Part 1, Demon Hunter Sub Plot

Demon Hunters

            The wagon rolled along the rocky path. In the back, five people huddled next to a map. “Alright. The demon was spotted here, on this ridge.” The speaker pointed to a small mountain peak near a major trade city in Col, about twelve miles from Atlantis. A few groans were elicited from the group as the cart hit a bump. Another pointed to a small mark on the map. “This is where I think we should start. There is enough food and water for a creature of its size.” A voice came from behind the wagon. “Sir, Hati will be on the tallest peak in the region.”

            Xena, the speaker, walked confidently behind the wagon as a lookout. She had just turned sixteen. Xena was now a fully-fledged Demon Hunter for the Leneel Sect. This was her first mission, but had studied this particular demon extensively before the mission. “Look, doll, we are old hats at this. Where I say it is, it probably is.” Xena grit her teeth while her partner spoke up. Dmitri had a very meek voice, but it was clear in the evening air. “I-I think that you should l-listen to Xena.” Dmitri stood a good foot shorter than Xena. He was two years younger, and to Xena he was the most annoying boy in the world.

            When the group was done laughing, she came over and punched Dmitri in the arm. “Idoit!” She hissed. “I can’t believe you! Why did you say something?” Dmitri rubbed his arm. “I was just trying to h-help!” He said with a whimper. She rolled her eyes and marched ahead of him. “Wa-wait for me! It’s not safe to go alone.”

            “Psht! I can take care of myself. And besides, you couldn’t protect me.” Xena made sure to point the word ‘you’ just to hurt him. Tears welled up in his eyes and he began to sniffle. He adjusted his grip on his shield and kept walking, muttering to himself. Occasionally, a tear would drop on his boots and he’d have to wipe his eyes.

            Both Dmitri and Xena were raised in South Ken. As such, they had pale skin and vividly colored eyes; a brilliant violet, a color that only purebreds have. Dmitri kept his hair cut short, almost shaved. Xena kept her hair short as well, but let her bangs and a bit in the back grow out for a personal flair. Most passerby’s thought that the two were related with how similar they looked. However, Xena would proudly point out that they had slightly different shades of black hair. Dmitri’s was ‘charcoal’, and her hair was ‘obsidian’.

            After a while, Dmitri called out the hour, like a good little trainee. But he was off by too much and Xena scolded him. The wagon paused and the hunters stepped out. There were ten fighters total. Xena and Dmitri were the only ones from the Sect. Most of the others were professional monster hunters or mercenaries. Most stretched from the travel, and a few checked on the supplies. One of the hunters called out to gather the forces. “A’ight! Let’s get this done: where are we going to attack?” She put her boot onto the stump they were using as a table and glared at the others sitting around her. “The doll wants us to swing by the Maverick estate and up to Mount Sickle. Richie says to go ‘round Edmund’s estate and search the glade on the west side.”

            “And we got reports from Ilroy that they can hear the roars from their homes.” A few nervous words were exchanged. “So,” the leader said angrily, “we not only have three possible areas of interest, but they are in separate directions?!” She stomped on the makeshift table. “C’mon people; we need something to work with here.” There was still silence. All the while, Xena kept praying that Dmitri would keep his mouth shut. Xena’s prayers were unanswered. “Um…w-we can r-r-rule out Ilroy.” Dmitri stood in the back, wringing his hands. One of the older hunters nodded. “That’s g-g-g-gre-great.” That got the entire group, save Xena and Dmitri, laughing.

            “And…and wh-wh-why is th-that?” The laughter just continued. “Dmitri; don’t ans-“

            “It’s too far north.” There was a slight pause in the laughter as all eyes locked on him. Dmitri swallowed hard and carefully thought out his words. “We can…we can rule out Ilroy. It is too far north.” He marched forward and pointed on the map that the guide was holding. “Also… Lord Edmund has forbidden any travel through his estate for the next week. His troops are running drills.” The cracking of the campfire was the only noise heard. After a tense moment, the silence was broken.

            The leader cleared her throat. “A’ight; we have a starting point. We launch at dawn. The location is the Maverick estate.” She looked around at the other hunters. She met each of their eyes with a somber look. It was the look that soldiers give to each other before a battle. A final farewell. Once she was satisfied, she clapped her hands. ‘Now then; are there any q-q-questions?” The roaring laughter returned as the hunters nearly keeled over in hysterics. Dmitri turned and hurried off into the woods. Xena just shook her head.

*****

            Dmitri waited until he was out of sight before he took off running. He finally stopped when he tripped on a shrub. He rose to his knees and screamed into the sky. “Stop!” The still night air echoed with his cry. Dmitri began to breathe heavily. “Stop…” he whispered. He held his head and kept whispering. It was partially to calm him down. Its main purpose was to drown out the voice that kept harassing him. “Kill. Kill them all. They mocked you. Kill them.”

            “…no…” Dmitri squeezed his eyes shut. “Kill.” The voice beckoned. “I won’t.”

            “Kill.”

            “No…”

            “Kill.” The voice was firm this time. Dmitri gave a firm reply. “No.”

            “Kill!”

            “No!” Dmitri rose to his feet, still clutching his ears and forcing his eyes shut. He thrashed his head around. His body was dragged along as he attempted to force the voice form his head. Dmitri’s eyes snapped open and he saw the owner of the voice. A large man clad in black armor from head to toe. The man extended a gauntleted hand. “Kill.” Fear flooded Dmitri’s being as he felt his hand reach out. “No.” His hand hesitated. “No!” Dmitri pulled his knife and began slashing at the man. The illusion shattered and moved away from his swing. He just kept swinging and screaming.

            He stood exhausted. The man no longer held out his arm. “Kill. Seek your revenge.”

            “I won’t hurt them!”

            “And why?! They do not deserve your mercy.” Dmitri held the knife so tightly his knuckles grew white. “Stop. I won’t.” The man began to speak with a force that pushed Dmitri to his knees. “I said to kill. Your hands can be red with blood. Why stop now? Kill them for their insult. Fight. Get stronger. Kill.”

            “No, I refuse!” Dmitri said. “KILL!” The man commanded.

            “Fine!” Dmitri thrust the knife forward. The illusion did not shatter this time. It just began to fade into nothing. “Such a waste.” The voice echoed. There was a sound of rushing wind and all was quiet. The voice was gone.