DEMON HUNT

Chapter 43: Terms

     *One hour before Charleston's visit*

   With less than a week before the supposed mass gathering of the demons at Bravestone, the captains meet at the captains' council chamber to discuss the progress of their plan. Of the six captains, five are in attendance, Malcolm is the only one who's absent.

    The captains sit at a round table, all officially dressed, but leaving out their masks. Sinister is seated directly opposite Omero, Nicole being the closest captain in proximity to the latter. Sinister speaks in a scornful manner, his deep voice echoing all over the room.

Sinister: If he's going to be a captain, he should at least have the decency to attend meetings.

   Omero replies rather calmly.

Omero: Malcolm informed me he'd be absent today.

   Sinister adjusts from his seat, clasping his hands and leaning on the table, squinting his eyes while staring at Omero.

Sinister: I didn't realize you were the leader of the council now. If your friend wants to be excused, then he should consider reaching out to the council as a unit.

    Omero scoffs.

Omero: And yet, you never batted an eyelid whenever Lisandro was absent. Which was almost every time!

    Sinister angrily punches the table with his fist, rising to his feet in an instant. Omero doesn't back down. He stares right back at Sinister. In the midst of the tension, Charleston yawns wildly, covering his mouth with his hand. He clicks his tongue a couple of times, catching everyone's attention, besides Toro's. Toro's mind was apparently never here from the get go.

Charleston: My first day at council, after a while away, and I must say, it still does not feel enticing. We do not have the time for these petty arguments. Toro and I have info on Bravestone.

   Sinister drops to his chair as the captains look at Charleston expectantly. Charleston looks at their facial expressions in surprise.

Charleston: Why do I have to be the one to say it?

   On getting no verbal response, Charleston sighs.

Charleston: After a lot of boring and uncool interrogations, we finally got a clue on the location of Bravestone. The demons were pretty tight lipped. Didn't think they'd actually be so committed to Ocean eyes. So, long story cut short, it's a small island, off the coast of Thauvin. The locals fled the island years ago, believing it was cursed. The demons have seen it as a sanctuary for quite some time now. So, no surprise about the mortality rate. It's not so far from mainland, so, we shouldn't have any reason to worry about the RCSS.

Omero: Sounds great.

Charleston: It's actually the island of Seider though...not quite sure where they got their name from. Did you find anything out, Sinister?

    Charleston turns to Sinister, who simply shakes his head slowly from side to side, in response. Omero breaks the silence.

Omero: Negotiations have been going fairly smoothly. They want two regions all to themselves. We're pretending to be fine with that, in exchange for controlled feeding and the safe exit of all hunters in those regions.

Charleston: Sounds good.

   Omero turns his attention to Nicole, who's been quietly watching all this time. He smiles as he talks to her in a warm tone.

Omero: Is there anything you'd like to add?

  She suddenly becomes flustered as she stutters, providing an answer.

Nicole: Uhm...no...no. It's great.

   A vibrating D-pad soon catches everyone's attention, including Toro's. Omero grabs his D-pad from the tabletop. He looks at the screen and turns his attention to the other captains.

Omero: It's Malcolm.

   Sinister smiles as he speaks sarcastically.

Sinister: Oh, great. Now, he calls to talk with you casually, when we're in a meeting.

  Omero ignores Sinister's remarks as he answers the call. Toro spaces out again  while the others stare at Omero, trying to get a clue on what's being said. Omero suddenly jerks in shock, his D-pad slips freely from his grasp and falls to the ground. He turns towards Toro, somewhat instinctively, wearing a grim look on his face. He opens his lips to speak, the words feeling heavy.

Omero: They...they want ''the blue haired hunter named Mari''.

The already eventful captains' council meeting plays host to another shocker. All the captains seem invested in the subject now. Sinister expresses his anger by punching the table with his intimidatingly large fists. He is visibly annoyed.

Sinister: What do you mean they want Mari? And how would Malcolm be privy to such information?!

   Omero rubs his face with his hand, a sign of his frustration. He somehow finds the willpower to answer Sinister's question.

Omero: Malcolm is absent because he's negotiating with Ocean eyes, Sinister. 

   Sinister becomes even more infuriated, he rises from his seat once more and begins to yell.

Sinister: You don't get to keep such information to yourself! Do you really forget your...

   Charleston rushes in to cut the furious Sinister short. He speaks calmly, tired of hearing Sinister yell.

Charleston: You were the only one who didn't know...you were the only one who didn't know, Sinister.

   Sinister looks around in disbelief, he's left speechless. He looks at the other captains, one by one, ending his facial search at Toro. It would appear like this revelation cut Sinister deep in the heart. He opens his fists up slowly as he takes his seat. Omero exhales as he returns to the matter at hand.

Omero: First thing comes first. We have to ensure we do have him, and that he's safe.

  Toro rises to his feet, turning towards the exit but is brought to a halt as Charleston suddenly appears in front of him.

Charleston: I'll go.

  Toro nods slowly, returning to his seat as Charleston hits the exit. Sinister rises to his feet, almost immediately after.

Sinister: I suppose I have nothing left to do here.

   Sinister walks out of the room. Nicole rises from her seat too. She puts her hands together, pleading to be excused, before going after Sinister.

     Nicole sees Sinister walking down the hallway, most likely headed for the exit. She doesn't call out to him. She just walks behind him. Sinister takes a left turn, entering a room labeled ''storage''. Nicole hesitates before entering the room. She must have taken a moment to consider what she was about to do. She takes a deep breath before walking into the room. She sees Sinister seated quietly. He's a bit surprised to see her, probably because he wasn't looking over his shoulder, but he hides it well. Nicole's eyes instantly fall on Sinister's right hand. There are pills of varying colour but same size, on the palm of his hand. He dumps them in his mouth, helping himself to a bottle of water, before looking back up to catch Nicole's face. Nicole opens her mouth to speak, but she struggles with what to say. Sinister swallows the pills along with some water. He leans backwards, resting his back on the chair.

Sinister: Have I also lost the right to walk without being followed?

   Nicole intends to explain, but all she's able to bring forth is an apology.

Nicole: I'm sorry...

   Sinister clicks his tongue, almost like the apology irritated him. He rises to his feet, intending to leave.