This chapter has been revised
Chapter 21: White Spirit
They had made it to the mine and were now sitting inside a small one story wooden building that served as the main office for mine operations. A larger sprawling living complex was situated farther down a hard packed road. Jasper had gotten bored and flown off to find more interesting entertainment, but Alistair didn't doubt that they would be seeing him again soon. Seiva had curled up and proceeded to take a nap while the humans took care of their business here. Aureus was outside talking to the head of the mine operations while Amai stood watch with the babies.
Inside the office building, Alistair had grabbed a seat and was sitting patiently while Rain took care of the cut on the side of her head. To be more accurate she had been forced into a seat by her very worried and clearly stressed out best friend; she just hadn't objected very much.
"Thank you," Alistair said as Rain held her hair back and wiped the blood away with a damp cloth.
"I'm just glad it's not serious. You did well out there," Rain replied keeping her eyes focused on the cut as she cleaned it out. "I'll tape this bandage on and then we'll be done," she added putting the washcloth down and picking up a soft medical pad that she then pressed to Alistair's head.
"Hold this in place for a second."
Alistair did as she was told as Rain grabbed some medical tape to hold the pad down and keep it from falling off.
"There you should be good to go," Rain's voice was tight and she hadn't looked at Alistair since they got here. Reaching over Alistair grabbed her hand and when her friend finally looked up she could see her stubbornly holding back tears.
"Rain... I'm okay. Physically I'm okay," Alistair stated knowing that wasn't the only concern here. "Sure I could be triggered by something and have an attack an hour from now," she said honestly, "Mentally I can't say, but physically? Physically I'm fine. My muscles are a bit sore because I'm tense and I could really use a nice massage, but aside from that? I'm okay. I'll be okay," she added giving Rain's hand a firm squeeze to reassure her. Rain took a deep breath and let it out slowly before stubbornly wiping the tears away from her eyes.
"I know, I know. I... I'm just really sensitive right now because of what happened to Storm. I'm just glad you and Amai are all right," Rain said and gripping her hand tightly before Alistair let go and stood up. Her helmet would need a repair which could take anywhere from a few hours to a couple days depending on how backed up the armory was in town. That however was a relatively minor issue and could wait until tomorrow.
"Come on. Let's get this over with and get back home. I've faced enough peril for one day," Alistair said as her fingers drifted up to the square bandage on her head. To be more accurate she tried to touch it only to have her hand slapped down by Rain who frowned at her.
"Quit that! I'm trying to play the supportive and understanding best friend here but if you keep that up I will order Seiva to watch you like a halk getting ready to swoop down on a meal," Rain threatened sternly and the look on her face said that she wouldn't have any problem following up on her words either. Alistair knew her friend would be more then happy to come through on her threat so she put her hand down and tried ignore the urge to rub the bandage. Despite her personal worries, Rain was a very understanding friend when it came to her job as a hunter, but she still had her limits and Alistair knew better than to cross them.
"Well come on let's go see how Aureus is doing," Alistair said evading the issue. Standing up she twitched slightly as sharp sting of pain flashed across the side of her head. The way Rain's lips pressed together clearly said that she had seen the action and her eyes carried a firm warning.
"What? Stop looking at me like you're going to put me under house arrest or something," Alistair objected as she backed up and put a hand on the door leading out of the office.
"Don't tempt me," Rain fired back and Alistair did roll her eyes this time and opened the door. Both headed outside and down the short steps. Seiva was yawning and blinking his eyes sleepily as he woke up from his short nap.
All around them the forest had been pushed back and the ground opened up. After turning off the main road they had come down the side road into the mine. It sloped down until dirt and rock walls started to rise above them leaving the forest three or four stories above their heads. Down at the end was a large crossroad. There was a mine shaft straight ahead of them with a wide road leading off to the left and another heading off to the right with another mineshaft visible in the distance. Next to the main office building there was a sign post directing workers to different buildings and other mine shafts. Two duramboros were visible as well. One was helping to drag a huge wagon filled with broken rocks down the road and another was standing there in the middle of the road idly chewing on some branches while a small group of men stood around and pointed up to a huge boulder that was sticking dangerously far out over the road.
Amai and Seiva however were next to the office building waiting for Alistair to finish being bandaged up. Amai had gotten away with only a few minor scrapes and had declined medical attention. Now she had a smile on her face as Raiden stood atop Seiva's back wagging his tail and panting in excitement as he looked out over the mine. Akairo and Ginouji were being more cautious and were standing next to Seiva's side and staring at the duramboros in rapt fascination. Just down the road, Aureus was talking animatedly to a man with a thick mustache and beard. He was covered in dirt and his arms bulged with thick muscle. Thrown over his shoulder was a pick axe and he was puffing away at a large cigar that was stuck in the side of his mouth. Upon seeing them standing there the man glanced over and nodded simply before turning his attention back to Aureus who was dwarfed by the larger man.
"Hey, how's your head doing?" Amai asked as Alistair and Rain walked over. Immediately she lifted her hand to touch it but then remembered Rain's warning and dropped her hand back down to her side instead.
"It stings but I'll be okay. What's Aureus doing?" Alistair asked with a nod over at the young man who was pointing their way and waving his hands around.
"That's the head overseer of the mine and evidently Aureus told him we'd be coming a few days go. Then they started talking about iron ore, armor stone, the chemical make up of each one and different strata levels around here..." Amai made a face and waved her hand dismissively. "Everything started going way over my head and your little ones were not happy being so close to a strange man and the duramboros were scaring them so I figured it was best to just come back over here," she looked down as both rathalos scrambled over and happily chirped and pressed against Alistair's legs.
Crouching down, Alistair wrapped her arms around the young rathalos and then smiled as both Akairo and Ginouji nuzzled her face and neck with happy coo's. Since her first visit to the psychologist she had started opening up and being more affectionate with the two babies and it was starting to make a big difference in how both of them responded to her. The two rathalos had already been attached to her but now they practically hung on every word.
"Yes, momma is all better now," Alistair said affectionately as Ginouji licked her cheek and pressed his head up under her chin. "Okay, okay, don't knock me over. You guys are getting bigger every day," she said giving both of them another rub under the wings before standing up. They were growing like weeds. Even over the course of a week or so the difference in size from when they had first hatched was obvious. Although Ginouji was just a little bit bigger than his brother and was likely to grow bigger than him.
Alistair stood up just as Aureus came running back over to them with a broad smile and a slip of paper in her hands.
"I've got everything set up! The mine produces some good iron ore, but it also ends up with a lot of smaller pieces that aren't really good enough for high quality commercial use. These get sold off to merchants in town or transported elsewhere. He agreed to deliver a bag of iron ore and another filled with armor stone pieces to Rain's house twice a month... for a price that is," Aureus added handing the slip of paper over. Taking it, Alistair looked closer and saw that it was an itemized receipt, but instead of a price at the bottom there was just a long pen mark.
"The mine overseer said that he'll select some of the better pieces to give you. So the iron quality will be about the same as what you would get at the market. Maybe a little lower but still more than good enough to suit Ginouji's needs. The armor stone around here isn't really high quality stuff which is why they focus more on iron but they do have it and he'll give you the best he can get," Aureus paused and looked over his shoulder but the mine overseer was already walking back down the road towards the mine shaft closest to them.
"He heard about Storm's death and how you stood up for him at his funeral service," Aureus eyes cut over to Rain who nodded and looked around in thought as he trailed off and waited for her to say something.
"We primarily find and sell old artifacts or rare treasures that we find at the bottom of the ocean, but if a person needs passage or a delivery made somewhere along our path then we almost always help out. We've transported goods for the mine here more then a few times," Rain commented. "We've worked together for years but I still find myself surprised by just how many people have been helped by him... by us," she added and turned away as Seiva lowered his head and gently touched her shoulder with his jaw. He rumbled and grunted to her and Rain smiled and rubbed his jaw.
"Yeah, I miss him too, but at least he's able to help us now. He would have liked that," Rain added as Aureus shifted a little uncomfortably and cleared his throat.
"Umm... yeah, so the mine overseer agreed to make the first few months of deliveries for free. After that he'll sell it to you for a quarter of the price. He does still have to make a profit after all," Aureus explained to her. Alistair nodded at that and carefully folded the receipt and slipped it into a small space in her chest armor.
Before anyone could say anything else a loud BOOM echoed through the air and shook the ground they were standing on followed by a thunderous explosion. A deep rumbling roar shook them to their bones and the mine workers ducked and looked around in confusion.
Amai stumbled as the explosion nearly knocked her off her feet. She saw Alistair fall down to one knee and reach her arms out. Both Ginouji and Akairo ran back to her arms not doubting for a moment that their mother would protect them from whatever danger existed. Amai too looked back at Seiva and saw him carefully lowering his head. A spark of electricity jumped from his body to Raiden and the zinogre let out a small yip and jumped down from his back. As soon as he found his balance he scampered back to her and pawed at her legs wanting to be picked up.
"Don't worry I won't let anything hurt you," Amai promised as she picked up her puppy. She could feel him shaking. Aureus stumbled and straightened back up just as quickly.
"What in the world...?" Aureus asked looking down the road as Seiva rumbled and immediately got defensive. The ivory lagiacrus' back spikes lit up with electricity and his head hovered next to Rain's ready to protect her. He rumbled and stalked forward as they all looked down towards the mine entrance to see what was going on. Only it wasn't the entrance to the mine that was the problem.
One of the duramboros had been in the road idly chewing on some tree branches within its reach while the mine workers argued over a boulder stuck in the wall on one side of the road. It was bigger then the duramboros itself and hanging out over the road rather precariously. But now large chunks of it were strewn all over the road and the duramboros had its back and side facing the giant hole where the boulder had been. Evidently it had smashed the enormous rock. Now a giant cloud of dust had risen up and was billowing out all across the road obscuring their vision. The duramboros was the only one visible and it was roaring and backing up, shaking its head back and forth as if fending something off.
"What was that explosion? Was it a gas pocket?" Amai asked turning back to Rain and Alistair. She didn't know a tremendous amount about mining operations but they did have some mines up in the cold northern mountains where native tribes such as hers lived. Zystae, where Alistair used to live was a little farther south in a little more temperate climate and it was the biggest mining city around. Aside from cave dwelling monsters and cave ins, gas pockets, gas leaks and the threat of explosions from hitting or igniting one without warning were the biggest dangers.
Seiva had walked forward angling his body so that he was sheltering them but now he glanced back and snorted pointedly and chomped his jaw. He swung his tail in an arc and then darted his head forward with a hiss and an arc of electricity and clacked his jaws rapidly.
Amai looked over at Rain who pursed her lips.
"Seiva says the duramboros hit the rock and then something broke out quickly after that. It must be a monster of some kind," Rain pointed out as a large shape moved from within the cloud of smoke. A loud rattling sound rang through the air and Amai frowned and turned to Alistair to ask if she knew what kind of monster it was, but she was still down on one knee with the rathalos babies. Aureus turned and held a hand out to stop them.
"I'll go see if I can get a bit closer and figure out what kind of monster it is. Seiva will protect you guys back here," Aureus said before running off after the mine overseer who was in a full run and heading towards the confusion. When he was gone she turned back to Alistair to see how she was.
"Alistair?" Amai asked seeing the woman's face. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing had quickened to the point where she was almost hyperventilating. For a moment she just stared at the young woman in confusion before her brain clicked.
Of course... the explosion must have triggered a memory from before. From what happened in Zystae when the gravios attacked part of the city as a territorial move, Amai realized chewing on her lower lip as she glanced back at the dissipating cloud of smoke and saw the outline of a large and very long monster.
Rain had noticed as well and had crouched down next to Alistair.
"Alistair? Alistair?" she asked softly and the hunter grimaced and shook her head. Her body was starting to shake.
"Can't... can't... focus. Explosion... the gravios," Alistair stuttered out the words through gritted teeth and the baby rathalos whimpered and nuzzled her. She was starting to lose herself again in the memory and feelings of what had happened to her before.
For a moment all Amai could do was stare at her uncomfortably. Sure Alistair had been triggered during the battle with the plesioth but she had managed to keep it together until it was over. Besides Amai didn't know what was going on at the time. Alistair had also been troubled at the beach when she saw Sakala injured and paralyzed, but Amai had run to get her psychologist so he could help her before she had a full-blown attack. This was the first time she had really seen Alistair triggered and go into a PTSD attack right in front of her and understood what was happening. She had no idea it could happen so quickly.
Shaking her head, Amai took a deep breath and tried to focus.
"Just take a deep breath... look at me... hey, look at me okay?" Rain said and with obvious effort Alistair lifted her head to meet her friend's gaze. Her eyes darted around and she took a deep breath and let it out shakily.
"Remember what your psychologist told you, where are you now?" Rain pressed and Alistair shivered and looked back at her.
"In... back in..." Alistair stopped and shook her head. "No... just... just a memory. I'm not in Zystae. It's just a memory. I'm at the mine.. still at the mine... there was... explosion," she took another deep breath and gripped both Ginouji and Akairo tighter. "There's a monster here... just like before. It's going to attack us," Alistair began and then stopped and grimaced again. She was trying to fight the memory. Trying to stay focused and remember that it was in the past, but her brain clearly was not making it easy for her.
"The monster is coming... someone... someone has to fight it," she said breathlessly and Amai sucked in a breath this time. Alistair wanted to help but in addition to her head injury she was currently in no condition to fight whatever it was in that cloud of dust. Besides the duramboros didn't seem very eager to go charging into battle either judging from the way it was still taking slow steps backwards away from the rattling sound. She was the only hunter here. It was up to her to fight this monster and protect the mine workers.
"Don't worry I'll take care of this," Amai said and Alistair blanched and looked at her and then back at the dust cloud. A moment later she hung her head and nodded slowly. Frustration and anger were written all over her face but she didn't object or reach for her switch axe to try to fight anyway. This had to be hard on her. While Amai wasn't clued into everything going on in Alistair's life she was smart enough to see how much the woman loved being a hunter. What was happening to her right now must be the realization of her worst fears. The fear that one day her PTSD would affect her to the point where she couldn't fight and protect the people she cared about.
"Hey... a good hunter had to know their limits right? I'll take care of this. Just focus on keeping all the little ones safe," Amai offered and Alistair nodded slightly but kept her eyes on Ginouji and Akairo who were still wrapped up in her arms. She glanced over at Rain who just shook her head slightly and motioned for her to go on.
Reaching back Amai put a hand on the dual blades she had brought with her and then looked up at Seiva.
"I have an idea. See if you can attract Jasper again. He couldn't have gotten very far and a bolt of lightning shooting up into the sky is bound to bring him back," Amai said and the lagiacrus narrowed his red eyes at her. "Pretty please?" she amended and Seiva snorted in satisfaction and started charging electricity.
No more time to waste. Amai raced down the road towards as the second duramboros came stomping over roaring and slamming his tail down on the ground threateningly. Aureus was standing back away from the two duramboros and directing the mine workers on where to go for safety. Amai skidded to a stop next to him as the monster let out a loud hiss and lashed out from the cloud of dust. There was a flash of white, gray, and silver as the monster launched itself out and straight for the duramboros who snorted in surprise and hastily backed up. It's spine bristled with large bony plates and tusks jutted up from its bottom jaw. Hissing loudly it bounced off the duramboros' horns and then recoiled as the other monster turned around and swung its tail right at the creature's head. Ducking quickly, it snapped its jaws before pulling back into a tight coil. The plates up and down its body vibrated to create a loud rattling sound.
Amai could feel her hair standing on end as static electricity filled the air. A burst of light came from behind her followed by a thunderclap. Wincing she rubbed her ears and glanced back to see Seiva staring up at the sky. A moment later he sent up another burst of electricity. Hopefully Jasper hadn't gone too far away. They could use his help right now. Running up she slid to a stop next to Aureus.
"What is that thing?" Amai gasped staring at the creature. Once again she lamented her lack of knowledge about different monster species. Alistair had a fairly good knowledge of what monsters lived in what areas, but Amai only knew some of the most common ones that rookie hunters were cleared to fight against as well as all the ones native to her homeland in the mountains and surrounding tundra. Thankfully Aureus had no problem filling her in.
Aureus grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side as the monster whipped its tail around and slammed the plates together creating a deafening nose. Everyone cringed and covered their ears. Both duramboros crouched down and shook their heads at the noise. Once again the monster launched itself forward but this time it tried to go between the two duramboros and up the other side of the high sloping wall leading out of the mine and back into the forest. It was halted when both towering monsters roared and slammed their massive tails into the ground. That threatening display was more than enough to make the creature recoil, once again tightening its body into thick coils as its mouth snapped at them and it's plates rattled in warning.
"Najarala... I've never seen one in person before," Aureus said breathlessly his eyes wide as he let go of Amai. "And I've definitely never seen any reports of one that color. Usually they're green with yellow and red on the plates up and down their spine," he added analyzing the monster as it pressed back against the wall behind it. "Judging from its body it must have been hiding in a cave while it shed the scales and plates on its body. They do it once a year and it can take a couple of weeks from start to finish. They burrow underground and hide out in a burrow while they do it. That must be why it was it was there. The najarala was in there minding its own business when the duramboros busted through the back wall. The entrance must be somewhere in the forest beyond the mine," Aureus pointed out and Amai quickly cut him off.
"I have to do something. It doesn't want to fight. It just wants to escape. If they back off and give it enough room it'll run away," Amai pointed out as she tightened her grip on her dual blades. Both of them watched as the najarala snapped once again when one of the duramboros got too close. It was a stand off. They weren't going to let the monster get away and it clearly didn't want to attack them head on but it would if they got too close.
Amai was about to say something else when something crashed down beside her.
"Hey ho little hunter! Jasper see bright sparky light and come back! What need mighty peco for this time?"
Startled Amai whipped around and craned her neck back to see an all too familiar crimson qurupeco standing there staring down at her with angelic innocence and eager eyes.
"Would you stop doing that! Try to announce your arrival a little sooner next time instead of sneaking up on me!" Amai growled at him and Jasper gave her a hurt look and lowered his head so he could speak to her at eye level.
"Next time little human pay attention and get eyes checked. Not my fault tiny people ears don't work right," Jasper countered as he ruffled his wings and straightened up. Taking a deep breath Amai fought down her irritation and silently wondered how she had gone from hunting monsters to raising one and arguing with another.
"That monster down there is trying to get away but those duramboros won't let it. They're trying to keep themselves and the mine workers safe. I'm going to try and get everyone as far back as possible. Once that happens I need you to get that... white scaled monster to follow you into the surrounding jungle. Anywhere in the jungle so long as its far away from here and away from people," Amai said in a rush and Jasper just stared at her, blinking his eyes very slowly. For a moment she thought that her words had gone over his head. Surpassed his impressive but limited monster intelligence. Straightening up Jasper stared over at the large serpent wyvern and the two hulking duramboros keeping it cornered. Lowering his head again Jasper spoke.
"You make little people and green mountains back up. I get White Spirit to follow me into jungle. Far away from humans where is safe?" Jasper asked with a curious tilt of his head and Amai's brow furrowed at the term.
"White Spirit?" she asked glancing back over at the white and gray serpent wyvern. "You mean that monster down there?" she added wondering where the crimson qurupeco had picked that term up from. Jasper trilled and snapped his jaws a few times.
"No other white monsters here. Who you think I talking about?" Jasper's tone of chastisement and scorn was so obvious that Amai bristled and opened her mouth to object. "Sorry! No time! Must go help White Spirit find safe place!" he said suddenly before she could get a word out. With a wiggle of his tail and wings he went charging down the road towards the najarala. Amai glared at the fleeing bird and turned to Aureus who shook his head and waved her off.
"No time. I can tell you all about the White Spirit later. Those people need help now before that monster get's scared and attacks anyway," Aureus urged her. Amai didn't waste time acknowledging his words but instead sprinted the remaining distance down to where the three monsters were now in a stand-off.
Looking around she spotted the mine overseer standing a distance over to the left, keeping his men back away from danger. Problem was they weren't back nearly far enough. If one of the duramboros whipped their tail around and missed they could easily go flying over and land directly on them.
"The White Spirit is here! But why was it hiding in that burrow?" the mine overseer asked her and Amai wondered again at that title but she didn't have time to answer that question.
"No time. You have to get your men back and call off those duramboros," she explained to him motioning behind her. "That naja... um.. I mean the White Spirit is trying to escape but it feels trapped with those two standing there in front of it. Get your men all the way back up the road where my friend and ivory lagiacrus are. They'll be far enough away up there. While they do that get your duramboros to back up. Your men will be protected if something happens and the monster will have the room it needs to get away," Amai explained to him as Jasper took to the air and circled around above their heads waiting to do his part.
Not wasting time he shouted to his men and ordered them up the hill as fast as they could. While they were getting out of the way he turned back to Amai. The mine overseer pursed his lips and stroked his beard for a moment before speaking.
"And you're sure it will leave? The White Spirit will not be hurt in any way? You can promise that?" his question was firm and Amai hesitated unsure of what to say.
"There are never any promises when it comes to monster hunting, but I promise you that I don't want to fight it. Especially not with your duramboros at my back. I want to get it away from here just as badly as it wants to escape," Amai said instead and he frowned and nodded curtly.
"That will have to do. I hope this works hunter," he said before taking in a deep breath and putting his fingers in the corners of his mouth. Amai covered her ears just in time to block out the enormous whistle he made. As soon as the sound came out of his mouth both duramboros immediately lifted their heads and turned his way. One snorted and rumbled deeply. The mine overseer let out another sharp whistle followed by shorter ones of varying pitch. They must have been commands of some kind because both duramboros grumbled but slowly started to back up roaring and beating their tails against the ground in warning.
Hissing in return the white najarala started to slowly slide down the sloping side of the mine wall away from them. As it did so it kept their eyes firmly on the huge duramboros. As they moved farther away the serpent slid farther down the road rattling its plates loudly. It glanced down the road and flicked its tongue out as it shifted its eyes up to the swaying palm trees above it. Getting close but still not far enough. It wanted to run but wasn't convinced that it could turn it's back without being attacked. This is where Jasper came in.
"Let's go Jasper!" Amai shouted up to him and the qurupeco roared in acknowledgment and swooped down just over the najarala's head. Startled the monster coiled back again rattling louder than ever.
Jasper landed a fair distance away and wiggled his body. He let out a roar just like the serpent wyvern had and then lowered his head and imitated the monster's loud hissing. Was he just copying the sound it made? Or was he actually communicating with it?
Either way it worked. Jasper turned and dashed down the road shortly before turning and darting up the side of the mine wall. Stopping at the top he called and roared again. The najarala took one look at the duramboros who waved their horns at it and then turned and fled. Throwing itself to the ground it speed along with frightening speed and headed up the sides of the mine. Jasper hooted and vanished in between some bushes with the large white serpent following right along behind it. The sounds of its crashing flight could be heard getting farther and farther away and after a few tense moments one of the duramboros snorted and visibly relaxed.
Letting out a shaky breath Amai silently thanked Jasper. Hopefully he would actually lead it away from them and anyone else. It wouldn't help for them to burst out onto some other unsuspecting citizens.
I did it. I actually did it! Amai thought as a grin burst across her lips. Quickly she tempered her excitement and reminded herself that she hadn't actually done much of anything herself, but at least it worked and no one had gotten hurt. Looking down she realized that she was gripping her dual blades for dear life and carefully peeled her fingers off them and put them away.
Now they could go home.
Alistair had never been so happy to get back to civilization in her life. The mine overseer had ordered one of his men to transport them back to Port Tanzia in a simple open wagon cart with benches set up in the back. Still it was a lot nicer then walking all the way back they safely back at Rain's house and Alistair had slipped out of her armor and into a far more comfortable shirt and sweatpants. All the babies had been fed and were now sleeping. Hungry and tired from the excitement of the day. Seiva was out back curled up and fast asleep as well.
More than anything Alistair wanted to just take her sleeping mediation crawl under the covers for the next few days. She was completely exhausted. Not only physically but mentally. First she had started slipping during the face off with Big Blue and Scarlet and then being triggered at the mine had wrecked her. She needed rest and quiet. Badly.
While she hated to admit it she knew she would have to go see her psychologist tomorrow for help. Otherwise she was going to risk having another serious mental break down and she couldn't afford that. It wasn't good for her own health and it wasn't good for Ginouji and Akairo. They were legally hers now, but if it was determined that she was mentally unfit then they could still be taken away from her. Besides if she didn't get her PTSD under better control it put her standing as a hunter at risk too. Even if she had more than enough money to live off of the fact that she had lost her position would be enough to warrant an evaluation of her adoption of two rathalos. Even if Aureus was nice he still had people above him that he had to answer to.
Today was the worst possible thing that could have happened. Her biggest fear was that she would have an attack, a trigger that kept her from doing her job. From fighting a monster or protecting someone. Today Amai had come up with a plan and handled things well, but what if she hadn't? What if something had gone wrong and that najarala had gotten scared and attacked? Amai was a good hunter, but she was still learning and trying to fight a monster while being underneath two angry and protective duramboros was practically a death sentence. Even if she had survived it wouldn't have been without sustaining serious injury first.
To put it more simply, Alistair was mentally exhausted, extremely depressed, and very discouraged with herself. She wanted to heal already. She wanted to move on with her life and close the hole in her heart. But her mind refused to let go of what happened. Even worse it forced her to relive those awful moments over and over. Nightmares at night, panic attacks when she tried to go to the market and remembered how the attack had come out of the blue. In broad daylight while she was shopping around for vegetables to cook with her 'welcome home' dinner. Mental triggers whenever there was an explosion or the smell of smoke in the air. Anxiety every time a crowd pressed against her just like it had at the market the day Zystae was attacked and partially destroyed by a gravios.
I just want to be me again. Not a hollow shell constantly afraid of having a mental break down or a panic attack, Alistair thought with a heavy sigh as she dropped her head down into her arms.
Amai and Aureus were sitting at the kitchen table engrossed in a conversation about the white najarala they had seen today. Normally she would be fascinated to learn more about a monster like that and add the knowledge to her extensive mental library, but now she could only muster the strength to listen halfheartedly. Her mind was too worn out and her spirit too discouraged by what happened to pay full attention. Lifting her head she watched the two talk.
"So people... worship it?" Amai asked wrinkling her nose at the idea.
"Sort of. Depends on who you ask. Some call it special and hold it in high regard. Others do actually worship it as a sacred or holy spirit. A monster that should never be hunted or hurt by human hands," Aureus explained to her waving his hands around in excitement. "The white or more accurate the white, gray and silver, najarala is caused by recessive genes. It's more of a mutation then a true albino. So while they are very rare they have still been seen in these jungles around Port Tanzia for generations. They are always referred to by the term 'White Spirit' and even the Guild has forbidden hunters from killing them. It's just too rare to risk killing at the moment and they usually stay far enough away from people that it's not a problem anyway. Those who still keep to the old ways and live in more secluded areas of the jungle put out offerings for them and protect them while they grow up. They've developed a rather symbiotic relationship. To see one here is very unusual, but thanks to Jasper we shouldn't have to worry about it happening again," Aureus said excitement filling his voice.
Sighing, Alistair tuned them out and turned back around. She was slumped over with her arms crossed on one of the kitchen counters. Akairo and Ginouji were dead asleep in her room. Ginouji had put up a fuss until she found his favorite blanket and put it over him. Then he curled a head under his wing and went to sleep. Straightening up, Alistair turned and head down the short hallway leading to the back patio and lake. Being inside was starting to make her claustrophobic and give her a headache.
Once outside Alistair could see the glow from Shurika's body farther out in the water where it was deeper. Seiva was right up on the bank sleeping. His rumbling snores drifting through the air. It was a full moon tonight and a cloudless so there was more than enough light to see by.
Alistair walked over and sat down at the edge of the wooden patio, slumped over with her head in her hands. She could just barely make out the sound of Aureus and Amai talking inside but she just couldn't deal with it right now. Even being inside again was making her shaky. She needed her daily dose of medication but that was inside as well.
"You're going to hurt your back slouched over like that."
Alistair lifted her head at the soft tone and turned her head to see Rain walking over to her with two cups in her hand. One small cup and another larger clay mug.
"I measured out your medication for you," Rain said as she crouched down just behind her and put both mugs down. She opened her palm to show a few small pills and gave her the small cup of water to wash them down with. Nodding silently, Alistair took them and grimaced at the taste as she put them in her mouth and swallowed them down. Putting the cup down on her other side she then accepted the mug from Rain. She closed her eyes as the sweet smell of hot chocolate with just a hint of citrus and berry filled her nose.
"Thank you," Alistair said softly and she took a slow sip savoring the taste of it as Rain shifted position and sat down on the edge of the patio beside her. They sat in silence for a while before she spoke up again.
"You okay?" Rain asked gently and after a moment Alistair somberly shook her head. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked instead. This time Alistair hesitated and didn't answer for a long time. Her hands tightened around the mug and she stared at it in her lap instead.
Rain's eyes softened and she lifted her arm inviting her closer. Sliding down a bit Alistair curled up against her best friend's side and rested her head on Rain's shoulder with heavy sigh. Closing her eyes she enjoyed the peaceful moment as Rain slowly rubbed her back.
"I want to be okay. I want to get better. I want to heal and move past this... but there are times when I doubt that it's ever going to happen. When I doubt that it's even possible anymore," Alistair softly and opened her eyes again as Rain's arm tightened around her.
"You'll get there. It'll take time and it's not going to be easy, but you'll get there. I can't even imagine how frustrating this must be for you but it will get better. It's just going to take work and patience to get there. I have faith in you," Rain assured her. Alistair gave a small bitter laugh and lifted her head up.
"Well at least someone does," she muttered drinking more of the hot chocolate Rain had prepared for her. "While I do like not having to suffer from nightmares every night, I don't like depending on medication to help me get there. Then there's the side effects. I may get a good night's sleep but I wake up the next morning sluggish and fighting to pull my thoughts together," Alistair said with a heavy sigh already dreading how foggy headed she was going to be for a few hours tomorrow morning.
"We'll talk to your psychologist about it tomorrow. The hospital prescribed your medication not him. Maybe he has better method for helping you to deal with your sleep trouble," Rain suggested and Alistair furrowed her brow in thought.
"I hadn't thought about that. I'll have to bring it up to him tomorrow," Alistair honestly admitted as she drank down most of her hot chocolate and dropped her head back down on her best friend's shoulder. "Thanks for helping me through this. You don't have to do this," she added softly and Rain scoffed audibly at that.
"What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't around when you needed me the most? You can't just abandon someone because things got more difficult or more complicated ," Rain said firmly, "You're the one who taught me that," she added and Alistair could hear a clear note of embarrassment in her voice. Lifting her head she stared at Rain in surprise.
"Me? How did I do that?" Alistair questioned. The moonlight was bright enough that she could see Rain blushing. Rather hard in fact.
"Well I mean..." Rain stopped and fumbled around with her words. "Just the fact that you're okay with me being... being gay... and now with what I just told you the other day. I mean... I haven't even told Storm about that. He always thought I was just too worried about what people would think to ever get involved with anyone. I was always too afraid of the truth getting out to tell him otherwise. Now I wish I had been honest with him," she admitted but then shook her head.
"Trust me Alistair... just the fact that you're still here at all means everything to me. If I can't support you now after all the ways that you've helped me... even just emotionally... it wouldn't be right. I wouldn't feel right," Rain stopped and shook her head. "I'm not going to leave you. Even if you do nearly give me a heart attack when you stare down monsters like Big Blue today," she added raising an eyebrow.
Alistair managed a tiny smile but hid it behind the mug in her hands and finished her hot chocolate.
"Thanks. For everything. I'm hoping I can avoid any stunts like that again, but no promises," she said putting the mug aside and rubbing her eyes. Yawning widely she let her head fall to Rain's shoulder as the medication started to work on her.
"You had better not fall asleep on me," Rain warned and Alistair laughed lightly.
"Just let me rest my eyes for a minute," Alistair asked.
"A minute for you is going to turn into a few hours once that medication hits you," Rain reminded her.
"Carry me back to my room them. I don't want to get up," Alistair said stubbornly.
"Fine. Just don't start snoring or the deal is off," Rain added. Alistair closed her eyes and finally felt all of her stress slip away.