Chapter 10- Aftermath

Alex~

Alex saw the ordeal before he heard the announcement.

"Monster Zero has been defeated by: Thomas Alinac. Good job humans!"

'It was not that amazing of a fight though,' thought Alex. He sat on top a building a few hundred meters from the battlefield. Rose sat to his left. People were gathering around the snake's corpse, and rescuing the guy that killed the Monster. From the Alex could see, it didn't look like he would survive.

"You know, Alexander. These people are stupid."

"How so?"

"I would be easier to just sneak up on that guy and slit his throat. It's basically free points."

Alex scoffed slightly. "If everyone started thinking like you do, half of humanity would be dead in three weeks."

"Yeah. Its a good solution to overpopulation."

"I'm pretty sure there are way better options."

The two sat in silence for a while. A soothing breeze flew on the rooftop of the building.

"So, what are you up to.?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I am talking about, Alex. You slaughtered a whole guild on our first day. And you let Andre do all the work."

"Everyone already knows about Andre's strength. Better to play a card that everyone knows about. I do not intend to show everyone else's abilities to the world just yet."

"To the world? We are not world famous Alex, No one knows about us outside of Birmingham. "

Alex turned his head to look Rose in the eyes. A devilish smile danced on his lips. "That, my love, is what I am going to change."

"Cheers to that. Now shall we go and recruit some people?"

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The pair made their way into the grounds. The place was buzzing with activity. People were inspecting the corpse of the snake. A lot of other guilds were trying to get people to their side too. Even UGARP members had come their to find out about the man who killed the Monster. Word was spreading that he was taken to a nearby hospital.

A large government chopper stood silently next to the head of the Snake. Soon it would be moved to be inspected by scientists and researchers.

The other people who had participated in the battle were being tended to. Alex and Rose got to work. Asking people who looked promising to join the guild. But since they operated from a different city, most declined. A few, who had heard about the massacre they had done a few days earlier, refused out of fear. Ironically, the few people who did accept, accepted out of the same fear. The pair had already gotten a dozen people.

Alex was talking to a member of the Hunters, inquiring about the incident, making sense of the "Monster" that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The girl he was talking to told her quite a lot. She had spent the last few minutes bragging about how great their President, Blast, is. And it was getting on Alex's nerves. The only question in his mind now was that why on earth would someone call themselves "Blast."

He was on the verge of telling her to shut up when the girl's eyes suddenly lit up. Alex followed her gaze to see whom she was looking at, and when he finally noticed, liquid hatred replaced the blood flowing through his veins. He breaths became shallow and his eyes red. His wires twitched in his pockets, begging to slaughter the man he just laid his eyes on.

"Who is he?" he blurted out, his voice taking on a low note.

"That's him! Blast!", the girl said excitedly.

Alex didn't share her excitement. This was the same man who-

Alex tried to calm himself. If this man was Blast, he couldn't risk taking him on in this place. Not when so many people thought of him as a hero. Not when no one knew the deeds he had done.

Blast hadn't noticed Alex's glower. He sat still with his eyes transfixed on the ground, and he was too far away to hear Alex and the girl.

Alex composed himself. He mind was considering his options. He calmed the burning hatred in him. The Demon of the 13th Division would have to wait for his vengeance.

Just a moment later, Alex felt a weak gust of wind hitting him. He looked at the source, only to find a second chopper descending upon the scene.

The door opened and a man stepped out before the helicopter could even properly land. He was wearing a light pink suit, a striped shirt underneath, sharp spectacles, and a single earring in his left ear. He was young, probably still in his twenties, and there was not a hair on his face.

But despite the peculiar dress, the man looked professional. As his eyes met with Alex's, they glimmered with a sense of recognition.

"If it isn't Mr. King."

Alex's guard was up immediately. The wires that were kept in bundles in his pocket came out and formed a thin sphere around him, which was barely visible. The girl he was talking to stood frozen, until Alex dismissed her.

"Do I know you?" Alex asked, his tone menacing."

"Oh, no, you don't." said the man, a patient smile on his face. " But I know you well enough."

"Mind introducing yourself?", said Alex, ignoring the comment.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Gabe. Head of UGARP's Special Division 14. " said the man. He spoke calmly, like a man who is in control, and knows it.

"Speak in terms that I understand, and make it quick.".

Gabe's nonchalance was irritating Alex.

"I'm not going to explain the entire working of UGARP to you. Just know that the Special Division consists of Guild and Mercenaries that work for UGARP."

"So you're here to recruit me." Alex scoffed. The man was now standing close to Alex. He was taller than Alex, at around six feet.

"Yes. I have heard of your recent....achievements. I heard your guild sent around fifty people to hell. And the amazing thing is, the police haven't even knocked on your door once."

'If you intend to recruit me by 'saving' me from arrest. Leave. I don't need anyone's help."

"Of course not, Mr. King.", said Gabe, chuckling a little. I know how good you are at avoiding the law. You're the last person I would offer help to."

"Good", said Alex, as he turned around to leave and started pulling his wires back into his pockets.

" You see, Mr. King, I know a lot about you."

This was the second time Gabe had mentioned that. Normally Alex wouldn't have cared, but something in him told him to take the bait.

"What do you know, exactly?" he asked without turning around.

" Oh ,you know, just the usual stuff. I know that your criminal record started when you were like. nine years old. I know about the murders that you committed. I know about your reputation in your gang. I know how you earned your nickname. What was it again?" he asked, and then answered his own question. "Yes, " The Demon of the 13th division." And then he paused for a while.

Alex was slightly taken aback at how a man he didn't know, knew so much. But if he was with the government, it was possible.

"I also know,", the man continued. "That you had a brother."

In one singular motion, Alex whipped around, pulling out a scalpel that he kept hidden in his jacket, and swinging it in a wide arc, stopped it barely a centimeter from Gabe's throat. His wires moved out quickly, and swirled around him fitfully.

Gabe stood unfazed. His hands were still in his pockets and a smile was still on his face.

Alex's eyes shone as red as a blood moon. His face was cold, the expression on his face grim and ruthless.

"If you tell a soul, I will tear out the heart from your chest and hang your body from balcony in St. Martin's square." Alex voice was low, threatening.

At this Gabe laughed a little. Alex's wires wrapped around his neck.

" Would you like to test if this was a joke?'

The wires tightened. "No, its not that I think this if funny, Mr. King, but....". Gabe pulled his hands out of his pockets. " I wonder if you CAN kill me. Let us leave the drama aside. Would you reconsider my offer."

Alex's mind was racing. He considered killing that man right there and then, but decided against it. How did Gabe know about him? And how much?

Slowly he put his blade back in his jacket, but still kept the wires up.

" A wise decision."

"Why are you here?"

" To recruit people. Well technically I was sent here to deal with that snake, but now it's dead. So I have to decapitate it to make it easier to transport."

'Decapitate it?' Alex thought. ' How does he plan to decapitate that monster?'

"So, what have you decided?"

"I am not joining anyone." he declared.

Gabe was visibly shocked, but gained his composure back almost immediately.

"Oh! Well that's a shame."

"If you are done, leave."

"I will ,for now." The smile was gone from his face.

As he walked away, Alex heard the man whisper, "I guess I didn't have enough leverage."

'And you never will.' Alex thought. But Gabe was someone he had to be vary of.

All he wanted to do right now was go and find Rose. His only solace. The only medicine he ever needed.

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The pair stood leaning on a wall - what was left of the wall - a few meters away from the compound. Alex had told Rose about the incident with Gabe. But he hadn't said a word about seeing Blast. He was trying to forget that for the time being.

" What did he claim to know about you?"

" The usual." Alex lied. The other thing Gabe mentioned was not something meant for other people's ears.

" Alex."

"What?"

"Don't lie to me love."

Alex smiled weakly. That was one of the things he liked most about Rose. The ability to tell apart truths from lies. "Fine. It's something I can't tell you. Not yet."

"Who else knows?", Rose asked, her dark eyes almost sparkling with wonder.

Alex sighed. "I don't know anymore. But that man is a liability, and he needs to be taken care of."

Rose stared at him with disbelief and raised her eyebrows teasingly. " My My,", he uttered, shaking her head. " Alexander The Great is actually wary of someone?!"

" I'm warier of the food you occasionally make me, Rose." he scoffed.

He gazed at the activity near the snake's head. A man - Gabe- was walking towards it with a clipboard in hand. He was checking off some kind of list.

Alex watched closely with curiosity. "Let's go and see how he plans to cut that Monster's head off."

He walked forward to get a better view, with Rose following closely behind him. Gabe finished with his list, and handed the clipboard to a lady behind him. He said something, but Alex was too far away to hear.

Gabe took off the earing in his left ear. It was gold, with a beautiful-and pointed-diamond hanging at the bottom. He made a nick in the hard skin of the snake, in the region behind it's head.

He graciously put his earring back on, and put his left hand slightly left of the nick he made. The other officials around him cautioned the others around the snake.

Alex watched skeptically. The next moment, Gabe muttered something, and in a split-second the nick expanded, severing the snake's head.

Alex let out a whistle. "This is going to be interesting."

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