The light sound of clinking and tinking echoed through the nighttime air as you laid down in the wagon. Raphtalia and Filo had been laid down to sleep just outside, and Naofumi was beside you, working on a gift for the younger two party members.

"Hey, Y/n." Naofumi waved you over, and you stood, looking at an array of small gems he had spread out.

"Which color do you think would match Filo the best?" He asked you. You stroked your chin, reaching down and pointing at a dark blue gem that sat in a pile.

"That one. Matches her eyes." You told him. Naofumi nodded, pointing at a green gem beside him, out of the way

"I have this one picked out for Raphtalia. Thoughts?" He asked. You shrugged, studying the gem.

"I like it, and I'm sure Raphtalia will love it." You told him. Naofumi nodded, continuing his work.

Meanwhile, in the dream realm, you were just as relaxed as always. Since that town you helped save from the plants, you've felt a surging growth in people who would pray to you. It wasn't much, but compared to being forgotten before, it felt so much better. People actually believed in you, and that belief rewarded them with safety, as you didn't allow a beast to even approach a faithful person who prayed to you.

The people began to notice this as well, burning offerings of meat and fruits towards you, and even spreading the word of you to others who passed by.

"Oh Great One, you seem exceptionally pleased today." You heard the doll speak. You nodded, your tail swaying.

Of course, fair doll. The people have begun to believe.

The sun began to rise as your waking body leaned against the wagon, in a position that was supposed to make it appear as if you were meditating. You moved yourself, gaining the attention of Naofumi, who nodded towards you.

"Morning." He greeted. You tipped your hat to him, walking towards the two sleeping ladies of the party.

"Raphtalia, up." You spoke, nudging her with your foot. She groaned for a bit, opening her eyes to look at you.

"Okay..." she muttered, tired. She pushed herself up, lightly shaking Filo as you and Naofumi got to work breaking down camp. By the time you finished compacting the cover Raphtalia and Filo had used, Naofumi had whipped up some stew for breakfast. You continued putting everything away into the wagon as everyone ate.

"You gonna eat?" Naofumi asked, sipping the broth. You shook your head, scooting some boxes aside to make room for the tarp.

"Filo, come here after you finish eating so I can get you hooked up." You ordered.

"Okay!" Filo shouted, standing up as she tilted her bowl towards her, gulping down what little she had left. In a puff of smoke and feathers, the nugget herself waddled over to the wagon, backing into position. You started to hook her up, getting her harness ready, before looking back the way you all would be going.

Along the road, a pair of people were slowly walking along, clearly in some kind of distress.

"Naofumi, look." You bode. Naofumi followed your gaze, seeing the pair. He looked into the nearly empty pot of stew, then at Raphtalia, before you cleared your throat.

"Raphtalia, prepare those two some stew."

Before long, both were stopped, and seated at a log, picking at bowls of stew with empty looks.

"You'd better stop here." The younger of the two, a boy in blue clothes with dark hair told you.

"If you go any further, you'll die." He warned. You narrowed your eyes as Naofumi spoke.

"We heard there's a village down this path." He stated. The elder of the two lowered their head, speaking.

"The village is done for. The plague even got the village elder." That's all you needed to hear.

"What could be happening there?" Raphtalia asked, gazing at a map of the area. You stood behind her and Naofumi, looking onward.

"The Scourge isn't very strong here, so it can't be beasts." You remarked, looking down at Raphtalia's map. You'd be at the village within the hour.

"We'll have to see when we arrive." Naofumi spoke, staring ahead as tree after tree blurred past you.

Soon, the village grew visible, on a cliff. Even sooner, Filo drew the carriage past a wooden arch, slowing down as you all entered the village. At this point, Naofumi hopped out, using the reins to guide Filo.

"What brings you to a place like this?" You heard someone speak up, looking to a house to see a man standing in his doorway, looking at Naofumi. From here, you could see his old, almost sickly look.

"I am a traveling merchant, here to seek you medicine." Naofumi declared.

"A traveling merchant? Wait, that filolial..." the man turned his gaze to Filo, amazed.

"Could it be the Heavenly Fowl?" Before Naofumi could answer, he burst from his doorway, running through the village.

"Doctor! Doctor!" He called, stopping at one of the larger buildings, throwing open the door.

"Our Savior Of The Heavenly Fowl has come for us!" He declared, shouting into the building. Curious, a second figure, peeked out, in white robes, looking out towards the carriage. A delighted smile crossed his face as he looked out towards Naofumi.

It took a bit, but you all situated yourself in the building he resided within. Inside, people were all laying or sitting around, wrapped in blankets and ill, as was made clear by the sniffling and coughing.

"So, Doctor?" You asked, looking around. The man smiled sheepishly, shaking his head.

"I only run the clinic. But, if I may ask..." he turned towards Naofumi, and his shield.

"Are you really-"

"I'm only here to sell medicine." Naofumi interjected. The doctor gave him a smile.

"Even that would be a great help! I cannot make nearly enough for everyone!" He told you, bringing you through a hallway, into another room, where rows of bed were occupied by the sick.

"Doctor, who are these people?" One of the nurses, a young woman with pink hair asked, looking at you, Naofumi, and Raphtalia with a hint of wariness.

"Oh, they say they'll sell us medicine." He told her, reassuring her as Naofumi stepped forward, beholding the view.

"Looking at this, I should probably give it to them myself." He announced. You followed behind him, carrying some vials of medicine as Raphtalia copied you, helping administer medicine.

Patient after patient were given the vital medicine, until the sun began to set, and you were outside with Filo, watching a man just outside of the village kneel at some graves. Such death, and it would soon be untapped.

It was well after dark when you stepped inside again to Naofumi conversing with the Doctor and Nurse from before.

"We'll see what dies out first: You, or your Coffers." He pointed out. You sighed, looking at the Nurses angered expression as she clenched her hands into fists.

"We can't let this kind of stuff go on!" She declared. After a moment, her stance weakened, and she averted her gaze.

"But... there's nothing we can do." She lamented.

"And what exactly does that mean?" You asked. The nurse turned to look at you, her eyes showing her saddened mood.

"We believe winds from the mountain that's home to Monsters is the cause. About a month ago, a dragon that nested there was killed by the Sword Hero." You did hear stories about that.

"And what does that have to do with this?" You asked. Despite already having an idea of the answer, you wanted to know.

"Well, in order to see the dragon's corpse and gather materials, many adventurers came to our village. It certainly helped us flourish, but one day, an adventurer simply collapsed on the street, and more followed. The dragon's flesh must have begun to rot and emit some kind of poison." She explained.

Ren... you felt the respect you had for the sword hero begin to fade. Yes, you could get behind taking down massive monsters and being victorious, but he was supposed to help the people. Rotting meat brings pestilence, and yet Ren didn't seem to know that.

"We can't do anything about it, since the violence of the monsters stop all but adventurers from going there. And alongside that, the ecology's changed as well. No average adventurer can get anywhere near the corpse." You stroked your chin, thinking.

"Alright then. Naofumi, what's your price?" You asked, looking to the hero. He gave you a side eyed glare, before turning to the Nurse again.

"Have you informed the Royal Court of this?" He asked. She nodded.

"We're slated time receive medicine in a few days, but we're informed the Heroes are too busy to help, with the Scourge and all." She answered. Naofumi huffed at the mention of the heroes.

"Cancel the request. Y/n, Raphtalia, get ready to set out." He ordered. Raphtalia beamed at Naofumi as he stood up.

"You're really going? We... we can't thank you enough..." the doctor told him.

"I don't want thanks. All I want is money. 500 silvers will cover it." He stated, walking towards the door.

"500? That's..." before the Doctor could continue, Naofumi lifted his hand, catching a sack thrown at him. The doctor and the nurse looked at the direction the pouch cane from, seeing you.

"Raphtalia, I trust you know what to say, correct?" You asked. Raphtalia gave you a wide smile, nodding.

"Of course, Sir Y/n." She answered. You left the room with Naofumi, listening to Raphtalia start to talk.

"Y/n will help you with your financial crisis, but in return, he wants you to..."

You sat in the back of the wagon throughout the trip, your whirlgig saw sitting on your back. You heard Naofumi chant some spell, protecting Filo as she ran over some monsters, hastening your progress.

That chant.... if I were to try it, would it help me? You put a finger to your masked chin, thinking over what you would say to cast.

As The Moon, source of thy power, I commad thee, decipher the laws of nature and... and destroy my target... a call beyond? No.... that sounds stupid.

You took the lead when Filo finally stopped, and approached the corpse of the dragon. Naofumi and Raphtalia walked behind you, hefting hammers while you held up the saw that was easily bigger than Filo's humanoid form like it was nothing.

As you approached the corpse, you began to realize something.

I... have never seen a dragon. You hardly even heard of them. All you knew was that they were oversized, winged lizards with elemental breathing abilities.

Naofumi and Raphtalia stopped behind you to look back at Filo, who was helping herself to some fruit as you approached the corpse of the beast. You began to slow down when you looked at the head. If you weren't mistaken, that was a red glow beginning to emanate from the eyes.

"Um... Naofumi?" You spoke up. Blood began flowing in reverse, entering the wounds of the undead beast as it's skin began to seal itself up.

"What... the..." Naofumi looked up at it as it lifted itself using its two front feet. It reared it's head back, letting out a roar.

"A Dragon Zombie?!" Naofumi dropped his pick, backing away.

"What do we do!?" Raphtalia shouted. You sized up the creature, a large smile growing on your face.

"For now, you guys stay back." You ordered. You began to step forward, before a blue of pink and white sped past you.

"I hate dragons!" Filo shouted out, charging forward, and leaping. You looked up as she delivered a swift kick to the jaw, jumping back as the dragon regained its bearings, a puff of purple smoke blowing from its mouth.

"Everyone! Behind me!" Naofumi ordered. Instead of following his orders, you simply switched weapons, holding the Loch Shield in your left hand, and the Beat Cutter in your right.

"Y/n!" Naofumi shouted. Before he could respond, you lifted the shield, feeling the large breath attack blow past you. When it ended, you lowered the shield, letting out a long sigh, which revealed a number of plain white tablets resting on your tongue.

"Now now, Naofumi, a Hunter must Hunt, and what good is a hunter that isn't prepared?" You asked.

"Now I'm mad!" Filo ran past Naofumi and you, towards the dragon. You watched it try and bat her away with its wings, only for her to recuperate and dash forward, kicking it in the head. This went on for a bit, before you decided to finally act.

You ran towards the tail of the dragon, ending your run with a swing of the Cutter, cutting a deep gash into the back of the dragon's leg. You followed the attack with a quickstep, barely avoiding a kick from behind that stirred up some wind, blowing your clothes.

"Y/n! Filo!" Naofumi called out. You snapped your gaze towards Naofumi, just in time to see Filo take another charge towards the dragon. In the moment she was distracted by her master, the dragon opened it's maw, snapping it shut around her body.

Red liquid dripped to the ground as you slowly looked up to the dragon. It swallowed, and you watched a large lump travel down it's throat, like a snake swallowing prey.

"Filo!" Raphtalia shouted, despair evident in her voice. You saw her fearful look, Naofumi's devastated glare, and the liquid that now dripped to the ground in front of you. It was not blood.

Even from here, you could smell the sweet scent of the juice. It was the fruits that Filo loved eating so much. Not her blood.

They don't know that

You looked at Naofumi, his head lowered, as he slowly, calmly approached the dragon. The air around you seemed to increase in pressure as he got closer and closer, until it was hard for you to breathe.

What... is... You would be lying if you said you didn't feel a twinge of fear in your heart as the dragon lifted its massive, clawed hand, and slammed it down on Naofumi, generating a cloud of dust.

"Naofumi!" Raphtalia shouted, almost falling to her knees. Her eyes were squeezed shut at the sight before her.

They are not gone. Raphtalia's eyes snapped open, and her surroundings changed. In front her, a stone path led straight ahead, into a void of white mist.

Iwatani Naofumi and Filo are not gone. Do not despair, Good Hunter. The Great One would not allow such careless death to those under his care. Raphtalia turned around, lifting her sword to whatever was speaking behind her. That feminine voice, soft and gentle...

Behind her, was the rocky ground of the area the dragon was in. Confused, Raphtalia turned forward again, shocked by the scene before her. Naofumi was standing his ground against the dragon's attack. Red webbing in the shape of his skill tree began to cover his body, until the ground beneath him shattered, releasing a wave of energy.

You watched in wonder as the dragon lifted its hand, actually stepping back from the hero. Flames burst to life across the front of his shield, and you physically recoiled.

Whatever that is, I've never seen it... you looked at the dragon, barely ducking in time to avoid the tail whip it delivered to Naofumi, who simply swiped his shield, and erased half of the dragon's tail from existence, leaving a burning flame on the stump.

You could feel it, Naofumi's burning hatred. It was becoming a curse, burning away at whatever stood in his way, and from the looks of it, it was starting to chip away at him as well. You looked from him to the dragon, then back at him.

Aw fuck it. You turned away from the beast, running towards Naofumi at full speed.

"Naofumi, stop it!" You shouted, reaching out towards him. You grabbed his arm, as Raphtalia sprinted toward Naofumi, hugging his arm as his shields flames grew brighter. Here, you noticed his eyes. They had changed, taking on a bright red color.

"Raphtalia, stay back!" You ordered teaching for Naofumi's head, for his mind. You couldn't see over the warping heat of the flames, but Raphtalia was starting to get hurt, burnt by the heat.

"Raphtalia, stop it!" You shouted, your voice almost edging on shrill as you let go of Naofumi, lunging forward to tackle Raphtalia, getting her out of harms way.

"Y/n, what are you-" Raphtalia's clearly weakened voice was halted when you turned 180 degrees, running back towards Naofumi. When you got close enough, you lunged forward, grabbing his head in your gloved hand.

The heat from his shield began to cause your clothes to smolder, and your skin began to flare up in pain as you closed your eyes, focusing.

"Naofumi... QUIT IT!"

All at once, Naofumi's eyes flickered, becoming their usual color, and he looked towards you, at your burnt demeanor.

"Y/n..." he instinctively raised his shield, blocking a swipe from the dragon, lighting it's hand on fire in the process.

"Naofumi... sit this one out." You told him. Before he could respond, you lunged towards him, grabbing his face.

The dragon struggled to put out the fire on its hand as you set Naofumi's unconscious body down, taking a deep breath. Raphtalia was also unconscious, a few feet away.

These burns are simple curses. I was afraid of it at first, but now that I actually faced it, I see that fear was for nothing. You felt pale mist gather around you, soothing the burns and dispelling the curses. You looked towards the dragon, noticing it's stomach beginning to convulse. You sighed in relief as the dragon reared it's head, letting out a final screech, then falling, dead. You approached its stomach, which was still convulsing, before raising the Saw Cleaver.

In a single slash, Filo was cut out of the dragon's stomach, in a bloody mess.

"Y/n!" Filo declared upon seeing you. You sighed, as she raised her wings in victory, enveloping you in a wet, fluffy hug. After a bit, you pushed her off, giving her a silent glare.

"Filo, how did you kill the dragon?" You asked. Filo cooed, putting a wing to her chin.

"Well, while I was tearing at the dragons belly, trying to get out, I found a big purple crystal. It was all shiny too." She described.

"And... where is it?" You asked. Filo put a single wing to her stomach in response. You sighed, shaking your head.

"You ate it. Of course." You rolled your eyes, taking out the Whirlgig Saw.

"Raphtalia and Naofumi are unconscious. I'll cut this thing apart, and I need you to move the pieces somewhere the rot won't kill the village." You told her.

"Okay!" She replied, saluting.

"And no eating it, either." You ordered.

"Aww, okay..."

The air was already beginning to clear up by the time you saw Naofumi getting up. You tossed a sizable chunk of dragon fang up and down in your hand as you walked towards him.

"Y/n, you're okay?" Naofumi's question was answered by a chunk of ivory thrown as his head.