No characters (both humans and non-humans) are below the age of consent.
Also, this is one of the more story-focused chapters.
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The morning was a bit colder than usual. Summer was about to end soon but it still seemed weirdly cold compared to yesterday. Zara even shivered slightly since she was only wearing a leather jacket above a tank top.
"Damn it. There's no time to run back home for something warmer," she murmured to herself as she walked into the park.
To Zara's surprise, this time she saw two people waiting for her, both were unusual sights to see.
The first person to approach her was a young girl, approximately Zara's age.
"You must be Zara," the girl said with a barely noticeable accent, "I got a message from Aritimi to come here because she changed my schedule. Originally we'd visit today's unit two weeks later."
"Oh, yeah. I've seen she mentioned a change," Zara nodded and introduced herself.
"I'm Hristina Yevgenievna," the girl introduced herself.
"Christina?" Zara gave her a strange look.
"No, but sounds similar, just remove the "c" from it," Hristina corrected with a smile.
The other person stayed on the bench behind. Zara wanted to take a look at her as well but her eyes locked on Hristina.
Hristina was a drop-dead gorgeous albino girl. Her skin was white as the freshly fallen snow. Her long, silken white hair cascaded down her back, reaching her hips. Both of her eyes were pale pink. Her immaculate breasts were voluminous, pressing against the fabric of her shirt tightly. She had wide hips with long legs, giving her a really seductive stance. The outfit she got was simple, a white t-shirt and blue jeans, but on her, it looked like something out of a fashion show or a magazine.
"Wow, girl. Are you not cold? I'm shivering just by looking at you," Zara said.
"I got no issues with the cold weather because of my augmentation," Hristina shrugged.
"Good for you," Zara smirked, "Who is this other girl, by the way?" she pointed at the woman on the bench.
"She is one of Aritimi's friends. She will join the course with us," Hristina explained.
"Really? She doesn't look like a monster hunter," Zara examined the woman.
"I can still hear both of you. And yes, I am the chief of the Elemental Unit, Winter Summers," the woman introduced herself with an uninterested tone as she stood up. Zara was surprised because she had never seen a middle-aged woman with a style like this. After all, Winter was an emo.
Winter was a pretty good-looking middle-aged woman with a weird blend of emo style and commanding presence. Her raven-black hair was cut into jagged, layered bangs that framed her pale, angular face, with streaks of icy blue running through it. Her eyes were an unusual pale gray. Dark eyeliner enhanced her eery gaze, giving her a perpetual look of intensity.
She was dressed in a typical emo outfit: an old black shirt with a faded band logo on its front, a studded leather jacket, and a pair of skin-tight black pants with chains hanging from the belt. Her combat boots were tall and laced up, looking more like they were meant for a punk rock concert than a monster hunt.
But the weirdest thing about her was the small stormcloud that floated barely a meter above her head, following her wherever she went, like in a cartoon.
"Oh, sorry," Zara stammered, "It just surprised me that you are already here. Usually, we go to Aritimi's friends."
"My unit doesn't have any fixed location outside of the headquarters since the power of nature can come from any direction," Winter continued with the same lethargic tone, "We only have an office at the headquarters and that's all."
"Is that thing your pet?" Zara pointed at the miniature cloud above Winter.
"No, it's produced by me. It's a side effect of my augmentation. It can be quite annoying, especially when I want to sleep and it starts to rain," Winter said, taking the last drag of her cigarette before flicking it away.
"What are we going to do during this training?" Hristina asked, she clearly had more enthusiasm than Winter.
"Let me answer this question," they heard Aritimi's voice from the fountain's direction. The huntress was wearing her usual jumpsuit. Aritimi was sitting on the edge, her long legs swinging gently, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. She had arrived silently and unnoticed, as always.
"Hi, Timi," Winter greeted her friend with the same tired, lifeless tone.
"I see you are full of happiness and joy as always," Aritimi said with a smirk.
"So today we going to train with some elemental monsters?" Zara asked.
"Oh, it's going to be more than just a training," Aritimi shook her head, "We are going on an actual hunt," she announced.
"That's so cool! But how are we going to kill elementals? Most of them are basically immortal," Hristina said.
"We won't kill them," Winter said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Hristina, "We're going to capture them, not kill them."
"Just capture?" Zara asked.
"Yes," Aritimi replied, "We need to capture and send some elemental monsters to the Crypt. The research team needs them for experiments with the augmentations. The elementals are the hardest to use for augmentations but they are the strongest."
"Really?" Zara wondered.
"Yep. For example, Flesh Fiends are also elementals, Flesh Elementals," Aritimi nodded, "Technically, you are wielding the power of an element."
"Ugh...how are we going to capture these monsters? I mean, we have to subdue them and then put them in containers but also have to watch them to not escape," Hristina was thinking aloud.
"We got an entire team to take care of the transport and security. We just had to beat them so they can be placed into those portable containment units we have," Winter explained. Her tone was still unenthused.
"That sounds interesting but we will have to visit multiple locations then because it's hard to find more than two or three types of elementals at the same place," Zara speculated.
