Fantasy Hunters by Mel Hartman - HTML preview

I saw the look on the mayor’s face. “And the use of it is traceable,” I stated before he thought of continuing his black arts in secret.

He nodded resignedly. “I’m already feeling at home in this new world,” he said.

I put my hand on his shoulder. He didn’t respond to the touch. “Nothing prevents you from continuing many of the good sides of your way of life, as long as you don’t turn your village into a prison.” 

He nodded again. “I’ve got some thinking to do.”

“Maybe I’ll come back and take a look one day.” I meant it. This place had something special about it. Or maybe it had everything to do with the nice, organic food here.

“I hope it’s not meant as a threat,” the Mayor replied. He showed me a weak smile.

 

In bed my real love has always been the sleep

that rescued me by allowing me to dream.

(Luigi Pirandello)

13

In bed in Kalon’s arms, he was sleeping and breathing peacefully next to me, I let my thoughts take their course. I wasn’t tired; too much adrenaline and endorphins were running through my body. I felt happy, almost euphoric. Obviously, I had been through quite a lot without a scratch. 

Aspen had already told me that those nasty voices in her head were completely gone. The scanners no longer recorded suspicious energy peaks. Clearly, the energy vampires were completely wiped out this time. The person, who could handle those creatures, could possibly handle anything.

Strangely enough, it did leave me with the feeling that I lost something. Extinct life forms, dangerous as they may be, leave behind a void. Not everyone could feel it. Maybe one day, I’d write an article about it, or a book. That way, some little piece of them would survive, after all.

The Council and the IFG had showed us their gratitude by giving a large bonus and an extra vacation. We could definitely use some time off, in my case, preferably with Kalon.

I had asked Kalon to move in with me after our vacation. He only stated one serious condition: the apartment had to be darkened.

Ewok didn’t have problems with it either. As long as she could enjoy the company of werewolves, everything was fine by her.

Life seemed easy and wonderful, at least for a while.

The next day, Aspen stood on my doorstep. It wasn’t the first time, but it still surprised me. Aspen didn’t really like our dimension, just as every other ratiobeing. The only difference was that she had established some kind of relationship with an emobeing, with me.

I tried to remind myself that I was on vacation. I shouldn’t immediately put my entire system on red alert. Who knows, maybe Aspen wanted to treat herself with a surprise holiday through the Portal. 

“Hey, nice to see you,” I said, and I meant it. I let her in my apartment.

“Coffee? At his time of day, I usually drink some blood.”

Aspen frowned. “Blood!” as she tried her best to hide her disgust.

I switched on my coffee machine. “I just like it, that’s all. I think it has something to do with my vampire genes. It’s just pigs blood, if that can assure you. It’s hard to find human blood these days.” I put on a sardonic grin while I gave her a steaming cup of coffee. “It’s not more horrible than eating meat, something you probably do too.”

She nodded slowly. The good thing about Aspen was that she was open to things outside her own environment. Like the fact that my lover was a vampire.

To my surprise, Ewok jumped on her lap. Aspen barely seemed to notice it. She stroked her head and neck absent-mindedly. The scoundrel clearly enjoyed it.

Ewok caught my gaze. She is nice.

I ignored her.

“It’s such a shame that I have no telepathic abilities,” Aspen said as if she had noticed something of Ewok’s reaction, after all.

“I can talk with animals because of my elf blood. But you can still develop the telepathic ability to communicate with human beings. Everyone has that potential. The only problem is activating it.”

“Yeah, right!” She did not seem to believe it.

“It’s a bit like reading. Every child has the potential, but they still need to learn it.”

“You’re way too gifted,” Aspen stated. However, her aura didn’t show any sign of jealousy.

“Oh well, it’s my mix of genes…”

“What good could the company of an ordinary computer freak like me do to someone like you?”

I smiled. “You’ve got so much more hidden inside you than you seem to realize.” I meant it. Aspen started to interest me more and more.

I pointed at her empty cup. “Want a refill?”

“I would rather have some wine, if that’s possible?”

I walked to the kitchen. As I opened a bottle of red wine, I wondered what had brought her to Emo World. I could have read her mind, but that would have been indiscreet and unfair.

When I appeared with the bottle and two glasses, Aspen asked: “How are things with Kalon?”

“Better than ever. We have some serious plans. Unfortunately he has to work late today.”

“Is it different to have sex with a vampire?” Her words seemed to have startled her. Her face turned red and she averted her eyes. “Sorry.”

I chuckled. “There is no such thing as an embarrassing question in Emo World, Aspen. Not even about sex, especially not about sex.”

“I still need to get used to it…”

“Sex with a vampire is different from sex with a human being or with a snakebeing, or with an undine for that matter. Every being has its own specific characteristics, and that is what makes it exciting. With a vampire, it usually is wild, passionate, and a little bloody though they can often be tender and sensual. Whatever you like.”

Aspen was surprised. “Do they bite your neck, like in those old stories?”

“A little bit, to release a single drop of blood. Afterwards, he licks the wound until it makes you climax.” I gazed dreamily into space.

Aspen shifted back and forth on her chair, but as usual, her curiosity triumphed. “What’s an undine?”

“A water nymph,” I educated her.

“Oh yeah, I’ve read about them…” She thought about it. “But aren’t they feminine?”

“They manifest themselves in a female form. According to mythology, they are elementals, messengers of the gods. But gods don’t exist.”

Though Kalon had doubts about that, I thought. He idolized someone called Hecate, some sort of super elf who is told to manifest in both dimensions. That adoration surprised me a little, Kalon was usually so down-to-earth. Gods, in any shape or form, were invented by Ratio World. Though you could ask yourself where those people found that idea in the first place…  

I poured out the wine and handed a glass to Aspen. She took a large gulp before she asked tentatively: “So you’ve had sex with a woman?”

“Not really, undines are bisexual. If they take on a human form, it’s usually that of a woman. Oh well, man or woman, sex is sex.” I drank my wine. “Undines are extremely sensitive and tender. They slide and flow over you like hot oil.”

“I eh… I’ve never done it before. Made love, I mean.”

That didn’t surprise me, though that confession obviously cost her lots of courage. In Ratio World a life without sex was normal. Reproduction generally happened in laboratories.

I refilled her glass. “But you would want to?”

“Ratiobeings find the whole thing kind of eh… dirty.”

I put my hand on Aspen’s. It felt as soft as velvet. “What do you think of it?”

She didn’t pull back her hand, though I had felt a light shudder when I touched her, typical response of ratiobeings when they’re suddenly touched.

“I think… I think it’s something completely natural.” She seemed uncomfortable.

“You can sleep with Kalon, if you want and if he wants to.”

Aspen stared at me, frightened. “What?”

“He can be very gentle.”

“But Kate… he’s your boyfriend!”

“He is my soul mate, my lover, and soon he’ll be my life companion, but I don’t own him.” I smiled when I saw the incredulous look on her face. “If Kalon wants to be faithful to me, it will be his choice. We live in Emo World, Aspen.” I made sure I emphasized that last sentence.

She nodded slowly. “He would have to find me attractive first.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself, Aspen. You’re incredibly hot, you know that?” Even though he would really have to lean down to reach things.

Her face turned red again. Then she suddenly asked: “What do you think of Aqua?”

I shrugged. “He’s nice, but a bit too cold.” But he compensated that by acting bloodthirstily during our missions, I thought.

“You probably find every ratiobeing too cold, don’t you?” Aspen remarked.

Did Aspen have a thing for Aqua? I thought ratiobeings weren’t capable of these emotions? What a difficult dimension to live in, damned difficult though ratiobeings probably thought that the lack of deep emotions simplified life.

Kate Lillian?

That was a call from the Council.

I’m listening. I almost told them to leave me alone, I’m on vacation, but you couldn’t say something like that to the Council. They came close to what ratiobeings used to call a Supreme Being. At any rate, there wasn’t much in both dimensions that they didn’t know of.

Aspen looked at me questioningly, but I ignored her.

We have a problem, the Council said.

This time, I did look at Aspen. Did she already hear what was going on?

Which creature is it this time that managed to escape to Ratio World? I suddenly realized that it had to be more serious than that. They obviously found it necessary to disturb me here and now.

Trouble in Emo World this time! Kate, you’ll have to put off your vacation for a while.

“Oh, great,” I said aloud. Aspen frowned, as though she didn’t know what was going on, after all.

To my disbelief, I was told that it involved a drug problem. I couldn’t believe it because you didn’t need to use drugs in Emo World. This dimension is so fantastic, so fairy-like and bizarre. Drugs would only make life more normal, instead of more insane. Or at least, the definition of ‘normal’ used in Ratio World. What would you miss in a world where dreams come true, where you can do whatever you like, and where the word taboo barely has a meaning? 

We have a strong suspicion that some emobeings are using pills to make it possible to dream.

Well, I’ll be damned. There wasn’t much that could surprise me, but this was absurd. Emobeings never dreamed. That was the biggest difference between both kinds. Since our life was already some sort of dream, we didn’t need that kind of release. Ratiobeings did need it, but they didn’t seem to realize it yet. Not even as their society became increasingly numb by taking anti-dream pills. It was a worrying development with fatal consequences in the long run.

Now there seemed to be emobeings who wanted to dream. And on top of that, they were taking drugs for it.

I asked, still in disbelief: Does that stuff really work?

The pills work, but your minds aren’t made for dreaming. It will have catastrophic effects.

I nodded. The Council wanted me and Aspen to investigate the matter. That’s why she was here. Without her knowing it, they had led her to me. That’s one illusion less.

Why Aspen?

The input of a ratiobeing can be useful. She understands the concept of dreaming.

Why me?

Your blood is more powerful than that of ordinary emobeings.

Resignedly, I asked: Where can we find those drug users?

For the time being, you can find them in the so-called Dream Clubs, but the phenomenon seems to be spreading. These clubs are operated by rupa angels.

I thought they were only concerned about taking care of sick people and animals?

That’s part of the problem. We don’t know what made them change their minds. Keep us informed.

The Council broke off contact.

I sighed and took a large gulp of wine. It tasted bitter, like a terrible night of rain.

Aspen asked hesitantly: “What’s wrong?”

I told her the situation.

“Rupa angels,” she said. She didn’t seem shocked. Apparently, angels evoked less terrifying feelings than vampires. “I’ve never heard of them before.”

“They are creatures of a high ethereal, astral and mental level. They generally distance themselves from the tangible world.”

I couldn’t image what role they were playing in this situation.

“Taking drugs to dream, that’s absurd!” Aspen said.

I was more worried about the disturbing thought that rupa angels were changing into drug dealers. Had there been a vortex activated?

For a moment, it seemed as though Aspen could read my mind. She asked: “Have there recently been any vortex sightings?”

“The Council would have told me that.”

A vortex was some sort of invisible whirlpool in which good and evil, black and white, beautiful and ugly, or in other words, all kinds of opposites were twisted and mixed up. However, this natural phenomenon was extremely rare. Besides, the Council had ways to track vortexes. 

“Your first assignment in Emo World,” I stated.

Aspen was looking skeptical. “Yeah, that’s just what I’ve been waiting for.”

“And I thought you were visiting me out of kindness.”

“I was.” She looked confused. “At least I thought I was.”

I didn’t go more deeply into it. “Anyway, it’s a nice opportunity for you to get to know Emo World.”

“Like a dream come true,” Aspen replied.

I thought she was being sarcastic, but she seemed to mean it. Apparently, she missed her dreams of old. Every ratiobeing missed them, but not many of them realized it.

Pensively, she asked: “Where would emobeings go to when they dream? When we did it, we ended up here, even though we weren’t aware of it. But how would that be in your case?”

“It’s new for me too, Aspen.”

Suddenly it seemed interesting to find it out for myself. It would be a whole new experience. Unnatural for us, of course, but as usual, my curiosity was too strong for my own good.

I rose up decisively. “We could start by looking for a Dream Club, like the Council told me,” I said. “Let’s make ourselves presentable.”

Apparently my vacation was over.

I put on a pale blue blouse which emphasized my firm breasts, and simple stretchy pants worn tightly around my thighs. Simple and sexy, I thought.

Aspen didn’t need much, she was already really attractive. The crazy part was that she didn’t realize it at all. She probably had more binary codes running through her veins than female hormones.

“I’m nervous,” Aspen confessed when we left home.

“I won’t let you out of my sight,” I promised. Not exactly a horrible job, but I kept it to myself.

The night was falling. Aspen looked anxiously at what she thought were strange creatures leaving their houses under the disappearing sun.

“We’ll drop in at Kalon’s first,” I announced. “He likes to know what I’m doing.”

Aspen raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“He thinks my job is kind of frightening.”

The witches were locking up their doors, except for several night shops. They were hard workers, those witches. As they closed the shops, the tempting smells that persuaded you to buy things faded. It was a good thing, because a ratiobeing like Aspen would not have resisted them.

“Hey! Kate.” The young Neder waved from across the street.

Aspen pulled my sleeve. “Horns, black lips, and pointy tail, is that a demon?” She nearly whispered.

“A fire demon yes,” I replied.

When Neder approached us, Aspen hid behind my back.

“They’re kind-hearted,” I assured her.

“Good to see you,” Neder said.

“It sure is.”

“My interview was a great success. I even got a promotion. They made me editor.”

He had grown a lot in that short period of time, I noticed. Last time I saw him, he had still been a shy stuttering little demon. Fire demons mature a lot during particular phases of their long life, especially during their puberty. I barely recognized him. He even smelled like maturity.

“Well, well, congratulations!”

“I wanted to thank you,” Neder looked at Aspen who was still partially hiding behind me. “Hello, who are you? I’m Neder.”

He seemed to want to hug her, but Aspen backed away awkwardly. Then, she cautiously held out her hand to him.

“She is a ratiobeing,” I explained when Neder looked at me, puzzled.

“A dreamer?” he asked.

“No, awake.”

“Oh.” As I read his aura I could see he felt a little insulted, but he seemed to understand it. Demons simply had a bad reputation in Ratio World, though they were extremely nice in reality.

I asked: “You don’t happen to know a Dream Club, do you? It seems to be popular these days.”

Neder thought about it. “Not really… maybe that new place, which used to be a cave of power animals near the Leprechaun Forest.”

I nodded. “You could be right.”

Meeting Neder wasn’t a coincidence. Coincidence as I said before didn’t exist in Emo World. When we left my apartment I already knew something or someone would cross our path to help us out.

We went on. I hoped that the company where Kalon worked hadn’t changed its location. As I said before: Emo World wasn’t always simple to live in. It sure was fun and never boring, but not simple.

“What are power animals?” Aspen wanted to know.

“They appear to be normal animals, but they’re not. They help people. For example, when you need more muscles, you evoke the power animal of a bear. Or if you need order in your life, you evoke a vulture, those are natural born cleaners. The only ratiobeings who believed in them and evoked them regularly were shamans.”

Darkness had fallen completely. It wasn’t a problem for me; thanks to my vampire blood I had excellent night vision. I loved the smell of the Mirabilis Jalapa, or nightshade, whose flowers open at night.

Aspen looked at me from aside. “You know what I find extraordinary? In Emo World, so many different creatures live together in peace and harmony. That seems impossible in Ratio World. For thousands of years, we have been knocking each other’s brains out.”

“The real art is cherishing the differences instead of judging them, though trolls and underwater demons are also at each other’s throats sometimes. That’s because of some stupid misunderstanding. Nobody takes that feud serious anymore; it has become part of the folklore.”  

I saw Kalon. He and his boss were standing at the exit of the company. His employer was a pleasant, easy-going emoman with a large belly, and a round, friendly face. Kalon and his boss got along very well. Probably they had the same sense of humor.

Kalon was someone who carried things around. It was hard work with a lot of dragging and lugging. Brainless work, he called it. He needed to get rid of his excess energy. And he had nice co-workers.

When he saw me, he walked over and we hugged.

I knew Aspen was probably looking a bit awkward, especially because of my previous proposition. I briefly breathed in Kalon’s spicy odor, a combination of aftershave and wet wooden crates.

I told him about our mission. Kalon sighed, but he knew that it was useless to protest against it. He had already given up the attempts to make me find another job. I simply needed my daily dose of excitement. “Be careful,” was the only thing he still said.

“You two look nice,” Kalon said. He let his eyes wander over Aspen’s shapely body.

“Thanks,” she muttered. I could almost feel her glow.

“I’m hoping to see you tonight,” Kalon said as we were walking away.

“Make sure you have enough energy,” I replied.

I heard his boss laugh as though he had just heard the best joke ever.

To my surprise, we immediately found the Leprechaun Forest. Fortunately, we didn’t have to enter it. The cave we were looking for was situated on the south edge of the forest. At least, it was supposed to be there. We were still in luck; the cave was in the same place.

The Leprechaun Forest was surrounded by caves. During the years, these caves had grown along with the forests, as though they needed each other.   

Aspen was clearly worried. “Rupa angels look human, don’t they?”

“Most of the time yes. Certainly among emobeings.”

We heard music, a mix of old fashioned Ratio World trance with gnome beat. An inflaming rhythm that could get you intoxicated.

Several emobeings were chatting at the entrance of the cave. They weren’t paying attention to us, and there wasn’t a doorkeeper. We could just enter the place. That seemed strange if they were doing things that weren’t kosher.

The entrance hall of the cave was lit with candles and it smelled musty. It was a mixture of sweat, candle wax, and a hint of opium incense, an oriental aroma. The high-backed red velvet sofas looked new. The rest of the interior was rather plain.

In a corner a few leprechauns were seated on the lap of emobeings. They sipped their green drinks, and stroked the leprechauns, who enjoyed their caresses with closed eyes.

Aspen asked in a whisper: “Are those leprechauns’ prostitutes?”

The leprechauns were like teddy bears or pets. There was no prostitution in Emo World, people didn’t need it. I told Aspen. She looked surprised but she kept silent.

In another corner of the room, a vampire and an emowoman were pounding away. They were doing it very intensely, but nobody took notice of them. Aspen was embarrassed and looked away. However, another couple was doing the same thing. A woman was sitting on a bar stool with her eyes shut and a drink in her hand while a snakebeing’s long and forked tongue disappeared between her thighs. He kneeled before her, his knees on a cushion. I clearly remembered what such a tongue could do to you. That woman should be envied.

However, I noticed it was all too much for Aspen, so I took her to an adjoining room.

More candlelight and an even stronger smell of opium incense. It turned me a bit lightheaded. Emobeings were dancing to the entrancing music.

At the edge of the room, simple high tables were placed in a Spartan manner. You didn’t have to come here to admire the interior.

I looked around, searching for rupa angels. I startled as a voice sounded in my ear: “Want a dreamer?”

When I turned around, I found myself face to face with an emoman.

“What?”

“Do you want a dreamer? What else are you looking for?”

“Oh, you mean those pills that –”

“Don’t play the innocent with me, lady!”

“I didn’t know what they were called.”

The man looked impatiently at me. “Well? What about her?” He pointed at Aspen.

“Bring it on.”

“Come, it’ll be the trip of a lifetime.”

The man guided us to an empty table.

“People told me that rupa angels sold these dreamers,” I told the man.

He grinned. “What do you think I am?”

I noticed that Aspen observed him intently. He looked like an ordinary emobeing whose face you could forget in a minute, which was probably his intention.

“I thought rupa angels were healers?”

“You think too much,” he replied. “And who says dreamers don’t have healing properties?”

He seemed to be talking too easily for someone who was breaking the rules. “Isn’t it bad for emobeings? We aren’t supposed to dream, are we?”

“How bad can it be to just walk into another dimension?”

“What does it look like?”

“I don’t use those pills myself, ma’am. Would be pointless without human anatomy, wouldn’t it? Relax, ladies. A healing angel won’t do you harm.”

No fixed body, so no aura. I couldn’t see if he was lying or not.

Suddenly, Aspen asked: “I’m a ratiobeing. What can I expect if I use a dreamer?”

The man looked at her, surprised. “Ratiobeings don’t need drugs to dream, do they? I thought it was the other way around.”

“You should stay sober and keep an eye on me,” I said in her ear so the man couldn’t hear it.

“That group over there.” The rupa angel pointed at a group of teenagers sitting across the room. “They are just back from their journey, and I don’t think they will tell you much.”

I wondered what he meant by it, but I could just as well ask the teenagers myself. They were clearly having fun. They were laughing and gesturing wildly.

I looked at the rupa angel. “How much is it?”

“The first pill is for free.” He put two in my hand. “Here are your tickets to dreamland. You’ll be back for more,” he predicted.

I pulled Aspen towards the teenagers, two girls and two boys. When they noticed us, they grinned broadly but vacantly.

I introduced myself and Aspen.

“Hello, hot stuff,” the skinnier of the two boys said. He was starting to have a thin beard and his eyes were bulging.

I ignored his lustful stare. “Can you tell us something about these so-called ‘dreamers’?”

One of the girls giggled. Her blond hair was put up so high her head seemed twice as long. “O yeah, the dreamers…” she said.

Her friend stared vacantly at the ceiling.

The other boy looked relatively normal. “What do you want to know?” he asked.

“Well, what that stuff does to you, what did you think?”

“Oh man, that’s so hard to explain,” the first boy said.

“It’s like explaining an orgasm to someone who hasn’t had sex before,” his friend found.

“Which dimension do you end up in? Is it safe?”

“Safe?” The beard guy stared pensively into space.

“You get a headache afterwards,” the other one said.

“How long have you been doing it?” 

“I’ll have to check my journal,” Blondie said. She giggled.

I hoped that their irritating, sluggish behavior was just teenager attitude and not an effect of the drug.

Aspen asked impatiently: “How long does a trip last?”

“Oh, a couple of hours.”

It surprised me. “What do you experience during it?”

The beard guy shook his head pityingly. “She’s hot, but she’s completely clueless.”

I started to suspect that they were put to silence. That’s why the rupa angel had claimed that they wouldn’t tell us much. I was just going to have to take the risk with the possibility that the stuff didn’t work on me. Like the truth serum in Nekor.

“We’ll just have to try it,” I said.

“Have fun,” the bearded guy called when we walked away. “We’ll see you again.”

I hoped we wouldn’t.

When we were back outside, Aspen asked: “Are you sure you want to take the risk?”

“We need to know what it does, Aspen.”

“It could be dangerous!”

“I’m pretty sure it won’t kill me.”

Fortunately, we could leave the Leprechaun Forest behind us. It looked menacingly in the dark.

“You’ll have to hold my hand,” I said to Aspen. “If something goes wrong, you can call Kalon, or you can alarm the group.”

“Something’s not right,” Aspen said.

She had a point. It didn’t seem right that rupa angels were pretending to be dealers, and it was highly unusual that emobeings resorted to drugs.

The streets of the city were practically empty, which was a good thing. I liked empty streets. They calmed my nerves.

“I’ll do it tomorrow,” I promised Aspen. “If I made a wrong decision, fate will let me know in one way or another before it’s too late.”

Aspen didn’t seem convinced. Ratiobeings were simply deaf and blind when it came to those things. But she kept silent.

She decided to go home and return the next day. Apparently she had enough of Emo World. I knew how it felt, but the other way around.

I brought her to the airport. As I walked home deep in thought, a clapping noise startled me. A little further down the road stood a man in long robes, adorned with multicolored feathers. He staggered as though he were drunk and clapped his hands, a loud and annoying noise in the silence of the night. However, he immediately stopped when he noticed I was looking at him.

Something wasn’t right; the man loo