17,995 Modern Age, 18 years ago /// Eastern 13th Grand Sector, Inventor's Home – Low Wilds, Medagin.
13th Grand Sector, the technological zenith of the Core Worlds, filled both with utopian and dystopian civilizations, or perhaps no civilization at all. That was Medagin, the greatest hub of crime and unlawfulness in the entire world. Medagin was very large, housing millions of people in its cheaply made, run down houses, if one could even call them that.
Inside one of those apartments, a man named Rodley Varhay was simply enjoying a drink, thinking about nothing.
Knock! Knock!
'Ugh, leave me alone…' Rodley mumbled quietly before replying in a louder tone, 'Stay right there!'
Getting up and walking through his messy apartment to the door, Rodley was quite surprised to see a short man - boy? - around 1.6 metres tall looking up at him in fear.
'R-Rodley Varhay?' The boy asked.
'Yeah, that's me, what do you want?' Rodley replied, subtle frustration lacing his voice.
'Lady Vanna would like to s-speak to you sir.'
'Vanna? Vanna Baldrian?' Rodley was confused.
'Yes sir.'
Rodley shrugged, 'Take me down to her then.'
The two left, walking down the corridor while occasionally sneaking a glance at the dirty streets below them.
The streets were asymmetrical, dirty and crowded. Once could see all kinds of people walking around and doing all kinds of business from simple trading to drug dealing to hiring hitmen.
From the corner of his eye, Rodley saw a few men arguing, but the two reached the stairs before he could see whether the argument escalated or not.
The walls of the apartment were old and crumbling, with the paint having been rubbed off the walls over many years.
'Do you know why Vanna wants me?'
'No sir.'
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, they turned out into the crowded street, walking through the crowd freely.
If people got in their way, they would end up backing down after seeing Rodley.
This place smells like shit. Rodley thought, inwardly hoping that Vanna would give him a reason to leave Medagin, at least temporarily.
Turning left by a small café, they walked into an alleyway and entered a staircase leading underground.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they continued walking down the warmly lit hallways until they reached a door.
The two guards outside moved their hands towards their guns upon seeing them but slowly relaxed after seeing Rodley.
They opened the door without saying a word and allowed Rodley and the boy inside.
Behind the door was a fairly large club which undoubtedly would have been lively at night time but was largely empty since it was morning. There was no music and the lights were warm and dim.
Walking through the club and into a door at the back, Rodley finally laid his eyes on Vanna.
The woman appeared to be in her thirties, with curly auburn hair and a face beautiful enough to be on a magazine. Despite this, she did not appear graceful at all, not at the moment at least.
'You're here,' Vanna said almost emotionlessly, but Rodley could sense the anger in her tone.
Rodley stroked his moustache, 'Yes, I am.'
'Sit,' Vanna gestured towards the couch in front of her.
'Damn, you're really angry today! Which guy broke your heart this time?' Rodley jokingly remarked, slowly moving towards the couch.
Phew!
His remark was answered with a bottle of liquor being thrown at his face.
Dlunk!
The bottle was easily caught by Rodley who snuck a short glance at it before turning back toward Vanna, 'It was a joke.'
'It wasn't funny.'
'Alright.'
Rodley sat down, waiting for Vanna to speak.
'Reyes.'
'James or Leo?'
'Leo.'
Rodley sneered slightly.
What did Leonard do this time? Fucking bastard can't keep himself chained for five fucking minutes!
Leonard Reyes was well known for being exceedingly annoying and constantly causing trouble to others. As for how nobody had killed him yet, Rodley didn't know. Leonard was only a low-tier supernatural after all.
Vanna let out a long sigh before continuing, 'He stole from me.'
'How much?' Rodley didn't need to know the details as to how the money had been stolen.
Vanna stayed silent for a long time until eventually answering, 'At least three hundred MO around two weeks ago.'
Rodley's eyes widened.
Three hundred Mega-Okkra is diabolical.
'Rich heist,' Rodley mumbled.
'We don't know where he went,' Vanna continued. 'He took Jabari with him, and we think Daniel's people were involved.'
'I'm guessing you're talking about Daniel Drake?'
'Yes, half of the money is with him, we don't hope to get any of that back.'
Obviously. Daniel Drake was a man known for being close to many powerful gangs, messing with him would have been a death sentence for anyone who wasn't a top-tier supernatural.
'But we do want you to track down and kill Leonard.'
Vanna continued before Rodley could ask questions, pushing a folder towards him.
'This is all the evidence we collected from his houses, yet none of them say anything about this plan of his.'
Rodley quickly skimmed through the folder.
'You think he has a secret residence.'
'We do.'
'This is a lot of work Vanna; you better have a good pr-'
'Twenty percent. That's thirty MO at least.'
'I'll take it, see you in a few weeks or more, Vanna.'
'Have fun Rodley.'
I wonder why she chose to hire me instead of someone stronger…
Leaving the club, Rodley walked out into the street, thinking about where to start his investigation.
Ain't no way I'm walking into every house in Medagin… who was the dude that Seth always went to?
Walking into a nearby restaurant to get two hamburgers, Rodley overheard some men speaking in hushed tones.
'I don't know what to do man… They're gonna kill me if they find me! I can't pay for something like that, you know this!'
'Maybe go to Diablo?'
'Dude, you gotta go to Noah if you want some freedom, Diablo is too expensive.'
Rodley suddenly remembered.
Oh yeah! Diablo, that's his name.
Diablo was the leader of a small gang, known best for allowing people to do business in secret through a third party.
Getting his hamburger, Rodley slowly began walking towards Diablo's gang, only when he finished eating did he begin to jog.
After a few minutes, he finally reached his destination.
He now stood outside of a large building which used to be a warehouse but had recently been renovated to house Diablo's gang.
Trying to walk inside, he was met by some guards at the entrance.
'Why're you here?' One guard said, reaching towards his revolver.
'Just wanna talk with Diablo.'
'Why?'
'None of your business.'
Hearing this, the guard was instantly enraged, grabbing his gun and pulling the trigger right in front of Rodley's face.
Bang!
Rodley crouched, causing the bullet to miss him, pulling down the guard's hand while he punched upwards towards the man's elbow.
Crack!
'AH!' The guard yelped, his arm was broken.
The other guard tried to pull out his gun, but Rodley was too quick, grabbing the man by his face and slamming him into a wall, knocking him out.
Rodley then dusted his clothes and finally entered.
Inside of the building's first floor was filled with desks and storage, being brightly lit by white light.
Inside were many men who had pulled out their guns and blades in response to the sounds coming from outside.
'Put down your guns! I'm just here to talk to Diablo!' Rodley's voice rang out.
Three men refused to listen, trying to pull the trigger on their guns, but they were too slow.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots rang out in under a second, signalling the death of those men.
Seeing this unfold, the other men were too terrified and chose to lower their weapons.
Rodley smiled, 'Good.'
He walked through the building, walking through some doors and preparing to walk up the stairs to Diablo's office when a voice rang out.
'What the fuck was that!?' Diablo's voice was filled with anger as he bolted out into the staircase before freezing.
'Rodley?' Diablo was staring directly into the muzzle of Rodley's revolver.
'Diablo! Into your office please,' Rodley said in a lively tone.
Diablo's office was filled with various kinds of trinkets that Diablo seemed to collect as a hobby.
Rodley gestured towards one of the chairs, sitting down on the other one himself.
'Why are you here, Rodley?'
'Leo Reyes stole some money from Vanna before disappearing. We suspect that he has a secret residence which I suspect that you allowed him to buy.'
'I don't know what you're talking about,' Diablo answered.
Rodley just stared at him before tilting his head in amusement.
'Really?'
Rodley got up, grabbing Diablo's hand.
Crack!
'Uh!' Diablo clutched his now broken fingers, groaning in pain.
Before he could register what was happening, Rodley slammed his gun into Diablo's other hand, breaking it too.
'Ah!'
'Oh, come on Diablo! You just need to tell me where the house is!'
He picked up Diablo by his hair before punching him in the face, breaking his nose and causing his face to start bleeding.
Cough! Cough!
Diablo began to cough, only stopping once Rodley raised his leg to kick him.
'Wait! Wait! Wait!' Diablo yelled, the words coming out muffled and nasal due to his broken nose.
'I- I might have the address! Just stop!'
'Alright then, that wasn't so hard, was it?'
Seeing Diablo staying where he was, Rodley asked after a few seconds, 'Well? Are we not going to check?'
'Ah,' Diablo said, getting up before pressing a button next to his desk.
A few seconds later, an older man came in, flinching at the sight of a beat-up Diablo.
'Hey Martin, would you mind taking Varhay to the um… the archives,' Diablo spoke in a forced casual tone.
Old Martin nodded before gesturing for Rodley to follow.
Going down the stairs, Martin brought him into a room behind the bottom floor.
The room appeared subtly unsettling. It was extremely quiet, and the mix of the white lighting combined with the yellow wallpaper created an atmosphere which made Rodley feel uncomfortable.
Taking a deep breath, Rodley was also made aware of a very noticeable industrial paper-like smell.
The room was filled with hundreds of wooden shelves which held boxes of what seemed to be paper and folders.
Martin quickly walked towards some of the boxes, pulling them down from their shelves before looking inside, then putting them back in.
Dirty snakes. What kind of secretive third-party organization keeps records in a place like this? An honest third-party organization would have kept these records in a ditch miles away from any human settlement.
Diablo probably sold these records to rival gangs behind other people's back.
Oh well, this is Medagin. What can one do?
After a few minutes of searching, Martin returned with a set of papers, handing it to Rodley.
After reading the contents, Rodley smiled and thanked Martin before leaving Diablo's turf.
…
One hour later, Leonard Reyes' secret apartment.
Click! Click Clack! Click!
After a few seconds of trying, Rodley managed to pick the lock on Leo's apartment.
Empty… clearly Leonard was prepared for this.
Inside the apartment was mostly empty, there wasn't even a crumb of food. The only things Rodley could see was furniture.
Not giving up, Rodley decided to search the house anyways, checking every single room multiple times before he found something.
A map… so this is how it's gonna be.
Rodley had found a railway map showing every train track between Medagin and Haenlova, the capital city of Ondromania.
Just a little goose chase that surely won't end up making me travel to the other side of the world… surely.
…
Night time, a train leaving Medagin.
After learning where Leonard was headed, Rodley quickly returned back to his apartment to gather some supplies before looking through train calendars between Medagin and Haenlova. Rodley was then overjoyed to find that there was a train just that night leading there.
Right now, Rodley was on his bed inside his cabin, preparing to go to sleep as this trip would take multiple days.
Even the fact that the train would take multiple days was a blessing when considering how far away Haenlova was.
…
Rodley had been in the train for 5 days, eating 2 meals a day and spending most of his time doing nothing.
There had been barely any problems on the train until today, but it was just one day before they reached Haenlova when some criminals decided to rob the train!
What kind of bullshit is this? We've left the Low Wilds days ago, we're already in Ondromania!
He could hear the muffled voices of the criminals approaching as he pulled out his revolver.
After a few seconds of waiting, the robbers finally reached his cabin. There were some sounds of the lock being picked before they managed to open the door, prepared to demand money.
BAM!
Rodley's gun fired, creating an explosion just outside of his room and incinerating all of the bandits in his coach.
This was the power of a high-tier supernatural with an Affinity to explosions!
This was not all, though.
As Rodley got up from his seat and left the car, his other five bullets were imbued with a different kind of essence, this one with an Affinity to plasma.
Leaving through the door, Rodley looked to both of his sides before seeing some bandits on his left side.
Rodley did not waste any time in raising his gun and shooting, the superheated bullet passing through the train and the robbers like butter before coming out on the other side.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Rodley continued to move and clear out all the robbers before moving to the front of the train to meet the driver.
He climbed on top of the tender, walking over the coal before jumping down on to the cab.
The driver held a shotgun to Rodley's face, clearly terrified.
'Don't worry, I'm not one of those bandits. I am a far more civilized criminal.'
'H-huh?'
Rodley snorted, 'When will the train get moving again?'
The driver contemplated for a moment before lowering his gun and replying, 'At least a few day-'
'FUCK!' Rodley yelled loudly, making the driver flinch.
Damn! I'll have to get there on my own!
Without saying a word, Rodley jumped out of the train and pulled out his map, quickly estimating his current location before beginning to walk towards the mountains nearby.
Ondromania had a very diverse environment due to their habit of changing their natural surroundings.
The train would usually have to move around these mountains to reach Haenlova due to them being dangerous, but Rodley could not care less.
…
A few hours later, on a cliff edge next to a valley.
Rodley had been making his way through the mountains quickly but steadily, attempting to reach the other side as quick as possible.
There were two cliffs that were very close to each other, separated only by a few dozen metres.
A quick glance down, and Rodley could see a multiple hundred metre drop.
The rocky cliff edge was wide enough for Rodley to walk on it in a relaxed manner.
Had there not been dust, Rodley would have been able to see Haenlova's outskirts from the mountain.
Everything seemed to be going fine.
'Hey, whore's bastard!' A deep voice rang out from above.
'Huh-? Woah!' Rodley looked up in surprise, seeing a 6-metre-tall ogre looking down at him while holding a large boulder above his head.
'Move!' The ogre threw the rock down towards Rodley.
Rodley dashed away but the impact shattered a large part of the cliffside, sending rocks tumbling down and almost causing Rodley to lose his balance.
Getting to the other side safely, Rodley let out a laugh while pointing at the ogre, 'You shouldn't be saying those words you know! It can really hurt some feelings!'
The ogre was not amused, picking up yet another boulder and throwing it down.
Shit! Rodley once again had to dodge, this time pulling out his revolver and shooting at the ogre.
The ogre was caught off guard but still manage to defend by using some kind of spell that weakened the effect of the bullets, minimising damage.
Force Affinity… He's also a Master on top of that. This might be problematic.
Against his better judgement, Rodley spoke again, 'I get it! They're big! Just- hehe- just stop throwing your balls around! Trust me, no one wants to see 'em.'
The ogre was enraged even more upon hearing this as he threw yet another boulder.
This time Rodley was unfazed, pointing his gun upwards towards the boulder and pulling the trigger.
BAM!
The boulder shattered into pieces.
Ill-tempered this one, isn't he? Rodley mocked inwardly.
Before the ogre had another chance to throw a rock, Rodley strained his legs jumped to the other cliffside, catching himself on some rocks below.
Seeing this, the ogre walked to the edge of the cliff before grinning ear to ear.
Before Rodley could understand why, the ogre suddenly slammed his foot on the ground, sending a tremor through the cliff and causing rocks to protrude, threatening to impale Rodley or throw him down.
Rodley panicked, almost causing him to fall down briefly before he managed to catch one of the spikes, using it to swing and throw himself further up the cliff.
The ogre did not give up, continuing to throw down large rocks, manipulating the earth around Rodley and even causing parts of the cliff to collapse.
It is a good thing that ogres are stupid. If this one had been any smarter, I would have long been doomed. Rodley judged.
This was because high-tier supernaturals all possessed the capabilities to cause mass destruction, and seeing as the ogre appeared to be in his Source Element, earth, these destructive capabilities were only amplified in this rocky mountain. If the ogre had been smarter, he would have simply destroyed the cliff and thrown Rodley down.
As the cliffside almost completely collapsed, Rodley managed to reach the top and threw himself into the trees by its side.
The ogre followed.
Suddenly stopping, the ogre looked around, catching Rodley on top of a tree from the corner of his eye.
Before the ogre could attack, though, he realised that Rodley wasn't holding his revolver, opting for a rifle instead.
Bang!
Rodley fired a bullet just as the ogre jumped away, crushing the rock in his hand and throwing the smaller pebbles at Rodley.
The pebbles flew towards Rodley with immense speed, shattering the trees that they came into contact with.
Seeing this, Rodley began jumping from one tree to another, approaching the ogre slowly but surely as the trees behind him crumbled under the ogre's onslaught. But before Rodley could reach the ogre, the ogre reached him instead.
With a grunt, the ogre bent his legs and jumped towards Rodley, destroying all the trees in his way before crashing into him.
Rodley was caught off guard, being hit by the ogre and being launched away, eventually crashing into a rock and coughing up some blood.
Rodley tried to get up but was kicked down once again by the ogre.
'Foolish human!' The ogre yelled, laughing in joy preparing to kill Rodley with a kick.
His joy was short lived though, as suddenly Rodley jumped up at the ogre, wrapping his legs around the ogre's neck and pointing the muzzle of his rifle straight down at its skull.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Rodley shot thrice, but the attacks were weakened far more by the ogre than he thought, only causing a shallow wound.
'RAH!' The ogre thrashed around in pain as he tried to grab Rodley off of his back, eventually succeeding.
Holding the back of its head with one hand and holding Rodley with the other, the ogre grunted and threw Rodley away towards a tall hill.
Rodley slammed into the rocks on the hill and bounced on top of it before laughing loudly.
'And I'm the fool here-? HAHAHA-'
Rodley stood up on top of the hill. With the sun positioned behind him his shadow stretched over the forest… and the ogre.
Rodley's Source Element was positive temperature with the plasma add-on, and his Secondary was the explosion add-on. At the high-tiers of the supernatural, it was possible for a person to combine their Affinities when using their abilities, creating unique effects.
'AAAHHH!' The ogre screamed in pain as his skin seared and his flesh melted.
Rodley's Tertiary Affinity was shadow!
Combining his Tertiary with his Source Element, he could make his shadow as hot as plasma!
The ogre tried to run but his feet sank into the ground that was melting below him.
Rodley stopped using his ability, mumbling, '3,000 notches of essence just for this… how wasteful.'
He pulled out his revolver and aimed it right at the ogre whose eyelids had been burned off, staring at him in pain and terror.
'You almost jeopardized my entire mission, you know!'
He cocked the revolver.
'That alone is deserving of death!'
He poured explosion Affinity essence into his gun.
BAM!
The bullet shot forward at lightning-fast speed, entering through the ogre's forehead and detonating, blowing the back half of his head into pieces.
The ogre's body slumped forward limply, completely lifeless.
Rodley jumped down, limping towards the corpse without worrying about the heated ground.
He walked slowly, and by the time he got there the Power Nature had already appeared.
The Power Nature appeared to be in the form of some kind of ore, and holding it seemed to push his fingers away.
Using the Appraiser Skill Sequence, Rodley quickly examined the Power Nature.
Source Element is earth, Secondary is force and his Tertiary is metal… this should sell for decent bit.
Rodley sighed, 'Not a complete waste of time I suppose.'
Rodley then reached into his spatial storage bag and begrudgingly pulled out a vial before opening its lid and drinking it.
He was almost instantly overwhelmed by an extreme pain all over his body, dropping down onto his knees because of it.
A few minutes later, Rodley got up.
All of his injuries had disappeared.
'This mission better pay for that; expensive ass medicine.' Rodley mumbled.
…
2 days later, outskirts of Haenlova.
Rodley walked through the streets in a carefree manner, thinking about his next move.
I already got a bounty hunting permit upon entering Ondromania, as long as I don't kill anyone unrelated to Leo or some other criminal, I'll be fine. Selling the Power Nature can wait, I don't trust anyone in this Grand Sector to buy it for a fair price.
Rodley walked around for a few more minutes before renting a hotel and falling asleep.
…
Next morning, Rodley travelled to the central part of Haenlova to start his investigation.
Ondromanian architecture was very chaotic and diverse, with their buildings being very unique and unpredictable.
Ondromania was represented by the colour yellow, which also seemed to bleed into the environment itself as the skies were often painted in a yellow hue.
Rodley walked around in areas of high altitude that overlooked crowded public areas, hoping to spot someone related to Leonard Reyes using the Outer Eye, an ability that could be used in various ways such as enhancing sight and visual observation skills.
'Hm?'
Suddenly, Rodley caught sight of a woman whom he remembered to be a subordinate of Leonard Reyes walking into an alleyway.
Without wasting any time, Rodley left his scouting spot and dashed after her, scaring a few civilians with his speed.
He did not stop even when he reached the alleyway, instead running down it and looking in every single direction hoping to spot her, eventually seeing her trying to enter a locked door.
The two locked eyes and the woman panicked.
'Stop!' Rodley yelled, but the woman didn't listen.
The woman opened the door and shuffled inside before trying to lock it behind her.
Rodley ran up to the door before putting his hands on it, causing the metal to melt.
He was then met with a corridor down which he could hear panicked footsteps getting further and further away.
Rodley sprinted towards the sound, eventually managing to catch up to the woman and grabbing her by her arm.
The woman screamed, 'Help! This man is trying to rape me!'
Rodley stared at her with a subtle smile and emotionless eyes.
No way she's using the rape accusation technique.
Hearing the woman's scream, some people opened their doors to confront the creep only to see a very intimidating man who stared at them with a terrifying expression.
The man wore a black wide-brimmed hat, a red button-down shirt, black trousers and some kind of dark coloured poncho. The man also had a short moustache and long, slicked back hair.
He looks like a criminal! Everyone's minds spoke in synch with each other.
'Don't worry people,' Rodley said with a smile, staring at the petrified men and women, 'I'm a certified bounty hunter-'
'He's lying!' The woman screamed.
Smack!
Rodley slapped her in the face, 'Shut up! As I was saying, I am a certified bounty hunter, and this woman is someone whom I suspect to hold information related to my target. Therefore, I am completely within my rights to forcefully subdue this woman for questioning. May you all sleep easy.'
Without wasting a beat, all doors in the corridor snapped shut.
Rodley turned to the woman, 'Where do you live?'
The woman, on the verge of tears, led him to her room before unlocking the door and letting them inside.
The room was small and largely empty except for some basic furniture.
Walking towards a chair and sitting down, Rodley gestured the woman to do the same.
'So… Sara? Right? That's your name I just remembered.'
'Yes,' Sara said in a solemn tone.
'You know why I'm here.'
'I don't know where he lives.'
'How do you communicate?'
Sara remained silent.
'I won't kill you if you tell me,' Rodley said, implying the consequences of what would happen if she didn't speak.
'I get… letters, usually every day.'
'You don't send letters back?'
'No. Sometimes the letters tell me to go to a location at a certain time, and I meet up with Leonard.'
Basic.
'Who else is with him? He definitely wouldn't go alone.'
'Jabari is always with him, other than that it's just a few other informants.'
Obviously, Jabari is there.
Jabari was a hired bodyguard whose supernatural tier was Master just like Rodley himself.
'Do you know when and where the next gathering is?'
'I don't know.'
'I will come back here every day at midnight and read the letters.'
Rodley got up from his chair and spoke while reaching into his pocket, 'And just to make sure you don't run away…'
Rodley stabbed a thin metal wire into Sara's shoulder, making her yelp in pain.
'I will be able to track the location of that thing for as long as I need to.'
Rodley then walked to the door and left without saying a word.
…
A few hours later, Sara's apartment.
The pained groans of a woman could be heard coming from the bathroom.
In there, Sara was laying in the bathtub, trying to use a large pair of tweezers to pull out the metal wire that had been stabbed into her shoulder by Rodley.
After multiple minutes of trying, she finally managed to pull it free.
The wire had extremely small engravings on it which Sara believed was how it would allow Rodley to chase her down.
Sorcery. Sara concluded.
She got up and cleaned her wound before dressing it in thin, almost unnoticeable bandages and inserted the wire into there.
She did not destroy the wire, fearing that Rodley might find out. Instead, she would carry the wire along with her when she went out, leaving it at home only when she would go to the meetings.
When she got a letter which talked about a meeting, she would burn it and lie to Rodley about not getting a letter.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Sara washed her face before laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
…
Over the next few days, Rodley would come over to Sara's apartment as he said he would, reading all of the letters.
On the second and fourth days, there were no letters. That was what Sara told him at least, though it was a lie.
In truth, a message had come on the fourth day, directing Sara to an old city block in the outskirts.
That was where Sara was headed now. She had left behind the metal wire in her bed, hoping that Rodley would think she was sleeping.
In truth, Rodley had been following her less than a hundred steps behind, suppressing his supernatural presence even more than usual.
These fools! They always fall for the same trick. Rodley laughed inwardly.
The wire that Rodley had stabbed into Sara's shoulder was not the thing that would track her, but instead a small mechanical tick that he left in her hair!
Although Rodley did not know where they were going, he could guess that they were close from Sara's carefulness, looking around constantly.
The more she looked around, the further back Rodley would fall to avoid detection.
Eventually, she reached the spot and entered one of the houses.
Even from outside, Rodley could see many of the hidden guards trying to blend into the surroundings.
Slowly moving around the block, Rodley carefully moved behind one of the guards and snapped their necks before they could even notice.
He then swiftly moved around the block, snapping the necks of the guards and making it look like they were resting.
He then moved towards the house that Sara had entered, pressing his ear against the wall.
Inside, he could hear multiple people talking.
Probably the informants.
Sara was currently describing her encounter with Rodley, and Leonard was not happy.
'Varhay… I expected that it would take way longer, maybe a month or two before they got anywhere close to us! Rodley is too quick…'
As Rodley was contemplating what to do next, there was suddenly a sharp movement inside.
'He's here!' A man yelled, sending out a shockwave.
Bang!
Simultaneously, a loud gun was fired, creating a hole in the wall right next to Rodley.
'Damn Jabari!' Rodley yelled, dashing away as a dark-skinned man in similar clothes slammed through the wall.
That man was Jabari, Leonard's hired bodyguard.
As Rodley moved to pull out his gun, Jabari had already fired a shot towards him, causing him to hide behind another building.
Rodley knew his senses were weaker than Jabari's as the latter had an Affinity to sounds.
Rodley jumped up onto the building's roof, quickly aiming his gun towards Jabari and firing.
BAM!
A sharp explosion occurred, throwing Jabari away as he fumbled to pull out his own gun.
Not wanting to waste any time with him, Rodley instead turned around to try and chase down Leonard but was stopped by Jabari once more.
Suddenly an unnaturally strong wind appeared, emitting electricity through it towards Rodley and blowing away his hat.
Rodley was momentarily stunned, only barely dodging as Jabari slammed into the ground where he was just standing.
Jabari had changed, he had two eagle wings on his back, while his torso seemed to be amalgamated with the body of a lion.
A hybrid transformation! Jabari had the Evolution Trait of a Griffin!
Jabari once again pulled out his gun aiming it at Rodley and firing.
Rodley dodged underneath and dashed towards Jabari, trying to tackle him to the ground.
As soon as he touched Jabari, though, he was once again shocked with electricity and instead had to slam his gun into Jabari's face.
Jabari's head jerked sideways due to the force before he swung his talons towards Rodley.
This exchange continued with Rodley and Jabari trying to punch, kick, slash and shoot each other.
Sometimes, when Jabari ended up in Rodley's shadow, Rodley would heat up his shadow, causing Jabari minor burns before he dashed away.
Ah! I can't waste my time on this! Rodley thought, punching Jabari before slamming his fist into the ground and pouring his essence into it.
Jabari realised Rodley's intention instantly and attempted to fly away.
BOOM!
A huge explosion rang out, obliterating the nearby buildings and throwing Jabari into the air.
Jabari managed to control his momentum mid-air using his wings, aiming his rifle down at the ground, trying to see Rodley.
Bang!
A shot rang out as a superheated bullet travelled across the air, punching a hole through one of Jabari's wings.
'Damned Outer Eye!' He cursed.
Jabari wouldn't lose control immediately, but if he stayed in the air for longer, it would eventually become a disadvantage.
Jabari dove down towards where the shot came from behind the smoke, piercing through the black cloud and locking eyes with Rodley.
Bang!
Rodley shot another bullet, but Jabari dodged it by doing a barrel roll, ramming into him at maximum speed.
The two crashed onto the ground.
Rodley had moved his left arm in front of him right before Jabari slammed into his torso, so his internal organs were mostly uninjured.
With his right hand, Rodley got up before aiming the gun towards Jabari.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets pierced through Jabari's insides.
Rodley stared for a few seconds, then lowered his gun and walked towards Jabari, stopping right next to him and dropping down on one knee.
'You're not gonna go? Chase after 'em I mean.' Jabari asked.
Jabari wouldn't die instantly, but his fate was sealed.
'Nah, they'll be long gone by now.'
The two remained silent for a bit.
'I don't feel bad or regretful,' Jabari said, 'a murderer must consider the possibility of being murdered so as to not be hypocritical.'
'Well said.'
Rodley got up and began walking away to light a cigarette when he heard Jabari shuffling behind him.
Turning around, he saw Jabari holding a small vial with a whitish blue liquid inside of it.
'That a Power Nature?' Rodley asked.
'Just a backup guarantee for a new beginning,' Jabari said, gulping the liquid instantly.
Jabari's body instantly began convulsing before falling limp.
A few seconds later, Rodley could see a glowing object appearing in Jabari's mouth.
Walking over, he picked it up, seeing a Power Nature that appeared similar to a ball of ice.
Source Element is… spirit? It changed. Secondary is electricity and his Tertiary is sound.
'New beginning huh? You want to end up in the Underworld? Your choice!' Rodley spoke.
Jabari owned an Evolution Trait, which were extremely rare and valuable abilities. This, combined with a rare Affinity (Spirit) as a Source Element and two advanced Affinities made Jabari's Power Nature extremely valuable.
He then searched through Jabari's belongings, taking his weapons, bullets and everything he had on him including a notebook.
'Could be useful,' He mumbled before turning back around and lighting is cigarette.
High-tier supernaturals could hardly ever get drunk or high, so they had to buy supernatural substances to help them experience such things. This was why Rodley rarely smoked.
The enforcers should be here in a bit… I don't know if telling 'em I'm a bounty hunter is going to work this time, destroying a city block and all.
…
Telling them that he was a bounty hunter worked.
The enforcers only asked Rodley to pay for the damages before letting him go. He paid the damages using the ogre's Power Nature before walking out of the station.
'So called "Land of the Free" and this is what I gotta pay to get out of trouble… in the True Land of the Free I wouldn't pay half a drone! Haha-' Rodley mused.
Skimming through Jabari's notebook as he walked through the streets, he read mostly unrelated nonsense before finding an address written close to the back of the notebook pointing to a building in central Haenlova.
Changing his route towards the building, Rodley's spirits were lifted.
…
An hour later, Rodley found himself at the door to Leonard Reyes' apartment.
The door was locked, but Rodley easily managed to melt the lock before opening the door without problem.
Inside was a luxurious house. Rodley could see unfinished food and dozens of trinkets lying around.
At the centre of the room was a glass table, on which were train dates, railway maps and advertisement for various houses in Garladjia.
'Garladjia? You're joking. Might as well visit all four High States while you're at it!'
Skimming and scanning through all the paperwork, Rodley learned that Leonard and his men were preparing to flee to a mining city called Pallem in a month or two.
A slight smirk made its way to Rodley's lips as he read.
They clearly didn't have time to dispose of these papers as Rodley had found them far sooner than they had anticipated.
'Now this is what amateurs do. A professional would burn the papers as soon as they were done with them!'
Leonard Reyes and his men could not change their route at this point due to there not being any trains leading to Houdrand and their only choice being Garladjia.
They also could not change the residence which they rented due to the strict home ownership laws in Garladjia.
All they can do now is hire some more protection and try to stop me. The government will refuse to help them due to my identity as a bounty hunter and them being officially registered as criminals with a bounty.
…
Nearly five days later, Rodley was in a bullet train to Pallem.
Since Pallem was a city in the far west, it was a very long distance away from Haenlova, making it a long journey even in such fast vehicles.
Can't complain, I guess. If I wanted a faster way of transport, I should have just taken one of those supernatural trains from the central train station.
The sky was dark and stormy, looking out of the window, one could see the skyline of Pallem even from dozens of kilometres away.
Garladjia was known for its efficient, compact and smart cities built for productivity rather than comfort. The country itself appeared to be what one would expect from a dysfunctional dystopian society, but the truth was actually the opposite. The Garladjian Empire's near-totalitarian, heavily militarised government had one of, if not the lowest corruption rates in the entire Grada. On top of this, crime was practically non-existent due to its harsh judicial system and heavy enforcement of laws.
The sacrificial requirements to achieve such a society were limited rights, limited comfort and a strictness in personal activities.
'Not my kind of place.'
Their cities and buildings were tall and imposing, making one feel a sense of triviality and fear. Their architecture was simple, built to endure, not to comfort.
Looking into the distance, Rodley could vaguely see the Complex Megapolis, even from thousands of kilometres away.
Well, you can technically see it from anywhere in the 13th Grand Sector.
The train gradually slowed, entering the large train station.
The station was part of a much larger wall surrounding the city, built way above ground level so as to stop people from sneaking in, at least that's what Rodley thought. The station's entrance was large circular, allowing over two dozen trains to enter it at the same time from the same direction.
Getting out of the train, everyone was required to go through a security inspection. Rodley had already been through such a thing multiple times, once when entering Ondromania, and multiple times during his trip to Pallem.
Rodley walked up to one of the armed security officers and presented his ID card and his spatial storage bag.
As one of the guards looked through his stuff, the other one began asking questions about his personal information.
Multiple people behind him almost gasped when the guard pulled out multiple guns from his bag.
'Name?'
'Rodley Varhay.'
'Occupation?'
'Mercenary.'
'What is the purpose of you travelling with these weapons?'
'I have been hired to hunt down a criminal by the name of Leonard Reyes,' he placed emphasis on Leonard's name. 'I have reasonable suspicion to believe that he is currently residing in Pallem according to evidence which I have obtained in Haenlova as I was tracking him down.'
The officer nodded as he listened.
'It is also highly likely that Leonard Reyes has hired bodyguards to stop me from catching him. Therefore, I have brought these guns with myself in case of a violent altercation against his men.'
Throughout the entire conversation, Rodley made sure to use as many long words as he could, presenting himself in a sophisticated manner.
'Who hired you?'
'I was hired by the outlaw gang boss Vanna Baldrian in the Low Wilds after Leonard Reyes stole roughly one hundred and fifty Mega-Okkra from her. Despite this, according to international law the person who hired me is irrelevant as long as my task itself is not illegal and my boss does not cause direct trouble to your government.'
The security officer then called over one of his supervisors, some kind of Imperium Enforcer.
She's also a high-tier supernatural. Damn! No wonder they say Garladjia is the strongest High State, they have supernaturals everywhere.
The supervisor then walked over to Rodley, handing him a badge and saying in a powerful voice, 'You are permitted to use your weaponry against Leonard Reyes and his men only. Any other casualties that are not confirmed to be entirely accidental will guarantee retaliation from Pallem's law enforcers.'
Rodley took the badge and nodded respectfully.
'I understand, miss. Thank you.'
As he walked away, he heard one of the officers mutter towards the other: 'That guy had no biodev. That's not something you see often.'
With that, Rodley walked up some stairs and out of the station without worry.
Upon reaching the exit, the first thing he noticed was that he was on a large, smooth platform overlooking the city.
The entirety of Pallem was built around a titanic mine that stretched multiple kilometres across and probably had parts that went even deeper underground. The mine was lit up by bright, warm coloured lights that reached into the skies.
There were also large skyscrapers, some of which pierced the clouds.
'Doin' too much,' Rodley commented half-jokingly, looking around for a place where he could check his location or hire some kind of cab.
After a little while of looking, he was suddenly made aware of a large presence standing behind him.
Turning around, he was face to face with (to an extent) a large woman with white hair and noticeably bright coloured clothes.
The woman must have been at least 2 metres tall and was extremely beautiful.
Probably muscular too, she has a large build.
'The cabs usually line up down below,' The woman said in a deep voice, pointing at some stairs leading down in the distance.
Rodley was stunned for a moment before smiling and replying, 'Thank you miss…?'
'Phyllis.'
'Miss Phyllis, right, thank you very much.'
I think that woman was a top-tier supernatural. Rodley was intimidated.
Walking over to and down the stairs, he saw countless more buildings, roads and dozens of other things he couldn't even name.
After waiting in line for a little bit, he got into a flying car.
'Where do you want to go? And I am obligated to tell you this, flying cabs get very expensive,' The cab driver said in a respectful tone.
'I am a high-tier supernatural, I'm very confident I can pay you in full,' Rodley replied, handing the driver a piece of paper with the address written on it.
The driver straightened his posture upon hearing the words "high-tier supernatural", taking the piece of paper and beginning to drive without saying a word.
…
twenty minutes later, Rodley stood in front of a tall, circular apartment building where each floor was a different house.
Walking inside, he was greeted by the receptionist.
'Hello, this is the Henders residency service, how can I help you?'
Rodley scoffed inwardly.
Residency service, just call it a damn apartment.
'My name is Rodley Varhay, I'm a bounty hunter. I have reasonable suspicion to believe that a man named Leonard Reyes, and his men are staying here?'
The woman paled slightly when she heard this, understanding the implications.
'U-uhm…'
'Floor nine, correct?' Rodley grinned as he spoke.
'Y-yes? I think so.'
Rodley's grin turned into a soft smile, patting the woman's shoulder before walking away, 'Thanks!'
Rodley entered the lift, clicking the number "9" before pulling out his revolver and waiting.
Reaching the ninth floor, He was met with a short hallway at the end of which sat a metal door.
He walked up to it and pressed the "speak" button which allowed people from outside to send messages inside.
'Yo! Leo! You in there, bud?'
No answer came.
He tried again.
No answer came.
He tried to open the door and found that it was unlocked.
Inside was a spacious and luxurious apartment building which had a 360-degree view of the city.
All the rooms except the toilet were connected, so it didn't take long before Rodley found Leonard, sitting on his couch with empty eyes.
Leonard had short blonde hair and handsome features. He currently wore nothing but a hoodie and some shorts.
Sitting down in front of him, Rodley glanced at the table, noticing a blister pack with a single large pill missing.
'You took a suicide pill? How anticlimactic!'
Leonard remained silent.
'I won't claim to be a saint or a pious believer, but guaranteeing yourself a trip to hell is a different level of foolishness!'
Leonard took a hitched breath.
'You're not getting any comfort from me. Should have taken those instant death ones instead of… what even are these?'
Looking at the packaging, Rodley read out loud, 'Five-minute delay suicide pills! Assuming you took them when you heard my voice, we still got around four minutes left.'
The two stayed silent.
'You know what I think? I think you should have stayed in Haenlova to fool me with those papers. But alas, you are too predictable.'
The two stood silent for another two minutes, Rodley finally spoke, 'I was kinda planning to say some meaningful words but… I don't think I want to.'
After a few more seconds, Leonard stopped breathing and his body went limp.
Rodley stared for a few seconds before muttering, 'Nice trip.'
…
I did end up travelling to the other side of the world after all.
Nearly two weeks later, Rodley walked back into the same club in Medagin carrying a body bag.
He had found the stolen money inside of a hidden spatial storage box, almost completely unspent.
Converting all that into common currency is impossible anyways.
Walking through the club and into the door at the back, he once again saw Vanna.
Vanna's face lit up when she saw Rodley with the body bag behind him.
'You did it!'
'Yup.'
'So quickly?' Vanna seemed almost frightened.
'The fool left behind all the clues I needed like a dumbass.'
Vanna snorted at that.
'How much of the money did you recover?'
'149.8 Mega Okkra! That brings my pay to 29.96 MO.'
'It's yours!' Vanna was practically jumping around in joy.
Rodley split the money, took his share of the money and left.
Perhaps I should think about advancing…
The End