Hunters: The Prequel

"Grab that bastard!" There was commotion in the market square as a hooded figure jumped over a table filled with apples and sprinted towards the exit of the market square. The shout came from one of the guards who immediately proceeded to chase the figure. The running figure was seemed calm and composed as he continued to run towards the exit that had been blockaded and was chock-full of guards. The guard who shouted for his arrest was the captain of the royal guards. An elite wielder with mastery over the earth element and with a strength 'glow'. 

Wielders were individuals who had awakened their bloodlines and had gained a certain amount of control over an element. The captain had awakened a rank nine bloodline, a superior rank bloodline. The bloodline he awakened was that of the dark lion, a legendary creature that caused earthquakes on a whim. The glow he inherited was a strengthening glow. A glow is an ability that is obtained upon awakening one's bloodline. For instance if a person awakened the bloodline of the fire dragon and gained mastery over the fire element, the person may obtain a pair of fiery wings which they could summon at will. These wings would be called a glow. A glow is basically an extra ability one obtains from awakening their bloodlines. The lucky ones obtain a useful glow whilst the unlucky ones do not.

The captain had a bitter smile on his face. Someone had sneaked into the royal chambers to steal the emperor's sword. That sword was made by a master craftsman and was extremely valuable. It was an insult to the throne and a great sign of weakness that someone was able to sneak into the palace let alone steal the sword. 

The captain was deeply frustrated. He had been pursuing the culprit for more than twenty minutes yet with no positive results. The guards had tried everything and yet the culprit was not even injured. He cursed himself silently as he dreaded the fact that he had not received a speed related glow upon his awakening. What caused him worry was the fact that the culprit had not delivered any attacks yet. All he did was dodge all the attacks thrown at him and that was done very nimbly too. It actually sounded simple but the captain knew it wasn't. The palace guards were all wielders with great experience and yet no attack has fazed the pursued. 

The hooded figure run towards the guards at the exit. He then opened his mouth and breathed out a large ball of fire at the guards. The seven guards at the exit quickly jumped out of the way leaving the exit wide open. The captain realised this and narrowed his eyes. The thief's element surprised him. There were very few wielders with such great control over the fire element. The captain signaled to the wielder stationed on the walls- the gunmasters- to take action. Gunmasters were wielders who had very limited close combat abilities but were able to use guns to project their abilities. Most gunmasters were ice or fire users and were very dangerous enemies to make in a long distance battle. 

The guns the gunmasters held were as long as a shotgun but had bigger barrels. The thief predicted this and immediately leaped backwards as several fist sized balls of fire landed at his previous position. "Gotcha", the captain grinned as the crook leaped towards him with his back facing the captain. The captain clenched his fingers and delivered a punch towards the hooded figure. The fist of the captain was coated with the earth elements that had assumed the shape of a large gauntlet. Without doubt this fist was meant to seriously injure the opponent. The captain already had a smirk on his face as though he could already see the end result. Unfortunately, man plans and God laughs. As though expecting the attack the hooded figure who was still midair transitioned from a leap to a backflip with the attack grazing past his back. He then used the gauntlet as a springboard and leaped towards the wall. 

"What!" The captain could not believe it. How is this possible? At such a close distance this man could escape such an attack. He turned his head to the direction of the wall to track his prey only to be amazed once again. During the jump it seemed as though the thief was not going to make it but he did. Mid-jump this hooded figure caused flames to erupt from underneath his feet to provide an added boost that aided in his escape. Upon landing he conjured to balls of flame, one in each hand with each ball of flame being four times the size of a regular ball. The gunmasters paled in fear as the balls headed towards them.

*BOOM* 

This sound signified the destruction of a portion of the wall and the escape of the hooded figure.

"HAHAHA. I see. So he was able to escape after all. Find out who this person is and tell him that the Emperor wishes to see him." Captain Zakai smiled bitterly upon hearing this command. He was not surprised to hear this. The emperor always appreciated talent and from what he saw the hooded man do, his skills were on par with his! "Looks like we'll be having another freak in our ranks" 

"So what's the plan", asked a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was tall with wavy brown hair and green eyes which were crowned with thick eyebrows. He posed the question to his partner-a beautiful blonde haired woman called Alexis. Due to the black clothes they wore, they were perfectly hidden in the dark of the night. The man who posed the question was Ray. He was a wielder, and a great one at that. The woman was his partner and wife. They have been together for eight years now- as a married couple and wielders. They first met 12 years ago when they were 16 at the wielder academy. They were regular partners for 4 years until they fell for each other and have been together since. Alexis did not reply immediately. She looked down from the roof through her binoculars and counted the people keeping her husband and herself away from their target- Baron Coal. He was a fat middle-aged man with a stupid looking grin. However, one cannot judge a book by its cover- he was a scholar-an impressive one at that. In just a few years, he had transformed his barony- the Green City- from a barren land to one of the major producers of corn for the kingdom of Neces. His intelligence however, had become a cause of worry to the neighbouring kingdoms. Though all the kingdoms of the west were under the rule of the Western Empire, the empire never restricted their movements. In other words, the kingdoms can wage war against each other anyhow they liked. But any act of maliciousness against the empire led to only one outcome- total annilation. Anyway, a large bounty had been placed on Baron Coal's head and with his intelligence, he had already anticipated such a result. He had requested for help from the king- His Royal Majesty, Seth O'Brien IV. The king was glad to help since he had no plans of losing a brilliant ally and immediately sent over some of the most elite agents from wielder association branch in Neces. 

"25 wielders", Alexis said softly but loud enough to be heard by Ray. Ray frowned at her statement and commented, "Though the Baron is a brilliant man, intelligence is still not enough to warrant this much protection from the king". "Indeed. However, according to the intel I received this afternoon, the Baron seems to be a distant cousin of the king's most doted upon consort- Consort Maria". Ray was startled for a moment before his expression became tranquil. If the Baron is indeed related to royalty, the amount of protection he received would make much more sense. "And to your earlier question, the plan is simple. The Baron is hosting a feast to welcome Consort Maria to his city. Since the feast has already began, we just have to quietly wait for him to get drunk and hope that John's cover isn't blown. And I remember telling you this during breakfast this morning, so why are asking me again". Ray had an embarrassed smile on his face, "I tuned out when you were explaining the details of the mission". Alexis shook her head in a helpless manner. She knew her husband well. He was a powerful wielder with a great bloodline. However, he was not as intelligent as she was. She was the smart one- the strategist and planner for this team. She was powerful as well, but that was not her strength. Since they had some time to spare, she began thinking about him. "You're thinking of him aren't you", Ray asked as a smile crept upon his handsome face. Alexis nodded. She was indeed thinking about him. Her other true love, her son- Mane.

"Young master it's time to wake up", a black haired butler was gently stroking the back of a six year old. The boy had blonde hair with blue eyes- a weird mix that gave him a look of elegance. The child grunted in an unsatisfied tone and prepared to close his eyes. "Young master, today is your first day of school". As though fed with energy supplements the child jumped off the king sized bed and landed on his feet in an agile manner. The school the butler was referring to was the wielder academy branch in Neces. The academy was known for training some of the most elite wielders in the history of the world. The butler smiled as though he had anticipated such a response and followed the eager young boy into the bathroom to prepare his bath as the kid brushed his teeth. "Uncle Jake, how is it that the wielder academy accepted my registration without even bothering to test me", the boy asked with a look of curiosity. He had known Uncle Jake was his caretaker and rarely saw his parents. Uncle Jake shook his head wryly. How was he supposed to tell the kid that his parents were elite wielders that any kingdom- and even the empire- would be more than eager to get into their good books. "I have no idea Young Master Mane. It may be that they saw your potential and hoped to groom you into an elite wielder". The young boy frowned at Uncle Jake's response but did not comment on it. He was pretty smart for his age. He reckoned that his uncle would not give him the answer he wanted and proceeded to get into the bath.

"Wow. It's huge". A blue haired boy was staring at the institution he was to spend the next ten years in. The size of the gate alone greater than any other he had seen. Uncle Jake smiled at the boy's wonder. He appreciated moments like these. Since it was these moments that made him realise that Mane was just a six year old. Sometimes he forgot that he boy was so young. The questions Mane was fond of asking and the opinions he held were a little too mature for his age. Uncle Jake had always attributed it to his mother's intelligence. He smiled as he grabbed a small bag from the carriage they had alighted from. "Young Master Mane, the wielder academy branch in the kingdom of Neces is one of the biggest branches on the continent. It accommodates students from all over Western and Northern Empires. It's no surprise that it is a large institution." Mane nodded his head to signal that he understood. He looked curiously at the other students that were entering the school and followed suit. Uncle Jake gave a command to the coach who proceeded to offload the carriage. The coachman then followed the duo while holding unto a relatively large bag

After they handed in Mane's registration papers and presented other important documents, they were allowed to enter the school. "Uncle Jake, those guards are wielders right?" Mane was referring to the guards that checked his papers at the gate. Uncle Jake smiled at the boy's question and replied, "Impressive as always Young Master. They are indeed wielders." Mane nodded his head and sighed as he admired the large school. 

"Will you come and visit me Uncle Jake?" , Mane asked as he looked up to the face of the kind middle aged man who helped him unpack his things in the room he will be spending 10 years in. "Every time I get the chance Young Master". The boy smiled at Uncle Jake's reply and watched with tears in his eyes as the man went past the well-guarded school gates and out of his sight. Mane returned to his room and sat patiently as he waited to meet his roommates.