The Lost Civilization: DLC

by dashboardgecko

A collection of one-shots and mini-stories based off MH fanfiction 'The Lost Civilization,' written to sate my thirst to write! Let's see what sort of adventures and antics the heroes, villains, and side characters of TLC get up to after the main story as we wait for MH4 and the sequel to The Lost Civilization!

9. Underground - Part 4

Underground – Part 4

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless stated otherwise.

Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk

This one-shot is CANON with The Lost Civilization

Inspired by A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

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The man called Facultas Capsus gazed down on Heine, Cait, and Rena with a look of assured superiority and dominance on his face. He strode towards them down the long stairs, with each step of the man's boots clacking lightly against the Meridian stone. To the three before him, however, each one felt like a lightning bolt, crashing down one after another as the man approached. His eyes seemed to bore through their skulls and clutch their minds, leaving the humans and Felyne frozen where they stood, fearful that a single motion would mean their deaths.

This man was dangerous! Each of them knew it! His eyes, his hair, and the pulsating crystals along his body all radiated a brilliant golden color, making the man himself seem to glow a golden hue. His eyes and very presence, however, held their hearts in a grip with some incalculable force of charisma, like invisible chains. The threat of the power the man had just displayed, his armor flinging lightning powerful enough to destroy the near-impenetrable Meridian stone, petrified them!

The way he looked at them now… it was like a herdsman looking over the animals in his barn, or a blacksmith appraising the blades in his armory, and he didn't seem impressed by what he saw. Even the barest glance from the golden man made Heine feel small, a fly caught tight in the web of a great spider.

"Three?" The word seemed to shake the platform under him. "Only three retainers? What shameful numbers for such an occasion as this."

The man tilted his head as though listening for some unheard sound. "My halls are silent, my fortress undisturbed… Do the rest who serve cower? Do they fight against my enemies? They should know better! They should know my revival takes precedence! But… so be it. The rest shall suffer for this insolence in time.

"Little Valja," Capsus rumbled, motioning to Cait. The Felyne jittered fearfully where he stood, his head darting back and forth between Heine and Rena, before returning his gaze to the golden man before them.

"Vel… Vel-yah, nya?" he muttered in an awkward attempt to pronounce the word. "I am… I am Cait… I am…"

Capsus' expression soured at the words, but seemed more confused than anything else. "You are named, Valja? You were not meant for names. It was never your purpose. Never speak it in my presence again. Now answer me: how long, Valja? How long has it been since I was placed in the crystal?"

"I don't… I don't know, nya."

The Meridian's eyes narrowed venomously on the Felyne, and Cait cowered fearfully as the crystals in the man's armor pulsed threateningly. "You do not know? How is it you do not know, Valja? Is this not your role? Are you not the one who was assigned to this duty? Was it not you who awoke me? You shame yourself! Where is the matriarch of your servile clan? What insult does she mean by this negligence of duty? Answer me, Valja!"

"I don't know!" the Felyne yowled fearfully. "I don't… Um, Harker… Harker always said… He always said it'd been at least two thousand years since… since…"

Cait's words seemed to stagger the Meridian, though Capsus managed to maintain a stern expression. "Two… thousand years? So long… It has taken so long to…"

The golden man paused, shaking his head. "No matter: your incompetence is unacceptable, Valja, but your duty is performed. I will ascertain the rest of the information I require from the matriarch of your clan, or from this… Harker. With fortune, they will not have become so inadequate over the years of my dormancy."

The golden man's attention then turned towards Rena, and the huntress shivered as the Meridian strode towards her. Capsus reached forward and grasped hold of Rena's jaw. The huntress gasped slightly, trembling, but couldn't move from where she stood or pull herself from the man's grip. Capsus forced her to turn her head from side to side, gazing at her with scrutiny, his eyes trailing up and down her body with impassivity.

"You are powerful, woman," he finally said, though there was no praise in the words. He was merely stating his assessment. "You would be a match to the Lancers, or perhaps the Weaver, had you the gift of the Skinned. Keep improving yourself, and remain in favor, and you shall become a blade worth wielding in opposition of those who hinder me. Your manner of dress is a needless display, however, for one of your strength and potential. Is this the fashion of armor for the age, even for the powerful? It is a flagrant exhibition of weakness in my eyes."

Capsus' eyes lingered on Rena's body, however, his face growing thoughtful. "Or perhaps a more worthy cause is fitting for one like you, woman. You are not unsatisfying to the eye. You would make a worthy endowment to a warrior who has proven his value to me. You have not the qualities to receive the gift of the Skinned, but perhaps as a concubine of one who does, you will bear a child who can. There are few greater honors I can bestow upon a woman such as yourself."

Heine felt a deep heat swelling up in his gut at the words, and his grip tightened on the stock of his rifle. With the golden man's compulsion, however, he couldn't bring himself to move or protest, even as Capsus' scouring of Rena continued. The man's face eventually became stern once more though, and the golden man released the huntress from his grip. Rena nearly toppled to the ground, gasping for air, as the man's gaze shifted away from her, moving onto his final quarry.

As Capsus' eyes landed on Heine, however, he paused. His golden eyes narrowed critically, and Heine felt his heart seize in his chest. Everything in him told him he needed to run! Flee! Escape from this… this monster in human form! Every order he gave to his body was ignored, however, every muscle in his body paralyzed in abject fear. He could only stand there as Capsus' gaze continued to search him over, appraising him like an artisan would a blade or tool. His expression remained unimpressed as he scanned the courier.

As the Meridian's eyes landed on Heine's rifle, though, frozen in the courier's grip, the man's expression shifted, and for a short moment, the man's face changed to one of shock and disbelief. It was gone in a flash, replaced immediately by one of raging disgust and fury.

"Precursor!" he spat, as though the word was a curse. There was so much force in his revulsion that Heine nearly toppled to the ground. "What is your purpose here? You would hinder me? You would claim yourself proprietor? The dark beast laid you to ruin. You will not revive yourselves! It is I who shall bear the mantle of the three-pronged talon! Your legacy is dust, and shall remain so!"

"I-" Heine gasped feebly. "I… I don't-"

Capsus' rage began to fade, replaced by disdain as his gaze continued to bore into Heine. "You are no warrior, this I see plain. Your presence in this fortress is purportless, no matter your goals. You fritter away time in my vicinity. I will not spare a man of your caliber another thought, especially one such as a Precursor."

Capsus turned his gaze from Heine, returning his attention to Cait, and the Felyne shivered in horror under the man's scrutiny. As Heine's heart finally began to calm though, Capsus' right hand rose, his open palm lifting to face Heine. The gem in the center of the glove was swelling with energy. The memory of the lightning bolts the golden man had unleashed only a few minutes ago burst into Heine's mind, and his eyes widened in horror.

Electricity began to snap between the golden man's fingers. Capsus was speaking to Cait, not even looking at Heine, and the golden man was simply going to kill him! Arcing tendrils of voltage jumped from the man's hands to the floor, and Heine's hair began to stand on end as static energy filled the air around him. His body stood rooted where he stood, however, completely unable to move in his abject terror.

"No!"

Heine's heart nearly stopped at the shout, and even Capsus seemed surprised at the outburst, turning in confusion towards Rena. Both of the men were shocked to realize that, in a moment, the huntress had launched herself across the walkway in a blind rush, and was only a step away from the Meridian, her eyes alight with desperation. Her great sword was unsheathed and already in mid-swing, arcing in a diagonal slash towards the man's right shoulder. Capsus raised his hand as though to catch the blade, his expression one of incomprehension.

There was a sickening crunch as blade met the Meridian's hand, slamming it back before the great sword crashed into Capsus' arm. The Meridian metal blade was unable to puncture the white scales, despite its sharpness. The weight of the weapon and Rena's latent strength, however, were more than enough to splinter the bones within Capsus' arm and hand, pushing the Meridian back several steps as his limb bent in a way no body part was supposed to.

Capsus looked down as his ruined arm in horror and disbelief, as though he never imagined such a thing was possible. "You… my arm! You attacked me? You… attacked…. me?! How dare you?!"

With a howl of fury, Capsus shoved his ruined arm back against Rena, easily pushing the huntress several yards backwards and nearly sending her toppling to the ground, despite the wound he had received. The man's left arm snapped up as he glared at her in fury, and energy swelled into the crystal gem in his palm.

Rena yelped in fear, sweeping her sword around defensively to block as lightning lanced out from the Meridian's palm and smashed against the thick metal slab. She screeched in pain as the electricity knocked her backwards, arcing through the blade and into her body. Once again, her Crimson Qurupeco armor seemed to gather up the energy between the feathers before channeling the energy to the leggings of the armor and discharging the energy out of the protruding feathers into the stone platform. Capsus stared incredulously at the huntress as she gasped for air, glancing in confusion between the huntress and the glowing crystal in his palm.

"Impossible! For you to have survived…" Rena wheezed in pain, however, crumpling to her knees and desperately gripping her sword to keep herself upright. Capsus' expression returned to one of disdain as he stared down at her.

"You are indeed strong, woman," Capsus told her. He glanced down at his fractured arm, looking at it as though it had failed him more than anything else. He didn't even appear to feel the pain of the injury. "You are more powerful than I imagined, for one who is not of the Blood… You certainly would have made a fine tribute to a worthy warrior, or earned the title as a Sword of the Overlord. Now I see… The words of the Valja were lies! You are retainers of my enemies, sent to end me! The silence in my fortress, this paltry collection sent to witness my revival…"

His eyes turned cold and the crystals along his armor flared brightly in his fury. "But I will not be made a fool of by some… barbarous exhibitionist! Humanity has clearly become blind to the strength of the Blooded during my time in the crystal, the Valja having become lazy and complacent! I will make humanity remember my power, barbaric though they are! Your glory as a Sword is lost, woman, but I will make of you a fine example of what happens to those that oppose me!"

The Meridian's uninjured hand snapped up, the energy of his armor flaring to life in his palm. Rena cringed, bringing her great sword around again to try and block the lightning again, but as before, when the electricity smashed into the metal slab, the voltage arced along the weapon and into the huntress' arm. Rena cried out in agony as the electricity jolted through her, despite her armor discharging most of it, and fell to her knees as the crystal in Capsus' palm glowed again.

"Your garb may resist my lightning, woman, but it does not make you immortal. It only prolongs your suffering. Now pass from this world, useless human."

As more voltage jumped between the golden man's fingers, a raucous screech tore through the air, and a glittering, neon red and green blur launched itself through the air. Capsus' eyes widened in shock as Cait smashed headlong into the Meridian's face and slashed at the man's exposed head with his claws and small blade. The golden man howled in fury under Cait's assault, but it seemed somehow the Meridian wasn't being wounded by the Felyne's assault. The crystals along the man's collar had flared to life when Cait leapt at him, and even as the calico creature's claws and sword slashed at his face, there seemed to be some resistance which kept the small weapon from truly cutting into the Meridian.

With a roar of frustration, Facultas Capsus reached up, grabbing Cait by the head and pulling the Felyne off of him. Heine was stunned at the sight: despite Cait's assault, the golden man's face was unmarred, save for the mussing of his hair and a few small scratches at his cheek. The glowing along his collar faded as the man turned his enraged expression on the Felyne, who cowered under the Meridian's venomous gaze.

"You! Even you would betray me! Have the Valja no honor anymore? Have they no loyalty to their masters? Worthless, pathetic creature! Does the world itself challenge my will, these long two thousand years past? Bah! So be it! If I must remind every living creature, great and small, that Facultas Capsus is a name to be feared, then I will reduce to ash as many as it takes to achieve my goal! Starting with you!"

Light flashed through the fibers in the man's armor, and energy swelled up in the Meridian's palm. Cait howled in terror, struggling to free himself and smashing his blade against Capsus' wrist, but was unable to wrench free of the golden man's grip.

There was a flash of light and a terrible searing noise as lightning ripped from Facultas Capsus' palm, tearing into Cait's body. The Felyne yowled in agony as thousands of volts passed through his body. Every feather of the Crimson Qurupeco material armor the Felyne wore snapped and shivered under the electricity. Dozens of arcs of energy lashed out from the back as the armor tried to discharge the energy Capsus was forcing into Cait's body.

Heine had stood frozen from the start, his body paralyzed with terror. He had only been able to stand on and watch as the Rena had lashed out at the Meridian, and the man's retaliation. He had done nothing when Cait had attacked the golden man either, and his body refused to move even now as Capsus assaulted the Felyne with lightning.

A stray arc of electricity jumping from Cait's armor leapt out against the white stone platform in front of Heine. A spark snapped up and bit into Heine's leg, the pain jolting the courier out of his paralyzed state. Heine toppled over, clutching his leg, before the sound of Cait's howling pulled him from his own concerns. As he looked up at the terrible sight in front of him, again he found his breath hitching and his body quaked in fear. His hands fumbled to pull the rifle from his back, but his fingers shook too much to unsling the old firearm.

"Let go of him!"

Facultas Capsus' eyes darted to Rena at the huntress' shout. The great sword wielder lunged at the Meridian, swinging her weapon down at the golden man again. This time though, the Meridian was not to be caught off guard. In a flash, the lightning which seared through Cait was cut short, and Capsus carelessly tossed the body of the Felyne aside. Cait smacked into the pale stone floor, his sword flying from his grip and skittering over the edge into the pit below. The Felyne slid to a halt, but the small creature didn't move, lying motionless on the platform. Ragged, wheezing breaths hissed from the Felyne's mouth as his singed fur continued to smoke.

Rena roared in fury as the Meridian turned to face her. However, the man made no motion to dodge. He simply raised his hands as though to grasp hold of the blade in the air, the crystals in his palms flaring with energy. Heine realized in shock that the golden man had raised both hands, even the one which had been broken, and was doing so apparently without feeling any pain at all.

There was a solid thump as the massive blade crashed down into the Meridian's hands. However, unlike before, Facultas Capsus barely budged from where he stood, catching the blade with his palms as though it was little more than a branch. Rena gasped in horror as she tried to pull the blade away, but the Meridian's fingers clamped down on the flat of the weapon, holding it tightly. Capsus' gaze trailed down the runes on the sword, before he turned a spiteful glare at Rena.

"You would make a toy sword out of something which does not belong to you, woman? You would seek battle using power which is not yours? To think you believe this would be enough to challenge me… Allow me to show you the error of your ways."

With a swift motion, Capsus pulled his left hand away from his grip on the blade and thrust it forward again, forming it into a fist and smashing it into the flat of the great sword. There was a terrible splitting sound, and the massive weapon actually fractured in two! Nearly the whole length of the Meridian metal broke apart from the sword, leaving only a half-foot of blade attached to the hilt. Several small shards of the weapon clattered to the ground, skittering across the walkway. A jagged crack split across the center of the blade and cut straight through the runes on the blade; a moment later the dim glow of the ancient writing flickered and faded away, leaving the markings as nothing more than dark carvings on the metal.

Rena tumbled backwards, falling onto her backside. She stared in stunned disbelief at the ruined remains of her weapon, the once massive weapon now remaining only as the hilt and a small jagged edge. Capsus looked idly at the remainder of the blade in his hand, before tossing it aside and allowing the bulk of the blade to topple over the side of the platform. Rena stared up at him in horror, clutching the handle of her destroyed weapon as though the remains would somehow help her. The Meridian merely looked at her distastefully, before raising his left hand, facing his palm towards her as the crystal at its center glowed.

Heine hissed in pain as a stinging sensation bit into his leg. Looking down he saw that one of the shards of Rena's sword had been flung far enough that it had cut a shallow line into the back of his hand. The pain had pulled him from his frozen terror and he looked up again, realizing that Rena had yet to move from where she sat, still stunned from her weapon's destruction, while Facultas Capsus prepared to electrocute her.

In an awkward scramble, Heine finally swept the rifle up, pulling it into firing position in one fluid motion. As he aimed the weapon at Capsus, however, his hands shook in terror, and his heart pounded in his chest like a bass drum. Through the sight on top of the rifle, his aim wavered and bucked as the barrel shivered in his uneasy hands. He was… Was he really going to try and kill a man? In front of him, Rena eyes widened in horror as sparks jumped between Facultas Capsus' fingers…

Blam!

He had been aiming for the Meridian's chest. His shot missed its target, though, ricocheting off Capsus' right bracer and flinging away, clattering off somewhere on the far wall of the chamber. The golden man's eyes snapped in his direction, blazing in fury as Heine fumbled to pull the bolt of his rifle and chamber another bullet.

In a flash, the Meridian's palm was pointing at him instead. As the electricity crackled between the golden man's fingers, Rena shouted in horror, reaching forward to knock Capsus' arm away. She barely managed to push the man's arm down, just as the lightning ripped from his palm, and the massive bolt of energy smashed into the platform not three yards in front of Heine. The blast ripped through the Meridian stone, tearing a massive chunk of the walkway apart and sending the shards careening into the pit below.

However, while most of the energy from the lightning blast tore apart the platform, tendrils of voltage jumped up as well, lancing out from the impact zone. Heine screamed in agony as thousands of volts of electricity jumped into the barrel of his rifle, coursing through his firearm and to his hand which was still on the bolt, smashing into him and throwing him backwards. Heine gasped in pain as he smashed down, his heart shuddering erratically and his flesh smoking as sparks of voltage continued to jolt through him.

It felt like an eternity before the tendrils of electricity faded, leaving Heine gasping and sobbing in pain. The flesh on his hands and chest felt burned, and every heartbeat felt out of rhythm. He could hardly breathe, and every gasp was choked with the smell of charred flesh. His shoulder and head hurt from where he'd crashed into the platform. Somehow he still clutched his rifle, but though the barrel was hot, his fingers locked in place and wrapped around it. His ears were ringing painfully, yet muffled sounds could still be heard. He thought he could hear Rena continuing to fight against the Meridian man, but he couldn't be certain.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, his eyes squeezed shut and gasping in pain as tears slid down his face, but he was wrenched out of it as a new pain snapped through his body. His head was snapped back as someone grabbed hold of his long hair, yanking him roughly into the air. He cried out as he was pulled up to his knees, whimpering in pain as whoever held him gave him a fierce shake.

"Look. At. Me. Precursor."

His fear demanded he keep his eyes shut, in terror of what awaited him. The same fear also forced his eyes open, in terror of what Facultas Capsus would do to him if he did not. As his eyelids cracked open, the first thing he saw was the golden man's horrible, penetrating eyes gazing furiously at him. The man had him by his hair, lifting him up with his left hand. Heine's gaze dipped downward fearfully, but only opened wider in terror when he realized the man was dragging Rena along the ground next him, his other hand wrapped around the huntress' throat, despite his right arm being broken.

In a moment of abject horror, Heine feared the huntress might be dead, and he felt something inside him break. He couldn't breathe, couldn't speak… but the grip he somehow still had on the stock of his rifle grew tighter. The huntress coughed, however, spraying a mist of blood down onto the floor of the walkway. A wave of relief washed over Heine, and he choked back a sob. He winced in pain though, when Capsus roughly shook him again, and the courier's eyes leapt up back to the Meridian's face.

"Look. Look at this futility," Facultas Capsus hissed. "Look at how little you've accomplished. What did you hope to achieve by attacking me? My arm is broken, but only from a surprise attack! And a scratch, the tiniest of blemishes on my face! Look, Precursor! Coward! See how little your efforts mattered! I will not be killed so easily! I will not lose this power which I have wrenched from the grips of your depraved masters!" Capsus pulled Heine close, lowering his voice. He could feel sparks jumping from the man's fingers into his hair as the crystals of the Meridian's armor flared along with the golden man's anger. "I will not give up the power I have created either! The Weapons are mine, and the Pillars will crumble under their devastating strength!

"The woman… I will keep her for a while longer, and make of her an example to those who oppose me, that even those you believe strong wilt before me. But as for you, Precursor… Be thankful you will not see that day. You die here, as does the Valja who dared turn against my will." The Meridian glanced to the side, peering over the edge into the pit below, where azure crystal spikes pierced up through the churning blue fluid flowing between them. He returned his gaze sternly back to Heine. "I will not even waste my power on you, Precursor. If you are fortunate, you shall die with a crystal piercing your heart. If you are not - and I fervently hope one so worthless as you is not - then you shall die a drowning death, the fluid of the crystals seeping into your lungs. Now die, Precursor, and begone from my presence."

With that, the Meridian turned, and Heine yelped in pain as the man dragged him towards the edge of the platform. Heine gasped and struggled, trying to pull himself free, but the golden man's grip on him was too strong, and Heine was just too weak and wounded at the moment to fight back. His heart pounded in his chest as he grew closer to the edge.

Then there was a tearing sound and a pinching feeling in Heine's skull. The courier gasped in terror as he felt himself falling, but grunted in pain as his back smacked against the pale stone below him. Heine looked up in surprise as a flash of metal lashed out at the Meridian's side, striking at the golden man's waist. It was Rena, lashing out at Capsus with the broken remains of her great sword!

The blade deflected uselessly off the Meridian's armor, however. Facultas Capsus grunted in surprise at the blow and spun about furiously before realizing that he was no longer dragging Heine behind him. He looked down at his left hand, realizing what had happened: Rena had used the remains of her weapon to cut off most of Heine's long hair, releasing him from the Meridian's grip. The golden man still had his other hand wrapped around the huntress' throat, however, as she continued to swing her blade uselessly against his white armor. With each deflection of the broken weapon, however, her blows seemed to be growing weaker and weaker.

"You are tenacious," Capsus growled viciously. "Truly you are a stubborn creature, woman. Does death not come for you soon enough?"

"I won't-" Rena gasped painfully. Her swings were lopsided now, and several weren't even hitting the golden man. "I won't let you…"

"Nothing you can do will stop me if it is my will, woman," Capsus stated flatly. He glanced down at Heine in disdain, then further down the walkway, where Cait still lay unconscious. "You three are all more trouble than you are worth. But a mild distraction, nothing more. Very well; I had thought to draw out your life, even if only a little longer, woman. If you wish for death to come to you so quickly, however, I will oblige you."

"No…" Heine muttered painfully, trying to push himself upright. Capsus glared down at him distastefully.

"Stay silent, Precursor. Your time will come soon enough."

The Meridian lifted Rena to her knees, forcing her still. The huntress slouched weakly, unable to fight back against the golden man's strength. Keeping his right hand around her throat, Facultas Capsus lifted his left hand, peeling the headdress from Rena's head before clamping his fingers down over her skull. The huntress' eyes widened in horror, her breaths coming in panicked gasps as the crystals along the Meridian's armor began to glow, energy swelling towards the man's hands.

"No. No!" Heine cried. His heart was pounding in his chest like a cannonade.

"Worry not, cowardly Precursor; it will be over for you all soon."

As Facultas Capsus gazed down at Rena apathetically, as the huntress quavered under his grip, something snapped inside of Heine. The courier howled in fear and anger and desperation, striking out with his rifle like a club. The iron barrel slammed against the Meridian's ankle, causing Capsus to grunt as his stance dipped slightly. In the moment Capsus faltered, Heine reached up to grab the man's arm with his left hand, and used the Meridian's own strength to pull himself up. He swept the firearm up from below with his right arm, still clinging tightly the stock of the rifle. Heine twisted the barrel of the rifle up under Capsus' right arm and pushed the muzzle directly up against the golden man's jaw, tilting the man's head back.

The Meridian's eyes widened in surprise. The crystals along the man's collar were dark, but energy began to flood back from his palms as Heine pulled the trigger.

Blam!

The bullet punched through the Meridian's jaw, tore through the man's skull, and burst out the left side of his forehead. There was a splash of blood and a spray of bone and marrow as the left side of Capsus' face exploded, gore spraying onto Heine and Rena and across the stone walkway. The golden man's right eye widened in horror, and he cried out in shock, his grip on Rena's skull coming loose as he raised his hands to his face and staggered backwards. The huntress wilted as the man's grip loosened, and she fell to her hands and knees, gasping for air.

However, even as blood gushed down the Meridian's face, the wound was starting to clot. Several of the crystals around the man's collar began to glow fiercely, lighting up with the intensity of small suns. Even as Capsus' hand pressed against the ruined remains of his skull, the bone and blood seemed to press against some invisible barrier, keeping the damaged pieces in place. He was still alive!

Though his armor was somehow able to stave off death, Heine could clearly see the agony in the Meridian's eyes. Capsus seemed to be using every bit of willpower to avoid howling in pain. Even so, the man's eyes shot up, unbridled fury seeping through him as he glared at the black-haired courier. With a bellow of rage, the golden man lunged at Heine, his remaining eye blazing with pain-maddened fury.

Heine yelped in terror, trying to scramble away from the golden man and reload his rifle at the same time, but Capsus was on him in an instant. The Meridian's hands snapped forward, one grabbing hold of the rifle's barrel as the other clamped around Heine's neck. The courier choked as the man's fingers tightened around his throat, and he desperately tried to twist the muzzle back towards the Meridian's face. Capsus growled viciously at him, and energy flared in the crystals on his glove. With a wrenching sound the golden man's fist squeezed the metal, crushing the barrel and bending the rifle in half.

"You… You! Precursor!" Facultas Capsus' voice, while still deep and sonorous, was now twisted and wet, and every word sent a mist of blood against Heine's face. "For what you've done to me, I will make you suffer like none before!"

The Meridian released his grip on the barrel of the ruined rifle and raised it up, wrapping both hands around Heine's throat and lifting him into the air. The courier gasped desperately for air, but the golden man's strength was far greater than he could fight against, and he could feel his lungs beginning to burn.

A dim glow swelled up just under the edge of his vision as well, and searing pain ripped through him as lightning surged from Capsus hands. Heine wheezed in agony, with no air in his lungs to scream, as the voltage tore into his throat. Heine could feel the flesh of his neck beginning to char from the energy as the Meridian's fingers dug into his skin. A twisted smile curled at the edges of Capsus' lips through his grimace of pain and his fury as he squeezed even tighter.

Something small and shiny flashed between Heine and Capsus, however, and the Meridian's eyes darted down in surprise. A moment later the object snapped back, and a thin copper chain dug into the golden man's throat. A small brass tube dangled from the cord, pressing against the Meridian's throat, and Heine realized it was the bullet casing and necklace which Rena had been wearing. The huntress was behind the golden man, grunting desperately and twisting the chain, pulling with all her strength as though to sever the Meridian's head from his neck using only the necklace.

Capsus gagged as the metal chain tightened and lost his grip on Heine's throat, dropping the courier to the ground. Heine's gasped desperately for air, sobbing in pain the as flesh on his neck hissed.

Rena screamed furiously as she pulled on the copper chain, dragging Capsus away from Heine. The Meridian twisted wildly, trying to swing his arms around and grab hold of the huntress, but Rena was managing to keep out of his range, and the cord continued to dig into the golden man's throat. The crystals on the man's collar were flaring, but even so the chain bit into the Meridian's flesh. His face began to grow blue as Rena tightened the necklace even further.

With a strangled cry from the golden man, the gemstones in his armor flared, but this time, rather than the stones in his palms, it was the crystals along his shoulders and back which coalesced with power. A wave of lightning erupted from the Meridian's spine and tore into Rena, forcing the huntress to screech in pain.

This time, however, there was backlash. Rena's grip still held tightly to the copper necklace wrapped around Capsus' throat, and even as the lightning leapt from the crystals into Rena's body, the energy jumped again from her body to the copper cord. The Meridian croaked out a pained cry as his own power was turned on him, searing into his throat. For several long, painful seconds, lightning flared between Rena and Capsus. In his agony, the Meridian seemed incapable of reigning in the power of his electricity, and Rena was adamant in her attempt to strangle the golden man, even as voltage surged through her body.

Rena eventually faltered, however, as the lighting overwhelmed her. The huntress' grip slackened, and the dark-skinned woman was thrown backwards, smashing into the stone platform several yards away. She coughed painfully, whimpering in agony as lingering sparks danced over her body.

Capsus fared no better, however. The Meridian gasped desperately for air as the lightning from his armor faded away, stumbling slightly where he stood as blood poured out from his destroyed skull. His hand went to his throat, eager to pull the chain from his neck, but he wheezed in agony at the attempt. Heine looked up and realized the brass bullet casing which had been pressing into the man's throat was glowing. The electricity which had coursed through it had rapidly heated the shell, and now the casing was hissing against the Meridian's neck, searing the flesh. The entire copper chain was red-hot, burning into the golden man's skin. Capsus let out a strangled cry as his fingers pried against the brass casing, but the metal had practically melted onto him.

As the Meridian tried to peel the burning shell from the flesh of his neck, Heine struggled to push himself to his feet. His own throat still stank of singed flesh, and even the slightest touch sent blinding pain through Heine's body, making him feel like passing out. His desperation and near-delirium helped him force through the agony and push himself to his feet, taking hold of the twisted barrel of his rifle and lifting it up with him. His vision was hazy, but he still tried to focus on Capsus, stumbling towards the Meridian.

Facultas Capsus was wheezing in pain as Heine approached him, blood still pouring down the side of the man's face. The crystals surrounding the base of the man's neck were still blazing like the sun, somehow keeping him alive. When Heine was only a couple steps away, the Meridian finally noticed him, looking up and glaring furiously. Heine nearly stumbled; somehow, the golden man's expression was still powerful enough that the courier almost froze where he stood, the Meridian's powerful presence nearly chaining him again.

"Precursor," the Meridian spat.

Heine didn't respond. In silence, he lifted up his ruined rifle and, mustering his strength, swung it through the air, smashing the butt against Capsus' skull. The Meridian choked off a cry of pain as the wooden stock splintered, fracturing to pieces. At the same time, Heine could feel the attack collapse the golden man's skull even further, the bone shattering under the impact. Capsus staggered under the blow, stumbling towards the edge of the walkway, clutching his head in agony before realizing where he was and desperately trying to stop himself from staggering any further.

It wasn't enough. One of Capsus' feet slid just over the edge, and with a howl of shock, the pale-armored man toppled over the edge. The man screeched in fury, bellowing curses and profanities Heine didn't understand as he fell, before there was a sickening puncturing sound from below, and Capsus wailed in pain.

Heine felt as though his whole body was on fire, but he dragged his body towards the ledge to look over the side. He had to be certain that Capsus was dead. Peeking over, his stomach turned at the sight. Capsus had landed almost perfectly on a cluster of the blue crystals, and a half-dozen of the jagged points had punctured through the pale armor he wore, piercing through the man's body and shooting out the other side. In the center of the man's chest, an especially large crystal edge split through the man's heart, shattering the yellow orb which had been embedded in his chest. Blood swelled over the jagged edges which from the man's body, pooling over him and pouring down onto the crystals below, staining them a dark red.

But still, still the man was not dead! Even with his body punctured and half his face blown away! His one remaining eye blazed with fury, the glowing orbs on his arms flared brightly, and the man howled. Huge arcs of lightning lashed out from him, shooting across the crystals and smashing through them, punching into the pale walls and ripping apart the white stone. Heine winced in fear as one of the bolts cracked past him, shooting up the keep and blasting apart a chunk of the wall nearly fifty yards above his head, raining down debris onto the platform.

Capsus continued his howl, screeching furiously as the lightning and energy grew fiercer, and Heine was forced to pull away as the gems grew to such intensity that it was as though the sun itself was blazing beneath them. Shoots of electricity smashed apart the walls, tearing the keep apart from the inside, and Heine rushed over to Rena and Cait, pulling them close and holding himself over them to try and keep them safe from the falling stones. At the center of the walkway, a stray bolt tore straight through the Meridian stone, shearing off the central platform completely and sending it plummeting downward.

There was a loud shattering sound like a thousand panes of glass fracturing all at once, and the lightning stopped. Capsus' shrieking vanished as well, and for a moment, there was silence, save for the crumbling of the walls and some lingering static noises. A moment later, however, brilliant azure light once again filled the chamber. It swelled up from below, accompanied by a emanating groaning sound, coating everything in the keep in light, and Heine squinted in pain against the intensity of it.

Through the column of blue light, a flicker of motion caught Heine's eye. Some massive dark shape, indistinguishable through the glare, swept up from below, crawling up the wall with strange movements. It moved with unnatural speed, rising up the Meridian stone by yards at a time.

Halfway up the towering wall, the… thing paused, twisting about. Eyes stared directly at Heine… but at the same time, there were no eyes, yet Heine knew that the… thing was looking at him. For a long, horrible moment, the creature simply… stared. The creature's attention eventually shifted though, and it began moving again, lurching up the wall and vanishing into the glare.

Heine wasn't sure how long it took, but the azure light finally dimmed, fading enough so Heine could finally see clearly around them again. He pushed himself up, looking down worriedly at Rena and Cait. The pair was still alive and breathing, thankfully, and Cait was stirring back to consciousness.

Rena, however, was breathing raggedly. Her armor was blackened, despite its resistance to lightning, and dark electricity marks spider-webbed across her torso, arms, and neck from where Capsus' power had struck her. She somehow still held to the remains of her great sword, clutching the hilt desperately. Heine raised a hand up to his throat, and the slightest graze sent a jolt of pain through his body, making his vision swim. The huntress had suffered so much more than him during the fight, he could hardly imagine how she was still alive.

Somehow, Rena's item pouch was still intact, as were the potions and medical supplies inside. There wasn't much Heine could do here, however, as a lot of their supplies had already been used up after their encounter in the Gigginox cave and Rena's resulting poison recovery. He did what he could for the worst injuries, but Rena needed a doctor's care… They all did, but they couldn't get that here.

As Heine was tying off the last of the bandages around Rena's arms, Cait mewled weakly and sat up, moaning in pain. Heine hadn't been able to tell how bad the Felyne's injuries had been, since he couldn't see Cait's skin under the singed fur, and he wasn't well-versed in Felyne medicine in the first place. Shaving the Felyne hadn't seemed like a good idea either, and it wasn't like Heine had much experience in that department… Cait appeared to be in decent shape, though, since the Felyne almost immediately began to complain about the condition of his fur before realizing that Rena and Heine were in much worse condition than him.

"What… what happened to Capsus?" the Felyne muttered nervously, looking around fearfully for any sign of the Meridian.

Heine glanced towards the edge of the platform for a moment, before shaking his head. "Don't… don't worry about it, Cait, just…"

A deep rumbling sound echoed through the keep, however, shaking the platform around them. Heine looked around in horror, realizing huge chunks of the walls were crumbling around them, breaking off in massive chunks and plummeting into the pit below. Wide cracks began splintering up the sides of the inner keep as the walls groaned under the strain of their failing integrity. Looking up, Heine realized the dome of the keep seemed to be bending, as though the structure itself was tilting to side.

"No… No!" Heine gasped. He quickly reached down and pushed his arm under Rena. He grunted as he strained against the huntress' weight, struggling to carry her. Thankfully, the huntress was semi-conscious, and awkwardly managed to get her feet under her. It barely helped at all, but a little help was better than nothing. "Come on, Cait! We have to go!"

The Felyne didn't need prodding, and dashed to Heine's side, trying to help keep Rena upright, despite his stature. The three of them stumbled across the walkway as fast as they could, rushing out of the keep as chunks of the walls continued to crumble down around them. As cautiously as they had entered the keep, Heine rushed to get them out as fast as they could, and as they passed through the tall doors, he didn't spare another look back.

Heine could feel his heart pounding as he and Cait worked to carry Rena back through the towering gates of the fortress, rushing to escape the crumbling keep as fast as he possibly could. He was not made for this type of strain, and hardly had the strength for it, but adrenaline and fear pressed him on. It took him and the Felyne at least thirty minutes to drag the wounded huntress out beyond the towering walls of the fortress and back to the wide tunnel leading back to the dam. The whole time, Heine dared not look back, fearing doing so would slow him down, or worse, make him freeze with fear, and he couldn't afford to do either. Thankfully, there had been no terrible crumbling sound, nor thunderous crash, so the keep had yet to fall, perhaps held back by the strength of the Meridian stone.

When they reached the mouth of the tunnel, however, Heine finally spared a glance back. The top of the keep, supporting the massive crystal bowl, had tilted far enough off axis that a cascade of magma was now streaming down the sides, pouring into the central courtyard. If Heine watched, he could even tell the keep was tilting even further.

However, in the moments Heine was watching, the tower finally tilted too far, not to the point of collapse, but to the point of striking the cavern ceiling. The carved-out section of the ceiling was not dug out enough around the sides, and the azure crystal bowl crashed into the curve of the carved-out section. For a few seconds, the groaning of the tower ceased, and silence filled the cavern, but the moment vanished as a deep splintering echoed across the chamber.

Above the keep, large chunks of rock broke away from the ceiling as the jagged edges of the azure crystal tore into the rock, piercing through the crust. Wide cracks in the stone splintered upwards, cutting through the ceiling and sending even more slabs of stone cascading downwards. However, as the cracks reached the pinnacle of the indentation, the splintering sound increased, and all at once an entire section of the ceiling over the keep fractured, sending hundreds of tons of boulders and stone collapsing onto Meridian fortress.

That wasn't all which was falling. The lava flow, coursing down from above, had apparently been connected to a much greater magma pocket. The moment the ceiling fractured, a deluge of molten rock seeped through the cracks, pouring out over the fortress in an unleashed torrent. The splintering was still spreading too, growing out from the initial crack and sending more and more lava falling down from above. If it kept up as it was, the entire chamber would collapse and fill with molten rock.

"Run… run, run, run!" Cait yowled, smacking Heine's leg. The courier yelped in shock, realizing he had frozen in terror yet again, but quickly turned and hurried to drag Rena down the long ramp to the reservoir.

Each step onwards only made his terror grow. The earth under them was shaking, making each step a challenge. Halfway down the ramp, the violet light which had filled the hall was replaced by an ominous red-and-orange glow, and the boiling sound of magma could be heard clearly behind them. As the three of them hit the bottom of the ramp, scurrying towards the water, a wave of heat washed over them, nearly scalding in its intensity.

"The boat!" Heine shouted urgently. "We need to get to the boat!" Cait didn't reply, but kept pushing to keep Rena standing as the three of them stumbled over to the bobbing skiff.

Upon reaching the dock, Heine nearly slammed headfirst into the side of the small ship as the earth below him shivered once more, but struggled to keep himself and Rena upright. A glowing wave of lava rushed over the reservoir's edge only a few dozen feet away, splashing into the lake and making a blast of steam erupt into the air. Heine winced in pain as the scalding mist struck his side, stinging his flesh, but he forced himself to haul Rena up the gangplank and onto the skiff before his legs gave out and the both of them crashed onto the deck.

He tried to push himself back up to his feet again to push the ship away from the dock. He just felt so tired and weak, though… Thankfully, he heard Cait scurrying around behind him to do just that. There was a yowl and a splash, and the ship wobbled in the water under him. He could feel the skiff rolling along the water, and when he turned his head, he saw that they were thankfully floating away from the shore. Cait had snagged a fractured slab of pale material, using it as a makeshift oar, and was frantically trying to row them away from the docks.

The Felyne managed to get the small boat about ten feet away before the magma finally caught up with them. A slow wave of lava swept over the white Meridian stone, pouring into the reservoir. In a flash there was an eruption of steam which hissed into the air, blanketing the dock in white haze. Heine winced as the steam wafted over the waters, brushing against the skiff and biting into his skin. Thankfully, the abrupt heating of the water began to churn the water close to the dock, and the small ship was pressed away from the magma by lapping waves against the hull.

Heine gasped in pain as he struggled to pull himself to his feet. They were out of immediate danger, but certainly not safe yet. Magma was continuing to pour into the reservoir, and the water all around them was starting to boil, sending waves of steam into the air and surrounding them with hot mist. Heine could feel his skin searing in the heat, and his lungs were suffering with each breath. The waves were pushing them closer to the parapet walls of the dam, and the towering central water lock rose into the air in front of them, but once they ran into it, there would be nowhere else to go, and the either the magma would overtake them or the hot air would cook them alive…

"There! There, nya!" Cait shouted. Heine followed the Felyne's motions, and though it was hard to see through the thickening haze, he caught sight of what the cat was getting at. There was a mechanism of some kind near the lock, a control panel sitting atop a platform hanging a few feet over the water. Right at the edge was a large lever. That was it! An escape route! If they could just open the lock…

It was still a fair distance away, however, and the churning waters were slowly pushing the boat past the lock. Cait was scrambling to row them closer before the current dragged them past the point of no return, but was unable to do so. Heine looked around desperately for something he could use to help… a rope to throw, something else to use as another oar, but the three of them were the only things on deck. Damn it all, why didn't this boat have a motor… or anything useful?

As he looked at Rena, though, he realized the huntress still clutched the hilt of her destroyed great sword in one hand. Heine looked up again, glancing back and forth between the control panel and the hilt. In his desperation, he had no other choice. Reaching down, he yanked the remains of the blade from Rena's grip, rushing to the edge of the ship and hurling the hilt towards the control panel.

For the second time in his life, Heine seemed to have called upon all the luck he could muster. The remains of the sword smashed into the lever, and metal screeched against metal as the weight of the blade snapped the lever to the side. The remainder of the hilt clattered over the side and sunk into the water, but there was a painful whining noise as gears and cogs struggled to turn within the walls of the dam, and a dull groaning sound emanated through the Meridian stone, making the towering white walls shiver.

Then the massive water lock began to move, the brilliant silver wall rising inch by inch. A low moaning sounded in the sky above him, and Heine looked up as the two massive counterweights began to drop towards the water, their mass pulling against the cords and lifting the lock open. A thunderous roar shook the whole cavern as a deluge of water blasted out from the reservoir on the far side, filling the basin below in moments.

It wasn't rising fast enough though. The lava behind was still flowing into the water, heating the reservoir with each passing moment and filling the air with scalding steam.

In front of them, the water seemed to droop. Up against the silver water lock, the water level dipped downwards, as though it was collapsing in on itself. Heine yelped in shock as the rush of water pulled them in, yanking the boat into the sinkhole before them, sending them careening downwards. Darkness rose up around them as the ship plummeted into the funnel of water, cold water crashing over the deck as the sheer speed of the vortex nearly dragged the skiff under the water entirely.

As quickly as they had sunk into darkness, however, a wave of light rushed towards the boat as the skiff was dragged just under the water lock, the top of the cabin screeching as it scraped against the silver gate, and promptly launched out the other side of the dam along with the deluge of water bursting forth. Heine gasped as water crashed against the ship, and the small skiff bucked and spun in the twisting waters of the basin. Heine cried out in horror as Rena was nearly thrown from the deck, and he dashed forward, grabbing hold of her and pulling her back away from the railing. The deluge had long since filled up the Meridian stone bowl, and the water level had risen several feet, seeping over the lip of the bowl and cascading into the tunnel leading back to the Gigginox cave.

However, even with so much water pouring through the tunnel from whence they came, the flood coming through the opening lock was more than could surge through the small tunnel. The lower side of the chamber was quickly filling up with cold water from the deepest parts of the reservoir, and momentarily, the glowing blue crystals which lit the walkway surrounding the lake were swept under, blotting out the blue light. The cavern was dropped into darkness, now lit only by the glow of the lava as it poured into the reservoir beyond the dam.

The deluge shoved the small boat forward, nearly smashing the skiff up against the far wall of the basin. Heine grimaced fearfully, desperately trying to keep himself and Rena from being flung over the sides, when he suddenly caught sight of a deep blackness in front of the ship. There, a couple dozen yards away, was the massive circular tunnel which the trio had seen when they first entered this great chamber. The water level had raised them up high enough now that the lapping waves were nearly at the base of the tunnel.

"Cait!" Heine shouted desperately, pointing towards the tunnel. "Can you row us into that?"

"Nya… I don't know! I'll try!" the Felyne replied, grabbing the slab he'd been using earlier and frantically trying to paddle the skiff towards the hole. The effort was mostly fruitless, but thankfully the Felyne was at least able to steer them in the proper direction as the churning waves shoved them around.

There was a deep thump and a jolt as the skiff slammed up against the lower edge of the circular tunnel. A dull scraping sound cut through the air as the skiff was twisted to the side by the current, and the ship began to tilt over the edge. The water continued to rise, each wave slamming the boat against the side of the tunnel, until finally it had risen high enough for the skiff to be shoved into the passage. Darkness bore down on them as the rising waters pushed them further in, and as more water poured out from the dam they found themselves rising up through the tunnel.

However, before they could be enveloped completely in the waterway, a bright red flare of light bloomed behind them. Heine turned, and his face paled at the sight of an enormous cascade of magma surging over the sides of the dam and sweeping down the Meridian stone. As the water level approached the upper arc of the circular tunnel, the lava hit the water at the base of the dam, but the water rose just high enough to blot out the sight, dropping the small skiff and those aboard into utter darkness.

Cait muttered fearfully, and Heine heard the Felyne crawling over to him and Rena on the other side of the deck, feeling his way through the darkness before catching hold of Heine's pant leg and clutching tightly to it. The three of them sat in silence, listening to the swelling of the water beneath them as the skiff bucked and churned in the rising water.

However, Heine soon realized that the air around them was growing warmer with each passing second, and the rolling water grew more violent under them. They seemed to be rising even faster than before as well, a breeze brushing against them through the hot air as they continued to rise. The churning and steaming of the water was getting worse each passing second, and despite their increasing speed, the air was growing more stifling.

Heine realized what was happening now: the magma was heating the water in the basin, and the water, despite there being so much of it, was starting to boil. Their little skiff was being shoved upwards with the heat, like the steam through the spout of a kettle. The surging lava had turned the underground lake into a geyser.

With a surge of heat, a particularly powerful rush of hot water smashed into the hull of the ship, dropping Heine onto his back as the surge rocketed the skiff upwards through the darkness. Cait yowled in pain as a wave of steam washed over them, but in the darkness there was little they could do but wince and brace themselves as they were left at the mercy of the geyser, and hope that this waterway had an end somewhere close. At least, close enough to reach before the steam cooked them alive.

---

The geyser continued to push them through the tunnel for what felt like hours, churning against the hull of the small ship. Heine, Rena, and Cait could do nothing but lie on the deck in pain, bracing themselves in hopes they wouldn't get thrown off as the water continued to rocket them through the pipe.

The bumping and spinning of the skiff was slowly becoming more bearable, thankfully. They were slowing down, Heine realized; the geyser which pushed them along was running out of energy. How was that situation any better though? They'd be stranded here, in a pitch-black tunnel, on a small battered ship floating over possibly miles of water. They'd traded cooking alive to starvation or dying from their wounds in utter darkness…

"Heine…" Rena's voice could barely be heard over the rumbling of the water below them and the moaning of the skiff. "Light…" she whispered. "I can see light…"

Heine looked up, and sure enough, a pale glow had appeared in the darkness above them, a dim pinpoint in the distance. It almost seemed like an illusion, a trick of their weary minds, but a thin trickle of hope grew in Heine's heart again. He squeezed Rena's hand, and the huntress returned the gesture in kind, as the two of them stared up at the light, watching it grow.

Heine didn't know how much time passed as the white light grew closer. Each moment he felt as though he was sure to be right on top of the glimmer, close enough to simply reach out and grasp its source. The light continued to get brighter as the water pressed them forward. Soon, Heine could swear he could make out the shape of the light source; wasn't it a crystal of some kind, like so many that he'd seen down here in the-

They were falling. Heine gasped in shock as gravity gave way, his stomach turning as he found the skiff dropping out from underneath him as he hovered over the deck. For a horrible second, he feared the water had ceased its climb, and was now dragging them back down the tunnel to the Meridian basin deep within the earth. Only a second later, though, there was a loud splash, and the skiff jumped up to meet them as the three of them crashed back onto the deck. Heine gasped in pain, coughing as the taste of blood and bile filled his mouth while a spray of water splashed up onto the deck of the skiff.

He tried to push himself to his feet, but by now his energy had long since been spent, and he couldn't find the strength to do even that much. All he could do was lay on the deck, staring up at the small, glowing blue crystal which hung down from the ceiling. The boat shivered underneath him, however, and the sound of footsteps approached him. A pair of strong arms wrapped under him, hoisting him to his feet, looping under his arms to keep him standing. Rena smiled weakly at him as he looked up at her, before she hunched over and grabbed Cait by his armor, cradling him in her other arm.

As she lifted him up, Heine managed to get a better look at their surroundings. They were in some kind of basin, similar to the one at the base of the dam, but only about twenty yards wide. The sound of sloshing water echoed through the chamber, and looking back, Heine could see the waterway they'd come from, jutting out over the basin they were in by several yards and pouring out a small river's worth of water into the pool they floated in. The water was trailing off though, as the hot water's upward push began to fade. Above them was the light they'd seen during their long, dark journey through the waterway. It was just a small glowing crystal, filling the chamber with just enough light to see. Their small boat was floating slowly to the edge of the pool, where a small white ramp lead upwards into a dim hall. It seemed to be the only way out, once again forcing the trio onto a single route.

Rena seemed to be calling upon every bit of strength to carry herself, as well as Heine and Cait. As the skiff bumped up against the path, the huntress leapt off, nearly stumbling as the three of them landed on the walkway. She managed to keep herself upright despite her weariness, tightening her grips on Heine and Cait and pressing on towards the ramp. Heine tried to walk under his own strength, but in his condition there was little he could do. Only the sound of Rena's footsteps and the last trickles of water pouring from the waterway accompanied them as the huntress struggled to drag all of them up the slope of the ramp.

A tall door awaited them at the top of the ramp, pale and pristine like most of the rest of the Meridian's works. There were no knobs or handles… How were they supposed to get past this? The Meridian's structures were near impenetrable! It had taken Harker nearly blowing himself up to get into the tower in the first place. Rena muttered quietly to herself, however, hoisting Heine and securing her grip on him, before moving to the side of the entryway, where a small lever was wedged into the frame. Heine stared at it dumbly as the huntress carefully reached forward, pulling the mechanism.

A deep, shivering groan filled the chamber, but all three of them were simply too tired to care anymore. A wave of dust slid down the tall door frame, washing over the floor as the door shifted slightly. Rena grunted wearily, stepping away from the lever and walking back over towards the center of the door frame, planting the three of them in front of it. Heine was only mildly surprised when the doors began to open, not in a swinging motion, but sliding to the sides in a diagonal-downward direction. However, he did blink painfully as the cracks in the door unleashed a bright light from beyond, and Heine braced himself for whatever might lay past the pale stone gateway.

A blast of cold air smashed against the trio, and Cait yowled in surprise. If Heine had more strength in him, he might have shivered, but in his condition the change in temperature nearly made him pass out. It was the sight before him which nearly made him faint in shock, however.

It was the Tundra. They were in the Tundra. Somehow, someway, their journey through the caves and the waterway had somehow carried them… at least a hundred miles to the frozen realms of the north. Fresh, pristine snow spread out before them, covering the thin pines with white lining. Towering ice walls and glaciers jutted up from the earth around them, a large ice field spread out in front of them, and several small icebergs bobbed up and down in a nearby river. Several Anteka could be seen grazing a hundred yards away or so, picking through the snow at the tree line in search of grass or something else to eat. The sun, brilliant and glowing, shone down from above, a beacon lighting up everything before them, even if the cold air negated its warmth.

Rena choked back a sob next to him. He felt tears trailing down his own face as well, freezing to his face in the cold air. After everything he, Rena, and Cait had gone through, he had almost never imagined that he would see the light of day again. Even the frigid air couldn't make him feel bad now. Rena was just as excited as him, because she began giggling in relief, and pulled Heine and Cait into a tight hug.

"We did it, Heine!" she said, hiccupping once or twice through her smile as tears trailed down her face. "We really got out…"

Rena's grip on him was suffocating, but Heine didn't care. He wrapped his own arms around her as well, hugging her thankfully, reveling in the feeling. They'd escaped! They'd actually escaped…

A cold wind bit into him, chilling him to the bone. Heine realized how cold it was as Rena shivered where she stood. He'd only been to the Tundra once during his time as a courier, but he remembered how cold it had been… Despite the warm Popo coats they'd been given for the journey, at night it was so frigid that the caravaners were given Hot Drinks to stave off the chill and keep them from freezing to death. Had they managed to survive everything only to freeze to death here in the Tundra?

"Smoke…" Rena and Heine looked down at Cait. The Felyne was still curled up under Rena's arm, coiled up and shivering in the cold. His nose was twitching slightly though, despite his eyes being closed. "I can smell smoke, nya…"

Heine frowned in confusion, but Rena's eyes turned skyward, scanning the horizon. Her eyes focused on a large ice wall which rose up into the sky on the far side of the ice field in front of them. She let out a weary laugh, and motioned in that direction. Heine followed her gaze, and another wave of relief washed over him. It was smoke! A small trail of smoke was spiraling into the sky just beyond the ice walls, a sure sign of a village or some kind of habitation.

"We're going to make it, Heine," Rena said quietly, nuzzling her face against his head. "We're going to survive…"

The three of them slowly worked their way across the Tundra, huddling close to each other to keep warm. They had to, even without the cold factoring in, since Rena was still the only one with the strength to travel and had to support Heine and Cait. It was a struggle for her, but the idea of survival seemed to have lit a new fire within her, and she was pushing through her pain and weariness to get the three of them to safety.

As they were crossing the ice field, however, only a couple hundred yards from the entry to the waterway, Rena froze as a deep rumbling shuddered through the earth, followed by a terrible crunching, screeching sound. Thirty yards away from them, the icy floor fractured apart in a wide chunk almost six yards across, spraying chunks and shards of ice outwards as it erupted up from below. From under it, a long, serpentine creature burst forth from under the ice, shooting up and arcing in the air for a moment, before crashing down again.

"Ag… Agnaktor?" Rena whimpered miserably.

Heine stared at the beast despairingly. She was right, he thought. He'd seen artist's renditions of the beast in the numerous monster books: a long, sinewy body, with a wide, flat tail on one end, and a long, jagged, spear-shaped beak on the other. A long frill slid down the beast's back from its head to its tail, over a slightly bulkier body held up by four small legs. The images he'd always seen had depicted the beast as being bright, glowing red and swimming through boiling magma. This beast, however, while having the same shape, had dull grey skin as well as thick, solid chunks of ice covering its body like armor. Its long, sharp talons gripped the ice beneath it as the beast swung about to face the hunters and Felyne, its beak clicking menacingly as it glared at them.

Rena moaned wearily, a crestfallen, forlorn sound. Heine understood: both Rena and Cait had lost their weapons so they couldn't battle the creature. Heine didn't even have his rifle with him anymore… None of them had the means or energy to do anything against the beast, even to run away. The Agnaktor snapped its beak at them, before pulling itself across the ground towards them. It didn't even need to move quickly to do so; it could tell the three of them posed no threat and couldn't even escape.

It was just… too much. Rena crumpled, her legs giving out beneath her, and the three of them toppled to the ground, crashing into the white powder. Tears streaked down Rena's cheeks as she looked upon the Agnaktor in horror, and she began openly sobbing, gasping for air as the beast approached. Cait released a low wail, curling himself in to a ball in Rena's lap. Heine didn't even have the energy left to do anything other than slump over and lean against Rena. The huntress gathered up Cait, holding him close, before wrapping her arms around Heine and squeezing him tightly.

"I'm sorry," Rena sobbed, her breath coming in gasps as she clutched desperately to him. "I'm so sorry, Heine. I'm sorry, Cait. I wasn't… I wasn't able to protect you… This is all my fault… If I… If I hadn't…"

Heine didn't say anything. All he could do was wrap his own arms around Rena, squeezing her just as desperately as she was him. His gaze turned upwards, staring blankly at the Agnaktor pulled itself right up to them. Its small orange eyes gazed down at them hungrily, and the creature's beak clacked in anticipation. The Agnaktor pulled its head back and closed its mouth, its beak gleaming sharply in the sun, and its muscles grew taut as it prepared to strike the three of them. Heine sighed wearily as he closed his eyes, pressing himself against Rena and preparing for death.

There was the sound of feet dashing through the snow, and a shout of desperation. At the sound of the Agnaktor's hissing as its beak swung towards them, there was a screech of edge against steel. Heine winced at the sound of the leviathan's beak smashing into the ice, but rather than feeling pain, he and Rena were only hit with a spray of snow and ice shards.

Heine cracked an eye open, and realized the Agnaktor had actually missed them, its beak wedged into the ice flat a few feet to the side. Or rather, its beak had instead been deflected. Standing between the trio and the leviathan was a hunter, shaking his shield arm painfully. He was a short man, about the same height as Heine, holding a jagged sword made of white monster scales and spikes. His armor looked odd, a thick leathery material Heine didn't recognize, accompanied by blue and tan metallic plating. It design was a little strange too, as though it should have been made for a huntress rather than a hunter… He looked back at them, his green eyes furrowed in concern, but turned back, raising his shield as the Agnaktor ripped its beak from the ice and hissed furiously at the interloper.

As the creature clacked its beak, there was motion from the leviathan's side. The Agnaktor turned, but was taken by surprise by two more hunters who rushed the beast from the side. There was a flash as one rushed in, a hunter wearing vibrant Pink Rathian armor, lashing out with a small pair of dual blades at the creature's chest and forearms. The Agnaktor reeled back in pain as the fin-shaped blades cut into it, sliding back across the ice and hissing viciously as the pink hunter darted around, trying to catch the beast from the side as a third hunter with a large hammer approached the beast directly.

"Wache! Are they alright?" Heine turned again as a fourth hunter appeared, this one wearing a mixed-pelt armor made mostly out of dark blue leather, with an orange sash around his waist and a wide straw hat hanging over his back from a loose drawstring around his neck. A long sword slung across his back clattered in its sheath as he approached the sword and shield user.

"They're alive, Damien, but they're beat to hell, and not by this Agnaktor, from what I can see." There was a shout of pain from across the ice, and the pink-armored hunter was sent tumbling across the ice by a swat from the leviathan's tail. Wache cursed and motioned to the trio on the ground. "Get them back to the village! I've got to try and help Daren and Lamar."

"But-!" Before the long sword user could get a word out, the short sword wielder darted off, shouting and trying to get the Agnaktor's attention. The hunter, Damien, looked down at the three again, and sighed in irritation at the sight of Rena. "Damn, there's no way I can lift her…" he muttered. He turned his head, shouting back at the other three hunters. "Lamar! Get over here! I could use a hand with this one!"

One of the hunters, a large, burly man almost seven feet tall, turned at the shout. He wore a vibrant orange armor which seemed made of pumpkins and dragged a bulky iron hammer across the ground behind him. The man flipped back his hood and lifted the jack-o-lantern mask over his face, revealing a hunter with a twisted grin behind it.

"Aw, do it yourself! I need to stun this giant snake to do something fun! I brought some sneeze powder with me on this hunt, and as soon as this beast in down, I'm shoving the whole pouch up its nose! I wanna see if it shoots those lasers from its mouth every time it sneezes like the volcano Agnaktors do! It's the most hilarious thing ever!"

"Oh, for the love of… No! Not right now! I can't carry this huntress by myself! Get over here and help me, you nutjob!"

The pumpkin-armored hunter scowled irritably, glancing back and forth between the trio and the raging Agnaktor, before grumbling to himself, slinging his hammer onto his back, and skulking back to the humans and Felyne on the ground.

"There, was that so hard? Grab the girl. If we hurry, we can get them back to the village fast enough to-"

Before Damien could finish though, the hammer-wielder reached down and grabbed hold of all three of them, throwing Rena over his shoulder and hoisting Heine under his other arm, with Cait gripped tightly between his fingers. He pointed intently at the long sword user. "It better still be alive when I get back! I gonna use that sneeze powder today, and if it's not the Agnaktor, then it's gonna be something or someone else!"

Without another word, the man spun, running in a dead sprint away from the Agnaktor, going surprisingly fast with his hammer, two humans, and a Felyne weighing him down. The serpentine creature screeched in fury at the loss of its meal, and Heine could hear the beast's beak clicking in agitation. Loud clangs and smashing noises were followed by the creature hissing in pain and fury, and the Agnaktor unleashed an ear-splitting screech which echoed across the Tundra.

Heine gasped in pain at the sound, but was unable to blot it out in his position. His vision swam, and the courier finally slipped into unconsciousness.

---

Heine awoke to the sound of impatient and unnerved tapping. His eyes cracked open, staring up wearily at the ceiling above him, the wooden crossbeams and bracings blurred and watery as his eyes tried to adjust. He could smell medicine in the air, that sour smell which only came from one place: a hospital… or maybe a medical hut or something. As his vision cleared, he knew he was right; he was in a bed with privacy curtains on both sides. A small window over him allowed the bluish glow of light reflecting off snow into the building.

His entire body hurt, in ways he'd never known in his life. As his memories came flooding back through the haze of waking up, he couldn't help but wonder and wish that it had all only been a dream. The burns and bruises across his body hurt too much for them to be otherwise. He could feel the bandages wrapping around his neck, where Facultas Capsus had tried to strangle him and burned him with his lightning.

But he was alive. Somehow he had managed to survive. An electric Gigginox, a horde of normal Gigginox, a Meridian, a volcano, a boiling geyser elevator, an icy Agnaktor… They'd all tried to kill him, Rena, and Cait, and yet they were all still alive. Or… at least, he still was. Where were…?

"A strange tale you've given," an aged female voice muttered nearby. Heine turned his head, and could see the faded outlines of two people sitting on the far side of the curtain. "Such things are unheard of… It would be easy to call such a story unbelievable…"

"You don't believe me?" Rena's voice! Though the huntress sounded ragged, Heine's heart leapt at the sound.

"I didn't say that," the other voice said. There was a sound of a chair scooting, and one of the shadows on the other side of the curtain stood, striding towards the wall. "I simply said it would be easy to call your story unbelievable. We Guild members must maintain a stance of skepticism when it comes to reports given by hunters, considering their tendency to exaggerate reports. Electric Gigginox, underground caverns miles long, crystals which glow like the sun, an ancient dam and fortress, a man with power over lightning… you must admit, the story rings hollow. Even if proof returns from Nastre showing you were in that Tower only a few short days ago, it is safe to assume the Guild will still declare your story a fallacy."

Rena released a long, strained sigh, but the Guild woman continued briskly. "But while many may not find truth in your story, I actually believe you. Your burns and scalds are nothing that could be received here in the Tundra without extraneous circumstances, and all three of you have scars which look similar to electrical wounds. The lad has unnatural burn wounds on his neck shaped like hands. You have no reason to lie which I can see, and your story is too muted - for now at least - to be some wild exaggeration you hunters seem to favor. You aren't bragging about your accomplishments, either; you're treating it more like a tragedy than an adventure. That's the biggest tell of them all when it comes to you hunters. The problem is, there will be no proof to support it."

"But… proof? What about the cave?" Rena gasped. "The waterway, the tunnel down into the earth?"

"It would seem, unfortunately, that the battle with this new Agnaktor, this… 'Glacial' Agnaktor as the rest of the Guild's been calling it, wreaked a lot of damage onto the surrounding terrain," the Guild woman told her. "It's a miracle the hunters we sent out found you three in the first place, you know. The Guild had sent those four out on a whisper and a rumor. There'd been tales of an Agnaktor-like monster wandering the Tundra for a couple years now, but nobody put any faith in it, considering the regions normal Agnaktors tend to remain in. The Guild just sent them out to quell the rumors, and didn't expect them to find anything. No monsters… and certainly not you three.

"Our reports claim the battle was fierce for the hunters who fought it, even if you manage to wean out all the exaggerations and boasting they piled on. There was a small avalanche during the fight, enough to cover the entry to this waterway, and the Agnaktor's beam attack coated the area in ice. If the entryway into this underground cavern is to be found, it will need to wait until next year's thaw, and that's if the entry can even be found again. The avalanche buried a great chunk of land."

There was silence for several moments. "What about the cave entrance under the Meridian Tower over near Nastre?"

"That will be up to the Guild presence in that area to try and unearth. We in the Tundra will do what we can here, but the odds are slim. Perhaps that… Harker fellow can open up a way inside where we cannot, from the entry under that tower of his." Heine noted there was a touch of disdain in the Guild woman's voice at the mention of their employer. "And even if the entrance is unearthed, by your own admission you've said that this… underground fortress was buried by a magma pocket and flooded by the release of water from a dam. There will be no uncovering something which a volcano has swallowed up, no matter how dedicated the research team."

The woman sighed at the sound of Rena sniffling a little, and moved away from the wall. "Calm down, lass. Perhaps it was improper for me to say that the Guild will not believe your story. It would be more accurate to say that they cannot afford to believe you, not publicly. If what you've told us is true… well, the implications are staggering, to say the least. Many will declare it a delusional fallacy, I'll not lie to you about that. But others… others may believe, and seek the truth of the matter. It may be decades… perhaps centuries before the truth is unraveled."

Rena kept silent, and Heine could see the Guild representative begin to leave. "I'll return later, once the boy has woken and recovered. I want full coverage on this issue before the report is sent to Loc Lac. In the meantime, get some rest. Considering what you've gone through, it would seem you've earned it."

There was a sound of a door closing, followed by a deep, weary sigh from Rena. More footsteps could be heard from outside the curtains, and a pair of unfamiliar voices began talking with Rena. One was a stern older woman's voice, demanding the huntress return to her bed, but Rena was arguing for the chance to stay out of her bed.

"Can't I just sit next to him?" she pleaded. "I want… If he wakes up, I want to be there to-"

"No, you may not, Miss Brisbane," the older woman's voice cut her off. "I've dealt with you hunters my entire career, and you are by far one of the worst cases I've ever seen! Lingering poison, lightning injuries, burn marks, scalded flesh, mild frostbite… And while Mister Blackwater in there may not be as wounded as you, he's only a civilian, and he's not built for the type of beating you hunters seem to enjoy suffering! The last thing I need is for him to get worse just because you expect him to keep up with your pace. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check on him. To keep him from dying. Now get back to your bed, Miss Brisbane."

With a swish, the curtains at the end of Heine's bed opened, and a white-coated doctor stepped into the enclosed area. Behind her, Heine could see they was in a smaller room with four beds in it, rather than a wide common room you'd see in other medical buildings. They must have been in a larger town than usual to be in a hospital like this… The doctor was an older woman, with long gray hair, but she certainly moved as though she was only half her age. Her eyes, scowling in irritation from her conversation with Rena, widened in surprise upon realizing that Heine's eyes were open and looking at her, however.

"Ah, Mister Blackwater, you're awake. I didn't expect-" The doctor's face winced slightly in realization, and a moment later an excited shout came from behind her.

"Heine? He's awake? Heine!"

The doctor was pushed to the side as Rena dashed through the opening in the curtain, appearing at the edge of his bed. The huntress was wearing tight-fitting hospital clothing; the hospital apparently didn't have clothing for someone her height and size. Bandages wrapped all around her arms, torso, and head, as well as several around her leg where the Giggi had bitten her. Around the bindings, however, Heine could see wiry electrical scars poking out from underneath, crawling across her dark skin like spider webs. She looked tired, and there were bags under her eyes.

However, upon seeing Heine was awake, the huntress' face and eyes positively lit up in excitement, and a wide smile split across Rena's face. "Thank goodness!" she cried.

The doctor shouted at Rena as the huntress lunged past her, practically diving to Heine's side. As Rena reached the edge of the bed, she dipped down, swinging her arms underneath Heine and pulling the courier into a tight hug. However, as Rena squeezed against him, her powerful arms pressed sharply against Heine's lingering wounds. A flash of pain shot through him, and he cried out in agony, abruptly passing out.

---

When Heine came to, the doctor was standing over him with an irate scowl on her face, scribbling notes onto a pad while a nurse changed several blood-stained bandages around his arms and neck. Looking across the room, he could see Rena sitting on her own bed, pouting like a chastised puppy. She was glancing rather nervously at a large blue… cage-like object which had been propped up next to her bed however, and even upon seeing that Heine had regained consciousness, kept herself seated. She was fidgeting excitedly, though, making her bed creak loudly, much to the doctor's frustration.

The doctor's examination of Heine went rather smoothly, thankfully, even though the woman had to stop and scold Rena to silence in the middle of it. She asked him numerous medical questions now that he was conscious, poked and prodded at him a bit, but otherwise seemed pleased with the results. Whatever treatment the woman had given them while he was unconscious had worked well enough; the woman said it quietly, so Rena wouldn't hear, but if he kept going like he was, Heine would be up and walking within the next few days. However, she made it clear that may there be mercy on his soul if he tried to so much as leave the room without her permission.

Rena was fidgeting again by the end of his examination, and the doctor shot a dirty look at the huntress. The woman sighed though, reluctantly allowing Rena out of her bed to talk to Heine, though she made certain that if Rena did anything which might worsen Heine's wounds, the huntress would regret it. Rena gulped nervously at the threat, but readily agreed and rushed out of her bed, planting herself in the chair at Heine's bedside and scooting it as close to him as she could before the doctor glared at her again.

The huntress opened her mouth immediately, looking for all the world as though she wanted nothing more than to talk and talk until she could talk no more. However, nothing came out at first but a few awkward squeaks. Finally she just grinned awkwardly. "Hi, Heine."

Heine smiled weakly at her. "Hi, Rena."

The huntress looked nervously at the doctor. Clearly Rena wanted to try and hug him again, but restrained herself, reaching forward and clasping his hand tightly in her own and clinging desperately to it. "I'm glad you're alright, Heine."

"I'm glad you're safe, too," Heine replied, squeezing her hand back. He grinned at her. "Looks like you kept your promise, didn't you? You got us out of there alive."

Rena blinked in surprise at the words and flushed slightly at the praise. She grinned in embarrassment and lowered her eyes to stare at their clasped hands, wiggling her fingers. "Yeah…" she muttered happily. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Heine smiled at the reaction, but something clicked at what he'd said. "Oh, right… how's Cait?" Heine muttered, looking around worriedly. Rena pointed towards the bed at the other corner of the room, where another Felyne was looking over the calico creature.

"He's fine… singed, but fine. They had to call in a doctor from the next village to see to him, since the town doctor here isn't too familiar with Felyne medicine. But he's spent more time complaining about having to regrow his fur than he has been about his injuries, so he'll be okay. He's been spending the last couple days sleeping for the most part. He says it was 'doctor recommended', but I think that's just an excuse to nap."

"Napping sounds pretty good to me too, honestly," Heine chuckled. "But wait… you said he's spent the last couple days sleeping?"

"Yeah," Rena nodded. She lowered her eyes sadly. "He regained consciousness a few days after I did. I've been… I've been worried sick. You just weren't waking up, and I…" She looked back up at him though, giving him a wide, relieved smile. "But you're awake now!"

"A few days after… How long have I… How long have we been here?" Heine asked, and Rena frowned.

"We've been… We've been here almost a week now," she replied. "I checked the date, too. Apparently we were underground in those tunnels for four whole days. It's been… let's see, it's been over a week and a half since we got separated from the research expedition."

Heine blinked dumbly at her, his mind trying to comprehend it all as the huntress continued. "None of us were in good condition when that… pumpkin-armored hunter dropped us on the clinic's doorstep. Honestly, Heine, it's a miracle we survived everything we did."

Heine's head fell back against his pillow, and he stared blankly at the ceiling for several minutes. "What do… what should we do now?"

"We can stay here until we recover. It's not like we can go back to Nastre or Perir, since neither of us are really in traveling condition right now, especially for a journey through the Tundra. Chances are good that the Guild's going to be questioning us about anything and everything until they're satisfied, anyway… So we, uh, might be here for a while.

"I mean, I guess we could go talk to the guys that fought that… Glacial Agnaktor. I think their room is across the hall. A few of them got wounded during the fight, from what the nurses have been saying, but there's supposed to be a big party for them in town once they've recovered. One of them got his leg encased in ice and has some nasty frostbite, though, so he's not going anywhere anytime soon. I've been trying to go talk to them, but I wanted to be here when you woke up… besides, I don't think the doctor would let me leave the room, anyway. Maybe we could get one of them to come to us and tell us about the fight?"

"That sounds nice," Heine nodded with a sigh. "What about the rest of the research group back at the Meridian Tower and Nastre? Do they…"

"The Guild rep said she'd send a report back to them as soon as she could," Rena replied. "There's not much airship traffic up here though, so they'll have to deliver it by caravan. I guess they won't know what happened to us for at least another week or two, depending on the weather. My family'll be worried sick… Harker might send an airship to pick us up once he knows… hell, he might just come himself, considering how much he loves studying the Meridians. When he hears about that… that Facultas Capsus…"

Heine nodded sullenly. Harker had mentioned his uncertainty about what the Meridians had done during their time, and expressed his worries about their culture. If Capsus was what the Meridians were really like, then… Heine shook his head. He didn't want to think about these matters right now. He'd tell Harker what he remembered when the researcher arrived, but after that, he'd do his best to try and forget everything which had happened underground. Well, most of it anyway…

He and Rena sat in silence for a while, the huntress' hand squeezing his protectively. After a few minutes though, Rena's gaze shifted up to Heine's head, and she frowned in embarrassment at the sight of his hair. She reached up, running her fingers through the black hair which she had slashed short during their fight against Facultas Capsus.

"Sorry about this," she murmured sheepishly.

"You had to do it. I suppose I needed a haircut anyway," Heine assured her with a small smirk, as Rena's fingers continued to trail through his hair. "Remind me to have a barber cut it next time, though."

"I don't know, I think I did a good job for a swing with a broken great sword," Rena laughed. Her expression grew sad, however. "Gonna miss that sword… Damn it, do you know how many Earth Crystals I had to find to repair that weapon?"

Heine felt a twinge of guilt, remembering that he'd thrown the hilt of the blade away during their escape from the volcano. "I'm sorry… I didn't…"

Rena shook her head, though. "Don't worry about it, Heine. Cait told me what you had to do to get us out of there. Besides… after everything we went through down there, using a weapon made with Meridian materials just…" Heine nodded in understanding as the huntress trailed off and shook her head. "Anyway, I gotta get a new armor set too… that bastard completely cooked my Crimson Qurupeco armor; it just couldn't take the voltage. I think I'll stick with monster-material weapons from here on in." She smirked humorously at him. "Maybe a Nargacuga sword to go with that armor set I wanted?"

Heine groaned, covering his face with his other arm as he felt his face flush slightly. "Please don't tease me Rena… I don't think my body can take it right now."

"Sorry," Rena chuckled. "Besides, I should be the one apologizing to you, not the other way around. You lost your rifle saving me. My sword was… nice, I'll admit that much, and I put a lot of work into making it. But your rifle was a gift from your father…"

"It's fine, Rena," Heine assured her. "It was… it was worth the loss. I'd rather have you and Cait alive than an old bit of wood and metal…"

"Still… I'll help you get a new one!"

"Rena-"

"Well, I don't really know anyone that can make a rifle like yours… Maybe Harker? But I can get you a bowgun. Or a bow! That'd put a little muscle on you! Those'll make your arms and chest nice and buff if you use them a lot! Or not… I think I like you like this." Heine sighed at the words, but still smiled; he was happy to see Rena acting so naturally again. Rena gave him a broad grin of her own, before looking back up Heine's head. "Gotta say though, you look pretty cute with short hair."

"...Really?"

"Yep, but I liked your long hair better. This is a nice change, but, well…"

Heine chuckled lightly. "Then I guess I'll have to start growing it again, won't I? Since you like it…" Heine's words petered off to silence, and Rena looked up, meeting his eyes. For a few moments, she simply kept his gaze, her vibrant grey eyes staring fixedly in his own dark green ones. Then she abruptly turned away from the bed.

"Excuse me…" she said quietly, catching the attention of the town doctor. The older woman turned curiously, giving the huntress a sour look.

Rena didn't say anything further, however. For a few moments, neither of them spoke, and Heine frowned in confusion. He couldn't see Rena's face, and the doctor had a flat expression. Was there some subtle conversation going on which he was missing? Some unspoken language he wasn't catching? His father had always grumbled that women were psychic, way back when, but…

The doctor suddenly huffed, waving a hand irritably, turning away and joining a Felyne medic to check Cait's condition. "Fine," she growled gruffly. "But mind your injuries, or you'll spend the next month in the Coffin."

Heine blinked in surprise as Rena got to her feet, and began sweeping the privacy curtains around his bed shut. In a few moments, the huntress had completely sealed them off from the rest of the room. Visually, at least; Heine could still make out the sound of footsteps and the old doctor speaking through the fabric. Rena turned back to face him again once the curtains were closed, giving him an intent look as she made her way back over to the side of his bed. However, rather than sitting on the small stool like before, the huntress instead climbed onto the bed itself. Heine felt his breath catch in his throat as Rena crawled carefully up to him, making sure to avoid touching his injuries as she straddled him and leaned her face in close to his.

"Rena?" he choked out. "What are you-"

"I love you, Heine."

Heine's heart leapt at the words, his eyes widening as he felt his face grow hot. Rena's face blossomed a vibrant red against her dark skin as the words left her mouth, however, and the huntress wilted a little bit, lowering her face in embarrassment and planting her head against Heine's chest.

"Oh, wow," she murmured. "That was… that was a lot harder to do than I thought…"

"Rena? I… I don't…" Heine's words sputtered out, his voice having trouble keeping up with his mind. The courier glanced up at the privacy curtains nervously. He could still see the doctor's shadow through the fabric, and hear their muffled words. Rena glanced up at him and smirked wickedly, leaning forward and sliding her head over his shoulder.

"You told me there was a time and place for following your heart, and a time and place for listening to reason," Rena murmured huskily. Heine shivered as he felt her breath, warm against his neck, and she purred in amusement. "I feel like this is a fine time to follow my heart… Wouldn't you agree?"

"I… I don't see why…" Heine sputtered. "Why, Rena?"

"Why what?"

"Why do… Why me? I'm not… I'm not a hunter," Heine wheezed. Having the huntress hovering so close to him was making it challenging to focus on what he was saying. "I'm not… not strong…"

"What makes you think that matters to me?" Rena asked breathily. Her hand brushed his cheek as she gazed into his eyes, an amused expression on her face. "What makes you think that, just because I'm a hunter, I'd only be attracted to… or fall in love with, another hunter?"

"I don't… it's just… every other hunter I've ever seen… I always hear about…" Rena's fingers were trailing along his neck now, brushing the edges of the bandages, and Heine was finding it hard to think.

"Aha, I see. I suppose it is rather… common for hunters to find lovers in other hunters, or at least Guild workers, or those pretty receptionists they always hire… But you forget, my dear Heine: I'm not every other hunter. I'm me. I'm Rena Brisbane, and I'm not attracted to just some other hunter. I'm attracted to a dark-haired courier, who sings to me, reads with me, does his best to keep me safe despite not being a hunter himself, and has proven he's willing to do anything for me, including nursing me back to health when I'm sick and even killing or dying for me. It's you I want and love, Heine, and I won't settle for anything less."

Heine stared up at Rena, dumbfounded at the words, while the huntress smiled lovingly at him. His mouth worked, trying to find the words to say, but his mind simply wasn't giving him anything but strangled gasping sounds. The huntress began to fidget though, looking down nervously at him.

"Heine? Um… I don't… I don't suppose you could, perhaps, tell me how… you feel? I mean, I've always assumed you… But if I was wrong, then I-"

"I love you!" Heine blurted out, startling Rena. He felt his face flare up in embarrassment, and raised his hands to cover his eyes. "I… I love you too, Rena. I have for a while now, but I… Mercy, I didn't think you would…" Rena laughed quietly, and Heine pressed his hands against his face even more, flustered. Rena reached down, gently pulling his hands away.

"Can I kiss you?" she asked pleadingly, meeting his eyes. Heine was stunned; Rena sounded almost… meek, if only for a moment. That was nothing like the Rena he'd gotten to know over the last few months… but the word 'yes' was out of his mouth almost before he'd realized it. The meek Rena was gone instantly, her expression replaced with a predatory gaze, and she swept down, mashing her lips against his.

It was an awkward and messy attempt, admittedly. Neither of them were skilled at such things, Heine being slow and cautious versus Rena's ravenous aggression. The huntress seemed stuck between a predatory need and fearful caution of aggravating Heine's injuries. They learned quickly enough, however, and when they finally pulled apart, Heine was seeing stars, a warm, contented feeling swelling in his chest as Rena grinned wickedly down at him, catching her breath as her vibrant gray eyes stared passionately into his.

"Any other arguments?" Rena murmured softly.

"Um… no, not really."

"Good. Then I can really focus on enjoying myself." She leaned down and kissed him again, gentler this time, and she chuckled low under her breath as Heine leaned into it. They did a better job the second time through, now that they'd… accustomed themselves to each other, far smoother than their first try.

And far longer, apparently. By the time Rena pulled herself away from him, both of them red-faced and gasping for air, Heine realized the light streaming in through the windows had shifted to a more orange color, and had dimmed considerably. Rena had also somehow managed to sneak herself under the cotton blankets which Heine was using, lying next to him under the covers and wrapping her arms around his chest, pulling him close and allowing the warmth of her body to seep into him.

"This'll make a better story to tell than that Jaggi one, won't it?" Rena asked, grinning at him as she trailed her hands through his hair.

"I guess so," Heine agreed, gasping a bit to catch his breath. "But we, uh… we might want to keep out this last part."

Rena chuckled at the words, but gave him another predatory smile as she once again pushed herself on top of him, lowering her face towards his. "Convince me," she purred, before kissing him again.

---

Chapter OCs:

Wache belongs to Pixelsaber
Daren belongs to StattStatt
Damien belongs to Thomas A. Hawk
Lamar (kind of) belongs to Chicktopuss5000

---

Author's Note: Please Review! And thus ends Underground. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought about it, and whether you liked this multi-chapter setup! I might have another one or two in the works…

And sweet mercy, I really started to love Heine and Rena's dynamic as I wrote Underground! Maybe it's the shortness of the story, but I grew ridiculously fond of these two and their relationship over the course of the last few chapters. I'm tempted to have them come back in future one-shots… though I haven't got any good ideas yet.

Finally, I'm sorry to Chicktopuss, but you missed the extra OC cutoff date. I'm trying to be more stern about this kind of thing, considering how out of hand TLC eventually got... As such, only two submitted OCs will be used in a future chapter. Once again, I'll inform you that the chapter has no specified release date, so when it comes out, I suppose it'll just be a surprise for those that did get one in.

Reading: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki (WTF THIS MANGA IS SO WEIRD), Maoyuu Maou Yuusha by Touno Mamare, The Hunters Oath: Master Corps by Thomas A. Hawk, Faber et Filia by Hoenn Master96
Playing: Pokemon X, MH3U, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Pathfinder
Listening: Crit Juice Podcast, Hello Internet Podcast, Welcome to Night Vale Podcast, Relient K, CatHatFiddle, Poets of the Fall, Cake, Pet Shop Boys, Death Cab for Cutie, They Might Be Giants, Revolutions Podcast
Watching: The Prince of Egypt