ACT 1: HAINO CITY, CHAPTER 7. THE HUNT

Wone, Song, and a small army of policemen stood in front of Song’s detective agency ready to carry out a raid. The air was cool, and the sky was grey with clouds. The beginnings of a storm had begun to breeze towards Haino bay, close enough that the rain could be smelled on the wind. It wouldn’t be long before it began to drizzle and eventually pour down rain.

Perfect weather to kill a warlock Wone thought.

“I would have liked to get a lot more information about the demon before we did this, but you’re the expert.” Song’s arms were crossed, she stood across from Wone in her usual get up. The two of them were standing in front of the detective agency, a fleet of police cars behind them.

“Indeed,” replied Wone. “He’ll probably have healed by now, but he’s definitely going to be lying low. If he is out there in the slums, then this is our best chance at finding him.”

Song nodded. It’d been two days since he spent the night at her mansion, and in that time they’d planned an operation to raid the slums right outside of the city limits. Song had exercised her contacts and determined that as the most likely place for the warlock’s hideout. Wone was excited to get another chance at the fiend, he’d kill him and make Song powerful. He’d also get rich in the process.

“Well good luck. I’m trusting you to confront him on your own, but if things get out of hand contact me with the crystal ball.” Song gave him a wave and Wone walked over to a police car and climbed in.

He was riding with four other men, filling out all five seats in the car. The officers were kitted out in heavy gear, plated vests, glass visored helmets, sub-machine guns, semi-automatic rifles, the works.

Wouldn’t be surprised if they were carrying white-phosphorus and tear gas too, thought Wone.

“Let’s head out,” said Wone to the officer up front. The armored man nodded, and the car started and began to roll along to their destination.

They followed the convoy through the city center then split off when they got into the northern district. Wone was to be dropped off a few blocks from the border gates that separated the city proper from the ruins and slums surrounding it. He’d quickly move into the area they suspected the warlock was hiding out at and flush him out. Song’s police and the So soldiers would handle the rest.

“Almost there,” called the muffled voice of the driver. Wone nodded his head and squeezed his right hand into a fist in anticipation.

They stopped at a street full of townhouses on either side stretching up and down for blocks. North of him was the wall that separated Haino proper from the abandoned city. Wone left the police car and quickly began to jog up the street toward the wall, a shotgun, and a saber on his back. The street was mostly empty, a few people left their houses and got into their cars to drive off, but otherwise Wone was the only person in sight. He continued jogging until he reached the wall, then started moving along it until he found one of the guard tower entrances Song had briefed him on earlier. The northern wall had towers spaced out every half a kilometer watching the abandoned city for any unusual monster activity or suspicious people. Wone would meet the guards at this tower and use a rope to descend into the abandoned city and search the slums for the warlock. He entered the tower and climbed up the spiral staircase to the second level of the tower. There was a ladder leading up to the top of the tower where a sentry could see for kilometers and a smaller window to look through right ahead of Wone, all made of light brown brick. A guard sat on a small foldable chair by a radio listening to the police chatter. He was a young man in a dark blue uniform, sun tanned and brown eyed. He looked at Wone cautiously.

“You the hunter,” he asked skeptically.

“Yeah, you got the rope,” Wone replied. The man nodded and pulled a metal box from behind the radio stand and opened it up. He reached in and handed Wone a hooked rope.

“Here you go. I’ll make sure the hook stays on while you descend.” The guard rose from his chair and followed Wone out of the tower and to the parapets.

Wone tossed the rope over the wall and let the hook latch onto the parapet. He then climbed over the edge and grabbed onto the rope, slowly lowering himself into the abandoned city below. He looked up and saw the guard watching him descend, his hands near the hook to grab onto it should it come loose. It never did, Wone let his feet touch the concrete of the city below and turned to head toward his destination. He looked back towards the wall and saw the guard unhook the rope and pull it back over the wall.

No turning back now thought Wone.

He walked ahead, moving through abandoned buildings and empty rundown streets towards the suspected location of the warlock’s hideout. He continued through the ruins until he found himself in the slums around the checkpoint. Streets became more populated and the homeless and poor walked about the ruined streets unbothered by Wone’s presence. He was on the eastern edge of the slum; the warlock was most likely to be hiding out at the northern edge. Wone would head directly there from where he was and call Song when he reached Day Street, which is when they would spring their trap and cordon off the entire portion of the slum so the warlock couldn’t escape.

The young hunter turned northwards and headed down streets of dilapidated buildings, overgrowth covered concrete, and crack ridden sidewalks. Weathered people in rough and disheveled clothing started to pull down clothes lines and stands in preparation for the coming storm. The streets were beginning to empty out, leaving few people for Wone to use as cover in his approach.

It shouldn’t matter thought Wone. He won’t be able to slip the cordon anyways.

Wone continued, his anticipation mounting as he grew nearer and nearer to his mark, his ticket to glory.

I will kill him, thought Wone. I will kill him and make Song into a true leader. The thought became a mantra, and he chanted it over and over in his head as he drew closer and closer to the warlock’s suspected whereabouts.

He found himself on an abandoned street, the road continued down a slope from where he stood, and below him stretched the endless concrete structures of the abandoned city. Creaky skyscrapers and old housing developments sitting empty, or full of monsters and vagrants. Wone pulled out the little marble that allowed him to contact Song and filled it with his essence. It hummed to life, and he spoke into it.

“Song, I’m at Sun Street start the cordon,” Wone said firmly.

“Alright, I’ll let everyone know. Good luck, Wone.”

The marble released Wone’s essence and dimmed. The young hunter slipped it into his pocket and continued down the block. He’d have to search building to building to find the warlock without terminal support from the Order. It was the price he’d have to pay for doing this solo. Wone did a cursory search of the entire block, looking for any signs of inhabitance, a clue that would let him know which building the warlock was staying in. He entered one of the abandoned apartment complexes on the block and climbed to the top floor and walked out onto the roof of the building. He peered over its edge and surveyed the area.

Look for signs of recent activity, a door cleaner than the rest Wone thought. A house more appealing than the others, something.

He watched the road, scanned every doorstep, examined every door. Nothing.

There’s no helping it then.

He climbed back down the stairs and began the grueling task of kicking down every door and searching every room for the warlock. He cleared the block in forty-five minutes and found nothing. He walked out of the dark and dusty old building he was in and stood in the doorway, scanning the street. He pulled the little marble out of his pocket and called Song.

“Hello, is everything alright?” Song’s voice was worried.

“I underestimated how hard this would be. I’ll need a couple guys to help me clear these buildings.” Wone held the marble up to his mouth and leaned up against the doorway with that same arm.

“Alright I’ll send in three cars,” replied Song before releasing the call.

Wone slipped the marble back into his pocket and continued to kick down doors and search through abandoned buildings to no avail. He walked out of another empty building and watched as three police cars came cruising towards him, wet from the little droplets of rain that had started to fall while Wone was searching through his current building. Twelve men stepped out of the three cars and approached Wone, they looked intimidating in their blue and black plate carriers and clear visors. A man with a golden lotus on the crown of his helmet approached Wone, a submachine gun cradled in his arms.

“Me and half my men will start on the next block. We’ll meet in the middle and hopefully pinch this bastard out,” he said from behind his visor. His voice was gruff and muffled. “The cars will keep patrolling the area and ring their sirens if they see anything suspicious.”

Wone gave the man a nod and led six of the officers down the street to continue to search the buildings. They cleared the rest of the block in another half hour and moved on to the next one. The police cars circled around the street like armored beasts, their blue painted frames darkening as the storm began to turn the sky into a complete shade of grey. They kept searching, breaking down door after door, storming room after room, climbing up and down creaky old stairs discovering nothing. Finally, they arrived at the final block, a street filled with old apartment buildings and townhomes. Either he was here, or he was nowhere, Wone was hoping for the former. Wone turned to the six men following behind him.

“Either we find him now or not at all. Get ready,” said Wone stoically. He turned and marched up to the first building on the block, a townhouse, and kicked in its blue door.

They searched the house up and down, breaking down doors, sifting through old wardrobes, and picking through closets to find nothing. Wone could feel the anticipation in his chest now, his body catching jitters at the thought of the evil-eyed fiend hiding behind one of these doors, waiting for him to come storming in. He had to know they were onto him now; they had searched the whole block and stopped being subtle about it a while ago.

He must be here; we’ll have him soon, thought Wone.

They finally met the other team clearing houses in front of an old red brick town house with a stone porch. The thirteen of them stood upon the cracked sidewalk peering through the house’s windows, knowing if they were going to find the warlock it would be now. Wone looked to the policeman with the lotus on his head and gave him a nod, then pulled his shotgun into his hands and walked up to the house’s front door. He crept up the stone steps onto the porch stoop and slowly placed his ear to the door.

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Nothing.

The rain started to really pour down now, and the sound of distant thunder rang throughout the abandoned city. Despite the noise, Wone felt his mind enter a moment of clarity.

I will kill him, he thought.

He prepared to kick down this final door and confront the warlock, he was here, Wone was certain of it. The young hunter kicked the door down and rushed into the house. It was dark, but he could see the dirt and grime of recent footsteps all along the foyer floor. Straight ahead of him was a hall that led to a living room and to his left was a dining room that melded into a kitchen. To his right was a staircase that led to the second floor. The house was cleaner than any of the other abandoned buildings they had searched through, the floors were swept, and the walls were scrubbed clean of dirt and grime. Wone flicked a light switch on the wall to his left and sure enough, the foyer was bathed in the fluorescent light of a newly placed bulb. The warlock was here.

“He’s here, spread out and find him!” Wone barked. “Some of you need to head out the backdoor and make sure he doesn’t weasel out of here!”

Three men rushed through the hallway, guns drawn, and exited the brown wooden door to the backyard. Another two brushed past Wone and began searching the first floor, the other eight men remained outside. Wone climbed up the stairs to the second floor and peered around the corner of the stairwell to scan his surroundings. He found two rooms and another hall that led to two more rooms. He readied his weapon and kicked down the door to the room closest to the stairwell. It was empty, not a piece of furniture in sight, just dust and a dirty barren floor. He moved onto the next room and kicked down the door. Before he could enter it, he felt a wave of heat envelop him.

“Incinerate!” called the warlock, sending a ball of fire flying through the open doorway.

Wone ducked aside and fired two rounds of pellets at the fiend hidden behind a large queen-sized bed. He struck the bed twice, sending cotton flying though the room that obscured his vision.

“Force!” yelled the warlock, and suddenly Wone found himself swept up with the broken-down door and sent tumbling down the stairs with enough force to crack the staircase beneath him. The young hunter went crashing into the foyer, cracking drywall, and wooden floor, before rolling out of the open front door and onto the stone stoop of the front porch.

Wone groaned and pushed himself to his feet. Such force would have killed a normal man, but Wone was made of sturdier bone and sinew. He pulled the marble from his pocket and focused his essence into it.

“Song we found the fiend, engaging now.” He slipped the marble back into his pocket without awaiting a reply and rushed back into the house.

The two policemen who were searching the first floor had rushed up the stairs and started to fire at the warlock. One of them was at the top of the staircase shooting into the room the warlock was taking cover in while the other was further into the hallway.

“Disintegrate!” bellowed the warlock. Wone watched as the police officer who was in the hallway fell back into the top of the staircase, now a smoking corpse. His armor was completely blackened, and his skin charred. He turned to ashen dust when his remains touched the floor, his helmet clattering down the wooden steps to Wone’s feet.

The other officer reloaded his submachine gun and continued to fire at the warlock. Suddenly the fiend blinked into existence right beside him and wrapped his arms around his head. He quickly snapped the officer’s neck and threw his body down at Wone. The young hunter ducked under it and sent two shotgun blasts up at the warlock. His body shifted with enough quickness that Wone’s eyes could barely register that the man had moved, he had avoided every pellet.

“Incinerate!” The fiend tossed another fireball at Wone. He rolled out of its path into the dining room beside the foyer and ducked under a wooden table in the center of the room.

Wone quickly loaded four shells into his shotgun and crawled out from beneath the table and fired at the warlock who was now standing in the foyer. He shifted again, his movements leaving only after images as he dashed out of the house and into the front yard. The sound of gunfire filled the young hunter’s ears as the police officers waiting outside began to fire at the warlock. Wone rose to his feet and crept over to the front doorway. He peeked his head around the wall separating the dining room from the foyer and watched as the warlock used his unnatural movement to avoid the gunfire and flee down the street. The police cars patrolling the area had begun to ring their sirens, soon So soldiers and officers from the cordon would start to descend upon the sound of gunfire and confront the warlock. Wone walked out from behind the wall and pursued the warlock down the street, overtaking the officers who had also given chase with his superior speed.

“Been waiting to get my hands on you again, fiend!” Taunted Wone.

“It won’t go your way this time hunter!” The warlock called back. He twisted back toward Wone and launched another fireball.

Wone rolled out of the spells way and fired another two shells at the warlock, again he shifted unnaturally out of the attack. The young hunter rose to his feet and continued to pursue the warlock down the street. One of the police cars that had been patrolling the block pulled up into the crosswalk ahead of the fiend and the hunter and the driver got out of the vehicle and started to fire his rifle at the warlock.

“Blight!” Howled the warlock, pointing his finger at the police car. A black bolt of light erupted from his fingertips and struck the car, corroding the metal and sending in rolling over the officer taking cover behind it. The vehicle turned once, then melted into boiling liquid, coating the officer.

“AHHHHHHH!” The officer kicked and screamed as the molten metal fell upon him, turning his body into green and blue bubbling slag.

“That’s rank,” muttered Wone, still pursuing the fiend.

The warlock hurdled over the puddle of bubbling metal and man, Wone following close behind. The young hunter was getting closer and closer to overtaking the fiend, whatever magic was boosting his physical capabilities was inferior to Wone’s own altered genetics and intense training.

I’ll get close, and cut him down with the saber, thought Wone as he closed in on the fleeing warlock.

They continued their footrace, exchanging spells and gunfire as Wone grew closer and closer to the warlock. The young hunter felt exhilaration at the thought of cutting down the fiend, his death would mean another leap forward towards riches and fame. The two were within arms reach of each other now, Wone tossed his shotgun back over his shoulder and drew his saber. The metal sliced through the air and rain as it flowed form its sheath. The warlock turned and prepared to throw another spell at Wone.

“For—,” before the fiend could finish his casting his spell Wone lunged at him with his sword, nearly cleaving the man in two. He dodged to the side of the blade, flowing away like water.

Wone brought the blade back and slashed at the fiend again, barely missing his chest as the warlock backed out of the saber’s path.

“None of that fancy movement? I guess it only works on bullets, eh?” Wone cackled and lunged at the warlock again, bringing his saber down on the fiend from up high.

The warlock dodged to the left, but Wone expected this and followed his path with his blade. He cut the man straight down the chest, coating his saber in blood and sending some of it down onto the damp pavement beneath them.

“Ahh,” groaned the warlock backing away from Wone. He clutched at his torn jumpsuit, seething from the wound. The two men circled each other, Wone’s expression curled into a murderous grin while the warlock huffed in pain and exhaustion.

Lightning struck, engulfing the city in a flash of light and then the booming sound of thunder. Wone lunged at the fiend again, his saber dancing through the rain as it came speeding towards the warlock. The wounded man dodged, narrowly avoiding Wone’s attack, grunting in pain from the cut on his chest. Blood dripped from the fiend’s torso, mixing with the rain, and washing into the waiting gutters below. As Wone continued to slash away at the warlock, the fiend focused some power into his hands, and they became enveloped in a glowing green light. He swung at Wone, letting his fists fly at the young hunter. Wone dodged each blow and countered with his own, continuing this deadly dance. As they continued fighting, the blood seeping from the warlock’s chest started to dry up, and the fiend’s movements became more controlled, he had healed from his wounds.

“What devilish resistance you have,” mocked Wone between attacks. “But it won’t be enough!”

Wone dodged another punch and sliced at the fiend’s torso again, cutting him from gut to breast. The warlock grunted, then struck at the young hunter again. Wone ducked the swing and sliced open the fiend’s left side.

“Force!” Wone was gripped by the kinetic energy released from the spell and sent flying back down the street, smacking the pavement with enough force to injure his bones. The fiend stumbled backward and began to flee further into the ruins, his gait slow from all of the wounds he had sustained.

The young hunter rose to his feet, ignoring the pain from his creaking bones, and dashed after the warlock. The fiend reached the end of the block and turned left at an intersection. Wone followed behind; his stride slowed by the aching of his body. He turned the corner and found the warlock leaning against the shattered window of an old store, ahead of the two was a police barricade. Blue and red lights flashed on and off as the two stood still under the pouring rain. The warlock’s gaze was fixed ahead, either on the police manning the barricade or the city ahead. He looked calm. Wone approached him slowly, his breathing pained.

“This is it my unfortunate friend,” said Wone standing a meter from the warlock. His tone was soft, sincere. “Time to face the music.”

Wone readied his saber and lunged at the warlock, the fiend stuck out his hand and began to chant something but was too slow. Wone brought his saber across from his left with his right arm, swinging in an arc that would cut the warlock in two. But before the blade could find its mark, he felt something wrap around his stomach, it tightened and his feet left the ground, the warlock in front of him suddenly grew distant. He was in the air; something was throwing him.

“What the hell!” Wone yelled.

The thin rope tied around his stomach came undone and he was sent hurdling into a rusting old car. His body struck the old vehicle, denting the brittle metal before falling to the ground. Wone groaned and landed on his feet; his teeth bared in frustration. He looked across from him and found a demon, a tall grey woman in a blue dress with wings and a tail. She had dark blue hair and was wearing a blue dress with black sleeves, grey thighs exposed to the wind and the rain. She scowled back at Wone, her tail swishing back and forth before disappearing into black mist with her wings.

“You’ve made yourself quite a nuisance, brute.” Her tone was cool, eyes narrowed at Wone in annoyance.

Wone rose to his feet and leaned back into the ruined car for support. Fighting a fiend was one thing, taking on a demon was another. In his current state, confronting the grey woman meant certain death. Wone searched for the words to respond to the demon with, something witty, a bid to get her to reveal something about her nefarious plans. In the end he just smiled and shook his head.

“What can I say? I do what I must.” Wone stood up from the car and readied his saber. The demon looked at him, a bored expression on her face, then turned toward the police barricade.

“You should have brought your Order along. I wouldn’t have been able to save this fool if you had,” said the demon, her voice was soft, almost grateful. “I suggest you watch your back in the future, hunter.”

The sound of gunfire ripped through the air as the officers began to shoot at the demon. Each of their bullets were suspended in the air before the woman, then sent hurdling back towards the flashing lights of the barricade. The sound of glass shattering and metal sparking filled the air, then the demon’s wings and tail sprouted from her back. She scooped up the injured warlock into her arms and took flight, her wings beating three times before carrying her up into the air. Wone drew his pistol and fired at the demon, to no avail. The officers in the barricade also sent bullets hurdling towards the grey woman, but none of them struck true. Once again, the warlock had escaped Wone’s grasp. He watched as the grey wings of the demon flapped further and further away, disappearing into the dark, cloud filled sky. Wone turned toward the barricade of bullet ridden police cars and sighed.

“At least I’m alive,” Wone muttered to himself. He turned back toward the direction he had come from, seeing the officers who had accompanied him earlier finally arriving on the scene.

The officer with the orchid on his helmet walked ahead of his companions and approached Wone.

“We found something in the house you might want to see,” he said excitedly, before turning and motioning for Wone to follow.

The officer led Wone back to the house they had discovered the warlock in, heading down the hallway to the living room and through a door down into the basement. In a room right at the bottom of the stairs was a working terminal, locked into its home screen. Wone reached intro his belt and pulled out the drive Song had given him days ago. He turned to the officer, smiling.

“You think we’ll find anything useful in there?” Wone shifted giddily, despite the aching pain racking his body.

“Only one way to find out,” the officer replied. He motioned for Wone to slip the drive into the terminal.

Wone stepped forward and slid the drive into the terminal, watching as the screen became filled with green text and then a download bar. The terminal finished uploading the information within ten minutes, and Wone pulled the drive out and slipped it into his belt.

At least today wasn’t a total loss, thought Wone.

“Let’s get back to the agency building. Song’ll want to see this.” Wone turned and climbed up the stairs leading out of the basement, hoping the drive would have information on it that would salvage the day.