"I never expected you'd pick a quest right after being given the permission"
"We are the hunting club, that's what we do"
"Couldn't you wait until the rest of the members knew the good news?"
"Don't get stuck on the little details, let's just enjoy the hunt!"
"... Right..."
The moment I was given my new guild card Jason registered our team for a nest extermination. Right now we were riding our beasts in the middle of the forest. Like before, Isabella was riding Twilight with me while Jason was with his wolf.
"So, what are we hunting?"
"They are called razor monkeys. Their sharp fur hardens at the sight of danger making them living blades. They are not too big, but they hunt in packs and they are pretty resistant to magic and sharp weapons"
"If they are resistant to our blades and magic are we supposed to shoot them all down? Is that the reason you're carrying those bags?"
Isabella pointed at the pair of green leather bags that Jason had hanging on the sides of his wolf.
"The fact that they're hard to kill doesn't make them invulnerable. We can get rid of them with these bad boys as long as we follow the plan"
Isabella and I exchanged confused looks.
"What plan?"
Before Jason could answer, he raised his hand, signaling us to stop.
"We are close; look at those leaves; they are shining, aren't they?"
We both looked in the direction he was pointing to, and we noticed the pieces of silver fur stuck in the leaves and bodies of the surrounding trees.
"You're right. Wow, this really feels like hunting! It's my first time so I don't know very well what to do, but this is getting me all hyped up!"
Her childish smile made me chuckle a bit, it was honestly too adorable when she also clutched her fists up as if she was preparing herself for what was about to come.
"I'm glad you are enjoying this, but don't get distracted, anything can happen in the wild"
"For now, let's hear your plan"
*
The nest was right in front of us. There were around 15 or 20 tiny monkeys with silver fur running and jumping from one branch to another. They were all scattered, but there was a certain place where they were gathering fruits and meat from other monsters.
Jason and I were also in branches, but we were higher enough to not be noticed by the razor monkeys. Jason had disguised our scent with a strange perfume that smelled like puke.
I'm getting a long shower after this...
"You see that one with golden hair on the head? He's the alpha. We have to take him down first"
"It looks like they are a pretty organized group, is it because of him?"
"Yeah, they are monkeys but they are as smart as goblins if not a bit more"
"All right then, let's just wait for the signal"
As I said that, a bright white star erupted from the ground.
"There she is"
I quickly grabbed my sword and gun and launched myself into a free fall. While falling I aimed at the alpha monkey and shot and first bullet. His tiny neck exploded by the force of my Pacifier, leaving nothing but chunks of brain meat and bones all around his numb corpse. The monkeys were desperate to find the one responsible for taking down their leader, and they soon found out it was me the moment I landed on the center of their pack.
With a swirl of my toes I decapitated the monkeys protecting the food. Once another 5 of them were killed the monkeys hardened their fur and became hostile.
"I'll be taking this"
With the help of one of Jason's bags I stole the goods and started to sprint away from the monkeys. Their mad shrieks were constantly at the back of my head as a persecution took place. I kept running and dodging their attacks for a while until I was able to see Isabella a few meters ahead of me. Her palms were holding an orb of light.
"This better work"
I saved my gun and jumped to a branch in front of me, then I threw a kick that allowed me to climb higher into the tree and faced the raging monkeys. Just like Jason said, cutting the monkeys with their fur hardened was hard. I learned that the moment my blade did nothing but slide against their bodies. I could smash them with brute force, but that would be waste of my sword and the materials that we could gather from them. For that same reason I'm not using my gun, the caliber is too powerful and it can turn them into messy peaces of meat.
Which is why we choose to follow our president's plan.
"Isabella!"
"Leave it to me!"
I covered my eyes the moment Isabella shot her orb to the monkeys. They all fell to the ground like rain while howling in confusion and agony as they realized that they became temporarily blind.
I followed up her assistance with my magic, I trapped all the monkeys twisting on the ground and gather them together in a single place.
"Throw them now, rookie!"
Isabella took a couple of purple pouches out of her pants and threw them to the monkeys. The moment they touched the monkeys a dome of dirt imprisoned them. They screamed for a while until silence reached our ears.
The dome disappeared, and with that, the presence of our president came to our eyes.
"Well done rookies, that was a very nice job all things considered"
There were a pile of corpses on his back, presumably the ones that I killed at the beginning of the hunt.
"I honestly didn't think you would be the kind of hunter that uses poison"
"You have to use everything at your disposal to success in the wild. This is also the best method to keep a high income and replenish our resources. Now help me get these monkeys on the beasts"
Isabella reached my side and hugged my arm.
"How was your first hunt?"
"If this is how it's going to be from now on, I think I'm going to enjoy this club!"
She smiled and winked at me, my heart jumped a bit by the adorable gesture but I quickly disposed the feeling.
"I'm glad to hear that... Let's do as the president says, it's getting dark"
She noticed my change of demeanor and nodded with a quiet voice, I walked forward and forced her to let go of my arm.
"Right..."
A strange atmosphere surrounded us for the entirety of the packing. Jason noticed this, but chose to remain silent.
I'm sorry Isabella, but I have to put some limits, I can't stand having Veronica worrying about us...
*
On our way back, the president and I stopped our beasts. We both noticed that something was off.
"Dominique, can you feel it?"
"Yes, something or someone is watching us"
"And it must be quite strong given the silence of the white forest"
"You're right... Take Isabella and the goods and leave this place, I'll deal with our stalker"
I got off Twilight, Isabella tried to do the same but I stopped her.
"I'm not leaving you behind!"
"Yes you are. This is not up for negotiation"
My response surprised Isabella, this was the first time that I had to use such an authoritarian tone with her, and she wasn't sure on how to respond.
"Jason?"
When she acknowledged that it was impossible for her to change my mind, she turned to our president.
"... This time we should be the ones listening to him, Isabella. Whatever this thing is, the two of us are no match, but if it's the black knife, then that's another story"
"Are you seriously agreeing with that?! How can you not see that he is also in danger?!"
Isabella was not just worried, at this point, she was screaming out of range.
"You know it's not the same, he can kill that thing. But us? We would only get in the way. That is if it doesn't kill us first"
"... You're serious..."
"I told you, you never know what can happen in the wild"
Jason grabbed the ropes of Twilight and have them to Isabella, she received them reluctantly. I got closer to my drake and grabbed her head against mine.
"Twilight, get her to the guild, protect her with your life"
"Grrrk..."
When I released her from my grip I looked at both of them one last time.
"I'll meet you later, trust me"
Jason nodded, and Isabella, she just looked down to try to hide her tears. I turned around and prepared my weapons as the sound of footsteps became a far concern.
"Oi! Isabella, wait! Come back!"
Listening to the shouting I angrily turned back.
"How many times do you want me to- hmph?!"
My words were cut down by the sudden pressure imposed against my lips. There was a soft sensation on both my face and chest, my mind went blank for a second before realizing what was happening.
Isabella is... Kissing me?!
And it wasn't just a simple kiss, she made sure to leave a deep impression of her lips on mine. When she separated from me and looked me in the eye I was able to see the crystal tears still running down her cheeks.
"If you die here I'm telling your girlfriend how we kissed!"
"Huh?!"
Without giving me a second to react properly, Twilight apperead and took Isabella away from me as I ordered. Jason was also in shock but he quickly change his mood into an uncontrollable laugh.
"Holy damn!!! You're crazy girl!! But I like it, you gotta meet my girlfriend, she will love you!"
"Not the moment, prez!!!"
They soon disappeared from my sight, leaving me with nothing but confusion.
Oh my god... Veronica can never know of this...
Just as the presence became clearer, a great dread landed on the back of my head.
"Well... I guess I'm using you to clear my mind for today"