"No way! Werewolves are real?" Lucy asks Adam incredulously. "You're telling me you're a werewolf, like an actual wolfman? This is so much cooler than just wizards and stuff."
Lucy was in her Pijamas and her hair was very messy. She didn't have any makeup on yet but still was a pretty woman.
"Werewolves, seriously?" Jessy said in an excited tone. "I always knew there was more to the world than what we see. This is like something out of a fantasy novel."
Jessy too was in his Pijamas. He didn't have his goth makeup but he was still pale and with his hair and eyes, he still had a goth feel to him and was a good looking guy.
"We prefer the term Garou over werewolf." Adam said.
Adam had put on a t-shirt and a pants. He wasn't bad looking guy but compared to the rest of the family he wasn't that good looking.
"Is mum a Werewolf too?" Lucy asked.
"No, I am a sorcerer." Faith answered.
"Holy shit," Jessy said with a laugh. "I always knew the rest of the family must be supernatural. I'm psychic, after all, and I saw Lucy do some psychic things too, but werewolves are not what I expected."
"Do you mean magic?" Lucy asked.
"No, he means psychic." Faith interjected. "Jessy has psychic powers. You, Lucy, are the one using hedge magic. I might have planted some of my hedge sorcery books in your room because I knew you had the talent for it."
"Wait, so each of us is supernatural?" Lucy asked. "If we're all supernatural, then why keep us in the dark about each other?"
"It was for your own protection," Faith explained. "Our minds offer a small amount of protection against supernaturals. If we learn about, let's say, werewolves, we are bound to encounter more werewolf-related things in our lives later."
"So, now Adam can see more sorcerers?" Jessy asked.
"No, I actually know magic." Adam said. "I was born under the crescent moon, which makes me a Theurge of my kind. We're like shamans, sorcerers, and prophets, depending on our training."
"Okay, but when did you turn into a werewolf?" Jessy asked.
"That isn't how it works." Faith said. "Werewolves are born that way. They usually are Homid, meaning one human parent and one werewolf parent. They have their first shift after puberty. There are also Lupus-born werewolves, which result from a werewolf and a wolf. They have their first shift when they are a year old. Not all their children from Homid and Lupus breeding are werewolves; many are kinfolk. They have werewolf blood and some magical power but are not werewolves."
"So what are you, Adam? Homid?" Lucy asked.
"I am a Metis." Adam said. "My parents were both Garou. Most werewolves think a Metis is an abomination, so I had my issues."
"Why would they think that?" Jessy asked. "You'd think the children of two werewolves would be something cooler."
"Not always." Faith said. "The reason Adam is albino is because he is a Metis, and this was the best he could get out of being a Metis. Metis usually have other deformities that can be useful at times and horrible at others. Adam won the lottery with his albinism. I know Metis with no eyes, Metis with no fur, Metis born with a third eye."
"We are also born in our war form." Adam added. "Our war form is the giant wolf-man with big claws, big teeth, and standing on two legs, the classic Hollywood wolf thing. I didn't shift until I was five."
"Oh yeah, I remember you being adopted when you were five." Lucy said.
"He was adopted at the same time as you." Faith said. "I just had to keep him in a secure place for a couple of days so he wouldn't tear someone apart. Also, this isn't Adam's birth form. In reality, his original form is his war form."
"By the way, I think I am a pure blood." Adam said proudly. "I never met my real parents, but I look like an albino version of Anubis, meaning I am from a long line of Silent Striders."
"Pureblood or inbred?" Jessy asked.
"Fuck you." Adam said. "There are thousands of Silent Striders around the world. They are nomads, so I am probably not inbred, just connected to Garou of the same bloodline."
"Yeah, that sounds like inbreeding." Lucy said.
"Fuck you guys." Adam said.
"Okay hold on." Jessy suddenly said. "If werewolves are real, are vampires real too?"
"Yes, they are real." Faith said with a sigh.
"OH my god!" Jessy said with a voice filled with pure joy.
"You just learned monsters are real and you are happy about it?" Adam said.
"Yes, this is my dream." Jessy said. "I guess all secrets are out so I will say this, I'm pretty sure mum knows it, I have psychic powers and I am trying to study magic. I always knew supernatural shit existed but I didn't know which one was real."
"Same here." Lucy said. "I also know magic. I used to find spell books in my room so I assumed it was mum putting them there. I always just monsters existed. I'm pretty sure stories like wendigo and things like that are also real too."
"Wendigo is actually a spirit." Adam said. "The Wendigo is a totem spirit of the wendigo tribe. They are amazing hunters."
"Wendigo is a spirit?" Lucy asked. "I guess it must be an evil spirit or something like that because that is what they are connected to."
"Not exactly," Faith said. "For humans, connecting to wendigo is seen as evil, but for Garou, it's complicated. Eating another Garou, human, or wolf is a sin for them because it is dangerous, but the Wendigo tribe has learned to do it ritually and in a safe way."
"There is a safe way to practice cannibalism?" Lucy asked, her face contorting with disgust.
"It is weird," Faith admitted. "You see, the Native Americans have their own werewolves. The Europeans, like the Shadow Lords and the Silver Fangs, fought against those tribes. To survive, the Native American werewolves turned to darker spirits. Wendigo is one of them, and, oddly enough, might be the better choice."
"Wendigo is the better choice?" Lucy asked, incredulous.
"There is Uktena," Adam said, "That spirit teaches dark sorcery, so..." He trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.
Faith nodded. "Uktena deals with more sinister forms of magic, things that are even more dangerous and corrupting than the practices of the Wendigo. The thing is, Uktena is not evil either, magic is part of its nature and that includes dark magic."
"That's true." Adam said.
"Can we meet a vampire?" Jessy asked suddenly, trying to change the subject.
"NO!" Both Faith and Adam said at the same time.
"Why not?" Jessy asked.
"Because it is dangerous and you aren't ready for it yet." Faith said.
"Vampires are also assholes." Adam said.
"So, which one is stronger? Werewolf or vampire?" Jessy asked.
"Us Garou are stronger." Adam answered.
"Really? Are you saying that or are you just but hurt about being weaker?" Lucy teased.
"What? No, us Garou are stronger." Adam said, he looked a little insulted. "We were created by mother nature to be warriors of the earth. One of us can kill ten vampires under a hundred years of age at minimum."
"What about when it isn't full moon?" Jessy asked.
"It doesn't works like that." Adam said. "Moon is a source of power for us, it fills us with rage. We use rage to make ourself stronger or shifting instantly. Looking at moon is a better source of rage than getting hurt or starting a fight or other things like that. Still without it I managed to kill a group of old vampires, I came back from killing them actually."
"So, I don't have to get some chains ready for you under the full moon?" Lucy asked with a smile.
"No." Adam answered. "We do have to be careful under the crescent moon. I was born under a crescent moon and I might be frenzy then but that never happened to me before."
"So, we chain you in the basement under the crescent moon?" Lucy asked.
"No, I have a good control over my form." Adam said.
"Okay, things got a little dark." Jessy said. "Lets go back to more fun things like are vampires as hot as the ones we see on shows?"
"Most of them are." Adam said. "They have clans, all of them are different. The Nosferatu and a couple of others are ugly but ones like Toreador, Ventrue or even Bruja and some others are actually have a lot of beautiful people but they have different style."
"Now I want to meet them even more." Jessy said.
"No." Faith said again.
"These days with the hunters and the sabbat, you meeting them would be a lot more dangerous." Adam said.
"What is happening?" Lucy asked.
"Can we talk about it later?" Adam said. "I don't feel that sleepy but you guys must be very tired, you should go back to sleep."
"Adam, it's almost seven in the mourning." Faith said.
"Ah, shit." Adam cursed.
"I'm guessing what happened to you wasn't just a bad dream." Faith said.
"No, I tried to see what the servants of wyrm were doing in the city." Adam said. "I managed to see visions of a hive. They summon spirits of addiction and started extracting essence and turning it to drugs."
"That makes sense." Faith said. "Drugs have always been the wyrm's biggest cash cow. The drug on its own wouldn't be that corruptive but it will be very addictive. The addiction and using more will create stronger spirits of addiction in the umbra and that creates stronger drugs."
"That is bad for business, right?" Adam asked.
"Yes, we need to deal with that." Faith said.
"I'm sorry, what are you two talking about?" Jessy asked.
"Wyrm and black spiral dancers." Adam said. "Wyrm used to be a celestial spirit of death. It went mad and now wants to destroy the world and rebuild it in its own image. Black spiral dancers are a tribe of corrupt Garou that serve it."
"Wait, so you're saying an entire tribe of werewolves is evil? Isn't that racist?" Lucy asked.
"No, this is a little more complicated than that." Adam said. "The Black Spiral Dancers are corrupted Garou who have to walk a path called the Black Spiral Labyrinth, a twisted and corrupting place that breaks them. That is how they become a spiral dancer and they are eighter very crazy or smart scumbags. Oh and fuck the silver fang tribe, that part was pure racism, or tribism."
"So, what should we do about them?" Jessy asked.
"We aren't doing anything." Adam said. "You two can't fight a Garou, we can destroy you in moments. Hell, I'm not sure if you can even stand after seeing a Garou in Crinos form, I mean the war form. In that form we cause delirium, that will put you in a fear state and after that you will forget anything ever happened. The only person that I know is still mostly human and can resist delirium completely is mum."
"Mostly?" Faith glared at Adam.
"Humans aren't as strong as you." Adam said.
"Okay, that's fair." Faith said.
"So, what, we should just run when something happens?" Lucy said with a hint of anger in her voice.
"Yes that is what I am saying." Adam said. "All I am saying is that you aren't ready to do anything about them. Maybe one day you get strong enough to fight them but that isn't that day yet."
"Adam is right." Faith said. "Even me and Adam have to be careful when dealing with the spiral dancers, your situation is even worst. Adam can become a killing machine like them and he still lost an arm one to them."
"You lost an arm?!" Jessy said.
"I reattached it." Adam said waving his arm which caused Jessy to give him a weird look.
"How do we get stronger?" Lucy asked.
"I can teach you, but it won't be easy." Faith said. "Right now we are going to eat breakfast then I want you Adam to find more about this drug. Oh, and kill that vampire, Lorenzo."
"Sure mum." Adam said.
The family went back to their rooms, changed clothes and came back to the kitchen. They had breakfast while Faith and Adam explained some more for about the real world they live in.
After breakfast, Adam went back to his room, put on his street clothing, wore leather gloves, grabbed his things and left the house. This time as he left, he made sure to take his sunglasses. As he navigated the streets, Adam couldn't help but think about the vision he had the previous night. The images of corruption, the three-headed dragon, and the twisted hive lingered in his mind. It was a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against the forces of the Wyrm.
Adam pondered the intricacies of his plan as he walked through the streets. His first objective was to identify the locations of the Black Spiral Dancer drug trade operations. Adam knew that he wasn't going to fight these spiral dancers on his own which brought him to the second part, he had to somehow find the other Garou packs and inform them of this.
Adam still didn't know much about the Garou pack in the city. He already knew the location the spiral dancers held their drugs so it was time to move to other places. He decided to move toward the Santa Monica area. He was on foot so it was going to take more than a couple of hours.
As Adam moves towards Santa Monica, he notices the city waking up. The streets become busier with people heading to work, and the city begins to hum with life. The sun is shining, casting a warm glow on the urban landscape. Adam as always the anti-social started to move a little slower and focused his mind on the gift blur of milky eye to make people avoid looking at him.
For the first time in this city, Adam started to look more carefully at the city and didn't just look for problems. As he approaches Santa Monica, the atmosphere changes. The mix of trendy shops, cafes, and beachfront attractions creates a unique ambiance. Adam takes note of the surroundings, keeping an eye out for any signs of spiral dancer activity.
As Adam observes the drug dealers on his way to Santa Monica. With his wyrm sense, Adam realized that most seem to be involved in typical, non-corrupt drug dealing, handling substances that aren't connected to the Wyrm or Black Spiral Dancers. It becomes apparent that not every drug dealer in the city is part of the corrupted network he's looking to disrupt.
With his wyrm sense up, Adam suddenly sensed something on a roof. Moving to an alley closest to the roof he felt the corruption from. In the alley, Adam whispered a mystical command as he held his necklace. The pendant responded to the magic woven into its fibers, triggering a subtle transformation. Adam's face was covered in an illusion, morphing him into an unfamiliar person, he also used some more energy to give a black color to his hair. This time he tapped into the energy that fuels his hedge magic, this made him a little more tired but he was still fine. To refuel the hedge magic energy one has to meditate, sleep and eat food.
The lack of a fire escape presented a challenge, but his keen eyes caught sight of a series of interconnected dumpsters and stacked crates that could help with climbing. Adam approached the stacked crates and dumpsters, his athletic abilities honed from years of training and supernatural strength making the climb seem more like an enjoyable exercise than a challenge. The rusty metal of the crates groaned softly under his weight. As he climbed, Adam kept an eye on the surrounding area, ensuring he wasn't attracting any unwanted attention.
On the roof, Adam saw a sniper, aiming for an area in the streets. The sniper wore tactical armor that left his arms open. Adam was able to see the man's arm to have a sickly green color with some small growths on it. The sniper had helmet and a mask so his face wasn't visible but Adam didn't need his face to know this was a Fomori.
Adam held on the edge of the building while keeping an eye. The sniper seemed to have just gotten to position. A few moments after that, cop cars started to move to the area and started to clear the area around a run down building.
Adam decided to move up and take out the Fomori so he could get a better look at the street. Adam got on the roof, drawing a fang dagger, Adam moved to the Fomori on the roof. With a fang dagger unsheathed, Adam advanced stealthily toward the rooftop-dwelling Fomori.
As Adam closed in on the unsuspecting Fomori, the sound of the city was pierced by a sudden, thunderous gunshot. The resounding blast echoed through the city, shattering the veil of silence that had hid Adam's approach. A searing pain erupted in his chest as the bullet found its mark, sending him sprawling to the rooftop.
The projectile tore through Adam's chest, leaving a fleeting, smoky trail in its wake. As Adam crumpled to the ground, the innate resilience of his Garou and Metis nature kicked in. The formidable healing power within his being responded instinctively, knitting the wounds together with supernatural speed.
Adam's body crumpled to the rooftop and stayed on the ground. He played dead while his keen senses remained attuned to the surroundings, scanning for any signs of additional snipers lurking in the shadows. The Fomori, seemingly relaxed the seeming vulnerability of his prey, advanced toward him. The echoes of his footfalls slowly approached Adam.
The creature stood over Adam's body and grouched down. The Fomori's stink really was bothering Adam as the Fomori started to check to see if Adam was alive. Adam, seizing the opportunity, moved with fluid swiftness as the Fomori sniper crouched beside him. In a heartbeat, the Garou plunged the fang dagger into the creature's corrupted skull. Adam, leveraging the dagger stuck in the Fomori's skull to get back his feet.
Adam stayed in his Homid form and started to jump on rooftops. Each leap required precision, a seamless combination of raw power and calculated finesse. Adam's keen senses, honed by his Garou heritage, allowed him to anticipate the gaps and distances, enabling him to traverse city.
As Adam continued to leap across the rooftops, his focus remained on identifying and neutralizing the snipers that threatened him. The high-powered rifle shots echoed through the city, making it clear that these attackers meant business. With Adam constantly on the move, the bullets seem to miss.
As he reached a vantage point overlooking the area, Adam spotted the glint of a scope from another rooftop. Without hesitation, he moved swiftly toward the location. As Adam identified the sniper's location, he willed his rage to coursed through his veins, triggering a rapid transformation.
In a few moments, Adam's Homid form contorted and expanded, muscles bulging as he assumed the powerful Glabro form. His clothes strained against his shifting physique, becoming skin-tight as the fabric adjusted to the newfound bulk. Claws extended from his fingers and toes, tearing through shoes and gloves. The illusion that had concealed his real face shattered, revealing his fearsome visage in the Glabro form. Fortunately, Adam's face changed enough in the shift that it concealed his face for now.
With the newfound strength and agility granted by his Glabro form, Adam's jumps became powerful enough to traverse the width of the street effortlessly. The relentless shots from the high-powered rifles grew fainter as he rapidly closed the distance between himself and one of the snipers.
Adam closed the distance to the second sniper. The Fomori, realizing the impending threat, abandoned the rifle and drew a pistol with practiced speed. However, before the Fomori could bring the weapon to bear, Adam's formidable claws struck with force.
With a powerful swing, Adam's claws tore through the air, severing the hand that gripped the pistol from wrist. The Fomori recoiled in pain, a guttural howl escaping its twisted form. Disarmed and incapacitated, the sniper posed no further immediate threat.
Amidst the ongoing gunfire, Adam grabbed the injured Fomori by the face and charged forward. In his powerful Glabro form, he moved quickly, slamming the Fomori's head into the ground with each step, the impacts echoing through the chaos.
The injured Fomori, now armed with a combat knife, attempted to retaliate, stabbing at Adam's hands in a desperate bid for survival. However, Adam's enhanced physique in his new form rendered the attempts ineffective, the blade barely breaking the surface of his toughened skin and the little damage was immediately healed. Unfazed, Adam emitted an eerie, almost feral laugh, an unexpected manifestation of his primal instincts surfacing.
As Adam moved, he kept slamming the Fomori's head to the ground. With each slam, Adam heard sickening sounds of bone being crushed. After some slams, the Fomori's head was crushed completely but Adam kept the body.
Approaching the next sniper, the adversary aimed the entire sniper rifle toward Adam. A resounding shot echoed through the air as the bullet struck Adam in the stomach, causing a sizable wound. Despite the injury, Adam pressed on, hurling the lifeless Fomori's body toward the next target.
The collision between the dead Fomori and the sniper sent the latter sprawling to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, Adam leaped onto the fallen Fomori, tearing his head from his shoulders with his bare hands.
The relentless assault took its toll on Adam as another shot found its mark, this time hitting him in the throat. The impact was more severe, momentarily halting his advance. Despite the grievous injury, Adam recovered got to his feet and continued to move, his hands raised defensively around his head. The absence of silver in the bullets made these bullets simply less deadly, allowing him to tap into his primal rage, channeling it to speed up the healing process.
In a matter of moments, the wound on his neck closed, but the delay proved costly. The last remaining sniper seized the opportunity, firing another shot into Adam's chest. The force of the impact staggered him, but fueled by a surge of determination, Adam pressed on through the pain, determined to confront the final threat in this deadly game of cat and mouse.
As Adam waged his intense battle against the Fomori snipers, the streets below descended into chaos. Unbeknownst to him, a group of individuals had sought refuge in a dilapidated building nearby. Taking advantage of the distraction caused by Adam's confrontation with the snipers and the ensuing police response, these mysterious figures unleashed their psychic powers.
The psychic onslaught was devastating, tearing through the ranks of the police officers and creating an opening for the group to escape. The chaos in the streets reached new heights as the psychic assailants made their way through the mayhem, leaving behind a trail of confusion and destruction in their wake.
Adam, focused on the last remaining sniper, approached the building with silent determination. Unbeknownst to him, a figure emerged from the shadows, slipping quietly behind the sniper. This newcomer, a young man in his mid-twenties, wore a torn black t-shirt and damaged jeans, giving an air of resilience and defiance.
In one swift motion, the guy jammed a makeshift knife into the Fomori sniper's skull, taking him out before Adam could make his move. What struck Adam immediately was the absence of the usual wyrm corruption that accompanied the Fomori. This stranger seemed different, untainted by the twisted forces that corrupted the others.
The mysterious figure who had intervened exuded resilience and strength. A tall, muscular man in his mid-twenties, he moved with the disciplined grace of someone with a military background. He had black skin, and there were scratches and wounds on his body where his clothes were torn. His short hair and well-groomed beard showed his commitment to self-discipline despite the hardships he had faced.
When the man sees Adam, he reacts with a momentary flicker of fear in his eyes upon witnessing Adam's more monstrous form. In a panicked response, he unleashed a wave of telekinetic force, a power that would have sent most people sprawling backward. However, the forceful energy met an unexpected resistance as it reached Adam. To the man's surprise, Adam stood in his place, unaffected by the telekinetic assault.
"Calm down buddy, I'm not going hurt you." Adam said as he held his claw filled hands up.
"Yeah, sorry." The man stammered, his initial panic giving way to a more collected demeanor. "I saw the weird look and panicked. I knew the person helping us probably wasn't normal but I got spooked a little with the way you look."
"Don't worry about it." Adam said.
"I'm Jordan." The man introduced himself. "Why did you came to our help? Don't take me wrong, I am thankful but…" the man trailed off.
"I didn't know about you guys." Adam said. "I just sensed some Fomori with weapons and started swinging."
"Fomor? You mean these ugly fuckers?" Jordan asked. "Me and my people call these guys drones but it is cool to know their names."
"Yeah, drones has a completely different meaning." Adam said.
"What?" Jordan asked.
"Nothing, I'm just rambling." Adam said. "So, do you want to get the fuck out of here before more of them show up?"
"Hey, I didn't get your name." Jordan said.
Before Adam could utter a word of introduction, the two heard the distinct sounds of approaching trucks. The sounds felt like powerful engines that attracted both Adam and Jordan's attention toward the unexpected arrivals.
Adam and Jordan watched in silence as the armored vans rolled to a stop, and a group of heavily armed mercenaries emerged. The mercenaries were equipped with advanced weaponry, some of which caught Adam's experienced eye. Among them, he identified the unmistakable Balefire Flamethrower, a weapon of devastating power.
A chill ran down Adam's spine as he considered the possibility that these mercenaries were part of Pentex's notorious First Team, the elite squads known for their formidable combat abilities and cutting-edge weaponry. The atmosphere grew tense as Adam and Jordan observed the mercenaries, gauging the severity of the threat they posed. Pentex itself is one of wyrms biggest servants.
"Oh fuck, those guys are probably the first team." Adam said.
"Bad news?" Jordan asked.
"Very." Adam responded and looked around. "They're Pentex's elite. Highly trained, heavily armed and ruthless. We're not equipped to deal with them head-on. We need to find a way to shake them off or go somewhere they won't follow."
Jordan was confused but didn't argue, he simply nodded. Together, Adam and Jordan began their escape, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, vanishing into the night as the chaos below continued to unfold.