Cutlass Sharpened (24 page)

It was a new discovery and he’d tell
Stephanie later.

He resurfaced and swam with the three men and
wolf to shore. They eventually reached it and walked with purpose
along the ship, heading straight into the dark forest. Weapons were
holstered, but were a moment from being freed.

Passing the barrier had a sudden change.

Oppressive humid heat clung to them as loud
insect sounds deafened the area. New scents assaulted and
overwhelmed Oliver at first. Everything was so new and powerful it
would take time to assimilate. Rich and fertile dirt pungently
arose from being rent in the crash. Rotting old trees decomposed to
enrich the soil for future vegetation. Angry animals barked from
trees, angered of the disturbance. Beady eyes watched in the
shadows.

Stone took a deep breath through his nose and
let it out loudly. “Ah, it is good to return home.”

“
Yes, it is, My Brother.”
Said Deegen, clapping a hand on the larger man’s broad shoulder. “I
hunted this area. Perhaps I and Bell should lead?”

“
Uh, something’s up with
our… cargo?” Stated Steven.

Stone forgot all about how good it was being
home and came to Oliver’s side as he jerked his head at the
overwhelming sights and sounds. Stone grabbed both sides of
Oliver’s face with his still wet gloves to say “Look at me.” Oliver
did, but his body remained coiled. “Focus, like I explained. Tell
me what you are experiencing.”

“
Food. It’s all around me.
So
many
Beasts.
They are everywhere. The animals I smell do not make my mouth
water. But there is one Beast no longer near that is making the
Piranha not enough. It is a Beast I
must
eat, but I cannot track it like
Bell taught me.” Oliver explained, regaining control thanks to
Stone’s help.

“
Can you tell what kind of
Beast and how long it was in the area?” Deegen asked as he and Bell
shook water from their bodies.

“
At least three weeks, best
I can judge from what I’ve experienced in Bell’s tracking
teachings, but it is making my body hum with need to go face and
eat it.”

“
Bell?” Deegen asked his
companion.

The grey wolf put her snout to the ground and
for a good minute she tracked and came to a pause, her ears perking
and hackles rising. “Ree’s right.” Bell barked. “I rell reast of
RAY-Rank… month old… think it’s Ralamander, rut different.
Unsurrr.” She took another sniff. “Not nearrr.” She growled.

“
If it’s not near we can
worry later.” Advised Stone. “Oliver, focus on what you can. We can
hunt down the Beast tickling your fancy later. Elder Scythe would
likely want to see your tracking skills. For now, adjust to the
planet as we follow Deegen. Can you do that?”

“
Yes. But it’s hotter here
than the desert world you rescued me on.”

Stone grinned. “It’s the humidity. It makes
the air hotter and is difficult to cool a hot body during the day.
It builds ones heat tolerance as well as how much punishment we can
endure. Follow us. We’ll break at sundown for camp.”

Deegen took the lead beside his loping wolf
deep into the forest. Armored bodies broke through the foliage for
three kilometers at a pace they all could maintain in the heavy
planet. Eventually they reached Deegen’s promised hidden trail and
made traveling far easier. The trail varied from one to six meter’s
wide, cut through streams or over fallen trees acting as a bridge.
There was no more lazy leaping to cover more ground. All aside from
Oliver jogged heavily, but efficiently.

Sweat didn’t evaporate to cool heated bodies
until Oliver was about to complain the need to rest and something
happened. His suit began modifying as his mind worked on a cooling
method to break up the endless run. Tiny pores made airways
circulate throughout the malleable armor. Comfortable air passed
where humid moisture could not. A sweaty body beneath began cooling
with the circulating currents and extra heat was left behind. So
long as Oliver ran, he cooled in the oppressive thirty eight point
five Celsius degree air.

An hour along the twisting and turning path
Oliver caught a tasty scent and said “A Beast comes.” and drew a
blade. An upwind breeze change and alerted him. The others didn’t
waste time questioning. They all stopped to listen.

“
Do you hear that?” Stone
asked.

“
Nothing.” Oliver said as
the forest was quiet. The only sound came from rustling leaves from
the wind.

“
Exactly. In forests, the
lack of silence is animals warning us of danger. Remember this over
all else. Animal silence is a warning to heed. Scents can change in
a shift of wind or wash away in a storm. Animal silence is much
more reliable.” Stone’s hatchets began sizzling with tiny
electrical arcs.

Heads snapped to rustling undergrowth as a
three meter long Tortoise pulled itself out. A D-Rank Beast, but
with a massive shell stronger than steel. A beaky mouth was
serrated for tearing chunks of meat from prey. The shell was plated
in softly rounded spikes and was its main offensive and defensive
weapon. They were also solitary creatures even other Beasts left
well enough alone.

Seeing Beasts favorite prey, humans, it
punched a hole in the ground with one massive clawed foot and began
twisting itself around the limb. Normally slow moving, it was far
from slow. All the coiled tension wound up was let loose in a
massive spinning shot as if launched from a cannon. It had the
fastest acceleration of all Beasts, but lacked maneuverability. In
the spinning attack it sucked in its legs and head to make an
effective bludgeon.

Steven moved in since his flail was precisely
the best means of cracking the shell. Others moved out of dodge as
he angled just aside of the trajectory and yelled while swinging.
Tortoise met the inflexible flail empowered by psionic electricity.
Tortoise lost. Shell pulped in a massive explosion of lavender
innards.

“
Leave it.” Steven said when
Oliver didn’t want to waste good food. “Other Beasts will find it
instead of us. Let them be distracted rather than come for
us.”

“
He’s right. We go.” Deegen
said and they were off running through the untamed
forest.

Massive F-Rank bees came around off and on
the remainder of the day, but were easily dealt with by Visor and
Satellite.

That night they found the tallest tree in the
area and climbed it high as possible. No fire would be made that
night as temperatures dropped to just below freezing. Their full
body armor was all the insulation they could possibly need and it
didn’t lure dangerous creatures had they slept on the ground.
Oliver was still mesmerized by how hot the days were an how frigid
the nights became.

After tethering himself to the trunk of the
tree to not fear falling if accidently rolling over, Oliver’s
attention shifted from the far away Dorgenox to the stellar view of
stars that twinkled up above. Eventually exhaustion from sleep
deprivation caught up from the hard week and claimed him
completely.

Three hours after the amazing sunrise, the
first Oliver ever witnessed personally, The group came to a sudden
stop as the path opened up widely. Rows upon rows of massive leafy
trees lined up for thousands of acres. Oliver knew a manmade
plantation over untamed forests and this was unnaturally straight.
The large leaves had a deep red color that made Oliver miss Renee
more and their rough bark was a dull orange.

“
Impossible!” Deegen
exclaimed.

“
What’s wrong?” Oliver drew
his starlit black sword, eyes darting around for unseen danger his
nose couldn’t find.

“
The Inferno trees
are
all
barren. At
this time of year they should all be heavily pregnant with fruit…
even after harvesting I should see patches of some left behind or
rotting on the ground.” The Hunter was flabbergasted.

“
Brother, I’ve never seen
the plantations so… lifeless. What could have caused it?” Stone
said as he knelt by a tree and rubbed some dirt between his fingers
to smell and touch a little on his tongue. “Harvesters
hadn’t
been here recently
or the dirt would burn my tongue from Inferno Fruit juices.” He
said mostly for Oliver’s benefit.

Inferno fruit could not be humanly consumed.
It made starship fuel. It was stronger than the hottest peppers and
could make anyone foolish enough to try violently ill and often
caused death if left untreated.

“
Look, our brothers and
sisters come!” Steven said as he caught signs of distant
movement.

Twenty young looking Hunters of great
lethality ran straight in their direction, altering slightly as
Steven waved his hand. Ten men and women fully armed with swords,
lances, shields, maces and throwing knives came to a stop as the
four men and a wolf ran to them as well. Overall they were dark
skinned, but some of the twenty were lighter, but all had the
battered silvery armor given to all Hunters.

“
Big Brother Stone!” one
woman came forth already sweating like everyone else. At her side
was her own black wolf with blue eyes. “It’s been thirty years
since last we saw each other.” She winked seductively.

“
Sister Breena! You are as
lovely as ever. How is our beautiful daughter doing?”

The woman was a good hundred sixty seven
centimeters tall and built like all Hunters, bigger than Renee. She
came forth and greeted Stone with a deep passionate kiss and he
gladly returned it. She smiled brightly. “Our baby received her
first commission just yesterday aboard the battle cruiser George
Hammond. She at last passed her class one exam.”

“
That strokes a father’s
pride.” Stone hugged her. He turned them and said “Oliver, Steven,
this is one of my mates Breena. She too is a class one Hunter and
has given me two sons and a daughter. It is a shame they are not
here, but at least you are, My Love.”

“
So this is the ancient
brother? He looks to be able to make many fine children without
even being tested.” Breena looked him up and down. The other
Hunters likewise did the same. “Lover, we must secure the Dorgenox.
We can make more children later. Though it will be irksome your
other mates get you before myself.” She gave him a quick kiss and
gestured with her spear. “We leave, Brothers.”

“
One moment.” Stone stopped
her. “What has become of all the Inferno Fruit? We’ve seen none and
we need to ready the Booster Oil.”

Breena paused and looked at the canopy
pensively. “Go swiftly to the village, Brothers. Speak with the
Elders. They will tell you of our recent hardships.” With that she
and her wolf ran ahead. The other Hunters followed, saying
greetings in passing.

“
What was that about?”
Oliver said, watching the group moving at the same sustainable
speed as what they too had done for two days.

“
It is not good. Something
is amiss. First the Inferno Fruit disappearance and now my mate’s
lack of explanation… we must increase our pace.” Stone wasn’t
questioned and they charged through the plantation.

Along the way Oliver asked “Stone, I know all
Hunters take multiple mates based on genetics, rank and
achievement, but may I ask just how old you are?”

“
I hold no secrets from my
Hunter family. I’m ninety two years old and have three women I
treasure. They too have more than one man, but Breena has given me
the most children. Hunters are often away for many years and we
mate when we can. I personally have six children evenly split. My
eldest son is sixty three, also shared with Breena. Now all my
children are licensed Hunters in the first class. Like all Hunters,
Satellite was made for my seventh birthday and we’ve been linked
the whole time.”

Deegen slid right into the conversation. “I
just celebrated my hundredth year two months ago. I have four
mates, yet one dead daughter. Bell is ninety three and has been
with me for as long as I can remember.”

“
I’m the baby of this ragtag
bunch.” Steven said as they ran shoulder to shoulder. “I’m seventy
one. Have two sexy women with legs that go up forever, who know how
to make my head spin. But unlike Stone and Deegen, I’m their only
man. They’ve given me four kids together and made me the luckiest
man around.”

“
I do not think I can be
away from my woman like you all do.” Oliver admitted.

“
Never is easy. But we get a
few years to teach our children during the pivotal years.” Said
Stone weaving around a tree. “But our duty comes first. Separation
is also good between Hunters. We are all strong. Gather too many of
us for too long without something to kill and blood will shed among
us, even between mates. Hunters are stubborn and fierce, especially
our women during their menstrual cycle…”

“
Yet Ms. Dorgen makes our
greatest huntresses seem tame.” Said Steven which made them men and
wolf laugh together.

“
So why do you call everyone
by last name?” Asked Oliver as soon as they found another trail and
left the plantation behind.

“
They are our clients, not
our brothers. We are merely selected by need, rank and requirement
of our clients. It is rare to have more than two Hunters of the
first order aboard freighter ships such as the Dorgenox, but our
elders decided to send us three to keep it safe and we
have.”

Breaks were taken by clean steams and helped
cool them down, but Stone pushed them hard and by mid afternoon a
sparkling reflection caught their eyes. Young Hunter scouts still
in training were hiding in the canopy, calling out to others of
their arrival.