by Dave Austin
He cleared his throat, "Interesting," he said, looking at what was left of the monster, "I'll talk to you in a minute."
We didn't answer him. The surprise of having a Hunter level S in front of us prevented us from speaking, almost as if we had furballs stuck in our throats. His clothes emanated a sparkling glow - from the black cloak with a pocket on each side to the gray pants of lightweight fabric. He knelt, his gray hair spindly without moving a millimeter, and peered into the monster using a small flashlight. He shook his head, muttering to himself, lost in his thoughts. The cops were removing the police barrier, and the captain walked to us.
"You didn't tell me you were friends with someone so strong. Rank S? I've never seen one before. Let me tell you, I even thought they were a myth."
"He's not our friend." Maggie told him, wiping her hat, "I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
"Difficult. Nobody knows who they are," I said, my heart racing. I had never before been in the presence of an S rank.
I had met some A's as teachers and speakers, but an S? There were only 5-6 on this continent. They weren't in commercials, TV, magazines, nothing. They took shelter in the shadows, where the night embraced them, and there they thrived.
"The three of you defeated him, right? Without help?" He asked as he picked up the pieces of the camera, "You have to come with me." And he got up.
Intense rays of sunlight fell on his mantle, a shadow on the floor now accentuating his curved nose. Traces of blood appeared in the corners of it. He noticed I was looking but didn’t even flinch or move.
"Yes, we did," I answered him by taking a step forward, "Without help."
"I'm surprised. You know, this monster is not a normal level 2 monster. I don't like to repeat myself, but I will. You must come with me, whether you like it or not." He said and placed his hand on the handle of his sword.
"We're going. We don't want any trouble," Maggie answered immediately.
Kendra spat on the floor as she walked up the car. The Hunter, who soon introduced himself as Ashen, mounted his motorbike and waited until we got into our car to hit the road. Behind us, the policemen waved, the red and blue lights blinking.
He entered Okinawa and followed the moan road until a sign indicating that we were about to leave the city limits popped up. The city was vastly different from Laverne - the one where the Hunters' building was located. There were no tall buildings, blue and red lights pointing at the floor, or advertisements in the surrounding blocks. It was a humble city; rows of second-hand clothing stores, separated by a few cozy cafes, where the scent of snacks came out and wandered across the sidewalk. People smiled and said hello to those who passed by, waving to the acquaintances on the other side of the street.
Ashen accelerated until we got off the main road, following a secondary alley, the gravel-filled ground, leading us to an empty camp. Dust rose and clung to the windows, blocking our view and getting our tires dirty. Ashen signaled with his left hand to stop there, in the middle of nowhere, and so we did. As soon as we got out of the car, the sand stained our clothes. Gusts of wind rocked the trees and the bushes that colored that place.
Small boulders were scattered across the sandy terrain. Soft windy breezes sailed through the trunks, whistling as they left. The edges of Ashen's cloak were covered with a brown layer, and as I looked down, I noticed that my jeans were as well. The dust was spreading and clinging to our clothes. Sometimes a few grains would get stuck in my eye, and tears would come out, dribbling down my cheeks.
"The rest of the way has to be done on foot. It won't take long." Ashen said, fixing his cloak, some of the dust dancing through the air, blurring our vision.
We followed a man-made dirt road, as we could see from the sidelines, flanked only by a few bushes with nearly no leaves. The smell of wet grass became more intense even though it had not rained. I had verified the weather in all the surrounding areas fearing that I would end up soaked on my first day.
My mother would tell me it was a bad sign, my father would tell me that the rain strengthens the weak. It was around 3:00 p.m., and the sun was glistening high up, lightening the whole area.
"I don't like this at all. Can we trust him?" Maggie asked, looking at me, her sweet green eyes blinking.
"I'm not sure, but we don't have a choice either. What happened during the fight? You looked scared... Didn't you train for that?" I asked her while Kendra picked up her short hair and put it in a ponytail.
"I... Ah... I've never been to an academy." She said, quietly enough so that Ashen, who was a few steps ahead of us, wouldn't hear her.
"You what? What do you mean? All Hunters must spend three years training." I answered her, a bit overwhelmed by what she had said.
"Not when you have a father who owns one of the largest arms manufacturing companies and has connections within the government. Actually, I think he just wants me as Hunter so I can be his guinea pig and experiment new features on the field. See this glove?" She said, pointing to the red glove on her right hand, with dozens of blue filaments, "They're not even on the market yet."
"A rich girl..." Kendra murmured, the words coming out muffled without her dislodging her lips.
"It's not like I had a choice..."
"Didn't you have any training?" I asked her.
"I did, of course—private training with someone who was Rank A before retiring. However, when we were face to face with the monster, it seemed as if I had unlearned everything I knew. I'm sorry." She said and leaned against my chest, her cheek rubbing against me.
I stroked the back of her head and told her she didn't need to worry. Kendra bit her lower lip and walked away from us. Sometimes she'd look back, and seeing us still close to each other, she'd roll her eyes.
The road narrowed as we got closer to a black smoke coming from behind one of the hills.
"We're almost there. Let me do the talking." Ashen said, never looking back.
We reached the end of the road, and there was nothing but a green wall covered in gray rocks, several of them sharp. Ashen whistled until a shadow popped up above us with a wooden ladder. The sun struck him on the face, darkening him, his vast shade-providing us a shadow as we went up. I helped Maggie climb by placing my hands on her curved hips and pulling her up, where Ashen held her by her arms. Kendra then went up on her own, and I could swear that she was swinging her ass as she did, as if having me focused on her made her feel good.
"You're the only one missing, James," Ashen said, even though I had never told him my name.
"Ah. How do you know my name?" I asked him, grasping at the wood, taking care not to scrape my hands on any loose splinters.
"You'll understand everything." He said, a fat, shrill laugh behind his back, drowning out his words.
I climbed the ladder. Ahead of us was a two-story wooden house, smoke coming out of the chimney, and next to it a small lake of crystal-clear water, glowing due to the sun's reflection. There was a considerable contrast between where we had come from, dusty and impoverished, to that space, isolated from the world, seemingly concealed from civilization. A few birds were chirping, hidden among the orchard trees a few meters from the house, the trunks still damp, and the artificial turf underneath.
"Rank E? What are you doing, Ashen?" The big-bellied man, with no shirt, asked him, scratching his right sideburn. He had to have 50, or even 60 years.
"They destroyed one of the new beasts. I've got an idea. We better get inside." He said, smiling at the man and starting to walk to the door.
We followed them until we entered the house. The main room consisted of mahogany walls, a dusty piano, different cushioned benches, and walls filled with photos of iconic missions. From there, access to the kitchen, the main hall, and a spiral-shaped staircase in the corner farther from the light was available. Ashen slipped his finger over the piano and nodded his head in disagreement, twirling his delicate lips as well.
"Don't judge me, Ashen. Do you know how boring it is to be here
? How long has it been since I've had visitors? We can't all be visiting the continent, killing monsters, and eating in good restaurants, you know? Either I'm dipping my feet in the lake, or I'm upstairs working as an observer." The man replied, ending with a long sigh, which quickly became a burp, "I'm sorry. I just ate a while ago. So why did you bring them here?"
"Are we safe here, or do we need to go upstairs?" Ashen asked, looking around. Most of the lighting came from the kitchen, where the windows were open and faced towards the sun.
"The whole house is blocked. They can’t track us. You don't have to worry." The man said, "But we should go upstairs. Better safe than sorry."
While we were going up, the man asked us for a few seconds before heading for the kitchen. Sweat ran down his hairy chest, some of the drops getting stuck between his hairs. Even Maggie and Kendra had small lines of sweat running from their necks to the crack between their tits.
Upstairs, everything was different. The classic walls and the rural layout were replaced by iron walls, a grey floor. Instead of a piano, there were dozens of monitors, all with footage from different parts of the continent, plus a map with flickering red lights all over it. The man, whose name we still didn't know, appeared shortly afterward. He was already wearing a red T-shirt that still left his navel out and a plate of cookies with chocolate chips in his left hand. Maggie leaned against me again, now more tightly, her fingers pressing against my ribs. Kendra had her ass and soles on the wall, her back curved, and her head millimeters away from the wall.
The man sat on the only chair in the room, the sides of his belly sticking out. He pulled out a keyboard from under the desk and pressed a few buttons with his dirty fingers. A recording of my group defeating the monster showed up right up to the part where Kendra stepped on the camera.
"You shouldn't have done this. Ashen, did you pick up what's left? Maybe I can salvage something." The man asked and stretched his hand until Ashen dumped the scraps he had put in his pocket, "All right, explain to them what we do here while I take care of this."
He laid down the filaments and small parts on the table, spread them out, and started trying to put them together. He was now using some of the machines he had in a box hidden under his desk.
"Well, where do I start... You've certainly heard of the Reapers, right?" Ashen asked, leaning against the wall.
"Yes, of course. They're the group behind the beasts. A couple of scientists and renegade Hunters." I answered him. All the teachers talked about them in the academy and how dishonor would drop on us if we followed that path.
"We don't know how but they've had access to new technology. We're trying to figure out if they developed it themselves or if someone else supplied them. What we do know is that there is an increasing amount of beast reports and, barely two weeks ago, we discovered that the latest models not only contain cameras that record everything even after the monsters have been destroyed, they are also becoming stronger and smarter as well. What you defeated was probably a level 4, not a 2. We also don't know how they dodged the level processing." Ashen answered, sometimes pausing to see if we were paying attention.
"Apparently, you don't know very much," Kendra said.
Ashen laughed before continuing, "You're right, we don’t. I was at one of our other secret bases when I received a signal, similar to these red ones but black, and ran to that place. You gave me an idea, I don't know how the hell no one had thought of this before, but we need you. People from lower ranks who can defeat weaker monsters. It would be suspicious if a rank S was fighting a supposedly level 2 monster, you know?"
"Are you saying you want our help because we're weak?" Maggie asked him, her light eyes popping out in the darkness of the room that only had a small, flashing light on the ceiling.
"I wouldn't say it that way... But a bit, yeah." Ashen answered her.
"I think it's a good idea," I said, "If the rewards are good... We'd be delighted to help, but we want new weapons, payment for everything, and when this is resolved, we want our photos on the headquarters wall."
"It's a deal. I'll talk to my superiors. However, you will need a few adjustments. To begin with, follow me. Gordon, stay here and take care of that. I'll take them to the warehouse." Ashen said and waved his hand for us to descend again.
We followed him to the main corridor and entered the second door on the left. He turned on the light, and a double bed was revealed to us, as well as a bedside table on each side of the bed, with tiny lampstands and a purple cover book on the left side, in addition to a large wardrobe in the opposite corner. Skipping everything, Ashen continued to walk and stood in front of a wall. He knelt and pressed an almost imperceptible button. The division moved to the right. An even bigger room appeared with dozens of weapons, items, maps, climbing and swimming instruments, and a few other objects. I had no idea what they were for. The guns were organized by type and then by size.
"I know what you must be thinking. You were expecting a warehouse, weren't you? I don't know why we call it that. When I came here, somebody had already given it that name. Anyway, pick whatever you want. You need to reinforce yourselves. The monsters will have no mercy. Neither should you."
I was the first one in the room. I traversed the corridors with guns, from minor to semi-automatic, with bullets capable of piercing most beasts' shells. And yet, my eyes didn't stray from a simple weapon, with golden and black strains, two thin barrels, and bullets with sharp tips. The gun seemed to be calling me, and I couldn't ignore it. I picked it up, swung it, and it seemed to fit right in my hand as if it had been waiting for me. As I did, Kendra and Maggie wandered around the room, looking for something that would be worthwhile.
It didn't take long before Kendra picked up a whip similar to hers but of superior metal. Meanwhile, Maggie held a thin layer of protection. This new invention adapted to the person's body and protected it from regular attacks and even falls, but, on the other hand, the more shocks it resisted, the heavier it became.
Then I took a cloak like Ashen's, but even darker and unblemished by blood or dust. I folded my sleeves so the fabric wouldn't cover my hands and put the new gun in my holster. Ashen signaled us to put the old ones on a metal plate that was on a table.
"Leave them there. Gordon will then use the components to create something better. He might be gone for a while. The best thing to do is to show you your room." Ashen said.
"Ours? There's only one?" Maggie said, "I usually sleep alone..."
"That's all there is. This place isn't supposed to be so crowded. Surely, you'll find a way, won't you?"
"Yeah. No problem for me. I’m sure we can find a solution.” I answered, and the girls agreed.
We left the room, and Ashen took us to the lake. We lay barefoot on the edge, cold water cooling our toes while the orange-ray lights burned our faces. We spent the afternoon between comfortable silences and Ashen's stories about how he achieved the S rank. He didn't tell us much, just enough for us to realize that he was the real deal. He shared that he had been a Hunter for almost 15 years and told us about the first time he defeated a beast alone. He even added that he had to spend a whole week in the hospital with serious injuries.
The sun had hidden behind the hills, the wind roared, and the trees answered it, and sometimes a breeze would make the water sprinkle over our clothes. In the distance, the violet horizon hid the city's darkness and the population's fear that the night would bring new beasts. It wouldn't be the first night my mother called me, complaining about the weird noises she heard outside, when in fact, most of the time, it was the wind bumping into poorly closed windows or some drunkard walking around, bumping into the doors and tripping on the floor.
"It's getting late... Can anyone cook? Knowing Gordon as I do, there should be very little in the fridge, and we can't order anything to this location."
"I can fry eggs, and if all goes well… fries." I said, "I usually buy pre-made."
"I know..." Kendra said, her voice more acute than
usual, her cheeks rosy in the light of the rainbow lake.
"Cooking?" I asked her while I was wetting my hands.
"Yeah. I've been living alone for a few years. Somebody's got to do it," she answered and stood up, "Don't follow me. I don't like having eyes on me while I'm cooking." She said, and went to the kitchen, leaving us there, the sun's rays about to fade.
Ashen told us he was going to see how things were going with Gordon. I was left alone with Maggie, leaning against each other, listening to her light breathing and sometimes the birds whistling.
"I should have told you the truth before we ran into the monster. It could have been worse." She said, her voice as sweet as cotton candy on a bright night.
"You should, but there's not a lot to do now either, is there? Don't worry about it. You'll get the hang of it." I told her, and I took the liberty of putting my hand around the back of her head.
Our eyes met for seconds before she briefly laughed and laid on the grass.
"You know, I never thought I'd end up here. In a secret hiding place, on a secret mission. I've been spending my days in the lounge between naps and listening to others talk. I've always liked to keep an eye on the conversations, you know?" She said, her wet hands under her hair.
"Neither did I, much less on my first day. I still don't know if I got lucky or this is a mistake, but at least I'm in good company." I replied, "I have a feeling we have a lot of adventures ahead of us. I don't think the Reapers will simply give up." I added, also lying down, both appreciating the view of a fine light purple stripe disappearing, giving way to a dark blue. The stars scattered all over the painting.
"I don't know if I should tell you this, but a few weeks ago, I heard my dad on the phone. I don't know who he was talking to, but he said that Reapers were good for business and that he wasn't the only one who didn't want to see them disappear. When Ashen said, someone was helping them... I..." She said, pausing, covering her face with her hands.
