New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

"What kind of changes?" Jack asked him.

Even if the man had suspicions, given the events of the last month, with his grandson suddenly being able to use magic, and Alexander being able to transform into half a monster, he preferred having a better overview of the situation.

"World destroying changes. It will start small. Like humans being able to suddenly perform feats unimaginable before. But it will worsen. Mana, the energy that is leaking into our world, will do more than change humans."

Alexander listened with rapt attention, too. Although David had told him most of this already, he wanted to be sure to get any new piece of information he could get out of the guy who knew most.

"Animals will start changing too. They will become more ferocious. Beasts that usually steer clear of humans will start actively hunting them. At first, it will be innocuous, people will brush it off. But it will escalate when predators change, too."

From the corner of the room, the assistant interjected.

"There have indeed been more animal attack reports in the last month than the entire last year. It has been attributed to climate warming and habitat destruction, for now."

"It'll start that way," David said, looking at the man.

"But it won't stop at that. The first sightings have already occurred. I was going there with Wolfy here tomorrow, to fix it."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"The first sightings? Sightings of what?"

David's face became sombre.

"Monsters. Not just larger, more dangerous animals, but actual monsters. There have been sightings of what I believe to be goblins, somewhere in Nebraska. Valentine, I believe the town was called."

Without even needing to ask, Jack's assistant started researching this report David talked about. It took the man a few seconds only, to find it and send it on Jack's computer.

David was curious how the assistant could access the net, with the signal jammer in place. But Jack answered his silent question.

"Internal network. It's verified and only comes in, no outward signal, I promise."

Nodding his head in approval, David waited for The old man to read the article that was now displayed on a big screen in front of him. The high-tech screen allowed for a double-sided display, that way, Alex could read it too.

Reading the article, which was misleading if you didn't know what you were looking for, the three men frowned.

"Are you sure this is a monster sighting?" Jack asked.

To him, this could be the ravings of an aggrieved friend, for losing her friend in the woods. Survivors' guilt was a thing, after all.

But it could also be a murder cover-up.

"Little green men? Could she have been high on something?" Alexander asked.

It wasn't uncommon for hikers to eat trail-side mushrooms when hiking, if they were hungry. One mistake and you were on a trip with puppies and flying elephants.

But the assistant interjected from the corner.

"There is too much detail for a hallucination. The way she describes the attack is too vivid. She also has all the markers of fear and panic in the article's picture, like what she saw was traumatic. And she wouldn't give as much detail if she was lying for whatever reason."

David snapped his head toward him.

"What are you even? Some sort of ninja/detective/butler? How would you know so much about the markers of emotion or what is a plausible lie or not?"

The assistant only smiled in response, letting the mystery thicken.

"The matter of my assistant's skills is not a priority. You only need to know he is skilled in what he says he is. I believe and trust his words completely."

David frowned at the circumventing answer, unsatisfied. But he shelved his curiosity for later.

Bigger fish to fry, and all that.

"I'm certain this is legit information. Since I already know what to look for, it makes my job easier when I look for these incidents. So you can also trust me when I say it is what I say it is. Goblins."

Without a photo of the actual creatures, and just descriptions of an eyewitness, it was hard to assert like David did. But Alexander believed he wasn't wrong.

He hardly believed the man to be a fool. A conceited prick, and an aggressive fuck-muffin, maybe.

But not a fool.

"So that's what you wanted me to go with you for? You're lucky my passport is in order. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to go."

David brushed Alexander's words aside, like he was a fly on the wall. Jack was still staring at him.

"I'm sure that isn't all you know, young man. Care to tell us the rest?"

"Tch. I hoped this would be enough to take your attention off me for a while."

"Son, I've seen stranger things in my life than little green men in a forest. It'll take more than that to make me take my eyes off the prize."

"You've seen weirder?!" Alexander exclaimed.

'Just what kind of man is Jack Boudreau?' he wondered.

"If you want information, pay up. You are useless to me, so I won't be giving you info for free."

Jack smiled a wide toothy grin. Turning his head to his assistant, He opened his mouth to speak.

"Have all the workers from our companies pull back from his worksite."

"Wait, what?!" David jumped up.

"You can't do that! I paid them already!"

"Young man, whatever do you mean? You paid cash and have no receipts. I have no proof you paid my workers. I won't make honest men work for free."

The shark grin on Jack's face rapidly told the two younger men how he became a business tycoon. This man didn't beat around the bush.

"Fine! I'll tell you what I know! But you'll owe me one!"

Jack lifted his hand to the assistant, who had a wired phone in his hand. The assistant put the phone back down, with a chuckle.

'Fuck me,' David thought, growling mentally against the sneaky old man.