Chapter 4- Two Make a Party
The flight to the Misty Peaks only took a few days, and the time seemed to go by quickly as the two hunters spent most of the journey just talking, which was really the only thing they could do aboard the vessel.
Zen and Koryn sat on the deck of the large airship and recounted much of there past to one another. Koryn was just telling how he had decided he would be a hunter despite the years his foster father had tried to sway him away from that path.
"I had no idea, for over fourteen years, that Ferrum was even a hunter," he was in the middle of retelling his heavily armored friend the exact moment his mind had been made up. "I just saw a few hunters returning from a quest, they brought back a big Bulldrome...and thats when I decided," he said.
"It must have been nice though...having such a veteran as a teacher," his companion said behind the slitted helmet. "I mean Hammer Blade is your mentor...he must have shown you so many things."
With a gentle shake of his head he continued "No...not really...in fact he mostly taught me how to track and survive." The swordsman thought of how many missed opportunities he had earlier in life to learn from a seemingly renowned hunter. This was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that he wished his caretaker had taught him more.
"He did show me how to use a weapon, but mostly it was how to care for it," he shrugged softly.
"A hunter is only as good as his tools," he said in a deep voice, trying to sound more like the burly blacksmith back home.
"That's very sound advice," replied the other hunter. He could not tell if his friend was sincere, or poking fun, though he did not know Zen to make fun of anyone, not unless there had been booze involved, or if they deserved it. So he just gently nodded in agreement.
"So what about you? " he chimed "You said that suit of armor was your fathers before?"
"Yes, it was the first set he had made," his friend seemed to shift as if getting comfortable within the mentioned armor " Rhenoplos are very copmmon where I am from, they exist in other places, but they do very well in hot climates," Koryn sat quietly as his friend continued.
"My father said a hunter should never be without good armor, and more importantly never be unprepared to hunt," Koryn felt that in itself was also sound advice, and he could not help but gently pry.
"Is that why you never take it off?" he inquired as tactfully as he could.
"In a sense yes," Zen replied "It may seem childish, but I've learned that being unprepared can lead to tragic accidents at times," the fiery eyed hunter wondered what else this could have meant, but before he could ask any firther his companion continued.
"I have other reasons of course...for one the damned thing is a pain to take off!" the two chuckled lightly at that. Koryn was satisfied with what he could gather from his mysterious friend, and so he did not press the matter any further.
Their conversations continued for some time. It slowly turned from their pasts to what they would do once they landed, it usually always seemed to follow this route for the past few days they've been traveling. It wasn't until one of the crew came to let them know they would be arriving shortly to their destination. The two hunters stood to go and help as best they could to bring the vessel down. Zen seemed particularily apt at this but Koryn did his best to secure things down, and help prepare for the landing.
No more then a few hours later their boots sank into the lush greenery of the area. They were at a campsite, Koryn knew from his partner that the guild would set up these nice little base of operations for hunters given certain circumstances. In this case the guild had enough time to provide provisions ahead of time for them, and the quest itself was far more dangerous than simply taking out a few tiny reptiles.
"Ah wonderful!" the heavily armored hunter cried out. Zen had gone through the large crates of supplies the guild left. "A shock trap," the hammer user called triumphantly holding a disk shaped device high above the large helmet. Koryn knew what that was, he had seen them before, and Ferrum had taught him all sorts of means to finish a quest, though he had never had the chance to actually put many to the test.
"We also have a pitfall trap," he added, as he had brought one with him from town. He thought it might come in handy, and the device did not seem all that complicated to use, not to mention he felt the trap would be rather sneaky if used right.
"Oh even better," came the deep hollow voice of his companion.
"Here...catch!" suddenly a rolled up piece of material landed in his open palms, the parcel landed with greater weight than it appeared. He unrolled the cloth and found small blades neatly stored in sleves. He withdrew one, feeling how nicely balanced it was, thinking just how nicely they could be thrown, he noticed a strange substance coating the edges.
"Is this...toxin?" he asked
"Yeah, poison throwing knives."
"Isn't this dangerous...the mission is to capture after all," he wondered why the guild would give them poison laced knives for a capturing request. Perhaps as a means of last resort. If it meant life or death, he would surely choose life. It seemed fairly counterintuitive.
"Only if you use it late in the game," Zen instructed. "If you use it early on, the poison will run its course and do more of the work for us and exhaust the beast."
He took another glance at the small throwing blades before rolling the material back up and securing it to his belt. The two went through all the items they had been given, pleased to see they had rations and tools to last them in case the mission went longer then they hoped. Koryn wished it had been the case with the Velocidrome, but that was not something anyone really could have prepared for.
Zen handed him yet another device, it was a small metal cylinder with a pin. He knew what this was right away, but allowed his friend to instruct him. "It's a flashbomb...use it if your in a pinch, but make sure you pull the pin first and don't stare after it...else you'll find yourself blinded just as much as any monster," he nodded and also placed the device to his belt.
They gave their goodbyes to the crew of the ship, watching the vessel float back up into the air. It was comforting to know that it would be near by in case they needed to make a hasty retreat. They grabbed as much as they could carry for now before journeying further into the area.
If Koryn had enjoyed the serene feeling of the hills before, this place was by far more pleasant. The plant-life was abundant here, the trees grew is areas so densely it was like a forest, and the large mountains around them formed beautiful valleys. It seemed each area changed as well, though despite the alterations they all kept the same breathtaking beauty.
The swordsman was awestruck by his surroundings. They traveled from an open area, the grass was golden, and small pools of water glistened in the sunlight. It looked more like a plain than a peak. As they traveled deeper into the area, the openness vanished and they where among lush greenery and trees. Many of the trees where far larger than any he had seen before, some even had leaves in many colors, not just the lively green he was used to. A waterfall also splashed noisily in an area, the spray felt nice as they traveled by it.
"It's very pretty," Zen had commented gently. The hunter seemed just as entranced by the natural beauty as he was. He found it odd, he never took the hammer wielder for much of a nature lover, but he supposed living in a desert would bring greater appreciation for trees and green views. After a few long moments to take it all in, and after a quick nod the two continued on in search of their mark.
"So what do you think?" the broad hunter asked as they entered a heavily forested area. "Any sign of our elusive ursine?"
The fledgling hunter looked about, he stared at the trees, looking for any sign of a large beast rampaging about. Everything seemed fairly undisturbed though, but as he was about to give up he saw something. "Over there!" he pointed. There was a tree with large scratch marks along the trunk. He walked closer and placed his hand against the markings. "It seems fresh...maybe it rubbed up against it to mark it's territory," he suggested. The markings seemed rather close to the base of the trunk. The blade wielder hardly had to reach up to feel them, but for a large bear as was reported, it seemed smaller than he expected.
"Good eye," his companion complimented. "Lets keep going...any suggestions?"
"Lets find a honey tree...Arzuros primarily eat honey, when not hunting for fish, if no good sources can be found it could turn towards fishing though," Koryn said thoughtfully, their best chance was to find a good source of food and perhaps stick by it, or at least set up some kind of bait.
His eyes scanned the ground as they continued through the forest, every now and then he would see a few broken branches, or more scratches along a fallen log, but the dense leaves and brush had it hard to find a definitive paw print of sorts. Sometimes he was lucky, he would find a clear indentation in the soft earth that seemed fresh. Each time he did it renewed his hopes, and greatly boosted the confidence in his tracking skills. The younger hunter found himself not wanting to look like a fool, like poultry simply pecking at the ground. He reflected on how nerve-raking it had been when he was with Ferrum, not wanting to disappoint his father-figure. Now he felt a familiar dread, hoping to impress his new hunting companion in the hopes to continue their mutual friendship. It was fortunate he indeed found a decent trail, and for some time it seemed his skills in tracking would truly shine.
Zen took the lead after a bit, thinking it best to be in the thick of things should trouble arise. Koryn had no issues with this arrangement, and followed behind the broad form of his companion. At times the two stopped as he tried to find another path, thankfully his eyes where not hindered by the lower light of the forest. The trees formed a nearly impenetrable cover above them, the ground was a dark shade of green as the sunlight managed to bleed through the leaves up above. He would get down on all fours at times to make sure though he was seeing everything correctly, he realized he must look like he was deeply dedicated to the task, or very much like a fool. He secretly hoped it was the former.
He felt a heavy hand gently pat on his shoulder just as he made to stand up. The swordsman made to ask what was the matter, but the finger over the grilled visor of his friends helmet told him to stay completely silent. He did just that and waited, his ears straining to gather anything his eyes could not. Very slowly he heard the heavy shuffle of something lumbering about, he wondered if it could be the creature they were looking for.
As the two continued cautiously, they were glad to see that it was. The Arzuros sat on its haunches, its back turned towards them. The two hunters made to hide behind a large fallen tree, both doing so as quickly and quietly as they could. To their luck the ursine monster took no notice, and he signaled to Zen that he was going to take a quick look. After a confirming nod from his companion, he carefully peered over the lichen covered barrier to peak at the beast.
Koryn saw a mossy looking carapace. The fur was a mixture of forest green and subtle blue, along the sides golden bristles fanned outwards and up reaching towards the creatures muzzle. The large bear creature was busy gorging itself on its snack to take notice of them. In its paws a large hive was oozing amber honey as it licked and made noises of deep content. The Arzuros was a bit smaller then he had expected, but even this small example stood taller than any man he knew of, he looked at the delighted creature, and saw the resemblance to his former teacher. He almost chuckled as he watched it contently eat its morsel. The bees buzzing around it angrily did not seem to bother it, only causing it to swipe a large armored paw at the angry swarm now and then.
A sudden crack behind him caused him to flinch. Koryn looked around half expecting some sort of growling creature, but his fears were put to rest as it was only Zen. His heavily laden companion had wanted to take a peak at the Arzuros and in the attempt had tread upon the dried foliage that had caused the small sound. He gingerly placed a finger to his lips, his partner responded with a quick thumbs up and very carefully returned back to hiding. The sounds of heavy shuffling up ahead told him their target had finished its snack and was now possibly investigating the mild disturbance.
The Arzuros sniffed the air gingerly and let a low growl, both hunters held their breaths in the hopes of not losing their hiding spot. Seemingly content that nothing was amiss, the large creature turned and suddenly broke into a lumbering gallop. The lithe hunter sprang from their hiding place with a paintball held in his fist and gave chase. The spry swordsman sprinted after their target, getting as close as he was comfortable before he deftly threw the marker at the ursine. His aim was on point and it struck the flank of the beast, magenta ink dripping from the impact for them to follow. Luckily the Arzuros did not seem to notice the impact upon its flank and it simply lumbered away. Koryn did not give chase, knowing his quick decision had paid off. He let out slow and steady breaths, letting his heart settle as he watched the creature vanish from sight, and the trail of bright pink dye leading the way towards it.
Zen managed to scramble over the log despite the heavy armor, and with labored breaths spoke "I'm...s-so...very sorry," the hunter sputtered. Koryn gingerly shook his head, giving a small smile in understanding. He knew the hammer wielder felt at fault and was the cause of the monsters flight.
"It wasn't your fault," he assured his companion " It was finished with its meal anyways...And besides I managed to tag it with a paintball before it left," his grin widening further.
"Good work!" Zen shouted, clapping him roughly on the shoulder, the force of the pat stung a bit, but he didn't show it.
"That was very quick thinking," he felt his face warm up a bit and he coughed to hid his embaressment.
"Lets not fall to far behind...if that thing decides to go for a swim or take a bath we could still lose it," at that the pair once more returned to the task at hand. It was far easier to follow the bright pink drops of dye rather than the natural foot prints of the creatures path. The paint at times seemed to grow thin and sparse, but they would easily find another trace of it to follow.
As the day drew on it became harder to trace the marker, and it appeared the trail had begun to run cold. Koryn began to realize they had traveled much further into the area now, the thought of returning to camp was out of the question as it would be night soon. He felt himself grow disheartened, but there was nothing they could do in the slowly vanishing light.
"I think we'd better find a place to camp," his companion suggested, despite his urge to continue, he gave a slight nod in agreement, but not before giving one last hopeful scan of the area before him, half hoping to find a trace of the elusive ursine.
They took out what supplies they had after spending a few minutes to find a nice even place to sit. Zen set up the small makeshift camp where they would settle down for the evening. Koryn busied himself with looking around the immediate area for dry kindling for the fire they would need to cook their meal. He gave small fleeting glances at the ground, partially looking for fuel as well as some indication of a trail they could follow the night before. But in the near darkness it was impossible and so he quickly gathered the fuel they would need for the night and returned to the mostly finished camp.
In no time there was a small crackling fire that was pleasantly warm and comforting. Koryn forgot a little bit about his sour mood as he started transfixed into the flames. At times he could see the wing beats of a mighty dragons, but it was really just a trick of his imagination as he started at nothing but wavering flame. The sound of small pops brought him back to reality, and he realized his partner had placed a nice piece of meat on the spit to cook. The sizzling of the fat was another comforting noise to him.
"Don't worry, there is always morning," came the hollow voice of his friend. The swordsman looked up as his friend seemed to try and comfort him. He realized he must have had a very down look upon his face. He gave a nod and gingerly busied himself with turning the meat over in the fire. He pondered the fact he was not hunting alone, and it was something he appreciated greatly.
"Yeah," he agreed trying not to sound upset, he seemed to mask his frustrations as Zen simply prodded at the cooking meat. When it was done, they split there portions and ate.
Koryn fought the urge to stare as his friend consume the meal, watching bits of cooked food slip into the grill slots of the helmet. He made sure not to stare to often, but even after knowing Zen for a while, it was still a wonder why his friend had never removed the helmet to eat, it must have been such a pain to try and do everything with it on. He recalled their conversation about it and remembered the somber reasoning for the constant need to wear it. He concluded if his friend was comfortable living life in the carapaced armor, then he would respect that.
When they had finished they sat and talked for a time, though their conversatrion was not as interesting as before. He had few hunting experiences to share, so he mostly listened to the other hunter go on about past victories. The fledgling hunter wondered when he would be able to go on and on about his own stories, but for now he just listened.
"I'll take first watch," the heavily armored hunter announced when it had gotten well into the night. Koryn did not argue as he stifled a yawn. He gingerly nodded and went to find a nice spot to bunk down for the night, not far from the fire. It did not take very long for his eyes to shut as he got comfortable against a tree. Even with the uncomfortable angle he sat at, his body was just to exhausted to care and he was slowly breathing peacefully in his sleep.
During the night he had a strange dream. His usual dreams of mighty battles, and impressive victories over a formidable foe were for once not the images that danced in his thoughts. Rather he dreamed that he simply sat beneath a large tree. The tree itself was rather odd to him, having never seen a plant like it, but its long graceful vines shielded him from the bright day light in his thoughts, casting a pleasant green glow about him. He just sat beneath the comfortable canopy of the tree, and as he sat he could hear a soft melody. It was of gentle humming, one he was not used to. It was not the murmuring he did was he worked at the forge, nor the gravely tones of Ferrum back home. No the tune was distinctly feminine in nature. It was then that his eyed slowly opened and he saw not the green glow or the beautiful tree, but the flicker of the campfire. He was awake now, but despite having come from a dream, he could still hear the soft gentle melody.
The sound was unusual to him, and it was very pleasant to hear. He lay motionless for a few moments, half expecting the sound to vanish as he grew more conscious, but instead of fading away it continued. He softly rose up from his spot to hear it clearer, but as he did the shuffling and cracking of the leaves beneath him obscured it, and once he had settled to listen it was gone. He tried his hardest to focus and hear the gentle song, but it was gone, only the distinct sound of the night greeted him. He threw a few bits of kindling into the fire to keep it lit. He looked to see the large figure of his friend, calmly sleeping and still fully armored. Koryn smirked to himself and shook his head, it appeared his companion had forgotten to wake him for his turn at the watch. He guessed they only had another hour or so before it would be dawn, and so he decided to close his eyes and rest some more, the fire would keep them safe.
Early the next morning he awoke with little memory of the night before. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around to find Zen. When he noticed his large companion was missing, he felt a sudden lance of panic run through him. Had his friend been taken during the brief time since he had last awoken? If so why had he been spared? His questions were quickly answered as he heard heavy footsteps from behind. He quickly turned to see the bulky hunter lumbering towards him.
"It seemed a shame to wake you," the hammer wielder spoke before he could even say anything. "I decided to look for our elusive foe early this morning."
"Did you find anything?" Koryn asked as he stood up and brushed himself off.
"I found fish scales," this caused him to look quizzically at the more experienced hunter. He waited a moment for elaboration.
"Not in the water," Zen finally added, seemingly aware that Koryn needed more information to go on.
"Oh good...so you found were it might have last ate," his spirits rose as he quickly made himself ready.
After a quick meal of dried rations, the two made sure their fire from the night before was completely extinguished before they continued on. Zen lead the way and Koryn recalled his strange dream from the night before. He was hesitant to say anything, but not knowing how long their little trek might be, he thought to ask anyways. Zen listened to him as they walked, and he spoke of the strange swaying tree.
"Mmm...well to me that sounds like a willow," the helmeted hunter replied. Koryn digested the information for a bit, he couldn't recall ever seeing a willow tree, and so he wondered what that meant. Perhaps when he was much younger he had and just simply forgot. His next question was less fruitful as he ventured to ask about the humming he had heard.
"I'm sorry...but I didn't hear anything," Zen simply replied. With that he was out of questions and so he simply followed his friend in silence.
Their venture lead to a small pool of water. The sound of a cascading waterfall in the distance told them both that it was from a larger source. Zen showed where the scales lay, and they were a few yards away from the waters edge. Upon closer inspection, Koryn also managed to find claw marks and tracks.
"Well...I can't really tell how long they've been here, but lets hope our honey loving friend isn't to far," he said with great optimism. He followed what he could and soon enough he found a small dead fish half eaten further away.
"Ah...slippery paws," he commented gingerly as he looked at the dead piscine and prodded it gently with his hunting knife.
" It looks like it was in a hurry if it didn't finish its meal...so...I wonder if..." his thoughts were interrupted by a low sound off in the distance. The pair immediately froze and Koryn strained his ears to hear anything, shutting his eyes to better use his other senses. There was a second register, a bit louder, but still far off.
"...Uraaah!..."
He heard it again, there was no mistake it was their monster. The bellowing roar was something he had heard a few times in the forest back home, and though he had been careful to avoid the sources before, he felt it oddly strange that he would now finally move towards them.
"That way," the hunter pointed and took point this time, hearing the heavy foot falls of his partner keeping steady pace behind him. The spry hunter wanted to run forward, he wanted to make sure to catch up to their target. Koryn held back though, not wanting to leave his friend behind despite his urge to finally feel the rush of a fight once more.
The sound of crashing foliage brought him back to the present and he realized they were not the only two on the hunt. As an old tree crashed down in the distance, he heard the loud bellow of the ursine monster they were looking for. He readied his twin blades and looked behind him. Zen was prepared as well, the massive bone bludgeon gripped tightly.
Just then the Arzuros appeared, its lumbering gait was somewhat comical, and quickly closed the distance between them. It did not seem to even realize the two hunters had been up ahead of it, as it ran at them with little concern. Its tongue flicked from its open mouth, only adding to the clumsy appearence it had, and it barreled towards them without a single thought.
Koryn leapt out of the way, and he watched as his friend did the same, though managing to roll just in time rather then a leap. With a quick motion he withdrew another marker from his bag and threw it with as much strength he could muster. The projectile threw and struck the monster in the flank once more, this time elliciting a small roar from the creature as it vanished away.
The two hunters were perplexed to say the least. The monster had not been ready to fight, in fact, it almost seemed to be avoiding something, playfully.
"Maybe it had to find the little bears room?" He heard the hollow voice of his partner after a moment. Koryn could not hold it in, and let a sharp chuckle escape him. The two laughed for a short while before once more collecting themselves.
The slim hunter stayed up front, following the fresh trail of clawed paw prints. This mission was proving to be a large game of tag as time passed on, but this time they had the full light of day to play. The fiery eyed youth was not about to give up just yet, even if he felt slightly unsure of what it was they would even need to do to bring this monster down without lethal force.
The hours passed quickly, and soon it was growing later in the day. It seemed like this day was not turning out to be any different than the day before. Without the trail of a paintball tracking the elusive beast was harder than he hoped. The two slumped in defeat as they felt the need for rest growing.
"How can such...a clumsy looking thing get the better of us?" Zen moaned in mild annoyance. This was perhaps the first time Koryn had ever heard his partner seem aggitated. Perhaps being of higher rank, one would grow a bit confident. Koryn however was just dissapointed the quest was turning out to be not as exciting as he had hoped. The idea of capturing a monster had sounded thrilling, but it seemed less so. Just as he began to wonder if things would pick up, there was another roar.
"That sounded big," he murmered Zen shifted in what he thought was a nod of sorts.
"Can an Azuros get bigger?"
He could only shrug, having never engaged one himself before, he had no idea what it could do. He knew some monsters could puff up and make themselves seem bigger, and some could even add an armor of sorts to their bodies, but not actually grow larger permanently.
"Lets hope its all tuckered out from running then," Koryn mused and stood up, ready to finally do something.
The two ventured further not hearing anymore roars or even grunts from a beast. They reached a familiar place as they heard the sound of a cascading waterfall. It had been the very same place they had admired before. Despite the familiarity the place seemed off in a ways. Koryn could not quiet place it, but he was not at ease. Something in the back of his mind told him to stay ready, his body tense and prepared for anything.
"What's the matter?" his friend questioned, the swordsman didn't reply, his silence seemed to say enough as his friend once more held the hammer at the ready as well.
"Urrraaaaaafgh!" came a deep bellow and suddenly the monster lumbered from behind the falls. There must have been some hidden cavern they must have overlooked their first time here. The spray of water exploded around the green and blue hued brute as it lunged towards them, clearly ready for a fight. Whats more, is the monster had indeed seemed to grow more than twice in size in the few hours they had last seen it.
"Urrraaaaggguh!" it bellowed, its upper lip quivering as its pace quickened towards them. Its long tongue lulled from its mouth, spittle flicked from it, this time it did not seem so humorous as it was now prepared to make them pay for trespassing.
His twin blades were drawn from behind him, his companions hammer was held aloft and ready as well. The beast did not slow, as it lifted itself upon its hind legs, the momentum of the charge keeping it forward as its arm spread wide. This was not a means of intimidation, the creature fully planned to either rend them to pieces on the spot, or to hold them in its bone crushing grip.
Koryn leapt forward as it approached, he rolled under the outstretched arms and sprang up just as the creature passed over him and he came up slicing it along its side. His sharp blades struck, and yet it seemed not to deliver as hefty a blow as he had hoped. He had not been graced with the same lines of crimsonm like he was used to, and he realized the brute was far more heavily armored than anything he fought before.
He turned to shout towards his partner, realizing he had not considered the other hunters lack of dexterity in the encumbering suite. He just watched as Zen took the beast head on, moving forward and swinging the hammer overhead. The arcing blow struck the beast hard in the chest. What happened next was astounding, as the heavy armored hunter seemed to halt the beast as he used the hammer as a wedge to keep it back.
He was made painfully aware that he had never seen his partner hunt before, never seen just how the hunter wielded the heavy weapon, nor considering that all the bravado from earlier held some merit to it all. He just watched as the beast was slowed to a stop, before the hunter lifted the weapon back to bring it down upon the beasts head, seemingly having a greater deal of affect on it then his slicing attack.
"Urrggaahh...ggrrr..." the monster was shaken from the blow, though not fully unprepared to retaliate. It swung a massive paw at the hammer swinging foe, its claws connecting with the heavy armor, but it seemed to do little to it, only scratching the suite and pushing the hunter back.
Koryn rushed forward, leaping onto the monsters exposed back, his greaves finding some purchase in its fur and he held on. The motion had been a knee jerk reaction, but now he was astride the beast and he would make the most of it. He stabbed at its armored flank. Sharp blades colliding with the shell ineffectively, but still causing the monster discomfort. It roared, realizing someone had jumped on top of it, and it began to shake furiously, forgetting the human that had just clearly tried to knock its brains out.
The hunter held on for dear life, realizing his choice was not his most brilliant. He would continue to stab the beast, but only during the few moments he had. His grip was starting to slip and with a sudden jerk, he was thrown off. He collided to the ground, feeling his breath rush out of him and his heart pounding in his ears.
"Yeah...I...I wont do that again..." he mumbled to himself slightly as he shakedly got up. Fortuneately the beast was dueling with Zen, the two exchanging heavy blows. Claws would collide with metal, the hammer would swing and strike down on the beast. He wondered just how long though it could keep up. Zen was tired, and for all they knew the Arzuros had been happily sleeping before they had seemingly disturbed it. He gripped his blades and wondered what he could do.
Just then remembered the knives from earlier. His hand slipping down to touch the five handles of the poison tipped blades still tucked safely in the material on his belt. In this light, he was not so sure his aim would be true, but the beast was being occupied and would not move, or so he hoped. He had to take this chance.
He slipped the knives from their bindings and threw one of the laced blades at the beast, hoping to strike its more softer exposed side rather than the harder carapace. The knife sunk in and the beast roared. The hammer struck again just then and the beast had to choose which to focus on. Koryn would not let it make its mind. He threw the other blades in quick succession, pleased to see only one of his projectiles had not hit the mark, but the other four stayed embedded in the creatures flesh.
"Ruuuaaaarr!" the ursine beast protested, it swung heavily at the hunter, knocking the heavy hammer from his grip. It swiped angrily at the now disarmed hunter and knocked the bulky figure down. As it bared over him a rock struck its jaw. It turned as Koryn ducked down to pick up another stone and readied to throw it. With a growl it bounded towards him, foam dripping from its muzzle. The ursine moved clumsily as it made to claw him, he leap out of the way as it lumbered by.
It seemed the blades toxin worked quickly, its moves had begun to slow and its breathing was labored. It appeared to realize it was growing weaker and rather than making another attempt to attack, it turned to lumber away in a hasty retreat.
As if by second nature the lightly armored hunter threw another paintball and it struck the broad side of the bear as it made its escape. He then turned to help his downed comrade, lifting the heavy hunter up off the ground. The task was not to difficult, but he fully realized just how heavy the armor was at that moment.
"Th-Thanks," Zen huffed and picked up the heavy bone hammer from where it had landed.
The two hunters ran after the Arzuros, knowing this time it could not outrun them. They found it lumbering in a wooded area, busy snuffling along the ground, perhaps looking for some tidbit to eat and regain some stamina. The poison blades were clearly doing their job and it gave to hunters the upper hand as they prepared to fight the massive beast once more.
The fight went sluggishly, as both hunters tried not to land a blow that would be fatal. Their quest was to capture not kill after all. The large beast swung its massive arms, keeping a good distance away from them with its sweeping strikes. The twin blades of the hunter could not reach the monsters softer area, and the hammer was to slow at times to land a jarring hit. The Arzuros seemed to also be regaining some strength, the poison daggers had long since dislodged or lost their potency. It wasn't until the monster made to retreat back towards the falls could they catch a breath and plan a better means to acheive their goal.
"Here...you take this," Zen said thrusting the disk-like shock trap into his hands. "You'll have a much easier time setting it up...I can hold it at bay for a while don't worry," the hunter replied to the others quizzical look.
"I'll set up both," Koryn concluded "If we have two traps it might increase our chances that it steps in one," the plan was a tad wasteful, but if it would increase their odds for success then it was worth it. Zen did not seem to mind the idea either and so they followed the beast back towards the water.
The lumbering beast was busy drinking deeply from the shallow pool as they caught up. With the crutch of the poison now gone, Koryn realized they had to be on their guard until they could wear the monster down. He was certian the water had given it the much needed vigor it required to handle the two, it had done a good job in keeping the two at bay even in a weakened state.
"Come and get it you big oaf!" the hammer wielding hunter shouted.
Koryn knew that was the sign to run and do what he had been told. He ran into the area, his boots kicking up water as he splashed through the pool. He watched as Zen took the beast on once more, seemingly throwing the full weight of the heavy armor into each attack to inflict the most amount of damage to the giant bear. It roared in protest and fought back.
The blade wielder busied himself to find a patch of nice solid ground to plant the trap, his eyes trying to find a dry patch. He found it and ran towards, taking the pitfall from his belt and he plunged the device into the ground. It exploded and it cleared an area in a moment, hollowing the ground beneath it before the concealing tarp spread out like a web above it. It looked ready and he turned his attention back towards the fighting pair he saw the situation was beginning to turn dire.
The water had slown his friend down quiet significantly it seemed, and the Arzuros seemed hardly bothered by the shallow pool, quickly turning the tide of the fight in it's favor. The hammer wielder had gone on the defensive, using the massive weapon as a barrier, the large mass of it keeping the larger hunter away from the bears onslaught. Koryn could see the tactic would only work for so long until the hammer was swiped away again.
He swore beneath his breath and ran towards them. Stooping low as he ran, the accurate hunter retreived a stone from the pool, and with as much force hurled it at the beast. This time the projectile struck the beast right in its eye, causing it to roar in pain and turn towards him. He took the moment to retreive his weapons and readied for the oncoming attack.
He did make the mistake of going any deeper into the water, staying close to the bank to make sure he was not hindered in anyway. He was hoping he could trick the beast into falling into the pit and end this quickly. The swordsman dodged left and right, the swining forearms of the beast missing him by inches at times. He would swing his blades, inflicting minimal damamge to keep its attention on him. Koryn would smack his blades together at times, the clear note of the metal seemed to aggitate the monster and kept its focus on him and allow his friend to recover.
He was beginning to feel his limbs grow weary, leaping about was burning through his stamina quickly. His attacks could not inflict enough damamge to really slow the beast down either, and it did not seem to be tiring anytime soon. He knew he had the second trap, but he could not set it up at the moment. He would have to forget trying to lure it into the pitfall for now, the bear was once more controlling the flow of battle.
He felt his boot slid out from under him as he stepped onto a smooth stone. The tiny rock was slick enough to cause him to fall backwards onto his back with a heavy thud and clatter of metal armor. The giant beast loomed over him and raised a spiked forearm to smack him into the ground mercilessly. He shut his eyes anticipating the bone shattering pain.
"Hey...You forget about me precious!" Zen shouted, the bone blugeon smashing the beast in its hind leg, causing it to stumble forward. Koryn rolled out of the way and redied the trap, he pressed a button on the disk and it began to pulse. He tossed it a few yards away as it hummed to life. The sudden pulse of an eletric field made the area of affect seemed to prickle with energy.
Now their net had been widdened, the beast could not escape so easily now, so long as they put it to rest before the energy dissipated from the shock trap they now had the advantage of controlling much of the terrain.
Koryn returned to the tactic of clanging his blades together as a distraction, causing the beast to shake its head in frustration. It lumbered towards him and roared. He dodged once more, he did not mind that he had rolled into the water, standing in an ankle deep pool. Just as he readied himself to move out of the way, there came another deep roar from the depths of the hidden cave.
"Urraaaaa!"
A second lumbering Arzuros splashed from behind the curtain of water some yards away. This specimen was much smaller than the one they had been engaging. The realization hit the lithe hunter suddenly. The reason the creature seemed to grow so suddenly, was because it was not one they had been tracking, but two. Whats more, they had been fighting an angry mother, one that was only trying to protect her cub.
As the younger beast hurried towards him, he realized he was now stuck between two furious beasts. He still had the flash bomb on his belt, but this close it would surely not do him any good and only leave him blind as well. Just as he thought he was a goner, he heard the heavy splashes as Zen quickly treaded through the water towards him.
The heavily armored hunter cut off the smaller beast, using the shaft of the hammer to bar the monster away. The smaller ursine roared in panicked protest, the young monster not yet vicious enough to handle so large an opponent. Koryn was grateful to have such an able hunter by his side. The heavy hammer struck the small bear causing it to stumble onto its side out of the water. The hammer followed after and struck at the beast batting it further away. Suddenly as if by some magic, the smaller monster vanished in a cloud of dust. The hunter had edged it just into the pitfall trap that had been set earlier before. Whether this was the result of adept skill or dumb luck mattered little to the pair of hunters.
The tiny arzuros roared in protest, the tips of its claws waving and scratching fruitlessly on the edge of the hole it was now in. Despite its size, in a panic the creature could not lift itself out and whined for its mothers help.
Koryn had been to busy admiring the flawless capture to realize he had not been clear. Moments before he snapped back to attention, the mother bear had also realized it was still not yet safe. She had reared up to her full stature and roared at him, before he knew it he felt the full force of the furious swipe hit him. The mothers anger was behind the blow and it lifted him clear out of the water.
It seemed like he flew leagues away, though it was only a few yards, until his body finally splashed deeper into the pool of water. The first thing to register to the swordsman was the sudden eruption of pain all over him. The larger part of it seemed to be from his abdomen, and as he lifted himself out of the water to breath it only caused him even greater discomfort. As he sucked in heavy breaths, the throbbing turmoil only seemed to amplify. By some miracle his arms and legs had been fine, but it was clear to him that he had a fractured rib or two.
Koryn doubled over onto his hands and knees, looking down into the clear water through blurry eyes. The thought he had been blinded crossed his mind as his vision turned from cloudy, to a murky crimson. He felt something other than water trickle down his forehead, and he realized he was bleeding. The spiked forearms of the creature had left deep lacerations on his exposed face. Without a second thought the hunter plunged his face into the cool water, washing away the blood from his vision. He coughed heavily as he drew back from the pool of water, the action causing greater pain in his chest, and he saw small flecks of red drop into the now swirling clouds of crimson in the water. The droplets splashed noiselessly into the water, blossoming open like flowers as they dissipated and added to the reddening metallic tang in his mouth told him he was also bleeding internally from the strike.
The pain was so great that he could not focus on the situation. Despite his vulnerable position, the bear had not gone for a killing blow, but rather went to help its offspring. Threw his clearing vision he turned to watch the the large monster turn and bare down on the hunter in rhenoplos armor. Zen did not stand idly by, the hammer wielding human fought back just as violently as the ursine foe. Both combatants pummeled one another. With a grace that seemed to betray appearances, the encumbered hunter stayed just out of reach of the bears attacks, and would draw in and land a few decisive blows.
As the two fought on, Koryn fumbled with his belt, reaching for his flask of healing tonic. He fumbled gently with the stopper and put the opening to his lips. He was dissapoointed to find that though the vessel had remained secure to his belt, the large gaping hole in it told him the monster had destroyed it and its contents had mostly spilled out into the pool. He drank what little remained, and only felt a mild sense of comfort. He coughed again and was pleased to see that only a small amount of blood had splashed into the water.
The beast roared, snapping him back towards the fight. The hammer had once more knocked it prone. With a following swing the hunter seemed to daze the bear, causing it to lay on the ground in a stupor. Rather than finishing it then and there, Zen turned, the hammer splashing noisily into the water as the large hunter rushed to Koryns side.
"Here up you go, drink this," his friend instructed. Koryn felt the tip of the flask to his lips as he was propped up. He wanted to protest, but he was still in so much pain. He accepted the drink and felt the soothing sensation rush into him, mending his hurts in seconds. He was able to breath with little strain once he finished the tonic, though still in a bit of pain, he could at least fight.
He saw that his armor had faired better than he had, as it was only moderatly damamged, it seemed the impact of the strike had done more damamge to him than anything else.
"Are you okay?" The blade wielding hunter managed a nod and there was a sigh of releif behind the large helmet. The sound of scrapping claws told them both the monster had recovered from the dizzying strike. His hands reached in the water for his weapons, he found one and took it in his hand, wordlessly telling his partner he was ready to fight.
The two hunters recovered their weapons and stood ready for the angry Arzuros. The beasts' left eye was closed shut from the head rattling blow it had received, small drips of blood ran down the side of her face as she roared at them. The angry mother lunged towards them, the two hunters followed in kind.
The healing tonic had done wonders for him, but Koryn could tell he was still not at peak form. Regardless he leapt forward and delivered a slicing blow to the beasts face. The monster roared in annoyance as the blades drew more lines of blood from its already damaged jaw line. Before he could pat himself on the back, the monster prepared to knock him aside once more. The quick hunter was not quick enough, still feeling the pain from his mending wounds. The strike came at him faster than he could manage, but he was ready for it. This time he drew his blades in to defend himself and the blow merely knocked tumbled to the floor.
Zen rushed with a loud shout and brought the hammer down once more onto the monsters side. The heavy thunk of the weapon was overshadowed by the angry bellow that followed. The bear turned onto the hunter and pounced. As Koryn looked on he expected his companion to once more dodge the strike. This time however the bear had feinted, and instead as one paw missed, it followed by swinging its other limb in a sweeping motion. The blow connected and with a loud crack and Zen was knocked aside much like Koryn had been before.
"Z-Zen!" he shouted, struggling to get up out of the water. The Arzuros was much quicker though, and as she splashed into the water the large beast brought her claws down onto the bulky hunter. The claws sank deep past the crack in the side of the heavy armor. The downed hunter tried to pry the invading limb away, hammer long forgotten as the bear lifted the hulking armored form up from the pool.
"S-stop it!" Koryn roared in protest as his friend was held aloft, impaled on the monsters large claws. He watched helplessly from where he had landed a few yards away the beast readied with its free arm. The armored legs of his companion kicked fruitlessly as the blow struck the opposite side of the armored torso, rending the armor deep like one would smash a can in their hands.
Zens body suddenly grew limp, a strangled gasp rushing from the grilled helmet. The bear seemingly pleased with her kill threw the heavy hunter aside. In a heap of metal and monster parts, the hammer wielder lay motionless. The helpless swordsman shouted for his friend to get up, but he was given no reply.
As he stared at the broken form of his partner, he remembered something from his mentor back home.
"A hunter has to know there is more than fame an fortune on the line," Ferrum had warned him. A much younger Koryn had nodded knowingly, and had replied with a uninterested drone "I know I know...sir."
"You can lose your life boy!" the large blacksmith had replied sharply.
"I know...but that doesn't matter!" his younger self had retorted "If it means I can protect people then it's all worth it in the end."
His masters face had softened at that. The boy was right after all, so long as you focused on your duty as a hunter, than nothing was wasted in the end. The deep chuckle that followed had been like music to his younger self.
Now as the reality of the situation sunk in. He realized that it would not just be himself that would have to risk it all. He had not been prepared to watch someone else die, and the fact that this was a friend only made the harshness of the situation sting all the more. But now as he shouted fruitlessly, he knew what it meant to be a hunter. It meant living a life of constant risk, and a life that could ultimately be snuffed out like a candle against a heavy wind. Zens crumpled form lay still even as he continued to try and get a response. His chest burned more as he tried, but he ignored the renewed spikes of pain until it became to much and he could only gasp and cough.
In his despair Koryn came to realize something else; he was not done just yet. The Arzuros had not killed him, and so he could still fight. He reached for his blades, feeling his fingers only touch the handles of one. Try as he might he could not find his second blade in the shallow pool, and so he tightly griped the handle of his single blade in both hands. As he stood up, he felt his hurt turn into a fury he had never felt before. He half expected the large monster to be upon him, but it had chosen instead to spar him once more.
The mother had once more withdrawn from the fight to try and help its struggling cub. Seemingly done with them and only wanting to help her child she had turned her back on him like he was nothing. Koryn watched as it tried in vain to reach down and extract the scared infant from the hole. The sight would have normally caused him to feel remorse for the creature, but his lose had made his heart unyeilding and cold.
"Aaaaaaaaaugh!" came the bestial shout from the enraged hunter. The scream had caused his lungs to burn with renewed strain, but he ignored it. Even the slight taste of blood in his mouth went overlooked. All he wanted was to cause as much damage as he could before he ended. He could not beat this thing on his own, he knew and accepted that fact. Regardless of the dire situation, he wanted to go down fighting, and at least go down like a hunter should.
"I'm still here!" he roared angrily "Come finish what you started!"
The creature regarded him with an annoyed glare, seeing as he still threatened her and her cub with his wicked blade. The mother gave a reassuring shout to her cub, as if telling it she would be back soon and lumbered towards him, mouth open wide and fangs bared and ready to bite down on the injured hunter.
His boots dug into the floor of the pond, with another loud battle cry he rushed forward himself, holding his short blade like he would have when he had trained with the bone long sword back at his village. He was fully aware the reach of his blade was not enough, but his emotions spurred him forward. The encombering water did little to slow him down as he made to clash with the ursine beast. As the hunter drew closer he swung with all his might in a wide horizontal arc, slacing at the monsters wide open jaws.
The extra power behind his two handed strike proved to be effective as the blade cut in deep, bypassing the defences of the monster. Flesh blood spilled from the monsters mouth as it reared backwards in pain, not expecting the slim hunter to hurt it in such a way. Koryn ducked under the massive arms of the monster as it swung to return the favor. He ended up just behind it and realized he was only a stones throw away from the wide pit that held the scared cub.
He heard the crackle of the shock trap not very far away, he realized he could still perhaps come out of this alive. The swordsman hastily reached into his items pouch, withdrawing two small pellets. He tossed them quickly into the pit. There was a sudden plume of smoke from the pit, and the crying cub roared in panic. Its calls quickly stopped all of a sudden as the tranquilizing smoke from the pellets took a quick affect.
The mother roared as the cries of the baby Arzuros become silent. His plan had worked, he had hoped the worried parent would think the worst. He was aware of the increased danger, but he needed it to focus on him and to slip up. If he planned to bait it towards the active shock trap he needed it to keep attacking him.
Koryn quickly leapt away as it retaliated. He made sure to get out of the water as quickly as he could, his plan was working as the monster attacked him without a single care. As he put some distance between himself and the angry beast, he withdrew something else from his belt. The metal explosive that Zen had given him the day before; a flash bomb. He flicked the pin and as the beast charged at him once more he threw it, shielding his eyes. With a slight bang it went off and filled the immediate area ina blinding light.
The spry hunter had just enough time to roll away from the lumbering giant. As it rounded back onto him he saw the device had done its job. The Arzuros glared at him angrily, though its head wavered side to side as if trying to keep him in focus. It struck again but this time he hardly had to move as it missed him by a yards breadth.
With careful steps he edged his ways towards the crackling shock trap, avoiding the angry bear as best he could. He prayed the device lasted for just enough, he became aware the monster was becoming more and more accurate in its attacks and he knew the blinding affect was wearing off. Just as he could hear the hum of the shock trap, the Arzuros charged him.
He made to jump away but this time it swung its arm as it passed him. The unexpected strike clipped his side hard and he was knocked further away from the electrified trap. He hadn't expected the creature to attack, but it seemed to have gathered some of its wits. He quickly tried to get back up, but the looming form of the beast was upon him in seconds.
A heavy paw pressed down upon him, his armor keeping the weight of the animal from crushing his chest in, but he could feel that his light armor would not last forever. The look in the monsters eyes told him he would not need to worry though, it intended to finish him off before his armor could break. The hunters ability to breath was growing harder and harder by the second.
He slashed at the arm, trying with all his might to get it off of him. His efforts seem to only enrage the creature now, as they collided with the heavy spikes on its forearm. The full weight of the creature pressed down on him, and his lungs painfully expelled their contents. Stars danced gingerly in his vision.
The yellow of fangs flashed above him, the monster meant to make sure he was also dead. Koryn helplessly swung at the monsters muzzle, drawing more blood from the creature. In an instant he felt his blade swept from his crasp. The monster effortlessly disarming him as it went for the kill.
With all his strength he tried to pry the arm off of him, just enough so he could roll to freedom, but there was no such luck. Koryn would not go quietly though if he was going to die, and with what breath he had left he yelled at the beast.
"Aaargh!" The noise was that of an animal trying to deny its fate. The irony was not lost to the hunter, as he was now roaring in the face of a beast. His armored gloves beat on the heavy forearm, but it only succeeded in causing himself pain as his hands began to bleed beneath the gauntlets.
"Do it!" he yelled. The bear had paused perhaps out of mild confusion, but it seemed fully willing to grant his request. Its mouth opened wide and he could see deep into the blackness of its gullet. It could easily swallow his head and much of his torso in a single mouthful, he shut his eyes to the thought, expecting to feel pain before everlasting nothingness.
CRACK!
The sound of the beasts skull resounded loudly as a bone hammer collided with its face. As the pressure on his chest suddenly vanished he breathed deeply and opened his eyes. Standing over him was another hunter. The woman had long blue black hair that fanned out behind her as she swung the heavy bone hammer. She was wearing nothing but the standard garb one wore beneath a suit of armor, the thin cloth covering hardly anything and provided no attention at all.
The world seem to slow as he beheld her. Her figure was toned and flawless to him, slim powerful muscles flexed as she wielded the heavy weapon. Her raven hair obscured her face to him, but as she lifted the hammer over her head, he saw the flash of emerald green in her eyes before she struck the Arzuros with deadly strength.
The angered beast roared and its body shuddered as it was beaten back into the crackling shock trap. The eletric current froze its body in place, and it spasmed in pain. Koryn only stared at the huntress though, very much in awe of her. He only then noticed the thick heavy Rhenoplos gauntlets she wore, and the matching set of boots.
"Now isn't the time to ogle Koryn!" she shouted at him, her words no longer had the hollowing effect of the heavy helmet.
Her voice brought him back to the present and he quickly withdrew more of the tranquilizing pellets. He rolled to his side and threw them at the shuddering creature, the plumes of smoke erupting all over its form and shrouding it in a drowsing mist. As it cleardd, the loud snores of the animal rumbled softly in the silence.
The huntress removed three cylanders from her gauntlets, holding the items in one hand as she pulled the three strings that hung from them all at was a sudden explosion of light as the flares went off into the air, three different colored streaks of light flew high up into the sky, signalling the successful capture and their location.
With a content sigh, the female hunter leaned on the hilt of her hammer. Koryn stared at the sleeping bear for a moment before deciding it would be safe to figure things out. He picked himself up off the ground and brushed himself off, simply to just do something, before returning his sight to rest on her. The young hunter could not believe his eyes, and he felt even more foolish because he knew his eyes were not playing tricks on him.
As she leaned heavily against her massive weapon, he finally had a moment to take a good look over her. Her skin was olive in color, most likely gained from the sun from her desert home, and her eyes were a vivid green. He had to stop himself from staring into the deep emerald pools, noticing the slight golden shimmers in the color. Her hair hung loose and long behind her, black as night, with the subtle undertone of a deep blue. Koryn found it hard to not stare at the huntress.
"I hope your not expecting anything more then a job well done?" she said at the dumbfounded look on his face. His mouth opened and shut, suddenly feeling very dry. He took a moment to think of his words carefully, but he could not manage to piece many together.
"Zen?" he ventured to ask after a long silence.
The huntress gave a knowing grin, it was know secret he was surprised to see her true identity for once after the time they'd spent together. She made to reply, perhaps to say something witty or snarky back, but her face twisted into a wince of pain and her hammer fell noisily to the floor. That was when he saw them, the three deep cuts along her abdomen. Thin trails of crimson dripped from the open wounds.
"Yeah...in the flesh...l-lets talk about it later though hmm?" Zen suggested with a shakey laugh. He realized his friend was really hurt, and not knowing what to do he simply nodded stupidly before he realized the wound needed to be closed up.
He was by no means a medic of any sort, fixing weapons and armor was easy, but not people. He did take a length of gauze from his belongings though and offered to bandage her up. She gingerly agreed, and so he carefully wound the material around her mid section to keep pressure on the wound.
"Thanks partner," she managed, his own pain had long been forgotten. The sound of a burner up above told them both their ride had come right on time. He gingerly helped her up, hefting her heavy weapon onto the deck of the air ship afterwards before following behind.
The bloody spot had begun to grow on her stomach, but thankfully it seemed to not get any worse after a time. They once more sat on the airship, opposite one another as usual. The gentle register of the fire giving the vessel it's lift was the only noise once they had taken off again less than an hour later.
"It's Zenna by the way," the huntress spoke gently, it was strange not hearing the hollow sound of a helmet any longer. Though Koryn now found it hard not to hear the subtle feminine quality anymore as he thought back on it, he wanted to beat his head for being so stupid. When she spoke he looked back at her with his full attention. The puzzled look in his eyes made her sigh with mild annoyance.
"Don't be so dense...I can't manage to l-laugh like this...it's my name," she pressed.
The swordsman gave a small nod, still unsure what to say. "It's nice to meet you," he said, not intending to be funny, but she snorted with slight amusement. Quickly she gingerly touched her sore middrift, and he tried not to say anything that would make her laugh.
Koryn had many questions, some rather stupid the more he thought about them, and others more curious as to why she hid herself behind the bulky suite. All the questions didn't matter though at the moment. What was more important was he was not alone, and that his friend needed a proper healer at the moment. He could find out more later.
-Chapter End-
A/N: Hello all my readers! I am happy to say that I am back, and for those who have been following me and waiting for an update I can only express my deepest apologies. I know I promised an update months ago, and it never came. The New year did not bring tidings of joy unfortunately and circumstances made it hard to find time to write and update regularly like I had planned. I will also admit that with the release of Monster Hunter:World...I was even more distracted...again sorry.
Don't fret though I haven't been completely idle in my absence. I have a few chapters already in the works and I plan to release them very soon, hopefully by the weekend or during the beginning of April. Anyways I wanted to thank you all for being patient and I hope you enjoy.
Thanks to my followers and those who have Favorited the story so far. I want to give a special shout to 12-Midnight Star-99, they guessed way ahead my ideas for Zen...or should I say Zenna, I hope her reveal came as a shock to some though. I know I'm not super creative with names.
Now I want to ask my readers for some help. With the massive amount of monsters that exist in the MH universe, I wanted to know some of your favorites from the main games. Leave me a comment or reply and let me know your favorites that you might like to see in the story. I can't promise I can tie them all in, and some monsters are already planned for later chapters, but I wanted to get some input from my audience. Thank you all again for being so patient, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Look forward to some updates very soon.
As always. Happy Hunting.