Several months pass, the party that once defended the town split up and went on different assignments. Orpheus was assigned to the volcanic area, Dragoon traveled to the desert, Maccabeus went to the swamps and Phoenix headed to the Forest and Hills.
Phoenix walked through the forest thinking about the life he has chosen. "I wonder if what I did was right, I mean I did save the outpost. But, was it really worth it killing all those people. I haven't found a girl I can settle down with, well I did but... I lost her... serving the guild..."
Phoenix was walking towards a very secluded part in the forest. A small grove surrounded by trees and other plants, it also has a small waterfall only ten feet high and six feet wide. "I think I'll chill out there for a while until I can cool off and wrap my head around some things. I have always loved the forest, the deep green trees blowing in a light breeze, leaves falling to the ground and the smell of the flowers that surround the area. It creates such a peaceful bliss."
Phoenix was getting close to the grove in the forest when he heard some one talking. "Huh, not many people know of this spot I don't know if I want company though, I kind of wanted to be alone."
Phoenix stood on the outside of the grove and looked through the thick foliage, it was Keira. "It's her.. I.. should say something, but what? No, I don't think shes for me."
Phoenix began to step away and broke a branch, Keira quickly turned around. "Who's there?!" She said in a slightly scared tone.
Phoenix stopped where he stood and turned his head to look back to reply, before he could say anything Keira said quietly. "Phoenix..." She clenched her hand on her chest.
Phoenix slowly turned around and faced her, not saying a word he just grinned. They stare at each other for a second, but cannot find the courage to say anything. Keira suddenly got a angry look on her face and pointed her finger at Phoenix. "You pervert! You were trying to catch me taking a bath weren't you?!"
"No! That's not it I like to come here to.." Phoenix looked at Keira's feet and noticed she didn't have her boots on. He held up his hands like he was under arrest.
Keira began to stomp over to him. "You jerk I'm going to.." Before she could finish she tripped on a loose rock and began to fall, Phoenix stepped forward and caught her. As Phoenix began to pull her to her feet she looked up at him, she was crying.
She clenched her fist and began to hit Phoenix on his chest. He was still wearing his armor so it didn't hurt, he just smiled at her. "Why did you just leave me, you jerk!"
"I didn't mean to I had to help the outpost."
"Is the guild that important to you?!"
"I don't know anymore, I don't think I could live a normal life after what I've been through so I don't want to quit. But, there are some thing now that I would quit for." He grinned and looked into Keira's eyes.
Keira began to stop crying and stared at Phoenix, she stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around his chest, under his arms. She started to cry again. "I don't want to be alone."
At first Phoenix left his arms in the air, but after a second he too wrapped his arms around her. They stood there embracing each other as she cried.
"You know, I wanted to spend some time alone but I think we could use the company." Phoenix smiled.
Keira began to stop crying and let out a long yawn. "I haven't gotten much sleep or food lately."
"Grab your boots and we'll head back to my camp to get you something to eat and you can sleep there for a while."
"Okay, but.." She blushed.
"What is it, something wrong?"
"I'm kinda tired, think you could carry me?"
Phoenix laughs and turns around holding his arms backwards. Keira hops onto his back and they begin to walk back to his camp. "So long have you been out here?"
"A couple weeks, I came in from the swamps." She explained tiredly. "I was looking for another Kirin, ever since you ruined the last one I got."
"Hey, I didn't ruin it. That was Erald's fault. Don't worry though, if you stick with me I'm sure we'll find another one. Keira?" Phoenix looked back and she had fallen asleep.
It only took me about twenty minutes to get back to the camp, when I got back I put her down on my bed and I sat outside while she slept and cooked up some meat I got from a Apcynoth. After a few hours she woke up and walked out with a blanket still wrapped around her.
"You get a good sleep?"
"Yea, thanks." She smiled and walked over and sat on the bench next to me. When she sat down she leaned over and layed her head on my shoulder.
"Still tired?"
"No, just hungry."
"That's why I've been slow cooking this meat I got from a Apcynoth I killed for some rations. I also seasoned it with some herbs and spices I collected." I handed her a plate with a big steak on it.
She took the plate, smiled and began to eat.
"You know, you look a lot cuter with your hair down like that."
She blushed and mumbled something.
"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full, it's not very feminine." I laughed and she punched me on the shoulder.
Keira finished eating and we sat there talking for a while.
"You know I hear that Dragoon has a fan girl following him around, he says shes not a girlfriend but I think he just doesn't want to lose that dark and brooding appearance."
"Ha ha, yea I think he's quite nice and soft on the inside. But I guess when you live the life of a hunter you develop a harder outer appearance."
"You trying to say I'm dark and brooding?" Phoenix put on his helmet and made a deep growling noise.
She giggled and reached for his helmet and slowly took it off. She slowly moved her head towards Phoenix and kissed him on the lips for a second.
"What was that for?"
"Thanks, for saving me from the Diablos and sorry for leaving."
I smiled and put my arm around her shoulders. "So, what do you want to do now?"
She pushed my arm off. "What kind of girl do you think I am?!"
"No! I meant, what do you want to do like hunt, rest, head back to a outpost."
She layed her head on my shoulder. "I think I need a break for a bit, then we can try to track down a Kirin."
"You really want Kirin armor that badly?" Phoenix laughs.
"What's wrong with Kirin armor?" Keira blushes but trying to hide it with a mildly angry face.
"Nothing, it's just the standard Kirin armor is a little.. revealing is all." Phoenix grins.
"You're such a pervert." Keira and Phoenix laugh together.
They spend a few days exchanging stories of what happened during and after the bandit attack on the outlands outpost. They eat, remove their armor and rest, trying to relax before they head out to look for a Kirin.
"You know I could really get used to a life like this, out in the wild relax, hunt for supplies and with you here I think I could forget all the worries in my life." Phoenix smiles as he lays in the bed in the tent with Keira at his side.
"We're almost out of meat, do you want to head out soon?"
"Sure, but first. I think I found the answer to that question you asked me the other day."
"Oh, what question?"
"What kind of girl do I think you are?"
"Oh, what kind of girl am I?"
"You're my girl."
"Am I now?" Keira sat up and on Phoenix's lap as he was lying down.
Phoenix stared into her eyes as she slowly lowered her head towards his face.
"What's going on in here?!" Someone shouted from the door.
Keira screams and falls to the floor grabbing the blanket to cover herself up. "What the hell?!" A girl's head was peaking into the tent.
"Rikka, what the hell did I tell you about bothering people while they're 'busy'?" Barked a voice from outside.
"Sorry, Dragoon. I couldn't help myself." The girl said looking over her shoulder.
"You never can." Dragoon growls as he enters the tent trying to locate all its occupants. "How's it going Phoenix?" He notices Keira on the floor. "Oh, so nice to see 'you' again."
"'You?' I have a name you know."
"Oh I know, I just don't care. Need a hand up?"
"Not from you." Keira held her hand up and Phoenix helped her up.
"One of the few times I've seen you without your armor on, that goes for both of you."
"Did we interrupt the afternoon ride?" Rikka giggles.
"I didn't think you were that kind of girl, Keira." Dragoon chuckles, pointedly ignoring the girl next to him.
"Kiss my ass." Keira smirks at Dragoon.
"I might bite, if you ask nicely..."
"Now, now!" Phoenix says trying to disarm the situation. "So is this your new girlfriend, Dragoon?"
Rikka jumps and latches onto Dragoon like a monkey; armor, weapon, and all. "Yes, we're deeply in love!"
"Get... off..." Dragoon glares at Rikka's face his helmet making his eyes glow a bloody red.
"Never!" Rikka sticks out her tongue.
Dragoon sighs. "Excuse me a moment." He walks out of the tent as he tries to pry Rikka off his chest.
Phoenix tosses Keira her Blango armor. "Here put it on."
"Thanks." Keira smiles.
"No problem, it's not like we were naked. We had our normal clothes on, you know."
"Shut up, she scared the hell out of me."
Keira and Phoenix put on their armor and step outside the tent. Dragoon had apparently managed to pry Rikka off and was talking to her quietly.
"What are you doing here, Dragoon? I thought you were patrolling the desert region." Phoenix says as he walks out of the tent.
"Well I was until this 'thing' started following me and ate all my rations."
"Sorry, I was hungry." Rikka places one hand behind her head and grins.
"She looks kind of young to be a hunter." Keira looks over at Rikka.
"Just so you know, I am eighteen." Rikka sticks her tongue out at Keira.
"Enough of that!" Dragoon taps Rikka on her head, causing her to bite her tongue.
"Ouch, why do you keep doing that." Rikka holds one her hand over her mouth in pain and takes a swing at Dragoon with her other hand.
"Because sticking your tongue out at people is childish. If you want to be rude at least do a good job of it." Dragoon says as he dodges Rikka's clumsy swing and grabs her by the opening around the back of her neck on her armor picking her up.
"Put me down!" Rikka flails about trying to get loose.
"Not until you calm down." Dragoon continues to hold her in the air at arms length.
"Thats a nice suit of Gypceros armor, Rikka." Phoenix smiles at Rikka.
Rikka stops flailing just long enough to say. "Thanks." Then she smiles and goes back to attempting to escape Dragoon.
Keira slaps Phoenix upside the head. "Stop hitting on other women."
"Ouch, it was just a compliment." He mutters.
"It looks like you're on a short leash now, Phoenix." Dragoon grins.
Rikka laughs. "Keira has a pet. Keira has a pet!"
Dragoon taps Rikka on the top of her head with his free hand. "Think before you speak."
"Ouch! Alright already!" Rikka stops flailing about and Dragoon puts her down.
Phoenix notes that Rikka is a very short girl, she only stands about five feet two inches tall compared to Dragoon's five feet nine inches.
"Oh yeah, what are you doing here, Dragoon?" Keira asks.
"I was sent to find you, there is a Tigrex terrorizing the Popo population in the mountains." Addressing Phoenix instead of Keira, much to her annoyance. "Originally I was going to help you, but since the thief is with you, the two of you can handle it. Me and this squirt here will kill a few Kut Ku that are overpopulating this area, that alright with you guys?"
Keira smiles. "Yep, fine by me."
"Sounds good to me. We'll head back to Pokke Village, resupply and then we'll head out."
"We'll just stay at this camp and prepare to take out the Kut Ku."
As Phoenix and Keira head out, Phoenix looks back to see Rikka pull out a very long two handed katana and starts to swing it wildly about as Dragoon dodged her reckless swinging. Training he decided after a second.
Phoenix and Keira travel for about a week before the reach the village of Pokke.
"Alright Keira can you go to the store and grab some supplies while I talk to the village elder about the Tigrex problem?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"Get what you need and ask for the supply list for Phoenix, they know who I am and they will have a list of the general supplies I always carry."
"Alright." Keira smiles and walks over to the store as Phoenix walks over to talk to the village elder.
Phoenix walks over to the village elder and bows.
"Ah so the Outlands Prodigy returns to the village, Pokke. Welcome back, Phoenix."
"How are you doing?" Phoenix smiles.
"Oh just fine for a old woman. I'm guessing Dragoon has spoken with you about the Tigrex problem?"
"Kind of, all he said was that there was a problem. He didn't tell me any details."
"Well you see, most Tigrex attack our Popo and take one very occasionally. There is a Tigrex that seems to be killing more than he needs to just eat. We have found many carcasses that haven't even been eaten, just killed and left to rot. We need you and Dragoon to track down this Tigrex and kill it before it ruins the Popo population here."
"Dragoon isn't with me, but I have another hunter with me that will help me in his stead." Right as Phoenix finished that sentence Keira walks over to him.
"I got our supplies, Phoenix."
The Village Elder grins. "It seems the phoenix has finally found it's mate. There must be something special about this one."
Keira blushes and grins not knowing what the elder and Phoenix were just talking about.
"Well I guess we'll start our search, Elder." Keira and Phoenix head out.
The Village Elder grins. "Good luck, Phoenix, and may you have a safe journey!"
Phoenix and Keira Head out to hunt down the Tigrex.
After a day they reach the base camp of the mountain that the Village Elder said they have been losing more Popo than usual.
"Let's rest for a day and gather our strength."
"That's up to you, Phoenix." Keira smiles.
"Hey, what's with that tone did I.." Suddenly a tremendously loud roar erupts quite close to the camp.
"No time to rest I guess." Keira smiles and looks at Phoenix.
"I hope this is a smaller one, Tigrex always make me nervous. They are just so... crazy, all the time. Grab your equipment and put on some earplugs, if this thing roars anywhere near you you'll go deaf."
Phoenix and Keira grab their equipment and head out of the campsite. After heading down the hill they see three Popo bodies mutilated but not eaten.
"I guess he wasn't hungry." Phoenix says while looking at the Popo carcasses.
"Phoenix, look!" Keira points up at the sky.
The Tigrex was gliding towards a nearby mountain.
"Let's try and follow it before it get away!" Phoenix yells already heading towards a cave entrance.
"Wait up!" Keira yells back trying to catch up to Phoenix.
Keira catches up to Phoenix after a minute and they continue to climb the mountain.
"This place isn't too bad, if you can stand the cold." Keira says as she admires the ice coated cave. The walls are coated in a thick layer of ice, that is reflecting all sorts of colors. Pillars of ice Extend from the ceiling to the floor, making it look like a great hall in a castle.
"Yea, it's quite beautiful. Let's try to pick up the pace."
Phoenix and Keira continue through the cave system, trying to make their way up to the Tigrex.
"Shh, I hear something." Phoenix quietly says as they reach a opening in the cave where some light is shining through.
They both slowly peek their heads around the side of the opening and see a Tigrex licking it's claws, trying to clean the blood and left over meat off.
Phoenix whispers to Keira. "Can't that light bowgun of yours fire Crag?"
"Yea, not very big ones, but I can fire them."
"Alright when I tell you too, fire off a shot towards it's face. But aim towards the ground."
"Why?"
"That will create a nice distraction for me to head out and try some do some preemptive strikes."
"Gotcha." Keira winks and readies her bowgun.
"Alright, shoot."
Keira shoots a crag shot towards the Tigrex's face and it falls short. It explodes sending snow and debris into its face. It rears up with its jaw open trying to figure out what happened. Phoenix charges out with his sword drawn, the Tigrex stands there confused looking all around. Phoenix lunges through the debris cloud and slashes as hard as he can at the Tigrex's right front leg, severing a hunk of it's flesh. The Tigrex flinches back in pain and jumps thirty feet to the side looking at Phoenix.
Phoenix yells. "Shoot!" Keira fires off a volley of shots from her light bowgun most deflecting off the hard scales but some penetrate and stick in it, coating its right side with metal spikes. The Tigrex looks into the direction of Keira and readies to charge at her. Phoenix runs at it before it starts to move and slashes away it's left ribs. The Tigrex falls over in pain and flails about, Phoenix runs away and Keira fires off another volley of shots. This time most of them hit his neck and face, one taking out its right eye and a few went into its mouth. The Tigrex stood up wheezing trying to roar but a shot got lodged in it's throat and nothing comes out.
Even on it's last moments of it's life the Tigrex still has a look of pure anger and hatred on its face. As it tries to roar once more Keira shoots off a crag shot and it goes down the Tigrex's throat. Soon after they see it's throat expand and a small flame and some smoke come out its mouth. The beast falls to the ground and remains motionless.
"That was easier than I expected." Keira says walking over to the Tigrex.
"The last one I took on didn't go down that easy either. It was a lot bigger than this one, this one is pretty small." As Keira and Phoenix walk towards the Tigrex it suddenly lunges its head towards Keira. Phoenix dives over and shoves her out of the way, it's jaws slam shut. The sound of it's jaws was like two pieces of steel slamming into each other, its bite barely miss Phoenix's leg. Phoenix pulls Keira back as he runs away a good thirty feet and readies his bowgun. He loads a very large caliber shot into it as he walks closer to the Tigrex's head and fires it directly into the top of it's head only a few feet away. Scales, flesh and brain matter fly every which way and the beast lays there with its jaw open blood running out of it.
"Never walk that close to a corpse without checking it first!" Phoenix says firmly to Keira as he helps her off the ground.
"I'm sorry." Keira frowns and lowers her head.
"Sorry to yell at you, its just. I don't want to lose you like that."
Keira raises her head with a smile and a few tears running down her cheek. "You won't."
Phoenix lets go of her and they gather their equipment and head back to their camp. When they arrive they send a messenger bird to the guild to come and collect the carcass. Keira and Phoenix take off their armor and lay in bed, relaxing after a short but intense hunt.
"I don't think we should quit, this is too much fun." Keira says to Phoenix as she lay next to him.
"Fun, you almost got killed by a 'dead' Tigrex today and that's what you call fun?" Phoenix laughs.
"Yea, hunting is a lot better than having a normal job like being a maid."
"That's true, I don't know what I would do if I wasn't a hunter. You lead such a interesting life hunting down things that can kill you at a moments notice." Phoenix and Keira laugh.
After a few hours they both drift to sleep and wake up the next day.
"That was fast." Keira looks up as she lays next to Phoenix, there is a messenger bird perched on a post outside their tent.
Phoenix and Keira get up and walk outside, Phoenix removes the message from the birds leg.
"What does it say, Phoenix?" Keira asks.
"It says they want us back immediately to respond to a new species that is terrorizing the Great Forest."
"Well, let's get back then." Keira smiles.
They both put their armor back on, gather the rest of their equipment and head back to the village Pokke.