The Hunt Concludes

I continued my journey around the town and set fire to a house here or there with bodies and a couple of the wendigo within a few. I sniffed them out and found some in the attic and others in the basement trying to hide from me. Despite all the wendigo I've erased I've yet to find the same aura I felt from what I believe is the alpha. The alpha seemed to be waiting for night to fall before it attacks me. I doubt it knows I know it's there. It's stench is still in the air and with the fires I made in different houses to burn hasn't erased it's queer scent. It's nearby but its presence is hidden from me. I could probably find it if I dampen the rest of my senses to solely focus on locating my prey, but I find myself curious. What will it do in due time?

Well, I'll find out in time. Until it attacks I decided to continue looting the town. The wendigo truly cared nothing for the personal belongings or the items of value that I've found within almost every home. I stumbled upon a home with a hidden compartment housing some interesting trading manifests of a very suspicious means. It appears this man was grow and manufacturing some manner of substance called Red sand. If I had to guess it might be a drug. I found a box of it within the compartment. I tasted it and instantly felt the effects. It was euphoric but also dangerous as well. My body told me never to try it again and I'm not one go say no to what it wants.

I took all the valuable treasures I could find and even a couple sculptures as well I found interesting. One of which was of two heavenly women back to back with each other. When I looked down at the mantle it was titled "Teresa and Clare" so I can assume maybe there are goddesses of the land. One's that don't exist else I'd feel their presence somewhere in this land. Regardless of this I snatched it and placed it all in my knapsack for transport and safe keeping.

During this time I've taken to the disposed of human remains in the large fires but controlled them so not burn the entire town down. So far its only had to be seven houses in total. I kept a close eye on Miata as well and she stuck with me like a leech. A very cute leech I guess.

I found much more in the way of valuables and some clothes for Miata as well for a girl her age. Well, a child her age that is. I pulled a pair of trousers and a shirt in her size and rested them on the bed behind me. This is the twentieth house I've scavenged and most didn't have the clothes I needed. A boy lived in this house that much I know and it shows in his clothing. This family was well off though compared to many of the others. I found her a coat to wear for night as well as a pair of shoes. I grabbed some socks as well.

"Here princess. Put these on." Miata reached down and pulled her tattered dress up over her head and let it drop to the floor. I helped her place her undergarments on and dressed her in the clothes I took. Despite the mix of blue and grey I'd say she looked decent now. First I had to roll up her trousers up to her knees and tie them down with some stands of clothing I made from a dress in the closet. I cut the sleeve of the coat down to size and grabbed a needle and thread to sew them into something presentable. I wiped down her face with a small wash cloth same with her hands and feet before dressing her up fully. The shoes are mean for boys but fit her well enough so not to aggravate her feet too much.

She looked decent now which put a smile on my lips. "You're so cute Miata." I know that I'll have to get here some girls clothing soon but this will do for now.

Miata smiled at my compliment and hugged my waist. "Papa!"

I pat her head and walked out the house with a decently dress Miata right behind me.

The mass burnings are going well so far. I'm lucky that so many humans ended up devoured instead of laying around in pieces. I can see that these wendigo take more pleasure out of torturing as much as eating the insides of their victims. From the many bodies I've examined I noticed bite marks, claw marks, and bruises all in excessive quantities. It made me wonder about these type of monster and how they remind me of ghouls on top of a wendigo.

I think with all the information I've complied together I have a good depiction on how to judge them.

Severity: Yellow

These things are inhuman but with souls. They can feel fear and uncoordinated in their attacks. They are simple to hunt down and kill. Much more than a normal Wendigo.

I pulled Hate out his scabbard and stabbed to my left. "Gahh!" What I would classify as a "normal" wendigo would never attack in such a predictable way. This thing made a ton of noise when it sprang I'd have to be deaf not to hear it.

"Miata stand back." The girl nodded and ran way from me and watched from a distance of maybe seven feet. I just about finished this beast but an idea popped in my head. Lessen time I suppose, now that I have a live one to experiment on. While in my blood rage I kill without hesitation or stop and Hunt almost religiously. I'm calm now.

I pulled my dirk out and stab down on its arm at the shoulder when it tried to use it to strike me. I pulled down and separated the joint and cut up the muscles and nerves within same with the major artery. I pulled Hate out its chest and slashed the monster across it then kicked in the stomach back into a stumble. I pulled my dirk around into reverse grip and sheath Hate.

"Listen carefully Miata." I walked around the wendigo with my dirk at the ready and my eyes on this monster. I could read basically every movement it wished to make and stepped in the direction was thinking of taking. "If you want to read this things movements focus on the waist," I pointed to the area I was talking about and the beast irked. "When it's hips go left it was attack right and if it goes right it will more than likely attack left. If still it will charge jump upward," I began to list off.

"What are you?" It demanded only to receive a kick know the jaw in response for giving me that window. It stumbled back and I rushed forward kicking into its right hip with the tip of my right foot. I wrapped my arm around it's neck and used my weight and took it down. I rolled back to my feet and stood above it.

"Impatient with monsters that talk without permission." I stomped down on the back of its neck which seems to be a trend today. I stomped down when it started to move forcing his face into the dirt. "Stop moving or I'll make it slow trash." I leaned down and held my dirk's tip at its temple and it froze once like a good teaching tool.

"Are you listening Miata," I called out to the girl and she nodded furiously. "As you can see Miata these things, I call them wendigo, can mimic human like voices. They're faster than that of a normal men and stronger as well. They have a healing factor that allows them to repair damage at an accelerated rate but," I leaned out the way of a swipe and rolled back. I twirled around landing a kick square along the side of its knee. In a loud crack the beast roared and fell to the ground on it's other knee and hands.

"They're like humanoids. They have hands, feet, joints, legs, and a head. If you break the knees they will buckle under its own weight. Now when they try to swipe at you the best bet you have is to dodge like I did. Remember though these things are fast. Sometimes it's better," I rose Love up and blocked a swipe from the recovered wendigo. "To block them with your blade like this then counter." I stepped back stabbed it in the chest at the heart and came down to the hip and reversed up into it throat. The wendigo stepped back, stunned. I followed and kicked its ankle out on its good leg causing it to tumble.

"From what I learned the best way to kill these things is the universal." I let Love fall back into her scabbard then stabbed my dirk into its chest before it could recover. "Attacking the organs like the heart or liver would work on a human but not on these things. You have to aim for the spine."

I kicked the beast over, ignoring its whimpering, and stomped on its back between the shoulder blades then dropped down with my dirk aiming for the spine. It pushed through. The beast roared loudly so I turned a little and pulled my foot out its back and replaced it to the back of its head until it was in the ground.

"Once you sever the spine at the waist it cannot use is legs anymore but this won't kill it."

"W-what will?" She asked both scared but also curious.

I smiled. An action she couldn't see but by the shocked look in the wendigo's eyes it found it unsettling to say the least.

"I glad you asked." I rose my dirk up and pointed it at the back of its neck as I climbed back up. "You have to kill its brain. Suffocation from lack of blood flow or air can kill it, cutting off the head completely as well works, or cutting the spine at the neck will do it as well."

To show her I stabbed Hate into its neck while sheathing my dirk and split the spine in half but didn't stop until the tip of my sword hit tapped the dirt. "This method is slow and painful but completely nullifies their healing so that stab to the heart I cause as well as the opened stomach will kill it eventually. Same with the wind pipe I cut in half supplying air to its lungs and etc."

I stepped off the dying wendigo with Hate in hand. I rose my sword up and brought it down swiftly to get the purple blood off it and wiped my dirk off with a rag. "It won't be as easy as I demonstrated for a normal man. I can just slow my perceptions enough see its attack and have the reflexes to evade quickly enough."

I pulled a knife I found in one of the houses with a strap for the legs but for Miata I'd say it's best if it goes around her waist. I leaned down and began to place it on her. She remained still for the most accept to grip the back of my neck while I did this.

"If you come across one don't try to do what I did until when you grow up. Aim for the knees, the ankles, and the wrists." I pointed out each part. "And if you are above it. Aim the tip of this down and go for the back of the neck in the middle," I drew a circle on her body where I was talking about while explaining. I noticed her trembling a bit at this. She's afraid but I know how to handle this maybe. "It would make papa proud."

She looked back up to me with a renewed light. "Yes papa!"

I nodded in approval. "Good girl."

This is like using my manipulation skills on a teenager only I have to adhere to her childish delusions more than anything. I can do that.

"Human."

I picked up a scent in the air but stronger than before and that voice was right on top of me. I stood up from my crouched position and noticed it didn't attack. I slowly turned to face the source of that voice and I was shocked at what I saw. This had to be that alpha. Instead of standing close to 6 feet tall it was closer to eight, towering over me with ease. It's size as well is twice that of any other wendigo I've killed. The stench of dead flesh coming off of this thing was almost enough to make me gag if not for my Hunter's mask. I can assume hundreds have fallen and been devoured by this thing to turn it into what it is now. Consumption Human flesh is what spawns the wendigo, but what if it consumes even more before anyone can stop it? You have an alpha. I've only seen an alpha wendigo once and I was with my master during that time. It was smarter, faster, stronger, and much more mutated than that of a normal wendigo. This has to be one.

With its bulk I can imagine that it's much stronger than the normal evolved wendigo of this land but slower as well. Not by much because I can see it moving is muscles under its skin sporadically. That could mean it can freely shift it's muscles around thus allowing abnormal function of its limbs. For something that can shift its body in such a way ease of movement is ensured. I'm sure it has other abilities as well from its large consumption of humans so this Hunt to come will need some caution. I haven't reloaded my pistol and I'm out of grenades from killing its fellows. My crossbow is still loaded and I could do some damage if I aim for the right area though Swiftrunner isn't loaded with an armor piecing bolt. Those muscles will provide resistance to my strikes so more than likely I'll have to take this a little seriously, if only to keep Miata out of the crossfire.

I gazed back to Miata who trembled behind me. "Miata," I called her attention up toward me. "Give us some room."

"Papa." She responded by gripping my coat tail harder.

"It will be fine princess," I tried to assure her. This wasn't going to end well if she's near me.

Miata hesitated but let me go and ran away from me. I faced the beast in front of me and reached for my swords. The wendigo licked its lips when it watched Miata run away, so I stepped in the way of its vision with Love in front of me.

"What are you human," it asked but I could see the plan it was formulating in the back of its head. Its target is Miata. I rose Hate to my wrist and made a small cut. The wendigo sniffed the air and hungry eyes fell down to me.

"Delicious is what you are," it crackled and leaned forward with a haze of breath coming out of its mouth. I can see that it was beginning to lose control but stopped itself. Self-control? From a beast of all things? That doesn't bode well to match their strength with average intelligence.

"Leave her out of this monster or I'll make your death slower than you'd like," I put blunt and simple.

This wasn't me making a threat or even a promise. This was just me stating a fact that will come to pass if it takes action. This is the source of the smell, the power I felt before, and the visual intent I sensed the entire time. This is the last one and it's certainly the strongest. I might have to take out Isabela for this, but I doubt it. This hunt won't be difficult from where I'm standing.

The wendigo chuckled for some reason. "Ah, I get it." It spoke in its croaky deep voice. "You're not one of those witches."

'Witches,' I thought to myself. I stored that word for later and focused on this thing.

"I thought your kind died out or awakened by now," I continued against filling me with confusion.

Witches populate this land? I thought they all died out before then again I did liberate a few of the last remaining covens two years back.

'Awakened,' yet another word I stored for later. What sort of creature in this land can 'Awaken' or die out? Maybe Jaegers are here in this country. If so then that means there's an organization built around killing monsters. They must be doing a terrible job if an entire village falls prey to these things. I hope it's just a very lackadaisical natural that caused this, but hope is useless. I know the real reason after all I've left a situation alone many times over when I couldn't get fair compensation. I raided every house and store here I couldn't get too much in the way of gold or jewels. This town isn't that rich and to kill this many wendigo I would ask for much more than this village would possibly wish to release to me.

The wendigo opened its mouth and revealed its large piranha like teeth to me. Was this a scare tactic of some sort maybe. I stood puzzled as I focused on it.

"Ahg!" I strained to get out when I felt a pressure in my leg. I looked down and saw a lance sticking out of my leg. Suddenly something wet and slimy wrapped around my neck and squeezed to the point of almost taking my head off. The air to my lungs was seized and stuck and I couldn't breathe.

What happened?

What is this?

I looked down the best I could and saw something coming out of its mouth. A segmented tongue was sticking out and cutting into my neck as it wrapped firmly around it. I looked further down to its hand. It's fingers extended? Like a chimera it's fingers shot out and pierced my leg. It didn't go through fully. My armor and stone skin stopped it from touching the bone but it still penetrated forcing that leg of go limp.

"I've studied how you fought for hours," it grumbled. I cough as another finger shot and impacted with my stomach and pierced through. It almost pierced into my liver but my armor stopped most of it. "You have a narrow view when you fight. You pay attention to the obvious but not the subtleties. Sudden moments are tracked by your eyes male warrior if your senses aren't fully in effect. I stabbed your leg knowing you would stop paying attention to my mouth allowing me to get you. You're predictable."

It figured out how my base perceptions work just from watching me kill its fellows. For the most part this is true but only in my basic form like I'm in now. "And now before you can access your yoki, I will take your head."

I reached up to grab the tongue but another finger shot out and clipped my wrist. This time it pieced my right wrist and hit the braces at the end. Love fell from my hands and I couldn't reach Hate. The wendigo rushed me with its claws up.

I bite my teeth and closed my eyes. I have no choice.

I felt the beast blood pulse through my body. "Ask and I will provide." The demon mistress within me cooed. I said nothing but the power came regardless. I opened my eyes and saw the lances coming at me slowly.

I clenched my right hand and pulled down on its lance in my wrist. My hidden blade shoot out my left wrist and I cut straight through the finger. I bought my arm back and bat the other fingers away while cutting through the tongue.

"Trash." I reached down and tore the lance out of my leg and cut down a few more lances aimed for me. I weaved through a few more and stopped right in front of the monster. It leapt back just as I pulled Hate up from the ground to strike back and it evade my attempt to cut it across the chest.

I'm going to kill this thing here and now.

I stepped back a step and evaded a set of finger lances that sprout out of the ground. It thought in its crouched down position I wouldn't notice this assault. It knows how I fight when I'm relaxed and in my basic form but with augments let's see how long it fares.

I shot back to where Love resided and kicked down on hilt of my sword. She snapped up and I caught her with my left hand. I took a stance with my right side facing him in a slight crouch. I rose Hate until he was midlevel with my chest with the edge facing towards the alpha. I kept Love pointing downwards to balance myself out. My red eyes are now a thing of the past and replaced by a furious silvery blue. The pain in my eyes that comes with my precious eyes is dwarfed compared to this one. With this intense pain came a sensation of euphoria.

"Slaughter it! Tear it apart! Dance in the Crimson Rain," the last one was more a whisper, but it resounded in my ear almost a hundred times louder than the rest. I was now Blood Thirsty.

I clenched my swords and closed in on my prey.

It stepped back with every step I made up until I lost patience with it and charged. The beast shot its lances which I cut down with ease or brushed up Love's protective metal. I leaned out the way of the swipe and rolled away from more lances that stamped into the ground to its inside. Something this big, even if I can change where its muscles are, is still like a hog. It can't turn faster than I can. When it tried did I rolled back under its legs to its rear flank.

"What the...?"

It looked around frantically for me while I climbed on top a house. Scaling a building is easy. It just takes a good grip and firm understanding of where to place your anchors. I pulled out shiftrunner I aimed down at the wendigo and waited until it finally looked up. I pulled the trigger just as its eyes met my own.

Direct hit.

"OOAHHH!" The beast howled as the arrow made contact with its left eye.

Yes, feel the pain. Feel my blood rage.

I rushed out and jumped off the roof of the house I was on and landed on top its shoulder. I dropped down and stabbed Hate into its shoulder. With only my weight behind it, my sword cleaved though its arm taking it right off. Blood rained from above me. That pain from behind my eyes faded and what replaced it made me tremble.

This feeling... This pleasure… This total euphoria…! This is why I kill.

I need more.

I touched the ground and reached for its arm with my free left hand and gripped the shoulder bone. The claws on this thing are sharp and would make a very nice club. I pulled the arm up and slammed it directly into its armless side. The beast skid back. I rose the arm up with both hands and brought the limp claws down. The claw stabbed into its chest and cut it right open. They got stuck but that was fine. I found a nice foot hold for more fun.

My boots stuck to the tough skin of its arm making it easy to reach its head with my dirk. I rose its good arm and knocked its arm out of its chest. I took to the sky and rolled in the air. My dirk went flying and took the second eye of the beast leaving it completely blind.

"No," it realized the weight of its situation now. Too late if you asked me. I walked silently past its leg dodging the frantic throwing of its arm. I slashed its leg out cutting though the bone but now fully though the meat. The wendigo fell to the ground as I continued around. I stabbed it in the spine of it lower back and severed it when I pulled the blade out. The wendigo fell to the ground.

"Hehehehe," I heard a chuckle. At first I thought it was the prey before me but I'm not that ignorant. I know it's me who was chuckling; laughing like blood addled sociopath about to get his fix.

I slashed its good arm again and again showering the area in blood. In a viscious whirlwind I cut my prey again and again and again until what was left was a panting and wheezing waste of skin but barely holding onto life. I walked back to the front of it and placed the tip of Hate at the heart.

I brought Hate up to finish this. The blood will rain and I will be complete. I...

I stopped. Why did my arm stop? I'm close. So very close.

"Stop!" I felt the pain return. I don't want the pain. I need the pleasure.

"Self-control... it separates the man from the beast." My master's words flowed through my mind.

I am not a beast. I took a few breathes then put down Hate to get the blood off him before sheathing him. This beast will not fall by the blade. It doesn't deserve to die by my hand. I need to finish this another way. Instead, I should just give this beast an early funeral.

I looked towards a still burning house. The flames licked everything and burned away the wendigo that were trapped inside. I made a knife hand and jammed it into its back. I didn't hear whatever it said. I was too busy getting a good grip and dragging it over towards the fire. It struggled fruitlessly by the shaking of its head. It's all it could really do by the looks of it.

Regardless, I couldn't hear it over the thumping of my heart beating like a drum in my ears. I stopped in front of the fire and bent my legs. In one motion I pushed up and tossed the beast into the fire. I walked to the oil barrel and did the same. The oil burst around the wendigo alpha's body and the fire grew larger than before. Lighting up the darkness for the moon has long replaced the sun in the sky and took its place above.

"Don't mess with a Jaeger."

I turned back around from the burial and walked down the stairs.

"Papa!" Miata flew at me and wrapped her arms around my waist. Crying her eyes out, she called for me again and again. I leaned down and picked her up into my arms. She was so light. Lighter than a girl her age should be. I looked back one last time to the fire as the last of the wendigo burned away still very much alive as his flesh sizzled and popped. I watched until the life within the wendigo faded with only a soul remaining. I rose my crystal and took in the soul of the alpha and sighed.

My vision returned to normal and my muscles relaxed. With this loss of my previous power the pain from my wounds came in waves. My left leg and torso felt raw and abused from the punctures. I was injured because I underestimated my opponent, and I paid for it. I wanted to get through this hunt flawlessly, but I guess it's not to be.

Hunt is Complete and the last of the Beasts are Slaughtered.

I'm done with this town now. Too many events happened here to make this a story of the lifetime and its only day four of my trek in this land. I looked towards the west and started walking. The horses in this town are all dead and most of the life have be snuffed out except the chickens. I let them go out of there cage long ago so I don't have to worry about them.

"Miata, do you have anything you'd like to do... before we leave..." I noticed that the little girl was asleep with her head using my shoulder as a pillow. She must be exhausted from the festivities of today. I hummed and walked along the main path through the now deserted town devoid of humanoid life utterly and completely. My presence is being erased in fire and I've gotten my payment for the Hunt in a way.

I didn't look back as I left or the village and just continued into the darkness of the night.

Judgement Complete: Creature must be snuffed out and killed without disinclination.

Annulment is still preferred.

I don't have enough information on this land and its people to constitute the annulment of a group or genocide of this beast race. Maybe in time I'll get my answer, but I wonder now if this was the first day of conflict with the habitant of this land. What will the others turn into?

A/N: The first couple chapter revised and tighter than before. I hope.