《Beast Hunter (Hiatus)》


 ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 1. Woven Symphony REWRITTEN

    <h2 style="text-align: center">Prologue: The Hunter</h2>


    Hunters are born in the jungles of the west and raised in those very same trees. Childhoods spent in quiet villages amongst other children, women, and the elderly socialize the children and teach them how to interact with the world like normal human beings.


    But once they hit the age of four, they are taken from their mothers and sent into the civilized world to learn the trade of the hunter: to slay monsters and enrich the Order. At this ripe young age, the children freshly moved from their villages are taught the basic building blocks of education and the four common languages of the world.


    For four years, they spend their time becoming fluent native speakers of the common languages. On their eighth birthday, they are put through gene therapy that grows their muscles, tunes their brains, and enhances their senses. From here, they finally learn how to track beasts, use their newly tuned senses, and undergo the basics of magic and combat.


    When they reach the age of twelve and master basic combat and become better situated with their strange new bodies, they become apprentices. The next six years of their lives are spent in classes learning about strange creatures and common culture, sparring with their fellow classmates, and accompanying their master¡¯s on journeys into the civilized world. Here they are taught that a hunter¡¯s goals aren¡¯t just killing monsters for money, but to manipulate the world around them and make it bend to the Order.


    Finally, when the six years are over and the children turn eighteen, they graduate and become rookie hunters. It¡¯s a short and sweet affair; they assemble alongside the same children they grow up with all their lives and are given the tools of their trade before being sent off into the world, the hunters¡¯ lifeline. A veil like mask, a high caliber handgun, and a scimitar. But the most important tool was the veil, which allowed a hunter to conceal their face, shapeshift into other human beings, and see through low visibility conditions.


    With these tools a hunter sets about their duty, going into the world to make their society rich and manipulate their fellow man. But a human being is a powerful thing possessed of its own free will, and hunters are no exception. Young bright-eyed youth are a hard thing to control, and when set loose upon the world, there¡¯s no telling what they¡¯ll do¡­


    <h2 style="text-align: center">ACT 1: Haino City,</h2>


    <h2 style="text-align: center">Chapter 1. Woven Symphony</h2>


    Two years following his graduation into becoming a newly minted Order hunter, Wone found himself wandering the crowded streets of the city center. It was a cool day in Haino city, sidewalks bustled with people going about their daily lives, and black streets hummed with the sounds of horse drawn carriages and energy powered cars as they rolled along to their destinations.


    On days like this Wone thought back to one of his late masters¡¯ old sayings, ¡°it¡¯s a good thing the world ain¡¯t safe, because I¡¯d be out of a job.¡± He continued to wander around in search of the detective agency he was meant to meet his client at.


    The job was picked up by one of the Order¡¯s veteran hunters and Wone¡¯s de facto boss, Taps. According to him, Wone was supposed to meet an official at a detective agency located at an address within the city center. However, densely packed streets and the confusing hodge podge of signs kept Wone wandering for another half hour before he finally reached his destination. The building stood alone on an otherwise crowded block, a calligraphic sign reading, ¡°Song¡¯s detective agency¡± on the middle of the three egg shaped structures that made up the agency.


    ¡°I hope they don¡¯t expect me to go around trying to solve murders, that isn¡¯t my fucking job,¡± thought Wone through the transmitter in his head. The device picked up Wone¡¯s irritated thought and sent it to Taps who was currently monitoring him on a terminal at their home base.


    ¡°Just get in there and do what I tell you,¡± replied Taps coolly. He was Wone¡¯s operator, tasked with using the mapping software that connected Wone¡¯s body with the terminal to guide him through his mission. But currently, he was just annoying Wone with bad directions and unhelpful communication. It was bad enough that he had to work with regular unenlightened people, he didn¡¯t need Taps antagonizing him with his indifference. Wone sighed and pushed open the doors to the detective agency.


    Upon entering the office, Wone was met by the small figure of a receptionist hidden behind a terminal.


    ¡°Hello there,¡± squeaked the soft voice of the small woman as she peered her plump face from behind the terminal monitor. ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I do,¡± answered Wone glancing around the small reception room. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be meeting with an official about some missing people. I believe her name is Song?¡±


    The small woman pressed a few keys on her terminal then nodded. ¡°Ah yes, the seven o¡¯ clock with Lady Song, right this way.¡±


    The small woman hopped off her chair and moved out from behind her desk, gesturing for Wone to follow her as she led him to a room with a mounted placard that read ¡°Investigator Dunna¡± in black lettering.


    ¡°Here we are, the Lady is just inside, best not keep her waiting,¡± with a wave, the small woman turned and left Wone alone in front of Investigator Dunna¡¯s office.


    His curiosity mounting about just who he was supposed to meet, Wone gave the door two soft knocks before entering. Inside sat a young woman draped in the tiger covered royal blue gown of an official and a tall skinny man dressed in black. A pair of serious eyes and a pair of curious ones stared back at Wone, surprised at his sudden entrance.


    ¡°Hello,¡± declared Wone awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m Wone, I¡¯m here to meet with Song about some missing people.¡±


    He took a seat beside the woman not waiting for their response. The man across the table cleared his throat and offered his greetings first.


    ¡°Uh, hello I¡¯m investigator Dunna.¡± He reached his hand out to Wone, who grasped it and shook it firmly.


    ¡°And I am Lady Ying Song, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Wone,¡± said the young woman. She offered her hand to Wone who gently grasped and kissed it.


    Finished with the initial greetings, Wone scanned the cozy office the three of them sat in. Pictures of Dunna during the different stages of his career littered the office walls, alongside others of important people in his life, and awards he had earned. Apparently, he was quite an accomplished individual.


    ¡°Before we begin our business, I¡¯d like to discuss some other matters if that¡¯s alright with you,¡± the sound of Song¡¯s sweet voice pulled Wone from his eye-wandering and brought him back to their meeting.


    ¡°Sure,¡± answered Wone, although he was annoyed at the delay such a conversation would have on his missions¡¯ completion. Taps must have sensed this because his voice began to echo into Wone¡¯s head.


    ¡°Do as she says, she might pay us more,¡± he ordered a cool tone.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Song exclaimed smiling. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯d like to ask you about your upbringing, is it true all hunters grow up in the wild?¡±


    Wone considered her question for a moment, to lie and embellish or tell the truth? ¡°The wild,¡± Wone said deciding to go with a bit of both. ¡°Lady Song, I am an educated man, fluent in four languages and familiar with the histories of each of the four nations.¡± He paused for some dramatic effect. ¡°I did not grow up in the wild.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my apologies,¡± said Song waving her hand in a defusing gesture. ¡°Forgive me for believing in such a thing, I just didn¡¯t find it too far fetched considering how good you hunters are at your job.¡±


    This comment elicited a genuine look of annoyance out of Wone who disliked what Song was suggesting. She laughed and gave Wone¡¯s expression a few more dismissive waves until he cooled.


    ¡°So have you been a hunter your whole life?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s the only thing I¡¯ve ever known,¡± replied Wone thinking about his past.


    ¡°Is it the only thing you¡¯ve ever considered doing? Is it what you want to do?¡±


    Wone thought for a moment and smiled. ¡°Well to be honest with you Song, the only thing I¡¯m really interested in is money, being rich.¡±


    The little smile Song had on her face since Wone entered the room grew wide and he swore he could see a glimmer of excitement shine from behind her eyes.


    ¡°Is this a personal interest or an Order value,¡± Song asked, her gaze upon Wone intensifying.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely both, but I¡¯m as greedy as greedy can be,¡± Wone replied bluntly. For a moment his thoughts drifted off into dreams of high-rise apartments, lavish dinners, and fine silk clothes. He was brought back to reality by the sound of Song¡¯s laughter.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I was expecting that response,¡± she managed, her intense gaze now broken. ¡°That¡¯s all for questions I had for you, on to business.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Wone declared smiling softly.


    ¡°The people I wanted your Order to find went missing two days ago. Last night, we managed to find out that they were abducted by an arachnid, and we tracked it to a mansion out in the ruins. I sent some men to cordon off the beast and ensure it doesn¡¯t move.


    ¡°You will go out and save my missing people and kill that monster. My men await you at the mansion, Dunna if you would,¡± at her command, Dunna rose to his feet and opened the office door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the beast¡¯s nest,¡± said Dunna motioning for Wone to exit the office.


    ¡°My lady,¡± said Wone with a bow before following Dunna out of the detective agency.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be driving through the slums, the mansion isn¡¯t too far into the ruins,¡± said Dunna as they walked along. ¡°The men will be getting started without you, they¡¯re supposed to force the beast into the center of its nest.¡±


    They arrived at Dunna¡¯s vehicle, a black engine powered car. It was a priceless thing, sleek and long and able to fit five people. Wone wondered just how rich and powerful this Lady Song was. Even for a noble this was rare. Wone crossed the hood and hopped into the passenger seat.


    ¡°You guys have any idea how big this thing is,¡± Wone asked as Dunna entered the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any exact measurements,¡± replied Dunna. ¡°But it was strong enough to shed bullets and kill two police officers in the Cordon effort. We also believe its responsible for six other missing people in the area.¡±


    ¡°Ask him if they injured the beast at all,¡± said the voice of Taps from within Wone¡¯s head.


    ¡°Is the beast injured,¡± asked Wone.


    ¡°They reported that it took some gunfire before it retreated into the mansion, but its armor was thick so there wasn¡¯t very much effect,¡± answered Dunna.


    Wone recalled all he knew about the ambush predators known as arachnids. They were basically armored spiders that liked to hide in abandoned buildings and tunnels. Those that stayed above ground only got to be as big as a bear, but the one¡¯s underground could be as large as a truck. Wone would almost certainly be dealing with the former, which would still be trouble due to its high mobility and tough armor.


    ¡°This could be some trouble,¡± said Wone through the communicator in the back of his head. ¡°I¡¯ll have to use some gasoline and burn it out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, just douse the building and burn it down after you save the hostages,¡± replied Taps evenly. ¡°Should be simple.¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    As the two spoke inside Wone¡¯s head, Dunna drove right through a checkpoint separating the gated peaks from the slums. New and refurbished buildings turned into older faded and weathered concrete, and eventually derelicts. When they drove through the checkpoint Wone noticed that they weren¡¯t stopped like all the other vehicles. The implication of this wasn¡¯t lost on him. They continued driving for another twenty minutes until the sparsely populated slums turned into completely abandoned ruins and finally, a lone mansion sat on a hill.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± said Dunna killing the engine. He exited the car with Wone and the two of them walked over to Song¡¯s men who were posted around the hood of a police car, using it as an improvised table. Including the newly arrived Wone and Dunna, six men stood around the hood of the police car analyzing a hand drawn map of the mansion¡¯s interior.


    The officers looked to Wone expectantly as he analyzed the map they had drawn. The mansion was split into two wings and a large foyer by the entrance. Two staircases lead to the east and west wings, a large circle was drawn in the west wing signifying where the officers had chased the arachnid into.


    ¡°This circle is it¡¯s nest,¡± asked Wone placing his finger on the circle.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied an older looking officer. He was the only one wearing a golden crest on his blue uniform jacket, meaning he was the leader of the other officers.


    ¡°Alright,¡± muttered Wone formulating a plan of attack within his head. He¡¯d need some oil or gas to pour around the mansion to set alight and an escape route once he got the spiders¡¯ attention. He would do as Taps said distract the spider; the hostage rescue he would leave to Song¡¯s men.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the plan,¡± began Wone. ¡°I¡¯ll go in and douse the house, after I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll draw the arachnid out of the west wing and into the east wing. When you hear me making a commotion from inside, you rush into the west wing and save the hostages.¡±


    The other five men nodded their heads in approval and began to prepare themselves. One of the police cars had a gas cannister in its trunk, which Wone found awfully suspicious, but didn¡¯t question, it was none of his business. He tied the cannister to his left hip and began to lead the old man and the four other officers up the stone steps that went to the mansion¡¯s front doors.


    ¡°Alright everybody know what they¡¯re doing,¡± asked Wone shooting a glance back at the men behind him. They gave him a collective nod and he pushed open the mansion doors and slowly snuck his way to the middle of the foyer.


    The interior of the mansion had seen better days. Once intricately designed walls and carpets were now soiled with dirt and grime, time and mold ate away at wooden walls, and ruined furniture littered the foyer. On either side of Wone were two rundown staircases that looked like they¡¯d barely hold if he climbed them. On the center of the open room hung an old painting, torn up and made unrecognizable from the years of solitude.


    Focused on the task at hand, Wone began to pour the clear liquid of the gas cannister along his path as he crept his way up to the second floor of the mansion. Slowly but surely, he covered the foyer floor, east wing stairs, and second floor halls in flammable liquid. Once he was done with the east wing, he retraced his steps and headed up the west wing stairs to repeat the process.


    As he moved through the mansion, he continued to check his surroundings for the arachnid, constantly peering over his shoulder for an ambush. His enhanced vision had kicked in, allowing him to avoid stumbling into any of the cobwebs or holes that filled the mansion. A clear picture of his surroundings did little to calm his growing anxiety, since he knew that by now the arachnid had picked up on his roaming and was certainly watching his every move.


    Where is this thing, he wondered glancing around the dank decrepit halls of the collapsing west wing.


    Just then he picked up the faint smell of blood and the subtle sound of legs thumping around above him. Resisting his body¡¯s natural urge to freeze up, he forced himself to calmly look toward the sound. There he found a crack and hole ridden ceiling with which the beast was surely spying on him through. He looked away with as much calmness he could conjure and continued to search the wing as if he hadn¡¯t noticed anything. If the beast realized he was onto it, it might panic and become unpredictable. For now, Wone knew it was tracking him, which meant he knew where it was at all times.


    ¡°Did you tag it,¡± Wone whispered in his mind, as if the beast could hear his thoughts.


    ¡°No, but I managed to pick it up,¡± replied Taps. ¡°Get a better beat on it and I can start telling you where it¡¯s going.¡±


    Wone continued to search for a way up into the attic where the officers had marked the nest. He had found where they had chased the spider up, but the beast had covered up the entrance with web and debris. He¡¯d need to find a new way up.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll have to make your own way up,¡± interrupted the disembodied voice of Taps. ¡°Head back to one of the rooms near the stairs and hop through the ceiling. And be quick, this suspense is killing me.¡±


    Shaking his head, Wone did as he commanded and headed back the way he came to search the rooms nearest to the stairs for a weak point in the ceiling. He found a spot in one of the rooms that looked like he could jump through without bringing down the room or injuring himself.


    Here we go, he chanted in his head, crouching down to wind his muscles up before exploding upward, crashing through the ceiling, and landing in a nearly pitch-black room. He quickly scanned his surroundings, spotting eight gleaming black diamonds staring at him as his eyes adjusted to the blackness of the attic. With a roar, the beast pounced toward Wone, who at the same moment drew a knife from his belt and sent it sailing into one of the creature¡¯s eyes before dodging out of its path.


    It shrieked as it sailed by, sending shivers down Wone¡¯s spine. He turned to dash back down the hole he had come up through but was caught by the arachnid as it recovered from its initial shock. The weight of the beast jumping onto Wone sent the two crashing down the old crumbling ceiling and into the room below.


    ¡°Tagged it,¡± came the voice of Taps cutting through the sound of falling debris.


    Wone and the monster struggled in the wreckage of the ceiling. Wone managed to wretch the knife he had thrown earlier out of the beast¡¯s eye and used it to stab into a gap in its armor around its neck. He thrusted the blade into the creature over and over until it managed to penetrate deep enough to force it off him to preserve itself.


    He struggled to his feet and quickly bounded out of the room and into the hallway.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re almost ready to get this party started,¡± hollered Wone as he quickly descended the west wing stairs. He wanted to make for certain the four outside knew to get ready to start saving the hostages, since he had no idea how long he¡¯d need to keep the arachnid occupied.


    As he climbed the east wing stairs the beast caught him again, barely missing his shoulder with its gnashing fangs. Wone wriggled around beneath the monster until he was on his back, then began to kick and elbow at its underside until he created enough space beneath the creature to slip free. He climbed frantically up the remaining stairs and bolted into the halls of the east wing.


    ¡°Can you see if they¡¯ve entered the building yet,¡± asked Wone in his mind as the beast continued to pursue him through the east wing.


    ¡°Yeah, it looks like they¡¯re climbing up into the attic now,¡± replied Taps. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when they¡¯re out and you can set this building alight.¡±


    Wone and the beast rumbled through the east wing, crashing through walls, and ruining furniture as they went. Wone used every piece of loose scrap he could get his hands on to slow the arachnid, hurling rotting wood, old lamps, and random accessories. His attacks left the arachnid mostly unfazed, and it continued its determined pursuit.


    ¡°Are those fuckers almost out,¡± cried Wone through his transmitter, his thoughts frantic. His heart pumped hard as he ducked through corridors and dodged over dressers, tables, and other pieces of loose furniture. He didn¡¯t know how much longer he could keep this up, he was running out of places to go, and the spider was getting closer and closer.


    ¡°They¡¯re out,¡± said Taps sending a feeling of relief through Wone¡¯s body. ¡°Light the building up and jump out of one of the windows, you¡¯ll live.¡±


    Wone wasted no time in following Taps¡¯s advice. He emptied the remaining contents of his gas cannister and struck a match, watching anxiously as the arachnid approached from the doorway. He dropped the match above the pooling gasoline and dived through the window, feeling a small bit of pain as his shoulders met and passed through the old glass. Behind him he could feel the air shift as the room¡¯s gasoline caught fire and began to spread around the room. As he sailed through the air, he caught a brief glimpse of the arachnid¡¯s silhouette dashing away from the fire, not quite fast enough to avoid the creeping flames of the ignited gasoline.


    His moment of triumph was short lived, as he made contact with the quickly approaching ground. He landed on overgrown grass, breaking the fall with his side and rolling onto the brick path of the property¡¯s garden.


    ¡°Ahgk,¡± Wone groaned as he laid on his back feeling the slowly growing pain of his fall. Je caught his bearings and pushed himself to his feet, stumbling through the garden to the front of the mansion. Beside him the building began to start burning in earnest, the inferno now encompassing the entirety of the east wing and probably the west wing too. Hopefully the arachnid was being cooked inside.


    ¡°Good riddance,¡± Wone muttered aloud at the thought, urging his aching body to amble along the red brick path beneath him.


    He found the officers and Dunna beneath the stone steps that led to the mansion¡¯s front doors cutting the missing people out of their gossamer cocoons.


    ¡°How¡¯s the goods, they alive,¡± asked Wone. He stood over the two officers freeing the three captives.


    ¡°They¡¯ll live,¡± replied one of the men crouched over the bundles of white thread.


    They were working slowly, carefully cutting away the webs without injuring the sleeping victims within. After a few more minutes of work, one of the officers freed the upper body of one of the captives, a skinny woman who seemed otherwise healthy despite her captivity. The officer pulled out a syringe and injected it into her neck, probably a stim pack, to make sure she remained alive.


    ¡°Another piece of history lost,¡± said Dunna stoically while watching the inferno of the mansion slowly grow brighter.


    Under the sound of cackling flames and collapsing wood, Wone could hear the high-pitched screech of the arachnid as it burned up from within the roaring flames of the mansion.


    ¡°Captain, take the hostages to the hospital and ring up Lady Song, tell her they¡¯re safe,¡± ordered Dunna turning away from the flaming building. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with the hunter and make sure this thing is dead.¡±


    The old man nodded and took two men and the now freed hostages to the hospital in two police cars, leaving Wone, Dunna, and the last remaining officer to watch over the flames of the mansion.


    ¡°This¡¯ll take a while,¡± said the officer, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.


    After about two and a half hours the flames finally subsided, and the charred remains of the dilapidated mansion were finally cool enough to sift through. Wone and the others scoured the wreckage for signs of the arachnid¡¯s body until after twenty minutes of searching, Wone found it beneath where the east wing staircase once stood.


    ¡°Hey, come over here and look at this,¡± called Wone hunched over the smoking carcass.


    Dunna and the officer carefully marched their way through the mansion ruins to where Wone stood over the arachnid. To confirm that the creature was indeed dead, Wone gave its side a sharp kick and waited for a response. Nothing.


    Dunna pulled a camera from his black coat and began to snap pictures of the dead creature.


    ¡°Oh, get one with me in it,¡± giddily asked the officer as he got down to pose in front of the arachnid¡¯s charred corpse.


    He placed his right foot a top the creatures head and leaned his upper body onto his bent knee, shooting Dunna¡¯s lens a smile. Watching the two of them take trophy shots stoked Wone¡¯s own desires and he walked over to the beast¡¯s smoking body.


    ¡°Get one of me,¡± he said crouching down beside the spider¡¯s head and putting on a mean look.


    ¡°Say spider,¡± joked the officer as Dunna prepared to snap the photo.


    Dunna took the photo and Wone and the officer walked over to him and peered over his shoulders at the small screen of his camera. Wone smiled in triumph as he admired his own image.


    ¡°Strutting around like a cat who caught a mouse,¡± interrupted the bored voice of Taps from within his head. ¡°Hurry up and get the cash we have waiting for us and bring it back to base.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start heading out shall we,¡± said Wone walking towards Dunna¡¯s car.


    Dunna and Wone climbed into their black car and the officer entered his and escorted the two of them back to the detective agency. The two of them basked in the sweet silence of a job well done and the exhaustion of physical exertion. Wone was tired from his labors within the mansion, and Dunna had bags under his eyes from what looked like a lack of rest.


    They pulled into the agency and exited their vehicles.


    ¡°Your payments in the trunk, follow me,¡± said Dunna directing Wone to follow him to the back of the car.


    He popped open the trunk and handed Wone a briefcase. Wone promptly opened the briefcase and ogled the contents within. Shining back at him were two thousand credits worth of gold standards. The minted face of some old Taipanese noblewoman filled Wone with joy as he counted out the sum within the case.


    ¡°Oh yeah, this¡¯ll do,¡± cooed Wone running his hand through the money.


    As he stood there basking in the feeling of getting paid, Dunna tapped him on the shoulder and with his finger on his lips signaling for Wone to stay quiet, he handed him a letter. Without another word he turned and walked into the detective agency. Confused, Wone began to tell Taps he had completed his task.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the cash, headed back now,¡± he said through the transmitter.


    ¡°Alright,¡± responded Taps.


    He felt his mind¡¯s connection with taps fade, and he was left with the quietness of a lone mind.


    Mission accomplished, he thought. Now to read this letter.


    He tore open the envelope in his hand and began to read the contents of the letter within. It read:


    Dear Wone,


    Our brief conversation earlier has so intrigued me I scarcely find myself thinking of anything else. I feel that you can make a very distinct difference in my organization, and it would be very <u>lucrative</u> for you if you would consider meeting me at 9:30 tomorrow night at the attached address. I look forward to hopefully seeing you again.


    -Ying Song


    Below the message was an address to a fancy restaurant in the city center.


    Wone found himself grinning at the letter as he finished reading. The opportunity of a lifetime had just fallen into his lap and if he played his cards right he could make a lot of money, and perhaps even gain some status.


    But that sign earlier, wondered Wone thinking back to his final interaction with Dunna. Why had he signed for Wone to be quiet when he handed him the letter.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Wone muttered aloud, still clutching the letter in his hands, rereading Song¡¯s elegant handwriting.


    The only possible explanation was that Dunna somehow knew that hunters could communicate with each other without anyone knowing. He clearly didn¡¯t understand the nuance of the transmitter imbedded in the back of Wone¡¯s head, since he thought whoever was on the other end could hear whatever he heard, but he knew he was communicating with someone.


    This is interesting, thought Wone.


    He lit a match and burned the letter, casting its ashes into the street as he began to head towards base. As he followed the crowded streets of the city center back to the apartment building he and the other Hunters were operating out of, his mind drifted off to the possibilities of a future under Song.


    It wasn¡¯t unheard of for hunters to leave the Order for a while and strike it out on their own, but the process by which they left was unknown to Wone. But the prospect of becoming filthy rich was too much to pass up so Wone made up his mind to meet Song tomorrow night.


    ¡°I wonder what we¡¯ll be having for dinner tomorrow,¡± he muttered aloud.


    And what shall I wear?

 ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 2. Dripping Gown REWRITTEN

    <h2 style="text-align: center">Act 1: Haino City,</h2>


    <h2 style="text-align: center">Chapter 2. Dripping Gown</h2>


    ¡°I¡¯m going out on leave tonight, don¡¯t bother me,¡± declared Wone standing over Taps as he paddled away at his terminal keyboard.


    Taps was completely unbothered by Wone¡¯s declaration and continued at his keyboard as if he wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°What, not gonna say anything?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± replied Taps standing from the terminal. He put his hand on Wone¡¯s head and gave it a shake before walking out of the room, apparently done with his work.


    ¡°I have some business of my own to attend to tonight, I won¡¯t be in town so stay out of trouble,¡± he said walking off to his room.


    The two of them were staying in a three-room apartment in a greater complex that held twenty such living spaces. Inside the complex were four other hunters and thirty-three regular residents. The other hunters¡¯ names are Blast, Hiroh, Myra, and Swift.


    Blast was the oldest of the six, being in the business for so long that he could barely remember his own face, according to Taps. His manner reminded Wone of the tales of elite hunters who wore shifting black veils and traveled with blind dogs through the ruins of abandoned towns and cities in search of monsters.


    But in Blast¡¯s case, he¡¯d be searching for people since most of the jobs he and his partner Myra would take involved hunting criminals. The wicked thought of hunters chasing down regular people made Wone shake his wicked amusement.


    Walking to his own room Wone found himself thinking about the letter he had been given the day before. His meeting with Song had dominated his thoughts all morning and the anxiety was starting to get to him.


    ¡°I gotta get my mind off of this,¡± he muttered.


    He pulled his leathers and boots from the wardrobe he kept all his work gear in and tossed them on.


    After he squeezed into his boots, he departed the apartment complex and set his mind to finding something nice to wear for his meeting with Song. He had a good chunk of money saved from previous jobs and the hostage rescue had netted him an even greater sum to spend. His mind wandered to memories of an expensive district of shops known as The Silver Cloud. That¡¯s where he would find his outfit.


    He walked a few blocks down the street and waited to catch a bus from his neighborhood to the City Center Station which was a short walk from The Silver Cloud. He stood around for about fifteen minutes basking in the sunlight until he saw the blue and white paint of the city bus roll in.


    He climbed on board after it came to a stop and picked an empty window seat near the back of the vehicle. The ride to the city center took forty-five minutes, so Wone stared out of the window and allowed his mind to wander to pass the time.


    Outside, townhouses and apartment complexes turned into groves of palm trees, crowded streets, bustling storefronts, and finally the tightly packed concrete of the inner city. Crowds of people ambled by going about their daily lives. From his seat, Wone could spy policemen scolding kids for misbehaving, and the surge of foot traffic caused by businessmen heading home for the day.


    Could I live a life like that, Wone wondered leaning up against his window. No, I couldn¡¯t.


    Such a life was simply too mundane. He was too used to the thrill of being a hunter, not to mention his rampant greed. For Wone, it was either be rich and famous one day or stop living, and he had barely exhausted any of his options. There was much more life for him to live and he hoped precious little of it would be spent in the obscurity of simple living.


    The bus came screeching to a halt, pulling Wone from his thoughts as the driver called: ¡°City Center.¡±


    Wone rose to his feet and followed behind his fellow passengers onto the orange concrete platform that made up the Hibiscus district central station. He scanned the station for a moment before heading toward where he knew The Silver Cloud was.


    As he made his way to The Cloud, he picked up various pieces of conversation from passersby.


    ¡°This whole war hysteria is getting out of hand, I hope the families have a plan for the future,¡± said an older man in black and red.


    ¡°I hear the families are starting to draft up armies, apparently the Republic is about to kick Wei out of Heina and now they¡¯re coming here,¡± gossiped a wealthy looking woman. ¡°It might be time to head to the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Did you see what they published in today¡¯s paper? Apparently, Lord Ngo is negotiating with those war mongers, he¡¯ll sell all the states out for scraps off the table,¡± seethed another man, he looked like he was a soldier in his youth.


    A war? Wone thought to himself. It was the first time he had heard about it, although he knew that the countries neighboring Taipan had been in constant conflict since the Republic¡¯s inception. However, the conflicts never boiled over into Taipan. Wone began to consider what the Order might do in the event Taipan was turned into a battlefield when a disheveled looking man approached him.


    ¡°Hey there mister, would you mind sparing a match for my cigarette,¡± asked the man completely invading Wone¡¯s personal space.


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Wone annoyed at the closeness of the homeless looking man.


    He searched his belt for a match and found none. He had used his last match to burn the letter Song gave him.


    ¡°Sorry friend, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m all out,¡± Wone said patting his belt.


    ¡°Aw c¡¯mon don¡¯t be like that mister, I know you have a match,¡± the man persisted. ¡°Everyone¡¯s got a match.¡±


    Everyone but you, Wone thought to himself.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case ask someone else,¡± Wone replied curtly before shoving the man aside and continuing on his way. He laughed to himself thinking about the gall of the man.


    He was close to The Cloud now, the normal bright colors of the City Center turned into the elegant and deep colors of the Taipan nobility. Oranges, greys, and pinks ditched in favor of royal blues, deep reds, and elegant black. The weathered concrete of refurbished and old buildings turned into the polished woods of newly constructed stores and miniature palaces.


    Many stores even had silver and gold etched into their support beams, some sported columns with tigers and dragons carved into them, and others had statues of fierce looking animals on display. Holograms projected from crystal balls and electronic projectors danced through the air of The Cloud, permeating the block with images of fine clothing, beautiful and handsome couples, as well as a variety of different accessories and jewelry for sale.


    It was the perfect place for Wone to find something extravagant to wear for his meeting with Song. He wandered around The Cloud, ogling the beautiful clothing on display via holograms and admiring the deep blue and crimson covered nobility that wandered the strip as if it were the Royal Palace of Wei.


    ¡°Hey there friend, you look starstruck,¡± called out a voice from behind Wone. He turned and saw a young nobleman, wearing a golden rooster upon his red shirt, signifying he was a So. The revolver on his hip signified that he was also a soldier.


    ¡°Is this your first time in The Cloud,¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is in fact,¡± Wone replied suspiciously. Who was this man?


    ¡°I can tell,¡± he laughed approaching Wone and giving him a slap on his back. Wone accepted it, still cautious of the man. ¡°What brings you here? Work or leisure?¡±


    ¡°Leisure, I¡¯m looking to buy,¡± answered Wone curtly. ¡°Do I know you; this is awfully forward.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied the man still standing cozily close to Wone. ¡°But you look like an interesting guy and it¡¯s a hobby of mine to meet random people and pick their minds for some fun.¡±


    The man punched Wone softly on the chest and offered his hand. ¡°My name¡¯s Davita it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Wone,¡± Wone replied accepting his hand still bewildered. ¡°And I¡¯m a hunter if you hadn¡¯t noticed.¡±


    ¡°Well duh,¡± replied Davita making a face like such a thing was obvious. ¡°Don¡¯t know anybody else with eyes like those and a frame as wide as yours.¡±


    ¡°You never know in this city¡­¡± Wone replied. Taipan is home to people from all over the world, it was easy not to stick out.


    ¡°Here, to show you I¡¯m serious, how about I take you to where you want to go,¡± offered Davita turning Wone¡¯s gaze to the shining holograms floating around them. ¡°Uh, where is it you want to go?¡±


    Wone considered Davita, what a strange guy, he thought.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Wone drawled, his suspicion relenting. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something expensive to wear. Something no one else would be wearing but everyone would know is the style.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Davita stroked his chin in thought as he considered Wone¡¯s request.


    Wone knew what he was asking for would be difficult to find. Haino fashion was Wei fashion, all about uniformity and the hierarchy of colors that mimicked the hierarchy of class within Taipan. Sticking out wasn¡¯t popular among the elite and wearing royal red or blue was forbidden by those not enlisted or related to the families that governed Taipan.


    ¡°I think I know a place,¡± said Davita motioning for Wone to follow him as he began to walk off into the strip.


    Wone followed Davita as he guided him to a smaller shop a short way from the main strip where all the popular stores were. They found themselves in front of a smaller, but no less beautiful building with its own unique style. Rather than the extravagant columns and statues of the main strip, this store had its own color scheme of red, yellow, and green. Its walls looked like the scales of a dragon and its green tiled roof was reminiscent of an old temple. There was a green jade statue of a fox set between the red wooden entrance doors with lettering beneath that read: ¡°The Jade Fox¡±. Aside from that, the store bore no signage, just the statue between the doors and dress adorned mannequins displayed behind the front windows.


    ¡°This place looks quite nice,¡± mused Wone. ¡°Unique.¡±


    He looked on intrigued at the building that seemed to come straight out of a history book. The colors and the styles of the clothing were that of the old Taipanese royalty, a people who have long since assimilated to their neighbors¡¯ cultures.


    ¡°It¡¯s the oldest store in the district,¡± remarked Davita who carefully watched as Wone ogled the colorful building.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head inside,¡± declared Wone pushing open the wooden doors of The Jade Fox.


    He was immediately met with a mural depicting an old Taipan royal palace beneath a dragon filled sky. Beams of golden sunlight bore down through the clouds and onto the palace and fields depicted below. In those fields were the painted silhouettes of toiling peasants working the crops as a nobleman dressed in green watched from a palace tower above. The palace was painted in the same colors as the store, green walls and ramparts, red beams and columns, and yellow highlights on the parapets. Wone found himself mesmerized by the artwork.


    ¡°Like what you see,¡± asked Davita from behind an entranced Wone.


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± he responded still taken by the mural.


    ¡°I think, considering I¡¯ve done something for you, you ought to do something for me,¡± said Davita. ¡°Tell me a story about one of the monster hunts you¡¯ve been on.¡±


    Wone nodded his head still examining the mural, but his mind traveled into his memories to search for a story to tell Davita.


    ¡°Sure, sure, I can do that,¡± answered Wone wetting his lips in preparation for the long story he was going to tell. ¡°This is my favorite story to tell, it happened a year ago up in Wei during the winter months¡­¡±


    Wone became lost in his memory of the event as he recanted it to Davita, as if he were there in that place once again with his master.


    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    It was bitterly cold up in the mountains, but luckily there wasn¡¯t any snowfall this early in the winter. Wone and his master trudged along a dirt path up the mountain to the village that had issued the Order their job.


    ¡°A man-eater,¡± uttered the gruff old voice of Wone¡¯s master. His veil was folded over his head, draped along his cap, and hanging just below the back of his head. He was one of the few old hunters who still wore the face they were born with.


    ¡°Go ahead Wo, tell me about the creature we¡¯ll be hunting today,¡± demanded the old man as they continued to climb the mountain.


    ¡°Just as you said, it¡¯s a man-eater. A mutant that feasts on flesh, its lifespan extended by magic or mutation.¡± Wone paused. ¡°Or both.¡±


    ¡°Is it dangerous boy or is it harmless,¡± the old voice snapped.


    ¡°Very dangerous, especially if it¡¯s lived a long time,¡± answered Wone. He had gotten lost in the semantics and forgot to assess the actual threat the creature posed.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± his master said pleased with Wone¡¯s response. ¡°Man-eaters are among the most dangerous creatures a hunter can face because of their intelligence.¡±


    They were once human after all, their minds and bodies warped in a way that made them more physically and mentally gifted. But also twisted, unable to control their hunger for flesh and killing. This man-eater that Wone and his master were hunting had made its home in an abandoned castle above the village they were heading into, feasting on its inhabitants to sustain itself.


    They approached the village from the south, walking into a collection of dark wooden houses built inside of a clearing between the dense thicket of tall green trees that covered the mountain. Men, women, and children went about their lives seemingly unbothered by the creature they wanted Wone and his Master to slay.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Hey where¡¯s your elder, or anyone that can tell me about that beast up the mountain,¡± asked Wone¡¯s master to an older woman sat rocking on her porch.


    ¡°Just as you¡¯ve said, it¡¯s made its home up above,¡± replied the old woman, her voice slow and rich. ¡°You¡¯ll find it in the old lord¡¯s castle. But be careful, that place is haunted by the victims of that wicked man.¡±


    ¡°Haunted,¡± scoffed Wone¡¯s master. ¡°that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    The old woman continued to rock back and forth in her chair, unbothered by Wone¡¯s master¡¯s declaration.


    ¡°Just be careful when you enter that place,¡± the woman warned, her eyes closed. ¡°It¡¯s not right, the spirits of those tortured people still remain.¡±


    Her eyes remained shut and she continued to rock back and forth in her chair. Wone¡¯s master looked annoyed at the mention of ghosts, but his face softened after a while.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head up there and kill this thing,¡± Wone¡¯s master declared, disinterested in investigating the village any further.


    The two of them continued north until they left the village and ended up on a cobblestone paved path to the castle the man-eater was holed up in.


    ¡°Ghosts, how stupid,¡± muttered Wone¡¯s master as they marched along in the howling wind.


    ¡°What¡¯s so wrong with believing in ghosts,¡± Wone asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to believe,¡± his master replied. ¡°Just idle superstition from the masses. Once a thing is dead that¡¯s the end of its time on this world. Nothing can change that.¡±


    They continued in silence until they reached the deserted castle of the old Lord. Its front gate was wide open, its outer walls still in good shape despite the years. It did not look like it had been left to time for very long.


    ¡°Let¡¯s search the perimeter,¡± said Wone¡¯s master pointing for him to scout their left while he scouted their right.


    Wone did as his master bid and searched along the walls for any signs of life, discovering nothing. He then began to inspect the actual castle itself, examining the bricks for any entrances. Once again, finding nothing, he continued along the wall until he met his master standing over a hole in the ground.


    ¡°What¡¯s this,¡± Wone asked.


    ¡°Perhaps an entrance into the castle,¡± his master replied. ¡°And look, it¡¯s been used recently.¡±


    The grate covering the entrance was loose, and on the stones beneath Wone could see a faint trail of blood.


    ¡°I suspect this is where our beast drags its victims,¡± his master said lifting the grate and descending into the damp passageway below. ¡°Stay here and watch my back for a while, I¡¯ll come by and grab you once I figure out what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    Wone nodded and watched his master disappear into the darkness below, now alone in the cold. He scanned the old stones of the castle for movement as he awaited his master to return, sensing nothing suspicious in his surroundings. Just the sound of the harsh wind howling as it blew through the castle walls. After what seemed like ten minutes of waiting Wone¡¯s master finally returned.


    ¡°The passage leads into the kitchen, it¡¯s where the beast has been preparing its meals, but it isn¡¯t where it keeps them,¡± said his master appearing beneath the grate. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Wone climbed down into the passage and followed behind his master along the dank and dark path to the castle kitchen. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to notice the growing blood trail beneath his feet. It seemed not all of the man-eater¡¯s victims made it to the dinner table completely alive.


    What a morbid thought, Wone remarked in his mind.


    The gore got worse when they entered the kitchen. Corpse parts from people of all ages were strewn about countertops and tables, some wrapped in cloth, or chopped up beside other mundane ingredients.


    ¡°Seems this thing is quite the chef,¡± muttered Wone¡¯s master heading toward a door at the far side of the kitchen. He was unbothered by the spectacle around him.


    Wone himself was somewhat disgusted at the scene, but such sights were just a part of being a hunter. He compartmentalized the experience and continued on, trying not to think too hard about what he was seeing.


    He followed closely behind his master as he carefully pushed open the kitchen door. Quietly, the two of them stepped out into an empty red carpeted hallway and began to search the castle for the man-eater.


    ¡°This place smells disgusting,¡± said Wone¡¯s master, now speaking through the transmitter embedded in the back of their heads. ¡°Keep your gun handy this thing might find us before we find it.¡±


    Wone nodded and pulled the shotgun he had slung on his back into his hands. He flipped the safety but kept the gun unchambered so as not to draw attention. The two of them wandered through empty halls and rooms until they heard a woman sobbing down one of the hallways. Silently, the two of them tracked the noise to its source and came upon a man with an unhealthy complexion dragging a struggling woman by her hair.


    ¡°Get off of me, please, let me go,¡± she shrieked in anguish.


    The sick skinned man paid her no mind and continued dragging her along, striking her when she struggled too hard.


    ¡°Firing,¡± transmitted Wone¡¯s master sending three bullets from his pistol toward the strange man.


    The first bullet found its mark, burrowing into the man¡¯s black cloth covered back and sending strange dark colored blood spraying from the wound. The next two bullets were caught by brown, hair covered arms that erupted from the wound. Countless more limbs sprouted from the man¡¯s back obscuring his sick looking skin and black tunic.


    The man smiled at the pair of hunters and threw the woman at Wone. He quickly flung his gun over his shoulder and caught the woman, coming to a halt from the force she was thrown with. Wone¡¯s master brushed passed them and continued to fire shots at the monstrosity of a man, each bullet caught by the arms protruding from its back and flung back at him. He dodged and continued to pursue the creature down the hallway.


    ¡°Are you alright, can you stand,¡± Wone asked the woman in his arms.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she nodded trying and failing to rise. ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    Wone didn¡¯t have a moment and chose to instead follow behind his master with the woman still in his arms. He couldn¡¯t leave her there; the beast might have returned to kill her before they could catch it.


    Wone cautiously followed behind his master as he pursued the man-eater, taking cover when the hands on its back would send bullets flying back at them and closing the distance when he could. Finally, they cornered the unhealthy-looking creature of a man in the castle meeting hall. Wone and the woman remained in the hall, watching from the cover of the entryway as Wone¡¯s master drew his saber and charged at the man-eater.


    It pulled four swords of its own from one of the ruined benches that littered the hall and commenced battle with Wone¡¯s master, quickly gaining the upper hand. Not only did it have more arms and swords, it also seemed to know how to use them. Wone¡¯s master¡¯s superior skill kept him alive, but dealing with so many hands and blades was a task too difficult for even an elite hunter.


    Wone made sure the woman was secure and called out to his master through his transmitter: ¡°I¡¯m firing move aside!¡±


    His master quickly dodged away from the creature with a practiced motion he and Wone had executed hundreds of times and Wone sent pellets hurdling at the man-eater from his shotgun.


    To their surprise, its new arms caught each and every ball of metal from the air and quickly flung them back at Wone. He ducked behind a wooden bench and winced as a few pellets bounced off his vest.


    ¡°I thought so,¡± said Wone¡¯s master from within his head. ¡°That old woman wasn¡¯t lying, that lord was doing some strange things in this castle. Those arms on his back are from a spell, he must have found a book or scroll on it lying around in this place.¡±


    Despite the shotguns failure to strike the creature, the distraction allowed Wone¡¯s master to rush in and lop off one of the man-eater¡¯s sword arms. Wone drew his own saber and took a place behind the creature, striking in tandem with his master to overwhelm the three remaining sword arms on the man-eater.


    Wone slashed, his master stabbed, the man-eater parried, and they continued to exchange blades over and over, growing more impatient as they awaited an inevitable slip-up, the mistake that would bring this dance closer to its end. Finally, Wone caught another of the beast¡¯s sword hands with his saber as it focused on his master, allowing it to be overwhelmed.


    Wone¡¯s master hacked off one of the man-eater¡¯s main hands and grabbed a hold of him, seeing the opportunity, Wone quickly ran his saber through the man-eater¡¯s chest piercing its heart. It grunted, falling to its knees after Wone¡¯s master released it. Blood seeping through the wound, the man-eater collapsed and silently slumped over as it went unnaturally still and died.


    The hands that had grown out of its back shriveled up and crumbled to dust, its already dark blood beginning to run completely black as it seeped from the unmoving corpse.


    ¡°The end,¡± Wone¡¯s master huffed.


    The two of them stood over the now dead creatures¡¯ body for a moment to make sure it was truly dead, the woman they had saved earlier now standing beside them.


    ¡°Are you from the village,¡± Wone asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a trader. That thing abducted me from my caravan last night,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Well, you have nothing to worry about now,¡± assured Wone¡¯s master. ¡°That guy is no longer with us.¡±


    The three of them wrapped the man-eater¡¯s body in cloth and carried it off to the village to signify they had completed their task.


    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°Afterwards we took the girl to the village and told them to go bury the man-eater and all of its victims,¡± Wone said. ¡°Then we went home and collected our reward.¡±


    ¡°Amazing,¡± said Davita astonished. ¡°That spell, it¡¯s called interception if you didn¡¯t know. It¡¯s used by warlocks in the army.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very rare to find creatures capable of such things as an apprentice,¡± Wone said his eyes still fixed upon the mural.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m amazed it was able to learn such a thing.¡±


    ¡°When these creatures are intelligent and live long enough, they become very dangerous,¡± said Wone in a serious tone. ¡°Monsters like that are the most important to kill, since they pose the greatest threat.¡±


    The two of them had stood there alone in the lobby for over ten minutes now. Davita had been silent during Wone¡¯s tale, listening with keen interest. It seemed he was very satisfied with what he heard.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head inside and see what they have in store for me,¡± said Wone finally finished with his examination of the mural.


    Wone walked through the entryway on the right side of the wall and met an extensive assortment of fabrics and clothes on display. Mannequins clothed in elegant dresses and gowns stood proudly alongside tables filled with fabrics. The room was full of beautifully designed silks and comfortable looking garments that Wone found tantalizing.


    This¡¯ll do, Wone thought.


    As he began to make his way around the room, investigating every piece of clothing as he went, a woman¡¯s voice called out to him from the far side of the room opposite the mural wall.


    ¡°Hello gentlemen,¡± the soft voice called. ¡°What bring you to The Jade Fox this evening?¡±


    ¡°I have a meeting with a noblewoman this evening,¡± answered Wone. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something unique and somewhat extravagant to wear tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, a noble,¡± exclaimed the woman, her voice dripping with faux admiration. ¡°This is an important occasion indeed, and I must say you¡¯ve come to the right place.¡±


    The woman marched up to Wone and began to look him up and down.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she made a worried noise and started to pick at Wone¡¯s arms and legs. ¡°I wish you would have come in sooner; I can already tell you¡¯d need something custom made, but I know we have something that¡¯ll fit you. Follow me.¡±


    She released Wone and motioned for him to follow her to another room deeper within the store. He obliged and with Davita in tow crossed through multiple rooms with clothes and garments for different ages and sexes until they reached one filled with clothes for larger males.


    ¡°If you wanted to call me fat you could have just said so,¡± joked Wone noticing the sizes of all the clothing.


    ¡°You most certainly aren¡¯t fat my dear,¡± answered the woman with a feline look. ¡°But you aren¡¯t thin either. Here try some of these.¡±


    She handed him a few tunics and gowns to try on, first a black one, then an orange one, and after that a white one.


    ¡°None of these are really my style,¡± said Wone to his own reflection in the mirror. The white gown looked good, but it lacked the uniqueness he was searching for.


    He blew some air out of his nose and began to do his own searching. He passed his hands over an extensive selection of fine silks and comfortable fabrics until he found one gown covered in little stars. Intrigued, he pulled the garment from the rack and looked in wonder at a miniature night sky woven into a pitch-black silk gown. If he put it on it would look like he was wearing space.


    ¡°I like this,¡± said Wone showing off the gown to the woman.


    She nodded in approval and motioned for him to step back into the dressing booth he had tried on all the previous outfits in. He stepped in and pulled the gown on over his shirt, then fit his arms through each of the sleeves.


    ¡°How do I look,¡± he asked appearing from behind the dressing room panels.


    ¡°It fits you quite well,¡± answered the woman.


    She smiled at Wone and moved in to adjust his gown and see if the sleeves needed any tailoring. They fit well, hanging loosely around his forearms without obscuring his hands.


    ¡°This is actually a special piece made by the Jade Fox herself,¡± said the woman pulling away from Wone.


    Which means it¡¯ll run my pockets for quite a sum, Wone thought. Ah well, it does look good on me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it, as well as some black pants and new shoes to go with,¡± said Wone determined to buy the twinkling silk.


    ¡°Splendid,¡± said the woman unable to contain her excitement. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    She led Wone with Davita in tow to another room full of shoes, boots, and slippers. As Wone began to inspect the assortment of footwear, the woman pulled out a measuring tape and tapped Wone on his hip.


    ¡°May I,¡± she asked grinning.


    ¡°You may,¡± replied Wone shaking his head.


    She wrapped the tape around his hips to take his pants measurement. When she was finished there, she moved to his right thigh and pulled the tape tight.


    ¡°Handsy woman,¡± Wone muttered quietly.


    ¡°What was that,¡± she asked, clearly having heard him.


    ¡°I said, hurry up,¡± replied Wone.


    He feigned obliviousness and the woman grinned and rose to her feet, putting the tape back into her dress.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back with some pants for you, please feel free to peruse the shoes while I¡¯m away,¡± she declared, turning, and walking out of the room.


    Wone picked out a pair of feet looking shoes with silver metal covered toes and soles.


    ¡°Those are an interesting choice,¡± remarked Davita from behind Wone.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m an interesting guy,¡± replied Wone.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± interjected the woman who had silently returned holding a pair of black pants.


    Her sudden arrival nearly made both Davita and Wone jump, and a surprised Wone snatched the pants from the woman.


    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your name,¡± asked Wone eyeing her suspiciously.


    ¡°My name is Adara, sir,¡± she answered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I thought your friend here already introduced me.¡±


    She shot Davita a curious look and he simply smiled and shrugged.


    ¡°You two know each other,¡± Wone asked.


    ¡°We do indeed, he and his mother used to shop here all the time when he was a boy and I was a young woman,¡± she replied, her eyes traveling somewhere distant. ¡°I see he¡¯s become a fine young man who keeps even better company now.¡±


    Wone shook his head at the flattery and Davita waved his right hand in protest.


    ¡°Oh, this is just someone I met not even an hour ago,¡± said Davita. ¡°I just figured he¡¯d like what you had for sale is all.¡±


    So that¡¯s why he brought me here, thought Wone. He enjoyed what he had seen in the store, so Davita¡¯s scheme didn¡¯t bother him too much. But still, he was annoyed at having been taken for a ride.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you are here,¡± said Adara. ¡°Now try on those pants and come out so we can see how the outfit looks.¡±


    Wone walked back into the changing area and pulled on the pants and shoes he had picked out. He shifted around in the shoes for a minute before stepping out of the changing area and heading to the mirror where Adara and Davita were waiting.


    ¡°I look fantastic,¡± Wone cried out after seeing his reflection.


    ¡°It fits you,¡± said Davita.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that gown has finally found a home,¡± said Adara.


    Wone continued to admire himself in the mirror until he figured it was time to pay.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s ring all this up,¡± said Wone reaching for his coin purse.


    ¡°Wonderful, follow me,¡± said Adara. She led him back into the first room they entered and stood him and Davita in front of a register while she went through her ledgers.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 3200 credits,¡± said Adara, as if it were a small sum of money.


    Davita scoffed, but Wone looked unbothered. He fished out thirty-two gold marks from his purse and set them on the table. Davita grew even more astonished watching Wone place the coins on the register table, his expression growing ever more mortified.


    ¡°Heavens,¡± he muttered.


    Adara slowly counted each mark and examined them to make sure they were real. Pleased to discover they were, she pulled out a little white jade fox from her dress and handed it to Wone.


    ¡°For our most treasured customers,¡± she said in a sultry tone. ¡°And of course, we can¡¯t allow you see a noblewoman without first grooming you, follow me.¡±


    She walked off and motioned for Wone and Davita to follow along. She led the two of them to a small grooming area that seemed to be meant for women, but apparently Wone warranted an exception.


    Money above all, Wone thought.


    ¡°If you would disrobe, I can take your clothes and scent them while you wash up,¡± said Adara.


    Wone found her smile somewhat off putting but complied, removing his gown and shirt, but keeping his pants on.


    ¡°Touchy woman,¡± Wone muttered.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She turned and gave a sly look.


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you,¡± said Wone with two thumbs up.


    She turned and strode off with Wone¡¯s gown and shirt leaving him to wash up with the large basin and faucet of the washroom. He turned on the hot water and started to wash his face, then reached for the lotion bottle resting beside the basin and began lathering his upper body in the pink cream.


    ¡°Adara is an interesting woman,¡± said Wone as he rubbed the lotion into his chest and stomach.


    ¡°Yeah, I think she¡¯s just stir-crazy, doesn¡¯t get out much,¡± replied Davita from the washroom door. He was leaning against the wall idly watching Wone wash himself with a bored look on his face. ¡°So, who is it your meeting?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think I should say,¡± answered Wone. He didn¡¯t think it was too big of a deal to say, but without knowing what Song thought, spilling that he was meeting with her would be unwise. He thought it better to exercise caution.


    ¡°I see, I see,¡± said Davita nodding his head.


    Wone finished washing his body and hair then dried off and waited around in the washroom for Adara to return. She did ten minutes later with freshly scented and pressed clothes.


    ¡°Here you are,¡± she said handing Wone his gown and shirt.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said quickly pulling the shirt and gown on.


    Finished with Wone¡¯s fitting, the three of them walked to the front of the store and began to say their goodbyes.


    ¡°It was a pleasure to have you here mister Wone, I hope you¡¯ll stop by sometime soon,¡± said Adara with a bow.


    ¡°I suppose this is where we part ways, since I can¡¯t accompany you to this date of yours,¡± joked Davita.


    ¡°No, you cannot,¡± said Wone seriously, clapping Davita on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see each other around Adara, it was a pleasure meeting you.¡± He took her hand and kissed it, getting a grin from the woman.


    Wone walked off alone waving at the two as he left.


    Look at the time, Wone thought realizing the streetlamps had come on. It must have been past seven o¡¯clock and he was a little over a half hour away from the spot he was to meet Song at.


    ¡°Better get going,¡± he mused aloud, hailing a ride to take him to his destination.

 ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 3. Dreams and Nightmares

    <h2 style="text-align: center">ACT 1: Haino City</h2>


    <h2 style="text-align: center">Chapter 3. Dreams and Nightmares</h2>


    Wone and Song sat across from each other, the sole patrons in the lantern-lit room Song had rented out for the evening. Aside from empty tables, a bar sat lit up in the center of the room where servers waited to take orders. The way the room was lit made it seem like Wone, Song, and the servers at the bar were floating in darkness. Occasionally holograms of fish would dance across the darkness and then disappear, as if swimming in the void. The city lights below could very faintly be seen through the windows, like licks of flame around a nearly pitch-black box.


    Wone found it strange but didn¡¯t mind since it accentuated the shining stars on his gown.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so early,¡± said Song after Wone took his seat.


    He had been early enough to see the room before the lights went out, which allowed him to find his way across from Song without tripping over the empty tables.


    ¡°And that gown¡­¡± She paused. ¡°You look¡­ well you look like a walking constellation.¡±


    Thanks,¡± replied Wone unsure and uncaring if she meant it as a compliment. ¡°You look beautiful this evening, I must say.¡±


    Her outfit was obscured from the darkness, but he could see the silhouette of her golden face covered in makeup, as well as the gleaming white pearls of her headdress. It wasn¡¯t too extravagant, just a pearl laden band that went across the crown of her head and dangled above each of her shoulders. Sometimes, the lanterns and the holograms would shine upon the two of them allowing Wone to get a better look, but it was never quite bright enough.


    I suppose I could just use my night vision, Wone thought. But that would ruin the ambiance and the mystique Song had set up. He would play ball with Song for the evening.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Song said. She raised her right hand and waved it, moments later a servant appeared beside the table with a pitcher of water and two cups.


    Wone poured himself some water and took a deep drink from his cup, waiting for Song to steer the conversation towards business.


    ¡°To be able to speak to a hunter twice in just as many days, I must be lucky,¡± said Song pouring water into her own cup. ¡°Tell me, how often have you worked for the same client?¡±


    ¡°Not often,¡± answered Wone. ¡°But that isn¡¯t a bad thing, just means people don¡¯t often run into monsters twice.¡±


    ¡°So then, would this be the first time you¡¯ve seen someone for a something other than monster slaying?¡± Song leaned in as she asked the question, placing her chin into her hands as she rested her elbows on the table.


    ¡°Are you implying,¡± Wone declared slowly, pausing at his final word. ¡°That I¡¯m incapable of working in the real world?¡±


    Song eyed him skeptically, turning her chin up at his response.


    ¡°Are you,¡± she asked.


    That depends, Wone thought. He didn¡¯t want to believe he¡¯d do everything she said no matter what for money, but he¡¯d never been in a situation where he might have to compromise his morals for personal gain either.


    ¡°No,¡± he answered in a tone more determined than he actually was.


    ¡°So, if I asked you to say¡­¡± Song dragged out the last word, tapping her fingers against her water cup. ¡°Kill someone for me tomorrow, would you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± answered Wone folding his arms. ¡°Who would it be and how much would you be paying me?¡±


    ¡°It could be anyone, I have many enemies and few friends,¡± said Song. ¡°But compensation would be no issue. I just wanted to know if you¡¯d be willing to kill a person, since that¡¯s something you¡¯d very likely have to do if you work for me.¡±


    Wone¡¯s mind shifted to Blast and Myrah, their desks filled with crossed out wanted posters and vests full of dents from catching bullets. His world might shift from hunting dangerous monsters to assassinations and criminality. It was strange to Wone, but not entirely foreign for a Hunter.


    I¡¯ll be doing both, Wone thought. No need to lock myself into a box with Song just yet.


    ¡°I could protect you,¡± answered Wone. ¡°For a nice sum of course, but as a matter of ability, I can do as you need.¡±


    Song nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    She waved her hand and servants appeared from the darkness once again and placed menus on their table. Wone picked his up and began to scan it, grabbing one of the waiters by the arm and pointing to what he wanted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that, that, and this,¡± he said gripping onto the server.


    The frightened man looked to Song for help, but before she could do anything Wone pulled him in close and seethed: ¡°If you don¡¯t hurry up and take my order now, I swear I¡¯ll put you through that window.¡±


    Wone released the server and smiled as he nervously nodded and scurried off with Wone¡¯s order. Song gave him an annoyed look and he shrugged. He had succeeded in his goal of breaking her composure, some revenge for the way she seemed to be lording over him.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t abuse my staff,¡± she said in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°Relax,¡± Wone said leaning back in his chair. ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you.¡±


    He gave her a wolfish grin and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Well please stop that, you¡¯re far too intimidating to be playing games with.¡±


    The mood had shifted, the servers looked nervous as they came out with Wone and Song¡¯s food and Song herself seemed slightly more on edge, small glances off into the distance and secret looks at Wone betraying her anxiety.


    Maybe she¡¯s thinking she¡¯s bit off more than she can chew, wondered Wone.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you so down,¡± asked Wone as the servers finished setting their food on the table.


    She looked at him for a while, her brown eyes gleaming from the light of the lantern hanging above them. She broke her stare and began to pick at her meal. She had ordered curry chicken over rice, Wone had ordered steak, rice, and sweet wine.


    ¡°Who can say,¡± she sighed.


    The two of them sat in silence for a while, Wone munching away diligently at his steak and rise while Song elegantly brought bites of her curry to her mouth with her chop sticks. Finally, after a few bites, she broke the silence.


    ¡°You know, of all of the mercenaries wandering about, Hunters are by far the deadliest,¡± she began. Wone nodded, awaiting her next words.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t just mean when it comes to monster hunting, I mean in general,¡± she continued. ¡°More deadly than any warlock, more dangerous than most magicians.¡±


    Wone cocked an eyebrow, confused by Song¡¯s new train of thought. Where is she going with this, he wondered. Is she calling me dangerous? A liability?


    ¡°Confused? I thought you might be, since worrying about the affairs of us regular people isn¡¯t something most of you hunters do,¡± Song was smiling at Wone now, as if to reassure him despite her offhanded criticism. ¡°But not all hunters are satisfied with just killing beasts. Some turn to crime, taking what they please and eliminating anyone that gets in their way.¡±


    Wone gave Song a quizzical expression. He¡¯d heard of such things but never in very good detail. He hoped she didn¡¯t think he was a criminal.


    ¡°Oh yes, believe me, the families have had multiple instances of police standoffs turning into heated gunfights and complete massacres,¡± said Song. ¡°Hunter¡¯s shed bullets, resist spells, and dole out punishment better than any warlock, and they can avoid detection as good as even the best magicians.


    ¡°A rogue hunter is always a threat to the state. And yet,¡± she paused looking Wone over. ¡°Here I am sitting across from one with intentions to employ him, to make him my enforcer.¡±


    It did seem somewhat crazy to Wone who began to understand her anxiety, but he couldn¡¯t quite empathize with her, he was too selfish.


    ¡°Well,¡± Wone began searching for the words to express his feelings. ¡°That¡¯s life, you gotta make sacrifices to get what you want.¡±


    Song stared at Wone, her expression unreadable. He continued to eat and drink under her gaze, unbothered by its intensity.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± she said finally breaking the silence. ¡°Dreams rarely come to life the way we want them to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that,¡± said Wone finishing the last of his wine. ¡°Not everything is meant to be held onto so tightly. Some things you just need to let rest in your palm to prosper.¡±


    She looked at him, intrigued at his words, yet still Wone could sense she was skeptical of him.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to work for you and bring your dreams into fruition, but I¡¯m not going to give you full control of my life like these servants, or this room,¡± said Wone motioning toward the floating lights and the servers at the bar. ¡°And I¡¯m doing this not for you, but for myself. I have my own dreams of being something someday. You¡¯re my best shot at getting there.¡±


    Wone examined Song¡¯s face, still lost in unreadable thought. The two sat there for a while, staring at each other in the dark, Wone¡¯s expression growing more impatient as Song¡¯s slowly grew more confident.


    Finally, she smiled at Wone and asked: ¡°Would you like to try some mango cake?¡±


    Wone looked at her, unamused. ¡°What, I can¡¯t choose my own dessert?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said grinning childishly. Wone shifted in his chair annoyed.


    ¡°I suppose I could go for some mango cake,¡± Wone drawled. ¡°But it better be good, or I¡¯ll toss you through the window.¡± His expression turned sinister.


    ¡°I thought I told you to stop messing with me~,¡± sang Song motioning for her servants to bring out the cake.


    Two servants emerged from the darkness a few moments later with two pieces of cake on two plates. They placed a plate in front of both Wone and Song then disappeared back into the darkness.


    ¡°This is honestly so strange,¡± muttered Wone chuckling to himself. He grabbed a fork and scooped a piece of cake from the plate, biting into it and savoring the sweet flavor of the creamy dessert. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


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    Song began to dig into her own cake, silently chewing away. The mood had calmed, Song¡¯s expression softening as they sat enjoying their dessert.


    Look at this little tyrant, Wone thought as he watched her eat. My ticket to fortune.


    ¡°Here take one of these,¡± said Song offering two blue marbles in the palm of her hand. Wont took one and rolled it between his fingers.


    ¡°Miniature crystal balls,¡± Wone mused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose that, its hard to come by, even for me.¡± Song dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, gently cleaning her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll be using this to personally contact you. Only call me to let me know your availability, since I doubt, you¡¯ll be able to just up and leave the order.¡±


    Just like that, Wone was now in the employ of Lady Ying Song.


    ¡°Nice,¡± exclaimed Wone, holding the little blue marble up to his right eye to examine it. ¡°An enforcer, right? What is it you want to accomplish with me?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d help me rule the world,¡± said Song. ¡°But for now, I¡¯d like you to help me with some beast trouble¡¯s I¡¯ve been having lately.¡±


    She waved her right hand, then placed her chin into her left. Moments later servers arrived to clear the table of dirty dishes and refill their water before disappearing. She leaned in towards Wone smiling.


    ¡°That arachnid you killed for me was not the start of my monster blues,¡± said Song. ¡°No, I suspect that someone sicked that creature upon my people in hopes of extorting or intimidating me. I¡¯ve also had to deal with other creatures like ghouls and thrashers, but the arachnid was the most dangerous.¡±


    She paused and began pouring herself a cup of water then continued, ¡°You and I shall work together for the next few weeks to catch our culprit and discover who they¡¯re working for.¡± Song took a sip from her cup. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± said Wone letting out a contented sigh. ¡°That was good, thank you for dinner.¡±


    Wone leaned back into his chair and patted his stomach, relishing the good food he had just eaten. Song shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°Hey, stay still for a moment, be still won¡¯t you.¡± She turned her head to the bar and made a signal with her hands and suddenly the lanterns dimmed until they no longer shined, and the floating holograms faded into the darkness.


    Then, Wone noticed it. The stars on his Gown were moving, twinkling as they flew around like real shooting stars. It was a beautiful sight that captivated both Wone and Song. They watched as the stars on Wone¡¯s gown formed into different shapes and constellations before scattering apart into thousands of tiny flickering lights across his body.


    ¡°Wow,¡± uttered Wone astonished.


    ¡°Where did you get that gown,¡± asked Song now almost completely obscured by darkness.


    ¡°A clothing store called The Jade Fox,¡± answered Wone.


    The two of them sat in darkness admiring the stars until finally Song clapped her hands together and all of the lights turned on, completely illuminating the room. Wone blinked, his eyes burning from the sudden change in brightness.


    ¡°Warn me next time, heavens,¡± he blinked the stars out of his eyes and shook his head.


    ¡°Well, this has been very productive, I¡¯m glad to have you on my team,¡± said Song.


    She rose from her seat, displaying her full outfit for the first time. She wore a royal blue dress that fit snugly around her torso and opened into a wide and flowy skirt at her waist. A silver tiger symbol adorned her dresses stomach, and more of them danced across her skirt. The fabric traveled down to her feet which wore a pair of slippers that matched the scheme of her dress. Her shoulders and arms were completely bare, save for a white pearl wristband she wore on her left wrist.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been outdone, my lady,¡± remarked Wone as he examined her in outfit.


    ¡°You are a silly man, Wone.¡± She pointed towards the entrance he had entered the meeting room from. ¡°You¡¯ll hear from me soon.¡±


    Wone gave her a nod and rose to his feet. ¡°I hope so, my pockets are running a little dry.¡±


    She gave him a tired sigh and shooed him off with her right hand. He turned and strode out of the meeting room and headed into the elevator. He pressed the ground floor button and leaned back into the elevator wall, sighing.


    ¡°What a night.¡± The elevator doors slid shut and he began to descend.


    He poked around in the small box, making the most of the rare opportunity to ride in the piece of rare technology. He laughed at himself when he realized how silly he must have looked. A genetically modified killing machine excited about riding in an elevator.


    We¡¯re all human I suppose, he reasoned.


    The elevator came to a stop and opened to his destination, the ground floor of the Yi tower. Wone walked into the foyer, treading over the red carpeted marble floor and passed the reception desk to leave the building. Outside was Song Plaza which was a collection of tall buildings and businesses owned by the Song family. If Wone and Song¡¯s relationship held, he¡¯d be here quite often in the coming days.


    Maybe one of these towers will be mine one day, Wone thought looking up at the old buildings and renovated skyscrapers that made up the plaza.


    He was one step closer to his goal now, a foot soldier in the Song family¡¯s dominion. He played a minor role now, but in the future his importance would most assuredly grow, and people would come to meet him at the top of towers.


    And from there, Wone thought. More.


    He took one last look at the bay, its dark waters reflecting the lights of the city as its surface shifted back and forth. He turned and headed to the street to hopefully find a ride home at this hour, it had to have been at least midnight.


    ¡°Look at you, trying his luck on the wild side,¡± teased Blast.


    It was the morning after Wone¡¯s meeting with Song. He, Blast, and Myra were standing in the living room of the duo¡¯s apartment discussing Wone¡¯s proposal, to join them on a bounty hunt.


    Wone eyed Blasts mask covered face with curious skepticism. His wild eyes and black hair were the only things he could see from behind the tan cloth he had tied around his face. It knotted at the back of his head, leaving the back of his jaw and head exposed, it made him look like a bandit, his crazy looking eyes reinforcing this image.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured I needed some experience dealing with regular people,¡± said Wone shifting his gaze to Myra.


    Her veil was folded over her head, exposing her dark skin and brown eyes. She gave him a look like he was in over his head, her arms folded over her chest.


    ¡°Have you ever even shot a regular person,¡± asked Myra.


    ¡°No,¡± Wone admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s more reason for you guys to take me along with you.¡±


    Blast tilted his head, his expression hidden behind his veil. He really was a strange man, Wone wondered how Myra managed to work with him.


    ¡°Well, I suppose this would be a good learning experience for you,¡± said Blast. ¡°And even more importantly, it¡¯s a teachable moment for Myra!¡±


    Myra turned her head towards Blast, confused. ¡°Teach me? He¡¯s the one who¡¯s green!¡±


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I mean,¡± Blast said waving his hand. ¡°I mean you¡¯re the one going to teach him, I¡¯ll guide you from the terminal!¡±


    Myra¡¯s eyes narrowed and she began to say something but was interrupted by Blast: ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t want to hear it, do as I say.¡±


    Myra shook her head before relaxing, her posture still clearly annoyed.


    ¡°Okay, I suppose I can take this greedy goofball on a mission.¡± Myra looked at Wone annoyed then sighed to herself. ¡°Take me to your apartment, you¡¯ll need to take some different gear with you when you deal with people.¡±


    Wone nodded and walked out of the apartment with Myra in tow. Blast followed behind them and waved as they walked into the hallway.


    ¡°Have fun, talk to you on the line~,¡± called Blast before shutting the door.


    ¡°Haah, I can¡¯t believe that guy,¡± said Myra as they walked to Wone¡¯s apartment.


    Wone shrugged her off and unlocked his apartment door, then opened the door, and led Myra to his room and showed her the wardrobe he kept all his equipment in. He opened the wardrobe and stood aside to allow Myra to pick out what she thought Wone would need in the field.


    The wardrobe was filled with a repeater, a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, a few replacement pistols, gun belts, bullet vests, and an assortment of knives, all above a row of boots. It was assorted neatly, and everything was clean, despite the wear and tear of multiple years of usage.


    ¡°Not as nice as I thought it¡¯d be,¡± Myra mocked as she examined the wardrobe¡¯s contents. ¡°Now, the first thing you need to know before you gear up is what type of job this is going to be, loud or quiet? This determines the type of gear you¡¯re going to need.¡±


    Wone nodded his head.


    ¡°This job involves some gangsters who abducted someone they shouldn¡¯t have,¡± continued Myra. ¡°They messed with some guy from the families and now they want revenge, and we¡¯re the ones who¡¯re going to get it for them.¡±


    Wone nodded again, Myra had yet to specify if the job was quiet or loud.


    ¡°So, for a job like this, you¡¯re going to want a mixture of both quiet and loud,¡± she finished.


    ¡°Well, what was the point of that,¡± said Wone shaking his head.


    ¡°The point,¡± said Myra leaning into Wone¡¯s face, her expression serious. ¡°Is that you always leave with everything you need.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, get outta my face,¡± said Wone turning his head and pushing Myra¡¯s face away from his.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± she laughed as Wone forced her away from him. ¡°But seriously, always be prepared. People are a lot less predictable than most monsters and they¡¯re dangerous when they work together.¡±


    She reached into the wardrobe and pulled out a bullet vest, a belt, the semi-automatic rifle, and a lower caliber pistol.


    ¡°This should do, plus some knives,¡± she said handing the gear to Wone.


    He picked out a few throwing knives and his combat knife then put on all of the gear that Myra had given him.


    ¡°No saber?¡±


    ¡°Why in the world would you need that,¡± she said. ¡°Unless you can use it to deflect bullets, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be necessary.¡±


    Wone shrugged and decided not to strap his saber to his hip. It remained resting in its sheath a top his nightstand.


    ¡°Alright, that should be everything. Let¡¯s go,¡± said Myra.


    The two of them left the apartment complex and traveled a few blocks on foot until they reached a shady looking neighborhood. The roads weren¡¯t being kept and graffiti and grime covered most of the buildings. It was not the worst Haino City had to offer, but it seemed suspicious, nonetheless.


    ¡°The hell are we doing here,¡± asked Wone looking around at the rundown neighborhood.


    ¡°Getting a ride,¡± replied Myra without looking back at Wone.


    It wasn¡¯t normal for the hunter cell they were a part of to have vehicles, which meant Blast and Myra had probably stolen whatever Myra was about to show Wone. He shook his head at the situation and continued to follow Myra.


    The two of them continued through the neighborhood until they came upon a tan brick garage with graffiti running along the side of it. Most of it was gibberish and symbols, with some occasional profanities woven in.


    ¡°Help me out with this,¡± asked Myra crouching down in front of the garage doors and grabbing onto the handles of the garage.


    Wone squatted down beside her and with their combined strength, folded the garage doors up into the building. Inside was a red engine powered car, small and able to seat five people. Myra walked over to the driver¡¯s seat and stepped inside, leaving Wone to climb into the passenger seat. He began to strap himself in and Myra punched him in the shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that, you might need to fly out of this thing if we get shot at, understand,¡± she said giving him a soft smile.


    He nodded then she started the engine and pulled out of the garage.


    ¡°We¡¯re headed out to the industrial park in Crystal Bar,¡± said Myra as they pulled out of the old neighborhood and onto the main road that led into the city.


    ¡°Down by the docks,¡± drawled Wone thinking about the busy port.


    ¡°So, what you been up to lately,¡± asked Myra. ¡°We don¡¯t get to talk often; I worry about you.¡± She snickered at the words.


    ¡°Been thinking about you.¡± Wone put on his best heart-stricken face. ¡°You remind me of the girls I fell in love with back in the day, you¡¯re always on my mind.¡±


    ¡°The only thing on your mind is money,¡± Myra quipped. ¡°I feel bad for anyone that ever does fall in love with you, they¡¯ll always be second place.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, it seems like you already know what I¡¯ve been up to then, so why bother asking,¡± Wone asked. ¡°Is there something you want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that you¡¯re kind of a jackass,¡± she said flatly. ¡°Anyone ever tell you that? Well, I¡¯m saying it now Wone, you¡¯re kind of a jackass.¡±


    The two of them broke out into laughter.


    ¡°How far out are we, I¡¯m already getting sick of you,¡± joked Wone.


    ¡°Still a while, sorry to say.¡± Her face grew serious. ¡°You really haven¡¯t killed anyone yet?¡±


    Wone shifted as the mood between them suddenly grew tense. He had not killed anyone, nor had he ever had any reason to. During his time as an apprentice, he and his master spent most of their time in solitude travelling. He was a prodigy at slaying beasts, better than everyone within his cell, but he had no experience fighting people.


    ¡°I¡¯m kinda jealous,¡± she said before he could answer. She had a faraway look in her eyes, her gaze focused on the horizon. ¡°I feel like a monster sometimes.¡±


    Wone struggled with finding the words to say. He hoped he wouldn¡¯t feel that way when he inevitably had to take the life of another person, but you never know.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s life,¡± Wone said finally. He sighed, ¡°damnit Myra.¡±


    He laughed thinking about how na?ve he was about his deal with Song and ambitions to be rich and powerful. Then he laughed again because he didn¡¯t plan on quitting over his own misgivings about potentially disliking killing people.


    ¡°Are you alright,¡± Myra asked as he finished.


    ¡°It¡¯s just funny is all,¡± Wone replied. ¡°My greatest goal, is to be a piece of shit.¡±


    Myra smirked, ¡°You might actually be pretty good at this.¡±


    They continued down the main road until they reached the traffic of the inner city, and their progress came to a halt. Myra let out a soft growl in annoyance and the two of them sat silently in the car as they slowly waded through the congested road.


    ¡°If you¡¯re really serious about whatever it is you decided you needed to do this for,¡± began Myra. ¡°Then don¡¯t let anything like morality get in your way, you¡¯re a hunter after all.¡±


    Wone nodded considering her words. He didn¡¯t necessarily agree, but he understood where she was coming from.


    ¡°This damn traffic,¡± she muttered under her breath.


    The two of them were stuck in traffic for twenty minutes and didn¡¯t end up at Crystal Bar until Noon. Myra had parked her car in a secluded spot in a parking lot the dock workers used.


    ¡°Alright, like I said we¡¯re hunting some gangers,¡± said Myra. ¡°Blast¡¯ll talk to us when he gets word from our client. In the meantime, we¡¯re going to sit here and watch the docks for anything suspicious until we get a timetable.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Wone.


    The two of them exited the car and walked around the docks until they found a building with a nice overlook over the freight area. It was a shipping company building, where freight companies handled the bureaucracy of incoming and outgoing goods. It didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d let Wone and Myra in for their stakeout.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sneak around the back and climb up to the roof. Might be a ladder back there,¡± said Myra circling the building.


    It was three stories and had a stairwell that led to a fire exit and a ladder beside it that went up to the top of the building. Wone and Myra walked up the stairs and climbed onto the roof when no one was looking and took up positions on the edge of the building where they could see most of the port.


    ¡°This¡¯ll be a while,¡± said Myra.


    Wone shrugged and began to come up with ways to poke fun at Myra while they waited, he had to pass the time somehow.

 ACT 1 : Haino City, Chapter 4. Manhunt

    <h2 style="text-align: center">ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 4. Manhunt</h2>


    ¡°Hell-oo,¡± called the voice of Blast from within both Wone and Myra¡¯s heads. ¡°You guys there-uh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, been here for a while,¡± drawled Wone sitting under the parapet while Myra peered out at the port. It was sundown now, the two had been waiting for Blast to contact them for six hours now.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s important for a hunter to have patience, and you guys¡¯ pass! And so do I because I sat and watched you two on the terminal for the whole day!¡± He seemed annoyed, he definitely expected to be contacted much earlier by the client.


    ¡°So, what¡¯re we doing,¡± asked Myra, still watching the dock.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to sit around on that roof for a little while longer, the gangsters aren¡¯t going to be at the docks until seven thirty,¡± answered Blast. ¡°And they¡¯ll be there with some dock workers to embezzle some money or pick up some drugs or whatever, just make sure you kill a guy with a scar on his left eye.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± said Myra and Wone in unison.


    ¡°Aww, that was cute,¡± joked Blast.


    His presence left their heads, yet the connection between them remained. It was a strange trick he had never experienced with Taps or his master before, it unsettled Wone.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re looking for anything suspicious. Look for cars too fine to belong to a dock supervisor or anyone that doesn¡¯t fit in, got it,¡± said Myra breaking the silence.


    She pulled out a pair of binoculars from her satchel and began to scan the port in earnest, her earlier glimpses apparently not as serious. Wone followed her lead, scanning occasionally while making sure to watch their backs.


    Nothing strange happened for another hour, until just as Myra had said, two black cars pulled into a dock three piers away from their roof. Eight men emerged from the two cars, then moved to meet a dockworker who had previously been obscured by a shipping container.


    ¡°Bah, can¡¯t get a good look at anyone¡¯s face from up here,¡± muttered Myra angrily. ¡°But those are definitely our guys.¡± She looked back at Wone and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He followed her back down the ladder and fire exit stairs, and they snuck their way through the emptying piers to where they spied the two black cars. The sun had nearly set, and the streetlamps began to come on, Myra and Wone had snuck through the dimmest patches left on their path. It wasn¡¯t very difficult since this was about the time dock workers ended their shift and hurried off to their lockers to get ready to go home. If anyone did see them, they didn¡¯t bother to mention it to anybody.


    They crept over to the rows of shipping containers beside the lot the eight men had pulled into and hid behind the giant metal rectangles, eavesdropping on the gangers conversation.


    ¡°-can tell you that we¡¯ll be in the red for a while because of this,¡± said a slow and rich voice. He spoke quietly and calmly.


    ¡°I know they must be scared, Song Ying dished out a hefty sum of credits to the Order to deal with the beasts sent after her,¡± said another voice, older and gruffer. ¡°Song Mei got lucky she upped her security on such short notice, or she¡¯d be in one of these containers.¡±


    The men chuckled then resumed their conversation.


    ¡°In any case, we need to be more careful, allowing Song Mei to escape was a mistake we couldn¡¯t afford,¡± said another voice, younger and bolder than the other two. ¡°We need to start leaving Haino and let the others deal with the So supporters. We can¡¯t be getting found out, it¡¯ll cause more trouble than we need.¡±


    Wone¡¯s mind began to wander with intrigue. He recalled hearing about the war and how the Republic would supposedly be coming to Taipan. The So family was the martial power in Taipan and would decide who the military would support in a war, and from what he knew it would probably be the Republic. The Song family were some of their staunchest supporters, even if they disagreed about breaking neutrality, which explained why they were being targeted. It seemed like there was more to this than just some gangsters trying to extort a family.


    ¡°Everything is ready for you all,¡± said another voice, quieter and less confident. ¡°You all just need to head inside and iron out the details.¡±


    The talking trailed off as Wone heard footsteps march further and further away. Myra had occasionally been peering out toward the crowd but didn¡¯t seem to be able to find their mark.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re going to be doing this the hard way,¡± she said from within Wone¡¯s head. She turned to him, ¡°You ready?¡±


    Wone nodded.


    ¡°Two left at the car, we¡¯re going to kill them and steal their faces, you ready?¡±


    Wone nodded his head again. He wasn¡¯t ready but he was going to go through with this, he had to, he told himself.


    ¡°Follow my lead.¡± She quickly stepped out from behind the metal container they were hiding behind and flicked a knife into the neck of one of the men standing by the cars.


    Wone did the same, quickly pulling a knife from its sheath and sending it into the neck of the other man. He watched it anxiously, waiting for it to meet its mark before averting his gaze for a moment. He forced his eyes back on the man almost immediately, the fear of him surviving the attack and retaliating greater than the strange feeling he felt welling up in his chest. When he finally managed to rest his eyes on the man, he found him on the ground struggling like a fish out of water with the knife embedded in his neck. He and Wone locked eyes, and after a few more moments of struggle, light left the man¡¯s eyes, and he stopped moving.


    ¡°Put your gear and clothes in the trunk and get these guys¡¯ clothes on,¡± said Myra already stripping out of her gear.


    Wone nodded his head, shaking off the weight of his act. It was like dealing with the gore from hunting a monster, here now gone later.


    This isn¡¯t so bad, a part of him thought. Easier than killing beasts, that¡¯s for certain.


    He let the thoughts ride, carrying him through the next few minutes as he put on the white shirt, black tunic, and pants of the man he¡¯d slain. When he finished dressing, he looked to Myra and nodded. Suddenly her veil unfolded from her cap and transformed her face into the man she had just killed moments ago. Wone¡¯s veil did the same, obscuring his vision in blackness for a moment before wrapping around his face and tightening.


    ¡°How do I look,¡± asked Wone, his voice feeling strange in his mouth and ears.


    ¡°Like less of a thug than usual,¡± answered Myra in a foreign voice. ¡°Sound good too, by the by.¡± She gave him a wink.


    They tossed the bodies into the water beneath the pier and walked back over to the lonely cars.


    ¡°So, here¡¯s the plan, we¡¯re going to go in there and fake like we saw something suspicious out here,¡± she said with a devious smile on her face. ¡°Then we¡¯ll find our guy and try to isolate him.¡±


    Myra pulled a pair of keys from her pocket and shook them. Wone had also found a pair of keys, not on his clothes but on top of his car.


    ¡°Luckily for us they won¡¯t be going anywhere without these,¡± Myra¡¯s smile grew making Wone more anxious than certain.


    The two of them walked over to the building the other seven men hat entered. Its windows were tinted to a color that couldn¡¯t be seen through and there was a sign on the front that said: Haino Freighters. Wone and Myra shared a look and a nod, then Myra rapped on the door.


    Moments later the door opened, and a man dressed the same way as Wone and Myra peered out at them. His face was weathered from age, but healthy.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem,¡± he asked looking past them, alertness in his eyes. Wone recognized his voice; it was the older man.


    ¡°We saw someone skulking about in the freight,¡± said Myra in that new voice of hers. ¡°I think we should investigate.¡±


    The man eyed Myra. The mask could mimic speech patterns and faces but a personality was impossible to copy. He hoped this interaction would be simple enough for their shallow disguises to work.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send the other guys out to help you two search,¡± said the man from the doorway.


    He shut the door and a few minutes later four more men walked outside, revolvers and handguns at the ready.


    ¡°They¡¯re over here, follow me,¡± said Myra leading the men to the rows of shipping containers.


    Myra led them into a maze of freight, which quickly became hard to see in as the sunlight completely disappeared from the sky.


    ¡°We¡¯ll lose these guys and loop back around to the building and kill everyone inside,¡± said Myra from inside her head.


    ¡°Oh, good plan, I¡¯ll let you know if these guys start heading back,¡± interrupted the boisterous voice of Blast.


    ¡°Hey, I think I see em¡¯¡± called Wone. He dashed into the dark maze, hoping a few men would follow.


    Three did, meaning Myra had caught onto his plan and split with the last man to cut off an eavesdropper who didn¡¯t exist. Wone led the three men deeper into the maze until it was almost impossible to see, then he used his unnatural strength to climb to the top of the long rectangular containers and quietly make his way back to the building.


    ¡°Damn, where¡¯d Mo run off to,¡± called one of the men following him. ¡°Ah, damn I can¡¯t see shit in here!¡±


    ¡°I shook em, headed into the building now,¡± said Wone through the line.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you, don¡¯t do anything stupid and definitely don¡¯t hesitate,¡± replied Myra.


    ¡°Do. Not. Hesitate,¡± echoed Blast in a serious tone that sent shivers down Wone¡¯s spine. He could feel the finality of his statement in his mind, shaken by the old hunter¡¯s thoughts.


    He definitely knew things about the line that Wone and Myra didn¡¯t. The perks of tenure, Wone supposed.


    Wone quietly jogged over to the door he had met the old man at and looked back to see Myra rushing towards him from the shipping containers. He nodded at her and knocked at the door.


    Here we go, he thought. Here he would cross the precipice. He¡¯d push himself over the edge with no hope of coming back, he¡¯d go all in and wouldn¡¯t regret it. This was Wone¡¯s creed, his way of life. He wouldn¡¯t truly hold himself accountable for his own actions, but he wouldn¡¯t turn a blind eye toward them either.


    If it must be done, it must be done.


    The door slowly opened and the old man¡¯s face appeared.


    ¡°You get the-,¡± before he could finish Wone hit him so hard, he swore he shattered his jaw. The man fell limply to the ground, completely unconscious or dead.


    He pushed open the door and walked by a reception table and headed into the back of the building. As he made his way down one of the office hallways he could hear voices coming from a closed door.


    ¡°-So that¡¯s that. It¡¯s not ideal but it¡¯s the best you¡¯re going to get,¡± said another new voice, with a pitch like a radio host.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you; mistakes are mistakes. I can- who the hel-,¡± Wone burst into the room and opened fire on a man in a light blue coat then another man dressed as a dock worker.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± The last man in the room was Wone¡¯s target, a man who looked a little older than Wone with a scar on his left eye. His hair was braided down his back and he had a frightened look in his eyes, but his face and body were resolute, still ready to act.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He and Wone stared at each other for a moment, Wone aiming the barrel of his pistol at the man¡¯s chest. Myra burst in through the door behind Wone and the man drew a handgun and aimed it at Wone.


    He was far too slow; Wone shot the weapon out of his hands leaving the man seething in pain. He clutched his injured hand and collapsed onto the table grunting in pain.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s waste this guy and fuck off,¡± she said.


    She circled the table and fired another bullet into each of the bodies lying around the table. Wone stood still watching the scarred man groan in pain at his bullet wound, eyeing Wone with pure contempt.


    ¡°Do it,¡± he cried.


    Wone would, but he wanted to know about what he was talking about earlier. They had mentioned Song and beasts, he figured it¡¯d be important information to relay to her.


    He looked over at Myra who was looking back at him. His mind raced, he struggled to decide if he should tell her his plans, about his new commitment. He might have told Taps, since he knew the man wouldn¡¯t care but the thought of Myra and Blast knowing about his sidelining of the Order made him nervous.


    Fuck, Wone thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name,¡± Wone asked the man.


    He looked up at him, fear and resentment dancing beneath his eyes. He let out a pained sigh.


    ¡°My name,¡± he huffed. ¡°Is Xie Yan.¡±


    Wone shot the man twice in his chest and watched him fall back in his chair, dead.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± said Myra.


    They rushed out of the building and headed to the two black cars the gangers had arrived in. As Wone fiddled with the keys to open the door, he heard shouting.


    ¡°Hey where are you guys going,¡± called a voice from the pier.


    ¡°Get in and drive off, we¡¯ll meet each other at base,¡± said Myra from within his head.


    Wone nodded at Myra then drew his pistol and fired at the man who had called out to him. He swung open the door to his car and climbed inside without watching to see if any of his bullets had landed. He pushed the keys into the ignition as his driver¡¯s side window and front windshield shattered and bullets began soaring past his head.


    He ducked and returned fire, striking at least one of the four silhouettes firing at him from the shipping containers. He put petal to metal and sped off from the pier, bullets crashing through his rear window as he pulled onto the road leading out of the port and back into the city.


    ¡°Woohoo, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about Wone,¡± hollered the voice of Blast from within his head. ¡°Seeing those dots drop on the monitor never gets old!¡±


    ¡°You did good Wone, we¡¯ll ditch these cars in one of the slums and meet up back at base,¡± said Myra softly. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, you did really good today.¡±


    Wone¡¯s heart was pumping as it had when he was being chased around by the arachnid, no, it beat even harder. He looked down at himself, his chest was covered in little fragments of glass and some blood from minor cuts he had gotten on his face. He tore open his tunic and found two bullets had lodged themselves in his bullet vest.


    He laid back in his chair, still maintaining his speed down the open highway. He looked in his rearview mirror and found no one was pursuing him. He looked around, guiltily as if someone could see him, then pulled out the marble Song had given him at the end of their meeting.


    He felt the power of the small crystal ball softly hum in his hand. He blocked out the connection to Myra and Blast in his head and activated the small device, focusing a small part of his essence into it.


    He waited and waited, the marble vibrating softly in his right hand. Finally, the voice of Song answered.


    ¡°Already sprung yourself loose, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be so soon,¡± said Song. Its pleasant melody calmed Wone¡¯s nerves.


    ¡°I got some information for you, couldn¡¯t get much because I wasn¡¯t alone.¡±


    Song grew quiet then answered finally, ¡°What do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°I killed a man, a few men, that were apparently in on an attempted abduction of Mei Song,¡± began Wone. ¡°Well, there were eight of them who came to meet a guy in a blue jacket who had a voice like a radioman. I didn¡¯t catch the names of the other two, but I managed to get one, a man by the name of Xie Yan.¡±


    Wone¡¯s thoughts were jumbled, the adrenaline in his veins making him trip over his words.


    Song quietly hummed in that beautiful voice of hers, then began: ¡°I know of him, he¡¯s a mercenary usually employed by the Chakri.¡±


    She paused again, digesting the information Wone had just given her.


    ¡°Well,¡± Wone asked impatiently, eyes glued to his rear-view mirror. He felt his thoughts begin to meld together as they left his consciousness, a sign Blast and Myra were trying to reach him. He couldn¡¯t let them in, he didn¡¯t know what Blast was doing with the line and he didn¡¯t want him in on his conversation with Song.


    ¡°The Chakri move with the wind, it¡¯s likely they were just jumping at an opportunity to secure some favor with Wei,¡± said Song.


    ¡°I should mention that they know who¡¯s been messing with you guys, one of them mentioned the beasts that you¡¯ve been having troubles with recently,¡± said Wone.


    ¡°Now that, is useful information,¡± replied Song. ¡°I¡¯ll have to speak with my cousin later, thank you for your hard work. I¡¯ll speak with you later.¡±


    The marble in Wone¡¯s hand ceased its humming and it dimmed, powering off and releasing his concentration. Satisfied, he unblocked his connection with Blast and Myra.


    ¡°Woah, thought we lost you there buddy,¡± said Myra. ¡°You feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°Just feeling weird.¡± Wone Lied. ¡°Got a sick feeling in my stomach, needed some alone time for a second.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just stay on the line, thought we lost you.¡± Myra sounded relieved.


    Blast remained silent, making Wone nervous.


    Could he sense my anxiety? Is he listening to my private thoughts? Wone had no way of knowing.


    He pulled off into the slums at the northern end of Haino, on the opposite side of the city where his apartment building was. It was well into the night now; the streets were empty save for homeless people crowded around fires and the restless wandering the streets. He caught a few odd looks when they saw him pull out his gear from the trunk, but otherwise left him alone.


    He snuck off into an alley after he got redressed and dumped the clothes he stole into a dumpster. He scanned his surroundings for any immediate danger, then began the long journey back to the South End where he lived.


    As he made his way through the poorly lit and deteriorating concrete of the slum, it began to rain. He shook his head and sighed, then continued along the sidewalk in the direction of home.


    By the time he made it to his home street the sun had once again started to rise. Wone blinked exhaustion out of his eyes and marched down the last few blocks leading to his apartment building. It took him seven hours to walk from the North End back to the South End where the apartment complex resided. His legs were sore, his body ached, and his mind was exhausted. But he trained for this, he willed himself to climb up to Blast and Myra¡¯s room and knocked on the door.


    He waited for a moment before Blast opened the door and motioned for him to come in. He stepped past the old hunter and collapsed onto the couch the two had in their living room. Myra sat snoring on the chair beside him, her veil still over her face. Wone realized he still had his on and promptly folded it over his cap.


    ¡°News is, Haino¡¯s finest discovered the body of one Xie Yan last night after he was supposedly killed in a gang dispute. Fine work Wone, fine work indeed.¡± The words dripped from Blast¡¯s mouth like honey, slow and savory. ¡°That slip up at the end there was less than desirable, but a job well done is a job well done!¡±


    Blast pulled out a purse full of coins and placed them down on the floor beneath Wone.


    ¡°Ah-ah-ah don¡¯t rise yet,¡± said Blast motioning for Wone to lay back down. ¡°Taps isn¡¯t back from his little trip, so you¡¯ll be staying here tonight. When you wake up this afternoon, make sure to thank Myra won¡¯t you?¡±


    Wone nodded and rested his head back onto the couch cushions. He felt his exhaustion start to overwhelm him, then before falling asleep, he shifted his gaze to Myra who softly snored away beside him. He let his eyes close, and his consciousness slowly crawled out of his reach.


    ****


    Wone awoke to the sound of Myra¡¯s light snoring and Taps speaking with Blast in the kitchen.


    ¡°-did excellently for his first time against regular humans,¡± said Blast. ¡°Kept his cool, performed well under pressure and was able to make decisions independently.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± replied Taps thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s strange though, that he would go out of his way to get in on a job like this.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Blast, wickedness growing in his voice. ¡°There¡¯s something in all of us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, speak for yourself,¡± said Taps. ¡°Well anyways thanks for looking over him, experience is what makes the difference in the world after all.¡±


    The conversation trailed off and Wone felt himself drifting slowly back to sleep, but a stirring Myra kept him awake. She coughed, then sat up in her chair, pulling her veil and cap off allowing her wavy brown hair to fall just above her shoulders. The two of them locked eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Not the best sight to wake up to in the morning,¡± said Myra cracking a smile.


    Wone touched his face and found his fingertips caked in dried blood. He forgot to clean up from the cuts he had gotten yesterday.


    ¡°Part of the job,¡± Wone joked sitting up on the couch. He yawned and stretched out his arms.


    ¡°Well, what did ya¡¯ think,¡± asked Myra still looking at Wone.


    ¡°I think,¡± began Wone. ¡°That getting shot at is more stressful than being chased, but shooting back is definitely easier than kicking off claws.¡±


    Myra nodded, blinking the sleep from her eyes. ¡°What happened at the end there? We lost you for a sec, thought you crashed out or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Just nerves, never been shot at before, had to clear my head,¡± Wone lied.


    Myra nodded again then rose to her feet. ¡°Getting the name of that guy before you killed him, that was pretty honorable, think I might start doing it.¡±


    Wone nodded, hoping she would end this line of questioning. He didn¡¯t really care what the man¡¯s name was, he¡¯d already forgotten how he looked.


    ¡°Thanks for teaching me the ropes, I couldn¡¯t have done it without you,¡± said Wone. He didn¡¯t really believe that, but he did appreciate her help, nonetheless.


    ¡°Anytime, maybe we can do this often.¡± Myra peered over the couch Wone laid on and into the doorway that led to the kitchen. ¡°Blast is kinda intense out there, its nice to have someone more normal beside you.¡±


    Wone nodded, noting the loneliness in Myra¡¯s eyes. He felt bad for her, having to leave the schoolhouses to do things no one ought to beside someone whose humanity was slipping.


    ¡°Maybe Taps can send you on a proper beast hunt with me one day,¡± said Wone.


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice, haven¡¯t done one of those in a long time,¡± she replied. ¡°Yeah, yeah that would be nice, I¡¯ll hold you to that. Maybe Swift¡¯ll let Hiroh come with us!¡±


    She looked excited, her lips curling into a smile and her eyes lighting up. Wone was glad he was assigned to Taps and not Blast, or his demeanor might become as bleak as Myra¡¯s.


    I¡¯ll convince Taps to set something up for us, Wone thought. It¡¯ll be a little party for the rookies.


    He stood up from the couch and picked up his guns from the table in front of him, then he noticed the purse Blast had left him when he stumbled into the apartment last night. He smiled as he picked up the little purple pouch and tossed it around in his left hand.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Wone,¡± breathed Myra laughing.


    ¡°Gotta do this for something,¡± said Wone with a wink. He tied the pouch to his hip and walked into the kitchen where Taps and Blast were eating.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said Wone as he stepped into the kitchen.


    The two veteran hunters sat at the counter beside each other, eating takeout.


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± said Blast.


    ¡°Nice to see you,¡± said Taps. ¡°Heard you went manhunting yesterday, took me by surprise.¡±


    ¡°Well, I live to do the unexpected,¡± said Wone. The kitchen was set up just like his and Taps¡¯s. A window with a stove beneath and beside it: cupboards, and pantries. Then on the wall to the right of the stove, a sink.


    ¡°Ah, innocence lost, such a shame,¡± said Taps lightheartedly. It was uncharacteristic of him. ¡°Here, have something to eat.¡±


    Taps pushed a paper container of food toward Wone, who set his gear aside and walked over to the counter and opened it. There was barbecue chicken and rice inside.


    ¡°Can I get a fork, or chopsticks?¡±


    Taps slid a fork over to him, he picked it up and began to munch away at the delicious food.


    ¡°It is strange that Ying Song¡¯s men would show up to the docks to clear up that mess before Mei¡¯s,¡± began Taps. ¡°I thought you said it was someone with Mei who gave you the job?¡±


    Wone was intrigued but made sure not to let it show.


    ¡°Indeed, the contact was annoyed about it, but I don¡¯t give a fuck,¡± replied Blast with a growl. ¡°Stupid fuck had me waiting half the damn day for an itinerary. Sort of wish that dumb scar bastard got away with nabbing the Song bitch.¡±


    Blast began to eat at his food angrily, noisily scooping his fork against the paper container of his meal.


    ¡°Hahaha, they certainly would have paid more for us to retrieve her than whatever they gave you to kill that mercenary,¡± said Taps. ¡°But it¡¯s for the best, this situation in Taipan is getting tenuous enough as is without major players being knocked off.¡±


    Blast nodded, his mouth full of food. ¡°It¡¯s been good for business though, been a while since we¡¯ve had to kill so many people for so much money. Black Mask must be rich out in the jungles.¡±


    Taps scratched his chin in thought then sighed. ¡°I liked this place, hopefully they sort it all out before we have to pick up and leave.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the old mask will pick a side, we¡¯re basically all in with the Republic anyways,¡± replied Blast.


    Wone understood some of what they were talking about. Black Mask was one of the Order¡¯s heads and he¡¯d heard about the Republic and Empire¡¯s fighting from earlier. But he didn¡¯t understand what Black Mask, or the Order had to do with it. Taps¡¯ recent absence seemed related to what he and Blast were talking about.


    And perhaps even Song¡¯s desperation to get her hands on a hunter, thought Wone. He also found it strange how Taps was talking about the whole ordeal as if Taipan¡¯s fate was already sealed.


    Surely that wasn¡¯t true, thought Wone.


    ¡°Ah, politics,¡± groaned Wone, a forkful of chicken and rice held up to his mouth. ¡°Didn¡¯t your mothers ever tell you not to talk politics at the table? Heavens.¡±


    Blast chuckled and Taps continued to eat, unbothered by Wone¡¯s instigation.


    ¡°Well, if she did, I don¡¯t remember, haven¡¯t seen her in forever,¡± said Blast.


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of sad,¡± said Wone. ¡°Not really though.¡±


    Taps snickered and Blast rolled his eyes.


    ¡°If you end up doing what we do then you¡¯ll have to worry about these things someday,¡± said Taps. ¡°Then you¡¯ll be glad when talking is all you¡¯ve got to do.¡±


    Wone shook his head, he wasn¡¯t a child and Taps was being vague, a part of Wone thought he knew that the reason Ying¡¯s men had been there before Mei¡¯s was Wone. The two veterans could be messing with him, but his pride and anxiety prevented him from trying to press any real answers out of them. He¡¯d see Song later and ask her, figuring it out on his own.


    ¡°Wone¡¯s right, no one wants to hear about any of that nonsense in the morning,¡± said Myra walking into the kitchen.


    She yawned and walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a box of cereal, then started eating straight from the box, chomping loudly.


    ¡°It¡¯s past noon actually,¡± said Taps.


    ¡°Even worse,¡± spat Myra between chomps.


    ¡°Alright Myra,¡± said Blast rising from his chair. ¡°It¡¯s been wonderful to have you all here, but I think its time you all go. Myra needs to sit in the shower forever and sing as loudly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± affirmed Myra, her mouth full of cereal.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you around you maniac,¡± said Taps slapping Blast on the shoulder.


    ¡°See ya,¡± said Wone giving both Blast and Myra a nod as he picked up his things and prepared to leave.


    He followed behind Taps and exited the odd pairs apartment and walked over to their own. They travelled in silence, the open hallway they had to walk through reverberating with the sounds of rain and traffic from the city around them. Taps pulled out his key and unlocked their door, then stepped inside holding it open for Wone.


    ¡°A real killer now huh,¡± said Taps as they entered the room.


    Wone looked at him and shrugged, his gun in one hand and his box of food in in the other. Taps shook his head.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t go overboard. I won¡¯t really have any jobs for either of us involving people,¡± began Taps. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of our skills, but I won¡¯t mind you helping out Blast and Myra if you want to make some extra coin.¡±


    The look Taps gave Wone basically confirmed it. He didn¡¯t mean Blast or Myra, he meant Song. The pale man smiled at Wone, his white teeth gleaming.


    ¡°No questions please, I want you to tell me what you did wrong when you figure it out,¡± said Taps. ¡°Although, you really didn¡¯t do anything wrong to begin with, it¡¯s not against the rules to go work for other people, just don¡¯t steal any money from the Order when you go do it, understand.¡±


    Wone nodded, annoyed. I have a lot to learn in this life of mine, he thought.

 ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 5. Creature Feature

    <h2 style="text-align: center">ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 5. Creature Feature</h2>


    Wone and Song sat in front of a fancy terminal searching for information on Xie Yan¡¯s employers. It had been two days since Taps had told Wone he knew he was working with Song. He had yet to figure out how he was discovered. Song was dressed, as usual, in a tiger-covered blue gown with plain clothes beneath. Wone decided to match her style, wearing a blue short sleeved shirt and pants under his bullet vest and belts.


    ¡°We were able to find some accounts based on the info I got out of the gangers my men found on the piers,¡± said Song. ¡°It seems Xie Yan wasn¡¯t just working with the Chakri, there¡¯s another account here associated with a different group.¡±


    Wone looked at where Song was pointing on the monitor. There, he saw a symbol that they had deducted was associated with Xie Yan, speaking to another group of symbols in a coded language Wone and Song had yet to decrypt.


    Song¡¯s fingers began to dance across the terminal keyboard, running protocols onto the webpage to try and force out information on any of the users who had messaged Xie Yan.


    ¡°Nothing but hidden addresses, dummy histories, and dead ends,¡± she sighed and brushed her hair from her face.


    The more time Wone spent with Song, the more attractive he began to find her. He suppressed these feelings, valuing their business relationship over his own lust and out of shame for the uncontrollable emotions stirring in his body.


    She and I are just tools for each other, Wone reasoned. And I¡¯m not a boy anymore. I can¡¯t just fall in love with every pretty girl I see.


    He found himself staring at the back of her head for too long and averted his eyes. There was just something about the woman that kept her image running through his mind. Wone shook his head and lamented how deep down he was just a dog.


    ¡°We were never going to find anything concrete on here anyway, it¡¯s a miracle we were even able to get into an account with ties to Xie Yan,¡± said Wone from his chair behind Song.


    She turned to him and leaned back in her chair.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± she huffed. ¡°But anyways, let¡¯s discuss the other matter you¡¯ve brought to my attention. You say your partner knew you contacted me the day of your hit?¡±


    Wone nodded, folding his arms over his chest. ¡°I want to make it clear; I don¡¯t think it was you, you don¡¯t even know who he is. Hell, I doubt he¡¯s ever even seen you, but he knew somehow.¡±


    Wone had to calm himself as he spoke, his tone grew more agitated, and his thoughts started to become more and more intense. Song looked at him calmly, leaning back in her chair.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing to freak out about my friend,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s a number of ways for us to have been discovered, if anything it would have been strange if they didn¡¯t notice anything. I should have considered how it looked sending my own people instead of my cousin¡¯s to clean up that mess.¡±


    She let out another sigh and closed her eyes, raising a hand to her forehead in thought. Wone managed to calm himself, she was right.


    Yes, he thought. It must have been easy to put it all together, I do a job for Song and not even three days later she¡¯s involved in another one of my jobs, one I chose no less.


    The pieces all started to fall into place, yet Wone couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Taps was somehow more involved, like he knew more about his dealings with Song. There was also the matter of Song¡¯s own suspicious knowledge of hunters. The whole situation stumped Wone, and he didn¡¯t like that at all.


    ¡°Another couple a¡¯ fuckin mysteries,¡± Wone growled.


    His tone startled Song, who shifted in her seat ever so slightly.


    ¡°More questions aren¡¯t a bad thing, especially when we discover solutions to problems previously hidden from our eyes,¡± said Song, finished with her brooding. ¡°We now know that there is another group, likely outside of the other families, responsible for the attacks on my family. We know that your fellows either have a way to keep their eyes on you beyond normal means or are at least smart enough to deduce your actions, and we know you become agitated under pressure.¡±


    She smiled at Wone who responded with a smirk and a shrug.


    ¡°It¡¯s how I am,¡± he said.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s scary, please stop doing it around me,¡± Song responded.


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Wone said sheepishly.


    ¡°Here, I have a gift for you, come with me.¡±


    Song rose to her feet and led Wone out of the office they were sitting in. He had met her at a private residence in the peaks, an area of rolling hills on the western side of town that overlooked the city. Obviously, Song¡¯s property was one of the most lavish in the neighborhood she was staying in. They walked out onto the indoor balcony and descended the stairs to the living room.


    ¡°If this is a woman, or some other depraved luxury we¡¯re both going to have a major issue on our hands,¡± said Wone. ¡°I won¡¯t stand for being treated like an animal.¡±


    Song waved her hand in annoyance, ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, just follow me.¡±


    She continued through the house until they reached a room near the back entrance. Glass walls revealed a pool with a view of the city. Wone could see Haino bay and the place he and Song had met for dinner.


    One day, he thought with a sigh.


    Song looked back at him quizzically and he just shrugged.


    ¡°Stop moping,¡± she ordered, then put her hand to the door. It glowed blue with power for a moment then slid open, like an elevator door.


    ¡°Hah, how much money do you have,¡± Wone asked in a mixture of amazement and envy.


    ¡°Enough, hopefully,¡± said Song brushing the question aside. She stepped inside and motioned for Wone to follow.


    Inside was an armory. Lockers held rifles, sub-machine guns, automatics, pistols, grenades, body armor, knives, helmets, the works. Wone let out a whistle at all of the weaponry on display. Song walked over to a terminal set up on a desk at the end of the room and began to type. Moments later, she pulled a drive out of the machine and handed it to Wone.


    ¡°Here is a list of commands that can breach the security of any terminal or InterLine device you come across,¡± she said with her hands on her hips. ¡°With it you¡¯ll be able to access whatever you want, it¡¯s mostly for when you¡¯re doing work for me but also¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t have to finish her sentence; Wone knew where she was going. If he wanted to bug his own terminals he could, and gain access to all the information hidden away at home.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Wone pocketing the drive.


    ¡°Be careful now, you¡¯re one of my greatest assets,¡± said Song.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll use it for that,¡± said Wone. ¡°It¡¯d be more trouble than its worth.¡±


    Song nodded and the two left the little armory and settled in the front living room. There Song had a holo-projector, a large blue couch with two love seats on either side of it, and an aquarium behind where the holo-projection would display. Wone¡¯s mouth almost started watering at the sight of so much luxury and Song seemed to notice, smirking to herself in front of Wone.


    ¡°Do you have anything to do today,¡± Song asked. Wone was still enraptured in what he was seeing.


    He was supposed to be at home, but there was no specific mission or task for him to complete today. ¡°Not necessarily,¡± he replied watching the fish float about in their tank.


    ¡°You want to stay here and watch the holo with me for a while,¡± asked Song smiling.


    ¡°Are you trying to ingratiate me with your enormous wealth? Well, it¡¯s working.¡± Wone plopped down on the couch in front of him and looked at Song expectantly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to work this thing, chop, chop put the pretty pictures up, my lady!¡±


    She rolled her eyes at him then sat at the other end of the couch, gracefully like the noble she was. She never quits, I¡¯ll give her that.


    She put her hand out and the holo-projector began to glow, then lifelike images of people began to float in the center of the living room. One with an anchorman for news, one with a man dressed in armor for action, another with a woman screaming in terror for thriller, and another box labeled ¡®recent¡¯ with a princess feinting, drama.


    ¡°Drama,¡± Wone drawled looking over at Song. ¡°I would never expect this from you!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even really know me,¡± replied Song. ¡°Just for that, we¡¯re going to watch drama.¡±


    She selected the recent box, and the projection went black for a moment.


    ¡°It takes a while sometimes,¡± said Song.


    The images shifted and suddenly Wone was staring at a floating screen with a young man and woman standing across from each other in kingdom era clothing. The show Song had selected was in the middle of an episode, it was hard to tell what was going on without context.


    ¡°-if it¡¯s true, if the consort was really poisoned¡­,¡± said the young woman. She was dressed in a light green dress, her hair tied into a pony tail and her eyes gleaming with tears.


    ¡°We know it¡¯s true Xiao Mao, you discovered the poison yourself,¡± replied the young man. He was a handsome man, though feminine looking. He wore light purple robes and had a braid dangling from a pin at the top of his head.


    There was a sudden compilation of scenes showing a hooded woman leaving a room, then of a cup spilling over, and finally Xiao Mao discovering the cup, and after an empty vial. Ot was shown in a series of flashes for dramatic effect.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to believe¡­ that Lady Fu would do such a thing, she raised me.¡± The young girl began to shed tears, and the young man pulled her into his arms.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sure she had her reasons, but you can¡¯t say such things anymore. For now, I need you to cut all ties you had with the woman,¡± said the man rocking the sobbing Xiao Mao in his arms.


    ¡°But she raised me, she¡¯s, my mother. It hurts so much Shin, it hurts so bad.¡± She began to bawl in earnest and Wone found himself bewildered. He turned his gaze to Song who looked shocked as well.


    She paused the show and put her head into her hands. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me neither,¡± muttered Wone.


    They continued to watch the episode until a scene where Shin, who was apparently the emperor¡¯s grandson and Crown Prince of the Yian dynasty, was confronted about his lover Xiao Mao¡¯s identity. Song couldn¡¯t take any more of the drama and took the holo back into the menu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­let¡¯ s just watch an action movie shall we,¡± she said flustered. It was the first time Wone saw such an expression on her face, it was amusing.


    ¡°Yeah, that was certainly something,¡± answered Wone. He actually quite liked the show, but the lack of context made it hard to follow.


    The images hovering in the center of the living room began to shift and swirl. Shin and Xiao Mao were replaced with men dressed in armor charging at each other on horseback. The next few minutes were filled with gratuitous violence as the men on the screen hacked and slashed at each other relentlessly. Wone didn¡¯t find it very interesting since he lived what they were watching on the screen, but Song seemed to be enjoying herself.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d like this,¡± she said.


    ¡°I actually liked what we were watching before a lot more,¡± Wone replied. She gave him a cat like grin.


    ¡°Ohh, if that¡¯s the case then let¡¯s start from the beginning.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Before she could change the channel herself, the images began to swirl again. However, this time the swirl was red and white instead of black. Song¡¯s face grew intrigued.


    ¡°An emergency,¡± she muttered. She crossed her legs and leaned toward the distorted image.


    Finally, the red and white swirls turned into a smoking building. The image panned out, and Wone grit his teeth at what he saw. In what looked like the northern outskirts of the city, a legion of gnashers and ghouls were wreaking havoc. The flesh-colored crab like creatures chased people down and tore them apart while ghouls soaked up bullets from the policemen on the scene. Wone immediately rose to his feet and called out to Taps on the line.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later,¡± said Song. She watched him from the couch, a concerned look on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you. Probably soon, I have a feeling this has to do with you somehow.¡± Wone walked out of Song¡¯s house and continued to call Taps to no avail.


    ¡°Wone, where are you?¡± It was the voice of Swift, strong and serious.


    ¡°I¡¯m up at the peaks, I just saw what¡¯s happening on the news. Where¡¯s Taps?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s on the line directing us right now. Get over here quickly and help us take care of this. It¡¯s me, you, Hiroh, and Taps on this,¡± he said.


    Wone walked around the courtyard in front of Song¡¯s house before realizing he had no way of reaching the northern outskirts fast enough to be of any help. He rushed back into Song¡¯s house and found her still sitting on the couch watching the news. The situation was growing worse as the police officers were now being overrun by the mutant ghouls and thrashers.


    ¡°Can you lend me a ride,¡± Wone asked.


    She nodded and pulled at a pearl on her wrist. ¡°Wait outside, someone will be out shortly to take you where you want to go.¡±


    This little tyrant thought Wone. He shook his head.


    The young hunter walked back outside and sure enough, a black car was pulled up in the driveway. A middle-aged man with suntanned skin and jet-black hair dressed in a blue floral button up shirt and tan linen pants stepped out of the vehicle and saluted Wone.


    ¡°Where would you like to go this afternoon sir,¡± he asked politely.


    ¡°I need you to take me up to where those monsters are. Can you do that for me?¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°Get inside sir, I¡¯ll take you where you need to go.¡±


    The driver leaned down and opened the passenger door behind the driver¡¯s seat and motioned for Wone to enter.


    So stiff, thought Wone watching the man operate. But I guess if you worked for Song all your life¡­


    Wone climbed inside and situated himself within the car. It was the same model as the one Dunna had used. The interior seats were made of laminated leather and smelled like palm trees. As soon as Wone shut his door and the driver strapped himself in, they sped off in the direction of the carnage.


    ¡°Turn the radio on,¡± said Wone peering through the front window.


    The driver flipped on the radio and turned the dial to the news station. The garbled voice of an anchor filled the car.


    ¡°-olice on the scene report there are dozens of the creatures rampaging from Lihua Place to Fei Street. Officials advise anyone in the surrounding area to evacuate immediately. I repeat, if you are in the blocks surrounding Lihua Place to Fei Street, please evacuate towards the City Center immediately. The area is not safe.¡± The quick nasal voice continued to repeat the message, adding on any new information as he received it.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯s going very well down there,¡± said the driver gruffly. He picked up his speed, flying down empty streets and weaving through traffic.


    ¡°We¡¯ll sort it out,¡± said Wone. ¡°This is what I¡¯m good at.¡±


    They sped through downtown Haino until they reached a police line a couple blocks from where the chaos was happening. The driver had blown through several red lights on the way. He understood the urgency. They pulled in front of the police barricade and Wone stepped out of the car.


    ¡°Should I wait for you here?¡± asked the driver from his window.


    ¡°No, get out of here!¡±


    The driver nodded his head and drove off. Wone looked toward the smoke of a burning building. It was some sort of business building, three stories high and made of white concrete. Smoke bellowed out of the upper floors and thrashers and ghouls were pouring in and out of the glass wall making up the front of the complex.


    ¡°Hey, did Song send you,¡± asked a young officer. He was standing at the police barricade and must have recognized the car Wone came out of.


    ¡°Sort of. What¡¯s going on in there? Is there any other Hunters on the scene?¡±


    ¡°A group of monsters emerged from the sewers and started attacking the Lin enterprise building,¡± he said. ¡°As for Hunters, there was one that headed into the building and another one that went chasing after a strange man.¡±


    Wone nodded his head digesting the information.


    ¡°Swift, I¡¯m here now where are you,¡± Wone asked through his transmitter.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the building looking for a woman, I need you to go after Hiroh,¡± said Swift. ¡°He went into a manhole a block down the road to chase after a suspect.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll handle this,¡± Wone said to the policeman with a nod.


    He vaulted over one of the police cars in the barricade and began to run down the street. Around him people ran in panic from the monsters who were now either headed for the manhole Hiroh had entered or standing in front of the Lin building. As Wone made his way to the manhole, a thrasher noticed the young hunter and came skittering after him.


    It screeched and sent a glob of thick mucus his way, its fleshy mouth coming together before spitting the acidic at the young hunter. Wone dodged aside and took cover behind an abandoned carriage. He drew his pistol from his hip and let off two shots into the creature¡¯s torso.


    ¡°Acchhh,¡± it screeched before careening on its long legs and collapsing, red blood pooling underneath its crumpled body.


    The young hunter scanned the street for any more beasts, and after seeing his opportunity, sprinted for the open manhole and jumped inside. He landed on a concrete path beside a canal filled with polluted water.


    ¡°Fuck it stinks,¡± Wone muttered.


    Before he could catch his bearings, he heard the growl of a ghoul and turned just in time to avoid the decaying green thing¡¯s claws. He pulled a knife from his belt and cut open the mutant¡¯s stomach, spilling its green innards all over the concrete floor. It keeled over on itself, dead.


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s nasty.¡±


    Wone wiped his knife off on his pants and slipped it back into his belt.


    ¡°Taps, I need directions here,¡± Wone called through his transmitter.


    After a moment of silence, Taps¡¯s voice filled Wone¡¯s head: ¡°Go straight, take a right, then a left, then a left, and continue straight until you reach Hiroh.¡±


    Wone moved past the poor mutant¡¯s corpse and began to follow Taps¡¯s directions. He went straight until there was a fork in the path and turned right. He must have been on the right path since there were dead thrashers and ghouls all along the path.


    This is serious, thought Wone. There must have been dozens of creatures. It wasn¡¯t normal.


    Thrashers were common in the deeper parts of the ruins surrounding the city, but they never attacked settlements. And ghouls didn¡¯t travel in packs unless they were commanded to. It was obvious someone was behind the attacks, likely the same person involved in the arachnid incident. Wone made his last left and picked up his pace to catch up to Hiroh. He found the other Hunter with his hand against the sewer wall, struggling to move forward. He was bleeding from his chest.


    ¡°Are you alright,¡± Wone asked.


    ¡°Fine, one of those flesh beasts stabbed me. It isn¡¯t too deep,¡± replied Hiroh. He pushed his back into the wall and collapsed on his bottom.


    ¡°Taps, Hiroh¡¯s injured. I¡¯m gonna leave him here and go on ahead.¡± Wone looked at the injured man and furrowed his brow. ¡°You sure you¡¯ll be alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± replied Hiroh. He pulled a syringe from his belt and stuck it into his arm. He let out a sigh and leaned his head back onto the wall.


    Blood seeped from where his vest was pierced. The clothes on his upper body were torched and the plates on his legs were scratched and torn. Wone couldn¡¯t see his expression from behind his white veil.


    ¡°Go, don¡¯t let him get away. And be careful, he¡¯s a warlock,¡± said Hiroh.


    Wone nodded and continued forward.


    ¡°I have him marked, he¡¯s not far,¡± said Taps from within Wone¡¯s head, calm as ever. ¡°Swift found the Lin girl dead in the building; he¡¯s coming out now to take care of Hiroh.¡±


    Wone jogged on ahead, being careful not to stumble into an ambush. He came across another forked path.


    ¡°Make a left,¡± said Taps.


    Wone turned and ran down the path to his left. Ahead of him he saw a beam of light coming from the ceiling, and a man standing beneath it. He turned towards Wone, his demonic eyes shining. The young hunter couldn¡¯t make out his face but he was wearing a green jumpsuit and black boots. Wone Immediately drew his pistol and emptied the rest of his magazine. Each of the bullets were stopped in midair before they reached their target, allowing the man to climb out of the sewer.


    Wone chased after him, nearly flying up the ladder leading out of the sewer. As soon as his feet touched the pavement of the surface, he bounded toward the fleeing warlock. He reloaded and fired five more shots at the man, only for each bullet to once again be stopped in midair. Unlike Wone¡¯s previous encounter with such a spell, no hands burst from the warlock¡¯s back. But it did seem as if an invisible force was catching the bullets rather than stopping them, since each bullet was halted at different times.


    He continued his pursuit, getting closer and closer each block they travelled. Wone didn¡¯t know exactly where they had resurfaced at, but it was out of the city limits. They were in a slum, rugged looking people looked on in wonder and fear as the two strange looking men chased after each other.


    The warlock burst into an abandoned apartment building and fled up the stairs with Wone a few meters behind him. Wone fired three bullets at the man as they travelled up a set of stairs and this time nearly struck the Warlock. His bullets stopped just shy of the man¡¯s body, panicking him.


    ¡°Incinerate!¡± The man quickly turned to Wone and stuck out his right hand. A split second later a wave of heat enveloped Wone, and a ball of fire was sent soaring towards him.


    Wone ducked under the flaming projectile and dived at the warlock before he could escape the stairwell. He made contact and the two of them went tumbling onto the floor. Wone tackled him with such force that the two of them fell halfway down the hallway and Wone was now in front of the Warlock. He drew his knife and pounced on the evil-eyed fiend, growling as they slammed into each other. The warlock caught Wone¡¯s knife hand and used his momentum to throw him back towards the staircase.


    He''s Strong Wone thought.


    The warlock sent another fireball hurdling towards Wone and smashed through an old door that led into an apartment. Wone threw himself against the side of the hall to avoid the fireball and followed after the warlock. He fired off two shots through the apartment doorway and cautiously peeked around the corner to find the man. He spied the warlock forcing open a fire escape window and dashed into the room to pursue.


    Wone jumped right through the glass window moments after the man climbed out onto the fire escape and chased him down the stairs. The young hunter followed the man into the alley below, and sprinted after him when they came out into the street behind the apartment building.


    ¡°Wone, you¡¯re getting out of range of my transmitter, be careful,¡± came the faraway voice of taps. ¡°Let Swift or Hiroh know if you¡¯re in trouble, they¡¯ll be in range.¡±


    After a few more blocks he felt his connection with Taps completely sever. If he lost the warlock now, he¡¯d be gone for good.


    ¡°Swift, is Hiroh alright?¡± asked Wone as he dashed after the warlock.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, I gave him over to the police. I¡¯m coming through the sewer now,¡± replied Swift. ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t do anything brash.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Wone was gaining on the warlock, but as he got closer, he felt something start to pull at his mind. Like cold fingers gently caressing his head, and sometimes scratching it. The two of them turned a corner and ended up in front of a ruined parking lot. The warlock stopped ten meters in front of Wone. For whatever reason, Wone also felt compelled to stop. His mind grinded to a halt, and he heard soft whispers all around him. They slowly picked up in volume, muttering sweet nothings until he felt like his skull was starting to freeze over. The warlock¡¯s eyes began to glow a sinister red, and the whispers began to increase in intensity.


    His mind was being assaulted by the demon the warlock had contracted with. It was the only explanation; the warlock wouldn¡¯t be able to get into Wone¡¯s head otherwise. Wone didn¡¯t know the specifics, but he understood that because he was out of range of the terminal, he was now susceptible to intense mental assaults. He shuddered, thinking about how much worse this would be if he wasn¡¯t genetically altered. He forced himself to move forward, slowly following the Warlock who was moving into the garage.


    The voices suddenly cascaded, melding into one rich feminine voice: ¡°Have it your way.¡±


    His head exploded in pain, and then his mind was free. The warlock ahead of Wone sent a flurry of fire balls flying toward him, then sprinted deeper into the parking garage. Two of the attacks struck Wone in his chest, scorching his vest, and burning the skin and clothing beneath. Wone seethed in pain but continued after the Warlock, managing to stay on his feet.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come back here so I can kill you quickly,¡± called Wone from the garage¡¯s entrance. ¡°Save us both some time!¡±


    ¡°You could not hope to defeat me,¡± the Warlock called back. His voice was deep and melodic. He was confident.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see!¡±


    Wone followed the fiend up the ramp to the second floor of the pillared complex, avoiding every fireball he sent his way. He fired a few shots at the warlock, and to his satisfaction, one of them hit. The invisible aura that had been catching Wone¡¯s bullets appeared. A wall of blue hands shattering before they faded into nothingness. Wone¡¯s last shot struck the Warlock on his right arm, forcing the groaning man to retreat behind a pillar for cover.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy picking you apart, fiend,¡± mocked Wone as he slowly approached.


    He moved to the left of the pillar the Warlock was hiding behind, going out wide. He wanted to shoot the man without getting close. He fired three shots at the warlock to keep him in place, then took cover behind a pillar parallel to the one the fiend hid behind. The man leaned out from behind his pillar and tossed a fireball at Wone and received a bullet in return. He grunted and retreated behind the pillar, blood now painting the concrete beneath him. The young hunter reloaded his gun.


    ¡°Almost time,¡± called Wone in a sinister tone.


    Wone dashed out from behind his cover and pressed the warlock. He walked up to where he hid behind his pillar and emptied his gun into where he predicted the wounded man to be. To his astonishment he found no one there.


    ¡°What the hell,¡± Wone muttered frantically scanning his surroundings.


    He quickly jogged to another nearby pillar ahead of him and took cover. He poked his head from behind the pillar and searched for signs of the wounded warlock.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Swift, he got away from me. Pulled off some sort of disappearing act,¡± transmitted Wone. He slipped the empty clip from his gun and loaded in a fresh one from his belt.


    ¡°Nothing we can do about that without a terminal,¡± answered Swift. ¡°Get out of there quickly before he regains his strength and ambushes you.¡±


    ¡°Will do, I¡¯ll meet you at the manhole exit.¡± Wone searched his surroundings one more time then quickly escaped the parking garage. The warlock had left no clues to his escape route.


    Wone found Swift waiting by the open manhole, looking around for anymore danger. He stopped when he saw Wone approach and walked over to him.


    ¡°Glad you¡¯re safe,¡± said Swift relieved. ¡°Today was a big fat mess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Wone replied. He glanced around nervously; still unsure the warlock had truly left.


    ¡°That warlock and his patron killed three hunters. Killed the Lin girl too.¡±


    Wone and Swift began to make their way back into the city proper. They moved from the road to the sidewalk and passed by a few delipidated buildings and homeless encampments. It was amazing to Wone that none of them seemed to mind the horde of creatures that must have come through the area. He figured the warlock must have herded them through the sewers in the early hours of the morning.


    ¡°So, who was really supposed to deal with this? Us or the other cells,¡± asked Wone.


    ¡°The job to save the Lin girl came after she had already been attacked,¡± answered Swift. ¡°As for who was supposed to respond to this sort of mess, it was Quake¡¯s group. But they¡¯re all dead or missing.¡±


    Swift groaned and scratched his head, pulling off his veil. He had an annoyed look on his face, his brow furrowed in thought.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get Hiroh and get home, we need to regroup,¡± said Wone.


    Swift nodded and the two of them returned to the police line and picked up Hiroh. He had mostly healed from his wounds but needed some assistance while moving around. There were corpses all over the place. The long-limbed flesh-colored bodies of thrashers were splayed out all along the block. The viscera of ghouls splattered across the roads like lime green paint. Civilians laid dead in the street, waiting for a police officer to retrieve their body for the coroner. It was a gruesome sight.


    ¡°All right everyone, if you don¡¯t have anything to do move along, we have work to do here,¡± called an officer from the center of the street.


    The police were starting to corral people who did not have a place to go. The monsters had all been killed and the fire had been put out by the fire department while Wone was chasing the warlock. The police barricade had been lifted and now crying victims and first responders crowded the ruined street.


    They¡¯re probably just being nosy, thought Wone. None of the residential buildings had burnt down in the fire, just the Lin building.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going, we got a lot to think about for the next couple days,¡± said Swift.


    The two of them took turns helping Hiroh walk until Myrah pulled up with a car and drove the three of them back to the apartment building.

 ACT 1: Haino City, Side story. Wicked Warlock

    Wicked Warlock


    The Demon That Torments Me


    Aras¡¯s mind wandered as he sat staring into the floating lifelike images of the holo. The news broadcast he was watching began to shift into twisted images of the gray woman who had become his soul¡¯s captor. She was smiling at him, laughing as she began drowning him in pain, pleasure, grief, and work, oh so much work. He shuddered, dreading her next arrival, yet his body grew excited at the prospect of future torment. He had become demented, a freak who deep down enjoyed the game of cat and mouse he and the demon now played.


    The rugged young man shifted in his chair, unable to control the vivid images of her soft blue lips, supple skin, and silky hair running through his mind. He could picture her cold eyes staring into him, igniting the flames of passion and fear that welled deep within his heart.


    ¡°Stars, I¡¯m lost,¡± Aras groaned, squirming in his chair. His body began to burn with the heat that would take him when he began to have thoughts of her, an effect from the brand she had placed on his chest. He huffed and moaned at the dirty feeling of his mind being molested by the demon. Her presence within him writhed and wriggled like a serpent, coiling around him, suffocating his thoughts.


    How long will this last, he thought. Two years of brutal torment, and after bending to her, she still tortures me!


    Finally, the depraved urges left his mind and were replaced instead by white hot rage. Then, the dirty feeling of lukewarm shame. He shifted in his chair again and nearly sobbed thinking about the hopelessness of his predicament. He slowly drifted into a restless sleep, the beautiful face of the ashen demon dominating his dreams.


    <hr>


    ¡°Come, pet, I have a job for you,¡± said the saccharine tone of the tall grey statue of a woman, Morana.


    Aras¡¯s eyes fluttered open, he scratched his chest and yawned.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve become more than just a pet at this point, hell, I¡¯m more of a demon than you,¡± responded Aras. He was still in his reclining chair, his crystal ball still scrolling the line.


    ¡°Perhaps if you won your little gambit that could be true, but you didn¡¯t and here we are.¡± The blue woman¡¯s lips curled into a triumphant smile. ¡°Now get up and do as I tell you.¡±


    Aras grumbled and got up from his chair then stood ready to take Morana¡¯s orders. Her smokey image stood before him in the dark abandoned apartment he was taking refuge in. He had cleared all of the dirt and grime from the walls, but the room still seemed dirty, weathered. He was left with a beige colored living room, a single chair and a power station to place a projector in. He was a Warlock, so such things weren¡¯t necessary, crystal balls didn¡¯t need power. The little circular slot in the center of the living room floor laid empty.


    ¡°You¡¯re wish, my displeasure,¡± he said sarcastically with a salute. She stared at him, unamused.


    ¡°I need you to spirit another monster into a noble¡¯s residence. Her name is Yisi Lin-,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be Lin Yisi actually,¡± interrupted Aras. Morana scowled at him, yet his composure held.


    ¡°Her name is Lin Yisi, and she is a part of the delegation of families in favor of maintaining neutrality,¡± said Morana sharply. ¡°But after you¡¯re through with her, she won¡¯t be supporting anything but a monster¡¯s digestive system. I¡¯m sending you the details now.¡±


    Aras¡¯s chest burned from where Morana had branded his soul, and information suddenly began to filter into his mind, retroactively adding to his memory. If he searched, he could find addresses, names, dates, and times associated with Yisi¡¯s schedule and daily routines. It was as if he had known this information all his life.


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± said Aras through clenched teeth. Another murder, and a gruesome one at that.


    ¡°Alright my dear, be off.¡± She waved her hand and Aras found himself compelled to leave the dingy lair of a room he had been staying in. His feet carried him out into the old eroding streets below his dwelling. The dark eyed man now stood alone on his porch. Like an abandoned statue come to life.


    ¡°Stars, this sucks,¡± he grumbled before heading off into the ruins to find a suitable monster to unleash upon the poor Lin girl.


    He marched through the abandoned ruins of a thousand-year-old city that was, for its age, in wonderful shape. Some overgrowth plagued a few of the broken buildings, as well as debris and litter from more recent inhabitants. But beyond that many of the buildings still stood as proud as they did all those centuries ago, with technical infrastructure still intact. It was how Aras managed to connect to the net, and how people were able to settle in the city so easily. The biggest threat lurking in the old concrete jungles were monsters.


    But I am a warlock, and I can control such beasts thought Aras. All I need is a creature of suitable intelligence to coerce. He sighed at the wicked thought.


    He headed toward an overgrown park in the abandoned city where the more intelligent monsters made their homes. In the trees they could find plenty of food from the regular animals as well as enough cover to avoid hunters with. It¡¯s where he had found an arachnid and thrasher to send after another target Morana had given him. Both were slain, and Aras had paid for their failures. He could remember the excruciating pain of the demon pulling apart his soul even now. It made him shudder.


    I won¡¯t fail this time. His pride as a warlock and Morana¡¯s pretty little claws wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    He travelled down block after block of abandoned concrete. The old grey city seemed to watch him as he made his way, anxiously waiting for him to walk into the wrong building and find some powerful creature lurking. But he was too smart and wise to be taken by a roaming beast, too familiar with the game of chase they played. Years of magic study, a well of latent potential, and a tragic union with a demon made him far too dangerous to be a meal of any monster.


    He finally found his destination, a section of the city dedicated to nature now completely overrun with green. Trees burst through the concrete of sidewalks and roads, standing as tall as five story buildings, branches twisting and turning outwards in a maze of twig and leaf. They shaded the ground beneath, obscuring the moss and grass of the forest floor. Looking into the darkness, it seemed like the forest went on forever. He could smell an earthy fragrance as he approached the entrance, and the sounds of birds and other beats filled his ears like screams and howls.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Aras stopped at an old entrance, its metal fence bent forwards and backwards from constant passage. The stones that previously marked the borders to the old park still stood, but nature had long since melded into the pavement of the abandoned city. The fact it hadn¡¯t completely enveloped the city was a testament to how well engineered the infrastructure was. It made reclaiming such places a simple affair. For the educated at least.


    This place is full of monsters thought Aras. Too far out of reach for both Hunters and the city¡¯s soldiers. Though, it was only an hour from the city limits. Thirty minutes from the slum the warlock was hiding out in.


    He crossed the threshold of concrete and overgrowth and treaded into the darkness, nothing in his hands but his magic and his mind. He was in search of creatures with enough intelligence to follow orders, but simple enough that he could control groups of them at a time. He had tried to control an arachnid previously, but the beast wrested control of its mind when it became threatened and decided to run off before its job was complete. Morana had laughed at Aras for such a failure, then clawed his mind apart for hours on end. He wanted to avoid making such a mistake again.


    Thrashers and Ghouls this time.


    Thrashers, fleshy creatures that travel on four claw like appendages. They had wide torsos and eyes hidden behind the skin on their faces, which were all a part of an ovular body the size of a man. Standing, they were usually two meters tall and wide. They resembled crabs but weren¡¯t as wide bodied and lacked armor. Their spit was acidic, and they could pierce through thin steel with their legs. The creatures were not very smart however, which made them perfect for Aras¡¯s fiendish goals. Ghouls were similarly simple, mutant humans that ambled about devoid of any real form of consciousness. Their bodies were corrupted by the warp energy that was released a thousand years ago during the catastrophe and their minds slowly faded away in their now immortal bodies. Not very strong or fast, but they would be a good distraction, nice and durable. They stunk however, corrupted blood and bile would seep out of their pores and spill out of their bodies constantly. The fluid wasn¡¯t lethal, but it would cause someone to get deathly sick if they were exposed to it for too long. It also made Aras wretch whenever he had to work with them. But this time it couldn¡¯t be helped, he needed them to draw fire for the thrashers to get in close.


    He wandered deeper and deeper into the forest, searching for the two species of creature he needed for his mission. Luckily for the cursed warlock, they normally travelled in packs, so he¡¯d only need to stumble upon each of them once. He continued to creep through the forest, climbing over massive, exposed roots and trudging through shallow puddles left by the rain from the previous night. He saw a few monkeys and foxes, but no monsters. He continued, the forest growing darker and life sparse, a sure sign that beasts were lurking about. The calls of the more mundane creatures began to fade, and the sunlight began to disappear as he moved into thicker foliage.


    Won¡¯t be long Aras thought.


    The warlock found himself at the edge of a large open area within the forest. He had escaped the confines of the original park and hid crouched behind a hill overlooking an old industrial sector. The clearing wasn¡¯t as overrun with massive trees as the rest of the forest, three factory buildings sat beside each other in a large square with tall, isolated trees dotted randomly around them. Old carcasses of ruined cars sat in now green parking lots in front of fenced perimeters. Each of the buildings had their own entrances in the fence lines more prominent than any of the holes made from the wear and tear of time. Inside the fences, his quarries were present around the old crumbling structures. The thrashers skittering about the building closest to Aras and the ghouls ambling about in front of the other two. He rose to his feet and confidently strode toward the infested buildings. Controlling the minds of beasts was a simple task before he became a fiend. With his newfound mental power, he could easily assail all of the creatures around the complexes at once.


    He approached the center building, opening his mind and allowing his power, his aura of consciousness to envelop his surroundings. When he was a normal human, the process felt like casting a series of lines to reach individual living creatures, but now that he was touched by a demon the process was very different. It was like his mind was a tidal wave, a powerful force that could sweep over both the living and the inanimate. He felt his consciousness wash over each of the creatures in the industrial square, their simple minds like quiet screams in the maelstrom of his own powerful consciousness. The ghouls¡¯ minds spoke out, but their voices were small and unintelligible. Buried beneath both the warlocks¡¯ own indominable aura and the erosion of a trapped mind. Any resistance their imprisoned minds instinctively offered was quickly consumed by the powerful stream created by Aras¡¯s consciousness. The thrashers fared no better, their animal minds having no hope in overcoming the unrelenting storm the warlock unleashed upon them.


    All of the ghouls groaned, the thrashers shrieked, and for a moment it was as if the square they were in would break apart. The energy released from so many minds coming together could be felt even by the plants and trees that surrounded them. They too cried out in anguish as Aras¡¯s mind began to dominate all of the creatures within the crumbling compounds. Then it was finished, and nature seemed to release a sigh as dozens of monsters began to do as Aras willed, assorting themselves before him as they awaited his command. His mind sifted through the information Morana had given him and he quickly formulated a plan of attack.


    His consciousness suddenly detached from his body for a moment, leaving him in a dream-like state. He felt his eyes strain as his mind went soaring through the forest and back out of the entrance where he came from. It then flew through empty, crumbling streets until it suddenly stopped in a lightly populated slum. His consciousness then quickly burst into a sewer manhole beneath itself and went rushing through the dark tunnels, twisting, and turning. It finally surfaced into another abandoned block and cruised through multiple streets. His mind¡¯s eye recognized the area as the outskirts of northern Haino city. He suddenly went rushing down now populated streets filled with people walking by on sidewalks and driving down streets in cars and carriages, coming to a grinding halt in front of a large building. It was white, three stories high with columns out front and windowed walls. It looked like a bank. He instantly recognized it as where Lin would be and then suddenly, he was back in his own body. He blinked a few times to ensure he was truly in control again then shuddered from the feeling. His heart was pumping quickly, and his breathing was quick.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fail me.¡± Morana¡¯s voice sang in his head, its sweetness hiding the demon¡¯s cruelty.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Aras whimpered; eyes closed. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    He regained his composure and willed the creatures to follow him back through the forest and through the path Morana had shown him. It was time for the Lin girl to die, he simply could not take another round of torture from his wicked captor.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He muttered. But the words weren¡¯t as honest as they once were.


    <hr>


    Aras¡¯s world shifted; he felt his body melt as he slowly lost consciousness from the wounds the hunter had given him. The exhaustion of a day¡¯s worth of mental and physical exertion all caught up to him, he was slipping away. He slumped against the pillar he was hiding behind, gripping his wounded arm.


    ¡°Almost Time!¡± called the hunter in a sinister tone. His voice was a brutish yell, filled with disdain and amusement. He had been taunting the warlock during the entire chase, Aras felt a pang of annoyance at the thought of him gloating over his corpse.


    But that moment never came, before he even realized it, he was out of the parking garage, trapped in an ethereal state and wandering through shadows.


    ¡°Almost lost you there, pet.¡± It was Morana, her voice as sweet and condescending as ever.


    Suddenly she appeared before him, parting through the dark tendrils of this strange plane as if they were the falling droplets of a waterfall. She was smiling at him, a happy genuine smile, yet still sinister. The golden circles of her irises shining in the darkness of her sclera. Aras tried to speak, tried to move but couldn¡¯t. His body was under the demon¡¯s control. She waded close to him, reaching her hands out to his shoulders and grasping them. Her face grew close, she placed her lips to his right ear.


    ¡°That was wonderous work you did today,¡± she whispered in a sultry tone. ¡°I think after you¡¯ve recovered you deserve a reward.¡±


    His consciousness faded again; his head filled with the demon''s soft melodic laughter as he drifted away.

 ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 6. Conspiracy

    <h2 style="text-align: center">ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 6. Conspiracy</h2>


    Wone and the other hunters were all gathered in Swift and Hiroh¡¯s apartment. Their room was on the third floor of the building, one story above where the other four hunter¡¯s rooms were. Wone, Taps, Blast, Swift, and Myrah were in the living room while Hiroh slept off his wounds in his room. Wone was laying back on a sofa, exhausted from his exertions while the others were lost in a heated discussion. He found it somewhat amazing Swift still had the energy to stay focused, the man had slain majority of the monsters left at the Lin building.


    The wonders of tenure thought Wone.


    The clean-cut veteran sat on a couch to the left of Wone beside Myrah. Blast sat across from Wone on another small sofa. In between them was a small table with a holo-projector in its center. The little transparent ball spun around like a little orbiting globe, its inside swirling with different colors. Taps stood over it, staring into the colors as Swift and Blast argued with each other.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, you old fuck, the girl was dead when I got in there. No other way around it.¡± Swift¡¯s face was curled into a sneer, his eyes narrow. He scowled at Blast and threw his veil and hat to the floor, revealing the rest of his tanned fair face. He was staring down at the floor, fuming from Blast¡¯s antagonism.


    ¡°I told you, well before that fiend got there that Quake and the others were dead,¡± accused Blast waving his finger. ¡°You should have at the least been able to get the girl out of there before all those freaks showed up!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Swift declared. He folded his arms and shook his head, done with the conversation.


    ¡°Are you two finished?¡± Taps turned to Swift then Blast, his face serious. ¡°I¡¯d like to actually discuss what happened if you would stop antagonizing Swift, you maniac.¡±


    Blast nodded, closing his eyes. His facial expression was hidden beneath his bandit-like veil.


    ¡°Okay, where do I begin,¡± said Taps clasping his hands together, his face serious. ¡°Firstly, stop blaming Swift, this isn¡¯t his fault. Quake, Taido, and Mezza were in charge of that part of the city and they¡¯re all dead, so this sort of crisis is to be expected. We did the best we could with the short amount of time we had to react.¡±


    Taps paused, then looked at Wone and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve really got it in you huh? Swift tells me you almost wasted that bastard. good job.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, disappeared at the end. One second, he was behind a pillar, the next he was nowhere to be found.¡± Wone folded his arms, still thinking about how the fiend escaped.


    ¡°Still, the fact you were able to go toe to toe a man who killed three of ours is impressive,¡± said Taps sincerely. ¡°That he escaped isn¡¯t a surprise.¡±


    Wone nodded, not quite sure of himself. But Taps was right, there was no need to dwell on the how and why.


    ¡°With all that in mind, I think we need to take a step back,¡± said Taps looking around the room. ¡°I¡¯m going to head out and talk to headquarters. In the meantime, we shouldn¡¯t be taking any jobs.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me,¡± said Blast, his arms folded over his chest. ¡°Pick up your veil you stick in the mud, it isn¡¯t that serious.¡±


    Swift grumbled and reached down to where he had thrown his cap and veil. He looked over to taps, ¡°Well, we still have jobs to do, regardless of if they¡¯re paid.¡±


    ¡°If you feel it necessary to go around killing monsters that¡¯s for you to decide,¡± replied Taps cooly. ¡°Just don¡¯t go doing it alone for the time being.¡±


    Swift nodded and his face relaxed. He held his veil on his right knee, seemingly lost in thought. He was the most righteous of the six and constantly butted heads with Blast, who was more morally loose.


    Poor guy- thought Wone. Then his mind shifted to how Song fit into all of this, she was a prime target for the warlock after all. He debated mentioning this information to the others but decided against it. There¡¯s no telling what they might do. I could end up putting Song in more risk.


    ¡°We¡¯re all getting ahead of ourselves,¡± interjected Myrah from her place beside Swift. She was leaning against the arm of the couch, her chin resting in her open hand. ¡°Can¡¯t do anything before Hiroh recovers.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± said Taps. He turned from the holo and walked to the entrance to the apartment. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading back to my place; I have to make a report on the terminal. I¡¯ll be skipping town tonight.¡±


    He looked over at Wone, then opened the door to the apartment and left. The door fell shut leaving the room in silence.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s our cue,¡± said Myrah rising to her feet. ¡°See ya¡¯ Swift. Wone.¡±


    She waved, then pulled Blast to his feet and pushed him out the door leaving Wone and Swift alone in the living room.


    ¡°You and swift gonna be alright?¡± asked Wone, turning his head to the troubled veteran. He nodded his head.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about us kid, we¡¯ll be alright. Go home and get some rest, you did good work today.¡±


    ¡°Alright. See ya Swift.¡±


    Wone brought himself off his back and turned to rise from the sofa. Then he walked to the door and left the apartment. He wandered down the stone floored hallway, listening to the sound of wind sweeping by the apartment building and the faint ambient noise coming from the city. He walked toward the stairwell and leaned against the black railing overlooking the complex parking lot. It was nearly empty, two slots filled with an old model car and the green hatchback Myrah had used to pick up Wone and the other hunters from the city outskirts. Streetlights dotted the lot, bathing the side of the building in dim yellow light. Moths floated around, occasionally bumping into the glass protecting the lamp bulb. It was hot humid and miserable outside, and Wone still smelled like blood and sewage.


    ¡°Have to toss this outfit.¡± He muttered to himself. ¡°Make Song buy me a new one.¡±


    He sighed and pushed off the railing and descended the stairs to the second floor of the complex where his room was. He slowly strolled over to his door, pulled his key out from his pocket, and slipped it into the knob. He turned it, unlocking the door and pushing it open in one motion. He pulled his key from the knob and waltzed into the apartment, even more tired than before. The young hunter yawned and walked into his room, stripping his roasted vest and shirt from his body, and tossing it on the floor. He stood over his bed; between it and the door he entered through. Beside him was the wardrobe where he kept all his gear, across from him a window with a view of an adjacent apartment building.


    Wone walked over to the window and hung his shirt on the outcropping beneath the glass. He stripped out of his pants and laid it over his ruined shirt, then grabbed a towel and headed for the shower in only his drawers. He stepped through his door and into the personal bathroom across from him. The young hunter flicked on the lights and looked at himself in the mirror. His muscular chest had minor burn marks in the shape of a circle broiled onto it. Little bubbly pink bumps stretching around the edges of where his vest hugged his torso. His brown eyes looked tired, droopy, and lusterless, little red veins bulging. He stripped off his remaining clothes and hung the towel on a rack beside the tub and turned the faucet. He¡¯d spoil himself with a bath today, watching as the spigot poured steaming hot water into the yellow tinted tub. When the tub filled, he used his right foot to tentatively test the water. Feeling it wasn¡¯t too hot, he gently stepped into the tub and sank into the warmth. It was a large ovular tub in the corner of the bathroom, across from the sink and to the right of the door. He turned off the water and leaned back against the edge of the tub.


    He closed his eyes and began to think. First about how the warlock had escaped him, then about what his next move was.


    I¡¯m missing a piece, he thought. What do Song and Lin have in common?


    He racked his mind, realizing he knew very little about Song, or any of the families for that matter.


    ¡°The So are soldiers, the Ngo are politicians, the Song and Chakri are traders¡­.¡± He was drawing a blank. He could guess Song¡¯s family¡¯s motivations, but he didn¡¯t know who the Lin aligned with or what their goals were. They were probably similar to Song¡¯s, if their mutual enemy was any indication. He¡¯d have to go to Song for more information, which annoyed him because he now understood she probably knew more about the situation than she was letting on. He rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed grunt.


    At least she¡¯s cute, he reasoned. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to get mad and damn Song. She was too important to his potential future. He sunk deeper into the big oval basin of a tub until only his eyes remained above the water, then blew bubbles out of his nose in cool frustration. I have much to learn.


    The young hunter bathed for a while longer then drained the water and walked back to his room to get dressed. He decided he would contact Song tonight, then go to her after Taps left. He had to sort the situation out now, while he knew the warlock was likely recovering. He pulled on a loose orange and white floral t-shirt, then some grey linen pants and walked into the living room. He glanced over to Taps¡¯s side of the apartment, his door and bathroom were shut, but the terminal room door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar. Wone walked over to the room and peered inside, the terminal was off, the chair and desk beneath it empty. Wone considered using the drive Song had given him for a moment but decided against it.


    Taps¡¯s business is his business, Wone thought. The pale man had given Wone his space, so he would return the favor.


    He walked back to his room and put on some boots and his belt before moving back to the apartment entrance. He checked his belt for his pistol and his knives, then gave the apartment one last look over before heading out of the building. As the young hunter made his way down the block, he pulled the little blue marble Song had given him at the plaza and focused his essence through it, feeling it hum as it called her.


    ¡°Hello Wone.¡± Answered Song in a sleepy voice. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright, I didn¡¯t hear anything good about what happened earlier.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Yeah, it was a mess. I¡¯d like to talk about it in person though,¡± he said quietly. Wone scanned his surroundings as if he was being followed. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you get here, I¡¯ll send someone to come get you.¡± She yawned. ¡°Where do you want to get picked up?¡±


    Wone thought for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s a fast-food place on this street called Bougainvillea, it¡¯s in the middle of orange district. It¡¯s called Maina¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I can find it. see you soon.¡±


    The marble ceased to hum, dimming as it released the power Wone had put into it. He pocketed the small crystal ball and headed up the street toward the edge of his neighborhood. The restaurant was a twenty-minute walk from his apartment, ten if Wone jogged. He did, barely breaking a sweat as he passed through the dark streets barely lit by the dim yellow light of the streetlamps. He passed by graffiti covered wooden fences, rows of single-family houses, barbecues, and three intersections. Finally, he found himself in the shopping center where Maina¡¯s was, a lone building with a glowing red sign on its slanted roof in the right corner of the square. The sign read ¡°Maina¡¯s¡±, and a few people were inside ordering behind the tall glass windows of the fast-food joint. Wone found a bench on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant and took a seat. As he waited for Song he looked up at the sky and scanned for stars but couldn¡¯t see any over the light pollution.


    As Wone relaxed on the bench, Song¡¯s trademark black car pulled into the Maina¡¯s parking lot and stopped in front of him. The window rolled down and Song¡¯s pretty golden face appeared. Her makeup was light, no accessories in her hair and no tiger covered gown. Just a black shirt and the pearls she wore on her wrists.


    ¡°If you would kindly climb inside,¡± she said, her voice melodic.


    Wone got up and headed for the driver¡¯s side passenger seat.


    ¡°Stop being foolish and get in the front.¡± She huffed. He snickered and did as she asked, crossing the hood, and climbing in beside Song. She looked at him, her head turned sideways, and her eyes narrowed. ¡°You didn¡¯t get me anything?¡±


    Wone shook his head and gave her a puzzled look. ¡°Do you want me to?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want something sweet, like a smoothie or a shake.¡± She smiled at him.


    ¡°Okaay,¡± Wone drawled bewildered. ¡°Wait, why don¡¯t we just go through the drive through?¡±


    ¡°Obviously because I don¡¯t want to be recognized, keep up Wone.¡±


    The young hunter shook his head, got out of the car, and walked into the restaurant. To his right was a hall that led to the restrooms, past that was the cashier¡¯s counter and to his left were rows of tables. A few tables were in use, a mother with her daughter and another lone man eating a late-night snack. Wone walked up to the register and waited for someone to take his order. Not a minute after approaching the counter, a young woman appeared in a yellow and black uniform with a smiling woman on its chest. The cashier had caramel skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that seemed to look, but see nothing at all.


    ¡°Hello! What would you like this evening?¡± she asked in a loud bubbly tone. She was giving Wone a bright smile.


    ¡°Settle down little lady it¡¯s half passed ten,¡± joked Wone.


    ¡°Oh, well I like to live everyday to its fullest!¡± she laughed. ¡°Well, I guess it would be evening, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Wone looked past the woman and scanned the menu for a smoothie or milkshake to take to Song. Four screens made of metal and glass with printed images and prices hung from the ceiling above the wide kitchen entrance. On the screen furthest to the right were dessert options. They had three smoothie flavors, mango, guava, and pineapple as well as two shake flavors, chocolate, and vanilla.


    Well Song likes mango if I remember correctly¡­


    Wone stared at the screen for a moment, the cashier smiling at him the entire time. The young hunter was still mad at the little tyrant for not letting him pick his own dessert at the plaza. So, he decided to get what he wanted and give it to her as revenge.


    ¡°Can I get a shake with chocolate and vanilla?¡± Wone asked.


    ¡°Sure! That¡¯ll be two marks,¡± replied the cashier. Cheap, like anything that wasn¡¯t a luxury good.


    Wone fished out two bronze coins from his coin purse and put them onto the cashier¡¯s counter, sliding them forward with his two front fingers. The cashier picked them off the table and put them into the register, her face focused.


    ¡°Thank you, sir! We¡¯ll have that right out for you.¡±


    Wone moved from the front counter and leaned against one of the tables near the entrance to the restaurant, watching as the cashier walked into the kitchen and gave someone his order. He waited for five minutes, watching as one of the workers filled a metal cup with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, milk, mixed it up, then poured it into a paper cup. He sprayed some whipped cream on top then gave it to the cashier who brought Wone the drink.


    ¡°Here you are!¡± She chirped handing Wone the milkshake.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Wone replied gruffly.


    He turned and left the fast-food restaurant and walked back over to Song¡¯s car, still parked in the same spot. He walked over to the passenger side door and climbed inside, resting upon the smooth laminated leather her cars seemed to always have.


    ¡°Here,¡± said Wone handing Song her drink.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she cooed taking the shake. She reached into the center console and pulled out a metal box and opened it. Inside was a black metal straw which she stuck into the milkshake. ¡°Hey!¡± She looked over at him and narrowed her eyes. ¡°They have a menu out here; I saw that they sell mango smoothies and I know you know I like mango.¡± She glared at him, taking a quiet sip from her straw. ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable.¡±


    Wone gave her a deadpan stare and they sat looking at each other for a few seconds, Song sipping all the while.


    ¡°Okay, what are we doing right now,¡± Wone asked annoyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m having fun, drinking a milkshake,¡± replied Song calmly between sips. ¡°You¡¯re freaking out and being impatient in my passenger seat.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, stars above¡­¡± groaned Wone shaking his head. Song smiled slyly and put her milkshake into the middle cup holder then started the car.


    They pulled out of Haina¡¯s parking lot and headed northwest towards Song¡¯s little mansion in the Peaks. She turned the dial on the radio and a somber voice started to fill the car, singing a song about life, and a lover lost.


    ¡°You know I was thinking today¡­¡± began Wone.


    ¡°Yeah? What were you thinking about Wone?¡± Song asked eyes on the road.


    ¡°I was thinking that y¡¯know, we really don¡¯t know each other that well.¡± His voice was deep and low. The young hunter shifted in his chair so that he was facing Song. The beautiful little prodigy was focused on the road, one hand on the wheel and another on her milkshake. Her long nails danced up and down on each as she listened to Wone speak.


    ¡°Yeah? I quite like what you did with your voice, keep talking like that.¡± Her eyes glanced over at Wone then quickly went back to the road. She pulled her milkshake to her lips and took a deep drink, then placed it back in the cup holder. Her lips curled into a sly smile.


    Wone was at a loss at her behavior, but more than that he found her more and more enticing. He had to stop himself from smiling like a giddy fool at her pretty round cheeks and thin lips.


    ¡°Why are you messing with me? I called you to speak about serious business, Lady Song.¡± Wone mustered a serious face and looked into her pretty brown eyes as he waited for a response.


    ¡°Am I messing with you? This is just the way I conduct myself,¡± she said, eyes still on the road. ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t like who I am?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is ridiculous,¡± Wone said defeated. He slumped back in his chair, pretending to give up on the conversation. Song snuck looks at him, her grin growing wider with each peek.


    The silence was broken by Song noisily sipping from her straw. ¡°Goodness, you don¡¯t need to look so down. We can talk seriously when we get to my house. For now, let¡¯s just enjoy the ride.¡±


    Wone nodded and they continued in silence, until Song started to hum lightly to the music on the radio.


    What a beautiful voice, thought Wone. He closed his eyes and listened to the two girls singing in the car, Song and the woman on the radio.


    ¡°Let all my problems, melt away! I won¡¯t worry about the things you say! Just leave them at the door with yesterday!¡± sang Song along with the mellow voice on the radio. Her voice was softer than the woman¡¯s, so it sounded like a whisper in comparison.


    Wone closed his eyes and let his mind drift off as he slowly fell asleep on the ride to Song¡¯s hillside mansion.


    ¡°We¡¯re here Wone,¡± said Song softly. Wone¡¯s eyes opened and he looked out of the front window.


    They were at Song¡¯s house, car parked in the front driveway where he could see the dark interior of the glass walled first floor. The young hunter yawned, stretched, and exited the car after Song. He came around the car and followed Song to the front doors, two pieces of thick dark wood beside an outdoor garage. The door swung open on its own and Song motioned for Wone to enter. He was still a little out of it from his nap, but quickly began to regain his composure. The two of them moved through the little entrance hallway that had a door leading out to the garage on the right and into the house on the left. Song opened the left door and motioned for Wone to enter. He did in silence and waited for her to enter the house and close the door.


    ¡°How was your nap?¡± Song asked smiling softly.


    ¡°It was good, not as refreshing as I would have liked,¡± replied Wone.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Now onto business¡­follow me.¡±


    Song led Wone to the terminal room that they used to access Xie Yan¡¯s line messages. She sat down at the terminal and looked up at Wone, her smile gone and replaced by the neutral expression she normally wore.


    ¡°So, what is it you discovered while you were at the Lin Enterprise building?¡± She tilted her head and let it fall into her right hand.


    ¡°That you¡¯re being hunted by a warlock,¡± declared Wone. ¡°And that he¡¯s a fiend, contracted to a demon.¡±


    Song nodded her head and sighed. ¡°Is there anything more?¡±


    ¡°That I believe you already had an idea something like this was happening. As for why you didn¡¯t tell me?¡± Wone shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯re very sharp,¡± sighed Song before sitting back, deflated, into her chair. ¡°I knew about the warlock, but I had no idea about the demon. How¡¯d you figure it out?¡±


    ¡°She invaded my mind while I was chasing the fucker. Probably didn¡¯t expect I¡¯d live but that¡¯s hunter genetics for you.¡± Wone folded his arms to his chest and made two fists to strengthen his point. Song seemed unamused.


    ¡°A demon huh,¡± muttered Song. She looked off into the room, suddenly lost in thought.


    Must be a lot for a normal person to take in thought Wone. Extraplanar beings weren¡¯t common.


    ¡°Why¡¯s it after you,¡± asked Wone. He watched as she rubbed at her forehead in thought, probably considering how she would overcome this new obstacle.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m a Song probably,¡± she said curtly. ¡°Or rather, because we¡¯re trying to stay neutral in the whole war affair the Republic and the Empire have going on.¡± She covered her eyes with her right hand and began to tap away at her chair¡¯s armrest with her left. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m more glad than ever to have you with me. This isn¡¯t something I¡¯d ever be able to deal with on my own.¡±


    Wone nodded his head. ¡°We¡¯ll have to find a way to deal with this quickly. This situation will only get worse as time goes by. The Order is sending in more people to deal with this, but for our sakes I¡¯d like to resolve it on our own.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Song turned her chair toward the terminal and flipped the machine on. She then began to type away at the keyboard until multiple sites populated on the Line. Wone walked over to the terminal and watched the screen from over Song¡¯s shoulder. She started to type in some names and descriptions and a picture of the man Wone had chased earlier popped up on the screen. It was blocky and digital, an issue most terminals had on when using dark webLine¡¯s like Song was.


    ¡°That¡¯s our guy, I think,¡± said Wone pointing at the digital image. He could not perfectly make out the face, but he looked similar enough. Same sharp handsome features, same head of curly hair, same demonic eyes. The man was walking through a crowded street in an unidentifiable part of town.  ¡°The fiend.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been spotted around each of the high-profile monster attacks in the city. His targets are always officials or key figures involved in the anti-war effort,¡± said Song. ¡°Many suspect that it is an internal force within Taipan responsible for his actions, but no one can really say.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea where this guy might be lurking,¡± asked Wone.


    ¡°Not within the city limits, but maybe somewhere in the ruins or slums surrounding the northern edge of the city. We¡¯ve had people checking discreetly all around town and that seems like the area he¡¯s sighted the most.¡±


    Wone nodded his head. He was excited at the chance to go up against the warlock again. Hopefully he¡¯d be able to finish him in their next encounter.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Wone exclaimed. ¡°This could be a really good opportunity for you.¡±


    Song turned back at Wone, an eyebrow raised. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°If I can kill this guy on my own and give you the credit that would be a major political and social boost for you.¡±


    Song¡¯s eyes lit up and her smile returned. ¡°That would indeed propel me in status.¡± She began to continue at her keyboard, sending messages to contacts in her detective agency and the police department. ¡°I¡¯ll have to plan this out¡­In the meantime you want to continue on that drama?¡±


    It amazed Wone how quickly Song shifted gears. Although, she rarely ever seemed to stray too far from neutral anyways so the movement must have came naturally. ¡°Sure.¡±


    The two of them moved to the living room and sat beside each other on the couch. Song dimmed the lights and started the drama they had been watching earlier from the beginning. In that moment Wone felt more relaxed than ever before in his life. He kicked his legs up onto his arm of the couch and rested his head beside Song¡¯s lap. The two of them stayed there watching the drama until they both eventually fell asleep. Wone dreamed of how powerful Song would become if he was able to kill that warlock, and how rich she¡¯d make him.

 Prologue: Introducing Wone

    Wone was born in a remote jungle within a small quiet village made up of only thirty inhabitants. His mother never named him, and his father was not around when he was born. The village was filled with the elderly and women in pregnancy. He was taken from his mother on his fourth birthday and sent to the civilized world for one purpose: to kill monsters and enrich his people.


    His training would begin at eight years old, but his education began immediately. His mother had given him the basic building blocks to read and write the common languages, and his teachers gave him the exercises necessary to become a fluent and native speaker in each tongue. He was brought up with twenty other children, who like him were taken at the age of four to become hunters.


    Finally, he reached the age of eight and began to undergo physical training as well as undergo subtle enhancement procedures that would increase the intensity of their growth spurts and improve their five senses. For four years he would learn how to track prey, use his night vision, and go through the basics of magic and combat.


    At the age of twelve he would be made an apprentice, and he would begin to duel his fellow classmates and join veteran hunters on expeditions into the civilized world where they would manipulate the common folk, hunt monsters, and do whatever else got them paid. His first mark was a vampire, who he impaled as he was being strangled by his master. ¡°Look child,¡± his master spoke to him as the creature¡¯s life faded away, ¡°This is where a hunter belongs, atop his prey, reveling in its demise.¡±


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    The next six years went on like this, attending classes on monster anatomy and common culture, fighting in duels against his fellow hunters, and accompanying his master on journeys into what they referred to as the ¡°real world¡± where they killed all manners of different creatures on someone¡¯s dime. By the time he reached eighteen, there were seventeen of his fellow classmates still alive, and his master had passed on from old age. It was finally time for him to graduate from his training and begin his work as a fresh hunter.


    The graduation ceremony was a short and sweet affair. The now grown children would assemble at a randomly selected safehouse in the real world and be given the three main tools of their trade. A handgun, a saber, and the most important tool, the visor. The visor was a mask made of cloth that obscured the wearer¡¯s face completely and allowed a hunter to shapeshift and see in low visibility conditions, bright or dark. Two months after Wone¡¯s graduation is where we begin our story.

 ACT 1: Haino City Chapter 1: Woven Symphony

    Haino City is a large metropolitan area made up of three main districts. The city center where the government and industrial sectors are located, the peaks where most of the city lives, and the ruins where the law doesn¡¯t reach and monsters like to hide. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing the world ain¡¯t safe,¡± Wone¡¯s master used to say, ¡°Because I¡¯d be out of a job.¡±


    Wone was currently in the city center wandering around the packed and noisy concrete streets, taking in the beauty of this grey stone and red brick monstrosity of a city. Black roads were filled with horse drawn carriages and energy powered cars alike as all manner of different people from all over the world marched about crowded streets going about their business. Even with his genetically altered big and tall frame and strange eyes he still fit in with the motley crowd.


    One of the orders veteran hunters had picked up a bounty from a government official to investigate some missing people that were last seen in the slums that separated the peaks from the ruins. According to his handler, Wone was supposed to meet the official at a detective agency in the city center. After a half an hour of wandering through densely packed streets and reading sign after sign, Wone spotted the building he was searching for. There was a calligraphic sign out front in one of the common languages that read ¡°Song¡¯s Investigation Agency.¡±. The building stood alone, made up of three egg shaped towers stuck together.


    ¡°I hope they don¡¯t expect me to go around trying to solve murders, that isn¡¯t my fucking job,¡± Wone said through the thought transmitter embedded into the back of his head.


    ¡°Just get in there and do what I tell you,¡± replied Taps from inside of One¡¯s head. He was the operator assigned to Wone¡¯s mission and was using a terminal to track One¡¯s location and offer him intelligence.


    Wone sighed and pushed open the doors into the detective agency. He didn¡¯t really like working with regular people, often they were anxious around Hunters, and they made dealing with strong and evasive creatures difficult. He hoped this mission wasn¡¯t going to turn into a big creature hunt through the ruins with what Hunters referred to as the ¡°unenlightened¡±.


    Upon entering the office, Wone was met by a receptionist hidden behind a long brown desk in front of a picture and trophy covered wall that led to the main and back offices.


    ¡°Hello, do you have an appointment,¡± asked a small woman from behind the desk. Wone could just see her burgundy hat from behind the terminal that obstructed her face. She tapped a few keys on her keyboard, peered her plump face from behind the terminal, and gave Wone a smile.


    ¡°I suppose I do,¡± began Wone glancing around the office. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be meeting with some lady official about a couple missing people. I¡¯m with the order.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, ¡°exclaimed the small woman from behind the terminal. ¡°The 7¡¯o clock with Ms. Song, right this way.¡±


    The small woman stood up from her chair and moved from behind her desk to the entryway leading to the rest of the offices. With a ¡°come hither¡± gesture she led Wone through the offices until they reached a room with a mounted plaque on the door that read ¡°Investigator Dunna¡±.


    ¡°Here we are, Ms. Song and Investigator Dunna are just inside mr. Hunter, best not keep them waiting!¡± The little lady gave Wone a bow and hurried off, presumably back to the front desk.


    Wone gave two soft knocks to the office before opening the door and striding in. Song was sitting in front of Dunna who was behind his desk reclined in his chair.


    ¡°Hello,¡± declared Wone deeply before taking the seat beside Song. It was quite an awkward entrance and it seemed to leave Song and Dunna a little surprised because they both gave Wone a sideways look. He ignored it and remained silent.


    ¡°Uh, hello, I¡¯m Investigator Dunna,¡± answered Dunna leaning forward in his chair and reaching his hand out to Wone. He grasped his hand and shook it firmly.


    ¡°And I am Song Ying, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you sir¡­?¡± Song said offering the back of her hand.


    ¡°I go by Wone, just Wone,¡± replied Wone gently taking her hand and kissing it.


    ¡°Before we begin, I¡¯d like to handle another matter,¡± declared Song as she took her hand from Wone¡¯s. ¡°I know your order doesn¡¯t really do tradition or pleasantry, but I wanted to ask anyway if we could talk about you for a little while before we get down to business? It would mean a lot to me.¡±


    Song asked her question without breaking eye contact from Wone. She was smiling playfully with her chin in her hand, but despite her subdued appearance Wone felt like she wasn¡¯t going to take no for an answer. This wasn¡¯t going to stop Wone from trying his luck with her however, since he enjoyed conflict and verbal instigation.


    ¡°Entertain our client,¡± said the voice of Taps inside of Wone¡¯s head. ¡°She might pay us more.¡±


    Wone rolled his eyes and tilted his head to his side to feign like he was annoyed and responded, ¡°I guess I can sit and chat for a moment Lady Song.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± she exclaimed smiling. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯d like to ask about your upbringing, is it true you all grow up in the wild?¡±


    Wone considered her question for a moment. To lie or tell the truth?


    ¡°The Wild,¡± Wone replied in feigned annoyance. ¡°My lady I am an educated man, fluent in four languages and familiar with the histories of each of the major nations. I did not grow up in the wild.¡±


    Song smiled and waved her hand in a defusing gesture. ¡°I must apologize, I suppose that must just have been a rumor I heard, please forgive me. It¡¯s just, with your order¡¯s reputation I didn¡¯t think it would be too farfetched.¡±


    At this comment, Wone gave Song a genuine expression of annoyance, eliciting another laugh and more dismissive waves from the woman.


    ¡°That is to say, you hunters are particularly good at your job,¡± she continued evenly. ¡°So good one might think you all grew up in a jungle.¡±


    Her comments did little to allay Wone¡¯s wounded ego, but she didn¡¯t seem to care, and Wone didn¡¯t consider it too great an insult.


    ¡°So, have you always been a hunter? Is it the only thing you¡¯ve considered doing in your life,¡± asked Song.


    ¡°Really it¡¯s the only thing I¡¯ve ever known,¡± said Wone. ¡°But honestly Song, the thing I¡¯m most interested in is money and all that it can bring me.¡±


    Song¡¯s smile grew at Wone¡¯s reply, and he swore he saw some genuine excitement glimmer in her eyes.


    ¡°Is this a personal interest or a value instilled in you by your order,¡± Song asked, leaning closer into Wone, and intensifying her already unshakable eye contact.


    ¡°Well,¡± Wone began. ¡°It¡¯s certainty a good deal of both, but honestly I¡¯m just so greedy.¡±


    Wone¡¯s bluntness elicited a small giggle from Song. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I was expecting that,¡± her laughter continued, and Wone believed he had found a kindred soul, which made him smile.


    ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s enough small talk for now, on to business,¡± she said after her laughter subsided.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± replied Wone smiling softly.


    ¡°The missing people I wanted your order to find seem to have been abducted by an arachnid, we have the location of its nest cordoned off to a section of the ruins a couple miles out of the slums. You and a few of our men will go in and secure the hostages, then destroy the nest.¡±


    She looked at One expectantly, waiting for him to ask any questions.


    ¡°I can work with that,¡± replied One.


    ¡°Well, hurry on then please, Dunna just broke this out to me, I¡¯ve already made the necessary arrangements. He¡¯ll take you to where you need to go,¡± said Song briskly, rising to her feet and giving One and Dunna a bow.


    Wone and Dunna got up and headed out of the room and towards the entrance of the agency building. As they walked, Wone looked the man beside him over. Dunna was a tall man, taller than Wone but not as wide or bold in stature. He moved with purpose and stayed silent as he led Wone though the city center streets until they reached Dunna¡¯s vehicle.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be driving to the slums, the men Song sent to the arachnid¡¯s nest will be getting started without you. They¡¯re supposed to force the thing into the center of its nest,¡± said Dunna climbing into his car.


    Wone crossed the hood of the car and entered the passenger seat. ¡°You guys have any idea how big this thing is?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have exact measurements but it¡¯s an adolescent for certain,¡± replied Dunna. ¡°Aside from abducting the three people we want you to save, we believe the beast is responsible for at least six other missing people and killing two police officers in the cordon effort.¡±


    ¡°Ask him how long ago and if they injured the spider when they cordoned it off,¡± ordered Taps from inside of Wone¡¯s head.


    ¡°Is the thing injured? And how did it kill your men, an ambush? In a struggle,¡± asked Wone.


    ¡°The two officers were killed when we forced the creature into the building its currently residing in now. It mauled one officer to death and strangled the other one. I was informed that it had sustained multiple gunshot wounds before sealing itself into its nest,¡± replied Dunna. They had just passed a checkpoint that separated the slums and the ruins. They were immediately let through, which meant they were in a government vehicle and Dunna was a pretty important person.


    Wone recalled all he knew about the ambush predators known as arachnids. They were basically huge, armored spiders that liked to hide in abandoned buildings and underground tunnels. They were highly mobile and resilient to gunfire and cutting or stabbing.


    ¡°This might be tough,¡± Wone said to Taps in his head. ¡°We¡¯ll have to try and burn it without setting the whole building on fire and killing the hostages.¡±


    ¡°Or you can save the hostages then light the building. I doubt you¡¯re going to kill that thing with just a handgun and a saber,¡± replied Taps from inside of his head.


    Wone and Dunna drove for around ten more minutes through sparsely populated ruins of buildings overgrown with vines and trees until they came upon an old mansion on a hill. At the foot of a set of stone stairs stairs were a group of police cars and armed men standing around smoking and talking around a hastily improvised table with what looked like a map on it.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± said Dunna killing the engine and taking the keys out of the ignition. He and Wone exited the vehicle and approached Song¡¯s men who were talking about the layout of the building and where the hostages might be.


    ¡°Hey Dunna,¡± said an older man who seemed to be the leader. He was the only one not wearing a blue cap and he had a silver badge on his chest that the other officers didn¡¯t have. ¡°We went in to get a layout of the building and try to find the hostages with no luck. We think they¡¯re in the basement, but it¡¯s a big mansion and the thing didn¡¯t give us a chance to completely search the east wing or any of the lower floors.


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    ¡°The building is falling apart, when you get in there¡¯s a large open room with two staircases to the wings. There¡¯s a way into the basement in the east wing, but the kitchens and everything else in the center of the mansion have collapsed. The place is also full of webs.¡±


    ¡°You hear that Taps? What do you think,¡± Wone asked in his head.


    ¡°Could be in the basement, probably up in the attic if there is one. Ask if it¡¯s a male or female, the food will be with the eggs and the eggs would definitely be in the basement,¡± said Taps. ¡°I¡¯m tagging everyone through your nerve network right now so I can keep tabs on everyone.¡±


    ¡°Do we know if this thing is a male or female,¡± Wone asked as he took a spot around the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s a male,¡± said the older officer from the head of the table. ¡°Not very big and isn¡¯t as territorial as it would be if there were eggs around.¡±


    ¡°Then the hostages are probably in the top floor, males like to have a quick escape route if things go from bad to worse, have you guys gone all the way up,¡± asked Wone.


    The old man shook his head, ¡°No, but there¡¯s a way up in the west wing.¡±


    They continued to plan a course of action, and ultimately decided that Wone would enter first and try to get the arachnid out of the attic and into the east wing, while the rest of the group cut the hostages out. When they escaped, Wone would set the building alight and escape out of a window in the east wing.


    ¡°Alright, everybody know what they¡¯re doing,¡± asked Wone looking back at the officers as he pushed the mansion doors open. They gave a collective nod, and he slowly entered the building with his gun in hand.


    The interior was dilapidated, once intricately designed walls and carpets soiled and torn up from time, ruined shelves and furniture littered the foyer, and both staircases leading to the wings looked unstable.


    ¡°What a mess,¡± muttered Wone under his breath. ¡°I¡¯m heading up, wish me luck.¡±


    Wone crept up the west wing stairs careful not to step into any holes as he made his way. As his vision adjusted to the darkness, he noticed webs shimmering in the lowlight, covering much of the foyer. Stepping on the webbing could alert the arachnid to his presence, but it almost certainly already knew his group had entered its territory. The question now was if the creature was watching them directly, and if it would begin stalking the straggler or retreat to its nest. Wone planned on using the webbing to get its attention after reaching the hostages and making sure they were safe. He continued deeper into the mansion, passing room after room looking for the way into the attic. The old man said the ladder was broken and the normal entrance had collapsed, meaning Wone would have to improvise. As he searched the floor for a way up, he caught the scent of the arachnid and heard the subtle sound of the creature moving about above him.


    ¡°Eight thumps,¡± Wone thought to himself, the smell beside it confirmed his suspicion. He turned his head upwards and found the ceiling had cracks and holes in it, which the monstrosity was using to spy on him with.


    ¡°Did you tag it,¡± asked Wone in his head.


    ¡°No, but I picked it up. Get a better beat on it and I can tell you where its going,¡± Taps replied.


    Wone continued as if nothing had happened, kicking open doors, and searching rooms for an opening into the attic he could climb through, listening all the while for the subtle sound of the arachnid stalking him from above.


    ¡°Set the oil,¡± Taps said from within Wone¡¯s head. Wone pulled out the canister of oil he had on his hip and began to cover the room he was in with clear, flammable, liquid. The smell stung his nose and made it difficult to make out the sent of the arachnid above him. He would have to be more cautious as he moved about the mansion.


    Wone retraced his steps leaving a trail of oil behind him as he prepared the mansion to burn while continuing to search for a way into the attic. He didn¡¯t use very much oil, since the wood and webs would make for good tinder even without the oil¡¯s help.


    ¡°Where have you gone,¡± muttered Wone anxiously as he made his way back to the staircase. He had lost the beast¡¯s footsteps in the midst of his preparation. He peered down at the group of officers waiting in the foyer for his signal to move into the attic. The signal being the noise of him engaging the creature. Wone turned his back and reentered the west wing, this time with more caution since he had lost the sound of the creature and now couldn¡¯t smell it over the scent of oil.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll have to make your own entrance,¡± said Taps. ¡°Go into one of the rooms near the staircase and jump through the ceiling. It¡¯ll be dangerous but the suspense is killing me and watching you amble around is boring.¡±


    Wone shook his head in annoyance at Taps¡¯s response and began to follow his advice. He quickly moved to one of the rooms nearest to the surface and looked for a weak point in the ceiling he could jump through without injuring himself or bringing down the whole room. Eyeing a hole in the ceiling and two rotting support beams, Wone crouched down and exploded upwards, his dense and heavy body bringing him through the wood of the ceiling and sending him into the dark attic.


    Immediately upon entering the attic he heard the screech of the arachnid as it moved around in panic. Wone scanned the room for the sounds source and found eight pitch black gleaming eyes staring at him from across the attic. He immediately drew a knife from his belt and sent it flying into the beast¡¯s eye, causing it to let out a pained screech and come chasing after Wone. He leapt back down into the room he came from and tried to make his way back into the hallway but was caught by the arachnid as it came crashing down into him from the attic, sending them both to the first floor.


    ¡°I tagged it,¡± came the voice of Taps through the sounds of creaking and splintered wood and skittering legs.


    Too occupied with fending off the arachnid¡¯s gnashing fangs, Wone didn¡¯t respond and continued to force away the monstrosity¡¯s mouth as the two struggled in the rubble of the room they came crashing down from. Wone wretched the knife he had thrown earlier out of the monster¡¯s eye and used it to stab into its neck, striking its armor over and over until the blade forced its way into the creature¡¯s body. This sent the creature off of Wone, allowing him to scramble onto his feet and make his way into the east wing. As he ran, he continued to pour more oil from the canister on his hip, the monster crawling after him all the while.


    He was caught by the creature once again as he climbed the east wing stairs, narrowly avoiding a bite on his back as he wriggled out of the beasts¡¯ fangs just before they closed. Trying to wrestle himself out from beneath the creature, he drove his elbow into its soft stomach while kicking at its abdomen over and over until he created enough space to slip through and crawl up the rest of the stairs with.


    ¡°Can you see if they got the hostages yet,¡± Wone asked Taps anxiously from within his head.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re dragging them down the west wing stairs, get that thing a little further before it notices them,¡± replied Taps calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when they¡¯re out and you can escape from one of the windows after tossing a match. Don¡¯t worry where it lands, this building is plenty flammable between the oil and the cobwebs.¡±


    Wone continued through the east wing with the arachnid in hot pursuit. He felt his heart pumping as he ducked into rooms and crashed through thin walls to avoid the creature. The disgusting sound of eight legs twitching about as the creature pursued Wone helped to fuel his body as he crouched, ducked, and dove around the east wing. As he ran around the east wing like a madman, Wone tossed furniture, paintings, knives, and anything else he could get his hands on to slow the arachnid¡¯s pursuit, anxiously awaiting Taps to tell him the hostages had been safely secured.


    ¡°Are those fuckers almost out,¡± cried Wone from within his head, getting more annoyed than anxious about being chased around the mansion It felt like he had been avoiding the creature for at least ten minutes, but for all he knew only a few seconds could have passed by.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re out,¡± replied Taps still unfazed. ¡°Light the building up and hop out the window.¡±


    Doing just that, Wone forced his way through a door and burst through a glass window leading into a courtyard. As he sailed out of the mansion, he tossed the oil can he had on his hip through the broken window and drew his gun. Lining up his sights with the cannister as he fell through the air, he squeezed the trigger and watched as the room he had leapt from exploded into flames, barely making out the shape of the arachnid dashing backwards as the cannister erupted.


    Propelled forward by the blast, the excitement Wone felt was cut short by the hard surface of a brick path as he landed from his heroic effort. He hit the ground hard and rolled a few times before finally coming to a stop on the brick path.


    ¡°Ahghk,¡± Wone groaned as he met the ground. He laid there for a moment to catch his breath, before getting his hands beneath him and slowly rising. He turned back to the now smoking mansion. All the second-floor rooms were now bellowing smoke and there was no doubt both wings were now engulfed in flames. Soon the building would begin to collapse in on itself and the arachnid would hopefully be cooked.


    ¡°Good riddance,¡± Wone muttered. He followed the path he landed on to the front entrance and climbed down the front steps to meet Dunna, the officers, and the now rescued hostages.


    ¡°How¡¯s the goods, they alive,¡± asked Wone as he approached the group. They were currently cutting them out of the webs the arachnid had wrapped them in.


    ¡°It seems like they¡¯ll live at least,¡± replied the old man from over one of the shiny gossamer cocoons. He pulled out a syringe and injected each of the three sleeping bodies, likely some form of adrenaline or a booster to make sure they stayed alive.


    ¡°Another piece of history lost,¡± said Dunna stoically while watching the mansion steadily burn up brighter and brighter and begin to collapse in on itself. Under the crackling flames and falling debris Wone could hear the high-pitched screech of the arachnid as it burned up within the flaming ruins of the mansion. ¡°Captain, take those three to a hospital and call up Lady Song and tell her they¡¯re safe. I¡¯ll stay here with the hunter and make sure that thing is dead.¡±


    The old man nodded and departed with two officers and the hostages leaving Dunna, Wone, and two other officers in front of the burning mansion.


    ¡°This¡¯ll take a while,¡± said one of the officers as he pulled out and lit a cigarette.


    After about an hour and a half the fire finally died out leaving the charred remains of a once dilapidated mansion. They waited around for another hour for the ruins to cool down then Wone sifted through the ashes for the arachnid¡¯s corpse. He found it in the open room by the entrance, charred and smoking, its legs pointed towards the sky. After calling the other three over to confirm the creature was dead, Dunna pulled out a camera and took a picture of the arachnid¡¯s charred corpse.


    ¡°Oh, get one with me in it,¡± said one of the officers after Dunna flashed his camera. They wasted another fifteen minutes getting shots for the paper as both officers made different poses around the monster¡¯s corpse. Just before they finished, Wone caved into his own desires and asked Dunna to take a picture of him crouched down in front of the corpse.


    ¡°Say spider,¡± said one of the officers from beside Dunna as he prepared to take the picture. Wone put on a mean face and picked a spot behind Dunna to look at as he snapped the picture. ¡°Hey that came out really good.¡±


    Wone walked over to Dunna and leaned over his shoulder to see how the picture turned out. He saw himself crouched in front of the smoking arachnid; his face fierce as he looked off into space. He smiled at how cool he looked hunched over in front of his triumph.


    ¡°Like a cat who caught a mouse, good job my friend, good job,¡± said Taps condescendingly from within his head. ¡°But we have some cash waiting for us, and I would very much like to see it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start heading back shall we,¡± said Wone walking towards Dunna¡¯s car. They left the smoking remains of the mansion behind and climbed into Dunna¡¯s vehicle. The two officers got into their car and escorted Dunna and Wone back to the detective agency. Dunna parked the car and popped open the trunk, motioning for Wone to come over.


    ¡°Here is your payment,¡± he said handing Wone a briefcase. Wone looked at him with a sly grin on his face and popped open the latches for the suitcase and looked inside. His eyes were met with the gleaming sight of two thousand dollars¡¯ worth of golden credits.


    ¡°Oh yeah, this¡¯ll do,¡± said Wone with deep satisfaction. As he stood there basking in the feeling of getting paid, Dunna tapped him on his shoulder and handed him a letter. Placing his finger in front of his lips he mouthed ¡°shhh¡± before turning away from Wone and walking off. Wone found this odd but did not call out to the man to see what he meant.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the cash, headed back now,¡± said Wone through his thought transmitter.


    ¡°Alright,¡± responded Taps. ¡°See you when you get here, I¡¯m hopping off of the terminal.¡±


    He felt his minds connection with Taps sever and his head was filled with sweet silence. ¡°Mission accomplished,¡± thought Wone. As he walked about the city headed towards his groups Haino city outpost, a realization struck Wone. Dunna asked him to be silent because he knew someone was in his head. Clearly, he didn¡¯t understand that Wone could choose what the person on the other side of his transmitter heard, but he knew someone was there all the same. He pulled out the letter he was given and read its front.


    ¡°To Wone, from Song,¡± it read. He opened the envelope and peered over the letter inside. The letter read:


    ¡°Dear Mr. Wone,


    Our conversation earlier greatly intrigued me, your life and motivation so interested me I can hardly find myself thinking of anything else. I feel that your skills and your mindset would be a wonderous boon for my operations, and I think that I can reward you far better than the order can. If you are interested in making more money than you can even count, as well as status you could only dream of, please meet me at this address tomorrow night at 9:30.


    -Ying Song¡±


    Wone found himself grinning from ear to ear. The opportunity of a lifetime had just found its way into his lap, and he planned on taking it. He knew that Song¡¯s proposition was sketchy, she had just met him. What¡¯s more, based on his interaction with Dunna and her questions, she understood things about the order and hunters that she simply shouldn¡¯t. It was obvious she wanted to use Wone, but at the prospect of getting filthy rich he just didn¡¯t care. He had every intention of hearing Song out and either double dip with her and the order or quit being a hunter and take Song¡¯s better offer. It wasn¡¯t all too uncommon to see Hunters quit the order and go off on their own. The only rules they had to follow were to return to the order when they were under attack and not to divulge any order secrets, which he was conditioned not to do.


    Wone found himself so giddy he couldn¡¯t contain his laughter. He all but skipped around the city center thinking about the prospect of a wealthy future. ¡°What shall I do with myself once I¡¯ve gotten rich,¡± he thought to himself. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll find out when I can count the money in my hands, no use worrying over things that haven¡¯t happened yet.¡±


    He lit a match and burned the letter Song gave him after memorizing the address, flicking the ashes into the street, and walking off into the city.


    ¡°I wonder what we¡¯ll be having for dinner tomorrow,¡± he thought aloud.

 ACT 1: Haino City Chapter 2: Dripping Gown

    ¡°I¡¯m going out on leave tonight, don¡¯t bother me,¡± said Wone standing over Taps as he paddled away at the terminal keyboard. He looked back at Wone and gave him a skeptical look then returned to the terminal. ¡°What, not gonna say anything?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± said Taps. He finished up whatever he was doing then rose from the terminal desk. ¡°I have some business to attend to myself tonight, I won¡¯t be in town so stay out of trouble.¡±


    Taps put his hand on Wone¡¯s head and gave it a shake before walking out of the terminal room. The two of them were staying in an old apartment building in some suburb on the outskirts of the city limits. It was a thirty-minute walk from the city and had a beautiful view of the south Jie Sea. Besides Taps and Wone, four other hunters were taking residence in the apartment building along with thirty-three other normal citizens. It was a pretty looking light grey concrete block that shined pleasantly in the midsummer sun at this time of day.


    The other two pairs of hunters in the outpost were Blast, Hiroh, Myra, and Swift. Blast and Swift were veteran hunters like Taps and oversaw Hiroh and Myra in the same way that Taps oversaw Wone. Taps told Wone that Blast has been in the business so long he¡¯s forgotten his given name and barely remembers his own face. Whenever Wone saw him, he was reminded of the stories of elite hunters whose faces are covered in shifting black veils and travel the wastes with blind dogs searching ruins and abandoned towns for monsters. Although, in Blast¡¯s case, it would be people since that¡¯s what most of the jobs he and Hiroh took involved. It was a wicked thought that made Wone shake his head grinning.


    Since he had returned from killing the arachnid, the only thing Wone had on his mind was Song¡¯s offer and how he would go about bringing it up to the order. His current plan was to continue being an Order hunter as a mainstay while helping Song on the side until she offered him something serious. Then he would tell Taps he planned on leaving for a while and hope for the best.


    ¡°I gotta get my mind off of this,¡± Wone muttered as he walked to his room. He put on his leathers, pulled on his boots, then departed the apartment building. It was five in the evening, still far too early to meet Song but the anticipation was driving him crazy.


    Wone set his mind on finding a nice outfit to wear to his meeting with Song. His purse was currently flush with coin, and he figured he ought to show out in front of Song, if only for his own ego. From his initial investigation of the city, the most expensive shops could be found in a portion of the city center called ¡°The Silver Cloud¡± where the rich shopped. He figured if he were to find something extravagant to wear, it would be there.


    He left his apartment building and caught a bus headed into the city center, quietly occupying himself with the scenery as the slow vehicle rolled its way along to his destination. It took the bus forty-five-minutes to drive from the neighborhood where his apartment was to the central station, which was a short walk away from the silver cloud. He watched as single-family homes, lone apartment complexes, and palm trees turned into tightly packed buildings, crowded streets, and bustling storefronts. From his window he could see regular people going about their lives, entering, and leaving the bus, working at restaurants and office buildings, policemen scolding children causing trouble on the streets, and well-dressed businessmen leaving their jobs to head home for the evening. Such a mundane way of life was certainly not for Wone. Even if he was able to fulfill his dreams of being rich and famous, he planned on continuing to take up work as a monster hunter or a mercenary, something that allowed him some action.


    As his thoughts trailed off into visions of his hypothetical future, the bus came to a stop at the central station. He and everyone else on the bus rose to their feet and walked out into the orange concrete platform that made up the Hibiscus districts central station. Wone scanned his surroundings for a moment before turning towards where he knew the Silver Cloud was and strode off. As Wone walked along the sidewalk taking in his surroundings and daydreaming, he picked up bits and pieces of various conversations from passersby.


    ¡°This whole war hysteria business is getting out of hand, I hope the Families have a plan for the future,¡± said an older gentleman dressed in black and red.


    ¡°I hear the families are starting to draft up armies, apparently the Republic is about to kick Wei out of the Heina province and now they¡¯re coming here! It might be time to head into the empire,¡± gossiped a wealthier looking woman caked in white makeup.


    ¡°Did you see in the paper that Lord Ngo was seen negotiating with Jiade officials? Traitors, the man will sell out all of the states for scraps from the warmongers table,¡± spoke another man in a stern tone.


    Wone was brought out of his eavesdropping when a homeless looking man called out to him.


    ¡°Hey there mister, would you mind sparing me a match for my cigarette,¡± the disheveled looking man asked. His hair was greying, and his face was covered in a slivering unkempt beard. His faded blue shirt and grey pants were torn and tattered, but they seemed clean despite the man¡¯s circumstances. Wone dug around in his pockets and belt to no avail.


    ¡°Sadly, I don¡¯t have any matches on me my friend,¡± Wone replied with a shrug.


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon don¡¯t be like that I know you¡¯ve got a match,¡± persisted the homeless man. ¡°Everybody¡¯s got matches on them.¡±


    Wone laughed surprised at the homeless man¡¯s boldness. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, then ask someone else. See ya round,¡± turning from the man, Wone continued his way to the silver cloud, shaking his head at the gall of the homeless man. ¡°Can¡¯t believe that guy,¡± he thought as he walked away.


    He was close now, the normal bright colors of Haino City architecture turned into fine wood, shining silver, and deep blue stone. Elegantly crafted signs and symbols covered traditional looking architecture, some of which even had pillars decorated with gold and silver tigers and dragons. They looked like miniature palaces, and the customers looked like royalty. Men and women walked about covered in the deep and rich blue gowns signifying their status as officials or nobles. Others not allowed to don the royal blue and red wore clothes that seemed to be made of shimmering silver and gold, embroidered with flowers, and covered and various different designs. Some stores even had holograms of their products projected from crystal balls and powered projectors. It was like Wone had stepped into another world; he was starstruck.


    ¡°Hey there friend,¡± came a voice from behind Wone. He turned and saw a young nobleman, donning the golden rooster upon his red chest; signifying he was a part of the So family, the martial power in Taipan. Wone eyed the revolver on his hip and the military braid he had dangling just below his shoulders, he was a soldier. ¡°Is this your first time here?¡±


    ¡°It is, in fact,¡± Wone replied evenly. He hadn¡¯t realized he was standing around gawking in the middle of the sidewalk. He gave the So soldier a skeptical look but maintained a polite demeanor.


    ¡°I can tell,¡± the soldier said smiling. He walked over to Wone and patted him on the back, ¡°What brings you into the Silver Cloud, work?¡±


    ¡°Leisure. Uh, this is awfully forward, do you know me,¡± Wone asked backing away from the man. Wone knew that he was bad at reading social ques, but between being pestered by the homeless man and now being touched by this random guy, he was starting to think he was going crazy.


    ¡°No, but you look like an interesting guy, and I like to meet random people and pick their minds for a bit of fun, would you mind enabling my little hobby,¡± asked the soldier. ¡°My name is Davita by the way,¡± he finished, offering his hand.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Wone drawled considering Davita¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°I¡¯m Wone, and uh, you know I work for the order, right?¡±


    ¡°Clearly,¡± Davita said with a ¡°haha¡±. ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone else who dresses in leathers and has the build of an athlete with eyes like those.¡±


    ¡°You never know¡­¡± Wone replied skeptically. In Taipan there were all manners of different people, hunters didn¡¯t stick out like they did in other countries.


    ¡°Here, to show you I¡¯m serious how about I show you where you want to go,¡± Davita motioned toward the crowded storefronts and floating images that permeated the Cloud. Wone went back and forth about walking around with some total stranger but eventually relented.


    ¡°Why not,¡± Wone uttered ruefully. ¡°I¡¯m looking for something expensive to wear, something no one else would be wearing, but everyone would recognize as being expensive.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Davita stroked his chin in thought as he considered Wone¡¯s request. What Wone was asking for would be difficult to find, because Haino fashion was Wei fashion, and Wei fashion was all about oneness and the hierarchy of colors, which mirrored the hierarchy of class. And Wone was not a part of the upper class, despite his own considerable wealth. Further, to find something fashionable that no one else was wearing on such short notice would be difficult. ¡°I think I know of a store where you¡¯d be able to find something like that, follow me.¡±


    Davita lead Wone to a smaller shop a little way off the main strip where the most popular stores were located. The store didn¡¯t match the color scheme of the rest of the cloud and rather than the extravagant columns, engravings, and holograms of the rest of the Cloud, it simply had a jade fox statue set between the entrance and exit doors. Lettering on the bottom of the statue read ¡°The Jade Fox¡±. Other than that, the building had no signage or advertisement, although its unique appearance served well enough in garnering curiosity from passersby if Wone¡¯s own interest was any indication.


    ¡°This place looks like it came straight out of a history book,¡± said Wone in amusement as he took in the store¡¯s appearance. The roof was tiled in red, green, and black; the walls were painted the same light shade of green as the tiling but textured like the scales on a dragon. Two windows beside both entrance and exit doors showed off mannequins wearing turquoise robes over bright red dresses, which was the style Taipan royalty used to wear when the country was ruled by one family oh so long ago.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the oldest store in the district as a matter of fact,¡± said Davita from beside Wone. ¡°My mother used to shop here all the time. I have fond memories of this place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly unique, and in just the way I like it, thank you,¡± said Wone genuinely. He was still skeptical of Davita and the suspiciously convenient find but it seemed to have worked out in Wone¡¯s favor, nonetheless. Walking through the shop doors Wone declared, ¡°Let¡¯s see what they have for me inside.¡±


    His eyes were immediately met with a mural depicting an old Taipan royal palace beneath a dragon filled sky, shone upon by a golden sun. Its rays pierced through beautifully drawn clouds and came down upon fields of various crops and toiling villagers. Inside one of the palace towers stood the small silhouette of a noble watching over the working men and women. It was a fantastic piece of art. On the far sides of the wall were entryways into the rest of the shop, Wone slowly walked down the right pathway as he continued to scan the mural, Davita followed silently behind him. Past the mural covered wall, Wone stumbled upon a gallery of gowns, shirts, pants, dresses, and accessories in a variety of unique colors and materials upon racks and mannequins. Chandeliers of gold, orange, and white lights illuminated the room, pairing well with all the different colored outfits. Needless to say, Wone was very impressed with the selection.


    ¡°Like what you see,¡± asked Davita from behind an entranced Wone.


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± he responded without looking away from the beautiful silks and fabrics. ¡°Where do I even start,¡± Wone thought to himself as he felt the smooth materials hanging around the shop.


    ¡°So, Wone, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, could you tell me a tale about monster hunting,¡± asked Davita. Wone nodded his head still engrossed in the Jade Fox¡¯s product line.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± responded Wone running his hand through a fine light grey robe with golden roses trimmed into it. ¡°My favorite story to tell is a mission I went on with my late master.


    ¡°He and I were tracking a man eater, or a vampire, as some people like to call them, and we stumbled upon an abandoned castle up in the mountains. According to the people in the town beneath the mountain, the castle was haunted by the spirit of some old warlock lord¡¯s victims and the vampire was using the wayward spirits to grow more powerful. Well, my master told them that ghosts weren¡¯t real and that warlocks eat souls anyway, so they had nothing to fear in terms of specters, but the vampire was a very real threat.


    ¡°Anyways, we tell the townspeople we¡¯ll be heading up the mountain for a few days and if we don¡¯t come back call the order to send someone else to clean up the mess. Me and my master then climbed up the mountain using an old path carved out by the army a few centuries ago. We get there and start to search the perimeter, checking for traps and signs of the man eater lurking around the place looking to ambush us. We found some signs of the monster dragging its prey into a side entrance of the castle and after some more scouting we headed in.


    ¡°The entryway was dank, dark, and wet from the mountain¡¯s humidity and the blood of the monster¡¯s victims. The smell was awful, mold and decaying blood filled my nose as we descended into the dark passageway. The passage led into a stairwell into one of the kitchens, which was where the maneater had been cutting up and cooking its victims.


    ¡°The room was disgusting, filled with gored men, women, children, and discarded bones. It looked like it had killed dozens of people up until this point, feasting upon them after bringing them into the castle. Most of the victims had long since been eaten, but at least seven of the bodies lying about the kitchen were recent. We continued through the castle, carefully clearing out rooms in search of our monster. Finally, we happened upon him dragging around some young woman he had abducted recently.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t realize we had found him since he was preoccupied with dragging around this kicking and screaming woman to heavens know where. My master drew his gun and fired off three shots at the monster¡¯s head, but the monster had apparently learned some magic during his stay in the castle.


    ¡°His back erupted into multiple brown hair covered arms that caught the second and third bullets my master fired. He turned his head away from the horrified woman and smiled at me and my master, before hurling the girl at me and dashing away into the halls of the castle. I caught the woman, and we pursued the beast, the woman still in my arms-¡±


    ¡°You chased after the fiend with the woman in tow,¡± asked Davita with a puzzled look on his face.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to leave my master alone and leaving the woman alone would put her in danger,¡± replied Wone. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t interrupt me when I¡¯m talking!¡±


    ¡°As I was saying, me, my master, and our newfound third pursued the maneater through the castle until we cornered it in the meeting hall. The beast drew some old sabers it had stashed there and charged me, my master intercepted with his own saber, and they began fighting. I asked the woman if she could manage to move around and after she said yes, I told her to wait in the halls while me and my master subdued the monster.


    ¡°The maneater had four sabres in its many hands and expertly managed to beat back both me and my master. I even fired a shotgun into the thing and its hands caught every pellet out of the air and tossed them back at me. We had to have been fighting for a few minutes until finally my master managed to lop off one of its sword arms and kick away the blade, making it much easier to deal with.


    ¡°Between me and my master slashing and stabbing at the creature from both ends, we eventually managed to cut it up enough to exhaust it, allowing my master to grab a hold of it and allow me to stab it through its heart. I remember it didn¡¯t even make any noise as it died, its face just went blank as it slumped over and stopped moving. Its blood started to turn black and the spell that had given it the intercepting arms faded away, causing the arms to shrivel up and turn into dust.


    ¡°Afterwards we made sure the girl was safe and collected our reward from the townsfolk. All in all, it was one of the more dangerous creatures I faced during my apprenticeship,¡± finished Wone, examining a light blue sheet of silk.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Davita said in astonishment from behind Wone who still wasn¡¯t paying him any mind. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever heard of interception spells, but to think a mutant cannibal* would have access to magic like that.¡±


    ¡°When they are intelligent and live long enough, they become very dangerous,¡± said Wone seriously. ¡°Some monsters, like the ones that rule in the nation of beats, have lived for hundreds if not thousands of years and require a considerable amount of manpower to take care of.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was all propaganda,¡± said Davita questioningly.


    ¡°Is this one of the reasons you wanted to talk to me,¡± asked Wone, now turning his gaze to Davita. He shrugged and Wone gave him a small smile, ¡°Some in the Order and even in some of the higher positions of other countries believe that the nation of beasts is the greatest threat to human civilization. I personally think that they are a threat, but if they were as big of a danger as everyone makes them out to be then they would have invaded, but they have not.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair assessment, but I¡¯m glad our leaders have not counted all of our chickens yet, so to speak,¡± replied Davita. Wone silently agreed, turning his attention back to the fantastic assortment of fabrics on display.


    ¡°Hello gentlemen,¡± came a woman¡¯s voice from beside Wone and Davita. The two turned and saw a middle-aged woman wearing an orange and yellow dress with blue sleeves. Her outfit was covered in a golden geometric pattern that spanned from her neck to the flowing hems of her skirt. Her jet-black hair was tied into a bun by a matching blue ribbon that draped down either side of her head and hung just above her chest. ¡°How may I help you this evening?¡±


    ¡°I have a meeting with a noblewoman this evening and I would like something unique and extravagant to wear tonight,¡± said Wone. He eyed the well-dressed woman up and down, deeply admiring her outfit¡¯s style.


    ¡°Oh my, then this is quite the important occasion indeed,¡± she examined Wone up and down and pursed her lips. ¡°I wish you would have come in and asked us for clothing sooner, I can already tell by looking at you you¡¯re going to need something custom made,¡± the woman walked up to Wone and began picking at his leathers and pulling his arms and legs into poses that allowed her to get a feel for his size. After finishing her inspection of Wone she declared, ¡°I can safely say that the only thing we have that would fit someone as big as you are gowns.¡±


    ¡°Are you calling me fat,¡± asked Wone jokingly.


    ¡°You most certainly are not,¡± replied the woman turning her chin up at Wone. ¡°But you most certainly are not thin either,¡± she declared before beckoning Wone to follow her through the store. ¡°I see you keep good company,¡± said the woman in reference to Davita who was following behind Wone.


    ¡°Oh? You two know each other,¡± asked Wone looking between the two.


    ¡°Why yes, this young man has been frequenting this establishment since I first started working here fifteen years ago. He was just a child then and I was still a young girl,¡± the woman seemed to become lost in thought after revealing this, reminiscing about her childhood. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Officer So.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Adara, it¡¯s nice to see you too. I just met our friend here a short while ago. I had to bring him here, you and the seamstresses sell the best outfits in the city,¡± said Davita cheerfully. Wone rolled his eyes, it looked like Davita brought him here to give some old friends new business. Thankfully the selection was to Wone¡¯s deep satisfaction, so he didn¡¯t mind very much.


    Adara continued to lead the two into another room filled with men¡¯s gowns. Wone looked on in wonder at the various designs upon the luxury silken clothing. He sifted through the gowns, going through design after design until he found one that shimmered like a moonless stary night. He pulled the gown out from the rack and held it up. Little dots of light shimmered over pitch black silk that made it seem like the garment was covered in gleaming stars. He was immediately taken with the gown.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this,¡± Wone declared showing the gown to Adara. She nodded her head in approval, taking the clothing from his outstretched hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a special piece we¡¯ve had on hand for a very long time. It was made by the original Jade Fox herself, you have a good eye,¡± said Adara. Wone took this to mean that she was planning on breaking his bank. ¡°Will you be buying something to wear underneath?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but considering no one is going to be able to see it let¡¯s keep it simple,¡± replied Wone still glancing off at the other gowns. His self-control was reaching its limit. He was even beginning to consider just robbing Adara of some of her goods, but Davita was here and messing with the So family was more trouble than it was worth, even for a hunter.


    ¡°I believe I have something that will do perfectly with that and luckily, it¡¯s something we have that fits all of our customers,¡± replied Adara with the gown under her arm leading Wone and Davita to another room. She walked into a room filled with pants and shirts and pulled out a black long-sleeved shirt and some loose-fitting pants. ¡°Here take these and change into them behind those panels over there,¡± Adara pointed to three black panels set up on the far side of the room serving as a changing area. Wone grabbed the clothes from Adara and walked behind the panels and pulled the outfit on. The shirt fit snuggly showing off his form while the pants fit loosely along his legs, ending just above his ankles.


    ¡°How do I look,¡± said Wone shuffling out from behind the panels and posing awkwardly trying to get an estimation of himself.


    ¡°You look fine, but we aren¡¯t finished yet,¡± said Adara walking over with the gown in her hands. She pulled the silk garment over Wone¡¯s head and stepped back to look him over. ¡°Yes, this will do, now for some socks and slippers to finish the look,¡± mused Adara once again walking off to another room, this one filled with different shoes, slippers, and socks. Adara had Wone try on multiple different sets of boots and slippers until they settled upon a pair of unusual looking shoes that looked like feet. The shoes were made of a form fitting material that adjusted to the shape of Wones¡¯ feet, with a silvery metal covering the toes and bottoms of the shoes serving to help with traction. ¡°A most unusual choice,¡± huffed Adara after seeing Wone try them on.


    ¡°I am a most unusual customer,¡± replied Wone feeling his new shoes out.


    ¡°Well, they don¡¯t look bad, they actually match in fact,¡± said Adara staring down at Wone¡¯s feet. ¡°Would you consider working here as a consultant?¡±


    ¡°Uh, probably not,¡± Wone said softly, doing his best to pretend she had never asked him such a question even if it was in jest. ¡°Is there a mirror around, I¡¯d like to see myself before I empty my purse,¡± nodding her head Adara lead Wone to a full-sized mirror where he could look himself up and down. ¡°Oh my, oh my look at me,¡± Wone smiled at his reflection in the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked good covered in shooting stars, the gown stretched down to just below his knees, and loose sleeves belnded in with his torso making it seem like his body was obscured in a star filled night sky. Just as Adara had said, his black pants and silver lined shoes blended in with the gleaming light of his gown.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely something out there,¡± said Davita inspecting the outfit. ¡°But I think it works for you, especially since out there is what you¡¯re going for.¡±


    ¡°You look like one of the royal astrologers from the old folk tales,¡± said Adara from beside Davita. Wone could see the two of them admiring him in the reflection of the mirror, giving him looks of approval as he continued to ogle himself. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely get more than a few looks wearing this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what I¡¯m looking for,¡± said Wone turning his gaze from the mirror. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s ring all this up and asses the damages,¡± Adara led Woen to the front desk where she pulled out a ledger with the prices of all the items Wone had bought. It all came out to 3200 credits, which Wone paid in thirty-two gold coins, a very substantial amount to be spent on clothing. Davita was taken aback by the casualness Wone used in plucking little gold plates from his purse and placing them on the front counter. Adara simply smiled at the considerable fortune she made from Wone.


    ¡°That was quite jarring,¡± said Davita as Adara inspected each coin to make sure they were real. ¡°That gown alone was 2600 credits, and to think you¡¯d pay the whole tab in gold, the order must pay well.¡±


    ¡°They do, but I¡¯m also a very hard worker,¡± replied Wone pulling at the collar of his new threads, they were quite comfortable. ¡°Nevertheless, 3200 credits is no small sum so I¡¯m going to have to work very hard indeed to make it all back quickly.¡±


    ¡°And I hope you keep the Jade Fox in your thoughts when you do,¡± cut in Adara from behind the counter, finalizing Wone¡¯s payment. ¡°While you¡¯re here, take this for your very generous patronage,¡± Adara handed Wone a small white Jade pendant of a fox head. He slipped it around his neck and inspected the small piece of jewelry. It was chained in silver and the jade itself was high in quality.


    ¡°Thank you, by the way I won¡¯t have time to run home before meeting with the Lady, would you mind holding onto my leathers,¡± said Wone handing Adara the clothes he came in with. He pulled the belt out and fastened it around his gown. It didn¡¯t quite match, but going out completely unarmed was not an option. His belt had his gun and his knives which were an important part of self-defense, from both monster and man.


    ¡°I can do that, and I can also have you wash up in the back, usually it is meant for our lady customers, but I will allow you to use it as well,¡± said Adara leading Wone off alone into a room with a mirror, a faucet, and a pale to be used in grooming one¡¯s face. There were some beauty products to be used with makeup in mind but obviously Wone wouldn¡¯t need any of that since his face was plain. After he had finished washing his face, applying some scents Adara believed would make him irresistible, and combing his curly hair, he redressed into his outfit and headed out of the Jade Fox, Davita and Adara in tow.


    ¡°I suppose asking to accompany you on your ¡®meeting¡¯ would be too much to ask, so this is where I say farewell,¡± said Davita once again clasping his arm over Wone¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°It was nice meeting you Mister Wone, I do hope you¡¯ll swing by again,¡± said Adara. ¡°I do believe the seamstress would love to meet you.¡±


    I¡¯ll definitely think about it,¡± said Wone turning to give the two a bow. ¡°It was a pleasure meeting both of you, I hope our paths cross again under similar conditions,¡± Wone raised his head and walked off, waving the two goodbyes. It was around seven now and Wone knew the place he was meeting Song at was a little over a half an hour away. ¡°Won¡¯t hurt to be a little early,¡± thought Wone as he headed to the street to hail a ride. Normally he¡¯d walk but he didn¡¯t want to get his new outfit dirty. ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t a waste of time,¡± Wone muttered, his anxiety creeping back into his mind once again.


    *A note: Human like monsters are generally considered mutants, and most consume humans. Hence why some people in Jie call them vampires

 ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 7. The Hunt

    <h2 style="text-align: center">ACT 1: Haino City, Chapter 7. The Hunt</h2>


    Wone, Song, and a small army of policemen stood in front of Song¡¯s detective agency ready to carry out a raid. The air was cool, and the sky was grey with clouds. The beginnings of a storm had begun to breeze towards Haino bay, close enough that the rain could be smelled on the wind. It wouldn¡¯t be long before it began to drizzle and eventually pour down rain.


    Perfect weather to kill a warlock Wone thought.


    ¡°I would have liked to get a lot more information about the demon before we did this, but you¡¯re the expert.¡± Song¡¯s arms were crossed, she stood across from Wone in her usual get up. The two of them were standing in front of the detective agency, a fleet of police cars behind them.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± replied Wone. ¡°He¡¯ll probably have healed by now, but he¡¯s definitely going to be lying low. If he is out there in the slums, then this is our best chance at finding him.¡±


    Song nodded. It¡¯d been two days since he spent the night at her mansion, and in that time they¡¯d planned an operation to raid the slums right outside of the city limits. Song had exercised her contacts and determined that as the most likely place for the warlock¡¯s hideout. Wone was excited to get another chance at the fiend, he¡¯d kill him and make Song powerful. He¡¯d also get rich in the process.


    ¡°Well good luck. I¡¯m trusting you to confront him on your own, but if things get out of hand contact me with the crystal ball.¡± Song gave him a wave and Wone walked over to a police car and climbed in.


    He was riding with four other men, filling out all five seats in the car. The officers were kitted out in heavy gear, plated vests, glass visored helmets, sub-machine guns, semi-automatic rifles, the works.


    Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were carrying white-phosphorus and tear gas too, thought Wone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head out,¡± said Wone to the officer up front. The armored man nodded, and the car started and began to roll along to their destination.


    They followed the convoy through the city center then split off when they got into the northern district. Wone was to be dropped off a few blocks from the border gates that separated the city proper from the ruins and slums surrounding it. He¡¯d quickly move into the area they suspected the warlock was hiding out at and flush him out. Song¡¯s police and the So soldiers would handle the rest.


    ¡°Almost there,¡± called the muffled voice of the driver. Wone nodded his head and squeezed his right hand into a fist in anticipation.


    They stopped at a street full of townhouses on either side stretching up and down for blocks. North of him was the wall that separated Haino proper from the abandoned city. Wone left the police car and quickly began to jog up the street toward the wall, a shotgun, and a saber on his back. The street was mostly empty, a few people left their houses and got into their cars to drive off, but otherwise Wone was the only person in sight. He continued jogging until he reached the wall, then started moving along it until he found one of the guard tower entrances Song had briefed him on earlier. The northern wall had towers spaced out every half a kilometer watching the abandoned city for any unusual monster activity or suspicious people. Wone would meet the guards at this tower and use a rope to descend into the abandoned city and search the slums for the warlock. He entered the tower and climbed up the spiral staircase to the second level of the tower. There was a ladder leading up to the top of the tower where a sentry could see for kilometers and a smaller window to look through right ahead of Wone, all made of light brown brick. A guard sat on a small foldable chair by a radio listening to the police chatter. He was a young man in a dark blue uniform, sun tanned and brown eyed. He looked at Wone cautiously.


    ¡°You the hunter,¡± he asked skeptically.


    ¡°Yeah, you got the rope,¡± Wone replied. The man nodded and pulled a metal box from behind the radio stand and opened it up. He reached in and handed Wone a hooked rope.


    ¡°Here you go. I¡¯ll make sure the hook stays on while you descend.¡± The guard rose from his chair and followed Wone out of the tower and to the parapets.


    Wone tossed the rope over the wall and let the hook latch onto the parapet. He then climbed over the edge and grabbed onto the rope, slowly lowering himself into the abandoned city below. He looked up and saw the guard watching him descend, his hands near the hook to grab onto it should it come loose. It never did, Wone let his feet touch the concrete of the city below and turned to head toward his destination. He looked back towards the wall and saw the guard unhook the rope and pull it back over the wall.


    No turning back now thought Wone.


    He walked ahead, moving through abandoned buildings and empty rundown streets towards the suspected location of the warlock¡¯s hideout. He continued through the ruins until he found himself in the slums around the checkpoint. Streets became more populated and the homeless and poor walked about the ruined streets unbothered by Wone¡¯s presence. He was on the eastern edge of the slum; the warlock was most likely to be hiding out at the northern edge. Wone would head directly there from where he was and call Song when he reached Day Street, which is when they would spring their trap and cordon off the entire portion of the slum so the warlock couldn¡¯t escape.


    The young hunter turned northwards and headed down streets of dilapidated buildings, overgrowth covered concrete, and crack ridden sidewalks. Weathered people in rough and disheveled clothing started to pull down clothes lines and stands in preparation for the coming storm. The streets were beginning to empty out, leaving few people for Wone to use as cover in his approach.


    It shouldn¡¯t matter thought Wone. He won¡¯t be able to slip the cordon anyways.


    Wone continued, his anticipation mounting as he grew nearer and nearer to his mark, his ticket to glory.


    I will kill him, thought Wone. I will kill him and make Song into a true leader. The thought became a mantra, and he chanted it over and over in his head as he drew closer and closer to the warlock¡¯s suspected whereabouts.


    He found himself on an abandoned street, the road continued down a slope from where he stood, and below him stretched the endless concrete structures of the abandoned city. Creaky skyscrapers and old housing developments sitting empty, or full of monsters and vagrants. Wone pulled out the little marble that allowed him to contact Song and filled it with his essence. It hummed to life, and he spoke into it.


    ¡°Song, I¡¯m at Sun Street start the cordon,¡± Wone said firmly.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let everyone know. Good luck, Wone.¡±


    The marble released Wone¡¯s essence and dimmed. The young hunter slipped it into his pocket and continued down the block. He¡¯d have to search building to building to find the warlock without terminal support from the Order. It was the price he¡¯d have to pay for doing this solo. Wone did a cursory search of the entire block, looking for any signs of inhabitance, a clue that would let him know which building the warlock was staying in. He entered one of the abandoned apartment complexes on the block and climbed to the top floor and walked out onto the roof of the building. He peered over its edge and surveyed the area.


    Look for signs of recent activity, a door cleaner than the rest Wone thought.  A house more appealing than the others, something.


    He watched the road, scanned every doorstep, examined every door. Nothing.


    There¡¯s no helping it then.


    He climbed back down the stairs and began the grueling task of kicking down every door and searching every room for the warlock. He cleared the block in forty-five minutes and found nothing. He walked out of the dark and dusty old building he was in and stood in the doorway, scanning the street. He pulled the little marble out of his pocket and called Song.


    ¡°Hello, is everything alright?¡± Song¡¯s voice was worried.


    ¡°I underestimated how hard this would be. I¡¯ll need a couple guys to help me clear these buildings.¡± Wone held the marble up to his mouth and leaned up against the doorway with that same arm.


    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll send in three cars,¡± replied Song before releasing the call.


    Wone slipped the marble back into his pocket and continued to kick down doors and search through abandoned buildings to no avail. He walked out of another empty building and watched as three police cars came cruising towards him, wet from the little droplets of rain that had started to fall while Wone was searching through his current building. Twelve men stepped out of the three cars and approached Wone, they looked intimidating in their blue and black plate carriers and clear visors. A man with a golden lotus on the crown of his helmet approached Wone, a submachine gun cradled in his arms.


    ¡°Me and half my men will start on the next block. We¡¯ll meet in the middle and hopefully pinch this bastard out,¡± he said from behind his visor. His voice was gruff and muffled. ¡°The cars will keep patrolling the area and ring their sirens if they see anything suspicious.¡±


    Wone gave the man a nod and led six of the officers down the street to continue to search the buildings. They cleared the rest of the block in another half hour and moved on to the next one. The police cars circled around the street like armored beasts, their blue painted frames darkening as the storm began to turn the sky into a complete shade of grey. They kept searching, breaking down door after door, storming room after room, climbing up and down creaky old stairs discovering nothing. Finally, they arrived at the final block, a street filled with old apartment buildings and townhomes. Either he was here, or he was nowhere, Wone was hoping for the former. Wone turned to the six men following behind him.


    ¡°Either we find him now or not at all. Get ready,¡± said Wone stoically. He turned and marched up to the first building on the block, a townhouse, and kicked in its blue door.


    They searched the house up and down, breaking down doors, sifting through old wardrobes, and picking through closets to find nothing. Wone could feel the anticipation in his chest now, his body catching jitters at the thought of the evil-eyed fiend hiding behind one of these doors, waiting for him to come storming in. He had to know they were onto him now; they had searched the whole block and stopped being subtle about it a while ago.


    He must be here; we¡¯ll have him soon, thought Wone.


    They finally met the other team clearing houses in front of an old red brick town house with a stone porch. The thirteen of them stood upon the cracked sidewalk peering through the house¡¯s windows, knowing if they were going to find the warlock it would be now. Wone looked to the policeman with the lotus on his head and gave him a nod, then pulled his shotgun into his hands and walked up to the house¡¯s front door. He crept up the stone steps onto the porch stoop and slowly placed his ear to the door.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Nothing.


    The rain started to really pour down now, and the sound of distant thunder rang throughout the abandoned city. Despite the noise, Wone felt his mind enter a moment of clarity.


    I will kill him, he thought.


    He prepared to kick down this final door and confront the warlock, he was here, Wone was certain of it. The young hunter kicked the door down and rushed into the house. It was dark, but he could see the dirt and grime of recent footsteps all along the foyer floor. Straight ahead of him was a hall that led to a living room and to his left was a dining room that melded into a kitchen. To his right was a staircase that led to the second floor. The house was cleaner than any of the other abandoned buildings they had searched through, the floors were swept, and the walls were scrubbed clean of dirt and grime. Wone flicked a light switch on the wall to his left and sure enough, the foyer was bathed in the fluorescent light of a newly placed bulb. The warlock was here.


    ¡°He¡¯s here, spread out and find him!¡± Wone barked. ¡°Some of you need to head out the backdoor and make sure he doesn¡¯t weasel out of here!¡±


    Three men rushed through the hallway, guns drawn, and exited the brown wooden door to the backyard. Another two brushed past Wone and began searching the first floor, the other eight men remained outside. Wone climbed up the stairs to the second floor and peered around the corner of the stairwell to scan his surroundings. He found two rooms and another hall that led to two more rooms. He readied his weapon and kicked down the door to the room closest to the stairwell. It was empty, not a piece of furniture in sight, just dust and a dirty barren floor. He moved onto the next room and kicked down the door. Before he could enter it, he felt a wave of heat envelop him.


    ¡°Incinerate!¡± called the warlock, sending a ball of fire flying through the open doorway.


    Wone ducked aside and fired two rounds of pellets at the fiend hidden behind a large queen-sized bed. He struck the bed twice, sending cotton flying though the room that obscured his vision.


    ¡°Force!¡± yelled the warlock, and suddenly Wone found himself swept up with the broken-down door and sent tumbling down the stairs with enough force to crack the staircase beneath him. The young hunter went crashing into the foyer, cracking drywall, and wooden floor, before rolling out of the open front door and onto the stone stoop of the front porch.


    Wone groaned and pushed himself to his feet. Such force would have killed a normal man, but Wone was made of sturdier bone and sinew. He pulled the marble from his pocket and focused his essence into it.


    ¡°Song we found the fiend, engaging now.¡± He slipped the marble back into his pocket without awaiting a reply and rushed back into the house.


    The two policemen who were searching the first floor had rushed up the stairs and started to fire at the warlock. One of them was at the top of the staircase shooting into the room the warlock was taking cover in while the other was further into the hallway.


    ¡°Disintegrate!¡± bellowed the warlock. Wone watched as the police officer who was in the hallway fell back into the top of the staircase, now a smoking corpse. His armor was completely blackened, and his skin charred. He turned to ashen dust when his remains touched the floor, his helmet clattering down the wooden steps to Wone¡¯s feet.


    The other officer reloaded his submachine gun and continued to fire at the warlock. Suddenly the fiend blinked into existence right beside him and wrapped his arms around his head. He quickly snapped the officer¡¯s neck and threw his body down at Wone. The young hunter ducked under it and sent two shotgun blasts up at the warlock. His body shifted with enough quickness that Wone¡¯s eyes could barely register that the man had moved, he had avoided every pellet.


    ¡°Incinerate!¡± The fiend tossed another fireball at Wone. He rolled out of its path into the dining room beside the foyer and ducked under a wooden table in the center of the room.


    Wone quickly loaded four shells into his shotgun and crawled out from beneath the table and fired at the warlock who was now standing in the foyer. He shifted again, his movements leaving only after images as he dashed out of the house and into the front yard. The sound of gunfire filled the young hunter¡¯s ears as the police officers waiting outside began to fire at the warlock. Wone rose to his feet and crept over to the front doorway. He peeked his head around the wall separating the dining room from the foyer and watched as the warlock used his unnatural movement to avoid the gunfire and flee down the street. The police cars patrolling the area had begun to ring their sirens, soon So soldiers and officers from the cordon would start to descend upon the sound of gunfire and confront the warlock. Wone walked out from behind the wall and pursued the warlock down the street, overtaking the officers who had also given chase with his superior speed.


    ¡°Been waiting to get my hands on you again, fiend!¡± Taunted Wone.


    ¡°It won¡¯t go your way this time hunter!¡± The warlock called back. He twisted back toward Wone and launched another fireball.


    Wone rolled out of the spells way and fired another two shells at the warlock, again he shifted unnaturally out of the attack. The young hunter rose to his feet and continued to pursue the warlock down the street. One of the police cars that had been patrolling the block pulled up into the crosswalk ahead of the fiend and the hunter and the driver got out of the vehicle and started to fire his rifle at the warlock.


    ¡°Blight!¡± Howled the warlock, pointing his finger at the police car. A black bolt of light erupted from his fingertips and struck the car, corroding the metal and sending in rolling over the officer taking cover behind it. The vehicle turned once, then melted into boiling liquid, coating the officer.


    ¡°AHHHHHHH!¡± The officer kicked and screamed as the molten metal fell upon him, turning his body into green and blue bubbling slag.


    ¡°That¡¯s rank,¡± muttered Wone, still pursuing the fiend.


    The warlock hurdled over the puddle of bubbling metal and man, Wone following close behind. The young hunter was getting closer and closer to overtaking the fiend, whatever magic was boosting his physical capabilities was inferior to Wone¡¯s own altered genetics and intense training.


    I¡¯ll get close, and cut him down with the saber, thought Wone as he closed in on the fleeing warlock.


    They continued their footrace, exchanging spells and gunfire as Wone grew closer and closer to the warlock. The young hunter felt exhilaration at the thought of cutting down the fiend, his death would mean another leap forward towards riches and fame. The two were within arms reach of each other now, Wone tossed his shotgun back over his shoulder and drew his saber. The metal sliced through the air and rain as it flowed form its sheath. The warlock turned and prepared to throw another spell at Wone.


    ¡°For¡ª,¡± before the fiend could finish his casting his spell Wone lunged at him with his sword, nearly cleaving the man in two. He dodged to the side of the blade, flowing away like water.


    Wone brought the blade back and slashed at the fiend again, barely missing his chest as the warlock backed out of the saber¡¯s path.


    ¡°None of that fancy movement? I guess it only works on bullets, eh?¡± Wone cackled and lunged at the warlock again, bringing his saber down on the fiend from up high.


    The warlock dodged to the left, but Wone expected this and followed his path with his blade. He cut the man straight down the chest, coating his saber in blood and sending some of it down onto the damp pavement beneath them.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± groaned the warlock backing away from Wone. He clutched at his torn jumpsuit, seething from the wound. The two men circled each other, Wone¡¯s expression curled into a murderous grin while the warlock huffed in pain and exhaustion.


    Lightning struck, engulfing the city in a flash of light and then the booming sound of thunder. Wone lunged at the fiend again, his saber dancing through the rain as it came speeding towards the warlock. The wounded man dodged, narrowly avoiding Wone¡¯s attack, grunting in pain from the cut on his chest. Blood dripped from the fiend¡¯s torso, mixing with the rain, and washing into the waiting gutters below. As Wone continued to slash away at the warlock, the fiend focused some power into his hands, and they became enveloped in a glowing green light. He swung at Wone, letting his fists fly at the young hunter. Wone dodged each blow and countered with his own, continuing this deadly dance. As they continued fighting, the blood seeping from the warlock¡¯s chest started to dry up, and the fiend¡¯s movements became more controlled, he had healed from his wounds.


    ¡°What devilish resistance you have,¡± mocked Wone between attacks. ¡°But it won¡¯t be enough!¡±


    Wone dodged another punch and sliced at the fiend¡¯s torso again, cutting him from gut to breast. The warlock grunted, then struck at the young hunter again. Wone ducked the swing and sliced open the fiend¡¯s left side.


    ¡°Force!¡± Wone was gripped by the kinetic energy released from the spell and sent flying back down the street, smacking the pavement with enough force to injure his bones. The fiend stumbled backward and began to flee further into the ruins, his gait slow from all of the wounds he had sustained.


    The young hunter rose to his feet, ignoring the pain from his creaking bones, and dashed after the warlock. The fiend reached the end of the block and turned left at an intersection. Wone followed behind; his stride slowed by the aching of his body. He turned the corner and found the warlock leaning against the shattered window of an old store, ahead of the two was a police barricade. Blue and red lights flashed on and off as the two stood still under the pouring rain. The warlock¡¯s gaze was fixed ahead, either on the police manning the barricade or the city ahead. He looked calm. Wone approached him slowly, his breathing pained.


    ¡°This is it my unfortunate friend,¡± said Wone standing a meter from the warlock. His tone was soft, sincere. ¡°Time to face the music.¡±


    Wone readied his saber and lunged at the warlock, the fiend stuck out his hand and began to chant something but was too slow. Wone brought his saber across from his left with his right arm, swinging in an arc that would cut the warlock in two. But before the blade could find its mark, he felt something wrap around his stomach, it tightened and his feet left the ground, the warlock in front of him suddenly grew distant. He was in the air; something was throwing him.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Wone yelled.


    The thin rope tied around his stomach came undone and he was sent hurdling into a rusting old car. His body struck the old vehicle, denting the brittle metal before falling to the ground. Wone groaned and landed on his feet; his teeth bared in frustration. He looked across from him and found a demon, a tall grey woman in a blue dress with wings and a tail. She had dark blue hair and was wearing a blue dress with black sleeves, grey thighs exposed to the wind and the rain. She scowled back at Wone, her tail swishing back and forth before disappearing into black mist with her wings.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made yourself quite a nuisance, brute.¡± Her tone was cool, eyes narrowed at Wone in annoyance.


    Wone rose to his feet and leaned back into the ruined car for support. Fighting a fiend was one thing, taking on a demon was another. In his current state, confronting the grey woman meant certain death. Wone searched for the words to respond to the demon with, something witty, a bid to get her to reveal something about her nefarious plans. In the end he just smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°What can I say? I do what I must.¡± Wone stood up from the car and readied his saber. The demon looked at him, a bored expression on her face, then turned toward the police barricade.


    ¡°You should have brought your Order along. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to save this fool if you had,¡± said the demon, her voice was soft, almost grateful. ¡°I suggest you watch your back in the future, hunter.¡±


    The sound of gunfire ripped through the air as the officers began to shoot at the demon. Each of their bullets were suspended in the air before the woman, then sent hurdling back towards the flashing lights of the barricade. The sound of glass shattering and metal sparking filled the air, then the demon¡¯s wings and tail sprouted from her back. She scooped up the injured warlock into her arms and took flight, her wings beating three times before carrying her up into the air. Wone drew his pistol and fired at the demon, to no avail. The officers in the barricade also sent bullets hurdling towards the grey woman, but none of them struck true. Once again, the warlock had escaped Wone¡¯s grasp. He watched as the grey wings of the demon flapped further and further away, disappearing into the dark, cloud filled sky. Wone turned toward the barricade of bullet ridden police cars and sighed.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m alive,¡± Wone muttered to himself. He turned back toward the direction he had come from, seeing the officers who had accompanied him earlier finally arriving on the scene.


    The officer with the orchid on his helmet walked ahead of his companions and approached Wone.


    ¡°We found something in the house you might want to see,¡± he said excitedly, before turning and motioning for Wone to follow.


    The officer led Wone back to the house they had discovered the warlock in, heading down the hallway to the living room and through a door down into the basement. In a room right at the bottom of the stairs was a working terminal, locked into its home screen. Wone reached intro his belt and pulled out the drive Song had given him days ago. He turned to the officer, smiling.


    ¡°You think we¡¯ll find anything useful in there?¡± Wone shifted giddily, despite the aching pain racking his body.


    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± the officer replied. He motioned for Wone to slip the drive into the terminal.


    Wone stepped forward and slid the drive into the terminal, watching as the screen became filled with green text and then a download bar. The terminal finished uploading the information within ten minutes, and Wone pulled the drive out and slipped it into his belt.


    At least today wasn¡¯t a total loss, thought Wone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the agency building. Song¡¯ll want to see this.¡± Wone turned and climbed up the stairs leading out of the basement, hoping the drive would have information on it that would salvage the day.