Chapter 16 – The Hunt is on!

Mk23 -IRJ Droplet – Class 7 – Carpe Victoria (Wrecked)

Sector - Unknown

Planet - Unknown

17rth May 2341 (BSST)

Hunting is a solitary activity, even when you can have a discussion with the voice inside your head. Being able to speak to Enigma didn’t dampen the disquieting solitude that come from a hunt.

The midday sun burns bright in the sky, a scorching ball of flames that lights up the sky with its illuminating power. It sometimes hides behind the clouds, silvery wisp like existences that drift around the sky in an aimless fashion. Going, not where they will, but where the wind tells them. At other times, as it crawls across the sky it sends blinding rays down through the atmosphere to shock you. As if in anger at some unknowable injustice. I suspect that most animals here hide from its potent gaze. Laying in the shadows before the darkness comes swelling in, only to emerge as night begins to reign supreme. Joined in its majesty by the moon.

But alas it was still midday for me and I used the time before the animals emerge to get far from camp. This time I head in a new direction. Previously I have always moved away from the charcoal forest and the unnerving scene of my first night. This time though I head back through the woods towards it.

The big cat must have hunting grounds out there. So other animals must exist. I find it hard to believe something that obviously a predator could be herbivorous. So, the animals must be great at hiding form me. I must be more wily, more intelligent and just generally better at hunting.

As I traipse through the charcoal forest I feel a nervousness settle in the pit of my stomach. An unusual thing for me. This place is unnatural, I think that is what I feel. In what realm would a charcoal forest exist.

“Enigma, what do you think happened here?” I ask trying to hide the nerves in my voice. He probably could analyse it and find out, but it is whether it occurs to him to do so. Without my asking he probably won’t.

He stays silent for a while, so I interrupt.

“Enigma, it is okay to say you don’t know. At least tell me you are working on it. The only time I want assertions and full on analysis without specifying is if we are in a battle. Okay?”

“Yes Ronja.” He tells me a bit petulantly. It is as if I have just told him off. I feel a bit put out. Like a parent trying to correct their child. I suppose in a way I am his mother. Nurturing and developing his personality. It is just a shame that though he has the raw intelligence and processing of a god he is still as mature and developed as a small child.

“So, what happened here?” I ask again.

“I don’t know.” He replies in an edged voice. I sigh.

“Enigma” I say letting the meaning creep into my tone. In a bought of maturity, he grows up for a second.

“It seems like the forest was burnt to a crisp in this large swathe of land. Not like a forest fire though. I really don’t have any explanation for the scene.” Finally, I think to myself as he responds in the way I wanted. Reassuring in our combined ignorance. Solidarity is more comforting that knowledge. Stemming from tribal days where being one of many in a crowd is safer than being the odd one out.

It’s unnatural, odd and eerie. Yet those very same qualities give it a sort of sacred reverence. Like a graveyard. It gives off the feeling that you are walking upon the revered and respected. You don’t want to scream and shout, you just want to move on leaving the peace and quiet slumbering on, ignorant of your passage through their domain.

It isn’t long before I pass through the place, emerging from the other side is like a breath of fresh air. And in a way I suppose it is at that. Almost unknowingly I hadn’t noticed the stench of ash that clings and smothers the land behind me. I let it out, exhaling all that pent-up angst and nerves in a few deep breaths. And suddenly all is right with the world, well, all right respectively.

Not far in front of me what remains of the biome that still lives fades away and, in its place, another stands tall. Or maybe small. At the edge of the one I am standing in the landscape heads downhill for about fifty metres as the biomes gradually integrate and separate. It is not what you would describe as a forest yet still within the overgrown nature of the landscape. To me it seems to be a cross of several different biomes. As with all of the land so far, big, tall trees grow up from the ground, their roots a sprawling maze of wood that anchors them in place. Though here it is far more sparse and in general the trees don’t touch each other. They have grown to a height about that of the land I am standing on.

The floor is a huge swamp like aspect of the biome. Interconnected water pools, streams and marshes are interspersed with flat areas of solid ground held together by the roots of the trees that stand so tall. In the shallow clear water, the land gleams with colours. Reds, blues, yellows. All manner of coloured life crowds the waterways. An in-land coral reef. The coral bustling with uncountable aquatic life and insects. Between the huge trees and coral reef are other smaller shrubs and spruces native to taiga biomes.

Though none of that is what catches my eye. What does it is in fact numerous gleaming towers of white. Like intricate ice sculptures they sit motionless and peerless in their beauty. The sun breaks over them showering them in a bluish white light. It scatters and dazzles on their surface. They stretch out at several metres tall and separate rarely forming a huge network through which I will have to transverse.

Enigma tells me they are coral too. Perhaps the water used to extend up to the land above and this whole land was once underwater. As the water drained the coral died leaving these ice white monoliths behind. As the life flooded back in the wake of their death it grew around the remnants of the bountiful land.

Making my way through the land I encounter a few new animals. Though they skirt from my half-hearted lunges to grab them. First, a crayfish or similar. It has two sharp spears instead of claws. With a soft snick they extend out barbs. Like the hooks on a broad head arrow. The powerful tail tucks beneath it and allows a fast darting movement. It has the reddish colouration that those on earth do. I spotted it eating a fish. The spear like chelipod pierces through its flesh and then barb sticks out to help drag the dying prey to the creature.

Another is the fish the crayfish was feasting on. Like a bream or bass in shape, it has a thin tall body. A whitish top and green belly opposite to earthen varieties. A small hare or rabbit darts around the trees and I pursue for the time it takes it to dart away with a quickness that is almost unbelievable.

The further I trek and the more life that escapes me, the more disheartened I get. Everything is quick and nimble. Just when I am at my worst though a voice speaks to me.

“Over there” it whispers as a marker flashes on my HUD, it is of course Enigma. The marker leads me to a track. It is big, about the size of the palm of my hand. The hoven foot of some animal. The track is sunk deep into the ground, made soft by the water surrounding it. My excitement picks up and I have to calm myself. I follow along, stealthy and quiet. I watch every step with care, I don’t want to give the game away.

After an hour I discover the creature responsible for the tracks. Big indeed. It is about a metre high and one and a half long. Thick barrelled body and small stocky legs. It looks like a cross between a rhino and a pig. I might as well add mammoth to that list as the tusks it has are long and curling. It is green with a reddish tinge to it. Mud cakes its side and belly. The familiar curled pig tail is nowhere to be seen and instead a shark like tail extends back. Obviously much smaller, but the fin in itself is still very much present. The head also has resemblance to an aquatic life. Gills and a more pointed snout are prominent on the sides of the head. A good swimmer perhaps. Something about all the features make it seem like the animal should look comical but instead it leeks natural in this environment.

As I stand watching it, I get a first-hand account of the effectiveness of those aquatic traits as it jumps into the water and swims to the next island. Once their it roots around the ground for a bit before giving up and moving onwards.

Driving the animal towards the cliffs requires a lot of time. I have to make a small disturbance to its sides or back to make it wary of that direction, but eventually I manage it as the sun begins to descend from the sky. Still plenty of daylight left to work in but night is beginning to close in. If I’m not quick about this I could be walking back in darkness.

I wait a good fifteen minutes or so for the animal to calm down and go back to rooting around in the ground before I begin my approach. Hidden under the shadows of the cliff the animal faces outwards. Its positioning makes it much harder to approach. With the cliff cutting out half the angles to approach I have to pick and choose my moments carefully. Otherwise it will spook and vanish in a flash. I have enigma run me through how to throw the spear and the hand placement. Unlike conventional javelins with perfect weight distribution the makeshift one is heavier at the back as the trunk widened there. Each one is also weighted differently making it much harder.

When I’m comfortable of hitting it from where I am I crouch down and observe the animal. Hitting it head on will only result in it running. Like a triceratops it seems to have an armoured face. Usual weak points for creatures are the eyes and face, behind the head around the neck. The joints and the major blood vessels.

The head is too armoured. The neck is a maybe. If I can get enough force behind my throw to wrench the head around or if I puncture something useful, I might be able to take it down. The joints will work when I close in with it. Blood vessels are much to small of a target for a throw. Behind the head it is.

Waiting, watching and willing it, the animal finally lowers its head to the ground; exposing its neck. With a powerful wrench I feel the muscles, tendons and bones it my arm thrum with power and resistance as I launch the spear. Like throwing a punch I drive forwards with my legs, twist my core and back to accelerate my body and then unleash with my arms. The result; the spear flies fast and true. Slipping through the trees and branches to emerge into the fading light. It crosses the small stream separating me from my prey and strikes with a dull thud and a sharp squeal. Very much a pig like squeal.

Having been assaulted, the animal in its primordial, bestial panic runs in circles trying in vain to get rid of the spear still clinging to its body. Though it hasn’t penetrated deep the spear appears to have hit hard. Blood oozes out to coat the shaft with a natural red paint. Drips of the stuff fall off along its length as the flow runs down the spear.

I grab another from beside me and throw again. In excitement I throw without precision and control but with sheer power. It rotates in the air and strikes the animal in the head; snapping its neck around. The violent motion dislodges the other spear and the animal regains its composure in but a second.

Backed up against a wall; nowhere to retreat, it charges. Bounding across the land, jumping the pool of water and coming at me very quickly indeed. I unsheathe my knives and roll my head.

We close in on each other, full of aggression and will. A battle to the death and to the victor go the spoils. It lowers its head in the final few metres and closes its eyes. When it reaches me, it strikes up with the tusks trying to disembowel me. I am not there any longer though. Jumping to the side, I aim a kick to its right rear leg as it passes by me. An armoured leg with power boosting vs an animals leg. It’s no match. The bone with a dull crack as the sound waves transfer through the tough flesh. Without realising what has happened the animal goes to step on the leg before collapsing to the ground.

A wounded animal is its most dangerous state. The hunter gets complacent, the animal has nothing to lose and the two of them often both die. Yet I’m not foolish enough to be complacent. I sheath my right knife and march back to collect my spears.

From a safe distance I slam the base of the spear into the animal’s other rear leg. Crippling the poor beast without a thought of mercy. From the back I approach, knife held out warily. At the joint between the torso and the leg; on a human its in the flesh where the hips and quads join runs a major blood vessel. It is here that I slide my knife in. The curve softly supporting the leg of the animal. With a strong powerful stroke, I drive my fist to my shoulder, ripping through, muscle tendons and scraping the bones. I shred the flesh and unleash a torrent of blood that pools around my feet. The animal squeals yet again.

I repeat the process on the other leg and the backs of the legs where the human femoral vein and artery runs. Another wave of blood as its heart pumps it out of the creature. As the beast weakens I move up to its torso and rip through the flesh under the rib cage. More ribs and tougher muscle mean several strikes to get through. The blade breaks through the major muscle groups as I slowly cripple the animal further. With each new cut a smaller wave of blood rolls down the sides ad as the palpitations of its dying heart begin to fade I move up to the neck. Grasping its sharp tusks in one hand I stab the blade through the eye into its brain. With a last contraction it rips the tusk from my hand in its death throes.

I gasp in pain at the cut. Not physically there but the suit has a deep cut gouged into the metal. What is it about this planet. Even the leaves on the trees can hurt my suit.

With the animal finally dead I allow myself to smile. Food, food at last! I sigh in relief, taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

My exultation is short lived however as from the cliffs I hear a roar. For a brief second, the pure terror shoots through me.

“Sound has been filtered Ronja.” Enigma tells me.

A loud crash follows shortly. I step off the animal and turn to face the cliffs.

Down at the bottom, I face it yet again. The humanoid. Empty eye sockets searching, the huge head spike pointing towards me. It rises up on its toes letting the talons dig into the dirt. It charges at me in a huge leap. Two bounding jumps and it has closed the gap. As its arm swings towards me, claws extended I duck and swing my knife up, it slashes and digs into the armpit severing the muscle. Unfortunately, I am too late in my dodge and it catches me. No longer powered by muscle just the momentum hits me. I am flung away like a bug flicked off your arm. Crashing through the trees before landing in the muddied bank of one of the huge trees and sliding into the water. My Screen flickers slightly before coming back online. I am staring at the colourful corral of the swamp reef.

I leap to my feet and charge, ready to defend my catch. We close with each other as it emits another head pounding roar. It swings at me again; I dodge under and send my foot through to its knees. I hit solidly, hearing a crack. Fractured maybe. Though when it puts weight on it I doubt my analysis. I block a backhand swing in retaliation and it drives me back a foot into the dirt as the suit ceases up and locks me in place.

We trade punches for a while in a brawl of power. My hard-hitting shots barely seem to hurt it and I only just manage to deflect and dodge its replies. On one such swing I dodge fully and the creature opens itself up for the first time. Usually I have to get hit to get one shot in. Now though I have an opportunity. My knife flashes in the sunlight and I catch it in the neck. Opening it up and seriously injuring it. It screams in genuine pain and not frustration as previously. I smile in joy. Faster than ever before though it kicks out at me. A first for a move like this. I fly back through the air before slamming into a tree. Like a bird slamming into the window I fall limply to the floor.

Getting up takes me a few seconds and as I raise my head expecting a finishing blow I see the last traces of it as it scales the cliffs and runs away my hard-fought prey clutched in its bony arms.

“Fuck!” I scream out loud pounding the floor in frustration. All for nothing. It was all for nothing!