It was the year 3049, a very shitty year, and all due to a terrible virus that appeared more than 600 years ago. The virus was capable of completely destroying the entire body of any human person who breathed the air without a special filter that apparently purified everything. the bad air and made it breathable, yet this magical filter took too long to appear, so millions died without being able to leave a body behind to bury.
???: Hey, did you hear a word of what I just told you?-an old voice interrupted my thoughts, oh shit the mission.
Arthur: uh... not a word, could you repeat yourself? Please.-Although I wanted to lie to him and tell him that if I listened to him to be able to leave faster, that would be terribly detrimental to me, because I could end up dying if I don't know what could await me on this mission.
???: ha~ you should start paying more attention, you know?, but hey, I'll repeat it just one more time, your mission today will be to go and get rid of a pack of mutated dogs that have recently been attacking some posts in the sector commercial and as you might be thinking, yes, they killed more than two dozen people who were passing by at that time.-shit, this really seems difficult and all because of the damn virus, again, and it's just like the humans also affected animals, but this does not corrode it like humans, but rather mutates them into something much bigger and stronger and as if that were not enough, it also gave them some kind of supernatural ability, that affected all non-human beings even insects... like cockroaches.
Arthur: hey~ you... do you happen to know if they are adults? -I asked him really worried, because if they are adults it means they are the size of a car and their skin is much more resistant to my bullets, so I should carry weapons heavy, but there is something that does not add up here.
???: by the reports, yes, they are all adults and apparently they also have a subordinate pack, because once they finished with the dozens of people, they didn't eat the bodies so I guess, the subordinate pack is actually their hatchlings and went out to look for food for them.-shit, not only the adults but also hatchlings, this might be my last job, and seeing how this old bastard left this mission to me, I'm just a lonely little hunter, instead Of his most experienced and powerful hunters, this was obviously fixed by him, since as mere mutated dogs could cross, no matter how old they are, the wall of the commercial sector is so resistant that even the armored rhinoceros would break its horn before being able to make a dent in that wall, and you tell me that some mutated dogs were able to get around it, friend I know I look like an idiot, but I'm not.
Arthur: ha~ well I'll go.-as much as I wanted to shoot him in the face, I certainly knew that there was a hunter specializing in stealth somewhere in the room, so surely before I could do it they would slit my neck without me being able to do anything .
???: It's good that you accepted, take this as a thank you for helping me.-and there he was, the shit-eating smile of this old man, failed pig abortion, he left a briefcase, which will surely be full of bills.
Arthur: thanks although I shouldn't, but since it's a gift it would seem that I'm despising it if I don't accept it so I'll accept it with pleasure.-ah shit my stomach hurts from the anger I was feeling right now.
Arthur: then with your permission, I'll retire.-I wanted to leave this room as fast as I could and go to my last fight, so I could go a barbaric way from this sad world.
???: Sure, go, surely you will need a lot of preparation for this mission.-he said with false obvious concern in his voice, the guy clearly expected me to die in this mission, I would surely go and steal all the equipment that remains intact in my cold Body.
Walking out of the room I could feel the incredible anger I was holding back welling up from the depths of my heart, but I didn't let it show on my face as that would be very bad for several reasons.
Walking quickly towards the exit of the hunters' center, I abruptly took my purifier that was hanging on the side of the reception door and as I left I put it on quickly, once outside I began to run towards a place that had people from whom I had to say goodbye.
Time skip.
After a few minutes of running I finally reached my destination, the last hope orphanage, I went up the steps as fast as I could and opened the doors that were full of dust that surely no one came out to clean, I saw them there, the reason that prompted me to become a hunter.
Girl???: Brother Arthur arrived! -I scream excited as she ran towards me jumping some benches she was the first of many since as soon as they heard her scream all the children who were scattered around the room shot towards me.
Arthur: Cindy, children, come here, I brought you a present.-I said as I knelt on one knee and there would be arms for everyone for a big hug.
Cindy: yey, gifts! -I yell next to my ear excitedly while the children who crashed into me after Cindy were just as excited.
Taking out several toys from the bag that I had on my belt, I handed them over one by one until everyone did not have one. I did not get up from my position and they did not separate from me either.
Arthur: okay guys, move I have to talk to the midwife about something important.-I said as I put Cindy on the floor and the other children separated from the hug although they seemed not reluctant to do so.
Walking towards the door at the end of the room I opened it with a small key that I had hanging around my neck, once I passed the door what greeted me on the other side was a narrow corridor with some leaks in the ceiling and large puddles in the floor as well as large damp patches on the walls which had begun to grow fungus in large numbers, but which seemed to have large scratch marks on them as an effortless attempt to get rid of them, but where I was going, I needed to cross this entire hallway, since at the end of it there were two doors, one was the midwife's office, and the other was the children's room.
Knock Knock knock
Gently knocking on the door, I waited for some sign that would give me permission to enter since it would be impolite to enter someone else's room that did not belong to me just like that.
Matron: go ahead.-said an old voice that was muffled by the door.
chrriii
The door hinges made a noise that sent chills down my spine but I ignored it and walked over to one of the seats that were scattered around the room.
Arthur: I'm glad to see you in good health, Miss Marie.-I said, smiling warmly towards the old woman who was on the other side of the desk filling out some papers that I will truly never know the content of.
Marie: oh~ you're your little arth, tell me how was your hunting today?-she said looking up from the papers and as soon as she saw me she smiled warmly and was getting up.
Quickly getting up from the seat I approached her preventing her from getting up from her seat.
Arthur: Miss Marie, you know you shouldn't try so hard, so tell me why am I trying to clean the mushrooms? If I had told her that I was going to clean it as soon as I finished working today. - I told her as I lowered her gently to her seat again, and I asked her the obvious, since the children throughout the day did not approach this corridor since it terrified them, so only she would be in charge of this and that the doctor had told her to stay still most of the time because if she forces her body too much she could be paralyzed for the rest of her life .
Marie: yes, but I felt very bored, so since I had nothing to do, I tried, I just stopped doing it because my legs and back hurt too much, otherwise I could have continued all day. - he said as he patted his legs and back at the end of his sentence, I decided to change the topic of the conversation and go directly to the topic.
Arthur: Miss Marie, today I may not return, because they will surely kill me, so I'll leave this to you.-I said without sugarcoating anything about the fact that I was going to die today, and taking the briefcase I put it on the desk and opened it first, looking at myself, and as expected it was full of money all together would surely equal more than three to four million, once I saw that it was real money I put it on the desk and turned it over so that she can also see the contents of the briefcase.
She was stunned by the money but after the stun passed she began to cry loudly while she covered her eyes preventing me from seeing her tears but what she doesn't know is that when she covered her face I started crying in silence while my whole life passed before my eyes like quick and ephemeral flashes that were being destroyed into particles as my will to avoid crying so I couldn't take it anymore and fell to my knees next to her and gave her the strongest hug I could and I hid my face in his shoulder so that I could cry without the children hearing me, since I wanted my strong and invincible image to stay with them after my death, I… I didn't want them to see that I was just a crying, fearful teenager From the cold whisper of death that always accompanied me every day I left the orphanage, I wanted to be remembered as someone trustworthy who was not afraid of death instead of a cowardly and worthless person as I am now.
Marie: but *hic* but *hic* Why do you say that? *hic* yes *hic* yes you are *hic* very strong, aren't you? *hic* you said that you killed even *hic* even *hic* the horses of darkness *hic* and… I saw you kill many *hic* lava flies.-she asked desperately while trying desperately to get an idea I really didn't I was able to understand a lot because I was having a severe hiccup attack but I did understand a few things.
Arthur: I…I'm strong, but that's not the problem…the problem is that, in the mission that I'm going to go on now, they will surely betray me, I win the battle with the monsters or not I will surely end up dead, if I win, the hunters will kill me without that I can fight due to the exhaustion of my previous battle, if I lose, I will surely turn into monster shit, so win or lose, today will be the last day that I will be able to see you, my family.-I explained slowly while the tears did not stop flowing from my eyes, my fists tightly clenched due to the extreme hatred I had towards a single person, the master of this branch of hunters, Michael Harrison, the cause of my future death, Why? Certainly I don't care, will I ever forgive him? Hell will freeze over before that happens.
Marie: but *hic* Why would hunters hunt one of their own? *hic*.-she said now calmer but disconcerted by all this.
Arthur: I don't know for sure either, but I just know that today… don't wait for me for dinner, and I'll leave you all my hunting gear, in case any of the kids want to be a hunter, or in case this money runs out, you can sell it but only in case it is a desperate situation, since I would like someone to become a hunter, like I was... and like my dad was.-I said my total lack of reason for this action, and then I began to take off my orichalcum armor, a metal of legend that… comes from the crap of a diamond armored elephant titan, a rare specimen even among their kind, as their crap unlike common armored elephant titans is some kind of more durable material than steel and more malleable than silver, with a hardness equal to tungsten, but the diamond armored elephant titan crap in my armor is many times that crap, oh god i always meant that, kuhum, now yes, it's many times more durable than diamond and just as malleable I read that the gold next to him looks like a log, and its hardness is such that the adamantium looks like paper next to him, so his shit is incredibly coveted all over the world, but these titans, unlike their size, the shit that is expected of them That size is very far from reality, since the usual size of his shit always varies between 30 cm or 40 cm maximum, so it's not very common to see people with weapons or armor of this shit.
Arthur: and take everything you want from here.-I said touching behind a small shelf that was gathering dust.
screeee
It was a small room in which there was a wide variety of armor and weapons, all scattered on the floor and on the walls there was an occasional shelf with swords or bows.
Marie: but... what the fuck, when did you make a damn secret room in my damn office? -she asked surprised and a little scared, while she looked around the room and from time to time brushed the edge of her fingertips with her fingertips. an occasional sword from the room, but as she wandered she stood still looking at a wasted katana that was embedded in the center of the room.
Marie: that's your father's, isn't it?- she asked as she approached the sword slowly while a soft look appeared on her wrinkled face, when she got to it, she stayed next to it, brushing the hilt It had accumulated a lot of dust.
Arthur: yes... it's his.-nodding, I watched his actions, noticing again how exhausted Miss Marie was with everything that was happening around her.
Marie: he was always an excellent boy with everyone, his motto had always been "don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you" and based on that he was always one of the most excellent people who have walked this world devastated by despair, in his final moments he was like an ember glowing brightly before going out, in my mind is still recorded the moment in which he stood in front of the orphanage without his mask, holding his breath with only him facing all a litter of hyenas from the caves that had broken through the wall along with the entire horde of the enlightened, that was the first and last time that I have been able to see their combat prowess in person. -he said with a nostalgic look, he told me again the death of my father with his voice acquiring traces of sadness and pain, while he slowly removed the sword from where it was embedded.
Marie: you always reminded me of him, with your dazzling smile, your eyes full of confidence, never arrogant, but if there is something that makes you different from him, it is certainly your temperament, always so calm and reserved with outsiders, and always so warm and open to those close to you, he was always the opposite of you, he was very talkative with outsiders but with his family, he didn't even smile at his wife, and do you know why?-he said slowly approaching me while holding the katana I leave it in her hand but I can clearly tell from her posture and her voice that she didn't try anything strange, and aside from her, no matter how hard she tried, her body wouldn't let her, but this is something I never knew about my father, I didn't even know He didn't even smile at mom, that's something very contradictory to everything he's told me about him in the past...
Marie: because of someone very... very, close.-she said as she inverted her grip on the sword, leaving the tip pointing to the ground, she opened her arms inviting me into a hug, which she clearly would not reject.
Hugging her I could feel her touching my right shoulder three times a signal from her for me to get down and once I did she approached my ear.
Marie: it was your fault, little arth, because of you arth, your father didn't want me.-he said in a crazy and obsessive way while the grip of his right hand intensified on my bare skin, burying his nails deeply into my back...
Arthur: but what the fuck Miss Marie... are you... my biological... mother? -I asked surprised and half in shock, so ignoring the pain in my back in the part where she is digging her nails, I remained rigid as a log.
Marie: yes... and because of you I don't have your father anymore, damn piece of trash, why the fuck didn't I abandon you when I could? - she whispered slowly with great venom and contempt in her voice.
I was about to say or do something when suddenly I felt something penetrating deeply into my chest and there I could see it piercing me, my father's katana which I had taken care of for a long time and had planned to die with it today fighting monsters, just like my father did. father before me, but now in a very strange way my father's sword is piercing my chest.
Marie: you know little arth, you... you have always lived in a lie, me, the children of the orphanage... the virus... tell me little arth, do you really think that a being as greedy and arrogant as human beings would stay seeing how suddenly the animals, which they have always considered inferior, suddenly gained strength, and supernatural power, no, they didn't, after 120 years they began to replicate that, or at least try, kid after child, adolescent after adolescent, adult after adult, old man after old man... they were all used and discarded as soon as their purpose ended.-he said slowly and softly, as if wanting to give a different touch to his story, but the more he advanced in his talk, I was slowly removing the katana from my chest.
Arthur: but then… what the hell… do I have to do with… all this? If I *kof **kof* 420 years ago… I didn't exist.-I said while I was breathing with difficulty and half a sentence I couldn't take it anymore and I coughed up blood while I was truly very confused.