I leapt off the Black Gravios as it lost its balance. My black armor, made from the monster's fellows, absorbed the impact as the monster and I hit the ground. I drew my dual swords made from Zamtrios parts. With one thrust from my dual swords, I punctured the armor of the Black Gravios. It stopped writhing, letting out one last roar. I sheathed my swords. Another successful hunt.

Footsteps sounded behind me. "Thank you, brave hunter," the villager said. "I don't want to imagine what would've happened if that monster got any closer."

"Fret not, my good sir," I said, "for hunters such as myself will alw-"

I tripped over a rock in the path, stumbling out of my imagination and onto the dirt. Daydreaming would get you killed on the hunt. At least, that's what my uncle always told me. Sighing, I got to my feet, pushing my brown ponytail back over my shoulder. My actual armor, the basic stock sold in stores, looked worse for the wear. At least I only needed a few more mushrooms. After that, I could buy better armor, or maybe even a better pair of swords. The dull pair on my back certainly struggled to beat back the occasional Jaggi.

I turned my attention to the task at hand. A couple of small mushrooms grew out of a log nearby, catching my attention. "Hello, fungi." With a smile, I picked through the mushrooms. My smile faded after finding only one of the mushrooms I needed. "Eight down, two to go," I said with a sigh, putting the mushroom in my pack.

An aggressive roar caught my attention. Instinctively, I reached for my swords as I looked around. After several seconds of nothing, I relaxed with a deep breath. "Hey, you!" someone yelled. I turned around. A man wearing bulky red armor charged towards me. "You better start running!"

"What?" I asked. The man passed by me, jumping off a nearby ledge.

"Stay close!" A woman yelled. She came from the same direction the man did. Even though her armor looked like cold weather gear, she didn't break a sweat. She passed by as well, obviously following the man.

Confusion pinned me until I saw what they were running from. A large yellow wyvern charged along the path. A Tigrex, no doubt about it. Panic stayed my feet. The Tigrex mistook my fear for a challenge, stopping and roaring. That roar encouraged me to run.

I leapt off the ledge, hearing a clicking sound behind me. The hot breath told me I narrowly avoided a painful bite. I started sprinting the second my feet hit the ground. The ground vibrated as the Tigrex landed behind me. Adrenaline flooded my veins, forcing me to run faster. Something grabbed me, pulling me down a different path. The Tigrex roared, followed by the sound of the monster slamming into a large rock.

"Are you okay?" the woman from earlier asked. Her soft blue eyes matched her warm smile. I nodded, panting. "Think you can go a bit further?" I nodded again. "Follow me." The woman started running downhill towards a large clearing with me right on her heels. The Tigrex followed close behind. I risked a look behind. Saliva dripped from the Tigrex's maw. Panic gave way to another adrenaline burst. "Jump!"

Before I could ask why, my foot hit a tripwire. I tripped, sliding down the hill. The Tigrex slid past me, clawing the ground. As the Tigrex entered the clearing, the center of the ground opened up. I watched as the large monster fell into the giant hole. Soon afterwards, I entered the hole.

Inside, the hole was more like a large circular pit. The Tigrex took up about a third of the space. My eyes widened. A Tigrex and I were both in a large hole in the ground. The yellow monster regained its footing. I stood as well, drawing my swords. While the Tigrex was still disorientated, I moved to strike.

I raised my swords above my head, entering the Demonic Trance my uncle taught me. I ran towards the monster with a yell. The Tigrex leapt at me. I dashed under it, spinning around in time to see the wyvern slam into the wall. The tail was exposed as the Tigrex tried to regain its senses. I slashed at the tail. The Tigrex, head clear, spun in place. The tail slammed into my chest, sending me to the other side of the pit. I hit the wall before falling onto something wooden and then onto the ground. As I stood, dazed, the Tigrex charged me, its maw salivating as is closed the distance between us. The man in red armor fell from the sky, slamming a giant hammer directly on the Tigrex's head. "Get out of the blast zone!" the man yelled, running towards the nearest wall.

I grabbed the wooden object I fell on to prop me up. It appeared to be a large barrel. What the man yelled clicked in my head. I climbed the nearest wall, fearing the impending fireball. As I reached the top, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me over the edge. I heard a heavy bowgun fire once, followed by the large explosion. The Tigrex's final roar overpowered the blast's sound.

"Are you okay?" the woman said. She was still holding my hand.

"She's probably been through worse," the man said. He took off his helmet. Sweat dripped into his light brown eyes, though the man didn't notice. "I mean, taking on a Tigrex in that armor? She must be crazy good."

"I actually started hunting a couple of days ago," I said, standing and taking my hand back. "This is the most exciting thing I've done."

"Just crazy then," the man said with a friendly grin.

"It seems you two have made a new friend," another man said. He wore purple armor with an eye patch and carried a strange bowgun. "Let us introduce ourselves. My name is Falk."

"Call me Mace," the man in red armor said.

"Esmeralda," the woman said, "though you can call me Essa."

"I'm Alexandria," I said. "Thanks for the save."

"What are you doing out here?" Falk asked. His one eye moved up and down as he looked over me. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Looking for mushrooms," I said. I spotted several mushrooms nearby. "Like those ones." Before anyone could say anything, I ran towards the mushrooms and started picking.

"You say you just started hunting, correct?" Falk asked, following me.

"That's right," I said. "And that makes ten!" I placed the mushrooms in my bag.

"I'm surprised an amateur such as yourself knows about Demon mode," Falk said.

"What's that?" I asked, looking at my map.

Falk arched the eyebrow above his good eye. "You entered Demon mode before you engaged the Tigrex in battle."

"Oh, you mean Demonic Trance," I said. "Yeah, what about it?"

I caught the intrigue in Falk's eye. "Not many fresh hunters know about it."

"Well, I do," I said. "I don't want to be rude, but I have a job to turn in. Thanks again for saving my life." I started walking away.

"Hold a moment, Alexandria," Falk ordered. Something in his voice stopped my feet. "Do you really think I believe you are as fresh as you claim? You seem to be more experienced than you say."

"I said I've been an official hunter for a couple of days," I replied, turning around. "I never said I wasn't experienced."

"Wise words indeed," Falk said. He put his hand to his chin for a moment. Afterwards, he asked, "Alexandria, would you like to join us?"

"Join you how?" I asked.

"Join us aboard the Shrouded Sailor," Falk said. He gestured towards Mace and Essa. "I am offering you an invitation to join the crew."

My uncle warned me about grouping up with other hunters. "Stay away from other hunters," he would tell me. "You start working with other hunters, you start to get attached to them. That attachment leads to love, which leads to pain, which leads to stupid decisions, which leads to leaving your younger brother to take care of the daughter you didn't come home for. It isn't worth it." If it wasn't worth the risk, then my parents would still be alive.

"Let me just turn these mushrooms in first," I said with a smile. "Then you can take me to your ship."