Disclaimer - Don't own south park or any of the characters, just bored and wanted to write something fun.

Authors note – Please review if you like reading this! Even if its just to say that you don't like it, I wont know if you guys don't tell me!

Chapter 5

In the Marsh's kitchen while the boys slept...

On the table was the orb containing the black smoky substance, both elder Marsh's waited for the Randy's father. The elderly man wheeled himself quietly into the room over towards the table. "Now what did you get me up out of bed for? Surely it isn't just because Stanley was injured, that comes with the job, you've both experienced it and look at me I'm in a god damn wheel chair because of it an-" his rant was cut off suddenly when he noticed the writhing inside the orb on the table. "Where did you get that..." he asked eyes wide as he moved closer to examine it pulling out his reading glasses to take a closer look.

"That was inside of Stan's wound trying to fester its way in." Sharon said moving next to the old man. "That isn't the usual corruption from a revenant is it?" she asked already knowing the answer, a revenant's corruption wasn't alive it was more like an infection that could be fought off without magical aide, but this was more like a curse, and a powerful one at that.

"I haven't seen one of these in a long time..." the old man mumbled lifting the orb to have a closer look. "A long time ago when Randy was still very young I dealt with a group of warlocks who were using magic to make revenant assassins, their aim was the extermination of every hunter they could find." He set the orb down and rubbed his chin confused as to why the curse would pop up again now. "I'm sure we wiped out that cabal every one of them...and even if we didn't anyone still remaining must be nearly as old as I am, what would be the point of returning now?"

"Dad, whoever sent that revenant was targeting Stan, they knew who he was, who his friends were, and they almost got him to drop his guard." Randy stated to his father afraid the old man wasn't taking the threat seriously. The man looked over at Randy considering something.

"I'll try some of my old contacts, it's been a while but I'm sure some of them are still kicking like me haha." He began to roll out of the kitchen when Sharon spoke again.

"Maybe we should keep Stan and Kyle out of school for a while, I'm sure that we could come up with some kind of excuse for the Broflovski's. Now that Kyle has been touched he'll be just as vulnerable as Stan and more so because he has no training." The oldest Marsh laughed at her concern.

"You know as well as I do that they are safer at school than here, as long as shes there nothing will harm those boys, it would be best if they continue to attend school." He was about to roll away when he had another thought. "Oh and better start training the jewish boy, he's one of us now, whether he likes it or not." And with that grandpa Marsh made his way out of the kitchen back to his own room. Many things plagued his mind as he sat in the dark of his room. Did he let one of those warlocks get away all those years ago? If not then how had the curse they had created returned, he and his group had wiped out all of their magical research. He rolled over to his wardrobe and opened a secret compartment and pulled out an old revolver and loaded it. He set the revolver on the nightstand as he climbed into bed. He silently cursed, it had been decades since anything had shaken him like this.

Back in the Marsh Kitchen...

Randy and Sharon were finishing their respective cups of coffee neither one expecting to get any sleep tonight. It was Sharon that spoke first. "I'll lock up the orb and start thinking up a crash course on magic for Kyle, what are you going to do?" Randy looked up thoughtfully.

"I'm going to head over to Jimbo's, he never sleeps these days. Every hunter needs a weapon, we'll whip up a couple of things for Kyle and he can try them out tomorrow." Randy stood up and grabbed his car keys off the counter. "Well at least tomorrow is Sunday, we'll get the boys up nice and early and spend the whole day training the new hunter." He smiled at the thought of another being added to the fold. "This could be good for Stanley, he won't be the only young hunter now, since Shelley left and the rest of us are getting old. He'll have someone he can relate to, maybe the job won't be so hard on him now." He smiled at his wife who only shrugged. She wanted her son to be happy but she never would wish being a hunter on anyone even for her son's happiness, it was a hard life that always took more than it gave. The two of them kissed and then parted to prepare their separate trainings for Kyle. It would be a busy day tomorrow.

Sunday morning...

Stan tried rolling against the wall half asleep and he was blocked. He sat up and looked behind him to see red hair sticking out from under his covers. He sat there surprised for a moment, not remembering what had happened but then it all came back to him, his mother had used a cleansing spell on him. That spell always put him out like a light. Kyle must have helped him up to his room, but that didn't explain why he was sleeping with said friend who was shirtless. Stan got out of bed and rummaged for a shirt in his drawer. Slipping on a red t-shirt he made his way out of the room and down to the kitchen where he could smell his mother cooking breakfast. "Good morning Stanley." His mother said without looking, she always could tell who it was coming into the kitchen.

"Morning mom..." He noticed the large spread set out on the table. "Umm, so what's the occasion?" Stan asked not sure he was going to like the answer. His mother didn't turn around from the eggs she was cooking on their skillet but he was sure she was frowning.

"Welcoming the newest hunter to the fold." she said flatly knowing this was nothing to be joyful about.

"Mom, Kyle can't be a hunter, he doesn't need to be and I don't want him to be." Stan said getting angry now that his parents would just decide this on their own. Though in his heart he knew they were right.

"Stanley you know as well as I do that hunters don't choose, they are chosen. Kyle has been touched and there is no undoing that, if we don't make him a hunter he will be vulnerable, he'll be a target and you won't always be around to protect him." His mother scolded him though she wanted to comfort him, she knew he'd be like this. Stan stood there leaning on the back of his chair, he knew his mother was right, he'd never been very adept with magic himself, but even he could sense that Kyle had been touched. And his mother was right, once someone was awakened to magic they would be in danger from every monster that stood just across the line waiting for an opening. "Now why don't you go wake Kyle up, we have a lot to talk about." His mother shooed him out of the kitchen and he made his way upstairs. When he entered his room he watched his friend sleep for a few minutes. Let him have his last few moments of a peaceful life he thought, things were about to become immensely harder for him. His friend had wrapped himself up in Stan's comforter like a cocoon since he'd left him earlier, only his face and a little tuft of curly red hair showing on top. He laughed as he moved to wake up his friend.

"Kyle, hey Kyle, come on dude time to get up" he said gently shaking his friend who only retreated further into his cocoon. Kyle was always like this, he'd sleep all day if someone didn't force him to get up. Stan heard him mumble something about five more minutes. "But Kyyyyyle, I'm hungry!" Stan said playfully jumping up onto the bed so he was straddling the cocoon boy. "You better get up or you know what ism going to do don't you..." Kyle poked his head out of the blankets and glared with red eyes at his friend.

"Don't. You. Dare." venom in every word but Stan just laughed harder and knew it was go time. He reached down into the covers and began mercilessly tickling his friend. Kyle was extremely ticklish and he instantly began begging Stan to stop. "N-no! St-an! Stop!" Stan continued for a few more seconds both of them trying to catch their breathes. Stan had both hands on either side of Kyle's head smiling down at his sleepy friend who glared back with red eyes that had teared up a little bit. "You ass." Stan just smiled again.

"Morning sleepy head, you took all the covers." Only then did Kyle realize he was now under the covers when he didn't remember ever getting under last night. From the hallway there was a knock and Stan's door opened.

"Stanley what's taking so lon-" She froze seeing the boys in a compromising position. "I'll come back later!" She rushed out of the room shutting the door. Both Stan and Kyle realized what it must have looked like and their faces turned beet red. Stan hopped off the bed and went to the door.

"Uhh breakfast is ready...I gotta go talk to my mom...come down when you're ready dude!" He sped out of the room shouting for his mom that it wasn't what it looked like. Kyle just laughed and wormed his way out of the comforters and dropped onto the floor with a thud. His foot had gotten caught in the blankets when he had tried to stand.

"Smooth..." He picked himself up and went to the bathroom across the hall to relieve himself. While he was washing his hands he stared at himself in the mirror and replayed everything that had happened the night before. Something that stuck out in his mind was how Mr. Randy had said his life was going to change. It gave him chills to think about, they weren't going to kill him were they? I mean he knew their secret now, but no they didn't kill people right? Just monsters, though what if they thought Kyle was a shell? Would they hack him apart just to be sure? Now Kyle was getting really nervous about going downstairs to breakfast.

"Kyle come on foods gonna get cold!" Stan yelled up the stairs to his friend, wondering if he'd gone back to sleep.

"Coming!" Kyle yelled sticking his head out the bathroom door. He heard his friend snicker.

"Well clean up when you're done!" Kyle's face turned red and now he wanted to punch Stan for the embarrassing joke. Forgetting he had been nervous he stomped down the stairs and slugged Stan in the shoulder as he passed.

"Worth it." Stan laughed following his friend into the kitchen. Kyle looked around to see more people than he expected. Jimbo, Ned, Grandpa Marsh, Mr. and Mrs. Marsh, Stan and himself rounded out the group. He felt slightly out of place in the Marsh gathering though he guess Ned didn't really belong either...or did he? There were quite a few rumors about him and Jimbo, maybe they were true? Kyle shook his head getting himself back on track.

"Thank you for breakfast Mrs. Marsh." Kyle said smiling as he sat down. She shook her head as he and her son took her seat.

"No need to thank me Kyle this breakfast is all for you, it is our way of apologizing for bringing you into our world." Everyone around the table had serious looks on their faces even Stan.

"What do you mean 'bringing me into your world'? Kyle asked a bit nervous that he'd been right about them wanting to hack him apart. Stan sighed and answered first.

"You're one of us now Kyle, you're a hunter." his friend was looking right into his eyes practically into his soul. Kyle nervously took a bite of some egg.

"What do you mean I'm one of you..." He looked around the table and saw the others were busy eating their breakfast so he turned back to Stan.

"Last night when you entered the Nightlands you were touched by magic, which basically means you're now far more sensitive to supernatural phenomena." Stan was staring at his plate not touching his food as he spoke. "It also means that you give off a particularly vibrant aura, more so than a normal person...its the kind of thing that attracts shells and revenants. They feed off of it because magic is created by the one thing they lack, a soul." Stan finally took a bite of some bacon and before continuing. "It makes you a target, so everyone who is ever touched by magic must become a hunter, or die." Stan lowered his head his hair covering his eyes and his glasses slipping down to the edge of his nose.

"Can't you...undo it or something?" Kyle asked hopeful. They wanted him to fight monsters like Stan did? There was no way he could be so brave.

"No there is no way to undo it, once you are marked by magic your life forever changes." Grandpa Marsh said reaching for some more orange juice.

"I'm sorry Kyle." Ned buzzed in with his prosthetic voice. "It is a hard life, and not one we wish on anyone." Jimbo pat Ned on the shoulder before chiming in.

"The job as we call it always seems to take more than it gives." Jimbo said finishing some sausage.

"But it's better than the alternative." Randy added. "If you don't become a hunter we can't guarantee that we'll always be around to protect you. And if a shell gets you..." He looked around at the others wondering if he should continue you.

"If a shell gets you, you become like them, a shell is someone who has had their soul violently ripped from their body...generally by other shells. you become a rotting empty husk drawn to the pure souls of the living." Stan pushed his glasses back up onto his face. He had a sad look on his face, Kyle could tell he didn't want this for him. Then Kyle realized that all the Marshes must have been marked. He was suddenly angry.

"If you knew it was such a hard life why involve Stan!?" Kyle shouted angry at the older Marshes. The elder Marshes looked both sad and guilty. Stan put a hand on Kyle's shoulder to stop him from saying more.

"They didn't mark me if that's what you are implying Kyle. I was born marked." Stan stated surprising Kyle more. Stan had been born into this world? He'd known his whole life that their were monsters out there in the world? How could anyone grow up that way. "The Marsh family have been hunters for hundreds of years. Unfortunately you pass your mark onto your children...both my parents were marked before they met." Kyle opened and closed his mouth several times. So now if he were to have any family they'd be cursed to this life too.

"It makes having children that much harder." Randy folded his hands in front of him, elbow on the table he laid his head against his hands hiding his eyes. "Every parent mus struggle with the dangers a child will face if they bring them into the world...but how do you justify bringing them into it to face such a life, trust me Kyle we've struggled with this decision everyday since we decided to have Shelley and Stan." Sharon stood up and walked behind Randy rubbing his shoulders. "But when Stan is with his friends, when he's with you, we know we made the right choice." Kyle was taken back at that and looked over to see Stan smiling embarrassed.

"Dad you got pretty sappy there..." Stan mumbled stuffing some egg into his mouth. Randy smiled as he answered.

"We can't be dark all the time son, it'll consume us." Kyle watched the whole exchange with a mixture of feelings in him. He was scared to have to face those creatures again, but he didn't like the idea of Stan going out there to fight them alone. He was unsure if he was up to the life they were laying before him, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them to just protect him his whole life. He didn't know if it was the right choice or he even had a choice to make but he made his decision easier than he thought.

"Alright then...if Stan will be there with me, I guess I'll become a hunter." Everyone around the table looked surprised at his quick decision, everyone but Stan that is who was smirking, he probably knew Kyle's whole thought process and knew where it would take him. Mr. Randy stood up from the table looking directly at Kyle.

"Alright then, lets begin."

Authors note- sooo yea review pls! I hope you guys are liking this story, trying to go a different route than most of the south park stories I've read. Let me know what you think, this is gonna be a pretty long story it's already longer than most of the unfinished ones I've started way back in the day.