Scars

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

Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk

Logan groaned wearily as he made his way back to Vi's family's home, trying to force himself to stay awake. He was tired.

He'd spent the last three days with Klaus getting a crash course in telepathy, and though he'd done nothing physically exhausting (save for gardening), the effort was mentally taxing. Each day he'd hoped to return to the manor with enough energy to experiment with what he'd learned, but he'd barely managed to get to his room before the exhaustion made him collapse onto his bed.

That said, he had learned a lot in the last couple days, or at least, Klaus seemed pleased at his development. The older hunter had told him that he was a quick learner, though whether that was simply natural talent or a result of his unique ability wasn't clear. 'Empathy' was the name Klaus had eventually settled on to refer to the power, given how easily it allowed him to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. Or at least, those with telepathy.

Or at least… Goa. Being able to understand a monster's thoughts and feelings was beyond anything he'd ever heard of, outside of storybooks and fables. That itself was enough to earn the title of Empathy, he supposed.

At least today Klaus had sent him away to have an evening to himself, rather than keeping him until the sun began to set. Apparently he'd been taking days off of work to teach Logan, but he'd been called back to the Elder Hall for some business or another. It would be the last training session they would have for a while, but the man had promised that they would continue their lessons the next time Logan was in town, so that was something to look forward to. For now, Logan finally had some time to digest everything he'd learned, and hopefully practice using it… once he determined who to create a bond with, if anyone.

As he passed through the manor's gates and into the courtyard, he was brought to a pause as he caught sight of Leon trying to wrangle an oddly-colored poogie. The lancer was trying to rein in the piglet with a thick leather leash, but the poogie was managing to drag Leon through the grass behind it foot-by-foot. Eventually Leon tripped, falling face-first into the grass, and the poogie tore off across the lawn, vanishing into a cluster of bushes.

"Annoying little devil," Leon grumbled. A spray of dirt and mulch came flying out of the bushes as the poogie began burrowing through the soil, searching for who-knew-what.

"You okay?" Logan asked, and Leon jolted in surprise, looking up at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied as Logan offered a hand to help him back up.

"What's with the poogie?"

"It's- Oh, right, you weren't around. That's, uh, Baron Bacon. Vi and Sonia bought him a couple days ago."

"Ah, pet poogie, huh? 'Baron Bacon', kinda cliche. And he's kinda funny-looking."

"Yeah, it's apparently a 'subspecies'. And before you ask, I didn't know that poogies had subspecies, so save any questions for the girls instead of me."

"Heh, fair enough," Logan chuckled, looking back towards the bushes as the shredded remains of the leash flew out onto the grass. "Rambunctious little runt, ain't he?"

"That's a generous word to use… I can only hope he gets better behaved. Vi and Sonia are the only ones he's even a little bit tame around."

"Eh, he's just a piglet, hey? He'll get better. Knew folks back home with poogies that was nastier than this one, and they turned out fine."

"I hope so…" Leon muttered.

Off on the other side of the yard, the poogie emerged from the bushes coated in a fresh layer of dirt and mud, before squealing and charging at the trunk of a nearby tree. Logan thought the piglet would smash headlong into it, but the creature skidded to a halt at the last second, taking a moment to contemplate. A moment later it squealed again, grinding its hooves and biting its teeth against the roots with all the force it could muster.

"Well, at least it's learned not to headbutt things anymore," Leon sighed. Logan gave him a concerned look, and Leon shrugged. "It has horns too."

Logan opened his mouth to ask, but closed it again a second later. "She got a real knack for finding funny pets. Sonia, I mean. First that fat bug, now a weird poogie? Next thing you know she be bringing home a pet monster."

"Ha, I wouldn't put it past her."

For another minute or so he watched as the poogie tried its meager best to try and uproot the tree. Eventually Leon spoke up again.

"Hey, Logan? What exactly have you been up to the last few days?"

"Oh. Uh…"

"I know you've been having a rough time of things recently because of Goa, but the rest of us have been worried about you. Ever since the Guild let you go, you've vanished first thing in the morning, and then you didn't come back until night, only to fall asleep before we could ask you anything."

"I… sorry, I ain't trying to dodge all of you, it just…"

Logan petered off, uncertain how to continue, and Leon frowned. "You know, we all went to the theatre last night."

"You did?"

"Yeah. We decided we wanted to relax for a night after having such a stressful few months. We got you a ticket too, but… you were gone all day. You were back to the manor before we returned, already asleep… but did you even realize that none of us were there?"

"I… no, I didn't," Logan admitted.

"I don't mean to press you. You certainly seem to be in a better mood than you were when the Guild let you go. But we're all worried about you, and the way you've been going off in secret doesn't really assuage our concerns, y'know?"

"No… I guess it wouldn't, huh?" Logan sighed, shaking his head. "Hoy, never realized how things musta felt from you guys' side of it. Didn't mean to worry you or nothing, just…"

"You don't have to tell me what you've been doing, Logan. But at least try and let us know how you're doing instead of ghosting all of us when things get bad, alright?"

"No, no, it ain't nothing bad, I just… The thing is, I-" Logan began, trying to conjure a story or some way to deflect… before realizing that maybe that wasn't necessary. "Hokay. Look, you wanna know where I been the last couple days?"

"You don't have to-"

"Well, I's doing it anyway. Shoulda told you guys before, but… well, you know my head ain't exactly been screwed on just right recently, hey? Truth is, I actually been hanging out with that Shield fella for the last couple days."

Leon's eyes widened. "You what?! That-! Really?!"

"Is the truth, hey? Really weird sorta situation."

"You- But that's- Why didn't you… How?"

"Well… kinda just happened by chance. First day after the Guild let me loose, I went out walking. Felt a little cooped up after all that time I was a 'guest' at the Elder Hall, hey? Happened to run into him talking to a buddy of his. Guess he took one look at me and figured out that I've been going through some… weird stuff recently."

Leon nodded slowly. "You really weren't looking too hot once the Guild was done with you, that's true enough."

"Ja. Guess he figured I needed someone to talk to, so he starts asking me how things was going for me…" Logan paused, shaking his head. "Maybe I shouldn'ta said nothing, but I ended up just spilling the beans 'bout the Goa and the Guild and everything else. Guess he feels kinda bad for me and says he wants to help… though he figures the best way to help was to make me weed some old lady's garden."

The lancer raised an eyebrow. "He had you doing manual labor?"

"Pretty much," Logan chuckled. "Was actually pretty therapeutic, hey?"

"So that's where you've been the last few days? Digging through someone's garden?"

"Well, that and talking, I guess. I just… talked 'bout the stuff that's been bothering me, and he just sat there listening the whole time and giving advice where he could. Maybe it did me good. I been feeling a lot better the last couple days."

"Well… Alright, I guess that's explains things," Leon said with a nod. "Though I still think you should've told us what you were up to before now."

"I know, I know…"

"Well, just make sure you tell the others tonight." The lancer paused. "I know Tuli is in her particular mix of worried and agitated with you, so watch out."

"Oof… Thanks for the warning, hey? Don't worry, I is gonna make sure to say sorry proper-like to the others." Leon nodded, but Logan could sense the lancer holding back and smirked. "And hey, maybe next time we in town, I can introduce you guys to him."

"Really?! That-!" Leon froze, turning away and coughing. "That, uh, that'd be… I can't say I wouldn't be interested in being introduced to him."

"Heh. Boy who wanna be the Shield getting the chance to talk proper with Klaus ka'Damien? I is sure you don't care at all 'bout meeting him."

"Well I didn't say that…"

"Ah… is the young Master talking about the Shield again?"

"Seems so, dearie… My, he's gone on and on about it all since he was still as tall as us, nya!"

Logan looked towards the door of the manor, to find a pair of Felynes scuttling out of the front entrance. He recognized them as the housekeepers that Vi's family employed, two older cats that had apparently been working for the family for more than thirty years. For some reason the pair had stuck around through all the bad times, and maintained their roles as housekeepers, even though they were the only ones left.

Logan realized that he hadn't taken the time to actually learn their names. Leon, however, groaned in dismay. "Leave me alone, you two."

"Oho! We're sorry, aren't we, Pepper?" one of them, a red-furred Felyne purred.

"Ah, we are, we are, Paprika," the other, a white-and-black-dappled cat replied. "I suppose that's any hunter's real weakness though, isn't it? Older folks."

"That's right! All that bragging and boasting, and they can be brought down a peg or two just by talking to someone who's known them since they were children. Hard to act im-purr-essive around someone who remembers when a couple children got in trouble fur tracking mud through half the house."

"Or when they caught a goldenfish out of the river and tried to keep it as a pet in the bathtub."

"Or when they spilled a bottle of dye and colored all of Master Victor's dress shirts daffodil yellow."

"Or when they still used to wet the bed-"

"I think that's enough!" Leon gasped as the two Felynes cackled between each other.

"Eh, don't worry so much," Logan chuckled. "You oughta hear the kind of stories my momma pulls out when she thinks I is getting a little too big for my britches, hey? She makes sure I stay humble… most of the time."

"Hehe, every hunter needs a dose of humble pie now and then," Pepper nodded. "Even Klaus needs a reminder sometimes… though not as often."

"Yes, he's always been quite polite to us when we've gone to clean his home," Paprika agreed, "and old Ginger speaks very highly of him when we have our weekly tea, nya…"

"Wait, what?" Leon cut in. "You two visit Klaus too?"

"Oh! Did we never tell you? Truth is, sometimes Pepper and I are sent off by the company to go clean up Klaus' home, you kneow. Old Ginger's actually the one who's assigned to his place, but her back isn't as strong as it used to be anymore, so she takes days off every now and then, and one or two of us get sent in to replace her."

"Not that it's a hard job, you kneow, cleaning up after Klaus," Pepper nodded. "He's a very… erm, minimalist sort of man, if his home's any indication. Probably why Ginger got assigned there in the first place. It's easy work fur her old paws."

"Oh, yes, his place is just-" Paprika paused mid-sentence, looking up at the humans sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you kits don't want to hear us little ladies gossip about the Shield…"

"Well…" Logan muttered, glancing at Leon. The lancer was trying to appear stoic, but she could see his eyes shining. "One of us might."

"Oh, of course," Paprika cackled, making Leon flush. "In that case… Well, neither Pepper or I have been there too many times, but Klaus has hardly a thing to his name that isn't a weapon or armor! I can count the number of pieces of furniture the man has on one paw! Let's see: a single chair… a desk in one corner… and a mattress to sleep on. Doesn't even have a bed fur-ame, either, just the mattress on the floor! Old thing too, the stuffing's sunken nearly down to the ground! You'd think a man that works as hard as him would a-purr-eciate the value of a good sleep…"

"Can't imagine why he lives like that," Pepper nodded. "Man in his position gets paid purr-etty well, I'm sure. He should have the money to live better than he does."

"Ja, Titus wasn't exactly the most frugal fella when we was working with him, hey?" Logan noted. "Figure Klaus' gotta be making his fair share as the Shield."

"Well, whate-fur he's doing with his money, he's certainly not putting it into his home," Pepper replied.

"No, he's not!" Paprika replied, shaking her head. "Who kneows where he sends it? Maybe a scorned lover or illegitimate child he's got hidden somewhere?"

"What?!" Leon gasped. "The Shield wouldn't have-"

The Felynes glanced at each other before sharing an amused cackle. "Oh, come meow, everyone has secrets, young man! Some are just hidden better than others. Klaus gets a healthy paycheck, and the money goes somewhere. Armor and weapon maintenance only takes so much, so it's only natural to wonder who gets it if he doesn't use it."

"It's a grand mystery!" Pepper grinned. "What skeletons hide in the Shield's closet? What kind of secrets does he keep fur-om everyone, even the Guild? Or what secrets does the Guild keep fur his sake?"

Leon leaned forward with rapt attention as the Felynes whispered conspiratorially, though Logan simply grinned. He was fairly sure he'd learned one of Klaus' more prominent secrets in the last few days, and though it was certainly something big, it wasn't nearly as much of gossip-fuel scandal as the two Felynes seemed to believe… Well, maybe that wasn't true. Logan couldn't guess what sort of reaction the city would have if telepathy became general knowledge.

Though, Logan had to admit that he didn't know anything about the 'Three' fellow that Klaus had been talking to, or why Three had referred to Klaus as 'Four', or how many of these numbered telepaths were out there, or what their goals were. And the telepathy issue didn't explain where Klaus' money went either, so it wasn't like that mystery was solved. So maybe the Shield really did have more secrets than Logan thought he'd unraveled… He hoped there wasn't anything diabolical like the cats seemed to think.

"And then there's the smell!" Paprika sighed, shaking her head. "Poor dear must get tired of all the comments when new Felynes meet him, nya…"

That one caught Logan off guard. "Smell? What smell? I didn't smell nothing when I was talking to him earlier."

"You couldn't tell? I don't kneow how you missed it, he's really- Oh!" the Felyne gasped. "Humans. Of course, I always forget that your little noses aren't sensitive enough to pick it up! Even the noses of these old cats outshine them!"

"That's right, dear. They're all so tall, but their senses are all so dull," Pepper sighed. "Well, it's no secret among the Felynes that have met him, but old Klaus has a… bit of a smell about him. It's nothing rank or anything like that - though he could afford to clean his armor more fur-equently, that's just my opinion - but he's got an odd scent about him. Something a bit… monster-ish."

"What do you mean?" Leon asked. "He's a hunter. All the blood and battle, not to mention the armor and weapons he has, he's bound to smell a little-"

"Oh, I'm not talking about lingering smells or anything like that, dear," Paprika replied, shaking her head. "I'm talking about his… well, his musk. There's a little bit of… monster in him, I think. Something strange…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Logan asked. "Seemed pretty normal when I was talking to him. The way you say it sounds a little…"

"Oh, I doubt it's anything bad, purr-ish the thought!" the Felyne laughed. "But it's a topic of much discussion among us Felynes you kneow! We're the only ones who can smell it, so we're the only ones who can try to make sense of it."

"A lot of us are purr-etty sure he's just got some Wyverian blood in him, back a generation or two," Pepper nodded. "But not just any Wyverian blood, it's something unique. Something special. Wyverians, you kneow, they're all similar to humans, but they've all got this whiff about them, this bit of wyvern that you can smell in their blood, that thing that gives them scales and claws and lets them live fur so long."

"And there's different breeds, too!" Paprika nodded eagerly. "Long-lived ones smell dif-fur-ent from short-lived ones, those with certain types of feet or number of fingers. There's a dif-fur-ence you know. My aunt Maple used to say that she could pinpoint the number of decades a Wyverian would live, just based on their smell! Unnatural causes aside, of course."

"Really?" Leon asked, looking at Logan. "Maybe we ought to call Bram in. This kind of things seems right up his alley."

"Maybe we don't," the great sword user scoffed. "We put something like this in his skull and the boy probably gonna start going 'round asking all the Wvyerians what they smell like. And they ain't no way to paint that in a pretty color, hey?"

"Oof. Good point," the lancer muttered. "Sorry for the interruption. You were saying?"

"Yes, yes. His Immenseness has a similar smell about him, him and those Rohkin in town, they've got a smell that's dif-fur-ent from most other Wyverians! The smell of bigness, purr-haps? Definitely a different smell than Kellogg or any of the other Wyverians working with the Guild."

"Maybe so, dear. But Klaus?" Pepper purred. "He's got something different. Something none of the Felynes in town have smelled before! Oh, every Felyne has their own theory, you know, but it's generally believed that he's descended from a genetic Wyverian line that is perhaps nearly extinct!"

"...Really?" Leon asked. "That's strange…"

"And it also might be complete nonsense!" Paprika laughed. "Maybe he's just from some podunk Wyverian village out in the boonies, and they don't leave often. Nobody kneows the truth, least of all Klaus himself!"

"What's that mean?"

"Well… Apparently he was orphaned when he was a child. Or maybe he was abandoned. Nobody's really sure, and he doesn't like to talk about it. He just stumbled into town forty years ago with little more than a name and a vague mention that he'd come from a little village buried in the snow in the far north."

"Next thing people kneow he's making waves as a hunter, but nobody can figure out where he came from or anything about his past," Pepper nodded. "It's like he didn't even exist be-fur walking through the gates of the city. It's all very mysterious, don't you kneow."

"Guess some folks just don't like talking 'bout they past, hey?" Logan replied. Still, his mind jumped to those few days of training; Klaus had mentioned that he'd had brothers, but they'd died… If that was where the mystery of his life before Dundorma lay, then Logan figured it was better to not bring it up.

"Wonder who Damien is though," Leon muttered.

"Huh?"

"Damien. You know? Klaus ka'Damien. Gahin nomenclature dictates that 'Damien' is the name of his father or… or caretaker or whatever. Wonder who the guy was."

Logan shrugged. Klaus hadn't mentioned a father or caretaker in their discussions. Only his brothers, and the enigmatic 'Eldest'. Leon frowned, contemplating for a moment before returning his attention to the two housekeepers and frowning at them.

"Do you Felynes gossip this much about everyone you work for?"

"Gets us through the day, nya."

"...Do you talk this much about Vi and her family?"

The Felynes glanced at each other and chuckled. "Oh, come neow. The entire country already kneows about the Holzfaller family's dirty laundry, there's no secret in that!"

"Oh. That… I guess that's true…"

"Mostly, the chatter is between us Felynes, anyway," Pepper shrugged. "Nobody really asks us anything about anyone, usually. We're just the hired help."

"Huh, that's…"

"Just the way it is, dearie," Paprika nodded. "Don't think too hard on it. Now if you'll excuse us, it's late and us old cats need our rest. If you want to gossip more, though, we'll be here first thing in the morning!"

"No, that's fine, just… Have a good night, ladies."

"Ha, how gentlemanly," Pepper chuckled as the two Felynes shuffled down the walk towards the manor gate.

Up near the gate, Logan spotted Sonia and Tuli returning from wherever they'd been, nodding politely to the Felynes as they passed them. As they neared, both of their eyes widened as they spotted Logan standing near the entrance, and he waved at them wanly… though he winced slightly as he saw Tuli's gaze shift into a glower. Sonia however, picked up speed, closing the distance in a hurry and sliding to a halt next to him.

"You- You're actually back!"

"Ja, I am. Sorry for vanishing the last couple days."

"Where exactly have you been all this time, if you're so sorry?" Tuli asked, making Logan wince; her tone reminded him of his mother's when she was angry with him…

"Well, I was actually…" He paused, looking around. "Maybe we wait for Bram and Vi to show up, so I don't gotta tell the story two more times, hey?"

"Maybe you should tell us now."

"Erm… well, hokay…" Logan muttered.

They took only a moment to seat themselves on the steps up to the manor before Logan retold his story. He did his best to watch what he said, trying to ensure it all lined up with what he'd told Leon, and thankfully it seemed like he didn't slip up anywhere. Even Tuli seemed satisfied with the explanation when he was done.

"I suppose that it is somewhat relieving to hear that you have not been getting into trouble these last few days."

"C'mon girlie, what kind of person you think I am?"

"I know exactly what kind of person you are, Logan. That is why I was worried."

"Aw, don't think that's exactly fair, Short Stuff."

"Well, maybe next time you will keep us in the loop, rather than all but vanishing for three days."

"Hoy, you can really hold a grudge, hey?"

Tuli scoffed, but didn't keep arguing, leaning against the stairs as Baron Bacon shuffled in their direction, covered in dirt and looking tired. Logan glanced over towards the tree he'd been 'attacking', to find that the purple poogie had managed to gouge a fairly noticeable gash into one of the more prominent roots of the tree. Baron scuttled right up to Sonia, bumping his forehead against her leg as she leaned over to pick him up. As soon as he was in her lap, he promptly curled up and fell asleep.

"Do you think… do you think you have your head in the right place for this?" Leon asked, looking at Logan.

"Dunno. Can't say for sure, not 'til I get a chance to talk with Goa, hey?"

"What are you gonna do if the Guild decides to kill him after all?" Sonia asked quietly.

"Not sure if they's anything I can do, girlie. No matter what I think of him, they ain't getting around the fact that Goa's dangerous. His body pumps out that Frenzy stuff, and I don't figure the Guild's just gonna let him roam free. Best case they just gonna keep him locked in some kinda quarantine cage for the rest of his life."

"But he'd still be alive."

"...Ja, but that ain't no way to live," Logan sighed. "Maybe I get the chance to talk to him. Beyond that, nothing to do but see what happens, and leave the rest up to the Guild."

Sonia said nothing, pulling Baron tighter against her chest. The piglet snorted in its sleep, but didn't wake as the four hunters sat in silence. Eventually Leon sighed.

"I have to admit, I'm not looking forward to any of this at all," he admitted. "Honestly, this whole situation feels like a recipe for disaster. We're chasing after a monster that's spreading a virus that could kill an entire ecosystem, and more than half of the hunters on the team hate each other. I've got my problems with Reynardine and Ysengrim, and Tuli's got her issues with her brother-"

Leon cut off as Tuli abruptly pushed to her feet. "Let us not discuss this any further tonight. Speaking of him leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, and I have no intention of doing so if I don't have to. The less I have to think of him, the better… and if that encourages me to help complete this hunt quickly, then all the better."

With that, the huntress spun and marched up the stairs and into the manor, vanishing through the broad doors. Logan groaned, shaking his head. "Thinking you's right, Leon. This whole trip is trouble brewing."

"I just don't get why they hate each other so much," Sonia muttered, squeezing Baron a little tighter. "Rikki's always been nice to me… but Tuli's his family, and yet they've held on to this bitterness for, what, two decades now?"

"Betrayal stings, girlie, and it ain't something you forget quick, 'specially when it comes from someone you love. Even moreso when both sides think they's in the right, hey?"

"Imagine if… your brother? He's a little young. Imagine if Bram betrayed you," Leon stated. "Imagine he did something that goes against everything you believe in, hurt other people you care about in the process, and then told you that he wasn't sorry that he did it."

"That- He wouldn't…"

"Hard to imagine, right? The more you trust and care for someone, the more it'll hurt if they shatter your trust in them. While Rikki was certainly the instigator of their feud, both of them are certain they're in the right, so the bitterness cuts deep."

Logan sighed, pushing to his feet and stretching. "Best get you mind off it, girlie. Two of 'em fighting like they is, figure the only way to fix it would be to lock 'em in a room and not let 'em out 'til they come to terms."

"...I feel like they'd kill each other first," Leon replied.

"Eh, won't argue 'bout that. Keep that in mind, girlie: they just ain't fixing some folks' relationships, no matter how much you want to. Best keep out of it, hey?"

"I guess…" Sonia sighed, standing as well. "It just… When I think about having that kind of relationship with Van, or Bram, or you, I just…"

"Just be grateful that you and your loved ones are as close as you are," Leon said. "Not every family can share that connection. Hell, just look at where we are right now. Holzfaller Manor is a symbol of dysfunctional family dynamics, after all."

"That's not really encouraging, Leon," Sonia muttered.

"Maybe we just call it there and go to bed, hey?" Logan said. "We got a long journey starting tomorrow. Gonna need to get the rest we can, hey?"

"I guess so," Sonia replied, following him into the building.

"Just get you mind offa things that ain't our business. The two of 'em probably have enough stress dealing with each other that the rest of us don't gotta share in it. Mercy knows how much time those two spend fuming 'bout each other…"

"Hey, Tuli! Guess what I heard about?"

Tuli pulled her attention away from the collection of marbles and toys that she'd spread out across the floor of their family's wagon. She found her brother, Rikki, poking his head in through one of the windows, with a backdrop of forest rolling along behind him.

"What?" she asked, looking back down at her toys. Right now she was determined to try and stack her blocks as high as she could, and she refused to be distracted from that goal. However, Rikki had a LOOK on his face, and that usually meant something fun.

Sure enough, her brother leaned back out of the wagon for a moment, quickly glancing left and right before climbing in. He landed with a thump onto the mattress below, before rolling off and sitting down next to her as she focused on her blocks. She'd stacked them high enough that she'd have to stand up pretty soon… or she would've if the wagon didn't chose that moment to hit a bump, sending the whole thing toppling over. Tuli pouted in frustration, scowling at the traitorous mess that lay scattered across the floor, before grabbing a couple blocks and beginning the process again.

"I heard the old people talking," Rikki whispered.

"About what?"

"They said that there's gonna be an airship landed at the town the meeting's supposed to be in!"

Tuli frowned. She knew what airships were, though she wasn't sure if they were supposed to be good or bad. Rikki and the other children talked about them a lot, and they thought they were good things. Tuli admitted that the way they described it sounded really cool. Being able to fly through the air like a bird, going wherever you wanted to? Riding in a ship that didn't bounce over bumps and knock over your blocks? It sounded very nice indeed.

But the older people in their village didn't seem to like them at all. They said airships were 'unnatural' and 'dangerous' and several other words that Tuli didn't know the meaning of. It seemed strange to her though. She didn't know what made a flying machine 'unnatural', since from what Rikki told her it just used hot air to float, and that didn't seem too strange. And her mama was a hunter, and everyone said that being a hunter was 'dangerous', so why was an airship bad for being dangerous, but being a hunter was good for being dangerous?

It was all very confusing. Mama and Papa and the other old people said it would make sense when she was older, but Rikki was older and he seemed to think it was alright, and other people in the village that were at least TWICE her age seemed to think it was fine too. How old would she need to be before she understood? She wished it made sense NOW, since people seemed to talk about it a lot.

"Okay," she eventually replied. That wasn't a good or bad answer, she thought, a careful choice since she didn't know if airships were good or bad. Rikki seemed disappointed by her reply though, so she kept going. "Um. Why's it there?"

"Right, so that's the fun part! I heard that it's from Theron, and they're taking people on rides!" Rikki grinned. "So I was thinking that, once we get to town, we should go for a ride if we can while all the adults are in those meetings!"

"But… won't Mama and Papa be angry?" Tuli asked worriedly. "They don't like all that stuff, do they? All the Elders keep saying airships are bad. If we go see the airship, won't they be mad?"

"Well, probably," Rikki sighed. "But it'll be fun, won't it? Seeing everything from way up high? It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, they say!"

Tuli didn't quite understand what Rikki meant, but he'd never led her astray before… well, they'd gotten in trouble because of his ideas before, but the fun they had was always worth it! "Um. Okay. How're we gonna get on though?"

"Eh, these meetings are always really long, and both Mom and Dad'll be there the whole time. I've got some money… hopefully it'll be enough for both of us to ride. I bet we'll be able to sneak out, go ride on the airship, and be back to the inn before anyone notices we're even gone!"

Tuli contemplated that, but she didn't need to contemplate for long as an excited smile crossed across her face. Getting in trouble wouldn't be fun… but being able to ride on a boat that floated in the sky was too fun-sounding to pass up.

"Okay," she nodded.

"Great!" Rikki grinned. "I'll figure it out when to sneak out once we get there. But you've gotta make sure Mom and Dad don't find out about this, Tuli. Got it? Don't talk about it at all! Don't mention airships or nothing! Pretend like you don't care about it at all!"

"I won't!"

"You say that, but I know how you get. We got Mom that music box for her birthday last year, and after we told you, you wouldn't shut up about music boxes for the entire MONTH leading up to her birthday!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Oh, yes you did!" Rikki laughed. "But seriously, keep it to yourself this time. Birthday gifts are one thing, but we'll get in trouble if they find out about this! At least wait until AFTER we go on the airship ride before getting us busted. After all-"

"Forgiveness is… cheaper than asking?"

"...Close enough!" her brother replied, pushing to his feet. "Just keep quiet, and we'll be okay, okay?"

"Okay!"

Rikki nodded, hopping up onto the bed and pushing the window open, before slipping back outside. Tuli sat for a moment, pondering what flying on an airship would be like, before returning her attention to her blocks.

Eventually the bumps in the road had pulled her block towers to the floor too many times for Tuli to bear, and she scampered over to the door, pushing her way out. She found that the sun was pushing into evening, painting the forests on each side of the road in a slight orange tint.

She carefully hopped off the rolling wagon, making sure to be careful; moving wagons were tricky, and she fallen and hurt herself before, though she only cried the first time. Only a little bit. She looked around for anyone in her family, until she finally spotted a familiar flash of purple and green. She toddled off in pursuit of her, until she slid to a halt in front of the woman. She had been talking to someone, the wife of one of the elders, Tuli thought, but she quickly turned to face her daughter with a smile as Tuli approached.

She was a beautiful woman with-

-long silver hair-

-bells braided in-

-blue/green/brown-

-eyes?-

-face was-

-kind?-

-stern?-

-tall/short like her-

-like she would be-

-was-

-Gyppy monster armor-

.

What did she look like? Her memories were too fuzzy to remember…

.

-with a dull, white-colored glaive strapped over her back. Perched on her shoulder was a smaller Kinsect with a gleaming golden shell, her mother's partner, Lamet.

"Hello, dear," Mielikki cooed, ruffling Tuli's hair. The girl pouted in frustration, swatting at her mother's hand, but she failed to keep her hair from being reduced to a wild mop on her head.

"Nooo!" she snapped, grabbing Mielikki's hand and pushing it away before trying to push down the stray hairs.

"Sorry, Tuli," her mother laughed. "Done playing around in the wagon, then?"

"Yeah. I'm bored."

"Really. So what were you and your brother talking about?" Tuli must've looked surprised, because Mielikki laughed again. "I saw him crawl in through the window earlier. What did you two do?"

"Um… nothing."

Mielikki raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? That sounds more like you were discussing SOMETHING, and something that might get you both into trouble."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Huh. Really. Is there a mess in the wagon now?"

"No! Maybe. My blocks."

"Right, well, you better pick them up before we get to Melune."

Tuli blinked, looking towards the front of the caravan. "Are we there?"

"Not yet, dear," her mother replied. "But we're close. Actually, we might be able to see it from the top of the next hill, if we climb up onto the roof of our wagon."

"Yes!" Tuli gasped, raising her arms. "Carry me!"

Her mother laughed, kneeling down and allowing Tuli to hop onto her mom's back before Mielikki strode over to the nearest wagon. Tuli closed her eyes, feeling a sharp lurch as her mother vaulted up to the top, and as she opened her eyes it was as though they'd magically teleported into the air. Her mother shifted her up to her shoulders as she expertly maintained her balance, barely allowing Tuli to feel the buck and rock of the wagon as it rolled down the gravel road. Tuli looked around wide-eyed at the new, higher perspective that she rarely got to appreciate; she was so small she could rarely even see over the heads of the other children back home, but on top of the wagons, it felt like she could see for miles!

She wondered how far she would be able to see from an airship…?

"Ah, there it is," her mother said, motioning ahead as they crested the next hill. Below them lay Melune, where her dad and the other elders were supposed to have some big meeting. It didn't look that special, even though there was supposed to be a lot of important people from nearby villages meeting here…

However, off on the west side of the village sat a large round thing, bouncing up and down slightly and swaying in the gentle breeze. Tuli's eyes widened at the sight of the airship; it was bigger than she thought it would be. She'd always assumed it was just as big as a wagon, but it was bigger than a house!

In contrast to her own interest, she heard her mother growl in disgust, and the grip Mielikki had on her daughter's legs tightened. Not enough to hurt, but more than enough to show Tuli her mother's distaste at the mere sight of the flying machine.

"How abhorrent…I cannot believe that His Immenseness would allow such abominable technology within the borders of our country!" her mother fumed, angry over the mere existence of the flying machine. Tuli kept silent, not trusting herself to say anything that might give away her and Rikki's plans. "It is anathema to our country's way of life! Letting them land at our border towns is bad enough, but to let them venture this far into Gahiji? It's too much! No true citizen of this country would allow such a thing under any circumstance! If Dundorma knew better they would-"

Her mother paused her tirade, turning her head to stare at Tuli and letting out a sigh. "Ah. I'm sorry, dear. I suppose that's adult talk that you don't need to hear, isn't it?"

Tuli shook her head, before contemplating the words a little deeper and instead nodding. Or… Was this a question that she was supposed to answer 'yes' or 'no' to? Tuli frowned, trying to figure out the correct answer, only for Mielikki to laugh.

"Don't worry, Tuli. Your father will ensure such reckless machinations are kept well away from Lintukoto. That's his role as chief after all. Such wicked technology will not taint our lives, no matter what the Troverians and Therians try. Do you understand, Tuli?"

She didn't.

"I think so, Mama."

"Good girl. I know your brother and the rest of the children back home are taken with the stories about those flying machines, but you should know that-"

Before her mother could finish, a deep roar bellowed through the trees, with such force that the trunks shivered, and a swirl of fallen leaves came rushing over the road. Shouts and screams of fear abruptly sounded from the head of the caravan. Mielikki was immediately on edge, scanning the forest around them as a deep splintering sound followed the roar, and Tuli could see one of the towering trees off in the distance collapse.

Her mother swept Tuli off of her shoulders, holding her against her chest before leaping down to the ground. "Run to the wagon and hide inside!" she gasped, setting her down. "If you see your brother on the way, tell him to do the same! Understand?!"

"Y-yes, Mama…"

"Good, now go! Quickly!" her mother snapped, reaching back to pull her glaive from her back and turning to rush towards the shouting. Tuli watched her go for a moment before darting back towards their family's wagon.

A horrible crash, followed by a dull groan to her left, and Tuli turned as a tree just to the side of the road began tilting precariously. Tuli shrieked as the trunk fell towards the caravan, curling into a ball and covering her head.

The girl let out a cry of pain as the tree's needles and branches raked across her body, accompanied by a loud crash that shook her to her core. It a moment it was over, though screams and clattering echoed nearby. Tuli squeezed a single eye open, to find herself staring into a wall of pine. She opened her other eye and turned her head, spotting the trunk of the tree only a few feet away, and thick branches rubbing against the ground on each side of her. She was lucky she hadn't been hit…

As she looked back towards the wagons, she bit off a scream at the sight of blood. Beyond her, the tree had crashed onto the driver and pack Aptonoth of a wagon. The Aptonoth lay sprawled onto its side, with splintered branches puncturing its grey hide, and its skull had been caved in by a blow from the trunk itself. A pool of blood was spreading out from under its body, weaving its way through the larger chunks of gravel on the ground.

Behind it was the driver of the wagon. Tuli could only see his right arm, but the rest of him was hidden by the tree trunk and pine needles. The limb was streaked with blood… and it wasn't moving.

Tuli gasped, frozen in horror for a moment as she stared at the body, before turning and trying to push her way out from under the tree. It was challenging; the needles stung her skin, and the branches were almost too heavy for her to move, but she eventually pushed her way out of the fir.

The front of the wagon train was in chaos. People were running around, shouting at each other. Some were running away. As Tuli looked around, she remembered that she was supposed to go back to her family's wagon, but… right before she turned to head that way, she spotted her mother. Mielikki was sprinting towards her, with a horrified look on her face. She shouted something, but the words were blotted out by a hissing growl.

Tuli looked towards the base of the fallen tree, and at the top of the hill, an enormous creature stood staring down at the caravan. Tan-orange scales with blue stripes coated its body, with powerful forelegs and a large head. The beast seemed frantic and wild-eyed, its jaw partially open to reveal a line of long, razor-sharp teeth, pulled back into a snarl. Its head snapped left and right, scanning the wagon trail with a vicious glare.

Tigrex. It was one of the few monsters that Tuli knew the name of, because they were feared by nearly everybody, even hunters. Even her mother.

The Tigrex's head snapped to a halt as its gaze landed on her, standing alone out in the open. She felt every muscle in her body freeze as the beast let out a vicious howl, tearing at the ground and thundering in her direction.

She heard a voice scream her name as the beast's talons slashed at her-

Tuli woke with a start, grasping at her chest as the illusory pain of the Tigrex's talons disappeared in an instant. Her heart pounded in her chest as her fingers brushed against her stomach, still half-expecting to find a hole punctured through and blood leaking out by the pint. But there was no hole. The wound was old and scarred over. Still, the old terrors remained, and she leapt out of bed, stumbling over to a nearby full-length mirror while she was pulling off her nightshirt, before stepping in front of it and grasping the sides to steady herself.

A Tigrex is a beast powerful enough to leave terrible scars on even the most powerful and talented hunters; the wounds they could leave on a six-year-old child, however… those were inexplicably terrible.

Even after twenty years, scar tissue still covered a majority of Tuli's chest and abdomen, stretching outwards from a tangled central wound that sat at the base of her sternum. Little knots and bubbles of flesh created a twisted weave that spread all the way from her collar to just below her waist. She'd always heard that scars would fade over time, but despite her physical growth over the last two decades, the scar remained, just as obvious as it had been when she was a child. She often wondered if the wound had stunted her growth and development as she'd aged, forcing her into this diminutive body she had now…

Tuli typically didn't care about her own physical imperfections. Scars were inevitable as a huntress, and she had several of them on her arms and legs, collected over the years. Her short stature, whatever the cause, didn't bother her; it made other people underestimate her, which made it all the easier to shatter their preconceptions.

But this scar was different. This scar was a symbol of her mother's death. A symbol of Rikki's fracturing from her family. A reminder of everything she'd lost in a single day. It didn't help that the wound was particularly hideous; she still remembered how Vi had flinched when she'd first seen the scar. Not to mention, of the few romantic interests she'd had in her life, more than one relationship had ended when they'd visibly recoiled at the sight of her wound, which had certainly not done much for her self-esteem…

Looking up, Tuli gave pause upon looking at her own face. For a moment, she thought she saw her mother… perhaps. It was only herself, she knew that much, but after so many years since her mother's death, she could barely remember what Mielikki looked like. All she really recalled was her kindness, and the silvery-blonde hair that she… and Rikki had inherited.

Tuli sighed, reaching back and pulling free the tie keeping her long hair all together, stringing her fingers through it and allowing it all to fall freely over her shoulders. All these years she'd been careful growing it out, until it hung long enough to reach down to her thighs. Few huntresses possessed hair like hers; their profession made it a challenge to protect and maintain, with claws and fangs and flames ready to ruin months or years of work. All for the sake of replicating her mother, the woman she'd spent her life trying to match the legacy of.

Staring at the mirror, she wondered if this was what her mother had looked like… Was this the face that the needleworkers back in Lintukoto had tried to depict in the tapestries of her life? Was this the face that perpetually fogged over in her memories? Or was it just what Tuli hoped to see, given those same faltering memories?

Tuli sighed, turning away from the mirror. These weren't healthy thoughts to have. Stumbling back over to the bed, she flopped down onto the mattress, groaning wearily as she felt her hair spread out across the bed. It would be hell to straighten out in the morning, but she was too tired to tie it back up again.

Rolling onto her back, she found her fingers trailing across the scar. Years of self-examination and idle hands had long since engraved every bump and contour from the wound into her memory, and she knew every inch of the wound as it was. The claws of a Tigrex had left scars on her life, in more ways than one: a physical wound that hadn't faded after nearly twenty years; the loss of her mother; a father who had become more solemn and withdrawn, focusing most of his attention on his role as village chief; finally, the estrangement of her brother.

Rikki… His loss was perhaps the worst of all, if only because to this day, Tuli still didn't understand why he'd stolen money to ride on the airship after she and their mother were wounded, why he chose to be so antagonistic to her and their father, why he'd been so heartless about their mother's death, and why he'd chosen to eschew the teachings of their upbringing. She knew he'd been excited to ride the airship, but had it really been more important to him than his mother's life? Than hers?

Maybe the pain would've faded over time, had he only stayed away from Lintukoto; he'd vanished for several of his teenage years, run off to Harth spend time among the Progressive Troverians. Had he remained there, perhaps the sting would be lessened, but he'd only returned upon becoming a hunter proper, flaunting his new Progressive weapon and rubbing salt in the wound.

It made no sense. And it still hurt, keeping the embers of anger and frustration burning in her heart.

Tuli curled up, squeezing her pillow tight against her chest. The next few weeks and months would surely challenge her patience… but she could weather the storm. She was a Purist. She would take the higher ground. She could prove that she and her upbringing were sturdier than those with Progressive mindsets. It was that simple.

She would prove that her way was righteous, one way or another.

It was a muggy, overcast morning in Dundorma as a cluster of five wagons rolled towards the southern gate. Rain seemed to be an imminent threat, but so far not a single drop had fallen on the city yet. Vi sat at the head of the train, gently pulling on the reins and leading the draft Aptonoth, keeping her eye on the sky above them worriedly. Bram sat next to her, watching the few people that passed them by. The rest of the group were occupied in their own wagons.

"You poor things are going to be miserable if the sky opens up, aren't you?" Vi said, looking sadly at the creatures pulling the wagons.

"There's no getting around it, I fear," Bram sighed. "I don't think the Guild's going to let us dawdle in town longer than we have."

"Yeah, I guess not…" Vi sighed.

Up ahead, she caught sight of the southern gate, where several other caravans were lined up, preparing to set off early like them. A few travelers, either with wagons of their own or hunters on foot, were calling out to anyone that passed asking if they could join up for safety in numbers. Vi simply shook her head at the few who approached their little group, her gaze focused on the three familiar wagons that belonged to Rikki, and Rey and Grim. The latter two hunters were leaning against the head wagon, staring at them as they rolled up.

"You're here," Rey noted.

"Obviously," Grim scoffed. "But by the number of wagons you brought, none of you decided to stay behind, huh?"

"Of course not," Vi replied waspishly, and the gunlancer rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Is Pintsize hiding in her wagon?"

"She figured it'd be better to avoid confrontation with Rikki whenever possible."

"Ha! Wouldn't you know it, he was thinking the same thing," Rey smirked, rapping his knuckles against the wagon behind him. "So long as we keep the two of them from meeting each other, this might actually be a pleasant trip!"

"I wouldn't go that far, considering our destination," Grim sighed, pushing away from the wagon.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Bram asked.

"Huh? You haven't heard?" the gunlancer groaned, shaking his head. Rey just giggled to himself however.

"Well, now, whenever little miss Temper Tantrum comes out of her hideaway, you can tell her to look forward to a fine homecoming here in a couple weeks."

Vi's eyes widened. "You mean-"

"That's right! The Goa's path is taking it southwest of where we last fought it, and as fate would have it that puts dear old Lintukoto Gully right on its warpath. If we move fast enough, we might be able to intercept it before it arrives, so prepare to push your Aptonoth pretty hard." The switch axe user smirked. "I'm sure dear little Tuli will want to get back home as soon as possible, eh?"

"That's-!"

"Heh, I wonder what kind of welcome we'll receive when we get there?" Rey smirked. "The three Progressive hunters the local Purists shun, returning to 'save' them from an unspeakable threat? I wonder what they'll say, to try and claim that we're less than them when we have the faith of the Guild, when we save their ungrateful hides from the Frenzy?"

To their surprise, Grim's lips actually curled up slightly. "Just imagine what the people of the village think when their prodigal son saves their lives with one of the weapons they hate, after spending the last twenty years as an outcast. It's all rather… poetic, don't you think?"

Vi scowled at the two of them. "You're not doing all this just because-"

"Oh, make no mistake, we're hunting the Goa for the sake of saving lives, but for the beast to give us an opportunity like this? What good is a hunter that sees a chance to claim victory and doesn't take it?"

"Don't worry, we don't intend to let any harm befall the midget's home sweet home, but if you think we're not going to use this chance to rub it in the faces of all those Purist bastards living there, you're sorely mistaken," Rey grinned. He quickly turned, pulling himself up onto the seat of the lead wagon of their cluster. "Now then, I think we've chatted enough. We've got a distance to cover, and there's no sense sitting around, right?"

The hunter didn't give Vi a chance to reply, taking up the reins of his wagon and whipping the Popos leading them into motion. The huntress scowled after them for a moment before reluctantly snapping the reins on their own leads, and the Aptonoths began to trudge after them, following about a dozen yards behind.

"This feels like trouble brewing…" Bram muttered.

"No kidding. What do we do?"

"Not sure if there's anything we can do. The Goa will go where it goes, and all we can do is hope to intercept it before it causes any more trouble than it already has."

"Well, this just keeps getting worse and worse," Vi sighed.

"Nothing we can do but carry on and hope for the best. If you want to try and stop them from raising hell in Lintukoto, our best bet is to try and get Logan in contact with the Goa. After that… we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Vi nodded sullenly, staring back towards the road in front of them as they passed under the southern gate, plodding along down the road to the south. The rustling of leaves surrounded them as an inclement cool breeze swept through the trees. A dull pattering sounded from behind them, and Vi winced as a peppering of raindrops began to clatter off the roof of the wagon.

"And isn't this the perfect capper for our trip…" she groaned, shaking her head, as the caravan continued on the road back to Lintukoto.

Let's see now… Testing. Logan? Can you hear me…? Hello…? Hmm. He said they were passing Grendale, so that would put his range at about sixty miles or so… quite a distance for a beginner. He's already got better range than Ten does. Mercy, if he lives long enough…

…

No sense thinking too hard about that now, I guess. Let's see… Three?

Ah! Four! Goodness, finally! I received your note, but- but are you certain? Has someone with a power like the Eldest truly appeared? And a HUMAN of all things?

I'm just as surprised as you are, Three. I never imagined someone would be able to… to listen like the Eldest could. But apparently it's possible.

I can't believe it…Ah! Is it… is it safe to speak? I would hate to discuss, ah, DELICATE matters when we might be overheard…

Don't worry. I'm fairly certain Logan's gotten out of range, so he shouldn't be able to overhear us.

You're certain? But the Eldest could intercept telepathic communications from the other side of the planet! Are you sure…?

I can't truly be certain about anything, Three, not anymore, but he's always responded when I've contacted him before, and there's nothing but silence from him now. Besides, he's still trying to get his feet under him when it comes to using telepathy, so we should be safe. For now at least…

Mercy… But if he continues to grow stronger… How are we supposed to keep things under wraps if his telepathy DOES grow that powerful?

I'm trying to teach him discretion, and how to… tune out friends. Specifically, tune out US.

Seems a stopgap measure. One curious listen and-

I KNOW. I know, Three, trust me. I've only had three days to try and figure out how to deal with this. That's still too little time to figure out how to deal with Logan's Empathy.

'Empathy'?

Oh. It's the name we came up with for the ability. Now that we know it's not something that only the Eldest could use, we figured a name would be appropriate. And… Mercy, it's been so long since the Eldest died, yet I'm not used to thinking on such short scale over such important things… But I think we're getting off topic.

Right, right, the human. Really, someone with the same power as the Eldest… We could- we could find more of us!

I know, Three! If only we'd known before… We could've been looking for someone to replace his-

Wh- HOW DARE YOU!

W-what? Three, what do you-

There can be no replacement for the Eldest! Do not even IMPLY that such a thing is possible! Especially not from a hunter!

I… I'm sorry, Three. I didn't mean to imply that the Eldest could be replaced by anyone. I just meant that having someone with this 'Empath' ability could've been immensely valuable. There weren't that many Thinkers left after the War, and even less after One purged those who disagreed with her decisions… Twelve of us survived all that, but the numbers have only dwindled.

I suppose I can't argue with that. Five hasn't been heard from in YEARS, so we can only assume the worst… Two is 'alive', but he's so old he can barely do anything useful…

Seven was murdered and Eight went insane. If he isn't dead already, he's certainly disobeyed the rules One set down.

Yes, and for that crime alone, One would likely insist he be slain… no matter the reason for his actions.

...I know. I hate the idea of killing another Thinker over something I could justify, but… There's really no getting around it.

Eleven's dead, and though I'd like to say good riddance to bad rubbish, we'll miss his strength if worse comes to worst… We're not exactly swelling in the ranks.

Exactly. Which is why we need this boy.

Yes… Just think of all the other Thinkers that must be out there! We should inform One as soon as possible!

Perhaps… I'm not too sure how we should approach her with this though.

What do you mean? She above all others would relish the opportunity to have someone with that power again! Having another 'Empath', as you called him, would be a welcome gift!

Would she? For the longest time we all believed that the Eldest was the only one to hold sway over this power. You know how much she loved him. If she finds out that a HUNTER of all things gained the same power as he did… Well, she might not take it well.

Ah. Hmm. Good point. He's too important to let her kill so quickly… but even she should realize the value he holds. She is ever the pragmatist!

Ever the kiss-ass when it comes to One, aren't you…

Hmph. But I suppose the most important question is this: why did you let the boy leave the city?

What do you mean? He's a hunter, and the Guild's got him working on a special mission-

That's exactly my point. You have to realize how important he is to us, Four. This power he's somehow gained makes him invaluable to our cause. And yet you LET him leave the city?

What?! I can't just-

You can and you should've! This boy is the first Empath the world has seen since the Eldest died! He is possibly our only hope at finding other Thinkers like ourselves and keeping the world safe! And yet you just let him leave! You know as well as any how dangerous a hunter's life is! He could die, and our only chance at finding more members disappears in a splatter of blood.

You think I don't know that? But what was I supposed to do? Convince him not to go?

If that's what was necessary, yes!

And what was I supposed to tell him? The truth? Our goals and purpose? Do you really think he'd help us if he knew everything we've done? He would hate us. Turn against us.

Surely you could've done something. Lie to him. Be elusive. Don't tell me you're incapable of lying?

I can lie fine enough, but how am I supposed to keep this a secret? Assuming he does help us, the first Thinker he helped us find - assuming there ARE any others out there - would reveal the truth about us. It's impossible to keep him in the dark.

Then take drastic measures. Capture him. Tie him up somewhere and force him to tell us when he catches wind of a Thinker breaking through and developing telepathy.

And do what? Care for him for another seventy years until he's withered and old in the HOPES that he manages to hear another voice? It would never work! You understand how spiteful people can be as well as I do. If we take him against his will and force him into our service, he may very well spend his entire life not telling us even if he heard any other Thinkers' voice! And besides, you remember how powerful the Eldest was with telepathy; the boy is young, but even if he gains a FRACTION of what the Eldest could do, it would be a simple thing for him to send a message to one of his friends in a cry for help!

Hmph. Then we are at an impasse. Lying to him is impossible, and if we tell him the truth, he will turn on us. If we try and force him to do what we want, he can use his powers to call for help. So how the hell are we supposed to make use of the boy in any situation?

...Give me time. It may seem like capturing him is our best option… but I've spoken to the boy quite a bit this last week. I've gotten a… sense of who he is. I think… telling him the truth might work.

But-!

Not immediately or anything, no. I mean we should… ease him into it. Gain his trust a little more. This situation with this 'Goa'... Judging by his feelings on the whole affair, I suspect he'll be more amicable towards Thinkers like us. We just need to give him some time. I'll have more than enough of that to speak to him, considering I've become a sort of telepathy teacher to him. I'll try and ease him in our direction, and feel out how likely it is that he'd help us. If things get sour… well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

...Says the man who rarely crosses bridges for fear of them collapsing underneath him.

I was being rhetorical!

Hmph. Fine then. I still say he is too valuable to risk having him be killed out on some stupid work for the Guild. All it would take is a misfortunate encounter with a Jaggi and whatever hopes in him we may have fostered are gone.

That's just the way it is, Three. Even after everything we've been through, you could say the same about us. We're not immortal, you know. If even the Eldest can die, the same applies to us.

...Very well. One might feel that different actions should be taken when she finds out though.

I know. I'd prefer we try to do this amicably before resorting to other methods.

Hmph. And what about this 'Goa' creature? What do you make of it?

...It's hard to say. It seems to have a natural ability towards telepathy, but at the same time, I've never heard of a species like it before. Six limbs, blind, spreading a toxic black virus that sends the infected into a maddened rage… There are aspects of it which sound familiar, but for the life of me I can't remember hearing anything about a beast like this in my life.

I see. And you are well-read on the multitudes of different creatures in the world, with a memory unmatched.

If something like this has existed before, I think I would've heard of it. And from what Logan told me, the creature itself has no memories of anything more than a couple decades at most. The Guild reports show similar findings; though sparse, its frenzy sightings have only shown up in public record during the last thirty years.

So what does that mean? Is the creature a freak mutation? Like the Deviljho?

...It's possible. However, it seems too… intelligent for that.

...You don't mean-?

I don't know what to think. But if I had to guess, I'd assume the thing is an Abomination.

Mercy… after all this time?

We have a new Empath for the first time since the Eldest died. Ten says Muris was still alive, despite what Eleven told us. It seems it's a time of surprises for us. Though, I can't really say for sure if it's true or not. Abominations are usually more… obvious. Subtlety is not in their nature, and this Goa has been dodging hunters for several decades. Not really the same modus operandi that we saw back then.

And if it does turn out to be an Abomination?

...Who knows. The Guild's already aware of its intelligence, and they're planning on hunting it down. Whether or not they kill it in the end, I can't say. Considering the relationship it has with Logan right now, he may even convince it to work with the Guild in the end.

That… would be troubling.

Stranger things have happened. We're living proof of that.

Not much stranger.

...I guess not.

Hmm. Well, keep me in the loop, please. Let me know when the boy's back in town, so I don't say anything foolish through the bond.

Got it.

And don't forget: you still owe me a visit to one of my shows!

Oh. Right… Alright FINE, I'll try and go to one in the next couple weeks. What show's playing right now?

Well we just finished a Stone Man run, so you should be happy you don't have to watch that. Up next is another Lost play: Waiting for Godot.

Never heard of it.

It's… subtle. We've gotten mixed reviews.

Coming from you that's saying something. Well… sign me up. I've got some work to do ensuring our outbreak protocols are up to date, but things should be calm enough for the next couple weeks that I should have time for an evening off.

Excellent! I'll reserve a seat for- Erm. I'll find somewhere that gives you a good view.

Thanks.

A dull knock echoed through the small living room of the Renfield home. Kerry looked up from a small novella she was reading (cheesy romance, as per usual; they were trashy, poorly-written fantasies, but Kerry just couldn't get enough), and quickly set the book aside. There was no warning that she would have guests tonight, no plans made, and yet she'd still made sure to clear her schedule, expecting something like this nonetheless.

Sure enough, she opened the door to find Eleanor standing on her doorstep. Her friend looked tired, with baggy eyes and a gaunt expression. She didn't have much with her, save for a duffel bag hung over her back. Even so, Kerry smiled at her.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, dear."

"Sorry for dropping in like this," Ellie sighed. "I just… well, you probably know already."

Kerry nodded solemnly, before glancing behind Ellie and realizing she was alone. "Where's Van?"

"Oh, I- He's back in Perir with my parents. He still has school tomorrow, and I didn't want to drag him away for something like this…"

"Of course. Well, come in." With an exhausted nod, Ellie made her way inside, allowing Kerry to close the door behind her, before sending the duffel bag to the floor with a thump. Rather than leading her friend into the living room, however, Kerry simply stood in front of Ellie and opened her arms. "Come here, dear."

Ellie practically toppled forward, burying her face into Kerry's shoulder. Kerry in turn wrapped her arms around her friend, cradling her comfortingly.

"You got a letter from Sonia, too." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah… They… the letters from Levin…"

"I know. Bram's letter said just as much."

Ellie didn't cry, but remained in that state, tired and afraid. Kerry had expected more anger from Ellie; her friend had always been the fieriest between them and their husbands. Maybe if this had happened earlier she would've been, but after more than a year of this situation building up… both of them were left burnt out. Kerry felt much the same, truth be told; she was just holding herself together a little better.

Ten minutes later, the pair of them were on the couch in the living room, with Ellie leaning against her wearily. The Renfield house could get rather packed, considering the number of children she and Harker had conceived, but thankfully, it was just her and Ellie tonight. Ellie had pulled out a collection of all the letters Levin had sent, and Kerry had done the same with Harkers, a stack of papers twice the size of the romance novel she'd been reading.

"I've been looking over these letters for months now, hoping to find some hint in them," Ellie sighed, flipping through each letter one after the other. "Ever since Sonia's last letter arrived I've taken to them with a fine-tooth comb… but I can't find anything."

"I've done the same," Kerry admitted. "Harker's very good at creating cyphers, and his letters are long enough that there's plenty of room to hide something. I'm pretty sure I know them all, but I haven't found anything. If he's hiding something in his letters, they're written in a code that he never taught me. I've been looking through books on the subject, hoping to find something, but… no luck."

"'ve always been able to sense that something was wrong in his letters," Ellie sighed. "Just the way he wrote things, how there was never an end to the excuses for why he couldn't come home, but… there was never proof."

"Have you sent a message to Elhart yet?"

"I've been sending him letters for half a year now, telling him to do something to bring Levin back!" Ellie grumbled. "I sent another letter before coming here, telling him about what Sonia wrote, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet…"

"I imagine he's been rather busy the last couple weeks, all things considered."

"I know, I know… but it's so stupid!" Ellie snapped. "I know Levin doesn't like abusing his fame, but you'd think it would be useful in a situation like this! You'd think Gahiji would be doing everything they can to help find him!"

"Gahiji is an insular country, but they should know not to drag their feet over something like this," Kerry sighed. "You'd think they'd at least be prompt about replying to letters from… from the High Guildmaster…"

Kerry frowned, looking away from Harker's letters and glancing over towards the pile she'd gotten from Bram. Ellie noticed her shift in attention.

"What's up?"

"...Did Sonia mention anything about the Felyne post in her letters?"

"Oh, yeah, she said that someone was intercepting letters and sending fake… fake Guild responses…" Ellie frowned as the wheels in her head turned, driving her to the same conclusion Kerry had reached. "You think someone's blocking Elhart's letters to Gahiji?"

"It would explain why the Gahin Guild's being so unhelpful."

"But they'd be risking causing a huge conflict between Theron and Gahiji! Who'd want to risk that?"

"Someone's already kidnapped our husbands and kept it secret for more than a year. Someone who is able to mess with the Felyne post and forge Guild documents. Hard to imagine what someone with that much power might want and what they'd do to get it."

"Damn it!" Ellie hissed, turning back to glare at her letters. "That's… damn it! What are we supposed to do against someone like that?! You'd think Elhart would've done something by now…"

"Maybe he has," Kerry replied. "He's always played things close to the chest. You know what he's like."

"Right… Not much we can really do from here, can we?" Kerry sighed as she watched Ellie's expression sink, reducing once more to depressed melancholy.

"Well, dear, perhaps we can take another look at those letters, hmm?" she said. "Put our heads together for this? We've been looking at them separately all this time, perhaps we'll be able to find something working together."

"...I guess that's possible," Ellie sighed, lifting her letters. "Though I've never found anything more than spelling and grammatical errors."

Kerry leaned her head against Ellie's, eyeing Levin's letters over her shoulder. Her mind flitted through the writing, ignoring the content and instead searching for some hidden meaning between the lines. Levin certainly wasn't as devious as Harker was, but he had his clever moments. Besides, their husbands were together, wherever they were, and Kerry she knew that they were capable of quite a bit while working together…

As Ellie turned a page, something caught Kerry's eye. "What's that in the corner of the page?"

"Uh… just some doodles?" Ellie replied. "A couple scribbles of stars and planets. Van wanted to do an astronomy report for class, and I guess Levin doodled a few things out of-"

"Are there any six-point stars?" Kerry pressed.

"What, like David's Stars? Let me look… Yeah, there's one. Why?"

"May I see the letter?" Kerry asked sharply, making Ellie lean back in surprise. She passed the letter over, and Kerry scanned the page, before her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, crap…"

"What? What did you find?!"

"It's a code," Kerry replied. "One of the codes our family uses: the Star code. That… that's it! That's how those fool men did it, take one of Harker's codes and put it in one of Levin's letters, so that the two of us would have to meet to figure out- Damn it, I should've thought of this before!"

"Really?" Ellie asked desperately, looking at the page. "Where? What's the code?! What's it say?!"

"It's simple, really: you see a six-point star on the page, and you look for any spelling or grammatical errors. Any such mistakes can be woven together into a rudimentary message," Kerry replied, pointing to the star before sliding her finger down the page. "The message is here: 'Maybe have Van do his report on Jupiter. Research might be tricky, all things considered, but he might like learning about the biggest planet in the solar system.'"

"And? What's misspelled? Everything looks right to me…"

"Nothing, actually, but he left out the period after Jupiter. It's actually very clever… the sentence ends just at the right spot for the next to begin on the next line… they had to work that hard just to send something so simple…?"

"So… Jupiter is the key word?"

"Partially. The keywords are 'Jupiter Research'."

"Alright, so… what the hell is 'Jupiter Research'?"

"The Jupiter Research is an old and very dangerous investigation!" Kerry snapped, leaping to her feet, nearly throwing Ellie to the floor. Her friend pushed herself upright, watching in confusion as Kerry hurried to the bookcase on the far wall. "It is probably the most highly-classified research projects here in Theron… and I've seen a lot of classified things this last quarter-century, I'll tell you that much."

"And how come you know about this super-classified project?" Ellie asked, following after her.

"Because Harker learned about it, and he talked about it enough before it got blacklisted that I got authorized to have information on it as well."

"Right, of course…" Ellie muttered, watching as Kerry poked through the shelves, eventually taking hold of the spine of an aged book and pulling on it.

A loud click echoed through the room, and Ellie's eyes widened as a section of the bookshelf shifted in place, allowing Kerry to pull it open like a door. A narrow passage lay carved into the wall just beyond it, and Kerry pushed through to the other side. Ellie stared after her for a moment in disbelief, before letting out a sigh and following after, finding a small room filled with a single desk and several filing cabinets on the other side. A couple oddities sat on the desk, some dismantled machine of some kind, a couple Lagi crystals, some copper wire, and more. A stretch of wall on one side of the room was covered with more papers and photographs pinned against it, with trails of string wired up between a few of them depicting some elaborate interconnected scheme that Sonia hoped she wouldn't have to try and figure out.

"Why am I not surprised you have a secret room hidden behind your bookshelf?"

"Because you've been my best friend for three decades, probably," Kerry replied. "Shut the bookcase behind you, dear."

"Is this supposed to be hidden from the rest of your family?" Ellie asked, pulling the door shut with a grunt. "They're a nosy bunch, and I'd be shocked if one of them hadn't found it yet."

"Possibly, but the book I pulled on is made from the spine of one of my old romance novels. Neither Harker nor any of my children like those, so it's relatively safe." The red-haired researcher turned and smiled slyly. "Besides, this secret room is just the easy one to find, with only relatively unimportant files hidden in it, to throw any snoopers off the trail of my better ones."

"Ah. Of course…" Ellie sighed. "But if this Jupiter Research is so highly classified, shouldn't it be in one of your better hiding places?"

"Don't worry. The data on the Jupiter Research isn't in this room, because this room actually hides the entrance to a second, even more secret room."

"...Of course it does."

Ellie watched vacantly as Kerry took the spool of wire from the desk, walking over to the wall of pins and string. She carefully removed one of the nails holding a photograph in place, before threading the thin copper wire through the hole, but the wire just kept sliding through by inches and feet, and Ellie quickly realized that it had been intentionally drilled into the wall. Eventually the wire hit a snag somewhere deep in the wall, and Kerry grabbed one of the Lagi crystals and held it up to the wire. A spark leapt through the copper, making the woman wince slightly, but deep within the wall Ellie heard a deep click. With a satisfied nod, Kerry reeled the wire back in, setting it and the crystal back on the desk before slamming her shoulder into the wall. With a groan and a grind of stone against stone, a broad stretch of wall began to spin around, revealing yet another tunnel burrowing deeper into the earth.

"This way please," Kerry said. Ellie stared at the new hole in the wall, that she never would've guessed was there if Kerry hadn't opened it up.

"Thirty years. Thirty years and you still catch me off guard with this nonsense," she sighed, following Kerry into the tunnel. "So what next? Dodging lasers? Walking over light-up tiles in the proper order? Rappelling from the ceiling without making any sound or touching the floor?"

"I think I'm missing a reference," Kerry admitted. "But no, all that's left from here is a locked door that only I have a key to."

"Well that's a relief-"

"And about ten flights of stairs."

"...I think I would've preferred the lasers."

"Oh, come on, you were a huntress for nearly fifteen years! What's a few stairs?"

"Yeah, but I haven't hunted in nearly a decade now. My knees aren't what they used to be either… Ugh, let's just go before I have you carry me."

"Well we can't have that. Come along."

Ellie begrudgingly followed Kerry down the stairs, until at last the pair of them arrived at a tall door right at the bottom. Ellie admitted that she hadn't expected the door itself to be something strange, but upon realizing that it was made of a pristine, silver-white ore the likes of which she'd rarely seen before…

"Meridian metal?"

"Indeed. Took me a couple years to figure out how to make a key that actually worked on it," Kerry replied. "My final line of defense, you see. An invader would be hard pressed to force their way through this, after all, and the door itself is tricky to open in its own right."

She pulled out a twisted mass of metal from her pocket that Ellie would've assumed to be a complicated weapon of some kind had Kerry not slid it into a narrow keyhole and twisted. Ellie could hear dozens of small bits and bobs inside the door clicking around and shifting into place, and she couldn't help but wonder how complex this door was. There was no final sound to signify that the door was unlocked at last, simply a cessation of sound from within, at which point Kerry pushed on through.

Ellie followed her, expecting the worst. A secret lab, with secret creations being secretly built, with intricate plans for world domination pinned to the wall. But what lay beyond was little different from the room above, though far larger. Every wall was covered floor to ceiling with bookshelves and storage racks, filled with binders and boxes full of papers and notes. Stripes of light and shadow criss-crossed the floor thanks to the glowstones spread evenly across the ceiling, making the room feel like a warehouse. At the center of the room was a large table, made of the same material as the door but seeming to grow out of the floor, with several glowstones hung above it, illuminating hundreds of documents that Kerry had spread across it.

"Don't read any of that," Kerry muttered idly as Ellie glanced at a couple pages. "It's all classified. Better if you don't pay them any mind."

"Oh. Right…" Ellie replied worriedly. A single glance had given her an eyeful of several photographs containing rather frightening images. "So. The Jupiter Research?"

"Right over here," Kerry said, leading her over to a segregated nook between several towering shelves. Each side of the nook had dozens of folders and boxes filled with paperwork, and a small counter was covered in photos and journals. Kerry immediately plucked one of the folders from a shelf and beginning to scan her way through it.

"All of this?" Ellie asked with a frown.

"We don't need to read all of this. I'm just looking for a map and a few papers, and we can go."

"That's a relief… So what is all this anyway? This Jupiter Research. What's it about?"

Kerry sighed, shaking her head and passing the folder over to Ellie. "Here, take a look for yourself while I look for the map. Classified or not, you deserve to know about it if Levin's involved."

Ellie frowned, snatching the files from her friend and quickly scanning them over, reading through line by line. Her frown grew deeper with each paragraph, as though the words were sparking some memory in her mind. "This is… wait… I think I remember Levin mentioning this. Back around the time Sonia was born…"

"I'm not surprised. He's around Harker enough that I'm sure he would've heard about it at one point, and I know he usually tells you everything."

"What's this got to do with Levin and Harker now, though?!"

"I don't know," Kerry admitted. "But there's clearly some connection between it and whoever kidnapped them. This is… not good." Kerry reached across the desk, pulling a map of the continent from off the wall, with several dozen locations marked on it in random locations. "Hold onto that folder and follow me back up. I'm writing a letter to Elhart, so he can- No. I'm going to Loc Lac myself. He needs to know about this. Whatever's going on in Gahiji, there's a LOT more danger there than we previously thought."

"Of course there is…" Ellie groaned, tailing after her friend out of the room. "Why wouldn't there be? But you're gonna have to go ahead of me, and tell him to make sure he doesn't send his emissaries or whatever they're called until I get to Loc Lac to join them. I need to go back to Perir and grab my equipment first, and then I'll head back to-"

Ellie smacked her face in the small of Kerry's back as the other woman froze mid-stride, a few steps up ahead of her. She turned, staring at Ellie in shock. "You… you're not thinking of going after them, are you?"

"Of course I am! I'm not going to just sit by and wait for news while Levin's being held captive by a bunch of psychopaths that're…" Ellie flailed for a moment, trying to find the right word before simply shoving the folder into Kerry's face. "That're doing whatever required them to steal my husband!"

"Ellie. Dear. You haven't hunted in nearly a decade! You were just complaining about the stairs on the way down!"

"I know that! I'm not in nearly the shape I used to be back then… but I'm not interested in hunting monsters, Kerry."

"You can't just run off like that! You have a business to look after! You have Van to take care of!"

"I know!" Ellie snapped. "I… I know, Kerry. Really I do, but… I can't just sit back and wait while my husband is being held captive! Not while there's something I can do to help! Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same!"

"...I admit, I want to. But I can't fight like I used to anymore, Ellie, and neither can you. We have other ways of dealing with this mess rather than suiting up and marching off to fight a battle against some unknown enemy."

"Maybe so… but I'm still going to feel a lot better if I'm chasing after Levin looking like I'm armed for war."

"That's-!" Kerry groaned, shaking her head. "Fine. Clearly I'm not going to talk you out of this. But at least let me try and go through the proper channels before you run off, alright? Elhart does have more influence to throw around than we do, after all."

"Ugh, fine… probably need to get the armor resized first anyway. I'm a little, uh, squishier around the middle than I was."

"You do that. We've got a lot to do if we're going to get Harker and Levin back."

"Bring it on. As long as I'm not sitting around feeling useless, I can summon all the energy I need. I've fought an 'immortal' elder dragon, broken my husband out of prison, and destroyed a Meridian death coliseum. Anyone who thinks I'm going to just sit back and hope they kindly return Levin to me is going to learn a harsh lesson on the fury of a woman scorned. Levin may be more famous between us, but they'll learn that I'm the one that they should fear."

"They say he's in town, you kneow. The… Skinner."

Three pairs of Felyne eyes looked up at the words, spoken in a hushed tone from a fourth of their species. The other three glanced around worriedly, as though the statement alone would summon the man himself. They were relatively safe here at the moment, thankfully: the four Felynes were sitting just outside a bakery in the middle of Val Habar. The hustle and bustle of midday traffic filled the streets with hunters and travelers in all directions.

"Are you sure?" a calico Felyne asked.

"I just got word from one of our own," the first speaker, a yellow-furred cat nodded. "The trackers have been tailing him from Harth, all the way here."

"Probably trying to flee the country with his purr-tner," a brown Felyne spoke up. "We can't let that happen! We need to catch him meow!"

"Yeah, I kneow," Yellow nodded. "We're keeping an eye on outbound ships. We kneow what they're wearing and what they look like, so we just need to look out fur the two of them."

One of the cats, a smaller one with powder-white fur, looked around the crowd nervously as though he expected the Felyne killer to pop out and attack them at any moment. "How… how many of us has he slain so far, nya?"

"About thirty in towns and villages," Brown replied. "Probably double that out in the Everwood, though that's assuming that all the Felynes and Melynx that have gone missing on his path were killed by him… Probably more than a hundred by neow if we tallied everything up."

"Ugh… how scary… How would we kneow how many Melynx were killed by him though?" White pondered. "Not like they'd tell us if someone attacked them."

The other three shared a silent look between themselves. "Fair enough," Yellow nodded. "It's just an assumption. I doubt the Skinner cares about the difference between Felynes and Melynx."

"Attacking civilized Felynes fur no reason… why would anyone do this, nya?" White shivered. "Why focus on our species? What did we ever do to him?"

Calico shrugged. "Sometimes people don't need reasons. I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. I'd just keep my eyes open, so that we can hunt him down and capture him."

"Capture?" White asked, looking at the others. "Why capture?"

"Uh. To bring him to justice?" Brown replied.

"I mean, I get that, but with someone as dangerous as him, you'd think it'd be kill on sight at best. If he cornered me in a dark alley, I think holding back to try and take him alive would be the last thing on my mind."

"...True enough," Yellow nodded. "But we can't kill him. He needs to face purr-oper justice, and he can't do that dead."

"Besides," Calico added, "there are worse punishments than death. He'll suffer his just desserts, my furr-iend, make no mistake about that!"

"We'll catch him soon enough," Brown said confidently. "He won't escape us this time…"

"...Won't I?"

The four Felynes froze at the cold voice that sounded behind them, spinning in their seats. From the shadows of a narrow 'alley' between the bakery and the next shop over, a man stepped around the corner. He was wearing a thick brown cloak draped over a heavy set of armor, leaving them little to discern about his appearance save for the bulk… and the hilt of a greatsword poking up from behind him.

White's jaw dropped, but not a single word squeaked out before the man raised his right arm. A deep crimson glow flared up at the center of his palm, and in a surge of energy, streaks of black-and-red lightning lanced out, tearing through the Felynes and blasting apart the bench they sat on.

The wooden awning above them combusted almost immediately, seared black by the power of the dragon element and collapsing into the sand-dusted grass below. Shrieks cried out from within the bakery as the windows shattered, spraying the interior with broken shards. Screams sounded through the sandy streets as civilians and hunters alike turned their heads towards the blast of dark energy. Those with weapons instinctively reached for the hilts, searching around for the source of the dark flames.

A few silent moments passed as plumes of smoke crawled up into the sky. A few bolder hunters cautiously approached while any civilians fled away, fearing that something horrible awaited them once the smoke cleared. The remainder consisted of those too terrified or stunned by the blaze of unnatural flames to tear themselves away, watching fearfully as the dust began to settle.

As the final dregs of smoke were carried away by the wind, a scene of contained destruction revealed itself. The Skinner still stood with his arm outstretched, his palm facing the black scar in the grass and sand. Four Felynes lay sprawled across a mess of burnt wood and cloth from the destroyed bench and overhead awning, the windows on the front of the bakery had been shattered one and all, and several panicked shadows within could be seen trying to scramble towards the backdoor in hopes of escape.

The Skinner winced slightly as a spark of lingering dragon element danced over his glove and bracer, making him flinch back and squeeze his hand shut. Before him, one of the Felynes in the rubble abruptly coughed; the White Felyne still lived, and looking closely, the creature seemed to have actually avoided the worst of the dragon element. While streaks of burnt fur stretched across his body, it even started trying to struggle upright after a few moments. The man stared down at it for a second before taking a step towards it…

"You- Skinner! Stop right there!"

The man froze, turning his head as though only now realizing that there were dozens and dozens of eyes on him now. A Palico had been the one to shout, stepping forward out of the crowd, its fur on end and its eyes sharp and its fangs bared. Its small but razor-sharp Rathalos sword was already out.

"You'll pay for this!" the Palico hissed. "I'll kill you myself for what you've done!"

The Skinner didn't move, though his head turned slightly to observe the rest of the crowd. More than a dozen hunters and even more Palicos seemed ready to try and charge in and attack him. The man didn't flinch, however, flexing his right arm as another arc of dragon element jumped across the limb. His stance dropped slightly, and he reached his other hand forward, beckoning the Palico towards him.

"You can try. How many Felynes do you think have said the same?"

"Bastard!" a huntress hissed, yanking a short sword out of its sheath on her belt. She wasn't the only one, as many hunters had drawn their weapons.

"That's right. Look at me…" the man muttered quietly. "Keep your eyes on me…"

"Get him!" the Palico hissed, charging towards him. Several other hunters and Palicos swarmed towards the man from all different directions, and the Skinner's right hand snapped up to the great sword hilt hanging behind his shoulder, turning his body in preparation to swing at the closest enemy to approach-

A small metallic object fell out of his left-hand sleeve, clattering into the grass, and he grabbed the hem of his cloak to swing it up over his face. A few hunters slid to a halt at the sight, but those behind them that hadn't seen it surged past. The metal object popped, bursting with light as the flash bomb detonated, and dozens of screams and shouts echoed through the streets of Val Habar. The clash of metal followed as several hunters tripped or crashed into each other, sending them into a tangled mess of armor and weapons in the sand-dusted grass.

Only a few had been clever and quick enough to shield their eyes from the flare, and turned their heads to search the man out once the dots had faded from their eyes. However, only his coattails could be seen as he vanished around the far corner behind him. Cries rang out among the unblinded, rallying those that could give chase as a smaller cluster of hunters surged through the crowd, racing through the alley after him. Only a few hunters stayed behind to see to the wounded Felyne and try to stop the dragon-element flames that scourged across the side of the restaurant.

Over the course of the next hour, several more gouts of dragon fire roared through the town, another dozen Felynes were slain, and at least six more bursts of light flared up as he used flash bombs to escape. By the time evening fell, the entire town was in a state of chaos. Every hunter brave enough was out in the streets, searching for the Skinner, as was every Palico that didn't fear for their life. But as the sun touched the sandsea off to the west, it began to sink in that the attacks had stopped, that every time that a group met at a crossroad asking where the latest sighting was there was a longer and longer time since the last.

Despite the legion of hunters that had stormed after the man, despite the chaos the Skinner had created, and despite how the entire town of Val Habar was put into high alert, in the end the man somehow avoided capture. As night began to fall, a report finally came in, declaring that a hunter matching the Skinner's description was seen off to the east, vanishing into the Everwood.

Thanks.

Author's Note: Please Review!

…Well. This was supposed to come out yesterday, since I try to always release chapters on Saturday mornings, but… well, Iceborne happened, and I think anyone reading this will understand my delay.

Alright, this is the last chapter set in Dundorma, and closes off a few lingering issues of the characters before they take off. Logan reappears after spending the last few days with Klaus, and does his best to try and brush off what he was really up to.

Then there's another flashback of Tuli and Rikki's relationship. Their feud will actually reach its head in soon, and I've given just about every hint I can about what happened between Rikki and the rest of his family, so I'm a little eager to hear if you can guess what happened to make him the way he is. Between Tuli's scattered memories, Rikki's opinions of his mother and father, and even things that Rey and Grim have mentioned in passing, the truth is there to unfold if you just put the pieces together.

I think it was actually kind of interesting to write Klaus and Kieran's conversation at the end. Given their vague nature and the secrets that I can't reveal yet, it's always a little tricky writing a conversation between two people so that their conversation feels legitimate, while being vague enough that the reader can only guess at their true meaning. This time I tried something new: I wrote their entire conversation as though there wasn't an audience to hide things from, where they were completely candid about their shared secrets and history. It was, needless to say, a trip. A conversation between both of them has the ability to completely shatter a LOT of secrets that I haven't revealed in the story yet. Once that was done, I went through and systematically deleted everything that was a spoiler, so that it was once again vague enough so as not to give away the truth. Let me know how I did.

Unfortunately the last SOP chapter I'll be posting for a little while. There have been a few DLC stories that have been a point of obsession for me during the last couple years. Working on SOP has been the focus of most of my time, so while I've been able to poke at some of them, I just haven't had the time to really dig into the DLC stories, despite the depths I've given some of them. As such, I want to go ahead and just focus on them for a while, and try to avoid burning out on SOP.

So look forward to those in the future. The first couple stories are called "Air Mail" and "Memoria". They'll be coming soon enough.

Playing: MHW, MHGU, Fallout 4, Persona 5, Octopath Traveler, Celeste
Reading: Carbon Leaf, Lorde, Hozier