Hunter's Rise Ch. 21 - Pupil 21

No characters (both humans and non-humans) are below the age of consent.

Also, this is one of the more story-focused chapters.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zara was sure what she saw was a little girl just a second ago near the fountain but then she disappeared.

"Are you lookin' for something?" she heard a childish voice from behind but as she turned around, nobody was there and she heard a giggle.

"I'm here," she heard again, "Look down, damn it!"

"Oh, sorry," Zara said as she looked down and noticed the small girl in front of her, "Are you lost? What's your name little one?"

"Ah, once again," the girl sighed, "I'm not a kid. I'm just... vertically challenged."

"Oh, then sorry, again," Zara said awkwardly.

"I just want one day in this stupid course when somebody doesn't mistake me for a child," the girl sighed.

"Course?" Zara raised an eyebrow, "You are one of Aritimi's pupils as well?"

"Yes," the girl nodded, "Irish O'neill, by the way."

"Zara Cromwell," she shook Irish's small hand which disappeared in hers and then she examined the small girl.

Irish was a cute and attractive young girl, nearly Zara's age but it wasn't visible at first sight because of Irish's 112 centimeters (3'8") height. She had vibrant red hair which was cut into a short, wavy bob that bounced with every movement, framing her freckled face as if her head was on fire. Her bright green eyes were like two emerald marbles. Combined with her naturally rosy complexion and short stature, she reminded Zara of a female Leprechaun. Although, unlike typical dwarfism, Irish's body was proportionally scaled down, making her look like a full-grown young woman who has been shrunk. As Zara took another glance at her, she could see Irish's feminine curves and the way her tight-fitting t-shirt and jean shorts hugged her body, leaving no doubt about her age.

"You are pretty fast. I swear I saw you a second ago at the fountain," Zara patted her head.

"Fast?" Irish smiled mischievously and then she ran to the bench and then to a tree and then back to Zara at high speed, her body was nothing but a small blur "I guess I am."

"Neat," Zara nodded, "Is that from a Quickling?"

"No, just from a Quick Qilin. An augmentation from a Quickling could be too much to handle for somebody like me," Irish sighed.

"It's a good one regardless," Zara said.

"Ah, so cute," they heard Aritimi appear near them, "You brought your little sister as well, Zara?" Aritimi asked with a smirk.

"You really have to say this every fuckin' week?" Irish glared at her.

"Oh, don't be so short-tempered. You are bigger than that," Aritimi giggled. Irish rolled her eyes while Zara chortled a little.

"Fine, that was enough," Aritimi said and opened a portal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The place they found themselves at looked like a big old farm with a huge wooden house.

"Is that a haunted house?" Irish glanced around, "I can check the whole place within ten seconds if needed."

"No, that's the headquarters of the unit were are going to visit today," Aritimi announced.

The front door of the building opened with a loud creek and stepped out someone that surprised both Zara and Irish. It was an Amish woman.

"Pupils, she is Hester Schwartz, the chief of the Agriculture Protection Unit," Aritimi introduced the Amish woman with a wave of her hand.

Hester was a tall, strong-built woman with a stern yet kind face, and piercing gray eyes that seemed to see straight through any people. For a 50+ woman, she had an immaculate skin. Her dark brown hair, which was streaked with silver, was the only indicator to think that she was middle-aged. It was neatly braided and tucked under her white bonnet. She wore a traditional Amish dress: long, dark, and modest. But upon closer inspection, Zara noticed something. The fabric had a weird, unnatural texture.

"Welcome to the Agriculture Protection Unit," Hester spoke in a firm yet gentle voice. Her English was fluent, "You look surprised I see."

"I didn't know Amish people were doing monster hunting," Irish said.

"I know there's an Amish community near Crowsend but I didn't know any of them are HSA members," Zara said.

"The HSA is everywhere," Aritimi said, "And they have to. Agriculture is one of the biggest targets of the wild monsters. And the local Amish community provides the majority of the food supply here since Crowsend was built, so it's only natural that the local branch protects them as much as possible."

"I'm surprised an Amish would take a violent job like this," Zara said.

"Well, we have to protect our lands and livelihoods," Hester replied with a hint of pride, "But you are right. Most of us would rather work on the field instead of fighting with monsters. They had no issue with me taking care of this dangerous problem."

"Your family is fine with that?" Irish asked, "My parent call me every single day to be sure I'm not dead,"

"My mother left the community during her Rumspringa and married my father. They moved to Florida recently because. I grew up here in Crowsend and joined the HSA," Hester revealed.

"Wait. So you weren't an Amish originally?" Zara asked.

"Yes. I chose to reconnect with my family here. The problem with the monsters got worse for my grandparents over the years. Grandpa almost died after he tried to protect the field from a flock of Dire Crows and Grandma had a stroke so they needed somebody to help. My mother didn't care about them enough to give up her new life so I came to help them. I even joined the Agriculture Protection Unit to help more. I was originally in the Urban Surveillance Unit with Zoe."

"I'm surprised that the community was okay with that," Zara said.

"That's a thing that is quite unique to each community depending on their strictness. There are some very strict ones like the Old Order Amish but luckily, that's not one of those. Plus they were happy that someone from the community can help protect their livelihood, making them less reliant on the outsiders."

"What are we going to do here? Are there any monsters to beat?" Irish asked excitedly.

"Yes, we always have something to do almost every day. My daughters, who are similar to me are also augmented, are patrolling the busiest places. We will check on them," Hester replied.

"What does an average day look like here?" Irish asked.

"Most of the work is checking on the place to be sure that no herbivore monsters try to steal from the fields and no predators try to snack on the livestock. We have to cover multiple places and because of that, we always split into smaller groups, each one of them is overseen by one of my daughters. I have five of them so I can have my own little hunter team if needed," Hester answered.

"Five?" Irish raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that too much? I heard some people even find three more than enough."

"Oh, if you think that's a lot, then you should take a look at some of the other friends of Timi," Hester chuckled.

"We will visit them the next week," Aritimi said.

"If I remember well, you know where my daughters work, Timi. Just open a portal there to save some time," Hester instructed Aritimi.

Aritimi nodded and opened a portal.

As the four huntresses stepped out of Aritimi's portal, they found themselves standing in front of a massive plowed field stretching far into the distance.

They noticed that they were not alone as five Amish girls were waiting at the edge of the field. They were unmistakably Hester's daughters.

"My pride and joy. My girls," Hester said with a smile as she noticed them.

"She is my eldest, Anna," Hester introduced the first woman. Anna, similarly to her mother, was a tall, broad-shouldered woman with dark brown hair neatly tied into a low bun. Her sharp, gray eyes were a spitting image of her mothers.

"My second oldest, Barbara," she moved on to the next one. Barbara had a slightly softer build but shared her mother's piercing gaze. Her hair was also dark brown but streaked with a few strands of silver.

"Judith, the middle one," was the next. Judith was slightly shorter than her older siblings. Her auburn hair was pulled into a practical braid. She waved with a smile at the newcomers with her strong, calloused hands.

"The second youngest, Ruth," came the next. Her dark eyes were full of intelligence and curiosity.

"And the last but not the least, Susanna," she introduced the last one. Susanna had chestnut brown hair, setting her apart from her more dark-haired sisters. She also had a more youthful appearance as if there was a huge age gap between her and the others.

"Huh! Even with your greying hair, your immaculate skin makes you look more like Susanna's slightly older sister rather than her mother," Aritimi smirked as she examined them.

"That's a side effect of my augmentation," Hester chuckled at the remark.

Zara and Irish gave her a curious look, prompting Hester to elaborate.

"My powers come from a Leather Lobster skin graft. I can manipulate my own skin, reshape it, strengthen it, and look at this," she lifted her arm, and before their eyes, the texture of her skin shifted slightly, forming ridges along her forearm like armored plates, "I can even grow protective layers when needed. Or other stuff."

"So you basically have built-in armor?" Irish looked impressed.

"That, and a few other benefits. My skin is naturally more resistant to aging, aside from my hair graying over time," Hester nodded.

"Wait... your dress...?" Zara examined Hester.

"Yes. This dress isn't made of fabric," Hester smiled knowingly, and then she pinched the sleeve, pulling at it slightly, and to their surprise, the material stretched as if it were a part of her body, "I grew it myself."

"That's... kinda freaky," Irish took a step back.

Hester laughed, "It saves me a lot of trouble. Plus I can be naked all the time without actually being naked."

"That's a pretty nasty but cool power," Zara nodded in awe.

"Khm khm," Aritimi cleared her throat, "Now that introduction is over, let's see what kind of trouble we can get into today," she smiled, not knowing about the trouble she just spoke into existence.

The sound of an engine rumbled in the distance. They turned their heads just in time to see a large tour bus rolling down the dirt road. The vehicle then came to a stop near the field, a few meters away from the huntresses.

The bus' double door hissed open, and a crowd of excited tourists poured out, chattering amongst themselves. Cameras clicked, and a few people pointed toward Hester and her daughters with eager expressions.

"What is going on here?" Zara asked.

Irish crossed her arms, equally confused.

Anna, still standing with her arms crossed, let out a small sigh, as if she had to answer this question very often.

"These folks are here to watch."

"Watch what?" Zara raised an eyebrow.

Before Anna could answer, a distant, eerie cawing echoed from the nearby treeline. Zara turned toward the sound, spotting dark shapes circling in the sky. The black silhouettes moved as one, shifting like an ominous storm cloud preparing to descend upon the field.

"Dire Ravens," Judith muttered.

"Big flock today," Barbara adjusted the sleeves of her dress.

"Wait, you knew they were coming?" Zara blinked.

"We always know when they're coming," Anna nodded, "They nest deep in the forest, and they come out in swarms when food is scarce. They target crops, livestock... and sometimes people. But we don't let them get that far."

"And tourists like to see it," Susanna cracked her knuckles, grinning.

Irish let out a short laugh, but there was an edge of disbelief to it, "You're tellin' me these tourists come all the way out here just to watch you guys fight monsters?"

Anna gave a small shrug.

"The local tourist guides caught on to what we do. Started organizing trips where people can visit things like famous places where big fights happened against monsters. And sometimes they show them a few fights. We often fight here, and turns out, people will pay good money to see a bunch of girls beat the hell out of monsters."

"It's educational. Plus, the tourists are protected by hunters so we can't tell them to go away," Hester said.

"We can also show the people how the HSA can protect them," Susanna added.

Zara watched as the tourists gathered near a marked-off section of the field, some of them pulling out binoculars while others set up their phones to record. She turned back to the approaching Dire Ravens, now growing closer, like an approaching storm.

"Alright. Let's see what this hype's all about then," Zara said curiously.

The Dire Ravens descended, their enormous wings slicing through the air as they screeched. Their jagged beaks snapped hungrily, and their glowing red eyes locked onto the field below.

Anna moved first. She kicked herself away from the post of a wooden fence to launch herself into the air. Mid-flight, her fingernails elongated, hardening into massive, sword-like claws. With swift, controlled strikes, she raked her talons across the nearest ravens, grazing their wings and backs without cutting too deep. The injured birds shrieked and flailed, struggling to stay airborne as they veered off course.

Barbara followed immediately after. She opened her eyes, and then a burst of blindingly bright white light erupted from them. The energy was so intense that several Dire Ravens squawked in panic, their flight patterns breaking as they spun mid-air. Some crashed into each other, feathers scattering as they tumbled toward the ground before recovering at the last moment.

Judith stepped forward, her hand gripping the edge of her bonnet while her hair began to move on its own. The individual strands elongated and sharpened into pointy needles. With a quick move of her head, she launched a barrage of hair-needles at the incoming monster flock. Each strike sent a Dire Raven spiraling, their bodies jerking from the sudden sting before they flapped away in disarray.

Ruth inhaled strongly, her chest expanding before she unleashed a powerful gust of wind from her mighty lungs. The force blasted several of the incoming monstrous birds backward, sending them tumbling away from the crops. Some struggled against her power, but Ruth adjusted her stance and blew even harder, forcing them back where they came from.

In the end, Susanna opened her mouth to unleash an ear-splitting, stone-shattering scream, like a Banshee who just found the leg of the bed with her pinky toe. The sound cut through the battlefield like a shockwave. The remaining monster ravens were already tired, scared, and injured so immediately turned tail. They flapped desperately, scattering in all directions as they fled back toward the safety of the forest.

The battle barely lasted for five minutes at best.

As the last Dire Raven fled, the field fell silent until the tourists erupted into applause. Cheers and whistles filled the air as the crowd celebrated the Amish sisters.

Zara lowered her hands from shielding her ears.

Irish turned to Hester, arms crossed.

"I was expectin' you girls to tear those things apart. Why'd you hold back?"

"We refrain from needless violence," Hester smiled patiently.

"They were attackin' your field," Irish frowned.

"They were foraging for food," Hester corrected, "Dire Ravens are a part of the ecosystem. If we wipe out an entire flock, it would create a power vacuum. Other, potentially more dangerous creatures would take their place. It's better to scare them off."

"It was fun to watch regardless," Zara smirked.

"Alright, you two," Aritimi clapped her hands together, drawing Zara's and Irish's attention, "We'll be joining Anna on her patrol route to see how she works in the field. You will have to change into your training gear then. The rest of Hester's daughters have other duties to attend to."

Anna nodded, already preparing to move out. Barbara, Judith, Ruth, and Susanna were ready to leave. The tourists were also about to go back into the bus.

Just as Zara and Irish turned to follow Anna, a sharp yelp rang through the air.

Hester staggered, her hand flying to her neck. Her fingers clutched at something, a dart, its metal tip glistening in the sunlight.

"What the...?!" Irish took a step forward, but before anyone could react further, Hester's body tensed. Her skin-clothes rippled unnaturally, like the surface of disturbed water.

"What's wrong?" Aritimi's gaze fell on Hester.

"I... I can't control my skin!" Hester gasped, her grip tightening around the dart.

A sickening, wet sound filled the air. Hester's body trembled as the folds of her dress skin began to undulate and stretch. The layers of the skin clothing peeled apart, revealing Hester's nude body beneath it to everyone. Her breasts were huge and sagged slightly with age, her stomach had stretch marks but was toned.

Then the skin continued to grow and expand outward quickly.

"That ain't normal, right?" Zara took a cautious step back.

Before anyone could respond, Hester's body lurched. The excess flesh pulsed and hardened, taking shape as it sprouted grotesquely from her form. Massive limbs unfurled, thick and sinewy, as her skin twisted and reshaped itself into something monstrous.

A towering humanoid figure rose from her body, standing at least ten meters tall. The skin golem's surface was a patchwork of shifting textures. Some areas were smooth like silk, others rough and calloused. Its arms were absurdly long, fingers ending in thick, blunt claws. Its head, featureless and bulbous, carried the naked Hester on top like a grotesque crown, her body still tethered to the creature's form.

"Oh, shit!" Zara said and her hands instinctively turned into wolf-heads.

"Hester, can you hear me?" Aritimi's expression remained calm, but her stance shifted, readying herself.

From her perch atop the monstrous figure, Hester gritted her teeth, struggling against whatever was happening to her body.

"I... I can't stop it," Her voice was strained, her breathing shallow, "It's... just growing! I lost control completely!"

The skin golem took a staggering step forward, the earth trembling beneath its growing weight.

Aritimi's eyes narrowed as she looked toward the trees and she noticed a red flash of light and a humanoid figure disappearing in it. The person who attacked Hester is gone, for now.

The moment the massive skin golem let out a deep, inhuman groan, Hester's daughters rushed back to the scene.

Anna's claws extended instantly. Barbara's eyes flickered, light already gathering. Judith ran her hands through her hair, sharp strands bristling. Ruth clenched her fists, inhaling deeply, while Susanna parted her lips, ready to unleash another sonic scream.

Aritimi moved like a phantom, "Stay sharp!" she ordered, scanning the growing threat.

Then a plethora of small and thin tendrils shot out from the monstrous form and attached themselves to the clothes of Aritimi, Zara, Irish, and the five girls. With a quick pulling move, the tendrils ripped off all of the clothes from the eight women.

Zara and Aritimi didn't even flinch as their clothes disappeared.

Irish let out a small yelp. Her petite frame was a delightful surprise under her attire. Despite her height, Irish had a womanly figure, her breasts like a pair of small, ripe apples, with pink nipples that pointed straight ahead like tiny rubber arrows. Her hips were relatively wide, leading down to strong, muscular thighs and calves. Zara almost chuckled as she noticed Irish's pubic hair which was shaved into the shape of a shamrock. On her behind, she had a four-leafed clover tattoo as a tramp stamp.

Hester's daughters let out a hellish scream as they got stripped.

Anna, the eldest, was the first to react, her body now bared to the elements. Her breasts were large, but less saggy than her mother's. Her stomach, though not as flat as a young girl's, was taut and powerful.

Barbara, standing next to her, revealed a more angular physique. Her breasts were a little bit smaller and firmer, her skin marred with a few scars from past battles.

Judith's skin was paler than her sisters', her body a canvas of muscles honed from years of manual labor and combat. Her breasts were smaller, almost flat against her chest.

Ruth, the second youngest, was a bit more curved, with a gentle slope to her stomach that suggested she had children. Her breasts were full and heavy, with big brown areolae.

Susanna, the youngest, was the most lithe of the sisters, her body still holding onto the remnants of youthful grace. Her breasts were small and pert, her stomach flat, and her legs lean. Her nipples were pink and looked weirdly big on her small frame.

Even though they had their own differences, that was one thing that they all had in common with their mother regarding their physical appearance. It was their bush. They all had a full, untamed bush that went from the top of their mounds to their thighs, giving them a wild, primal look that was quite intimidating.

The tourists didn't miss a chance to capture this unexpected sight of the naked women with their phones, their shrieks of horror blending with their excitement at the unfolding spectacle. The skin golem took another lumbering step forward, the ground quaking with each movement, while Hester remained trapped within its grotesque embrace. The girls, aside from Aritimi, tried to cover themselves with their arms at first but they had to give it up because it was time to fight.

The skin golem lurched again, but this time, it wasn't just shifting in place, it was birthing something.

More flesh bubbled outward, distorting and twisting into new shapes. The first to emerge was a large, hunched figure, at least three meters tall. Its arms were long and sinewy, with skin flowing down like draped fabric. Then, five smaller figures peeled away from the pulsing and growing main mass, their bodies forming into wiry, humanoid shapes, each one just under human height.

The large golem let out a gurgling sound before launching itself toward the gathered tourists. Its skin-flesh rippled violently as thin, razor-sharp blade-like tentacles burst from its body, whipping through the air with lethal intent.

Aritimi reacted instantly and opened a series of portals in midair, slicing through the incoming blades before they could reach their targets. The severed skin pieces squirmed, wriggling like worms on the ground before crawling back to the golem, reattaching and growing into new, sharper blades.

"It regenerates too fast," Aritimi cursed under her breath.

The five smaller golems turned their empty, skin-covered faces toward Hester's daughters. As if moving on an unseen command, each one lunged forward, forcing the five sisters into individual battles.

Anna met her opponent in midair, her massive claws colliding against the golem's arms, slicing but not cutting deep enough.

Barbara unleashed a flash of blinding light, but her golem recoiled for only a second before lunging again.

Judith fired hair-needles into her enemy's body, only for the flesh to absorb them like quicksand.

Ruth took in a deep breath and blasted a powerful gust, sending her golem stumbling backward but not stopping it entirely.

Susanna let out a piercing scream, forcing her opponent to tremble, but the flesh on its body seemed to tighten in response as if resisting.

Meanwhile, the original giant skin golem, still fused to Hester, trembled as if feeding power into its spawns. Hester herself groaned atop its head, her hands gripping its flesh-like surface, her expression filled with pain and confusion.

Aritimi turned toward Zara and Irish.

"That thing hasn't severed itself from Hester, it still needs her!" she shouted, "If we knock her out, it might stop!"

"On it!" Zara replied.

"Let's put her to sleep then," Irish cracked her knuckles, eyes locked on their target.

Meanwhile, Hester's daughters had been overpowered by the skin golems. Each one of them was pinned to the ground. The monsters grew phalluses and began to penetrate their struggling forms.

Anna was the first to scream as the golem's cock slammed into her, the sharp pain making her claws retract.

The giant skin golem shrieked, its voice an eerie blend of Hester's strained groans and something far more monstrous. It reared back, its elongated limbs rippling as two massive, blade-like tentacles shot toward Zara and Irish with deadly precision.

Zara didn't flinch. Her wolf-headed hand lunged forward, canine fangs sinking deep into the fleshy appendage before clamping down. The skin tentacle split in half and flopped uselessly on the ground.

At the same time, Irish reacted with lightning speed. Her feet connected with the second tentacle in a rapid-fire assault, her kicks so fast they blurred in the air. Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the limb until, finally, it snapped, curling inward like a wounded snake.

The duo dashed toward the towering monster together.

The golem's surface rippled as even larger tentacles erupted from it. It struck down again, aiming to crush them in one powerful sweep.

Zara's body tensed and then expanded. Fur sprouted on her bare body, muscles stretched and thickened, and her face elongated into a wolfish snout. Now fully transformed into her Merewolf form, Zara charged into the battle. With an angry howl, she lunged, claws swiping through the air, and with one clean cut, she tore the massive tentacle in half. The severed pieces writhed for a moment before collapsing.

Irish, grinning, didn't even slow down as her own tentacle came crashing toward her. Instead of dodging, she kept running, straight through it.

With her unnatural speed, Irish punched through the leathery mass, bursting out the other side in a perfect, human-shaped hole, like in a cartoon. The severed skin wobbled comically before the edges of the hole began to stitch themselves back together.

Irish skidded to a stop next to Zara.

"Ha ha! Did you see that?" she cackled, "I'm a fuckin' a Looney Tune!"

Zara just growled, her glowing eyes fixed on the golem's core, Hester, still trapped at the top.

"We have no time to waste," she snarled.

"Damn right," Irish grinned.

Both Zara and Irish ran toward the humanoid mass of excess skin, aiming to climb their way to Hester. The golem shook beneath them, its form constantly shifting as new tentacles sprouted from its flesh like living whips.

Just as their feet touched the surface, the creature reacted. An army of freshly formed tendrils lashed out, striking them both. The impact sent them both tumbling off the creature's body, forcing them to land hard on the dirt below.

"Alright," Zara growled, shaking off the dust, "Change of plan. Hop on."

"What?" Irish arched an eyebrow.

"Just do it!"

Irish hesitated for half a second before nodding, "Fine," and she leaped onto Zara's back, wrapping her arms around the girl's shoulders as Zara bolted forward again, using her enhanced strength to run straight up the skin golem's leg.

She moved fast, fast enough for the tentacles to not react at first. They barely had time to reform before she was already scaling past the creature's knee. But the golem wasn't slow to adapt. This time, the tentacles came from unexpected angles, coiling like living ropes and forcing themselves between Zara and the monster's shifting body.

Before Zara could crawl higher, a strong strike slammed into her side, knocking her off the golem's leg and sending her and Irish flying.

"Shit!" Irish barely had time to react before Zara twisted mid-air and threw her at the golem.

Irish yelped but quickly got her footing as she landed on the monster's lower torso. With her Qick Qilin speed, she took off running again, dodging and weaving through the flurry of attacking tentacles. She made it past the creature's stomach, reaching the middle of its massive torso, only for more appendages to snap forward and catch her in mid-stride.

Before she could react, they flung her backward with terrifying force.

But Zara was already moving.

She leaped, her arms open, and caught Irish just before she could hit the ground. They rolled with the momentum, dirt kicking up around them as they finally stopped.

"Okay, that sucked," Irish groaned.

"Yeah. No kidding," Zara, panted and sat up. She glared up at the towering golem, watching the skin shift and pulse around Hester, still fused to its head, "We need to hit from above."

Irish glanced at Aritimi, who was still preoccupied with keeping the tourists safe, slicing apart the rogue skin golems with precise portal cuts.

"Aritimi's too busy... what now?"

"I can handle it," Zara brushed herself off.

"Oh yeah? You got wings or somethin'?" Irish shot her a skeptical look.

Zara just smirked.

"Wait. Do you actually...?" Irish frowned.

"Just watch," Zara's grin widened.

Zara reverted back to her human form and exhaled slowly as she focused on the second transformation. A deep, crackling sound filled the air as her skin hardened, turning into smooth, white chitin. Her arms and legs darkened to an inky black, the exoskeleton forming clawed fingers and sleek, high-heeled feet.

"What?" Irish stepped back, her eyes widening.

Zara's green eyes were replaced by large, red, insectoid eyes. Two thin but long antennas sprouted from her head, twitching as she adjusted to her new senses. Then, with a sudden snap, a second pair of wings burst from her back, fluttering with rapid, precise movements.

From a distance, Zara looked like a nude albino woman wearing black thigh-high stockings with long elegant gloves.

"Alright. Let's go," Zara flexed her claws.

Irish barely had time to protest before Zara grabbed her by the waist. With a powerful beat of her wings, they shot into the air, ascending fast as Zara weaved between the massive tentacles flailing toward them.

Meanwhile, the five girls' painful cries and screams turned into pleasurful moans. Judith was the first to climax but the others followed suit one by one. The tourists, instead of being horrified by the sight, were now cheering them on. It was as if they had paid for a different type of show and had just received an unexpected bonus.

The golem roared below, sensing Zara's movement, but its attacks were too slow. Zara twisted effortlessly mid-flight, dodging each swipe with inhuman agility.

Irish, gripping onto Zara's shoulders, gritted her teeth.

"I dunno if this is better or worse than climbin'!" she gruffed.

"Shut up and enjoy the ride!" Zara grinned, her wings buzzing louder as they soared higher, aiming directly for Hester.

Zara's wings buzzed furiously as she tried to dodge, but a massive tentacle shot out fast. It coiled tightly around her, its fleshy texture shifting unnaturally as it severed itself from the main body.

"Oh! Shit!" she growled, struggling as the chitin on her body creaked under the pressure.

Before she could be fully restrained, Irish kicked off from Zara's grip, flipping mid-air and landing on the thick, pulsing surface of the tentacle. Another one lashed out toward her, but she sprinted across its length as if it were solid ground, her high-speed footwork barely touching the surface before she leaped to the next one.

The monster adjusted, sending out more and more tendrils, but Irish was already in motion. She hopped from one to the other, using each as a makeshift platform, evading every grasp with fluid, impossible precision.

"Damn, she's fast," Zara, still struggling in her bindings, watched in awe.

Irish's eyes locked onto her target, Hester, still fused to the golem's head. With a final, powerful jump, she launched herself forward, twisting mid-air to gain some momentum.

Hester barely had time to react before Irish's fist struck her temple with pinpoint accuracy.

The moment Hester blacked out, everything shifted.

The colossal skin golem shuddered, its surface cracking like parched earth. Its towering form began to dry rapidly, the once-fleshy mass turning brittle and lifeless. Then it crumbled into dust.

Across the field, the smaller golems fighting Aritimi and violating Hester's daughters suffered the same fate, collapsing into lifeless heaps before disintegrating completely.

Silence followed, broken only by the sound of dust settling on the ploughed field.

Irish landed carefully on her feet. She glanced up at Zara, still mid-air with bits of dried-up tentacle falling away from her body.

"You're welcome," Irish smirked triumphantly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battlefield was quiet now, the last traces of dust swirling in the air as Zara and Irish stood over the unconscious Hester. Her skin, normally shaped into her Amish dress, was gone, reduced to lifeless fragments. She lay completely naked, her voluminous breasts hanging freely, but aside from exhaustion, her body bore no wounds.

Aritimi sat heavily on the ground, resting her arms on her knees. She looked drained. A few meters away, Hester's daughters were lying on the ground.

They waited in silence until the HSA med team arrived, loading Hester and her daughters into a transport vehicle.

Later, the three hunters stood in the empty field, the dirt still littered with dead skin dust as if a giant left its dandruff there. Aritimi remained seated.

"So? What the hell happened back there?" Irish crossed her arms.

"The chemical in that dart... it was extracted from a very specific type of monster. One that can temporarily amplify the abilities of other monsters."

"But Hester's not a monster. She's human," Zara frowned.

"She has a monster's skin grafted onto her body. Just like how you have Flesh Fiend DNA, and how Irish has her own augmentations. We're all linked to monsters, whether we like it or not."

"So it can work on any hunter?" Zara's expression darkened.

"Yep. Kinda..."Aritimi nodded, "It doesn't just make you stronger, it takes over. The monster's instincts rise to the surface, overriding your control," Aritimi looked at the empty space where the skin golem had once stood, "Hester's augmentation, under the chemical's influence, became a separate entity. She probably would have stopped on her own, but who knows what kind of damage the skin golem could have done then. The Amish community is close and Crowsend is also not too far."

"That's just great. So some freak out there is juicin' up hunters and turnin' them into Berserk monsters?" Irish scoffed.

"The HSA only knows of a handful of these special monsters. And most of them... are inside the Crypt."

"So that means somebody from the HSA..." Zara tensed.

"Shh!" Aritimi cut her off sharply, her eyes flicking to the side as if checking for eavesdroppers. She lowered her voice, "Don't talk about this to anyone."

"You think there's a traitor?" Irish raised an eyebrow.

"I think someone got their hands on something they shouldn't have unless they working at the Crypt or know someone who works there. I'll report this incident to the Council and ask them about what to do and what kind of cover story we should use to avoid panic. You both better stay silent," Aritimi stood up, dusting off herself.