Chapter 19

As Night and Blue showed up, Saachi and Sandstorm were talking to each other. She looked up to see them "alright ready to go?" She asked, she had a different weapon on her back than her normal sword and shield. It was a large bone hammer that was attached to a thick bone handle with two wrapped-up parts that she can hold on to it. As they walked out onto the hunting ground they then went to a place that they had never been to. There were cobwebs everywhere, covering the ground with another lair covering a pillar that was attached to the wall making another strong lair. Some cobwebs hung off the top layer of cobwebs giving them somewhere to climb up to the lair. As they walked they did not see the Nerscylla so they moved on to another place that was covered with cobwebs with some monsters' corpses in webs hanging off the ceiling and on the wall of the cave. The floor was covered in webs as it made a walking area between two entrances. As they looked down they could not see the bottom. As the day went on they still had no sight of the Nerscylla so they headed back to camp to wait for night to fall when they knew the monster would be more active.

Blue went out a few times letting the ladies and Sandstorm rest to survey the land for the Nerscylla in case it came early. As he was about to head out when Saachi asked Sandstorm to tag along with him. "Sandstorm can you tag along with Blue just in case he needs a hand?" The old palico nodded his head and tail Blue on his survey leaving the ladies along.

They talked to each other when Night went silent. Then she looked at Saachi as she was keeping the fire going so they could cook some meat. "I got scars on my back from a monster attack that happened during the night. I had a husband and a three-year-old son that I retired from hunting to take care of him. Then one night a horde of monsters came and attacked the town, killing my husband and two other hunters that were in the town. When I tried to run with my son I was struck in the back just to be knocked out. When I came too, just to see everyone was killed including my husband and my son." Saachi listened to Night as she was telling her story just to have Night go on. "Despite me getting my injury I moved forward until a band palico merchant found me unconscious and nursed me back to health. I got to say if it was not for Sailm to take it on himself to take care of me and become my friend, I would not be here today."

Saachi sat down on a rock just to hear what her friend had to injure through her life asked. "Is that why you're afraid of being around kids?"

Night nodded her head as she for so meat out stabbing it with a long cooking stick that was at the camp. "I am scared that if I get close to them that they would meet the same end as my son." Saachi could see that she was fighting the tears back so she got up from her rock and hugged her then sat next to her on the ground.

It was only fair to her to tell Night who she was since Night just told her her story and it feels like she can trust her. Saachi sighed looking down for a few seconds and looked at Night. "Have you ever heard of a shapeshifter race that was killed off about twenty-one years ago?" Saachi studies at Night as she asks.

She shook her head looking back at Saachi. " No I don't, can you explain to me what they were and what this is coming from." Night sat there looking straight at Saachi crossing her arms.

"Well about twenty-one years ago there was a race that could shift their shape into monsters. But one day they were killed off by the guild. All of them were killed, they did not care if they were men, women and children. I can't remember anything before that day when I was found at the age of three by a hunter and a guild knight who took me in." As she was starting to tell her she could not remember what she had seen that day from her father was in his monster form giving her, her mother and her twin younger brothers some time to flee. Her mother hid her in the small hole in the cave that was in their home, but before she could get her brothers to hide as the guild knights stormed the room, they killed them before her mother was killed. She let out a sigh then continued, "I don't want you to look at me any different but I'm the last one from that race." Saachi could see the Night was not believing her.

"Are you kidding me, A shifter?" Night sat there crossing her arms with the look of cocking her eyebrow at her.

Saachi nodded her head as she got up and started to remove her armour off so that she was in her clothing. "I can show you but please you need to keep it quiet. If the guild gets wind of me I will meet the same fate as my race. Please don't freak out or draw your bow." Night looked at Saachi nodding her head. Saachi took a breath in as she felt mild pain go through her body as her body was getting form different. She could feel her heels form longer as her toes started to form into paws with sharp serrated claws. Her neck started to get stretched and her skull was forming a snout with razor-sharp fangs and with a small horn on the end of the snout. Horns started to form on the back of her head as spicks started going down the back of her neck stopping at the base of her neck. Her arms were getting long and other bones started to form at her wrist and elbow making her arms into wings that her hands were starting to turn into paws armed with sharp serrated claws. Her wings act like her front legs and are still strong enough to let her be airborne when she needs to be. The vertebra that formed her tail was getting long with specks lining the tip of the tail. She shook her head, getting the human skin and clothing off of her pale white scales with blue markings going along her body. Her red hair faded into a light blue that almost looked like it was white and it ran down the length of the neck and tail. Where her scar was on her back the fur did not grow. She flapped her wings a little to get the skin and fabric off the rest of her now dragon body and put them on the ground. She looked down at Night as she had her hand on her bow with the look of fear over her face.

"You're one of them." Night said as she saw her shift. Saachi looked down at her and slowly moved her tail to Night but Night stepped back. Saachi brought her tail seeing that she was scared then she turned around, starting to shift back into her human form back so she could get into the tent to put one of her spare sets of clothing on the clothing before she walked out to put the rest of the armour on.

As she walked out she saw that Night was gone from the campsite. She looked around fearing that she may have scared Night away from the Caravan. "Shit, oh Fatalis why, why did I tell her. No no no she is not even like Myiina is. I should have just kept it a secret like I was supposed to. Blue and Sandstorm will be back soon." She could hear Blue and Sandstorm come back to camp. She let out a sad sigh knowing she lost someone she thought she could be friends with.

As Blue and Sandstorm came back it was quiet, Sandstorm ran up to Saachi jumping onto her shoulder. "Alright, nighttime will be on us soon so let's head out," Blue said as he looked around he did not see Night. "Where is Night?" Blue asked. Saachi did not say anything, not even make eye contact with him as she walked by him leading the way with her palico sitting on her shoulder.

As they walked Sandstorm was on her shoulder thinking that he looked at Saachi. As Saachi looked over at him, the look on his face already told her he figured out what she did "You told her?" He asked quietly so it would not be picked up by Blue. She nodded her head, taking her eyes off of him. Saachi let out a quiet sigh and turned her head to look at him again. It must have been written on her face because Sandstorm asked "You shift? You know how dangerous that is." She did not say anything, picking him off her shoulder putting him on the ground just to have him jump onto the handle of her hammer.

As they walked into the area from earlier that day with all the cobwebs. Saachi's mind was not fully on the hunt. As they walked into the area they looked everywhere to not see it until Saachi stepped on a cobwebs trap getting her leg stuck. As she was trying to get her leg out, Blue and Sandstorm did not see the large spider monster that had purple poison crystals on its back with a rubbery hide of a Gypceros covering its body. Its outer shell is a light shade of a cloudy white with red jaws that were hiding. It hung upside down off the upper cobweb shooting web around Saachi binding her arms to her side, yanking her up that she landed on her back still webbed as it got its jaws outputting its jaws through the web on both sides of her. Before it could snap its jaws on her she got out to see the red jaws snapped where she was laying. The spider monster climbed through the web where Saachi was standing as she came face to face with it. As saachi looked around to see a hole in the web that would make it fight on the ground. She ran to the hole dropping down, landing with the monster just behind her. She stopped turning her body to the monster as she got her hammer off her back as the Nerscylla jumped at her, she held her hammer over her shoulder as it was almost on top of her she swing her hammer smocking the Nerscylla in the head making it take a step back just to be fallow by another swing this time hitting it on the backside of the hammer. Knocking it over onto its side gives enough time for Blue to open fire on it and Sandstorm ramming it leaving cracks and holes in its shell. Will Saachi swung down her hammer and hit it on the head. As the hammer can up from the force of it hitting the shell, she swings it down again and again until she uses one of her legs as an anchor to swing her hammer around hitting it a few times before she forces it down again as it tries to get up just to get knocked down again. She went to hit it again but she saw it was already upon its legs as it lifted its body forcing its stinger into her.

The venom took no time as she started to feel drowsy, fighting so hard to keep her eyes open as she fell onto her knees as her legs gave out and fell over fast asleep. The Nerscylla stood over her just to get barbered with bullets from Blues bowgun. Her palico ran up roaming his lance into her sending flying a little as she got to her feet she shook her head charging in with her hammer ready. As they attacked the Nerscylla they did not see one sneaking up from behind Blue until it webbed him. As the Nerscylla pulled up on the web it still had some of the webbings up to it. It shot its stinger into Blue's back to hold him away. Saachi watched it put Blue to sleep as it walked away with him. Saachi put her hammer back onto her back and ran after it with Sandstorm following behind. As they made it to the chamber they saw a smaller cane on the wall that they could reach. Saachi ran up to pull down on the web to cut with her hunting knife along the web sack. As she ripped into the sack she could hear Blue gassed for air as the fresh air rushed into it making it a little easier to get Blue out. As Blue got to his feet Saachi got pulled down by the one Nerscylla that she was smoking its head with her hammer, had bite onto her leg letting it's poison into her system as it tried to pull her away to kill her.

Saachi kicked the jaws until they came off of her leg as Blue was lighting up the other Nerscylla with normal shots to the one that was trying to suffocate him as he shot the purple crystal breaking it off. Blue slide reloaded his bowgun missing the Nerscylla attacks and relocated himself to get away from any attack that could have hit him. Saachi pulled herself up and picked up her hammer as the Nerscylla pulled itself up onto the web in front of her. She looked up at the monster than to the one Blue was shooting and the one she was facing was much bigger. "Well shit, you're a huge one." She said as she prepared with her hammer, as the monster charged at her she smashed the hammer down onto the spider monster head over and over. It swagged one of its eight legs back and forward as the large bone hammer landed down on it and got Saachi making her drop her hammer, it walked over to her and was about to attack. The Nerscylla let out its cry of pain as it fell over, Blue stabbed Nerscylla with his duel blades. Stabbing thought one of the cracks that Sandstorm made, getting its heart. Blue, Saachi put away their weapons to carve Nerscyllas bodies.

As they walked back to the town they had seen it was quiet so Saachi walked to go to the wagon. As she got into the wagon she saw that Night's supposed and her bedroll was gone since she liked to travel lightly. She did not have that much when she came into the caravan but the things she bought with the zenny she made with the caravan were still there. She sat down at the desk that had her paperwork covering the whole desk and pulled out her hunting knife, she took off her boot and sock off to see a deep gash where the Nerscylla fang was dug into her leg. She grabbed one of the bowls that were in the wagon and rested her leg on it. After cleaning her hunting knife she cut open her wound to get the poison out of her blood system. As the blood ran out of the open wound she could see the poison and blood mix slowly turn into straight blood. The housekeeper walked in with Sandstorm to give her a paw.

They got the bleeding to stop and badge her leg up. "Saachi, how is your leg?" He asked as he jumped up onto the bed and sat next to her.

She looked down at her wrapped leg. "It felt like I got a little cut, that is it." The housekeeper started to try to get the hunter and her palico out so she could clean the blood that missed the bowl that was left from Saachi. Saachi walked hoping she did not make the mistake of telling Night but she had the feeling she could trust Night. She trusted Night even after the close call she had from her but she still trusted her.

But she knows that she should tell Blue. It is not right to leave him in the dark. As she was thinking of Blue he walked up to her. "How's the leg doing?" He asked as he wrapped his hands around her waist pulling her close to him. She must have looked uncomfortable because he picked her up with one arm under her legs. He started to bite the bottoms of her ear then moved down to her neck. "There is a place where we can make some love. Just the two of us." He said before he went for her neck again.