argument's sake, let’s forget about it.”
“I am definitely cool with that,” I said as I lay down on the cool grass. I heard something rustling in the flowers nearby and figured it was one of the creatures I’d added through my wildlife purchase.
“What are you doing?” Lady C. stepped over, so that a foot was on either side of my waist.
Monster Hunt NYC: A Fantasy Harem Adventure Page 16
