The trading route to Herdial.
The gap between two rail heads for steam trains that cannot be bridged while the wyverns run amok.
It would have to be bridged by merchant convoys.
Hikari drew her bow.
Wyverns circled the skies above the caravan, raining down fire from above.
Ria hugged her boot tightly.
The rest of the caravan huddled against the walls of the ravine.
They took their horses with them. The wyvern's favourite food.
Their wagons were covered in fire-proofed skin.
Hikari releases her bow.
It misses.
But the wyverns around it were thrown off course.
It creates a brief pause in the bombardment.
"Now, my lady!"
Ria ran towards the ravine wall.
A RazenHeir knight covers her with his shield.
Hikari stands her ground.
Her lady hiding against the ravine wall meant that she could move freely.
The wyverns swoop in for another barrage.
Hikari dodges.
She blocks a fireball with her arm.
Her wyvern skin was resistant to its own flame.
She draws her bow as the wyverns pull up.
Release.
It misses.
She draws.
Just as the wyverns were pulling out of the ravine.
Her arrow hits the back of the wyvern.
It was knocked off course, spinning out of control.
Hikari draws her sword and dashed towards it.
The beast crashes against the Ravin wall.
Her arrow did not pierce the wyvern's back.
The force of her arrow only temporarily knocked it off balance.
It shakes off the stone.
It flaps its wings and takes off.
A volley of daggers pierces its right wing.
The beast shrieked in pain.
It stumbled mid air.
But it had to land.
A knight that matches its stature appeared behind it.
With a roar, it swings its tail.
The hardened skin on its tail makes it a formidable weapon.
It felt like it hit a rock.
It staggers.
The sound of boots skidding.
It opens its mouth.
Flames gather.
The wyvern skin knight bares her sword.
The RazenHeir flames flicker.
The wyvern releases its flames before they are fully formed.
Hikari blocks it with her arm.
The wyvern lifts its claw.
But it was too late.
The giantess knight drives her flaming sword through its throat.
It shrieked.
Its voice was broken.
Boom. It swung its claw but Hikari dodged.
It turns to sweep with its tail.
Hikari backs off.
A volley of fireballs from the wyverns diving down.
Hikari guards.
She stares into the teeth of a wyvern's mouth.
She slashes her sword right into the middle.
She feels it slash through flesh.
The beast shrieks.
It staggers but it flies off.
The injury to its mouth does not prevent its flight.
She dodges another wyvern's claw.
The pack pulls up out of the ravine.
Hikari turns back to her prey.
It was struggling to maintain its balance.
The RazenHeir flames burn away at its insides.
It staggers.
Thud!
It slams the ground with its claw.
Hissing as Hikari approaches.
Thud!
Thud!
Hikari stops.
She raises her sword, winds it around her neck.
She swings with the full force of her arm.
It cleaved through its neck.
…
"Good work Lady wyvern bane!"
Several rugged men armed with carving knives swarmed over the dead wyvern.
Like a well oiled machine, they took apart the wyvern like a piece of furniture.
The wings were first chopped off
Then the claws.
Incisions were made at even intervals along the main body.
Straight line cuts creating an even grid.
Ria stood behind Hikari and watched the show.
"Fans of yours? Lady Wyvern bane? I didn't hire them."
She nudged the giant boot.
"They just follow me."
The skin was removed, in equal sized sheets.
The fat was scrapped into jars.
The lean meat, chopped into slices that would fit into a cart.
The blood drained into jars.
The bones were broken apart with hammers,
They were to be ground into powder anyway.
Then the organs.
Carefully handled.
Each placed into a jar filled with salted water to preserve them.
Finally the core of the wyvern.
Glowing with deep golden orange.
A special chest was prepared.
The men used steel shovels to carry the burning core.
They held their breath as the core was lowered into the chest.
The foreman, tanned muscles, a rugged grey tank top fraying at the sides, both arms tattooed.
He walked up to Hikari holding up a piece of paper.
His helper pushed the cart of lean meat and wyvern skin behind him.
"Good work. Please sign here." He held up a paper and an ink press the size of his palm.
It was big enough to fit Hikari's finger.
The wyvern skin on her hand rolls back.
The giantess bends down
"Hold on. Let me see that."
The hulky man was at first taken aback at the sudden, soft invisible high pitched voice.
He noticed the short and skinny Ria staring up at him.
"This is not for children, run along now." He dismissively waved his hand at Ria.
Then one of his henchmen whispered in his ear.
His expression changed.
"Ahem. Forgive my rudeness, Young Lady RazenHeir. Shame on me for forgetting that the esteemed lady of the house has a modest stature."
Ria held out her gloved hand. "I'm actually of marriageable age, I'll have you know. The paper please."
The man rolled his eyes, pulled his collars with his finger, visibly sweating.
"For our carving services, the RazenHouse accepts that they would research the meat and skin of the wyvern. The remainder of the wyvern will go wholly to the carving house."
Ria tears the paper into two and glared at the foremen.
" So, this is how you have been ripping off our knight."
"Well- I'm sure we can…"
The foreman nervously wipes his sweat.
"The price of their services need not conform to the exchange rates in a place several dozen miles from here. As I see it, they were merely creating value from a slain wyvern that your knight would have discarded anyway."
A smartly dressed young man.
His voice was meek, requiring him to forcefully project it.
Short, modestly built like her.
He was only half a head taller.
Ria turned to face him.
"So you admit that their claim on the share of the spoils is actually far more favourable than that of either the Moradlae or Herdial grand exchange. Far more favourable than the rates of carving houses in the adventurer's guilds."
"I am merely stating that we have yet to appraise the goods."
The young man shrugs.
"I already have. The cart of skin is worth 2000G on the Herdial grand exchange, perhaps 1500G at least on the Moradale exchange. The fat, conservatively, 2500G. The horns, 1000G. The fresh organs, 4000G at least. On the other hand, the meat would have to be consumed tonight so lets say 50G, a full meal for an entire convoy. while the core could fetch well over 5000G. I have done many transactions to ascertain that number."
Ria retorts.
"I stand by my point. You don't seem equipped to carve up a wyvern and transport it yourself. And if you leave it, it would just become salvage. Free for any passerby to claim."
"'Not equipped to transport' you say. Bring it out!"
The RazenHeir foot soldiers removed the riggings on a cart and removed the tarp covering it.
There were gasps amongst the onlookers as a huge bag carved with the symbol of the spire tower.
The young man took a few moments to recover from his astonishment.
"Pptttttffff" he let out a mocking laugh.
"A subspace pouch? Please. That is the stuff of legend."
"Oh? Yet you know of it. You don't believe the RazenHeir house has the connections to obtain such an artifact?"
The boy rolled his eyes uncomfortably, glancing back at the angry glares of the carvers.
"Even so, the cost of maintaining its enchantments would far exceed the sale of the wyvern parts. You would be taking a hefty loss just to prove a point."
"What could I do, the negotiations are breaking- aaahhh!"
Hikari pinched the back of her cloak and lifted her up. The armour pieces on her torso opened up, swallowing Ria before sealing themselves back together.
The carvers and onlookers were silent, their jaws wide open at what they just witnessed. Noses were bleeding, pants were under pressure. None could utter intelligible words at the sight they just witnessed.
"Good sir, have you really been ripping me off?"
The foreman flinched, sweating profusely.
"Uh.. I suppose… I haven't been quite forthcoming with you…. "
…
The rest of the journey was uneventful.
They reached the town at the end of the ravine.
The guards took several glances at Hikari and allowed the RazenHeir convoy through without incident.
The town was bustling with activity.
Herdial troops in their light brown uniforms everywhere.
Drilling. Cleaning their muskets.
Steam tanks lined up along the road.
Massive hunks of steel with wide tracks.
They were up to her stomach.
She's not confident she could lift them.
Troops load coals into a steam core installed on its back.
Crates of supplies were loaded in from the side.
The gunner cleans the cannon installed on its top.
It looks like an invasion is being prepared.
An officer walked up to them.
"The hearthstone emblem" Ria whispered.
"Ah, you must be the RazenHeirs. Please, allow me to show you to your allotted campsite."
"Could we see the sealed letter?"
"Of course." The officer took out a sealed envelope and handed it to Ria.
They reached their camping area. It was little more than an open ground marked out by wooden stakes.
"I guess they were serious about us bringing our own tentage equipment."
The RazenHeir troops unpacked their equipment.
A mobile forge, kitchen, triage tent and rune workshop.
All to support Hikari along with a dozen scouts, another dozen riflemen to guard the encampment.
Three knights as Ria's personal body guard.
Hikari sets up her tent.
It had
Hikari sat down and began meditating.
She still needs to stabilize her mana flow from the titan shard.
An hour later, she heard Ria's voice coming from outside.
"Hikari! Shall we cook the wyvern meat?"
Hikari's stomach growled.
"Sure"
The wyvern meat cracked and sizzled over the fire.
Hikari sat in front of it, laser focused on every minute change in texture.
The smell of spices, the dripping fat. Her mouth watered as she impatiently poked the meat with her throwing dagger.
Ria sat down beside Hikari who was still focusing on the wyvern.
A few minutes passed.
Suddenly, a hissing sound could be heard. Hikari immediately snuffed out the flames.
Using her throwing dagger, she carved out a piece and dropped it into her mouth.
Ria watched her every movement.
She could sense a feeling of bliss from the giantess.
"It's ready."
Ria stabs her knife into the roast.
It was tough.
Hikari lowered her plate.
She cut out a piece, pressing down on it with the blunt side of her knife to soften it.
Ria accepts it.
She takes a bite.
It was soft enough for her front teeth to sink in.
They ate.
She felt a little guilty.
Even as a noble house, getting enough meat to feed a giant her size would be a challenge.
She snuggled up to Hikari.
Badum! Badum! Hikari's overwhelming heartbeat as she leaned on her leg.
It was warm.
"Ria. what now?"
"I'll be meeting the general. As for you, rest much as much as you can. I think you will be fighting a lot really soon."
Hikari bites into her steak, yanking out a piece that was the size of Ria's chest.
Ria was still struggling with hers.
She cuts up her steak into thinner slices.
Beating it with her knife to soften it further.
"Ria."
"Yes?"
"The pouch."
"Shh!" a sharp whisper. "The ruse won't work anymore if you tell."