He Who Hunts Demons Chapter 26: 26-Fancy Ride

Read chapter 26 of He Who Hunts Demons by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Gaston didn’t take me back to the Iron Eagles’ building; instead I was led to the same carriage that had brought me to the cathedral and my new way of life. Its rider was already seated within the box seat, wearing a calm and plain expression. He glanced at me, catching my eyes, then immediately turned away, making it seem like he didn’t exist. I turned to Gaston. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Where are the rest?” “Every Fifth-day is break day,” said Gaston. “Your teammates are in their homes doing whatever suits their palette at this time of day. I suspect Pollie might be baking apple pie again. She’s infatuated with that thing. Maria, on the other hand…oof…quite the painter. Some of her works will blow your mind.” As soon as I got the answer to my question, the rest of Gaston’s words were muffled out to me as I instantly recalled that Martha had claimed that in this line of work everyone was exceptionally busy. She had also claimed that today, Fifth-day, was her free day. However, the fact that people were being interrogated in the Golden Eye building, and Alma was also present in the Iron Eagles’ building as well, made me pause and reflect on the contradiction for a moment. Gaston’s words made it seem like the break day pertained to everyone, but maybe that wasn’t the case. And, now that I read between the lines of his words even further, he had only specified my teammates, and I’d not seen Lue either. “What about Lue?” I asked. Gaston raised a brow, obviously surprised that I was asking about her, considering how we’d started off. “Just answer,” I said. And besides, I wasn’t one to hold grudges. Unless you were a demon. “Ila and Veva are on a mission,” said Gaston, and I frowned. Noticing that, he added. “Lue is Ila’s codename. There’s no need for you to be confused.” I nodded and returned my focus to the question that I had lodged in the back of my mind. “So that means Fifth-day isn't a break day for everyone?” “Yes,” said Gaston precisely. “It’s for the new recruits. Which means that tomorrow you have to be back and report for duty. Unlucky that you returned from the Dreamscape on your free day, but I need you to head home and rest up. It’s almost dark.” My eyes turned to the sky. Gloomy clouds were already spreading across the clear blue like a blight, and my body shook in response as I was reminded of what my nights usually entailed. For a moment, I thought about heading out into the dark to hunt, but I was lacking in preparations. That was a risk I was not willing to take. “One more question,” I began. “Are you a Transcendent?” Gaston regarded me with a smile for a second, then said, “No. I’m a vampire.” I pursed my lips and hopped into the carriage, satisfied with the answer I’d received. Of course, I’d already had that discussion with Martha, but there was no harm in trying to satiate one’s curiosity, was there? And besides, if he had answered otherwise, I would have asked him to confirm the ideas I had on what a Transcendent’s technique was. I inferred that it meant the special power a Transcendent possessed, due to Gaston’s words on Alfie, and came to the conclusion that the reason why it was blank in my runic projections was because I was yet to advance into a pathway. But, again, there was no harm in confirming. “The carriage will be at your home to pick you up,” Gaston added just as I sat down in the carriage. “Six in the morning. Be ready.” He closed the door. As the carriage proceeded out of the cathedral and towards Peb street, I sat alone in the silence, settling into my thoughts. Every single thing I’d been involved in ever since Gaston and Lue—Ila—had popped up in my room came bubbling to the surface. I glanced at my palms, summoned my runic projections, and relived my experience in the Dreamscape in just a few minutes, and I still couldn’t believe what was happening. It all felt so surreal. I had become a Transcendent and henceforth would be tasked with hunting down demons for the church. Not only that, I w