Demon Hunters

Consequences II

"Yeah, that was one of my finer kills, even if I couldn't get rid of the stench for three straight weeks. But there was this one time..." Franz continued, preparing yet another epic tale, when the suspicious man stepped up and, to Lucretia's horror, pulled a pistol out of the folds of his cloak.

"Time to pay for what you've done, filth!" he sputtered, pointing his weapon squarely on Franz.

Time seemed to freeze in place. Though Lucretia had been mentally prepared for something, now that it had finally happened, she couldn't move at all. It felt as if her muscles wouldn't listen to her commands, and she could only watch on, helplessly, as the man's finger curled around the trigger. However, before he could fire, there was a flash of steel. The next thing Lucretia knew was that the would-be assassin was screaming in pain, his hand nearly severed from the wrist and Franz was preparing his sword for a second strike that would finish the attacker off. However, before Franz could do so, the other patrons started panicking, having finally realized what had just happened. This allowed the attacker to slip back and make his escape through the door.

"Get up. We're going after him," Franz growled.

As Lucretia regained her senses and reached for her sword, she couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself. She had seen the attacker coming, yet she hadn't managed to react in time. Worse still, she felt like there was a good chance that this retaliatory strike was thanks to the survivor she had decided to cover for. The inn was still in chaos, but Franz calmly walked up to one of the waitresses and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Listen here. You will go and alert the city guard about what has happened. Immediately. Is that clear?"

Though she was clearly afraid, the young woman nodded vigorously.

"Good. Now, get going," he said.

Only after the fearful waitress had exited the inn did Franz turn to Lucretia, who had finally managed to get her gear ready.

"Let's go," he quietly huffed, and the two started following the trail of blood their assailant had left behind.

As they raced down the darkening streets of the city, the guilt was starting to become unbearable for Lucretia. No one except the cultist had gotten hurt, sure, but it didn't really help with her conscience. She looked at the wide back of her mentor and wondered if she should come clean now, or if that would only serve as a distraction.

"Do you know who that was?" she asked, if only to fill the air.

"I have a good idea," Franz grunted.

"Shouldn't we leave matters like this to the guard? After all, we're talking about a single man here, not a demon..."

"We cannot risk it. These bastards are far too good at slipping through the cracks. No, they need to be deal with as swiftly as possible."

"Understood."

Lucretia calmed her breathing down as she noticed the bloodstains becoming fresher and fresher. She was supposed to be a professional, so getting wound up like this was unbecoming of her. Just like she had been trained, she cleared her mind and focused on what was important – catching the man who had made an attempt on her mentor's life. She could feel her senses sharpening and her anxieties were becoming fuzzy, as if they were someone else's problem altogether. Just in time, too, as Franz slowed down.

"It's this house," Franz whispered, pointing at a door before them.

Indeed, the bloodstains stopped at the door, and there were even clear stains on the door itself, where the assailant had most likely pounded on it. They had been running for some time and had entered the decidedly 'less-nice' part of town. There was no sign of the fancy buildings or paved roads that were so abundant in the inner city. Truly, this was a fitting locale for a cultist on the run.