Chapter One

Many years ago, as the sun set over the quiet Canadian town of Andrus, one man would go on to spark the beginning of a legend, one that would live on for generations. Walking into his home after a long day of work was a lone bounty hunter by the name of Titus Melandrik. He was most known for his skill and efficiency during his hunts, but one detail that stood far above the rest for him was his origins as Titus was of slightly divine nature; a demigod to be specific. Though his power was immense and intimidating for most people, it became very obvious that he’d rather act like the people around him, only using his powers when absolutely necessary. Despite looking like he was only in his early twenties, he was actually far older, being at least double or maybe even triple that age. Though he was still a semi-divine being, he rarely used his power, opting to only really use it when necessary.

He looked around his bedroom before putting most of his gear away and lighting up his lantern and sitting down at his desk to record the day’s events in his journal, scribbling away at the pages to form his most recent entry.

“Tuesday, November 9th
Today was a good day for business, I managed to get a fairly decent amount of bounties in before it was time to pack up and head home. Though despite the amount of work I did today, I know that it won’t be the most out of this week. I caught word of some new science experiments taking place in Japan by this group called “Kyōdo Laboratories”, an organization made up of mostly scientists that end up combining our known world of science, with the unknown world of magic to form all sorts of different experiments and discoveries. One of their most recent projects was a test to fuse human DNA with that of a dragon. I would’ve been excited to give it a quick look and see how close these fellow humans can get to divine power, but sadly one of the tests went haywire and escaped, did some pretty good damage to the facility in the process. I have a feeling that a bounty to bring this subject back into custody will be out soon, a good chance to earn a few bucks and see a few more places in the process. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for any more recent developments on the matter, hopefully nothing major happens before I can get to them.
On a more local note; the town blacksmith, Nikolai just signed on with one of the biggest mining companies around in exchange for better wares and exposure, but it also means he’s gotta move away to some kind of city. I mean I’m proud for the guy and I’m glad that he’s getting some more recognition for his work, just seems like a hassle to try and find a new blacksmith with the same skill as him to get my wares from.
Well I think that’s all I got for now in terms of news, I should probably just cut this off now before I start rambling. Farewell for now.”
He’d look at his notebook for a little bit to be sure he hadn’t made any sort of spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, despite the fact that nobody else should be laying their eyes on it apart from him. Once he was satisfied with his proofreading he would finally begin getting ready to have some well needed rest, taking off most of his gear and heading to the restroom for a bath. Turning on the tap made it plainly obvious to anybody how long people have been using magic for since it’s discovery centuries ago. Even with the modernization and discoveries in technology being made, it was still prevalent in the lives of many as well as Titus, being used here to help as a backup in case the piping system malfunctions, allowing it to stay functional until repairs are made. Though it was also known that magic could still serve more purpose than just reinforcing your piping, combat and healing being two of the most common uses.
After about an hour and a half Titus would re-emerge from the washroom, having relaxed himself a good bit with the bath and now completely ready to get some sleep for tomorrow’s hunt. He’d spend a few minutes just lying in bed to start off, letting his mind wander and tire itself out to make the process of actually passing out a lot quicker. By the time his eyes started to feel heavy most of his thoughts had already been swiped away and processed, say for a few that remained, each one holding its own level of complexity and severity. But that didn’t seem to provoke his mind too much as his eyes finally slid shut and brought him into a world of slumber, “opening” his eyes once more to find himself in the middle of a forest, walking around a few of the trails sprinkled about as he admires the beauty of it all. Though despite the peacefulness of the surrounding nature, something felt off to Titus, continuing his journey for a little bit longer and reaching a clearing in the woods. With the trees mostly out of the way it became more than clear as to what was throwing him off, looking up to see a wall of black and grey storm clouds covering the sky, occasionally lit up with the yellow, glowing flash of lightning. A few seconds of investigation revealed a barely visible shape among the clouds with each flash, and it wasn’t just a shape, but a sound to go along with it, closely resembling a roar mixed with a sort of scream.
Kickstarting Titus’ mind again to think of what might be among the storm would cause the world around him to start deteriorating, the result of his body becoming more and more conscious. But before he had the chance to wake up on his own - or figure out what was in the sky - a swift string of lightning shot down from above into the clearing, hitting him directly and sending a jolt through his whole body, throwing him out of his slumber and back into the real world. Even if he felt a little disappointed he couldn’t figure out what was up there in his mind, Titus was still a little grateful he woke up when he did, taking a quick peak outside to see the sun just rising, giving him his sign it was time to begin getting ready for the day. A few hours and a lot of packing led up to the end of his morning routine, stopping at his bathroom mirror to do one final check-up and see if there were any other changes that needed to be made, focusing more on his face and hair. Glancing up at the thick locks above Titus didn’t see much wrong, still their usual long brown, slicked back partly to create a sort of spiky effect to it as it stretches to just above his neck. Looking down a little more would show off a few scars on his face, resembling something akin to a few slash marks - which they were - despite the fact that the injuries causing the scars were a lot more intense, a good display of Titus’ durability and strength as a demigod. Though they were also a sign of his mortality, letting him and all others know that he is still about as mortal as those around him, it’s just more difficult to put an end to it. These scars ended up serving Titus a slight pride upon receiving them, a symbol of the challenges he’s faced in his career and how he overcame them.
Titus would breathe a slight sigh of anticipation as he walks out of the bathroom again and grabs the rest of his stuff he had packed before heading towards the town master's hall - where bounties are usually posted - upon arrival the first thing Titus noticed was the larger-than-normal amount of international bounties, most of them being done in Japan at the site of the test breakout. From the looks of it most of the tasks on the bounties are helping to repair the facility, keeping away vandalizers, or the last bounty which also seems to be the most popular; the task of bringing the subject back into custody. The price on this bounty had been marked up significantly due to the facility deeming them to be a valuable asset and high risk threat, they didn’t seem to tell any other info apart from that but most people didn’t seem to mind, for them it was about the money.

*****

Another routine day as usual, the sound of slight disappointment in his voice as the town master Philip takes a seat on his throne, thinking about the memories he had. He remembered talking to his father and receiving the title for heir to the throne of their lovely village. He remembered going off to fight in times of war, aiding others in their survival while bringing an end to conflict. He remembered all the action his people used to face, now it’s just as bland as any other town, the only real action coming when someone tries to rob the local blacksmith or wizardry. He wished that someday he would be able to relive the glory days of his little town, wished that he could bring that excitement back to Andrus, but for now he would have to settle for his usual boredom.
Even with the terribly predictable nature of almost every day's events there was one thing Philip always enjoyed no matter how many times it happened, hearing the door to his throne room open before a familiar voice echoes through the chamber.
“Mornin’ Philip. Word spreads fast I see?” Titus asks rhetorically, bringing a calm aura as he approaches, his footsteps echoing through the empty room.

“Titus!” Philip exclaims, having been good friends with the demigod for quite a while since he moved into the village. “I can tell by that bag you’re not here to ask me for some kind of vacation.” He jokes, knowing full well what Titus was here for as he gestures to the equipment he had packed.

“You know it. I’m here to take up the “Seeker” job for that breakout over in Japan, still got any tokens left for it?” He asks, hoping that he hadn’t already missed his chance to get a bounty token - an item used universally to act as a way to grant a bit of assistance to those looking to complete said bounty, usually in the form of easier travel and such - and have to do it a more difficult way.
“Well I don’t know about that, there were quite a few people that came in so little time, I think I got one last token for you right here.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pouch with what is presumably the last bounty token before reaching his hand in and digging around, finding nothing inside. “Hmm... sorry Titus, I’m all out right now. Think you can manage?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, I’ll see what I can work with. Thanks anyway Phil’.” Titus answers with a slight hint of disappointment, his voice seeming smooth and rough at the same time, it was one of the many things that made Titus’ presence all the more calming to Philip and most others in town despite knowing that when provoked he can do quite a bit of damage. Though it was fairly difficult to provoke him in the first place, only really lashing out at people when they start disrespecting or becoming a threat to his friends and other civilians in general.

It wasn’t long after Titus had been denied his chance at receiving his token that he bid Philip farewell and started heading on his way back out of the hall, his mind filled with thoughts of what this bounty will be like and how much of a challenge this test subject will bring, realizing that this one would be best tackled with a team to help him out. The doors to Philip’s chamber breaking the silence with a loud creaking before a much louder clank sound echoes through the room, leaving Philip alone once again to tend to the people of his village and the duties they bring.

*****

The last thing that Titus needed to try and gather was the aforementioned team, luckily he already knew just the right people to pick, proceeding into the town square to find the first member of his usual squad. Titus looked around as the gravel crunched under his boots, searching for any kinds of crowd gathered in the area. Mere moments after the search began Titus would hear cheering and laughter from nearby, immediately proceeding to the crowd causing it and politely squeezing through the lake of people.

After a little effort he finally made his way in front of the stage creating the medium-sized crowd, as well as the fuzzy face giving them a reason to stay; an anthropomorphic Siamese cat playing on his lute with a few of the town bards as they sing a shanty for the townspeople, looking about as young as Titus and with the energetic nature to go along with it, bringing a smile to Titus’ face in the process as he watches them play. He waited till the song was over and stood in front of the stairs leading up to the stage, making himself more than obvious to his furred friend as he walks down, they noticed him almost immediately and quickly approached him with a smile.

“Quite the show you put up there, Jacques.” Says Titus, holding out his hand for a shake as part of his greeting.

“Heh, thanks! I’m just glad they all enjoyed it.” Jacques indulges Titus’ offer and takes his hand in one paw, shaking politely before letting go again. “So, you here to ask me for a drink or something?”

“Something like that, yeah... but we’ll need to gather up the others first, then we can have our drink. Sound good?” He asks, adjusting his bag of gear to fit more comfortably on his back.

“Yeah that sounds good to me? Who should we look for first?” Jacques asks curiously, filled with anticipation for what this team task will be.
“We’ll start with Tobias, it’s more than easy to try and figure out where he’s gonna be.” Titus answers, giving a small window for Jacques to ‘guess’.

“Yeah, he’s probably in some boxing ring kicking someone’s butt as we speak.” Says Jacques as the two nod in agreement.

“Oh I bet, let’s just try and get there before he loses his winning streak and gets beat too hard to come with us.” They both begin walking toward the local fighters guildhall, looking around inside would prove their theory to be more than correct as they see their companion knocking some sense into one of the fellow guild members who challenged him before delivering the final blow and pumping his fists in the air in response to the new addition on his record.

The duo would look on at their absolute Viking of a friend, his strength making him seem like he could punch through concrete let alone an actual person’s skull in a fight. His appearance didn’t help the comparison either, with a braided beard that goes down to the top of his chest and muscles big enough you’d think he could crush a diamond in them.

Once they were all done gawking at the flawless victory at the hands of Tobias it was time to approach him with the offer of yet another bounty hunting adventure. Walking up to the boxing brute and beginning with a simple snap of the fingers to get his attention, quickly causing him to turn around and smile brightly at the presence of his old crew mates.

“Well I’ll be damned, didn’t expect to see you two here now.” Says Tobias, happy to see them but knowing that they’re probably wanting something.
“Neither did we expect to see you in a place like this.” Titus responds sarcastically. “Think you can help us out with something?...”

“Is the Pope catholic? Come on, just tell me what you need.” He jokes, simply hoping they have something good in store for him.

“Alright, well me and Jacques are trying to gather the gang back up again for that ‘Seeker’ bounty in Japan. Think you could lend us some muscle in case we need any extra?” Titus responds, eager to hear Tobias’ opinion on this.

“Are you seriously asking if I wanna go on another adventure and beat a few more skulls?” He answers in a playfully sarcastic tone. “Yeah I’m down.”

“Great!” Titus responds. “Though we’ll still need more, fighting isn’t our only job here after all.”

“Yeah I guess that’s true...” Tobias sighs before continuing in a more assertive yet still joking tone, “But you better not keep me huddled down in some bush or it’ll be YOUR skull I crack.”

Titus rolls his eyes. “Fine, we’ll try to keep stealth with you to a minimum for now, just try to follow our lead when you can, okay?”

Tobias nods, grumbling in a slight annoyance as the other two continue searching for the rest of their squad. Pulling out a map and pointing to a few different spots and tracing a line to each of them as they find the quickest path from their guesses. The journey takes them all over town and even out in the countryside for some other members with the last one being a much more difficult find, travelling through the woods and keeping their eyes peeled for a member they had recruited in their last mission. A few minutes of searching revealed their target; a young Wood Elf perched high in the trees as she hunts for some small game animals to sell.

By the end of the re-recruitment search they had gone from a team of three to about ten members, knowing that this bounty may need a bigger team than usual.

“Ok, I think that’s everybody.” Titus says to himself reassuringly as he looks around and does a headcount just to be safe, making sure he hasn’t missed anyone or got the wrong people before continuing.

“Alright, Titus what is it this time? Got another escaped convict for us to round up?” Asks one of the newer teammates, a kobold about half the size of most other members used mainly for stealth due to their size.
“Something like that.” Titus answers quickly, being sure to not let any important details get left out and risk decreasing his team’s efficiency. “We’re going after that breakout test subject in Japan.”

Most of the group seemed a bit stunned by this apart from Tobias and Jacques, wondering why Titus hadn’t chosen a more local bounty for them, only for him to quiet them back down again and explain his reasoning.

“Now, the company that was handling this subject never specified whether they broke out or were simply smuggled out, so there may be a good chance that they may not actually be in Japan. Besides the pay is surely worth it, easily in the six figure range, and with ten of us plus the chance to get a higher pay later, I think we’ll be set for a LONG time.”

They all nod slightly in understanding and agreement while still taking this information with a grain of salt, wondering what kind of process they’ll be taking for this task as one of the group mates asks. “So, what’s the plan? We just gonna wait around for some information or are we gonna make the first move?”

Titus looks at them for a moment. “That’s a pretty good question, luckily I’ve already got a good bit of it thought of in advance. So here’s what we’ll do, we’ll set up camp near the caravan stops and see if any of them have any kind of evidence as to where this subject may be. Once we catch wind of something good we’ll hitch a ride with them and get some good distance covered, should also give us a chance to see if any of us need some new gear. Then we find the subject, capture them, bring ‘em back to this company and get our payment. That sound good?”

The group thinks for a moment before all agreeing. “Good, but we’ll need to get some rest first, we still have a good ways to go before we reach caravans, and a lot more to do after that.” The crew then begins setting themselves up for a brief bit of sleep, soon passing out and preparing for the following morning’s travel.

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And there ya have it folks, the first chapter of A Swift Story finally released and ready to read!

I hope you guys will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it, toodles!