Chapter 6

"Shit, where did they come from?!"

"Gigi watch out!"

"I can't hold them off much longer!"

"Damn it, what's with these guys?!"

Yuna covered her eyes and ears and cowered in fear. The noise of battle could be heard from outside the wagon, a combination of growls, squeals, and sounds of flesh being torn apart. She trembled, fingers tightening around her clothing. All she had wanted was for their journey to be peaceful and without much trouble, yet here they were struggling to fend off a pack of unusually aggressive raptorial Bird Wyverns for the umpteenth time. Whether it was Maccaos, Velocipreys, or Jaggis, it would seem as if the gods didn't want their journey to be a smooth one.

Just then, the wagon shook and Yuna heard growling. She looked up…only to be face-to-face with one of the Bird Wyverns. The blue-scaled creature stared at her, baring its razor-sharp teeth and sickle claws. Yuna was frozen in fear, unable to move as she felt its breath against her face. The creature hissed and was about to lunge forward to attack when suddenly, it found itself being forcefully pulled backward.

"Get away from her!" Satoru held the creature by the tail and proceeded to throw it out of the wagon. Immediately, Leon moved to stand next to him as they took a defensive stance to protect Yuna.

Leon turned to the huntress perched atop the wagon. "I thought you were watching the wagon Camilla!"

"Forgive me for not having eyes in the back of my damn head!" Camilla retorted, firing off another arrow.

Leon cursed under his breath before shouting again, "How's it going in the front?!"

"They just keep coming and coming!" Gigi shouted back.

"Damn it all!"

In the end, the group managed to exit the woods safely and once again arrived at an open area, a large open space bordered by the sea to the left. In the distance, they could see a massive inactive volcano and a large opening in the ground where the entrance to Harth was located. Normally, this was the cause of celebration however the constant fighting had drained the energy out of all the hunters, and they were mostly too exhausted to do much else. Yuna was extremely apologetic however and it took both Leo and Gigi telling her firmly that it was not a problem at all and that she should just shut up.

"Sorry about that," Camilla said to Yuna some later after noticing that she looked ashamed. "They can get pretty cranky when tired."

The Wyverian girl shook her head, "It is alright. I guess I'm just not used to directly being told to shut up," she said, glancing at the rest of the hunters, who were fast asleep. She stifled a giggle at the sight of Gigi and Julian leaning against each other, the latter with his chin resting atop her head and an arm curled protectively around her.

Suddenly, they heard a thump, followed by the wagon coming to a halt.

Alarmed, Yuna stood up to check on Satoru…and found him collapsed in the driver's seat. "Satoru!" She tried shaking his body, but he was unresponsive. "No, no, no!" Her cries were enough to wake the rest of the hunters. They were about to chew her out for waking them up but the moment they heard her distressed cries, they knew something was wrong.

Camilla stood up and immediately acted. "Help me bring him over here," she instructed Yuna. The girl nodded and together, they lifted Satoru off the driver's seat and moved him to the back of the wagon, where they laid him down gently.

"He seems to have a fever…and he's rapidly heating up," Gigi noted after placing a palm over Satoru's forehead. The man's face was also pale, he was breathing heavily and was sweating considerably. Seeing this, Yuna could only sit and stare helplessly.

"N-No…W-What do we do?"

"Well considering Harth is practically right in front of us, I'd say we get treatment there," Leon said.

Camilla nodded. "Good idea."

"For now, however, we keep him hydrated. Let him rest." Gigi suggested. "Also, we should probably give him a few of our potions. I'm not sure if they will work but it's better than nothing."

"I'll drive then," Camilla offered. Noticing Yuna's clear distress, she squeezed Yuna's shoulder reassuringly before getting off the wagon and making her way over to the driver's seat.

…

Their arrival at the entrance to Harth was less exciting than they had initially anticipated. Under normal circumstances, Yuna would have been ecstatic at seeing the underground village alongside the Troverians who called it their home. With their expertise in smithing combined with the sight of lava flowing around the village, Harth was a hotspot for hunters and a popular tourist attraction for those brave enough to withstand the heat. But for the group, Satoru's health was their priority. However, no sooner did they arrive at the entrance to the volcano, their wagon was promptly stopped by the Troverians guarding the entrance. During this, Yuna peeked out of the wagon to know what the Troverians looked like. She noted their short and stocky bodies, tanned skin, and long beards curled in different shapes.

"Please hold it right there," one of the Troverian guards said.

"Due to an emergency, I'm afraid we cannot permit any visitors for the time being."

"What? Why? What emergency?" Camilla asked.

"Some form of illness has spread throughout the region and many of our people have been infected," the guard explained. "Sorry, but we cannot let anyone in until we've figured out how to deal with it."

Not willing to back down, Yuna quickly got off the wagon and stepped right up to the guards, who were surprised by her sudden appearance. "Please, I implore you to let us in! Our dearest companion is sick and ailing and desperately needs medical attention."

"Well that just makes it worse! There's no way we're letting you folks in!"

"No wait-"

"Sorry miss, orders are orders."

But Yuna wouldn't give up. "Please, we really need-"

"How much?"

Yuna gasped and jerked to her right, noticing that Leon had suddenly appeared.

One of the guards blinked, "Excuse me?"

"How much?" Leon repeated. "How much can we pay you to let us through?"

The guards looked at each other, confused. "Umm..." They had no idea how to respond to that. Unfortunately, their hesitance did not bode well with a certain huntress.

"Oh c'mon! We haven't got all fucking day!" Gigi complained from inside the wagon.

Camilla banged her fist against the wagon, quickly silencing the huntress before giving the Troverian guards an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. You see, we're on a quest and we really really need to enter your village. It's an urgent matter you see?"

The guard's eyes widened slightly. "Quest? Are ya folks hunters?"

Leon and Camilla nodded, and the guards looked at each other.

"…Wait here for a moment," one of them said, turning around and disappearing inside the cave. Several minutes later, the same guard returned. "In exchange for helping us with a monster problem, we'll grant you entrance and treat your sick friend."

Yuna's expression brightened, and she bowed gratefully. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

With that hurdle out of the way, the group was finally able to enter Harth. The wagon moved through a long stretch of the tunnel before arriving at an ample and more open space. Yuna peeked out of the wagon and finally saw what Harth looked like. It was just like she imagined it based on descriptions given by Leon. It was a large subterranean village located near an active volcano where magma flowed freely around. She could already feel the heat from the magma flowing around the village.

But where she had expected a very active village where Troverians spent their time mining and forging in the smithy, she was greeted by a very different picture. Instead, she saw numerous mattresses in the village center, all with Troverians lying atop them. She also saw several of what looked like regular human women running back and forth…except they were equally as short and stocky as everyone else. At that moment, Yuna realized that those were Troverian women and that the village center had been turned into what she guessed was a makeshift hospital.

"Wait here," the guard that accompanied them told the group. They watched as he quickly waddled his way down the winding path and towards the village center. They saw him then approach a Troverian with a yellow jumpsuit and a long curled beard. The two appeared to talk for a bit before the Troverian with the long beard beckoned for a few Troverian women to follow him and the guard toward their location.

"This is the chief of our village," the guard said as the Troverian with the long beard stepped towards the group.

"Hey there! I was told that you folks are hunters? Please, my village requires your assistance!"

Leon crossed his arms. "And in exchange, you'll treat our sick friend?"

"Yes," the chief answered, gesturing towards the Troverian women he had brought. "Your friend will be under our care."

Yuna couldn't help but bow. "Thank you…"

While Gigi, Julian, and Yuna helped the Troverian women carry Satoru over to the other nurses, Leon and Camilla stayed with the chief to discuss their next course of action.

"So, what exactly do you need help with?" Leon asked. "I assume some overly aggressive monster is hindering your daily activities."

"Something like that. More precisely, a Nerscylla has appeared."

Camilla physically recoiled. "Oh gods…"

The chief continued, "That ugly mother hubbard had suddenly appeared and made its home near the usual areas we visit to gather materials and work. Considering our situation right now, we really need you folks to get rid of it so we can get back to work."

"Done," Leon said, earning an incredulous look from Camilla.

"Thank you hunters. I've posted the quest over on our quest board. You can talk to Jenna, our quest receptionist to get things started."

"Will do," Leon replied firmly. "Oh, and before you leave, might we discuss the payment?"

"Oh no here we go…" Camilla mumbled.

After the chief left, Leon and Camilla made their way over to the quest board. There, they saw a woman with long black hair tied in twin tails sitting on a chair, one hand under her chin and one leg folded over the other. She had a bored expression on her face but the distinct uniform she wore was enough to tell both hunters that she must be the Guild receptionist they were supposed to talk to.

Upon seeing the two hunters, the woman's bored expression immediately disappeared, and she hastily sat up and fixed her uniform. "Hey! Are you here to choose a quest?"

They both nodded and the woman grinned widely as the two immediately selected the quest to slay the Nerscylla they were told about. Just as they finished getting the paper signed, they spotted Gigi and Julian heading their way.

"We got a quest. Slay a Nerscylla that made its home nearby."

Julian shuddered. "Of all the monsters in the world, why does it have to be a Nerscylla?"

"You and me bud…" Camilla said.

"Look on the bright side, the pay is pretty good!" Leon tried to reason.

After receiving the quest, the hunters proceeded over to the village shop to buy the necessary supplies. They each also bought a flash bomb, knowing that a Nerscylla's sensitive eyes were vulnerable to bright flashes of light. When they finished buying the supplies they needed, the group collectively agreed to eat at the canteen. It has been a while since they went on a real hunt after all and they couldn't afford to take any shortcuts, even if it meant spending more zenny.

"Hey, is it a good idea to leave Yuna and Satoru in the village?" Julian asked while they ate. "I'm worried more assassins may show up, made worse now that Satoru is out of commission."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Gigi said, too busy biting into a piece of fish to give him a proper answer. "Besides, we won't be gone for long…I think?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Julian deadpanned.

"How are you guys not repulsed by the fact that we're hunting a goddamn Nerscylla?" Camilla exclaimed. "Remember how our last Nerscylla hunt went?"

Leon shrugged as he slurped up the rest of his soup. "In our defense, that was when we were still relatively new. I'm sure it won't be that bad now."

Gigi snorted. "Says the guy who got stung and was put to sleep not even five minutes into the battle."

"Says the woman whose armor got melted off by the poison and left her nearly naked for the rest of the hunt," Leon replied smugly. Julian, who sat before him, blushed and hastily gulped down his drink.

"Oh you really went there, Leon…" Gigi growled, gripping her fork so tightly the metal began to bend.

"Is he wrong though? You're practically naked every day thanks to that bone armor you're wearing," Camilla added with a grin.

Gigi looked at her fellow huntress with an utterly betrayed expression.

After they finished their pre-hunt meal, Leon decided to head down to the village center to inform Yuna and Satoru that they were leaving. A brief jaunt later and he arrived in front of the house where Satoru was being treated.

"Excuse me," Leon said, pushing the curtains. Inside, they saw Satoru lying on a bed with a few nurses standing by. Yuna sat on one of the chairs and when she saw him, she quickly stood up.

"Hello!"

"Hey there, we're just about to leave."

"Alright then, stay safe and I wish you all good luck!"

"You got it." Leon then exited the house and joined the rest near the departure gate. As he and the rest checked their equipment and supplies for one last time before they left, Leon took a deep breath and silently prayed their hunt would go well.

"If it's any consolation," Gigi said after noticing Camilla and Julian's hesitance. "We got blessings from a real princess, so chin up you two."

Julian sighed, "I suppose complaining isn't going to get me anywhere."

Camilla huffed. "I'll do it, but I won't like it!"

"That's the spirit," Leon grinned as he adjusted his sword and pouch. "Well then? Shall we?"

…