Chapter 1. Introductions, hammers at work and talk of food.
"Have all the potions and items you need? If so, proceed to the departure gate to hop onto your designated boats and off you go to your specified hunting grounds. Have fun and be safe. Oh! And don't forget those whetstones" with a final smile and a cheerful wave the blond-haired Hilda watched as the fresh group of intrepid hunters walked off through the bustling marketplace, sporting their hide-and-bone armour and wyvern slaying weapon of choice strapped to their backs.
She sighed as she leaned backwards to stretch her back that had started to voice quite uncomfortable complaints about the long day spent behind the Guild's quest counter.
"You know…" she started, turning to the other guild "sweetheart" beside her, a dark-skinned beauty by the name of Miko, "I'm happy and all that we've gotten so many new recruits to heave 'n ho, but I wish they wouldn't all get the bright idea to go on a non-stop questing spree all at the same flipping time! I mean I've hardly been able to go on a bathroom break without some eager busy bee rattling the old summoning bell of doom!"
"Well, if you didn't fuss over them like a concerned mother hen you just might get some time to do something else besides sitting there and letting the queue build until it reaches the armoury" Miko replied with a faint smile.
"I can't really help it can I?" Hilda muttered, lifting her hands in the air in a surrendering manner, "I mean half of them are so new at the job that they wouldn't know a pickaxe from a greatsword, let alone embark on a journey to successfully slap around some poor flamboyant piece of wildlife into submission!"
"Oh?" Miko said raising an eyebrow, "Is this perhaps your past experience as a trainee hunter talking?"
Hilda's face blushed bright red at the remark.
"How was I supposed to know that eating exciteshrooms after my rations ran out was a bad idea" she grumbled staring at the desk.
"And if memory serves" Miko continued, now with a wide grin on her face, "You returned from said gathering quest in such a state that you mistook the guildmaster for a monster and tried to make crafting materials out of his hide, all the while shouting obscenities that would have made even a hardened sailor cover their ears"
"You really didn't have to memorize all that!" Hilda squeaked turning an even deeper crimson.
"Indeed, nya!" a voice remarked from behind the two girls.
A rather stocky felyne with a large scar over his left eye and wearing a well-worn workers robe emerged from under the curtains covering the back portion of the establishment, "Tis' indeed an experience one would rather shake from ones fur!"
"But guildmaster!" Hilda cried out, flustered, "You know I didn't really mean any of it!"
"Indeed!" the feline guildmaster laughed placing a reassuring paw on Hilda's arm, "And tis' why your hard work of making sure the youngsters know the ropes, or at least a small purrcent of them, is extremely appreciated, nya!"
"And serving as a shining example of the dangers of a voracious and unregulated appetite is indeed helpful" Miko giggled behind her hand.
"That's it!" Hilda snapped regaining her composure, "Next time I get hold of some sleep herbs they are SO ending up on your plate!" she declared pointing at Miko threateningly.
"Now, now" The guildmaster chuckled, "No need to get your tails in a knot younglings"
"And speaking appetite…" He continued, eyeing the crowd bustling around in the shadows cast by the town's archway gates, "It seems all of today's eager hunters have successfully been sent off and won't be returning for a good while, so I do think it's high time you girlies went off yourselves and grabbed a bite…or two" he finished eyeing Hilda with an amused look.
"Will do boss!" Hilda said jumping up completely missing the guildmaster's playful jab, "Come on Miko! If we're quick we might be able to give your fanclub the slip at the Old Faithful" she beckoned her friend being unable to resist the chance to get back at her for the earlier comments, even if only a little bit.
"You're reading way too much into it" Miko sighed getting up too.
"Suuure, and the fact that you regularly get them swarming around you is purely because you're just so good at your job. Am I right?" Hilda taunted already dashing off into the crowd.
The guildmaster waved after the departing duo, purring ever so slightly as the first signs of evening activity started to appear among the Aptonoth and people wandering about the mosaic paved streets.
In a completely different direction, several miles away from of the vicinity of the previously mentioned island city of Fellhorn, the air was split by a ferocious screech.
The sound, capable of incapacitating anyone hearing it at close range, sent a tall armoured figure somersaulting through the air and landing into the fertile soil with a solid thunk accompanied by a displeased grunt.
The source of the roar, a large, adult male Tigrex eyed its fallen adversary with a hungry malice. But still, trough battle hardened instinct, stayed still sizing up the challenger who had disturbed its slumber.
The creature was quite a sight behold. Reaching a length of almost 24 meters with the powerful limbs, spike tipped tail, boxlike head with strong jaws and spiky ears protruding towards its arched back along with the trademark striped yellow-blue hide covered in old scars telling volumes of this veteran predator's supremacy.
However, the hunter who had been sent flying though the open expanse among the surrounding hills wasn't too impressed, though wisely attentive and cautious of the beast's impressive girth.
Pushing himself up, using his hammer as a support, he faced the terrible predator with a wild grin while readying himself to take this bothersome neighbour down.
"Yeah yeah, you're big, you're scary and all that. So why don't'cha come down here and get a taste of just how scared old Revy here is ya big old son'ova lizard?!"
Not willing to put up with such meagre taunts the Tigrex roared again, though this time with less force in it, and charged towards the impudent human who would dare to challenge it.
Shovelling away with its winged forelegs sending earth, grass and pebbles flying about the beast advanced in a frenzied flurry snapping together its jaws, ready to taste fresh meat.
But just as its terrifying maw was about to close around the hunter he ducked and rolled with almost impossible speed landing a quick blow to the beast's hind legs while its torso soared over him sending an electric shockwave trough the creature's entire body along with the impact.
With a surprised howl the Tigrex landed onto the hillside tumbling in a haphazard manner. It immediately attempted to regain its lost bearings while also trying to turn around for another charge at its adversary. But to the beast's misfortune it was simply too slow and thus received another crushing blow to its head from Revy's merciless hunting tool, making its vision flicker red and white.
"Y're slipping old boy!" Revy declared spinning his hammer around again and bringing it in for yet another forceful jab to the side of the Tigrex's head.
Staggering from the impacts and the consequent electric shocks the beast attempted to desperately fumble backwards to gain even a little bit of space between itself and its assaulter and as a result fell into the pitfall trap laid out behind it with a surprised yelp.
This was immediately followed by two spheres flying through the air, which when they hit the ground in front of the trapped predator, released a cloud of tranquilizer. As the substance slowly made it ever drowsier the Tigrex tried to claw its way out of the hole it had fallen into until finally it fell asleep with a begruntled burp and started to snore loudly.
"HAH! Another bothersome beastie tagged-n-capped!" Revy bellowed triumphantly slamming his hammer into the dirt, "Good job there lassie!"
"Pops…" A tall red-headed young woman sighed as she emerged from behind the rock formation she had used as cover "when we planned that you'd distract 'ol'bitey' as you affectionately call it and lure it into the trap, I distinctly remember telling you not to wrestle it in the process"
"Come off it daughter-of-mine, I've been wrestling these beasties long before yer we're even in yous mother's womb!"
"Have fun trying to use that excuse with mom when we have to pay for yet another armour repair" the woman scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Kassandra!" Her father cried out eyeing her with a raised eyebrow, "when did ya become such a sour bumblepumpkin?!"
"Well maybe this concentration of sour would prefer her father not getting his nth body covering scar" Kassandra remarked as she started to tie the net the Tigrex had been caught in tighter around its massive body.
"Ach, come of it, he didn't have a change of tasting me in a Jaggi's age" Revy laughed waving around his arms.
"Really…" Kassandra said giving him a scolding look, then proceeded to grab a rock from the upturned soil, threw it into the Tigrex's mouth and firmly kicked the beast behind its jawbone. With a loud snap the terrible jaws slammed shut crushing the rock and sending shrapnel several meters around them.
"Ach… well…" Revy started, then catching his daughters knowing look decided it would be better to yield THIS fight.
"She certainly has inherited hers mothers temperament", Revy thought to himself a little annoyed but at the same time proud. Still bemused he too started to get the side-lined Tigrex ready for the alerted Guild transport airship appearing from over the horizon, which would relocate it (again) to the less inhabited tundra regions.
"If only the mongrels at the port wouldn't give her grief over her weapon choice"
He muttered to himself as Kassandra hefted her hunting horn over her shoulder having finished her end of the work.
"The ol'hammer'n'horn is as good a hunting tool as any. Support, bah! If those sword obsessed younglings at the hall saw what she can do with it they'd thank their lucky starts she doesn't use it on 'em!" he pondered lifting his own weapon, stroking its handle.
"POPS!" Kassandra's yell interrupted Revy from his thoughts, "You staying to gather blue mushrooms or what? We're leaving and mom's going to hang you over the spit if you don't hustle"
"Bite yer tongue lass" Revy laughed as he trotted up the hill to the airship.
The evening sun turned everything shades of red and orange as the ship lifted into the skies carrying the still snoring predator in tow.
Back at the port a piece of metal resting on the armoury's anvil was of the same hue of red as the sun setting outside. With repeated strokes of a hammer it started to take the form of a beautiful curved longsword blade. The wielder of said hammer, a stocky boy-like figure of middle height with the trademark long and pointy wyverian ears, seemed as if in a trance of sorts as he let the tools shape the glowing weapon into its intended form.
Glang glang glang! Each stroke fell with a resounding rhythm mixing in with the smithy's other sounds of roaring fires and creaking bellows creating a sort of low hum of activity that could be heard on the streets outside.
Glang glang glan…. KABOOOOOOOOOM! The explosion was so sudden that the boy almost accidentally crushed his glove protected hand he'd used to keep the blade in place. The commotion was almost immediately followed by profound cursing as the head smith, a middle-aged (by wyverian standards anyway) woman by the name Raksha, burst from the back of the armoury dashing towards the weapons maintenance area on the boys left.
"SON OF A GARUGA…THE GOGDAMM…TOLD HIM FIVE TIMES…" the rest of her less than favourable dialogue fading off as she turned the corner.
Puzzled the boy, affectionately called the Little Man by the smithy staff, carefully placed his still smouldering, now almost finished, work on the workstation. Along with the other workers still present at this hour he then cautiously headed towards the source of the racket.
The culprit who had caused the explosion was none other than the port troublemaker. The self-proclaimed greatest hunter of the city, Stevens, who was now bearing the full force of Raksha's fury.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE ELDERS DO I HAVE TO DO SO THAT A SIMPLE, DON'T GOGDAMM TOUCH, GETS TROUGH THAT THICK SCALP OF YOURS?!" Raksha bellowed snatching the now smouldering remnants of a gunlance prototype from Stevens's hands simultaneously punching him on the shoulder, hard.
"Master forge" Stevens replied rubbing his now sore arm smiling in a supposedly endearing manner "My curiosity simply got the better of me, there is no cause for anger as…"
"Oh don't you greenhorn even try to sweet talk me!" Raksha interrupted,
"NOBODY and I MEAN NOBODY messes with your smithy's merchandise without permission! Especially not dungheads who don't have the common sense to not go firing off one of the more volatile hunting tools with sharp metal lying around!"
"Oh for heavens sake…" Stevens groaned returning to his normal way of talking since his attempts at suave performance clearly didn't work with Raksha, "I had it completely under control you kno…"
"Zip it!" Raksha snapped throwing the bag of monster parts she had carried at Stevens. "Take your ill-gotten scraps and scram back to whatever crevice you crawled out of before I heed my urge to feed your second-rate behind to the Jaggis!"
Stevens blinked in surprise, then fully realizing the insult his face swelled red with fury. He was about to reach for the dual blades strapped to his back in retaliation. However, noticing the amount of well-muscled artisans witnessing the scene he quickly thought better of it and, reluctantly, lowered his hands.
"Didn't want any rusted piece of trash this swindlers nest made anyways" He said turning around and spitting on the ground before stomping off, leaving his effects behind.
After he was well out of sight, Little Man approached nervously rubbing his hands together. "You think I could use these?" He asked, cautiously picking up the discarded materials.
"Personally, I wouldn't have anything he's owned, however briefly" Raksha scoffed, "But since you could probably make a full set of armour from those with those hands of yours, go for it. I highly doubt he'll be back for them"
She inspected the charred remnants of the now blackened gunlance and then sighed heavily, "Gogdamm that heap of Gongalala dung, this was going to be a real beauty" She grumbled heading back to the forge. "Shasha is going to have my head for this. Bet she'll be real happy to hear her hard earned parts got wasted"
The smithy's normal sounds of forging soon resumed in the darkening evening as the workers resumed their work and the curious onlookers who had been alarmed by the commotion also returned to their business. Soon it was like the scene had not taken place at all, a fatally false sense of calmness as later events would prove…
"Mmmmmmm, so tasty!" Hilda declared her mouth full of the bounty of food before her, "This is why Fellhorn is the BEST, no other place has food as good as THIS!"
"Said the Bulldrome by the mushroom patch" Miko laughed from the opposite end of the table (the FAR opposite end) while eating her own portion in MUCH more reserved manner.
"*Gulp* you're just jealous 'cos *noms* I keep my figure despite eating as much as I want" Hilda beamed unfazed. "Bet you can't say the same, o rose of the port."
"Lay off it!" Miko scoffed, "I've never claimed myself as such"
"Half the single male hunters disagree, you know" Hilda snickered.
"Miko still plagued by the love-struck youngsters?", a voice behind them asked.
"Yup!" Hilda replied turning to the tall woman behind her, "it's gotten so bad she almost has to use a crowbar to remove their elbows from the quest counter because they're more interested in trying to chat her up rather than leaving to hunt."
"HILDA!" Miko cried out exasperated, "Leonora! Don't encourage her!"
"Heh, sorry love, couldn't resist" Leonora, the owner of the Fanged wyvern smiled as she navigated her way through the maze of tables with a tray full of drinks in hand, "But can ya blame me? After all it's just mostly scruff workers and alpha male hunter-types who eat here, so I might as well make most of it when you girlies visit!"
"There's gal hunters too you know!" someone shouted from a nearby table.
"When you're able to bench press wyverns you hardly qualify as a lady anymore!" Leonora shouted back with a wide grin.
"Hah!" The armour-clad woman who had spoken snorted, "THIS coming from ex miss I'll crack-your-skull-open-bare-handed hunter of the year!?" her and Leonora then burst out laughing.
"Not that I'm not clad and all that you chose to host this place instead of hunting till retirement" Hilda pondered, "But why DID you quit Leo?"
"No hunting job was profitable enough to keep up with the appetite and armour wrecking rate of that silly husband of mine" Leonora replied fondly, "Besides I've found that I prefer conversing with people to constantly telling a Khezu to shut its trap"
"Revy must be quite a handful" Miko nodded, "I must say I'm surprised you two ended up together, and with a child to boot"
"I love 'im, quick and simple!" Leonora beamed while placing yet another plate in front of Hilda, "Besides every hunter has their quirks, as Hilda here can attest."
"I give up" Hilda sighed raising her food filled hands, "I might just as well accept you two are impossible and resign to your teasing"
"There there" Miko laughed.
The evening continued with the girls poking fun at each other, and as more and more people gathered into the tavern to enjoy some relaxation after a hard day's work, the hall was soon full of people laughing, sharing stories, singing and playing games.
As Revy burst inside with Kassandra in tow the customers voiced a protest as he promptly proceeded to blow through them to grab Leonora into a hearty embrace, which of course didn't deter him in the least.
Later they were joined by Raksha, Little Man and the rest of the smithy staff who happily decided to participate in the merrymaking.
And as the moon rose higher into the skies the port slowly quieted as everybody headed to the hall to eat, drink and laugh all their worries away.
Little did anyone know they would be part of the greatest upheaval ever to take place at the port of Fellhorn in the following days.
Glossary:
For those unfamiliar with the names pertaining to the Monster Hunter universe here are quick explanations for the ones used in this chapter.
For more detailed info you can google the Monster Hunter wiki
Excitesrhooms: a consumable item that has a variety of positive and negative effects
Elder dragons: basically the "final bosses" of the Monster Hunter games
The Guild: the "government" of the MH universe, oversees the hunters and their activities as well as protects the common folk from the ever-present monster population
Felyne: anthropomorphic cats that serve as companions and small mobs in the MH games, comes in two variety's; nice and docile and thieving little shits
Tigrex: cross a T-rex with a dragon and you get a Tigrex, notorious for its spastic and aggressive nature and a shining example of bs difficulty in the Monster Hunter Freedom Unite entry of the series
Bumblepumpkin: a vegetable in the MH universe
Jaggi: a carnivorous bird wyvern, considered a minor pest.
Hunting Horn: a musical instrument capable of invigorating those who've heard its music AND giving any monster a considerable headache, one of the 14 weapon types
Wyverian: the "elves" of the MH universe, master craftsmen
Gunlance: A short range mortar fitted onto a lance (one of the 14 weapons).
Yian Garuga: a purple chicken/dragon sent from the deepest pits to torment us gamers
Gogdamm: a wordplay on God and shortened Gogmazios, a final boss of sorts in MH4U.
Even the translators couldn't resist seeing as one of the quests in-game is named "An act of Gog"
Gongalala: a pink ape monster with a penchant for throwing poop. Yeah, they went there
Bulldrome:a giant boar…that's pretty much it. Has a fondness for mushrooms.
Khezu: an ambush predator type monster present in the games that for some reason screams an awful lot.