Chapter Text
So get along, so get along, go
Get along 'long get a move on up
So get along, so get along, go
Get along 'long get a move on up
And as you fight among the death beneath the dirt
Do you know yet?
Do you want it?
And when the giants call to ask you what you're worth
Do you know if
Win or die, you'll
RISE - League of Legends, The Glitch Mob, Mako & The Word Alives
It was time.
The hunt was about to begin, and Diamond needed to prepare. Wolf had explained to her that Scar and some other hunters had captured and placed different creatures for them to use to their advantage. She would be placed in a team with two others, and the target was a beast called a Quatza-Rij. Lucky for her, Wolf took the time to explain what the Quatza-Rij was and what she had to expect.
She stood with Wolf as he showed her how to fasten the straps of her armor. His hands worked quickly. As he finished tightening the straps, he roughly patted her shoulder, making her step back from the force. She scooped up the weapons she would need later on.
Wolf showed her how to properly secure her gear. She followed and sheathed the blade into a thigh holster that had been made for her. Wolf collapsed the combistick and hooked it onto her belt for her, making sure the human was watching. The smart disc was snapped into place on its holder just below her dagger.
“ Survive and win this hunt, little ooman. May Paya guide you on this hunt. ” He placed a finger under her chin, making her look up at him. Diamond allowed him to hold her head up. Letting her go, he stood straight, observing her.
“Don’t worry about me. I can do this,” Feeling brave, Diamond stood on her tiptoes and hooked her fingers onto Wolf’s lower mandibles, pulling him down to meet her gaze. She didn’t know what she was doing at this point, but she smiled and kissed the exposed flesh of his gum.
Much to her delight, Wolf pulled her closer, his grip painfully tight around her body. He didn’t want to let go of this human, but he needed to let her prove her worth to the others and become a respected hunter. She pushed a few more kisses onto his scarred flesh. Her soft lips against his rigid scars.
Diamond finally pulled away, her face bright pink from embarrassment. She wasn’t expecting the response from Wolf, but calmed her nerves knowing she would return to someone who would support her. He wanted her to survive this and come back alive and hopefully unharmed. She was going to give this hunt her all.
Diamond looked back at Wolf as she stepped off the ship. Her armor clanked against the weapons that were strapped to her. Looking back, she caught him as he gestured “for glory” to her. Diamond nodded firmly, repeating it as the ship’s door closed, leaving her alone with her teammates. Turning back, she stood face to face with the others. Studying them, her eyes were drawn to one in particular.
His blue borderline-white dreadlocks and matching skin made him easy to spot amongst the dense greenery of the forest. He was messing with the straps of his armor. He seemed almost nervous about something. Not thinking much of it, she approached him. The sound of her boots thumping quietly against the hardened earth, leaves crunching with each step.
“Hello,” Diamond stood behind the other, watching him. She barely got any reaction out of him, only a glance. He only stared at her for a moment, which allowed Diamond to get a good look at his face. He was much younger than their other teammate. His eyes were a mix of red and orange. His body was covered in navy blue patches of scales. Diamond didn’t feel threatened by this hunter like she did the others. Other than Wolf, with whom she had been spending all her time. And of course, Lex and Scar. She would spar with the other woman when Wolf was too busy to do it himself.
Removing her combistick and dagger, she placed them on the floor and then sat down close to him. She received a low, threatening growl. Did she just offend him? By sitting down? Glancing over, she caught him looking at her. Deep red-orange eyes locked onto amber ones. She glared at him, not in the mood to deal with another asshole trying to scare her off.
“Look, buddy. I don’t know who you are. Nor do I care. We are on this team, and we are going to hunt this creature together. Whether you like it or not.” She stared him down, her hardened gaze never looking away from his eyes. The other backed off, the tension in his shoulders disappeared, and his gaze softened. He almost seemed relaxed. What was the reaction all about? Was he someone important?
“Now will you be civil?” the other snorted at her question, as if amused. He then signed to her. She barely caught it as he was so fast, her eyes desperately trying to keep track of the movement. She only blinked, confused, which wasn't missed by the other. He gave her an annoyed look, then began signing to her again. She was confused, but this time focused as he went again. His hands were rapidly spelling out what she only assumed was his name.
“Phoenix?” She received a pleased purr as she said that. She hummed at the reaction. This hunter’s name was Phoenix. She offered her hand, which he stared at, then he hesitantly took it. Her hand was pathetically tiny compared to his. She gripped his hand and held on for a moment.
“Well, in that case, I’m Diamond.” Her face split into a wide smile as he nodded. They sat there for a while longer, as if seeing who would make the first move. Phoenix let his hand go and stood, grabbing his weapons. Diamond followed his lead and stood as well, grabbing her combistick. She rehooked it to her belt, the weight becoming comfortable with time.
He scooped up her dagger and held it out to her. She took hold of the hilt and tucked it into the sheath on her thigh, above her smart disc. It was time.
Her team moved through the brush in front of them. Their third member, who she learned was named Va'taun, was hacking and slashing, carving a path for the trio. She and Phoenix followed close by, daggers in hand as they cut down brush that Va'taun hadn’t. Critters skittered out of the way, many barely missing the sweeping blades as they hacked into the vegetation.
They pushed forward, slowly getting closer to the center of the forest they were in. When they were dropped off, it was nearly sunset. Now it was getting dark. Stars and planets littered the sky, the stars shining brightly, like tiny beacons of hope. The trio found a secluded opening to rest. Phoenix went off to do whatever he was doing while Diamond helped Va'taun patrol the area for any potential threats.
Va'taun was quiet. That was the first thing she noticed about the hunter next to her. He barely spoke or made any form of sound. He was focused on this hunt. The two found their way to what reminded Diamond of a marsh back on Earth. Thick layers of dense plants and algae coated the water’s surface. Fallen trees were everywhere. Something caught his attention. Va'taun crept to the water’s edge, stabbing his wrist blade into the water, piercing the side of a creature. Navy blue blood oozed into the water. When he pulled the critter out of the murky water, it reminded Diamond of a fish she had seen on Earth. Its jet black scales glisten in the pale moonlight as it thrashes. Va'taun held it up to examine his kill as its body stilled. Whatever the hell it was, it was for sure dead. Diamond didn’t stick around to watch what he would do with the critter.
By the time she got back, Phoenix had returned and had perched himself in a tree, one of his legs dangling as he carved a chunk of wood with a rather small, curved blade. Below him was a small fire he had started while the human-Yautja duo were doing a sweep of the area. Diamond sat at the base of the tree, near the fire. She listened to the crackling along with the noise of the night. Critters chirped all around her. The rustle of leaves caught her attention as Va'taun approached them.
He sat down a good foot from Diamond, crossing his legs as he cleaned off his wristblade of the blue blood that coated it with a rag made out of an unknown material. She spotted the fish-like creature he had killed hanging at his side. It had been cleaned of scales and gutted, along with two more he must have found when she left.
He unclipped them and stood up, throwing one at Phoenix, who just barely caught it. A very startled Phoenix growled, which just earned him a shrug from Va’tuan. Phoenix, still irritated, dropped a chunk of wood on the other's head, earning a hiss. Va'tuan then sat back down, making sounds that sounded akin to swearing, yet he offered one to Diamond as if nothing happened, waiting to eat his after she took hers.
“Thank you. I guess?” Diamond eyed the fish suspiciously. She looked up at Phoenix as he used his claws to break the fish into manageable chunks, dropping one into his mouth. She finally took it, biting into the raw meat.
It didn’t taste bad, surprisingly. It reminded her of salmon, but the flesh and blood were a deep navy blue. It also had an earthier, sweeter taste, much like lobster or crab. She pulled out tiny bones as she continued to munch on the rather soft, uncooked flesh. They all sat there in silence, the once lifeless forest coming to life even more now that it was starting to cool down in the glow of the moon through the trees. The gentle hum of life was evident around her.
Diamond finished off her fish and wiped her hands on her shorts. Phoenix had joined them on the ground eventually after finishing off his as well. He took on a kneeling position on the other side of her. Diamond lay against the tree, her body curling up as she felt herself drifting off. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep, the other two following not far behind.
Sunlight streamed through the trees as she woke up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Va'taun was the first one awake, and he had brought them food. Again. This time, he had collected strange-looking fruits and veggies. He was working on cutting them up, along with chunks of rather fatty meat. He had been cooking them while he waited for the other two to wake up.
“Good morning,” She scooted closer so she was sitting next to Va'taun as he pulled off a cooked piece of meat and offered it to her with some roasted vegetables. She snagged an uncut piece of fruit from him and placed it with the rest of her meal, first focusing on the meat.
She was halfway finished with everything when Phoenix finally woke up. Va'taun tutted at the younger male, earning a hiss from Phoenix. Diamond prevented herself from laughing as she shoved some of the fruit she had stolen into her mouth. The fruit reminded her of a mango. Just not as slimy and without the fibrous seed in the middle. She downed the rest of her food, quite enjoying what she was given.
She ended up watching the other two as she licked the sweet fruit juice off her hand: Phoenix was still pretty pissed off with Va’taun. Va’taun didn’t seem to care, which earned him another growl. Va'tuan raised his arms in mock surrender, soft grumbling that seemed like he was complaining about Phoenix being unable to take a joke. Diamond scoffed before standing up.
“Ok, ok, you two! We need to get back on track," she remarked, catching the boys' attention. Ending their quarrel over what she assumed was Va’taun messing with Phoenix, who didn’t seem to be keen on letting the older male get away with it.
A flash of metal caught Diamond’s attention: A huge, cage-like crate had been dropped off from the atmosphere. She and the other two watched as it crashed into the forest farther ahead of them.
“Well, I guess that’s where we go now,” Diamond only muttered to herself as she put out the flames of their campfire by kicking dirt on top of it. They gathered their gear and headed off to the crash site.
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It felt like hours as they tracked down the crate. Diamond had her knife out as she hacked down vegetation alongside Phoenix and Va’tuan. God, she wished she had more than just her shorts and sports bra under her armor. But she was also glad she didn’t have any more on in the heat of the jungle. As she moved, she swung her blade; the branches that she missed smacked into her, leaving welts on her otherwise clear skin.
Phoenix was on her right, Va’taun on her left. Both of them were focused on their surroundings as they followed their human companion through the forest. Sunlight barely shone through the dense leaves, the darkness making it hard for Diamond to see anything in front of her.
Swinging her blade blindly, she forced her way through the thick vegetation. They finally made it to the crate they saw. Phoenix stepped forward. Diamond watched as he kneeled in front of the busted door. Blood stained the jagged end of the door that had been ripped open by the creature inside.
Diamond approached, standing behind the other as he ran a finger through the blood. It had to be fresh. The Quatza-Rij hadn’t been out very long and likely went looking for shelter from the blazing heat of midday. Diamond could only guess where the beast was hiding.
She backed away as she studied her surroundings. She picked up a branch that had been snapped off, and she knew for a fact it wasn’t from them. She followed the damage to be yanked back by Va’taun. Right. It would be easier if she stayed with the others and they went as a group.
“Let’s go. We still have a few hours before the sun sets.” She beckoned for them to follow her as she went back to following the damage done by the creature.
The trio kept creeping in as soon as she spotted the Quatza-Rij. It had taken refuge under a massive tree. The branches shield its bug-like body from the harsh sun. It had nestled itself in-between some trees resting on the forest floor. Blood oozed from its leg, metal embedded in the wound. Phoenix and Va’taun move towards forcing the thing to turn its head and naturally attack with its arms. The two dodge to prevent themselves from getting swatted by its massive, bug-like limbs.
As the Quatza-Rij focused its assault on the other two, Diamond rushed in, throwing her combistick into its back using her body weight, she sank it deep into the hide. A pained screech disoriented her, allowing the Quatza-Rij to slam into her side, sending her flying into a tree. She cried out as her body scraped against the tree, the impact leaving her battered and raw. She lay there, trying to gather her bearings as Va'taun sprinted past her, combistick in hand.
Va'taun thrusted his combistick underneath one of its armored plates, sinking the metal deep. He was able to drive it into the gap, through its flesh, and twist and pray the armor up. Flesh tore. Blood started to leak as he sank the weapon deeper. The beast flailed, shaking its massive tail, trying to turn to get them away. Va'taun narrowly avoided being crushed by its tail. Diamond stood, her legs shaking underneath her weight as she forced herself to rejoin the fight.
Phoenix did the same as Va'taun, using his combistick to hold it, preventing the beast from attacking him. He pulled his knife out. Stabbing the blade into its shoulder. Watching from her spot, Diamond noticed it didn’t look like it would be possible for her to reach the head. She just had to get her blade in there. She needed to get up near the neck. Bracing herself through the pain, Diamond launched herself up onto the creature's neck, using the knife Phoenix and lodged it into it as a grip, locking her legs around as she drove her knife in.
The two Yautjas were finally getting it locked down, as the spot on its shoulder was unshakeable by moving its limbs, swatting at the other two as it fought against them all. It thrashed and bucked, trying to get the tiny human off, but it would need to roll over practically to force her off. The combined efforts of Va'taun and Phoenix made rolling over difficult.
Yet one wrong move and the hilt of the combistick would possibly impale Phoenix’s eye if the Quatza-Rij attempted to roll in his direction. Diamond saw this and tighten her legs plunging her blade deeper into the fucker’s neck, prying at the toughened scales. Her knife slipped and fell, making her slip and smack her face into its neck. Letting out a disoriented groan, she forced herself to sit up, unhooking her smart disc, slicing into the thick scale and flesh, blood squirting all over her as she ripped the disc blade out, severing the head. She watched as the head fell to the ground with a wet “plop” as it landed in its blood.
She killed it. The hunt was over!
Blood stained her skin as she held the massive head of the Quatza-Rij in her hand. Her missing dagger had plunged deep into the earth below. The smart disc was embedded in what was left of its neck. It hit just right, and all the arteries in its neck had been severed, allowing more blood to leak onto the dirt below them.
She barely felt anything as she met up with Phoenix and Va'taun. The two huddled close to their human companion as she stood there, pain finally taking over, making her stumble and nearly fall on her face. Bracing herself, she stood straight. She held the head of her kill up as high as her arm would let her without it giving out, showing it off to her team, letting out a victory cry.