Endangered The Demons Of M A Pt 03

© 2024 S. Round. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the author. All sexually active characters in this work are eighteen (18) years of age or older.

*****

Ch. 16

"How are your classes going, honey? Keeping your grades up?"

"I'm doing well so far," Evan said. "The classes are pretty small, so we get a lot of individual attention from the teachers."

"Oh, that's nice," his mom said through the phone. "I just wish you weren't so far away!"

Evan had been texting his parents frequent updates about his new college life. Of course, he left out any mention of magic or monsters, but he filled them in on the normal college things. He could tell his mom was starting to struggle with being away from him for so long for the first time since he was born, so he decided to call home.

"I guess that's the price we pay for top grade education," he said placating his mother.

It was a beautiful day out, so he had decided to have the conversation in one of the gardens on campus. He found a nice bench in a secluded area and sat there enjoying the sun while he spoke with his mom. His dad chimed in every now and then, but it was really his mom that was doing most of the chatting. After about half an hour had passed, his mom finally ran out of things to fuss over.

"Alright, I guess I'll let you go," his mother said. "Be sure to let us know if you need anything!"

"I will, mom."

"Love you!"

"Love you too."

Evan danced around the forbidden topics with his mother, but those were the things most weighing on his mind lately. Mainly the idea that he was the shining hope for the monster population. He tried not to think too hard about it, but sometimes he really felt the pressure of that responsibility. He was giving sperm samples, but was that really enough? Not only was he the only hope for a new generation, but the researchers at the base were also treating him like the key to a new technological revolution. He had started to wonder if living a normal college life was really fair to those expecting so much from him.

What Alex had said also bothered him. He didn't know where her bizarre questions were coming from, but it had been enough to get him thinking about the girls at the academy. Girls were certainly giving him more attention than ever, and he knew it was because of his special status as the only generator mage in town. It was an unusual situation that brought up a lot of questions about consent the more he thought about it. Wouldn't he be taking advantage of them if he made a move knowing they could hardly refuse? Was it ever possible for him to have a relationship without the girl feeling obligated to have sex with him?

Evan sighed. He couldn't find the answers to these questions on his own. Maybe Ms. Vaduva could help? He could even ask her about her daughter. Well, maybe not. What if Alex found out? He wasn't sure he wanted to stir the pot with her anymore. She was a little scary.

He was just about to go see if Ms. Vaduva was in her office when a big white fluffy object jumped into view in front of him. It was that white rabbit again! It was only about ten yards in front of him sniffing around in the grass. He kept still sitting on the bench as he watched it intently. Eventually the rabbit turned to look at him, and they locked eyes.

"..."

As soon as he saw the rabbit start to hop away, Evan bolted off the bench and gave chase. He quickly left the garden and took off after it down the walking path. He didn't know why he was chasing it. He knew it was much faster than him. He just felt like he needed to know more about this damn rabbit! He kept seeing it, but it didn't seem like anyone else was able to.

Evan sprinted down the walking path, just managing to keep the rabbit in his sights. If he couldn't catch it, he at least wanted to see where it kept running off to. He ran as fast as he could, and soon the rabbit took a sharp left around a building. Evan didn't hesitate as he turned full steam around the corner and...

"KYAA!"

Ran right into an innocent girl that had been walking the other direction. He managed to avoid a full head on collision as he saw her in the last instant, but he still hit her shoulder hard enough to send both of them tumbling to the ground. Needless to say, the rabbit was long gone.

Evan gathered himself and tried to shake off the stinging pain from the fall. It didn't feel like anything was hurt too badly. He watched the girl gingerly rubbing her elbow, and he started to panic.

"I'm so sorry!" he said. "Are you ok?"

"I think so," she said in a small voice. "I'm sorry I was in the way..."

"No! I was running like an idiot," he said. "It's totally my fault. I'm just glad you're alright."

Evan stood and helped get the girl on her feet. He was relieved that he hadn't hurt her too badly. Evan got a good look at her for the first time as they stood facing each other. She was a short girl, though not as short as the twins. She had dark brown hair cut short so it didn't reach her shoulders. She had long bangs which made it hard to see much of her upper face. He suspected that was on purpose as he noticed for the first time that she only had one eye.

Peeking out shyly at him from the curtain of bangs was one larger than normal eye. She seemed to avoid making eye contact with him as he looked at her. Evan realized she must be a cyclops. It was another first encounter for his record books.

"I'm Evan."

"Sophia. Sophia Titan."

"Sorry again, Sophia," he said. "I was chasing after... well, I was trying to catch something, and I wasn't paying attention."

"It's ok. I was reading my book while I was walking," she said with a slight blush. "It isn't the first time I've ran into someone while reading."

"Must be a good book if you can't stop reading," he said. "What is it?"

"Oh, umm, it is about ancient vampire culture."

"Oh, cool. That actually sounds pretty interesting."

"It is!" she said. "Have you read many books on the histories of different mage cultures?"

"Umm, no," Evan said. "Actually, I probably know less about mage history than anyone at the academy. I only know what I've heard in Mr. Oliveira's class so far."

"Really? I could recommend some books if you'd like," she said.

Evan could tell she was hoping to share some of her favorite reads with him. The least he could do after bowling into her was humor her a little.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"So, if you want to learn about general history for all mages up to the modern era, the best place to start would be..."

Sophia proceeded to rattle off the names and descriptions of about six books for him to look into. She talked so fast about the books that Evan had a hard time keeping up. There was no way he was going to be able to remember anything she said, but he politely let her talk all she wanted.

"...so those will get you the basics, but if you want to get the juicier details you'll need to read some of the books with a narrower scope. If you come to the library sometime, I can pick you out anything you're looking for!"

"Oh, do you work at the library?"

"Mmhmm," she said. "I spend almost all my time there."

"I guess that's why I haven't seen you around before," he said. "I haven't even been to the library yet."

"You really should," she said with a stern look. "It's a wonderful place with so much useful knowledge. Too many don't take advantage of it."

"Do they have any books about learning how to use magic?"

"Well... I think there might be some," she said thinking. "I guess I'm not too sure."

"Ah, I figured."

"I'm sorry," she said with a sad look. "I mostly know the history books."

"That's ok," he said. "Are you a history major?"

"Yes," she said nodding. "I'm specifically studying ancient mythology and its relation to the famous mages of history."

"Famous mages? Would that be like Elias Monstrum?"

"Yes, I've read many books about him and the history of the academy. Though, my favorites are the mages from long ago."

"I see," he said thinking. "Hey, have you ever come across anything about a white rabbit at the academy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, any stories about a stupidly big white rabbit with blue eyes that lives on campus and curses young men. Something like that?"

Despite his ridiculous description, Sophia seemed to ponder his question seriously for a few seconds. She furrowed her brow in concentration, which looked a little odd to him with her one eye. Even though the eye was a little startling at first, he thought she actually looked pretty cute.

"Well...I don't know anything about an actual rabbit that curses people," she said. "But it does remind me a little of Monique Cerf."

"Who is that?"

"Come with me," she said. "I'll show you."

Sophia led the way, and they soon entered the courtyard surrounding the great clock tower. The courtyard was arranged in a circle around the tower with several walking paths, fountains, and gardens making for a scenic resting place. Sophia brought Evan to a large statue at the center of a small flower garden on the east side. The statue was of a beautiful woman. The woman wore a wreath of flowers as a crown, and two long ears protruded from her head. Her hand held a great shield before her as if fending off some great threat. She had a determined look on her face, but there was still a hint of a smile.

"Here she is," Sophia said.

There was an engraved plaque on the base of the statue. Evan read it out loud.

"Monique Cerf - Right Hand and Heart of Elias Monstrum."

"She was Dr. Monstrum's wife," Sophia said. "They say she was a deer woman, or what you might call a 'weredeer.' Due to her larger than normal floppy ears, Dr. Monstrum reportedly often called her 'Bunny.' She was also said to have brilliant blue eyes."

"Oh, I get it," Evan said. "Blue eyed bunny. Yeah, it does fit."

"Do you think she is what you were looking for?"

"I don't know," he said. "But it might mean something. Thanks for showing me. I doubt I would have found this on my own."

"No problem!" she said. "I do need to go, though. I have class starting soon."

"Ok," he said. "Thanks again. I'll be sure to say hi if I come by the library!"

"Ok! Bye!"

Evan waved as we watched Sophia quickly rush off to her class. She was a quirky girl, but she was very sweet. He hoped he would see more of her around as he thought she was easy to talk to. Well, if you felt like talking about books or history.

He turned to look at the statue again. It did seem like there could be a connection between Elias Monstrum's Bunny and the rabbit he was seeing. But try as he might, he couldn't find a way to fit them together. Even if that damned rabbit was magical in nature and related to this woman, he had no idea what to do with that information. Deciding to worry about it another time, he started the trek back to the dorm.

"Who knows," he said. "Maybe I can chase it again on my way back."

Disappointingly, the trip back was uneventful and without any sightings of bunnies, rabbits, or hares.

Ch. 17

Evan once again spent his Saturday at the research lab. Robin escorted him as usual, and Dr. Campbell had him assist with a number of experiments. Most of the time Evan didn't have to do anything more than touch something, but Dr. Campbell did insist on getting a substantial blood sample from him one time. He let them take what they wanted in the hopes that it could help their research.

The last time he was there, Dr. Campbell had talked about using his new data to tweak the design of the magic transference device. That's what they called the machine that could harness a person's magical energy and direct it to be used as desired. Dr. Campbell thought they might be able to power more than just lights with the new design.

That was what was on the agenda for this day. Dr. Campbell and the other scientists had rigged up the magic transference device in the main lab and were hoping to activate some of the more difficult artifacts with Evan's help. The same metal ball as before was placed on a stand, so all Evan had to do was put his hand on it.

He did as he was told and put his hand on the ball, but there was no reaction from the artifact. The scientists didn't lose hope, however. They made some changes to their design and had Evan try again when they were ready. It was simple enough work for Evan.

It was after about the fifth time they modified their machine that something amazing happened. Evan placed his hand on the ball like usual, only this time there was a noticeable humming sound that was heard in the lab. Everyone stood still as they watched in anticipation. The machine was attached to a mechanical arm that was holding an artifact. The artifact looked like a short staff with a cone at the end. As the entire lab held their breath, they saw the cone at the end of the artifact begin to glow green.

Cheers rang out from everyone as the experiment appeared to succeed. The artifact was active. The next step was to see if its function could be used. Evan hadn't been told what the artifact was supposed to do, so he just watched eagerly to see what was going to happen.

A couple of scientists brought out a large pot full of dirt. They placed it on a table near the artifact. Dr. Campbell then worked the mechanical arm holding the artifact to move it closer. The artifact was lowered until the glowing tip touched the dirt in the pot. A miracle happened before their eyes as a plant quickly sprouted out from the pot. Evan's jaw dropped as he watched an empty pot fill with a fully matured rose bush in just under a minute.

The machine was shut down and cries of joy were shouted all around. It was a total success! They had harnessed Evan's energy and activated an artifact perfectly. Evan was congratulated many times as if he had done something amazing. He felt weird since he literally just stood there, but he was happy that everyone was so thrilled. The atmosphere was more like a party from then on, and he realized that they were done for the day. He was wandering around the lab talking to different people when he was unexpectedly met by the main man in charge.

"Congratulations, Evan," General Carn said, shaking his hand.

"General Carn," Evan said in surprise. "Thank you. I didn't really do much."

"Nonsense," he said. "This wouldn't be possible without you."

"I guess," Evan said with a shrug.

He wasn't just being modest. He really didn't feel like he deserved much credit for this.

"Come, walk with me," General Carn said waving him away from the others.

Robin followed along a few paces back as the General led him down a hall.

"I've been told that you haven't settled on a major yet," he continued.

"That's right," Evan said.

"I take it then that you don't have a career in mind for after college?"

"Not really."

"I'd like to present an option to you that you may not have considered yet," General Carn said. "I'd like you to join us here. Full time."

"You mean, like, join the military?"

"Yes. I think you could accomplish more working with our resources than in any other field you might choose."

"What would I be doing if I joined? I don't really want to be a soldier."

"You wouldn't be doing anything like that," he said. "You'd be working with our research teams mainly. After that demonstration earlier, I'm sure you can imagine the potential good that could come from your ongoing cooperation."

It was true. Even just from the effects of that one artifact, it was easy to think of ways that it could reap huge rewards. The ability to rapidly grow plant life could revolutionize farming and food production. It was truly a miracle.

"You'd be paid well," General Carn said. "And you'd be able to work on our bases across the country. There would be no need for you to struggle here at the academy to learn magic from scratch. Our technology could unlock your true potential."

"..."

"In fact, you could join us now, if that's what you wanted," he continued. "There is no reason for you to have to go to school if you don't want to."

"What about the people here?" Evan said. "How would I be able to help them repopulate?"

"Ah, yes. Here, let me show you something."

They finally stopped their walk as they came to a secure door that Evan had not seen before. The general punched in a code on the keypad, and the door opened. They walked into the room only to come upon another highly secure door. This time the general put a card into the machine and pressed his thumb against a pad. Reading his fingerprint, the door opened, and they finally entered their destination.

"This is our vault where we keep some of the most powerful artifacts we have," General Carn said. "Some of the items stored in here truly have the power to change the world."

Evan looked around at the artifacts locked away behind glass doors. There was no telling what they could do just by looking at them. Still, he felt like they gave off a very ominous feeling. Maybe it was just the atmosphere of the high security vault, but it felt like these were dangerous.

"This one here, is particularly special," the general said.

He pointed to a case with a large metallic orb inside. It looked plain to Evan.

"We call this one the converter," he continued. "This artifact was given the power to enhance human DNA with the characteristics of other animal life."

"Wait," Evan said understanding immediately. "You mean this thing can make new species like vampires or werewolves?"

"That's right."

"Wow."

"Using this artifact, you could recreate the miracles of the ancient mages," General Carn said. "You could create new, healthy members of each different monster species and help their numbers grow strong once again."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," the general said. "Unfortunately, the power required to use this device could only be generated by someone like you. But if you chose to work with us, Evan, we could use this power to save all the people of Tourmaline."

"..."

"If that isn't enough to convince you, just think of the status such great power could bring you."

"What do you mean?"

"Imagine, Evan," the general said. "You could reshape this wretched world into a better home for all humans. Using artifacts like this, you could change the human race, one person at a time. All human weakness could disappear. And by holding the key to that power, you would hold more influence over the nations of man than any leader throughout history. All of this could be possible with our support."

Evan was amazed at the possible future the general was showing to him now. He had barely wrapped his mind around having a unique magical gift, there was no way he had ever considered trying to shape the country to his will with his power in the future. It felt... wrong. He knew the general was just giving his best sales pitch, but he didn't think it would be right to use his power for such things. Also, he was enjoying his college life, and he liked the friends he was making. Even if he was excited about what was happening at the research lab, he didn't feel like he wanted to do that full time right now.

"That... doesn't really sound like me," he said slowly. "I like my normal life at the academy. I think I want to stick with that for now."

"I see," General Carn said.

They stood silently appraising the surrounding artifacts for a few moments.

"Well, it's just something to consider for the future," the general said. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They left the vault and the general left Evan and Robin shortly after that. With the research done for the day, Robin escorted Evan back to the campus. He was thinking hard about his conversation with the general during the ride back.

"What did you think of all that with the general?" he said.