Chapter 8: Only Human

Sekami awoke in a cold sweat and gasping for air. She ran to her bathroom and vomited the dinner she had hours earlier before logging into Realm. The Goddess stood up and rinsed her mouth and took a deep breath. Khepri, the golden scarab landed on her hand and she immediately began to feel the healing effects of the scarab that helped calm her mind and body. That magic barrier she couldn't break through belonged to an Eldritch God. Though she did not know which one.

That type of magic had always made her nauseous and sick with her soul. Usually she could withstand that type of dark magic and be fine, but this time it was different. Whoever had brought back Heracles was a powerful Eldritch.

But who? Thought Sekami.

She stood and stretched like a cat. For now, she needed to focus on keeping an eye on James.

'Strange isn't it, Khepri?', She asked the scarab, 'Ever since James took Camelot from Arthur. Powerful beings are starting to make their moves.'

Sekami lit her endless joint and exhaled red smoke.

'Another war is coming.'

'You lost control again James?'

'Yeah.'

'And you haven't logged back in the game for how long now?'

'About a week.'

'How are you feeling now?'

James finally managed to look his therapist in the eyes. The therapist was somewhere between her early late forties and early fifties. She wore a simple cardigan sweater and suit pants, with black crocs. The therapist wrote some notes down in her paper and waited for James to continue.

'Depressed. I feel trapped in knee deep mud. Body is on autopilot,' James said. 'I…hate feeling like this. I lose focus. I can't think straight, food tastes like ash in my mouth and I have to force myself to eat, even if I don't want to. I don't want those dark thoughts surfacing again Patience.'

James rubbed his thumb across the scars on the bottom of his wrists.

Patience clicked her pen a couple of times before speaking.

'I remember giving you some ideas to help distract you from those dark thoughts. Has anything new happened at all in these past few months?,' she asked.

James laid back down on the chaise lounge and took off his glasses. James knew when the depression hit his memory became hazy and he became forgetful at times, which included forgetting to put on his contacts.

'I started helping to improve an orphanage downtown. Once a month I buy the kids new clothes, shoes, beds, and anything the house needs. The orphanage is for kids who grew up in an abusive household like myself. The orphanage also has a medical floor full of doctors and nurses who help those kids who are sick and can't play with the others. So I bought them all the newest VR equipment, so they can play with the others. Also a new woman moved next door across from me as well.'

'Have you talked to her?,' asked Patience.

'No', James admitted. 'I..am hesitant to even try and ask her for a drink.'

'Because of what happened with Christina?'

A dark look quickly came across James and vanished just as fast. Patience jotted some notes then waited for James to speak. He made a popping sound with his lips then answered the question.

'Yes it's what happened with Christina.'

James sat in silence with a blank stare. As if he was remembering something he tried so hard to forget.

'I think my time is up Dr. Hooks. I'll see you soon,' said James, anger rising in his voice.

'Next month please.'

'Yeah yeah.'

The bell rang loudly as James hit the mat back first. He knew about the left hook, but that damn jab from Marcus was too quick, and it always caught him off guard. Even though it was just sparring Marcus had a habit of never holding back against James. Marcus had a puzzled look on his face then relaxed his guard to help James stand back up.

'You're distracted', said Marcus.

'I'm not. You're just faster than me,' James responded sarcastically. 'And seriously, do all these people gotta be here?'

James pointed at the journalists and photographers that came here to watch Marcus and James spar. Marcus stood a couple inches taller than James, but weighed less. Unlike James, Marcus wasn't completely covered in tattoos, but his left arm was a sleeve representing Hades, Poseidon and Zeus respectively. His back piece was the fours horses of Helios and chest piece of the two-headed dog Orthrus, that represented his two dogs that passed away a year ago. His right arm and legs had no tattoos. Why he chose to do this when asked he simply responded with, "The right is for mercy. I give mercy to the strong, not the weak."

James smiled to himself as he remembered that interview. Marcus Bradley, aka "The Marshall", as he hailed from the Lone Star State.

'The cameras are here to see a former champion spar against the new champion,' Marcus said.

'But we aren't even in the same weight class dude.'

'True but that doesn't excuse the fact that you're distracted. Did you see your therapist today?'

Marcus blocked a light jab then gained some distance.

'Yes, I talked to her today.'

'Well?', asked Marcus as James kicked his upper thigh.

'She said your skin is like the Beacons of Gondor.'

A right hook caught James' ribs.

'Ow! Alright. Alright. She wanted to talk about Christina again.'

Marcus lowered his guard and stopped the fighting.

'Are you serious James?'

James took a deep breath and pointed at the crowd. Marcus signaled his team and they started to shuffle the crowd out of the gym until only the two gladiators were left surrounded by silence. James backed up into the cage and slid down into a seated position with Marcus sitting a few feet away.

'How do I talk to anyone about what happened Marcus? My sister died in a lab accident. I, by the grace of fuckin whatever higher being, survived. A year later my ex-wife gets into a car accident and ends up killing my daughter because she was high off fuckin heroin. And on top of that she couldn't even come to her child's funeral because she was fuckin some other nigga!?'

Marcus said nothing and simply just waited for James to continue.

'On top of that I nearly kill the fucker she cheated on me with in the octagon. And-'

'And you bought a big ass mansion. Turned into an orphanage. Buy those kids brand new stuff every month. Turned the whole third floor into a hospital for the sick kids. On top of that you send me a list of sports equipment the kids need. You send Gabriel a list of instruments, and art supplies. Hell you even hired tutors for those that are behind in school and need extra help man. You're a good man, with a kind heart and soul. Something that is extremely hard to find these days. Especially in this fucked up world we live in.'

Marcus stood and stretched then helped James back up.

'You're strong James. Especially here.' Marcus pointed at James' heart. 'And now you have the largest territory in Realm. Gabriel told you haven't cleared the fog yet. Why is that?'

'Because it might cause problems if others start trying to claim land in Camelot. I really don't wanna go to war with other guilds right now. What about you? You're still not part of factions yet. And Camelot needs a blacksmith. Gabriel and I found a forge inside a mountain. Place is full of rare materials.'

'How rare?', Marcus asked.

'Platinum, titanium, and orichalum.'

Marcus froze at hearing orichalum. Marcus slowly turned towards James and looked at him with disbelief, searching for any signs of untruthfulness in his friend's face. There was none.

'The forge Gabriel and I found in the mountain is ancient. But I think it once belonged to a god.'

'Which god?', asked Marcus, already knowing the answer to the question he asked.

'Ogun.'