CH.22 Reed Brothers

Two days later, outside Leader Jack's house, two thieves were jimmying the door.

One was a tall, short-haired brute, the other a slightly shorter man with long, messy hair and a scruffy beard.

"Bro, you think we'll score some good stuff this time?" the tall brute asked.

"Heh, little bro, this homeowner's Asian. They love stashing cash and gold at home—we're gonna make a killing," the long-haired man said, grinning.

These two thieves were brothers: the older one, Jordan Reed, and the younger, Cody Reed. Jordan was shorter than his brother, which often drew mockery from others, so he hated any talk about his height.

Cody was puzzled but always followed his brother's lead. He didn't get why people called him dumb. But his brother Jordan was thoughtful—like a genius to him—so he always listened to Jordan.

"Haha, this lock's a joke," Jordan said as he got the door open and stepped inside.

The main reason they'd targeted Jack's house was his busy schedule: he was out early in the morning and back late at night. They could tell if he was home by whether his car was parked outside.

"Bro, check the drawers and look for a safe," Jordan said, starting to ransack the place. Jack's house had plenty of empty flower vases and carved jade statues, but Jordan didn't know their value, suspecting they were fakes. He focused on hauling the TV and appliances to their truck parked out front.

"Bro," Cody suddenly said, "is this worth anything?"

"Huh?" Jordan turned and saw Cody holding a red egg-like object.

"Is this a gem or something?" Cody asked curiously.

"Who knows? Doesn't look like a gem—probably worthless. Toss it," Jordan said.

"Oh..." Cody was reluctant; it felt pleasant to touch. He secretly pocketed the red egg and took it with him.

The brothers also found some loose change and a gold ring in the drawers, and were satisfied as they made their getaway.

When Jack got home, he found the place trashed: appliances and his leather jacket gone, antique vases worth thousands shattered—as if the thieves had thought money was hidden inside. He didn't notice his late wife's ring missing; what bothered him was that the red egg he'd casually created and stashed in a drawer was gone.

"Damn thieves!" Jack wanted to kill whoever broke in, but he didn't call the cops. He shut the door and drew the curtains to hide the mess.

*I'm leaving anyway—doesn't matter,* Jack thought. He worried losing the red egg might anger the divine, but regardless, he wasn't coming back. He was heading to New York; he'd connected with a wealthy patron who promised massive funding if he proved his abilities.

*Time to go,* Jack thought, leaving the house he'd lived in for over a decade, driving to the airport.

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"I'm stuffed," Cody said, rubbing his belly.

"Heh, let's grab some booze, bro," Jordan said, pleased with the Mexican restaurant they'd just hit.

They'd fenced the stolen appliances for over a thousand bucks and blown it on food right away—like a spending challenge: burn new cash in three days, then hit the next mark.

Even jail felt like home to them.

That's the Reed brothers—if no surprises, they'd crime their way until cops shot them or some pissed-off thug took them out.

But surprise came.

A ball flew over and smacked Jordan in the face.

"Damn, who did that?" Jordan clutched his nose, blood streaming.

Two teens in the distance saw the thugs and didn't approach.

"I'll kill you!" Jordan roared. The kids bolted, leaving the ball.

"Bro, got any tissues?" Jordan's hands were bloody; it'd stain his shirt.

As Cody dug in his pocket, he yelped, "Bro, something's heating up!"

"What?" Jordan didn't get it. Cody pulled out the red egg, cupping it. "It's really hot—feel it, bro."

"I need tissues!" Jordan snapped, frustrated.

"But it's seriously heating up," Cody held it closer to Jordan, who suddenly felt dizzy.

"Damn, I don't care about this crap..."

"Hahaha."

A third voice joined them. Cody and Jordan froze.

"Who?"

"You two idiots, that's... a 'Blood Reservoir Key'?" A cloaked black figure appeared, his hat casting a shadow over his face. "Forgot to introduce myself—I'm Roland, a vampire baron from the shadow realm."

The brothers exchanged glances.

"Bro, is this some movie actor?"

"Nah, probably a prank," Jordan said. "Think we're idiots?"

"Sorry, I hate chit-chat," Roland said, pointing a finger. Jordan's nose blood floated up, coalescing into a tiny bat that spun before them and flew off.

The brothers gaped. Cody asked, "Bro, how'd he do that?"

"How the hell should I know!" Jordan thought—they'd really met a vampire.

"Don't worry, I'm here because I sensed magic, and I'm not interested in your blood. I'm a vegetarian—I only consume fire-attuned magical essences now," Roland said, then asked, "You alright?"

"Fine, just fine, sir—no, my lord, go ahead," Jordan switched to fawning mode.

"Bro, are there really vampires?" Cody blurted out, earning a pinch on the leg from Jordan, which shut him up.

"I need you to build an underground city for me, like the key in your hand. Getting to this world is tough now—either limit power or project illusions. Almost no black-iron level or above beings can enter directly, so we need other ways. Even if just for profit, it's worth it," Roland smiled.

"My lord, got it—underground city. But we don't know how," Jordan said. The brothers hadn't finished high school; they only knew theft.

"You can find help. Plus, I'll grant you basic power." Roland extended a hand; two purple wisps entered them. The Reeds felt surging strength, clenching fists in disbelief.

"This boosts you to goblin-level physique—enough to withstand your 'guns.' Use it to build authority and recruit. Here are thirty power runes to enhance underlings," Roland handed them iron plaques etched with red symbols.

"And this scroll for building the underground city—plan and construct. I want basics by month's end. That's your task." After giving the scroll, Roland vanished into the shadows.

After vampire Roland left, the Reed brothers danced in excitement.

"Whoa, bro, I feel like I could smash that wall," Cody said.

"Little bro, more than that—I could tear down that house easy," Jordan grabbed a rock and crushed it.

"Bro, we're invincible! Invincible!" Cody smashed rocks, even punching down a nearby tree, reveling in his new power.

"Stop, stop—calm down, bro!" Jordan said, though he itched to test too. "With this power, we gotta do big-money stuff, or it's wasted."

"Bro, like what?"

"Whatever makes cash... like robbing banks!"

"What about the vampire's task—building the underground city?"

"Get some smart guy to do it. Didn't say we couldn't outsource. After the bank, we head to Dubai, live it up. Underground city sounds like a hassle—we ain't doing it."

"Got it, bro."

With that settled, the Reed brothers headed to the slums to recruit underlings.