Galataea Crystallim Core 1

by Scottie Futch

  The mildly dynamic duo found the line that they needed to merge into, and joined the mass of people who wanted to enter the park. A few head nods and hellos occurred, but beyond that people kept to themselves. Few of the hunters and assorted others in line had their Crystallim out, but that was to be expected. The line was long enough as it was.

  When it was their turn to enter they walked up to the park entrance and Scott spoke to the ADF park warden on duty. “Good morning, sir.”

  The older man nodded to his junior. “Good morning. What is the purpose of your visit today?”

  It was a common question with several common answers. Scott said, “Training. I just received my hunter’s license and need a Class-One hunting zone to work in for a while.”

  “I see. Get into that other line over there and fill out the paperwork.” He pointed at another line.

  Scott nodded to the man, and then walked over to the hunter’s line with Flora by his side. This was the final check-point before entering the park as a licensed hunter. He could have entered as a simple visitor, but he would not have legally been allowed to hunt Crystallim. Doing so without filling out the necessary paperwork would lead to the possible revocation of his license.

  A series of message screens popped up in front of him. Scott filled them out one at a time. Most of them involved requests for access to his visual records if any combat occurred. It was illegal to directly tap into any citizen’s records without a court order, or blatant permission given. However, if he wanted to hunt in the park he would have to grant that authority for twenty-four hours.

  After the basic paperwork was complete, he filled out a short questionnaire regarding legal Crystallim capture techniques in the region. It was yet another safety precaution. A hunter needed to be well-versed in the rules and regulations, or they would constitute a public danger.

  <<< Fact Checking >>>

  [Your hunter’s battle records indicate that you have not captured a Crystallim outside of field work during your hunter’s training. You will need to answer five random questions regarding ethical battle and capture techniques outside of a war-time environment. You will have one minute to complete all five questions. Time begins when you accept this task. If you fail the task your license will be temporarily suspended pending further review.]

  Are you ready to begin? Yes | No

  <<< * >>>

  Scott clicked ‘yes’ and waited for the short test to begin. He was not concerned by the requirement. He had to answer questions like this on a frequent basis, anyway. The ADF was a stickler for many things. The American City Council wanted to be certain that its hunter-trainees were well-versed in the laws and capture techniques, as well.

  <<< Begin >>>

  Q.1. If you come across another hunter who is currently battling a nightmare, which of the following options is correct.

  A. Ignore the scene completely and keep moving.

  B. Observe the scene quietly, and determine if the hunter needs assistance.

  C. Observe the scene quietly, and determine if the hunter is performing ethical capture techniques.

  D. Help the hunter take down the Crystallim as soon as you see the conflict.

  E. Attack the Crystallim in an attempt to capture her yourself.

  <<< * >>>

  Scott read the answers carefully then chose options ‘B’ and ‘C.’ He was greeted by a message that said, “Correct.”

  <<< Continue >>>

  Q.2. You are currently battling a nightmare. Your Crystallim are losing the fight. Which of the following options is considered to be ethical?

  A. Attack the Crystallim directly in order to aid your team.

  B. Use any items or abilities in your possession to bolster your team’s capacity.

  C. Use any items or abilities in your possession to weaken the Crystallim without inflicting direct injury.

  D. Flee.

  E. Do nothing and wait to see the result.

  <<< * >>>

  Scott chose every option except for option ‘A.’ No hunter should directly attack a wild Crystallim unless absolutely necessary for self-preservation. He received another correct message and the next question popped up.

  <<< Continue >>>

  Q.3. When is it ethical for a human to directly attack a Crystallim without the permission of the Crystallim?

  A. Never.

  B. Always.

  C. If the Crystallim directly attacks the human first.

  D. In order to stop a Crystallim that is attacking a human.

  E. If the Crystallim is under the control of subversive forces such as a criminal organization.

  <<< * >>>

  Scott chose the last three options then smiled when he received another message citing that he was correct. The next two questions were basic items as well. They were actually carefully reworded versions of two of the other questions. He nearly answered wrongly on the last one, but changed his mind at the last moment and received a final message citing that he was correct.

  He finished the short test with eight seconds to spare. It took a bit longer than he originally suspected with that time limit, but he had still completed it. The line moved forward and soon they were able to greet the next park warden.

  “Welcome to the American National Park. There are transit points set up at ranger stations in each zone. If you get into trouble, please head to the nearest station.” said the older woman. She was probably at least in her late nineties since she had a small touch of grey in her hair. Of course, that could be cosmetically chosen as well. It was hard to tell someone’s age by looking at them.

  “Of course, thank you. So, we are free to enter?” asked Scott.

  “Yes. You have a day pass. If you wish to hunt for a lengthier period of time in the future, you will need to purchase a season pass,” replied the woman with a curt nod.

  Scott would not purchase that pass. They were expensive, and honestly the only thing they granted was the privilege to legally hunt for more than twenty-four hours in the park. He could simply transit out and then get back in line the next day if he wanted to hunt more. After he had a full team of four, the most Crystallim he was allowed to equip until his ninety-day review ended, he would probably never come into this park for hunting purposes again.

  They stepped forward and walked into a transit point that lead to sector four, the section Scott chose as their entrance point. Sector four was close to the lake.

  Flora looked around for a moment then smiled. “Nice view.”

  Scott followed her gaze and looked out at the pristine lake. Far beyond the lake, a tall mountain rose toward the sky. There was an evergreen forest surrounding the water as well. At the edge of the lake wild flowers grew in a multitude of colors. Their heady scent perfumed the air and provided a beautiful accent to the picturesque scene.

  “Yeah, I think so too," he said before turning to his new partner. “Ready to kick a little ass?”

  “Definitely,” she said with a smile.

  They left the sector four ranger station and headed toward the lake. The area was filled with people enjoying their day. Scott and Flora would need to cross the boundary and head to the far side of the lake. The boundary lines were designed to keep the general public away from the areas where nightmares were known to spawn.

  The public could enjoy the park, and nature could continue to give life to her daughters in peace. In the years since humanity developed limited space travel, learned the lessons of ecology and natural living. They still built their mega-cities, but the planets that they lived on were all vibrant and filled with life. Well, except or the mining colonies on dead worlds that did not have life on them from the start.

  Flora and Scott walked through the crowds of happy people and took in the sight of man and Crystallim frolicking in the bounty of nature. Scott pointed out a Giantess serving tea to a centaur, and Flora giggled sweetly. She looked up then pointed out a group of Avia flying around while holding a chair in their talons. A small boy sat
in the chair and he cheered like he was having the adventure of a lifetime.

  On their way to the boundary a young man with brown hair ran up to them. “Hey, are you a hunter?”

  Scott nodded to the teen and he clapped his hands together. The brunette said, “I’m trying to get into the battle-net so that I can join a league. Would you like to have a battle?”

  "Battle? Are you a Crystallim Battler?" asked Scott.

  "Yes! Well, that's my dream anyway," said the teen in a plucky tone of voice. His baseball cap, spoke of youth. The set of his eyes bespoke his determination.

  “I wouldn’t mind it, but unfortunately I just started my career. I only have my first partner. I would not raise your ranking much since we are both low-level, still,” admitted Scott. Was that too much information to share? In the wilds: yes. In the city park: no.

  “Oh, well, thank you anyway. I came here thinking that I would be able to find a lot of hunters, but there are mostly campers here,” said the teen.

  “Yeah, I noticed that there were a lot of people. Have you considered trying sector nine? It’s a grassland area. Fewer people go out there to just have a picnic due to all the tall grass.”

  “Hey, not a bad idea. I better be careful though, lots of nightmares like to hang out in the tall grass,” said the younger almost man.

  Scott grinned at the slightly younger man. That was certainly true. Crystallim did like to appear in the tall grass around that area. He'd done field work there frequently. He already had a plant type, and wanted to try to acquire a water type for the synergy effect with Flora. Otherwise, he would have headed out that way instead.

  "True, mostly plant types out there. Though, there could be any number of avian, beast, or earth types in the area as well," said Scott.

  "I only have my Volmaus, Pinka. Probably better to stay around here. Avians and water types are easier to handle than earth types, for her," said the would-be battler.

  "You have a Volmaus on your team?" asked Scott.

  "Yeah, I was one of the battlers who won a contest, but was late getting to the television station because I overslept," he shook his head. "By the time I arrived, all the good Crystallim were taken and I got this..."

  A sudden flash of light flared from the bracer on the younger man's arm. Lightning surged outward then formed into the image of a beautiful blond girl. Petite and slender were words that came up first in Scott's estimation. Those thoughts were immediately followed by the recognition of a rat tail that curled behind her pert posterior in a zigzag shape, and her bright yellow rodent ears. The Volmaus had bright yellow skin, electric blue eyes, and a fiercely angry expression.

  "How dare you!" Pinka exclaimed angrily.

  "Pinka! Pinka, calm down," began her master.

  The Volmaus thrust her fist toward his face and stopped just short of punching him in the nose. "Don't you Pinka Pinka me, buster! Where do you get off claiming I'm not good?"

  "I didn't mean it like that!" he cried. "It's just..."

  "Say it," she snapped. "I dare you..."

  "Come on, Pinka... Don't make me say it," he said angrily.

  "You didn't have a problem saying it on TV, you impotent bastard!"

  Scott's eyes widened. "Oh! I remember this now. The contest on D-JAM... But wait, didn't the last guy to show up say something weird about his new partner?"

  Pinka turned to Scott then blinked. She took in the sight of him then calmed slightly. Her nostrils flared a little and her cheeks became flush. "W-well, hello, sir..."

  Her supposed master blinked then frowned. "Hey... What's with the politeness?"

  "I'm sorry that my master has been rude," said Pinka, completely ignoring her master. "My name is Pinka, it's nice to meet you, sir."

  "It's nice to meet you too, Pinka," said Scott with a smile. "Speaking of rude. Let me introduce the two of you to my friend."

  Scott turned to Flora. She bit her lower lip a little and waved at them. "This is Flora. She's awesome."

  Flora giggled softly then slipped a vine up and around her master's waist. "That's sweet of you to say."

  "Oh, you're so cute together," said Pinka, her cheeks flush, and her eyes sparkling. She bit her lower lip a little and seemed to lose herself in the moment.

  Pinka's master eyed Flora for a moment then muttered something that Scott could not quite make out. Pinka, however, heard everything. She whirled around and glared at him. "You jerk!"

  A moment later, Pinka began to cry a little then turned and ran off. Her master sighed then ran after her after excusing himself.

  "Wonder what he said?" asked Flora.

  "Probably something similar to what he said on television," said Scott.

  "What did he say?" asked Flora.

  Scott snorted. "When the host asked, 'Whaddya think of your new best friend?' He said, 'She's so... flat'..."

  "No way? Really?" asked Flora, an incredulous expression writ large on her face.

  "She cried on stage. They had a surprisingly high baseline bond ratio, though, so the TV station just played it off as comedy skit. Now they're stuck with each other for at least a year, if I remember the supposed rules correctly," said Scott.

  "I'm surprised she didn't electrocute him," said Flora.

  Scott shrugged. "I wouldn't have held it against her."

  The sound of thunder raced across the area a moment later, followed by the surprisingly high-pitched cry of a familiar voice. Scott and Flora turned toward the sound, and then slowly turned their heads to look at each other.

  "Master! You jerk!" cried Pinka in the distance.

  Surprisingly, the supposed recipient of a powerful electric attack responded in a clear voice. "A pancake has more to offer than you!"

  "Damn..." said Scott.

  "Does he want to stop living?" asked Flora curiously.

  After they parted ways with the gladiator wanna-be, they continued toward the boundary. Scott and Flora were accosted a few more times by young people who wanted to battle, but when they realized the current level and status of their intended opponents they sighed and went away. It would be nearly impossible to make a name for yourself just by fighting level-one Noobs, even if you were technically a Noob yourself.

  Now that they were clear of the campers, the boundary awaited. They stepped through the slight distortion in the air. A soft shimmering light provided the evidence of the change in the nature of the world. On the other side of the boundary the world was quiet and pristine. It was the real image of the world without noisy humanity involved in the equation. Few humans existed on the other side. Moving beyond the boundary was illegal without a permit.

  “Alright. Let’s see if we can liberate a few ladies from their Nightmare status,” said Scott.

  “Yes, let’s,” said Flora. She grew her vines out slightly and took on a ready appearance. She had already gotten her head in the game, so to speak.

  Unfortunately, the National Park was a difficult place to locate a Nightmare. The constant over-hunting of the area kept the park safe and the general level of the Nightmares low. However, it also meant that it was harder to actually find one.

  Scott and Flora walked around the large lake a few times. They did not dare go into it due to the fact that neither of them would be a match for a Nightmare in the water. Water Crystallim or a high-level were needed to deal with an underwater battle.

  The sun started to set before they finally caught a lead on a possible capture. A splash occurred, just a tiny little splash at the edge of the water. It was the sort of thing that most people might not notice. However, by some random act of chance Scott looked in that direction just as it happened.

  “Get ready Flora. I think we found one,” said Scott.

  The Alraune turned toward the water then nodded. Nothing happened for a moment so Scott leaned down and picked up a rock. He tossed it toward the water. Suddenly, the water erupted upward in a furious and beautiful display.

  A creature who was half fish, half supermodel, rose up
out of the water in a glorious display of feminine grace. The mermaid snatched the rock out of the air then looked at it curiously as she reached the apex of her leap.

  Flora launched her vines out and gripped the nightmare around the waist. The mermaid cried out in surprise and tried to struggle. However, she was too close to the shore and could not gain momentum.

  The Alraune pulled the fish-girl out of the water and onto dry land. Her aquatic powers were cut in half by that action, but that by no means meant that she was out of the fight.

  The Nightmare glared at the plant girl. “Come play with me in the water. It’ll be fun.” She then slapped her fishy tail down on the ground. Water shot out of the lake in a tight, high-pressure, spear.

  Flora took a hard hit to the shoulder and cried out in pain. Fighting a water Crystallim near the water was a tricky and dangerous proposition.

  “No, thank you,” politely replied Flora, a slight hint of pain in her voice.

  She did not give in to the pain from the minor injury. The battle before her was a battle of wills just as much as it was a battle of skill. Had the mermaid been in the water it would have been a much stronger attack. Even the minor resistance to water damage that plant-types usually possessed would not have saved her from taking greater injury.

  The Alraune dragged the girl further and further from the water. Scott watched carefully and tried to avoid attracting attention. It would be unethical to get directly involved unless the girl attacked him. His duty was to observe and act according to that observation. The girls needed to battle it out for the sake of bringing that poor sexy Crystallim to full consciousness.