Ughh, this took longer than expected. Mostly because I was busy with my studies and had barely any time to write. But anyway, as you readers can see, I've made some changes to the plot, which arguably might contribute to a better story.

Gone are the three hunters whom I've forgotten about later on in the original story and instead, replaced them with Rowan and Romero, whom you all are aware of. I've also tried to make some of the events less "farfetched" in reasoning and made them more plausible and sensible.

I've also made some slight changes to Siegfried's character. No longer is he the super reckless guy who charges in without a plan. Here, he still quite reckless and stubborn but is far more strategic than his previous iteration. I also made an effort to highlight the animosity between the two. With this, I hope I can deliver on the improved gradual romance aspect of this story.

Hopefully, this was worth the wait.

Chapter 2

Anyone could have felt it. The people around them, the Felynes, hell perhaps even the monsters themselves could feel it. What exactly was this feeling you ask?

Tension.

It was so thick; you could cut with a sword. Indeed, it was exactly the kind of atmosphere permeating from a certain duo as they sat on opposite ends of the cart heading towards the location of their quest. It was what the Felyne driver was feeling as he fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat. Even the Aptonoth pulling the cart made low grumbling sounds, perhaps of agitation? He glanced back at his two passengers, who were silent, but he could sense the glaring animosity permeating from them.

Siegfried was already regretting his decision. Having reluctantly agreed to this temporary partnership with a certain 'ice-cold-bitch' as he deems her, Siegfried now wanted to just bailout. He'd rather die than team up with someone like her. To him, she might be beautiful, but her holier-than-thou personality, condescending behavior, and cold disposition proved exactly why Siegfried despised her. His thoughts landed on a certain mischievous Guildmaster. Once this is done, I'm going to kill that damn midget…

Eris wasn't faring any better than Siegfried. She couldn't believe herself for somehow agreeing, albeit reluctantly to this temporary partnership. As a solo huntress, the fact that she had to hunt with someone, let alone someone as rude, infuriating and a disrespectful barbarian Conga that is Siegfried. Hell, the man had the nerve to not even show his face to her. I bet he's as ugly as a Conga himself underneath that helmet. Hah, pathetic… She silently cursed the Guildmaster for making her do this and wondered to herself if she had brought any gunpowder…

After what felt like hours, the cart finally arrives at the base of the tower. The two hunters hopped off the sides of the cart (from opposite ends of course) and began grabbing the camp supplies needed to set up the camp in the tower. Of course, being the gentleman Siegfried was (and not because Eris practically took all the lightweight stuff) he hoisted the heavy supplies onto his shoulder and trudged towards the entrance to the tower. The walk towards the base of the tower was quiet and uneventful, though at the very least the two did not argue or glare with one another. They had both mentally agreed to work together…at least for now. The walk up the stairs of the tower, however, was an entirely different story.

"Don't you dare…" Siegfried hissed at the Remobra flying nearby. With his hands full, he was unable to grab his weapon to shoo them away and it would have been disastrous if one would ram him or spit acid at him. Not like he was worried about acid mind you; his armor was strong enough to resist the acidic properties of the Remobra's spit. But even so, perhaps small bits of it would seep through the cracks in his armor and touch his skin, which was painful as hell. Eris, meanwhile, held her carving knife in one hand and swung it around her in order to fend off any Remobra that strayed too close. Siegfried gave her a silent 'fuck you' at her more manageable situation as they continued their walk up the long winding stairs of the tower.

Arriving at the preset camp located near the top of the tower, Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief. He placed the supplies on the ground and moved towards the already set up tent. As he drew closer, however, he heard the distinct noise of hissing coming from inside the tent. Unsheathing his knife, he slowly creeps towards the tent until-

"Shit!"

A pair of Remobra burst out from the tent, surprising the hunter and nearly causing him to stumble. It was made even worse by the sound of hysterical laughter coming from the huntress standing nearby.

"I can't- You, Siegfried, the so-called 'Fire King'- she said in between laughs, "-scared of some mere Remobra!"

He glared at her from underneath his helmet, "Shut it, woman."

By the time they finished cleaning up the camp and readying the supplies, night had already fallen. Siegfried resorted to making a campfire, rubbing two pieces of flintstone and some wood from their supply box. Deciding that he was hungry, Siegfried used the meat from the supplies to make a simple, rotisserie steak dinner. Unable to smell the meat properly due to his helmet, he took it off and placed it beside him. Behind him, Eris who had finished dusting off the bed and brushing her hair stumbled upon a helmetless Siegfried. She blinked, clearly surprised at his appearance.

He was (to her disappointment and surprise) not as ugly as she had thought. He had slightly spiky medium length red hair, tied back into a low ponytail with a short fringe covering his forehead. His face had this look of maturity and experience, evident from the numerous fading scars on his cheek and forehead and the light of the campfire gave him an almost ethereal like glow to it. It gave him an almost roguish look. No sooner after, she had found herself staring to which she slapped herself for doing so. She huffed and went back inside the tent, erasing her thoughts before they turned suggestive, choosing to instead munch on her rations rather than sit near the fire with him.

After finishing his meal, Siegfried stood up and walked towards the tent. But as he entered the tent, he froze.

"Damn it…" he muttered, silently cursing himself for not realizing it sooner.

There was only one bed.

Nearby, Eris was casually reading her notes, "You're sleeping on the floor," Eris stated as if it were a fact.

"What?"

"Are you deaf? Or do you need me to explain twice?"

"I heard you, woman! But who gives you the right to command me?!" He stomped towards her, clenching his fists in anger. "Are you trying to pick another fight? Because if you are, I'll be more than happy to accommodate you."
She gave him one of her signature ice-cold glares, "I dare you to lay your filthy hands on me."

"And what if I do?"

"I'll kill you."

"Oh boohoo, I'm so scared! Whatever will I do- Hah, fuck you! With those weak-looking arms? Give me a break." He shoved her aside and laid down on the floor beside the bed.

"I'm too tired to argue with you anymore so just piss off! You can have your stupid bed!"

"Fine by me!"

…

The next morning…

It was safe to say that Siegfried didn't have a good night's sleep. Unlike Eris, who had the comfort of the bed, he was forced to sleep on the filthy floor. Unwilling to dirty himself, he had chosen to sleep in his armor, which was extremely uncomfortable. To counteract this, he decided to chug down a couple of bottles of the Energy Drinks he had brought, which he hoped will keep him awake long enough until the hunt is over.

"Damn that woman…" he muttered to himself.

He exited the tent to find the already armored Eris sitting on one of the wooden benches around the campfire. She appeared to be engrossed in her journal once more, ignorant of the things around her.

"Sleep well?" she asked out of the blue, not even bothering to look at him. When he noticed the smug smirk on her face, he scowled. "Of course…"

Minutes later, they were both ready.

Eris raised a finger, "Just to be clear, if you die, I will not be held responsible."

Siegfried scoffed as he put on his helmet, "Right back at you."

Together, they climbed up the stairs leading to the Tower Top, where their targets were last seen lounging about.

Elsewhere in another part of the Tower…

He saw two of them leap towards him. Smacking away another Velociprey with his hammer, the man rushed towards his brother.

"Behind you, brother!"

He watched helplessly as two of the raptors leaped at his brother, baring their razor-sharp teeth and claws, ready to disembowel him. However-

SHIING!

A splatter of blood followed by two bodies dropping to the ground. The brother clicked his tongue underneath his helmet, quickly wiping the blood off his helmet. Around him, the raptors backed away, clearly taken aback by the sudden and brutal death of two of their own. The remaining raptors glanced at the numerous dead bodies of their own scattered around the area and back at the two hunters standing in the middle, weapons drawn and covered in Velociprey blood. They growled and hissed at the two men as they slowly strafed around them.

"You would think they would give up even after we've killed quite a few of them already…" said one of the brothers, a man wearing Seregios armor and wielding a pair of dual blades.

The taller second brother, a Diablos armored, hammer-wielding individual clicked his tongue, "Stubborn bastards. Guess we're going to have to extend our expedition for just a bit longer."

Driven by hunger due to the lack of prey in the Tower, the starving and desperate Velociprey refused to give up. One of the bird wyverns raised its head and barked repeatedly. Moments later, more of them leap out from behind the rocks and pillars. The raptors circled the hunters, blocking off any path of escaping. Soon, they were outnumbered and surrounded. At this point, the chances of survival are slim. No matter how skilled a hunter if you are, once a large pack of starving Velociprey circle you, there is little hope of survival.

"Shit." The brothers pressed their backs against each other as they faced the encroaching raptor head-on.

"These guys just keep on coming."

"I'm already running out of dash juice as well…"

"Damn!"

The taller brother sighed, "Looks like we're screwed after all…" He then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see his brother holding a small container. I see…Immediately, he knew what it was. With a sad smile, he nodded.

"If we're going to die, might as well go out with a bang eh?"

"You said it, brother."

What the two brothers were about to do was infamous, yet a horrifyingly common method to preserve their "honor". Suicide by gunpowder explosion was fairly common amongst hunters, especially those who can't handle the embarrassment of a failed hunt. Rather than being killed and or devoured by their prey, they would instead blow themselves up in an attempt to take their target down with them. The Guild discouraged this method but made no move to ban it.

Using a stone, he began striking it against the surface of his armor as his brother held the gunpowder close. As they did so, the Velociprey moved closer. By this time, there were 18 Velociprey from the original 10. Unaware of the brother's explosive last-ditch attempt at slaying them, the raptors prepared to pounce when suddenly, a booming roar stops everyone in their tracks. The brothers looked into the sky and saw a large winged figure descending rapidly onto them.

"Move!"

The brothers leaped out of harm's way as the figure crashed into the circle of Velociprey, sending a few flying. When the dust cleared, they find two of the raptors squirming underneath the unknown monster's claws. The intruder then turned towards them, growling viciously as it revealed its identity to the two hunters. The brother's eyes widened as they stared in shock at the intruding monster.

Silver plating long clubbed tail and a lustrous sheen all over its body.

It was glaringly obvious.

"A Silver Rathalos…" muttered the first brother. These Wyverns were an extremely rare species, powerful and deadly but almost hidden to the world. And for those who have seen one, almost never make it out alive. The brothers had already heard of a tragic incident in the past, in which a hunter and his wife were killed and devoured by one. With that in mind, the brothers poised themselves for the incoming fight, one that they cannot hope to win.

Are we actually going to die here? Just as that thought entered their minds, the Wyvern roared at them before spreading its wings and leaping into the air in a magnificent fashion, all without losing its grip on the two Velociprey. The brothers watched as the imposing figure of a Wyvern disappeared higher into the sky and vanished into the clouds.

Tower Top…

It began due to a disagreement regarding the plan of attack. Eris had pushed for a plan that didn't sit well with Siegfried with the latter proposing a different plan altogether. One pushed for a cautious approach that relied on drawing aggro and attacking in turns while the other pushed for a bolder approach of having both members focusing their efforts in taking down a single target as quickly as possible. Needless to say, it escalated quickly…

"You're an insufferable prick!"

"And you're an egotistical witch, bitch!"

Without warning, Eris ducked and swept Siegfried's foot, knocking him off balance. She then stomped her foot onto his chest, eliciting a loud ack from the man beneath her.

"Gog, do you have to be so goddamn stubborn?!"

Suddenly, he grabbed her foot on his chest and pulled her down onto the ground. The force of the pull causes her face to collide violently with the stone floor.

It was at this time that she wished she wore a closed helmet.

Before she could recover, Siegfried moved on top of her, pinning her arm behind her back and pressing his elbow against her upper back.

"Nobody tells me what to do!" He twisted her arm behind her back. "Especially condescending women like you!"

Eris growled and writhed under his grip. But Siegfried was physically stronger and her attempts at breaking free were met with failure. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the man, who grinned victoriously.

She bit her lip and shouted furiously, "Go ahead then! Violate me! Fulfill those disgusting male fantasies of yours!"

"Huh?" Her words stunned him. Violate her? No, I-

Eris felt his grip loosen and she took this opportunity to retaliate, elbowing him in the face with her elbow, shattering the visor of his helmet and causing him to reel back in shock. In his moment of weakness, she then tackled him to the ground and viciously pressed her elbow and forearm against Siegfried's neck, applying pressure and causing him to suffocate.

"Ack!"

"Beg for forgiveness!"

I should have known… "N-Never!" In a surprising burst of strength, he pushes her off him. He stands up, facing the woman in front of him. Unable to see properly due to his shattered visor, he growled, took off his helmet and tossed it to the side, revealing his bleeding nose and cut lip. Eris' facial injuries were uncannily similar.

"Can't you get such a simple thing through that thick head of yours?!" she shouted at him, fury lacing her normally composed voice.

He clenched his fists, "And who gave you the authority to command me?!" he shouted back.

"Gog, I hate you! Go die!" they screamed at each other in unison before immediately slumping onto the ground, breathless and flushed. Breathing heavily, they rested against the walls, taking their time to catch their breath. But to their luck, a familiar roar echoed throughout the area. Still, out of breath, the pair stood up and peeked through the holes of the structure they were hiding in…and lo and behold, their target was in sight. The Wyvern descended onto the ground and in its claws, two unfortunate Velociprey. In quick succession, it bit the heads of the raptors clean off, instantly killing them.

"Shit…" Siegfried muttered, reaching for his pouch. He quickly popped open a vial of his Energy Drink and gulped down its contents. Beside him, Eris had done the exact same thing, chugging down an additional potion besides an Energy Drink to heal her broken nose and lip. Siegfried then quickly donned his helmet, not caring about the cracked visor (which totally didn't impede his vision or anything). The two, in a reckless and desperate attempt at completing the hunt, rushed out of their hiding place, weapons drawn as the Wyvern turned to face them.

And so, the hunt begins…

…