V M Hunter-Killer

[Tornadus]

"Dear Damon Gant & Lana Skye,

It is with esteemed honor that the two of you were able to succeed the initiation course for professors with flying colors. Not only have the two of you done it in a single try, but you have managed to inspire other professors to keep pushing themselves at it as well. Beyond that however, during your little tests you both have shown an incredible aptitude not just in your own strength, but in using that strength as well.

As such, with this letter comes a certificate of teaching, attached to the back. You both may stay at the University of Abraxas for now, teaching in whatever courses you may find yourself interested in teaching in. Of course, with the files that our hunters have gathered on you, we are already setting up you two to join the Law Course with fellow teachers Bruce Goodman and Denver Doll, but in addition to that there are plenty of other jobs that you may take interest in as you become accustomed to teaching within these prestigious halls of yore.

Of course, even with those diplomas there is more to the story. Hamish had been very detailed with what he had witnessed in regards to what you were capable of. Gant, your carefulness and willingness to take the straightforward path while still minimizing risks is seen as cowardice to some but not to the University. After all, hunting is supposed to be a calculated profession, where only the most tactical decisions can be made to minimize losses against large, unnatural predators.

As for you Lana Skye, your athletic prowess is truly incredible. You not only have a genuine gift with the butterfly knife, but you also have a gift in adeptly wielding it. Hamish described it as… I believe the fastest takedown of a Kula-Ya-Ku in the history of the University? I doubt it, but at the very least it still speaks to your skill as a natural. And that’s not even accounting for your gymnastic skills comparable to our best and brightest minds.

Needless to say, you are both legendary both in body and mind. You will be valuable assets to the University in the future, both the near future as well as years down the line. Your assets and capabilities however have impressed us. Not enough to earn a personal audience with those in charge, but enough for those in power to at least recognize talent where we see it. Congratulations, Damon Gant. You’ve certainly gone far and beyond in your showcase of power.

However… this is only where things begin for you two.

Kraw… is a hellish place. It’s a dog eat dog world where only the strongest may survive. New Abraxas is, in this regard a bizarre anomaly, one which the planet seeks to reject with reckless abandon. Gargantuan monsters such as the Rathalos and the Rajang make their stomping grounds all across the planet, bringing death and destruction on untold levels. Cults such as the Nora bring similar levels of destruction, while also promoting the destruction of countless ancient secrets left by the ruins scattered around us.

You can see how that can be a problem, yes? And that’s not even mentioning the threat of Darkseid and the Unmade. We are lucky that our Arbiter has not been corrupted into some foul monster, or worse… Still, making the University survive is an existential threat, one that we must ensure with tooth and claw. That is where we come in. We are those who work in the dark, those who slay the beasts that break apart the foundations of the world, in order to retain the world’s knowledge by any means necessary.

We… are hunters. We are killers of beasts and morally repugnant men.

Starting from today, your life will never be the same. Once we see potential, we will not let go until you are either one of the best hunters in New Abraxas… or are dead. If you think you can ignore this letter… We know of Ema Skye. This mere 11th Grader, and future forensic scientist to be… you value her dearly don’t you? We know she currently resides in the Hub, and can immediately place a hit on her through allies on that planet if you do not comply with our requests.

With that being said, neither of you would ever let Ema die, and I’m sure of that. Gant, you’re too jovial of a man to ever think over such a move. And Lana, this is your sister we’re talking about. I know for a fact that you would never let any harm get even close to you, As such, you have no choice but to obey, lest we have guessed wrongly about you.

Needless to say, you need orders now. First off, you will be taking that initiation course again and again over the course of the next week, in order to improve your muscle memory and endurance. Once that week is up, approach the hunter in charge and tell them that the Early Qurupeco pulls out the Orthworm. They’ll open up a passage that leads to an underground tunnel. This tunnel is 20 kilometers long, but big enough for someone to comfortably run through.

On the other end of the tunnel is the settlement of Dundorma. It is a relatively new settlement, founded by settlers from 8-Bitian, particularly a man only known as His Immenseness. Meet with this man, and agree to his training. He will put you under an incredibly rigid training regiment, one designed to break the wills of lesser men. This training will go on for an entire month, at the end of which you will be forced to hunt one of the planet’s many large monsters with nothing but a weapon in hand.

When you have slain that monster, bring the body to the University’s hunting classroom. I will be there, alone. I will examine the body to determine that you have actually killed the creature, and that it was not nature which did the deed. If it is deemed that nature had killed it, I will kill the both of you on the spot. If you have proven yourself in actually killing the beast though, you will be welcome into a prestigious group focused on the protection of Kraw. One which ignores the standard laws of New Abraxus in order to ensure it’s protection.

If you value the safety of Ema Skye, you will take this training and you will succeed. We need more hunters for the University, and we need them faster. The ends justify the means, don’t you think?

From,
Fiorayne, Master Hunter."

 

[Tornadus]

“Oh… oh dear god…”
As soon as Lana had gotten the letter, both she and Gant had united in a private room at the inn they were renting for their first few months on this planet. However, in all of that time neither of them had ever expected something like this. At first, it seemed like they were being rewarded for their good showcase during the course. Some words of encouragement following getting through their conflicts on the way to become professors within the Law course.

However, as they read further on… it became apparent that something much worse was in the cards for them. For starters, this letter was deliberately invoking the Fallen Arbiter and the fight against his forces, something that they were fully aware of thanks to the influences of Rose Quartz on Inverxe. The letter was written in a way that made it feel like they were specifically recruiting them because they thought that they could take out Unmade forces together, or at least any other powerful enough threat.

The worst part was that while they could normally just ignore such requests… they chose to involve Ema Skye in this. There was only one term that defined this, no matter the planet or penal code. A crime that, were it not committed by a shadowy group working under the de facto government was a grave offense.

“Criminal Coercion, Lana. And a rather serious one at that.”

Even the normally jolly Gant was heavily affected by this last piece of evidence. Normally he was one to try to keep a jovial tone around any situation, to ensure that others around him more easily listened to his commands. But now his chief partner’s little sister was being threatened with violence, provided that they didn’t listen to their demands. There was… multiple reasons he didn’t want Ema Skye to fall under harm. Even putting aside most of the reasons however, there was one thing that he did not enjoy whatsoever.

And that was getting hands covered in the blood of kids.

“What… what do we do, Damon?” Lana said, her face pale with fear at what could happen to her sister. “I don’t want my sister to get hurt… she can’t get hurt…”

“...Don’t worry Lana. No harm will befall Ema.” Rising up to his feet, Gant polished his suit a bit before pulling out a picture from the past from his suit’s breast pocket. It was a picture of himself, Neil Marshall and Lana Sky, with Neil himself receiving the prestigious “King of Prosecutors” trophy, only awarded to the best of the best in the field of prosecution. This was one of the last times that they were happy together before… the SL-9 Incident.

Neil was already lost, and he couldn’t afford to lose Lana lest he let the truth behind the former’s loss come to light. There was only one thing he could do really, and that was follow the directions of the letter as best as they could. To do otherwise would destroy everything he had built himself up for, and furthermore ruin his assistant’s life as well, and as much as he saw her as a dispensable tool… he couldn’t stand to see her so dejected when it wasn’t on his command.

“So… we’re really going out to do all this? We’re actually going to go through with this training? What about your plans to become a professor?”

“Those plans… will have to wait for now. After all, there was no way we could have accounted for something like this. Still, at the very least we have a week to prepare before heading out. Lana, do you still have contact with Neil’s brother back on Inverxe?”

“I’m afraid not.” Lana responded, still a bit dejected. “He’s gone completely dark after we moved our way to Kraw. My only guess is that he’s doing something undercover, and that he’s unable to take any calls.”

“Damn… was going to ask if he could look into Fiorayne for us. We’ll just have to be into the dark about her until we meet her then.” Reaching to the coffeepot resting on the counter, Gant poured out a steaming hot cup of mocha coffee, before handing it to Lana. He didn’t exactly prefer coffee whatsoever, but he knew that Lana did, and that she enjoyed hers with just a little bit of cinnamon and mocha.

He needed her happy again, now that things were planned out. She worked her best when her fears were taken care of, after all.

“Now, Lana my dear… I suggest you train well with your eyesight, my dear.” Bringing his charismatic personality back out in full force, Gant’s analytical mind sprung into action as he considered everything that could be useful in the trials to come. “I know you’re already perceptive enough, but we will be engaging with professional hunters out there, as well as deadly monsters. I’ll probably be the one to take them on, but I’ll need you to at least act as a good spotter for me. Just in case, of course.”

“...Of course, Gant.”

Over the course of the next week, they of course did everything in their power in order to improve their odds at this upcoming task. Gant engaged himself in intense physical exercise, pushing his body to the limit time and time again by lifting barrels filled to the brim with oil, thrusting himself against a waterfall and engaging with various Jaggi prowling the city outskirts. Lana meanwhile was pushing herself based on her instincts, often just lying in the wilderness for hours on end, listening out for the myriad cries of the various monsters in order to try pinpointing them out.

This was, of course on top of them taking the all-important daily run through the boot camp. Repeating the course time and time again, they were slowly improving their times with each run, and becoming better combatants all the while. As the week passed, they could feel themselves becoming more prepared for the hunt that was ahead and more confident that they could actually take care of this advanced training.

By the week’s end…

“Good morning, Hammy! The early Quaropeco catches the Orthworm, doesn’t it?”

“...Oh god damn it all…” Letting out a deep sigh, Hamish walked out from behind his stall as he beckoned for the two trainees to follow. “They had to bring in the both of you, didn’t they? At least the lady’s relatively fine. You though… you’re fucking annoying, Damon Gant. You certainly are a professional, but you definitely don’t act like it. You act like some kind grandpa, completely unlike what a Hunter is supposed to be like.”

“And you seem to have a stick up your spine!” Gant responded back, still in a jolly tone in spite o the vitriol coming from Hamish’s voice. “You need to learn to have some joy in your life when off work! Otherwise, all that peace that comes from taking a break will never come!”

“Oh, just shut up…”

Hamish slowly led them down into an empty shack, upon which he opened up a hatch that led underground. Climbing down, the three traversed a series of passageways beneath the campus, the walls lined with skulls of smaller bird wyverns. These were skulls of Jaggi, Baggi and Wroggi creatures, all lined up in a layer of bone to give the passageway a distinct decor. In some of the skulls, torches illuminated the eyes, ensuring that a path was always lit forward for whoever was found beneath the campus.

Some of the halls diverged into underground classrooms, but that was not where they were heading. Rather, they headed off to a certain junction where the skulls ended. There were still torches lighting the way, but it was clear that the road ahead on this junction led out of campus grounds.

“This is the tunnel path to Dundorma. It’s mainly used as a trading route between our two cities, but you’ll be running through the tunnel in order to reach the city for your training. Honestly, I hope you stay there in Dundorma.”

“Sorry, but no can do Hammy!” With a bit of a light chuckle, Gant looked down the tunnel with a bit of excitement. “Once I’m done with this extracurricular training, I’ll be back in order to start teaching! Plus I gotta catch up with an old friend of mine named Goodman! Surely you can understand that, right?”
“...Just leave.”

And so they did. With one foot in front of the other, Gant began his long march forward with Lana slowly following behind. Carrying behind them sacks with enough rations for an entire day’s worth of walking, they were prepared to get to Dundorma by any means necessary, to ensure no harm befell little Ema Skye. Only two questions still persisted in their minds as they trekked through the underground route. The first was what Dundorma was going to be like once they finally made it to there.

The second meanwhile… was wondering what Fiorayne’s intentions were for getting Ema involved. A mere threat to their lives was sufficient enough… but instead they chose to specifically go and pick on her life.

How much does she know? And does she know too much to be left alive?