Ignotus: Hunter Of The Dark

Ch.1 To Hunt A Shifter

'Its going to rain soon' I think as I cross the street tracking a class 5 shifter. The shifter is highly dangerous and not just kills its victims but takes their appearance and home life as well. I sniff the air and turn down an alley to find the shifter eating a new victim. I take my gun from its holster and fit a silencer on it, slowly I check my ammunition and then head into range to shoot the cursed white thing. Just as I get in range it turns and I see its elongated face dripping in blood and its hideous features that make my skin crawl. The lidless eyes, the slotted nostrals, the blank expanse where the mouth should have been, and not to mention its starved-looking body. Shifters have no gender on their pale almost see through bodies, so they don't wear any garments until they take one's body. As a class 5 this one has killed around fifty people all over England and is skilled in combat. I sneer in disgust and shoot at the shifter, but it dodges and the bullet enters its cheek instead of its brain. Shifters don't have normal brains, instead they have an adaptive circuit in their skills and a beam shaped cortex between their eyes that kills them when shot or stabbed. I take out my knife just in case as i know this one is desperate to have another body. I aim my gun and shoot again but even though it dodges to where I miss, the bullet hits it's right eye so i mark it as a success. "Come on you face-stealer just try to lunge at me." I growl out, pure hatred coursing through me. Just then it plunges at me aiming its sharp bony fingers at my throat and I slice its hand off. It stumbles back and after a slight recovery it tries again with the other hand which I also slice off, its blue blood splattering on my brown overcoat. It turns back to try and feed on the body so that it may regenerate its hands and eye, but I shoot it through the head accurately destroying its brain. "Damn face stealer you got my fucking jacket dirty." I say while retrieving my slugs. I powder the casings and put the slugs back in then I put the now again complete bullets back in my gun. I then walk over to the body to see if there is identification so that I may report the body to enforcement. I find a brown strap type wallet covered in blood and look inside it finding a tear stained family picture,three keys, 418 euros, two vehicle permits, a driver's license, and finally an identification card. I take the money, keys, and wallet separately and go to the shifter's body, picking it up so that I may dispose of it at a burn pit outside of town. I cloak me and the deceased shifter using a simple temporary spell and go out of the alley heading towards the site. Upon arrival I drop the body and wait for the spell to start wearing off then cast a fire spell on the hideous white creature. Out of all the creatures, monsters, demons, and whatever the hell goes bump in the night I detest and despise the shifter the most of all. The reason being behind this is one of the creatures stole one of my friend's identity so I had to kill the beast parading around in my dearest friend's skin. To me it was hell seeing the distorted look on his face as the shifter knew his position was compromised, the look of pure hatred and fear. I shake my head to get rid of these horrid thoughts from my mind. I turn away from the burn pit and head to the enforcement office. As I near the entrance a frenzied and stumbling old man runs out yelling how the world is ending and speaking ancient languages. I go into the building and head to the front desk where I report the body where I ask "So what was that guy's deal?" In which the officer replies "Frank's just drunk like usual no need to worry 'bout that old fool." "He always like that or are there certain days?" "Only Saturdays lad, why do ya ask?" "Because I suspect he's got a bloody demon in him." "How would ya know? Ya don't look like no priest I've ever seen before lad." "I'm not but he doesn't have the reek of alcohol on him and he was speaking ancient tongues." "Oh I wouldn't think on it that much lad." "Well it wouldn't hurt to check so I'll be off now." "Okay lad be safe, there's been plenty more killin's round here than you reported." "Don't worry about me I'll be fine just make sure you watch yourself." I walk out of the station and head in the direction the old man went. As I can smell his scent it starts to rain, the water washing the scent away. "Shit where was the scent heading?" I say to myself as I keep walking. As I pass an warehouse I get an uneasy feeling and all of the sudden I feel a dull pain in the back of my head and I fall to the ground everything going black.