Chapter 18: Pupil 18

The morning was a bit colder than usual. Summer was about to end soon but it still seemed weirdly cold compared to yesterday. Zara even shivered slightly since she was only wearing a leather jacket above a tank top.

“Damn it. There’s no time to run back home for something warmer,” she murmured to herself as she walked into the park.

To Zara’s surprise, this time she saw two people waiting for her, both were unusual sights to see.

The first person to approach her was a young girl, approximately Zara’s age.

“You must be Zara,” the girl said with a barely noticeable accent, “I got a message from Aritimi to come here because she changed my schedule. Originally we’d visit today’s unit two weeks later.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve seen she mentioned a change,” Zara nodded and introduced herself.

“I’m Hristina Yevgenievna,” the girl introduced herself.

“Christina?” Zara gave her a strange look.

“No, but sounds similar, just remove the “c” from it,” Hristina corrected with a smile.

The other person stayed on the bench behind. Zara wanted to take a look at her as well but her eyes locked on Hristina.

Hristina was a drop-dead gorgeous albino girl. Her skin was white as the freshly fallen snow. Her long, silken white hair cascaded down her back, reaching her hips. Both of her eyes were pale pink. Her immaculate breasts were voluminous, pressing against the fabric of her shirt tightly. She had wide hips with long legs, giving her a really seductive stance. The outfit she got was simple, a white t-shirt and blue jeans, but on her, it looked like something out of a fashion show or a magazine.

“Wow, girl. Are you not cold? I’m shivering just by looking at you,” Zara said.

“I got no issues with the cold weather because of my augmentation,” Hristina shrugged.

“Good for you,” Zara smirked, “Who is this other girl, by the way?” she pointed at the woman on the bench.

“She is one of Aritimi’s friends. She will join the course with us,” Hristina explained.

“Really? She doesn’t look like a monster hunter,” Zara examined the woman.

“I can still hear both of you. And yes, I am the chief of the Elemental Unit, Winter Summers,” the woman introduced herself with an uninterested tone as she stood up. Zara was surprised because she had never seen a middle-aged woman with a style like this. After all, Winter was an emo.

Winter was a pretty good-looking middle-aged woman with a weird blend of emo style and commanding presence. Her raven-black hair was cut into jagged, layered bangs that framed her pale, angular face, with streaks of icy blue running through it. Her eyes were an unusual pale gray. Dark eyeliner enhanced her eery gaze, giving her a perpetual look of intensity.

She was dressed in a typical emo outfit: an old black shirt with a faded band logo on its front, a studded leather jacket, and a pair of skin-tight black pants with chains hanging from the belt. Her combat boots were tall and laced up, looking more like they were meant for a punk rock concert than a monster hunt.

But the weirdest thing about her was the small stormcloud that floated barely a meter above her head, following her wherever she went, like in a cartoon.

“Oh, sorry,” Zara stammered, “It just surprised me that you are already here. Usually, we go to Aritimi’s friends.”

“My unit doesn’t have any fixed location outside of the headquarters since the power of nature can come from any direction,” Winter continued with the same lethargic tone, “We only have an office at the headquarters and that’s all.”

“Is that thing your pet?” Zara pointed at the miniature cloud above Winter.

“No, it’s produced by me. It’s a side effect of my augmentation. It can be quite annoying, especially when I want to sleep and it starts to rain,” Winter said, taking the last drag of her cigarette before flicking it away.

“What are we going to do during this training?” Hristina asked, she clearly had more enthusiasm than Winter.

“Let me answer this question,” they heard Aritimi’s voice from the fountain’s direction. The huntress was wearing her usual jumpsuit. Aritimi was sitting on the edge, her long legs swinging gently, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. She had arrived silently and unnoticed, as always.

“Hi, Timi,” Winter greeted her friend with the same tired, lifeless tone.

“I see you are full of happiness and joy as always,” Aritimi said with a smirk.

“So today we going to train with some elemental monsters?” Zara asked.

“Oh, it’s going to be more than just a training,” Aritimi shook her head, “We are going on an actual hunt,” she announced.

“That’s so cool! But how are we going to kill elementals? Most of them are basically immortal,” Hristina said.

“We won’t kill them,” Winter said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Hristina, “We’re going to capture them, not kill them.”

“Just capture?” Zara asked.

“Yes,” Aritimi replied, “We need to capture and send some elemental monsters to the Crypt. The research team needs them for experiments with the augmentations. The elementals are the hardest to use for augmentations but they are the strongest.”

“Really?” Zara wondered.

“Yep. For example, Flesh Fiends are also elementals, Flesh Elementals,” Aritimi nodded, “Technically, you are wielding the power of an element.”

“Ugh ... how are we going to capture these monsters? I mean, we have to subdue them and then put them in containers but also have to watch them to not escape,” Hristina was thinking aloud.

“We got an entire team to take care of the transport and security. We just had to beat them so they can be placed into those portable containment units we have,” Winter explained. Her tone was still unenthused.

“That sounds interesting but we will have to visit multiple locations then because it’s hard to find more than two or three types of elementals at the same place,” Zara speculated.

“Most of the time, that’s true,” Aritimi nodded, “But we got a report on a big territorial fight between some strong elementals in the forest and now all the other elementals who want to stay out of that turf war are escaping, all at once. We can capture a wide array of them without moving too much. The eggheads made some calculations on where we should wait for them outside of the city.”

“Okay, I wonder what kind of monsters we will see,” Zara said with a smile.

“Bad news,” Winter said suddenly, looking at her phone, “A Twilight Drake appeared at the place where the elementals tried to go and this forced them to change their route. They will try to go through the city,” Winter revealed.

“Yeah ... okay, I’ll tell them,” Aritimi spoke into the phone.

“So, what are we gonna do now?” Zara asked.

“We going to wait for the horde at the border of Crowsend. I’ll relocate the reinforcement team and their equipment to this new site. Just wait here, pupils,” Aritimi explained and then she and Winter walked into a portal opened by Aritimi.

Zara and Hristina only needed to wait like 20 minutes before Aritimi opened a portal for them as well.

The place looked like a military camp. Armed soldiers and vehicles everywhere.

“Nice job, Timi,” Winter complemented Aritimi.

“Ugh ... a long time passed since I had to move that many people this quickly, but I did it,” she panted.

“Who’s going to be the first monster?” Hristina asked.

Zara noticed that the people around them stealing glances at both her and Hristina, and also at Aritimi.

“I see one approaching,” Winter pointed at a moving tornado. It was relatively small, maybe twice the size of an average human. It seemed to slightly glow with a purplish tint.

“Oh, this must be some kind of air elemental,” Hristina acknowledged.

“Yes,” Winter nodded slowly, “I will try to capture this one with my power. I’ll leave the more solid ones for you two.”

Zara was interested in seeing Winter’s work. She was also surprised that Aritimi didn’t ask them to undress for the hunt.

“I’m so excited,” Hristine whispered to Zara, “I was a little bit afraid because of what the other girls said about Aritimi but looks like it was just a joke.”

She didn’t want to ruin Hristina’s fun so Zara stayed silent about it, it was already Aritimi’s job to begin with.

“Winter!” one of the armed guys spoke, “We got a report on some birdwatchers who recently encountered a living tornado, just like this one and they were all caught by it.”

“Any casualties? Or injuries? Or missing person?” she asked.

“No, but all of their clothes were torn off by the tornado. Just their clothes, nothing else,” he replied.

“Do we need to rescue them?”

“No need for that. I already met them a few minutes ago and also saw the monster. It’s probably a Stripper Twister. It feeds on the fabric of the clothes. Now that it’s here, we can capture it,” Aritimi smiled ominously as she used to. Zara had a bad feeling about this.

The living gust of wind swirled closer to the camp.

“Why it’s just coming through here? It’s not afraid of us?” Zara asked.

“Elementals are only afraid of other monsters. Not even an entire convoy of armed human soldiers can frighten them,” Winter said, lighting up another cigarette.

“Damn, this thing is so slow,” Aritimi said with a mischievous grin, “Let’s make this faster.”

In the next moment, a portal opened in front of the living wind, and the other side opened between the Zara/Hristina duo and Winter. The Stripper Twister appeared near them and before anyone could do anything, all three of them were caught by it.

Zara could feel her boots, socks, and pants slipping off of her body as if they were claimed by invisible fingers. It took more time with her jacket but the elemental took it as well and continued stealing Zara’s clothes.

A few seconds later, Zara was ejected by the small tornado and she landed on her back with a thud. Her breasts bounced as she did so. Whistles could be heard in the moment she was out of the windy monster.

Hristina was the next to be undressed. She was holding onto her clothes but the Stripper Twister won and she was thrown out once she was nudified.

Hristina’s alabaster skin glowed in the early morning light, a stark contrast to the shadowy figures of the onlookers. Her voluminous breasts bounced with the force of the impact, the nipples erect from the cool breeze and the excitement of the situation. Her areolae were the same alabaster color as her skin. Without the tight clothes around them, they lost all firmness and gravity took over, creating a mesmerizing sight. They bounced and jiggled like two soft, pale melons as she struggled to get back up on her feet.

She quickly assumed the classic “enf” pose as the whistles grew louder around them. Before Hrisitna covered her pussy with her hand, Zara could see that Hrisitna’s pubic hair was shaved into the shape of a snowflake. It was white just like the hair on her head, and it made her pink pussy look even more delicate.

Covering her breasts with one hand was hard because of their size. She looked like she was pressing two big seethrough plastic milk bags against her chest.

At last, Winter was also ejected from the wind monster. She landed between Zara and Hristina on the ground, naked.

Winter’s skin wasn’t as colorless as Hristina’s since she wasn’t an albino, but it was still pale. She had a relatively fit physique for someone in their 50s. Her breasts were C cups and sagged just a bit but still had a good shape. They had small dark nipples and areolae. Her stomach was flat but had a few stretch marks here and there, hinting at a past pregnancy or two.

Similarly to Hristina, Winter also had uniquely trimmed pubic hair. There was a big tuft of untamed black hair at the highest point of her pubic area and a thin line of hair connected it to her pussy. The line itself was shaped like a lightning bolt and died in an icy blue color, matching her hair.

“Damn you, Timi,” Winter said with her usual melancholic tone. She didn’t even try to cover herself.

“Hey, I just wanted to bring it closer to this portable containment unit,” Aritimi patted the size of a huge metal cube. The front of it was open wide.

“Move you damn monster,” Winter gruffed and lightning bolts sparked out from the cloud above her head into the tornado but all she managed to achieve is burning their clothes inside the tornado monster. It was about to go through the camp like nothing was there.

“Hey, big boy. I got something for you to eat,” Aritimi said with a wink. She was naked now and held her jumpsuit in her hand. She then threw the jumpsuit into the cube-shaped container.

The Stripper Twister hungrily followed the jumpsuit into the trap and once it swirled into the cube, Aritimi pushed a button and the container’s door slammed shut with a metallic clang.

“One in the bag!” Aritimi exclaimed triumphantly.

“Um ... can I have some clothes, please?” Hristina said, her voice trembling. The people were ogling her naked body from every angle.

“No need for that. We will fight nature in the natural way. Clothes are just shackles in a fight. That’s why I always fight naked,” Aritimi said proudly.

“I ... I think I’m okay with those shackles,” Hristina said awkwardly.

“Give up, girl. She’s not going to let us wear clothes until we finish here,” Zara said and Winter nodded. The cloud above her began to produce snow.

“I’ll have to check on the other groups to be sure we can capture as many monsters as we can,” Aritimi announced as she opened a portal, “There’s no priority unless you see very dangerous or hostile monsters. Focus on those and let the canon fodders run away if needed.”

“Hey,” Hristina walked to one of the soldiers as Aritimi left, “Can you give me some spare clothes. Even a jacket would be enough,” she said.

The guy was lost for words for a few seconds as he was looking at the naked girl, “Ugh ... sorry but Aritimi already warned us to not put the “shackles of conformity” on her pupils cuz she will make us regret it very badly.”

“I told ya. Accept it. It’s just one day of humiliation,” Zara said with a tired sigh.

“Get ready, girls. Unless things go really bad, I’ll let both of you have one-on-one fights,” Winter said.

“Oh, look! I see something small flying around here,” Zara pointed at the sky. Indeed, small flying creatures, resembling translucent scarabs, flew above them at high speed.

“They are Impulse Scarabs. They are also elemental creatures. Energy beings to be accurate. Their whole body is made of raw kinetic energy,” Winter explained, “We not going catch any of those since it would be too time-consuming and they are not hostile so we can ignore them.”

“The scouts saw a Fire Goblin running towards our direction,” Winter got the report from a soldier.

“Okay, I’ll take out this one to show you the ropes. Plus it’s going to be a good warm-up,” Winter sighed as if she was telling sad news.

The Fire Goblin emerged from the woods.

It was squat and wiry, its hunched form barely human-shaped. Its skin flickered like molten coal, glowing cracks running across its body as if it were barely containing the inferno inside. Flames licked from its fingertips, and its wide, sinister grin revealed rows of jagged, soot-black teeth.

The creature cackled, a high-pitched sound like firewood snapping in a blaze, and without warning, it hurled a fireball directly at Winter.

Winter shifted to the side with an elegant step, dodging the flaming projectile with practiced ease. The fireball exploded on the ground, leaving behind a blackened scorch mark.

Winter raised her hand, and a small, silvery cloud drifted out from her palm. The cloud floated lazily toward the Fire Goblin, its edges swirling with moisture.

The goblin hissed, clearly sensing the threat, and launched another volley of fireballs. This time, Winter barely moved, her cold gaze locked on the creature.

The cloud swelled above the goblin and began to rain. It wasn’t a torrential downpour, just a simple and steady, persistent shower. But it was enough. The flames licking off the goblin’s body sputtered and died, steam rising in thick plumes as water met fire.

The Fire Goblin let out an enraged screech as its body dimmed, the cracks in its skin fading from fiery red to dull black. It stumbled forward, the fire gone from its limbs, and collapsed face-first onto the wet ground.

“Good job,” said Hristina in ave.

“Good ass,” murmured one of the soldiers behind and some giggles followed from the crowd.

“Put this one into a container before wakes up and starts to burn once again,” Winter ordered and two guys, wearing fireproof suits, approached the downed goblin. They managed to drag it into a metal box without much struggle.

“The scouts saw a Glass Ghoul approaching,” came the new report.

“Huh, this one sounds good for you, Zara,” Winter said.

“Okay, that sounds interesting,” Zara cracked her knuckles, readying herself.

The creature emerged, its movements slow and deliberate.

It looked like a grotesque and very life-like glass statue of a zombie brought to life: humanoid but unnervingly still, its body composed entirely of jagged, translucent glass. Pale light refracted through its form, scattering sharp beams across the place. Its hollow eye sockets gleamed faintly, as though something dark and restless lurked within.

“Creepy,” Zara felt her skin prickle. But she stepped forward regardless.

The Glass Ghoul turned its head toward Zara with a faint creak, as if the joints of its crystalline body were grinding together. Then, with a quick and sudden burst of motion, it lunged forward, its arms outstretched to grab Zara.

Zara was already moving. With effortless grace, she sidestepped the attack, the creature’s glass fingers swiping through empty air.

“Too slow,” she muttered under her breath.

The ghoul seemed to register her evasion. Its hands were twitching, the glass of its fingertips warping and elongating into jagged, shard-like claws. Without hesitation, the Glass Ghoul lunged again, faster this time, its claws slicing through the air with a sound like knives scraping steel.

Zara ducked under the first swipe, her movements sharp and controlled. She pivoted around the second slash, her eyes locked on the monster’s form. The ghoul’s speed increased with every attack, its movements jerky but deadly, its claws leaving deep gouges in the ground.

“She’s playing with it,” Hristina said with a strange look.

“Not playing,” Winter corrected. “She’s analyzing it.”

The Glass Ghoul let out a low, hollow groan, its arms quivering. Then its forearms began to stretch and reshape into long, glass blades, razor-sharp and deadly. Its attacks became blindingly fast, its arms slicing through the air like twin guillotines.

But Zara was ready. Her muscles flexed and she landed a karate chop on the elbow joint of the attacking monster. The glass elbow shattered and the blade arm fell to the ground. The creature howled, a sound that made the air around them vibrate.

With a quick move, Zara picked up the severed blade-like arm and tossed it at the Glass Ghoul. The shard sliced through the creature’s torso, shattering into a handful of large pieces as it pierced the glassy flesh. The Ghoul stumbled back, its body fracturing from the impact.

“Come and place this guy into a container quickly because he’s ain’t dead. Glass Ghould can rebuild their bodies even if they are broken into thousands of pieces,” Zara said, shaking her slightly. Strucking the glass monster’s arm was a bit more painful than she expected since it was tougher than normal glass.

The staff collected the pieces of the Glass Ghoul and placed them inside a container. Zara could hear the sounds of the monster moving inside as it began to reshape its damaged body.

“Hmm ... okay, we can handle it,” Winter murmured melancholicly into the phone.

“What happened?” Zara asked.

“Hristina, it’s your turn,” Winter announced.

“Mine?”

“Yes, the scouts spotted a Gold Gargoyle approaching. It’s all yours.”

Hristina gulped and turned toward the forest, her arms still covering her goods.

“You will need your arms Hristina,” Zara said.

“But...”

“Everyone is busy with the monsters and will barely have time to gawk at you. Plus, me and Winter are also naked. Just do it,” Zara tried to encourage her.

Finally, Hristina let her arms fall to her sides, exposing herself completely. The chilly breeze kissed her bare skin. Her breasts, losing all firmness without the clothes, fell like two heavy sacks of dough. The soldiers around her snapped back to attention, the sight of the naked beauty jolting them into focus.

The trees trembled in the forest as the Gold Gargoyle approached and then finally showed itself.

The creature was a stunning yet menacing sight, standing around three meters tall. Its body looked as though it had been sculpted from molten gold, polished to a shine that reflected the light. It was humanoid but with exaggerated, monstrous features. Jagged, blade-like wings extended from its back, their sharp edges glinting with a razor’s gleam. Its elongated limbs ended in clawed hands that tapered into golden talons, and its feet left deep gouges in the ground as it moved. Its face was a twisted mask of fangs and glowing amber eyes, its snarl revealing teeth that looked more like gilded spikes.