Iris picked up on the chorus and joined him.
“It’s so good,” Lady C. whispered in my ear. “So good!”
I jumped, startled to find the Metican Warrior standing behind me.
“What about you, bass man?” Dalton asked. “You going to join us or what?”
I listened to what they were doing, and quickly fell into the pocket.
Eyes closed, I was just feeling the sound now, feeling where the music should go. And that's when Dalton cut me off.
“Hey man, it's not bad or anything, but there's something missing about it. Give me a little more, put a little more into it.” He started playing off that last phrase, singing, “Put a little more into it, put a little more into it,” and soon, Iris joined him.
I was slightly flustered. Being stopped mid-run when you’re trying to find your groove is something that irks even the most Zen-like musician.
But I eventually found the groove and hopped right in, saddling up to the beat.
This time I kept my eyes open, listening for any changes that Dalton might have coming up.
He stopped again. “There it is! You're good, you're really good, both of you, but the bass, what you're playing over there needs something else.”
“Not following,” I told him.
“Yeah, you got the skills, I see that. But something else, I think it needs something.” He looked around the room for a moment. “You see that plant over there?”
I spotted the plant in the corner, a single flower at its top. The flower had wilted some, it was still vibrant, but it was clearly a couple of days old.
“I want you to play for that flower, perk it up.”
I gave Iris a funny look.
“What are you looking at her for? It's the flower you're trying to seduce! Look, no offense, but men and women? They’re easy. Plants and animals? That takes a little bit more skill. You see, all of this, this digital world, your world up there, everything around us and part of us, everything is a vibration. So, what I'm saying is, see if you can get on that dying flower’s wavelength. See if you can give it a little of the good stuff.”
I looked at the flower skeptically for a moment, and settings options came to me on my viewing pane.
What kind of music would a flower want to hear in a fantasy world? I turned up the phaser a little bit and added just a slight amount of reverb. A fuzz knob appeared on my dashboard, and I mentally turned that up as well, giving just a little backend static to the tone, turning it from something heard to something felt.
I started up, thinking about that flower’s journey, and how it chose to bloom here in this smoky little room.
“That's it,” Dalton said, and at just about the moment he said it, the flowers started to tremble. “It’s the real groove.”
The ink shadow started beatboxing a little, nothing too loud or cantankerous, just something to add on top of what I was playing.
Iris started up as well, snapping, and brightening our sound with her smooth vocals.
The flower’s petals folded back, and as it bloomed, light spread out from its petals. A sense of shock zipped through me, causing me to drop the beat.
As soon as I did the flower was back to its original form, almost wilted.
“Good,” Dalton said. “Damn fine. A few more choons like that and you’ll be giving me lessons. Let’s get out there. The show starts when we hit the stage.”
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I was still reeling from our performance with the ink shadow, short-lived because the manager of the Midnight Library decided that people should be paying to see us, so he actually shut the place down.
I’d never seen that before, a band that was so impressive that upper management stopped them from playing so they could later charge people to watch them play, but Dalton didn't have any problem with this, and I didn't really either, especially if we were going to eventually get paid.
Which was kind of a joke, considering that I had gone from getting paid to play gigs in New York to getting paid in digital currency to play gigs in EverLife.
“Stay here.” Lady C. led me to her bed.
We had just arrived at the Dojo, the lightning horses still visible in the field outside her cabin.
Water flickered on from a spout above her clawfoot tub. Lady C. quickly took off her clothing, placing her armor on a mannequin near her dresser.
She was in a bra and panties now, and as she walked over to the tub, she unclipped the back of her bra, letting it fall to the ground. With a playful giggle, she bent over and placed her hand in the water to test its temperature, looking over her shoulder at me.
Lady C.’s panties came off and she quickly got into the bath, lifting her hair so it fell over the lip of the tub.
“Can you light some candles?” she asked me, letting out a sigh.
“With what?”
She pointed to a candelabra and I brought it over to her. A bit of flame appeared at the tip of her finger, igniting the wicks.
“I wish I could do that,” I said as she lit the candles.
“Well, if you read some of the books I've read, including Ignis Ignis, maybe you’d be able to.”
“My power seems to be music-related, like the time I made that flower bloom.”
“I'd really like some flowers right now.”
“Yeah?”
“Why not?” she asked. “It would brighten up the place.”
“Stay here,” I told her as I headed to the door.
“Hurry back!”
I turned toward the meadow, and as I ran there, Rose caught up with me.
You seem to be having a good time, the bearadillo thought to me. Gobi came running up behind her, and not paying attention, the little bearadillo crashed into her back leg.
He’s still learning.
“I can see that,” I told her as I reached for her head. I place my hand on her head and stared deeply into her dark eyes for a moment.
Do people normally pet bearadillos?
“I really don't know,” I told her. “I'm just feeling good, it's been a really good day. Things have been looking up, lately.”
It's always nice when that happens, when things go your way. And may I assume that you are courting Lady C.?
“Yeah, you could call it that. I was planning to get her some flowers.”
She made a noise in her throat; Gobi stopped playing and raced to the meadow, an intent look on his face. I watched him run for a moment, my gaze going from the bearadillo cub to Yaksha, the giant Buddha sitting on the horizon.
I’ve sent Gobi after some flowers. He’s very good at finding the best.
I tried to picture the bearadillo picking flowers, but couldn't.
So, I'm going to assume that our plan isn't just to relax and enjoy this Dojo and EverLife for the rest of our lives, am I right?
“You're right,” I told her. “We've got some ideas we’re working on, some plans. So, there will be some relaxing, but we might as well take advantage of our situation.”
What kind of plans?
“Well, there's the tournament coming up, and then there's the Steeple.”
Ah, the Steeple, it is beautiful from here. People are eager to discover its secret, yes?
“So you know?”
It’s common knowledge here. May I tell you my opinion of it?
“By all means,” I said, scratching the back of my head. I was hoping Gobi would hurry with the flowers; I didn't want to leave Lady C. waiting.
I am one to let a secret remain a secret, because part of the mystery and intrigue of a secret is the fact that no one knows whether it is true or not. People put their hope into these things, these concepts, and I’d personally be wary of obstructing this.
Gobi returned, a serious bouquet of flowers in his mouth. After thanking him and his mother, I took the flowers from him and wiped some of his slobber off their stems.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I awoke the next morning before Lady C.
B
efore I could get out of the bed, and after kissing her on the forehead, I lifted my finger into the air and logged out.
I was suddenly back in Iris’ apartment, waiting for the NV Visor to power down.
As the sine waves disappeared, and as the Brian Eno tone said goodbye, I called out Iris’ name. No response. I took off the visor, and lay there for a moment longer, getting used to being in my real-world body again.
Once I felt like I could sit up, I did so, only to find that Iris was gone.
My eyes fell upon the table, where I saw a plate with a waffle on it sitting next to a letter.
Such cute handwriting, I thought as I read the letter over, which simply stated that we’d meet later.
I scarfed the waffle down, and realizing that I should probably eat something healthy, I checked Iris’ refrigerator for fruit, and found an apple.
I chilled for a little bit, used the restroom, washed my face and cleaned my glasses, but once I was ready to bring the Huntresses to New York, I stopped.
No, I thought as I stepped into my shoes. I'll call them once I arrive at the park.
I had a brawl scheduled a few hours later with Keegan, the young female brawler I had first encountered in Central Park. We had some serious Proxima debt, so I figured that I would do some hunting around Central Park as well.
Not in Central Park this time; I wanted to go somewhere more creative than that, so I pulled up a map of Manhattan and quickly scrolled through it.
I found a green swath of land known as Carl Schurz Park, which was along the waterfront. I'd been there before, so I was familiar with the place, and while it was small, the likelihood of mythcrea being there was high.
I found the station, hopped on the train going to the Dekalb Avenue Station, and transferred there to the Q.
The train was crowded, leftovers from the early morning rush, so it was standing room only. I focused on the Monster Locator app.
Underground, huh? I thought, my vision pane lighting up blue. I’ll have to see about this later.
I called the Huntresses to me as soon as I arrived at the 86th Street Station. They were battle ready, and Aya was the first to say hello, stepping toward me with her hips swaying, her hat tilted slightly to the left.
Lady C. simply dropped her hand into mine and turned toward the stairwell with me. We walked up together, Aya before us, her giant sword slapping against her back as she took the stairs.
We exited the subway, and I got that same familiar rush of city that I always felt when exiting an underground subway.
Everything was contained in the subway, you were boxed in, and then you were let out into the free world, arguably the best city in America, with flying vehicles above you and people moving past you and a hustle and bustle that was vibrant, electric even, all-encompassing.
“I was reading my new book this morning,” Lady C. said as we walked.
“The history one?” I asked, recalling the book we picked up from the mysterious seller in the subway station near Central Park.
“Not just any history book, The History of Mortem and Chrono Magic. It’s really rare, Chase. I was talking to the waiter last night at the Midnight Library, and even he hadn’t heard of it.”
“Anything to report back?” I asked her.
“Not just yet, the magic is very difficult, and we aren’t at the right level for me to be able to use it. Next level, though.”
“I know, I know, I'm trying – that's why we're going hunting right now. Maybe we can hit that next level today. We should really try, at least. And we have a brawl scheduled too, so we have to factor that in.”
“Who is our opponent today?” Aya asked as she joined us.
“Do you two remember the young girl we faced off against in Central Park, one of our first brawls?”
“I remember crushing her and the girl sobbing,” Aya said.
I smirked. “Yeah, her, Keegan. She extended an invitation to me. That's who we're going up against later today. Also, regarding our levels, we have ten tokens until the next level, so whatever we're catching today will be for keeps. Shit. Maybe not, I actually may need to sell them off, so we can get some money.”
“You're doing this all wrong,” Aya said. “You should meet with Iris and split up, Iris going with me and Lady C. going with you. You will double your catches this way.”
“It would make the battles harder, but you may be able to catch more,” said Lady C. “We could even make a game of it, Lady Iris and Lady Aya versus you and me. Who can catch the biggest creature? The highest level?”
Aya scoffed at this statement. “If it is a competition, you will lose. But yes, it is a good idea and I’m glad I had it. Chase, make sure that you put that down for tonight.”
“Got it, a double hunt.”
“It sounds so cool when you say that,” Lady C. said, squeezing my hand.
I saw the park ahead, a few food trucks parked out front. We passed the trucks, and the smell of frying meat made me instantly hungry. I'd had a small breakfast at Iris', but considering the fact that we'd be hunting and brawling for the rest of the day...
Well, I did a classic New York thing: I got a hot dog. Lady C. commented on it again while Aya stood with her arms crossed over her chest, talking shit about people’s weights and what she would do if she were their personal trainer.
“Now that guy, I like that guy,” she said when a man in a tight athletic shirt passed.
He was the only person not wearing a jacket, likely to show off his muscles. His neck was thick, he was lantern-jawed, and his head was shaved aside from his cowlick, which sat like a dollop of whipped cream at the top of his forehead.
“You would like that guy,” Lady C. said. “He looks like he's all muscle and no brains.”
“That's the perfect man for someone who likes to fight,” Aya said, a hint of sarcasm to her voice. Her tone indicated that she didn't actually believe this, that she was just ribbing Lady C.
That didn’t stop them from playfully bickering about it.
The hot dog finished, I focused again on the monster locator aura on my viewing pane. There was something nearby, possibly in a small wooded area not far from the entrance.
“Close by,” I told the two Huntresses.
Aya drew her sword, her shoulders dropping as she got into a ready position.
Lady C. took out both blades as well, holding them at the ready as a luminescent magic cascaded up and down their tips.
We continue the hunt in silence, a silence briefly interrupted by joggers or people walking their dogs.
I tried not to imagine what I must look like to those bystanders, some guy just really focused and moving toward the woods.
I probably looked like a goddamn serial killer or something, so I kept my hands down, and I tried to remember not to tense the muscles on my face or anything of the sort.
Low profile.
We pressed into the park’s wooded area, our cover consistently blown by the sound of crackling leaves beneath our feet.
I saw something hunched over, large, covered in hair. As soon as I spotted it, information about the creature appeared on my pane of vision.
“A samsquanch?”
The creature was at least nine feet tall, its shoulders wide, its arms stacked with muscles.
Aya trailed off to the left and then quickly switch to the right, her ears twitching as she got into position.
I stepped on a random twig and the crack it made caught the samsquanch’s attention.
The creature had a simian face, its skin thick and its eyes burning with hatred when it saw me. It bared its canines, and brought its big paws in front of its body.
From my vantage point, I could see Lady C. standing as straight as possible, her body blocked by the thick trunk of a tree, her swords parallel with her legs.
While I wished they would have told me that they were going with the ‘Chase is bait’ strategy, I quickly fell into my role.
My hands in front of me now, I start
ed shaking my hips and wiggling my fingers at the samsquanch.
“Dance, boy, do yo’ thang!” a woman passing on the trail behind me called out.
This momentary distraction threw me off guard, to the point that I missed the fact that the samsquanch had already started charging me, its clawed feet digging into the earth and kicking up mud.
By the time I looked back, it had cleared at least half the distance between us.
“Garrrrggghaaaa!” it roared as Aya dropped down from the tree onto its back, her buster sword stabbing into the top of its shoulders. Her knee hit the back of its head, bringing it sliding forward.
Rather than hit the ground, the samsquanch fell into an ice explosion courtesy of Lady C.
Its forward trajectory was instantly thwarted. The creature reared back, Aya leaping off its body and just barely missing a branch.
“Now!” the Thulean screamed.
Energy charged up my arm, but by the time I pulled my hand back to cast the net at the samsquanch, it had recovered, the creature’s primal instincts becoming apparent as it stomped the ice out and threw its massive fists at Aya.
Lady C., who still hadn’t been seen by the creature, came in from behind it, so that it was fending Aya off from the front and getting its back lashed by the Metican warrior.
Rather than take a fight from both sides, the creature smartly dropped the ground and rolled to its left, clearly trying to escape at this point.
Running toward it, I brought my net of light back and cast it at the samsquanch, only to have it narrowly dodge the net as it scurried off into the forest. Aya’s ghost limbs propelled her up into the trees and she quickly came down in front of the creature, where she brandished her buster sword once and then held it like it was a baseball bat.
The samsquanch’s arms came over its head to pound her and she brought the blade into its side, cutting through its thick flesh until her blade was lodged in one of its ribs, causing the monster to drop to one knee.
Lady C. appeared behind it, just about to drop her Time Scissors skill. She stopped with both blades trained on its neck.
I approached them hurriedly, brought my hand back and cast my net.
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