(Ryan's POV)

I exhaled, a remorseful sigh meant to ease my nerves.

The mammoth dangling in Aaron's glistening fingers? I think he was one of those few mercenaries who still had a drop of virtue running through his veins. Bearing the sheer animosity of someone who's just lost two members of his party was difficult.

"Was mocking them necessary?" Aaron wondered, hesitantly. "I mean, I understand they're going to die, but mocking them—"

My facial muscles had loosened into a notable detachment.

"Since they're going to die, it shouldn't matter whether I mock them or not."

"You—" He sighed. "About your mana."

My fingers dangled over the SCO on my wrist. As a hunter, I was severely lacking in terms of raw mana potential. Because my amount was far lower than the norm, I could only use a low-ranking spell once.

"What's the point of asking when you already know the answer?"

Mana drainage. If I don't pass out after manifesting the elemental spell, I'll be rendered completely useless after for sure. Both of us are aware of that.

"It's a good thing we'd have some distance from this place once you use it," Aaron reassured me.

"You'll have to drive, though," I said. "We'll execute everything as we've discussed, extract the mana core once the monster's death is confirmed, and then slip out of this shithole before the hordes can touch us."

The arrangements had been made in advance. Aaron was unaware of the specifics, but he was well aware of his part.

"Does our deal still stand?" inquired a voice from behind.

I cast a glance towards Edward, disgust flooding my guts as I encountered someone viler than myself, someone who felt no remorse for his actions.

"Throw him there." I pointed with my chin toward a space in the building.

Understanding the assignment, the mercenary flung him inside. His scrawny figure spread over the wall's gray surface like a poster, and the crack of his bones was music to my ears. Coughers rang out, and I stood there watching him struggle in silence.

"Aren't you going to release me?" Edward finally asked, the pain-filled expression on his face apparent.

"And let a traitorous piece of shit like you run amok?" I scoffed, a tiny amount of mana churning through as I put my foot on his ankle. "Just stay in there and hope to die quickly. Don't even consider running, or else—"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Another snap, another agonizing scream. He won't be able to flee now. Good.

"You can't leave me in here!" he cried, his voice echoing throughout the structure as he crawled toward us. "We had an agreement! I kept my end of the bargain, so you should keep yours!"

I descended the unsteady staircase, ignoring his yells.

Aaron, unlike his companion, laid Logan on the floor with tenderness. "Aren't you going to keep your word?"

"No," I said. "That's not the kind of person I intend to uphold my promise with. He'll either die in the rubble, or if he escapes, then he'll be hunted down and be eaten. Let's hope he goes with the second option."

In any case, the longer he could breathe, the better. That anticipatory anguish and fear of death, caused by his inability to move due to the handcuffs and a shattered ankle, will permeate into the marrow of his bones.

"Piece of shit," growled the Hawkes' leader, peering malice at me. "Why in the fuck are you even dividing us?"

I extended my hand to Aaron. "You have no leverage to order me around."

Taking the sword, I scratched its peerless tip against the floor as I got closer to him. Then I felt a chilly, heavy hand on my shoulder. Aaron, obviously, was looking at me with concern.

It wasn't as though using others as bait was the first thing that sprang to mind.

We tried to lure it with sound initially, hoping its senses were more developed than the rest of the goblins. It was, nevertheless, surprisingly astute; it didn't fall for the trap, and instead, we awoke surrounded by a swarm of goblins. That day, a trusted colleague, gentle and faithful, died.

Then we employed the bodies of other monsters, which resulted in an anticipated failure. That abnormality was only interested in the warm blood of humans, the packets of blood and organs we carried as a last resort not captivating it in the slightest.

"Grit your teeth," I urged as I approached the knelt victim, providing the last drop of compassion I could muster as I put the edge just below his nails. "This will hurt... a lot."

"Motherfucker—" A scream tore through his throat as the blade sliced through his flesh and bones.

Aaron couldn't take his eyes from the cement floor, only taking a step back to escape a finger bit that dropped next to his foot. Reality flooded over him, making him shiver. We crossed the line. No, we've far passed it.

"With his blood gushing out, we don't have a lot of time left," I said as I spun around. "There's no going back now."

We were getting closer to the exit.

Choking particles of dust burst in the air as Aaron's prosthetic collided with a pillar. Augmented limbs were hard to sustain, especially if you weren't a hunter and couldn't wield mana—because you had to replace the orbit consistently—but they proved highly efficient.

"Maybe I should get one of those, too?" I muttered, hoping to dispel the unsettling atmosphere.

"Stop joking around," Aaron muttered as I walked out of the shadows. "Do not try to make light of what has just occurred—

Glass shattered, covering his voice. A car alarm went off. My eyes widened as I searched for the source, only to locate the figure of the young man I had seen earlier, smashing yet another car's window with the handle of his filthy saber.

"Is he crazy?" In disbelief, I questioned myself as Aaron dashed toward him.

Aside from the anomaly, all of that noise will attract all of the monsters in the 4th District! They won't just go in this direction because they smell blood; they'll race to find out what the fuck was going on!

I couldn't close my mouth for some inexplicable reason. As I met his gray eyes, my heart fell to the depths of my stomach. They were hollow, as if nothing else mattered as long as he could take me down with him.

How on earth did he manage to survive...?