Chapter 28: That explains it.

Chapter 28: That explains it.

The Hunter Archives was a building not much larger than three port-a-potties put together. It was nestled in the corner of an intersection between two streets that were both borderline abandoned.

It wasnt quite dilapidated, but it was only a few steps away from reaching it. A thin layer of dust covered the gray building, and weeds were sprouting at its edges.

Wow. My expectations were low, and Im still disappointed, Yeo said as Bella opened the small, creaky door and stepped inside.

Told you, she replied.

Chance and Yeo followed her in. The inside of the building didnt look much better than the outside. It was essentially little more than a short hallway that ended before a tiny counter. Behind the counter, a dusty old blue orb rested on a pedestal.

Bella pressed her hand to the orb. With a faint hum, dull blue light bloomed across its surface. The orb tottered into the air, its light growing slightly brighter and more stable. It bobbed, letting out a distant chime.

Please present your Ward, Shikari. It is required to

Before the orb could finish its robotic speech, Bella pressed her Ward against it. The light turned from blue to green for an instant, then the orb let out another chime.

Shikari Foundling recognized. How can I help you today? Its voice had gained some semblance of emotion, although it still sounded more like a voice-to-speech bot more than anything sentient.

Were looking for information about Lesser Imps, Bella said.

Acknowledged. A Lesser Imp is a humanoid monster. They are born in a manner traditional to mammals. They are commonly around four feet tall and weigh approximately eighty pounds. Lesser Imps have poor long term memory, but are considered fairly clever. They possess the ability to cultivate, and can evolve into a Greater Imp if left unchecked.

Stop, Bella said, raising a hand. We need to get more specific, or well be here all day. Archive, how aggressive are Lesser Imps?

Due to their low intelligence, they tend to attack anything that enters their territory which they appear to believe is anything within their sight.

Do they typically work alone? Yeo asked.

Lesser Imps have been only known to work together when under the direction of a Greater Imp. Without one, they will attack each other.

So there could be a Greater Imp involved if it isnt just attacking people randomly, Yeo mused. Is it guarding something?

In a park? Bellas eyebrows furrowed. Its possible, I guess, but I cant imagine there would be much worth that level of effort in the middle of Gleam. Not with all the cultivators walking around here. Archive, what goals does a Greater Imp typically have?

Unknown. There have not been sufficient data about Greater Imps provided to the archive to answer this question.

Guess we should stick to trying to figure out what the Lesser one is doing and deal with the Greater if we run into it. Yeo leaned against the wall and scratched his chin. Say, what powers does a Lesser Imp typically have?

Lesser Imps typically have Fire Essence and are considered nimble. Many also have basic illusory abilities. Their main method of hunting in the wild involves changing their appearance into the young of another creature, then slowly draining their target of Essence when the parents are not present. They have been known to drain Essence for weeks before their target is dead.

Theyre like giant mosquitoes, Chance said, shuddering. What about Greater Imps?The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

Greater Imps tend to require more food than Lesser ones, but they employ a similar method of hunting. Upon evolution, Greater Imps gain a significant amount of intelligence, which allows them to better mimic their prey. They also become able to gain surface level knowledge of any creature they drain. Greater Imps often kill or incapacitate the parents of their prey, then drain their young for weeks on end.

They were silent for a moment. Then Yeos face paled. Oh, shit.

If you were really scared for your life, youd be screaming a lot louder, Bella growled. Id know. Youd better switch to the offensive, Imp. We arent buying it.

Silence was their only response, but that was more than enough confirmation than any of them needed.

Tiny threads appeared in the shadows near the back corner of the room, growing brighter the more Chance focused on them. He couldnt make out any images from the distance they were at, but the rough outline they formed in the shadows was absolutely not Maria.

It was a little taller than Chance and nearly twice his width, with a potbelly and bulbous head. Strands of karmic debt hung off the creature like a robe, extending in hundreds of directions. He grit his teeth in anger.

Why didnt I actually watch the image of her in Abes bond? I would have found out immediately. They had a big connection Im such a damn idiot.

Among all the other connections the Imp had, Chance couldnt tell which one led to Abe. There were several dozen thick ones, and any of them could have been the childs.

We need to try not to kill it, Chance whispered. In case Abe is missing, I can use the karmic debt to figure out where he is.

Bella gave him a slight nod, not taking her eyes off the doorway. Agreed. But we need to find a way to see it first. If we go into those shadows, well have our throats ripped out in seconds. I cant fight something I cant see.

While they spoke, Chance could see the imp edging toward the edge of the room. He couldnt see anything there, but something told him there was either a window or a door. If the monster slipped out, he got the feeling they might never find Abe.

On it! Chance said, darting into the shadows.

Chance, no! Bella yelled, but hed already entered the room. He flicked his wrist and the urumi shot out. Even though he couldnt see what he was doing, Chance had been using the weapon for long enough that the more basic attacks were starting to become natural.

The blade curved around and cut into the Greater Imp, drawing a pained hiss from the creature. Threads of karma moving was Chances only warning as the creature lunged at him. He dove back, feeling the rush of wind pass over his head as what he suspected to be jagged claws whipped past him.

I can see it, Chance yelled back, retracting his urumi and thrusting it at the monsters chest. It jumped back, and the lack of reaction told Chance he hadnt connected. The Greater Imp was a fair bit faster than most of the Soothounds hed fought but not the fully grown one.

He lunged, taking the creature by surprise as his hand wrapped around one of the larger karmic threads. Chance had selected one that was smaller than Abes, just to make sure he didnt mistakenly lose their connection to the boy.

Golden light glittered, pushing the shadows back as the form of a thin, rake-like man came into being. In the glow, Chance caught his first glimpse of the Greater Imp. The monster had ruddy red skin and a face like a pug mixed with an ugly child, complete with gristle and two jutting fangs.

The man lunged at the Imp, driving a glowing fist into its cheek. The blow snapped the Imps head back and it hissed, swiping at him. Its short claws passed harmlessly through the smoke, but the spell dissipated shortly after, casting the room back into darkness.

Do that again! Yeo yelled.

The Greater Imp lunged at Chance again, forcing him to scramble back on all fours. He rolled to the side and lashed out with his urumi. The blade cut across the monsters potbelly and it screamed in fury.

Ill kill you, boy! The Imp abandoned all attempts of mimicking Maria, letting the cry come out in a ragged, raspy voice. It leapt at him and Chance rolled forward, snagging another one of the karmic threads as he came up and pulling on it.

Energy flared and the room flashed once more. Before the form of a young woman could even fully take shape, Yeos kusarigama flickered through the darkness. It carved a deep groove into the Imps side and black blood spilled out, splashing across the ground.

A gold fist crashed down on the monsters head, but this time, it was ready. It ignored the blow and lashed out at Chance, who was still well within striking range. He tried to twist out of the way, but it was too fast.

An instant before the jagged claws bit into his skin, the light from his spell gave out and the room plunged back into darkness. Wind rushed past him and a chime rang out. An instant later, the imp grunted in pain and, through the karmic threads connected to it, Chance saw its head snap back.

Doesnt matter if I cant see you when Im holding your arm, Bella snarled. Her words were punctuated by a crunch, and Chance winced as he realized the monsters forehead had caved in. She drove two more brutal blows into the creature, sending it crumpling to the ground with a strangled cry.