Blood-Archive

by mgman

Kivotos is ravaged, the student council stripped of its power and unable to intervene, Students left without any kind of guidance or direction, truly it is hopeless. But soon everything will change, a hunter, somebody who knows only bloodshed and carnage will be tasked with leading those who lack direction.

5. Ailing Abydos: part ll

Hello everyone.

Here it is, Chapter 4 of Blood Archive, as promised.

In fact, I was actually kind of surprised that I managed to get it done today, especially considering the fact that I've been a bit under the weather recently, considering that I usually get sick a lot this time of year.

Anyway I won't bore you with stuff about me, so without any further ado I present to you Chapter 4 of Blood Archive.

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"Jeez Sensei. Why didn't you wake me up when things were getting good!? A certain little AI exclaimed disapprovingly.

The Hunter, holding the tablet at arm's length so he could see her, chuckled quietly to himself much to the disapproval of Arona, Who pouted noticeably at the hunter clearly finding her behaviour comedic and funny.

"Well, you seemed to be sleeping peacefully so I didn't want to disturb you" Putting the tablet back into his overcoat pocket for a moment, the hunter quickly readjusted the massive duffle bag that was on his back.

While the ammunition he had brought with him yesterday had been more than enough to keep the girls supplied for quite a while. He ultimately decided that spoiling them would be acceptable just this once, considering that they had been without support for so long. Also from a practical standpoint he had learnt through trial and error in his past that you could never have enough supplies.

Arona quickly interrupted the hunter's thoughts, causing him to momentarily shake his head as he focused his mind back on the here and how. "Sensei, I know you wanted to help the students by bringing them useful things... but are you absolutely sure it was necessary to completely clear out pretty much the entirety of the club's lunchroom ?"

Quickly retrieving the tablet from his pocket once again, the hunter stared at Arona, who looked at him for a second before directing her gaze to the massive bag that was slung over his shoulders.

Turning his head slightly so he could look at it, the hunter quickly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not, it's better than the food going to waste" Adjusting the bag once again, the hunter continued to walk in silence, the Abydos front gate becoming visible over the sand dunes in front of him.

"Well, sensei... What exactly are you going to eat then?" Arona quickly asked, a slightly concerned look making itself apparent on her face.

Stopping mid-step, the hunter looked at his little AI companion, unsure what to say for a moment. Other than being charitable and not wanting to see food go to waste, the main reason why he was getting rid of it was because he simply would never need it. Even before his ascension, and during his time as a hunter, he needed very little in the form of nourishment to keep himself going. And becoming something more than human basically eliminated the need for food entirely. In fact, he only ate and drank these days mostly out of habit, and because the sensation and taste of eating food was still pleasurable to him.

"There is no need to worry about your little head, Arona. I made sure to leave a few essential items for myself" It was a complete and utter blatant lie, one that made him mentally apologise to his little AI assistant. But ultimately it was for the best, considering that she would most likely start to ask too many questions about the fact that he never seemed to eat or drink. After all, his true nature as something more than human was something he wanted to keep himself.

Arona didn't look entirely convinced by his words, a very sceptical expression making itself known on her face, but ultimately she shrugged her shoulders. As long as there was enough food to keep sensei going then that's all she really cared about, but still, casting her gaze to the duffle bag that was still slung over his shoulders, she couldn't help but find his sudden donation of all the food was a bit strange.

"OK Sensei... But remember! Eating plenty is essential for a teacher to go about his duties!" Arona put a hand on her hip as she waved a pointed finger back and forth, in a manner almost similar to a mother disciplining her child for not eating their vegetables.

Letting out a quiet chuckle, the hunter quickly nodded his head in agreement, while he couldn't keep the promise of having a regular diet considering he didn't need the food, he would at least placate Arona to keep her happy. Besides, a bit of extra food here or there wouldn't upset his stomach, especially considering a lot of the food in this world was strange and new to him, and he was more than willing to try these new and exotic food items.

"Alright Arona, in that case I need to eat plenty to fulfil my duties as a teacher" The hunter replied with a slightly playful tone to his voice, as he quickly placed the tablet back into his overcoat considering that he was almost at the school front gate.

While Arona would be awake this time, she had expressed to the Hunter that she wanted to keep her existence mostly secret, because while advanced artificial intelligence was not entirely unheard of in kivotos. An AI of her sophistication would certainly be a shock to most, as well as cause problems considering that many would like to study her as if she was some kind of lab rat.

The hunter had of course agreed on the spot that he would not reveal her existence, after all it mirrored his own predicament with his true Nature, which he'd prefer to keep hidden mostly, because if the students knew exactly what he truly was then it would be very hard for them to trust him.

Although, as the hunter approached the front gate, he couldn't help but chuckled to himself at the incredibly comedic mental image of him in his true form, standing in front of a full classroom of shocked and disturbed students while teaching as if nothing was wrong.

"While comedic, I don't think my students would appreciate that" The hunter spoke quietly to himself, letting out a few more chuckles as he finally made it to his destination. However, as he approached the open abydos school gate, he quickly noticed that he was not alone, as somebody was standing in front of the school gate, shotgun slung over her shoulder, as she let out a very tired-sounding yawn.

'I never took Hoshino as an early riser' As that thought went through the hunters mind, he observed Hoshino become aware of his presence, turning to look at him with a clearly distrustful and Incredibly critical gaze before she let out another yawn, not needing to fake the tired and sleepy act this time. Because as the hunter drew closer, he could see the tell-tale dark bags under her eyes, which combined with the rigidness in her body was more than enough to tell him that she had been awake for hours, most likely standing in the exact same spot.

"Uheee~ Fancy seeing you around so early, Sensei" Hoshino followed up her words by letting out another yawn, the hunter for his part didn't immediately respond coming to stop no more than an arm's length away from the young girl as she finished yawning and looked at him again this time straight in the eyes.

She did very well to hide it, in fact even he if he wasn't actively looking for it, he probably would have missed it, but it was as clear as day to him. Distrust, suspicion and hostility, all of it was visible in her gaze, and it made the Hunter contemplate what exactly it happened in Hoshino past to make her such a distrustful person of adults.

Quickly shaking his head, the hunter cleared his mind as he quickly responded to Hoshino. "Well good morning to you Hoshino, I could also see the same thing about you, I was not expecting any students to have arrived yet" Observing her reaction, the hunter saw the slight tension in her body and the glint in her eyes, clearly she thought that he was up to no good arriving so early before the other students.

However, after a moment of scrutinising him closely, eventually, the pink-haired girl let out a sigh, the absolutely drained and tired looking in her eyes now becoming even more apparent and almost completely overpowering her distrust for him.

"As the vice club president of the foreclosure task force, it's my duty to always arrive on time before everyone else, and after all an ojisan such as myself needs to make sure that everything is in order for the juniors under my care" Hoshino said with a slightly forced smile, loosening the grip on her shotgun which was still slung over her shoulder as she let out another very tired sounding yawn.

"I see, that's quite commendable of you, Hoshino. I can also certainly understand, because after all as a teacher I must look after all students under my care" the hunter readjusted the duffle bag slung over his shoulder as he spoke. Even though Hoshino's face remained the same, he could see the substantial distrust and suspicion in her gaze return.

However, as she opened her mouth to respond, the hunter interrupted her, holding up his free hand as he spoke instead." Hoshino... I am not sure of your motives, but there is no need to be distrustful of me... My intentions are pure and just" The hunter began to walk as he spoke, crossing the gate threshold and entering the school grounds, leaving Hoshino still standing in her position at the gate as if she was a solitary guard protecting the long deserted school grounds from unknown threats.

Yet as the Hunter gently pushed open the main school doors allowing him to step inside, he failed to notice Hoshino turned to look at him, the tiredness on her face being replaced by complete and utter distrust and maybe even just a little bit of anger.

"I wish I could take you out your word Sensei... But I learnt a long time ago to never to fully trust an adult" Hoshino continue to stare at the door that the hunter had gone through, her two-toned eyes narrowing sharply as she tightened her grip on her shotgun

…

Ayane was the first to enter the school grounds, letting out a substantial yawn as she readjusted the school bag which was slung over her shoulder. While she had long since grown accustomed to the searing heat of the surrounding desert, she was thankful that today seemed like it was going to be a slightly more mild one in terms of overall heat.

Yet as she entered the school proper, quickly navigating towards the foreclosure task force clubroom, she couldn't help but feel just a small amount of worry beginning to build in her chest. While Sensei had promised that he would return, and she desperately wanted to believe him, some small part of herself still didn't fully accept it, not because of any fault of sensei himself but simply because it felt almost too good to be true.

Giving out a sigh, Ayane already begun to subconsciously prepare herself to be let down and as she finally made it to the clubroom, she paused for a moment as she reached for the door handle.

Almost every part of her being was praying that sensei they would be on the other side of that door, but the longer she stood there in the halfway, the more the feeling of dread and doubt began to creep into her heart, a slightly bitter and sad expression making its way onto her face. In fact, quickly bringing a hand up to her face and pushing her glasses to the side, she rubbed away a few tears that were beginning to begin to appear.

"Get a hold of yourself! Ayane, you're not a kid any more" Ayane said aloud to herself, quickly shaking her head as her voice echoed off the walls of the eerily quiet hallway around her.

Taking a quiet but calming breath, Ayane finally grab the door handle and without any hesitation pulled open the clubroom door gently, not even bothering to look inside as she stepped into the room before quickly timing around and shutting the door behind her, she.

Yet as she mentally prepared herself to be let down, by sensei not showing up, she suddenly heard a familiar voice that made her entire body go as stiff as a statue.

"Ah, Ayane. A good morning to you" Ayane hesitated turning around for a moment, fearing, that it was nothing more than her hopeful imagination playing tricks on her.

Yet finally after mentally psyching herself up, she finally turned around only to see a scene that shouldn't have been surprising to her considering that sensei said he would keep his word, but it's still nonetheless completely stupefying her, making her almost dropped her school bag.

The hunter looked at the young girl before him with a bit of puzzlement on his face, her expression was one of complete and utter disbelief. However, after a moment, it finally occurred to the Hunter what exactly had made her seem so shocked.

Letting out a quiet sigh, the hunter quickly walked over to Ayane, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing her to momentarily break from her stupor and look directly into his eyes.

"See, Ayane I told you I would return. After all a teacher like myself always keeps his word" The hunter accompanied his comments by putting a bright smile on his face, which had the desired effect almost immediately, as Ayane went from looking completely stupefied and flabbergasted to noticeably calming down and immediately accepting that the hunter was in fact real and here.

Happy with his actions, the hunter quickly turned away from the glasses wearing student, instead returning his attention to what he was doing before she entered, which was none other than unloading the preposterously large duffle bag of all of its supplies.

Ayane, curious about what the hunter was doing, quickly walked over to the main clubroom desk, only to have her eyes practically fall out of their sockets when she saw the gigantic pile of ammunition and supplies piled up on the desk.

While on the one hand she felt somewhat aggravated by the sheer messiness of the pile, that was quickly overwhelmed by her sheer shock because while the pile was not as big as the one from yesterday, it was still a truly ridiculous amount of ammunition as well as what she could see was food and other various items piled up with it.

"S-Sensei! Is this R-really all for us!" Ayane suddenly blurted out, completely forgetting about her school bag, which slipped from her shoulder and landed on the floor with a soft thump and rattle.

Turning his head slightly to look at her, the hunter smiled with a slightly wolfish grin, while the amount of ammunition he had brought with him today was nowhere near as substantial as yesterday. He had a strong suspicion that this would be the reaction that he received, considering that the amount of ammunition he had brought with him today was still substantial and more than enough for what the abydos students would be needing.

"Why yes it is, Ayane. While I brought a lot of ammunition with me yesterday, I decided that a few more boxers couldn't hurt" The hunter said as he turned to the glasses wearing student, using one of his hands to gesture to the pile of ammunition, as well as the other supplies which Ayane only just now noticed.

Looking between the pile of assorted items and the Hunter, Ayane wasn't quite sure what to say at first before she eventually found her voice. "Sensei... Why did you bring food with you?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to sound like she was questioning his generosity.

The hunter didn't immediately respond, looking at Ayane a slightly questioning gaze before he eventually responded to her question.

"Well, I brought these food items with me, because while ammunition for your weapons is definitely important, I can't have my students going hungry while trying to defend their school against bandits, can I?" The hunter watched with anticipation for Ayane's reaction, her face taking on a slightly uncertain expression before she let out a sigh.

"T-that's really kind of you, Sensei... But we don't usually eat here at school, we tend to bring our own food with us" Ayane quickly retrieved her bag from the floor, placing it on the table and then reaching inside.

"See?" Quickly pulling her lunch box out, Ayane held it up to the Hunter so he can inspect it, which he did as he bent over slightly while silently observing the lunch box.

"I see... How foolish of me" The hunter said. Ayane immediately assumed the worst, fearing that she had offended The Hunter.

"I-it's not a problem, Sensei! I'm sure we can put this food to good use... P-please don't be mad" quickly giving an apologetic bow as she spoke, Ayane quickly closed her eyes, fearing that she had just offended sensei and making it so that he would refuse to help them going forward.

Despite being momentarily caught off guard by her actions, the hunter quickly reached out a hand, placing it on the young girl shoulder as he encouraged her to stand back up, making her open her eyes in the process.

"Why would I be mad at you Ayane, me bring all of this food with me was based on my own incorrect assumptions" The hunter couldn't help but feel a slight aching in his heart seeing the incredibly worried expression on the girl's face.

It stirred something deep within him, something that went beyond his human nature, Ayane may have not been his child in the biological sense, in fact it may have been quite inappropriate to even consider her to be such a thing while having only known her for a short while.

But when he saw the sad and frightened expression on her face, it awakened his deep parental Instincts, ones that he knew came about because of his true nature as something beyond human.

Ayane looked into Sensei's eyes, she expected to see disappointment and even anger as a result of her brushing off his generosity. But she didn't, instead she saw what looked to be genuine compassion and kindness, it confused her but at the same time it immediately soothed her worry and dread, the Hunter taking his hand off her shoulder after a moment.

"Now, there is no need for you to be upset or sad Ayane, I'm sure even if you and your friends do not need all of this food we can put it to good use somewhere... Perhaps we could even give it out to the less fortunate" The hunter said with a slightly thoughtful expression on his face, trying to think of a possible way that all of this food could be put to use if the students themselves did not need it.

Ayane was momentarily taken aback by the suggestion before a pleasant smile made its way onto her face. If she wasn't convinced before now, she truly was that the hunter was a genuinely generous person, considering that he was willing to give this food away to people less fortunate than themselves.

"That sounds wonderful sensei, I think I might know some places where-" Ayane didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as the classroom doors quickly opened up behind her, causing both her and the hunter to turn to look who had opened it.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Nonomi, a school bag slung over her shoulder and her minigun under her other arm. Her eyes immediately brightened up when she saw who was in the classroom. While, she had expected Ayane to already be there ahead of her, considering that her glasses wearing friend often arrived to school the earliest out of everyone.

She hadn't been expecting to see sensei there as well, in fact despite being the most optimistic out of everyone, she had been expecting the hunter not to show up at least until sometime later in the day considering that he was most likely very busy.

"Oh~ Good morning, Sensei!" Nonomi set with a noticeably cheerful tone as she walked into the room, using her foot to shut the door behind her, as she quickly made her way over to the large table in the centre of the room. Putting both her bag and her minigun down on the table, before turning to her classmate and the Hunter.

"A good morning to you as well, Nonomi" the hunter accompanied his words by giving a short bow, which was quickly reciprocated by the sandy haired girl who giggled loudly as she bowed back to the Hunter.

Ayane watch the interaction with a smile, letting out a giggle. Nonomi had always been the happiest and go lucky member of the task force, and while sometimes her overly positive attitude could be a bit overbearing, seeing her well-endowed upper classmate so happy certainly made her feel happy as well.

"Oh Wow! You brought us more goodies today, Sensei?" Nonomi quickly straightened herself from her bow, turning her gaze over to the large pile of ammunition and other items piled in the centre of the main clubroom table.

The hunter quickly straightened himself as well, pulling at the decorative ruffle on the front of his shirt to make sure it was presentable before he spoke. "Why yes I did Nonomi, I brought with me more ammunition as well as food items, I thought that you girls could use them more than I, but I learnt from Ayane that you girls tend to bring your own food from home instead of eating on campus"

Nonomi looked between the good Hunter and Ayane, a slightly mischievous expression making its way onto her face as she quickly spoke with mock anger. "Ayane! How could you! Being so mean to sensei, especially after he spent all morning bringing all of this stuff here out of the goodness of his own heart" Nonomi quickly began to make fake sniffling noises rubbing her eyes to get rid of non-existent tears as the hunter let out an audible chuckle at her teasing attitude.

Ayane however didn't look pleased whatsoever, the smile disappearing from her face as it was replaced with a look of mild irritation.

Seeing her younger classmate's reaction, Nonomi let out a loud laugh which was quickly accompanied by the Hunter who let out his own laugh. The pout and slightly annoyed look on Ayane's increase noticeably as a result, yet she herself couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto her face.

Even though the problems with the school were nowhere near to being dealt with, she still felt a tremendous weight lifted from her shoulders for just a singular moment, because right now it felt like she was just a normal school girl being teased by her classmates and teacher, instead of somebody who had the entirety of Abydos's future rusting on her shoulders.

"Now then, we have had our fun, but why don't you two girls help me put all of this away" The Hunter gestured to the massive pile of ammunition and other supplies in the centre of the table. "After all, a presentable classroom is always important, especially when it comes to boosting morale" Both girls looked at him for a moment.

Nonomi's smile growing wider as she quickly skipped over to the good Hunter, more than happy to help him. Ayane on the other hand still looked somewhat miffed, but eventually she let out a sigh. A small smile making its way onto her face, quickly joining the hunter and Nonomi as the three got to work organising and storing all the ammunition and other supplies that the hunter had brought with him.

This task, however, didn't take as long as the Hunter had initially expected it to. Nonomi while incredibly laid back and easy going, was by no means a lazy person, in fact as the hunter observed her work, he couldn't stop himself from commending her for her work ethic.

Ayane was also just as dedicated, in fact, the hunter easily noticed that she pushed herself beyond her own limits on occasion to try and keep up with her classmate. Yet, where the glasses wearing girl's strength truly lied was her ability to direct and coordinate those around her.

While he had only seen a brief glimpse of it in the battle for the school grounds yesterday, seeing it on full display in a less serious situation made the hunter commend her as well. Causing the pointy-eared girl to become embarrassed at his flattery, which only served to make Nonomi chuckle quietly to herself as she and the hunter finished by putting away the last few boxes of ammunition.

"All done, and not a moment too soon I suppose" The Hunter said as he somewhat exaggeratedly clapped his hands together in a satisfied manner. Which was quickly accompanied by the doors to the clubroom opening up and revealing both Serika and Shiroko, who immediately stopped the idle chit-chat between each other when they saw who was present in the classroom.

*Nn* "It's good to see you, Sensei" Shiroko quickly made her way over to the Hunter, completely disregarding her school bag which she tossed onto the table as she came to a stop directly in front of the Hunter, looking up into his eyes with a mostly blank expression, yet the hunter could easily see happiness in her gaze.

Chuckling quietly, the hunter quickly padded the wolf girl on the head, much to her pleasure as he turned his attention to Serika, who was still standing in the doorway to the clubroom, a noticeably aggrieved expression on her face.

Yet after a moment she abruptly crossed the clubroom threshold, shutting the door behind her with her foot before, making her way over to the opposite end of the clubroom and planting herself down in one of the many vacant seats, crossing her arms over her chest and irritated manner, turning her head so she didn't have to look at the Hunter.

Continuing to somewhat absent-mindedly pat Shiroko's head, the hunter felt slightly dejected by the blackhead cat girl's continued hostility to him, he still wasn't sure exactly why she seemingly had such a distaste for him. In fact, turning to look at Serika, who had quickly got out her phone and was tapping away at it, the hunter began to think that maybe there was something more to why she was so hostile towards him.

However, the hunter decided to put that to the back of his mind for the moment as he quickly removed his hand from Shiroko's head, speedily turning his attention to Ayane who herself after looking at Serika for a moment, clearly not pleased with her behaviour, let out a quiet displeased sigh before turning to look at the Hunter.

Yet before she could open her mouth to apologise for the behaviour of Serika, the hunter held up one hand, gently swaying his head as he spoke. "There is no need to make an apology, Ayane" The hunter accompanied his words by turning to briefly look at Serika one more time before he quickly shifted his attention away from her and sat himself down in one of the many empty chairs that surrounded the main clubroom table.

Quickly smiling at sensei, Ayane straightened her glasses as she turned her gaze to the clock that hung above the clubroom's double doors. 'It looks like Hoshino is going to be late again' Ayane accompanied this thought by letting out a noticeable groan.

While Hoshino never missed the day of class, in fact, her attendance records since her junior year had been almost flawless. It didn't change the fact that her upper classmen almost without question arrived late to early morning class.

"I would have liked Hoshino to be here, I suppose we're going to have to do this without her" letting out an audible sigh, Ayane quickly straightened her back as she walked to the front of the clubrooms table, motioning for both Nonomi and Shiroko who quickly took their seats at the table.

"We've already introduced ourselves to you, Sensei. So I won't bother with any personal introductions... We're the Abydos foreclosure task force" Ayane pause for a moment, accumulating her thoughts as she then continued speaking. Our mission, as the Foreclosure Task Force. Is to bring Abydos back to its former glory no matter the costs"

After letting the silence hang in the air for a moment, Nonomi quickly followed up what Ayane had to just said. "We're the only club in the school where every student is a member!... I mean, we're the only five students at this school, but still..."

The hunter raised an eyebrow, it was only now after hearing what Nonomi had just said that he realised, that during his relatively limited exposure to the school of Abydos. He had only seen five students, all of which he was already acquainted with.

"Why is that exactly" The hunter suddenly said, catching Nonomi completely off guard with his response.

Ayane and Nonomi both quickly looked at each other, the two of them slightly perplexed on how to answer his seemingly random question, however that's when it clicked for them, with what exactly what he was referring to. Yet before either one of them could speak, Shiroko quickly beat them to it.

"All of the other students either transferred or dropped out and left town..." Shiroko pointed grey ears noticeably drooped as she spoke, a slightly forlorn expression making itself at home on her usually blank face.

"I see, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for you to keep the school completely with just five students" The hunter said as he offered his sympathy, while he couldn't begin to fully understand the predicament they had found themselves in. he could at least sympathise with them.

Shiroko's slightly sad expression didn't leave her face as she let out a noticeably frustrated sigh.

"I don't blame all of the other students for leaving entirely, with the state that Abydos is in. if I was in their situation, I probably would have done the same..." Shiroko pause for a moment, the sad expression on her face quickly being replaced by a slightly angry one.

"But still, seeing just how far our school has fallen is embarrassing if I'm being entirely honest, and... It makes me angry" Shiroko finished her words by clenching her gloved hand tightly, the agitated looking of her eyes increasing momentarily before she suddenly closed them, letting out a sigh as she tried to calm herself.

Ayane looked at Shiroko, a noticeably concerned expression on her face as she watched just how angry her wolf eared friend had become. However, before she could say anything, the hunter quickly spoke instead.

"Your anger is understandable, Shiroko. Seeing something that you care deeply about suffer despite your best efforts is distressing to most" The hunter quickly stood up from his chair and moved over to Shiroko, placing a hand on her shoulder as he continued speaking. "Instead of letting those negative emotions affect your mind, you should harness those feelings in order to use them to fuel your determination and motivation" Giving her shoulder a quick squeeze, which made Shiroko look up at him with a slightly confused expression that quickly turned into a determined and happy one.

Yet before anyone could say anything, the sound of the clubrooms doors opening quickly caught all of their attention, making them all turn to look.

*Yawn* "Morning everyone" Standing in the doorway was none other than Hoshino, covering her mouth with one of her hands as she let out a big yawn, while the other was holding the Iron Horus by its carry strap, her shotgun was slang over her shoulder by the sling.

Ayane didn't say anything in response, crossing her arms as she turned to her upper classmate. Tapping her foot incessantly while gesturing to the clock above the door with a nod of her head.

Hoshino after finishing her yawn and stretching slightly, quickly crossed the threshold turning her head upwards to look at the clock as a look of mock shock quickly crossed her face.

"Uhe! Am I really that late?" Hoshino quickly accompanied her words by placing a hand over her mouth, pretending to be shocked at how late she was. Yet the tell-tale twitch at the corners of her lips indicated that she was trying hard not to laugh.

Not appreciating this, Ayane's frustrated expression quickly turned into a full on angry one as she tapped her foot against the floor even harder, to the point where it almost sounded like low calibre gunfire going off in the classroom.

Yet instead of chastising her classmate, eventually Ayane let out a noticeably exasperated sigh. She already knew that Hoshino would be late like she was every morning, but still it didn't change the fact that whenever she was, it made her incredibly frustrated especially considering that as a third year student Hoshino was supposed to set a good example for her as well as her classmates.

"Hoshino, please just sit down" Was all that Ayane said, quickly moving her glasses up as she pinched the bridge of her nose and frustration.

Hoshino for her part simply smirked as she quickly made her way over to the table, quickly placing the Iron Horus along with her shotgun in one of the many weapons racks dotted around the classroom, before setting herself down in one of the many empty chairs. Her eyes almost immediately closing as she rested her head on the desk, yet considering that her Halo didn't disappear meant that she wasn't actually asleep

"Now where was I... Oh! Yes! I wanted to say again, thank you sensei. If you hadn't come to help us, we would have been in real trouble this time around" Ayane quickly bowed, while it did feel a bit needless to thank him like this again, it didn't change the fact that she was extremely grateful, her and her friends would have been in serious trouble without him.

Hoshino quickly lifted her head up from the table, letting out a noticeably exaggerated yawn as she quickly spoke. "Ayane is right, if it wasn't for Sensei showing up when he did, then we would have really been up a creek without a paddle"

The hunter could feel Hoshino's slightly critical gaze land on him for just a moment, her dual coloured eyes holding both suspicion and concern. Yet, The Hunter decided that he wouldn't focus on Hoshino's distrust of him for the moment.

"Like I have already said, your thanks are welcome but unnecessary Ayane, if I did not look after all the students under my care then what kind of teacher would that make me?" the hunter accompanied his words by gesturing with his hand for Ayane to rise which after looking at him for just a moment she quickly did, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face.

"Now then, why don't you all tell me what exactly is the issue that plagues your school" The hunter didn't expect an immediate reaction, which is exactly what happened as all of the students looked around at each other, clearly unsure how to proceed and answer his question.

Yet eventually Ayane step forward, a noticeable amount of hesitancy in her face as she opened her mouth to speak. "Well... You see Sensei... Our school is..."

Ayane didn't get a chance to finish, as Hoshino quickly spoke up, a look of realisation replacing her usual sleepy expression as she stood up from her chair.

"Before we get to that, Ayane, I have something I'd like to say!" Hoshino quickly walked over to where Ayane was standing, so that all the students and sensei could see her.

Clearing her throat, Hoshino began to speak. "While we beat the absolute snot out of the helmet gang yesterday, I don't think that that's going to be the last we see of them. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it's only a matter of time before they come back" Hoshino quickly finished her words by letting out a loud yawn, completely destroying any kind of serious mood she was going for.

The hunter didn't say anything immediately, simply choosing to rub his chin in deep thought. Hoshino was most definitely correct with her assertion, while they had dealt a serious blow to the gang, physically and mentally, the Hunter knew even before the battle had ended, that it wouldn't be the last time that he or the other students would see them.

"Hoshino is right, it's only a matter of time before they come back and cause more trouble" Shiroko said with a slightly displeased expression on her face, while she was more than happy to teach the Gang another lesson if they came back again. It didn't change the fact that there were more important things that she and her friends could be focusing on rather than dealing with a bunch of low life delinquents looking to cause trouble.

"Ha, let them come back, I'll be more than happy to I'll be more than happy to knock them into the dirt like last time!" Serika opened her mouth for the first time since entering the clubroom, the other students and the hunter turning to look at her as they saw the clearly angry expression on her face, her rifle already resting in her lap just waiting to be used.

"I'm with Serika on this one" Shiroko quickly retrieved her own rifle, holding it up and releasing the cocking mechanism which let out a satisfying click. "If they want to come and cause more trouble, then I will gladly teach them a lesson"

The hunter nodded in agreement with both girls, admiring both of their determination to protect their clearly daily beloved School. Although despite the fact that he was more than willing to help in the likely prospect of the gang coming back to attack again, it didn't change the fact that some kind of permanent solution needed to be thought of in regard to the gang.

"Instead of waiting for them to attack, we need to think of some way to drive the gang off so they don't attack again" The hunter said abruptly, catching all the students off guard as they all turned to look at him. While the idea of actually going on the offensive when it came to the helmet gang had been briefly considered many times in the past, it was something that none of them had put any real serious thought into, simply because they never had enough supplies at their disposal to justify such an operation outside of school grounds.

"Everyone!" Hoshino raised her voice slightly, just enough to get everyone's attention without resorting to outright shouting. And satisfied, that now everyone was looking at her, she continued.

"I have a plan" The hunter was slightly intrigued by her words, curious to hear what kind of plan she had come up with.

The rest of the students though had one singular reaction, complete and utter shock at the fact that Hoshino of all people had a plan, considering that she usually spent most of her time lounging around doing relatively little.

"What the...?! Hoshino came up with a plan?!" Serika was the first to react, genuine shock on her face because as long as she had known Hoshino, she had done basically nothing, choosing to simply lounge around all day.

Hoshino for her part simply let out a little laugh, a slightly embarrassed look on her face because even though she didn't like to openly admit it, she did spend a lot of her time during the day snoozing when there were lots of things that could have been done. Still, she made up for it when it came to being active at night however, but her classmates didn't need to know about that now.

"I'm surprised too!" Ayane felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, an almost relieved expression making its way onto her face at the fact that Hoshino after all the time that she had known her finally suggested something in the morning club meeting.

"Hey, I know I'm not the best, but those kinds of responses hurt my feelings, I do my part too, you know" Hoshino said with mock offence, putting on a deliberately exaggerated hurt expression on her face as well as pretending to cry. Her actions were enough to get a laugh out of Nonomi, and even a quiet chuckle out of the Hunter.

"Well? Come on, spill it before I turn old and grey" Serika accompanied her clearly irritated words by incessantly tapping her foot on under the table, crossing her arms over her chest as one of her cat ears twitched noticeably.

Hoshino waited for a moment, making certain that everyone was looking at her before speaking. "If history repeats itself, the helmet gang will attack again in a few days" Hoshino pause for a moment making sure everyone was following along with her before continuing. "So before then, why don't we go on the offensive for a change. They're probably sulking and vulnerable after that last fight"

Hoshino finished her words by quickly walking over to a weapons rack, and retrieving her Shield and shotgun. Racking the bolt on her beloved weapon to indicate that they should do it now as well as to chamber a fresh round

"Y-You mean right now?" Ayane said with a clearly shocked expression, while she wasn't necessarily against the idea, after all the delinquents wouldn't be expecting a counter-attack. She wasn't entirely sure about the feasibility of the proposal, especially considering that they only had a vague idea of where delinquents were actually based.

"Yeah, we should do it now. With all of the supplies that Sensei brought us, we will have more than enough to finish the job once and for all" Hoshino rested her shotgun over her shoulder, holding it by the butt stock as she looked around at her classmates.

Serika, Shiroko and Nonomi looked between each other for a few moments before all nodding in agreement, while revenge was certainly not a good thing to do, it didn't change the fact that they were all more than willing to hit back at the helmet gang and finally drive them off for good.

*Nn* "The helmet gang's base is only 30 kilometres away from here, we have plenty of time if we leave now" Shiroko said as she retrieved her own rifle, somewhat expressionless face taking on a very slight excited look. She was looking forward to teaching the delinquents another lesson and potentially driving them out of abydos for good.

Nonomi quickly retrieved her beloved mini gun from the table, the table noticeably flexing and creaking back into its original shape, as a result of its frame being liberated of the minigun's weight.

"I'm all for it as well. The last thing that those troublemakers are going to be expecting is for us to attack now" Nonomi accompanied her words with a small giggle, cradling her minigun and even gently stroking it as if it was her child.

Ayane looked at the rest of her classmates, a slightly dismayed expression on her face as she let out a noticeably exasperated sigh. Sometimes she felt like she was the only sane person in the entirety of the foreclosure task force.

On the one hand she wanted to say yes to the plan, simply because it would hopefully get the helmet gang out of their collective hair permanently, but the reason why she was so hesitant was because the plan could easily go sideways, especially if the helmet gang were expecting some kind of counter-attack.

Letting out another sigh, Ayane turn to The Hunter, wanting his opinion on the matter, after all his opinion mattered the most considering that he was the only adult present.

"What do you think, Sensei?" Ayane asked, her as well as the other students all waiting patiently for his answer.

the hunter didn't immediately respond, looking at Ayane for a moment before turning his gaze to look at the other students, all of them except for Serika, who simply turned her head while letting a quiet but noticeable annoyed huff.

But it didn't take him too long to come to his decision as he finally responded to Ayane, standing up from his seat, much of the confusion of the students as he spoke. "I think we should follow through with it Ayane, after all, the sooner we get these delinquents out of your girl's hair the quicker we can get down to the real problems that plague your school" The hunter couldn't help but smile when he saw the expressions the girls faces, the look of excitement that was shared between Nonomi, Shiroko and Hoshino certainly warmed his heart slightly.

"Great! If Sensei is giving us the green light, then let's hurry up and go" Hoshino said with noticeable excitement, the hunter finding it somewhat surprising by just how excited and seemingly energetic she was now.

The hunter smiled at Hoshino, while he's still wasn't exactly sure if he could be considered to be on friendly terms with her, it was actually a pleasant change to see her happy and excited for once, especially considering how she had been with him up until this point.

Shiroko quickly walked over to the Hunter, looking up at him with expecting excitement as she held her rifle close. "Sensei, let's strike while the iron is hot" She said, her eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.

The Hunter smiled at her, chuckling quietly is he quickly rubbed her head before turning to the other girls in the classroom, all of them with the exception of Ayane already having retrieved their weapon and reading them for the battle to come.

Ayane let out a quiet sigh, quickly retrieving her tablet from her school bag before turning to the rest of her classmates to speak.

"I'll go get the truck ready" Ayane said, as she put her tablet under one arm before turning on her heels and exiting the classroom.

The rest of the foreclosure task force quickly did the same, the hunter following along behind them as the girls excitedly made their way towards the clubroom's door.

"This is going to be a fun Field Trip!" Nonomi giggled excitedly as she exited the classroom.

Hoshino giving a thumbs up as she responded "Uhe, it's time for a field trip" the hunter chuckled as Hoshino lifted one of her arms up into the air, exiting the classroom as he followed behind, making sure to close the classroom door behind him and the girls made their way towards the Abydos School carpool.

…

"Ok everyone, we're here" Ayane said, giving one last look at her tablet to confirm that these were the right coordinates. As she switched off the car's engine.

"Uhe, I was just beginning to get comfy" Hoshino accompanied her words by letting out a yawn, as her and everyone quickly exited the truck. The scorching sun quickly beginning to beat down on all of them, yet none of her classmates complained because they were mostly used to it, and the hunter wasn't really affected by the heat at all

"How the hell can you get comfy in that thing, Hoshino? I feel like I have back problems after sitting in those chairs for so long" Serika complained, stretching her arms over her head trying to relieve the stress that was now present in her spine.

"I don't think the chairs in the truck are that bad" Nonomi responded to Serika, as she adjusted the minigun which was strapped over her shoulder. The hunter, despite having grown accustomed to the strange things that students could do, still couldn't quite understand how she was able to so freely heft around such a colossal weapon as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Serika quickly turned to Nonomi, a blank expression on her face as she finished stretching her arms. "That's easy for you to say Nonomi, you got to sit in the front seat, which if I remember correctly you replaced entirely by buying a brand new one with extra padding"

Nonomi didn't immediately respond, a slightly thoughtful look crossing her face before she suddenly let out a slightly guilty-looking smile.

"Well... I did offer to buy everyone else a custom seat as well" Nonomi said trying to defend herself, letting out a slightly nervous sounding chuckle, which didn't seem to have the desired effect as Serika continued to look at her with a clearly unimpressed gaze.

"Yeah, and remember what we told you at the time?" Serika adjusted the rifle slung over her shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest, a very agitated and disapproving look crossing her face.

Nonomi intermediately respond, tilting her head up a little bit and placing a finger on the side of her jaw, trying to remember exactly what she was told before it occurred to her. "That I shouldn't flash my money around willy-nilly" The Sandy head girl said.

Ayane hearing the entire conversation unfold behind her let out a noticeably frustrated sounding sigh, it was only now that she remembered why that she and her friends really ever went out together.

Hoshino for her part simply laughed loudly, finding the entire interaction between Nonomi and Serika quite funny, it also warmed her heart slightly to see her classmates actually acting like they should. Because while the problems with their school were many and severe, it was the little moments like this where she could forget about all of that for just a moment, that she cherished.

The Hunter trailed behind the group of students, chuckling quietly to himself as he watched their antics. It was both refreshing and pleasing to see them acting like actual girls of their age instead of having to worry about existential threats to their school.

Yet, as the Hunter and the group of girls continued towards their destination on foot, something suddenly occurred to him that he had not considered up until now. Something that was so blindingly obvious that it made him stop in his tracks for a moment, a completely stupefied look making itself apparent on his face.

"If I am the only teacher... Then where exactly are then where exactly are the rest of the adults" The hunter said quietly to himself, a look of deep thoughtfulness quickly replacing the dumbfounded expression on his face. While he had seen adults in the form of animal human hybrids, one important thing he had not seen during his time in the strange lands was human looking adults like himself.

However, before he could contemplate this fourth any further, he suddenly heard somebody approaching him.

*Nn* "Sensei, are you ok?" The hunter quickly looked at the source of the voice, seeing that it was none other than Shiroko, her usually blank face filled with palpable concern and confusion because of why he had stopped suddenly.

The hunter looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze upwards. The other girls a short distance away from him all looked at him, some with looks of concern and others confused at why he had stopped abruptly.

"Yes Shiroko, I'm... fine" The hunter could easily see be slightly unconvinced glint in her eyes, but eventually she nodded her head accepting his response as she gestured to him to continue walking with her which he did as both him and Shiroko rejoined the group.

And after a short amount of time, the group of five students and one teacher finally made it to their destination, which was a nondescript looking large Warehouse building, which judging from it's battered exterior clearly had seen much better days.

In fact as the hunter looked up at the quite imposing structure he couldn't help but wonder how such a decrepit old building was even still standing, and more importantly why the delinquents would have chosen this place amongst all the other abandoned buildings in the district to make their temporary home.

"Man, this place looks like a dump" Serika said with a noticeable displeased tone in her voice, in its time the building probably wasn't much to look at considering it was a warehouse located in a formerly Industrial District. But still, the years had definitely not been kind to it, resulting in the absolute ramshackle and unkempt appearance it had now.

*Nn* Shiroko let out a quiet sound as she nodded in agreement with Serika. While she didn't want to admit it openly, looking at the absolute squalid building that the helmet gang was using as their hideout, made her feel just a little bit sorry for them. Because she honestly wouldn't have wished for anyone, even her enemies, to live in such conditions.

"It certainly isn't much to look at, but I suppose when you're bullying an academy that's on its last legs you can't really be picky now can you" Hoshino said as she quickly retrieved her shotgun from her shoulder, making sure that the Iron horse was ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

"Well said Hoshino" The Hunter said as he took the lead, the students falling into lockstep behind him as he cautiously approached the side of the building.

Now much closer to the decaying building, the hunter could immediately see multiple places of entry that could be exploited, although despite initially considered entering through the back of the building and catching the delinquents off guard.

The hunter ultimately decided on a different strategy, one that would take advantage of the element of surprise in a different way. As such with his mind made up the hunter motion for all the girls together around him which they did in short order. Even Serika did so, although the hunter suspected it was most likely her just going along with her classmates rather than her actually trusting his word.

"Now everyone listen closely, as far as we are aware the helmet gang does not know we are coming, that means we have the element of surprise on our side" The hunter paused for a moment allowing the girls to follow on with him as he quickly began to draw a crude diagram in the sand. "As such I propose that we assault them head on, we will smash through the main doors of this storehouse and incapacitate them" Finishing drawing his diagram, the hunter looked up, seeing all of the students looking at him with variations of confusion and concern on their faces.

"Going through the front could work, it would certainly catch them by surprise, but it would also be very dangerous" Hoshino replied with a thoughtful look on her face as she actually considered the hunter's idea. While she was incredibly distrustful of him because of him being an adult. She had to admit that despite how risky it was, it was certainly an idea that she can get on board with.

"Sensei, are you sure that's a good idea?" Ayane was the first to speak up, looking at the hunter with a clearly questioning look in her eyes. While she didn't like the idea of doubting him considering how much he had helped so far, his plan to simply go through the front door in lack of better term just didn't feel right to her.

"Yeah what gives!? Just walking in through the front door is a one-way ticket to getting our asses kicked!" Serika exclaimed with an angry expression on her face, pointing an accusatory finger up the hunter as if he was some kind of villain.

The hunter for his part try to respond but quickly found his words silenced by Ayane who spoke before he did.

"Sensei, don't you think it would be a better idea to go through some kind of back entrance and catch them by surprise?" Ayane pause for a moment, nervously looking at the ground because she didn't want to offend him by questioning his idea. "Plus it would probably be safer as well" She said quiet, looking between her feet and the good Hunter who finally seeing his chance responded to her and the other students enquiries.

"While I can understand all of your hesitancy, this plan will be the quickest path to succeeding and driving the delinquents off permanently" The hunter stopped for a moment, collecting his words for a moment before continuing. "The helmet gang is currently licking their wounds, I chose this course of action specifically because I do not believe they will put out much of a fight... plus I also believe all of you will win, you show me through your actions that your determination to save your school will not be swayed by any obstacle in front of you"

His words seemingly had the desired effect, as all of the students with the exception of Serika and Hoshino looked between each other for a moment before suddenly nodding an agreement, looks of determination making its way onto their faces as they collectively ready their weapons.

Hoshino and Serika's reactions were a bit different. Hoshino simply nodded her head, a somewhat excited smile making its way onto her features as she quickly readied her shotgun.

Serika on the other hand didn't look convinced by his words in the slightest, looking around at her classmate with a look of bewilderment on her face, clearly not understanding why they were so willing to go along with his plan, which to her sounded incredibly dangerous.

But eventually, after letting out a slight growling noise, Serika somewhat hesitantly readied her own rifle, because while she didn't trust the hunter's plan, it didn't mean that she was going to abandon her friends, especially when she had something to prove.

Satisfied that all of the students were on board with his plan, the hunter quickly stood up to his full height, motioning for the students to follow behind him, which they all began to do so as the group discreetly made their way towards the main entrance of the warehouse. Being careful to make as little noises possible as they approach the corner of the building, just in case any guards were present outside the main entrance.

However, after urging everyone to stop and looking around the corner, the hunter confirmed that there were no guards to speak of, which he expected. After all, as far as the helmet gang was aware, their base camp location was not known to the abydos students, so it wouldn't have made any sense to have guards.

The hunter quickly emerged from the corner of the building, motioning for the students to follow with him as they all quickly came to the large and imposing shutter doors of the warehouse.

"Alright girls, I want all of you to take your positions" The hunter quickly pointed to the positions he wanted as he continued speaking. "Nonomi, Hoshino, I want you two to take the left flank. Serika and Shiroko both of you will take the right flank" The four students silently nodded, quickly but discreetly making their way to the opposite sides of the large doors as they waited for the Hunter's word.

Ayane was the only one left standing next to the Hunter as she opened her mouth to speak. "Sensei, what about me?" Concerned expression on her face. While she was not afraid to get her hands dirty, it didn't change the fact that she didn't think she'd be as much use in a firefight with just her pistol.

Turning to look at the glasses wearing student, the hunter mulled it over for a moment, before opening his mouth to respond to her. "I want you to find a nice secluded spot, Ayane, and provide as much support as possible with your little flying machines. There are several holes in the roof of the building that I think you could utilise"

Ayane looked at the hunter in surprise for a moment before quickly nodding her head, while she did feel a bit bad for not being on the front lines of her friends. She knew that her skill set was not suited for frontline combat but supporting her allies from the backline.

Giving the hunter one last look, Ayane quickly took off in a full run, deciding that heading back to the truck that she had driven here, would be the best place for her to provide support.

Watching the girl disappear from sight, the hunter turned his attention back to the large doors in front of him. He had several ideas on how to break them open, but he wasn't exactly sure on which one will be the most effective.

Cautiously approaching the doors, the hunter did briefly consider using a Molotov cocktail in conjunction with an oil pot. He had learnt the hard way just how explosive a combination like that could be, but putting his hand on the door and giving it a light but experimental push. It suddenly occurred to him what exactly he could use to break these doors down.

"It's been some time, since I've used that particular weapon" The hunter said quietly to himself as he let out a chuckle, quickly reaching into his overcoat as something materialised on his arm, that immediately made all of the students take notice.

the device was cumbersome and huge, yet it strangely had an Elegance and beauty to it that suggested whoever made it put a lot of love and care into crafting it. The majority of the device's construction was taken up by a large cylinder with what appeared to be vents running down the side, on top was a strange handle that was connected to what looked like a piston.

However, what caught everyone's attention the most was the large silver javelin like blade that protruded out of the front of the device, its shaft was connected to the handle which by extension connected to the large piston, out of the back of the strange device protruded a large rod, one that was obviously connected to the javelin like blade.

The blade itself was paradoxically wicked and deadly looking, but also covered in a matrix of intricate and complex engravings that gave the strange device now presumably a weapon a almost saintly like air to it.

"What the hell... is that" Serika was the first to speak up, the device that was attached to the hunter's arm was completely alien to her. In fact, the only thing that she could really equate it to was some kind of very ornate-looking piece of construction equipment.

The rest of the abydos students all shared in Serika's confusion, the longer they all looked at the strange device that the sensei had just produced out of thin air, the more they couldn't make heads or tails of what exactly it was.

At first, they thought it might have been some kind of weapon, considering the large javelin like blade that protruded out of its front. But that conclusion was quickly called into question by the overall construction of the thing and how cumbersome it looked attached to the hunter's arm.

"Sensei, what is that?" Nonomi asked curiously, she much like her fellow classmates couldn't really make heads or tails of what exactly the object was that the hunter had just produced. It was strange and unknown for her, but it also made her incredibly curious about its true Nature.

The hunter didn't immediately answer, continue to look at the weapon attached to his arm with an almost fond expression, while the weapon was not one that he personally utilised that much considering he preferred much more dexterous weapons. Looking at it reminded him of its original user, a certain old Ashton Grey Hunter, one that he had grown to see as a comrade and a friend during his time on the hunt.

"You didn't deserve your fate Djura, I can only hope that your eternal rest is forever peaceful" The hunter said quietly to himself, the expression on his face turning into a noticeably sad one. If there was ever a hunter that didn't deserve the fate that all Hunters were destined for, then it was Djura. Someone so kind and selfless that he should have lived a long and fulfilled life, but the hunter knew that the world was rarely ever so kind.

"Hey old geezer, are you just going to keep ignoring us!?" The hunter was pulled from his thoughts by the voice, tearing his gaze away from the weapon strapped to his arm and looking at whoever had spoken to him.

Serika was looking at him with a clearly unimpressed expression, her eyes holding nothing but contentment and frustration that was entirely directed towards the Hunter.

Quickly clearing his throat, the hunter quickly banished the thoughts of his fallen companion from his mind as he quickly opened his mouth to speak."Well, my dears, this device is just what we need for breaking down this door. Now all of you stand back and cover your ears, this is going to be quite loud and explosive"

The hunter could feel all of the abydos students looking at him with clear confusion. Noting understanding in the slightest how exactly the strange device that the hunter had procured, was going to get them inside the warehouse. But nonetheless they did as instructed, covering their ears the best they could while still holding their weapons in their hands.

Looking at the students to make sure they had followed his word, the hunter quickly with one swift motion pulled his arm back, which was accompanied by a loud mechanical noise as the large javelin like blade attached to the device quickly retracted further into it, the large spring which was coiled around the end of the spear, jutting out the back of the device was compressed, streaming under the tension as what seemed to be steam quickly shot out of the strange device's vents.

Holding this pose, the hunter remembered his first time actually using this weapon, it was when he had first met and befriended Djura, who had been so kind as to show him exactly how the steak driver worked.

'Prepare yourself young lad, this girl has some kicked to her' The words filled his ears as the hunter prepared himself, however just when he was about to release the safety catch. Something quickly wormed its way into his ears, voices that only he could hear with his superhuman hearing.

"Hey, Ume, have you heard from Tomo yet?"

The hunter held his position, his body was so still and rigid that he almost resembled a statue, he could feel the gazes of his students on him, clearly confused at why he had suddenly stopped, but he momentarily paid that no attention as he continued to listen, his curiosity piqued.

"No I haven't, I'm starting to get worried about her, you know"

His eyes narrowing slightly, the hunter continued to listen, straining his inhuman hearing so he could understand more of the conversation.

"I'm sure she's fine, you know what she's like, always running off and doing her own thing"

"Sumi, it's been over a week! Even when she disappears for a couple of days, she usually keeps in touch"

"For Christ sakes! Ume for the last time she'll be fine, she's probably off robbing some shopfronts or something. And besides I highly doubt she's in any trouble, considering that everything around us for miles is a deserted dump"

The hunter continued to listen, a stern look making its way onto his face as the voices continued to speak. Even though he could not see them physically, he could feel the worry and panic radiating from the individual he presumed was Ume. Clearly, whoever this Tomo was, they were of great importance to Ume, to the extent where she was incredibly worried about their safety.

"Hey sensei, what gives!? I thought we were going-" The hunter quickly held up his other hand, silencing Serika and preventing her from continuing as he continued to listen intently. While her speaking wouldn't have drowned out the voices considering his unnatural hearing, his concentration would have been broken if she continued to speak.

"Tomo wouldn't have gone so long without calling, something must have happened to her for crying out loud!"

"Oh my god, Ume! All you talk about is Tomo this and Tomo that! For the last time, she's probably fine! You need to stop worrying so much dammit"

That was a pause between the voices, frustration clearly evident in the air between them as the hunter continued to listen intently.

"Well, excuse me for giving a shit about my sister!"

"Ha, sound more like to me that you have some kind of obsession with her, maybe you might even be a siscon~"

The voices quickly devolved into an argument that the Hunter by this point stopped listening to the look on his face, an almost unreadable expression. The mentioning of a lost sister stir something deep within him, bringing back very unpleasant memories that he would have liked to have forgotten about, but never seemed truly leave him.

"Never again... I will never repeat that mistake again" The hunter spoke quietly under his breath, the voices of his students calling to him, before flipping the safety catch on the stake driver and throwing his arm forwards. The Javelin like spear of the stake driver smashing into the door before exploding forwards in a quick, almost imperceptible motion, the force and sheer power completely shattering the large warehouse doors as if they were made of nothing but paper.

KABOOOMMM

All of the abydos students instinctively covered the ears, most of them also closing their eyes as they almost by Instinct shielded themselves from the almighty explosion. However, after the boom noise washed over them, they all collectively open their eyes, only to have a nearly fall out of their sockets when they saw the devastation that had just been unleashed.

The hunter stood in the now gaping doorway, the stake driver letting out a consistent stream of smoke as the weapon cooled down from its sudden use. Quickly shaking his arm, the hunter readjusted his footing, a slight and momentary ache emanating from his shoulder, as a result of the tremendous recoil from the stake driver.

"S-sensei... W-What the hell was that!?" Hoshino was the first to speak, shocked and confused as she looked at the large device attached to his arm that emitted smoke and steam like a man portable steam power jackhammer.

Yet the hunter didn't answer her question, instead pointing his free arm forward quickly shouted at the top of his lungs. The delinquents on the other side of the now vacant door frame, completely and utterly surprised by what had happened, with most of them completely unprepared for what was about to come.

"Alright my dears! Advance and obliterate them before those delinquents can recover!"

The Abydos students looked at him for a moment, still confused. But ultimately complying with his word as they quickly jumped into action, all four of them quickly running into the building and proceeding to gun down any delinquents they could find.

"W-what the hell!?"

"It's those abydos brats!"

"How the hell did they find us!?"

Multiple delinquent voices could be heard shouting these words, as the abydos to students descended upon them. Catching them completely unaware as they began to gun them down without mercy.

The hunter decided that he would not get involved returning the Stake driver to the inside of his overcoat, as he silently observed from the open doorway. While making sure that no delinquents would try to escape before their punishment had been served.

However as he continued to watch his students battle the very unprepared delinquents, his eyes quickly fell onto two delinquents in particular who had taken up a position behind several big crates, using it as cover as they began to try and fight back against the students that had invaded their hideout.

Even though he had not seen their faces and only heard their voices, the hunter through his inhuman perception was able to immediately know that they were the ones he had heard speaking behind the door before he had blasted it open.

As such, without a single worry for his own personal safety, the hunter quickly moved from the open doorway of the warehouse. Advancing his way towards the hunkered down delinquents, as bullets of all sizes and descriptions flew in all directions.

Yet by either luck or some kind of supernatural force, none of the dangerous projectiles in the air hit him, all of them completely missing him as he finally stopped in front of the crates that the two delinquents were using to improvise cover.

"Dammit! How did they find us!?" Said the delinquent that the hunter could presume was Sumi, she was in the middle of reloading her weapon while a particularly frightened looking delinquent next to her coward in fear next to her, a simple rudimentary pistol in her hands.

"How should I know, I thought that they didn't know where we were" the delinquent with the pistol said with a nervous sound to her voice. The hunter could safely assume that this was Ume, the person responsible for gaining his interest.

Taking a moment to clear his throat, the hunter finally made himself known, making both delinquents jump in the process. "I'm afraid, my young ones, that your hideout was not as unknown as you would have assumed" The hunter said as both girls quickly jumped up from their hiding spot.

They either by instinct or surprise pointed both of their weapons at him, yet the hunter wasn't intimidated by this in the slightest. Idling noting that Sumi's weapon was a very unusual one, specifically because it was a large bore double barrel shotgun with exposed hammers. A weapon that was very out of place and would have looked more at home in the streets of yharnam rather than being used by any student, delinquent or otherwise in Kivotos.

Both delinquents didn't say anything for a moment, fear clearly written across their faces as they still continue to point their weapons at the hunter. While they had not been present at the Battle yesterday, considering they had been tasked with guarding the hideout, they had certainly heard from the returning and beaten gang members about how they had had their butts kicked by the abydos students and a mysterious halo lacking adult.

With a slightly strange atmosphere hanging in the air, the hunter quickly made a step forward, only to have both delinquents motion for him to stop with their weapons. Narrowing his eyes the hunter could see their fingers beginning to itch towards their respective weapons triggers, as such he decided that before anything rash could happen he would do something to disarm the situation both physically and metaphorically.

In a burst of Speed that was inhuman, the hunter quickly closed the distance, catching both delinquents off guard as he scooped up their weapons, clutching both the pistol and shotgun in one hand, before quickly returned to the spot he had been standing on a second ago.

Both delinquents immediately fell onto their behinds, shock and fear making itself known on their faces as from their perspective, it looked as if the hunter had not even moved, the weapons appearing in his hand as if by some magic.

However, before the hunter could say what he wanted to ask, he felt a presence appear behind him, which was quickly accompanied by a familiar voice.

*Nn* "Sensei, we're all done" The hunter turned his attention away from the delinquents for a moment, seeing none other than Shiroko. Her facial expression a blank one like usual yet in her eyes whilst a look of satisfaction that the hunter found somewhat adorable but also disconcerting considering how that satisfaction was brought about.

"Very good Shiroko, why don't you go and look around for any useful supplies we can bring back with us while I have a talk with these two" The hunter turned his attention back to the delinquents in front of him who were now looking around at each of the incapacitated gang members completely and utterly surprised.

In truth, despite not showing it, he was also a bit surprised by how quickly the battle had ended, but he supposed that since they had caught the gang off guard they couldn't really put up much of a fight before they were all rendered unconscious.

Shiroko quickly nodded her head, but before she moved away she looked at the two delinquents, a somewhat vicious glint manifesting in her eyes as she brought up her rifle.

"Would you like me to... help you with them, sensei?" Shiroko said with a slightly aggressive sounding tone, which was not directed at the hunter himself but instead the two delinquents who after seeing they were the last ones standing now had very frightened expressions on their faces.

Sharing a glance between the delinquent and the clear vengeance seeking Shiroko, the hunter quickly shook his head, a disappointed expression making its way onto the wolf girl's face as she lowered her rifle.

Not needing her help was the main reason why he had turned her down, but it was also to save the two remaining delinquents a world of pain that the hunter was very sure Shiroko would inflict without mercy.

"Now then Shiroko, would you please leave us alone for a moment, I have much I would like to discuss with these two" The hunter spoke as he turned back to the two delinquents, he could sense Shiroko turn away from him yet quickly turn back and open her mouth to speak.

Yet instead of turning around to address her, the hunter simply held up his other hand, indicating he would not reconsider what he said as such, after a moment the wolf girl quickly moved away, returning to her friends as they scavenger any useful in the warehouse.

After waiting for a moment to make sure that Shiroko was out of earshot, The Hunter took several steps forward, pushing aside the large crates that blocked his path, which only helped to make the two delinquents which were now holding each other, look even more fearful as he came to stop less than an arm's length in front of them.

"Now you two, there is something that came to my attention that I would like to discuss with you" The Hunter said, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. Yet despite his best efforts, it seemed to do very little as both delinquents continue to squirm in fear in front of him.

Deciding on a different approach the hunter quickly knelt down in front of them, hoping that decreasing his quite menacing height would help to alleviate their fear somewhat, which thankfully it managed to do somewhat as despite both delinquents still holding on to each other for dear life, they did noticeably calm at least a tiny amount.

"Before I and my compatriots made our... explosive entrance, something came to my attention, something involving a missing acquaintance of yours" The Hunter gestured at the individual he presumed was Ume, looks of confusion easily visible behind the visors of their bike helmets.

However, after quickly sharing a glance between each other the confusion was replaced by new and renewed fear, both of them now looking positively petrified. Because from their perspective, it was almost as if he had read their minds.

Yet, after a moment of hesitancy, Ume suddenly separated from her companion and fellow delinquent, a slightly desperate look in her eyes are she quickly spoke.

"D-do you know anything about T-Tomo!?" Ume asked with a slight nervous tremble in her voice, while she was still frightened of the Hunter, the prospect of him knowing anything about her sister and where she had gone completely outweighed her sense of danger.

Yet before the hunter could respond, the other delinquent, Sumi, quickly came to the side of her friend, the fear not leaving her eyes as she pointed in an accusing finger at the hunter.

"H-How the hell did you know what we were talking about!? Are you some kind of S-S-stalker or something?" The hunter could tell that Sumi immediately second-guessed her choice of words, as she mistakenly interpreted the confused the look on his face as one of annoyance or anger.

The hunter didn't dignify her words with a response, simply letting out a rather frustrated sigh which only served to make the delinquents even more afraid as he straightened himself quickly rising to his full height once again, as he decided to speak plainly.

"Unfortunately I do not know anything about your sister Ume" The hunter said, the slightly hopeful look in her eyes which was mostly hidden by her own fear of him, quickly dying away, but before the hopelessness could fully take root within her the hunter continued speaking.

"However, even though I know nothing about your sister and her potential whereabouts, I would like to locate her for you" The hunter's words elicited different reactions from both Ume and Sumi.

Ume eyes immediately lit up with confusion which quickly change into an almost joyous look, however there was a small hint of suspicion, which the hunter could fully understand.

Sumi's reaction was varsity different, a look of deep suspicion and distrust making itself known in her eyes as she scrutinised the hunter, still afraid of him but also now suspicious of why exactly he was willing to help them after he and his students had beaten them not once but twice.

"Why the hell should we trust you?" Sumi said abruptly, still pointing a finger at the hunter, the fearful and distrusting look never leaving her face as she stared at him. While he was a bit disappointed by the reaction, he could certainly understand it, considering that from her point of view it made little sense that he wanted to help them after beating her gang twice.

Letting out a breath, the hunter responded to Sumi. "The reason for me wanting to help, is because despite the fact that you too are delinquents and very troublesome ones at that" pausing for a moment to collect his words the hunter idling notice that both students bodies went rigid as if they were expecting some kind of punishment.

"My duty as both an adult and a teacher is to help all students under my care regardless of who they are or their past" the hunter didn't need to fake the genuineness in his voice, offering a hand of both metaphorical and literal peace to both delinquents.

He truly did want to help them both because it was his duty to, and because he didn't want to repeat of his past, where he failed because of his own inaction.

Ume looked somewhat drawn in by his words, the hopeful sparkle in her eyes growing by the second. However, Sumi didn't look convinced at all, a cynical and distrusting flicker making itself known in her eyes as she quickly got in front of Ume much to her and the hunter's surprise.

"Do you think we're stupid or something!? Even elementary schooners know not to trust an adult! Because adults only care about themselves!" Sumi screamed aggressively, fear still present in her eyes. Yet there was also now a deep-seated desire to keep her friend safe no matter the cost.

The hunter was taken completely aback by this, his face taking on a noticeably surprised look as Sumi words bounced around inside his mind. He had initially assumed that Serika and more importantly Hoshino's distrust of him was limited to them, however with what Sumi just said, it was now apparent that distrust of adults like him was something far more common than he originally suspected.

"That's something I need to look into later" The hunter said quietly to himself, while the distrust of adults was seemingly more common amongst the students than he thought did concern him, it could wait until later considering that it wasn't his primary focus right now.

As such, he quickly put that to the back of his mind as he quickly knelt down once again, putting a calm and gentle smile on his face as he extended his free hand towards both delinquents but primarily Ume who was still being shielded by Sumi.

"Ume... do you love your sister?" The hunter asked, his question having an immediate reaction as Ume quickly pushed her way past Sumi, the helmeted Gang member quickly removing her helmet, revealing a head of scarlet red hair, cut in a short bowl cut.

Looking into her deep aquamarine blue eyes, the hunter could already see the answer to his question, as the now helmetless girl quickly spoke. "Y-yes I do! She's my everything, I don't know what I would do without her!" her voice trembled, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

Despite managing to keep his calm and gentle smile internally, the hunter felt his heart break for the young girl, her words and action reminded him too much of Father Gascoigne daughters, to the point where it was almost eerie, but that wouldn't stop him from help.

Quickly reaching into his overcoat, the hunter could feel the eyes of the abydos students now resting upon him as he quickly reached out and began to wipe away the tears from Ume's eyes with a silk handkerchief. Both her and Sumi being incredibly surprised by the gesture, yet the red-headed girl did not try to stop the hunter as he finished wiping away her tears.

"A young girl such as yourself should not cry Ume, I will do everything in my power to find your sister and bring her back safe. I promise not just as a teacher but as a hunter" The hunter said as he motioned for the girl to hold out her hand which after a moment of confusion she nervously did, the Hunter depositing into our hands, the handkerchief he had just used to dry her tears.

Ume looked at it confused for a moment before looking back of the hunter, even though she did not speak her gaze conveyed confusion about if she was allowed to keep this.

The hunter for his part simply nodded, the smile never leaving his lips as he quickly got back to his feet, however as she did so Sumi quickly got in front of Ume once again, the cynical and distrustful looking of her eyes still present as she again pointed a finger at the hunter.

"What exactly is your game, huh? What do you want from us!?" She said with a noticeably spiteful tone, the fear still presents in her eyes, yet now it was overpowered by both a will to protect her friend and deep suspicion directed at The Hunter.

"I don't want anything in return, Young Sumi" Was all about the hunter said in response, the delinquents body language conveying surprised at the fact that he somehow knew her name, when she was positive that she never actually said it out loud to him.

"I... Don't believe you" Sumi said with a noticeable amount of disbelief in her voice, nervously gulping down some air before continuing." Adults never do anything without wanting something in return, so what is your game!" She said with a bit more intensity to her voice.

The hunter didn't immediately respond, not quite knowing how to, it both saddened and concerned him just how distrusting of adults Sumi truly was. Even when one like himself was offering to help with no expectations of any reward, she simply couldn't believe it, are that only served to make the hunter think just how many negative experiences she had had in the past with adults who had taken advantage of her.

However, before the hunter could open his mouth to respond, Ume quickly came to his defence, managing to push past her friend and then turning around to address her.

"Sumi, I think he's being honest" Ume managed to say, there was a small amount of doubt in her eyes, yet ultimately it was overpowered by the prospect of the hunter possibly being able to find her sister.

Sumi didn't look convinced in the slightest, quickly tearing her helmet off from her head revealing a long flowing waterfall of platinum-colored hair and dark red eyes, yet what caught the hunter's attention the most was a large and horrific looking scar that run down be right side of her face.

'That looks like some kind of burn mark' the hunter idling noted to himself, his gaze turning somewhat sorrowful, the prospect of a young girl such as herself already having a scar like that truly made his heart ache.

"Look up my bloody face Ume! This is what happened the last time I trusted an adult! I don't want the same thing to happen to you as well!" Sumi cried loudly, tears born of frustration and sadness beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. Despite the fact that she teased Ume to no end, it didn't change the fact that she was her closest friend, and she would do anything to protect her.

Ume looked at her friend, somewhat shocked by the sudden action of her removing her helmet and referencing her scar. Sumi had always been very self-conscious about her scar, to the point where she never actually revealed how she got it. but to find out that it was the result of an adult of all things truly broke Ume's heart, and also really put into perspective why her friend distrusted adults so much.

Yet turning back to the hunter who simply looked on with a somewhat sad and expression, Ume felt like she had no other choice but to trust him. Despite the fact that she knew not to trust adults so quickly, something about him stirred something deep within her, making it feel like she could trust him even though her brain was telling her that it probably wasn't a good idea to do so.

"Please... Whatever it takes... just find my sister" Ume said after a moment of silence. Even if this mysterious adult wasn't trustworthy like her heart deep down was telling her he was, she was more than willing to take the risk if it meant finding her sister.

The hunter for his part simply smiled, nodding his head as he gently placed both delinquents weapons on the ground, before reaching into his pocket and retrieving something unexpected.

"I believe you will be in need of this, my dears" The hunter said as he quickly retrieved a small ward of paper notes. Both Ume and Sumi immediately recognised what it was as the hunter quickly deposited the money on the ground next to both of their weapons, both delinquents looked at him confused, not understanding what could have willingly possessed him to give them some of his own money.

Seeing their confused faces, the hunter let out a quiet chuckle as he quickly spoke. "That money is for you to find some kind of transport, while it would be unwise to take both of you with us" The hunter paused for a moment looking over his shoulder at the gathered abydos students who all were watching the scene with various expressions.

"It would be unbecoming of me to simply abandon you two in the middle of this wasteland" The hunter finished his words by quickly turning on his heels, waving a hand over his shoulder as he began to walk towards the abydos students who were still watching the scene.

Ume after a moment of looking at the money with confusion and surprised, quickly looked at the hunter before opening her mouth to speak, having to raise her voice slightly so it would carry across the warehouse.

"T-thank you... S-sensei"

The hunter stopped mid-step, a slightly surprised look making itself known on his face before it was replaced by a smile as he quickly resumed his even pace. Despite the fact that the title was still a relatively new one to him, and one that he wasn't entirely sure he would get used to, it genuinely warmed his heart to hear her call him that.

"Now then everyone" The hunter turned his attention to the abydos students, motioning for all of them to follow him as he exited the gaping warehouse door. "I believe it's time we head back to the school, and celebrate our victory"

The hunter immediately noticed all of the students look between each other, clearly somewhat confused, and a bit weirded out by his interaction with the two delinquents. However, after a moment none other than Serika a quickly spoke, a slightly aggravated and suspicious expression on their face.

"Hey old geezer, whose side are you supposed to be on exactly? The cat girl asked with a clearly accusatory tone. The suspicion and distrust in her gaze clearly evident as the hunter stop and turn to look at her and by extensions of students.

Yet before he could open his mouth to speak, someone else answered in his place." Serika brings up a good point... why exactly did you help them, sensei?" Shiroko asked with a clearly confused tone, unlike her black headed classmate her eyes did not hold distrust or suspicion, instead it was more just puzzlement and maybe even a slight amount of hurt.

"Well Shiroko, the reason I helped them was because it was the right thing to do, plus despite the fact that they are delinquents, I am still responsible for them as their teacher just like I am responsible for you 5" The hunter said straightforwardly, while there was a little bit more to the reason why he helped them that he wasn't going to reveal.

His words however were true and honest because even though the delinquents were troublemakers of the highest degree. It didn't change the fact that as a teacher, he was the one that was responsible for them, and needed to better them.

Shiroko didn't immediately respond to his words, her usually expressionless face taking on a slightly unreadable expression. Yet looking into her eyes, the hunter could see the gears of her mind turning furiously, before ultimately she nodded her head.

"I guess that makes sense sensei, still even if it was the right thing to do, delinquents like them still don't deserve any mercy in my opinion" Shiroko said with a completely flat tone, yet to The Hunter could see the slight bitterness that was hidden behind her eyes.

Letting out a breath, the hunter quickly noticed that there were several boxes of various descriptions scattered around. He wasn't sure what resided within, most of them, But safely assumed that they had liberated from the gang's hideout.

"I suppose it's not stealing if it was already stolen to begin with" the hunters said softly under his breath. Before then quickly let out a loud chuckle, the students being confused by why he was laughing before he quickly got a hold of himself.

"Now then, why don't we make our move, the sun is beginning to hang low so we should return to the school as quickly as possible" The hunter said as he quickly picked up two boxes, stacking them on top of each other so he could carry a more efficiently.

The rest of the students, after a moment of inaction, quickly followed suit, all of them speaking together as one, as they began to make their way back towards the truck.

"OK Sensei"

…

"Man *yawn,* What a day" A voice accompanied by a yawn echoed off the sand covered deserted buildings. It's owner, a certain pink headed girl wielding both a shield and shotgun, bringing a hand up to her mouth to try and suppress another yawn.

Hoshino despite being used to pulling all-nighters like this, couldn't help but feel incredibly drained already, the day before had been an incredibly eventful one, considering that she and her friends, along with a little bit of help from sensei, had finally managed to deal with the thorn in their sides that was the helmet gang.

Still, as Hoshino continue to walk amongst the deserted, her eyes scanning around for any potential threats like she did most nights, her mind quickly centred on the Hunter, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she tried to figure out exactly what his game was.

Even though he said that he was there to help, she had learnt the hard way a long time ago that trusting an adult's word was like a murderer promising not to stab you in the back, only to do it the moment you want looking.

"I won't make that same mistake again..." Hoshino said quietly to herself as she came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the sand covered Street. A gentle cooling breeze blowing around her as her gaze slowly traced its way up into the cloudless sky, her eyes landing on the brilliant majesty of the full moon which bathed her in its light.

Contrary to what her classmates believed, going as far back as she could remember, she had always been a day person. Nighttime was supposed to be a time of rest. Yet even she had to admit that the night sky, full of stars and the moon itself, held an almost supernatural beauty. Something that was hard to quantify in words but left a lasting impression upon you the moment you saw it.

Yet the nighttime also held unpleasant memories for her, mostly because it reminded her of a certain somebody that she had lost, somebody that at the time she didn't know how much she cared for until that person was taken away from her.

Hoshino could feel tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes, yet, she did not stop them, her eyes narrowing as her face turned on a noticeably perturbed look.

*Yume...* Hoshino's voice was barely above a whisper, yet even with the breeze blowing past her and through the decaying husks of buildings that surrounded her. The singular name that she uttered sounded like a gun going off, one that somehow managed to echo around her despite it being physically impossible.

She missed her. Hoshino missed her so much that it almost physically hurt, living in this world without her Sendai was like a waking nightmare, one that she wished she could wake up from, yet never seemed to.

It was almost like her own personal hell, everything reminded her of Yume, from the little things like the way her classmates would sometimes act, up to the fact that she carried a physical reminder everywhere she went of her friend's death.

Unstrapping the Iron Horus from its carry strap, and quickly slinging her shotgun over her shoulder. Hoshino held the ballistic shield out of arm's Length so she could see it's battered and weathered frame.

She had long become accustomed to its physical weight, barely even noticing it was there most of the time, yet the mental weight of carrying something that Yume cared for so deeply always weighed on her mind, to the point where it felt like she would be crushed under it.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

Hoshino suddenly found herself nearly jumping out of her own skin, the Iron Horus quickly falling out of her hands and clattering loudly to the pavement below. Although quickly, she recovered from the momentary shock, her body going into autopilot as she quickly grabbed her shotgun from her shoulder, racking the bolt and releasing the safety as she quickly began to scan around for the source of the scream.

While crime in abydos district was incredibly low entirely because of the lack of people, it didn't change the fact that every now and again crime still happened, which was the main reason why she portrayed at night.

"Where did that come from?" Hoshino said quietly to herself, quickly scooping up the Iron Horus, making sure it was firmly strapped to her arm as she tried to identify where the souls of the scream had come from. However, she couldn't seem to identify its exact source or direction, mostly because of the howling noise coming from the breeze blowing through the desiccated buildings around her.

However, as she continued to scan her surroundings, keeping her shotgun raised up and ready just in case, she suddenly heard another scream followed by what sounded like garbled words.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhh! P-P-please... Oh G-god! P-please someone H-help me" The scream and voice were loud as a result of bouncing off the buildings, yet also faint and distant. But thankfully, Hoshino had managed to get an idea of where it was as she quickly began to run.

'It must be stragglers from the helmet gang' Hoshino thought to herself as she continued to run, sand being kicked up beneath Her Feet as she drew closer and closer to the source of the screams.

Yet, as she did something about, the screams and cries felt off to her. She knew what somebody being mugged or assaulted sounded like, but these screams on cries sounded different, more urgent and primal. They sounded more like somebody being viciously mauled by an animal.

In fact, as she finally reached the alleyway which she could hear the screams coming from, Hoshino felt a shiver run down her spine as the screams quickly fell silent. Because at that moment it finally hit her, that the screams sounded like somebody who was dying.

Holding her shotgun in front of her, Hoshino looked at the dark alleyway in front of her, even though it was a full moon tonight the alleyway was situated between two large buildings, making it almost pitch black and unable to be seen into by anyone. In fact, even though she had superb night vision, Hoshino had to squint her eyes, to begin to even make out anything in the alleyway.

Letting out a shaky breath to try and calm herself, Hoshino began to advance into the dark alleyway, her eyes having a hard time focusing and by extension making anything out in the inky blackness.

"Whoever you are, I would stop what you're doing if I was you" Hoshino said with a slight nervous twinge to her voice. The darkness was beginning to play tricks with her, she could see things moving around in the corner of her vision as she ventured further into the pitch black alleyway.

But quickly shaking her head, Hoshino managed to get control of herself, momentarily quelling the nervousness that was building inside her, she focused on what she was here to do. Somebody was in trouble, and she needed to help them, so she didn't have time to be slowed down by being scared of the dark.

Yet as she continued to walk forward, she became aware of a strange sound, one that was incredibly hard to place at first because it was so alien to her. In fact, as she drew closer to the source of the noise, the only thing that she could reason be compared it to was the sound of somebody stepping in wet mud or maybe even wet canvas being torn apart vigorously.

"Hello... Is anyone there?" The strange noise did not stop as the words exited Hoshino lips, the feeling of nervousness and dread coming back in full force as she continued to walk deeper into the pitch-black alleyway.

But then, Hoshino suddenly came to a dead stop, the sound of something liquid beneath Her feet as she looked in front of her. Her eyes had a hard time making it out, but she could just about perceive a black silhouette laying on the ground with another one crouched over the top of it moving furiously in a manner that almost looks like it was... Eating?

keeping her shotgun raised, Hoshino opened her mouth once again, the feeling of dread and nervousness, now graduating into full-blown fear and almost panic. "H-hello?"

The strange wet tearing noise immediately stopped, the black silhouette crouched over the one on the ground immediately going still, it's body which had been moving violently and vigorously before going completely still. It was almost dead silent now, the only sound that managed to reach Hoshino's ears being the sound of something wet consistently dripping onto the concrete below. The silhouette which had remained still up until this point quickly began to move, rising from its crouched position

Hoshino's eyes grew wider and wider as the black silhouette continued to grow in height until it was a full head under half taller than herself. Her eyes having now grown accustomed to the dark were finally beginning to pick out details about the mysterious figure. Their body was strange, seemingly disproportion with one arm much longer than the other, they seemed to be wearing a tattered and ragged jacket and what was left of a skirt that was barely hanging on to their lanky and skinny frame.

However, the aspects that caught Hoshino's attention the most, and what made her begin to tremble in fear, were the splotches of black fur covering their body covering their torn, wrinkly and ragged skin.

And finally, most importantly... it's pale milky coloured eyes. That were filled with malice, hate and an insatiable hunger for flesh.

By pure instinct, Hoshino began to slowly back away, keeping her shotgun pointed at the thing in front of her, her hands were beginning to shake violent with sweat beginning to form on her brow. Every instinct in her body was telling her to turn and run, however before she could act on those instincts, the thing in front of us suddenly moved.

As a complete reflex, Hoshino pulled the trigger on her shotgun, the muzzle blast from the weapon quickly lighting up the alleyway for just a brief moment, but it was more than enough for her to see the true horrific scene in front of her.

On the ground was a dog man, or more precisely, what was left of the corpse of one. His entire chest cavity was carved open from pelvis to sternum, his internal organs or the very little that was left of them lie around him in a haphazard manner that suggested, the entire process of their removal had been incredibly fast and extremely violent.

There was quite literally blood everywhere, covering almost every inch of the alleyway, with even her shoes, which were normally a black colour, covered in the viscous red liquid.

Hoshino didn't get a chance to shoot a follow-up shot, as she saw the dark silhouette of the creature quickly charge at her with supernatural speed. All she had time to do was quickly unfold the shield on her arm as the creature slammed into it, almost knocking her off her feet, yet she managed to keep herself in place as the creature began to snap and claw at her, trying to rip her limb from limb like it had done with its previous victim.

However, Hoshino wasn't going to let that happen, as she quickly pushed on the shield of all of her strength, managing to push the creature off of her shield and stagger it for a moment as she quickly brought her shotgun at one-handed and fired.

The muzzle blast again illuminated the alleyway, allowing her to briefly see the damage she had inflicted to the creature, yet much to her horror in spite of the wound on its chest from her bookshop rounds, being quite severe and seemingly life-threatening. The creature was barely slowed down as it quickly charged at her again, smacking into her shield again, this time however, the creature managed to bypass her shield, throwing a wild swing at her arm as it's claws, quickly cut through Hoshino's shirt and deep into the flesh of her arm.

"Aaahhh!" Hoshino screamed loudly, the pain from the new wound being almost overbearing as she felt her leg momentarily buckle underneath her. Allowing the creature to push forward onto the Shield as it continued to snap and bite at her with its vicious razor sharp teeth filled mouth.

Although greeting her teeth, Hoshino managed to quickly get her strength back, pushing the creature off herself once again as she quickly began to unload every shell in her shotgun into the creature.

She wasn't sure exactly how many of her shot actually hit the creature, but quite honestly she didn't really care, as she quickly turned on her heels and immediately started to sprint, the creature letting out what she was sure were howls of pain or agony, as she kept continuing to run.

Quickly finding the exit to the alleyway and sprinting back out into the relative safety of the moonlight illuminated deserted city street, but even though, Hoshino's chest was heaving and her lungs beginning to burn. She did not stop, still running as fast as she could to get away from whatever the hell had just happened.

Hoshino could feel blood seeping from the wound on her arm, staining her arm and shirt a deep crimson, yet even that was completely overpowered by her almost animalistic Instinct to continue to run.

Hoshino wouldn't stop running, in fact she would not stop until she made it back to her own home, quickly locking the entire place uptight as she prepared for the beast to follow her. Staying up all night to make sure that she was ready for it when it came to try and finish her off.

However, nothing of the sort of happened as eventually the sun began to peak over the horizon, the terrified and exhausted young girl finally falling victim to exhaustion as she collapsed on her own floor, her nightmares been filled with visions of the vicious beast that she had only just managed to escape.

---

Well now, that was certainly one hell of a way to end a chapter.

In fact, I don't know if it comes across, in the writing, but that entire ending segment was my favourite part to write considering the stuff I usually write is often centred around horror.

I also expect that it's most likely very obvious what Hoshino encountered, especially if you know even the smallest thing about bloodborne. But still, I did try to leave it a little bit mysterious about what exactly she fought against.

Anyway, that's all I have to say, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Remember to leave a review and maybe even a light or a favourite if you feel inclined to, and until next time, have a good day / night everyone.