Hunters

Magic is an essential part of many lives. Some use it for menial tasks such as cooking. Others like the Hunters use it for combat. Magic is a convenience many can not live without.

Which is why the city of Hattan Hattan baffles many. Unlike many other cities it has remained steadfast in refusing to establish a school for Hunters. When asked why the answer is always the same. Technology is a more viable and sustainable option than one person’s own supply of magic.

While Twilight disagreed with their stance on magic she couldn’t deny that the reputation of the city was well earned. Statistically speaking it had the smartest individuals in the entire world. Many great poets, scientists, and scholars originated there.

Quick Snap stared in awe of the city. The buildings shot high into the sky, appearing to pierce the heavens themselves, though his feeling towards the works on the city is where his mind split on. The city’s near phobia of magic he saw as off putting, did the dwellers possess this fear as well? Would they be too afraid to even speak with the young Hunters?  Gleam’s words echoed in his head.

“Hattan Hattan City. A city wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in mystery, wrapped in intrigue. A place many Hunters would not find themselves at.”  Quick spoke in an unusually low tone, his hat lowered somewhat.

“Not really. It's actually a typical destination. Well, as far as books go. It has one of the most extensive libraries and bookstores in the world!” Twilight said excitedly.

“Hm? Oh! Apologies, Ms.Sparkle. I was thinking aloud to myself,”  Quick chuckled sheepishly.

“Oh,” Twilight said blushing, “We should ask someone for directions.”

“Alas. Have the two heroes found themselves lost beyond help?!” Quick pondered aloud, raising his hand in the air.

“No. We just need directions.”

“OH woe! Oh how shall we overcome this mountainous hurdle?! HOW?!” Quick yelled raising his other hand to the sky.

Twilight sighed. While her temporary partner was freaking out she opted to do the sensible thing. She chose to talk to strangers.

She returned to find Quick reading a book calmly sitting on a fountain. She, in a dazed state, approached the Hunter and was nearly floored. Only moments before he was practically on his knees and now he was nonchalantly reading a book?!

“Um. Quick Snap?” Twilight shook the reading gambler.

“Hm?” he muttered as he turned to her. Twilight could hardly believe his face was now wearing a calm smile.

“I got some information on the location of the item. It’s at a bookstore called ‘The Grimoire’. It’s not too far from here, just a few blocks.”

Standing from his seat, the Hunter extended his left arm once again. This time he pointed a finger up to the sky.

“Then let us commence on our daring journey!”  His proclamation caught the attention of many passersby, pausing briefly to stare at the screeching Hunter.

Twilight's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. She gripped Quick Snap by his coat collar and stormed off.

 “Uh, Ms. Sparkle? Is something wrong?” the gambler inquired.

Twilight offered no reply, continuing her stride to the bookstore. Quick had to admit despite her size her grip on his collar felt just as tight as Big Mac’s.

“I didn’t think I could meet someone as annoying as Flash.” She huffed. “At least with Flash, he’s just impulsive and immature. But him?” Twilight shifted her gaze back to Quick Snap, who gave her a small smile.

“He’s crazy!” she shouted.

As Twilight pulled him Quick looked at the eyes of the inhabitants of the city. Their eyes seemed to dismiss him as a simple nuisance. An annoying nuisance but a nuisance all the same.

Quick breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe that’d ease their fear of Hunters.

~~~

Some blocks later Twilight had released Quick Snap. She made certain she was a good distance ahead of him. She’d rather not draw the attention of anymore of the citizens. And Quick was a magnet for that.

“Excuse me, Ms.Sparkle,” Quick began. “But, are you sure this is the correct path?”

Twilight nodded.

“I see. Another question if you will permit me. Are you angry?”

“I’m not angry.”

“You sound angry.”

“Well I’m not!”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Quick mumbled.

Twilight paused momentarily her gaze solely fixated on the male before her. The same male who was now trying his best to avoid direct eye contact.

“I’m not angry. Annoyed? Somewhat. Frustrated? Slightly. Embarrassed? Incredibly.”

“I apologize for my careless actions milady,” Quick Snap removed his hat and gave a bow.

Twilight’s left eyebrow twitched.“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop talking like that.”

“Huh? Is something wrong with the way I talk?”

A vein popped on this right side of her temple.  This boy was quickly pushing her beyond her limits. “Yes. You sound like a character from a comic book.”

“I never knew you read comic books.”

“I don’t. My brothers do.”

“I didn’t know you had brothers.” Quick seemed to light up from the mention of her brothers.

“That isn’t the point. Stop acting like someone that you clearly aren’t.”

“But this is who I am.”

“Sure it is,” Twilight said sarcastically rolling her eyes. “We’re here.”

The Hunters came across two large buildings. The large buildings were the same as the others throughout the city. They were made of what looked like stainless steel. Their mighty statures was imposing. Or it would have been if Twilight had never been to other cities before.

What stood out was what lay between the buildings. It was another building.

This one was small and plain. Clearly it was made of some type of wood. If she was to hazard a guess Twilight would say it was made of oak.

Other than the material it was made from something else struck Twilight as odd, it was a single story building. In a place technologically inclined it seemed odd for such a house to exist.

Over the doorway of building a sign hung. It read “The Best Bookstore in all of Hattan Hattan: The Grimoire! Get the books before they get dusty!” Twilight couldn’t believe it. This meager cottage was the bookstore there were looking for. Of all the buildings this one was it? The mage sighed, her head hanging low. Quick took noticed of this before shrugging it off.

As the Hunters continued to stare at the building they felt an odd sense of warmth from the building. As if unlike the cold behemoths around them it wanted them to go in. The Hunters decided to oblige.

A pungent stench attacked their noses as they entered. Twilight had to resist the urge to gag at the smell. Her partner was already enough of an embarrassment for both of them.

Quick looked around at the bookstore. Like many others it stacked its books on shelves. It always baffled him why bookstores would mimic libraries. It seemed counterintuitive to remind customers they could just check out books.

Despite their criticisms both the Hunters felt comfortable in the demure bookstore. They could feel the passion for books in the store. While everything around the books was covered in dust the books were in pristine condition. As if they were covered in some kind of protective magic.

The two Hunters ventured further into the small bookstore. They came to a small desk where a short woman sat.

“Uh. Excuse me, Miss?”

The short woman lazily moved her eyes to meet Twilight’s. Her face was a mix of boredom and fatigue.

“Yes?” the woman said with her nasally voice.

“We have come to retrieve the precious package. We require it for the safety of the world!” Quick said dramatically.

“What?”

Twilight face palmed.“We’re Hunters on a mission. We were told to pick up a book from this store.”

“Ah. Well you got the paperwork?”

Twilight nodded. She reached into one of her pockets and withdrew the mission slip. She gave it to the woman.

The woman scanned the slip. Then gave it back. She got up from her desk and went to retrieve the item.

“Excuse me again,Twilight, you like stories right?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Why do I like books?” Twilight cocked a brow. She’d never been questioned on her passion of books before. “Well I guess it’s because they’re brimming with knowledge. The more we know of the world the more we can grow as people. We should aim to improve and books help us do that.”

Quick looked dissatisfied with her response. “That’s an interesting answer. However, I didn’t ask about books Twilight. I asked about stories.”

“What’s the difference?” Twilight asked befuddled.

“Books can share stories, yes. But they aren’t stories. Stories have the ability to inspire us to go beyond what we are. Not to improve intellectually but to improve ourselves morally. To constantly remind us good will triumph over evil. And that we can be more than what we are now. That is what a story is. A book can’t compare with a story,” Quick passionately explained.

Twilight had no idea how to respond to that. Twilight couldn’t be sure but it seemed like Quick was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her. This hardly seemed like the same person from before who was pointing his hands up to the sky screaming like a banshee.

“I guess that’s why I want to be a writer,” Quick said chuckling.

An air of silence had fallen between them. Twilight was amazed at Quick’s words. Despite how he chose to use it, the boy had an very impressive vocabulary and when used in the same manner as just now, he could be rather poetic.

Quick’s foot tapped against the hardwood floor at a steady pace. Another question hung in the back of his mind.  A question about the city itself.

“Miss Sparkle, might I bother you with another question?” Quick asked, his tone still steady and calm.

Twilight nodded.

“How...does this city make you feel?”

The mage’s head tilted to the right. Why would he ask this? Suddenly he moved from talking about his musings on what makes a story a story and now he wants to talk about feelings? She understood that Hattan Hattan was a rather different setting from what they were accustomed to. Heck, she’d be lying if she said Hattan Hattan didn’t give her a feeling of uncomfortability. It was a small feeling, but none the less, it was still present.

“It's a city full of knowledge. It's the forerunner of numerous technological advancements. I’m pretty sure this place is where they created Flash’s motorcycle. Not to mention the impressive collection of books we found at that one bookstore. Which I remind you is one of many. And the buildings are about as magnificent as our own back at Canterlot. I’d assume they were both based on the same thing.”

“That’s a nice description of the city. But how does it make you feel? How does it feel to be around people who seem so afraid of magic?”

“I’m not sure how to answer this. It never crossed my mind,” Twilight lied.

Quick remained silent, sending his gaze downward.

“How do you feel about it?” she asked.

“It confuses me. I mean magic could help them do so much. Yet they refuse to do so. On the other hand it has allowed people who don’t want to use magic be able to accomplish great things too.”

Twilight stood there, letting his words sink in. He did have a point, magic did make the lives of all who used it much easier, it wasn’t to say that magic was without flaws, however.

“Quick you’re partners with Big Mac, right?”

“Yeah.”

“For the short time I’ve been on this mission with you, and the brief time I’ve interacted with Big Mac, I can already tell you two are very different. Does that make either of you wrong being who you are? Of course not. And neither does this make this city wrong for refusing to use magic.”

“I guess,” Quick chuckled.

“Besides it’d make an interesting story wouldn’t it? I mean a town unlike any other. I bet there is a book that tells a story. A story that can help us understand this city. That is why books are cool.”

Quick stared wide eyed at his temporary partner, a huge grin spawning on his face. “Indeed it could! The lone hunter, lost in a city beyond his understanding. Can he gain a grasp on this foreign concept of ‘technology?’”

“And more importantly can he return the book he check out from the library? Or will he be burdened with being tardy?!” Twilight giggled.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t shout. This is a bookstore not a stadium,” the short woman said annoyed.

Twilight blushed. She had thought the woman would have been longer.

“I have the book you wanted.”  the woman handed them a large black tome. Scribbled on the cover was a strange language.

“Is this demon speak?” Quick pondered, scratching the back of his head.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’m sure the headmaster will be able to decipher it,” Twilight said as she held the book.

“Thanks miss,” Quick said giving the short woman a grandiose bow. “I hope our stories will intertwine once again.”

“I don’t think my ears could handle it,” the woman replied. Quick’s eyebrow twitched slightly from her cold comment. With a shared sigh the two Hunters exited the store.

“This certainly was an easy mission. Although, this tome is fairly odd. Never before have I seen this dialect,”  Carefully examining the book revealed to Quick that the back of it also had the bizarre writing.  “And yet, it’s that same oddness which draws me to it more so. I want to know what it says so badly. I can’t wait to find out.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. She too was curious as to the content held within the pages of this tome and yet, something felt strange. The book possessed an unsettling aura around it. The fact that this item could emit such an aura in the first place disturbed her.

“Hmm? Ms. Sparkle? Is everything-” Quick said while trying to check on his friend failed to noticed the person in his path, crashing into him.

“Ouch,” the gambler mumbled, rubbing his back side. He lost his balance. Twilight zipped over to him and offered a hand.

“Thanks. Ehehe, that was pretty embarrassing. I suppose this is karma for earlier, no?”

Twilight chortled. “I doubt that.”

“Are you alright?”  The man asked walking over to the downed Hunter.

The man’s dark blue long spiky hair fell down and touched his lower back. Its dark blue was matched by the coat the man wore. The end of his coat appeared to be torn as if by some ferocious beast. His pants were dark grey. The most striking part of the man wasn’t his torn coat or spiky hair but his eyes. They were blood red. It appeared as if he popped a blood vessel and all the blood had went to his eyes. He towered over the two hunters by at least two feet.

As he stood back up,Quick gave a short brush of his clothes. “Ah. Yes, yes. We’re okay.”

“Apologies. I am usually far more perceptive of my surroundings. I was merely lost in thought.”  The man offered a bow to them.

“O-oh no! I was the one at fault! I got distracted talking to my friend about-” Quick suddenly realized he had dropped the tome. Hastily scanned the area where the three were. Near the foot of the man it lied.

“There it is!”

“Hm?” Looking down he saw the item in question. His eyes nearly shot out of their sockets when he saw what it was.

“T-that tome,” He stammered, “Where did you find it?!”

Twilight studies the man closely. Moments before, the man was calm and presented himself in a respectful manner. Now however, she couldn’t tell if he was terrified or elated.

“At a bookstore called “Grimoire”. It’s only a few blocks away.” Twilight answered hesitantly her hand moving slowly towards the hilt of her blade. “I’m sure you can find another copy of-”

“I cannot! This tome is very rare! Only a small handful of copies exist, and I severely doubt that store would have more than one.  How it managed to acquire this one is beyond me,”  he stated with a low growl.

”You sound like you know your stuff. Just how much about this book do you know?” Quick asked.

“Enough,” he said flat out, “Listen, I have been searching for this book for some weeks now and I would greatly appreciate it if you gave it to me.”

The two Hunters share a brief look before turning back to the man before them.

“We’re hunters. We had to pick up this book for a mission. Sorry but you can’t have this copy,” Twilight explained.

“We offer our deepest apologies,” Quick said with a sincere bow.

“Sorry but I think you two should give me the book. It is for your own protection, after all,” the man said feigning a look of concern.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“I mean if you value your life you’ll hand that book over to me now,”  the man said with a sneer.

“Death threats over a book? What a plot twist!” Quick said stifling a laugh.

“It should go without saying we aren’t gonna do what you say. And the fact you decided to threaten us makes your conviction clear as well,” Twilight thought aloud.

“So we have reached an impasse. You want the book and we got the book,” Quick said.

“That means a fight is inevitable between us,” Twilight concluded.

“Even if we managed to escape you’d just come after us,” Quick continued Twilight’s thought.

“Then what do you suggest?” the man asked impatiently.

“Simple. We fight outside of the town.”

“Why would I agree to that?”

“Because if you don’t, you’ll have to deal with the technological stuff here. No matter how strong in magic you are there is only so much it can do to technology. And despite its reluctance in the ways of magic when push comes to shove I’m certain the authorities would help us children from a despicable villain such as yourself,” Twilight threatened.

“I think I heard something about some mechanized soldiers. Like a giant toy soldier or something. I think it can breathe fire or something,” Quick added.

The man glared at the teens for some time before sighing in defeat. “Very well.”

Quick nodded producing a card out of thin air.He could feel each of his fingers grip on the card. He felt sweat run down his brow. He didn’t want to use this technique.

The Warp Card. It was a special form of teleportation. All one would need to do is imbue a special card with magic and think of any place. In truth he could have used it minutes ago. He would have to. If it wasn’t for the technique’s keen weakness.

Every previous time he has used the card it’s sapped him of all his magic. And sometimes it used so much that it damaged his body. If it happened like that again he doubted his partner would leave him. Meaning they would be sitting ducks.

The card felt so much heavier in his hand. Could he really do it? Could he really leave his temporary partner with a useless sack like him? No he knew he had to do it. There was no guarantee this stranger would be patient enough to wait to go the long way out of town. He had to use it now.

He began to channel his magic only to find the weight of the card was now gone. He looked down to find the card had disappeared. He looked around frantically and found Twilight had taken the card.

“Wait, Twilight!” he tried but it was too late. The card became illuminated in the young woman’s magic.

The card shined like a miniature sun. Its glow growing larger and larger until it consumed the hunters and the stranger.

Once the light had died the three found themselves transported to a wasteland. Quick turned to Twilight,  who was in shock at her action. She hadn’t even had enough time to think of a place and yet they were mere miles away from Hattan.

Quick’s jaw hung from his mouth. He stared at Twilight’s body in awe. Her body was completely undamaged. She didn’t even look tired from the experience.

“Uh. Twilight are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just a little dazed.”

“So any reason why you picked this place? Please tell me you had a reason.”

“I recalled seeing a book talking about this desert.”

“You mean when we were at the bookstore?”

“No.”

“How many books have you read?”

“I’d say about roughly 100,000. Why?”

“That’s a lot of books.”  Their conversation ended when the man approached them.

“Look, I don’t enjoy fighting children.  So, please...just give me the tome.” He asked once more, his tone seemingly softened some. Twilight shook her head. “We cannot do that.”

With a heavy sigh, the man extended his right arm upward so the back of his hand faced the two. “Alright. But remember,”  His hand took a clutching motion.

“I gave you a chance.”

Dashing straight ahead he swung at Twilight with his right arm. Twilight side stepped the strike.  Turning his gaze towards Quick, he attempted a repeat attack. Quick blocked it with an enlarged card.

“Hm.” He cracked a smile, giving his hand a shake. Hitting that card hurt some.

“Can you at least give us your name?” Quick asked another card clutched in between his index and middle fingers.

“And why would I do that?” He countered with a casual tone failing to noticed Twilight moved behind him.

“Common courtesy?”

Groaning, he gave in. “It’s Jaeger.”

Blade in hand and chanting a spell, she charged their attacker. Jaeger realized too late that this had been a distraction when Twilight thrusted her sword at him. Thinking fast he brought his left hand up The blade’s tip passing straight through his hand.

Jaeger winced before grabbing the blade in a tight grip. Both Twilight and Quick were taken back by this. This man had just been stabbed through the hand, yet treated it as a minor inconvenience.

Taking advantage of their momentary shock Jaeger pushed Twilight back. Twilight felt the sword began to exit the wound. Regaining her footing Twilight rushed back in.

Jaeger tried pushing her off again. This time Twilight would not be moved.

“Hey! Get off of me!” Jaeger said as he tried to push her off.

“Not until you are inconvenienced!”

“What?!”

 As Twilight pushed against Jaeger, Quick stood directly behind him, planning out his next move. His eyes shot back and forward in rapid succession knowing exactly where to set his trap.

First...To the left!  The card flew from his hand at a breakneck speed landing on the far left of Jaeger.

Jaeger caught wind of this, however, with his current struggle he could do nothing about it.  He swore under his breath.  These two could present a bit of an issue.

Now, the right! In a similar fashion, he flung the card with great force, it too landing in it’s designated area.

A grin broke out on the gambler’s lips. Good. Two more, then we’re done here.  Producing two more cards, Quick  jumped back a few feet away from Twilight and Jaeger. He needed to get this right on his first try as he doubted a second attempt would be possible.

Mimicking his previous motions, he threw the cards both landing a good three feet from their siblings.  Quick’s grin grew wider. Now Twilight just needed to move.

“Grr! You’re a stubborn one!” Jaeger growled, teeth bared.

“Also smart!” Twilight said lifting a hand up. Her hand was filled with an intense glow.

Before Jaeger had time to respond a beam shot from the Hunter’s hand. The beam hit his right eye. As he writhed in pain he felt the sword slide out of his hand.

With Twilight out of range, Quick clasped his hands together, forming a diamond shape with them. Both his hands and the cards began to glow a bright pale yellow. The energy radiating from the card was near blinding.

“Light Cage.”

In an instant, the four cards shot a burst of energy. It traveled into the sky just above the heads of the three before crashing back down in the form of  four pillars of light surrounding Jaeger. A wall of energy then formed above the pillars. The energy stretched out and connected forming a ceiling of energy trapping Jaeger.

Quick fell to his knees, drained. This spell, while effective for holding dangerous foes, required a great deal of magic to use. Twilight ran over to her friend, helping him back up.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked with a concerned tone.

Quick nodded. “Yes. Just a bit exhausted.”

“I’ll bet. Light Cage is a very powerful spell. I’ve never seen anyone under A rank use it.” Twilight stood in amazement at the display.

“Hehe. You flatter me.” Quick smiled warmly. The duo walked over to their now trapped attacker. Expecting him to be furiously clawing at the walls, Jaeger instead, seemed impressed.

“Hm. Not bad.” He praised the gambler. “Someone your age using a Light Cage to this effect. It’s very impressive, however…”  Jaeger’s left arm started glowing a dark shade of blue. The muscles in his arm tense, his hand once more opens into a clutching position.  The energy wrapped around his arm caused the hair to grow, taking on a white color. his nails extended, resembling claws. His arm barely appeared human anymore, looking completely like an animal’s claw.

“Lobos Edge.”

Jaeger swung his arm at the Cage, a burst of energy smashed against it. The Light Cage’s shape began to groan as it seemed to expand like an overinflated balloon. The Hunters watched in horror as much like said balloon, the cage burst.

Quick tried to pick himself up however his body didn’t want to cooperate. His arms shook violently,

his knees felt weak. Moving seems all but impossible. He cursed silently.

 “Don’t try junior. I’ve seen older and more experienced Hunters go down with that move.They also weren’t stupid enough to use the Warp Card and the Light Cage. You got guts I’ll give you that,” Jaeger said.

Jaeger made his way to the exhausted Hunter. He stretched out his hand. He took his other hand and pointed at his empty hand.

Quick’s face smiled as he shook his head. Jaeger sighed as he raised the same arm he used to destroy the Light Cage high up into the air. Quick closed his eyes as the claw came down.

Jaeger felt a familiar pain. He looked to find his claw hand now been plunged into with the same sword his other one was.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Not again!”Jaeger yelled angrily.

Jaeger watched as a mass of magic began to surround the young Hunter that pierced his hands. The energy flowed until it resembled a large bubble. Luckily it wasn’t big enough to encompass his body as well.

He smiled at the Hunter’s stupidity at dividing her attention. He pulled his hand free. He shook it around making sure it still functioned. Albeit throbbing as if a bugbear stung it.

Jaeger decided he needed to get his blood flowing again. So he decided to punch the bubble to dust. It’d make his hands feel better. After all he always hated bubblegum.

Jaeger fists flew as fast as missiles. The frail bubble was already beginning to crack.

“Twilight?” Quick spoke slowly. “What-”

“Shh! You need to rest. I doubt you have the strength to stand, let alone fight.”  Twilight immediately shot back.

Quick sighed. She was right. He barely had any energy whatsoever left. At this point, he would be more of a hindrance than an aid.

“You were strong kids. But not nearly strong enough!” Jaeger said as he threw another punch. This punch produced a crack that spread throughout the bubble.

“That’s okay. I’d rather be smart than strong anyway.,” Twilight said raising her arm. The bubble began to split into tiny little shards. They floated in the air facing Jaeger.

The blue haired man stared at the hovering pieces of solid magic with fear and anger. Had she planned this? he wondered.   Using her sword as a conductor’s wand, she flung the shards at him. Jaeger growled crossing his arms in an X formation to defend against the onslaught.

The pieces of Twilight's former bubble launched forth. They flew like throwing daggers. Though their points were crude Jaeger knew better than to underestimate this Hunter’s ability to cut. His hands could attest to that.

The first wave of the daggers aimed for his right side so he evaded by moving to his left. The remaining knives closed in on his right side. He dodged them by going to the left. He had successfully managed to evade all of the shards.

He didn’t expect them to circle back. He felt every inch of his body pierced. If one were to see his body they’d think he was a walking corpse.

Dully he looked down to find something that angered him more than the intense pain. He found a couple of shards were through both of his hands.

His eyes found the one responsible. She looked smug. She was a fool. She had no idea what he was capable of. Simple cuts and bruises could never stop Jaeger.

A bright light began to assault Jaeger’s eyes. He looked down to find all of the shards had begun to glow white. He gritted his teeth.

“Clever girl,” he muttered angrily as the lights grew brighter and brighter. And they burst into a small explosion covering Jaeger’s body.

The Hunters shielded their eyes and closed their mouths. A huge wind of dust blew at the Hunters. Quick was surprised he managed to not be lifted into the air by the strength of the wind.

As the dust cleared they found Jaeger still standing. His body even more bloody than the shards had made before the blast.

 Twilight and Quick breathed a sigh of relief. This ordeal was over.

Twilight stumbled her way to her partner. She nearly tripped as her knees began to buckle. Twilight offered her hand to Quick.

“That was one heck of a climax,” Quick said as he took Twilight’s hand to help himself up.

As Twilight picked him up Quick’s heart sank. He moved in front of Twilight. His brow drowning in sweat in both exhaustion and fear.

“Quick, what is it?”

“He moved.”

“What do you mean he moved?” Twilight said terrified.

“I mean when you picked me up right now I saw his fingers move. He is still conscious.”

“Quick it's not possible for someone like that to still be conscious after an attack like that. What you saw probably was an unconscious act. Like someone moving in their sleep,” Twilight reasoned.

“Twilight he has endured far more than what any normal person could have. That’s why you had to use the exploding shards. You know that wouldn’t be enough.”

Twilight looked away. She wanted to believe what her partner had said to be mere conjecture. She couldn’t. Not when the truth was staring her in the face.

”Look at his right hand Twilight.”

That was easier said than done. Like the rest of his body Jaeger’s hands were overflowing with blood.

Twilight had to resist the urge to gag. Still she stared. Seconds passed and Jaeger remained still. The mage shook her head, nothing. No signs of consciousness was present.

“See? Nothing. He’s completely unconscious. We have nothing to worry abou-”  A hand swiftly struck Twilight in the back of her neck, knocking her down.

“T-Twilight!”  Quick called to her. “You-” Before Quick could even draw a card, a fist made it’s way to his stomach. The gambler lurched, blood shooting out of his mouth. Quick found himself on the ground holding the area where he was punched. With one last move of defiance, he reached his hand out granning Jaeger’s pants leg.

Jaeger, sighing, shook the boy lose before grabbing the discarded tome.

“Apologies,” said Jaeger” I really don’t like hurting kids, but I had no choice.”  Bowing his head, Jaeger walked off.

“W-W-Wait.” Quick hacked, hand reached out. He felt himself slowly slip into unconsciousness.

Looking back at the now unconscious Hunters, Jaeger grunted his brows lowered. “Damnit…”

~~~

Twilight’s eyes slowly opened, taking in her surroundings. She was resting on a bed in a white room. To her left was another bed, this one not occupied. Attached to her arm was a small needle which was connected to a clear tube.

Slowly she rose from the bed, her head throbbing. The last thing she remembers was calming Quick Snaps’ paranoia about Jaeger then..

Her eyes grew with shock. Quick Snap! With all that took place, she failed to noticed his absence. She need to find him and confirm his safety. Hastily she slid out of her bed, nearly losing her balance. She was still weak from the fight with Jaeger.  Regaining her bearing she exited the room only to bump into a nurse.

“Oh. Hello, there.” The woman spoke. “I’m happy to see you’ve recovered.”

“Thank you, but I have a question; what happened to the male that with me”

“Hm? Oh, him! He’s just down the hall. In room 202.”

Twilight bowed to the nurse. “Thank you.”

Twilight leaned against the walls as she made her way down the hall. Her mind was racing with a multitude of thoughts; how did they get here? Who brought them? Was Quick Snap alright? Where did Jaeger go and why did he want the tome so badly?

Focus on the matter at hand, Twilight!She scolded herself. Soon, she found Quick’s room. Bursting in, she saw he was mostly unharmed, save for a few scratches.

“No! Don’t go into the forest!” Quick screamed hysterically. Despite his shouts Quick’s face was a large grin.

Twilight stared at Quick in disbelief. After their encounter with Jaeger he could just go back to being loud. Twilight coughed.

Quick tore his eyes away from his book to greet his temporary partner. “Twilight! You’re up!”

The mage gave a small smile followed with a nod. “Yeah. I woke up a few minutes ago.”

“Oh that’s good. I was worried. Despite this place not being too keen on magic they claimed you were just drained. I couldn’t get up at first myself. But I was able to ask them to get me something to read. That lady from the bookstore dropped a few off. Though I don’t think she was happy to do that.” Quick sighed.

“What makes you say that?”

“She said I looked like I had been stranded on an island. Then she gave me this book,” Quick said showing the cover to Twilight.

“Isn’t that the book about someone who gets stranded on an island? And then is hunted by an eccentric billionaire?” Twilight asked.

Quick gulped. Then he nodded very slowly.

“Wait a moment. Quick you said you couldn’t move, right?”

“I did. What of it?”

“Then how were you able to bring me over here?”

Quick paused for a moment, his left brow raised slightly.“Uh. Twilight, I didn’t.”

“You didn’t? Then how did you get here?”

“I figured you dragged me here. After all you showed you had a massive storage of magic.”

“I didn’t bring us here. And neither did you. So who?”

The duo were puzzled to say the least. How on earth did they get here mostly unharmed?  No one else was even aware of their location. Twilight barely knew herself and she doubted it could have been the man called Jaeger. There would be no benefit to him so he couldn’t be. It would make no sense whatsoever.

“Maybe some handsome stranger who fell in love with us?” Quick joked.

“My head aches just thinking about it. Let's just be thankful we’re alive.”

Quick nodded in agreement.

“So,” Twilight moved to the chair across from Quick’s bed. “How’s the book? I’ve heard about it, but never really got around to reading it.”

From this question Quick’s face light up “Well, I must say, it’s truly a thriller. The main antagonist is a terrifying man. Hunting humans for fun…”

Twilight sat and listened as the gambler went on. However,  a feeling of shame washed over her. Not only had they failed their mission, but nearly lost their lives. She was certain the headmaster would be disappointed. It was a thought that filled her with grief.

Then another more depressing thought crossed her mind. What if Flash had succeeded while she had failed?! He would never let her live that down.

“Twilight, why are you crying? Hey it's okay,” Quick said doing his best to comfort the young mage.

“Flash you jerk!” Twilight whined.

~~~

  A few feet away from the hospital’s entrance there stood Jaeger, clutching the tome. Slowly a smirk formed on his lips.

“Heh, I’m getting too soft.”  With a small chuckled, he turned back to the road and descended the hill.