A Bounty to Collect

Tyrik and his current group of friends were conducting research in locating The Mines, which belonged to Jacob Waltz, yet there was very little success regarding this matter. One problem that was present was regarding the "Old Military Trail."" which the riddle spoke of. As with the age of time, the exact trail that would grant a means of using 3D Map Imaging had been corroded by nature. Resulting in the trail being damaged beyond repair and no longer featured on modern-day maps, even with the internet's vast database of information. Another detail that had made things difficult was simply the vague riddle itself. The complexity of it made figuring out other clues to assist with narrowing down the location too few, even nonexistent beyond the Military Trail within the wording. Of course, the secondary clues within the riddle mentioned were the "Northen Facing Canyon" and the fact that at sunset, light from the sun would shine throughout the entrance. However, that would be too time-consuming to even find a possible location...'Then again...' Tyrik began within his thoughts as a possible method to help with their efforts came to mind, 'Recalling what Khonsu had said, Amaterasu was the current aspect of The Sun. Could it be possible to... Call for her assistance?' He pondered before turning to Red Son as he worked on his research based on the data he had collected from the crime scene regarding the Wraith that was present. "Hey, Red Son. Think that we could call up Amaterasu? The riddle did state that the setting sun would shine through the mine's entrance." Tyrik explained with no idea how to explain his thought process if he even had one to begin with.Raising an eyebrow, The Demon Prince showed interest in Tyrik's little idea. "Thinking that she could be able to point us in the right direction? Well, I can see why you would think that. However, Amaterasu would not be able to assist regarding that matter. An Ascept can't just simply leave their post to deal with matters like this. Her role is too important for abandon out of the blue." He explained before getting his idea based on the details. "Although, Nadruk's Wraith do emit a radiation akin to Gamma Energy that Midgardians managed to weaponize..." "Wait... Are you saying that Marvel Comics wasn't wrong to say that Gamma Energy is basically Hell Magic?" The Draconian questioned with utter disbelief at this detail yet was greeted by a gesture from Red Son to state this wasn't the case."Gamma Energy is more like artificial Hell Energy to be more accurate. The Midgardian Scientist, Paul Villard, had accidentally stumbled upon this during the 1900s before it was transformed into one of Midgardians' most deadly weapons during The Second World War. Thanks to the efforts of Enrico Fermi, Midgardians figured out how to refine Gamma energy into Nuclear Energy. This form of energy is toxic to even the most powerful demons, Mythics, and Divines alike thanks to the process." The Demon Prince explained further as he began to use his tech to scan for this form of radiation to pinpoint The Wraith's movements. "Nadruk uses his katana, The Blacken Lazarus, to create the magic needed for his spell, which creates his Wraiths. Yet, since it doesn't exactly belong to him originally, he had a hard time trying to fully incorporate this magic into his being." Red Son finished off as he began to shout in triumph at his success. "Got a trail on Bernt!" He declared with a smile.Time passed, and the team was now on the hunt to find the Wraith, but unknown to them. A Trio was following behind them, consisting of June Malbec, Ginkaku, and Kinkaku. However, they tried their best to remain undetected for now as the presence of both Athena and Red Son did make things complicated for them. June was not happy with this; she hissed in anger as she saw the Demon and Olympian walking alongside her bounty. "Great... How are we gonna pull the Princess away from the others? Also, why the hell are members of The Ethereal Council even here?" Questioned Ginkaku in frustration as he crossed his arms to express this. "It may have to do with recent activity from one of Asura Princes... Heard that Nadruk has been quite busy on Midgard lately... Though, I have no idea why that is. A lot of things have been weird since Midgard rediscovered their Arcane Crystals." Kinkaku added on as he began to wonder about these arising rumors regarding the growing events on Midgard surrounding the Mythic Underground. June didn't say much to these statements, but she did wonder about these rumors. From Nadruk's odd actions, a group of humans dressed as knights attacking Mythics, and most of all, the rumors about an ancient cult manipulating things within the shadows. These rumors seemed to have a greater connection, or that is what June believed to be the case. The Cobrivite woman saw these rumors more as subtle moves on a chessboard for a bigger scheme ahead, with some abnormalities acting alongside them. Something was coming, yet it wasn't what she was being paid for. For now, she needed to figure out how to draw out Esmeralda away from The Ethereal Agents if she wanted to remain under the radar alongside the two idiots. She did not trust that the demon duo won't screw up this operation in one way or another after all... "There is one plus side among these complications..." June announced as a grin grew on her face upon realizing a detail, "Seems like that Kitsune Maid isn't around this time around." She announced with a sinister laugh as a plan began to form within her mind as both Silver and Gold began to wonder what June was plotting.Esmeralda walked alongside Tyrik as they ventured with their team, though Ricky, Judy, and Washta decided to remain behind to do more research on their own regarding the case. However, Esmeralda had a sickening feeling as they searched for Bernt Johansen. It felt like her soul was being hallowed out, yet empowered by this sensation as it grew within her. It somewhat frightened Esmeralda as she did her best to suppress the feeling that was growing. However, the Dark Elf's efforts were still noticed by Tyrik, and he began to grow worried for her. "Doing alright, Esmeralda?" Tyrik asked while placing his shoulder onto her as a means of comfort, doing his best to help her despite the little he knew about socializing due to his autism. In particular, Tyrik had both ADHD and Asperger's. These made things hard for him to make friends beyond Ricky, as he lived with Tyrik thanks to a foreign exchange program set up between Amari and Ricky's father, Damario.Esmeralda jolted a bit due to the sudden physical touch, freaking her out a bit before realizing it was just Tyrik. "Oh... It's nothing, Ty. Just feel... Off, I guess." She explained while trying to figure out what was bothering her before giving Tyrik a well-made false smile, "But it isn't something I can't manage. Don't worry about me." She reassured Tyrik, who wasn't completely convinced by this statement as he noticed both Han and Penelope coming to a sudden stop on their trail through the mountains. Something began to mess with the tracker that Red Son had as the demon tried to figure out what was causing it before it burst apart due to a power surge. Both he and Penelope cover their face as the device explodes into many pieces, shocking everyone who witnesses this. "Looks like we are getting close to an Arcane Source. Guess this mine had a lot of these crystals to create this kind of reaction to basic Midgardian technology..." Penelope reasoned as she was very much surprised by this detail. Sure, Arcane Crystals were a natural form of energy that grew within every Realm, but it was odd to have a singular place producing such an amount that it could be felt on the surface in this way. "Wonder how deep we are gonna go when we reach the mine..." She announced with some degree of dread in her voice."What do you mean by that?" Asked Tyrik, interested to learn more about the nature of these magical gems."Simple. Arcane Crystals only form deep underground. By that, I mean extremely deep. Yet, this mine seems to have an incredible amount of them growing if we can be affected by them." Athena explained with a small smile, expressing she was impressed by this. "That is also the very reason why they were forgotten over time. Midgardians found it increasingly difficult to continue mining them, but modern-day Midgardian Technology has removed that problem..." The Olympian explained with a frustrated sight while stretching a bit. "Although," Red Son began, "Major areas for Arcane Clusters are hard to locate while we are on the topic. White Star Corporation found one of these clusters within the caves of The Grand Canyon. It is kind of funny when you see some bizarre conspiracy theories you Midgardians can come up with that actually hold some weight." The Bull Demon finished with a small amused chuckle at the thought.Tyrik shared in his oddity as he also found it humorous as well, but then again. Despite how crazy some stories told around the campfire can be. Sometimes, there is a sliver of truth within them. He knew that across the world, every form of myth and legend had oddly few noticeable shared elements despite the region of the Earth, making it impossible to have these ideas shared in ancient times. Some examples were dragons, giants, an aquatic race of people, and even demons. Knowing what he did know now about the hidden Mythic World which lived alongside humans. There was a bit of satisfaction to see these creatures within the stories being actually real. "I always had a feeling that Dragons were real at point, ya'know. There are so many stories talking about them throughout the time that it couldn't be a con... conwi... I hate my mind at times..." Tyrik spoke as he began to struggle with a word he wanted to say."Coincidence?" Esmeralda offered with a reassuring smile, expressing she could relate to this struggle. Tyrik was quick to confirm that was the word he was trying to pronounce. "I had a feeling you were someone who had a fascination for Dragon when I met you, Ty. Bet you're really excited to know that you have a large connection to them, huh?" The Princess announced with a small giggle. However, as the group ventured further to find The Lost Dutchman Mine, Tyrik spotted an odd site as an animal approached them. From what Tyrik could see, the animal seemed to be akin to a jackal however it had two tails which you would see from the Pokémon called Espeon, and a muscle structure far greater than what an animal would have. Its eyes glow with a bright crimson as it snarles with delight upon landing its gaze on Esmeralda. Soon, the animal began to cackle a bit before speaking, "About time I found the target of Ryequar's bounty. Even if you have an Olympian and wielder of The Samadhi Flames, I will be able to collect my prize." The animal announced before morphing into a humanoid form, a powerful warrior dressed in armor suited for those during Ancient Egypt while holding two khopesh blades in each hand as they seemed to be enhanced with powerful magic. With this, the blades were heated as they glowed with an inferno. As the new contender for June's bounty arrived, causing the Cobrivite to hiss in pure rage, the gold demon was left in shock by their arrival. "A Khnum?! I thought they went extinct centuries ago!" He proclaimed in utter awe, seeing such a creature. June was surprised by the term that was used as she looked back at Kinkaku for an explanation. "They are a race that gave themselves to The Typhon Aker Usuper, Set. He is a very powerful Aker, maybe even the strongest among them. Khnums were saved by Set, and they dedicated themselves to his service until his nephew, Horus, convinced Set to give up The Aker Throne." He explained further, "Khnum are warriors who value strength above all else due to Set's influence on them during his rule. Khnums were also known to be on par with many Olympians. Guessing that is why this guy isn't afraid to take on Athena and Red Son at the same time..." Kinkaku concluded with deep thought."This does give us an openin,  though." Ginkaku declared as both Olympian and Bull demon began battle with The Khnum bounty hunter as Tyrik and Esmeralda took off under the orders of Athen. "Why don't we leave the dog to fight the two while we sneak in and capture the Princess first?" The Silver Demon bargained as his brother and June agreed while taking off after the pair. However, as the three took off after Tyrik and Esmeralda, the sword Caliburn began to heighten Tyrik's senses as he stopped and pulled out the sword to face The Demon Duo and their Cobrivite Shredder. Lightning sparking across his body, Tyrik swiftly tried to channel his Draconic powers throughout himself to not only enhance the strength of Caliburn's blade but also manipulate the electrical current into the sand beneath himself to create several landmines which Kinkaku had the unfortunate experience of stepping on one of these. With a violent and powerful electrical shock,Thee Gold Demon fell onto the ground as he felt immobilized by the lightning. 'The fuck!?' June questioned in her thoughts as she did not expect the Mythic Rookie to learn this quickly on how to master his abilities. Though, June wasn't easily intimidated as she caught up to the pair and extended her blades. "You're a quick learner, aren't you child?" The Cobrivite remarked with an eagerness to see how Tyrik would fair up to her, showing her fangs as June grinned and took a battle stance. "Let's see what you are capable of, shall we?" Taunted the Cobrivite as she was once again caught off guard by Tyrik, unleashing his Dragon form while launching himself towards June as he swung Caliburn.As the blade made its way toward June, she heard a sound akin to a lightsaber swinging due to the electrical current coursing through the blade. From the sound alone, June realized that the sword's sharpness was enhanced to an incredible degree and would do massive damage if she were to be hit by it. Hissing in frustration, June attempted to use her Petrifaction Stare to deal with the dragon quickly. Yet, Tyrik was expecting this as he wasn't fighting with his eyesight as June was kicked in her gut, knocking the wind out of her. "I am not that foolish to fight you with my eyes, Cobrivite," Tyrik remarked with a cocky grin as June did her best to recover from the attack with shock. "Even if you look nothing like Medusa, there are parallels between you and The Gorgon Queen. Enough to conclude that if I lay my eyes on you, I am gonna be turned to stone. However, Sight is only one way to locate your opponent." Tyrik explained while gesturing for June to come at him, angering June at his cocky demeanor in battle. Twirling his sword, The Cobrivite charged in for another attack until she accidentally stepped on one of the traps that Tyrik laid out. She suffered a more devastating shock as she was wearing heavy metal armor. As she was being electrocuted, June let out a wail of pain as the lightning violently grabbed ahold of her body and armor. "Oh, did I forget to mention that there are several traps around us?" Tyrik mocked further as June's rage grew as she powered through the lightning and nearly hit Tyrik as he dodged.However, Tyrik was soon gripped by June's tail as she threw him through a boulder, shattering it on impact and breaking multiple bones as he let out a cry of pain. Thankfully, Dragons seemed to have a powerful healing factor as Tyrik regained himself and he used the claws on his feet to stab June's tail. The Cobrivite was forced to let go of Tyrik as she too began to swiftly heal from the injury. "You aren't the only one who can regenerate, brat..." June venomously hissed as she took another stance to ready herself for battle. Her stance was from the Greek Martial Art known as Pankration, a form of highly aggressive strikes meant to break limbs to render them no longer able to fight or even die of their injuries. However, Tyrik wasn't intimidated by June and her ferocity as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and held a stance with his blade that was once again connected to The Star Wars Form Three Saber Style, Soresu. Tyrik knew that he needed to be on the defensive if he wanted to avoid looking into June's eyes. With his electrical powers, Tyrik generated an electromagnetic aura and allowed his senses of hearing as well as touch to be enhanced through Caliburn as he recalled that the sword had once helped guide his movements against the Atchen monster.As June and Tyrik did battle, Ginkaku helped his brother up as Kinakaku readied the gourd which they planned to use to capture Esmeralda. However, the brothers were soon tangled up by various plants due to Esmeralda's magic as she glared at the two. "You really think I am that much of a weak link, dumbasses?" She questioned with a stone-cold tone as The Dark Elf conjured her scythe while glaring at the brothers.However, Kinakaku began to engulf himself with demonic flames which quickly burnt the plants into ashes as Ginkaku used his magic connection to air to form a sphere of condensed wind in the shape of a shuriken as it spun within his hand. "We were hoping you wouldn't go down easily actually." Ginkaku admitted before throwing the sphere at her as Kinakaku followed up with a torrent of flames. With a small yelp, Esmeralda summoned her Elven form to take into the skies to avoid the powerful combo attack. Unlike the stories told within Journey to The West, Ginkaku and Kinakaku were as idiotic as their mythological counterparts. They were powerful Demons of Fire and Air, making their elemental powers not be underestimated. As the dangers of fire were obvious, the element of air was just as dangerous as it could be used to rip out all the air within someone's lungs and suffocate them on the spot. Yet, Esmeralda had her own set of tricks as she began to use her mana to conjure a few plant clones of herself to confuse the two of her actual location before charging in to follow up on her attack. Using the hammer pick end of her scythe, Esmeralda swung the weapon with enough force to shatter the ground upon impact as the two managed to dodge in time before she could finish the attack.Ginkaku soon began to form some hand seals to amplify his mana to create a powerful tornado to strike back against Esmeralda and her Plant Clones. Esmeralda panicked as she retracted her wings as fast as she could to avoid having them torn apart by the powerful winds from the attack. With that, Kinakaku rushed in with a fist engulfed with fire to catch Esmeralda off guard yet she was able to catch on and used the curve-bladed end to slice Kinakaku with an upward vertical strike. Causing black blood to spray from the strike. Unlike humans, Demons bleed a black color when they suffer injuries such as this one. Kinakaku made his way to distance himself from Esmeralda as Ginkaku thrust his fist to strike the Dark Elven Princess with a gust of compacted air. The Princess was blasted into Tyrik as he fought June as they crashed into a stone wall, causing a large crack to form on the rock.This had alerted The Khnum, twisting his head towards the sound of shattering rock as Red Son and Athena tried to land a strike at this moment. "Keep Your Eye on The Ball, Khnum!" Snarled Red Son with the ferocity of a bull, swinging at him with a fist engulfed with The Samadhi Flames. Athena also attempted her strike as she used her golden spear, Aegis, to land a strike. They were nearly successful as The Khnum wasn't able to react quickly enough to avoid both attacks as Aegis left its mark on The Khnum's right cheek. Wiping away the blood formed from the attack, The Khnum chuckled in delight from his battle, "Badie. Well done you two. Didn't think you would be able to land a hit on me." He remarked d with praise as he twirled his blades in his paws with a sinister laugh. "I think you two earned the right to know the name of The Khnum who's gonna destroy you. Name's Ruhak, al'awghad." Ruhak introduced himself as he snarled, exposing his snake-like fangs as he held the khopesh in a manner seen from an assassin, blades facing downward to present similar to a pray mantis' arms. "Hope that you pathetic albulha' can keep up." The Khnum mocked with his fangs bare to intimate the two fighters before him. Yet as these fights raged on, Esmeralda began to feel more of the sickening aura as her eyes began to be engulfed in a blackened flame as she gripped her forehead out of pain. The sounds of unholy spirits rang out within the desert halls within Supersitious Mountains. Shortly as these wails ceased, a group of hollowed-out shadows took their shape as they were led by one human who was particularly consumed by an infection of dark venom on his right arm. From the right hand which was completely consumed by this darkness, his blood vessels were pitch-black as the black color spread throughout his body. Gathering at his heart and eyes he gave them all a sinister smile as his eyes were hollowed out by the venom forged in darkness. "My master would be pleased with me capturing all of you. Prepare to serve Nadruk as his mindless husks!" He proclaimed as his black hand formed into a large blade as The Wraiths behind him screeched in the form of battle cries.