Chapter 25

And there he is at last. Took his sweet time on that... Grav... Oh my.

Faires was covered in soot, smoke rolling from his nostrils as he collapsed before Marm. She and the Caravaneer rushed to his side, hauling him to the Streetcook's and sitting him beside. The Streetcat grabbed a bucket of cool water and threw it in his face, washing away the first layer of ash, but the singed layer of skin under simply wouldn't budge, and neither would he, simply staring ahead, his eyes locked in a scowl.

"Doodle?" Marm said, rubbing his shoulders. "Hey. You okay?"

"What's wrong, my Kindred Hunter?" Big C said. "Ya look like you've seen better days."

He glanced my way, and shook his head, trying to stand but falling again.

Marm helped him back on his stool, tittering.

"Come on, Doodle. It couldn't have been that bad."

"Could have been better, too," He croaked, coughing up a storm of soot and glaring at me. "How was your hunt? You know, against a monster neither of us fought together?"

"Fai, you most likely fought the Khezu at least once, whether alone or another."

"Soodle," Marm barked, the Caravaneer on his back, laughing.

"... What?" Faires said. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing. Don't mind them, Doodle. Soodle's Khezu hunt was more than what she signed up for. There was a Deviljho-"

"Oh, so she fought two new monsters without me. How lovely."

"Trust me, Vi, there was no fighting the Jho," I said, shuddering. "That thing came in, went straight for the Khezu, and ripped it to shreds all while... watching me. Marking me."

"Cry me a river. You at least got your mission done –even if something else had to beat it for you."

Ooh. So close, Big C. You almost got back up... Well, can't leave that hanging.

"I'm just a woman, after all. I don't have as much experience. Sometimes an extra hand is always welcome."

"When am I going to get it, then?"

"Doodle, just... just shut up," Marm said, her face beet.

"Oh, you're taking her side now?"

"I'm taking no one's side. Now, would you like to try again, Doodle? This time Soodle will be there... right?"

"I'm not one to give freebies-"

"Soodle..."

… That actually sounded threatening... "Okay. Okay. I'll give it to him. Happy?"

"N-n-no! B... both of you. J... Go. Just go. Get back down there and take care of that Gravios."

"Yeesh. What's got your panties in a bundle."

"Go. Git. Gitgitgitgit..."

The Volcanic Hollow was easier to get to in comparison to the Sunken: all you had to do was go passed the hot springs, follow the cave for a mile or two, and you were right at the camp, overlooking the basin. The volcano rumbled, shook the very world around as it puffed smoke high into the natural flumes above in the caves, but it still choked whatever sky there was to be seen. The area beyond the basin glowed with an evil light, pulsing with the magma channels.

The trunk had five Cool Drinks (for both of us), four Rations, six First Aid Meds... A few Energy Drinks? Why? Weren't the Rations enough? Where were the maps, the Paintballs, and why were their four stacks of twenty Mini Whetstones?

Faires grabbed two stacks, popped his Cool Drink, and began towards the cliff.

"What? Still going to give me the silent treatment?" I said, popping my own Drink.

… He simply shook his head, and leaped off, his twin swords, the Cleaving Jaws, ripping at the smog... Fine. Be that way. Don't ask if I'm okay. Don't ask if I know what I'm up against. Don't rub it in my face that we're finally doing this together even after I was forced to do the Khezu –forced, I tell you. I didn't have a choice; Marm made that very clear. Go ahead, though. Be a little bitch about all this... Why am I still up here?

You know, even by simply landing down here... This place is exactly like Sunken Hollow, isn't it? There was a cliff that went towards a nest, a way to oversee the magma flows, another path that lead to said magma flows, and a path to the Felynes... Nifty. If that's the case, then I don't need a map, and it seems Faires is heading towards the magma flows. If I follow him, there's no way I'll miss the Gravios... whatever it is...

"Faires," I said, shaking his arm, panting. "Hey. What is a Gravios?"

… He shook his head again, and tried to leap off the cliff, lava bubbling away beside. Instead, his legs smacked against the reddened stone, glaring at me.

"Let me go, Ophelia," He said.

"Will you chill? What's got you so ticked?"

"Really? Remember our v-"

"Yeah. Okay? Nothing I could have done about that one. Marm sort of forced my hand. Besides, here we are doing it, anyways."

"But you still-"

"Vi, you want to fight a Khezu?"

"No, but it's the th-"

"The thought is we were supposed to fight new monsters together. Problem is you already faced one."

"I... I have?"

"Any time you use the restroom."

"... Oh... Really? That's what it is?"

"Basically, yeah."

"... And you're saying this... this Deviljho..."

"Ripped it apart. Starting by ripping the head off."

He cringed and stood, chuckling.

"On second thought, I'm kinda glad I didn't go, and at least we're doing this now. Together."

"Yes. Because you failed. After all, how bad can a Gravios b-"

… A laser shot by, turning the rock above molten, dripping down behind.

"... Where did that come from?"

"The Gravios," He said, jumping down, another laser clipping my horn as I followed. The area was washed in magma, only a small amount of stone able to be walked along. Some of it was even walking, waddling towards Faires below, its beak-

THAT'S A GRAVIOS?

It reared its rocky neck and shrieked, ruffling, crackling its wings, still torn from Faires's blades, tearing into the legs... or trying to. The Gravios simply shook and crouched, releasing steam, and Faires flew back, his plate hissing. The Gravios swayed and wheeled, bashing him with its flanged tail, hanging on by a thread.

I was about to draw my Glaive when it roared again, causing the ground to rupture under my feet. I dove forward, stopping by its face, warming up for another laser, but it beat the gushing geyser behind. At least I could grab onto its crest and swing onto its neck, and its red beam... must... must I kill... I think I'm gonna... yes... Oh god... Oh? It's done? But I was just- oh there's another...

"Ophelia," Faires called... somewhere... don't care... in bliss... "Look out!"

Look out for wh-

The Gravios cried and crashed to the side, and I saw that the wall of teeth was back, tearing into its stomach. Blue gas expelled around its teeth, around its beady black eyes, fogging as it crumbled to the side, snoring. The Gravios, however, did not snore as it closed its eyes, the smoke ending with an abrupt hiss.

Faires pulled me off the Gravios, my legs shaking, and he helped me climb out of the area, hunkering down in the crystal cove beside. He pressed a cloth to my forehead, panting, looking me over.

"What?" I said, sighing.

"You're flushed. Did the Cool Drink already wear off? Why were you simply sitting on its neck? Why weren't you moving? Moaning? Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm fine, Faires. It's... hard to explain."

"Well, our situation isn't: we're screwed."

"Why? The Gravios is dead. Wasn't that we were here for?"

"We were here to harvest its air bladder. With it, we could have made the Arluq into an airship-"

"A what now?"

"... You didn't know?"

"No!"

"Yeah. They're making the Arluq into an airship to reach Cathar, land of this regions Wyverians."

"... Wyverians?"

"Yeah."

"... Well, this is just... why?"

"A hunch. The Caravaneer believes they know what his Token is, but looks like we are out of options... Unless..."

"What?"

"Well, it's rather cold, but..."

"But?"

"... When I came down here, the Gravios was tending to a Basarios. Most likely freshly lain."

"... You don't m... Faires. No. Not a newborn."

"We don't have a choice. You saw what the Gravios released when the Jho bit in. It punctured its air bladder. A newborn's would just be starting to fill, but it can be expanded. We take down the Basarios, get that bladder, use a Farcaster, and we won't even need to worry about the Jho."

"... I don't like it, but it is our best bet... Okay. Lead the way."

He turned, took my hand, and lead me back into the lava flows. The Jho was still asleep in front of the Gravios, its tongue writhing out, licking at the blood pooling. It growled as we passed its tail, but did not wake, lost behind as we jumped down into the carnivore's den. Red Genpray circled around a large boulder, split into five jagged slopes, barking at it.

"... Faires?"

"Yes?"

"Are those bird wyverns okay?"

"Who? Those Iopray?"

"Yeah. They're sort of... yelling at a rock."

"Yes they are, and we're about to blow it up."

"What?"

He let me go and approached them, the boulder, and the Iopray reeled away, standing around their nest, barking, shrieking away. Faires took out five Large Barrel Bombs and placed four in between each jagged slope, placing the fifth a few feet away before placing a small one and striking the fuse. He joined me, and counted from five...

The bombs exploded, and the rock tore out of the ground, shrilling as blue blood dripped down the Basarios, its eyes already beginning to glass. It took a shuddering step towards us, and tried to roar, getting a gurgle instead, and its legs gave. Faires approached it, drawing his carving knife-

And I stopped him.

"Faires," I said. "A thought."

"Make it quick."

"If we were to capture it-"

"No."

"Won't you hear me out?"

"Do you really want to be around when that Jho wakes up?"

"But what if we catch it, and skilled hands remove about half of its air bladder. It still lives, we get enough to make an airship... After all, no reason to slaughter a newborn... right?"

"... Wrong. This fucker was the first to hit me with a laser. It dies."

I slapped away his knife. "You're not thinking with a clear head."

"And you're thinking like a mother."

"...And that's a bad thing?"

"When it comes to monsters, yeah. Especially when they shoot freakin' lasers."

He stabbed deep into the Basarios, removing its air bladder in one quick jerk. The Basarios gave one final gurgle and was still, the Iopray charging it. Faires huffed, and pulled out a green bomb, raising it over, and threw it down-

I caught it, stowing it.

"What?" He exclaimed. "What are you doing? We got what we came for."

"And killed a child doing so. We don't deserve the easy way out now."

"You do realize that Basarios are counted as their own monster, right? The Guild condones killing them? Best to take them out when they're small."

"And that makes it right?"

"It makes it so. Now, use that Farcaster. That Jho won't be out l- Throw it now. Ophelia. Now!"

… I threw it, and behind I heard the ground shatter, felt those beady eyes loom, leering through the green smoke until it faded to the campsite. Faires sighed and fell into my arms, shaking... or was I? Both of us... Who knew now? He gripped the air bladder in between white knuckles, not releasing, not gaining color until we were before the Man, taking the pitiful sac with a frown.

"Awfully small for a Gravios," He stated, handing it over to the Troverian Chieftain, also frowning.

"Aye. This won't do."

"It's from a Basarios. It'll stretch," Faires said, patting the Caravaneer's shoulder. "Best we can do with what we had. Ophelia's friend decided to stop by."

"The Jho made it this far so fast?" Big C said, his face paling. "This... is something, then. We'll have to make it work. They don't call you the best for nothing, do they, Chief."

He scoffed and pounded his chest. "That they do. Give me a bit of time. You'll have your airship."

"That's great," Faires said, crossing his arms behind his head as he turned my way, beaming. "I'm heading to the hot spring. Want to join?"

… I simply shook my head, and headed to my caravan, ready for a nice, long nap.