The Mech Touch

Later in the evening, everyone returned to the hotel room. Ves ordered Lucky to set up his ECM field before he made his subordinates report their findings. He also stowed away his cat ear attachments in another room under a locked box just to make sure they weren't actually recording his conversations while bypassing the jamming.

\"Alright.\" He clapped his hands. \"I know that half a day isn't enough time to get a complete picture of the local landscape, but I hope you've at least made some early gains. Let's hear it. You first, Crindon.\"

His resident security expert and spy stepped forward with a smile. \"Well, the first good news is that Journeymen Mech Designers are in demand by many mech hunting teams.\"

\"I'm aware. I almost got swamped by them earlier in the day when I visited the local hunting hall.\"

\"With good reason. A good mech designer can suggest improvements that allow the mech hunting teams to improve their performance quickly without outright replacing their mechs. While the expenditure is still significant, a ten percent boost in overall performance ensured a higher rate of success while preventing significant damage. Studies have been made on how much of a difference it makes. Did you know what the researchers found? Hunting teams with mechs customized by Journeyman earned up to forty percent more profit!\"

\"Forty percent! That big?\"

\"Half of it is due to the objectively better performance of the hunting mech. The other half is attributable to the confidence the overhauled mechs bring to their mech pilot.\"

Basically, it came down to confidence. If mech pilots utilized ordinary mechs, then they would unlikely see themselves as hotshots. If they piloted more expensive and higher-performing machines, then entering the cockpits already boosted their confidence and self-esteem before they deployed for action!

Equipment mattered. Mech pilots equipped with better mechs possessed higher morale. This was a very proven fact that applied in almost every situation in the galaxy. It shouldn't surprise Ves that it played a key role in Kemila as well.

\"Okay, I get it.\" Ves waved his hand. \"Continue with your briefing. What did you find out about the individual hunting teams?\"

\"I've looked into a number of hunting teams and hunting outfits on your list. I manage to gather some compelling information on a number of them. I've already written up a condensed report that lists out all the rumors associated with these groups along with my judgement on the reliability of the hearsay.\"

\"Give me a summary. Let's leave aside the outfits associated with negative rumors. Are there any groups with notably good reputations operating in Kemila?\"

Crindon pressed a finger to his lips. \"I think there are three smaller hunting teams that may be of particular interest to you. All three are fairly small, but they have close ties to the Kemila hunting community and are also professional to boot. Their mechs aren't the best, but that is also an advantage for you as you will easily be able to upgrade their aging mechs. Some of them are even lastgen machines!\"

These groups didn't sound too powerful, but Ves probably did not need the services of anything superior.

Besides, the stronger hunting outfits only worked with known clients with established reputations. Journeyman or not, these better-equipped hunters already piloted pretty good mechs, so they exhibited less urgency for upgrades and modifications.

A projection came to life as Crindon showed snapshot footage of the first mech hunting team in question.

\"The first group that caught my notice are the Cadence Stalkers. They're a small hunting team that has been operating from Kemila for just over two decades. They stand out from the other hunting teams in their degree of preparation.\"

The projection switched to public footage of one of their hunts. The edited snippets show numerous light mechs coated in a mottled green camouflage pattern hiding a few hundreds meters away as an unsuspecting huge cat with a beautiful fire-red fur pattern padded forward.

Just as Ves expected the mechs to open fire with their ranged weapons, the huge cat suddenly roared in pain as his front limbs got caught in a massive bear trap-like contraption!

Though the huge cat quickly began to slice the trap into pieces, the huge exobeast's momentary immobility proved incredibly unfortunate as ranged mechs started to pepper it with medium-range electrier attacks that continually paralyzed and hurt the beast, slowing it down from freeing itself from the trap!

The melee mechs of the Cadence Stalkers swiftly rushed forward with great speed. The predominantly light mechs closed the distance rapidly and began to club the trapped creature with blunt-tipped staffs.

\"The Cadence Stalkers wanted to kill the huge cat without damaging its exquisite fur. Hence the use of electrifiers and blunt weaponry.\" Crindon noted.

Ves admired the smooth execution of the hunt. \"They've prepared very well for this hunt. They set the trap ahead of time at a place they knew their prey would pass through. They also hid their mechs relatively close and downwind and managed to obscure their presence to a high degree.\"

\"The Cadence Stalkers are very methodical, patient and prudent in their hunts. However…\"

\"They aren't daring enough.\" Ves guessed.

\"Correct, sir. They don't dare to tackle larger or more dangerous huge cats than this one because their traps won't last as long against their claws, teeth and other possible abilities. The Cadence Stalkers are great in bullying the weaker cats but can only flee when faced with stronger cats. They're also not very time efficient as their study and preparation eats up lots of weeks.\"

\"So if I want a job done quickly, I shouldn't go to the Stalkers.\"

\"Yes. Nevertheless, all of that time spent in preparation has done them pretty well. Despite their low earnings, they rarely suffer a loss. Their death rate is among the lowest of all the huntings teams in Kemila, and that is saying something for their twenty-year track record.\"

It figured that Crindon showered a lot of favor for the safest hunting team.

\"I get it.\" Ves crossed his arms. \"If I happen to have a weaker huge cat in mind, I'll approach the Cadence Stalkers first. What's next, Crindon?\"

The projection switched to mechs that adopted a completely different style from the Cadence Stalkers. The blood-red coated mechs didn't bother at all with camouflage or patiently stalking their prey.

Instead, the mechs boldly crashed into the forest, toppling numerous trees along the way and raising a huge commotion in the process. The mechs brazenly butchered the large wildlife that served as the food source for the huge cats with their heavy greatswords and axes!

Such a naked provocation and a threat to the food supply had to be answered! The huge cat that held this territory had no choice but to confront the invading mechs up front!

\"The red mechs belong to the Rocit Butchers. As their name suggests, the Butchers aren't believers in the hunting tradition and instead prefer to butcher their prey up front.\"

The somewhat reckless strategy the Butchers adopted led to a sudden surprise attack on their mechs. As the blood-stained melee mechs of the Butchers passed through a heavily-forested area, a huge cat suddenly emerged from below the ground and mauled an unsuspecting axeman mech into pieces before the rest of the mechs could reorient themselves!

With the initiative on its side, the soil-stained brown-coated huge cat began to lash out at the surrounding mechs, using its formidable strength and jumping capabilities to avoid getting surrounded!

To their credit, the Rocit Butchers responded well by grouping up, thereby forcing the attacking cat to endure several heavy attacks whenever it wanted to pounce on the mechs that razed its territory!

A huge roar escaped from the creature before it pounced!

Unfortunately, a knight mech quickly moved into place to intercept the pounce! Though the mech sustained some stress damage, the lunge had been successfully blocked!

As the cat recoiled from his failed pounce, the offensive Butcher mechs quickly moved to the creature's sides and began to hack its body with their brutal swords and axes!

The huge cat quickly succumbed as its fur wasn't capable of repelling sharp attacks as well as mech armor!

\"Well, none of the fur will be left after such a brutal slaughter.\" Imon muttered with contempt.

The uncouth hunting style of the Butchers offended his residual noble sensibilities. Even Casella, Gavin and Nitaa looked a bit disturbed.

Their reaction fell within Crindon's expectations. \"The Butchers might look dubious, but among the smaller hunting teams, they are the only ones who dare to hunt the higher-ranking huge cats. While their casualty rate is not very pretty, they are notable for their courage and their willingness to go after the more challenging prey, though they stop short at hunting the Crown Cats.\"

Casella nodded. \"For good reason. The tactics these Butchers exhibit are rudimentary. I'm not sure their leader can be trusted.\"

\"I share the same concerns.\" Ves said. \"The Butchers probably make a lot of money since they seem to be making a lot more turnover. However, if every battle is like this, they're spending a fortune on repairs. Hunting teams like these probably value their mechs the least.\"

Crindon knew all of this. \"Those are valid points, but as I've mentioned before, they are one of the few small-scale hunting teams willing to tackle riskier hunts. They're also fast so if you're short on time for some reason you can move out with them in an instant.\"

All in all, the Cadence Stalkers and the Rocit Butchers both sat at different ends of the spectrum. Based on his demands, either one or the other served his purposes better. Ruling out the Butchers just because their hunting style looked distasteful would be foolish.

\"There's one other aspect about the Butchers that I haven't mentioned.\" Crindon added. \"Their team commander usually doesn't go on the hunts themselves. He's a very formidable mech pilot and his mech is a cut above the machines you've seen in the footage. If the team commander leads a hunt in person, then the battles will usually go a lot smoother. He only rarely sets out, and only when the Butchers are tackling the more challenging cats.\"

\"Ah. I see.\"

That was an interesting aspect about the Butchers.

The projection then switched to footage depicting white-and-blue mechs. Just like the Butchers, these mechs eschewed camouflage. Unlike the Butchers, they didn't charge at their target like berserkers.

\"The mechs you see before you belong to the Mark of Caantz. The Mark is an unorthodox hunting team that fields skill hunters with better-than-average mechs.\"

Ves recognized the quality of the mechs in an instant. Whereas the previous two teams made use of budget mechs, the Mark of Caantz fielded midrange mechs.

The difference this quality bump provided was significant. As the footage continued to run, Ves saw to his astonishment that the huge cat failed to gain an advantage against the melee mechs of the Mark!

After a bit of pushing, five of the mechs surrounded the cat on all sides, blocking its escape route. The mech at the front brandished its sword in a very elaborate flourish, as if taunting the huge cat to attack!

The creature, seeing no other avenues of escape, pounced ahead!

CLANG!

The swordsman mech at the front miraculously blocked both of the huge cat's claws! Not only that, but the mech pilot skillfully pivoted the mech so that it redirected most of the force aside!

As the cat made a very rough landing, the swordsman mech continued to pivot and quickly stabbed forward, cutting deeply in one of the huge cat's rear limbs!

A pained roar escaped from the creature. Despite its crippled limb, the ferocious huge cat counterattacked with a devastating bite!

Unfortunately, the swordsman mech anticipated the attack and swiftly managed to step aside in time. As the half-crippled huge cat missed again, the mech raised its sword with both arms in a movement that conveyed a strong and graceful touch of finality.

SWISH!

The mech beheaded the formidable huge cat with a single, heavy chop!

\"FOR CAANTZ!\"

\"FOR CAANTZ!\"

\"FOR CAANTZ!\"

The cries thundered from the speakers of the mech as if they had just completed a sacrifice!

Ves had a very bad feeling about the Mark of Caantz. Seeing them fight in such an abnormal fashion and now raising the weapons of their mechs while chanting their victory cries throughout the entire hunting zone gave him a very familiar feeling of foreboding!

\"The Mark of Caantz is a religious hunting team.\" Crindon said, confirming Ves' suspicion! \"They are very dedicated to their ritual hunts.\"

Of the people in the group, only Gavin knew something was wrong. Nitaa, Crindon, Imon and Casella failed to notice their employer's unease!

\"Aside from their greater capabilities, what makes the Mark of Caantz so special?\" Ves asked in a whisper.

\"They are the only small-scale hunting team in Kemila that successfully hunted a Crown Cat!\"

That caused everyone in the room to gasp! A Crown Cat!