The following morning, Meira and Bergen left Kaltain to sleep in. Vulir's cot was also empty, suggesting he had not come home last night. In a comfortable silence, they picked up their improved weapons and had some breakfast. The bone hilt for the bow gave extra stability for increased momentum, so greater damage was guaranteed. Meira's double blades had been honed with an iron edge for extra sharpness, so she could inflict cuts and even sever monster limbs. As they packed their patched-up bags, they reread the quest objective: they were to hunt down a Great Jagras that the ecologists guild needed for research. Something about turning organs into medicine.
At breakfast, they sipped tea made of leftover mint, given for free by the felyne chefs. Bergen stood behind Meira, tenderly braiding her red, curly hair down her back. He quietly apologised whenever his calloused fingers snagged on a curl, no matter how often Meira told him there was no need to apologise so much. As she sipped her weak tea, Meira reflected on the life she had known before coming to Astera as Bergen's wife. As a nobleman's fifth daughter, she had had 'basic' luxuries such as exotic teas. While she missed the fragrances of so many unknown blends, she also knew that life with her husband would be worth it, once they managed to secure a basic income.
Sometimes, she worried that Bergen felt guilty that they were so poor now. Did he consider her spoiled? Did he regret not being able to provide for her, despite her being just as responsible for their income as he is? When he finished up braiding her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead, she mentally decided to talk to him about this tonight.
In the Ancient Forest, Great Jagras tracks were not hard to find; the monster had feet the size of small children. As the redheaded warrior and the brown-haired archer followed the tracks towards its den, they kept a close eye on the surrounding forest. No birds could be heard and the aptonoth had fled as well. Only a few carcasses laid nearby, where a carnivore had ripped into them.
"You know," Meira said with an eye on the most recent carcass. "I don't think our target did that. Great Jagras swallow them whole and spit out the bones."
"The smaller jagras?" Bergen suggested and then shook his head. "No, never mind. The bite marks are too large for that. Let's hope we will not meet it today then."
"I'm with you on that one. This hunt is scary enough as it is."
At the entrance to the den, where the tracks were accompanied by large scrapes in the mud, Meira paused and took a deep breath.
"This is it. Our first big hunt." Bergen approached her and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.
"Yes. We can do it." His smile was infectious and Meira found herself smiling back at him. They would be alright, as long as they fought together.
It was dark in the den, but deep breathing could be heard deeper in. Not unlike Bergen's snoring after a long day. Spotting some flash bugs nearby, Meira walked towards them as quietly as possible with her blades unsheathed. She knew those bugs had the ability to light up dark places, and when used optimally, could start a fight with their prey stunned. With a swift move, she slashed at them, causing them to light up blindingly. The flash illuminated the entire cave, revealing the bulky form of the Great Jagras much closer by than Meira had originally thought it was. When it roared, spittle landed on her face and in her hair.
Behind her, Bergen cursed and lowered his weapon to press the palms of his hands against his eyes. "What the fuck was that? What set them off?" It was then that Meira realised the mistake she had made by not warning Bergen of her move.
The furious Great Jagras lunged at her, forcing her to leap out of the way. When she looked behind her, Bergen had not moved yet, still blinded from the flash bugs. With its fangs bared, the Great Jagras advanced on her husband, who was the easier prey right now.
"No!" Meira exclaimed, scrambling up and rushing over as fast as she could. With both blades, she slashed at the Great Jagras's face but her blows glanced off the scales. She slashed as hard as she could, nicking softer skin and cutting off small hairs and whiskers. The damage she dealt was insignificant, not enough. She needed its tummy, which was usually a sensitive spot.
Behind her, Bergen finally recovered, standing upright and reaching for an arrow from his quiver. When she looked behind her, it hurt her to see that his eyes were red and tear stained. She had done that to him, by messing up so much with the flash bugs. Thankfully, his eyes were open now and he could see, somewhat. They made eye contact so that they could gauge each other's emotions. Her desperation and rising panic. His determination and frustration.
"Watch out!" Bergen suddenly shouted. Meira turned just in time to barely defend against a bite attack. A surge of pain caused her to lose composure as the wound on her arm opened up again. She cried out in pain, sidestepped the monster, and cradled her injured arm.
Bergen stepped in front of her and let an arrow fly, but it went wide. A second and even a third arrow failed it hit its mark. Unexpectedly, the oversized jagras did a swift turn and hit both Meira and Bergen with a tail swing, causing them both to crash against the wall of the cave. Meira let out another cry of pain, but Bergen did not make a sound. He just slumped over and stopped moving. Keeping an eye on their foe, Meira sheathed her blades and crawled over to Bergen. She reached for him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Keeping to the shadows, she dragged her husband out of there as quietly as she could. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she feared the Great Jagras would find them anyway.
It wasn't until she was out of the den that she finally lit the emergency flare and waited for the palicos to pick Bergen up to transport him to camp. They arrived swiftly and loaded his unmoving body on a cart, assuring her he was still alive. Meira could only nod. Her heart felt like it had been torn out of her body. This was her fault. She had not been able to defend him and even caused him danger. She walked with the cart as they transported him back to Astera and towards the sickbay. Most cots were occupied by downed hunters so only Bergen could be given a bed. She sat on the ground with him as a concerned-looking doctor patched up her arm and rebandaged the wound. She did not thank the nurse, nor did she leave his side. A head wound, they said. He should wake up soon.
Kaltain shook her awake and Meira rose with a start. She found herself on the ground, curled inward next to Bergen's cot. Her red curls were a mess and her back ached horribly. She rushed up to check on her husband, but the man still did not respond to her. Still unconscious.
"Come with me, please," Kaltain said, reaching for Meira's hand. "These palicos will tell you the moment he wakes up. Come with me." Unable to resist with her heart hurting so much, the young woman let herself be led away from the sickbay.
Despite being filthy and wrinkly, Meira was taken to the canteen by Kaltain, deposited at one of the tables, told to stay, and left alone for a bit. Regretting the impulsive decision to move to the new world, she hand-combed her hair in an attempt to calm down. If she had not eloped, she would have been married off to a business partner of her father's or one of their repulsive sons. If she had never ventured out into the city to teach herself how to fight or to get an education, this would still have been her fate. No matter how rough things were now, this was better, she decided. It made her feel a bit better.
Kaltain returned with a platter of food. Fragrant breads and herb butters, fruits, steamed veggies, and chickpea spreads. Meira noticed there were no meats but did not mention it. She felt hesitant to reach for the food.
"I cannot afford all this," she confessed.
"Nonsense. This is my gift to you. Besides, I need your help." As Meira reached for a slice of bread and covered it with a chickpea spread, she indicated to her silver-haired roommate to continue. She was too hungry to resist and took a large bite of her breakfast. "I took on a quest to capture a Great Jagras." At Meira's startled look, Kaltain raised her hands calmingly. "Please do not worry; it is not the same one you fought. Elsewhere there is a smaller one, the size of a cow. The researchers put out a request for its capture. They will arrange it being brought in, and when they are done with it, released again. We merely need to weaken it, trap it, and tranquilise it."
Meira sighed unhappily as she ate the delicious meal. She really did not wish to go out and fight yet another Great Jagras, but deep down, she knew she had to. If she would not get over herself, Bergen and she would run out of money.
"I'm not sure if I can do this," Meira confessed quietly. She didn't just mean this monster, but the whole hunting in general. It was much more exhausting and terrifying in real than it had seemed in training back in the old world.
"Which is why I'm asking for your help capturing this creature. You have a kind heart, Meira. You do not kill for sport, just to see what's the biggest creature you can take down, or how much money you can get for the rare ones. If we need to cull some of these creatures for the good of the ecosystem, we will, but unless strictly necessary, I do not slaughter." Kaltain sat back to enjoy the sun. Her silvery hair shimmered like silk in the early afternoon light. She seemed so healthy and at peace, unlike Meira who was unused to having to fight for her meals and quite honestly growing sick of being poor.
"Fine. I'll help out. Teach me how to capture a monster."
"Marvellous. Let us grab our gear and we will leave at once!"
Armed with a shock trap on her back, Meira followed a light-footed Kaltain back into the forest. Her nerves settled a tiny bit the moment she realised they did not go back to the caves Bergen and she had explored earlier. Instead, they trekked north, away from the deepest part of the ancient forest and towards the grassier plains. Snowy mountains could be seen in the distance from here, which filled Meira with a quiet longing to go there to explore.
The tracks of the smaller Great Jagras took a bit to find. There were no skid marks of its belly down the mud to be found, suggesting this one was not nearly as girthy as the one she had fought this morning. It was hard to tell whether the clawed footprints they found were of regular jagras or the greater one they were looking for. Nevertheless, they're pack animals and would likely be together.
Hiking through the forest with Kaltain felt different. With Bergen, she felt like a sneaky intruder, having to stay low and alert. Kaltain did not feel the need for this, stepping confidently over stones and climbed effortlessly over fallen trees. Her armour was made of cloth, as usual, and allowed her an ease of movement that Meira did not have with her leather garb. She would prefer to upgrade to scales or something at some point, being a close-range fighter, but that armour was expensive to buy and elusive to find the materials for. Alas.
The Great Jagras they were hunting was chilling in the sunlight nearby, sunbathing as a cat would. The absence of snores suggested it was awake, potentially watching the two strangers nearby. Or maybe Meira was just paranoid.
Quietly, Meira unsheathed her dual blades. The new iron edge on her blades glimmered in the sunlight. giving her once-dull blades a literal edge. She felt better having them and looked forward to gathering the supplies to get an entirely new set. Kaltain reached for her staff. It had a wicked-looking blade. She seemed quite at ease with it, despite its length. Being able to keep the monsters at a medium distance sounded pretty good right now, but Meira still felt more comfortable with her dual blades.
Kaltain gestured to her that they should stay low and approach quietly. Together, they crept towards the Great Jagras, which indeed did not look too large up close. It still had the torso as huge as a cow's, but still only half the size of the one she fought this morning. The moment they were both in position to strike, they both struck. The Great Jagras squealed like a pig when three blades pieced its belly, rudely waking it from its nap. As it struggled to get up, Kaltain sliced at its legs, she called at Meira to lay down the trap.
Remembering this from basic training, Meira knelt down and swiftly opened the trap, setting the charge that would give the Great Jagras a paralysing shock. Then she drew her blades again and waited for the monster to attack.
Her fear made her guarded, too reluctant to act rashly. Holding her blades in a defensive position, she carefully stepped to keep the jagras in her sight and made sure to keep the trap in between them. Eventually, aggravated by Kaltain's poking and slicing, the Great Jagras lurched for Meira with a roar. The sound made her limbs lock up but she was away from harm. The trap in between them triggered and gave the Great Jagras such a shock that it collapsed into a shuddering mess on the ground. Immediately, Kaltain grabbed some small pink balls from her pouch and tossed them to the ground in front of their prey. The monster went limp and even began to snore. It almost looked peaceful.
"Alright! That is exactly what I mean," Kaltain cheered with a mighty jump in the air. "Quest completed!"
With a flare, they signalled to the research committee that they were ready for pickup. Within a short while, a large crate came to transport the Great Jagras back to Astera. The two hunters could join the ride back to town, which is where they were paid for their efforts. Kaltain, bless her heart, split the reward evenly with her and even forced her to take it, referring that she now had her husband to take care of. Even only half of the reward, it was still more than any of the small hunting quests they had done before. It opened Meira's eyes to the possibilities.
Back in town, Meira took a solitary bath first and went to see Bergen when the sun went down. The nursing staff told her he hadn't woken up yet, so she pressed a tender kiss on his head and went to bed after making sure he would be well cared for. Vulir's cot was occupied but no snoring could be heard.
Feeling insecure, she undressed swiftly, keeping a wary eye on the cloth that was drawn like a curtain at Vulir's cot. No movement came, except for the slightest creaking of the bed as he shifted.
"Good night," she said in a quiet voice, breaking the silence as she headed into bed. The cot was so cold and the realisation Bergen was not nearby made her feel lonelier than ever.
"... night." came a gruff reply. His voice was deeper than she remembered and had a husky quality to it. Before she could overthink it, Meira fell into a deep sleep, cradling her injured arm against her body.