There are moments in life that are so thrilling, so deadly and at the same time breathtaking, all rationality is lost to much more instinctual emotions and thoughts. As Nina rushed right into the thick of the fight with the others, uncloaking and activating her wristblades, this immediately became one of those moments. The battle was a blur; a mix of neon green blood, the burning glow of the fire, and the ever pitch-black midnight surrounded the fray. Those nearest released the females from their bonds and protected them from their gruesome enemies, while the rest of their comrades ensued in the heat of combat, focusing on one or two Bad-Bloods at a time.
It would have been easier for the Jungle Hunter Clan, if the Super Predators had any real sense of honor. However, rather than challenging them in the purely deemed arts of melee and hand-to-hand combat, quite a few resorted to their disgusting ways of just attempting to blast through their opponents, even though they were bigger and tougher. This was when numbers especially came in handy.
No sooner had she drawn out her weapons, a Bad-Blood who was going on eight feet in height loomed over her, bearing a wicked looking maul. One mistake and she could wind up being sliced in half with ease, her body cleaved right in two by the blade. Wait for the right moment! she ordered herself as she glared up at her adversary. The Bad-Blood let out a deep snarl as he swung for her side in one, fluid motion, a great amount of force behind it.
Now!
Her knees already bent, Nina quickly tucked and rolled through the brute's legs, landing in a crouch before quickly turning and thrusting a pair of blades at his back. Expecting a move like this, he moved slightly so the blow would instead scrape his armor, then he launched a fierce punch at her chest, knocking Nina off of her feet and landing on her butt a couple feet away.
Strength and force; those were his biggest strongpoints. Nina knew this well, she had seen it often enough in fights like this. The real issue then became how she could turn those to her advantage.
He lunged for her, twisting the maul back so it could better be used for a stabbing and gutting weapon. The armor covering her gauntlets had seen much use, and it was about to see a little more. She raised one arm in an upward swing, the blade digging about half an inch into the gauntlet. The Bad-Blood was on top of her and swiped at her face with his claws in fury.
He didn't even get close. With the other pair of wristblades, Nina chopped off his incoming hand, allowing the loose limb the flop on top of her and then roll to the earth. As the Super Predator roared from the sudden, sheer pain, she brought her legs up to her chest and kicked him off of her. She swung her left foot around as she turned to stand, jarring the Predator upside the head.
The few seconds it took for him to get out of his daze was all she needed. Time was yet another valuable asset in battle. Nina spun around once she righted herself and drove her wristblades sideways, slicing open the Bad-Blood's throat, silencing him for good, however not enough to separate his head from his corpse.
Quickly examining her surroundings, she saw two Super Predators advancing on one of the youngest of the Blooded Yautja. Nina cursed under her breath upon noticing that one wielded a Plasma Scythe; a weapon so powerful it was ruled illegitimate for hunts and instead meant to be used only by the Vanguards. Retracting her wristblades, she took out her Combistick, withdrew it to its full length, and barbarously attacked with a cry of defiance and anger. The sound joined in with the others, which formed a harmony of shots, clangs, shinks, and roars.
Paying little attention to where his little ally was at the moment, knowing she was capable of handling herself, Sain'ja vigorously clashed wristblades with his own opponent. Both of his shurikens were already gone, currently lodged into the skull and lung of two of the dishonorable insects that had used Plasma cannons at the very first of the fight. To shot prey that was barely worth the trouble or got in the way, or to fire at a pathetic excuse for a warrior that simply retreated from a fight rather than die honorably was one thing, but to defy a direct challenge with such disgrace- it was sickening.
As they released one another from their locked weapons, the duel soon became a struggle of endurance and might. Each grabbed the other by the arms, both trying to wrestle the other and push them back, weakening them as well.
The Super Predator slammed his masked forehead downward in a head-butt, clashing it into Sain'ja's. Sain'ja tightened his hold, drawing blood. His enemy trilled with harsh laughter, "Give up yet, boy? You're looking a little rough already. What, you can't handle fighting amongst grown men?"
"Funny, I was just about to ask the same to you," he responded. He swiftly let go and encircled his arms around the Bad-Blood's neck, pulling him down to a much more preferred height. Rapidly, he kneed him in the chest, refusing to quit until he was able to tell the vile parasite had grown short of breath. Sain'ja lashed him across the face after letting go, knocking away the Bad-Blood's mask and revealing the changed, more mutated face underneath. Soon after, he drilled his wristblades through his opponent's brain.
Adahy's duty was simple in this fight; he waited up above, tracking any cowards that fled, which more often than not, they did. He noticed a group of three running away just then, retreating into what they believed to be the safe haven of the jungle. Yanking a fist-sized orb off his bandolier and pressing down of the button, he tossed the plasma mine just ahead of them. In seconds after detonation, their flesh was vaporized, leaving only skeletons and sets of body armor. Any trophies he collected would often be joint-trophies, shared with whomever else that had fought against these worms, but somebody had to take care of the ones that tried to escape without suffering the consequences. He just hoped next time it would be someone else's job.
The corpse of the Super Predator collapsed forward, a hole pierced right through his chest and out the back close to the spine; the Plasma Scythe fell from his grasp. Nina stood solid, bloodied Combistick fastened in both hands, wearing her own blood along with the Bad-Bloods'. The Yautja near her gave a nod of thanks for the back-up- his foe fallen at his feet as well- which she returned before drawing her attention to the other rivals that had begun to encompass them. The two got back-to-back.
From basic training, the two knew what to do in paired matches. It was not a fighting method many were interested in, as most chose a "lone-wolf" hunting style. However, in times like this, it did have its advantages if you bothered to remember them.
First, one Bad-Blood rushed toward the pair ahead of the others. Planting her fists near her sides and pulling her elbows back, the Yautja latched his own arms around hers and bent forward slightly, balancing her back on his, she kept tight and kicked both legs out. The impact of the blow on the Super Predator's unguarded stomach sent him staggering back, gripping one arm around his waist.
The pair unlatched as three Bad-Bloods circled them, both sides looking for the right moment to strike. Two of them soon became the attention of her comrade.
"Tell me, Ooman wretch, have you ever wondered what it feels like to be slowly gutted alive?" sneered the last one at Nina as he charged toward her. He wielded two cruel twin swords, twisting them in his grasp. They weren't the most sophisticated weapons, but they still could cause a great deal of damage, especially with the metals they were crafted from.
"Well, with your sloppy, amateur fighting style, I guess I'll never find out."
It doesn't take much to make a Predator angry; that's one of the first basic lessons a person can learn when being near them. And Nina had just tred upon one of the most valued things they take pride in. She knew well enough that in she enraged him, she could unbalance him. Or get myself killed in the process, she thought, gritting her teeth as the Bad-Blood smashed his pair of swords downward, with her blocking the brutal strike by holding her Combistick almost horizontally and trying to push him back.
Swinging one foot around, the Bad-Blood tripped Nina and caused her to fall backwards, then drove on of the swords down to the center of her abdomen. She attempted to roll out of the way, but the blade sliced a wide gash on part of her side and back, and then stuck into the earth, spurring a small amount of soil. She gnashed her teeth together as the wound caught open air and dust, burning madly. Blood poured freely from it, like crimson paint that was spread too heavily by a toddler's messy hands, and flows off of a tan canvas.
As he tried to remove his sword, which snuck far into the ground by his had anger-driven force, he glowered at the human female with ever growing avarice. The Bad-Blood had heard the stories; this female was nearly on every one of the missions to fight against his own clan, and had become somewhat legendary for it. He had to admit, she was lasting far longer than most of her pathetic kind would, but that still wouldn't change that facts that she was a Pyode Amedha, asoft meat, and she had dared to insult him. Therefore, she would die, and she would suffer the consequences she deserved.
That is what should happen when mere prey begin to think they can rise up and fight the Yautja as equals, but no. Rather instead the other foolish clans of his race actually thought that if prey bested one of them in combat, or showed an act of mercy- how he hated that term-when they had the upper-hand, than they were to be treated the same. How could the rest of his race even claim the title of hunters if they used weak tactics? To best an opponent, one must find any method to defeat them and have no regret or feelings of pity if said quarry becomes injured or unarmed during the hunt. It is their own fault if they can't even handle themselves.
He was more than willing to teach this lesson to the human female, especially since it would be the last thing she would know of before entering the u'sl-kwe, the final rest. As he managed to yank his sword out of the ground, he watched with overruling, sadistic pleasure as she scrabbled back on her feet, blood raining down her right side and leg, but had a resilient stature that stated she was not ready to give up anytime soon.
Nina breathed soft, even breathes, her feet planted steadily to the ground, keeping track of her opponent's motions. Instinct was beginning to kick in, preparing her for quicker, more random moves to dodge and attack. She spun the Combistick up above her head, then suddenly shot it forward at the Bad-Blood's chest. He fended it off with a quick parry with one blade and used the other in attempt to decapitate her.
She locked her weapons with the first sword, rapidly bringing it downward, pointed at the dirt, as she brought the other side of the Combistick up close to her face and blocked the other blade. The Super Predator kicked her and sent her sprawling on the earth. Her Combistick fell out of her grasp a couple feet away. Nina sat there, trying to catch her breath and regain composure as he advanced towards her, looming above her.
He looked down at his sure kill as she tried to stand again. Her arms shook slightly as she began to push herself back up. She gasped slightly and cringed at the pain in the side her efforts were causing. She seemed too weak to save herself now.
He trilled at the human, confident in his victory. After sheathing one sword, he picked her up by the throat. She squirmed in his grasp some, her eyes squeezed shut. "You will make a prize trophy in my collection," he mocked as he brought his other sword to her face, tracing the flat side of it harmlessly across one of her cheeks.
Her eyes flew open. In one swift blow, Nina activated a pair of wristblades and slammed them through the Bad-Blood's chest, up to where her fist collided with his mottled skin. In shock at her sudden strength and his instant pain, the Bad-Blood dropped his weapon and spat out a bit of blood, which landed on her forehead.
"Not today," Nina said darkly and impassively, glaring at him in disgust.
She would never win an Oscar in for her acting abilities, but they worked just fine in times like this. She pulled off the defenseless, unable to resist, feeble girl gambit without a hitch.
She was released from his grasp and landed on her feet as the Super Predator fell dead. Nina looked around. The battle was almost over alright. The Super Predators had gone to one of their last resorts.
A mass of Plasma Cannons were aimed at her and most the others in the Jungle Hunter Clan. The majority had been corralled to the center of the area while the Super Predator Clan began to surround them. Others would were strayed away were shoved to the center. The cannons made quiet, metallic noises as they switched to full power, locking on to their chosen targets.
Not one Bad-Blood could make a single shot in time. A long, single whistle was made; an order to drop down now. Everyone who knew what it meant complied. Up high, given their own instructions, the rest of the group fired their own guns. Spears and wristblades fired from gauntlets zoomed overhead. Within moments, all was still and silent again, then the air erupted with roars of victory.
As naturally as ever, the Predators began checking the dead and injured-there had only been two casualties- and then collecting their trophies. Nina wasn't really fond of it all, content with just walking away and focusing on the next important matter, but after her first few fights it became expected of her. After taking out her medicomp and patching up the more serious wound at her side, she went over to the three corpses of the Bad-Blood's she fought.
She bent over the nearest one and tilted her head. Most of the others would take the skull, however they could easily just rip it out. She, on the other hand, needed to use her dagger to deeply cut through flesh, which she pulled free from her waist.
Sain'ja already had his trophies. He stood by one of the Jungle Hunter Clan Adjudicators. The pair was watching Nina.
"I feel she is ready. She fought alongside us for a long while and hasn't spoken out against hunting her species. I believe we should make her one of us completely," Sain'ja, not for the first time, implored.
"True, she is skillful and loyal, but how long do you think it will last, Sain'ja? We don't need her rebelling against us in the end. There have already been cases where Ooman Apprentices have acted against us once they are faced with the choice of their own kind or the new ways they have become accustomed to."
"Then this would be the ultimate trial for her. I swear to Paya, I'll keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't try anything foolish."
"And what if she does? Will you be able to fight her, and is so, end her?"
He hesitated a second before replying, "Yes, sir. I will do whatever needs to be done."
The Adjudicator examined him up and down, "I best hope so. You've allowed yourself to grow attached to Dto-Raija as an ally. She's become a sort of bad influence on you, softening your heart some." He placed a hand firmly on Sain'ja's shoulder, "Just be prepared for anything on the journey. Best prepare her as well." He nodded in Nina's direction before going to check on the now free Unblooded females.
Nina walked over to him, a set of mandibles and claws now grouped together by a string, hanging from her left side. Her weapons were retracted and put back into place. "Talk about a rush, huh?" she asked. She looked at him for second. He only half way seemed to be paying attention. "Is everything ok?"
He nodded, "Yeah." The two began following the others back to the settlement. Both recloaked. "I'm just thinking about all the training we'll have to go through in the next month."
"Wait…we?"