Cricket chirps playfully danced in the quiet eerie grounds, while dustful winds sweep the grime off the once beautiful housing skyscrapers of Eastland. I took one final look from the 7th floor edge of a decayed skyscraper. The scenery of the old war paints over the horizon with fallen rubble, sand, dust and blood. I entered the dim teetering room.
Illuminated only by the light of the afternoon, the hunt was young, and my prey stood somewhere with me. The sniff of the dangerous dense air made me tighten my gloves, as tickering chuckles filled the room, "Da, itraku ko irabrene?" Who are you in this place? The growling voice from the shadows spoke. It soon after came off the ceiling's corner, showing itself.
Eight spider legs stuck to one grinning rectangular face, the right eye gouged out never closing, never resting. A nose pointed and a long tongue with a mark of the Güdwigth clan on its forehead. A circle with the four constellations of their blood magic. "Oh? Fey ko… Pipra?" Oh? A demon? the 2.7 meter tall head asked. He looked curious, yet defensive, checking me like an animal checks its prey. It is a suicide to hunt a demon alone, it is even more of a suicide to hunt them in their nests.
I dashed right at the face as it jumped, sticking up the ceiling again. It used it like a trampoline to launch back at me. I bounced back as it jagged the floor, trembling the building, the entire tilt of the floor shifted to the side of the demon. One more attack like that, and half of this skyscraper is going down. In a haste, I snapped my fingers as it jumped to my face. The strings of blood woven by my fingers entranced his body, paralyzing him.
"Huh?!" it huffed in confusion. the creature fought to wiggle out, cutting it's flesh against the thorns of the black bloody rope around it's arms and head. "Atraku ki! Tav saul breinnai ni" let go! If not for the small house! Protested the 8 limbed fuck. I crouched next to it, holding its worried shivering jaw into my palm, what a poor bastard. All he could try to do now is struggle, madness and power only brings you far, but a functional brain? Now that's a valuable prize.
"...HA!" it yelled as one of its limbs broke free swinging towards my head, the speed of his limb shattered the sound barrier when I caught it with my left hand. The explosive force from that stop rammed air through the room, pushing away the furniture, breaking down the remaining glass on the windows, destroying the doors and chopping off my arm in return.
"Miva Miva." Useless Useless. I said, while grinning at the pain, I lost my arm so many times this has become ticklish. The gushed blood flows through the wooden floor before jumping onto the demon and completely restraining all his arms.
Due to the impact, My long hair flew back, the flock of hair hiding my cursed eye now back showed my right eye socket, "...ko" the creature mumbled, "shiaku! Shiaku rafria iyh ko satra!!" I won't die to the likes of you! You traitors! He tried harder, struggling through a meaningless effort, like holding a grudge against your father for beating you to death everyday.
"Can you just, shut the fuck up," I frowned, cutting it's limb off with my pointed nails, the last thing I needed was hearing him call me a traitor again. It is not like I chose to be the way I am. If I could just be as powerful I would've taken it the first chance I could. Why would anyone accept being in such a weak state, ah yes, having my brain intact.
I looked at the demon in agony. It screamed but I quickly silenced it by a throat cut, it bled from its mouth and neck in black colors along with that limb, too bad these sad bastards cannot generate like I do. Not all demons generate after all, those who do are cursed with weaker forms, to suffer more, to be toys or practice dummies. The roles have reversed now.
I enjoyed the silence in the room, the calm settling of the dust gave a relaxing sensation as I turned the demon's head around. "Try not to choke on your blood" I said, before chopping through it's feverish dark and gray skin, it's iris shrank as it began rattling through the webs, but soon stopped and accepted its fate. I extracted the black demonic brain, cutting off all the nerves connected to the limbs.
Imagine how much a brain this big will sell, a new bed, maybe a new set of knives, demon organs always comes at a huge demand in the market, if you can make it into a weapon, it will sell high. Besides, those legged fucks are hard to capture to begin with, making them great for trophy hunting.
I let go of the oozing brain in the red freezing capsule, nitrogen began infusing within the chambers as soon as I closed the led, securing the organ for transportation. And this should be a good day's hunt, but what do you know, I caught a glimpse of glimmer from the darkness. Within the broken closet door from the fight earlier I saw a... chrysalis? What were they doing here, constellating a butterfly? The size of it is one third of my body, and its roots pierced the ground.
The smell of rotten plague and death began seeping out of it. Now any normal hunter would just leave whatever curse this is and enjoy a good day's hunt, but for whatever reason it felt as if it kept calling on me, and these clittering footsteps from downstairs didn't help either, I won't allow these heathens something so valuable. I cut the chrysalis off, covering it into my leather blood tainted brown jacket as I jumped out the window. Time to return to the base.
***
Autumn Streets was the kind of neighborhood that looked like it had been through hell and back—because it had. The sun was dipping low, painting everything in that golden-orange light that makes even the ugliest places look kinda pretty. Birds were flapping around like they didn't have a care in the world, and leaves were doing their little dance in the breeze. It was almost peaceful, if you ignored the boarded-up windows, the overgrown lawns, and the faint smell of ash that never really went away. Yeah, the war had left its mark, but we were trying to rebuild. Or at least, we were trying to survive.
I was up on the roof of this dark-oak manor we'd scored, hammer in hand, trying to patch up the worst of the damage. The place was a wreck—holes in the roof, cracked tiles, walls that looked like they'd been chewed up and spit out—but it was ours now. Well, sort of. We'd gotten it for a steal. What kind of steal? The one you kill an old man.
"Alright, just one more and I should be done," I muttered to myself, driving the last nail into a loose shingle. I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand and stepped back to take a look. The roof still looked like crap, but at least it wasn't gonna collapse on us. Small victories, right?
I glanced down the street, squinting against the fading light. "When is Hiko coming back?" I wondered aloud. That guy was always off doing who-knows-what, hunting for supplies or whatever. He was reliable, sure, but he had a knack for taking his sweet time.
As if on cue, I spotted him walking up the stony sidewalk, his silhouette sharp against the sunset. I grinned and raised my hammer in a mock salute. "Took ya long enough!" I called out, my voice echoing down the empty street.
Hiko didn't say anything, just looked up at me with those dead black eyes of his before trudging up to the house. He had that same unreadable expression he always wore, almost like he was trying to have no face, but there was something about the way he moved—like he was carrying something heavy, and not just the pack on his back. I slid down the stair rail, landing with a soft thud on the creaky wooden floor inside. The place smelled like dust and old wood, with a faint metallic tang that I tried not to think about too much.
"How'd the hunt go?" I asked, leaning against the banister. "Find anything to sell?"
Hiko nodded and shrugged off the heavy container he was carrying. It hit the floor with a dull thud that made the whole house shake. I raised an eyebrow, curious, but before I could say anything, he unwrapped this... thing he was holding. And let me tell you, I've seen some weird stuff in my time, but this? This was something else.
It was a chrysalis, glowing faintly in the dim light. The surface was textured, almost like it was alive, and it pulsed with this rhythm that matched my own heartbeat. Each pulse sent a ripple of light across the room, casting these weird, shifting shadows on the walls. The air around it felt warm, almost muggy, like the heat of a summer storm. I reached out without thinking, my fingers brushing against the surface. It was warm to the touch, smooth but firm, like polished stone.
"Ya went easter hunting?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I found it during the hunt." Hiko said, his voice low and calm, ignoring my joke. He cradled it in his hands, his eyes fixed on its shifting colors—white, black, red, like some kind of messed-up kaleidoscope. "Never seen a demon's egg like this before. Whatever's inside, it's... formulating itself."
My mind started racing. "Let's harvest it when it comes out," I said, trying to sound casual. "Sell the organ for a hefty price."
Hiko didn't respond, just kept staring at the thing. I shrugged and slung my tool bag over my shoulder. "Well, more work for me. Just don't let whatever's in that thing destroy the house. We got a good bargain for this place, you know."
"Yeah, sure," Hiko muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Whatever 'bargain' means."
***
The buzzing of the street grew wide and frisky as I walked through one of the alleys leading to the thieves market. Almost everything can be found here, from simple clothes to high functional weapons. Though illegal, nobody can stop the vendors from gathering at sunset, but what makes this place unique is every attender wears a mask, a custom uniquely shaped mask that covers the faces of everyone, a frog mask, a swine mask, a totally weird but cool creepy mask. Anything can be had with masks. Mine was the white wolf's mask, with trials of red lines slither on the sides of the cheek.
I navigated through the crowded street of this alley, often stopped by merchants to sell me their cheap shit or colliding with the passers in such a short passageway. "Well if it isn't Wolf." A thick gruff voice of a 40 year old man uttered from behind his little vendor's station, it was barely standing yet compact enough like a hotdog-like stand with different saws and knives. It didn't take half a second to recognize the voice, if not the smell of blood on his clothes that sets him apart, then surely the dwarf bald body with the ginger beard. We shake hands, and I place the capsule on the bloody sheeted table jumping right into the business.
"So, what do you think, an awesome fresh demon brain." I said, circulating my stiff back a bit before opening the top hatch of the capsule, the nitrogen embedded capsule let out a steam of gas. The brain was ready for bargain indeed, quite a catch too. I slid the dark gobbly brain on the counter consequenting a trail of dark goo as it reached Salgar's front.
"A brain? Not as rare as the heart, but rare nonetheless," Salgar said, his atrocious old man laugh filling the space. Sure a heart is rare, due to only a handful of 'entrepreneur' hunters and groups getting one, of course it comes at the cost of losing your comrades or losing your limbs at best. But a brain?! Sure it is not as rare, but it is not anyone who can just extract it without letting it explode with the heart of the beast. He brushed his messy beard as he checked the organ before him, poking, cutting, even tasting the blood. He suddenly yells his price, "six thousand hins," He said while mesmerized with the organ, his eager smile showed shining yellow teeth from under that butcher's mask.
"Awh come on, you know we really need a lot of hin… how about a raise?" I replied, backing up a bit. That run down house really needs some handy work, especially upstairs, the wood is unstable, and I can't sleep on the floor forever, my back just can't take it.
"Nay kid, I really cannot help you with that,." He crossed his arms grinning, knowing I will subdue anyways, "six thousand is generous, you know, if you can bring me a heart with it I will make it double next time, deal? 12 thousand hins" he continued, giving off that same unique laugh, now with nervous undertones.
"Fine, you better keep to your word, Salgar," I said, narrowing my eyes at the shady bastard as he took the brain and capsule from me. "A heart's a death wish, and I'm not in the mood for dying today."
I still didn't get where or how he stored the stuff we gave him, and honestly, I didn't want to know. That guy gave me the creeps. Hunting demons was hard enough without worrying about getting caught mid-act by the so-called "scholars." But Salgar was the best fence in the thieves' market, and if you wanted a good price, you dealt with him.
He came back with the container and a fat black suitcase. I took it, popping it open to inspect the six thousand hins inside. I counted every last one. If you didn't check what someone promised you, you might as well hand over your wallet and say, "Thanks for scamming me." A couple of minutes passed, and I nodded, satisfied. "Pleasure doing business," I said, tipping an imaginary hat before strolling away from his stand.
The streets were alive with noise—shouting merchants, haggling customers, and the occasional screech of a stray cat. The air smelled like roasted meat, cheap perfume, and the faint tang of blood. The thieves' market was a chaotic mess of colorful scams and desperate bargains, and I loved it. Well, until I noticed them.
White robes. Five of them. A total recipe for disaster. Their heads were covered with black masks, and I didn't need to see their faces to know who they were. "Bounty hunters… great," I muttered under my breath.
I started running, weaving through the crowd like a fish through water. My eyes darted to the rooftops—two up there, three behind me. Fast, elegant, and clearly trained. They knew their target, and they weren't letting me go without a fight. I ducked into an alley, but the two from the roof dropped down in front of me, while the three trailing closed in from behind.
"...Well then," I said, cracking a grin despite the situation. "Never realized I was that famous."
"Nothing personal, kid," one of them said, his voice calm but cold. The five of them raised their guns—modified, self-made with silencers and black, pulsating veins running along the barrels. Blood-infused, no doubt. "We need the money."
Ever since the war, everyone was scraping for food, shelter, and hins. Bounty hunters are just small-time thugs too scared to hunt real demons, so they went after mercenaries like me. The local churches paid well for our heads, and collectors were always looking for fresh "specimens."
"Ooooo, are these blood-infused?" I said, eyeing the guns with mock curiosity. The leader ignored me, his finger tightening on the trigger. "Give me a break already," I added, chuckling. "If you're eager for an autograph, all you had to do was ask. This isn't the first time one of you has come after me."
"It won't be the last, Wolf," the leader said, grinning beneath his mask. Then he barked, "Fire!"
I dodged to the side as bullets whizzed past me, the sound muffled by the silencers but no less deadly. I leaped off the narrow walls of the alley, using the momentum to scramble onto the roof. I could take one or two of them, maybe three if I got lucky, but five? That was suicide.
I ran across the rooftops, my heart pounding in my chest. The hunters scattered, trying to cut me off, but I managed to lose most of them. Lucky for me, I spotted an old, broken window in what looked like an abandoned building. I slipped inside, my eyes scanning the room for a hiding spot. A broken wooden bed with a dirty mattress caught my eye. Perfect.
I slid under the bed, holding my breath as I listened for footsteps. The wolf's gift had its perks—I could hear and smell sixteen times better than a human. It also had its downsides, like the time I accidentally caught a whiff of a dirty sock. I'd never fully recovered from that.
The creak of the wooden floorboards was loud enough to keep me on edge. Another creak, closer this time. The smell hit me next—unnatural, almost unidentifiable, masked by the dust and the musty stench of the mattress. I took a deep breath, calming my senses, and readied myself to throw the whole bed at whatever came through the door.
"Bo-!"
I kicked the bed with all my strength, sending it flying into the opposite wall. I jumped to my feet, my eyes scanning the room for threats, but all I saw was a girl sprawled on the floor, rubbing her head.
"H-Hey!!" she screeched, her voice high-pitched and annoyed. I blinked, taking her in. She had brown hair, smooth as silk and long enough to reach her rear. Her outfit was simple, a black and yellow jacket over a white tank top and ripped jeans, but it was the green lizard mask on her face that caught my attention. A midnight-colored scarf hung loosely around her neck, and her tanned skin glowed faintly in the dim light.
She sat up, glaring at me like I'd just insulted her mother. "My eyes are up here…" she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.
I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I wasn't staring! You're the one who popped out of nowhere, jack-in-the-box."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't quite hide the small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah, sure. What are you doing in my place, anyway?"
"Your place?" I glanced around the room, which looked about as abandoned as a ghost town. "You sure about that? Last I checked, squatters don't get naming rights."
She stood up, brushing dust off her jeans. "I've been here longer than you, so yeah, it's my place. Now, answer the question."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Look, I was just... passing through. There's a gang of bounty hunters after me, and I needed a quick hideout. No harm intended."
Her expression softened slightly, and she tilted her head, studying me. "Bounty hunters, huh? Must've done something pretty stupid to get them on your tail."
"Stupid? Me? Never," I said, grinning. "I'm a model citizen. They're just jealous of my charm."
She snorted, shaking her head. "Charm? Is that what you call breaking into someone's place and kicking their bed across the room?"
"Hey, in my defense, I thought you were one of them," I said, holding up a finger. "And for the record, I didn't break in. The window was already broken. I just... gracefully entered."
She laughed, a light, musical sound that caught me off guard. "Graceful, huh? Is that why you're covered in dust and look like you just rolled out of a dumpster?"
I glanced down at myself, pretending to inspect my clothes. "This? This is called rugged charm. It's a look."
"Sure it is," she said, smirking. "Well, 'rugged charm,' you'd better get going before those bounty hunters find you. I don't need my ghost town turning into a war zone."
I nodded, grabbing the suitcase I'd dropped earlier. "Yeah, you're probably right."
She shrugged, her smirk softening into a smile. "Don't mention it. Just... Don't jump into other people's rooms will you?"
"No promises," I said, winking as I headed for the window. I paused, one leg already over the sill, and glanced back at her. "Hey, I never got your name."
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Kimrol. And you're Kan, right? The Wolf?"
I raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You've heard of me?"
"I am a bounty hunter, idiot. Besides your mask it telling," she said, her smile turning playful. "Now get the hell outta here before I change my mind."
I jumped out the window, landing in a crouch on the street below. My knees protested slightly, but I ignored it, blending into the crowded alley outside the thieves' market. As I disappeared into the chaos.
***
The moon hung high, its pale light spilling through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. The streets were quiet, the kind of quiet that made you forget the world was still broken. Kan and I had hit our beds early, exhaustion dragging us under. He was snoring within minutes, of course. That guy could sleep through a war. Me? I was out soon after, though my dreams were the usual mess of blood and shadows.
Then the light came.
It wasn't just bright—it was blinding, like the sun had decided to crash through the roof. The house shook, the walls groaning like they were about to collapse. I was on my feet before I was fully awake, my hand already reaching for the knife under my pillow. Kan was up too, stumbling out of bed with his hair sticking up in every direction.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"Attic," I said, already moving toward the stairs. The light was coming from up there, and I didn't like it one bit. Kan followed, his footsteps heavy behind me.
The attic was a mess of dust and old furniture, but none of that mattered. The chrysalis was glowing like a miniature star. The air was thick with the smell of ozone and something sweet, almost sickly. I shielded my eyes, squinting against the light as it pulsed and grew.
And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the light dimmed. The chrysalis cracked open, the sound like glass shattering in slow motion. A figure emerged, small and fragile, covered in a translucent ooze that dripped onto the floor.
It was a girl. A little red-haired girl with skin that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. Her crimson eyes blinked open, wide and curious, as she looked around the room. She rubbed her head, her movements slow and unsteady, like she was still figuring out how her body worked.
"Mo… hif na...?" she said, her voice soft and hesitant. Who are you?