Problem

"Mind giving us a minute, Leo?" Santa requested.

"Sure," Mr. Daniel said before walking away from the duo.

Santa taps an empty spot on the bench next to him and Hunter slowly moves towards it and sits there. "I heard about what happened with Merlin," Santa said, "I'm sorry about what happened at the council," he added.

"Eh?"

"When Merlin told me about a kid using chaos magic, I became afraid of what this world would become with such dangerous ability on the loose ... In hindsight, Merlin only asked me to stand by his side because I am the most likable man in the mystic world," Santa said.

[This guy!]

"Well I'm sorry for disrespecting you on that day," Hunter apologized.

"That's all in the past. I am just glad my actions didn't lead someone to an early grave," Santa stated.

Hunter nods. "So I wanted to ask, are you the same Santa from the legend or ..."

"If you want to ask about a present you requested years ago, I couldn't deliver it because of the Meridional Accord. It barred me from doing what I was known for," Santa exclaimed.

"I hate to break it to you but I never believed you existed until that day in the council. The Meridional Accord, is it the same as the treaty of 1592?" Hunter asked.

"No," Santa shakes his head. "The treaty of 1592 was more about vampire-human relations. The Meridional Accord on the other hand covers the human-mystical affairs," he explained.

"Ah. So do you have a naughty list?"

Santa raised an eyebrow "I thought you didn't believe in me?" He said.

Hunter frowns and the fairy clears his throat. "I do. It's a magical notebook that once I write your name something terrible would happen to you," Santa stated.

"And how terrible is something terrible? Getting hit by a car terrible? Or attacked by a swarm of bees terrible?" Hunter asks.

"No no no!" Santa exclaimed. "It's little things like your hair tangling or coffee spilling on your shirt and so on. I once wrote the name of Sir Issac Newton in my list and an apple fell on his head," Santa stated.

Hunter's eyebrows rocket upwards, "you're joking right?"

"'Course not," he said flatly.

'He's kidding right?'

"Anyways, since you're here now, can you do something for me?"

"You want an autograph?"

"No. Why would I -- have anyone ever ... Nevermind I wanted to ask --"

"I see," Santa interjected. "You want me to say the words,"

"The words?"

"You know, the words," Santa smiled wiggling his brows.

"What words?"

"Ho ho ho," Santa Claus said proudly.

Hunter raised an eyebrow, "that's it? You thought I wanted to ask you to shout ho times 3?"

"You didn't?" he asked.

[This is the most likable man in the mystic world?]

"You know what? Nevermind. Can I go now?"

[Hunter, look out!]

A small, blinking ball rolls toward their bench. "Shit!" Hunter said as he pushed Santa out of harm's way as the ball explodes.

A demon floating in the air slowly descends to the ground. He looked like a regular human except he had four eyes instead of two. "Can you help a lost friend?" He said, "Which one of you is Hunter Heffernan?"

"Friend of yours?" Santa asks.

"Yeah, this is just our version of baseball - except the balls explode,"

"Well, can you tell him to stop until I'm gone?" Santa asked seriously.

"Wait ... Were you being --- did you think I was being serious?"

"You weren't?"

"God, I hate you so much right now," Hunter stated, "so what can you do?"

"I could write his name in the naughty list. Do you know his name?"

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Just stay here and don't come out unless I yell 'old man',"

"Are you calling me an old man,"

"No, it's just a signal, don't take it seriously." Hunter walked towards the demon who had an evil grin plastered on his face. "Hey, I heard you were looking for Heffernan," Hunter said.

"You won't happen to know him would you?"

"I do actually. What are the chances that you'd believe me if I told you he just went that way, beyond the fence?"

"Huh?!" The demon says surprised. "Brother!" He shouted. "Do we really have to kill him? He played along."

"Unless he has the money to compensate us, yes. We do have to kill him," someone else replied. Hunter looked around but could not see the speaker.

The demon turned his attention to Hunter, "are you rich?"

"Not a single dollar in my account. Hell, I don't even have an account," the sprite stated.

"Appreciate the honesty but I do have to kill you now," the demon revealed.

"Understandable. I respect the grind, power five?" Hunter said extending his fist.

The demon smiles and hits Hunter's fist with his.

"Can you fight already?!" The second bounty hunter said.

"My thoughts exactly," Santa who had been peeking from behind the bench said. "I thought you said you two weren't friends?"

"We are not. I was waiting for my partner," Hunter said pointing to where Mr. Daniel now stood.

The demon frowned, "don't think you can handle me on your own?"

Hunter shrugs before turning to Mr. Daniel. "There are two of them," he informed.

"I know but the other one's energy is incredibly low compared to this one's. He wouldn't be a problem," Mr. Daniel stated.

"How dare you insult my brother!" The demon yelled before charging forward.

"You go first," Mr. Daniel said to Hunter, "I want to see how much you've improved during the holidays," he stated.

Hunter nods before stepping forward to take on the incoming demon. He clenches his fist in anticipation.

[Hunter ...]

'I see it.' Hunter swiftly turns and catches a ball-shaped object - the second mercenary, wherever he was, must have thrown it. The sprite tosses the ball toward the demon. It explodes and the resulting smoke and dust make it difficult to see anything.

'So this guy's brother or whatever is the one with the explosives, I see,' Hunter thought before moving into the smoke with pink energy around his fist. He throws a punch that lands cleanly on the demon's midsection. Though the sprite couldn't see his opponent, he could feel his exact spot and movements.

Long spikes appear from the demon's body and stab through the year 1 student. The sprite winces as blood gushes out of his mouth but the dark-haired boy would not relent. He grabs the demon's head before rolling his head backward and smashing it into the demon's, forcing the demon to withdraw its spikes.

Hunter quickly turns and delivers a roundhouse kick to the demon's face, sending it some feet backward. Purple energy surrounds the sprite's fist as he dashes forward to throw a dangerous punch only for the demon to melt right in front of his eyes and reform behind him.

"Huh?!" Hunter said surprised as he turned to find that the demon's left hand is now a giant mace with large spikes on the head. The demon lifts his hand high and swings the weapon toward Hunter at a dangerous speed.

There is a loud clanking sound as Mr. Daniel steps between them both and blocks the strike with a cleaver.

The demon jumps backward while the instructor turns to the sprite. "You're still easily caught off guard," he noted.

"Huh?!"

"You can't always rely on your speed and durability in fights," the teacher stated.

"Look out," Hunter warned.

Mr. Daniel turned to the demon who was now rushing forward at full speed, his mace-like arm turning into a sword. The demon jumps high, spinning in the air before swinging his sword arm at the teacher. The teacher squats and the attacker harmlessly flies over him.

The instructor swings his cleaver at the demon but he dodges by simply stepping back. Hunter throws a right cross but the demon spins and swings his blade at Hunter. The sprite throws his head backward but the demon swings again forcing Hunter to jump backward.

Mr. Daniel quickly steps forward and attempts to cut the demon with his cleaver. The demon dodges and the instructor swings his blade at the demon again. The demon steps back before flying to the sky and bringing his legs close to his chest.

Spikes shoot out of the demon's body raining down on the duo. Mr. Daniel quickly runs to the sprite and forms a shield that prevented the spikes from reaching them.

The demon lands on the ground and the duo rushes toward them only for a ball to roll up between them and explodes.

Hunter scans the surrounding looking for the culprit but found none. He looked back at the demon and watched as the black magician create some little faceless creatures.

'Demon spawns,' Hunter thought.

"Kill the brat with the pretty face," the demon instructed the creatures before turning his attention to Mr. Daniel, his hand transforming into a lance and swinging it at the teacher.

The demon spawns move quickly, one of them jumping to the sprite's face and another grabbing his leg, knocking him off his feet.

Hunter quickly shakes the ugly creatures off his body and begins running away. The spawns chase after him as he maneuvers through the thick green field looking for an open space to fight.

The sprite races to the giant tree and jumps on one of its large branches. One of the spawns climbs after him and the year 1 student turns and grabs it by the head and tosses it away. Another spawn climbs up too and Hunter hit it with his pink strike causing it to implode. The third climb up too but it meets the same fate as the second.

[Behind you]

Hunter turned to see a man holding a pistol pointed at him. The sprite looks down to see a bag of explosives just next to the guy's feet. 'So that's why I couldn't sense him, he's a human,' Hunter thought. 'Still, how was he able to make perfect throws from way over here?'

[Enhancement potions; I can smell it over him]

'And here I thought he was a master marksman,'

The man pulled the trigger on his gun but Hunter ducks out of the way and throws a hook that sends the man flying from the tree and into the ground. "Oh come on, that punch did not merit this reaction," Hunter frowned.

On the other side, the demon could sense his brother was out. He abandons his fight with Mr. Daniel and flies towards the giant tree to check on his brother only to be welcomed with a thunderous right hook from Hunter.

Mr. Daniel appears using his transmission ability and strikes the demon with his cleaver. The demon spins and Hunter throws a punch to his back while the instructor strikes him on the side of the head. Hunter hits a left uppercut and his right hand is surrounded with purple energy as he throws a hook that knocks the demon off his feet and onto the ground.

A ball rolls up toward Hunter's feet. The sprite's eyebrows shoot up and his eyes shift sideways to see who had thrown the explosive - it was a spawn. 'How the hell?!'

Mr. Daniel swiftly forms a shield barrier around himself and the sprite just before the ball explodes. As the dust settles, the demon, his brother, and his spawn were all gone. The instructor turns to Hunter, "any idea why they are chasing you?"

"Not sure ... I think they are Merlin's disciples, looking for revenge," Hunter replied despite knowing that the brothers are mercenaries.

"I see," Mr. Daniel said rubbing his temple. "You should go see a nurse for your injuries," the teacher suggested.

[Maybe if they hadn't healed already]

"I'll be fine," Hunter smiled and waved before walking away from the teacher.

As he walked away, he could hear Santa Claus telling Mr. Daniel that the two were most likely 'grinches'. The sprite continued back to the dorm to change his torn clothes while the white-bearded man's voice fades away.

On his way, he sees Sophia lying on the ground panting heavily. A smile appears on the sprite's face as he recalls his training with the fiend. Hunter takes out his phone and dials Martin's number. "Hello," Martin said from the other side.

"Hey. Is it okay if I ask a friend to join us for that coffee?"

"It's fine," Martin said, "Sydney's coming along too," he added.

"Great," Hunter said. "I'll see you at Second Turn Mall," Martin said. "They serve great coffee," he added.

"Right," Hunter drawled before the call cuts.

[The name sounds familiar because that's where René works]

'I know.'

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