Canaan Club - 12. Chapter 12

The interior of the dorm rooms was a lot better than a lot of ones he’s seen in photos. For first-years, there was a lot of space for two people. It looked more like a wizard’s bedroom, mini-queen beds on each side of the room along with their own desks with a large window in between, a sliding closet door adjacent to the exit, and a small couch beside it.

It was inhabitable, and that was all that Rafe had cared about. Andre, on the other hand, had been gushing about from the curtains to the floor plan. It made the superhuman a little miffed. Not at Andre, but Graybite and their agenda against omegas in general.

Currently, Rafe’s eyes were shooting open, having been in the middle of a nap, to stare up into the faces of Andre and Joe, who appeared a lot farther above the omé. He was about to question this when the Ares super beat him to it.

“Hey, bro! Wake up! It’s explorin’ time!”

Rafe huffed as he sat up from his bed, but immediately stopped short when he noticed Joe standing a few inches taller. Well, technically, he was standing, but just not on anything. Rafe eyed his noirette friend up and down in surprise and confusion while the latter grinned cheekily down at him. It formed a not-so-tiny ball of jealousy in his stomach to see it, but it was also a sign.

A good sign.

One that told him that he might not need to wait that long to get the coveted power he needed in the long run.

He shook his head as he climbed out of bed. “A gym is first on our list.”

Turns out, there was a spacious fitness center in the basement of each Society building, all with the basic equipment to qualify – weights, machines, locker rooms, and even a miniature bar for healthy foods and drinks. Of course, what separated it from a regular human gym was the other species taken into consideration. So, there was a variety of gear Rafe didn’t even think existed.

“Looks like you’ll be here a lot, won’t you, Rafe?” Andre smirked at him.

The blond rolled his eyes. “Don’t you know me by now? I’ll probably wear this place out in a couple of months flat.”

“Big words, bro,” Joe snickered as he easily lifted a barbell with three one-hundred-pound weight plates on each side with one arm. “But I bet the upperclassmen have better, bigger stuff than this.”

“If that’s the case, then I suggest a break-in.”

Soon, they sauntered out of their Society dorm building and out into the dark, vast expanse of Ironward. The monoliths resembled towering lighthouses under the night, starry sky, and the little glints of light in the background that was now known to be the downtown area of the island they were currently on enhanced the spangled picture.

It wasn’t a long distance from the Adam Society to the main ironward building. It was silent and empty when the trio entered the place, not even a security guard was present. Beside them was a fountain, its light, rushing waters the only sound being emitted throughout the whole monolith interior. Looking up, it was a vertical stretch of darkness that led into a pitch-black abyss.

“Jeez,” Andre stared upward, gaping. “This place is kinda spooky at night. Like an evil king’s tower.”

“Hold up,” Joe said before shooting off the ground, defying gravity as he soared up over a hundred feet into the air. He slowly spun around, checking for anything of interest within the shadows.

“See anyone up there?” Andre asked.

“Nah. Just a lot of classrooms and offices. And a bunch of statues.”

Rafe watched the omé as he took a couple of steps forward before freezing, his ears beginning to twitch.

“Was is it?” the blond asked. “You hear something?”

“It’s… very faint,” he lowered himself onto his knees to place an ear on the floor. “Like something is blocking most of the sound, but I can still feel little vibrations here and there. I think I just landed on the sweet spot.”

Rafe looked around once more, scrutinizing everything with that piece of knowledge in mind. “Looks like this place is a lot taller than we thought.”

Joe floated down to land in between them, a stunned expression on his face. “An underground basement? Jesus, how big does this place need to be?”

Rafe started to walk again as he answered. “They’ve probably been adding on to it over the years. Who knows? Maybe they’ve built a place near the Earth’s core.”

“At this rate, bro, I wouldn’t put it past them. Sounds pretty sick, though. You think we could reach Hell?”

“I heard all the cool people go down there,” mentioned Andre, chuckling when Rafe gave him an odd look. “Renkin said he met the devil once, too. Pretty chill guy.”

The Hermes superhuman pursed his lips, keeping a few choice words about his friend’s alpha on his tongue.

“I bet he did.”

Andre trudged ahead of them as they progressed through dimly lit hallways, their footsteps nearly soundless, it was a wonder how the omé wolf was able to hear anything at all. Up ahead was a set of stairs that led down, but as they came upon the first step, the sound of lips smacking together reached them.

Rafe groaned in annoyance while the other two blushed.

On the platform below was a brown-winged male with talons for limbs curling a long lion’s tail across the lower back of a big, burly guy covered in gray fur from head to toe as they locked lips, completely oblivious to the presence of three other people.

For a whole minute, they stood there as the two beings swapped spit, Andre unsure of how to pass them by. Seeing this, Rafe scoffed and placed his arm around the omé.

“Keep moving,” he spoke aloud as he pulled Andre along, Joe trailing behind them slowly. “Nothing to see here.”

Nothing perturbed the sloppy smooching duo, and as they rushed past, Rafe caught a whiff of vodka. The smell alone was enough for a tidal wave of memories to come flashing through, but the blond was quick to put up mental barriers to keep them back.

“They must be mates,” Andre commented when they made it to the end of the staircase.

“Does everyone on the entire planet need to know that?”

The wolf eyed his superhuman friend with an unreadable glint, which Rafe happened to notice.

“What?”

Though, Andre just shrugged. “Nothin’.”

They got lost several times, realizing the maze Ironwafd truly was. In one corner of the lower levels was a janitor’s closet, which Andre mistook for a bathroom. When he barged in, the last thing he expected to see was a robed, redheaded dude with a glowing letter on his forehead levitating two feet off the ground.

“Oops. Sorry, mister,” Andre whispered apologetically as he moved to gently shut the door.

The guy remained silent, his eyes closed and his body continuing to hover.

“Is he sleeping?” Joe asked.

“In a janitor’s closet?” Rafe added his inquiries.

Andre shook his head, sniggering. “Meditating.”

“In a janitor’s closet.”

“Walled places usually do it for the typical sorcerer.”

The next room they erroneously entered contained a tall and stout ogre, a sheen of sweat pasting the black strings of hair to his wrinkly forehead. That and his protruding stomach. Dressed in only a loincloth, the ogre was busy swinging a bo staff at an invisible enemy when the trio walked in.

The large individual’s small, dark eyes dissected the three like bugs before settling on Joe.

“Black-haired, tall one,” he pointed a pudgy, green finger. “Come fight Bogrut.”

Joe blinked, swallowing before taking a step back. “Uh, sorry, man. Wrong room.”

“No! Come and fight Bogrut now! Bogrut need sparring partner.”

“Um, we’re not here for a fight,” Andre lifted his hands in surrender.

Rafe just looked around the area they were in. It was another training room for sure if the busted sandbags and cracked, beige walls had anything to say about it. Other than that, it was basically empty.

“I see,” Bogrut grumbled. “Tiny boys here for party.”

“I’d love to party with you, dude,” Joe spoke, “but we didn’t exactly bring the right equipment to raise the roof.”

It was silent for a moment before Bogrut let out a loud, booming laugh, setting down his bo staff as he stomped over to the three. He reached over and patted Joe on the back, which was equivalent to being hit by a boulder. The Ares superhuman nearly tripped as he was knocked forward, catching himself before his nose met the floor.

“No, no! Bogrut only fight and train. Party down in basement. Classamtes dancing and rutting. Not for Bogrut.”

“There’s a party going on down here?” Rafe questions, scratching at his nose to hide the crinkling it was doing at the guy’s body odor. He didn’t know how Andre was able to remain so passive beside him considering the super nose he owned.

“Now that we’re closer, I can definitely pick up a beat,” the omé tapped his feet upon the concrete floor. “Sounds like music.”

“Tiny boys rather party than train,” Bogrut spun around, waving a huge, dismissive hand. “No good.”

“I’ll fight you.”

The ogre slowly spun back around to direct a narrowed gaze at Rafe. “Goldilocks wants to fight Bogrut?”

“Maybe not now, but if you see me again, I definitely won’t object. You better be worth it by then.”

The two stared each other down, still as statues as the air around them charged. Bogrut leaned down closer to the superhuman, his glare growing more menacing by the second. Meanwhile, Rafe struggled not to blink. Not because his eyes were getting tired, but because of the stench.

This guy needed to take, like, fifty baths after this.

He powered through it until the beast finally leaned back and released another earsplitting roar of laughter. He, too, reached over and amiably slapped Rafe on the back. Though, this time, the blond was prepared for it, only moving an inch forward.

“Bogrut should be saying that to you, Goldilocks! Bogrut will show tiny boy true power of Magor!”

Rafe smirked a little, nodding up at the ogre. “We’ll see about that.”

-POI-

“Yikes. Sorry,” Andre whispered as he stepped away from the sleeping dragon’s tail he just accidentally strode into.

The person, a fully transformed blue wyvern the size of a couch, was napping right in front of a set of doors locked by a golden security chain. Luckily, they blocked only one side of the entrance, having decided to sleep vertically instead of horizontally.

“Hey,” Joe said, eyes widening in recognition. “We went in during my orientation. I think it’s the library.”

“One of the libraries,” Rafe responded. “The ones we went to were above ground.”

“I don’t know if we’ll get any confirmation on that, though,” Andre stared at the security chain across the gap, which had a keyhole on the padlock. “It seems to be locked.”

“Give me a sec.”

The Hermes superhuman moved forth, his sights on the chain as he got close to it. This ability still eluded him, but he knew just the way to get a small flame going. He only had to think of one name that made his temper flare.

Rhys.

Rafe’s world momentarily went red, but he kept his eyes on the chain. Heat wafted against his face before he heard a metal snap, and his vision returned to find the chain and padlock separated, the parted section charred and smoking.

“Bro! How?” Joe exclaimed as he and Andre gawked at the metal at Rafe’s feet.

“Practicing,” Rafe rolled his shoulders before pulling the door without the dormant dragon in front of it.

Cold air immediately smacked them in their faces as they trudged inside. A few dim lights in the background were enough to reveal a vast space of tall walls of bookcases, seemingly endless as they stretched into the darkness beyond. There was an ancient feel to the place, and Rafe was expecting to see cobwebs at any minute. However, the place, as much as they could see, was clean. The wooden bookcases appeared to be recently washed while the numerous computers along the side of the edge looked like the latest model. The homey vibe was present as well, divans set everywhere with a coffee machine just near the entrance.

Rafe, Andre, and Joe quietly swept the place. Or rather, as much as they could. Each case was labeled, from elementary school subjects such as math, science, and English to more mage-like ideas, like magic and its origins.

“They have books on everything,” the omé flipped through one particularly hefty book. “Griffins, centaurs, demons, werewolves, and even humans.”

“They have a bunch of secret society shit over here, too,” Joe read the titles. “Grysondo Wanderers, the Pylon of Meat and Ashes, and… whoa…”

“What?” Rafe turned to him.

“There’s a book on Wolframite, too, bro.”

The blond was by him in an instant. “No way.”

“It says right here, man. Of course, they need to have best-selling authors under their belt. I bet you a grand a bot wrote this.”

“The Automatic Problem” by Doctor Jane Sully. One of the world’s best-selling authors, apparently. It was most likely an alias. When it came to books in the COW, they were usually instruction manuals and how-tos for dummies. Nothing noteworthy in a corporation. Not even a good paycheck. Writers were essentially a part of a team, scribing a guidebook on a bigger, much more well-known project. And if that were to go wrong, like an automaton accidentally killing the person who bought it – which happened more often than not before the Irons took over the business – then at least the author’s yard won’t be filled with angry and vengeful protesters.

“Yeah, I’m not taking that bet,” Rafe sneered at the book as if it personally offended him. Toby would have a field day ripping the shit in this book apart.

“Do you know any-” Andre stopped short when both his ears and his nose twitched. “Hold up. I think I smell something. Or someone.”

“What is it this time?”

The omé led them deeper into the library. The room had a very “crescent” shape to it as their journey had their pathway arcing left. They soon came upon a row of rooms, each one having a sizable window to peer into beside an entrance door.

Study rooms.

And in one of them contained a short, blue-haired, and pasty girl, slowly circling a desk with a book in her hand, and a tall, burly guy with a crew cut and a leather jacket, a menacing grin on his lips and wicked glint in his dark eyes as he leisurely followed her movements.

Like a predator tracking its prey.

“Who’re they?” Joe wondered aloud.

“The girl in there. She’s…” Andre sniffed again, “she’s afraid.”

She didn’t look all that scared. Rafe noted the angry scowl on her face directed at the smirking, smug biggo on her tail.

“You don’t think-”

Andre didn’t stay for Joe’s response, cautiously sauntering toward the study room the two were perusing around in.

“Hey! Andre, don’t!” Rafe tried to stop him, but the omé ignored his friend.

Pursing his lips, he decided to let him go but kept a short distance away just in case anything happened. It wasn’t that he was indifferent to whatever was happening. Assessing the situation was something he needed to get used to. Though, his longtime friend did have a very trusty nose, always knowing when danger was around the corner.

Rafe just wished his wolf buddy had the strength to back it up.

“…don’t know why you’re making this such a big deal,” the guy’s baritone voice unmuffled when Andre opened the door and strolled in. “It’s nothing special.”

The two either didn’t notice or ignored the trio’s appearance and intrusion.

The girl bravely bit back at him. “Well excuse me for being cautious when a twenty-year-old invites an underage girl to a ‘small get-together.’”

All of a sudden, Rafe was glad they came here. Looks like this freak needed a lesson taught.

The dude shrugged it off like nothing, a slimy, sly smile splitting his hairy face. “But that’s the thing, baby. You don’t look underage. That’s supposed to be a compliment.”

“You actually cannot be serious right now,” the girl spat, wincing away in disgust. “You’re such a creep.”

“Aren’t gals like you supposed to be interested in older-”

“Uh, hey,” Andre meekly came beside the girl, stopping their circling. “You okay? Is he bothering you?”

The guy frowned in confusion. “Who the fuck…?”

“U-Um, I, uh…” stammered the indigo-haired girl stammered, just as puzzled.

“Don’t tell me. Is he your ‘of-age’ boyfriend?” he gave Andre a once-over and sneered, turning his nose up at the smaller male. “He’s a wolf, I’ll give you that. But an omé? A lowly commoner?”

Those disparaging remarks seemed to wipe away the mystification briefly from the girl’s face, giving him a cold glare. “First of all, what the hell are you talking about? Second,” she turned to the omega, her green eyes softening considerably, “thank you and I’m fine? And third, who are you? Not to be rude.”

“Who cares who the little bottom-feeder is!? Won’t you just-”

“My name’s Andre,” he answered happily, completely dismissing the other wolf as the insults washed off his back like water. “I scented you were in trouble, so I came just to make sure things were alright.”

“Scented?” she blinked, looking out and gaping when she saw Joe and Rafe standing there. “Is a window open in here or something?”

“Hey! Stop ignoring me!” Leather Jacket roared, his face beginning to redden.

“Actually, we got through the front door,” Andre thumbed behind him. “It was locked, but my buddy here got us through with-”

“You fucking little mongrel! Someone didn’t teach you to respect your betters! I said-”

The dude took two heavy, threatening steps forward, his black boots shaking the whole room. Rafe was about to step in when he caught the indigo girl subtly flicking a pinky finger. And as if somebody swiped at his feet, the bulky wolf was knocked over sideways, yelping as his left temple collided with the corner of the table. While he groaned in pain, she covered her mouth to hide a stream of mischievous giggles.

“Oof! Not a good first impression there, guy. You know, I’m the one who’s supposed to be swept off their feet.”

“You… goddamn bitch!”

“Um, maybe we should step out,” Andre suggested nervously, glancing between the warring individuals.

“You and your low-class dog are gonna pay for that!” Leather Jacket slowly picked himself up, and the red bruise on the side of his head began to fade, lupine healing doing its job.

Despite that, Indigo Girl kept up with her fiery temper. “Wish you hadn’t followed me now, huh, asshole!”

Said asshole got up again and proceeded with his furious approach. “Why don’t you-”

Before he could get in another step, a couple of figures blurred in front of him, revealing them to be Rafe and Joe. The two superhumans glowered down at the large wolf as they stood vigilantly before him.

“How about you take a few steps back and think about what you’re gonna do,” Rafe demanded in a growl. “Sound like a good idea?”

“Seriously? Are you all fucking her!?” the guy sputtered incredulously, but then let out a nasty cackle. “Human bitches really are dirty, stuck-up whores, aren’t they?”

While Andre cringed in discomfort, Rafe and Joe gritted their teeth in anger and disgust. But before they give Leather Jacket a piece of their mind, Indigo Girl snapped right back, and her figure started to glow a faint golden light, making Andre take a cautious step back.

“Holy hell! You’re a real piece of shit! Why don’t you come over here and say that!”

“An older dude’s dignity threatened by a younger girl?” Joe scoffed. “Sounds pretty pathetic, man.”

The wolf rolled his eyes before spitting on the table, a big glob of saliva landing on the wood. “So, all of you are just her white knights? Please! I’m a Gamma wolf. Two super monkeys, a low-level mutt, and a magical chimp with a cunt are nothing to me. I could wipe you out with my pinky finger.”

A sense of déjà vu hit Rafe, taking him back to those moments in the Graybite tribe with the inbred trio. Hat one “Axe” guy had the same big-headed disposition. He wondered if they were distant cousins.

“Then, I’ll just cut it off. What do you think about that, tiny dick?” Rafe smirked before latching onto some of that rage and mustering it into his eyes, causing them to blaze a deadly crimson.

The sight made Leather Jacket flinch the slightest bit, dark eyes widening for a split-second before quickly regaining his composure. With his crude, nonchalant attitude in place, he just dusted himself off and waved at the quad dismissively.

“Nah. I won’t waste my time with a bunch of children. Y’all probably won’t last the first day. I’ll just let that discipline you.”

“Running already?” Indigo Girl fired.

He sneered at her cruelly. “Your pussy or your little army of stick-figure pansies arent’ worth it, bitch. But if you even think about getting in my way again, then prepare to face the wrath of the Argo pack. And trust me, I won’t be as nice as I am now.”

And with those words, the wolf casually swaggered by the four and out of the study room, not a hint of unsettlement in his gait as he passed by the superhumans.

“Blah, blah, blah,” Joe muttered pettily, keeping his eyes on the jackass until he finally vanished within the darkness of the underground library.

It was silent for a few seconds before the girl sarcastically spoke up, saying, “Charming, isn’t he?”

“An egotistical bastard, a klutz, and a pedophile,” Rafe played along, glancing at the splotch of spit on the table and grimacing in revulsion. “Certainly delightful.”

“You okay?” Andre asked her, edging forward again after the girl’s glow vanished along with most of her anger.

“In one piece thanks to you guys,” she smiled warmly at them. “Seriously, thank you. That asshole’s been hounding me since last year. My name’s Lindsay Warlane. A second-year human and a mage-in-training. So, I guess ‘magical chimp’ didn’t hit too far from the bullseye.”

“Then, he probably got it right with all of us,” Joe shrugged and pointed at himself and his friends, introducing each of them. “My name’s Joe Sloane. These are my bros and fellow first-years Rafe Gold and Andre the wolf.”

“First-years, ay? The way you stood up to that jerk earlier, who was a ninth-year, I should add, I would have gotten the wrong idea.”

“What were you doing, anyway?” Andre asked just as Rafe was about to.

Lindsay blew out a breath and brushed a few locks of blue hair out of her face. “Since last year, I came here to be by myself and study up on anything magic. You know, just some me time. But Zoel Wulfrot, the aforementioned ninth-year jerk, must’ve been stalking me this whole time. I rejected him once and now he has the nerve to keep sniffing around me like some kind of stupid, disgusting pedo-pig!”

“Are all the upperclassmen like that?” Rafe asked, oozing repugnance.

There were too many people back at the Coat that came to his mind who spoke the same way that creeper “Zoel” guy did.

“Only the ones who think they can get away with it,” Lindsay answered, aversion also laced in her tone.

Andre looked out the door to where Zoel left. “I heard him mention a party. He was gonna take you to it, right?”

“It was either at the party or here. I doubt it mattered much to him. But yeah, you’re first-years, so this might be your first time hearing about the ‘back-to-school’ bash. Follow me, boys.”

She waved at them to tail her as she led them through the library. Instead of heading out the way they came, they were taken deeper until they reached the other end. Rafe noticed Andre’s ears twitch all the more. And even he could feel slight vibrations emanating from the ground.

“Truthfully, it’s nothing special,” she said as they slipped past an emergency exit without triggering anything and sauntered down another flight of stairs. Although, this one spiraled to the bottom. “Not as big as the parties hosted throughout the semester, anyways. Those will definitely blow your minds. But, for now, let’s start off… small.”

It was essentially traversing a narrow, downward tunnel, occasionally passing by lanterns that provided the only light within the long burrow. A couple of minutes later and they had yet to arrive at their destination, still traveling down the twisting staircase.

“Christ. How many sublevels does this building have?” Rafe complained.

Lindsay chuckled and shrugged. “Not sure, but some say the main building reaches the Earth’s core. All kinds of hell-demons and spirits of the damned down there. Makes for a good spooky, scary story, hm?”

“Satan must be a pretty chill-ass guy to let them build down there,” Joe joked, not bothered by the seemingly endless flight of steps.

“The coolest.”

Finally, they reached the end of the stairway, where the rhythmic thumping of music could be heard through a metal double door, the soundwaves making the bottom of the burrow tremor a touch.

Lindsay spun around and beamed at the first-year trio, raising her arms. “Gentlemen. I present to you… a taste of what really goes on in Ironward!”

And then, she quickly hurried to the door, clasped both handles, and pulled it open. And on the other side was a lot bigger than just a simple “small” party.