The Hunter General Part 5: The Command

Lady du Moine walked unhurriedly along the upper deck, still enjoying the fresh air despite the growing shouts and screams below. Confusion and fear would quickly spread throughout the ship unless the Incarnate was neutralized. She recalled an incident in a smaller atoll community, where no Hunter had been close enough to destroy the beast.  They had killed it themselves, and another four innocent people out of paranoia and terror. She tutted to herself. It was pure luck that two Hunters were on board today of all days. She made a mental note to speak to the Guild administration about extra coverage for airships.

The stairs to the lower deck were crowded by panicked civilians, all streaming up to the relative safety of the open air. Elise frowned; this would not do at all. She needed to get below and handle the Incarnate problem before they docked and there was a risk of it escaping. It was a simple matter to grab the arm of a passing crewman.

“Young man, I require you to clear the stairs for me. Move these people out of the way.”

The gruff sailor turned, the retort dying in his throat as he looked into her grey eyes. The news that a Hunter General was on board had traveled quickly. He opened and shut his mouth a few times, then stood at the top of the stairs and bellowed at the frightened passengers below.

“ALL YOU LOT MOVE TO THE SIDE! MAKE WAY, OR MAY THE INCARNATE HAVE YOUR SOUL!” He began to push the crowd, of which more than a few pushed back in their panic. By degrees a path was cleared, but Elise still tutted again in impatience. Time for more drastic measures.

She had learned a number of tricks in her time. Publicly, the Guild was very reluctant to describe the mysterious extrasensory awareness that allowed Hunters to detect Incarnates, and they were right not to, because there was so much more you could do with it given the right experience and training.

She reached into the hidden pocket in her dress, and pulled out her large, ornate revolver. It was an heirloom of her family; heavy, reliable, and with a kick like a mad donkey. The hammer made a loud click as she cocked it, echoing around the room in a way that was plainly not possible. A rolling silence spread across the crowd in its wake, leaving only the distant crashes of the Incarnate’s rampage.

Lady du Moine had their full attention. With her gun held high and ready, she focused her senses upon them and spoke with force. “Move. Aside.”

And again the echoes were discordant and weird, the power of it throwing them around the room in strange ways. The crowd reacted as one man, drawing away from her and making space down the stairs so she could pass. Elise daintily tucked her cane under her arm, picked up her skirts, and proceeded downwards. The spell was broken as she reached the last step. As the crowd fled, she noticed with some grim satisfaction that they ran in fear of her, not the Incarnate.

Such was the lot of a Hunter, of course.

Part 4: Fight!

Part 6: The Lessons of the Hunter General