Chapter 10

Mezeporta Square is a large bustling town situated within a secluded valley east of Dundorma. Ever since splitting off from Dundorma, the town has had to fend for itself for years. From monsters, the weather, and even the criminal underworld, the town has had quite the challenge of finally establishing its independence.

Now, however, the town has since grown to become a bustling hub and the de-facto pit stop for all travelers wishing to venture into the mountains in the eastern region of the continent. The Hunter's Guild also has a sizable presence in the town, having established a post there years ago, and has grown to become one of the busiest hunter outposts in the region. It was no surprise, for the town provided many accommodations for hunters, including a market almost busy as the one in Dundorma, a general store, several inns, a medical facility, a renowned smithy, attractive receptionists, and perhaps most notably, a large food court serving meals from all over the continent. The latter attracts various customers, from the hungry or weary hunter to the common citizen.

One such person had just seated himself on one of the empty tables. He was a Guild Knight, dressed in a very recognizable uniform consisting of a red wide-brimmed hat and a red armored coat. The man licked his lips at the delicious sight before him. A large bowl of hot ramen, a specialty dish from the eastern regions. The perfect meal for an overworked Guild Knight.

"Sir! Sir Matthew!"

A young man and woman came to a stop near him, bending down to catch their breath. From their armor, he could tell the two were part of the town guard. Annoyed at having his meal interrupted, the man urged them to speak. "Go on, I won't bite." If the matter is important that is…

Both the woman and man gulped, their eyes briefly glancing at how tightly he gripped his chopsticks. "I-Its…It's an emergency, sir! An afflicted has been spotted just west of Mezeporta!" the woman exclaimed.

Sir Matthew immediately stood up. "What's the situation?" he questioned.

"A Rathalos sir!" the young man continued. "Our scouts spotted one flying over the area! Additionally, they also reported it being locked in combat with a group of hunters."

"Those hunters won't stand a chance," Sir Matthew muttered before turning his gaze onto the young woman. "You, get to the stables now and prepare four horses!"

She nodded. "On it sir!"

"And you, inform my squad in the barracks to meet me at the town gate ASAP."

"Yes sir!"

Immediately after the two left, Sir Matthew took one look at his bowl of ramen. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good bowl of food, he picked the bowl up and practically scarfed down its contents in little more than ten seconds before running off to prepare, all while crying over both losing his break and his burned tongue.

Julian grunted as he withstood the full force of the fireball colliding against his shield. The hunter, however, stood his ground, gritting his teeth and fighting through the pain and the threat of his left arm going numb. Just then, two blurs sped past him, rushing towards the Rathalos who took a moment to recover from shooting a fireball. Before the Wyvern could react, both Gigi and Leon attacked from opposite sides, swinging their blades at the Rathalos's neck.

However, their weapons harmlessly bounced off the Wyvern's hard scales.

"Shit-" both hunters uttered simultaneously as the Rathalos's mouth began to light up once more.

"Look out!" Camilla shouted as Gigi and Leon scrambled away, just as the Rathalos leaped back and shot a fireball at the ground. Though they managed to avoid a direct hit, the force from the explosion was enough to send both hunters flying. The Rathalos however, was not finished and immediately after leaping back, took to the air and flew straight towards one of the hunters.

Gigi, seeing the Wyvern, dropped to the ground in the nick of time just as the Rathalos flew over her and tried to snatch the huntress with its talons. "Shoot it down!"

"I'll try!" Camilla replied, aiming her bow at the flying Rathalos. The hunters watched as it turned around in the air and glided towards them. Aiming carefully, Camilla let loose an arrow that soared through the air and pierced the Rathalos's jaw and through the back of its head. It let out a pained cry and began to fall. The hunters swiftly dove out of the way just as the Rathalos crash-landed hard onto the ground.

"Is it dead?" Julian wondered as they slowly approached the seemingly motionless Wyvern.

To their horror, it stirred awake and slowly got back on its feet.

"No way…" Camilla muttered aloud. "We've been battering at it for what feels like hours and it's still standing?"

"Umm guys, is it just me or does it look a lot darker and redder than before?" Gigi pointed out. Indeed, the hunters noticed the Rathalos's carapace had darkened considerably, alongside the eerie glow of its eyes. They also saw more of the flying creatures swarming around it, as if forming a protective barrier around the Wyvern.

Camilla sensed something was amiss. "What's happening?"

But Leon knew better. "Everyone back away!" The hunters all immediately sheathed their weapons and turned to run. Behind them, the Rathalos raised its body and spread its wings and with a piercing roar, generated a powerful shockwave that hit the hunters with enough force to send them flying.

Lying face first on the ground, Leon shakily lifted himself up. He could also hear the pained groans of the rest nearby.

"I-Is everyone still alive?" Camilla called out. She and the rest looked the worse for wear and Leon could see the visible cracks in their armor from the sheer force of the shockwave.

"Felt like someone punched my heart out…" Julian mumbled.

"No shit," Gigi agreed with a pained grunt. "Fuck me, can we even land a solid hit on that thing? Our weapons bounced off its neck like it was nothing!"

"Maybe we should go for the underbelly?" Leon suggested.

Gigi huffed. "Easier said than done."

"Well my arrow hurt it, so I guess Leon's right?" Camilla said with a tentative shrug.

Julian sighed. "Either way, I don't think we can keep this up for longer. My right arm is just about to go numb and if this keeps up, a single fireball and I'm done for."

Gigi searched through her pouch. "My tank's nearly run empty too. Shit, and I'm out of Energy Drinks too!"

"Incoming!" Julian quickly stepped in front of the group and blocked the fireball aimed at them with his shield. But the moment the smoke cleared, he dropped to his knees and the arm holding his shield went limp.

"T-That's it for me…"

"Julian!" Gigi quickly kneeled beside him.

"Shit," Leon cursed. With Julian down, they had lost their element of defense. When he looked back at the Rathalos, he saw it charging another fireball. "Oh fuck-"

"Not on my watch!" Camilla said as she quickly shot an arrow aimed at the Wyvern's mouth. The arrow pierced through its mouth again and the Rathalos staggered back in pain.

With the Rathalos temporarily stunned, Leon turned towards Gigi. "Get Julian to safety!"

The huntress wordlessly nodded and proceeded to carry the injured Julian away.

"Guess it's just the two of us," Camilla said with a dry chuckle. "Just like with the Nerscylla."

"So it seems."

They watched as the Rathalos shook its head in recovery before roaring fiercely at the hunters. At the same time, the swarms of tiny creatures flying around it seemed to get more excited by the second.

Camilla readied another arrow while side-eyeing Leon. "I hope our fearless leader has a plan right now…"

"Not at the moment no."

The huntress frowned. "You could have at least lied or something."

"Yeah right. As if lying is gonna get us- Wait, what is it doing?"

In front of them, they saw the Rathalos's chest visibly begin to glow orange. Flames had also begun to flicker around its maw. It then raised its head – as if taking a deep breath – before unleashing a torrent of fire from its mouth, which the hunters just barely leaped out of the way in time. When they looked back, the grass where they had stood had been completely burned away, and what was left was a long, straight stretch of empty space charred from the flames.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Leon uttered in disbelief. As if fireballs weren't enough, the Rathalos had decided to turn its flame sac into an organic flamethrower! Suddenly, it took to the air and soared directly toward Camilla. The huntress ducked just in time as the Rathalos flew over her and into the skies. Like before, it then turned around in the air and dove back toward the hunters. However, instead of attacking with its talons, it opened its jaws and unleashed a stream of flames at the ground.

Leon's eyes widened in alarm. "Run!"

The flames then burned and continued burning indiscriminately, charring everything in its path and reducing them to nothing. But just like the flames, the Rathalos also burned indiscriminately, as if its only intent were to reduce everything to a burning pile.

Soon, it wasn't long before nearly the entire area was engulfed in flames.

The Rathalos then landed amid it all, twitching and growling as the swarm of creatures around it appeared to grow agitated from the flames. It hissed in pain and looked to be in the verge of collapsing, though not from the wounds it had sustained. The Wyvern looked distracted. In other words, the perfect time to strike.

Though suffering from multiple burns, Leon had just enough strength to run up to the Rathalos and slash at its underbelly with his Longsword, his scythe-like sword easily slicing through the soft flesh and inflicting a deep wound.

The Rathalos roared in pain and in response, a swarm of the flying creatures swooped down onto Leon, crashing against him with enough force to dent his armor. The hunter raised his arms to shield himself, stumbling back in the process from the force of the attack. Triggered by this assault, the Rathalos swiped its clubbed tail at Leon.

BAM!

Leon was hit directly, sending him flying. He landed on the ground with a thud, his Longsword flung a distance away. Lying on the ground, Leon groaned. His armor, was shattered from the impact, his ribs broken, coughing out blood profusely, and yet he was still alive, a testament to how crucial armor was to survivability. Grunting, he slowly lifted himself off the ground…only to see the Rathalos's piercing gaze fixated on him.

Ah, crap-

The Rathalos seized this chance to end him once and for all, surging forward and attempting to clamp its jaws around the hunter. Finding no strength to fight back, Leon was just about to accept his fate when he heard rapid footsteps.

It was Camilla! Before the Rathalos could seize him in its jaws, the huntress had stepped in front of him and held the Rathalos's jaws open with her bare hands. Leon could see that the flames had burned off chunks of her armor on her arms, legs, and shoulders. A consequence of wearing armor made from Great Jaggi, who bear a glaring weakness to fire.

"W-What are you-"

"Go! Just go!"

"Fuck!" He limped away as fast as he could, intent on finding his Longsword.

After ensuring Leon was out of the way, Camilla turned her attention back to the Rathalos, whose jaws she was struggling to hold open. But then she saw its throat begin to light up. She let go of the jaws and immediately swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding the Rathalos's bite. The huntress backed away and knowing her Bow was ineffective in close range, took out her carving knife.

Growling menacingly at the huntress, the Rathalos leaped forward in another attempt to bite her. Camilla quickly stepped to the side, dodging the attack before jumping onto the Rathalos's head and stabbing her knife into its eye. Roaring in agony, the Wyvern raised its head and tried to shake off the huntress, but Camilla's grip was strong, and she continued to stab her knife into the Wyvern while her other arm held onto the beast tightly.

She continued to hold on even as the beast took to the skies and brought her with it.

Back on the ground, Leon had managed to locate his Longsword, but could only watch helplessly as the Rathalos brought Camilla with it into the sky. "No, no, no! Camilla!" He tried to follow them but stopped short and coughed out blood, clutching his chest in pain. "Damn it! I need to-"

"Leon!" In the distance, the hunter could see Gigi heading his way. Her arms were shielding her face as she ran through the flames. When she arrived by his side, he could see the burns already on her body. What kind of idiot runs through fire while wearing barely concealing armor?

"What are you doing? Is Julian alright?"

"He's recovering!" Gigi reassured him as she rummaged through her pouch for a Potion. "And I'm trying to help you idiot!" She looked around. "Where's Camilla?"

Leon pointed up at the sky.

"You're joking…" she muttered incredulously, eyes fixed on the flying Rathalos. However, squinting her eyes, Gigi could see what looked like someone hanging onto the Rathalos's head. She could hear the pained roars of the Wyvern as it struggled in the air. But just seconds later, she noticed its wings stop flapping as it began to fall…in their direction! "It's about to crash!" The huntress picked Leon up in her arms despite his protests and ran away as fast as she could. She was just in time too, for mere moments later, the Rathalos crash-landed hard onto the ground. The beast remained motionless, and it wasn't long before the swarms of tiny flying creatures around it dispersed, vanishing the moment their host died. It was a hard-earned victory and with the Rathalos dead, normally it was the time for hunters to celebrate by carving their prey.

But that had not been what spurred the hunters to rush to the Rathalos's body.

"Camilla!" Leon cried out, trying his best to lift the Rathalos off their friend regardless of his injuries. "Hold on!"

Gigi cursed profusely as she tried to muster all her strength to lift the creature. "Aaaargh!"

Despite their best efforts, the two hunters weren't strong enough to lift the Rathalos off Camilla, whose lower half remained under the Rathalos's neck. The huntress was also unresponsive, and the team had no idea if she was dead or merely unconscious. They hoped for the latter.

"Guys!" When Julian arrived at the scene, he gasped in horror. "No!"

"Help us!" Leon shouted and Julian immediately ran over to assist. Though he only used one arm, Julian's additional strength was just enough to lift the Rathalos and allow Leon to drag Camilla out quickly. The moment she was freed, Leon laid her to rest on the ground.

"Is she…" Julian began shakily, not wanting to say the word.

"She's not breathing," Leon said as he pressed his ear against her chest, attempting to hear her heartbeat. "Fuck, c'mon! She has to be-"

Suddenly, Leon grabbed at his chest. He coughed, splattering blood against Camilla's chest. He covered his mouth with his palm but his coughing fit continued. The pain in his chest and torso was unbearable.

"Leon!" Gigi cried out in alarm.

The hunter felt dizzy and lightheaded and before he knew it, he lost consciousness, collapsing beside Camilla.

The last thing he registered was the desperate cries of his friends, followed by the faint sounds of rapid footsteps heading in their direction.

Yuna anxiously waited for Leon to wake up. She frequently glanced at his sleeping figure on the bed, hoping to spot the moment he would wake up. It had been a day since they were rescued by that Guild Knight and taken to Mezeporta Square. She, along with Gigi and Julian had been told to rest while the medical officers worked on Leon and Camilla, the latter requiring an emergency operation due to the severity of her injuries.

Camilla's injuries were not the only cause of concern for Yuna however, as when the medical officers examined Leon, they discovered something within his bloodstream. Something that had Yuna nearly faint from shock, followed by an outburst of anger that has continued to simmer until now.

How dare he hide the fact that he had been bitten and was suffering from the same sickness that took hold of Satoru! The same fatal virus that had taken the lives of so many! How dare he risk her life for her, knowing he was probably dying as well! How dare he! After he woke up, she planned to slap him in the face as hard as she could, followed by giving him a big hug and thanking him repeatedly for nearly dying trying to protect her.

Suddenly, she heard a groan.

Her eyes lit up and she stood from her chair. She saw movement on Leon's bed and sure enough, the man slowly rose from the bed. His upper half was covered in bandages and his hair was messy from sleep, but he looked like someone who had just awoken from a long nap.

"Fuck me…" the man muttered, rubbing his face. Yuna wanted to laugh in response. Of course, the first word to come out of his mouth was an expletive. The man then finally noticed Yuna in the corner of the room. "Yuna?"

She gave him a small wave, "Hey."

"Where am I?"

"We're in Mezeporta Square. A Guild Knight came and rescued us," Yuna explained.

Leon's eyes widened briefly before a sigh of relief escaped him. "Thank the gods…"

Yuna approached him beside the bed, "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit…Wait, Camilla!" He tried to get out of bed but in a surprising feat of strength, Yuna managed to hold him back.

"No! The medics said you need to rest!"

"But Camilla-"

"Is fine! They're treating her right now!"

"But-"

At that moment, Gigi popped her head inside the tent they were in. "Oh thank fuck, you're awake." She entered the tent, followed by Julian. Leon could see that the two looked fine and didn't appear to suffer any serious injuries, though Julian had his right arm in a sling and Gigi had some bandages on her torso and arms. "Leon, we umm have some bad news…"

Leon gulped. "Is it about Camilla?"

Julian nodded. "Yes. It's about her injuries."

"They aren't fatal, are they?"

"No, she'll live. It's just…" Julian hesitated in revealing the truth. But Gigi, never one for mincing her words took initiative.

"Leon, it's her legs. They were completely crushed. No matter what the doctors did, they couldn't heal her."

Leon didn't want to believe it. "So you're saying…"

Gigi shook her head sadly. "Yes, Camilla will never walk again. In other words, her career as a hunter has ended."

…