“Yes, it was a backup plan to take the body of this feline. But rest assured, I do have an idea of how I can revert to a more comfortable form. Give me a moment with the boy, will you?”
“Sure,” she said, turning to the lake.
“Well, offer her a seat, perhaps a cup of your wonderful coffee,” Old Death hissed to Lucian, who was still reeling from what he’d just seen at his brother’s. “You never mastered the art of making the margaritas you enjoyed when you first came here, did you?”
“I sort of forgot about those,” Lucian admitted, his thoughts alternating between feeling sorry for Connor, and feeling happy that his brother had been discovered, that maybe Samantha would be able to help modify his death date if she pressured him to get treatment.
Lucian conjured a coffee and a plate of chocolate as he moved toward the fallen angel, a seat made of polished wood lifting from the ground.
Once Leliel was settled with her coffee and chocolates, Lucian returned to Old Death.
“Now, come,” his predecessor said, leading him toward the door that led downstairs. “I couldn’t open the door on my own, and I would like to speak with you in my old living room. I do like that living room, as you may recall.”
“I recall,” Lucian said as his crows stayed up top, chasing each other around the shoreline of the lake. The sun reflected off Grimzilla as Lucian made it to the door, his giant mecha’s purple eyes flashing.
Lucian and his predecessor took the spiral staircase down into Lucian’s old bedroom, and from there into the living room, with the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city.
Old Death hopped on the worn leather couch. Lucian formed a chair in front of him and sat.
“You first,” Old Death said, noticing something about Lucian’s demeanor.
“Yeah, it’s bad.”
“Please, elaborate.”
Lucian told him how he had discovered that his family’s death dates had morphed to match his brother’s, which made him certain that his brother was going to be responsible for their deaths.
“Yes, that does sound like it would be the case. Why would they all die on the same day? Unless…” Old Death shook his head, considering what he was about to say.
“Yes?”
“You don’t think his wife-to-be would kill her daughter and her mother-in-law, do you?”
“Absolutely not,” Lucian said. “That is definitely not within the realm of possibilities here. Are you kidding me? Sam is great. But… she did just find out about his addiction. I mean, like within the last ten minutes. Leliel and I were there when she discovered the little case he keeps his stuff in. It was out. She saw it all.” Lucian buried his head in his hands. “This is bad.”
“Don’t get flustered, it was merely a suggestion.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Lucian said as he explained to his predecessor that he needed to blow off some steam, and that a trio of angels had come for him.
“They do like to spoil us with their presence, don’t they?” he purred.
“Something like that,” Lucian said, “but the angel I wanted to come didn’t show up.”
Old Death laughed. “She never does when you want her to, but you should know that by now, my boy. She’ll come when she wants to come. I’m sure of it. She may play a little coy with you, but a strapping young lad such as yourself? I’m sure you’ll be in the throes of angelic passion sooner than later. And let me be the one to tell you…” His predecessor paused, considering for a moment how he should frame this. “I don’t know what your sexual experience was as a mortal, but there is nothing like the libido of the Progeny of Light.”
“Um, good to know,” Lucian said. “Anyway, someone did show up, Mastima, and she wants to meet with me tomorrow.”
“The dark-eyed woman on the Committee on Luminaries? What could she possibly want?” Old Death asked, a hint of disdain in his voice. He batted his tail against the couch, as if he were agitated.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Lucian said.
“Try me.”
“She wants me to help rescue Gaspard and take out Wyatt.”
Old Death snorted. “That’s preposterous!”
“That was my first reaction, but then we talked about it, and she has an idea what I’m trying to do.”
“Meaning?”
“Grow stronger so I can deal with my brother’s parasite…” Lucian swallowed hard. “And save my family.”
“My boy, are you aware of how strong Wyatt is? And why would you help Gaspard? That dastardly sack of discarded donkey manure is practically the reason that the Progeny of Light and Darkness are at war. Well, him and me. Mostly me, but he started it!”
“Yeah, I’m aware. But she agrees with you. Mastima, that is. She knows something fishy is going on up at the top.”
“It’s all lip service,” Old Death said.
“No, I believed her. And I know that killing Wyatt will double or triple my strength.”
“Maybe more,” his predecessor admitted. “Wyatt has been a Death Hunter for quite some time. You do realize that you’re going up against impossible odds, do you not?”
“I realize it. But that’s sort of how I operate, right?”
The cat grinned, his whiskers spreading outward. “Yet another reason I have chosen to bequeath my mantle to you. So if that’s what you plan to do, then, I suppose I should give you my blessing.”
“I have to do something. I mean, I can talk to Yoshimi too, and get her advice. I should do that…”
“No, not today you shouldn’t. You should rest,” Old Death told him. “You’ve been through a lot today, and I suppose it fits my feline form to say that it would be important for you to spend a little time licking your wounds. You have a goal, which is to save your brother, and you have a way that you could possibly grow more powerful. Although, I don’t know if going after Wyatt will be as easy as you hope it will be. And you still do not know how Gaspard will react. Maybe he will take the fact that you saved his freckled ass to heart; then again, maybe he will find another way to go after you.”
“Mastima seems to think that he would be sympathetic to our cause, that some change needs to happen at the top of the Progeny of Darkness.”
“Ha! The naivety is inspiring. But, as I was saying, rest. Spend a little time relaxing, and then perhaps visit your Japanese friend tomorrow, if you’d like a second opinion.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s best,” Lucian said.
“There is something else,” his predecessor told him, clearing his throat, which sounded funny considering he was a cat.
“What’s that?”
“I have created this world and bequeathed it to you, as you know, and I can’t very well remove part of it without your permission.”
“Remove part of it?”
“Yes. I’m not going to be able to satisfy the woman sitting lakeside in this form. I was wondering, if perhaps we could make an exchange. An arrangement, if you will…”
“I’m not really into that kind of thing,” Lucian said, giving his predecessor a weird look.
“What?”
“You want me to start hooking up with her while you watch?”
“What!? Heavens, no! Do I look like some sort of fragile beefheaded cuckold to you?” he asked, growing agitated.
“Hey, hey, relax. I didn’t know where you were going with this. What are you suggesting?”
“Absurd. It is absurd for you to…” His predecessor shook his head. “No, that’s fine. I can see where you would perhaps think I would ask for something like that. But no. I assure you, no. The exchange I would like to make would be the city in the distance for one of your Grim Mechas.”
“I don’t get it,” Lucian said after looking from the glimmering city back to the cat.
“As you very well know, it is a lifeless city, merely put there for entertainment purposes, and by entertainment purposes I mean visual entertainment. I would like to remove the city, which would give me enough p
ower to transfer what is left of my mantlecore into one of your creations.”
“But it’s your world...” Lucian said.
“No, it’s yours, which is why I’m asking permission to do so.”
Lucian shrugged. “Sure, if it makes you happy. Wait…”
“Yes?” Old Death asked, the cat already standing and turning to the window. “You agree?”
“So the city would just disappear?”
“It would be an empty valley unless you put something there,” his predecessor said.
“But it was kind of pretty at night.”
“So you’re reneging on our agreement?”
“No, nothing like that. Take it away if you want to, I was just saying it was sort of pretty.”
“The stars can be just as pretty,” his predecessor said, “and if you would like to one day put something there, you would be able to do so.”
“Yeah? I’ll have to think about that.”
“Will you please summon one of your creations?”
Lucian did as instructed, one of his Grim Mechas appearing. Still on the couch, Old Death walked over to Lucian’s creation, observing it.
“Could you remove the blade arm? I’m sure I’ll be able to do some customization once I am in its form, but it would be nice to start with everything in working order.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Lucian lifted his hand toward his replicant, its arm morphing so that it matched the other side.
“And is it…” Old Death shook his head. “No, it is not.”
“What are you suggesting?” Lucian asked, following Old Death’s gaze to his mecha’s groin area.
“Is it anatomically correct? And can you make it so if not?”
“I…” Lucian bit his lip. “I’m pretty sure this is not what I’m supposed to be using my power to do.”
His predecessor laughed. “Put a pair of robes on the robot to cover it up then. Make it a good size though, a nice girth as well. I don’t want to be too large, nothing like that of a horse, but I also don’t want to be too small, like a gerbil. She wouldn’t like that.”
“This really isn’t what I signed up for,” Lucian said as he turned his palm toward his creation’s groin area, looking away.
“Larger…”
“That’s pretty big,” Lucian said.
“Just a bit larger, and make sure it’s not circumcised. I was never circumcised in life and I will not be circumcised in death.”
“I don’t even know what that is supposed to look like.”
“Think of the top of a tulip that has yet to bloom. There, you’ve got it! Well, sort of. Yes, a bit larger, that’s it!”
“And it’s okay if it’s metallic?” Lucian asked.
“It will do; once I gauge how much power I have after destroying the city, I will see what I can do to make it feel more lifelike, for her and for me. But I believe I will keep the rest of the metallic form,” he said as black robes began to appear on Lucian’s creation. “It looks stronger that way, intimidating, and there is a likelihood that I may have to fight again another day. Or maybe I’ll scrap it for skin. One more thing?”
“Yes?”
The cat nodded toward the mecha’s head. “Remove the skull mask and give me a handsome face, a real lantern jaw. No, you know what? I will take care of the face myself. I believe I will have enough power to do that on my own.”
The cat hopped down from the couch and strutted over to the window, taking in the city one last time.
The lights began to flicker off, the buildings melting into the ground, the flying vehicles spiraling downward until it was a darkened valley, a huge comet of energy coming right at them.
Lucian shielded his brow as the ball of light pressed through the window and lifted the cat’s body into the air, Grim Mecha’s eyes flickering all sorts of colors.
Suddenly, Ezra was back to meowing, and Lucian’s replicant was looking down at his hands, flexing them.
His replicant then placed his hand on his groin area and squeezed it.
“Wonderful,” Old Death said. “And thank you, Lucian. I believe Leliel and I will retire to the desert for the time being. I’m sure you would like some space.”
“What just happened?” he asked, noticing how the interior of the home was now darker. Lucian was still a bit thrown off to hear Old Death’s voice coming out of Grim Mecha’s body.
“Science, my boy,” his predecessor said as he turned toward Lucian’s old bedroom. “More appropriately, magic. Now, I would suggest relaxing for the rest of the evening and starting fresh tomorrow. It is amazing what a full night’s sleep can do for you, even if you are dead.”
And with that, Old Death was gone.
Lucian settled onto his bed, his eyes focused on the flat-screen television now hovering before him.
Whereas before, he had attached it to the roof of his workshop, he now preferred to just float the TV in front of him, finding it more convenient this way.
One day, gamers would be able to play videogames on the inside of their eyelids, or in their minds, eliminating the necessity of having a bulky television, no matter how thin they got.
Lucian fired up Zero Enigma, a smile coming onto his face as the intro music played. He nodded along to it, his two crows settling on their pillow at the end of his bed.
And for a moment, he considered closing the garage door of his workshop, but it was nice outside, breezy and serene, and it wasn’t like he needed to worry about something coming in and bothering him.
As Lucian waited for the game to load, Ezra too made it onto the bed, the cat moving over to his crows and finding a place in between them.
“It’s good to have you back,” Lucian told the cat.
“I’ve always been here,” said Hugin.
“Not you,” Lucian said with a chuckle.
“You want to play video games with me sometime?”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Lucian said, returning his focus to the game. “Maybe if you get a racing game, or a shooter. You can just dock on one of the mecha’s bodies. Actually, that’s a really good idea. Not tonight, because I feel like doing some grinding, but let’s for sure do that.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Lucian’s avatar stood outside the pub in Nuxvar, the town’s eternal twilight giving some of the houses an eerie glow.
The new Danira was next to him, an enormous sword sheathed on her back. The full-bosomed woman had her hair in a single braid, her semi-translucent skin giving her a ghastly nature.
Lucian really wished the developers had spent more time on the companions.
On one hand, it was convenient to just be able to pick up any companion in any village or town; on the other, if there were more banter between the two, or interlocking storylines, the world would be that much deeper.
Once again, his thoughts drifted to the future of video games.
At least in his new form as the Grim Reaper, Lucian could live long enough to see video games reach their full potential.
It may take another couple decades on Earth, but eventually, the kind of immersion that gamers dreamed of—and science fantasy writers wrote about—would be a reality.
And Lucian would be able to enjoy that reality from the safety of his predecessor’s world.
He was just about to fast travel out of the city when a cut scene played, a villager and several soldiers appearing.
“That’s the one,” the woman said in a not-so-convincing accent. “He killed my dear sister and ransacked her home! The brute!”
“Is that true?” the ghostly city guard asked, drawing his semi-translucent sword.
Lucian considered his options and as usual, chose the snarkiest one:
[This woman was robbing my house!]
“Lies!” she cried. “He’s not one of our kind. He is an outsider.”
[As it stands, all of us are currently outsiders.]
“That’s enough out of you,” the guard said, officially drawin
g his weapon.
The two men behind him did the same, the fight starting up.
Lucian’s first response was to torch one of the guards, Danira stepping in with her big sword and swinging it at the leader, the two striking each other again and again.
After another torching of the guard, Lucian switched to his scythe, repeatedly striking his next opponent.
The guard he had burnt to a crisp fell onto the ground, smoke billowing off his body as Lucian finished off his assailant.
And like a popular video game in which attacking a chicken triggered a swarm of more chickens, more guards came on the scene, Lucian and Danira engaging them as well.
Eventually, Lucian knew he was going to have to leave, and he wouldn’t be able to fast travel considering he was in a combat environment.
So he ran, Danira following behind him, both of them running awkwardly.
Occasionally, Lucian would swivel and fire a fireball, but in doing so more guards would come from the sides, which he knew would eventually overwhelm him no matter how strong he was.
They made it to the city gates and onto a hill overlooking the town.
Lucian turned, seeing that the town of Nuxvar now had a red ring around it, indicating that until he either paid a fine or did something similar, he was no longer welcome.
Lucian thought that was the end of it.
As he started to leave the area, with the goal of eventually accessing the map and fast traveling, a trio of wolves came from out of nowhere, making his heart jump.
Lucian hated the wolves in Zero Enigma, namely because they always took him off guard.
The beasts were relatively easy to slaughter, but it was the sudden jump that always got him.
He torched one of the wolves, engaging the second with his scythe while Danira took on the third with her sword.
Once they killed the beasts, Lucian looted the three of them, netting a few poor hides, a single fang, and several slabs of meat.
Figuring it was as good of a camp site as any, Lucian scrolled to the menu and selected the option that allowed him to set up a camp. The cut scene played, showing Lucian setting up his tent, Danira’s avatar standing awkwardly off to the side.
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