A young man clad in rune armor walked down a dirty and unkempt street. Normally, this street, Elm Street, was filled with vagrants and thugs. But today, it was filled with a lot of city guards and curious onlookers instead.

  “Make way, Make way.” A guard stood in front of the man, controlling the crowd, making a path for him. The sea of curious onlookers parted, giving way to the young man. They might not know who the man was, but judging from his expensive armor, they could tell at the very least he was a knight.

  “Vice Commander.” The guards, standing in formation and creating a perimeter, saluted the man. He was Viscount Kylan Adria Hazen, the second son of Count Halmar Adria Hazen, the ruler of the city.

  As the second son, Viscount Kylan would not be able to inherit the County unless something happened to his older brother, so he worked as Vice Commander of the city guards, working directly under his uncle. Truth be told, he preferred his current work compared to being the lord of Hazen. After all, he could tell that being a lord of a county was no easy task. His father’s balding head was evidence of that, while his uncle still had a glorious head of hair.

  “At ease,” he told the saluting guards, Kylan noticed that a lot of them were pale. In fact, he could see a lot of puke on the street behind them, and some of the guards were still retching up their lunches.

  “So, can anyone tell me the situation?” asked Kylan. All of the guards looked nervous, they could not describe what they just saw. One of the city guards’ captains came forward, volunteering himself. Kylan knew this man, normally he was a stoic professional, but today, even his face looked queasy.

  “Sir, we got reports from some vagrants and beggars that the gang that hid in this place was massacred… some of the gang members even came to our station and asked to be arrested.”

  “What? Was it a gang war? How bad was it for them to even run to authority?”

  “It’s… It’s better to see for yourself my lord.”

  Kylan was perplexed. The normally professional captain was at a loss for words. What could possibly happen inside?

  Kylan went inside the dilapidated tavern, and as soon as he entered, he noticed the horrible stench of blood and dead bodies. He could not believe the sight he saw. Wooden floors and furniture were destroyed and soaked in dried blood. Scattered everywhere were mangled, torn, headless human corpses.

  “Were there monsters on the loose? Was this even a rival gangs’ doing?” Kylan was shocked, this was a massacre unlike any other. Not even a battlefield looked this bad, the only explanation that made sense was this was the action of a group of monsters.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “According to the witness account of the gang members that gave themselves up, it was the action of a single, black, monster. A small one, the size of a toddler.”

  “Just one!?” Kylan couldn’t believe the veracity of the report he just heard. What kind of monster was able to do massacre at this scale, one where it was contained in a small area no less. “Are you sure about the accuracy of this account?”

  “Accounts, sir. We got multiple witness accounts.” Said the captain. He knew his superior wouldn’t believe it immediately. “And according to the witnesses, the monster killed Krieg Burhan.”

  “What!?” That was the report that surprised Kylan the most. Krieg Burhan was a former knight. The reason the city guards were leaving his gang activities alone was because arresting him would cost multiple casualties, and his criminal activities were contained in a small area that could be safely ignored — A lesser evil if you will. Even Kylan, a talented knight as he was, wouldn't be able to fight Krieg unharmed.

  “Yes sir, we believe that was his body.” The captain pointed at the headless torso in the middle of the room. His chest was torn asunder, showing his rib cage. Kylan approached the body. He could not find Krieg’s heart.

  Kylan did not believe the corpse in front of him was Krieg’s at first, but once he saw the remains of his breastplate and the large axe shaft on his hand, he knew that the equipment quality was too good for some low-level thugs.

  “Have you checked the entire building?” asked Kylan. If humans did this, there might be sign of looting.

  “Yes sir, we found a lot of valuables untouched. And some cut ropes, but I don’t think those got anything to do with this.” The captain understood the reason his superior asked this question. He too was wondering if it was really a monster who did all these.

  “Hmmm, put this building… no, this entire street on lockdown. And get some of the tower mages here, especially one that specialized in investigation. Get them to find out if there are traces of mana. Also, find someone who is an expert on monsters. One of those Slayers from the Slayers Guild.”

  “Yes sir.” The captain immediately went to work. He went outside and started barking orders at his men.

  “Robert,” Kylan asked Robert, his lieutenant, one of the guards that initially came with him. “Robert?” However he couldn’t hear a response. He turned around and found no one left was inside the room with him. “Ah.”

  Kylan walked outside the tavern. There, he found Robert still puking his gut out. “You okay Robert?”

  “No sir,” answered Robert as he wiped out the remaining puke from his lip.

  “Well, take your time. Once you’re done… puking. Go to my uncle and tell him to have the entire city guards on high alert.”

  “Will do, Sir. What about you, Sir?”

  “I have to go and report this to my father. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  Robert puked once again, “Me too, Sir.”

  Kylan patted Robert on the back. He needed it.

  ********

  Night had arrived. Hazen city that normally started to die down during this hour was busier than ever.

  Guards, guards everywhere.

  Thugs, thieves, and scums that were normally active during the night were forced to hide in the shadows. But they were not annoyed in the least. If anything, for the first time in their life they were grateful for the presence of the guards.

  The Burhan gang was massacred in a single day. According to their intelligence networks, no gangs were responsible for it. They were worried of the entity that could destroy the entire balance of Hazen’s underground society in a single day, nay, wiped them out in a single day.

  Some of the most influential criminal underbosses in Hazen were considering their options. The obvious thing was to strengthen their internal defense. In terms of solutions however, they were divided. Some were considering working with corrupt officials and guards. Some were considering temporary alliances with other gangs. Others were considering going into hiding and let the Count and his men deal with this.

  Whatever the gangs decided to do, things were about to change. And the City of Hazen might not like the change that was coming.