He also heard about the life of those men who would hunt others. Describing the thrill of battle against others with the Godspark, the name given to the ability that appeared in roughly 10 percent of all humans, granting them supernatural powers that often first appeared under stress. Powers that wouldn’t stand up to sustained human cruelty, to a dedicated hunter backed by unlimited funds and a desire to hunt down their target.
He imagined himself being hunted by the type of people who enjoyed hunting, some out of necessity, some out of psychopathy, and swallowed. He was here for West’s son and needed someone who would know who he was.
“Looking for something?” An old hand clasped around his shoulder as one of the older hunters came around to him. “You don’t look familiar, I know a lot of the hunters who come here.”
Derek must have looked a little startled, as the old man smiled and sat across him “Relax, I’m not going to eat you lad, just thought you might need a friendly face.”
“I’m sorry,” Derek relaxed, “I’m new in town, and just needed someone to point me in the right direction.”
Now was the moment of truth. He would watch the man’s face, and if he was about to act unfavourably, firing one or two web lines would bind his movements and cover his mouth. His chair backed the bounty hunters, so he could possibly make it out of the door before being discovered. Of course, he would most likely never be welcome again.
“I’m looking for information about the Arche,” Derek searched for signs of trouble as he finished speaking.
“Ah, you’ll want to see Douglas for that,” the old man replied cheerily. “Many people around here claim to have information on it, but its located so far outside the continent that it doesn’t matter. Douglas’ old man went out there and passed the knowledge down, but he was killed shortly after. Douglas refuses to talk about it, which is the only reason he’s still alive, I think.” Leaning forward, he added, “Douglas is also the leader of a gang, the Marauders. They aren’t to be messed with, and most bounty hunters who know what’s what steer clear of them.”
That name. Douglas. That was why he had come to Pesque in the first place.
“That was very helpful,” Derek said, thanking the old man. He took a breath. Douglas was still in Pesque, but he was apparently the head of a gang. The Marauders. He wondered if he was still carrying out the mission, or if he had been sidetracked by life.
“You’re welcome,” He said, “Any particular reason you’re asking? You could get yourself killed if you asked the wrong question.” Leaning forward, he added, “Or answered the wrong person.”
Derek understood. For some reason, the old man had instinctively trusted him and had the same worries as he had. He simply smiled and nodded as he stood. The man smiled back.
* * *
Derek walked out of the gloomy building — the Shed — as he had learned it was called. His task had been simplified. Now all he had to do was find Douglas and be on his way. He had no doubt that his mission was a foolish one, but even as Pesque hustled and bustled, he still got the vibe of people whiling away time until they died. The bounty hunters were most likely the well-travelled among them, and even they had a deep sense of despair that ran deep through their souls.
As he prepared to head off, he spotted a pair of familiar faces. Zeke and Simon, stepping out of a brightly coloured van — more of a motorhome than anything — headed straight towards the Shed. They had between them an unlucky man they must have caught. He was chained and muttered obscenities at them.
Simon laughed, his long blonde hair glistening in the sun as he did so. Grey eyes sparkling with mischief. Zeke ignored them both, intent on processing the bounty hunter and simply receiving his pay.
“Those guys are really something,” someone offered. Turning behind him, it was a woman that had spoken. With shoulder length hair, a piercing gaze, and a split-up staff strapped to her side, she was very much a bounty hunter – her odd choice of weapon notwithstanding.
“I’m Rachel, I noticed you talking to old Steve a while ago,” She said, with a disarming smile.
“Derek,” he said, offering a hand. She didn’t take it but nodded in his general direction.
“He was just offering me information, I’m new here, getting to know the lay of the land, listening to gossip, and so on.” He trailed off then.
“The Arche of all things, talking to random people about that is liable to get you killed,” she replied. She had heard his conversation, obviously. He hadn’t seen her listening, but she had also gotten behind him without him noticing as well. That’s twice now that she had been around him with him noticing. And he noticed a lot of things.
“Are you one of those people then?” He said. He prepared to restrain her, his arms hanging loosely around his torso. A nearly imperceptible change in movements and he could fire web-strands to bind her feet and arms. A stealthy escape would be impossible, but he would have to make do before he ended up drifting in the river. She stared at him, her gaze probing for answers. Then she smiled once more, she had noticed him tense up, “You don’t have anything to worry from me.”
Simon was now walking up to them. Zeke was apparently dealing with the paperwork and he was unoccupied. Noticing Derek and Rachel, he walked up to them. Pleasantries were exchanged, and the trio sat together on the stairs of the Shed.
“So, how goes your quest, Derek,” he asked. Simon was just making conversation, but he was also genuinely interested. There was something about this stranger, some quiet conviction that he had not sensed in others. People either knew about the Arche, or they didn’t. People who did, most were scared of saying it, few knew anything about it, few knew why they would want it, but this man just wanted it, and somehow was assured that he would reach it. The Arche was the big score, no one quite knew what it was, but the Orisha had issued a bounty on it years ago. Many had boasted they had information on it, but none had delivered.
“Just starting out really,” Derek replied. ” I know who to go for in this town next, and then I’ll be picking up my backpack and leaving this town.”
“How do you travel,” Rachel asked, “I don’t see a transport around that could possibly be yours.”
She was observant, Derek thought to himself. Someone like her seemed to just be aware of everything. It would make her job as a bounty hunter easier he reasoned, tracking your prey’s habits and then catching them unaware.
“I just kind of walk around.” When they stared at him, confused, he explained. “My Godspark is useful for getting around.”
“I’ll say” Simon winked. “You get here faster than we did, and we had the Thunderdome.”
The Thunderdome. That was the van that Zeke and Simon rode around in. It didn’t look very spacious, but it could likely fit up to 8 people in it if you really wanted to stretch it. Derek thought from looking at it. He wasn’t very interested in it. He didn’t like cramped spaces.
At this point Simon stood up, Zeke was waving, they needed to get back and rest up for the night ahead. As it turned out, there was some bounty two towns over that they wanted to hunt. Zeke didn’t acknowledge Derek besides a grunt. The two got into their van and drove away.
“They’re an interesting pair,” Rachel spoke. “Their hometown is under the complete domination by one of the lieutenants of the Nephilim. I know they aren’t even brothers, just the two who managed to escape and have been living together all this while. Two friends, bound by tragedy.”
She turned her head towards him, “They’re one of those that’ll be bounty hunters until they die, and that’ll be sooner rather than later. Me? I plan to get out alive.”
He turned towards their departing van once more, then turned back towards her. This time though, he was now alone. Rachel had disappeared like a phantom. That was three times.
Chapter 3 - Night of the Marauders
Zeke left Simon at his hotel and drove off with their van to get some repairs done. He had been meaning to get it done over the past few
weeks, but rarely had found the time to, and had been in fact accumulating more external damage. It was big, he had made sure of that. Big and sturdy enough for the life they lived.
Driving into the repair shop they frequented, he parked and left the van. There was no need for weapons, this was one of the neutral spaces in Pesque. Fights rarely broke out here. He noticed something was wrong the minute he stepped out of the van. It was quiet, too quiet. Not the kind of quiet that occurs naturally, but a staged quiet. There was no typing, no sounds of snoring from the attendant. He slowly became aware that he wasn’t alone.
The lights came on all around him. Men stood all around him, they weren’t quite bounty hunters, but he knew their identities anyway. Marauders, a roving gang of criminals.
“Zeke. Zeke. Zeke.” One of them spoke. Stepping out of the shadows. Zeke knew those eyes anywhere, staring at him with irritation. He had heard stories of the man, met him once or twice. Never one on one though. His status as the leader of the Marauders, one of the power brokers of the local areas, based out of Pesque had been elevated to near legendary status.
He had seen his fair share of fights and was famed as a master of the martial arts. He had even been granted the nickname of the ‘Invincible’ when had proved superior to even the most bone-breaking attacks and weapons. To his left, he spotted Sophia, Douglas’ lieutenant. She was rumoured to be one of the minds behind the Marauders, and she was glaring at him with such hate he almost felt compelled to smile at her. Douglas took another step forward.
“Douglas. To what do I owe this honour,” Zeke spoke, meeting his eyes with coldness. He had a pretty good idea why.
Douglas stood over him, his gelled back hair and fur coat giving off a punkish air but concealing the power of his body. Zeke was unarmed and unable to fight the Marauders, who were very much armed with blades and ranged weapons, without resorting to things he’d rather not resort to. It was unthinkable for him to fight Douglas. He cursed himself for being careless.
“I had 25 deliveries come in over the past month. I expected a little over 45,” Douglas spoke, “A little bird told me that it was due to a pair of interfering brothers.”
“I don’t take notice of every fool that I catch,” Zeke replied, “I’m a bounty hunter, not a babysitter.”
Douglas agreed with him. An instant later, Zeke was on the floor, his chest burning. He hadn’t seen the kick coming, he didn’t see the punch either, or the other one, or the one after that.
Douglas stood up. His hands covered in Zeke’s blood.
“I’m sorry, I just get a little heated up at times,” He said, looking at Zeke. The other man lay sprawled out on the ground, more stunned than anything. He had always been able to take punishment, but this was the first time he had been hit like that. The rumours were true, Douglas’s blows were not to be trifled with.
“We had a deal. One we make with every bounty hunter in this backwater town,” Douglas spoke. His voice was calm, but Zeke could see he was seething with anger. Walking away from Zeke, Douglas continued. “You have violated that deal, cost me hundreds of thousands this past week alone.”
“It’s not my fault you work with such trash, a true bounty hunter doesn’t turn down any prey,” Zeke retorted. “If you’re going to kill me, do it now, before I kill you first.”
“My information network runs deep Zeke. I find it unlikely that you consider yourself a ‘true’ bounty hunter. In fact — if I had to guess — you simply despise the idea of groups like my Marauders gaining a foothold, however slight.” Douglas nodded to one group of his men.
“Bring him. Slash the van’s tires, after parking it in an open space. If he resists, break his limbs one by one. He’s a tough one.”
To the other group; “Ensure his brother receives our invitation as well. If we’re going to make an example of them, we need to do it right.”
Zeke, picking himself up from the ground, launched himself at Douglas. Without his sword he was defenceless, but he was still superhumanly strong. With all his might, he swung at Douglas’ head from the man’s blind spot. He needn’t have bothered. Pain shot up his arm. Zeke fell to the ground, grabbing his fist. Pain written all over his face.
Douglas was a blur as he turned around, the only indication that he had even struck was the fresh bruise on Zeke’s cheek
“You’re still a bit too lively for my taste.”
Zeke gritted his teeth.
“Fighting an unarmed man? That’s unfair.”
The Marauder captain appeared to consider this, then he nodded.
“I do have a sense of honour. It would be unfair for me to beat on a defenceless man. That’s why I’ll have Matthias and Reuben deal with you instead. No godsparks means its fair, right?”
Zeke cursed again. He hadn’t noticed Douglas’ lieutenants lurking in the shadows. Both were tall. Both were muscular. Both had track records for bringing down any of Douglas’ opposition single-handedly. They were AGHWs, trouble for Godspark users at the best of times. Matthias hefted a gauntlet, his head was shaved. It would be blonde, like his eyebrows. Reuben wore a bladed gauntlet on his arm.
Zeke needed his sword. Darting away from Douglas, he pushed himself off the ground, dashing towards the Thunderdome. If he could just get to his weapon , he could end the fight. Once again, he needn’t had bothered. The two weren’t going to let him leave.
The fight was short but brutal. An armed Zeke might have been able to come out on top, but an unarmed one was at too much of a disadvantage. He fought hard, but eventually, he succumbed. By the time he thought to use his Rune magic, a heavy blow to his skull brought him down.
* * *
Simon, walking through the town centre, was unsurprised to run into Derek again. They were just bound to meet it appeared, and in a town as small as Pesque, running into people you knew was inevitable. Though he had to admit, meeting the mystery man thrice in one day was an uncanny coincidence.
“Hey, it’s you again,” he waved at Derek, motioning him over.
“Well that’s nice, you aren’t trying to kill me this time” Derek smirked as he came over. Noticing he was alone, he asked: “Where’s your grunting, hulking shadow?”
“Zeke? He went to repair our van. I’m staying in a hotel for the time being,” Simon said, “The Thunderdome’s our life, it’s where we live.”
The two engaged in small talk about the weather and Pesque before the topic came back to Zeke again.
“How did you two meet anyway? Did you try to shoot him in the back as well?” Derek joked. Simon’s eyes temporarily darkened before his trademark smile re-appeared.
“We were childhood friends.” Simon explained, “We’ve been friends for a long time that I’m essentially his brother. He’s been a good bastard, the only thing that reminds me of home since…” He stopped then.
“Since what?” Derek raised an eyebrow. Was he pushing? Yes. But he was curious. Not being around people for a long time, he tended to want to make up for lost time by immersing himself in others stories and living vicariously through them.
“I’m sorry, I almost said something I shouldn’t.” Simon looked down, “You’ll understand if I don’t want to talk about it.”
Derek nodded. He was curious about the man. Notwithstanding the attempted assault, Simon had been helpful towards him, and he had to admit, the lack of human contact — despite what he would like to think — had him clinging towards the first signs of friendship, no matter how short-lived it would be. He wondered what their story was. They didn’t hang out at the bounty hunters guild more than necessary, they lived out of a van, and they looked like they were powerful. He wanted to ask Simon where to find Douglas, assuming he even knew where he would be. No one else had answered his query, merely turning him away. Old Steve, whose name he had learned from Rachel, was long gone. Rachel herself was a ghost in the wind. He already had a rough idea of what the Arche was from West. But, the volatile political situation of the continent, and the presence of obsta
cles meant that he would need more than a bit more information on his journey.
Those were his thoughts at the very least, till the van barrelled towards them. Derek’s Arachnid awareness picked them up first before he saw them, the change in wind and air pressure registering on his body hair. Grabbing Simon, he leapt clear as the Thunderdome crashed onto the spot where they had just been.
“Zeke!” Simon yelled, rushing towards the van. Derek was still on high alert, someone had sent the van straight towards them with intent to at least maim, and they were still around. All around them, shadows shifted, footsteps shuffled, weapons clicked. Simon stopped short of reaching the van, suddenly registering the presence of 15 Marauders around them. The streets had already emptied, so this was something that had been set up.
“Simon, right?” One of them spoke, he appeared to be the leader of the delegation,“You’ll be coming with us.”
All of them were armed with knives, aluminium bats, and the odd gun. He wasn’t ready to fight them, his armour took a few seconds to activate. Time he didn’t have at the moment. Fortunately for him, they had taken their eyes off Derek, and that was their first mistake.
The first two didn’t see what happened. They were standing one moment, and then they no longer were. Derek was fast, faster than he had been in the forest, his webs caught their weapons, his fists caught their bodies. It was over nearly as fast as it had begun. All but one of the men were down.
The man picked up a knife, preparing to attack. Derek gave the last marauder a look that would chill the devil. He gave up almost immediately, falling to his knees.
“Where is he?” Simon had a knife out, moving menacingly towards their captive. “Where do you have my brother?! Where do you have Zeke!”
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