| 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝑜𝓊𝓉𝒽 |

Leon and his group had been told to search the slums for this killer. The slums of Laas was very unique compared to other kingdoms. All people who lived there were incredibly poor, life expectancy was very low. They had bad access to water and a lot of the time the people's waste would be spilt throughout the streets. Although the life style these people lived wasn't the best there wasn't much crime, some would say there wasn't crime at all. The slums were made when the refugees from a war came to the city for help. The Angels did give them shelter but apart from that they have nothing to the people. This didn't phase them however, they were just happy to be alive and to have a bed to sleep in. For generations the population got bigger but the kindness between the people stayed the same, all their families had a tight bond which nothing could break. The news of murders happening in the slums was troubling for them all, to see one murder a year was rare but now a dozen were dead in only a few months. Another important fact was that the slums are just out of reach of the forest, its one of the only places in the South to be in a clearing. Every few years a person would wonder into the forest, never to be seen again. Some slum folk believe that whats killing the people is actually a creature from the forest, thirsty for blood and a craving for flesh. These are just stories though, at one point or another there was always rumors about creatures in the forest. Even if a creature did dwell in the forest its not like it could come to the City, it would be caught instantly. But reality didn't matter when the people were this afraid.

A lot of the newer generations grew a resentment to the angels who lived in the city. The city of Laas never used to be on the ground, for thousands of years it was dormant in the sky, watching over the lands. Angels were the only people able to reach their home and this reason alone was why they stayed out of wars for so long. But their region of isolation came to an end suddenly, no one but the high ranking angels knew why the city fell to the ground, of course there's been countless theories but none proven. Most of the city stayed intact and shortly after was when the slums were born. The thing was that the city itself was still high off the ground, the angels were still the only ones able to enter the city. Over hundreds of years the angels became more accepted man into their city and thousands still live in their today, they had their own area. So the fact that murders were happening both in the slums and in the city confused Leon, only an Angel could get from one place to another, and if it wasn't an Angel then what could it be.

After a day of travelling they made it, the first sight they saw was the decaying entryway of the slums, the sign was detached at one side, it swung every time a gust of wind hit it.
"Not a good first impression." Rex said. The five of them continued forward. Myra and Az were high above the other, since they were the only ones with wings they had no use for horseback. Leon and Sam stayed close to Rex, he was directing them through the town since he had been there many times prior. Leon called out to Rex.
"So where do we start looking?" Rex signed and stopped his horse in the middle of the road, he stared at all the citizens, observing their every movement and action. A group of four men caught his attention, they had raging looks on their faces and bloodied knuckles. He watched as the group of men entered the local tavern.
"We'll start off in there." He pointed towards the inn then hopped off his horse. Az and Myra saw that they were stopping so they flew back to the ground. The three who rode hooked their horses to a pole, close to the inn but also in a hidden spot. Rex turned to the others and smiled.
"I'm sort of a local down in these parts, so, you'll all follow my lead." The other four all sighed at once, annoyed with his cocky attitude.
"Ok, whatever." Said Az. Rex smiled and turned towards the tavern.
"It's showtime." He said under his breath.

The inside of the tavern was a completely shit show, the design was outdated, broken glass everywhere and blood stains on the floors. Rex studied his surroundings then turned back to the others, he seemed to always have a comment on every situation.
"Thought the slums were meant to be a peaceful place." The other didn't respond, they just continued to look around. Rex looked over at the bar and saw the group of men earlier, they all laughed and sang among themselves, already into the shots of vodka.
"Don't worry guys, I'll question those four." Rex quickly sped off, not wasting any time. The rest of them looked at the other locals, picking out which ones to question. On a table close to the bar was a young couple, nothing real important about them. An elderly man had just left the restroom and walked towards one of the tables, this peaked Myra's interest so she walked off to question him. Leon, Az and Sam were left, all three looked around more picking out the people to question. Az chose a lonely guy standing near one of the side rooms. The tavern itself was quite empty, these sorts of places were busy during the night but during the day they were just empty. Almost simultaneously Leon and Sam spotted a woman, she sat on one of the tables far from the bar. With no other option the two of them walked over to the girl for questioning.

"Excuse me miss, could we take a seat." Leon asked. The girl looked around, she was confused about the two strangers but complied.
"Sure..." Sam and Leon sat down, they remained silent for a few seconds before Sam spoke up.
"My friend and I are apart of the Guardians, you may of heard of us?" Sams voice was stern and well spoken, sounded like a natural leader. The girl responded in a quick nod.
"We have heard about the recent murders and kidnappings and we are in need of more Information. We know about the strange nature of these Murders and are curious about them, does this hit close to home for you?" The girl looked down in response, a look of sadness fell over her face.
"Yeah... It's effected almost everyone here. The people of the slums are like family, we lose one and we feel it, losing a dozen had broken us."
"I'm sorry about this, I truely am. If you do have any information that can help with this investigation it would truely mean a lot." Sam smiled. The girl looked up and Sam and noticed the smile, it seemed to cheer her up a little.
"Well, the first ten bodies found varied when it came to age and gender, it seemed like it was random. But soon the bodies found were mainly female, around my age, appearance always similar. The few who have gone missing always were girls around my age. I believe that it's chosen it's main target, it's got a hunger for them." The girls words made Leon feel uneasy. Before him or Sam could respond a yell from across the bar drew the attention of everyone. The four men had gotten into a fight with Rex, they all threw punches but always seemed to miss, Rex enjoyed every moment of this. The bar tender screamed at the raging men, telling them to get out of the tavern now. Rex complied and ran out, the four men quickly chased after. The room was silent, Leon took this time to check up on the others. Myra was still with the old man, seemed like there was no troubles there. Az and the guy had vanished, no sign of them anywhere in the room. Before he could think into more Sams voice caught his attention.
"Thank you for this, it really means a lot." Sams voice broke the tension in the room, everyone continued with their conversations.
"Um, could I ask for something, this could benefit the two of your with your investigation." The girl said. Sam replied almost instantly.
"What is it?"
"Could I have your protection. I know this killer has a pattern and I'm afraid my sister and I could be next." Leon and Sam turned to each other, they exchanged looks for a bit before Sam turned back to the girl.
"I'm sure we could do that. I'll stay here with you while my friend here goes and questions more people." Leon looked surprised, he didn't know that was the plan, it would probably the better anyway, he didn't contribute much into that conversation. As he left he heard Sam and the girl exchange names and begin to chat more, from what he heard the girls name was Chole. Leon walked around for a bit, looking around for more people to questions. Not surprising to him but now there were less people, Myra still was with the old man but no one else was there. With nothing else to do he decided to try and find Az.

Leon walked out of the tavern and into the streets, the first sight he saw was of the four men, beaten and wounded. Rex stood with his leg on one of the men's back, his attention caught Leon and he smiled.
"These guys had no info." He walked over to Leon, trembling over the man as he did so. Once Rex had left the men they took that chance to stumble away, trying their best to not feel ashamed from their beating. Leon watched the men leave for a second before turning back to Rex, his mind only had one thing on it.
"So, you seen Az leave the tavern?" Rex gave him a look of authority, he looked around all directions for a few moments then replied.
"I might of, doesn't concern you though."
"Uhhhh ok... Well anyways Sam and I have found some information. The killer mainly goes for young girls-"
"Um look buddy I don't need to know all the extra crap, I know the whole premise of this guy, you just get me in the same room as him and ill finish this nice and quick." Rex's voice was stern and demanding, Leon would of normally picked a fight with a guy like this but ever since joining the Guardians he's stopped those bad habits.
"Mhm, sure. Anyways we have a place to stay tonight, a young girls asked for our protection so Sam and I will be looking after her." His voice changed to a slight whisper for his last words.
"I don't think she's telling us everything, it seems like she's hiding a few details."
"Ooooh that's really interesting, really." Rex's attention drifted away from the conversation, his eyes glared at a pretty woman, minding her own business in the distance.
"Yeah sorry Leon ill have to catch up with you later on, just have Az with you and ill be able to find you." He patted Leon's shoulder then sped walked away.
"But why is he." Leon Screamed. Rex didn't respond, his mind was carried away with the woman's beauty.

Not even seconds after Rex left an old man brushed past him, after taking a second look at him he noticed it was the guy Myra was talking with. A tap on his shoulder drew his attention away from the man, stood behind him was Myra with a serious look on her face.
"Oh Myra, hey, any luck?"
"Yeah got some information. The man claimed to see one of the kidnappings take place, according to him the killer was cloaked in darkness, hood hid his face from view. The man said on the robes he wore there appeared to be some sort of wolf engraved on it, not sure if that's of importance."
"It could be important, at least we know what the guy looks like now."
"Yeah true." Leon scratched his chin and turned to look every direction.
"Have you seen Az?" The moment he asked this a feeling of panic fell over him, in a flash he turned back round to see Az standing there.
"Hey Leon."
"Um, hi. Where have you been?" You could tell through Leon's voice that he was very confused about the whole situation.
"I was doing what we were meant to be doing, questioning."
"Ok so did you get any information?"
"Only a little bit, mainly that the killer strikes at night, not surprising at all." Az said. Leon turned away from both Az and Myra and began thinking.
"Ok so, we have this place to stay for the night, its to protect a young girl and her sister. We know this killer prefers young girls, we could set up a trap for him." Leon stated. Az butted in on his grand plan.
"Then what?"
"Then we kill him, simple."
"What about questioning?" Leon sighed to Az's comment.
"Our job isn't to question, its just to get rid of this guy." Myra could tell that the conversation was going to turn into a fight, trying her best to stop that from happening she changed the subject.
"So where's Rex. Earlier I saw him get chased out of the tavern."
"Oh well after he beat the four guys he saw a hot chick and decided to go chase after her, basically he's an idiot." Leon's words seemed to upset both Myra and Az, for an uncomfortably long amount of time they stared at him in silence. After the longest seconds of his life Leon quickly changed the topic.
"let's go check up on Sam." Myra and Az snapped out of their trance like state, the two of them acted normal now.
"Yeah sure." said Az. Myra and Az walked back in the Tavern first, Leon stayed outside for a moment to think of what just happened. He didn't know why they got so defensive over Rex of all people, something felt off about the two. When Leon first met Az he knew there was something strange about him, his appearance had an uncompleted look to him, any emotion Az gave felt fake. Now that he thought over it Myra and Rex gave off the same vibes. Both of them acted the same constantly, it didn't seem normal. And their appearance gave the same impression as Az's, uncomplete. He could come up with wild theories all day but a call from Myra caught his attention, the two of them had been waiting at the door for him. Not wanting to look any weirder he followed them inside.

The day had ended and the night began. The streets of the slums were silent, absent of any life. After talking with the girl in the tavern some more they all went back to her house. It was one of the more higher end houses in the slums back compared to some houses in Evanora this was terrible. Parts of the wall had holes in it and rain dripped through the ceiling. One thing that was impressive about this house however was the size of it. All up six people lived in it, the group was surprised that they could have one person per house in the slums. Chole introduced the four of them to the other occupants. There was her sister, she looked around one or two years younger then the girl. And then there was the other four, all girls around the same age, they all differed in race and appearance. The girls there treated the Guardians with kindness, that night they made a special feast for the group, it wasn't anything special but it was the least they could do. Chole told the group that her and her friends will share rooms tonight, meaning the four of them could have an upstairs room between two of them. Leon and Sam decided to share one while Myra and Az went together. During dinner Leon questioned why Rex hadn't shown up yet, Myra and Az didn't respond with a clear answer, doing their best to avoid the topic of Rex. This confused him even more then earlier, one look over to Sam and he could tell that she felt the same way. Once they finished their dinner they all decided to go to their plan amongst themselves.

Sam was face down on the back, her limbs spread out all over the place. For a small woman she snored louder then most men. Leon wasn't resting, he was stood in front of a mirror, thinking of all the information he had. While he was lost in his thoughts he took time to look at his own appearance, it had been quite a while since he taken in how different he looked. The thick beard on his face reminded him of the father he never knew, all the stories that involved Daniel mentioned he had a thick beard, Leon liked to think it looked similar to his own. Another one of Daniels traits that he carried with him was the blue jacket, it was more torn and worn since he had joined the Guardians but this didn't matter, he would wear it for as long as he could, its the best way to honor his father. Voices from the room next to his caught his attention, it was Myra talking but he couldn't tell what about. A voice from behind him caused him to jump, he quickly turned and saw Sam, sat up in the bed now.
"Checking yourself out I see." Whenever she spoke to Leon she always had a harshness in her voice, it angered him.
"Piss off." He turned away from her and turned back to the mirror, next to him in the reflection he could still see her staring at him.
"So do we have a plan to catch this guy or what." said Sam.
"Yes, sort of, tomorrow night we are going to set up a trap. This trap will involve some of the girls as bait." Sam seemed offended by his words.
"Why on earth would we do that. Our job is to protect the people, not put them in harms way."
"I've talked to Myra and Az and they agree to the plan."
"What if it goes wrong, what if we cant stop it and it takes one of the girls. Their blood would be on our hands." Sam's voice got more angry, she crawled up the bed and now sat on the end of it, still facing Leon.
"Well do you have any other greater idea?" Leon vented. She went silent, Leon thought he had shut her up but she continued on with her own idea.
"We will use me."
"What?"
"The killers after girls my age so whos to say that he wouldn't go for me. I've got combat training and could easily handle myself." Leon turned all the way around, their eyes met.
"I guess that could work. If we are going to do this though then we should talk to the others."
"Agreed." Sam and Leon got up and walked to the door, before they left, Sam had something to say.
"Look Leon. You and I both come from Evanora, I know what's happened to the Queen and im sorry for that. I want you to know is that I only treat you harshly because that's how I was raised, I don't have anything personal against you."
"Oh. Ok." Leon was a little shocked seeing her have a normal conversation with him.
"I know that you don't have anyone close in the Guardians, truth is none of us do. Some know each other better yes but none of us are close. I just want to make some good friends, friends that I would see after my time as a Guardian. I don't know you well but I hope we could become friends like that." Sam held out her hand. It took Leon a minute to realize what she was doing, he shook her hand and smiled.
"Same here."
"Sorry if that was sudden.
"Nah don't worry your all good."
"Ok good. Mainly picked you to talk to because your the biggest bitch I know." Leon's face went from happy to angry in a second. Sam noticed this and quickly spoke up.
"Relax im just joking, you aren't the biggest bitch." She smiled. Leon finally caught on that she was only messing with him. After he laughed a little the two of them left the room. In only a few steps they were in front of the other rooms door, being this close Leon could finally make out more voice. He could hear Myra, Az... And Rex. Sam and Leon realized this almost at the same time, they turned to each other then back to the door. Quickly they opened it to see what was going on inside.

Rex, Myra and Az were all gathered around in a circle, talking amongst themselves. Myra was the first to notice Leon and Sam, she looked surprised and greeted them.
"Hey guys."
"When did Rex get here?" Leon asked. The three gave each other quick glances then turned back to the Leon.
"I arrived maybe twenty minutes ago. I told you I could find this place." This shut Leon up, not point trying to get any more information out of him. Sam walked over to the three and began to tell them about the updated plan.
"Ok, so, instead of using one of the girls as bait we are going to use me."
"Why you. What about me." Myra stated in a offended voice.
"Because i'm younger, from what these people said it likes them younger." Myra cursed under her breath and looked away from Sam. This childish behavior from Myra entertained Rex, he laughed to himself then looked over to Leon.
"Hey I got some more info." Leon looked surprised. He walked over and joined the others in a circle.
"The woman I was with, Betty, lovely lady, she actually works at the tavern part time-"
"Rex!" Az shouted.
"Sorry, got a bit sidetracked. Ok, so Myra told me what this guy looks like, dark cloak, a wolf engraved on the clothes. Well this girl I hooked up with told me that she had seen him in the tavern amber of times. She didn't know that he was the killer, only that he always acted very strange, always isolated and distant from everyone else."
"Ok that's useful, we know he likes the tavern, we could set our trap up there." Leon stated. The others nodded, Sam looked puzzled for a moment before speaking.
"Did the woman catch what he looked like under the hood?"
"Well she said she could only see the bottom half of his face at all times. According to her he has grey beard and a chin scar."
"That's also helpful." Leon confusedly stared at Rex.
"You almost got as much information as the rest of us, I thought you were just being an idiot."
"I was being an idiot, but this idiot" He pointed to himself with both his thumbs.
"Knows how to get shit done." The second he said that everyone groaned, they were amused but also sick of his cocky behavior. Leon took this moment to look at everyone in his group. The five of them made an alright team he thought to himself. If him and Sam did become close maybe the others could too. He was very optimistic about it, even after the apparent loss of his family he still had hope that maybe, just maybe, he could find another one.

Suddenly a scream echoed through the building. Instantly the group switched into protection mode. Rex was the first to run out the room, heading straight for where the scream came from, The others followed closely. Sam and Leon called out for the girls to come to the sound of their voices, moments later five of the six girls came running out of one room, all of them had looks of terror on their face. Rex reached the room where the screaming came from, he tried opening the door but it seemed to be locked, even though the door had no lock. Rex motioned everyone to get back, with one quick kick the door flew forward. The second Rex walked in the room a girl fell from the ceiling, it was Choles sister. From a quick glance she appeared to still be alive, injured but still ok. When he looked towards the ceiling he saw what was holding her there. A strange red mist had completely covered the ceiling, it was like nothing Rex had even seen before. The other four entered the room and saw the girl on the floor, after they looked at her their eyes panned up, now all five saw the exact same thing. Once everyone looked at it started to move. It traveled through the air like smoke, it quickly left through the open window. Rex launched forward to see through the window while the other four attended the injured girl. Down on ground level was the cloaked figure the locals talked of, it stared at Rex with unnatural eyes. Before Rex did anything the cloaked man turned and started to run off.
"Fuck no." Rex said under his breath. Unknown to the others in the room Rex had climbed through the open window and dropped down onto the ground below. Not wanting any time to be wasted he ran after the killer. It took the others a little while to realize that Rex had gone after him. Az left the girls side to stare out the window, Rex and the man were already out of sight.
"Fucking Rex!" Az yelled. Chole ran in the room and saw her sister motionless on the ground, she broke down into tears and ran to her sisters side. The other girls looked into the room to see what was happening, once they understood someone was hurt they all started to panic. Leon, Sam, Myra and Az really had their work cut out for them now. They broke their promise to protect these people.