(Taking a little break from A Soulless Hero to write a little Monster Hunter: World one-shot. I've been playing this game constantly since its release and felt that my hunter and her bubbly partner ought to get to know each other a little better. Hope you guys like it!)
"Heart to Heart"
Six months.
It had been six months since the fifth fleet arrived in the New World. And merely three weeks since the newly discovered elder dragon, Xeno'jiva was defeated by the promising group of fifth fleet hunters.
One pair in particular. A handler by the name of Kyra and the hunter whose name is known all over Astera. That hunter's name is Mairi, or Mai for short.
Spring was slowly crawling across the New World and hunters were ready to get back out there. Kyra sat at the canteen, her usual place, reading up on monsters they had already slain. Her partner was out on a usual patrol of the Ancient Forest alongside a group of newly committed hunters.
Kyra immediately thought back to when she met Mairi for the first time. On the Argosy as it sailed towards the New World. Truth be told, she didn't expect to find her partner on the same ship and she certainly wasn't expecting it to be a girl.
Now girls were quite common in the hunter role, but Kyra always believed she would have a male partner, to balance things out as people would say. Of course, a lot of the handlers said she had her head in the clouds wanting some sort of white knight to be her partner.
A hand grabbed her shoulder as she turned the page in her journal and she jumped in surprise.
"Whoa, didn't mean to scare you partner."
A sigh of relief fell from Kyra's lips as she looked up into the face of her partner.
"What have I told you about sneaking up on me when I'm nose deep in my research, Mairi?" she laughed.
"Sorry, I wanted to surprise you, but I just scared you. Can I sit down?" she asked, gesturing to the empty seat next to Kyra.
"You don't have to ask, you know." she said with a smirk. "Go ahead."
Mairi took a seat next to Kyra and handed her a fresh tankard of booze. She grabbed an apple from off of Kyra's plate and began eating eat heartily.
"So…." Kyra started. "How did the recruits do?" she asked expectantly.
Mairi quickly chewed and swallowed her mouthful of apple and shrugged. "Not bad, for their first expedition." she snorted out a laugh. "One even had the gall to ask if I could take them up to the old Rathalos nest at the top of the forest. Guts, that one."
A shiver ran up Kyra's spine as a memory flashed into her mind.
"That Rathalos was aggressive." she said a bit shakily.
"That he was." Mairi said with a smile as she went to grab a leg of meat from Kyra's plate.
Kyra smacked her hand and glared. "Hey, get your own plate and quit eating off of mine. I paid good zenny for this plate of food!"
"How does someone so little eat so much and hardly gain any weight?" Mairi asked teasingly.
Kyra blushed in embarrassment and punched Mairi in the arm. "Shut up!"
The two sat at the canteen, reminiscing about their adventures and the monsters they've hunted. Mairi stood up to stretch when she noticed Kyra staring at her with a worried expression.
"What's up?" Mairi asked.
"Can…..can I ask you something now that we've known each other for a while?"
"Depends." Mairi answered truthfully. "Shoot."
"Forgive me if I'm prying….you don't have to answer. I was just wondering how you became a Hunter?"
Mairi starting laughing, which caught Kyra off guard.
"Is that all?" she asked mid chuckle.
Kyra blushed again. "Well….we were so focused on guiding Zorah Magdoras out to sea, and saving the New World, that we haven't really gotten to know each other….that's all."
Mairi sat back down and patted Kyra on the back. "No worries, I was just teasing. Thank you for asking." her demeanor suddenly changed as she stared into her tankard.
"I lived in a small town on the mainland….roughly a population of a hundred people at most. But….my story is pretty similar to a lot of Hunters."
"Where was this town?" Kyra asked.
"Well….you can't find it anymore these days. It was…..destroyed."
Kyra grew silent. It was common to hear of towns and villages being destroyed by a single monster. It was one of the main reasons people became Hunters.
"I'm sorry." she finally spoke up after a few moments of silence. "That must have been awful."
"I was barely in my teens when it happened. By the time Hunters finally arrived….the whole town had been wiped out."
"Mairi….."
Mairi just smiled and shook her head to assure Kyra that it was okay.
"One of the Hunters who came to kill the monster took me in and I lived with her and trained with her. She was pretty amazing."
"Is she the one who taught you to use the dual blades so well? If so, remind me to thank her if I ever get to meet her."
Mairi smiled. "She's a bit busy these days being a housewife and mom and retired Hunter. But I'll be sure to send your thanks her way next time I write her."
Kyra drank from her tankard and bit into another piece of meat.
"Now…" she started with a mouthful. "Ask me something."
"Are you sure?" Mairi asked. "I can ask anything?" she teased with a smirk.
"Shut up and ask me something." Kyra grumbled.
"Okay, okay….let's see." Mairi leaned over the table, resting her head in her hand. "What was your first impression of me on the Argosy?" she asked.
Kyra rolled her eyes. "Wow…..egotistical much?" she questioned.
Mairi just smirked and shrugged her shoulders.
"Well…beautiful for one." Kyra teased.
"Stop~!" Mairi sang with a hand gesture towards Kyra. "Go on!"
"You are enjoying this way too much." Kyra chuckled. "Okay…..to be honest I hoped you were a man."
"Really?" Mairi questioned, her brows furrowing.
Kyra nodded. "Mhm…..I have a bit of a knight in shining armor complex." she teased.
"Hoping for someone to sweep you off your feet and save you from all the monsters?" Mairi asked, doing a little gesture with her eyebrows.
"Absolutely….I mean, what woman hasn't dreamed of being a damsel in distress and being saved?"
Mairi rolled her eyes as she took another sip from her tankard.
"But in all seriousness…..I thought you were pretty amazing. I mean….look at what we've been through since arriving in the New World! We helped discover a new species of elder dragon! How many people get to say they've done that?!"
"Well…..the ones who've discovered Teostra, Vaal Hazaak, and Kushala Daora….oh and let's not forget that asshole Nergigante." Mairi teased.
"Ugh….don't remind me about him. He was such a nuisance!" Kyra whined.
"You didn't have to fight him." Mairi smirked. "You wanna talk about a nuisance? Try fighting one."
Kyra grew silent for a moment as the conversation turned to Nergigante. Mairi had suffered really terrible injuries during that fight…..it was really scary at the time. Her gaze fell to Mairi's exposed legs to see the large scar on the right one. Her expression saddened.
Mairi sighed, noticing Kyra's change in mood. "Hey….how long are you going to beat yourself up for this?" she asked, pointing to the scar.
"I…..I dunno." she answered softly.
Mairi put her hand under Kyra's chin and forced her to look in her direction. "And I told you, it wasn't your fault. I jumped out in front of you and I would do it again. A Hunter's job is to protect those who can't fight the monsters. It's what my mentor taught me and what I chose to do. So stop worrying about what happened in the past. Okay?" she smiled, giving a pat to Kyra's cheek.
Kyra nodded, closing her book and took a long swig from her tankard.
Mairi stood up and stretched again. The exhaustion from the hike through the Ancient Forest creeping up on her. "Now….I guess it's your turn to ask me a question. Go on."
"Um…did you enjoy training with your mentor?" Kyra asked, a little unsure of her question.
"Yes and no…..the training was hard and my mentor was really strict. But at the same time I knew that training with her would be worthwhile and would help get me stronger. Some of her sessions were a little harsh…" she chuckled at the memories flooding in. "But I knew she cared."
"Sounds like she became a motherly figure to you." Kyra said with a smile. "I know this is technically a second question, but….did you have any family before…..you know…?"
Mairi nodded. "I had an older brother…..he was also training to be a hunter, but the monster took his life while he protected me." she cleared her throat, realizing the awkwardness that would follow her answer.
"I'm sorry…..forgive me for prying, but what was his name?"
Mairi was silent….she looked out towards the distant ocean, watching the sun starting to set. "Corin. He was a great big brother. A bit of a troublemaker but he could always make me laugh. It broke my heart when the Deviljho killed him."
"The monster…..was a Deviljho?" Kyra asked, shaking at the mere mention of that monster.
Deviljho….she personally had never seen one but she had heard plenty of stories to suggest that it was a force to be reckoned with. On par, if not more challenging than any elder dragon.
Mairi clenched the handle of her tankard really tightly. The whites of her knuckles shown brightly against the brown, wooden cup.
"Yes…..I've been looking for him ever since. The bastard ran off as soon as the Hunters showed up…..all after destroying my home and everything I held dear." she said angrily through gritted teeth. "He's still on the mainland somewhere…..but rumors have surfaced that he fled to the New World."
"Is that why you decided to come here?" Kyra asked.
Mairi nodded. "Yes…..It could be a completely different Deviljho, but I will take that chance in the hopes of possibly avenging my brother and the people whose lives it took."
It was silent at the table for what seemed like forever as Mairi chugged the rest of her drink. Kyra watched with sad eyes. How could someone who has lost so much….still look at everything with such positiveness and hope?
I don't think I would be able to go on if the roles were switched. Kyra thought.
And after hearing Mairi divulge all this personal information….she admired and respected her even more.
"Dana." Kyra spoke up, breaking the silence.
Mairi looked at her, confused. "Pardon?"
"My mother…..her name was Dana and my father was Nyle. They were both simple farmers who saved every last piece of zenny to send me to my handler training." Kyra announced. "My sister…..my she rest in piece, taught me to keep my head held high and to always smile. That's why I kind of come off as a bit naive and too optimistic."
"Optimism is a good thing in our line of work." Mairi assured with a smile. "It keeps us going when things look bleak."
Kyra nodded. "I miss her….so terribly much."
"What was she like?" Mairi asked. "It's my turn to ask now."
"Like sunshine after a week's worth of rain." she answered longingly. "She was everything I ever wanted to be….I looked up to her so much. Reyda always found a way to make me smile…..even when there were times I shouldn't."
"Looks like we both had pretty great role models to look up to. Reyda…..what a beautiful name." Mairi breathed in admiration. "I bet she was beautiful."
"Oh, she was….and she could sing so beautifully. It's too bad her body constantly fought with her."
"She was ill?" Mairi asked a bit abruptly.
Kyra nodded. "Very….she could barely get out of bed. I would always spend what little zenny I earned from my parents to buy her books. She loved to read."
"Was she the reason you wanted to become a handler?" Mairi asked.
"No….but it kind of sparked that in a way. I loved listen to her read and tell me stories. Being a handler, in a way, is a means to tell our own stories. About the adventures we embark on with our partners. And now that we've helped discover a new species of elder dragon….I hope to study and learn as much as I can to be the one to write about it." she laughs at this. "Is that too ambitious?" she asked.
Mairi shook her head. "Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "Discovering a new monster is quite the accomplishment and I have full faith that you can really make our battle sound really amazing."
"Thanks…..I hope so."
Mairi looks into her tankard and frowns. "Damn….out of drink! I'll go get us another round! Maybe that damn Felyne of mine will finally show his furry mug around here. I haven't seen hide or hair of him since we got back from the Ancient Forest."
"I was wondering where Duncan was." Kyra finally noted. "Where did he run off to?" she asked.
Mairi shrugged. "Who knows…..probably catching more vigorwasps or something. I never know with that silly cat." She picks up the two tankards and winks. "Be right back, m'lady" she teased, bringing back the topic of Kyra's white knight comment.
Kyra watched her go and smiles. It was good to finally learn about her partner….and it seemed like she had been through far worse than Kyra ever imagined.
"Hey, Kyra!" someone called from behind her.
Kyra turned to see another handler whom she became fast friends with. Her name was Rebecca and she was also on the Argosy with her ginger haired partner when they arrived in the New World.
"Hey, how's it going! Where's Bryce?" she asked curiously.
"He's currently getting scolded for a stupid stunt he pulled on a hunt this morning. He'll be in the Commander's care for the rest of the evening." she chuckled.
"Ouch….being lectured by the Commander is never any fun." Kyra laughed.
"No it is not." Rebecca's face contorts and she began to look serious. "Have you heard about the new tracks Hunters have been finding out in the Ancient Forest?" she asked.
Kyra shook her head. "No….this is the first I've heard of that. New tempered monster?" she asked.
Rebecca shook her head. "No…..rumor has it that a seasoned Hunter from the mainland identified the tracks right away."
"Well, what is it?" Kyra asked.
"A Deviljho." Rebecca answered.
Kyra froze. Did she just hear that right? The very monster that her and Mairi were just talking about has been found in the New World? Could she tell Mairi? Or could Mairi already know?
She's going to search for it…..I just know it. Kyra thought with dread. Maybe she doesn't know about it yet. I have to tell her myself.
She broken from her thoughts as Rebecca began snapping in her face. "Yoohoo…..earth to Kyra, you there?" she asked. "Your faced got really pale there for a minute. You okay?"
"Uh….hehe, I'm fine!" Kyra piped up. "No worries!"
"If you say so." Rebecca got up and waved. "I'm going to head for the tradeyard and buy my stupid partner some more supplies before we go on our hunt in the morning. See you later, Kyra!"
"Have fun!" Kyra yelled.
"What did Rebecca want?" Mairi's voice asked from behind her.
Kyra jumped. "Uh, nothing much! Just um…..complaining about Bryce being an idiot again! You know the dynamic between those two!"
"Geez, jumpy much? Just a simple question, doll." Mairi sat down and handed her the tankard. "Drink up….sounds like you need it."
"Uh, thanks!" Kyra yelled, taking the tankard quickly and began to chug.
"Whoa, slow down there princess. I just got back with that." Mairi laughed.
"Sorry….I was really thirsty!" she lied.
What do I do? Kyra thought uneasily. How do I tell her that the very monster she's been searching for has been found in the Ancient Forest?
"You okay?" Mairi asked.
"Um…..listen. I lied. Rebecca didn't just come to complain about her partner. She told me something really serious." she paused, unsure of how to approach what she was about to say.
"Okay…..what's up?" Mairi questioned, taking a swig of her booze.
"Mairi…..Deviljho tracks were discovered in the Ancient Forest today." she told her. Her stomach churned and for a moment she felt that her dinner would fight it's way back up.
Mairi, who still had a mouthful of booze…..swallowed hard and put the tankard down. "I see….." she answered rather plainly. "So its finally showed up."
"Should I go get some more drinks? I buy this time."
Mairi nodded. "Yeah…..you do that. I'm going to finish this one."
When Kyra got back, they sat in silence as Mairi continued to drink.
"Let's keep asking questions." Mairi finally said. "I need a good distraction."
Kyra nodded in understanding as she took a small sip from her tankard. "Okay…..what were you like as a kid?"
And through the rest of the night, Kyra and Mairi exchanged stories about their lives and monsters they've hunted. Kyra knew that the confrontation with the Deviljho was inevitable. But in this moment, she knew that Mairi only wanted company and good drink.
She didn't know what new adventures awaited or what challenges would present itself….but for the moment, she was content to help Mairi ease her worries. It was a good night for a heart to heart.
(What did you guys think? We never knew the stories of the other characters, especially our overly cheerful and naive handler. I thought it would be interesting to mention the Deviljho since we're getting him in the game really soon. Mairi is just a new name I gave my Hunter since I didn't want to use her actual name. Kyra was absolutely random and I still feel it doesn't fit our bubbly handler, but naming characters when they don't have one is a bit tricky. If you want to see more Monster Hunter: World one-shots, let me know. I'll try to think of some other ones. Hope you enjoyed this little one-shot and don't be afraid to tell me what you think of it with a review. ^.^)