Chapter 41: Hunted

Keigo sat in a tree somewhere south of the resort, waiting near the road between Harmon and North Harmon. For a moment he tried to distract himself with the two town's names, thinking of the hubris of a man who’d name a place after himself twice. The incredulity at the audacity couldn’t keep him busy for long though, so as he waited, using Yokumori’s Reiki like a dinner bell, his mind eventually went back to Diana.

She was going to be furious. He had only seen it a few times when they traveled together, but her fury wasn't the kind that jilted you with cold shoulders. It was the kind that made you change, and Keigo wasn't sure he was ready for what that meant. Last time, it meant that he had to tell her about his spiritual powers. He had been disappearing too much, making her think he was captured, and when that took more than a day she was decidedly fed up. Keigo supposed he understood why that was now. If every disappearance felt like Tizarae was moving closer, it was more than Diana being worried for her own life. Still, when he came back that day and she was nothing but shouts, he told her everything he could about his spiritual world. Diana calmed down immediately, but there was a fire in her eyes that told him she needed this type of information from now on. That wasn't a big loss, but could he say the same this time? He didn't even know how dangerous his pursuer would be, but anyone close to the seat of a Magic Councilor would be more than a passing threat. Diana would want to get involved, and he could only see how he might lose her.

Like he lost his brother and his parents.

But she wasn’t going to let him run away again. He could continue running and never come back, but her fury would keep her on the hunt. He’d have to go back then, but his heart didn’t know if he was ready for their future. Back to thinking about Harmon and North Harmon then? That would have to do. Up until he saw a figure fly down the road.

It was a man that came to a stop, looking around sharply enough to say he was looking for Keigo. At that, Keigo stopped the drip of reiki and slipped deeper into the forest. The man huffed, as if he could feel it, and stretched before looking toward where Keigo was before. This man had a strong body. He wore a white shirt hanging open over a hairy chest that added to the ruggedness started by his trimmed brown beard. Raised above a head of tousled hair, his arms were thick and heavy looking, best for splitting wood but good still at splitting heads. He grumbled as he looked from one side of the forest to another, then reached into a pocket and pulled out a case. He clicked it open, brought a roll to his lips, and lit it with a match. Taking a deep puff, he let out a sigh.

“Do you know who I am, kid?” Keigo knew he was still hidden, but the words were meant for him. “I always wanted to ask you that, y’know? Like, here’s this kid running around with a team of Enforcer Elites ready to take him out. He has to know who we are, right?” He pulled the roll from his lips and breathed out. “I don’t really think you do, so I’ll say. Havren Greek, age thirty-two. I was born here in Rial. My family owned some farmland down south, and when I’m not who knows where in the Mainland, that’s where I like to be. I have a wife, and a six-year-old. And, I was trained by Blair Weller.” Havren laughed. “I want to imagine there’s a look of shock on your face right now.”

Keigo wouldn't call it shock, but his jaw was tight. Blair Weller was Ballard's mother and a particularly skilled woman. It was said she could face any opponent head-on. She wasn't a Magic Councilor, but she was trusted by the one who had the seat before Thane. Thane was trained by the woman too, and Keigo wished he did know about Havren beforehand so that he could have poisoned him.

“Thane was trained by her too, but I’ll be frank, I don’t care that you killed him. I was just this nobody kid from Rial, coming to the Enforcers because my dad didn’t want me struggling to keep the farm alive. I didn’t want anything to do with a noble, but there this guy was, always being better than me. I got used to working with him, but I never liked him.” Havren took a long drag. “I loved Blair though. That woman was great, and it was her that convinced me I wanted a kid one day. I was there when Bianca was born, and then Ballard. I saw a lot of their mom in them, and used to think they’d do great things.”

But then Keigo happened.

“But then you happened.” Havren’s face scrunched. “I didn’t know what to think when Sasha told us about you and her. I was pissed all around, but I couldn’t get over how a kid just kills his friend. When she asked us if we wanted to be blooded, I was on board. I had to ask you myself. I had to look into your eyes and ask how you did it. But I was never going to track you down. That’s not the type of Elite I am. I’m the guy that goes in and takes down the biggest bastard in your mob. I lay your tough guy flat and make your other guys scared. Hylene is the one who goes after assassins and spies, and sure enough, she was on your tail.”

Keigo remembered the woman who came after he left Diana. She seemed entirely prepared, not simply giving him the chance to slip into the darkness. For a while, he was subject to her pursuit, until he found a route she couldn’t follow. Hylene was the woman he crossed in the Green Lands, and he supposed that was because she was waiting.

“Whew, dog! When you got away from her she was furious. She had never lost her target before, and then came this kid again, slipping out from under her nose. She has spent to past two years coming up with the perfect plan to capture you again, and you know, Hylene’s one of those people you don’t argue with. When they’re right, they’re right.” He tapped his pocket. “She gave me these smokes one day and said, "Havren, if you run into him, blabber like you always do while you smoke one of these." It's made from some herb you can get in the Summer Seas. After a few minutes, it's supposed to open your eyes." Havren rose slightly off the ground and Keigo felt a chill run up his spine. "And when she's right, she's right. It really does let you see people who walk with spirits." He came directly at him, cocking his arm back.

Light from a pocket crystal wormed around his arms, laying bracers with barbs on their backs. Havren’s punch flew and a barb snapped forward on rails, launching a spell that snapped branching in a line. Keigo escaped with a quick flip, whipping shuriken at him. They rolled off the enforcer, however, not even breaking his skin.

“Weller Gear.” Said the man. “Courtesy of that bastard Thane, and the man whose kid you killed.” Havren’s other fist flew, the barb tossing pellets this time. They unfurled and hit. It felt like they pinned Keigo to a tree, but his body dropped with a hard smack against the ground. “Lancing and Javelin magic from the mom.” Havren dropped. “Everybody gets a piece of this revenge.”

“I won’t let you kill me.” Keigo jumped back to his feet.

“So you can talk!” Havren laughed. “You’re in luck though, I’m not trying to kill you.”

“I’m not letting you take me in either.”

“Well then we have a problem, because you’re not getting a choice.” His left arm came back. “Execution Alley.” The javelin pellets flew, sprouting fast.

Keigo dodged most of them, escaping with only scratches as Havren came in again. The right arm was Lancing magic, and it went forward, throwing out the full force of his charge. Keigo guarded but that didn't stop him from flying. As he hit a tree, javelins came, smashing into his chest with blunted ends. Still, he flipped away before Havren's lance landed. The man watched him, noting his spry steps, and paused for a moment as he stared the boy down.

"Right. Right. Soul-shifting." He cracked his neck to either side. "You're still moving fast so it's not a heavy body, and you're shaking off the blows as if they're doing no damage to you. My guess? Some sort of gelatinous form? There's a monster somewhere between the South Wing and Summer Wilds. It can change its density and make itself look human."

With his trick revealed, Keigo turned his arm into a blade.

“Fine. We can do it this way.” The javelin arm came back. “Execution Alley.” A bush shook violently as Keigo splashed to the ground, streaming under the spell with his blade like a horn.

He came up, stabbing for Havren's eyes, only for the man to brush the blow aside. Keigo turned into a ball and bounced as Havren swung his javelin hand, spewing out needles that broke against him. Still, he was too close for either spell to be effective and deployed scythes as he spun down. He noted the solid feeling on Havren's skin as he floated back, springing after him with a drill arm instead. Lancing and Javelin magic needed distance to do any damage. Keigo just had to keep close, and he could eventually wear this man down. His drill whirled against Havren's chest, as his lancing arm went back. Keigo hardened his body, ready to make the blow worthless. His eyes widened then, as aura spilled from the bracer.

"Ram Strike!" Havren threw, smashing Keigo into pieces. His eyes bounced from one to another until they found a large chunk flying away. Havren pulled the javelin back and punched again. "Fatal Throw!" The spell ran through the piece, splattering it as a green organ was tossed away.

As that organ hit the ground its gelatinous bits wrapped around it. A firm dome rose and shuddered as Havren punched. Another punch put a crack in it, and a third dove into the slime as it soften and slipped away. Havren lined up his punch as Keigo slipped through the trees, drawing both back as he ducked behind cover.

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"Running Bulls." The magic came together as charging blasts, sundering wood, and uprooting bush as Keigo tried to reshape his form. "Not today." The javelin arm cocked. "Execution Alley." The spear pellets sprayed, dashing pieces of Keigo against the ground. They tried to move back to the whole, and that's when Havren flew in. "Ox stomp." A lance punch dropped the weight of the beast, smashing the rest of Keigo and splitting the organ.

Black smoke erupted upward from the remains, returning him to a human boy, pinned and wounded. Even if Keigo had a trick, he couldn't make a move. Havren had his arms, pulling one out while he pressed the other into his chest. There wasn't even a smug look in the Enforcer's eyes. This was a simple takedown for him. Even with two years, Keigo had not become strong enough to take on an Elite.

"So like I was saying before, how could you just do it? Did you even have a moment of remorse?"

Every day of his life since he took Ballard’s, but he wasn’t going to tell this man. No matter how they were connected, Keigo’s pain belonged to himself.

“Not going to answer?”

Keigo sneered. “You can take me in and torture me and I still wouldn’t say.”

Havren spat on the ground beside him. “Well, I guess we can’t always get what we want.” He started twisting the raised arm, straining bone and flesh. He was clearly going to break it, when someone else spoke.

"Drats, I guess that's a message for me too." It was a girl sitting on a branch above them. When did she get there? How did she get so close? How long had she been watching? Keigo might have wondered if she was Havren's ally, too, if it wasn't for the shock on his face. "I mean, I wanted to ask you why the Harrabaren's forces are in Rial, but it'd be the same way, right? Even torture couldn't make you say." She was a Wolf-Myrin girl, with hair the color of night in two plaits in the front, and deep tan skin. Her eyes were so blue they were almost silver, and she dropped down, garbed in a dark tunic and shorts.

“Who are you?” Havren looked from Keigo to her.

“Tsukee Wivioh.” She bowed. “Though you might know me better as The Lunar Wolf.” She bore a sharp-toothed smile, and Keigo dropped from Havren’s mind.

“When did this boy start running with the Lunar Wolf?” He raised his arms. Tsukee looked at Keigo.

“I don’t know him, actually. I think I should thank him though. I’ve been waiting for a chance to corner you without endangering your family.”

“Well you’re out of luck, wolf. I don’t know why the Harrabaren’s stomping around. That’s way above my clearance.”

Tsukee sighed. “And if you did know you wouldn’t tell me anyway. This encounter is almost completely a bust. I could try to get the information out of the Harrabaren myself, but I don’t think I can fight her guards and her at the same time.”

Havren was cautious, and Keigo was confused by this Myrin's confidence. Had he heard of the Lunar Wolf before? He spent a lot of time in the Summer Seas and that was bounty hunting central. The Lunar Wolf. The Lunar Wolf… He was drawing a blank, but all Havren could see were red flags. He kept his guard up as he circled the girl. Her eyes followed him. Wolf Myrin were some of the more dangerous of their kind, but dangerous enough to have bounty titles? Dangerous enough to invoke fear in an Enforcer Elite? Keigo shook the thought from his mind. This was no simple Myrin girl.

"Bull Stampede!" Havren threw a fury of punches, his magic coming together as it did before. The difference in power was greater than the difference between the naming, however, as they pulverized everything between him and her. The spell came so fast that Keigo wasn't sure even he could dodge it, and Tsukee didn't seem prepared for the attack. This interruption looked like it was over faster than it started until the girl rushed the spell head-on.

Keigo might have covered his eyes, but the sight was too shocking. The magic passed through her as if she was air, and Havren soared back as she raised a glowing palm. Magic then? Like the rabbit, he fought in Mirror? Except he could not see a magic item on her, nor any sign of surgical scars. Tsukee picked up speed as Havren escaped her reach, and silver light rippled the air as she struck his chest.

“Moonlight Stamp.”

Havren’s eyes glazed over and he struck himself hard as he fell into a roll. He rose to his knees, guard up, and Tsukee snickered with a gleam in her eyes.

“You’ve studied!” She clapped. “Striking yourself to impede my magic. Did Sasha give you that idea?”

Havren laughed. “She ain’t the type to be smart about defense.” He wobbled back to his feet. “I’m not either.” He twisted his body into an Execution Alley, throwing javelins so pointed they bore holes into everything they hit.

To Keigo's surprise, Tsukee leaped over it this time. Havren cocked his lance arm back as she twirled down, hitting her side as her spell hit his head.

"Moonlight Crescent." A glowing kick with the top of her foot hit the back of his head. She winced as the blow hit her though, but the damage to Havren looked far worse. Keigo almost rubbed his eyes. It looked like something spectral was almost kicked from the man's body. Tsukee somersaulted sloppily away from him, as he hit himself multiple times. She didn't smile this time. "You really have studied."

Havren didn’t laugh. “When Hylene’s right. She’s right.” He turned to her on uncertain steps.

"Hylene Polmer. She's the one used for stealthier targets. Why exactly would she have any plans for me?" Havren tried to smile as Tsukee played with one of her plaits. Her eyes shimmered then. "Am I a high-priority target now?" She clapped. Havren frowned. Her wolfish smile came back. "Oh, this is so exciting! I can't wait to tell the others."

Aura spilled from Havren's javelin arm like a current. He took Tsukee's glee as his chance, throwing a spell that made him slide back. "Execution Army!" A wall of pellets built and fired, javelins curving in and around each other as if they were alive. Tsukee dropped into the ground and they dove after her. Dirt and rocks split but she rushed Havren like a shark in the water. She leaped up, jumping through him. His spell came undone before it was his undoing, and a sheath of magic covered the girl's arm.

She turned as her foot came out of him. He turned, ready to meet her. "Moonlight Calling." She palmed his face and this time the silver ripples ran down his body. Keigo didn't see anything leave him, but the way his body fell limp said that spectral thing was gone. No, not a spectral thing. Havren's soul was gone, and now the assassin understood why the Enforcer had been so afraid.

Tsukee rolled the man over with ease, closing his eyelids gently as if she wasn’t the one who defeated him.

“He is about as much trouble as I expected. He’ll do good.” She smiled.

“He’s not dead?” Keigo couldn’t believe it.

“Not at all. I didn’t come here to kill him.” Tsukee rose with aghast in her eyes. Keigo’s jaw tightened.

“You didn’t come here to help me either, but you did.”

She played with her plait again. “Only because I have a theory based on what I overheard. That whole business about Hylene, Thane and Blair. Those names only come up in conversation around the former Councilors death. I suspect your Keigo the Many. Am I right?”

“You are.”

“Then I don’t see why you should die. Even if we say it was luck, you killed a member of the Magic Council. I think I would like to see if you can do it again.” Tsukee tossed Havren over her shoulder as if he weighed nothing. Keigo couldn’t help but stare at the downed man.

“If he’s not dead, when will he wake up?”

“By the end of the month, give or take. I need to make sure his wife follows my precise instructions but that’ll do it.” A small vial popped into her hand then, and she tossed it to Keigo. “You’ll probably want that. As I understand, when a Soul Shifter’s form is killed, it’s not fatal but it does sap some of your life force. Consider it my thank you for drawing him out.”

Keigo eyed the purple liquid, wondering what herbs and items might come together to restore his life force, and how a myrin had them. No, he supposed he shouldn’t look at her like a normal myrin. This wasn’t just some wild girl with a magic item and the skill to use it. She beat his foe almost as easily as he was beaten. She was probably right, she was a high-priority target. She was that and a wolfish smile with no malice in it. Her body began to take on its bestial form, and she stood on all fours as she looked at Keigo again.

"Get back to your friends safely tonight, Keigo the Many. Your night definitely isn't over." She said and bounded off before he could respond.

Keigo decided not to question it. This battle was over, but she was right. First, he’d have to go back to Diana, and then they’d face the Yoshiki Sect…

[Chapter 41 ends…]