Adonai:
We've left Aegir, and now we're on a trade center planet, just like Earth. Fomalhaut, The White Eye of Piscis Austrinus.
This planet is a lot different from the one we just left. This is more in line with Earth. But strangely enough it is also less developed. If I have to say we're back in the 2010's when smartphones were barely a thing.
But we decided to come here for a very specific reason. We talked and decided to register as a team. Once we do that we'll be able to take jobs in hunting as a teams and we will be recognized in the whole universe.
The big differences from our previous home or our planet this time would be the sky, there's no day/night cycle. But here, on the loneliest star of the Milky Way, is always clear and we can see a hue of blue intersecting with red all the time, shining brightly above.
Piscis Austrinus brightest star is one protected by a magical hue of ice and fire all around it.
People who inhabited this planet drove themselves to self destruction, from what we got told, and now there's no one taking ownership of it. It is a neutral trade center. Which makes it pretty lawless as well.
But it's good to be back on a more civilized planet, with cars and bikes all around, magically modified. I guess they made up for the non existing resources in this way.
Right now we're heading straight to the main building. The Beast Hunters Association. While I've been holding up fine after the incident, Maverick and Stella feel a bit distant from me. But I guess I'm not surprised, after my miraculous survival, from what I heard at least, I can't remember much after I lost consciousness.
But it's better this way, the dream I had while thinking about dying drove a big blow onto me, reminding me of my past, as if the voices haunting me were not enough... I saw her face again, saving me again...
"We're here." Stella said, and as I turned I saw her looking up.
We made our way through the hall and we reached what seemed to be a reception.
"Good day, I would like to register me and my friends as a party for beast hunting"
The receptionist, a man, turned around and he seemed strangely human. At least until he opened his mouth and I saw his teeth, once he opened his eyes and the blood soaking red pupils came into view I realized what he is.
He's a vampire.
"Yes but of course. I can see that you're fully fledged humans, how spectaculous. You'll just have to fill out this form and we will be done. Please return it to me, and I'll bring your badges in the meantime."
He is talking... way too fast.
But thankfully we understood the assignment.
*A few minutes later*
"What do you guys think about a team name?"
"I don't know, I don't have any particular idea in mind, " Stella said.
"What about The Joestars!"
I was looking at my friend, Maverick, deadpan, I don't know from where he got that name but that certainly felt like one designed for a group of muscle men going on an adventure through Egypt or something, hunting a vampire.
Definitely not a fit for us.
"Well the name shouldn't matter that much, so we'll go with this, what do you think?"
I asked and they both nodded in approval.
We went to the counter and we got our badges which magically lit with our names and the name of our team on them. The badges are specially crafted and they will stick with us for as long as they are not destroyed or our team disbanded or other misfortune.
Once he handed them to us I noticed the slightly long nails that don't seem to be an artistic choice but rather the characters of the vampires with their bit pointy ears.
"Enjoy your hunting... Team Dusk."
He said as we left.
There was no appraisal, no anything which is the weird part.
"Are they just handing these to everyone?" I asked my two companions, bewildered about what just happened.
They took a bit to think and they responded.
"I don't think they care if we die or not honestly, so why not hand them over, this is kind of a lawless place anyway."
"I agree." Maverick said in response to Stella statement
...
"Take your sweet time to think and all you have to say is 'I agree'?"
I asked, raising an eyebrow, he clearly paid more attention to other aspects rather than thinking about my question but that's irrelevant now.
To take jobs we simply have to use Magic on our badges, which will then connect us to the Hunters System where everything is posted. Every job, every monster, every danger.
Since I'm not really trained in magic, we relied on Stella to do it. And so we take our first job, which will be to hunt a pack of headless mules in the eastern part of the planet. We're currently in the North so it will take a while to get there, but one of the benefits of being a hunter is transportation. We can take the nearest train until the station for free and then into the wild following the map to reach the hunting site.
The job has two objectives, hunting some dangerous beasts and bringing back their skulls.
Contrary to popular belief headless mules have heads... it's just that their heads are detached from their body and are in a state of levitating above their normal body.
But for now, thanks to the emblem we found a free place to stay for a couple of nights. Beast Hunters have quite a few benefits but the job is also very dangerous.
From what I noticed while, shortly, being here a few of them just like to take advantage of the system and take easy jobs like this one. And honestly I don't care, they can do whatever they want.
"We will be staying a bit here, to gain some parallax and a feel for things. I think we should also train in combat as a team specifically." I said aloud, not wanting what happened before to happen again.
"I agree, I don't want to stand helpless while you struggle again." Maverick said.
Internally I smiled, outside I couldn't really do it, so I just looked at him. Stella only nodded and we agreed to take our first, easy mission as a training ground as well.
Once we reached our hotel we got set. Thankfully I got a room for myself while these two got one for themselves. The place is a bit shabby looking, but everything around here is. In some places we even saw phone booths.
I left my non existing stuff in my room and got down to the hallway when a girl was calling out to me.
"Hey, hey"
"Hello?" I answered, taking her appearance into account.
Small girl, red lines were outlining her eyes and going a bit under, directly on her cheeks. Wearing a floral crown in her and her ears are a bit pointy. And she opened her eyes... She's a vampire.
"What do you want from me?" I asked.
She didn't really stay in one place but mostly just rushed around me, checking me from every angle.
She's wearing a skirt and a lousy blouse, maybe she's a local.
"Hmm... you don't have any special characteristics, are you a human?" She poked my cheek, curiously.
"What if I am?"
"Hahahah, what is your name? I've never seen one like you before." She asked
"Adonai." I answered.
She looked a bit at me and waited for me to say something else.
"Can you get off my shoulder? You're a bit heavy despite being small."
She rushed down.
"I'm not small, neither heavy and I was just appraising you."
"Appraising?"
"You know, I'm a vampire so I was thinking how your blood must taste. Also don't let my appearance fool you. I'm an adult in every way, despite my height."
She said, giving me a devious smile.
"Anyway I have things to do now, but play with me later, Adonai."
She said and then she left.
"Who was that lost child?" Maverick came from behind me and asked.
"Hell if I know, she didn't give me a name, and apparently she's just small, not a child." I answered.
"Why the details?" Maverick asked.
"I feel like she would punch me if I said anything else."
Hmm? Why do I get the feeling I'll see this girl more in the future. But probably as long as we stay here that's what's gonna happen.
Well nothing wrong with getting friends with her, as long as she joked about the appraising part, right?
"Anyway, you should go to sleep soon, Stella wanted me to check up on you." He said as he left.
"If you're gonna be too loud I'm gonna smack you in the morning." I yelled.
"You must... avoid... that girl... dangerous..."
The voices came back again. It feels weird, sometimes my own guilt feels like it's amplified by the cries of these shadows.
I'm pretty sure they are in my mind and they just serve as a reminder... that I can never forgive myself for what happened.