Chapter 2: Nightmare

Rueben went into a dark alleyway and into a reclusive bar, he closed his umbrella which then turned into a cane and entered the facility while his boots were wet. He took off his long straight coat and hanged it near the door and went to the seat nearest to the counter.

He sat down and placed his cane on the side, he didn't put his 2 guns away and it stayed behind him. Seeing that a costumer came, a buff man wearing an eyepatch on his right eye entered the bar and looked at the costumer, after realizing that he knew this guy, he chuckled and took a glass and started pouring milk into it, the milk was also combined with wine and with a special technique, a milk wine was created.

He placed the glass infront of Rueben and opened his mouth while pouring a wine for himself, "So, how was your day, Rueben?"

Rueben looked up and sighed, he placed his hunter hat down and started chugging the milk wine and said, "Not fine. As always, Robert. Do you know the Hunter named Elaine and her partner, Jeffry?"

Robert thought for a while before he had a rough idea to who they were, "Was it the dress lady with a coat? And the man who looked like a scholar?"

Rueben nodded his head.

"Those two? They are a not so frequent costumer, why do you say so? Are you planning something? Pray do tell." Robert grinned to which Rueben chuckled,

"No, no no no. You see, Mr. Jeffry, a talented Hunter by the way, went Blood Drunk and turned into a beast. It seems the Hunter World is too much for him to bear. I hope Ms. Elaine could stand against this hardship and not retire."

Robert went silent and he chugged in another glass, "I see..... Well, Hunters cannot retire unless they are dead or the monsters and the disease causing all this disappears. It sad being a Hunter, huh?"

"Im afraid so. Hunters are needed, our numbers are dwindling everyday...." Rueben then took out his wallet and placed a few bills, "Give me a room, Robert. I want to take a rest from all this."

He then slid them infront of Robert who took them and placed them into the counter before giving him a key, "Well, happy sleeping. Rueben. See you tommorrow."

Rueben gave him a smile and nodded his head, he grabbed his cane, hat and coat before walking upstairs and into the designated room which he immediately locked and crashed himself into the bed as the sleepiness slowly descended. Of course he already took off his clothes except for his black slacks and socks.

******

[THE BLOOD OF GOD SHALL BE THE CATALYST TO THE APOCALYPSE]

[MORTALS WILL IGNITE THEIR DESIRES FOR A HIGHER POWER]

[GREED AND DESIRES ARE THE REASON MORTALS WILL END THEMSELVES]

[BOW BEFORE THE GOD IN THE MOON, FOR HE TOO WILL BOW TO YOU AS COURTESY FOR YOUR STUPIDITY]

[BOW BEFORE THE GREAT ONES AS THEY WILL MOCK YOU FOR YOUR DESIRE TO TRANSCEND A NEW PLANE AND YOUR STUPIDITY FOR NOW REALIZING THAT THAT ITSELF IS A PIPE DREAM]

[THE WORLD SHALL DECAY, THE WORLD SHALL KNOW PAIN, THE WORLD SHALL DIE AS ITS RESIDENTS TRY TO SAVE IT IN VAIN]

Rueben looked at the sky a moon shaped eye looked at him as it muttered these sentences slowly but repeatedly. It continues to echo on his mind, he fell to his knees and started throwing up worms that slithered across the floor. He banged his head on the floor, his blood sipped through before turning into countless sharp teeths, Reuben looked up as the moon shaped eyes looked down at him.

[MORTAL, ON WHICH SIDE WILL YOU PICK? YOUR KIND OR YOUR HUMANITY]

Rueben's eyes shook, his eyes started to cry tears of black blood as he screamed, clawing his ears, desperately trying to tear it off to not hear anything anymore. He started banging his head on the floor, desperate to find a way to kill himself as shadows of the people he had killed, the beasts and monsters that he killed in cold blood held out their hands, aiming to drag them deeper into the abyss alongside them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????-

[TELL ME, MORTAL. TO WHOM ARE YOU PRAYING? TO WHOM ARE YOU ASKING FOR HELP? WHO DO YOU SERVE? A NONEXISTENT GOD OR THE ONE INFRONT OF YOU?]

Then everything became a flash of light.

***

"AAAAHH!!!!" Rueben woke up screaming with cold sweat all over his body, he looked around in a hurry and found out that it was all just a dream, nay, a nightmare. A very scary nightmare too.

He looked at his palm and closed it before also closing his eyes, right after he closed his eyes, he saw the image of the nightmare and it started playing again, he swiftly opened his eyes and grasped his head. "No, crap. Am i turning? is this how it feels to be Blood Drunk? It can't be.... I had no symptoms of ever being Blood Drunk. Crap....." He pressed his palm on his face as despair washed over him.

After a while, he got out of the room already dressed and his weapons ready as he walked down the stairs. There were a few Hunters on the table and seats but no one on the counter except Robert and his employee, Riza.

The other Hunters saw him and nodded their heads as a sign of respect and greetings to which Rueben responded with a nod of his own. He went to the counter and sat down.

Robert grinned when he saw Rueben but that grinned stopped, his face turning into a frown before he shook his head and went to Rueben with a forced smile. "Good morning, how was the sleep? Were you comfy?"

Rueben looked at him with a haggard look and gave a light smile, scratching his trimmed beard, he placed a few bills and said, "Give me the Special Breakfast #2. Also, some milk wine if you please."

Robert looked at him before sighing and shaking his head and gave him a pat on the shoulder and went to the kitchen. Rueben knew why Robert was acting like that as he was worried about him, Rueben swore on buying a make up kit to hide the bags and haggard look on his face because of the fatigue. It didn't help at all when he had been crying inside the room.

Nonetheless, he still retained a small smile as a form of politeness. He placed his hunter hat down and waited for Robert to bring him his meal.

Riza walked infront of him and gave him a glass of water and poked him on the forehead with a smile, "Hey there, Mr. Hunter of Hunters. What are you sulking about so early in the morning?"

Rueben looked at the woman infront of him, a muscular red hair, she was the local smithy in these parts of the district and she worked in this bar sometimes to help her husband, Robert who was only good at cooking and preparing things. Rueben had been to her smithy and she was one of the renowned blacksmiths in the city that Hunters like to buy their weapons at.

She was a great inventor as well as a great blacksmith, as long as you gave her a rough idea on what you wanted to create as well as the raw materials, then she will help you create it. The Caneswordwhipumbrella that he currently was using was created by her. Though she was resentful at Rueben giving an almost all rounded weapon a stupid and bland name, she had a great relationship with him primarily because he was the only friend of her husband.

"Good morning to you too, Riza. How was the smithy yesterday?"

Riza rolled her eyes and placed a milk wine glass infront of Rueben, "Okay, except for the initial smoke and stuff inside there. Sigh, those newbies better be cleaning the smithy or i'll smack them with my hammer. Oh! And also, about the new weapon blueprint you gave me the other week, i already recreated it. Man, old era weapons are efficient and durable."

Riza grinned as if she was boasting.

Rueben could only smile wryly and go along with her by flattering her with compliments. Riza then left him alone after talking with him for a few minutes to tend to the costumers.

Robert appeared right after and placed his meal infront of him. Rueben smiled as he took a whiff of the delicious scent of his breakfast, "Wow, Robert. Your cooking is great as always, you should really become a restaurant than a bar with an eatery, maybe you could earn more."

"Nah, i like the peaceful atmosphere more. If i go out, those old geezers would chip me and my restaurant into dust!" Robert joked, Rueben responded by chuckling at hi choke.

They talked for while before Rueben started eating and Robert had to go back to the kitchen to prepare more meals for the incoming guests. The Mir Bar was one of the few places that Hunters could genuinely relax and let loose once in a while before going back to hunting.