Although they were certain that Zorah was lethargic, everybody was still tense as the researchers crawled all around the mountainous Elder. Most of them retrieved samples from its shell, but they also conducted a few experiments by testing the reactions of items around it.
Valen was himself accompanying Ikari, his handler admitting that he wouldn’t be able to focus on his work if he wasn’t near. It didn’t bother Valen though, as he knew the difficulties he had regarding monsters. However, he did see that he was progressing on that front, as he was able to accompany them on this critical and unprecedented operation.
“I think the fact that Zorah is so big helps. I don’t see its face, so it helps me distance my fear. I don’t think I would be as calm next to a more regular-sized Elder though.” Ikari admitted when Valen asked him about that.
Still, every Handler was doing their task, having split into small groups to make everything faster. Ikari was tasked to examine the magma cores so as to discern their workings.
Eventually, the time limit was up, and everybody was asked to depart from Zorah’s shell. The Elder was still out of it, but the Commander did not want to take any chances, and it would allow them to dislodge the harpoons so that the Elder would not destroy the ballistae as it tried to free itself.
One thing somebody was worried about was that several earthquakes occurred during Zorah’s immobilization. What was even more cause for concern, however, was the fact that they became more violent and frequent as time went by, which was another reason they did not want to push their luck.
Eventually, they freed Zorah from its bindings and caused the barrier to collapse, as they knew it would plow through it anyway if they left it up.
Then, suddenly, when the volcanic Elder stirred, a powerful earthquake rocked the area, making everybody unsteady on their feet. It was so powerful that some outcroppings collapsed, and Valen saw one barely miss a group of Hunters before it tumbled down the ravine.
One last powerful shake caused everybody to lose balance and fall, Valen included before a loud, gigantic crack echoed through the whole ravine. Zorah roared, finally awake, and then the shaking stopped. Valen only waited for a split second to confirm that the shaking had stopped before straightening up on his feet. He looked at Zorah, who seemed to be studying them all intensely, looking around, before it grunted, and started to walk, resuming its journey through the Ravine.
Valen unclenched the hand that was gripping his weapon tightly, exhaling in relief. He had been worried about the reaction that Zorah would have when it woke up, but it seemed to dismiss them and resume its journey. He looked around, noticing that more of the rock at the top of the ravine had fallen, and he hoped that not too many people had gotten hurt.
The gigantic crack was what worried him, that sound was powerful, and the fact it happened right after the last shake meant something happened, but he had no idea what.
He spotted the Commander as he approached a ledge and shouted orders. “PACK EVERYTHING NOT TIED DOWN! HUNTERS, WE’RE HEADING BACK TO ASTERA!”
This was a change of plan, as the original schedule was to disassemble all the siege weapons, but it seemed that this new development worried the Commander. It worried Valen too, so he understood.
Looking at Zorah who was walking leisurely, every step heard by them, he hoped they did not underestimate the power the Elder wielded.
After everybody was back at Astera an Emergency council was called into session. Everybody was tense, which was a logical conclusion to the event, as the only two major happenings were the appearance of Nergigante and that last earthquake. So if you counted these two events out, the operation was a resounding success.
“Now that everybody has had time to calm down and file up everything we discovered, we need to discuss our two events.” The Commander began the session, then nodded at the Huntsman.
“That Elder that attacked us? We call it Nergigante. We encountered it before, but it was only from a distance. This was the first time we fought it. Rapha?lle, you told me of your own experience while trying to survive it. I’ll add that it was fighting more like a Rajang than anything else… But I also want to warn you that it seemed to be clever, it seemed to anticipate my movements, and I was on the defensive the whole time.”
“I noticed that indeed. I think it is only thanks to Cara that I managed to survive that long. My Kinsect seemed to be a good distraction for it.”
“I’ll take that into note under its file.” The Chief Ecologist said.
“Now, about the earthquake… I tasked the Field Team leader to figure out if something happened… And he has indeed found out what.” The Commander went to the other subject.
“I sent a couple of hunters on their Wingdrakes both ways along the Valley to scout. The one that went where Zorah came from found nothing. The one that went the other way, however…” He unrolled a crudely drawn map on the table. “Here is what we know of how the Great Ravine looks like, as it is a single continuous valley through this mountain chain… And here is what my scout found out.”
He unrolled a new map, that was a drawing of a divergent path in the single ravine. Everybody seemed to freeze at this discovery.
“A new passage was formed in the ravine, one that led to a different area. The scout did not go down the path, as he did not know how treacherous the path was. But he managed to confirm something: Zorah continued its journey through this new path.”
“Wait… Are you implying that it was Zorah's goal to go through this path all along?” Sophie asked, wide-eyed.
“We have no idea at this point… But I would not be surprised if that was Zorah’s goal indeed, to use his immense bulk to bore a new path from the great Ravine through a weakness already present. But by immobilizing him we caused something from him to lash out, and the earthquake caused the weakness to crumble and create the new path.” The Chief Ecologist said, flipping through his book. “We know very few things about Elders… But we do know they are capable of changing the environment around them. We were now able to see this ability in action.”
Valen sighed. “I know that Valstrax tends to nest in or on tall mountains and that their continued presence causes the area to become infused in dragon energy, but it is a long process, and for an Elder to be able to alter its environment so suddenly…” He shook his head. “I wonder where it is going.”
“More likely wherever it is that Elders go after the Crossing. And we have yet to find out exactly where or why. But as you all know, that is the goal of this Commission.” The Commander reminded them. “Hunters Rapha?lle and Valen, I want the both of you to explore this new passageway Zorah took. Find out what is on the other side and explore as much as you can before reporting back. I give you one month for this task. The Field Team Leader will accompany you to the location of the new path, but from then you will be on your own. I want Sophie and Ikari to join you because while we had an idea of what the Wildspire Waste looked like, we have no idea what is beyond the Great Ravine. Normally the Third Fleet would have been the ones to take care of that, but since they went missing...”
Valen nodded, it was a task similar to the one he received not long after he arrived in Astera. “I will ready my belongings after this, then.”
“So will I,” Rapha?lle added.
“A long-term expedition? This is exciting!” Sophie said. “Let's not disappoint, then!”
Ikari only nodded.
“Then may the Sapphire Star light your way. Dismissed!”
Valen left the council table, which had started talking about all the discoveries they had made about Zorah. Valen knew that he would be informed of them once they had time to compile them all, but he knew that they would have a lot to catch up to once he and Rapha?lle returned.
The Wingdrake dropped him at a natural outcropping that formed at the fork of the now two paths that composed the Great Ravine, then went to perch itself above him. Rapha?lle, Sophie, and Ikari dropped next to him, along with both Felynes and the Field Team Leader, who nodded at the group. “Good, you are here. As you can see, we don’t know if the path is safe. So I suggest you be careful in your travels — some of those outcroppings look fragile and might drop from any disturbance.”
Valen looked above him, and he knew that was the truth, some of these outcroppings were on a precarious balance on the edge. “It does seem that way, Field Team Leader…”
“Please, all of you call me Lukas, you have earned that right several times over.”
“Thank you, Lukas.” Valen frowned. “We are going to have to be careful. Shouldn’t we use the Wingdrakes for this?”
“We would still have to fly in the ravine. They don’t want to fly above these mountains, for some reason. We still don’t know why but we suspect they have a natural predator patrolling these mountains. And flying in this ravine is risky when we don’t know the layout. Maybe on the return trip?” Sophie pointed out and suggested.
“Then let’s make haste, if we have to travel on foot, that’ll cut into the time we have before we return,” Rapha?lle said.
“I will leave you to it then, good luck to all of you,” Lukas concluded. He then whistled, and his own Wingdrake came to carry him away.
They watched him fly in the Ravine before they focused on their path ahead and Valen spoke. “I’ll lead, if something crumbles before my feet, I’ll be able to get to safety,” He said while pointing at the thrusters on his back.
“Then I’ll be closing the group,” Rapha?lle said, who was currently wearing the full set of armor as well as the weapon she made from the Anjanath.
None of their handlers protested against this arrangement, and they went on their way, walking carefully on the treacherous path, which was full of jagged rocks. Thankfully, Valen’s boots protected him from harm. Still, he advanced carefully, testing the stability of the ground at every step before progressing. It was slow progress, but a necessity because of the danger of their surroundings.
“So, Sky Piercer, do you have any ideas about what we are going to find on the other side?” The voice directly behind him asked, which was Sophie.
He finished testing a new section of ground before answering. “I really can’t say. We know nothing about the biomes of the New World, so it could be anything. Might even be something we have never seen before. Also, call me Valen, you don’t need to call me by my title every time, especially since we’ll see a lot of each other over the next few weeks.”
She hummed. “Good point.”
Valen asked his own question. “What do you think of Rapha?lle? I have heard about her feats, but I don’t know what you think about her, being at the forefront of the Fifth Fleet.”
She chuckled. “The only thing that stops them from naming her the leader of the Fifth is that you and Aiden exist, but maybe once she hunts an Elder that won’t stop them anymore.”
“Definitely won’t. Won’t be for a bit though I believe, even though she proved she can stand her ground against the Nergigante, she just lacks good enough gear to go a full hunt. I may have hunted a Valstrax in only Plesioth gear, but to be honest, that was just because of sheer luck.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, you ARE good, you just are too modest to flaunt it. And it is also why people like you, they like how relatable you are.”
He nodded, this was something he had realized and made sense for him. “You make good points… Also, I think the current path we are on is ending. We will have to rappel down to the ground level to continue.” And he was right, the outcropping they were on had ended.
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Rapha?lle said from behind them. “I will prepare the rope, you find a good place to descend.”
So they set up ropes so that they could pursue their mission.
Their group had been traveling for a couple of days, and they thought there would be no end in sight… Sleeping in the ravine also was a tense moment, they had to take turns on watch as they felt exposed, but they did not give up. They had a mission to achieve, and they would achieve it. A couple of close calls happened with rocks that suddenly fell from above, but they were careful for just that reason, after all. Their Wingdrakes followed them, lagging a bit behind, staying on the rock outcroppings but never flying higher than the top of the Ravine.
Then, after crossing one last bend, they saw something different in the distance.
“Is it… Looks like we are finally coming to the other side!” Sophie said as she put on her mask, which served as a long-view. “Though… I cannot recognize the type of environment that I can see.”
Valen frowned. “Then let's continue. I’ll be glad to be out of the Ravine, at the very least.”
The group was reinvigorated by this new development, and they walked at a brisk pace, observing more details about the familiar environment, until they finally emerged from the ravine… And all of them gasped.
What greeted them was unlike anything they had ever seen before. It wasn’t a forest, it wasn’t a desert, it wasn’t cold and icy plains or tundra. It was something that felt like the coast around tropical waters. There were gigantic structures that had shapes not dissimilar to coral, tree-like plants that were of an unnatural pink above the surface, and white motes that felt like pollen floated all around, drifting gently with the wind.
Countless pillars that became larger at the top, not unlike some mushrooms, but made of stone were before them, and there were also plants looking like algae but which were simply above ground. The whole ensemble felt eerie and unexpected. It was something unique, that most assuredly wouldn’t be found anywhere else. It was… Different.
“It looks like we are in the sea…” Sophie marveled.
“I… This is truly different, I have never seen anything like this before,” Valen murmured.
Rapha?lle continued, “What could have caused the environment to morph like this, I wonder?”
“I would not exclude Elder influence… It is too unusual to dismiss it. But what kind of Elder would be able to do this? That's what worries me.” Valen said, then turned to Adem. “Smell anything unusual?”
“Smells like the sea… It is indeed quite un-mew-sual.”
“Hmmm. What do you think, Ikari?”
“It is breathtaking… And I’m interested to see how the local ecosystem functions. I would not be surprised if it is a mix of land-bound monsters, and others that are more at home at the sea.”
“Let's explore, then. We should be able to find more clues by looking around.”
Everybody nodded and they moved as a group. Sophie and Ikari were both writing and drawing furiously in their notebooks, recording everything they could manage.
They took frequent stops so that their handlers could collect and store samples in their bags. Several large monsters could be seen flying in the distance, but they were indistinct, blurred by the pollen flying in the air everywhere. They could identify a couple of monsters though, one being a Royal Ludroth, with its harem of Ludroth, the yellow-scaled leviathan having its spongy mane gorged with water.
They were more surprised by the Ivory Lagiacrus that they managed to see roaming around, keeping close to the numerous sources of water that were present everywhere. The Leviathan’s presence was unusual so far from the sea, but given that the Subspecies preferred the land to the open ocean, it made sense.
The group spent around a week walking around, discovering new facets of the environment that they realized was treacherous to cross, and they made liberal use of the grappling hooks incorporated into their slingers to navigate. They discovered new species, one being a Flying Wyvern covered in white fur and with a flat, sturdy tail, but which had the strange ability of being able to inflate its throat to hover around instead of flapping its wings.
They also found what they believed was the Apex Wyvern of the area, a large Flying wyvern that seemed to control ice. It had a great ability to maneuver in the air and hunt the local Wingdrakes. The Handlers noted that they nested in places that were high in the Highlands.
A blue-scaled Bird Wyvern that was able to create an intense flash from tendrils that emerged on the sides of its head was another new species, though it was nowhere near the top of its food chain.
Several small monsters were also spotted, but they were not as intensely observed as the large Wyverns.
The flora was mainly what attracted their attention as it was the most unusual part of the new biome, being so completely different and strange that it would busy the researchers of Astera for months or even years to come.
So the group was traveling around at the top of mushroom-like coral, carefully jumping to the next one… Until Adem straightened up, ears perked up.
“Wait Meowsters, I hear something.”
Valen stopped and looked back at the Felyne. “Something dangerous?”
“Wings flapping. I think a Wyvern is coming, but I’m not paw-sitive. I’ll try and figure it out fur sure..”
Flighty had her own ears perked up too, trying to figure out where the noise came from. Everybody stopped, looking around, Valen had a hand on his weapon while Rapha?lle sent Cara, her Kinsect, flying around and got her Glaive in hand.
“Adem, cover our Left Wing, Flighty, do so for our Right Wing, Rapha?lle, you’re in charge of the Tail of our group, I’ll take the Head. Sophie, Ikari, you look around wherever attracts your attention and signal us if you see anything.” Valen said, taking charge and giving them a basic plan.
Everybody was now tense, ready for anything. They looked above and below them, the mist that was present down below obscuring most of their sight.
They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, keeping their senses sharp… And were about to relax when suddenly Flighty shouted. “BELOW!”
Valen reacted, getting away from the ledge, Rapha?lle and Ikari did the same, but Sophie was slow to react… And when the ice-wielding Flying Wyvern suddenly appeared from the mist below, she lost balance and fell.
Rapha?lle was about to dive after her, but she was stopped by Flighty, who simply pointed to Valen doing the same, and she understood that he had a better chance of stopping their fall. Instead, she saw the Wyvern that was about to attack them.
It was all Valen was able to glimpse before the edge obstructed his sight. Sophie had panicked for an instant before her training kicked in and she splayed out her limbs, increasing her air resistance. Valen lined up his arms with his body in comparison, increasing his speed and the whistling of the air around him. But he caught up quickly with her, and after maneuvering, he managed to hold onto her with one harm, and she held him with both in response.
Seeing the ground coming close, he flipped the both of them so that their feet pointed down, unsheathed his weapon, and ignited all thrusters. The sudden deceleration almost threw off his grip on Sophie but he held strong, and they landed on the ground with only a jarring on Valen’s knees, though the Handler cried in pain.
Valen immediately dropped his weapon and held onto her. “Are you fine?”
“Feet hurts… Might be sprained.” She said with a grimace.
He nodded and helped her get out of her shoes. She hissed as he pulled it out, and Valen frowned, the skin around her ankle was red and swollen. “It is indeed. Let me treat it. It should be able to heal by tonight, but we’ll have to be careful with it until then.”
Valen rummaged in his pouch and retrieved a Potion from it. The medicinal drink tasted bitter, but it kicked the body recovery process into high gear. Potions are to be used sparingly though, as overusing it makes the body make mistakes during the healing process… And causes a certain type of illness that was incurable and marked the end of a Hunter’s career.
The anesthetic properties of the Potion also helped Sophie to ignore the pain. “Better…” She still grimaced for moments but wasn’t in as bad of a state as before.
The emergency over, Valen finally took the time to study their surroundings. They would use the Wingdrakes to get back to the top if needed, even if it exhausted them, but Valen first looked for alternatives. The first thing he noticed… There were bones everywhere, the ground was littered with them, some of them protruded from the walls, and they were all in varying states of decomposition. They created a crunching sound when he made a step, though the ground was more stable than he expected.
He then noticed something he hadn’t until now, mainly because his armor was partially sealed when he put on his helmet: the stench of rot was permeating everything. It was everywhere and almost overbearing for him, but he bore through it.
He glanced at Sophie and was relieved when she was already pulling out a mask to put over her face.
Valen, however, felt like something was missing, like he was missing an important element that he just couldn’t recall… Before it hit him. This whole area was a graveyard.
“This is a graveyard.” He whispered. “Do you think… This is where Elders are heading towards?”
Sophie immediately went to attention, studying the environment before answering excitedly. “Maybe… Though I don’t see any signs that Elders came through here. We will have to make a more extensive search and study of the area before we can conclude.”
“You haven’t looked hard enough for Elder signs.”
Valen and Sophie whirled around, facing the voice that sneaked on the both of them. The Hunter was taken aback, however, when he realized that it was a woman with white hair, a bulky backpack, and a large mask that covered her entire face.
“My excuses, I did not intend to surprise you, I’m the Tracker, from the First Fleet… Would I be correct that you are from the Fifth?” She removed her mask, revealing an aged yet kind face to Valen and Sophie.
“We are. You studied this environment a lot?”
“I did. I call it the Rotten Vale.” She smiled. “It has amazing properties, but we should discuss that later. Do you need a safe place to rest?” The both of them nodded. “Follow me, I know a place.”
Valen raised a hand. “Wait, this isn’t all of us, we got separated from our companions, do you know a way up top first?” She nodded. “Let me signal them to wait then.” He then retrieved a yellow flare, lit it up, and fired it up. Soon after, a matching flare came from the top. Yellow was used for hunting parties that got separated, and it allowed them to reunite.
“Good, we aren’t that far from them.” The Tracker then walked up to Sophie and allowed her to put an arm behind her shoulders. “You keep your arm free Hunter, so that you can take care of monsters jumping us. We shouldn’t meet any in our way, but better be cautious.”
“Good idea, and call me Valen.”
“Call me Kora then.”
“And I’m Sophie!”
Then WWW showed the way, allowing the wayward couple to ascend back to the top. They learned that she had given the region at the top the name of ‘Coral Highlands’, which was a name that described well the two main characteristics of the unusual region.
They managed to meet back up with Ikari and Rapha?lle, who were both relieved that they were now safe. Rapha?lle also took over helping Sophie to walk, despite the handler’s protests. After some reassurances from both sides that everything was okay, the Tracker then led them through the Highlands, going in a path that she assured was safe.
They took several hours of travel, and the sun was finishing its descent into the horizon when Kora cryptically said. “We are approaching. I’m certain you will be happy with what you will find here.”
Valen raised an eyebrow behind his helmet but continued to follow her.
So they crossed a last turn… And then all of them gasped.
What was undoubtedly an airship was docked on the ground before them, the balloons void of air laying flat next to it were nested into a small hole that protected it from every direction besides the air. It looked relatively intact at first before Valen realized that part of it showed signs of intensive repairs.
The significance of this was not lost on Valen: they had found the lost Third Fleet, which disappeared more than a decade ago when their Airship did not return from their expedition.
Rapha?lle, Sophie, and Ikari realized that as well, and Sophie immediately showed her enthusiasm: “The Third Fleet is alive!? This is amazing news! Rapha?lle, you know what this does mean right?” She nodded at that. Sophie would have jumped in joy if her ankle was not troubling her.
“You will be able to find a safe place here and a base of operations. The Third Fleet will also be able to assist you in your mission.”
Valen nodded. “Indeed, they will be a great help.”
“Let me introduce you to the Third Fleet Master. Follow me.”
Several members of the Third Fleet soon noticed them and pointed at them. One immediately ran inside the ship, possibly to warn the members inside, and soon enough, a lot of people came out of it, and cheered for them.
Several researchers and members of the Third greeted them and welcomed them to their airship, and though Valen was appreciative of the enthusiasm, this worried him a bit. They did not look desperate, but it was clear they had gotten a rough time from being cut off from Astera.
Finally, the crowd cleared in front of a figure that emerged from the Airship, Valen immediately recognized her as a Wyverian, which only meant one thing: This was the Third Fleet Master, that was leading them.
They stopped at a reasonable distance from her. She examined their group while Valen did so in return. She wore traditional clothing that was a bit worn, showing signs of heavy use, her long black hair was well cared for, and she was smoking from some sort of strange metallic pipe she held in her hand.
“Tracker, I assume you are bringing us some members of the Fifth Fleet if my timeline is right?”
“Indeed Masani, they had an accident, one of them is injured, and I’m certain they will appreciate a safe place to rest, as well as a base of operation for their mission.”
“Mission which I assume is to survey the Highlands and the Vale?”
“It is indeed.”
She studied them intensely, then raised an eyebrow when she saw Valen's armor. “Hmmm, did the Commission relax the restrictions on bringing gear here or are you a special case?”
Valen answered. “Special case, I am to assist Jake as another able to take care of emergencies while the Fifth completes their mission and strengthens up.”
“Jake would start to be old… I can understand that decision from the Guild, especially if you were available. What about you?”
“I’m a regular A-lister, I just am the best performing of all of us.” Valen almost wanted to chuckle, it was an understatement in his opinion.
“Then I welcome you at our airship. Take the evening off to rest, there are some duties that I would like to ask you, but that will be reserved for tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much for your hospitality!” Sophie said with her chipper tone.
Valen nodded, and the group was led towards one of the free bedrooms in the airship, they spent the evening resting and sharing the parts of the map they had drawn. Valen was, however confident that they had received a huge boon for their mission.
