2 Monster Hunter

Lithuania, a city at the Baltics, 21:29 (local time)

The last rays of the evening sun were giving their gentle warmth. It was going to get dark and quite soon. I tried to have a short nap following my custom of having some sleep before the work bu this time I got from the hotel to the park rather fast which was more than surprising keeping in mind the busy traffic at the very beginning of the ride. Everyone hurried to hide at their homes before the sun sets. And I couldn't blame them.

The driver didn't show any concern though. He silently drove the car listening to the radio. There was news in Lithuanian so I couldn't understand a word. The news continued when the cabman stopped the car at the entrance to the car.

I handed the money to him, he carefully counted, gave me the change and I went outside with my bag.

"Should I wait here?" – he asked finally.

"No need. Thank you" – was the answer.

It was easy to understand the driver. For the previous week this park had been the playground of a maniac. Or this was the common opinion. Some people have disappeared leaving only traces of blood and sometimes limbs which seemed to be bitten of by huge maw. There even were rumors about people having disappeared in the city itself, though it was difficult to say for sure whether those were just rumors or not. At least, I wished they were.

If the beast that actually killed those people had started digging out of the park, ma watch may turn out to be useless. No, it was clear that with the park being prohibited to go in almost completely, the beast would lose its food or whatever but there still were victims.

The sun set completely. I checked the time on the cellphone. Quarter to ten. Some people were seen ahead. A police officer and two civilians with white armbands. The volunteers, I suppose. The story with the "maniac" caused an uproar in the city. Though everyone was afraid, they were ready to help their police. But not during the night. Even policemen didn't like patrolling here after sunset.

That's only better for me.

The volunteers and the officer parted. The former went towards the exit, the latter dwelled deeper into the park.

When they came closer, one of them said something in Lithuanian. I waggled my head, showing that I didn't understand. One of the volunteers bothered to say:

"It's dangerous here, pal. Better get away from here."

"I know. Just wanted to have some rest before going further."

He shrugged his shoulders and went away with his friends.

He obviously thought that "that Russian was insane, so let it be".

And me? Should have I told him that I am a professional monster hunter who came here to deal with the problem of the "maniac"? If I heard it myself being a mere commoner, I would look at him as if he sweared to be a MiB agent.

But, unfortunately, I was one.

When there was no one in sight, I came to a bench, placed my sport bag on it and opened the central zipper. I looked around once again and began taking out my staff.

The reason of my awareness was rather clear if you'd taken a look at it. Two packs of throwing knives. A vest with pouches for them. Two disassembled pistol-crossbows. And, my favorite, a belt with two daggers. Not the things you would like to show to the police. Especially in the place which can be called a potential crime scene. To my luck the police had almost stopped patrolling inner side of the park, paying attention to those, who were going in or out the entrances.

I took my belt on and started assembling my crossbows. Not a thing you may call a weapon. Until you see the list of upgrades and the bolt heads. And the spells on them. I'm a magus after all.

Crossbows are ready, so now I should put the knives in the pouches and put on the vest. Though, "vest" is too much for this thing. In fact, it's just a piece of leather which serves the basis for the pouches and hardly covers shoulder bones. It is designed to hide the handles behind my back allowing a sudden attack, but it can be regulated to raise them a little saving time for taking them out.

Aaand my favourite. Oriental, Persian-style daggers. Old, with the signs of active usage, the blades were grinded down for about a quarter or more in width which made them a bit narrow and out of balance. It took time to get use to them. I buckled them to the belt.

Awwwright, now it's time to take the crossbows in my hand, take a heroic posture and say something Duke Nukem-stile, for example, "It's hunting time…"

Lame? Agreed.

That's why I didn't do it.

I put the crossbows on special hooks on the belt, hiding them by drawing Algiz runes on them with my own blood. Alright, now if I meet anyone they won't see the crossbows.

All right, I am ready to go.

I started strolling around the park looking for the thing that has been killing people. One hour passed. Another one.

The park was completely empty. If the case had taken place in Russia, there would have been loads of people joining free extreme activity. But in peaceful Lithuania nobody wished such a strange amusement.

I saw a police patrol afar but, as long as they were marking their way with flashlight, it was easy to avoid them. I wished them to speak Russian so I could understand what they knew about the case.

My own investigation took three days until I decided to go to the park fully loaded. I was hired by the Magi Association on the request of the local place-holding magus. In fact, it was the job he should have done himself but the problem ran out of control. A strange beast killed several people, mostly in the park, but the evidences showed that it could have dig out in some other parts of the town. It was obviously controlled by someone cruel but smart and powerful, otherwise the local magus would have dealt with all the stuff himself. What was more dangerous, neither the beast nor the master cared about the evidences which was the second reason I was hired. To stop the attacks and not to let them make the world of magic known to common public.

Sounds easy but carrying it out proved to be much more difficult. The first thing I should have discovered as the nature of the creature. But the mysterious master had proven to be clever enough to do his job and not to be caught. No tracks, no corpses. Only blood and some remaining limbs which were chopped of as if by some huge axe or something. There was only a magical after-track which meant that the creature was of magic origin. My attempts to find the nest of the beast failed. There was sewer system downwards, some parts were modern (not older than USSR times), some were quite old, of the imperial times. Add here natural caves and you will understand why I hadn't ventured in the undercity. The further you go there, the more there are chances to bump right into the creature not prepared.

My thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched shout. I ran towards the sound with the crossbows in my hand praying that the police is far enough to let me act. I rushed to a clearing with some old ill-looking trees around. Blood was all over the place. Two police officers were lying around. One was chopped into two halves horizontally, the upper half was in a meter from the down half. Another one got his arms cut off, one of them was holding a pistol. He might even be alive if it were not for the stone his head fell on. And what is this? A pool of blood aside those bodies? Does it mean that there was the third officer? Yeah, I can see a blood trace and tracks around it. They are frequent and of interesting shape. Arthropod? Most likely. That gives some ideas of the beast.

There was no more time to think. The creature must be running away. I followed the traces hoping that it hadn't run too far. If it had, my chances to find it would get low. I added some speed when I heard voices from the murder-side.

Here comes the police. Hope you'll stay away guys.

The tracks led me to a hole in the ground. There was a huge pipe downwards. The brain uploaded the information that here should be the repairs of the old part of the sewer system. The works were rather active but the section turned out to be too old so the locals had to be very careful which led to the slowing down of the works. My face twisted as I imagined myself going there.

But nothing doing. That's what I am paid for.

I entered the section, putting one crossbow on the hook on my belt and covering my face with my palm.

It was dark and disgustingly stinky. The blood must be falling into the flood, but I could finally hear a clatter sound forward.

There you are, baby.

I slowed down a little bit not to produce too much noise and to be ready to face the beast whether it tries to ambush me.

The sewer tunnel went on. Suddenly I felt the presence of magic and stopped short almost falling into the disgusting flood. There was a boundary field. Another point to the idea of a crazy magus. The clatter was resonating too far but at that time it was better to give myself some time to think.

As long as there was a magus on the run, it was better to loose one target in order to get all of them in one time. I studied the field. It didn't seem dangerous, too little energy was felt in it. It was rather a mean to warn the caster about intruders. Simple magic but very reliable like AK rifle or Swiss watch. You either mark your presence by entering in it or break it and… mark your presence anyway. If I had been about ten times stronger, I might have used an overwhelming spell as a human being but would disclose a huge amount of energy.

After some thoughts I decided that there was nothing more to do. My hand reached a pocket and took out a shining metal sphere. I read a short spell and placed it to the very border of the field. The sphere shone brightly, so did the boundary field near it. Several seconds came, the visible part of the field suddenly blurred and disappeared.

I rushed forward. The further tunnel was straight which made me relieved. At least the creature had nowhere to hide or escape. Suddenly I saw a wide hole in the wall. It led to something looking like a cave.

I carefully approached to it, hiding behind the remains of the wall.

There were they. A magus and his pet. The magus seemed to prepare some kind of ritual around a pile of remainings, standing at a pedestal with a black book. Nearby stood a huge tractor-sized bug. His mandibles were moving, a hand was lying on the floor.

Alright, I got it. It's a tomb bug. Something between a familiar and a living being. Not a difficult creature to create and rather weak, but it is possible to feed it in order to make it evolve, grow armor, hand-blades or make it more agile, etc. A living lego, so to say.

So, we have a necromancer here. But what does he need? Not to simply feed his pet, I suppose, in this case he could use bums. There is something behind it.

I'd better go away and prepare properly, but it wouldn't work. First of all, nobody knows what they do for that time. And, what is more important, the field must be online already, so I would mark my presence.

Can't even imagine, what the necromancer may do being detected.

I silently placed the bag on the floor and took out a flashbang.

Okey, lets bug in.

I took safety pin out with my mouth out and threw the flashbang to the cave.

Bang!

With crossbows in both hands I rushed in. With loud, but not as loud as a flashbang, "dong" they released their bolts into each target. The one that flew into the necromancer, exploded not so near from him, while the second pierced the tombbug and exploded. After that I took two throwing knives and threw them into the beast. It roared and blindly slashed its scythe-paw.

I tooķ out my daggers and landed a blòw on the bug's scythe-paw. I didn't manage to cut it off, but it was very painfull. Ichor splashed all over me.

But hardly I prepared another blow when something in the corner of my eyesight cought my attention. I jumped away instinctively.

The necromancer joined the fìght? Maybe his barrier blocked the flashbang partially. That's not good, it will be difficult to fight with them both at a time.

I waited till the second paw flies near me and stabbed the dagger in my left hand right into the joint, took another knife and threw it into the necromancer who was reading a new spell.

At the same moment I turned the switch in my body, energy rushed from my magic circuit.

"Grom!" [1]

Sparks of lightning flashed in the air towards the mage and hit the nearest metal object. The tiny bits of magic in the knife made it explode, covering the barrier with a burst of shrapnel combined with the lightning bolt.

The shield managed to hold but the necromancer had to pay attention towards his defence.

Now we can return to the bug. Here he is, trying to slash me into pieces.

No way, fag.

I dived under the creature intending to cut its belly.

But suddenly intelligence was born in the bug's head. Instead of moving somewhere it simply fell down. I had to jump away leaving second dagger in his body. At least, the dagger got settled inside on the whole blade length.

"And what are you going to do now? Freaking artefacter!" - yelled the necromancer.

So, you got it? But who said that this would do the change? I am a mage too, after all.

The necromancer started casting a new spell and prepared to throw it at me.

But there was someone else involved.

Wounded but yet alive tomb bug was eager to avenge. Those creatures are partially familiars and partially normal creatures. They have their own intelligence but rather low. For that reason it is better either to control them directly or instruct them properly. Otherwise it will be like that.

The tomb bug rushed towards me ready to slash me down. I don't know how painful it was with one paw almost cut off and a dagger in the joint of another one, so the creature's vigour was quite remarkable. But it was not the one who hit but the one who was hit by the spell of the necromancer when I jumped away.

The spell hit the bug but didn't kill it. But then I threw a lightning. This time bolts of electricity hit not thebody but all the metal in its body: bolt, knives and daggers.

The bug screamed but moved further which made me increase the power of the lightning. The magic circuit inside my body trembled but held on.

While the tomb bug was trembling overcharged with electricity, I rushed towards it, took my dagger out of the joint and slashed its almost-cut-off paw, cutting it off completely.

The necromancer threw one more spell. I hid from it it behind the bug, waited till it falls and then stabbed into the eye.

After the last scream the monster fell.

One is down, one more to go.

How are you there, baby?

The necromancer was standing behind his barrier looking at me with hatred.

"Who the heck are you? Who sent you? Magic Assosiation? The Church?"

"The former, so to say".

"Then I will crush anyone who stands on my way!" - he roared and threw something simpler than before. It looked like gandr.

But hardly it left the barrier it met my lightning-knife combination. This time the barrier flickered but resisted but just a second later I landed a step away and stabbed it.

The necromancer tried to restore it but my last knife pierced his shoulder making him cry. When he came back to senses I already stood with dagger at his throat.

"You, freaking artefacter! I am stronger than you! If it were not for your tricks..."

"Keep your tongue, kiddo, if you wanna stay with it. Now turn your back to me".

"What for?"

"I can cut your throat like that".

I stepped closer and took plastic handcuffs out of my jeans' pocket. The mage did as ordered. But hardly I touched his hand...

Something dark, shapeless but still intelligent sneaked in my hand and slowly, like snake that had hypnotised its prey moved to my heart. My mind went blank, lungs refused taking in the air. Knees weakened, causing me to fall on the ground.

A poison? No... Rather a curse... Though not this is the matter right now.

There was nothing at me that could help me. There was something in the bag but...

I tried to crawl but even this was too difficult. That's bad. Heart... Is stopping...

With almost paralysed hands I took a bolt from the quiver, and placed it with its tip to the left side of my chest.

"Grom..."

The improvised defibrillation worked but not fully. It took me a couple more zaps to make heart beat faster nd clear the mind. Ok, now gotta crawl to the bag.

…

After successfully cursing the unexpected monster hunter the necromancer rushed away.

"Crap! Crap-crap-crap-crap! But I can always start everything over, in some other place. The most important is to run away from that rat-hole and then…"

He ran to the sewer hatch and started climbing up.

"Yaaaaaaah!"

Hardly his hand touched the metal covering something sharp pierced it. Seized with pain, he didn't manage to hold himself and fell right into the disgusting flood.

…

Missed. Nothing strange in my state. Though that'll do.

I slowly moved to the crash site grabbed the runaway for his hair and pulled up.

"Hello there, my dear. Why did you abandon me?"

The downed black hawk didn't answer, choking with the stuff he had got into his mouth.

I decided not to play with him anymore, waited until he finished choking and stunned him with a hit of the crossbow.

Alright, we are done here.