I'm back from my holiday and my self-imposed break.

...

Chapter 7

Satoru's eyes fluttered open. He let out a quiet groan and slowly sat up before attempting to register his surroundings. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was having something poured down his throat. The man glanced around him, noting that he was in some sort of enclosed space. His vision then registered the lone figure sitting on a stool, who suddenly perked up and looked in his direction.

"Satoru!" She stood up and walked over to Satoru.

"Yuna…" he mumbled. His voice was raspy from sleep. "How…how long was I out?"

"Just a few hours…Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Like crap," he answered as he continued to adjust to his surroundings. "And the hunters?"

"Leon and the others left on a hunt."

"I see…Yuna, I want to apologize for well, this. I didn't mean to cause you all any difficulty."

"Stop, I don't want to hear that from you."

"But-"

"You were wrong for being too stubborn to seek help but at the same time, there's no need to apologize for being sick. It is not your fault."

"But Yuna, I-"

Suddenly, the curtains were pushed aside and the two saw a Troverian nurse pop her head inside. Her eyes lit up briefly upon noticing that Satoru was awake. "Oh, you're awake. Good, this will make things easier." The nurse had a solemn look on her face, making Yuna wonder if there was an issue. I just hope it's not something terrible…she thought.

"What is it?" Yuna asked.

"Right, so we've finished diagnosing your friend here, and umm…It would seem he has contracted that virus."

"Virus? What virus?"

"Oh, you haven't heard? It's been making waves across the entire Old World and has infected millions of people, including our own. And from the looks of it, it's been incubating within your friend for a while now, which is a miracle on its own since it usually activates in just several days in a regular person."

Yuna's eyes grew wide. "What?"

The nurse turned her attention towards Satoru. "Could it be because you're Wyverian? Either way, may I ask if you could remember when and how you were infected?"

Satoru was about to open his mouth when Yuna suddenly stepped in between them. "Hold it, both of you!" She turned and fixed a glare on her guardian and Satoru was briefly taken aback. Yuna after all rarely ever got cross with him. "Is there something you're not telling me Satoru? What's this about getting infected?"

I suppose the Palico's out of the bag. The man sighed and began to explain to the young Wyverian girl everything that had transpired before they left their kingdom.

The first thing the hunters noticed as soon as they arrived at the area where their target was last spotted were the numerous red lights floating in the air. They had initially thought the lights were Thunderbugs but that changed after Camilla shot an arrow at one of the lights, hoping to fetch some materials.

Gigi was the first to say something after an extended period of silence where they stared at the thing that had fallen from the sky. "Umm, excuse me but what the fuck is this thing?"

Leon crouched down and lifted it, earning disgusted looks from Gigi and Camilla.

"It kinda looks like a limbless Khezu with wings," Julian commented, poking it with a finger.

"Whatever it is, it's definitely ugly as shit," he said, still holding the creature and turning its body over to examine it further.

Camilla shook her head vigorously. "Can you put it away? I'd rather not have you carry around that…thing like it's some kind of plushie."

A wicked grin formed on Leon's face, and he suddenly thrust the creature's body towards Camilla, who shrieked and fell on her butt.

The huntress glared up at Leon, who was bent over laughing. "You jackass!"

But the hunter did not look like he regretted it at all. "Oh man, was that worth it or what?" Suddenly, he felt a sharp sting of pain on his wrist. "Ouch!" He realized the creature was not as dead as it seemed. After some struggle, he pulled it off and threw it on the ground before crushing it under his foot.

Camilla huffed and stood up, brushing the dirt off her armor. "Serves you right."

Julian gave him a disappointed look. "That wasn't very cool of you Leon."

"What? It was funny!" Leon tried to protest as he rubbed his wrist. The little bastard somehow bit right through my armor…

"Idiot," Gigi admonished with a shake of her head.

The hunters pressed on and wandered through the caves while following the trail of webs along the walls. They also noticed more of the red lights as they walked, which brought an unnerving air to the locale, made worse by the apparent lack of wildlife in the area. Perhaps most importantly, the hunters still had no idea what these creatures were and why they were here.

Eventually, the trail of webs led the hunters to a large hollow, where they could see numerous giant cobwebs around the area, covering both the ceiling and walls. They even served as the ground they stepped on, having solidified to become as solid as rock. There were also several corpses strung across the area, a sign that they had arrived at a Nerscylla nesting site. And at the moment they had arrived, the hunters immediately spotted one. The hunters quickly hid behind the entrance to the hollow.

"There's one there!" Camilla pointed out, readying her Bow.

"Should we ambush it?" Julian asked. "It's facing the other direction."

"No, wait. Something is wrong," Gigi said. "Look, it isn't moving."

Just then, Leon felt a shove against his back. "Go check it out," Camilla told him.

"Wait, why me?"

Gigi frowned. "You're the leader duh."

Leon shook his head and obliged. He quietly unsheathed his blade and slowly moved towards it. The creature, however, was very still and Leon raised an eyebrow at that. He looked back at his team, who all gave him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes and continued to silently approach the Nerscylla. As he drew closer, he noticed that the creature was standing atop the webs. Cautiously, he tapped a foot onto the web, eliciting a vibration that he was sure the creature noticed.

To his confusion, it was unresponsive.

What's going on here? Carefully lifting his blade, he took a deep breath and proceeded to poke the Nerscylla's abdomen. The creature immediately stirred, and Leon hastily readied his blade…only for it suddenly fall onto its side, legs curling up into its body.

"It's…It's dead?" Leon announced with a baffled look.

The rest of the hunters quickly approached as they all examined the corpse.

"Did something kill it?" Julian wondered.

Camilla breathed a sigh of relief. "Good riddance. Well then, since our target is dead let's go back-"

"Wait," Leon interrupted as he crouched down. Taking out his knife, he nudged the body around and sure enough, there they were. He looked at both his wrist and the corpse. There was no mistaking it. "Remember those flying Khezu-like things? I see similar bite marks on this Nerscylla's body…loads of them."

Gigi crouched down beside him and also noticed the marks. "Huh, you're right."

Julian gulped. "Then…did those things kill it?"

His question went unanswered as Leon stood up and looked around. He glanced upwards and saw the numerous red lights, all leading deeper into the hollow. He felt a sense of dread wash over him, recalling how eerily quiet the locale was and how utterly devoid of life it was. "Something weird is happening here…" he muttered.

"I don't like this Leon…" Gigi said. "My instincts tell me we shouldn't go any further and report back immediately to the village."

"My instincts tell me the same. I'd say we head back and tell the chief what we saw."

"Finally!" Camilla cheered as the hunters proceeded to head back. "Boy am I glad we didn't have to fight the Nerscylla!"

"Damn, and I was looking forward to engaging in an actual hunt," Gigi noted with a disappointed look.

"You can't be serious…"

"Gonna have to agree on Gigi with this one," Leon said. "I've been itching to test out this new Longsword on some actual big game."

Camilla looked at them as if they grew two heads. "Seriously? You guys are weird. What kind of weirdo wants to fight a Nerscylla? With its many legs, four eyes…and the constant twitching…and the weird extendable jaws…the webs…" She trailed off, shivering slightly. "You agree with me right Julian?"

Silence.

Strange, he's been quieter than usual, the huntress thought. "Umm, Julian?" she repeated, turning around. "Hello-" Suddenly, her expression shifted to that of horror. Upon noticing that, both Leon and Gigi turned around as well…and their eyes became as wide as saucers.

Clinging onto the ceiling…was a Nerscylla and ensnared in its silk was Julian, who was glued helplessly against the wall. The hunters watched helplessly as the creature raised its needle-like stinger and promptly pierced their friend through his armor.

Gigi was the first to scream. "JULIAN!"

"C-Camilla, shoot that thing down!" Leon ordered frantically.

Camilla snapped out of her trance and immediately drew her bow, firing an arrow at the Nerscylla. But the agile giant spider easily leaped off the wall, swinging across the cave with its webs and firmly attached itself to the other wall. It then opened its mandibles and shot out several balls of silk aimed at the hunters.

"Move!" Leon and the rest of the hunters quickly moved away from the attacks, but they were more concerned about Julian, who remained unmoving high up on the wall.

"How did I not notice? I should have noticed damn it! Fuck! You're losing your edge Gigi!" As more and more expletives came out of the frustrated huntress's mouth, she failed to notice the ball of silk heading her way. Realizing this, Leon dashed over to her and tackled the huntress onto the ground, narrowly avoiding getting ensnared.

"Focus you idiot!" Leon reprimanded, smacking her on the back of the head. The huntress, however, was not pleased by that and slugged him in the face.

"It got Julian!" Gigi's eyes were full of rage, and it was clear she was not thinking straight.

"And we will get him back don't worry!" he replied through gritted teeth. Shit, she's got one hell of a punch… "Camilla!"

"I'm on it!" the huntress responded, firing off a volley of arrows at the Nerscylla.

"Camilla and I will keep it busy! You get Julian to safety!"

"But Jul-"

"GIGI!" both Leon and Camilla yelled out at the same time, immediately snapping Gigi out of her rage-induced trance.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry I-"

"Apologize later! Camilla?"

The huntress nodded and turned around, aiming directly at Julian. However, her back was turned, leaving her vulnerable. But Leon came prepared. He quickly reached into his pouch and took out a special item he had bought for the hunt. The moment the Nerscylla opened its mandibles again to shoot at the huntress, Leon threw the item toward it. Immediately, a blinding flash of light engulfed the area, eliciting a shriek from the creature and causing it to lose its grip on the wall. It landed on the ground with a loud thud and remained there, squealing in pain due to the damage to its sensitive eyes.

With the Nerscylla temporarily stunned, Camilla began to carefully adjust her aim. Taking a deep breath, she then fired her shot. The arrow soared through the air and immediately cut through the silk gluing Julian to the wall. Gigi swiftly rushed over and caught him before he could collide with the ground.

"You're safe now…" Gigi mumbled to the sleeping hunter, quickly carrying him away from the battle.

After making sure their friend was secure, Leon and Camilla turned their attention back to the Nerscylla, which has since recovered and got back on its feet, though it appeared to be in a dazed state. At the distance they were in, the hunters were finally able to get a good look at the creature and they immediately noticed something was off.

"Hey is it just me, or does the thing look very…red?" Camilla pointed out.

"You're not wrong."

The Nerscylla in front of them sported an unnatural red hue all over its body. But the most notable oddity was the numerous small flying creatures hovering around it and Leon realized based on their size and pink color, looked identical to the Khezu-like creature from before.

Just as Leon attempted to make the connection, the Nerscylla had snapped out of its dazed state and now faced the hunters. Its eyes glowed an eerie red and it raised its pedipalps, making itself look bigger and letting out a shrill cry of intimidation. The move caused the flying creatures around it to enter a frenzy and swooped down onto the hunters, pushing them back.

Briefly stunned by the attack, the crafty Nerscylla was not going to let this opportunity pass by. It opened its mandibles and shot a ball of silk, ensnaring Camilla and ensuring that she couldn't move.

"Wait, why me!"

"Camilla!" Leon cried out in horror. "Use your knife!"

With a loud crunch, the Nerscylla's mandibles then extended one by one, and it walked forward, ready to snap the huntress in two like giant scissors. At the same time, mustering all her strength, Camilla freed one arm, reaching for her carving knife, and began to furiously cut the silk.

Successfully cutting herself free in the nick of time, Camilla instinctively bent backward as the jaws snapped just inches above her nose. Unable to keep the pose for longer and coupled with the poison dripping from the mandibles onto her face, the huntress fell on her back as the Nerscylla's mandibles retracted.

The poison burned and seeped through her skin and the huntress couldn't help but cry in pain. "AAAH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"

Sensing weakness, the Nerscylla quickly moved over the huntress and prepared to pierce her with its stinger.

"NO!" Leon rushed forward, unsheathing his blade, and slashing the Nerscylla's leg. It screeched in pain and quickly backed off the huntress. Not willing to give it room to breathe, Leon continued his attack, switching to the other leg with each slash eliciting more pained screams from the creature. Before he could attack again, it roared and hopped onto the nearby wall, immediately crawling up for safety and reassess its strategy.

Leon narrowed his eyes at it before glancing back to check on Camilla, who was already on her feet.

"Damn it…" Camilla clutched her face with one hand and reached into her pouch for a potion. She then dumped its contents all over her face, hissing at the pain.

"Are you alright?" Leon asked.

"Does it look like I am?" she snapped, turning to face him, and revealing the several patches of burned skin on her face.

Leon gulped. "Yeah, that does not look good…"

"You think?"

They heard a screech and looked up to see the Nerscylla twitching while still clinging to the wall. The flying creatures around it continued to hover around the larger creature as if waiting for something.

"You're gonna pay for ruining my face you creepy fuck," Camilla muttered darkly, aiming her bow at the Nerscylla. She shot an arrow at it, but the agile spider dodged it, jumping off the wall and using its web to swing itself across to the other side. "Hold still damn it!"

When she missed another shot, the huntress clicked her tongue and reached into her pouch. She then an arrow and attached a small tube to them.

Meanwhile, high up on the wall, their target continued to screech, twitch, and make unnerving sounds, all while the flying creatures around it seemed to enter a frenzy but made no move to swoop down at the hunters.

"I have two more flash bombs I can use to-" Leon began but was interrupted by Camilla stepping in front of him. The huntress got on one knee and scraped the arrow against the ground, igniting a small fuse attached to the tube on the arrow.

"Eat this." Camilla then aimed and shot at the Nerscylla. As she had expected, it jumped away but just as it did, the arrow exploded upon hitting the wall, throwing the creature off balance, and causing it to fall to the ground with a painful-sounding thud.

Leon whistled at the sight. Remind me to never get on her bad side.

With the Nerscylla on its back, it was a prime target. Leon and Camilla glanced at each other and nodded before charging toward the creature and preparing to attack. But just as they drew closer, the Nerscylla began to…glow?

"What now?" Leon groaned.

As if it hadn't just fallen from a great height, the Nerscylla effortlessly got up and faced the hunters. Its eyes glowed an even brighter red hue on its body had somehow gotten stronger. It was as if an aura was being projected from it and Leon felt that same sense of dread he felt before.

Suddenly, it rose onto its back legs and let out a shrill roar, and immediately after, a swarm of the flying creatures popped out of nowhere and flew straight at both hunters, sending them flying a considerable distance. Their backs crashed against the cave walls from the sheer force of the attack, bringing them down to their knees. Before they could even get their bearings, the Nerscylla shot several balls of silk at the hunters, trapping them from head to toe and gluing them against the wall.

Shit, shit, shit! Leon thought, unable to see or speak, his muffled screams going unheard. Beside him, Camilla too was unable to move a limb, speak or see, her brute strength useless against the layers of incredibly strong silk entrapping them.

Unable to do anything, the hunters were at the mercy of the Nerscylla. Seeing that the hunters were completely immobilized, it began to approach, ready to finish them off. With a loud crunch, its mandibles extended once again, and it crawled forward toward the hunters. But before it could deliver the killing blow, its vision suddenly went black.

"You feel that?" said a voice coming from above its head.

Disoriented, confused, and in an even greater deal of pain, the Nerscylla squealed and thrashed its body around. But Gigi firmly held onto her blades, which she had used to puncture the creature's eyes. Even as it slammed itself against the wall repeatedly, Gigi continued to hold on. It was only after the Nerscylla had moved a safe distance away from her two friends that she jumped off and promptly ran to them, not caring that her blades were still stuck in the creature. Taking out her carving knife, she proceeded to cut through the silk, starting with the ones around their heads.

Leon gasped immediately upon being freed, looking slightly disoriented and taking a few seconds to breathe before noticing Gigi, who was busy cutting away the silk around Camilla's face. "G-Gigi?"

"This will only take a minute," she calmly stated. Seconds later, Camilla's face was free, and she too gasped for air.

"Gigi?" Camilla finally uttered after regaining her bearings.

"We don't have much time. Once you're both free, the four of us are going to finish this."

Leon blinked twice. "…Did you say the four of us?"

Gigi nodded. "Yep, Julian's recovered and will rejoin the fight. Thankfully, the needle didn't puncture any vitals, so he only fell asleep."

"It's not a normal Nerscylla Gigi, it's more powerful, aggressive, and somehow can control those flying things," Camilla told her.

"I know, I've been observing the battle from afar. So, Julian and I thought of a plan that should work." Seconds later, she was finished, and the two hunters broke free from the silk. "Do you trust me?" Gigi asked, looking intently at Leon.

The hunter took one look at the Nerscylla and back at Gigi before letting out a grin. "With my life."

Gigi returned the grin. "Good. Camilla, do you still have those Parashrooms you gathered on the way here?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then here's what we're going to do…"

…

Still disoriented, the enraged Nerscylla continued to thrash around blindly, crashing into the walls and uncaring of its own body. That is until it felt it. The tell-tale signs of vibrations. It could feel it via its sensitive feet because though blinded, it was not completely helpless. Letting out a growl, it followed its instincts and moved toward the source of the vibrations, its mandibles ready to cleave what was in its path.

Suddenly, it heard loud banging sounds. Metal against metal. Immediately, it stopped in its tracks and turned its attention to the new sounds. They were irritating and ruining its focus. Quickly it concluded that the sounds must stop and made a beeline toward the direction of the source. Raising its clawed pedipalps, it swiped in front of it.

CLANG!

Its attack was deflected, hitting something large and solid. Frustrated, it attacked again, but the object was unmoving. Screeching, it grabbed ahold of the object and attempted to push it but found heavy resistance.

"Any time now!"

More sounds, likely the voices of the creatures it was fighting before. It then felt more vibrations, as if something was running across the web. It tried to turn around but seconds later, the banging sounds returned, once again disrupting its senses. Now fully agitated, it let out another screech and resorted to its mandibles, intent on getting rid of the sounds once and for all. But just as they began to extend, it felt a sharp sting of pain on its legs…followed by more and more pain. Before it knew it, the Nerscylla lost all feeling in its limbs and collapsed on its stomach, unable to stand. But it wasn't defenseless just yet and it could still utilize its mandibles.

Only to find itself physically unable to move.

"It's paralyzed! Go, attack!"

The last thing the Nerscylla heard was the sound of rapid footsteps, followed by a grunt and a "Jump!" before everything turned black.

…

Leon sheathed his blade just as the Nerscylla's corpse fell over, its head split open from his descending slash attack.

"We finally killed it…" Camilla said, sighing in relief.

Julian hummed. "I'm glad that's over."

"That was a damn fine plan you cooked up though Gigi," Camilla remarked. "Having Julian draw its attention by using his shield? Followed by you severing the arteries on its legs and then me paralyzing it with my arrows? And then Leon delivers the killing blow by jumping off Julian's shield? Talk about a strategized sequence of events!"

"Hmm?" The huntress returned her bloody carving knife into its pocket before pulling her blades out of the Nerscylla's head. "It's really nothing special. I'm sure other hunters would have thought the same."

"Still credit where credit is due. You really got us out of a pinch there Gigi. Maybe you should be our leader…right Leon?"

The hunter in question was busy examining the corpse and upon hearing his name only briefly glanced back. "Huh? Oh, yeah yeah," he said offhandedly, his attention elsewhere.

"Nah, I don't think the position of leader suits me. I'm fine where I am," Gigi answered.

Camilla shrugged. "Yeah, I know, just teasing. Anyway, let's all go back and celebrate our-"

"Woah!" Leon gasped at what was happening in front of him. The small flying creatures that had hovered around the Nerscylla suddenly began to disperse. The hunters then all looked up at the sky and saw that all the red lights had begun to vanish without warning. It only took a few seconds before they completely disappeared without a trace, leaving the area eerily empty and quiet, as if they hadn't been there at all.

"That was unsettling," Gigi remarked a moment later.

Leon took one last look at the Nerscylla's corpse before turning away and rejoining his team. "Let's just hurry back and report this. Everyone?"

They all agreed without hesitation.

…