Chapter Text
A beastly cry pierced the air, lingering like static in the folds.
Utsushi chased the source of it, a monster that everyone in the village always associated with him, howling in the night as he would on the hunt. As he approached a clearing, he peered around a boulder to get a better look without being discovered. He had to turn his head upwards when he realized there were cliffs ahead of him overlooking a vast canyon.
The Royal Guard of Elgado had given the instructor all their intel on an operation they been occupied with for a while now, seeking his assistance. As they covered more ground, they finally pinpointed the approximate location of something huge, as it left behind telltale ruin in its wake.
Though what he saw in this moment wasn’t quite what he was looking for, something about it urged him to keep observing.
It was an Apex Zinogre, scars upon scars on its hide belying an untold history. And its gaze was fixed on something in the distance, far above the mountainside. Utsushi ascertained where he was, heading in the direction of the Infernal Springs, a ruinous area where only truly dangerous monsters lurked and the bravest hunters ever dared to tread. It seems that civilization once occupied this place, but what remained now was only decrepit antiquity.
The thunder wolf wyvern leapt onto another cliff jutting over a ravine, ever further ahead. It seethed with rage, and Utsushi could feel the tension.
“Huh? What’s going on? What’s this tough guy doing out here?”
His amber eyes moved from the Apex, to the ruins in the distance, to the sky. And there, at last, he found his quarry. The instructor already knew he was close to his mark when he saw storm clouds slowly engulfing the sky, but confirming every detail and committing it to memory was part of his job.
“That’s it! That’s gotta be it! The monster that everyone’s been looking for! This is one of the gnarliest things I’ve ever seen…!”
Amatsu.
A calamitous elder dragon heralded by hurricanes of destruction. It didn’t seem so long ago that Utsushi’s other half had faced off with the Allmother and Archdemon of the Abyss, but to see yet another disaster threaten their home so soon was a lot to take in at once. Kamura could never catch a break!
But he couldn’t get closer to it at this point. Utsushi had to think things through- it wouldn’t do to alert the Apex or the elder dragon, as he didn’t want to possibly lead them back towards anyone’s homes. Yet somehow, he had to keep track of Amatsu’s whereabouts. Recalling something of note, he reached into his pouch while keeping an eye on the wyvern.
“The way it’s acting… Hmm. This might be a stretch, but-”
Fiddling around the contents of his inventory, he eventually pulled out a strange dart. It was some type of modified paintball- not really something that Kamura hunters used since they had their own ways of tracking monsters, but it was handed to him for this investigation, just in case. It was probably meant for the elder dragon, but he thought it would be a good time to try it out.
Prone to unorthodox ideas, Utsushi steadied his hand. Masterfully, he shot the dart, tagging the fur on the back of the Apex Zinogre. Ink splattered and left a trace behind it. Silent and true, as he had hoped. Perhaps because of how it was designed, or because the beast was so preoccupied with its fixation, it didn’t notice. Either way, the instructor felt he should give his regards to his colleague for this invention.
“Perfect! And now, I take my leave. Exit, stage left.”
With that, Utsushi nodded and disappeared. There wasn’t a moment to waste.
“So, you’ve located it? While shadowing an Apex Zinogre...” The white haired captain of the Royal Guard pensively looked at the files on the desk, with a map full of details triangulating a specific region.
“Sure did, Kagami! And while I couldn’t get close to the elder dragon, I’m pretty sure we’ve got a solid hold on it. I’m going to head back to Elder Fuges to drop the news on him now that I’ve caught you guys up. Looks like our Fierce Flame’s gonna have to get ready to thrash another big guy sooner than we thought.”
Utsushi prepared his armor and belongings, ready for another trip back home. He was used to traveling constantly between the village and Elgado, but he wished it wouldn’t be for such urgent issues.
“Fitting that you’d find the two so near each other, star-crossed as they are. You recall, don’t you? Some years ago, an Amatsu drove out the Zinogre from their territory in another land. It caused problems for everyone nearby... It could be that this Apex had some personal beef.”
“Yeah, I definitely remembered. That’s why I decided to use that thing you gave me on it. I got a feeling that even if we lose sight of the elder dragon, knowing where that Zinogre is means it won’t be far off.”
Driven from their home…
Just like Kagero and Yomogi.
If they didn’t do anything about this situation, history could repeat itself again.
The instructor made sure to finish relaying his findings to the chevaliers before returning to Kamura.