Relic Hunters: The Apex Predators

Juniper screamed as they approached what seemed like their odd and untimely death. Juniper closed her eyes at the last moment, her whole body tensing, expecting to meet the pavement. After a minute went by, she noticed that she was still not dead. Her curiosity finally got the better of her. She opened her eyes to see the ground roughly 10 feet below her. 

A wave of relief went through her at the sight of the ground. "I'm not dead. How am I not dead?" Juniper asked. She felt something squeezing her hand after the adrenaline wore off. She Looked up and saw Thalia's cocky grin. 

"Are you all right," Thalia asked.  

It took Juniper a second to catch her breath, eventually nodding, "Yes, I'm okay. I'm just a little curious about why we're not flat as a pancake on that pavement right now."  

Thalia smiled, reaching her other hand down to Juniper, pulling her up, and holding her tightly around her waist. They began to rise slowly as Thalia willed the wind to lift them. The girls float back up to the station's platform. Thalia gently releases Juniper onto the platform. She collapsed a moment later, exhausted and still confused. 

"you can fly?" Juniper asked Thalia intently. 

"Yep, sure can," Thalia replied, unfazed by the question. 

The confused look on Juniper's face worsened. "Wow, I can't believe you have a relic that allows you to fly." 

Theo rushed over to the girls, grabbed Juniper's arm, and helped her to her feet. Juniper brushes herself off slowly, still waiting for some type of explanation. 

A woman's automated voice rang out, "Welcome guests to Monorail Blue luxury train. Kindly watch your step, and upon boarding, wave your identification band upon the scanner". 

Thalia and Theo waved their identity bands across the scanner and stepped onto the monorail. Juniper followed closely, still a bit dazed. 

Thalia's heart filled with excitement as the monorail entered the sky. New Roark was full of beauty, but many of its buildings were damaged by the nuclear fallout from hundreds of years ago. Thalia remembered the stories she'd heard from her Tia. 

"When her great grandfather was a child, the sky was blue, and the world was full of life and beauty of all kinds," her Tia always said. "No one fought each other for simple resources; instead, the people worked together to build beautiful things." 

The world was much different now; desolation was everywhere outside the walls. District 7 has some of New Roark's most updated and revitalized buildings. The stable structures are marked with green spray paint with the letter A. The Apex Institute does a great job of keeping the streets clean. The people below are all school staff or students carrying out their assignments. One of the first assignments you receive as a new student is to revitalize and help rebuild a section of the city. Which is a fancy way of saying you were assigned an area to clean. 

It is supposed to humble the new students. The Institute prides itself on its appearance and status as one of New Roark's wealthiest and safest cities. In other districts, People struggle to get basic things like water, food, and clothing, which is why people from all over New Roark desperately want to enroll their children in the institute.  

The train softly hums down the rail line. Their booth was utterly silent as they both peered out their windows. Theo finally breaks the silence. Glancing over at the huge window, his shoulders tensed up, and his hands firmly gripped the handrail. 

"Hey, Thalia, what will you do if you are not selected for a special assignment?" Theo asked. He looked into the city, but Thalia could tell he was nervous. He was gripping the rail to keep from shaking. 

"Well, to be honest, I haven't even given it much thought because I just know I will," Thalia says nonchalantly, peering out of the window. I also know you will get assigned to the research department and transfer to that fancy engineering college." 

Theo relaxed, releasing his hands from the handrail but still looking tense. "How can you be so certain of yourself all the time." 

Theo turned away and looked down, avoiding his sister's eyes. 

Thalia replied in her most annoyingly condescending voice, "Because my know-it-all dork of a little brother is the smartest person I know. So, it would be downright dumb on their part if they don't let you into nerd school". Thalia chuckled. 

"Whatever, Thalia," he said in a playfully irritated tone. 

"Uhm, excuse me!" Juniper said, still needing clarification. The siblings turned around laughing. They almost forgot the girl was with them. She was only 5 2", and she was so quiet. The girl's small frame and timid demeanor made her white skin appear ghostly. 

Juniper was no doubt pretty. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail. The only thing off-putting about her pretty face was the huge glasses that were too big. 

"So, what was that back there? Do you have some relic that allows you to fly?" Juniper asks, puzzled. 

Thalia looked at her and shrugged her shoulders. "No, there is no known relic that gifts the ability of flight," Thalia replied. Also, students aren't allowed to contract with relics until after graduation." Thalia was now grinning at the girl. 

"I thought so! Then that means that you're the famous Storm Goddess." Juniper said, barely holding in her excitement. "You're one of the eight students in the whole institute who was born with a bloodline trait," Junipers said. Her eyes glowed, and her body shook, this time out of excitement rather than fear. 

Thalia took a large breath before exhaling and smiling. "Yes, people call me that occasionally." Theo snickered behind her, covering his mouth with his hand. 

Thalia earned her nickname for two distinct reasons. The first is her unique bloodline trait called "Storm Caller." It allows her to manipulate more than just the weather. She can communicate with the wind and order it to do her bidding. She can also whisper to the sky to beckon lightning powerful enough to bring thunder that makes the air crackle. Her soft green eyes turn bright green whenever she summons a storm. The second reason is that all the boys idolize her and her vicious personality. "They referred to her as the Storm Goddess. She was pretty to look at, but it was dangerous to get too close to her." Theo said, laughing. 

Rolling her eyes, " I only electrocuted one cocky pendejo because he slapped my ass during training. And I get called vicious." Thalia said, sounding annoyed. 

Theo placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Well, it would've been great if that's all you did. Everyone is still reeling from when you sent all the boys on the soccer team flying." 

"Well, that one I did do. Jackson Ohaer nor anyone on the soccer team will ever cheat again." Thalia said with a devious smile. 

"Also, there was that time you beat the hell out of Derek and sent him to the medical ward," Theo said. 

"Okay, but that time was justified. He was a prick who always bullied you!" Thalia replied. 

"Didn't he always call you a loser?" Thalia said, now teasing Theo. 

Theo's cheeks turned flushed red as he rubbed his hands together. "Shut up, and that was a long time ago." 

Juniper laughed at the siblings rattling off the Storm Goddess's greatest hits. " I'm a freshman here at the Institute. So it's very refreshing to hang out with some upperclassmen," she says, still laughing. 

She Grabs Theo's fidgeting hands. "I don't think you're skinny or a loser," Juniper says, avoiding eye contact and looking down at his shoes. 

Theo's hand was sweating now in the embrace of Juniper's hand. His hand is huge in comparison to her tiny hands. Even though Theo is regarded as small, he is actually above average compared to ordinary men. Compared to his fellow male students in the Institute, he is small. Many students are descendants of upper Echelons' main and branch families, meaning they are children of powerful contractors. 

When Contractors reproduce, they can pass on their abnormal physique and attributes. In rare cases, when two contractors have a baby, a phenomenon called a bloodline trait can be awakened. A bloodline trait is a manifestation of power similar to the power a relics ego bestows on its contractor. The only key difference is that there is no need for a contract, and the baby becomes a vessel. 

A vessel that could be thought of as a living relic who, at puberty, awakens an ego within themselves that gifts them extraordinary powers with no limitations or drawbacks. Unlike a natural-born human, an individual born with a bloodline trait can also form a second soul contract with two egos. 

The odds of a child possessing a bloodline trait is roughly 5%. Although the statistic drastically increases when two people with a bloodline trait reproduce, it rises from 5% to around 40-50%. So, a lot of upper-echelon families only married and coupled with contractors. So, their children would be superior in the gene pool and resources. There are only around 25 upper-echelon families. 

The Knights of the Round Table consist of seven major families: Elceed, Hulcan, Winfreed, Bluerose, Henderson, Arlington, and the Dynasty family. Each family possesses the right to manufacture and distribute nearly all valuable resources in New Roark, granting them significant influence and control over the safety zones affairs. 

The Monorail bells chime three times, indicating they are approaching the Institute's docking station platform. They swiped their wristbands across the scanner again, the doors opened, and they stepped off. The front view of the Institute was magnificent, almost as if it were untouched by the ruins of the great war. The Institute used to be a large school where young adults would come to get a fancy education for a fancy desk job. However, it was now the home of the most prestigious battle, research, and philanthropy school in the safety zone.