Feros and the Underworld Prince Read online

“Welcome home Cole! How was… your… day?” Kita says with a wide smile that falls as she sees me, and further when she sees Reyna. I look down and see a red stab wound in my clothing, at stomach level.

  “COLE! WHAT HAPPENED!? AND WHO IS THIS!?” Kita shouts.

  “Do you mind if I use your shower? Changing clothes didn’t help the blood that is on my skin.” Reyna asks.

  “Sure, it’s right over here. I’ll tell you the story in a second Kita.” I grab a towel for Reyna and I show her to the shower. I regale my tale of events that have occurred since Kita left this morning while Reyna is in the shower.

  “Cole! What are you thinking!?” Kita asks angrily.

  “Kita… when I was fighting, I had this strange sense of déjà vu. I think this is the key to getting my memories back and it’s apparent that the ‘old me’ knew how to fight. Plus, with the money I make from the fights, we can move into a bigger apartment!” I say while leaving out the part about the voice in my head because hearing voices is never a good sign. I’m not worried about it because it somehow feels right to me, but Kita would most likely freak.

  “Alright Cole… as long as you’re sure that you’re up to this. I don’t want to see you go poof!” Kita says after a moment.

  “I’ll be just fine Kita,” probably. “Now I have two questions for you. First, is foxfire real?” I ask.

  “For red foxes, yes; I’m an arctic fox so no, I can’t use foxfire.” Kita replies as I hear the bathroom door open.

  “Okay, second question: can Reyna stay here for a few nights?” I ask. Kita’s eyes narrow in response and suddenly my genitals get very cold.

  “The question you should have asked is if I can use foxice.” Kita says with a brusque tone as I look down and see that the entire area over the groin of my jeans is frozen.

  “Ouch, okay, stop that!” I say in a mild panic as I drop my pants to the floor and cup my junk to try and dislodge my balls from my throat. “Please Kita? It’ll only be for a few days and if she goes anywhere else, she is likely to be killed before she makes it to Mictlan.”

  “…Fine, but you owe me.” Kita says with a terse tone before retiring to the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. There is a quick rap at the front door; I answer it and find Archer standing there.

  “Hey, I got you set up in a rookie qualifier for tomorrow; the previous competitor quit after seeing the match this morning. Why aren’t you wearing pan—oh, I guess I should have mentioned foxice instead huh?” Archer asks rhetorically.

  “Yeah, you think? So who am I fighting?” I ask.

  “Actually, you are up against one of the former Kings. Could you do me a favor and don’t finish him off easily? After the qualifier, I should be able to get you a higher level match and if you barely beat the vampire tomorrow, then the odds against you in your next fight will be higher and we can cash out big!” Archer exclaims.

  “Yeah, I guess I can do that, but I have one condition: Reyna has to stay at your place. I’ll be staying there tonight as well, just in case any of the liche’s gang comes looking for her.” I explain.

  “Aw bro, come on! I can’t let the azeman stay at my place!” Archer exclaims.

  “Why do you hate vampires so much, Arch?” I ask, followed by several moments of silence.

  “They’re the reason I’m dead. I was drained by a vampire and now I’m here.” Archer quietly explains a few moments later.

  In the Underworld, there are those that are here because they’re dead, and then there are those that are here for various reasons, like because they can’t live on earth without drawing attention to themselves, such as Kita. Archer and I had never discussed which he is before, but that doesn’t change our current situation.

  “Just because one drained you, that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. That is profiling, my friend.” I retort.

  “I… fine, but I’d better make a ton of money off of this!” Archer submits.

  “Don’t worry it will be convincing, I promise. Let me just go grab some new clothes and then we’ll get going.” I reply.

  I walk to the bedroom, knock softly on the door, and step inside.

  “Hey, Archer is going to put Reyna up so no worries. I’m going to stay there tonight to make sure that they’ll be safe if any vampires come looking for her in the middle of the night.” I inform her as I pull out a new pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

  “Alright… I’ll be sure to come and watch you tomorrow…” Kita responds quietly from her prone status on the bed as she faces the wall. She is obviously upset so I lay down behind her, wrap my arms around her, and kiss the right side of her neck.

  “I’ll be just fine fighting tomorrow. You should have seen me today; I moved so fast that the vampires didn’t know what hit them… a single vampire will be easy.” I whisper into her ear, trying to sound reassuring.

  “It’s not that… I’m torn, Cole… I want you to recover your memories, but if you get them back… never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow after the match.” Kita quietly says. Getting the hint that she no longer wishes to discuss this, I leave the bed.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I quietly reply as I leave the room.

  Archer and Reyna don’t say a word as we leave the apartment and walk the six blocks back to the Casbar with the blue-green sky darkening for the night that the Underworld uses to recharge the artificial daylight.

  “Alright, well I have a big day tomorrow so I’m going to bed.” I say when we get into Archer’s residence above the Casbar.

  “Okay, goodnight bro.” Archer says.

  “Goodnight Cole.” Reyna says as I walk down the hallway and into one of the bedrooms.

  (I would suggest creating another Sic blade tonight)

  “What’s a sick blade? Another one of the swords? How do I do that?” I silently ask.

  (SiC, stands for silicon carbide. You made the sword by solidifying your blood into silicon carbide. You can make another one by willing your blood to do so. Go to the kitchen and grab a sharp knife)

  I do as she says and walk into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Reyna and Archer are watching TV on the couch.

  “Stupid humans… European vampires can’t turn into bats!” I hear Reyna say to the TV.

  I grab a knife from the block on the counter and slip it into my pocket. I return to my room after seeing that Archer and Reyna are watching Dracula, the 1931 film version.

  (Now use the knife to cut open your left arm)

  I drag the knife across the length of my left forearm, a little surprised to find that I can’t feel it, but less surprised that I don’t bleed. I certainly should be bleeding, but something tells me that I’ve done this before…

  (Wrap your right hand over your incision and drag your hand outward while imagining the blade forming in your right hand)

  I obey and imagine a companion to the blade I pulled out of my stomach earlier today. I open my eyes, see the diamond shaped pommel and cross guard along with the black and red blade, and I know that I’m successful.

  (Now get some rest)

  I take her suggestion and hit the bed like a sack of bricks.

  ****

  “What do you mean he’s alive? Sara, if this is some attempt to make me feel better then it isn’t working.” The silver haired girl says.

  “I’m not lying, Rei. My mother told me that he is alive and is currently living in the Underworld.” An Indian woman with short black hair, green eyes, and square-framed glasses says.

  “I have to go then, Sara!” The silver haired girl exclaims.

  “No! From what my mother told me, he has to come back on his own, otherwise he may be lost to us forever…” The Indian woman explains.

  “Then why did you even tell me!?” the silver haired girl shouts.

  “Because he should be coming back soon; there are people helping him.” The Indian woman says.

  “Cole… wake up and come back to me, okay?”

  ****

  I awaken to a lithe
female form straddling me and biting into my neck. I get this odd feeling that the silver haired girl will come into the room, but the door remains closed. Then I get a compulsion to grab the straddling female’s wrist and make her head to explode.

  “Oh, come on Reyna! You’re going to suck me dry!” I exclaim.

  (Phrasing)

  I burst out laughing as Reyna snaps out of it.

  “I’m sorry Cole! That stupid movie made me hungry and you smell so irresistible!” Reyna explains.

  (I understand that you don’t want to kill the azeman, but can’t we scare her a little?)

  “What did you have in mind?”

  (You can manipulate the blood that is in her body. That is how you put her to sleep)

  “Well, I’ll resort to that if it becomes a problem… I wonder how much of my blood she has swallowed?”

  (0.7 Liters)

  “You can tell that too? What are you?”

  (Think of me as a secretary that you occasionally use to cheat on your wife)

  “I have a wife!?”

  (It’s a metaphor fool)

  “It’s okay Reyna, something about you is somewhat captivating to me. Just try to restrain yourself.” I casually reply.

  “Cole… just because I’m sucking on your neck doesn’t mean that I’m interested in having sex with you.” Reyna says with one raised eyebrow.

  “No, I mean that your eyes remind me of… something.” I say, trailing off as I think of the girl with silver hair. Even if the voice said that it was a metaphor, the mention of me having a wife is somehow reminiscent. Perhaps there was a girl that was like my wife… the silver haired girl?

  “Oh, okay… well, goodnight.” Reyna says.

  “Goodnight Reyna.” I reply as she leaves the room.

  …

  Chapter 5: The Return of the King

  [September 6th]

  I wake up at 8am, take a shower, and get dressed in the same clothes that I wore last night.

  “Okay, so the match is set to begin at 11am. It’s a blades-only rookie qualifying match, so no armor is allowed.” Archer reminds me as I eat a bowl of cereal.

  “Remember the plan and try to make it look like a challenge.” Archer reminds me as the three of us ride the subway that leads to the underground Citadel.

  “Don’t forget that vampires are fast.” Archer reminds me as we step off of the Adlivun subway. The Citadel is divided to have a separate transportation section and seating section for each district so that spectators have to go back the way they came.

  “Don’t forget to watch for the fangs!” Archer reminds me after we check in and walk towards the Adlivun combatants’ chamber.

  “Sir, this area is for combatants only.” A guard says to Archer.

  “DON’T FORGET TO--” Archer yells past the guard that is blocking him.

  “DON’T WORRY MOM! I’LL MAKE SURE TO BRUSH MY TEETH!” I interrupt.

  “GOODLUCK COLE!” Reyna shouts as I continue to walk down the hall and into the combatants’ chamber.

  The combatants’ chamber looks like a locker room made of black stone. I notice the very large vampire I will be fighting, as well as two guards to make sure that we don’t fight before the match. I sit on a bench with a sword in each hand, just waiting. The vampire keeps sneering at me unnecessarily while sharpening a large battle axe with a crescent shaped blade and appears to have a mace for a pommel.

  “Okay both of you move to the gate.” One of the guards says after a few minutes.

  “Let’s have a good match; best of luck to both of us.” I say to the vampire as we are waiting for the gate.

  “I’M GOING TO FUCKING DESTROY YOU!” the vampire snarls in a fashion that makes me think he has extremely small testicles to go with his ‘brick shithouse’ physique.

  (I am so going to enjoy slaughtering him)

  The gate opens and the vampire pushes past me and runs off to the right. I walk into the red-lighted stadium and over to the opposite side where I wait for the go light. The battleground flashes green and the vampire takes off in a blur until my eyes suddenly adjust. The vampire appears to be moving much faster than the vampires from yesterday, but I don’t feel like he is moving all that quickly; I’m just moving really slowly.

  The vampire swings his giant battle axe and I put up both swords to block, which ends with me flying back about fifteen feet. I stand to my feet in time to block and get knocked to the ground again.

  (Something is wrong. This vampire is too strong to be just a vampire)

  I stand again as my vision suddenly shifts and I see a swirl of colors in an orb over the vampire’s torso and a red outline around his body.

  (This is most unusual…)

  The shift in my vision is enough of a distraction for the vampire to get in a strike with the large metal pommel of the axe, crushing my left hand and disarming me. I slash his arm with my right Sic blade before blocking the axe swing that would have taken my head off. The vampire follows up by delivering a crushing blow to my right shin with the mace. My right leg collapses out from under me as the vampire delivers a swift kick to my chest, sending me sprawled out on my back. He runs over and kicks my right sword from my hand.

  “AUGH!” I scream as the vampire drives the tip of his axe into my right hand.

  “Now that you’re soon to be out of the picture, all that’s left is to kill that spying azeman and continue with Ahriman’s plan.” The vampire says in a voice that isn’t his own, one with a Middle Eastern accent. “Oh, and don’t worry; I will make sure to take care of that little bitch of yours. Take assurance in the fact that you can’t do anything to stop me! Hahaha!”

  “That little bitch of yours… Can’t do anything to stop me” the memories of two different voices echo through my mind.

  “Cheza” the world subconsciously surfaces to my lips.

  I hear screaming as my memories come flooding back; it’s as though the dam that held them just disappeared. I realize that the screaming is coming from me as the vampire continues to laugh.

  (Welcome home, Master)

  “AHH—Hahaha! You must be the liche, Alam. I must thank you for waking me from my amnesiac slumber. As a reward, here is a taste of what I’m going to do to you.” I say.

  I kick up and across the vampire’s face, dislodging the axe from my hand. I rock to my feet and lurch forward to grasp the vampire’s temples with my right hand. The vampire begins screaming as I feed my blood through his eyes and into his head. I transmute my blood into Octaazacubane as I throw him about ten feet into the air; he explodes, showering blood down upon me as it rains body parts. The crowd goes nuts.

  It feels tingly to be back.

  Suddenly a black cloud strikes down beside me as it forms into a person that has taken a knee.

  “Jason?” I ask my blonde best friend who is currently sporting a pointy goatee and a faint golden outline.

  “Dammit CT! Why do you recognize me!?” Jason inquires angrily.

  “Oh, I recovered my memories a few seconds ago.” I respond.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Jason asks in disbelief.

  “Do you have any idea how long it took me to grow this goatee and then have it meticulously trimmed on a daily basis to make it look like ‘it grew this way simply because I’m evil’? I had this elaborate plan to kidnap Kita and have you come rescue her, where I would have Marilyn act like Rei and wear a silver wig so that your memories would come back! Now that’s all ruined!” Jason exclaims.

  “Well isn’t it better that I remember who Cheza is—HOLY SHIT! I THINK I HAVE A KID!” I shout, thinking to my dreams of Cheza playing with the tan baby that has hazel eyes and brown hair.

  “JASON, DO I HAVE A KID!?” I yell while shaking him by his shoulders.

  “How am I supposed to know? I have CT vision, not omnipotent vision.” Jason says.

  “I need to go talk to Kita, now. Let’s grab Archer and Reyna and find Kita.” I reply.

  I spin around and look fo
r them, but I don’t see them amid the thousands of spectators. I call out to my blood that is in Reyna and I feel that she’s in the combatants’ chamber hallway. I run there with Jason on my heels.

  “Cole! Are you alright!?” Archer asks.

  “Alright Archer… Jericho… Jerry… fuck I don’t know what to call you now! Anyway, how much do you know?” I demand.

  “What are you talking about?” He asks.

  “Don’t play dumb! I’m just supposed to believe that the son of Tia’s good friend Archer just so happened to be in Adlivun where I coincidentally became friends with him? This is far too well arranged to merely be coincidence!” I accusingly reply.

  “Well, it looks like you got your memories back! I promised Kita that I would let her explain things first before I said anything.” Archer says.

  “Fair enough. Now, Reyna, tell me why Alam said you were spying.” I say turning my full attention to her and noticing that her aura has a black, bat-like shape with a swirl of colors for a backdrop.

  “What? When did you speak with Alam?” Reyna asks.

  “He was controlling the vampire. Listen Reyna, I just realized that I have a child so I’m kind of in the middle of a meltdown. Now tell me the truth otherwise I’m using my blood that is inside you to paint the room with your organs.” I sternly reply.

  “It looks like this is one azeman that’s swallowed just about as much as she can take.” Jericho mumbles to Jason.

  “Phrasing.” Jason replies.

  “Nice!” Jericho says as he and Jason ‘pound it’ from their position as spectators.

  (That was a pretty good one)

  “Agreed Airi, but now isn’t the time.”

  “I work for The Agency. I was sent here to investigate rumors of somebody enhancing the vampires in the Underworld, which have also been seen on earth, because of my ties to the vampire hierarchy in the Underworld. My ex-girlfriend also told me to smack you, her ‘sort-of-fiancé,’ in the head with a bottle to see if it shocks you out of your amnesia if the situation became dire. Don’t worry about having a kid; Natasha doesn’t have one.” Reyna explains.