Thanks to 17dragonboy for the review! Here, I tried my best to incorporate the thing I needed to improve my writing here in this story. I proofread everything myself however so if you find any more mistakes, let me know in the review section!

With that in mind, this chapter was quite difficult to write, mainly because I cannot write a decent battle scene. Here, I tried my best to improve compared to my previous work so hopefully, it turned out much better than before.

Chapter 4

At that moment, Siegfried witnessed his life flash before his very eyes. Standing straight, arms spread wide, he wonders to himself on why he even bothered saving this woman, who had never once shown him a modicum of kindness and respect. Was it out of guilt, duty, or perhaps something else entirely? Why save the life of someone you've just met who in all cases, does not deserve to be saved? Why even bother in the first place?

Just when Siegfried had accepted his fate, a blinding flash of light envelopes the area. The sudden burst of light stuns the Rathalos, causing it to misfire and exploding the fireball within its maw. It staggers back, roaring in agony from the pain within its throat. Just then, two figures bolted past Siegfried and Eris and directly towards the beast. Before the Rathalos even knew what happened, a powerful blunt force smashes into the side of its head, breaking the hard shell on its skull and shattering rows of its teeth. At that moment, the Rathalos then felt a searing pain on its legs as blood bursts out like a fountain from dozens of lacerations on its legs and tendons. Eventually, the combination of wounds finally brings the beast down onto the ground, where it lays motionless and bleeding.

When the dust settles and the roaring stops, now stood two hunters in front of Siegfried and Eris.

"Who…are you?" Siegfried asks incredulously.

"Just some hunters passing by. It appears we came at the right time."

"Speaking of, your partner there needs help." The taller hunter bends down and examines the heavily wounded Eris, whose bouts of bloody coughs alarmed the hunter. He quickly takes out a small vial of yellow-greenish liquid and immediately pours it into her open mouth. Almost immediately, her breathing relaxed, much to the relief of the hunter.

"That Max potion should help the cells within her body regenerate fast enough to replace the damaged tissue." He then took out another vial, this time filled with a pure green substance that he poured onto his hands before rubbing it against Eris' wounded abdomen. The woman hissed but was too weak to resist.

"This should help cover up the external wounds…By the way, since you mentioned, my name is Rowan. That guy there is my brother Romero."

"Yo, "Romero greeted, grinning.

"We were just in the middle of a hunt when that Rathalos over there decided to crash the party. We followed it here and met you two. Guess we did come in time after all." Soon he finished rubbing the concoction onto the wound.

"There, that should do it. Thanks to our natural regenerative abilities, hunters like her should have no problem recovering from a wound like that. In just a few minutes, she'll be able to stand and fight. In any case, we should- "

Suddenly, a loud thunderous roar echoed throughout the area, followed by a large golden creature popping out from the clouds. It lands beside the wounded Rathalos and lets out a fierce roar.

Siegfried grits his teeth and picked up his weapon, "Shit, the other one is here…"

Romero gulped, "Wait what, don't tell me- "

"That this was a quest to kill both a Silver Rathalos and a Gold Rathian?!" Rowan finished both hunters in a state of shock.

At this moment, Rowan prioritized one thing first. "Get her to safety now!" he commanded towards Siegfried.

Recalling how much he hated it when Eris' barked orders at him, Siegfried glares at Rowan, "Hey, who gives you the right to- "

"Do you want that woman to die?!" Romero snapped, readying his blades. "She's your partner! Keep her alive!"

Partner?! This harlot is not my partner! He contemplates just leaving her there but the moment he saw her pained face, a feeling he had wanted to suppress for the longest time re-emerges within him. Frustrated, he smacks his forehead against the flat side of his blade before sheathing it and lifting the huntress off the ground and onto his arms. With a groan, the hunter carries the huntress towards the relative safety of the enclosed structures surrounding the arena.

…

When Eris came to, she found herself lying on the ground, staring at the stone ceiling above. Her hand instinctively moved towards her abdomen, only to feel nothing. No longer was the blood there. She found herself breathing more steadily too and her chest no longer hurt. She sat up and glanced around, only to find herself within the enclosed structure she had hidden in previously before. And to her surprise, he was there, idly sitting on the ground and sharpening his sword.

"You…"

He looks up from his work and stares at her, a visible frown forming on his face. "Oh, you're awake."

Eris scowls back, "And you don't look very happy for it."

"Tch. Of course, I'm not." He looks away. "I shouldn't have saved her back there…" he muttered, something that Eris' sensitive ears picked up. Immediately, her mind flashes towards the previous event, where she had briefly opened her eyes to find Siegfried standing over her, spreading his arms protectively over her. He saved me… she thinks to herself. The thought of it made her ice-cold heart flutter ever so slightly. As it quickly as it came, however, the feeling vanished, and her frozen heart freezes over once again. She had long-suppressed feelings of trust, kindness, empathy and most of all – love. She deemed these things unnecessary for a hunter, on top of alcohol and sex.

"Since you look like you're feeling better, that means I can finally leave." He stands up, dons his helmet and picks up his weapon. He faces her and bows mockingly, "I bid thee farewell."

"Why you- "Before she could finish, he had already left. The now vexed Eris scowled at the hunter and cussed under breath. She quickly calmed herself down and stood up. She chugged down an Energy Drink and picked up her weapon before immediately rushing out to join the battle.

…

His hammer effortlessly bounces off the beast's skull, "Son of a- "

The Rathian spins around rapidly, smacking him away with its clubbed tail. His armor proved to be a lifesaver, however, protecting him from the poisonous spikes that lined the edges of the Rathian's tail.

"Are you alright?" Romero asked his brother, who had landed right next to him.

"Yep…I'm fine- "

Crack!

"Never mind."

Romero chuckled, "Tough luck. Well, in any case, it's my turn now!" Quickly chugging down a Dash Juice, Romero dashed towards the Rathian, intent on cutting it down. The wyvern roars and reels back its head, gathering flames within its maw before quickly firing three fireballs in three directions. The hunter skillfully leaps over the fireball, drawing close to the monster and sliding underneath it, slicing its vulnerable and soft belly. The beast cried out in agony, its blood pouring onto the ground beneath it, staining the concrete red. But it wasn't enough. Enraged, the Rathian rushed towards the hunter, intent on trampling him. Romero smirked and positions himself in front of a concrete wall. He tightens his grip around his blades and waits as the wyvern draws closer. Just mere seconds before the Rathian would hit him, he swerves around the Rathian, spinning his blades in the process and cutting the flesh on its legs. The attack causes the Rathian to stumble – headfirst – directly against the wall. The velocity and speed at which it charged and the ensuing collision shatters the plating on its head, dazing it and leaving its head vulnerable to hits.

"Now, brother!"

Rowan rushes in, charging the incoming hit of his hammer. As soon as he drew close, he unleashes his attack, a powerful uppercut directed at the monster's jaw. The hit pulverizes its jaw, breaking several dozen teeth and further shattering its armored head. The Wyvern staggers back, disoriented and dazed before promptly collapsing onto the ground.

"Yes!"

The brothers high fived each other and moved towards the Rathian. They were unaware that nearby, the Rathalos had regained consciousness. It growls fiercely and opens its now bloody and toothless maw, the flames once again beginning to light up within its throat, intent on killing them with one last fireball.

By the time they realized, it was too late.

"Oh shi- "

BOOM!

Opening their eyes, the brother's realized that they were still alive. Confused, their eyes widened when the smoke disappeared, revealing their savior.

"It's you…" Rowan said, mouth agape.

Siegfried stood in front of them, holding his Great Sword out like a shield. Thank the gods I slotted in some Guard Jewels… He glanced back at the two hunters. "For your information-, "he said frowning, "-this is my quest. Therefore, they are my prey."

Suddenly, the body behind the brothers stirs, as a long golden tail rises into the air and prepared to strike the unwary hunters with its poisonous club. Just as it swung-

Shiing!

Rowan and Romero felt something wet splatter against their backsides and looked back to find the severed tail of the Rathian lying on the ground…and a familiar huntress standing there with her sword unsheathed.

"Who said anything about it being your prey?" she questioned the hunter, wiping the blood off her blade and jacket.

Siegfried clicked his tongue, "Tch."

"However, I'd do mention that these beasts don't belong to you. They are my- "

"Our."

"-our targets. So, if you please?"

"Huh- Oh, our apologies. Guess we got a little carried away." The brothers backed away and they watched as the two hunters moved to finish their prey.

Walking up to the injured Rathian, Siegfried glowered at its prey before lifting his sword above his head and bringing it down onto the beast's neck, decapitating the monster like a butcher cuts a slab of meat

The Rathalos desperately tries to light up its throat again, only for the flames to come out as mere smoke. The glands within its mouth and throat had been damaged from the explosion that occurred within its maw when it misfired, leaving the Wyvern a coughing mess. It tries to get on its feet, but its crippled legs rendered it unable to stand.

Eris stares down at the Wyvern, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly before moving closer and hovering the tip of the blade over the monster's eye. Mercilessly, she stabs the monster's head clean through, ending its life right there.

Eris pulls her blade out of the monster's head and takes a deep breath.

It was over. The hunt was complete.

…

"Splendid! I knew the two of you could do it." Once again, the Guildmaster received the middle finger from the both of them simultaneously, eliciting a chuckle from the small Wyverian man.

Siegfried slams his palm onto the table, "You shut it midget. Now, where's the money?"

"Right here, "he said, gesturing for the receptionists to bring the money. The receptionist brings him four envelopes, each containing a sum of the reward money. But when Siegfried and Eris reached out to take the envelopes, the Guildmaster jerks back.

"Patience."

Eris taps her foot impatiently, "What is the meaning of this?!"

"You will get your money. But I also need to award those two gentlemen over there as well." He points at Rowan and Romero.

Romero laughed and rubs the back of his neck, "Aww much obliged old man."

The Guildmaster hands Siegfried and Eris two of the envelopes. "56000 zenny. As promised." He then looks at the two brothers and bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry but due to the rules, you both would be receiving half of the reward. I hope that's alright with you."

Rowan shakes his head, "It's alright. 28000 zenny isn't that bad either." They thanked the old Wyverian and exited the hall.

The Guildmaster then turns his attention to the two other hunters, "Now, Siegfried and Eris- "

One of the receptionists spoke, "Sir? They're gone."

The Guildmaster blinks twice, looking around the hall to spot the two.

"They left the moment after you handed them the money."

For the first time in decades, the Guildmaster's eye twitched. "Young people these days…" he mutters, letting out an exasperated sigh and going back to smoking his pipe.

…

"For the record, cross paths with me once again and you'll be sorry."

Eris rolled her eyes, "Oh, am I supposed to be scared? Try harder next time."

"There won't be any next time," Siegfried said, cracking his knuckles.

"God you're an insufferable dunce you know that. You are an embarrassment to hunters everywhere."

Unable to come up with another retort, Siegfried growled, "Fuck off will you."

And with that, the two hunters turned around with a huff and stomped away towards opposite directions, intent on forgetting everything that had happened the day before.

I hope to never see him/her again… was the very thought that crossed their minds as they departed on different airships.

Oh, how wrong they were.

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