The alleyway was a grimy stretch of brick walls, lined with graffiti and the stench of municipal trash. It just goes to show that not all of Neo-Veridian is pretty. I was just about to get out of the dump when a figure burst out, his face a mask of terror in the dim light. Behind him, a creature leaped, its shadow swallowing the alleyway. My pulse quickened, and a thrill of anticipation was already coursing through me. This was no ordinary beast. Its skin was a sickly green, and its eyes were glowing an unnatural red. I could already see the coins jingling in my pocket. I followed, my old sneakers squeaking in the narrow passage.

This monster was faster than what I expected of it. It lunged, nearly a blur, but I caught it mid-pounce with a stunning kick. It flew across the alley, slamming into the bricks of the wall and sliding down on top of an overflowing trash bin. To my surprise, it landed on its feet, spun around, bared its razor teeth, and gave me one of the meanest stares I’ve ever got, with its eyes narrow, and jaw crunching. Not bad, I think, as I braced for its next attack. In my head, I try to match it to the Hierarchy of Hostile Abnormals. It can’t be higher than Tiger-Class; this was going to be an easy job.

The job in question then makes a fatal mistake. It leaps, teeth ready to take my head off. Rookie, I think, as I duck and plant my fist into the Abnormal's tough underside. It again took flight, this time toward the rooftops. I step back as it plummets to the concrete at my feet. These things are getting easier by the day. I grinned, feeling a surge of satisfaction.

Then I remembered the would-be victim. I turned to face him. He was a thin man with a frightened and tired expression on his face. His clothes were torn and dirty, and he was leaning against the wall for support. He must have been running for a long time.

“H-h-how?” he stammers. “You took it down so easy.”

“It wasn’t that strong,” I answer, while I pack up the remains of the Abnormal. “Why was it chasing you?”

“I stumbled onto its nest yesterday. It started tracking me ever since.”

“Makes sense.”

The man looks me up and down. “Are you a Hunter?”  he asks. “Where is your uniform?”

“I’m a Hunter,” I say. “But I’m a freelancer. I don’t got a uniform.”

The man’s eyebrows twitch, and he seems to give me a pitying look. I know what he’s going to say before he says it. “Well,” he begins. If you ever want to get into real work, give us a call.” He holds out a card.

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I took it, glancing at the name –Jack Thorne– and a cheap but generic-looking company logo. Can’t be top-of-the-line, I think to myself.

“Thanks,” I said, tucking it away without much interest. "However,” I began, "while I appreciate the offer, I prefer working for myself. "

“But the pay…” Thorne started, but I cut him off.

“The pay’s fine,” I said, hefting the bag containing the Abnormal remains. “Besides, dealing with these, well, lesser problems keeps me steadily at work. At a big guild, they only take bigger beasts, meaning less work. Now, please, excuse me,” I turned to leave, the squeak of my sneakers echoing in the alley. "Gotta go cash this baby in.”

“Wait.”

I turn to face Thorne once more. He’s looking at me more closely now. “What is your name?”

I blink. “Samson,” I reply. “Samson Duke.”

Jack Thorne’s eyes widen and he looks steadfastly at my face when he hears my surname. “But that means you’re…”

Not right now, I think. I turn and leave as quickly as I can. I knew what he would say if I stayed.

Emerging from the dark alley, the dazzling cityscape of Neo-Veridian stretches before me, with sunrays reflecting off of its behemoth glass buildings. I take a deep breath, pretty glad to be out of that stink of trash and have clean air.  Above me, an IronClad Air truck soars, making a soft humming sound, probably carrying important cargo in its neatly polished hull.

Distracted by the truck, I almost don’t see the fit young man, with the unmistakable uniform of the GWS Guild, that is sprinting on the rooftops. I stop walking to watch. He is running with his jaw set, face forward, and eyes fixed while he jumps from building to building with a practiced pace. I couldn’t tell why until I heard a shrieking cry from so high up I had to crane my neck back to see what it was. A winged Abnormal was plunging from the clouds.

As it approaches the Hunter, I get a better look at it. Its immense body was a canvas of scars, like a roadmap of its deadly encounters with Hunters and other monsters. Down its back, a knobbly spine protruded through its skin like spikes, and it’s armed with claws that are like jagged swords. Anaconda-Class, I immediately think, already assessing this threat. The Hunter, however, seemed unfazed. As the Abnormal descended, he drew two devices. One lit up and out came a blade of what looked like blue light. The other was a grappling gun. He didn't wait for the creature to land. With a deadly aim, he shot his gun upwards, meeting the creature in mid-air. The hook of steel caught on the Abnormal’s clawed hand, and the Hunter used it to pull the monster towards himself. With a burst of speed, he rolled around the beast's snapping jaw and then its razor talons to effectively slash off its wing, which was followed by a guttural roar that echoed through the city.

I had to admit that this Hunter was skilled. And even though the combatants were out of sight, the sounds of their struggle – the Hunter's yells, the beast's shrieks, punctuated by thuds and crashes – suggested the fight would continue for some time. I continued on my way, a little disappointed I didn’t get to see the battle. But after a few seconds, I go back to thinking about how much I’ll get for taking down the smaller Abnormal’s corpse now in my bag.