Before you begin reading, here's a list of words with their definitions: Baka - Stupid/Idiot, Sama- Respectful to put after a name Yut-1, Yee-2, San-3, Sey-4, M -5. And enjoy. This is my first. The paragraphs with extra spacing and a - indicate a new scene.
"Arzy?" I said softly.
"Yeah, that's my name." he replied.
He was a tall man of about 6 feet. With dark spiked hair and a bandaged left eye. He was dressed in a black robe and carried a body length katana. His personality is sarcastic when he's thinking. We sat outside of a small village named Tenta. Outside of the gate we waited for our employer to show up. We are gifted humans. We were born with a symbol that is tattooed somewhere on our bodies and if discovered we are immediately sent to the Organization. Also known as The Org. The Org was made to recruit children like ourselves and to train us to our full potential. When we enter The Org, we are assigned a weapon with our symbol embedded into it. My weapon is a sleek black bow and arrow. The purpose of The Org is to protect humans.
"The moron, he probably forgot about us, this isn't funny." He said. "Yamato, go in there and snipe his head off will ya?"
"Arzy-sama, please…" I sighed. "Should we go in?"
Two days ago a man from Tenta sent a letter to The Org asking for help because recently there were death tolls of unreasonable numbers. It appears that Monsters, as we call them, have entered and hid themselves amongst the humans. Humans cannot detect them, only Fighters can. Our eyes have adapted and are able to distinguish between the two. We've waited a day already since arriving in this town. The employer still hasn't shown himself.
"Ah, let's go." He said.
We entered the village, both of us sticking out like a sore thumb. We found a building larger then the rest and decided that would be the place to start. Just then a man came running towards us.
"I'M SO SORRY" he panted, "I'm the one who asked you to come here, I was held up, something important came up, I'm so sorry I'm late."
He started to say something else but Arzy held up his hand for silence.
"Things like you annoy me most. You've already been noticed, so might as well get this over with." He said to no one in particular.
Then I noticed it. It came out of the man who approached us, his face became a distorted red and his size doubled. Out of the side of his arm a double-sided axe started to appear. Before anything else could happen, Arzy unsheathed his katana.
"Too slow. You should have done that when we first entered the village. Now, Die."
Blood gushed out from the huge gash Arzy made. The Monster fell to the floor and whimpered. He stopped dead.
"How did you…you noticed so quickly." I stammered.
There are ranks in The Org. The leaders, then the captains, the instructors and then the instructed or newcomers. I was a newcomer. We all have divisions with individual captains. All in all there are 9 divisions. Each division has a captain and multiple instructors. There are 5 leaders. They run The Org and command the captains, though they have no physical strength themselves. Arzy is the 2nd division captain. He decided he would take me on my first Hunt; he always takes the newcomers on his division. He said he wants it to be a pleasant experience, meaning he doesn't want us to die on our first Hunt. He is also my brother. I have light blond hair with a small slim body figure. My hair was pulled back into a bun. I was dressed in a white robe. The newcomers always dress in white, the instructors in red and the captains in black. The leaders dress in dark purple robes, so it is easy to distinguish our ranks.
"Chht, if I'm not capable of even noticing them, I wouldn't be a captain. He said. "Most likely, he wasn't expecting me to be along and it was probably meant to be an ambush. I guess we won't be receiving any pay from this village, lets head back."
I winced; if he wasn't here I would have been dead for sure. Arzy must have noticed my uneasiness, nothing ever gets past him.
"Don't worry too much about it. The more hunts you go on the more experienced you get. Soon you'll be able to solo hunts" he comforted.
-
The Org was built inside a mountain with countless corridors though there is only one right path to the center where the dorms of the divisions are. To get past the gates leading inside, you had to write your symbol in your blood onto the side of the mountain. We stepped in and took the 4th corridor to the left. When we arrived in the Center we were greeted by our division members. They were always happy to see their members return alive. Ken walked in then and as always his eyes were closed and he had a huge smile from ear to ear.
"Ara? What? You're still alive?" He mocked.
Ken was the 9th division captain and he always provoked Arzy. Those two were always arguing.
"Yeah? You don't seem too happy about it, ass hole." Arzy replied with a laugh.
"Gosh, you two, take a break will you?" Katea stepped in.
She was the 1st division captain and she had short blue hair and intense eyes. She was one of the only two female captains. A member from her division rushed in and whispered something to her and ran off again.
"Awwww, Sorry, I'd have loved to stay and talk but something came up…please excuse me." She said and followed after her member.
"Oh? I guess I'd better get back to my squad. They'll wonder where I've gone off to and they'll send an emergency team on my ass." Ken smirked and walked off.
"Owww. What the hell was that?!" I yelled out when Arzy yanked my hair.
"OH sorry, sorry I didn't realize that was your hair." He smiled and vanished.
That's a captain's requirement. A kind of flash run. We call it Flash. You move at an extreme pace making it appear as if you've vanished.
"That jack ass." I fumed while the others laughed.
"Yamato, lets get back to dorm, who knows what they crazies will think of assigning us next eh?" Hector said.
When he said "crazies" he was referring to our leaders. The 5 leaders in order are Yut, Yi, San, Sey, M. And to clarify things, Division 1 is in charge of finding Fighters; its members are especially good at reading vibes. Vibes is a powerful vibration our symbol gives off, depending on our skill level we either have a huge vibe or a tiny one, experienced high rankers can hide it and reduce it to its minimal so it's almost unnoticeable. In Katea's case however, no matter what your skill level is, she'll be able to notice and detect you if you're inhuman. Divisions 2,3,4 and 5 are in charge of hunts. Division 6 is the Medical squad. Division 7 is the squad who determines and places the newcomers into their respective squads depending on their strongest aspects. It is also the squad that hands out the weapons. Division 8 is in charge of protecting the base of The Org and so they're stationed here always. They're also the ones who do all the paper work such as letters requesting for help from villages and other important documents. The last division, division 9 is our police squad. If someone deserts the organization without a reasonable answer or betrays us, division 9 hands out the punishment.
-
"What did you say?" The Prince asked.
The prince of all monsters and demons. Their hellhole, sorry, their base was located underground beneath the ocean. He is the one responsible for making creatures that destroy humans. Destroying humans is his way of buying time for his real army and entertaining himself when he's bored. He plans on taking out The Org and corrupting the world to his liking. He wants to create a world that reflects his image.
"Sorry, milord. It seems that the rookie stationed in Tenta was killed." Neo replied.
"It makes no difference anyways does it, Prince?" Jagger spoke up. "He was weaksht. A pawn. A sacrifice."
Neo and Jagger were the stronger ones in the Prince's dark army. They were in his top 10.
"No…I guess it matters not. 'Cept it would have been nice if he was able to at least kill one of them." The Prince responded. "Anyway, Neo, Jagger, I want you to bring me the head of a division captain sometime in the near future. So prepare yourselves. Because it's either their head, or yours. Dismissed."
And with a bow Neo and Jagger Flashed. Out of the shadows someone else came into the scene.
"Ehh? That was rather harsh, was it not?" Joker stepped into the light. "The head of a captain…it's not that easy y'know?"
"They needed motivation." The Prince simply said.
"So, scary." Joker mocked and disappeared back in the shadows.
-
Kye gazed through his window in his top bunk.
"Awhhh, looks like Arzy came back alive." He laughed. "Not a surprise there though."
There was a knock on the massive wooden door. It thundered loudly and echoed through the halls.
"Sir, I have a report due for you to sign." The member came in and stated.
"Huh?" He yawned. "More?" Sigh.
"I'm afraid so…" he replied and handed Kye the documents.
I'm head of the protection squad…but man do they work me, Kye thought silently.
"I'll have these done soon, thanks, you may take your leave now."
"Yessir." He stepped out of the room.
"You can come out now." Kye smirked.
Something that blended in with the wall slowly came out to form a shadowy figure.
"Yo, Kye." Joker said.
"Yo, Joker." Kye said slowly. "So, you were saying that he wants the head of a captain now?"
"Ah, that's what I'm saying."
"That's easier said then done."
"Can't be all that hard with you on our side, m'I right?" Joker laughed.
A grim smile played at the edge of Kye's lips. His eyes focused onto Joker and it felt like he just bore right through him. It was like he could see everything inside him. Joker gave an involuntary shudder.
"Of course." Kye said politely.
-
His summoning brought about four different Monsters to the scene. Neo held up a finger and pointed east.
"Go, kill. You will provide the distraction that will bring 'them' there. And there I will wait for a chance. Know this, I will not tolerate for even a second if you choose to run out. I will dish out a fate far worse then they would. Now, Go." Neo commanded.
The four of them headed for the east general direction. Massacring any humans on their way.
"AHAHAHAHA. How many did you kill so far?" One of the Monsters said.
"4." The other monster replied.
"4?! Are you like a pussy?" Another one said and slashed open a girls head while he continued to talk. "I got 14."
"…Save your strength, you'll need it." The biggest of them said. Baka, he thought in his head. This is a suicide mission and they're acting like it's a great honor. Fools.
And the four of them advanced on the quiet and peaceful village of Anita.
"Katea! Do you-" One of the clansmen started.
"Shh. Someone's coming." Katea whispered. She took a stance.
Out of the near distance clapping was heard.
"I applaud you. I would say, as expected of a captain. But I had assumed that you'd notice me much earlier. A letdown wouldn't you agree?" Neo mocked.
"And I would love to complement you as well. Unfortunately for you however, I had noticed your presence even before I walked into this deserted dead excuse for a town. I simply didn't alert anyone in my group to your presence, for obvious reasons." Katea retorted and drew her katana up to his neck.
"Hah! This is so much more amusing then those amateurs I slew the other day." Neo laughed. He lifted one finger to the tip of the katana and maneuvered it slowly away. Katea didn't make a move to stop him. But the anger stretched on her beautiful face was visibly noticeable.
"You!" Katea hissed. "It was you. You were responsible for the deaths of 2 officers in my division. I will not forgive you."
"Oh my, oh my. Good composure as well. You make an excellent captain. Prince will be pleased when I take your head back with me." Neo said and stepped to the left. At the same time someone appeared on his right.
"Yo!!" Jagger stomped in.
"Sht." Katea muttered under her breath. "Run, get away from here." She yelled to her squad members. "Now! An order."
Jagger withdrew a scimitar.
"Ara ara, whas this? Yo, she's a Captain! A real beauty ain't she?" Jagger exclaimed. "I bet you'd look even more pretty with blood running down your cheeks right?"
"You sick fck." Katea replied calmly. "But do you really think that you are capable of taking my head?"
"Don't look down on us. You will surely die here. Unless you're implying that you can defeat the both of us?" Neo responded.
"Oh?" Katea laughed. "Am I? Or are you? Your chance to win disappeared the second the rest of my team left."
"Cocky Btch. Don't get so cheeky." Jagger yelled.
"Calm, Jagger. She plays with others minds. It's supposed to be a pretty sharp skill for her." Neo said. "If you let her get in your head, it's over."
"Too late." Katea sweetly said.
Jagger fell to the floor grasping his head tightly. He rolled around on the floor in agony.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD." Jagger shouted and continued to claw at his face.
"Are you stupid or something?" Neo asked rhetorically. "Just block her out with that abnormal strength of yours.
"Baka. If it was that easy, I would not have even tried to use it on you two. You, what are you?" Katea asked curiously.
"Get out of his head." Neo said self-consciously. He raised his axe.
"I hope for your sake that you don't think you'll be hitting me with something so massive." Katea responded to his slow calculated swing.
What an amazingly strong state of mind. I can only alter his thoughts by a little. His buddy on the other hand, he's almost breaking my grasp with his physical strength. They're sure something. But…I've been underestimated, Katea thought.
"I know that while imprisoning his mind, you're using quite a lot of energy on your part. I'll be taking that to advantage. Just a warning." He said.
"Don't take me lightly." Katea responded with a smile. "I'm good with multi-tasking." She unsheathed her weapon and with that, she shattered the left shoulder of Neo and the right leg of Jagger, who was still on the floor.
Caught off guard!! Sht sht sht. Neo was furiously screaming inside his head.
Good, thought Katea as she read the frustration. She then began slightly persuading the more idiotic ideas brewing in Neo's head and gave them an edge.
Neo shook the thoughts away from his mind. If I think, the next idea that comes up will be her idea. So I'll act on impulse. He flashed and reappeared on her right giving it a quick swing.
Katea sidestepped lazily. Fool, she thought.
"Acting on impulse, eh? Good idea. Wonder who gave it to you though?" Katea mocked and gave a swing of her own. It hit its mark once more. The upper chest area. Blood oozed slowly out of the open wound.
"Enough of this." Neo said. Clearly frustrated he quickly gathered himself and his thoughts. Speaking outloud he said, "Expel her from my mind, my thoughts, and my body, crush her under internal unbearable pain."
The spell knocked Katea off her feet. She immediately stood back up however. Holding one hand to her forehead she laughed quietly.
"Ouch." She finally said.
Neo answered with a smile of his own.
Katea's head was pounding. What the hell. Who is this guy? She looked down towards where Jagger was unconscious. Ugh he took most of my energy. She looked back up at Neo. Sht. Where'd he go?
"Behind." Someone whispered.
Katea snapped her head back and found her face to face with Arzy. Wow, I must be really tired if I can't even sense Arzy's presence.
"Nope, well, partially. It's also cus I diminished the vibes to its absolute minimum so he wouldn't notice me." Arzy replied, reading her mind. "How ya holding up? I came as soon as Neal reported back."
"Actually I'm doing better then I thought. I took one of them with me so far." Katea shrugged. "But I got carried away." She added.
"It's no problem, that happens to the best of us sometimes." Arzy encouraged. He started walking towards Neo. "Ah! You must be the bastard."
Shit, Neo thought. It's him. I can't handle them both. Dam it. And with that Neo grabbed Jagger and flashed. Arzy took another step forward to go after them but thought better of it. He turned around instead and went to Katea's aid.
"How would ya like it, if I took ya back and got ya patched up, neh Katea?" Arzy asked concerned.
"I'm fine Arzy, just tired." Katea answered. "But sure, we could walk back together I guess." She smiled.
Just then the 4 Monsters Neo had previously summoned finally found their way to Katea.
"…"
"Oye KATEA! Look what I found!!" Arzy exclaimed.
"Oh…Joy." Katea laughed as Arzy sliced them all open.
The pile of spilt blood lay in front of them. They quietly stepped by it and went on their way to The Org.
-
"What is this?!" The Prince shouted.
"We're sorry, we had her but he came." Neo apologized.
"You lost your chance Neo, she used most of her energy knocking me out!" Jagger yelled.
"Yeah well, weakened she's still quite powerful." Neo snorted.
"Well…Seeing as you two are the weaker in the 10, and fighting the strongest 2 on their side, I can see how you failed the Prince." Wyett stepped in.
"Now now, how many times must I tell you not to mock your family, Wyett?" The Prince said.
"I'm most utterly sorry, my Prince." Wyett bowed. Giving Jagger and Neo a mocking smile, he exited.
"What he said is true. I can't expect you two to possibly take on Arzy and Katea. That was my error. But what were you doing trying to take them on?"
"We were unaware of her power and strength, we're very sorry." Neo said and spoke on Jagger's behalf. "We thought with the two of us it would be enough."
"I see." The Prince said. "You may leave now. Your mission has not changed from the last time. I don't care which captain head. As long as you bring me one. Dismissed."
-
"Well she's just like she said was. She's fine, just a bit tired." Lee said.
Lee was the 6th division captain. He was slim and very tall. He had stringy arms and legs and had a kind face. He had no hair and preferred to wear black top hats to cover that fact.
"Thanks Lee." Katea said.
Arzy grinned sheepishly.
"I knew you were okay. I wasn't looking down on ya or nothing…" Arzy started.
"It's fine." Katea smiled. "You were just concerned, that's all, right?"
Arzy looked up at her and returned her smile. "Yeh."
"Well, I'll be back to dorm, let me know if you need anything else." Lee said and exited,
"Ohs, in that case, I'd better let ya get some sleep. I'll be heading back to dorm too." Arzy said and waved bye.
"Ah, alright, thank you Arzy." Katea replied and waved back.
She watched as he stepped out of the small dimly lit room. She only closed her eyes when the last of him disappeared, and he shut the door from the outside gently. Even so, she could still hear his footsteps slowly walking away. That was the last thing she remembered before she went into a deep sleep. It's been a while since the last time she slept. She rarely got to sleep because she had division one. That's going to be my downfall she used to joke with Ken. I'll probably fall asleep during a battle. And then she was dreaming. It was the same nightmare every time.
"Katea? Katea!" Lee said and shook her slightly.
Katea awoke with a start. Beads of sweat still clung to her forehead.
"Sorry, you were yelling in your sleep." Lee murmured.
"Oh." Katea replied, barely audible.
"Are you okay?" Lee asked concerned.
When Katea gave no response, he put his hand on her shoulder.
"Was it, that dream again?" he said softly.
She shook her head yes and laid her head on his shoulder.
"It's okay…I got you, it's okay." Lee said and patted her on the head.
This wasn't the first time she's had that dream. Each time it happened she would come to me asking me to stop them. Each time I could only offer a small amount of comfort. She wouldn't tell me what it was about, she just shook her head and went back to sleep. To me, she was like my younger sister. To outsiders who didn't know her, she was like the Goddess of Bloodshed.
-
"Brother!" I yelped when I saw him through the dorm double doors.
"Aye! Yamato!" He greeted back.
"Hey captain." Hector said.
"Captain." A chorus of other members said.
"Yo." He waved at them.
"So? How is she?" I asked him.
"She's fine, ya don't have any idea who you're worrying about." He laughed. "If I hadn't been there she woulda taken em both out, easy."
There was a knock at the door. Arzy went to open it and on the other side stood Sey.
"Yo, Sey." Arzy greeted.
"Hi Arzy." Sey said. "I've got a hunt for your division. Please dispatch a team to the town of Galat it's 22 miles south from here. The complaint was again a massacring of humans of absurd numbers. According to their reports, it seems that there is either a group of them or one very powerful individual."
"Ah, okay thanks Sey, I'll take it from here." Arzy replied.
With a slight nod of his head, Sey took his leave.
"Well, you all heard. So... Instructor Alan and Rose please head out with Hector and Yamato for this Hunt."
"Yessir." We all answered in unison.
Arzy came up to me and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry Rose and Alan will take care of ya, I have a bit of paperwork to finish so I can't accompany you guys."
"More like you're the one doing the worrying, I'll be fine, really brother." I responded. Giving him a quick hug I followed the others out the door to get equipped and ready.
I slung the arrows over my shoulder and grabbed my bow. Hector sharpened his spear. Alan and Rose already had their weapons at the ready.
-
"This should be interesting eh?" Alan smiled.
"Yeah, really." Rose replied. "You guys all set?"
"Yeah." Hector and I said.
"Lets go."
We left the mountain base and began our long walk. Outside the sun was shining brightly and animals were lively in the treetops. I took a deep breath of this fresh air. The cold air singed my lungs. But I welcomed it all the same. They walk pretty fast, Alan and Rose, because after about 10 miles I got weary. I could see the walk/run was bearing down on Hector too. I guess Alan and Rose saw it as well.
"Lets take a break." Rose spoke up.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that guys." Alan apologized.
We set up camp near the edge of the woods. The sun was starting to set and it was getting dark. We made pretty good progress. Tomorrow we should be able to arrive in Galat. This would only be my second Hunt. I was quite nervous so I had a hard time getting to sleep.
"Sleep well, tomorrow we'll be waking up quite early. Rest up." Rose announced. "I'll be the guard for tonight. No need to switch off. I had a lot of rest yesterday. Please be at ease."
It took me a while to fall asleep so I studied Alan, Rose, and Hector's features. Alan had on glasses that he slept with, he was small in build with brown hair, medium length. Rose had long red hair. She had full lips and a developed body. They both wore the red robes indicating their Instructors rank. Hector, like me had on a white robe. He had short hair that was white. After studying them for quite some time, I must have fallen asleep.
I felt a persistent nudge not too long after I started dreaming.
"Hey, wake up we're heading out soon." Rose said and tossed me a sandwich.
"Ah, thanks." I said and caught it. I looked over at Hector, he had just finished his breakfast and Alan was making his. I ate quickly.
"Morning." I greeted them.
They waved back.
When we were only a couple hundred feet away from the village Galat, Alan told us to ready our weapons.
"Yamato, being long-ranged I want you to closely follow us from the rooftops and watch our backs." Alan ordered.
"Yessir." I answered.
"We'll be going in first." Rose continued. "We'll enter the Office building where our employer should be."
I watched as they entered through the gates then I climbed on top of the nearest building and jumped after them. I stationed myself on the Office building they went into and put my ear to the roof to listen in.
"The information is all on that sheet right there." The man said.
"I see, thank you, we'll return to receive our payment when we are successful, if not you will not have to pay at all." Rose stated.
"Please save our village." The man begged.
"Understood." Rose replied.
They exited the Office and headed towards the east side of the village, I tagged along on rooftops after them. No sign of the creatures there. We headed west. No luck either. They decided to go back to the center of the village and then the scream was heard. A high pitched scream sounding off from a woman who was being held by the hair. The monster who held her was the largest among the four beasts surrounding him. The leader of the pack, most likely, tightened his grip on her hair when he saw my teammates approach.
"This poor village went as far as to hire their saviors." The beast mocked.
"A shame all that moneys going to waste." The one beside it said.
"Isn't it a bit too early for the trash talking?" Alan retorted. "Judging from the looks of it, you can't be all that powerful."
"Yeah? Look at you. Tiny one." The largest of them said, still not releasing his grip on the woman. "Take another step and she'll be 6 ft under."
The silence from my group to me rang as clear as day. I took out 2 arrows and prepared to shoot them both at once.
"Not so tough anymore now are you?" he laughed.
"That's why you decided to show your cowardly selves? Because you had a hostage?" Rose snorted.
"Keep talking why don't you?" The beast replied and slapped the woman hostage.
Nice, Rose! I have a perfect shot now thanks to the distraction. I positioned myself and released the arrows with force.
The monster pack leader turned around but it was already too late. He had 2 arrows staked through his face and without wasting time Alan and Rose killed the two nearest monsters while Hector led the woman to safety. Then he turned around and speared the last remaining beasts through the chest. By now we had an audience, the village people had been watching from a distance. A burst of cheers erupted and I hopped off the roof to join my team.
I walked with them through the people and back to the Office building. We entered and the man was already at his desk waiting for our arrival.
"Thank you so much, I never had a doubt in my mind." The man said and handed the payment to Rose.
"It's not a problem." Alan replied while Rose gave a kind smile. Me and Hector nodded to him.
As we left the village Galat I was feeling a lot better about myself. Being only my second Hunt and I was able to save someone.
"Wait til Arzy hears about this one, eh? Alan asked.
"He'll be proud, like brother like sister." Rose continued.
"Good aim back there." Hector praised.
"You guys…thank you all." I responded, touched and getting teary eyed.
They were my true family. My only family. If only for them I'd give my life.
Meanwhile back at The Org…
-
"All division captains please report to Center." Yut asked over the intercom.
Looking up and sighing Kye put down his work.
Smiling, Ken walked down the corridors.
Confused but annoyed, Katea got up.
Lee laughed.
Arzy showed no emotion and went on his way.
Floating and half asleep Hill put on her robes.
Rim, who was already there yawned.
Phong closed the door to his dorm.
Anson put down his book.
They were all finally assembled in the Center where Yut, Yi, San, Sey, M and Rim were waiting.
"So? What's all this about?" Phong snorted.
"As you all hopefully know, the Prince has made his first move. In attacking Katea and Arzy." Yut began.
"Surely," Katea interrupted, "You didn't assemble all of us here to tell us something we already know?"
"Peace, Katea." M scolded.
Ken laughed quietly in the background. He folded his arms and enjoyed himself. There was a long feud between Yut and Katea.
"Shall I explain the rest?" Yi chided in.
"If you want." Yut mumbled.
"Katea's team of expert instructors was found in a blood puddle yesterday. Only someone in the Prince's top 10 could have accomplished that. That leads us to suspicion as Katea's group was on a mission to find our missing captain. Former 2nd captain Rok, that is." Yi explained. "It is vital that we continue our search, not only to save our family but to ensure that information won't be tortured out of him. It is possible however, that we are already too late. If this is the case, then the Prince will most likely have made his first move, and we may just have a fallen captain among us as we speak."
"Then, why are you telling us all of this, if we have a traitor in our midst?" Lee asked.
"Ah, as always, you were always the bright one, Lee." Of course we are aware of the situation. But the information we have given you all so far is not of importance. The reason we are all gathered here today, is to prevent a future traitor or to stop the current one from doing any damage." Yut continued.
There was an eerie silence that followed.
"And how, exactly, do you plan to accomplish that?" Ken asked. For once since anyone could remember, he no longer had a smile playing at the edges of his lips.
to be continued...