Realistic or Modern SLAYR: Uber for Demon Hunters

[Kameron Esters-]

Edger, observing the exchange between Renee and Clint with a mix of amusement and admiration for Renee's knack for navigating both demon hunting and elderly smartphone assistance, couldn't help but smile. When Renee turned to him with the proposal, his decision was almost immediate. The day's events had proven that unexpected partnerships could lead to remarkable outcomes, and Clint's offer hinted at more adventures—and challenges—on the horizon.

Turning to Renee at her prompt, Edgar nodded, his decision made. "I'm in," he confirmed, extending his hand towards Clint in a gesture of agreement. "It seems like we make a pretty effective team, and I'm always up for learning more about this line of work. Plus, dealing directly means we can avoid some of the... technical difficulties," he added with a chuckle, glancing at Clint's phone for emphasis.

"To Clint, then," Edger continued, "for offering us this opportunity. And to what might just be the start of an interesting partnership." His tone was genuine, reflecting his readiness to embrace the unknown and the potential for growth it represented.

The opportunity to work directly for Clint, bypassing the SLAYR app's fees and potentially learning from his experience, was too good to pass up. Not to mention, the camaraderie that had formed between him and Renee in the face of danger was something Edgar valued—a rare find in the often solitary life of a demon hunter.

As they exchanged contact information, Edger couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for what was to come. With Clint's connections and their combined skills, there was no telling what sort of challenges they'd face next. But one thing was for sure: together, they were ready for them.
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

"Yeah yeah, hooray me," said Clint gruffly, waving his hands sarcastically. "Now clear outta here and get back to whatever it is you brats get up to between jobs. I gotta see about getting the custodian to clean up this mess. Didn't wanna do anything when there were actual demons running around but they should at least be able to handle a corpse or two..."

With that the old man shuffled off, grumbling under his breath, though he did raise a hand to wave behind him in farewell. Renee watched him leave, slightly bemused. "I should go as well actually," Renee said to Edger. "Mom always gets weird if I stay out too long on jobs. I guess I'll see you around though!"

---

Renee's ride home was a lot slower then her trip out had been. With her legs and arms sore from exertion and a total lack of the urgency that had driven her on earlier in the day, Renee was content to mostly cruise at a slower speed, pedalling only when it was necessary to keep moving. Without needing to really focus on cycling, Renee's midn was free to wander and her thoughts turned back to the recent events. Who exactly was Clint Warren? Why did he seem to know so much about Demons and this aura stuff? And hell that was a whole other can of worms in and of itself!

Still Renee found that she didn't really regret her decision. The gentle ache in Renee's muscles was sort of comforting and satisfying and the world around Renee seemed somehow sharper and more in focus than it had earlier, as though Renee had suddenly gotten new glasses with an updated, more fitting prescription. It wasn't a bad feeling.

---

With a grunt, a wiry old man in a Hawaiian shirt let himself into a one person unit, closing the door behind him, locking it and fastening a surprisingly heavy chain over the door. Slipping out of his loafers, the old man moved over to a cabinet in the living room and retrieved one of his good glasses and a bottle of whiskey, ouring himself a neat shot of the amber liquid. Not too long ago Clint would have just taken the bottle with him, but his Doctor and his daughter would never let him hear the end of it if he did that these days so Clint put the bottle back and moved over to a comfortable, leather recliner.

Clint sat down with a not entirely suppressed grunt as his knees and lower back protested slightly at the motion with a twinge of pain but once he was seated Clint was pretty comfortable. There were some things in life you just couldn't cheap out on. A good chair was one, good whiskey was another. Good help was always hard to find even if you had cash to throw around, but if you could find some...

Clint's musings were interrupted by the irritating, digital tone of his dammed phone and with an exasperated sigh he dug the cursed device out of his pockets and jabbed at the screen until the call came through.

"Oh hoh? the Director of the Demonic Activity Monitoring, Neutralisation and Extermination Department. To what do I owe the honour?"

"Do I need a reason to call my own Father," asked a stern, but tired sounding voice belonging to a middle aged woman. Clint snorted.

"No but you never bother to unless you have one,"

"That's...not entirely unfair. You know I mean to but I've just been so busy,"

"Yeah I know how it is," said Clint. "I guess it's just desserts for all those recitals I missed. It's all very 'cats in the cradle' ain't it,"

"I never took it personally, I never really liked playing clarinet all that much anyway,"

"Bah! Now she tells me!" Clint grumbled. "I could a saved a bundle on all those damned lessons. Anyway, I doubt yer workload is getting any lighter while you burn daylight talking to a washed up retiree. Out with it,"

"I guess I partially am here to talk about my workload," said the woman. "Incursions are up all over the country lately, but for whatever reason our projections are forecasting things being particularly active in the Midwest. Something to do with leylines and the alignment of Jupiter and Venus? I don't know divination was never really my strong suit,"

"Is that all? You called me up to talk about the weather,"

"Dad be serious for a moment. You know I worry with you up there by yourself. If things are going to be heavy there for a while we could move you some place calmer for a while, you know we can afford it. You could stay with me for a while or Mom..."

"Hah! Now who's joking? I'll take the demons any day of the week," said Clint firmly. "Besides you don't need to sweat it. The Freelancers around here are surprisingly capable, I tried out that new fangled app thingy and they handled themselves okay. Green as hell though, think I might need to teach em a thing or two,"

"Dad..." said the woman, her tone carried a warning.

"Oh don't give yourself stresslines, your mother already has enough of em for the both of you! I'm not gonna go tearing off and getting into fights, this'll be a strictly advisory role,"

"Fine, just be careful," she said, her tone resigned now.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure it'll do these old bones some good to be around some whippersnappers for a change, isn't that supposed to reinvigorate us old fogeys? A certain someone hasn't gotten around to giving me any grandkids yet,"

"Uh huh. I'm hanging up now." said the woman flatly. Clint chuckled.

"Love you sweetie,"

The woman sighed. "Love you too Dad, seriously. Be careful,"

With that the phone went quiet and Clint placed it on the nearby side table and then took a sip of his whiskey, savouring the complex flavour and the way it warmed his throat on its way down. It looked like things might be finally starting to get interesting around here, just in time to save an old man from dying of boredom...

---

As Edger walked away from the Shady Palms Retirement Village, the weight of the day's events settled around him like a cloak, heavy but not unwelcome. The adrenaline of the fight had ebbed away, leaving behind a deep sense of satisfaction and a certain weariness that wasn't entirely physical. The encounter with Clint, the unexpected partnership with Renee, and their triumph over the brute—it all swirled in his thoughts as he made his way back to his modest apartment above the 24-hour diner.

The familiar scents of greasy, comforting food greeted him as he entered the building, a stark contrast to the day's earlier smells of demon blood and decay. Edger made a mental note to grab something to eat later, his stomach reminding him that he'd been too preoccupied to have a proper meal all day.

Reaching his apartment, Edger unlocked the door and stepped inside, the familiar chaos of his living space welcoming him. He tossed his keys onto the cluttered table by the door and made his way straight to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. The hot water felt like a balm on his sore muscles, washing away the grime and tension of the day.

Afterwards, clad in comfortable clothes, Edger settled into his own version of a comfortable chair—a battered but beloved gaming chair that had seen better days. He poured himself a glass of water, not quite up to Clint's standards of whiskey but sufficient for his needs, and allowed himself a moment to just breathe and take it all in.

The day had been a testament to the unpredictability of his chosen profession, a reminder of why he'd left the more predictable path of academia for the life of a demon slayer. The thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of protecting others, and the constant challenge to improve and adapt—it was all there, in the life he'd chosen.

As he leaned back, Edger's gaze fell on his gaming setup, but he found himself too drained to even consider booting up his latest obsession. Instead, his mind wandered back to Renee and Clint. The young hunter had shown real courage and ingenuity today, and Clint... Clint was a surley sort, with a depth of knowledge about demons and aura that piqued Edgar's curiosity.

Pulling out his phone, Edgar considered sending a message to Renee, a word of thanks for her partnership or a quip about their adventure, but he hesitated. It felt like intruding on the post-battle calm. Instead, he made a note to himself to reach out later, perhaps to discuss further the concept of aura and to share what he knew.

For now, Edger allowed himself the luxury of doing nothing. A rare moment of peace in a life otherwise filled with danger and excitement and often times grinding in-game. As he sipped his water, Edger found his eyelids growing heavy, the day's exertions catching up with him. Setting his glass down, he decided a brief nap was in order. Tomorrow would be soon enough to dive back into the fray, to continue his journey as a demon slayer, and to explore whatever new challenges and opportunities lay ahead.

As he drifted off to sleep, Edger couldn't help but smile. Today had been a good day—a day of battle, of learning, and money. Whatever tomorrow brought, he was actually looking forward to it.

---

"Shoes off!" Renee's mother called as soon as Renee opened the front door.

"They're off, they're off!" Renee lied, hastily backing out over the threshold and unlacing her boots before wriggling out of them and padding into the living room.

Elaine Walker turned as her daughter entered and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Wow you stink, take a shower before you sit down and start playing those games or whatever again,"

"Wow thanks Mom, good to see you too," Renee said, rolling her eyes as she moved to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.

"You know I love you honey and its because I love you that I'm telling you you smell like roadkill. You will feel much better after a shower I'm sure,"

Annoyingly, her Mom was right, Renee did feel better after a shower. With glowing, pink skin and freshly devoid of any demonic bodily fluids, Renee retreated to her room and flopped onto her bed with a satisfied groan. It was always nice to come home and relax after a job, usually Renee would boot up a game right now but she was more tired than usual after all the excitement of today and an afternoon nap sounded pretty tempting...Renee blinked slowly and then closed her eyes slowly. She would just rest them for a bit and then do something else with the rest of her day...

Meanwhile on Renee's desk her phone lit up and let out a chime to alert its owner to an incoming notification, but Renee was already fast asleep and didn't even stir at the chime.

Thank you for participating in the Summer Shortsell Event! The Event has now concluded and Currency Fighterz will enter maintenance. We hope you will participate next years as well! Currency Fighterz

Spoiler: ED

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Spoiler: OP

---

Five days later...


"Order for Renee?"

"Here," Renee called, moving up to the counter of A-boba-nation , Sunset Gates most instagrammable boba tea stand.

"One brown sugar with tapioca pearls and one 'Unicorn in a Blender' with extra whipped cream, extra candy crystals, extra sprinkles and a double shot of espresso,"

"Thanks," Renee said, tapping her phone to pay and collected her drink and Chloe's iridescent sugar bomb with more caution. Renee could feel her teeth itch just looking at the thing but this was Chloe's usual order and the other girl swore by the concoction.

"Omigod!Thankyouuuu!" Chloe cooed as Renee through the crowd of waiting customers to the wooden bench Chloe had claimed for them. "How much do I owe you?"

"Nah, my treat," Renee said dismissively, sitting down and letting herself be enveloped in a fierce but one handed hug.

"Yaaaay! Thanks Renns I luv you!" said Chloe, her golden, neck length curls bouncing joyously. "Did you win the lotto or something?"

"Nah work's just been kind of lucrative lately," said Renee, swaying slightly as Chloe's hug jostled her. Work really had been lucrative. Predominantly there had been the job for Clint, with its tidy little brute bonus that Renee hadn't managed to spend yet. On top of that Renee had been feeling oddly restless lately and had been taking on more of her normal gigs as well. Renee hadn't fought anything like the brute obviously, she hadn't even seen a job like that pop up on her SLAYR feed and even if she had she wouldn't try to take one on solo. There had been a lot of runt packs popping up lately so Renee had been busy all the same. None of those had really scratched the itch Renee had been feeling lately although she had nearly gotten her hand stuck in a deep fryer trying to clear a pack of horrid little crab like things from the kitchen of Lorenzo's Burgers. Renee nearly shuddered at the memory, she would probably be going elsewhere for her burgers from now on, demons aside the kitchen had been filthy.

"Also congrats on not blowing it all on Currency Fighterz like you normally do," Chloe was saying and Renee looked away.

"I don't wanna talk about that," Renee said sadly, a bikini Yen chan shaped hole in her heart aching at the sudden reminder.

Chloe patted Renee sympathetically, she had been the first bystander Renee had vented to when she'd woken and realized she'd missed the end of the summer shortsell event. As a result Chloe didn't really want to talk about that either and she deftly changed the subject.

"You said work had been lucrative? did you get a bunch of good tips or something?"

"Not exactly," Renee said, wiggling her hand to signal ambivalence. "I kind of got a lead on some off the books side work I guess," Renee said and was met with a doubtful look from Chloe's big, blue eyes.

"Renns that sounds kind of...dangerous?" Chloe said.

It's not!" Renee said quickly and then thought back to the fight at Shady Palms. "Well okay it is but...well it'll be fine, I have someone watching my back. He's like a partner or something,"

"Oooh! He?" Chloe said, suddenly enthusiastic. "Is he cute? Is he our age?"

Renee, who had been taking a sip of her tea, nearly choked on a tapioca pearl. "Wh-I don't know! I was busy trying to kill demons!" she said quickly. "He's...tall? and he is around our age I think, a college student maybe?"

"Tall is a good start," said Chloe enthusiastically. "Are you going to introduce me?"

"Uhh-" Renee began, but was cut off by a beep from her pocket. Happy for the distraction Renee pulled her phone out of her pocket to see a text alert.

Might have a gig for you two. A buddy of mine owns a warehouse out in the Industrial Park near the panel beaters. Last night his security guy got mauled by something, sounded too big to be a runt. Seems like its nocturnal so you two should swing by about six or so. Clint

"Hello?" Chloe said, pouting when Renee turned her attention sheepishly back to her friend.

"Sorry, just a work thing. I guess I have a gig tonight,"

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "You seem awfully excited for it to just be a 'work thing'" she said and Renee belatedly tried to hide the little smile tugging at her lips "Maybe you're eager to spend more time with Mr 'Tall and may or may not be handsome' huh?"

Renee rolled her eyes. "It's not that. Work's just been kind of interesting lately is all," Renee said, sighing when Chloe only raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You know what? Believe whatever you want," Renee said, tapping out a reply to Clint. "I'm gonna go make some money,"

Kameron Esters-

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Edger lounged in his cramped, yet oddly cozy, apartment, feet propped on his cluttered coffee table, eyes glued to the TV screen. "The Adventures of Slayman" blared loudly, its cheesy special effects and over-the-top acting a stark contrast to the real dangers he faced daily. He chuckled at the protagonist's dramatic declaration of banishing demons back to the abyss, all while sipping on a lukewarm can of soda and occasionally glancing at his SLAYR app for any new gigs.

His apartment, a mishmash of gaming gear and demon hunting paraphernalia, reflected the dual nature of his life. By day, a college student struggling with the monotony of lectures; by night, a demon slayer navigating the perilous streets of Sunset Gates. Yet, in this moment, Edger relished the simplicity of being a viewer, his only concern whether Slayman would save the day or fall victim to the network's plot twists.

As the episode reached its climax, with Slayman cornered by an unnaturally large demon in a dark alley, Edger's phone buzzed, dragging him back to reality. The text from Clint, promising a new gig, flashed on the screen.

Might have a gig for you two. A buddy of mine owns a warehouse out in the Industrial Park near the panel beaters. Last night his security guy got mauled by something, sounded too big to be a runt. Seems like its nocturnal so you two should swing by about six or so. Clint

A wry smile crossed his face. The line between his reality and Slayman's blurred for a moment. "Looks like life's writing its own script," he muttered, standing up and stretching. His gaze lingered on the TV, where Slayman, against all odds, triumphed once more.

"Time to get back to work," Edger declared, his voice filled with a mix of resignation and excitement. He grabbed his gear, a mix of ancient weaponry and modern tech, and headed out the door, leaving the fictional adventures of Slayman behind for the real-life thrills and dangers of demon hunting.
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

The warehouse Clint had mentioned was on the close end of the industrial park, so Renee's ride out there was fairly short. It was nice not to have to cycle all the way through the district because it wasn't the nicest part of town. Sunset Gates hadn't been hit as badly as some places by the trend of de-industrialisation but it hadn't emerged entirely unscathed either. Most of the factories and warehouse in the Industrial Park had been abandoned when bigger businesses had moved their operations overseas and the smaller businesses that had supported their supply chains had simply closed up. The light-bulb factory was the big one that everyone talked about because it had been the biggest local business and it had stuck around longer than a lot of the others. Welkynde Industries was still around of course, but nobody seemed to know anyone who worked there or what exactly it was they did there.

The rest of the industrial park lay fallow and slowly rusting for the most part and it could be a little sketchy, the empty buildings were used by drug dealers and delinquent teams. Most of the time those people didn't really bother anyone but Renee still didn't want to disturb them after dark. On reflection it was a little strange to be worried about truants when Renee was planning to hunt a man eating demon. On the other hand, if Renee clocked a teenager with her shovel it might actually become a serious problem and the police could get involved. Demons were dangerous, but they were also very simple to deal with in some respects.

Renee cycled past Stagelli's panel beaters and banked into the car park outside of the warehouse where Clint was waiting for her.

The old man had changed out his Hawaiian shirt for a different one, this one was bright, sky blue and had pineapples on it. Clint had also swapped out the aviators from last week with a pair of thick, black rimmed reading glasses and he was drinking from a takeaway coffee cup. Renee recognised the design on the cup from a local cafe, The Silver something cafe? It wasn't one she normally went to as they didn't have the varieties of sweeter drinks she liked. Renee couldn't compete with Chloe's love of refined sugar but she had modest sweet tooth herself.

Renee herself had swapped out the clothes she'd been wearing earlier in the day for some more rugged hiking gear which offered a good compromise between coverage and ease of movement, after last time she'd added a sturdy pair of gloves to her ensemble as well in case she had to stick her fingers somewhere gross again.

"Where's my coffee?" Renee asked with faux indignation as she leaned her bike up against the warehouse wall.

"I'm already paying ya," Clint said with a scowl. "You can buy your own damn coffee with that. 'Sides I don't even know what kinda fancy, up jumped coffee young punks like you are ordering these days,"

"Caramel Mocaccino," Renee said sweetly, as though she hadn't heard the first part of his reply. "Is Edger not here yet,"

"Nah," said Clint, taking a sip from his coffee. "I expect he'll be along shortly though,"

Kameron Esters-

 

[Kameron Esters-]

As he made his way through the bustling streets of Sunset Gates, Edger couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the vibrant city life and the desolate, rusting industrial park that was their destination. It was a reminder of how easily worlds collided in this city, from the supernatural to the mundanely urban.

As he passed a particularly vibrant mural depicting a somewhat heroic and entirely fictional history of the light-bulb factory—featuring, inexplicably, Thomas Edison arm-wrestling a giant octopus—Edger mused on the town's quirky blend of reality and legend.

Edgar's mood was light, the playful banter a welcome prelude to whatever task Clint had in store for them. It was clear that, despite the dangers of their line of work, moments like these that just made him love living.

Navigating his way past familiar landmarks, Edger decided to make a quick detour. Given today was their training in the usage of aura, he imagined it was going to be a rather arduous experience, so he best gets his caffeine intake just in case. He stopped at "The Silver Lining Cafe," a quaint little spot he knew offered a decent brew. Upon entering, the barista greeted him with a knowing smile, accustomed to his sporadic visits.

"I'll take an iced caramel mocha with extra sugar. Non-fat milk, please. I must retain my stellar form." The barista raised an eyebrow but nodded, already accustomed to Edger's occasionally eccentric orders.

While waiting for his drink, Edger's attention was caught by a flyer pinned to the cafe's community board. "Demon Awareness Workshop," it read, promising tips on how to recognize and report demonic activity. "Because you can't always wait for a hero." Edger snorted softly. If only they knew just how mundane and messy dealing with demons could be.

Armed with the coffees, Edger continued his journey to the industrial park. The weight of the drink slowed him down somewhat, but he managed a steady pace, weaving through the city with practiced ease. As he approached the park, the transition from bustling urban life to the quiet decay of the industrial area was palpable. The once-thriving factories now stood silent, monuments to a bygone era.

Finally arriving at the warehouse, Edger spotted Renee and Clint. He killed the engine and swung his leg over the bike, pulling off his helmet to reveal a grin.

"Sorry I'm late; I had to make a detour through a fantasy novel back there," Edger quipped, nodding towards the direction he came from.

He glanced at Clint's pineapple-adorned shirt and couldn't resist adding, "Nice shirt, Clint. I see we're channeling the 'retired but not expired tropical fruit' vibe today?"
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

"Bah, we'll see who's expired in a few hours," Clint said with a derisive snort. "You punks are too old to learn aura the slow, safe way so we're gonna do this the quick and dirty way. It's gonna suck ass,"

Renee blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked, then turned to Edger. "What does he mean by that?"

In the meantime Clint had used a cheap looking set of keys to open the door of the warehouse revealing darkness and releasing a faint smell of dust. Clint disappeared into the darkness and shortly thereafter there was a thunk and then a shuddering hum as a generator kicked on and lights a set of ancient, halogen lights flickered on and layered their buzz over the top of the generator. Now that the interior was visible, it was pretty much what Renee had been expecting. The warehouse had corrugated metal walls and a bare concrete floor. Piles of bulky, indistinct shapes had been covered with sheets to ward away the dust and stacked up against the far walls. Roughly in the middle of the floor someone had set up a foam gym mat of the sort Renee recognised from her very brief dalliances with after school karate.

"I'm gonna go ahead and skip the part of this lecture where I ask you how much you know about aura cause I'm pretty confident the answer is jack squat," Clint said casually, leading the way towards the mat in the centre of the warehouse. "Aura is the result of mixing the excess metabolic energy produced by your body with the excess spiritual energy produced by the metaphysical cycling of your soul. Because of this aura functions as a medium through which the soul can affect physical reality," Clint came to a stop in the middle of the mat and turned around with his hands in his pockets. "Any questions so far?"

Um," said Renee a bit weakly. "What?"

Kameron Esters-

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Edger looks to Renne and takes a short breath before speaking, "Okay, so imagine your soul is like a battery, right? It's constantly charging up with this mystical energy called 'aura.' It's basically the superhero version of sweating. The harder you work—fighting demons in our case—the more you 'sweat' out this energy. Now, if you learn how to control it, you can use it to do some pretty wild stuff like enhancing your strength or speed. Think of it as leveling up in real life. You can't see it, but trust me, when you tap into it, it feels like turning on cheat codes in a video game!"

"So, while we’re dealing with these creatures the old-school way, there's this whole other level of battle tactics involving aura. It’s like playing in hard mode and discovering you've got hidden abilities you’ve never used before. Makes everything a bit more... spicy, don't you think?" Edger smirks cheekily at the prospect of being a badass demon slayer...With powers!
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

"Wh- That is a gross oversimplification!" said Clint, giving Edger an aggrieved look. "Aura is NOT like sweat! and-"

"Wait I do have a question now," interrupted Renee, her brow furrowing with suspicion. "If this aura stuff is so great why doesn't everybody use it? The military and stuff?"

"They do, on a limited scope, mostly special forces and the like," grunted Clint. "The reasons you don't see it on a larger scale mostly comes down to the time factor. The proper way to learn aura involves, at minimum, years of increasingly intense meditation and breathing exercises and it usually doesn't work unless you start in early childhood, its not really something you can rush someone through in a bootcamp. The fast way, which is what we're gonna use today, is considerably more dangerous unless performed correctly and only a handful of people can do it reliably. Those people also tend to be reclusive old weirdos who don't want anything to do with modern society and are extremely dangerous so they can't exactly be forced. The army experimented with mass adoption trials during the cold war and the results were.... messy to say the least," Clint shrugged. "Now that the cat's out of the bag with the whole demon thing they'll probably figure something out in the next decade or so, as long as they can sell people on the whole temporary death thing,"

"The WHAT!?" snapped Renee. "I don't wanna die!"

"You're not gonna die," Clint said, rolling his eyes. "If we're being pedantic it's more like a temporary state that's extremely similar to death. It's perfectly safe,"

"YOU JUST SAID IT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!" Renee said, throwing up her hands.

"I said it was extremely dangerous when performed incorrectly," Clint said calmly. "I'm going to do it correctly because I'm good at this shit. I've used this technique on dozens of people, including my own daughter, and they were all fine. 3

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Edger, picking up on Renee's mounting anxiety and Clint's nonchalant bulldozing, decided to lighten the mood with a touch of humor.

"Okay, Renee," Edger started, aiming for a tone somewhere between serious and playful, "think of aura manipulation like bungee jumping. Sure, it sounds insane to jump off a bridge with a rubber band strapped to your feet, but people do it all the time because they trust the equipment and the folks who set it up."

He gave Clint a pointed look, nudging the old man to play along with his attempt to defuse the tension.

"Clint here is like the world-weary bungee instructor who's seen it all. He’s our expert, a bit gruff maybe, but he knows his stuff. And just like bungee jumping, using aura safely is all about understanding the risks and handling them with care."

Seeing Renee's expression still oscillating between intrigued and ready to bolt, Edger added, "We'll take it step by step. Like learning to drive. You wouldn’t hit the highway before mastering the parking lot, right? We'll start with the basics and you can hit the brakes anytime you feel like it’s too much. It’s all about building trust and comfort, bit by bit."

His tone was reassuring, blending a serious assurance of safety with a light-hearted framing of the situation, hoping to make the daunting concept of aura a bit more approachable.
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

"Oh sure, its just like bungee jumping!" Renee said, rolling her eyes as her voice rose in pitch. "I'll just bungee jump my soul right out of my body and bounce back in! Simple!"

"That's actually not a bad metaphor for what has to happen," said Clint, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Except you kinda have to weave the bungee cord yourself while you're falling,"

Renee glared at him and Clint held up his hands to mollify her.

"Alright, alright I get it, I'm freaking you out. Listen, I'll demonstrate on myself so you can see what you have to do," Clint said brusquely.

"I'm not sure that's a good- Ohmigod!" Renee spluttered as Clint promptly slammed the palm of his hand into his chest in a dramatic fashion and then fell backwards onto the mat on the floor, his eyes closed.

"Argh! Stupid old man!" Renee fumed, rocking on her heels as she tried to choose between shaking Clint awake and performing CPR. "How many chest compressions to breaths is it? Like Fifty? Fifty seems like a lot-"

Suddenly the dim warehouse lit up as Clint began to glow with unearthly energy. Renee fell silent as threads of ethereal energy snaked across the old man's body, forming a complex, 3D web that reminded Renee of a wireframe model before textures were applied to it. The threads stretched as the wire frame Clint sat up and then stood, pulling away from his physical body but still remaining attached to it.

"Please don't give me mouth to mouth," said the glowing, ghostly Clint form in a dry voice. "My daughter would have me arrested and besides, my body is still breathing just fine," The wireframe gestured with one glowing hand back towards its physical body on the floor. Sure enough, Clint's Hawaiian shirt was rising and falling in an even, gentle rythmn.

Renee sighed and deflated as tension and adrenaline drained from her body, then she balled up a fist and threw out a punch that sailed harmlessly through the ghostly, wire frame Clint.

"Not sure why you thought that would work," said Clint, sounding amused. "What you're looking at is my aura network, which is forming a bridge between my soul and my body, because I pushed the former away from the latter, the aura network stretched to maintain the connection and I can- hey!"

It was Clint's turn to act surprised as Renee, still fuming, stomped right through his ghostly form and started kicking the shins of his physical body.

"Don't!- Scare!- People!- Like!- That!-" Renee yelled between kicks.