Chapter 13

Henry decided after the situation atop the Incline that it was probably for the best for him to call it a day. He’d gotten more than just the physical release he’d been looking for, racing up to the top of the mountain, and now, as the adrenaline was wearing off, realized he was actually getting tired. In fact, the whole descent, he’d had to focus extremely hard on his footing, given how much his legs were shaking underneath him. And yet all the while, even as his body struggled, his mind raced. With each moment, the realization of what he was now, was becoming clearer.

The whole drive home, it hit home even more, as each time he neared an actual small rift opening, his phone would go off. The app, it seemed, was extremely effective at alerting D.E.D. Exorcists to the opening of any rifts within their vicinity. From what he’d been told, the cell coverage of an area actually served as a massive net, with which the app could pinpoint any disturbances or frequency changes that signaled the opening of a rift.

Luckily, as he reached more populated areas of Colorado Springs, after leaving the Incline and Manitou, he could see that when these rift alerts did go off, there were actual Exorcists near enough to them, to deal with them. Those Exorcists, he knew, were members of the strike teams assigned to the Colorado Springs area. According to the Branch Director, he would be assigned to a strike team as well once he finished his training. The strike teams were essentially given areas of Colorado Springs to frequent and patrol, to ensure there were always active Exorcists nearby for the rifts.

The only difference of course, would be when a Tiered Demon appeared. For those, the strike teams on duty would be sent to handle the Earth version of the invasion, blending in with the hundreds, if not thousands, of regular players. The strike teams that were off duty for that day, as well as special Exorcists such as Loki, would be assigned, anonymously of course, to head off the demon in the rift itself.

These thoughts continued to race through his mind as he finally pulled into his driveway, and shakily got out of his car. The incline had been rough on him, after all, and driving the nearly 40 minutes from Manitou to his house, meant the acids had built up in his legs. He’d forgotten to stretch properly afterwards, and knew his body was going to make him pay for that in the morning. But that was a problem for the later version of him. The current Henry, had a different problem to attend to. Mainly…the floating eyeball still following him.

He made his way into his home. It was technically his parent’s, one of their rental properties, but he currently was the sole inhabitant. Using some of the money he got from the government, he was paying them monthly rent, because being in college and living with his parents didn’t sit right with him. Sure, it was more expensive than an apartment, but…he liked his peace and quiet. He was also, extremely thankful right now, that he didn’t have any roommates. Given the…current situation.

Once Henry got inside, he grabbed a beer for himself, and headed up to his loft. He turned on the tv, resuming his binge of Supernatural, took a long drink, and then sighed. He couldn’t put it off anymore. It was time to fully accept everything that was happening, and to take account of everything he could. After all, the more he learned tonight, the better he felt it would help him with his initiation and training for the Exorcists tomorrow.

Henry pulled out his phone, opened his app, and flipped to his D.E.D. page. There, it showed now not only his level 1 Evil Eye, but also, the newly acquired Bladed Drakeling. Selecting the second option, he saw a digital rendering of the Bladed Drakeling appear, as well as its stats.

Bladed Drakeling

Earth Type

Level 2

35/35

20/20

Skills:

Tail Slash

Rock Armor

“Well that’s interesting.” He was looking specifically at the Bladed Drakeling’s name. Whereas his Evil Eye’s name was a simple white, the Bladed Drakeling’s name was green. Normally in games, that meant a difference in rarity. Was that the case with D.E.D as well?

The different color represents a basic difference in strengths. His Evil Eye started, having likely keyed in on what it was he was commenting on.

“So, rarities?” Henry looked at the floating eyeball. It still perturbed him. “White is common, green is uncommon, and so on?”

That is the current way humans categorize us, yes. In the past, it was a strength factor. For example, a common monster by the current system was categorized as a low ranked demon in the old form. Uncommon, such as the Bladed Drake, would be a medium ranked demon, and so on.

“Which means, inherently, the Bladed Drake is stronger than you?” Henry paused as he spoke. It sounded a lot more calloused than he’d intended it to, especially given the intelligence of the Evil Eye, and the fact that it had been nothing but respectful and helpful to him.

Correct Awakened One. The Evil Eye said simply. My kind are not viewed as strong. We can grow to offer unique support skills and abilities, but I am aware of my own shortcomings, and the inherent weakness of my type. That being said… the Evil Eye trailed off for a moment. There are stories that my kind can be fused with others to create demons of greater power.

Fusion was an aspect of the system that he hadn’t quite grasped yet. Sure, leveling up monsters and having them gain new skills was nothing new to him, but the fusion ability, seemed a little more…complicated. In a video game, he’d probably never question it. However, the D.E.D. seemed to have unique personalities, and plenty of intelligence to go around. If they were fused together, what would happen? Would their personalities merge? Would they lose their individual selves, and create a new, singular identity? This was something that Henry couldn’t help but wonder, and was another aspect of this whole situation that made it more difficult. How could you justify combining two sentient creatures into one, if it causes the loss of the individuals? Was it a selfish thing to do? Morals could be a problem at times.

“Can you tell me more about all of that then?” Henry asked quietly. “You’ve heard what I’ve been told. But can you elaborate, and help me understand what all is going on?”

The Evil Eye gave him a look that seemed as if the creature was stunned at his question, before it tipped its floating eyeball self slightly towards him, almost like a bow.

Very well, Awakened One. What would you like to know?