Gladean Empire, Capital city of Stadtra: 936, February 6th, Tuesday, 7:00 PM.
In complete contrast to the first time Bloodhound walked the lively streets of Stadtra, the place seemed abandoned and ghastly this time around. All houses have turned off their lights, with only the moon light and the whispering sounds of the wind remaining.
“Did we go through some portal into a different dimension?” Scott speculated, turning his head from side to side while looking at the now desolated streets.
“I-I don’t like this place anymore…” Tori shivered with her medical kit in hand.
“It can’t be this quiet with specters on the loose, is this some sort of trick?” Claire grew inpatient, her attentive eyes looking for any sort of movement within the shadows.
“Hey, you over there!” A voice called out to the group.
A man dressed in a red combat armor with a visor helmet that covered his face approached the group—his getup displayed the image of a creature with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake for a tail. “You are not allowed to be outside during our investigation, return immediately.” He urged them to return with an angry tone.
“This guy...” Scott’s body became tense as he held his glasses.
Tori stared at the man with an alarming expression, her fingers holding a strong grip on the medical kit. “Why is Chimera here?” she wondered to herself as the man approached.
“...!” Claire reacted in shock as she looked at her gear emanating a bright crimson light. “Watch it, Tori!” she leaped at the redhead and tackled her into the ground.
The soldier swung his arm with inhuman strength while aiming at Tori’s head, missing by a hair and cutting the wind in the process. Letting out a deafening screech, the sheer pressure of the man’s scream split his helmet in half—revealing his mutated face underneath.
“Gaspard!” Eric yelled.
Closing the distance in a second at his master’s cmmand, Gaspard rushed the mutated soldier and used his palm to strike at his chest. The absurd amount of strength of his attack sent the man flying away a great distance, breaking his armor in the process and revealing his specter like body.
Once on her feet, Tori managed to spot more soldiers emerging from the shadows. “Lieutenant, more incoming!” She announced, unholstering her modified stun gun.
Looking around, the group found itself surrounded by the mutated soldiers as well as a small pack of alpha threat specters. While the soldiers displayed a similar aspect to them, they lacked crucial features that specters possess—including the core and crimson energy flowing through their bodies.
“Scott, provide support from above. Tori, you stay close to me!” Claire ordered while unholstering her gear, both pistols in hand glowing with intensity and eager to engage in battle.
“Ma’am!” The pair roared.
Eric unsheathed the sword from his hip and took a fighting stance with Gaspard covering his back. “What are those things...?” he muttered, looking at one of the mutated creatures. “Let’s deal with them fast!”
A soldier in red armor leaped at the young noble, swinging its bladed arm downwards. Stopping the blow with his weapon, Eric twisted the specter to the side and stabbed its chest with his blade, pulling upwards with all his strength—vertically splitting the opponent in an instant. The soldier hit the ground and dissipated into a strange thick black liquid, dissipating into steam right after.
"The hell..." The noble said under his breath, focusing on the creature.
A specter frantically attacked Claire with multiple quick strikes of its arms. Moving from side to side, she was able to avoid the monster’s claws as she patiently waited for an opportunity. Finding her opening in between the specter’s movement, she blew both its hands with a few rapid shots of her pistols—staggering the creature. Not wasting a single second, she pulled the triggers in her guns continuously and showered the defenseless specter in a rain of bullets. Incapable of withstanding her assault, its core shattered into pieces and dispersed into embers alongside the monster.
“You know how fight,” Eric praised Claire as he approached to assist.
“Same to—watch it!” Before she could return the courtesy, Claire spotted a small group of specters approaching. Taking positions back-to-back, the pair patiently waited for their chance to strike.
Two specters and a mutated soldier surrounded them and began their assault, simultaneously rushing towards them. Eric hurled his dagger at the mutated human, hitting its eye and stopping its advance. Rushing in to finish it off, he slashed the soldier through its chest and split its body in half—turning it into the dissipating black liquid.
Claire shot a barrage of bullets against the two specters, quickly dispatching one of them with a fatal shot to the core. However, the second enemy protected itself by using its arms as a shield—continuing its assault with a quick slash from its claws. Rolling forward under the monster’s horizontal attack, Claire rotated her upper body as she kneeled down on the floor to shoot the joints of the creature from behind—bringing it to its knees.
Before it could recover, a strong impact blew the specter’s chest, driving it to the floor and destroying its core in an instant. Following the projectile’s trajectory, Claire spotted Scott providing support from the top of a nearby house. Noticing the lieutenant looking his way, he tapped the bridge of his glasses—lighting up the lenses.
“Don’t get yourself killed, idiot!” She yelled with concern for her teammate.
Focusing on the battlefield once again, Scott aimed his scope towards a couple of specters pestering Tori. Having been separated from the group, she tried to keep the creatures at bay as much as possible. Noticing the bright light of Scott's lenses, Tori took a quick shot at one of the creatures with her stun gun—stunning the specter into a halt. Leading the other opponent in front of its staggered ally, Tori managed to line them up in a single row.
Lining up the shot, Scott exhaled slowly and pulled the trigger of his rifle. The bullet traveled through the air and pierced the stunned specter, breaking its core and continuing its curse into the second specter’s chest—dispatching both targets with a single bullet.
“And that’s what I call style,” he smirked to himself—fixing his glasses. With a quick thumbs up, both Bloodhound members confirmed their well-being and move on to their next objective.
Back on the ground, one of the mutated humans sneaked in on Eric from behind and restraining him from the back. Claire rushed in to his aid, but was stopped by the sudden tackle of a specter that knocked her into the ground in a strong impact. Eric was lift up by the monster’s inhuman strength as he hopelessly attempted to break free—thrown to the ground with enormous force.
Claire wrestled on the floor with her opponent, trying to keep distance as the gnarly creature snapped at her face with its sharp teeth. “G-get... off!” she growled, unable to shake off the monster.
Somewhere in the Deadlands: 936, February 6th, Tuesday, 7:30 PM.
Having moved away from the giant castle, the Heretic unit returned to camp in order to give necessary maintenance to their gear and rest up. Aria and Xun slept soundly in their tents while Sebastian sat on the floor in the middle of the small camp. While the red sky of the Deadlands made it difficult to tell day from night, the extreme temperatures of the region helped identify the time of day while inside—maintaining an intense high temperature during the day and a harsh low one during the night.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Sebastian spaced out while waiting for the morning, playing with a small crimson ring on his finger. A memento of the life him and his daughter lost a few years back when the specters broke out of the Deadlands, making their way into the small village they used to call home. The monsters arrived unannounced and wreaked havoc on the peaceful village, mercilessly slaughtering every resident that crossed their path in a blood bath that is talked about by many to this day.
“This place’s a grave,” he muttered as his mind drifted to a better time.
“I know someone who wouldn’t be pleased with you saying that,” Yeon suddenly appeared from within the fog, addressing Sebastian in a casual tone.
Sebastian raised his eyebrow as his face snapped into a puzzled expression. “Hm? Isn’t it a bit too dangerous for you to be here?” he asked, spotting no signs of an escort accompanying Yeon.
“It’s not a problem, at least not for now.” she casually stated, walking in closer and bending down to hand the sitting Sebastian a letter. “From the boss.”
His puzzled face changed immediately into a bright smile. “Remembered an old friend, huh?” cordially accepting the letter, Sebastian proceeded to clumsily open it with his hands—making a total mess.
Yeon adjusted her glasses with furrowed eyebrows. “… I thought you’d wait for me to leave before reading it,” she said with slight distraught.
Sebastian simply laughed however. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”
The letter described Heretic’s new task in the Deadlands, providing all necessary information on the colossal specter known as, Wendigo. Having no one else to trust with the task, Sovereign lent Heretic the task to face the gigantic creature—confidently expressing interest in hearing about their encounter.
“Looks big,” Sebastian nonchalantly commented on the picture of the intimidating creature within the letter.
“We trust you’ll be able to handle it,” Yeon responded with no hint of concern in her voice.
“Oh, by the way.” The major took a dog tag from his pocket and the fragile white flower wrapped up in a tiny cloth he carried inside his jacket, stretching his hand towards Yeon. “She left this behind.”
Yeon received the dog tag and safeguarded it in her pocket, keeping the flower in her hand. “Thank you, the boss will be pleased to see it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” she began to walk her way back.
“Can you answer a question before leaving?” Sebastian stopped her while standing back on his feet.
Yeo turned to face him once more, “I make no promises.”
“Is my daughter alright?” he asked softly with furrowed brows. “I didn't want her to take this path but... I guess it wasn’t my choice to make.”
Yeon smiled softly, captivated by the father's concern for his only daughter. “The boss is taking good care of her, Sebastian. You have nothing to worry about.” Yeon reassured him before disappearing within the fog.
Gladean Empire, Capital city of Stadtra: 936, February 6th, Tuesday, 7:30 PM.
Claire wrestled the specter on the floor, her exhausted arm unable to push the creature off as she held its head with the other hand. Changing tactics, she attempted to push the creature away with her leg—but to no avail. As she was about to call on the bike to free herself, the specter is shot away by a powerful electrified dart connecting with its eye—landing on its back.
“Lieutenant, finish it!” Tori shouted from behind, pointing her stun gun at the specter.
The creature jumped back on its feet once the effects of the dart ran off, letting out a powerful scream. Its thunderous screech is cut short by the spectral bike however, landing on top of the specter and using its wheel to crush the monster’s core. The spectral bike's roar drowned the squeals of the specter as its core shattered under the pressure—bringing an end to its life.
Rushing towards Claire, Tori stopped to inspect her body for any injuries she could’ve received. “Lieutenant, are you alright!” she gasped.
“I am,” Claire answered with a gentle smile. “Thank you.”
Lost for words at the lieutenant's compliment, Tori simply giggled with a flushed face.
Throwing the specter off balance with a strong strike from his palm, Gaspard stroked multiple times at the creature’s chest. “Young master!”
Having been assisted by his butler, Eric charged forward to rejoin the fight. Putting all his efforts into a powerful thrust, the young noble pierced the mutant’s chest with his sword—holding it in place. Applying all his strength into his next attack, Gaspard ended the fight with a quick strike to the soldier’s head—ending its life as its body turned into the strange black liquid.
“Sorry, I let my guard down…” Eric groaned while fixing his back. “Thank you, Gaspard.”
“It is my job, sir. I’m glad to see you well.” the butler bowed.
Seeing no more specter’s around, Claire and Tori regrouped with Gaspard and Eric—entering a defensive formation to cover each other’s back. They remained in position for some time, keeping an attentive eye on every corner, every street and every shadow.
“Is that all of them?” Eric asked, unable to spot any foes around.
Claire directed her eyes towards Scott, asking for intel on the situation through hand signs. With the height advantage, he scouted the surrounding area and confirmed the extermination of all hostiles within the vicinity—offering Claire a thumbs up.
The lieutenant’s shoulders dropped as released a short sigh of relief. “We are clear...” she announced while commanding Scott to regroup with them.
With a long sigh, Tori let herself fall to the ground gently—lying on her back. “I’ll never get used to this…”
“We’ve dealt with the problem, let’s head back to the manor.” Eric suggested, holding his injured shoulder.
“I agree, some of you were hurt during the battle.” Gaspard stated. “May I ask young Endel for assistance in treating the injured?” he looked at Tori—still lying on her back.
“Oh, of course!” she responded, promptly picking herself back up.
“Sorry, everyone…” Scott rejoined the group with a concerned expression. “I took down as many as I could.”
“You did well, Scott.” Claire praised with a serene smile and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Ah… ha hah, it was nothing.” Scott responded joyfully while waving his hand.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Claire turned to look at Gaspard. “Where did you learn how to fight, Mr. Blondeau.”
“Please, just call me Gaspard.” the butler bowed.
“Gaspard is trained in multiple martial arts taught here in the empire,” Eric responded. “He is not only my butler, but my master as well.” the young noble stated proudly.
“Even so, that’s some impressive strength for someone your age.” Scott exclaimed.
“Thank you for the heartwarming compliment, Mr. Foley.” Gaspard bowed for a second time.
“Let’s head back already, we are wasting time standing here.” Eric suggested, not wanting to remain in the streets any longer. “We should check on the guards reports later.” he looked at the butler.
"of course, sir." Gaspard bowed for a third time.
"You can stop now..." Eric told him with sullen eyes.
With tired bodies and drained minds, the group returned to the manor and took a well-earned rest. All members of Bloodhound were given a room of their own at the manor to spend the night instead of returning to their hotel.
Gaspard made sure all their belongings were moved safely and prepared a lavish meal at the Albury’s dinner table for the group to enjoy—Bloodhound was given casual clothing to wear while the staff washed their uniforms as well, making their way to the dinner table once ready.
Gladean Empire, Albury’s manor: 936, February 6th, Tuesday, 8:30 PM.
The exquisite food lied on the table, ranging from different meats, to vegetables, fruits and all sorts of pastries. The workers served ale and expensive wine to the group, lighting up the candles at the table before making their exit.
“This… this is all I’ve ever wanted…” Scott sniffed with tears rolling down his eyes.
“Please enjoy,” Gaspard bowed and made his leave.
“The food looks great!” Tori clasped her hands with glee while eyeing the food. “Is it really, okay?”
“Go ahead, it’s the least we can do after you helped us.” Eric responded before moving his eyes towards Claire.
“What?” she coldly asked, not being a fan of the noble’s inexpressive stare.
“Those pistols of yours… what are they exactly?” he asked with great interest.
“I’m not here to answer any questions.” Claire took the letter from her vest and presented it on the table. “I’m are here to deliver this letter to the duke,” she glared at the noble—urging him to take it.
“I believe the miss has earned our cooperation, young master.” Gaspard chimed in. “It wouldn’t hurt to return the favor for their assistance,” he suggested with a bright smile.
“When did you come back…?” sighing in resignation, Eric accepted the letter and promised to deliver it to his father. “I can’t promise he will offer any aid to your company however,” he warned while putting the letter away. “Don’t expect things to go your way just yet.”
“It should..." Claire's head dropped and her eyes closed for a quick second. "Be enough for now...” With the request in the noble’s hands, her fatigued body was able to relax in a long time—her blurry vision fading slowly and her upper body slowly shifting to the side. Before she knew it, her heavy eyes closed themselves as she fell asleep at the dinner table.
END OF CHAPTER