11 All Alone

It had been three weeks since the first contact, and Michael still hadn't seen Theresa and Leanna again yet. The day after he checked into the hotel, just for the night, he went to the bustling market, deeper into the city where there were more lights, more stream engines, and more guards watching your every step.

He had 75 Phale left, not nearly enough to purchase a heavy weapon or armor, barely enough to buy clothes. He went to a stall that sold weapons and asked for their cheapest two-handed sword they could give, at least then he'd have some power in his strokes. They have him a bronze Broadsword barely the length of his legs for 55 Phale. Michael knew buying that wouldn't leave enough for another night at the hotel, but he had plans to get more money that day. If he took another contract for Vilewolves, he could get all the money instead of a paltry 100 Phale, even if it was far more dangerous.

He found one such contract at one of the many message boards in the busy city square, it came out for 400 Phale for killing a pack of three Vilewolves. Michael started to wonder if the 100 he got from Leanna was a third of it, or if she and Theresa had taken an extra 50 each for themselves and given him the refuse. Not that he didn't understand, they probably needed the money more, and he had barely done any work himself.

It resulted in a familiar scene as he left the city, only this time, he had no one with him, no one to help him when he needed it, no one to make the job easier, and no one to stop him if the monster got unleashed once again.

He found the pack much further away from the site of the first one, far enough away that he didn't see any Zeppelins in the air, or any smog from the city's noisy steam engines. The area was quite lush, no normal roads lead to the den, not even any trails. Michael had to check the fine print on the notice just to be sure he was in the right place. The den itself was hidden away under a gathering of trees so dense that the sun didn't shine through. But it wasn't some random cave that was hard to find, nor was it among the many trees that blocked the light. It was in a building, a lone shack out in the middle of nowhere, the once bright brown wood turning green from all the moss and overgrowth, making it clear that no one lived there for quite a while, it's foundations crumbling apart or sinking into the ground. A rather convenient spot for any creature, including a pack of wild, cursed creatures.

Michael didn't know what awaited him in that eerie shack, what if the Vilewolves had moved far away already? What if there were more than the contract said? What if they heard him from miles away and were just waiting to rip him to shreds and feed him to their pup? Or worse, what if there was more than one pup?

But no amount of possibilities would stop him now, not with so much money on the line. He would never survive in this wilderness for another night, and he would need a place to live that night as Calliston Kain had vagrants rounded up, sometimes executed in a wide variety of increasingly brutal ways. It was impossible to live like that with so many guards who would take them away without a moments hesitation, that is, if you weren't so lucky that they would shoot on sight.

Michael took off his shoes as he edged towards the shack. The ground felt far different without them, his socks getting wet and heavy with mud till he took them off too, an occasional rock or twig sending pain up his body, but it would've been much louder with them on, and he would've certainly been found by now. Every step he took make his heart skip a beat, knowing it could very well be his last. What was he thinking taking on a contract like this on his own, even if it was for the money that had some guarantee for survival in this vicious world?

He eventually made his way to the rotting door of the shack, and still hadn't been attacked yet. Slowly, he moved his head so that he could see ever so slightly into the shack. He saw the target, three Vilewolves, two fully grown, their teeth sharper than any blade Michael had seen in his life, and the third still a pup, it's teeth hadn't yet grown to protrude from it's mouth, all of them more than strong enough to kill him on their own. It was way too late to turn back now, and Michael knew the only way he could possibly win this fight was by clever deception. One cut, and he may be cursed, and though he didn't know exactly what such a fate entailed, it would surely mean his death as Stevens had so angrily pointed out to Leanna many days ago.

Michael found a rock as big as his hand near where he was sitting. He threw it at a nearby tree, and the Vilewolves heard it clear enough and started to run towards the supposed intruder. Michael saw the two grown ones run out one at a time, sprinting with such unnatural speed even for a wolf creature. He could still hear some faint footsteps coming from inside the shack and knew that could only mean on thing.

The second he saw it's head, Michael swung his broadsword down with every ounce of his strength. The pup's head detached from the rest of it's body which scraped across the ground as the last bit of life quickly abated. It's black blood stained a disgusting pattern as it came to a stop.

The other two heard this clearly, they turned around to see Michael, still with his Broadsword stuck in the rotting wood foundation, and knowing he just killed their pup, screeched to a halt and chased after him.

It only took a little forceful pull to free the broadsword, and as soon as he could start running, Michael saw the full grown Vilewolves were already practically within pouncing position of him. He made it through the door before that could happen, but he didn't seek shelter inside as he made them think. He hid in the corner near the door, and once the first Vilewolf jumped in, he swung his sword as hard as he could. This time, it was too late for another decapitation, but it nonetheless almost split the creature in half. It's spine, if it had one, would surely have snapped, and the vital organs would've been severed.

The final Vilewolf became aware of the ambush right as it was too late to save it's mate, it's dug it's claws into the wood to stop faster and turned around in an instant. It didn't waste any time gazing in awe, if it could feel such an emotion, it ran at him before he could have a hope of removing the sword from the mate's back.

But Michael knew as much, he made no attempt to continue as the living one lunged at him. He threw himself on his back, tried to point the tip of the sword through the mate and directly at this creature's head. It missed the head, but it tore through the living creature nonetheless, penetrating it's chest and out the back.

Yet the Vilewolf still lived. It couldn't quite reach Michael with it's jaw, but it's claws could. It slashed at him, tearing into his clothes once again, leaving another large cut in his previous world's jacket on his left arm. He couldn't feel it gash his skin, but that may have been adrenaline blocking the pain.

With all the strength he could muster, Michael threw the corpse and the creature to the right and moved out of the way. The living Vilewolf remained pinned under the mate, connected to it like a kabab with a sword.

As soon as he could get up, Michael grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out of both creatures, more black blood splattering in his face. The Vilewolf scratched it's way out from under it's mate's corpse as Michael tried to wipe the blood from his eyes, it could still stand and run even with it's major wound. Michael must've known it would try, as he started swinging his sword at the creature even without the ability to see it.

He slashed viciously and without hesitation, with as much speed and power as he could muster. He never felt it bite his leg, jump on him, or even scratch him, and by the time all his energy was spent, he was still alive.

As soon as he could get the horrendous black blood out of his eyes, he saw what he had done to the creature. It's head was split in three or four different ways by the sword, as well as an abundance of black blood, he could see solid, broken matter leak out from the many gashes, possibly it's brain, he thought.

The contract stated that it wanted proof of each of the kills, Michael would've thought it meant their heads, but one was practically falling apart, and he didn't have the energy to bring three Vilewolf heads all the way back to the city. He learned how to extract hides from animals when he took hunting class back in his own world, even if it was a long process.

By the time the sun set and it was dark out, he had taken hides from all the Vilewolves, proof of his miraculous accomplishment, and set out back towards the city.

As he re-entered that loud, brutal hellscape of a city, some people gave him looks, some disgusted, some horrified. Perhaps he was covered in their blood, perhaps it was the hides he had taken, but he didn't really care, all he wanted was the money owed.

He went to the location specified in the contract, a hunter's guild, of course. Another building that looked just like any other. He entered, then dropped the bloody pelts onto the front desk along with the contract he had taken. He didn't say a word, and neither did the clerk, who simply reached down below and pulled out a large wad of cash Phale which he slapped on the desk in a similar manner. Michael took the cash, the clerk to the pelts, which smeared more black blood on the counter, then Michael left without ever saying a word, simply too tired to do so.

He went back to the hotel he'd stayed at the other night, right before the curfew announcements sounded over the intercom, and politely asked the nice clerk for a room.

"25 Phale." She said. "No offense, sir, but you might want to have a shower, or a bath..."

So he was covered in blood after all.

"How much for either of those?" He asked.

"...10...10 Phale." She said. Perhaps this was the first time this had happened in the hotel.

"I'll take a shower." He said, putting another 10 Phale on the counter.

"Alright, they're just around the corner, after all the rooms." She said, either appalled or frightened, hard to tell from her voice.

Michael washed off all the blood on his person and as much as he could off of his clothes. It was then that he saw all the damage that had been done, the cut from those rapists, the first Vilewolf, and now the new, pissed off one. Those clothes would not be wearable soon.

The very next day, Michael spent a good 100 Phale on a new pair of clothes, some that more matched the place he now resided in, ones that were less comfortable, but less slashed and covered in red and black blood. He bought a few pairs of it so that he wouldn't be wearing the same pair over and over. He spent another 100 at the hotel so that he could stay for 4 more days.

Over the rest of the three weeks, he took more contracts, some for Vilewolves, some for Soul Witches (creatures without form that knew magic), Minor Elemental Entities, Blood Beasts (Creatures the size of a bear standing, with a voracious appetite for flesh), Large Leeches, all of which paid better than the last and took more risks. He would pay the hotel for weeks of lodging in advance, but always saved some for when he needed it. Once he had the money, he bought a gun, a bolt action rifle with a clip on the left side, requiring bullets as big as his clenched fist.

Within these three weeks, he taught himself how to defend with his broadsword, how to shoot straight and reload his gun under pressure, the weak points of a variety of these monsters, and still hadn't seen Leanna or Theresa.

Every day, there was a new victim of Calliston Kain, whether they broke curfew, tried to leave the country without permission, didn't show up for an appointment on a given day. It was never people who were real criminals that got punished. They were all killed in a variety of ways, some quickly by guillotine or hanging, some more painfully by being impaled on a stake, put in a Brazen Bull, left to suffer. The city reeked every day of death.

Michael hadn't thought much about his plans against him, perhaps it was only naivete that made those plans in the first place. How could he possibly stand a chance against this man or his army?