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"There's nothing special about keeping a cool head in battle, Mathias. It's called experience. After the first few times you manage to not die you start to get the hang of it." Kait said.
Matt, Digo, and even William all laughed at that. After the laughter died down William looked to Digo once again.
"So, Digo, you've heard what we can all do. How about you? How do you fight?" Will asked.
Digo looked nervous for a moment, and suddenly got very quiet.
"Before I answer, let me ask you all something." Digo said. "How do you truly feel about fiends? About their presence in our world? And about our fight against them as Hunters?"
The other Hunters seemed a bit thrown off guard by this line of questioning. Will looked thoughtful and Kait looked like she was about to blurt out an answer, but Matt beat her to it.
"Honestly, I'm just here for the challenge." The boisterous warrior stated. "I don't really care who or what it is. As a Hunter I've faced dozens of dangerous fiends. But I've had my fair share of missions where we hunted normal dangerous animals and even people who were preying on other humans. I'm here to challenge myself. It's just a nice bonus that I get to help people and earn a living while I'm at it."
"I agree with Matt." William said. "We hunt fiends because they're dangerous and they harm and kill people. But we do the same thing for animals and humans. We hunt the things that have proven to be a threat to people. We don't go stalking through the countryside killing every fiend, animal, or person that might be a danger to people though."
"So you're saying that if you saw a fiend, and it had not proven itself to be a danger to people you leave it be to go along its way?" Digo asked.
"Hell no!" Kait piped in. "We're Hunters. It's our job to kill fiends. They're all monsters, and they need to be eradicated."
"Why do you feel that way?" Digo asked. "Why do fiends need to be destroyed, but no dangerous people or animals?"
"Because they're fiends. Why do you think we call them fiends? Because they're monsters that exist only to cause misery and suffering to people. If humans are ever going to live in peace then all fiends need to be killed. Because as long as even one fiend still lives then there will still be somebody suffering somewhere."
"I don't agree with that." William said. "As long as a fiend isn't posing a threat to anybody then I'd just as soon leave it be. You can say that that makes me a bad Hunter. But I think that as long as it hasn't done anything against people then it hasn't done anything to deserve being killed for."
"I agree with Will that I'd leave it be. So long as it's just a normal fiend. If it looks big and strong and dangerous, though, then I'd probably destroy it. But just for the sake of getting a good fight out of it." Matt said.
Digo turned to the others at the table.
"Mathias? Enyo? How about you guys?"

Mathias listened to the others as they each answered Digo's question in their own way. He munched on a hind end of bread as he considered his own answer, and swallowed it when the question was turned to him,"Well, to be honest. So far as I know, there has not been a fiend that has been interested in a nice peaceful conversation, or that stepped aside in the road to let the elderly pass. My experience with fiends thus far has seen them tear people and animals in half, or devour them whole. Not once have I heard of a fiend with benign intentions towards others not of it's own kind. I became a Hunter for a few reasons that reflect those already said. For the challenge and to prove myself, to protect those that need protecting, and to keep the helpless safe. If we ever came across a fiend that didn't immediately attack us or others...well, we'd have to see."

Mathias opened his mouth to take another bite of his piece of bread and froze as Digo transformed. He stayed that way, mouth open, not moving, even as his bread fell from stiff fingers to tumble off his plate and onto the floor.

Mathias' teeth clicked shut as Digo changed back, and he blinked his eyes a few times to be sure they were working properly. The others at the table were exclaiming angrily as Digo stood uncertainly and a little afraid. William had interposed himself between Digo and the others, and Mathias spoke up, though his voice sounded a little shaken,"To be sure, our superiors would have known about...Digo...before granting him acceptance to the Corps. But yes Digo, please tell us how you came to be here."

Digo grabbed up his clothes and then sat down. He began snapping them back together, one snap at a time, while he spoke.
"I'm human." Digo said, specifically to Kait. "Trust me, I questioned that myself for quite a long time. When I first came here your superiors had your medic, Kimiko examine me. She assured us that I'm human. Though apparently there is a seed of fiendish power in me. Which is what lets me do what I do. Which is take on the aspects of a fiend."
"I've actually known others who had powers that seemed pretty fiendish. But they used them to help us fight against the fiends, which was good enough for me." Will said.
"Exactly what your superiors, or maybe I should say our superiors, told me." Digo said.
"Well, that explains how and why you're here." Matt said. "But about your power. How exactly does it work. You just turn into a cat person?"
"For right now, yeah. Because that was the form of the last fiend that I slayed. A cat fiend. My power lets me take on the aspects of any fiend. So long as I ingest a part of that fiend. I have to eat a piece of their flesh, or hair, or even a drop of blood. And then I can become a hybrid version of that fiend. But only the last one that I ingested. If on my next mission I ingest a part of a bug fiend then I will be able to transform into a hybrid bug fiend. But I wont be able to change into my cat form anymore. And I have to be in human form when I ingest the fiends essence." Digo explained.
Kait looked on during the explanation with an ever darkening glower. "That sounds disgusting. Having to eat a part of a monster in order to become a monster yourself. I think I'd rather slay myself than live like that."
"Don't think I haven't considered it." Digo said. "Trust me. I've lived most of my life being told I'm a monster. And for a long time I believed it. I still do somewhat. But if I can use this curse to do some good, then I think that that's what I should do."
"Hmph." Kate snorted at him. "Do all the good you think you need to. You're still at least part demon. And you can stop telling me to trust you, 'cause that ain't gonna happen."
Kate turned on her heels and stormed out of the room.
"How about the rest of you?" Digo asked. "Do you all feel the same?"
"I think you're a person." Will said."You have a power you didn't ask for and that has made you an outcast. Now you're going to be using that power to help save the same people that outcast you. In my opinion that makes you one of the good guys."
"I'm cool with it." Matt said. "There's lots of us here with weird powers. If we got all uptight about where they came from and what they mean who knows if we'd all be able to keep working together. Hell, even I've got weird powers. Maybe I'm a little fiendish too, who knows. But I'm not worried about it."

(( But Enyo already gave her opinion razz ))

Enyo stood up and stretched. She had learned all she needed to know about the new hunter and was now interested in figuring out what Kiro was up to. She then followed out after him very stealthily.

Kiro had made his way to the stables again. He had a couple bags with him so she assumed he was heading out for a long journey. Kiro, what are you up to? Enyo thought to herself, her golden eyes studying him.

Kiro climbed up onto one of the larger horses. Enyo finally decided to enter the doorway and stand in Kiro's way. "So, where are you headed?" Enyo pried.
Kiro's horse rode right up to Enyo and stopped. "Out." Kiro replied vaguely.
"Hmmm?" Enyo seemed interested. "Take me with." She insisted.
"No." Kiro asserted quickly. "This is something that's extremely dangerous and has nothing to do with you." He added and pulled and reins back causing the horse to proceed, but Enyo got in the way.
"I'm coming." Enyo persisted. "Or I will let William know you're going out to do something dangerous by yourself. We both know he won't stay put here." Enyo threatened while she continued to stare Kiro down.
"Fine. Get on." Kiro said, finally giving in. Enyo climbed up and sat behind Kiro on the large steed. "So, where are we going?" She asked.
"Danaliag." Kiro replied and pulled back on the reins again causing the horse to take off and leave the Corps. heading south.
"Why Danaliag?" Enyo asked curiously as they sped out.
"It's where my old headquarters is, one of them anyway. Axis is becoming more active again." Kiro explained in a very serious voice. "I'll tell you more on the way."

Mathias nodded to William's words and took his time eating the rest of his food. The travel rations he and his team had to eat while on mission weren't bad, but they couldn't compare to the fare the chefs at the Citadel could whip up. When he was finished, Mathias had to stifle an impressive yawn when his body remembered it was tired from the recent healing. He turned in his plate and tableware before heading to his dorm room to get some much needed rest. The thought of another mission excited him almost to the point of insomnia. Almost... ZZZzzzZZZzzz