Perseus made a show of yawning lazily and tried to keep a neutral expression as he scanned the cards that lay on the table. His eyes flicked back to the cards in his hand and he bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of a way to outplay the woman across from him. He typically didn't mind losing- it wasn't an uncommon thing for him, but he did mind losing to Jun Mei.
"Well?" The female hunter smiled and sat back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. Her eyes danced with the gleam of impending victory and he groaned as he ran a hair through his wind tossed hair.
"Give me a minute. You haven't won yet."
"Come on Percy, just except defeat already. The next elder dragon is going to spawn before you beat me." She grinned and tossed her ashen hair over her shoulder.
"And let you have my best bowgun? Not happening."
"You don't even use a bowgun." She rolled her eyes and studied the dual blades that rested on the back of his chair. She had to admit that the Magda Ungulae blades were impressive, but they were not her speed.
Percy ignored her and leaned forward, his grey eyes intense as he studied the cards. He pulled one corner of his lower lip between his teeth, his brow furrowed in concentration. Jun watched him and smiled; she almost felt bad for beating him. Almost. The two of them had been hunting together for years now and she was rather fond of her companion, more so than she liked to admit. Not that she would ever admit it in the first place- she had too much pride for that.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Percy raised a brow, the cards suddenly forgotten.
"Like what? I'm wasn't looking at you!"
"Yes you were!"
"Was not!" She stuck her tongue out at him and turned her nose up. "I was looking at Hyperion."
"Hyperion is not that cute." Percy smirked at her and scratched his palico between the ears.
"Just shut up and play dammit."
"Do I need to separate you two?" Their handler suddenly appeared. Her usual smile was on her face, her eyes bright. "Who's winning?"
"I am." Jun smirked.
"She thinks she is." Percy corrected.
"You just-"
"Enough, enough." The handler waived her hand dismissively. "I have an assignment for you two." That got their attention.
"What kind of monster? The usual?"
"No," she said slowly. "Rather the unusual. The Admiral has reports of a tear in the atmosphere in the Coral Highlands. A strange monster has spawned there, one unlike anything we have ever witnessed before. We sent a scouting team in to check things out, but they haven't returned. The Admiral wants to wants to send in the best, so here I am."
"Well then." Jun grinned and grabbed her bowgun. "Let's go hunt."
.
.
.
Percy peered up at the sky, perplexed by the watery tear that blotched the atmosphere. It was dark in contrast to the rest of Coral Highlands and it rippled like an angry patch of sea. Jun titled her head up as well and frowned, just as perplexed as her companion was.
"Whatcha think?" Percy finally asked.
"I have no idea." Jun shrugged. "I didn't bring my book on tears in the atmosphere." Percy just rolled his eyes and they sat off deeper into the highlands, working their way towards where the research team had been dispatched. A foul smell began to taint the air and he wrinkled his nose.
"You smell that?"
"Yeah." Jun frowned. "Smells kind of gassy."
"I thought so too." He drew his blades, the grips a familiar comfort in his hands. "Look, just over the ridge there." He pointed the tip of his blade towards a blotch on the horizon.
"What in the world is that?" Jun's brow furrowed.
"Only one way to find out." Percy set off at a jog and Hyperion made a sound before bumbling after him. Jun sighed and took off after them, Buzzsaw in tow. They covered the ground quickly and slowed to a walk as they came within range of the strange object. It was spherical and seemed to be made of stone. The stone was thick with elaborate rivets that made odd patterns and a green membrane with brown veins was visible through two slightly exposed spots. Percy took a step forward and tapped the stone, but nothing happened. He shrugged and turned to Jun.
"What do you think-" Jun was cut off as two green thick trunk like tentacles erupted from the ground. The ends branched off into four thinner tentacles that whipped at the air. Percy jumped back as a finger speared at him, narrowly missing his arm.
"Get back!" He rolled to the side and Jun retreated back several paces. She lined up a clear shot and unleashed several rounds into the right hand trunk. "Keep that one busy!" Percy called as he sprinted towards the left trunk. He slid and slashed with his blades when he was within distance, leaving two deep gouges along the base. The strange stone groaned and Percy rolled out of the way of another finger, casting a quick look in Jun's direction. She was rolling about and firing off shots at an impressive pace, each one finding its mark. Her bullets had ate through one of the four fingers and a second now only hung on by a few fibrous threads.
Percy turned his attention back to his trunk and he processed the situation with a speed that only Hunter's possessed. He rushed at the trunk as jump, digging one blade in deep. He pushed off with his feet and repeated the processes, climbing up the trunk until he was sitting at the base. He took a deep breath and channeled all his adrenaline into a flurry of backhand and overhand slices. One finger fell, then two, then three. The other was just about to slap him off when Jun fired off a shot louder than the others. The finger exploded in a spray of fibers and Percy flipped off the trunk, landing on his feet with a grin.
"Good shot. I owe ya." He rolled forward and jerked Jun back as the last finger on the right trunk lashed out at her. He sliced his blade upwards and it fell to the ground. "I take that back."
"Thanks." Jun grabbed a potion from her belt and tossed it to Percy before grabbing another and downing it herself. Percy drank his and pulled a face, feeling a new sense of vitality rush through him.
"Well, that wasn't anything too crazy. Now, about this stone." He turned and just as he stepped towards it the stone seemed to explode. The sides and top opened up into three stone separate pieces and a creature unfolded from the bottom half of the shell. It was a greenish grey and had no visible eyes, but it's maw was made up of three small mandibles that gnawed at the air. Two long arms unfurled and each had 4 more finger like feelers at the end.
"You just had to say something!" Jun snapped as she fired a flash pod from her slinger and danced backwards, reloading her gun. Percy ran in to get within striking range, rolling and dodging as the fingers whipped at out him.
"Oh, yes, the giant angry stone creature is all my fault." He called sarcastically. He raced up the slightly curved trunk of a tree and spread his arms, riding his glider through the air. He landed on the monster's head and went to work, stabbing with one hand and holding to a groove in the monster's head with the other. He was about to hop off when the monster suddenly whipped forward, throwing him off balance. The monster jerked its head back as Jun fired a shot into its mouth and Percy went flying backwards. He landed with a thud and rolled several times, groaning.
"Percy!" Jun loaded her last flash pod and fired it at the creature before sprinting towards her fallen companion. He groaned and tried to get up, his arms trembling.
"That hurt." He mumbled in a daze.
"You're an idiot!" Jun grabbed a mega potion and forced it down him before slapping him on the shoulder. "Move!" She tackled him as the monster spit a wad of bile at them. The smell reeked and Percy retched as he stumbled to his feet.
"Watch out, that is poison!"
"You don't say." Jun rolled away and lined up another shot, sending a round into the monster's maw. The monster groaned angrily and the tentacles whipped. A ball of water blasted Jun in the chest and she flew backwards, landing on her butt with a thud.
"You good?" Percy called as he dodged a tentacles, dancing closer and closer to the monster.
"Just keep moving!"
Percy launched himself off a rock and threw all of his weight into a downwards slice. His blades connected with the monster's arm and it fell to the ground, withering. He stabbed his blade into the side of the monster's face and used the momentum to swing to the other side, unleashing a flurry of blows. The arm severed halfway before hanging there limply and Jun shouted to get his attention.
"I have one bomb shot on me! Get his mouth open!"
"Yes ma'am!" The monster writhed and spat more venom at Jun as Percy scrambled up its side and onto its head. He snatched his other blade free before driving them both into the top mandible. "Open wide!" He pulled back with all his might and the monster let loose a guttural roar just as he wanted. He heard Jun's bowgun fire and then an explosion unleashed in the monsters maw. Percy was flung backwards and hit a tree, bits of monster flesh raining down on him. The monster folded into the bottom shell and wiggled for a moment longer before sighing and ceasing its movements. Jun leaned heavily against a tree, grasping her arm where an oozing green welt had formed. Her ears rang and it took a moment for her eyes to focus. She spied Percy and made her way towards him, limping slightly.
"I'm ok." He muttered, crawling onto his hands and knees. His world spun and he groaned softly, hanging his head. "Ok, I'm alive. Not sure about ok."
"Just stop talking." Jun muttered, crouching beside him. She pulled out her last potion and drank half of it before passing it to him. "Drink that and shut up."
"I don't think half a potion is going to help me out much." He grumbled but slowly moved into a crouch. Jun grabbed the back of his armor and drug him into a standing position. She put an arm under his to steady him, her hand resting on his waist.
"You going to make it?"
"You haven't managed to kill me yet." He shook his head as if he was trying to dislodge something from his head. "You and you're damn exploding rounds."
"You didn't have to mount him!" Jun snapped, but then touched his arm. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Just a little dazed. I'll be fine. What in the hell was that thing?"
"I don't know. The real question is if he came from that tear and if he did, what else will follow?"
"I'm not sure. We need to get back to base though and report to the Admiral."
"Let's collect a few samples first. We'll give our reports and then we'd best go see a healer." She wrinkled her nose as she eyed the green welt on her arm.
"No way, they'll want to hold you so they can poke and prod at that thing. It is just a green zit. It'll go away."
"Oh geez, don't be too concerned! What does it matter anyway? What's the big rush?"
"Because I still have to win that card game!"