Beep beep beep
“You got a text Sho,” Pacifica called out.
It had been a couple of hours since Shouri and Rebecca returned to room five in the Orvata MA Office. It was clear to the other two girls that whatever their companions discussed was heavy, so neither complained when they cuddled up on the couch to watch those cheesy martial arts movies Rebecca loved.
Pacifica opted to lay on the bed with Taika, each girl on their tuner – the otter gamed and the fox read.
A nice peaceful afternoon.
That was until the text message arrived.
“Who is it?” Shouri asked while fishing Rebecca’s tuner from in between them.
“Emily,” Pacifica replied.
“Hrm.” Shouri let out a hum of disappointment while pulling up his texts. There was a small hope the random text had finally been Aura, but sadly that radio silence persisted.
Emily: “Take me out on a hunt” 5:44 PM
“The princess is awfully demanding,” Rebecca noted, peering over her Maestro’s shoulder.
“Yeah, that’s for sure,” the boy scoffed, re-reading the curt message. “Do you all want to go hunting?” he asked the room.
“Sure,” said Pacifica
“Why not?” Taika added.
Shouri looked to the vixen directly by his side. She slowly nodded. “Are you sure?” he asked.
Rebecca took in a breath, holding it for a moment before speaking. “I shouldn’t let people I don’t like keep me away from my Maestro.”
Me: “See you in an hour” 5:47 PM
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“Sho, we have to vacation here eventually,” Pacifica demanded.
The group of eight was on their way to the western hunting grounds, which bordered the coast of the island.
“Maybe you can have a big ‘teach everyone how to swim’ retreat,” Emily suggested.
Pacifica gasped. “YOU’RE RIGHT!” the otter shouted, practically vibrating at the prospect of running her own swimming training camp.
Rebecca shot the other Maestro a glare. “Don’t give her ideas.” The fox hissed.
The small crowd arrived at the hunting ground to find only a Maestro and Resonator, clearly bored out of their minds as tended to the stall while on a notebook computer.
“Where… is everyone?” Emily wondered, looking around.
“Maybe there just aren’t many Scherzando on this island?” Ritika guessed.
“Small islands, even populated ones tend to have next to no Scherzando,” Shouri told them.
“Oh, how weird.” Emily blinked.
“They tend to avoid salt water for some reason scientists haven’t yet figured out,” Shouri added in as a bonus fun fact.
“Weird things they are,” Ritika commented.
With that little Scherzando ethology lesson out of the way, the eight-strong group headed up to the stall.
The attendant sat up at attention, quickly minimizing some distraction on their computer screen. “Hey!” they greeted the group. “Here for a hunt?” they asked.
“Yes!” Emily had a fire in her eyes. Shouri chuckled and nodded along.
“Tuners please,” came the request.
Six tuners were handed over and scanned in.
The stall attendant noted the two black tuners amongst the six. “Two lunars huh? Finding them won’t be an issue for you all,” they commented.
“Yeah, no problem,” Shouri spoke up before Emily could.
“Good to go, have fun.” The attendant slid the six devices over for their owners to collect.
Emily scooped up her trio of tuners in an instant. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” She excitedly pointed to a nearby field.
“Yeah yeah, let’s go.” Shouri affixed his tuners to his side and allowed the greenhorn hunter to lead the way.
The island of Orvata was beautiful, simply put. There were many traditionally built and inhabited buildings in small clusters all over the island, but for the most part, the wilderness was untamed. A natural order fell upon the flora of the island. The group gathered in the tall grass of a nearby plain.
Emily held out her arms allowing the sea breeze to wash over her. “Ahhhh, you smell that?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s awful.” Rebecca pinched her nose.
“Weird way to spell wonderful.” Pacifica had joined the Maestro in appreciating the wind.
Shouri shook his head but smiled all the same.
“It’s time for adventure!” Emily declared.
“Oh, here we go.” Albarich rolled his eyes.
“Be gentle, Emmy.” Ritika placed a hand on her Maestro’s back, hoping to arrest some of her momentum.
The newbie turned to her mentor for the evening, her gaze brimming with excitement. “How do we do this, Mr. Hunter?” she asked.
“First order of business – what level is Albarich’s Rilevare l'intenzione at?”
“Adagio, we haven’t quite hit Lento yet.”
“Ah, grind that shit, you need Lento, Scherzando are always hostile so Lento rank turns it into a Scherzando map.”
“I see I see.”
While the Maestros went over tactics and their roles in the hunting process, the Resonators were left to their own discussion of matters.
“I still can’t believe she traded in her duelist license for a hunter one,” Pacifica commented.
“Well, neither of us really knew what we were doing when we got down here,” Albarich spoke up. “We just kinda got railroaded into the first thing we were told,” he added.
“Yeah, not looking to get into dueling myself,” Rebecca chimed in.
The Lunar dragon raised a brow. “Why not?” he asked. “You’re pretty friggin good at it from what I’ve seen of ya.”
Rebecca mulled over that thought. “I guess it’s a personal thing.” Her gaze fell on Shouri. “I can’t trust other Maestros,” she decided.
“I see.” The dragon nodded slowly.
“And that’s the gist of it.” Shouri finished his recap of the basics for Emily’s edification.
“Seems simple enough, but easy to get messed up if you’re not careful,” she summarized.
“Pretty much. Scherzando are quick to remind you why we’re out here in the first place if you let them,” the veteran warned.
“Of course!”
“Rilevare l'intenzione, Lento,” Shouri called out.
Taika closed her eyes and she placed two fingers on her right temple. An invisible pulse radiated from her body, updating Shouri's (and in turn Emily’s) tuners with the positions of the nearby Scherzando.
“Ooooh, this is way more convenient,” Emily noted, showing the map to Albarich.
“Much easier than barking directions.” The dragon nodded in agreement.
“Oh cool!” Ritika exclaimed, peering over her Maestro’s shoulder.
“There’s not many here,” Shouri commented as he studied the map on his tuner.
“At least it should be easy tonight,” Pacifica chimed in.
Shouri glared at her.
“What?!” Pacifica shouted back.
“Sahji.”
“He’s not real!”
Emily smiled warmly; they were having fun.
The night’s festivities began with the trek to the waiting Scherzando who hid in a nearby forest. Shouri had the lead spot with Emily’s group keeping an eye on their rear. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the natural light began to dwindle, and the lack of settlements very quickly plunged the travelers into darkness.
Rebecca tugged on her Maestro’s jacket. “Sho.”
“Oh right, keep forgetting. Famiglio Incendio, Rubato.”
With a wave of her hand, Rebecca summoned a small pack of fire foxes, illuminating the dark forest they found themselves in.
“Hunters really like that one huh?” Emily commented.
“Not everyone has night vision like us,” Shouri snarked back.
“Too true.”
The group fell to uneasy silence, creeping through the woods on the alert. That was when they finally found them: a small herd of tall Scherzando, quadrupedal in form. The powerful legs of the shadowy beasts looked like they could do as much damage as their owner’s magic. Speaking of which, these beasts bore rocky protrusions, presenting the earth element.
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Emily stared in a hushed horror. The lack of any facial features, the lightless body, her rhythm screaming how wrong these creatures were. Despite moving through the crunchy underbrush, no sound was made – it was like they weren’t even there. She had always heard how terrifying Scherzando could be, how easily they could kill, their hunger, their savagery. Even with six Resonators, these monsters could overwhelm them given the chance.
The Lunar Princess jumped, suppressing a squeal when Albarich’s hand touched her shoulder. She looked back at him. He simply nodded, quelling the anxiety that had built up in her heart.
Shouri meanwhile, motioned for the other Maestro to hang back. He crept forward with his trio behind him. Emily watched in awe as the three girls spread out without a verbal command from their Maestro.
“Fissare la Ombra, Rubato; Ghiacclio, Rubato; Anello di Fuoco, Tenuto!”
Three commands told the girls everything they needed to know. Pacifica stepped towards the large equine-shaped beasts. Taika and Rebecca ran around their flanks, Rebecca leaving a wall of fire in her wake, Taika pinning the Scherzando who attempted to flee from the sudden blaze.
Pacifica meanwhile, stood in place. She lifted a hand into the air, a spear of ice forming – Ghiacclio at Fortissimo rank. The massive ice missile fired off and speared one of the beasts, dissolving it back into the rhythm that constructed its form.
It was a slaughter, the Scherzando never stood a chance as they were contained and snuffed out. Any that attempted to fight back got Pacifica’s focus. Any that attempted to flee were pinned by their shadows. Emily and her Resonators were stunned to silence. The brutal efficiency on display – they were thankful Shouri didn’t have any aspirations of attacking innocents.
“I don’t know what’s scarier, the Scherzando or you,” Emily commented.
“It’s either them or us – and personally, I enjoy living,” Shouri replied, his eyes never leaving the battlefield.
“Yeah, me too.”
Taika, Pacifica, and Rebecca returned to Shouri’s side their eyes glowed with residual rhythm from their spellcasting – Taika in blue, Pacifica and Rebecca in red. Shouri turned to face his protégés, the yellow knowledge-rich rhythm shimmering within his eyes.
Her voice was stuck in her throat, all Emily could do was stare in awe at the spectacle they had just bore witness to.
This was what a real hunter looked like.
“Think you can do that?” Shouri broke the silence.
“Terra no! By the stars you’re insane!” Emily yelped.
“It’s not that much different from battling,” Shouri pointed out.
“Maybe not so much,” Rebecca chimed in.
“Hm?” He looked to his Resonator.
“Resonator battles are usually one-on-one, and you always expect your opponent to play fair, otherwise a ref steps in and calls the battle in your favor.” Rebecca scanned the trio of Resonators her opposite.
“Scherzando don’t play fair, Scherzando will outnumber you, Scherzando will kill you,” stated the vixen.
Emily sighed loudly. “Yeah, that’s it.” She shrugged. A smile rose on her lips. “But if someone who is supposedly ‘average’ like you can become a monster like that, surely there’s hope for us.”
Shouri chuckled. “Sure.”
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Once more Shouri’s group led the way, following the newly updated map.
They slowly approached another nest of Scherzando. A flock of bird-shaped Scherzando fluttered about in a small clearing, illuminated by the moonlight.
“Tackle this any way you see fit, we’ll hang back,” Shouri advised.
“Just remember, it’s not a battle - you don’t have to play fair,” Rebecca chimed in.
Emily nodded, studying their targets. These were of the fire element. Besides their fiery wings, the rhythmic heat being radiated from them was quite intense.
“Al, Fissare la Ombra, Lento,” Emily instructed.
Albarich nodded and stepped into the clearing. He summoned a horde of shadowy arrows with a wave of his arm. The Scherzando turned to the dragon and then he launched the cloud of arrows at the birds.
Some were caught, but many managed to dodge the attack and immediately retaliated with fireballs that exploded with rainbow light.
Thankfully, Albarich pulled his wings in front of his body at the last second, shielding him from most of the force of the attacks, but now the Scherzando were swarming about in a tizzy. They began to swoop down toward Emily, who locked up in shock.
THWICK THWICK THWICK
Several ice needles skewered the Scherzando that had braved attacking the Maestro.
Emily turned back to see Pacifica holding a dozen ice needles between her fists, ready to continue her attack if needed.
“You have three Resonators – use them,” Shouri instructed.
“S-sorry Emmy.” Ritika wilted. “They attacked so fast I froze,” the cat admitted. Soot nodded in agreement with his fellow Resonator.
The Luna native ground her teeth. It wasn’t as easy as Shouri made it look. She took in a breath. Shouri was a hunter, a real hunter – following his methods would make her a real hunter.
“Al! Fissare la Ombra, Forte Staccatissimo! Soot! Scottare, Rubato! Bring them into Rika’s range!” she barked out her commands.
“Me?! What do I do?” Ritika yelped as her two party members took their positions and began executing their Maestro’s orders.
“Stand right in front of me and get ready to fire,” Emily told her with a confident smirk. The earth cat nodded and followed her Maestro’s instruction.
Albarich and Soot focused their spells on the high-flying birds, forcing them to swoop low. Some were taken out by the flurry of shadow arrows and steam, but most of the flock swooped low aiming squarely at Ritika and Emily.
“Armalcol Fucile, Legato Staccatisimo!” Taika perked up when Emily called out that spell. The lunar fox was enraptured by the form of the earth cat, who used one arm to steady her other. Her thumb was curled into her fist, aimed squarely at the Scherzando who were bearing down on their position.
At the end of Ritika’s fist, a strange crystal formed, and as soon as it was solid, she flicked her thumb out, firing the rock off like a bullet. It pierced several of the Scherzando, leaving a shimmering trail in its wake and dissolving the Scherzando in the process. Ritika fired off several of these strange crystals, sniping the birds and never allowing them to get close to her precious Maestro.
“The Lunar–Earth Ossia, huh?” Shouri chuckled. Taika shot a glance at her Maestro. “She had you all for a week, so she must have known you didn’t have that one yet,” he muttered to his fox.
“She’s a funny one, that’s for sure,” he decided, Taika nodding in agreement with his analysis of the situation.
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“So, what did you think?” Shouri asked as the group wandered back towards the MA Office – a successful hunt behind them.
“Hmmm…” Emily tilted her head back and forth, considering the question. “Well, you and Rebecca were right, it’s definitely different from Resonator battling,” she admitted. The princess smiled. “But this is much more fulfilling. I feel like we actually made the world a better place.”
Shouri chuckled. “Yeah, that’s about right,” he mused quietly. “Someone like you shouldn’t have been in a stadium. Too stuffy for you,” he spoke louder.
“That’s for sure! What the terra was I thinking?” she complained with a shrug.
“Sheltered princess way over her head, suddenly on a different world,” Albarich snarked.
“YOU!” She turned and started shaking her dragon who didn’t resist the sudden play fighting.
The hunt ended peacefully, the chorus of laughter echoing into the night.