Max opted for a pair of Disruptor Pistols, as they had the same damage output as the rifles and were more maneuverable in split-second targeting scenarios, which he was seeing as more and more likely with every step they took through the woods.
The number of large animals was increasing the further that they got, and none of them were friendly.
Sporadic Laser fire from the new organic rifles that they had made for the Canis team took out bugs the size of a large dog while Nico and Rill scouted ahead to try to find more large game.
A flashing warning, showing that a hostile target was incoming, flashed on the display in Max's helmet, and he popped a Disruptor shot at it the instant he verified that it was indeed an alien insect.
After multiple battles against the Klem, alien bugs were starting to become a sore point with Max, and he would have been more than happy to find out that they didn't exist here, but it seemed that they only came in more familiar-looking giant varieties than the Klem did.
His camera feed would be showing everything that they did to the guests up on Terminus, or at least those with the stomach to watch. Hunting wasn't every species' idea of a good time, even if the animals were extremely hostile, so it wasn't being played on the common area viewscreens, only in the private quarters or by request.
He had already verified that his System notifications weren't showing on the feed since they only appeared to him inside his display and not to the cameras mounted on the sides of his helmet, so that much of his data was safe, but it was a strange feeling knowing that thousands of people were looking at the same thing that you were, jumping with every incoming insect and creature.
Like the evil squirrels that they had come across, they looked so cute and fluffy, but their jaws opened up large enough to swallow a human, and they had three rows of teeth in their mouths. One of them had nearly gotten a Canis warrior before a well-placed shot from Max's pistols had split its head apart and left the man with only a few scratches from the close call.
"New target up ahead. Two hundred meters. I don't know what it is, but it looks really stabbable." Nico announced.
Max wasn't sure if that was a promising evaluation or not, but her thoughts showed him a long-legged crocodile, roughly twenty meters long, including the tail. She was right. It did look like it would be easy to stab. Assuming that you could get at its back and through the hide.
"Oh, a nice call. They are a fast breeding species as well, so hunting one won't impact the local balance much, if at all." Rill commended her choice.
"But are they edible?" Nico asked.
"They taste a bit like yard birds." Rill shrugged.
"Chicken, a yard bird is a chicken." Max clarified for his team after seeing one in her thoughts.
Well, it was like a chicken. The yard bird on this planet was roughly the size of a hovercar, but it looked the same.
"How do we hunt this?" Nico asked, drawing a pair of swords and moving her pistols to the additional arms of the Tech Adept Harness.
Then she added a pair of axes to the last pair of arms and twirled them around, deciding if she liked the balance.
It must have passed her evaluation because she didn't switch the weapons out and only waited patiently as Rill worked out a plan to attack the beast.
"It's not alone. It might look that way, but there is a helper with it, a scavenger bird hiding in the trees. The claws of the bird are venomous, and it likes to weaken targets for the Crocolisk to finish off. In return, the bigger beast will leave a share of the spoils for it." Rill explained.
Max searched his targeting solutions and found the bird. Unlike everything else in this forest, which seemed to be a gigantic version of something vaguely familiar, the scavenger bird looked like a normal barn owl. Nothing special at all, no gigantic fangs in the beak, just a two-kilo or smaller bird with big eyes and a round head.
Maybe that was its secret. It weakened the targets and only needed a bit of food, so none of the other monsters were upset about having it around.
"I will take out the bird. I can hit it from here. Not a problem." Max informed the group, taking out an Ion Rifle since his pistols were short-range weapons.
"Start off with the scavenger. It will make our life easier. The only trick is not to get eaten, and I am sure you can manage that. You're pretty fast." Rill advised.
"Got it."
Max took aim at the scavenger and noticed that there were a dozen more faded targeting boxes indicating hidden targets the same size. He could deal with that as well though, and he squeezed the trigger, dropping the remains of the scavenger from the tree.
As soon as it was hit, a dozen more birds took to the air, meeting the precisely targeted shots from Max's rifle, leaving them all blown to small pieces and scattered through the trees.
"Nice shooting, Commander. No wonder you're the one in charge. It's like you can see the future." Ramba told him with a smile.
As soon as he started shooting, Nico and Rill had both charged, one down either side of the Crocolisk, whose attention was now firmly on Max after he unleashed a dozen energy shots into the trees over its head.
The beast was about to charge when it noticed the two women approaching it. It adjusted its intent instantly, but it made no difference. The massive jaws went for Rill, who rolled under its belly and sliced the bottom of its neck with her sword, while Nico dodged the tail by activating her Gravity Control for a split second and landed on its back, slamming both axes down to anchor herself while she sliced out its eyes with her blades.
The beast reared up in agony, letting Rill get clear of its dangerous front claws and land a deep strike into its chest which gushed blood, and Nico slammed her swords down into its skull.
"The brain is the size of a walnut. You are too far back." Rill informed Nico as the beast collapsed.
"I should have guessed that. It fell for that trick way too easily for it to have a brain big enough to fill its skull." Nico complained, then shook their tour guide's hand and tapped something into the holographic display from her watch, calling down the shuttle to pick up the hunters and the beast to carry back for dinner.
"Do we have enough blood from the Tree Vipers, or should we find one more before we go?" Max asked.
"We have more than enough. They don't reproduce too quickly, so I don't want to hunt too many just for seasoning meat. The big beast will be enough reward for today's trip, and I am sure the others will be interested in hearing the tales of our battles." Ramba replied, leading the way to the shuttle as it landed as close as possible to them.
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com