To all those reading the modern font Mage storyline, this happens over chapters 17 & 18 and may subscribe to up section of 19 as well. I'll know more about that once the inspiration 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 period of the story based on the expression that Modern Mage is being writer as though Andrew is explaining his past to the reader. I used bother tierce person narrative and some first person in the chapter here to differentiate what he was thinking at first as well as allowing me to explain some of the back story for those who read this and harbor't read the rest of the Modern Mage and Existence Stories. promise everyone enjoys a different payoff on thinks in the creation 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 folk was attacked by a lamia. To be more exact after that creature had killed his parents and then turned his sisters forcing Roarke to drink down them if he wanted to go. He had spent six month in a hospital recovering from physical wound 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 police or the Doctor of the Church, nursemaid and shrink that the hospital about the vampire because he didn't want to be placed in a genial institution either.

At the end of his time recovering from the injury Roarke was taken in by a youth twain instead of being placed in a government home. 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 supernatural and realized that what happened to his family unit was a Vampire flak. They began to excuse that their folk had been a farseeing line of Hunters, dedicated to protecting humanity from the things most don't even believe in. They started training him, not just in how to defend but hot to think as well. Over the row of four years they had trained hum, taken him out on Leigh Hunt and treated him as though he was their own kid. They made sure that he also got a proper school education allowing him to qualify for college. Just after his eighteenth natal day while shopping for supplies before he left for college the lamia that had attacked his menage tracked him down again. That night the vampire attacked again killing both of his guardians. He killed the lamia that night himself. After that nighttime he decided not to go away to school but to startle hunting and recruiting new hunters to train.

For six age Roarke had been hunting and killing every supernatural being he could give chase down. It didn't matter what kind they were. He focused mostly in region where had found people disappearing or being murdered. He excelled at ferreting out those creatures that hid in champaign plenty. Over time her break sources of information on the web and made contacts with other hunters and source. After that he started to get more and to a greater extent information on beings he couldn't have found himself. entropy that told him not only where to find these demon, but what kind her was dealing with. He couldn't believe his destiny in finding this origin of information. That seed had created a problem for him other today.

He got information about a target in Las Vega who was said to be a danger not just to the people in the urban center around him, but to others around the world. Roarke spent most of his time hunting in Ireland, Scotland and England but would travel abroad when there was a threat that would require the time and endeavour. He had hunted in the United land a few times but had never traveled to Las Vegas before. The informant contacted him anonymously as usual with the butt information. The target was a magic user, powerful at that. The corroboration sent tied him to a twine of execution around the city and in nearby states claiming that he was using blood trick to increase his might. The objective name and address was provided with the other entropy, along with the implication that he was nearly completed the ritual meaning he needed to be stopped quickly. Roarke booked passage to Las Vegas and shipped the gear wheel he would call for by air freight the future day. Within the week he was in Las Lope de Vega and picked up his gear. He would normally throw taken time to scout the mark and cause sure that he could get in and out without any problems, but from the append info he just didn't have the clock time before this guy started killing more people.

Roarke got to the location on the dark of Feb first to see his target get in back at the sign of the zodiac with a bantam red haired woman that there was no information on in the single file. The driver of the car that brought them there unloaded luggage and took it in for them. He could see from his office several people inside the house when the door was opened. It looked like they had come back from some kind of trip and having a receive home political party from his perspective. Roarke watched the house as the Nox went on. Around one or two in the morning near of those Roarke had seen left the sign of the zodiac. He continued to keep an eye on the family until dawn. rightfulness before sunrise Roarke got out of his hand truck and started to actuate toward the household expecting the occupants to be sleeping after the late eventide.

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 groundwork of space to foil with zip to parry behind when he continued to approach. He wasn't aware at that mo that the adjacent few minute were going to vary perceptual experience of reality forever. He pulled the steel he inherited from his defender before standing up. The sword was refuted to be a priceless artifact that can check almost any sort of thaumaturgy used against the soul wielding it. He stood up and started across the opened ground when the front door opened and out stepped the man he was after.

Standing before Roarke was the monster that he was sent after, a person worsened than any he hunted before. This man had killed more sinless people that any former supernatural creature he had tracked down and had the arrogance to step out and relish a sunny morning as though there wasn't a tutelage in the world. Roarke's determination was one of his greatest and deathly assets and upon seeing he target he charges intending to end this quickly. Within the first pair of steps the man looked unconcerned, but it quickly changed to confusion as he dodged the baseball swing of the sword and rolled away. Roarke firmly believed that this man was truly a monster simpleton by the fact that he was human and made the alternative to destroy aliveness for his own increase. Vampires needed blood to live and were soulless, loup-garou were barbaric uncontrolled animate being, other supernatural creatures hadn't even started out as human and while they needed to be destroyed you couldn't hold them to man morals. When a man decides that he would rather kill for power, 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 hold open his own low-down life. He spoke up,"What do you want here ?"

Roarke's answer was direct and even, no sense of rage or ira in his musical note. Roarke kept his emotions in chit when he hunted. He didn't pop out of ira or revenge ; his motivation were as pure as he could make them. He hunted to protect humans for the lusus naturae as his protector 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 same for you. I don't want you dead and you don't want to die,"was the answer from his target area. Did this ogre really believe that it would be that childlike to live ? Did he not see the determination on Roarke's face ? This man was a coward praying on the weakly to gain king and mentation he could simply lecture his way out of his own demise.

"I've been threatened by and then killed good 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 live to vote out anyone else either. Roarke was determined that either he would outlast this scrap or neither of them would. With that mindset he knew he was the most dangerous kind of enemy anyone had ever faced.

"brand your pick and let's get this over with,"the ogre relied with a lack of solitaire. Roarke was to a greater extent than leave to obligate him if he wanted to die. He started to conclude with the target again, staying on the balls of his feet ; trying to be ready for anything this man before him could do. The enemy 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 separate this man's body at the waist. His target dodged, dropping into a crouch and sweeping at Roarke's metrical unit. Reacting instinctively he started to jump over his enemy's leg but was caught briefly by the plan of attack. 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 affair what else this target was, he was also a trained fighter.

"Why are you here ?"the man asked.

"I'm here to pour down you, I figured that was obvious by now,"Roarke replied, letting his tone grow nighttime and menacing.

"That region was obvious jack ass. What I want to know is the grounds you chose to try and pop me ? I've never done anything to harm you or yours that I know of, so why am I your quarry ?"Roarke was shocked by this reply. Did this lusus naturae really possess the gall to call him a jackass ass ; and why was it that so many of his targets had tried to recreate innocent when faced with their own mortality ? Own up to what you do in life sentence and accept your due was his philosophy ; 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 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 shoulder to opposite hip. His enemy reacted quickly, stepping inside his range with a jab to the pharynx. Immediately after that his opponent followed up with a knee to the breakwater. Roarke's only thought was that this man didn't just know how to fight he knew how to win a fight. Roarke couldn't call option it dirty fighting as his shielder had stressed from the showtime that all was fair in sexual love and war. His Step-Mother for deficiency of a better term used to say"You can fight by the ruler or you can fight to win. I would rather you fight to win."right field after the attacks to sandbag him the foeman shoved him and backed up to gain some space instead of following up which worried Roarke as he had no lawful cognition of what variety of major power this man could bring to bear.

When Roarke got back to his feet his opposition was now armed with two long reduce metal ginmill. They were each about thirty inches long and looked about an inch or so thick. When they closed again, Roarke had his target on the defensive attitude. If for naught else, Roarke had to give his antagonist mention for being a combatant. They went back and forth for several minutes, both of them tiring but hazard was with Roarke as his target 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 attainment with the broadsword. As they continued this deadly dance Roarke heard a sound toward his left but kept focused on his adversary. The man looked away toward the doorway as his body turned toward the space between Roarke and that sound ; that was the possible action he was waiting for. Roarke whipped the brand in from the side slicing a argumentation across the man's abdomen leaving a lead of pedigree flowing behind its passing.

"Saint Andrew the Apostle ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"a cleaning woman's vocalization screamed. The target area stepped back turning sideways to come at his position opened up from Roarke's fire on him. He switched the traveling bag on the sword and drove it up towards the target area side driving it in just below the bottom rib. Roarke's smell was lifted as he knew he was successful in his pursuance to vote out the behemoth. Roarke's elation was unforesightful lived however as this freak stepped forward pushing the sword deeper into his organs. The man had a flavor 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 attack Roarke's wrist were crushed by one of the alloy bars as the other contacted the side of his head. He was very well with dying as long as he knew that his quarry had been eliminated before he could cause any more hurt. Those were his dying idea as he lost cognisance.
********************

Those were some of the thoughts flowing through my mind as I drove away from that same household previous that evening. Among the others were the facts that I wasn't stagnant as I should have been ; I had been knocked out at the mercy of a man I thought to be a goliath. Not only had I not been killed for attacking him, Andrew and his wife Sindee had treated my wounds and spoke to me. I didn't want to hear at first but I was a absorbed hearing initially. They had treated me meliorate than I would ingest treated an enemy. They were trying to convince me that not all supernatural beings were evil monsters, that some of them were even out to help protect the human race. They had sane parameter for their distributor point of survey. When I asked them why they didn't just reveal the true statement to the human being race with the evidence they gather they told me that Humanity wasn't ready to live with the Sojourner Truth. I had no real argument for that but before I could retain had me challenge my own statement by asking how I found out about the supernatural world. I told him the stallion truth of what happened to my fellowship and I when I was only fourteen. By the time I finished telling them the news report they simply cut the R-2 tying me to the professorship and fed me while we continued to talk.

I turned out that I may induce been helping to bring about the wipeout of the great unwashed that I made it my commission to protect. Andrew told me that he was Mage, not just some human who gained accession to powerfulness ; that Mages abilities were born and not the result of decease and devastation for power. I don't know what to cogitate of everything he has said because it is so unlike to what I have spent the finish 12 years believing. When I left his rest home he told me to believe matter 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 things I have to cogitate over is whether I want to leave this metropolis in peace with him and his allies to protect it or to ally myself with him against this strange enemy he told me about. I pulled up to my hotel valet, dropped off the car and started walking, wandering and thinking. I had no idea where I was going as this was my foremost trip to the urban center of Las Vegas, but I knew I could find my path back or call a cab from a bar to get back to the hotel when I needed.

The more I wandered the more confused I became as the accuracy I was shown was at war with the reality I had known. It's not easy to confront the truth and your own misconceptions about it but it needed to be done. I kept walking, not paying aid to the streets, and just letting my feet direct the track I walked. My focal point was on finding what I needed to in Order to process through the confusedness I was feeling. Somehow after being out walking for an hr or so I found myself in front of the doors to a club. Looking at the sign I saw it was called the beingness. I figured I could use a deglutition and stepped toward the room access before I even noticed the line going down the block. The door guard looked down at me as I stepped up and placed a hand on my shoulder to arrest me from entering. That's when I noticed the line and realized I wasn't likely to get that drunkenness after all.

As I turned to take the air 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 same customs tailored clothing. Black linen slacks, a atomic number 27 blue silk shirt with the top two clit undone, a linen crown matching the pants and a nice pair or usance leather boots. He had brown fuzz and the wan grey oculus I had ever seen. What was most expunge about the eyes is they looked like they had seen more chronicle 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 stranger. I realized that while I had been evaluating him he had been doing the same to me and I had to esteem that. He held out his hand to me,"I'm Arthur Masters, and you are ?"

I reflexively took his paw and shook it,"Gabriel Roarke sir ; a pleasure to fulfil you."I'm not sure why I said sir except the looking in his eyes and the way he carried himself seemed to require respect. I've met a couple people that had similar bearing but nobody that grabbed my tending like he did.

Arthur turned to the doorkeeper,"George Marshall, I'm going to take Gabriel here in as my client 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 lecture about something. I own the placed and witness it's conductive to thinking matter through and finding what you need. First boozing on me."

Arthur opened the door and waived me in ahead of him. It was such a gracious offering I couldn't bring myself to decline ; besides my walk and just going where I felt I needed to be led me to the threshold. I decided to keep an open mind and go in. When I entered I was struck with just how large this place really was. The bar area wasn't much large than any of the pothouse back home, but the bar area was just the beginning. There was a night club behind the main bar through a soundproofed Plexiglas wall the appeared to stretch out an entire block. If the owner and the scope of its size weren't enough to impress me, the security agreement would sustain. I've seen military facility with less security and protection than this topographic point. I followed Arthur to a large table in the center of the primary bar area that had a reserved sign on it. He motioned for me to sit as he took the chair facing the room access with his rachis to the bar.

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

The use of weapon is strenuously discouraged, violator will be Penalized. For those of you who don't have two brain mobile phone to form a sentiment 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 smile on me that made me like the man even more. I could separate from his centre he had seen too a great deal of what was out there and now from his smiling that he didn't let what he saw let on him down. I hope that one day I'll be able to say the Saami affair. While we were sitting there a lilliputian young woman 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 deglutition. She then placed the bottle on the table before stepping away. As I was watching her I could see her evaluating me much the same as Chester Alan Arthur and I did to each other and I got the impression that this woman would not only stamp out for Chester Alan Arthur but die for him as well. Whoever this man is, he not only inspired respect he commanded commitment as well. The woman was just over five foot and could hold been more than 125 lb or so but she carried herself with the good will of a dancer or belligerent and I had my supposition as to which.

"Gabriel, if you care to join me, this is a very old and rare cognac that it would be my pleasure to portion with Irish man 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 hard drink sunburn slowly down my pharynx and warm me from the inside.

"So Gabriel, if you don't nous my asking, 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 think I'm drunk or crazy."

King Arthur turned his head to face up me and stared directly into my eyes as he replied,"You may be surprised. I learned a very long time ago as a barman that I needed to go along an open mind about the truth of the world. Besides, many people that show up here seem to own 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 nonplus doesn't mean I'm no longer a bartender. Speak up about what's on your psyche, if it sounds a little crazy I'll attribute it to the drink and prognosticate you a cab when we're done."

The way he spoke and the serene acceptance in his eyes made it easier to voice at least some of my thoughts. I figured I could cover the broad shot without giving him the item that would put me in a genial institution."Have you ever known that you were doing the right matter because you knew how the Earth worked only to receive the Truth act and flavour you over the straits ?"I asked him.

"Since the true is a proportional term as we subscribe to our own view ; that has happened to me on no less the a dozen occasions. I learned a new fact each clip. Knowledge is about fact and soundness about truth. The truth can interchange as often as we do as people. It's the facts that we need to learn that cause the Sojourner Truth to be re-evaluated. use up for lesson, as a kid I never believed in any of the demon in the movies until I saw my low one. I knew the verity was they didn't exist before I was exposed to the fact that they were real number,"Arthur stated in an even and relaxed tone.

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

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

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

Arthur smiled at me before he answered,"First is that you wound up at my threshold and only those who need to find this stead if they haven't been invited. arcsecond is that you carry yourself as a warrior in a meter and place where there aren't many left in the globe and since you're completely human I would assume you were a hunter. The only way a Hunter would make it at my door is if they were having some form of crisis or faith or some other such emergence they need to wreak out. third gear, and what made figuring out the first two loose is a reciprocal admirer gave me a heads up about a young man who he sent wandering with the idea planted on letting the walking template him to what he needed."

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

Chester A. Arthur chuckled and replied,"No, he didn't know. He did hope your wandering would bring you here because this stead may bring home the bacon you some on the linear perspective you need to figure out through you dilemma."He took a quick spirit around the way."Since you have arrived here and sat with me you have been looking the place over. Tell me without looking again what you noticed."

I answered quickly and from retentiveness as not to bias the reply by over thinking things,"I saw busybodied bar and club with serious security criterion in situation to protect the place and patron from any possible state of affairs including an intrusion by a hostile country. I saw people sitting around having conversations and drinks without the downcast modality you see in a lot of stripe and nine. I saw people dancing and smiling, moving on and off the dance story. I saw that beautiful young lady who brought the cognac over evaluate me as though I may be a scourge 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 quickly glimpse you took. I will also have to distinguish Sam about the compliment you paid her in your assessment."He smiled and continued,"Now, take another look around. Take your fourth dimension and face closely. skim just the bar room if you want to take a flavour through the glass to the club and tell me again what you see."

I did as he instructed, taking my clip to do this rightfulness. I paid attention to every particular I could recognise letting my focus linger on the saltation floor beyond the divider. I looked over the customers and the staff, looking for anything that I had missed in my CAT scan of the room when I entered. By the prison term I was finished looking around I'm sure my jaw was hanging spread in shock at what I was seeing around me. I almost didn't believe my own eyes."There are all kinds of supernatural beings in here along with someone ; Supernatural beings that actively war with each other. I can see at least a couple of vampire shooting pond with a twain of Werewolves over there. I can see some existence in here that I can't positively identify as to what they are. I don't understand how there can be so many supernatural beings in this one city, let alone this one building without them trying to tear each other and the plaza apart as well. How is it that no one violated the policy above the bar ?"

Again a grin counterpane across Arthur's face,"I'll explain as best I can and maybe it will help you resolve your own identity crisis. First and foremost, when I opened this place initially, it was just the bar portion that we're sitting in. That happened long before I knew what existed beyond the scope of my world. I later came to have it away a lot more about the truth and the facts of what goes on in this Earth. Among the dissimilar occult races there are traditionally places to fulfill between rival clans or tribes or whatever social grouping that species gathers themselves in to. These places have many names selected by the raceway in doubtfulness, but it is always neutral territory and the dominion are not to be broken. The more popular condition for these blank space is an Elysium. I would assume this to be a reference to the Elysian Fields from Greek mythology as they were a place of paradise standardised to heaven in other religions. Either way, I believed that while the different races had placed where they could meet to work out yield between their own kind, there was no place to fit with another subspecies where they could peacefully discuss matter without it generating into another bloodbath. With the power I had and have grown into extra time I turned my little quoin bar into an Elysium for all who enter. My faculty and I are more than equal to of enforcing the disinterest if we have to, but near who come here just revel the chance to loose and be who they are, not what they are expected to be. Take the syndicate game you pointed out. They are playing pairs, but it isn't vampire versus loup-garou, they're split evenly. That table in the box over my shoulder with the two men playing chess and having a discussion ; one is a Mage and the other a Technocrat. Outside of this place they are mortal enemies because they have unlike belief. In here they discuss their feeling in Hope of opening the other person's eyes to the truth as they see it. And Samantha whose loyalty to me you commented on ; I owe her my biography several sentence over and not once has she allowed me to thank her or refund her with any kind of favor beyond the friendship we share. She is sr. than me by an purchase order of decades even though she appears younger. She is a Warrior of exquisite attainment, a loyal and dear friend, 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 world-class think you need to think about is that just because some writer put something in a rule book because they didn't understand and were afraid of a short trueness doesn't mean they were right. Now, don't get me wrong and assume they are all well law abiding people no issue what they are. Like homo, the occult have some that are born adept and will always be so and some that are pure evil and like it there. The rest of the population of occult beings falls somewhere in the gray area and should be treated as they treat others."President Arthur's smile turned from openly friendly to one of balefulness. He reached up into the air next to me and made a phone like glass or metal snapping then achieve out like he was handing me something before continuing,"Now that I have completely broken your handle on reality I need to give my barkeep a break while you think though all that has been revealed to you today. If you have dubiousness or need to let the cat out of the bag let me know. If you need a ride back to your hotel, George will give you a drive unless I'm barren 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 chicken feed of the cognac before taking the decanter to the bar with him.

So there I sat, a hunter in the centre of a nightclub full phase of the moon of the beast I had hated and hunted for twelve years. I thought about seeing just how effective the staff could be a enforcing the artillery 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 way. I saw a yoke of lamia feeding, but the mass they were feeding from offered their neck and wrists to the vampires in interrogative sentence. So there I continued to sit and assay to conciliate my close twelve yr with the last-place 20 four hours. Not an easily undertaking 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 secret person, I had to bring the inculpation for not researching the targets myself and allowing myself to be used as a weapon. I can't assure you how recollective I was sitting there in that chair, struggling with the rightfield response to my conundrum, 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 berth and found it fitting. It was a property for all those in existence to go and relax without needing to fight senseless wars, worry about being killed simply because of who or what you were. It was also a reminder of the Au to reach for ; a peaceful existence. I still had to go back to see Andrew and talk about what the early option he was offering. That however could hold off until the next day as I'd already been up around forty hours or so now and needed to catch one's breath .