Monster Girl Menagerie - Celestial Archive-Chapter 39 - 38 - Looming Calamity

Hunting as a profession is heavily sought after, especially in a world where strength brings wealth and prestige. Many would be more than willing to trade an arm and a leg for a shot at rare Origin. But how many would awaken as hunters?

I used to lie awake at night after an intense day of work in the mines. I would dream of the life that being a hunter promised, sometimes anxious and other times afraid. Despite that I wasn't delusional enough to disregard the cold hard reality I had faced up until that point.

Hunters hunted monsters, true, but the reverse was also an irrefutable fact.

What you sow, so shall you reap. Death.

I don't think I have truly understood that fact up until this very moment. Nothing could've prepared me to the cataclysm that was about to befall on us.

The world was silent. Mute. I could hear the beat of my heart, every intake of breath, and feel the cold caress of the wind. And then chaos.

A tremor passed through the ground, shaking the very foundation that guild had stood on. In the distance, I could see a dome of fire erupt into the sky, heralding the catastrophe of epic proportions.

"What the heck is that?" Tania mumbled, her eyes wide in terror.

"They have started..." Zyra muttered absentmindedly.

Although I remained oblivious to the underlying implications of her words, the facts of the reality asserted before my very eyes. I recalled the order she had given to that short-statured girl—most likely her assistant—and wondered if this was what it was building up to.

"Would you not reconsider?" The guild-woman returned her attention back to Amara, her voice insistent.

"I'm afraid not." Amara replied curtly, not bothering to elaborate.

"But our guild—no, this city needs you more." The silver-haired vampire chose not to reply to her obstinate comment. I decided to cut in before the talk could escalate and we ended up caught in the midst either way.

"I think we're done here; let's leave." Tania tore her gaze away from the fiery spectacle and nodded. Amara was quick to round and start walking.

Zyra offered me a stink eye, but I maintained an impassive expression. "I don't think you truly understand the duty being a hunter entails."

She was threatening me, but more importantly, she was threatening Amara. The last thing I wanted was another crushed foot, and this time there wouldn't be any healer to provide help.

"I think we're more than capable of making decisions," I said, "and dealing with the consequences."

Zyra made to speak up, but I cut her off. "Now would be the time for you to stop talking and start running away. I don't think you'll be getting more of a head start than this."

Seeing the almost palpable rage on her face made me wonder if I had just kicked a hornet's nest. But again, not giving two fucks about anything.

Another tremor shook the earth, as if affirming my words. I chanced one last look at Zyra before hurrying to follow behind my companions.

"Amara, can we put that no-talk punishment on hold until after we have sorted this mess?" Because a mess it was. The situation had escalated so quickly that I found it hard to keep track. It was only moments ago that we had entered the guild after all, and now the city was crumbling before my eyes as the gates of hell opened to swallow it whole.

The silver-haired beauty bit on her lower lip, though after seeing the hopeful look Tania was directing her way, she finally relented. "Fine! Let's finish dealing with this first. But let me make it clear—we're not done yet."

I nodded in understanding and even offered a courteous bow to assert my awareness.

Just as we exited the guild, a cacophonous eruption of blasts drew my attention to the wall in the distance. A vaulted dome covered the city, like a membranous film protecting it from the barrage of the fireballs, each the size of a tree. I could hardly imagine what the hunters caught in the middle must be feeling.

"There are A-Rank monsters, probably even S-Rank." Amara said with a solemn tone. Despite being an SSS-Rank vampire, she had made it clear that attribute disparity in the later stages was enormous.

"What are we going to do?" Tania inquired, a concerned look evident on her face.

"We," I verbalized, "need to get the fuck out of this city ASAP."

"I agree." Amara voiced, meeting my gaze with an air of severity. "And those free points you have..."

She left the words trailing, but I understood her meaning. I had exactly 105 free stat points remaining, so I decided to dump them all in my Spirit.

The change was instant; her total attributes increased by 300, while even Tania's had experienced an increase of 100. In return I was now getting 80 plus addition to my agility and 21 to my strength. I was experiencing a near 100% return rate, and Tania's Favorability had yet to hit 50%. It seemed using my free stat points to increase my Spirit seemed the most apt choice.

I did a quick skim through my Soul Record; nothing Tania's Favorability at 37% and Amara's at 53%. Power Sync rested at -86.28%, which was still low, but we would have to make do for now.

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"Do you need this for anything?" Amara asked, flashing her ID token. I offered a nod.

"Actually, that's going to prove helpful when we finally cross over to the Barony; for now, keep it with you."

"Alright, let's hurry then." Amara urged and picked up pace; Tania and I followed close behind. The burgundy-haired dwarf kept pace, armor clinking but never slowing her stride.

I was still reeling from the shock of the city being on the verge of collapse. Never in my very limited lifetime had I come across such a disastrous situation. It seemed the guild was failing and failing massively.

I recalled Jacob and wondered if he was halfway through to the capital by now. What would he think of their failure of a strategy, which had only contributed to exacerbating the situation further? I recalled Amara's words—dumb, she had called it, and somehow found her conjecture felicitous.

The world was going to hell, and I had no idea why.

"Is the situation bothering you too much?" The vampire asked.

I offered a shrug, briefly glancing back to find the thin barrier struggling hard to keep the molten fire at bay. This was as apocalyptic as I had seen anything.

"Honestly," Amara voiced, "the entire episode troubles me just as much as you. Even though I lack much understanding of this world, I can see that something sinister is afoot."

She had proven by now her tactical mind and sharp eye, so I wasn't going to disregard her words.

"Then, isn't this Barony going to be in just as much trouble?" Tania proposed.

I shook my head and sighed. "Not exactly." She offered a curious look, and I began to elaborate. "You see, thanks to their failed strategy, most of the dangerous monsters are going to be at the wall. Unlike Erdwatch and Rosenthal County, Feylance Barony only shares a portion of the border with the End Forest. While they will be under siege no doubt, the intensity will be significantly lesser."

Tania took a moment to ponder my words before inquiring further. "But what happens after they are done with this city? You know, after they have reduced it to rubble, won't the Barony become their target?"

Normally that would indeed be the case, but Erdwatch was still run by the Hunters Guild. And that meant many of the powerful hunters—those capable of slaying Wyverns—were in their ranks. Even S-Rank monsters probably meant nothing to them.

I directed a look at Amara, who sighed and pulled out the booklet we had brought from the stall.

Predictably, the hunters mentioned within lacked proper ranking; thankfully, I had the insight of a hunter who reigned at the very top. Amara placidly flipped to the last page and showed the entry to Tania.

"Brandon from Hunters Guild...?" The dwarf raised an eyebrow, shifting her gaze from Amara to me. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

I smiled. "Brandon is the guy Zyra was talking about—who handles matters in the absence of Julian. He's a B-Rank Hunter."

"Which means," Amara chimed in from the side, "that most of these low-rank hunters are really that: low ranks. That Julian guy is also mentioned here—ranked 51, and so is the Knight Jacob worked under—ranked 47. And we know for a fact that Julian got injured in the fight, which leads me to the conclusion..."

"...That he's an A-Rank hunter." I completed it on her behalf.

Tania blinked, brows furrowed. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Sure it does." I said. "If top A-Rank hunters are only around this ranking, then those above must be even stronger. And Hunters Guild has a surprisingly good number of hunters among even the top 10. If one of them arrives here..."

"...The matter is as good as finished." Amara spoke, closing the booklet.

The Guild was powerful, and even Amara, as strong as she was right now, wasn't confident in her chances against an A-Rank. Though that also meant the disaster that stirred up this time round was greater than anyone had anticipated. Because the Guild sure as hell hadn't.

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