"Are you trying to sneak up on me?" He asked, his eyes still focused on the map he was studying.
"Of course not, I'm just really light on my feet," Leah stated.
"Good, I hate when people sneak up on me." He folds the map before turning to face her, "anything you want to tell me?" He asked.
Leah frowns, "No, not really," she stated. "You called me here, did you forget already, old man?" She added.
He frowns, unimpressed before his gaze shifts to a nearby wooden stool. "Sit," he ordered.
"I have somewhere I need to be," She said, already eyeing the door for an exit.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Leah groans before walking over to the stool and sitting on it. "I'm seated, what do you want from me?" She asked.
"Heracles."
Leah's eyes widen but she quickly regains her composure, "W-what are you talking about?"
He shoots her a look but doesn't add any more words, making her undead heart beat even faster. The doors suddenly swing open and a woman walks through, "My Lord, a message from Kendi," she informed.
She stopped in the middle of the room, looking from Leah to him and back at Leah again. "... Or I could come back another time," she said.
He shifts his gaze from Leah to the woman, it was the same mage that ported him to Hel. "Sylvia, what did I say about those damn pleasantry?"
"A-apologies?" She said unsure of herself.
He turned back to Leah, "you can leave now. You should think carefully before going to that ball," he stated.
Leah's eyebrows shoots into her hairline, "You wouldn't!" She said but his face remained impassive. "No, no, no, no!" She cried before running out of the room.
Sylvia turned to him confused, "what was that about?"
"I am yet to understand what Jade saw in her," he says with a sigh. Sylvia moved closer to him before softly massaging his head. "What are you going to do?"
"Huh?"
"When this war finally ends, what are you going to do?"
"I ... I want to stay by your side ... Even after the war," she stated.
A smile crawls up his face but disappears soon after, "... And what if I'm not around?"
.
.
.
"Hunter! Hunter! Hunter!" He blinked before opening his eyes to the source of the voice calling out to him, "where are we?" He groans.
"We landed like thirty minutes ago, you can't be that tired already," Jade said helping him out of the taxi. Hunter rubs the sleep off his eyes with the back of his hand.
[Which memory did you see this time?]
'The one with Sylvia and Leah ... You also mentioned Heracles?'
[Ah, the beginning of the end.]
'Leah looked much more confident back then than she is now ... I wonder what happened.'
"Here you go!" Leah said, handing him some cards and permits. "Oh yeah," Hunter said looking at the cards, "remind me why I am Marcus Turner again?" He asked
"So that no one would know we were here," Jade responded. "Remember; I am Talia Hawke while Leah is Robyn Williams," she added.
"Right," he nodded, "are we even going to be using the name?" He asked.
"I doubt it, but you can never be too careful." Jade answers.
"So does this mean the Public Safety and Demon Control agency has no jurisdiction here?"
"Of course not," Jade says as she walks into the hotel with Leah closely behind.
'Am I the only one that thinks this would go horribly wrong?'
...
After booking two rooms for themselves for the weekend, Hunter decided to go to a nearby mall to buy some bottled water. After browsing the mall for a bit with no luck, Hunter decided to ask one of the staff there. "Hi there," Hunter waved, "do you guys have any Platinum bottled water?" He asked.
"What the hell are those?" The man said confused.
"It's a ... Bottle water from a company called platinum ... As implied in the name."
"I don't know man, did you check in the fridge?"
"Yes, there was no bottled water in there," Hunter replied.
"Then we don't have those."
"... Do you guys have any type of bottled water?"
"Did you check the fridge?"
"Yes!" Hunter exclaimed, "if there was bottled water there I wouldn't be talking to you!"
"Guess we don't have those, can I help you with anything else?"
Hunter sighs. "Do you mind checking in the back to see if you have any bottled water there?"
"Yes, I do mind," the staff said, his eyes fixed on Hunter's.
"I --"
"Hunter!"
"What in the ..." Hunter turns to see Ishani, the battlemage he had fought some days back waving at him. She was wearing a bright yellow cardigan with dark blue trousers.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Starting my mid-semester break the right way; a vacation to the Northland," she replied with a wide smile, "here you go," she says, handing a platinum bottled water to him.
"Thanks, I've been looking for this for quite some time," he said taking the drink from her. "I know, that guy hates his job and seems to make it his mission to ruin anyone who walks in here's day," she stated.
They walked out of the mall, "what are you doing here, Hunter?" She asked, "last I heard you have a final tomorrow," she added.
"Did you hear about what happened in our study tour?" He asked.
"Your use of chaos magic? I'm pretty sure everyone in the school has heard about it," she stated.
"You know about the council's decision then?"
"I think so ... Yeah," she replied. "Well, I'm here because of that," he says.
[Didn't Jade say no one should know you are here?]
'What do you expect me to say? I traveled for 14 hours in search of a bottled water?'
[Would it work?]
"So this is like an espionage thing?"
"Kinda."
"Well thanks for trusting me enough to tell me, I promise not to tell anyone you were here."
'See? It worked out great!'
"I should get going," Ishani says, "I'm going snowboarding ..."
"Alright, stay safe, and thanks again for the drink."
Hunter returned to his hotel room which was next to Jade and Leah's along the same hall as the 'soul snatcher'.
He took out the file Jade had given to him earlier on the Soul Snatcher to read a little about the fugitive. The man's real name was Joseph George, a hybrid with the ability to turn invisible when there is no light.
Hunter sets the file back on the table next to his bed, 'how are hybrids formed?'
[When humans and a type of fairies called the Krayons form a symbiotic relationship]
'You know a lot about other classes and orders for a degenerated demon witch or necromancer'
[Well one of us has to do the studying]
'Fair enough ...'
[Just say it]
'Every time I see one of your memories almost everyone appears terrified of you .. even you speak in a kinda threatening way and yet ... You don't seem that scary to me --'
[Someone just exited their room]
'Oh'. Hunter gently pushed his door open and peeked through the half-open door to catch the man in an elevator right before it closes. 'That's Joseph George!' He whisper shouted inwardly before bolting out of the room and taking the stairs as quickly as he can to catch the man before he leaves the building.
Joseph walked out of the building with Hunter following closely behind and hiding every now and then when the former would turn back to check if he was being followed. The man walked for some time, moving in circles before finally walking into a warehouse. Hunter sent Jade a quick text about the situation before sneaking into the warehouse.
It was dark and awfully quiet, Hunter couldn't see or hear anything, 'where did he go?' Hunter thought. 'I can't see anything!' He added.
[Hey, I think someone is --]
Hunter felt something hard and metallic hit the side of his head, instantly knocking him out.
.
.
.
Hunter felt a splash of water on his face, forcing him awake, his hands were bound behind him, and in front of him was no other than the soul snatcher himself; Joseph George.
His eyes were dark, his face gloomy, and his look threatening. He grabbed Hunter by the throat, "who are you, why were you following me?!" He asked, his eyes darkening.
"I - I'm not following you ..." Hunter managed to say despite struggling with his breathing, "I don't even know who you a - are!" He added.
"Do you take me for a fool boy?!" He said, tightening his grip around Hunter's throat.
'Is this how I die? By strangulation?'
[Not really]
The warehouse's door suddenly burst open and both of them turn to see who had entered. The shadow of two casts on the entrance and Hunter felt the grip around his neck loosen before Joseph slipped into the darkness away from the door. "Hunter?" Leah called.
"Stay away! He's around here somewhere!" Hunter warned
"Way ahead of you buddy," Jade said as they approach him, both with lights in their hands.
Leah quickly set her light aside before moving behind him to unbind his hands. "Are you okay? Sorry we took so long," she apologized
"It's fine I'm just glad you're -- wait, the Met and The Northland have the same time zone right?" He asked.
Jade turned back to face him, "Yeah, what?" She asked.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"It's 5 AM on Sunday."
"And it's a 14 hours flight back to the Met?"
"Uh Huh. Why are you asking all these questions?"
"Because the inter-order competition begins by 6 pm!"
.
.
.
Hunter ran into the arena, panting as he stopped by the Sprites' bench, he had run as fast as he could from the airport to the Metropolitan School of Mysticism. "Where were you?!" Lauren frowned.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," he apologized.
Lauren shakes her head, "I had to change my lineups three times!" She exclaimed.
"Sorry, sorry ... What's the score now?"
"We lost 2 - 1 in the individual challenge and we're down 1 - 0 in the group challenge," she stated.
"The Elemental's fighter has eliminated another Sprite! Can he achieve a hat trick here tonight and lead his team to victory before the team challenge?!" The announcer stated.
"I stand corrected; we're down 2 - 0 ... You know what that means right?"
"Yeah," he said exhaling deeply, "I'm ready," Hunter said.
"Good! Because you're up next."
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