Monster Hunter Dusk & Dawn: New Era

by ZN-OUGA

In the world where Monsters and Humans clash for the top spot in the food chain, a lone Hunter strives for the best for the both sides. Could he succeed becoming mediator? Or can he repel the true darkness that drives beasts to attack humans? R&R!

14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: "Drawing Your Cards, Playing Your Hand."

Blue Slopes Gate.

"We returned even faster than expected due to the Gaguas' running like they're on Power Juice or something, but…" "-what should we do, nya?"

Touya and Ran are now standing still before the Dividing Gate, pondering. Behind them, a panting pair of Gaguas, namely Suisei and Hiru, is resting in the stable, while Shura is pouring our cold spring water for them to drink.

"According to the Guild's rules, DevilJhos can only be Hunted by those with Rank 16 or more."

"Master was a 17-er, by the way nya."

"And my rank is 14. Shura is 13. Thus we cannot enter the Gate to help him." Groaned Touya. "Nyaa! Can that rule overruled somehow!?" Yelled the Felyne in panic- "No. That rule is erected in the first place to prevent accidental death by hunting Monsters far above your ability-" "-and only in 'Urgent' situations, as in, 'the nearby town would be destroyed along with everyone living in it' that rule could be overruled. Moreover, only Hunters with one Rank directly below that could partake in the Hunt." Added Shura to his brother's explanation, coming back from the stables.

"Is there any way that you can raise your Rank to 15 in this instant then?"

"You're asking for the impossible, Ran-sama." Retorted Touya wryly.

"Then how can we help Dusk!?"

"Oh, you know. Maybe he has defeated the Jho?" "It's Master anyway, so that would be possible. After all, he-"

BLAST!

"NYYAAAAAAAHHH!?" "GYAAAAAAAAAHHH!?"

The two, without a warning, is pressed flat against the Dragonwood gate by a sudden burst of gale from behind them. "WHAAATT ISSS THIIISSSS!?" Asked Touya, cannot moving almost all parts of his body save then those which is encased in armor-

-which is now starting to give out strange creaking sound.

No, it's not the armor which gave out that creak.

It's the hinges. They had taken quite a beating from his Gunlance's repeated Wyvern Fire in such small timeframe that the vibration made the nails loose.

BWOOOOOSSHHH!

And the intensity of the wind is still picking up. If this continued, then for sure the gate will be opened in no time-for the door would be unhinged…

CREEEEEAAAAAAAAAKKKK~

See? The gap between the giant slab of wood started to widen.

"I CAAAAANNN'TTTT HOOOOOLLLLDDD OOOONNN NNYYAAAAAA!" Yelled out Ran which still skidding even after stabbing her claws into the grains of said door-wait, she skids because the wood is far too hard for her claws to dig into. "AAAAAAMMMAAAATTTSSSUUUU-SAAAAAMAAAAA!"

Fling.

"Eh?" "-eh?"

For a short moment, they saw something…a silhouette? No, it's more than one object-

SHUT.

After those objects passed the gate, the wind just died like the gale before was just a bad dream. At such, the objects held in place by the air pressure came off from the surface of said Gate.

"-nyah!" "-guh!"

That was Ran and Touya, of course.

"What was tha…DUSK!?"

"HAA!?"

The two quickly jumped up and looked at the 'things' that passed the Gate when it's opened by some great gale…probably, a divine intervention by the Mountain God(dess) herself.

Shura was right. Lying before two larger forms was one of Dusk's, which looked paler then a Khezu.

"…Mugetsu…" said Dusk with all of that chattering-of-teeth. "Human b-bodies weren't meant…to be flown like thatttt…!" Protested him, rubbing his hands one against each other to generate frictional heat-

"…Dusk. Can you…give explananion for these? Anything would do…" Said Shura, while eyeing the other two 'things' that are flung through the gate along with the Hunter.

The dead bodies of two full-grown Jinouga. 'Normal' people would reckognize those two objects as such.

Yet for Dusk, those bodies possesses higher value than that. For him, those weren't just two dead Jinougas that can be used as a supply of rare Materials-

Those two, Fuuraiha and Asanagi were-no, was his friends.

Even if they are only acquinted for less than a day, their bonds will remain true.

"The Deviljho…killed them. I can't save them."

Is that enough explanation? Dusk surely doubt that. After all, that would not be enough to explain why did he got thrown outside the gate by some hurricane-level gust of wind…

Or why did those bodies got carried as well.

"…that's it?" Asked Shura, placing one of his hand on his temples- "Are you sure that's ALL!? I mean, you just literally, as IN-FACT FLEW through the Gate that's opened by itself!" "-correction. OPENED by some kind of gale." Corrected Ran, now trying to comb out her messy fur using spit and tongue-yes, she's grooming.

"Was…Amatsu-sama also involved in this?"

"…would you believe if I say yes?"

"At this time, even if you say that Amatsu-sama is the one who used his-" "-her-" "-oh, 'Her' gale to…"

"HER!?" Yelled the three in unison- "THAT'S NOT WHERE YOU SHOULD YELL!" Yelled Dusk in response. "Anyway, the Deviljho is still alive. And I have a score to settle-"

*glint*

'You forgot something.' Said a distant voice which he can only perceive as Mugetsu's. As he saw a glint coming from an object coming down from above, he took a step back-

STAB.

And the broken White Cutting Wing suddenly appeared, its sharp edge concealed by a strange piece of rock where it landed on.

"Thanks, Mugetsu." Said Dusk while looking at the open skies. He can't see her form, but that doesn't mean she is not there. No response…but it's not like he expect her to reply anyway.

"…it would take a loooong time explaining what happened back there, so can I talk while I Carve?" Asked Dusk, after seeing strange faces and gestures of pointing to the sky and him back and forth made by the twins and his Companion.

"Please do."

The three voiced their mind in sync.

"Okay…"

So…where to start? From the Potion or?

While Dusk's mind wandered away, his body instinctively drawn nearer to the two fallen bodies. The flesh is now chilled to the bone, thanks to Amatsu's decision of transportation method-it also preserves the remaining tissue at the sama time. From the time of death, I'd better start with Asanagi…grumbled Dusk inwardly, picking up the broken-off White Wing that landed near his position…which strangely, embedded inside something that looks like a piece of strangely-shaped stone.

"What is this…thing?" Asked Dusk, for even with his extensive knowledge of Material he still have difficulty appraising the object. He's sure that he have seen it somewhere before, but… "A Charmstone, maybe?" He's still not sure what kind is that stone, or if it IS a Charmstone, yet he pocketed it anyway after removing the still-usable Wing. Better ask Lagun later.

"Now then-"

How should you Carve a Jinouga?

Since he never actually do this before, furthermore, not even the Local Monster Info provides the complete body structure guide usually made after disassembling many Beasts for their anatomical detail, so all he can do now is a wild guesswork at best. As he creates a temporary handle for the Wing using nearby tree's branch and some length of his Machalite-string, and spouting things that can be considered nonsense (but true in this case) for the three listeners, he walked in circles around the two bodies, pondering how exactly you Carve a Jinouga.

*Drip* *Drip.*

A small dripping sound made by defrosted ice that has been covering the two bodies brought Dusk's wandering mind back into his body; he has been spending enough time to cause the formerly cold body becomes lukewarm, which is even worse then hot body becoming cold; the bacteria in the Beast's intestines would reactivate, and in case of carnivores it would cause widespread spoiling of the organs surrounding it. Hrrgh-no choice then. The order would be Gutting, Skinning and Collection then!

And just as he brought his hand near Asanagi's body-

*crumble*

"…eh?"

The four of them made an almost idiotic tone using their mouth. How do you expect a trained Hunter will react after seeing a corpse crumble into pieces of bones, shells and scales in front of your very eyes?

"DUSK! What happened!? Why is that corpse's is…empty?!" Asked Shura, frantically waving his pointing fingers to the…mess which previously was Asanagi's body. "I DON'T KNOW EITHER! Wait, could it be…using that last Art would turn all of their soft tissues into ash!?" Muttered him, pushing his palm against Fuurai's body—it crumbles just like his mate's.

Technically speaking, it is similar to rootfire. You know, the phenomena where wildfire spreads by burning not the leaves and branches, but rather the roots of trees? The ground will heat up, but not to the point of burning the grass on top of it while the roots and the connected parts would be completely annihilated.

In Jinouga's case, Dusk hypotethized that the electrical current flowing through their body upon using the Forbidden Art would cause heat because of the natural resistance of the tissue surrounding it. The Conductors and other parts which compartible with electricity, on the other hand, would still be intact. "Still…how much electricity would it need to vaporize flesh?" Groaned Dusk in awe, now sorting the Materials. It was just like his guess; the internal organs, muscle included, has vanished-leaving only small amount of fat layers which is highly likely highly conductive, (strangely) nerve fibres and central nervous system. Even their bones has become dry as it were sun-dried for a week or so.

Speaking of bones…

"This…is this what I think it is?" Asked Dusk, touching a rather strange, translucent aquamarine-colored mass that is stuck against several places in Fuurai's body. "Most likely…it is what you thought, Dusk."

"Master Renga!?" Shouted all of them, looking at a small Wyverian figure that approaches them. "Why would you personally visit this Area, Master-"

The Wyverian holds up his palm in front of Shura's face, and he immediately stopped speaking. Looking down the path leading to Yukumo, they can see a Cart parked near a tree, with Lao on the driver's seat. "I sense a great disturbance in the Mountain…So I thought something has happened. I asked Lao to lend me a Gagua, but he adamantly refused-unless he accompany me, so he said." Said Renga with a almost cheerful tone, distrupting the gloomy mood that engulfed the whole area.

"Those lumps are…Jinouga Tourmalines. But they have not yet matured enough to be called a Gem. Give it few years more, this Jinouga would be unmatched in power over lightning." Exclaimed Renga, touching one of those lumps-

*brrrrt*

A small jolt of electricity sparked, burning the tip of his finger-yet he doesn't seem bothered by that. "So…Dusk. Have you heard the story from Lord Amatsu? About the Dark One's revival?" Asked Renga, turning his head to Dusk's.

Not bothered with the details why did Renga know about the subject of the supposedly private conversation, he simply nodded.

"Mugetsu…she said that the Jho is controlled by The Dark One somehow as an assassination attempt. By killing her, the seal placed on The Dark One would weaken considerably, enabling quick revival as opposed of waiting it to dissolve by itself over time."

"And when it happened…", he added, gripping the makeshift handle emits creaking sound of wood breaking. "It would be the end of all living things." Continued Renga, huffing a great sigh.

"We still can prevent that." Said him again, after drawing his pipe from underneath his clothes and stuffing it with dried herb of some kind, lighting it and inhales deeply. "How? How could we oppose a God!?" Asked Touya in frustration, but Renga silenced him by pointing his pipe to the younger brother's direction. "Correction. Not a God, a beast. Only, with incomprehensible, godlike powers. That was your first mistake." "Oh, somewhere in the line of 'if it bleeds it can be killed' nya?" Added Ran, getting the point. Of course, not any one of them save then Dusk knew that the old Wyverian before them is one of those God-Killers which brought down a Crimson Fatalis…

"Secondly-did you think the Seal, left alone, would break immediately? It has restricted the Dark One from since the beginning of times-would a few years matters much? In fact, if the Seal has been weakened enough, we all will never have this conversation going; we'd be all already died."

"And thirdly…" He eyes Dusk with one eye closed before gesturing a smile with his lips. "We have something that can be used to kill a God."

Understanding that what Renga meant with 'something', Dusk quickly nodded. The Crimson Code!

"We still have a chance." Said Renga, further reinforcing his argument. "But ultimately it depends on you young ones." He added, looking at their faces, which is now filled with determination. "So the first agenda would be…killing that Jho right?" Suggested Touya, but Renga shakes his head. "No. The first thing you should be doing now is resting. Even the Gaguas are exhausted, meaning you won't be coming back to the Village for some time. I'll go back first to inform little miss Akiho what happened here, and seek Hunters with appropriate Rank to serve as scouts. Moreover, we will employ Carrier Hawks as our second 'eye', watching the Jho's movement from the skies. If there's any movement, expect a letter…though there may be no need of that." Telephatic communication, eh?

That reminds me…how's Hayate doing? I'd have to ask her sister about that…

"I'll be going now. And if you are fine with it- would you need help with the Jins' Material? Me and Lao can bring those back to the Village first." "Please do…but can you hide them from the other Hunters?" Asked Dusk. "Well, I can always ask Rou to keep them in his private vault. As for the cubs…Akiho is now taking care of them. Their injuries were grave, but I can assure you they will survive." Added him again, making Dusk heaved a big sigh. Thank goodness. You hear that, Asanagi? Fuurai? Your childs will be all right…thought Dusk silently.

After helping them loading (more accurately, 'heaping') the Jinouga Materials into their cart, which filled to the brim with those bits and pieces, Dusk and the others sends away Lao and Renga. Dusk then checks the condition of Suisei and Hiru in their stable; although their stamina has been recovered, he feels bad for overworking them, so he said that they will depart in the evening in order to give them a chance of resting.

…

Now, Dusk is sitting in a desk. Around him was pieces of crumpled paper, each containing failed designs of Jinouga-made Armor and Weapons. "Argh, this is even worse than I predicted…"

Although he has saved few pieces of each Material for inspection, and has at least enough understanding of what does those pieces can do if weaved into Armor and Weapons, ultimately he cannot imagine what form will those arms took. Calculating the strength and the weakness of the Material alone would not suffice-he'll need to make prototypes. But with limited material he have in hand-it would be a miniature-sized.

A Comrade Weapon eh? Not bad…

All he need now is inspiration.

"…what form would those Weapons take?" Muttered Dusk to himself.

All weapons used by Hunters is created partially based on the form of the beast their Material originated from. Thus, weapon creators usually decides their form based on parts of the Beast: Claw, Horn, Wings…even Bows and Bowguns aren't except from this rule.

Thus to create a new weapon, replicating the form of the Beast's body is the easiest path to take.

"…strong parts, eh…?"

Now toying with the pencil he's been using, he remembered his encounter with Fuurai…in which he almost get killed.

Claws that are able to channel lightning inside the unsuspecting prey's body, paralyzing it for easy kill. Horns that are segmented to maximize their destructive power upon piercing the enemy's body. Tail that is able to crush even boulders into pieces…those are the most destructive parts from his memory.

Claws signifies cutting…so Sword? Or Duals? Horns are piercing…so Lances? Or Gunlances? A crushing weapon…Hammer? Or Greatsword?

"…aghh."

My head hurts. From the lack of sleep or exhaustion? Or from earlier…?

Using that kind of technique-if it can be called one-'Berserking' as he called it puts a great strain even more then Demonization, since it practically forces the body to forget its limitations. When it catches back…

Expect muscle pains, headaches, and dizziness. And no, it's not on the level of your usual flu symptoms. The first time he used this after 'turned' Human by Gandart, his limbs can't even produce a twitch for a whole week. I guess this was something psychological then? Given he's practically on this state all the time when living on the Great Forest…

"…guess I'll rest." Muttered him at last, taking all of the paperscraps he produced for the last hour and tossing them into the fireplace, lighting them up with his usual Firecell lighter. As for the Materials, he stashed it safely inside his backpack before placing it below the wooden bed.

Never before a hard bed like this felt so nice. As he feel that his fatigue and consciousness slowly sapped out from his body like a Khezu Whelp drained one's blood, he slowly drifts into the world of sleep.

…

"So…" called out Shura, while Touya and Ran is now sitting encircling a round table. In front of them are cups of tea that has been left for some time, turning from hot to lukewarm.

"…did anyone get all that?" Asked him again, looking across the table, his arm crossed. The other two, Ran and Touya shook their head in unison. "I can't even imagine it. That fairytale…legend, if I should say so, is true after all. And the worst part of that story will be happening anytime near now." Mumbled the younger brother, sighing out loudly as if were to exhaust his irritation. "Still, nya…if it not for the happenings that's we saw firshand, if anyone told me there's an ancient God-like Beast that's going to perform annihilation of all living beings, I'll tell them to get their head examined first…" Moaned Ran, putting her head full of heavy thoughts on the table.

"But…to be able to listen to Beast's thought…I think I'll be traumatized for life if I got that ability." Muttered Touya, sipping his lukewarm tea that tasted really terrible due to his brother's idea of 'original brew' (Shura himself disgusted at this brew, but he decided to play it cool and said that 'it's an acquired, adult taste'.) and grimaced. "Nyah. I can imagine that…killing something that talks would not be pleasant…I guess." "Nevermind that. The problem is…how will we defeat that Jho? If it's true that the Dark One's controlling it, then wouldn't it be something like, unkillable?"

"Haaaaaaa~ah." The three sighed again. "That's what we get for meddling with stuff of legends. Headaches." "But left alone, that Jho would…"

"Don't worry. As Master Renga has said, the Jho would not be enough to kill Amatsu-sama. It would need to be able to fly first…" Concluded Shura, finishing his drink albeit showing a strange face. "Let's rest. There's not much point thinking about matters that we can't settle. Also, I don't know how much damage the Beast has accumulated, but judging from Dusk's story, attack on that scale would be enough to kill two average Jhos. It should not be able to attack again soon, even if it's controlled by the Dark One…"

…even if he said that, there's no absolute basis for his convidence. It's purely guesswork.

A normal Deviljho can eat up a whole mountain's population in a week…how long this one would need? Asked Shura to no one in particular, tightening his grip to the cup he's holding to.

Few Hours Later.

"…mmgh…?"

Awoken by the familiar sound of tweeting coming from the shed behind the guardpost, Dusk absent-mindedly rubbed his still droopy eyes. It was few hours past noon now, and the sun has descended considerably. 'Dusk. Has you awoken?' asked a voice that he recognized as Suisei. 'I'm awake. How about Hiru? Is he still tired?' 'No, he's already ready. More like, he's keep pestering me to persuade you leaving. He's a father now, so…' 'Its not like I don't understand his feelings. Even now I wanted to see Vie-'

'-forget about that.' Added Dusk out of embarrassment, which is replied by Suisei by a strange laugh-like noise. 'Get ready fast. Based on our information, the dastardly Devil of Hunger has taken a Dobobelk's lair in order to recover. Of course, as of the original owner…' Wait, so even Gaguas have their own information network? The world of Beasts never ceases to amaze me…especially after getting this ability, noted Dusk to himself.

With his recharged body which is a little stiff after sleeping in strange position, Dusk quickly packs his belonging and readied himself for the trip back to Yukumo. "So we'll need to formulate a plan as well…I wonder if we have enough time to do all that?" Asked him, opening the door of the room and finding Ran sleeping beside the door. "Waaake up, kitten. We'll be going back to Yukumo-owowow!" "-myaaa~ah. Master dakimakura…ufufufufu…" "Detach your claw from my leg you Whelp-in-disguise!" "Iyaaa~da. *rub* *rub*" "Stop rubbing your face on my thigh! It feels weird!"

Having theirself awaken by the noise the two's been making, Touya groggily commented : "Never a dull moment…*sigh*."

On the path leading to Yakumo.

"I kinda feel bad leaving them there…" Said Dusk, turning his head to face the guard post. Touya's still waving his hand energetically, where Shura is nowhere to be seen. "It is their job, nya. Can't be helped; we need someone to keep close observation on the Gate in case the Jho decided to start a march on Yukumo." Replied Ran, now munching on something that looked like some kind of dried meat. "Want some, nya?" She took out a small pouch filled with those and passed it to Dusk. "I'll try it-*munch**munch* Pretty good. What's this made from?" Asked Dusk, taking more strips of those jerky to chew on. "Gagua Meat, nya."

PBRHHHHTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

"*cough!**cough!* OY! Did you have no heart or something!?" Groaned Dusk, while the pair of Gaguas pulling the cart they're sitting on just waved it away with a casual 'Oh.'

"What is the problem, nya? It's not like I murdered someone, then cuts them to pieces and while humming, making salted jerky out of them. This is a purr-fectly natural form of food chain, nya." Said Ran calmly, pulling out a bamboo container and start drinking its content. "-but!" "Or would you say you'll never eat meat from anything 'sentient' again after getting that power?"

"-ngh." It's a perfect argument; so perfect that even Dusk can only groan in agreement. 'Hey, no offense on that. Even Old Lao does that from time to time. I was there when he killed my parent-' said Suisei in a normal tone. "-wha…? How do you keep calm after seeing that!? I mean, your parent-!?"

'They are both has grown too old; normally we would not reach that age, because in the wild, it would always either the youngest or the oldest that makes great target. At such, their body will not be able to function as proper as a younger Gagua would…thus putting their lives to an end is a better choice then leaving them to die out of old age sickness.' Said Hiru in a sad tone.

' As that Felyne said, you are overthinking it. Whatever happened to us is strictly our kind's and our problem alone. What happened now-you being able to understand us is the irregularity.' Said Hiru, which started running after the road gently slopes. 'It's true. Think of this as a kind of 'the weak perish and the strong survive'. You are a Hunter, no? As one which makes his living from killing Beasts, if you keep that naivety with you, I can guarantee you will get killed in a near future.'

Dusk can only bit on his lips upon hearing that comment. It's true that Hunters-no, in the first place it was Humanity as a whole, who branded Beasts as…well, things without sentience. Thus they can be killed without any consequences-as they are living things that grow and reproduce, killing them-as long as not a complete genocide-will not have any effect to Humanity on a whole. They will grow in size and number, and the cycle will begin again.

In fact, it was encouraged that Hunters keep tabs on a dangerous Beasts' population by thinning them so they can't do any harm, but not to the point of extinction. "But still…" Dusk clenched his fist until his hand cannot feel anything else but pain.

'What measure you use to differ human and non-human? Is it form? Is it sentience? Is it the ability to string their thought into speech, that in turn used to express themselves?' Asked Suisei again. 'We are truly grateful that you acknowledged us as individual beings instead of mindless birds for burden, but we also sincerely hope that this would not cloud your judgement. Every living being has their own role, and not fulfilling that role out of kindness is just complete idiocy; your opinion alone won't be enough to change something that Nature has set in stone. Think of that for a while, Human.' Finished Hiru, now running in silence.

"…that was harsh, oi." Grunted Dusk, putting his hands on his temples. "I can't hear what those Gaguas said to you, but from your expression I can somehow guess, nya."

Without prior agreement, she jumped on Dusk's lap and rolled her body into a small lump of purple-colored fur. "You are too kind, Master. Far too kind for your own good…not that I hate that part of you, nya. But sometimes kindness can hurt someone, and goodwill can prolong one's suffering. That being said, wake me up after we reached Yukumo. This is revenge for when you said I cannot participate in your Hunt, nya." Said Ran before nodding off on Dusk's lap. Given her weight and position, it was already clear that within few more minutes, his feet will go asleep from lack of bloodflow…a rather cruel but unique punishment.

"Dammnit." Cursed Dusk after few minutes more contemplating, taking a handful of jerky and stuffing his mouth with it, making loud noises as he chewed through those pieces of meat.

The trip back was…well, a silent one. Not counting Ran that's has fell asleep on his lap, and the two Gaguas that seemed a little hurt by Dusk's thought, the whole mountain has become completely silent. Not even a night bird's nor crickets sound can be heard filling the air. It seemed that the presence of a (wounded, even) Jho has escalated the tension on the whole mountain. If this keeps continuing, who know what would happen-there might be another attempt to break through the gate, or-

"! Hiru, Suisei! Stop the train please!" Yelled Dusk suddenly, which made the cart he's riding on stopped with a skidding, throwing Ran off-cart into nearby bush. 'What was it, Human?' asked Hiru in an annoyed tone. "You said that Gaguas has their own information network, didn't you? Can you use that to find if there's another way to get off from the Mountain else than passing the Gate?"

He remembered that he encountered an Aoashira near here. That's right; a Beast that's not supposed to cross over the Gate. "We thought it was out of fear of the Jho that they escaped-but we overlooked one giant problem! The fact that they escaped alone must mean-" "-that there's a hole in the natural enclove-nya! This is bad! This is bad nya!" Yelled the Felyne, now in full-blown panic. How could I overlooked such an obvious fact!? Don't tell me all that relief has numbed my mind-! Cursed Dusk, looking straight at Hiru.

'I understand. Please wait for a minute.' Said him, before started tweeting in an combination of low and high tune contionusly. Soon after, Suisei joined the tweet and it continued for a while until there's a similar tweeting coming from the cliff beside them. The exchange between tweets continued for about a minute, but Dusk's face is showing a confused look.

…? That's strange, I can't hear this one?

'We got it. There's a large landslide far south from the gate, near the long-abandoned village in which our ancestor originated. From the looks of it, it was not a natural occurance…there's long, deep lines suggesting something adorned with spikes is used to dig it. From there, there's many attempts to escape from the mountain, but for now there's some Jinouga patrolling the site.' "Long lines-that's must be from the Jho's chin spikes. Darnit, now it means that the Jho can bypass the Gate and directly head for Yukumo!" Said Dusk, smacking his fist against his hand, forgetting the existence of the Scale beneath the gloves and grimaced out of pain afterwards. But Jinouga patrolling-did Mugetsu asked them to?

"Master! We have no time to spare, nya!" "-! That's right-we must reach Yukumo as fast as possible to warn them about this! And to inform those two that the Gate is by now is pretty much useless!"

'Ready, Suisei?' Asked Hiru, started taking in deep breaths. 'I'm already set. You two, hold on deadly if you don't want to get tossed into the cliff.' "-wha-?"

TWEEEEEET!

All of a sudden, the two Gaguas suddenly jumped to the air, making the cart he's riding on lifted to the air by about few inches. "-crap! Ran, hold on to me!" Yelled Dusk, realizing what will happen after this-

'ZENRYOKU-' '-ZENKAI!'

"GYAAAAAAA!"

And thus Dusk learned what 'full speed ahead' really means. It's not even on the level of crazy cart drifting anymore; the wooden cart's wheel, along with its body practically left ground with each and every sharp turns the Gaguas made on full speed, on some occasion halfway into the cliff. If there's not for the momentum produced by the combined factor of speed and weight, along with centripetal force caused by repeated, minute braking from the Gagua situated on the opposite side of the curve, he would be crushed to death after free-falling for more than half a mile into the cliff. "Myaaaauuuuuh shinitakunai shinitakunai shinitakunai shinitakunai!" "What is that speeelllll!"

Nevertheless, they reached Yukumo safely. At cost of several years' worth of fright.

Yukumo Village.

Village Toori.

"…what happened to you two?" Asked a confused Radu when he saw Dusk and Ran's frighteningly pale face upon entering the . "Let's just say…we have experienced what true 'speed' is. Urp." Groaned Dusk, fighting the urge to vomit. Ran, on the other hand, is assuming her usual Khezu Whelp mode with dead eyes while still mumbling the same spell as before, and from the looks of it she will be traumatized for life…

"And here I am thinking that you would be on your gloomy mode…" "-hey, if you can stand being thrown halfway into a cliff every time a cart which speeds on almost as fast as a charging 'Blos turns in a tightfit mountain road to make a frown on your face, I'll give you a 100% discount the next ten item you commissioned from me." Challenged Dusk to his dense and guileless friend, which almost obviously try to take that bet…and suffer from it.

Both of the Gaguas, now utterly exhausted, is being cared by Lao, which practically snapped whe he saw the two's condition. Not that Dusk has any energy left to retort…thus he is dismissed with a threat of 'will not get any ride back to the port if you try that stunt again'.

"So whaddaya want to do now? Vieze is now resting. You can visit her anytime-" "-there's no time for that. I need to meet with Miss Akiho right now!" "-why-"

Not wanting to cause a mass panic, seeing they're now talking openly in the midst of a crowd, Dusk pulled out a piece of paper from his bag and started scribbling. After finished, he flashes the paper before Radu's eyes, and promptly signaled him not to scream…or actually, shoved that paper into his mouth to muffle his voice.

In that single piece of paper is written four words which summarizes their current condition: 'Jho', 'comeback', 'Gate', 'bypass'.

"*cough!* *cough!* *cough!* What the-!?" "Save it! Where's miss Akiho!?"

*tug* *tug*

"Hmm?" Feeling his pants is tugged, Dusk looks down…and found a familiar face. "Why if it isn't Yuri…what can I help you with?" "I…if you are looking for miss Akiho, you'll find her resting in her quarters, nya. B-but please make it short, since she's still exhausted from last night." Said the Felyne, before performing a short bow and scurried away. "Thanks!" Yelled Dusk, in which Yuri replied by performing another short bow. Thus, Dusk and Radu stormed the Inn with a rather hasty steps.

Yukumo Inn,

Hallway.

"There is something bothering me, but…did you already know where's Akiho personal quarter?" Asked Radu again after they walked for a while searching. "We had been there before. Remember the room with the bookshelves?" "-oh." "-and Ran, I think it's about time you GET OFF FROM MY FEET!" Groaned Dusk, forcibly removing the gigantic purplish-colored Felyne-Whelp and propped her upright…there's still no reaction, though.

Huffing (and cursing under his breath), Dusk whispered something to the Felyne's ear, which makes her instantly spring back into life. "Really?" "Only if you can mind your manners. Now please inform Gandart that we have a situation here, and also bring me the Scroll from yesterday." "Acknowledged nya!" Said Ran before darting off in the direction of Dusk's room.

"What did you whisper to her again?" "Oh, that I would treat her to a cup of Matatabi sake? It didn't take much to please her…" "-hey you mote-otoko…" "-what does that mean, anyway?" "-it's 'popular guy' in native language of Yukumo, by the way." "-I say, you've been learning more and more of useless knowledge…"

The usual, simple yet calming conversation he held with Radu on the way of Akiho's room has given Dusk enough time to gather back his calm. With his mind now clear, he has started to formulate a plan against the Jho.

…

"Excuse me-Miss Aki? Are you there?" called Dusk in front of the Manager Room's sliding door. What he didn't expect is the one who answered him is not Akiho, but…

Zraak.

"We have been expecting you. Come on in." Said Lagun, his usually cheerful face is now dead-on serious. "Lagun…? Takafuji? Even Rou?" Asked Dusk, finding more faces that he reckognize inside of that room. Renga is, needless to say, already present, now conversing with Akiho and Ensei Rou.

Zraak.

"So you have returned, Dusk." Said Renga, gesturing Dusk and Radu to sit on the open seats, situated near Lagun's. "Yes. And I'm afraid to say this, but the news that I brought back to me is not a good one."

Zraak.

The closed door is now opened again, showing Lao's figure along with a sour-looking Gandart, unmistakably forced by Ran to attend the meeting by the gourd carried on that Felyne's paws. "Yo." Said him leisurely, propping down on an open seat directly across Dusk's and pulled out a sake bottle from a nearby cabinet-only to be glared by Akiho.

"So, back to the topic. We have a situation on our hand: as I mentioned before, it is not a coincidence that the Deviljho roamed here. It is sent by the Dark One as an attempt to kill Lord Mugetsu." Said Renga. From the atmosphere, it seems that the discussion has already started long before Dusk came.

"I know that the very idea of a legend coming true is hard to digest, but was it that hard? We lived in a world where even a story about a novice Hunter suffering with a severed arm after fending two Velocidromes with great difficulty can turn into majestic tale of a Champion which defeated a horde of Tigrex without as much as a dirt on his armor. Can't the opposite happen?" Asked the small-statured Wyverian again, eyeing the now largely-yawning Gandart which appears to be ready to sleep again. "Gandart, wash your face first. We need you to be serious, or else." Commanded the old Wyverian Hunter, in which Gandart's expression suddenly turned tense and replied 'Yes Master!' before jumping off to god knows where.

"We already understand your point. Yes, it might be a completely surprising turn of event, but that is not on 'completely unbelieveable' scale. After all, Uncle Gandart made a pact with Lord Amatsu herself…" "-wait, it's my first time hearing this! What pact? When?" Cut-in Dusk to Akiho's explanation.

"Gandart…or should I say, Tamagane-his original name before 'banished' from this Village made a pact with Lord Amatsu few hundred years ago. It's probably from when we still lived in area you called now Abandoned Village. The content of the pact is-"

Zraaaak.

"-don't." Said Gandart, interrupting Ensei's story. His face, unlike the usual merry-go-happy expression is now completely serious. "I will tell him personally when the time comes." Said him again, now putting down something that looks like an amulet made from jade on the floor. "…if that is what you wish."

Picking up that small amulet, Rou then huffed a great sigh.

"Now that issue is settled, we can start on the main issue. How to deal with the Jho before it can regain the strength to break the Dividing Gate-" "-umm…can I make a quick interruption?"

Dusk raised his hand, much to the peer's confusion. "Go ahead…?" Said Akiho, perplexed.

"The Jho won't have to break through the Gate. She has made artificial landslide to break off from the enclave, so it's only a matter of time when she could recover enough to attack Yukumo."

Suddenly, silence. While Lagun's, Lao's and Akiho's face turned ghastly pale, the three other Wyverian seemed to be indifferent to this reveal. Could that be that they already predicted that this would happened?

"Wh…what did you mean by 'artificial landslide'?" Asked Lagun with a shaking voice. "Deviljhos are, in contrast with their humongous build, pretty good diggers. I have seen one tried escaping by burrowing a tunnel in a bedrock…almost succeeding before brought down by three Large Barrel Pluses when it resurfaces." "-darn, that was cruel of you…" Said Radu, which hate of gunpowder, explosives and explosion noises are totally understandable. "Shut up. The point is, the small time we have in hand would need to be used efficiently. We must defeat that Deviljho before it is too late."

"Intteruption. From what you guys are saying, it seems that it was set that this Jho would attack Yukumo…but what if that's not the case? I mean, this mountain range is HUGE. Why would it want to attack a Village full of Hunters when they are easy preys hanging around?" Asked Lagun. True, it was a truly logical conclusion-

"It will. If the Dark One wanted to kill Lord Mugetsu, then it certainly will." Said Renga again, eyeing Gandart. "Pardon me for overstepping your decision here, Tamagane-but this is something that needs to be unveiled before we can proceed."

"…yes." Sighed Gandart in defeat, before giving Dusk a dejected look.

"Long ago…well, not that long. About a hundred and eighty-something years ago, when I'm still a brat-" "BHUH!"

All of the eyes on that room locked on Radu, which apparently choked on his own saliva upon hearing (and possibly imagining Gandart as a VERY muscular brat…not that Dusk aren't doing that right now) that sentence. "…just…continue." Said him again, trying to contain his laughter.

"I was a young man at that time, with no rank nor title. Just your ordinary, naughty brat that likes to play prank on others. It was calm times, few decades after the defeat of the Crimson Fatalis. The Hunter Guild is still on its tenth year or so..." "-cut the flashbacks, son. We have no time to hear about your bratty past." Groaned Renga, seemingly irritated. "Oh, yes. Long story short, I visited Amatsu, trying to kill her to get a name for this village. Instead, I'm utterly beaten and forced to make a deal with her. In return to having her sparing Yukumo from being a target of her wrath and protecting it, she asked three tasks to be performed. The first is I will never harm any living being in this territory, the second is…"

He looked back and forth from Dusk to Renga. "I understand. You may skip that one." "-eeh…?" Groaned Akiho in displeasure, but Renga signaled him to continue talking. "The third is, to research about the ways to kill the Dark One for real. Me being a Crafter is not a coincidence as what you may think, nor it was a choice for me to take. In that times, both the Materials and ways to process a Dragon-elemented Weapons are strictly restricted to Guild's use only. The only way to get any information is to became Guild-approved Crafter…and you can't gain instant access by joining, so getting the best position would be necessary."

Again, silence. The Heaven's Smith is actually an undercover agent working for some Elder Dragon? Dusk wondered how would the current Guildmaster react if he heard about this.

"-not to mention, the Crimson Code would not react whatever we do." Added Rou, looking at the scroll secured on Ran's back. That bloody-red scroll seemed more offensive to the eyes from the last time Dusk looked on it…but there's no time for that. He would need that scroll to extract revenge for Fuurai and Asanagi.

"Mugetsu upholds her end of promise. She leveled the mountain to make a giant enclave, both to protect herself from any kind of other silly attempts like mine, and to restrain the Beasts from both entering and leaving the Mountain. Needless to say, in progress it causes landslides to happen, burying the first settler's homes…and causing me to be blamed for it. We then constructed the second settlement on a flat hill in which many hot springs flows from…which is now known by the name Yukumo." Gandart continued his story.

"Before leaving, I took the liberty of taking down the Gigantic Dragonwood tree we brought from our homeland to be fashioned into a Gate to separate the Mountain from the Village…and smothering it with Amatsu's-" "-that would be enough." Said Renga, stopping Gandart's story. "-eeh! But that's when it gets interesting! I snuck into the Skyhigh Temple and-" "-THAT. Would be enough." Pressed Renga again, obviously glaring at Gandart, which mental age seemingly reverted to a brat's.

Dusk is now torn between breaking into a laughing fit and screaming WHAT THE HECK. "Wait, if it's few hundred years before this…how the hell did you can open that Gate!? The Gunlances were only recently being developed, right?" Asked Lagun out of confusion. "Tawakemono! Us Wyverians do not need such things! We have our muscles right here!" Blurted Ensei, shocking every human present. Did you just say in the olden days you must open that crazy big door…by pushing it? How strong would a Gatekeeper be then?

"Years passed, but Lord Mugetsu still upholds her promise. She ordered her loyal subjects, the Jinougas to stand watch for any law-breakers, be it Beasts or Humans, which can bring damage to the Village. In cases when the Jinougas weren't enough to settle the matter, she will personally came down form her Throne and resolve the problem."

"! That's it! That's what the Dark One wanted all along!" Yelled Radu, noticing the lines connecting the story of the past and the current situation: in case in which the Jinouga-in this case would be Fuurai and Asanagi-failed to dispose of the danger, she'll confront the problem personally. Although she IS a literal God-like being, and capable of say, slicing an entire mountain into two if she wanted to, taking chances with an assassin directly sent by the Dark One is still a no-go.

"I also thought so. Either way, Yukumo will not last if a clash of two Beasts occurred here, so we must prevent such outcome." Summarized Lao, putting down his pipe and clearing it with a loud, crisp 'clank' sound.

Ensei turned his head to Dusk's direction. "I have prepared everything that can be prepared. You may use my workshop as you sees fit, and if you need help, me and Takafuji will be very glad to help-or actually, witness the Crimson Code's bearer in action." "It's still not clear if I CAN use it properly in the first time, though." Replied Dusk meekly: too much hope (and obligation) is something that he didn't like to be an object of.

Renga smiled and patted Dusk's shoulder lightly with a reassuring smile. "No. If there's anyone that can use that Scroll, it is you."

Hearing that, Dusk broke into a light smile. "I understand. We will begin preparation right away. Here's the plan-" said Dusk, pulling out few diagrams from his bag, and spreaded them out on the table for all to see. In each lage sheets of paper there's some kind of blueprint for something...

"Oh, new weapons...wait, what is this...?" Asked Radu, stopping at the drawing which potrayed something that looked like a giant arrow. Meanwhile, both Ensei's and Takafuji's eyes has opened large enough to allow their eyeballs leave their respective sockets. "This is...a long-range penetrative-type-concentrated-explosion-on-impact attack device? How the..." Asked the mesmerized crafter to Dusk, still with amazed look on his face. "Its base design was the pole from Pitfall trap, with propolsion and stabilizing mechanism added. From my encounters with that Jho, I have learned that her defense is something else; its scales are hard enough to break my White Wing. At such, our weapon of choice may be limited to blunt Crushing-type against its legs. If that's the case, it would mean exposing us to more dangers than what we wanted, tail slap or that Breath and whatnot."

"So you wanted us to launch these from afar against that Jho to weaken it?" "True and false. Here's the full plan..."

...

The only thing that filled their faces were utter amazement...no, scratch that. That would be a look of terror.

"...are you crazy or something? Something like that would never work! And even knowing that you're actually crazy enough to pull it off, it's still very dangerous! I mean, doing that-" "-it will work."

"Eh?"

All present in that room, save for Gandart and Ensei turned their heads to Renga's direction. "It may be seemed rash and idiotic to the point of it may be a suicide mission in the first look, but it has a very high success rate." "But Master Renga!" Complained Akiho. "Well, if it's Dusk, then..." Groaned Radu, considering the plan with a wry smile. "...yeah. If it's Master...it might be possible. After all...he's my Master!"

Lagun frowned. "That's not a very strong argument, oy...but count me in. Whatever you needed, I will try to provide it...but it'll cost you some Jho material!" "...I'll give you some guts at best..." Joked Dusk, earning a pale face...Jho's guts are infamous for being utterly useless (not to mention, acidically corrosive.). The only way to use it is to soak it in brine water and use the self-curing liquid as fertilizer.

"Likewise. I'll send Suisei and Hiru as soon as they recovered-and sorry for snapping at you earlier." Said Lao, re-lighting his pipe. "No, its' mostly my fault..."

"I may not participate in the actual Hunt, but ya can count in me for making those projectiles. You don't want me interfering with those Jin materials, wouldn't you?" Asked Gandart again, seemingly knowing the story behind the scenes, which Dusk answered with a slight nod. With that, the plan is already set. The only thing left to do...is to make form out of the Jin's remains to fulfill his promise.

The Crimson Code...an item which recorded weapon designs for every species of beast made by the legendary Crafter. I wonder what would it looks like?

To be able to record weapon designs from all kind of Beasts: how did he managed to do that, in such small surface? Or is it bigger when unfurled? Dusk honestly don't know how much fact and how much talltale that legend comprised of.

"Well, first things first. You may have already rested, but you haven't eaten a decent meal for this day, right? With the way you ate at the banquet yesterday, I doubt the meals provided by the twins can satisfy your appetite." Aki then clapped her hands, again summoning a squad of Felynes from nowhere. "Prepare the Dining Hall and a scrumptious feast, but make it simple and easy to digest. Our hero would need energy for making all those things." Added her, which replied by an unison of "Hai nya!"

Ensei's Workshop.

"Now then..." Having changed to the heat-resistant Crafter's attire, he lined out the materials obtained from Fuurai and Asanagi on the table beside him, already sorted by size and quality.

In front of him is the infamous Crimson Code.

"How the heck am I supposed to open this?"

Part terrified with the fact that the scroll made from Crimson Fatalis' hide is sealed using Human skin, while partly his ego states that he should craft the equipment by himself, Dusk can't steel his resolve to actually try to open that item.

"...should I craft other things first?" Muttered him in self-defense. Who know? Maybe a spark of inspiration will flash when I'm working...

Thus Dusk started working on his other design: a prototype weapon, 'Gun', which uses the power of blowback from the burning of Gunpowder inside a focused chamber to reload the next bullet. Techically speaking, it is a derivative work from Lightbowgun-class of Weapon, minus the usual Bow part, which puts further emphasis on mobility and attack speed: it can be handled single-handedly, allowing dual-wielding for further added destructive power.

Yet in order to reduce the knockback effect usually absorbed by stock, sacrifices must be made to the caliber of the bullet and the amount of gunpowder, thus reducing overall destructive power...not to mention the ability to use Effect and Elemental bullets. Since both are usually made by using natural ingredient as base, be it Claws, Fangs or Berries it would be a hassle to find the base material with perfect-fit sizes.

One way out from this problem was by doing a selective breeding on Huskberry plant to produce ones with reduced fruit size by subjecting them to low nutrient condition, but that is only easy on theory. He may take more than years to perfect the claculation on the nutrituonal needs of a Huskberry plant, and even more time finding suitable parentlings for a stable line. Thus, at the time he uses custom-made bullets from soft pure Iron coated with a layer of Armorsphere mixture, while the reusable casings were made from durable Eltalite-Mach alloy.

He had problems in replicating the casings in large numbers at first, but he then innovated the 'expanding three-piece pattern cast', where the forming hammer (one which goes in the middle of the cast) is made to be able to shrink or grow in circumference using the same theory of mass disposition, or in easy way, what happened when you tried to jam your finger in a sausage: the outer wall will expand to accomodate the new mass.

It's not like there's no room for improvement, though. This is only a prototype. By using the actual combat data he can see what can be done...yet he already have those improvement ideas already.

Hmm...will attaching a blade in the stock work? That way even while reloading you can still mow down Beasts, just like using Duals. Can it be combined with Burst mechanism? That way you'll be able to pepper the slashing wound with attacks...oh! I know what will really works-Ailment Bullets! Fired on zero distance, it can bypass the skin or shell directly...or should it be Effect Bullets? Downsizing a Crag would be difficult...

After scribbling down those ideas on a notebook (his 10th, by the way) He started with creating the mainframe out of a Hard Monster Bone + piece, drawing the outline using a pencil and cutting it out with the remaining White Wing. While it may be better to make that from metal parts, he decided Bone can be a great substitution because it was lighter and the shock-absorbing property is far better...not to mention carving out Bone was less troubling then having to drill shapes on a metal slab; still, nuts that will be used to join the two halves into one, as well as its surrounding must be made from metal materials, because the strength of Bone material will thin out in smaller mass.

Note to myself. It appears that instead of repairing the two halves into one again, it would be better if I created a Dualsword out of the pieces... He thought inwardly after seeing that there's more uses he can make out from the the two pieces than when it's still a whole piece.

Before breaking the only quality it possess is the impossible sharpness, yet its length was a little bit of unwieldy side (Dusk insisted of calling it 'knife' although it is easily far over than two feets long), but after it broke into two, it seemed he can handle it much better, performing difficult tasks such as planing, scraping and detail carving as easy as drawing a line.

Using the pointed tip of the other half, he hollowed shapes on the Bone surface, forming the weapon's rough shape. After it is completed, he used multiple sandpaper grades to smoothen the surface. Now the frame is completed, he continued to make the internal mechanisms. For these, he must use metal.

He needed a barrel, a striking key and magazine chamber. Not to forgot few springs to absorb the force of recoil and the trigger.

He used a 75:25 ratio of Iron and Machalite; the Iron provides the malleability where the Mach contributed its strength on the final result to make the spring. Rolling up a thin wire of hot metal around pipes with different circumferences specifically crafted for these, then tempered it using a hot oil bath- that way the internal stress would be uniformly distributed, reducing chance of it breaking while in motion. He crafted a thicker spring for the reloading mechanism, a shorter spring for the trigger, and thin long springs for the bullets' cartridge.

Next would be the barrel. Truthfully he wanted to create it from a single piece of metal, thus eliminating the seams-alas, he must put grooves inside the barrel in order to create a spin, which in turn raises accurancy. The Bowguns achieve this by separating the barrel lengthwise into two parts, then carving the groove in...but this creates problems in which there's disrepancies between two halves' pattern.

He already tried to cast a plain tube first, then using patterned Novacrystal piece to etch out the inner grooves on the barrel before, yet it didn't produce an uniform result due to the diffrerence of strength used in each strike and the length created by those strikes: by the time the force from the strike is expanded to create the grooves and the printing head comes to a stop, appliying another strike would create the next set length of grooves, but with a minute deviation caused by the stop. It may be very small in size, but it produced jams in a frightening rate. The method itself was a good idea, but he will need more impact power to carve the entire groovelength in one go if he wanted the final product to be perfect. Maybe loading the carving head on a bullet will do?

Thus this time Dusk tried a new method by creating small rings in which the smaller number, larger distance between set of grooves-yet with sharp, v-shaped starting points are set. He used an extra strength 70:20:10 Eltalite:Dragonite:Iron woven in zig-zag pattern to provide strength, durability and heat expansion tolerance at a same time, just as what Blue Thorn's barrels are made from. This way, by replicating the small rings using high pressure casting method and combining the first and the next rings' grooves in alternating patterns, he can achieve an uniform groove while retaining the barrel's strength...the only thing left is to connect the ring by welding it carefully.

After marking the grooves' position with pigment-based paint, he started welding them together carefully to eliminate seams in the joined parts, and plunged it back into the hot oil bath. He would need to apply a thick coating of liquified Hard Armorsphere on the outer side of the barrel to further reinforce the welded parts later, along with lightly sanding the grooves using powdered Lightcrystal dust as abrasive and few Gagua Feathers as applicator, to reduce the risk of getting a Bullet jammed in there from the excess metal residues from casting and welding process.

Few hours has passed since he started working. By his estimation, the time right now is nearing midnight...

The basic parts are already completed save for the striking pin and trigger + casing ejection mechanism, so it's probably a little past halfway mark until it's completion.

That reminds me. I hasn't visited Vieze yet...and now is midnight. Should I go for a quick peek...?

He then reconsidered his phrasing: the way he said that seemed like he's a pervert or something...not that his mindset is wrong.

Meh. I'll just drop for a little while. "Ran? You there?" Asked Dusk, changing his attire to a loose yukata. "Nyess...what would you need?" Asked the Felyne that has unknowingly fell asleep when she's watching how Dusk worked. "Keep eye on that fire for me. I want to go drop to Vie's room for a bit."

Immediately, Ran's expression changed. "Wwwwwh-wh-what are you saying, Master...? Coming to a girl's room this late...I didn't think you would be that brave to-myauh."

Before she can produce next sound from her mouth, Dusk ironclaw-ed the creature and gave her the most evil and cold look he can make. "I didn't know what are you meant by that, but I can assure you that YOU ARE UTTERLY WRONG."

Ran gulped audibly from those intimidation, then nodded weakly. "Good." Grunted him, still making a scary expression while laughing inwardly.

Room of Cherry Blossoms

After a bit of tip-toeing around the facility, he arrived on Vie's room. Focusing his hearing, he can hear small sounds of rhytimical breathing usually found on sleeping people.

Trying to create as little noise as possible, he carefully opened the sliding door-

"...Dusk? What are you doing?"

Yet somehow, Vieze appeared from a corner in the hall, wearing her Yukata loosely. Careful examinations revealed a trace of steam coming from her still-wet hair, indicator of her just having a hot water bath. "...errrmmm..."

Seeing Dusk's troubled expression, Vie just breaks into a small fit of laughter and gestured him to go into the room.

...

"You're supposed to rest-you almost died from multiple organ failure, weren't you?" Asked Dusk after Vie has lied back down on the futon. "Thanks to a certain person, I didn't, though." Replied back Vieze with a little hint of teasing.

The moonlight coming in from the still-broken window gently illuminates the room. Be it eccentric or so, but Dusk liked the moonlight more than having the Thunderbug-powered lighting appliance on his home.

"...sorry I can't be faster." Muttered Dusk in a voice akin to groan, picking up a feather shed when Hayate broke through the paper-and-wood window and twirling it between his fingers. "Don't be. If it weren't for you I'd be dead right now, right?" Asked Vie again in a rather light tone.

She's trying to sound cheerful, but Dusk has known her for too long of a time to realize that was just a front. See? She's been holding her hands together so it wouldn't tremble noticeably.

"Don't put it that way, silly. It would make me looks like your personal knight or somehting..." Joked Dusk-

"You are."

"Eh? Sorry, but I don't quite get th-mmph?" Before he can do anything, Vie has dumped the futon cover on his face, smothering him with an unique sweet smell native to girls- "-are you going out again?" Asked Vieze, now hugging Dusk's head on her arms.

"Yes."

"Is it the Jho again?"

"Yes."

"Is this...because of me again? If it isn't for that present Dad gave to us, none of this will happen-"

"...Vie, I-"

"You wouldn't get hurt. We wouldn't have stranded on the Great Desert! What's more, the Jinouga and the Jho-!"

"Listen to me you spoiled girl!" Yelled Dusk, bursting open the matress covering his face. "How many times will you bring that up? You only looked at the negative parts! If it weren't for this trip, we would not meet with many peoples, not experiencing many things, not knowing many secrets! Did you know that pops' real mane is Tamagane, and he became a Crafter because he made a promise with a certain someone? Surely you didn't, right? Neither did I!" Bursted Dusk with unusual vigor. "True, this trip has brought to us many, many hardships... But that alone is not enough reason to put the blame on yourself-or your dad. I, for myself has gained a lot of things on this trip, be it material or immaterial...and I could say this for sure:"

Dusk gripped Vieze's trembling arm gently, but strongly.

"If I can redo my life; this would be the only part that would be left as-is." Whispered him, bringing his head to touch Vie's...which causes the latter to break into tears.

"Ahem."

"...crap." Sighed Dusk when he heard an overly familiar voice from the direction of the door. Unknown since when, Akiho, wearing a loose plain kimono has appeared.

"A-Aki-san! I-I can explain what-" "I know. This time I've made sure to listen first before making any accusition, so I am very sure that you are innocent. But then again..." She clenches her right into a fist and drove it against Dusk's head, making a loud 'thud' sound. "What time did you think it is right now?! Boys aren't supposed to stay in a girl's room until this late-! It's immoral act! Get out this once-!"

Before Aki ended up waking the whole inn, Dusk quickly retreated to the hallway, evading stray projectiles made from highest grade Gagua down encased in high-grade silk (reads: pillows) while signaling 'good night' to Vie. Somehow refreshed, he decided to visit the kitchen for late night snack before getting back to work.

"Mattaku! What is on his mind really! The Jho will attack soon and we didn't have any time to spare; so why would he..."

Akiho's misplaced anger quickly turned into the thing which dug her own grave: she forgot that Vie was still in earshot distance. Realizing her mistake, cold sweat started to break out from her whole body. "...aiyaaa..."

Vieze's eyes quickly become sharp upon hearing that sentence. "What's with the Jho again? Dusk seemed hesitant to tell me...but I thought it had succumbed to the starvation...? Or did something happened while I'm sick? It is, right?" "W-well, that's..." "I also noticed the smell of metal and smoke from Dusk's hair. Normally he would not let such smell lingers; with exception of when he prepares for a difficult Hunt or having a due work on something the Guild requested. Tell me honestly, miss Aki..."

"...what is happening right now?"

Faced with Vieze's inquisitive glare, Akiho can do nothing else to give up and started to explain the current situation...

After Akiho has finished with her explanation, Vieze did not say anything. She just asked the Wyverian to leave her alone for a bit-and more importantly, for her not to mention this to Dusk or on that note, anybody else.

After completely sure that's Akiho has left the hallway, she started crying even harder than before, clutching her knees to hide her face.

"...why didn't you tell me anything...idiot?"

The gentle lie is not always the way to protect someone. Sometimes, a harsher truth in the light of reality may be the best choice.

Back to the Workshop.

"I'm baack...too bad they didn't have coffee." Said Dusk, putting a small bundle of cloth on the table, causing Ran's nose to twitch. "Something smells good, nya!" Exclaimed her, running to the bundle and opening it; there's few triangularly-shaped balls of rice there. Although it has been completely cooled down, the savory aroma which comes from the steamed bamboo shoots used as fillings still arouses one's hunger upon getting a whiff.

"Help yourself. I took too many because the kitchen staffs insisted that they're going to be spoiled anyway." "Don't mind if I do nya!" Said Ran, taking a large bites out of the riceballs. "Mmmhmm! Chef Shiaji sure knows his thing!"

Looking at the glutton Comrade filling her cheeks made Dusk can't help but smile. Changing her attire to the heat-resistant robe yet again, he continued his work. At least this morning, these must reach completion. If by that time I still haven't got any idea for the Jin materials...

Dusk eyed the scroll still resting beside the lined-up material on a large table next door.

Then I'll try using that.

...

*chirp* *chirp*

Knock-knock-knock.

It's already nearing daybreak when he finished the Guns. Now sitting on the table was a pair of weapons covered with Jaggii material: Prototype Weapon series number G-00 codename 'Twin Maverick' were inscribed on the side of the weapon, just before the casing ejection the two weapons being a perfect mirror image from onne another, shape and sides in which the casing ejection hole is set, it was resting in a snugly fit holster made from the very same Jaggii material used as acessory, along with 10 cartridges for reloads; each holds six shots and color-coded on the botton for what kind of Bullets they hold.

"Coming!" Answered Dusk groggily, making a huge yawn while opening the latch.

"Morning, sleepyhead. How's the weapons coming?" Asked Radu with a big grin on his face.

Dusk promptly slams the door and put the latch back on.

"HEEEEY! What was that for!" Yelled his friend from the outside of the shop, yet Dusk used his fingers as earplugs. "I don't' wanna see your ugly face first thing in the morning so scram!" "But I brought your breakfast-?"

Clack.

"Why didn't you say so." Grumbled Dusk, opening the door. "Why you...oh? Is it what I think that is?" Asked Radu, seeing the object resting onn the table. "Yep. Just as I promised, your new weapon made from the Jaggi material. Check that out, will you?" Said Dusk, opening the bundle brought to find few lacquered boxes, in which his breakfast are waiting to be devoured (today's menu: White Rice with Salt-Grilled Sushifish accompanied with Meat-and-Potato stew and Miso Soup...in a rather hearty serving on top of that.)

"So how do you use this again?" Asked Radu, trying to pull the trigger to no effect. While munching on the Sushifish, Dusk made a 'gimme' gesture, prompting Radu to toss one of those Guns to him. "Watch carefully. You press the ejector button near the trigger with your thumb like this..."

Clank. A portion of the grip ejected downwards, exposing a guiding plates leading to a strange hollow space. "-load the magazines-" Dusk reached a small metal block labelled 'for test use' and slides it into the space. "-close the cartridge-" he then pressed the extended cartridge into the handle- "-prime the trigger-you can do this by either sliding the ejector or pulling back the hammer-"

Dusk demonstrated both ways, before aiming to a test dummy across the room. "-and fire."

Thup.

Without the usual explosion heard when a Bowgun fires, a small hole has opened on the dead center of the dummy. He fired two more timed before flipping a small switch directly atop of the ejector button. "This is the Burst switch. You can switch between a three-rounds burst or six-rounds rapid fire...although the latter is not recommended for now due to the limited ammo. Did you understand all that?" Asked Dusk before returning to his meal.

"Where the hell you dumped the sound of explosions?" "Into the gun itself. I used the treated Great Jaggii Frill as built-in shock-absorber by putting it inside any hollow space inside the weapon;minimizing the vibrational index. Also, I drilled small exhaust holes near the end of the barrel to reduce the pressure difference on the bullet's path, also to disperse the left-over smoke and decreasing the volume of explosions. I did say a custom weapon for you, right?" Said Dusk without even looking at the weapon-currently he's using the foreign dining utensils named chopsticks to separate the flesh from the bones...

"Oh, and remember to recollect the casings after shooting using the magnet included in the tasset. Producing them is quite a hassle." Added Dusk again, finishing his meal by noisily slurping the soup. "Thanks for the meal...is that what they usually said after meal?"

With a sudden movement, Radu grabbed Dusk's shoulders. With an intense gaze, he stared his friend's eyes- "Dusk. You must not give the schematics for this weapon to anyone else. Surely you know what am I talking about, right?" Warned him.

Small, conceal-able size. Low recoil. Low noise that can even further reduced.

A perfect weapon for assasination.

"Yes. I only realized this after completing one." Replied Dusk in a small voice. "This weapon is currently unsuitable for hunting larger Beasts-or on that note, it is far more suitable to kill other humans." Stated him, pulling the blueprint from under the pile of materials nearby, and handed it to Radu. "While the idea itself is brilliant, how will it would be used in the end depends on who wielded it. And you might know better how the Poachers act after getting their hands on one." Commented the tanned youth. "Either way, it's yours now, schematics and all. If you decided to-"

RRRRRIIIP.

"-destroy the plans to prevent info leakage you're welcomed...oy, you did it without even hesitating?" "Because you would have it memorized anyway, right? And pray tell, with bullets of this caliber, what do you expect me to do against that Jho?" Protested Radu. If even that Hide can deflect White Wing, what good will a peashooter (compared to the usual Bowguns) can do?

"Did I mentioned anything about you killing the Jho with this in the plan I've explained before? Your job is to draw its attention while I'm setting the Traps."

Dusk dragged his chair from the working bench to the table littered with Jinouga materials. While Radu started spewing 'oh you hero-wannabe' things, Dusk inhaled a deep breath for clearing his mind from the usual after-breakfast-haziness…and reached for the Crimson Code.

Even after thinking for one whole night I still cannot imagine a good design for your Materials. Sorry, Fuurai, Asanagi; this time I'll have to borrow the power of the Code…!

Steeling himself, he opened the humanskin ropes…

"Hmm?"

…opening…

"It's stuck? Nggghhhh!?"

…still opening…

"Need help with that?" Asked Radu after watching Dusk struggling with the Code's bindings. "…*huff*. Try if you can." Dusk massages his sore fingers. If he can't open it, Radu would- "-aaand there. It's open."

"Wait what!?" "It's open? Although it was a quite strange way of tying- I mean, the large knot is a fake, but it was used in creating the third layer of knot."

Radu unfurled the Code for him to see. It was…

"What…the heck is this?" Asked Dusk, looking at the content of the Code.

Nothing is written on it…oh, wait, there's something.

It's pitch-black.

Dusk lets out a dry laugh. In the end, it was just a fluke.

He touched the blackened surface of the Code. It was quite rough to the touch, like running your fingers on top of a sandstone or something-

"This's better a bad joke or a prank or Renga's. Lifting my hopes so high and crushing them into the point of depression isn't funny, oy." Grumbled Dusk, leaving the table to vent some of his anger away. "But for a prank this is far too-EEEEYAAAAAGH!?"

Radu suddenly jumped back, his arm raised high in the air. In his face, pale with fear there's an expression of deep disgust against something. "What? Did you want to joke me as well?" "NO! That…thing! It's moving!?" Answered Radu with a genuine terrified look. "? Moving, you say?" Muttered Dusk in disbelief, picking up the fake Code in his hand- "-this is?"

Radu can only nod out of fear. "Yes. Not to mention, the pattern on the surface keeps changing."

Normally, if other people said that line to Dusk when he's on this 'pissed-off' state, walking off with one or two broken teeth are very fortunate of them…but since it's Radu, which sense of touch is on a whole different level, he can only accept that as cold fact-

Wait…something is bugging me. Was it something about Crimson Fatalis?

He dug into his backpack and pulled out a battered bundle, made by tying pages from many different Monster Info books. This particular bundle is made from Elder Dragon-class Beasts. Although many of their entries are only made based on guesswork and rounding up rumours or something like that, no one can tell if those descriptions are actually true.

He flipped the pages frantically until found what he seeks: the pages in which the Crimson Fatalis' is described.

'A great Dragon clad in blazing red scales. Living deep in the Volcano since times unknown, it has absorbed the very essence of Fire inside its body. Also intelligent, it will learn from its experience; same attack would not be able to harm it twice. Once it entered Rage, all attacks will be brushed away.' Reads Dusk. If that entry is to be believed…then-

Dusk took a single Jinouga Scale from the table. "What are you doing…?"

And tried to scratch the surface of the Code with it. Immediately, changes happened to the pitch-black surface as well as the size of aforementioned item.

"…wha-"

Dusk can't hold back his grin for this one. "So that's how it works…"

Now, on the previously pitch-black page, blotches of deep red started to appear, changing the page into something else-

Now, detailed design for a set of Armor is written down in a great detail, complete with illustration of the parts. Somehow, it keeps on changing like someone flipped the page of a book over and over. "How would this be possible…?" "The entry. Did you not remember? 'Also intelligent, it will learn from its experience; same attack would not be able to harm it twice. Once it entered Rage, all attacks will be brushed away.' If you combine that two entry…" "…wait. Is that even possible? But that would mean-!"

"Yes. The only explanation for this is-that the Crafter has done something to this Hide, either when the Fatalis is still alive or after it's already beaten by Renga, causing it to react as it's in Rage after being 'attacked' with a Material. While the Hide's consistency and property changes, he then wrote the designs for the respective materials…just what kind of person is this Crafter?"

It would also mean…that pitch-black appereance are a ton of designs piled atop each another? Seriously, if he's still alive, what would the weaponary of this era looks like? Or even, would Beasts driven to extinction using his weapons?

Radu looked on the piece of Hide-like string that he previously pulled out. "Can't you ask him yourself? I mean, you got that nifty 'talk-with-beasts' ability…Can't you do the same to that…piece of skin?" Now that he remembered what is that dry strip of leather-y material supposed to be, he rushed to the sink and begin rubbing his hand like crazy-from his wincing expression, it seemed he either forgot to take his daily medication or rubbed too hard.

Now experimenting with other kind of materials, he rubbed pieces of Horn and Claw against the Code. Hmm. It would seem that 'attacking' the skin using 'offensive' Material such as Horns, Claws, or any kind of damaging type would make Weapon designs appear, while using 'defensive' Shells, Scales and Bones showed Armor.

An image passed by Dusk's eye. It was a big sword which shaped very much like a Jin's tail…but at same time, significally different. Remembering that design, Dusk scribbled down notes with ridiculous speed before the 'page' changes. "Radu? Where's pops and the other Crafters?" Asked Dusk, his hand still moving rapidly, creating shapes and designs on a large design paper. "Breakfast. You're supposed to go with them-" "-prevent them from going here."

"…did you stammered while saying 'please call them here'?" "As if. You're not a Crafter, so even if I shoved this design before your eyes, you'll not even know what item it would produce." Muttered Dusk in low growl. "This design is even more dangerous than the Gun I've created."

The already pale Radu took a step ahead. Now his face is LITERALLY devoid of any blood.

"…more dangerous…?" "It's frighteningly perfect. As in, there's not even room for improvement. All you have to do is wear the Armor set and Weapon…and THEY'LL do the work. It is THAT good. Forget a Diablos-I'd say even a horde of Rajang could be conquered with this weapon…"

By any means, it was not an overstatement.

"So then...how was it? The design for Jinouga weapon and armor?" Asked Radu, breaking Dusk's stillness.

"I've never thought such a radical design may work, but after getting THIS shoved on my face...I just didn't know anymore..." Admitted Dusk weakly. As a Crafter, his ego has taken a critical blow after seeing the design; much moreso that he needed it to create a Set using his friend's remains.

But strangely, a smile slowly formed on his lips. The current me maybe can only use the design as is. But give me time, and I'll create an even better design!

"Oi Dusk? Are you alright? What's with that creepy smile?" Asked the terrified Radu to Dusk, which is now started laughing in low note. "Ufufu...don't mind me...ufufufufufu"

He retreated cautiously. "Don't tell me the side-effect of using the Code is insanity or something..." "No, I'm just a little too happy. Mind leaving for a bit? I needed some extra concentration for this one. And if you wanted to practice, here's some extra bullets." Rejected Dusk, handing the plates along with a small box.

"Acknowledged. If you need something, just give me a holler. I'll respond if I'm in earshot." Said Radu, attaching the tasset underneath the Khezu hide Garment he wore, producing noticable bulge on his hips, and lifted away the dining utensils on the table.

The door shut behind the strang figure with a small sound, and Dusk slotted back the lock into it's place. Now rolling back the Code and sealing it with the grotesque skin, he stashed it safely into his small backpack.

Now it's time for an one-by-one bout between him and The Crafter's design. Could he manufacture it, or-?

"Heh."

Dusk smirked after seeing the worksheet containing designs he copied from the Code. The design was perfect in every sense, but that would hinder his plan.

"I am the Beast of Knowledge. The one who feeds on information and gained power by devouring knowledge." Muttered him, closing his eyes to concentrate. "I will take the best of your design and use it to make my own. No hard feelings." He said again, before moving his hands in a blinding speed, making sketches and rough drafts of both inner and outer portions of the armor.

Meanwhile;

Fujitaka's Comrade Equipment Shop.

(Next door)

In the workshop next door, three figures could be seen: one hulking which is Gandart, one hunchback who is Ensei Rou, and one small furry creature, Takafuji. The three of them currently sitting shoulder-to-shoulder while making items which shaped like iron tubes with drill attached on the front end and exhaust hole with fins on the other end.

Those were the modified Digger Shaft. You know, part of Pitfall trap that will detonate the ground below after being set, creating holes large enough to trap beasts?

The problem is, those WAS once Digger Shafts. Now it's something completely different. If you try and use these for digging holes on the ground, what you'll get is probably CRATERS.

"Nyauh. I don't really expect it, but this turned out to be a quite hard work nya." Said Takafuji, drilling small holes near the exhaust hole and setting metallic fins with the help of nuts and bolts. Meanwhile, Gandart is stuffing two kinds of specially-prepared Gunpowder: one for launching those things into the air and one which will be responsible to create penetrating force after it made U-turn on the skies.

"True that. My shoulder started aching some time ago, but I forgot since when; now I almost can't feel my fingers. But wow..." He looked back and started counting three full containers, each loaded with ten sticks. "-how many of these should we make again?"

"Given the theory, it would be a great thing if one out of five we launched actually hit that Jho. The part where we launced it to the sky and waited it to come back down is where the accurancy of this thing going to be tested. Honestly, I thought that loading these into a long guiding barrel would be enough in normal cases...but then again a Jho controlled by a God-level beast is anything but." Said Gandart, still altering more tubes, especially the drill part: he added a time charge to ensure maximum damage, just like Dusk wrote in the schematics.

"But your boy...what did you teach him, anyway? Even without the Code he's talented beyond belief as a Crafter- why do you let him became a Hunter? A Material Hunter, for the fact." Asked Rou, resting his tired hands on a special plate made from Dragonite, which is infused by Firestone shards- that way it would always be warm, perfect for eliminating fatigue from muscles.

"I only teached him the basics, just like you once thought me. The educational curriculum for Crafters that the Guild devised actually kills their sense of originality and most of their creative ideas because it was sticcking too closely to textbook examples. Sure, it would mean they can make uniform items- but that was it. Even if the shape would be the same, the Material used would have differences between one place with another."

"Say you crafted a Red Wing using Rath materials taken from two places: Kokoto and Moga; it will have a different quality, right? Raths living near Kokoto has thinner shells compared with those on Moga because there's a lack of competitor. If you stick blindly to the design, it wouldn't need an expert to determine which weapon will broke first after fifty or such Hunts." Explained Gandart lengthy.

Meanwhile, Ensei is now starting to...modify the already completed Shafts by attaching Cluster pellets in a way that, few seconds before the activation of the second Gunpowder charge, those pellets will be raining down first.

"Oi master, these Shafts are already overkill. Would you still want to add those? I mean, assurance is always good, nya-but those were practically asking for someone getting caught in the explosions!" Protested his old comrade, which Gandart dismissed with shaking his head. "No. Produce at least ten of those. In VERY unlikely case where Dusk should fail, we can use those to lay a blanket of explosions-at least it can push the Jho back."

Hearing that, the old combo smirked. "Why, we have a doting parent right here..." "Oya-baka, nya." Giggled the two, causing Gandart to frown bashfully. "Urusai-"

Clang. Clang.

Somewhat muffled because of the hardened mud wall separating the two workshops, sound of metal clashing agaisnt each other could be heard.

"Has he finally started? Creating the Jin's arms, I mean." Muttered Rou with a very obvious look of intrest on his face. "Hell if I know." Groaned Gandart out of embarrasment, creating more and more Shafts.

Meanwhile, the sound from the workshop next door continuated...

Sometime in the afternoon.

Ensei's Workshop.

"...whew."

The work was progressing smoothly, and the core underlying parts for the Armor has been completed. The next steps would be arranging the Materials into position and finishing each pieces. That, for one thing is something that can't be done in a day.

Not to mention, his stomach has already grumbled. Has that much time passed since breakfast?

He also forget about this one, but in orfer for the plan to succeed, he'll need more than those Arms. He will need...chalk and Neopteron materials. I wonder if Lagun has some...better ask him later.

But first thing first. From his experiences again and again, working nonstop from early morning to late afternoon plus sweat-drenched shirt equals poor self hygine and awful odor...while he can't smell this due to metal fumes, taking chances hoping that no one would be present on the dining hall (most of the tourist has fled Yukumo in the mornings upon hearing the announcement Akiho made. The rest were either rich peoples waiting for Gagua Cart from Hunter's Rest to pick them out or peddlers trying their luck with hopes of getting their hand on Jho materials...not Dusk care about those, though.) Would be the most foolish thing he could try to do right now.

For comparison, that act would probably ranked 8th on the 'Idiot Thing Done on Yukumo' list, Gandart going into Neko no Te covered in Mugetsu's droppings being the #1.

How do I get some water to wash myself again? Asked Dusk inwardly, sweeping the room for answer. There's some water for quenching, but he already used those, making it metal-laden. Although he had no metal allergy or anything of the sorts, using that metal-laden liquid were unquestionably out-of-question.

But waaiit...there's something like a wooden bowl next to a jutting bamboo piece near the door leading to storeroom. From the moisture seeping out and the trace of water in the bowl-

Dusk pulled out the cork-like object and hot water flowed out. Using a clean cloth to wipe his body, he found a little comfort in the midst of all those stressors around him.

After putting out the fire and hiding the blueprint for the armor he's now making, Dusk unlocked the door...

And Ran came tumbling inside. It seemed that she fell asleep with her back resting against the door. "Myauh."

As a conditioned reflex, she instantly grabbed Dusk's nearby leg, attaching herself like usual...but this time he already prepared for this. Beneath his pants he wore an extra leggings made from Jaggii Hide; that way he would not be hurt by Ran's claws...

"But still...it didn't resolve the first problem." Groaned him, dragging his steps because of the extra weight Ran added.

'Dusk!' A feminine voice called him from the skies. It was not Mugetsu, so who is-

A wingbeat later, and he found Hayate landed on his head. 'Oh. Hi, Hayate. Has your wings healed already?' Asked Dusk, not caring about the strange look given to him by the remaining tourist he passed. 'Overall, it's healed. Oh, and you still owe me a bloody Gagua Thigh.' Added her, pecking his hair in a playful manner (although it pulls out few strands). 'Stop it, you're making me bald!'

'Enough chit-chat. I'm bringing the current situation report.' She spoke (?) with a stern voice, stopping her pecking and took off from Dusk's head to a nearby overhead branch. 'Although there's no response from the Jho, be it movement or else, I saw the wounds on her body healing with a considerable rate. At this speed, the day after tommorow would be the earliest time she can move out from hiding.'

'Wait...she didn't move? How come she can be still alive without eating!? This is a Jho we're talking about-two days of fasting would CERTAINLY kill an adult! And yet she fasted for the last two days, and still alive? What kind of 'infection' does the Dark One use on that beast?' Asked Dusk frantically. 'How should I know? Either way, my job is done here so I'll be back resting. My sister will bring you the next update, so if you can wear a flashy thing on your head; that way we can distinguish you better. From up here you Fangless looks about the same.' After a bit scretching her wings, Kazehana took off to a nearby structure…Lao's shed.

This is problem. Even if he CAN finish those equipment given one more day's worth of time, knowing that they only have a day to spare for last minute preparation was disheartening. Not mentioning he needed rest after those much work…

Except…

If he asked help from other Crafters.

Gandart's words resounded again in his head. If your secret's going to bring harm to another…

Clenching his hand and feeling the Scales beneath the gloves, he reassured himself once again.

Silve…Aure. Give me strength. To finish what I've started. To give form once again to those who have fallen. To fulfill my promise.

It may only been his imagination, but he somewhat felt that the scales giving out heat, as those wanted to encourage him.

Neko no Te Onsen

"Huwaaaaah…"

Locals said that having a dip in the hot water bath after a hard work will instantly dissolve any kind of fatigue…and they was right. Dusk can hardly feel his fatigue or anything resembling it. The temperature was just perfect, and even he has took a bath here before, this time it's kind of different. He can almost feel there's something flowing inside his body, revitalizing it from the inside…

But he is still hungry.

Should I go for another dip after dinner? No, it would consume too much time.

Between ending his bath now for early dinner and continuing it for another while, he almost wanted to do the latter…if not for the pressing deadline, that is.

Zraaakkk.

"Master! I'll be joining you-" "-nope, not happening. I'm already done, by the way." "You're mean myaaaa!" Yelled Ran while jumping to Dusk's face-

"Shut upp and drowwwnnn~!" Grunted Dusk, doing another iron grip and throwing her into the bath.

Room of Bountiful Fall

As expected, there's only few peoples inside of this large dining hall. It's even safe to say that the chef, due to having more time for cooking and less people to cook for, decided to go all-out with the dishes, given the humoungous portion now towering before Dusk…

But he didn't see anyone from his group. Does that mean they're still working, or already down for the count?

ZRAAAK.

"…now where have I seen this before?" Sighed the annoyed Dusk after seeing Ran with her fur still half-wet but hugging a large clear bottle filled with some kind of liquid…don't tell me, AGAIN?

"DUSK-CHAAMAAA~!" "-counter attaccck!" Yelled Yuri, appearing sometime when Dusk's attention shifted by Ran's appearance, shoving a pill into the drunk's mouth…knocking her out instantly. "I won't hold back if you try to hinder Dusk-sama." Said Yuri, clapping her paws to summon a cleaning squad or sorts, who dragged her knocked out body away. "Just asking…but that pill earlier…could it be Felvine?"

"Hi~mit~su~!" Said Yuri in alluring, almost sickeningly sweet voice before bowing and disappearing into the kitchen. "Meeting her is bad for heart…" Grumbled Dusk, wolfing down his meal quietly (not forgetting to order a late-night snack for later), noting that he needed to see Lagun about the chalk and Neopteron material.

Marketplace

It's almost sad seeing a market without it's usual hustle and bustle. Compared when he visited this place with Vie, the number of seller has dropped to even lower than one-third…and even from all those, ones who still has their mind set in doing business are just one or two shops.

Of course, Lagun's shop is one of those who DID NOT selling seriously. At such, the clerk, owner and attendant (which is one person, really) is taking a nap with his trademark book covering his face.

"Yo." Called Dusk, lifting the book from the seller's face, which met with a groan. "What…Dusk? Have you completed the Arms?" Grunted him, making loud noise by cracking his joints.

Dusk shook his head. "Not yet. While the Weapon could be made just fine with ones in the Workshop, I need some other Material to complete the Armor…and in a rather large numbers."

Hearing this, Lagun's attitude turned into those of a real merchant. "State what you need; and I'll see if I can procure it directly."

"Ten kilos of chalk…and a lot of Neopteron Materials. Enough to create two sets of Armor." Said Dusk calmly, putting something on the mattress that Lagun used to lie down earlier.

It was a vial of clear liquid. Nothing more, nothing less.

But Lagun's expression changed to that of a shock.

"This…Chromatic Liquid!? Where the hell dhid youofh-ouch. Bit my tongue." "Calm down will you? I still have more." Said Dusk, pulling two similar bottle with the same, clear liquid.

Chromatic Liquid. Also known as Dew-Gatherer for those living in a desert, is a strange liquid. It will gather humidity from the surrounding air in order to dilute itself, producing up until one liter of water per DROP. Thus, it's very valuable in deserts where the natural humidity too high, yet cloud formation are limited. Researchers has experimented-and succeeded in making artificial rain falls using this Material, thus cranking its value even higher. Of course, it's source, the desert Piscine wyvern Hapurl were so common that they could be considered pest-yet obtaining those liquid can be only done while the beast is still alive.

Somehow, the sac containing this precious liquid will burst open upon their death, producing small stream of water. In olden days before the existence of this Material is known, desert voyagers are known to hunt Hapurls when they are low on water supply exactly for this reason. Of course, Dusk has only known this after reading the Info Magazine, but his partner Ran (Orc at that time) somehow made him collect the liquid from blown-off uvula of those beasts without telling the reason. IF he already know about this the time they're stranded on the Jhen's back, he wouldn't do such rash actions…

"Neopteron Material…do you need ones from specific species? Vespoid, Hornetaur-" "Whatever would work, really. Even mixed would do." Cut him quickly. "Mmm, so that's one down. But chalk, you say? Can't you use limestone for that? It's made from the same basic material, right?" Suggested Lagun, quickly stashing the three precious bottles into his chest and locked it in.

"No. Limestone won't do-it didn't have the necessary quality that I needed, nor the purity. It has to be pure chalk that reacts with water, generating heat in process and able to neutralize acids." Explained Dusk; this is a vital piece for his plan. As for the other one…

"I'll send them as soon as I could get my hand on some. You're in luck-there's a Neopteron infestation few weeks ago, so those materials would still plentiful in the market right now. As for chalk-if I can't get pure batch; then producing them from limestone would be our only choice."

"The deadline for getting the items I mentioned is this midnight. Later than that, and even I can't promise the equipment can be completed in time…" Said Dusk.

"Time…?" Asked Lagun again, confused.

"The Jho will be able to move again the day after tomorrow."

Lagun's face turned bloodless.

"Y.y-y-yyyyy…you sure about that?"

"I have my own sources. Thus, be quick."

Dusk patted the merchant's shoulder before going back to the Inn.

"-please."

Room of Camellia

Here it is.

Dusk pulled out something from the cupboard. It's an ivory piece of something that has weathered greatly. It was also one of two pieces that he used as hull in his Sailer.

A broken Golem Blade. Useless on it's own-but makes a perfect Greatsword base.

He has decided to combine his own design with the one written on Crimson Code, thus creating something entirely new. Is it stronger or not, he cannot confirm that before it's completed.

He reached into his pocket and draw out a piece of light-aqua-green material: the would-be Jinouga Tourmaline. After experimenting for a bit with those lumps, he founds out that they could still function as a normal Gem would, albeit weaker. With the sheer amount of those found inside Fuurai's body, he is sure about one thing.

It will be nothing like he ever crafted before.

His goal were clear. To avenge.

His tools were simple. The very body slain by the killer.

And…

Renga's Workshop.

Blam.

Shutting out himself from the rest of the world into the darkness of man-made structure, he again locked the door.

This is now all his world composed of.

The smell of iron. Lingering smoke. Preservation chemicals.

Crackle of embers, refusing to die. Drippings of water.

Gleaming tools from constant maintenance, spotless cast-iron anvil. Large working table.

It was all what he needed to do his work.

To create-no, to gave form to his ideals. To pave his way to victory. To inch even nearer to the truth of this world.

All he have to do is simple.

Dusk pulled out his broken White Wing and readied his schematics…

*Knock* *knock*

"-gh."

His concentration-as well his mood-shattered in that instant. "Yeeaaah…who is it?"

"Me."

Dusk groaned, but opened the door anyway…and finding Vieze standing in front of the door.

"…I…want to talk." Meekly said the girl, grasping the hem of her yukata.

"*sigh* Come in. What are you think you're doing, anyway? Have you rested well enough?" Dusk pulled a chair for her to sit, as her face color still unhealthy. "I think. Ahiko and Yuri cared for me a little too much-" "-so you got fed up and ran away here? How predictable of you."

"…"

"Stop making that face. You know that's my weakness...and anyway, what business you have with me? If this' about your armor-"

Vie shook her head.

"So whattt?" "-it's nothing much. Just…oh, you can Craft whatever you wanted. I've already heard what happening from Miss Aki."

Dusk facepalmed. What are you doooooing, AKIHOOOOO!?

"Oh, don't blame her. Her tongue slipped out of anger last night…"

Dusk is now doing double-hand facepalm. So it's partly my fault?

Not wanting to waste anymore of the precious remaining time, (since the secret has been leaked out anyway) Dusk started working on the Jinouga Armor piece, starting from the center piece-Chestplate. He shaped the Shells using the White Wing before trying attaching it to the core parts-because before he can do so, he must first attach Conductors to create a path for the Jinouga Tourmaline's output. Not only that, he must create power lines to create a connection between each pieces-the level of this Craft is very high, as expected from the legendary Code design. Using the Pelt as second layer to cover the Conductor and finishing it with sturdy yet stiff Shell for the chest, shoulder and back area, alternating with Scales to provide range of movement, he didn't forget to cover the inside surface with some of Fuurai's white Fur befire finishing the chestplate.

There's a fist-sized hole on the middle of the armor, which would be fitted with the Tourmaline. Unlike the armor pieces that can be made individually, those must be set in order after all pieces has been completed and assembled-closed line, if you can say that. Not to mention, he haven't cut it into form.

"Next piece is the Pants and Leggings…Vie? Are you sure you didn't want to rest?"

Although he 's the type which completely absorbed when doing his job; and for one thing, Vie likes to watch his Crafting, it's unusual for Vie to exhibit this much attention to him.

"No, I'm still alright. Just thinking-how long I haven't seen you Crafting?" "Mmm…I forgot. The last time was just before you and Radu departed for Moga, right?" "I guess so. Although it was just maintenance on my Longsword." "Yeah, that one. You still dare call that as a 'maintenance'? You practically shoved two halves of the blade on my face and hoping it to be repaired! Do you know how hard it is to even create those Lightcrystal shard layering?"

Vie giggled. "I don't think I can forget that face you're making that day. You're like…a demon or something."

A demon? Thankfully she'd never see me goes Berserking.

She'd never see him in the same light if it happened.

"Dusk? About the Hunt-"

"No. You may not participate in this one." Flatly rejected Dusk without even turning his head. "But why!? I'm a Rank-15 Hunter, that mean I could use the special rule-"

"That's only IF you're healthy!" Strongly rejected him.

"…but! Radu and Uncle-"

"This fight is my own." Said Dusk, putting down the tools he's using on the table and turning to Vie's direction.

"I only asked Radu and Pops to tag along with me for setting up diversion. The one who will slay that demon is me."

"I won't accept it!"

Vieze suddenly stand up, which made her dizzy because she haven't completely recovered. Holding dearly to the chair next to her so she wouldn't fall down, she continued: "I know that you are a selfish person, but this is too much! I know you're not doing this for money or anything so why? Why can you throw your life so readily for something so insignificant as this? If this is about protecting the Village, we can do this all together-!"

"Say anything you wanted, but it would change nothing. And if I reversed the position, what about you? Do you really think you can make a difference? I asked Radu to come because he's a ranged fighter. I created those Blast Shafts so they have the ability to damage beasts from afar. Given your condition-no, even if you're in top condition, I doubt Violet Line can cut through that Jho's Scales! I have taken everything in consideration before coming with this plan, with the minimal risk. So if you think you can create a better plan then mine-go ahead and try!"

There's a few seconds of silence after Dusk said that. The only thing they done in those few seconds' worth of time is staring each other intensely, until at last Dusk gave up talking Vie out from this.

He continued moving his hand without even stopping once, assembling small pieces into larger parts, and in turn parts into equipment pieces, ignoring the small sobs coming from his back. Before he realized it, minutes turned into hours…

Few hours later.

He completed the remaining pieces save for the helmet. Now the time's probably nearing midnight…and there's no sign of Lagun coming.

After carrying the crying-herself-to-sleep Vieze back to her room (and for a change, lectured back Akiho who once again stumbled upon them after spending the last 3 hours seeking for Vieze's whereabouts. Seriously, how did you forget the Workshop if you have the time to search the entire town?)

He thought of dropping to the Marketplace to find another seller, but the time…

The moon's form has changed from full moon. Now some dark shades has appeared on the edges of that object, eating at the brightness it gave.

If there's no chalk and Neopterii materials, all this plan will go to waste…

'Dusk!'

"? This voice…Kazehana?"

A shadow swooped down right before him, stopping after plunging into a nearby small pond. 'The demon…it has regained consciousness!'

His heart missed a beat.

"Wh…"

'The Deviljho has revived! Now she's trying to escape from the enclave using the landslide~! Her movement is still sluggish, but on that speed alone he should reach this Village on-'

...

'-stop joking, Hana.' Said a second voice, swooping down from the sky in the same fashion as the younger sister and grabbed her beak. 'The Jho is still unmoving. There's no change from the original schedule. And as a bonus information, Lord Mugetsu has ordered the Dobobelks to contain the site of landslide, thus disabling the easy escape. If she wanted to escape now, the only way is to pass through Dividing Gate.'

"What…you almost made me get a heart attack!" Roared the Hunter, grabbing Kazehana on the neck-

For a split second he could see something in the Carrier Eagle's eyes. Is it a glint of mischief or insanity?

-or even, something else? He didn't really want to know, as he released the now limp body (no, she's not dead. Only getting too much bloodflow to the brain-much like chickens which will limp away if hanged upside-down.) into the nearby hot water pool.

He has gotten a time extension, but for how long, he didn't know.

But at least his chance of winning raises, if even so slightly.

"Duuuuusssskk! Weeee goooot theeee Maaaatterriaaalsss!"

"About the DAMN TIME!" Welcomed Dusk, making a 'guts' pose after seeing a cart with Lagun as driver appeared before the Village's toori.

With this, all cards has been gathered on his hands. And those cards, played rightly, would promise a certain victory.

---

Hello, ZN-OUGA here…with the awaited 14th chapter.

First of all, I apologize for the lateness. This chapter (along with half of the next, actually) has been completed and edited since about one month ago…yet lack of internet connection and free time has disabled me from uploading…

So yeah, sorry about the late upload.

Now, for the usual rant. As you may have realized, this chapter is a breather one. And even in the original forum, this particular chapter has been tagged as 'boring like hell' because there's nothing exciting happening...on the last quarter, really. The first 3/4 was chock-full of surprises. And jokes. Have you realized a black joke about going-vegan-after-getting talk-with-animal-power? Even would not be so prudent to eat chicken in front of a chicken coop, but not Ran.

But if you're a fan of crafting/blacksmithing, this particular one should be fairly interesting, given the Code has come into light and new weapon type, DualGun has entered the play. As usual, it's my original Weapon Type and I doubt it will appear on the main Game. Sure, Bowguns with Gun-powdered ammunition were strange, much less rocket launchers in a fantasy game. So I took liberty of giving many handicaps to the weapon so it would not be too overpowered.

Oh, and about the overly-detailed crafting scenes here…

In the game, all we have to prepare before going into a Hunt is usually readying Potions, items, eating, etc. It was simplified so much in order to shorten time as well reducing un-needed animations…but since this is a fanfic, meaning the scenes here will be played inside your head with imagination as fuel, I am free to describe it using my own interpretation! The same happens for the Armor/Weapon making. All you needed to get a new Arms or upgrading one is raw Materials and Money-you won't actually see the process with the exception of the Opening Movie of MHP2G/MHFU. Since Dusk's character was a Hunter/Crafter combo, expect to see-or actually, read- much babble about Crafting on the later chapters.

More about later chapters…

This story is divided into three large parts: Opening Arc, Revelation Arc and Resolution Arc. FYI, the Yukumo Arc here is positioned near the end of the Opening Arc. The translation has reached the 2nd chapter in the Revelation, but editing and proof-read haven't got that far. In other words…yes, the later chapter would be late as well.

So yeah, I'll end the rant here since it's getting everywhere (I'm losing the point, really). The next chapter would be the conclusion from the Yukumo Arc. Expect some serious plot twist and the usual Bad-assery. Whose? Well, just see. Let's just say...it's time for the supporting roles to shine.

ZN-OUGA, signing out.

~23 March 2013~