Chapter 496: An Alternative Way Saliva shot out of the Bounty Hunter’s mouth as it collided with the wall with devastating force. ’What the hell just happened?’ The creature’s thoughts scattered as it peeled itself from the crater, four of its eight arms bracing against crumbling stone. Dust and debris rained down around its shoulders. A Grim Reaper had struck it. That much was clear. But Reapers didn’t hit like that. This wasn’t the strength of someone who’d earned their rank through bureaucracy and soul-collecting quotas. The Bounty Hunter’s remaining arms reached for the oversized weapons strapped to its back, fingers closing around worn grips. It had to get back inside. The target was still in there somewhere, probably using this chaos to slip away into the crowds. But Azel was already coming through the shattered entrance, boots crunching over broken stone. He launched forward with explosive speed, leg chambering for a kick that cut through the air with a sound like tearing fabric. The pressure alone made the Bounty Hunter’s antennae twitch with warning signals screaming through every nerve. ’If that connects, I’m dead.’ The creature’s body rippled with white light and elongated into a massive serpent, scales erupting across flesh as bones restructured themselves. The kick missed by inches and obliterated what remained of the building’s facade. The entire wall exploded outward in a spray of stone chunks and mortar dust. The structure groaned, threatening to collapse entirely. The snake form gave it distance and speed. It slithered backward across the street, putting space between itself and this monster wearing a Reaper’s cloak. Yellow eyes focused on the badge pinned to Azel’s chest. ’Rank 3?’ The Bounty Hunter’s mind raced through its mental catalogue of dangerous Reapers in this region. It had killed Rank 3s before. More than a dozen over the years. None of them had moved like this. None had generated that kind of raw power. "You better have a high bounty on your head for making me miss my prey," the serpent hissed, rearing back before slamming its tail down at Azel with bone-crushing force. Azel caught it. His hands closed around scaled muscle reinforced with cartilage and bone structure that could shatter stone. He bent the tail backward like he was snapping a dry twig. The Bounty Hunter shrieked, a sound that echoed off nearby buildings and made pedestrians scatter in every direction. Its body convulsed as white light erupted from every scale. The transformation sequence activated involuntarily, triggered by pain and shock. Eight arms sprouted first, the insectoid warrior form flickering into existence for barely a second. Then it shifted into the pale human boy who’d been distributing masks earlier that day, young and harmless-looking. That form lasted even less time before morphing into a scantily-clad monster woman with purple skin and curved horns. Finally, the transformations settled on the Bounty Hunter’s true form. A short creature barely taller than a child, with a bulbous head and skin the color of spoiled milk mixed with blue dye. Its legs bent at unnatural angles now, bones shattered where Azel had broken them. "Curse you!" The Pantraider spat blood from its mouth as its weapons clattered to the ground around it, too heavy for its true form to wield. "You let my target escap—" Azel raised his leg, preparing to stomp the creature’s head into paste. "Tharne, don’t kill him!" Vaal’s voice cut through the tension as the Reaper sprinted down the street, white cloak billowing behind him. Azel’s foot stopped mid-motion, hovering inches from the Pantraider’s skull. He watched Vaal close the distance, the man’s face flushed from exertion. Vaal arrived beside Azel, chest heaving as he caught his breath. Despite the circumstances, a wide smile spread across his face. "Thanks to you... we’ve finally caught this bastard." The Pantraider trembled on the ground, its broken legs twitching. Vaal’s weapon materialized in the air beside him with a shimmer of dark energy. A staff forged from black metal, intricate runes carved along its length. He pressed the business end against the creature’s throat, applying just enough pressure to make his point clear. "Move again and I’ll kill you," Vaal said, all traces of his earlier friendliness gone. His voice carried the weight of someone who’d carried out that exact threat many times before. The Pantraider went completely still, barely daring to breathe. "It’s called the Pantraider," Vaal added, glancing at Azel. "What a... weird name." Azel studied the pathetic creature pinned beneath Vaal’s staff. It didn’t look like much in its true form. "You’re right about that. It’s a very weird monster and has a strange fetish for transforming into female prostitutes to seduce and kill most of its targets." Disgust dripped from every word Vaal spoke. "Other times, it takes on forms that are very suited for battle like that eight-armed configuration you saw." The staff began to glow with crimson light. Something materialized around the Pantraider’s neck, solidifying from pure energy into physical form. A collar made of dark chains that pulsed with a red aura. The creature’s teeth ground together as the collar tightened, cutting off its access to magic. "I’m sure you must be very familiar with this... it’s a Chain Collar and prevents the wearer from using magic or skills, though it won’t work if they’re too high ranked." Vaal produced another collar seemingly from nowhere and offered it to Azel. "Here’s one for you. Please use it to properly catch and restrain Bounty Hunters, as you can reap their benefits upon taking them down." Azel accepted the collar, turning it over in his hands. The metal was cool to the touch and surprisingly heavy. He assumed "benefits" meant whatever bounty was on their heads. "Like the Pantraider here is worth 150,000 Black Ares, which is a great deal of money. You could even use it to get—" Vaal paused mid-sentence, his expression shifting to confusion. "Oh, I forgot to ask... why aren’t you teleporting to Nightfall Citadel?" "It destroyed the crystal." Azel gestured toward the Transit Hall building where the Waystone had shattered. Vaal’s face darkened immediately. He drew his foot back and slammed it into the Pantraider’s nose with a sickening crunch. Blood spurted across the street. "Are you fucking senile? Do you know how long it takes to get a replacement...?" Vaal’s foot came down again and again, each impact accompanied by wet sounds and pained whimpers. Blood pooled on the cobblestones beneath the creature’s head. After the fifth or sixth kick, Vaal sighed and turned back to Azel, keeping his boot pressed against the Pantraider’s ruined face. "Why don’t you bring your squad and cash in the reward money... do you still need to go to Nightfall urgently? Stupid question, of course you do." ’He really does talk a lot,’ Azel thought as Vaal continued without waiting for a response. Ever since the interrogation, the man had become remarkably comfortable around him. Too comfortable, perhaps. "Doesn’t the city have like a backup crystal?" Azel asked. He noticed Irielle, Mira, and Rene emerging from the Transit Hall, stepping carefully around debris. They waited at a respectful distance, eyes on him for direction. "We were supposed to receive one next week from the Passing Citadel, so this delays it even more as we have to transport it the long way." Vaal actually bowed slightly, an apologetic gesture that seemed out of character. "I’m sorry, Tharne. If the Reapers there hadn’t been so careless, then you wouldn’t have stressed yourself like this." His gaze shifted to Irielle and the others waiting nearby. "Alright, come on... let’s cash in the reward for this bastard." ... About thirty minutes later, they walked away from an official Reaper Embassy building, Azel’s inventory now containing 200,000 Black Ares in currency that materialized as dark coins marked with skull imagery. Apparently destroying the Waystone had added an extra 50,000 Black Ares to the Pantraider’s already substantial bounty. Azel wasn’t going to complain about unexpected income, especially in a currency that actually held value in the Underworld. "You were going to give us an alternative..." Azel prompted as Vaal led them through two intersecting streets toward a wide building that dominated the nearby plaza. Large wicker baskets sat arranged in rows outside the establishment, each one attached to deflated balloons made of treated leather and cloth. Enchantment symbols covered every surface. Azel recognized them immediately. Hot air balloons, though these were clearly modified with magic. "Of course, even though the Teleportation Crystal was destroyed, you can still get to Nightfall Citadel in record time using this." Vaal pointed to the nearest balloon as he flagged down one of the establishment’s workers. The worker was a skeleton, bones yellowed with age but movements smooth and purposeful. It reminded Azel of the first Grim Reaper he’d killed to claim his Rank 3 badge, and the countless skeletons they’d fought through in the Undead Pass. This one was sentient though, aware and intelligent. "Oi, Skeleton." The skeleton’s spine straightened immediately, hand coming up in a crisp salute. "Grim Reaper sir..." "Using one of those uh..." Vaal gestured vaguely at the balloons. "Underworld Balloons," the skeleton supplied helpfully. "Yes, using these Underworld Balloons, how long would it take to get to the Nightfall Citadel?" Vaal asked. "The Nightfall Citadel?" The skeleton’s jaw worked silently for a moment as it calculated. "It would take about two days of flying at maximum speed to reach there, sir." Vaal turned to Azel, eyebrows raised in question. Azel nodded once. Two days was acceptable. Far longer than the instant teleportation would have been, but significantly better than weeks of traveling through hostile territory on foot. "I like it... how much?" "Are you looking to rent or buy?" the skeleton asked, its voice surprisingly professional despite the lack of vocal cords. "If you want to rent, then you must return it and each day you go over the agreed limit, the outstanding balance will continue to accumulate. But if you buy it... you receive a manual on operating the whole thing." "I’d like to rent." Azel had no intention of keeping an Underworld Balloon long-term, and returning it would give him an excuse to come back if needed. Vaal nodded his agreement with the decision. The skeleton turned toward one of the larger balloons. "I’ll set it up for you. Please get on." Azel climbed into the basket first, finding it surprisingly spacious inside. The wicker construction was reinforced with metal bands and the entire structure felt sturdy beneath his boots. Irielle followed immediately, pressing close to his side the moment she was aboard. Mira entered more carefully, running her hands along the enchanted ropes. Rene practically bounced in, eyes wide with excitement at this new mode of transportation. The basket was indeed wide, easily accommodating all four of them with room to spare. The edges connected to the balloon above through thick ropes woven with metallic thread. Enchantment symbols covered every inch of the balloon’s fabric, glowing faintly with latent magic. The skeleton moved to a mechanical device positioned beside the whole apparatus and activated it with a lever. Gears turned and steam hissed as the deflated balloon above began to inflate. Air rushed in with a sound like a windstorm, the fabric expanding rapidly. The enchantments carved into the material glowed brighter with each passing second, shifting from dim amber to brilliant gold. "I have set the coordinates to our business at Nightfall Citadel. You’ll arrive there without worrying," the skeleton explained, adjusting various gauges on the machine. "It has an automatic enchantment barrier which will prevent most Hellspawn from entering, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t defend yourselves. Anything can happen outside a Citadel. The total will be—" "I’ll be paying," Vaal interrupted, already producing a pouch of coins. He turned to Azel, genuine warmth in his expression. "Well, Tharne, I hope you have a good rest at home... I look forward to fighting alongside you when you return." The skeleton unhooked the tethers keeping the balloon grounded, releasing them one by one. The basket lurched slightly as it began floating upward, slowly at first but gaining altitude with each passing second. "I look forward to it as well." Azel returned Vaal’s salute as the balloon rose into the sky, the streets of Bonehall City shrinking below them. The balloon caught a current and began moving in a specific direction, accelerating smoothly. The enchantments guided it automatically, following the coordinates the skeleton had programmed. Within minutes, they cleared the Citadel’s massive walls, the city falling away behind them as they entered the open sky of the Underworld. Azel let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and dropped to his butt, stretching out on the basket floor. The tension drained from his muscles as he stared up at the swirling red and purple sky above. "Nothing can go wrong no—" He shot upright immediately, hand clamping over Irielle’s mouth before she could finish that sentence. "Don’t jinx it..."