CHAPTER 002

"A LONG FALL"

Sachiel headed off to the other side, a near invisible door frame opening up and allowing access to the brightly lit elevator. He stepped inside quietly, blinking harshly as he attempted to adjust his eyes to the sudden increase in light.

Over an intercom he could hear the receptionist’s nasally voice, “Now don’t be touchin’ nothin’ darlin’ weapons are kept in the bag at all times and any attempts at violence will result in penalties to your record as well as death. Please follow your designated guide and don’t stray from his sight, or you will be shot- the usual protocols.”

Sachiel remained poker-faced as the door opened to a pair of men heavily armed, with a small guide in a fancy casino-esque uniform gesturing to him from the middle of the floor.

He raised a brow as he followed.

Peculiar.

These humans have such odd mannerisms I swear... or maybe that’s just me being the odd one out.

The entire building was clad in shining lights and glistening metals, and the carpets at his feet had intricate rugs running all down the close and narrow corridors. The small guide lead him directly to the end of the corridor and into a room on the right. Inside was a man in business attire... and to his right a dog-like man just like Sachiel.

Sachiel couldn’t help but stare in raw confusion before returning his gaze to his client.

“Ah, yes... Sachiel. I’ve seen your record... very surprised you were willing to take on this hit given you've never take on a job of this type until now.”

“...I decided to do something different.” He spoke in short sentences, clearly not wanting to screw this up, but also still very clearly distracted.

“Very good. Your track record is quite remarkable you know? A right 'killing machine' when it comes to monsters." The man set a cigar to his mouth. "I won’t lie it must seem odd that one would choose the animal hunter to deal with a human case. Especially with the amount of applicants we saw.”

The slender, wide-eyed hound like Sachiel smirked, while lighting his boss’s cigar- clearly making direct, unsettling eye-contact with him.

“I will admit I am curious, but I am here for a job, not talk.” Sachiel bluntly stated, getting tired of his client's incessant chattering.

“To the point! I like it.” The boss laughed. “Alright here’s the down-low. I run this casino as a tight, well oiled machine. I’ve recently discovered one of my ‘associates’ has been dealing under the table on me- and rats like him don’t learn their place. I need you to take out an assassination on him.”

He slides Sachiel a file.

“He goes by Slick, it's a nickname.” He gestured to the hound to his right, “My bodyguard here, Emerson; and his brother, Jameson- noticed something was odd about Slick’s behaviour lately and led his brother to figure it out from the inside.”

The yellow eyes of Emerson pierced Sachiel’s with a heavy intimidation, the silence from him was unnerving given his gaze.

“Jameson found out about the embezzlements, and that Slick’s going to be meeting with a client tonight... rooftop of a rival casino three blocks down near the edge of the city in order to take loads of MY hard earned cash and exchange it for God’s know what."

He was clearly riled up.

Sachiel really didn't understand why this job was of such high importance... Especially with a price tag like that. Something was wrong.

"Your job is to take him out. He should be fairly unguarded as to not draw attention... as well- they won’t be expecting an attack from above, now will they? You are to drop down and clean up the place. No sidetracks, no joyrides anywhere else. You’re to wait on the rooftop, hidden until sundown. Got it?”

Sachiel took the file, resting it under his arm and nods.

“Good. Now my guard here will lead you to the rooftop. Jameson is next for a shift change by my side. I’ll see you in position from the window on the other side of the building so don’t try any funny stuff.”

Sachiel nods once more, speaking up only once. “I assume the reason you don’t let your guards do the job is because this guy poses a threat to your well being?”

“Nah- These guys are just bad with guns, they’re more... into brute force. Brute force ain’t gonna guarantee me a man dead. Several bullets to the head will. Get me?”

“...I see.” Sachiel stared once more at the slender, thin horned dog man before being led out the door by him.

Something wasn’t sitting right with him... but he was unsure what.

-

Sachiel followed along quietly, staring at his "guide". Emerson was so... thin. Not in a very normal manner either, Sachiel was almost certain this man was damn near skin and bones. He looked... Wrong.

He made note of the fact that this guy stood at least a foot taller than him. Those long thin horns that curved at the top looked like they'd snap with any type of force, and his... face. His face looked almost distorted. It was too long. His snout was not pointed up, but down, and his fur was a pristine, sickly white, with grey tones to it.

It was almost like he was barely held together.

Sachiel was going to speak, but it seemed Emerson was the one who wanted to talk first.

"So, Sachiel. I'm certain you have questions given that bewildered look you'd given me in the office." It almost sounded like a hiss rather than a blunt statement.

"...A few. You are the only other I've seen that-" Sachiel was cut off as fast as his sentence started.

"Looks like you. Correct." a long, unsettling grin came upon his face, his eyes staring into nothing. "I'm afraid that is something for another day, you see. You and I will get a chance to have this conversation again I do promise you that... No, I guarantee it. However this time has to be spent ensuring you do your job correctly."

"I don't understand why this job has such a high stake for such a simple target." Sachiel looked annoyed now.

"Oh come now." Emerson turned, his face directly in Sachiel's. "Isn't it obvious? It's because our boss doesn't understand the guns he has at arms, Sachiel. He doesn't know anything. He only knows what we make clear to his feeble little human mind. After all, he thinks this is huge and worth a large sum because you are here, after all."

Sachiel squinted, ears back.

"What does that mean?"

"Sachiel, your deeds don't go unnoticed. You are like a celebrity up here after all. Why, you're the hero of the Undertow, don't you know?" Emerson sneered, closer to him.

"I'm no fucking hero." Sachiel scoffed, backing off from Emerson's face.

"Well you are to some. Therefore to attract the big hero, you need a big sum. We know a lot about you after all. Now we really should focus and get back to work." Emerson turned, taking him to the elevator.

Sachiel did not like this at all. There was something wrong, both with this dog and with the situation as a whole.

-

Sachiel sat quietly on the rooftop.

He polished his pistol, staring at it very hard. It was a triple barrelled pistol... but yet, since waking with it in his hands he did not understand how it worked. He generally found he could only fire one bullet from it, and only if he focused and willed the shot into existence. There was no entry for him to insert more bullets into the chamber and activate the other two barrels. The main chamber just had a regular 6-shot revolver's look to it..... yet the dust and scrap at the end of the gun’s barrels clearly indicated that it could fire three shots at once.

He sighed.

What am I even doing. I hold a weapon I barely know how to use, and here I am taking on an assassination mission that very Clearly is overpriced for what the crime is... Something isn’t right. I don’t get it.

He frowned hard.

There is no reason why I should be here...this job could be taken on by anyone. Literally anyone. It’s just a human. Humans die when they’re shot in the head don’t they? I always see them fall after a head shot. Heads and hearts, that’s what one of my hirees told me before. No matter the species just aim for the head or heart and it should die.

...

Where are human’s hearts located anyway?

More importantly, what the fucking hell was that conversation with that... guy? What did he mean they knew of the things he did, were they spying on him or something?

The sun started to descend over the horizon. Looking down he could see a man, checking his watch on the next roof over, coming into view. He had the slicked back hair and a fancy tuxedo on, holding a breifcase.

Must be him.

Sachiel got himself into position, and then bolted. His legs felt like they were on fire as he leapt from the rooftop, dropping to the one below with a loud THUD.

The man whipped around and immediately began shooting, Sachiel ducking for cover as a bullet ripped through his arm. He snarled, whipping his pistol out and taking a blind shot in an attempt to force Slick into a reload. Instead he found that the man was attempting to sneak around the corner, only noticing his footsteps because of his acute sense of hearing.

Sachiel jumped around the corner as more bullets went flying, making note of the count... But suddenly being distracted by a foot flying at his face from the other side of his head. The kick was with a LOT of force, and cleanly knocked out a tooth from Sachiel’s jaw, forcing him backwards.

Looking up he fired his gun, only to find the shot missing, and in front of him was another hound, but in a different set of attire from the one he met earlier, and with far more creepy looking eyes.

This must be the brother?

“The hell you think you’re doin gettin' in the way of my kill.” It didn’t even sound like a question anymore, as Sachiel snarled, spitting out blood onto the ground.

“Sachiel, was it?” He smirked, rolling up a sleeve. “ Call me Jameson. Listen... my brother and I have been keeping a watch of you you know? We both know you’re a very efficient hunter. Which is why we needed to lure you up here so we could deal with you properly.”

“...I see.” Sachiel cocked his gun, firing, only to be baffled when Jameson shoved a fist into his gut at a speed he’d never even seen in a monster before.

What the hell..?

Sachiel staggered back, shooting again only to miss once more. Somehow, his shots weren’t hitting Jameson in the slightest.

The fucking hell is this thing, why can’t I hit him I have a clear shot every single time? Something isn’t right, nothing about this is right, I knew it was a set up but I thought I’d still have the upper hand? After all it was only a human...

“Sachiel, we need to keep those people down there feeling helpless, they can’t be feeling hope now you understand? You’ve been causing quite the stir in your slaying and we aren’t impressed. How else do you think we managed to keep people down there from trying to revolt?”Jameson smiled, a very unnerving grin.

“...How-”

“Enough talk, you’re an asset to all of our plans now and this a great show for the boss to witness, so you need to get going.” Jameson lifted up Sachiel by the jacket.

Sachiel grunted and shot Jameson point blank in the head, a deafening silence falling between them and Slick, who just stood there watching with an unbroken expression.

Heads and hearts.... That’s how you deal with all of your problems, they told me.

As it turns out...

Heads was a lie.

Jameson turned on his heel staggering forwards, swaying back and forth with a terribly excited expression- bringing Sachiel to the edge of the building. It stood far above The Undertow, a direct pit descending down into the abyss of his ‘home’ from the edge of the upper city.

What convenient placement for this fight.

“You really have to try harder than that to kill me. It's almost as if you know nothing about us? We’re going to pretend that didn’t happen.” He waved a hand over his wound, as it started to seal.

Sachiel was mortified.

It didn’t take long before he figured out what was going to happen. He felt the drop, as Jameson let go and he started to fall. He could see a little wave from the hellhound as the lights started to fade from sight.

Deeper, deeper, deeper.

Farther, farther, farther.

The lights from above were gone now, and as he fell, he couldn’t help but think to himself that something was still not right.

...Why throw me? Seems excessive.

How did he not die, either? Am... I... Can I do that?

What was that healing thing- wait. All those times I managed to take on hits people were so confused about; the ones who panicked at my wounds- Does this mean-

Unfortunately, that thought wasn't finished as Sachiel blacked out.

The ground always comes so fast, no matter the height you seem to fall.

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