Chapter Text
People filled the cafes and bars and spilled out onto the sidewalks. The mild night drew large amounts of people out of their homes or enticed them into leaving their windows open.
For Steven A. Starphase, nights like these were the best for hunting. Monsters loved mild nights too, because they thought it made the people drifting through the streets easy prey.
Steven searched the crowd as he pretended to smoke a cigarette. He’d made a point to dress in one of his less expensive suits because he knew this particular job would be rather messy. He let the cigarette burn about halfway down before he threw it in the gutter and put it out with his shoe. The water froze and the cigarette sizzled out with a hiss. He separated himself from the crowds and made his way to a darker set of streets.
Hopefully this thing’s dumb enough to take the bait, Steven thought. He stumbled a bit to put forth the impression of a buzzed tourist trying to find his way back to his overpriced hotel.
He saw a movement out of the corner of his eyes.
Three hundred thousand euros was the negotiated price for the mystery monster of Madrid that kept spiriting away the good townspeople and depositing their corpses in the same place they’d been taken the next day. Three hundred thousand euros would make Steven’s life a lot more comfortable. It’d buy him a couple of new suits and a nice trip to France in addition to paying his bills for the rest of the year. Pay off his debts.
Steven continued down the alley. The creature followed.
Steven turned right, thinking he would find a way back to the street where he could capture the thing.
Three hundred thousand euros, dead or alive. Money too good for him to pass up, especially since the jobs he’d been getting paid pithy amounts compared to this one.
He found himself facing a wall.
Shit.
Steven froze the ground around him and threw up a wall of ice in front of him. The creature moved just fast enough to catch Steven across the face, pulling one giant claw down the left side of Steven’s head. He didn’t have time to think about that though. He removed the ice wall, waited for the creature to lunge again, and encased it in ice.
The creature was red with wide eyes and huge claws. Steven launched himself off the back wall and down the alley as the creature broke through the ice.
It’s a goddamn Blood Breed! No wonder it’s worth so much money and no one else wanted it! He clasped his hand against his face and froze the wound over.
He heard a set of footsteps behind him, much heavier than the creature’s and more rhythmic in nature. Steven glanced over his shoulder and saw a guy with a good eight inches on him running after him. The man had bright red hair, an underbite, and dressed like a college professor.
Not that Steven could say anything. He was out here fighting that thing in a suit.
The Blood Breed screeched and launched itself at the man, who punched it straight in the face. A giant cross impaled the creature, pinning it to the ground.
“I’ve only stunned it for a moment! Please leave and allow me to handle it!” The man placed himself between Steven and the Blood Breed.
“Like hell! Do you have any idea what that thing is?” Steven yelled. Why do I even care, if this guy has a death wish I should just leave him to it and save my own skin. Every man for himself right?
Right?
He debated with himself for a split second and ran towards the battle.
“Jump!” he yelled at the man. “I have powers! I can help!”
The man nodded once and did as Steven asked. Steven drew on all the power he could and channeled it into the ground. The man hit the Blood Breed from above and drove the creature into the freezing ground. Steven held it in place with the thickest ice he could conjure. It looked like an iceberg had sprung up in the middle of Madrid.
“I can’t hold it forever,” Steven said, out of breath.
“No need,” the man said. He wasn’t even winded. “I can seal it.”
Steven’s eyes widened. “You can?”
“Yes. Please lower the ice.”
Steven hesitated for a second and took his stance. The ice shattered, and the man sprung into action, sealing the creature in less than a minute. A name, a few words in German, and a small iron cross clinked to the ground.
“Reinherz,” Steven murmured as he looked up at the man. “You’re Klaus von Reinherz.”
“And you’re Steven Starphase.”
Steven waited for the inevitable add-on to his name. Bastard of the Rodriguez Fang Hunter line. It’s all those noble types could ever see about him. His parents weren’t married, their union hadn’t been blessed by his mother’s family, and because of it, Steven was The Rodriguez Bastard, The Family Shame. Thing was, people didn’t even have to say it to his face to imply what they thought of him. He’d become amazing at picking up the implications through the looks people gave him.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Klaus said. He held out his hand and made no mention of the Rodriguez Family or bastards or shameful liaisons between consenting adults. He didn’t seem anything other than pleased to meet Steven, which only served to make Steven more suspicious as to his true intentions.
What the hell does a noble want to do with me? Better play along until I can figure it out.
---
Steven put on his Business grin.
“I have to say, I didn’t expect to meet a Fang Hunter legend when I set out on this rather ill-advised mission. The pleasure’s all mine, Mr. Reinherz. Thanks for saving my ass.”
They shook hands. Steven picked up the iron cross and shoved it in his pocket. He was definitely going by the office tomorrow to see if he could trade it in for the bounty. Klaus did nothing to stop him, and they made their way out of the alley together.
“Please call me Klaus. No need for formalities. Do people really think me a legend? Personally, I think I am rather young for such a title.”
“Pff, you’re what, thirty? Thirty-five?”
“Twenty-four actually.”
He’s four years younger than me and can already seal Blood Breeds. What the hell. Most guys twice my age can’t do that.
Steven shrugged. “Personally, I’d just go with it. Being a legend can’t be that bad. All those heroes from classic literature lived the life right?”
“They also had an alarming tendency to die horrible deaths at a young age,” Klaus replied. “I do not wish to become such a legend.”
“I don’t blame you there. Now, which hotel was I staying at? All these places look the same at night. Why is my face all wet?” Steven reached up and pulled his hand away, covered in blood. “Oh. Must’ve come off when I broke the ice.”
Klaus pulled a handkerchief from his vest pocket, physically turned Steven towards him, and began wiping the blood away.
“Hey it’s fine! I’ll clean up when I make it back to my room.”
“The edges of the wound are black. You seem to have given yourself frostbite, Steven.”
“Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Comes with the territory,” he said, holding up his right hand. He was missing the entire top joint of his pinky, which he’d lost in an ill-fated attempt to freeze his way out of an arrest at fifteen. He’d meant it to reassure Klaus, in a see, I can totally deal with this myself kind of way, but Klaus’ eyes widened and he grabbed Steven’s hand, practically dragging him down the street.
“I insist that you accompany me back to my hotel so that your wounds can be tended properly. Gangrene is nothing to play around with, Steven!”
“Hey!” Steven shouted, trying to pull away. Useless. Klaus had a vise grip on his arm and a long stride. It was all Steven could do to keep up. “I was trying to catch that Blood Breed because I wanted the money! I don’t even care that all those people died. I just wanted to lay on a beach in France and buy myself nice Italian suits!”
Klaus’ grip only became stronger.
Shit. Time to change strategies. I’ve made it this long without help. I can’t start accepting it now.
“I’m just the Rodriguez Bastard. I’m a guy with powers to a bloodline I’ve got no rights to, a petty criminal… honestly, a lot of people would love to see me go from an infected face wound-”
Klaus stopped and turned, absolutely furious.
Yes good there’s nothing nobles hate more than a bastard I might end up a little worse for the wear but at the very least he’ll-
“Stop saying those things about yourself!”
Steven stared up at him, dumbfounded.
“Those people who insulted you, who think your existence is of no consequence, who punished you for the perceived sins of your parents are wrong! I never want to hear you refer to yourself as a bastard in my presence again!”
Steven blinked, and blinked again. A brief silence passed between them, laden with tension.
“Why do you even care?” Steven said. “Whatever you want me for, there’s tons of other guys who could probably do it better and don’t have police folders as thick as your very thick forearm. Why come here to find me? And don’t say you stumbled on me, because I know that’s a lie. People have to want to find me pretty badly. I make sure of it. ”
Klaus sighed. “I would prefer to explain in a more convenient location. One where you can get that wound looked at and patched up.”
Steven huffed.
Damn, this guy is the most stubborn person I’ve ever met in my life.
“Fine. You don’t have to drag me to your hotel room. I’ll go with you willingly, and hear you out. But I want your solemn oath that you won’t do anything to me if I refuse your offer. ”
“You have my word, Steven.”
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