Mixed Blessings

A/N – Hi! Just a quick word of warning on this story. Although it's placed in the Sci-fi/Fantasy category, it is more than just what is known as "Punk Sci-Fi". It actually can fall under many different categories ranging from Anal, to First Time, to Reluctance, to Interracial Relations, to Homosexuality. If you are the slightest bit offended by any of the above, please move along and check out one of my other stories. If you are afraid to go where no reader has gone before, then keep reading...

Thanks for checking out Mixed Blessings! I hope you like it. :)

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Is this recorder device thingy on?

Ah yes, I see the flashing light. Excellent. All right then, I shall begin.

I will try and take this slow....

The year is 2210.

My name is Alex Stone.

I am Twenty Four, Male, Six Foot in height, 180 pounds.

Very close to the end of the twenty-first century, science had excelled at cloning tissues and things began to sour once the natural order had become tampered with.

From this tampering of human tissues, came two separate factions of human beings: one dealt with the power to curse, nicknamed "The Cursers" and the other was able to offer blessings, called "The Blessers". The majority of the humans that did not fall into either category soon found themselves dwindling in numbers until the Cursers, ever with the power to kill and the thirst to control, enfeebled the humans into slavery. This is where my story begins.

I am, or should I say, was a Blesser...

Blessers make their homes in the sky cities, large dwellings thousands of feet above the earth's surface made of glass. They worship the sun for it brings them light, erasing the shadows.

The Cursers, on the other hand, enjoy the darkness and shadows. This place, Surface City as they call it, is below. They reside in massive metal buildings that are connected by covered walkways, never letting the sun's rays shine inside.

Humans are unwelcome in the Sky cities, as the Blessers do not feel them equals. However, unlike the Cursers, they do not use them as slaves.

You can always tell when a Blesser or a Curser is around by looking at their eyes. Whenever you see a white glow surrounding the irises, that means they are a Blesser.

If you see a red glow around the irises, that means you should run. And swiftly too, as that means you are up against a Curser.

I am not like my fellow Blessers any longer as something had happened to change me. I live on the surface, struggling to avoid detection by anyone. I cannot afford to be caught, not in the sad shape I am in. See, there are five levels of Blessers and five levels of Cursers. Level 1 means they could do such minor blessings or curses that you'd hardly know they are doing anything positive or negative. Level 2 is more serious and most common. Level 3 will cause problems if you were up against a Curser and against a Blesser, well, you would want them on your side. Level 4 is most powerful. A Level 4 Curser can kill a regular human with a few words from his mouth. Level 5? As far as I knew, they did not exist. If they did, they'd be like gods.

Before my incident, I was a Level 4 Blesser.

Are we clear now? Good, I will move on to the story now...

As I sat against the wall in the deserted warehouse I called my home, I tried to recall what had led up to my ruination as a Blesser. It was because of a girl that I lost my talents. Isn't it always about a girl, though? But this one was beautiful. No, she was gorgeous. Her name was Vanessa and she was the most amazing woman I had ever met. It was a shame she was a Curser. We had met on the edge of Sky City. The Cursers, when they find a new Level 4, like Vanessa, always attempt to break into Sky City and destroy the Blessers. It was quite a rivalry between the two, and to be honest, I am not sure why. Power, I suppose. Vanessa and I had fought for a good hour before deciding that we had each met our equal. I could not best her, she could not best me, and so we called it a draw and had some drinks on the surface.

One thing led to another and she invited me up to her place for a nightcap. That nightcap was her riding me like I was a wild stallion. With our bodies slapping against each other, her black body, my white body wrapped in sexual bliss, we blessed and cursed as we climaxed together. That was when the bad thing happened. A wave of negative and positive energy was channeled through my body through our contact, throwing me through the wall and out onto the street, buck-naked, leaving me in bad shape.

It killed Vanessa.

When I had come to, I saw a few human minions surrounding me, mocking my lack of clothing and it was at that point I realized something was not quite right with my Blessing talent. I attempted to transform a piece of paper into a shirt and it became a straight jacket. That was not right! What was wrong with me? I crawled away, and then when I was stronger, I ran after I had gathered my wits and did not stop until I could figure out what was happening. Somehow, my wires had been crossed and so now I had three things to deal with. First, many times nothing happened when I attempted to Bless, and other times the Bless would be a Curse. And no matter what happened, my eyes never held the glow. The second thing I had to deal with was that I could never become aroused around the opposite sex. I even tried the male gender, but nothing worked. I simply could not be turned on. This led to many a lonely night and when I found the empty warehouse, I embraced it, knowing I would never be attractive to women any longer. I mean, seriously, who would want someone who could not pleasure you properly? It was frustrating with a capital "F". So now I was a hermit, trying to stay off the radar of both the Blessers and Cursers.

I might as well have been dead.

I roamed when I could, striving to avoid contact with any of the Cursers and steering clear of any Blessers that happened to be on the surface. It was a miserable, lonely existence. Except for Dog. I had found the stray animal on the streets, and even as hungry as I was I could not bring myself to eat him. So I pilfered a can of beans from one of the Cursers many grocery stores ran by their human minions and shared it with him. And since that point, he had never left my side.

"What you say we go get us some food, eh Dog?" I looked at the canine sitting at the foot of the broken chair I was attempting to repair manually (and failing), who then nodded as he stood and stretched in preparation.

"Yes. I bored." His comment was nothing new; Dog always seemed to be bored. But that was probably my fault. Not being able to do anything but hide did tend to get a little dull day after day. I liked having a talking dog, actually. I mean, if I couldn't have a woman, I suppose having a dog that could talk was the next best thing. But the main problem with Dog was he was not exactly smart. So, it was like having a conversation with a four-year-old child. And when he threw tantrums, they were filled with some nasty explicatives. Not sure where he picked them up, it certainly wasn't from me as Blessers did not use such language. (Yeah, I know I wasn't a Blesser now, but the habit was hard to break.)

As I put on my floor-length black trench coat, I made sure to stow the stunner gun in the side pocket just in case. Not that it would help against a Curser, but it would hopefully buy me time if I did end up crossing the path of one. And if I got lucky, maybe I could actually find a rich one and rob them of their credits, which was the monetary system the Cursers used. It reminded me of pictures of chips the casinos used back in the twenty first century.

"Come on! I want go!" Dog was getting impatient, yipping next to the heavy, metal door so I shrugged and unlatched the bar that secured it, pushing the door back so that the morning's smog could filter in. It took a moment to get used to the funk that covered the city, a side effect of having it covered and away from the sun. I knew daytime was the best time to scavenge as most Cursers partied all night and slept away a good portion of the day. Prime time for me was now. But I had to be cautious because the Blessers knew this schedule too.

As we walked down the dirty street, avoiding anything that looked remotely humanoid in appearance, we came upon one of the local grocers. I had to figure out a scheme to get some food from them, as they were sick of me stealing from them. At first I had simply tucked something under my coat and left the store, but then they caught on to me and started watching me.

And later, I had put a stunner gun against the throat of the heavy set male clerk that worked there during the day shift, but he simply laughed at me. Firing worked, but I had to stun him a few times for good measure. Now they were all prepared and carried their own stunner guns. I knew it would be curtains for me if their stuns ever landed. No, it would not kill me, but it would knock me out and I'd be Curser's fodder.

"What do you think, Dog? What's a good strategy today? You want to run in and distract the clerk?" I squatted down and scratched behind Dog's ears while my mind worked furiously.

"No no no! Dangerous for Dog." His acute survival instinct caused me problems at times.

"Okay, then shall I just go in firing?" I rolled my eyes, not really knowing what I could do, but desperate enough and hungry enough to try something, anything.

"Dog get."

I stood, nodding at the fluffy canine. Finally, he would pull his weight.

"All right, just don't get yourself stunned, pal." I patted his head one last time and watched from around the bricked corner as he trotted into the store behind another human minion sent to pick up something for his Curser master. I crossed my mental fingers that the mutt could get something good and not the pack of tampons he got last time he attempted to steal by himself. Ever try eating a tampon? Take my advice, don't. They may be high in fiber, but the string gets caught in the throat. Enough said.

"GET OUT!" It was not more than five minutes later when a small brown bolt of lightning dashed out of the store's door, the clerk chasing him with a broom, red-faced and scowling in fury. I wondered what my friend's bounty would be and waited for him to circle around so he would not bring any suspicion to my location. He looked pretty happy with himself as he came trotting up behind me to deposit an old fashioned can of Spam at my feet.

"Suck it." He boasted and I nearly boxed his ears. Instead, I picked up the can and smiled. Spam for dinner it would be. Placing the prize in an empty coat pocket, I turned to lead us back to the warehouse and froze. Dog began to growl deep in his ribcage and I groaned when I saw the man blocking our path; there was no mistaking the red glow of his eyes. A Curser.

"Well, well. A boy and his dog." Not understanding his reference, I shook my head in confusion since I was anything but a boy. "I could always use another minion to work in one of my factories. You will do. Come." He beckoned me forward, not bothering to curse me since everyone knew humans had no chance against a Curser who was at least level two.

"Isn't it a little early for you to be out and about?" I stalled, trying to figure the best plan of action for this one. Until I knew his level, I had to be a little cautious.

"Fall to your knees, bringing you pain." His simple words were meant as a curse, but did I not say I had to deal with three things from my experience with Vanessa and the powerblast? This was the third: I could not be touched by their Curses. Unfortunately, I couldn't have a Blesser bless me either, but that was all right. It was well worth the trade off.

"Yieeep!" I cut my eyes sharply to the canine beside me to watch him fall to his knees, face landing hard on the filthy concrete beneath us. "Bastard." The dog spat softly so that only I could hear. The Curser had made it an area of effect Curse, meaning anyone in a certain range would have fallen. Doing such purposefully to hurt my innocent canine friend was low. Lower than low. I knew I had to play along or he would know I was different, so I slid to my knees, wincing at the sting through my ratty pants as they slammed against concrete.

"We are doing no harm, let us be." I suggested, realizing with his power he had to be at least a Level 3. Level 3's employed the vocal power of suggestion, which was what made them so tough. I had not seen his hand wave symbols that were needed for Level 3's but I could have just missed it.

"You talk when I say. No one can talk now." I fought the urge to call him a bad name and looked to my furry companion to note his eyes bulging and his throat bobbing. Clearly he was trying to say something extremely negative, but the man's curse had stifled anything he would say. I took care not to reply, but just glared up at the man as he drew closer.

I let him backhand me, which was tough since I was supposed to remain through his curse on my knees. I had enough strength to remain there, but the sting of his hand across my cheek stayed with me for a while.

"Let's go. Now. Get up and walk, stupid human." The man clearly had no idea of what or who I was as he turned his back on me, expecting me to follow. I did stand, but then took the opportunity to reach into my coat and blast him with the stunner. I noted with satisfaction that he lurched forward, his long, black feathery hair falling over his face as he landed on his nose. I hoped he had broken a tooth upon impact as I spun to face Dog.

"Can you stand?" The beast knelt staring up at me pathetically, whimpering, shaking his head. He was still under the effects of both curses and would be for a while. I hastily removed the clothes from the Curser, robbing him of his credits and jewelry, scooped up the dog into my stolen clothes-filled arms and ran.

Once I reached the warehouse I was out of breath, but put Dog gently down upon the pallet we shared, tossing the pilfered clothes in a pile for later. I rubbed his head and neck as he whimpered in anger and ire, trying to recover his voice and legs.

"One of these days, Dog, we aren't going to get out of a Curser's way." I grimaced at the thought of losing my four-legged friend and sighed softly, continuing to pet him until the effects began to wear off of him.

"Goddamn son of a b—" I knew his voice returned when a long string of colorful phrases and words were expelled from his mouth ranging from insults to the Curser's manhood to his lineage. Some I had never heard before in fact, which surprised me since I thought I had heard it all from the mutt.

"Welcome back." I went to the discarded coat I had tossed over the broken chair and dug out the can of Spam. "It's feasting time." I grinned as he began to try and test his legs, wobbly as they were. I used the little key that was on the side of the can to peel back the lid and licked my lips in anticipation of the treat. My stomach growled angrily and I sighed, hating the way I was living. I closed my eyes as I smelled the Spam, remembering the huge window filled apartment I had lived in, in Sky City, before meeting Vanessa. I had been given everything I could have ever wanted in life back then. I was brought from my wistful reverie by the Dog's whine.

"Come on! Dog hungry, stupid human!" I glared at the beast for repeating the Curser's insulting words back to me and doled out an even split onto a dish, setting it on the floor for him while I joined him, avoiding the chair so that I did not break my tailbone from falling.

I was licking my bent spoon after eating the last drop of the meat concoction (which by the way, made me think of how it would taste to lick Dog's behind. Eating Spam would not be much different, I imagined.), when I heard a very bad sound. I hopped to my feet quickly when the large metal bar covering my door went flying and the door itself flew off of its hinges.

"Oh sh—" I shushed the dog as three Cursers strolled arrogantly into the warehouse, all three sets of red eyes upon me.

"Fly to me through air, not so light are you?" A rather large bald male lifted his finger, almost as if coaxing me forward. I looked to Dog, who did not move and knew it was pointed to me. But when I did not fly into the air, the Curse ineffective, all three gasped.

"How odd." The female of the group approached me, and I got a good look at her. She was a blonde with shoulder length hair, pretty face, and nice body coated in a sexily cut gold dress. I sighed soft when the idea of having a good-looking woman eyeing me as if I were a piece of candy did nothing to stir my loins. I heard myself gasp in surprise when she reached her hand down my pants before I could stop her and felt her grasp me and tug lightly. Her fair face twisted into a smirk and she commented snidely, "flaccid" after stroking me a few moments. "Perhaps you would prefer a man to do this?" She was about to motion to one of her companions, who were nearly choking with laughter at my ailment, but I shook my head to stop her.

"You have that strong of a will? Hmmm." She looked intrigued and I wished that was all it was. To have an iron will would be much better than to be unable to get it up at all.

"You will be coming with us, whether our curses work on you or not." She snapped her fingers at her two companions who looked as if they were going to manhandle me and not in a nice way. "Our mistress would like to have a word with you. I think she will enjoy having you as a pet. You will be a challenge and she likes challenges." I sighed, not really wanting to meet her boss.

"As fun as that sounds," I told her, walking backwards slowly to my trench coat to get my stunner, "I will have to decline the offer." I reached with my body hiding the coat as I slid my hand behind me into the pocket, talking to distract her. "How about a rain check?" But before I could even touch the gun's handle, I felt a bolt of energy flow from a stunner belonging to one of the Cursers and felt my legs buckle underneath me. I gasped as the air was expelled from my body and all I could see before I blacked out was the dirty ceiling of the warehouse above me.

As Dog would say...

Bloody hell.

To Be Continued