This world was different from my former world. The two moons up in the skies were the first thing I saw in this world. The unpolluted air was fresh, and the stars that lit up the skies. They were too beautiful to even describe.
They say that a person undergoes the cycle of reincarnation. And I was reincarnated as a person living in this world that entered the age of space exploration. The Republic of Sherborne, the Dwarven Union, and the Kingdom of Elena were the three superpowers of this world. The rest of the world belonged to the Cosmo Empire.
The Republic of Sherborne was a free state that once belongs to the Cosmo Empire. Three-hundred years passed, and the Republic has entered the age of space exploration. The Dwarven Union and the Kingdom of Elena have turned their eyes to the stars as well. There are skirmishes as well but it could be said that this fantasy world has entered its 80's era. The only difference was that there were dwarven people and elven people living alongside us humans in this world.
The city that I was born in was Carter City. I live in Tule Street, near the blue river that once had magical creatures living in it. In the history book that I once read with my parents. It said that there were mythical creatures that once terrorized this world. When this world entered the age of firearms, the creatures were massacred and only a few of them were kept alive.
The mythical dragons were on their peaks living peacefully. No, they have no choice but to live peacefully unless they want the hammer of God to be brought on them. This world was quite shameless in its use of modern weaponry to deal with enemies. If I could explain this world then it would be a low fantasy world that turned modern. There are televisions and cameras and automobiles along with fancy disco tracks. Disco tracks and cassette tapes that somehow are here!
I was standing a street crossing waiting for the traffic lights. I saw half-humans and humans alike walking to their jobs. I was still a student in this world. I walked with my Walkman and strutted past the traffic to enter a new boulevard.
Although I want to say that in this world I would surely change. I cannot help but realize that the world that I am in resembled a book that I once read. I wanted to confirm it so I came to this particular street where 'they' would meet.
I was standing daydreaming when I saw them walk without minding the road. The young man, who would be the first man to reach the moon in this world, calmly pulled the half-elven woman from certain death.
The world seemed to stop for the two. I was staring along with the crowd as the scene unfolds. I lowered my headphones and stopped my walkman. I was still in my first year of college in this world, and it seems like things will get interesting.
...
Leonov Trent introduced himself to the class. Celeste Appleseed, the half-elven, followed gracefully while I waited for my turn. I stood up and said, "I am Hex Goodwin."
My introduction was brief and I didn't pad it with words. The professor who was oddly eager to know our names started his class.
I took my journal and started noting every keyword that might be useful to my endeavors. He discussed theory about the start of the modern age. He also took out a computer to demonstrate the wonders of it.
I could probably manage to work with that kind of computer. Although, I know what parts should I use to make a computer better. I was only a user, not a builder. The companies that make these computers did not reveal their secrets as manufactures. So there's no hope for me to imitate them unless I was a genius. I was not a genius and I had no idea to recreate them.
I can only watch as the professor fumbled about in using this operating system with a disgusting GUI. I started to think that I really need to at least improve myself in how to program my own operating system using the programming language they have.
...
In the afternoon we were given practical experience. In this kind of situation, you should stay away from the protagonist of the story. But I didn't give an ounce of care. I did my task silently with a grim single-minded focus. I always believe that I could leave life at any time. So with that in mind, I let that reminder determine what I do, say, and think.
This belief was reinforced when I finally got conscious that I was in a new world. What need was there to worry about things that I had no control over? So I could only continue with a silence.
I had lived long enough to know that what I was looking for wasn't anything grand. I was looking for silence in the heart and the mind.
...
It took two hundred volts for the biology teacher to murder a boar with a rock back. This type of boar could be seen in the upper ravens, near the cliff edges where they ate the curious yellow roots growing from the cracks. The biology teacher—Adolf Russo—was letting me participate in this experiment. I needed the money.
"Torture," he said. "Isn't it?"
"I don't understand," I said.
"What I am doing is killing their heads. Don't you think it is torture?"
"I am indifferent."
The biology teacher looked at me. "You are either calm or uncaring. Which one are you?"
"I just want to have money."
I finished the work with the teacher. He was too busy minding his business that I was ignored as I went out of the classroom. There were after-classes that it was not hard to miss the bustle.
...
I was walking around inhaling car fumes, and the industrial smell of the streets. The folks around the city were ignoring most of the noise. At this time I noticed the trigger. I had a 9mm that I was concealing. The gun laws were lax and the right to bear arms was never lost in this world. So I was armed.
The trigger was the start of it all. The gun that started it all headed into the alley where she would be suppressed and the start of Leonov's quest to find the madman. This story was supposed to start with the death of Theresa Poe.
But this time I pulled the trigger at the madman. And Theresa Poe would never know who the person that did it.
...
Theresa Poe heard the bang of a pistol. The one who was wearing a varsity jacket kneeled on his own puddle of blood. His brains painted on the wall. Theresa Poe felt fear as she could not understand what happened for the moment.
But she did see the man who wore a black hoodie in the dark. His silhouette vanished and there was silence along the lines. The siren of the police car ran over and the drifting wind caressed Theresa Poe's cheeks.
She was saved. There was someone who saved her from being mugged. The one that kneeled over on his own pool of blood was a convict who escaped. He was a madman who had been killing dames like her for fun. She was lucky that a Good Samaritan saved her.
She never thought of her life other than a mess. But it could be said that she wanted to live her life as best as she could. She sat dazed while contemplating how what would have happened.
She was about to leave the police station when she saw the coroner's van. The van had the body of an old man who was shot in the head. If Theresa Poe was shot in that back alley and died, she would have been the one in the coroner's van.
"Poor Guy got murdered. Oh, you're that lucky girl? This may sound terrible but you are lucky to have survived this dual murder. Some idiots are going around wearing symbols. You should watch out."
Theresa Poe nodded her head. She looked at the patrol car that was going to take her back and went inside of it.
...
Leonov felt disgusted as he watched the old man who had kindness dying like that. He heard two gunshots and thankfully the first gunshot resulted in the death of the criminal. The second gunshot resounded throughout the back-alleys of Carter City. He was too late to doing anything. Leonov wasn't a hero or anything like that. But he despised suffering enough that the scene of murder drove him into action. He will find the killer and make him pay for what he had done. It was not his job to punish the murderer. But he'll deliver him to the law and had him judged for his sins.
...
The morning woke me up as if I was escaping prison. You may wonder why I couldn't care less about the death of a human being. Why I gunned down someone who was pointing a gun at the trigger of this story. I served once. No, I was in a militia that once guarded a village that was typically hounded by degenerates that wanted 'Revolutionary Taxes' for their cause.
Sadly, I was used to conflict. That's what you'd expect from living in a backwater villager. I didn't dawdle much and turned on the TV. The news was on and certainly, the death of an old man was in the news. It was similar but instead of a woman, it was an old man.
Looks like Leonov won't be stopping. I underestimated this strange world did I? I know that this thing will happen. The world seems like it was going to stay on track for the purpose of completing the story.
Fighting fate was hard. You've to face the number of obstacles while not losing yourself. Leonov's story was a mix of murder and mystery. I wasn't interested in the cultists that do killing for fun. I was interested in the space race that had fantasy races on it. I remember it vaguely how this was a story of fulfillment. Space was the final frontier and the single-minded folks of this world had nowhere to go other than up.
I finished my contemplation. I swung my body to the kitchen and ate breakfast. I wore my uniform and went out of my room. Someone was reading his newspaper while chewing on his cigarette. His guts were sticking out. His hair forever lost in the void.
"Mr. Goodwin."
"Good Morning, Sir."
"Likewise and why are you staring at me?"
"Your gut is sticking out and the smoke was entering my room."
"Is that so?" he chewed his cigarette. I bit the side of my cheeks.
"Have you considered going bald?"
I left while he was trying to process what I said. Our morning was usually this way. And I despise him for smoking near my room. I like smoking but secondhand smoke was the worst. I took a stroll to the Academy and entered the gates. Students were murmuring about the murder that happened.
I, for the most part, went to my classroom. I listened for three hours and took notes. The classes were held in certain schedules. I was free for two hours before entering the next class. After that class, I went and recheck my notes. I wasn't a clever man or a smart one as well. I know my limits and my helplessness in mathematics as well. That's why I had to work hard in achieving my goal.
I wasn't like them who were geniuses in their own fields. Ms. Celeste was someone who will soon raise the standards of rocket development in this world. This world had convenient materials that resulted in the rockets here being strong and resilient. There are meta-sciences that I couldn't understand. It was like someone did Einstein's babble and put another term for it. The nuke was dropped around the area where the barbaric demons are.
The history of this world was rather...tragic. The worst suffered a hundred years of war, and two black deaths happened. Three world wars and most of them were because of folks who had wanted to cease the world. This world was ten times larger than the earth. There are thirteen major continents and thousands of islands. The eleventh continent was nuked to death. The last continent drowned.
Although this world had little magic that was absurd. The supernatural was around and the existence of fire-breathing dragons that were the size of mountains was clear that this wasn't just a low-fantasy world that I expected it to be. I saw how they made use of enchantments on their equipment. I saw how their machines were blessed by materials that I wondered how they would affect the machines. Magic wasn't accessible easily, and it was considered to be a branch of science here.
Though forget about accessing magical powers. At best you'd get strengthened senses and peak human athletic skills. Super Soldiers and mythical beings and a little bit of magic. If I didn't know then I'd be clueless of how things truly are. To people here giant dragons are normal.
I looked at the side and saw Leonov Trent. He's going to be the one dealing with all of these troubles. I mean he was already dead set on finding the murderer. That cultist will lead him to the Under-Society.
The Under-Society was a collection of individuals that ruled the night. They were strong people that turned their eyes to the future. It was useless trying to control the new society with the advancement of technology. I wasn't foolish enough to get involved with those people. So I had to make sure that I had some assurance. I created some program using my meager programming skills. It was an easy program but it was able to attract the den that wanted some fun. I gave them the 'I love you' virus that was easy to make. They were racking their brains on the computer virus that they did not expect. It took them a week to give up. I gave them the fix and I was given neutral grounds.
Now, it would have been easier not to mingle with these people. But there was no helping it that I wanted to know if things are getting dangerous. I wanted access to their chat relays in hopes that I'd get to avoid the problems that would come. There was simply no reason for him to fight a world that keeps adjusting itself in hopes that the timeline will proceed smoothly. Saving Theresa Poe kept her alive. But still, the story of Leonov wasn't going to be stopped by him.
...
I took notes on how the timeline would go. If I could be observed from a distance then I would look like a stalker. But I was just a normal college person walking around the city in his spare time. It would take Leonov three weeks to solve the mystery and enter the Under-Society. But I wasn't going to wait three weeks for that to happen. I dropped a convenient dead drop in one of the places that Leonov was investigating.
It was a floppy disk that contained 5mb worth of text. That floppy disk contained pages of information about the Under-Society. The Under-Society's beginning and how it was now. This certainly hastened Leonov's investigation.
While he was doing his best, I was watching from a distance with a pair of binoculars. He's really determined to solve the murder of that old man. I would love to help him but the murderer of the old man was a person I didn't know.
The waitress carried my fries. I smiled and ate the fries while minding Leonov's movements. He took a turn and I went past the street he was walking to observe on the other side. Leonov was one of those oddities with unnatural strength. His senses are far better than any humans so I had to make sure that I was far from where he was standing. His skills are average but his powers of deduction and perception were off the charts. His ability to fight was beyond anyone in this city. He was by no means strong to the point of being able to murder anyone. He's just used to conflict and he had a history of handling situations like these.
As for why he was not detecting my stalking. I was a going gray man on him. In other words, I was blending in plain sight while he was going around. No one would expect a student wearing a typical hoodie to be stalking someone. I was also making use of the halo effect to make me look harmless enough. Leonov could detect a person through the use of his senses. To avoid that I had to make sure I was acting naturally. I carried my everyday carry bag and followed the herd of people. Leonov was three cars away from me but I wasn't in a hurry.
Leonov entered a building. Or at least he tried to but he instead scaled the window. I could see that they were the guys who were watching the gates of the Under-Society. But seriously they looked like they mean business, that I always wondered how they could act so suspicious.
It was pretty much signage that there was something going on. To enter the Under-Society you'd need to say the pass-phrase. I know the pass-phrase so they let me inside the building. The scent of oil and the mixture of tobacco and beer were mixed in the air, the people were busy discussing that I didn't have time to bother them.
...
There was a central beam in the middle of this strange town. The cavern was as big as a city and there was light pouring from the ceiling. Underneath this cavern, I spot the mythical creatures that have gone underground. These creatures ruled the night once. They are the beings children fear.
Today, however, they are just folks that did not want to escape this place. This strange town has been made so that they have their own safe havens. This town was connected to many maze-like tunnels connecting the communities. These communities are rooted in every city and town there was outside the world.
There are two factions in the Under-Society. The Pacifist is a group of folks that just want to stay quiet from all of the troubles that they have gone through. There are three world wars, and the last world war was about Humans, Dwarves, and Elves fending the Mythical Folks.
The Olden is like you'd guess, the ones who are adamant in having their revenge. They are usually regulated, and even as I walk around the streets. I could see the olden being watched by a group of their own kin.
The place incredibly filled with nightlife. I could hear the slot machines rolling. The area was one of the many entertainment districts of the town. Unlike the surface, there are no automobiles running here. There are only rails that are mounted with a train that takes passengers to their destinations. Cycling was allowed and there's a bike lane for the folks. The bigger Mythical Folks uses the wide roads to navigate through the streets.
There's a back alley that I needed to go. I had experience in urban climbing so navigating through the handful of pipes and ledges were easy enough. The view of the Under-Society was in front of me. The lights of this eternal town would never go out. But there are exceptions. Within this night I saw someone who ran the walls with ease. I was confident in my urban climbing skills, but I was an amateur compared to her ways. I took cover from this seemingly agile girl who had her ways throughout the dark. Her eyes watched Leonov who was looking for the man who murdered that old man.
It was a three-way watching someone. I was watching her. She was watching him. Leonov was watching for the murderer. It was a strange scene mainly because I was looking at a person should not exist. She must have existed but there were no lines that told of this strange girl. I continued observing them until Leonov started to move. As I followed Leonov I saw a heel dropping towards me. In reflex, I blocked with my forearms and instinctively rushed forward instead backward. The smell of a flower entered my nostrils. I tried pulling my shock baton but a kick prevented it from being pulled out of my pocket.
The moon shadowed her face. She landed gracefully before dashing forward. I blocked with a Pensador and tried to fight back. She was fast and although she didn't have anything other than her fist. I was struggling. My feet stepped on puddles of water and bottles. She took a wide swing and before I knew it. My head went blank. I was down.
//
I woke up staring at the cavern ceiling. I felt my entire body badly beaten and bruised from the results of being taken down by that woman who attacked me. I thought I'd be killed but strangely the woman was down as well. She was knocked out. I remembered jabbing something before I got knocked out. This woman was fast asleep and unlike me. She wasn't all beat up nor does she have any injuries.
I'd taken out my pistol. I aimed at her, alternating between head and chest. If she tries anything I'll put her down. Her eyelids slowly moved. My thinking sharpened as I said, "Don't move, or your head will get blown."
She widened her eyes. "Who hired you to follow me?"
"Excuse me?" I said. "I wasn't 'following' you."
"Bullshit," she scoffed. "I saw you looking at my direction. You were trying to blend in."
"Are you dumb?" I told her. "I'd be looking at you because why would I not? You were standing on a roof. Do you think no one would notice?"
Her eyes told me that she didn't believe a single thing that I said. Under-Society folks have this distrust towards anyone that looks shady. I was being shady. I admit it. But that doesn't mean that I deserved a pummeling like that. She looks coldblooded. She smells of blood that it scares me what would happen if I left her alive.
"I told you. I am not following you nor do I have an interest in what you are or what you wanted. Just please get out of my way."
"If not?" she said. I pulled the trigger. I shot her right in the arm. Won't kill her but it'll leave a sting for a month and a scar. She groaned painfully. Her eyes watered up. For the first time, she was looking at me with caution. I didn't mean it but it seems she had been hiding a hidden gun under her sleeves. It was a spring-operated gun that could have blasted my head. She wasn't going to use it now.
I had no interest in the works of Under-Society. I couldn't even care if they fight their hearts out. I realized that my meddling had caused me to dwell in this society of mythical beings. I know that Leonov has taken steps in starting his story. I had aimed using that iron sights and it was then that I realized that there was no need to bother with his story. Funny thing was that I wanted to see the stars. I failed in my last life. I wouldn't fail this time.
So now...how should a bullet act?