Part 2

The Ace Hunters, in this instance, travelled on foot at a brisk pace. Normally, they would have taken their ship, Unaaq, to Dundorma, but their previous mission had taken them to a village relatively nearby. They had not brought the ship there, as they had been flown to the village, and waiting for it would have rendered them late. So, in this instance, walking to Dundorma was faster. It was, however, also extremely dangerous, as they had to travel in treacherous lands, filled with particularly dangerous monsters, which, for the most part, were absent in other parts of the world.

This pleased the Hammer wielder. New challenges, new monsters, tougher and more powerful than ever, that was a chance for her to prove herself, to show the world what she was worth. And, most importantly, to show someone in particular that she did have everything under control, and that she did not put anyone in danger, especially not herself. Take that, you grumpy ass.

The Commander was well aware that the danger they were all in simply by travelling in these places made her even more arrogant – although he remained surprised that that was even possible – and that she was eager to get in a fight. All of this both made him nervous and exasperated him. As they all walked, he kept looking around, looking to her, to make sure she was not preparing to do something stupid.

Hana acted as lookout; she had the eyes for it. The Commander trusted her with his life, and knew very well that she could warn them if danger approached, be it from above, from below, or from any side. He sometimes wondered if she had eyes in the back of her head; it seemed like she could see everything. She was well the only reason he felt somewhat safe around here. And even if she couldn't stop whatever could come at them, she could warn them in time so that they could all prepare, and not be taken by surprise.

The Lancer was in awe at the Cadet's excitement, as he often was. He wondered how the boy could have so much energy, especially in this weather. It was hot, unbearably so, yet the young man jumped around like he did not even feel the temperature.

"Settle down, Haru," the Lancer sighed.

He slowed down a bit, turning around to face his companion, and beamed at him.

"I'm just so excited to help rebuild Dundorma! I've always wanted to go there!"

The Ace Lancer smiled fondly.

"It is a wonderful city... But do keep your energy for when we get there, boy."

"Yes, sir!"

The Cadet slowed down again, matching the group's pace, although he still bounced a bit at every step. The Hammer wielder turned around to face the Lancer, an inquisitive look on her face.

"You've been to Dundorma before? I've heard a lot about it, but I've never been. Do you have any stories? What exactly is it like?"

Hideaki had the look of someone who liked telling stories. He smiled, and his eyes sparkled with a shine the girl had not seen in him ever before. She noted to herself that she needed to ask him to tell stories more often.

"The first time I went to Dundorma, I had just become the Capital C Caravan's hunter. The Caravan had decided to head there because they had some business in the city, and I was glad to accompany them, as I had a notebook filled with my biology notes, notes I'd taken after fighting multiple monsters from around the world, and I wished to share my knowledge with people who cared about it; and it just so happened that I had heard of a prominent professor who resided in Dundorma, who was looking for new people to help him in his research. The Caravaneer had assured me that we would stay in the city for a while, so, understandably, I was quite happy."

A smile played on the Ace Commander's lips, as he distractedly listened to this story he had heard a thousand times. And although he was still anxious, his nervousness was slightly calmed at the sight of Leiko – the Hammer wielder, who's name fit so well he wondered if her parents had been able to tell the future – listening intently to Hideaki. She would not stir trouble this way. He let out a small sigh. Only Hana picked up on it.

"We travelled there on a sand ship, and did not encounter any problems on the way. When we arrived, I was entirely impressed; I had never seen a city that big! Dundorma is enormous, buzzing with activity at all times and in all of it's corners. It really is a wonderful place, filled with hunters willing to risk their lives to protect it and civilians spending their lives rebuilding it. I admire all of those people, and their hard work inspired me then and continues to do so."

"Anyhow... The Caravaneer and the others were setting up arrangements for us to stay in the city, so I was out walking around... And suddenly, the ground started to shake violently. In the distance, a sound as loud, no, even louder than thunder, BOOM!"

His sound effect startled Haru, who was lapping up every word the Lancer threw his way. He was entirely engrossed in the story. Leiko, on the other hand, while she was intently listening, was a lot more level-headed about it.

"Everyone around me started panicking, running around, getting back inside their homes. I could hear people screaming 'It's the Mountain Dragon! It's the Mountain Dragon!', the phrase came from all sides. The sound what I assumed it's footsteps made was slow and steady, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, and every time the earth shook. Everyone got in their houses, and I was left all alone in the middle of the street. I still didn't know exactly what was happening, but I'd heard the stories: the Moutain Dragon, a giant Elder Dragon the size of a mountain: the Lao-Shan Lung."

The Cadet let out a "Ooooooooh!", his big eyes making him look even more surprised and excited than usual. The Hammer wielder's eyes sparkled at the thought of such an enormous creature to take down.

"I had a duty: to protect my caravan. So I did what any hunter would do; I took my lance, and ran towards the outer wall of the city. I climbed on top of it, joining dozens of hunters who wanted to protect their home, their families, or even total strangers. Out in the distance, we could see it: this monster, almost the size of the city, coming towards us."

He paused for effect, which looked like it drove Haru crazy.

"But we could also see something else... Around it, four tiny specks: hunters! This group of four hunters, risking their lives, running around a dragon that made the earth shake every step it took, that sounded louder than thunder! And they were fighting it! We were far away, way too far for them to hear us, but we cheered them on! They were our heroes, our saviours, they would save the city!"

"They fought for a long time, but the Lao-Shan Lung kept going, it kept walking even though the hunters were weakening it. It was getting closer, and closer, and from here we could see the wounds the four men had inflicted upon it, but it was not enough. We all grew nervous, we did not know what to do! The sound of thundering footsteps was getting louder and louder: BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM... And then it came. It arrived. We stood over the gate, on the wall, thinking this was the end. The monster lifted it's enormous head, and it looked at us with eyes filled with evil. We all looked at it; we were terrified, and just as it was about to destroy us all..."

He paused for effect again, revelling in the suspense and the total attention his audience gave him.

"A hunter armed with a Greatsword took his weapon down on the monster's foot, staggering it! He screamed at us: 'Use the Dragonator! Use the Dragonator!'. Everyone around me was panicked, fumbling around to find it, but I spotted it immediately: in half a second, I was beside it, and I brought down my shield on it with all my might, pressing the button to activate it!"

Haru let out a screaming "WOW!", and even Leiko looked quite impressed, that sparkle in her eyes still shining. The Commander finally felt somewhat safe.

"The Dragonator sprang out, digging it's point into the Lao-Shan Lung's chest! The dragon let out a deafening scream, and everything around us shook once again! I thought the wall was going to come down! But then, the shaking stopped, and as I opened my eyes, all I could see was this giant, mountain of a monster, fallen over, DEAD!"

This was the punchline. The Cadet leaped into the air, jumping up and down like he was there, and the menace to his life and his city had just been defeated. The Hammer wielder was beaming, this huge smile shaping her features in an expression she did not have often. She was like a child, giddy from this amazing story she'd just heard.

"That was awesome! You really defeated a Lao-Shan Lung!?" the redhead couldn't believe his ears.

"Well, I certainly did not do all the work. In fact, without those four hunters wounding it on it's way there, I would have never been able to activate the Dragonator in time. Really, they did all the work: I simply struck the finishing hit."

"Is there a chance it'll show up when we're there? I'd love to fight that thing!"

The Commander snapped.

"This is not a game, Leiko. The Lao-Shan Lung is a very real, very powerful threat, and wishing it upon Dundorma is not only foolish, but selfish and dangerous!"

The girl turned around, facing the man's back, before spewing the next words.

"It's not my fault you feel like you couldn't beat it! You're just scared! You're scared of being hurt, you're scared of dying, you're just a coward!"

"ENOUGH!"

In all of the times she had pushed him around, she had contradicted him, she had acted like he was nothing other than a pretentious wannabe, he had never so much as raised his voice. This sudden outburst, this scream he had just let out was a first. Leiko suddenly seemed to retract, her aggressive demeanour disappeared and she shrunk back into herself. He had extended his arm, and turned around to face her; she could see in his eyes an anger she had tried to induce before, but in this moment she regretted bringing it upon herself.

"You are nothing," he seethed. "You are not strong, you are not almighty, and you are certainly not as skilled as you think you are. You are not better than anybody, and you certainly are not better than any of us. Your insignificance in this world is only equal to the insignificance of every single one of your thoughts. You are a little girl; a child, you are nothing. Nothing."

"Enough, A-" Hana stopped as the man glared at her with eyes filled with warning. "...Commander. That's enough. She's heard enough."

And indeed she had. The Hammer wielder held her head high, but it was simply out of pride. She stared the Commander in the eyes, but he could see her eyes flicker with the tears she was holding back. She did not speak, though her silence said it all. Her expression remained neutral, but her features hardened.

They stared each other in the eyes, a silent battle raging between them. The Commander was the first one to look away, as he turned around to face the horizon. He kept walking, everyone following suit, but this time in silence. And as they walked, between the dunes, the silhouette of a city slowly revealed itself.