Chapter 1

Kaeorin trudged back to the guild hall. He walked with his palicoes in silence, the hunt still fresh in his mind. His thoughts grew heavier, and more dark, with every step he took. "There is no way," he thought to himself, "no way this was a mistake." The guild registrar offered him a contract to hunt a rathian wyvern, a dangerous mark with the best of luck, but what he found was no such creature. The creature he did find existed in no bestiary. Words would be had with the guild this day. Only by pure luck were Kaeorin and his companions able to return home alive. He wanted to smash open the doors, pin the guild manager to a wall with a flurry of arrows, and demand some answers.

The guild was too powerful, however, for any such aggression to go unanswered. Guild registrars, indeed all guild staff, acted rather polite, and they even made accommodations for hunters in all but their most unreasonable requests. Kaeorin risked not only the fury of the guild, but also the ire of the people. They loved their guild marms and guild lads. Only the vilest man or woman would dare to bring them to harm. Violence in the guild hall would not be tolerated. No, more subtlety would be required, and great care.

Kaeorin sent his Palicoes on an errand before he entered, taking a table to himself and ordering food and drink. His anger still threatened to consume him, and the urge to burn the whole building danced ever at the edge of his mind. The smell of the dark ale and the smoked meat cooking in the kitchen soon soothed his anxiety and rage. He could think, and he could wait for the right moment, wait for the felynes to return from their chore.

The meat tasted of smoke and hickory, garlic and sweet sauce. Scents of smooth pipe smoke drifted across the table. Minstrels played strings at the far end. Kaeorin lit a pipe, himself, and waited. The guild sure did know how to make a great hunting hall. There could be no argument on that point. The hum of hunters and music, the clank of mugs and plates, was enough to put a raging tigrex at ease. The feline returned none too soon, as Kaeorin found himself nearly ready to sleep right in his chair.

Black Paw, named for his unusual, black foot pads, hopped onto the table. He grabbed a bone with some juicy meat still hanging on and nibbled. He finished his snack and hopped on to the chair next to him. "We're ready."

"Very good," he replied. He stood, left some zenny on the table for the fare, and the two walked outside. Employees and guild officers used a service entrance built near the kitchen. Kaeorin stopped at the door, looking to Black Paw for assurance. "You will not be stopped," he said.

Kaeorin nodded and entered to be greeted by one of the palico guards. He thought there might be a fight. His palicoes just said this was taken care of. To his shock, the cat point upwards with his long axe, towards the stairs and said, "top floor, last door on the right."

He went as directed. Just as he was told, Guild Officer Merkel sat at a desk in this room, scrawling with great focus and speed on some document before him. "Guild Officer Merkel," growled Kaeorin, "a word, please."

Merkel squeaked, "What are you doing here? No one is to be allowed up here! G-" He choked on his fear as Kaeorin rushed him, brought a knife against his neck and clamped a strong grip on his left forearm.

"I am to be allowed up here. Is that clear?"

Merkel nodded acknowledgement.

"Good. Sit back down."

"What. What are you doing? What do you want." Merkel's voice quavered.

"Why did you send me after that beast?"

"I don't know. I don't what contract that was. I don't even know you. I write and sign dozens each day, with dozens of hunters."

That was not good enough. "No. You know me, and you knew what you were doing, at least to some degree." Kaeorin was not satisfied, in the slightest. "You sent me after a rathian in the Steppe. The payout was unusually high for such a contract. I asked you why that was, and you said that the merchant was a particularly generous one, and that she often offers high rewards. I checked. That contract came from a senior guild researcher. Tell me." he applied a little more pressure to his knife edge.

"I'm sorry! I...I...I...don't make those kinds of arrangements. I just find hunters to fulfill the contracts. There must have been some mistake. I swear!"

"What are you talking about? What mistake do you mean? I haven't even told you why I am here." He let Merkel see a cruel smirk cross his face. Merkel's nervous sweat doubled, soaking his robe with visible stains. He began to move his lips in a strange way, like he was talking to himself. Kaeorin held his position, ready for anything.

Merkel grabbed the knife by the back edge, tugged it slightly to move it off his neck, re-positioned his head before spitting into Kaeorin's face. Kaeorin's eyes flared in pain. He couldn't see, and he held his knife, but he could hear a drawer being opened and closed. Merkel was grabbing something. He needed to escape fast. He tripped trying to turn for the door. The door opened, and a short, dark shape came in. It was the palico guard from downstairs. Kaeorin heard some struggle and clanging on the floor. The guard spoke.

"Come, hunter."

Kaeorin crawled towards him. The palico grabbed his face, pulled his hands away, and blew some dust into his eyes. The pain vanished. His vision cleared. Merkel lay crumpled on the floor, cradling his right wrist. A short sword lay on the floor some distance away.

"Awfully defensive for someone who doesn't know what is going on," Kaeorin said.

"I really don't! What was I supposed to do? You come in here like this, and I don't even know who you are. I thought you were going to murder me!"

"I can't believe you truly know nothing."

Merkel looked away, grumbled. "Well, I was told to give that contract to you, specifically, but I have no idea why. I really don't. So what, for a hunter like you, what's a rathian or five?"

"That was no rathian." Kaeorin said, his anger, again, rising.

The palico guard spoke, "Hunter, show him the scale of the plague beast."

Kaeorin paused. He did not trust this Merkel for any distance, even if his thin frame could be thrown a fair measure. But, he trusted palicoes. They could steal anything they liked with the stealth of a rodent, but they rarely lied. With a heavy sigh and a low growl, he reached into his pouch and withdrew the scale. "This came from the beast—the beast that is no rathian."

The scale appeared black as a starless night. Only close inspection in the brightest of daylight would describe its contours. The surface seemed to be in constant motion, as though it were alive.

Merkel stared at the scale in awe. At least this seems to be a genuine surprise for him, thought Kaeorin. Perhaps his knowledge is as limited as he says. "What? What is that?" he asked.

The palico replied, "this came from the beast that now hunts the hunters of the Steppe. It is diseased, and this hunter has taken its plague due to some fool's lie and selfishness. You will help him solve its mysteries and find a cure."

Merkel took offense. He found the energy to stand on his feet despite his throbbing hand. "I will do nothing of the sort. It's not my responsibility, for one, and, for two, it's not my fault, in the slightest, if some hunter gets himself in trouble in the field." He looked directly at the eyes of his palico guard. "Besides, he just tried to murder me. Why in the world should I help him with anything?"

The palicoe stared back. Faster than either human could track, he stole the scale from Kaeorin's hands and rushed for Merkel. He leaped to chest level, pulled open Merkel's robes, and with the scale, cut him across the chest. Merkel staggered, screamed, and fell back to the floor, now face to face with his palico.

"You will help him now," said the felyne, "because now you also have the plague."