A Night to Remember. Part 2/2

Velk's grandfather took off sprinting towards the town center. He ran at an inhuman speed that should not be possible even for a hunter, clocking at around seventy kilometers an hour. Under normal circumstances, Velk would have been terrified due to the speed, but since it was his grandfather who was carrying him, he felt no fear.

"Grandpa, don't you think it's hot outside?" Velk had enough life experience to know that it was always cold at night, and it should be freezing due to the rain and the breeze. It felt as if it was early spring, not too hot, while also not too cool.

"Yes, it is warmer than it's supposed to be. Please can you tell me if you see anything in the sky behind me?" Velk did as his grandfather asked and looked up slightly into the sky. He saw nothing but rainclouds and the mountains in the far distance. Looking harder, he could see smoke coming out of the nearby volcano, but that was all.

"No, there is nothing?" Velk was confused about why his grandfather had asked such a question, but just taking it as him being overcautious, he thought nothing of it. Velk wasn't aware of how the system with the bells worked and did not understand that they were in grave danger.

There had been numerous attacks on the village by monsters, but it was nothing that other hunters and guild personal could not handle. Velk knows that his grandfather also protects the settlement from deadly threats, but there has not been a need so far.

As they continued to make their way towards the village center, Velk watched his grandfather and the felyne drink many different liquids. They were all different colors ranging from white to brown. Velk found the situation fascinating, especially when he saw his grandfather drink a cyan one, and immediately became even faster.

It only took a couple of minutes for them to reach the center of the village. There were around six hundred men, women, and children, all helping out however they could. It was all very hectic and overwhelming for Velk. Multiple carts were being filled to the brim with food supplies, blankets, pillows, and just about anything one would need. A couple of wyverians and felynes could be seen helping out around as well. Even the two guild receptionists were no exceptions.

Wyverians are a species that resemble humans, yet there are distinct discrepancies such as their pointed ears, 4 fingers instead of 5, and their increased lifespans. Some even have digitigrade legs. They also range from very tiny to monstrously tall.

The felynes, on the other hand, are a race of short cat people with hair covering the entirety of their bodies. They can do just about anything a human or wyverians can do, so they have been accepted into society. Some are also willingly bought as 'pets' and often were employed as cleaners, shopkeepers, and cooks.

Velk's grandfather briefly looked over the crowd before dashing towards a familiar blond-haired man that had previously shown up on their doorstep. The youth was startled for a brief second before returning to his stoic disposition.

"I see that you have done your duty, and for that, you have my thanks." The old man slightly bowed towards the young man, who started blushing profusely, and he started trying to get Velk's grandfather to stop showing gratitude.

Velk could not understand why the young man would not accept his grandfather's gratefulness and was getting slightly frustrated at how flustered the blonde man was getting. With a pout on his face, he hugged his grandfather's neck tighter.

"But I will need to ask you for another favor, boy."

"Yes! What is it? I will do anything!" The youth was getting excited over a request from his grandfather. Velk could not understand the nature of these people. He has seen many people of all ages and genders fawn over his grandpa, but he does not know why. All he knew was that he used to be a hunter and a good one at that, but nothing more.

"I need you to watch over Velk here on the journey to Rak-Al-Faar. Please keep him safe and out of harm." The young man went from excited to a conflicted expression as he listened to Velk's grandfather.

After a brief pause, the man decided to speak up, "Um... Sir, I was actually planning to stay and fight the monster with you. Maybe...?"

Since the youth was making excuses, Velk's grandfather quickly cut him off, saying, "You are one of the few I can entrust to this mission. I would greatly appreciate it if you could do this for me."

The man seemed to quickly make up his mind as he saluted Velk's grandfather once again, Shouting, "It will be done! What must I do?"

Although it was subtle, the old man smiled slightly, seeing the youth's enthusiasm and desire to serve. It reminded him of a time when he was younger. The drive to push forward and succeed, to serve the community, and grow stronger. All the memories came crashing in with a tidal wave of emotion.

"What's your name, kid?" Velk's grandfather asked. The youth once again got excited but regained his calm appearance shortly after.

"My name is Ethran... Ethran Broonbon!" Ethan shouted at the top of his lungs, drawing attention to himself. He quickly tried to hide his embarrassment within his hood even more than it already was

Velk's grandfather could only give a wry smile at the excitable man's actions. "Well, Ethran Broonbon, I need you to take Velk along with the rest of the refugees over to Rak-Al-Faar and find a woman named Rose Ametillia. She will look after Velk until I can meet back up. Just tell her that..."

*ROAR!!!*

A loud resounding roar could be heard, stunning the entire crowd. Not one single person believed that they would have retained their hearing if they took the full brunt of the cry.

Velk's grandfather quickly pushed Velk into Ethran's arms along with the backpack while turning back around to face the direction of the wyvern. "Just tell her that I sent ya." He said as he dashed towards a large group of hunters, about thirty strong.

Velk did not like how he was being held by a complete stranger, but he knew that his grandpa needed him to be far away, so he put up with it. As Velk tried to find a way to make himself more comfortable, Ethran stared at the hunters, civilians, and the distant mountain. He caught a glimpse of a large orange sphere in the sky, close to the volcano.

Cries and screams echoed out as others noticed it as well. The temperature in the surrounding area had risen tremendously by this point. It appeared to be a large wyvern of some kind surrounded by a ball of pure flame.

"We have to go. NOW!" A short wyverian elder shouted towards the group who were looking to retreat. Everyone started panicking and looking for family members before running, while a few individuals began to push the carts.

"HUNTERS ON ME!!!" A voice yelled out just as loudly as the Wyverns' own. It was Velk's grandfather. "DRINK YOUR COOL DRINKS AND USE FIREPROOF MANTLES." His voice was booming. Everyone within the village could catch it even over the thunder and rain. It wasn't overbearing, like the wyvern's, but it did get the point across.

One by one, every hunter either started drinking the white liquids, putting on red hoods, or grabbing their weapons. The convoy began to move out of the village, down a dirt road. They moved quickly to escape the oncoming terror. Some lone men and women started to run ahead, while children were crying and screaming. Although most of them did not know what was going on, kids are very good at picking up the mood and are very susceptible to emotions. Sill, Velk stared adamantly at his grandfather while he directed the group of hunters.

As the wyvern got closer and the temperature increased, the group started to move faster and faster. The old wyverian's voice could be heard yelling "Go, Go, Go!" while pushing a heavy-looking cart filled with pots and pans. It was almost to the point of all-out sprinting because the wyvern was flying at unrivaled speed towards the village. It should only be a couple of minutes before it reached them, and no one wanted to stick around to feel the heat up close.

The hunters realized this as well, as they ran in the direction of the wyvern so that they may stop it in their tracks. Many of them were already sweating by this point, and they still could not get a clear description of the wyvern. All they knew was that it was flying extraordinarily fast. Maybe too fast...

Suddenly, the ball of fire sped up, nearly triple the speed that it was progressing before. It caught the hunters off guard and stalled their charge. In a matter of seconds, the flaming wyvern was already upon them. Once it reached the center of the settlement, it abruptly stopped midflight.

Floating above the village was what appeared to be a giant black rock. It was surrounded by flames and released a menacing heat. Hunters who had drunk a [Cool Drink] felt like they had stepped a little too close to a bonfire. The hunters who had neglected to digest the appropriate liquid were silently writhing in agony. A couple of them even fainted because of the heat. It felt as if they were being pricked by thousands of tiny needles. The rain had stopped pouring around the village as it evaporated into water vapor. The grass was also slowly withering up and turning brown.

Suddenly, the flames retreated into the floating rock, and it fell from the sky. The rock landed with a crash and created a massive crater. All of the hunters quickly surrounded the fallen 'wyvern' with haste after regaining their footing. They each started making preparations to attack at any given moment. No more heat was emitting from the 'rock,' but that does not mean it was any less dangerous.

The rock was humongous. It was around the size of two houses side by side. Orange glowing veins of molten lava could be seen running along the 'wyvern.' No visible signs of it being a wyvern were noticeable, but everyone could tell that it held a considerable amount of vitality.

(...)

A couple of minutes had passed by at this point, and no one had moved a muscle. Even the retreating party foolishly stopped to watch what was happening.

Velk's grandfather was the first move. He had grabbed the dangerous-looking long sword off of his back and pointed it at the wyvern with one hand. The sword started to slightly glow as streaks of cyan lines connecting to each of the gems lighted up.

"I know what you are looking for, but you won't find them here... They're gone... I no longer have them..." Though his voice was soft, it still had the same booming effect when he was giving orders. Everyone was able to hear his words, even those retreating. Yet, no one moved, even the wyvern, and everything was eerily quiet. Not even the slightest buzzing was coming from the insects, and not a single bird made their song known.

"Leave." Once again, nothing happened.

(...)

A minute passed, and the hunters started to relax their muscles believing the wyvern to be passive. It wasn't until the most inexperienced hunter exhaled a sigh of relief that the rock began to tremble. The ground shook, and many hunters lost balance, falling onto the dirt. The temperature began to rise swiftly once again and, lava was oozing out of the rock.

It started to slowly unravel, revealing a menacing black stone wyvern with fiery glowing eyes. On its head were three curved horns that looked sharp enough to impale the strongest of metal, and its maw was glowing with the same vibrancy as its eyes. The entirety of its body was filled with the same veins of molten slag that could be seen when it was still a giant rock, and its rocky wings appeared to be attached to the length of its body.

Standing tall, it was larger than most average homes. Its claws destroyed the very ground for which it walked as they slowly melted the dirt and rocks touching them. It had a large tail with a three-pronged spike at the tip, and the beast was releasing a frightening heat that threatened to burn anything that got in its way.

Every single hunter, no matter what preparations they took beforehand, could feel the tingling of their flesh, the uncomfortable feeling that it could melt off at a moment's notice. Painful groans and cries could be heard from the hunters that did not drink any [Cool Drink], and many had trouble breathing. Each person knew that they were undoubtedly facing an elder dragon, a wyvern designated as such for the immense power and destruction they could bring.

Still, Velk's grandpa could be seen standing with his sword pointed towards the dragon. Not seeming to mind the heat at all, as a light layer of frost coated his [Fireproof Mantle].

The infernal dragon and the old man stared at each other as they each moved into their initial fighting stances. Velk's grandfather took his sword and sheathed it on his left hip while keeping his steady right hand on the hilt. His legs were long apart, and he was slightly crouched, ready to strike whenever needed. A blue aura was radiating from the man's body. He was in the Special Sheath Stance named by the Hunters guild, and if the strike was timed correctly, he could bisect many monsters in a single encounter.

Mr. Hot Stuff was also slowly unfurling its wings. They were entirely made of the same composition as the rest of its body. How it could even fly was unknown, but it could, and that was all that mattered. It started to flap its rocky wings and took to the sky behind it at an inclined angle. Seemingly ready to take the battle airborne, a hunter's worse nightmare.

Most hunters quickly got into battle-ready formations and stances. They all knew they were in for a heated battle, and it was better to start preparing now before they were suddenly thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire. Unfortunately, they were not afforded too much of an opportunity to do so.

"ROOOAAARRRR," the dragon released a vicious warcry as it divebombed towards Velk's grandfather. Almost every hunter covered their ears and started to tremble. Those that were wearing armor that provided ear protection did not need to block their ears. Although Velk's grandfather was not wearing such equipment, he seemed unfazed.

Mere moments before impact, the blue aura around Velk's grandfather seemed to tear the surrounding space as he executed a long horizontal slash while sliding forward and ended up behind the elder dragon. He did not seem hurt at all, even though he should have been sent flying by the dragon after it crashed into him.

A red beam of light cut through the air as it sliced at the dragon's feet causing lava, and rock dust to explode out of it. A long line of upheaved ground could be seen following behind the dragon's crash, and six hunters had jumped out of the way to avoid impact.

Furious, the dragon's body began to glow orange, and the lines running along it began to shine. These were signs that the dragon was enraged and going to use a blast attack of some sort.

"RUN!!" Velk's grandfather shouted out. The newer hunters were slow on the uptake, but the veteran hunters began to run away as fast as possible. Lamentably, it was too late.

The key has already been inserted, and the gate is unlocked. All hell broke loose as the orange fire raged. The surrounding buildings burned to ashes, and the plants bellowed. Bloodcurdling screams of anguish sounded out as the charred bodies of dead hunters dropped to the ground.

Those still alive were not crying because of the heat, but something far more profound; it felt as if their sense of self was being extinguished as if their very souls were being snuffed out. But one man, one singular man, still stood.

The old man began Hacking and slashing, Jumping up and slicing down, spinning around like a skilled acrobat. Velk's grandfather, undisturbed by the raging fire, kept fighting. He handled the opposing rocky dragon as if it were a long-time rival.

Velk, along with the rest of the retreating, watched as hunters fell and homes were destroyed. Men, women, and children cried as they watched their loved ones, their friends, their possessions all whittled away under the heat, a heat so powerful even they could feel it as if they were only centimeters away from a campfire.

Still, Velk watched his grandfather fight the dragon. It was not until the second blast of fire, one that covered his view of the fight, did he hear the still booming voice of the old man cry out in pain.

Velk flinched at the familiar voice of the man. His nose grew sour as he listened to his grandfather scream. He began to desperately fidget within Ethran's arms as he shouted, "GRANDPA, GRANDPA!!!" The waterworks began to flow as he kicked and struggled to get out of the arms keeping him captive.

Every other child in the vicinity, seemingly affected by Velk's outcry, started to cry louder, and the babies that were once asleep stirred awake and began to cry. Ethran did not know what to do as Velk had started to kick harder and even started to punch and bite him. He could not let the child go as it would be suicide to run back towards the village.

As he suffered the injustices brought upon him by Velk, he could only beg that Velk would someday forgive him for the actions he must take. Even if that never came to be, Ethran would willingly inherit the scorn of a young child rather than dishonor Velk's grandfather.

"I'm sorry." Velk heard Ethran whisper into his ear before he felt a sharp pain in his head, but only for a brief moment as the whole world turned black.

Now with an unconscious child in his arms, Ethran could move quickly and steadily with the group as they made their way down the path toward Rak-Al-Faar.

Behind them, they could hear angry roars coming from the dragon, and the flames ever-increased as time went on. That night, a mysterious elder dragon had scorched the surrounding valley, the group did not know why the dragon did not target them, but they were grateful.

Once the refugees reached Rak-Al-Faar, they were interrogated and offered temporary shelter. The local officials had a hell of a time trying to figure out what happened as none of the refugees seemed to give an accurate description of the wyvern, but there were a couple constants. The heat, which could still be felt radiating off the land when they finally got around to searching the region, and the horrifying flame that the dragon used.

Thus the Hunter's Guild bestowed it the name.

Sanatan Lasair.