The Hunters: Paranormal many shots

Teach me what?

Annie sat at a small wooden table, hands resting in her lap, staring at the shapely ass of the first elf she had ever met. She was banging an angel and still found it hard to believe there was a real-life elf brewing tea just a few feet away from her. Her long hair shimmered in the light of the small fire the teapot sat on and her skin still seemed to sparkle. Jared sat next to her, munching on a weird-looking brown fruit that gave off a beautiful scent every time he took a bite.

Kiara, the elf, turned and placed a plate on the table, laden with what appeared to be small fruits and a coil of what looked to be bread. Her piercing eyes met Annie's and she smiled. "Are you okay?" She asked, humour in her tone. Annie simply nodded, still unable to form words. Kiara chuckled and handed her one of the fruit-looking things. "Eat. If I know anything about Terrans its that you love sweet fruits."

Annie's attention suddenly perked up. "What is a Terran?" She asked.

Kiara stood up straight and folded her arms. "Its what your species is known as outside of your own dimension...ah...humanoids...right?"

That one she understood. "Yes, I am human."

Jared chime in through a mouthful of food, although he was still easy to understand. "You are a Terran to the people here."

Annie turned to him. "Are there other humans here?"

Jared moved his head from side to side. "Sort of. Humanoid in appearance but certainly different on the inside. You'll find that most lifeforms on planets similar to Earth look humanoid in appearance, although some differ. There are other lifeforms here that are bipedal but certainly not human in appearance."

Annie scratched her head. "I'm confused. It all sounds wonderful though. I wish I could see more of this world."

Jared finished his mouthful with a wide grin. "We can," He replied. "There was a reason I requested that we come here. Time moves at a different pace here. If I've done my math right, a year here is about the equivalent of a day...maybe less, in our time."

"Are you serious? Wait, does that mean that the hour or so we have been here has already had like weeks go past?"

Jared laughed. "No, time still flows at the pace you are used to but...moves differently. Your body will still age as if only a day has passed but you will be able to experience the full weight of a year without it actually passing in our time."

Annie placed her hand on her head, unable to fully comprehend what was happening. Jared placed an arm around her. "Simple explanation. We can stay here for a year but it will only be a day in our time. Hello vacation you wanted."

Annie looked up. "Wait, we are staying here?"

Jared nodded. "With everything that is about to happen, I feel like you need this. Too much has been thrown at you too quickly and you need a break. Truth be told, I do too."

"What about the others? Paul, Eden, your brothers?"

"They know and all agreed. Truth be told, it was actually Thoth's idea."

"Really? That's unusual...but welcome. Hey, out of curiosity...what is he doing there anyway?"

"He is the living embodiment of knowledge. He knows all about Mal..."

Pain seared through Annie's skull, her vision blurring. She let out a gasp and squeezed her head, teeth gritting. Jared cursed and wrapped his arms around her tighter. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I forgot." She could her pain in his voice.

"It's fine," She hissed, pain stopping her from forming full mouth movements.

Kiara placed her hands on her hips. "You know...I could brew her an All Sight potion."

Annie felt Jared look up and she did so herself. He looked excited...but a little worried. "Would she even be able to handle it?" He asked.

Kiara pursed her lips and seemed lost in thought. "I imagine so. I mean, she seems pretty resilient mentally." I could always add some Luxweed to dilute it. The effect will be the same but it will take longer to work. If you're staying here for a year time isn't too much of a problem, right?"

Jared starting nodding rapidly. "That could actually work." He said excitedly.

Annie stood, swaying slightly but managing to stay vertical. "Honey," She said. "I love you, but I really don't like it when you talk about me as if I'm not here."

Jared's expression turned soft. "I'm sorry. I know I get carried away."

Annie ran a hand trough his hair and gave him an affectionate smile. "It's fine." She turned to Kiara. "What is this potion?"

Kiara strolled over to the large bed tucked away in the corner and picked up a thick, worn leather book sitting on the wooden bedside table. She flipped it open and thumbed through several pages before finding what she needed with an audible 'ah'. She wandered back to the table and placed the book down, pointing a perfect fingernail at the page in question.

"It's a potion brewed from stones of pure magic and the eyes of a sage. Once consumed, it grants the drinker the powers of the sage the eyes belonged to; in this case, Alverich Obstein, a powerful sage. It is believed his knowledge extended far beyond this world. I believe if you drink this potion, you should be able to hear of the things Jared speaks of."

Annie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You mean...wait, what exactly do you mean."

"In simple terms, it will open your mind to the point of being able to comprehend these monsters."

"How can you comprehend them?"

"I'm a magical being. The concept of these creatures is not beyond my understanding; in fact, it isn't not beyond the understanding of all the citizens of this place. Magic is intertwined in our lives so our minds are more open to these concepts. As I understand your species is fairly...ignorant." She said the word as question, not wanting to offend nor commit to it. Annie couldn't disagree though. She was about to agree to the potion when the front door burst open and a man in strange robes stumbled in.

"Kiara!" He shouted excitedly, waving a small silver object around. "Tarian the Machinist is in town. He bought all his gyros with him." He stopped waving his hands and held up the object. It appeared to be a small metal bird, made up of lots of tiny gears and cogs. It reminded Annie of steampunk gadgets back on Earth. As she watched, it began to flap it's tiny wings, a gentle blue light glowing in its chest. It took to the air and flew over to the table.

Kiara picked it up and stepped over to the man. With a smile full of nothing but love and affection she said, "May I introduce my husband, Giarn Ramar."

The man only now seemed to realise they had guests. He stood up straight and waved. Annie finally took in his appearance. He had long, black hair, some of which was tied into braids that hung neatly. His square jaw was complimented by a neatly trimmed beard. His robes seemed to be made of a thick material and hung to his ankles. The thing that caught Annie's attention the most was his eyes. They were a deep purple and seemed to glow slightly.

"You're looking at my eyes, aren't you?" He said with a grin.

Annie meant to say no but instead said, "Yes, they are fascinating."

"The mark of a conjuror."

"A what?"

"A powerful mage," Jared answered. "Giarn here is one of the most powerful users of magic in existence."

Giarn scoffed and took the bird from his wife. "One of the most powerful that you've met," He said. "There are probably trillions of magic users out there that are far more powerful than I."

"That doesn't mean you should underestimate the power you do have." Jared replied.

"Oh, I don't. I'm just not a big fan of flattery. But enough of that," He stepped over and gave Jared a hug. "to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"There is much we need to discuss," Kiara cut in. "But first, we need to start this potion."

Giarn turned to Kiara. "Ohhhh, what are we brewing?"

"An All Sight," She answered as she began to rummage through jars that lined the far wall of the kitchen.

Giarn's expression grew concerned. "All Sight...for the Terran I presume?"

"I have a name."

"One which I'm not acquainted with," He replied with a warm smile.

"Oh...ah, I'm Annie."

"A lovely name." He shook her hand enthusiastically. "So, what is the purpose of the All Sight?"

Jared let out a heavy sigh. "A dissonant one approaches her world. It'll be easier to make plans if we can be candid."

Giarn's demeanor had changed. He seemed much more serious. "I see. Well, you certainly came to the right place then."

Jared picked up one of the sweet fruits and took a bite as Giarn's bird flew past his head. "The All Sight was a bonus that your wife kindly offered. We actually came to ask for your aid. Your magic is far more powerful than anything we possess on Earth and with Heaven barred to us by another Dissonant One we can't even call on the other Angels for aid."

Giarn scratched his beard and removed his cloak, revealing a lighter set of robes beneath. "Heaven is barred from you? How?"

"A parasitic Dissonant One has taken control of my father. We are sure many in Heaven are aware of this but Divine Law prevents them from doing anything; at least until we get there anyway. On top of that, Ma...the tentacle one, has given strong signs that he is coming our way too. We can't predict his movements so we were hoping Kiara and Eden could somehow scry his whereabouts while you could provide planetary shielding."

Giarn pulled a chunk of bread from the coil and bit into it. "I've only ever conjured a shield that large once and if you remember, I had the help of a powerful artifact that I destroyed afterwards."

"I know it's a big ask but anything will be helpful. If we can't give the Humans at least a fighting chance then I fear they will be consumed with the planet."

Giarn sighed and looked at his wife who smiled. "We can't let them die," She said.

Giarn nodded. "I know, my love. Very well. I will offer what aid I can. Kiara will brew you the All Sight so the Terran can know of the Dissonant Ones." He turned to Annie and clapped his hands excitedly. "In the meantime, I'm going to teach you magic."

Giarn-A powerful conjuror from the land of Shyra. Battle-hardened, kindhearted and a close friend of the angels. One of the few known remaining conjurors, he wields powerful spells and runed weapons with ease.

Kiara-A skilled Elven enchantress and brewess. Her knowledge of potions and rune magic make her a valuable ally to have. Not to mention she can shoot the wings off a fly at five hundred yards with a bow.