Disclaimer: Transformers Prime and the Monster Hunter franchise do not belong to me. I only own the storyline and my OCs.
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The transport touched down on the plain, sliding over the grass as it tried to loose speed. It had already applied the air-brakes while in the air, but it didn't do much to curb the flight of the heavy aircraft.
Jack hung on to his harness for dear life, the decent having almost wrenched him out of his seat while the landing felt like the aircraft had crashed into the soil, instead of touching down on it. After the initial touchdown, the transport started shaking, as the landing gear struggled to stop the aircraft and keep it on the ground. Jack thought the air plane was going to fall apart with the way that it was shaking.
Gradually, the transport began to slow down. As it did, the rumbling of the engines and the shaking of the landing gear starter to decrease. Jack could finally focus on the scenery outside the transport, now that it was slowing down.
It was a verdant green field of grass, surrounded by a ring of dense forest. He could see deer in the distance, and could make out some silhouettes of moving animals right by the windows. He guessed that the 'drome would have wanted an easy meal, and so headed here. It would soon sense that something was in its territory, and head over to see what the disturbance was. The transport stopped moving soon after it's decrease in speed, brakes hissing and releasing steam, water being applied to the landing gear to prevent any fire.
"The transport has come to a complete stop." The air-locks on Jack's harness released air, and he could feel it semi-lifting off of his body. "Please disengage the transport's safety equipment, and exit through the rear lift."
Jack and the other recruits unbuckled their harnesses, picking up their weapons, and followed the professionals, who had already equipped their weapons and were waiting for them. Miko had more trouble with her harness, but Aalexi managed to untangle her enough for her to wriggle out. Jack looked around the plain, noting that the animals seemed mostly unperturbed by their flight, before turning his attention to the instructor, the grass coming up to his knees. The test agent followed them closely, and, when they were outside, began to explain to them the rules of the test. Raf also came outside, but was led away by another agent to a nearby tree, which happened to be the observation tower.
Before disembarking, Jack remembered to check to see if his equipment still functioned properly. He tapped his own arm-map, making it flicker before blinking on to show their surroundings. There were three blinking dots, showing where his teammates were. There was also a solid triangle, showing where he was in relation to everyone else. He then decided to check on his helmet. It was a standard issue helmet, smooth white with small ridges along the head and cheeks. He tapped on the com-link, checking if the signal still worked. Receiving three beeps from the device, Jack confirmed that it was good to use.
"Listen up recruits! This-" he gestured to the field before them, "is the place where the designated quarry is hiding. You will find it, and subdue it before it causes any permanent damage to the surroundings. Remember! Once you locate the monster, it will form a time-rift that only other hunters can see. That means that ANY damage that you leave will be noticed INSTANTLY. So, DON'T LEAVE ANY. Understood?"
Jack and the others instantly stood at attention and saluted, yelling out "YES SIR!", before running into the field. Jack looked back at his dad, and James gave him a thumbs up. Jack smiled back before running off after his teammates.
"The Velocidrome hunt in packs along with its smaller brethren, the Velociprey. They are blue, with distinctive orange crests. They are very easy to spot, and will not take much skill to find. Once you dispatch their leader, the weaker Velociprey will be easier to handle."
Jack caught up with them, and looked around the area. He didn't see the bird wyverns at first, but soon spotted a group of bluish blurs parting the grass. He caught the attention of the other recruits, pointing in the direction of the figures.
"There," he whispered, as all of them began to creep towards the wyverns. Jack made sure to keep his head below the grass, so the Velociprey could not sense anything off.
The group of raptor-like wyverns began slowing down when they approached a herd of deer, a small group of three Velociprey and the Velocidrome splitting off from the main group to circle around the deer.
"Why do we have to kill them?" "Well Jack, we don't kill all of them. Most of the monsters carry a deadly virus, and must be eradicated. The few that don't are kept in remote regions in the world, so they can live out their lives in peace."
When the smaller group got far enough away, Jack and the others began their plan. Miko, Vince and Aalexi each picked out a Velociprey and drew them away. Jack himself began to lure the alpha away from the rest, pulling out a bottle of prepared bait blood. He kept it moving towards him using small drops of herbivore blood, and occasionally rustling the grass.
"You sure this is going to work?" "As long as the smaller group is far enough away, we can lure the Velocidrome away and gag it." "With what?" "With the 'glue-gun,' which I'll be carrying. Then, it won't be able to call reinforcements."
When Jack couldn't see the others on his mini-map, he decided that the Velocidrome should be far enough away not to attract any unwanted attention. Pulling out the glue-gun, he retreated further into the grass. He commed his teammates to let them know that it was time to begin.
He touched his finger to his com-link. "This is Enigma, the bird is in position. I'm prepared to fire, over." The others should be moving around the Velocidrome, and sure enough, Jack could see them surrounding the wyvern through his mini-map.
"This is Tempo, I'm moving in. Be prepared to fire Enigma, over." Before the wyvern even noticed that something was off, Aalexi sprang into action, lobbing a paintball at it's head, blinding it as she slashed downward with her sword. The wyvern fell back from the blow, shaking off enough of the paint in order to see Aalexi charging at it. With it's attention drawn towards Aalexi, Miko and Vince sprung into action.
As soon as Aalexi attacked, the world seemed to flicker, as a time-rift formed around them. They were now invisible to normal blooded civilians, letting them carry on with their business even if there were civilians around.
"Copy that Tempo." Jack had to stay in hiding until he could get a clear shot of the monster's mouth. With pack monsters, it is vital that you cut off their connection with the rest of the pack. While it would be no problems for professional hunters to handle a pack of Velociprey, it would be very dangerous for a group of twelve-year-olds.
Miko and Vince rushed the monster from opposite sides in tandem, aiming for the monster's soft underbelly. When they were close enough, both Miko and Vince slashed upward, causing two nasty gashes on its stomach. They then used the momentum to fling themselves into the air, flipping their blades and spinning back down. They smashed their swords against the thick hide of the monster's back, sending it crashing onto the ground in perfect sinc. While they may argue a lot, Miko and Vince to make a good team.
"WHOOO! YEAH! We brought it down!" Jack was not so sure. Would an alpha predator who lived in a world much harsher than theirs fall so easily? He though not.
His com-link flared to life, Aalexi shouting for them to get out of the way. Apparently he wasn't the only one who thought this way. He didn't move, paying close attention to the monster's movements.
The monster got back up, angry and ready to take revenge. Its eyes started to glow a sinister deep purple, as violet veins began to spiderweb across it's body. It looked around, eyeing each wary hunter. It noticed that it was outnumbered, and was about to cry for its pack.
Just as it opened its mouth, a white orb came flying at it, hitting it square in the lower jaw, exploding on impact. The monster shook its head, trying to get the substance off of its snout. Noticing that the hunters were approaching, it tried to roar, only to find that its jaw was glued shut.
"Nice shot Enigma!" Jack smirked, putting his gun away and pulling his dual blades out of their sheaths. He circled to the back of the monster, prepared to make his move while it was still distracted.
"Thanks Scythe, I'll pin it down before it runs." A cornered monster, was a dangerous monster. If Jack let it get away, it could easily circle back around them, and ambush them from behind with the rest of its pack.
Jack rushed at the Velocidrome, feet barely touching the flattened grass as he charged at it. As soon as Jack was able to, he jumped onto it's back, stabbing both blades into its hide. The others, taking the chance to sharpen their weapons, also charged at it.
The monster thrashed in pain, trying to throw Jack off of it's back. The veins on its body began flaring, spreading further as its struggles intensified. Sure signs of the virus.
As Jack held on to the monster, Miko charged up to it and clocked it over the head. While it was dazed, Vince followed up with a charged horizontal slash to the throat. It ripped through its skin and tore straight into the muscle, puncturing more than a few blood vessels.
The monster fell back, bleeding purple from multiple slash wounds, Jack still hanging on to its back. The monster lunged forward, attempting to claw Vince, but was blocked by Aalexi. Jack hurriedly began yanking his blades, catching a glimps of Aalexi blocking the monster's attack before wrenching his weapons free.
He then proceeded to jab one of his weapons into the Velocidrome's head, lodging it just under its crest. He used the other blade to distract the monster, slashing at its eye and its throat. He succeeded in temporarily blinding it and causing another gash in its throat.
Miko and Vince were focusing on keeping the monster from thrashing around, by continuously slashing the legs. They managed to weaken both legs, knocking off a lot of scales.
Now unable to pinpoint its targets and being severely weakened, it began jumping on anything that made any noise, forcing Jack's team back. It also dislodged Jack and sent him tumbling a few feet from its head. Luckily, Jack kept hold of both of his weapons, though the monster immediately charged at him, hearing him crashing into the grass.
Jack looked at his mini-map, and upon seeing that no one was close enough to help him, dragged himself up from the ground. Tired from hanging onto the monster's head, it was all Jack could do to lift his swords, and prepare for impact.
It hit Jack like a freight train. Normally the Velocidrome would not choose to reveal its underbelly to anything, but it was desperate. Jack was semi-pinned by the monster's feet, its fore arms poised to shred him. It was about to tear into him when Aalexi slapped its head with her shield.
It raised its head, distracted. This moment was all Jack needed. He plunged his swords into premade gashes on the monster's throat, severing the main arteries and its windpipe. It fell, violet glow fading to reveal old battle scars. Strangly, it started bleeding red after the violet glow faded. It looked at Jack one last time, before laying its head to rest.
The distortion from the time-rift disappeared, and the team could clearly see their parents.
When the Velocidrome fell, it landed right next to Jack, pinning him under its feet. Miko and Aalexi both pushed the body up, while Vince dragged Jack from under its claws. Jack then pulled his weapons free of the monster and shook off the blood. He slid the swords back into their sheaths, locking them in.
"The passing of a monster is a sorrowful event. They too are creatures of intelligence, of life. It is because of the virus that we must slay them. Hunters must pay downed monsters the proper respect, as it is only due to their gifts that we are able to continue fighting."
Jack headed over to the monster's head with the rest of his teammates, wishing that it rest in peace. His dad walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, offering Jack a smile, to which Jack reprocated. The recruits then retreated from the body, letting their parents hook a harness to the monster.
The test agent arrived shortly after, pulling a large cable meant for transporting the bodies of monsters, connecting it to the harness before walking away to survey the damage done to the environment, as well as call for a cleanup operation. The cable was connected back to the transport, and would reel in the monster.
Jack stared at the pool of purple and red that the monster left behind. It was reminiscent of the monster's glowing veins, though he could not understand why the blood would turn red when the monster was slain.
"Why did the blood turn back to red?", he asked.
James smiled ruefully.
"Current research suggests that the virus's hold over the monster breaks when it no longer has the ability to stay alive. But-" he knelt down in front of Jack, "our ancestors believed it was because we set the monster's spirit free."
Raf had arrived with the test agent from the observation tower, and was currently talking to Miko. He turned as Jack came over.
"Hey, Jack, how was the hunt?" Raf asked as the others headed over to say hi.
Jack looked over the team, noting that they didn't look worse for wear. Miko had a scratch on her armor, while Vince sported a dent in his helmet. Aalexi bore the brunt of the damage, having a whip mark on her side, and claw marks streaking from her back to her front. He himself had scratches all over his front from getting pinned down.
"Pretty good," he answered after assesing the damage to the team. Then he remembered something. The Velocidrome was the alpha of the pack, meaning that the Velociprey would start looking for it soon.
"Wait, what about the Velociprey? They're bound to be looking for their leader by now! We need to take care-" Raf tugged on Jack's sleeve, interrupting his worrying.
"It's ok, the professionals already took care of it. There were three that weren't infected, and you can see them if you want."
Jack stopped worrying and desided to see the three uninfecteds, yelling out an "Ok!" over his shoulder as he ran over to their temporary enclosure.
They were in a small, fenced area, waiting for a transport to a Class-1 containment zone. It was where monsters of extremely low risk get sent if they do not have the virus.
The monsters noticed Jack's approach, and went over, curious to who this new person was. Jack guessed that they might have already been fed, or they'd be a lot more aggressive.
There was one who had blue stripes going up its crest, and another had yellow highlights on its claws. The last one was a bit smaller than the rest, and, as it moved closer, Jack could see small orange bands going up its tail.
"Recruits! Prepare to board for the ride back to base!"
Jack turned around, immediately running over to the transport. It was sitting right where they left it, with the professionals securing the Velocidrome and the Velociprey bodies in the belly compartment.
He was joined with the rest of his team, as they stood in front of the agent. Raf was led into the transport ahead of them by one of the pilots.
"Your results have been recorded down! You'll receive them in two weeks time. For now, head back and go collect your materials. DISMISSED."
Jack and the others scampered onto the transport, strapping themselves in. Jack slid his sheathed blades into the holding compartment, the metal bars automatically tightening in preperation for the flight back.
"Return protocol initiated. Please put on appropriate safety equipment and prepare for liftoff."
His seat was next to Raf and Miko again, and so, he had to help them with their safety harnesses again. At least Miko had the forsight to strap her weapon down. She did not want to suffer through the harness again, though.
"But Jaaaack, you saw how tangled I got last time, why do I have to do it again?"
It seemed that she had forgotten that the g-forces from the first flight had nearly ripped her right out of her harness. Jack promised that it wouldn't be as bad as the las time, as long as she quit struggling and causing tangles.
After convincing Miko to put on her harness, and helping Raf reach his, Jack strapped himself in to prepare for liftoff.
"All personnel accounted for. All safetly equipment engaged." Jack heard the air-brakes on the harnesses hiss again as they tightened. "Please prepare for liftoff in 3...2... 1...Launch."
The initial acceleration wasn't as extreme as the previous liftoff, because the transport had to fight the grass and ascend despite the resistance. It also had to prevent fron setting the ground on fire. Being built for extreme strain, the transport felt very smooth.
Once they reached a sufficient altitude, the main engine turned on, signalled by a rumbling sound. Then the transport shot into the sky, trailing fire in its wake.
