Chapter 7
The way to Harth was long, grueling, numbing, but sexy... Sexy? How was it- oh, my. I think I'm falling for this desert. It has held me captive so long, yet never hurt me. No... That was the wind, the scorpions, the occasional Jaggi, a Monoblos chasing after a Black Diablos-
Speaking of the devil.
Faires passed again, the midnight mama hot on his heels. I don't know who was crying louder, but Faires seemed to be winning the dunes' favor. They held his voice longer until the Monoblos passed. It stopped by the the streetcat's wok, glaring down at the felyne working, frying away at today's "meal." Fresh Konchu sauteed in... something... It was best not to question anymore. Even the Monoblos agreed, snorting and continuing his "courting."
"Keep your knees up, Doodle," Guildmarm called out, fanning herself with her quill. Her green top was splotched with sweat, her pale face beet and peeling.
"Or just give in to her," I boomed, mouth cracking, a few 'scales' flowing on a dead breeze. "It's okay to commit, you know. She seems to really love you. You two can have fine children."
Marm slapped my arm. "Soodle. Not funny."
"I thought it was. Besides, he gives in, she slows down, and the Monoblos can duel with him to the death... or the Diablos rejects the Monoblos finally and it comes storming our way."
"That's definitely not funny."
It would be FUN, though. After all, FUN was the one item comparatively lower than morale at this point. In other impossible news, fish can swim in land and man can fight underwater... Wait...
I took a bite of the Konchu... You know, now I'm not so upset the Caravaneer made me dig them up. Tasted like lobster, but a touch chewier, a bit... fuller on the tongue. I took of one of the legs, cracked it open, and sucked the meat out, licking my fingers clean of the "sauce." The streetcat bowed and began cleaning his wok- and Faires returned, collapsing into the chair beside, wheezing.
"What happened to your lady friend, Vi," I said, patting his shoulder. "Didn't work out?"
"Why didn't you help?" He exclaimed, coughing and gagging. I offered him a flask, and he downed it, leaving nothing in the leather pouch. "Thank you. Goddamn, that was annoying. She wouldn't get off my ass for nothing."
"Should have tied her down, man. Not many women would run you down with such passion."
"And have you jealous?"
"Me? Jealous? You're the one still fuming about the Kecha."
"That bastard was not as loveable as you keep making him out to be. He threw me through four pillars, for crying out loud."
"You put a nasty gash in his back. Know how long that took to close?"
"... Thirty seconds?"
"... Lucky guess... Anyways, you left her to that Monoblos? What's wrong with you?"
"Best kept to their species. Humans and monsters mating simply isn't right."
"You take that back," ...Both me and Guildmarm boomed...
Faires cleared his throat. "Anyways, shouldn't we be moving? There's only a matter of time before another Diablos or Monoblos or Triablos or Quadablos comes along."
"What about a Quintablos?" I said.
Guildmarm smacked my arm again. "No no, Soodle. We all know it jumps to Omniablos after."
"Oh. Right. My bad. Besides, Faries, we'd be further along if you didn't stop to flirt with the local wildlife all the time. How are we expected to get anywhere with you mingling and trying to get some tail?"
And there's that lovely shade of purple in his tanned cheeks, that throbbing vein on his temple. The streetcook handed me a bottle of ale, and I spat the cork at him before raising the bottle-
Sand exploded beside, returning, filling the holes left by a cracked pair of horns.
The streetcat meowed loudly, stowing, locking everything before leaping onto the Wycoon and his cart, interrupting the little old man and the Caravaneer. The cat pointed back to his cart, meowing loud and fast, covering up whatever he was saying-
But the horns were nice enough to show again.
They tore through the table, their tips grazing against my throat. I reached for my shield, grabbed my lance, and eased out of the chair, scooting it through the sand, holding my breath until I was out of that vice. I gasped, and the world rumbled as those horns descended again, settling below my feet.
I flicked open the Bone Javelin, hunched behind the bone-encrusted escutcheon, and hopped back, twice, thrice, far enough away from the rest, the ground shaking with each, the tremors rippling, rending the sand. Faires finally stood, his duals unsheathed, shaking in his hands my whole being was nothing but that quaking.
Before it stopped.
I hopped back again, and sand plumed, plum claws lashing out, nipping at the shield. Six purple legs clamored out, hefting a Diablos skull with them, covering its rump. Two beady, stalk eyes twitched, throbbing with its antennae, passing by its frilled mouth, jabbering away. It shrieked, a gravelly sort of sound, and lunged, pushing me up a dune.
It stopped, and I thrust my shield into its face, pushing it back down to an even plain. It batted away my lance, sparking off its claws, its legs, and it slapped me up the dune again, spouting dust clouds as it hopped after. It chased me up and over, stopping at the top, stiffening. My lance brought black blood out of his legs, but he still didn't move. W-
… I didn't know crabs can fly.
I made my way over the dune again, stopping at the base, and the hillside collapsed, burying my legs. The dust settled, and it was gone again. Faires freed me, hauling me back as he scanned the dunes. Don't know why; no rumbling.
"It's gone, Vi," I said, standing, patting his back. "Thanks, though."
"How can you be sure?"
"It was after an easy meal, and I wouldn't give it to them. How's the convoy?"
"It's moving. The Streetcook was a bit shaken, but he said the next meal is on him."
"Better be," I raised my shield, the metal warped, curved towards the middle. "Can the Man fix this?"
"Yeah. He should. Guy's a miracle worker. Come on. If we hurry, we can throw ourselves inside your caravan as they are going downhill..."
Faires lit the lantern on my bedside, plopping himself on the cushion beside the trunk after. I sat across, staring out into the dusky sky, watching through the flap as, one-by-one, those tiny beads spilled out into that mosaic of deep purples, dark blues, deep pinks, and shocking oranges weaving its way across the dunes. Remobras blotted that horizon, circling something far off in the plains, and a school of Delex made their way down into another valley off to the left, herded, culled by Cepholos and their drome.
"Yo."
Faires shook my leg, smiling.
"You awake?"
I scoffed, and rolled over, sitting up. "Yeah. Why?"
"No reason. Just thought you would be exhausted."
"Exhausted? After that little skiff? Nah... Kinda wish I fought the Monoblos, or even the the Black Diablos."
"Trust me. No, you don't."
"But I don't trust you."
"What? Since when?"
"Since you said to trust you."
"... I can respect that... So, you ever going to... you know..."
"... What?"
He waved at my hair, humming. "Well..."
"What about it? Something wrong?"
"No, no. Though, I think it'd look better in a ponytail."
I ran my hands through it, huffing. "And loose this wave of awesomeness? No thanks."
"It'd still be awesome. Simply less of a hazard in combat."
"That's... actually a good point. Hand me a bit of twine from my trunk, will you."
"No problem... Although that's not what I wanted to say."
"Then say it, already."
"Remember when we first met, in the bar?"
"That's the second time."
"I mean actually meet, to get to know each other."
"I don't know about you, but I learned a lot from the top of the Dah'ren. How does it look?"
"You have it a little sideways. Here. Turn around. I'll help."
"No. You just want to mess with it. Why are you and Marm and the Streetcat always after my hair?"
"Quit being a whiner and turn around. I used to tie back my sister's hair all the time. And... There we go."
"... Thanks... You have a sister?"
"... Had."
"... Oh- OH... I'm..."
He shook his head, his smile waned but still warm.
"It's fine. It was a long time ago. Tigrex attack the village. She was out playing... Mom took it pretty bad, and Dad went to hunt it. Brought back its head... but it didn't fill the hole in him."
"What happened?"
"Both decided swallowing coals was a better fate," He shook his head, and pushed away the flap, his eyes glazed with the stars above. "That one... is still a bit fresh... They did it about a month after I left, after I got my Guild Card... I don't remember much of the trip between Pokke, where I hired an escort, to Val Habar."
He scoffed and looked at me, smiling again.
"What I do remember is seeing a bright, red-headed girl on top of a Dah'ren yelling at a group. I couldn't help but think, 'Just how loony is this person to climb all the way to the top of a Mohran then demand help getting down.'"
"Loony?"
"Can't blame me for my thoughts before we met."
"... Yeah, I can. Wouldn't make sense and be pretty shallow, but I can. I probably won't, but I can always can."
"You can-can?"
"Better than the would-would."
"Who knew that such an odd encounter would lead me to one of the... quirkiest friends I will ever meet."
"Ah. Love you too, you thick-headed, oafish, arrogant, naïve buffoon. Even if you are gone for months at a time."
"Hey. We make up the time. Jaggis and Seltas... And Seltas... And... Seltas."
"We finally captured it. That's all that matters."
"Anyways, I just got done spilling my guts, so start letting yours loose."
"Where should I start?"
"Hair."
"Over there?"
"No. Hair."
"Right here?"
"Hair. Hair. This stuff."
"Ow. Ow! Stop tugging. Ow... Okay. Yeesh. What do you want to know?"
"Back at the bar, you said you 'supposedly' got it from your mom."
"Yeah. Supposedly. Wouldn't know. Only saw the woman three times in my life –at least, what I can remember."
"Then you were raised by your dad?"
"Nope. Only saw him four. He and Mom were a 'power couple.' Their whole life was around hunting. Keeping the village safe... No, I was raised by my Uncle, Owen. A nice enough guy... if you could look passed his views."
"So, your mother and father hunted together? All the time? For how long?"
"I don't know. A while, I guess. Long enough that they loved each other and hunting more than their daughter, that's for sure, but enough about them –well, directly about them. Still about my hair, yes?"
"Yeah. How do you supposedly know you got it from your mom? Is that what you see when you remember her?"
"Nope. White hair. Dad had brown."
"... Then how-"
"Because mom was a Wyverian."
"... I need to lift your hair a l-"
"I don't have pointed ears, okay. Why does everyone instantly check for them when I say that. Dad was normal, a regular human from Yukumo. I got his."
"Then where the hell does the red come from."
"No freakin' idea, but you know Wyverians. Shrouded in such mystery, much folklore. I remember meeting Mom's sister once, and she called my hair 'as bright as a Teostra's mane, with a temper to match.'"
"Can't argue with that."
"Neither can I."
"... You know, there's one rumor I've heard about Wyverians-"
"Oh, here we go."
"What?"
"I don't care, okay? I am not a Wyverian. I do not care about Wyverian Culture. I do not care about the rumors and legends that surround them. Do you know how many people have begun this line after learning I am part Wyverian?"
"Okay. Sorry... Though, this rumor is-"
"Don't."
"B-"
"Care."
"Will you at least let me say it?"
"I guess."
"Teostra temper indeed... Anyways. There's a rumor that Wyverians are closer to the monsters of this land than many of its denizens. They have a sort of... connection with them."
"Here's a thought: if a person was running at you with a weapon yelling, would you: A) stand your ground and try to talk to them rationally, B) run away, or C) fight back? Wyverians tend to be incredible pacifists and work with the earth they dwell on to make a living. There's no connection. Just simple common sense."
"I simply brought it because, you know, you and Kecha-"
"He was trying to play with you, too, but then you swung and brought blood. You only have yourself to blame."
He shook his head, and staggered to his feet, his knees popping as he stretched.
"Well, thanks for answering my question. Think I'm ready to hit the sack, though."
"And you say I have a violent temper."
"Yeah, yeah. Remember to get to sleep early tonight. You're on gathering duty."
"Again?"
"That's your job here with the Caravaneer. Besides, you seem to have a better understanding with the natives. Night."
With that, he stepped out of the caravan, dashing off and around, racing towards the front of the convoy. The moon finally broke across the dunes, its pale face stealing away the colors of that sky. A Diablos's shriek echoed far as sand plumed at the top of one of those dunes, dust clinging onto the Monoblos pulling himself out. He returned the shriek before lying down.
