Coogs: Cursed Brand

(prologue)

The waves echoed as the helpless cries of a baby broke the silence of the sea.

In the middle of that endless vastness, only he and his mother remained.

The woman’s name was Marta.

For long nights, mother and child had drifted at the mercy of the ocean, abandoned to its whims, with the hope of finding solid ground growing weaker with each passing hour. The icy wind stole their breath, while hunger and exhaustion slowly consumed the little strength Marta had left. Even so, whenever the child cried, she held him tightly against her chest, as if that simple gesture could shield him from the entire world.

Finally, at the dawn of the sixth day, when despair had begun to devour the last fragments of hope, a silhouette appeared on the horizon: the shore.

It was their salvation.

When they finally reached land, Marta could barely remain standing. Her legs trembled and her breathing was shallow, yet she gathered what little strength remained within her. Taking her son in her arms, she began walking with unsteady steps, determined to find help.

But the body has its limits, even when the heart refuses to accept them.

She had barely taken a few steps before her strength completely abandoned her. Marta collapsed onto the damp sand, clutching little Alfred tightly to her chest, as if she feared the world itself might try to take him away.

Not far from there, a fisherman working along the coast had witnessed the scene. When he saw the woman collapse onto the sand, he dropped his nets and ran toward her.

When he arrived, he paused for a moment, surprised to discover that the woman was protecting a baby in her arms.

But his surprise quickly gave way to compassion.

The fisherman turned out to be a man of kind heart. Without asking questions or hesitating for a single moment, he took Marta and little Alfred under his care, offering refuge to two lives the sea had nearly claimed.

(Chapter 1)

Years passed, and Alfred grew up. Together with his brother, they became soldiers of an important mercenary faction called “Cruise.”

They were on a rescue mission. From the shadows of the bushes, they observed a castle where a hostage was being held - someone their faction’s leader wanted.

Alfred carefully evaluated the situation, noticing the large number of guards protecting the castle.

Determined, Alfred advanced stealthily. His pupils changed, becoming very similar to those of a lizard. Much of his face became covered in scales, revealing a unique ability.

One of the guards noticed movement in the bushes and approached to investigate. But Alfred perfectly camouflaged himself with the environment, becoming invisible to the human eye. The guard, seeing nothing unusual, returned to his post.

Alfred continued forward and dropped the invisibility, since he couldn’t maintain it for long.

Soon he faced a wall blocking his path. Without hesitation, he placed his hands against it. His hands had adhesive properties, allowing him to climb the wall with ease.

When he reached the top, several guards were waiting. With little effort, he silently eliminated them.

His movements were precise and stealthy.

He approached the main door. As soon as he arrived, his instincts warned him that more guards were waiting inside. He opened the door and, with lethal speed, killed them with his knives before they could react. The floor quickly became covered in blood.

Beyond the bodies stood the hostage’s cell. Inside was a young girl, chained, with a cold expression - as if she were already dead inside.

Alfred greeted her and approached the cell. Just as he was about to break it open, a bullet struck him. One guard was still alive.

Alfred fell to his knees. The wounded soldier approached him to finish the job. But suddenly a sharp sword pierced the guard.

The last thing the guard heard were the whispers of his killer:

“Sleep like the first time.”

The guard collapsed, taking his final breath. The killer was Alfred’s brother - Gael.

“Are you alright, brother?” Gael asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just let my guard down.”

Gael extended his hand, and Alfred used it to stand. The wound he had suffered had already disappeared, leaving only a hole in his clothing. He also possessed the ability to regenerate injuries.

Without wasting time, they headed toward the hostage’s cell. The girl stared at them intensely. Her face showed both anger and fear.

Alfred approached and transformed his hand into a reptilian claw. The girl was shocked. Those claws were ferocious.

With little effort, he broke the steel bars. Gael lifted the hostage over his shoulder, and together with his brother, they left the place.

“Where are you taking me?” the girl shouted. “I demand that you release me!”

“Danko wants you for some reason,” Alfred said calmly.

“Relax. Nothing will happen to you if you cooperate.”

“Exactly,” Gael added. “Just do what he says and everything will go fine.”

“I don’t know what he wants from me, but I refuse to cooperate with scoundrels like you.”

“What? Did you hear what we just told you?”

“Yes. And don’t you understand he’s capable of killing you?”

“I don’t care. My life stopped having meaning a long time ago.”

“Well, brother,” Gael said, “this is going to be harder than we thought.”

Suddenly, a chill ran through Alfred’s body.

“Shhh... silence.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Something is approaching.”

From the bushes, bandits emerged, aiming weapons and bows at them. They belonged to the same clan that had been holding the girl prisoner.

“Drop your weapons and hand over the girl.”

Gael looked at Alfred. With a single glance, he signaled that it was time to act fiercely.Alfred closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The atmosphere changed. Something was about to happen.

His body began to transform.

His size increased. His body became covered in sharp scales, and his face turned completely reptilian. This was his final form.

The bandits were terrified.

One of them ordered the others to kill the beast. But before he could react, his hand fell to the ground - a clean cut had severed it. Gael had taken advantage of the distraction.

In a swift motion, he redirected his sword toward the bandit’s chest and stabbed him through the heart, killing him instantly.

The remaining bandits couldn’t believe what was happening.

Now they were the ones being hunted.

With his sharp claws, Alfred mutilated several of them. Their attacks barely affected him. His skin was extremely tough.

Within minutes, all the bandits were dead.

Alfred returned to his original form, completely exhausted and breathing heavily.

“Are you alright, brother?” Gael asked.

“Yes... I just need to rest.”

The hostage watched them in astonishment. She couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed.In her mind she wondered:

Who are they?

After Alfred recovered, they continued their journey. They moved as far away from the castle as possible until they reached a dense forest.

After pushing through the bushes, they found a ship waiting for them. A man greeted them and informed them that Danko was waiting aboard.

They greeted their fellow members of the Cruise faction and brought the hostage before Danko.Danko welcomed them in his cabin, sitting while drinking alcohol. He congratulated Alfred and Gael on the success of the mission.

Curious, Gael asked:

“Who is she? And how could she benefit us?”

“She is Anna Demour.”

“Demour? That means...”

“Yes. She is the daughter of Frank Demour.”

“I see. You want to use her as a hostage.”

“Not exactly. She knows something that interests me.”

“What do you want from me?” Anna murmured.

Danko approached and grabbed her by the chin.

“I want you to tell me where your father is.”

“I... I don’t know,” Anna said.

Danko stared at her - and suddenly slapped her.

“You’re lying. Just like him.

”Danko drew his sword and placed the tip against Anna’s neck.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I swear I’m capable of skinning you alive if you don’t cooperate. So the choice is yours.”

“Fine... I’ll tell you.”

Danko smiled slightly and leaned closer to listen.

“He is hiding in-”

But at that exact moment, Anna boldly spat in Danko’s face.

This enraged him.

Furious, he punched her in the stomach, leaving her gasping on the floor. He placed his boot on her and pulled out his arquebus, aiming it directly at her head.

Again he demanded she speak.

Anna, with blood in her mouth, remained defiant.

Danko, impatient, ordered Karl to bring “the other hostage.”

Anna was confused. She had no idea what he meant.

Karl returned carrying a six-year-old boy.

The child was Anna’s little brother.

Danko grabbed the boy and pointed the arquebus at him, increasing the pressure on Anna to speak.

“Who is that child?” Alfred wondered, since he had never seen him before.

“I don’t know,” Gael replied. “Danko and the others must have captured him just like we captured Anna.”

“So Danko already expected this could happen,” Alfred said quietly. “He had an ace up his sleeve.

”Anna was under enormous pressure.

She didn’t value her own life anymore, but she valued the lives of her brother and mother.She had to choose who to save.

With tears in her eyes, she finally agreed to cooperate.

“My father is on one of the Slinabar Islands. It’s his most frequent refuge.”

Danko released the boy and ordered Gael and Alfred to guard him and his sister in separate places.

They obeyed.

Alfred took the little boy by the hand.

“Don’t worry. Everything is over now. Soon you’ll be with your sister.”

Gael escorted Anna as well.

But Gael sensed something in her that troubled him.

Deep down... he didn’t feel right about this.