Clash of Hunters: Prologue

…

ALERT! AUTOMATED TRANSPORT DISTRESS TRIGGER! RESPONSE REQUIRED! 

Authorization imputed. Status report.

ACCESS GRANTED. CLASS 4 AUTOMATED TRANSPORT HAS SUFFERED A CRITICAL NAVIGATION ERROR. PLANNED COURSE BY GREAT COUNCIL DEVERED. ENTERING UNCHARTED SPACE.

What are the estimates for this error?

50% ON GALACTIC ANOMOLY. 20% ON TECHNIC FAILURE. 10% OF CARGO-

Enough information given. What is the ship's condition and altered course?

SHIP HULL INTEGRITY IS INTACT. CARGO HOLDS INTACT. STASIS MODULES POWERED AND INTACT. COURSE IS DIVERTED TO DISTANT SYSTEM BEYOND NOMINAL ROUTES. NEAREST WORLD HAS BEEN PROBED A POSSIBLE VARIABLE HUNTING GROUND.

Give planetary details.

PLANET ATMOSPHERE AND RECORDED BIOMES LIKE THAT OF MOST GREENBELT WORLDS. COMPARABLE TO RECORDED HUMAN HABITED WORLD. NO SIGN OF ADVANCED LIFE OR CIVILIZATION. INTELLIGENT LIFE UNCERTAIN.

What are the estimates of the ship crash landing?

70% CERTAINTY OF BEING INTACT. 20% OF POSSIBLE DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE CARGO CONTAINMENT BREACH. 10% OF COMPLETE ANNIHILATION.

Is remote destruction a viable choice considering risks?

SELF-DESTRUCT OPTION DENIED. CLEARANCE REQUIRED OF ELDER COUNCIL. ASSETS OF CARGO DEEMED TOO VALUABLE.

Any agreement by the Elder Council will take too long. What about sending a blooded scout to assess the ship? Ensure technology and cargo is secured or destroyed?

PROCESSING REQUEST...OPTION IS CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE. LIST OF VIABLE BLOODED HUNTERS HAVE BEEN LISTED. ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TO UNCHARTED WORLD WILL BE WITHIN ONE HOMEWORLD WEEK.

Acceptable. Then I finalize this mission. May the ancestors bless our hunter's cause.

...

Midnight - Northern Realms, Kaedwen - Ban Ard Academy

"Master...do we really have to stay up much longer?"

The tired complaints of one of his students made Obin scowl, though kept his eye pressed to the observatory telescope. As the head of astronomy and scrying, the master mage was dedicated to his underappreciated work. He fit the more classical themes of a mage, having an aged yet stern face covered by a dense well-kept beard. His silken robes were plain, being a deep blue color, loosely covering his aged form, different from the more lavish styles the other arcanists wore.

"When the masters both human and elven sought to understand the complexities of existence, did you think they let something as mundane as sleep get in the way of their work?" He sternly remarked to the gathered students. "My scrying predicted a unique astral event, one that I have no intent on missing. Now keep your eyes on the sky and-"

"Master! There is...I...I don't know what it is!" One of the students stammered. "Eastward. Towards the Blue Mountains. It's...moving fast!"

Obin turned the telescope around quickly, aiming it to the starry heavens to witness a gleaming mass falling from above. "Yes…this is it! What I foresaw!" He laughed eagerly as he kept track of the falling object. Whatever it was, it was big, bigger than any meteorite that had fallen to this world in recorded history. Yet something about its descent seemed more controlled, more like a drift than a freefall. The object fall would soon reach the horizon point, beyond what the telescope range should show. As soon as it was out of sight, there was a deep rumble and flash of light in the far distance, the object's impact no doubt felt by everyone who bordered the Blue Mountains.

There was silence from both Obin and his students, pure awe at what they had witnessed. "Master just, what was that?" One at last spoke, though already the master mage was gathering his books and notes.

"Nothing to concern yourselves with." He sharply stated. "Percival."

The name had one middle-aged man step out from the shadows of the room, surprising the youths gathered. He was well-dressed in gray uniform more befitting of a soldier than a mage, even more so with the sword at his hip.

"Yes master?"

"Inform the other teachers we will be taking a leave of absence for an expedition to the Blue Mountains. If they question you, say nothing. If they complain, continue to say nothing." Obin ordered. "I will have gold and supplies gathered along with the best travel carriage in the stables prepared. I want us to be leaving by dawn for the frontier at the Blue Mountains within the week."

Despite the great demands, Percival bowed dutifully. "It will be done, Master Obin." With that, the apprentice turned to leave the observatory.

With his notes collected, Obin too hurried to leave, the young mages looking very confused at what was going on. "Wait! What about me?" The mage paused in his stride, to see it was the one who had noticed the falling star.

"You passed and will be noted for your…observation skills in my newest book. Happy?" With that annoying dismissal the old mage left, leaving the students to begin arguing with each other over what had just happened. Right now, Obin didn't give a damn about the students or the other masters of the academy. What had happened tonight would be the highlight of his career, the discovery of a lifetime. "History will be made very soon...in my name!" He chuckled, ambition glowing in his blue eyes.

…

Somewhere in Southern Kaedwen

"Well..that was quite the interesting sight."

Vesemir lowered his gaze to the mountainous horizon, to the Blue Mountains where the star had fallen. The handsome Witcher smirked in thought over what the fallen star would mean, in his case a prime opportunity for coin. Things were becoming slow in this part of the Kingdoms; worthwhile contracts were drying up for the moment. With this fallen star, no doubt every mage, noble and treasure hunter was going to rush off to claim it.

"Right in the heart of monster territory." He mused to himself, taking a final bite of the chunk of meat he had before tossing away the bone into the brush. Vesemir was certain many all across the Continent would hear about this, starting a mad race to find whatever had fallen from the heavens. Meteorites were quite rare considering, with the one that appeared tonight seeming quite large in size.

The sun was beginning to rise off in the distance, as if being a beacon towards a great prize. Sighing, he stood up and dusting off his cloak before moving over to his horse. Mounting up, he stared down the road leading east, a confident smirk across his lips before urging his horse into a sprint.

"Got a good feeling about this." The Witcher muttered, a rare thrill of adventure filling him as he rode off towards the sunrise.

…

The Northern Reaches of the Blue Mountains

Startled yells and cries filled the elven village as they watched the object burning through the sky in the south. Such a sign was not a good one, considering the ages of magical disaster and hardship for the Aen Seidhe. For some feared another Conjunction was about to begin or another arcane upheaval. As the warriors scattered around for the defenses while all others hurried back into their homes, the light caused by the falling star faded from the night sky.

"Elders! What in all the ancestors and gods name was that?!" The elven chieftain questioned, voice tense as he entered the secluded hut set in the back of the village.

The three wizen elven sages sitting in a semi-circle were calm despite the uproar outside, the center of the group opening their hazy eyes to look at the village leader. "Calm yourself. For grand as this…object of the heavens is, it isn't that of magic. Not an omen as many will believe."

"Then what is it? The humans to the west will no doubt act fast and rashly as they always have."

There was a long pause before the head elder spoke. "A rock of pure metal instead of stone. Knocked adrift from the course of the stars. Within it, a serpent. Primal wickedness that is all consuming. A threat that must not be freed or be destroyed."

For a long moment the chieftain stared at the elders, baffled by this sudden prophecy. He despised such things, for they have only brough pain and ruin to their kind. Yet biting back his doubts, he sighed and nodded. "So…what do we do then? I can't risk sending a large group to investigate this star, not without risking the village."

"Just two. The twins will be enough." The head elder stated.

Again, the chieftain frowned. Those two were the best and brightest of the whole clan. To send them on their own into human controlled lands and facing the unknown felt insane. Yet it was clear action needed to be taken, even against all his doubts. "Then it will be done. I pray that your wisdom is true on this…oddity."

As he turned to leave, he picked up the lower muttering from the elder. "As do we…for all life's sake…"

…