By the time Noctis neared his destination, dusk had rapidly approached. Yet, even as the sunset, the sky was still alight with a flickering orange glow. Immediately, Noctis understood what it meant, the flames had already been set ablaze, and he was late. Breaking into a run, Noctis hastily shoved pedestrians out of the way as he neared the scene, the smell of smoke growing with each step, and the panicked screams of the public coming closer. Afraid he might not get a second chance at reuniting with his friends, given the outrage the slavers held against them, Noctis leaped up onto the roof of the building in front of him rather than navigating around. From the higher vantage point, Noctis could see the inferno. But more than that, Noctis could see the commotion around it, it was more than simple panic. People were fighting, dying as the rather large building burned.
Noctis' initial thought was that Doce and Three had bitten off more than they could chew, and so he hopped off the roof and continued his charge towards the struggle. The street was littered with debris from the fire, as well as the bodies of those who were fighting. Slaves, underdressed and underarmed, constituted the majority of the casualties. Yet, among them were people Noctis didn't recognized. Well-dressed and ornately armed, those who fought and slaughtered the slaves looked as if they were pulled directly from a time long since passed. Quickly scanning the faces of those left scrapping in the streets, he didn't recognize anyone, including the standout Doce who was larger than even Noctis himself.
In his moment of concern, Noctis heard further commotion coming from within the burning building itself. Whoever was left inside was surely insane, as the building could collapse at any moment. Yet as Noctis gave it a second thought, he realized that brand of insanity was exactly the type of recklessness Doce often had. Against his own better judgement, Noctis barreled his way into the blaze, moving quickly to avoid the more concentrated fires.
The inside of the building was unbearably hot, and Noctis felt as if he could barely breathe. Yet pressing further into the building, the distinct sounds of fighting became clearer through the crackling and groaning of the structure. Covering his mouth, Noctis found himself at the entrance of a much larger room, double doors blocking his view and path. With a strong kick, Noctis blew the doors off their hinges as he was met with a most gruesome sight.
Doce, bloodied and motionless, was held almost effortlessly off the ground at the blade end of a scythe. The man at the other end was dressed much like the unidentified faction outside, but rather than seeming out of place in the attire, it seemed natural. His old skin and features indicating that it might actually be clothing from his life. With a swift yank and spin, the blade was pulled from Doce's torso causing him to fall lifelessly to the floor, his blood being spattered along the floor as the elderly man turned to face Noctis.
"Well, you don't look like the rest of the lot. Go on, get out of here... It's dangerous, you know?" the old man warned, slowly revealing his firearm that was hidden underneath his cloak.
Enraged at the sight of his companion being murdered, Noctis was beyond the point of recognizing that the man was issuing a threat rather than a warning. Rushing towards the killer, Noctis was quick to outpace the older gentleman physically, but experience and intuition gave the man the wherewithal to quickly fire his blunderbuss to slow Noctis down. With the firing of the buckshot, Noctis was just barely able to react to avoid taking the brunt of the spread, though several pellets found their way into his extremities, it wasn't a catastrophic wound by any means.
"Slow down there young blood, don't you know it's bad taste to not even introduce yourself? That fellow there was just like you, I swear. Those in the League call me the High Huntsman, but you can just call me Dex, just an old hunter doing his job." Dex elaborated, giving a short bow to Noctis who had been stopped by the earlier gunfire.
The old hunter was smart to create more distance as he fired the first time, understanding that he was at a physical disadvantage at his age. But this wasn't just something he alone understood. Noctis, who had grown up fighting, knew very well what Dex was doing. While his rage had blinded him for a moment, it was Noctis' discipline that would allow him to do Doce the greatest justice. Narrowing his eyes, he stared down Dex as the fire grew in intensity. The fight would have to be brief, neither party wanted to be inside any longer than necessary. With smoke now beginning to obscure vision even within the more open room they were in, Noctis made his move.
Running at a standard pace, Noctis approached Dex, ready to activate his Nagare the moment he raised his blunderbuss to fire. The sudden acceleration would allow Noctis to not only aim dodge the shot, but close the distance and finish the old hunter quickly. As predicted, Dex raised his gun to slow Noctis' advance. As his trigger finger tightened, Noctis pressed off the ground with Nagare, clearing the smoke briefly with his speed as Dex fired off into empty air. Now within striking range of the man, Noctis sent his heel straight into the elbow of the hunter's arm that held the firearm. With a crunch, Noctis removed the elderly man's ability to raise his gun to keep him at range. Yet despite the injury, the High Huntsman didn't seem to mind too much.
"We in the League don't fear death, son." Dex said, raking his scythe across Noctis arm, tearing into the skin before Noctis could pull his leg away fully.
"But you do."Dex's words struck a cord as Noctis pulled his body away from the hunter. A chill was sent down Noctis spine as he did fear dying, even if it was for a brief moment during their exchange. It was a feeling he had mostly rid himself of at a young age, but here, against this wizened and fearless man, Noctis was reminded. Almost in retaliation, Noctis thrust his arm up and into Dex, who was not fast enough to avoid the blade of wind from Noctis' technique. Yet again, Dex grasped Noctis' arm, pulling it deeper into his chest, and looked the longleg dead in the eye.
"Wouldn't you believe it...? The hag was right. Least now I know for sure... I can leave this nightmare."Noctis wasn't sure what the cryptic words meant, but it was more than the ramblings of a dying mad man, and it caused Noctis to recoil away, leaving Dex's dying frame to fall to the ground. Gripping the wound on his arm, Noctis turned to go find Three as soon as possible, only to see another of the Hunters standing at the other end of the room, stifling his laughter from behind an eyeless mask.
"Ahh... now that was satisfying. How envious am I, Dex? I can only imagine the relief." the masked hunter remarked, as if Noctis was invisible to him. Then, with sudden clarity, the man abruptly directed his attention to Noctis.
"You'll find your prize there. We'll see each other again, so long as you have it. For tonight, I'm simply Tracker Lletz. Tomorrow though..."It was as cryptic as everything else, but Lletz gestured to the open doors behind him and disappeared into the smoke with a crazed laughter. With no other clues to go on, and his time literally burning away around him, Noctis ran through the open doors. Three was all he had left, and he wasn't going to lose her too.
Words: 1744
Doriki: +5 to Strength/Power when using legs, +5 to Speed
Skills: Nagare, Kamikiri
Gear: Baby Den Den Mushi
Notes: