The Art of the Hunt

The New Emissary

Mina awoke with a pain in the back of her head. He... he shot me... She tried to move, but her body was unresponsive. Looking around, she found herself suspended, high in the air. Lifted by tendrils, not sure what they are made from.

"You're awake. I wasn't sure if your soul would survive."

The self proclaimed "alien queen" looked over at the silhouette. She couldn't identify them. Their voice kept changing, and their form was unreadable. "Who... who are you?"
"I?" They laughed gently. "I am the one in the shadows, shaping life like clay. I control the Bayou."
This triggered a memory. Something Izuku said at the end of their second day here, "Don't tell anyone about this, but there is a... figure in control of this. A real bad spirit. I don't know much, but I do hear whispers in the research hall from time to time. A figure called the Sculptor. What it calls itself."

She said its name, with a strong, unafraid voice. "The Sculptor."
"Is that what they call me?" They laughed, amused. "I'm not surprised, anyway. They have such a limited concept of me. Intentional, of course..."
"Why... why am I here?" She looked unflinchingly at them.

Their voice was honeyed, soothing yet unnerving, paradoxical, "I see such potential within you. My world isn't like your physical one. Things constantly change and shift. Positive and negative energy, good and evil, are the tides. Morality has no bearing on my actions, and I can give the world such blessings..."
"But what about all you've done? The grunts, the spider..."
"Unfortunately, people's inherent souls reflect outwards..."

"Even doing that, why help me when you haven't done so before?"
"You have a unique gift. From what I've seen, three of you have that gift, but you are the strongest with it. You can generate Wellspring energy naturally. And pass it to others. It makes you incredibly important... and yet you were betrayed."

"Shut up."
"By one you thought you were good friends with." Mina could see a grin on their face. "The world I envision will have those, pure of heart, prosper, and those who fall to their own sins serve those who are good."
"Why would you care about that when you've said you don't care about morality?"

"You're clever. I admit, the world is up to my whim, when I get control, but you can help influence how it will change. You would be my right hand, as my first emissary with a pure soul. I can give you the power and means to help me conquer... not just the Bayou... but the rest of the world. Besides, your people's quirks are fascinating. A shame they're erased by my influence. I'm getting off track. Join me willingly, and I'll empower you to become my strongest envoy. Reject and your soul will be consumed. The choice isn't so hard, right?"
It really wasn't. "If I do join you, what would you want me to do?"
"Kill hunters every so often. I leave my emissaries to their own devices. The Spider guards, the Assassin takes down hunters, the Butcher searches for new prey. It's up to you what you do, but everything you do will empower you... and me."
So that's it. They gain more from me becoming an emissary than a grunt.

"Fine."
"As the first conscious soul, I will let you decide how you wish to be... I cannot say the process won't be painful, but it will give you strength."

Mina submitted to the process.

She could feel every part of her contort and start to be molded. Her bones shattered and reinforced, over and over again. Her flesh ripped and stretched to accommodate her new skeleton as it was rebuilt from the cell up.

"Not enough to work with... Fortunately... I have more I can mold..." Three grunts walked in the room. And in her delirium, she barely identified the three as former classmates. Koda, Mineta... and Aoyuma?! They didn't make it either?! As they shambled over, their bodies warped and molded, breaking down into basic components to be added to Mina's frame. "As I thought, your classmates have the best compatibility with you. I'll be sure to give their best traits."

As the process continued, the Sculptor spoke her thoughts aloud, as if she couldn't protect her mind from it. "Your voice is already sirenous, but this one can now give you command of those under my control. You want a crown? To be royalty a Queen? Well... your wish is granted." It seemed amused by her subconscious thoughts. "Worried about your horns? Those can stay... You value your figure... your voice, and your agility... from my estimation, they are valuable indeed. You'll be my greatest Emissary yet."

A pair of hunters wandered the night. They were sent on a typical run. Kill a Spider, escape with the bounty. Nothing unusual. Or so they thought. As they approached a smaller house, they heard something new. It was screeches, tormented cries of a banshee. The woman spoke to their partner. "We should leave and report this. This isn't a spider!"

Meanwhile, her partner responded, greedy for the bounty. "Think of it this way, we'll be rich once we show off the new bounty for the first time. C'mon."

They both walked forward, despite her reservations. When they approached the building, they heard it, writhe and bang against the walls. It seemed much larger than anything they were used to.
"I still don't think we should..."
"We've dealt with everything this place can do... What's the worst that can happen?"
When he opened the door, he had to swallow his own words as a massive deer-like skull greeted them. It barged out, launching itself at the man, tearing him apart faster than . Running away, the woman cursed her partner's greed...

Hiding behind the large hedgerow that surrounded the building, she held her breath as large footsteps rhythmically patrolled, looking for her.

Then they seemed to go away, allowing a long sigh of relief... before it leapt over the hedge and turned to her. This one isn't acting like any bounty! It's seeking us out instead of staying inside!

It was only then that the woman saw it in the full glory of the moonlight. It wore a deer skull, massive compared to any normal animal, but that was not its face. It was mostly human in appearance, with the exception of the torn open torso and clawed hands and feet. It even wore scraps of clothing. She even noticed womanly features underneath. What the hell is this? Screeching, it clawed at her, something she barely avoided, and turned around, gun held up. I can't run. I can't hide. I'm going to die. But I'll go down fighting.