A Mutant Collector Quest

Seeing dozens of armoured people enter the hallway, I don't hesitate and with a flick of my wrist, my disguise returns in an instant.

"Take cover!" Sable shouts, darting to the side, her movements swift and calculated.

"I got this," I announce, raising both my hands to conjure an invisible Forcefield Barrier that stretches wide, shielding us all.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Bullets ricochet harmlessly off the invisible barrier, a dull percussion of metal against my shield filling the air.

"What's with the disguise, Luke?" Sable asks, her tone tinged with confusion as she glances back at me.

"I am Apex," I declare in a deeper, brooding voice, attempting an edgy flair. I hold the pose for a moment, embodying my self-proclaimed alias.

Elsa, smirks. "Ignore him. He just likes to roleplay," she says with a chuckle, her teasing tone cutting through the tension. She catches my brooding glare but brushes it off effortlessly. Unfazed by the constant barrage of bullets firing towards them, she turns to Sable, "So, you are a mercenary?"

"Yes," Sable replies, stepping closer as the bullets continue to bounce off my barrier. "Introductions, then. I am Silvija Sablinova, head of Sable International. We were formerly known as the Wild Pack." She extends a hand towards Elsa, keeping her other hand steady on her weapon.

"That sounds cool, mate." Elsa grins, gripping Sable's hand firmly. "I am Elsa Bloodstone, a Monster Hunter!" Her tone is light, but her piercing red hair and steely gaze add weight to her words.

I smile wryly, realizing I am the only one here who is afraid of my own identity being known. As one of them is the head of a mercenary group, constantly under threat, and the other is a Bloodstone girl who will dive headfirst into danger without a second thought!

"Monster Hunter?" Sable repeats, her tone curious as her eyes fall on Elsa's guitar case. "Honestly, I thought you were a guitarist," she adds, raising an eyebrow.

Elsa chuckles, lifting the case. "Oh, this? It's my baby. It makes monsters sing. Guess that does make me a guitarist, huh?" Her grin widens mischievously as she steps forward, eyeing the armed men ahead, who are hurriedly reloading their weapons. "Let me show you."

I quickly disable the forcefield in the front as Elsa rushes ahead. She reaches them before they even even realise, takes the handle of her guitar case in her hand and swing it as a makeshift baseball bat.

BAM!

"ARGHHHHH!"

The six men are sent flying through the metal doors as if they weigh nothing.

Sable whistles softly, visibly impressed. "She is super strong," she admits. "Let me handle the rest then," she adds, sliding the sword handle onto her belt and drawing another silver gun from her holster.

She raises her guns towards the group of men on the other side, who have stopped firing, now distracted by the chaos unfolding ahead. I, too, drop the invisible forcefield as Sable begins firing with precision.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Maybe if Daredevil or some other hero were here, they would have stopped her from headshotting these people. "But I am Apex, I do not care about these lowlives", I mutter to myself. Maybe I do love to roleplay, as Elsa said. But in all seriousness, even if these people are not vampires, they are either thralls, mercenaries, or both. They were trying to take our lives just seconds ago… so there is no need to be soft-hearted with them.

"No, I did not forget about you… It is just easier for me to use guns," Sable says with a sigh as she puts the gun away and grabs the sword hilt again.

"Umm, Sable, who are you talking to?" I ask, feeling a bit concerned about her odd self talking behaviour.

"Oh, that? I am talking to this old man—I call him Old Man Silver," Sable says, casually showcasing the silver sword hilt. "I mean, this magical sword. The attack I just did was because of it."

I squint at the hilt, activating my power: Mana Sight. For a brief moment, my eyes glow blue, illuminating the faint silver aura that surrounds the sword hilt. "It is definitely magical," I confirm, intrigued. "Where did you get it?"

"Well, I got this sword because of you, Luke," Sable's gaze softens as she looks at me, a rare moment of gratitude flashing in her eyes.

"Uh, it's Apex," I correct her quickly.

"… Right, Apex," she says, rolling her blue eyes but continues. "You kept your word after your last visit. As your company started multiple huge projects in Symkaria." I nod in agreement, already aware of the impact. "The King was so pleased with my role in facilitating them, that he held an honouring ceremony for me. It was there that he presented me with this Royal Ancient Relic, one that has been passed down in their family for a long time," she says, showing you the hilt.

"So the King didn't have any money and decided to throw this broken sword handle to you?" I say with a chuckle, walking forward as I noticed that Elsa has already impatiently gone ahead through the metal doors.

"Don't say it like that!" She punches my arm with a pout. "Anyways, when I held the sword, it shined with a silver light, and then this 'Old Man' spoke to me in my mind, telling me that I have a spark of magic within me and that I am really suited to wield the Silver Magic of his." She says this with a happy, smug smile.

Maybe her magic spark awakened, after our sexual session!

"So, who is this old man? Is he a soul trapped in the sword? And if so, why was he trapped there in the first place? And that doesn't explain why you are here right now, Sable," I ask, feeling skeptical about the entire sword-talking phenomenon.

"Ughh … The old man says he doesn't remember much about himself since the sword was broken into parts a long time ago. Even the King didn't know anything—just that the sword has been passed down through generations in their family. But Old Man Silver often refers to himself as a Weapon Spirit. He says he might remember more if the other parts of the sword are collected again. Right now, he can only communicate with me when I am in contact with the sword handle," Sable explains, holding the hilt firmly. "Although I am really getting tired of his nagging!" she adds with a helpless sigh.

"So the sword is broken, and you are here for a part of it," I say, connecting the dots.

"Yes. The old man can sense the different parts of himself when they are nearby, and he directed me here. According to him, somewhere in the upper floors of these ruins, there is another part of the sword," she conveys. "He also said that the more parts I collect, the more I can harness the sword's magic, and soon he might even be able to teach me Silver Magic!" Her eyes gleam with excitement.

"You look cute," I comment, unable to resist pointing out the childlike excitement in the usually serious Sable.

"Shut up!" she retorts, punching my arm bashfully.

I have many more questions, doubts, and concerns about the sword, but now is not the time to ask them.

With another pressing doubt in my mind, I take a step back, allowing Sable to proceed forward. "D.A.I.S.Y., why wasn't I informed that Sable was in the ruins?" I ask suspiciously, eyeing the silver bracelet Sable is wearing. Although D.A.I.S.Y. does keep things from me, it's only when a higher authority user instructs her or if she deems it harmless to keep those secrets, often as a prank. Sable's situation, however, is anything but harmless.

"Sable's position coordinates are not updated. An interference is detected in the area around the ruins. The system is trying to connect back to the main server … connection failed," D.A.I.S.Y. responds through my Focus gadget, her voice flat and devoid of any tone.

"Is this because of the Magic?" I ask, a hint of doubt in my voice. I had already noticed, when activating Mana Sight, that the atmosphere around us was thick with Magical energy. "Keep trying," I instruct D.A.I.S.Y., though I am aware that the Focus gadget's core functionality hasn't been compromised, so my battle readiness remains intact. Even the basic version of D.A.I.S.Y. is sophisticated enough to ensure that. Still, I am displeased to realize that I have been effectively disconnected from the outside world.

As we were mulling over a solution and Sable continued her conversation with that old sword, we both emerged from the corridor into a vast open space. But it wasn't empty—there was already a fierce battle underway.

BOOM! BAM!

"Ughh, you bitch!!" A group of four vampires attacks Elsa, who has her guns drawn and with her guitar case flung aside.

BANG! BANG!

Before I can conjure my flames, I watch her dispatch them effortlessly with her silver bullets.

"Ugh, more vampires," Sable mutters with a sigh. I glance at her, puzzled hearing her say the word 'vampire'. Seeing the confusion in my eyes, she explains, "The old man told me about it—something about Silver Magic being highly effective against the Supernatural. This is the first time I have seen vampires, though. And it is still hard to believe they are real. But... this ancient ruin? It feels like it is crawling with them!"

***

Merry Christmas to all my readers!! 🎄🎅🏻 😊