City of River

Dawn broke; the Warrior had been continuously traveling without rest. The river had darkened slowly throughout the journey. Soon, the waterways appeared more like a dark sludge and rubble of high civilization that once thrived in honesty. Giant architectural sculptures lay dormant or torn to pieces on the earth or entrapped in gnarled roots; the air was thick in moisture. Grand darkness overflowed the environment, an eerie feel. Yet, as the Warrior came closer to its center, there was still a hint of liveliness. There were scavengers, small families, and others wearing armor standing around specific buildings, as well as other warriors strolling across the small center.

This was Adama's Core, the City of River.

The warrior passed by families who appeared to fear them and warriors who gave them a side-eye. They seem to look upon the Warrior with superiority. They can be heard smirking. The Warrior had no care about how they reacted. They continued searching where they could find these 'answers'. There seems to be a band of warriors heading toward one large building next to a massively collapsed monument.

The Warrior approached what seemingly appeared to be the entrance. Many guards were in the front, wearing the most extravagant or malevolent inducing armor.

"Welcome to the Hunter's Circle," One of the warrior's without a helmet stood in front of the warrior, raised his chin, and puffed his chest. Protruding his elegantly designed breastplate, his eyes were golden, with his fiery hair encompassing itself in an organized manner, each tip flamed rich in color yet tamed and under tight control. His hair had minimal volume but is forcefully tightened, yet some pieces still stick out of place. There is ultimately no contrast between the ridges of his head and his sides. It was totally uniform.

"You watch yourself in there, sir. One such as yourself may not even handle a single Hobglob," the cocky warrior pointed to the former wound on the neck of the Warrior.

The Warrior stood silently.

"Quiet one, hm?" The cocky warrior looked frustrated.

"Go on in and watch yourself, Scrub," the cocky warrior spit to the side.

Entering the Hunter's Circle, the air was putrid with the stench of unwashed warriors, bloodied skin, and drinking. The first lounge was massive; it held many Kindred. There were some or a band of warriors and those with long robes with short rods or longer ones. It was a place filled with uncertainties. The Warrior silently inspected the environment, searching for some sort of sign, perhaps from Esmeralda. Yet there was none. The Warrior rushed through the environment yet found some areas to be heavily guarded, like the entrance. There was nothing; the Warrior had to turn back.

Suddenly the Warrior was pushed from behind to the point where they stumbled slightly. They turned rapidly to see that it was the cocky warrior from earlier.

"Do you happen to know what the rules around here are?" He said.

"You don't just wear your helmet in here, you know," the cocky warrior pointed at their helmet.

The Warrior had yet to learn of the rule he was stating. The Warrior had not noticed many Kindred observing them because they focused on searching for an answer.

"We are known far and wide, and you just happen to break one simple rule," the cocky warrior raises his chin close to the Warrior.

"Are you embarrassed to show your hideous self? Your armor says much about you," he adds.

"Unless…" the cocky warrior mutters.

"Enough!" Another voice enters.

The cocky warrior recognizes the voice and turns, his eyes rolling in disgust. Drawing his blade to a young Kindred man, his hair is primarily black in color, with some dark blue highlights towards the tips. The hairstyle is quite voluminous and has several layers. The top layer is the longest, and the bottom layers gradually get shorter. It is messy and unkempt, with the spikes sticking out in various directions. The bangs are also quite prominent and cover a significant portion of the forehead. The sides are shaved close to the scalp, creating a sharp contrast with the longer hair on top. He wore a long-sleeved clothed that stretched below his waist, and he wore a very light piece of armor with a lightly colored shirt underneath it. His leg garments were lightly armored, mostly leather, with short boots.

"What do you want, you Wretched One?"

"Leave that person alone, Harry!" He stated.

"Or what?" The Harry person cockily lifts the blade to his neck chin.

"The rules are simple around here, especially for you Wretched Ones," Harry states.

"How about it?" Harry smiles in preparation to embarrass the young kindred man.

The Warrior pushes Harry from behind, and he quickly swifts his blade to nearly cut the Warrior to intimidate them, but the Warrior parried with their palm and flung an entire fist into the nose of Harry. Which knocks him back a few feet and dazed him briefly. Realizing what just happened, he checks his nose and finds it bleeding.

"You twitted scallop," he charged again with the blade in hand.

The warrior counters by kicking his thigh in, causing the momentum of Harry to fly him into another fistful from the Warrior. Instantly knocking him unconscious. Blood sprinkled from his lips. Every warrior in the building looked shocked. Even the young kindred man.

"Well, well, you just caked Harry." One of the bartenders said.

"Hey, you!" The young kindred man called to the Warrior.

Suddenly, more warriors entered the room, appearing to be those with high status.

"What just happened here?!" The warrior with enchanting armor pointed to the Warrior, the only one with a helmet.

"Sir, Hunter Rohan, this person didn't do anything wrong; Harry was instigating.." the young kindred man tried to explain the situation but was hushed.

"Quiet you Wretched One," he ordered.

"You speak when I say!" He punched him in the gut.

The young kindred man fell to his knees, spitting profusely from the force.

"You… The rules here state No "Helm" we are known for this, and you happen to come and do what you want?" Hunter Rohan spread his arms far and wide to the crowd that watched.

The warrior said nothing. They watched as the young kindred man struggled to catch their breath. This person was trying to help alleviate the situation. Did they deserve such violence from the Harry person and Hunter Rohan. Are these rules just? What is this world? Why is this world in such a manner where this violence continues to rot? What is just in a rule to inhibit such an act?

"Plea-se it's all -mi-s-understanding," the young kindred man grasped the belt of the Hunter.

"Get…. Off!" The Hunter slapped and caused a slight instance of blood to cut through the young kindred man's blood.

The warrior stood, watching. Something within them rang.

"You wanna just say nothing and let this Wretch speak for you?" The Hunter stated.

He approached the Warrior quickly, charging a massive hook toward the left helm of the Warrior. The fist landed harshly against the side of the Warrior's helm; the force should knock any grown man to dust. The crowd was in awe at the amount of force. Yet, the warrior withstood. With blood dripping from the side of their neck.

"So you are alive?" Hunter Rohan stated.

The Warrior profoundly charged up a massive fist with chaotic strength.

"Ohh this is nothing," Hunter Rohan boasted.

The warrior twitched and instantly pounded into the jaw of Hunter Rohan, his skin vibrating with a few teeth flinging from the root of his gums, leading him to feel a massive pushback from the force. He was shocked. Everyone did.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA" Hunter Rohan boasts.

Everyone was either shocked or in awe of the event that had just occurred.

"You keep your helm; I've never experienced such an attack ever since…" He shrugged the words of his mouth and continued to shout in excitement. Everyone else also cheered in worry.

"You will go places in the Hunter's Circle with that kind of strength. I hope to see you around Warrior.

Don't worry about Harry here. I'll handle him if he gives you problems. Be wary of that Wretched; his kind brings no good. They are a plague. The Eternal Reign have made a mistake."

He left with the rest of his armored men. They looked in awe as the Warrior stood still. It was like seeing a ghost.

Everyone returned to business as usual, with some still observing the Warrior. The Warrior observed the young kindred man, going to him since he struggled to reach his feet. The Warrior gave their palm.

"Oh, thank you!" The young kindred man got to his two feet with the help of the Warrior.

"You didn't have to," he added with a bloodied lip smile.

"I'm Arex, one of the Forgiven Ones, but I believe here I am the only one." He looked away in embarrassment.

The Warrior leaned slightly at the title.

Arex notices the slight gesture, "You're pretty quiet, but that's alright, I don't mind," he laughs a bit.

"You're bleeding a bit. I have an ofuda tear," he quickly takes his ofuda and crushes it toward the Warrior.

The Warrior says nothing but is healed. They look onto the Arex; perhaps he can help them find the answer they're searching for. Being a Forgiven as well, he might have knowledge of who they are.

They notice that Harry is still unconscious on the floor too.

"Follow me. Let's step away from this location. I'll take you somewhere else. You seem new around here." Arex happily guides the Warrior away from the unconscious Harry.

The Warrior curiously looks at Arex. There is warmth within him. A warmth like the ofuda tear, like a sort of hope that exists far beyond. If Esmeralda wanted the Warrior to meet with him, perhaps this is where the next phase of where their journey shall take them. The bustling nature of the Hunter's Circle continues as more observers look at the pair and begin conversation with those who weren't there to witness the grand event of a lifetime.