"Alright, this should be enough." Tiras said as he clamped the lid on the jar he had filled with honey before placing it into his bag.
Today he and his fellow hunters were out gathering to prepare for their hunt tomorrow against a Blangonga. It was an assignment given to them to officially join the ranks of the Wycademy Hunters.
Tiras took a deep breath as he straightened his hat over his brown hair made from Great Maccao materials, and checked up on his light bowgun crafted from the same monster his armor was.
He was however, soon cut off by a loud scream.
"What the…" Tiras muttered as he slung his bowgun over his shoulder and dashed towards the scream.
Marret was in trouble. He had to try and gather honey while an Arzuros was in the area. His arm had just been grazed by the Arzuros' claw, but it was already starting to bleed badly.
"Darn it Marret, this is the third time this week!" came a voice from a light blue haired female hunter wearing leather armor who lashed out against the Arzuros with a long sword.
"What's wrong Erin? I just wanted one jar and the Arzuros was quite far away!" Marret retorted as he picked himself back up, ruffled his blonde hair, and drew his Hunter's Knife.
Both Erin and Marret continued to slash at the Arzuros…
"Darn, my weapon's dulling." Erin mumbled.
The Arzuros then attempted to charge at both of them, before the familiar sound of gunshots rang throughout the air.
"Fall back guys! I've got you covered!" Tiras called out as Erin ran, but Marret stood his ground.
"Thanks, but we can do this!" Marret cried before attempting to hit the Arzuros once again, only this time to be countered and flung off to the side.
Tiras facepalmed as Erin ran over and helped him up.
They then ran back towards base camp.
"Okay, I'm fine now guys, let's go take down that Arzuros! I heard the armor you can make from it's hide isn't too shabby." Marret said after his wounds had been bandaged and had taken a few potions.
"Seriously Marret? You want to go back out there like this? Are you that suicidal?" Erin yelled while in middle of sharpening her long sword.
"There is no way we're going back out there without everyone else and proper supplies. Let's call for our pickup…" Tiras agreed as Marret stomped his foot down.
"So you're saying we should just give up?" he spat.
"It's not giving up if it's not our objective and if there's no way we can do this. I mean, I suppose if you want to die then go right ahead, but we're not that stupid!" Tiras said in a final sort of tone before waving to the Dragonseer above to send pickup.
They arrived at Bherna village an hour later, and walked over to a new large complex of halls where all aspiring Wycademy Hunters lived.
Tiras opened the door to the tavern, which was relatively empty. He spotted a familiar face with long dark hair however, his good friend and hammer wielder Derek.
"Hey there Tiras! Care for a drink? It's from our folks back home!" he called out while brandishing a tankard.
Both Tiras and Derek had grown up in Yukumo village, even though they had no idea where they were born.
"Sure, then I need to start experimenting with making some more ammo types." Tiras chuckled as Derek poured him a mug.
"How the hell can you guys celebrate…" came Marret's ragged voice.
Tiras and Derek stopped drinking for a bit to see Erin duck off towards her room as Marret was fuming.
"What happened out there Tiras?" Derek asked curiously.
"Oh we just ran into an Arzuros out in the Misty Peaks while gathering. Marret couldn't bear not fighting it, so he wanted to get himself killed." Tiras laughed as Marret simply stomped off.
"He seems really pissed off." Derek said while taking another sip of his drink.
"Yeah, but it's excusable since he's young and his only goal from what I've seen is becoming an elite hunter. He just needs a taste of the outside world." Tiras muttered before taking a big gulp of his drink.
"I think you boys are really getting along." came a gentle voice.
Tiras turned to see a long silver haired woman wearing casual clothes and an apron carrying two large bowls of something over to them.
"Hey Aria!" Derek called out as the woman giggled while setting the bowls down on the table where he and Tiras were sitting.
"Derek honey, I thought we agreed that you boys would call me Mother?" she sweetly said.
"Yeah, it's just kinda embarrassing, right Tiras?" Derek tried to deflect Aria's attention, but Tiras was already eating one of the bowls of what looked like beef stew.
Derek broke into a bit of a cold sweat as Aria embraced him tightly and practically squeezed the life out of him.
"Well then boys, I'd better check up on Marret. Tiras, don't forget about making me a few more coatings for tomorrow!" she exclaimed while letting go of Derek.
"Got it mother, and thanks for the food!" Tiras quickly replied to avoid the same fate as Derek.
Aria then walked off before Derek weakly reached for his bowl of stew.
"Marret dear? It's your mother." Aria gently said while knocking on Marret's room door. Marret then opened it with an enraged look.
"And you too! All of you just treat me like I'm nothing more than just a little kid! I'm sixteen years old now!" Marret yelled as Aria took a deep breath.
"And if you keep acting like this you'll never be considered anything more and you can forget about becoming an elite hunter!" Aria shot back as Marret fell silent.
Aria then pushed Marret back into his room before closing the door behind her.
"Look, we all admire your spirit. The problem is that you haven't developed reason yet. Tiras and Erin had a point. You guys were just out gathering today, and weren't prepared for a hunt." Aria explained.
"Why couldn't we just try and take it down?" Marret asked.
"Because Tiras and Erin didn't want to come back with grave news that you'd been killed. I don't want to lose a son." Aria soothed as she gently embraced Marret.
"You're...not really my mother…" Marret breathed out as a few sobs came out.
Aria continued to soothe him until he had calmed down enough to get some sleep.
"Just like a baby." she cooed while closing the door and heading to Tiras' room.
"It's open." came a tired response from Tiras.
Aria opened the door to see Tiras tinkering with something on his bedside table alchemy lab.
"Your coatings bundle is by the door there." Tiras yawned.
She grabbed the leather satchel and inspected the contents. Each vial in there was carefully organized and labeled. Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, and Paint coatings.
"You work too hard." Aria laughed out while walking over to see what Tiras was doing.
"Only the best for our mother." Tiras replied as he was currently making a few Pierce rounds for his bowgun.
This remark earned him a head ruffling from Aria as she turned to leave.
"Don't stay up too late, I want everyone up early for breakfast." she said before leaving.
Tiras smiled a bit as he picked himself up and threw himself into bed, falling asleep instantly.
The next morning, the five of them were heading out to the market to stock up on supplies before heading to Wycademy HQ.
Tiras had suited up in his Great Maccao armor alongside his light bowgun.
Erin's leather armor had been replaced by simple Bherna armor, but she still had her Great Maccao long sword sheathed on her back.
Derek was wearing a set of chainmail armor alongside a large iron hammer which sat snugly on his waist behind him.
Marret was still in his leather armor from yesterday, and his sword was also holstered behind him as he had his shield on his back.
Finally, Aria was in Hunter's armor with a simple bow made of Yukumo wood with two quivers behind her.
Each of them also had various bags and satchels that still had room for supplies.
"Ah welcome! You must be the next group of hunters heading off on your initiation assignment?" came a sweet voice from a merchant girl who was waving at them.
"Yep! We're heading out to the Arctic Ridge to hunt ourselves a Blangonga!" Marret exclaimed.
"Do you carry Cleansers and Hot Drinks? We'd rather not get frozen or encased in ice out there." Tiras cut in.
"Of course! Please check out the large selection of goods we have here." the merchant girl explained as the group looked around.
They got medical supplies, spare ammunition, and other various bits and bobs.
Then they said goodbye to the merchant girl as they headed towards the place where the Guild Manager was sitting.
"So, you're part of the new group of aspiring Wycademy Hunters huh?" she asked.
Tiras and his friends all nodded as the Guild Manager chuckled.
"Alright, your assignment should be up at the Quest Counter. Good luck youngsters!"
The Arctic Ridge was a beautiful yet harsh place. Tiras and Aria were looking through their supply box and rationing supplies, but Erin, Derek, and Marret were bickering.
"Why didn't you bring some Oils Marret?" Derek exclaimed.
"Because they're expensive! I don't want to go through my entire allowance on some glorified blade coatings." Marret retorted.
"You do realize those Oils would making fighting monsters like that Arzuros yesterday much easier? Have you not even tried them?" Erin butted in, taking Derek's side.
"Oi! Stop bickering and let's get our battle plan sorted." Tiras cried out as Aria came around with bags of supplies.
This got everyone's attention as they were handed their extra supplies from the guild.
"So this should be self-explanatory, but Aria and I will stay in the back. Erin and Derek? It's your job to hold the front lines. Marret, you'll remain in the middle." Tiras listed out before pulling out his map.
"Wait a minute, shouldn't I be in the front as well?" Marret asked.
"The problem there is that like Erin and Derek pointed out, your sword isn't as effective as it would be covered in an Oil, so it would be best if you stayed somewhere you could provide backup anywhere." Tiras explained as Marret agreed while sighing.
"This is where the Blangonga was sighted, and it's better if we split up and head into the area from both sides to prevent it from escaping." Tiras pointed to the areas before furling the map up.
They then split up into two groups before heading out.
Marret, Derek, and Tiras were walking through an icy cavern, taking the most direct path to where the Blangonga was supposedly located.
"Brrr..so cold…" Marret muttered.
"Here, you should've drunk one of these." Derek said, handing Marret an opened Hot Drink, which Marret immediately gulped down.
"Guys! We're here." Tiras quietly exclaimed as they all focused and crept out of the cave.
Stepping into the clearing, a light snowfall greeted the boys as the Blangonga spotted them.
"Battle formation!" Tiras shouted, drawing his bowgun and loading a few founds as the Blangonga charged at them.
Derek drew his hammer and met the beast head on. It was a clash that ended in a draw as both combatants jumped back.
Marret thought he had an opening, so he charged before bringing his sword to bear against the Blangonga's fangs.
CLANK! The blade bounced right off right as the Blangonga recovered and attempted to swipe at Marret.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Tiras unloaded a few rounds into the beast as it recoiled in pain. He then paused to reload, and noticed Erin and Aria coming into the clearing.
"Nice of you ladies to join us! Get in there Erin!" Tiras ordered as Erin charged forward and parried a bite from the Blangonga.
Aria then took out a paralysis phial and attached it to the end of her bow before nocking a few arrows.
They flew straight and true before paralyzing the Blangonga.
"Attack now!" Aria cried out.
Erin unleashed a flurry of attacks as Derek started smashing the beast's fangs in.
Marret then tried to slash the Blangonga's back, but he only grazed the back as the paralysis wore off as the beast stood on its hind legs with it's claws raised.
"It's gonna smash! Get out of the way!" Tiras cried out.
Erin and Derek quickly dodged out of the way, but Marret was recklessly trying to knock the Blangonga over by hitting its legs.
"Marret! Look out!" Aria shrieked...but the Blangonga crashed down, sending Marret flying into a wall.
"Ah damn it." Derek muttered before Erin engaged the beast once more. Erin quickly parried another swipe before Tiras cried out.
"Watch out Erin! Fire rounds coming your way!" Tiras yelled as he loaded the aforementioned ammo into his bowgun and fired.
The fire rounds hit the Blangonga right in the face, staggering it. Derek then took a quick leap off a ledge and smashed it's face in with his hammer.
It let out a loud roar before falling to the ground dead.
"Woohoo!" Derek cheered as Aria ran over to Marret and helped him back up.
"Darn it, it really stings…" Marret groaned.
Tiras and Erin just shook their heads as Aria scolded him.
After carving up what they could, Tiras fired off a signal flare in the clearing so the airship could pick them up.
They arrived back at Wycademy HQ where the Guild Manager handed them their official Hunter licenses.
"Alright then, let's get Marret back home and tend to his wounds." Tiras said while pocketing his license.
The rest of the group agreed as they made their way back towards their home in Bherna.
"Marret, I need you to stay still while I rub this bruise down!" Aria said while everyone else was sitting in Marret's room.
"It's fine! I'll just walk it of-agh!" Marret yelped as he felt a sharp pain course through his back.
"Nice bark. Can't same about your bite." Erin teased.
Tiras just sighed before heading to the tavern to grab something to eat. He was starving.
The tavern was bustling with a variety of hunters now. Some were clad in much higher grade gear for beginner hunters however.
"Hey Tiras! Care to meet a few cuties?" Derek shouted from a table where Tiras noticed two female hunters were giggling.
Tiras sighed as he walked over and sat down while a waitress came around and asked for his order.
"A well-done steak and a tankard of ale please." Tiras quickly said as the waitress hurried off.
Derek was currently making banter with one of the female hunters, but the other one leaned over the table and started chatting with Tiras.
"Hey, I heard from your friend here that you're an able strategist." she giggled.
"I make do alright. It helps that I can stay in the back and analyze the battle at a relatively safe distance." Tiras cooly replied.
"Well then, would you like to accompany us on a hunt tomorrow? My friends and I are going to take on a few tough monsters over the next few weeks. Tomorrow we're hunting a Nargacuga." she offered.
Tiras' eyes widened a bit, but he was slightly startled when his food and drink were placed in front of him.
"Here you go sir!" the waitress said as Tiras thanked her before turning back to the female hunter.
"So am I allowed to bring a few friends along as well or is that a no go?" Tiras asked.
"Oh sure, more help would be greatly appreciated! My name's Bella by the way. Nice to meet you Tiras!" she exclaimed as Tiras returned her greeting.
Tiras then started on his steak before pulling out a piece of parchment.
"Okay, how many of your friends are coming along and what weapons do they use?" Tiras asked while twirling a quill and ink.
"Four, but including me we have a party of five. Our weapons consist of a lance, a sword and shield, an insect glaive, a heavy bowgun, and my hunting horn." Bella listed while grabbing her weapon and brandishing it.
"I like your choice. Yukumo wood is a fine material for hunting horns." Tiras muttered while writing down a strategy.
"You're familiar with it?" Bella asked curiously.
"Well I grew up there, it's like second nature for me to recognize it." Tiras replied as he finished a rough plan, but Derek decided to chime in here.
"Hey Tiras! I'm gonna go have some fun, so make sure Aria doesn't worry about me." he chuckled as he had wrapped his arm around the female he was chatting with.
"Gotcha." Tiras simply replied while holding back a sigh.
He knew exactly what Derek's definition of "fun" was when he had a female by his side. Derek walked off as Tiras handed the paper to Bella.
"Alright then. Your lance friend and sword and shield friend should obviously take to the front lines, but for you and your insect glaive friend should stay in the middle of our formation. That just leaves the back line which is self-explanatory." Tiras listed while pointing to the various positions.
"Wow, this is really detailed. And you made this is like...two minutes?" Bella said in awe.
"It's a rough draft." Tiras modestly said as he then asked a few more questions before the tavern was starting to close up.
Tiras said goodbye to Bella as he paid for his meal and headed back to his room.
"Nargacugas are weak to fire if I remember correctly, so I should probably just make some more fire rounds and relay the news to the others." he muttered to himself as he changed course from his room towards Erin's room instead.
Knock knock.
"Gimme a second!" came Erin's voice, and Tiras waited for a bit before she said it was okay to come in.
Tiras stepped in, but he stumbled forward on something.
"Erin, why is there a whetstone just lying here on the floor?" Tiras asked, only to notice the other various items that littered the floor.
"Oh sorry! I just wanted to reorganize some things. Did you need something?" she replied while moving some vials onto her desk.
"Yeah. I wanted to ask if you wanted to accompany me and another hunting group to go hunt a Nargacuga tomorrow?"
"Wait a minute, isn't that going to be difficult for us? Even though I've seen Nargacuga armor and have really wanted a set…"
Tiras laughed and simply asked if she was coming or not.
Erin smiled before confirming, then Tiras said goodbye before heading off to see Aria.
He was fortunate to find her in the hallway where his room was.
"Hey Aria, how's Marret doing?" Tiras called out as Aria walked up with a smile.
"He's just a little bruised. I think his confidence took the biggest hit though, so it'll probably be awhile before he wants to hunt again."
"Yeah...anyway on a more positive note, do you want to accompany Erin and I alongside another group to hunt a Nargacuga?"
Aria's face lit up like a little kid's as she rambled about getting the materials for armor and a new bow.
"Alright I get it, I'll work this into the battle plan for tomorrow." Tiras sighed before brushing past and getting inside his room.
He had a long night of planning ahead of him…