Paleblood

Paleblood Chapter 2: Close Call

What were the odds? Josh had been sent out,as were many other Church Hunters,to cleanse the cities of beasts and look for survivors. And the only survivor he encountered so far,in his long trek,just happened to be a fellow Hunter.

"Didn't think I'd meet another Hunter in a place like this. And a Church Hunter,no less." The brunette Hunter spoke,treading through the deserted city,alongside Josh,whose weapon rested gently,lightly,upon his shoulder,relaxed,yet ready to swing with murderous intent at any given moment. Despite his face remaining fairly calm,neutral,almost serene,Josh noticed something...it was like a suble hint of disdain in his voice. This was strange. As the sand and dust crunched beneath their boots,Josh's eyes squited,his eyes falling upon the scratched,almost faded out insignia emblazoned upon one of the brunette's shoulderguards. An insignia vaguely resembling a serpent and a lion.

"That insignia...are you from Drundar?" Josh asked inquisitively,yet trying to mask the obvious suspicion with a hint of casualty and relaxation,which was only met with a scoff from Neul.

"Yes. Sharp eyes. So? Will you take a swing at me now too?"

This sudden hostility took the Church Hunter by suprise,but instead of triggering a retaliatory instinct,it only piqued his curiosity. Granted,yes,Drundar and its inhabitants were not looked upon very favorably by the rest of the world,but nonetheless,this was a bit offputting. Seemingly bereffed of any kind of caution,Josh spoke up.

"You seem nervous to learn that Im from Kisha. Wait-! Did you meet another Church Hunter?"

It was outlandish to think that a Church Hunter would attack another Hunter,even if they were from Drundar,but if they did,why would they raise their weapon against someone who wasnt a beast? There was no reply. A minute passed. Then two. It took three minutes for the Drundarian to respond,which,given its sudden nature,caused Josh to flinch lightly.

"Yes. And I can tell you,they didn't want to have biscuits and ale." Neul scoffed,his eyes narrowing as the two took a turn down a narrow alley,ending in an old,wooden door,slighly ajar,most likely a backdoor.

"Tell me more. I mean,its prohibited to attack or harm other Hunters!"

"It was about...several days ago. I was about 30 miles away from Ihyll. I'd say somewhere close to the junction connecting Ihyll,Drundar and the Emerald Forest. I encountered a caravan of about 5 people. From what I could summarize in the distance,they were engaging with two Kishar Church Hunters. Now. The key difference between me and these 5 people,is that they were already forgone. Empty eyes,rotten,blistered skin,fingers splitting to give way to claws..."

"Beasthood." Was Josh's reply,which was almost immediately confirmed by the other.

"Beasthood,yes. However,they were only in their...larval stages,so to say. They resembled their former human selves,but they were far beyond that. Even in a group, a decently trained Hunter can easily dispatch a human in early stages of Beasthood. And so they did." Neul responded,his story continuing on as he slowly pryed the ajar wooden door open,keeping a decent distance in case of an unexpected ambush. Josh was no fool,for he too tightened his grip upon the shaft of the Hacksaw,now at a major disadvantage,for a wide swing would result in the concrete walls knocking his tool right back from whence it came. Semi-aware and immersed,Josh noticed Neul's expression grow steadily more grim.

"What happened then? They took care of business,yes?"

"That,they did. However,once they dispatched the larval beasts,they set their sights upon me. And here is the oddity among all of this. The distance was not very far,my armored decor is faded,and one can't simply identify a Drundarian simply by their looks. Whatever the case,which I found out later,the two descended upon me."

Josh could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Why would Church Hunters attack someone who outwardly seemed like a civillian? He guessed only later,when he was forced to defend himself,they would surely recognize him as a fellow Hunter,right? No matter how hard he wished for it,Josh mentally prepared himself for the worst,the dread and paranoia only fueled by the creaking of the door,revealing a wooden staircase up into the decrepit building. An apartment complex,most likely.

"They did make you lot look in a negative light. I don't know what the poncy duet was thinking,but up against a genuine Hunter,proficient in Drundarian Swordmanship,no less,they stood no chance. Their reflexes were as slow as molasses,their defense as flimsy and brittle as paper mache. Only upon examining their corpses,did I find the definitive reason for their behavior."