Nikki watched the gathered Poachers without faltering, clearly making them nervous and jittery, but that suited Valen just fine. They had gathered all of their weapons near them, and should they attempt to regain them, they’d have to approach Nikki. So they had clearly realized early-on that it was a foolish hope and simply stayed put, obeying Valen’s order.

  That did not stop him from being nervous however, as he waited in anticipation for the arrival of the hunters from Astera. Because he knew that it would mean that Nikki would be revealed, and that he would have a lot to explain.

  However he was broken out of the meditation he had settled into to wait when Nikki nudged him with her beak, prompting him to open his eyes, and inhale sharply once he saw what she had spotted.

  There was an airship incoming towards them, but not the Third Fleet Airship, a new one, one that clearly wasn’t tilted backwards. It clearly came from the direction of Astera, however it did make Valen nervous, as it clearly meant a lot had happened during his absence.

  He debated using a flare to signal his position, but decided that they would clearly see him given their current heading. So he settled to wait, petting Nikki in the meantime.

  Once the airship clearly spotted Nikki, it seemed to go to a sudden stop, and not long after a few figures flew out on wingdrakes, heading towards them. Valen tensed, but he knew that as long as they did not attack on sight, he would be fine. Especially when it turned out to be Rapha?lle and Aiden that were approaching.

  They dropped off towards the side of the clearing, roughly the same distance away from both the poachers and Nikki. Once they landed they seemed to realize the extent of the devastation in the clearing, and pieced together what happened.

  “Valen… Did what I think happened happen?”

  Valen sighed, then gestured towards the group of poachers.

  “They ambushed me. I am pretty sure that you saw the flare I sent up in response. I managed to stand my ground but they overwhelmed me at one point… Thankfully it was at this point that the real recipient of my flare showed up.” He said, looking at Nikki, smiling at her for a bit, before resuming. “They were led by him, Tryndrer, who I have a… history with.”

  Aiden nodded, and Rapha?lle spoke up.

  “That confirms we have the all-clear… You could not have timed your distress signal better, we were about to go on an expedition with that new airship to investigate the origins of the disturbances that cropped up everywhere recently. The Commander immediately ordered that we go to your rescue instead, on the way he explained what mission you really were tasked with and the danger you might be in… Though he said that the chances of us helping you were low. As you can imagine, we knew you’d actually have the assistance you needed. However, that also means that he is on board.”

  “That is perfect, I don’t think Nikki would have stayed a secret any longer anyways… They definitely would not have kept their mouths shut.” He said, waving towards the captured Poachers.

  “Still, I believe that you should be the one to explain, they are quite confused on board.” Rapha?lle said, then lit up a flare before sending it up… It was the green flare that signaled the all clear.

  Not long after, several more Wingdrakes flew out of the airship, rapidly approaching, and Valen quickly recognised Arcos, Lukas and even Kora as they came closer, but there was also Sophie, Lea and Ikari among them. The former three did not look as relaxed when they came closer, definitely unnerved by Nikki’s presence, contrary to the Handlers.

  Valen looked at Nikki, and he could tell that she was also a bit nervous, but more because of the number of people that were present, if the poachers were included.

  Once they landed at the other side of the clearing, Valen nodded at Nikki, and went to meet the Commander, who looked at him, then at the poacher, though he seemed reluctant to look away from Nikki.

  “Sky Piercer… Would I be right if I guess there is an explanation for this unusual scene?”

  Valen nodded then gestured to Nikki.

  “This is Nikki, she’s definitely the reason for my skills and knowledge. And before you express your concerns, as long as you are not aggressive, she won’t be. She trusts me and those I allow to come near…”

  Arcos scratched his chin in thought, then nodded.

  “So this is the real reason… When you came here to the New World, I received a report detailing your history. However they always pointed out the irregularities in it. The biggest anomaly was how you survived the Seregios attack. Because their investigators arrived at the scene hours after it happened, which was how Flynn survived, they were perplexed at the lack of your body, and were even more surprised when you came back, as you had been written off as dead. There was also the fact that they noticed that your skills had considerably grown after your stay at the isolated village, which given that it was a safe location with few monsters, meant that you would not have many opportunities to test your skills besides repeating moves.”

  “And let me guess, the Valstrax hunt was an anomaly because they didn’t really understand the reason Nikki would strike down that other Valstrax.” Valen finished.

  “You are right.”

  Then Kora approached, seemingly in awe of Nikki.

  “She feels… Powerful, and wise. You say that she has been helping you all this time?”

  “Nikki did… She was proof to me that Elders are much more intelligent than we believed. Did you know that she managed to wrap around a bandage on my leg, drenched in Mega Potion, when I was sleeping off the Seregios attack? As for why the left side of my face looks like this… She cauterized it after my ear had been sliced off by a scale. Without that, I’d have undoubtedly bled to death.”

  “Is she also the reason you are so knowledgeable about Bioenergy?”

  “Yes. Most of my knowledge stems from observing her… Or from what she had told me.”

  “Told?” Lukas said, clearly not expecting that word.

  At this, Valen could see the grins that the Handlers had on their faces, as they were about to enjoy what the Hunter was about to do. He could see the same on Rapha?lle’s face and was certain that Aiden had a matching one.

  ‘Say clever words.’ Valen signed to Nikki.

  ‘Clever? Flying amazing. You amazing.’ She replied, lightly teasing Valen.

  A laugh made Valen turn around, to which he realized it was Kora that did so, and startled Valen a bit. She continued for a bit, until she managed to get it in control.

  “No wonder you were so insightful, you literally are able to talk with an Elder!”

  “Yeah… Sorry if I never told you until now, but well… Let say that I was reluctant to let the secret out, especially given what our entire society is based around. I only had one other in the secret when I departed for the New World.”

  At this Lukas snapped his fingers.

  “Aki right? Zyges reported your interaction to me, you seemed especially close.”

  “She is indeed.” Valen nodded. “She has been a great help for me…”

  Then Arcos raised a hand.

  “If it was when you all arrived at the New World, I definitely would have been wary, and suspicious. However, after having so much evidence that most Elders seem to be peaceful, and are even essential in the ecosystem, well… Let’s just say that I had to reconsider some of our legends and warnings. The entire existence of the Elder Recess, the Teostra that you visited, that I now presume was with her help?” Valen nodded in confirmation. “The Vaal Hazak. Kulve Taroth and Lunastra, and more recently, Velkhana, Namielle and Blackveil Vaal Hazak. The first and latter especially.”

  Rapha?lle nodded.

  “A Variant of Vaal Hazak was roaming the Ancient Forest recently, and starting to unbalance the ecosystem. Aiden and I fought him, with the assistance of two hunters, and surprisingly, it seemed to realize that it wasn’t welcome and retreated, we tracked it going back to the Rotten Vale, where it found another home. What was interesting was that the areas that he roamed in the Forest seemed to thrive after its departure.”

  “As for Velkhana…” Aiden continued. “It did assault Seliana, and we had to mount a defense to repel it, but it did not pursue the assault long. We thought we would have to employ the Anti-Elder weapon we recently finished against it, but it seemed to have realized something and retreated by itself. We did give chase, to attempt to understand the reason for the assault, but it was too guarded for us to understand. As it was only defensive and did not attack us on sight, we believe something spooked it and that it thought we were the reason but it realized we weren’t.”

  “So, as you can see I had too many examples of Elders not being aggressive on sight to humans and living in harmony with their environment to change my views.” Arcos continued. “Our scientists are loving all of this, and the implications for the future.” He then chuckled. “Doubtless they will be clamoring to see Nikki once they learn about the news. Because I am certain that this will not stay a secret, since everybody on the Airship saw the scene.”

  Valen sighed.

  “I am certain, and I was prepared for it… Though it will be up to Nikki to decide if she wants to submit to the scientists’ wishes, she is her own being and has her own life. Besides, our handlers already have a large collection of notes from their discussion and observations of her, as well as what I have compiled over the years. It will take them a while to parse through that.” Valen smiled.

  “I will make sure they do not go overboard,” Arcos assured.

  “So… What now?” Valen asked.

  Then Lukas spoke up.

  “Before you sent your flare, we were about to go on an expedition with the airship… But I guess it will have to wait now, ending the threat the poachers represent will take priority, and we have a chance to strike their base of operation before they move it thanks to them.” He gestured to the captured poachers.

  “Indeed, and this is why we must leave now. Time is now ticking, and the faster we depart, the less time they have to react once they realize their ambush on Valen failed.” The Commander said.

  Valen nodded, then looked at Nikki.

  ‘We solve problem. You able leave.’

  Nikki simply nodded, then backed off a bit, then inhaled a large amount of air through her chest vents, making everyone else retreat a couple steps, then she ignited her wings and took off, immediately turning around to head towards the Recess. In moments, she had become the comet her species was known for.

  At this, the Commander seemed to realize something and chuckled.

  “You truly respect her, Valen. No wonder you employ your unorthodox greeting.”

  Valen smiled.

  “Indeed, after all, the Red Comet truly kept my future skies clear today.”

  Agreements echoed this answer, then the Commander faced towards the airship still floating a fair distance away, then he waved at them to come closer. The fight and explanations were finished… Now was the time for cleaning up.

  Once the airship was hovering above the clearing, they threw down ropes, which allowed the group of hunters to tie the captured poachers to them so that they could be lifted in the airship without much risk. It was an endeavor that was a tense moment, and a couple of them attempted to resist, but were eventually subdued. They also lifted all bodies that were spread around, which was a grisly task that Valen hoped he would not have to repeat, but it needed to be done. Once the clearing was clear of all poachers and bodies, and the poachers secured in the airship with restraints tying them down, they lifted the group that was still down there, and the airship set sail back to Astera.

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  Once they arrived at Astera, the Poachers were sent into closely guarded rooms since there were no cells in the colony to await interrogation. In the meantime the Admiral asked for Valen and Arcos to make their report.

  “Well done lad! Even though it was more of them coming to you than the opposite, you still did a good job frustrating them enough that they attempted to take you out!” He exclaimed, smacking Valen’s back.

  “I got lucky, that is all… It also helped that their leader had a personal grudge against me…”

  “Though, what’s this I hear about a secret of yours that got revealed?”

  Valen took a deep breath and exhaled.

  “It is the secret of my success sir… I believe you read my files?” The Admiral nodded at that. “At the end of the Glavenus hunt… The Valstrax did not only kill the Seregios, she also saved my life.”

  The Admiral jolted, clearly surprised… Then a huge grin split his face and he laughed, the sound reverberating through the office and definitely was heard outside, probably surprising a few passerby.

  “So you're telling me that all of this time, you had a secret Elder in your pocket that more than surely allowed you to train to your current skill, and followed you on your trip here? No wonder you adjusted so well here!” He commented. “And if I guess right, she helped you on the ambush because otherwise we would not have this conversation! Good going lad!”

  “Erm, thank you sir,” Valen replied, surprised by the exuberant personality of the Admiral.

  “Oh don’t worry, remember I went to the Recess with you, and I had front row seats to see Elders that lived in harmony within the ecosystem… Honestly, I believe the warnings we had about Elders are poorly worded. In the end it was only a few individuals that caused issues, and not all of them. But something may change, though it also probably needs something major.”

  “That is what I believe as well,” Arcos commented. “Though the guild will be reluctant to change only because of the report we made here in the New World. I would not report it to the Guild if I could… I fear that they may overreact if it becomes known, and you would become a target, but I am also certain that the Poachers will reveal that piece of information at the first opportunity once we ship them back to the Old World.”

  Valen frowned, then had an idea.

  “Do we have to ship them back? Technically they are under my jurisdiction as a Knight, and I am allowed to determine their punishment, being the one that captured them.”

  “What do you have in mind?” The Admiral asked.

  “The old tradition… The Proof of Might.”

  Both of them considered it before they nodded.

  “Dropping them off in the wilderness without any weapon or armor… That could work. Most Poachers are simply executed once they get trialed back in the Old World. The Proof of Might was for Hunters that broke their Oath, but I believe we could get away with it here. What would you do, should any of them overcome it?”

  “Well, the traditional reward for it is that they get accepted back into society, but I believe in that case we sent them to Seliana, but under surveillance.”

  “This could work… It would solve the information leak, since no trade is allowed in Seliana yet.”

  “Then it is decided. Once we get the information we need, we will apply their punishment.”

  “I doubt any of them would survive, given how harsh the New World is,” Valen said.

  “How do you feel about this then, Valen?” Arcos asked.

  The Hunter paused for a moment before he answered.

  “I do not like it, but you are right that we aren’t ready to share this information with the Guild. A lot of them would consider it a threat to the status quo. It puts the responsibility of their fate on me, and I dislike that, but I also recognize that the other option carries too much of a risk.”

  “Then we are decided,” the Admiral concluded. “We need to carry out their punishment before we assault their Headquarters, else they would be able to share the information between them.”

  “I will prepare for the interrogations. I believe only pressing them and threatening them will be enough,” the Commander said. “I will inform you once we obtain it.”

  Valen agreed and the three of them left the room, heading in different directions. He had no more obligations now, and after spending so much time in the field, he simply desired a warm bath and a real bed.

  The Commander had been right. While most of the Poachers resisted, a couple of them almost immediately cracked, spilling the information they needed. The rank and file Poachers did not know who their benefactors were, only Tryndrer was privy to this information, but they did point out the location of their headquarters, which, as Valen suspected, was located in a sea level cave far down on the coast. They also added that they had crafted a rudimentary airship which was why they managed to not leave any tracks to follow when they moved the bodies back.

  Armed with this information, the planning for the assault on the Headquarters could move swiftly, and they took an entire day doing so. Time was of the essence, if they delayed any further, the poachers would be able to move out and settle up somewhere else.

  Which was why the following day, the Argosy and the Airship had been fully stocked for a war. They had decided on assaulting by the sea entrance, and would drop hunter squads at their hidden exits to catch the stragglers that would attempt to escape the raid.

  Jake had been assigned to the Argosy, while Valen, Aiden and Rapha?lle were all on board the Airship, because while the seaship would travel to their planned location, they had another task to perform… And this was why they found themselves in the middle of nowhere, with one captured poacher currently blindfolded.

  Valen removed the blindfold, then pulled out his knife to cut through the ropes that bound the hands of the poacher.

  “You have been condemned to the Proof of Might. Should you survive the wilderness and reach a settlement, your crimes may be absolved, but know that you will never be granted the right to hunt ever again,” Valen recited, the poacher's eyes widening as he realized the real reason he had been carried out in the middle of nowhere.

  He seemed to want to rage, to insult, but instead, he deflated in front of them and seemed to resign himself to his fate.

  Valen simply took hold of the rope, and was pulled back on the airship, while making sure that the Poacher did not attempt to grab the rope. It was hard, watching all hope leave a man’s eyes and realize that he may as well have been sentenced to death. But he pushed forwards. They had made their choice, and now were simply receiving the consequences for it. Still, he made sure that he did not forget that they were still human beings that he had sentenced. These thoughts stayed with him even after he climbed back on the airship.

  It took a while to drop off all poachers in spread out locations, and a couple attempted to assault him. Valen was forced to subdue them, worsening their chances of survival even more, but he stayed unmoved, even when others pleaded for forgiveness and swore to not reveal his secret. Valen had to remind himself that if they did not suffer the consequences of their choice, they wouldn’t change their ways, and thus he did his grisly task, not accepting the offered help of Aiden or Rapha?lle, as he reminded them that it was his sword duty as a Guild Knight. They were surprised to learn of the promotion, but did not comment on it, they knew that it simply made sense given the task that he had been assigned.

  Eventually the last poacher had been dropped off, and the airship was setting sail towards the rendezvous point with the Argosy. It was there that Valen transferred ships, because due to his status, he would lead the main assault. Rapha?lle and Aiden would instead make sure that no poacher would escape.

  The atmosphere was tense, they were close to their destination, and they knew that it was a crucial fight for the future of the New World. If they could completely root out the Poacher presence, it would be harder for them to settle in again since they would be more knowledgeable of the territory.

  Valen spent the time meditating. They were soon arriving at their destination, and he wanted to be as ready mentally as he could manage. He would be expected to lead the assault, given that he was the only one authorized to use lethal force, and even hunting weapons at all. All others that would participate in the raid would wield basic steel swords and wooden shields. They did not have the ability to bear hunting weapons against another human being barring in self defense, due to the Hunter’s oath. Even Jake, Rapha?lle and Aiden had to comply with the rules, it did not have any exceptions for Named.

  Though while weapons were not authorized, the oath did not say anything about armor, so they were still wearing their respective armors, ensuring they wouldn’t be completely defenseless.

  Adem poked Valen’s side, breaking him out of his meditation.

  “Meowster, it is time.”

  He thanked his companion, and stood up, looking around. Every Hunter that had been recruited for the assault was tense. The great majority of them never participated in such an operation, and only faced monsters, but so it was for Valen too, and he had the responsibility to lead it as well.

  He took a deep breath to calm his nerves then firmed his stance.

  “Attention everybody!” he called, causing every Hunter to look at him. “I know that it is an important task that you have been assigned to. And that some of you may have to take drastic measures to ensure the success of the operation… But remember that they are truly our enemies. Those we are about to face do not care about making sure that we do not upset the ecosystem. They simply hunt for joy or greed. They would not care if the environment collapsed around them as long as they got a benefit out of it, as fleeting as it may be… So to that effect we must ensure that we do not reach this stage, and that comes with striking them down so hard that every future poacher becomes scared of the potential consequences if they ever come back! Remember this… And you will find the will to fulfill your oath, which states before anything else, to safeguard the ecosystem!”

  A split second passed, before a huge roar of approval resounded in response to Valen’s speech, and he could visibly see the effects of it. They were no longer as tense, and were more confident in their abilities. Valen felt a bit disgusted though, he knew that some people would die today, this was a fact, some people would rather make a suicidal attempt at escape than submit the consequences of capture, and even if only one hunter did not hesitate at such a moment, he knew he would be responsible for it. But then he remembered that he would rather that a poacher die than one of the Hunters accompanying them does, so he figured that it balanced out.

  Jake came to Valen, and patted his shoulder.

  “Good speech, rest assured that you probably made our goal just a bit easier thanks to that… I joined in on a couple of these raids a long time ago… They are messy, but necessary.”

  “I know… Doesn’t stop me from feeling dirty because of this,” Valen replied softly.

  “Take solace that it might be the only one you will do if we succeed properly. The New World’s future is at stake, remember.”

  Valen closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded.

  “Thank you… I am surprised you aren’t a Knight actually.”

  “I did not want the extra paperwork. I was offered the position once but refused it. Be glad that you have such few responsibilities, undoubtedly you would regret your decision before long back in the Old World.”

  Valen nodded. Then a holler from the ship’s captain put an end to their conversation. They had spotted the cave entrance, and that only meant that the time for the raid to start was at hand. Everybody immediately went into their designated position, lower ranked hunters would man the siege weapons on board of the ship and keep it safe from attacks, while the higher ranked ones would be the one that would participate in the raid proper, following Valen in his attack.

  They entered the cave in silence, an eerie moment that stretched, the anticipation only building up as they progressed further in… Valen observed several Hunters being antsy, having nervous ticks or shuffling on their feet. Adem himself seemed to be apprehensive, but Valen knew that his palico would make sure to guard his back every step on their way, covering his weak angles.

  Eventually, they saw a light further inside, and not long after, they could recognize what was definitely a makeshift dock, which had a ship already moored. There was a lot of activity as they seemed to be loading everything they could on the ship… Which confirmed their suspicions that they were packing everything up to move their headquarters. And meant that they caught them in the middle of it.

  It did not take long for one of them to spot the Argosy and shout to raise the alarm. Frantically, they all scrambled out, dropping whatever they were carrying, more than surely to go gather their weapons.

  “Now!” Valen shouted and whistled for his Wingdrake. They only brought a handful of them, but if they could stop them from being able to form an organized defense, it would be enough.

  He latched on the winged monster, who carried him the short distance to the dock. Behind him Jake and a couple of the most experienced hunters followed. While they were flying, he heard explosions and whistling coming from the Argosy, which was firing their siege weapons to destroy the ones situated around the poacher’s dock. By some incredible timing or negligence, none of these were manned, and quickly enough, they were all reduced to scrap. He dropped off in front of the only exit out of the cave he could see, drawing his weapon and standing menacingly, soon enough joined by Jake, who covered his back.

  “Surrender and you will not be harmed!” Valen shouted, as a couple poachers were blocked off by him, no weapons in hand.

  They seemed to be panicking, but after a quick look around and realizing that they had no chance, they put their hands in the air and laid down. Soon enough, all of those that were busy loading the ship realized this as well, and a good part of them followed suit.

  However some did not want to accept that, and charged recklessly towards Valen, without anything in hand, but the hunters accompanying him subdued them and knocked them out.

  Once the few resisting were taken care of, they knew the docks were secured. Valen turned around and faced his group.

  “We push on, let's try to secure the armory.” The others nodded, and they started running through the tunnel, meeting nobody on their way… Until they reached the next room.

  The poachers seemed to be starting to gather up in this room, which seemed to be a storage area, with clear signs that it was being emptied. Half a dozen poachers faced them, raising their weapons in defiance. Though Valen could clearly see that they weren’t confident in fighting the Hunters, a couple were even shaking.

  The group did not waste time, and with coordination borne of experience, rushed them. Valen managed to stun the first one of them with a side blow on her head, making her collapse on the ground. He backed off to avoid the retaliatory strikes by the others, and soon enough his companions joined him, presenting a united front against the poachers.

  A quick skirmish ensued, however the poachers were starting to manage a proper response, as a few reinforcements quickly ran in, replacing those that fell. Valen knew that if his group made too many mistakes, disaster would strike.

  And eventually, one of them did, he did not realize that he had been separated from them, and a Poacher took the opportunity, attempting to backstab him with his Dual Blades.

  Valen was too busy with his opponent, a Lance user that was refusing to offer a window of opportunity.

  However, before he could attempt to disengage, another of his partnered hunters kicked his opponent down with a warcry, then rushed towards the poacher, who got surprised by the reckless move, and managed to stab him in the back. He gurgled, then dropped on the ground, dead from his heart having been pierced.

  And this was the scene that the reinforcements coming from the ship came to, immediately rushing to support Valen’s group, which now presented a solid front. The hunter that had stabbed his opponent in defense of his partner seemed to be completely shocked and was staring at the poacher he had just killed.

  Once Valen finally managed to knock out his opponent by an attack made in desperation once the poachers realized the tide had turned, he walked up to the hunter and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Do not focus on the life you have just taken. Remember the life that you have just saved. You have this luxury, I did not, I only had myself to save.”

  This seemed to snap the hunter out of his stupor, and he looked at Valen, before nodding.

  “Thank you Sky Piercer… You are right, but I don’t think I can fight anymore.”

  “It has been enough. I believe it will be a quick affair now.”

  And he was right, soon enough, the rest of the poachers surrendered, all of their fighting forces having been disabled, and those that remained were non combatants… Which meant that their base was fully secure and controlled by the hunters from the Fifth Fleet. And that, Valen believed, meant the end of the poachers’ operations in the New World.