To all those reading the modern Mage storyline, this happens over chapters 17 & 18 and may necessitate up part of 19 as well. I'll have a go at it more about that once the aspiration for 19 comes to me. I wanted to let everyone see a different perspective than Andrew's as well as cover something that wouldn't have fit in the rest of the story based on the aspect that modern font Mage is being writer as though Andrew is explaining his past to the proofreader. I used bother third somebody narrative and some first soul in the chapter here to separate what he was thinking at first as well as allowing me to explain some of the back report for those who read this and haven't read the balance of the modern font Mage and Existence floor. promise everyone enjoys a unlike take on thinks in the macrocosm of Magick and monster that I am attempting to add you all into.

Gabriel Roarke had been a Hunter for over a decade, ever since he recovered after his family line was attacked by a Vampire. To be more precise after that creature had killed his parents and then turned his sis forcing Roarke to kill them if he wanted to inhabit. He had spent six months in a infirmary recovering from physical harm he'd received from surviving that Night and cleaning up the mickle so that he didn't go to jail for slaying. He didn't tell the police or the doc, nurse and psychiatrist that the hospital about the vampire because he didn't want to be placed in a mental institution either.

At the end of his time recovering from the hurt Roarke was taken in by a young pair instead of being placed in a political science place. While thankful for that he was shy why they took him in until dinner of the first night in his new domicile. It turned out that they had known about the supernatural and realized that what happened to his family was a Vampire attack. They began to excuse that their family had been a long railway line of huntsman, dedicated to protecting humanity from the thing most don't even conceive in. They started training him, not just in how to fight but hot to remember as well. Over the class of four years they had trained hum, taken him out on William Holman Hunt and treated him as though he was their own child. They made sure that he also got a proper schooling education allowing him to restrict for college. Just after his 18th birthday while shopping for provision before he left for college the Vampire that had attacked his family tracked him down again. That nighttime the vampire attacked again killing both of his defender. He killed the vampire that Night himself. After that night he decided not to go away to school but to start hunting and recruiting new hunters to train.

For six years Roarke had been hunting and killing every supernatural being he could get over down. It didn't affair what sort they were. He focused mostly in country where had found people disappearing or being murdered. He excelled at ferreting out those beast that hid in knit stitch visual modality. Over time her developed root of information on the web and made middleman with other hunting watch and informant. After that he started to get more and more selective information on beings he couldn't have found himself. Information that told him not only where to obtain these monsters, but what variety her was dealing with. He couldn't believe his fortune in finding this root of information. That germ had created a problem for him earlier today.

He got information about a target in Las Vegas who was said to be a danger not just to the masses in the city around him, but to others around the world. Roarke spent most of his clock time hunting in Ireland, Scotland and England but would travel abroad when there was a threat that would command the time and effort. He had hunted in the United States a few metre but had never traveled to Las Vegas before. The source contacted him anonymously as common with the target data. The target was a sorcerous user, powerful at that. The documentation sent tied him to a drawing string of murders around the city and in nearby states claiming that he was using blood magic to increase his power. The targets address was provided with the other information, along with the logical implication that he was nearly completed the ritual meaning he needed to be stopped quickly. Roarke booked passage to Las Lope Felix de Vega Carpio and shipped the train he would need by air freight the adjacent day. Within the week he was in Las Lope de Vega and picked up his gear. He would normally have taken fourth dimension to reconnoiter the target and create for certain that he could get in and out without any problems, but from the supplied info he just didn't have the sentence before this guy started killing Thomas More people.

Roarke got to the location on the night of February first to see his quarry arrive back at the house with a bantam red haired woman that there was no information on in the files. The driver of the car that brought them there unloaded luggage and took it in for them. He could see from his position several mass inside the house when the door was opened. It looked like they had come back from some kind of tripper and having a welcome dwelling party from his perspective. Roarke watched the sign of the zodiac as the dark went on. Around one or two in the morning time nigh of those Roarke had seen left the planetary house. He continued to find out the planetary house until daybreak. right field before sunrise Roarke got out of his hand truck and started to motivate toward the planetary house expecting the occupants to be sleeping after the of late evening.

He got halfway across the property to the doorway moving from cover to cover when he paused for a here and now. He had about xxx metrical foot of blank space to cross with aught to sidestep behind when he continued to approach. He wasn't aware at that moment that the next few arcminute were going to modify perception of reality forever. He pulled the steel he inherited from his defender before standing up. The sword was refuted to be a priceless artefact that can stop almost any kind of Magic used against the somebody wielding it. He stood up and started across the capable priming when the front door opened and out stepped the man he was after.

Standing before Roarke was the monstrosity that he was sent after, a person tough than any he hunted before. This man had killed more innocent people that any other supernatural creature he had tracked down and had the hauteur to step out and bask a sunny sunup as though there wasn't a fear in the creation. Roarke's determination was one of his smashing and baneful asset and upon seeing he target he charges intending to end this quickly. Within the inaugural twain of steps the man looked unconcerned, but it quickly changed to confusion as he dodged the swing of the sword and rolled away. Roarke firmly believed that this man was truly a behemoth simple by the fact that he was human and made the choice to destroy lives for his own gain. Vampires needed blood line to live and were soulless, wolfman were rampantly uncontrolled creature, early supernatural creatures hadn't even started out as human and while they needed to be destroyed you couldn't hold them to human morals. When a man decides that he would rather kill for power, money or any other reasonableness they made themselves bad monsters than those born to it.

The monster he faced scanned the area, probable looking for aid in fighting Roarke off in rescript to save his own low life. He spoke up,"What do you desire here ?"

Roarke's answer was direct and even, no gumption of rage or anger in his tone. Roarke kept his emotions in check when he hunted. He didn't stamp out out of angriness or retaliation ; his motives were as perfect as he could make them. He hunted to protect humanity for the monsters as his guardians had taught him."Your principal,"was the reply.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it won't be that slowly. walk away, leave me and my friends alone and I'll do the same for you. I don't want you dead and you don't want to die,"was the solvent from his aim. Did this lusus naturae really believe that it would be that simple to survive ? Did he not see the purpose on Roarke's typeface ? This man was a coward praying on the weak to put on power and thought he could simply peach his way out of his own demise.

"I've been threatened by and then killed better than you, why would I walk away now ?"Roarke replied evenly. While he couldn't be for sure that he wouldn't be killed himself he decided that this man would not dwell to kill anyone else either. Roarke was determined that either he would hold up this scrap or neither of them would. With that mindset he knew he was the most dangerous kind of opposition anyone had ever faced.

"Make your pick and let's get this over with,"the monster relied with a deficiency of patience. Roarke was more than will to oblige him if he wanted to die. He started to close up with the target again, staying on the balls of his fundament ; trying to be make for anything this man before him could do. The enemy moved far faster than he was expecting and sidestepped past Roarke, opening space that he didn't want to give him. He still knew that he wasn't faster than no of the former matter he hunted and therefor the devil would die. Roarke closed again quickly, swinging to separate this man's body at the waist. His object dodged, dropping into a crouch and sweeping at Roarke's feet. Reacting instinctively he started to jump over his enemy's leg but was caught briefly by the attack. He landed on his back instead of flipping out and away, turning the landing into a whorl back away from his opponent. Roarke realized that no topic what else this target was, he was also a groom fighter.

"Why are you here ?"the man asked.

"I'm here to kill you, I figured that was obvious by now,"Roarke replied, letting his tone of voice grow night and menacing.

"That part was obvious jack ass. What I want to know is the intellect you chose to try and shoot down me ? I've never done anything to harm you or yours that I know of, so why am I your target ?"Roarke was shocked by this reply. Did this monster really take in the gall to call him a jack ass ; and why was it that so many of his targets had tried to play innocent when faced with their own mortality ? Own up to what you do in life and accept your due was his philosophy ; if you can't you shouldn't be doing whatever it is in the first position. Roarke knew many would see him as little more than a manslayer even though he did what was needed to protect others.

Roarke closed again a little more cautiously and started his swing trying to bisect this man from shoulder to opposite hip. His opposition reacted quickly, stepping inside his kitchen stove with a jab to the throat. Immediately after that his opponent followed up with a stifle to the groin. Roarke's only thought was that this man didn't just know how to fight back he acknowledge how to win a fight. Roarke couldn't call it dirty fighting as his guardians had stressed from the beginning that all was fair in love and war. His Step-Mother for lack of a proficient terminus used to say"You can fight by the normal or you can fight to win. I would rather you fight to win."Right after the attacks to stun him the enemy shoved him and backed up to gain some infinite instead of following up which worried Roarke as he had no truthful knowledge of what sort of powers this man could get to bear.

When Roarke got back to his feet his enemy was now armed with two foresightful thin alloy bars. They were each about 30 inches long and looked about an inch or so chummy. When they closed again, Roarke had his target on the defensive attitude. If for nothing else, Roarke had to commit his opposite acknowledgment for being a fighter. They went back and forth for several minutes, both of them tiring but luck was with Roarke as his prey seemed to be fleet faster. The man turned the tables forcing Roarke to guard himself even more as he sought a way through his education and accomplishment with the broadsword. As they continued this deadly dance Roarke heard a speech sound toward his left but kept focused on his antagonist. The man looked away toward the door as his body turned toward the quad between Roarke and that speech sound ; that was the opening he was waiting for. Roarke whipped the sword in from the English slicing a line across the man's abdomen leaving a track of blood flowing behind its passing.

"Saint Andrew ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"a cleaning woman's voice screamed. The prey stepped back turning sideways to come at his side opened up from Roarke's attack on him. He switched the grip on the brand and drove it up towards the target area side driving it in just below the bottom rib. Roarke's purport was lifted as he knew he was successful in his quest to kill the monster. Roarke's elation was dead lived however as this giant stepped forward pushing the sword deeper into his organs. The man had a look that Roarke recognized from his own mirror. It was a expression that said that while I may be dying but I'm taking you with me. Faster than he could oppose to the attack Roarke's wrists were crushed by one of the metal measure as the other contacted the side of his top dog. He was delicately with dying as long as he knew that his target area had been eliminated before he could cause any More harm. Those were his dying view as he lost cognisance.
********************

Those were some of the thoughts flowing through my head as I drove away from that same house recent that evening. Among the others were the facts that I wasn't beat as I should have been ; I had been knocked out at the mercifulness of a man I thought to be a freak. Not only had I not been killed for attacking him, Saint Andrew and his wife Sindee had treated my wounding and spoke to me. I didn't want to listen at first but I was a intent audience initially. They had treated me better than I would get treated an enemy. They were trying to convert me that not all occult beings were evil fiend, that some of them were even out to help protect the homo race. They had fair arguments for their pointedness of view. When I asked them why they didn't just reveal the Truth to the human race with the evidence they gather they told me that Humanity wasn't fix to have the truth. I had no rattling argumentation for that but before I could stay had me dispute my own statement by asking how I found out about the occult world. I told him the total the true of what happened to my category and I when I was only fourteen. By the metre I finished telling them the tarradiddle they simply cut the ropes tying me to the chair and fed me while we continued to talk.

I turned out that I may deliver been helping to bring about the death of citizenry that I made it my mission to protect. St. Andrew told me that he was Mage, not just some human who gained access to might ; that Mages abilities were natural and not the final result of last and destruction for might. I don't know what to think of everything he has said because it is so different to what I have spent the last XII years believing. When I left his home he told me to recollect thing through, take the air some and I might find what I need as I go. When I get back to the hotel I intend to do just that. One of the things I have to think over is whether I want to leave alone this city in heartsease with him and his ally to protect it or to ally myself with him against this strange enemy he told me about. I pulled up to my hotel gentleman's gentleman, dropped off the car and started walking, wandering and thinking. I had no estimate where I was going as this was my start trip to the city of Las Lope de Vega, but I knew I could find my path back or call off a cab from a bar to get back to the hotel when I needed.

The more I wandered the more illogical I became as the truth I was shown was at war with the reality I had known. It's not easygoing to confront the true statement and your own misconceptions about it but it needed to be done. I kept walking, not paying attending to the streets, and just letting my feet direct the route I walked. My focussing was on finding what I needed to in order to act upon through the discombobulation I was feeling. Somehow after being out walking for an minute or so I found myself in front of the doors to a baseball club. Looking at the sign I saw it was called the creation. I figured I could use a drink and stepped toward the doors before I even noticed the line going down the block. The ostiary looked down at me as I stepped up and placed a handwriting on my shoulder joint to intercept me from entering. That's when I noticed the wrinkle and realized I wasn't likely to get that drink after all.

As I turned to walk away I bumped into another gentleman stepping up to the door beside me. He was taller than me and dressed well. He was wearing what looked like custom tailored clothing. inkiness linen slack water, a cobalt blue silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, a linen jacket matching the pant and a Nice pair or tradition leather boots. He had brown hair and the palest grey centre I had ever seen. What was most coin about the optic is they looked like they had seen more history than anyone else I had ever know and he looked like he was only a mates years my fourth-year. Between him and the doorman, I was more intimidated by this stranger. I realized that while I had been evaluating him he had been doing the Lapplander to me and I had to value that. He held out his deal to me,"I'm Arthur Masters, and you are ?"

I reflexively took his mitt and shook it,"Gabriel Roarke sir ; a joy to receive you."I'm not sure enough why I said sir except the tone in his eyes and the way he carried himself seemed to overlook respectfulness. I've met a couple people that had exchangeable heading but nobody that grabbed my tending like he did.

Arthur turned to the doorman,"Marshall, I'm going to involve Gabriel here in as my guest tonight, please add him to the leaning in the future."Then he turned to me."You look like you need to get a drinking and maybe talk about something. I own the placed and feel it's conductive to thinking things through and finding what you need. First deglutition on me."

Chester Alan Arthur opened the doorway and waived me in ahead of him. It was such a nice offer I couldn't bring myself to decline ; besides my walking and just going where I felt I needed to be led me to the door. I decided to keep an open mind and go in. When I entered I was struck with just how great this property really was. The bar area wasn't much big than any of the pub back home, but the bar surface area was just the origin. There was a nightspot behind the main bar through a soundproofed Plexiglas wall the appeared to dilute an entire auction block. If the proprietor and the background of its size weren't enough to imprint me, the security arrangement would feature. I've seen military installment with lupus erythematosus security measures and protection than this place. I followed Arthur to a with child table in the center of the briny bar arena that had a reserved augury on it. He motioned for me to sit as he took the chair facing the door with his back to the bar.

As I sat down I read the sign posted above the bar and couldn't help the laugh that came out. It read :

The use of weapon is strenuously discouraged, law offender will be Penalized. For those of you who don't have two psyche prison cell to form a thought the above means"YOU PULL IT, YOU EAT IT ”, This insurance is strictly enforced

Arthur looked at me and where my centre focused. He turned a smile on me that made me like the man even more. I could tell from his center he had seen too a good deal of what was out there and now from his smile that he didn't let what he saw break him down. I hope that one day I'll be capable to say the like thing. While we were sitting there a petite young charwoman walked over to the table with two glasses and a crystal decanter full of an amber colored liquid. She set the two glassed between Arthur and myself before pouring the drinks. She then placed the nursing bottle on the table before stepping away. As I was watching her I could see her evaluating me practically the Lapplander as Arthur and I did to each former and I got the opinion that this woman would not only drink down for President Arthur but die for him as well. Whoever this man is, he not only inspired respect he commanded dedication as well. The cleaning lady was just over five infantry and could have been more than 125 pounds or so but she carried herself with the grace of a professional dancer or fighter and I had my guess as to which.

"Gabriel, if you care to get together me, this is a very old and rare cognac that it would be my pleasure to parcel with Irish whisky gentleman such as yourself."

"Thank you Arthur, it would be my pleasure."I took the drink and didn't correct him about calling me Roarke as I preferred as I was here at his hospitality. I took a sip from my drink and felt the hard liquor suntan slowly down my throat and warm me from the inside.

"So Gabriel, if you don't mind my request, what wandering thought brought you to my door this evening ?"Arthur inquired politely.

I chuckled briefly before responding,"I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you. At the very least you may call up I'm drunk or crazy."

Arthur turned his head to present me and stared directly into my eyes as he replied,"You may be surprised. I learned a very long time ago as a bartender that I needed to go along an subject judgement about the truth of the world. Besides, many masses that show up here seem to have something they need to blab out even if it sounds a bit strange. Just because I sit out at the mesa more often than working the puzzle doesn't mean I'm no longer a barkeep. talk up about what's on your head, if it sounds a small gaga I'll dimension it to the drinking and call you a cab when we're done."

The way he spoke and the still acceptance in his middle made it well-heeled to sound at least some of my sentiment. I figured I could cover the broad strokes without giving him the point that would put me in a mental initiation."Have you ever known that you were doing the good thing because you knew how the world worked only to take in the truth turn and savour you over the read/write head ?"I asked him.

"Since truth is a relative term as we subscribe to our own linear perspective ; that has happened to me on no less the a dozen affair. I learned a new fact each time. knowledge is about fact and wisdom about truth. The truth can alter as often as we do as people. It's the facts that we need to acquire that cause the truth to be re-evaluated. charter for representative, as a kid I never believed in any of the monsters in the movies until I saw my kickoff one. I knew the truth was they didn't exist before I was exposed to the fact that they were really,"Arthur stated in an even and relaxed tone.

I wish I could say that I picked up on what he said right hand away but honestly I just didn't,"That is an interesting perspective on Truth and facts….."I fell silent for a instant as my psyche was catching up on what he just said."Did you just say that you know that the lusus naturae from the movies exist ?"

"Of row I did. However, I think you already knew that as well. More importantly, I believe that you are having an issue resolving the fact that while these being in fact exist, in truth they are not all teras. Would that be a correct assessment ?"

I hadn't been surprised by anyone in a farseeing time, but this day was shaping up to be one of new and disconcerting experiences. I opened my mouth to respond a few times and closed it again before finally being able to put a coherent thought into wrangle,"You could easily put it that way. How did you get it on what I was thinking about ?"

Chester Alan Arthur smiled at me before he answered,"First is that you wound up at my door and only those who need to find this place if they haven't been invited. Second is that you carry yourself as a warrior in a clip and place where there aren't many left in the globe and since you're completely human being I would assume you were a Orion. The only way a Hunter would arrive at my door is if they were having some kind of crisis or faith or some other such issue they need to work out. one-third, and what made figuring out the maiden two leisurely is a mutual champion gave me a mind up about a untested man who he sent wandering with the idea planted on letting the walking guide him to what he needed."

I looked him directly in his disconcerting regard and asked,"Saint Andrew the Apostle ? He knew I would wander up here ?"

Arthur chuckled and replied,"No, he didn't know. He did hope your wandering would wreak you here because this place may provide you some on the perspective you need to work through you dilemma."He took a immediate look around the elbow room."Since you have arrived here and sat with me you have been looking the spot over. Tell me without looking again what you noticed."

I answered quickly and from memory as not to bias the answer by over call back things,"I saw busy bar and nightclub with good security measures in place to protect the spot and patrons from any possible situation including an invasion by a unfriendly nation. I saw mass sitting around having conversations and potable without the downhearted mood you see in a lot of bars and clubs. I saw the great unwashed dancing and smiling, moving on and off the terpsichore floor. I saw that beautiful Lester Willis Young madam who brought the cognac over assess me as though I may be a threat and saw that she was more fast to you than I'd ever to be able to properly put into words."

"Very observant for the straightaway glance you took. I will also have to tell Sam about the compliment you paid her in your assessment."He smiled and continued,"Now, take another look around. fill your metre and look closely. Scan just the bar room if you want to select a flavour through the glass to the ball club and tell me again what you see."

I did as he instructed, taking my prison term to do this right hand. I paid attention to every detail I could spot letting my focal point linger on the dance floor beyond the divider. I looked over the client and the staff, looking for anything that I had missed in my scan of the elbow room when I entered. By the fourth dimension I was finished looking around I'm surely my jaw was hanging open in shock at what I was seeing around me. I almost didn't believe my own eyes."There are all kinds of occult beings in here along with mortals ; occult beings that actively war with each former. I can see at least a mates of Vampires shooting kitty with a couple of wolfman over there. I can see some being in here that I can't positively identify as to what they are. I don't understand how there can be so many occult beings in this one city, let alone this one construction without them trying to snap each other and the place apart as well. How is it that no one violated the insurance policy above the bar ?"

Again a smile spreading across Chester Alan Arthur's look,"I'll explain as salutary I can and maybe it will help oneself you resolve your own identity element crisis. number one and foremost, when I opened this plaza initially, it was just the bar portion that we're sitting in. That happened farsighted before I knew what existed beyond the scope of my worldly concern. I later came to know a lot more about the trueness and the facts of what goes on in this mankind. Among the different occult races there are traditionally position to run across between rival kin group or tribes or whatever sociable grouping that species gathers themselves in to. These places have many names selected by the race in question, but it is always neutral territory and the ruler are not to be broken. The to a greater extent democratic terminal figure for these places is an Elysium. I would don this to be a mention to the inspired Fields from Greek mythology as they were a position of paradise similar to heaven in other religions. Either way, I believed that while the different airstream had placed where they could meet to do work out issuing between their own sort, there was no place to meet with another raceway where they could peacefully hash out affair without it generating into another battue. With the abilities I had and have grown into overtime I turned my trivial corner bar into an Elysian Fields for all who enter. My faculty and I are more than capable of enforcing the neutrality if we have to, but most who come here just bask the chance to relax and be who they are, not what they are expected to be. Take the pool game you pointed out. They are playing pairs, but it isn't vampire versus Werewolves, they're Split evenly. That table in the street corner over my shoulder with the two men playing cheat and having a discussion ; one is a Mage and the former a Technocrat. Outside of this place they are someone enemies because they have different beliefs. In here they discuss their impression in hopes of opening the other person's oculus to the truth as they see it. And Samantha whose loyalty to me you commented on ; I owe her my life several times over and not once has she allowed me to give thanks her or refund her with any kind of favor beyond the friendship we ploughshare. She is older than me by an society of decades even though she appears younger. She is a Warrior of exquisite skill, a loyal and near friend, a confidant and ally as well as a sort hearted woman once you get to fuck her. Sam just also happens to be a Vampire. The first think you need to think about is that just because some writer put something in a Word of God because they didn't understand and were afraid of a little truth doesn't mean they were right wing. Now, don't get me legal injury and assume they are all good law abiding people no matter what they are. Like world, the supernatural have some that are born good and will always be so and some that are pure malevolent and like it there. The respite of the population of supernatural organism falls somewhere in the grayness region and should be treated as they treat others."Arthur's smile turned from openly friendly to one of mischief. He reached up into the air next to me and made a sound like glass or alloy snapping then reach out like he was handing me something before continuing,"Now that I have completely broken your handle on reality I need to gift my barman a break while you think though all that has been revealed to you today. If you have questions or need to spill let me live. If you need a drive back to your hotel, George will have you a ride unless I'm exempt to do so."He stood to go to the bar and as he turned to walk away,"You're welcome here whenever you want."He poured me another glass of the cognac before taking the carafe to the bar with him.

So there I sat, a Hunter in the middle of a nightspot full of the creatures I had hated and hunted for XII class. I thought about seeing just how good the faculty could be a enforcing the weapon policy, except that was not what I wanted to do. None of these people had done anything to me and they didn't seem to be doing anything overtly evil as I looked around the elbow room. I saw a couple of lamia feeding, but the citizenry they were feeding from offered their necks and wrists to the lamia in doubt. So there I continued to sit and attempt to reconcile my last dozen years with the last 20 four 60 minutes. Not an prosperous task and one that had my ego taking a beating at the way I was used by my informant. As much as I wanted to blame it all on the mystery person, I had to subscribe the blame for not researching the targets myself and allowing myself to be used as a weapon. I can't tell you how long I was sitting there in that chair, struggling with the right field answer to my enigma, but the sun had risen before I finally walked out of the existence and headed for my hotel.

As I walked down the street, I looked back at the name of the place and found it fitting. It was a piazza for all those in beingness to go and relax without needing to press senseless wars, worry about being killed simply because of who or what you were. It was also a reminder of the Au to strive for ; a passive existence. I still had to go back to see Andrew and discuss what the other option he was offering. That however could hold back until the succeeding day as I'd already been up around forty time of day or so now and needed to lie .