Club of the New World Pt. 2

"I'm in." I said without hesitation. Luckily, his question matched up with my internal monologue, so I wasn't caught off guard. "What's next, is there like some sacred rite I have to perform, maybe a blood pact or something?" The Gatekeeper cringed. "Eww, that's disgusting. No, no blood pacts or chanting, or anything like that. Your verbal agreement is good enough."

I shrugged. It was worth asking. "So I heard this meeting was supposed to be in ice cream social." I was actually pretty hungry, and looking forward for a scoop of cold cream. The Gatekeeper sighed and slapped his forehead with his palm. "Who told you this was an ice cream social?"

I frowned and jerked my thumb at my most recent "victim." "Monica told me this was an ice cream social." "And you actually believed that?" "Look Mr. Gatekeeper, or whatever I'm supposed to call you, I was coming to this meeting no matter what. I was just hoping against hope that there would actually be ice cream, because I've been craving it bad."

"Hey Bryce," Riley called out. "You and Monica and I can get some ice cream right after this and talk things out. I think you'll really like all of the people here, but it's probably a lot for you to take in all at once. I think having a rundown from friends would be a good idea."

The Gatekeeper nodded his agreement. "Yes Bryce, I think you should get some advice from your friends before you sit in on an actual meeting. Also, you can call me Walter. I'm New Carthage's Ninth Gatekeeper, and I organize most of the events for our little group here. Since everything in the Club is Ad Hoc, we don't have an official title." I nodded. "Sure Walter, that's probably a good idea. My friends and I have a lot to talk about."

"Are you in Monica?" I asked. She shrugged. "Yeah, let's clear the air. Now that you're a member, I can't carry out my designs on you. And I want an explanation from you too." I did my best to put on a confident smile, and probably failed miserably. "Ok, well I really want ice cream, so I guess I'll be on my way." I waved awkwardly to the other people in the room, who had just been watching the spectacle without comment, and left quickly.

The three of us left the antique shop and found ourselves back on the street, as the evening began to fade into the beginning of the night. We googled an ice cream shop nearby, and walked most of the quarter mile in relative silence. After a minute or two though, Riley could take it no longer, and began to speak.

"I still can't believe you're here Bryce. Something about you seemed..... interesting, maybe even special, but I didn't think it would be anything like this." I shrugged. "Life is stranger than fiction, friend. You seemed pretty concerned about me being there. Is there something that I'm missing? Is this unsafe for me?"

"No, not in the slightest. Now that you're a member, most supernatural entities will avoid you. Some people have a sense that lets them detect the energy given off by special individuals or objects. And much of the time, those people and entities are only out to siphon or destroy your power. You came closer to having that happen to you than you might be aware of."

Monica grunted indignantly. "I'm just doing what I have to do to survive Riley. I thought he was just an exceptional Standard, not Club material." Riley scowled at her. "And what, if he wasn't club material, murdering him would have been A-OK?" She laughed. "He tried to kill me to, you know." "Bryce tried to kill you? I find that hard to believe."

A tight lump formed in my throat. Riley really thought me naive and innocent. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and it was time I came clean and broke that to him. "Riley, she's not lying to you. I really did try and kill her." Riley looked me in the eyes, and after a moment, recoiled, cursing. "Damn! You aren't lying, are you. But why?"

I exhaled softly. "It's a long story, but I'm pretty sure I'm the good guy. I'll explain it when we settle down." We found the ice cream parlor the internet had routed us to, and I ordered a healthy double scoop of mint chocolate chip. Monica found an isolated corner in the back of the parlor, and we all shuffled into the booth, with my two friends sitting across from me.

I slid the Book onto the table. It felt rough and tight in my hand, angry that I was showing it to other people. I explained what the Book was, and what it was making me do. I discussed how I had vetted my past victims, and that I was fairly sure that the Book was only making me kill wretched, evil people.

I tried to remember how I had gotten it, but my memories were jumbled and seemingly blocked off to me. I told them everything I recalled. It was late at night, I was in a cave. There was water, an unimaginable amount of water, I heard voices, and then the Book was mine. When I awoke at the mouth of said cave, I found the Book clutched in my hand, and I remembered the agreement I had made.

Before Riley could respond, I held up my hand. "Before we get into me, or what I tried to do to Monica, I want to hear what you guys have. I've shown you my cards, it's only fair that you do the same." Riley sighed and glanced towards Monica, who nodded her approval.

"Alright. Most of the people in the Club are there on account of an object or relic that they hold. Very few people have any kind of power or supernatural trait naturally; it's almost always because of something they possess."

"I won't get into my backstory, but I have a pair of glasses that give me incredible intuitive powers. When I wear them or have them on my person, the right words always come to me, I always know what to do, and my gut feeling is always right. There's a limit to this, and sometimes it's hard to tell if a thought is coming from the relic, or from me, but it's still insanely useful."

"Monica, you can do your own explanation." "Fine." "For lack of a better term, I'm a vampire. My body constantly leaks energy, and I seek out energetic individuals to feed on. That's why I drugged you. You had an incredible amount of energy coming off of you, and I figured that it would be easier to harvest it all if you were unconscious and dying."

"Seriously?" I exclaimed. "That's all kinds of messed up. Not surprised to have seen your name then." She shrugged. "Yeah, I get the whole 'you're a monster thing a lot'. But I do what I have to do to survive, like anything else on Earth. If that bothers you, take it up with whatever it was that made me like this."

I turned to Riley again. "Can you explain how all this supernatural stuff works? I feel like I'm going to be immersed in it but I have no understanding of any of the underlying principles. Since you have those glasses, I figure you'll be able to find the best combination of words to explain it."

Riley smiled. "Still an engineer at heart, huh? Some things can't be explained very well, at least in the way you want them to be. If you're looking for a set of rules or laws that describe magic, I can't help you. Almost all extraordinary things seem to be born of extraordinary circumstances. Relics are almost always extremely old, and most of them have had countless owners in the past. Most people with natural abilities got them through some extreme trauma or strange life event."

"Past that, there is no rhyme or reason to any of this. I've only been in this world for two or three years though, and I'm sure you can find people who know more than I do. But to be honest, they don't really like talking about it. Even in the Club, secrecy reigns, which is why you aren't allowed to ask people about their super natural connections."

"I know that was a bit of a ramble, and not a great answer, but it's the best I've got. The glasses help me pick words, but they can't compensate for the lack of information I have myself. And if we're being honest, you and your Book are the most interesting thing at this table right now. Most relics are unchanging, stoic and bound in time."

"That book of yours seems to have a... progression, kind of. Like there's a linear set of tasks it wants you to complete. Do you know what happens when you reach the end? At the rate you're going, can you even reach the end?"