Snipers gonna Snipe (open)

Just like the few times he had done so in his home town, Talon had decided to do some late night shopping. He needed to get a few things for his training. First on his list was a book which explained how different energies for different magics flowed. While his training was indeed working, and he wasn't hurting himself in the process as much, he still had only a small amount of control over the energies at his current disposal. Studying their proper flows should help with this, as it would let him know how he needed to manipulate their flow. Second thing on his list was a proper perch for Red. The bird had taken to sitting on the desk when sleeping and the resulting mess was... less than fun to clean up. He knew of two stores within a decent distance to each other he could stop into, and so had grabbed some money and headed out into the night.

He was wearing his usual blue leather jerkin and black combat jacket, matched with his black pants which made it hard to see him when he walked through shadows. His hood was up and his hands were stuffed into his pockets, making it very difficult to see any skin. While there were very few people out this late, he still liked to remain hidden to a certain extent. He had improved with his social skill already, just enough so that he was more comfortable talking with others, but only if they started the conversation. He already had his Arcane crystal latched into the fittings one his gloves, just in case any night-time creeps decided to have some 'fun'. He had been warned that even this city could be less-than friendly at night by faculty at the Academy.

He had just turned onto the street which had the shops he was looking for. The first was right on the corner, and would be where he bought the book he needed. An encyclopedia with lists of many different forms of energies and their flow properties. The man was kind enough to give him a discount since he was from the Academy, and even told him of a few other stores which had books he didn't that might help Talon. Thanking the man, he headed back out to the street, opening the book tot he first page and nodding in approval when he saw the amount of detail he saw in the descriptions. Closing the book, he stuffed it within a pocket in his jacket and headed down the street to the next store, stopping not long after as he felt something. 

His species were sensitive to energies of all types, and could sense energies around them, being able to track them if they wanted. He felt an energy that felt almost... dead. But just as quick as he felt it, it had disappeared. As thought the source had just passed by that quickly. He would shake his head, sure he had only imagined this due to the city's nighttime atmosphere. The city at night was much different than his home town at night, and much creepier as well. With this in mind, he headed down the street once more, only to pick up a rather curious noise which stood out in the silence which currently rested in the city.

Hushed whispers came from nearby, and it made him rather nervous that it seemed to be more than a single voice. While he couldn't hear anything, he knew that whispers in the dark were usually for reasons that were less-than-honest. He had only just started to control his abilities, and was thinking about starting a new one. He wasn't ready for any kind of confrontation, at least not if he could avoid it. But it would seem as though that was the last thing on the mind of those in the shadows, as someone stepped out to glare at him, obviously not happy that he was nearby to possibly witness whatever was going on.

*Can't I just have a peaceful night?*

Talon had watched the 'customer' walking away from the deal that went down before looking back to the man who was blocking his path. Just as he was about to speak and explain that he was merely passing by, he noticed the dealer himself being hit with some kind of dart and falling unconscious. If he didn't know any better, it was as though someone had been waiting for just the right moment to strike. As the bodyguard turned to look at his boss hit the ground, Talon decided to take his own advantage and would place two fingers in the Electric Arcane Crystal, pulling out just enough energy to equal that of a taser. While he might have been able to tell where the dart came from if he was closer to the man due to skills he picked up from years of hunting, he was currently in a spot where such was impossible, and so was unsure if the shooter could even see the bodyguard. That coupled with the fact that he was now the only one close to the bodyguard told him that the man would soon turn on him. Better to take the upper hand while he had it.



He would place his fingers against the back of the man's neck, releasing the electric energy into his body. The result was a the man's body seizing up as the electric energy flowed through, his muscles twitching as he tried to fight against the current of energy. Soon afterwards his body went limp, the man now unconscious though still twitching as the last of the electric energy wore off. Talon reached a foot out and tapped it against the man's arm, nodding when he saw that he was indeed out cold. This is when he walked over to the seller and knelt down next to him. He saw where the dart had landed, remembering where the dealer had been standing and followed what he felt was the correct angle, only to spot something he didn't quite expect.

What appeared to be a young boy just in his teens was stationed on the roof, looking down at the scene before him. The strangest part was that it was this boy who had taken the shot, obvious by the rifle in his hands. Talon knew that there was some odd and unique people within this city, but he never expected a young boy who hunted down drug dealers and other criminals.

But as these thoughts raced through his head, he felt that which told him there was more to this boy than he first believed. That same energy he had felt before, the energy that felt dead yet still full of power. He hadn't imagined it before, he had just lost track of it. Now that he knew spotted its source he once again felt this bone-chilling energy, and it was coming straight from this boy he was looking at.

He decided to play this one safe, taking both of his hands out of his pockets and holding them out to the side, sending a non-verbal message that he was no enemy. He even took a few steps away from the dealer and his lookout, to show that he wouldn't interfere with whatever the boy wanted with them. And even if he wanted to interfere, he had yet to learn of any energies that might help redirect a fast-moving tranquilizer dart. Nor did he have the experience to believe he was fast enough to do so. And so he stood there, head down and arms to the side as he waited to see what the boy's next move was.

*This night just went from normal to very interesting. Seems this city is full of surprises you would never expect.*

Talon would see the boy holster his rifle, taking that as a sign that he was in fact friendly. He would lower his hands, keeping his eye on the boy before him. As he stood there he received another surprise. The last thing he expected from this kid was a compliment, yet that was exactly what he had gotten. The boy had congratulated him on taking down the lookout even though he did so in a rather simple manner.

"Oh, thank you. Just a simple spell. Nothing fancy. Not as fancy as your uh... rifle."

After addressing the stranger, Talon noticed the fangs within his smile. That was when certain things began to make sense to him. He had seen quite a few different species jut from the little bit of time he had been at the Academy, but he knew of only one so far that had such things.

*Vampire*

Now he knew a few things about vampires. They were creatures of the night, they didn't age in most cases. But the last thing he knew about them was the thing that explained what he was feeling. Vampires were technically dead. It explained the energy emitting from this kid. And it also told Talon that he might not be quite as young as he appears. Especially since this 'kid' had a Hunter license. Now THAT interested Talon more than anything.

"A Hunter? Didn't realize there were Hunter Vampires. Nor did I know they took part in more legal matters such as... this"

He would beckon to the two criminals before them. He realized that there while Vampires might have heightened strength, it would be difficult for this Hunter at his size to carry them both. Plus, he had taken down one of them, thus including himself in whatever this was. And while he had planned on training after he got back, he had nothing to actually get back to. His night was far from over and had little to fill it with. And besides, he could ask for any tips from a professional, as he was taking Hunter classes within Eldritch.

"Would you like me to get the bodyguard? Make the trip easier on you at least. I've nothing to do tonight anyways. Plus it would be a good opportunity for me. I'm taking classes to be a Hunter. If it's alright with you, I'd like to ask some questions, outside of classes."

He would position himself next to lookout, waiting for this... boy?... man?... to give him the go ahead. He didn't want to intervene if this Hunter had certain plans for them. Nor did he want to get in the way of him. He felt like doing that, being in school while this vampire was a licensed Hunter, was definitely not a good idea. 

Talon nodded in response to this boy's response to the rifle upon his back. It was true, simple weapons could often be used to make certain tasks easier. Such as that which Talon as just helped with. Taking down an unsuspecting target with a rifle was easier than trying to sneak up on them. As was taking out a distracted enemy like he had just done with the bodyguard. There was also a truth to what he said about vampires. They were natural hunters from what Talon knew of them. He guessed it was too much to imagine them as a Hunter from the Academy. It must have taken some strong will power to keep from feeding on other students though. At least that is what he imagined. He didn't know how strong a vampire's thirst could be, nor did he really want to pry for that information.

He stood next to the bodyguard unconscious on the ground. He was larger than the dealer, but that didn't bother Talon. While his main aspect was his arcane abilities, he had plenty of strength from his years worth of experience hunting. He had to drag and carry his prey through miles of forest in on almost a daily basis, and so his build was more muscular than most might expect just from looking at him. He bent down and rolled the bodyguard to one side, placing a hand under his gut and pushing it through so that the man was now laying on his forearm. He was glad he had decided to wear sleeves tonight. He hated having to explain scars and marks right off the bat when meeting new people.

With a grip on the man, he lifted him up into the air. He kept his knee closest to the man down for support, he shouldered the man before raising himself to a standing position. The bodyguard was heavier than he first thought, weighing him down more than he expected. That didn't bother him, though, as he had carried beasts heavier than this man was. A sudden screech from above signaled the arrival of Red, back from a hunt. The hawk landed on top of the bodyguard, rat in mouth. A look of confusion flashed through the bird's eyes before he realized his master was carrying this strange man. Now aware of this situation, the hawk began to eat away at his meal.

"Ah, there you are, Red. Was wondering where you flew off to."

He turned his head towards the Hunter, nodding that he was ready to set off. He didn't know the layout of most of the city yet, so he didn't know where this police office was.

"You can lead. Not quite sure where we are going. Still have to learn my way around this city. As for my questions, they are simple ones. How often you are hired to hunt a beast. Where it might take you throughout the land. If there are creatures that groups of Hunters must work together to take out. Just enough to know what I have signed up for. And, does the Academy solely handle your contracts? That's about it." 

Talon thinks about what the Master Hunter said as they walked. It sounded like a simple enough system. Students take bounties from the school and are accompanied by a faculty member, with the more experienced Hunters taking bounties from basically wherever they wanted. A straightforward system that got the job done. He liked the sound of it. In his first few years he would be watched and accompanied, but once he got use to the hunts he would have freedom to do the ones he wanted and to do them alone when he wanted. He knew he would have to work with others one day, and actually wanted to. but he was still more of a loner at the current moment in time. The few he had met so far he might occasionally say hi to, but that was about it. 

"Sounds easy enough to remember. Simple system with simple rules. Or guidelines. Whichever you prefer. So then I guess one would have to talk to a faculty member before even going to pick a bounty?"

Red would continue to tear away at his catch, his head swiveling around every now and then while he ate at a piece. It seemed as though he didn't care that his usual perch was taken by this unconscious man. He was too into taking out his meal. Either way he looked comfortable.

"This is Red. Raised him from birth and he has been a loyal friend since."

Red seemed to perk up a bit at his name, looking down at Talon and letting out a small almost concerned screech. After realizing that Talon was just talking to the hunter, Red began to eat at the rat once more. It seemed as though the man would have quite the mess on his back.

"Inventory huh? Don't think I would like that job. I'm more of a energized worker. In the field. Sitting in a classroom is hard enough. Couldn't imagine it being my job."

Talon nodded at this bit of information. It was nice to know he could at least choose which one he wished to tackled. To have that option taken away would have just made it seem more like a corporation than anything. He would have hated that. He enjoyed the freedom of choosing his own hunt, deciding what prey would be meeting its end.



“Well that’s a given. We are in a school. They are kind of in charge of us. I imagine it's not too different from what one might call a normal school. Just a little more… dangerous. What with all the magics and all. Is there a specific faculty member I might ask to join me?”



Red would soon finish his meal, picking small scraps from the man’s back while making sure not to accidentally pick the man himself. Afterwards he would hold his head up and look around, clicking his beak a few times before flapping his wings to stretch them. Something Talon had come to realize was a sign that he enjoyed the mean and was now satisfied.



“Alright Red, come on down from there. Doubt the officers will enjoy you being up there.”



He purses his lips and let out a small yet sharp whistle, starting at a low pitch and ending with a high pitch. Red immediately reacted, hopping down from the bodyguard’s back and onto Talon’s shoulder.



“I can see how that makes sense, though I bet there would also be those materials that are just a bit too difficult to acquire through the markets. Always is. Either too rare or too dangerous to get for traders to want to even think about dealing with them.”



As they walked, Talon kept a close eye one their surroundings, making sure he remembered where they were going and that he could get back to the Academy. He didn’t want to get lost again, especially since it was night out and there were less-than-civilized people probably roaming the streets.

"Hmm... a ranged Hunter huh? Unique, but something that can be used to an advantage. One could win a fight before it even starts that way. Or at least weaken the enemy significantly. Either way, it is a style that I don't disapprove. Always nice to have someone watching your back. As you might have guessed my style is more up-close and personal most of the time."

While he still wasn't very good with being social, he had been working on it recently. This man he had only just met was an interaction Talon was actually happy about. Another Hunter, and one who could answer questions as well as a possible supervisor when he took bounties. Not just that, but someone who would be a rather good match for how Talon fought. The few times he had partners to hunt with before he came here, they almost always used a ranged weapon and left him to fight up close. He even preferred it that way as it had less of a chance to hurt his allies should they get to close to the combat.

Red seemed to find it funny that the officers wouldn't like the mess made, and let out a few quick screeches as though he were laughing. This made Talon shake his head a little. While the bird was indeed his oldest and most trusted friend, there were times he wondered if the bird tried to get on his nerves or mess with him. Red would occasionally seem to go out of his way just to make a mess or make certain tasks harder for him. Then again, if he wasn't like that, Talon would get bored rather quickly.

"So, how far is this station? I can't say I've been to this part of the city. I mainly stick around the Academy and the blocks around it. I'd get lost otherwise. Where we met was the farthest I had gone."