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Zoan Hunters are active during the night of the full moon, in which they go into the wilderness to search for these creatures. The silver weapons they use consist of spears, guns, and swords.
Silver jewlery is also worn by wealthy Zoan Hunters because even touching the precious mineral can hurt the creatures, causing a painful burn on them and weakening their power.
To kill a Zoanthrope, many Hunters don't see their human side, only the monster within. According to Zoanthrope activists, this practice is considered murder and should be banned in all countries of the world.
The mayor chuckled as he closed the book. "Like that's ever gonna happen,"
Henry Bennett Luskey had been elected time and time again to serve the town of Griffin Rock due to his policies on protecting the town from violent Zoanthropes, no matter the cost.
The laws protected the town for a very long time, and he was proud to show that off every election, in which was his one-trick job so he could lead for the next three years.
Luskey stretched as he got up from his chair. He knew he had a meeting with someone today, so he wanted to look his best, especially considering who he was.
Dr. Thaddeus Morocco.
Morocco was a very famous Zoan Hunter in both America and, despite its illegality there, Great Britain. The way he hunted Zoanthropes was by using technology to search for these beasts and kill them with his silver weapons when he found them.
He also had promising ideas that would replace that incompitent head scientist, Doctor Ezra Greene.
Greene had been constantly accused as a Zoan sympathizer, which made him an enemy to some of the population due to their stark differences in treating the beasts.
To Mayor Luskey, those accusations weren't further from the truth. It was right that Greene refused to create any silver weapons that would massacre Zoanthropes, and it was enough proof in and of itself.
That was why the scientist was fired just a week ago. There would be no one who was a beast lover in Griffin Rock's evolution!
The mayor thought of this as he prepared to head to City Hall to meet up with the other doctor.
"H.B! You forgot your gun! It could still be dangerous out here,"
"Ah, thank you, love,"
Mrs. Barbara Luskey was essentally her husband's right-hand woman in the fact that she was the co-leader of Griffin Rock's Zoan Hunters group, making sure that the town was safe from the beasts that terrorized it. She could've made it law that everyone, not just Zoan Hunters, eighteen and above could hold guns with silver bullets, but it's been rejected by the council time and time again for "security concerns".
Well, at least only the Zoan Hunters would do holding guns like this. Killing a human as a hunter gets your badge revoked, after all.
Barbara smiled as she gave a peck to her husband's cheek. "Now, honey, you know you'll have to work fast this month due to the Blood Moon happening,"
"Of course, dear. By the end of the month, we'll have everyone ready to handle any Zoanthrope encounter along with a brand new scientist to help us kill any of them!"
"Oh, I can't wait to see what Dr. Morocco can do!"
"Me either, my love,"
Mayor Luskey put his gun in the holster before leaving his house with a goodbye kiss to his wife.
The middle-aged man drove himself to City Hall while he watched the moon start to rise in the horizon. It had just been a full moon the last night, yet there was no Zoanthrope reported. Luskey had his suspicions as to why this was the case, but he ignored it for now. Dr. Morocco was the priority.
Once the mayor made it to City Hall, he got out of his car and quickly made his way up the steps to meet the man he was going to make the new head scientist of Griffin Rock.
Luskey opened the door and was greated with a voice.
"I've been waiting, Mr. Mayor,"
A silver cane clacked on the ground as a tall, slim Zoan Hunter got off of the podium. Luskey knew that the cane had a hidden sword inside of it, Dr. Morocco's signature weapon.
The hunter's elegant clothing was taking the spotlight as he fixed his monocle. Once he did that, he reached a gloved hand out to the mayor.
"Well well well!" Luskey said enthusiasticlly as he took his guest's hand to shake it. "Welcome to Griffin Rock, sir!"
"Thank you, Mayor Luskey," Morocco said with calm elegance. "Now, I've been ready to interview you this entire time, so get on with it,"
"Of course, sir!" The mayor replied as he called upon his assistants to show up for the meeting with Dr. Morocco.
Mr. Alper and Ms. Janet appeared from their offices and sat alongside Luskey at the podium, ready to listen to what their potental new chief scientist will bring to their town. Alper and Luskey were enthusiastic while Janet was skeptical.
"So, good doctor," The mayor began. "Your background of Zoan Hunting is extensive, as you've clocked in around a thousand kills in under fifteen years! How do you do this each month so efficently?"
Morocco cleared his throat before replying. "I really don't do much. All that I do is make sure that I have a nourishing meal and take those suppliments that give Zoan Hunters the ability to stay awake for the night. After that, I activate my technology that helps me hunt for those beasts that haunt your town,"
Mr. Alper raised his hand to ask a question. "What types of things have you invented or have done to hunt down the Zoanthropes?"
"It's simple, really. I've made multiple weapons that many of the world's famous Zoan Hunters use for their practice such as portable machine guns and rifles, I own a silver company that mines the mineral faster than any other in the world, and I have a very loyal bot who helps me search for the monsters, my Morbot!"
The doctor took out a controler pad, using it until heavy thumping was heard and said machine opened the door to City Hall.
Luskey, Alper, and Janet looked in awe at the Morbot as Dr. Morocco explained his robot.
"The Morbot was made to search for any and every sign of a Zoanthrope, wheither that'd be paw prints or fur. Once it finds a sign, it'll search for anything similar so I can follow where the beast is headed. When a Zoanthrope is found, I give it the command to either kill or capture. I kill older Zoanthropes while I capture younger ones, as there may be a way to rid of their killer instincts before their brains fully mature,"
Ms. Janet raised her hand, asking her question with a hint of scorn. "I guess that last part means that you are aware of the things that are being done to young Zoanthropes to 'cure' their condition?"
The scientist nodded. "I have heard of the things that some Zoan Doctors are doing to those that are twenty-four and under. Something that I've been interested with are silver suppliments, given to the individual everyday so that they don't turn into a werewolf every full moon. I find it interesting because it can work on older Zoanthropes as well,"
The councilwoman nodded, but dived deeper with another question. "Hmm... I have heard that silver suppliments gave rather... deliberating effects to the people who take it. From the remaints of what we have researched with our old head scientist, silver, being essentally a poison to Zoanthropes, has caused nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain akin to a case of terrible food poisoning, along with difficulty breathing at times due to the silver also affecting their lungs,"
Morocco narrowed his eyes, but gave his answer to the woman's findings. "Oh, I have developed silver suppliments that could narrow down the side effects that come with taking them. It just hasn't gone worldwide yet..."
Ms. Janet was about to press on, but Mayor Luskey shushed her before he asked his own question. "Alright, Morocco. I also have some curiosities about your Morbot... why don't we get a little demonstration?"
The doctor made his Morbot show a video of its recent hunt through a finger projector. The video took place in the Appalacian Mountains. The machine had detected paw prints while walking alongside its owner. When it alerted Morocco, he nodded before giving a demand.
"Morbot, seek!"
The machine searched for any paw print looking identical to the ones it found, with its owner closely following him. The mayor and his assistants watched the footage with tension.
Eventually, the Morbot found what, or who, it was looking for, a black-furred Lycanthrope that was resting inside a cave. It stood up frantically when it saw the machine and Dr. Morocco.
"Oh, I forgot," The scientist curtly acknowledged as the footage continued playing. "This video has a graphic death, so you may want to look away if you want,"
Ms. Janet gasped as she covered her eyes with dread. In the video, the wolf was whimpering as Dr. Morocco was deciding its fate.
"Morbot, shoot the Lycanthrope,"
The robot accepted the grim request as it quickly made its kill, shooting the werewolf in the chest with a silver bullet.
A few seconds passed before the creature had shifted back into human form, unmoving and bleeding out. The doctor picked him up and brought him to the Morbot.
When the video ended, Mr. Alper was shocked, Mayor Luskey was grinning widely, and Ms. Janet looked like she was about to cry when she uncovered her eyes.
Luskey grasped both of his assistants' shoulders. "They aren't really the type to hunt, especially not poor Ms. Janet,"
Dr. Morocco nodded with acknowledgement. "They should get used to it. Do they need a reminder to why their town hunts Zoanthropes in the first place?"
The councilwoman grumbled as she answered. "I don't need a history lesson! I know what happened in 1885, that was one evil Lycanthrope! It doesn't mean that all of them are evil!"
Mr. Alper quietly nodded in agreement. "Maybe Doctor Greene was right..."
"Nonsense!" Mayor Luskey answered with frustration. "That is just his propaganda getting to you two!"
Morocco frowned as he put the controller away. "I'm sure that Greene had tried to twist the story into a tragic tale of how one werewolf caused a lot of 'stigma' that wasn't deserved. The truth is, the primal instinct of a Lycanthrope is to kill. I have read the story uncensored and unabridged,"
The councilpeople tried to interrupt, but Mayor Luskey shushed them both.
The scientist cleared his throat before begining.
"On October 23rd, 1885, a full moon loomed upon Griffin Rock while many people thought to go to sleep. As the moon rose, so did a particular person,"
Mr. Alper was closely listening while Ms. Janet was still not wanting to hear it.
"The person wanted to let the beast inside them free. They had locked themselves in their home for as long as they could remember every full moon, and to let their beast free, they wanted to give into the deepest, darkest desires that their feral brain wanted,"
Luskey snapped his fingers at Janet. "Focus, woman. You need this lesson,"
"I'm telling you!" The councilwoman replied with increasing fury. "I'm not going to hear this nonsense about why every Zoanthrope should die!"
Dr. Morocco was calm as he replied. "I do understand where the sympathy comes from, but you have to remember that primal instincts consist of many things, including to kill. Unfortunately, Zoanthropes' instinct to kill mostly target humans that aren't one of them, much like how when humans go into the territory of wild animals, they are attacked and sometimes die. The same goes for those beasts,"
Ms. Janet replied with an intense glare to the doctor. "That comparison has weakness to it... humans should keep their distance with animals so that they can stay safe in the wilderness. Many researchers see the same thing in Zoanthropes,"
The scientist tsked. "You do have a point, but reports have also shown that those beasts are capable of going into towns so that they can feed into their bloody instincts,"
"But that's been looked into, and it's been done by confirmed serial killers than normal Zoanthropes! You should really do more research before-"
"Quiet!" Morocco shouted. "Your mayor is getting quite peeved..."
Indeed, H.B was looking at his assistant with disapproval. "You've shown quite a bad first impression for our new scientist, young lady. Perhaps you need a little bit of correction if this goes on,"
Ms. Janet trembled with fear when hearing that. "Mr. Mayor! I was just trying to-"
"It's clear that Greene influenced you!" The mayor shouted. "You should know that he's the reason why some people can't sleep during the full moon out of fear that a beast will devour them!"
"B-but-"
"I don't wanna hear it! Now be quiet!"
The councilwoman's lips trembled as she reluctantly became quiet.
Unwavered, Dr. Morocco continued telling the tale he was recalling. "As I was saying, the Lycanthrope let themselves transform under the moon's influence, shifting their mentality from human sanity to killer instincts. Initially, they stayed in the forest. However, when a group of seven individuals went out to camp, the werewolf's instincts told it to kill. Those seven people became the first victims of the massacre,"
The scientist let the part sink in for Mr. Alper and Ms. Janet before he went on. "The screams of the seven victims rang out to the town, so others were woken up with the duty to try and save them. However, they severely underestimated how strong the beast was. They never knew that it was a werewolf they were fighting until it was too late,"
Mayor Luskey started reciting the story with Dr. Morocco. "The people who got killed by the beast didn't have any silver weapons to fight with! This proved how weak the town truly was without the precious metal!"
"Indeed, Mayor," The doctor replied with a proud smile. "The werewolf tore through bodies as if they were paper. Blood, guts, and brains were splattered across cracked walls and shattered windows,"
"That was until someone recognized that the beast was a werewolf and fired at it with a silver bullet!"
"Yes, but it was never confirmed whether that the beast had died or not from the shot. However, what the town was devestated by was the high amount of casualties that happened that night,"
Luskey sighed with sad disappointment. "They were so strong and mighty in their recorded texts... it's real unfortunate that half of the town died this way..."
Morocco nodded solemnly. "From that day on, it became law in Griffin Rock to own anything that had silver on it, whether it was a gun with silver bullets or a cane with a hidden sword like I have,"
Again, the scientist let the story sink in for the mayor's councilpeople. Mr. Alper sighed in reluctant acceptance while Ms. Janet couldn't even look at Morocco nor Luskey.
Dr. Morocco was the one to break the silence. "The werewolf disappeared after it was shot, never to be seen again, for better or worse. I've heard that your town is having fears that it may happen again?"
The mayor frowned with that. "It was Greene's fault! If he complied with making our weapons, then we wouldn't have to be worried every full moon worrying that a beast will devour us!"
Dr. Morocco gave a smirk as he had his Morbot give him silver bullets. "Well, I can assure you that I will be making these silver weapons with my mining and technology company. Soon, your town will be the most armed in the country!"
Ms. Janet tried to speak up again. "We'll have to vote to get you into the ranks of Griffin Rock's chief scientist,"
Mr. Alper nodded with agreement. "Yes, it's true that the process of hiring you can take around two weeks to complete and-"
"You're hired!" Mayor Luskey interrupted.
Both councilpeople gasped with shock and fury. "WHAT?!"
"Yes, I'm hiring Dr. Morocco right away! If we wait, we won't have enough time for him to produce the weapons we need to hunt any Zoanthrope down!"
"Mayor, you can't do that!" Ms. Janet shouted. "This isn't what you can do in a snap! It's illegal to hire someone into such an important position this quickly!"
"You know that two weeks won't be enough to build all the silver weapons we need, especially the Blood Moon coming up!" Luskey replied.
Mr. Alper tried defending his fellow councilwoman. "The Blood Moon isn't even as bad as people depict it! The Zoanthropes will just be stronger, maybe even a bit angrier, but they actually leave humans alone, only attacking when provoked!"
"Both of you, shut up!" The mayor shouted. "Doctor Greene has influenced you too much! Even when shown why we have to arm ourselves, you still don't listen! How the hell am I supposed to continue my policies with two incompetent councilpeople?!"
Dr. Morocco cleared his throat. "Both of them need correction... and I think I have an idea on what to do,"
Mr. Alper and Ms. Janet's faces paled with that. What will happen to them? Did they just risk their own lives?
"Well, what is it?" Luskey grumbled.
The scientist looked at his watch before replying. "How about they become my assistants with testing weapons? We need human-confirmed arms, after all,"
"No!" Ms. Janet shrieked. "We don't want to be a part of a Zoanthrope genocide!"
"Besides, don't you use your automation to test weapons?!" Mr. Alper added.
Morocco shook his head. "I would, but I think the use of weapons will... help you form a mentality that those beasts aren't human, as I'm sure that increases likelyhoods of killing,"
The councilwoman looked at her mayor desperately. "You're not accepting this, are you?!"
Luskey gave a chuckle before replying. "Of course, good doctor. Now that we have everything settled, I'll show you your new lab at 9 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. You need a lot of rest to settle into your new home,"
Janet and Alper looked at each other with panic as Dr. Morocco bowed to their boss.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor," The scientist replied with a courteous smile. "I'll be heading off now,"
When Morocco left City Hall with his Morbot, that was when Alper and Janet were freaking out.
"Mayor, please!" The councilwoman shouted. "We don't consent to this!"
"You're breaking multiple laws doing so!" The councilman shouted. "We're not doing it!"
"Both of you will be fired if you don't obey. You will need to show up on the first day of your new jobs tomorrow as well. You are dismissed from the premises now,"
The coldness of the mayor's tone shut both councilpeople down, and they both left shortly after. Mr. Alper was trying to comfort the now crying Ms. Janet as they walked out.
-----<3-----
Dr. Morocco sighed as he walked away from City Hall with his Morbot. The scientist leaned on it once he was far enough, pulling out a tiny bottle filled with pills. He looked at it for a long time before giving it to his bot.
"Morbot, throw it into the ocean,"
The machine complied, walking towards the harbor and throwing the bottle into the ocean where it floated away due to the currents.
Morocco tilted his head down, knowing that he was doing this for his own gain, but for sonething else as well.
Soon, Griffin Rock will face its second Lycanthrope rampage.
For now, he needs a place to put his Chamber of Youth in. His hair is starting to grey again.