NationStates Jolt Archive

In the society of the Yautja one must hunt for survival, but to become a man, to do this the Yautja have developed the Kainde Amedha Chiva, the hard meat trial. This is the chronicle of the young hunter Black tusk, in his quest for manhood...


Black tusk looked over his heavy armour, the overlapping plates that were supposed to protect Yautja skin from the effects of Kainde Amedha blood, he sissed gently in amusement, no armour worked very well, except for the ceremonial knives, which he took reverently and placed into his thigh sheath, his armour stood in the same room as his fathers, the alpha hunter of the clan, his eyes went immediatly to the floor, even though his father was not there to be submitted to. Black tusk looked back to his own armour and began strapping it on, he knew his father was overseeing the preparations for his drop. experimentally, he flicked open his Shuriken, looking over the malicious blades, he flicked it closed again and placed it in the pouch on his bandolier. his wrist blades he popped out and looked at the blades, longer than most, jagged and sharp as anything, he could shuck a bug out of a stone wall with them, his shoulder cannon and helmet he donned last, to synchronize he movement of each. he looked over at his combat staff, lying next to his fathers Naginata, it was sheathed, and small on the shelf, while the Naginata was long and evil looking, he hoped one day to earn a Naginata from the elders of the clan for himself, but that was a long way off, and he needed to hunt many times before that would happen. Black tusk jogged out of the room, to were his drop pod waited, his father stood outside
"My Yeyinde, be cautious, and hunt well, Cetanu preys on fools first of all, come back a man or not at all." he said turning his back, Black tusk stepped gingerly in to the drop pod, Yeyinde, brave one indeed, seldom did a Yautja choose to hunt the Kainde Amedha alone, but it was for greater status that he did it, he nodded briefly to those outside, as the pod closed and shuddered as it was fired out from the ship, the long wait between the initial firing and the impact of the ground allowed precious seconds for Black tusk to center himself, until the impact jarred him to the world, the pod had landed, and he wouldn't see his ship again unless he killed one of the Kainde Amedha, he would not allow his father to be shamed by having a coward as a son, he would kill and take the trophy of his first kill. Grimly he opened the pod and stepped outside, activating the shift suit he wore, light bent around him, he surveyed the country, leafy, much heat, comfortable to the way he lived, he bounded out of the pod, and activated his holographic display, a large temple formed in the air, and in it's base was a chamber containg one of the deadliest prey that he would ever face, not only the Kainde Amedha, but the black god of death, and worse, the sickening weakness of fear.
"Mdi-H'dlak." he muttered under his breath. No fear. no weakness, become the conquering warrior,and let all know who rules the wilds, let all know who is the greatest hunter. Black tusk raised his face to the sky and roared his defiance of weakness and fear, and allowed all who entered his new domain fair warning: Death walks close tonight!

A young man, no more than twenty five ran through the woods as fast as his legs could carry him. He wouldn't stop, he wouldn't look back at the terror behind him. He tripped over a large root and tumbled down a muddy slope.

The sharp leaves cut into his arms and face, leaving a small trail of blood behind. He landed with a thud on the ground below. Rolling over, he moaned softly and tried to stand. The man screamed and fell back to earth as he applied pressure to his broken leg. He spotted a black shape in the shadows, moving towards him.

Alpha was the head of the warriors of his hive. The alien moved on all fours towards the man, leaving a trail of clear ooze that dripped from it's jaws. The alien's tail swung around, grabbing the man by the ankle and dragging him into the forest after the alien.

The man's screams could be heard for miles as the alien tore into the man's body; tearing off huge red chunks of meat and began its meal. Several minutes later the screaming stopped and the now blood soaked Alpha stood, looking up into the sky.

The alien didn't catch Black tusk's pod in the sky, but it felt it crashing into the ground. The Alien roared before darting back into the jungle.

Black tusk heard the screams from so far distant, just barely, he whipped around to spot what was coming, it sounded like Pyode Amedha, in agony though, the surest sign of hard prey. He tore off in to the jungle, leaping up on to the high standing trees, stopping for the briefest of moments to switch the filter of his bio mask to phospherescent, the easiest way to detect Xenomorph's, then sped off again, leaping from branch to branch, when he spotted blood on the ground, not the corrosive blood of Kainde Amedha, but human blood, cooling fast against the ground, he dropped to the ground to investigate, more blood in a clear trail, he checked his shift suit, making sure that he was still cloaked, he followed the trail from above, until he came to a shallow depression in the land, there on the ground, track of his prey, and it's prey, he dropped down, landing easily. Black tusk pressed a hand to the transluscent goo on the ground, still warm, but only barely, in his own mind he knew that the thing was gone, glancing around he saw the slight dragging of the dirt, his prey's kill, probably festering in the bush by now, when he heard the unmistakable sound of Kainde Amedha behind him, he whipped around and saw a small Xeno, still white in places, hardly more than a chest burster, he chuckled silently, the creature cocked it's head and leapt, haphazardly diving through the air, Black tusk calmly stepped to one side, and allowed the thing to continue on, until as it passed him by it latched on to his shoulder with it's claws, and swung him around with it. Young maybe, but still dangerous. he took ahold of it's throught and tossed it with all his strength against a tree, the creature rebounded and dived again, Black tusk set himself and took the charge, grappling with the creature until he could throw it off again, but it kept leaping and charging, never giving him a moment to think, until finally, he pulled out his shuriken, and tossed it manfully at the Xeno, splitting it's head in two, it collapsed to the ground, spilling it's corrosive ichor, black tusk reached up and caught the shuriken easily, flicking it back into it's dormant state. If one such as this had given him such pause, imagine what his main prey might do.
No, he told himself, Do not give in to fear, Black tusk looked in to the shadows of the bush, and plunged after his prey, even though he wouldn't see it for some time, he knew that he might find more, and that was his goal here, kill many, and become the hunter you father expects. he told himself, leapign back up to the relative safety of the trees above, find and kill.

OOC: signing off for the weekend

Alpha moved through the jungle as quickly as his four legs could carry him. The xenomorph stopped, climbed up a tree, and looked through the thick foliage. His lips curled back in a snarl as he saw the very faint outline of a Predator moving through the jungle.

The alien let go, dropped back down to the ground below and took off into the ferns and underbrush. Alpha made sure he dripped a little of the ooze from his mouth every few meters. The Predator was young, looking for his first xenomorph battle. Alpha was going to give him that battle, on the ground of his chosing, and he would triumph.

Darkness was an ally, Keylas Hirrk reminded himself. There was little fear in his mind as he stalked the jungles, but it was safe to say that he was fully unaware of how dangerous the creatures where that might be stalking him. As a Longhunter of the Quickclaw clan, he was accustomed to hunting alone for extended periods of time. He was lightly armored, with the traditional spongy netch leather cuirass & greaves, his clawed hands protected by nothing more than fingerless gloves of the same material. The residue of netch venom within the leather tingled against his scales, making him feel alive & alert, ready for anything...

Keylas was armed simply, with the traditional Longhunter spear. The weapon was different from the spear of the warrior, it sported a broader head & edged crosshilts for swift killing of beasts from a safe distance of six feet. It was also unbalanced, making it difficult to throw. The small knife, on the otherhand, was suited for that task. Single edged, with a half-serrated blade, it was a true Longhunter's weapon, serving as both a tool of survivial, and one of death as well. Made from common steel, like the head of his spear, it carried a formidable edge.

Keylas was large for an Argonian, around 6'3", with a muscular frame. He was a formidable foe for both Argonian & softskinned opponents. The chipped & scarred scales on his exposed forearms & face spoke of a hard life, with an outlook hardened by loss. He was the first of his people to hunt these lands... Others from rival clans would most likely arrive soon. He who returned with the most fantastic trophy would win great honor for his clan, be it the head of a beast, or of a rival hunter...

Black Tusk stopped on one particularly large branch, and cocked his head to the side, something...different was out there, something new, he inwardly shrugged, not yet his concern, only the prey was his concern, he dropped silently from the tree, landing heavily on the ground, he crouched and activated his holographic display, an unknown lifeform had invaded his hunting ground, they would live to regret it. Black tusk moved along silently, careful not to brush the plants around him in any telltale way, he made his way to the ooze trail, he stopped, considering his father tales of past hunts, how cunning the Kainde Amedha could be under certain circumstances, especially a hive leader, or a queen, he knew that it could not be the latter, and the former would give him great esteem in his clan, he clicked his mandibles together eagerly, and leapt agina in to the trees, ooze on the branch, how clever, to lead black tusk along so easily,
Not easy prey he thought to himself, his he switched his vision mode to infra red and surveyed the jungle, though he wouldn't pick up the Xenomorph with it, he hoped to detect the newcomer, whatever it was. There in the distance, was a tall shape, muscular with the bearing of a hunter, Black tusk recalled the old clan laws, if a hunter kills another in honourable combat he receives all the kills of his prey, Black tusk glanced momentarily back at the ooze trail, and began to move back to where the newcomer was, a great victory, and greater honour among his clan, the Xeno could wait, for now, he had a hunter to engage, and destroy. Black tusk moved silently among the trees, his three red targets sights blinking through the foliage, generally, prey knew what this meant, but they also ahd learned to fear it, perhaps the newcomer would not know. Black tusk would teach him...

Alpha paused and turned around. He could still see much of the Predator, but its distinctive mark had become less pronouced. The young hunter was learning. The xenomorph moved to the edge of a cliff and spotted a new figure moving through its domain.

The alien studied the new creature, obviously a hunter, and obliviously not a Predator. Whatever it was, it was lightly armed and had scales. Alpha studied this new creature, studing its every move, he also wondered what it tasted like.

Alpha had killed five young Predators that had tried to hunt his kind over the past few years, and found them to be a very sweet and tender meat, once he had broken through the layer of tough skin; it was well worth the time it took to kill one. This new hunter would be a delight to dine on. Though he had already eaten, he found humans less of a challenge to hunt. This hunter would be something speical for him...

The alien paused for several seconds, its lips curled up in a strange sadistic grin. He would sting the hunter, and bring him back to his hive for his Queen, his mother. She would enjoy this hunter, and probably give him some tender strips to feed on.

Alpha prepared to move down the cliff into the dark valley below when it saw the Predator's distinctive red sights flash through the trees. Alpha moved back slightly, he knew the Predator could not see him, but why take the chance.

The xenomorph hugged the earth, as it waited to see what the new hunter in the valley would do.

Black tusk swung through the branches easily, focusing on his target, as he drew closer the new hunter appeared more clearly, though black tusk was taller, and it seemed more powerfully built, he was assuredly less experienced than this new one. Settling on to a branch he considered what to do next, thoughtfully pulling on one of his dreadlocks, he lifted his arm and activated the holographic display, heat wafted from it, forming a detailed layout of the area which was invisible to what prey called the Visible spectrum, his opponent for the hunt, the Alpha male fo the Xeno hive was scurrying through trees, while the newcomer was poking around the jungle, looking for his prey, Black tusks prey, it was unacceptable. Cold rage began to build in Black tusks mind, he would not, could not let this usurper steal his hunting ground, his auto-tracking system activated, scanning over o the beings head, while his helmet monitors showed three lines in a triangle focusing on the target, Black tusk shut it off reluctantly, and pulled his shuriken from his belt, flipping the long evil looking blades out he reached back with it and hurled it mightily at the newcomer,

We shall see if he is worthy of combat, or just a shot of my Plasma caster. Black tusk thought to himself

The sound of something sharp whistling through the humid air caught Keylas' attention... Out of instinct he threw himself to one side, growling as the impossibly sharp edges of some advanced weapon cut a shallow slash in his left side. From his position on the ground, he inspected the wound.

'A cut so clean it has scarcely begun to bleed...'

His tail twitched curiously as Keylas turned over, his keen eyes hunting for the weapon that had nearly bisected him. There was nothing lodged in any of the trees, save several missing branches...

'An edged boomerang? I don't think it would make such a cut on my hide...'

Being reptillian, his thermal profile would be far less visible than that of a human of an equal size, especially at night while laying against the cooling soil of the jungle floor. His hands gripped the spear tightly as he slowly got to his feet, keeping low...

'It seems I have found something to hunt...'

The Argonian narrowed his eyes as he moved forward into the underbrush...

Off in the distance, another figure of similar features stalked below the jungle canopy... Unlike Keylas, his scales where a dark ebony color unlike the Argonian green. Patterned Kevlar & ceramic plates protected his body, unlike the brown leather of the netch favored by his primitive cousins.

Raayvik Mortak was of the Dark Argonian breed, a more sinister offshoot of the Argonian genetic line. Skilled with technology, firearms where preferred weapons of his race. His chosen weapon was a 6.8mm SPR 92, fitted with an advanced ACOG 20x combat optic powered by a trintium lamp for night-shooting. A 9mm Glock 18C served as his backup weapon, further backed-up by a small Smith & Wesson 9mm revolver in the event his fully automatic sidearm jammed. The black rubber-inlaid grip of a Glock knife protruded from a sheath attatched to his right thigh, his boots had to be custom-made to fit his reptillian lizard-feet... Unlike Keylas, who stalked barefoot. A row of three M67 fragmentation grenades hung from his vest amongst the ammunition magazines. Clearly he wasn't hunting any four-legged creatures tonight.

Like Keylas, his thermal profile was low, probably more so due to the amount of syntheic materials he was wearing. He wasn't alone, three others from his clan had journeyed with him to investigate the area in hopes of setting up a settlement far from their green-scaled cousins & their superstitious ways. They had spread out to cover more ground, flare-guns would provide a means of location & communication. GPS was slightly too expensive for all recon teams, Raayvik preferred this system anyway because of its reliability...

Black tusk looked on thoughtfully, his targeting scanners tracking the newcomer, a worthy opponent, but only just barely, He stroked his dreadlocks thoughtfully, perhaps in time, if the Kainde had'nt killed him Black tusk would take him. Black tusk was moved from his momentary reverie by the alert sound of his wrist computer, he flipped it open and examined the contents, there appeared to be more intruders. Black tusk felt dark rage well up in his chest, more of them, more intruders on his hunt,
I will have no more of this. he thought to himself, as he moved towards the other group, readying his shoulder cannon, his targeting lasers moved through the jungle, the original intruder was safe, for the moment, these newcomers would quickly learn the price of playing in Yautja hunting grounds. Black tusk moved through the trees, carefully, quietly, his shiftsuit betraying no hint of his presence, he spotted the new group, four hunters, three clearly subordinate to the first, who carelessly gave his position away for other hunters, it was too much, Black tusk readied his cannon, carefully tracking the least of the hunters, lagging behind. Terror tactics intimidated prey and when they eventually found their companion hanging, skull-less from a tree, they might perhaps know that the jungle was not theirs.
Slowly, slowly, carefully and quietly, be like the tree you perch upon, wait for the prey to pass, and then strike, risk no danger on lesser prey, especially on your first hunt, and above all things, be wary, prey are never as they seem. the words of his grandfather floated by him as he stalked his prey, these were nothing compared to the Kainde Amedha, and nothing would stop his eventual victory over them, Black tusk carefully looked them over, cataloguing features and weaknesses, his equipment wasn't limited to the infra red, and these creatures were difficult to see, he switched to phosperous, even worse! Then to air pressure, much better, he could see the air move away from his prey, this was less than positive, if he encountered a Xenomorph and a newcomer at the same time, he would be at a disadvantage. Carefully and quietly he slipped in to a tree above he last one, and lowered a cloaked razor noose in front of him, to take him quietly and let his fellows know that they were hunted, the prey walked closer...closer...

Alpha watched lone strange move through the underbrush. The alien began to stalk its prey. It moved carefully after it, not wanting to startle it. The hunter paused and looked around, the alien backed off and waited. As the hunter started its walk again, Alpha's tail lashed out and wrapped around the hunter's leg

The alien gave a swift tug, knocking the creature over. Alpha quickly knocked the weapon from the hunter's hands. The alien moved out of the brush, letting the hunter see the entire creature.

The alien opened its mouth and roared.

The youngest of the Dark Argonian hunters, Mikeel, moved confidently through the jungle, his M4A1 held in a low ready position... Not that he got much of a chance to use it. Something thin & sharp caught him just under his jawline, sliding swiftly back to his red-crested throat beneath the Underarmor turtleneck he was wearing. A strangled gurgle escaped his fanged mouth before he was yanked swiftly upwards, silencing him in a more effective fashion... His companions, spread out to search more efficiently, would never know he was gone, save for the fact that his assault rifle lay amongst the leaf-littered floor of the jungle...

OOC: TGS, I'm assuming you've just hit one of the Dark Argonian hunters...

IC:

A veteran of many battles, Jaq Rextel feared little in this world... Fear had a new form he'd never seen before. Something roughly his size hit him from his right, sending his rifle flying sideways, a few rounds spraying off into the darkness as he fell.

It was black, slick-looking, and on top of him... His G36C lay nearby, knocked from his grip. Jaq managed to kick his leg free & wrap his legs around the attacker in a jiu-jitsu guard positon, then latched his claws to the sides of the thing's face, his thumb-claws seeking eyes to gouge as the creature's own claws dug deeply into his shoulders. Blood flowed like crimson water, pooling on the damp jungle soil around him... Jaq roared, giving up on his eye-attack & seeking an armbar against the creature, throwing his legs up over its left shoulder, locking the hard-skinned arm in tight against his ceramic-plated chest. With all his might he straightened his body, seeking to reverse-articulate the arm of the creature...

A mile or so away, Keylas spun sharply as the report of the rifle echoed through the jungle, startling a few sleeping birds...

He stalked slowly, nearly tripping over something metallic. Keylas knelt, carefully examing the item...

'Softskin death-stick... Claw marks... Dark Argonian most likely...'

The Argonian hunter might have smiled if he had been able to, the lipless reptillian jaws prevented that sort of expression...

'I have something else to hunt...'

Raayvik, the leader of the Dark Argonian hunters, growled softly as the gunshots reached his fin-like ears... Reluctantly, he broke radio silence...

"Wraith One to Wraith Squad..."

"Wraith Three here, who went weapons-free?"

"Wraith One reports unconfired on weapons-free... Wraiths Two & Four are non-responsive... Stay frosty, possible hostiles. Regroup at flare..."

Mortak slid a flare into his flare-pistol, then fired it over the canopy... Within a few minutes he was joined by Kekel Nightfang, the remaining Dark Argonian hunter. Swiftly, but with a degree of silence, they moved away from the flare to avoid drawing further attention to themselves...

Black tusk hauled the struggling prey up to him self, and looked it in the eye, it bled from many wounds, fingers, neck, he sissed gently, and jerked the razor noose once, severing the head, he placed it gently on the branch beside him, then hefting the body he carefully decided what to do next. A shot pierced the jungle, Black tusk looked over quickly, to see another of these new prey being torn apart by the Kainde Amedha, when he heard a voice come from the preys head,

"Wraith One to Wraith Squad..."

"Wraith Three here, who went weapons-free?"

"Wraith One reports unconfired on weapons-free... Wraiths Two & Four are non-responsive... Stay frosty, possible hostiles. Regroup at flare..."

He activated the vocal modulator on his helmet and analyzed the voices, cataloging them for future use, then he plucked the small plastic device from the preys ear, and the corresponding unit from it's belt, careful not to further damage the cord he had so violently jerked when taking the head off. A flare lit the sky, burning brightly in the infra red frames of Black tusks visor, he looked over at the area beneath the flare, and took up the dead things body, running towards it, bounding from tree to tree, he arrived under it and heard gentle skulking through the bush, unceremoniously he dumped the steaming pile of muscles and sinew on the ground below, generally prey reacted harshly to loosing comrades, sissing gently to himself he looked around for his true prey, either the worthy one, or the Kainde Amedha Alpha male, either would make valuable additions to his collection...

Gunfire shattered the serene quietness of the trees around the two hunters as the headless body of Mikeel landed between them. Branches, birds, and smoking leaves rained from the canopy as the remaining hunters raked the surrounding branches with disciplined bursts...

"Makaal's Teeth... I believe this is Mikeel... Foolish hatchling has gotten himself slain..."

Raayvik examined the wound, a clean cut across the neck, removing the head in a single stroke...

"Something else hunts these lands tonight... By the looks of it, one armed with a sharp weapon & skilled in its use..."

The Dark Argonian knelt, silently sniffing the clothing of his slain companion...

"I detect no gunpowder... Mikeel was not the one who fired, nor did he even get a shot off in warning. We must stay close together..."

Raayvik unrolled a small overhead photograph of the area, taken from a pirated satellite...

"A small temple stands not three miles distance from here. Perhaps we can find shelter there for the night before heading back to camp for reinforcements..."

Kekel nodded in silent approval. He was somewhat shaken by the recent events...

Several miles distant, Keylas twisted the head of his spear out of the neck of a xenomorph, watching in a combination of rage & wonder as the steel dissolved like clay under the greenish acid...

'Filthy beast... My spear is ruined... After many victorious hunts, I finally must lay it to rest...'

The Argonian hunter jabbed it deep into the soil, attempting to salvage as much of the head as possible. Then, in a fit of genius, he decided to remove the tail of the beast & fashion a new spearhead from it. Several minutes later, Keylas had a new spear with an acid-proof head. He stabbed the creature a second time to test his new weapon... The acid slid off without any damage to the xenomorph shell, and Keylas again wiped it in the dirt to attempt to neutralize the acid. He kept the steel from his old weapon, as proof of the dangers of this new prey...

Alpha as wrestled with Jaq, it spun its tail around and slammed the deadly stinger into a tree next to the hunter's head. The alien swipped again, this time striking the hunter off him. Alpha got back on all fours as he faced the hunter, the alien's lips pulled back in a meanacing grin.

The xenomorph then stood on its two hind legs, the creature was now just over seven feet tall. The alien hissed and snarled before pouncing at the hunter. The hunter dodged and Alpha clawed into a tree, spun around and tackled the hunter.

Alpha was sick of this creature, it had nearly cost him his arm and had delayed him from hunting down the Predator. Alpha would finish the hunter like he had done many times before.

The alien's hard tounge suddenly shot out and stopped a mere inch from Jaq's forehead, the tiny jaws opened and closed before Alpha retracted it.

Alpha leaned in slightly closer and slowly began to curl it's lips back...

Alpha as wrestled with Jaq, it spun its tail around and slammed the deadly stinger into a tree next to the hunter's head. The alien swipped again, this time striking the hunter off him. Alpha got back on all fours as he faced the hunter, the alien's lips pulled back in a meanacing grin.

The xenomorph then stood on its two hind legs, the creature was now just over seven feet tall. The alien hissed and snarled before pouncing at the hunter. The hunter dodged and Alpha clawed into a tree, spun around and tackled the hunter.

Alpha was sick of this creature, it had nearly cost him his arm and had delayed him from hunting down the Predator. Alpha would finish the hunter like he had done many times before.

The alien's hard tounge suddenly shot out and stopped a mere inch from Jaq's forehead, the tiny jaws opened and closed before Alpha retracted it.

Alpha leaned in slightly closer and slowly began to curl it's lips back...

Jaq slid a small knife from his hip, quickly stabbing three times into the xenomorph's exposed rib area, screaming as the acidic blood poured out over his arm...

The top of one of the tallest trees rustled, as though something big had just slammed into it. Something had. In a spark of electricity, a Yautja appeared from nowhere. His once-gleaming mask had been painted black, with scrapes and scratches marking its smooth surface. His armour was similarly battered and dented. Some of his dreadlocks had been cut short in vicious hand-to-hand battles with the Hard Meat, and what little skin was visible had more scars on it than could be counted. His only remaining equipment appeared to be a medical kit, his wrist blades and a slightly crooked shoulder cannon. More unusually, the skull of a fellow Yautja hung from his mesh suit.

This was Jechinda. One of the Bad Bloods; the criminal caste of the Yautja. Outcast from his clan for the most heinous crime of all -- hunting one of his own kind. Once, he had been a well-respected Yautja, renowned in his clan for slaying all manner of challenging beasts including a Hard Meat Queen. But his lust for challenging hunts grew faster than evolution could satisfy. He had turned to the most challenging prey one could possibly imagine -- another Yautja. It had been a fierce, bloody battle, which he barely survived, but he had prevailed. And for his troubles, he was cast out of his clan, out of the whole of Yautja society. His clan mates sought to shed him of his weapons, his armour and his life, but he was certainly not finished hunting.

And so he escaped, killing two more Yautja in the process, with most of his equipment and a small hunting ship, and began hunting various species across the galaxy. Oomans, Hard Meat, other Yautja, Ghargonians, robots, it made no difference to him. If they were capable of destruction, Jechinda sought to destroy them.

He clicked curiously as he watched an unaware Yautja rushing through the foliage. He could see the Hard Meat all around this region; hiding, attacking other creatures, or simply unaware of any danger and going about their business. This Yautja in the middle of it all was probably an Unblooded warrior, on his first kainde amedha chiva. Jechinda threw his head back and let out a roar that echoed for miles around, before disappearing behind his cloak and jumping out of view again.

Black Tusk whipped around at the sound of the roar, it was a Yautja hunter without doubt, but who would knowingly interfere with his hunt? In his limited time among council meetings, he'd learned of the unwanted caste, the Bad bloods, he activated his cloak and jumped through the trees, it was shaping up to an interesting hunt, Black tusk activated the Yautja vision mode of his helmet, trying to see the newcomer, if he was indeed a bad blood, Black tusk would be honour bound to kill him, Black tusk bellowed, the low bass of his roar spreadign out across the jungle. He looked across the treetops, frantically trying to sight the other warrior, a flash of armour for no more than a second as it disappeared behind a tree caught his attention, impulsivly he pulled out his shuriken and hurled it in the direction he had seen the other warrior, it sliced easily through trees and foliage, but struck nothing of import, black tusk caught it easily. As he examined the tiny marks of the blades, he saw the most minute flaw, a tiny scratch that would have been invisible if not for his enhanced visor, the only way this could have happened would be if it had struck the armour of another creature. Without question it was the other yautja, the first intruder wore no armour, and the others were too bumbling to have gotten up in to the trees and caught him unaware. Knowing he was skirting the edges of becoming a bad blood, he stopped, and began broadcasting an indentification signal. If he received one in return, he would know that it was another clan hunting these communal grounds, if he did not, it was a bad blood. He waited for five minutes before doing anything, remaining perfectly still, disturbing nothing with his breathing...nothing, no indentification, no response, only silence, Black tusk roared again and switched to his air pressure movement view, scanning the area were he thought he had seen the other warrior, activating his shoulder cannon he sighted the area and began firing, heedless of the fact that it would give away his position, blue burst of energy ripped through foliage and undergrowth, in an unconcerted flurry of activity. Black tusk ceased firing, and waited...again nothing, this bad blood was gone, and given what he'd heard about bad bloods, he'd be back. Black tusk began wishing that there was an arbitrator onplanet...

Jechinda clicked in amusement as the young warrior fired frantically into the treetops he had previously occupied. Keen reflexes, but insufficient self-control. He could become a powerful warrior one day.

Jechinda stopped his pondering and fired several blasts from his crooked shoulder cannon as he moved through the trees to the side of Black Tusk. The blue blasts tore through the trees and sent up clouds of smoke and dust all around the young one, before Jechinda started swinging his way from tree to tree, speeding away from the Unblooded Yautja. No honour in taking him so easily, after all; he would give the child a chance to fight back.

So he headed closer to the Hard Meat hive, to wait for the right opportunity...

Raayvik & his companion reached the temple a little over an hour after they'd had the corpse of Mikeel throw at them. Something roared out in the wilderness, drawing a short burst from Kekel in the general direction of the noise, followed by another shortly after in response to a second roar...

Clearly, the night's events had worn on Kekel's mind, making it elusive & difficult to grasp. Jaq, the one hunter Raayvik would have trusted to watch his back, was missing in action, most likely dead somewhere or having his head removed by some sort of hunter-of-hunters.

Slowly, and not without apprehension, the pair moved deeper into the structure, cracking & tossing glow-sticks to light the way as they went...

Keylas, with his new spear, moved carefully through the underbrush. The cut in his side was beginning to sting from the netch-venom in his armor, but it was more of a minor annoyance than any life-threatening wound. Two roars caught his attention, one seemingly in response to the other. Each was also interrupted by a brief burst of gunfire towards the end...

'These beings have rattled the Dark Ones... Good. It will make the task of eliminating them that much easier... The rattled opponent makes for an easy kill...'

Keylas finished his thought with an old Argonian proverb concerning the mental side of warfare, then continued towards the direction of the gunshots...

Black tusk moved through the trees. The Bad Blood couldn't have known he was onplanet, the only explanation could be that he was hunting, the same as Black tusk. He stopped momentarily surveying the area, nothing in sight, even with the visual enhancements available to him. He checked his computer, the small map of the area that was becoming so familiar appeared, the two intruders that were left were moving through the jungle, towards the temple complex, as nearly as he could tell the bad blood was going the same way, and his common sense told him that the Kainde Amedha was going to defend it's hive. The dread that he had felt when he arrived was gone, replaced by fury, interlopers had driven him from his hunt, first the intruders, then the bad blood, enough was enough, no more distractions, even if he had to destroy himself these would pay just as dearly.
Black tusk roared louder than he had ever done before, birds fled from trees and small animals ran from all directions, he was a Yautja, a warrior and a hunter, and he would not be deterred. All of them would die, as he was told, leave no prey alive, he extended his spear and leapt away again, through the trees towards the temple...

bump

Keylas reached the temple an hour or so later, after a rather intense session of stalking through the jungle flora. An eerie green glow eminated from the temple entrance, which he soon discovered was being cast by a series of glowing green sticks, most likely left by the Dark Ones to help find their way...

'They have lost touch with the old ways, and subsequently the night-eye that has sustained our race for centuries... Or they just feel the need to leave a visible trail for me to follow...'

Voices up ahead caused him to stop, then creep forward slowly. Keylas drew the Longhunter knife from his back, then threw it deftly towards the pair...

Raavik felt something warm & wet seeping through his BDU jacket... He turned to find Kekel struggling to pull a wicked-looking knife from his throat, blood spurting from a severed neck artery. With a wet gurgle, the unfortunate Dark Argonian hunter expired, his body twitching as the life-blood quickly leaked away...

Keylas was satisfied as he heard the dull thump of the dying Dark One hitting the stone walkway. True to his nature, the other one simply relieved the corpse of its weapons & ammunition, then continued on into the temple, scanning each shadow carefully & moving slowly. Keylas tugged his knife out the neck of his most recent victim, wiping the blade arcoss his homespun pantleg, leaving broad crimson streaks on the rough fabric. As proof of his victory, Keylas tore one of the golden rings from Kekel's ear, a symbol of having slain three of his green-scaled brothers. Each was inlaid with a black meteorite metal unique to each warrior... It would be a fine trophy.

The two hunters, one light & one dark, continued deeper into the temple, each seeking to ambush & kill the other, fully aware of each other's presence, yet not knowing exactly when, where, or how the other would strike...

Black tusk followed the narrow trail on the ground below him. Leaping easily from tree to tree, though he was beginning to tire, too many to be hunted, and not all as easy as the first. He scanned the temple complex, two of the newcomers had entered, from opposite directions, while the hive in the centre was producing from the tiny colony of Pyode Amedha, Black tusk hissed urgently, he could find no hint of the Alpha, or of the Bad Blood, this wasn't good.

"Let the Newcomers kill each other, I have stronger prey here." he thought to himself, warily, he made his way to the outer limit of the temple complex, bones of small animals littered the ground, either used as food or hosts, it didn't matter. He flexed his hand nervously, so great a test was not to be taken lightly, a dazed looking human stumbled out of the temples main entrance, an expression of horror on it face, Black tusk targeted his cannon, the three tell tale streams of light fixing on the chest of the Ooman, he increased his magnification, further and further until he saw a chest burster embedded deep in the host. Not yet ready for birthing, there was still time for this one. Black tusk decided on the cannon as the easiest way for the pitiful creature to die, an instant of pain, and then peace. inside his mask the triangle formed over the heart, he clicked his lower mandibles against the firing nub in his helmet, a jolt of blue energy streaked out and slammed into the human, ripping the chest out and destroying the parasite within.

One at least who would not be hunting him. The period in the tree had been restful, Black tusk set his spear to a resting position and stowed it in his pack, a tiny mechanical hand grasped the spear and held it tightly, he dropped to the ground and activated his shift suit, walking calmly towards the belly of the beast...

Keylas had followed Raavik for about fifteen minutes since he'd done away with the final follower. He chose this moment to strike...

Diving from the shadows with a violent battle-cry, he led his charge with the point of his new spear. Raayvik had not been made the leader of this expedition for nothing, he was a feared fighter amongst his people. Deftly, he dodged, but Keylas knocked his rifle away in passing. The pair circled each other, Raayvik snatching the spear's head & twisting it around to smack Keylas in his injured ribs with the hard wooden shaft of the weapon. The shock loosed his grip enough for the Dark Argonian to yank it away & toss it off into the darkness that surrounded them...

Raayvik managed to pull the 18C Glock from its holster, but Keylas was on top of him before he could pull the trigger. With a twist on the muzzle of the weapon & an uppercutting elbow strike to the chin, the Argonian Longhunter disarmed his ancestral opponent, snapping the plastic extended magazine with a mighty show of power, sending 9mm bullets plinking to the stone floor. Raayvik was prepared, however. The backup revolver he carried came out of nowhere, the Dark Argonian managing to get off a pair of rounds before his opponent caught him across the back of the hand with his hunting knife, causing Raayvik to release his grip out of reflex. He'd caught Keylas in the shoulder with a round, but it had done little to phase the enraged warrior.

It had come down to knives, the most primal weapon in the arsenal of modern warriors. They both knew the outcome: They would both get cut. It was unavoidable... The fight would continue until one bled to death or suffered a fatal stab wound...

Raayvik reversed his grip as Keylas ran his tongue across the thin sliver of red that hung on the blade from his opponent's hand...

The battle between two centuries-old rivals was about to begin...