Anxiety rippled through Kuve's bones as he read the summon, followed quickly by blood churning addrenaline.
"Ha! As if it'll stand a chance!" He murmered.
Part 1 Cocked and Loaded
Jakeb walked the dirt road that lead to Kokoto villiage. He whipped his brown hair out of his eyes that were cut in the Genprey style. It was a long trip form Jumbo villiage and his feet ached. When he saw the villiage sign his pace quicked. It seemed the its fame had grown considerably since his last visit, hunters flocked to Kokoto ever since Kuve's victory over the evil Fatalis was advertised everywhere. Jakeb moved amung the hunters and almost got pushed squarley into a particularily large one dressed in a Diablos set. But something glitterey and erotic caught his eye. A very beautiful woman was talking to another equaly attractive woman on a bench infront of the Gathering hall, but his heart only faltered a little when he reconized her as Saffron. Who could forget her vuluptiuos face, her bright blue eyes, her brown hair which was reminisint of a Kirin's tail and her ever constant smile? She was wearing a plain white shirt with some "Blue pants" typical hunter "lazy gear" as he called it.
"Hey Jakeb! Over here!" She yelled.
As he neared their table he nodded to the pretty lady who lived down the road.
"How nice to see you again,Kuve's waitng for you, come on, I'll lead."
Saffron lead the way down the dirt path dodging other hunters in the way and knocked on the wooden door and Kuve's joyous face appeared. Kuve was a fairly young hunter, actually Kuve, Kakeb, Saffron and Kuve's friend Olvir were all around their twenties with Kuve oldest. Kuve was one of the best hunters Jakeb knew. In fact he repelled Lao-Shan-Lung at the fortress with several other hunters from the Guild.
"Jakeb! Its been a while! Come in!". Kuve shouted as he shook his brown hair out of his face, which he wore with a single braid. He and Jakeb knocked fists, he then kissed his wife on the cheek, with a flirtatitious giggle from Saffron. She winked at him as she walked to the north wing of the house. As Jakeb walked in, he almost wet himself at the sight of the Legendary Black Dragon, Fatalis as it stared back at him over Kuve's bed.
"What do you keep that thing there? To scare off any potential visitors?" He almost yelled.
"Nah, it's just that I'd never worked my hardest to kill that thing..." Kuve said as he put his arm on its snout. "Olvir and I nearly died trying to kill him. But noooo Olvir had to sit on that ledge while I did all the work! He got all of his guts and stuff..but I got his HEAD!" Kuve laughed as he knocked the head with a fist making its bright pink tounge loll out.
"When IS Olvir coming?"
"He should be here by now actually...I guess he's just fallen off a mountian side again" Kuve laughed again.
"Kuve, THAT WAS YOUR FAULT HE FELL!"
"Oh yeah...my bad..."
Once Jakeb finally ripped his eyes from Fatalis' head he looked around. A Genprey hide in perfect condition decorated the floor, a familiar, glittering silver sword was placed in a trophy case with it's shield counterpart hung above it, never improved beyond its original state, in fact the entire house seemed to be a museum of Kuve's achievments.
"We're actually waiting for one more person." Kuve said.
"Who?"
"A friend of mine from Pokke Villiage. Her name is Drakina. She's quite the hunter."
"Better than me? " Saffron appeared again.
"Have you slayed a Gold Rathian?" Kuve challenged with a sly smile. Saffron threw a dirty rag at him while he chuckled. "Come, make yourself at home."
At that exact moment a loud thumping noise was heard at the door. Olvir strode into the house, with the top of his melohoa bloom hat just barely grazing the ceiling and his sand coloured shaggy hair spilling out from under the bottom. Kuve and Olvir hugged briefly and Olvir punched him good naturely in the chest.
"That pretty lady behind your house really hit it off with that love stricken guy didn't she?" Olvir said with a wink.
"Ok, we're all here lets sit down to some food then? You can tell us what's changed in Dondruma."
"But what about Drakina?" Jakeb asked.
"Nah, she'll come tomorrow, its a long journey from the Snowy Mountians especially if the Elder Dragon Observation Center Balloon is taking her. Plus, what is some poor Yian Guruga had the thought of making her its lunch?"
Kuve walked into his Felyne Kitchen which was hustling and bustling with noise and commotion. A jet black Felyne walked past him followed by a troop of others holding an array of dishes. Once everyone was settled down and bulging with food. Kuve addressed his friends.
"I have grave news." Kuve said solemly. He felt all life drain from the room as he let it sink in. Saffron belched.
"I'm serious guys... We are all very threatened."
"What is it, Kuve?" Jakeb nervously asked.
"Rest assured this is no simple Rathalos, I could take a Rathalos, even two, maybe even two azure Rathalos... but this foe is nothing to be laughed at. Actually the Guild Knights already tried fending it off..."
The hairs on the back of Kuve's neck stood on end.
"So what does this thing actually look like? Er actually, WHAT IS IT?" Olvir demanded.
"From what I gethered from a combination of the injured Guild Knights and the summon I recieved, it's called 'Shen Gaoren' it's a many legged giant with an equaly giant monster's skull on it's back."
"Sounds like a giant centipede with...I dunno a Gravios skull..." Murmered Olvir.
"Sounds like a giant Carpaceon is more like it." Saffron said sipping a tankard of mead.
"Well yeah but I wonder what the skull is..." Agreed Kuve.
"So you guys have fun with that." Jakeb said, as if the matter was closed.
"Oh no, you're coming with us." Saffron whispered across the table, peering darkly at him.
"You can't make me go! I won't go!" Jakeb yelled.
"Every able bodied hunter in the vicinity MUST come." She said flatly.
"But I can't even hunt a stinking Gypceros...!"
"You risk expulsion from the guild! Yes! It's THAT important!" Saffron yelled back at him.
Expulsion. Jakeb wasn't a regular hunter, it simply didn't interest him. But at least he didn't bring down his comrades with this negativity. He wasn't that great either. He could take down an Aptonoth, maybe even two or three Velociprey. Even then expulsion is a great shame not only to himself but the looks he would get from other people.
"Uh...fine then, but I'm not about to hack at this thing with a Hunter's Dagger." Jakeb said when he contemplated the consequences. "Which is why you'll be completely out the way." said Kuve with a quick look at Olvir who looked like he was about to laugh. "Here, take this." Kuve went back to his bedroom and came back with one of the lamest bows Jakeb had ever seen.
"I'm to use a bow? And that shoddy thing?!" He cried. True, it looked pretty flimsy and really uninteresting. It was just a long deep red stick with a slight curve and a bowstring attached, with a little decroative cloth on the handle. But Kuve seemed furious when Jakeb said this.
"This was carved entirely by hand from the single horn of Lao-Shan-Lung himself! It's called Dragon Bow Mountian."
"Oh..."
Kuve turned towards Olvir who had kept quiet throught the meal, although he kept trying to catch Saffron's eye.
"So you'll take point as gunner?" Kuve asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah of course...like old times." Olvir laughed and continued. "Which reminds me, heard anything from ol' Kelbi Heels, Jakeb?"
"You mean Jasfar from Dondruma?" replied Jakeb who seemed uncomfortable now that the attention was directed back at him.
"Yes, the one who lives BESIDE YOU." Olvir said sarcasticly.
"Oh erm, nothing, actually, I think he's going to the fortress as well."
"I look forward to it." Kuve seemed irritated that the focous of the conversation was slipping. "So now that we've got that out of the way, you guys can take our bed, er...one takes the bed another, the floor that is. We'll pitch a tent in the back near the Monoblos shell. Drakina should be here mid-afternoon tomorrow."
"So when are we leaving?" asked Jakeb.
"The day after tomorrow. We need time to get ready, get our equipment tuned up, get some supplies, say goodbye..."
After a long time no one said anything. Jakeb looked nervous, but that would be an understatement. Olvir looked almost angry. And Saffron looked hopeful. Kuve felt a shiver of shame for making his friends feel this way.
"Alright then, you guys arrange yourselves however you want, Saffron and I will head out back." Kuve said finally. He left the room quickly and respectively, followed shortly by Saffron.
Olvir didn't sleep that night, in fact, no one did. He laid in Kuve's bed slipping back and forth between mid-awakness and dellusional dreams of Kuve's head on the back of a Hermitaur. He got out of bed when he got sick of these cycles. He silently crept over to Kuve's bookshelf as not to wake Jakeb who wasn't sleeping anyway, but feigned it anyway. He was looking for anything that would yeild information on preparing himself for Shen Gaoren. A thick purple volume caught his eye through the moonlight. "An Elder Dragon Reference" by Jon Arthur it said on the spine. Shen Gaoren certianly seemed like an Elder Dragon, but Olvir stopped when he realized that it would be classified as a Carpaceon. He put the book back and got back into bed dreading the rest of that sleepless night.
"Saffron, I simply can't stand anymore ridiculous dreams about Olvir's head acting as a shell for a Daiymo! I need my rest!" Kuve protested outside in the tent.
"Kuve, lay down in your sleeping bag, besides, we might need as much of those incase we need to safely tranquilize something on the way there." Saffron said soothingly.
"I'm sorry but I need to." Kuve turned and reached for a turquiose plant. He put it whole in his mouth and swallowed. He leaned over to kiss Saffron but the sleep medicine took effect too fast and made his head slump on her chest. Saffron looked down at Kuve at wept a single, silver tear.