The Hunter’s Code: Book 2: A Portal Progression Fantasy Series, page 1
Yuri Vinokuroff & Oleg Sapphire
The Hunter’s Code
Book 2
A Portal Progression Fantasy Series
Published by Magic Dome Books
The Hunter’s Code
Book # 2
Copyright © Yuri Vinokuroff, Oleg Sapphire 2024
Cover Art © Vladimir Manyukhin
English translation copyright © Alix Merlin Williamson 2024
Published by Magic Dome Books, 2024
ISBN: 978-80-7693-160-2
All Rights Reserved
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is entirely a work of fiction. Any correlation with real people or events is coincidental.
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Table of Contents:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
About The Authors
Chapter 1
“I SURRENDER! I WAS THE ONE who stole the ice cream... I admit it... It looked so tasty, and I was seven years old, and I just couldn’t resist.” This monologue delivered, I raised my hands in supplication.
“What ice cream? What are you saying?!” Androsov looked at me like I was a nutcase.
I turned my head to him and smiled.
“I was trying to remember any possible reasons for my arrest. That’s the only one I could think of...” I turned my head toward the people and frowned, and cast my armor and aura. “Otherwise I demand an explanation — by what right do you think you can arrest me?”
I added metal to my voice, enough to make even Androsov shiver. Come on, what were they doing? Did they think they’d found a dumb stooge they could pin all their cold cases on? More likely that someone had ordered this.
“You’ll be told everything you need to know down at the station, don’t worry,” they said, paying no mind to my threats.
I wondered — what would I get charged with if I attacked the police?
“I am Count Androsov, and I demand an immediate explanation! By what right do you address a noble in this manner, and what is he accused of?!” Wow, now I was seeing Androsov’s serious side.
His title and surname gave them pause, and they cowered slightly. But of course — what did some homeless baron mean to them? Bastards...
“A complaint has been issued against your friend for beating up respected individuals. We don’t know the details except the reason. Our job is to take him in.” The shit-head even stood to attention as he reported to Androsov.
“May I see your documents?” my friend persisted. “Who’s in charge here?”
The cops exchanged glances and one of them took out a little blue book and opened it for Andrei. Without a hint of embarrassment, Androsov took a photo of it on his phone.
“Ri-i-ight...” he said slowly, glancing at me. “I’m riding with him!”
“Not allowed, your lordship. We could be punished for that,” the second one piped up with an apologetic look. “But you can follow behind us.”
Androsov frowned, and I stood and grinned on the sidelines. It all seemed like a joke to me. Who could I have beaten up!? Yeah, yeah, okay, could be anyone... But all problems in life have a solution, so I wasn’t worried. And it doesn’t matter whether the solution is to summon a Snowhopper or call Goldsmith and get him to bribe someone.
“Come on, my friend, no need to go anywhere,” I said, putting a hand on Andrei’s shoulder. He frowned unhappily. “There are specially trained people for that whose contact details you already gave me.”
Androsov’s face brightened.
“Want me to call them?”
“Please do,” I nodded.
“Or my father, perhaps?” My dear friend scratched his chin, thinking. Those words really put the cops’ backs up.
“No, no need to trouble His Highness,” I said, for some reason taking pity on the local cops as I imagined the royal guard of the Androsovs descending on them from helicopters.
“As you say,” my friend said, nodding with displeasure.
I clapped my comrade on the shoulder again and turned to our raid leader, who hadn’t yet said a single word.
“Helga! I have a big favor to ask you!” I looked at the girl, who was biting her lips as if thinking about something.
“Yeah?” She moved her eyes from the cops to me.
“Please take Caramel home!”
The girl’s eyebrows shot up. Before she had time to think too much about it, I pushed my keys into her hand.
“Leave her with the concierge,” I said, smiling. “Don’t worry, she won’t eat her!”
I already knew that I didn’t have to voice orders to the panther out loud, I just did it out of convenience. This time I gave the order mentally.
Go with this girl. Her name is Helga. Do her no harm. She will take you home. Do not leave the apartment. Do not come looking for me. You don’t need to save me. I’ll be back soon! — and I scratched the kitty behind her ears.
“B-b-but...” the girl stammered, gesturing at the panther.
“She doesn’t wear a leash or collar,” I said, shaking my head. “Just tell her what you want. She’s a smart girl...”
When I was invited into the service vehicle, I watched with a smile as my party dispersed and Helga started leading Caramel home with a bewildered expression on her face. She’d be surprised at how smart that kitten was!
High time I taught that cat to bring chicks home for me. Why not? She’d do a great job.
The journey was uneventful. I was taken to the police station and made to wait a whole hour in the corridor. At least they didn’t slap cuffs on me. Not much point anyway — as a Gifted, I could just break out of them. True, the corridor was still locked, and that would be less easy to get out of.
Two cops came for me after around an hour, and took me to a detective’s office without a word.
The detective was a somewhat overweight and balding man of around forty-five.
By the look in his eyes, I was about to have an interesting chat, one that at first I wouldn’t like and later he wouldn’t like. How could it be otherwise? He’d attack me, and I might not hold back if he went too far. I’d send him a little scorpion with twenty times more venom than it takes to kill a man.
“You must be Galaxius,” he said with a chuckle, pointing me to a chair. “Take a seat.”
“Thanks,” I said, nodding at him reservedly, but not forgetting to add a smile. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get straight down to business. I’m fresh out of a Rift and I haven’t even had lunch yet.”
“I’m afraid that isn’t for you to decide.” He grinned and looked me up and down. “That said, where you’re going, the food is just fine. At least it is for aristocrats. And it seems like you’re still an aristocrat... for now.” With those last words his grin grew even wider.
“For now?” I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“What, didn’t you know? You have nothing to your name but the name itself, and that means your rank hangs by a thread. People like you can easily lose their titles. And as it happens, you’re in such deep shit here that I’ve already written two letters to the right people to try and make that happen.”
What a naive man. He had no idea that if that was true, then tomorrow he’d die in his bed and I’d be dealing with a new detective.
All I showed on my face was boredom. He waited for me to show some emotion. I was sure there were cameras all over, and he probably wanted to throw me off balance.
When he realized it wasn’t working, he reached for some documents on the desk.
“Before we get started, I’d like to clarify a few questions,” he said, staring intently at the papers. “It says here that your father died, and after that your mother worked in the brothels of Europe, is that right?” Wow, real smart guy... Thought he had the perfect bait for a hot-headed teenager. “Just for our information, could you name the European brothels your mother worked in?”
The main thing was how he introduced it — ‘it says here,’ meaning that it wasn’t his opinion, but maybe just a mistake someone made, as it would surely turn out to be if I attacked him.
Unfortunately for him, I didn’t know my mother, and wished I didn’t know my father either.
“Hmm...” I said, rubbing my chin. “I grew up without my mom, and I don’t know where she worked. But if you got this information from your own mom or wife, you’re better off asking them about it. Sorry, I can’t help you there. Or was it your daughter?”
Oh! Direct hit! At the word daughter he clenched his teeth; there’s his sore spot.
Time to chip away at his nerves now. “By the way, would you like to tell me your surname?” I asked. “As far as I know, it’s considered polite to introduce yourself when you meet someone. Or were you not taught basic etiquette?”
“Huh, proud and foolish both...”
“Well, Tatiana Zhuravlyova didn’t think I was foolish, but a smart and handsome young man,” I said, looking straight into his eyes with a mocking smirk clear on my face. “What’s wrong, Zhuravlyov? Feeling ill? Need a little vodka?”
Well done, Shnoop — he had pulled out a wallet from the man’s jacket hanging up in the room. It happened to have a signed family photo on it and a ring. He wore a ring like it on his finger, which meant this one must be his wife’s.
She must have left him... or died... Well, I could help him join her if it was the latter. I’d send him that way if he kept grinding his teeth at me like that.
“You watch your mouth, asshole!” he shouted at me, but quickly got a grip on himself, although the veins in his forehead said otherwise. He dimmed his aura right away, which meant he wasn’t weak. “Here, take a look!” he said, throwing the papers in front of him practically straight at my face. I easily caught them.
Alright, what’s this he gave me..? Let’s see...
Uh-huh... right... yep... got it...
“Assault, battery, grievous bodily harm and disparagement of respected individuals. Plus hooliganism, damage to personal property, obscenity, not to mention vandalism and threatening to harm family members.” He oozed satisfaction as he read out the charges.
So, those merchants’ sons were holding a grudge and decided to get their revenge... Too bad for them...
“So I guess you’ve been bought, then,” I said, and it was a definite statement, not a question. “Tell them from me: they can all go to hell together, and you can keep the last paper for yourself as a memento.” I threw the papers back at him. He barely caught them before they smacked right into his face.
“Sergeant!” the man shouted at the top of his lungs, and a young man ran into the office. “Why is this criminal not in cuffs? He attacked me! Lock some anti-magic cuffs on him now, and take him to a high security cell.”
“Damn, your boss here really has a stick up his ass,” I said, laughing as I stood up and made it clear that I’d follow to my cell.
For some reason they didn’t put cuffs on me — guess they were too rare and valuable for the likes of me, — but just led me to my new cell instead. Great, just great...
I was going to kill those bastards as soon as I got out... Those little assholes filed charges and bribed that detective.
That last paper, the one I threw in his face, was a plea deal they were offering me. To think — they wanted public apologies and penance, for me to admit my guilt and make a statement of wrongdoing. And then give seven years of service to the Tagilov family, the one whose son I made fall to his knees and piss himself.
Oh, I’d show them service alright. They didn’t know who they were going after. It was clear they had plenty of money, which was why they felt like the gods of this city.
Ugh... Shame that all my things had been taken off me when I came in; I wanted to call Androsov and tell him to ask his dad to send in the cavalry after all. Just for fun...
To top it all off, they put me in a general population cell, which was definitely against the law. Even I knew that!
A big bald thug walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, new guy, how come you ain’t sayin hello?”
“Would you look at that, Shorty! A noble lord’s come to visit us!” a toothless smiling man said, peeling an apple with a knife.
“Uh-huh, hey, man!” I answered Shorty, and punched him in the solar plexus.
His crooked armor didn’t help him. There’s an art to good armor. It has to be cast and woven properly. A couple of poorly intersecting energy flows and it won’t be as strong as it should be.
This guy’s was terrible, and it collapsed like paper.
“Unhh...” he groaned, crashing to the floor.
“Any other contenders?” I looked over the gathering.
There actually were some... Had they really been talked into bullying me? Did they take me for a moron? They could have at least read my file!
So silly, and I didn’t give a damn that they were all Gifted. A couple of minutes of fun, and ten groaning bodies lay on the cold floor.
Cool... And they were all Gifted.
Since there was now a seat free at the table, I swept their possessions from it and took a seat. I wanted to sit in comfort, after all.
Right... Time to think... What to do? Well, I doubted they could put me away. I wasn’t afraid of that, it was more that I didn’t like languishing in here like a prisoner.
“Hey, do they feed you punks or bring you tea?” I asked the men groaning on the floor.
They didn’t answer... Guess I shouldn’t have hit them so hard. Damn, I overdid it... I added a specific type of energy that attacks the muscles, and now they wouldn’t be able to move for some time. I thought they’d turn out to be stronger and wake up sooner.
* * *
Office of V. I. Zhuravlyov, Irkutsk PD Detective
“I did everything like you said, Mr. Zhuravlyov,” the young sergeant reported.
Zhuravlyov sat at his table, and he was still shaking. How did that bastard dare talk to him like that? A pathetic worm with no family, who got his status simply by being born to a filthy kitchen slut, there could be no two ways about it.
Oh, how he would have loved to tear off the boy’s head where he’d sat. Damn... He was furious... He’d wanted to provoke the boy, but had done the opposite.
He’d gotten everything he had all on his own — his police position, his Veteran Gift rank... and now little bastards like that kid came to him and dared to disrespect him.
Galaxius had been offered a way out of his situation, just a short term of service of a few years and then he’d be free, if he didn’t die in that service. Anything was better than serving out his sentence in the kind of places Zhuravlyov could send him... And he would indeed try to send him to one such a place for a long time, the kind of place that can break even the very strongest spirit.
The detective was a little taken aback by the young man’s Slayer class — somehow class five. The Center was certain to become involved in the case, but his... ahem... temporary employers had promised to take care of that.
