Xander

Hello to those who may be reading this, this is the 2nd Instalment in the Xander series. The edited Chapter 1 will be posted at a later stage.

It states in the foreword of Chapter 1 that cars are commodities that are available in this world; however, they aren't cars as we know them. Cars in this world are more like 4 wheeled contraptions, that are powered by Magical energy, that as mentioned in Chapter 1, are powered by Magical Energy, either provided by the driver, or a magical device. So just imagine them as horse carriages that move without any horses.

Also, people can use Magic. Those who can are called Mages (obviously) and use Magical Energy to perform their spells. Those who have no Magical talent are usually Warriors, and rely on physical conditioning and Stamina to perform their techniques. There are also those, who have both Magical Energy, and Stamina. Those who are more Mage oriented are known as Mage Warriors, and those who are more Warrior oriented are known as Battle Mages. These are the standard classes.

Among these 3 classes, the more competent practitioners each have special items that give them powers. The powers can only be released through each item. For example, a competent Mage, who has an affinity for fire, will get a Fire Staff, which will allow him to 'fire' high level fireballs. It will also augment his Fire spells, making them more powerful. Every practitioner has an affinity towards something. For example, a Warrior with an affinity for Speed, will receive an item that will augment their Speed which upon activation, will allow them to be able to move and fight at a much higher speed. The higher the affinity and competency of the Warrior or Mage in question, the more powerful their item is. Whereas the competent, and above all have standardised items which can be interchanged, the Elite get their own unique items, that can only be used by themselves.

There are also people with unique affinities. For example, a Mage can have an affinity towards Death, and that would make him a Necromancer, leading to him receiving his own unique item, and spells. Amongst the elite, it is common to have two affinities. This creates new classes, which allows for new techniques. For example, a Mage who has affinities for both Fire and Death, would make him a NecroFlame, which would allow him to use Necromancer spells, and augment them with Flame spells as well, which could lead to a Skeleton Mage which throws fireballs, or Skeletal Warriors with flame enhanced weapons. The more competent the Necromancer, the more minions he can summon. They can also choose between having 100 competent minions, or 20 powerful ones; it all depends on the spells they decide to use.

Lastly, this tale is as much a Sci-Fi story, as it is a Fantasy story, as even though this is a world of magic and shit, that same magic provides a certain level of technology, like computers, TVs, those weird cars I mentioned, electricity etc.

Page long foreword complete, I can only say thank you to those who liked the 1st Chapter of Xander, despite its multiple goofs. This is the next Chapter, and hopefully it'll be an improvement.

Enjoy.

DionysosK.

*

Xander looked at Master Darius. This guy, who looked like he was about to be squashed like a bug by that gang of thugs, actually turned out to be the leader of a guild; a GUILD!! Xander really wanted that to mean something to him, but it didn't, even in the slightest. Xander had no idea what the fuck a guild was. It didn't help either, that he was saved by a guild, and offered the chance to join one. Master Darius had said that line with pride, as though Lex Guild, or whatever it was called, was powerful, or competent, or whatever. Xander was lucky that Master Darius couldn't tell just how confused and unimpressed he was with this information, as the mask was still on his face, however he'd eventually have to speak, and then the truth would be revealed. Just as he was about to speak, his stomach growled, and he passed out again. As he was passing out, he heard a voice.

"Hey, Xander? Xander?! Shit..."

Xander woke up again, however he didn't know how long he was out for. He looked to the side of the bed, and on the bedside table, he found a tray that was just packed with food. His stomach growled at the sight of it, and he immediately reached out for it. He found this ball that had been deep fried. He brought it to his mouth, and bit into it. It crunched, and as he ate it, he found it was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted, although seeing as it was the 1st time he had eaten anything since waking up, and he had amnesia, it was the only thing he'd ever tasted. He was sure it was just deep fried flour, but good Lord was it delicious. He then stopped eating for a second.

"Wait a minute...if I'm eating this food, then that must mean that the mask is off! Yes! I'll finish eating this food, and look for a mirror, so I can at least see what I look like!"

He then sat up, put the tray on his lap, and ate like a man possessed. When he was about to finish his meal, he looked back at the bedside table for some water or something. He found a jug of water, with a note next to it. He opened it, and it read

"Hey Kid, I had to leave for a bit. I'll be back to check on you later. I don't know how you're going to eat this food, as we couldn't pull the mask off.

PS : DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM UNTIL I GET BACK.

Darius."

"What is he talking about? How would I be able to eat, if the mask was still on?" Xander said, while reaching a hand up to his face.

When his hand made contact with something cold, that felt like steel or something similar, his skin crawled. He felt all around his face, and his palms only came into contact with the mask. How could this be? He just ate a mountain of food!

"WHAT THE FU...No wait, calm down me. I need to calm down, and think this through."

He then gripped one of the last bits of food; one of those fried flour balls, and brought it to his mouth. He did this to see if the mask would open up, and when he heard the ball make contact with the mask, he was beyond confused.

'What the hell is going on? Why is it that I was able to eat not even 5 minutes ago, and now all of a sudden, I can't? What is up with this mask?'

After trying again and again to force the mask to open again, he gave up. He was pretty demoralised when he couldn't open the mask.

"Fuck it then, I'll just eat this stupid ball" he said, bringing the ball to his mouth.

Next thing, he heard a crunch, and felt food in his mouth, as he had taken a bite out of the fried flour thing.

'What's going on? Every time I brought it to my mouth, the mask didn't open. When I decided to just finish off the rest of the food, it opened. What the fuck? Does this mean that this mask only opens when I want to eat or drink something? No way, what kind of mask does that?'

Xander then decided to put it to the test. When he brought the ball up to his mouth for the sake of it, it met resistance; the resistance being the mask. When he brought the ball up with the genuine intention of biting into it and eating, it met no resistance, and went into his mouth. This confirmed that the impossible was happening. While trying to figure this all out, Xander ended up dozing off again. Even though he had eaten, it was his 1st meal since he had woken up, so he was still weak.

Xander woke up again, and it seemed as though it was morning, as rivulets of light were peaking through the gaps between the curtains. When he looked around, he realised that he was in a huge room, and the bed he was sleeping in was also huge. The room was adorned with lavish material and items; all made from the finest resources. This was a really impressive room. He looked around, and he saw a figure, lying on a lavish and extremely comfortable looking couch.

'Who's that? Is this his room?' Xander thought, as he shuffled to get out of bed.

"I'm glad to see you're awake and everything, but are you sure you're ok to be moving around?"

The voice was familiar; it was Master Darius. Master Darius was bunking on the couch, while he was in a bed. Then it hit him: he was sleeping in Master Darius' bed, and had forced him to sleep on the couch.

Master Darius got up, and walked over to the bed, pulling a chair with him, and eventually placing it next to the bed and sitting down.

"Master Darius, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force you to sleep on the couch. Why didn't you just put me there, and take the bed? Or at least put me in another room, that way I wouldn't be inconveniencing you!"

"You're not an inconvenience Xander. Besides, I put you in my bed because you were in really bad shape. I also placed you in my room, as I'm sure you didn't want people prodding and probing at that mask. Speaking of the mask, did you manage to take it off, as I can see you ate almost all the food?"

Xander sat up, and looked at Master Darius.

"No, the mask stayed on. I ate with the mask on."

"What? How did that happen?"

"It kind of opened when I wanted to eat something. It's easier to just show you."

And with that, Xander gripped the remaining bit of food he left just for this purpose, and he lifted it up towards the mask. As it got there, a slit appeared, and separated, creating a square large enough for the morsel of food to fit.

Master Darius just stared at Xander. When he looked closer at the square that had opened up, he tried to see if he could see Xanders' face, but he could only see blackness. Then, the square closed, and it was as though nothing happened.

"It doesn't just open. Unless I genuinely have the intention to eat or drink, it doesn't open up."

Xander then poured himself a glass of water, bringing it up as though he was going to drink it. It dinked against the mask at the 1st attempt, however, he tried again, and the 2nd time, it opened up, and he drank the water.

Master Darius looked at Xander for a while, trying to figure out what this all meant.

"Hmmm...it seems as though that mask has been magically placed on you, and cannot be removed. What also suggests the use of magic, is how it's able to just open up like that. I couldn't see your face when it opened either. I—"

"What do you mean magic, Master Darius? Magic? I don't know what you're talking about. Before you even ask, I have no idea who or what I am. I woke up in an alley, while getting pissed on by some stray mutt that I still have to kill, and all I had on me was a pair of boxer shorts, a sword, and this mask. I have amnesia, and don't recall anything from before I woke up. I don't know where we are, or what kind of w—"

"Okay, okay, don't worry; I'll explain things as best I can. We are currently in the city of Rock; I know, it's a ridiculously stupid name for a city, but that's its name. Rock is one of the 4 main cities in the country of Drednin. The cities are Terx, Lakus, Anta, and Rock. Each of these cities is huge and filled with many people, trying to live their lives. We live in a world filled with Magic and Warriors. We..."

Master Darius then spent time explaining how the world worked, how people had abilities and Magic, special items, etc. Not wanting to bombard Xander with too much, he just explained the classes and affinities every person had, and decided to tell Xander the rest later.

"Do you have any questions so far?"

"Yes, um, what's a guild?"

"This is a guild." Master Darius said very matter-of-factly.

"I know that! I mean what IS a guild?!" This reaction caused Master Darius to laugh, and pat Xander on the shoulder.

"I know, I know, I'm just playing with you. A guild is an organization in which Mages and Warriors of every class gather together, to do jobs. Most of our jobs are protection assignments, which usually involve escorting or being body guards. We usually deal with people the police don't have the ability to deal with, and they even hire us from time to time. So for example, if there is a particular group of Raiders, whose Mages and Warriors are too powerful for the police to handle, they will hire us to do the job for them, and pay us. Compensation will be decided before acceptance of the job however, so we might accept cash, or cash plus the equipment left behind by the Raiders. Do you have any other questions?"

"Yes, is your Guild the only guild in the city?"

"No, I told you this city is huge. It's actually massive, therefore 1 guild wasn't enough. So there are actually many guilds in the city, of different sizes. We are one of the largest and strongest though. The larger guilds often get the more difficult missions, as we generally have the strongest members. There is a job board, and according to the difficulty of the job, they are categorised under D,C,B,A and S rank missions. S rank and above missions are posted on a different board, and only myself and the strongest in the Guild may take them. Also, depending on the ranking of the job you get, you may either go alone, or in a team of up to 5 members. In terms of payment, there is a set amount for each rank, so for a D rank mission, the payment will be 5000 rugals. Whether you go alone, or in a team, it'll be 5000, and will be split evenly among the group, if you of course are part of the group. Any other questions?"

"Yes, just one; how did I get here?"

"Well, after you beat those 3 men, you turned around, and your stomach growled much like it did when you 1st woke up here, then you passed out...much like you did when you 1st woke up here..." Master Darius started laughing, but was interrupted.

"Wait! My sword! Where is my sword?!"

"Calm down, it's over there, on the other side of the bed, with its point embedded deeply in the floor of my room."

Xander looked to his right, and saw his sword, perfectly straight, as though it was on a stand. He shuffled over to see it had dug itself into the floor.

"Oh shit! Sorry about that Master Darius, how did that—"

"Don't worry about it; the floor can always be fixed. Anyway, what's up with that sword? When you passed out, you refused to relinquish your grip of the sword. I had some of the lower level guys come and carry from the spot we were in, and when they lifted you up, it was difficult to carry you because of your height, and the size of that sword, but somehow, they managed. After I had them bring you into my room and place you on the bed, it took all of us about 10 minutes to pry each of your fingers off of the handle of the sword. When we succeeded, the bed suddenly dipped, and it looked as though my bed was about to collapse. One of the guys just touched the blade, and was instantly cut, along his entire arm. Then by accident, one of them let go of your hand, and when it came into contact with the handle of the blade, the cut stopped making its way up his arm. When I touched the blade, it was as blunt as that guy who tried to jump me that night!"

Master Darius laughed, but when Xander didn't, he cleared his throat and continued with relaying what happened.

"Anyway, so I deduced that, that sword is magically tied to you. While you were touching it, it was as harmless as a rabbit, but the moment you stopped touching it, it became insanely sharp, as you can see. While the guy who was cut was receiving attention so as not to bleed all over the place, the rest of us moved the blade, and stood it up in that spot, making sure you were holding it. When we removed your hand from the handle, it instantly became heavy and sharp again, cutting into the floor as though it was cutting into soft butter."

"Ohhhh, so that would explain why it embedded itself into the wall when it flew from my hand, but was able to be used as a walking stick when I needed it. Also, that's why it didn't cut into my flesh when I rested it on my shoulder. Oh, by the way, what were you doing in that part of town Master Darius?"

"Oh, I was on a job. Someone called in, and told us of a disturbance caused by a huge, and naked man, with strange tattoos, and a black mask. When I went to the area the call came from, I saw the carnage left there, and knew that somebody strong did it, at that point—"

"Wait, what ranking did the job have?"

"D, however it had been so long since I had been on the field that I decided to go while no one was looking. Anyway, so I went to that area, looking for that person, and found those thugs instead. What surprised me though, was when the 'bad man' came to my rescue, and attacked the thugs who were trying to kill me."

"But I didn't rescue you Master Darius. It took me all that I had to beat those guys, while you took the 3 of them down so quickly, it was insane. You could've handled them yourself."

"That's not the point. The moment I saw you attack the boss, I noticed how low on energy you were. You could barely stand, and looked like you would collapse at any time, yet you still took each of them down. Ok, admittedly, they weren't the strongest of foes, but you still dominated them in that condition."

"Is that why you want me to join your Guild?"

"Not at all. Even if you were weak, I'd still want you to join my Guild."

"Then why?"

"Because you jumped in to save me. You saw me reach for my weapons with complete confidence; yet that didn't matter to you. You have a sense of justice, and that's what I look for in Guild members."

"I don't know..."

"Look; I'm not going to force you, and even if you decline my offer, I'll allow you to stay until you've recovered. However, if you stay, I promise I'll do whatever I can to help you find out who you are, and how to remove that mask. You're a person with a strong sense of justice, and you also happen to be strong; just the kind of person I look for to join my Guild. What do you say?"

"Thank you."

"Is that a yes then?"

"Thank you." Xander said with a nod. He felt as though he was on the right track in finding out who he was.

"Alright Kid, get ready. We'll go down to the cafeteria, and get you some breakfast. I'll wait outside, so grab a shower, and get dressed. It was tough, but I found some clothes for you, they're at the edge of the bed."

And with that, Master Darius got up, and left the room. Xander got out of bed, and found that he was steady enough on his legs to walk normally. He went towards what looked like the bathroom door, and entered. When he did, what he saw was impressive. The bathroom was massive, and all of the fittings were perfect, and really expensive. It was slightly dark, so he looked for something to light the room up with. He ran his hands along the wall, until he saw the room light up slowly. He saw lines that ran across the length of the room, slowly lighting up in sections. Upon closer inspection, he saw what looked to be tiny creatures moving about in the Perspex like material, and he jumped back.

'What the fuck are THOSE things? Forget that, I need to take a shower, as I really stink! I can't believe Master Darius put me in his bed, the garbage smell is still on me.' He thought to himself.

Xander stepped into the shower, forgetting about his boxers. He saw two pads; one that had a red strip above it, and one that had a blue strip above it. He placed his palm above the pad with the blue strip, and a small bar lit up, as a light jet of cold water came out from the shower head above him. He then placed his palm there again, and another bar lit up, with a stronger jet coming out. Upon closer inspection, he saw how there were 10 lines in each pad, indicating 10 separate jet settings. He then continued with his experimentation until he had found an appropriate water setting, Then, he stood under the warm jet of water.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

The hot water really felt good against his skin. He felt his boxers instantly melt as they came into contact with the water.

"Just how filthy was I?!" He said, chuckling to himself.