4: THE ARKEIAN

5.27 PM, THE DAY BEFORE, IN NODERYN.

In a quiet bar, in the farthest, darkest reaches of the city, Akira Storm sat by the counter with a mug of ale.

She did not possess the looks of the average lady, at least not with her hood pulled up over her head as it was now. Other than her slender build and long fingers, there wasn't any other indication that she was a lady.

Once in a while, she expanded her senses, taking in the environment without turning or looking. There were just two men at the table behind her, and the bartender was sitting on his perch, reading a book.

Otherwise, it was quiet. Just as she liked it.

"You are very difficult to find."

Akira turned slightly. The intruder was a heavyset woman with dark hair and a stony face. She wore a gray jacket and her jeans looked worn. Her scent was a mixture of spirits and sweat and dried figs, as far as Akira could smell. If there was any malicious intent, she couldn't sense it.

At least, not yet.

"Don't worry, I'm not a threat. You can stop scanning me now," said the lady.

Akira twirled her drink with one finger. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The lady held up a finger to the bartender, then pointed at a bottle of whiskey on the shelf behind him.

"I'm a recruiter," she said to Akira, "And I currently got a job for you."

"I retired."

"You haven't heard my offer."

"Whatever it is, fuck off."

The woman waited for the bartender to pour her drink and return back to his perch before she continued.

"Two million denns," she said promptly.

Akira paused her twirling, but only for a second. "How did you find me?"

"I got in touch with Kuro. You did jobs for him before, right?"

"I did. Before I QUIT."

"That's why we're offering this much. One last hunt, and you can hang up your…gloves."

Instinctively, she rubbed her wrists, contemplating, thinking, weighing.

"What's the target?"

6.33 PM, YUGEN CASTLE, OUTSKIRTS OF NODERYN CITY, THE WASTELANDS

The structure was as dilapidated as it could get, its walls derelict and deserted for the better part of a century.

This castle had been ground zero for the Aethorian armies during the war. After the Rift happened, it fell to ruins and, like most things during that time, no one knew what really happened.

Akira checked her bearings. The building stood on a low hill in the middle of a bare expanse of land, the closest settlement being half an hour away.

Apart from the animals scurrying about in the underbrush and an occasional bird on the walls, her senses told her that she was alone.

This wasn't her first rogue hunt, and she was no amateur to going after Anomalies that had escaped the Maegen's notice. But something about this one felt different.

The gates were open wide, inviting her in but letting out no hints as to what lay within.

She let out a breath. And she walked in.

Nothing moved nor breathed as far as she could tell. She was silent; stealth and decisive attacks were what made her a top tier Hunter, back when she was part of the Order.

She stopped. The movement had been so quick, so quiet, she wouldn't have picked it up if she hadn't been listening for it.

She turned towards the dark archway to her left, crouching a bit as she walked into the fallen corridor. With each step, the silence seemed to grow more oppressive, the darkness slowly deepened.

The scent hit her again, briefly in a passing second. Instinctively, almost without thinking, she clenched her fists, activating the tekhan gloves. They glowed a dull purple in the darkness, as she stopped completely.

She had never smelt this creature before, but it sent chills down her spine. Her instincts never failed her in these situations. Whatever this was….

She barely had time to evade the blade. It swished past her ear as she sidestepped it, striking the wall behind her with a resounding clang.

"Well. Didn't expect her to see that one. She's good."

Three men walked into the clearing in front of her, wearing hooded cloaks like she was, carrying weapons of varying magnitude. And by the glowing gloves they wore, she could tell they were Rogue Hunters as well.

She had heard of these sort of encounters; Rogue Hunters killing others to take the prize money. She didn't think she would ever be in this situation, and at least, not now.

"Turn around," she warned.

She had been so focused on the Entity she was hunting, she hadn't noticed them.

She stepped back, analyzing the situation, keeping her senses alert. The creature was still about, and she couldn't let them distract her.

"Yeah, that's not gonna fly, miss," said the one in the middle who had thrown the knife. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and despite his ragged looks, there was some air of sophistication about him. "We got info on this target. It's a rare one, by all indications. Can't have any other Rogue sharing the bounty."

So, she'd been sold out. Akira stepped back again, calculating. They had to be Gamma-rank hunters at least. She could take them on, with casualties, of course, but it was possible to immobilize them and escape…

Whatever it was, it was the fastest thing she'd seen. It slipped into her vision in a second, grabbing the first man on the left and sent him flying into the wall.

He barely had time to scream as his head met stone with a sickening crunch, and he thudded down to the floor, dead.

"Fuckin' shit…."

"Eyes up!"

"What in the Three Hells...."

Animosity forgotten and with a threat to their lives, they were armed in a moment, backs to each other, searching for the creature.

It hissed, zipping past them soundlessly; on the ceiling, between the pillars, on the ground outside.

"It's toying with us," Akira whispered to herself, gritting her teeth, "It's toying with us."

She disengaged from the Hunters in a flash, heading towards the pile of rubble in the distance.

"Fuck, she's done a runner!" cursed one of the Hunters behind her.

She ignored them, sprinting as fast as she could into the open.

It worked. She picked up its presence at the last second, just as its claws reached out like switchblades to sever her head…

…and that was enough.

She turned mid flight, pointing her index and middle fingers at the creature in the air above her. A single, purple bolt shot out of her glove, piercing its chest point blank.

Its screech resounded through the castle, as it tumbled into the pile of rubble ahead. She overbalanced with her sudden change in momentum, and crashed into the ground too, before righting herself on time.

The creature was not down. It rose with a menacing growl, eyes blazing in fury. She saw what it was, and she caught her breath.

The Arkeian was a fiery being, a devil from the Veil and thought to be a mythical being by most. It had to be one of those exaggerated tales that the Warden Hunters talk about to feel more popular.

This was what they described it as: flaming eyes glared out from endless, black sockets below two ram-like horns. The hands were human-like but powerfully muscular and ended with the claws of a bear. Behind it were two unmoving wings, glowing as the rest of its body was, terrifying in all its might.

That was exactly what stood before her.

It came for her, but she couldn't move. Nothing about any of this was normal. She wasn't sure if it was fear or awe or hypnosis that held her there, even as she begged her limbs to function…

A flash of light made her blink. It came from a swishing blade that struck the Arkeian in its eye, breaking its hypnosis.

She turned. The second Rogue Hunter was making his way towards the aberration as it let out a piercing howl. The third man with the ponytail was nowhere to be found.

The Arkeian had turned its attention to the attacking Rogue who had taken out a blaze gun, sending a ray of fire in its direction as he advanced.

Akira saw his mistake before he did and yelled out a late warning.

The beast sidestepped the flames in a flash. In another instant, it had reached out and clawed his head clean off.

The horror was in front of her, but she forced the sight out of her brain. She got to her feet, hurriedly taking up an attacking pose.

Kill or be killed.

The tekhan gloves reacted to her emotions, sending a list of options into her view. She had used the stun bolt and it had proven useless.

"Run diagnostics," she whispered.

«ALPHA-LEVEL THREAT

TYPE: UNKNOWN

HEALTH: 80/100»

"What the hell?" She muttered aloud. The Arkeian wasn't down by half, and still had a reserve of strength.

It was turning its attention to her now. She hurriedly picked the next option without thinking.

«GLOVE MOD: ENERGY SURGE»

Her gloves glowed again. She inhaled sharply as she felt energy leave her body in surging waves.

She took aim, and she fired at the creature just as it leapt at her, fangs bared in a savage roar.