Chapter 17: Bottled Up
"Of course, A— Talon, what do you need? Sorry, to this day, it's strange to get used to our new names," chuckled Thorn. But as she looked at her friend, she could see that he wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"Not here, please…" Murmured Talon, his voice barely audible. Thorn turned serious in an instant as she observed Talon.
"Let's go to the garden then. You weren't here when they showed us the garden of the headquarters. I'll lead you there," said Thorn with a smile on her face as she got up from the bed and waved goodbye to Aria. Aria waved back without saying a word, probably using her gift to convey her farewell, while Talon just simply waved at her and she waved back.
The two of them walked side by side without uttering a word. Talon tried to keep his composure, while Thorn cast side glances at him, attempting to figure out what it was that her friend wanted to say to her.
The two of them arrived in front of double glass doors, showing a stunning scenery on its other side. Before Thorn could open the door, the two of them were stopped by a middle-aged hunter with a scar on his face.
"You two freaks have no business being here, scram!" said the hunter while looking sternly at the two, obviously trying to intimidate both of them.
"We were shown around this morning, and they said that the members of the Special Gifted Division were free to go inside the garden in our free time. So, please stand aside and let us in, it's not like you get paid to act like some thug and bully us " spat back Thorn with a smug expression on her face.
Talon's ears perked up in response to one of the words he heard. 'Special Gifted Division? So we… they have an official name among the hunters? Must be good…' chuckled Talon in a self-deprecating way to himself."
"I don't care, you freaks won't just walk around here like you own the place. Who was it that led you freaks around here, anyway? I'll make sure to talk with that incompetent bastard if they did not teach you Special Division bastards your place," the hunter demanded an answer while increasingly turning hostile towards the two.
"He introduced himself to us as Huntsman Lance, so if you have any problem, bother him," answered Thorn matter of factly, while the hunter's face turned ashen white in disbelief.
"There is simply no way that you goddamn freaks were led by one of the Huntsmen. Stop lying and scram while I still ask nicely." spat the hunter as he rested his hand on the handle of his sword, openly threatening the two.
"Freak this, freak that. Don't you know at least one other word to describe us, you idiot? I've had enough of all you idiots telling us what we can or can't do. Who are you to do that, huh? You're just a miserable piece of crap who wants to take out his frustration on someone better than him!"
Shouted Talon, who had been buried deep inside his own thoughts until now, leaving Thorn to deal with the hunter, but now, he just wanted nothing more than to lash out at someone.
Thorn was shocked at her friend's outburst. Even if he was angry, he usually tried to maintain his composure. It wasn't like him to lose his cool like this, especially considering that the situation in front of them would become an everyday occurrence from that day onward.
"How dare you raise your voice, you dirty rat?!" Shouted the hunter at Talon in anger, preparing himself to draw his sword on the boy. While Thorn just watched her friend with great shock.
"Oh, did you add another word to your list of insults, you pathetic imbecile?" Talon mocked the hunter as he silently began activating his gift and tried to maintain control over it. 'If I just barely activate it, I won't lose control. If I do, I will go too far and won't even remember the best part, taking my anger out on this bastard.'
"I will skin you alive, you filthy rat!" Screamed the hunter in anger as he struck at Talon with his longsword. Thorn became ready to unleash her own gift and subdue the hunter with her string.
However, Talon acted before her, ducking just before the sword could reach his neck and delivering a crushing blow to the hunter's thigh, shattering the bone inside.
The hunter fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Before he could even beg for mercy, Talon began mocking him with a terrifying grin on his face. "Aren't so big and strong now, are we?" He chuckled at the sight of the hunter writhing in agony. "Squirming like a worm suits you, hunter scum. All of you should do it more!" Shouted Talon before delivering three consecutive kicks to the hunter's stomach, causing him to vomit from the force.
"Talon, what are you doing? You shouldn't kill him." Thorn attempted to stop her friend, placing her hand on his shoulder. To her shock, Talon slapped away her hand and looked at her with a deep madness in his eyes. "Don't touch me!"
Before Thorn could say anything else, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps reached her ears. Two men emerged, one of them was Damian, but she didn't recognize the other person who rushed to them beside Damian.
"Why are you insisting on causing us so much trouble, you stupid brat?!" The irritated voice, accompanied by a hit at the back of his neck by Paul, made Talon break out of his trance.
"I… I'm sorry. I thought I was close to using it without losing control," Talon admitted, sighing in failure. 'Why can't I do anything right?' Before he could suffocate in his own self-pity, Paul said something that shocked him.
"You… were actually close," Paul muttered in astonishment.
"But—" Talon tried to express that he still failed at controlling himself, but he was interrupted by the soldier that he unleashed his wrath upon. "Of course, it's the great Paul… your freakish dog attacked me out of nowhere, you bastard!"
"What—" Before Thorn could lash out at the injured hunter, Paul stopped her. "You are still quite prideful for someone who has been beaten by a malnourished 17-year-old kid."
The hunter's face became red with anger, but he strangely calmed down just as fast, and a smile found its way to his face. "A 17-year-old with a gift related to mist..." The hunter suddenly began laughing even while coughing blood, creating a disturbing scene that almost made Thorn gag.
"The freak is the catastrophe of fog..." His laughter turned hysterical as he almost choked on his own blood. "No matter what you do, Paul, this dog will be put down in the north. He won't survive a week inside Fort Eger!"
"The medics will be here for you soon. I advise you to shut your mouth if you want them to find you while you're still alive!" growled Paul at the hunter, who instantly became deathly silent as neither he nor the other hunters had ever seen Paul act this way.
"Fort Eger? What are they talking about?" asked Thorn with a shocked expression.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," admitted Talon.
"You two can go to the garden, we will take the rest from here," said Damian as he waved at them to go away. Neither Talon nor Thorn waited, as they had a lot to discuss.
***
After Talon and Thorn departed, Damian and Paul strolled outside the headquarters. The glances they received from onlookers varied between fear, awe, and hate, but the two paid them no mind.
"Did you see it?" asked Paul.
"Yeah, it took me almost 3 months, and he is at the same level on the third try. But anyway, how did a simple hunter know about him being a catastrophe, much less him getting sent to Fort Eger? The news arrived before us, how?"
"It's obvious that the general wants Talon to die; he is making every preparation to get him killed even before he's sent to the fort. The bastard isn't leaving anything to chance." Paul paused for a bit, contemplating something before continuing. "How much time do you need to finish your business on the northern front?"
"Half a year, at best. But that depends on how the situation is at the border, and from what I heard, it couldn't be much worse." Damian spoke with a dark tone. "After I'm done there, I will rush to the fort, first thing."
"Thank you, Damian. Oh, but before you go, let the kid rest for a while; it was probably too much for him all at once. But we have to start his training as soon as possible."
"Oh, don't worry, I already planned out his training regiment." Damian smiled mischievously.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone