30 30. Contracts & Conspiracies

Beep!

Beep!

'Why're my eyes closin' again? What's happenin'?' Hunter tried to look around and move, but despite his best efforts, his eyelids fluttered shut as if someone had forced them to. 'A coma? K-Kavius…'

He heard everything going on outside, the mechanical sound of machines and the humming of the air conditioner above. He heard the door open once again and a bunch of footsteps, a worried voice he had recognized leading them in. 

"W-What the! I swear he opened his eyes and moved." 

"He might have done just that. We've run all the tests, and there's nothing that should've caused this coma. It's probably induced from the shock, though not common, it's not unheard of," an old voice came, likely the doctor diagnosing, using flashlights to check Hunter's eyes. "You might see his body twitch from time to time. It happens in such cases. But unless he speaks, we can't be sure."

'Was all that just a dream?' Hunter heard them speak and thought about Kavius, Brownie, and the battle he had just fought. 'Just my imaginati—'

Ting!

[TIM Alert: New World Detected]

[TIM Alert: Adjusting To New Laws…]

[TIM Alert: Adjusting New Rules…]

[TIM Alert: Searching For Limiter…]

Hunter was rendered speechless and failed to hear the discussion going on in the room. His entire focus remained on the hovering words in his mind, notifications after notifications. He didn't know how, but he felt like he could move despite being nowhere, as if in a void of darkness.

'It wasn't a dream?'

"It was not, Hunter Hendrik."

'You!' Hunter recognized that voice in an instant. It was the same one he had heard laughing before his 'death' in that truck. The voice that talked about the forbidden fruit, the voice devoid of kindness and love, a voice that only held malice and bloodlust. 'You're behind all this?!'

"Hahaha," the voice laughed once again, the same as before. "Now you have tasted the forbidden fruit of magic and might. It's time to make a choice, whether you'll accept it or perish in this dark night."

Hunter abruptly noticed something in front of him despite his vision being entirely covered in darkness. The figure appeared, vague and shadowy, yet unmistakably humanoid, towering over him with twin horns adorning its forehead.

'Y-You're a demon!' Hunter exclaimed, 'You sent me to that world? Into that body?'

"You have surpassed my expectations, human," the figure intoned, its demonic voice echoing in the darkness. "Now, you stand at the crossroads of your fate, a decision that will determine whether you live or die—to end it weakly, or victoriously."

Hunter remained silent, terrified of those words since the last time he heard them they sent him to a different world. He waited for himself to wake up, not wanting to make another contract with a demon.

"You are already dead, Hunter Hendrik," the demon said. "You still breathe, for I have chosen you. Rex breaths, for I have chosen y—"

'Are you Primesiti?' Hunter asked him directly, since Rex made a contract with that demon.

"I know such a name, but I am not that—I am Vezromir, the one that has roamed your world since before the dawn of mankind—I am your death and your life combined." Vezromir declared, raising his shadowy arm. 

From the darkness, a parchment materialized in his hand. "Do you want to right all the wrongs? Make your family happy? Cure your sister? Seek vengeance? Regain the love of your life? Just sign this contract with your blood and gain it all."

Woosh!

Hunter didn't know how, but the old-looking parchment appeared right in front of him, hovering in the middle of nothing. He read it quickly—the terms and conditions were short and compact. 

'There ain't no free meals,' Hunter argued.

"Indeed," the man… the demon responded. 

'What do you want?' Hunter asked, keeping calm. After having experienced the magical world, its darkness, and its madness, this didn't shock him too much. 'My soul?'

"Oh, no, no, you are far too valuable as you are." The demonic figure approached Hunter, its shape becoming clearer. "All you must do is live two lives—one here and another in the other realm—follow the quests and the instructions as given."

Hunter still felt uneasy, but just the thought of being able to cure Annie made him entertain the idea. 'What's the catch?'

"None," Vezromir replied. "Any strength you gain in that world, any legacy, any treasure you find, you shall inherit in this human body of yours. The stronger you are there, the stronger you shall be here. Power to kill dragons? Power to destroy worlds? Fly? Teleport? Accomplish it there and enjoy the benefits here—But…"

'Here it comes.' Hunter was waiting for it. 

"You must spend an equal amount of time in both worlds—a month there shall earn you a month here. A year there shall earn you a year here." The contract rolled up on its own and appeared back in Vezromir's hand. "Make your choice; to live like a god or to fade away without a sound."

'What if I refuse?' Hunter asked; he had to. 

"You are laying on that bed as a dead man barely holding onto life, Hunter Hendrik. Refuse me, and death shall take you away—leaving behind your crying mother, dying sister, a dead body to decay."

'Fucking demons and their way with words.' Hunter could feel the demon trying to sway his decision, 'So you're askin' me to fork over half my life and time? Be your pawn in Rex's body?'

"Why leave a meager twenty thousand dollars for your family when you can gift them tens of billions? Why give your sister a mere electric wheelchair when you can permanently heal her? Gift your brother a superior body for his boxing career? Give your entire family eternal health." Vezormir waved the contract before Hunter, "For all that, is this too much to ask?"

Tempted, extremely tempted, but he had seen the word games of a demon already. 

'And? What's hidin' beneath that contract? Ten billion dollars, but illegal? Sister gets them legs fixed but ends up in a coma? They get eternal health but live in eternal poverty?' Hunter retorted, seriously considering the contract, 'If you want me to sign it, write down my terms—my family stays untouched or unharmed in any way imaginable by any being.'

Woosh!

The floating contract vanished momentarily, only to reappear with a new addition—Hunter's terms. 

"You're one paranoid man, human."

Finally, Hunter considered his options for the last time. Not signing meant instant death, while signing meant living two lives in two worlds. The Xeldan Brotherhood had shaken him to the core, but now, it felt manageable.

'How worse could it get from that bloodbath?' He thought, and grabbed the contract. 'How am I to sign it with blood when I ain't got no body?'

"Just will it."

So Hunter did. 

The old parchment before him shimmered briefly, and a thumbprint made of blood materialized at the bottom. With that, the contract began to smolder, slowly disintegrating into nothingness, leaving behind no trace, not even ash.

"Good luck, Hunter Hendrik, or perhaps Rex," Vezromir said, walking away into the darkness. "When in this world, say my name, and you may speak to me."

'What about Revroth?' Hunter asked back, already sensing his own senses returning to the body and the mechanical beeps becoming audible.

"You shall not need me there—for the magical book you bear."

Ting!

[TIM Alert: Transferring Completed!]

[TIM Alert: Ready For Use!]

[TIM Alert: No Limiter Found!] 

[WARNING: Host is cautioned. Physical and magical strength effects multiply by fivefold.]

Just as he lost himself in the dark void, the same sounds of notifications woke him up. His eyes sprang open, and his mouth widened, sucking in a strong gasp of air. 

"Argh!" He sat up on the bed with a sudden jolt, his breath ragged and his heart pounding. "M-My body…"

He looked at his arms and legs and moved them. It all felt painless. He checked his clothes, no longer those of a trashman but a hospital gown.

With big eyes, Hunter looked around at the small room, which was filled with medical machinery. Some instruments were connected to his own body as well. He recognized the lone man in the room, dressed in a Texas state trooper uniform. 

"Why're you here?" Hunter suddenly barked, his face scrunching up in anger. 

The man looked at Hunter with a frown forming, yet he rushed to help him sit, "Easy there. It's a surprise you're still in one piece. I'll go call the doctors."

"What do you want?" Hunter continued to glare at the man, his face rugged and unshaven, some age lines visible on his forehead. "Leave."

The man sighed and softly patted Hunter on his shoulder, his voice heavy and untamed, "I'm still your senior, Jun—"

"Were, Hector… Were!" Hunter replied, pulling off all the medical wires and tubes from his chest and arm. "I ain't a Ranger no more! And from the looks of it, you ain't one either."

Silence lingered between the two men for a moment. Hector's blue eyes flashed a bit, a touch of anger there. His gear jangled against his belt as he balled up his fist. "Yeah, if you'd just kept your mouth shut and done your dang job, we'd both still be Rangers."

"I was!" Hunter hollered, the blood pressure machine suddenly beeped louder, "I was doing my fucking job!" 

"No, you tried to reach for the stars. And you never reach for the fucking stars in this business." Hector matched the hot-headedness, "You knew who we were up against, you saw all the warning signs, and you continued investigating."

Hunter clenched his fist and finally removed the last blood pressure monitor from his arm. He clenched his fist tight and rolled to the side to get off the bed. He didn't look at Hector anymore. "You ain't changed a lick, Hector. You're still the same, old dirty bastard, and stop callin' me Junior!"

"Don't!" Hector burst suddenly and gripped Hunter's collar. But he lowered his voice the next moment, a hint of shame and anger appearing in his eyes, "Don't you say that! I ain't ever been a dirty lawman. I just knew my limit. I ain't blind like you… I got a family and kids to care for, man… We barely survived the fucking thing."

Hunter, unfazed, kept glaring at Hector, making him even more ashamed. "But we were right. We cracked the case. The Governor was… is, knee-deep in it."

"Yeah, and that's why you don't reach for the stars, Junior—law ain't the same for everyone."

Hunter scoffed and slapped Hector's hands off his collar, "Say that to all them boys and girls who went missing."

"You..." Hector gritted his teeth in frustration and stepped back. "I'm in Highway Patrol now, all 'cause of you. And look at you..."

"Then why're you here?" Hunter stood up, looking for his regular clothes. "We ain't partners anymore."

"Five years, Hunter… You were the damn best I'd ever seen. Why'd you throw it all away!? You'd have been promoted soon enough. Why give it all away for some dumb mythical nonsense—Three-Eyed Queen, Prince Of Six Hearts, Four-Armed King—we still ain't got a clue what that means."

Hunter shot back a look, "But we knew the Governor's involvement. You went behind my back and gave the evidence to the Captain—you knew that bastard was in on it!"

"Those folks got power, Junior. Ain't no fightin' them without losing everything."

"But I'm gonna," Hunter replied. 

Hector let out a sigh and settled back into the chair against the wall, feeling tired and defeated. "You're still as clueless as a cow in a cornfield when it comes to danger. You ain't got a lick of sense about what's goin' on."

"What do you mean?" Hunter paused. 

"You thought this was just an accident? Mannie, your trash truck driver, he was found knocked out cold in the truck cabin. It was chloroform laced with some other stuff," Hector revealed, dead serious.

Hunter's eyes narrowed sharply. "What!?"

_____________________

[A/N: See Hunter and Hector here.]

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