Chapter 13: Patrol

A/N: Gonna start putting names for chapters

----

Hado didn't go back to the inn that night, instead, after his first day, he walked over to the south side of the empire, meeting with the captain of the imperial guard there.

"Haha, look at this string bean!" Captain Ogre said, clapping his hand on Hado's back with enough force to make the boy stumble.

Captain Ogre had just been promoted after an accident with the last captain, who resigned and disappeared. Naturally, the next best choice was chosen to step up, and Captain Ogre was having a jolly time picking on the new guards and soldiers that were under his command. He also looked the other guards in the eye as they looked away from him. He felt a small grin grow on his face as he looked at Hado, who seemed to be watching his words.

"With all due respect sir... If you don't let me go right now you're going to lose an arm," Hado said forcefully, sending a dozen wasps out and getting one in each of the people around him.

"Haha! You got guts, boy... I'd like to see you try," Ogre said, his hand on his sword as Hado looked him in the eye, an annoyed expression on his face.

Esdeath's embarrassment was fresh, and he wanted nothing more than to squash the bug that was in front of him. Alas, he turned his head, deciding to fight against that murderous urge.

'Won't help my position if I killed the captain of the guards...' Hado thought as Ogre nodded.

"Good... Now, everyone listen up!" Ogre yelled, pointing at a board set in the center of the room. "There have been several murders these past few nights, emperor wants us to put a stop to it, we go in teams of two on our patrols tonight, and smoke these scum right out of our empire."

The guards cheered as Hado collected information from all of them. By now he could easily pass as someone who'd lived in this world his entire life. He knew more than most people. 'I wonder... What secrets does the emperor have in his mind?' Hado thought before Captain Ogre snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"You're with me newbie," Ogre said, smirking wildly as they left the guard tower, stepping into the night...

***

The streets were filled with noise; drunkards shouting obscenities outside taverns while their patrons screamed about women, children playing hide and seek between piles of garbage and through alleyways where the rats ruled supreme.

"Huh, not as bad as I thought it was going to be... I was expecting a lot more killing," Hado said after a little, looking at the big burly captain, who had his head on a swivel, eyeing everyone and everything.

"Yes, the empire is a joyous place," Ogre said, chuckling to himself a bit. "For us."

"Whatcha mean?" Hado asked. Though he already knew the answer.

"Well, the poor neighborhoods are much gloomier, and of course, there's more crime, but for the gifted such as me and you, we live lavish lives, just as whatever made this world intended..."

Hado smirked a bit at the words, it wouldn't be hard for him morally to take over, these people were all terrible.

"Do you believe in a god Captain?" Hado asked amusedly, looking up at the sky, locking his eyes on the bright full moon.

"A god? Perhaps something like that exists, but kid let me tell you this," Ogre got close to Hado, as if he was going to share a secret with the boy. "There is no god in the empire..."

The pair continued patrolling as the night rolled on, the citizens all eventually went inside to sleep, and still, nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet...

"Help!" A woman screamed into the night, causing Hado and Captain Ogre to snap their heads to the right where the sound had come from.

Hado saw her running down an empty street, dressed in rags, clutching onto a child she must have picked up along the way. A man followed behind, trying to grab the crying girl and drag her off, ignoring the woman's screaming.

"I'll show you, how fucking dare you wench!" The man screamed, his words slurred, showing he was quite drunk.

"Ey, what seems to be the problem?" Hado asked as he and Ogre walked up, looking on at the scene.

'She's got a nice rack...' Ogre thought, causing Hado to smile as the jeweled wasp transmitted the thought to him.

'So, as usual, it's sexual desire that brings a man to his knees? Good.' Hado thought, reaching down toward his boot and grabbing the hilt of his brand-new dagger.

He'd now bought several easy-to-hide weapons and hid them all over his body, he would never be in a situation without a weapon again.

"Ugh!" The man groaned, pushing the woman to the ground, pointing at her as he faced the two. "This stupid whore birthed a child in secret, and then she comes running to my mansion asking me to care for it! I refuse to believe it is mine, I would never breed with such a dirty scum like her!" The man yelled, his face red as Hado pulled the dagger all the way out of its holster.

"Huh... What is she a prostitute?" Hado asked, and by the woman's exp[session, he had guessed correctly.

"Well... There's no way to prove it is yours sir, so how about you go about your business, and leave the girl to me," Hado said, smiling at the girl as the man gritted his teeth. There was something off with the woman...

"Execute her at once!" He yelled, rushing Hado and making a grab for his dagger.

*Whoosh*

The man's hand plopped to the ground with a wet thunk, causing him to freeze as he looked at the blood gushing from his arm, his eyes widening. "Hey! What the fuck! Y-Y-You cut it off!" He yelled, falling on his ass and looking at Hado in horror.

"Yep!" Hado said, crouching down to the man's level. "I don't like thieves much, why would you try to take my property?" Hado asked, chuckling to himself as he pulled out a smaller knife.

"I-"

The man didn't get to finish his words as the small knife flew from Hado's hands, stabbing into his head and killing him instantly.

Hado looked back at Captain Ogre to see his reaction, but the burly man wasn't even paying attention anymore as he helped the woman up, ogling her the entire time.

'I should have been able to end it before he got a word out,' Hado thought angrily, picking up the knife that lay in the dead man's head. He held it up, feeling the weight of it in his hand as he examined it, turning to face Ogre.

"What should we do with her?" Hado asked, already sure Captain Ogre would suggest taking her home by himself.

"We have to continue our assignment, run along home now little lady," With a wink and a pat on the ass, the man sent the woman and her child on their way.

'Huh... Maybe people are more complex than I thought,' Hado thought to himself as he looked at the woman leaving, feeling slightly off. He returned all his insects to his body, gaining all the information they learned and also feeling more energized.

It had been a couple of days since they'd all been home, it was a nice feeling, like seeing your relatives after years of being apart.

The night continued with no more action, and as the sun rose, Hado and Captain Ogre decided to cut their hunt early.

As they got back though, the guards were all talking about something interesting.

"Yeah, she devoured the kid, fucking twisted her neck and everything!" One of them said before everyone stopped talking, looking at Captain Ogre.

"What are you fools talking about?" He asked as Hado sent a few wasps to learn everything he had missed, it had been foolish to call them back.

The woman, the same woman Hado had a bad feeling about, was caught murdering the child in her arms as well as another man.

She had fled, and from what Hado could tell from the memories, there wasn't anything natural about the way she did it...

The woman was a hybrid, an urban legend that had been floating around the city.

A mix of Human... And Danger Beast.