Chapter 5 - Isabel

For the past week of waiting.

Yes. Week because the arrival of his T-Doll was delayed. Andrei explains that there's sudden shortages of T-Doll's part because of the PMC Griffin suddenly acquiring a lot of them for reason that remain unknown.

So, the Hunter has extra time to himself for a lot of things.

On the first day, he decided to do some contracts. But he was left dumbfounded. He sort of expected there would be a systematic system like a Mercenary Guild of sorts to take contracts from. But apparently he was overestimating this city.

When he went to the local pub first since it is how he got a contract in the other town. Then look and behold, it was a bunch of papers with brief descriptions, reward and contact information for the contracts, all placed on the request board.

When he went to the barkeeper to ask about this apparent inefficient system of contract handling, the barkeeper explained that mercenaries only exist in contaminated zones. In white zones, mercenaries didn't exist. So, the contract and stuff only exists in the contaminated zones and have no systematic system like a guild to handle them because the government didn't care about regulating them.

Due to that, the whole contract handling is either through boards like this for less important and smaller requests or those with requirements which the barkeeper will handle or personal requests when you are competent enough that people look for you directly.

After hearing the explanation, the Hunter look at the board and categories them by type of job. There is a few type of jobs which are escort, retrieval, capture and subjugation job. He filter out the escort and capture type of job because they are usually time consuming. He prefer retrieval job because the objective is fixed and he just need to grab them and return. Also Collapse radiation have no effect on him which make job way easier since they are usually in the dangerous ELID infested red zone which is why they didn't dare to do it themselves and hand out a contract. Subjugation job is for the same reason. He just need to kill everyone and jobs done. But of course, he only accepts subjugation of bandits since that's the norm around the settlement in contaminated zones that always faces bandit problem.

So, he accepted a retrieval job which is to grab a piece of jewelry. A locket, most probably a memento of this businessman that offered him this contract. Although, his real objective is to find targets to shoot those firearms he just bought the day before.

———

Around nine in the morning, two hours after he departs from the city using a full electric off-road bike he bought as his transportation.

The reason for the full electric is, while electricity is easy to find in contaminated zones, fossil fuel isn't and fossil fuel isn't cheap. The battery can also be replaced instantly which is also convenient if he needs immediate swap rather than charge.

He bought a few portable solar chargers too just in case as recommended by the dealer that sold the bike to him.

But the main advantage of it is its low sound emittance which is welcomed especially when he is doing a trip into a red zone infested with ELID that is attracted to sound.

He continued by foot after he reached the edge of the abandoned town. He brought up his mobile phone and checked the map and made sure he was in the right area before he started tracking down the address.

When he approached a manor at the edge of the town, he realized this is the home he was looking for and prepared his weapon before he entered because he sensed the presence of ELID in the area.

He first finds a vantage point to scout the area before he infiltrates through the unguarded area and enters the manor. He encountered a few ELIDs. Not heavily mutated and still retaining human shape but their skin sure is tough as hell but it's nothing but a love tap from Kirkhammer can't fix. He stalks those ELID inside the manor, baiting them into secluded places to prevent alerting the others and obliterating their head ELID with sheer blunt concussive trauma. Work absolutely like a charm because none of them are raising back up after being knocked to eternal sleep by him.

Once the perimeter is cleared up, he finds the closet in the master bedroom which has a safe hidden inside it. He cracked open as instructed and found the said locket along with a few stacks of cash that look newly printed along with a few dozen gold bars that weigh 100 grams each.

The Hunter wraps up his find and retreat to the edge of the town before retrieving his new firearms from the Messenger. Then he grabs a Quicksilver Bullet from the pouch under his coat and giddily loads it into the anti-material rifle before he aims at a random ELID in his vision before taking the shot.

*Boom*

The anti-material rifle exploded in his hand and sent shrapnel lodging into his body which isn't much of an issue. The Great One's blood in his vein will heal everything before he even notices it. What he is worried about are his sniper rifle. The chamber ripped open, the barrels were bent and deformed. It's basically ruined.

He already had a hunch as for why this happened. But just to confirm. He took out the Thompson Contender pistol with thicker barrel before he produced a Quicksilver Bullet and loaded it before he fired at another ELID shuffling aimlessly in the distance.

This time, the firearm didn't explode in his face. Instead, its barrel only bent and deformed slightly at the chamber. He sighed as this meant none of the firearms he bought are fit for use except the revolver pistol, Pfeifer Zeliska. The Thompson Contender can still be used after he replaces the barrel since it came with several barrels of different size for customisations apparently. After he properly enhances them with his blood, that should allow them to withstands the power of the Quicksilver Bullet.

Unlike back during his hunt, the Quicksilver Bullet now is several times stronger than before. After all, Quicksilver Bullet is a product of alchemy and Blood Magic. Using mercury and blood to create a wondrous item that can transmute itself into bullets or fuel to power the Arcane Tools.

Now, imagine that not only the blood used is of highest quality, the blood of a true Great One. But also fueled by his own Arcane energy. Obviously those bullets now pack a lot of firepower. It's like trying to shoot a bullet with the power of an artillery shell from a rifle.

After enough tests and a massive disappointment, he gets back on his bikes and travels back to the city before handing over the item requested. Surprisingly, he was given half the gold as a thank from the grateful businessman as a sign of his immense gratitude. Apparently, he lost his wife and the locket is the only momento left of her.

Upon returning, he immediately hole up in his hotel room and enter the Dream.

———

"What are you up to, dad?"

Little Violet enters his workshop, disregarding the 'Do Not Disturb' sign he put up as always. This disobedient girl. Haah…

"Enchanting." He replied before offering his lap where his adoptive daughter slash apprentice, eager to take a seat and watch the Hunter doing his work.

On the workbench, he has a few goblets and cups filled with blood, placed on top a magic circle filled with very precise pentagrams and arcane glyphs he drew with chalk. Those are knowledge he learned from his time scouring through each tomes and documents in the Byrgenwerth.

With a few drops of his blood as a catalyst, he activates the magic circle which causes the bloods in the goblets and cups to condense and consolidate into Bloodstones.

Violet gasped and watched in amazement. However, she didn't interrupt and obediently watched as his father and mentor used the newly produced Bloodstone to enhance his new firearm.

Once he is done enhancing the revolver, he fixes the Thompson Contender pistol, replacing the barrel before he also enhances it before he stops and looks at Violet who seems hooked at the single shot pistol.

Since he is going to use the revolver anyway, he presents the Thompson to Violet.

"For me?!" She asked, looking very excited as she held her hands out to reach for the pistol very carefully.

The Hunter nodded and said. "It's a gift."

Violet didn't even care and turned around to hug him happily before The Doll suddenly entered.

"I heard some noise." The Doll said her excuse before looking in and noticed the little one latches herself on the Hunter. The Doll sighed before approaching them. "What did I say about interrupting your Mentor when he is doing his work, young lady?" The Doll said sternly and reached for her when she was stopped.

'It's fine. I just finished anyway. How about we have some tea and the cookies you baked in the garden?' The Hunter said telepathically before The Doll nodded. "Certainly, Good Hunter."

"Let's go." He stood up and placed Violet down on her feet. But the mischievous one immediately climbs up his shoulder and claims it as her throne.

The Hunter chuckled before walking out to the garden. He ducks low when passing the door to spare Violet from knocking her head at the door frame before they head to the garden for a pleasant tea time.

———

For the following six days, he spent everyday completing contracts. It didn't help that after some people did some digging, they managed to find out about his exploit in dismantling the bandit presence from the previous town and also defeated the remaining bandits.

Because the records were made official by the Griffin Commander, anyone could see his exploit and that somehow raised his prestige and credibility in battle.

Personal requests poured in non-stop from the third day onwards. Most of them are requested to deal with the bandits that frequently target the goods moved from the nearby port. They extort the businessmen in the city who are relying on the port for supplies.

Of course, he has no reservations against those who turned against fellow humans and exploited them. The convoy they usually target is the smaller business who couldn't afford proper security. Instead of targeting the real rich people, those bandits exploit the already vulnerable people that are genuinely just trying to make a living. Some even purposely attack the businesses due to requests of another bigger business owner to attempt a sabotage.

It took him the whole remaining days of his week. But he defeated those bandits and dismantled their hold on the route along the port to the city.

Due to his efficiency at work and his characteristic brutality in combat that always left his victims dismantled in pieces, literally or blood that splatter absolutely everywhere because of his brutal choice of weapon which earned him the moniker of Bloodthirsty Demon because he always returned bathed and cake in blood. Someone even tried to sneakily follow and record him in battle. Then posted it online that immediately becomes viral due to his unorthodox and to be honest, inhuman battle tactic that is fierce and brutal, charging straight at enemy ranks in disregard of getting harmed before tearing apart his enemies with his improved Saw Cleaver and his new, giant piece of revolver pistol that shot like an actual cannon.

While there are perks for getting more popular. There is also the disadvantage. For the last two days, he ran into five separate assassination attempts. He managed to interrogate a few and found out some corrupt officials up in the local government and some businessmen who profit from the bandits' presence see him as a thorn to be removed.

At that point, he decided that having assassins sent on his trail is not worth the trouble despite none of them could really kill him. He decided to lay low on the seventh day and hole up in his hotel room. Then by the eighth morning, Andrei sent him an address and time.

———

9:00 AM, somewhere outside the city.

The Hunter arrived on an off-road Dirt Bike he newly bought to a small deserted outpost a few miles out from the city.

"You arrived, Mr Hunter." Andrei greeted him when he arrived while exiting his truck and turned around before ordering someone to also exit the truck.

"Well, here you go, Mr Hunter. Your T-Doll had arrived after the delay. There are a few things included in the shipment. A few spare batteries, a charger with adapters and the user manual." Andrei grabs the said stuff from the rear seat of his truck and hands it to him. "Well here's everything along with your T-Doll. If you plan to buy more T-Dolls, you know who to call. I can get it delivered to your front door too if needed."

After Andrei spoke enough. He said his farewell to the Hunter before he left in a hurry since he is a busy man.

Well, the Hunter didn't mind as his attention was fully on the pink haired T-Doll who looked at him a little fearfully and stood there with her weapon while nervously waiting for his order.

With his ability as a Great One, there are many things he could see. One of them is that T-Doll isn't a blank slate as he thought she would be. Instead, she already possessed memories.

Also, the Hunter realized that he would actually need to open his mouth and talk to interact with his T-Doll, he sighed.

"Do you have a name?" He wondered as asked. Which she quickly replied.

"M82A1. That is my designated weapon and name unless you have another name for me in mind, owner." She said half expecting to be simply ignored after what she heard from Andrei and had a false impression of her owner.

"Isabel." The Hunter mutters after a while.

"Huh?"

"Isabel. Your name." The Hunter explains to the confused Doll who didn't expect to be given a name.

"Ah. I see… Thank you. Owner for giving me a name." She said, looking very grateful to receive one but immediately noticed that she hadn't learned the name of her owner.

"What about your name? Owner?" She asked curiously, thinking maybe the owner she got this time isn't as bad as the other.

"Good Hunter. You can call me Hunter."

"Good Hunter?" She mumbles the name a few times, each giving her an inexplicable feeling that the name is more than just a simple title or alias. His name has power that invokes unexplainable feelings that she didn't have time to dwell into.

She just saw an unexplainable thing that just occurred. She saw the Hunter put away the additional stuff into something which vanished away like it was never there before. She is curious. But she also has a feeling that she better just not ask and wait until he decides to explain.

The Hunter didn't stay for long either. Once he got his T-Doll, he wanted to hit the road and head up to Ukraine. His reason? He heard from the customers at the pub talking about a secret war that is happening in the contaminated zones in Ukraine.

Apparently the Neo Soviet Union military, the KCCO and the Griffin PMC also started to mobilize there. However, the people in those area are either incapable to evacuate or refused due to their personal reasons.

As for his reason to go there, let's just say he felt like the major event of the world will revolve there and the guidance of the Cosmos point him towards that direction as if he would encounter something interesting if he went there.

While he is interested to use his bike for his journey, he remember that Andrei told him T-Doll are heavier than an average human because their chassis are made of steel. Even those made from military grade steel alloy that supposed to be lighter will weigh over a hundred kilogram.

So, he ask his Messenger to bring out the armoured vehicle he confiscated from the mercenary group pretending to be bandits. But, while he know how to drive a bike, he didn't know how to drive a car yet as the manual online is a little confusing.

"Can you drive?" He look over to M82A1 or Isabel.

The Doll nod and get on the armoured jeep before starting the engine skillfully. The Hunter get on the passenger seat before giving her the destination they were heading before she nod and started their day's long journey to drive from Russia to the edge of Europe, Ukraine.

—————

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