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Elder flinched quite badly, and whipped around fast enough to attack the two in a blur of movement after calculating their speed. Though his attack could easily fail, since he didn't notice that the hunters could be armed with tranqs. But he was too busy focusing onto trying to kick them away, his attack instinct kicking in instantly.

Sterling paused to watch in disbelief as Hybrid turned into a Hunter Slaying machine. But the Hunters he recognized from the guild weren't newbies by any means. They ducked and avoided what blades they could--when the sound of a crossbow firing caught Sterling's attention. A bolt from the far left, zipped past one attacking Hunter and straight to Hybrid.

Sterling didn't know what to do, when suddenly he got the impression he was the only Hunter not attacking. And he couldn't very well attack his own kind. Could he?

The bolt hit Elder and he hisses in pain. His pupils vanish and he goes berserk, swiping and kicking madly with an injured arm. His tail would swing occasionally as he back flipped to avoid other shots, the blade slicing any guns that just happened to be in it's way.

Clearly Elder wouldn't back down this time. Even if it mreant getting challenged by groups of hunters aainst one lone bladed being of a doubtful origin.

Sterling saw the problem and knew that Hybrid wouldn't stop until the attacking did, or if he was drugged. "Stop attacking--you're only going to get yourselves killed." Sterling shouted to his fellow Hunters.

But they didn't heed his warnings and Hybrid wouldn't be able to control himself until they did. Sterling ran back for the Guild. He grabbed a handful of drugged bolts and a crossbow from the armory, before heading back. "Please, don't let them all be dead" he muttered.

When he returned the room was a mess. Elder was still attacking Hunters that came after him. His speed was weakened from the earlier bolt, but so far several Hunters were injured badly from his bladed tail that was stained red once more, barely chipped. He had a bullet hole wound on his other arm, but was still beating the heck out of every hunter that got within swiping distance, snarling loudly and angryly from his injuries.

Sterling wasted no time, loading and discharging the bolt at first Hybrid, then at his fellow surviving Hunters. Two of them lay bleeding on the ground already, so he didn't bother shooting them. They had started the attack, after all.

At last he ran out of targets. He had one additional bolt remaining, just in case. Already most of the Hunters were collapsing from the drugs.

It hit Elders knee, and he screeched in pain. After attcking a few more Hunters who eventualy fell anyway from the drugs,Elder fell to his knees from the drugged bolt. He attempted to stand up drowzily, but fell back to his knees. Barely staying awake, and wavering. His strength was failing from the drug, and his eyes were barely staying opened. ''Urrgh...'' He groaned, looking at the others, then Sterling. ''Not..The tranqs....'' He hissed, dazed, and close to falling face-first onto the ground.

"Sorry buddy," Sterling said, dropping his crossbow when Hybrid passed out. "Had to be done to keep the wanton slaying to a minimum." He looked at his fellow fallen hunters and sighed. Oh man, was he ever going to get scolded. "Let's go."

Once again, he draped his jacket around the bladed man and then dragged him away from the guild's proximity. He found a place to crash--a leanto that hadn't seen use in a year or so, and laid Hybrid down on the ground. Sterling took up watch at the door, mostly to keep an eye out for wandering Hunters--though he might look like a jailor rather than a protector at this point.

It was several hours after he had been dragged outside that he would start to sluggishly stir back awake, the drugs keeping him dazed. His arm with the normal bolt was bruised, the arrow stuck through it. The arm with the bullet hole was stained red, and wasn't moving at all.

''Urrrrgghh....'' Elder groaned again, coughing a bit as his mismatched eyes opened a bit. His vision was blurred slightly, his sight limited.

Sterling shifted to look back at Hybrid and only then realized he should have taken care of his wounds. Well...damn. Too much had happened too fast for him to do more than react.

He slowly approached Hybrid, kneeling down next to him--careful of the blades. He didn't even know where to begin; only that if he had actually slain Hybrid he wouldn't have this problem. He toyed with the tranq at his side, pondering.

Elder winced, the other previous tranq still on his knee.

''Urrk...Where...?'' He hissed, some blades broken.

"Sorry about that. I had to get you away from the guild. I found a place they likely--hopefully--won't find anytime soon. Probably they're waking up wondering what just happened."

Sterling sighed and ran his fingers through his short silver hair. "I'm afraid things just got very complicated."

He cringes and attempts to stand. But the shooting pain made him collapse, still dazed. ''What happened? I remember a shout..'' He hissed, on his back again....

His tail blade was missing.

Sterling moved to catch Hybrid, careful of his blades, and saw the missing tail blade. "You've lost your tail blade again." He sighed. "You want me to grab a healer and drag him out here? You'll just have to hold down the fort here."

Elder staggered up, crossed his arms, and gave Sterling the 'I hate you.' look. ''Why do people attack me?! I only fight if I feel threatened!''

Sterling arched a brow. "Where would you like me to begin? The fact that you're covered in blades? That you look threatening? That you're clearly no longer human?"

He shrugged. "Hunters attack anything they perceive as a threat--not that I'm defending them. But they also try to assess threats before they occur. Besides that, once you're attacked you become a very formidable opponent. And that is less likely to tell Hunters to leave you alone. All they'll think is that if you do go on a killing spree--you'll be really hard to stop."

Elder attempted remove the arrows stuck in his arms with his free hand, but winced in pain. ''These things are stuck...'' He grumbled.

''I was human until those fiendish humans took me away from my family and turned me into this thing! My wife fled in fear, and my kids were sent off. I was tossed into an arena as nothing more than a monster that need to be killed. Yet I still live, because everything that tries killing me is killed by my blades! It wasn't my choice to be this!'' He hissed, limp arms flesh seen through the bullet hole.

Sterling pursed his lips. Hybrid Elder's situation was exactly why he had stayed single. He couldn't put up with the thought of losing a family or leaving one behind.

"You're much stronger than I am," he said gruffly. "And crossbows pack a wallop. Let me fetch a healer before you try anything." Assuming of course he didn't get apprehended in the streets by his fellow Hunters. "Stay here while I'm gone."

Elder grumbled but stayed put, wincing from the arrows. The tranq still had a bit in it as he passed out again, with a thunk.

Sterling kept to the shadows, for once not hunting vampires and demons, but trying to escape the eyes of his fellow Hunters. He made it to the healer without any difficulties and explained the situation briefly. The healer accepted and they headed back.

Unfortunately they found the site where he'd knocked out the hunters. And the healer looked at him reproachfully. The hunters were only beginning to stir.

"Sorry, there wasn't time to explain to them and Hybrid was going all out. I didn't want any more to die."

The healer shook his head. "You stay here then and reason with them. I'll be fine with Hybrid." The healer left Sterling alone with the waking Hunters, and finally came to the described shack. "Hybrid Elder? I'm a healer, are you in there?" Carefully he cracked the door open.