Code Collector

The boys wandered through the cave. It wasn't dark since the roof of the cave was nonexistent, but it was dim enough that they had to use a light source. The trees that towered above the cave provided the shade.

"Do you even know where the body could be?" Jeremy asked. "It could be anywhere. It could even be out of this cave."

"I don't know any answer to your questions," Allen replied with a sigh. "But we can only hope that we find the body soon. Since it's been only a few weeks, we could follow it through the smell."

The two entered a small arch and instantly, a heavy stency of decaying flesh waft inside their noses. The boys had to cover their nosed to not puke by how disgusting the smell was.

"This smell is disgusting," Jeremy whispered. "How many dead bodies are here?"

Allen did not answer. Jeremy was the one who walked ahead since he was the one who had the light, and Allen was following him. The boy at the back was only silent as he looked around, wondering why there weren't any corpse around them.

"I don't understand this," Allen whispered. "We could smell the corpses, but we don't see any."

"I know," Jeremy whispered back. "Where could they be–"

Suddenly, a drop of red liquid landed on Jeremy's forehead. The boy's eyes widened as he lookd at Allen who had the same mortified look as he had. "D-Dante…"

Allen slowly looked up, only to gasp in shock after seeing the bodies hanging from the trees. Humans, smaller beasts, and even larger beasts were hanging on the vines of the trees. The vines were wrapping around each carcass like they were perfectly hanging from above.

"What the hell…" Allen gulped, fear creeping on his skin. "Can lions even do this?"

"Of course, not," Jeremy said. "This is straight up human shit. These lions can't even hold a thing right, let alone hang bodies in trees."

"That's because they really can't."

Both boys turned to where the voice came from. It was a woman with white hair that draped to her butt. Her body was slender and she was wearing small parts of animal fur as clothing.

She walked forward while her right hand wielded a stone sword. "I did this."

Roar.

The lions have awoken. The beasts ran towards them, sprinting quickly and surrounding the boys while leaving a small path for the woman. She was smirking as she walked closer to the boys, while Allen and Jeremy were shaking in fear.

"I can feel a strange magic coming from the two of you," the woman said. "It seems like you have something in you that doesn't quite belong to you and your world. An alien Code."

Allen knew exactly what she meant. The woman was referring to the Great Stone Codes that he and Jeremy possessed. How the woman knew that they possessed it was way beyond his knowledge.

His goal right now was to escape the pride of lions as well as the woman. This may be an incredibly difficult feat after seeing the bodies above them. Most of the carcasses looked like they were once mighty foes to be reckoned with.

But now they are found hanging on a tree. This was nothing like anything in Allen's plans. He was going to rule earth properly. He's not going to die here.

"What if we do?" Allen asked. "Will you let us go or will you kill us like the rest of them?"

The woman scrunched her face and tilted her head to the side. "My boy, why would I kill anyone? My lions and I would never harm a human like me. They only hunt small beasts so that they could eat while some of them would hunt deer for me too."

"Why are you lying?" Allen asked. You don't have to lie. I know what you're doing. You're trying to make us lose our guard so you can let your lions pounce on us."

"These lions are upset because you lulled them to sleep," the woman crossed her arms and pouted. "You could've just say that you wanted to enter our lovely home."

One of the lion, a male lion, walked up to Jeremy. The boy closed his eyes and raised his hands defensively, only to feel a warm head of the beast rub against his leg. He opened his eyes and saw the lion, looking up at him.

"Oh, god," Jeremy breathed out. "What the hell?"

Allen then shook his head, "Then what about those?"

Allen pointed at the large number of carcasses above them. The woman looked up, then her eyes widened. "What is that?"

"You're telling me that you didn't do that?" Allen scoffed. "Don't lie to me."

The woman shook her head, her eyes still wide with shock. She fell to the ground with her lions running up to her in worry. Some of them started growling at Allen, all angry at the suspicion that he did something to their mother.

"Woman, why did you kill them?" Allen asked.

The woman sighed and shook her head, as if she was clearing her head. "Boy, I could never kill these people. I couldn't smell them because I lost my sense of smell and my eyes are broken. I never once looked up there."

"But if you didn't do it, then who did?" Jeremy asked. He was now kneeling on the ground while playing with the lions, to which Allen was not one hundred percent was glad that he was doing. "And why wouldn't you look up? The trees are beautiful apart from the dead bodies."

"I told you, my eyes are broken. It's too sensitive to light that if I look up to the skies, I would be blinded for the rest of my life. My nose lost its ability to smell back in my younger years too," the woman said. "I don't know anymore."

"Woman," Allen called out. "Who exactly are you?"

The woman smiled, "My name is Drafara. I am from–"

Before she could finish, a hole was fixed on her chest. Allen and Jeremy looked at each other in shock, not believing what happened. Allen ran up to her while the woman coughed blood.

"No!" Allen yelled. The lions were suddenly panicking, all disoriented by the sudden death of the woman.

"Pinch me," Drafara said. "Quick! On the arm!"

Allen didn't know what to do. He did as was told and pinched the woman on her arm. Drafara smiled before her body went limp, Allen sat there not knowing what to do.

'Sacred grade Hunter killed. +5000EXP. Several Codes gained. Grand to Sacred.'

"The target has been neutralized." Both boys heard Queeny say from nearby. They turned to the side and saw Queeny there, holding a sniper rifle on one hand while her other hand was on her ear. "Pick up the body."

"Kevin, what the hell?" Jeremy growled. "That woman–"

"Was a Lunatic," Queeny replied. "She used the lions to kill those bodies and then hang them up there like a Christmas decoration. She's not innocent."

"But she looked innocent, she even sounded innocent," Allen argued. " Do you have any proof of what you're saying?"

Queeny sighed and leaped from the branch she was on. The lions started to disperse, making both boys' face contorted in confusion. The puppet raised her hand and showed them her phone.

On the screen was a video from above a tree. It was the footage taken of the cave right where they stood. On the video was a man being tied up in a wooden pole. He was naked from head to toe, while the lions along with Drafara walked around him.

"That man is their most recent target," Queeny said. "Peter Black. A Hunter that specializes in combat. He was sent here with the intention to neutralize Drafara. But the lions had sensed his hostility, therefore they attacked him before he could even flinch."

"Drafara is a menace. She was a Hunter that went crazy," Queeny continued. "Along the way of her hunting, she found the Code that allowed her to control these lions. She programmed the beast to attack when hostility is present, that was why I sent the both of you because you know nothing about her, so your hostility would be nonexistent."

"Kevin…" Allen trailed off. Queeny looked at him and waited for him to continue, but Allen shook his head. "Nevermind."

"Okay, then," Queeny nodded. "People will be dispatched here to clean the corpses. The money will be sent to you by tonight. You can keep the Code."

Without saying another word, Queeny left. She leaped up the branches and vanished not a few moments later. Jeremy sighed and fell to the ground, still in shock about what happened.

"What was all that about?" Jeremy asked. "One moment she was a sweet old lady, then she was actually a murderous psychopath?"

However, Allen was already in deeper thought. He was still confused about something.

Hunters can gain EXP by killing other Hunters.