Monster Hunter Conquest Collection #1 (4 page)

With
power and speed that she only could begin to grasp, the Hunter stared
in awe as her prey lifted into the gray sky. In minutes, it had
vanished, leaving only a breaking of leaves and branches to indicate
it had ever been there.

Shifting
on the mossy earth, Siena realized that wasn't entirely true. Dipping
her hands between her thighs, she felt at the liquid essence there,
and stared at it coating her fingers. Shaking her head slowly, she
moved to shaky feet, and began the process of gathering up her
shredded belongings.

Rubbing
her cheek with a sigh, she wondered what the Monster Hunter Guild
would have to say to her about her failed quest this time.

Pondering
on that concept, she touched the marks on her shoulder, mere scrapes
compared to what the beast could have done. In the end, if his
cryptic words had been right, could she really call this a failed
mission?

If
she hadn't gone hunting to kill, but for pleasure, perhaps she could
say this had been a success after all.

Smiling
at the very idea, Siena retied her hair, slipped on what remained of
her torn clothes, and began the long journey back to the town.

As
she went, every time she heard a rumble in the sky, more likely
storm clouds than her dragon lover, she found herself fluttering with
a tingle almost helplessly.

THE
END

Book
2

Siena
had traveled to many places, she considered herself versed in the
wilds and the sun parched plains, as well as the rough seas and
heated deserts. As a Monster Hunter, it was only natural for her to
be expected to explore many unique places, to find her exotic prey.
Thus, for her, to be in a stranger place than she ever expected, a
location so different than her expectations, the blonde found herself
squinting around in disbelief.

'Seriously,'
she thought with a frown, 'am I really in the sewers?'

Covering
her nose, the lantern in her palm swung in a slow curve, trying to
banish the black stretch ahead of her. The inky shadows seemed to
absorb the brightness, leaving only a dim orange afterglow and a
vague hint of what was laying ahead of each tentative step.

Her
heel squished on something, and she refused to look down.

Thinking
about her plight, the young Hunter shook her head with vigor and
edged along the slick stone walkway, following the sound of the
rolling water to her left. After another failed mission, the Guild
had decided to recommend she try her hand at chasing rats. Furious at
the mockery, Siena had thought herself clever when she decided to
twist their words, and go tracking something far more crafty.

The
giant rats of the city of Westerlin were far more fitting for her
goals.

She
knew little about them, other than what she could find in the basic
beast books. Said to be as tall as a man, the animals were literally
supposed to appear to be giant rats, intelligent and sneaky, and
often up to mischief. Their real harm was thievery, and with a rash
of the very such crimes as of late in the city above, Siena planned
to make a name for herself.

'The
hero who saved Westerlin,' she mused, a smile crawling over her peach
lips. 'I like the sound of that.'

Still,
she noted she'd been walking for some time through the criss-crossing
tunnels of the sewers, and it was beginning to concern her that she
might, possibly, have become lost. Not wanting to indulge such ideas,
the girl kept moving, ears straining for sounds in the darkness, and
her emerald eyes hurting from squinting so much. The lantern was less
helpful than she imagined, and she felt a twinge of sourness at the
vendor who tried to up-sell her on a brighter one.

The
grip on her sword hilt was beginning to hurt her tendons, but the
rising nerves of crawling through such a strange place, wet with
echoes, was getting to her. Each time she thought she saw anything
move, or heard a noise, it made her tense so hard she wondered if her
jaw might crack.

'How
long have I been down here?' The blonde tilted her head, releasing
her weapon just long enough to rub at the sore muscle of her arm
holding the lantern. She was strong, but even so, her shoulder was
beginning to cramp. It occurred to her that perhaps she should have
left markers, or drawn a map even as she went. Swallowing, she buried
her anxiety under a burst of blind anger, her steps coming faster.

If
her plan had been to find something in the shadows by sheer
bullheadedness alone, she was in luck.

One
flat boot stepped into the loop of rope, and in a second she found
herself viewing the world from upside down.

Her
scream of surprise bounced around the chamber, lingering after she
herself had finally closed her mouth. The clang of her lantern
smashing, and the light fading away in a burst of orange, was far
more terrifying than the knowledge she had fallen into a trap.

Siena
gasped, trying to calm herself as she swayed, the blackness covering
the world and making her even more disoriented. Palms slick with
sweat reached up, trying to find the rope around her ankle. It was
difficult, for she kept spinning with each twist or motion she made,
and soon she simply hugged herself and inhaled deeply. 'Calm,' she
thought fiercely, 'just relax. Think, think and you can get out of
this. It's just a rope trap, nothing to fear.'

The
true danger made itself known moments later.

The
voice was soft, a hiss so sweet and so cruel, mere inches from her
ear. It tickled, and she knew what she felt were whiskers as her
brain tried to rapid fire the information over her shock.

“
What
have we caught in our trap, I wonder?”

The
rats had found her.

On
reaction, she swiped out with one fist, trying to catch the creature
where she thought its head must be. The dark, however, was the home
of the giant rats. With keen hearing, fine noses and the ability to
see when there was no light, the advantage would have been theirs'
even if the girl wasn't dangling in a trap.

“
Get
away from me!” She cried, fumbling for her sword hilt, trying
to disengage it from her awkward position. Yanking it free, she swung
in wide, which hit nothing and only sent her whipping in a circle.
The ride was not fun, and when she finally began to slow, she feared
she might vomit.

“
Easy
easy,” a different voice chortled, which made her turn her head
in an attempt to follow it. Her palms were sweating, the blade
difficult to wield effectively while inverted. None the less, she
wasn't about to give up so quickly.

Her
long golden hair had come loose in her panic, dangling free in the
air. It was an easy target, and the sudden sharp yank of it by
unfamiliar hands made her yelp. It was enough of a distraction that
she couldn't prepare for another set of fingers, prying her sword
away in one quick wrench of her wrists.

The
double attack made her flinch, and she tried to pull her arms free,
as well as her blonde strands, but these beasts had her pinned. With
no leverage from dangling in space, and what seemed to be at least
two of them holding her at once, she was at a loss.

“
Let
go of me, you filthy monsters!” She spat, wincing at the cruel
way the digits coiled in her tresses.

“
Ah,”
the first speaker laughed, “so rude, little human. You can't
even see us, yet you call us filthy?”

“
Indeed,
Skarlo,” the second tone skitted, like pebbles skipping on
cement. “She must be able to smell you.”

Siena
sensed a brief scuffle, and she rocked a bit from the motion.

“
Shush
Skeelo, her nose is too weak to smell us at all.”

“
Lucky
her,” the one apparently named Skeelo cackled, and their
playful banter made her more concerned. They weren't afraid of her at
all, if they could be so casual.

“
You're
cowards, rats, for using dirty tricks like this. Never mind hiding
yourself, on top of that! Show yourselves!”

The
pair seemed to pause, and she could only sense them by the tepid
warmth of their nearness, thought Skarlo had been right, she could
indeed smell nothing. It was strange, as in her head, she'd built
them up to stink of the sewer.

“
Well,
brother, shall we allow her to see us, as she seems so keen?”

The
tone was amused, almost patronizing. “Why yes, Skeelo, we don't
want to be known for our bad manners!”

Scowling,
the Hunter felt herself flush at their teasing. The switch of grip,
though, took her mind off such minor things in her predicament. Two
sets of hands left her hair, and she turned her neck to ease the
tension from it being forced into such a harsh angle for so long.
Roughness encircled her wrists, and she understood they were binding
her so she couldn't escape. Her lower legs soon followed the same
treatment

In
a sudden snap of cord, the trap around her ankle was cut, and her
stomach flipped as she thought she might fall.

One
of the creatures caught her, and without much care, tossed her over
its shoulder like a sack of flour. Her face was buried in its back,
her knees hooked firmly under its arm. The fur on her cheek was
strangely soft, though she felt cloth as well, and had the clarity to
know the rat was wearing some sort of clothing.

“
What
are you doing!?” She was fuming with insult, and a twinge of
fear.

The
voice that spoke, the one holding her, she had learned to recognize
as Skarlo from the slight deeper whisper in his words. “As you
asked, taking you where you can see us. I'm not about to be labeled a
coward.”

With
a gentle bounce, the rat began to move, his speed quick yet smooth.
To his credit, Skarlo didn't bang her around, and despite her growing
anxiety, she kept all her teeth from this kindness.

The
dimness in the cavern behind them, the only view she had, seemed to
grow brighter as they traveled. Siena understood, then, that the
place they were going must have light. Wishing she could see what
they were approaching, she instead tugged at her bound wrists, even
going so far as to chew at the hard cord. It was, of course, futile.

A
sudden jolt made her yelp, a rush of air around her head and a sense
of lightness making her realize the rat had jumped. The landing was
soft, and it brought with it a bath of orange lights and flickering
shadows, but for once, she could see around her.

Peering
up, she saw they had apparently entered through a circular opening,
in what seemed to be a tunnel of pale granite. The sources of light,
low flickering torches, were studded into the walls here and there.
Before she could get a better look, Skarlo gripped her around the
waist, hoisting her into his arms in a cradling fashion.