Immortal: Curse of the Deathless

Chapter 2 (Part 1: A Beginning)

The sun shone relentlessly into Asher's shaded eyes. He smelled like magic and booze, and that combined with his zombie-like gait was enough to clear a path for him all the way to the antique shop. An electric bell jingled and a flashing camera panned Asher's way as he crossed the threshold into the shop. But its real defense sent a warning tingle up his spine and shocked him sober as it dispersed any residual magic. Briefly he lamented the loss of the drunken stupor he'd gained at such great cost.

"You know better than to come into my shop in such a state," Metis said from somewhere within the shop.

Asher weaved through narrow aisles of precious antiques, half probably stolen and the other half probably taken in payment for some debt or another. There would be Hell to pay if he knocked anything over, so, on second thought he counted himself lucky that his mind had been cleared of mental fog. As with each time he'd been there, the paths seemed to stretch and shift of their own accord, rearranging themselves into ever-more confusing patterns.

"How do you expect to sell anything when this place is such a maze?"

"Sell all these memories? What a hassle that'd be. I'm rather fond of this place, and I plan to keep it the same," Metis said.

Her voice led him down a path he wouldn't have chosen otherwise. Once he wasn't surrounded on all sides by a towering mess of dusty antiques, Asher exhaled a sigh of relief. Behind the counter sat Metis, who was carefully scrutinizing an elaborate golden cross. Her eyebrows were scrunched pensively and her glasses sat low on the brim of her nose. Asher's existence was an afterthought. Finally she set the jeweled monstrosity down and gave him a reproachful look.

She gave him a once-over with her deep blue eyes. "You've gotten yourself involved with something you shouldn't have. I told you this would happen eventually."

"I didn't come here for a lecture. I need to know about any recent abductions in the area— I want everything, not just the ones that have to do with the supernatural— and give me dossiers on any powerful religious cults that have a beef with the Community, especially witches— and I'm cashing in that favor," Asher said all in one breath, not allowing Metis the time to interject.

"Yes, yes, alright," Metis waved her hands in defeat. "It'll take me some time to get everything you want. Should I send it to the usual place?"

"The usual place is good," Asher said, surprised at the lack of resistance.

Metis shooed him out of the shop. "Off with you then, and plan smart even though you're going to act stupid."

—

So that was how Asher found himself in his crowded apartment on campus, throwing a racquetball against the wall and catching it on the rebound. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, but his mind was in overdrive. A stack of papers laid haphazardly on his desk, marked with sticky notes and messy handwriting. He'd torn through them last night after they unceremoniously plopped into existence onto his head, waking him up from a blissful sleep. It was mid-afternoon when he finished leafing through the extensive files related to abduction cases and religious cults. As that thought crossed his mind, the whole stack was consumed by a dark blue haze and burned to a crisp. Metis liked her tricks.

He shuffled into the kitchenette and boiled water for some instant noodles. The fridge was mostly empty except for beer and leftover pizza, but thankfully he spotted a lone energy drink wedged into the corner. Tapping the metallic top, he opened it and ravenously swigged down the contents in a few gulps. Asher had a pretty good idea who was involved in the witch's kidnapping, and had the feeling that Metis had known he'd ask about it. He would have paced the length of the room if he could, but the tiny apartment was more of a cardboard box than anything else.