"Brat, you got to be fucking kidding me, right? You are acting mighty relaxed for someone who just ran into a person like me." The man replied, but his lips curled up. "I like that. Let's chat. Someone who isn't worried about being killed has some guts, so I want to know what you have to say."
"I am glad you think highly of me but are you not worried that I will kill you?" Blake asked. He wondered why this man was so willing to talk with him alone.
"Let's just say I have an eye for people. Even though you have two guns on you, they are both clipped into their holsters. If you really wished to kill me, you could have easily as soon as I appeared. I mean, it was not like I was being quiet or anything." The man replied.
"Haha! You are right! As expected of someone from the Patriots faction. My name is Blake Harris. I have quite a bit to talk to you about." Blake replied as he climbed up the concrete slab. He stood in front of the man and reached out his hand. "The things I am about to tell you might just blow your mind."
"Oh? Sounds interesting, kid. Names Bret Jackson, nice to meet you." Bret shook Blake's hand with a smile.
"Let's go a bit deeper into the building. I need to gather a few things while I am here, and it will be best to keep eyes off me while we talk." Blake whispered. To this, Bret raised an eyebrow but still nodded.
The two climbed down the other side of the concrete slab and made their way to a set of stairs that led down to the lower floors. There were a few people on the stairwell, but most were just hiding out. They looked at Blake and Bret with fear filled eyes hugging their loved ones close. Some even held their breaths as the two men walked by.
When they reached the first basement area, the door was still sealed shut. It needed a keycard to allow anyone to enter. Blake walked over to the door and reached for the handle, only for Bret to call out to him. "Blake, that thing is locked. I checked already. All the doors are bolted with electronic locks and won't open."
"You just need to turn a bit harder, is all," Blake said with a smile as he turned the knob, causing the door handle to turn with ease. The sound of something breaking inside the door was heard as the bolt wrenched open. "See…."
"This…" Bret stared at Blake in shock. He had tried that himself, but the thing wouldn't budge. He wondered just how strong this kid was.
"Quickly get in so I can seal it back up. I don't want anyone trying to steal my loot." Blake hurried Bret along.
Bret had many questions floating around in his head, but he kept them to himself. That was until he saw what Blake did next. An orange ball of fire appeared in the young man's hand as he pressed it against the seam of the door, sealing it shut. "This!? How!?"
"This is what I want to talk to you about," Blake replied with a smile. "Come, let's walk and talk. I still have things to do."
"Ri-Right…" Bret felt a bit of fear for this young man in front of him. He had never seen such a thing before, and the young man did not seem to have any devices connected to him to be able to produce a flame, so he had no idea how he did it.
"What you saw is real magic. Like the fantasy shit." Blake answered the question written all over Bret's face. "You may not believe it, but it is true."
"Ca-Can you do more besides create fire?" Bret asked. He was unsure if he could believe the young man in front of him. He was unsure if what he saw was real or not,
"Mmm…." Blake nodded and created a fireball, a spear of ice, wind, and earth, letting them all hover in front of him a little ways from his body.
"This… What the hell is this!?" Bret was freaking out. This was really magical kind of stuff that he had never seen before.
Blake laughed as he waved his hand and made the spells disappear. "I said it is magic. The real kind. The Age of Magic will soon rise, and this world will soon change. At first, I only planned to work with one other faction and train them for what was to come because I knew how good they were to the people around them, but then there is your faction. I had forgotten about it because before I died, your faction was wiped out a month before the Age of Magic came to be. Bret, I ask you. Would you be willing to come under my banner? You would still be your own faction, but you would need to follow only a few laws that I set up."
"This…" Bret's eyes went wide. He was having a hard time understanding all of this. He scratched his head and asked: "Just out of curiosity, what rules?"
"There are only a few. Once you join me, you can not leave. I will kill any traitors. Second, there is no infighting allowed within the main faction. Third, no one is to discriminate or try to harm others within the faction. Fourth, fighting with the races that are soon to appear is not allowed unless okayed by me. Fifth, all people who wish to seek protection must be screened. Anyone coming in needs to have a pass to leave. Those caught trying to sneak out will be detained and questioned.
"I am sure more rules will be needed, but these are the main ones for now. My goal is to build a new existence for humans. One that will rely on the other races that will soon appear. We will need all the help we can get to fight back against the dragons, but we can not do that until we are ready. We will bide time, use the combined knowledge of all the races who are willing to side with us to create new weapons befitting a new era." Blake answered.
"This…. You make no sense…." Bret was even more confused now. He had no idea what Blake was talking about and was having a hard time understanding any of this.
"Just think about it for now. We can talk to the rest of your faction after I am done here and meet up with my companions." Blake replied with a smile.
