We just crossed 1 million views and I'm so freaking happy. Thank you all for reading this hobby of mine, even if I did stop for a year.
I thought I would have enough chapters for a bonus one for the million views threshold, but with the helping in the house, I've been burning through my stock. I'll do one at a later date, though.
Again, thank you for reading!
...
"Oh, yeah. Did you tell Scott to… you know… whack them?" Garth made a line motion on his neck.
"I'm not an Italian mobster, Garth. I just told him to put them on the forest line." Irwin pushed him off the seat to hasten the man's movement, exasperated by his ideas.
"But you probably could, though?" Garth asked Scott with a knowing smile.
Scott barked a laugh. "Yes, I could."
It took a quarter of an hour before all the patrons had left the bar, most of whom were still not drunk enough and had murmured about going to another dive. It was evident that being drunk was one of the major ways for these hunters to evade the horrors of their job, which was as dangerous as sweeping WWII mines with a spoon and a kitchen magnet.
Irwin reckoned that half of them had seen a vampire or wendigo mutilate a human being or come across a werewolf rip women and children in half. If anything, he would have praised their bravery for still standing and continuing.
That would change in the next few months, however, with Irwin's plans, and it would forever cement him as their hero.
'At least I hope so.' He thought inwardly, 'Worst-case scenario: the hunters hunt me because I'm a witch and I kill all of them before trading them for credits.'
"To most of these guys, hunting is all they've got." Ellen remarked, seeing Irwin come closer. "Some thought it would be a one-off thing. Get revenge and take back their old lives, but they never do. When you've seen what bumps in the dark, you don't ever turn your back to it."
"Those were the olden times, Ellen. Maybe if what I have in store gets implemented… maybe it would only be a matter of time before, well, before they get another lease on life." Irwin said with a hopeful tone. "Maybe not their former one, but something new… something better."
"Yeah? Tell me how you're supposed to make it better." Ellen was still unconvinced, but let him continue as she wiped down the bar and called out Ash and Jo.
Although Jo had an inkling of what was going down, Ash was not without complaint as he trudged through the bar with a hangover. His complaint, however, was repressed when he saw the serious expression on everyone's faces.
Irwin cleared his throat, "The reason I'm telling you this is that I'm going to need your roadhouse as the first branch of The Supernatural Protectorate of America."
A throaty guffaw escaped Ash before dialing it down and letting Irwin continue.
"This will be the first step in unifying the hunters across North America. I will supply resources–be it money, information, weapons, vehicles, and mystical items–that will help them and you in your hunts against powerful creatures and even more powerful otherworldly creatures."
Jo tilted her head and rolled the name off her tongue. "Supernatural Protectorate of America?"
"Sounds vaguely fascist." Ash remarked.
"We know." Garth sighed in exasperation. "He wouldn't budge on the name."
"The name is fixed." Irwin glared at the hunter before turning back. "An organization that provides hunters with whatever they need with no fees to be paid whatsoever–this isn't a union. The only thing we would need are corpses of hunted monsters, intact and viable for autopsy or whatever it is we need from it."
"Corpses? You wanna dissect corpses and see what makes them tick?" Ellen asked as she grounded a shot of whiskey. "It's a viable method, but you're no scientist and neither are other hunters–even Bobby–so unless you're thinking of owning a morgue and doing Nazi experiments with them…"
"ehem-Mengel ass shit-ehem." Ash coughed out .
Seeing as she trailed off after saying the word 'Nazi', Irwin couldn't help but palm his face. "I am not a fascist."
"That's what they all say." Scott mumbled, earning a few chuckles from the peanut gallery.
Ellen snapped his fingers, quieting down the chuckles. "People like us tend to be wary of organizations like these, Richard. Especially from a new hunter like you. Are there other hunters you've asked to join besides us?"
"As you already know, I'm already in contact with the Winchesters and Bobby Singer. One of my people, an experienced hunter himself, is contacting their friends to see their reactions." Irwin gazed around the room and saw a smattering of nods. "But that won't get their favor, I know. That's why I'm prepared to take out something that'll get their attention, something that's rare and something that could change the game."
He snapped his wrist and took out an Angel Blade from his spatial bangle, startling everyone from the feat of magik. The chromatic silver blade was placed upon the bar, letting everyone see the item for themselves.
"This is an Angel Blade, a powerful artifact created by powers that be, which could deal actual damage to a demon's corrupted soul. I have three of these in my arsenal, and I am capable of arming ten more hunters of this blade."
"This thing kills demons? No exorcism, no chants, no salt." Ellen muttered as she inspected the blade.
"Death is the only consequence of stabbing that thing into a demon which, unfortunately, also kills their vessel." Irwin shrugged his shoulders.
"Is there any way to mitigate the death of the human?" Ash asked.
"Yes, but I doubt they would want to be wheelchair bound for the rest of their life." Although Irwin could theoretically cure the paralyzed human, he was afraid that admitting so would make the hunter's aim for non-lethal measurements. While that may not happen, it was in Irwin's best interest to shut up and let the fact that he can heal ailments of that regard as one of his hidden cards.
"I'm assuming you have more of this stuff?" Ellen asked, not yet fully convinced.
"I do. This is a Health potion, capable of healing any wounds and injuries below that of grievous wounds." He spat out a potion bottle filled with a red liquid and another bottle with a sickly yellow liquid. "While this is a Stamina potion–"
"Damn!" Ash immediately went for the Stamina potion. "Does this function as a viagra–"
"Ash!" Ellen growled.
"It does, but essentially, it instantly recuperates your vitality and stamina. It's only caveat is that once you fall asleep, only God himself can wake you up before a full twelve hours." He chuckled at the memories of himself resisting the urge to stay in bed after drinking the Stamina potion.
There was a wave of disbelief that threatened to permeate their psyche, but was suddenly replaced by Ellen's groan. She grabbed a glass and poured herself a nice, foamy beer and drowned it out in a few seconds.
"I won't ask how you got these things, but how many can you get?" She asked, delving into the logistics.
"Now, unlike the Angel Blade, I can produce Health and Stamina potions by the buckets. My idea would be to give three of each to a hunter willing to sign up to our organization and, once they've collected enough bounty, they'd be able to buy one of these."
"And what do we say to the hunters who will be hoarding this shit?" Jo asked, flicking the bottle and testing out its viscosity.
"There's a limited supply." He replied, "We're going to be operating a bounty system that runs on points. Points that can be earned when hunters deliver fresh monster corpses."
"Man, I knew that laptop was a bribe." Ash suddenly exclaimed, rubbing his chest as a grin spread across his face. "I'm assuming you need me to operate the bounty system? Automate it to track specific hunters and provide back-ups for your system?"
"Can you do it?" Irwin
Ash scoffed, "The question is, will I do it?"
"He will." Ellen interjected. "What? You know how much your tab is?"
Ash shared a look with Jo before shrugging his shoulders. "Already done, then."
"Richard, are you that sure? Is there a semblance of arrogance in there that we need to know?" Ellen asked. "Because if I believe you, then not only am I risking the life of me and my daughter, I'm also risking every hunter I know."
"I am." He gazed at Jo, who was wistfully looking at nowhere. "I have a… family at home, too. And I'm not going to let them die because I failed to do what was necessary. I won't let you down."
"Alright, then. I'll agree to call my friends, see what they think, but you have to sell it to them, too. Let's just hope those dumbasses haven't gotten themselves killed…" Ellen smirked, shrugging her shoulders gleefully.
"Don't worry, Ellen. If possible, I would like to–" His phone rang amidst his explanation, which he took out to decline, but saw that Sam Winchester was calling him. "Well, that's convenient. I'm sorry, but I'll have to take this call. In the meantime, feel free to drink the potions to see its effects. Also, Ash, don't touch the tip because if it reaches your soul… you'll be removed from existence."
Ash immediately dropped the blade, backing away with arms spread as if in surrender. The blade clattered onto the bar before falling down the floor and slicing through the thick floorboard.
"Nice one, Ash." Jo mocked and laughed at her mother's irate expression.
"I-I'll pay for that." Ash shook his head.
Ellen grunted. "I'll add it to your tab."
Irwin tuned their voices out as he focused on Sam's ragged breathing. "What's happening, Sam? Are you on a hunt?" He asked.
"No… It's. It's bad, Richard. It's bad."