The last part is kind of rushed. Otherwise, please enjoy it…
As per usual, fight scenes aren't my forte.
…
Chapter 13
They hadn't expected everything to go south that fast. The two had thought their classic strategy would work on it like it did on any other creature.
As they had quickly learned, this Rathalos was unlike any other.
The last thing Eris registered was being forcefully shoved towards the other side as the explosion from the fireball obscured her vision. When the smoke and dust cleared, Eris stifled the urge to gasp.
"No…" She needed to get them out of here. As her brain racked for ideas-
"Crap!"
She just barely managed to jump out of the way in time just as the Rathalos had suddenly lunged forward to bite her as if it took advantage of her letting her guard down for a brief moment. The huntress then rolled immediately after to dodge the subsequent tail swing, which just slightly grazed the top of her hair.
The Rathalos, with its rear end facing the huntress, turned its head back towards the huntress and growled menacingly at her. It knew to never underestimate a hunter, even after it had taken out her partner. The wounds on its legs and neck were testaments to its encounters against hunters. With that in mind, the beast opted to pace side to side in front of the huntress, anticipating her next move.
Eris, meanwhile, bit her lip as she attempted to get ahold of the situation. She needed to treat her downed partner ASAP while at the same time, dodge the monster's attacks. As of the moment, Siegfried's health was her priority.
Almost as if it knew her intentions, the Rathalos stepped to the side and obscured Eris's view of Siegfried's body with its own. It didn't attack, knowing that attempting to attack first would only get itself countered.
But what it didn't know, was that the huntress herself was planning her next move as well. Eris had a gut feeling that this Rathalos was far more intelligent than normal, thus she was hesitant to make the first move. So, she held her blade in front of her, pacing right and left as well as the two foes eyed each other warily.
Suddenly, Eris rushed forward, sprinting rapidly towards the Wyvern. It immediately hopped to the side, anticipating a slash and proceeded to light its maw with flames before shooting a powerful fireball at the huntress in one quick succession. When the smoke cleared, however, her charred body was nowhere to be found. The Rathalos growled in confusion when it soon realized something was wrong.
The huntress had not unsheathed her weapon and attacked when she sprinted towards it.
It realized too late as it glanced to the side to find that Eris had run around it and up a wall before leaping off it towards the Rathalos.
"GRAARGH!
It roared angrily as the huntress promptly landed on top of its back, her fingers gripping tightly against its scales. The beast took to the sky and thrashed around furiously, intent on shaking the human off its body. But the huntress would not yield, as she kept a tight grip on the Wyvern's back.
Hold still, you bastard! With one hand, she reached for her carving knife and promptly sunk the sharp object into the beast's flesh.
It roared in pain and thrashed and writhed even further. But Eris wouldn't relent, she instead increased the speed of her stabs, spraying blood against her hair and face (which was covered by her visor much to her relief).
She, however, did not expect the Wyvern to suddenly smash its backside against the wall.
The sheer force of the slam was enough to almost shatter her armor, sending pieces of both rock and metal everywhere. She visibly gasped out in pain, coughing out blood in the wake of the impact. Unbearable pain seethed throughout her body, almost making her lose her grip on the Wyvern.
I…MUST NOT…YIELD! Still keeping a tight grip on the thrashing Wyvern's back and her knife, the huntress maneuvered her battered body closer to its neck before stabbing it down onto the soft flesh underneath the plating.
Screeching in agony, the Rathalos crashed headfirst towards the ground, as the huntress was promptly flung off its back.
Eris weakly lifted herself off the ground, clutching her torso as she proceeded to walk towards her downed partner. She looked at her blood-covered hands and winced at the searing pain on her stomach and chest area. A shard of her armor, visibly lodged into her stomach, causing the area around it to rapidly redden.
This feels…familiar… She stumbled towards her partner and gritted her teeth as she lifted him up and draped his arm over her shoulder.
Behind her, the Rathalos groaned loudly in pain, unable to move. It was now or never.
"Let's…get out of h-here…" Walking with a limp, the huntress proceeded to carry herself and her downed partner out of the area.
…
She nearly tripped as she dropped down from the ledge. Eris clutched her stomach once more, feeling her own blood dripping constantly onto the soil. But she had to stay strong, for both their sakes.
I will not lose anyone ever again!
She reached into her pouch and gulped down a Potion before lifting Siegfried off the ground once more as she continued to trudge her way out of the area.
But the huntress soon realized that her troubles were far from over.
"Oh, for Gog sake…"
Surrounding the two, were yet another pack of Velociprey. They had followed the trail of blood she left and were attracted by the prospect of easy prey.
"Back…off!"
She swung her sword around in an attempt to intimidate the raptors. But the Bird Wyverns weren't intimidated. The smell of blood and the sight of injured hunters was simply too enticing to avoid. Eris gritted her teeth, the pain from the shard impaled onto her stomach beginning to worsen over time. She had no choice.
I never thought I'd use this damn thing but… She reached into her pouch and took out a circular object and threw it at the ground below her. Immediately, a smoke explosion engulfed the area, obscuring vision. Hidden by the smoke, Eris sneaked past them and out of the area.
…
After a lengthy walk, the two finally arrived at the small clearing nearby their camp. Eris fell to the ground, hands flying to the injury on her torso. She whimpered and writhed, unable to bear the pain any longer.
"D-Damn it…" Her hand reached for the shard on her stomach. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as she pulled the sharp object out of her body.
She cried out in pain as the blood-stained shard dropped to the ground. Eris took out another potion and poured it all over her wound, hissing as the green liquid seeped through her flesh and began to slowly mend the ripped tissue and muscle. It wouldn't stop the bleeding, but it would at the very least, relieve some pain and prevent an infection from occurring. Knowing this, the huntress let out a sigh and relaxed.
"I'm going to…sleep."
Unbeknownst to her, the figure lying on the ground beside her stirred awake.
He slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring at the sky. His body ached badly, and he felt a stinging sensation akin to a burn all over his body.
"Ughh…" he groaned out in discomfort.
The hunter rose to a sitting position and rubbed his head in confusion. What happened? However, the pained groans and whimpers coming from his right prompted the hunter to turn around. He gasped.
"Shit, Eris!"
The memory of their disastrous attempt at killing the Rathalos came back to him. I'm an idiot! Siegfried immediately moved closer and cradled her body in his arms. She was alive, but her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be in great pain. She was sweating hard; her porcelain skin was pale, and she writhed furiously on her spot. He then saw the visible wound on her stomach, and he couldn't help but clench his fist in frustration.
"Stay with me dammit!" he said, taking her helmet off and cupping her cheek.
He desperately needed to stop the bleeding. Just then, a thought came to his head. I'm sorry for this Eris… The hunter untied Eris's hair free and pressed the cloth hair tie against the wound on her stomach. The huntress in his arms whimpered as Siegfried applied pressure to her stomach.
"You'll be alright…I won't let you die…" Siegfried reassured, caressing her now messy hair with his other hand. Her expression visibly relaxed and she stopped moving, sleeping quietly. Seeing that the bleeding had begun to lessen, he reached into his pouch and poured a vial of Potion over the cloth before dabbing it over the open wound. It would take some time for her wound to close up.
"The hunt can wait. For now, this takes priority."
He lifted the huntress off the ground and onto his arms and proceeded to carry her back to camp.
Back at Dundorma…
"A ball?"
"As I said. A ball. It will take place about a week or so from now."
Edmond blinked. Even after he fully understood everything there is to know about the Revenants thanks to Carla, yet this new piece of information still surprised him.
"And how do you know this?"
Carla smirked mischievously. "I happen to have a spy within your precious Guild Knights."
Edmond's jaw dropped. "What?!" The former Guild Knight couldn't believe it. Grr, I have some interrogation to do once I'm finished with this…
Amber folded her arms impatiently. "How exactly does a ball, point us towards the Revenants?"
Carla laughed. "Why it has everything do with those people my dear!" The auburn-haired courtesan moved closer to the woman and poked her chest with her finger. In response, Amber jerked back.
"How dare you touch me you- "
"Edmond if you must know, there is a possibility that Sir Jacob is a member of the Revenants."
Edmond raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? What makes you think that?"
"Well, my source informed me that they had often seen Sir Jacob entering a tavern, which I presume is forbidden for Guild Knights like you?"
"It is very forbidden!" Edmond fumed. "How dare he act so brazenly behind everyone's backs!"
"Talk about hypocrisy…" Jason muttered, rolling his eyes. Amber shook her head.
"I was also informed that there were rumors that he was bribing and making unsavory deals with some unidentified folk. That and he's also abusing his power as Section Leader of the Border Watch." Carla spared him a quick glance. "Of course, this is just rumors. It's not always true."
"That bastard! I knew he had some involvement with those people!"
Jason sighed in exasperation. He completely disregarded the fact that it was just a rumor…
Amber groaned. "Alright now that we have a proper reason to target this man, can you go back to the ball part?"
"Oh, how could I forget? Thank you, my dear Amber."
"Hmmph!"
Carla giggled. "You're cute."
The huntress gasped and turned red. "The hell did you just- "
"As I was saying, Sir Jacob would be hosting a ball in due time. My source says that the reason for this is to celebrate the Guild's success over the past decade. He has apparently invited every Guild Knight to attend along with people from some of the noble families in Dundorma."
"And where would this ball take place?"
Carla reached under her desk and took out a large folded sheet of paper. She unfolded it, revealing a detailed map of the world. She pointed at a point on the map. "Here."
"But…that's almost halfway across the region!" Amber exclaimed in disbelief.
"All the more reason we have to attend." Edmond pointed out, clenching his fist in anger. "The fact that it's held at a place quite far away from the Guild HQ means it's something that arsehole doesn't want everyone to see."
Jason looked at the map and back at Carla. "So, you're telling me, that if we want to expose the organization for what they are, we have to attend the ball?"
The woman snapped her finger. "Precisely."
Amber grabbed her brother's arm, pulled him closer, and whispered, "I don't know about this. What if we're wrong? What if it was a lie all this time? Can we even trust this woman?"
Jason thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. Carla is a devil of a woman, but I know she has certain connections far and wide. I just don't know what to believe."
"If you're having doubts, then why not listen to what I have to say next? I reckon you two will like this bit."
The brother and sister turned to glare at the woman, who simply plastered a smile on her face. Next to them, Edmond was busy mumbling to himself, ignoring everything else.
"Make it quick then," Amber said, putting on her helmet.
Here goes. "There is a good possibility that the one you're looking for will be attending this ball."
At her words, Amber and Jason perked up. Noticing this, Carla grinned victoriously.
"Siegfried…is attending?" Amber asked quietly, intent on finding out more.
"Well I don't know exactly know if he will be attending, but there's a possibility. Are you both familiar with Eris Havencroft?"
Jason's eyes widened. "Her?"
Amber cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Who?"
"Yes her. I was informed by one of my messengers that both Siegfried and Eris were last spotted together at the town of Kokoto."
Jason narrowed his eyes at her. "But what does this have to do with the ball?"
"The Havencrofts were one of the top noble families in this region. Though they recently fell from grace, their name is still often mentioned amongst nobles and commoners alike. Eris's father happened to be one of the top Guild Scholars in the region whose contributions to the field of research is still talked about until today. It wouldn't do to not invite the daughter of one of their top scholars, now would they? After all, he does have a reputation to keep."
"And this relates to Siegfried how…?"
Carla smirked. "Apparently, Siegfried and Eris are very close to each other. Some would say they were practically married already. So, if Eris was invited, it would only be natural to take him with her as her date for the night."
Jason glanced at his sister to find her fuming. "Uh oh…"
"That asshole! First, he abandons us, leaves me alone, and then decides to take another lover?! How dare he!"
"Amber calm down we- "
"We're attending that ball!" She stomped towards Edmond and shook his shoulder. "Hey, we're leaving!"
The former Guild Knight slapped himself awake from his reverie. "Right."
"Hold on, we first need to find a way to actually get invited."
Amber stopped in her tracks and sighed. "Damn it…"
A thought came across Edmond's thought, but it was a thought he had hoped to never come to use. One that involved a certain former classmate of his. "I think I can help with that…"
…
Edmond was the last to leave the room but just before he closed his door, an object on one of the shelves caught his eye.
"Is that…"
Carla looked to where he pointed, and a sullen expression adorned her face. "Yes. This is my older sister," Carla answered, taking the framed photo off the shelf. It depicted a younger Carla standing beside an older woman with slightly darker hair. "Her name is Rosa."
"What…happened to her?"
The auburn-haired woman sighed wistfully as she gently caressed the photo. "…She was kidnapped…by the Revenants. One day she was here and the next she was gone. It all happened so fast I…" Carla coughed and placed the photo back on the shelf. "Please excuse me." She walked away towards her couch.
"I…Apologies if I stirred some bad memories. I'll be going now."
And with that, he closed the door as Dundorma's top courtesan collapsed onto the couch and sobbed quietly.
Eris woke up suddenly, startled and confused. She placed a hand on her forehead and shook herself awake. The huntress took a moment to adjust to her surroundings. She was lying on a bed which she guessed had to be the one from their camp. She closed her eyes in an attempt to regain her memory of what happened.
"The last thing I remember was- "
She suddenly sat up and moved a hand to her stomach. It was no longer painful to touch. Eris looked down to find a piece of cloth tied around her lower body and covering her stomach. She pulled the cloth and touched her stomach; it no longer bled. Her wound had already healed but it left a visible scar in its wake.
Siegfried!
She kicked off the covers and rushed out of the tent. It wasn't dark outside yet, which meant they still had time. But the hunter in question was nowhere to be found.
"Siegfried?" she called out, hoping to hear his voice. But only the wind answered her calls.
If he's not here, then… A sudden realization hit her. That idiot!
She quickly ran back inside the tent to fetch her gear.
…
Elsewhere, Siegfried spat out a bloody tooth at the ground as he lifted himself off onto his feet. The man had already taken a good beating, yet that didn't stop him. He held his large sword in front of him, ready for another attack.
"A smart one ain't ya?" The hunter simply flashed a cocky grin.
The raging Wyvern in front of him, injured from a previous encounter roared furiously at him before charging forward.
…
"For god's sake!"
Standing just meters away from Eris, was the Rathian from before, busy feasting on an Aptonoth. She didn't have time to fight it and sneaking around behind it was almost impossible due to how tight the space was between it and the rocks around it. She looked around frantically for any way to move past it when her eyes landed on a nearby ledge. She quickly remembered how according to the map, that section of the hills opened to a cliff area that led directly into the cave.
"Guess I have no choice…" It was either that or betting her chances of escaping the Rathian unharmed. She chose the former.
The huntress leaped onto the ledge and made her way through the opening, taking care not to alert the Rathian to her presence.
Soon, the huntress found herself staring at a large cliffside. There were numerous small ledges lined up across the rock, perfect for climbing. Near the top of the cliff, she spotted a large hole, presumably the Wyvern cave.
"Don't die on me yet Siegfried."
And with that, she began climbing.
…
"Ack!"
A single miscalculated swing and he was promptly met with a tail directly to his chest, sending him flying a distance.
He coughed, clutching his torso in pain as he lifted rose to his feet. Before he could attempt to grab his sword lying just a few feet away from him-
His widened for a fraction of a section. "Shit!" Siegfried dived out of the way in time before the Rathalos could bite him, landing stomach first onto the ground with his hands above his head. Siegfried's hands quickly scrambled for purchase as he quickly lifted himself off the ground and broke off into a sprint.
I must reach my swo-
BAM!
He was sent flying again, courtesy of the Rathalos swinging its tail behind it. The hunter landed even farther away from his sword, rolling on the ground before coming to a stop nearby the cavern walls.
He groaned in pain, spitting out blood from his mouth. "Sonuvabitch…"
Before Siegfried had any time to recover, the Rathalos took to the skies and charged forward mid-air at full speed towards the hunter.
"Oh no- "
…
I can hear the Rathalos's roars from here. Sounds like they've already begun fighting.
She leaped upwards and grabbed the nearby edge, using her enhanced strength to keep a tight grip on the rock before pulling herself up. For regular humans, climbing a tall and almost steep cliff like this is near impossible without the use of ropes, but for hunters like Eris, it was simply another day.
Rock climbing, after all, was just another part of the training would-be hunters had to take.
As she reached upwards to grab another rock hold, her foot slipped.
"Crap!"
She quickly readjusted her hold and pulled herself up and onto a small ledge. The huntress took a moment to catch her breath, having finally found a small bit of flat ground to allow herself to stand properly. She gazed upwards and saw that the cave wasn't that far from her. To her luck, the remaining bits of rock separating her from the cave had vines growing on them, which should make climbing much easier.
I must hurry!
The huntress continued to scale up the rocky cliff, this time aided by the vines which provided a much easier gripping material. She climbed faster, as the distinct noise of battle sounded much closer than before.
But just as she had pulled herself onto the last step leading to the cave-
BOOM!
A fiery blast exploded just a few feet away from her, directly against the walls of the cave entrance, shattering rock and earth alike. The ensuing explosion almost caused Eris to lose her grip, forcing her to stab the rock with her knife in a desperate attempt not to fall to her death.
That was close…
Then she heard the rumbling. Her eyes shot upwards and she saw the cracked rock formation above the cave entrance began to crumble.
CRAP ITS GOING T0 BLOCK THE ENTRANCE!
Realizing that she couldn't waste any more time, the huntress summoned all her strength and climbed upwards.
"No!"
The moment she arrived at the entrance, she dashed forward as fast as her legs could carry her and leaped.
…
"Easy, easy there…" Siegfried muttered as he paced to his side. He had been lucky enough that the fireball barely grazed his body when it shot past him and exploded onto the other cave entrance.
He glanced at his Greatsword, lying on the corner between him and the Rathalos. The Wyvern, noticing his intentions, growled threateningly at him. The beast was undeniably angry – angry at the injury it had received from the huntress before and angry at how this human stubbornly refused to give in. It had already received a few lacerations on its leg and chest, mostly due to it underestimating this hunter and making a careless move. But it wouldn't make the same mistake again.
It knew that the hunter was practically helpless without his weapon. It was only a matter of time before its mate comes back and turns the tables on the unfortunate human. Yes, it could get by that notion. The only thing it could do now was stall and prevent the human from reaching his weapon.
Shit, I had hoped to finish this battle quickly enough! The two foes eyed each other cautiously, awaiting each other's next moves.
It's as if it can read my mind! What can I do?!
He reached into his pouch to find the item he needed for this occasion. Siegfried let out a sigh when he realized he had only one left. He wanted to save it for a crucial moment, but he had no other choice.
Here goes nothing! The hunter threw the item at the air and immediately broke off into sprint towards his sword, covering his eyes with one arm.
A blinding flash of light engulfed the area, stunning anything within its vicinity.
There it is! My we-
Just before he could grab his weapon, he felt a powerful force hit him on his torso, courtesy of the Rathalos headbutting him. Though it wasn't powerful enough to send him flying a considerable distance, it was enough to knock him down onto the ground, leaving him vulnerable.
The hunter, however, didn't have the time to figure out what had happened, for immediately following the collision, the Rathalos lunged forward to bite the downed hunter.
"Oh shit!"
He twisted his body to the right to dodge the first bite, but the Wyvern followed it up with a second bite, forcing the hunter to twist to the left. It, however, didn't give him any time to recover as it rose up slightly and pinned Siegfried's lower body with its claws. Unable to move his body, the hunter was the beast's mercy.
The Rathalos wasted no time going for the kill.
Siegfried shot both hands upwards to hold back the Rathalos's jaw from clamping down on him.
"AAARGH!"
He summoned all his strength as his hands tightly gripped around the beast's jaw. The Rathalos was multiple times stronger than he, but the hunter remained steadfast. He could feel the heat against his face emanating from within the beast's maw; its tongue swished just inches away from his face. He growled and gritted his teeth as he slowly began to feel the Wyvern overpowering him. His arms began to bend from the weight and the Rathalos' jaw began to close in on his face.
And then he saw its maw light up.
The hunter soon realized he was doomed. With his strength fading and the fire within the Wyvern's mouth growing brighter, there was no way out.
I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…Mother, Father. I guess I'll be meeting you earlier than expected.
Siegfried closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.
"…"
Suddenly-
"Get off him!"
Following the voice, he heard the distinct sound of a sword slicing through the air, followed by a pained roar. Siegfried then felt the weight above him disappear and he opened his eyes to find himself staring at a pair of blue, ocean colored eyes.
"Get up you idiot!"
Siegfried registered himself awake and rose onto his feet. He turned to look at the huntress beside him. "Eris?"
"What the hell were you thinking going off on your own like that?!"
"I- "
She cut him off. "Save it. For now, focus."
The hunter obediently nodded and the two focused their attention on the Rathalos, who furiously shook its head in pain. It now sported a missing eye, no less thanks to Eris. The beast had just barely leaped out of the time before Eris could slash its face clean off, but at the cost of its right eye. Now the odds have been evened.
"Be careful. This thing knows how to fight," Siegfried warned.
"I'm aware." Her eyes spotted Siegfried's sword lying just a few meters away from them. "We have to find a way to get your weapon."
At that moment, an idea popped into Siegfried's head. He tapped Eris's shoulder and grinned. "How about a switch?"
As the Rathalos recovered, albeit, with one eye, it quickly noticed the unarmed hunter running towards it. Despite the blurry vision, it knew that the hunter was going for his weapon. Without thinking, it opened its maw and shot out a fireball at the hunter, who rolled to the side, dodging the blast. Undeterred, the Rathalos shot out another fireball, but the hunter dodged it once again. It roared and repeated the same action.
But it was met with the same result.
The beast growled in confusion. The hunter was oddly more agile than before. The Rathalos took a moment to clear up its vision before it realized that the hunter had…shrunk?
Suddenly, it felt a sharp pain on its legs.
The Rathalos stumbled back, nearly tripping but able to keep a firm hold on the ground. It shook its head and glowered at the hunter. Now there were two shapes. The second hunter had appeared, only this time the shape appeared to be taller and larger than the previous one.
"Color me surprised. I never expected you to know how to use a Longsword," Eris remarked, handing Siegfried his weapon.
The hunter returned her sword before visibly grinning with delight upon getting his weapon back. "Aren't you forgetting that we were trained to use every weapon? The only reason I use Greatsword is that it suits my style."
The monster soon realized that it was losing. The tables have turned, and it was in the hunter's favor. Injured, cornered, and outmatched, the Rathalos raised its head and opened its maw. It was a sound, that neither hunters could ever forget.
The sheer volume of the cry forced the hunters to cover their ears.
When it ended, the Rathalos turned around and limped quickly towards the cave entrance, desperate to escape.
"Don't let it escape!" The two hunters sheathed their weapons and gave chase to the fleeing Wyvern.
The Rathalos was just about to take flight when the two exited the cavern. Siegfried, not intent on letting it go, rushed forward and leaped off the ledge. He reached out and grabbed onto the Wyvern's tail.
Eris resisted the urge to smack her forehead. "What are you doing?!"
"What does it look like I'm- WOAH!"
As expected, the Wyvern was not all too happy when the hunter hitched a ride on its tail. It thrashed around in the air, swinging its tail in every direction in an effort to throw Siegfried off. But the hunter would not yield, tightening his grip on the Wyvern's tail.
Still keeping a firm grip, Siegfried moved one hand to his side and reached for his knife, before proceeding to stab the flesh on the tail.
It screeched in pain, squirming mid-air and descending closer to the ground as the hunter on its tail vigorously stabbed his knife repeatedly onto the beast.
Eris, sensing her chance, leaped down the ledge and ran along beside the airborne Rathalos. She noticed the large boulder in the middle of the area and an idea struck her. It was a reckless and almost suicidal idea, but if jumping directly onto the tail of a Wyvern mid-flight worked, then why shouldn't this? The huntress picked up her speed and leaped onto the boulder. Once atop, she counted a few seconds before jumping onto the moving Rathalos and grabbing its head and jaw.
Startled by this new sudden weight upon its head and neck area, the Wyvern almost crashed due to the combined weight of both hunters.
"Fall…down!" Eris voiced out, clutching the beast's head and lower jaw and pulling it down closer to the ground.
However, the distorted Wyvern began flying dangerously closer to the edge of the area, where an impossibly tall cliff bordered the area.
Siegfried, realizing that they had to quickly change directions, shouted out loud. "Eris!"
"I know!" Eris responded, pulling her fist back and punching the Wyvern square in the face. The hit immediately caused it to turn to the other direction, this time back towards the area.
"Now bring it down!"
Eris complied and took out her knife before attempting to stab the Rathalos in the eye. However, her ride shook its head and her knife missed the target, puncturing its cheek instead of its eye. It didn't matter though, for the results were still the same. With a loud roar of pain, the Wyvern crashed onto the ground, knocking the hunters off it.
Now face to face once more with the Wyvern, the two hunters readied themselves for the final stretch of their battle.
"How are you holding up?" Siegfried asked her, jogging over to her position.
She waved him off. "I'm fine." Then she realized he was referring to that. "It's healed. Doesn't hurt anymore, though it did leave a rather ugly scar."
Siegfried nodded in approval. "I think it suits you."
The huntress's eyes widened for a second before she looked away. Normally, she would have immediately punched him for that, but the Eris now opted to remain silent instead. "Thank you…" she mumbled quietly.
The Wyvern limply rose onto its two feet, shaking its head and glaring at the two. Smoke puffed out of its nose and the markings on its wings began to glow. The veins around its body began to grow visible as it shook with animalistic rage. No longer an intelligent creature and now an injured animal, driven to the edge, it had lost its desire to flee. It would stand its ground and fight these humans to death.
The moment the Rathalos let out its shrill roar, the battle had begun.
When Siegfried saw the Rathalos reel back its head as its maw began to light up, he rushed forward and promptly raised his large sword in front of him in a blocking stance.
The hunter planted his foot on the ground and took the hit as the fireball exploded onto his sword. The sheer force of the explosion was enough to send the hunter flying backwards.
Siegfried groaned in pain. Ouch…that was far more powerful than the Silver Rathalos one… He was thankful that his armor was highly fire-resistant.
With the resulting smoke from the explosion not yet dissipating, Eris made her move. She unsheathed her sword and dashed through the smoke, using it obscure the Rathalos's vision.
The Rathalos was promptly caught off guard as a figure suddenly appeared through the smoke, charging towards it with her sword held in front of her. Startled, the beast failed to move out of the way in time as Eris slashed her sword upwards, cutting through the flesh under the Rathalos's neck.
It staggered back, crying out in agony as blood freely gushed out of the wound. It roared and searched for the huntress. But its missing eye proved to be its downfall, as it was rendered relatively blind on one side. Eris, knowing this took full advantage of this weakness and stayed on the right of the Rathalos, standing directly under it.
"Gotcha!"
She twisted her blade and stabbed upwards, puncturing clean through the beast's belly!
Unadulterated and agonizing pain erupted throughout the Wyvern's body. Unable to bear the pain any longer, it dropped to its knees.
"Now!"
Through the corner of its only eye, the Rathalos saw Siegfried sprinting full speed at it. It attempted to move, but its muscles gave in. Faced with impending death, the Wyvern lit up its maw in a last-ditch attempt at blasting the hunter.
Siegfried noticed this and quickened his pace. He leaped off the nearby boulder and unsheathed his sword mid-air.
"GRAAARGH!"
In one single swing, the Rathalos' head separated cleanly off its neck as the fireball exploded within its mouth. Black puffs of smoke trailed out of the Wyvern's decapitated head as it slowly rolled a small distance away before coming to a stop.
The hunt was over. They had saved the village.
Eris pulled her sword out of the now lifeless corpse. "We won."
"Yeah," Siegfried said, walking over to the severed head. He picked it up and stared directly at it with a disapproving look. "What an ugly son of a- "
Suddenly the familiar sound of gushing wind alerted them to another presence in the area. The two looked up, only to see a familiar shape hovering over them. Instinctively, they readied their weapons once more.
It was the Rathian.
The female Wyvern roared at them before turning towards the corpse of the Rathalos. It looked at the hunters and back at the body lying on the ground. Sensing the possibility of a fight, Eris slowly began to reach for her pouch, ready to take out a flash bomb if needed.
But it never came.
The Rathian snarled at them before turning the other direction and flying away.
Siegfried dropped his sword in relief and collapsed onto the ground. "Oh, thank Gog!"
Eris sheathed her weapon and took out her carving knife. "We need to hurry. Otherwise, those Velociprey won't hesitate to drive us off our kill."
"Agree." Siegfried unsheathed his own knife, but not before waving at the distance towards the Wyverian airship, whose passenger had been eagerly observing their battle.
"This would make a fine report!" exclaimed the small Wyverian observer, who immediately prepared to bring the hunters back.
…
Reactions were a mix of pure joy, disbelief, and slight horror as the two hunters walked off the airship with the Rathalos's severed head in tow. Its body followed shortly later, hauled by a dozen Felynes on top of a large cart.
Arriving at the entrance to the village, the astonished villagers crowded the two, eager to get a closer look at their kill. Siegfried presented the stunned Sweetheart with the lifeless head.
The blonde-haired woman covered her mouth with her hands. "I…I can't believe it. You two actually killed it…"
Eris placed a hand on her chest in a mock show of hurt. "And you actually doubted us."
To their surprise, Doris covered her face with her hands and began to cry. "Thank you…Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me." She glanced around her towards the overjoyed villagers. "…How much this means to them."
All in a day's work. Then, Siegfried remembered something. He reached into his pouch and took out the object he picked up from the Wyvern's nest. "I found this…a necklace on its nest. Does this belong to anyone?"
The villagers slowly moved away as an old woman made her way through the crowd. The woman took a closer look at the object before gasping in surprise.
"Is this yours?" Siegfried asked her.
"No…It belonged to my daughter. She…she was one of the hunters who never came back from fighting this thing." The woman began to sob as a few villagers comforted her. Siegfried smiled and handed her the necklace, the woman shakily taking it and hugging it tightly.
"Thank you…"
Next to him, Eris couldn't help but beam at his action. He can be surprisingly compassionate when he's not cursing or insulting other people.
However, a feminine voice interrupted them, startling the villagers.
"Excuse us! Make way for the Chief!"
The villagers moved out of the way as Becky walked in, accompanying a short and frail-looking Wyverian man.
Eris immediately bowed in respect. "I take it you're the Chief?" She glanced to the side to find Siegfried standing oddly stiff. Out of courtesy, she pushed his upper body down to a bowing position. "Apologies for my partner's disrespectful behavior."
"It is alright," the Chief answered. "What's important right now is how grateful I am to you both. That Rathalos has been wreaking havoc around the hills for some time now and frankly, as much as I want to kill it myself, I'm too old and frail to be of any use. The other hunters we sent have not succeeded…all except you two."
Flattered, the two rubbed their necks in embarrassment, not used to being praised so highly and genuinely.
"What of the body? What will you do with it?" one of the villagers asked.
"Oh that. We've got our share of parts from it already so in the end, we handed the corpse over to the Guild for further study," Eris answered, garnering the approval of the villagers.
However, the Chief suddenly narrowed his eyes at Siegfried. The hunter internally gulped and rubbed his fingers together.
"Now then…" The Chief clapped his hands together. "Let's all let these two rest. They deserve it. In the meantime, however…" The Chief turned towards Siegfried. "There is something I would like to discuss with you. Becky and Doris, you'll be there too."
Siegfried gulped.
"And regarding me?" Eris asked, suspicious of the Chief.
"I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out miss. This is between me, him, and the two Sweethearts."
"But- "
Siegfried shook his head to reassure his partner that he would be alright. Eris sighed, eventually relenting and watched as the four of them walked towards the Chief's house.
…
"What's this about Chief?" Doris asked, closing the door behind her.
The chief, still facing the fireplace turned back towards them. "Why don't you ask our friend over there. Sigurd was it? Or perhaps should I refer to you as…Siegfried?"
The hunter stiffened and clenched his fists.
"I know you're not mute. You talked before, didn't you? There's no use lying."
Siegfried cursed his carelessness. He glanced at the three around him, noticing the different expressions that had on their face. Guilt filled his gut when he saw Doris's shocked face.
"I'm…sorry." He reached up and took off his helmet, revealing his fiery red hair. Doris audibly gasped and covered her mouth.
"It's really you…"
The hunter smiled sadly. "How long?"
"Since the night you and your partner arrived," answered the Chief. "Becky here had been watching you both the past days. She overheard your conversations and the moment your real name was mentioned, it confirmed her suspicions."
The aforementioned glared at him, stomping towards him and grabbing him by the collar of his armor. "You have some nerve coming back after what you did. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now or hand you over to the Guild myself."
"At ease Becky," the Chief calmly said, causing the woman to back off angrily.
"So, what now?" Siegfried crossed his arms over his chest. You're going to arrest me? Execute me quietly?"
"As much as Becky would want to and frankly, a part of me does, no. I will not be arresting you and handing you to the authorities. After all, it simply wouldn't do if we apprehended the savior of this village. It would reflect terribly on the people's morale."
Siegfried was about to speak when the Chief cut him off. "Plus, I'm old. Forgive and forget, that's a phrase worth noting. At my age, I can't hold onto a grudge forever." The Chief held his hands behind his back and spoke firmly, "I won't be arresting you and I will let you stay in this village. I trust that you are on your best behavior during your stay."
Siegfried nodded, feeling both Becky and the Chief's eyes boring into him. "I understand."
The Wyverian man gestured towards Becky. "Of course, if you were to break this trust well…I've already given permission to Becky to use lethal force. And if you remember, you wouldn't like it when Becky gets seriously angry."
The red-dressed Sweetheart reached into the pocket of her uniform and unveiled a hidden blade. "Try something. I dare you." Siegfried nodded once more in understanding.
Pleased, the Chief hummed. "Good. You may leave now. I'm sure your "wife" is very worried about you."
Siegfried wore his helmet and turned back towards the door. As his hand gripped the doorknob, he turned to Doris with a forlorn look. "I don't expect any forgiveness from you. But I just want to say…that I'm sorry."
The woman didn't answer and looked away. I'm so sorry Doris…for lying to you all this time. The hunter sighed and exited the house.
The moment he opened the door however, he heard a startled yelp. He looked to the side, only to find a certain silver-haired huntress examining the nearby plants…or at least was trying to.
"Did you hear it?"
"Heard what?" Eris innocently responded.
Siegfried frowned at her, clearly not buying her obvious lie. Realizing that there was no use lying, Eris stared at the ground. "Yes."
The hunter chuckled half-heartedly. "I see."
A brief silence permeated between the two.
"…Do you want to talk about it?" Eris quietly spoke up, not knowing what else to say.
His answer was almost immediate. "No."
Eris watched as Siegfried plastered a fake smile upon his face the moment the villagers came to greet him and ask him questions. The huntress had no idea what happened in the past, but she surmised that based on Siegfried's reaction that it must have been something horrible.
If only she knew.
Somewhere in the mountains…
"Hanzo look out!"
Groaning in pain from the hit he had just received, the tall hunter looked up to find the beast staring down at him. It reeled back and swiped at him with its powerful claws.
"Shit!" Hanzo stepped back in time, dodging the swipe. But the beast wasn't done yet. One swipe quickly turned to two swipes and another and another. The taller hunter twisted his body left, right down, dodging each swipe that felt like it got progressively faster.
And then he stumbled.
"Fu- "
Hanzo cried out in pain as the beast's claws lacerated his chest, piercing through armor and flesh alike. Losing his rhythm, the hunter was unable to dodge in time as the large creature swiped directly at his helmet, shattering the protective plating. The force of the hit was enough to send the tall hunter flying and he landed on the ground with an audible thud.
Hilda's expression laced with horror. "Pip!"
The team Palico quickly rushed to the tall man's aid. "Hold on Hanzo!"
As Pip treated their team bruiser, both Hilda and Luca now had to keep the beast's attention off their teammates.
Luca began frantically loading piercing bullets into his Bowgun, hopeful that it would be able to penetrate the creature's thick armor. "Dammit, what kind of Arzuros is this?!"
The four hunters had been called by the Guild to assist the faraway Yukumo village with a particular problem they had. Recently, a powerful specimen of the bear-like beast Arzuros had been spotted in the area, killing livestock and taking the lives of every hunter sent to kill it. Covered in red fur and being significantly larger than normal, the bear had proven itself to be an extremely dangerous animal that had to be eliminated at all costs. Hilda herself had never expected a simple hunt for an Arzuros to take a drastically wrong turn for the worse.
The Arzuros let out a deafening roar before charging straight at Luca. It knew that it had to eliminate the long-distance fighters first, as they were weaker but potentially even more dangerous than the close-range fighters were. Thinking that he could stop it mid-charge, the gunner aimed down sights and fired multiple shots at the charging beast. The bullets pierced through the bear's flesh, but the creature quickly shrugged it off and continued charging, moving closer and closer to the gunner.
"Oh, crap."
One disadvantage of his weapon of the choice – the Heavy Bowgun – was how long it took to sheathe it.
"Shit, shit, shit- "
Before he could sling it over his shoulder, the Arzuros pounced onto him, knocking him onto his back.
"H-Hilda!" Luca cried out for help as he summoned every ounce of his strength to push the bear off him, using his Bowgun to shield himself from the bear's powerful jaws.
"Hang on!" Hilda charged forward, preparing a big attack. The moment she got close to the Arzuros, she lunged forward and swung her hammer down…only for her attack to completely bounce off the creature's armored arms.
"Wha- "
The Arzuros backhanded her away before she could process what happened. Luca, sensing the brief loss of weight on top of him, swiftly reached down to grab his knife and stabbed the bear in the chest.
It bellowed out in pain, staggering back and freeing the hunter from its weight. Luca quickly rose onto his feet and slung his weapon over his shoulder as he ran around the beast to regroup with his team.
Nearby, Hilda clicked her tongue as she fixed her helmet. "Tch." There was blood coming down her forehead and nose, indicating that the woman had taken quite a hit from the creature.
"Is meowster Hilda alright?" Pip skipped over to them, weapon in hand.
"I am. More importantly, how is Hanzo?"
"He'll live. I let him rest over there by the rock."
"That's a relief…"
Suddenly, another deafening roar echoed throughout the area. Enraged, the Arzuros charged towards them, intent on tearing them apart.
"You bastard!" Luca aimed his weapon at the beast's head, firing off another round of bullets. However, the large bear stopped mid-charge, standing on its hind legs and proceeded to cover its face with its armored paws.
Clink! Clank!
"Impossible…" Luca's jaw dropped in disbelief as the bullets bounced harmlessly off its paws, though a few managed to just pierce the creature's torso. Shrugging off the pain, the Arzuros charged towards them again as Luca found himself forced to reload. The beast closed in just as Luca prepared to sheathe his weapon.
Not again! He closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable…
"Meowster!"
Just inches before its claw reached the hunter, Pip jumped onto the bear's back, causing the creature to lose its balance and stumble forward, right next to Luca.
"Get away meowster- NYAAA!"
It thrashed around furiously, clawing at its back in an attempt to get the Felyne off it. Pip responded by sinking his knife deep into the monster's flesh. It cried out in agony. Desperate to shake him off, the Arzuros fell onto its back, crushing the small Palico underneath its weight.
"PIP!"
Battered and broken, Pip weakly raised his paws defensively as the Arzuros prepared to finish him off. As it raised it arm in preparation for the kill-
"AAARGH!"
The injured Hanzo rushed forward from the side and swung his blade at the monster. But the Arzuros, having noticed the hunter out of the corner of its eye, blocked the hit with its raised arm.
"C'mon!" Hanzo growled as he attempted to overpower the creature, pushing down his sword with all his might.
With the bear's attention on Hanzo, Hilda attacked, sprinting towards the creature at full speed. She slid forward and unsheathed her weapon, delivering a powerful uppercut against its jaw. Unable to guard in time, the bear received the full brunt of the hit, breaking numerous teeth and causing it to stagger back a considerable distance in a dazed state.
With the Arzuros stunned, it gave Hilda time to kneel down beside their injured Palico and ready the medicine. "Dammit, Pip hang in there!" Hilda reached into her pouch and sprinkled a shiny powder all over his small body, seeping through his fur and skin. It immediately worked its charm as Pip slowly opened his eyes and mewled rather cutely.
"Feel better?"
The Palico jerked upright and stood up confidently as if his injuries never happened. "Definitely!"
"Hey…" Hanzo walked over to them. His helmet was missing its bottom half, exposing his mouth and there were three very visible red scratch marks across his chest.
"You alright?" Hilda asked the taller man, who was clearly in some form of pain.
He brushed her off. "I'll manage. On the bright side, the bleeding stopped at least."
"That's good." She glanced at the Arzuros in the distance and ushered her teammates closer. "I have a plan."
Just some meters away from them, the Arzuros shook its head as it promptly recovered from its dazed state. Spotting the hunters standing there, it roared at them in a fit of fury before charging forward blindly. Consumed by rage and pushed to the edge, it quickly lost all sense of reasoning. It barreled forward, directly towards the nearest target – Luca.
The gunner quickly loaded the appropriate ammo and aimed at the charging monster. The moment he pulled the trigger, a rapid barrage of tiny bullets shot out of the muzzle, pelleting the monster. Overwhelmed by the rapid shots, the bear tripped and stumbled onto the ground just as Luca jumped out of the way. However, the bullets did little to no damage and they served mainly to aggravate the beast. It soon recovered and turned towards Luca, who was still in the process of sheathing his weapon.
Just as it readied itself to attack-
"HYAAA!"
Suddenly, Pip burst out of the ground behind it and leaped onto the bear's head. Popping his razor-sharp claws out, he proceeded to blind the beast, puncturing its eyes out with his claws. With it unable to see and busy trying to get him off its head, Pip signaled their gunner.
"Luca!"
"On it!"
The gunner ran towards Hanzo, who immediately crouched on the ground. "Go!"
Luca springboarded off Hanzos' back and over the Arzuros while firing two bullets onto its body before landing behind it. Pip leaped off just in time before the explosions happened.
BOOM!
The bullets exploded a second later, breaking the armor plating around its body and causing the Arzuros to drop to all fours.
Blinded and mortally wounded, the bear was unable to defend itself as Hilda dashed in for the final blow, spinning her hammer around before smashing it down onto its head, completely shattering its skull. It twitched one last time before going still as the hunters celebrated their victory.
…
"An invitation? From whom?"
"From Sir Jacob," answered the Felyne messenger as he handed the huntress the letter. The four had just returned from their hunt when a Guild messenger arrived out of nowhere to deliver them a letter.
"This better be important…" Hilda muttered in a frustrated tone, not keen on doing another quest when they needed rest the most. As she opened the letter, her teammates looked over her shoulder to read its contents as well.
"…"
"…You've got to be kidding me. A ball?" Hilda blinked a few times to make sure she read that right.
"Sounds like fun!" Pip was obviously excited about this.
Luca squinted his eyes. "It will take place…in a week. Interesting…I've never been to a ball before, but I would very much like to."
"It's our chance then!" Pip excitedly said. "We have to go!"
"Hold on! Do Hanzo and I get a say in this?" Hilda looked at the taller man.
"I'm ok with whatever you- "
"Hanzo please." The huntress shook her head. "For once, think about what you want, not what I want."
The tall man held his chin in thought. "Then I would like to attend. A ball that is. I've never been to one so it would be a new experience for me."
"…So, you three want to go." Hilda sighed. "To be honest, I don't want to go, but seeing that it would be a new experience for you guys, I guess I wouldn't mind going. Perhaps we can treat it as an extended reward for slaying the Arzuros? Aside from the prospect of dipping in the famous hot springs of course."
Her three teammates nodded in agreement. Hilda smiled and handed the letter to Hanzo. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be over by the hot springs."
As the huntress ascended the flight of stairs leading to the facilities, Hanzo called out to her, waving the letter at her.
"Hey, Hilda! It also says here that you're allowed to bring a date over to the ball."
Hilda blinked. "And?"
Hanzo couldn't help but smirk. "It's your chance to apologize to you-know-who!"
The huntress took a moment to process his words before eventually turning red from embarrassment. "I-I'll think about it…" She quickly disappeared into the main building.
Hanzo nodded approvingly. "At least she didn't deny it this time."
Luca nudged the taller man teasingly. "Wanna bet on the possibility of a kiss during the ball?"
Hanzo raised an eyebrow. "How much?"
"…My entire collection of Diva merchandise."
Hanzo shook his hand. "Deal."
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