After Earth Online: The Iron Warlock

On The Way to Kill Some Rats

Leo was let to stare at the waiters and Zucchini who gave up an imperceptible pressure even when he wasn’t using his abilities. To say that Leo was scared of him would be a gross understatement, with the way thigs have progressed, Leo was extremely worried about this Rat problem that he had to go and take care of. At first he thought perhaps he was dealing with literal rats, but Old Man Bonbon was gangster and from the look of things, Zucchini and the Legatae restaurant were a part of the mafia. Leo was in really deep waters right now, and he had the sharks hovering all around him.

He didn’t have to wait long before a taxi cab pulled up into the alleyway. There was no driver, it was fully automated and why that seemed extremely cool in hindsight, it left Leo feeling even more apprehensive. In the real world Automated travel by usage of transportation programs and AI had been implemented with disastrous consequences. While it was fun to have your car drive itself, not everyone was willing to relinquish the joys of driving, so a majority of people still drove themselves.

Automated Transportation AI’s had a definite route to follow in all of their journeys, but no matter how precise a calculation may be. Human beings and life go hand in hand when it comes to unpredictable situations on the road or other transportation mediums. And the AI’s weren’t always so ‘rapid in their response to unforeseen situations, causing a variety of terrible accidents, even raising the rates of transportation cause accidents in a year. So they were scrapped, and Leo had a healthy fear of them…. after all, an automated vehicle was part of the reason his mother was in the grave and his father was in jail doing time for someone else.

“Lighten up boy! You look like you’ve seen a ghost no? well you’ll be alright. Cause if you’re not alright then you’ll be dead and I’m sure you don’t want that. Me I don’t particularly mind, but for your sake be okay no?” Zucchini asked as Leo nodded his head rapidly in agreement.

“This cab will take you to your destination, once you get there the doorman will give the floor and room number that has the rat infestation problem, those buggers are particularly nasty and if left alone they’ll probably get disease all over the place. So it’s better to take care of it immediately, here!”

Zucchini carried a small briefcase that looked more like a tool box and gave it to Leo, it was a bit heavy but none the less Leo took it from the short man with as much respect his mind could muster. Given how realistic his entire situation currently was, the young man felt that he was in way over his head. however, with the way Zucchini spoke about the rat, Leo calmed down a bit. It was just taking care of some rats for the mafia for some easy cash and exp, what could possibly go wrong.

“Now run along, also you can only open that toolbox when you’re in front of the room. The contents in it are particularly nasty and could be somewhat toxic to society. The wrong eyes see with them and you’re a goner, I just need a particularly tough strain of pesticide to get rid of those damn bloody rats, now go boy! And may the lord be with you.”

Leo found himself nodding again, he felt stupid cause it would seem as if he had finally lost the use of his mouth. But never the less he did as was told and got into the cab, stilling his breath and beating heart as he moved away from the alleyway and out onto the main street, heading out for his first or rather second proper quest, he was excited.

Zucchini watched as the cab turned out of the alleyway and shook his head. then the massive waiter who had gone to r retrieve him suddenly asked.

“Was it necessary to play with him like that Master Zucchini?”

“It is Mauricio. It is our job to get rid of the rats of our… less than savory world. But it has always been a rule of this family, a rule of the trade that once one exits this world, another must be groomed to take its place. Even if that kid will not belong to us, tonight he shall be initiated into the darkness that hangs over Felton city, if he is to survive this world. This boy…. This Leo as he calls himself must embody that which he is named after. He must become a lion, a hunter with equal.”

“But what if he fails? Forgive my Master Zucchini but he looks like someone that would cry over a cup of spilt milk! He’s too weak!”

“Hahhahhahaha Once again Mauricio you fail to see the bigger picture. He was slouched, his eyes wide with fear and his nods being the only answers he gave. Young Rolando could feel the buildup of magic and electricity within his body. You’re so strong but you mind is so weak, that boy was prepared to fight us all should his life had been in jeopardy, and from the way he looked…. We all would have paid a price to keep him down. That’s not weakness boy! That’s a monster in the making hahahhahahahahaha!”

>>>>>>>>>

The cab ride was quiet, the radio silent as the city got brighter and the streets cleaner as they left the down town area. From what he could see, Felton city had different areas and each area seemed to have their own business district and residential districts. They just left the downtown area, based on the holographic signs he had seen after crossing a five-hundred-meter bridge across a large river that seemed to separate downtown Felton from the rest of the city; this was Midtown.

It looked loads better than the downtown area, obviously those who were dealt a slightly better hand were the ones you would find living here. There even police officers on patrol, which was saying something as Leo hadn’t even laid his eyes on a single law enforcement officer in the time he had spent downtown. There were robots, and better dressed aliens, many of them he recognized as Techronmans, the same race as his backstory generated father.

It was beautiful, but what Leo was looking at was information, he needed to understand more of what he was seeing and what this world had to offer, so he could compile the information. Suddenly there was a loud whoosh in the air as the glass windows of dozens of high rise buildings shattered. Leo poked his head out in shock, as he noticed a man and woman both floating in the air and throwing hits that cause literal shockwaves to spread.

The man was dressed in a bright ocean green suit with a dark yellow cape with an eye emblazoned on it. The woman on the other hand was clad head to toe in a silver armor, with the only thing capable of telling her gender being the shape of the armor itself as it highlighted her curves and should her rather generous…. err assets.

There was a string of circles around the man’s hand, that Leo recognized as spell circles while the woman held a sword that seemed to be made of some sort silverfish black energy. She flew at him, her form being nothing more than a blur as she smashed her sword on his head, only for it to meet a shield of light green, created from the magnification of the spell circles around his hand. They exchanged a few blows, each one more terrible than the last before they both flew up, breaking the sound barrier in the process. All Leo could say as he watched them leave was.

“f**k! I need to get me one of those!”