"Paranormal? Sean... did you call these people?" Tori looked back, her foot tapping on the floor anxiously.
"What? No. Honest. Who are they?" Sean held his hands up.
"Nobody called for us, we just came here of our own accord." Natalie flicked a stray bang out from her face with her middle finger.
Heck yeah, Natalie. I'm glad to see she's focused and talking now. Max smiled over at his partner and then eyed Sean. "Wow. Aren't you just a buff-looking Andy Warhol!"
Sean blinked a few times. "A what?"
"Never mind!" Max waved with both hands and looked away to the side. "Anyway. Mind if we come in?"
"We're hunters. We're from Titanium-Corps Academy. We were told that a distress came from here. There is apparently some kind of faerie in this apartment complex." Natalie enunciated slowly and put her right hand to her chin as her left hand held up the right elbow.
Tori shook her head and backed away from the door, closing it slowly. "No. No, this is all too crazy. Sean, quit pranking me."
"I don't know these people, Tori! You don't trust me?" Sean pointed his hands at his sternum.
"Sean." Tori glared at him then turned back to Max and Natalie. "Alright. You guys can come in. I fear I won't be able to be the best of hosts, though. Our house is small and we've been budgeting on food for quite some time. How long do you plan on staying here, anyway?"
"Well... we were thinking of luring the entity out by... asking this lovely lady for help." Max, stepping into the apartment slowly, cued for a girl with short black and auburn hair to smile meekly.
"Hi. I'm... Cardinal Aubrey." The girl bowed to Tori.
"A pleasure, I guess? I'm Tori Allen... and my boyfriend thinks this place is haunted." Tori rolled her eyes.
"Well... it probably is." Aubrey blushed and looked down at her white shoes.
"What?" Tori furrowed her brow.
"You're a... civilian so... I wouldn't expect you to take this in with open arms, but..." Aubrey blushed harder and poked her two forefingers together. "... there are a multitude of creatures, known as faeries, in this world... and they take on many different kinds of shapes, activities, and powers."
"So, it's not like a 'ghost'? It's a fairy? Like the... tooth-fairy?"
"Yeah. Although the tooth-fairy isn't real... um."
"Oh, of course she's not real."
"I mean... she's not. Certain faeries probably got a little charitable and gave poor kids some money throughout history. I don't know."
"You don't know? And yet you're here to help us 'lure an entity' which could be in my house?"
"Um- I mean- well-"
"What Aubrey means is..." Max yawned. "... let us do our job."
"Oh, a feisty one you are." Tori crossed her arms and walked away further back into the house with her boyfriend.
"Alright, friend. Lay it on hard." Natalie winked at Cardinal Aubrey.
Giggidy. Maximus smiled.
"Okay... so the process goes like this." Aubrey took a deep breath, put her wooden mask on, and laid out a piece of parchment in the middle of the living room. "I have to wear the mask as to not scare the faeries away. Most faeries are actually afraid of humans, so. The mask keeps me looking... impartial. And this specific seal will attract-"
"Whoa!" Maximus pulled out his blue sword. "What is that?"
Around the three of them, a violet apparition of gas weaved a circle. The weaving progressed in speed and soon it seemed like a giant vortex of purple matter was spewing light everywhere. The sound of wind it produced procured screams of all sorts. Deep-voiced men, light-throated women, and the cries of young children began to pour out of the spinning indigo flame.
Flung to the wall, Aubrey's mask popped off her face and she coughed in pain. Natalie got on all fours, clinging to the floor of the apartment in fear of her body being taken and thrown across the room too. The young Carwell girl closed her eyes tightly and felt the whole apartment spin and shake around her.
Then, in a flash, the quakes ceased.
"Ow..." Aubrey rubbed the back of her neck. "... Shinnaffray isn't gonna like that I got injured on the job without him."
"That dude sounds like he can be a real pain, you know?" Natalie walked over to Aubrey and softly rubbed her left shoulder.
"Jeez!" Max rubbed the right of his forehead. "I thought I was almost gonna pass out!"
"Uh... well..." Aubrey ran a finger across her freckled nose. "... it looks like the faerie has been weakened. That was clearly some form of attack that didn't go through all the way. The parchment is also burnt at the corners... which is a sign that the entity has calmed down some. I know it sounds a little cheeky but... you get around to learning these things when you work at the Complexia Portia all your life."
"Sure." Maximus rolled his eyes.
"I totally get that. I've gone to Titanium-Corps all my life. I know more things than most do about the lingo and jargon of it all." Natalie smiled.
"That's cool, really." Aubrey tilted her head to the side.
Man, they're really hitting it off. I'm glad since it's making Natalie happy. Max put his hands to his hips after sheathing his katana, only to see Sean angrily stomp out into the living room.
Making his way for the door in a pre-occupied fashion, Sean Changris-Pon called back to Tori. "And don't wait up for me!"
After awkwardly standing around for a few seconds, Aubrey then heard loud crying.
"Whoa. What... could they have fought about now?" Maximus frowned.
"This couple has been fighting?" Aubrey tilted her head suspiciously.
"I mean... yeah. I guess you didn't hear them well earlier. Tori said something like, 'oh gosh did you hear us fighting there' when we arrived here."
"Oh. That's not good... and that explains quite a bit." Aubrey put a hand to her chin.
"What do you mean?"
"Well... I think I've heard legends about certain faeries being attracted to negative energy."
"Really? I guess that'd make sense... but... that just sounds so tongue-and-cheek and fantastical, you know?" Max shrugged.
"You killed a tribunal faerie and you're going to call this fantastical?" Aubrey glared.
"What? You know about that? Oh boy! Look... I don't even really remember-"
"Which makes me suspicious of you, Maximus D. Kaline."
"What? Wait what. Why?" Max glared in return.
"Because-"
"Guys, focus." Natalie grabbed both of her friends by the shoulders. "We should probably keep an eye on Sean. You know, see what's going on with them? Help them work their problems out, which in turn might help weaken this faerie."
"Wait." Max chewed on his bottom lip. "How do we even know it's malignant? Father Agnus just told us to go find and subdue it... as per a usual mission... but he said it was a new kind of faerie that he didn't recognize. I mean... that swirling purple vortex was pretty violent... I guess."
"Oh. Yeah. There's that." Natalie nodded. "In all honesty, I guess we don't really know what we're doing here then. But we have to at least try and grapple onto some hypothesis and go from there, you know?"
"Sure, sure." Max nodded in return.
"So maybe you and Max could go see Sean and I'll stay here to keep an eye on Tori." Aubrey shrugged.
"Actually..." Natalie winked. "... you and Max could use the bonding experience. If we're gonna work together more often, Cardinal, we're gonna have to all get along. I don't like how you're suspicious of Max. He's my friend."
"Natalie..." Aubrey's face fell. "... I'm afraid to tell you this... but... Cardinal Shinnaffray gave me reason to believe that Max- he- well he- he could be... very dangerous."
"Dangerous? I wish!" Max slumped his shoulders.
Aubrey turned, her face rising into a narrow. "Hush, you."
"Ah! Natalie, I don't think this is a good idea. She's going to obstruct me." Max rolled his eyes.
"Oh, am I now?" Aubrey lunged at Maximus.
"Hey! Both of you. Learn to trust one another!" Natalie wagged a finger at both of the partners who were standing in opposition to each other.
"Natalie..." Max and Aubrey both groaned and frowned at her.
"Don't 'Natalie...' me. Trust each other, alright? We're working a case that has exactly this problem going on."
"Alright... I guess I am being a little overzealous. I just wanted to be on guard to make Shinnaffray proud. He didn't have... nice things to say about you, Max."
"Hmph. To be honest, I'm not getting good vibes from him either." Max tightened his lips. So he can put that in his pipe and smoke it. Asshole.
"Alright guys, well... I'm gone. I'll be watching Sean. Call me if you need anything, of course. Find anything." Natalie strutted to the front door of the apartment.
"Got it." Max smiled and yawned.
"Hm. I'm sorry, Max. I guess we've been getting off on the wrong foot." Aubrey stuck out her hand to shake.
"I'm glad you realize. Ha. Nah, but for real. I wanna work with you, you know?" Max shook her hand.
"Me too." Aubrey nodded and blushed, her freckled face transitioning to a strawberry color.
__________
As the sun was setting over the horizon, Aubrey and Max watched TV calmly and waited for Tori to come out of her room. Over the past hours, Max had received messages from Natalie and overheard Tori crying and screaming through muffling walls.
Shouldn't we... ask if she's alright? Max narrowed his eyes and furrowed his jaw to the side. I mean... I wouldn't wanna intrude, I guess.
Bonding with the Cardinal, Maximus laughed a lot over dumb commercials with Aubrey laughing in unison.
In the next moment, two doors opened. Aubrey went to utilize one of the bathrooms in the house and Tori came out of her own room in a saddened stupor.
"Tori. Hey, are you alright?" Max smiled warmly, his verdant jacket hanging low to his feet.
"I don't know. I think I... fucked it all up. I'm... guilty! I'm-"
"No, Tori. It's not your fault. Whatever you and Sean are going through... I promise... you two are equally just imperfect people who need to... calm down. Was that profound enough? Really. Honest. It'll be... alright. Yeah. Something like that. Sean... I can tell... he really just wants a peaceful life with you."
"No! No... he doesn't. He hates me! He... HATES ME!" Tori fell on her knees and began to gag over the carpet.
"Tori- whoa. Hey! Are you okay?"
"He... HATES ME! I RUINED OUR LOVE BY LETTING HIS DOG DIE! HE HOLDS A GRUDGE AGAINST ME AND I'M A WORTHLESS HUMAN BEING!"
"What the fu-" Max jumped away all too late as Tori's head began to violently jolt in places and puke began emanating out of her mouth. The girl's skin cracked and sagged on her face.
"IT'LL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN! I RUINED OUR LOVE!"
"What the hell? Is the faerie of this house... possessing her?"
Tori's skin turned green and yellow as she lunged at Max and bit the air. From behind her, another apparition suddenly appeared. Purple haze infiltrated the area as the laughter of a young girl beat the wind and walls of the apartment.
The shape of a tan arm began to materialize behind Tori. Maximus, readying his katana, glared at Tori's left shoulder. In the next moment, a young woman with lightly lilac hair and brown skin held her hand out to Maximus.
"Hello there... you cute young man... my name is Iona. Iona de'Navra... an ancient little girl. And you're very handsome... and I've been keeping an eye on you for quite some time... ever since you stepped foot into this house." The young girl was covered in a red maiden uniform all too big and fluffy for her small size.
"You... seem like you have control over the faerie that's been plaguing this place. Why are you doing this? Who are you?" Max had his blue sword out completely by this point, pointing it at Iona.
"Mhm. You're a hunter and you wanna know how to defeat this bad ol' faerie, isn't that right? Too bad, because it's nothing like you've seen before. I created it. This faerie has my blood running through it. How lovely! And there are two faeries. Mugen and Pele. They're my vicious little watching-birds, isn't that right?" Iona giggled loudly with her high register as two largely nosed hawks swooped down on her shoulders.
"What? You... created those faeries?" Max pointed his sword at Mugen, a yellow hawk with a giant and vein-covered beak. Those birds just look weird. They're faeries?
"Ho hum." Iona frowned as she ran a hand down her cheek. "You're so adorable, whoever you are. Max, I think it was? Oh, how I'd just love to... run my hands around your neck and steal a kiss. Too bad I have to... murder you in cold blood!" Iona giggled some more, her large eyes reflecting a golden ocean.
"What the-" Without thinking, Max charged his sword at Mugen since the vicious bird aimed its claws at him.
"Hmph. I won't be killing you with my birds, silly."
"Truth be told, I don't wanna kill you. You're just a... little girl." Maximus lowered his sword as Mugen flew back to Iona's right shoulder.
"Just a little girl? My goodness! I appreciate the compliment, mister cutie-pie, but don't underestimate me. Watch... and... learn."
In the next moment, a black vortex began to swirl around Iona. Silver lines caked the insides of the pitch-dark void. All matter of sound seemed to evaporate.
Max raised his sword once more, covering as much of his torso as he could. Iona's childlike face blurred as long rectangular shapes began to take form over the angry spinning matter below her. The floor of the apartment became entranced in a light-absorbing decorum.
"Do me a favor..." Iona put two hands to her bottom jaw in infatuation. "... AND DIE FOR ME, OKAY?"
__________
YOU ARE READING
Hallowed Kaline (1) (MANUSCRIPT)
FantasyHi, my name is Max Kaline (Kay-Leen). I'm a hunter. More specifically, I'm what's known as a 'Fae Hunter'. I hunt down and kill faeries.
