Fiction

I sat there and watched the cocoon as the night went on. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I couldn’t just leave it here, who knows what might happen if I did that. I was conflicted about my opinions about what to do with it. I had been left with it so I didn’t want to just break it and kill the beast inside. That felt wrong. Still I didn’t want to be in charge of her either. But then what should I do with her, just tell her to leave when she emerged from the cocoon. That might just be the same as killing her myself.

Rika - Normal

The jungle has been quiet, like the calm before the storm. I didn’t know any other way to describe it. Maybe things just seemed too quiet after the attack on Istan and I was just getting bored of not doing anything.

It had been a couple months since the attack on Istan and I had plenty of time to become bored. I had gone on several patrols with Kirk and Yaju during this time but those had been uneventful. I still had trouble speaking seriously with Yaju after that tiff at the hospital but we could do casual conversations just fine.

Kirk - Experiments

“So these are the initial results then?” I asked looking down at the clipboard.

Professor Stolas nodded, “The sample size is still small but that is the results from the experiment.”

“Lower performance then I had initially expected. Very little improvement and not very much epiphanies.” I frowned reading through the notes on the different experiments. “I suppose I’m not really surprised. These were just preliminary experience to see if the methods were sound. However I guess I’ll have to go back to the drawing board.”

“Are what age did you awaken to the instincts?” I asked.

“I became a Hunter at about the same age as you are now.” Elizabeth said.

“That is fairly old to become a Hunter from what I know.” I said, “However I’m not really one to talk.

“Hunters with weaker blood usually discover it in their late teens. At least that has been my experience.”

Kirk - Interruption

“Um, am I interrupting anything ladies?” I asked redundantly. I knew I was interrupting, that was kind of the point. I had arrived a little bit earlier and thought I would let them have their discussion but once they started yelling at each other I thought it would be a good moment to enter.

Rika made a funny grin. “Not too fast, after all you have been unconscious for more than a week.”

“A week??” I asked surprised. “Thats… impossible.”

“Well, that is just the time I’m been in this room with you, not including the several days that I was in surgery. The doctors said that you really did yourself a number by trying to fight and move across the city while poisoned. They say that you aren’t tough, you’re just stupid.” She laughed a little, “I guess that makes two of us.”

Things were looking bad. The Duke had numerous injures but we had lot the majority of our fighting force. Kirk was still standing but I could see that his quiver was almost empty. Elizabeth was also still capable but without her bow she wouldn’t be as much help. Alfred was staggering to his feet but I could tell that he didn’t have much fight left in him.

The Duke began to turn toward them. He was probably wanting to remove the weakest links so that I got no more assistance.

“The perfect weapon?” I asked. “Certainly it seems like a useful weapon but given the difference in all the bolts wouldn’t it take a lot of experience to learn how to use it correctly.”

Elizabeth smiled and said, “Yes, normally. Which is another one of the reasons that nobody wanted to use the weapon. Figuring out which bolt is the best on to use it tricky especially because there was large differences between the bolts. However someone with the talent like Kirk has should be able to use the crossbow flawlessly.”

“I told you before you left the caravan but the Duke is demanding that we surrender to him.”

“Have you found Yaju?”

She nodded but her expression was grim. “Yes, however she has been injured. It seemed that she fought one of the Duke’s Court and won but the creature was able to poison her.”

I frowned, “Will she be alright?”

I needed some defense against the claws however. It would be difficult to fight if I couldn’t defend myself effectively against him. My arms cracked and changed again. The skin thickened and the golden hair sprouted making my hands more like giant lion paws. I could feel the strain on my blood and instincts, it was difficult to control and keep my hands in that form. It was currently the limit of how much I could change myself. It wouldn’t be able to protect more than my arms.