This is your eternal host Count Damien.
Prepare yourselves for a soothing selection of sophisticated songs, a banquet of elegant ballads.
For our first sounds of this dawning day, ‘Symphony of the Barrows’ by the esteemed Sante Fe Orchestra.
May the music guide your soul to salvation.
As always, this is NGHT radio nocturne, providing the Sante Fe area the relaxing recordings from our private selection.
Please enjoy a pleasant trip in this waking world.
- Radio Nocturne
When I wake up the exhaustion of the previous day lingers, not just in body, but in mind as well. I feel like an open wound, the entirety of my being is an itching pain and the thought of doing anything related to being a hunter leaves me with a soul deep weariness. For the first time the act of putting my uniform on fills me with dread instead of safety.
Not today, I can't do this today. I don't want to put on this shell, I'll just be Alexandra. No hunting, no missions, no contracts.
I resolve not to do anything stressful, only relaxation and maybe a nice trip out to the shopping district, see if they have anything good. It's harder than I'd like to admit, to force myself to leave my bed and get ready.
When I check my status my resolve falters. 311SP, I’m so close to tier two that it tempts me, but the ache in my leg reminds me of how close I came to dying because I rushed off. No, I’m sure I’ll have enough by the end of this trip. More than anything I need rest, rather my hope is that it will help, I'm not sure what else I could do.
It has been awhile since I've gone out for fun so the only nice outfit I brought was a white knee-length sunflower print sundress and a tan farmer’s hat with some sandals. The sandals get ditched for some white low tops because I’ll be walking a lot, I don't know why I thought they were a good idea. My leather armband isn’t exactly bringing the outfit together, but I’m not about to lose the enchantments. It probably would have matched the brown leather purse I used to use, but between the pads, wipes, painkillers, marks, and my Beretta, it just didn’t have the space anymore.
I slip on a cute skyblue backpack with a cloud pattern that matches my eyes, packed with my money and gun. It hangs off my shoulder while I lock up the guild trunk holding my stuff for my stay here. I pop into the bathroom one last time to check myself over before heading out.
Is just concealer enough or is it too much? Should I have brought jewelry too? Argh, no stop, it's fine, I look fine, everything is fine.
Shaking off my nerves I head outside into the scorching sun, feeling thankful for the shade of my large hat. Not having to walk the whole way to the markets should help too, and then I can slip inside the cool indoor a/c.
Alright, let's go find some good deals!
I hop on a trolley headed toward the city center and hold onto my hat so I don’t lose it from a stray breeze. The city is as pretty as always, the splashes of color on the clay buildings giving it a very lively feel. Most of them are only a few stories tall and don’t block the view to the sky, you can even see the mountains from inside the city.
There's a brief hiccup when some guy on the car tries to nab my pack or grab my ass, not sure which, but he got a bloody nose out of it. I'm worried that I just wrecked my whole day, but he slinks away without making a scene. I'm still left with a sour reminder about our Zachary problem and feeling a bit self conscious about my dress.
Come on Alex, don't let one asshole ruin your day.
Doing my best to shake away the unpleasant interaction, I hop off right as the trolley passes the main road heading towards the shopping district. The streets aren’t that crowded, but that’s only because most everyone is huddled under the umbrellas and overhangs to keep out of the sun. Makes it easy to stroll down the road without bumping into anyone.
Looking over the shops I spot a sign that says ‘Jaxs Hacks’ and this is either going to be an amazing diamond in the rough, or absolutely terrible. I can feel it in my bones.
There’s a little bell that rings when I open the glass door and I see a man at the counter who I am assuming is Jax. He’s got a bit of a drooping face half covered by dark aviator sunglasses. He also looks both completely out of it and perfectly in his element at the same time as he reads through a magazine I can’t make out the cover of, something about camping.
He doesn’t say anything when I walk in so I just start browsing through the items here. Some salvaged electronics, a couple pieces of jewelry, a tape with the other ‘Out of This World’ hit ‘Deep Space’. That song kinda lost a lot of popularity after the Vegas incident, people didn’t really want a reminder of deep space after that. I pick up a small black cube and almost drop it when I see the silvery inscription.
Nope nope nope, getting the fuck out of here.
I’m backing up getting ready to sprint out the door when I hear a droll voice from nearby.
“The cube is a replica, there’s no danger to it.”
Who would make such a detailed replica of that, do they like being reminded of the sentient void covering South Africa!? Ugh, I wanted a nice relaxing shopping trip, not have my heart rate spiking and fearing for my mortal existence.
“You know there are a bunch of these still around right?” I retort, feeling a little irritated at the jump scare. He just shrugs though so I sigh and shake my head, dropping the topic.
It’s like having a nuke around and saying it’s fine because it’s deactivated. I really hope this is actually a replica.
I’m about to call this place a bust when I spy something I absolutely have to have. The third volume of the romance series ‘Haunted by Love’, the one that had a limited run due to the explicit content ‘Haunted by Love III: Phantom in my Bed’. The author never retconned the book so there are explanations to some plot points that only exist in it. The incident that bankrupted the flower shop Venus, why Henry left Jenna to be with the ghost Paul even though in volume two Paul declared his undying love for Jenna. I need it.
“How much for this book?” I ask in a daze.
One hundred marks later and I’m humming a happy tune while walking down the street. Book securely in my backpack and ready to be binge read the moment I get to the bunks. It only takes a little while for me to find another shop that catches my interest. This one is a used bookstore and I can practically smell the aged paper when I walk in. I love the smell of old books, books have been my friend since I knew what friends were, they’re my rock and they’ve gotten me through a lot of rough times.
There’s a big guy with heavy wrinkles and a stern face behind the counter and he keeps an eye on me the entire time I’m browsing like he expects me to steal or break something, which is a bit annoying. I try not to let it bother me as I look through the books. I find a few volumes of ‘Haunted by Love’ that I already have and feel a pang of nostalgia at seeing the ‘Macy May, Kid Genius Enchanter’ series that I own all the volumes for. I know there’s a new release for the sapphic romance ‘My Liark girlfriend from Liraza’, but I doubt I’ll find it in a used book store.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I do stumble upon a copy of ‘How To Use Magic For Cooking and Enchanting” by Zzssaryx, which is a highly coveted academic source on enchanting, written and translated by a Liark matriarch. I should know since I have a copy personally signed by the matriarch herself after she spent a few months babysitting the initiates when she found out we were teens and not ‘short adults’. She was a bit overbearing at times and some cultural stuff didn’t translate well but I do kinda miss her.
I hope she visits Earth again.
There’s not much I really want so I just end up picking out the first two volumes of ‘The Werebear, The Basement, And Me’ since I’ve heard good things about it. It also has a reputation for being popular with lonely middle aged women, a fact I’m certain is why the clerk rolls his eyes when he’s ringing me up.
Yea fuck you too buddy.
When I exit the bookstore I can feel the sun getting pretty hot in the midday and my leg is aching so I decide to take a little break. There’s a news stand that’s carrying the United Nations World News, so I grab a copy and check out what is going on overseas as I take a much needed seat on a bench in the shade.
Tier eight Shi Xingyuan ‘The Phoenix’ helped push back the undead horde enough that the East Asian Collective recovered the old China capital. The paper doesn’t use the title for her, it’s an unofficial hunter guild thing since she’s part of the EAC’s army. The Archmagus Lodge was apparently trying to do something with the void again, but a bunch of the scattered city states in Africa put together a group to stop them. A couple reports on the Frozen Wastes in former Russia, but nothing too interesting.
No Earth shattering events, at least as far as the UN thinks. They’re not exactly the global reaching organization the history books say they were pre-apoc, more like a military organization trying to cling to past relevancy. Still they’re one of the few groups with a ritual relay between continents that can bring news over and sometimes they cover stuff the Hunter’s Guild doesn’t.
My leg is still throbbing a bit in pain so I extend my breather, enjoying the slight breeze under the shade of the overhang and the vibrant scenery. There’s a nice and peaceful atmosphere around here, something about the soft chatter of the small crowd and the sunny skies puts my mind at ease. I give myself a few more minutes before I’m done with my break then I hit up two more stores, a pawn shop and a cheap clothing place, but neither have anything I want. The only thing I really need is going to be at the guild store which is mostly explosives.
There’s a park on a hill a bit east that I want to visit, but not before I grab a little boost in the form of a cappuccino and some kind of cookie called a biscochito.
I know a hot cappuccino is weird in this weather, but I just prefer it, alright?
It’s hard to hold my hat and drink while hopping on the trolley, but I manage and it only takes about ten minutes to get to the park. I’m a bit more wary on the car this time which makes it harder to enjoy the passing scenery and I wish I’d worn pants, but there’s not much I can do about that. It’s a relief when I catch sight of the dense trees and I hop off as the trolley passes by the entrance.
There’s a nice small hill right off the main path with some shade and a beautiful view of the city. It feels nice to be surrounded by all this greenery and not be worried it’s trying to kill you. Once I get to the top near a tree I lay back and stare up at the cloudy sky, hat angled to block the sun. A cool breeze sweeps over me while I bask in the warm rays of the sun.
It’s peaceful.
I stay like this for I don’t know how long, listening to the shouts and laughter of families. Everything is so quiet and far away from up here. Some of the clouds look extra fluffy and I wish I could reach out and touch them, but I settle for imagining myself floating among the wispy puffs.
Free.
It all comes crashing down on me when one of the little boys scrapes his knees and starts crying. I’m no longer at the park, I’m down in the tunnels surrounded by nightmares with long scythes and human gore. I can smell and taste the coppery blood. Hear the pained screams of the people around me. Death and decay haunts every corner of my vision.
Jacob
My entire awareness is focused on the memory of finding him, the images of his eyes and legs, the cries.
I think I’ve had enough of the park for today.
I’m standing outside the doors of Mother Mary’s Gospel, I took a direct route over without stopping back at the guild because I didn’t want to lose my nerve. It still takes a lot of deep breathing and psyching myself up before I manage to cross the cathedral doors. Mass isn’t currently taking place, but there are still some nuns hanging around what looks like a break table.
“Excuse me, I’m hunter Alexandra Summers and I was recently on a mission with Seraphim Elizabeth. I was wondering about some details about that.” I give my best interpretation of polite and formal.
An older nun makes a motion for the others to sit back down when they start getting up, then turns to answer me.
“You’re asking about the boy, correct?” Her tone is gentle and I can practically feel compassion radiated from her.
“Uhm yes, I wanted to know how he’s doing.” I ask while n
“His injuries are severe, but his life is not currently in danger. We’ll be watching over him for the foreseeable future to help adjust to the changes. His mother will be staying with us to keep close to him, though the father refused. I wonder why.” The absolutely frigid look she gives me at the end tells me she knows exactly why.
“Thank you, for letting me know.” That's better than expected, but I was already expecting the worst.
“You’re welcome Alexandra, as you are welcome in our church, as are any kind and compassionate souls welcome here.” She gives me a warm smile, but it soon twists into a tense expression. “Before you go, a word of warning. Something reeks of Second Adventist teachings, either them or someone like them are kicking up a fuss around here.”
A shiver of fear runs down my spine at the information, nothing good can come from them being here. I bow my head in parting, hoping whatever is going on isn’t as bad as my gut says it is. Any news of adventist activity is bad news though, especially since most people don’t take them as seriously as they should.
By the time I get back to the dorms I’m itching for any distraction I can get, and I have several of them in my pack right now so I head off over to the bunks to get some light reading in. I’m early so there’s nobody around when I get in, curling up on the bed and tucking my dress in to get started on my new volume of ‘Haunted by Love’.
I’m about fifty pages in, reading about the dastardly plans from the secret society of botanists when I’m interrupted by a familiar voice.
“No way, you have a copy of the third volume of ‘Haunted by Love’?” Abel exclaims excitedly.
I look up to see he’s also dressed in casual clothes, just a light sleeveless denim vest and jeans that matches with his darker complexion. He’s got a cowboy hat covering his short black hair and shadowing his brown eyes.
Huh, so that’s how he dresses outside work.
“Yeeeesss? What’s it to you” I respond with mild suspicion.
“Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted to learn about what bankrupted the flower shop Venus? It has kept me up at night, I even missed a lesson because I couldn’t sleep from wondering. Captain Diane was pissed, I practically had to beg her to teach me again. Anyway, I’ve been looking everywhere for a copy. Let me borrow it when you’re done?” Abel finishes his rapidfire ranting with a pleading puppy dog look.
I narrow my eyes at him.
This was an expensive book and I’d prefer not to have it be lost or destroyed even after I finish it. On the other hand, his desperate expression is kind of working so I end up giving in
“Fine, but if you lose it you’re paying me back two hundred marks. And I swear to god, if some of the pages are sticky. I don’t know what I’ll do but it won’t be pleasant” I respond with steely conviction.
Abel for his part, gives me a horrified look “Ew, what!? No, gross, no. When I give you the book back it will be in pristine condition, I promise”.
“Deal, so can I get back to reading now? I have some evil botanists to catch up on.” I state as I flip my book back open to the page I was reading.
“Actually, I came over to see how you were doing. So, how are you doing? I heard what happened from Kayla and it sounded pretty rough…” Abel nervously explains
I raise an eyebrow over my book and see him awkwardly fidgeting so I let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll be okay, thanks for checking on me.” I try to give him my best smile, not sure how well I succeeded. “So can I get back to my book?”
He seems to brighten a little bit at that and gives a quick “Sure, sure.” before tipping his hat goodbye and heading out of the bunk room. Leaving me with a small smile.
Today could have gone worse.