"You're a mess Zay," he said and shook his head.
"I can't deny that," Zayden replied with a smile. His initial fear had slowly dissipated into thin air and a huge sigh of relief escaped his lips. "You have a map?" He asked.
Stanley nodded and went on his heels to stare at the severed head on the ground. His eyes fell on the body and he shook his head. "I do. If you want to check for a river, there's one down the road," he answered and quickly brought out a small book from his trouser pocket. "How did you feel when you slit his throat?" He asked and used his pen to push the head.
"Really angry and unsatisfied." He replied. Zayden sheath his bloody sword and patted his hair. He reeked of blood. "What are you doing?" He questioned when he saw Stanley busying around the scarred devil's lifeless body. His death flashed in his eyes. What were the memories the scarred devil had seen on his verge of death? He wondered. It was easier to take life than bringing it. He raised his hand to look at his bloody palm. Now that the memories of Zayden were becoming clearer, he wondered why he had to kill to survive.
"Keeping records of those who died during my expedition." Stanley replied and stood up. His eyes found Zayden's confused ones staring at him in dismay. "It sounds absurd right?" He laughed and came to stand in front of Zayden. "You're a bloody mess man," he grinned. "Let's hurry before dawn."
"You're a mess yourself," Zayden replied comically and picked up his backpack. What was he before he began his survival+killing expedition? He thought. Searching his memories, he recalled himself in a military uniform. That was probably ten years ago.
Walking side-by-side with Stanley, Zayden took in the man's appearance in the dark. "Why do you keep those notes?" He asked. A stray cat crossed the road and disappeared into the dark. The sky itself wasn't the same as the one Zayden used to remember. It was rather purplish than midnight blue. The previous war had done a lot of damage to the world and it had also affected the atmosphere. The more he saw things, the more he remember them. Perhaps that was a side effect to having two memories in one body.
Stanley lifted his head and sighed. "I used to be a detective. So you know, I was quite famous in America," he said and chuckled sinisterly. "My last mission was to investigate a crime syndicate that was importing nuclear weapons from god knows where. The church had a hand in it. I was so close to finding out where those weapons were coming from when I caught news about a base for unearthly creatures without hearts."
"Without hearts? More like these monsters with cores.I see," Zayden murmured.
"Three days later, the world went up in flames. All electronics went down due to the High-Altitude Electromagnetic pulse that was caused by this same nuclear bombs, disrupting global power infrastructure. It was a nightmare," he whispered. "What about you? I won't be surprised if you were a martial arts student," Stanley teased.
"A sentinel," Zayden replied and increased his pace. He wasn't in the mood to talk about it. Catching up to him, Stanley didn't ask again. "You know what Stanley, when I die, take note about me or whatsoever you write on those pages."
Stanley smiled as the night breeze tousled his black hair. "I will."
Zayden gave him a curt nod as they headed towards the outskirts of Duskfall.
***
It was noon when they arrived at a busy town in Duskfall. They had stopped by in a town before this. Zayden had collected a box of jewels and immediately headed for Duskfall with Stanley. He made his way towards an inn. While the world wasn't the same flashy one it was before, it has been divided into factions. This way, those in power could rule. Duskfall was part of the Iron Dominion Faction formerly North America. The town was bustling with people and signs of redevelopment were noticeable.
"Come with me," Zayden said to Stanley who quickly followed him. He wondered what would happen this time. Being with Zayden was dangerous but he cared less. A middle aged man gave Dante a key and walked past them as if nothing happened.
Stanley noticed how Zayden looked a little relaxed. Due to his skills as a detective, he was able to notice the exchange between them. When they got to one of the rooms in the inn, Zayden inserted the key and stepped inside with Stanley immediately.
A man appeared in the corridor as if looking for something or someone. He was sure that he had sighted Zayden. He had tailed them from the previous town and now, he didn't know which of the rooms he got into.
"Someone was tailing us," Stanley said to him. He dropped the box of jewelry on the wooden floor and took in the appearance of the room.
Zayden nodded. "Yes. The person is still lurking around the inn. I would have one of my crew members take care of it later," he replied and beckoned Stanley to follow him. They came across another door in the room which Stanley assumed was a restroom. When Zayden inserted the same key, he knew something was up.
All heads turned in the direction of the door opening. Alert expressions were evident on their faces as they glared at the newcomers. When they realized who it was, they lowered their weapons.
"Tch. You scared us," a lady replied begrudgingly. "Where have you been? You picked up the delivery late." Her eyes fell on Stanley who was standing beside Zayden and her frown deepened. "You bought a slave?" She asked.
"I'm not a slave!" Stanley yelled. What the hell. He? A slave to Zayden? That was when he remembered he was still carrying the jewelry box. "I'm Stanley Hoffman." He replied. "I'm sorry for my outburst." He dropped the jewelry box on the table as the others stared at him suspiciously.
A young boy in tees and jeans suddenly stood up. His eyes were gleaming in awe as he stared at Stanley. "Hoffman? As in Stanley Hoffman, the best detective in America? Awesome!"
All eyes fell on Stanley as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Yes. But that is now in the past." He replied.
A dark haired tall man stood up from his seat and came to stand on Zayden's side. "I'm Izumi Hirotaka. Formerly a programmer," he said and outstretched his hand for a handshake. From his looks, he was a Japanese groomed man.
"I know that look," he smiled wryly. "I was born and brought up in Japan. Actually, I came to America for business and got caught up in that war." Hirotaka explained and faced Zayden. "Now where have you been, Zay. We heard that your vehicle got hit by a wyvern. How true is that?" He asked.
Zayden sighed and took his seat. "Very true." He knew why they were on edge. Delayed delivery means half payment from the client. "You all can have my share," he muttered and placed his head on the table. He was tired and exhausted after the series of fights on the road.
The young boy made his way towards Stanley and outstretched his hand too. "I'm Conny Forger. Formerly a highschool student. I was planning on studying medicine when I get to college." He sighed.
Stanley stared at the young boy with pity. He placed his huge hand on his head and patted his blond hair. "Nice to meet you Conny. I'm glad there's still someone who likes Detective Hoffman." He replied with a smile and winked.
Conny's grin widened and he nodded happily before returning to his seat. It seemed everyone here had good jobs before the war.
"I'm Jenny Doe. Formerly a teacher and still single," she smiled at Stanley before returning to her seat. Her purple hair was stunning and so was she. Slightly taller than the average height with luscious flesh in the right places.
"Stanley, you're staring too much," Zayden teased. "Jenny never ceases to introduce herself by saying she's single," he laughed.
Hirotaka chuckled. "She's quite unpredictable. One minute she's sweet and the next, she's a tigress."
"C'mon guys, I'm just too cute to remain with brats like you who don't know how to love a woman," she sighed and placed her hand on the table while supporting her chin with it.
Stanley felt awkward as his ears turned pink. Quietly, he joined them on the table.
"Welcome to the crew. We're known as the Crimson Wardens. We keep people safe and fight monsters. Our main job is escorting high ranking members of the factions, goods and rare items. The pay is good but the risk is higher. We're good fighters too," Hirotaka explained as he fetched a map and placed it on the table.
Stanley's eyes fell on Zayden who was looking rather dull.
"Unlike Zayden, we don't kill based on whims. Well, let's not go into that," Jenny replied with a smirk and focussed on the map before them.
"Fifteen years ago, the beginning war arose. It was a war among those bigwigs and the world got caught up in it. Nuclear bombs were fired in the air, causing a HEMP. People died. Buildings were abandoned. The soil became infertile by seventy percent. Water sources were polluted and the atmosphere became unsafe. More people died due to hunger and drought. Thirteen years ago, a pandemic arose. Altogether, the world population was reduced by forty percent. After the pandemic, rumors about monsters became popular. Another rumor about the church proclaiming that these three main events were divine punishment from above." Conny grinned. "How was my speech?"
Everyone nodded.
"Really good," Jenny replied.
"Well detailed. I was investigating the monster and nuclear weapons before the war broke out. According to my last research, the church was secretly supporting nuclear ammunition transportation." Stanley added his thoughts to it. For some reasons, he didn't bring out the without hearts parts.
Zayden raised his head to look at Stanley. He had omitted the part where he caught news about the monsters without hearts.
It's known that after the rumor about it, about five percent of the world population went missing for three years. Ten years later, these people returned and became brutal. They began using magic and superpowers and these so-called monsters we now see everyday were released. Zayden was one of those people who went missing. But he refused to talk about it," Jenny pouted as she played with her hair.
Stanley looked at Zayden in surprise. Then he recalled their conversation when they were traveling together. Zayden was a Sentinel then he suddenly became the war god.
"I'll kill him," Zayden murmured. All eyes fell on him.