VIII

Quiet In-pleasantries

It was a couple hours past sunset, the moon only showing a sliver of its silvery form in the black sky. Clouds spotted the black vastness here and there, floating along an unknown path in one similar direction. The City of Averos was oddly quiet this night, with the taverns not as filled as they normally were. Normally until mid night the streets were somewhat filled with different patrons that would wander from tavern to tavern for food, drink, and entertainment.

What made this night so different? Vance wondered, letting the question play about in his mind as he stared out at the city from the window in his room. His form dressed in a black leather like armor that was skin tight, showing off his slim figure. Strapped to his waist were two blades in their scabbards with the longer of the two on his left. This blade was in a rectangle type shape, the other a dagger where the blade curved upward from the hilt. Both were mainly black, with the sharp edges of the blade being a yellow tint that slowly melted away into the black shading of the weapons. These swords were made from rare parts that had to be expertly carved from certain types of large insects, and killing them without them falling to pieces was a challenge in itself. The edges of the weapons were extremely sharp and had a rumor about them that when a small bug landed on their edge, it would simply split in half. That, and their small size and maneuverability, made them the perfect weapons to have to dispatch small monsters or opponents quietly.

The young hunter turned from the window, slowly walking over to his bed where his knapsack laid open. The contents inside visible to any standing near it, and those who would look in would see basic survival supplies. Flipping the flap over the opening and tying it closed, he swung it over his shoulder and secured it onto his back. Satisfied that it didn't bounce and move with his movements, he walked over to the end table next to his bed. Opening the small, red coffer sitting on the end table to retrieve his useful "trinkets" he kept inside. One was a chain made of platinum that held a small charm the size of an egg that opened up to reveal a small painted picture of him and Mythril. The other had a black chain with a charm that was wrapped with a black silk cloth that housed the light crystal within it's folds. Tonight it would serve two purposes. To let the city guard know that he wasn't sneaking around the city, and to find animal tracks in the ground. He scooped both of them up, tucking the crystal away in his armor first, then kissing the small egg softly before hiding it away with the other amulet.

Tonight he wanted to check up on the Diablos he left in the oasis a few days earlier to make sure it was still alive and able to live on it's own. He was sure the beast was more than capable to live independently, especially since it's main food source was cacti. His only concern was that Frances took her fellow hunters with her and finished the beast off for vengeance.

He shrugged the thought away as he went to leave the house, making sure the front door was locked before making his way to the city's central fountain. During the first few steps of walking outside he quickly unwrapped the light crystal on his chain, and in an instant the area five feet in front of him was dimly lit up. It was as if he held a lantern before him to light his path. He passed many houses along the way to the city's central fountain, and just before he got there he came across a noisy tavern that stood three stories tall. He stopped and looked to the tavern, seeing the many patrons dancing, drinking, and laughing. The second and third stories were just lighted yet covered by blinds. He thought back during the times he lived here before being exiled and remembered that this was a place where many hunters that stayed within Averos sought a room to sleep in. That was the main purpose of this Tavern, asides from offering a place to throw your money away buying drinks and personal time with the many women who served those drinks. It used to have a closing time, but since Averos grew bigger the owner decided to keep the place open all day and night year around. The owner faced a lot of fines in regards to disturbing the peace and waking up the neighbors but he made so much money that he didn't care, and neither did the guard. It was more of a fee to keep things running and as long as there was a good source of income for the guard, they didn't care.

Blinking a few times as he came back to reality, he looked to the sign by the door. A rather haggard looking thing that had an appearance of toppling over at the slightest breeze. Across it's wooden surface were the words "Desert Haven". The young hunter scoffed at the notion, and went to walk away but a shadowy figure that appeared in one of the second story windows caught his attention. Gazing upon the silhouette he felt a disgusted feeling creep over him. Shrugging the feeling away he turned and was on his way to the city's central fountain. Little did he know, that the silhouette continued to watch him until he disappeared from it's sight, then disappeared from the window.

~VL~

Frances was quickly out of her dress and into her armor. Yanking her dual blades from their rack on a dresser and securing them tightly on her back as she rushed out her bedroom door. Not taking the time to grab her knapsack or lock the door to her bedroom. Instead she quickly ran down the stairs, jumping down the last few steps and bolting out the front doors into the dark streets. The young woman quickly made her way down the street towards the city's central fountain, staying as close to the shadows as possible incase her prey wasn't too far away from her. Though within a few minutes she spotted her prey, and slowed her pace down to follow him from a distance.

They came up to the city's central fountain, and Frances quickly found a empty stand to hide behind, peeping around the darker corner to keep her form hidden. She watched her prey stand at the fountain for a few moments, each second that passed seemed to be a minute to her. Until finally he moved away from the fountain, heading south.

"The city gate huh? Planning to go out tonight and bathe in the rewards of a dead wyvern aren't we?" she said to herself, a nasty grin forming across her lips as she waited a moment after he disappeared behind a building to continue her task of following her prey. Except when she rounded the corner, he was gone. There was no empty stands or anything in the streets. Just an empty pathway lined with buildings and shadows. She acted casual and walked a few steps down the street before deciding to go back the way she came and go down another road.

~VL~

As soon as Vance rounded the corner, he quickly went down an alleyway, ducking into the shadows and waiting there. He grabbed the crystal around his neck, shielding the light with his hand to keep him from being spotted. Thankfully there wasn't any guards around to see him do this. A moment after hiding, he saw a form walk by, and stop directly in front of the alleyway's entrance. He couldn't make out much, but with how short it was led him to believe that it was the huntress whom he had the displeasure of having lunch with earlier that day. He could feel a disgusted look form across his features, and he was tempted to step out and confront her then and now. He held his tongue, and most importantly, his hiding ground and after a few moments of silence, the form walked away. Vance waited for what seemed like forever before moving, and when he did he kept to the shadows without the guidance of his crystal. A few minutes later he arrived at the main gates, and with a wave to the gate guards he vanished into the desert night.

~VL~

Frances was briskly walking down the back roads that she knew would eventually lead her to the main gate. A single blade drawn in her defense incase anyone jumped out at her. Though it was rare anyone would dare jump a hunter, unless they were heavily drunk. It made her feel comfortable though to have a blade out. It seemed like hours to her though to go down the back roads, but when she finally came to the city wall, she quickly headed for the city gates. When they were within her sight she put away her blade and slowed her walk down to a more casual pace.

As she approached the gate, a couple guards waved in her direction. She returned the wave, still keeping to a casual pace as she passed by them. One of them gave her an odd look, but kept to himself. She noted this, and wondered briefly why he was looking at her like that, but she focused on her main task. She stopped however when hearing one shout out.

"Another hunter just left. He is wearing all black, be careful and happy hunting!"

She grinned underneath her helmet and raised a hand to give off a wave, continuing on her path. Once she was a couple yards away from the gate she broke into a jog, also disappearing into the desert night. She kept to the main road for a few minutes, before heading east towards the Averan Maze. She was sure that was the direction the hunter went, and was more than sure he was going to retrieve the rarer items from the Diablos they left behind. However with every step her mind started to throw questions at her. What would she do if she caught up to him? What could she do? The hunter was obviously skilled, and was one of the elites that slew Alatreon.

She slowed to a stop as a new reality sunk in. Since he was dressed in black armor, how would she even find him? Even if he had that weird charm that gave off light, she knew he wouldn't just walk around with that exposed. That was a death wish. She was tempted to go back then, but once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see the dark lines of the distant plateaus that made up the Averan Maze. With a renewed determination, she broke into a jog again. She came this far already, why not keep going?

~VL~

The young hunter was standing before the mass of plateaus that made up the Averan Maze, looking to each of the five entrances where only one would lead to the Oasis. He had to think for a moment to remember which path was the correct one again, and once he started down that middle, snake like path, his crystal charm lighting the way, he thought about the person who was quite possibly following him. Hopefully they would take the wrong path, thus leaving him to his business and making it quick. As the path way opened up into the oasis, he quickly wrapped the light crystal with the silk cloth, blotching out all of it's light. He crouched down, waiting for his eyes to readjust to the darkness. Thankfully there was enough light coming from the moon to illuminate everything slightly, so the patches of trees and vegetation gave away a little more than a dark silhouette while everything else was a shadow. He looked over to the area where he originally found the Diablos resting, but it wasn't there. He held his breath as he scanned the area with his eyes, almost squinting to see anything, but when he saw a strange shadow that looked to have two horns, he smiled.

Quietly he tip toed towards the shadow, realizing that the beast was probably hiding in some brush. A feeling of dread washed over him though, and got stronger as he got closer to the brush, and once he was almost upon the beast, the smell of rotting flesh hit his nostrils. He brought up a hand to cover the lower half of his face, barely able to breath through the stench. Once he walked around the vegetation, he could see that the beast was behind the brush, not in it. He uncovered his crystal charm, the light illuminating the grotesque scene of the dead Diablos. He was about to silently curse Frances and her fellow hunters, but when he saw the bite marks all over the dead wyvern he had to look over the beast again. The body was completely disfigured, on it's back where plates and spine casings would be, was nothing but ripped muscle and broken bone. A wing was completely missing, and it's abdomen was completely gone. Rib cage included. The young hunter walked to the back of the beast, and instead of finding a tail, only found a nub where the end looked like it was ripped off rather than sliced off.

Vance backed away from the carcass, his thoughts running through different answers to the questionable predator that tore this Diablos apart. Jaggi and Genprey couldn't do this type of damage within the short time span of a few days, let alone make it this grotesque looking. Nothing from the Piscine family could do this. The only two wyverns he could think of were the Tigrex and the Deviljho. Both were ancient wyverns, with nasty, aggressive attitudes, and an even more nastier appetite. Tigrex took after a flying Wyvern, though it's forelimbs eventually became used for walking rather than flying. It's jumping ability was one to be feared, and when it was airborne, one was wise to seek cover. Deviljho, or Joe for short to Vance, took after the bird wyvern family. Though it's size rivaled almost everything that lived. The hulking green beast was known for a huge appetite, and due to it's high body heat it was constantly hungry. Tiring the beast was easy, but once enraged it was wise to retreat.

And that was what Vance wanted to do. Which ever one it could be, he was sure that it was not far off especially with a fresh water source near by. He had all the reason he needed to leave, so he covered his crystal charm and headed for the exit. However just as he was about to come up to the snake like path that would lead to the desert, he saw a shadowy figure walking towards him. Cursing his luck, Vance drew the blade from the scabbard on his left hip, holding the tip low to the ground before him. The figure seemed to slow down on it's approach, and even held up it's hands. When the figure came within the light's radius, Vance's suspicions on who was following was confirmed.

"You. I should've known you would follow me." he said in a sour tone. The short hunter took off her helmet, the light from the crystal barely illuminating her features. Though to her Vance was hard to see, and the way the light had cast shadows on his face made him look very intimidating. Almost ghost like.

Her expression was one of anger at first, but transformed to disgust when the smell of rotting flesh hit her. She pinched her nose shut with two fingers, making her voice sound like she was inhaling helium.

"It's dead?"

"Eaten."

Her eyes shot wide open on the response, and she covered her mouth with the same hand that pinched her nose. The young hunter kept his expression, not really wanting to stay and chat.

He grabbed her by the arm and started down the path back to the desert, and she followed him though only briefly. She broke free of his grasp, causing him to stop. He turned to speak to her, but the worried expression on her face made him quiet.

"By what?" she asked. Voice filled with curiosity with a hint of worry. Maybe even dread. Vance believed that she was going to start her usual childish acts, so he took in a deep breath and prepared for the worst.

"Don't know. It's missing it's tail, a wing, and it's belly is completely gone. Whatever it was, it's big, and the bite marks tell that much. I'm not one to find out what it is by myself, and more so without the proper supplies and gear."

Vance started down the path again, and to his surprise Frances followed. Quietly. There was a moment of silence between the two, but when she finally spoke up, her tone was quiet. It made him wonder if he at least got it through her head that trying to act tough in front of him wasn't going to land anything favorable in her direction.

"See? It died anyways. You should've just walked away and let my team kill it. Hell, Max would probably still be alive!"

"Doubt it. If you idiots would've left it alone, not only would the wyvern be alive, but so would your friend, Max." Vance shot back harshly, keeping his voice low. He heard the young woman huff, and couldn't help but smile despite the situation. He kept going though; almost talking casually. "Wyverns from the Blos family are rarely ever messed with by other wyverns unless one is severely injured. If you were a true hunter you would know that."

There was a moment of silence, but he stopped as soon as he heard Frances take a breath. She got one small word out, but she stopped when Vance's hand collided with the left side of her face. She stumbled back, even fell onto her rear while holding the left side of her face with a hand. Eyes wide with shock as tears slowly seeped out. Above her stood Vance, bearing down with his harsh gaze.

"Don't yell, lest you want to become the next meal of the wyvern that ate that Diablos." his voice a whisper, he turned away from the woman and continued on down the path. He heard Frances get back up, and could hear her dragging her feet along as she followed him. It remained quiet between the two for a long time, even after leaving the Averan Maze and crossing the desert span back to Averos.

Frances, despite feeling belittled and having a searing hatred for what Vance did to her, felt a little more attracted to the young hunter deep down. It made her sick to her stomach, to go back and forth between the two feelings of mutual attraction and hatred. Still, she slung every insult she knew at him under her breath. It wasn't until an hour later that she calmed down, and decided to try and start a conversation.

"How….long have you've been hunting?" she asked quietly, almost sweetly.

Vance let out a frustrated sigh, stopped walking, looked up to the sky and shook his head. He turned to regard her, his eyes filled with anger. "Will you just take a damn hint and shut up? I really don't care to have any type of interaction with you."

She let out a small gasp and watched for a few moments as he turned back around and kept walking, and for the rest of the trek back to Averos, she stayed quiet. Still slinging insults at him under her breath.

~VL~

By the time they reached Averos, dawn was slowly coming to the land. The sky slowly turning from a black blanket to a blue. With the east flaring with different colors of red and yellow. Mixing together with the sky and making pink and purple colors even. The two walked past the guards, both looking exhausted. Vance stopped, and Frances kept walking past him until he spoke.

"Get some rest. Once you do, get your boys, gather some supplies, and meet me here in the afternoon. Preferably while the sun is still in the center of the sky." he said calmly. He jogged off after that, taking a different route to get back home. Frances didn't even turn to regard him, or waved him off. She stood there at the gate for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and walking back to the tavern she was staying at. Desert Haven.