Thrill of the Hunt
Chapter 3: Trigger Happy
Jared - Age 16
Milo - Age 18
Ellen - Age 17
"Welcome back, young-bloods," Gerald said as Jared, Ellen and Milo reached the meeting spot. "Hope ya slept well because you're going to need full focus for today's training."
Milo yawned and stretched his back. "Sir, where's Ben?"
"You kids don't remember much, do you..." Gerald sighed. "If you must know, he'll be gone until noon. He's with a larger group of new hunters, like yourselves, to select the final member of your team."
The teens nodded and took a seat.
"Now then," Gerald said, "let's discuss today's training. I know you're all a bit sore, but you'll get used to it. It's good for ya. But, since you're new, I'll give you a break.
Jared smirked a little. "You're in a good mood today, captain."
"A guy can be happy, can't he? I may be a strict instructor, but that doesn't mean I'm doomed to being a crotchety old man all my life," Gerald told him. "Anyways, it's time we head off to the Colosseum for the day. We've got something special for ya today."
They all stood and followed the dark-skinned man to the dome. Gerald shoved the large metal doors out of the way and waited for his three trainees to follow through before closing them.
Jared, Milo and Ellen exchanged confused looks as they looked around the large arena. It had been completely remodeled.
Large pillars were scattered around the room along with boulders, logs, and several other pieces of scenery. Rome may not have been built in a day, but the fact that this was put together in a single night with little to no sound was beyond them.
Gerald put a hand on Jared's shoulder and said, "You kids are gonna have a lot of fun today... Alright, let's go. We have a lot to cover. Jared, hand me that Light Bowgun there."
Jared looked behind him and grabbed the smallest gun off the wooden rack before handing it to the man.
"Like you probably have already learned, a Bowgun has three parts to it."
Ellen spoke up. "Barrel, Frame and Stock," she said as she pointed to the parts as she spoke the names.
"Correct," Gerald said. "Now, can anyone tell me what part is most important when it comes to rapid firing a certain type of ammo?"
"The Barrel," Jared said.
"Yes. However, the Frame also allows for you to rapid fire some ammo types. But you get the idea. The Barrel also affects another aspect of the gun's shooting which is?"
Milo's turn to answer. "Deviation, which affects if the shots curve at all."
"So you know the basics of a Barrel. Now let's test on some rapid fire," Gerald folded his arms. "Royal Launcher."
"Water S," Ellen said.
"Thundacrus?"
Milo said, "Thunder S."
"Blizzard Cannon."
"Freeze S," answered Jared.
Gerald nodded. "Alright, sounds like you know the Barrel pretty well. If you ever need to know what gun rapid fires which type of ammo, there's a chart in your home and the Workshop," he explained. "What can you tell me about the Frame?"
Ellen was all over this. "It affects several qualities and is the most important part of the gun. It determines whether it folds or not, how much recoil it has, how fast the gun reloads, determines some ammo selection, makes up most of the weight of the Bowgun, and some Deviation."
Gerald raised an eyebrow at her. "Very impressive, Ellen. I'm surprised you got that much information out in a matter of seconds." Ellen just curtsied at his compliment.
"Moving on," Gerald continued. "What about this part, the Stock?"
"The Stock is probably the least important part of a Bowgun, but it's still necessary for all types," Milo said.
"Stocks can reduce recoil greatly and help with your reload speed," Jared stated. "It helps out more than most think."
Gerald chuckled. "You three know the Bowgun well enough. I guess we can start explaining-"
"Gerald? Is that you?"
The group turned around to face a woman the same age as Gerald.
"Mindy...?" Gerald gasped. "The question is, is that you, Mindy?"
The two ran forward and embraced each other into a tight hug. Ellen smiled at the sight.
"I thought I'd never see you again, Ger..." Mindy sighed. Jared swore he could see tears forming on the corners of her eyes.
"I know, I know... I'm here..." Gerald whispered while he rubbed her back comfortingly.
They let go after about thirty seconds of what was total awkwardness for Gerald's students.
"Have you heard about Cody and Warren?" Mindy asked in concern.
"No, what happened?" Gerald responded.
"They went down in the Unmentionable Task..." Mindy said quietly, hanging her head.
Jared's eyes widened and memories flooded his head. He remained silent and respectful, though.
"Cody... Warren..." Gerald whispered to himself in total shock... "The blasted Guild sending thousands of lives only to be struck down by the King of Darkness," he said angrily. His fists were now clenched. "When'd you get word...?" Gerald asked sadly.
"Early this morning..." Mindy replied. "We can't let them keep sending out the hunters to die, many of them being parents and orphaning their children. And now they're calling on the youth? It's not right, Gerald!"
"I know," Gerald said calmly. "But it's our job as instructors to train the next generation of hunters. THEY might succeed where WE have failed." Gerald pointed first at Jared, Milo and Ellen before to him and Mindy.
Mindy sighed. "I guess you're right. Let's get a move on today, shall we? Who are your students?"
"Right," Gerald said, turning to the youth again. "This is Milo who specializes in strength, Ellen who I think will do well with our exercise today, and Jared. Mysterious fellow who I'm not sure where he falls weapon wise at all."
Mindy laughed. "Don't worry about weapon placement - we leave that up to you. The weapon meant for you will stand out. When you grip it, everything'll feel right."
"Sorry we're late, mom. Emma and Amber had to use the bathroom again," a young man said from behind Mindy.
"Oh!" Mindy exclaimed as she turned around. "Guys, these are my students. However, they are also my children. Introduce yourselves, everyone."
The young man, who appeared to be the oldest, nodded and stepped forth. "I'm Derek. These are my two younger sisters, Amber and Emma. They're twins."
"Now our turn," Ellen said as she motioned to the young man on either side of her. "I'm Ellen, this is Milo, and this is Jared."
"Ryder?" Amber questioned.
Jared looked at her. "Yeah. I'm the son of Percy. I'm not like my father, though."
"Shall we get started with our training today, Min?" Gerald asked.
"Yeah, I think it's time we get around to that," she replied. "Come with me, you three."
Mindy, along with her students, began walking through the arena but was caught by Gerald.
"Mindy," Gerald called to her, grabbing her attention and having her turn back towards him.
"Yeah?"
"Five minutes. I still need to explain the objective to them," he said.
"Aright," she nodded. "We'll give each other until the gong sounds."
"Sounds like a plan to me," he started before turning back to his team. "Alright, the objective is simple. You're each given a Light Bowgun and ninety-nine Paint S."
"Alright, but what do we do with that, old man?" Milo joked with him.
Gerald laughed. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Anyways, you're playing one of the more fun training exercises today. It's had several names passed down through the hunter generations, but I personally call it Bowgun Buffoonery," he continued. "Basically, we have red paint while they have blue. You're trying to shoot the members of the opposing side with your color of paint. Once you're shot with the other team's color, you're out until the next round. If you're shot by a member of your own team, you will not receive a penalty. Pretty simple game. You think you guys got it?"
"Yes sir!" the three exclaimed in unison as they saluted him.
Gerald smiled. "You kids are gonna go far. Now go grab a gun and your pack."
Jared sprinted to the rack of Bowguns and pile of packs on the ground. He grabbed one of each and headed back to his instructor with his friends in tow. When they all arrived, Gerald took Jared's gun and two balls of red paint out of his pack.
"I expect you two to follow me closely as I show you how to reload your gun," Gerald said as he looked at Milo and Ellen. "Jared, you're just going to have to watch me and figure it out for yourself. Knowing you, though, you'll be able to get it done in no time."
The man then gripped the gun by it's stock with the inside of his upper arm and pulled a switch on the left side of the gun. A piece of metal slid open on the top and a hollow cylinder was revealed. Gerald then took the two balls of paint and slid them inside. He took a quick glance at Ellen and Milo to see if they had kept up with him so far, which they luckily were. The old instructor then went back to Jared's gun and pushed forward the switch he had pulled back just a few moments ago. This caused the piece of metal to slide forward again and lock the Paint S in the gun, ready to be fired. He then handed the gun back to Jared.
"There ya go. It's all ready to go, I'm just going to expect you be able to find the trigger yourself. Oh and don't forget your pack," Gerald said as he gave Jared his pack which he swung over his left shoulder while the gun was on his right.
The large hunting gong sounded from the top of the arena, signaling the start of the game.
"Hurry off, you three! The team's coming!" Gerald yelled as he ran to the stone stairs that led to the seats surrounding the arena where Mindy was waiting for him.
Jared and his companions all exchanged a look of confidence and seriousness with each other before they all took off into the battlefield on their own separate paths. As Jared silently trudged onwards, he noticed several logs were hollowed out. Without another thought, he slid into one of them, aimed down his sights and waited for his prey.
Not less than a minute into waiting, Jared heard the shuffle of feet a few yards in front of him. He lay very still in the shadows of the log, breathing silently as he waited out his catch. Until...
He heard a gun shot from above him and sudden pain rocketed through his spinal chord. Jared yelled out as he turned to see what hit him.
Amber. Kneeling on top of the log and giggling quietly as she peered in through a large hole on the top of the log.
"Can the cute boy take a shot to the spine at point blank range? Looks like I've found an Achilles' Heel on Ryder," she taunted.
Jared blushed at her teasing. How could she be so playful in something like this?
"How'd you know I was in here? I made no noise at all!" he grunted in annoyance.
"You're so naïve... There's always someone attempting to hide in one of these old things," Amber said as she extended a hand towards him. "Come on, let's get you out of there."
Just as Jared was about to take her help, he heard a shot fire from a ways off. They both looked in the direction it came from, but it was too late. Amber tried to duck, but red paint splattered all over back, the same spot Jared had been hit just moments before.
Amber fell into the log as she winced.
"Whoa!" Jared exclaimed as he caught her. "You alright?"
Amber laughed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think Ellen saw me shoot you and decided to get revenge while proving her aim."
"Ha ha ha I'll bet you're right," Jared said as he helped her up. "Guess that's two out of six down. How long does a round usually last?"
"About fifteen minutes. Although my mom has had one go for an hour and a half," Amber said as she sat across from Jared in the log. "I'm going to guess this one's going to last for another ten minutes, though. Maybe fifteen."
"Ah," Jared said as he thought of what to do next round. "You seem like you've had experience with this game. Wanna explain?"
Amber was fiddling around with her gun as she answered. "My mother's been an instructor for as long as I can remember. She's had me and my two siblings memorizing strategies to outsmart other teams in every situation ever since we were about ten years old."
"Hm. A little unfair to some, but it'll keep you alive," Jared laughed. "How old are you anyways?"
"Sixteen," she said as she moved some of her chestnut hair out of her face. "You?"
"Same as you, but I turn seventeen as soon as the dry season ends," Jared said.
"Nice."
They were silent for about a minute as they just let time pass. Then Jared noticed something troubling Amber's face.
"You alright?" he questioned.
"Yeah," she said. "Just thinking."
"About?"
Amber sighed. "You and your life. A lot of us Loc Lac civilians know the story."
"Ah..." Jared trailed off. "But why are you thinking about it? It's not anything that can be changed. My father made his decision. I'm the only Ryder in existence, I've accepted that fact."
"But the conditions you're living in?" Amber said with a look of worry. "It's just not right, with your father going off and-"
"Hey!" Derek's voice came from outside the log as he knocked twice on the tough wood.
"Huh?" Amber said as she stood up through the hole to face her brother. "What is it?"
"Round just ended - we lost. Ellen took you and me out from the top of a large pillar," he explained. "You're leaving orphan boy and coming with me to set up for the next round."
Jared had no reaction to the name calling he received and just sat in the log. He could feel Amber's emotions spark up a little as Derek finished, though. The air became slightly tense with her anger.
"Don't call him that, Derek. You're just a jerk who can't get any," Amber insulted.
Jared closed his eyes in disappointment. He didn't want any fighting between them.
"I wouldn't be treatin' me like that, little girl. Remember, we live in the same house and we're on the same team," Derek said. "Besides, you and Ryder are on opposing teams. What are you doing justtalking to him?"
"We're all on the same team, Derek. Are you that blind?" Amber yelled at him. "Every single hunter is aiming for the same goal..."
Jared stood up walked out of the giant log, heading back in the direction his team's meeting point was.
Derek laughed as he noticed Jared's departure. "Yeah, that's right! Run away to your little team!"
Jared stopped and did not turn. "Hey Derek," he said seriously. "Put your gun where your mouth is."
Amber smirked at his remark and tried to refrain from laughing.
"Say that again, you little-" Derek started.
"I said, put you gun where your mouth is."
Derek snapped. He reached for his gun, quickly loaded it and aimed for Jared's head.
Jared saw all this coming and ducked as Derek's shot totally missed it's mark. While Jared ducked, he spun on his feet on the loose dirt, whipped out his own gun, and fired two shots right into Derek's chest. The double impact caused the muscular young man to stumble back a few steps.
Amber was amazed at Jared's speed and skill with a gun. Her jaw slightly dropped as she looked at her brother.
Jared silently slipped his gun back into the position on his right shoulder and continued walking to his destination.
"Kid's going down next round..." Derek muttered as him and Amber walked in the other direction.
Amber couldn't stop smiling as she walked with her brother. She had to follow Derek closely next time...
ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ
As Jared arrived to the meeting spot and started reloading his gun, he noticed Gerald walk into the small clearing.
"So kid," the Uppity Instructor said. "Nice little show you put on out there with Derek."
"You're not mad?" Jared asked as he swung the gun around his shoulder.
"Normally, I would be," Gerald admitted. "But Mindy witnessed the entire thing. He gave you enough crap to have me let it slide. Not to mention him firing that shot at your head without you looking. No, I'd say you did what we like to call self defense."
Ellen chuckled at Gerald's comments. "Hey Jare. You better pull your weight next round. I saw Amber get ya."
Jared laughed. "Yeahhh, I'm not too proud of that. I've learned now, though. Nice sniping position, by the way. How'd you get up there, anyway?"
"Women are more flexible than men," was all she said before walking off.
Jared shrugged it off and waited for the next round to start.
ΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞΞ
With six rounds completed and half of the day's training completed, the score so far was Gerald's team at four wins and Mindy's with two. It was now time for a break and appropriately placed for an hour long dinner.
Jared was the last to leave the Colosseum. He walked up the stairs into the dining hall where he found several wooden tables, several of them filled with other hunting groups. He saw Ellen and Milo sitting at one near the middle. Jared decided to take one of the empty tables near the back of the large room.
He sighed as he sat down and rested his head onto his arms, closing his eyes.
"Long day, huh?"
Jared's eyes opened to see Amber standing on the other side of the table, smiling at him. "You look a little worn out there. Oh, do you mind?" she asked as she motioned to the bench.
"Oh, no, not at all," Jared said. "But yeah, I'm a little tired. I've about had enough of this game for one day."
Amber laughed as she took a seat and propped her head up on her hands while her elbows supported the weight. "Well, it's not over yet. We've still got the even harder part to come in."
This caught Jared's attention. "Wait, what?"
"You heard me. After this, we meet our new teammate and then one more element is thrown into the game," Amber told him.
"You gotta be kidding... I was expecting the new member after this, but I didn't expect a twist..." Jared complained.
"Ha ha ha oh come on. It's not that bad. Just expect it to get a bit more intense, shall we say," Amber said. "But enough of that depressing talk. I want to talk about what I saw in the arena."
Jared looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about..."
"No, you do. When my dorky brother started insulting you near the beginning, when you took him out in every single round first thing, then when you spared me twice when you had several seconds to take me out of the round," she said. "I want to know what's going on inside your head, Jared."
Jared sighed. "You wanna know? Fine," he said. "I've been insulted many times, often by people I thought were my friends. This led to my trust being the Holy Grail to some. I have trust issues, that's the bottom line," Jared explained. "Anyways, when he insulted me, I didn't have any reaction to it at all. But when he said to run to my team, I decided to give Derek a test. He failed when he pulled out his gun."
"Alright, but where'd you learn to do that little stunt with the spin?" Amber questioned.
"Right at that moment. It's not that hard, honestly," he said humbly. "But onto the next portion. I took him out every single round because I knew if I didn't he'd just get me instead. Hopefully it taught him something."
"Okay, now for the next part. You said you had trust issues," Amber started. "Then why'd you spare me?"
Jared sighed and looked out one of the windows at the setting sun. "You stood up for me, listened to me, thought about my current situation and have the same views as I do when it comes to hunters."
"Alright..." Amber said. "So... friends?"
Jared looked at her curiously. She smiled at him hopefully as she extended a hand. Jared smirked a little and chuckled. "Heh, sure," he said as they shook hands.
