Chapter 3

Satoru tried his best to hold her back. "Yuri, please stay inside!"

"But I want to see!"

Seeing that he was having trouble reeling in the excited young woman, Leon backed off towards the back of the wagon and spoke to the woman himself. "You best listen to him, Miss. It's not safe out here." He yelped as he ducked under an arrow that had flown right over his head. "Watch it!"

"Sorry, but you were in the way!" Camilla's voice rang from somewhere. She didn't sound the least bit regretful.

Leon gave her the finger before turning back towards the two. "See? You could very well get hit by a stray arrow. Or worse, eaten by those things yourself."

Yuri pouted but didn't protest any further. Satoru quickly thanked the hunter before watching him head back to help his companions. He wondered how they had ended up in this situation…

…

Earlier that day…

"Umm, I hate to be that kind of person but…are we there yet?"

Instead of being annoyed, the Felyne driver laughed. "No worries there miss. People say that all the time and good news! We are quite close to our destination!"

"Thank you," Yuri said apologetically before climbing back down to the back of the wagon. She glanced at the rest of the group, with most of them fast asleep. Yuri watched as Gigi kept her eyes glued to the book she was reading, all while her other hand continued to gently play with Julian's blonde hair. She looked to be in peace. At that moment, Yuri remembered her conversation with Julian the previous day and as she witnessed the scene before her, she couldn't help herself.

"Gigi if you don't mind me asking…"

The huntress looked away from her book. "Hmm? What is it? Spit it out."

"How long have you and Julian known each other?"

"Since we were kids," she answered without missing a beat.

"That long? You two must really have a special bond then."

"You could say that. Sir- I mean Julian here is somewhat of a…special case. That's why I made it my mission to always protect him and to always have his back. It's a promise I made to myself all those years ago."

No wonder he admires her so greatly. She's always been there for him, Yuri thought. "Would you say that you…love him perhaps?"

Gigi looked at her with a surprised expression. "And where did that question come from?"

"Oh uhh…apologies if I overstepped my boundaries…" Yuri said, quickly regretting her words.

Gigi however, sighed. "It's fine…I…I'm not sure if you can call it love, but I do care about him greatly. Don't tell anyone I said that though."

Yuri giggled. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul." Looks like I've got another secret to keep.

Sometime later, while the entire group was asleep, they were suddenly awoken by the sound of alarmed yelling.

"Hunters wake up! Wake up!"

As light sleepers, Gigi and Satoru were the first to wake up, followed by Leon and Camilla. The three bewildered people shook their heads and blinked several times, startled by the sudden yelling.

"What's happening?" Leon asked. At the same time, Julian and Yuri had also awoken, looking equally confused.

The Felyne driver looked back at the group as panic was written all over their face. The wagon had also stopped, and they could hear the panicked bellows of the Popo in front as well. "Monsters! They've intercepted us and are now planning to eat us all!"

The moment they heard the word 'monsters', the alarm bells rang, and immediately, the hunters sprung to action, grabbing their weapons and helmets, and jumping off the wagon. Satoru was about to jump off himself and help when an armored hand stopped him.

"You stay and guard Yuri," Gigi told him firmly before running off towards the front of the wagon.

…

Julian stood his ground with his large shield and Lance, doing his best to protect the Popo from the creatures. "Why are they attacking us? I thought Cephalos were cowards who only attacked unarmed people and small monsters?"

"Not to mention, this close to civilization. I mean, look," Gigi gestured towards the tall structures in the distance. "Val Habar is right there. These things must be desperate for food." One Cephalos attempted to lunge at the Popo, but Gigi slashed at its neck in response, causing it to reel back in pain and swim away. Another one leaped from the other side, but Julian acted quickly and punted it away with his shield.

"I think we can hold the front just fine," Julian said.

"Agree. Hey! How are you two doing at the back over there?" Gigi shouted.

"We're doing fine thank you!" Camilla responded with a shout. "Leon and I spotted a Cephadrome in the distance! It must be the leader of the pack!"

"Son of a bitch," Gigi cursed. "Must be why these guys are being so brave."

Julian glanced over at Gigi before turning his attention back at the small group of Cephalos swimming in front of them. "What do we then?"

"…We hold our ground, that's what."

While Gigi and Julian protected the front of the wagon, Leon and Camilla took the job of protecting the back, notably protecting their two clients. With the Cephadrome in the distance, this meant they had to truly be careful, as the presence of a pack leader resulted in much more coordinated attacks and aggressive behavior.

"Can you get a clear shot?" Julian asked Camilla. The huntress had climbed on top of the wagon and was taking shots at any approaching Cephalos.

"Nope. Their leader is hanging back at the distance and sending their minions to attack us. Pretty smart I'd give it that."

"Damn it!"

"Honestly, I think our best course of action here is to slowly deplete the number of Cephalos. If that Cephadrome is gonna keep sending Cephalos to attack us, then why don't we just lower their numbers?"

"And by doing that the Cephalos will gradually realize it running out of minions to send and will come towards us instead…" So, it's effectively a battle of attrition. Seeing that they had no other option now, Leon quickly agreed to it. "Yeah, let's do that!"

Camilla hummed in appreciation. "You hear that Gigi, Julian?"

"Yeah!" the two responded.

Inside the wagon, Yuri tried her best not to express her displeasure of not being able to see the battle by crossing her arms and pouting like a child. Inside, however, she was fuming. This was her opportunity to see hunters in action for the first time and she was not going to miss it. She could hear the roars and growls of the monsters, followed by squeals of pain as they were either shot or slashed by the hunters. Next to her, Satoru kept a watchful eye on the battle, his hand occasionally going to his blade whenever a Cephalos got too close.

Unable to hold it back anymore, Yuri surged forward to take a closer look. Satoru saw her and reached out to pull her back.

"Yuri wait-"

Just as she leaned forward, a Cephalos lunged at her, baring its razor-sharp teeth at the young Wyverian, who let out a startled scream and fell back onto her butt. However, a split second later, followed by a splash of blood and suddenly, the Cephalos's severed head landed right inside the wagon and just in front of Yuri.

"Whoops. That was a close one," Leon said, shaking the blood off his sword, and turning his attention back onto the attacking wyverns.

Yuri, meanwhile, was frozen in place, her eyes glued to the severed head of the Cephalos laying in front of her feet.

"This is why I told you to just stay back…" Satoru said with a sigh as he used his feet to kick the head off the wagon. There wasn't much he could do about the blood, however.

…

"Hey, are you seeing this Camilla?"

"Yep. Looks like the plan is working."

The wagon was now surrounded by numerous corpses of dead Cephalos, both in the front and in the back. As the battle prolonged, the hunters noticed the number of attacking Cephalos had lessened. In the distance, Camilla could see the Cephadrome, which had not moved from its spot. With the situation in their favor, Leon decided that now was the time. He went back towards the front of the wagon and spoke to the driver.

"We've wiped out most of the pack. It should be safe to move on, but I highly advise you to make this wagon move as fast as it can because we're going straight for Val Habar. And do not stop."

"O-Okay!"

Leon then called Gigi and Julian over to the back so they can all prepare to make their escape. "Everyone, let's go!"

Once they were back on board, the wagon began to move, this time much faster than before in a mad dash toward Val Habar.

"Leon look!"

The hunter looked towards where Camilla was pointing and sure enough, they saw the Cephadrome rapidly swimming towards them. Immediately, Camilla raised her Bow and prepared to take aim.

"It's closing in!" she said, waiting a bit before letting out a shot, which missed.

Gigi looked back at the driver. "Can you go any faster?!"

"I-I'm trying! But this is as fast as my Popo can go!"

"Well make it go faster then!"

"Lady, this thing is not built for speed!"

With the creature quickly closing in, the hunters scrambled for ideas.

"What should we do?! Should we just throw our supplies?" Julian suggested frantically.

Leon quickly rejected that idea. "No you idiot, we need them!"

"Well, we need to think of something!" Gigi said, watching as Camilla missed another shot. "How are you not able to hit the damn thing?!"

"You try shooting at a fast-moving target while on a fast-moving target!"

Suddenly, Leon had an idea. "I know! I'll try this!" He quickly reached into his pouch and took out a large wooden curved object shaped like a 'U'. He had bought it a while back but saw no particular use for it until now. He took a step forward and placed a foot on the edge of the wagon while raising his arm. "Take this!" he yelled out as he threw the object with all his might. The wooden object soared and spun through the air as everyone watched with anticipation.

Only for it to fly over the Cephadrome.

"…Well fuck."

"That was an embarrassment," Camilla remarked with a deadpan look.

"Talk about being the hero for once," Julian said with a shake of his head.

"I agree, that was a shameful display," Yuri also added, with Satoru nodding alongside her.

Gigi began to clap sarcastically. "Our so-called 'leader' people!"

In response, Leon turned to face the group with a scowl. "Oh shut up all of you. If I had just-"

TWACK!

Leon was promptly knocked out cold from a blow to the back of the head…courtesy of the object returning to him. There was silence as everyone stared at Leon's unconscious body on the wagon.

"…Uh oh," Gigi muttered, finally breaking the silence.

Julian quickly kicked the highly dangerous weapon off the wagon. "What do we do now?"

With their 'leader' down for the count, the hunters turned towards the second most reliable person in the group. The person in question looked back and saw everyone staring at her before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Always gotta be me huh…"

"Camilla!"

"Huh- OH SHIT!" The Cephadrome had somehow reached them and was about to lunge when Camilla shot a panicked arrow at it, hitting the creature right in its neck. It squealed in pain and halted its movements.

"Nice shot!" Julian complimented. But just as the wagon began to make more distance, the Cephadrome recovered and was back on the pursuit. "Oh c'mon!"

As the others attempted to think of other ideas, Camilla thought of a frankly risky but possibly brilliant idea. "Driver, please slow down a little!"

"W-What? Are you crazy lady?!"

Gigi grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her. "Camilla what the hell?!"

"Just trust me!"

"…O-Okay! I hope you know what you're doing!" the driver said.

The wagon began to slow down a little as the Cephadrome rapidly closed the distance again. Next to her, Gigi, Julian, and Satoru readied their weapons while Gigi cowered behind the taller man. Taking a deep breath, Camilla raised her bow and aimed directly at the encroaching creature.

"Camilla!" Gigi shouted desperately. But the huntress ignored her, her concentration at maximum as she prepared her shot. The seconds passed by as the Cephadrome was closer than ever.

"Shoot! Shoot it now!" Satoru screamed while Yuri buried her face in his back.

The Cephadrome attacked just as Camilla let loose an arrow…piercing it directly through the head. The shot caused the Cephadrome to stumble and recoil back into the sand, letting out a pained roar in the process. And then, there was silence.

"…Did you kill it?" Gigi finally asked, her grip on her weapons so tight her hands began to hurt.

The hunters watched as seconds later, the Cephadrome emerged from the sand. It shook its head, a clear arrow wound visible on its skull. It took one look at the hunters before promptly swimming away with a disgruntled growl. Seeing this, the hunters sighed in relief.

Gigi proceeded to punch Camilla on the arm. "Never…do that again!"

The huntress grinned sheepishly. "Sorry…"

With the threat gone, the group could now safely make their way to Val Habar.

…

After thanking the Felyne driver and paying them extra, the group planned to stop by one of the inns in the town to book rooms before anything else.

"Chin up will you Leon? It's just a lil bruise," Camilla said, trying her best to not giggle. The hunter in question had woken up soon after they arrived at Val Habar and was in a perpetual bad mood, having embarrassed himself in front of others.

"Yeah, one that hurts like hell!"

Gigi, however, was already laughing. "Clearly that's your own fault."

Leon grumbled but didn't protest any further, mumbling about the 'cursed object' and how he was going to throttle the person that sold him the item.

On the way to the inn, Yuri couldn't stop herself from looking at everything in awe as they walked through the busy market. Satoru had to try his hardest to hold her back from splitting off the group to avoid bumping into others, especially since the market was incredibly busy. Yuri's eyes sparkled with excitement even under the hood she wore, and she frequently grabbed the nearest person's arm – who also happens to be Leon – and asked about all the things she was seeing.

"What's that?" she pointed for the umpteenth time. "And that? Oooh and that one too?" She kept on pulling at his arm and he found himself unable to resist answering her questions. Normally, he would have been uncomfortable or suspicious with strangers, but the young Wyverian woman radiated such positive and infectious energy that he couldn't help but be at ease as well as alleviate his bad mood. He also found her antics rather adorable for someone whom he presumed must be over a hundred years old.

"You seem pleased," he pointed out.

She smiled sheepishly, "I'm very pleased…As you know, I don't go out very often, so this is all new and exciting to me."

"That's just sad."

"…I know," Yuri mumbled.

"Out of the way." Suddenly, a figure walked past them, not bothering to move out of the way, bumping into Yuri and causing her to stumble. Thankfully, Leon caught her before she could fall, but not before glaring at the perpetrator.

"Watch it asshole!"

The figure turned around to face them, revealing themselves to be a green-haired man with a mask covering the lower half of his face. He stared at the group, narrowing his eyes at Yuri, who quickly pulled her hood over her head.

"Can I help you?" the man finally said.

Leon glared at him, ushering Yuri to hide behind him as he and Satoru stood side by side in a defensive stance. "You were just gonna leave without apologizing?"

"Whatever, I don't have time for this." He was about to leave again when Leon grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Apologize now," the hunter demanded.

"Leon let him go," Camilla said, also glaring at the man. "Assholes like him aren't worth our time."

Gigi scoffed. "Bet he's got dick for brains. And by that, I mean a tiny one."

"Real mature there Gigi," Julian said with a sigh.

At this, the man's eyebrow twitched, and his hand reached for the knife strapped onto his waist. "What did you just say bitch? You can insult me all you want, but nobody ever insults a man's dick!"

Julian felt like cowering and hiding in a barrel the moment he realized they had attracted a small crowd. "Oh gods, why are we arguing about dicks in the middle of a market…"

The two parties glared fiercely at one another. However, the moment the man saw Satoru reach for the katana on his waist, he immediately backed off with a huff. "Go fuck yourselves. All of you," he spat as he promptly left without another word.

"Fuck me yourself, coward!" Leon retorted before receiving a smack on the back of his head from Camilla. "Ouch!"

"Dumbass. You just had to provoke him even further," she chastised before turning towards Gigi. "And you. Really? The dick insult? That was a low blow, even for you."

Gigi shrugged. "What? It's the truth…probably."

"Guys, can we please stop talking about…the male appendage?" Julian pleaded before whispering, "We have a lady here."

The lady in question and her tall companion simply stood there, the former hiding her blushing face under her hood while the latter had an unimpressed look. Trying to rid them of the awkwardness, Camilla cleared her throat.

"We uhh…apologize for our crude displays of profanity. We uhh hope you can forgive us?"

Satoru sighed in exasperation. "Let's just get to the inn already."

Today had been a terrible day for him. First, he had woken up late and as a result, missed the morning market sale, which was known for its cheap discounts. Then later that evening, he was dismissed late from work and missed the special sale being held by the Wycoon. Finally, on the way to his favorite tavern, he ended up getting into a confrontation with a group of hunters, making his mood even worse. He especially hated that woman who had the gall to insult his dick! Just thinking about it made him let out a curse and all he desired was to get to the comfort of his room and sleep.

Arriving at the inn, he was about to head up to his room when he heard someone clear their throat. He turned around with a frown. "Yes?"

The innkeeper reached down and placed an envelope on the table. "This came for you." The man went back and inspected the envelope, briefly wondering who on earth would send him a letter. As if reading his thoughts, the innkeeper spoke with a whisper. "It's from him."

The man's eyes widened as he quickly rushed back to his room. Once inside, he quickly ripped open the envelope and read the letter.

"…A Wyverian princess?" As he sat on his chair and thought of how he was going to find this person, he was hit by a flash of recognition. "Wait a minute." He recalled the moment when he bumped into that group. Ignoring the trading of insults that occurred after, he distinctly remembered that they had another person in that group…someone who fit the description, not to mention the tall Wyverian swordsman that was supposedly been reported accompanying her.

He gasped.

Not wasting another second, he reached into his cupboard and took out a piece of paper, and began to write. The boss was going to be pleased to hear about this.

…