Hunt: Grootslang

-Unknown hotel-

-Damien POV-

The entire hotel belongs to DE, and an entire is booked for hunters like me. I went towards my room and opened the door to my room.

I looked inside, it's perfect. It was beautiful; and mesmerizing. A feeling of excitement rushed through my veins as I stared at the walls decked with my grandfather's personal arsenal. There were some really big guns, big as I like them. On a small rack to the right lied an array of poisons. I caught a glimpse of concentrated poison extract. A dart dipped with that could easily take out a dragon. A crossbow sat on a shelf to the left. It had a draw weight of 400 pounds. That's some serious power. Aside from that, I found a lot of equipment. I found a .50 cal sniper rifle and a box of silver bullets. It's a great poison against vampires.

I also got this new hunter watch. It scans my body and displays my other stats, Just like a game.

Strength: 100

Reaction: 30

Endurance: 10

Agility: 80

Prana: 1600

The stats are based on how much can I lift, on how many miles can I run, my reaction speed compared to average. For example, my strength is 100 so I can lift 1000 pounds, my speed is 80 so I can run at a speed of 80 miles/hour.

I went towards my bed where a wooden box is kept. I opened the wooden box revealing a shotgun. It is very peculiar. It's a pump-action with a 28-inch barrel. It seemed a bit big and bulky, with weird patterns on the barrel and stock made from steel strips. Something is engraved on the barrel, 'The hunt never ends.' Besides the giant gun lay a box of slug shots. There was a big red label on it which read: EX. 

Leave it that, time to pack up

*********************

-Timeskip-

I was airlifted to South Africa, more precisely, base H-15. I was supposed to rendezvous with the squad there. I walked into the debriefing room. The entire force had already assembled. 4 hunters in total. Rick the heavy gunner, Ross an expert tracker, Mike the local hunter and last but not least, Sarge. After a debriefing session, we suited up. We were moving out in 3 hours. Our hunting suits may seem like normal army wears but that's not it.

They are not normal, they are a work of incredible mystic engineering, fibres used could channel prana through them and can work like extra muscle fibres. They increase physical strength and toughness when prana is channelled.

A few hours later, I'm on a chopper with 4 hunters heading towards either my victory or my demise. The chopper dropped us off at the edge of the woods near Eastern Cape. We turned on our night vision goggles and headed into the trees. The area was utterly quiet. They say even dead silence has a sound to it, and that's exactly what I was hearing. The unsettling darkness, like an enormous wave waiting to engulf an unfortunate ferry, surrounded us. I felt like any moment, something would come running out of the darkness and tear me apart. This sense of fear, I feel it on every hunt. The sweat trickling down my face, my heart slamming against the walls of my chest, I feel it every time. This very omnipresence of excitement is what I've come to accept and embrace every time I go for a hunt. This time was no different.

Sarge led the way with all of us trailing in a single line. About 15 minutes in, we reached a clearing. Sarge ceased his advances and motioned for us to stop at the of the treeline. We all assembled in a file, around the treeline. Mike started scouting. "I see movement on our 10", he said. It was hard to discern with the darkness. I pulled out my crossbow and took a look through the scope. I clearly something moving on the other side of the clearing around 130 meters away. I loaded my Glock. It was all I could bring with both the shotgun and the crossbow slung over my back. Rick pulled out his .50 cal.

We were instructed to carry heavy, but I didn't expect him to pull out the big guns immediately. From my past experiences with skinwalkers, they usually scram if they see a large group of hunters. The occasional rustling ensued, but it didn't get closer. We all used invisibility rune and waited for 10 minutes.

Suddenly, Ross spoke up, "Watch your 3. There's movement. They're probably circling around."

I pointed my crossbow in that direction. There was a slight movement in the bushes. It stopped as suddenly as it started. The movement in front of us had stopped completely. Then, something came into the clearing. It looked like a deer; or a gazelle of some sorts. I kept my aim trained on it. It could very well be a skinwalker. Then, from the opposite side of the clearing, an African wild dog came. It seemed a bit too big for dog standards. It slowly approached the deer. The deer looked up at the massive dog. They started approaching each other. The moment was tense. We still hadn't confirmed if they were skinwalkers or just normal animals.

Then, all of a sudden, the deer stood up on its hind legs. Every inch of my body tensed up as I realized at least the deer was a skinwalker. The dog then sat down legs crossed and grabbed a nearby rock with its hand. The second confirmation. Both suspects before us were skinwalkers. They just stayed there, hardly moving a muscle.

Sarge raised his fist and shook his head. He whispered, "I want at least 4 confirmed skinnies. This just might be our only chance for tonight."

Obviously, if a fight ensued now, the remaining 3 wouldn't dare come out. That's the scariest part of these creatures: their intelligence.

We stayed still for 3 minutes. Another rustle came from the opposite side of the clearing. Another giant dog came trudging out of the bushes, on its hind legs. Sarge whispered to Mike, "The second you confirm the appearance of a 4th, give the signal." We all waited in anticipation, all the while not a single sound persisted within the forest. I could only feel myself, and the 3 beasts in front of me. The rest of the world seemed like a standstill.

In just a single moment, my entire environment went from nerve-racking silence to an adrenaline-fueled rush as I noticed Mike give the signal. My body switched from high alert to an all-out assault stance. Rick took aim and fired. The ringing echoed through the forest. Within the blink of an eye, the human-deer hybrid fell to the ground as it took a bullet to the head. I had crossbow ready to go, so I aimed for the dog-skinned beast beside the deer. A perfect shot. The arrow went straight through its left eye socket. Both creatures fell just millisecond apart.

"The 4th is on my 11, around 200 meters into the trees, " said Ross as he took aim at the third one at the treeline.

"Everybody rush in.", Rick yelled, " Hill and Mike will flank 'em. I and Sarge will charge head-on."

I nodded at Mike as he took the left side. I circled right. I was on the other side in no time, running towards the right side of the woods. Every now and then, I'd scan the area with my crossbow to ascertain the 4th's position. A good 5 minutes passed. Still no movement on my side. Suddenly, I heard static from my earpiece. Rick's voice came through. "Hill, Something came barreling down through the foliage in front of us. It grabbed the damned skinnie we were chasing. Anyways, it's heading straight towards your direction fast. We're heading to your location ASAP. Hold out for a few minutes."

It took me a second to comprehend what I just heard. 'something big'. Was this the alleged beast that wiped out an entire squad? Did I stand a chance against it? A few of my doubts were cleared with the sight of a mangled skinwalker carcass right in front of me. The thing was brutally mutilated. It's intestines spread out across the forest floor. The blood was fairly dried out, suggesting that it was dead for a while. The 3 back at the clearing, the one snatched in front of Sarge and Ross, and this mess of a skinwalker in front of me. That was 5 in total. That meant we only had 1 monster left to deal with. But from what I've witnessed, this boss battle wasn't gonna be easy.

I was lost in my thoughts when I heard something running towards me from behind. I snapped out of my trance and turned around with my crossbow prepped. I looked through the scope. It was Rick. "Woah, it's me.", he shouted.

After I recovered from my initial shock, I immediately shushed him. "Something's coming here.", I quietly whispered to him, "Something big." Ross simply nodded while loading a mag into his rifle. I had a feeling my crossbow wouldn't cut it. So I grabbed my Glock, still hesitant about using the shotgun. We started scouting our surroundings for any threats. It was still pretty dark out. I slowly moved around, inspecting the foliage for any movement. Suddenly, something grabbed me and pulled me into a group of bushes. My mouth was covered. I turned around to find Ross, desperately trying to get me to keep quiet. I calmed down after seeing him. I looked at him. He stared right at my 7 and pointed. I slowly turned around.

It's pretty dark, but I see everything clearly, the colossal monstrosity. The colossal mass silently drifted through the trees. As it came into proximity, I saw the beast with my own eyes.

No words exist to describe my emotions at that moment. I lost all control over my body. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. The mere presence of this abomination sent a chill down my spine. I had only read about this monster but never saw it in my life up until now. Imagine a giant serpentine body with clawed forelimbs, and an elephant's head resting on its neck. It stood 13 feet tall and, with the tail, measured around 30 feet in length. A Grootslang, An ancient African monster, whose origin is said to date back to the birth of prehistoric era drew closer, sniffing the ground as its thunderous footsteps resonated around the forest. It occasionally bared its sharp fangs, all the while growling and sniffing.

Then, the grootslang stopped sniffing. It turned its devilish head in our direction. I was sure it caught our scent. I tensed up, preparing for the worst-case scenario. Ross readied his rifle and aimed at the beast, brushing past a branch doing so. It was at that moment the beast noticed us. I stared into its eyes and, saw pure carnage. The beast came charging at full speed, using its forelimbs to crawl through the shrubs and trees. I heard a loud bang as Ross fired at the beast. That didn't stop it, however. I jumped out of the way. The beast lurched forth missing me by a few feet or so. It turned back to face me. However, as it turned around to face me, a barrage of bullets struck the beast on its right side. I turned to see Sarge and Wilson running towards us. Both had their semi-automatics loaded.

"These charged rounds won't cut it. This bastard's hyde is tough as hell.", Sarge yelled.

"Well, what are we gonna do? Drop a road roller on it?", came Mike's sarcastic reply.

Sarge harboured an expression of worry on his face. The beast had turned to face the 2 hunters. It charged full speed as both men fired shots of vain at its body. Rick prepared an enchanted round and pulled the trigger. As the round hit the beast's shoulder, it exploded into a blazing inferno. The grootslang fell to its knees, letting out a roar of pain. The victory was short-lived though. It slowly rose to its full height, Slamming the ground with its massive 8-inch claws. It let out a deafening screech. One that still keeps me up at night. It was demonic, straight out of hell.

"Damn it. I underestimated the scenario. We need bigger guns.", Rick yelled.

"That was the biggest round I have right now.", Ross replied. Even Sarge didn't have any more firepower than Wilson did. "Should've brought the grenade launcher than the AR", Sarge muttered. "Mike got frags and a C4, but he'll take a while to get here", Wilson cried out.

I started crawling back to my backpack I dropped during the jump. The grootslang noticed my movement. It gave me one look of malice and charged once again. My movements became more frantic as the creature drew nearer. My hands desperately scoured for any kind of weapon in my vicinity. As the seconds passed and not a single weapon could be found, I started to lose my sanity. Despite my teammates constantly firing at the wrecking ball coming straight at me, I lost all hope. Then suddenly, my hands rested on something metallic. It was like a blessing descending from the heavens. I grabbed the object. It was my shotgun. I lost all control of my body as my body moved subconsciously. I aimed the shotgun and cocked it. In the heat of the moment, something awakened within the shotgun. It felt as if the shotgun came back to life. It felt as if it was an extension of my body. I felt the shotgun resonating in my arms, as power surged through me. It's....surreal.

I focused everything on the charging giant in front of me; pulled the trigger.

Me: " Your time's up."

*BOOM*

The shockwave that followed was tremendous. A fiery explosion erupted from the shotgun straight at the beast as I went flying backwards. Tremendous pain jolted through my right shoulder. The brightness of the muzzle flash blinded me as I landed hard on my back. I saw the beast's head dislodging from its body and shattering into bits of flesh and bone.

This shot-gun dad gave me isn't normal. It's a mystic tool. Just like our hunter suits, it's a magical item carefully engineered to perform a task. The task to blow monsters to bits.