8 Chapter 8: Gate Keeper

Luca's head started to throb from the immense strain caused by the bombardment of incoming information. The pressure forcing him to stand still and process the notification screens. Luca closed his eyes and steadied himself with deep breathing. Waiting only a few moments for the pain to pass before moving on.

The first thing Luca wanted to do was quell his rumbling hunger and get some food into his stomach. Ambition and desire to grow stronger would have to wait until after he ate. Luca looked around to see if there was any place that might have food. Ultimately, he decided to head towards the shops he had seen earlier when the elven woman had turned away from him after he had acted so unnecessarily brazenly hostile towards her.

Pushing through the crowd of humans that thronged around him, Luca walked down the sloped path that led away from the platform towards the shops. As he walked, Luca struggled with his gait. His steps were awkward and sluggish; walking had become unfamiliar for him since the accident had taken from him the use of his legs, and the newly acquired wings only complicated the problem, though he was no longer struggling with balance like before.

As Luca walked down the path, he was surprised to see that all the humans, elves, and demi-humans he walked passed quickly moved out of his way with differing amounts of reference and fear. His dark wings and wide wingspan now fully grown drew attention to him. Moving smoothly through the crowds, children of all races watched the arrival platform as they made a show of playing at tag. It was not overtly obvious, but Luca could that the children only ran around in mock play. Their presence served another purpose. Using the autonomy of age, they secretly passed reports between each other with quick whispers as runners were sent on higher to interested parties about promising newcomers.

Once he reached the bottom of the slope, Luca walked along the stone path leading away from the platform and headed straight towards the storied buildings of red brick and mortar near where he had last seen the elven woman. Trails of poisonous looking ivy with faded orange petals hung off of the building adorning the trim. Hunger distracted Luca as he walked, guiding him towards the smell of food coming from the sidewalk vendors and wafting from inside the shops. Forcing him to avoid as he moved the press of desperate bodies unwilling to accept the radical changes their lives had just undergone that reached out to him in hopelessness. Is this what humans become in this place? Refugees and beggars?

Before Luca was even able to approach the food cart at the base of the ivy-covered building, a tall, lanky looking male elf with black short-cropped military-styled hair stepped forward. The elf had an aura of extreme arrogance about him as he lazily approached. Just like the elven woman Luca was chasing after, this elf also had piercing hazel eyes that looked directly at him. I need to watch myself with this guy. Something is off about him, and he's clearly got an issue with me. Maybe a brother? The elf held up a slender hand that had been hidden in the ripped bomber jacket he was wearing, ordering with a voice of harsh authority for Luca to stop. "Hold up, human. Regardless of whatever way you've managed to disguise yourself, I can always tell one of you by the smell. A cross between piss and shit, trespassing where it doesn't belong, newly escaped from whatever cesspool it belongs in."

Before Luca could even reply and tell the elf what he thought of him, the elf sprang forward with an incredible quickness that Luca couldn't keep up with. The elf's lanky arms curled into a fist as he brought his arm up in a punch straight to Luca's gut. The force of the blow sent Luca sprawling through the air backward. Causing him to land on his back in the center of the pathway. Literally knocking the wind out of him as his lungs began to spasm.

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"Not dead yet human? Good. You might be able to survive yet if you learn your place." Said the elf as he peered down, looking over Luca's body as the boy struggled to find his breath, gasping for air from the shock of the attack. " I'm Garen, and you can refer to me as your welcoming committee. This is my city, the only place you have here is the one you carve for yourself. Soon you'll be able to, I'm sure, can smell the scent of power on you. You reek of it. I can see why she was interested, but this is Hometown, the city of the Elves, and as the leader of the elves, this is the only warning you're going to get as a courtesy for surviving. Hometown belongs to us. Watch where you step."

The elf named Garen bent down and extended a hand to Luca to help him up. A move that shocked the boy as Luca looked at Garen incredulously, furious with the elf for striking him. He grabbed the elf's extended hand and pulled up, swinging as he did a haymaker with his right arm that was born more from anger than anything. Luca's fist landed squarely against the elf's jaw, and the bones in Luca's hand fractured as a result, but as for the elf, no effect was discernable.

"Don't be rude, human, and I'll let that one slide," Said Garen with a grin, putting his hands back in his pockets. "I'm only gatekeeping. A messenger if you will. We all have our parts to play in this. Welcome to the Game."

Luca looked at his fist in shock, seeing the flesh of his hand wriggle and pulse as the bones shifted, repairing the fractures. He felt fear crawl up his spine. Even though Luca felt a strength flowing through his body that he had never known, the aura Garen was putting off completely eclipsed it. He's on an entirely different level than me. If he wanted to kill me, there is nothing I could do to stop him.

Being completely outclassed was frightening. The difference between how strong Luca had already become and the power of this elf was enormous. Garen's lanky appearance might have implied weakness, but a sixth sense and common sense both warned Luca that Garen was anything but weak. I need to make peace with him. This isn't a fight I can win.

"I'm Luca," he told the elf with some reservation mixed with resentment. What did he mean by welcome to the Game? The Genesis Game? Or something else? Luca tried to remain cordial. "I'm new here and a little disorientated. I'm trying to find someplace to get some food."

"And nothing else?" Asked Garen with an upraised eyebrow, his voice tinged with the edge of a threat. Luca thought the implied answer was obvious. Whoever the elven woman was, he would have to put off trying to find her to apologize.

"Just food Garen," replied Luca. I mean, it's not a lie. I can't remember the last time I ate. "I'm fairly hungry, and I just couldn't resist the smells coming off the food stands."

"Well now, Luca, you certainly are in luck!." Garen laughed, leering as his smile spread wider across his face. He doesn't actually enjoy this, does he? But I can tell he doesn't care either. A sociopath maybe? Luca knew the smile on Garen's face was just a mask, the way the elf's eyes move were reminiscent of a stalking predator. "Yep, definitely in luck. The actual welcoming committee is on its way. The heads of your Human Guilds making their rounds to pick up survivors and stragglers that come through the Gate of the World Dungeon, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to feed you a meal on your side of town."

"What do you mean, welcoming committee? What is the World Dungeon? ?" Asked Luca, looking around to see if anyone was coming. All I remember is being thrown through that strange gateway. "I didn't come here with the rest of them."

Garen laughed at him, a scornful unforgivable laugh. "That's dead obvious Luca. Those wings are a dead give away. No one else living has a pair. Look, you seem nice enough, but I'm not here for exposition. Just do us both a favor, turn around and walk back to where you came from. Or I'll finish what I started. You understand?

Cowed and dejected, Luca nodded, turning around and walked back to rejoin the rest of humanity that lingered on the platform.

"One more thing." Called out Garen, his voice taking an edge of serious to it. "Wherever you came from, however, you got those wings. That's your secret to keep. Just be careful with it. I'm not your friend, but I'm not your enemy either. Somebody has plans for you. Don't mess it up doing human things."