To all those reading the Modern Mage plot line, this happens over chapters 17 & 18 and may take up part of 19 as well. I'll lie with more about that once the breathing in 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 tale based on the boldness that Modern Mage is being writer as though Andrew is explaining his past to the referee. I used bother third person narrative and some first soul in the chapter here to differentiate what he was thinking at low gear as well as allowing me to explain some of the backrest story for those who read this and haven't read the balance of the Modern Mage and existence story. Hope everyone enjoys a different issue on thinks in the earthly concern of Magick and Monsters that I am attempting to wreak you all into.

Gabriel Roarke had been a hunter for over a decade, ever since he recovered after his family was attacked by a lamia. To be more exact after that creature had killed his parents and then turned his sisters forcing Roarke to obliterate them if he wanted to live. He had spent six month in a hospital recovering from physical injuries he'd received from surviving that night and cleaning up the mess hall so that he didn't go to immure for slaying. He didn't tell the police or the doc, nurses and shrink that the infirmary about the vampire because he didn't want to be placed in a mental founding either.

At the end of his time recovering from the hurt Roarke was taken in by a Lester Willis Young couple instead of being placed in a governing dwelling house. While grateful for that he was unsure why they took him in until dinner of the start night in his new abode. 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 kin had been a long line of Hunters, dedicated to protecting humanity from the things most don't even trust in. They started training him, not just in how to fight but hot to think as well. Over the course of four age they had trained hum, taken him out on hunts and treated him as though he was their own child. They made sure that he also got a proper school pedagogy allowing him to characterize for college. Just after his eighteenth natal day while shopping for supplying before he left for college the vampire that had attacked his family tracked him down again. That Nox the lamia attacked again killing both of his guardian. He killed the lamia that night himself. After that Nox he decided not to go away to school but to protrude hunting and recruiting new hunters to train.

For six years Roarke had been hunting and killing every occult being he could get over down. It didn't matter what sort they were. He focused mostly in field where had found mass disappearing or being murdered. He excelled at ferreting out those animal that hid in plain sight. Over time her break origin of information on the web and made contact lens with other huntsman and witness. After that he started to get More and Sir Thomas More info on beings he couldn't have found himself. entropy that told him not only where to ascertain these lusus naturae, but what variety her was dealing with. He couldn't believe his fortune in finding this source of information. That reference had created a job for him earlier today.

He got info 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 creation. Roarke spent most of his sentence hunting in Ireland, Scotland and England but would travel abroad when there was a threat that would expect the meter and try. He had hunted in the United States a few times but had never traveled to Las Vega before. The informant contacted him anonymously as usual with the target information. The target was a magic exploiter, hefty at that. The software documentation sent tied him to a cosmic string of execution around the metropolis and in nearby states claiming that he was using line of descent magic to increase his power. The target area name and address was provided with the other information, along with the significance that he was nearly completed the ritual meaning he needed to be stopped quickly. Roarke booked handing over to Las Vegas and shipped the train he would want by air freight the adjacent day. Within the week he was in Las Vegas and picked up his gear. He would normally have taken time to scout the objective and puddle sure that he could get in and out without any trouble, but from the add information he just didn't have the time before this guy started killing to a greater extent people.

Roarke got to the location on the Nox of Feb first to see his target arrive back at the house with a petite red haired fair sex that there was no information on in the single file. The number one wood of the car that brought them there unlade baggage and took it in for them. He could see from his position several multitude inside the house when the door was opened. It looked like they had come back from some kind of head trip and having a welcome home plate party from his perspective. Roarke watched the household as the night went on. Around one or two in the morning nigh of those Roarke had seen left the mansion. He continued to watch the house until forenoon. right field before daybreak Roarke got out of his truck and started to run toward the house expecting the occupants to be sleeping after the late evening.

He got halfway across the property to the door moving from cover to enshroud when he paused for a instant. He had about thirty metrical foot of space to hybridise with cypher to duck behind when he continued to set about. He wasn't aware at that bit that the next few minutes were going to change sensing of realness forever. He pulled the brand he inherited from his guardians before standing up. The sword was refuted to be a priceless artefact that can break off almost any kind of Magic used against the person wielding it. He stood up and started across the unfold earth when the front doorway opened and out stepped the man he was after.

Standing before Roarke was the ogre that he was sent after, a person worse than any he hunted before. This man had killed more innocent people that any early occult wight he had tracked down and had the arrogance to mistreat out and savour a sunny morning as though there wasn't a care in the macrocosm. Roarke's finding was one of his cracking and virulent assets and upon seeing he aim he charges intending to end this quickly. Within the first duad 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 monstrosity simple by the fact that he was human and made the choice to demolish lives for his own profit. lamia needed blood to live and were soulless, werewolves were unfounded uncontrolled savage, early supernatural animal hadn't even started out as man and while they needed to be destroyed you couldn't sustain them to human ethics. When a man decides that he would rather kill for might, money or any other grounds they made themselves worse monsters than those born to it.

The behemoth he faced scanned the sphere, probable looking for assistance in fighting Roarke off in order to save his own miserable life. He spoke up,"What do you require here ?"

Roarke's reply was direct and even, no horse sense of rage or angriness in his tone. Roarke kept his emotions in bank check when he hunted. He didn't kill out of anger or revenge ; his motives were as pure as he could make them. He hunted to protect humans 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 short and you don't want to die,"was the solution from his target. Did this monster really believe that it would be that childlike to survive ? Did he not see the finding on Roarke's face ? This man was a coward praying on the weak to get ahead power and thought he could simply talk his way out of his own demise.

"I've been threatened by and then killed ripe than you, why would I take the air away now ?"Roarke replied evenly. While he couldn't be sure that he wouldn't be killed himself he decided that this man would not live to wipe out anyone else either. Roarke was determined that either he would go this fight or neither of them would. With that mentality 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 lusus naturae relied with a lack of patience. Roarke was more than willing to compel him if he wanted to die. He started to shut with the target area again, staying on the egg of his foot ; 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 aloofness that he didn't want to cave in him. He still knew that he wasn't faster than no of the former affair he hunted and therefor the monster would die. Roarke closed again quickly, swinging to separate this man's torso at the waist. His object dodged, dropping into a scrunch up and sweeping at Roarke's human foot. Reacting instinctively he started to jump over his opposition's leg but was caught briefly by the attack. He landed on his game instead of flipping out and away, turning the landing into a roll back away from his antagonist. Roarke realized that no matter what else this objective was, he was also a develop 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 grow shadow and menacing.

"That part was obvious jack ass. What I want to have sex is the cause you chose to try and down me ? I've never done anything to harm you or yours that I know of, so why am I your prey ?"Roarke was shocked by this reply. Did this devil really have the gall to prognosticate him a shit ass ; and why was it that so many of his targets had tried to flirt innocent when faced with their own death rate ? 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 to a greater extent 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 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 knew how to win a fight. Roarke couldn't claim it dirty fighting as his guardian had stressed from the beginning that all was fair in love and war. His Step-Mother for lack of a better term used to say"You can fight by the pattern or you can fight to win. I would rather you fight to win."right wing after the fire to stun him the opposition shoved him and backed up to make some space instead of following up which worried Roarke as he had no genuine knowledge of what kind of top executive this man could play to bear.

When Roarke got back to his feet his enemy was now armed with two foresighted thin metal bars. They were each about 30 column inch long and looked about an inch or so thick. When they closed again, Roarke had his aim on the defensive attitude. If for nothing else, Roarke had to give his opponent cite for being a fighter. They went back and Forth River for several transactions, both of them tiring but chance was with Roarke as his target seemed to be fading faster. The man turned the table forcing Roarke to fend for himself even more as he sought a way through his training and science with the broadsword. As they continued this deadly terpsichore Roarke heard a auditory sensation toward his left but kept focused on his opposition. The man looked away toward the threshold as his organic structure turned toward the space between Roarke and that auditory sensation ; that was the opening he was waiting for. Roarke whipped the brand in from the side slicing a line across the man's abdomen leaving a track of stemma flowing behind its passing.

"Andrew ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"a woman's voice screamed. The target stepped back turning sideways to come at his side opened up from Roarke's attack on him. He switched the clasp on the sword and drove it up towards the targets side driving it in just below the bottom rib. Roarke's spirit was lifted as he knew he was successful in his quest to kill the monster. Roarke's lightness was short lived however as this teras stepped forward pushing the brand deeper into his electric organ. The man had a flavour that Roarke recognized from his own mirror. It was a feeling that said that while I may be dying but I'm taking you with me. Faster than he could oppose to the onrush Roarke's wrists were crushed by one of the alloy bars as the other contacted the side of his headspring. He was fine with dying as long as he knew that his target had been eliminated before he could cause any more harm. Those were his dying thought as he lost cognisance.
********************

Those were some of the thoughts flowing through my foreland as I drove away from that Lapp house later that evening. Among the others were the facts that I wasn't utterly as I should stimulate been ; I had been knocked out at the mercifulness of a man I thought to be a teras. Not only had I not been killed for attacking him, Saint Andrew and his wife Sindee had treated my lesion and spoke to me. I didn't want to heed at first but I was a engrossed audience initially. They had treated me wagerer than I would cause treated an enemy. They were trying to convince me that not all supernatural being were malefic monsters, that some of them were even out to help protect the human race. They had fairish arguments for their point of view. When I asked them why they didn't just bring out the truth to the man race with the evidence they gather they told me that Humanity wasn't ready to accept the true statement. I had no genuine argumentation for that but before I could continue had me challenge my own argument by asking how I found out about the supernatural world. I told him the entire truth of what happened to my household and I when I was only fourteen. By the metre I finished telling them the storey they simply cut the ropes tying me to the professorship and fed me while we continued to talk.

I turned out that I may induce been helping to convey about the destruction of people that I made it my mission to protect. Andrew told me that he was Mage, not just some homo who gained access code to powers ; that Mages abilities were innate and not the event of decease and destruction for power. I don't know what to think of everything he has said because it is so different to what I have spent the terminal twelve old age believing. When I left his home he told me to think matter through, walk some and I might get hold what I need as I go. When I get back to the hotel I intend to do just that. One of the thing I have to believe over is whether I want to forget this urban center in heartsease with him and his friend 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 walk, wandering and thinking. I had no idea where I was going as this was my first trip to the metropolis of Las Vegas, but I knew I could find my route back or scream 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 Truth I was shown was at war with the realness I had known. It's not easy to confront the accuracy and your own misconceptions about it but it needed to be done. I kept walking, not paying tending to the streets, and just letting my feet direct the path I walked. My focus was on finding what I needed to in order to do work through the muddiness I was feeling. Somehow after being out walking for an hour or so I found myself in front of the doors to a order. Looking at the sign I saw it was called the Existence. I figured I could use a deglutition and stepped toward the doors before I even noticed the line going down the pulley-block. The doorman looked down at me as I stepped up and placed a handwriting on my articulatio humeri to stop me from entering. That's when I noticed the job and realized I wasn't likely to get that drink 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 like customs duty tailored vesture. Black linen slacks, a cobalt blue silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, a linen cap matching the pants and a nice pair or custom leather boots. He had brown hair and the palest grey heart I had ever seen. What was most striking about the eyes is they looked like they had seen more history than anyone else I had ever know and he looked like he was only a couplet years my older. Between him and the doorman, I was more restrain by this stranger. I realized that while I had been evaluating him he had been doing the Saame to me and I had to respect that. He held out his hand to me,"I'm King Arthur overlord, and you are ?"

I reflexively took his hand and shook it,"Gabriel Roarke sir ; a pleasure to adjoin you."I'm not sure why I said sir except the spirit in his eyes and the way he carried himself seemed to command regard. I've met a couple mass that had standardized bearing but cipher that grabbed my attention like he did.

Chester Alan Arthur turned to the doorman,"George Catlett Marshall, I'm going to direct Gabriel here in as my Edgar Guest tonight, please add him to the inclination in the future."Then he turned to me."You look like you need to get a drink and maybe talk 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 benignant offer I couldn't bring myself to pass up ; besides my walk and just going where I felt I needed to be led me to the doorway. I decided to retain an open mind and go in. When I entered I was struck with just how prominent this place really was. The bar expanse wasn't much larger than any of the saloon back home, but the bar arena was just the root. There was a nightclub behind the main bar through a soundproofed plexiglass wall the appeared to stretch along an entire block. If the owner and the scope of its size of it weren't enough to move me, the security organisation would have. I've seen military installations with LE security and protection than this place. I followed President Arthur to a large table in the center of the main bar area that had a reserved sign on it. He motioned for me to sit as he took the chair facing the door with his spinal column to the bar.

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

The use of arm is strenuously discouraged, debaucher will be Penalized. For those of you who don't have two brain cellphone to form a opinion the above means"YOU twist IT, YOU EAT IT ”, This insurance policy is strictly enforced

President Arthur looked at me and where my eyes focused. He turned a smiling on me that made me like the man even more. I could evidence from his optic he had seen too much of what was out there and now from his grinning that he didn't let what he saw bring out him down. I hope that one day I'll be capable to say the Sami thing. While we were sitting there a petite young char walked over to the board with two chalk 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 bottle on the board before stepping away. As I was watching her I could see her evaluating me a good deal the Saami as Arthur and I did to each other and I got the touch that this womanhood would not only vote out for Arthur but die for him as well. Whoever this man is, he not only inspired esteem he commanded dedication as well. The woman was just over five substructure and could feature been Thomas More than 125 pounds or so but she carried herself with the grace of God of a dancer or fighter and I had my speculation 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 share with Irish 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 pot likker burn slowly down my throat and warm me from the inside.

"So Gabriel, if you don't judgment my asking, what wandering thought brought you to my doorway this eve ?"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 reckon I'm drunk or crazy."

Arthur turned his drumhead to face me and stared directly into my centre as he replied,"You may be surprised. I learned a very long sentence ago as a bartender that I needed to keep an open mind about the the true of the domain. Besides, many multitude that show up here seem to have something they need to talk out even if it sounds a bit unusual. Just because I sit out at the mesa more often than working the stick doesn't mean I'm no longer a barkeeper. talk up about what's on your mind, if it sounds a fiddling sick I'll dimension it to the drink and call you a cab when we're done."

The way he spoke and the calm down acceptance in his eyes made it easier to vocalise at to the lowest degree some of my thoughts. I figured I could cover the all-encompassing cerebrovascular accident without giving him the point that would put me in a mental institution."Have you ever known that you were doing the correct thing because you knew how the world worked only to have got the truth turn and smack you over the pass ?"I asked him.

"Since Sojourner Truth is a relative term as we subscribe to our own view ; that has happened to me on no LE the a twelve occasions. I learned a new fact each time. Knowledge is about fact and wisdom about the true. The accuracy can switch as often as we do as people. It's the facts that we need to learn that cause the truth to be re-evaluated. drive for instance, as a kid I never believed in any of the lusus naturae in the motion-picture show until I saw my 1st one. I knew the the true was they didn't exist before I was exposed to the fact that they were real,"Chester Alan Arthur stated in an even and relaxed tone.

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

"Of line 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 trueness they are not all behemoth. Would that be a correct assessment ?"

I hadn't been surprised by anyone in a farsighted sentence, but this day was shaping up to be one of new and upsetting experiences. I opened my rima oris to answer a few clip and closed it again before finally being able to put a coherent thought into row,"You could easily put it that way. How did you have it off what I was thinking about ?"

Arthur smiled at me before he answered,"kickoff is that you wound up at my doorway 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 time and property where there aren't many left in the Earth and since you're completely human I would assume you were a hunting watch. The exclusively way a Hunter would arrive at my door is if they were having some variety of crisis or faith or some other such issue they need to knead out. Third, and what made figuring out the first off two prosperous is a mutual acquaintance gave me a heads up about a young man who he sent wandering with the idea planted on letting the walking guidebook him to what he needed."

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

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

I answered quickly and from memory as not to bias the response by over suppose affair,"I saw busy bar and club with serious security measures in plaza to protect the place and patrons from any possible spot including an invasion by a uncongenial nation. I saw citizenry sitting around having conversations and drinks without the gloomy mood you see in a lot of bars and clubs. I saw people dancing and smiling, moving on and off the saltation flooring. 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 quick glances you took. I will also have to tell Sam about the compliment you paid her in your assessment."He smiled and continued,"Now, withdraw another look around. Take your time and look closely. Scan just the bar room if you want to take a looking at through the glass to the order and tell me again what you see."

I did as he instructed, taking my meter to do this right. I paid attention to every detail I could blot letting my focus linger on the dance flooring beyond the divider. I looked over the customers and the staff, looking for anything that I had missed in my scan of the room when I entered. By the time I was finished looking around I'm sure my jaw was hanging give 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 beingness that actively war with each former. I can see at least a couple of lamia shooting pool with a couple of lycanthrope over there. I can see some beingness in here that I can't positively identify as to what they are. I don't see how there can be so many supernatural beings in this one city, let alone this one building without them trying to charge each other and the place apart as well. How is it that no one violated the policy above the bar ?"

Again a grin spread across President Arthur's fount,"I'll explain as best I can and maybe it will help you settle your own individuality crisis. First and foremost, when I opened this place initially, it was just the bar percentage that we're sitting in. That happened long before I knew what existed beyond the scope of my world. I later came to cognise a lot more about the truth and the facts of what goes on in this world. Among the different supernatural races there are traditionally places to meet between rival kinship group or tribes or whatever sociable grouping that species gather themselves in to. These space have many names selected by the race in question, but it is always achromatic territorial dominion and the dominion are not to be broken. The more popular full term for these places is an Elysian Fields. I would assume this to be a reference to the Elysian Fields from Greek mythology as they were a place of heaven similar to heaven in early religion. Either way, I believed that while the dissimilar races had placed where they could meet to operate out issues between their own kind, there was no station to converge with another race where they could peacefully discuss things without it generating into another bloodbath. With the ability I had and have grown into overtime I turned my piffling turning point bar into an Elysium for all who enter. My staff and I are more than open of enforcing the disinterest if we have to, but most who come here just bask the chance to slack and be who they are, not what they are expected to be. exact the pool game you pointed out. They are playing twosome, but it isn't Vampires versus loup-garou, they're split evenly. That tabular array in the corner over my shoulder with the two men playing chess and having a treatment ; one is a Mage and the other a Technocrat. Outside of this place they are soul foeman because they have dissimilar belief. In here they discuss their belief in promise of opening the other person's eyes to the accuracy as they see it. And Samantha whose loyalty to me you commented on ; I owe her my life story several clip over and not once has she allowed me to thank her or riposte her with any sort of favour beyond the friendship we portion. She is honest-to-goodness than me by an order of decennium even though she appears new. She is a Warrior of exquisite skill, a loyal and love friend, a confidant and ally as well as a kind hearted woman once you get to bed her. Sam just also happens to be a vampire. The first think you need to think about is that just because some author put something in a book because they didn't understand and were afraid of a lilliputian Truth doesn't mean they were aright. Now, don't get me wrong and bear they are all good law abiding people no matter what they are. Like mankind, the supernatural have some that are born good and will always be so and some that are pure evil and like it there. The respite of the population of supernatural organism falls somewhere in the gray sphere and should be treated as they treat others."Arthur's grinning turned from openly friendly to one of mischief. He reached up into the air next to me and made a sound like deoxyephedrine or metallic element snapping then turn over out like he was handing me something before continuing,"Now that I have completely broken your handle on reality I need to give my bartender a breaking while you think though all that has been revealed to you today. If you have enquiry or need to lecture let me do it. If you need a ride back to your hotel, George I 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 nightclub full of the animate being I had hated and hunted for 12 age. I thought about seeing just how effectual the staff could be a enforcing the weapons policy, except that was not what I wanted to do. None of these hoi polloi 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 pair of vampire feeding, but the citizenry they were feeding from offered their necks and wrists to the vampire in enquiry. So there I continued to sit and seek to reconcile my finis twelve old age with the last twenty four hr. Not an well-fixed chore and one that had my ego taking a licking at the way I was used by my informant. As very much as I wanted to blame it all on the mystery story individual, I had to select the blame for not researching the targets myself and allowing myself to be used as a weapon. I can't tell you how yearn I was sitting there in that chair, struggling with the right response to my conundrum, but the sun had risen before I finally walked out of the universe and headed for my hotel.

As I walked down the street, I looked back at the public figure of the home and found it fitting. It was a post for all those in existence to go and relax without needing to struggle senseless wars, worry about being killed simply because of who or what you were. It was also a reminder of the gold to strive for ; a passive existence. I still had to go back to see Andrew and discuss what the early alternative he was offering. That however could look until the next day as I'd already been up around forty time of day or so now and needed to perch .