AN: Hello everyone! And welcome to the sequel of "Disheartening Memories" - Yes this is a sequel and if you would like to know who these characters are, or the plot of the story, I recommend reading the story I mention above - with that out of the way, I hope everyone enjoys this story of mine.
These chapters are a bit longer than the ones in Disheartening Memories, so make sure to take breaks in between if you need so! (However, I will say that this story is way better than my previous one that I recently mention. This is due to me having more experience now, just keep in mind that if you do go and read the prequel; you'll be reading words of little old me, haha.)
Disclaimer: In no way do I claim the Monster Hunter Series as my own, all content goes to their rightful owners.
Blizzard's POV
My eyes flutter open, all I could see at first was darkness, however, things became clearer as time passed by – recollection of yesterday's events filled my mind, causing a faint headache to appear.
Soon enough, I notice the soft breathing behind me and I remembered where exactly I was, my top priority was getting out of bed without waking up Jenny.
Due to sudden movement and the bed squeaking, Jenny started to mumble and show signs of waking up. I reached over and gently stroke her head, which successfully lullabies her back to sleep, allowing me to leave the room without disturbing her.
Stepping out of Jenny's room, I made sure the door didn't completely close as I made way to my own room – it was now evident that I had a faint hangover as a headache grew stronger by the minute.
I unlock my door and head inside and walk over to the bed. "Sorry, Aegis, time to get up." I shake him lightly at first, but considering how he was hugging my pillow and drooling – the man was currently in a very deep slumber.
I lean forward and hum in his ear. "Aegis, get up."
Aegis' stirs. "Go away, Liz."
I stood there in the darkness, thinking of a way to wake him up easily, then it suddenly dawns on me.
Doing my best not to laugh, I decided to prank him. "I don't mind this position we're in, being hugged by you is fine and all, but I'll like to use the bathroom."
It wasn't long to get a reaction out of him – Aegis shot up in shock and immediately stood up on the other side of the bed, the opposite side of me.
I cover my mouth with my hands as I try to muffle out my laughter.
"B-Blizzy!? What the hell..!" Aegis exclaims.
I soon calm down. "Don't worry, you were hugging a pillow, I just couldn't wake you up," I explain.
He nods a bit annoyed but quickly regains composure. "Ah! My head hurts, what time is it?" Aegis questions me as he holds his head in pain.
"Almost dawn, get your stuff, so we can leave," I tell him.
Aegis nods. "Sure, I packed my stuff before the party, just need to head down to my room and get my bags." He explains calmly.
"Understood, mind getting the guys as well? I need to go back and wake up Jenny."
Aegis nods and heads to the door. "I'll see ya in a couple of minutes then." He soon starts walking down the hallway.
I lock my room and head back to Jenny's dorm, luckily she was already awake, Jenny was grabbing all of her stuff and changing out of her pajamas.
"Momo, wake up." I let my voice ring through the room, which also alerted Jenny of my presence.
"Hey, is this bag yours or mine?" Jenny quickly asked me and pointed at a white bag.
"It's mine, just put it there and I'll grab it in a sec." I open the bathroom after getting today's clothing.
As I changed, I could already hear movement outside – it sounded like Jenny was moving around a rather large weapon. "Are you okay?"
"Yea, just moving this hammer" Her voice was muffled due to the walls between us.
Upon stepping out of the bathroom, I felt someone hug my leg. "Morning, Momo," I said as I looked down with a smile.
"Morning, Meowster!" The small felyne happily replied.
"Let's go, Liz." Jenny had two bags – one on each arm – and had the hammer hanging behind her waist.
Momo climbs up to my shoulder as I bend down and grab La-Falla – which I quickly strap on my arm like a normal Sword & Shield – giving my left arm the ability to grab any leftover bags.
We step out of the dorm and into the hallway.
"You can go ahead, I'll catch up," Jenny tells me in a monotone voice as she focuses on closing the door.
After reaching outside, I notice all the guys were waiting for us at a bench near the courtyard's fountain.
"Morning." I greet the boys quietly.
"Shhh." Lucas and Raito groan as they rub their heads.
A large man known as Wayland laughs loudly – much to Lucas' and Raito's agony. "Morning there, young Blizzard!" Wayland seemed to not have any sort of hangover.
I waved back without a word since I felt bad for my friends.
"Everyone is set, where is Jenny?" Aegis walked up to me and said quietly.
I look back at the Guild's entrance and responded. "She was right behind me," Jenny appeared after I said that. "There she is, we can move out now." I turn back to Aegis.
Raito sighs as he sees everyone's ready to go, he gestures to follow him and we do so in silence – especially since everyone is fairly tired so no one decided to speak as we follow Raito.
The trip took us some time, the sun was already above the horizon and told us it was around two hours after dawn, fortunately, the guys recovered from their hangover upon arriving at Dundorma's Airship Center.
The headquarters was located in the outskirts of Dundorma, grassy plains and constant wind blowing was the first thing we notice upon reaching this area – the only thing that indicated where to find this Airport was a large building sitting in the middle of nowhere.
"Ryoku, mind getting the captain?" Raito tells me as he hands me a ticket.
"Sure," I take the ticket and left my belongings with Jenny.
The building that controlled the entire Aircraft traffic was rather large, roughly the same size of our guild but had two extra floors. There was already a couple of Airships doing test flights, while other vessels rested on the grassy fields, around the building.
Once I enter said building, two guards greet me and welcomed me to proceed.
'They look like Hunters actually, well, I guess they do get some wildlife problems every now and then, out here.'
I stood in front of the counter and rang a small table bell, which caught the attention of a worker.
"Good morning, ma'am!" The young girl bows slightly before continuing. "What can I do for you?"
I hand her the ticket Raito gave me. "I'm here to get our captain for today's flight."
The girl inspects the ticket and nods. "One air vessel and a captain, coming right up!"
"Thank you," I was about to leave – but she caught my attention again.
"Excuse me ma'am, but your Vessel is number four, under the name of Captain Syhr, thank you for using our airline service!" She says with a smile and one final bow.
I gave her my final words of gratitude and left the building. My friends saw me as I approached them.
"Did you find our captain and vessel?" Raito asked me.
"Yup, vessel number four, and I guess we should find the ship and wait for the captain in front of it," I explain to the group.
They nod and start picking up their bags, I do the same and follow behind as we go over to the grassy plains where various airships were stationed.
After a few seconds of searching, we finally spot the large Vessel. It was rather huge, containing two pairs of ballista – one pair for each side – and also had a Huntergong along with a Dragonator at the front.
"Impressive." Lucas voices out everyone's thoughts.
"Yea, It'll be two entire days that we'll be in the air in order to reach Yselz," Raito explains. "We run the risk of running into flying wyverns until we reach the Great-Defense."
I look back at the Vessel. "The paint job is rather astonishing,"
It was painted in a mixture of red and gold, with the Dundorma symbols – the sunlight made the golden paint shine with great beauty.
"Ahoy!"
We all turn in the direction the voice came from – which was behind us – it belonged to a rather old looking man, around the same age group as Wayland, and he was wearing a long blue coat, glasses, and a scarf.
'He looks just like a pirate,' I smile as I picture the man with a pet bird on his shoulder.
"So you're my crew for now? Fantastic!" The man exclaims with such energy that I believe it rivals Jenny. "I see amazing hunters in front of me already!"
"Indeed, we're the group that will be passaging this vessel," Raito tells the man.
"Very well, my name is Syhr, S-y-h-r! Not to be confused with Sire, S-i-r-e! But either one works, Hahaha!" The man practically yells when he talks.
"I like this guy already!" Jenny says with excitement.
Everyone else seemed a bit worried, basically thinking why we got a crazy captain.
Syhr heads to the vessel and opens the hatch that leads into the interior of the ship.
"Alright, Hunters, this here will be your room!" Syhr gestures to the wide convoy.
It had a large bed, tables, and chairs, with a few boxes that most likely the boys transferred over.
"Also, everything is nailed to the floor, except the chairs, you might want to keep a close eye for those fellas!" Syhr crackles at his own little warning.
"I'll be on the main deck preparing the vessel" Syhr shouts as he climbs out of view.
We all stood there in silence at first, but Wayland broke the ice. "He's a rather colorful individual."
"Yup." We all say in unison.
"So, we're all sleeping together?" I ask them as I see there is only one large bed, big enough for ten people or a bit more.
"Guess so." Lucas answers.
"I want the far right side!" Jenny calls out and proceeds to pack her stuff in one of the boxes.
I just shrug and go store my stuff as well.
"I'll sleep next to Jenny," I call out my spot. "You guys stay on the far left."
After everything was neatly organized, I walked over to the stairs that lead outside and into the main deck above us.
"Make sure to stand clear from the left and right side of the vessel!" Syhr yells from the steering wheel.
I made sure to stand clear of both sides as the vessel rumbled, slowly but surely, both sides sprouted wings that would allow this large ship to soar through the sky.
"Alright! Looks like everything is ready to go!" Syhr yells.
Syhr walks down from the steering wheel and onto the main deck.
"Tell your friends to hold onto something, I'll do some last preparations and fly this beauty back into the air where she belongs!" Syhr commands me.
As I walk to the stairs, I bump into Jenny who greeted me with a smile. "Tell everyone down below that we've to hold onto something."
Jenny nods and heads back down to the Middle deck.
"Yoho! Captain said to hold onto something!" Jenny exclaims in a rather weird accent, most likely trying to mimic a pirate.
The guys follow us up the main deck, and then we head up the stairs where syhr was currently steering and pulling different levers, which positioned the wings at the right angle for lift off.
His position as captain looked rather complex, there were five levers on each side of the steering wheel, all of which were being used in order to activate some sort of contraption that was out of view.
"Alright, Hunters, hold onto something or someone!" Syhr repeats himself.
I held onto Jenny shoulders, who was currently holding onto a wooden fence – the boys held onto another section of the fence nearby.
Captain Syhr pulls a lever and the flamethrower lets out a Rathalos like-roar, the balloon above our heads starts increasing in size.
The vessel starts shaking but it soon starts elevating. "We have now lift off!" Syhr shouts.
I let go of Jenny and instead held onto the fence, I look down at the building below us and watched it get smaller and smaller.
After a couple of minutes we are near the clouds and still ascending, as I look out towards the distance, the Elder hall was now in view.
"Whoa, It's only at these moments that you feel small!" Jenny shouts above the blowing wind.
I agree with her, the world is indeed large. "The open sky is also amazing, it shows no limits!" I shout back as I did a ponytail out of my hair.
"Harhar! It's the main reason why I love the sky! It's just an endless field of freedom!" Syhr's voice was clear as day, it was now obvious why the man shouted at all times.
The constant wind blowing against my skin was starting to get annoying, which made me consider getting my coat.
"Hehe, this trip is going to be amazing!" Jenny exclaims happily.
Jenny hasn't been on a large airship like this one before, but she sure is excited to be on one.
The ship starts shaking less as we reach the max altitude, Syhr told us it was fine to walk around the ship now.
I decided to walk over to Raito and see if he was feeling better. "How's your headache?"
"Better, especially now that you talked to me." He grins playfully.
I just pinch the bridge of my nose. "Glad to see you're indeed feeling better."
"I can also say the same, you truly scared me when I heard about your illness." He pats my head lightly.
I slap his hand away. "Stop treating me like a little girl."
Raito just chuckles, but his face turns serious as he stares out to the horizon.
I tilt my head slightly. "Is there something you wish to talk about?" I ask Raito as I stand next to him.
I stare at the horizon as well, taking in the beautiful view of the clouds, blue sky, and mountains.
The man next to me stands in silence, only the sound of howling wind and Jenny's laughter – she was most likely scaring the hell out of Lucas – can be heard.
"You don't have to worry about me, Ryoku. I'm truly fine." Raito says flatly.
I let out a sigh. "We both know that isn't true, It has been bothering you the day we read that letter," I reveal my awareness.
Raito, however, didn't flinch. "Ryoku, I just don't feel like this whole trip is a good idea. I feel like we are wandering into a trap." Raito admits as his grip on the fence tightens.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine," I tell him gently.
Raito looks at me in the eyes. "It isn't 'we' that I'm worried about, I'm concerned for your life and health."
I tilt my head in confusion, but I soon reassure him with a smile. "I won't die, I promise."
"Yes, and I'll make sure that promise doesn't break, even if it'll cost me my life." Raito held a tight grip on Arashi's handle – sacred blade that was hanging on his waist.
"I've told you countless times, you don't owe me your life, I saved the village and all of its people out of good will." I decided to remind him why I saved his people in the first place.
Raito just smiles upon hearing my words. "That is exactly why I'm adamant about protecting you, I'm doing it out of goodwill – because I want to, not because I owe you."
I stood there, thinking about how to respond to his words – we usually had this same argument every now and then, and it would result in Raito using the same words.
"Just don't get yourself killed, please..." I look down at my hands, the same ones that failed my brother.
Raito lays his hand on top of mine and gives a strong reassuring squeeze. "I know what you're thinking, know that I'm here for you and I won't allow history to repeat itself."
I shake his hand away lightly. "I know, I just can't help it sometimes – but I'm grateful for your help." Raito was my strongest pillar of support when it came to this type of problem that lingered inside of me.
"Of course, I did promise to treat you like a princess after all." The man grins.
"Sure, just stop being stupid," I responded with a straight face.
Raito blinks for a bit before responding. "I'm afraid that I been cursed by your unholy powers of beauty, that is the reason for my undying stupidity." He then proceeds to do a dramatic pose – his backhand was placed on his forehead.
"I'm close to shoving you off this ship," I repeat an old inside joke between us.
"Oh gods, I still remember the day you first said that, in fact, you almost did throw me off the ship." Raito laughs upon remembering the distant memory.
I giggle along with his laughter – after we calmed down, Raito decided to ask me a question I was already expecting.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yea, thank you, like always," I say with a bright smile.
Raito looks behind us after noticing something. "Hey, is Lucas going to be alright?"
"What do you mean?" I turn and look where Raito was pointing at.
At first glance, it was just Jenny and Aegis dragging a white bag towards the edge of the ship, Syhr was apparently laughing at the whole scene.
It was when they started tieing the bag to a rope when I realized who was missing and what Raito meant by Lucas being in danger.
"LUCAS!" I ran over to the pair.
Inside the Ship
"I can't believe you both! You don't go around and put someone in a bean bag and then almost throw them off a ship!" I yell angrily at the duo before me.
"Jenny, I can understand! But you?!" I point at Aegis who was currently looking down in shame. "I thought you were mature!" I scold him.
As I scold both of them, Lucas is hiding behind me, still a bit shaken from the event.
"See through it, that this doesn't happen again," I say with a heavy tone. "Do I make myself clear?" I ask them, but I only received nods.
"I said ... DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" I yell at them.
"Y-yes, ma'am!" Both of them yell in unison.
I let out a loud sigh and made my way back to the main deck. I find Raito leaning near a wooden wall, sheltered from the wind.
"So, how did it go?" Raito calls out as I go and lean next to him.
"If monsters don't get Lucas killed, those two will – I mean seriously, who throws someone off.., ugh forget it." I decided to drop the topic.
"You sound like a mother scolding her children." Raito snickers, lucky for him, I just decide to let it slide.
I change the topic. "Now that I realize it, there's nothing else to do on this ship but stare at the clouds." I look upwards, but the hot air balloon prevents me from staring at the sky above us.
"You can always meditate," Raito lightly suggested.
I think about it for a bit – it did sound like a good idea. "Would you mind joining me then?"
"Of course not, milady." His formal way of addressing me was just another way of annoying me.
'I swear, I'm going to get Jenny and actually allow someone to get thrown off this vessel.'
Half the day went by after taking small naps, eating, or just talking for a couple of hours. Things were starting to get really boring after we stared at the clouds and open sky for what seemed forever, truly, only those with a strong passion will be able to handle doing this for their entire life.
"Syhr said it will get very cold once the sun sets." Aegis remark.
"He's correct, we only have about an hour left or so of sunlight," Lucas stated in a matter of fact tone.
"Ugh, I don't like the cold one bit…" Jenny muttered to herself, she was wearing a rather large coat already.
"Don't worry, It won't be 'that' cold, just a bit chilly," Raito reassured her.
I didn't bother putting on the coat I bought back in Dundorma, I'll most likely use it for when it's snowing.
Raito approaches me in his usual attire, he always wore a black coat with golden symbols on his back and sleeves. "Bit cold, isn't it."
"The wind constantly blowing does get a bit annoying after awhile," I responded.
"At the same time, the sunset is rather astonishing – it gives me a warm sensation and the energy to keep fighting," Raito mutters to himself as we stared off into the distance.
"Still doesn't change the fact that the wind is annoying me," I remark my previous statement.
Raito holds in a chuckle. "It has also been boring, we should have brought some training weapons."
Silence washes over us, it was a normal thing for us – especially since we been around each other for almost a year. Raito was the type to observe and adjust himself to the mood around him, and I was the kind of person to always listen closely and did my best to not disturb others.
After a few minutes, I decided to speak up. "Let me ask you one final question before we reach Yselz."
"I'm all ears." Raito turned to look at me.
"Will you truly risk your life for me?" I needed to know, especially for this mysterious journey.
Raito stood there in silence, I could tell he was going to be serious for once. "I've prepared myself to do so for almost a year, you saved hundreds of lives – lives that I would had failed to save if it wasn't for you."
"And you said this was purely out of free will, correct?"
"Of course," Raito smiled.
"Then I'll ask a favor, in exchange for the lives that I saved," I tell him with a serious tone as I stare at the sunset.
Raito didn't respond, but he seemed distant for some reason – as if something caught his attention.
Deciding to ignore this, I continued speaking. "Protect those who I hold dear, I don't need your protection and I never will, however, Lucas and Jenny aren't as experience; I need you to keep an eye on them – especially Aegis, who is a Half-Blood."
"Surely you jest-"
I cut him off. "No, I'm completely serious. Or do you plan on going back on your word?"
"Blizzard, you know full-well that I'm going to reject this favor, why would I risk my life for complete strangers."
'I wasn't expecting you to accept, I just want you to see how fragile your ideology is.'
"Exactly, I was nothing more than a stranger when you set this goal of yours; what makes this any different." I knew I was being harsh, and I also knew that his reasoning had little to no flaws.
"The difference is simple, I won't hesitate to kill any of your 'beloved' friends – if they dare stay in my way, I'll see through it to take them down."
"Really now..?" Raito didn't mean any of the words he just said, but there was something odd with how he said it, especially the last part.
"I meant every word." Raito had a look of pain as if every word he said was destroying his morals.
'Hmm, we're being spied on... Great, just what are they planning?' I shift my eyes, trying to see any signs of someone near us. 'Once we get off this ship, I'll have to isolate Raito and speak with him.'
"I'm heading off to bed, think about what I said – I rather not repeat myself." Raito excused himself before leaving.
'A simple translation of what he said; I'm misleading them, make sure you get what I'm doing.'
I had many questions, but I did my best to act normal – I just don't get why they're doing this, are we being lead into some sort of trap, or are they testing us? Everything was completely unclear.
A sigh escapes my mouth as I turn and start walking towards the steering wheel.
Captain Syhr was controlling the ship still, so I decided to start up a conversation with him.
"Evening captain." I present myself to Syhr.
"Ah, hello young lady."
'Ah that's right, I haven't told him my full name.'
"Pardon for not introducing myself earlier, my name is Blizzard Ishi'ryoku, but people usually call me Blizzy or Liz." I introduce myself to the man.
"Ah, your name is quite ancient, Blizzard." He states. "But my name is Captain Syhr, heh but you already knew that." Syhr booms out with his energetic voice.
"Indeed, the meaning of my name has only been remembered by my family," I explain to the large man.
"Hahaha, so you're from the ancient family line – more so if your name means willpower!" He says with no hesitation, I was shocked to hear he knew.
"Mind telling me how you learned such a language?" I ask him politely.
"Well you see, when you take countless hunters back and forth, you learn a thing or two!" Syhr laughs.
"One does not simply learn a language by just listening," I state out.
"You're correct! I actually was a researcher back in my days, in other words, it was natural for me to learn such a thing." He explains.
'A researcher huh, that's rather interesting'
"Captain, will you be awake the entire night?" I ask Syhr.
"Yes ma'am, I won't be taking a nap anytime soon." Syhr kept his focus on the steering wheel as he said this.
"Do you mind if I stay awake with you for the remainder of the night?" I ask Syhr for his permission.
"Hmm… Well, if you don't fall asleep, then sure, we have a deal!"
"I mostly want to talk about what you have seen lately ..." I explain the situation to Syhr in a low tone – I told him everything about how Yselz been acting and why we are heading there, and most importantly, about the letter.
He takes in the information quite seriously, not interrupting me once during my speech.
"Aye, that sounds fishy." He finally says once I was done explaining. "Look here young Blizzard." He catches my attention.
"I been taking groups of hunters to this said capital more than I could count," He sighs before continuing. "I wait for them since it is in our contract that I would take them back home, but they just never return."
"Missing hunters?" I was disturb by this fact, hunters are the brawn of the guild, the first and final line of defense against all threats vs humanity – hunters just don't 'disappear' out of thin air.
"I usually wait around three days before I head back on my own, however, your friends were smart enough to contract me for six months."
"I see, thank you for the information, Syhr." I thank the man, who just laughs in response.
"Don't worry about it! Now, would you mind listening to this old fool and his stories?" He asked me.
"Go ahead, I have nowhere else to be." I humor him.
After a few hours of listening to Syhr's history lessons, I got the courage to speak up and bring up a previous topic, I needed someone to tell me if I was right or wrong.
"Syhr, sorry for interrupting you, but I need to know if this whole trip is some sort of trap or not."
The Captain stood there in silence, only the cold breeze and the wood creaking could be heard – it was after Syhr let out a sigh, did he speak up.
"I would be lying if I said no." He responds sincerely. "But I do know that all of you will be fine. Out of all the groups, I flew over to this place called 'Yselz' – this one seems to be the most united."
"I hope everyone will be okay, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything were to happen to my friends," I mutter to myself.
"Now, if I may, I would like to ask you a question as well." Syhr was quick to change the topic as if he knew something – something that he couldn't tell me.
'Not only did Raito notice, but Syhr seems to be aware of the situation as well, however, is he on their side, or on ours.' I shrug the thought away for now and told Syhr to go ahead and ask me.
"The cold doesn't bother you, it's quite evident – however, I want to know where you were born."
'Ugh, if I don't respond sincerely, it'll be painfully obvious that I'm aware of their presence.' On the inside, I was panicking, but on the outside, my face was calm and collected like always.
"Pokke, a small village in the Furhiya Mountains to be exact."
Syhr smiles. "Ah, the village where a famous Hunter took down the Ukanlos and stood up to a White Fatalis."
"The very same, sadly that Hunter disappeared without any trace after they left to take out the White Fatalis," I said with a saddened tone, no one really knows what happened to said individual – yet hope still lives on, and some of us believe they are still out there.
"Well, back on topic, I now have a better understanding as to why you're accustomed to the cold." Syhr chuckles lightly, almost scolding himself for not realizing the answer sooner.
Having little knowledge about this topic, I decided to check if I was up to date with it. "It's due to my Full-Blooded heritages and my body adapting to the environment if I'm not mistaken."
Syhr smiles and nods. "You're correct, back in my days as a researcher – the main topic of my studies were about Full-Bloods and Half-Bloods. Unlike Half-Bloods, who take generations in order to grow accustomed to their area of lifestyle, Full-Bloods can achieve this in mere years with intense training."
'Intense training?' Memories of my Father training me endlessly filled my mind. 'I guess I can forgive him for all the hardships I went through as a child.'
"So tell me young Blizzard, who trained you in such ways that I can sense great power hiding inside of you." Syhr's question was prying into my personal life, but I was pretty much forced to answer him – due to the given situation.
"My Father, he's the heir of a great line of teachers," I could sense curiosity in Syhr's eyes. "And my Mother was a huntress, but I know little about her – they tell me she died upon giving birth to my Brother and me."
"Ah, so the young man known as Raito is your brother?" Syhr didn't know any better, so I wasn't bothered by it.
I shake my head. "No, my Brother died a few years back." Syhr's eyes widen, but his face grew into one of sympathy. "Don't worry, he lived a great life and I'm sure he is proud of it."
'Dying under the Hunter's Mark was not rare, and was almost considered an honor.' I always told myself these words, even if it still stung a little.
"That's pretty much it, my family has always been distant from each other – my Father would also never tell us anything about our Mother, only a painting of her was left behind, showing her existence in this world." I stood there in silence, indicating that I was done speaking for now.
"And yet, here you stand – as a leader and a great huntress." Syhr compliments me.
'Did he know my status due to just living in Dundorma, or ..?'
Syhr continued speaking. "It always fascinated me how Full-Bloods can master natural elements and grow just like a Wyvern does, for example, if one were to live in the harsh elements of the desert – said Full-Blood would grow immune to both the heat of the day and coldness of the night, and they will also require less water; something that Full-Bloods are famous for needing at all times."
I was confused by this information, normally a Full-Blood would require water every one or two days. "Wait, then how long can a person like that live without water."
Syhr's face grew into a smile, excitement was evident in his voice. "Almost seven days straight, that's two more days than what a Half-Blood can handle – which is amazing by itself, I mean, why would a Half-Blood that is born with the ability to survive with low resources, get outclassed by a desert boy!" Syhr let out a loud crackle.
"Don't ask me, I'm pretty shock by the information myself."
Syhr settles down before continuing. "Lucky for you, but us researchers have a theory behind it. We believe that the dragon blood our ancestors got infected with is responsible for this occurrence, it seems to quickly adjust itself and grant its host more survivability, intelligence, and even grant the user to awaken weapons to their full potential."
I tilt my head as I take in Syhr's words. "Wait, so it's considered an infection?"
"It used to be considered one, now we see it as something natural, however, back in the days it was a disease that killed thousands, maybe even millions." Syhr takes a moment to steer the ship properly.
"Wait, I don't get it – how did we get infected?"
Syhr faces turned grim. "The Ancient Civilization,"
"I have only heard myths about them, aren't they the ones who fought against the dragons in the great war?"
"You're correct, but they also lost against said dragons – and went extinct," Syhr explains. "However, in a last ditch effort to pass on their legacy – they infected the human race with a powerful vaccine, one that could bless us with the power to fight and kill dragons."
I had no words for this, my heart sunk and my mind raced with countless questions. " ... "
"Not everyone was infected, thus why we have Full and Half-blooded humans today. A normal human with an infected one would breed the Half-Blooded, and two infected would breed the Full-Blood line."
"... This somewhat explains why the Wyverns and Dragons despise us so much." I concluded with a monotone voice.
Syhr nods. "History is repeating itself slowly, the Ancients hid all of this information and the Elder Dragons are fully aware of our so called 'legacy', the guild is doing everything it can to prevent this – but power will always cloud one's mind, just like it did to the Ancients."
"Are you perhaps talking about the 'Forbidden Act'?" I knew a bit about it, I'm sure Syhr would tell me more.
"Yes, the quote that started it all,'In order to create a new life form, another creature would have to lose its life', and thus The Great Dragon War started, and The Perfect Enemy Against Humanity, awoken."
"The Evil Dragon, Fatalis," I mutter.
"The dragons weren't fond of the idea that the Ancients had, killing thousands of their kind just to create an Equal-Dragon, said titan would live longer the more blood it shed. Fatalis was awoken and its hatred was so great against Humanity, that it continues to remember the past of its brethren and copy the forbidden art of The Ancients – this Evil being would melt humans and hunters down and use the fluids as an armor coating, making itself stronger."
I was honestly terrified to think that a creature like this, would mimic something out of pure anger and use our fallen bodies as armor. "But it doesn't exist anymore, at least that's what they say."
"And yet Pokke's hero, fought a White Fatalis not long ago.., 'When the world is full of wyverns, the legend is revived, meat is eaten, bone is crunched.' Another quote that The Ancients left behind."
"You say these creatures have a strong hatred against Humanity, but yet, The Ancients did these evil deeds – not us."
Syhr just shrugs. "We might be very similar to them, the Wyverians say that we do look like the Ancient ones."
"Wyverians... That's right! They protected us and fought in the Great Dragon War. How could I forgot our dearest allies?" I scold myself lightly.
Syhr laughs at my growing curiosity. "Yes! They used to be the size of dragons, but has ever since shrunk in sizes."
"I'm honestly speechless by all of this, our race got infected for the sole reason of avenging a fallen civilization – and the Wyverns and Elder-Dragons are fully aware of this as well," I remark.
"Correct, and this is why Full-Bloods are most likely to be targeted by them – they represent the Ancient Civilization the most, but I believe our race is stronger than them." Syhr chuckles.
I look at Syhr and tilt my head in confusion. "How so?"
Syhr points to the horizon, the sun was rising – dawn has finally arrived. "We coexist with nature, we have Hunters who've mastered all elements of the world – unlike the Ancient ones, we don't need dragons to do our bidding, we have survived with nothing, and we sure as hell won't go extinct like they did!"
Chills went down my spine as I watched the morning sun, the sky was tainted in a beautiful orange color and the clouds seemed to be painted with a brush.
"This is exactly why I don't mind sailing in the sea of clouds. I get to see that beautiful sun every time!" Syhr says happily, almost repeating the same words he said when we first had lift off.
Syhr was right, we see nature for what it is – that is the main difference between us and the Ancient Civilization. "How long till we reach our destination, by the way."
"We should reach Yselz by midnight!"
"Right," A yawn escapes my mouth. "Ah, pardon me…" I apologize.
Syhr laughs in response. "Go take a nap for the rest of the day, you'll need the energy for when we arrive."
I nod and take his recommendation. "Thank you for the company, Blizzard!" The captain shouts as I left.
Upon entering the lower deck I find a few of the members awake, mainly Lucas and a sleepy Aegis, both enjoying a small snack for breakfast.
They notice my presence and greeted me with a smile, Aegis offered me food but I reject it – for I was far too tired.
I fall onto the bed and I quickly fall asleep...
"Ryoku... Wake up." A voice in the distance caused my eyes to flutter open.
My eyes focused on a blue eyed swordmaster. "Raito, What time is it..?" I ask him as I sat up.
"Almost midnight, let me get you some food and water."
I rub my eyes and did a few stretches before standing up. "Thank you." I sat down at a table where he prepared a small meal.
"We have also reached the Great-Defense, Captain Syhr ordered everyone to stand on the main deck." He filled me in with what I missed as I ate in silence.
After finishing my food, I spoke up. "Alright, let's head up there then,"
After entering the main deck, I notice we are flying inside a large ravine, upon closer inspection – one could see small fortresses on the mountain-sides.
"Hey, Blizzy." Lucas walks up next to me and greets me.
"Is this Yselz territory?" I asked him.
"Yea, we are currently flying through the borders," Lucas says as he points at the buildings on the mountains. "Those are sentries, they shoot anything that doesn't have a permission of flying through."
Right, this territory is completely own by the Kingdom of Yselz. Monsters only reach a certain distance before getting completely shot down. In the books that I read, this place is known as – the 'Great bōgyo', or better known as 'The Great Defense.'
It's said that thousands of men work day and night in this place, watching over the entire mountain that Yselz is placed on top of.
Watching over the thousands of fortresses with ballista's ready to shoot on command, was nothing but astonishing; the buildings are lighting up the road ahead of us with their lanterns – which are powered by Fulgurbugs.
"Let's go over to the captain, shall we?" Lucas gestures to Syhr's location.
Raito and I nod and we follow Lucas, everyone else was also there, Momo was quick to run up to me and place herself on my shoulder.
Everyone was pretty much amazed at the sight before us, this place showed how our ancestors fought countless monsters in this area and now we are seeing it with our own eyes, what they have accomplished.
Syhr was rather quiet, he was focused on steering the ship as smooth as possible – many sharp rocks were pointing at the edges and threaten to pierce the ship as we flew by.
"I feel a bit nervous…" Jenny says out loud.
Everyone seems to nod in agreement, there was absolutely no turning back now.
"Alright hunters! When we arrive, they will check for your hunter license and permission, so have them ready." Syhr warns us.
Our hunter license is simply our carving knives, while Raito has the permit.
Looking ahead, the ravine was getting smaller – it would force us to fly upwards, close to the mountains hillside. We also couldn't see the summit, a large cloud was obscuring the view.
"Alright! Hold on tight, because it's time to unleash the 'Sovereign's' true potential!" Syhr pulls the lever and the flamethrower heats up the air-balloon at a faster rate, we then begin to fly out of the ravine at a rapid pace.
"Luckily the balloon itself is made out of Rath skins, so it can't lit on fire," Aegis comments as he stares at the flamethrower blasting at full force.
Soon enough we fly into the clouds and our view was completely obscured.
We all held of breaths, the wind blowing and the Airship shaking was haunting our ears, after what seemed an eternity – Syhr spoke up.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome, to Yselz!" As soon as Syhr started laughing the clouds vanish and the view changed into an amazing sight.
There was an entire kingdom on top of an enormous plateau, but at the center of said plateau, was a caldera filled with water – a large castle was sitting in the middle of the lake, only one bridge connected said castle with the shoreline, where the rest of the kingdom sat.
The entire kingdom was shining with what looked like hundreds of lanterns, everyone was truly amazed by the sight.
"We'll be landing shortly at Yselz' Airport," Syhr shouts as the airship starts descending.
"This is it," I voice out softly.
"Don't worry Meowster, I'll protect you!" Momo reassures me.
I smile and gave her my gratitude by scratching her chin. "Raito, you have the permit right?"
"Correct," The swordmaster took out the letter we were given, the same one I decided not to burn.
As he hands it over, I gave it one last glance before folding it up. "Okay everyone, we broke a few rules but I can assure you that everything will be fine."
They all gave me nods and kept their ground as the airship finally landed on Yselz' soils.
When Syhr lowered the bridges, a few knights entered the main deck and started searching our belongings.
"Evening Hunters!" A knight clad in silver plating and a blue cape approached us. "My name is General Zaleo, I would be checking all permissions and licenses."
Zaleo was around my height, and had a battle scar across his left eye – his hair and eyes were brown and his skin tone was tan.
"Greetings, General Zaleo, my name is Blizzard Ishi'Ryoku and I'm the leader of this group." I hand over the paper Yselz had sent me.
Zaleo eyebrows raised upon seeing the paper. "Curious, this paper has the royal seal, and yet you didn't follow the orders that were written on it."
"Hunters don't follow your rules – the only orders we take are from the Guild," I responded with a confident tone.
Zaleo smiles. "Good! We needed a group like yours, I'm sure our King will be pleased." The general clapped twice and every Knight onboard left the ship.
"You're free to wander around the kingdom, please find a safe place to reside in." Zaleo gives me a small bow before leaving.
I turn to look at my team. "Is everyone alright?"
They all said yes, Wayland was already carrying his belongings. "Time to move out then," I order them.
"Are you joining us Syhr?" I ask the Captain before I left to get my bags.
Syhr shakes his head. "I'm afraid not, this here vessel is my home – we'll see each other again, I'm sure of it."
"Thank you then, it was brave of you to take us here," I said my final goodbyes before leaving.
After carrying our belongings out of the ship, Lucas told us he had a place where we could stay; naturally, he took the lead and we followed closely behind.
The streets were covered in snow, which reminded me of my homeland and how much I enjoyed being near snowy areas. It was distracting me with ease and actually made me a bit happy.
"We'll need to walk through some streets of the kingdom and walk towards the forest side." Lucas' voice draws me out of my trance.
"I thought your parents would live in the city," I said out loud.
Lucas shakes his head. "You'll understand why they don't once we arrive, we're almost there anyways – see that gate that leads into the forest? That leads to their house."
I glance up ahead and indeed there was a gate entrance, the kind that you would see when entering a park or a town.
As we walk down the forest path, it was rather quiet, only the sound of our footsteps could be heard as we kept walking forward.
After a minute or so, the forest path widens and reveals a courtyard - just beyond the courtyard was a large villa made out of wood and fancy stone pillars supporting the entire structure by holding up the lengthy overhead, above the porch. The building also had a second floor and rooftop that would allow snow to fall off of it with ease.
We step on the porch and stood in front of the main entrance. "Man, they're going to lecture me for this," Lucas mutters as he knocks on the door.
After a few minutes of waiting, the door opens and reveals a maiden that looked very sleepy.
"How can I help you at these hours?" The women asked us as she yawned.
"Hello, I'm back from my adventure," Lucas told the women casually.
She looked up at Lucas for a bit before realizing who it was. "Oh! young Lucas, welcome back! Please come in and of course we have some guests, let me get some tea!" The women started panicking a bit before Lucas calmed her down.
"No need, rest assure we are fine, so please go back to sleep, however, are the guest rooms open?" Lucas calmly asked the women that seemed to be a maid.
"Y-yes of course. They have always been cleaned and ready for any unexpected guests." The maid swiftly said.
The maid excuses herself by bowing and entering a hallway to our left, she was now completely out of sight.
"I'll show everyone their rooms, just follow me and please do not make any loud noises." Lucas looked at Jenny as he said the last part.
Jenny just sticks her tongue out at Lucas, before giggling to herself.
We went up the stairs that were in front of the entrance, and into a long hallway on the right side of the building before Lucas halted in front of a room.
"Alright, Jenny's room is this one right here and Blizzy's room in front of hers." Lucas points to both doors, Jenny and I nod.
"Raito's should be the room next to Blizzy's, Aegis' next to Jenny's, followed by mine next to Aegis and last but not least, Wayland's room will be next to Raito's." Lucas instructions were clear and no one was complaining, so we all said our goodnights and head into our new rooms.
Moonlight filled the room from the fairly large window that was a few feet away from the bed, I could also see a box of candles and matches on the bedtable. Momo jumped off my shoulder and went underneath the bed.
"Good night, nya!" I could hear her small voice.
I shake my head with a smile and went over to the table. 'Best to lit up a few candles so I can properly see the room.'
Once I did so, I could see that the room was larger than I originally foresaw, I could say the same for the bed. There was a table with two chairs, drawers, a mirror, and a bathroom.
I start unpacking my things and placed them neatly into the drawers that I would be using, for now, I was still restless – mostly due to sleeping for an entire day.
'Gods, I didn't know I was such a heavy sleeper...' I was honestly ashamed of myself for staying asleep for more than sixteen hours.
I walk over to the window and decided to open it, which allowed me to stand outside on a balcony. After a few seconds, my neighbor's window opened and Raito stepped out onto his own balcony next to mine.
"Whoa, looks like I can sneak into your room from here." He jokes.
I roll my eyes at his joke. "This isn't a hotel, I can literally find you and kill you."
"I was joking, geez," Raito chuckles. "I assume you're not sleepy."
I shake my head, and stared at the night sky – the winter stars were as bright as ever.
"Hmm, we can walk around the forest if you want."
Raito's suggestion made me look at him with a confused look. "How do you plan on leaving-"
The swordmaster positions himself on the balcony's fence and leaps to a nearby tree branch. "Come on Huntress, isn't this your type of thing?"
"You're absolutely crazy..." A smile creeps up on my face as I leap to Raito's balcony and then onto the tree branch.
We jump down to the snowy ground below and start walking deeper into the forest.
After a couple of minutes, Raito suddenly stops, which causes me to bump into him.
"Ah, sorry." I apologize.
Raito chuckles before pointing up ahead. "What a beautiful sight."
I lean to the side so I could see what's in front of him. The forest had cleared up to an open snowy field, and a large boulder was at the center of it – behind the boulder was the view of the entire lake and the castle. The moon was cascading its light and made the lake shine as if thousands of stars were inside the water.
"Yea, for a second there, all of my worries disappeared," I say softly as I stand next to Raito in order to get a better view.
A sigh escapes his mouth, I can see his breath as he did so. "Speaking of worries, did you get my message when we were back on the ship?"
"Of course, were we truly being spied on?"
"Yes, I fear they were listening for important information, what for – I know as much as you do." Raito closed his eyes and pondered for a bit. "Ah, yes, and about the favor – I will gladly keep an eye on your friends, however, if I had to pick between them and your life, know that I will always pick the latter."
I just shrug. "I guess I just won't ever get in danger."
A chuckle escapes his mouth. "That'll make my job a lot easier,"
"Thank you for everything you've done, I truly mean it." I look at Raito's eyes, highlighting how grateful I was for his hard work.
Raito shakes his head. "I'm not doing this to return a favor. When you came into my life Ryoku – it had a large impact on how I see the world, and I would like to protect that forever."
He then points at the lake. "Without you, I wouldn't be here – and I would still be trapped or maybe even dead. I've come to realize how amazing it is to travel the world and learn so many new things, so know that I'm not here by force, but because you earned my trust and friendship."
I can't help but giggle. "You sound like a dramatic teenager."
"I didn't exactly have a childhood." Raito laughs out.
"Few of us did.., the majority of us are thrown into the world without knowing how to swim in it."
Raito laughs even more. "Who sounds like a dramatic teenager now."
"Alright, you got me there," I admit defeat. "So, what now?"
"Honestly, I really don't know; my mind is racing with different scenarios of what can happen on this trip, so sleeping isn't an option for me." Raito's voice was monotone and I could tell he was in a trance.
"That makes two of us, except my issue is because I slept for so long," I said a bit embarrass.
Raito blinks and starts laughing. "Oh, right! Man, you're such a heavy sleeper, who in the world can sleep for fifteen hours straight!"
I let out a groan as I look around. "Shhh, someone will hear us." I scold him for shouting.
"Fine, fine. Look let's just go back to the villa and try to get some sleep, it's getting cold out here – not that you would know." Raito smirks as he turns and walks back down the trail we created with our footsteps.
I chase after him. "Stop being mean, it's not my fault I was born in Pokke!"
AN: Hey we reached the end! And time for me to introduce our new character - which was created by a supporter/good friend of mine - Captain Syhr.
Eye color: Light Brown.
Hair color: Blonde. (He only has a beard, so yes, he's bald.)
Height: 6'0
Skin tone: Light
As for Zaleo, I'm pretty sure I created him... Can't seem to remember since I wrote this part a year ago xP
Eye color: Brown
Hair color: Brown
Height: 5'11
Skin tone: Tan
Ah, and for the uniform/armor that the knights are wearing, it's the Alloy armor, except for Zaleo who had the relic version - the one with the long cape.
That should be it for now!