The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1385

Three hunting teams. More of them existed, but Crindon found these three to be notable enough that Ves should consider them first.

Each of them exhibited very different combat styles.

The slow and methodical Cadence Hunters.

The fast and furious Rocit Butchers.

The strong and mysterious Mark of Caantz.

Ves regarded each of them with doubt. In his perspective, the three neatly embodied three different extremes.

The first drew strength from rationality.

The second fought with passion.

The third followed a belief!

For some reason, Ves saw bits and pieces of himself in each of the three hunting teams!

The thought discomfited him a bit. How could he see himself in the Mark of Caantz! He wasn’t a religious nut! He was a Brighter, a born secularist! He hated superstition!

Ves furiously shook his head and rid himself of the nonsense that polluted his mind.

\"Let’s leave aside the Mark of Caantz.\" He said gently, trying not to be too explicit with his bias. \"They are probably overqualified for my needs and they might pose unusual demands. I think it’s better to start with the Cadence Stalkers and the Rocit Butchers and keep an eye on other mech hunting teams that haven’t been mentioned yet. Any opinions?\"

Imon raised his hand. \"I think the Mark of Caantz ought to be under consideration, Mr. Larkinson. The footage depicting the three hunting teams couldn’t be more clear on which one is the best. The Cadence Stalkers haven’t shown any fighting spirit while the Rocit Butchers indulge too much in senseless violence. If the footage represents them accurately, then I’d say Mark possesses the right balance!\"

\"My brother is right. The Stalkers appear to be our safest option, but they’re too methodical to the point that they’re probably far weaker when they are faced with unanticipated situations. The Butchers are willing fighters, but their lack of tactics leaves me doubtful that they’ll be able to provide adequate protection to you while they are high on battle lust.\"

\"The Mark aren’t the easiest hunting team to hire, but they are still rather open compared to the more exclusive hunting teams and outfits. They have a good track record and are known for their honor.\"

Of course they were, Ves inwardly scoffed. Religious fanatics always abided by their rules!

\"Let us not cast our vision too high and overlook the lower-hanging fruit.\" He spoke, hoping to dissuade the others from considering the Mark any further. \"Let’s move on from this topic. It isn’t the time yet for me to make a selection. I first have to determine which huge cat suits my needs the most. Ingvars, please report on the progress you’ve made so far.\"

Casella Ingvar shuffled forward with some hesitation.

\"We’ve managed to gather some descriptions of some of the animals on your list, sir. Although we haven’t been able to ascertain the reliability of the information we’ve gathered, I think they are reasonably accurate.\"

Ves looked at her sharply. \"Can you judge that for sure or is your gut feeling telling you that?\"

\"...The latter.\"

\"Then don’t say something like that. You are letting your own bias taint your findings.\" He pointed out.

He conveniently ignored how he expressed his dislike of the Mark of Caantz just then due to their religious traits!

\"Ah, my apologies, Mr. Larkinson.\" The female mech pilot said. \"The information we’ve gathered came from professional mech pilots who we’ve managed to befriend while drinking at a couple of bars. They opened their mouths easily enough when we plied them with free drinks.\"

\"How much of the budget I’ve allocated to you is left?\"

\"We spent all of it. We had to end our investigation sooner than I thought when we ran through the money.\"

Ves refrained from palming his face. He set a fairly generous budget! Yet the pot had been emptied far too quickly! Were the Ingvars even aware of the value of money?!

\"Ugh. Whatever. It’s only 100,000 bright credits.\" He muttered before he turned his attention back to Casella. \"Please sum up the stories you’ve heard. They better be good.\"

She smiled. \"Kemila is rife with stories about the huge cats. The tales spoken about the Crown Cats are the most popular, but anecdotes related to the other huge cats in the hunting zones are prevalent as well. The older the huge cat, the more stories it accumulated.\"

She activated the projector and loaded it up with her own files. The first recording displayed a white-furred snow leopard-like beast. The only abnormal detail that set it apart from terrestrial snow leopard was its strange, shining green eyes that pulsed with light!

\"Old Smokey here has survived for over a decade despite his lack of strength compared to the other huge cats. He’s described as a wiley huge cat who prefers to hide and evade a hunt rather than to attack the mechs aiming at his life.\"