Chapter 8: Chapter 2 MEMORIES – PART 2

Rays of blue daylight slowly creeps into the inn.

It took two hours for the sun to rise and an hour for my ‘sleep’ after I went back into my room…

Immediately the sun started to rise my eyes were open.

Allora is before me, still in her human form. She has her head down facing the floor, bowing as low as her upper body could.

“… T-Thank you…! I, I am really sorry to have bothered you. You just came in and I put my burden on you. I’m sorry for that.”

I came down earlier to return my plate and mug from the night before. I didn’t think I’d meet anyone since I wasn’t sure the time they opened, but when I got into the inn Allora and the other waitresses were up and busy preparing for the day, Allora wiping down the tables.

At the sound of my steps close by she turned and assumed this pose, thanking me although she’s somewhat nervous.

She had woken up and rushed down to come finish the chores she wasn’t able to complete last night but when she got there everything had already been taken care of and she assumed it was I.

It’s awkward since the other girls are around, paused at their various chores looking at us. There were two turning the chairs over, one was wiping the table with Allora and the rest peeping out from behind the kitchen door. I can hear them whisper their thoughts to each other.

“What’s going on between those two?”

“He’s been here not even a day and they’re already hitting it off.”

“Looks like it.”

“Well, yea look at him.”

What about me? What does she mean by ‘look at me’?

“Way to go Ally”

Place the bowl and mug on the counter.

“Your assumptions were wrong and I wasn’t the one who did what you said?”

She straightens herself.

“… No one knows what I was up to last night but you. None of the girls came down to do it and no one claimed responsibility for it so my safest bet is you…”

“You assume wrong, I have no recollection of doing such a thing.”

Oddly calming as it may have been I should not have done so. Although, a memory did return and it seems I found that comforting in my past.

“Even so… again I thank you!”

She makes a quick bow again before looking me in the eyes with a bold yet nervous smile.

“I wish I could hear what they were talking about.” whispered one of the girls from the kitchen.

“Me too!” said another girl.

“…If you’re already here, would you like me to prepare something for you to eat or drink?”

“… No.”

“…Very well then I’ll return to work. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask.”

What I want you can’t give!

She returns to her cleaning chores and I walk out the door. Like yesternight I decided not to take my jacket since I wasn’t going anywhere far, but my sleeves are down. A mistake I made yesternight leaving it up, even though I know no one could read the strange markings, even me.

“Hey there kiddo…”

The man who spoke up when the little girl was hurt is leaning to the wall beside the door.

What’s his problem?

“… What!?”

“Why so blunt kid? No need to be hostile I just want to talk. You look like someone I can get across to.”

What does he mean by that?

“…”

Down to the ground, slowly I head towards the entrance of the town.

“Hey hold on…” He races over to my side and wraps his hand around my neck. Well, that answers that, even though I felt the touch I can’t get a read on his temperature. “Come now, I just want to talk. You know it’s dangerous for a kid like you to be a hunter. Not to mention being all the way out here.”

Why is he being so familiar? He doesn’t know crap about me.

“So tell me, from a hunter to another, what brings you here? Figured we should get to know each other, since we both hunters and all”

“Not interested.”

“Yea yea whatever.” He said dismissively. “The name’s Pyson Taro. Yours?” His lips curl up to the side with a grin.

“…”

Ignoring him is the only way to tell him off.

“Not much of a talker, are you? I don’t mind doing all the talking. Tell you what, I like you. You mysterious and all for a kid, makes you a good hunter. The town’s kinda boring... You know, we came here itching for a fight and we got nothing. So how about it kid? Me and you do a little sparring.”

“… I don’t go around fighting people”

“I get you; I get you but come on just one bout.” Again with his dismissive attitude.

“… No… You mind letting go of me.”

“Just relax kid. We just two men going about town.”

He tightens his grip around my neck. I feel something pointy to my side and I stop. I take a peek down and see he has a knife to me.

“Walk…!” The one calling himself, Pyson Taro said, sternly.

Leading me towards an alley among the clutter of sounds I hear a similar one, faint, it’s rhythm like a soothing song.

Is she spying on me?

“… I suggest you not do that.”

He pulls me into the alley pinning me to the wall pressing the sharp edge of the knife to my neck.

“Let’s get serious kid. Who the hell are you?”

“……”

“Speak… Look I like you kid, that’s the truth. But a job’s a job and I got to do it, so does every hunter in this place. A contract was placed out for us to bring down some guy—” A contract? What is he talking about? What does it have to with me? Are those who I’ve run into previous towns who surviving the casualties the reason? “—but I ain’t gonna harm no kid. Waiting almost two months in this dump for the guy, who is no show, is a bore… and here you are.”

“You underestimate people… besides I have no clue of what you speak.”

“Mm? Hahahaha… Yeaah, I really like you kid, you blunt but kinda funny…” What’s so funny? “But for your sake leave before things get ugly for you.”

This is the first.

“And what makes you think I am that person?”

A town I’ve never been before, a demon I’ve never known. I see no reason why they’d be after me.

“It’s just that obvious… You just looked like the type! That aside, if I realized it, everyone else would sooner or later. You gotta learn to conceal that power of yours. Your presence, the air around you, it’s a dead giveaway. You’re not the normal ‘kid’. No one around here is giving of the vibe you do. So tell me who are you?”

My presence, power? I have no clue on what he’s talking about nor how to stop that. As if I can tell from my perspective that I am leaking out whatever he’s talking about… I’ll have to find a solution to that later, better yet understand it.

Allora did say it felt weird that they were in town… So, I’m the reason why they are here. But how could I be who they are after?

How could they have known I was going to end up here…?

And why would they be after me?

Unless I was followed? But I saw no one nor sensed them with my other senses.

I’m really at a lost here. How did they know…?

That may explain why I was so drawn to this place—wait no it doesn’t. Maybe it does a bit. I was called to it, the demon perhaps…? I’m still clueless as to what brought me here. What is going on here?

But why would a demon need common thugs, hunters and bounty hunters around to take me on?

……… Only possible answer…

Is, maybe the demon in question… weak?

But, even a weak demon is strong enough to take down an army of men with average skills. Plus with the amount of people in the place, he has enough food source to gain strength to take me on alone, which brings me to the final question.

Why haven’t whoever they are slain everyone in here, I wonder?

And why haven’t the hunters also done anything about it?

What is their grand scheme in all this and what my role is in it?

I heard hunters do the odd jobs alongside hunting monster so they aren’t up to the task. A demon hunter should be one for this job. It’s clear how most of these demons operate. Killing indiscriminately to for either strengthening themselves or the reason stated before. I’ve seen a couple of empty settlements with the lingering stench of demons.

I haven’t ever been in a situation like this before. This is confusing.

He sheaths his blade in the scabbard strapped to his right thigh.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Even I wonder why they’d want you. You’ve either got to be special or just that much of a nuisance.”

“……”

A nuisance? To whom?

“It’s just a warning… Leave or you’d be dead… but if you do decide to stay I look forward to a bout with you. Don’t die before my turn.”

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He lets go and walks away with a wave.

“Watch your back. See ya back at the inn!”

I watch him walk away.

Back to it then…

I step out of the alley scanning around… Then I hear the melodious beating faintly louder and faster among the clutter.

Listen… block out the other sounds… it’s starting to overlap everything around me. It’s sweet yet annoying. What’s making it so?

It’s coming from back there, in the alley a building back.

Huh? I hear three more close by! I have to—

WHAT!? This again? Why am I thinking like that? It’s like I can’t stop myself from doing so. It’s not my proble—

The distance closes between me and the alley’s mouth.

Wait, what?

I was already moving towards the place subconsciously. I was heading the other direction trying to ignore it, even my mind was made up on that but my body had already started moving on its own.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I hear voices coming from inside the alley.

…Since I’m already here guess I’ll just have to check it out.

“Ready to have some fun little cutie.”

“They’re all so innocent and youthful at this age, yet still ripe for the taking. She disgusts me.”

“Watching them having to beg for something is all so arousing.”

“I’m going to strip her down and have my way with her dirty skin and afterwards serve myself with her flesh on platter.”

“I’ll have some of that.”

“I bet it’ll be disgusting.”

The little girl is being cornered by three men, armed.

A stream of scent flows into my nostrils…

I could already tell, with the scent they gave off what race they were and even without what they said, what they intended to do to the little one.

The mouth of the alley: The alley is not narrow but enough for movement.

“A slippery little thing, she is.”

“I can’t believe we finally get to do this.” They close in on her.

There is no such thing as morality in this broken world. Who’d have the time to think of such a notion?

Sounds like this isn’t their first attempt at her… or their first offense.

Such depravity!! Attacking a little child. I have to help her.

Why did I just think that? Why do I feel the need to help her?

But I just have to. No, I need to… Ah crap!

I weave through them and stand between them and the girl.

“What the—”

“The hell you are, kid?”

“How dare you barge in?”

“……”

So what do we have here…? A well built Cyclops, a black furred theriantrope: wolf man, and a human. The Cyclops has a spiky mace strung to a chain hanging on his side; the Human had daggers along the crossed strap on his torso all the way to his back; and the wolf man a large battle axe behind him.

…That scent, it’s familiar… Where did I smell it…? It must be recent for me to still remember.

…Right. It’s the same one I caught on the mug yesterday. The one who threw the mug and hurt the little girl, it’s the Cyclops.

“Who the hell are you to stand in our way? Leave.” The Human pulls out a few of daggers between his fingers.

This is just how things are everywhere. People do whatever they want, pick fights with people and those kind of crap.

“I suggest you not do that.”

“And what could you possibly do to stop us?”

“The odds are against you. Beside you’re unarmed.”

“I’d rather not… Let’s do this peacefully… Three to one. Hardly fair, for you… Walk away and you live.”

“Haha” He chuckled. “That’s rich coming from a weakling kid like you. What, do you intend to fight us unarmed?”

They’re not perceptive as that, Taro. If that is the case with the others then I can still hang around this place without running into too much friction with these hunters and others around.

“Someone who pleads for his life is a weakling.”

“If you have no reason to fight then why have you come? Who the hell is she to you?”

Yea, who is she to me? I only saw her the day before, so why am I going out of my way to help her?

“Even I’m not sure… She’s just a stranger.” I take a look at her, hardly any reaction from her but the subtlety of her slightly opened from fear locked on to me, then back to the men.

“You’ve got to be shitting me. You don’t know the little cunt or the reason you doing this… Stand aside else you fall!”

The Cyclops grabs the handle and chain of the mace in his right. Loosening his grip to the handle the chain uncoils and the mace hits the ground—Thum…

“What say you?”

I wish I could but my legs won’t move, even if I wanted to. Something has me firm to the ground not to move away from her.

“……”

“What are you too shitty to talk now…?”

“I’ll give to the count of three leave… 1… 2…3… Very well then!”

The human thrust his daggers at me as the wolf man readies his battle axe.

With just a minimal move daggers whizzed by my face and catch the last.

“What the—?” he’s expression, shocked, that I caught the blade.

In that split second of my reaction time my mind was made up. I didn’t have any reason to harm them. I don’t know what sort of thing happens here and I also don’t want to incite panic should someone find their corpses, so… I throw the dagger back at him. Straight for his right shoulder.

Don’t overdo it. Don’t kill them, don’t kill them, don’t kill them.

Dash at them. A couple of quick non lethal jabs to the torso of the human, then a back hand hit to the side of his head that sends him into the wall, out cold.

Without hesitation I move unto the next who is coming at me.

My mind is racing. If I don’t restrain myself it will take over. Don’t forget—don’t kill them.

The axe comes down to the ground a mere half inch away to my side. I go with a high kick—wait, I don’t want to kill him, lower the output. My boot connects to his head and slams him into the wall, blacked out.

I turn with a kick but the Cyclops who is swinging his mace at his side jumps back.

“You’ll pay for that.”

He lets it loose and it’s coming at my head.

Shift my upper body a little and when mace is just by my head grab it by the chain and throw it back at him aimed at his torso with just enough power to knock him unconscious and avoid any massive injury from the spikes.

I turn to see if the girl is doing alright before giving another look to the men around me. The human is unconscious, bleeding from both nose and mouth; and bruise to the side of his face. The wolf man bleeding from his snout and lips. The Cyclops who I would say is almost bare-chested if not for the light leather straps-like shirt that was over his shoulders exposing his muscular pecs but covering his belly, had the mace upright in between his pecs as dribbles from the puddle of blood slip down.

They’re all alive. I can hear their hearts still beating, albeit unsteadily, as is their faint breathing. I’m glad I didn’t kill anyone. I wonder what might have happened if I didn’t hold back.

Sniff…

…The smell of blood.

“Eat! Sate us”

“I…” Just a slight turn of my head I look at the girl and back at the people on the ground. As much as I feel the hunger, even more from seeing their blood—“No!”

… I guess she’s okay now, so there’s nothing more to do.

I carefully walk by the men on the floor before me so I don’t step on them and exit the alley and get on to what I had plan to do for today.

The place is still a bit noisy—well, it is morning after all; people are out buying food and doing their daily routines. As I walk I hear footsteps of someone behind me and that familiar heart steadily beating.

Take a look behind and I see the little girl tailing me, a few feet away. Her expression is back to normal. Her fear has dispelled, I guess.

“Go away, little one.”

… She’s still tailing me.

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