Prrt! Prrrrt! Prrrt!
The sounds of gunfire reverberate through the forest, the blue beams of light illuminating the darkness as they zoom past, before crashing into the surrounding environment.
Their boots squelch into the mud as they charge deeper, trying to shake off their pursuers.
Spotting a ditch up ahead, one of them points and gives a command before they rush in. They then get low and, using the trees as cover, start firing back. Their quieter and darker shots fly accurately, causing the chasing guards to fall in quick succession.
Then they all sigh, happy to be able to take a breather, as one of them takes an item out of their bag.
"All this work just for this thing?" the man says while examining the item squeezed between his thumb and index finger, "it better be worth it."
"Hey Johnny! It'll all be a big waste of time if you drop that thing in the mud!" another man scolds him.
"Come on, Ark, I'm just kidding around, lighten up buddy!" Johnny jests before putting the item back in his bag, "so, you think this thing can really put an end to this god forsaken war?"
"I- I don't know, man," Ark replies.
"I hope it does, I wanna see my family! Oh, you wanna know what I'm gonna do after the war? I'm going to be a doctor, no no, I'm gonna be a horse racer!" snickers can be heard from some of the other soldiers but Johnny just ignores it and continues, "What about you, Ark, what are you gonna do after the war?"
After hearing the question, Ark just sits for a moment before answering, "I've never really thought about it. I guess I could finish school."
"Oh yeah, that's right, you were drafted pretty young."
"I'm gonna be a mercenary," a third voice coming from a very tall soldier butts in, "like my father."
"I thought your father abandoned you, Theo?" a fourth, higher pitch, voice asks.
"Uhh, well-" Theo starts replying but is cut off.
"Alright, zip it team, get ready," the fifth and final voice commands, his words aren't loud but they carry an air of authority. Following his command, the men hold their rifles and look out of the ditch. "Okay, we move."
They all stand up and start moving, swiftly but quietly, further into the forest.
"The rendezvous is at the other side of the forest, we make it there and we're home free," the leader states, his words reassuring his men.
Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!
Suddenly, a dog's bark comes from behind them! They all spin their heads around to see the guards have found the bodies.
A massive spotlight on top of a vehicle shines on them so they start sprinting at high speeds. Frantic shouting can be heard as the army of guards with dogs start chasing after them.
Ff-toosh!
Ark head jolts back and sees that the vehicle has fired a rocket in Johnny's direction!
"Oh shit! ROCKET! JOHNNY!" Ark shouts desperately. Thinking fast, he launches himself towards Johnny, pushing him out of the way as the rocket collides with a tree.
Ka-Boom!
The rocket explodes, hitting Ark with the blast, sending him crashing through a tree!
Ark coughs up blood as he lies, collapsed, on the forest floor, staring up at the two moons in the sky, in pain and unable to move.
"Ark! Stay awake! Ark! Ark! Ark!" Johnny cries as he rushes over to Ark's side, "Don't die on me, Ark!"
Ark looks towards Johnny where he sees a warm golden glow emanate from Johnny's hands, lighting up his anguished face. Behind Johnny, a large wall of fire appears as Ark's vision starts to blur, the constant cries from Johnny fading away…
_______________________________________________________________________
One year later…
"Ark! Ark! Ark Rakez! Hey, shithead!" a small, fat, middle aged man, with a big shiny bald spot on the top of his head but not on the back or sides, screams at Ark who is just standing there with his head in the clouds.
"Aaaaarrrrrkkkkk!" The man bellows once more before Ark snaps back to reality.
"Huh? Ah, Manager, sir?" Ark replies frantically.
"I've been calling you for 5 minutes, what the fuck have you been doing?"
"Uh… zoning out… sir."
"Aiyy…" the manager sighs before saying under his breath, "Kids these days." He turns away and wipes his hand down his face in annoyance. He then breathes in deeply before putting his hands on his hips and turning back to Ark, "Look… Ark, you're a bright boy, and I know your father asked me to give you this job, but if I'm being honest… This job is just not right for you."
Ark says nothing and just looks down awkwardly.
The Manager continues, "I'm going to have to let you go Ark, I'm sorry. I know times are tough for you and your family but you're not good enough to justify the cost so, sorry Ark."
"Yes… sir."
"Give me your nametag and apron. Would you like me to tell your father?"
"Uhh, no sir, I'd rather you didn't…"
"Alright, kid."
Ark takes off his apron and nametag before handing it over to the manager and leaving the convenience store. He then goes over to a nearby bench and sits, contemplating. His leg starts bouncing up and down anxiously and Ark drops his head into his hands before sinking down and sighing. "Shit!" he says under his breath.
After moping silently for about a minute, he slowly sits up.
'Mnngh… what do I do now?' Ark thinks to himself while staring up at the building in front of him 'I guess I'll have to tell dad, not that I want to, he's so stressed already.'
"Huh, Ark? Ark Rakez, is that you?" someone calls to Ark, breaking him out of his thoughts. He looks to the right to see a tall man walking towards him.
"Theo? Woah Theo!" Ark recognises the tall man.
"It is you, Ark! How are ya, bro?" Theo jogs over and Ark stands up to greet him. They then reach out their hands and clasp them together before bringing it into a hug.
"I've been good," Ark replies, "What about you?"
"Well, my father died…" Theo's expression droops.
"So…? Didn't he abandon you?"
"So… I got his stuff! Hahaha!" Theo quickly switched up his attitude, "apparently he had a heart attack and, since I'm his only family, I got his ship and mercenary equipment!"
"Oh, yeah, I remember you mentioned he was a mercenary, and that you wanted to be a mercenary."
"That's right! That's why I'm here, to collect my inheritance and become a mercenary. Unlike you, I only recently got discharged, but I am here and ready to start my post-war life as a mercenary!"
"Wow! That's great, Theo!"
"Hey Ark, wanna join me?"
"Huh?!" This question stuns Ark, "Ahh, well, I can't do that, I've got my family to worry about, plus, I've been out of commission for a while-" Ark just rambles off excuses until Theo puts his arm around Ark's neck and reassures him.
"Oh, come on Ark, since when have you been such a coward?"
"Uhh…"
"Bro, you were the best shot in our squad, talent like that doesn't disappear just because you got blown up and sent flying through a tree!" Theo laughs which cheers Ark up a bit. "Alright, how about you just give it a try, and if you don't like it, I won't bother you with it again, deal?"
"Oh, I don't know, will it take a while?"
"Nah man, we'll be back by nightfall."
Ark contemplates it, he just got fired and he didn't exactly want to tell his family, plus, Theo is his buddy and it would be nice to hang out again.
"Okay, deal, but just for today!" Ark grins and Theo laughs and slaps Ark on the back.
"That's great! Let's go!" Theo bounces down the street, dragging Ark along.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Where are we going, exactly?" Ark asks Theo while following behind him. They had been walking through the city for almost half an hour and were now in a dirty, cramped, industrial sector. Ark looked around, fascinated, despite living in Malgon city his whole life, he'd never really gone further than the city centre so this was all new to him.
"To find my ship, of course," Theo answers his question while looking down at his tablet.
"The one your father left you?"
"Yeah, the lawyer people told me it was left in a shipyard in this city, which is why I'm here. Meeting you was just a lucky coincidence." He turns around and gives Ark a big grin.
"Left in a shipyard? That can't be good."
"Yeah, they mentioned it wasn't in the best condition… but that's fine, I can fix it!" Ark blocks his eyes with his hand to shade against Theo's positivity. Theo then turns back and directs them through a dingy back alley until they reach a metal door with a flickering neon sign above it labelled 'Clyde's Ship Mechanic + Storage'.
"Is this really a shipyard?"
" Uh… this is it… apparently," Theo states in an uncertain tone, "I guess I should press this?" Theo presses a button and the door suddenly slides to the right.
"Woah!" they both flinch back before Ark says, "I'm surprised that actually worked."
Stepping through the door, they enter a room where the interior matches the exterior. It's a small shop with a counter where a goth girl is sitting atop, scrolling on her phone and chewing gum.
Theo ducks down, not quite fitting under the low ceilings, he then approaches the girl slowly before asking, "Um… Clyde?"
The girl turns away from her phone towards Theo, her eyes looking up, before she shouts, "CLYDE! CUSTOMERS!"
Thud!
A loud noise comes from the room next door followed by a muffled "Ow…" Then a few seconds later a skinny man rubbing his forehead enters the room from a doorway in the back.
"Oh, howdy folks!" the man says as he approaches the counter, "the name's Clyde, how can I help y'all today?" The girl jumps down off the counter and moves to the back, still on her phone. "Wow! Look at you, big fella, you must be a Giant! Don't see many of you around these parts" Clyde's eyes widen and his head goes back as he gets closer to Theo.
"That's right, I am!" Theo confirms proudly before getting to the topic at hand, "I'm here about a ship that should be stored here, it belonged to my father." He pulls out a document and places it on the counter.
Clyde examines the paper. "Ah, yes, I've got this one in hanger bay 2, let me show you the way." He says before walking out from behind the counter, leaving the document which Theo takes, towards a corridor to the left.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Clyde says while they walk.
"Uh… yeah, thanks but I didn't really know him that well," Theo replies hesitantly.
Sensing the awkward air, Clyde quickly switches the topic, "It's a fine ship, a bit old and it certainly needs some repairs, but it'll do most things pretty well."
They enter through another door into a much bigger, circular room with a hole spanning most of the roof. In the centre of the room is a small spaceship.
"Here it is, a Collins model freighter, at least, that's what its core is. As you can see, there are quite a few custom mods, more guns, more storage, new boosters and engine."
"It looks like a patchwork job," Ark points out, looking at the different colours and shapes that don't really belong together.
"Mm-hm, a complete mismatch of parts," Clyde confirms, "but, somehow it works. Whoever fitted them did a great job."
"So, you said it needs repairs?" Theo asks.
"Ooh, definitely, this hunk o' junk ain't fit to fly right now, but it can be, with some new parts and repairs. Or you can sell it, I wouldn't recommend that though, this is better than other models with similar price tags."
"And the cost of repairs?"
"Uhh, I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, but it won't be cheap, and it'll take at least a week, could be a month, to get the parts in," Theo winces as Clyde continues, "I can get you the cost later today and you can take some time to decide, a week of storage has already been paid for so no worries about that."
"Alright, I'll do that."
Clyde nods and leaves the hanger bay.
Now alone with the ship, Theo and Ark just stare at it for a minute until Theo finally says,
"It's kind of charming, in a way."
"It looks like a chimera."
Theo turns and stares at Ark, "A… what?"
"A chimera; a lion with a goat body and a snake tail."
Theo grimaces. "Are those… real?"
Ark shrugs and walks toward the ship, "So, how do you get inside?"
Theo opens his tablet, "Um- there should be a button on the side,"
"Where?" Ark examines the side of the ship.
"It should be next to the door."
"Where's the door?"
"Uh, you should be able to see a-"
"Found it!"
Click! Pfshh…
A rectangular section in the side of the ship pops out and starts to lower into a ramp.
"Cool," Ark compliments before walking up the ramp with Theo following behind.
The inside of the ship is a dusty mess with junk left everywhere and cobwebs in the corners.
"Cough! Yikes! This seriously needs to be cleaned."
Theo moves to the front of the ship where the cockpit is located. "It's a perfect fit for giants," he says.
"That makes sense," Ark points out as he rummages in the back, "Woah! There are 2 sleeping rooms, both with bunk beds!"
Theo puts both hands on the back of one of the seats in the cockpit. He looks at his father's old chair, then at his own reflection in the glass windscreen and an old memory appears in his mind, followed by a wave of solemn nostalgia flowing over him.
"Hey! You gotta check out the beds, they are so spacious!" Ark interrupts, "Ooh- nice cockpit!"
Brought back by his pal, Theo rubs his eyes and chuckles, "Spacious for you, maybe."
Ark chuckles with him before patting him on the back and they both stare out the window.
"Nice ship, huh?"
"Yeah… it's not too bad."
"Guess what?" Ark says with a big grin
"Mm?"
"I found the armoury."
Theo turns to Ark, his eyes widen and a massive smile appears on his face. They then dash out of the cockpit and Ark presses a button.
Suddenly, the walls start to open, revealing a big arsenal of weapons. Their faces light up as they look all around. Theo goes straight for the rack lined with swords, daggers, knives, axes, spears, melee weapons of all shapes and sizes. He grabs the biggest sword available and is about to swing it around, but decides not to. He then tries to put it on his back but realises he has no attachment point.
Ark goes straight for the guns. Automatic rifles, pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, all sorts of attachments, even explosives. He grabs a pistol and starts trying it out, feeling the grip, testing the sites and he's about to cock it, but hesitates.
They both turn to another wall where there are two armour sets. Theo takes the bigger, Ark takes the smaller. They both have a chestplate with shoulder pauldrons, wrist gauntlets and shin pads. They also include a belt with pistol and knife holsters.
After donning the armour, Theo swings the sword over his shoulder where it magnetically attaches to his chestplate. Ark holsters the pistol and grabs a knife. Theo also grabs a bigger pistol and knife, just in case.
At the back of the ship, steam appears as a big ramp slowly goes down revealing Ark and Theo standing there, posing in the new gear.
"So, are we ready to mercenary?" Ark asks with a smirk.
Theo doesn't respond, to Ark's surprise, but his eyes widen and a worried expression falls over his face. "Shit…" he mutters.
"Shit?"
"Shit! Shit, shit, shit! I have an appointment!"
"Wha- What?!"
Theo frantically runs down the ramp towards the exit, Ark follows him.
"Ugh! I completely forgot!"
"Where are we going?"
"The Mercenary Guild."
"Okay, makes sense, but where is that, exactly?"
"Uhhh… the centre?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"You live here!"
"So? Doesn't mean I know where everything is! It's a big city!"
The goth girl at the counter flinches as they stampede past but she still doesn't look up from her phone.
Now outside the shop, Ark pulls out his phone to find the Guild location.
"Alright, we need to go to the Luxion System," Ark says confidently before Theo slaps the back of his head, "Ow! What was that for!"
"We need the local branch, not the main headquarters, dimwit! That's a completely different solar system!" Theo barks angrily.
"Okay, okay!" Ark goes back on his phone, "there's a train half a click away, just follow the signs."
"Thank you! And… sorry… for hitting you…"
"Nah, don't worry about it."
_______________________________________________________________________
"There it is! We're almost there!"
After taking the train, Theo and Ark are now sprinting through a street towards a building with 'Mercenary Guild' in big letters in front. It is embedded in a block of other shops and does not appear that busy.
After barging through the front doors, they finally take a rest, with Ark being significantly more tired than Theo. Recovered, Theo makes his way towards the reception desk.
"Hi, I have an appointment," Theo tells the receptionist behind the desk.
The receptionist, a woman with an amused grin, replies, "May I have your name, please?"
"Uh, yeah, Theodore Jörvald. T H E O D O R E, J O, with two dots above, V A L D."
The receptionist types the name into the computer, "Ah, you have an appointment for two people acquiring membership?"
Theo quickly glances at Ark, who is still recovering. "Yes, that's us."
"Then, right this way."
She walks out from behind the desk and guides Theo to a set of doors. Theo gestures to Ark and they both follow behind her.
The receptionist leads them into a meeting room with two sofas opposite each other and a coffee table in between.
"Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee?" The receptionist asks.
"No, thank you, we're fine," Theo answers as they sit down.
"Alright. Before we begin, my name is Miranda, and welcome to the Mercenary Guild."
"Hi, Theo."
"Ark Rakez." They introduce themselves and Miranda pulls out two tablets and slides them over.
"Fill those in," she says, "while you do that, I'll explain how the Guild works, understood?"
"Understood."
"Okay then," she begins, "the Mercenary Guild functions as a middle man between clients and mercenaries, they give us their request, we grade its difficulty and the client gives us the reward money up front. We then post their request as a mission on our bulletin. For closed contracts, they can be found at the Guild branch in close proximity to the client. But for open contracts, which are usually larger missions not limited to one mercenary group, they can be found on our website. When you complete a mission, bring whatever you retrieved to the nearest drop-off warehouse, if not, head to the nearest branch location and you will be given your reward. We do not forbid members from taking third party jobs, but be warned they will not be verified or insured like Guild assigned missions. We assign missions to mercenaries based on their rank. Ranks range from F to A, there is also the special S rank but that's almost impossible to achieve, even for skilled mages. The higher the rank, the more difficult a mission you can be assigned. For D rank and above, you require a ship with adequate storage."
Miranda pauses to think before continuing, "Anything else? Ah, yes, you can also sell to us anything like magic stones or beast drops, regardless of mission. Oh and, don't worry, the Guild handles anything tax related."
Theo and Ark sigh in relief then Ark says, "I've filled out the form, and signed at the bottom."
"Same here," says Theo.
"Fantastic! Well gentlemen, congratulations and, once again, welcome to the Mercenary Guild!"
"Awesome! Happy to be here! So, can we get started right away?" Theo asks excitedly.
"Of course!"
_______________________________________________________________________
"Waaah…!" Theo sulks while Ark pats him on the back, "I can't believe we're collecting plants…"
"Come on, it's not that bad, at least we're getting paid," Ark tries comforting him.
"But I wanted to fight monsters…"
"Uggh…" Ark sighs while shaking his head.
They had just got off the train and are now outside the city, walking along a dirt road.
Ark observes the passing flora, enjoying the view of the wildlife.
"Hey, look at that," Ark points at a smooth metal fence, "I wonder what's inside."
Theo stops sulking and looks up, "mm, I dunno, could be a farm."
"Yeah, maybe, but it could also be a top secret military compound," Theo perks up as Ark continues, "and those walls aren't just for keeping out people, but also dangerous monsters!"
"Uh-huh, yeah, and it's our job, no, our moral duty as mercenaries to hunt those monsters!"
"...Uh…sure…"
Theo dashes ahead with a big grin on his face and Ark chuckles.
"Come on, Ark, hurry up!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, don't rush me!"
They both run down the dirt road toward the destination given to them by Miranda, Theo excited to hunt monsters, and Ark hopeful that their adventure ends with plants.
At the end of the road, they come across a gate, leading into a big, open field.
As they enter through the gate, Ark gets out his phone and opens a document.
"Alright, Theo, these are the plants we need to find," Ark shows Theo a picture of the plants.
"But, I thought we were going to hunt monsters… for the government."
"No! The mission comes first, and then, if we find the plants quickly, we can hunt for monsters. Deal?"
"Mm, fine, deal!"
"Okay, good, now let's go find those plants!"
"Hell yeah!"
A few hours pass by as they search, finding several types of rare or needed plants, making for a nice learning experience for the pair. They celebrate every time they find one of the plants they are looking for, and just as the sun starts to set, they find the last one they need.
"Woo-hoo!" Ark cheers as he holds up the final plant like it's an idol.
"Nice!" Theo congratulates Ark but then his excitement fades, "But, to be honest, I'm a bit bummed we weren't attacked by any monsters."
Ark flinches, "Well, there's always next time…"
"Mm, or…"
"No! We've already completed the mission!"
"Oh, come on!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Grrr…"
"Just a small adventure into the forest!"
"It's way too late!"
"Grrrrrrr…"
"If we leave, we'll have brought all this equipment for nothing!"
"For the final time, no! And, for the love of god, will you please stop growling?"
"I'm not growling!"
"..."
"..."
After they become silent, a low growl can be heard behind Theo. He slowly turns his head to see saliva hanging near his face. He follows it up to see two large fangs bared from a bubbling mouth. Above them are four blood red eyes pointing daggers through the dark. Theo reacts-
Shing!
Theo is thrown tumbling to the side. Ark jumps up. He pulls out his gun and, while pointing it at the monster, he pulls the trigger.
Click.
The monster leaps at Ark. "Gr-rowr!"
Ark blocks with his forearm. The monster bites down on his gauntlet and pushes Ark to the ground, his gun falling out of his hand. Ark struggles with the monster, bashing the side of its head and kicking its body.
After pulling out his knife, he clenches it in his fist and tenses his arm. "Fuck!" he yells as the knife fails to activate, "AHHG!" he starts stabbing, "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" green blood splatters everywhere as the knife is repeatedly jammed into its head. The monster, seemingly unphased, continues gnawing at Ark's wrist.
"Get off my friend!" Theo charges at the monster, a blue aura emanating around his arm as he shoulder barges it. The monster is knocked off Ark, does a recovery roll and positions itself defensively opposite Theo.
Theo pulls the sword off his back and grips it firmly with two hands while a grin appears on his face. "You okay down there?" he asks, still in a stare down with the monster.
"Ugh… yeah, I'm alright," Ark replies, still on the ground between them.
"I was hoping this wouldn't happen. Mana block, right?"
Ark doesn't answer.
"You better get this sorted out or," he looks around as a sea of faintly bright dots collect around them, "we're gonna be in really big trouble."
After Theo breaks concentration, the monster takes the opportunity and leaps over Ark and at Theo. "Heh," Theo chuckles as he flips his sword so the broad side is facing the monster, then he steps swiftly to his left before slamming the sword into the side of the monster while reinforcing the blade with his hand.
After being parried behind Theo, the monster skids round, repositioning itself to face Theo, before immediately jumping into action once again.
Theo, once again, clasps the sword with two hands and, while he turns, he flexes all his muscles and his body starts to expand. Simultaneously, a blue haze appears from the hilt of his sword and travels up until the whole blade is blanketed by a translucent blue light. Theo, now as big as the monster, swings his glowing sword.
Kr-shing!
Sparks fly as Theo's sword and the monster's claws collide. The monster follows with a barrage of claw strikes. Theo continuously blocks the incoming attacks with his sword.
Ark watches their stalemate in dismay as he is unable to assist his friend.
Then, out of nowhere, a pack of wolves appear, surrounding them.
'Oh no! I have to warn Theo!' Ark thinks to himself while panicking.
"Theo! Look out, wolves!" Ark shouts but Theo doesn't reply. 'He's concentrating on his fight, he can't hear me!'
Ark clutches his head before taking a deep breath. "I guess this is up to me." He scrambles to pick up his gun and aims it, with both hands, towards the wolves behind Theo.
"Come on Ark!" he concentrates, tensing his arms, trying to channel mana into the gun.
It doesn't activate.
"Damn it!" he strikes his head with his palm in frustration, "I've got to think, think back to my training!"
_______________________________________________________________________
5 years earlier, a military barracks on the planet Hydraxia.
"ATTENTION!"
A teenage Ark stamps his feet in a line of people wearing brand new uniforms, their heads freshly shaved.
"Recruits! In front of you, there should be a device!" The drill sergeant yells, "Pick it up!"
They all pick up the devices.
"Today, you will learn the most important lesson you will ever learn! How to use mana!"
A collection of "Oohs" and "Ohs" can be heard from the recruits.
"Silence! Listen carefully, if you want a long life! Mana is something everyone has, you just need to start your mana engine! Now, while holding your device, focus your mind. Then head down, deep down, to the place your mind doesn't dare go. Once you're there, imagine a chainsaw, and just pull, keep pulling until the engine starts! When it does, you'll feel it, and it will activate the device, so we'll know it too!"
The recruits start focusing, devices in hand. Their faces straining as they try concentrating harder.
"Oh, one more thing, you might not need this but you definitely need to remember this, just in case. If you're going through mana block, the fastest way to get over it… is by stabbing yourself!"
_______________________________________________________________________
Ark's eyes dart towards the knife beside him. He grabs it, blade facing down, and holds it above his thigh. His breathing speeds up, his heart starts racing. He clenches his teeth and closes his eyes and-
"Ah- nngghhh!"
He lets out a scream as the knife jabs into his leg, before muffling it. A surge of pain rushes through his body, combined with his racing heart rate and increased adrenaline, his senses are sent into overdrive.
Bump!
Something deep in his body starts beating.
Bump! Bump! Bump!
It starts beating faster, as fast as his heart. From it, energy is sent around his body.
"Haah! I can feel it!" he shouts before grabbing the gun, once again, and aiming it at the wolves.
One of the wolves launches through the air towards Theo's back.
Ark clenches his body and mana rushes through his arms into the gun.
Bang!
He pulls the trigger and the gun fires. A large blue beam blasts out of the barrel and flies through the air.
Splat!
The wolf's head explodes as the beam collides with it. Blood and brain bits are sent flying everywhere and the wolf corpse falls lifelessly to the floor.
"Oops, guess I used too much mana," he chuckles.
Then, his body still running in overdrive, he clambers to his feet and pulls the knife out of his leg. With his pistol in his right hand and his knife in his left, he sprints towards Theo. Shooting more wolves while running, he reaches Theo and stands back to back with him.
"Ha ha! I knew you could do it!" Theo cheered, still attacking the monster.
"Of course!" Ark replied confidently, now fighting off a hoard of wolves, shooting some and fending off others with his knife, which is now glowing like Theo's sword.
"I like the attitude, now let's do this!"
"Yeah, let's go!"
_______________________________________________________________________
Theo plunges his sword into the monster before his body starts to shrink back to normal. He then sits down, using the corpse as a backrest.
Blue light illuminates Ark's face as he finishes off the last of the wolves. He then collapses next to Theo.
Theo offers Ark a cigarette, and they just sit there, smoking, as the sun rises behind the city.
They then look at each other and just laugh.