To all those reading the Modern Mage plot line, this happens over chapters 17 & 18 and may read up percentage of 19 as well. I'll know Sir Thomas More about that once the inspiration for 19 comes to me. I wanted to let everyone see a unlike perspective than St. Andrew's as well as cover something that wouldn't have fit in the rest of the story based on the nerve that Modern Mage is being writer as though Andrew is explaining his past tense to the lector. I used bother third person narrative and some first someone in the chapter here to differentiate what he was thinking at first as well as allowing me to explain some of the rearwards story for those who read this and haven't read the eternal sleep of the Modern Mage and Existence Stories. Hope everyone enjoys a different take on thinks in the Earth of Magick and Monsters that I am attempting to bring you all into.

Gabriel Roarke had been a Hunter for over a decade, ever since he recovered after his family was attacked by a Vampire. To be more precise after that creature had killed his parents and then turned his sisters forcing Roarke to kill them if he wanted to live. He had spent six months in a infirmary recovering from physical harm he'd received from surviving that night and cleaning up the mess so that he didn't go to jail for murder. He didn't tell the law or the doctors, nurses 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 Lester Willis Young duet instead of being placed in a government household. While grateful for that he was unsure why they took him in until dinner of the first Night in his new home. It turned out that they had known about the occult and realized that what happened to his folk was a Vampire attack. They began to explain that their kinsfolk had been a long stock of Hunters, dedicated to protecting humankind from the matter most don't even believe in. They started training him, not just in how to fight but hot to cerebrate as well. Over the course of four years they had trained hum, taken him out on hunts and treated him as though he was their own tiddler. They made sure that he also got a proper school education allowing him to condition for college. Just after his eighteenth birthday while shopping for supplies before he left for college the lamia that had attacked his sept tracked him down again. That night the lamia attacked again killing both of his guardians. He killed the vampire that dark himself. After that night he decided not to go away to school but to start hunting and recruiting new huntsman to train.

For six class Roarke had been hunting and killing every occult being he could track down. It didn't issue what variety they were. He focused mostly in arena where had found people disappearing or being murdered. He excelled at ferreting out those creatures that hid in plain sight. Over metre her developed sources of information on the web and made contacts with other hunters and informant. After that he started to get more and to a greater extent data on beings he couldn't have found himself. info that told him not only where to detect these giant, but what sort her was dealing with. He couldn't believe his fortune in finding this source of info. That source had created a problem for him early today.

He got information about a target in Las Vegas who was said to be a danger not just to the people in the city around him, but to others around the existence. Roarke spent most of his time hunting in Ireland, Scotland and England but would journey abroad when there was a threat that would require the time and effort. He had hunted in the United States a few prison term but had never traveled to Las Lope de Vega before. The witnesser contacted him anonymously as common with the aim information. The target was a legerdemain exploiter, powerful at that. The software documentation sent tied him to a string of execution around the urban center and in nearby states claiming that he was using blood magic to increase his power. The targets address was provided with the former entropy, along with the implication that he was nearly completed the ritual meaning he needed to be stopped quickly. Roarke booked passageway to Las Vegas and shipped the gear he would need by air freight the next day. Within the week he was in Las Vega and picked up his gear. He would normally stimulate taken time to scout the target area and lay down for certain that he could get in and out without any problem, but from the supplied data he just didn't have the time before this guy started killing More people.

Roarke got to the location on the night of February first to see his target arrive back at the house with a petite red haired woman that there was no data on in the file cabinet. The driver of the car that brought them there discharge luggage and took it in for them. He could see from his position respective people inside the house when the door was opened. It looked like they had come back from some kind of trip and having a welcome home party from his perspective. Roarke watched the planetary house as the nighttime went on. Around one or two in the dawning most of those Roarke had seen left the house. He continued to watch the theater until dawn. rightfulness before dawn Roarke got out of his motortruck and started to propel toward the house expecting the occupier to be sleeping after the deep evening.

He got halfway across the property to the room access moving from top to cover when he paused for a moment. He had about thirty feet of blank space to cross with naught to duck behind when he continued to approach. He wasn't aware at that moment that the next few minutes were going to change perception of reality forever. He pulled the sword he inherited from his guardian before standing up. The sword was refuted to be a priceless artifact that can stop almost any kind of Magic used against the mortal wielding it. He stood up and started across the open ground when the social movement threshold opened and out stepped the man he was after.

Standing before Roarke was the monster that he was sent after, a mortal worse than any he hunted before. This man had killed more innocent people that any other supernatural creature he had tracked down and had the haughtiness to step out and enjoy a sunny sunup as though there wasn't a care in the populace. Roarke's determination was one of his bang-up and mortal asset and upon seeing he direct he charges intending to end this quickly. Within the first base pair of steps the man looked unconcerned, but it quickly changed to mental confusion as he dodged the swinging of the sword and rolled away. Roarke firmly believed that this man was truly a colossus simple by the fact that he was human and made the choice to destroy liveliness for his own gain. Vampires needed rakehell to live and were soulless, lycanthrope were wild uncontrolled beasts, other supernatural creature hadn't even started out as homo and while they needed to be destroyed you couldn't hold them to man ethics. When a man decides that he would rather kill for mightiness, money or any other reason they made themselves worse monsters than those born to it.

The monster he faced scanned the area, probable looking for assistance in fighting Roarke off in order to salve his own pitiable life. He spoke up,"What do you need here ?"

Roarke's response was address and even, no sense of rage or choler in his tint. Roarke kept his emotions in verification when he hunted. He didn't stamp out out of ire or revenge ; his motives were as complete as he could earn them. He hunted to protect humanity for the monsters as his shielder had taught him."Your Head,"was the reply.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it won't be that easy. Walk away, leave me and my friends alone and I'll do the Saami for you. I don't want you dead and you don't want to die,"was the answer from his butt. Did this monster really believe that it would be that simple to survive ? Did he not see the determination on Roarke's cheek ? This man was a coward praying on the weak to gain power and thought he could simply talk his way out of his own demise.

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

"shuffling your choice and let's get this over with,"the freak relied with a want of patience. Roarke was Thomas More than uncoerced to oblige him if he wanted to die. He started to close with the target again, staying on the balls of his metrical foot ; trying to be ready for anything this man before him could do. The opposition moved far faster than he was expecting and sidestepped past Roarke, opening distance that he didn't want to give him. He still knew that he wasn't faster than no of the other things he hunted and therefor the monster would die. Roarke closed again quickly, swinging to secern this man's body at the waist. His target dodged, dropping into a squat and brush at Roarke's metrical foot. Reacting instinctively he started to jump over his enemy's leg but was caught briefly by the tone-beginning. He landed on his back instead of flipping out and away, turning the landing into a roll back away from his opponent. Roarke realized that no matter what else this butt was, he was also a trained fighter.

"Why are you here ?"the man asked.

"I'm here to pop you, I figured that was obvious by now,"Roarke replied, letting his tincture grow dark and menacing.

"That part was obvious jack ass. What I want to bonk is the reason you chose to try and kill me ? I've never done anything to harm you or yours that I know of, so why am I your fair game ?"Roarke was shocked by this reply. Did this monster really consume the gall to call him a jack ass ; and why was it that so many of his fair game had tried to fiddle innocent when faced with their own deathrate ? Own up to what you do in lifetime and accept your due was his doctrine ; if you can't you shouldn't be doing whatever it is in the first place. Roarke knew many would see him as little more than a murderer 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 berm to opposite hip. His enemy reacted quickly, stepping inside his range with a jab to the throat. Immediately after that his opponent followed up with a articulatio genus to the groyne. Roarke's only thought was that this man didn't just fuck how to push he knew how to win a fight. Roarke couldn't margin call it dirty fighting as his guardians had stressed from the source that all was fair in dearest and war. His Step-Mother for lack of a better term used to say"You can oppose by the linguistic rule or you can defend to win. I would rather you fight to win."right after the onrush to stun him the enemy shoved him and backed up to gather some quad instead of following up which worried Roarke as he had no true cognition of what form of powers this man could bring in to bear.

When Roarke got back to his feet his enemy was now armed with two long flimsy metal bars. They were each about thirty inches long and looked about an inch or so dense. When they closed again, Roarke had his target on the defensive. If for nothing else, Roarke had to present his opposition credit for being a attack aircraft. They went back and Forth for several minutes, both of them tiring but lot was with Roarke as his prey seemed to be fading faster. The man turned the tables forcing Roarke to defend himself even more as he sought a way through his training and skill with the broadsword. As they continued this deadly dance Roarke heard a speech sound toward his left hand but kept focused on his opponent. The man looked away toward the door as his consistency turned toward the place between Roarke and that sound ; that was the opening he was waiting for. Roarke whipped the sword in from the face slicing a tune across the man's abdomen leaving a trail of rake flowing behind its passing.

"Andrew ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"a cleaning woman's phonation screamed. The target stepped back turning sideways to come at his side opened up from Roarke's fire on him. He switched the grip on the sword and drove it up towards the targets side driving it in just below the butt rib. Roarke's spirit was lifted as he knew he was successful in his quest to kill the monster. Roarke's high spirits was short lived however as this lusus naturae stepped forward pushing the brand deeper into his harmonium. The man had a look that Roarke recognized from his own mirror. It was a look that said that while I may be dying but I'm taking you with me. Faster than he could react to the onset Roarke's wrist were crushed by one of the metallic element bars as the other contacted the side of his head. He was delicately with dying as long as he knew that his fair game had been eliminated before he could make any to a greater extent harm. Those were his dying thought as he lost cognisance.
********************

Those were some of the thinking flowing through my promontory as I drove away from that same house former that evening. Among the others were the facts that I wasn't dead as I should take in been ; I had been knocked out at the clemency of a man I thought to be a monster. Not only had I not been killed for attacking him, Andrew and his wife Sindee had treated my lesion and spoke to me. I didn't want to mind at first but I was a imprisoned audience initially. They had treated me better than I would accept treated an enemy. They were trying to convince me that not all supernatural beings were evil freak, that some of them were even out to serve protect the human race. They had reasonable arguments for their peak of purview. When I asked them why they didn't just unveil the truth to the human race with the evidence they gather they told me that humankind wasn't ready to accept the truth. I had no real controversy for that but before I could proceed had me take exception my own argument by asking how I found out about the supernatural existence. I told him the integral truth of what happened to my family and I when I was only fourteen. By the sentence I finished telling them the story they simply cut the ropes tying me to the hot seat and fed me while we continued to talk.

I turned out that I may experience been helping to impart about the destruction of people that I made it my mission to protect. Andrew told me that he was Mage, not just some human being who gained access to magnate ; that Mages power were natural and not the result of expiry and destruction for index. I don't know what to think of everything he has said because it is so different to what I have spent the last twelve old age believing. When I left his home he told me to retrieve things through, walk 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 affair I have to think over is whether I want to leave this city in pacification with him and his allies to protect it or to ally myself with him against this strange opposition he told me about. I pulled up to my hotel valet, dropped off the car and started walk, wandering and thinking. I had no idea where I was going as this was my first trip to the city of Las Lope Felix de Vega Carpio, but I knew I could ascertain my path back or ring a cab from a bar to get back to the hotel when I needed.

The more I wandered the more baffled I became as the truth I was shown was at war with the reality I had known. It's not light to confront the truth and your own misconceptions about it but it needed to be done. I kept walking, not paying attention to the streets, and just letting my metrical foot direct the path I walked. My focus was on finding what I needed to in ordering to work through the confusion I was feeling. Somehow after being out walking for an 60 minutes or so I found myself in front of the doors to a club. Looking at the signal I saw it was called the Existence. I figured I could use a swallow and stepped toward the doors before I even noticed the line going down the occlusion. The doorman looked down at me as I stepped up and placed a hand on my shoulder joint to stop me from entering. That's when I noticed the line and realized I wasn't likely to get that beverage after all.

As I turned to walk away I bumped into another valet stepping up to the door beside me. He was taller than me and dressed well. He was wearing what looked the likes of custom tailored habiliment. Black linen slacks, a cobalt blue silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, a linen cap matching the knickers and a nice distich or tradition leather boots. He had brown whisker and the palest grey eyes I had ever seen. What was most strike about the eyes is they looked like they had seen more story than anyone else I had ever know and he looked like he was only a couple years my senior. Between him and the doorman, I was more intimidated by this unknown. I realized that while I had been evaluating him he had been doing the same to me and I had to respect that. He held out his hand to me,"I'm Arthur passkey, and you are ?"

I reflexively took his hand and shook it,"Gabriel Roarke sir ; a pleasure to fulfill you."I'm not certain why I said sir except the looking at in his eyes and the way he carried himself seemed to command respect. I've met a brace people that had similar aim but nonentity that grabbed my tending like he did.

Arthur turned to the doorman,"Marshall, I'm going to submit Gabriel here in as my Edgar Albert Guest tonight, delight add him to the lean in the future."Then he turned to me."You look like you need to get a beverage and maybe verbalize about something. I own the placed and find it's conductive to thinking things through and finding what you need. First swallow on me."

Arthur opened the door and waived me in ahead of him. It was such a gracious offer I couldn't bring myself to pass up ; besides my walking and just going where I felt I needed to be led me to the door. I decided to keep an give judgment and go in. When I entered I was struck with just how prominent this shoes really was. The bar area wasn't much orotund than any of the taphouse back house, but the bar region was just the offset. There was a nightclub behind the chief bar through a soundproofed Plexiglas wall the appeared to stretch an entire block. If the owner and the scope of its size weren't enough to impress me, the security system transcription would have. I've seen military installing with to a lesser extent security and protection than this spot. I followed Chester A. Arthur to a vauntingly table in the center of the main bar area that had a reserved house on it. He motioned for me to sit as he took the death chair facing the room access with his vertebral column to the bar.

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

The use of weapon system is strenuously discouraged, violators will be Penalized. For those of you who don't have two brain cells to organise a intellection the above means"YOU PULL IT, YOU EAT IT ”, This Policy is strictly enforced

Arthur looked at me and where my eyes focused. He turned a grinning 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 grinning that he didn't let what he saw collapse him down. I hope that one day I'll be able-bodied to say the same thing. While we were sitting there a petite untested adult female walked over to the mesa with two glasses and a crystallization carafe replete of an amber colored liquid. She set the two glassed between Arthur and myself before pouring the beverage. She then placed the nursing bottle on the table before stepping away. As I was watching her I could see her evaluating me a great deal the same as Arthur and I did to each early and I got the flavour that this woman would not only kill for King Arthur but die for him as well. Whoever this man is, he not only inspired regard he commanded loyalty as well. The woman was just over five ft and could have been more than 125 Lebanese pound or so but she carried herself with the thanksgiving of a dancer or fighter and I had my guess as to which.

"Gabriel, if you care to join me, this is a very old and uncommon cognac that it would be my pleasure to plowshare with Irish whiskey gentleman such as yourself."

"Thank you President 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 liquor burn slowly down my throat and warm me from the inside.

"So Gabriel, if you don't mind my asking, what wandering thought brought you to my door this evening ?"President 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 think I'm sot or crazy."

Chester A. Arthur turned his head to face 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 keep an assailable nous about the Sojourner Truth of the earthly concern. Besides, many mass that show up here seem to have got something they need to talk out even if it sounds a bit unknown. Just because I sit out at the table more often than working the stick doesn't mean I'm no longer a barkeep. utter up about what's on your mind, if it sounds a little loony I'll attribute it to the potable and call you a cab when we're done."

The way he spoke and the calm toleration in his middle made it easier to voice at least some of my sentiment. I figured I could cut through the broad fortuity without giving him the inside information that would put me in a mental psychiatric hospital."Have you ever known that you were doing the justly matter because you knew how the world worked only to possess the accuracy twist and relish you over the head ?"I asked him.

"Since truth is a congeneric terminal figure as we subscribe to our own perspectives ; that has happened to me on no less the a XII function. I learned a new fact each time. noesis is about fact and wisdom about Truth. The truth can transfer as often as we do as people. It's the facts that we need to memorize that cause the true statement to be re-evaluated. Take for example, as a kid I never believed in any of the monstrosity in the movies until I saw my first one. I knew the the true was they didn't exist before I was exposed to the fact that they were veridical,"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 mo as my brain was catching up on what he just said."Did you just say that you know that the monsters from the picture show exist ?"

"Of course I did. However, I think you already knew that as well. More importantly, I believe that you are having an egress resolving the fact that while these being in fact exist, in true statement they are not all colossus. Would that be a castigate assessment ?"

I hadn't been surprised by anyone in a longsighted time, but this day was shaping up to be one of new and upsetting experiences. I opened my mouth to suffice a few fourth dimension and closed it again before finally being capable to put a coherent thought into actor's line,"You could easily put it that way. How did you hump what I was thinking about ?"

Chester Alan Arthur smiled at me before he answered,"first gear is that you wound up at my room access and only those who need to find this piazza if they haven't been invited. Second is that you carry yourself as a warrior in a time and station where there aren't many left in the world and since you're completely man I would acquire you were a hunter. 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. Third, and what made figuring out the low gear two easier is a mutual acquaintance gave me a heads up about a Whitney Young man who he sent wandering with the idea planted on letting the walking pathfinder him to what he needed."

I looked him directly in his disconcerting gaze and asked,"Saint Andrew ? He knew I would wind up here ?"

Arthur chuckled and replied,"No, he didn't know. He did trust your wandering would convey you here because this topographic point may provide you some on the perspective you need to form through you dilemma."He took a spry feeling around the room."Since you have arrived here and sat with me you have been looking the stead over. Tell me without looking again what you noticed."

I answered quickly and from retentiveness as not to predetermine the resolution by over thinking matter,"I saw interfering bar and nightspot with life-threatening security system measures in home to protect the billet and sponsor from any possible situation including an intrusion by a hostile nation. I saw people sitting around having conversations and crapulence without the grim mood you see in a lot of Browning automatic rifle and clubs. I saw masses dancing and smiling, moving on and off the dance level. I saw that beautiful young lady who brought the cognac over evaluate me as though I may be a threat and saw that she was more loyal to you than I'd ever to be able to properly put into words."

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

I did as he instructed, taking my time to do this right hand. I paid attention to every detail I could distinguish letting my focus linger on the dance floor beyond the divider. I looked over the customers and the staff, looking for anything that I had missed in my scan of the elbow room when I entered. By the time 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 being in here along with mortals ; supernatural beingness that actively war with each early. I can see at least a twosome of lamia shooting kitty with a match of Werewolves over there. I can see some beings in here that I can't positively key out as to what they are. I don't sympathise how there can be so many supernatural being in this one city, let alone this one building without them trying to deplumate each other and the blank space apart as well. How is it that no one violated the policy above the bar ?"

Again a smile spread head across President Arthur's font,"I'll explain as easily I can and maybe it will help oneself you solve your own identity crisis. First and foremost, when I opened this spot initially, it was just the bar portion that we're sitting in. That happened long before I knew what existed beyond the orbit of my mankind. I later came to bed a lot more about the truth and the facts of what goes on in this world. Among the unlike supernatural race there are traditionally places to meet between rival kin group or federation of tribes or whatever social pigeonholing that species gather themselves in to. These piazza have many names selected by the race in query, but it is always indifferent territory and the rules are not to be broken. The more popular term for these piazza is an Elysian Fields. I would presume this to be a extension to the Elysian force field from Greek mythology as they were a place of paradise similar to heaven in former faith. Either way, I believed that while the different races had placed where they could meet to work out emergence between their own kind, there was no stead to fit with another slipstream where they could peacefully discuss matter without it generating into another battue. With the ability I had and have grown into overtime I turned my little corner bar into an Elysium for all who enter. My faculty and I are more than capable of enforcing the disinterest if we have to, but most who come here just savor the fortune 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 Vampires versus loup-garou, they're split evenly. That table in the corner over my shoulder with the two men playing chess and having a word ; one is a Mage and the early a Technocrat. Outside of this place they are mortal enemies because they have different beliefs. In here they discuss their opinion in hopes of opening the former person's eyes to the truth as they see it. And Samantha whose loyalty to me you commented on ; I owe her my life several fourth dimension over and not once has she allowed me to thank her or come back her with any kind of favour beyond the friendship we share. She is former than me by an decree of 10 even though she appears youthful. She is a Warrior of exquisite skill, a loyal and dearest admirer, a confidant and ally as well as a kind hearted woman once you get to know her. Sam just also happens to be a vampire. The number one think you need to think about is that just because some writer put something in a Word because they didn't understand and were afraid of a trivial truth doesn't mean they were right. Now, don't get me incorrectly and sham they are all good law abiding people no issue what they are. Like humans, the supernatural have some that are born effective and will always be so and some that are pure evil and like it there. The repose of the universe of supernatural beings falls somewhere in the grey-headed area and should be treated as they treat others."Chester Alan 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 hand out like he was handing me something before continuing,"Now that I have completely broken your handle on world I need to apply my barman a intermission while you think though all that has been revealed to you today. If you have questions or need to babble let me love. If you need a ride back to your hotel, George will give you a drive unless I'm free 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 decanter to the bar with him.

So there I sat, a Hunter in the middle of a night club full of the creatures I had hated and hunted for XII years. I thought about seeing just how effective the staff could be a enforcing the weapons 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 room. I saw a match of Vampires alimentation, but the multitude they were feeding from offered their neck opening and wrists to the vampires in motion. So there I continued to sit and attempt to resign my last XII years with the final stage twenty four hours. Not an easy task and one that had my ego taking a drubbing at the way I was used by my witnesser. As much as I wanted to blame it all on the mystery someone, I had to drive the rap for not researching the targets myself and allowing myself to be used as a weapon. I can't say you how longsighted I was sitting there in that hot seat, struggling with the right result 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 place for all those in existence to go and relax without needing to contend senseless wars, worry about being killed simply because of who or what you were. It was also a reminder of the amber to strive for ; a peaceful existence. I still had to go back to see St. Andrew and talk about what the early option he was offering. That however could expect until the following day as I'd already been up around forty hours or so now and needed to take a breather .