Monarchs of Above and Below (On Hiatus)

Chapter I: Welcome to the Big Apple

"Soooo, how're ya' enjoying the Big Apple?" Matthew heard his friend speak through his iPhone.

"Luke, I just landed. Give me a second to actually leave the airport." Matthew chuckled as he stepped from the airplane with his luggage and began walking down the aisle leading into the heart of the New York City airport. It had been a while since he'd gone anywhere outside of Texas, his home state, and where most of his 'hunting' took place. He never much considered himself anything special. He never had any hunting equipment apart from his weapon and a minor skill. Nor was he anything special to look at. He was of average height, with short black hair, and yellow eyes, and, half the time, his daily wear consisted of modest clothes.

On the other end of the call, Luke laughed. "I know I know, I'm just fuckin' with you. But anyways, ya' still got my card, right?"

Matthew nodded to himself, checking his wallet briefly for a silver credit card with an 'A' embedded on its side, as he finally made it from the corridor into the bustling airport. "Yeah, I got it. You sure I can use it for the trip?" He asked before pocketing his wallet, and the card, once again.

"'Course I am. We both know you couldn't've paid for this trip." Luke retorted.

Matthew pursed his lips and sighed inwardly. "I'm aware." He said. "So anyway, where are we meeting at?" He asked as he began walking down the winding areas of the airport.

"Carnegie Café." Luke replied.

Matthew just rolled his eyes. "Where's that?" He asked as he began to approach the security check. "One second, Luke, I'm at security," he muttered, removing the phone from his ear.

"Sir, please put your luggage and any accessories into-" the security guard was cut off as Matthew produced his Hunter's license to him.

Suddenly, the security guard straightened slightly. "Sorry about that, Mr. Adams, I wasn't aware you were a Hunter. Please, take the path on your left and head on through." They said with a slightly forced smile.

Matthew nodded to the guard before pocketing his hunter's license and moving on. Despite being an E-Rank, the lowest rank one could obtain in America, most unawakened citizens showed respect, not necessarily to him, but to his career. Then again, they seemed to be the only people who treated him like he was someone. Any other awakened just laughed him off as someone who'd drawn the short straw and awakened as someone who was only slightly stronger than your average citizen.

Once he was through he pulled the phone up to his ear again. "Where's that?" Matthew repeated.

There was a few seconds of silence from Luke before he answered. "If you're coming from the airport it's probably easier to take a shuttle to the nearest subway stop. Once there buy a ticket for the week- don't worry it's unlimited so use it as ya' want- hop on the train with the letter N and ride it till you reach a station that looks like it's seen better days. Then just head up some stairs, turn right, and walk a bit. And you're there." He described.

Matthew could almost see the several hand gestures his friend was making through the phone as he described the directions.

He just slowly nodded. "I see...." He, in fact, did not. "Well, I'll call you back once I'm near there, alright?"

Luke laughed. "Gotcha' I'll keep your chair warm." He retorted before the call ended.

Matthew sighed as the call ended and rubbed his brow with his fingers. Luke was an excellent hunter, not just due to his rank, but he had the instincts of one as well. But if there was one thing he did not excel at, it was giving directions.

Ultimately Matthew simply decided to use the map on his phone for directions.

***

"Good to see you've made it." Luke shouted with a smile as Matthew entered the diner. He had been seated at a table right next to the door. He wore a red coat that went down nearly to his knees. Beneath the coat was a breastplate of thin steel, a magical piece of armor that would protect him from most low-ranked monsters within the gates. Strapped to the back of his waist within a holster was a large revolver filled with small black canisters where bullets would be; his signature weapon. Over his bright blonde hair was a set of sunglasses that Matthew was sure he'd never seen him use.