Legion of Steel
Book 1
Jaeger Mitchells
Lucian Knight
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
To Be Continued
About the Authors
More Harem Goodness
About the Dukes of Harem
About the Community
Copyright © 2020 by Jaeger Mitchells & Lucian KnightAll rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written consent of the author, except in the instance of quotes for reviews.
No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the internet without the permission of the author and is a violation of the International copyright law, which subjects the violator to severe fines and imprisonment.
This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, and places are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real, except where noted and authorized.
Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events are entirely coincidental.
Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used.
Chapter One
"And those, my friends, are the reasons why the four great fleets need to be dismantled!" The commentator screamed into the camera. "Just imagine the damage they could inflict if left to their own devices!" The glasses on the bridge of his nose squeezed down hard and caused him to speak in a high, pinched nasal tone.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the old fool, what the hell did he know? "Or maybe he isn’t that far from the truth," I mused to myself, "No, he is just an idiot! It’s as simple as that."
It took tremendous effort and sacrifice from the Legions to finally rid our world of the unholy scourge that had attacked Humanity. We barely survived; no thanks to the wealthy families and the bureaucrats that sat safely at home behind the Legions’ shield. Not to mention idiots like this so-called professor, who had supposedly devoted his life to studying the pros and cons of the Legions. It sure was a calling to die for, I thought to myself.
I forced myself up from the dilapidated couch and looked down the street through the only window in my apartment. The windows were framed by exposed pipes that leaked in more than one spot. Beside me stood a broken coffee table and the frame of what used to be a chair. I’d tried to fix it before giving up and it remained all taped up, with pieces of plastic sticking out at odd angles. Empty boxes from take-out littered the ground, along with countless empty cans of beer. The lights overhead flickered. I was waiting for the building owner to cut my electricity any day now. It’s been some time since I last paid the rent after all.
The rusty grates covering the window were nothing to be proud of, but they had prevented more than one attempt to break-into this ground floor apartment in one of the worst neighborhoods one could live in. The crime rate was high but not terrible, though the daily death toll was too high for my liking. I guess that was to be expected in a mega polis, or city-country, as people liked to call them. According to the latest auto-scan census, over eighty million people lived in New Phoenix.
Sirens flashed in the darkness as three police patrol floaters breezed by above my head. They must have been called in to take care of some random and desperate violence that had gotten out of control. Nothing new, but nasty nevertheless.
"Whatever," I muttered, and turned away from the window and back to the screen. More politics, more smart-ass "experts" who didn’t know how to wipe their own ass and fewer talking heads willing to stand up for the defense of ordinary folks- the backbone of society, those who provided the food, clothes, and products even the smart-asses consumed. Who was going to preserve the good our Legions had done?
The computer screen flickered for a brief moment before it turned on. I couldn’t help but stare at it as I chewed my bottom lip. Sure, I was fit enough to join and I’d watched all the videos, both legal and illegal, which could be publicly accessed. But, I’d been denied once already for mouthing off to the interviewer. It wasn’t my fault the bureaucrat who reviewed all applications was a douchebag who had no idea what questions he should have been asking me for such a job. For the two years since that craptastic afternoon, the blow to my ego had prevented me from applying again. For the past few days, however, an indescribable itch took up residence in my mind and I couldn’t get the Legions out of my head.
I should try again, I thought, before I was kicked out of my apartment and onto the streets and ended up dying in the gutter somewhere, hungry and desperate. “I've got nothing to lose anyways," I murmured as I sat back down on my ratty sofa. Sure, it was missing half of its fabric and more than a good chunk of sponge, but it was mine, and I was proud of it. "To die today or in a week, or even a month, there’s no one left who would grieve for me."
I was more than smart enough to get a good job here on Earth in anything that had to do with analytics or number-crunching, but I hated cubicle slaves with a passion! No way was I going to bust my ass for a pitiful wage and have to kiss up to some spoiled brat who had inherited his father’s company, or pay homage to some fat pig who would order me to do all kinds of menial shit just to keep my job. Fuck that!
"If I don’t go back to that douchebag and apply to the American fleet, who the hell could I apply to anyways?” I grumbled to myself. Three of the main four fleets were regionally based and had strong government ties. The only exception to the American, European, or Asian regional fleets was the Steel Legion; but then again, they were the weakest. It was either to join the Europeans or the Asians, or sign on with the Steel Legion. “Let’s see,” I thought out loud, “I’d face an uphill battle as a foreigner in the regional fleets, but if I chose the Steel Legion, I’d be just another outcast in there with a ragtag mix of everything.”
I hated this stupid habit of talking to myself, but I liked to think it helped me concentrate better when I was pacing back and forth, or sitting behind the computer. The only time I tried not to speak to my self was out in public, where people would give me the stink eye and think me some whack job. Rude idiots sticking their noses into my inter-personal conversations had cost me a bloody lip or a black eye on a couple of unfortunate occasions.
"Steel Legion it is then," I murmured, as I opened their application site. I was surprised to find everything already filled out. "What The hell?" I whispered to myself. And then I remembered, I’d filled the form out a couple of weeks ago and never sent it. Or at least I thought that was what had happened. Was I hallucinating again?
I sighed and shook my head. The alcohol was slowly get
ting the better of me, it seemed. If I didn’t get my shit together, and quickly, I would be face down in the gutter long before anyone had the chance to shoot or stab me!
"And sent,” I mumbled, “there we go." I leaned back in my chair. I felt tired, even more so than usual, and struggled to stay awake. It was as if something was trying to pull me into a deep slumber. I ended up blacking out in the formerly ergonomic gaming chair that had long since forfeited any right to the title, after countless repairs and hand-me-down parts barely managed to keep it upright.
Dragon kings dying queens, where is salvation now
Lost my life lost my dreams, rip the bones from my flesh
Silent screams laughing here, dying to tell you the truth
You are planned and you are…
"Oh shit! A brave new world? I haven’t heard that song in years," I exclaimed as I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t remember putting any music on. Light blinded my blurry vision, just before the image of a ceiling appeared above me.
I found myself sprawled in a lounge chair inside a dark, gothic-looking club. Tall black arches merged with the ceiling and bare steel beams framed the opening on either side. Large oval windows were protected by heavy metal grates. Stone statues of gargoyles and demons littered the corners and shadows of the enormous space. Black and mocha-colored leather sofas were arranged booth style around cast iron tables.
To my left, I noticed a man sitting at a piano, singing ‘Brave New World’, one of my favorite heavy metal songs. Most people had gotten over the genre and all folks listened to these days was synthwave, electro-pop, and such ilk. It was disgusting.
"Ahh, you’re awake," the man chirped and stopped playing music, much to my regret. "Please, join me for a drink."
My body started moving of its own accord. “How did I get here?” I asked as I shuffled over to another lounge chair right next to the stranger and sat down beside him.
I checked out my host. His short black hair was slicked back and glistened strangely in the dim light. Under the sculptured arches of carefully styled eyebrows, a pair of fiery red marbles peered back at me, along with a pearly white grin. His thick, black goatee looked almost as fake as the rest of him. The man seemed too perfect and for some unknown reason, I was surprised to realize, he made my heart race.
"Who are you?" I asked, and met his stare for the briefest of moments before I shifted in my seat to look around the club. A female bartender popped up in my peripheral; her long, white hair drawing my gaze before the rest of her stole it away. Her tanned figure was almost bare, except for a brief tank top a few sizes too small and a short leather skirt that couldn’t have been a full ten inches in length. Her whole outfit left little to the imagination, creating a cleavage that demanded my attention and created an irresistible urge to see if her ass was just as amazing. I couldn’t help but stare at her beauty.
"Oh? You like my friend over there?" He smirked, "Her name is Gremory, if you were wondering—and let me make something crystal clear, she’s very dear to me, so no dirty thoughts."
I turned back to face the man, more curious than afraid. "Yes, sorry." I shifted nervously in my seat. “Could you tell me how I got here, where here is, and why I am here?"
"Well, isn’t that just the million-dollar question?” he grinned maliciously, “I’ll make it simple for you. I’m someone who can make any wish come true, including you joining up with Lady Death here. In fact, she sat right there in the exact spot you’re sitting in right now—about five decades ago, though."
"Wait, no—what are you on about? I don’t understand. What can I do for one such as you?" I asked.
Indeed, although I now had some idea of who he was, I remained clueless about what he wanted from me. My mind raced. Why would the strongest awakened among all the known planes have an interest in me?
"It’s not what you can do for me,” he leered, “but what I can do for you, my dear Cain. Yes, I know who you are and why your parents named you what they did. You killed your twin brother while still in your Mother’s womb, didn’t you?"
I looked away, embarrassed, as if it had somehow been my fault. "As if I could remember anything about it,” I snapped, “I was a damned fetus!"
"Hey, hey, hey,” he held up his hands, “who am I to bring up nasty memories? No worries, you’re among friends."
I calmed down, studying the guy. Somehow, I didn’t trust his ‘among friends’ vibe. He was so far off the normal chart, that I had no idea how to proceed. I could usually ace the "what kind of person is he" test, but not with this guy.
"Here you go," Gremory said, as she offered me a glass of clear liquid.
"Thank you, love." The man smiled at the beauty. “Now back to you Cain. I’ve heard you’re interested in joining the Steel Legion. Is this correct?"
I frowned. "Yes, I’ve applied to the Legions, and for the second time at that."
"Hah! There it is! Now, how about I make that happen for you and even push you along a bit? Wouldn’t you like that?"
My left eyebrow shot up, but my right one remained stubbornly grounded.
"You’ll just do this for me?" I asked. I decided to indulge the crazy man. “What do you want in return? And you still haven’t answered me as to how or where we are."
"Oh, you can be certain I’m not crazy. And yes, you are correct,” he grinned, “I can read your mind. Anyways, all you need do for me in return is pledge me your soul. Upon death, I will absorb it. And as for your question as to where, or how we are where we are, I don’t think you really want an explanation. Deep inside, you know what I am, or rather who, and what this place is."
"Heh. Hahaha, right! You got me!" I chuckled, but struggled to find any humor in it. I took a sip from my glass and felt liquid fire smooth as ice slide down my throat.
There was only one ‘thing’ that could ask for a soul in return for a favor, right? And what was it with these people and their looking down on us ordinary folks? Even going as far as to kidnap me. I considered just getting up and walking out. But then, my perception of the world shifted when he—changed.
Horns sprouted from the sides of his head and twisted up toward the center. His skin turned blood red and became charred along his neck and cheeks. The suit he wore threatened to burst as the muscles in his shoulders, chest, arms, and legs grew until they strained the seams.
"Cain, I’ll only say this once. Your father and I used to have a very ‘professional’ relationship. He left you his debt. You would be wise to accept the deal. Otherwise, both your parents’ souls might find themselves in a terrible situation, if you know what I mean."
By then, I’d almost lost it. Either this guy was the devil himself, or I was so jacked up on whatever Gremory had given me to drink, that I was hallucinating his change in appearance. The funny thing was, I didn’t have such a hard time believing the hallucination. True, aliens were hell bent on destroying Humanity, and they looked even worse than him, but what if he really was the devil? Come on, I didn’t think God, Angels, and Demons existed. Did they?
"I see," I asked, taking another sip of the liquid Gremory had put in front of me, “what is it that you’re offering?" I turned my head toward her and stared in horror, "Is she also a—?”
"Yes, but I’m far prettier than him, in every way imaginable," Gremory chimed in. "Speaking of which," she added and walked back over to the bar, watching my reaction the entire time as her hips swayed seductively. The scrap of leather hugged her thighs so tightly that I imagined it ripping in places and sliding down her legs.
"Eyes back here," the man growled.
I gulped and looked back at the man. Or devil. Or whatever he was.
"Had enough gawking for one day?" he asked. "Good. Now that we’re all on the same page, how about I send you off?"
"No, wait! You haven’t told me what we’re agreeing on!"
"You’ll join the Steel Legion and, well—there are so many things that are included in that package. For starters, what do you think about Armaments? E
nhancements not available to the public? A future command of your own? I’m not saying you’ll be getting any of these, but I’m also not saying that you won’t. In any case, Gremory here will join you, to make sure you do ‘what is right’ and don’t get any funny ideas."
"Really? You make it sound as though you’re sending me as a watchdog. I’d be up there anyway, so what’s with the pretense?" she murmured.
"Oh, she’s become rather brave since you’re here. Well then, let me introduce you to Gremory, Or Lady Death, as you might know her. She’s the strongest awakened among the known fleets."
It was an understatement to say that he blew me away with that one sentence. It was really her, the strongest Armament user, and stood right in front of me, pouring us a drink, and acting like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. No, that wasn’t right. Armament users were even more precious than the rarest mineral, metal or gas. To be able to transform your body into a killing machine that could lay waste to a planet in its final phase, or annihilate a country in its base form was nothing short of amazing.
"Gremory is really Lady Death?" I asked, looking from one to the other and not quite able to believe him. He nodded slowly. A mischievous smile crept up her face. "So, what you’re saying is that the strongest awakened is pouring us a drink? The one awakened who could stand up to a small fleet, or assault a small planet all by herself?"
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