The Bounty Hunter

Chapter 71: Inferno of Fun

May 23rd, 2089

Terras POV

It has been two days since Project Redemption and there has been surprisingly minimal fallout.  There was only a slew of natural disasters across the globe.  Flooding, tornadoes, storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. all occurred with a stronger than average ferocity and some of these were out of season.  The meteorology departments across the globe were probably having heart attacks since these events were all unexpected.  Weather forecasts are 95% accurate so having so many surprises likely made them dumbfounded. 

Early theories are blaming the weather phenomena on a passing comet or some other astral body.  There has been major damage done due to the berserk weather and its likely to continue for the next couple of days but it cant be helped. Considering how close to doomsday we all were, I think this is an acceptable result.  I could have sworn that more mana had leaked out before I closed the dimensional rift, but I dont mind being wrong. 

If there was more mana released back into this world it would have manifested itself by now.  *Sigh* Ill just have to wait and see.  Magic once existed on Earth, before it was supplanted by technology.  Mana is still present, but it lies dormant deep in the Earth and up in the stars.  Having such a jolt of active mana from the Redemption Project could maybe awaken old sites of legend or ancient legacies that have nearly faded from existence. 

Hmmm that could be rather beneficial for me.  I havent forgotten about my plans to lengthen Hikaris lifespan and there are legends and relics here that could help with that.  Thats assuming of course that there is extra mana that could revitalize them and rouse the inert mana in our environment.  *Sigh* How wonderful.  I spent so much effort hiding my magic and now theres a chance of Stonehenge once again miraculously healing the dying.  And if magic is confirmed to exist, the next step would be hunting down magic practitioners.  Theres only one magic user on Earth:  me.  I cant help but panic a bit at the thought.

Speaking of panic, I apparently caused my girls some concern when I slept like a rock for two straight days before finally waking up.  I had to lie about my sleepiness by claiming it was due to a miscast spell.  I dont want to lie to them, but neither do I want to tell them about the fact that I sacrificed millions (maybe billions) of people to save our world.  I dont regret my decision since it was the only option, but I am scared to find out Kira, Hikari and Veronicas reaction to that.  To find out your homeworld was annihilated would be heartbreaking even if you had already abandoned it.  And I dont want to find out what Hikari thinks about my actions.  When I first told her about my other world life and job, I knew that she didnt fully understand. 

The other world was still an abstract concept to her, a place that she only knew of from stories and fiction.  Talking of fighting and killing there just doesnt have the same impact.  She assumed that I only killed the monsters, and that all those people I caught for their bounties were the bad guys and that I was the hero, a misunderstanding that has only been reinforced due to Kira and Veronicas stories about me.  I dont blame her for this error, in fact I am grateful for it.  I too had that same illusion when I first traveled to the other world.  But I learned quickly that it wasnt only the bad guys that had dead or alive bounties.  Money is money and since I will not actively resort to crime to make it I learned not to fuss about the details on legal money-making opportunities. 

I am not a hero, but I am not a villain either.  I do my best to get by within the rules and I will only break them if necessary.  The other world changed me into a paranoid, cold-hearted bastard, but it is gone now and my world remains.  Theres no reason to think that I cant slowly start changing back into a normal human being now that my days of conflict are behind me and I can finally rest peacefully.

???s POV                 

Hello world!  My name is well, I dont have a name quite yet.  I was only born 2 days ago after all.  Despite my limited life experience, I can already say that this world is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo boooooooooooooooooring!  Theres no rampant destruction or wanton death anywhere!  There hasnt even been a war in this world in the last 5 years.  5 years!

The only things the world has going for it are the letter o, the massive amount of succulent 2-legged cattle, and the fact that I am now here to make things more lively.  The fresh corpse sitting next to me might disagree, but fuck him hes dead!  That librarian deserved it though, the nerve of him asking whether I have a library card!  Just remembering it again makes me so agitated!!!!! *Crunch* *Smash* *Tear* Ahhhhh, nothing like mauling a corpse to lift ones spirits.  As one might suspect due to there being a librarians corpse nearby, I am currently in a library.  Even though I had some instinctive general knowledge imbued to me at my birth, it was woefully inadequate.  Thus, I decided to go to a library.  The internet it had was very helpful.

It was thanks to the internet that I realized the plight of this world.  By reading the news and learning about the many issues and problems in this world I have discovered my calling.  I need to save this world from progressing down the wrong path of ABSOLUTE FUCKING MONOTONY!  I will show the world the beauty of blood-stained anything, the awesomeness of excessive explooooosions, the jooooys of the letter o, and how to properly cook a beef tartare.

I will need minions to accomplish the above goals (because seriously, who doesnt know that cooking with friends is way more fun than cooking alone).  Luckily, I have quite a few younger brothers and sisters.  They were born the same day I was, although I was born first and with the biggest bang.   They are currently scattered about but I can sniff them out easily enough.  There may be some rebellious ones but nothing a few eviscerations cant fix. 

My lovely siblings will be excellent minions even if they are not as strong, smart or handsome as myself.  A lean 6-foot frame with red hair and red eyes along with a pale, non-descript face make me quite attractive.  Okay, I lied.  I am rather ordinary looking apart from my coloring.  But in comparison to my siblings, I am by far the most attractive.  I will make a fine-looking statue after I save the world (or possibly destroy it, but lets not sweat the small details).

Before I can start down that path I need to pick a name for myself.  I cant imagine the kind of person who would do something as amazing as saving the world and not even tell anyone about it.  I need a name for the unwashed masses to cry out in despair as I ignite the faint embers of dullness in this world into an inferno of fun!  Ohh, I rather like the phrase inferno of fun its such a delicious mix of arson, playfulness and the letter o.  Its decided, that will be my lifes motto.

Anyway, back to figuring out my name.  Hmmm, decisions, decisions.  Lucifer is an option that appeals to me, but although I truly love his work I want a name that doesnt have so much history behind it.  Same reasoning would also eliminate the name Elmo.  Man, this is a tough question to answer  Wait, I have it!  As the one who will create an inferno of fun in this world, I need a name that is fitting towards that theme!  And I have just the one!  Ahem, so lets try the intro again.  Hello world! My name is Dante and I will be leading you into an inferno of fun!