I grab the glass of beer in front of me and down it all, barely taking the time to taste my drink, before slamming it back on the counter. The barman, who's used to my antics by now, grabs it and fills it back up before asking:

"Day off tomorrow, then?"

"Yep! Had a good hunt today, thought I'd celebrate with a few drinks before heading back home."

"'A few', eh? This is your fourth glass in the span of ten minutes."

"And I'm still not drunk! Keep 'em coming!"

The truth is that I'm already slumping down and struggling to speak properly, but I made it a habit of knocking myself out with alcohol on a regular basis. Once a week, minimum. More when I get the chance.

Sitting next to me is Kitero, a colleague, and probably the closest thing I have to a friend. He's an elf, but I tend to forget that if I haven't seen his ears in a while. He takes a few sips of his own glass before turning towards me and saying:

"Y'know, if I wasn't working with you and someone told me, right now, that you're the greatest hunter this city has ever seen, I wouldn't believe them. You look like some drunkard who's about to head back home and beat up his wife."

"Good thing I don't have a wife, then. Still, that's quite the prejudice you have there."

"What can I say, I got my fair share of uncomfortable jobs involving other hunters."

I know exactly what he's talking about, but I immediately chase away the memories that resurface. I grumble a bit before responding:

"I'd rather not think about that on my day off."

"Yeah, I understand."

I take a few long sips from my glass, then take a look around. I'm in one of those modern bars, with sleek and minimalist furniture and LED strips hidden in various places to provide some diffuse light without any visible bright sources. It's one of my regular spots, but I still have many bars to explore in the city. It's calm tonight, with just a few people here and there taking their time around their drinks, but that's not much of a surprise considering it's the middle of the week.

Kitero starts talking about the various options he's been looking at for his next car. He has two young children now, and is thinking of maybe getting a third, so he wonders if a more spacious vehicle would be the right call at this point in time, or if it'd be better for him to go with a cheaper option and save up for something bigger a few years down the line. In my current state, I can only provide one-word responses and the occasional grumble. I might feel bad about my inability to be more active in this conversation if I cared at all about his car or his family.

Thankfully, my phone starts vibrating in my pocket, giving me an excuse to interrupt the conversation. As I take it out, I see the word "BOSS" displayed above the number. What's the old man calling me for at this hour? An emergency? Has to be.

I answer, trying my absolute hardest to not sound too drunk:

"Hey-o? I'm kinda busy right now."

"Yes, I can hear that from the music in the background. Look, I know you're supposed to be off tonight and tomorrow, but we got a serious situation on our hands."

Words I hate hearing.

"What's up?"

"Cyclopes, a whole gang of them. If they maintain their speed, they're going to reach the barrier tomorrow at dawn."

My thoughts start clearing up as I hear these words. That does sound pretty serious.

"Cyclopes are usually solitary, though. Why would they gang up together?"

"We're still unclear on that. Scouts haven't provided their report yet. Current best guess is that they have a Mutant or a Royal at their helm."

"Well you better hope it's not a Royal, even I struggle with these guys. Also, how did they manage to get so close without triggering any alarm? Cyclopes aren't exactly known for moving around stealthily."

"That's also still under investigation. You're right, they should have been spotted sooner. Unfortunately, some 'shoulds' are not going to get us out of this situation."

"Guess I'll go get ready for a hunt then. Send me the coordinates, I'll take care of it."

"Thank you! I knew I could count on you!"

He hangs up. A few seconds later, I receive the details about my target.

Seven cyclopes, one of which is either Mutant or Royal. A single, ordinary one is already considered a major challenge for a hunting squad, so it's simply out of the question to deal with this the normal way. We'll simply unleash our ultimate weapon: me.

I put my phone back in my pocket, then look at Kitero. He speaks first:

"Duty calls?"

"Sure does. Sorry about that, I said we'd have a drink together and I'm already going."

"No worries. Be careful though, you're definitely drunk."

"Like that ever caused any issue before!"

"Do I really need to bring out the list again?"

"Urgh, fine, I get it, I'll be careful."

I grab my coat, stumble to the door, and leave.

I jump on top of the large wall protecting the city, where I sit down, grab a cigarette, and light it up. The full moon shines bright in the sky, allowing me to see the forest in the distance where the cyclopes were spotted. The scouts' report should come in soon, so I'll stay here and wait for the file to be updated. I don't want to jump in without more information, especially if a Royal is possibly involved.

I focus on the smoke coming out of my mouth and rising into the air as I contemplate the situation. How did cyclopes manage to get this close to the city without being noticed? Did they get help? If so, from who?

I rack my brain trying to go over all possible options, but I end up having to accept that the amount of alcohol still in my blood is preventing me from reasoning properly. I won't get to the bottom of this tonight, that's for sure.

As my cigarette reaches the end of its life, I get back up and discard it before checking my phone again. New information came in. Six cyclopes, following a Mutant. I can handle that.

I bring two fingers over one of the runes etched on my left arm, causing it to disappear as a large hunting knife in its sheath appears at my hip. That should be sufficient.

Now equipped with the tool and knowledge needed to get through this mission, I jump off the wall, using a spell to avoid breaking my legs as I land, then start running in the direction of my marks.

Thanks to the moon, I can see ahead of me without the need to rely on additional light sources. If I can take them by surprise using the cover of darkness, I just might be able to kill a cyclops before the fight even starts.

Soon enough, I reach the area in which the scouts' predictions place the monsters. It's a bit large, but creatures as big as them, traveling in a group, are sure to have left very obvious traces of their passage. I start looking around, making sure to be as silent as possible, until I find a trail of uprooted trees and large footprints heading towards the city. I unsheathe my knife, take on a combat stance, then dash forward in the direction of the cyclopes.

At my speed, it only takes a few second for me to hear the sounds of their footsteps and of the trees getting pushed aside on their path. I slow down and cast a spell to further muffle the sound of my steps, and keep going in their direction. Soon enough, I see them.

Towering masses of muscles are slowly advancing towards the city. Three of them are holding uprooted trees as weapons, two have rough metal cleavers, and one has a steel beam. The last one isn't holding any weapon, which means he's either the mutant or a low-ranking individual who was not given anything to fight with.

Wait, what am I even thinking? The others picked up trees. So the unarmed one has to be the mutant.

The two with actual weapons are likely to be the biggest danger. While keeping a constant distance with the group, I cast a spell which causes a small mark to appear right above the eye of one of the cleaver wielders. I wait for a few seconds for any reaction, but it would appear that no one noticed. Perfect.

I jump high up in the air, far above the treetops. As I'm slowing down, I position my hunting knife and cast another spell, this one linking me to the mark I left on the cyclops. Immediately after, I'm dragged at an extremely high speed in his direction. I hold my knife down, pouring energy into it to create an extended blade, and the momentum carries me right over my target's head. I don't feel any resistance as my knife splits the cyclops, causing blood and brain matter to start gushing out as his cranium opens wide.

There's a split second of confusion during which the other six monsters attempt to understand what just happened and why their comrade now has two halves of a head and two half-eyes instead of a full head and one signature cyclops' eye. I have no intention to give them any time to react.

I jump in the direction of the other cleaver wielder. He spots me and starts lifting his weapon to block me, but I'm too fast. His arm barely managed to bend upwards that he already has a magically-elongated knife going through his eye and piercing the back of his skull.

This time, the others see me and react accordingly, albeit in a disorganized manner. Two of the ones holding tree trunks try to slam me, but they get into each other's way and only manage to break their improvised weapons against each other. I use that opportunity to jump towards one of them and split his head in two, horizontally this time. Only four left.

As I'm about to land back on the ground, I notice, too late, that the steel beam is speeding towards me. Normally, that wouldn't have been an issue, but me being drunk has severely decreased my speed and impaired my reflexes. As a result, I get crushed under it.

Or at least, that's probably what the cyclopes think, but since my body is harder than the steel beam, it got dented instead. I'm now in a small space shaped like me formed of steel and dirt. I wait for them to lift the beam back up just enough for me to run out and take them by surprise again, this time throwing an energy spear through the eye of one as I ram my knife through the eye of another. One of the remaining two tries to slam a tree trunk on me, but I punch through it and immediately follow up by decapitating him.

I'm covered in blood, but there's only one of them left. If I'm not mistaken, that's the mutant. He simply observed his underlings fight without intervening, I wonder why.

I don't have to wait long to get an answer: he shouts, causing the surrounding temperature to spike up almost immediately. I barely have time to cast a spell to create a cooler bubble around myself before the trees, grass, and even the corpses of his companions light up on fire.

No wonder he can't use this with allies around. Too bad he ended up with me as an opponent, I know how to protect myself from it. I jump in his direction, ready to take him out the same way I did the others. Despite his mass, he manages to dodge my strike and punch me midair, sending me flying on one of the nearby flaming trees. My body passes right through it, causing it to fall aside and reveal the large cyclops walking towards me, smirking. He managed to land one hit, and he's getting cocky about it? I'll have to make him understand why taking me lightly is a huge mistake.

I stumble back up. Looks like I'm at my limit for keeping the effects of the alcohol under control. In a few seconds, I'll be too drunk to properly fight. I have to end this now.

I rush ahead, my knife pointed forward. The cyclops reaches out, seemingly trying to grab me. I can't get around his hand, so...

I ram my knife into his palm. As expected, the increased energy within his body makes it a lot more resistant to damage, so I only manage to draw a small drop of blood. I hear him laugh, as if he believes that victory is his. I seem to be in a bad spot, with my dagger not being able to properly pierce him and the alcohol in my body finally catching up to me, but I already decided to punish him for underestimating me. I must do good on that promise.

I pour as much power as I can into my knife, causing a blade of energy to form and extend through the hand and in the direction of the cyclops' eye. Unable to react in time, he's pierced by the extremely long blade. Then, with one swift slashing motion, I cut through his hand and head, causing him to fall dead as his blood extinguishes the flames underneath him.

The temperature quickly returns to normal, but some of the fires remain. I grab my phone, try to send a text message with few enough typos to be readable to my boss, then lean against a tree to empty the contents of my stomach on the ground. I really was not in shape to fight like this. It was short, but cost me a lot of energy.

I enter the elevator in the apartment building where I live and use my keycard to activate access to a private floor. My head hurts, I have a hard time standing, and while puking helped with the nausea, it's far from gone.

As soon as the doors open, I stumble into the penthouse where I live. Through the extremely large windows in front of me, I can see the lights of the city, like a sea of stars under my feet. When I'm drunk, it really looks... so beautiful...

When I regain consciousness, I realize that I'm laying on the floor. How long have I been here? I still feel drunk, and it's still dark outside, so not that long.

I manage to get back up and take a few steps towards the living room. My bed is too far, the couch will do for tonight. Before I have time to take my next step, however, I hear a voice behind me:

"Mister Benord, it's an honor to finally meet you."

My heart starts beating extremely fast as my brain goes trough every possible scenario I could be dealing with. Thief? Monster? Assassin? Whoever it is, they managed to get through the barriers I put around the place.

In one movement, I turn around and summon my hunting knife back, pointing it in the direction of the voice. His head is hidden by the shadows, so all I can see is that he's wearing a suit.

"Please be at ease, Mister Benord, I am not here to harm you."

"Who are you, and how did you get in my house?"

"I am a messenger of Queen Maribelle Asifelia, and I am here to extend an offer to you. Getting into your home was a trivial matter for one such as I."

Maribelle Asifelia... As much as I try, I can't remember whose name that is.

"What could a queen of all people possibly want from an old drunkard like me? Get lost, I have nothing for you."

"Oh, but that is where you're mistaken, Mister Benord. We are aware of your... predicament. You have unnaturally high levels of magical energy within your body, causing it to slowly break down. A few more years to live at most, that is the prognostic, correct?"

"How... Did you access my hospital records?"

"I assure you I did not. Such a measure would have been completely unnecessary. We have our own ways to obtain information."

The man takes a step forward, allowing a ray of light coming through a window to reveal his face. White hair with slightly reddened tips. Pointy ears similar to an elf's. Eyes the color of blood. Two fangs clearly revealed by his ominous smile.

A vampire. And not any vampire. A Royal one.

There's no time to hesitate. Without warning, I dash forward and attempt to impale him, but he lifts a hand and effortlessly casts a spell that immobilizes me in the air. I attempt to release energy around me to break the bind, but it's no use. His grip is too strong.

"Now, now, Mister Benord. I already told you that I meant you no harm."

"You're a Royal Vampire, a foul sucker of blood in chief, nothing good can come from me taking you at your word!"

His face remains perfectly serious as he monotonously says:

"I am hurt by your words, truly. I am here tonight because the Queen, my sister, has taken an interest in you. She believes your talents and experience would be an asset if you were to take on an advisory role for our kingdom. In exchange, we will extend your life by allowing your body to withstand the power within."

"Ah! Like that's in any way within your ability. And even if it was, I would never accept to join up with monsters, let alone fucking vampires! You're a scourge upon us, parasites who need to be eradicated!"

The alcohol probably makes it harder to control my emotions, but I also just hold a deep hatred of vampires. They infiltrate our cities pretending to be elves, then attack people at night and drink their blood, sometimes killing them in the process. They've also been behind recent strings of kidnappings that are currently under investigation, and are one of the few monster races that managed to build a proper kingdom, making that investigation even more complicated as it now involves political factors and relations.

Of course, we don't have any kind of agreements with them that can be broken, but a declaration of war would be devastating for us.

"You seem to have a very low opinion of us, Mister Benord."

He shrugs before continuing:

"Not that I can blame you for that, I am aware that some of my compatriots have been causing issues in this city and elsewhere. This is in part what my dear sister hopes to consult you on. Too many vampires have been acting against her orders, and she wishes to reaffirm her authority over our kin."

"And what does a human have to do with any of that?"

"Oh, but you are not any human. You are the best monster hunter this city, and maybe even the world, has ever seen. Your leadership skills are undeniable, and your experience in combat against some of the strongest monsters to walk this planet makes you a valuable asset. I do not need you to accept our terms here. The Queen wishes to meet you in person and have a civilized discussion around a cup of tea."

"Well, you can tell her to go fuck herself. I'll never willingly meet with any of you! I'd rather die than become some tool in a vampire's schemes!"

For the first time, his face muscles contract into an actual expression. He's finally angry.

"I am so horribly sorry to hear this. I believe your insolence deserves punishment, as anyone who dares insult my dear sister deserves naught but the most painful death I can inflict. However... She did order me to not harm you, no matter what. You are lucky that she sees something in you, Mister Benord, for I believe you to be an abject being."

He walks to the elevator door, calls it, then turns back towards me.

"Do not believe that this is the last time you hear from us. My sister can find ways to be... quite persuasive when someone pushes an offer of hers away. I would prepare an apology if I were you."

"Well now that you told me, I'll know to expect you. Don't think you'll get another chance to trap me like this."

"Worry not, I think no such thing."

With a ding, the elevator opens behind him. He steps in, presses a button and then stares straight into my eyes as the door closes.

The spell holding me in place breaks, causing me to fall on the floor. I finally let out a sigh of relief as I try to calm down. I wanted to hide it, but I was on edge the entire time. That guy could have killed me without even moving if he had wanted to. I took a risk by insulting his precious queen, but I just had to know how important it was to her that I be kept alive.

Whatever the vampires are up to, I've been dragged into it. And I do not like this at all. I also feel insulted that they believed I'd betray the people here in exchange for something as measly as a few extra years of life, assuming they even have a way to grant me that. I already accepted my own death, I stopped running away from it years ago.

I get back up and quickly look around the penthouse. It doesn't look like the vampire guy moved anything, thankfully.

As I head over to the nearest couch, a sudden coughing fit forces me to stop. I cover my mouth with my hand and cough for several seconds before it finally calms down. I open my palm, revealing a large amount of blood.

All that excitement might just have shaved another year from my life.