"Never mind the fight for now. I only have one question." Lambert swept her soaked, wind-tangled shoulder-length hair back with one hand and pointed at the towering ancient stone structure ahead with the other.
"The 'date' is at the top of the Tower, right? How exactly are we supposed to get up there?"
"Naturally, we climb," the Wyverian Diva replied matter-of-factly.
Lambert looked up at the Tower, fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Is there any chance we could call an Airship to drop us off at the top?
"I feel as if climbing all the way up might leave me short of breath when it is time to sing. That would be terribly rude to our esteemed audience."
Altaïr: "..."
He suddenly remembered the day Lambert took the examination to become an official Hunter, when she had insisted on hiring a carriage just to reach the hunting grounds outside the city.
She really could be lazy at times.
"That one dislikes Airships getting too close." The Wyverian Diva was usually accommodating, at times almost indulgent, but she did not humor Lambert this time.
"There are stairs inside the Tower. Keep climbing until you reach the top. You may encounter Monsters along the way, but do not panic. The 'King's' messenger will go ahead with Mr. Altaïr and keep your path safe."
"The 'King's' messenger?" Altaïr repeated.
Suddenly, a chill swept over the group, and frost crept across the moss-covered stone blocks around them.
Already soaked through by the rain on the journey there, everyone shivered and hunched against the cold.
Altaïr looked toward the source of the chill. A dreamlike silhouette stood at the top of the long staircase leading to the Tower's entrance.
Its fur was the deep purple of the night sky, and its smooth mane billowed in the fierce wind, shimmering with faint, starlike glimmers.
It was a Kirin, though a rare subspecies wholly unlike the legendary sacred beast said to possess pale cyan skin and a pure white mane.
It raised its head and gave a long neigh. Light flickered along its amethyst-like horn, and the storm intensifying around the Tower abated slightly.
The Kirin seemed to be using its power to suppress the storm. As the temperature plummeted, the warm raindrops drifting on the wind turned to white snow.
"Achoo!" Sajji sneezed softly, rubbed his nose, and muttered, "This is even worse than the rain, meow..."
Altaïr instinctively rested a hand on his sword hilt as sweat beaded on his forehead.
One Kushala Daora was already enough to give him a headache. Now a completely unfamiliar Kirin subspecies had appeared as well.
Professor, you've really landed me with quite a job...
"Are you sure it is on our side?" Altaïr whispered, seeking confirmation from the Wyverian Diva.
"Probably," the Wyverian Diva replied with an enigmatic smile. "Come, young ones. We have little time."
"You will not be joining us?" the Young Diva of Mezeporta asked, slight unease in her voice.
The Wyverian Diva gave a small shake of her head. "This is your performance. Bringing even one Hunter as a bodyguard is already a transgression. If more people trespass into the Tower, they will only invite the 'King's' displeasure.
"Use your gifts well. This will be a night you never forget."
"Let's go." Lambert hoisted her Hunting Horn and strode forward first, stepping onto the long staircase leading to the Tower's entrance.
"Hey! Are you sure you don't need us to come along?" Chia called after her.
Lambert waved without looking back. She looked less as though she were heading to a performance and more as though she intended to crack that strange Kirin's skull open by herself.
The Young Diva followed without hesitation, lifting her rain- and mud-soaked skirt hem as she stayed close beside Lambert.
Altaïr sighed, left Sajji with the Wyverian Diva to guard her, and set off with Shalan to catch up with the two women ahead.
All he could do now was pray. Pray that everything would unfold exactly as the Wyverian Diva had promised, pray that the Kushala Daora high overhead would not attack them, and pray that the dark Kirin would clear any threats from their path up the Tower.
Otherwise... they might not live through the night of the full moon.
—--
They climbed nearly a hundred flights of stone steps in what seemed like the blink of an eye. The Kirin watched in silence until Altaïr, the two Divas, and Shalan the Felyne stood before it.
Every muscle in Altaïr's body tensed.
Of course he was nervous. The base species already carried a 7★ Danger Rating, and the unusual subspecies before them was likely even more dangerous.
If it truly meant them harm, he had little chance of fending it off alone.
"What are you still standing there for? Weren't you supposed to lead the way? Get moving!" Lambert yelled at the Kirin.
She sounded recklessly bold, but the tremor at the end of her words betrayed that she was not entirely unafraid.
It seemed more as though she were using the bravado to bolster her own courage...
The dark Kirin neither moved aside nor attacked. It simply gazed at them with crimson eyes that had no visible pupils.
As if observing. As if judging.
"Allow me," the Young Diva of Mezeporta said as she stepped forward.
Humming a wordless melody reminiscent of birdsong in the forest, she approached the dark Kirin one step at a time.
The Kirin tilted its head and studied her, apparently surprised by her boldness.
After holding its gaze for a moment, the Young Diva extended one slender hand. The dark Kirin actually lowered its head slightly and allowed her to stroke its cheek twice.
The clear gesture of goodwill made Altaïr exhale in relief.
It seemed they had passed the first hurdle.
Lambert's eyes sparkled. She imitated the Young Diva, humming softly as she approached, then reached out and stroked the Kirin's neck.
Only Altaïr remained where he was, his gaze slightly lowered.
He had a strong premonition that if he dared to lay a hand on it as casually as those two had, he would be frozen solid. Successfully touching the dark Kirin's sleek, icy hide, meanwhile, had emboldened Lambert.
She pressed harder and vigorously tousled the mane billowing along the side of its neck, just as she used to when roughhousing with Hibiki.
"Good boy, good boy. This Tower is pretty tall, though. Mind giving us a lift?"
She certainly meant no offense. Didn't the old legends go something like that? Kirin were said to favor pure maidens and sometimes carry them to the summit of the Snowy Mountains to bask in the aurora, or something along those lines.
Granted, she had slain countless Monsters and was often regarded as a madwoman by those dull, ordinary people.
Still, strictly speaking, she counted as a "pure maiden"... right?
The Kirin stared at her for a second with its crimson eyes, then snorted.
Its breath, laden with fine ice crystals, became a frigid blast that flipped Lambert onto her back. Frost clung to her face, her clothes, and even the ends of her hair.
Altaïr: "..."
Dazed by the cold, Lambert lay rigid on the steps, her mind blank for a moment. Furious, Shalan sprang onto her chest and swung both of her little paws, slapping Lambert's face back and forth several times.
Once Lambert's frozen cheeks had loosened a little, Shalan pried her mouth open, poured a Hot Drink down her throat, and immediately pushed a Nulberry between her teeth. She continued scolding Lambert without pause as she helped her swallow.
"Damn it, are you crazy, meow?! That is an Oroshi Kirin, meow! An Elder Dragon subspecies with an 8★ Danger Rating! Eight stars, meow!
"Do you think it is a Palamute, meow? You asked it for a ride! If its master were not still waiting for you to sing, one sneeze would have frozen you solid, meow!"
The Oroshi Kirin held its head high, gave Lambert a disdainful sidelong glance as she lay sprawled on the steps, then turned and strode toward the Tower's entrance.
The Young Diva hurried to help the still-groggy Lambert to her feet. Shalan sprang up and kicked Lambert in the rear.
"It is leading the way, meow! Hurry up and follow it, meow!"
* * *
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