Chapter 2 - Survive

Iris

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Live? Why did he live?
Valkyre glared over the knuckles of his clenched hands through the smoky air in the bar, dimmed and thick in the pale, distant illumation of a few unfocused lights. A few people shuffled around, but most were seated at other tables, chatter light and quiet, hushed.
He was starting to really hate this 'Iris' boy, but Valkyre had to admit, he'd asked a pretty damn good question.
Deep amethyst eyes closed, and he let out a quiet sigh.
Sure, plenty of people went on living. He doubted many of them had a decent reason for it, but everyone still wanted to get by.
The angel stared unseeingly in front of himself, eyes flickering only briefly as a man brushed by a bit too close, then dissipated in the dark lighting. Valkyre looked like nothing more than a human himself, his black wings tucked away, the only hint that he was not a human in the seal pendant he wore around his neck, a simple dark piece of obsidian stone bordered and marked with gold, furled symbol pressed in the soft, burnished metal discreetly showing his species. No humans could feel it, but the magic was there, a soft pulse Valkyre could always feel, and that any human who saw it would know of.
Seals were common things to see, and most people cast Valkyre nothing more than a glance, if they even bothered to do that much. They weren't things to be flashed about gaudily; they were devices to retrain other creatures' aspects, toning them down enough to blend into the thinning human populace. Waste of time, was Valkyre's personal opinion.
Humans, he knew, still often looked at him with distaste, but he knew the root of their hatred. It was centered in envy, fear, jealousy at what the magical creatures had, that they lacked. Which, he had to admit, wasn't really that much.
Some time ago, the human populace and their mighty cities had begun to decline, falling apart like their crumbling, worn buildings. No one really knew why, but around that time, magical creatures started to show up. It hadn't been all that long ago, Valkyre knew, but neither the humans, nor himself, nor anyone else really knew why. But they were here now, drawn into the wasteland cities, all kinds of odd, mythical creatures suddenly visible again to mankind, this time openly entering their society.
If the humans were searching for saviors to lead them out of their misery, though, they were to be disappointed. Valkyre was an angel by species, but he acted no different than a human, and didn't try to be anything more. A bounty hunter was by no means the cream of society. Just a job that required prowess of body and skill, which fitted Valkyre just perfectly. He couldn't even really remember how long he'd been at it, but it was the only real occupation he had. Valkyre had faced all kinds of creatures before, but mostly his hunting was limited to crossbreeds considered improper for some reason or another.
But nothing he'd ever gone up against before had been anything at all like Iris. If the myths were even half-true... he would truly be something amazing. Though Valkyre's first confrontation with the boy had not revealed much, he couldn't deny any of the stories and rumors quite yet.
It was said that this creature, 'Iris', was a creation rather than a child of any sire, because his body was supposed to be a blend of all bloods, of all creatures. Valkyre seriously doubted it, because everyone knew, for every species there was a paradox; for an angel, there was a demon, for a vampire, there was a werewolf. Opposite creatures would be upset simply from another's presence, and contact was painful if not guarded by seals, and strong ones, too. Converse species had never been able to create a creature of mixed bloods, and Valkyre doubted that any had even tried.
But then, where had all of these myths come from, these rumors and whisperings, all about Iris? And he wasn't only of one contrasting set of bloods, he was rumored to be all. Antithesis itself, in other words. Impossible.
Valkyre had to admit, it was damn interesting, but if that'd been his only motivation, he wouldn't have been bothered to try and find the boy.
Even if they were only more than skeptical rumors, it was enough for the state to set up quite of a high bounty. And as long as Valkyre got his gold, little else mattered. He was a survivor, and even if there was no reason for living, he'd go on anyways. Nothing else mattered but ensuring his own survival. He needed something to drive him forward, drive him constantly ahead, until...
Until he was forced to stop.
Valkyre sighed again, shaking his head. He loosened his clenched fingers, and leaned his head against a propped-up arm instead. Thinking wasn't going to get anything done, he knew that, of all people.
It was interesting, Iris, it really was. Perhaps he'd ask the boy a few questions, see if what he spoke of was really true. Some people said Iris just came out of nowhere, but a more reasonable rumor was that he'd been made in a lab, a lab that somehow lost him, perhaps lost control of him. It would explain the unreasonably high bounty set on the boy's head, and why more than half of that gold would be cut if he was dead.
For once, it'd be something really worth his while.
Valkyre ran a gloved hand through his inky dark hair, then got up from the table. The seal on the silver chain around his neck glittered briefly in the foggy lights, and the angel tucked it away under his shirt.
Valkyre stepped out of the bar and let the cool night air envelop him, hiding him in the soft, comforting darkness.
He still had a job to finish.

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AN: Sorry, a complete chapter of blabbing. I just wanted to make sure I set up the basics and the background to this story, so you all know what's going on. ...I don't really know if it worked or not, I can't tell...
...Yyyyeah. I'm sorry these chapters are kinda short, but this seems like the kind of story that'll go that way. On the plus side, it should mean more updates more often... Just lemme find some time to work! I've got tons of stuff to do, and it's hard for me to just sit down at the computer and start writing, I keep getting distracted... Sorry!
I promise, promise promise to keep going with this. I really want to, so I should have some momentum... for some time. Heh.
Hopefully, the next chapter will have some more action, along with cliches, stereotypical character sayings, and other such crap... I've got a plot, somewhere!! Just let me find it...!
...I'm not setting any more deadlines, I can't seem to meet them... But I'll try to be fast. Be patient, please. Don't make me bribe you.

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