Chapitre 426: Hunter's Bane [#2]
"What the fuck- HOLY SHIT!"
"AAAH!"
"..."
Everybody froze- Ryan's chainsaw was knocked off of his hand, thrown to the side as the monster slapped it away. Dylan waited for his brutal death with his eyes closed, not wanting to look his killer in the eye as he was being brutally eaten alive, but when he opened his eyes again, all he could see was those red shining eyes looking at him: "...Okay, is it just me or is the big wolf monster guy judging my manly scream that definitely did not sound like a little girl's?" Also, they weren't being attacked? That's weird.
"I am judging your dumb decision to cut off your hand when all you needed to do was endure." Rolling his eyes, severely annoyed, Hunter turned to look at the two kids who were Emma's friends as he plucked her right off of his back and placed her down before the two: "Seriously, why people's first thought whenever they're bitten is 'Oh no, I'm about to turn into a bloodthirsty monster!', that's kinda racist- I mean, sure, the majority of Werewolves I know are pretty bloodthirsty, but we have manners!" With a huff of annoyance, Hunter plucked the hand that was cut off- They had just arrived a few seconds ago when the radio tower was blasting a sound so horrible that Hunter felt his ears bleed! After watching another 3 or 4 Rougarus run away from the source of the sound like he expected them to, like wild animals that they were, before he pushed his way through the window by simply jumping in. That resulted in the one he assumed was called Dylan screaming his soul out, while the one he thought would be Ryan tried to attack him with the chainsaw, only for him to get a few of his black-white striped fur before Hunter simply slapped the chainsaw away, making Dylan scream like a little girl. "Seriously, why did you even do something as stupid as this?"
"Uuhhh... Emma? Is there a big buff zebra wolfman talking to me or am I hallucinating from the blood loss?" Dylan felt like he was hallucinating- after all, after having his entire being assaulted by sheer pain of being bitten and then having his hand cut off by a fucking chainsaw, he thought that the pain had gotten to him after the giant shadow smashed through the window and a giant wolfman appeared before them. "Emma, you're not, like, bitten right?" Because she didn't look like she was turning even though she had just come into the tower through the window riding in the back of a werewolf guy who looked way different from the other werewolves that they've been dealing with for the past few hours of the night- "Holy shit." Dylan watched, a bit entranced and a bit surprised as the massive form of fur and muscles receded into a massive form of hair and muscle. The wolfman turned into simply a man in a swift and rather quick moment, like a balloon releasing air. "Hot damn!"
"...I'll just choose to believe that you didn't mean to say that out loud and that the pain and blood loss have gotten into your head." Chuckling, the shirtless Hunter gripped the cut off hand and the boy's stump left behind as he made eye contact with Dylan as he said: "But thank you." With that, he twisted the lost hand back to the stump as he used [Essence Shift], allowing his own blood to flow like a healing elixir from his body into the body of the teen and watched as the hand reattached itself as his own supernatural healing abilities were pushed into the boy's body, making him heal faster than any human could ever hope to and watched as the bones, muscle tissue, and skin began to regrow. He wasn't the only one who watched such a thing happen, as the boy he had just reattached the hand to looked at it with a mix of awe, confusion, and glee- all that was broken as Hunter got up and looked around: "So, you got access to your little friends, or know where they are at least? Gotta gather up all them kids, don't wanna have a repeat of the last time I had to deal with a pack of Rougarus and their breeding grounds..." Hunter looked out in space with a blank look on his face, his eyes glazed over with a carefully neutral and blank gaze: "All those poor, poor kids... I still have nightmares of what happened to them..."
"What happened to them?" Finding the courage to speak again after catching her breath, Emma coughed a bit. After all, holding onto a big wolfman as he runs through a forest full of monsters and trying not to fall off as he jumped through holes, clawed his way up trees just to jump off of them into other trees and then jump over a chasm before climbing a tree to jump through the window of the tower was hard. She helped Ryan calm down and then helped Dylan get up, giving him a cloth to clean the blood off of his face and arms as she said: "I hope it wasn't anything like this?"
"Oh, no." Hunter shrugged, sinking his hand into the same [Bag of Holding] he had been using for 21 years and pulled out a few weapons: "Here you go, kids. Christmas came early, and it came bearing teeth and death!" The weapons he gave the two boys were two magical silver daggers, enchanted to be sharper and inflict more damage, being basic [+1] weapons- But hey, daggers are really useful! He placed the handle in the closest boy- Dylan was his name -before he went through his bag again, this tome pulling a regular pistol instead of the fancier one Emma was holding: "If ya'll want a gun, I think I can ya one- but no silver bullets, sadly... Any of you have ever shot a crossbow?" He pulled out a hand crossbow, small enough to shoot these bolts of silver: "They're small, but you can do some damage with them- add a wolfsbane potion and boom! These Rougarus go out like a light."
"...Rougarus?" The silent Ryan seemed to have found his voice then, he coughed a bit- he was pretty hurt, having had to fight off one of the beasts as seen by the sharp claw marks on his arm -as he lifted his head to look straight into Hunter's eyes. Not many people who have seen him transform have done that, thanks to the instinctual reaction humans have to dangerous beasts, so he was kinda taken off guard by the balls the kid had! "That's what those things are called?"
"Yep." Hunter approached the boy, who took a step back, before he reached out and offered him a bottle- it was a normal water bottle with a [Dasani] plastic wrapper around it, but the contents of the bottle was not water at all. The liquid inside the bottle looked like a mix between a bunch of greens- avocado smoothie, broccoli, cabbages, and even leaves could be seen inside the weird liquid, but what many would see was the way the liquid seemed to almost move inside the bottle, rolling around and exposing these bright red glares of energy from within: "Here, out some on the wounds or takena drink, whatever one works fine." The boy hesitated to reach out and take the bottle, so Hunter simply threw the bottle at the kid, who caught it instinctively. "Fuck, I hate it when I have to deal with nests... At least the fuckers of the fuckers at the department will pay me well for getting rid of another problem for them."
"Wait- Who are you? Are we just gonna ignore the elephant in the room- this guy just went from a hot wolf guy to a hot regular guy!" How was nobody else freaking out? I mean, sure, they have been dealing with Werewolves- Rougarus, whaterver -the entire night, but not ones who can turn back! "Seriously? Nobody gonna comment on that?" Is he the only one freaking out right now? His hand came back, which was nice of mister hot guy, but what the fuck? Was that magic? And the bottle he just gave Ryan, was that also magic? And the daggers- "Okay. I need to make this quick." Emma snapped at him, making Dylan recoil for a second at the sharpness of her voice but also the desperation- was she okay? "Look, this guy here is apparently a professional Monster Hunter, he wants to help. He told me that Werewolves-"
"Rougarus."
"-whatever!" Emma huffed, a hand going to her forehead: "Jacob is out there... I don't know what could happen to him, I... We gotta gather everyone and go to the island in the lake- Rougarus are deathly afraid of water." Emma pointed to Hunter, who was... sniffing the air and muttering to himself? "He explained it to me in, frankly gross detail, but the gist of it is that it acts like magic rabies, transmitted by bite, makes you into a crazy bloodthirsty monster, and makes you afraid of water. That's it. So we gotta gather everyone and hunker down in the island on the lake, we'll be safe there because not many Werewolves-"
"Rougarus."
"-can get to us. Got it?" With a tight grip on her gun, Emma took a shaky breath as she said: "Please, please tell me you guys know where the others are- where Jacob is."
"Uuhhh..."
An explanation soon followed, and Hunter slapped his forehead: "Let me, for the first time since my birth, do something straight-" Dylan snickered from the side for a second: "-thank you, at least someone has a sense of humor here... Anyway, let me get this straight: There are nine of you and somehow all of you got separated? Like, really? What happened to the buddy system? The phoneline- oh, that one got fucked, right I remember that... Anyway- What happened to the 'Apes Together Strong' mentality that has kept humanity alive for thousands of years?" With a frustated sigh that he likely wouldn't be able to get everyone together in a few minutes at most, he decided to simply deal with the source of the problem first! "This is crazier than that one time I had a threesome with a half-wendigo and a nerdy guy... And way less fun." He cracked his knuckles, a solemn sigh leaving his lips as he extended his senses forward and used [Grim Psychometry] onto the land beneath his feet-
Flashes of red. Howls of pain and misery as various Rougarus fight amidst themselves to the death to feed upon each other's corpses... Peace, a white one approaches, the Alpha makes them stop fighting every full moon, making them hunt others instead of trying to kill each other. Love happens eventually and many are born, their numbers grow as the Alpha tells them to breed, fi grow his army, so that he can take over the land and expand their pack... Revenge will be served for what was done to his mother.
Fire. Screams... pain. People are dying, burning alive, and an old woman is frantically looking for her child... She wails loudly like a banshee, her pain is miserable to see, but she feels dark. Her tarot cards scatter upon the air as she throws them, and three land right before his very eyes.
[The Jester], [The Empress], and [The Hermit].
All of them reversed.
The woman turns to look at him, her jaw unhinges like a snake, and she wails.
-he comes back with a shake of his head, a small and annoying headache makes him whine like a kicked dog for a second before blood starts pouring out of his nose. "Urgh, hate when that happens." He coughed a bit of blood out, uncaring for the mental damage he took from hearing the wailing of what was clearly a Banshee, instead making the choice that would help save everyone. "So... you kids, I gotta go and kill what clearly is an Alpha Rougaru and the Original Bite that caused all this mess. Try to not get bitten, and if you do, try to not kill anyone for a while... Stay together, use the potions if needed, and for the sake of satan, don't die." He pushed his hand against the broken window full of glass shards and with barely any effort, he jumped off of 20 plus feet off of the ground, plummeting down. Mid air, his body grew and his already torn pants broke apart even more, but nothing a cast of [Mending] wouldn't solve.
Yeah, that entire conversation, he had his tits out.
————
"...did he just say he had a threesome with a wendigo?"
"Did he just jump out of the window instead of taking the stairs?"
"...he left us alone."
The three teens looked at each other, realizing what just happened, and said at the same time: "Fuck."
———
Wiith a dash through the darkness, a flickering flame appeared- two bright red eyes stared at the forest around, his body moved in ways that could be considered unnatural, his mind quickly analyzing every single scent and every single sound that came to him to locate and pinpoint where each and every single Rougaru in a 3 mile radius could be found. He could feel a headache incoming so he had to use [Blood Bargain of Sound Mind] to focus and will that pain away so he could better find his way through these woods- he felt the scent of Undead easily, signifying his approach of a rather dark and decrepit place. The scent of burnt wood and ash was also stained against the ground, although faint and with a hint of sheer pain and misery.
The way magic works in this world is through rituals and patterns, as well as wishes and desires. Everything is a pattern, everything is a ritual- patterns gather energy, and rituals use that energy for something. Sacrifices usually release all energy someone or something gather through their entire lives, which is why sacrifices (willing or unwilling) are so powerful and useful. Hunter stood before the dark and ashen land that used to be something, but the flames had turned it unrecognizable. The presence of deep magic that went against nature was so deeply buried within the land that many people would feel ill and repulsion just by being here. The scent of blood and Rougarus was so strong here that he knew- he had found their den! "Urgh..." Groaning at the scent of rotten flesh, Hunter's eyes narrowed as he used [Know Thy Enemy] and [Hunter's Sense] upon the being that floated before him, focusing on the [Detail] aspect of the [Know Thy Enemy] ability-
[Banshee - Hag of Hatchett's Quarry]
Name - Eliza
Detail: [Star/Natural Gift: Death Wish - Revenge, Protection]
Undead - Banshee of Sorrows and Revenge
Special Senses: Dark Vision, True Sight
Damage Resistances: Physical Damage (From Non-magical weapons), Necrotic, Radiant
Damage Vulnerabilities: Fire
Damage Immunities: Psychic
Conditions Immunities: Fear, Charm, Paralyze, Stun, Restraint
Spellcasting: Banshee Wail, Undead Magic, Psychic Magic.
-and receive a bunch of information he could use. He could tell that this woman had a Gift in life, a Gift that grew stronger after her death due to the strong ritual she did and the desire she held onto. Hunter immediately could see her floating spirit, charred and broken, with a rather rusty dagger in the chest. She had unruly white hair that drapped down her body in a veil-like manner, her clothing were burnt and her pale skin also had burnt patches. She smelled strongly of burnt skin. "I hate dealing with the undead-" His large werewolf form ducked, a large white humanoid monster passing right above him as he did so, making his click his claws and they immediately catch fire as he used [Rite of the Flame] on them. "-especially when they have little helpers..." His snarl was loud and strong, he knew exactly who this was- the one he came here to kill under the request of The Community.
Well, not exactly...
They did ask him to investigate a series of disappearances that the Department of Unusual Cases has been postponing for a while, but when he found out the entire problem with this place- it being a Rougarus nest -he decided to get rid of the Original Bite and maybe then fucking Abraham will finally relent and give him the fucking artifact he needs to fulfill his promise to someone else. And all he has between his goals and him, is a Rougaru's nest, a Banshee, and an Alpha Rougaru ready to tear him to pieces.... "Heh, had worse!" With a roaring cackle of an Aardwolf, he dashed forward on all fours- His claws slashed forward immediately, the Alpha Rougaru was marked by his [Hunter's Mark] spell before hand, this crimson menacing glow of magic snapping in the White Wolf's chest in the form of his crest.
The Crest of the Blood Hunters, an organization he created 3 years ago.
It was a circular crest with the image of a drop of blood falling upon a dagger raised to meet it, the dagger itself had a silver coloration, around the circle was the Latin phrase [In Sanguine Lavamur], meaning: [In Blood We Bathe] to symbolize the school of teachings he is going for- With a slash of flaming claws against the symbol, Hunter felt the beast he attacked buckle for a moment as he also placed a [Brand of Castigation] on him, with the added benefit of reducing the Alpha Rougaru's movements, speed, and strength -since he is now the respected leader of an organization that has ties to The Community, the Department of Unusual Cases, and by association, a few governments as well. Well, when you're competent and really good at your job you receive more offers than normal! And, well- A bolt of black energy hits his face, the sheer sorrow that fills his mind seems to want to drown him in its vastness... The sadness of losing one's son soon after being filled with the need for revenge, the dagger being removed from a drawer while she burned alive, the intent to sacrifice herself to help her son fueled her words as she chanted, a ritual was made in the spot as she spoke her most earnest desire: To be with her son and protect him even beyond the grave. With a determination many would not have, she sank the dagger into her chest -he was pretty fucking great at his job! Shaking his head, Hunter groaned as the Rougaru bit his shoulder and pushed him down. His mind cleared of the sorrow and visions thanks to [Blood Bargain of Sound Mind] and his [Supernatural Defense] ability.
The beast didn't weight that much, he easily overpowered him. The problem was his pack!
One small Rougaru jumped on his back, tearing his body to shreds from behind him, making him groan out in pain before he pulled the kid that had attached itself to him and threw him off like a bag of potatoes- the little one whined when they hit the ground, but many more took their place. "Argh- fucking, annoying!" With his anger, he channeled his blood around his entire body before he let out the loudest howl-
AAAAARRRRWWWWWOOOOOOOOOO
-it was loud enough to shatter glass, and it did. Far away from his location, the glass windows of the main cabin of Hacketts' Quarry Summer Camp shattered in a loud display of power. All those who heard it felt, physically felt, their blood go cold within their veins... It was a powerful instinct, to run and hide, for they were being hunted, they were prey.
The [Blood Curse of the Howl] was activated.
And all everyone who heard it- living, monstrosity, or otherwise -could only think one word in their minds: Fuck.
——
Author's Note: Completely forgot to add the rest of the chapter and went with the first draft.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone