They were calling me in for a briefing, so it must be a special class threat.
The chessboard tiles of the floor echoed my footsteps, there were no windows and the further I went the farther I felt from safety.
I pushed open the massive oak doors, they opened with a squeak. "Hello Special Agent Renji" I bowed to him despite the fact we were both the same rank.
He scratched the back of his head, a few strands of his yellow hair were brushed to his side, revealing his Red eyes "There's no need to bow, we are the same rank now".
"Sorry, its habit."
in front of me was a table with a file "Who am I hunting down" I didn't have the time to fuck around, not now "Calm Down, its Blood Maw".
i picked up the file, we had literally nothing, we had feeding sites and what he leaves behind, which is arms, eyes, and the stomach.
"Will I be assigned a Partner in this mission?" I coldly questioned, I knew the answer but I had to ask anyway.
Renji pursed his libs. "Nope, you're a Special Rank now, we work alone."
I sighed and folded the file again "Im taking this to my desk. Coming down here was a waste of time." They should have just delivered this assignment to my desk.
The elevator was slow, i reopened the file.
The blood Maw
he consumed his victims, likely a Vanta, it doesn't seem to have any affiliation with any Major clans or factions, no know weapons, either a ventra core user or mage
There seem to be 8 different feeding sites we have found, each one doesn't seem to have anything in common.
Maybe we missed something, 'Ding" with a screech the metal doors of the elevator opened.
a few people greeted me on my way to My desk, If I didn't have this case I would stop and talk, but in the 3 years the Blood Maw has been active, no one has been able to find It.
I sat down at my desk, it had 4 others around it, small cube setups,
The computer booted to life, I searched the database for information on Blood Maw, it listed where the sites were. i wrote down a list of them and stood up.
i would need a transport vehicle. I stopped at the front desk "Can I get a Transport?" I felt my Injector push against my leg, "What type sir? Where's your partner?" I pulled out my badge, "Im Special rank, no need" she handed me a key. "Doc 7b, keep the key"
The stairs would be quicker than the elevator.
The tap of my steps echoed all throughout the stairwell.
I pushed open the bottom door and slowly made my way to Doc B.
the air was cold, they always kept the docs cold, I opened the door to Car 7, it was a simple 2 seater, fast and compact.
i raced to the first discovered site, it had since been cleaned up but just seeing the area might be able to tell me something.
it was a Friday, traffic was tough to get through.
I stoped next to a the alley way that was Site number 1, and I could see why this was the first target, especially if they were hunting alone for the first time.
I covered my nose, it smelled like a portapoty during summer. there were a few tents set up. the homeless.
this didn't tell me much, beyond the possibility that this Person was new to hunting, and or that they were weak.
I got back in the car.
I should check them out at night, maybe find a Vanta to get some information from
I pulled out my phone and called one of my former partners
I pulled up to a small raman shop, we used to frequent this place.
"So hows It been Samuel, being a Special class" due to one of his messups he wasn't likely to get promoted any time soon, "Its lonely, the first assignment they have me on is the Blood Maw" he laughed "have fun with that assignment.
his brown hair reflected the light, while his green eyes sparkled in the light "Well what have you been up to Rei?" he shrugged "they keep putting me on easy tasks, hardest one I had was the Bone Twins" he let out a sigh, before taking a sip of his drink "I think about them everyday... they haunt my dreams"
I sighed, he was the lead on Operation Return To Zero, they considered me a hero after that mission, since I stepped up and managed to Incapacitate Zero.
"Lets not" I stood up, my chair squeaking "We arent here to discuss that Rei, I understand what you went through but I wont discue it now."
He breathed in "yea ok, well why did you call me here then" I sighed while sitting back down "To talk with a Freind" I looked down at my watch 6:23, I had 2 hours to burn before night should fall.
2 Hours later
What an awkward meeting, I got back into the car and turned on the Radio, Rock music, I turned the volume all the way up.
i rushed to the 1st site again.
Nothing had changed, maybe a can or 2 were added but nothing substantial.
the 2nd site wasn't as easy to reach, the top of a building.
i didn't hear no screaming so I'm not climbing this 20 story building.
I was definitely breaking the speeding laws, I had to drive across the town.
it was a radio station, somehow the Blood Maw had managed to kill the entire station full of people, and it ate them all.
The Station was reopened recently.
i was outside the station, the moon illuminated the doors, I walked in and there was no sign of anything suspicious happening.
i walked out and saw someone standing ontop of the Radio tower, they had spikes coming off of their body.
This confirmed one thing for me, this person was definitely a Vanta, no normal human could have those.
Not even a high-tier mage.
i pulled out the Injector and clicked the first button, Stage 1.
I stabbed it into my leg, I winced for a second but I felt the wound closing, I put the injector back on my hip.
I jumped up to the rooftop. I don't think the Vanta had noticed me yet, I jumped to the next platform. The metal creaked under me. "It's rude to itrude on someone" the unknown person looked down towards me "Hmm Mirage agent, I see" he jumped from the top of the radio tower to a nearby building that was under construction.
I followed him "Little Mirage agent, why are you wanting to end your carrier so soon" as soon as I landed I rolled and picked up some rebar, I couldn't risk stage 3 yet.
"How about I end you, you human eating scum", squealching filled my ears, he was an Armor type.
The Vanta lunged at me, I rolled under him and swung the rebar at his chest, nothing happened, it just rolled off the Vanta harmlessly.
i jumped back quickly, he lunged again, and I moved out the way.
i was blinded, the debris from a nearby pillar rained down. "Quit moving."
As the debris settled, I lunged at him and slammed my fist into his jaw "Weak" I saw the knee coming but was too slow to reach.
i was thrown into the concrete ceiling, i felt the injector snap in my pocket.
i fell down to the floor beneath me, but before i could make impact with the ground a round house kick connected and sent me flying into a pillar. A burning sensation filled my stomach area.
dust and concrete powder filled the air, I heard a crack, it was him lunging at me.
i moved to the right.
and just as I thought he had lunged at me with a bone blade, it got stuck in the pillar, I grabbed a piece of rebar and stabbed it into his neck, while he was trying to remove the bone blade from the pillar.
The vanta went limp; he wasn't dead, not yet.
I felt the warmth of my own blood, I lifted my shirt and there was a tiny bone spike.
i pulled the spike out, and almost immediately, the wound began closing.
i grabbed the rebar that was sticking out of the vantas neck and pulled him over to the edge of the building. I threw him off; his armor broke fully on impact.
I jumped down, I used his body to absorb the impact.
"Filth" I said as I grabbed him by his neck to drag him to the car.
as I got near a crowd parted "Out of the way, official Mirage business" I threw the vanta into the passenger seat.
i pulled out my phone, its was cracked in half, I wouldn't be able to call forward unless I used a payphone.
i jumped out of the car and walked over to the orange pay phone, I sighed since there was a line.
time to abuse my Power as a Mirage agent, I stepped to the front of the line.
"Hey you cant skip" I looked over at this wrinkled man "Says who, this is urgant Mirage Business and if you want to try and stop me, ill put you with some Vanta" he put his hands up "I Didnt know sir"
I knocked on the Payphone box "Hurry up" I looked down at my watch, they finished their call 2 minutes later.
I inserted a few coins and called
"Hello this is Mirage HQ, whos speaking?" I let out a sigh "Special Class investigator Samuel Allen, ill be brining in a Vanta, class A rating"
I hung up the phone and opened the payphone door "Thank you for your corporation and Patience" i started the car and began my way to Mirage HQ.
They had a cage and some needles out front, I pulled over to the front area and pulled the Vanta out the car "Be careful, that rebar is stoping the spine connections."
I allowed the armed guards to grab underneath his arms.
i made the mistake of looking the vanta in his eyes, Fear, that is all I saw in them.
"Get him preped for interigation" I walked through the auto doors, and walked up to the desk "Ill need a new Injector made, I have some specifications I want" she wrote it down "I would also like to make a request for a V-Sword"
they I heard the ding of the elevator and the moving of wheels, I rushed over to the elevator, I yelled back to the front desk lady "Thank you".
i stepped into the elevator and we went down to the -50th level.
"Hows his vitals holding" one of the doctors looked down at the computer "They are holding fine" I nodded and we continued to stand in aqwuard silence.
they rolled him into a holding room "How long till the drugs wear off" I asked to one of the doctors "Well likely in an hour or 2" I sat down in one of the chairs, it was stiff, overused and smelled of vomit, but that was common down here.