4 Reclaimer (1)

By the time the mist dissipated, Zaen found himself laying in the middle of a road. For a moment he thought he had been dreaming, but the dagger in his hands and his clothes told him a different story.

All of a sudden, his head started spinning pretty badly and he felt nauseous as if he had just gotten out of a rollercoaster.

He didn't have the luxury of time to waste though. After all, he needed to figure some stuff out. But first, he had to keep his mind focused. Wherever he was, the artifact transported him there for a reason: To kill whatever this charred ghoul was and get Aeron back. He slowly got back to his feet and soon started to feel better.

He looked around himself to try and find where he was. The area looked familiar to him as if he had been there before but the place had changed a bit. It took him a couple of seconds to figure out where he was: Near the local park, just as the smartphone informed him before the mist appeared. Yet this place was different. it didn't have the buildings which were located around the park. And the few buildings that were there were completely overrun by the forces of nature. It was as if he had been teleported thousands of years into the future or something along those lines.

It should've been daytime yet the area around him was completely dark. If not for the few street lights that were still functional, Zaen doubted he would've been able to see anything let alone killing a ghoul. Before he could look around anymore, the artifact buzzed inside one of the pockets in his jeans. Zaen pulled the phone out to see it was another notification.

[Teleportation successful. You're now in the domain of the Charred Ghoul. Be careful, even though Ghouls aren't particularly strong they can still be a bit feisty. Proceed to the park and kill the Charred ghoul before the timer runs out. Since it's your first mission, you've been given ample time to complete the task.]

[You've received a side quest: Ghoul Hunter.]

[Introduction: There are quite a few ghouls around you. It'll be wise to eliminate as many of them as possible before taking on the Charred ghoul.]

[Task: Kill 12 ghouls around the park and obtain 12 Ghoul nails]

[Reward: A Common Title]

[Time limit: 1 day 23 hours 50 minutes]

"Great. Another task." Zaen sighed and shook his head, "The park is right in front of me but for now I should do what the smartphone wants me to, like a beginner in any game. With Aaron's life on the line, I can't afford to make any mistakes."

Suddenly, Zaen could hear the sounds of someone running behind him. But by the time he turned around whatever that thing was had already disappeared into the darkness of the night. But it was enough for his training instincts to kick in.

You see, in Astran, it was essential for children between the age of 15 to 17 to undergo military training. Those with bright minds like Aeron were the only ones who were exempted from undergoing training. Sadly, Zaen wasn't as bright as his brother so their parents did the wise thing and sent him away for two years to learn how to handle himself and weapons. Daggers and throwing weapons were also included in their curriculum.

That's the reason why he was so comfortable and confident while fighting with a dagger in his hands. He wasn't a man driven by impulse who'd agree to do something like fighting bloodthirsty monsters just because his heart told him to. He was a trained warrior who was trained to kill in defence. The dagger was also one of his few weapons of choice apart from a gun. But regardless of how confident he was with a dagger, Zaen also pulled out one of the twenty throwing knives just in case an enemy tried to jump him.

Zaen always thought how it was a waste of time for him to train, but now that was the one thing that can save his and Aeron's lives.

"Come on... what are you waiting for?" Zaen mumbled while slowly moving towards the nearest functioning street light.

He could feel quite a few eyes on him yet thanks to the darkness he couldn't figure out the exact location of his targets. But he could figure out their numbers just by listening to their footsteps.

"Two of them. One in front of me and one behind." Zaen mumbled while clenching the dagger in his hand, "By the way they are behaving, I think they are nocturnal beings. It's better to let them make the first move rather than jumping on them and missing my mark."

[Your stealth is high enough for the ghouls to not notice you from a distance.]

A text appeared in front of Zaen's eyes followed by another one.

[A ghoul has caught on to your smell.]

Suddenly Zaen noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He immediately jumped back while throwing a knife at the white creature covered in blood and decaying flesh. He was safe thanks to his enhanced agility.

Unfortunately, Zaen's aim was a bit off and instead of hitting the creature in its head, the knife embedded itself on its right shoulder. Yet it was enough to break the creature's momentum allowing Zaen to bury his dagger deep inside the ghoul's chest.

[Ghouls killed: 01/12]

[Hunter Ghoul killed! Exp +50]

[Total Exp: 50/200]

Another text appeared confirming that Zaen had killed his first monster successfully. However, his calculation was wrong. There weren't two ghouls but three. Luckily, he was able to kill one of them without suffering any damage. He now got a first look at his enemy.

The whitish ghoul looked almost human yet it had undeniable beast-like features like long canines that protruded from the mouth like sabre tooth tiger. The body was mostly covered in blood and ash with parts of flesh rotting away and falling apart from the body. The ghoul also had claws in place of fingers which once again were similar to that of the feline species.

Zaen kicked the dead Ghoul over and pulled his dagger out of its chest. While simultaneously taking out another throwing knife from the quick slot.

Seeing their ally fall, the two remaining ghouls immediately charged at Zaen who's hoodie was now stained with the hunter ghoul's blood. Thus, making it easier for the other ghouls to see him despite having his mask on.

For some reason, the ghouls were running on all fours and avoiding coming into light to the best of their abilities. Zaen didn't move from his spot, though. He patiently waited for the ghouls to get within reach before taking action.

As soon as the ghouls were close to him, Zaen threw a knife at the ghoul rushing in from the front, while he sidestepped at the last moment and stabbed the other ghoul right in the back of its head using his dagger.

[Ghouls killed: 02/12]

[Runner Ghoul killed! Exp +30]

[Total Exp: 80/200]

The knife he threw at the first ghoul had sunk deep into its leg. Thus, retreating was impossible for the ghoul now. It snarled and hissed as Zaen got closer and closer to it, his dagger ready to kill another one of his targets.

"Don't take it personally. I'm doing it to save my brother. I hope you understand." Zaen squatted down next to the ghoul and mumbled as the dagger was once again pushed through the ghoul's head.

[Ghouls killed: 03/12]

[Runner Ghoul killed! Exp +30]

[Total Exp: 110/200]

Without wasting a second, Zaen started gathering the nails from the ghouls. He thought now that he had killed three of the ghouls, he'll easily obtain their nails and complete half of the side quest. But boy was he mistaken. As soon as he plucked one of the nails from a ghoul, its body mysteriously disappeared. So for now he only had 3 Ghoul nails.

"I should try and look for more ghouls. The sooner I complete the mission, the sooner Aeron would return home." Zaen whispered as he too disappeared in the darkness.