Chapter 2: Pupil 02

When Zara arrived at the Hunter Society Alliance’s headquarters, the morning air was still quite cold. She waited in the small park before the building, just as Aritimi had told her.

A few minutes passed when she noticed someone exiting the building and walking toward the spot she was waiting. She was a young Japanese girl with long black hair, Zara recognized her. She was Akemi, the girl with the telekinetic powers.

“Hey, good to see you in one piece, I thought the Flesh Fiend would eat you or worse,” she said as she noticed Zara.

“Hi, Aki,” Zara greeted the girl, whom she hadn’t seen since the experiment last week. Akemi was wearing a green tracksuit with white stripes along the sides. The words “Hunter Society Alliance” and her name “Akemi Yoriko” below it were embroidered on the chest like a fancy name tag.

“Are you waiting for Aritimi as well?” Akemi asked.

“Yeah,” Zara responded, “I just got a message to come here and wait for her.”

They stayed quiet for a few minutes.

“So ... how many monsters have you taken down since the experiment? Did you leave any for your fellow hunters?” Akemi asked with a playful smile, trying to break the ice.

“My kill count is still zero this year. I’d love to test my powers on Crowsend’s monster population, but Margaret told me to stay inactive until today. It feels like I’m back to square one,” Zara sighed.

“Yes, in the old times, people were allowed to go hunting a day after they got their augmentations. But these days, the HSA requires all freshly augmented hunters to go through an advanced course to master their augmentations. I know it feels like a step back, but it’s necessary. Plus, these new courses showcase different branches of the monster hunter business, from the biggest to the smallest, so you can find where you’re the most useful. It’s a big opportunity for any hunter.”

“I know, I know. I just can’t wait to unlock my powers and finally unleash the beast,” Zara chuckled, flexing her hand as the tissue pulsed beneath her skin.

“Don’t stress over it. You shouldn’t push yourself too hard. Overworking your augmentations can end badly. They need time to adjust sometimes,” Akemi advised.

“Oh, yeah, it can end badly, like turning into a pile of goo for hours!” Zara fought the urge to say this out loud and decided not to talk about the experiment. She felt lucky that she managed to reform without help, just as Aritimi had said.

“By the way, what does it feel like? Do you have any powers yet?” Akemi asked, intrigued.

“Sort of. It seems like my body can adapt to ... um ... various things if needed, but nothing special so far. No eye beams, levitation, or shooting fire from my ass,” Zara joked, “And your powers?”

“I can feel they are getting stronger each day, but I must train them. In the beginning, I was barely able to lift a paperclip with my mind and it caused headaches so bad I thought my head would split open. It’s much better now though,” Akemi said, “And what about yours? Does Margaret have any idea what kind of powers you will have?”

“According to her and Fifi, I’ll be able to control my body as a tool or weapon, just like a Flesh Fiend. The problem is that I still can’t do anything worth mentioning. I think a fight with some monsters might help, but Margaret and the council won’t let me go hunting on my own until I complete this course,” Zara lamented.

“Anyway, I just hope some powers manifest soon. I’ve been reading field reports from hunters who’ve encountered Flesh Fiends. They mention things like detachable spear-like bone growths, dermal armor, bite strength that can tear chunks of metal out of a tank, and shapeshifting so extreme that even a DNA test couldn’t determine if they were human or not,” Zara explained.

“Nah,” Akemi shrugged, “Shapeshifting isn’t that big of a deal anymore. You can just check the Poe radiation level of any suspicious person to see what they are. Even our HSA-issued phones have a built-in Poe radiation counter.”

“I know, I’m more interested in the combat-related powers,” Zara said.

“Just be careful,” Akemi warned, “Also, I forgot to ask, but technically, are you still human or considered a Flesh Fiend now?”

“I’m officially classified as a modified human in the HSA’s database after the experiment. My Poe radiation level is slightly higher than average but similar to other augmented hunters’ levels,” Zara clarified.

“Oh, okay,” Akemi replied, then paused for a moment, “Wait a minute, are you wearing the same clothes? I thought Fufu, the Flesh Fiend, shredded them,” she remarked, examining Zara’s brown leather jacket, black tank top, and ripped jeans.

“It’s Fifi, not Fufu, and no, these aren’t the same. Fifi ate my clothes while I was asleep, even my boots,” Zara explained. “I just bought a bunch of similar outfits.”

“Ha ha! You remind me of that weird detective guy from the show Monk,” Akemi giggled, “He always had a closet full of the same clothes.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Zara asked with a playful glare, running her hand over her leather jacket, “These are practical for the job. Besides, I like the look.”

“A compliment, of course. I like weirdos. Normal people are boring,” Akemi grinned.

“Good morning, pupils!” they heard Aritimi’s voice coming from a bright green portal behind them, and then Aritimi herself stepped out of the portal. She was wearing the same jumpsuit she was wearing during her visit to Zara’s hospital room.

“Good morning Miss...” Akemi started.

“Just call me Aritimi. No Miss or Mistress or anything like that. Just my name will suffice,” Aritimi said with a warm smile. It gave Zara goosebumps though.

“I see everyone is here, so we can start,” Aritimi continued.

“Start? But it’s just me and Zara here, there are a bunch of other hunters who took this course,” Akemi pointed out, looking around the empty park.

“I know, but we will do most of the course in small groups,” came Aritimi’s response.

“But why?” Akemi asked.

“It wasn’t my idea,” Aritimi answered, “According to the council, this way will be the best because of two things. One, big groups attract too much attention and since we will do most of the stuff on the field, we could easily alert the monsters to our presence if there are too many of us. Two, bonding between hunters is important for teamwork, and camaraderie. If the groups are too big, they will quickly split into cliques. We want the next generation of hunters to be able to get along when needed. Lone wolfs don’t last long in this business.”

“Oh, I get it now, sorry for bothering you,” Akemi said.

“No problems,” she replied, “I got something special for today. Follow me, girls,” Aritimi said and a circular red portal opened behind her.

Both Zara and Akemi began to strode toward the portal but Zara paused for a moment. The red portal slightly reminded her of the night when her mother disappeared. Although, the red glowing circle she saw that night was significantly different as if some kind of energy was radiating from it.

“Hey, don’t be shy, Zara,” Akemi said, poking her playfully in the ribs before she disappeared into the portal. With a deep breath, Zara stepped through the gateway, feeling the odd sensation of being stretched and squished at the same time.

Zara found herself standing in front of a big red van with “Hunter Society Alliance” written on its side. The street they were standing was in a quiet luxurious part of Crowsend. The houses there looked like castles, surrounded by high walls and iron gates.

“Hey, Inez!” Aritimi knocked on the van’s door, “Are you here?”

The door slid open, and a sturdy, middle-aged black woman poked her head out. She wore a stern expression that melted away when her gaze fell from Aritimi to the two young hunters.

“Damn it, Timi! How many pupils do you get?” asked the woman as she stepped out of the vehicle. She was wearing cargo pants and a matching utility vest with a belt. Her brown skin contrasted sharply with her salt-and-pepper hair.

“These are the last two in my group I swear,” Aritimi answered with a smile.

“Do you leave them here like the rest?”

“No, this time I will join the pupils. I want to keep an eye on one with a certain augmentation,” Aritimi looked at the girls.

“It’s nice to meet you, girls,” the woman smiled at them. Then both Zara and Akemi introduced themselves to her.

“I’m Inez Carmichael, the Senior Pest Control Specialist of the HSA’s local branch,” she introduced herself, “Together with Aritimi, I’ll be your teacher for today as we dive into the world of pest control.”

“So ... we will squish bugs today?” Zara asked a little disappointed in her tone.

“Sort of,” Inez nodded, “Monsters exist in all shapes and sizes. The bug and insect-type monsters are just as dangerous as the others if they are left unchecked.”

“And what are we going to do today exactly?” Akemi asked, she still seemed excited.

“There’s an infestation in this street. Most of the houses were invaded by bug monsters. That’s nothing special but the fact that it happened within an entire week is the weird part. Something like that only occurs if buildings stay unoccupied for a prolonged period of time but the owners of these houses were at home when everything started,” Inez said, scratching her head.

“That sounds interesting,” Aritimi exclaimed, “Maybe there are some kind of special monsters here?”

“No, just usual bugs and insects I killed en masse with your other pupils during the week,” Inez responded with a shrug.

“Anyway, I just want to kill something. An entire week passed since I managed to kill a monster, I feel myself useless” Aritimi sighed. Zara envied her. She wished that a week would be the biggest time between successful hunts for her.

“Alright girls, let’s start with these,” Inez said, pulling out a canister from her belt, “Type-II monster bug spray. Enough strong to kill small monsters but will spare normal bugs. This is the strongest chemical we are legally allowed to use because it doesn’t threaten the ecosystem.”

“This one is my strongest chemical,” Inez patted the top of a big red barrel in the van, “Officially I shouldn’t have it here but it can come in handy in case of emergency.”

“So we will walk around the neighborhood spraying bugs?” Zara asked, uninterested in the task.

“No, I’ve done with most of the houses in this street with the other pupils, there’s only one left,” Inez said, “Don’t worry, it’s not going to take long. Just spray the nests and the monsters will be dead when they come back there to sleep. Then they will be the clean-up team’s problem.”

“Okay, let’s start,” Akemi said, she seemed to be more excited than Zara, or at least she hid her disinterest better.

“That’s the spirit,” Inez replied with a smile as she picked up a box full of those canisters, “Everyone grabs a box and follows me. Maybe we can finish within an hour if we are quick.”

“Wait!” Aritimi called out, holding up her hand to stop them, “That’s a hunt, a fight against the monsters. We will have to enter the battlefield as the ancient hunters did.”

Zara began sweating bullets because she knew what Aritimi meant by this.

“What do you...” Akemi said but she paused as she watched Aritimi unzipping her jumpsuit and taking it off. Then she stopped in front of them as naked as the day she was born.

The girls couldn’t help but stare at Aritimi’s body. Her dark brown skin glistened with sweat. She had a lean but strong physique, with muscles that spoke of power and grace. Her breasts were big and round, with nipples that were already erect before the cool air could touch them. The small patch of crescent moon-shaped pubic her was still in its place as well.

“Why do you have to do this every time Timi?” Inez asked frustratedly.

“That’s the ancient and natural way of hunting,” Aritimi replied gracefully.

“Yes, and they stopped hunting butt naked when they found out how to make armor,” Inez retorted.

Aritimi chuckled, “And when they began hunting in clothes, suddenly the numbers of monsters began to rise. That’s because they lost connection with nature and became lesser hunters because of that.”

“No, it was because the monsters were evolving just like the humans. Now put on something please,” came Inez’s answer. Zara enjoyed the show.

“No no!” Aritimi shook her head, “I am the one in charge here. Remember?”

Inez stayed silent.

“Good,” Aritimi sneered, “Now all three of you will get naked as well.”

“What?” gasped Akemi. Zara wasn’t surprised.

“You heard it right,” Aritimi smiled smugly, “I am the hunter here with the highest authority and I can decide what type of equipment my pupils and my fellow hunter with a lower rank can wield. And I chose that those canisters are the only thing you can carry with you. The clothes except for a utility belt will stay here in the van.”

“What? You can’t do this!” Akemi protested.

“She actually can,” Inez said with a deep sigh, “The top hunters like her can do a lot of douchey things and get away with it. And the worst part is that Timi is not even the worst of those assholes.”

“Khm khm. Finish the chitchat and undress,” Aritimi ordered.

Inez and Akemi stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds until Zara chose to comply first. She quickly put her jacket, jeans, tank top, and boots into the van. Only hesitated a little bit when she had to take off her bra but she took a deep breath and took it off, and then it was followed by her panties.

Her skin tone looked better than last week but she still looked ghostly compared to Aritimi’s rich brown tone.

Akemi stopped a little bit as she took a look at Zara’s naked form and she even blushed a little bit. Then she and Inez entered the van to take off their clothes inside without Aritimi watching them. Zara heard Inez swearing inside.

Zara stayed outside with Aritimi in an awkward silence.

“Um ... can I have a question?” she asked, looking at Aritimi.

“Yep.”

“How did you get your powers? I mean, what kind of creature or creatures were involved in your augmentations?” Zara asked.

“I got some bone marrow transplant extracted from a Riftwalker.”

“Riftwalker?” Zara raised an eyebrow, “I never heard about them creating colorful portals like you.”

“They usually keep their portals colorless so it looks like they just simply vanish while walking away. That’s why they were initially called Riftwalkers,” Aritimi explained.

“And there are other monsters who can teleport or open portals like them?” Zara was thinking about that weird glowing circle she had seen years ago.

“Yeah, there’re a bunch of monsters who can do things like this. Some of them have various other powers as well. And these are just those we know about. The HSA discovering at least one new monster species each year.”

This made Zara think about the possibilities of what happened to her mother or what was the monster that took her. Not even the HSA managed to figure out what happened exactly even after months of investigation.

The van’s door slid open at last. Inez was the first to step out of it.

Inez’s naked body wasn’t as eye-catching as Aritimi’s but she had nothing to be ashamed of. Her sturdy frame was marked by years of physical exertion. Inez’s skin was a mahogany canvas only marked by a handful of old scars. Her breasts, though smaller than Aritimi’s, were firm and had a natural slope. She had a tight and muscular stomach, quite unusual for someone in Inez’s age. The dark patch of hair between her legs was trimmed short and neat. Her legs, were thick and powerful, like tree trunks.

“Are you happy now, Timi?” Inez asked with a frown and put on her utility belt.

“Almost,” Aritimi smiled, “Akemi, where are you?”

Slowly, Akemi stepped out of the van as well. Her hair cascaded down her back like a black curtain, framing her delicate face which had high cheekbones. Her skin was porcelain white, contrasting the darker tones of Aritimi and Inez. She had breasts that were modest in size, but with puffy, pink nipples that stood erect in the cool morning air. She was the only one with completely shaved pubic hair, although she had visible stubbles because of the big contrast between her hair and skin’s tone.

“Okay, we can go now,” Aritimi announced.

“What if someone will see us naked?” Akemi asked as she was still blushing.

“The whole street got evacuated because of the infestation. There’s nobody here aside from us,” Inez tried to calm her down.

“But what if they have security cameras?” Akemi asked again anxiously.

“There’s no electricity in the entire block. The monster bugs munched their way through every available cable and wire,” Inez replied which seemed to calm down Akemi.

“Alright, follow me,” Aritimi said, walking toward the building they would have to clear.

The four naked women walked down the deserted street, the sound of their bare feet echoing against the cobblestone.

“Oh, damn it,” Inez said as she put down the boxes full of canisters onto the porch, “The keys are stayed in my clothes. Just a minute and I’ll be back.”

“No need for keys,” Aritimi chuckled, “I can open a portal into the house.”

A glowing green portal opened in front of them which they entered quickly.

But to their surprise, instead of the inside of a building, they found themselves standing in the middle of the road.

“Hey what the...” Akemi started but she froze mid-sentence as the portal closed and she noticed a small crowd of middle-aged guys at a bus stop which was behind the portal.

The crowd had already noticed the naked hunters and were staring with wide eyes. At first, the girls only heard some gasps but those were soon followed by whistles. After all, the sight of four naked women standing in the middle of the road was not something they expected to see on a regular Friday morning.

Following the first shock, Zara, Akemi, and Inez assumed the classic “enf” pose with one arm across the chest and one cowering the lower regions. Aritimi was the only one who didn’t cower herself. Just stood there proudly and waved them with a smile.

“Hey! C’mere cutie!” one of the guys told Akemi.

Then after a few seconds which felt like an eternity, Aritimi opened another portal below themselves that worked like a trapdoor and they fell into it.

This time they were in the house for real.

“You fuckin’ asshole!!!” Inez yelled at the giggling Aritimi. Akemi’s skin tone turned from porcelain white to pink because of the blushing.

“It was just an accident. Instead of one meter, I opened the portal one hundred meters away from us. It can happen sometimes. Hu hu hu hu!” she chuckled, and Zara noticed that Aritimi was wet and her labia were swollen.

“Bullshit! You perverted witch!” Inez glared at her, also looking at Aritimi’s moisty lips.

“Anyway. At least two of us enjoyed it,” Aritimi winked at Zara who didn’t understand it at first but when she took a step, Zara noticed that she was wet as well. A few steps later she felt a few droplets trickling down her thighs.

“Oh, look! The door was already open,” Aritimi said with a smug smile as she opened the front door from the inside.

Inez gave a canister to each girl so they could spray the nests.

“That’s not how I imagined this day,” Akemi lamented as she sprayed.

“That’s pretty close to what I imagined,” Zara replied, “I mean, because of Aritimi. I met her a few days ago.”

“Cockroach Pig!” Akemi said semi-loudly.

“Hey, I don’t like her either but that’s a bit too much, plus that’s not a creative insult,” Zara smiled.

“No, look at this,” Akemi pointed toward one of the couches. A big cockroach crawled out from below it. Its body was at least twice as big as a normal cockroach but the weirdest part was its head which was that of a small pig’s. It squealed as it approached the girls, seemingly ignoring the poison sprayed across the room.

“Say hello to my little friend,” Zara shook her canister and emptied it into the little monster’s face. She held the canister sideways like a gun in an action movie. The monster began coughing and then ceased moving.

“Inez! We killed a Cockroach Pig! Should we get rid of the body?” Zara called for her.

“Yes, if the others from the swarm notice it, they will be alerted. Just throw it into a trash bin. The clean-up team will do the rest tomorrow,” Inez replied.

Akemi lifted up the dead creature with her telekinetic powers and walked with it to a trash bin on the other side of the room. Zara couldn’t help but look at Akemi’s ass.

“Um ... are you okay?” Akemi asked, looking at Zara. She was shaking a little bit.

“Yeah ... yes ... maybe just the adrenalin. That was the first monster I killed in a while,” Zara said but she felt something was not okay. Since she noticed that she was wet when they arrived, she could hardly think.

Aritimi’s remark about Zara’s monster libido days ago was right. She felt more and more horny as they stayed there. She thought if they started killing the bug monsters it would divert her thoughts but no. Her mind kept lingering. The sight of Akemi’s naked body also didn’t help. Zara kept glancing at Akemi’s shapely ass, her shaved pussy, and her handful breasts with those still erect nipples.

“I ... um ... I have to visit the bathroom, just a minute and I’ll be back,” she said as she walked upstairs, almost running as she noticed that her juices trickled down her thighs more and more.

Once she was there she closed the door shut, sat down at the toilet, and without any foreplay, she began to fingerfuck herself. It didn’t even take an entire minute before Zara climaxed. She had to force herself to not moan, she didn’t know how many things the others could hear out there. Once she finished, she wiped herself clean with some toilet paper and flushed it down.

“Zara! Come here quickly!” she heard Akemi calling for her. Zara ran down the stairs and skipped the last three steps with a jump.

“What the...?” Zara gasped as she reentered the living room. All the hunters were there, accompanied by a growing swarm of bug monsters.

“Be careful Zara,” Inez warned her.

“What happened?” Zara asked.

“Looks like we angered them somehow,” Inez said as she sprayed a flying creature that looked like a centipede with bat wings, “They usually stay inside the walls and then come back to their nests at night, but for some reason, they crawled out. That’s weird.”

Zara grabbed a canister and emptied it into a small swarm of dog-headed spiders while Akemi used her telekinetic powers to make a dozen canisters float around the room and spray in all directions. Various little monsters fell victim to the huntresses but their numbers didn’t seem to dwindle at all.

“Something is wrong here,” Zara said as she slapped a three-headed mosquito that wanted to bite her ass, “There are too many monster species here for a normal monster-populated location.”

“Yeah, there’s no way that many types of monsters would live together in a small place like this. Most of the species here are each other’s natural enemies,” Aritimi said as she tried to spray a giant fly the size of a small dog. She emptied an entire can into the creature’s face but it kept flying around her. Then she lost her patience and opened a portal in front of the monster. The portal’s other end was opened a few meters away. When the creature was midway in it, Aritimi closed the portal, slicing the monster’s body in half.

“Inez, you don’t need some help?” Zara asked, looking at Inez who was just standing there. She grabbed multiple bugs with her bare hands and then released them. Then the little monsters dropped dead after a few seconds.

“No, I have my own way of killing them,” Inez replied holding up her hand which was coated with some greenish liquid, “Just like you girls, I also have augmentations that allow me to produce a weak poison from my skin pores, that’s what we used to create the sprays as well. I can release it as a liquid or as steam, unfortunately, it can only kill small monsters like these and it needs some time to work. Not as cool as what the others got but it works for me.”

“Nah, it’s pretty cool,” Akemi said as she smashed a fire-breathing ladybug with an empty can.

More and more minutes passed and they killed more and more monster bugs en masse, though their numbers seemed to be infinite. The floor was covered with tiny monster carcasses.

“Aritimi!” Inez called out as she poisoned a wolf-headed tarantula, “Do you remember that big red barrel in my van?”

“Yes, do you want me to bring it here?” Aritimi asked as she used her portals to decapitate a giant millipede.

“No, just open a portal inside it,” Inez replied as she kicked away a rat-sized ant, “The chemicals within that container are under high pressure. It will quickly fill the room.”

“It’s not going to be dangerous to us as well?” Zara asked while spraying a swarm of creatures resembling tiny ogres with colorful butterfly wings.

“Yes, it’s a Type-III chemical. It can be dangerous to us as well, so we better leave the living room first,” Inez replied as she smeared her poison on a thing that looked like a severed horse head walking on spider legs.

“Using Type-III chemicals can end up in a serious scolding or fining, depending on the collateral damage,” Aritimi replied while she vivisected a meter-long worm with her portals, “Just keep bashing these bastards. A few more minutes and the chemicals we already sprayed around will kill the rest.”

“Hey girls!” they heard Akemi shouting, “The couches are moving!”

Indeed the four couches in the living room were moving and shaking, then three pairs of spiny legs sprouted from their sides and a big cockroach head appeared in one of their ends.

“Couch Roaches!” Inez exclaimed, “Timi! Use your portals to gas this whole room!”

“Okay, fine! But You will take the blame if...,” Aritimi started but her words were cut midsentence as she noticed one of the couch monsters running towards her. She dodged in time and managed to avoid a big bite from the monster, “Run and close the door!” she told the three hunters before she disappeared inside one of her portals.

Inez held the door for Zara and Akemi. Zara was the last to leave but she saw a small red portal opening close to the ceiling and a green gaseous material hissed out from it at high pressure.

“Hopefully, this will be enough,” Inez sighed as she locked the door. The monsters there stayed surprisingly calm. They expected screaming and vehement attacks against the door, but nothing.

Once Aritimi came back, they waited for almost an hour before they opened the living room’s door. Until that, they searched for other monsters around the house but apparently, there were no more.

“Hmmm, looks like they’re all dead now,” Aritimi examined the lifeless little bodies.

“That’s weird,” Inez scanned the room, “They all stopped in the same spot after they forced us to leave the room and just waited for their death. They didn’t even try to break through the windows or the door.”

“Look! One of them is still moving!” Zara pointed at a little creature limping behind one of the Couch Roaches’ cadavers. It appeared to be a spider centauress, the size of a tarantula.

Both the human and the spider parts of its body were bright and colorful. The spider-like lower body was blue and speckled with dozens of red, orange, green, and yellow dots. The human upper body had orange-colored skin with long flowing purple hair that reached the middle of the torso’s back. It had six eyes, all bright pink. The creature also had a pair of firm breasts adorned with nipples that were also orange-colored but a few shades darker than the rest of the torso.

“Should I mercy kill it?” Zara was shaking a half-full canister in her hand.

“Wait!” Aritimi stopped her, “That’s an Arachnean Nymph!”

“And?” Zara raised an eyebrow.

“They are on the golden list of the HSA,” Aritimi answered.

“It’s the list of the most dangerous type of monsters?” Zara asked.

“No, it’s the black list, the golden list is composed of those creatures that the HSA wants for the experiments because they all have some kind of special powers that would be useful for a hunter as an augmentation,” Inez explained as she took a look at the little monster. It was panting and barely managed to stand on its eight legs.

“We have to report it to the HSA and then bring it to the Crypt,” Aritimi suggested.

“It inhaled the poison just like the others. I don’t think it can stay alive long,” Akemi said as she glanced at the half-conscious arachnid.

“Don’t worry about that,” Inez shrugged, “These little bastards can handle a lot of poison. It’s more like a drug for them. Even cyan is just a quick midnight snack to them that can help them sleep better.”

“Wait, so this thing is just tripping?” Zara pointed at the limping monster.

“Technically, yes,” Inez nodded.