章節 17: In The Hunter's eye
[Author's Note: After all the chapters and words written, we finally get to the heart of the matter, the plot finally begins, for real]
'What a peaceful night.' Landon contemplated the quiet Beacon Hills, bathed in the orange lights of the streetlamp.
The boy had gone out late, leaving the hospital as the sun set around 7:30 PM, and when he reached his car, he noticed it wouldn't start.
The car rental included insurance for so-called unintentional damage, so Landon wasn't too worried about it.
And here he was, calmly walking through the streets of Beacon Hills, hands in his pockets as he moved slowly. Landon, even though he was truly relaxed, intentionally projected this laid-back demeanor for the simple reason of putting at ease the person who had been following him since he left the hospital.
Landon had immediately sensed a gaze on him when he exited the hospital; the small incident with his car was in no way caused by bad luck or chance...
Only one person was following him, about 30 meters away. Even outside his Haki range, he had to forcibly extend his Haki perimeter, sensing things much less clearly to somewhat track their movements.
The person spying on him was very careful and discreet, hiding behind walls and other obstacles, but his senses, especially his smell and hearing, could detect them.
Landon's ears twitched.
"The target is taking Northwood Alley, he'll probably reach the intersection in less than three minutes, " said a distant voice, speaking quietly.
"Hmmm, perfect. It's a street with no houses, we'll wait on-site and start the approach..." replied another, more discordant voice, slightly crackling, which didn't belong to someone physically present.
Landon kept walking as if nothing was happening, then suddenly stopped about a hundred meters farther when his sense of smell caught something, a faint scent of blood heading towards him from a street on his right.
His Haki then detected a presence, someone running towards him, injured. It seemed to be a young woman...
She was dressed in black with a leather jacket, and due to the darkness and her dark clothes, it was difficult to distinguish where the injuries were, at least for normal people...
The brunette, likely in her twenties, was injured at the hip and on her right arm, which, judging by how it hung, was in bad shape. She collapsed on the ground on the other side of the street, completely exhausted.
But what was most interesting were the weapons she carried. The set of knives on her, his Haki even sensing some around her left leg, the bullet ammunition and the holster around her waist, and especially the massive gun in her left hand, a silver Desert-Eagle.
She seemed to be running from something, and Landon had an idea of what was going on. His extended Haki sensed something about 31 meters away, it was blurry and unclear.
But in the vague things he sensed, he could distinguish several auras, apparently human, but it was too far from him to tell how many there were. He just knew there were several, and with them was a very different aura, a wild, bestial one, stronger than human aura, which Landon recognized as belonging to a werewolf. It seemed to be restrained, imprisoned...
But he felt the aura was strange, not in its normal state, though he couldn't sense more details, it was too distant and vague for be sure oh his feel. What he did feel was that all the auras were in the same place, a tight space, a large vehicle, a sort of truck.
One of the human auras threw something at the werewolf, which weakened and paralyzed it. The other humans freed the werewolf from its chains, took the weakened body, opened the doors, and dumped it on the ground like trash.
The truck started up, but without making a sound, which was strange for a vehicle of that size.
'The truck's engine and internal systems are soundproofed...' Landon realized, as the truck left in the opposite direction without turning on its headlights, moving away from the scene.
And the same went for the person who had been following him for more than half an hour; they immediately began to retreat when the injured woman appeared in front of Landon.
From the smell of blood, to the woman's emergence, to the werewolf left in the street, to the truck disappearing, and finally the retreat of the new "friend" who had been tracking him for several kilometers, it all happened in less than ten seconds...
And Landon stood there, still unmoving, looking at the injured girl who had appeared just moments ago. Whatever thoughts he had were hidden behind his green and gray eyes.
The young girl struggled to her feet and spotted Landon across the street. She looked at him, and for a fraction of a second, something passed through her eyes before she adopted a look of surprise and panic.
"Get out of here, it's dangerous!!!" She screamed in panic, seeming genuinely worried for him despite her own condition.
Of course, Landon's Haki told him it was all an act. She was extremely calm, an aura of deception and calculation emanating from her. The only real thing was her state, the blood on her shirt. She was truly injured, gravely even, and her life was in danger without immediate basic care.
"Run quickly, hurry, don't stay here, he's coming...!!!" the girl screamed at him, as if sincerely concerned for the safety of this young civilian who had no idea of the danger following her.
And as if to punctuate her words, a howl echoed in the night.
"GROAAAARRRR!!!" A bestial, savage howl resonated, full of fierce intensity. Landon sensed the werewolf had regained its strength and bearings, and attracted by the blood, it was now heading toward the girl.
"No..." the young girl murmured. Still on the ground, she crawled backward as best she could and pulled out her weapon, turning to face the alley she had come from, where she could now see the werewolf approaching.
"Leave quickly, I'll hold him off!!!" she shouted at Landon without even looking at him, focusing instead on the man who had just appeared from an adjacent street about twenty meters away.
Standing 1.90 meters tall, with icy blue eyes glowing in the dark, sharp fangs, a scruffy beard, pointed ears, and claws 3-4 centimeters long replacing his nails.
He was shirtless, wearing torn jeans, with blood around his mouth, hands, and the chest hair on which was covered in crimson red. He looked wild, uncontrollable, wanting nothing but to tear into the young girl's flesh.
He rushed at the young hunter, and she shot at him with her weapon.
A shot to the arm, and the werewolf stopped, only to resume his march, taking another ten steps.
A second shot, which missed, and the beast was now only ten meters from her.
And a third shot hit the right shoulder, causing the wolf-human hybrid to howl in rage and pain, before fixing his gaze back on the girl, filled with promises of agony and death.
She fired a fourth time, but no bullet came out. She tried again, but the result was the same, just a faint mechanical click.
Each bullet impact had left large holes in the werewolf. She had deliberately avoided aiming for the head or heart, or any lethal area, and ensured she didn't hit his legs or any part that would incapacitate his movement. She only had three bullets before her magazine ran dry, and of course, a fact that she knew...
The werewolf was now grievously injured, given the blood loss and severity of his wounds, even for a supernatural being. There was no doubt he would die within minutes, but in his bloodthirsty madness, he kept moving forward, slowly but steadily.
The wolf-man, intent on eviscerating the young girl with his claws, even at the cost of his own life, and he seem that he will be succeeding.
The young girl, without spare ammunition, could no longer get up. She was severely injured and exhausted, looking desperate. She backed away as best she could while still on the ground.
The furious werewolf, even in his injured state, closed the distance in about ten seconds. He was mere meters from her, and it seemed that if no one intervened, she would be torn apart alive...
And if that were truly the case, if she were to truly die at the claws of this monster, despite the study they had done on the young man with never-before-seen miraculous abilities, if the subject they had profiled, with his character and persona, didn't act as expected... the young hunter would have no regrets. She was ready to die for the cause...
"Groarrr!!!" The predator roared at his prey, impatience and excitement lacing his cry.
But his euphoria was short-lived. A young adolescent appeared out of nowhere in front of him and, with a single kick, sent him crashing into a wall a few meters away, the beast's large frame smashing into the concrete.
Something flashed in the hunter's eyes, a feeling she quickly hid behind a façade of other emotions.
Landon turned and saw the young girl on the ground, staring at him in shock, which wasn't entirely feigned. She was genuinely surprised by the speed and strength of the unknown supernatural being in front of her.
'The threat level of the target will need to be re-evaluated...' she thought, before refocusing, putting on a panicked expression.
"What are you???" she asked, looking at him with suspicion and fear.
Landon said nothing but knelt beside her. The young girl seemed too scared to move, her gray-green eyes locking onto his for a moment before he finally spoke.
"It's going to be okay..." he spoke softly, smiling camly.
"There's no more danger, it's alright..." Landon continued, his tone calm.
The hunter looked at him and hesitated, a bit wary, as if deciding whether or not she should trust him.
Landon continued to smile gently, subtly guiding her towards a decision before she relaxed, if only slightly.
He observed the girl's condition, carefully assessing and touching her wounds while trying not to hurt her. Of course, his Haki had already diagnosed all of her injuries with precision.
He took a few seconds to professionally examine her body.
"Listen, your condition is too severe. You won't survive long enough to reach the hospital or for an ambulance to arrive..." Landon told her bluntly.
The girl, of course, knew her exact state. She was well aware of the plan and understood that her survival rested in the hands of the boy standing before her and his unique abilities. Still, she continued to play her part.
Her face cycled through a variety of emotions before settling on a determined expression.
"If I die, I'll die knowing that I dedicated my life to protecting humanity..." she declared resolutely.
'What an incredible actress...' Landon thought with amusement, revealing nothing outwardly.
For a few seconds, Landon said nothing. The two locked eyes, but then the boy broke the gaze and took one last look at her injured body. Landon extended his palm, and his golden-blue flame appeared.
The girl showed no visible reaction, but the hunter's eyes flickered briefly with interest at the sight of the fire. Landon sensed her surprise, anticipation, curiosity, and even envy.
'So this is his power... What is this fire? It looks unreal, almost magical. Is this how he healed all those people?' Her mind raced, trying to understand what she was witnessing and connect it with what she had learned about the subject.
She quickly regained control of her emotions, adopting a fearful expression as she tried to inch away, using her arms. Landon held her in place with his other hand.
"Shhh..." Landon whispered softly.
"It's going to be alright, don't worry..." he reassured her, his voice calm. He brought his hand closer and let his fire flow into her, gradually expanding its reach until her entire body was enveloped in the blue and gold flames.
The hunter briefly panicked as the flames descended on her, but the feeling lasted only a moment before they infused her body.
She involuntarily took a deep breath, like a newborn inhaling air for the first time.
Within seconds, the flames had covered her entirely, and she felt more and more at ease. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink into the feeling, a maternal warmth enveloping her.
The hunter continued to breathe deeply, feeling life flowing back into her. It was an indescribable sensation, one of the most pleasant moments of her life...
Her life, which had been filled with blood and monsters, flashed before her eyes. She recalled scenes from her childhood, the rare happy memories with her mother before her reality became a nightmare.
And despite herself, the cold, calculating hunter she had become so early in life, out of necessity to survive this world, shed a single tear...
One single tear, a drop that hadn't appeared since her mother's funeral when she was nine years old... She felt good, reassured, and even loved, for the first time in so long...
Landon, too, was surprised as he watched this scene unfold. After all, it was the first time he had healed someone while they were fully conscious.
'So this is what others feel when they come into contact with my fire...' His emerald eyes took in the moment. He could sense the pure emotions the girl was experiencing, and he even felt a bit envious.
'My flames don't have that effect on me...' He sighed quietly. He continued observing the girl's emotional state for a while longer, until it finally subsided.
The girl remained there, eyes closed, still immersed in the sensations that were fading as the flames disappeared. After a few seconds, she came back to reality, regaining control of herself.
'What was that...?' Whatever she had imagined before receiving this mission, nothing could have prepared her for this.
Before she could dwell on it any longer, Landon spoke.
"It's done. You're as good as new, " the boy said calmly, as though what he had just done hadn't completely shaken the girl's worldview, one steeped in the supernatural since she was nine years old.
The hunter stood up from the ground with ease, inspecting her body, her arm, finding no trace of injury. She was perfectly fine, all in the span of two to three minutes.
She lifted her head and looked at the boy in front of her, an adolescent around 16-18 years old, who was watching her with a casual air.
"What are you?" she murmured.
"No, let me stop you right there. I prevented the person back there from killing you" he point his thumb behind him
"And then I healed you..." Landon said, looking straigth into her eyes,
At his words the girl looks at her arm and her chest, still not believing it.
"I saved your life twice... I'm the one who gets to ask the questions, " Landon said calmly in his composed voice.
He turned toward the werewolf who lay collapsed on the ground, slumped against the concrete. It was still alive, but not for long.
He turned back to the hunter.
"Is that a werewolf?" the boy asked, though he already knew the answer. He simply wanted confirmation.
The girl, still somewhat in shock, nodded.
"Why are you and it in this state?" he continued, pressing for answers.
The hunter snapped out of her thoughts and remembered her mission, sticking to the script.
"He's part of the remnants of a pack from the Santa Barbara Valley. The pack fell apart due to internal conflicts after the alpha's death. Most joined other packs, except for him..." she said, gesturing to the werewolf behind them.
"After losing his pack, he began to lose his mind, randomly attacking civil. We started hunting him, tracking him down in the woods of Beacon Hills. But even though he's fallen into madness, he's still intelligent. He set an ambush for us..." she continued, clenching her fist at the last sentence.
She lowered her head and murmured, "I'm the only one left..."
Landon said nothing, appearing to respect her grief, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
'Interesting... everything she's said is half-truths mixed with lies. It's hard to tell what's real and what's fabricated...' He could read the girl's emotions with his Haki, but even then, it was difficult to get to the bottom of the matter.
Landon placed his right arm behind his back and approached the girl, placing his other hand gently on her shoulder.
It seemed like a comforting gesture, but his attention wasn't on her. His mind and focus were on his hidden hand, where he concentrated all his will into that arm. He focused on intensifying the fire, narrowing it down to a single flame.
He continued his silent comfort, while the girl, head lowered and hair covering her face, appeared to be crying, though the tears were undoubtedly fake.
But the boy's green eyes didn't focus on that. His energy and attention were entirely dedicated to the task behind his back.
Landon felt his mind tightening, as though a vice was squeezing his brain, but he persevered without showing any signs of strain.
Finally, he opened the palm of his hidden hand, and a thin, azure-gold flame appeared, the highest quality and intensity he had ever produced.
The flame came to life and began to transform. Eight small legs formed from the base of the flame, turning it into a spider no more than 12 centimeters wide.
The spider, made of blue fire, moved its body, leapt to the ground, and made its way toward the shattered wall where the dying werewolf lay. With each step, tiny particles of light blue flame drifted into the air and evaporated.
It quickly reached the werewolf and burrowed into its chest, disappearing as though it had never existed.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票