Evolution: A Warlock's Rise To Power

Once Brax got home he took another look at the business card.  It only had the name Timothy Garzone, a phone number, and nothing else.

Since he had time to kill, Brax went to his computer and pulled out the notes on the stable portal formation he had taken.  He spent the next few hours cross referencing with the texts on formations he had.  But after putting in a few hours of work, Brax realized it would be a long process.

He decided that while he was in game, he would devote his split mind ability to understanding the formation when he wasn't in combat.  That way, he would always be working on understanding it while doing other things.

*Buzz* *Buzz*

His new cell phone began to vibrate.  Brax picked it up to see it was a text message from Super.

[Super:  I can't find much on Timothy Garzone.  I was able to find a couple businesses that he owned by searching pretty deep, but there isn't a record of anything else.  I even dredged up a few news stories about his companies, but his name was absent from the articles.  The articles mentioned a lot of things and named several employees but whenever the mention the owner, it was always under weird phrasing like this article about his biotech company.  It is almost like his name was intentionally left out.  Sorry I couldn't be any more help.]

Super had also attached a link to the news article he mentioned.

Brax opened it up and began to read it.  He quickly understood what Super meant.

'And we would like to thank Frank Wilson for his excellent integration of our newest product.  And John Hankins was able to clear up any issues we had, quickly and promptly.  Then there was Regina Shubert who oversaw the whole operation and made sure all the gears were working together seamlessly, but nothing would have been possible with out the idea and funding from out compassionate leader.'

The director of the company was calling everyone's names to give them credit and recognition but when it came to the owner of the company, he was only referred to as 'leader'.  He had to admit, it did seem like his name was intentionally excluded.

Checking the time, Brax went to his closet and started to put on one of his new suits.  Before leaving, he didn't forget to grab the watch that Jenna had bought him.  He really did like it a lot, not only because it came from her, but because it also looked good.

Brax got into the Areo Specter and left.  If he went straight to the restaurant, he would be early, but he planned to make a stop first.  He planned to make a purchase before his meeting.  It was something he been considering for a while, ever since he joined the club.  But these past few incidents had left him feeling a bit unsafe, so he decided to go ahead an pull the trigger on this purchase.

Driving to the nicer part of the city, he stopped outside a large sporting goods store.  He thought that he would feel weird to being in a sporting store while wearing a suit, but since it was the nicer part of town, he wasn't the only one dressed like that.

Brax walked straight to the back.  Before him was a large counter filled with handguns, on the wall behind were several rifles and guns.  The clerk saw him looking around and approached him.

"Is there something you would like to see?"  The man asked.

"Where might I find you knives?"  Brax responded.

Getting a gun wouldn't be too hard for him, but it would require a waiting period and background check.  He had no reason to think he would fail the background check, but he wasn't interested in owning a gun.  He knew nothing about them and was sure that he would be a horrible shot since he had never practiced.  Besides if he ever did anything outside of the law with a gun, which he had no intention of doing, it would immediately be traced back to him.  Since he didn't intend to shoot at ranges for fun or go hunting, a gun was pointless.

But a knife was different.  He had already noticed his skills in Evolution bleeding through into the real world, and he had plenty of experience in Evolution with small blades.

"Head to the left end of the store, we have a whole 'nother counter over there with a salesman who is much more informed than me when it comes to knives and daggers."

Brax nodded his thanks and began walking the direction the man pointed.  The counter was easy enough to find.

"Ronny?"  Brax asked when he saw the man behind the counter.

"You're Brax right?"

"Yeah, that's me.  I didn't know you worked here.  Tony said you worked private security.  What are you doing here?"

Brax had met Ronny at the club.  They had only spoken polite greetings and never had a real conversation, but Tony often pointed out Ronny when he was sparing to indicate how certain moves should be properly executed.  Brax had spent a few hours watching the man fight over the past month to try and further his own understanding.

Ronny seemed a bit embarrassed to be recognized by Brax at a place like this.  "It isn't what you think.  I don't work here for the money.  In fact, I only pick up a shift or two each month.  But… I have a bit of a knife buying addiction.  I find it hard to control myself when I see an exquisite piece but since I work here, I get 25% off my purchases."

Brax nodded, it was reasonable.  Since the guy seemed a bit embarrassed, he didn't intend to keep talking about.  "Well, I came here because I wanted to buy myself a knife."

"Ah, now that I can help you with.  Are you a collector, or are you buying a knife with a specific purchase in mind?"

"I was hopping to buy something I could use if I ever needed it."

"Alright, since you have been at the club for a while, I won't miss treat you.  First off, anything foldable will not be as reliable as a fixed blade."

"I should also mention I have experience with throwing knives."

"Okay, that helps it narrow it down."  He said while leading Brax to a different case.  "Like you know, throwing knives generally have more weight than a normal knife.  It helps them have a consistent rotation and actually penetrate their target.  To be honest, the knives that we sell specifically for throwing are all crap, but we do have some heavier fixed blades with slim handles that would work well.  That would be everything on the second shelf here.  Do you see anything that interests you?"

"They still look rather big and bulky.  Is there anything that can be carried without attaching it to the outside of my belt like I am some rancher or something?"

"Hmm, if you are looking for one that could be concealed, I would recommend this."  He said while pulling out a dagger from the case.  It is the Gerber Ultra Point Lite.  It has a double side blade that's eight inches long.  It's a carbon blade with good flexibility that is coated in a strong black polymer that contain Teflon for easy cleaning.  In this 'Lite' version the handle was removed and five feet of fire resistant paracord is wrapped around it to create a grip while discarding the bulky handle.  In an emergency, the fire resistant paracord can be lit up after it is unwound.  It will act like a candle and slowly burn.  In good condition it can keep a small flame lit for 48 hours."

Brax took it out and picked it up.  It felt good in his hand.  It was only a bit smaller than Night's Whisper.

"I chose this one because it comes with a ankle mounting kit as well as a belt mount, but this belt mount is different.  It is designed to be tucked into your pants, and a shirt or jacket would then conceal it perfectly.  Although it is a bit expensive, it is a high-quality piece of steel that is worth every penny."

"I like it, I will take it."

"Great, that will be $349.99.  But if you are looking for easily concealed blades, let me show you a few of these."  He said bring Brax to another counter.

"This is a card that will fit into your wallet.  Once taken out, it can be folded open to reveal a decent two-inch blade.  We also have on that looks exactly like a key that could be put on a key ring.  Its blade is tiny, but it is easier to get to compared to the wallet knife."

"Eh, I think I will pass, just ge-, woah what are those."

"Ha, ha, everyone asks about these.  They are your typical pen knives.  Twist the base and a little blade pops out, but honestly, the blade is so small, it can only be used for minor chores.  It is going to cut through anything substantial, and none of them are even capable of using ink and writing anything down.  So, you will have to carry around a second pen anyway.  Not very convenient. Hmm, but you are Tony's student so you may like this one."

Ronny then pulled out a pen form the case and passed it to Brax.  "It technically isn't a knife.  Twist the base and instead of a ballpoint coming out, there is a reinforced steel spike that is sharped to a point.  It is the closest thing to a stiletto that we sell.  After all we are a sporty goods store.  It is treated as a puncture device, while the back end is one of those glass breakers.  The idea is to keep it in your car incase you ever need to shatter the window to escape after a crash."

"Awesome." Brax said after placing it in his hand.  With the rear pressing against his palm and his fingers wrapped around it, two inches still stuck out of his grip.  It was nice and heavy and looked fancy too, he could keep it in his suit pocket without having any issues.  "Ring up this and the Gerber."

"If you want, we also have-."

"Nope, nope, I am afraid that if you keep showing me stuff, I will keep buying."

"He, he, I will turn you into a collector one day."

Brax took his purchases and left the store.  He got back into his car and checked the time.  He had a few more minutes to kill before he needed to head to the restaurant.