The Everlasting Struggle: A New Enemy Emerges
"I'm surprised that a man with such a high social standing would be interested in our services, Mr. Talbain."
"Regent…"
"Yes, of course. Regent Talbain."
Jonathan, now lacking his wolfish side, was becoming uneasy. His guide, a stubby man decked in cheap clothing that imitated a rich man's attire, had been leading him down a hallway lined with broken windows and rustic walls.
The goal of deceiving the man had been fairly simple with his credible act of superiority. Having stolen an expensive outfit from one of the less needy residents in town, his guise made it seem all the more convincing. His brooding attitude kept the short man's gaze from falling onto him as they walked along. He could do nothing of the common look of his silver hair, but he'd rather die before wearing one of those humiliating wigs. As they neared his planned destination, Jon knew his charade was about to come to an end.
The guide, having irritability for prolonged silence, fished for words. "Again, this is unusual. But I'd be a fool to question you. I'm sure one of 'these' will work out splendid enough."
Talbain clenched his fist in secret anger. "I'm certain…"
Upon reaching the end of the hallway, which consisted of a large rotting door outlined with debris, the short man laid his lantern to rest on a chipped pedestal. "And here we are." He proceeded to shove the door open, revealing to Jonathan a large room filled with long rows of wooden tables and chairs. On the tables were plates filled with a substance that could hardly be labeled edible. Most notably were the children seated at those tables. Tattered clothing adorned their bodies and bruises ornamented their hands and faces. Jonathan stepped forward and inhaled the musky scent lingering in the air, even the smell of things giving a dismal sensation. Looks like it was time to put the plan in action.
Making his way past the man he had been walking with, he addressed the working children as though they were the only ones who existed in the room. "You can all go now. You know where to meet. Follow the boy Thomas and he'll show you the way there."
Blinking in astonishment, the stubby man blurted out his words. "W-wh-what are you doing?!"
"I'm freeing every child here and there's not a damn thing you're going to do about it…or I'll rip your eyes out." Jonathan's hand on the man's throat cut his sentence off entirely. He had played this scene over too many times before and the resistance was getting more annoying each and every time. Dropping his former guide to the floor, he stood watch until each of the children escaped down the hallway. Of course, he had already made sure to dispose of the guards near that area.
"Grotz, what are you standing there for?! Kill him, already!" The injured man's demands sputtered out in between coughs and wheezes.
"Grotz, huh…" Jonathan stared blankly in the direction of the large bald man charging at him from across the room. As soon as he neared, the fighting expert merely flowed underneath the big man's first swing, then jutted his fist out in a chopping motion to strike the back of his neck. It took a moment, but the large man called Grotz inevitably fell to the ground, unconscious and on his face. "Let this be a lesson," Talbain explained to the stunned owner of the factory, staring down at him coldly from the side. Gritting his teeth and bringing his hands to his face, he wore a sudden look of pain. It passed quickly, however, as he brought his arms down forcefully. In that instant, his outer disguise tore into shreds and the howl of the emerging werewolf pierced the air, shattering the previously unbroken windows surrounding them. He turned to the terrified man again, a creature of fur, muscle, teeth, and claws. "Humans can be even more disgusting than the Dark ones at times."
He left the man shivering in fear for his life, content with the outcome of things. It was like this every time, though. These people truly were scum, yet still as human as the children he constantly freed. This concept confused him and so he tried to ignore it, but every now and then it would sneak back into his mind. Even this small amount of good left him empty. Is this all he could do? He knew it was the right thing, but it failed to show any progress. He would never get the answers he so longed for at this rate…
The night air struck him in the face, refreshing his senses after being in that rancid building for so long. But something else drifted along the night air, carrying the familiar scent of…a Darkstalker! He was sure of it, although the scent was of someone unknown. A new sound echoed in the darkness, the sound of a single person clapping.
A male's voice rang out from beside a nearby tree. "Bravo. I commend you on your services, Darkstalker."
"You're a new face. Let me see it…" Jonathan made his demand clear. The figure responded by stepping minutely forward from the darkness, which concealed all but a small portion of his face. "Oh, what's this? Another Darkstalker who enjoys intimidation? Sorry, but that won't work on me."
The eyes of the stranger narrowed in anger. "No, I'm not! I'm not what you are!!!" The darkness itself responded to his outburst, shooting forward from the being in odd shapes. Jon's eyes widened in surprise, but he managed to leap backwards as the black muck slammed into the ground where he stood only moments ago, breaking the earth into pieces.
As soon as he landed, another tendril of darkness collided with his chest and carried him into the wall of the building. He flinched at the crushing sensation but managed to liberate himself by slicing downward with his claws, cutting off its grip for the needed amount of time. What the hell was that?! He hardly ever saw another Darkstalker with this sort of power. He'd be damned if he would disappoint those children by not showing up, though. The next attack would be his chance to inflict some damage and hopefully end this fight.
The dark appendages flew predictably towards him once more and he prepared himself. "This is it! Here goes – huh?!" The werewolf's attack ended as fast as it began. The tendrils halted in mid-attack, stopped by a thin piece of paper with Japanese lettering on it.
"Dark one, your time has come!"
Not another one…this was getting out of hand. But this one was familiar. It only took him a few seconds to realize who the new participant was in this little dance. "Not you!"
On the corner of the roof stood the female Dark hunter, large metallic arms hanging limply from the sleeves of her reddish Chinese dress. "Hsien-ko is here to vanquish you!" The hunter, hopping from the rooftop, landed gracefully beside Talbain and faced their opponent.
"Tell me what the hell you're doing here!" The werewolf growled out his words, but neither of them faced away from the enemy.
"Looks like I'm saving your furry butt, dog boy," she retorted.
They were both prepared to fight, but the attacker denied them the privilege as his manipulated darkness contracted back to his form. "This is just a taste of things to come. I will kill all Darkstalkers and you will make that known. You sicken me with your ways and your miserable lives spent destroying the lives of others. You will know the meaning of vengeance!" Enveloping himself in the darkness, the enemy that remained a mystery seemingly melted into the ground, leaving only a small circle of scorched earth as proof of ever having been there.
Hsien-ko blinked in confusion of the situation. "Huh, how weird. Isn't he one of us, too? I don't get it." She turned to Jonathan for answers only to find him walking off in the other direction. "Hey, wait! What's your problem? Aren't you wondering about this at all?"
"I could care less," the lupine coldly responded. "Figure it out for yourself, why don't you. I've got other things to do." He continued along his way, intent on keeping his promise to the children.
"Yea, you're welcome!!!…geez, what a jerk…" Hsien-ko stared off in the direction where the attacker once stood. "But I wonder what that was all about…"