They called us monsters part 10

Chapter 10: Dead men tell no tales

‘’She has a strong body.’’, Ester commented and covered the bandaged body of the redhead huntress. She had been snoring lightly, the pain medicine keeping her down.

‘’Will she be able to recollect memories?’’, Yaju muttered the question, his head hanging low. His body felt strong, healthy and energetic, as if he was a teenager once more. His still crimson eyes were avoiding the elder woman’s blue ones.

‘’Hopefully, yes.’’, she replied with a hint of annoyance. ‘’What happened there? You look completely unscathed and wield crimson eyes I can tell you are unable to control.’’ Yaju frowned and stared at her, making the elder woman narrow her eyes in fear.

‘’I lost control damn it…’’, the male gritted through his teeth. ‘’I ate demon flesh. I never knew it could have this effect on me.’’, he added and Ester crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her gaze fell on the sleeping female before releasing a sigh.

‘’It’s a good thing you came to me when you did. No one saw you.’’

Lady Ester got up from her seat and touched Krista’s forehead. She squirmed ever so lightly, before the elder woman walked to the door. Lucky for Yaju, no one but Ester and her two sons entered this room, which was the late doctor’s private office.

‘’I’ll get you some food.’’

As soon as the door closed behind Ester, Krista woke up slowly. Her emerald eyes darted around the room lazily, her face showing that the memories had not kicked in just yet. Upon noticing Yaju, seated a few meters away from the bed, her attention turned to him completely. Then, her brows shot up, her eyes widened and her teeth showed, as an expression of shock slowly altered her features.

‘’You… you...’’, she mumbled and the hunter got on his feet, about to run out and fetch lady Ester. The redhead sat up and crawled away from the male, cornering herself at the wall behind the bed, hugging her naked and bandaged form as her eyes stared at him, her mouth moving, no words coming out of it. ‘’You ate them!’’, she suddenly yelled, tears running down her cheeks as wails escaped her lungs.

‘’Fuck...’’, Yaju exhaled, troubled of what her reactions might mean. Before he had even turned around to call Ester, the lady had barged in the room and run up to the woman who kept crying uncontrollably.

‘’Kill him! Kill him!’’, she cried out and Yaju shivered uncontrollably. She had a point. How was he different than the monsters he so desperately struggled to exterminate.

‘’Get out!’’, Ester yelled at him and the hunter bit his lip in an effort to express his anger and stepped out of the room. Krista was clearly in a state of shock and needed time, before she faced crimson eyes again. So much for all her cocky attitude. Yaju’s actions had broken her.

It took more than twenty four hours before Ester allowed Yaju to approach Krista again. In the meantime, his eyes had returned to their dull grey color, as the demon flesh and blood had gone out of his system. The random discovery of this ability was a double edged sword, as it proved that he had a bloodlust he was unable to control, just like the demons, but also that he could use the demon flesh to completely heal and strengthen himself. Even after the effects had worn off, he felt his body healed from various old injuries he had received in the past.

‘’You may enter now. She has come to terms with what she saw.’’, Ester spoke softly and opened the door of the infirmary to let the half-demon in. Grey eyes mirrored green and Krista’s expression stiffened.

‘’I apologize for acting out. I… was scared.’’, were her first words and Yaju lifted a heavily calloused hand to stop her.

‘’It is understandable. I lost control.’’, he replied and sighed before scratching the back of his head. ‘’I had no idea this could happen.’’

In his words, the redhead widened her eyes in disbelief.

‘’You are a half-man.’’, she announced and the term sounded foreign in Yaju’s ears. ‘’I have met people like you, in the capital.’’ The hunter lifted his brows and considered her words. The capital was vast and he was well aware of the power held by demons there. The entirety of Failands believed that the country was controlled by the church and royalty with its advisors, but Yaju knew otherwise. There was no way demons hadn’t infiltrated the top ranks, seeing how the elder ones were immortal, wise and powerful.

‘’Come with me to the capital.’’, she suddenly announced and the hunter gave her a look of disbelief. ‘’I had to see it to believe it. You have such hatred for these beasts. You will be a great addition in the band of blood.’’ The hunter scoffed and stared out of the window, ignoring the intense and insulted gaze of the female.

‘’I have no intention of joining any groups.’’

‘’After all that talk about protecting what we have, you will back out now?’’, she yelled at him and stood up. Yaju glanced at her sideways, his eyes falling on the skimpy, grey, fabric dress that showed her thighs. Her fiery, red hair were surrounding her young face with gentle curls, making her look more feminine and young. ‘’You can help the cause! Join me in the capital.’’, she insisted and the male could not fathom why. Yet, it intrigued him. He had stayed in Tereen for far too long, repeating the same motions day after day.

‘’Very well.’’, he replied and Krista blinked in surprise, probably expecting him to show more resistance. ‘’When you are ready to travel, so will I.’’, he added and she nodded, slowly turning back to her old self, the woman Yaju met the first time he saw her, being well aware that it was all a mask to hide someone else, someone not that cold and indifferent. ‘’But if I see something I don’t like, I’m out of there.’’

Not even giving her time to react, he turned his back and exited the room. In two days’ time, the hunter had taken care of every last bit of business in Tereen and prepared himself to travel to the capital of Failands, alongside Krista. Lady Ester, as well as the commander of the guards had expressed their devastation for his decision to leave, being forever grateful for his actions in defending the town. Yaju had already decided though. Thinking about dying in Tereen an old man, or by the hands of small time demons, suddenly stopped sounding that appealing, especially after the recent discovery of his abilities.

The two hunters had been riding on the main road in a leisurely pace, not in a hurry to reach their destination. It would take five days to arrive in the capital, a citadel well-guarded and packed with all types of folks. Touched by the sea to the west and near a fertile valley to the south, it was truly the most blessed location in all Failands. To get there, the two hunters would have to stay in various inns along the way, well occupied by other travelers who came and went from the citadel. It would probably prove a boring and long journey and Yaju hoped it remained that way.

The closer they got to the capital the more merchant carts and groups of hunters and mercenaries crossed paths with them. The inns they stayed at where nearly packed and they had been lucky to be able to get two rooms each time. The two hunters had become accustomed to each other’s presence, but Krista was still hesitant to stay in the same room alone with Yaju. What she had seen him do had affected her greatly. On the fifth day of their journey the walls of the capital became visible from the main road.

‘’Do we need a backstory?’’, Yaju suddenly commented as soon as the thought entered his mind. Krista scoffed and brought her horse closer to his.

‘’Our actual backstory is enough. Being a hunter these days will get you in the capital, no questions asked.’’

The male nodded and focused on the northern entrance in front of them. The iron gate had been pulled up and a few guards standing around the opening where examining and interviewing the people who wanted to enter the citadel. The walls were high enough so that you could only see the tops of churches and towers. The hunter noticed a number of guards pacing on top of the walls, passing by already positioned cannons and large crossbows.

‘’Wow there!’’, a male voice brought Yaju back to reality and he looked down to face a guard who approached them. ‘’Get off your horses.’’, he added, his hands positioned on either side of the metallic plate protecting his torso. His funny looking mustache twitched with every quirky movement of his lips. The two hunters exchanged a glance before dismounting. Krista gave the rains of the horse to Yaju, who simply lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. Knowing that she used to live there though, he dared not speak and let her handle the situation.

‘’Name’s Krista Reglis, I have brought another hunter to work for the mercs.’’ The guard narrowed his eyes at the black-haired male, who was much taller and sturdier than him. He made his effort to look down on the foreign male, puffing his chest like an animal in heat.

‘’Very well miss Reglis. Your father’s name is well known for the services he offers to the guards.’’, he replied and stepped aside. ‘’Carry on.’’

Krista gave him a glare, signaling him to follow her in the town, carrying the horses. Yaju couldn’t hide his troubled expression behind his usual mask of indifference. During their days of travel, the woman could have mentioned something about the mercs or her father, but she chose not to. Instead, all they talked about was possible positions the demons could have taken up in royalty or church. The hunter couldn’t help but notice that while going through the northern side of town, filled with inns and a huge market place, a few shady looking fellows and females noticed Krista and exchanged serious nods with her. It took them nearly an hour to get to the south side of the city, the area where hunters residing in the capital, as well as local merchants, chose to live and handle business. It was the middle class part of town.

The redhead took a few turns in this part of town and approached a two stored, quite large building with open windows. The evening sun barely entered through the tall walls that where visible from all parts of town, thus shortening the day. Krista glanced back at Yaju and approached him to take the horses from him. He narrowed his eyes at her refusal to exchange any words with him at that point, as she led the horses to a stable beside that house, speaking with the stable master lightly, clearly already knowing who he was.

‘’Come.’’, she spoke as soon as she approached him again and Yaju followed her, reminding himself the reasons he got there. His end goal was to destroy the monsters who dare feast on humans. He may be a monster himself, but he would use that side of his to fight and protect innocents.

Krista opened the wooden door and walked through, Yaju following closely behind her. As soon as they stepped in a dimly lit hallway, the hunter stepped to the side to avoid the collision between the huntress and another female.

‘’Krista! Papa has been worried for you.’’, the other woman commented, her red hair, loosely hanging around her frail frame were the only thing Yaju saw before the two females hugged. From the similarity on their faces and hair, as well as the smaller one’s words, it was obvious that they were siblings. Krista wore a wide smile for the girl and hugged her once more before looking at her from top to bottom.

‘’You grew up so beautifully Mara.’’, Krista commented and suddenly all eyes fell on the male in the room. The girl called Mara fixed her yellow dress and straightened up, as if trying to act formal in front of a guest.

‘’Have you chosen a husband, dear sister?’’, she spoke and made a curtsy to Yaju. ‘’A pleasure to meet you sir.’’ The black haired hunter couldn’t hold back a smile that crept up on his lips, threatening to break them open in loud laughter. Krista looked absolutely mortified, a bright hue of pink covering her pale cheeks as her green eyes darted from the burly tall hunter to her slender younger sister.

‘’Shut up you idiot!’’, she grunted and pulled a strand from her sister’s hair, making her break character and pout to her in the cutest way possible. Her black eyes glared at Yaju who had brought his large hand over his mouth in an effort to hold his laughter in.

‘’Why? What did I do wrong?’’, she blurted out and Krista sighed.

‘’He is just a fellow hunter and I brought him here to join the team.’’

‘’Let’s hope he can keep up.’’, a male voice echoed from the end of the hallway and the sisters turned around to face the person who stood there. Yaju looked at the elder male sideways, a frown creeping on his expression.

‘’Father.’’, Krista announced and the male stepped further down the hallway, revealing a strict face. A thick grey beard decorated his chin and shortcut grey hair the top of his head. His green eyes, nearly identical to his daughter’s, focused on the only other male in the room.

‘’This is Yaju, father. He is a very capable hunter.’’, Krista begun and the elder male pursed his lips in disapproval. The much taller and sturdier hunter nearly exasperated at the reactions of the huntress’s family. He felt as if he had to prove something to them, but he knew that it wasn’t true.

‘’Have you fought him?’’, he blurted out, his eyes still clearly on Yaju.

‘’No…’’, Krista stammered and glanced at him as well, a hint of fear showed in her eyes. ‘’But I have fought beside him. He is very capable father and he agreed to join me despite his commitment to Tereen.’’, she pressed on and the hunter was glad for her words. The elder male chuckled.

‘’Welcome to the capital hunter Yaju.’’