ACT 1: HAINO CITY, CHAPTER 6. CONSPIRACY

Wone and the other hunters were all gathered in Swift and Hiroh’s apartment. Their room was on the third floor of the building, one story above where the other four hunter’s rooms were. Wone, Taps, Blast, Swift, and Myrah were in the living room while Hiroh slept off his wounds in his room. Wone was laying back on a sofa, exhausted from his exertions while the others were lost in a heated discussion. He found it somewhat amazing Swift still had the energy to stay focused, the man had slain majority of the monsters left at the Lin building.

The wonders of tenure thought Wone.

The clean-cut veteran sat on a couch to the left of Wone beside Myrah. Blast sat across from Wone on another small sofa. In between them was a small table with a holo-projector in its center. The little transparent ball spun around like a little orbiting globe, its inside swirling with different colors. Taps stood over it, staring into the colors as Swift and Blast argued with each other.

“I don’t know what to tell you, you old fuck, the girl was dead when I got in there. No other way around it.” Swift’s face was curled into a sneer, his eyes narrow. He scowled at Blast and threw his veil and hat to the floor, revealing the rest of his tanned fair face. He was staring down at the floor, fuming from Blast’s antagonism.

“I told you, well before that fiend got there that Quake and the others were dead,” accused Blast waving his finger. “You should have at the least been able to get the girl out of there before all those freaks showed up!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Swift declared. He folded his arms and shook his head, done with the conversation.

“Are you two finished?” Taps turned to Swift then Blast, his face serious. “I’d like to actually discuss what happened if you would stop antagonizing Swift, you maniac.”

Blast nodded, closing his eyes. His facial expression was hidden beneath his bandit-like veil.

“Okay, where do I begin,” said Taps clasping his hands together, his face serious. “Firstly, stop blaming Swift, this isn’t his fault. Quake, Taido, and Mezza were in charge of that part of the city and they’re all dead, so this sort of crisis is to be expected. We did the best we could with the short amount of time we had to react.”

Taps paused, then looked at Wone and smiled. “You’ve really got it in you huh? Swift tells me you almost wasted that bastard. good job.”

“Yeah, disappeared at the end. One second, he was behind a pillar, the next he was nowhere to be found.” Wone folded his arms, still thinking about how the fiend escaped.

“Still, the fact you were able to go toe to toe a man who killed three of ours is impressive,” said Taps sincerely. “That he escaped isn’t a surprise.”

Wone nodded, not quite sure of himself. But Taps was right, there was no need to dwell on the how and why.

“With all that in mind, I think we need to take a step back,” said Taps looking around the room. “I’m going to head out and talk to headquarters. In the meantime, we shouldn’t be taking any jobs.”

“Fine by me,” said Blast, his arms folded over his chest. “Pick up your veil you stick in the mud, it isn’t that serious.”

Swift grumbled and reached down to where he had thrown his cap and veil. He looked over to taps, “Well, we still have jobs to do, regardless of if they’re paid.”

“If you feel it necessary to go around killing monsters that’s for you to decide,” replied Taps cooly. “Just don’t go doing it alone for the time being.”

Swift nodded and his face relaxed. He held his veil on his right knee, seemingly lost in thought. He was the most righteous of the six and constantly butted heads with Blast, who was more morally loose.

Poor guy­ thought Wone. Then his mind shifted to how Song fit into all of this, she was a prime target for the warlock after all. He debated mentioning this information to the others but decided against it. There’s no telling what they might do. I could end up putting Song in more risk.

“We’re all getting ahead of ourselves,” interjected Myrah from her place beside Swift. She was leaning against the arm of the couch, her chin resting in her open hand. “Can’t do anything before Hiroh recovers.”

“Fair enough,” said Taps. He turned from the holo and walked to the entrance to the apartment. “I’ll be heading back to my place; I have to make a report on the terminal. I’ll be skipping town tonight.”

He looked over at Wone, then opened the door to the apartment and left. The door fell shut leaving the room in silence.

“I think that’s our cue,” said Myrah rising to her feet. “See ya’ Swift. Wone.”

She waved, then pulled Blast to his feet and pushed him out the door leaving Wone and Swift alone in the living room.

“You and swift gonna be alright?” asked Wone, turning his head to the troubled veteran. He nodded his head.

“Yeah, don’t worry about us kid, we’ll be alright. Go home and get some rest, you did good work today.”

“Alright. See ya Swift.”

Wone brought himself off his back and turned to rise from the sofa. Then he walked to the door and left the apartment. He wandered down the stone floored hallway, listening to the sound of wind sweeping by the apartment building and the faint ambient noise coming from the city. He walked toward the stairwell and leaned against the black railing overlooking the complex parking lot. It was nearly empty, two slots filled with an old model car and the green hatchback Myrah had used to pick up Wone and the other hunters from the city outskirts. Streetlights dotted the lot, bathing the side of the building in dim yellow light. Moths floated around, occasionally bumping into the glass protecting the lamp bulb. It was hot humid and miserable outside, and Wone still smelled like blood and sewage.

“Have to toss this outfit.” He muttered to himself. “Make Song buy me a new one.”

He sighed and pushed off the railing and descended the stairs to the second floor of the complex where his room was. He slowly strolled over to his door, pulled his key out from his pocket, and slipped it into the knob. He turned it, unlocking the door and pushing it open in one motion. He pulled his key from the knob and waltzed into the apartment, even more tired than before. The young hunter yawned and walked into his room, stripping his roasted vest and shirt from his body, and tossing it on the floor. He stood over his bed; between it and the door he entered through. Beside him was the wardrobe where he kept all his gear, across from him a window with a view of an adjacent apartment building.

Wone walked over to the window and hung his shirt on the outcropping beneath the glass. He stripped out of his pants and laid it over his ruined shirt, then grabbed a towel and headed for the shower in only his drawers. He stepped through his door and into the personal bathroom across from him. The young hunter flicked on the lights and looked at himself in the mirror. His muscular chest had minor burn marks in the shape of a circle broiled onto it. Little bubbly pink bumps stretching around the edges of where his vest hugged his torso. His brown eyes looked tired, droopy, and lusterless, little red veins bulging. He stripped off his remaining clothes and hung the towel on a rack beside the tub and turned the faucet. He’d spoil himself with a bath today, watching as the spigot poured steaming hot water into the yellow tinted tub. When the tub filled, he used his right foot to tentatively test the water. Feeling it wasn’t too hot, he gently stepped into the tub and sank into the warmth. It was a large ovular tub in the corner of the bathroom, across from the sink and to the right of the door. He turned off the water and leaned back against the edge of the tub.

He closed his eyes and began to think. First about how the warlock had escaped him, then about what his next move was.

I’m missing a piece, he thought. What do Song and Lin have in common?

He racked his mind, realizing he knew very little about Song, or any of the families for that matter.

“The So are soldiers, the Ngo are politicians, the Song and Chakri are traders….” He was drawing a blank. He could guess Song’s family’s motivations, but he didn’t know who the Lin aligned with or what their goals were. They were probably similar to Song’s, if their mutual enemy was any indication. He’d have to go to Song for more information, which annoyed him because he now understood she probably knew more about the situation than she was letting on. He rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed grunt.

At least she’s cute, he reasoned. He couldn’t allow himself to get mad and damn Song. She was too important to his potential future. He sunk deeper into the big oval basin of a tub until only his eyes remained above the water, then blew bubbles out of his nose in cool frustration. I have much to learn.

The young hunter bathed for a while longer then drained the water and walked back to his room to get dressed. He decided he would contact Song tonight, then go to her after Taps left. He had to sort the situation out now, while he knew the warlock was likely recovering. He pulled on a loose orange and white floral t-shirt, then some grey linen pants and walked into the living room. He glanced over to Taps’s side of the apartment, his door and bathroom were shut, but the terminal room door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar. Wone walked over to the room and peered inside, the terminal was off, the chair and desk beneath it empty. Wone considered using the drive Song had given him for a moment but decided against it.

Taps’s business is his business, Wone thought. The pale man had given Wone his space, so he would return the favor.

He walked back to his room and put on some boots and his belt before moving back to the apartment entrance. He checked his belt for his pistol and his knives, then gave the apartment one last look over before heading out of the building. As the young hunter made his way down the block, he pulled the little blue marble Song had given him at the plaza and focused his essence through it, feeling it hum as it called her.

“Hello Wone.” Answered Song in a sleepy voice. “I’m glad you’re alright, I didn’t hear anything good about what happened earlier.”

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Yeah, it was a mess. I’d like to talk about it in person though,” he said quietly. Wone scanned his surroundings as if he was being followed. “Where are you?”

“You’ll find out when you get here, I’ll send someone to come get you.” She yawned. “Where do you want to get picked up?”

Wone thought for a moment. “There’s a fast-food place on this street called Bougainvillea, it’s in the middle of orange district. It’s called Maina’s.”

“I can find it. see you soon.”

The marble ceased to hum, dimming as it released the power Wone had put into it. He pocketed the small crystal ball and headed up the street toward the edge of his neighborhood. The restaurant was a twenty-minute walk from his apartment, ten if Wone jogged. He did, barely breaking a sweat as he passed through the dark streets barely lit by the dim yellow light of the streetlamps. He passed by graffiti covered wooden fences, rows of single-family houses, barbecues, and three intersections. Finally, he found himself in the shopping center where Maina’s was, a lone building with a glowing red sign on its slanted roof in the right corner of the square. The sign read “Maina’s”, and a few people were inside ordering behind the tall glass windows of the fast-food joint. Wone found a bench on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant and took a seat. As he waited for Song he looked up at the sky and scanned for stars but couldn’t see any over the light pollution.

As Wone relaxed on the bench, Song’s trademark black car pulled into the Maina’s parking lot and stopped in front of him. The window rolled down and Song’s pretty golden face appeared. Her makeup was light, no accessories in her hair and no tiger covered gown. Just a black shirt and the pearls she wore on her wrists.

“If you would kindly climb inside,” she said, her voice melodic.

Wone got up and headed for the driver’s side passenger seat.

“Stop being foolish and get in the front.” She huffed. He snickered and did as she asked, crossing the hood, and climbing in beside Song. She looked at him, her head turned sideways, and her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t get me anything?”

Wone shook his head and gave her a puzzled look. “Do you want me to?”

“Yeah, I want something sweet, like a smoothie or a shake.” She smiled at him.

“Okaay,” Wone drawled bewildered. “Wait, why don’t we just go through the drive through?”

“Obviously because I don’t want to be recognized, keep up Wone.”

The young hunter shook his head, got out of the car, and walked into the restaurant. To his right was a hall that led to the restrooms, past that was the cashier’s counter and to his left were rows of tables. A few tables were in use, a mother with her daughter and another lone man eating a late-night snack. Wone walked up to the register and waited for someone to take his order. Not a minute after approaching the counter, a young woman appeared in a yellow and black uniform with a smiling woman on its chest. The cashier had caramel skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that seemed to look, but see nothing at all.

“Hello! What would you like this evening?” she asked in a loud bubbly tone. She was giving Wone a bright smile.

“Settle down little lady it’s half passed ten,” joked Wone.

“Oh, well I like to live everyday to its fullest!” she laughed. “Well, I guess it would be evening, wouldn’t it?”

Wone looked past the woman and scanned the menu for a smoothie or milkshake to take to Song. Four screens made of metal and glass with printed images and prices hung from the ceiling above the wide kitchen entrance. On the screen furthest to the right were dessert options. They had three smoothie flavors, mango, guava, and pineapple as well as two shake flavors, chocolate, and vanilla.

Well Song likes mango if I remember correctly…

Wone stared at the screen for a moment, the cashier smiling at him the entire time. The young hunter was still mad at the little tyrant for not letting him pick his own dessert at the plaza. So, he decided to get what he wanted and give it to her as revenge.

“Can I get a shake with chocolate and vanilla?” Wone asked.

“Sure! That’ll be two marks,” replied the cashier. Cheap, like anything that wasn’t a luxury good.

Wone fished out two bronze coins from his coin purse and put them onto the cashier’s counter, sliding them forward with his two front fingers. The cashier picked them off the table and put them into the register, her face focused.

“Thank you, sir! We’ll have that right out for you.”

Wone moved from the front counter and leaned against one of the tables near the entrance to the restaurant, watching as the cashier walked into the kitchen and gave someone his order. He waited for five minutes, watching as one of the workers filled a metal cup with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, milk, mixed it up, then poured it into a paper cup. He sprayed some whipped cream on top then gave it to the cashier who brought Wone the drink.

“Here you are!” She chirped handing Wone the milkshake.

“Thanks.” Wone replied gruffly.

He turned and left the fast-food restaurant and walked back over to Song’s car, still parked in the same spot. He walked over to the passenger side door and climbed inside, resting upon the smooth laminated leather her cars seemed to always have.

“Here,” said Wone handing Song her drink.

“Thank you,” she cooed taking the shake. She reached into the center console and pulled out a metal box and opened it. Inside was a black metal straw which she stuck into the milkshake. “Hey!” She looked over at him and narrowed her eyes. “They have a menu out here; I saw that they sell mango smoothies and I know you know I like mango.” She glared at him, taking a quiet sip from her straw. “You’re unbelievable.”

Wone gave her a deadpan stare and they sat looking at each other for a few seconds, Song sipping all the while.

“Okay, what are we doing right now,” Wone asked annoyed.

“I’m having fun, drinking a milkshake,” replied Song calmly between sips. “You’re freaking out and being impatient in my passenger seat.”

“Ugh, stars above…” groaned Wone shaking his head. Song smiled slyly and put her milkshake into the middle cup holder then started the car.

They pulled out of Haina’s parking lot and headed northwest towards Song’s little mansion in the Peaks. She turned the dial on the radio and a somber voice started to fill the car, singing a song about life, and a lover lost.

“You know I was thinking today…” began Wone.

“Yeah? What were you thinking about Wone?” Song asked eyes on the road.

“I was thinking that y’know, we really don’t know each other that well.” His voice was deep and low. The young hunter shifted in his chair so that he was facing Song. The beautiful little prodigy was focused on the road, one hand on the wheel and another on her milkshake. Her long nails danced up and down on each as she listened to Wone speak.

“Yeah? I quite like what you did with your voice, keep talking like that.” Her eyes glanced over at Wone then quickly went back to the road. She pulled her milkshake to her lips and took a deep drink, then placed it back in the cup holder. Her lips curled into a sly smile.

Wone was at a loss at her behavior, but more than that he found her more and more enticing. He had to stop himself from smiling like a giddy fool at her pretty round cheeks and thin lips.

“Why are you messing with me? I called you to speak about serious business, Lady Song.” Wone mustered a serious face and looked into her pretty brown eyes as he waited for a response.

“Am I messing with you? This is just the way I conduct myself,” she said, eyes still on the road. “Are you saying you don’t like who I am?”

“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Wone said defeated. He slumped back in his chair, pretending to give up on the conversation. Song snuck looks at him, her grin growing wider with each peek.

The silence was broken by Song noisily sipping from her straw. “Goodness, you don’t need to look so down. We can talk seriously when we get to my house. For now, let’s just enjoy the ride.”

Wone nodded and they continued in silence, until Song started to hum lightly to the music on the radio.

What a beautiful voice, thought Wone. He closed his eyes and listened to the two girls singing in the car, Song and the woman on the radio.

“Let all my problems, melt away! I won’t worry about the things you say! Just leave them at the door with yesterday!” sang Song along with the mellow voice on the radio. Her voice was softer than the woman’s, so it sounded like a whisper in comparison.

Wone closed his eyes and let his mind drift off as he slowly fell asleep on the ride to Song’s hillside mansion.

“We’re here Wone,” said Song softly. Wone’s eyes opened and he looked out of the front window.

They were at Song’s house, car parked in the front driveway where he could see the dark interior of the glass walled first floor. The young hunter yawned, stretched, and exited the car after Song. He came around the car and followed Song to the front doors, two pieces of thick dark wood beside an outdoor garage. The door swung open on its own and Song motioned for Wone to enter. He was still a little out of it from his nap, but quickly began to regain his composure. The two of them moved through the little entrance hallway that had a door leading out to the garage on the right and into the house on the left. Song opened the left door and motioned for Wone to enter. He did in silence and waited for her to enter the house and close the door.

“How was your nap?” Song asked smiling softly.

“It was good, not as refreshing as I would have liked,” replied Wone.

“That’s good. Now onto business…follow me.”

Song led Wone to the terminal room that they used to access Xie Yan’s line messages. She sat down at the terminal and looked up at Wone, her smile gone and replaced by the neutral expression she normally wore.

“So, what is it you discovered while you were at the Lin Enterprise building?” She tilted her head and let it fall into her right hand.

“That you’re being hunted by a warlock,” declared Wone. “And that he’s a fiend, contracted to a demon.”

Song nodded her head and sighed. “Is there anything more?”

“That I believe you already had an idea something like this was happening. As for why you didn’t tell me?” Wone shrugged.

“You’re very sharp,” sighed Song before sitting back, deflated, into her chair. “I knew about the warlock, but I had no idea about the demon. How’d you figure it out?”

“She invaded my mind while I was chasing the fucker. Probably didn’t expect I’d live but that’s hunter genetics for you.” Wone folded his arms to his chest and made two fists to strengthen his point. Song seemed unamused.

“A demon huh,” muttered Song. She looked off into the room, suddenly lost in thought.

Must be a lot for a normal person to take in thought Wone. Extraplanar beings weren’t common.

“Why’s it after you,” asked Wone. He watched as she rubbed at her forehead in thought, probably considering how she would overcome this new obstacle.

“Because I’m a Song probably,” she said curtly. “Or rather, because we’re trying to stay neutral in the whole war affair the Republic and the Empire have going on.” She covered her eyes with her right hand and began to tap away at her chair’s armrest with her left. “In any case, I’m more glad than ever to have you with me. This isn’t something I’d ever be able to deal with on my own.”

Wone nodded his head. “We’ll have to find a way to deal with this quickly. This situation will only get worse as time goes by. The Order is sending in more people to deal with this, but for our sakes I’d like to resolve it on our own.”

“Agreed.”

Song turned her chair toward the terminal and flipped the machine on. She then began to type away at the keyboard until multiple sites populated on the Line. Wone walked over to the terminal and watched the screen from over Song’s shoulder. She started to type in some names and descriptions and a picture of the man Wone had chased earlier popped up on the screen. It was blocky and digital, an issue most terminals had on when using dark webLine’s like Song was.

“That’s our guy, I think,” said Wone pointing at the digital image. He could not perfectly make out the face, but he looked similar enough. Same sharp handsome features, same head of curly hair, same demonic eyes. The man was walking through a crowded street in an unidentifiable part of town. “The fiend.”

“He’s been spotted around each of the high-profile monster attacks in the city. His targets are always officials or key figures involved in the anti-war effort,” said Song. “Many suspect that it is an internal force within Taipan responsible for his actions, but no one can really say.”

“Do you have any idea where this guy might be lurking,” asked Wone.

“Not within the city limits, but maybe somewhere in the ruins or slums surrounding the northern edge of the city. We’ve had people checking discreetly all around town and that seems like the area he’s sighted the most.”

Wone nodded his head. He was excited at the chance to go up against the warlock again. Hopefully he’d be able to finish him in their next encounter.

“Ah!” Wone exclaimed. “This could be a really good opportunity for you.”

Song turned back at Wone, an eyebrow raised. “How so?”

“If I can kill this guy on my own and give you the credit that would be a major political and social boost for you.”

Song’s eyes lit up and her smile returned. “That would indeed propel me in status.” She began to continue at her keyboard, sending messages to contacts in her detective agency and the police department. “I’ll have to plan this out…In the meantime you want to continue on that drama?”

It amazed Wone how quickly Song shifted gears. Although, she rarely ever seemed to stray too far from neutral anyways so the movement must have came naturally. “Sure.”

The two of them moved to the living room and sat beside each other on the couch. Song dimmed the lights and started the drama they had been watching earlier from the beginning. In that moment Wone felt more relaxed than ever before in his life. He kicked his legs up onto his arm of the couch and rested his head beside Song’s lap. The two of them stayed there watching the drama until they both eventually fell asleep. Wone dreamed of how powerful Song would become if he was able to kill that warlock, and how rich she’d make him.