Hello everyone! Another chapter incoming! But first, the reviews.
Hunter Zickafoose: Well, you guessed right which is honestly a pleasant surprise. I had the Deviljho fight planned out for a while.
freddy.lane.1: Indeed it is. Apex Monsters were one of the hardest challenges for me in 4U.
RoseSeraph: Oh absolutely. Ruined hunts have made me actually go after the Jho instead of the actual target monster on more than one occasion.
The Megaevolved Pony: Yeah, but it's kind of hard to come up with any other words they fit both Nergy and the situation. But hey, I'm glad you liked it!
holothewolf16: Maybe, maybe not. You'd be surprised how many have the same idea but don't voice it very often.
UnkownSoul: We'll have to wait and see my friend. Both roads are long and paved with good intentions.
The Neckbeard Knight: Actually I wasn't thinking about making a reference until I realized that the specific Bible quote works incredibly well for the situation.
Raime063AN: Yeah, it should be a rollercoaster, but I'm still drained from writing that fight. I apologise if this chapter is slightly less entertaining.
And before we go any further, I want to warn all of you that there are the first hints of sexual content in this chapter. Please keep in mind that I had plans to eventually get to the more sexual content, and here are the first echoes of it that will come in later chapters.
Please don't blow up in the reviews about not knowing about the sexual stuff. It makes me feel bad in my brain holes.
Silence had fallen on Astera as rain battered the human settlement. The Commander sheltered himself underneath the large boat that made up the roof of the Tradeyard while he overlooked the use of many of their stored medicines and curatives. Nulberries had been used, First Aid Meds were almost running dry and Astera Jerky was being used to feed those that the Canteen hadn't yet.
The Commander looked over a clipboard with worry. But said worry didn't come from the waning numbers of medical supplies in the clipboard. Instead, he was concerned about Eclipsen and the team that had followed him to combat the Savage Deviljho.
He remembered the day his top Hunter had fought the last Deviljho like it was clear as day.
-Transition-
"He's critical! Someone get me a tourniquet, tweezers and some blood bags!"
The Tradeyard buzzed as the whole of Astera worked to save their star. Those who didn't hunt were rushing to retrieve the supplies the doctor had requested while those who did hunt were busy tracking the trail of the Deviljho like blood hounds out for a vengeance.
The Commander himself was boiling with anger. He felt the burning urge to come out of forty years of retirement so he could rip that monster a new rear, but unfortunately he was more focused on keeping his best Hunter from death's door.
"Everyone! Return to your tasks! Those of you who are helping, keep doing so! Everyone who isn't assisting the doctor should be making sure to give clear paths to the ones who are!"
The workers around the Commander jumped at his loud order, but the shout quickly took a effect as people returned to what they were doing. A total of four young people had stayed to help bring Eclipsen back from death.
The Commander walked quickly up to the makeshift surgery table that had been set up in between the place where the Argosy Captain sat and the Elder Melder's pot, both for quick supplies from the best sources and for the quick access the spot provided by being the open.
"Is there anything I can do?"
The doctor looked up at the Commander as she leaned in to check Eclipsen's heartbeat. She quickly lifted her head from his chest and moved to his heavily wounded arm.
"No, not at the moment Commander. You can watch, if you want to."
The Commander nodded as he turned and moved over to the side of the Argosy Captain, his eyes remaining locked in the Hunter even as he moved.
Eclipsen looked like he had been massacred. His right arm had been torn to bloody shreds, his left eye had been gouged out and what wounds that were visible elsewhere were just as severe. The Commander was just as surprised as the doctor that Eclipsen was still even breathing, as they had reported broken and fractured ribs when they first carted him in.
The Commander adopted his usual pose and crossed his arms, hiding any trace of emotion from his face. He was grateful that the doctor had let him watch, as it was better than what the Handler had gotten.
Poor Hether.
She had been dragged away in tears by Brad and Rebecca, as she was almost demonically determined to stay by her partner's side as the doctor worked. She was most likely still breaking down somewhere else, despite the presence of both Brad and Rebecca.
The Commander squeezed his arm tightly and held onto the hope that his top Hunter would pull through.
-Transition-
The Tradeyard was fairly quiet now, with the exceptions of the rain battering the roof and the occasional groans of the wounded hunters.
"Why did you conscript me for this? I'm a botanist, not a surgeon!"
The Chief Botanist, named Tony, complained as he pressed a towel into the leg of a still wounded hunter. The doctor gave him a nasty smirk before inserting a syringe into the hunter's leg and injecting a small dose of painkiller.
"Because you need to learn some medical knowldge, Tony. Otherwise that Doctorate is just for show."
Tony gave an offended look and his mouth moved like a fish at the statement. The doctor moved over to where Tony was holding onto the towel and waved him off, to which he happily, and almost too readily, let go of the towel and backed away.
The rest of the Tradeyard was filled with the workers who were stuck under the roof because of the rain and the hunters who were forced to stay put by the doctors and medical experts. Many of them were chatting with the other hunters and workers about how Eclipsen, their shining star, was faring against the Savage Deviljho.
The Commander was wondering the same as he watched the rain batter the landscape. He could see the large elder tree that marked the Ancient Forest, and for some reason the sight felt foreboding rather than magnificent. Thunder sounded in the distance, making more than a few of the workers and hunters jerk in surprise.
A silence fell upon the area as the rain began to fall even harder, sounding as if the water battering the roof of the Tradeyard was now solid instead of pure rain. The Commander pushed off the crate he was leaning on and walked over to the edge of the roof, watching as the rain struck the Earth like a hammer on an anvil.
"Whoa, really coming down hard, huh?"
The man who worked the Provisions Stockpile said. He placed a hand over his eyes as he tried to peer under the roof at the sky. The Commander did the same, letting his boot move out from under the roof and be soaked by the rain.
"Indeed it is..."
The sound of the rain wasn't soothing to the Commander like it was to others. To him, it was a sign of tragedy. It always managed to show up when something went wrong, and if not during then it would surely rain afterwards. The Commander didn't care to look for the hidden meaning behind the phenomenon, as he was more focused on what happened to cause the rain.
His worries grew as the rain intensified, the black clouds in the sky reflecting the dark nature of the situation they were dealing with.
A pillar of lightning reached down from the clouds, striking somewhere off in the distance. The people in the Tradeyard jumped at the loud sound and flash of light
Another stroke of lightning tore through the sky, striking somewhere off in the distant sea. Then another, which kissed the Earth not far from the Wildspire Wastes. More lightning fell from the heavens just above the port in Astera, striking a wooden pole that proceeded to explode upon impact.
The people under the Tradeyard roof were now unsettled by the lightning and the fact that it had just struck something inside Astera. The people who could walk moved themselves over to the edge of the roof so they too could watch as nature threw it's angry fit.
Another flash in the sky brought more lightning, superheating the air and scorching the ground it touched as it stretched down from the sky and slammed the ground just in front of the gate that led out of Astera.
Except this pillar of electricity was crimson in color.
"What the hell is going on?!"
As one of the hunters yelled out his query, a horrid sound cut through the air following after the strike of lightning.
It was a strange, deep and vocal sound. Like the deep call of a horn or the loud blaring of a whale's song, but it was louder, sharper and far more offensive. It was similar to the roar of a Ceadeus that had been angered and drawn to the surface where it's thundering roar could be heard by all.
Everyone in the Tradeyard went silent as the sound died out, with all having their eyes towards the Ancient Forest where the roar has come.
The Commander uncrossed his arms and took a step forward, not even bothering to notice the rain that quickly soaking his dry clothing. His mind raced with possibilities. The roar wasn't a Deviljho's, nor was it any other Elder Dragon. He knew for sure that it wasn't a Fatalis, because everyone in the New World would have noticed the Black Dragon's presence.
So what Elder Dragon had a roar like that and summoned crimson lightning?
The sky seemed to calm slightly as silence fell once more. The lightning was no longer reaching down from the clouds to attack the ground, and the thunder that had accompanied it had disappeared like it hadn't been there at all. The rain lessened considerably, with the impact on the roof of the Tradeyard no longer sounding like the charging of an Anjanath.
Long, agonizing seconds passed as the quiet remained. Both the hunters and the workers had their gazes locked on the Ancient Forest. The man working the Stockpile leaned forward and placed his arm on his knee, his posture careful and worried.
"Commander... What the hell was that?"
The Commander's eyebrows pinched in a mixture of emotions as he crossed his arms once again, this time a little more forcefully than he meant to.
"I don't know..."
More time passed, with two minutes passing by like water slipping through a pair of cupped hands. Nobody found the courage to continue doing what they were doing with the exception of the doctor, who was busy keeping a hunter from bleeding too severely.
Everyone noticed that there was a heavy sense of dread in their air. Part of it was the worry over their best Hunter, and the second part was the fact that the last strike of lightning was differently colored than it should have been. The third part was something they couldn't quite describe, like how one feels when they see shadows move in the darkness.
"MEDIC! WE NEED SOME HELP!"
The Tradeyard leapt as the voice of Richard rippled through the air. The doctor quickly secured the towel around the hunters arm before letting go and walking as quickly as she could towards the other side of the Tradeyard.
The Commander felt his heart drop as he watched Eclipsen be hauled into the Tradeyard, his body unmoving. Richard and Nina carried the unconscious man with great care, setting him gently down on a stack of boxes that served well as a table. The doctor rushed over, pulling her stethoscope from her neck as she jogged.
"What happened?!"
"He fought that Deviljho. Broken bones, bruising and definitely some internal hemorrhaging."
Richard stated as the doctor placed the end of the stethoscope on Eclipsen's chest and listened for a moment before moving it. She pulled it off his chest and hooked it back around her neck after a few seconds of listening. She then reached out and gently squeezed Eclipsen's arm, which made Richard, Nina and Fabien flinch. The doctor cringed as well.
"You two, I need you to help me carry him to the medical ward. Use that stretcher."
Nina and Fabien moved like machines as they grabbed the stretcher that had been pointed out to them and unfolded it before moving Eclipsen onto the white object.
The Commander watched as Eclipsen was carried away, worry now tearing it's path through his chest. The Huntsman walked up next to the brooding man, his hand placed firmly on the side of his damaged armor. Richard and Angela watched helplessly as well, their eyes carrying a hurt and haunted look that spoke more words than a thick novel.
The Commander's gaze shifted as he glimpsed Nergigante walking quickly up the stairs toward the Canteen. He decided to ignore it for now, as she had grown close to Eclipsen during the recent days. It was almost assured that she was in as much turmoil as the rest of the Tradeyard.
"What happened?"
The Commander asked, his voice rough to conceal the hints of concern beneath. The Huntsman sighed as Angela walked over, having heard the question as well. Richard only kept watching as Eclipsen was carried away, his hand finding it's way onto his cross once more.
"We killed the Savage Deviljho, but a lot of casualties have been taken. It's body is still out in the rain, where the Revultures can get at it. It's what it deserves, if you ask me."
The Huntsman said as he removed his hand from his damaged armor and crossed his arms, exposing the still healing pink flesh on his side. Angela nodded to confirm the Huntsman's story. The Commander looked at the ground briefly, his eyes filled with many emotions.
He agreed that the Deviljho would be better if it was left to rot, but they needed materials and armor for the hunters who had their equipment damaged by the attack. They could sell off the rest of the parts to the Guild when the Argosy set sail for supplies as well.
"Grab some hunters and go salvage what you can from it. We take what we can get."
The Huntsman nodded with a grunt before walking away, the damaged portion of his armor being noted by many in the Tradeyard as he moved. Angela spared a sorrowful look before moving to follow the Huntsman. The Commander spoke before she fell into a stride, stopping her before she could walk away.
"Angela, could you write up a report of what happened in detail?"
He asked, his tone more of a hopeful request than an order. Angela drew in a quiet breath before nodding, her posture speaking of how she wasn't ready to relive the moment just yet.
"Thank you."
The Commander said quietly as he offered a pat on the shoulder to Angela. She nodded again before turning and walking towards Richard. She patted Richard on the shoulder before letting her palm come to rest on his Seregios pauldron, pulling him out of his silent prayer.
"Come on."
She said in a whisper before guiding Richard toward the staircase up to the Canteen. The dark haired man nodded and gave his cross a squeeze before walking alongside her, his shoulders sagging.
The Commander frowned. He sincerely hoped that Hether would take it well.
-Transition-
Nergigante shivered slightly as she gripped the edges of Eclipsen's bed, her claws piercing the side and the sheet covering it. Her tail was moving across the bed in it's usual agitated manner, poking and pulling the blankets across the bed and making it even more messy than it had been when they had left for the Workshop.
The smell of the cigar smoke lingered in the air, which was a welcome reprieve from the smell of blood and fear that had wafted from the Tradeyard. Nergigante let out a growl as she tore her claws from the bed and placed her scaled hands into her face.
She was wrestling with her instincts at the moment. They had been awakened by the battle Eclipsen had with the Deviljho, and now they were telling her to to things that would have never crossed her mind beforehand.
She wanted to tear apart the room in anger and then Eclipsen's clothing to get at-
She quickly stamped down in the runaway thought like a diseased rat that had wandered into the room. She didn't want to think of him in such a way, especially after all he had done for her. Her hateful side remarked that she didn't want to even touch a human, let alone share a bed or even something more intimate with one.
The more rational parts of her brain were trying to focus on the feeling she had gotten at the moment Eclipsen had slipped that wire around the Deviljho's neck. She had sensed the presence of another Elder Dragon, which she assumed reignited her instincts. These processed and thought out feelings were hindered by her primal urges, which were screaming as her to find Eclipsen and claim-
Another growl escaped her throat as she forced the feelings down. She hated those thoughts. They were so clearly not something she was, not something she had-
She looked up at the room as the truth graced her mind. She removed her hands from her face and looked down at them, watching as they curled and uncurled at her command. She looked further downward, noting her feet which she used the heels to walk on. She reached towards her shirt and pulled it out, observing the unruly mounds of flesh she had found cumbersome when she first awoke.
Nergigante sucked in a breath as the weight of her changes came crashing down on her.
She had changed so much since yesterday. She had learned that humans had feelings. She had learned that she was more intelligent than she ever knew. She had learned that clothing was not strictly made from innocents and that humans weren't the bloodthirsty killing machines she had thought they were.
She was no longer the monster that she used to be. Her body would never be the same, and she was closer to humanity than she had ever been. Her instincts had become dormant, almost useless beyond quick reactions. She would never return to being what she was, and she had already begun to see that it was impacting her in ways she never thought it would.
Her feelings for a certain man had grown as well.
Nergigante closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, envisioning a writhing snake in her grasp. Her instincts personified, held tightly in her hands like prey.
She used to have it curled up to her ear, influencing every action, every step she ever took. Everything had been driven by hunger, emotion, the desire to dominate, claim territory and even the need to find a mate. No thought rested in her instincts, only the base needs that she was driven heavily by.
The snake hissed in her mind. Her instincts were something she could never be rid of. They were a part of her, and taking them away would be like loosing a second, backup heart in her chest. They were also the ones that granted her the ability to fight, the ability to tear apart her enemies.
She squeezed her hands tighter, hoping to silence the urges her instincts brought.
Then, a sound invaded her ears.
Gentle tweeting. It was quiet and peaceful. Dignified and regal. Elegant, like the falling of a leaf from a tree. There was a beauty to it that she hadn't seen before. It brought forth the image of a bird, gliding effortlessly through the air as if it was nothing at all.
She opened her eyes, watching as the Elegant Coralbird flew around the Private Quarters before perching on the chandelier. It looked down at her and tweeted, it's little eyes seeming to display a sense of pity or sympathy. Nergigante knew it was likely that the Coralbird was just wondering what a poor creature like her was doing, but it meant something more to her.
The bird took on the image of her thoughts. Her intelligence and sapience that she hadn't acknowledged or used beyond defeating other Elder Dragons. Her mind and wit hadn't been given the chance to soar like the elegant bird that it was, instead desperately crying out for just such a chance.
And now, she had that chance.
She closed her eyes again, letting the tweets of the Coralbird fill her mind. She took the time to scour her feelings, her true feelings. The ones hidden and suppressed by her primal urges and instincts. She thought about Hether, who she had come to know as a shining star of happiness and bright cheerful personality. She thought of the Commander, who radiated power and authority that even she was hard pressed to overcome.
And finally, she thought about Eclipsen. Her heartbeat quickened as she thought about all the things he had shown her, said to her and even given her. The image of the schematics flashed in her mind, then the first time she had laid eyes on him after she transformed. The memories surged back like water breaking from a dam. It took precious seconds for her to run through them all.
The point that stuck out to her was that Humanity had to given her it's everything. Nature was both a cruel and loving mistress, but she raised her children to be self-sufficient and powerful. Humanity was the same way; both cruel and loving. It had shown her both the uncontrollable strength that it could instill and the kindness that it could give.
Humanity had given Nergigante the same upbringing that Nature had, but it focused on intelligence rather than instinct. Wit instead of strength. But Nature still played her own hand in the game, offering humans like Eclipsen the power to stand amongst the rest as a shining beacon.
So the question was... Was humanity offering her the same thing Nature had offered Eclipsen?
She ran the thought through her mind, counting the seconds it took as she did. And she came to her conclusion.
She opened her eyes and moved her hand, offering it as a resting place for the Coralbird. It looked at her with curiosity and it seemed that nature required no words to communicate, as the bird opened it's wings and glided down into Nergigante's finger, tweeting happily as it did so.
She looked at the pink creature deeply. She knew what she wanted to be, in this new world of human interaction and bodily functions. She wanted to be like Eclipsen. A hero for those who wanted to live in peace and a defender of the helpless. She wanted to provide hope to those who needed it the most and care for the people who couldn't do it on their own.
But that didn't mean she had to abandon her instincts. She could still be the angry, raging beast that she had been before, but for the purpose of dethroning those who would harm the helpless and punish the ones who would take advantage of the weak. She could strike fear into those who would grow to be just like the tyrants before them, and show them that such a path was dangerous and unjust.
Eclipsen and the rest of Humanity had given her everything there was to give when starting a new life. She had friends, comrades, people to meet, goals to accomplish, and all the food she could eat. They had even given her the tools to carve her future, made from the bones and scales of her past.
And Eclipsen had given her the most important thing of all...
A purpose. An answer to the question that so many spent their lifetimes trying to answer. And he had just given it away to her like it was a simple bouquet of flowers. Something he himself was still looking for, and he had just dropped it in front of her like it was an offering of food.
The image of Eclipsen's face flashed in her mind, with a warm feeling creeping it's way into her chest. A shaky breath made it's way out of her lungs and she quickly closed her eyes to ward off the tears threatening to spill out of her tear ducts.
As she thought about her rebirth, she slowly realized that she was falling in love with Eclipsen.
-Transition-
Hether's leg was unable to stop bouncing as she waited for Eclipsen and his team to return. Rebecca sat next to the Handler, her hands wrapped around a mug of fruit juice and her eyes locked on Hether in worry.
Hether couldn't help but be unfathomably scared. She didn't want to see Eclipsen in the same state he had been in after the first battle with a Deviljho. She didn't want to have to worry about whether or not he would survive through the night.
She closed her eyes and forced down a particularly difficult breath. She was glad that the Meowscular Chef had cleared out from the Canteen along with his protegĂs. They had moved down near the Tradeyard where they could provide more food and drink for the ones who really needed it, giving Hether some room to breath, and break down of she needed to.
"I'm sure he'll be fine."
Rebecca offered. It was a blatant lie. She herself wasn't sure that Eclipsen would come back without at least some wounds. It wouldn't surprise her at all if he was carted in on the edge of death once more. She sincerely hoped that it wasn't the case, as Hether's compassionate heart was too fragile to endure another life or death situation, especially if it involved the life of her partner.
"How can you know that?"
Hether asked, her tone more accusing than she meant it to be. Rebecca sent a slightly offended look to Hether, who returned it with one of apology.
"I'm sorry. I'm just... I can't help but be worried."
Rebecca nodded and reached over, patting her close friend on the back and dragging her hand across the length of her spine. Rebecca understood Hether's state of mind to a T. She had been in the same worried state after the first siege on Zorah Magdaros when Brad faced off with Nergigante.
"It's okay, Hether. All we can do is wait."
The more jovial Handler nodded solemnly, her eyes threatening to tear up. Rebecca only continued to rub her friend's back, altering her own gaze towards the strormy skies. That quick lightning storm had happened less than two minutes ago, but it had still disturbed the two. There was no lightning Elder Dragon in the area, unless there was Kirin sneaking around the Ancient Forest.
Rebecca felt that something was wrong. The occasional drizzle or shower was common in the Ancient Forest and Astera, along with ever other region in the New World. But this storm was a different story. The rain was coming down hard, and the leafy overhang above the Canteen was making wet thumping sounds with every drop of water that hit it.
And the lightning was highly irregular. A flash in the distance and the drowned out sound of thunder was the most they would get in Astera, but a bolt of lightning had physically struck somewhere in the human settlement. Not to mention the red lightning that had never been seen before.
The sound of footsteps brought both Rebecca and Hether out of their respective thoughts, and Hether stood like a prarie dog at the sound.
Richard and Angela climbed the stairs with frowns on their faces. Richard gave Hether a look Rebecca couldn't decipher as he walked past the brazier, which had it's fire quenched by the heavy rain.
"Where is he?"
Hether asked, the edge of accusing slipping back into her voice. She took a step, closing the distance between her and Richard. Rebecca stood from her seat, just in case her friend's mood shifted from sadness to anger. The line between the two was thin, just as the line between love and hate was thin.
Richard maintained his gaze as he stared Hether straight in the eyes. Angela walked up next to Richard, running a hand along her vermillion hair to clear it of the rainwater that had coated it.
"He's in the infirmary. He's... Got a few more broken bones, but he'll be okay. I... Know he'll be okay."
Richard said, his sky blue eyes drifting downward as he finished his sentence. The pain in his voice was clearer than crystal, and Hether's expression shifted between a pool of emotions. At first, anger flashed, then denial, then some bitterness snuck back in before her face defaulted to sadness.
Angela cast an apologetic glance towards Rebecca as she stepped quietly over to the table, still brushing droplets of water from her hair. The Serious Handler gave a nod of understanding as she lowered back down into her seat.
"Can... Can you tell me everything?"
Hether asked, her eyes pleading as she looked at Richard. He brought his own orbs back up to meet her eyeline, remaining silent for a moment. He then nodded, slowly and reluctantly.
-Transition-
"So you just let him fight alone?!"
"You have to understand. This was a duel. Every hunter has at least one duel, and it's not exactly... Smiled upon to interfere."
Richard's eyes were glued to the table as he finished the story. Hether was in a state that she was rarely ever seen in; fuming. Rebecca was sending a worried and slightly nervous look to her friend, as the image of pure rage on Hether's face was deeply unsettling.
But as seconds passed, the anger slowly melted off Hether's features and she lifted her hands to cover her face, sucking in a gasp to prevent herself from breaking down completely.
Richard glanced up at Hether for a moment before looking back down. He reached up and gripped his cross, letting out a quiet breath. Angela had her head buried in her arms, her breaths spaced out so widely that it looked as if she wasn't breathing at all.
Long seconds passed as Hether tried to rein in her grief. Richard closed his eyes and continued to hold his cross while Angela let out a sigh from beneath her folded arms. Rebecca felt somewhat out of place in the situation, as she lacked any sort of activity to busy herself with besides staring into her empty cup.
"I... J-just don't know why he d-does this to himself..."
Hether said shakily as she tried to contain her tears. Richard opened his eyes and looked at her, his cross still held tightly in his fist. Angela lifted her face from her arms and rested her chin on them instead, eying both Handlers with an unreadable look. Rebecca reached over and placed her hand on Hether's back once more.
"H-he runs into every fight and gets himself hurt. I wish he'd just slow down for a while..."
She said, her composure returning to her as she finished her sentence. Richard nodded as he offered his free hand. Hether looked at it for a second before reaching out and taking it.
"I know. He's been like that since we met him. He thinks it's his responsibility. But this time, we'll force him to stay put."
Hether took in a shaky breath before squeezing Richard's hand.
"You promise?"
She asked, her hope audible in her voice. Richard smiled and squeezed back.
"I promise."