To all those reading the Bodoni Mage storyline, this happens over chapters 17 & 18 and may take up part of 19 as well. I'll cognise more about that once the inspiration for 19 comes to me. I wanted to let everyone see a unlike position than Andrew's as well as binding something that wouldn't have fit in the eternal sleep of the fib based on the expression that Modern Mage is being writer as though Andrew is explaining his past to the reviewer. I used bother third person narration and some first individual in the chapter here to differentiate what he was thinking at first as well as allowing me to excuse some of the back story for those who read this and haven't read the rest of the Modern Mage and Existence narration. Bob Hope everyone enjoys a different take on thinks in the humankind of Magick and Monsters that I am attempting to bring you all into.

Gabriel Roarke had been a huntsman for over a decade, ever since he recovered after his family was attacked by a vampire. To be more exact after that creature had killed his parents and then turned his sisters forcing Roarke to kill them if he wanted to populate. He had spent six month in a hospital recovering from forcible hurt 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 doctors, nanny and psychiatrist that the infirmary about the lamia because he didn't want to be placed in a genial insane asylum either.

At the end of his meter recovering from the injury Roarke was taken in by a youthful span instead of being placed in a government home. While grateful for that he was diffident why they took him in until dinner of the low Nox in his new family. It turned out that they had known about the occult and realized that what happened to his family was a vampire attack. They began to explicate that their house had been a long line of Hunters, dedicated to protecting humanity from the things most don't even think in. They started training him, not just in how to push but hot to recall 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 child. They made sure that he also got a proper school education allowing him to qualify for college. Just after his 18th birthday while shopping for provision before he left for college the Vampire that had attacked his family tracked him down again. That night the lamia attacked again killing both of his shielder. He killed the vampire that night himself. After that Night he decided not to go away to school but to start hunting and recruiting new hunters to train.

For six years Roarke had been hunting and killing every supernatural being he could track down. It didn't matter what sort they were. He focused mostly in areas where had found people disappearing or being murdered. He excelled at ferreting out those puppet that hid in champaign spate. Over meter her spring up germ of data on the web and made impinging with other hunters and informant. After that he started to get to a greater extent and more data on being he couldn't have found himself. Information that told him not only where to get these monsters, but what kind her was dealing with. He couldn't believe his fortune in finding this source of selective information. That source had created a problem for him earliest today.

He got selective information about a objective in Las Lope Felix de Vega Carpio who was said to be a danger not just to the masses in the city around him, but to others around the world. Roarke spent nigh of his time hunting in Ireland, Scotland and England but would travel abroad when there was a threat that would require the time and effort. He had hunted in the United land a few times but had never traveled to Las Lope de Vega before. The informant contacted him anonymously as usual with the objective entropy. The target was a magic user, powerful at that. The documentation sent tied him to a string of slaying around the urban center and in nearby states claiming that he was using profligate illusion to increase his power. The object address was provided with the other information, along with the implication that he was nearly completed the ritual significance he needed to be stopped quickly. Roarke booked passage to Las Vegas and shipped the gear he would need by air freight the next day. Within the workweek he was in Las Lope Felix de Vega Carpio and picked up his gear. He would normally have taken time to scout the object and pee trusted that he could get in and out without any problem, but from the supplied information he just didn't have the clip before this guy started killing Thomas More people.

Roarke got to the location on the night of February first to see his butt come back at the house with a lilliputian red haired adult female that there was no information on in the files. The driver of the car that brought them there unloaded luggage and took it in for them. He could see from his position several citizenry 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 linear perspective. Roarke watched the house as the night went on. Around one or two in the morning most of those Roarke had seen left the theater. He continued to watch the house until morning. right hand before dayspring Roarke got out of his hand truck and started to move toward the theatre expecting the occupants to be sleeping after the latterly even.

He got halfway across the holding to the door moving from cover to handle when he paused for a moment. He had about thirty foundation of space to cross with nada to duck behind when he continued to near. He wasn't aware at that instant that the next few minutes were going to alter percept of realism forever. He pulled the sword he inherited from his guardians before standing up. The steel was refuted to be a priceless artifact that can stop almost any kind of trick used against the person wielding it. He stood up and started across the subject primer when the front threshold opened and out stepped the man he was after.

Standing before Roarke was the monster that he was sent after, a individual worse than any he hunted before. This man had killed more impeccant people that any former supernatural animate being he had tracked down and had the arrogance to step out and bask a sunny morning as though there wasn't a tutelage in the reality. Roarke's determination was one of his greatest and pestilent assets and upon seeing he target he charges intending to end this quickly. Within the first-class honours degree couple of steps the man looked unconcerned, but it quickly changed to confusion as he dodged the golf shot of the sword and rolled away. Roarke firmly believed that this man was truly a monster simple by the fact that he was human being and made the selection to destroy lives for his own gain. Vampires needed blood to live and were soulless, werewolves were state of nature uncontrolled wildcat, other supernatural brute hadn't even started out as human and while they needed to be destroyed you couldn't hold them to human ethics. When a man decides that he would rather wipe out for top executive, money or any other ground they made themselves unsound monsters than those born to it.

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

Roarke's reply was calculate and even, no sense of madness or ira in his tint. Roarke kept his emotions in check when he hunted. He didn't stamp out out of choler or retaliation ; his motive were as pure as he could produce them. He hunted to protect mankind for the monsters as his guardians had taught him."Your head word,"was the reply.

"I'm sorry to let down you, but it won't be that easy. take the air away, leave me and my friends alone and I'll do the Lapp for you. I don't want you suddenly and you don't want to die,"was the solvent from his aim. Did this colossus really conceive that it would be that dewy-eyed to live on ? Did he not see the purpose on Roarke's grimace ? This man was a Sir Noel Pierce Coward praying on the weak to acquire big businessman and thought he could simply talk his way out of his own demise.

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

"Make your choice and let's get this over with,"the ogre relied with a lack of patience. Roarke was more than willing to compel him if he wanted to die. He started to close with the butt again, staying on the Ball 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 by 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 break this man's torso at the waistline. His target dodged, dropping into a crouch and tangle at Roarke's feet. Reacting instinctively he started to rise over his opposition's leg but was caught briefly by the onset. 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 aim was, he was also a trained fighter.

"Why are you here ?"the man asked.

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

"That part was obvious mariner ass. What I want to know is the reasonableness you chose to try and toss off me ? I've never done anything to harm you or yours that I know of, so why am I your target ?"Roarke was shocked by this reply. Did this monster really get the gall to bid him a jack ass ; and why was it that so many of his quarry had tried to recreate impeccant when faced with their own deathrate ? Own up to what you do in life and accept your due was his philosophy ; if you can't you shouldn't be doing whatever it is in the first seat. 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 shoulder to opposite hip. His enemy reacted quickly, stepping inside his range with a jab to the throat. Immediately after that his opposer followed up with a knee to the breakwater. Roarke's only thought was that this man didn't just sleep with how to fight he be intimate how to win a fight. Roarke couldn't call it dirty fighting as his guardian had stressed from the source that all was fair in erotic love and war. His Step-Mother for want of a salutary terminus used to say"You can contend by the rules or you can fight to win. I would rather you fight to win."Right after the attacks to stun him the foe shoved him and backed up to gain some outer space instead of following up which worried Roarke as he had no true cognition of what kind of force this man could make for to bear.

When Roarke got back to his substructure his enemy was now armed with two long thin metal bars. They were each about 30 inches long and looked about an inch or so thick. When they closed again, Roarke had his target on the defensive. If for cipher else, Roarke had to move over his opponent credit for being a fighter. They went back and Forth River for several minutes, both of them tiring but circumstances was with Roarke as his object seemed to be evanesce faster. The man turned the tables forcing Roarke to hold himself even more as he sought a way through his education and attainment with the broadsword. As they continued this deadly terpsichore Roarke heard a sound toward his left hand but kept focused on his opposition. The man looked away toward the door as his body turned toward the space between Roarke and that audio ; that was the opening he was waiting for. Roarke whipped the brand in from the side slicing a melodic line across the man's belly leaving a trail of blood flowing behind its passing.

"Saint Andrew the Apostle ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"a cleaning woman's vocalism screamed. The target stepped back turning sideways to come at his side opened up from Roarke's onset on him. He switched the grip 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 pursuit to pour down the monster. Roarke's lightness was short circuit lived however as this giant stepped forward pushing the sword deeper into his variety meat. The man had a look that Roarke recognized from his own mirror. It was a spirit that said that while I may be dying but I'm taking you with me. Faster than he could react to the flak Roarke's wrists were crushed by one of the metallic element bars as the former contacted the side of his question. He was fine with dying as long as he knew that his target had been eliminated before he could cause any more injury. Those were his dying thought as he lost cognisance.
********************

Those were some of the opinion flowing through my fountainhead as I drove away from that same home late that evening. Among the others were the facts that I wasn't beat as I should have got been ; I had been knocked out at the mercy of a man I thought to be a monster. Not only had I not been killed for attacking him, St. Andrew and his wife Sindee had treated my wounding and spoke to me. I didn't want to listen at first but I was a jailed audience initially. They had treated me unspoilt than I would own treated an enemy. They were trying to convince me that not all supernatural beings were evil demon, that some of them were even out to help protect the human subspecies. They had reasonable argumentation for their point of thought. When I asked them why they didn't just let out the Sojourner Truth to the human race with the evidence they gather they told me that Humanity wasn't ready to accept the truth. I had no real controversy for that but before I could extend had me challenge my own instruction by asking how I found out about the supernatural world. I told him the integral truth of what happened to my menage and I when I was only 14. By the metre I finished telling them the story they simply cut the ropes tying me to the chair and fed me while we continued to talk.

I turned out that I may have been helping to bring about the destruction of citizenry that I made it my mission to protect. Saint Andrew told me that he was Mage, not just some man who gained admittance to powers ; that Mages abilities were rude and not the result of last and death for power. I don't know what to consider of everything he has said because it is so different to what I have spent the last twelve eld believing. When I left his home he told me to opine things through, walk some and I might see what I need as I go. When I get back to the hotel I intend to do just that. One of the things I have to think over is whether I want to leave this city in public security with him and his allies to protect it or to ally myself with him against this unknown 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 first head trip to the city of Las Vegas, but I knew I could find my path back or visit 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 true statement I was shown was at war with the reality I had known. It's not wanton to confront the true statement 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 invertebrate foot direct the path I walked. My focus was on finding what I needed to in order to work through the confusion I was feeling. Somehow after being out walking for an hour or so I found myself in front of the door to a society. Looking at the sign I saw it was called the world. I figured I could use a drinkable and stepped toward the doors before I even noticed the agate line going down the block. The doorman looked down at me as I stepped up and placed a hand on my shoulder to stop 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 room access beside me. He was taller than me and dressed well. He was wearing what looked ilk custom tailored clothing. Black person linen paper drop-off, a cobalt blueing silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, a linen crown matching the pants and a nice couplet or custom leather boots. He had brown hair and the palest grey eyes I had ever seen. What was most chance upon about the heart is they looked like they had seen more history than anyone else I had ever know and he looked like he was only a couple age 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 Sami to me and I had to respect that. He held out his hand to me,"I'm Chester A. Arthur victor, and you are ?"

I reflexively took his hand and shook it,"Gabriel Roarke sir ; a pleasure to play you."I'm not sure as shooting why I said sir except the look in his eyes and the way he carried himself seemed to command respect. I've met a match people that had similar mien but cypher that grabbed my attention like he did.

Arthur turned to the doorman,"George Marshall, I'm going to subscribe Gabriel here in as my guest tonight, delight add him to the list in the future."Then he turned to me."You look like you need to get a drunkenness and maybe tattle about something. I own the placed and find it's conductive to thinking thing through and finding what you need. first of all drink on me."

King Arthur opened the door and waived me in ahead of him. It was such a courteous offer I couldn't bring myself to refuse ; besides my walking and just going where I felt I needed to be led me to the door. I decided to maintain an open brain and go in. When I entered I was struck with just how large this place really was. The bar domain wasn't much larger than any of the pubs back home, but the bar area was just the beginning. There was a nightclub behind the master bar through a soundproofed Plexiglas wall the appeared to dilute an entire block. If the possessor and the scope of its size weren't enough to impress me, the security arrangement would give. I've seen military machine installment with less security measure and protective covering than this property. I followed President Arthur to a turgid table in the center of the main bar area that had a reserved foretoken on it. He motioned for me to sit as he took the chairman 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 aid the jest that came out. It read :

The use of weapons is strenuously discouraged, violators will be Penalized. For those of you who don't have two brain cellular phone to form a thought the above means"YOU puff IT, YOU EAT IT ”, This Policy is strictly enforced

Arthur looked at me and where my eye focused. He turned a smiling on me that made me like the man even more. I could enjoin from his oculus he had seen too a great deal of what was out there and now from his smile that he didn't let what he saw bust him down. I hope that one day I'll be able to say the same thing. While we were sitting there a petite young char walked over to the table with two glasses and a vitreous silica decanter full of an amber colored liquidness. She set the two glassed between Arthur and myself before pouring the boozing. She then placed the bottle on the table before stepping away. As I was watching her I could see her evaluating me practically the same as Chester A. Arthur and I did to each former and I got the feel that this woman would not only kill for Arthur but die for him as well. Whoever this man is, he not only inspired respect he commanded loyalty as well. The cleaning lady was just over five foot and could sustain been Sir Thomas More than 125 pounds or so but she carried herself with the gracility of a professional dancer or fighter and I had my surmise as to which.

"Gabriel, if you care to join me, this is a very old and rare cognac that it would be my delight to portion 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 potable and felt the liquor burn slowly down my throat and warm me from the inside.

"So Gabriel, if you don't psyche my asking, what wandering thought brought you to my doorway this evening ?"Arthur inquired politely.

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

Arthur turned his head to present me and stared directly into my middle as he replied,"You may be surprised. I learned a very long time ago as a barkeep that I needed to save an open head about the truth of the world. Besides, many people that show up here seem to have something they need to lecture out even if it sounds a bit strange. Just because I sit out at the table more often than working the bind doesn't mean I'm no longer a bartender. Speak up about what's on your mind, if it sounds a little crazy I'll attribute it to the drink and send for you a cab when we're done."

The way he spoke and the unagitated acceptance in his oculus made it easier to sound at least some of my persuasion. I figured I could cover the across-the-board strokes without giving him the details that would put me in a mental instauration."Have you ever known that you were doing the right thing because you knew how the populace worked only to consume the trueness tour and scag you over the point ?"I asked him.

"Since truth is a comparative term as we subscribe to our own view ; that has happened to me on no LE the a dozen social occasion. I learned a new fact each time. Knowledge is about fact and wisdom about truth. The true statement can change as often as we do as people. It's the facts that we need to learn that cause the truth to be re-evaluated. submit for example, as a kid I never believed in any of the monsters in the movies until I saw my first one. I knew the truth was they didn't exist before I was exposed to the fact that they were material,"Chester A. Arthur stated in an even and relaxed tone.

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

"Of course 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 verity they are not all monsters. Would that be a rectify assessment ?"

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

Arthur smiled at me before he answered,"First is that you wound up at my door and only those who need to find this place if they haven't been invited. Second is that you carry yourself as a warrior in a meter and place where there aren't many left in the human beings and since you're completely human I would assume you were a hunter. The solitary way a hunting watch would arrive at my room access is if they were having some kind of crisis or religion or some other such number they need to work out. Third, and what made figuring out the first two easy is a mutual friend gave me a heads up about a young man who he sent wandering with the estimation planted on letting the walking template him to what he needed."

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

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

I answered quickly and from memory as not to bias the resolution by over thinking affair,"I saw busy bar and nightclub with life-threatening security beat in place to protect the place and supporter from any possible situation including an invasion by a hostile Carry Amelia Moore Nation. I saw people sitting around having conversations and drinks without the grim humour you see in a lot of bars and nine. I saw the great unwashed dancing and smiling, moving on and off the dancing storey. I saw that beautiful Pres Young lady who brought the cognac over pass judgment me as though I may be a threat and saw that she was more fast to you than I'd ever to be able to properly put into words."

"Very observant for the quickly glances you took. I will also give birth to order Sam about the compliment you paid her in your assessment."He smiled and continued,"Now, take another flavor around. contain your clip and wait closely. rake just the bar way if you want to take a look through the chalk to the club and tell me again what you see."

I did as he instructed, taking my time to do this right. I paid attention to every item I could spot letting my focus linger on the saltation floor beyond the divider. I looked over the customer and the staff, looking for anything that I had missed in my CAT scan of the room when I entered. By the time I was finished looking around I'm sure my jaw was hanging open in electrical shock at what I was seeing around me. I almost didn't believe my own centre."There are all kinds of supernatural beings in here along with mortal ; Supernatural existence that actively war with each other. I can see at least a couple of lamia shooting pool with a couple of werewolf over there. I can see some existence in here that I can't positively identify as to what they are. I don't infer how there can be so many supernatural being 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 smiling bedspread across King Arthur's face,"I'll explain as trump I can and maybe it will serve you conclude your own personal identity crisis. First and foremost, when I opened this place initially, it was just the bar serving that we're sitting in. That happened long before I knew what existed beyond the background of my humankind. I later came to jazz a lot more about the the true and the facts of what goes on in this public. Among the different supernatural races there are traditionally places to meet between rival clan or federation of tribes or whatever social grouping that species gathers themselves in to. These topographic point have many figure selected by the airstream in doubtfulness, but it is always impersonal district and the rules are not to be broken. The to a greater extent popular term for these places is an Elysium. I would assume this to be a acknowledgment to the inspired Fields from Greek mythology as they were a station of paradise similar to heaven in other faith. Either way, I believed that while the different airstream had placed where they could meet to go out emergence between their own form, there was no place to foregather with another race where they could peacefully discuss affair without it generating into another bloodbath. With the power I had and have grown into overtime I turned my little corner bar into an Elysium for all who enter. My staff and I are more than subject of enforcing the neutrality if we have to, but near who come here just enjoy the chance to relax and be who they are, not what they are expected to be. Take the pond game you pointed out. They are playing pairs, but it isn't lamia versus loup-garou, they're stock split evenly. That table in the recess over my shoulder with the two men playing chess game and having a discussion ; one is a Mage and the other a Technocrat. Outside of this place they are someone opposition because they have different beliefs. In here they discuss their belief in hopes of opening the early person's optic to the truth as they see it. And Samantha whose loyalty to me you commented on ; I owe her my aliveness several times over and not once has she allowed me to thank her or repay her with any kind of favour beyond the friendship we plowshare. She is older than me by an order of ten even though she appears youthful. She is a Warrior of exquisite skill, a loyal and dear friend, a confidant and ally as well as a variety hearted woman once you get to know her. Sam just also happens to be a vampire. The first think you need to intend about is that just because some writer put something in a rule book because they didn't understand and were afraid of a lilliputian truth doesn't mean value they were right. Now, don't get me wrong and assume they are all safe law abiding citizenry no matter what they are. Like humans, the supernatural have some that are born good and will always be so and some that are vestal malefic and like it there. The rest of the universe of supernatural beingness falls somewhere in the Robert Gray area and should be treated as they treat others."Chester Alan Arthur's smile turned from openly well-disposed to one of balefulness. He reached up into the air next to me and made a sound like trash or metal snapping then hit out like he was handing me something before continuing,"Now that I have completely broken your handle on reality I need to break my bartender a faulting while you think though all that has been revealed to you today. If you have doubtfulness or need to blab let me acknowledge. If you need a ride back to your hotel, George III will kick in you a ride unless I'm absolve 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 Orion in the center of a nightclub total of the beast I had hated and hunted for dozen years. I thought about seeing just how in force 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 way. I saw a couple of Vampires feeding, but the people they were feeding from offered their necks and articulatio radiocarpea to the lamia in query. So there I continued to sit and attempt to conciliate my last dozen years with the concluding twenty four hours. Not an wanton task and one that had my ego taking a whipping at the way I was used by my witness. As much as I wanted to blame it all on the mystery person, I had to conduct the blame for not researching the butt myself and allowing myself to be used as a weapon. I can't recount you how yearn I was sitting there in that chair, struggling with the rightfulness answer to my brain-teaser, 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 epithet of the place and found it fitting. It was a situation for all those in universe to go and slack without needing to press senseless wars, worry about being killed simply because of who or what you were. It was also a reminder of the gold to endeavor for ; a peaceful existence. I still had to go back to see Saint Andrew the Apostle and talk over what the other option he was offering. That however could await until the next day as I'd already been up around 40 hours or so now and needed to rest .