Private Hunter or Hunted?

It was late night in New York. The city was never quiet during the night but tonight it was unusually noisy. Sirens and blasts echoed and there was smoke rising. Suddenly, jets came over and joined creating even more of a chaos. ‘’ Damn it ‘’ Vritra was running on a big street followed by three black cars and a black SUV. He ducked and a rocket passed over his head and exploded a few meters in front of him. He jumped over it and turned to an alley. Guns fired behind him and a bullet hit his right arm. He could not pay attention to it, he had more important things to worry about. He spread his pitch black wings and flew. Bullets came firing and he maneuvered in the air to avoid them. Just as he was on the height of the houses, there was a pitching sound and a plasma energy ray pierced his left shoulder, near the base of his wing. He screamed and fell on the rooftop of the building. He flipped and started running using his wings to fly over the gaps between the houses. A rocket exploded close to him and he was sent flying in a dark alley. ‘’ Damn it… ‘’ he whispered and spat blood on the pavement. He could hear the Hunters approaching. ‘’ Search for him, don’t let that thing escape. Come on, if we get it alive then we will have caught three monsters this week. Don’t mess it up. Teams A and B go from behind. Team A and elites come with me ‘’ the man who was in charge shouted. They rushed into the alley but they could not see anyone. ‘’ Sir, target is out of sight ‘’ ‘’ Damn it ‘’ he replied. He touched his headphone ‘’ Snipers, what is your report? ‘’ a minute after they replied ‘’ Sniper one, nothing suspicious ‘’ ‘’ Sniper two, nothing ‘’ ‘’ Sniper three, I did not see anything ‘’ ‘’ Sniper leader, Hawkeye reports nothing that would indicate that the target escaped ‘’ The leader stomped the ground with his foot ‘’ Return to the HQ ‘’ he then faced his men ‘’ Abort mission. We are leaving ‘’ ‘’ Roger ‘’ ‘’ Team A, spread, and search for clues ‘’ ‘’ Roger ‘’ ‘’ Then you are to return to the HQ. We are not to wait for you. ‘’ ‘’ Sir, yes sir ‘’ they saluted and they left. They were the ones who have been given special training to scout the areas so that they could find anything that could be useful. As one of them examined, he found a trail of black smoke and he decided to follow it. The smoke stopped in a dead end. The scout was about to head back when a hand touched his shoulder. ‘’ You will tell me everything you know ‘’ Vritra whispered as his red eyes were shining were he rematerialized. The scout gulped and nodded. As he stepped out of the alley, he started walking towards the Central Park where the hunt had taken him. He was walking slowly as a small river of blood was running down his hand where the sniper had hit him. Finally he succumbed to the loss of blood and fainted. When he woke up, he was in a beautiful white room. The window was open and the sun was coming in. He did not know where he was but he noticed that bandages were around his chest and arm. He slowly rose and wore his clothes that were clean and tidied up. He opened the door and he was in a long hallway ‘’ Where am I? ‘’ Vritra wondered. There were stairs in the end and child’s laughs echoed from downstairs. He slowly walked down the stairs. He was about to speak when a child’s voice came to his ears ‘’ Mum, Dad, the man is up ‘’ then he saw a little girl with big brown eyes and brown hair in pigtails coming towards him ‘’ Uhhh? Don’t you look different from before? ‘’ Then a mid aged woman came in wearing an apron ‘’ Come on, don’t say that, it is rude ‘’ then she turned to face him and she smiled ‘’ Come on, breakfast is ready ‘’ ‘’ What? ‘’ Vritra replied completely shocked. He walked to the kitchen. A middle aged man and a boy were already there ‘’ Hey, seems our visitor is awake ‘’ the man smiled. The boy stayed silent. He sat down and ate a homemade pie. He did not like most of the food humans ate but that tasted good and it was filling. When he finished he sat and waited for the others. When they all finished they turned to him. ‘’ Now that we are all here, we are the McGardens. Nice to meet you mister… ‘’ ‘’ Ace, Ace Vice ‘’ he replied. ‘’ Awww what a beautiful name you chose to use ‘’ the woman replied. ‘’ Are you an Exceed? ‘’ the boy asked out of a sudden. Ace stood up and took position ‘’ Don’t worry my friend ‘’ the man said calmly ‘’ We found you passed out on the road last night and we took you in. My wife tended your wounds. I used to be a member of the Hunters so I know about their weapons. You got hit by two bullets and a Plasma Sniper ‘’ Vritra stayed silent ‘’ I quit long ago because I don’t like the way they operated. I will not give you in ‘’ Vritra exhaled and sat on the chair again. ‘’ Yeah, I am an Exceed, a Dragon. A Wyvern to be specific ‘’ He showed his wings that were now white with light blue lines ‘’ Oh my, oh my. A true Dragon in front of my eyes ‘’ the woman seemed delighted ‘’ Aren’t you afraid ‘’ he asked ‘’ No my dear, you helped us stop that terrible war and rebuild our homes ‘’ the man nodded ‘’ It is the Hunter’s fault to attack you, they are the bad guys, not you ‘’ Vritra exhaled, he was right after all, many humans did not side with the Hunters. He gasped and grabbed his back, the bandage was getting wet. ‘’ Oh my, oh my, seems we need to take care of you ‘’ the woman sat up and took him to the sofa. He lied down as the woman took bandages and water to tend him. The man was at her side to give her information. ‘’ I need you to do something, spread your wings, it will be easier to cover it. But you will have to let them out for about two hours so that it can heal completely ‘’ Vritra waited for them to step back and when they were away, he extended his hands and his wings appeared. When it was finished, he could almost feel like before. ‘’ You can stay here until it gets better ‘’ they proposed him. ‘’ Seems like the best option for now ‘’ he thought and agreed. He stayed in the house and helped the family who introduced themselves as: Maya and Rick the two children Nana the wife and Chuck the father. When Chuck went to his work and drove Rick to school he helped Nana in the housework. She was very friendly and it was easy for him. ‘’ Why you stayed? ‘’ Nana asked him at some point. ‘’ My sister ‘’ he replied ‘’ Your sister ‘’ she asked concerned ‘’ My true name is Vritra, the Light and Darkness Dragon and my sister is Tiamat, the Dragon Lord of Time ‘’ he whispered and showed the three pair if wings in addition to the original ones that went along with the title of the Dragon Lord. ‘’ Oh my, oh my, Vritra is before me ‘’ she bowed ‘’ I am sorry for my attitude towards you your highness ‘’ ‘’ Please don’t do that ‘’ he smiled ‘’ Just keep that a secret, I am just a normal dragon ‘’ he smiled, then his face darkened ‘’ Tiamat stayed to persuade the Humans to stop the assault, but I heard she was captured and I am looking for her ‘’ Nana covered her mouth ‘’ What a tragedy… What about your other brother. According to the legend there is one more, his name is… ‘’ ‘’ Ouroboros, the Dragon Lord of the Void controller of Space ‘’ he said ‘’ he is missing but he is not captured, he is an escape artist. He escaped a Dragon hunt with around ten jets and half of the search force. ‘’ he smiled as he remembered the scene. He watched it on the news. He remembered Ouroboros, on the top of the skyscraper, with all the jets flying over him about to jump into a Void portal and singing ‘’Nanana, nana, nana can’t touch this ‘’ and immediately started laughing. ‘’ The point is ‘’ he said as he turned serious again ‘’ I believe in humans, I believe you have the power to make things right ‘’. The rest of the day passed quickly, Rick came back from school and started asking him question about Dragons. He was happy to answer but that made him feel a bit sad as well. In the afternoon he excused himself for a minute and thought about what the scout said. ‘’ I don’t know anything, but if your sister really is Tiamat then the only way you will get information about her is to enter our HQ, alas, this is impossible ‘’ ‘’ Damn it ‘’ he shouted and punched the wall next to him. He had a plan, but it might backfire, and the consequences might be fatal. He had to think of another one. That night, he could not sleep, he felt too uneasy. He started thinking of every possible way that he could enter the HQ and leave or escape from it alive. ‘’ You could use some help ‘’ Chuck stepped in. Vritra did not reply ‘’ Nana told me about you, and I think I have an idea that could be helpful ‘’ he sat next to him ‘’ When they capture you, they analyze you and then inject you a drug that dampens your powers for some time. But you are different, your abilities change, but the drug does not ‘’ Chuck smiled. Vritra was starting to get into the point ‘’ So that means, if they inject me the drug during the day, and my powers change during the night, I will be able to use them ‘’ he said excited. The man stood up and left ‘’ Hope I have been of use to you, Vritra, the Eclipse Wyvern ‘’. Vritra lied back, closed his eyes and smiled. The next morning, it was Sunday, he helped Nana with some housework and after all of them ate lunch together, he went up to get ready to leave. Nana was there when they heard shout from downstairs ‘’ What is the meaning of this? ‘’ Chuck was shouting ‘’ Stand down ‘’ and there was a shout of pain ‘’ We have information that here an Exceed is located ‘’ ‘’ The hunters ‘’ Nana whispered ‘’ Jump out of the window, now ‘’ she said and ran downstairs. He was about to do so when he heard a pistol shot and a scream ‘’ Tell me where he is or I shoot the kid ‘’ Vritra paused. He turned and ran over the hallway. ‘’ Tell me ‘’ the hunter demanded and pressed his weapon on Rick’s head ‘’ Only we are here ‘’ Nana shouted ‘’ Then there is no use for you ‘’ he said and loaded. There was a blurry flash and Vritra appeared in front of the hunter with his hands engulfed in holy blue flame. He punched the man along with his subordinates and they fell down paralyzed. He could hear the sirens of the Hunters and started running only to look back to see the family weaving at him. It was midday when he spotted the SUVs he turned around but before he could do anything more, something fell on his feet and exploded. Photon waves paralyzed him and fell on his knees. He felt someone grab him and throw him on the ground. He then spewed blue flames around him but he was injected the drug and they started fading. He did not resist, he was thrown into a steel cage and then the Hunters started driving towards the HQ. Vritra looked at the top of his cell and smiled. Not exactly according to plan, but he was heading towards the HQ. He smiled and examined his wings and tail that he spread before. They were not injured and were already starting to get black.

Samael woke the the sounds of air raid sirens and distant gun shots. He pushed himself off the mattress and rubbed his eyes. It was still fairly early but the sun could be seen poking just a sliver out of the New York skyline. He went over to a wash basin that he had made from an old bird bath and washed his face.

Walking to the next room, it was pitch black, he reached over to a large power box and yanked down on a power switch. The room flickered to life, he had decorated the room with 'liberated' items; Various art pieces, a few tables, chairs, and three large sofas sitting in front of a T.V. in the back. The room was most likely the largest in the hospital as it was the old dining hall. Samael went into the kitchen in the back, all he had was a wood fire stove and a small mountain of canned good, label and otherwise.

Lighting the fire in the stove, he walked over to the pile of canned food and grabbed two cans. He peel the can lid back on one, he got lucky as they were peaches. Placing the can down, he opened the other, mini spaghetti and meatballs. It wasn't the worse but it would work, placing the can on the stove top. He walked out into the room and crashed on the couch with the peaches in hand.

Samael grabbed an the remote and turned the tv on. The tv flickered at first then came alive to a what appeared to a new channel.

"This is Channel Three news and I'm Asha Newfield giving you this morning's news. Last night's Exceed hunt here in New York went better then thought, as the Hunters eliminated fourteen Exceeds and capture well over hundred. The president has commended the Hunter's efforts in the recent jump in activity and success and had this to say."

Samael downed half the peaches and went back to the kitchen, coming back out with the warm can of spaghetti. An old man had taken over the screen and was shouting into the crowd.

"....And these Exceed think they can live among us? Threaten our families? No! No, I say! Who's to say why they are here! They say they are here to help us then turn around and kill us! No more!"

Samael had angrily downed the can food, Maybe if they quit shooting and torturing us, we wouldn't have to kill you back. The screen flicked back the woman in the new's room.

"The president has been pushing for bill that will increase Hunters' military budget, the bill will also allow any human to kill or capture an exceed on sight without police intervention."

Haven 07: 0100 hours, New Bordeaux outskirts, Southern France.

Appearing as a illuminated Metropolis late in the night, the recreated city of New Bordeaux was a testament to mans desire to touch the sky. The highest building, a futuristic chapel built by a rich cult, was of particular interest to Joseph's people, yet tonight they would be spared of the hunt. For they were not the home of the prey; the prey was simply at their doorstep.
Glowing brightly in the distance, Warehouse 13 of Corridor 06 in New Bordeaux's industrial district, was glaringly obvious. Armed guards stood at the entrance, if you could call it armed. Lead-based weapons were practically antiques at this day & age. If they even were funded, clearly said funder was either a historian or a chump. The pair stood in front of a metal seal that looked incredibly dense, but Joseph could reserve that challenge for afterwards. A brief infared scan revealed more heat signatures inside, But this wasnt important to Joseph; What was important was a human-sized dark-area that relayed back to his helmet. Whatever it was, it was not running on blood.
"Pioneer 0-343, what is your status? Has the site been uncovered?" A voice from Command spoke into Joseph's visor, Issued from Vessel T3 Xernia.
"Affirmative. Moving in on Target" the Hunter replied.


Jumping down from a smaller yet heightened structure adjacent to the hostile building, Joseph's armour crunched loudly upon impact with the hard concrete below. Gasping quietly at the pain, he reflected on his decision to choose a thruster pack over shielding. There was no confused voices at its sound from inside the warehouse, however.
Un-holstering his Mk92 & taking in it's scoped sight, Joseph began charging the rifle, intent on neutralizing the guards. Less than a moment later a flash of white light struck its target; Guard 1 hit the floor, a gaping, charred hole briefly illuminating his calf before the militia hit the floor, numerous vital organs of his freshly vapourized. Seconds later his comrade earned a similar fate. Fortunatly the silencer ensured still no response from inside the building.
Joseph Stealthily progressed his way to the entrance, repeatedly slipping in & out of the shadows. He examined the smouldering carcass of his first victim. Firmly painted on an intact segment of the milatia's armour, he saw the name:

The two thugs, one a mid level drug supplier and the other a buyer for a mid level drug dealer, ran for their lives. They ran like deer being chased by a wolf. Their hideaway in an abandoned warehouse just across from the condemned Saint Mary's hospital had been compromised and they were the only ones out of ten men who had survived. They ran towards the hospital, hoping against hope that there would be somewhere to hide or there were squatting beggars inside to slow their pursuer down. They were not being chased by police or rival dealers or even Hunters. All of these were nervous, if not outright afraid, of the woman that pursued these men. A woman in polished ebony power armor, a flowing black cape and a tall, small brimmed "pilgrim" hat bearing the symbol of The Inquisition (=][=). She was an Inquisitor, the finest and most feared monastic order since the Knights Templar over eight hundred years ago. They wandered the world righting wrongs and were ever watchful for any and all that would threaten humanity. Especially for other humans. Drug Lords, criminal kingpins, corrupt politicians, irresponsible or untrained humans who had gained the power of the Exceeds and were a danger to themselves and others. Even the Hunters, the worldwide anti-Exceed organisation was under the Inquisition's careful and tireless watch. This last group had committed many evils in the name of humanity and the Inquisition, backed by powerful religious institutions and the richest of governments, hunted them without mercy.

The supplier, a clean shaven bald black man in a white T-shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and a black leather vest, was brought down by a searing hot crossbow bolt. It jutted out of his back as a steaming red spike, causing him to scream so loud that he got the attention of whomever was inside the hospital. The Inquisitor reloaded her crossbow and resumed her slow, patient walk towards her target, knowing that there would be no escape. She stepped towards the screaming man and stomped on his head with her heavy pointed ebony boot. She crushed it under her heel with a loud wet *CRUUUNCH!*, the wiped the blood and brain off her boot with the supplier's body. The dealer and buyer, a wild looking man in a sleeveless blue jean jacket with a pair of matching jeans and black sneakers with a long brown beard and shoulder length hair, beat on one of the hospitals side doors, the only one that looked like it had been used in the last few years. He was desperate for whomever was in there to let him in.

"HELP!" He shouted. "HELP! I'M BEING CHASED BY A MADWOMAN! LET ME IN OR SHE'LL KILL YOU ALL!". As she approached, the Inquisitor glowed with white light, gathering her psychic energy for a strength boosting spell. With this spell she could deliver a mighty blow against the unholy, lift a rock to allow a child to crawl to safety or toss a grown man about like a rag doll. Much of her training had been focused on removing those that did not belong in this world and the route she had developed her psychic "gifts" reflected that. She had a wide variety of general powers however and all of her powers could be brought to bear against those who belonged in this world just as easily as those who did not. She grabbed the man by his hair and threw him ten feet backwards. He screamed as he flew through the air and landed on his arse. He tried to get up but it was too late. The loud CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! of the Inquisitor's armor telegraphed her sprint and with gleaming silver sword in hand she stepped on the dealer's chest. Her heavy right boot would ensure that he went nowhere. The man looked up at her with both fear and revulsion.

"Just do it bitch!" He spat. "Kill me already!"

"Tell me what I wish to know and I will be gone from here. Where did she go? Which of your men helped her escape?" The Inquisitor said in her smooth, tranquil voice. A voice of complete confidence and clear conscience, of someone absolutely in the right.

"Are you nuts!? I can't tell you that!" The dealer said, his eyes betraying genuine fear. "If I tell you where she went she will cause me pain you can't even imagine!"

"She escaped with the help of your drug ring. You smuggled her onto a flight for parts unknown. Your survival, Mr. Kellim, depends on your cooperation in this matter."

"You damn Inquisitors! You think you're gods sent to terrorize us whenever you want! You're just...UGGH!" The Inquisitor pressed down harder on his chest, constricting his breathing.

"What was the name of the flight she left on?"

"Go to hell!" The man wheezed, now struggling to breathe. She had run out of patience. She knelt down on his chest and put her silver sword to his throat, the holy enchantments making it glow white hot and the tip of it singing his throat. His eyes met hers and though they were full of fear, he did not beg. She admired that.

"Find peace in the embrace of The Lord." She said. Then she stabbed him through the throat all the way to the hilt, killing him instantly. She used her boot on his chest as leverage to help pull her sword out of his throat and the cold hard asphalt. Then after wiping the blood off on his clothes she turned to see a lone brown haired man outside the hospital's side door looking at her. He was apparently drawn out by her execution, so she sheathed her blade and calmly walked towards them.

"I apologize for the disturbance." The Inquisitor said. "My name is Elspeth and I am a servant of the Inquisition. My quarrel was with these bandits but they have led me here and now a very calm stranger stands before me. Most unusual considering my bloody deed. Are we friends or foes?"

It was a beautiful summer Sunday morning, the sun was shining, the birds where chirping, people were out for a walk in the crowded streets, a stroll in the park or to drink some coffee. Yeah, sure… Everything was perfect for everyone except from Pandora, she was stuck at the job she hated so much.
“Do I really have to wear this kind of clothes while I’m working?”She asked her boss angrily “Do you see anyone else complaining? The other girls that work here not only keep their mouths shut, but they are also enforcing my rules! So shut it and go back to work.” He said arrogantly “But I’m not like the other girls that work here! I don’t want to dress like… This” She protested “If I recall correctly you need this job…” She gave no answer to her horrible boss “Thought so… Now stop whining and go back to work!” he yelled. She picked up a tray and walked over to a table where a group of guys were sitting. “May I get you anything to drink? Maybe something to eat?” She asked, putting on a fake smile. After they all ordered, despite their comments, she sent the order over to the bar and walked towards the next table where a man was sitting alone.
“Can I get you anything?” She said while examining the man “Two glasses of whiskey and your beautiful company.” He said with a sly smile while winking at her, she kept calm, she was used to it after all.. It wasn’t rare, but it usually occurred at night with drunken men or with someone looking for “Fun” as the humans called these things… She calmly answered him “Okay… so, two glasses of whiskey? I’ll send one of the other girls to bring it to you.”. She took the orders of the other tables and served most of them while the other girls where chatting with each other “Lazy whores…” She muttered as she walked past them. She reached the bar and took a seat facing the bartender who was making the last drinks as they had reached a dead hour as they called it.
“Hard day huh?” He asked her, he was the only one she could consider a friend in that place, he was close to the age that se seemed to be. He was 20 with a strong build, emerald green eyes, blonde hair and handsome altogether, but of no interest of Pandora, he wasn’t her type and clearly he wouldn’t go out with her as he had… different tastes in partners… “Yeah.. James has been giving me a hard time lately.” She said, letting out a deep sigh. “Yeah I know… If I were you I’d have quit from the first day he would yell at me.” She thought of that for a moment and giggled. “Yea, you’re right…But where would I go? I need the money, since this is my only source of income!” He seemed to think about it for a second “Are you still into videogames etc?” She was surprised by his question as she didn’t tell him anything about her collection or her interest in this kind of things. “Yeah…What are you up to?” “The electronics store is looking for someone and I’m sure that you’d get the job, no problem!” He exclaimed, the other two girls turned at glared at him, Pandora shot them a mean look and they continued chatting and smoking… she detested smoking and cigarettes, why would someone pay to slowly die? “I might just check it out if he keeps up like this”, he continued brewing the drinks and she watched him, thinking about that job. “How’s the pay over there?” “650 starter if I recall correctly and a 50% discount, I think…” “100 bucks more than I get in this rat hole with the tips and everything! “ She said, while she continued observing the making of a coffee she so much loved… When he was done she looked around and saw only two tables that had just sat down “Let the others handle them” She muttered as he put the glass in front of her “For who is it?” He laughed and said “To calm you down." She laughed “You’re spoiling me” “You deserve it… Thanks for the other day” “Don’t menti..” A loud voice echoed from across the Café “DESTINY GET BACK TO WORK NOW!” Her boss practically screamed at her “I think I deserve a 15 minute break!” She said pointing at the others who were still chatting and didn’t bother to look at the customers. “You deserve nothing!” He yelled angrily. The other waitresses were now laughing at her and he embarrassed her in front of the customers and the others. “I’m growing sick and tired of your plops!” She yelled slamming her apron on the counter “Than.. you’re FIRED!” He said. Everyone was either looking at her with pity or with pleasure, she understood the pity, but “why would someone gain pleasure from another’s misfortune.. . ?“ She wondered and made her way to the door of the café, keeping her head high. She turned around and yelled “Oh and by the way… Yesterday I found three cockroaches and a rat at the storage room” And excited the café listening to the voices coming from inside with pleasure, as people where exciting behind her
She made her way to the bus stop outside and waited for it to come as she was observing the people that were going to and from, searching for any familiar faces. When the bus finally came she hopped on and waited for her stop, gazing out the window. She was wearing a red tank top which was a bit provocative as it was open enough for her star tattoo to be visible and a pair of really short black shorts. These two put together made her look like a prostitute of some sort and she was sure to attract some unwanted attention.
She hopped off the bus and walked towards the apartment complex she lived in, she walked through the lobby, waving at the woman who guarded the building and took the stairs all the way up to the fifth floor. She didn’t like to take the elevator when she was alone, she preferred to exercise and take the stairs. She reached her door and quickly unlocked it and got in. She threw her bag and walked towards the large black leather couch. The house was big and luxurious, given the fact that it was given to her and her family as a token of gratitude for the help. It had almost all the luxuries but she still had to pay normally for the electricity and the bills, etc. but fortunately no rent.
Almost an hour later she had bathed, dried her hair and was in her leopard print PJ bottom and a black tank top. “Now let’s see what we can make for dinner..”She checked her fridge and took out one chicken breast and some bell peppers as well as a container of salad. She took out a pan and poured some olive oil in it and let it shimmer while cutting the peppers and washing the chicken with some water. She put them in the pan and started preparing the salad. When dinner was finally ready, she took out a bottle of beer, uncorked it and took a long sip. She finished her meal and beer, washed the dished and rushed to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth she made her way to her bedroom. She hopped on the King sized bed and lied down, switching on the TV and watching meaningless shows.
The next morning, she got up and quickly got ready to go to the mall and apply for the job Jim had told her about. She made the ordinary trip to the mall and walked to the 1st floor where the shop was, she walked inside and stood by the information desk. “May I help you with anything?” A short man with glasses approached her, around his mid 20s. “I’m h“ere for the job you’re offering” He looked surprised but kept his tone “Alright but I have to ask you some questions” "About videogames, the virtual reality simulators etc? Try me”
The interview sounded more like a quiz and was, even though tedious, quite enjoyable as the manager was funny in a nerdy-non attractive- way and pleasant to be around.

“You got the job.” He announced to her. “When can you start?” “Right now!” She said with a smile “Ok, I will give you a clean shirt and you can begin” He said, looking at a stack of shirts that were under the cash register “Umm… what size do you wear? Small or Medium?” “Small” she replied, he handed her the shirt and said “The door that says Staff only is where you can change and hang your bag etc. The shirt is freshly washed, as you can see, and the departments… well you already know them” “Thank you, mr?” "Edward,just that. No need for formalities" "Ok, so Thank you Edward" She said cheerfully as she walked towards the room. She changed shirts, to her surprise the black collared polo fit her perfectly without giving away much. She walked towards the Videogame department and started assisting customers.

Continued...

As Joseph broke the spine of the second undead with his combat knife, a purple smoke crackling with power was forced from its throat, & the body bursted into ash in a similar fashion to its recently deceased brethern. Like a humans final breath, the cloud of what could only be described as Spores levitated in the air before being whisked away by the prevailing winds. As the pile of ash too began to disperse a wave of nausea came over Joseph; Killing Exceed sympathisers was part of the contract, but the concept of these 'undead' were unsettling. It was a sign of how superior the Exceed's technology was in comparison to their own, so dark & corrupted their implements were that even the departed were subjected to mutilation. How regular humans became fixed up with such foul entities was inconceivable. Tightly gripping his Mk92 so that he would not be forced into melee again, Joseph turned back to the sealed door.
"Status update, Boltshift" he snapped, keen to forget the incident.
Boltshift responded in his usual platonic tone, but the news was fitting for it. "This interface does not seem to be of human origin, Hunter. Seal appears to be of foreign design. Perhaps a search of the Hunter Archives will assist in my task. Allow archive search?"
"Yes" Joseph replied, but after assessing the situation he had an idea of his own. Turning to the eroded yet intact pile of the second undead's ashes, he scooped up a handful, its sand-like texture cold to the touch, despite his armour's interior thermal heating. After momentarily examining the dust he experimentally threw it at the sealed metal door, half expecting it to reveal a hidden lock or lever. Nothing happened.
Undeterred by his incorrect hypothesis, Joseph took a sample of the ash for research, then began to detatch his hands carparce. Once exposed, Joseph experimentally picked at the ash with his bare fingers.
The instant pain was excruciating. Suddenly his armour weighed down on him heavily, his vision became shadowed, & a pain like fire sprung up his arm. Fighting the pain, Joseph with great effort hefted a handful of dust over to the seal, & slammed his coated palm against the metal. The pain tripled by tenfold, then suddenly declined into nothingness. As did the seal, so suddenly it was simply dis-illusioning, even to the experienced Hunter.
Rushing to warm his blackened hand, Joseph replaced his arm-piece, wincing as the metal stung his withered hand. Strength slowly revitalized his body, preventing his hands infatuation from spreading & restoring his composure. Soon he was back on his feet.
The area behind the seal seemed to be a small entrance room; a coomon addition to the local warehouses. Despite its recent combustion, Joseph knew the seal before was not part of the buildings pre-designed architecture. Whoever, or whatever RECON was, they were now a much more apparent threat.
Now voices could be heard from inside; humanoids rushing down stairs to engage the newcomer. Despite his injured appendage, Joseph held his rifle firm, Impatiently waiting to headshot the first undead Bas**** that showed its unholy face.
A quiet beep indicated Boltshift's return. It re-assesed the Hunters situation, only for a programming error to occur after a bio-examination of Josephs hand.
Auto-reset. "This is Boltshift. How may I assist you, Hunter?"
The Irony of its timing.

"Could you hear me?" he asked politely.

"Hear you?" I replied, looking puzzled.

"I shouted," he sounded disappointed, as if he had no hope.

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to get a closer look yet I couldn't see his face.

"There was no answer, no reply, I felt abandoned. I'm sorry I left you although I'm back now," He reassured me, trying to comfort me. My eyes gleamed with joy yet I still felt sorrowful.

"You'll never forget me right? You'll always remember us? You'll always remember me?" He carried on like he took the words of what I wanted to hear, the words I hadn't even thought of yet. I stared blankly at the blurry image before me. Trying to picture the voice, the voice I forgot. I looked down shamefully. Guilty of something I don't even remember. Something I should remember. I felt his eyes burrow deeply into my soul.

"Hey, what’s wrong? You know I'm here for you always," He tried to reassure me and yet I didn't know how to respond. My hands felt wet, tears rolled down my face and yet I didn't bother to rub them away. They were the essence that washed away the pain. If tears could truly wash it away, I would have wept till puddles formed an ocean. With the vicious ocean waves calming back the land, cleansing my pain.
A hand suddenly touched my face and brought it back up. My eyes met his blurry image.

"Smile," He said one last time before I was brought into a tender embrace. Warmth began spreading like wildfire. It was like the sun rose over a stormy night and cleared the black thunderous clouds. The sun soaked up my puddles before they formed oceans. The pain subsided; it didn't need to be washed away. It didn't need to be another person's problem. It just needed to keep me going. Pain made me feel alive.


Thunder boomed. The rain kept falling, an endless storm that ruled over light. Pitter patter, the rain continued, it was enough to drive one insane. The house shock and there was another crackle in the sky. People ran across the busy street, clutching their jackets running before they were drenched and then there were those who were already drenched, they just walked gracefully in the rain. Not caring that they might catch a cold. It was interesting. Each individual was interesting and unique but at the same time they were all alike. They seemingly classified everything as normal. It was normal to go to work. It was normal to have a car and a house. It was normal to live and to die. It was normal to have debts. It was normal to think you were an Individual but in fact you were just another cog in an endless machine, a cog that rusted and eventually wore out, which spins despite that missing part.

A ray broke through the clouds. It lasted for an eternity yet at the same time passed in a split second. Warmth, The day was clearing.

I stretched as I woke from the dream, This time it was odd and seemed to be something personal. The person talking to me seemed like a good friend, or maybe more. It was hard to tell without seeing his face although I could hear the emotion in his voice and caring character, the room was empty and cold. I moved away from the window and towards the couch, and jumped onto its warm and cozy surface. The T.V remote was only a few inches away and so I turned it on. The noise in the background and so my thoughts went to Elspeth. She had woken up early and left donning her armour and her weapons. It was the usual; after all she had a job to do. I just hoped she wouldn’t do anything too irrational; the troubling thing was she remained utterly calm while she did her job but I also knew the warm and loving side of her. She wasn’t entirely cold and maybe she only put on that calm and righteous persona for when she hunted down evil but everything she did was in the name of her Lord. She was devoted I would say that and it seemed like the old age of Good vs. Evil right about now. Was she looking for something? Is that maybe why she puts so much effort into her hunting nowadays? I would never know. I could never ask her. I wondered on about it before my stomach growled and threatened to attack. What would it be like if I revealed myself someday? What would happen to me then? I know with Elspeth that she would be startled and would question to what is my true motive and would she believe me? No, I wouldn’t think so. The hunters would hang me. The exceeds, I still have yet to meet a good one. Most of them are hiding, like me and the other are killing off the hunters and other humans. Some are trying to fit it, maybe I should try that some time. Maybe I should try it after a few years, when it’s time to move on. I looked on a shelf, a picture of Elspeth’s family. I wonder what happened to them to make her so zealous. In the end would I want to know? The world is already horrible enough.


The picture was perfect if anybody did walk in, a cat that watches T.V. How priceless and cute or perhaps confusing and thought provoking. I wonder what it would be like if life was like a television series, or an action movie. It certainly wouldn’t be like this. I cuddled up against a small pillow before lying and watched as the show played on. “I’m going to starve!” I let out a small sigh. “Well I could always raid the pantry if she’s not back before dinner.” I thought while being bored out of my mind.

"Snipers, what is your report?" a minute after they replied "Sniper one, nothing suspicious " "Sniper two, nothing" "Sniper three, I did not see anything" "Sniper leader, Hawkeye reports nothing that would indicate that the target escaped"

The team's captain, Josh, stomped the ground and signaled a go for home. Back at the HQ, all those that took part in the Dragon Hunt were present in a line. Before them stood Commander Eric, the person that was more or less in charge of the HQ. He was a maimed individual, wore an eyepatch over his left eye while he lacked his left arm from shoulders down. As weak as he may look, the man was very serious.

"I've went over all your reports" he while walking along the line of solders. Most of them swallowed dryly as Eric moved past them. He stopped at Jason "It seems you failed, Jason."

The captain confidently stepped out of the line "Sir, I have to report additionally that we lacked the support of the sniper team while on the field." Two of the snipers frowned while Thereus and Hawkeye remained silent and motionless. "That isn't true, captain, multiple reports mention that Sargent Glasscroft scored a shot on the dragon's open." Jason frowned as he stepped in "That doesn't justify their lack of-" his words were cut short by Eric "Glasscroft was the only one able to directly hit him!" he shouted "I say that's a minus on your part, captain." he walked over to Thereus "Good job sargent! I'd promote you but you're advancing too fast in ranks. Your performance has been noted, though, remember that"

Thereus tried his best not to smile "Thank you, sir!". "If we're lucky, the dragon bled out by now. We'l send some scouts tomorrow morning. Dismissed!"

As the line dispatched a rookie came before Thereus. He was quite shy in his words "Sargent!". Thereus rose an eyebrow "I've seen you in the shooting range, and..well...it's just, you're unreal! Is it true that you were the only one to hit the dragon?" he asked anxiously. "Between you and me, I would have locked the wyvern down if Captain Jason and his squad didn't stand in my way."

The rookie chuckled awkwardly. "Uhh...I'm Jay, by the way. I already know your name, read all your files. They're quite unclear on your past though, what made you join the hunters? Did you...lose anything to the Exceeds?" he stared at the rookie "Everything..."

There was a moment of silence before Jay spoke again "I'm sorry, sarge...Shouldn't ask you about personal matters..." he looked to the ground. "It's alright, solder. Just don't expect me to open my book here." Jay nodded and then turned back. Thereus moved to his room where he tried to catch some sleep. The whole deceiving thing was new to him. He had minimal lying to do as the centaur king, but through his many thousand years it stuck to him, however, this was on another level, and there was no room for mistakes.

Late next morning. he was woken by a message loudly relayed across the entire HQ. "Attention hunters! The Eclipse Dragon was caught and is approaching the HQ as we speak. You can present yourself to the Garage to see the beast get 'tamed' if your rank is high enough!"

He looked at the clock when he realized he overslept. He quickly got his armor on and rushed to the garage. He was somewhat surprised the wyvern survived, but glad nonetheless that he's now captured. Centaurs have been at war many times with the dragons before they invaded Earth.

Samael had turned off the TV and went over to a rather old looking record player, he was able to wire it to the dining hall's sound system. He was fond of classical music and opera; he felt like it was the sum of all emotion in the world. The record player itself was another of his 'liberated' items, this time from an abandoned fenced off housing area. He was able get the record player and nearly 200 records over various trips back to the housing. He grabbed a record at random and placed it in the record player, the familiar opening piano piece of Ave Maria.

Samael laid on his back as he began humming the Latin lyrics of the song. He almost fell into deep sleep until he heard loud banging on the front door which was heavily fortified, he sprung right up and was startled enough that his grey wings emerged from his back.

"HELP! I'M BEING CHASED BY A MADWOMAN! LET ME IN OR SHE'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Samael turned off the record player and made sure his wings disappeared before walking through the halls to the main door, he undid the heavy locks and chains that he used to hold the door shut. He peered outside to see two of his 'neighbors', one without his head and the being interrogated by a woman in black armor. He couldn't make out exactly what they were saying but he was fairly sure he could figure it out by the fact she was prepared to kill him.

He watched them for a bit and the woman had finished her business by slipping the silver blade into the man's neck. He knew the signs of what she was, An Inquisitor, a rather..annoying organization that made itself well known thanks to the backing from the major religious organizations, mostly just the Vatican and he was sure she wouldn't take to kind to a man saying he was the Severity of God and wasn't one of his brothers, Michael or Gabriel. The woman noticed him from her spot and approached him.


"I apologize for the disturbance." The Inquisitor said. "My name is Elspeth and I am a servant of the Inquisition. My quarrel was with these bandits but they have led me here and now a very calm stranger stands before me. Most unusual considering my bloody deed. Are we friends or foes?"

Samael rubbed his rough beard and bowed his head.

"Friends, I suppose as long as you keep your weapons sheathed."

Samael was a bit on edge, his few run in with Inquisitors normally ended up with a few reports of 'suicide' on the field.

"My name is Samuel Weiss and I suppose welcome to my humble abode."

Samael had to play the human field, the last thing he needed was to moved after spending thirty years building his home to what it was. He silently shut the door behind him and nodded his head towards the dead men laying sprawled out on the
old road.

"I'm surprised an Inquisitor would bother with just simple drug-dealers, this far away from the Wall."

The Wall was an 'invisible' wall of checkpoints that separated New York from the rest of the world.

"So if I may ask, Why come out this far?"

The buss that was carrying Vritra’s cage came to a stop. He heard noises outside like a door opening and he shifted in his place. ‘’ I should have entered the Headquarters ‘’ he whispered ‘’ Now time to see what we can do ‘’ Vritra whispered. He could hear shouts from outside. He stood back and released a sigh, since they captured him, he was not in a danger of death. In worst case scenario, they would take him for an experiment. But it was late night. As he waited, he could hear footsteps come and go. He looked at his wings. They had just turned completely black, it was around nine pm. There was no opening on the cage, that meant that he could use his darkness powers freely. He extended his hand and a little dark red flame appeared on his palm. Vritra smiled, Chuck was right about the drug, it disabled his current abilities, not what he could do afterwards. He stood up and examined his cage. He could hear a zapping sound from the outside. He took a step back and punched his cage. Instantly, photon waves surged through and hit him hard. He screamed and fell back, even though he expected it. A voice came from outside ‘’ Don’t think that you can escape that easily you damn Exceed, these cages are especially designed to contain monsters like you ‘’ a guard laughed and punched the door. Vritra stood up and focused his ears on the zapping sound. It came from the center of the door. He punched again and yet again, photon waves hit him. They were so strong that he was pushed back. Vritra held his hand and licked it. ‘’ As I thought, the photon generator is there, this is why the shock was stronger now ‘’. ‘’ Hey, if you want to suicide it is fine by me, just let me know so that I will not be accused of killing you ‘’ the guard laughed. Then he paused ‘’ Seems my watch is over fiend, see ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya ‘’ the guard laughed again with his pun and gave over the post to another one. ‘’ Baka ‘’ Vritra whispered calling him an idiot in his favorite language: Japanese. He stood back and thought of how he could get information about his sister. It was around 10:30 pm when he heard a whispering voice from outside. It was around 10:30 pm when he heard a whispering voice from outside. ‘’Get up Wyvern, you are gonna do something for me ‘’ Vritra stood up and walked slowly towards the door ‘’I'll get you out of here ‘’ the voice came again. Vritra sniffed and said ‘’ Not until I get information about my sister ‘’ ‘’ I can help you with that ‘’ he replied. He opened a window and gave him food and a weird looking machine ‘’ This is your meal, I was ordered to give you that, but the other one is something of my own. It is a machine that will enable you to hear the conversations in the laboratory. I have one too ‘’ the voice said. ‘’ When you break free, go on the upper floor and go straight, it is the easiest way. Just make sure to create a lot of chaos ‘’ ‘’ Why you say so ‘’ ‘’ None of your business. Whatever you do, do it after midnight, when my switch is over. ‘’ the man replied coldly. Vritra took the machine and started listening. It was around 1 am when he heard something that shocked him a lot. ‘’ What about the wyvern ‘’ ‘’ He is not just a wyvern, he is one of the Dragon Lords, Vritra ‘’ ‘’ Tiamat’s brother? The one beast to have escaped from our HQ? ‘’ ‘’ Yeah, but don’t worry, she should have been dead by now. One of our high agents, I believe his name is Agent Skeen shot her with our strongest rifle. Nothing remained of her ‘’ ‘’ But many people report that they saw her human form ‘’ ‘’ Just rumors, she is dead, I am sure of that ‘’ Vritra just stood there, after some seconds, the device fell off his hands. ‘’ Tiamat? Dead? ‘’ he thought as the time seemed to slow around him, he could hear nothing except his blood boiling ‘’ Impossible, she can’t be ‘’ he could feel that he was about to break down. Dragons have a lot of self-control, but if they get angered, then they go berserk. He screamed and a majestic and angry roar reverberated all around the building. His right hand grew scales, deadly talons and were engulfed with a dark red flame. He took a step forward and punched the center of the door with all his strength. The photon waves hit him but he did not back down. He readied his other hand and punched again denting the door. He could hear the shouts from outside, but he did not care. He punched again with both hands and the steel dented more almost breaking the photon generator. He punched once again and a hole appeared on the door. He looked outside, his red eyes emanating fire. He took as much momentum as he could and jumped towards the door. Without the generator, a lot of the door’s durability was lost. That enabled Vritra to bring it down and jump outside. He could see around hundred of the Hunters with armors and SUVs ready to take him in. His wings emanated dark fire, he raised his hands on the air, he screamed and slammed them on the floor. The pulse of dark fire that was created pushed them all back and opened a hole on the ceiling. Since it was a multidirectional attack, it did not have that much force to kill them in the distance, but it was more than enough to knock them unconscious. He jumped on the upper floor and ran towards the exit. He could see the helicopters that were after him. He took full dragon form, a black dragon with a pair of wings on his arm. He took off and flew towards a big building. As he was above it, a flash grenade exploded next to him throwing him off balance. Vritra broke the glass ceiling and fell all the way down the mall. He looked around and saw people running around and screaming. Hunters were coming down with ropes and jetpacks and started shooting. ‘’ Kill him at all costs ‘’ they shouted ‘’ Citizens are expendables ‘’ A machinegun fired around him and Vritra extended his wings to protect the innocents. His scales were hard enough to repel normal bullets… but they left some nasty bruises as well. He shot a blast of fire towards his pursuers who were near a cafeteria. None was inside so no innocent people were hurt. He turned to his right and for a moment he paused. He saw a young girl, around eighteen with white hair and a turquoise-like blue in her eyes. She was looking at him with a troubled expression and Vritra could feel something different from her. Suddenly a photon rifle exploded between them. Vritra shook his head and broke the exit door and flew away. He stopped in the center of Central Park and looked at the sky. He could not take it anymore. He wanted to kill them at any cost. He knew he could not take his true form on the earth without a Solar or a Lunar Eclipse. That was when he realized that there actually was a Lunar Eclipse going on. He took a deep breath and took his true form. A wyvern, three meters long with three pair of wings on his back. His color was black and white, the wing on his right hand was black, and on the left was white. His eyes glowed blue and red and the lines on his body were also glowing with the same colors. He put his wings together on his mouth and released a blast of light and darkness energy that blasted two SUVs to ashes. ‘’ Retreat ‘’ they shouted ‘’ We need backup ‘’ and in a matter of seconds they were all gone. Vritra was about to land when he felt a huge wave of pain surging in his body. He spat blood and fell on the ground feeling the release of his true form taking its toll. He turned human again and twisted on the ground. He could not move, talk or use his powers. Vritra felt blood rising again and spat again turning the ground, red. He knew he shouldn’t have done that, he felt numb, like he did not even exist. If that was the toll for about one minute, what would happen to him if he remained like that for half an hour? His eyes started to feel heavy. Something fell in front of him. Feathers... black feathers started falling around him. He looked up only to see a figure of a girl with black wings flying over him. He watched as she landed and kneeled over him ‘’ Calm down, I will help you ‘’ she whispered and took him in her arms. ‘’ Tiamat… where... are you?... ‘’ were Vritra’s last words before fainting.

Continued...

The ascending of the warehouse staircase was a tedious one. As each undead fell, another took its place. Joseph's Ammunition may have been practically infinite, but to stay in his current position would be detrimental to his mission. As more bodies hit the floor others took their place, & noticably some of the previously 'possesed' carcasses were inhaling more of the spores...
"Boltshift, I cant break through the damn horde- Joseph was interupted by yet another hostile, who promptly had its face incinerated -how can I reach the target?"
The AI looked into the issue. Local communication was minimal & of foreign language, but soon he could formulate rough co-ordinates. They were not good.

"The target is currently located at the Heli-pad at the North-east corner of the building. Comm's chatter would suggest... RECON isnt keen to lose a commanding officer".
Confident now that his Hunt could take a more linear route, Joseph backed down the stairs to the last access door. Punching a nearby undead that tried to halt his advance to the ground, he pushed with great effort & managed to open the door & walked into a... Meat-Locker.
"Look's like we found the sleeping area" Joseph remarked.
Hundreds of limp bodies were hung like bait on rows of racks, their cold bodies swinging slightly from the force of the airtight, sealed door opening.
That was a problem. Joseph span round & slammed the seal back into place, but the damage was done. Spores poured into the room, almost sentinent in their speed to reach fresh meat. Knowing what was about to happen, Joseph sprinted for the door on the adjacent side of the room, his life most likely depending on it. Behind him corpses began to shuffle, the spores like fresh air in their lungs, offering them a chase of their own. The walking dead began pouring off their racks like water to a dry spot, all of them intent on clawing apart the defiler of their habitat.
Joseph could not give them that satisfaction.

As the armies of dead began to close in, Joseph slammed himself against the exit, to no avail. Almost nervous about his situation, he inserted the Hard drive containing Boltshift's central intelligence into the nearby control-panel.
"Do what you were named for" he said as the AI uploaded into the network.
Turning to face the encroaching horde, Joseph brought out his Shotgun, the weapon positively humming with energy. The first few shifters were yards away.
"Estimated time of system hack is 49 seconds". Then, as if it could understand the hunters situation, a more positive statistic cold be heard -Locally found auto-turret's coming online".
Before combat, Joseph had to think about this. Why would RECON fill its barracks with anti-infantry defenses? Were the undead uncontrollable?

Elspeth was impressed by how well this Samuel Weiss handled himself. He didn't mind blood which meant either he had experienced killing before and was desensitized to it or he had done killing himself. It didn't matter either way. He was friendly enough and he wouldn't interfere with her mission. Elspeth took her hat off and brought it across her breastplates, giving him a clumsy but polite curtsy.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Samuel. As far as my distance from The Wall goes this isn't so unusual. My work often draws me to places like this but I'm not here just to kill heroine dealers, as you suspect. I'm seeking a very dangerous fugitive and the organization these men work for helped her escape the city. I'm here to find out where she went."

There was something off about this man. He wasn't fully human. Elspeth felt very calm around him, as if in the presence of an angel. But it was twisted somehow. As if he was somehow outside of grace. It was strange and she was cautious.

"May I come in?" She asked.

Samael rubbed his scruffy beard as the woman spoke. He was still on edge, he still wasn't sure if she was hunting his kind or not.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Samuel. As far as my distance from The Wall goes this isn't so unusual. My work often draws me to places like this but I'm not here just to kill heroine dealers, as you suspect. I'm seeking a very dangerous fugitive and the organization these men work for helped her escape the city. I'm here to find out where she went."

This made him sigh slightly in relief. However the fact that she was describing a fugitive made him anxious, he had often watched a tall, slim black haired girl hanging out with the dealers across from the hospital at the warehouse. He never got close enough to see if she was human or otherwise.

"May I come in?"

Samael bowed his head again and opened the door behind him. He walked through the door and left it open for her to follow. Not checking if she was following, he walked forward and went through a set of large, reinforced double doors.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

After a night full of strange dreams, Pandora woke up, sweaty and petrified, for she had yet again seen the death of her beloved sibling in her dreams. The bloody deed that was executed by the so called Hunters, hunted her in her dreams almost every night in those years that she remained alone in this dark, hopeless world full of people who only seek their own pleasure and satisfaction, people made of greed. Humans were cruel beings, murdering their own kind, but their saviors as well. They needed someone to save them, not only from the disasters that happened, but from themselves as well. Pandora let out a sigh and walked towards the bathroom, she stood there, facing the mirror and examining her reflection, her eyes were red from the tears she had shed the night before, in her sleep, her hair was falling perfectly straight down, over her shoulders and just below her waistline. She used her hands to wash her face and carefully combed her hair. She checked her cell phone, only to find out that she would be late for work! She hurried and did her make-up and then rushed to her closet. She quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and the polo shirt that was given to her by her boss. “I need to get there quickly” She said as she donned on the clothes and was now tying her All-Stars’ shoelaces “I’m glad that these are still made or I would look like a fool” She said laughing. She rushed down, only to find out that the bus had just left, but luckily, a taxi cab was just outside, she got in and asked that the driver got her to the mall. It would be more expensive than taking the bus, but it was faster than waiting for the next and definitely more comfortable. She arrived at the mall and with five minutes to spare, walked over to the store and entered. “Good morning Destiny! Didn’t expect you to be here so early!” A familiar voice echoed, she continued towards the information desk “Morning Edward. Well… I actually thought that I would be late” She said smiling at her boss, he was quite nice and he deserved the respect and kindness he received from her. “Nonsense! If you were late, I would have no problem, since you come here by bus. Anyway, today is a big day! “He said, his excitement was barely hiding, but why? “How come?” He smiled at her “I thought you would know by now.. The new add on for a particular video game series is coming out today at 6 pm.” He said, giving her a friendly wink “By the fallen!! I can’t believe I forgot about it!” He tilted his head to the side and Pandora’s eyes widened with realization “What I meant was… Nevermind, ignore the first part.” He nodded and pointed towards a massive metallic box “Guess what’s inside.” Edward said playfully, weird behavior for a boss, but acceptable “The new version of Blade Craft Online? “ “New Beginnings, yes.” He said giving a professional tone to his voice. “Open it.” He said to her nodding She walked over and pressed the button on the top and the top layer split in two and revealed the games “Amazing!” She said in awe, it was the one game that had her so overly excited, as she loved how it looked, how it felt to be free again. It was an open world RPG, one of the few quality ones that existed. It was almost like it was urging the Hunted to rise up against the Hunters, as you could play as one of the fables. The races were Humans, Dragons, Demons, Angels, Centaurs and Dryads (Depending on your Gender), Vampires and Werewolves, Undead and last but not least, Fallen Angels. The game had a simple story, at least in Pandora’s Eyes it was. The different races were enemies, but they could be friends as well, if the players had the will to. The fate of your character lied in your hands; you could either be a hero or a villain. The main goal is to reach the castle in the sky, who is on 'The top of the world', defeating numerous enemies, etc. It had almost 2 million players in a beautiful, well designed, massive world, where you could do whatever you liked. You could fly, you could fish, cook, hunt, practice blacksmithing, open a shop, buy houses, get married and lots of other things. She usually played solo or with some friends that she had made.
The day passed fast enough and there was always someone who asked about the release of the add- on. By the time it was 5:30 there was a huge amount of people waiting in line just outside the shop, the games were nicely placed on the shelves and the employees were there to control the excited gamers. “It’s a strange feeling, isn’t it?” One of Pandora’s co-workers asked her “Kinda..” She replied shyly “I know how it is to be on the other side” She said laughing a bit, Pandora turned and examined the man, he seemed familiar “Haven’t I seen you before?” She asked him “Well maybe in the BCO convention that took place a month ago… One of the Angels in white and blue armor, with the Divine Knights crest” “Yup…” “You? Were you cosplaying as a character?” “Pandora, from the Night Hunters. Black and turquoise armor, a rapier and a dagger.” “I remember you, then! I almost spilled my coffee on you.” He smiled at her, she shifted uncomfortably in place and then checked the clock. 6pm.. Time to open the doors. The customers charged inside and cleared the shelves off the new game, by 8 o’clock all of the copies were cleared and there was nothing else to do but sit around and try to kill your time. Pandora wandered off deeper into the store to check for any remaining copies and to isolate herself from the others. After a little while, when she was just getting immersed into her thoughts, about her brother, the war, her friends and most importantly, her father. Where could he be? Is there no hope left for us Exceeds? Will the slaughtering of our kinds continue? She thought to herself “Came back to search for a remaining copy, eh?” A voice snapped her out of her thoughts “Yeah… But I had no luck so far” “You won’t have any luck here. Also… I have a little welcome gift for you.” Edward said smiling “Huh? Alright.” They ventured towards the front, where Edward’s Office was and entered “ Before I give it to you, I want something in return” Pandora was clearly shocked and wished that he wasn’t like her ex-boss. “Nothing like that” he said laughing “I just wanted your BCO name so we could play together.” He continued, beaming at her from behind his desk “Phew… Alright, It’s Pandora” His face froze for a second and then a smile shaped on his face “I know you! Wow… I should have known! Anyway… here it is” He threw a small package at her. She thanked him and they continued on chatting for an hour or two.
After their chat, it was time to lock up and go home. As she had just exited the store, a loud noise of glass shattering emitted and a dragon in was laying on the floor. As he got up their eyes met for a moment, until an explosion took place between them and the dragon sprinted away. “Weird… But He needs help…” She muttered as she stayed there, standing “Here goes nothing” She said as she discretely summoned a black fog, so that she could go and help him I can’t believe I’m helping a dragon she thought as she yet again used her powers, disarming the Hunters and sprinting out, when she was in the open, she got in a small dark alley and changed into her Fallen Angel form and armor, she checked her daggers and poisons and they were all there. “Here goes nothing” She said as she flew directly upwards so that it was easier to detect him. He was in the park, coughing up blood after he changed into his human form. She dived down and landed softly, approaching him she sensed that she knew him from before, but couldn’t recall his identity. She folded her wings over him and said “Don’t worry, You’re safe with me.” As she took him in her arms. “Tiamat… where are you?” He said before passing out. She got a good hold of him, so that he wouldn’t fall while taking flight and with all her strength, took off. He was light, for a dragon at least and she had almost no problem carrying him home.

When they were above the building she ascended, searching around for any uninvited visitors, and carried him into her apartment. She took him to her brother’s old bed and set him down. “Now for these wounds” She walked over to the bathroom, where various Fallen Angel, human and Dryad medicine were. “Hmm…” She muttered as she took out various vials, salves, bandages and pills were. “Now to fix you up” She said softly as she treated his wounds. By the time she finished it was 4am and she was exhausted. She walked towards her room and after changing, dived into her bed and slept. When she woke up it was 11 am and she felt refreshed and renewed, she slipped on her slippers and quickly wrote a text “Something came up and I can’t come to work. Thanks for the understanding”, she sent it to Edward as she walked towards the kitchen, grave thoughts haunted her. What if he isn’t that appreciative and lunges at me to kill me? What if he’s not? What would my father and the rest of the council say? Were some of her thoughts. She tried to clear her head and occupy herself in cooking breakfast.

Vritra knew he was the weakest Dragon Lord ever to exist when he woke up, for the second time that week, on a bed, in a room he had never seen before, wrapped up with bandages. He groaned and twisted on the bed. A window was open and sunlight was pouring in the room. Vritra’s long white hair fell on his face and he exhaled angrily. He got them out of his face and examined his new room. It was quite big. Next to him there was an armchair and on the other side, a small refrigerator. ‘’ What happened ‘’ he wondered. Then the reality struck him head on and he almost punched the wall behind him. The sheets started to get wet. Tears, tears of grief were pouring out of his eyes. He wanted to scream, to shout, he felt like he was about to explode. He looked at the ceiling and imagined his sister, Tiamat. A girl around twenty-two with very long light blue hair and golden eyes. Surely, she could not be mistaken for a human, but she liked her form. Then he imagined her as a dragon. A blue, gold and white dragon with four legs and a long neck and tail. He remembered when he was a little chick when she let him coil on her neck, inside the long white fur that emerged from the back of her head up to the base of her neck. ‘’ She would want me to keep going, not grief over her death ‘’ Vritra whispered to himself. He wiped off the tears from his eyes and tried to stand up. The previous family might have been friendly but now he was not sure about that. He felt uneasy. There was a weird scent on the air. He turned to check the room closely. There was a door on the other side. He felt that there was something in there. He stood up and walked towards it. It was locked. Now he was sure that something was not right there. He went back to the bed and looked on the furniture with the refrigerator. His eyes fell on a picture showing a girl and a boy, around the same age being hugged by a mid-aged man. When he touched the glass, his fingers tickled. He took a closer look and inspected it. Someone had shed a lot of tears over that picture. No sooner had he put it back on its place when he heard a voice. ‘’ Hey, long time no see ‘’ he looked behind him but he did not see anyone. Suddenly a small hole appeared in the wall ‘’ How are ya doin’ ‘’ The hole widened and around the red and black swirling energy that was inside, a figure started to appear. ‘’ Last time I heard about you, you were captured ‘’ the vortexes cleared revealing a man with spiky reddish purple hair and deep purple eyes. A huge smile appeared on Vritra’s face ‘’ Ouroboros ‘’ he exclaimed with relief. The Dragon Lord of Space and Void looked at him and took his usual cruel smile ‘’ Yo brother, how’s it goin’? ‘’ . Vritra told him everything that happened the last few days. Ouroboros seemed to know all of them, he didn’t react at all. He just walked around the room towards the furniture next to him. ‘’ I know ‘’ ‘’ What? You knew about Tiamat ‘’ ‘’ Yup ‘’ ‘’ And that she… ‘’ ‘’ Yup ‘’ that angered Vritra ‘’ How could you be so cool? Our sister died and you don’t even care! Why? ‘’ Ouroboros opened the refrigerator, took a beer, opened it and took a big sip ‘’ Cuz she ain’t dead ‘’ ‘’ What ‘’ ‘’ If she was dead, then we would all have felt it. She is not the only one to control time, but since she is the Dragon Lord of Time, her death would cause temporal unbalances ‘’ he took another sip ‘’ Have you seen a dinosaur walking around the central park? I don’t ‘’ Vritra stood up ‘’ You sure about that? ‘’ ‘’ I talked to her this morning so… yes. She told me to tell you not to worry. Also, she will come to erase your seal. You will need your full powers if you are to survive ‘’ Vritra fell on the bed as a huge weight left his shoulders but also troubled ‘’ It will be easier for the humans to recognize me ‘’ he thought, but then he remembered that he almost died the last time he took his true form and he held it only for a minute. Some extra time could mean the difference between life and death. He sighed ‘’Any news from our kind? ‘’ Vritra asked. Ouroboros took a serious expression ‘’ Many of our low level drakes died. Their souls were not that strong to survive. Now, even Acnologia, the Dragon Lord of Souls can’t heal them ‘’ he clenched his fists, then he seemed to relax ‘’ Nova had to hold his mate, Agnita, back who was screaming the ‘ I will show you the flames of hell ‘ thing ‘’ Vritra smiled ‘’ Classic Agnita ‘’ he thought ‘’ Sakura managed to escape the Hunters back in Japan, in the road with the cherry blossoms, she is fine. She is heading towards here in the moment, we will have a meeting take place somewhere‘’ Ouroboros winked at him referring to the dragon of beauty and love ‘’ Octavian died while protecting Nel’Vana and Floradane. Don’t worry, his soul is strong, Acnologia will heal him in no time ‘’ Ouroboros took the last sip of the beer ‘’ So… now what? ‘’ ‘’ First of all ‘’ Ouroboros took a cigarette and by using his claw and the wall to create fire, he lit it up ‘’ I do that ‘’ Vritra looked at the scar on the wall ‘’ How am I going to explain that? ‘’ ‘’ Beats me ‘’ his brother replied, totally unconcerned ‘’ But now you have more important things to worry about ‘’ he used his powers to open the door at the end of the room. Vritra was left shocked as he saw three sets of armor. ‘’ Your girlfriend ‘’ he said opening a dimensional hole revealing a white haired girl cooking ‘’ is a fallen angel ‘’ ‘’ Black feathers ‘’ he whispered. He remembered them falling around him last night. ‘’ Good luck ‘’ Ouroboros threw the empty beer can on the ground and left through the Void portal he used to get there. Vritra just sat there staring at the wall. ‘’ Due to unleashing my true form, I can’t do anything right now ‘’ he whispered ‘’ I had better go greet her. She saved my life after all. ‘’ but he had not forgotten the countless battles dragons and fallen angels have fought against each other ‘’ I will befriend her for now, but I will take care of her when I get my powers back ‘’ he took a look back in the room. Two of the armors had dragon scales on them. He stood up and walked out of the room in order to greet his new host.

After 30 seconds of close ranged combat, the veteraned Hunter noticed no sudden or gradual decline in enemy numbers, despite the floor beneath him partially resembling biomass. Automatic Solar rounds cleaved their way into the rabble from nearby Auto-turrets, searing away at the living dead, but they shuffled on, intent on the destruction of the defiler.
Through all the moaning, yelping & screeching a light ventage of gas could be heard, indicating Boltshift's success in the task. Nearby a hologram pedestral lifted up from the ground, & a rotating cuboid illuminated the room.
"Objective accomplished. Hurry Hunter, their head officer is ge-" A sudden electromagenetic pulse richocheted at the AI's terminal, forcing him out of the system.
Concerned at what was going on behind him, Joseph gave himself some room using some well placed Solar shells & turned to see what had happened. His HUD flickered as consequence of the AI's forced departure, & a unidentifiable, gaseous substance began seeping into the room through vents in the roof. Only temproarily blinded by thie inconvienience, it seemed to be the simple case of activating his thermal vision for Joseph, but as he tuned his visor an invisible force steadied his hand, & a deep voice emanated from an unknown direction through the darkness.
"Like the rest of your race, weak & undisciplined. All of your boasted accomplishments, yet you are routed by simple darkness; your oldest foe. After us".

The Hunter didnt bother contemplating the dialouge, for he had more immediate problems. Joseph struggled against the seemingly telekinetic force as it threatened to tear his muscle, but with assisting strength provided by his armour systems managed to hold his ground. His visor had now begun to automatically adjust to its surroundings, & surprisingly the shifters behind him had halted their advance, perhaps unable to detect him through the fog.
After what seemed like only a few moments Joseph's invisible restraints were withdrawn & he nearly fell to the floor, his arm weak as blood returned. The fog too dispersed, to a surprising scene.
The bodies around him, both dead & undead, lay on the floor, motionless. They were all seemingly paralyzed, yet lay undisturbed by nearby fortifications, which had retracted back into the ceilings.
There was a deadly quiet in the room, yet for some reason Joseph could hear an eerie humming noise of omnipresent orgin. If it was communication then for the Hunter it was incomprehensible.
Yet as the Humming noise grew louder He had an idea. Adjusting the noise reception on his filter to 4900Hz, Joseph finally heard it; the voice.
"Without the Me'ha fog my words are too powerful for humans to even detect. Yet you have sought my dialect & so let it be heard".
Joseph remained silent, & began to record the message.

I slipped into the window and shifted my eyes across the room. It would have been dark if not for my vision. It was the same as I left it, albeit smaller. I was glad I always left that window open, even though it was a small climb and guarded by bars which only a cat could fit through. It was also tiring, I had quite a walk as well.
I slowly shifted, feeling my arms extend and my bones clicking into place. Hair receded, leaving my naked body visible. Slowly my vision returned to normal, the room's shaded with the only light peering from the window. I unlocked the door with the key I left in the vent, and walked into the bathroom where I was met with an extravagant shower and bath. I turned the tap on, steam immediately frosting the glass and hopped in.

I was glad I bought this manor when I first moved here. It was the one place I could be myself. It wasn't a dump and it wasn't too attracting, I didn't want anybody snooping around. It was a home, and at the same time a safe house for if anything did happen.
I finished up and changed into a set of comfortable clothes, Elspeth's place just wasn't the right place to do anything really. I was also really hungry and well, there was no food in the pantry to start off with. She wouldn't really miss me, it was still early and I sometimes had a habit of returning late. She was also off on her missions most of the time.
I collected the manor's keys, cash, a coat, and the laptop sitting on the desk and went down the the local restaurant, it was quite nice and of course I hardly kept food in the Manor.

I ordered lunch and opened my Laptop. A message was left in my email and it wasn't the usual sort. It was marked important, It was the one time I messed up. It was back in the 1900s, the time after which I almost disappeared for one hundred years. Yet all I felt was my smile as I sipped lightly at the tea the Waitron had brought earlier.

"Thank You." Elspeth said as Samuel let her into his home, taking her hat off as she went inside. She looked around and saw that almost nothing matched. It all worked, but it was all salvaged. The television, the refrigerator, the entrance that clearly used to be a side door and had the alarm system disabled. This man had taken an abandoned hospital and the junk that surrounded it and turned it into a simple and comfortable home for himself. His resourcefulness and determination were remarkable.

She walked over to an old but comfortable couch and sat, crossing her right leg over her left. "Your home is lovely Samuel. It took great effort to tame this decrepit place yet you have succeeded in making yourself both safe and comfortable. A fitting place for an Inquisitor to rest her bones, if only briefly."

She had collected the cash off of the drug dealers' bodies, along with the guns and ammunition they carried. The drugs however she destroyed with a few good stomps of her boot. She got out a large stack of bills and placed most of them on the table, taking only 5 $20 bills for herself out of thousands. "If I may ask, have you seen the fugitive I seek? She's a pale and very attractive girl about my height. She's in her early twenties and has a face similar to mine. She had short brown hair the last time I saw her but she has likely dyed it black. She enjoys a Gothic look with fiery red lipstick and ample black eye-shadow. She would be unforgettable in such a place as this."

As Elspeth sat she thought of her fluffy white cat back at her apartment. Her little Calissa. She had left her with plenty of food and water this morning and a clean litter box but Elspeth expected to be home by now. The little sweetling was probably bored and looking for attention. Elspeth would have to make it up to her with ample petting when she did return home. Calissa deserved at least that. She had been a good companion to Elspeth ever since she found her as a stray six months ago, something to come home too and take care of. The life of an Inquisitor was often lonely and difficult so it was comforting to have a little companionship. Even from a cat.

(OOC: I'm sorry it took me so long to post. I know this is short and I'm sorry about that too but It'll at least get things between me, Sickle and Toxius moving again.)

Samael made sure that he left no evidence that he was an exceed just lying around as he followed the inquisitor into the hospital. Lucky him, he had cleaned the various maps and writings that he had gathered about various angel species from the days before.


"Your home is lovely Samuel. It took great effort to tame this decrepit place yet you have succeeded in making yourself both safe and comfortable. A fitting place for an Inquisitor to rest her bones, if only briefly."

"It's not much but it's home."

Samael had moved to the makeshift kitchen and grabbed two clean glasses. He went over to a counter and grabbed a unlabeled bottle filled with a clear liquid. Filling one glass with water, he walked over to couch and placed the water in front of the inquisitor.

"I would guess a religious woman who have no interest in the devil's brew."

Samael laughed inwardly at the joking, he poured the vodka into his glass and sipped on it lightly. She had a few stacks of money on the table in front of her and turned to him and asked.

"If I may ask, have you seen the fugitive I seek? She's a pale and very attractive girl about my height. She's in her early twenties and has a face similar to mine. She had short brown hair the last time I saw her but she has likely dyed it black. She enjoys a Gothic look with fiery red lipstick and ample black eye-shadow. She would be unforgettable in such a place as this."

Samael coughed a bit on the drink. He remembered seeing her before, not a good thing. Samael had sensed the Fallen on her, a race of angel that had been at war with angels for quite a long time.

"Now that you mention it.. I did see someone matching that description about five days back. She did a number on those dealers, overheard something about money.. something about an experimental drug."