Of Monsters And Humans
I've had the idea of writing a Monster Hunter fic for a long time now. I had this one particular idea for not as long, but long enough. I more or less have everything, but a title. But who needs one of those, right?!
I plan on making this little fic…little. This means no chapter will be longer than fifteen pages. I also plan on using this fic as a means of testing myself; I'll be cutting back on dialogue and a ton of other things that I'm comfortable with as a challenge and improve my writing. But I didn't mean to cut back on a title…
Feel free to give title suggestions!
Hunt 1 - Naiveté Or Courage?
Hardened pink scales glistening in the sunlight, the brazen creature made its way towards its destination. A mane of flowing blue hair trailing from its shoulders, and a gruesome look in its eyes made those weary for the female's safety second-guess their judgment. There were whispers, thoughts, assumptions of weakness; a single disapproving growl from its throat, also protected by the expertly hardened scales of a Yian Kut-Ku, silenced those doubts.
But three pairs of eyes trained on the woman dressed in the accented armor of the well-known bird wyvern. The first pair of eyes was that of an animal; a cat with white fur and wearing a cloak composed of something that looked like animal fur and wicker. The cat, known as Nekoht, rubbed one of its whiskers and shook its head. It knew that the huntress was far from ready to fight against such a foe. But it also knew that once this huntress set her mind to something, even an opponent as large and ferocious as this foe wouldn't be able to stop her. Still…
The second pair of eyes spotted her the minute she walked down the gentle slope just outside of her mountain home. She stopped in front of the man who stood there, arms crossed in a comfortable display of strength that had not yet waned. And covered a heart that ached for the young female as though she were of his own blood. The two exchanged a look; he had known the young huntress since she was knee high, and as such, knew that nothing he could say could deter her from goal of hunting that foe. The foe that he knew all too well…
The huntress made her silent way past her mentor, not giving his form a second glance – but not out of fear or spite, but out of confidence – and continued towards Nekoht. The cat's eyes left the blue haired huntress and fell upon the only person who stood a chance of convincing this huntress to reconsider her potentially fatal action. That person was an old, hobbled over elderly woman with round spectacles and a brown shawl thrown over her shoulders bearing a whicker like design. She prodded the roaring fire with her walking stick; the cold made her joints ache like crazy so saying warm was a priority.
But even the worst pain in her joints could not match her aching heart as the huntress stopped beside her. With a sigh mixed of effort and a sense of dreadful finality, the elderly woman looked up at the huntress. While she wore the armor of the pink bird wyvern Yian Kut-Ku, on her back was a massive great sword constructed from the internal organs and skin of the pale beast – a Khezu.
"Granny," the huntress began, her voice deep and exotic. 'Granny' was how this elderly woman, the chief of Pokke Village, was addressed by all; even by the foreign hunters who passed through from time to time, or came to the village's aid in dire times of crisis. But to this huntress, the title of 'granny' was one earned by kinship. "I'm ready." Granny looked at the Khezu Shock Sword on her granddaughter's back, and then into her unwavering eyes.
"I see you've studied up on your intended target." Granny spoke, her eyes now on the flame. As she watched the flames eat away at the wood gathered by the helpful people of Pokke, she sensed an even stronger flame burning in the huntress beside her. "And you've even gone and made a weapon that takes advantage of its weakness…"
The huntress huffed gently; she was all too used to her grandmother's tone. She had heard it growing up countless times, and knew that Granny would try to make her change her mind. Still, she remained silent as Granny pushed another split log into the flame. The wood splintered, and for a time, only the sound of cackling wood filled the vacant air dampened by the grim situation on the horizon.
"I know there's no stopping you," Granny finally spoke after some time. The huntress let out another huff, this one of surprise. "You were always quite the stubborn one growing up." Granny chuckled in her all too familiar 'ho ho' sound. "And you'll continue to be stubborn until the end of your days." The comment made the huntress' mood falter, but not her heart.
"I just…" Granny looked away from the flame and up at her grandchild. Beyond those glistening pink scales, Granny could see a pair of blue eyes looking back at her. "Don't want today to be the end of your days." Nekoht, who had been listening intently due to his feline hearing and own emotional attachment to the huntress, cleared his throat in a vain attempt to keep his eyes from getting watery.
The huntress, who had been so caught up in combating her foe and preparing for this encounter, finally understood why everyone had been trying to convince her to do otherwise. She removed her helmet; her long, blue hair kept together in a ponytail falling down the back of her armor, and crouched low next to her grandmother. She placed a gloved hand on Granny's shoulder and smiled at her lovingly.
"I know everyone thinks that I can't handle this," she began, addressing the largely unspoken issues at hand. Aside from those closest to her, no one dared to say that the one and only hunter of Pokke Village, the little girl they all helped raise, wasn't prepared for such a foe. At least, not to her face, for fear of having the reverse effect and persuading her to go sooner to what looked like her own demise.
"And..." She continued on hesitantly. "I'll even admit that at first, I took it as everyone looking down at me," At that, Granny couldn't help but smile; she was always so aware of her surroundings, her granddaughter. "But now I understand that everyone doesn't want me to risk my life; especially not up against-"
"But you are a hunter," Granny interrupted. "And hunters risk their lives every day." Granny had heard the line too many times to count.
"Yeah," the huntress gave a small, methodic laugh. "But what I was going to say was that so long as it's around, all of our lives are at risk, Granny. That's why I have no choice but to beat it."
Granny sighed and looked back into the fire. "I know…" She spoke in a whisper. "We all do." She inhaled deeply and continued strongly: "But while fear is a very powerful thing that can paralyze us, do not let that fear drive you into doing something reckless and losing your life."
"Grandmother…" She spoke with absolution. "The only thing that I fear right now is how everyone will react when I bring its head to the town square." The huntress moved her hand from Granny's shoulder and placed it on her chin. "I think it may scare the children too much…"
An exaggerated huff left Granny's lips. "Stubborn and irrational." When her granddaughter gave her a scolding look, Granny smiled gently and continued, "I've said my part. And we both know you're not going to turn back."
"I'm not." The huntress said, donning her helmet and standing up.
"You have all of your potions?" Granny began, retrieving a small parchment from beneath her cloak.
"Yes." Kinaia didn't bother to check. "And mega potions, too, before you ask."
"And your hot drinks?" Granny continued. "As well as the ancient potion I gave you a while back?"
"Yes." Kinaia spoke, becoming a bit anxious.
"I hope that you've also got on an extra pair of socks and stockings-"
"Granny!" Kinaia grumbled. "I'm well prepared! I've even brought a little extra to ensure I don't run out of supplies!"
"Stubborn," Granny lifted a finger. "Irrational," she lifted a third finger. "And impatient." Granny 'tsked' and shook her head. "When you return, we're going to need to have a serious discussion about your attitude, Kinaia." Granny extended her small arm, handing over the piece of parchment she had retrieved from her inner pocket.
Kinaia was about to object, but then she felt the fierce look in her grandmother's eyes. But even behind their ferocity, Kinaia could sense the worry. Kinaia looked down at the parchment. On it, were the details of the quest she had just accepted. As she rolled it closed, she noticed a bit of ink bleeding though on the opposite side. She flipped the parchment over and read what she instantly recognized as her grandmother's handwriting.
"Even if you cannot win, please come back."
Kinaia stared at the piece of parchment for a few seconds before rolling it up and tucking it away into her armor. She bent down once more and gave her grandmother a kiss on the forehead, as she always did before she left the village – as her grandmother always did to her when before she left the village – and set out to the Snowy Mountain tops that Pokke Village was famous for.
Granny watched, as the pink armor's glisten gradually got further and further away. She retrieved a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped a tear from her eye. She then passed the handkerchief to Nekoht, who by now, was a slobbering mess of tears.
"Be safe, Kinaia."
Two Days Later…
It was a bright and sunny day. People were moving about, hustling and bustling as they carried on with their day-to-day lives. Living within a mountain valley may sound difficult to some, but to the people of Yukumo village, the mountains were their home. The blacksmith hammered away at a red-hot sword as the hunter who had commissioned it watched with anticipation. A group of feline creatures, appropriately known as Felynes, made their way through the market carrying various items as they spoke in their own sandpaper dialect.
The hunter's guildhall, which over looked the entire village from its perch at the top of the groove of the valley, on the other hand, was loud and lively with the ruckus of angry hunters.
"What do you mean 'my request can't be fulfilled?" One hunter, adorned in vicious and sharp looking blue armor of a crustacean and a matching Lance. "I said I want to go home this instant! I don't care how many carts you don't have; find one going to Loc Lac and take me home today!"
"Shut yer mouth!" A woman, armed to the teeth in what looked like fangs and claws on her body and a larger claw on her back. "Some of us are trying to have a drink in peace!"
"Come on!" A younger voice pleaded. "Take me with you!"
"Your hunter rank is too low!" Replied an older hunter. "Just look at the stamp on your guild card!"
At the guild counter, beside the two maidens who were busy trying to calm down the grumpy hunters, sat a man adorned in yellow clothes and drinking directly from a bottle of alcohol. He sneered at the hunters gathered there; they were all either a bunch of pretentious low-grade hunters who paired up and used dirty tactics to hunt monsters, a miserable bottom feeders trying to get recruited by more experienced –at least in terms of time- hunters so that they could later one-up them.
Where had all the good hunters gone? He wondered, as he chugged his drink. He parted the glass and his lips, and stared at the now empty bottle. With a hiss of anger, he glared at the bottle – and saw the reflection of a lone figure walking into the guildhall from behind him. The man grinned internally, happy that there was at least still one good hunter, whom he personally knew was great at what he did.
The figure was tall, dark and as silent as the monster whose armor he wore. The armor was all black, aside from the occasional red and orange accents. The eyes were outlined with red material, reminiscent of the creature when it was enraged. His steps were swift and silent; hardly anyone noticed him as he stepped out of the extension that connected his home and the guildhall. He slipped past the hunters clogging up the hall, and he and the not-drunk-at-all man exchanged glances.
The man in the black armor nodded, the smell of alcohol faint but fresh in his nostrils, and made his way to the counter. He saw a large man in blue shell armor, arguing with the counter maiden, but just as he stepped up, the man turned his back to the woman.
"Feh," the man began, looking dead at the man in the black armor. "Don't even bother trying. Apparently, the guild is experiencing some kind of paperwork build-up or whatever, and there are no outgoing carts." The man crossed his arms and spoke all too loudly. "Stupid guildhall can't sort out external requests!" A few of the other hunters who were present turned their attention to the shell-man and now with audience, he continued to goad.
"Yukumo Village is soooo busy trying to get back on the map, they can't even take care of themselves!" He then laughed; the man in the black armor assumed the laugh was supposed to be big and intimidating, but thought the shell-man sounded like an Apotonoth going through hard labor.
"Trying to get back on the map?" The younger hunter from earlier asked no one in particular. "What?"
"You really are a newbie if you haven't heard," the shell-man remarked. A few people were surprised that he heard anything over his own laugh. "Don't you know that this Guildhall was the first guildhall to officially instate a branch known as the 'Hunter-Hunters'?"
"Hunter…hunters?" The young hunter repeated. "Aren't they-"
"They are the hunters who are too scaaaaared to face wyverns, and instead go on quests to find the idiot hunters who got too full of themselves." He laughed his irritating laugh again before saying "If they were real hunters, they wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place." He then leaned forward to the younger hunter and pulled him close. The younger hunter visibly cringed at the spikes on the shell-man's armor.
"Besides," Shell-man sneered. "Nine times out of ten, they hardly make it back themselves – and all they have to show or it are the scraps the wyvern left for the Jaggi!" He began to laugh again, pausing only when the young hunter didn't join in.
"Excuse me," Both shell-man and the nervous younger hunter stopped laughing. They looked up at the man in black armor with vacant expressions. "You're in my way." The man in black armor watched as the shell-man looked him up and down.
"That's some fine Nargacuga armor…" he admired. "But like I said, there's no available quests at the moment." The shell man then relinquished the young hunter – by throwing him to the floor – and extended a hand to the black-clad man. "But why don't you and I team up once this pathetic guild hall sorts itself-"
The black clad man pushed shell-man's hand aside. Shell-man, himself stumbled a bit from the unexpected force. "No." The black-clad man spoke coldly. His attention now to the maiden, he presented to her his hunter's guild card. "Here you go, Sasayu." The maiden examined the hunter with a confused look for a few seconds, wondering how he knew her name. She took one look at his guild card, and her face lit up.
"Well, I hardly recognized you!" She laughed. "I see you finally got that armor you wanted so badly made."
"With the Gunlance, to boot!" The man in yellow added, a new bottle nearly done. The man remained silent as the maiden looked through some scrolls.
"Why you…" Shell-man grumbled. "You've got some nerve-"
"Sorry," The maiden spoke up louder. "But there's nothing available, even for you, Xevach." She quickly covered her mouth, squeaking out a small 'oops'.
All heads in the guildhall turned to the man standing at the counter.
"Don't worry about it, Sasayu." The man dubbed Xevach spoke in voice heavy with bass. "On either account." He turned around and proceeded to walk out of the guild.
"Either…?" The counter maiden the understood what he had meant; Xevach knew that it wasn't her fault that there were no available guild quests at the moment. She then frowned; but it was her fault that she had mentioned his name – and with it, just who he was.
"So, that's Xevach?" Shell-man sneered. "The so-called best Hunter-Hunter in the business?"
The woman draped in fangs let out a very harsh laugh. "I guess he's the best Hunter-Hunter…" She downed her beer then stood up swiftly. "Now."
"Now?" The young hunter asked, apparently the only one out of the loop.
"Yup." The woman walked to the counter and paid for her drinks.
Shell-man scoffed. "You can't be that good if you're the 'best' by default."
"Default?" The young hunter looked around. Apparently, only the hunter wearing the blue shell armor, and the huntress wearing the fangs would speak about this topic, as the rest of the guild fell into a hushed state.
"Remember when I said that Yukumo Village was trying to get back on the map?" At the young hunter's nod, the shell-man continued. "And how this was the first guildhall to instate Hunter-Hunters as a guild operated force?"
"Didn't you say branch?"
"Duh," shell-man spat. "And the branch was going to be guild operated. The Hunter-Hunters even got their own Guild Card emblem."
"Well, what happened?" The young hunter asked naïvely. Even shell-man fell quiet for once.
"No one knows." The fang-armored woman took this moment to speak. "No one but him."
"What?" The young hunter looked at the fang-armored woman.
"He was the only survivor." Shell-man sounded solemn, a huge change from his usually annoying and arrogant tone.
"Of what?!" The young hunter looked at shell-man.
"Only he knows…" Fang-woman spoke with a shrug. "But after whatever happened, happened, he requested that the guild postpone the founding and funding of Hunter-Hunters."
"Isn't that like…illegal?" The newbie hunter asked. "Aren't hunters supposed to report everything back to the guild?"
"Not Hunter-Hunters." Fang-woman explained. "As they were a special branch, certain rules didn't apply to them."
"And since he's technically the only Hunter-Hunter, he's the only one who gets those benefits."
"So…then…when you said nine out of ten times, Hunter-Hunters barely come back alive, and with little more than scraps-"
"That's usually because he's the only one who's on the job in the first place." Fang-woman surmised.
"But, there are special units designed to look for lost hunters! Not to mention the Felyne-"
"They weren't enough at one point." Shell-man picked up. "A while ago, due to a sudden migration of monsters foreign to Yukumo Village, there was a huge increase of hunters. Soon, there weren't enough scouting parties and Felynes to go around."
"Which was why," Fang-woman summarized. "Yukumo was so quick to try and adopt Hunter-Hunters as an official guild branch."
"Wow…" the newbie stared after the long gone Xevach. "So he still tries to go and find people?"
Fang-woman shook her head. "Not since he placed the request to postpone the HH."
"HH?" The newbie swiftly got it. "Hunter-Hunters."
"Still," Shell-man turned back to the counter maiden. "Every now and again, the village chief asks him to track down a missing hunter, or even a prowling wyvern or two."
"But…he can't like being a Hunter-Hunter if he wants to disband the branch."
"He's never turned her down." Fang-woman began to make her own exit. "Nor has he tried to disband the branch."
"What?" The newbie shook his head, confused.
"Some say that he wants to keep Hunter-Hunter privileges for himself. Others say that he thinks no one else is good enough to become a Hunter-Hunter. Some even go as far as saying that he slaughtered the other HH's himself, and helps the village chief as a way to prevent any suspicion."
"Those all sound heavy…" The newbie shuddered. "Why does he really do it?"
Shell-man and Fang-woman looked at one another from across the room, then at the newbie before both said: "Only he knows…"
Kinaia belongs to my good buddy SeraphimScourge.