Quinlan sat at the waypoint with his head hung low and his hair falling down the sides of his face. Hidden beneath his tattered, brown garment was the Dragon Node, pulsing in his laps, following the rhythm of his own heartbeat.
He was thinking.
Hunters were generally respected people. Quinlan didn't know much about them but he had seen them in action a few times.
In the Dreglands, whenever Doomgates popped open or beasts migrated from Enoku Island, Hunters would arrive to vanquish them.
Not for the sake of saving Forsakens. That was hardly ever the reason. Hunters were nobles and townfolks, naturally they didn't care a single bit for Forsakens. They came to slay beasts for one thing alone:
Beast Nodes.
Just like the one pulsing on his lap.
And unlike most, Quinlan hadn't killed to get his. Then again, neither had many others. Beast-slaying was only one path to a Node. A more common path was marks.
Whenever other Hunters killed beasts and harvested their Nodes, they sold them to the Argentis Market in Argentum City. From there, others— those with money —would buy them to gain power and become Hunters themselves.
Capitalism, Quinlan thought bitterly.
That was as much as Quinlan could gather. Watching the world from the outside in the Dreglands made it difficult to tell what was truly going on inside.
Still, one thing was certain: becoming a Hunter would change his life. Drastically.
It was a more lucrative profession compared to working the mines. If he could make enough money, he could take his sister to an infirmary in one of the towns. Save her.
However, he could just... sell the Node.
It had to be worth a good amount of marks, since it was a Node of the rarest beast in Eryndal. Quinlan was certain he could make a profit of a thousand goldmarks.
Why stress himself with fighting beasts?
Why join a profession where all his colleagues were nobles and townfolks?
Why listen to an arrogant old man and a father who abandoned him and his family when he was just a child?
He didn't owe anyone anything. He didn't care if this Node was his father's life work. It was his now and he could do anything he wanted with it.
Quinlan's angry brows released and he let out a defeated sigh.
The plexus.
The old man had said that because of the plexus embedded in the Node, it could only be harnessed by him, son of Drayton.
That meant if he sold it, it would only be a matter of time before the buyer realized it couldn't be harnessed. And when they did, they wouldn't just come for him, they'd come for his sister too.
And those townfolks. They were not at all merciful with Forsakens.
Quinlan felt the cube in his pocket. 'Am I really going to be a Hunter?'
GHRRRNNK! GHRRRNNK!
He snapped his head up at the harsh, growling sound of the pathkeeper which had just arrived at the waypoint.
"Hey, kid! Get in here quick or I'm moving along!" the captain yelled, his chewing stick almost falling out his mouth.
Quinlan hurriedly got up to his feet and jumped into the pathkeeper as soon as the door was pulled open by the conductor.
Inside, he searched for a space amongst the rows of finely crafted wooden benches, most of which had been occupied by townfolks in their pristine clothes.
Quinlan's eyes looked to the end of the pathkeeper where other Forsakens were gathered, segregated from the townfolks.
He grunted, unsure he'll be able to make it there in time before—
"Take a seat! I'm pulling the lever!" the captain barked.
Panicked, Quinlan dropped onto the nearest bench. When he turned to his right, the man next to the bench — clad in black expensive coat and a hat — was seething in anger and certain to strike him soon.
"Get up this instant!" he demanded.
Quinlan saw that look of rage in his eyes, and also took note of his surroundings. If he tried to refuse or plead, this man would attack. If Quinlan retaliated, that would give the other townfolks a reason to attack as well.
Recognizing the danger, Quinlan apologized, "I'm sorry," and he got up as quickly as he could.
At that same moment, the captain pulled the lever.
CLUNK!
The pathkeeper bolted. Under it, the massive gears began to rotate and the pistons clicked, causing the floor of the long vehicle to reverberate and jolt.
Quinlan was dragged out of his feet as a result and struck his head on one of the holding poles.
"Ugghhh!" he groaned, dropping to his knees. The Dragon Node slipped out of his pocket, tumbling away from him.
His hand shot out and caught it just before it rolled into the open, his rags covered the cube from being seen.
Quinlan lifted his head, eyes locking with a small girl watching him. Her mother pulled her closer to her grasp, while glaring at him like he was evil incarnate.
Quinlan lowered his head, breathing hard and deep. He slipped the Node back into his pocket and got up to his feet, ignoring the stares of everyone.
"Told you kid," the captain chuckled.
Saying nothing, Quinlan made his way to the end of the vehicle where the Forsakens were sitting, and he took a seat amongst them.
No one said anything to him. They were all minding their business — mothers looking weary and tired, but still cuddling their starving children in their arms, drained and lifeless men and boys clutching their arms in search of warmth, others fast asleep.
Quinlan looked away from the sight and glanced at his far right. There, he saw the face of the man that he sat next to earlier, still glaring at him with anger.
Quinlan tried to look away, but the man still kept his face glued to him, hate burning in his expression.
That wasn't good. However, he knew that the man would get down soon in one of the stops.
After the pathkeeper stopped at a few waypoints, some passengers left, others entered.
"War unto Argentum City!" a man randomly yelled. "End the Hunter Association! Stop the murder of beasts and the abduction and enslavement of their souls!"
Quinlan saw a man in an all black uniform, holding a bundle of scrolls and sharing them to the passengers on the pathkeeper.
"We are COTE! The Covenant of The Eclipse!" he declared.
'Oh,' Quinlan thought. 'I think I've heard of them.'
"We believe what has been happening in Argentum City and all over the world is an atrocity! The murder of divine creatures, sent down to us by the Supreme One! These creatures do not deserve to be killed, and they do not deserve to be caged in the bodies of man, subjugated and forced to relinquish their powers to serve man's selfish needs!"
Quinlan lifted a single brow. 'What is this nutcase talking about? Those beasts hunt humans. I'm not a fan of Argentum City, but isn't killing the beasts necessary for survival?'
"Please take these scrolls!" the man declared. "Read our stories and join the rebellion!"
"You better shut your mouth, you damned bleeder, or I'm kicking you out of this pathkeeper!" the captain ordered.
Quinlan smirked as he watched the rebel share the scrolls in silence. 'I don't understand why anyone would advocate for such nonsense. Misplaced empathy is sometimes worse than hate.'
Speaking of hate, Quinlan's eyes shifted to the townfolk man.
He was still glaring at him!
This only spelled danger. And as more waypoints were passed and the man still remained even after others left, Quinlan realized that this man was out for him.
The pathkeeper arrived at the Dreglands' waypoint at last, but there was still one townfolk inside the long vehicle.
"Alright, dryheads! Pick your bodies off those chairs and get out!"
Quinlan eyed the man, who had still not looked away from him. Was he really going to try something here?
The man's chances were less since there were no other townfolks with him. But, it was still best not to attempt any alterations with him to avoid legal reprimand later.
So, Quinlan buried himself at the center of the crowd of Forsakens as they waddled out of the pathkeeper. He was tall, so he kept his head low, and his eyes on the ground.
But... a hand grabbed on to his wrist and pulled him out of the crowd.
Quinlan was suddenly standing face to face with the angry man.
"You think I forgot about you?" he growled at Quinlan's face. His breath was like hibiscus and honeyed milk, and his face was so tender and clean, Quinlan thought the whisper of his own breath could smear it.
He stepped back. "I didn't want any trouble, I was just trying to avoid the jolt."
The man's voice dropped to a hateful undertone. "You are Forsaken scum. Let the jolt kill you, I don't care. You do not sit close to me! You are not worth my presence!"
Quinlan raised his hands. "Yeah. You're right. Okay. I don't want any trouble so I'll just leave."
He pivoted and dived into the crowd of Forsakens.
"Hey! I'm not done with you!" the man shouted and went after him.
Quinlan moved through the crowd, ignoring their complaints as he reached the exit.
He almost made it out when he felt a strong palm hit his back and send him falling out of the pathkeeper and on the dusty ground of the Dreglands.
A painful sting rang in his forehead, his vision began to daze as he rolled over.
There, the man was standing above him, adjusting his tie.
"You worthless dryheads forget your place all too often. You even had the audacity to speak to me, to glare at me with that rebellious, defiant look in your eyes." He spat on the ground.
"Today, I will teach you a lesson."
Rather than helping him, the Forsakens looked the other way and continued toward their homes. No one dared get into trouble with these townfolk.
"Please!" Quinlan raised his hand, playing desperate. "Your hands!" he exclaimed. "They are way too pristine to touch filth like me in the name of punishment! Please let me go!"
The man chuckled darkly. "Who said I was going to touch you?"
Quinlan's stomach dropped.
The man turned to the departing Forsakens. "Thirty silvermarks for everyone who beats this boy to a pulp! Sixty for whoever lands the most blows."
The Forsakens froze.
Then turned.
All their hungry eyes locked on Quinlan who sat on the floor like a helpless prey.
"No," Quinlan mumbled. "No! No! No!" He quickly scrambled to his feet and began to sprint down the sandy hill.
"Get him!" someone yelled and they chased after him.
Quinlan ran
As fast as he could. But a rock struck his foot from behind, and he crashed jaw first to the ground.
The Dragon Node spilled out of his pocket once again, glowing red.
"Drag him here!"
"No! No!" Quinlan got to his knees and reached for the Node, but he was grabbed by his ankles and they began to pull him back into the crowd.
"No!" he screamed, desperately trying to catch the Node.
Thankfully, the hill sloped downwards and so the cube rolled towards his direction.
Quinlan stretched his arm to the left and caught it in his dry palm.
He glanced over his shoulder, his quivering pupils locking on the crowd of Forsakens ready to beat him up.
"It's nothing personal, boy!" the man pulling him said. "You would have done the same."
Quinlan tried to kick free, but the grip was strong, dragging him down. His chest scraped along the earth, grit tearing at his ribs, his breathing rasped, and his heart pounding.
Driven by desperation, he glanced at his palm, seeing the crimson glow from within.
It was the only hope he could find, and so... he had no time to think against it.
Quinlan swung his arm to his chest, slamming the cube inside of him.
Instantly, his eyes slapped open, and a cry of pain erupted out of his throat.
Quinlan's sight disappeared, and in his vision was darkness. Then, two reptilian eyes appeared, red and sinisterly powerful.
The face it belonged to slowly revealed itself from the darkness.
It was the face of a beast. A dragon.
It opened its mouth, and like a geyser of flame, fire erupted out from the depths and engulfed Quinlan's vision.
「Bloodline has Awakened 」
「The Draconic Evolution Plexus is activated」