The three Hunters stood before an intricate metal gate, its design marked by thin bars of twisting metal. Beyond it, an overgrown garden enveloped a ramshackle mansion, a functioning clock-tower peering out over the city.

  The gate was locked, with no bell in sight. Elenya adjusted the cloth-wrapped halberd slung over her shoulder, the links of her warrior skirt clinking.

  “Waldenvick estate,” Astrid said, tracing a corroded plaque with a gloved finger. “This place could hold a small army. Certain we shouldn’t wait for reinforcement?”

  Edmund pulled at the cuffs of his coat. “There is no telling when they’d arrive. A reflected light isn’t exactly a believable clue.”

  “We’ll scout it out,” Elenya said without hesitation. She gripped the bars, and her muscles strained. With the shriek of metal, the bars bent.

  Astrid raised a brow. “That’s property damage.”

  “Yup,” Elenya answered, slipping through the gap.

  They walked up along an overgrown path to the house itself. Boards covering the windows, a heavy wooden door atop stairs hewn from stone.

  “Let’s be courteous, but persistent,” Edmund said.

  Elenya slammed her balled fist against the door in a pair of violent knocks.

  Silence.

  Astrid removed her hat, pressing an ear against the wood. “Movement, lots of it. And shouting.”

  Edmund rubbed his chin, “Odd at this hour, perhaps we should—”

  Elenya kicked. The door blasted inwards with snapped hinges, and the wood splintered.

  Edmund blinked. “...knock again.”

  Beyond was a well-maintained room, in contrast to the overgrown exterior. A giant set of polished stairs in the center, surrounded by expensive rugs and sparkling chandeliers. Beyond a doorway, steam welled out into the hall.

  A dozen figures froze, most carrying crates or paperwork, all dressed in black. The broken door slid to a stop in the middle of the scene. Elenya moved in first, unzipping her halberd and slapping the shaft against her palm.

  At the top of the stairs stood a thin man in an intricate suit. His eyes were piercing blue, and his hair combed back.

  “Excuse us,” Edmund said. “We’re hunters of the city. May I inquire what is happening?”

  The man laughed, a sharp and hoarse cackle. “Spectacular entrance, welcome guests. I am Professor Waldenvick, owner of this estate. Tell me, what compels you to rip my door from its hinges?”

  “We’re investigating the terrorist attack during the recent storm,” Edmund replied, eyes flickering under furrowed brow. “Per paragraph twelve of hunter legislation, we withhold the right to refuse inspection.”

  “Well, there must be a mistake. Come, sit. We have nothing to hide. In fact, tea is about to be served,” The professor said as he gestured towards a group of chairs at the bottom of the stairs.

  Elenya tightened the grip on her halberd, but Edmund moved forward, a caution to his step. In the front, a man with a bandaged eye bowed. A medallion inlaid with a red gemstone dangling from his neck.

  “Welcome, do you prefer cinnamon or lavender?” he said with a pleasant smile.

  Elenya ignored him, eyes traveling between the crates. “What’s in the boxes?”

  Professor Waldenvick, descending the stairs, answered for him. “Research equipment, a leaking pipe from the west wing. Can't risk damaging the instruments.”

  Edmund placed a hand on the back of a chair, but he didn’t sit. “Something doesn’t add up."

  The professor leisurely slumped down in one of the seats. “The fa?ade? I expected you to ask. The property was an inheritance, along with a clause forbidding changes to the exterior. I am a man of the law.”

  The figures with the boxes hurried onwards, but Edmund followed them with his gaze. "I’m not here for tea," the captain said with a grave voice.

  Despite his refusal, a kettle was brought in by the bandaged man, and he poured into cups on the table where only the professor was seated.

  “We need to see the clock tower,” Edmund said, looking at the server. A small, silent tremor traveled through the one-eyed man.

  “And an explanation of your research.”

  “I will arrange a tour,” The professor said with a nod, clutching a cup in his hand, “here at Waldenwich, we dedicate ourselves to biology and history.”

  He leaned forward with a thin smile. “May I ask you something?”

  Edmund watched the half-dozen figures standing along the walls. The assistants seemed to have panicked a minute ago. Now, they stood perfectly calm. His hand coiled around the hilt of his sword, but he didn't answer.

  “You are Blessed, correct?” the professor said, taking his silence for confirmation. “Did you know that they used to be much more common? Why do you think that is?”

  Edmund finally met the gaze of the man, both unyielding in their own way. “No clue.”

  The professor shrugged his shoulders. “I believe it’s the environment. Pressure, violence. Only a true challenge can rouse the interest of the Flame. Imagine what humanity could become if we were truly tested, if we tore down the walls of comfort."

  Edmund stared at the man, Elenya behind his shoulder, glaring at the people in the room with her weapon in hand. "I am Hunter Captain Edmund. I've seen things that would make you choke on that precious tea. You will lead us to the clocktower, or you'll find yourself sleeping in a cell come nightfall. Do you understand professor?”

  The professor chuckled and stood from his chair. “My apologies, I have a habit of rambling. My servant will lead you to the east wing immediately.”

  The one-eyed man, kettle still in hand, nodded with fervor. “Come, we wouldn't want to offend the Richters.”

  Astrid squeezed around the captain’s shoulder, and her tone was clear as she spoke. “We never said our name.”

  Edmund's eyebrows slowly rose. The professor stood with his back turned, halfway up the stairs. He sighed. “Not easily led around, are you, hunters?”

  “Take care of them, convene at the exit.”

  From along the walls, a dozen black figures stepped closer. Fingers tightening around the shafts of sabers, the strings of crossbows drawing.

  Edmund drew his sword, looking at the one-eyed man. “This won't end well for you. Trust me.”

  “You’re outnumbered,” the one-eyed man said, drawing two long knives and twirling them in his hands.

  Edmund flashed a crude smile. “Hunters surrounded by scared prey. I see the tremble in your hand, boy. Mine is steady, yield while you can.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The custodian scoffed. “Never.”

  Edmund’s eyes lit with fire. “I hoped you’d say that.”

  The hall erupted. Elenya swung first, the halberd whistling towards the one-eyed man. The custodian’s one eye lit with a fire of his own, and he dissolved into a blurred streak. Twisting forward like a moving afterimage.

  Feet rushed forward.

  A sabre swung towards Elenya's shoulder. She pivoted, the blade passing by her side, scratching against her armor. With a flick, a dagger appeared from up her sleeve. In a fluid motion, she slammed it up the chin of her attacker, blood spraying across her arm. Three others were already upon her.

  Edmund stepped around her, shield raised. A blast of force exploded from the metal surface, sending three attackers tumbling backwards.

  A blur moved around his protection, but a heavy kick from Elenya shot towards it. The moment before it hit, the blur contracted, materializing back into the man. Two long knives centimeters from Edmund’s chest. The kick connected with a heavy thud, knocking the air from his lungs and sending him flying like a cannonball.

  From above the stairs, a handful of crossbows rattled off shots.

  Edmund raised his shield over Astrid, the bolts clinking against its surface, one lodging deep into the captain's armor.

  “Elenya! The high ground!” Edmund shouted.

  “On it,” she growled.

  A faint red tint spread over her exposed skin, twisting and turning. She threw the halberd. The massive weapon spun through the air, and with a thump, it slammed into a charging figure. Catapulting him backwards with enough force to pin him to the wall. She dashed up the stairs, dodging blows and crossbow bolts with impossible speed for her large frame.

  Atop the stairs, a woman straightened with a reloaded crossbow. She paled as Elenya towered over her. The hunter twisted the weapon away, then slammed her head into the railing with a crunch.

  On the lower floor, Edmund fought for his life, blades scraping against his armor and shield. Astrid threw out a handful of seeds from a pocket, thorny branches sprouting under the attacker's feet.

  “Surround them!” shouted the man with the knives, having stumbled back to his feet.

  Edmund severed a throat with his sword and deflected a strike with the shield that would have gutted Astrid. She thrust her dagger under the armor, sinking it deep into the midsection of the opponent.

  With a boom, Edmund’s shield exploded outwards, sending the next group ripping through the jagged vines. “Nice one!” Edmund said through gritted teeth.

  Up above, Elenya tore through the crossbowmen with unflinching brutality. The last one, she threw over the railing, the yelping man crunching against the granite floor. A bolt stuck out from her chest plate, leaking red along her armor.

  In less than a minute, the room had been decimated. Bodies of the dead or dying littered the floor. Others had fled. Only four remained, three holding sabers in trembling hands and the Blessed that could turn into a blur.

  The Blessed man flashed a warped smile, and something burned into his hand, a weapon of shimmering metal. He threw it at Astrid and dove into a blur. She dodged behind Edmund as the blade chimed against his shield.

  “That’s the Blinking Blade!” Astrid said.

  Edmund took a step back, dodging a cleaving strike from another attacker, angling his shield against the incoming blur. It materialized into the man. The Blinking blade that he had thrown was back in the man’s hand, and its reach was far longer than the knives.

  It dug into Edmund’s chest under the collarbone. The captain gritted his teeth and his eyes lit up. The shield exploded again, sending the man crashing across the room. Astrid pressed an open palm against her captain’s back, mending the oozing wound as he cut down another attacker.

  Two men waded through the vines with raised weapons. They didn’t see Elenya ripping out her halberd from the corpse pinned to the wall. She barreled towards them, reaching their position in a heartbeat. The first strike split a man from shoulder to hip. The other barely had time to turn before her armored fist caved in his jaw with a crack.

  The Blessed man with one eye stood up with shaking legs.

  They had been three against a dozen. Now they were three against one.

  “Fighting monsters day and night, no wonder you’re sharp,” he said, spitting blood by his feet.

  Elenya took heavy steps towards him, ripping free the crossbow bolt lodged in her chest. “You have his blade… where is he?”

  The man flashed a defiant grin despite blood seeping down his nostrils. “We tortured him, and then we killed him. He became food for the rats weeks ago, fitting, with a name like that.”

  “You’re lying,” Astrid said coldly. “You needed him for something.”

  The man gripped the Blinking Blade tight and gave off a low laugh. “It doesn’t matter. The father of machines bears witness. I’ll take one of you with me.” He dashed forward, turning into a blur again, zigzagging towards Elenya.

  “Fool, your blessing breaks when touched,” she said, flicking the bloodied bolt in her hand. It passed through the blur, and for a heartbeat, it materialized back to the man.

  For Elenya, it was more than enough.

  A pivot away from his blade, then a kick. It cracked against the blur, shattering the illusion. Her foot connected squarely in the ribs. He slammed into the floor, tumbling along the stone. Knives escaping his grip.

  Elenya walked up and picked him up by the throat.

  With a hiss, his free hand shot forward. The Blinking Blade burned into his palm, slicing towards her neck. Her free hand caught the wrist. Then, she squeezed, and the bones cracked like dry wood.

  Behind them, Edmund retrieved his fallen hat, placing it back on his head as he spoke with a grim tone. “Last chance, Gulschack?”

  The man spat at Elenya’s face. Slowly, she raised a balled fist, seeping with shades of dancing red.

  “Let’s get moving, Elenya."

  Her armored fist slammed into the man’s skull. His head exploded into a mist of red.

  “A professor Waldenwich colluded with the Gulschaks, we fought this guy in the square,” Edmund said and stepped towards the stairs. “We were fatigued then. This time, we’ll give them hell.”

  “Yes, captain,” the others answered.