"Have a nice day." Scooter mumbles as he lays down the 7 of hearts. The slap of card against wooden table echoes throughout the tiny bunker, the only noise in an otherwise silent game. This wasn't the most comfortable place to play a game of cards, but it was what they had available to them.
"Merci" comes a soft female voice to Scooter's right. The 3 of hearts is laid down on top of the 7, the pampered green hand retracting almost as quickly as it had appeared. Snipe blinks her tired eyes as she adjusts her beret. The 'Active' LED of her comm washes the dank room in a soft blue. The player to her right raises an eyebrow and lays down a 3 of clubs.
"Ahem... Rye." The other players look at him expectantly. He gazes around the table somewhat nervously, though trying his level best to maintain a poker face.
'He's trying, Snipe, give him a shot.'
'My thoughts exactly.'
The distinct sound of a pistol being cocked breaks the nervous elf's facade entirely, sweat pouring down his face and his legs wobbling furiously. Scooter plants his face in his massive hand. 'Not what I meant, Snipe.' He hands a card to the elf.
The tired orc lets out a slow stream of air through her nose as she contemplates her current hand of cards. After a second or two, she plays a 5 of clubs. "Lettuce."
Scooter rolls his eyes and continues the game with an ace. "You're welcome, and bacon."
'If you two are just going to scare the poor guy, why did you even bring him here?'
'Do not ask me, Mother. It was Scooter's idea.'
To Scooter's left, a peculiar digital tablet sat attached to a hovering terminal, complete with two long robot arms. On the screen was a simple, comically adorable pixelated face. One of the arms places a Jack of clubs, the tablet turning to the left and giving the poor elf a seductive wink, whispering "Tomato" in a synthesized high pitch voice. The elf whimpers in response, not at all sure what that was supposed to mean.
"Y-you're not g-g-gonna kill me, r-right?" The elf asks, his hands shaking too much to effectively hold his cards. Scooter lowers his sunglasses to fix a disappointed glare at him, as Mother silently places a card in front of him. "Ah! Sorry! So sorry!" Scooter tsks and shakes his head, Mother handing the elf yet another card. He gulps hard, biting back the rest of his inquiries. Instead, he plays a Jack of diamonds. "Um... Sourdough?"
Scooter pinches the bridge of his nose, using his free hand to make a circular motion, as if indicating for the elf to keep going.
"Uh! Um... Have a good day?"
'God damn it, just do it.'
'Avec plaisir'
'Snipe...'
The shot happens too fast for the nameless elf to react, even with fear. A silenced bullet pierces through his skull. Scooter throws his cards onto the table, clearly sick of this whole thing.
"I'm sick of this whole thing!" He exclaims, breaking the silence. "Horizon has some damn nerve making us sit around like this!"
"Scooter, get yourself together!" The floating tablet hovers above the table, dropping it's cards into the pile. "This is important!"
"But why?!" He slams a fist into the table, sending splinters in multiple directions. He collects his breath for a moment before turning to Snipe. "Why is this whole situation such a mystery? Why can't you tell us a damn thing?"
Snipe sinks further into her chair, pulling her beret down to put more shade on her face.
"No, you're not playing the victim here! Why are we in this bunker?!"
"Why did you bring the elf?" Mother asks, legitimately curious. "I mean, you were planning on killing him, weren't you? And now we're stuck in this bunker with a dead elf."
"Don't complain, you ain't got a nose or nothin', so what's it matter to you?" Scooter walks around the table and kicks the dead body. "Besides, we gotta eat once the food runs out."
"Don't even joke about that! Ugh I'm going to be sick!" The robotic arms connected to the tablet press against what would be the screen's forehead.
"Don't be so dramatic." The imposing troll turns back toward Snipe, who has her face buried in a magazine. "And don't think I forgot about my question! Stop reading your damn fashion mags and talk to me." He reaches over and snags the magazine, looking at the orc on the cover for a moment before tossing it away behind him. Snipe has sunk further, her face almost entirely obscured by the high collar of her pea coat.
'I wish I could, mon ami...'
Scooter sighs regretfully, knowing he probably pushed her too far. It's easy to forget sometimes that she has feelings, considering she was also responsible for the corpse bleeding on her boots.
"Look, if it's that bastard Jason again, I will not hesitate to storm their HQ and put a rear tire through his skull."
Almost as if to answer his question, Snipe's comm begins to ring. She lets out a low groan, clutching at her beret as if it could somehow help her out of the situation. "Could I please have some privacy?" She asks somberly.
Scooter almost throws back a snarky response, but Mother quickly pinches his ear and drags him up the ladder, out into the open field above them.
Snipe waits until the hatch is closed and sealed before she pinches her ear lobe, answering the call.
"Snipe, baby! How's it been? Lots of killing and crime and whatnot?"
"I do not wish to be cordial with you, Jason. We have unfinished business." Snipe sits up in her chair, rubbing her eyes to alleviate the itching. "For instance, why have I not been paid?"
"Oh, all business as always. It's like you don't want to talk to me! What's eating you, hon?"
"Don't call me... Whatever, no I don't like talking to you." She stands and retrieves the magazine that Scooter had discarded. "I have not been paid. It has been over a year, and the assassination yielded the exact results you had hoped for." She opens up to the page she had been on before. "The Technomancer insurgence has been nearly stamped out, their leader made martyr and forgotten, and your free labor is still free. You owe me for that, and for my reputation."
"Babe, we talked about this! You signed a contract, I did my part, you did part of your part. Get me, partner?"
"We are not partners." Snipe continues to flip through the pages of her magazine, admiring the models highlighted on each page. 'And who said orcs can't be beautiful?' "And by what do you mean that I have done part of my part? I did what you asked of me."
"Not according to this."
A document comes into view on her external optical display. All at once, her world comes crashing down around her. "How... Did you get this?" Her voice barely above a whisper.
"Well, that got your attention. You want to talk business, let's talk business." The document shown to the orc switches to the correct one, showing the contract that she had signed. "See, this contract doesn't mean shit. Now if you had read over the damn thing with your mommy, you might have noticed that I'm not actually contractually obligated to pay you, not until I'm done with you, and I'm not done with you."
"You leave Mother out of this, I swear to God!"
"Or else what, you gonna shoot me? Cool, try it. I know how you work, sitting in some cushy hole miles away from your target, shooting through windows and anybody or anything in between. Have fun finding a place to get me in my office. And even if you do kill me, I have a neural rig wired to the matrix with every teeny tiny detail about you. Not hard, seeing as I know who you are now."
"Fine, but she has nothing to do with this!"
"Oh, but doesn't she? I know who she is too, you know. Or at least, what she is. Tech is my business! How can you really say she isn't in some way involved?"
Snipe puts down her magazine, trying her best to keep her trembling in check. "This is insane, Jason. How can I even agree to help you when I don't know what I'm helping you with?"
"That's for me to know, and for you to know later, when I need you. Honestly, who wouldn't want to have one of the most notorious assassins in the West in their pocket?" Silence... "So? Deal or no deal?" More silence...
"You know... I've heard great things of Bordeaux, especially the whine. Would you recommend it?"
"No! You wouldn't!"
"Ah, that got you, didn't it? Listen, do what I say, when I say, and dear old dad gets to live peacefully in his vineyard. Deal?"
Snipe clenches her fists as hard as she can, biting her lip as if to stop herself from saying anything more. But... What choice did she have?
"When will I hear from you again?"
"Soon. Oh, and... The blue dress looks nice on you. Blue has always been your color."
The comm line cuts out, and Snipe tears the device from her ear and throws it as far away from herself as she can. She sits back in her chair, face in her hands and sobs.
'I'll never wear blue again...'
Saturday, April 28, 2018
The Hunt is On!
Vyn could have easily hunted the Diablos herself...
She was starting regret letting Fei go off to hunt on her own, but hunting isn't her job any more. Being a handler was easy work... Almost too easy. She was getting bored.
"Hey, partner, how's the hunt going?"
Nothing from the other end. Fei didn't talk much. In fact, it was pretty common for her to go off on a hunt, and then show up 15 minutes later with a bag full of monster parts, not a single word or update in between. Sometimes, Vyn had to wonder how she made it through those longer hunts without restocking her ammo.
The bowgun was always a mystery to Vyn. Call her simple minded, but somehow she was never able to grasp the logistics of managing ammo. Perhaps it was the concept of keeping track of numbers while also keeping track of the monster.
Moments like these tend to give Vyn pause, wondering if she doesn't give Fei enough credit. In all fairness, she's never failed a hunt so far, and in fact she never really needed much assistance. Only once or twice has she come back to camp beaten and bruised, and every time she got right back up and marched on, the same tired look in her eyes like this was a complete drag.
"If only she took her job more seriously. Goodness, the things she could accomplish if she just woke up, or at least drank some coffee."
Vyn's communicator comes to life unexpectedly, a familiar voice coming through.
"Boss, we got a situation!" Mozart says in something of a panic. Sounds of crushing rock and ear piercing screeches can be heard in the background. "There's more than one of these things!" He lets out a labored breath, giving away that he's currently running away from something very fast. "And they're both pissed off!"
"Two Diablos? That's odd... Unless..." Vyn thinks back to her experience with Diablos in the past. Something about the situation seemed familiar. "By any chance, is the second one black?"
"Sure is, and it's big, and it's trying to kill everyone, including the other Diablos!"
Vyn sighs, but smiles a little at the idea of getting to see some action. "You guys keep them in the nest. I'll be down in just a minute."
After turning off her radio, Vyn pumps her fist and lets out a cheer. Maybe it's unprofessional for a handler to get excited about their partner being in danger, but it felt like it had been far too long since she got to go on a proper hunt. Rummaging through the supply box, Vyn stocks up on potions, ear plugs, and a couple of stacks of ammo just in case Fei might need them. She picks up her hunting horn, Le Gregorien, and sets out at a full sprint in the direction of the Diablos nest.
The Wildspire Wastes were fairly new to Vyn. She was used to Deserts, sure, but this wasn't the one she was used to. In fact, this place was quite a bit bigger than the ones she'd seen in the past. Fortunately, tracking a Diablos, of all monsters, was fairly easy. Once you know where the largest underground clearing is, it becomes a matter of just getting there.
And of course, shortcuts were welcome to any hunter. Vyn knows well enough that she's standing just above the battleground, evidenced by the sounds of destruction below her and the occasional earth shake. Rather than sliding down the tunnel created by the larger monsters of the area, Vyn opts for jumping down the access shaft dug out by the local Grimalkyne tribe. After a short fall, she climbs her way out of the small tunnel.
The scene before her is enough to send a shiver down her spine. While she's still excited, she has to admit that taking on two Diablos, one of which being in heat, is enough to make any hunter a little hesitant. She also begins to feel a little naked as she looks down at herself and remembers that she's not actually wearing any armor, still in her Sweetheart uniform. Mozart spots her and waves, diving out of the way of a swinging tail a second later. Vyn surveys the area, trying to spot Fei, but she's nowhere to be seen. Surely she wouldn't leave Moz to fight two Diablos all by himself, right?
Either way, there's a job to be done, and Vyn was never one to back away from a challenge. Clutching the handle of her horn, Vyn jumps off the ledge she had perched on and lands with a flourish, the wind flowing through her horn and creating a short yet soothing note. She swings her weapon around herself in a circle, oddly enough not even attempting to attack the monsters, but creating two more short notes. Holding the pipe organ end of the horn behind her, the handle jutting forward just a bit, Vyn places her lips upon a small mouth piece below her left hand. Working the keys with her right hand, she takes in a large lung full of air and blows into the mouth piece as hard as she can. The sound that permeates from her horn could be described as heroic, triumphant, even epic. The entire cavern echoes with a heavenly chord, like one might imagine hearing in a massive chapel while an angel descends from above. As the inspiring chord rings out, Vyn feels a rush of adrenaline flow through her body, Mozart seemingly being filled with a rush of vigor likewise. Unfortunately, Diablos is known to have sensitive ears, and especially agitated when in heat. Both beasts turn from their standoff and look directly at the newcomer, a synchronized puff of smoke billowing from both of their nostrils. Vyn smirks at the challenge, tensing her arms as a slight wisp of purple smoke permeates from each clenched hand.
The battle that ensues could be just as easily called a dance. Vyn twirls and rolls with her horn, sometimes even using it as leverage to push herself in unnatural directions. Every now and then, she would play notes from her pipes, inspiring and energizing herself and Mozart to continue the battle. However, as impressive as the display surely was, she isn't making a lot of progress. She reflects on her lack of practice of late, wondering if maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew. Sadly, that short lapse in concentration is just what the Diablos needed to get the upper hand. Both Blos charge at each other, each on the opposite side of the hunter. The two wyverns collide, trampling Vyn in the process. Searing pain shoots through Vyn's body as she falls to the ground. Rolling herself over to try to get up, she finds her vision to be shaky. The two warring monsters have their horns locked, both attempting topple the other. Vyn tries to push herself up on her elbows, but doing so sends a new wave a pain through her left shoulder, forcing her to drop herself back to the ground. I just had to get cocky... She thinks to herself, accepting that this could very well be the end for her, or at least the quest. To think, a Diablos of all things is going to end my career.
Just as the male Diablos is knocked from its feet, being flung a short distance directly at the downed hunter, she feels herself being flung away from her spot. Landing a good distance away, Vyn can't help but let out a loud gasp as she lands on her injured shoulder. She looks around to see what had just happened, finding that there was a grappling hook latched to her belt. Following the tether with her eyes, she finds that Fei had finally arrived, and is knelt on the ground with her gun folded in half in front of her. She still looks as tired as ever, though relatively determined. Fei pulls out a large device from her ammo pouch and forces it into the chamber of her bow gun. The Black Diablos roars loudly and dives under the sand, digging directly towards the two hunters. Vyn braces as best she can, as Fei yawns and pulls out a small ball from her pack. Throwing the ball at the ground, a loud screech echoes around the cavern. The Black Diablos claws its way out of the sand desperately, clutching at its ears in pain. Vyn watches in awe as Fei lays down on her belly, holding her gun out in front of her like a sniper rifle, and aims down the sight.
A loud crack comes from the barrel as a shot fires forward. The massive bullet pierces effortlessly through the Black Diablos' body, shattering her horns on its way through, and directly into the head of the still downed male Diablos. As if that isn't enough, the trail that the seemingly magic bullet made through both monsters ignites, erupting fire through the heavily wounded beasts. Vyn blinks a few times to try and clear her vision, looking to see that both monsters were completely motionless. With that one shot, Fei had slain both Diablos.
"You good, V?"
Vyn looks up to see Fei standing above her with what could be a worried expression. She tries to reach up to accept the hand that was outstretched, but reals back after a quick reminder that her shoulder was likely broken during the fight. She hears a loud whistle come from her partner as she slowly slips out of consciousness.
Vyn opens her eyes slowly, looking around herself to see where she had ended up. To her relief, she recognizes her surroundings as the room that she shares with Fei. The hunter in question is sitting in a chair over by the supply box, inspecting a large glowing scale. Vyn attempts to get out of bed, but finds herself too stiff to comfortably move to that degree. Instead, she knocks on the frame of the bed to get Fei's attention.
"Hey, partner!" She calls, directing the sleepy girls gaze back towards her. "What happened?"
"Oh, you're up, cool." Fei makes her way over to the bed side, dragging the chair behind her. She sets it with the back of the chair facing Vyn, and straddles it unceremoniously. "You almost died."
"Uh... Yeah, I know, but..." Vyn narrows her eyes. "I mean, what happened with the quest? Why weren't you fighting the Diablos?"
"Oh, that." Fei tosses the glowing scale between her hands, her eyes following it lazily. "There was a Bazelgeuse."
"And...?"
"I killed it."
Vyn levels the younger woman with an incredulous look. "So you left Mozart to deal with two enraged Diablos to go hunt a Bazelgeuse? What if he had gotten hurt?! What if you had been pulled from the quest for the time constraint?! Did you even think about that?" She takes a deep breath and realizes that she had begin pushing herself off the bed in anger, and eases her way back down. "Just... What the hell were you thinking?"
"Actually..." Mozart pushes the door open and walks in, his head hung low. "She kind of saved you."
"Come again?" Vyn turns to the cat, now just confused. "I mean, yeah, I know she did, but she only had to because I was cleaning up her mess!"
"No, I mean before you came out."
At this, Vyn can't help but question what her long time partner was talking about. "How do you figure?"
"The Bazel was headed for camp." Fei interjects, letting out a loud yawn. "I was tracking its movements, and based on it's direction, its target was you."
"What? How does that make any sense?" Vyn regards Fei with confusion. "Why would it be going after me?"
Fei scratches the back of her head. "Could have something to do with that weird disease you have. The head researcher told me to watch out for that, said monsters might be able to detect it. Some monsters might even be drawn to it. More than anything, he told me to make sure it doesn't spread to the New World."
This was new. Vyn hadn't been briefed on this little detail. She can't help but feel embarrassed, having just learned that she was the one being babysat this whole time.
"Fei... Can you tell me... Why were you sent here? To the New World, that is?"
Fei takes pause, leaning back and blowing a lock of her bangs from her face. "Something to do." She tilts her head in thought, her long ponytail falling to the side. "Research too. I'm not really a hunter, more a botanist. I'm kinda a hunter and a botanist. A huntanist? Botaner? Eh, whatever it is, I wanted to research new ways of producing ammo."
Not exactly what Vyn had expected. She relaxes herself and lets her eyes stare up at the ceiling. "Is there any reason you were picked to travel with me? I was told that I was paired with you by random chance, since I needed a hunter to sponsor so I could do my own research here."
"Yeah, about that." Fei rests her chin on the back of her chair, her arms draped over as well and hanging limp. "I was told that I could research in the field all I want if I went out hunting for the Commission. Specifically, they wanted to send me on quests to gather monster parts for medicine, though they never told me what kind of medicine." She pulls a vial out of her pouch, swirling around the dark purple mucus inside. "Something to do with whatever this is. When they told me to watch out for you, I kinda put two and two together." She puts the vial away and fixes a genuinely concerned look at the bedridden woman. "So if you don't mind me asking, it's about time we talk about this. What is actually up with you?"
Vyn closes her eyes, agreeing internally that it was probably best if they both laid everything out on the table. "It all began when I was a young girl. My father and sister were both hunters..."
The sky grew dark, and the night blanketed the Commission, but the light in the hunter's suite never went out. Lamp light illuminated the small room as the two partnered hunters grew to know each other just a little bit better.
She was starting regret letting Fei go off to hunt on her own, but hunting isn't her job any more. Being a handler was easy work... Almost too easy. She was getting bored.
"Hey, partner, how's the hunt going?"
Nothing from the other end. Fei didn't talk much. In fact, it was pretty common for her to go off on a hunt, and then show up 15 minutes later with a bag full of monster parts, not a single word or update in between. Sometimes, Vyn had to wonder how she made it through those longer hunts without restocking her ammo.
The bowgun was always a mystery to Vyn. Call her simple minded, but somehow she was never able to grasp the logistics of managing ammo. Perhaps it was the concept of keeping track of numbers while also keeping track of the monster.
Moments like these tend to give Vyn pause, wondering if she doesn't give Fei enough credit. In all fairness, she's never failed a hunt so far, and in fact she never really needed much assistance. Only once or twice has she come back to camp beaten and bruised, and every time she got right back up and marched on, the same tired look in her eyes like this was a complete drag.
"If only she took her job more seriously. Goodness, the things she could accomplish if she just woke up, or at least drank some coffee."
Vyn's communicator comes to life unexpectedly, a familiar voice coming through.
"Boss, we got a situation!" Mozart says in something of a panic. Sounds of crushing rock and ear piercing screeches can be heard in the background. "There's more than one of these things!" He lets out a labored breath, giving away that he's currently running away from something very fast. "And they're both pissed off!"
"Two Diablos? That's odd... Unless..." Vyn thinks back to her experience with Diablos in the past. Something about the situation seemed familiar. "By any chance, is the second one black?"
"Sure is, and it's big, and it's trying to kill everyone, including the other Diablos!"
Vyn sighs, but smiles a little at the idea of getting to see some action. "You guys keep them in the nest. I'll be down in just a minute."
After turning off her radio, Vyn pumps her fist and lets out a cheer. Maybe it's unprofessional for a handler to get excited about their partner being in danger, but it felt like it had been far too long since she got to go on a proper hunt. Rummaging through the supply box, Vyn stocks up on potions, ear plugs, and a couple of stacks of ammo just in case Fei might need them. She picks up her hunting horn, Le Gregorien, and sets out at a full sprint in the direction of the Diablos nest.
The Wildspire Wastes were fairly new to Vyn. She was used to Deserts, sure, but this wasn't the one she was used to. In fact, this place was quite a bit bigger than the ones she'd seen in the past. Fortunately, tracking a Diablos, of all monsters, was fairly easy. Once you know where the largest underground clearing is, it becomes a matter of just getting there.
And of course, shortcuts were welcome to any hunter. Vyn knows well enough that she's standing just above the battleground, evidenced by the sounds of destruction below her and the occasional earth shake. Rather than sliding down the tunnel created by the larger monsters of the area, Vyn opts for jumping down the access shaft dug out by the local Grimalkyne tribe. After a short fall, she climbs her way out of the small tunnel.
The scene before her is enough to send a shiver down her spine. While she's still excited, she has to admit that taking on two Diablos, one of which being in heat, is enough to make any hunter a little hesitant. She also begins to feel a little naked as she looks down at herself and remembers that she's not actually wearing any armor, still in her Sweetheart uniform. Mozart spots her and waves, diving out of the way of a swinging tail a second later. Vyn surveys the area, trying to spot Fei, but she's nowhere to be seen. Surely she wouldn't leave Moz to fight two Diablos all by himself, right?
Either way, there's a job to be done, and Vyn was never one to back away from a challenge. Clutching the handle of her horn, Vyn jumps off the ledge she had perched on and lands with a flourish, the wind flowing through her horn and creating a short yet soothing note. She swings her weapon around herself in a circle, oddly enough not even attempting to attack the monsters, but creating two more short notes. Holding the pipe organ end of the horn behind her, the handle jutting forward just a bit, Vyn places her lips upon a small mouth piece below her left hand. Working the keys with her right hand, she takes in a large lung full of air and blows into the mouth piece as hard as she can. The sound that permeates from her horn could be described as heroic, triumphant, even epic. The entire cavern echoes with a heavenly chord, like one might imagine hearing in a massive chapel while an angel descends from above. As the inspiring chord rings out, Vyn feels a rush of adrenaline flow through her body, Mozart seemingly being filled with a rush of vigor likewise. Unfortunately, Diablos is known to have sensitive ears, and especially agitated when in heat. Both beasts turn from their standoff and look directly at the newcomer, a synchronized puff of smoke billowing from both of their nostrils. Vyn smirks at the challenge, tensing her arms as a slight wisp of purple smoke permeates from each clenched hand.
The battle that ensues could be just as easily called a dance. Vyn twirls and rolls with her horn, sometimes even using it as leverage to push herself in unnatural directions. Every now and then, she would play notes from her pipes, inspiring and energizing herself and Mozart to continue the battle. However, as impressive as the display surely was, she isn't making a lot of progress. She reflects on her lack of practice of late, wondering if maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew. Sadly, that short lapse in concentration is just what the Diablos needed to get the upper hand. Both Blos charge at each other, each on the opposite side of the hunter. The two wyverns collide, trampling Vyn in the process. Searing pain shoots through Vyn's body as she falls to the ground. Rolling herself over to try to get up, she finds her vision to be shaky. The two warring monsters have their horns locked, both attempting topple the other. Vyn tries to push herself up on her elbows, but doing so sends a new wave a pain through her left shoulder, forcing her to drop herself back to the ground. I just had to get cocky... She thinks to herself, accepting that this could very well be the end for her, or at least the quest. To think, a Diablos of all things is going to end my career.
Just as the male Diablos is knocked from its feet, being flung a short distance directly at the downed hunter, she feels herself being flung away from her spot. Landing a good distance away, Vyn can't help but let out a loud gasp as she lands on her injured shoulder. She looks around to see what had just happened, finding that there was a grappling hook latched to her belt. Following the tether with her eyes, she finds that Fei had finally arrived, and is knelt on the ground with her gun folded in half in front of her. She still looks as tired as ever, though relatively determined. Fei pulls out a large device from her ammo pouch and forces it into the chamber of her bow gun. The Black Diablos roars loudly and dives under the sand, digging directly towards the two hunters. Vyn braces as best she can, as Fei yawns and pulls out a small ball from her pack. Throwing the ball at the ground, a loud screech echoes around the cavern. The Black Diablos claws its way out of the sand desperately, clutching at its ears in pain. Vyn watches in awe as Fei lays down on her belly, holding her gun out in front of her like a sniper rifle, and aims down the sight.
A loud crack comes from the barrel as a shot fires forward. The massive bullet pierces effortlessly through the Black Diablos' body, shattering her horns on its way through, and directly into the head of the still downed male Diablos. As if that isn't enough, the trail that the seemingly magic bullet made through both monsters ignites, erupting fire through the heavily wounded beasts. Vyn blinks a few times to try and clear her vision, looking to see that both monsters were completely motionless. With that one shot, Fei had slain both Diablos.
"You good, V?"
Vyn looks up to see Fei standing above her with what could be a worried expression. She tries to reach up to accept the hand that was outstretched, but reals back after a quick reminder that her shoulder was likely broken during the fight. She hears a loud whistle come from her partner as she slowly slips out of consciousness.
Vyn opens her eyes slowly, looking around herself to see where she had ended up. To her relief, she recognizes her surroundings as the room that she shares with Fei. The hunter in question is sitting in a chair over by the supply box, inspecting a large glowing scale. Vyn attempts to get out of bed, but finds herself too stiff to comfortably move to that degree. Instead, she knocks on the frame of the bed to get Fei's attention.
"Hey, partner!" She calls, directing the sleepy girls gaze back towards her. "What happened?"
"Oh, you're up, cool." Fei makes her way over to the bed side, dragging the chair behind her. She sets it with the back of the chair facing Vyn, and straddles it unceremoniously. "You almost died."
"Uh... Yeah, I know, but..." Vyn narrows her eyes. "I mean, what happened with the quest? Why weren't you fighting the Diablos?"
"Oh, that." Fei tosses the glowing scale between her hands, her eyes following it lazily. "There was a Bazelgeuse."
"And...?"
"I killed it."
Vyn levels the younger woman with an incredulous look. "So you left Mozart to deal with two enraged Diablos to go hunt a Bazelgeuse? What if he had gotten hurt?! What if you had been pulled from the quest for the time constraint?! Did you even think about that?" She takes a deep breath and realizes that she had begin pushing herself off the bed in anger, and eases her way back down. "Just... What the hell were you thinking?"
"Actually..." Mozart pushes the door open and walks in, his head hung low. "She kind of saved you."
"Come again?" Vyn turns to the cat, now just confused. "I mean, yeah, I know she did, but she only had to because I was cleaning up her mess!"
"No, I mean before you came out."
At this, Vyn can't help but question what her long time partner was talking about. "How do you figure?"
"The Bazel was headed for camp." Fei interjects, letting out a loud yawn. "I was tracking its movements, and based on it's direction, its target was you."
"What? How does that make any sense?" Vyn regards Fei with confusion. "Why would it be going after me?"
Fei scratches the back of her head. "Could have something to do with that weird disease you have. The head researcher told me to watch out for that, said monsters might be able to detect it. Some monsters might even be drawn to it. More than anything, he told me to make sure it doesn't spread to the New World."
This was new. Vyn hadn't been briefed on this little detail. She can't help but feel embarrassed, having just learned that she was the one being babysat this whole time.
"Fei... Can you tell me... Why were you sent here? To the New World, that is?"
Fei takes pause, leaning back and blowing a lock of her bangs from her face. "Something to do." She tilts her head in thought, her long ponytail falling to the side. "Research too. I'm not really a hunter, more a botanist. I'm kinda a hunter and a botanist. A huntanist? Botaner? Eh, whatever it is, I wanted to research new ways of producing ammo."
Not exactly what Vyn had expected. She relaxes herself and lets her eyes stare up at the ceiling. "Is there any reason you were picked to travel with me? I was told that I was paired with you by random chance, since I needed a hunter to sponsor so I could do my own research here."
"Yeah, about that." Fei rests her chin on the back of her chair, her arms draped over as well and hanging limp. "I was told that I could research in the field all I want if I went out hunting for the Commission. Specifically, they wanted to send me on quests to gather monster parts for medicine, though they never told me what kind of medicine." She pulls a vial out of her pouch, swirling around the dark purple mucus inside. "Something to do with whatever this is. When they told me to watch out for you, I kinda put two and two together." She puts the vial away and fixes a genuinely concerned look at the bedridden woman. "So if you don't mind me asking, it's about time we talk about this. What is actually up with you?"
Vyn closes her eyes, agreeing internally that it was probably best if they both laid everything out on the table. "It all began when I was a young girl. My father and sister were both hunters..."
The sky grew dark, and the night blanketed the Commission, but the light in the hunter's suite never went out. Lamp light illuminated the small room as the two partnered hunters grew to know each other just a little bit better.
Same Job, New World
It had been a long day of gathering personal belongings, but Vyn was finally done packing. Of course, a good amount of that packing involved removing a plethora of kittens (and their mother) from the suit case, and then brushing loose fur off of her clothing, and then returning to find more kittens on the now exposed clothing. By all rights, it should have been a very quick process.
"Well Gladius, despite your best efforts, I'm ready to go." Vyn sits back on her bed, a poofy pink kitten immediately jumping into her lap. She strokes the kitten's ears idly as she takes another look around her room. She was going to miss this place, but an assignment is an assignment.
She could have said no. She almost did say no, if it weren't for one little detail. Vyn was almost certain they were sending her to hunt, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. Instead, she is to escort a new hunter as something of a sponsor. The Guild Master had described it as some sort of "Advanced Sweetheart Duty", and she couldn't really refuse an advanced mission.
And, of course, the research.
That was the reason she accepted, wasn't it? Yes, seeing the New World would be exciting, but what really caught her attention was the prospect of monster research. In fact, it was said that some of the world's leading researcher's were already there. And where there's research, there's doctors.
"Are you sure they can help you with your condition?" Gladius sits next to Vyn on the bed, another kitten clinging to her back. "I mean, from the sounds of it, the Frenzy virus isn't even on their radar. In fact, it kind of seems like the Frenzy virus has been all but forgotten by the guild."
Vyn lets out a sigh, reminded that her case was becoming more and more lost as time goes on. "I'm kind of banking on it, Glady. This isn't the Guild we're dealing with here, this is the Commission."
"And the difference is...?"
"Look, I know the Commission is just a research group payed for by the Guild, but I have to try. The way it was described to me, it sounds like there are a lot of researchers there who are eager to, well, research." She picks up the kitten in her lap and holds it up to her face, earning a reassuring nuzzle from the small palico. "And besides, I'm not out there to hunt, I'm just there to be the personal assistant to a new hunter. I don't know much about this person, but as long as they're out in the field, it should be a low stress environment for me. Low stress means low risk of outbreak."
"And you're not going hunting at all?" Gladius asks, to which Vyn shakes her head. "Not even though there are gonna be a bunch of new monsters that nobody's ever seen before? Not even though Mozart's going out there too? Are you really going to sit around at base the entire time?"
"Absolutely. That's not my job anymore." Gladius narrows her eyes and leans forward, giving Vyn what she hopes is a scrutinizing glare. "Alright, maybe just a little, but it'll be different." She motions over to the corner, where there's a giant weapon that looked something like a hammer, only with a pipe organ on the end. It shimmers in a way that makes it hard to determine if it's golden or platinum, the light dancing off of it in a rainbow. "I'm leaving my blades here. You know I started hunting with the horn, and now I think would be a good chance to shake the dust off."
Gladius looks at the gaudy instrument for a moment, her gaze softening. "Isn't that made of...?"
"Don't worry about it, Glady. Music always helps me relax, so if the frenzy ever starts up, I can just play a short tune to get it under control." A loud whistle blows from outside. "Oops, gotta go! Are you sure you'll be alright taking care of this place and your kittens while Moz and I are gone?"
"Sure, sure, I ain't some pampered house cat! Now get going! And bring me back something nice!"
With a final scratch behind the ears, Vyn bids Gladius farewell and runs out the door with her luggage.
"I don't know, Moz, something seems off. I don't ever know who here is supposed to be my partner." She scans around the room, seeing plenty of hunters but none that stand out to her. "She's supposed to be here, and maybe she is, but I didn't get a chance to meet her before we departed."
"Eh, it'll be fine. Whenever we reach port, it'll be easy enough. Just find the hunter who's missing a handler, yeah?" He jumps up on the table and stares down at Vyn with a confident smirk. "And worst comes to worst, we could just take on the mission ourselves! Heck, you're way more experience than all of these hunters, I'd be willing to bet you could just find the big thing they're looking for and kill within the week!"
"Not gonna happen, buddy. I'm sorry, but I promised Gladius that wasn't going to do that much hunting. You're more than welcome to, though."
Just then, Mozart spots somebody suspicious. Not suspicious in the "they're going to take down the ship!" kind of way, but more in the "why didn't I see her before?" kind of way. "Hey, Vyn. Who's that over there?"
Vyn directs her gaze in the direction that Mozart points, and sees that there's a young woman with raspberry colored hair sound asleep at a table, all alone. Her head is resting unceremoniously on the table, an empty bowl being tipped on it's side against her cheek. Vyn couldn't help but wonder...
She makes her way over to the sleeping girl, taking note that she has a very large bowgun strapped to her back. Vyn places a hand gently on the girl's shoulder and shakes her awake.
"Excuse me, are you alright?" The sleeping girl slowly opens her eyes, stopping halfway, and looks up groggily. She gives Vyn a lazy smile.
"Oh, hey, what's up?" She asks. She sits up slowly, blinking the sleep from her eyes. she never actually loses the tired look, but it's a start. "You need something?"
"I was just..." Vyn looks the girl over, wondering if this was really one of the hunters being sent for this mission. "I mean, um... Well, I'm looking for my assigned hunter. I'm something of a veteran, you see, and I was sent to be a handler for the Commission. I wasn't sure if..." She trails off, almost put off by the blank stare she was getting back.
"Oh yeah, totally! That's probably me." The girls replies, raising her hand for a shake only for it to be re purposed to cover a yawn. "You must be Vyn, the Guild told me about you."
Vyn almost returns the handshake, before getting whiffed. Mozart watches in great amusement from the other table. "Yes, my name is Vyn Sikahl, and you are?" Vyn gives the most genuine smile she can, though her eye twitches as her supposed partner begins nodding off. Not dropping the smile, she snaps her fingers loudly, getting the reaction she desired.
"Oh, yeah, my bad. Fei."
Vyn's smile falters as the silence between them carries on. Mozart makes his way over to the table with the two ladies and sits down. "Well, I take it you two hit it off. Now then, loves, how about we get us some drinks and a rack of whatever that thing is that the chefs are serving?"
Vyn takes a seat across from Fei, mouthing a 'thank you' to Mozart. "Sure, why not? From here on out, we're going to be partners, Fei, so let's be friends!" With the wave of a paw, Mozart beckons for 3 mugs of dragon ale. "Here's to the New World!"
Vyn raises her mug, only for Fei to fall forward, knocking over her own mug and spilling it all over Vyn. A wisp of purple permeates off of Vyn as her eye twitches violently, a loud snore coming from the other side of the table.
This is going to be a long mission...
"Well Gladius, despite your best efforts, I'm ready to go." Vyn sits back on her bed, a poofy pink kitten immediately jumping into her lap. She strokes the kitten's ears idly as she takes another look around her room. She was going to miss this place, but an assignment is an assignment.
She could have said no. She almost did say no, if it weren't for one little detail. Vyn was almost certain they were sending her to hunt, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. Instead, she is to escort a new hunter as something of a sponsor. The Guild Master had described it as some sort of "Advanced Sweetheart Duty", and she couldn't really refuse an advanced mission.
And, of course, the research.
That was the reason she accepted, wasn't it? Yes, seeing the New World would be exciting, but what really caught her attention was the prospect of monster research. In fact, it was said that some of the world's leading researcher's were already there. And where there's research, there's doctors.
"Are you sure they can help you with your condition?" Gladius sits next to Vyn on the bed, another kitten clinging to her back. "I mean, from the sounds of it, the Frenzy virus isn't even on their radar. In fact, it kind of seems like the Frenzy virus has been all but forgotten by the guild."
Vyn lets out a sigh, reminded that her case was becoming more and more lost as time goes on. "I'm kind of banking on it, Glady. This isn't the Guild we're dealing with here, this is the Commission."
"And the difference is...?"
"Look, I know the Commission is just a research group payed for by the Guild, but I have to try. The way it was described to me, it sounds like there are a lot of researchers there who are eager to, well, research." She picks up the kitten in her lap and holds it up to her face, earning a reassuring nuzzle from the small palico. "And besides, I'm not out there to hunt, I'm just there to be the personal assistant to a new hunter. I don't know much about this person, but as long as they're out in the field, it should be a low stress environment for me. Low stress means low risk of outbreak."
"And you're not going hunting at all?" Gladius asks, to which Vyn shakes her head. "Not even though there are gonna be a bunch of new monsters that nobody's ever seen before? Not even though Mozart's going out there too? Are you really going to sit around at base the entire time?"
"Absolutely. That's not my job anymore." Gladius narrows her eyes and leans forward, giving Vyn what she hopes is a scrutinizing glare. "Alright, maybe just a little, but it'll be different." She motions over to the corner, where there's a giant weapon that looked something like a hammer, only with a pipe organ on the end. It shimmers in a way that makes it hard to determine if it's golden or platinum, the light dancing off of it in a rainbow. "I'm leaving my blades here. You know I started hunting with the horn, and now I think would be a good chance to shake the dust off."
Gladius looks at the gaudy instrument for a moment, her gaze softening. "Isn't that made of...?"
"Don't worry about it, Glady. Music always helps me relax, so if the frenzy ever starts up, I can just play a short tune to get it under control." A loud whistle blows from outside. "Oops, gotta go! Are you sure you'll be alright taking care of this place and your kittens while Moz and I are gone?"
"Sure, sure, I ain't some pampered house cat! Now get going! And bring me back something nice!"
With a final scratch behind the ears, Vyn bids Gladius farewell and runs out the door with her luggage.
"I don't know, Moz, something seems off. I don't ever know who here is supposed to be my partner." She scans around the room, seeing plenty of hunters but none that stand out to her. "She's supposed to be here, and maybe she is, but I didn't get a chance to meet her before we departed."
"Eh, it'll be fine. Whenever we reach port, it'll be easy enough. Just find the hunter who's missing a handler, yeah?" He jumps up on the table and stares down at Vyn with a confident smirk. "And worst comes to worst, we could just take on the mission ourselves! Heck, you're way more experience than all of these hunters, I'd be willing to bet you could just find the big thing they're looking for and kill within the week!"
"Not gonna happen, buddy. I'm sorry, but I promised Gladius that wasn't going to do that much hunting. You're more than welcome to, though."
Just then, Mozart spots somebody suspicious. Not suspicious in the "they're going to take down the ship!" kind of way, but more in the "why didn't I see her before?" kind of way. "Hey, Vyn. Who's that over there?"
Vyn directs her gaze in the direction that Mozart points, and sees that there's a young woman with raspberry colored hair sound asleep at a table, all alone. Her head is resting unceremoniously on the table, an empty bowl being tipped on it's side against her cheek. Vyn couldn't help but wonder...
She makes her way over to the sleeping girl, taking note that she has a very large bowgun strapped to her back. Vyn places a hand gently on the girl's shoulder and shakes her awake.
"Excuse me, are you alright?" The sleeping girl slowly opens her eyes, stopping halfway, and looks up groggily. She gives Vyn a lazy smile.
"Oh, hey, what's up?" She asks. She sits up slowly, blinking the sleep from her eyes. she never actually loses the tired look, but it's a start. "You need something?"
"I was just..." Vyn looks the girl over, wondering if this was really one of the hunters being sent for this mission. "I mean, um... Well, I'm looking for my assigned hunter. I'm something of a veteran, you see, and I was sent to be a handler for the Commission. I wasn't sure if..." She trails off, almost put off by the blank stare she was getting back.
"Oh yeah, totally! That's probably me." The girls replies, raising her hand for a shake only for it to be re purposed to cover a yawn. "You must be Vyn, the Guild told me about you."
Vyn almost returns the handshake, before getting whiffed. Mozart watches in great amusement from the other table. "Yes, my name is Vyn Sikahl, and you are?" Vyn gives the most genuine smile she can, though her eye twitches as her supposed partner begins nodding off. Not dropping the smile, she snaps her fingers loudly, getting the reaction she desired.
"Oh, yeah, my bad. Fei."
Vyn's smile falters as the silence between them carries on. Mozart makes his way over to the table with the two ladies and sits down. "Well, I take it you two hit it off. Now then, loves, how about we get us some drinks and a rack of whatever that thing is that the chefs are serving?"
Vyn takes a seat across from Fei, mouthing a 'thank you' to Mozart. "Sure, why not? From here on out, we're going to be partners, Fei, so let's be friends!" With the wave of a paw, Mozart beckons for 3 mugs of dragon ale. "Here's to the New World!"
Vyn raises her mug, only for Fei to fall forward, knocking over her own mug and spilling it all over Vyn. A wisp of purple permeates off of Vyn as her eye twitches violently, a loud snore coming from the other side of the table.
This is going to be a long mission...
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