Training Day by Aidon Surman
In a distant land where monsters roam free and hunting them is second nature, there lives a boy, and within this boy lies a warrior, but he is unaware of this.
I wake up with the sun beaming on my face like any other normal day, but this is no normal day, this is my final exam before graduating to become a Grade B hunter…
After realising that I was almost late to the roll call, I quickly get changed into my Guild Armour. I grab my sword and shield, a slice of Mayin (Bread rolls) and rush out the hut at the training ground where everyone had been accustomed.
"Hey, over here" says Ashley.
I walk over to the empty spot next to Ashley and sit down on the soft, green grass.
"Thanks" I appreciatively say to Ashley.
"That's alright, now you owe me one."
"Whatever" I jokingly reply, pretending to ignore her yet I can't stop staring at her she is so amazing and beautiful too, everything about her is perfect and we get along so well if only I had the confidence to… my thoughts are interrupted by the Captains welcome
"Welcome everybody" he shouts while clearing his throat.
"Now this is your final exam before your graduation, this is where it all counts, all of your training has led up to this so don't lose track of what you are doing. Understood?" He orders.
"Yes Captain" We all shout together.
"Now I've normally said you shouldn't have to worry about being hurt in training exercises, well in this case it is different. There is a high risk of you dying but if you remember your training and work as a group you should be fine, we also have expert Hunters here to jump in and help if needed at any time."
"Ok, the groups list and times for final exams will be put up on the notice board, please familiarise yourself with it. Trainees dismissed!"
As Ash and I walk home to the village, chatting about the festival we had last night. She then talks about the dance we had before she grabbed my hand and as I always do I get a little nervous.
"Ash do you want to hunt professionally, like in the big leagues with Kakotor City or Moga village" I say trying to change the subject of me and her together because I am so hesitant.
She replies with a straight "Yes I would love too, what about you?"
"Mmmm maybe I've never really thought about my future, I try to live in the now."
"Well do you now, well live with this" and she dashes ahead of me challenging me to a race.
I take chase after her knowing full well I can catch and pass her but as we get close to town I pull up a bit and let her win.
"Hahahahahaha I win you lose" she says doing the piqueot (the dance of failure) in front of me.
"Ok fine you got me that time, hey do you think he put the groups up yet?" I ask.
" I don't know lets go find out" she replies jumping on my back to ride me there like some kind of Aptonoth, I walk to the notice board carrying Ash on top of me like she is weightless, I noticed she held me tight.
We read the sheet on the notice board revealing the groups of the exams. I am in the second group for the exam and the exam is in four hours "Ash what group are you in?"
She replies "Number two what about you?"
"Same" I say joyfully, we have done almost all the training together and it seemed fitting to finish it together.
She squealed in delight and hugged me then ran off home to get ready. I did the same but I took a while to walk home because I realised I might not be able to go through with this. What if I fail, what if I don't want to hunt professionally, what if I get killed, how will Ash feel if I do die? These questions were bumbling around inside of my head as Derek the Might (yeah he is that stupid) came and stood tall in front of me and asked "Where you going punk?."
"Home" I said. I wasn't scared of Derek I knocked him on his feet last month for calling Ash a failed hunter (only because she doesn't like him) that's why he hates me. Now I push past him and open the door to my house and he shouts from outside,
"You better start respecting me, we are in the same group for the final", snickering as he walks off.
I walk past my bed and the kitchen and outside to my little training area where I have a wooden dummy. I pull out my sword, thrust up my shield and begin training by practicing attacks onto the dummy. Stabbing, chopping, jumping, kicking and using my shield to block his attacks then with one big slice I decapitate the head of the dummy to end my training session. I then walk inside in high spirits, I decide I should rest for a while until the Final Exam starts. I jump on my bed and rest for an hour. I wake up drowsy and think that I should prepare for the Final which is only about 45 minutes away, what should I bring? I wonder.
I pack my Hunter Bag with Health potions, more of the delicious Mayin, some raw steak and some whetstones. I grab my father's historic sword and shield which he used to kill his first wyvern and give it a sharpen. It takes me a good half an hour to get it as sharp as it once was for my dad. Then Ashley runs inside my house jumping on my bed shouting "Hey there, are you ready to go"
I drop the used whetstone, sheathe my sword and shield, pick up my pack and say "ready."
She says "Alright then, hurry up"
We run out of the house together and she grabs my hand again saying "Are you excited to see what were up against and to finish all of this finally"
"Uhh yeah I guess"
"Whats wrong?"
"Nothing"
"What?" she asks
"What if I can't do this? What if I fail?"
"Hey I know you can do it" she hugs me tightly and continues
"Come on lets go"
We run to the Arena where the rest of Group two are. There were five people: Derek, Rob, Marth, Ashley and me, all in all I say we are a strong group although I would never admit it to Derek.
The horn resonates signalling the start of the Final oh I may have forgotten to tell you but we have to kill a Rathalos (which is a big, massive, red, fire-breathing dragon). The gates open and we all step inside and walk into the middle of the arena. 'Kyehhhhhhh' we all look over to where the Rathalos made its call. Behind the raising gate, there it stood. The Great Red Rath', we all unsheathe our weapons and Rob runs and gets to higher ground to use his bowgun.
The Rath' charges heading right for us we evade then close in on it. It stops and spins and the wind knocks me and Marth back, Derek and Ash raise their swords to block the wind
"Get up weakling" says Derek
I get up grunting at his remark; Rob then shoots his bowgun at the Rathalos's head. Direct hit and the arrow remains in its head. The Rathalos charges at Rob on his tower and makes contact and snaps the wood foundations, making the tower crumble. We run over and I shout
"Everyone distract the Rath' while I get Rob"
"Ok" says Ashley
Marth and Derek just nod, Marth pulls out a flare and a pitfall trap, she sets up the trap and activates the flare getting its attention. It turns and sprints toward the flare (and the trap) I try to find Rob in the rubble,
"Rob" I shout.
I hear him groan weakly, I dig through the destroyed tower and find him. I tilt my head to see where the Rath is and to my surprise I see it stuck in the trap with Derek on its back slashing at its thick armour while Ash and Marth are stabbing at its face.
I pick up Rob, he shrugs me off and loads his bowgun saying
"I'm fine, go and attack it"
He then fires off two rounds at the Rathalos and I run towards it but as I run it throws Derek off his back and it then breathes fire at Ash and Marth making them back off, it escapes from the trap angrily and it sets its eyes on Derek. It flies up in the air and dives at Derek picking him up with its claws. It hovers above the air carrying him and he shouts,
"Robert shoot out his left wing the webbing is almost torn"
Rob loads up two more shots but before firing the Rath tears Derek in half and tosses his lifeless body aside.
The Rath turns without caring for Derek we all realise how dangerous this is I turn and see tears in Marth's eyes (she had always liked Derek but like me she never had the heart to tell him). Rob fires at the wing without hesitation, the first missing by far and the second hitting and tearing through the wing sending the monster to the ground landing on its head, cracking a few horns, we leap on this opportunity and start attacking the creature. Ash and I focus on the head while Rob shoots at his back which has been weakened by Derek while Marth leaps on top of the monster and starts cutting more of the webbing in its wings.
The Rathalos stands up, throwing of Marth and knocking me down, finding ground under its feet and as it does so, it spins around missing Marth and I for we are already lying down to evade its attack. Ash gets the full pelt of the tail into her chest sending her flying. After recovering, I go after Ash but the Rathalos had already chased and grabbed her with its claw and threw her at the other side of the arena knocking her unconscious. The Rath' then turned around and snarled at me and fired a fireball. I combat roll away from it but it catches my feet. It was unbelievably hot and had completely burnt my feet and destroyed my armour. But I was lucky because the Rath's after burner was injured making him weak when he breathes fire so he was now weak and stumbling.
"Attack" I shout
And everyone except Ash charges at it, I leapt onto its head and started slashing, Marth had climbed on top of the wing and was chopping at its webbing, and Rob continued to shoot at its back. But he has a misfire and hits Marth and the arrow has stuck through her leg, she limps away getting cover to pull out the arrow. So I thought, this is it, we are all nearly finished so I go to end it all I take the final blow and stab it through the head but before I make contact it throws me off.
"No I was so close"
I grab my sword again and charge at it and roll left as it breathes fire again and yet again it starts to stumble I jump on top of its head and one of its horn stabs through my foot but I ignore the pain and stab it through the head "KYEHHHHhhhhh" it shouts as the mighty Rathalos falls down dead.
I pull the sword from its head and sheathe it whilst running over to Ash. She is now conscious I pick her up and she hugs me and says
"I told you so; I knew you could do it."
"Thanks Ash" I say. "Come on lets go claim our reward"
She nods and grabs my hand we start to walk out of the arena but our moment is ruined by Rob who comes in and asks
"Hey you guys aren't leaving without us are you?"
Rob helps Marth over to join us, we walk out of the arena some of us limping some of us hurt yet we stand together because me made it through and killed the mighty Rathalos.