Realistic or Modern SLAYR: Uber for Demon Hunters

[Kameron Esters-]

Edger took another sip of his iced caramel mocha, watching Renee recount her victory over the brute with a combination of amusement and admiration. It had been a wild day, and listening to her excitedly describe their teamwork and the adrenaline rush of combat was a good reminder of how intense things had gotten.

“You know, Ren,” he said with a casual shrug, using the nickname for the first time, “we probably made Clint’s day back there. I don’t think he expected two ‘rookies’ to pull off a kill like that. Not bad for our first tag team.” Edger leaned back in the booth, savoring the aftertaste of his drink while observing the slow flow of the late-night diner.

When Renee's phone buzzed, and she started panicking about the "Currency Fighterz" release, Edger grinned. “First demons, now collectibles. You really live on the edge, don’t you?”

Edger had gotten used to Renee’s quirks throughout the day—the intense gacha obsession, the surprisingly effective use of a shovel as a weapon, and her knack for getting tangled in the weirdest jobs. She was tough and clever, even if her priorities sometimes revolved around animated figures rather than the lurking dangers of Sunset Gates. But that was part of her charm.

“I get it, though. You have your thing.” He gestured to her phone. “If it helps, I’ll give you a ride over to Sunrise Heights tomorrow. Can’t have you missing out on that chibi figure.” He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Plus, I think we deserve a reward after today. It’s been a hell of a ride.”
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

"really? That would be a big help," said Renee, brightening up. "The train is always running late, I guess it's been a while since they spent any money to maintain or upgrade the lines or anything. I could buy you lunch or something as thanks. There's a pretty decent ramen place in Sunrise Heights I usually go to,"

The rest of the meal passed in agreeable chatter and the two demon hunters made plans to meet up the next morning outside of Renee's house. In her excitement, Renee scheduled the meetup for earlier in the morning then she normally woke up, but that would be fine. Renee would just get an early night tonight and set an alarm, no problem.

---

"RENEE!" The girl in question bolted upright in response to her name being called, a static-y orange halo of bed hair floating around her bleary expression. "There's a car outside! I'm pretty sure it's that friend you said you were gonna get a ride from!"

"Bwuh?" said Renee, then she blinked, patted the bed next to her until she found her phone next to her and unlocked it to check the time. "Shit!" Renee said, scrambling out from under her covers and bolting across the carpet for the bathroom. "I'LL BE DOWN IN A MINUTE!" Renee called down to her Mother through the bathroom door as she frantically tried to brush her hair and teeth at the same time.

On the ground floor, Elaine Walker rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest as she watched the car idling outside her house from her position leaning in the frame of the doorway. The family resemblance was fairly apparent, although Renee's mother kept her orange hair longer and tied back in a sensible ponytail. She also seemed not to need glasses, or perhaps preferred contacts.

"You might as well come inside, she's going to be a while longer" Elaine called to the young man behind the wheel of the car. He was a bit scruffy looking, but college students all looked like that more or less. The one's who turned up to class wearing a suit or something were the ones you had to look out for. Having made her decision, Elaine retreated from the doorway, leaving it open for Edger to follow inside.

The Walker house was modestly sized, but neat and modern, with lots of sleek decor in navy and slate hues. The only thing out of place was a large, grey cushion on the carpet in the living room, next to a coffee table dominated by a silver laptop and a stack of print outs.

Kameron Esters-

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Edger cut the engine and gave the car’s dashboard a light pat, as if coaxing a promise out of it to behave. The vehicle—a battered but loyal old sedan he’d nicknamed “Old Reliable”—had been with him through more than its fair share of adventures. It wasn’t much to look at, but it always got him where he needed to go. Today, it was Sunrise Heights, with a stop to pick up his new demon-hunting partner.

Edger stepped out of the car, stretching his arms and taking in the quiet street. The Walker house was neat and unassuming, though the slight chaos of Renee’s morning routine was already apparent from the sound of muffled shouting through the open upstairs window. He adjusted his leather jacket—a little worn at the elbows but still functional—and ran a hand through his slightly messy hair, trying to smooth it down before giving up entirely.

Elaine Walker’s voice from the door startled him. She had a commanding tone, one that made Edger straighten reflexively, even though she wasn’t speaking to him directly. When she offered to let him inside, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded politely. “Uh, thanks. That’d be great,” he said, closing the car door and heading up the driveway.

Inside, Edger took in the living room at a glance. The Walker household was... normal. The navy-and-slate aesthetic reminded him of the kind of places he’d seen in catalogues, not the more mismatched vibe of his apartment. But what stood out most was the cushion on the floor by the coffee table, surrounded by papers and a laptop. It gave the space a sense of life and personality—like someone had been working here, maybe Renee, sprawled out on the floor researching demons between gaming sessions.

“Nice place,” he said, stepping carefully so as not to disturb the setup. He gestured toward the cushion with a slight smile. “Renee’s battle station, I take it? Looks about right for her.”
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Elaine rolled her eyes. "Even though she has a perfectly good computer in her room. Apparently she gets distracted if she tries to do work stuff there so she's taken over the living room as well. "I suppose it's for the best that she's not cooped up in there as much these days. There was a time she would have stayed up there for weeks at a time if I didn't make her come down for meals. It's gotten better since she started this job but I still wish she was socializing more," Elaine said, eyeing Edger thoughtfully. "I suppose I should thank you for today than,"

"Aaaaalright that's enough of that," said Renee suddenly, having hurried down the stairs to interrupt. Renee's "off duty" clothes weren't all that different from her working clothes, although she had swapped out her heavy boots for canvas flats that didn't add to her height and was wearing a t shirt she actually liked instead of one she didn't mind getting covered in demon blood. The shirt was an anime print, but one that had been made in collaboration with a streetwear label, so the design was abstract and stylish enough to pass muster in public. Renee had several such shirts, although she rarely got the chance to actually where them.

"Oh come on, we didn't even get to the baby photos yet," said Elaine, rolling her eyes.

"And you won't," said Renee snippily, ushering Edger out towards the the door. "Bye Mum,"

"See you," said Elaine, "Try not to run into any devils hmm? It's your day off after all,"

They're demons Mum!" Renee called back as she closed the door behind her, then she heaved a sigh. "Alright let's go!" Renee said to Edger. "I am not missing out on this drop!"

---

The drive over to Sunrise heights was fairly straight forward, there wasn't much to see aside from fields and a few housing developments, most of which had stalled out at one point or another before filling out all their plots.

"So is their anywhere you wanna go in particular?" Renee asked after a while, resting her elbow against the frame of the car window. "I said I'd buy you lunch but we'll have time to hit up some other stores before that," Renee said, then added guiltily. "After we go to Su-pop-nova of course,"

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Edger chuckled as he kept his eyes on the road, the corners of his mouth tugged into an easy smile. “Hey, no complaints here. I know the stakes. First stop: Su-pop-nova. The sacred ground of limited-edition drops and exclusive merch.” He gave her a quick glance, his tone teasing. “Wouldn’t want to stand between you and the holy grail of gacha redemption!”

The fields rolling past the windows didn’t offer much in the way of scenery, but Edger didn’t mind. The open road was a nice change from the cramped, chaotic energy of the city. He leaned back a little in his seat, relaxing into the casual vibe of the drive. “But yeah, after you’ve secured your loot, I wouldn’t mind wandering around. I’ve heard Sunrise Heights has a decent little music shop somewhere. Vinyls, cassettes, that kind of stuff. Been meaning to pick up something new for my collection!”

He shot Renee a smirk. “Or old, I guess, depending on how you look at it. Not exactly cutting-edge technology, but there’s something nice about the crackle of an old record, you know?”

Edger tapped the steering wheel lightly, mulling it over. “That ramen place you mentioned sounds good for lunch, though. If it’s your go-to, I’m guessing it’s gotta be worth checking out! Anything else we run into along the way, I’m game to explore! Days off like this don’t come around often, so might as well make the most of it!”

He glanced over at her, noticing the subtle excitement radiating off her. “You know, Ren, you’re gonna have to show me what all the hype’s about with this Su-pop-nova place. Never been, but I’m guessing it’s like paradise for your kind of thing, huh? I’m half-expecting it to have its own theme music when we walk in.”
AtlannianSpy

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Renee shrugged lightly. "Honestly there are better stores if you go up to one of the bigger cities, Su-pop-nova is kinda corporate so you won't find anything really rare or whatever. It's the best we have in the area though and they sometimes have some good sales,"

The conversation tapered off as they pulled into Sunrise Heights and Renee let Edger focus on finding a park. Sunrise Heights was ultimately a fairly similar city to Sunset Gates, the major difference being that it was a bit more reliant on tourism and so consequently it was designed to be a bit more inviting. The sidewalks were nice and wide, with trees planted at regular intervals and plenty benches and other amenities. The storefronts, at least the ones here along the main road, were clean and modern. It was still relatively early, so the traffic was far from where it would peak, but there were still a decent number of shoppers and a few cafes and eateries were dealing with what looked to be healthy brunch crowds.

"It's this one up ahead," Renee said to Edger, after they had parked and walked down the main street a bit. Renee was pointing out a bright orange and black storefront, with a stylized explosion as the logo. "Good it doesn't look too busy yet,"

As soon as Renee said that however the store's automatic doors slid open and a middle aged woman exited, carrying two enormous bags branded with Su-pop-nova's star logo and wearing a slightly smug expression.

Renee tilted her head slightly. The woman didn't look at all like the typical clientele of Su-pop-nova, and while she obviously could have been gift shopping the two big bags she was carrying seemed like too big a haul for a gift. Even if you wanted to spend a lot of money on a gift, most people would buy one expensive thing instead of lots of stuff all at once. Then realization strike Renee like a thunderbolt!

"Scalpers!" Renee hissed under her breath, her voice dripping with contempt. "We gotta go now!" Renee said urgently, darting forwards with the kind of agility she normally only displayed when hunting demons. "Those collector editions belong in the hands of collectors not resellers!"

---

The interior of the store was indeed a haven to a certain kind of person. The store was full of tall shelves packed full of various bounties: everything from manga and comic books to pvc sculptures of scantily clad anime heroines. Renee ignored all of these tempting distractions in favor of making a beeline for the bluray section, where a special display had been erected. There was a cardboard cutout of Miss U.S dollar, one of the heroines of Currency Fighterz, wearing her trademark daisy dukes and american flag bikini. A speech bubble entreated passersby to "invest today, we've been waiting for you!" There should also have been a neat pyramid of boxed blurays to go with the cutout, but that had been sadly depleted. Renee's eyes narrowed with grim resolve as she realised there was in fact only one bluray left! Renee made a desperate lunge for her prize, but just as her hands snapped shut on the boxset she collided with someone and was sent staggering backwards.

"Watch where the fuck you're going!" said a nasally, indignant boice as Renee collied with Edger behind her.

"S-sorry," Renee muttered, steadying herself against Edger and getting a look at the other person.

He was tall, but in gangly, slightly awkward way and the baggy jeans and black hoodie he wore hung off his frame in an unflattering way and his face was twisted in a fierce grimace, as though the simple collision had caused him serious pain.