VI

Caught Off Guard

The Elite Quad had arrived back to Averos with little time to spare for their injured friend, all of them wearing grim expressions. Upon entering the gates, they were quickly greeted by the guards, who summoned up a stretcher that would carry their injured companion to the infirmary. Dorian went with them, leaving Frances and the remaining large hunter at the gate to debrief the guards to what went on. After telling their tale of the successful kill of the first Diablos, finding the second one and leaving it behind with Vance, they were told to wait at the gates for further orders. Frances paced about, anxious to get back out there so he could see if Vance was truly trying to sneak off with the kill of the second monster. Not only that, he never met someone who got under his skin as much as the young hunter did. So it made him grow a hatred for the man. He did have to admit that Vance was not a rookie, far from it, but to be ordered around and insulted just made the short hunter want to scream out in frustration.

A single guard came back to the gate, dismissing them from waiting and telling them that their friend was being seen by the city's doctor at that very moment. Frances grinned behind his helmet, and grabbed the large hunter that was still with him and quickly walked back out into the desert night.

"We'll be back later! We need to pick up the hunter that's still out there!" he called back to the guard at the gate, the large hunter following closely behind, and both quickly broke into a steady run back to the east towards the Averan Maze.

~VL~

The hour Vance had was almost up, but the young hunter had made a lot of progress with the time he had on treating the wyverns wounded leg, and the majority of the lacerations he found around the belly. The knee completely wrapped with medical bandages, and it took every single roll he had to completely wrap it up. Thankfully the cuts weren't too deep and would heal over time, so all that was left to do was to wait for the beast to wake up and try to stand. If it could, and the wyvern was able to move around without too much trouble, Vance would leave the beast alone. If not, it would have to be put down.

The hour was finally up, and the young hunter was hiding within some brush near by the sleeping wyvern. A few silent minutes passed by slowly, and then finally the wyvern stirred awake from its slumber. For a long while it laid in the exact same spot, whimpering in pain that it felt in it's right leg and around in it's belly. Finally it shifted all it's weight forward, it's chin resting on the ground as it shifted most of its weight on its good leg, with the right barely having any weight on it. Slowly it rose from the ground, using it's chin and wings to help steady it. There was a few times it almost fell over, but it managed to keep it's balance. Back on it's two feet, the wyvern limped away towards a canopy at the northern end of the oasis, laying down on it's left side to keep any weight off the injured leg.

Vance let out a sigh of relief, and slowly started to make his way out of the oasis. Once he was walking down the snakelike path that lead back to the open sands of the desert, he walked easier and a bit faster. He couldn't help but feel worried that Frances and his group would come back another day and slay the Diablos while it was weak to gain revenge of their injured friend. The young hunter shrugged the thought away, and decided that he would just have to keep tabs on the group to make sure the beast didn't fall victim to their ruthless killings.

Just as he was leaving the Averan Maze and coming back into the open desert he let his light crystal shine and spotted two shadowy forms running towards him. One small, one large. The young hunter knew who they were, and wasn't surprised to see them come back, but for just two of them to come back was pretty stupid. So, he stopped walking, waiting for the two forms to approach him, and as they came within range of the glow from his light crystal. He let his right arm rest on his quiver, his left arm down by his side casually.

"Well, is the beast dead?" Frances asked as he and the large hunter approached Vance.

"No. Sleeping. And well enough to sustain itself." Vance replied, his tone normal and absent of any emotion, with his answer leaving the short hunter speechless.

The large hunter slumped his shoulders, and Vance fought the urge to smile at the brutes reaction to his words. The urge became even harder to resist when he could see Frances form shake slightly from anger. A small smile slipped, and the short hunter exploded in anger.

"You're lying! The beast is dead, and you have the most valuable parts hidden somewhere around here!" yelled the short hunter, pointing an accusing finger at Vance. The young hunter's smiled faded away, a more serious expression taking it's place as his eyes glowed with anger. He took a few steps forward, getting face to face with the short hunter and bearing down on him with a glare. Frances seeming to back away a step and even cower away, the large hunter backing up a few steps. Vance didn't show any satisfaction he felt that he had finally cornered a mouse.

"You're the biggest idiot I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. Though I will admit that you and your group are skilled, you as a person is nothing more than excrement that I would have to scrape off my boots. Killing fast doesn't mean jack shit out here, all it means is that you can kill fast. To know how to live off the land, and know the creatures being hunted makes a real hunter. Now, if you don't want to end up in the belly of some wyvern, I suggest you pull your head out of your ass and start acting like a real hunter." Vance's tone was harsh, almost a yell even, and he could tell he struck a cord by the silence that took place between the three of them.

The large hunter walked up to Frances, placing a hand on the short hunter's shoulder and shook his head when Frances turned to regard him. The brute kept any words to himself as he walked off, his shoulders slumped. The short hunter stared after his friend for a moment before turning back to regard Vance. With a nod, he took a step back while bringing his hands up to his helmet. Lifting it up and away, to the complete surprise of Vance, to reveal the face 'she' kept hidden. Golden hair was tied back in a bun that she let unravel to have the locks drop and bounce off her armored shoulders, her eyes as blue as the daytime sky, firm jaw line, and full red lips. Vance only blinked a few times, and if there was any hints to his surprise, it didn't show on his expression. The two staring at each other for a long while in complete silence, until Vance walked past the short huntress.

"You win this time." she stated flatly, and how her voice was completely different when she didn't have the helmet on! It was like a soothing lullaby to anyone's ears, yet it didn't seem to sway Vance one bit. Though he did stop upon hearing her words, he didn't turn to regard her.

"You're still an idiot. An even bigger one if you think good looks will sway my mind." he replied, continuing his way back to Averos and leaving the short huntress alone.

Never had she met someone who got under her skin so much, and she started to feel a slight attraction towards the hunter. She grinned to herself as she turned around, eyeing the young hunter whom was walking away from her.

"How attractive…"

~VL~

Dorian was waiting at the gate, impatiently pacing back and forth. When he saw the three hunters come within range of the gates torch lights, he couldn't help but stare at Frances. Her helmet was off, and she wore a grin of satisfaction upon her young features. To Dorian that spelled disaster, and he let out a soft groan. He regained his composure as Vance walked by, the large hunting stopping at the gate and waiting for Frances to approach the two.

"So, how is he?" she asked Dorian. There was a hint of agitation within her tone, and her posture showed it as well when she crossed her arms over her chest.

Dorian shook his head. A grim expression on his features as he told her the sad news. "He didn't make it I'm afraid. The weight of the Diablos literally crushed all his bones in the lower half of his body and probably the organs within him. They tried all they could but, they said he lost way too much blood and couldn't get medical help in time."

The news hit the two hunters like a large rolling boulder, and the color drained away from France's face. Her friend didn't make it, and even though it was the risk of hunting, she still felt a bit guilty for his death. However, it didn't stop her mind from blaming it all on Vance. If it wasn't for him, he would probably still be alive. She looked for him, but he had already disappeared into the city. She let out a howl of frustration, stomping her feet in the ground. She fought back the tears, storming past Dorian to head for the tavern they were staying at.

Dorian didn't watch her go, but instead looked to the other hunter, more concerned for his well being. The brute slowly walking up to him with his shoulders slumped. A muffled voice came through the helmet, and it seemed to break on every word.

"M…Max is…d-d-dead?" the large hunter said, and Dorian nodded slowly. The big man slumped slightly, and Dorian could hear the large mans nose start to run. He patted the brute on the shoulder lightly, walking with him back to the tavern. Dorian wanted to say something, but he kept silent.