Chapter five:

Given that they were so difficult to kill, most of the time the ship tried to avoid direct battles with the Rathalos. Their strategy was to hide below the deck, making the ship seem abandoned. That normally worked, as the Rathalos would usually fly by without stopping. In this case, they had already been spotted. The Rathalos was coming.

"They're weak just before they breathe fire. Otherwise, they're basically impossible to kill," Artemis said as she drew her dual blades. "Save your bullets. They're no good against this thing. Trust me. The military threw everything they had at one of these guys, and it shook it off like it was nothing. You might want to just let us handle this."

Artemis pushed Claire behind her, along with Alice and Carlos. The Admiral and the Hunter came running after hearing the siren. The three of them discussed the situation in the native language, leaving Alice, Claire, and Carlos in the dark as to what was going on. All they knew was that the Hunter brought out his bow and arrows with little explosives on them, and the Admiral drew the largest axe any of them had ever seen.

As the Rathalos closed in, it prepared to breathe fire on the ship. Such a thing would have normally been fatal. Yet, Alice was there. She saw the Rathalos open its mouth, and she saw the fire forming. She stepped forward just as the fire came, using her powers to create a shield over the ship. The fire fell around them like rain off an invisible umbrella.

When the fire had cleared, Alice dropped to her knees as her head ached. The Hunter fired his explosive arrows just as the Rathalos prepared to breathe fire again. This deterred it slightly, allowing Alice time to recover. Carlos had caught her in his arms again, holding her steady. When her head cleared, she looked at the giant axe and then up at the Rathalos.

She used her powers to take the axe from the Admiral's hands and drive it into the throat of the Rathalos. She did so with so much force that a gaping hole was exposed. Artemis leapt into the air with her blades and hacked into the gaping hole. She hacked into it repeatedly until the head of the Rathalos was hanging by a thread.

When it prepared to blow fire in its defense, the Hunter delivered another explosive arrow—one with multiple charges—right into the gaping wound. It was enough to kill the Rathalos. When the beast fell, the Admiral and Hunter turned to look at Alice. Alice was still weak from using her powers, being cradled by Carlos on the deck. Artemis merely smiled at her counterpart.

"That was impressive," the Admiral said.

Alice waved him off. "Just another day at the office."

The Hunter spoke urgently in his language. Artemis answered him. Then, she translated. "He wanted to know how you did that. I told him you're a special kind of warrior."

"That's a polite way of putting it," Alice weakly answered.

Carlos steadied her. "I think you need to get some rest. We have a long journey ahead, and you'll need your strength."

"There are some hammocks in the quarters below. There aren't many, so you might have to share one," Artemis said with an amused smile.

Carlos and Alice left to get some rest in the hammocks below, both somewhat flustered by the notion. Claire gestured to the steps and ladders as well. "I should go spend time with my people."

"Yeah. Let me know if anyone needs anything," Artemis returned.

Claire flashed a beautiful smile. "I will. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Artemis returned. After Claire had also left, the Admiral let out a hum. Artemis glared. "What?"

"Interesting people we've picked up," he returned.

"You will help them, won't you? Teach them the language. Check in on them whenever you go to the city to resupply," Artemis asked.

The Admiral sighed. "I will do what I can for them because I know that being here is not their fault. But they make me nervous."

"So did I. If I recall, you put me behind bars when we met," Artemis reminded him.

"And I was wrong. Can you assure me these are decent people?"

Artemis huffed. "I don't know them all, but the ones I've met are very nice. Their leader, Claire, is wonderful. She vouches for them, and I'll vouch for her."

"Because she's decent or because you're attracted to her?"

"I am married, okay?"

"She's a beautiful woman. It isn't a crime to notice. I know I have."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "You're a dirty old man, you know that?"

"Perhaps," the Admiral noted. "But I'm not wrong."

XxXxX

The ship reached the oasis, dropping anchor at the base of the mountains leading to the Sky Tower. While Carlos and Claire said goodbye to the convoy, Artemis was saying goodbye to the Admiral and his crew. Claire was holding together fine until it came time to say goodbye to K-Mart. They embraced on the deck, tears flowing.

"You take care of yourself and the others, all right?" Claire muttered.

K-Mart sniffled and nodded. "I will. Good luck with everything. I wish you could come back."

"So do I," Claire admitted.

Claire didn't want to linger for fear of showing too much, so she left the ship first. Carlos embraced K-Mart. "Be good, kid."

"Take care," K-Mart returned. She then looked at Alice. "You better watch over them."

"I will," Alice promised.

Artemis had just finished a long farewell with her friend, the Hunter. She had already said goodbye to their friends, including the testy Palico. She finished by shaking the Admiral's hand. "Thank you for tolerating me for the last five years."

"Thank you for your services. They will be missed," the Admiral returned. He looked over at the members of the convoy, who were waving to Claire and Carlos. "I'll get them to safety."

"I appreciate it. I'll close that portal. It won't reopen again on my watch. That's a promise," Artemis said. She patted the Admiral on the shoulder and then walked by the convoy, pausing beside K-Mart who had the dictionary Artemis had created. "Good luck with the language. You'll be fine. I swear."

K-Mart had a sad smile. "Thank you for everything, Artemis. I already asked Alice, but can you watch over Claire and Carlos for me? I think, between the two of you, they'll definitely be safe."

"I'll keep an eye on things. I swear," Artemis said.

Artemis left the ship, joining Alice, Claire, and Carlos on the mountain. The Sky Tower loomed in the distance. Alice glanced over at Artemis. "What do we do once we get there?"

"That's the easy part. We can walk into the portal and that's that. The hard part is getting there, and then dealing with your world," Artemis answered.

Carlos shifted their gear on his back, sighing. "It'll be a long walk."

"Yes, it will," Artemis confirmed. As they started up the mountain, she automatically started singing. "They say that in the Army, the pay is mighty fine. They give you a hundred dollars and take back ninety-nine…"

Nothing was said as the song continued. They hiked and hiked until they were beneath the storm. Rain was falling as lightning crackled. Artemis pointed at the portal that was being created nearby. However, it was unstable. It did not last for long before it would close. They'd need to time it just right if they wanted to go through together.

"When you see the opening, don't hesitate. Walk right into it," Artemis instructed.

They moved as close to the active area as they could get. When they saw the portal start to open, Artemis didn't hesitate. She went right for it, prompting the others to do the same. They barely squeezed through at the same time before the portal closed again. They had entered into another free fall, tumbling down and down as the Nevada desert got closer and closer. Everyone flopped harshly to the sand beside the highway.

"Is everyone okay?" Alice asked as the air returned to her lungs.

"I'm good," Carlos said.

Claire coughed and held up a firm thumb. Artemis got to her feet, brushing the dust from her armor with a holler. "Man, it's been a minute since I traveled between worlds. It still sucks. But I'm good. Where are we?"

Alice recognized the road from just before they were transported to the New World. "Nevada."

"Wow. There's nothing out here," Artemis commented.

Carlos saw movement on the horizon. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"What's that?" Artemis asked as the black vehicles and helicopters came into view.

"Umbrella," Alice answered.

Artemis readied a shotgun. "Great. I can't wait to introduce myself."