Lair of the abyss

(POV Noir)

I stalked the caves heading to where the strange presence was.

(This is intriguing these auras they're stationary but rampant at the same time… they are strong as well I must be careful.) I thought as I slowed my approach making little to no sound.

As I crawled toward the presence I spotted a bright green light oozing out of an opening not too far from me.

(Well this is it… Better prepare for the coming battle…) I thought as auras of varying types and colors surrounded me.

<Noir used 'Agility-3'>

<Noir used 'Quiver dance- 4,'>

<Noir used 'Nasty plot-3.7'>

With my empowered state, I shrunk my body down to the size of a pear to not draw attention.

I slowly made my way to the opening with caution as I felt even more faint auras.

I peered inside and instantly my body quivered with fear at the scene before me.

(What… What is this… Thing…) I thought as I stood rooted in place

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(POV Cyrus)

I followed Dwayne around the cave following him with hast and worry.

(What is Noir in danger from?! We are near the rotten veil so Vaal-hazak… Girros… Legiana… hell maybe even Kirin are all possibilities!) I thought as I rushed after the speeding rock.

Suddenly Dwayne stopped and looked around with an unsure expression plastered onto his rocky face.

"Is this the last place where you were with him?" I caught up to him and asked as I looked around clueless as to where Noir was.

He nodded with worry in his eyes.

"Lyra where is Noir…" I ask her with worry.

<This should lead you to him!> Lyra said with worry as an incomplete map like panel of the cave opened in front of me.

<That green dot in the mapped area is you and the blue one in the blank area is Noir.>

"Dwayne follow me!" I shouted as I ran toward the black slime with a hast and a living rock following me.

Then after a minute of running, I find Noir far away from me in a shrunken state trembling before a grotto that glowed a green light.

"Noir there you are! Where's the danger!" I shout at the scared Noir.

The black slime turned to me before slowly pointing inside the crevice with his shaking claws.

Me and Dwayne halted our movement for a moment before we rushed forward expecting the enemy to attack our dear mimikyu at any given moment.

"Dwayne use wide guard and cover Noir I'll attack the…enemy…" I looked inside the cavern and immediately dropped my axes to the ground.

"Wha…What…in…the…actual…fuck…happened…here…" I said as I looked at the behemoth of a beast in front of me.

Before me in this absolute carnage of a battlefield, a dragon with milky black hide lay dead coiled with the corpses of hunter's men and woman alike littering its domain.

{Image}

"Lyra this thing if I recall correctly this thing is a Namielle right…" I say as I pick up a broken longsword.

<Yeah the abyssal elder dragon Namielle. You can move closer it has been long dead.>

I moved in deeper with curiosity and caution leaving the duo behind rooted in place "Lyra when did you say humans went extinct in this world?".

<About two hundred years ago why?>

"How the hell has this thing not decayed even the bodies of the hunters are well preserved." I say as I examine the body of a hunter missing an arm in Pukei-Pukei armor.

{Image}

< It's probably due to the slimy substance the creature secretes. It's basically an anti-decay agent but don't let fire near its very combustible. The dragon must have covered the entire place with it before it and the hunters died.>

"Guess that explains this…" I say as wipe my hand on the floor in turn covering it in a transparent white sludge.

I flick my hand removing the sludge as I made my way to the 65 feet long elder dragon.

"Now what's so important that you guarded it even after death…" I say as I start climbing the back of the coiled beast and peering inside.

"…I guess this is why they say a mother's love is eternal…not that I ever had one…" I say as I look down at a large green pond filled with life and three jet black eggs laid at the center.

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One hour later…

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<Establishing a connection to another world, wait time one minute…>

I sat in front of the lake massaging my face as the counter went down.

^Du…^

^Yu…Ku..^

The two nudged me with a scared expression on their face.

I looked at the two and gave a slight smile as I embraced the two with a hug comforting them from the horrors they saw.

<3…2….1 The call is ready Cyrus.> I hear Lyra say as a panel opens up with the feed of a familiar office and person.

"Hey, Cyrus!" I hear Darrius's cheerful voice come through as he positions the camera towards himself.

<Howdy Lyra Cyrus how's life treating you two?> I heard Nexus's western tone.

"Life has been… hectic to say the least and it's going to get even more after this call…" I say in a tired tone.

"Eh? What happened to you? You look like you faced an elder dragon man!" he sarcastically remarked.

"Well, I kinda sort of did face one…" I say as I have flashbacks of all that happened in the past hour.

"Hahaha, you finally grew a funny bone!" He then noticed my expression.

"… You kidding right?" I hear him say with uncertainty and nervousness.

<Right?...> Nexus chimed in.

"I'm dead serious and I-." I was cut off.

<"BOI WHAT THE FUCK!"> The cheerful duo instantly became shocked.

"The hell were you thinking facing an elder dragon with two baby beasts!"

<Are you hurt! Are your tames okay?>

"You could have called me and I could have helped you 2v1 it!"

(How the hell do they know about those two-… right Lyra sent them that video) The two continued to berate me for a full minute before I could speak up.

"Both of you shut the hell up you scared away the little ones." I calmly tell them as I look at the closed tent that contained the shy duo.

"Oh uh sorry!" Darius apologized.

<You still haven't answered me, are you guys ok? Do you need any medical assistants?> Nexus worriedly asked.

"We're fine but I want to make a deal with you Darrius it will benefit us both you more than me actually." I said seriously.

"Oh, another deal! Is it another monster for me?" I hear him say in a giddy tone.

"I think it best if I let you in on my situation first…" I then began narrating everything up until I woke up from the coma leaving out where I am for a reason.

"A Deviljho huh…" He said as I crossed his arms and sat down on a chair.

"Is it revenge you want in exchange for the monster corpses?" I hear him say.

"No it'd be a waste of time, I want to hire you." I said in a serious tone.

"Hire me? You mean like a commission?" He said confused tone.

"Similar but more long term, you'll help me in exploring this world. You get to choose your work hours and when we kill a monster or find a corpse you will get 75% of the body after I loot 25% of it. Every time we get a profit selling materials and monsters alive or dead 35% of the Sp will go to you. If you have anything to change about the deal you may change it now." I laid out the deal.

"…Are you serious how the hell does that benefit me more than you!" I hear him shout.

<Yeah you are trying to scam us or something we aren't dumb!> Nexus agreed with him.

"I understand your anger but I still got two more things to say if you don't like the deal." I got ready to seal the deal.

"That being?" He questioned.

"You've played monster hunter with me numerous times so I shouldn't have to explain what I'm about to say" I paused and took a deep breath.

"I will allow you to use your necromancy on an elder dragon corpse I have and I have found an entry point to the rotten veil and if my memory serves me correctly isn't their two corpses of Dalamadur in the rotten veil." I laid out my cards with a victorious grin.

<Checkmate bitch!> Lyra playfully shouted.

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To be continued next time…