The Hunters Volume One: The Beginning

Chapter Three

"Oh? Started the party without us, did you Jade?" the Asian man teased his associate, gesturing at the blood still covering her hand.

"Shut up Lee," she hissed and went back to licking her hand. "It's not my fault you guys were late."

"And who was it that was supposed to open the warp gate as soon as she found their hideout?" he retorted amusedly.

She simply stuck her tongue out at him playfully and returned to cleaning her hand.

"And why are you cleaning it anyway? You're still gonna get it dirty again."

"No I'm not. There's no way I'm doing a hunt in this form."

The cultists stood and watched the two of them bickering like long time friends in various states of shock and confusion. Only very few of them had recognized the action of the first girl, Jade as teleportation magic. Byron in particular understood perfectly what had happened here. The girl must have set herself up as bait and used the Trojan horse strategy to infiltrate their hideout, bringing her friends with her as well. From the moment they had appeared, he had had an inkling as to whom they were. But the last words of the girl had practically confirmed his growing fear.

"Y-you're the Hunters?"

That got the bickering duo to pause and Jade smiled widely at him.

"See? You do know who I am! Well more like who we are...."

The rest of her statement was lost to him as he felt the worst fear he had ever felt. It was all over now. They were going to kill him and destroy every thing he had ever achieved in his life. And he knew there was nothing that could stop them. Certainly not him with how much more powerful they were compared to him. To do anything, he needed power.

Power...

That was it! The way out of all this was power! He did not have enough on his own, but there was another way...

"Who the hell are the Hunters? Who are you guys?" one of the new initiates snarked rudely. He, like some of the initiates, had recovered somewhat from the defective concoction and was leaning on another member to stand. The older woman who was helping him stand broke momentarily out of her fear induced shock to glare furiously at him as if to tell him to shut his mouth. She had obviously been in this group for a long time, long enough that she recognized the people before her and the danger their presence represented.

Lee raised an eyebrow at the questioner in a surprised manner.

"You seriously haven't heard of us?"

"Oh yeah that guy, he's one of the new intakes. I don't suppose they've been entirely made aware of the supernatural world." Jade explained.

"New intakes?" the other girl perked up visibly at that statement and turned to the one on the other side of Lee. "Michael, do we have to kill them as well?"

The now named Michael turned to the girl, his eyes becoming far softer when he spoke to her. "I'm sorry but they knew what they were getting into. If we leave them alone, they're just going to hurt innocent people. And you know we can't let that happen."

The girl merely sighed, as if she had already expected this answer. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

"Finally!" Jade huffed. "Now I don't know about you guys but I have a movie to catch so can we at least hurry this up?"

"Do what you want to do." Michael said in a neutral tone. "But try not too make a mess. Olivia's squeamish enough as it is."

Lee chuckled lightly, "Yeah, try telling her that."

Where Jade once was, stood a giant three foot tall, six foot long wolf that was covered in dark brown fur. Said wolf was currently eviscerating a nearby cultist, its muzzle and front paws covered in the blood of the dying man. The transformation and attack had happened so suddenly that no one had been able to react in time. It was over for the man when the wolf pulled back from his ripped open torso, his heart caught in its maw. The bloody organ pulsed twice sending blood squirting onto the floor before the creature swallowed it whole and turned its gaze to Michael.

'You were saying?' Jade's amused voice responded telepathically in his head.

Apparently they all heard her statement as well if Lee's laugh and Olivia's smile was anything to go by. Michael merely shook his head lightly at her antics and turned to Olivia.

She smiled at him, albeit a bit sadly. "It's fine. Besides this way they'll die faster."

Faced with her agreement, Michael stepped back and let his team do as they wished. The three of them went down on one knee and placed a single hand on the floor. Thick black smoke drifted from their bodies, covering them in columns of smoke which hid their forms entirely.

When the smoke cleared, three more giant wolves stood before them. One of them was a light brown color, another white while the last one was pitch black. The first wolf came to stand with them and together they growled loudly at the terrified cultists. Then they attacked.

It was an absolute slaughter. The cultists, while aware of the supernatural, did not possess knowledge of any powerful spells they could have used in this situation. The few that knew some incantations tried pointlessly to help themselves. One woman managed to live long enough to cast a wide wave of fire which she sent out towards the wolves. The beasts simply stood and watched the attack approach until it engulfed them.

A few moments later, the wolves trotted lightly out of the raging inferno, their furs not giving of even a faint smoke trail. It took two more people attacking with a similar spell before the remaining cultists came to a startling discovery: the wolves could not be damaged with elemental attacks that weak. Aside their insane durability, the creatures were fast and absurdly strong, being able to remove entire limbs in a single bite. There was no escaping death from the hands of these wolves.

Anton, the one with the Reality Displacement magic has been frozen with fear at the massacre happening before him. It was when the disembodied head of a cultist rolled to his feet that he regained his senses. In a mad dash he ran to the side of Byron who had been observing the whole scene for some time now.

"Master! What do we do?! There going to kill everyone!."

"Anton, you've never killed someone before, have you?"

Anton stared at him in confusion, "What are you talking about..."

His question trailed off when he saw the manic look in his master's eyes. With astonishing speed, Byron grabbed the boy's wrist and used the silver knife on the altar to cut him open. Blood spurted all over the altar and into the emptied bowl. The binding pain made Anton scream and push away from the older man. Having gotten what he wanted, Byron let him stumble back without a care for the look of betrayal on the young man's face.

Taking hold of the collars of his robe, he tore it apart revealing a sturdy form not befitting someone of his age. He had not intended to do this ritual now. He still had not accumulated enough power but the current circumstances had forced his hand. The price would surely be steep but he would pay it nevertheless, for the honor of his Master. Gripping the knife in his right hand, he used it to carve a bloody pentagram on his chest. Reciting in an unknown language, he called on as much magical energy as he could muster. By the time he stopped chanting, he felt it begin. A bubbling darkness surging forth from within his very being, consuming and twisting his existence.

'Slave, why have you summoned me now? You do not have enough power to retain my being in this realm!'

The deep growling voice of his Master resounded in his mind as its foul energy began to take hold of his conscience.

"My lord, I-I didn't have a choice! The Hunters, they're here! They'll destroy everything!"

'Hmmm, that is terrible news indeed. But it won't change the fact that I still cannot fully manifest here.'

"I-I thought of that, my lord. That is why I am ready to offer up my soul to you. Use it to fuel your entry and deal with these wretched beasts!"

'A soul? Yes....a soul will do quite nicely.... Prepare to die, servant...'

"Anything for you my lo-"

Byron's body stiffened and spasmed uncontrollably until he fell backwards. His eyes bulged out and darkness creeped in from the corners of his eyes until they were both pitch black. Meanwhile, the wolves had finished slaughtering every member of the cult and were now watching the possession taking place on the altar.

Suddenly Byron stopped shaking and slowly stood up. His entire demeanor had changed into something far more ominous. Black veins were visible all over his hands, chest and face. His eyes had turned black, devoid of their pupils and when he spoke, his mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth.

"How annoying. To be summoned by this failed sorcerer to fight an already useless battle."

The wolves began circling him slowly, their hackles raised as they growled and snarled at the possessed man. He didn't pay them any mind though. Rather he focused his gaze on Michael who had yet to move an inch since his arrival.