He Who Hunts Demons Chapter 1: 1-A Ghoul’s Blood

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1-A Ghoul’s Blood I was covered in blood. A ghoul’s blood. It was green and sticky, had a distinct putrid smell like incense being burned in a sewer, and the pouring rain couldn’t wash it off my skin. But I could hardly be bothered by that at this very moment. My eyes found the rickety sign hanging above the building I was standing before. It read: “Cavelier’s pub”, and I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I tightened my hand on the grip of my revolver, and stole one more glance at the dead ghoul I held by the horn, its lanky body draped across the floor like a rag and its tongue stuck out between yellow needle-like teeth. I kicked open the door of the pub a little more aggressively than I would have liked, and it put an end to the ruckus inside as quickly as possible. Everyone’s attention shifted to me, their eyes a mix of curiosity and anger. I considered apologizing, but in the hunter business, being timid meant you would be eaten raw. I walked in, shoulders raised high, and eyes as hard as rock behind my glasses. Murmurs began as gazes followed me, shifting between myself and the dead ghoul, and lastly my revolver. Their thoughts leaked out. I was new around here, and new was the only thing besides timid that signalled fresh meat. Even though it was obvious I was the one who had brought the ghoul in, if I was beaten half to death and tossed out, that wouldn’t matter. The last person who held the kill would get the pay. So I brandished my revolver, caressed the trigger, and kept my back straight. I counted them; there were at least thirty. That was a number that usually led to bloodbaths more often than not. But I wasn’t scared. Hardly. No hunter fought a ghoul and remained intimidated by their fellow hunters. However, that didn’t mean I shouldn’t be cautious. “What do you need?” the man on the other side of the counter I approached asked with a deep voice. I looked down to see him. He was a dwarf—rare around these parts, but Ur was a place for all kinds—and had an angry look on his face. That was most likely because I had come bearing a presence that could eventually disrupt his business. Firebrand, they called people like me. I liked the name. “I need its essence core,” I said as I tossed the ghoul onto the counter. It took over a large portion of it, but no one was drinking close by, so that wasn’t a problem. “Then you shoulda’ gone to a fucking butcher, ain’t it?” the dwarf growled. I placed my revolver on the counter for a moment, took off my glasses and wiped it dry, then put it back on. “What I need is the two services in one. Extraction and settlement,” I replied as I picked up my revolver. “Can you provide that or not?” The dwarf eyed me for a moment and scoffed. He found a stool, pulled it close, and climbed up. “Hmmm…” he hummed as he perused the body of the ghoul, poking it with a finger. “Fresh, good. You shoulda’ cleaned up the damn blood. The darn thing’s as thick as glue; fine work you’ve given me here.” I wasn’t keen on waiting around until he was done with the job. The predators lurking were having second thoughts about just letting me be. If I didn’t leave now, things could take a drastic turn. “Do you have ink and paper?” I asked. The dwarf looked at me and narrowed his eyes. “Want a transfer then, ei?” I nodded. “That’s an extra five percent for me, you know that, right, firebrand?” I would argue, but losing five percent was a fine price to pay for my head remaining on my neck. “That’s good enough. What is the estimated pay?” The dwarf eyed me. “Fifty pounds.” “Is that the total pay or my share after you take out your fifteen percent?” “Your share,” the dwarf snorted. It was my first time hunting a ghoul, but I wasn’t new to bargaining. And I had done my fair share of research on what amount of pay I should be expecting even if something as abysmal as twenty percent was taken out. “A ghoul’s essence core is estimated to be around two-hundred pounds because of its potency,” I explained. “Even if twen