Amaru dreamt of griffins in flight battling against futuristic aircraft while Garou and earthly spirits battled on the ground against tanks and monstrous looking men toting guns twisted by magic evil.
It was a psychotic blend of time, aesthetic and form that looked familiar…?
No, it looked plausible.
He hadn't seen such a thing yet, but it didn't seem so far fetched that he would.
He woke up with a start. With his head on the glass at the front seat of the van they came in.
"Morning, sunshine!" Ms. Markos said as they weaved through hideously dense traffic on a highway that seemed to run for centuries.
"Where are we?" Amaru asked.
"Spider-central." Ms. Markos answered.
The younger girls in the back snarled and made puking noises.
"…..spider-central?"
"Chicago." Lexa said from directly behind him.
He eyed her from the front mirror for a moment. She was fully healed. Still as deadfaced and emotionless as before. But she looked different. More alive. Stronger. Her skin had a darker tan. Her hair had a wilder curl that even a flatiron couldn't tame.
"Yes, Chicago." Ms. Markos said, "You ever been to the big city?" She asked Amaru.
"No.." Amaru said before adding, "Once… I think. When I was younger. When I was being processed by the state for foster care."
Ms. Markos nodded, "Of course. They all come through here."
"All Garou?" Amaru asked quickly.
Ms. Markos clenched her jaw, "Garou, Kinfolk, allies, other fera. They all get tossed into the spiders web. They stick. They get eaten."
"Where's the spider? Let's kill it." Amaru said. "I'm strong right? I killed the bloodworm."
Ms. Markos and a few others laughed sadly.
"The spider is a metaphor for something much greater than some monster like the bloodworm. It's more commonly known as The Weaver. A greater-spirit. An entity that represents and is strengthened by control…..technology…. order in modernity. You can't kill a concept." Ms. Markos said.
"Maybe not directly."
She smiled and glanced at Amaru, "Well said."
"So…. Chicago belongs to this greater-spirit? The Weaver?" Amaru asked.
Ms. Markos made a kinda sorta gesture with her shoulders as she switched lanes and turned up the music on the radio, "Not exactly. It doesn't own Chicago in the literal sense, but The Weaver's hold in large cities is strong. The same way The Wyld's is strong in places of nature. Or The Wyrm in places of evil and death."
"That's The Triat by the way…" Lexa commented.
Ms. Markos nodded, "The Weaver, The Wyrm and The Wyld. Order, Life and Death. They once held and worked with Gaia in peace, but The Weaver bound The Wyrm after growing tired of its order being destroyed by death. As the cycle demands."
"And here we are…." Someone mumbled.
"The Apocalypse."
"You'll find many retellings and interpretations of how we got here, all you need to know is, The Triat are at odds with eachother. We are children of Gaia— The Wyld. As Garou, your sworn enemy is The Wyrm. It exists to destroy Gaia— earth, and it's doing a damn good job. It's your job to stop that, understood?"
"And I do that by killing monsters?" Amaru asked.
"That's part of the job. As an Ahroun, it's the one you'll be best at. And the other tribes will respect you for that. My daughter Lexa, is a Ragabash. She exists to question the old ways of our kind. A fire starter. A trickster at heart."
Amaru blinked dumbly at her.
"Ahroun and Ragabash are titles that explain what phase of the moon we're born under. The Ahroun is born under a full moon. They're warriors. Leaders in times of strife…. and killers of many. Like my mom said, the Ragabash exists to challenge the status quo. Also known as the patriarchy. For most." Lexa explained.
"You guys kept saying Ahroun. Are they special?" Amaru asked. "I thought all werewolves were sort of born under full moons."
Ms. Markos laughed, "Garou. We don't go by werewolf. And we don't need a moon to shift. The moon gives is power but so do the spirits…. and so does our rage." She continued, "Also, yes. The Ahroun is the rarest Auspice of them all. But I'll leave that explanation to someone more fit to tell it. Not to mention I don't want to overstimulate you. You've had a wild couple of days. School brawl, expulsion, Police brutality, lawsuit, vampire battle in a forest. Warrior indeed."
The others laughed.
Amaru had more questions. He didn't feel overstimulated. He felt fresh, curious and anxious.
The latter especially as they finally reached the true entrance into Chicago. Also known as spider-city.
It was a massive jutting and jagged tapestry of tech-steel and ocean-blue glass. Skyscrapers and industrial high-rises poked the dark clouds. Law enforcement agencies piloted massive jets and drones that weaved through the steel chaos. Railways knitted the city together with speed and iron rods. Billboards gleamed and flashed brightly even in daylight, advertising toys by Avalon Incorporated, cigarettes by Circinus Brands and some investment firm. There were others, but foul black smoke with red eyes oozed from those specific billboards.
Not to mention dark light techno webbing hung from the buildings all over allowing massive glitching spiders to climb around and keep their webs connected to pedestrians below.
Amaru felt sick. He wasn't alone. The other Garou in the van snarled and gripped their seats.
"Calm your rage ladies. Unless you want to die as soon as we've completed our mission." Ms. Markos said.
"Wait…" Amaru asked, "What happened to you guys? At the motel…. I mean.. after me and Lexa… and the other Garou."
Ms. Markos nodded, "Cainites."
He'd heard them use that word before.
"Vampires." Lexa clarified.
"We're allies with one specific clan. The Gangrel. They're much more like us than we'd like to admit." Ms. Markos said.
"They can turn into wolves." Lexa said, "And speak to animals."
"We use them for recon and product movement." Ms. Markos explained. "Well. Not us specifically. Our pack doesn't interract with Cainites willingly. But an ally does. The one we're taking you to."
"Mr. Watanokami." Amaru guessed.
Ms. Markos nodded, "With his help, the Gangrel have risen in power. A few other clans don't like that. So, they made a move on us. I'll have to report that to him.
"Do you know who it was?" Amaru asked.
Ms. Markos looked up in her mirror to eyeball the women seated behind him.
"What?" Amaru asked.
"It's nothing. Just… the Ahroun— we haven't seen one in a long time. I've forgotten how much you're hunters as well as warriors. You chase. In every sense."
They hit a stoplight and she stared at him a moment before replying, "Clan Tremere. That's who did it. Or at least tried after placing a Bane on a Gangrel scout working for us and turning it into a bloodworm. They're not very strong. They're Vampires created through means of sorcery. They're hated by the other clans. So naturally, if they kill the Gangrel— who are allied with us, they may one day earn some respect. Double if they kill one of us."
"They're scary. They should be strong….. but they're not." Another said.
"If they ever learn to stop experimenting on their kind, they probably would be." Lexa added.
"Ok….. maybe this is a lot to take in." Amaru thought to himself, "I mean….. is it though? It's just everything I've been seeing. I have names now. And the power to do something. They can die. I can k—"
"Ohhhh this is my favorite song!" Ms. Markos turned up the radio. As if she could read his mind and wished he'd not go down whatever path he was on.
They drove deeper into spider-city with the radio blasting and Amaru's mind working to adjust to the new world.
All the while, he focused on specific concepts and individuals more so than others.
Cainites.
The Wyrm.
Mages.
Mr. Watanokami. The one who was supposed to be answering the most important questions. Like his parents. Firetongue. Or anything else for that matter.
Suddenly the drive couldn't end any sooner.