Chapter 5: Red and Rage 

Welcome back! Things are starting to build up, so get ready for an intense chapter! 

Photo by: Steven Damron (Flickr.com creative commons)

Hunter opened the door to the library and walked to a computer. He signed in and began his search, as Little Red settled into a seat beside him. Hunter's fingers flew across the keys, opening pages on the internet. His eyes darted between windows, his teeth clenched so hard that it seemed he could break his jaw. Red laid her hand on his arm.

“What are you doing?” She asked softly, keeping quiet out of respect for the library. Hunter blinked, like he'd forgotten that she was still there. 

“I'm searching for information on Beowulf,” he said, taking a breath. He let himself relax a little as he searched for information. 

“You're looking for a weakness,” said Red. Hunter nodded. 

“Achilles had his heel,” he said. “If Beowulf has something we can exploit, we have to take it.” 

“That's smart,” Red said. Hunter continued his search, looking increasingly dissatisfied. 

Finally, he gave up. He sighed, setting his head on the computer desk. Red patted his back softly. 

“You tried,” she said. “That's the important thing.” 

“What are we supposed to do?” He asked aloud. “He doesn't have a weakness we can exploit, what do we do?” 

“We go in hard and beat him,” said Red with a confident smile. Hunter shook his head. 

“This is crazy,” he said. He gripped the zipper of his sweater and stared at the desk. “What am I even doing here?”

“You're a Player,” said Red. “Your job is to win the tournament.” 

“I don't care about your stupid tournament!” Snapped Hunter. The outburst earned some dirty looks from other library patrons, and a shush from the librarian. He shrunk into his hoodie, his cheeks burning with shame. Red looked shocked. 

“You don't?” She asked, her voice wavering. Hunter met her eyes, holding out his hands.

“I mean, it's not that it's not important,” he said softly, trying to comfort his Hero. “But there's a murderer on the loose, and we have to prioritize stopping them.” 

“Why do you care?” Snapped Red. “You're not a police officer. You're just a student. So why does it matter so much to you?” 

“It shouldn't,” Hunter said after a pause. He stood up slowly. “But I can't let anyone else die.” 

Red stared at Hunter for a moment. With nothing else to say, she turned on her heel and left the library. Hunter picked up his backpack and followed after her. On the way out, he bumped into a bearded man in a cream-colored suit. He fell to the ground, grunting as he bounced off the man. He looked up to get a better look. He had dark hair, regal features, and his red tie had a golden clip with a crown on it. The man held out his hand to help Hunter up. He took the offered hand and stood. 

“Sorry about that,” he said, rubbing his sore back. The stranger clapped his shoulder gently. 

“You should be more careful,” he warned, before walking further into the library. Hunter watched him disappear behind a shelf, before running out of the building to join Little Red. 

—

The man in the suit approached Cal, who was engrossed in his studies. He cleared his throat, and Cal looked up from his reading. 

“This better be important,” he said impatiently. 

“I've confirmed that Hunter’s a player,” the man in the suit said. “His deck is awakened and his Hero confirmed.”

“Interesting,” Cal said with a smile. “Who's his Hero?” 

“Little Red Riding Hood.” 

—

Hunter left the library and looked around. He saw Little Red walking away, and ran after her. He caught up quickly, panting as he fell into step beside her. 

“Red, wait up,” he said. She looked up at him, then looked away. Despite this, she matched his pace. 

“What do you want?” She asked curtly.

“I'm sorry,” Hunter said. Red furrowed her brow. She said nothing for a while, only speaking to cut off Hunter. 

“I know this tournament means nothing to you,” she said. “But for me, it's literally the only reason I exist.” 

“I had no idea,” said Hunter. He tucked his hands in his pockets, looking downtrodden. Red smiled softly. 

“But you're not wrong,” she said. “Stopping a killer is important. So, I'm willing to help any way I can.” 

“Sounds good,” said Hunter with a smile. “And then… we'll look at winning the tournament.” 

“Together?” Asked Red with a hopeful smile. 

“Together,” promised Hunter. Red held up her arms, and Hunter pulled her into a hug. 

“But how are we going to search the whole city for one player?” Red asked. Hunter smiled knowingly. 

—

That night, a golden cloud flew over the city. Atop the cloud sat Sun Wukong, with a frayed Hunter gripping tightly to the monkey king’s shoulders. They flew high over the city lights, out of sight to the people below. Sun looked over his shoulder at his new Player. 

“Are you sure that Beowulf is our Player Killer?” He asked over the rushing wind. 

“It has to be him,” Hunter said.  “Officer Woods told me that the victims were killed with a sword. So far, you use a staff. Red, Houdini, and Bigfoot all use their fists. Beowulf is the only one to use a sword.” 

“Seems reasonable!” Sun said with a grin. He perked up, his sensitive ears picking up the shattering of glass. He turned the cloud, his eyes going wide as he spotted something. 

“I've got a player!” He called to Hunter. Hunter nodded, urging Sun to bring him closer. Sun flew in, stopping his cloud at street level and slowly maneuvering it into a parking space. Hunter stepped off the perfectly parallel parked cloud and called Sun back into his deck. He turned into an orb of yellow light and flew into the cards hanging off his hip. 

The street was a strip mall, with plenty of stores facing the small parking lot. One had a broken window, its alarm blaring into the night. The store was a candy shop, and reaching through the broken window was a brawny man in scale armor. A sword hung from his hip, and he was pulling out handfuls of candy from the window display. All the while, a young girl danced in circles on the sidewalk. She couldn't have been older than 12, and had long brown hair. 

“I want candy!” She sang as her Hero shoveled large handfuls of candy out of the broken window. “I want candy! Sing with me, Beowulf!” 

“I want candy!” The burly man joined in. He scratched at his blond beard, grinning widely. 

“I want candy!” The two sang in unison. The girl knelt on the sidewalk, admiring her bounty. 

“Look at all this!” She said with a grin. “We'll be eating well tonight!” 

“Your feast awaits!” Beowulf said with a deep belly laugh. Hunter approached the pair, his arms crossed. Beowulf stepped in front of the girl, his hand going for his sword. Little Red emerged from her deck, staring down Beowulf with clenched fists. 

The tension in the air was palpable. Hunter's heart started to pound in his chest, like it was trying to escape his body. He let out the breath he was holding before speaking. 

“Your little crime spree is over,” he said, mustering as much authority as he could into his voice. Beowulf looked at the girl standing behind him. She chuckled, amused by Hunter’s audacity. 

“Who's gonna stop me?” She taunted. She blew a raspberry at her opponent. Hunter clenched his fist. 

“My Hero and I are!” Hunter declared. Red stepped forward, crossing her arms defiantly. Beowulf smirked, and the young girl laughed. 

“Your Hero? Is he behind the little girl?” She taunted. “She's just so little! And Beowulf is so big and strong!” Beowulf flexed his arm proudly. 

“She might be small, but she packs a punch,” said Hunter with a shaky smirk. 

“Whatever,” said the girl. “Beowulf, swat this annoying fly for me.” 

“With pleasure,” said the war-king, drawing his sword. The girl drew her cards, and Hunter did the same. 

[Fight song: This is Gonna Hurt - Sixx AM]

Beowulf swung his sword, hitting Red with incredible force. Red blocked with her arm, but the hit knocked her off her feet and sent her flying. She hit a building hard, cracking the concrete, but leapt to her feet. She leapt through the air, flinging herself at Beowulf. Her first hit connected with his shield, then she delivered a powerful blow to his shin. Beowulf let out a grunt of surprise, nearly falling, but catching himself. He chuckled lightly, cracking his neck. He grit his teeth and swung again. Red dove out of the way, rolling on the ground. Beowulf went for a second strike, but Red pulled out a handful of flower petals and blew them into Beowulf’s eyes. Hunter tapped his card with a smile. 

“Looks like you need some practice,” he said. The girl huffed and pouted.

“Beowulf! Beat her up faster!” She ordered. Beowulf grit his teeth and gripped his sword tighter. Little Red clenched her fist. 

“Hit him hard, Red!” Hunter ordered, touching his card. Red charged, delivering a powerful punch to Beowulf’s face. Beowulf staggered from the hit, but snapped back up and growled. He opened his eyes, which burned red with fury. Red stepped back, rushing out of his reach. Beowulf gave chase, swinging his sword and delivering a mighty blow to Red’s back. She hit the ground, struggling to her feet. She took a deep breath and hopped up. Hunter wiped the sweat from his brow. The girl laughed as she posed with her fists on her hips. 

“Don't you know anything?” She taunted. “Beowulf gets angrier the more he gets hit!” 

“And the angrier he gets, the harder he hits,” said Red, her voice shaking. It wasn't looking good. 

“Red! Run!” He ordered. Red took off like a shot, earning a growl from Beowulf. 

“Just hold still and die!” He roared. The girl touched one of her cards, and it turned into an orb of light. It flew into Beowulf, filling him with a warm glow. He chased after Red - if she was a bullet, then he was a runaway train. He swung with full force, Red barely turning to block the blow just in time. The resounding impact shook the earth, and Red flew into the air and through the windows of an office building. She leapt back into the fray, and Hunter selected his attack as Red smashed into Beowulf with her fist. The hit staggered the Saxon legend, but he kept his footing despite stumbling back. 

Hunter grit his teeth. The fight wasn't going well, but he wasn't done yet. Red wasn't done yet. He squared his shoulders and cried out defiantly. 

“I'm not going to let you kill any more people!” He declared. 

“What are you talking about?” The girl demanded. “I haven't killed anyone!” 

“Don't give me that! Two other Players were killed with a sword! Your Hero uses a sword!” He argued. The girl stomped her foot. 

“Beowulf, tell him!” She ordered. “Tell him who we've fought!” 

“I have slain Bigfoot,” Beowulf said with burning eyes. “That is all. This sword has not tasted the blood of men.” 

“No…” Hunter's eyes went wide. He thought he'd figured it out, but he was just barking up the wrong tree? 

“Looks like you're not as smart as you thought you are, Hunter Cain.” A voice taunted from the shadows. Players and Heroes alike whipped around to see the source. The familiar face of Cal Burns stepped from the darkness and into the light. He was accompanied by the bearded man in the cream-colored suit. His golden tie clip gleaned under the streetlight. That crown had burned itself into Hunter’s mind. Hunter grasped for words, but had nothing. Cal continued to speak smugly. 

“How many decks do they have?” He asked the man beside him. The man smirked. 

“I count two each,” he said. 

“By my count, that means there's three left out in the world,” Cal mused. The man at his side nodded. Cal grinned unpleasantly. Hunter stumbled back. His breath grew quick and shallow. He finally found words, though they were less than elegant. 

“What the fuck is going on?” He demanded. 

—

Marian stared at her phone, worried about the call she'd received. She stood up, pulling on a light jacket and socks. She stepped into her shoes as Robin turned to her. 

“Where are you going, my lady?” He asked. 

“I'm worried about Hunter,” she said. She grabbed her keys and took a breath. “I'm hoping he didn't get involved in something dangerous.” 

“Your concern is admirable,” Robin said, rising. “May I join you?” 

“Better to have and not need you,” said Marian with a smile. She shut off the apartment lights and made her way down the stairs. Robin followed close, shifting into his disguise form in the secluded stairwell. He held the door for her as she left the building and got into her squad car. 

“Can I drive?” Asked Robin as he slid into the passenger seat. Marian chuckled softly.

“You and what license?” She teased playfully. She started the engine and drove off, hoping that her gut feeling was just a feeling. Still, she felt something in the air that made her hair stand on end. 

Thanks for reading! This was a bit of a shorter chapter, but I think it works well for the format. If you like what you see, you can donate to https://ko-fi.com/catapultcrashtester

Donations go toward supporting my future projects, including more chapters of Rising Legend. See you in the next chapter!