Chapter 1: Suspicion
"Chaz, wake up!"
A loud snore met Alys's glaring face. Crossing her arms tight over her chest, she opened the door to his room. There he was, his lazy ass sprawled out on his small sheetless bed. Yeah, he never made it. Pursing her lips, she stepped cautiously over a pile of unwashed underwear and Hunters uniforms and to the window. She lifted the tattered pale green shade and allowed sunlight to pour in. Groaning, Chaz reached forward and pulled the bedspread over his head. "Oh no you don't!" She cried ripping it from his grasp.
"Geez, Alys...Why are you even in here?" He asked groggily rubbing his eyes. He sat up and slowly opened them. She was tapping her damn foot. Cheeks red, she pointed to the calendar hanging by his door. He squinted. "Huh? What's your deal? What's today?"
"The fifteenth, idiot!" She cried. "Remember? Today you're a full fledged Hunter."
"Oh well that's good." He said yawning and running a tan hand through frazzled blonde hair.
"Is that all you can say? Do you not remember that today is your first assignment?"
He blinked his bright green eyes at her. "Not really..."
"Piata! Piata, Chaz! Remember?! The Dean from the Motavia Academy sent us a letter!"
Suddenly, his face lit up. "Piata? Really? We're really going?"
Alys gave an exasperated sigh and picked up a wrinkled Hunter's jacket from the floor. "Here, fix this up." She said tossing it to him. "Make yourself pretty, alright? We got an impression to make. And for God's sakes..." Her nose wrinkled as she stepped back over the piles of clothes. "Clean this up. You know I hate this place being a mess."
"Yes mother."
"I'm not your damn mother."
"Yes, Alys."
"That's better."
Chaz unraveled the balled up jacket and laid it on the bed in front of him, watching her walk out into the living room. "How the heck am I supposed to make this look good...?" He whispered softly. But, it WAS the town of Piata they were going to. He had always been interested in the Motavia Academy. Why, he didn't know. It wasn't like he got much education here, except for how to kill monsters fast. Sighing, he stood and pulled on the standard black body suit and some pants, trying frantically to straighten out the wrinkles.
"Chaz, you get your lazy ass out here or I'm leaving you!" He heard Alys cry.
He hurriedly threw on his jacket and ran out the door, tying a red band around his head as he went. "Alys! Alys you leave me and you'll regret it!" He cried stumbling.
* * *
"Darn it...where the heck is she...?" Chaz mumbled to himself. He gazed over the slew of Academy students. "You'd think she'd be easy to see with that stupid red jacket on, but with so many students milling around..."
"Hey, idiot! Over here!"
Trying to hide his reddened face from a few giggling girls, he inched over to where Alys was standing. "You know, you didn't have to yell."
"How could you lose me in this? It's not like this place is big or anything."
"Okay, okay, Alys! Let's just go to the Dean and stop talking about it."
Alys smiled broadly and clapped a hand on his back. "Aren't you glad you turned sixteen? I thought it'd never come! Now you get to go everywhere with me, partner!"
He forced a smile. "Oh, yes Alys. I'm ecstatic."
She moved her hand up to strike the back of his head. He winced. "Don't be a smartass." She said frowning. "Now, come on. The Dean's waiting."
"Don't I get to look around?"
She sighed. "You had plenty of time to do that when you lost me."
"But I didn't want to move! What if I was searching for you and you were searching for me at the same time and we never met up and we were lost forever?"
She raised an eyebrow and leaned close to him, gritting her teeth in a most unlady-like fashion. "I swear, you say one more smartass thing and I'll..."
"Excuse me, Are you Alys Bragwin?"
Alys and Chaz both looked up. One of the students stood before them, his large black glasses glinting in the sunlight streaming in the tiny hallway. Alys stood up straight. "Yes." She said importantly. Chaz rolled his eyes.
The student coughed gently. "The Dean wishes to see you, now."
She smiled sweetly and wrapped an arm around Chaz. "Well thank you very much! We'll just get on over to him, right partner?" He nodded slowly. She was really getting a kick out of this "partner" thing.
* * *
The Dean's office was dark. Chaz noticed this because all of the shades were pulled down. Maybe the Dean was going for a mysterious look, he didn't know. Besides the fact that it was almost too damn dark to see anything, the place was sort of interesting, in that principal's office way. Book cases lined every inch of every wall and were filled to the brim with thick important looking books. There wasn't much else in there except for the Dean's desk and two cushy looking maroon lined chairs. Alys took one and Chaz sat casually in the other.
"Ah...I'm so glad you could make it, Miss Bragwin." The Dean said coolly. Alys smiled. He was a middle aged man, nothing too exciting about his appearance; just a white coat like most of the students and short slicked back gray hair.
"Yes, we were happy to come, Mr..."
"Gains. Dean Gains." He said extending a hand. Alys took it and delicately shook it. Boy, she was a riot sometimes. Dean Gains seemed pleased with this and then reached out to Chaz. He toyed with the thought of taking the hand as gently as Alys did, but thought better of it when a picture of her angry face came into his mind. He shook it with a firm grasp. "I don't believe I've heard of you, boy. What's your name?"
"His name is Chaz Ashley." Alys said before Chaz could open his mouth. "As of today he is a full fledged partner of mine."
Dean Gains nodded and settled back into his large leather chair. It groaned when he scooted closer to the desk. Smiling, he leaned his elbows on the top and clasped his hands underneath his chin. "Now, onto business." Alys sat up straighter. "You've heard about the recent outbreak of monsters on Motavia, have you not?"
She nodded. "Yeah, thanks to them, I'm not hurting for work. The Hunters Guild is going crazy with extermination requests."
"Well, Miss Bragwin, that's exactly what I've called you two here to attend to."
"Extermination?" Chaz asked.
"Yes. There have been some sightings of monsters in the lower storage levels of the Academy. I would like you both to take a look at it."
"Alright!" Chaz cried enthusiastically.
Alys glared at him, and then turned back to the Dean. "Forgive me, Dean Gains, but..." She clasped her hands in the same fashion as he. "It's rather odd that monsters would come into the Academy. They usually aren't sighted inside of towns. Do you have any idea how this could have happened?"
The Dean's face went wooden. "How would I know about such things, Miss Bragwin? You shouldn't concern yourself with these rather irrelevant questions, after all, you are here to get rid of them, not find out why they are here."
"But Sir..."
"I said it is irrelevant!" His voice was beginning to take on a shrill tone.
Alys shrugged and stood, motioning for Chaz to do the same. "Understood. Come on Chaz let's go."
"Miss Bragwin." The Dean called when they were only feet from the doorway.
Alys turned. "Yes, Dean Gains?"
He lowered one hand and began to drum it absent mindedly on the desk. It made an annoying hollow sound. "If you don't mind, I'd like to settle this matter...discreetly. I'm counting on your reputation, Alys Bragwin." Chaz made a face. The man pronounced every syllable of her name as if it were sacred or something.
Alys played along and nodded. She loved the attention, and you could tell. "Of course, Sir. We'll take care of it for you. Don't worry about a thing."
"I trust you'll give me no reason to."
* * *
"Geez...he really was weird." Chaz said after they had walked a good ways from his office. Alys stopped and leaned against the sandstone wall, crossing her arms and legs. He turned. "Hey, what's up Alys?"
She shook her head slowly. "I dunno... All this seems a little...strange, don't you think? I mean...monsters don't come into heavily populated areas; they just don't. It's common knowledge."
Chaz shrugged. "Maybe it's some kind of super monster or something."
He shrank back at the stare she gave him. "Chaz, what the hell is wrong with you? 'Super monster'?" She sighed and he blushed. "I mean, really. There's not any super monster here. It's probably just something stupid that someone brought in thinking it was a pet or something interesting to examine. This is an academy after all."
"Alright, so now that that's settled, let's go after them."
Alys nodded slowly. "I guess you're right, Chaz. There's no point in dabbling in things we don't, and probably shouldn't, understand." He watched as her face broke into a smile. "Plus the letter stated we get five hundred meseta for this gig!"
Chaz blinked. "Five hundred? Seriously?! That's great!" He cried eyes wide.
"Yeah. Maybe now we'll be able to get some decent chow."
"Oh, oh, like Motavian steaks? I mean REAL Motavian steaks? Not the vegetarian shit you keep buyin'"
"Language, Chaz."
"Uhh...I mean," He sighed. "Yeah. That 'stuff' you buy."
She smiled. "Yeah, I guess." She nodded and stood straight, raising her arms into the air. "Okay, come on. We have some monsters to slay."
* * *
"They're late. What kind of people would be late to something as important as this...?"
"...Yeah, and we can buy some new bed sheets. Like those neat ones they make in Monsen. Those crazy Motavians are just amazing and...hello, who are you?" Alys stopped short in front of a man blocking the entranceway to the basement.
He sighed and looked at his watch. "Are you the Hunters Dean Gains called on?"
"Yeah, and how is it any of your business?" Her hands went to her hips. Chaz backed up. When Alys got prissy, that's when bad things happened.
The man sighed again and shook his head, his neatly combed brown hair becoming disheveled. Alys started to tap her foot. "I...want to go with you." He said in a much gentler tone than before.
"And why should we let you, Mr..."
"Hahn. My name is Hahn Mahlay." He said with a bit of a smile. "I'm an assistant at this academy."
"That still doesn't tell us why you want to come."
Hahn leaned closer. "Listen Hunter, The Professor I work under, Professor Holt has disappeared. No one knows where he is..."
She nodded. "Alright, I'm sorry your man is gone, but what does that have to do with the monsters residing here?"
He pulled back and glared at her for a second. Chaz sniggered. "You see, Professor Holt was investigating Birth Valley."
"Birth Valley? That place is said to be the location of the birth of all life!" Chaz stopped laughing to whisper excitedly.
Alys shoved him. "Don't pay any attention to the human encyclopedia here. Please, go on."
Hahn nodded. "Well, after his investigation team was reported missing, the Dean cut off any access to Birth Valley. I'm trying to collect any information about it so I can figure out what's going on, but he keeps evading the issue." He took a deep breath and looked away.
"And then the monsters show up."
"Yeah!" He cried. "There has to be a connection!"
Alys leaned back on the wall. "I will admit, the Dean seems a bit fishy to me. He really wanted to keep this thing a secret..."
"I feel like I'm compelled to investigate this situation." Hahn said sharply.
"But can you handle it?" Chaz asked, smiling.
His face fell. "Well...I was going to go by myself, but then I realized it might be a bit dangerous..."
"So you were waiting on us to show up, right?" Alys sneered.
"Using us at bodyguards, eh?" Chaz wasn't any good at being intimidating like his partner.
"Well...uh...yeah, you guys are quick." Hahn stammered.
Alys smiled sweetly and walked close to him. He shrank back a bit when she lifted her finger to his nose. "One hundred meseta and no less. You want Hunters, you gotta pay for it."
"What?"
"We don't work for free, academy boy. Now you pay up or face the monsters by yourself."
"...I can't get that kind of money from the Dean..."
Alys shrugged. "Well, that's not our problem, is it Chaz?"
The blonde Hunter laughed and shrugged too. "Nuh uh!"
"Now what are you going to do, Mr. Mahlay...?"
"Okay, okay, I'll pay..." He mumbled.
Alys's hand moved to his shoulder and squeezed. Hahn winced. "Okay! That's great! Now we're a team!"
He nodded slowly and followed them into the basement.
* * *
Chaz coughed and held his fingerless black gloved hand to his mouth. "Geez, for Christsakes this place is a mess."
"Language."
"Sorry."
Alys laughed. "It's not bad," She said running her finger on a bookcase they passed by. She scowled at the inches of dust collected on her white gloved hand. "Kinda reminds me of your room."
"Shut up, Alys."
Hahn gazed wide-eyed in the darkened cellar, hands fumbling nervously in his lab coat pockets. "Any of you think this is just weird?"
"Weird? Like how?" Chaz asked glancing back at him.
"This doesn't really look like a basement. It's just a lower part of the school." He coughed. "Actually, I think we had classes down here less than a year ago!"
"Well, it sure looks deserted to me." Alys said softly, pushing a chair into place by a desk.
Suddenly, a loud screech filled the basement. Hahn bumped into Chaz. "Wh- wh-what was that...?"
Alys laughed loudly. "Oh, come off it, Mahlay! It was just a monster, and a small one it sounds like."
Hahn scowled at her. "Oh, just a monster. Yeah, that makes me feel better." She shrugged and continued down an even darker hallway leading to another staircase. "And you guys can call me Hahn...if you want..." That boy's green eyes in the darkness were unnerving.
"Okay, Hahn. How about you let go of my arm." Chaz said forcing a smile.
He jumped and released his grip. "Hey...I'm s-sorry, I didn't..."
"Shh!"
Both of them turned to Alys, who was crouching at the top of the staircase. "What's up, Alys?" Chaz asked moving to kneel beside her.
"You hear that?" She asked.
Chaz listened. Scuffling noises could be heard down below. It didn't sound like much, but it proved there was something down there. "Hey, Hahn. Do you know if this is the last level of the basement?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I think it is. Just one room too; used to be the bathroom if I remember correctly."
"Is it operational?"
"How should I know?" He asked hastily. "I mean, this is the first time I've been down here in years!"
"Alright, alright, stop bickering. We were just asking because if it is operational, they'd have a good supply of water." Alys said waving her hand.
Hahn shrugged. "I'm sorry, I just don't know."
Chaz stood. "It's okay. Hey, Alys. How about we just run down there?" He asked unsheathing a short sword from his belt.
Alys shrugged. "Can't hurt."
Hahn stood gaping as they began to go down the stairs. "Are you two crazy? Can't hurt?! It's monsters! With fangs and poison and all that..."
"Come on, Hahn. Follow us and see your money's worth." Alys called from the darkness.
He sighed and began inching his way down, hands in his pockets, fingers closing in on a little steel knife. "I'm going to get out of this and I'm going to get some money and I'm going to get married, and never see a monster or a Hunter again..." He mumbled softly, making sure his boots didn't slip on the dust crusted stairs.
* * *
"Hahn, now that wasn't too bad, was it?" Alys asked holding her hand out for the shaken scholar.
He nodded slowly and took it. "Yeah, I guess I'm just freaking myself out and..."
"Holy shit, Alys, take a look around!" Chaz whispered.
"Language...Cha.." Her pale blue eyes widened. This was no bathroom. Machines and glass tubes littered the entire room. Some we broken, but the ones that weren't held grotesque purplish creatures that resembled freakish brains in them. Behind her, Hahn gagged. Scowling, she turned to him. "You better have an explanation for this, Hahn my boy, because breeding monsters is highly against the..."
"Alys! Check it out!" Chaz cried suddenly.
Hunter and assistant whirled around to see the largest of the glass tubes cracking. The machine under it beeped loudly and the glass began to shatter. Alys covered her face from the flying shards. Out from the wreckage, a large, gurgling green life form slithered out. Alys covered her nose; the stench was overpowering. "Chaz! I'm going to distract it, alright? You and Hahn attack it from behind!"
Chaz nodded and Hahn quit gagging enough to shake his head wildly. "Are you insane?! I can't fight anything!" His dark brown eyes moved to the greenish blob thing inching towards them. Purple veined tentacles flew out from the sides and front of it and grasped some of the other glass tubes, squeezing and causing them to burst.
Alys grasped his coat and pulled him over to where Chaz was standing. "Just shut up and use that knife of yours!" She cried.
"But how do I...? And how did you know I had a knife?"
She smiled at him, and then glanced at Chaz. "Chaz, I want you to help him, alright?"
"Yes m'am!" He cried. She shook her head and started back to the front of the monster. "You be careful, Alys!"
Hahn pulled the knife out of his pocket and turned it over in his hands. "I really don't know what to do..."
"Just stab anywhere that looks good."
He made a face. "That sounds awfully disgusting."
He smiled maliciously "Wait until we kill it. This might be one of those exploding monsters." Chaz laughed loudly when Hahn's face began to take on a greenish hue. "I'm kidding, man! Now, come on! Just wait for Alys's cue and then we strike as much and as hard as we can!"
Hahn swallowed and nodded, holding the knife out in front of him. "Y-yes, I'll try."
"Hey, you! Ugly blob thing!" Alys cried waving her slasher into the air. The monster grunted and turned its beady eyed gaze to her. "Yeah, you." She said smiling. With a quick flick of her wrist, the slasher left her hand and grazed across the monster's front. She caught it as it returned and shook it to get the monster's thick greenish blood off. It roared and then sent a flurry of tentacles shooting after her. With the finesse of a dancer, she wove in-between the bulging lumps of flesh with various flips and dodges, sporting a broad smile the entire time. After a few minutes, she slid to a stop and cupped her hand on the side of her mouth. "Okay, you guys! All of its things or whatever are over here. Now's your chance!" She cried.
"Alright!" Chaz cried leaping into the air. With one quick movement, he plunged the sword deep into the monster's flesh. Squeezing his eyes closed, he moved his head away from the spurt of green that flew from the wound. The monster screamed and reared back, throwing Chaz high in the air. Crying out, he clutched the hilt of his sword for dear life and swung back down. "Hahn! A little help?"
Hahn shook, clutching the knife so hard his hand was starting to cramp. "M- me?"
"Yeah, stupid!" The blonde Hunter screamed, his body flinging side to side as the monster writhed. "Just stab it in the head or something!"
"Why can't you?!" Hahn cried.
"What?! I can't get the sword loose! Hahn!"
Taking a deep breath, Hahn threw aside the knife. "It's now or never..." He whispered gently. Chaz's emerald eyes widened when the tall scholar's hands began to shimmer. A bright blue glow burst from them, illuminating the dark room in a flurry of glass-like glimmering shards. Hahn brought his hands to his chest and closed his eyes, his dark brown hair beginning to waver gently in an unknown wind. "Wat..." He whispered softly. The monster roared again and swung sideways, breaking Chaz's grip on the sword. He flew back and toppled over Alys who was standing, wide-eyed, staring at Hahn with her mouth slightly open. Hahn smiled and with dark eyes shining in the light he created, he swung out his arms, releasing a flurry of bright blue ice shards at the green blob.
"What...is he doing?" Chaz asked watching the ice shards penetrate the monster's skin.
"He did a technique. Who knew Hahn could do something like that..." She found herself smiling. "Usually they only teach that stuff to Hunters and wizards."
Hahn clasped his hands together and the shards expanded and enveloped the monster's entire body. Laughing softly, he brought one hand up and pointed a finger at the icicle. "Bang." It exploded. Alys and Chaz ducked and covered their heads, but Hahn just stood, unscathed, the ice whipping past him.
"Hahn Mahlay!" Alys cried jumping up. She ran to him, a glare on her now dust covered face. "What the hell was that? Scholars aren't supposed to know techniques."
He smiled. "Well, I told you I was part of Professor Holt's research team. If you knew that guy, you'd realize he has no regard for danger at all. He'll lead anyone anywhere, even if it's the most insane suicide mission ever!"
"Still..." She wheezed. "You better explain about this. I can't believe you guys would be breeding monsters down here and..."
"Hey, whoa! No way! I have nothing to do with this!" Hahn cried, waving his arms. "I told you I haven't been here in years!"
Chaz walked to the remains of the monster and picked his sword up from the ground. Only the hilt was left. "Damn it...and it was new too..."
"I'll buy you another sword, Chaz, just..." Alys said pulling ice from her hair.
"Did I do good, Alys?" He asked eyes wide.
She shrugged. "I guess. You're swing is too slow though, and you missed a vital puncture point."
"Jesus, Alys! I did the best I could!" Chaz cried cheeks reddening.
"Language." She said automatically. "Anyways," She turned to Hahn and threw a rather large piece of ice to the ground. It shattered on contact. "So you say you have nothing to do with this."
"Nothing." He said shaking his head.
"Fine. Come on, Chaz, we're going to talk to Dean Gains again, and if he smart mouths to me one more time..." She growled starting to walk up the stairs.
Hahn took a deep breath and grasped his chest. Chaz made a face. "What's wrong?"
He smiled and glanced over at him. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm going to have a heart attack whenever she looks at me like that. How in the world to you stand being her partner?"
Chaz shrugged. "I don't know, I guess you just get used to it." He said following Alys up the stairs.
Hahn laughed gently and rubbed his stinging hand. Watching Chaz's blonde head disappear in the darkness, he picked up his knife from the ground and pocketed it. Shaking ice from his hand, he turned to the many broken machines and glass tubes with monsters still in them. His smile faded. Something really strange was going on. Maybe that Hunter woman wasn't too far from the truth. But why would the academy be participating in something illegal? It didn't make any sense! What would they have to gain? Narrowing his eyes slightly, he couldn't help thinking maybe Professor Holt was an unknown pawn in all of this.
"Hahn! Get your lazy ass up here! We need you to gain another audience with the Dean!"
Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he started up the stairway behind the Hunters. "I'm coming!" He cried stumbling.
"Chaz, wake up!"
A loud snore met Alys's glaring face. Crossing her arms tight over her chest, she opened the door to his room. There he was, his lazy ass sprawled out on his small sheetless bed. Yeah, he never made it. Pursing her lips, she stepped cautiously over a pile of unwashed underwear and Hunters uniforms and to the window. She lifted the tattered pale green shade and allowed sunlight to pour in. Groaning, Chaz reached forward and pulled the bedspread over his head. "Oh no you don't!" She cried ripping it from his grasp.
"Geez, Alys...Why are you even in here?" He asked groggily rubbing his eyes. He sat up and slowly opened them. She was tapping her damn foot. Cheeks red, she pointed to the calendar hanging by his door. He squinted. "Huh? What's your deal? What's today?"
"The fifteenth, idiot!" She cried. "Remember? Today you're a full fledged Hunter."
"Oh well that's good." He said yawning and running a tan hand through frazzled blonde hair.
"Is that all you can say? Do you not remember that today is your first assignment?"
He blinked his bright green eyes at her. "Not really..."
"Piata! Piata, Chaz! Remember?! The Dean from the Motavia Academy sent us a letter!"
Suddenly, his face lit up. "Piata? Really? We're really going?"
Alys gave an exasperated sigh and picked up a wrinkled Hunter's jacket from the floor. "Here, fix this up." She said tossing it to him. "Make yourself pretty, alright? We got an impression to make. And for God's sakes..." Her nose wrinkled as she stepped back over the piles of clothes. "Clean this up. You know I hate this place being a mess."
"Yes mother."
"I'm not your damn mother."
"Yes, Alys."
"That's better."
Chaz unraveled the balled up jacket and laid it on the bed in front of him, watching her walk out into the living room. "How the heck am I supposed to make this look good...?" He whispered softly. But, it WAS the town of Piata they were going to. He had always been interested in the Motavia Academy. Why, he didn't know. It wasn't like he got much education here, except for how to kill monsters fast. Sighing, he stood and pulled on the standard black body suit and some pants, trying frantically to straighten out the wrinkles.
"Chaz, you get your lazy ass out here or I'm leaving you!" He heard Alys cry.
He hurriedly threw on his jacket and ran out the door, tying a red band around his head as he went. "Alys! Alys you leave me and you'll regret it!" He cried stumbling.
* * *
"Darn it...where the heck is she...?" Chaz mumbled to himself. He gazed over the slew of Academy students. "You'd think she'd be easy to see with that stupid red jacket on, but with so many students milling around..."
"Hey, idiot! Over here!"
Trying to hide his reddened face from a few giggling girls, he inched over to where Alys was standing. "You know, you didn't have to yell."
"How could you lose me in this? It's not like this place is big or anything."
"Okay, okay, Alys! Let's just go to the Dean and stop talking about it."
Alys smiled broadly and clapped a hand on his back. "Aren't you glad you turned sixteen? I thought it'd never come! Now you get to go everywhere with me, partner!"
He forced a smile. "Oh, yes Alys. I'm ecstatic."
She moved her hand up to strike the back of his head. He winced. "Don't be a smartass." She said frowning. "Now, come on. The Dean's waiting."
"Don't I get to look around?"
She sighed. "You had plenty of time to do that when you lost me."
"But I didn't want to move! What if I was searching for you and you were searching for me at the same time and we never met up and we were lost forever?"
She raised an eyebrow and leaned close to him, gritting her teeth in a most unlady-like fashion. "I swear, you say one more smartass thing and I'll..."
"Excuse me, Are you Alys Bragwin?"
Alys and Chaz both looked up. One of the students stood before them, his large black glasses glinting in the sunlight streaming in the tiny hallway. Alys stood up straight. "Yes." She said importantly. Chaz rolled his eyes.
The student coughed gently. "The Dean wishes to see you, now."
She smiled sweetly and wrapped an arm around Chaz. "Well thank you very much! We'll just get on over to him, right partner?" He nodded slowly. She was really getting a kick out of this "partner" thing.
* * *
The Dean's office was dark. Chaz noticed this because all of the shades were pulled down. Maybe the Dean was going for a mysterious look, he didn't know. Besides the fact that it was almost too damn dark to see anything, the place was sort of interesting, in that principal's office way. Book cases lined every inch of every wall and were filled to the brim with thick important looking books. There wasn't much else in there except for the Dean's desk and two cushy looking maroon lined chairs. Alys took one and Chaz sat casually in the other.
"Ah...I'm so glad you could make it, Miss Bragwin." The Dean said coolly. Alys smiled. He was a middle aged man, nothing too exciting about his appearance; just a white coat like most of the students and short slicked back gray hair.
"Yes, we were happy to come, Mr..."
"Gains. Dean Gains." He said extending a hand. Alys took it and delicately shook it. Boy, she was a riot sometimes. Dean Gains seemed pleased with this and then reached out to Chaz. He toyed with the thought of taking the hand as gently as Alys did, but thought better of it when a picture of her angry face came into his mind. He shook it with a firm grasp. "I don't believe I've heard of you, boy. What's your name?"
"His name is Chaz Ashley." Alys said before Chaz could open his mouth. "As of today he is a full fledged partner of mine."
Dean Gains nodded and settled back into his large leather chair. It groaned when he scooted closer to the desk. Smiling, he leaned his elbows on the top and clasped his hands underneath his chin. "Now, onto business." Alys sat up straighter. "You've heard about the recent outbreak of monsters on Motavia, have you not?"
She nodded. "Yeah, thanks to them, I'm not hurting for work. The Hunters Guild is going crazy with extermination requests."
"Well, Miss Bragwin, that's exactly what I've called you two here to attend to."
"Extermination?" Chaz asked.
"Yes. There have been some sightings of monsters in the lower storage levels of the Academy. I would like you both to take a look at it."
"Alright!" Chaz cried enthusiastically.
Alys glared at him, and then turned back to the Dean. "Forgive me, Dean Gains, but..." She clasped her hands in the same fashion as he. "It's rather odd that monsters would come into the Academy. They usually aren't sighted inside of towns. Do you have any idea how this could have happened?"
The Dean's face went wooden. "How would I know about such things, Miss Bragwin? You shouldn't concern yourself with these rather irrelevant questions, after all, you are here to get rid of them, not find out why they are here."
"But Sir..."
"I said it is irrelevant!" His voice was beginning to take on a shrill tone.
Alys shrugged and stood, motioning for Chaz to do the same. "Understood. Come on Chaz let's go."
"Miss Bragwin." The Dean called when they were only feet from the doorway.
Alys turned. "Yes, Dean Gains?"
He lowered one hand and began to drum it absent mindedly on the desk. It made an annoying hollow sound. "If you don't mind, I'd like to settle this matter...discreetly. I'm counting on your reputation, Alys Bragwin." Chaz made a face. The man pronounced every syllable of her name as if it were sacred or something.
Alys played along and nodded. She loved the attention, and you could tell. "Of course, Sir. We'll take care of it for you. Don't worry about a thing."
"I trust you'll give me no reason to."
* * *
"Geez...he really was weird." Chaz said after they had walked a good ways from his office. Alys stopped and leaned against the sandstone wall, crossing her arms and legs. He turned. "Hey, what's up Alys?"
She shook her head slowly. "I dunno... All this seems a little...strange, don't you think? I mean...monsters don't come into heavily populated areas; they just don't. It's common knowledge."
Chaz shrugged. "Maybe it's some kind of super monster or something."
He shrank back at the stare she gave him. "Chaz, what the hell is wrong with you? 'Super monster'?" She sighed and he blushed. "I mean, really. There's not any super monster here. It's probably just something stupid that someone brought in thinking it was a pet or something interesting to examine. This is an academy after all."
"Alright, so now that that's settled, let's go after them."
Alys nodded slowly. "I guess you're right, Chaz. There's no point in dabbling in things we don't, and probably shouldn't, understand." He watched as her face broke into a smile. "Plus the letter stated we get five hundred meseta for this gig!"
Chaz blinked. "Five hundred? Seriously?! That's great!" He cried eyes wide.
"Yeah. Maybe now we'll be able to get some decent chow."
"Oh, oh, like Motavian steaks? I mean REAL Motavian steaks? Not the vegetarian shit you keep buyin'"
"Language, Chaz."
"Uhh...I mean," He sighed. "Yeah. That 'stuff' you buy."
She smiled. "Yeah, I guess." She nodded and stood straight, raising her arms into the air. "Okay, come on. We have some monsters to slay."
* * *
"They're late. What kind of people would be late to something as important as this...?"
"...Yeah, and we can buy some new bed sheets. Like those neat ones they make in Monsen. Those crazy Motavians are just amazing and...hello, who are you?" Alys stopped short in front of a man blocking the entranceway to the basement.
He sighed and looked at his watch. "Are you the Hunters Dean Gains called on?"
"Yeah, and how is it any of your business?" Her hands went to her hips. Chaz backed up. When Alys got prissy, that's when bad things happened.
The man sighed again and shook his head, his neatly combed brown hair becoming disheveled. Alys started to tap her foot. "I...want to go with you." He said in a much gentler tone than before.
"And why should we let you, Mr..."
"Hahn. My name is Hahn Mahlay." He said with a bit of a smile. "I'm an assistant at this academy."
"That still doesn't tell us why you want to come."
Hahn leaned closer. "Listen Hunter, The Professor I work under, Professor Holt has disappeared. No one knows where he is..."
She nodded. "Alright, I'm sorry your man is gone, but what does that have to do with the monsters residing here?"
He pulled back and glared at her for a second. Chaz sniggered. "You see, Professor Holt was investigating Birth Valley."
"Birth Valley? That place is said to be the location of the birth of all life!" Chaz stopped laughing to whisper excitedly.
Alys shoved him. "Don't pay any attention to the human encyclopedia here. Please, go on."
Hahn nodded. "Well, after his investigation team was reported missing, the Dean cut off any access to Birth Valley. I'm trying to collect any information about it so I can figure out what's going on, but he keeps evading the issue." He took a deep breath and looked away.
"And then the monsters show up."
"Yeah!" He cried. "There has to be a connection!"
Alys leaned back on the wall. "I will admit, the Dean seems a bit fishy to me. He really wanted to keep this thing a secret..."
"I feel like I'm compelled to investigate this situation." Hahn said sharply.
"But can you handle it?" Chaz asked, smiling.
His face fell. "Well...I was going to go by myself, but then I realized it might be a bit dangerous..."
"So you were waiting on us to show up, right?" Alys sneered.
"Using us at bodyguards, eh?" Chaz wasn't any good at being intimidating like his partner.
"Well...uh...yeah, you guys are quick." Hahn stammered.
Alys smiled sweetly and walked close to him. He shrank back a bit when she lifted her finger to his nose. "One hundred meseta and no less. You want Hunters, you gotta pay for it."
"What?"
"We don't work for free, academy boy. Now you pay up or face the monsters by yourself."
"...I can't get that kind of money from the Dean..."
Alys shrugged. "Well, that's not our problem, is it Chaz?"
The blonde Hunter laughed and shrugged too. "Nuh uh!"
"Now what are you going to do, Mr. Mahlay...?"
"Okay, okay, I'll pay..." He mumbled.
Alys's hand moved to his shoulder and squeezed. Hahn winced. "Okay! That's great! Now we're a team!"
He nodded slowly and followed them into the basement.
* * *
Chaz coughed and held his fingerless black gloved hand to his mouth. "Geez, for Christsakes this place is a mess."
"Language."
"Sorry."
Alys laughed. "It's not bad," She said running her finger on a bookcase they passed by. She scowled at the inches of dust collected on her white gloved hand. "Kinda reminds me of your room."
"Shut up, Alys."
Hahn gazed wide-eyed in the darkened cellar, hands fumbling nervously in his lab coat pockets. "Any of you think this is just weird?"
"Weird? Like how?" Chaz asked glancing back at him.
"This doesn't really look like a basement. It's just a lower part of the school." He coughed. "Actually, I think we had classes down here less than a year ago!"
"Well, it sure looks deserted to me." Alys said softly, pushing a chair into place by a desk.
Suddenly, a loud screech filled the basement. Hahn bumped into Chaz. "Wh- wh-what was that...?"
Alys laughed loudly. "Oh, come off it, Mahlay! It was just a monster, and a small one it sounds like."
Hahn scowled at her. "Oh, just a monster. Yeah, that makes me feel better." She shrugged and continued down an even darker hallway leading to another staircase. "And you guys can call me Hahn...if you want..." That boy's green eyes in the darkness were unnerving.
"Okay, Hahn. How about you let go of my arm." Chaz said forcing a smile.
He jumped and released his grip. "Hey...I'm s-sorry, I didn't..."
"Shh!"
Both of them turned to Alys, who was crouching at the top of the staircase. "What's up, Alys?" Chaz asked moving to kneel beside her.
"You hear that?" She asked.
Chaz listened. Scuffling noises could be heard down below. It didn't sound like much, but it proved there was something down there. "Hey, Hahn. Do you know if this is the last level of the basement?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I think it is. Just one room too; used to be the bathroom if I remember correctly."
"Is it operational?"
"How should I know?" He asked hastily. "I mean, this is the first time I've been down here in years!"
"Alright, alright, stop bickering. We were just asking because if it is operational, they'd have a good supply of water." Alys said waving her hand.
Hahn shrugged. "I'm sorry, I just don't know."
Chaz stood. "It's okay. Hey, Alys. How about we just run down there?" He asked unsheathing a short sword from his belt.
Alys shrugged. "Can't hurt."
Hahn stood gaping as they began to go down the stairs. "Are you two crazy? Can't hurt?! It's monsters! With fangs and poison and all that..."
"Come on, Hahn. Follow us and see your money's worth." Alys called from the darkness.
He sighed and began inching his way down, hands in his pockets, fingers closing in on a little steel knife. "I'm going to get out of this and I'm going to get some money and I'm going to get married, and never see a monster or a Hunter again..." He mumbled softly, making sure his boots didn't slip on the dust crusted stairs.
* * *
"Hahn, now that wasn't too bad, was it?" Alys asked holding her hand out for the shaken scholar.
He nodded slowly and took it. "Yeah, I guess I'm just freaking myself out and..."
"Holy shit, Alys, take a look around!" Chaz whispered.
"Language...Cha.." Her pale blue eyes widened. This was no bathroom. Machines and glass tubes littered the entire room. Some we broken, but the ones that weren't held grotesque purplish creatures that resembled freakish brains in them. Behind her, Hahn gagged. Scowling, she turned to him. "You better have an explanation for this, Hahn my boy, because breeding monsters is highly against the..."
"Alys! Check it out!" Chaz cried suddenly.
Hunter and assistant whirled around to see the largest of the glass tubes cracking. The machine under it beeped loudly and the glass began to shatter. Alys covered her face from the flying shards. Out from the wreckage, a large, gurgling green life form slithered out. Alys covered her nose; the stench was overpowering. "Chaz! I'm going to distract it, alright? You and Hahn attack it from behind!"
Chaz nodded and Hahn quit gagging enough to shake his head wildly. "Are you insane?! I can't fight anything!" His dark brown eyes moved to the greenish blob thing inching towards them. Purple veined tentacles flew out from the sides and front of it and grasped some of the other glass tubes, squeezing and causing them to burst.
Alys grasped his coat and pulled him over to where Chaz was standing. "Just shut up and use that knife of yours!" She cried.
"But how do I...? And how did you know I had a knife?"
She smiled at him, and then glanced at Chaz. "Chaz, I want you to help him, alright?"
"Yes m'am!" He cried. She shook her head and started back to the front of the monster. "You be careful, Alys!"
Hahn pulled the knife out of his pocket and turned it over in his hands. "I really don't know what to do..."
"Just stab anywhere that looks good."
He made a face. "That sounds awfully disgusting."
He smiled maliciously "Wait until we kill it. This might be one of those exploding monsters." Chaz laughed loudly when Hahn's face began to take on a greenish hue. "I'm kidding, man! Now, come on! Just wait for Alys's cue and then we strike as much and as hard as we can!"
Hahn swallowed and nodded, holding the knife out in front of him. "Y-yes, I'll try."
"Hey, you! Ugly blob thing!" Alys cried waving her slasher into the air. The monster grunted and turned its beady eyed gaze to her. "Yeah, you." She said smiling. With a quick flick of her wrist, the slasher left her hand and grazed across the monster's front. She caught it as it returned and shook it to get the monster's thick greenish blood off. It roared and then sent a flurry of tentacles shooting after her. With the finesse of a dancer, she wove in-between the bulging lumps of flesh with various flips and dodges, sporting a broad smile the entire time. After a few minutes, she slid to a stop and cupped her hand on the side of her mouth. "Okay, you guys! All of its things or whatever are over here. Now's your chance!" She cried.
"Alright!" Chaz cried leaping into the air. With one quick movement, he plunged the sword deep into the monster's flesh. Squeezing his eyes closed, he moved his head away from the spurt of green that flew from the wound. The monster screamed and reared back, throwing Chaz high in the air. Crying out, he clutched the hilt of his sword for dear life and swung back down. "Hahn! A little help?"
Hahn shook, clutching the knife so hard his hand was starting to cramp. "M- me?"
"Yeah, stupid!" The blonde Hunter screamed, his body flinging side to side as the monster writhed. "Just stab it in the head or something!"
"Why can't you?!" Hahn cried.
"What?! I can't get the sword loose! Hahn!"
Taking a deep breath, Hahn threw aside the knife. "It's now or never..." He whispered gently. Chaz's emerald eyes widened when the tall scholar's hands began to shimmer. A bright blue glow burst from them, illuminating the dark room in a flurry of glass-like glimmering shards. Hahn brought his hands to his chest and closed his eyes, his dark brown hair beginning to waver gently in an unknown wind. "Wat..." He whispered softly. The monster roared again and swung sideways, breaking Chaz's grip on the sword. He flew back and toppled over Alys who was standing, wide-eyed, staring at Hahn with her mouth slightly open. Hahn smiled and with dark eyes shining in the light he created, he swung out his arms, releasing a flurry of bright blue ice shards at the green blob.
"What...is he doing?" Chaz asked watching the ice shards penetrate the monster's skin.
"He did a technique. Who knew Hahn could do something like that..." She found herself smiling. "Usually they only teach that stuff to Hunters and wizards."
Hahn clasped his hands together and the shards expanded and enveloped the monster's entire body. Laughing softly, he brought one hand up and pointed a finger at the icicle. "Bang." It exploded. Alys and Chaz ducked and covered their heads, but Hahn just stood, unscathed, the ice whipping past him.
"Hahn Mahlay!" Alys cried jumping up. She ran to him, a glare on her now dust covered face. "What the hell was that? Scholars aren't supposed to know techniques."
He smiled. "Well, I told you I was part of Professor Holt's research team. If you knew that guy, you'd realize he has no regard for danger at all. He'll lead anyone anywhere, even if it's the most insane suicide mission ever!"
"Still..." She wheezed. "You better explain about this. I can't believe you guys would be breeding monsters down here and..."
"Hey, whoa! No way! I have nothing to do with this!" Hahn cried, waving his arms. "I told you I haven't been here in years!"
Chaz walked to the remains of the monster and picked his sword up from the ground. Only the hilt was left. "Damn it...and it was new too..."
"I'll buy you another sword, Chaz, just..." Alys said pulling ice from her hair.
"Did I do good, Alys?" He asked eyes wide.
She shrugged. "I guess. You're swing is too slow though, and you missed a vital puncture point."
"Jesus, Alys! I did the best I could!" Chaz cried cheeks reddening.
"Language." She said automatically. "Anyways," She turned to Hahn and threw a rather large piece of ice to the ground. It shattered on contact. "So you say you have nothing to do with this."
"Nothing." He said shaking his head.
"Fine. Come on, Chaz, we're going to talk to Dean Gains again, and if he smart mouths to me one more time..." She growled starting to walk up the stairs.
Hahn took a deep breath and grasped his chest. Chaz made a face. "What's wrong?"
He smiled and glanced over at him. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm going to have a heart attack whenever she looks at me like that. How in the world to you stand being her partner?"
Chaz shrugged. "I don't know, I guess you just get used to it." He said following Alys up the stairs.
Hahn laughed gently and rubbed his stinging hand. Watching Chaz's blonde head disappear in the darkness, he picked up his knife from the ground and pocketed it. Shaking ice from his hand, he turned to the many broken machines and glass tubes with monsters still in them. His smile faded. Something really strange was going on. Maybe that Hunter woman wasn't too far from the truth. But why would the academy be participating in something illegal? It didn't make any sense! What would they have to gain? Narrowing his eyes slightly, he couldn't help thinking maybe Professor Holt was an unknown pawn in all of this.
"Hahn! Get your lazy ass up here! We need you to gain another audience with the Dean!"
Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he started up the stairway behind the Hunters. "I'm coming!" He cried stumbling.
