Cover art by Wolfy1298
"That's one big dragon…" Mina said, not even trying to hide the awe in her voice.
Izuku had to agree. When he'd first seen the fortifications that the Commission had built, they'd seemed like overkill. Now that he could actually see Zorah Magdaros, he was rapidly changing his opinion.
The monster was at least the size of a skyscraper, dwarfing even the Zero Pointer Izuku had defeated during the entrance exam so very long ago. It moved with great, lumbering steps that Izuku could feel shaking the ground even on the opposite side of the canyon. With every thunderous footstep, its rocky shell cracked and flaked away as its molten essence burned beneath.
Izuku gulped. He knew that the Commission's plan was solid, but the sheer power of the Elder Dragon set his knees quaking and had him questioning if they could even make a dent in it.
"Everyone to their posts, double time!" the Commander called, his powerful voice jerking Izuku from his fearful daze.
He ran to the nearest cannon, loading it as quickly as he could. Mina helped to haul cannon balls as well, though she struggled with the iron balls that weighed as much as she did.
The Commission's plan was simple. Their research indicated that Zorah Magdaros would be traveling through a long canyon, and would be exposed for the duration of its passage. To that end, they had constructed a pair of walls to block the path. Surrounding those walls were a myriad of cannons and ballistae, which the Commission members would use to weaken the Elder Dragon. Once it had been weakened sufficiently, they would fire a series of specially designed binding bolts that would trap Zorah Magdaros in place and allow them to study it.
Unfortunately their efforts weren't producing any results. The cannon fire seemed to annoy the massive Elder Dragon more than hurting it, and regular ballista bolts were just laughably ineffective against its rocky scales. A few of the larger plates were broken by some lucky cannon blasts, but it wasn't enough. Zorah Magdaros continued its inexorable march towards the hastily erected fortifications, only stopping for a moment to crush the cannon that Izuku had been using into so much scrap iron.
Thankfully, the binding bolts the Commission had prepared finally managed to slow the dragon. When Izuku saw the creature stumble and fall he let out an involuntary cheer. He wasn't the only one. All across the fortification, a rallying cry rang out as morale skyrocketed. Seeing the Elder Dragon shrug off everything they could dish out had left everyone feeling as though their task was hopeless, but seeing it yield, even just a little, was just the boost they needed.
Cannons rang, bolts flew, and Izuku could swear he even saw someone throwing rotten fruit at the behemoth.
It wasn't enough.
With a mighty shake, Zorah Magdaros broke free of its bindings, snapping most of the ropes and dragging the rest with it as it began its trek anew.
The fortifications were barely twigs when matched against the Elder Dragon's talons. It shredded them in two strikes, and pushed through without a second thought.
Izuku and Mina stood in stunned silence as they watched the dragon's retreating form. Nothing they had heard about the behemoth had prepared them for what they had just witnessed. They had been expecting a powerful monster, but this was on a whole different scale than anything they had come across so far. Zorah Magdaros wasn't so much a monster as it was a force of nature.
They did have a backup plan. Thier research had determined that Zorah Magdaros stored a large amount of energy at certain points on its body. These 'magma crystals' were as close to a glaring weak point as they were going to get. Unfortunately, none of them had been visible when they were attempting to slow the behemoth with cannon fire. That meant the only way they were going to take the cores down was to land a select group of hunters on Zorah Magdaros's back and hunt down the cores manually.
When the Commander called for them to take to the skies, Mina hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment. She was committed to the Commission's goals now, just as Izuku was. They may have arrived as interlopers, heroes in training playing at being hunters, but months of living and working with their fellow hunters had changed their attitudes. They were true hunters now, and they would bring down Zorah Magdaros—no matter the cost.
The acrid smell of smoke burned in Mina's nose, and the ground seared at the delicate pads of her feet, but she pressed on as doggedly as a feline could.
In the distance, Mina could hear other hunter teams shouting to each other, searching desperately for the magma cores strewn across Zorah Magdaros' back. So far, three had been located and dispatched, two by Izuku and herself and the third by some other hunter team. The loss of energy had left the Elder Dragon limping, but it wasn't quite ready to go down.
"Got any ideas where the last core could be?" Mina called.
"Not really," Izuku replied. "But we've been all over it's lower half, so I figure heading up is our next best bet. At the very least, we can look down its back and see if we spot anything."
She shrugged in acknowledgement. It was more of a plan than she had.
The climb wasn't long, but it was arduous. Mina had to keep a constant eye out for falling rocks above her and for cracks appearing in the rock she was climbing. She was nearly roasted twice by sudden bursts of steam and magma that burst out of Zorah Magdaros's shell.
Thankfully, there was a small, flat area at the nape of the Elder Dragon's neck that they could stand on while they recovered. Mina could see Izuku's knees shaking slightly as he bent double to catch his breath. She didn't blame him. They had both come pretty close to falling. Her own stomach was still doing flips from the experience.
It had been worth it though. A few feet away, at the very top of Zorah Magdaros's head was the distinctive shape and glow of a magma core. It was smaller than the others, but Mina got the impression that it was just as important to the monster's functioning as any of the others.
Mina was in the middle of trying to figure out how they were going to take it out from range when Izuku took a step forward, obviously intent on approaching the core. Quick as she could, she snaked a paw out and grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing!? It's way too dangerous to go out there!" She pointed furiously at Zorah Magdaros's head, which was moving wildly as the monster trudged forward. Attacking the magma core would mean standing out there with nothing to cling on to for at least a minute.
Izuku turned to face her, a grim look on his face. "Mina, we aren't going to be able to break the core without getting near it. You and I don't have the firepower to break it from back here, and I stand a better chance of being able to break it close up than you do."
"We can call one of the other hunter teams!" Mina said, waving vaguely beneath them where their fellows were still searching for magma cores.
Izuku shook his head. "There's not enough time. We'll reach the second set of fortifications soon. We need to take the core down now, and you and I are the only shot at this. If Zorah gets away, we might not be able to track it down again."
She opened her mouth to object, then closed it. He was right, as usual. As much as she hated the idea of him going out there alone, this was their best chance at taking Zorah Magdaros down.
"Okay. Just… be careful," she said, letting go of his arm.
"Will do," he said before turning and making his way down Zorah Magdaros's neck towards the last core.
All she could do was watch and pray that he would come out of it alright.
"Izuku!" Mina called as a violent shake of Zorah Magdaros's head sent him stumbling. Thankfully, he managed to keep from falling off, though he came much closer than he would have liked.
Shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear his head, he forged onward toward the magma core.
It was, of course, the most dangerous one they had encountered so far, situated directly on top of Zorah Magdaros's head. The others may have spewed lava every minute or so, but this one threatened a long fall and a sudden stop with every shake of the behemoth's head.
Despite the shaking, Izuku managed to keep his footing as he slashed at the core repeatedly. The iron blade bit into the core with every strike, sending sprays of semi-molten rock shooting off in every direction. Finally, after what felt like forever, the core began to shatter, long cracks running up and down it as the energy contained within began to bleed away.
Zorah Magdaros roared in pain, throwing its head back at the same time. Izuku was launched backwards, skipping along the ridge at the nape of its neck. Thinking fast, he slammed his sword blade into the thick rock, halting his momentum a moment before he was sent flying over the edge.
"I've got you!" Mina called, grabbing his arm and helping him to his feet.
"Thanks," Izuku said, panting slightly. He took a moment to peer over the edge, realizing just how close he had come to tumbling down the monster's back. There were enough ridges on the way down that he probably wouldn't have died, but it would have taken him out of the fight for sure.
Movement caught his eye and he turned to face the canyon cliffs to Zorah Magdaros's side. Commission members were swarming around the ballistae they had set up the night before, the second line of attack in their attempt to capture the Elder Dragon.
Its magma cores destroyed, the Elder Dragon stumbled. In that moment, the Commission members saw their chance. As one, every ballista fired, their bolts slamming into Zorah Magdaros's rocky hide and binding it fast. The monster collapsed to its knees, bound and exhausted.
A cheer rose from across the canyon as every Commission member celebrated their success. Unfortunately for them, it was a little too early.
A ferocious roar echoed throughout the canyon, not from Zorah Magdaros but from above it. Izuku spun to see what had made the roar but all he could see was a black blur as something flew past them at great speed. It raced around Zorah Magdaros, circling the monster as if inspecting it. Finally, the blur came to a stop, landing on Zorah Magdaros's back with a crash and giving Izuku his first real look at it.
The monster's hide was black and red, accented with wicked-looking white spines that coated its back, wings, and legs. Two great horns curved out from its forehead. When combined with its color scheme and snarling face, they gave the monster a devilish appearance that made Izuku swallow involuntarily.
It sniffed at the air, then pawed inquisitively at one of the metal harpoons that was holding Zorah Magdaros in place. Realizing that the fiery Elder Dragon was trapped, the newcomer let out a roar of what sounded like triumph before it began to claw at the rocky shell beneath it.
"What is it doing?" Izuku wondered aloud.
"I don't know, but I get the feeling it's not here to help the Commission!" Mina said, already lowering herself over the edge of Zorah Magdaros's neck ridge. "C'mon Izuku! Let's go show this guy who's boss!"
Izuku wholeheartedly agreed, clambering down the rocky slope as quickly as he could without falling down it.
It took less than a minute to reach the open area this new monster had set down upon. Once there, Izuku smacked his sword against his shield, trying to gain the monster's attention.
It looked up at them and growled, a low, guttural sound that sent a shiver down Izuku's spine. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mina's fur standing entirely on end, nearly doubling her apparent size.
The monster began to stalk towards them, taking slow, measured steps, as if it didn't consider them a real threat.
Time to change that Izuku thought to himself as he charged the monster. It blinked in surprise, completely unused to anything it went up against making the first move.
As he came near the monster, Izuku tensed his legs and leapt the rest of the way, slashing his sword at the monster's face as he did so. The slash didn't do much damage, merely scoring a line of blood along the monster's cheek, but it did send the message that Izuku was not just prey.
The monster swiped with its leg, forcing Izuku to hop backwards a little bit to avoid being gored. He didn't try to block the attack, as he was still unsure how much force the monster was able to wield. That question was answered a moment later when it reared up onto its hind legs and attempted to smash Izuku.
He dove out of the way, barely making it in time as shards of rock pelted him from behind. They weren't large enough to do any damage, but Izuku had no doubt that he would be picking rock shards out of his underwear that night. The crater the attack left behind was at least twice as large as Izuku, showing that this monster was packing some serious force.
The monster spun to face him, looking more than a little irritated. It probably hadn't expected something as small as Izuku to put up this much of a fight.
A moment later, its eyes widened in pain as Mina slashed at its unguarded rear legs. It swung its tail at the pink girl-turned-Palico, but she was much too agile to be caught by the simple attack. The swing went wide, and Mina capitalized on the mistake by taking another swipe at the tail as it whipped past her.
Back at its front, Izuku prepared his own assault while the monster was distracted by Mina. He pulled his sword close to his shield, letting energy flow between the two and charge the sword a fraction. When it began to glow, he swung it at the monster's legs, landing two quick blows that cracked the scales where they landed. The monster's spines, however, proved remarkably resilient, sending Izuku's second blow skittering off slightly.
He got his footing back quickly, but the momentary lapse was enough for the monster to dash backwards, stepping over Mina as it did so. Now the monster regarded them with a combination of anger and careful calculation that made Izuku wary. This dragon was obviously much more intelligent than any monster they had faced up to this point, which made it infinitely more dangerous.
As both sides prepared for a second exchange, a curious whistling sound filled their ears. Izuku realized it was the sound of approaching ballista bolts a second before they hit, raising his shield to cover Mina and himself as best he could. Thankfully, the Commission's aim was true, and nearly every bolt impacted the monster's thick hide rather than the more vulnerable hunters.
The monster roared in pain and irritation, lashing out at everything around it as it attempted to punish whoever had hurt it. Izuku and Mina were forced to retreat yet again, finding their backs uncomfortably close to the cliff wall they had descended just a short time ago. They weren't the only ones in striking distance though. As the black dragon thrashed about it snapped several of the cables holding Zorah Magdaros in place.
Izuku and Mina glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing. If more of those cables came undone, Zorah Magdaros might slip free, and out of the Commission's reach.
They raised their weapons in tandem and charged the monster, doing their best to distract it. They succeeded in gaining its attention, though they quickly realized they hadn't thought this all the way through. They had the monster distracted and surrounded, but had no follow up plan.
The monster extended its wings with such speed and power that both Izuku and Mina were sent flying to either side of the open area they were fighting in. Izuku crashed painfully into a small spire of rock that was protruding from Zorah Magdaros's back, his vision swimming wildly from the impact.
He could barely keep the monster in focus as it advanced towards him, let alone raise his weapon to defend himself.
Just as the monster raised its leg to strike, a green blur slashed at it, forcing the monster to retreat.
"You okay, kid?" the newcomer asked, placing himself between Izuku and the monster. He wore heavy-looking plate armor lined with green scales and was wielding a long sword of the same material, the tip of which dripped a faintly hissing liquid that reminded Izuku of Mina's acid.
Slowly, Izuku rose to his feet and picked his weapon up. He was still woozy, and another hit would take him down for the rest of the battle, but he still stood at the armored hunter's side. Mina was there as well, standing determinedly behind Izuku despite the obvious pain she was in.
"We're okay," Izuku confirmed for the hunter, whose gaze hadn't wavered from the mysterious black monster.
"Glad to hear it," he said. "Now just leave the heavy lifting to—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the ground beneath them began to shake, then shift. With a start, Izuku realized that he could hear the echo of tethers snapping across Zorah Magdaros's hide.
Despite its exhaustion from having its magma cores broken and their energy expended, the massive Elder Dragon had mustered the strength to break free from the ties that bound it and was standing once more.
The black monster in front of the hunters roared with disappointment and fury. It hadn't been able to punish those who had interrupted it yet. Still, it could tell that the fight was over. With a powerful leap, it took to the skies once more, leaving behind only a few cast-off spines and a myriad of cuts and bruises.
The hunters weren't quite as lucky as the monster. As Zorah Magdaros rose, they found their footing rapidly disappearing. Izuku considered calling a drake to rescue them, but the flying creature wouldn't have made it in time to grab them even if it could dodge the falling debris from Zorah Magdaros's shell.
Instead, Izuku grabbed Mina tightly in his arms and curled around her as best he could. She wore only light armor, which allowed her to move with great speed, but offered little in the way of protection. His armor would provide them with much better protection.
They tumbled down Zorah Magdaros's back, bouncing from rock to rock as they fell. Izuku could feel his back turning into one massive bruise, but he didn't dare let go of Mina for even a second.
Finally, after what felt like forever, they reached the bottom, rolling off of Zorah Magdaros's tail and crashing into the sandy ground. Izuku uncurled from around Mina, taking a moment to check her for injuries. She was shaken, and looked a little green around the edges, but was fine otherwise.
That taken care of, Izuku turned to look at the retreating form of Zorah Magdaros. It pushed through the second barricade just as easily as the first one and was beyond the Commission's range in just a few moments. A couple of halfhearted cannon shots chased it, but none came even close to the behemoth.
Izuku sighed in defeat, collapsing heavily to the ground. They had been beaten to hell and back and expended who knew how many resources, all without any results to show for the effort. It was a rather disappointing outcome to say the least
A warm paw on his shoulder distracted Izuku from his thoughts, and he turned to look at Mina, who reached out and patted him on the head lightly with her other paw.
"We'll get him next time, yeah?"
Izuku could only nod at that. This had been a setback, sure, but the Commission had proven themselves to be nothing if not dedicated. They would find a way to track the massive Elder Dragon down once again, and this time the mysterious black dragon wouldn't be able to interfere. Izuku and Mina would see to that.
"So, do you wanna go now?" Mina asked, somehow managing to look a bit excited at the prospect. She had to be at least as tired as Izuku was, but she was able to dredge up some energy to go exploring anyway. Izuku both admired and envied her attitude.
He also found it adorable, but that was a thought that he pushed down almost as quickly as it surfaced.
"Maybe later." He said. "I think I'd like to head back to Astera for now. Dinner and a bath sound really nice right now."
Mina leaned over him and inhaled sharply before pulling a faux disgusted face. "Good idea! You stink!"
The pair burst into laughter as Mina helped Izuku back to his feet. Their mirth echoed up the canyon, reaching the ears of many Commission members, who found their spirits lifted as well. After all, there was nothing like the laughter of two youngsters in love to put the world in perspective.
In Izuku's opinion, the Coral Highlands were truly indescribable. No words could ever properly convey the true beauty and majesty of the area.
In the aftermath of the attempt to capture Zorah Magdaros, the Commission was left with no choice but to take to the field once more in search of clues to the behemoth's location. That search had naturally led them up the canyon that Zorah Magdaros had been traveling along and into an area that had quickly been dubbed the Coral Highlands.
Stepping into the area felt akin to stepping into a coral reef brought to the surface. Everywhere you looked was teeming with life, from the coral-like trees that waved in the ever present breeze, to the delicate Coralbirds that flitted from flower to flower with seemingly inexhaustible energy, to the small glowing jellyfish like creatures that gently illuminated the area at night.
The Highlands had their dangers too, of course. The monsters that roamed the area were powerful, and several of them had the ability to fly, making them difficult targets for Izuku and Mina, who lacked ranged weapons.
They learned to make do, however. As their fight with the Rathian several weeks ago had shown, careful planning and teamwork could fell even the mightiest or slipperiest of monsters.
With that in mind, the two took the Highlands by storm, partnering with the newly reconnected Third Fleet as well as the Troupers, the local Grimalkyne tribe, to map the area for the Commission. Along the way, they brought back a host of new materials and ingredients to Astera, raising their ever growing popularity by leaps and bounds.
Even with all their exploring, Zorah Magdaros proved more elusive than a several-story magma dragon had any right to be. A piece would turn up every now and then, but the researchers were unable to determine any sort of pattern or thought process behind the locations. The Elder Dragon had, for all intents and purposes, vanished.
Thankfully, the Third Fleet offered a solution. According to their leader, the area below the Coral Highlands was somewhat of a destination for certain types of monsters, and might contain clues to Zorah Magdaros's location.
With that in mind, a campaign had been undertaken to reach the 'Rotten Vale' that lay at the bottom of the Coral Highlands. It would take a large amount of time, effort, and resources, but the Commission was willing to pay that price, and two young hunters in particular were ready to lead the charge.
Izuku hissed as biting cold lanced through him. He'd thought that he'd dodged that last attack, but apparently he hadn't been fast enough. The armor he was wearing provided excellent physical protection, but did little to mitigate the freezing effects of a Legiana's breath, and he could already feel the numbing cold of ice blight seeping into his bones.
"Izuku! You okay?" came Mina's strained cry. She might be busy dodging a flurry of swipes from the Leginana, but she wasn't too busy to check on his well-being. She never was.
"P-p-peachy!" he called back as best he could through his chattering teeth.
He reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a Nulberry, crunching the flavorless fruit between his teeth. It's effects spread throughout his body quickly, dissipating the worst effects of the cold. Even still, Izuku dearly wished he had something warm to drink. The freezing sensation that clung to his limbs reminded him quite a bit of his long-ago battle with Todoroki during the sports festival.
He shook his head to clear the sudden memory from his mind. Now was not the time to get distracted.
The Legiana hovered above them, shrieking furiously. It had given up on trying to make a quick meal out of Mina after she had slashed a series of cuts along its face and neck. None were deep enough to cause the creature great concern, but they did look like they were causing it serious discomfort.
As it hovered, Izuku could see that the creature was drifting slightly to its left side. He grinned at the sight. He had managed to land a solid blow to its wing with his axe earlier. At the time the creature had seemed to shrug the blow off, but now it appeared that the damage was catching up.
"Looks like he's hurrrrrting. Probably doesn't have a lot of fight left in him," Mina observed, a hint of a growl in her voice. Izuku had long ago noticed that she tended to go a bit… feral during an intense fight. He wondered if she had a bit more Grimalkyne in her than most Palicos, or if it was just a quirk of her personality.
"Looks like it." Izuku agreed. "Think you're up to following if he runs?"
Mina shook herself vigorously, dislodging a few ice crystals. She tended to puff up during combat, and her thick fur had the unfortunate tendency of picking up dirt and debris with ease, to the point where the Handler had started stocking a set of combs and brushes at every camp for them.
"Oh yeah," she said once she was finished. "I'm feeling clawsome today!"
Izuku snorted. Mina had taken the Palicos tendency to make cat puns and ran with it. She seemed to always be thinking of new ones that would invariably make him groan and laugh at their ridiculousness.
Apparently not content to let them banter, the Legiana let out a sharp cry and dived at the pair. The creature spun in the air as it shot towards them, icy particles flying off of it.
"Mina, get behind me!" Izuku ordered, raising his shield. He slotted his blade into it in a similar manner to the move he used to transition the weapon into its axe form. A second before the monster slammed into him Izuku tightened his stance and prepared to deflect the attack.
The Legiana slammed into his shield in an icy explosion. Izuku was pushed back slightly by the impact, but held his ground as best he could. His stance had allowed a bit of the impact to deflect away from him, but the force was still sizable. For a long moment his legs strained with the effort of holding the monster back. Not for the first time, he wished he had retained One for All when he had come to this world. A boost of strength would have been extraordinarily helpful at the moment.
Finally, the contest of strength between man and monster came to an end. The Legiana reared back, the combined force of its headlong dive and Izuku's resistance stunning it for a moment.
Izuku didn't waste that time. He stepped backward slightly, adjusting his center of mass into a more favorable position for his next attack, and pushed his blade all the way into the shield. It's internal mechanisms hummed as it shifted and changed, the edge of the shield beginning to crackle with its stored energy almost as soon as he triggered it. Izuku had long ago stopped trying to understand how the weapon worked and had begun to start thinking of it as an extension of himself. In some ways, it reminded him of the process of learning to use Full Cowling, though with less broken bones this time around.
The charge blade seemed to sing as he swung it over his head, looping it once around his body to gain momentum before bringing it down in a mighty crash directly onto the Legiana's uninjured wing. The energy contained within its mechanism poured out in a mini lightning storm, triggering a series of secondary blasts after the initial impact.
The creature shrieked in pain, scrambling back from the blow, it's wings dangling at its sides. The membrane was scratched and torn in numerous places, but not completely destroyed. It could still fly, though its frightening speed was a thing of the past. Realizing this, the Legiana leapt into the air, just as Mina and Izuku had predicted. It didn't bother to circle the area to try and find another angle of attack. It's mind was firmly set on fleeing the area as quickly as possible and reaching its lair.
Izuku and Mina watched it go, in no great rush to follow. The scout flies already had the monster's scent, so tracking it would be child's play. Instead, they took a moment to check their supplies and equipment. Izuku pulled a whetstone from his belt, running it down the length of his sword a few times to restore its edge. He was careful to avoid pricking himself on the spiky barbs that ran along the back and hand guard of the blade. He'd made that mistake twice before, and was not eager to repeat the experience. He was also careful not to touch the blade directly as he polished it. The poison that coated it was not likely to affect him just from a touch, but Izuku was unwilling to take the chance.
The idea of using a poisoned blade still bothered him, but as Mina had pointed out, when fighting monsters that could eat you in a single gulp, every advantage helped. Aside from that, he simply enjoyed using Dear Lutemis, even more than the other charge blades he had had the workshop craft. It wasn't just the excellent craftsmanship of the weapon, or even its color scheme that called to him. There was something more about the blade, something that drew him to it that he couldn't put into words.
Mina sat behind him, resting against his back as he worked. She idly sipped at her potion flask, letting the herbal remedy soothe her aches and pains. While she had avoided most of the dangerous blows from the Legiana, she had not been able to avoid all of its attacks. The fur of her right leg was matted with blood, and Izuku had noticed her wince slightly when she sat down.
"We could just let this one go." He said as casually as he could. He didn't want to imply that Mina wouldn't be able to finish the hunt, but he felt that he should raise the point. The Legiana wasn't a priority target. They had come to the highlands to gather materials for the upcoming renovation of the Third Fleet's base into a mobile research platform. Running into the Legiana had been a surprise.
Mina shook her head vigorously as she scrambled to her feet. "We've come this far. Might as well see this through to the end. Besides, with the way it came at us with no provocation, I'm sure it's going to harass the researchers if we just let it go."
Izuku nodded. She had a point. Taking the monster down now was probably for the best. Still, he would have been remiss if he hadn't pointed out letting the monster go as an option.
He tapped the cage on his belt, letting the scout flies know that their work was starting. The insects darted out in a single cloud, moving in near-perfect harmony as they swept the area. They fixated on a claw mark the Legiana had left behind, buzzing around it excitedly for a few moments before surging off as one.
Mina groaned as she saw where the scout flies here heading, and Izuku winced internally. It made sense that the Legiana had retreated to the highest point in the Highlands, likely considering it to be nearly unreachable by pursuers.
"We could always take the long way around," Izuku said, pointing behind them. It would be a long and difficult climb to reach the Legiana's nesting point, and it would waste quite a bit of time, but it could be done.
Mina shook her head stubbornly. "No. We don't want it moving around on us while we take the scenic route." She swallowed hard. "Besides, we'll be fine. It'll just be a quick, safe trip up the current to its nest. Nothing to worry about." Her smile was wide, but it didn't reach her eyes in the slightest.
"You sure you want to do this?" Izuku asked, straining to make himself heard over the rushing air before them.
Mina didn't respond, instead sinking her claws tighter into Izuku's leg armor. Her claws sank into the flesh beneath it slightly, but Izuku didn't complain. He was happy to endure a little pain if it meant Mina was a bit safer.
"Alright. Here we go!" he said, taking a running leap into the air current.
The force of the wind slammed into him, threatening to send them spiraling into the deep chasm below. Then he spread his arms, letting the mantle draped around him catch the current. It billowed for a moment, then snapped tight as the rushing wind filled it and dragged Izuku and Mina into the sky. Both of them shrieked in a combination of terror and elation.
After a few moments of being buffeted on all sides by the wind, the pair reached the top of their arc. They drifted forward on the lingering gust of air in the mantle's folds until they were just above the massive chunk of coral that reared at the apex of the Coral Highlands. Mina sprang off of Izuku's leg, landing on all fours and pressed a quick kiss to the ground, promising herself that she would never do something like that again. It was the seventh time she had made such a promise.
Izuku landed with a bit less grace, dropping the last little distance and rolling to disperse the impact. The first time he had worn it he had worried about damaging the mantle with such a move. Now he didn't even bother the check on it. The mantle had survived multiple monster battles, and he was beginning to suspect that its woven hides were even tougher than he was.
Despite their elation at surviving the trip, neither of the pair made so much as a peep. Just a few meters away, their quarry was snoring gently. It probably wasn't going to be woken by a careless word, but neither of them was willing to take the chance.
Nodding to each other, they circled the sleeping creature until they stood on either side of it. Under different circumstances they would try to ambush the sleeping monster using explosives, but Izuku hadn't brought any along. Their stash was running rather low and he hadn't anticipated needing any on this particular expedition.
Instead they relied on Izuku's axe for an opening attack. He had expended its stored energy with his last attack on the monster, but it still packed quite a punch with only its momentum.
Something in the monster must have sensed the impending danger, since it jerked its head to the side at the last moment, just barely avoiding a lethal hit from the massive axe. It wasn't quite enough to escape injury though. The edge of the massive weapon scored a long cut down the side of the Legina's face and embedded itself in the monster's shoulder. It screeched in pain and flapped its wings wildly, dislodging the weapon and sending Izuku flying backwards in a rush of wind and blood.
As it rose into the air, Mina took the opportunity to attack. She leapt onto the monster's back, clawing her way up its spine at a rapid pace. In a few moments she reached the monster's neck, despite its vigorous attempts to throw her off. She had become quite good at sticking to monsters like a prickly pink burr in the months since their first battle. When it finally paused its thrashing to catch its breath, Mina leapt up to gain some momentum, then plunged downward. Her blade bit into the monster's spine and was dragged down its back by the combined force of her weight and momentum, leaving a tremendous gash in her wake.
The Legiana collapsed to the ground, battered wings jerking furiously, completely unable to sustain its weight any longer.
With the monster downed for good, Mina scrambled clear and let Izuku step in for the final strike. His axe flew true and the Legiana fell silent.
With the deed done, Izuku knelt before the great beast. He'd never been particularly spiritual, but the taking of lives, even of the lives of monsters that would eat him in a heartbeat still bothered him. Because of this, whenever he finished a hunt he said a quick prayer that he had created shortly after their first hunt. He wasn't sure what kind of gods existed in this world, or if there were any at all. Still he prayed, and hoped that something was listening.
"I am sorry that it had to come to this. May the sun shine upon you in your next life, and may you know nothing but peace. Gods take you."
His prayer finished, Izuku stood once more and pulled out his carving knife and flare pistol. He fired a flare into the sky, not the red one that would indicate that they needed help, but a blue flare indicating that they had defeated a monster and needed the Commission to extract its body. This high in the Highlands, they would probably send one of the third fleet's smaller research balloons.
In the meantime, he and Mina would begin the process of carving as many usable materials as they could.
"Hey Izuku, check this out!" Mina called from atop the monster.
Izuku glanced to where she was standing and frowned. The monster's back was scarred and burned in numerous places, with some of the scars overlapping as though it had been struck by lightning multiple times.
"Any chance your axe did that?" Mina asked.
Izuku shook his head. "I didn't get a blow on it's back. Besides, this is way more intense than anything Lutemis dishes out."
She sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that. What are the odds we don't run into a crazy lightning storm, or some lighting throwing monster?"
Izuku shrugged. "Knowing my luck, pretty low."
"Guess we better be quick then." Mina said, pulling her own carving knife from her belt. "I don't fancy getting barbequed."
Izuku nodded in agreement, and the two set about carving the Legiana.
"Izuku, if I tell you I saw something super weird, are you going to say I'm crazy?" Mina asked suddenly.
The pair were in the middle of heading back to camp after finishing with the Legiana. Mina's aversion to drake flight meant they usually walked between camps, only taking drakes to and from Astera or when speed was of the essence. This did give them an advantage in searching for Elder Dragon clues, since they spent more time on the ground than other hunters though.
However, their efforts had proved fruitless today. Not a single hair, spine, or claw mark had been found. It had been a little bit disheartening for the pair. Their success against the Legiana had helped dampen the blow a little bit but they were still feeling a little blue.
"Mina, I would never call you crazy." Izuku said.
"Okay, good. Because I totally just saw a unicorn."
Izuku stopped dead in his tracks. They had seen a lot of strange and fantastical sights since coming to this world, so he wasn't willing to rule anything out, but the idea of unicorns existing was still quite fantastical.
"A unicorn." he said flatly.
"Yep." Mina agreed. "I mean, it looked a little funky, but it was definitely a unicorn. Body of a horse, horn on its head, long flowing mane. Like something out of a storybook. It went that way"
Izuku looked to where Mina was pointing. The path lead to a wide open plateau with little in the way of vegetation. He didn't imagine it would be a spot that a unicorn would like to spend a lot of time at. Then again, a unicorn in this world might be vastly different than one from their original world.
"Should… should we follow it?" Izuku asked, unsure of exactly what the procedure was.
Mina, on the other hand, seemed very sure of what she wanted. She charged ahead, her tail flicking wildly in excitement, and leaving Izuku no choice but to follow her.
"I'm going to wear your fur as a hat!" Mina spat furiously as she scrambled to her feet.
The unicorn, or 'Kirin' as Izuku had identified it, had proved to be a much more powerful foe than either of them had anticipated, as well as being much more aggressive.
They hadn't been intending to battle it when they approached. Rather, they had hoped to take some data for study back to the researchers at Astera. Mina had gotten them in a bit of hot water with the researchers after she knocked over a stack of very rare and antique books and they had hoped that definitive data on a Kirin would go a long way toward smoothing their relations over.
Unfortunately, the Kirin had seemed to take great offense to their presence. As soon as it had spotted them, the creature had charged.
From that moment on, the Kirin had controlled the pace of their battle. It struck with the force of a freight train and moved with the speed of a dancer. If it weren't doing its absolute best to kill them, Mina would have been captivated by it sinuous grace. As it was she was far too busy trying to avoid the lighting the creature seemed to be able to summon.
Every time she or Izuku managed to get close enough to strike at it, a bolt would lance down from the sky, forcing them to dive out of the way to avoid being fried to a crisp. Even when they weren't attacking, they had to keep one eye open for the tell tale sparks that heralded an incoming sheet of lightning.
Mina charged back into the fray, but she knew that this fight was rapidly coming to a close. The Kirin was so much faster than her that Mina hadn't even managed to land a single blow throughout the fight. Izuku wasn't doing much better. He could stop the Kirin's physical blows, though only just, but he couldn't do anything about the lighting and dodging it was forcing him to abandon his defensive style. He was dodging well, but she could see that his stamina was rapidly failing.
Their only chance was to get one clean strike in, to end the battle in a single, decisive blow. Mina knew her weapon wouldn't be able to do that. Compared to the Kirin, her blade was barely a dagger and didn't carry nearly enough power.
In a moment of desperation, a plan came to Mina that was so crazy, it might just work. She pulled a Vigorwasp from her pack, letting the insect expand rapidly as it filled it's pouch with healing juices. She wasn't quite sure how it compressed down so small, but now wasn't the time to contemplate such things.
"Izuku! Heads up!" She shouted, trusting Izuku would see what she was doing and help out.
She hopped atop the Vigorwasp and pointed it directly at the Kirin. Fly my pretty! Mina thought to herself as she and the Vigorwasp shot towards their target.
For a moment, Izuku looked extremely confused, then his eyes widened as he realized what she was planning. To his credit, he only lost a moment to his confusion before leaping into action. He abandoned any semblance of defense, lashing out with his sword again and again. The blade didn't do more than produce a few sparks but it did succeed in attracting the Kirin's attention.
The monster reared up, intent on smashing Izuku beneath it's powerful hooves as lightning crackled all across its body..
"Eat this you sparky bastard!" Mina cried, seconds before the Vigorwasp collided with its head.
The Kirin staggered back in surprise, losing its balance as green mist obscured its vision and filled its nose. After a few unsteady steps on its back legs it hit one of the ridges that ran through the battlefield and toppled to its side.
Mina whooped in joy at the success of her mad plan. Toppling the monster was their first real victory in this fight, and the progress was intoxicating.
Izuku took a moment to flash Mina a grin as he shifted his weapon into axe mode once more. It's phials were empty, but he was prepared to deliver a devastating strike nonetheless.
He raised the weapon over his head, its well honed edge glistening with reflected lightning, and brought it down directly towards the Kirin's chest. It was a perfectly executed strike, one that any charge blade wielded would be proud to make, coming down directly over where the monster's heart should be.
And then it bounced off the Kirin's hide.
Izuku and Mina froze in shock at the sight. Izuku's greataxe had always been equal to whatever task they set to it. From giant lizards, pilfering birds, and fluffy bat-pufferfish hybrids to literal dragons, they'd taken on everything the New World could throw at them and come out swinging. Being inadequate was a new and disturbing experience.
On the ground, the Kirin spasmed once more, then locked it's gaze on Izuku.
"Look out!" Mina cried, a second before the Kirin struck.
Izuku flew backwards as the Kirin's hoof slammed directly into his chest. A sharp crack echoed across the field as several of his ribs snapped.
"IZUKU!" Mina shrieked, tearing across the ground to her fallen partner.
He clutched at his chest, gasping for breath through the pain. It was as bad as she'd ever seen him, bringing back memories of the League of Villains' attack on their summer training camp. Knowing Izuku, he would probably be up and limping in a few hours, but Mina still felt her chest throb painfully.
"Mi...na…" he wheezed.
"I'm right here Izuku." She whispered resting her paws on his hands as gently as she could. "I'm not going anywhere."
The ominous clicking if hooves on stone sounded before her, and Mina looked up into the glowering face of the Kirin.
For a long moment, Mina could only hear the storm around them. She didn't even flinch at the distant cracks of lighting. She wasn't focused on the storm around them, but the storm that danced in the Kirin's eyes.
She had no idea how long they sat like that, only that it was long enough for the storm to begin to dissipate. Finally, the Kirin broke eye contact, turning away from Izuku and Mina to walk stately away. It reached the vine-covered cliff at the far side of the plain and, in defiance to all laws of physics, leapt up the sheer cliff face in a few short hops.
"You have got to be kidding me," Mina said in disbelief.
Beside her, Izuku groaned in pain once again, bringing Mina's attention back to the task at hand. She scrambled at his belt, searching for the S.O.S. flare that she knew he always carried. Thankfully, it was at his side, rather than pinned beneath him, so she was able to find it in short order, and without moving him. The red flare lanced into the sky, leaving a faint trail behind it. Mina could only hope that someone would be there soon. In the meantime, she pulled a mega potion from Izuku's belt and poured a bit of it into his mouth. There was too much damage for it to fix, but it would keep him from hurting too much while they waited for someone to come help her carry him to camp.
"The two of you got extremely lucky." the Commander said. "Not many people have gone up against an Elder Dragon solo. Fewer still survived the experience."
"The Kirin was an Elder… Dragon?" Izuku asked.
If the Commander noticed the emphasis Izuku placed on the last word, he chose to ignore it. "Indeed. And a powerful specimen of its species, if your report is accurate. Perhaps it has even reached tempered class." he mused, rubbing his chin absently. "Our people in the Coral Highlands will have to be careful."
He stopped his musing and snapped a salute to Izuku and Mina. "The Commission thanks you for your efforts, and wishes you a speedy recovery. May the Sapphire Star shine upon you." With that, he took his leave from the sickbay, no doubt returning to his many duties of overseeing the Commission.
"Are you doing okay, Izuku?" Mina asked, once the Commander had exited. "Do you need me to grab you anything?"
Izuku smiled softly. "I'm fine, Mina."
"You sure? You look like you could use some water. I'm going to grab you some."
He sighed. Ever since he'd woken up a few hours ago, Mina had made it her personal mission to make sure he wanted for nothing. At first he'd appreciated the gesture, but it was starting to concern him. She hadn't sat still for more than a minute or two for the entire time.
"Mina, are you okay?" he asked when she returned, glass in hand.
"I'm fine. Not a scratch on me." she said, doing a little pirouette to prove her point.
"That wasn't what I meant." Izuku said softly.
Her smile slipped a little at that. "Izuku, I… I'm fine. Really. You shouldn't be worrying about me anyways. You're the one in the sickbed."
"It wasn't your fault." he said softly.
She was silent for a minute before she finally spoke, so quietly that he almost didn't hear what she said.
"Stupid."
Izuku blinked in surprise at the statement. "I… I'm sorry?"
"You made me worry about you. The whole time you were unconscious, I kept thinking about what would happen if you didn't wake up. And how I didn't want you to go away. So…"
Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, held back only by sheer force of will. "So you're not allowed to get hurt like that any more. Or I'm going to be really upset with you!"
"I…uh…" Izuku had no idea how to respond to the myriad of emotions swirling in her voice. Or to his own feelings that rose in a tidal wave when he heard the hurt in her voice. All that he knew was that he would do everything in his power to keep her from hurting this way again. "I promise."
Mina sighed in relief, a few of her tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Despite this, a faint smile touched her lips.
"I'll hold you to that." she said, relief evident in her voice. Then she clambered up onto Izuku's bed, curling herself on top of his feet.
Seeing her stop to rest for the first time since they had returned filled Izuku's heart with warmth. She needed to heal from the battle just as much as he did, if in a different way. This was progress on that front. They didn't make poultices for the heart like they did for broken bones.
He leaned back into the pillows as he contemplated their next steps. Even putting the Kirin aside, Nergigante was still lurking somewhere in the New World, and he was certain that those two weren't the only threat. He would have to get much stronger if he hoped to keep his promise to Mina.
He turned his head to look at his blade, which rested in the corner of the room. The gleaming metal of its blade seemed to wink at him from beneath the thick green scales that coated its exterior.
Soon, he would have to push both the blade and himself to their limits. But that would come later. For now, he and Mina were going to take some well deserved R&R.
On the surface Mina appeared to be having an excellent time sunning herself on a large flat rock by the shore of the Ancient Forest. The sunshine was warm and bright, and no monsters threatened her and Izuku. By all rights, she should be having as lovely of a time as she appeared to be having.
Inside her, however, a war was raging.
She and Izuku were still on light duty while he recovered from his injuries. He insisted that he was fully healed by this point, but Mina knew he was just putting on a brave face while gritting his teeth. She saw how he winced when he climbed the many stairs of Astera. Still, she knew that sitting around while other people were working was slowly driving him insane. So, she had wheedled the medics into letting them take a trip to the Ancient Forest for a material gathering expedition focused on harvesting plants and insects for hunter tool production. No hunting allowed, not even an Aptonoth. Both of them had sworn to follow those rules, under pain of house arrest should they violate them.
They'd met their quota quickly, and hadn't run into anything more dangerous than a few grouchy Revoultures. However, neither of them had felt like returning to Astera just then. Izuku looked happier than he had in days, and Mina definitely didn't want to bring his mood down
Thankfully, an opportunity presented itself as they were on their way to the camp to turn in their haul.
"Oi! Hunters! Got a moment?" A man in mismatched leather armor, large wading trousers and a floppy brimmed hat waved at the two of them. Mina vaguely recognized him as the Piscine Researcher who seemed to always be fishing. In fact, he had one eye trained on his pole even as he called them over.
The pair glanced at each other, then shrugged. They didn't have much else to do today and the medics had said they could lend a paw to researchers in need, assuming the work wasn't too strenuous
"Glad to see you're on the mend!" he said, an easy smile plastered on his face. "Now, I know you're constrained to light duty, but if you're feeling up to it I could use a hand."
"We'd be happy to help." Izuku said, barely waiting for the man to finish.
He chuckled at Izuku's enthusiasm before continuing. "Now that's what I like to hear! Anyways, the blossom festival is coming up in a few days, and the chef wants to make sure we've got plenty of fish for the feast. Now, I'm an excellent fisherman, but I'm only one man and the Chef's eyes have gotten a little big for his larder. If you could catch me say… ten Pink Parexus, that would be perfect. And if you manage to land a Gastronome Tuna, I'll throw in a little something extra for your trouble."
Izuku nodded. "I think we can manage that."
They had been lucky. The usual gang of Kestodon that congregated on the beach were nowhere to be seen, leaving the beach to Izuku and Mina. After some well deserved splashing in the waves on Mina's part and some light wading on Izuku's, they got to work.
Mina had been surprised to find herself nearly useless in the endeavor. She was too short to venture very far from the shore, and the only fish that she could reach would barely be a mouthful. She cursed herself for not having the foresight to bring along a feline-sized fishing rod.
She tried to apologize to Izuku, but he just waved it off.
"Nothing to be sorry for. Besides, I could use the exercise. With how much the chef has been feeding me, I bet I've put on some weight." He pinched at his exposed side to demonstrate. He'd removed his armor and shirt, not wanting them to get wet from the salty spray.
That wasn't entirely true, in Mina's opinion. She'd started to take notice of Izuku's physique when they had arrived in the New World and could say with certainty that, while he had been putting on weight, none of it was fat.
His arms rippled with muscle whenever he cast his line into the water, and the way his back tensed whenever he got a bite had Mina fanning herself slightly. He had gone from fit to absolutely jacked thanks to long hours swinging around his massive scale-and-iron weapon. And if Mina weren't stuck in this feline form she might even be tempted to…
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She didn't want to be creepy. Izuku was her friend and partner, the person she respected and relied on most in this world. The last thing she wanted to do was drive him away by fantasizing about him holding her gently and—
Bad Mina! She scolded herself. You're better than Mineta. Act like it!
Thankfully for her sanity, Izuku distracted her from her internal war when a particularly big fish nearly yanked him off his feet. He shouted in surprise, teetering for a moment before finally regaining his balance. Even then he had to struggle. Whatever he had hooked was putting up an incredible fight.
"Mina, can you come help me?" He called as another powerful jerk on the line nearly pulled him into the water.
She bounced to her feet and was at his side in a moment, grabbing onto his leg to help steady him. With her added weight, he finally had enough leverage to drag the fish to shore.
It was a monster of a tuna, easily as big as she was. How the fishing line had held against its strength, Mina didn't know. She did know, however, that the Piscine Researcher was going to be impressed, and that they were going to eat well at the blossom festival.
"Way to go Izuku!" Mina said, hefting the massive tuna in her arms. "You're a natural born fisherman!"
He flashed her a wide smile, and Mina felt her heart do a flip. His hair had been tousled by the wind and his bare chest was coated in a combination of sea spray and sweat. With the warm afternoon sun lighting him from behind he looked positively radiant.
This was far from the first crush she had had, but this one felt different somehow. She didn't just think he was hot, though that certainly helped. She also found so many other things about him adorable. The way he scrunched his brow when he was working on a problem, the way he never failed to laugh at one of her jokes, no matter how terrible they were, or how he always talked to her like an equal even when he had to explain things to her again and again.
She'd tried to deny it to herself for a long time, but after months of spending so much time together and seeing him like that, Mina had come to one, inescapable conclusion.
Gods, I'm in love with him aren't I? She thought to herself.
"Are you okay, Mina?" Izuku asked, peering down at her.
With a start, Mina realized she had been staring at him for more than a minute without saying anything. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine! I was just... thinking about the fish!" she said, holding it up. "'Cuz I'm super hungry and can't wait to have the Chef grill it up!" She held her breath, willing Izuku to take her at her word.
"Pretty sure the Chef is going to claim that for the blossom festival." Izuku said thoughtfully. "Still, I'm sure he'd be happy to whip you up something in thanks."
He glanced up at the sky, shading his eyes against the sun. "I guess it is getting to be time to head back. Guess we'll turn the fish into the delivery center then grab an early dinner?"
Mina nodded and Izuku made his way over to the rock where he'd left his armor.
Now I've just got to answer the million yen question. Mina thought as she watched Izuku pull his armor back on. Does he love me back?
Izuku winced as the coral horn Mina was learning how to play let out a sound more like an air horn than a musical instrument. She had finally gotten the technique for blowing into the instrument while inhaling through her nose, but hadn't quite gotten to the point of making actual music.
When she finished blowing the note, the Grimalkyne who had been tasked with teaching her how to play took his paws off of his ears and shook his head.
"Well, the good news is that you are not making the mistake of playing too quietly. Of course, I wouldn't really call what you are doing 'playing', but that's besides the point."
In response Mina stuck her tongue out at the Grimalkyne. It was obvious that she was starting to become frustrated with her lack of progress. She had been practicing for several hours now, and while Mina had made some excellent progress, she was still struggling.
"You're doing great, Mina!" he called, doing his best to bring her mood up like she was always doing for him.
He'd tried to help her out, but had quickly discovered that his own talent for music was even lower than Mina's. As such, he had been relegated to his current position as observer and occasional cheerleader. Thankfully he could understand their conversation this time around. The Grimalkynes here in the Coral Highlands had been working with the Third Fleet for several years, and as such had a decent grasp of human language. It made dealing with them much easier, though the Lynian Researcher had moaned loudly about cultural contamination when he had found out.
Izuku didn't mind sitting the exercise out, however, since it gave him plenty of time to watch Mina as she worked.
Ever since their encounter with the Kirin, she had thrown herself wholeheartedly into training. Whether it was running with the Bugtrappers throughout the Ancient Forest to improve her speed and dexterity or sparring with the Protectors in the mires of the Wildspire Waste to improve her balance and strength. Her already impressive skills had grown rapidly, making her into a fierce and deadly combatant.
You wouldn't know it by looking at her, however. She was still the same fun-loving, goofy girl that he had met at UA all those months ago. If anything, her experiences in the New World had made her even more cheerful and outgoing than before. She always seemed to have a joke ready, no matter the occasion. She had left his healing ribs aching more times than he could count during his recovery, much to the medics' annoyance.
Her ability to light up a room with her very presence never ceased to amaze him. At this point, he doubted that there was a single person or Palico in Astera who didn't know her name, and she had managed to win the approval of every Grimalkyne tribe they had come across nearly single-handedly. Her actions reminded Izuku of a character from a storybook.
Or of a hero.
Izuku was distracted from his admiration by the sound of an actual note emanating from the horn Mina was playing. It was a low, soothing tone that made Izuku feel instantly more relaxed.
"That was… acceptable," the Grimalkyne musician grudgingly acknowledged. "You still need to practice, but you should be able to use the orchestra without issue now."
Mina let out a whoop of joy, relieved to finally be finished with her task.
"I do not know what our chieftain sees in you," he griped before handing Mina a carved coral horn. The one she had been using to practice was a simplified version that was suitable to learn on, but would not stand up to the rigors of combat.
"Someone who can kick your ass and look cute doing it!" Mina quipped.
Izuku snorted involuntarily as he tried to hold back laughter. The Grimalkyne still glared at him, but made no further comments. Instead, he slipped away into the undergrowth as he made his way back to the trouper village.
Mina sighed as she plopped down next to Izuku. "Man, I'm pooped. Who knew music took so much out of you? I owe Jirou an apology when we get back to UA."
"Maybe you can give her a concert?" Izuku suggested.
Mina broke into a massive smile at the idea. "That's a great idea! Oh man, one time she let me listen to her favorite metal song and I still remember how it went. I'm totally going to figure out how to play it on the horn, then make her listen to me play it! Can you imagine what her expression is going to be like?"
Izuku had no idea, but he knew it would be a sight to behold. He chuckled along with Mina as the two of them packed up their equipment. Mina took the lead position, shoving her way happily through the strange undergrowth that dominated the highlands as she whistled a song Izuku didn't recognize, but suspected that Jirou would never be able to appreciate in quite the same way once Mina was through with it.
With an easy pace born of months of exploring together, Izuku followed the girl he had come to love into the warm sunlight once more.
And there we go. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, despite covering the Zorah fight. Nothing against Zorah, but the first two parts of that fight aren't exactly the most engaging game play wise.
Kirin on the other hand is one of my favorite monsters in the game. I love its aesthetics to death, though the armor is a little... stripper-ey. Legiana is very cool too.
On a sadder note, I regret to inform you all that the next chapter of this fic probably won't be coming out any time soon. The next month and a half or so is shaping up to be pretty busy for me, and I'm not sure how much time I'm going to be able to devote to this story. You never know though. I've been wrong before. I just wanted to let you guys know so you didn't think this got abandoned.
Finally, for anyone wondering, I'm probably not going to include any Icebourne content in this story. I haven't been able to play the DLC yet, which makes it a little hard to write about. It's possible I'll get it before finishing this fic, but it seems unlikely at this point, so I'll go ahead and say there won't be anything from Iceborne here.
Thanks once again to Raef Darksbane for editing and Betaing. You're a legend!