Chapter 3-74 - Citybound Guides (1/2)

“It’s big...” Julio muttered. “Dangerous. Bigger than us.”

“Yes!” I agreed emphatically. “Let me be very clear with something, you guys.” I got all their eyes on me as I turned around. “A Citybound Pact is a Local Pact. You are caretakers, fix-it guys, troubleshooters, janitors, and exterminators, and sometimes, you will need to be defenders.

“But you’re not like Heavenbound. Heavenbound are warriors. Master Fred is a consummately lethal individual. His job is to fight on behalf of Heaven. One of the reasons he puts up with the side tasks Baltimore has him do is that Heaven generally doesn’t have him pulling light duties like that.

“A Heavenbound Pact is a Warrior’s Pact. It is made for sniffing out Evil and killing it dead.

“It is not made for caring for a city and its people.”

The cool sea breeze rustled past as they looked at me, out at the waves past them, and the danger lurking in it, somewhere.

“So, you’re going to have to learn to fight. Your Wrath can help you a little with that... but not all that much. The disciplines you have access to are not designed for combat. You exist to support the city.

“If you want to defend her, you are going to have to learn how to fight on your own.” I held up the book I had not finished scribing in. “I am writing guidelines for you in here. But you are going to need to learn how to fight, and that means finding someone who can show you what you need to know.

“Let’s go. Just follow the edge of Baltimore’s Domain, and mark it into your memories. You need to know exactly where you are strong, and where you lose the power of the city.”

------

“So, what does the city tell you when you see it?” I asked them, as they looked at the temple to Aru.

“They protect the city.”

“They heal up the people, and make things to fix them.”

“They bring a lot of light.”

“So, Baltimore likes what they do and wants to keep them around,” I framed it, and they all nodded slowly, odd looks on their faces. “Didn’t think they deserved their rep, did you?”

They all flinched a bit at my reading them so well. I smirked. They were street kids. Of course they envied and dissed the shiny people...

“The guy who can teach you guys to be rock-hard bastards who can take care of themselves works out of here. I’m going to put his number in the back of this book. When you are done reading it, and done talking over between yourselves what you want to do, you can go see him.

“There are only two reasons he will bother to talk to you. The first is because I’ll ask him, and the second is because you’re Citybound in the city he’s living in.”

“Who, who is it?” Julio had to ask at the grim note to my voice.

“Commander Briggs.”

As expected, they all instantly froze up. “C-Commander Briggs? You know Commander Briggs?” Damian squeaked.

“All seven feet two inches of him, yes.” My voice dropped again. “Remember how I was telling you that you need to know people, to get stuff done? This is a very, very good person to know, and you better fucking treasure knowing him.

“He will turn you into complete badasses that can help defend this town... or he can crush you all like bugs. You will treat him with great respect, and since you are Citybound here, he will treat you with respect. You act like a punk with him, and you’ll be damn lucky if all you get is broken bones out of it. He has no patience for attitude whatsoever.”

I totally and firmly believed that there was no possible damn way these guys wouldn’t be wet noodles in front of a Source like Briggs, but at least they could know to expect it.

“G-got it! Holy shit, you know Commander Briggs...”

“Man, I want an autograph...”

“He’ll lose all respect for you if you ask. So, don’t,” I said firmly.

“Right, right...”

“Now, drive. Stay right at the border of Baltimore’s influence, and just drive. When you’re done, you’ll know where you are weak, where you are strong... and where the people who might want to kill you will try to lure you.”

That got their mind back on business. Julio pulled out of the parking lot of the Temple, completely unaware that Briggs was watching from off to the side. He had a tracker on my phone, and Fred told him what I was doing. I wanted to wave to him, but he couldn’t see me anyways.

----------------

I formally handed the Citybound Guide to Ubah Powah over to them when they dropped me off at home. Chulvat snatched it up before the other two could, grabbing and hugging it. He looked like the nerdiest of the three, so I wasn’t surprised.

“Now, you three go home, get some sleep. When you’re done, you read. When all three of you are done reading, you talk. You get out some pen and paper, and you plan a little bit.

“Then you call that number there, and get prepared to become somebody.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the three of them said very respectfully, their attitudes changed after that long night’s ride.