The Lost Civilization: Driven

By: Thomas A. Hawk

Edited by: dashboardgecko

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter. The rights of the game belong entirely to Capcom. This is a fanwork taking place in the setting of The Lost Civilization, another fanwork of the Monster Hunter games. The world and its characters, aside from those newly created for the sake of this story, are property of dashboardgecko.

Chapter 2- The Awakening

An azure light.

Lloyd vaguely recalled a bright flash of blue- or was that happening right now? He thought he hit the ground, but he hardly felt a thing. It was dark, dark as night, or was he indoors? Was the ground rough? Smooth? Wood or stone? His house had wood floors. His house… What was it like again? Pictures… There were lots of pictures. And it was high up. The others complained about the stairs…

The others, where were they? There was a dragon… They were running from it. They stopped- no, they crashed, they were attacked… What happened to them? Had that dragon spoken to him? He recalled a voice…

He half-consciously felt himself groveling on the floor, his hand gripping something wrapped in cloth. Was he crawling? He didn't feel like he was moving, but there was a light ahead that grew larger each second. Sort of like a train in a movie… What was a train again? What were movies?

A figure appeared before him, obscured in shadow by the light behind him. What was that he was holding? An axe? It was much larger than the hatchet Lloyd's father used to chop wood with. He hadn't heard from his father in weeks. The man took a step forward, then another. Lloyd panicked. He swung the thing in his hand- it was his sword, right. There was an echoing clang, and some muffled words. He couldn't make out any of it. Did he say something, or was it the figure? It was like a bad radio connection… but what was that again?

Another figure appeared from behind the first. He approached quickly. Did Lloyd even raise his sword this time? He felt it leave his grasp. Did he just drop it? That didn't seem right. He hazily remembered reaching for his leg- there was something there, right? Another weapon?- but something pinned his hand down. He looked straight up in time to see something speeding towards his face, and a moment later he blacked out again.

Lloyd woke with a start, letting out a shocked gasp and swinging his arms up defensively. He tried kicking out, but the blankets covering his legs just tangled around his feet from the effort. Wait… Blankets? And a pillow behind him? He was lying in a bed! He hadn't lain in a proper bed in weeks!

He groaned and rubbed his eyes wearily as a wave of nausea rolled over him, though it passed almost as quickly as it came, leaving a rather bad headache in its place. He felt like something had struck him rather hard, actually. He brought his hand up to his forehead, and was surprised to find some cloth bandages covering a rather tender spot above his right eye. Had he been injured there?

No, he hadn't been injured there. He couldn't have been. Last thing he remembered was… a car crash, right. He and his friends had been running towards something. A dragon pursued them- why was there even a dragon?- and they were run off the road. He, Fala, and Zack. Fala helped patch up his injuries before, but there weren't any on his head that he remembered. Hadn't something else happened though? He could barely remember… Maybe he had gotten hurt again? Could Fala have tended his wounds again? If so, where was she? And where was Zack?

Where was he, for that matter? Glancing around the room, Lloyd knew that this was a place he'd never been to before. The entire structure was made of wood, and had a couple windows on opposite walls. It was light outside, but a few thin curtains were pulled over them, leaving the room mostly dark. There was a chest in the corner, and across from that was a desk and a chair. A candle was burning on the table, and in center of the desk appeared to be a set of clothing. Why did it look so... archaic?

Despite his raging headache, Lloyd pulled his legs around to the side of the bed and tried to stand, nearly stumbling over as his legs buckled beneath him and barely catching the side of a nightstand to keep himself upright. He felt… unused to walking. He wasn't the type to go for runs in the morning, but his legs never felt that out of practice before. He took a few seconds to regain his balance before trying his legs again, and this time he felt more sure of his stance, taking a few slow steps towards the desk with the candle and the clothes. He was wearing some tattered cloth pants right now, and his torso was wrapped in fresh bandages. What happened to his old clothes though?

Though his mind was still swimming with questions, Lloyd pulled the fresh clothes on- a simple pair of brown cotton pants and a white long sleeved shirt- before heading towards the door. First and foremost, he needed to see where he was, and see where the others had gotten off to. He turned the doorknob and stepped out into the sunlight, raising his hand above his eyes to block the sun's rays while his eyes adjusted. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what was outside.

This wasn't the field he and the others had been in, not at all. There were mountains in the entire surrounding area, tall purplish peaks reaching the clouds high above. It wasn't particularly forested either, with only the occasional spruce or pine tree here and there. He was standing within a timber-walled village nestled between several of the peaks in a sort of basin, the buildings being constructed with wood in an archaic fashion. It all seemed too unreal to him, like something from a dream or a fantasy game at best.

"What the actual hell is all this?" he mumbled, glancing around quickly at the settlement. There were quite a few people out and about, many wearing outfits similar to his current dress while a few appeared to be wearing… armor? He saw figures garbed head to toe in thick metal plates and strange scales, and carrying massive weapons across their backs. Swords, axes, lances, and what looked to be giant hammers were common sights on those individuals. To Lloyd, it looked like a really strange blend between a Renaissance Festival and an anime convention.

He took a step back and rested his shoulder against the door frame, attempting to take in all the sights of this strange village in the mountains. None of this made any sense at all! He'd never even heard about a place like this before, let alone seen any place quite like it. Was it all just a really weird dream or something? It had to be!

"Hey, look who's awake!"

He'd been so caught up in the sights that he failed to notice the man walking up to his side, and Lloyd quickly whirled in the man's direction and grabbed his shirt aggressively. He didn't recognize his voice, and with how unreal everything seemed at the moment, he wasn't going to take any chances until he got some information.

"Whoa, easy there, buddy! I'm not gonna hurt you!" the figure said. He saw that the man, dressed in a strange outfit of green and purple feathers, like some kind of tribesman or an indian. He even had a massive headdress on that resembled a bird's beak right above his forehead. A spiky yellow shield was strapped to the man's arm, and the handle of a sword with similar colors jutted out from the back of the man's waist. To Lloyd, he looked absolutely ridiculous, though he wasn't about to let his guard down.

"Who are you?" Lloyd asked, tightening his grip on the feathery mail. He thought that they might come free if he pulled to hard, but to his surprise these feathers seemed almost as tough as metal. "And where am I?"

"Alright, one thing at a time, guy," the strange person replied, raising his arms defensively. "Let's talk like civilized people, okay? No need to strangle me or anything. Just have a nice, peaceful chat."

Lloyd eyed him warily for a few moments before eventually releasing his grip and stepping back. He didn't seem like he meant harm… But Lloyd still kept himself on his toes. The man simply smiled at him out of relief, letting his arms drop down.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Answer my questions," Lloyd demanded with an edge to his voice.

"Alright, alright, easy does it," the man sighed. "My name's Mikael. I'm a hunter from Nastre Village, the place you're standing inside of right now. I found you in a cave about a mile outside of town."

"A hunter?" Lloyd asked disbelievingly. What kind of a hunter would wear bright, showy armor like that? And why would their only armament be a giant sword and a shield? What were they hunting, mammoths?

"Well, some of your people have taken to calling us 'Monster Hunters', if that's a clearer description. People like me work to hunt the giant creatures that roam these lands, harvesting them for parts and helping keep our communities humming along. It's probably the most important job in Theron, aside from direct Guild work."

Lloyd stared at Mikael blankly, not having understood almost a single word the man had said. Did he… fight those creatures that had attacked his home a few weeks ago? What was Theron? What did he mean by 'Guild work'?

"What's with the look?" Mikael asked, looking Lloyd over. "Kinda creeping me out with the stare."

"I'm just making sure I'm not hungover or something," the blue-eyed man replied, shaking his head. It seemed like every answer he got only raised more questions, and it left others unanswered. "Alright, I'm sorry, but I have no idea what any of that means. I need straight, detailed answers. What did you mean before when you said 'your people'?"

"Why, the Lost, of course."

"…'scuse me?"

"Ah, right, sorry. Well, here's the gist of it: the Lost- people like you- are people who wake up into our world from all across the map. Apparently some people in the Tundra say you all come out of these weird blue crystals, but I'm not really sure if that's true or not. The Lost claim to come from a long-destroyed civilization, saying they were attacked by monsters and beasts similar to the ones we hunt today. They also tend to be a little 'mad', though that can be debated with some."

"Are you calling me insane?" Lloyd asked defensively, taking an aggressive step towards the man. Mikael backed up a couple steps and raised his arms at his sides.

"Easy, easy! No, I'm not calling you insane! Even if you did try to kill me the other day…"

"I… what? I don't even remember you at all."

"Well, I was trying to help you, but you took a swing at me with that sword of yours when I got close. You were delirious, wouldn't really respond when we tried talking to you. Brock kinda sorta… knocked you unconscious after that, and we carried you back here."

That would certainly explain the headache… "…Alright, so the Lost… They come from the past, you said? How many have you seen around here?"

"Hmm… That's a tough one. I think in Theron, there were a couple hundred, though that number is approaching a few thousand now… Around Nastre, I'd say… maybe about a hundred or so? Last ones we found were a pair of people. There was this scary dude with a machete, and a hot chick with a bow."

A machete and a bow? That must've been Zack and Fala! They were alive!

"Tell me where they are, now," Lloyd said immediately, taking a step forward and grabbing hold of Mikael's feathery vest once more. The man inched away a little, showing a hint of fear in his eyes, and Lloyd realized how aggressive he must have seemed, quickly releasing the hunter's collar.

"Right… Well, those two stayed here about a month or so ago, saying they were looking for a friend of theirs. One of the local Lost suggested they head to the capital, Loc Lac, and seek him out there, and they left not too long after that. Not sure if that was the best suggestion, but-"

"Wait, a full month?! We were attacked at the same time! How come they-?!"

"Dude, calm down!" Mikael interjected. "I don't know anything about how you people come into this world or anything! I'm just telling you what I do know!"

"…Alright, alright, sorry…" Lloyd sighed, leaning back against the doorframe and rubbing his forehead. His whole body was sore, his leg, head and ribs in particular. Mikael seemed to notice how beat up he was, taking a small pack off his back and rummaging through it.

"Hang on just a sec, I've got something that'll help you," the hunter said, pulling out a small jar and holding it out. Lloyd took it, expecting it to be some kind of painkiller, but gave it a puzzled look as he looked it over. The contents of the jar were a dull green liquid, and a small label on the front read 'Potion'.

"The hell is this?"

"A potion." Lloyd cocked his head to side and gave Mikael an irritated look, making the hunter laugh nervously. "Er… Right. It's a concoction made from medicinal herbs and mushrooms. Just drink it, it'll help dull the pain."

Lloyd uncorked the bottle and took a short whiff of the liquid; it didn't smell particularly pleasant, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the nighttime cough medicine he'd had to take when he was younger, so he quickly downed the contents without a second thought. After a moment or two, he felt like most of the pain was numbed out, like it just… went away.

"Y'know, I'd ask how that potion works, but I think it'd just make me more confused," Lloyd said while handing the jar back to Mikael. "So, how can I get to this... 'Rock Rack City'?"

"Er… It's actually 'Loc Lac'. But I think you're gonna want to rest up for a few days first, buddy," Mikael replied. "That potion might've helped you, but you're barely in any condition to travel across the country. We had a doctor look you over while you were unconscious- Therian one, really good in his field, but if you want a Lost one instead, I'm sure we can find you one."

"Alright, you keep talking like the Lost are some kinda alien race here. Do you… 'Therians' have a problem with them…? Us?"

"Eh… That's kind of a touchy subject," the hunter admitted with a shrug. "I personally don't have a thing against the Lost, but others… aren't as nice. There's a lot of politics involved with it all, and I try not to get too involved in all of that; too much hassle."

"I can respect that," Lloyd chuckled. "So, what, the Lost aren't accepted in Theron?"

"In some towns they are. In others, they get run out on sight. Loc Lac itself is split on the decision; half are for kicking them out of the country, while half are against it."

"Why all the hate?"

"It's mainly because their presence upsets the natives, to be honest… They spread rumors about… well, a certain dragon that attacked them and is the reason they're here, and talking about how they want to fight it and go after it and all that, even though it's illegal."

"Dragon? You mean… That black dragon! The Brilliant Darkness!" Lloyd gasped, pushing himself away from the door. The hunter flinched a little at the sound of the beast's name, taking a step forward and planting a hand over his mouth, shushing him with the other.

"Quiet!" he hissed, glancing around as if he was trying to make sure no one else had heard the name. "Let me tell you one thing, buddy: don't go saying that out loud in public. That's the entire reason the country is so divided on all of this."

Lloyd pulled the man's hand away from his mouth, though he did lower his voice. "And why is that?"

"No one's been able to kill it, and every time it's been attempted, not only do the hunters get killed, but the thing goes after villages full of innocent people!" Mikael replied, keeping his own voice down as well. "Look, I get that you don't know where you are, or where you're going, and that you want answers, but you've gotta take a break, buddy. Just rushing back out there is a surefire way to get yourself killed."

"Mikael, can we hurry this up?" another voice called from behind the hunter. A taller man stepped into view, wearing a full suit of red scaled plate armor with a rather fierce looking helm, and numerous black spikes protruding out of several points throughout. It seemed almost draconic in appearance, and as fiery as whatever beast it came from. A large, azure blue… thing was strapped to his back, with reddish looking materials making up some kind of large blade. There was another mounted on the opposite end, made purely out of blue spikes. A red handle was exposed just below his right arm; whatever weapon that was, it definitely didn't make any sense to Lloyd. "The smith needs those Jaggi hides for- Oh, great, the Lost is awake…"

"Ah, right… Brock… Hey, you think I could skip out on a day just this once to help this guy get his bearings a little?"

The man turned his head towards Lloyd, and despite the helm he wore, the blue-eyed man could feel his gaze bore into him menacingly. He scoffed and turned away, heading off towards the entrance to the village.

"Fine, but don't think that attitude will help you pass the Hunter's Exam, Mikael! You're working double time after this!"

"And that was?"

"The guy who slugged you," Mikael sighed. "Also the hunter I'm currently apprenticed under. He's not too fond of the Lost… Or slacking off, for that matter. But that's beside the point. Anyways, I don't think I caught your name before. What should I call you?"

"Lloyd. Lloyd Tyrfen."

"Alright then, Lloyd, I think a quick tour of Nastre is in order. Might as well get you accustomed to things around here sooner, right?"

"Right… Say, where are my things? I had a bag and some weapons."

"I stored them at my place. Didn't want you waking up and going on a rampage or something, y'know? We'll stop by and pick them up later. One of the other Lost should probably have your clothes. They said something about wanting to wash clothing from their time for once. We can find them later too. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough. Lead the way, Monster Hunter."

The pair took about an hour walking through the own, with Mikael pointing out shops and taverns here and there as they did. He could see that the buildings were spread out within the walls of the village, which had a distinct oval shape to it. The houses were mostly solid wooden huts and rooms, though a number of them seemed to climb up the face of the mountain to their left, supported by wooden pillars and ropes. It was quite the sight, in his opinion, considering the jagged rocks and stones dotting the side of the cliff. He noted that these houses seemed like they were being forced away from the other, older looking ones.

"What's the deal with that?" Lloyd asked, gesturing towards the structures.

"Well, those are the Lost's 'hive'. The people of Nastre aren't as friendly with the Lost as some of the other places are, like Orage Dell. So, they try to segregate Lost from themselves. Plus, there's also the deal with Silas, and all the awakenings we've had around here…"

"Awakenings?"

"Yeah, those are when a large group of Lost awaken from their crystals at once. One happened… oh, maybe about three years back, and they sent that group off to Loc Lac after a couple days. I hear one of them actually became a hunter, but she kinda dropped off the grid recently… Ever since the incident with the Silver Rathalos, there's been even more heated debates about what to do with the Lost. I'll see if I can't at least get you a room at the inn for tonight, though."

"So, the people hate these awakenings?"

"Mostly due to overpopulation, but there was a lot of superstition about them circulating about a blue light and the tower nearby here too. Course, now that that's all been disproven, the people are a little more tolerant of the Lost. The village is… kinda cramped now, as you can see. But, we've made do with what space we have. Come on, I'll introduce you to some of the other Lost."

The axe wielder lead Lloyd over towards the 'hive', and just by glancing around, Lloyd could tell that there was a difference between Therians and Lost. The Lost had very shifty, uncertain expressions, and a small 'mad' look in their eyes. They seemed to lack the same presence the Therians had as well, particularly the hunters'. Lloyd wondered slightly if he had the same look, though Mikael seemed to know what he was thinking.

"If it makes you feel any better, if I hadn't seen you all dressed up in weird clothes and blubbering like a lunatic while splashing around in a puddle of blue goop, I'd have thought you were a Therian."

"Don't make me want to punch you."

As the two made their way through the Lost side of town, many of the inhabitants greeted Mikael by name, some of them giving him small gifts of fruit or some small gizmo that they hastily explained before going off to work on something else, something Lloyd questioned.

"So, if Therians don't like the Lost, why are they so fond of you? Wouldn't they be angry with the townspeople?"

"Well, they technically still are the minority here, so they take whatever kindness they can get. I know most of them by name, and I honestly find it fun to hang around with them and listen to tales about the Lost civilization. Plus, being angry at people for not accepting you when you appear out of nowhere is kinda… rude, I guess you could say."

"If only everyone was that reasonable," Lloyd mumbled, glancing around as some of the other Lost recognized him as one of their own. He noticed a large machine by one of the taller buildings farther back the way they had come from, which they had walked past rather quickly and had missed the first time through. "What's that pile of junk?"

"That? Oh, that'd be Silas' airship," Mikael said, sighing a little. "But don't call it that in front of him; he'll chew your ear off. I think it'd be best if you tried to avoid him for now. He's not really doing much to help improve the Lost's situation here, even if he says he is…"

"Duly noted."

"So, you got kinda defensive when I brought up the other two Lost who came through here," Mikael said as they continued on back into town. "They friends of yours?"

"Yeah, pretty good ones, too. We got attacked together after almost escaping the… some big dragon that attacked us," he replied, mindful of the townspeople around them. "They're… well, we go way back, and I've really gotta find them."

"If it makes you feel any better, they were just as anxious to go looking for you as they were. Course, the guy was a bit boisterous. Brock and him had a bit of a… 'discussion'."

"That definitely sounds like Zack… How did that end?"

"Well, the chick- what did you say her name was, Fala? Yeah, Fala- she kinda put the beat down on him. Said something about being a black belt in kar-a-te, whatever that is. I'll tell you, if he wasn't my hunting master, I would've been cheering as loud as everyone else was. They definitely left a mark here, that's for sure."

Still as tough as ever, Fala, he smirked to himself.

"Where are we headed now?"

"I was thinking we could stop in and see the mayor. We normally have to report any new Lost appearances to him, and he likes to make sure he meets each one as soon as possible. Maybe he can even offer you some suggestions on how to find your friends."

The pair soon came to a stop in front of a large, stone house in the center of town. It was rather shocking to see a building like that in the village, considering every other one except for the inn was small and wooden. Mikael knocked on the door to the building, which was swiftly answered by a woman wearing a cotton work outfit.

"Yes, Mikael? How can we help you?"

"Would you be able to get me a quick meeting with the mayor, Betty? We got another Lost here…"

"Oh, really," the woman said, looking Lloyd over. "Just one this time? Well, I think he can handle that much at least. Come on in, I'll take you to his office."

The pair followed after the woman, walking through a long hallway filled with paintings of a tower emitting a strange blue light and the village on fire before reaching an ornate wooden door, which she quickly opened after two light knocks.

"Mr. Kelso? Mikael's here to see you."

"Ah, Mikael! Good to see you!" a short, stocky man seated behind a large oak wood desk said, standing up as the two entered the room. He had thinning grey hair and an impressively large grey mustache that covered most of his mouth, and his head was shaped almost like an egg. He wore a rather fancy outfit as well, though given Lloyd's recent 'arrival' in Theron, he couldn't really say whether it was quite fashionable in his eyes. "And who might this man be? Another one of your Lost friends, hmm?"

"Actually, he just woke up about an hour ago," Mikael replied. "He's the one Brock and I brought back a couple days ago. This is Lloyd, the guy those other two Lost were looking for a few weeks back."

"Ah, yes, I believe I do remember them… Was it… Faak and Zala?"

"No, Zack and Fala," Lloyd corrected, slightly amused at the minor mix-up.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry; I have to remember every face in the village, after all! I only saw them twice, maybe. They insisted on heading off to Loc Lac in search of you as soon as we treated their wounds. Quite a cruel bit of irony that you were that close to them all along, no?"

"Tell me about it… How soon can I get a way to follow them?"

"Straight to the point, eh? Hmm… that's difficult to say for certain. I hear tell that Silas is planning a test flight of that strange contraption he calls an airship soon, but I personally wouldn't want to be anywhere near that thing when it gets off the ground. Still, if you could wait a few weeks, perhaps it would be ready by then. Alternatively, you could accompany a trader en route to a city on the edge of the Great Desert, then take a ship to Loc Lac, but that is far more dangerous, and would take almost as long as the wait here, if not longer."

"Damn… Are there any traders here? I'd prefer to get moving as soon as possible. I'm not one to sit around doing nothing for that long."

"I can take a look into that," Mikael said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "I know someone who'd probably be willing to help out."

"Then I leave that to you, Mikael," Mayor Kelso replied. "You may go whenever you think you are able to, Lloyd. Now, I'm afraid I must send both of you off now; I have a rather important meeting in five minutes, and I cannot afford to be late. Best of luck to you!"

"I kinda expected him to be different," Lloyd mentioned as they stepped outside of the manor. "Little, I don't know, harsher?"

"He's pretty lenient when it comes to the whole situation. He doesn't harbor much of a vendetta against Lost, but he can't do as much for them as he'd like considering half the town does. So, you could just say that the quicker he handles an issue the better for him. But enough politics, I think we should get you a more substantial place to rest for the time being. That shack isn't exactly homey."

"Wait, didn't you say you knew someone that could get us on the road to that… Rock Rack place?"

"Again, it's 'Loc Lac'. And while I did say that, there's no way we're getting on the road that fast, buddy. Plus, you look about ready to keel over."

"I feel fine, Mikael. We gotta get going as soon as possible."

"Lloyd, there's no rush," the hunter argued. "If they're in Loc Lac, chances are they won't be heading anywhere for a while. It's a big city. Plus, since you're insisting on going with a trader, there's a much larger chance you'll run into trouble on the road. Monsters, bandits, you name it. Does that sound like something you want to get wrapped up in without at least being prepared for it?"

"…Bah, fine… Two days at most, but then we're moving."

"Yeah, and about the whole 'we' thing… I probably won't be coming along."

"Why not?" Lloyd asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm only an apprentice hunter… I haven't even earned my Journeyman's License yet, let alone passed the exam, so I'm not really allowed to travel without my instructor. And, as I'm sure you saw, he isn't what I'd call friendly towards the Lost, so…"

"Just my luck… Are there any other hunters in town that'd be willing to help me out?"

"Not in this town, I'm afraid. A lot of the hunters are a bit… miffed, shall we say, since the last time some Lost got involved with the village, they ended up slaying a Silver Rathalos. A lot of other hunters wanted a chance like that, and they feel like the Lost stole it from them. Even if no one actually knew there was a Silver Rathalos…"

"For the love of- Why do so many people have this macho attitude over shit like this?!"

"It's a cultural thing, I guess. You must not be used to it?"

"No, I'm actually extremely used to people acting stupid when they don't get what they want. I just thought things might seem a little different after… How many years have I been asleep, anyways? Wait, how old does that make me?!"

"You're asking me that question? I'm barely even eighteen, man!"

"That's eighteen more years you've spent in this… Hunter world than I have."

The green-armored hunter sighed and rubbed his temples, as if trying to think. "Let's see… Last time I remember hearing a scientist talking about this, I think he said it was a couple thousand years, but there's no way of knowing if that's true or not. He mentioned it might even be more than that. A lot of the stuff the Lost say seems kinda… out there."

"And waking up in this world isn't any weirder?"

"The world seems pretty normal to me, Lloyd," Mikael said. "You just gotta get used to the change."

The next day was spent gathering materials for the trip to Loc Lac. The entire time, Lloyd was dumbstruck by the things he saw. The massive carcasses of creatures hunters had slain being carted into town- some being the same as ones that had terrorized his civilization- and even a few that appeared to have been captured alive were probably the most awe-inspiring.

The weapons and armor the hunters wore were next. Mikael's feathery suit –made from a creature he called a Qurupeco- wasn't even close to the most impressive. He saw men and women dressed in suits of different colored scales and hides, spikes adorning the shoulders or helmets, thick plating, chainmail… Everything looked incredibly durable, even the ones that had large dents or gashes in them from the fights the hunters got themselves into.

And the weapons! Most of these things were bigger than Lloyd himself. He'd thought Mikael's axe was a bit large, but he'd seen someone trotting around with an absolutely humongous sword made of some kind of metal hanging off his back. How anyone could even lift a weapon that size, let alone swing it effectively, left him completely dumbfounded. He'd seen lances almost twice as tall as he was, shields wider than his shoulders, bows longer than anything he'd seen in his time, and curiously enough, firearms almost as big as he was. Though he'd been very sarcastic towards Brock when he had come to find Mikael the day before, he had to admit, these hunters were nothing to make fun of, especially from his perspective. A katana and a pistol really didn't seem all that special compared to these broadswords and cannons hunters were lugging around without any effort.

Lloyd was also struck by how simple things seemed in Nastre itself. From what he'd heard, this was one of the larger towns in the surrounding area, yet it didn't come close to matching the towns he remembered from his civilization. The only vehicles he saw were the occasional wagon or carriage rolling by, usually pulled by large dinosaur or mammoth-like creatures. The markets were very basic as well; unlike convenience stores and such, these were open air stalls that he could just walk up to and browse the wares. Mikael loaned him a few coins he referred to as 'zenni' which was the currency Theron used, and while Lloyd never understood why a few potions and bandages cost him almost five hundred, he figured it was just a difference from the currency he was used to. There was another country he'd been to that had a similar style, though he didn't exactly remember it.

In fact, a lot of things seemed hazy to him, looking back. He remembered the day he and his friends had been attacked by that dragon to a degree, but things before that, not so much. He had a vague awareness of the cities and businesses, but it seemed like a lot of details had been lost to him during all those years. That, or they just sort of came and went. It was a rather strange feeling trying to piece those memories back together. He was just glad he remembered who he was; apparently a few Lost had awoken with complete amnesia, while others seemed to remember way more than he did about the old civilization than he did. A few of them were impressed when he noted his former profession as a photographer, stating something about it being a 'forgotten art' in this age, though Lloyd was quick to back out of that conversation before he had to explain much more.

He wasn't quite sure how or why, but for some reason he'd been feeling a lot more defensive about himself since awakening. He found himself taking offense to completely harmless sentences on more than one occasion, and a few times he even caught himself glaring at people who looked at him funny. He'd never been one to act like that before, but even his actions towards Mikael the day before reflected that; he'd practically interrogated Mikael when the hunter was just trying to help him out, which made him feel rather guilty. He'd apologized to the man, and while Mikael had been understanding of the whole thing, Lloyd still couldn't help but feel like there was something… wrong with him.

He figured this might've been what the doctor he'd seen the day before meant by the Lost being afflicted with a 'madness' of some kind. It was apparently different among individual Lost: one could be completely silent and never speak again, while another could start randomly attacking people at the drop of a hat. Lloyd was just relieved to hear that his seemed to be on the lower end of the spectrum, considering some of the rumors he'd been hearing about some fellow named Harker nearly blowing up an inn during an 'experiment'.

Later on in the day, Mikael had met up with him at the small hut Lloyd had been allowed to occupy for his stay in Nastre, carrying a sizable box along with him. The hunter revealed that it was an older suit of leather armor hunters usually wore when gathering materials or mining ore, and that he was giving it to Lloyd for his trip.

"I'd have gotten you something a bit heavier, like chainmail or even hunter armor, but that all seemed a little bit too heavy for the amount of traveling you'll be doing, and the amount of fighting you won't be doing," Mikael had said. "Leather is far from strong, but I'd say it's a step up from the stuff you have. ...Plus it's cheaper for me."

Still, Lloyd allowed some of his vanity to get the better of him; instead of switching everything he had out with his new armor, the man kept his boots and hoodie, and opted not to wear the peculiar spec-like headgear that accompanied the armor. He considered keeping the Kevlar vest from before, but the knowledge that firearms were the least of his worries now, as well as the fact that it was already pretty damaged from the car crash was enough to convince him to drop it for the leather vest. That didn't keep him from tossing any of his old clothing, though; while it was completely vain at this point, he had been wearing his favorite outfit before all of this, and it would be a shame to just never wear it again.

The day after that, Lloyd spent most of his time waiting around the Hive, talking with the other Lost infrequently and waiting on the trader Mikael had mentioned was coming through. Unfortunately, the feather-clad man had refrained from actually telling him what this trader looked like, so he was completely in the dark about who this guy was or what to expect.

It was just after noon, while he was discussing some of the elements of dark room printing with a couple other Lost, that he felt a quick tap on his shoulder. He turned to look at who had done so, only to find empty space. The second after, he felt a tap on his other shoulder and heard a short giggle, causing the man to sigh in irritation.

I thought people quit doing this as soon as they hit puberty. Clearly, I was wrong.

Lloyd turned around fully, intending to shoot the driest look he could muster at whoever was pranking him, though he let out a short gasp as he came face-to-face with a young woman. He stumbled back a step in surprise with a slight yelp, causing her to laugh uncontrollably.

"That trick worked like a charm!" she said after several moments, wiping her eyes. "Man, I just love learning these things from Lost! I didn't think I'd ever meet one who'd fall for it though!"

"Er… Right… Who are you?"

"Didn't my brother tell you? Ugh, he can be such an idiot sometimes… I'm Selipa! The incredibly talented and not to mention good-looking trader who also happens to be your ride to Loc Lac!"

Lloyd hadn't quite known what to expect, but he was completely unprepared to learn that the trader was actually a young woman, least of all Mikael's sister. She stood about a head shorter than Lloyd, and she had a relatively curvy figure as well, which was plain to see from her outfit. It was quite similar to the other villagers- a white long-sleeved top, brown pants and sandals- but her shirt had been cut short, exposing her midriff, and her pants had been cut short as well, ending about three-quarters down her legs. She had a bright, cheery face and a darker, tanned complexion, as well as a pair of yellow eyes that stood out from her long black hair, which she kept braided over her right shoulder.

"You? You're the trader? …The trader is you?"

"Uh, yeah, is it that hard to comprehend?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "My carriage is right behind me!"

Lloyd looked over the woman's shoulder; sure enough, there was a large, dark brown wagon with a tall white canopy over the back with an intricately painted insignia on that resembled a bird of some kind. A fluffy brown creature- which he'd learned was called a 'Popo'- was tethered to the front of the carriage, quietly biting at a patch of grass below its head.

"Like it?" Selipa asked, jutting her head into his vision. "I painted that design myself! Took almost two weeks of designing to get it right, but am I ever proud of it!"

"Eh, yeah, it looks great," he replied, still trying to wrap his head around what exactly was going on. "Er… Sorry if it sounds rude, but I was honestly expecting someone a little… I dunno, older?"

"Oh, don't worry, I get that all the time! Besides, as long as we're being completely honest here, I was expecting someone a little taller! Guess we'll just have to make do with what we've got, huh?"

It took about two hours before Selipa was finally ready to get moving. She mentioned having to make a couple deliveries around town, as well as wanting to visit her younger brother for a while before getting on the road again so soon. She said specifically that she'd smack Mikael for not mentioning her sooner as well, though Lloyd wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

Once she was all set, though, Lloyd carried the box containing the few things he owned out and packed it into the back of the wagon, strapping it down with a few thick leather straps and taking a seat at the front of the wagon beside the trader. A few of the Lost, as well as Mikael and Mayor Kelso, came out to see him off and wish him luck in finding his friends, and after a few quick 'so-longs' and a couple waves, the pair were on their way out of the village, heading down a long path that lead between the mountains surrounding the village.

"Ah, it's so nice having some company again!" she said when they were well outside the town walls. "I've been having to make short stops between the nearby villages since my escort got wounded on a hunt a couple weeks ago. I'll tell ya, a few hours on the road each day, and no one but a giant walking furball named Mister Popo to talk to? Kinda drives a girl nuts."

"Mister Popo...? Do you know about Dra- nevermind, dumb question, probably just a coincidence."

"...You're really weird."

"I'm not the one who named their Popo 'Mister Popo'."

"Don't talk about Mister Popo like that! His name is perfect!"

"Right, and I'm the weird one... Anyways, uh, I kinda get what you mean."

"That Mister Popo has a wonderful name?"

"Stop bringing up Mister Popo! Jeez... I meant having to drive around for work. I had to travel between states for my freelance stuff before I finally managed to get a steady job," Lloyd mused, nibbling on a piece of jerky he'd bought back in Nastre. "'Course, that was… well, a pretty long time ago, I guess."

"Back when you were still in your civilization, right?"

"I… guess that's the best way to put it… Wait, you actually believe all that?"

"I look at the whole 'Lost' thing kinda like this: people are randomly popping out of weird blue crystals around the country, all of them dress funny, and most of them have something to say about some long-forgotten society they belonged to. Aside from that being waaaay too coincidental, I think it's more fun to think they all came from the past!"

"More… fun?"

"Yeah! I mean, who doesn't think that it at least makes for a cool story? I'll bet that ninety percent of the people you could ask would say the same thing if you just switched a couple words around. Y'know, make it seem like it isn't the Lost you're talking about."

"Well, I guess the idea of time travel is pretty neat… Then again, I wouldn't exactly want to go through all of that again. I've dealt with enough dragons and raptors as is."

"Hahah, I'll bet you have! Well, why don't you tell me something about yourself for starters?" Selipa asked as they rounded a turn. "I've heard lots of cool things from some of the Lost. What was your job? Were you one of those guys who delivered stuff to people's doors and wore really short shorts for morally questionable reasons?"

"Uhm… No."

"Then what did you do?"

"How do I explain… Well, the simplest term would be 'photographer'. Basically, I went around taking pictures of things."

"Why would you take pictures? Wouldn't the owners get upset?"

"What- no, I don't take them from people, I basically capture them myself using a camera."

"A camera? What's that like?"

"It's a little box device with a lens attached to it. You just point it at something, push a button, and bam, you have a picture."

"Wait wait wait, so… You don't have to draw pictures yourself? The little thing just does it all for you? That's incredible! What do the pictures look like?"

"Pretty much just like what you can see normally," Lloyd replied, glancing over to the side as a small flock of birds flew out of the tree they were passing under. "A photo is really just a captured moment in time."

"Wow… I mean, I've seen some artists that can paint some pretty realistic looking stuff, but you can always tell it isn't quite real. But you say these things are as real as those birds or that tree or that stream over there?"

"Yeah. Trouble is, the camera can't really capture everything. You only get little snippets from it. But, it's up to the photographer to bring out the elements of subject and make that little snippet into something someone might want. Heck, I even made money off a picture of a tree branch once."

"Oh, nice! What made you want to take a picture of that?"

"Well, I just sorta take what I can get," the man shrugged. "I'd just look at something and, I dunno, see something special about it. Really, it's completely random. Some of my photos turned out to be complete garbage, but others were pretty darn good. Hell, I even kept a bunch of 'em if I thought they were that good. ...Great, now I miss my studio…"

"Ah, sorry if I'm getting too nosy!" she chuckled sheepishly, spurring the Popo on as they came to the base of a steady incline. "I guess just hearing about all these different jobs and stuff from different people makes it easier to see where they all came from, y'know? Especially you Lost types. I'd give anything for a chance to actually see what all of that stuff was like for myself."

"Don't worry about it. If anything, I'm just glad that you don't have a burning hatred of my guts for no reason. Some of those Lost haters were downright nasty."

"You don't even know the half of it. A few days ago I saw a bunch of hunters bullying a Lost merchant who was just trying to set up his own shop. Place was trashed by the time any Guild officers showed up. I guess it was lucky that any officers showed up at all, though."

"Jeez, even law enforcement is against us? God, now I know things are messed up… I really hate politics."

"Aw, c'mon, now you're sounding like an old grouch! How old are you anyways?" Selina asked.

"Twenty-three… Er, wait, gotta factor in that time I spent sleeping in that crystal. Two-thousand twenty-three years old? Give or take a few millennia? I guess I actually do qualify as an old grouch then."

"Oh, ha ha. I'm not counting nap time, so you're twenty-three," the trader smirked. "I turned twenty-two a couple months ago. Got a brand new wagon from my Papa, the cover came from my Mama, and my brother got me a couple bars of soap."

"Wow. I knew the guy for all of three days and he bought me a set of armor. I really didn't take Mikael for a skinflint."

"Nah, he was just a little tight on money after moving to Nastre for his apprenticeship. Besides, they do make some nice soap there! It's the thought that counts. What about you, Lloyd? Any family?"

"Well… I'm not quite sure right now. After everything went to shit, I lost contact with my parents, and last I remember seeing my brother, he was running down a street guns-blazing at a pack of those… Jaggi things. I don't know if they all made it here or what…"

Lloyd allowed his head to hang slightly at the thought of his family. What were the chances they had even survived? As far as he knew, the only thing that led to him being targeted by that dragon was dumb luck, if he could even call it that. Apparently it had captured hundreds or thousands of Lost, but there were billions of people back then. How likely was it that his family had been a part of the lucky ones?

"Hey, uh… sorry if I just brought up anything painful," Selipa said a moment later, snapping him out of his trance. "I was just trying to make conversation, so…"

"Water under the bridge," he sighed, trying to find something else to think about. "So, uh, what's the next town we're heading towards?"

"Just a small stopover village called Aries Town. There isn't a whole lot there, but it's where the third member of our party is waiting for us!"

"Third member? What do you mean?"

"You didn't think we'd be going all this way without a hunter, did you? I can handle a few Jaggis and some Neopterans, maybe a Ludroth or two, but anything bigger and I'd be in huge trouble! And don't even get me started on bandits. Pretty gal like me, traveling all on my own? I call that a recipe for disaster. That's why I've been sticking to the safer, shorter routes these past few months."

"Huh, guess I hadn't thought of that… This hunter is going to hate my guts either, right?"

"Not unless you piss her off enough, she won't. Her name's Rosa, by the way. And, between you and me, do not agree to an arm wrestling match with her. She will cheat, and it won't be pretty."

"I'll... keep that in mind. About how long until we arrive?"

"Hopefully no more than a day or two, three at the most. The nearest port town will take about a week and a half minimum to reach, but it'll probably take longer, which is why I have so many provisions back there. You… aren't that big of an eater, are you?" she asked, giving him a nervous glance.

"If it isn't a cheeseburger, then no. I generally keep my portions small. Besides, I still have some food of my own in my bag... actually, now that I think about it, did that stuff expire?"

"You made it through thousands of years without a wrinkle, and you think the stuff you were carrying went bad?"

Lloyd stopped for a moment and blinked twice. "You bring up an excellent point there, Selipa."

The katana wielder reached back into his bag and shifted through the contents, grabbing one of the granola bars from within and pulling it out. As he did, his hand brushed against a hard, rectangular object, and he raised an eyebrow as the device slipped out of his bag.

His phone! He'd completely forgotten about it! For a brief moment, Lloyd was excited at the prospect of being able to call Fala or Zack, but then he remembered that the chances of getting cell reception in a place like this would be about less than zero, even if he was back in his time. Still, he knew he had some old photos stored on the device of himself and his friends. Maybe those could help him remember some of the fuzzier details from his time. It was like a little piece of his old world. He'd need to be careful with the battery though; after powering it on, a quick check showed that it only had about seventy percent left, though all things considered, he was lucky he even had a charge at all. A two-thousand year battery life was the last thing he expected when he bought the thing, even if it could last more than a week with a full charge.

"Whatcha doing back there, Lloyd?" Selipa asked, tapping his knee a couple times. "I thought you were just looking for a snack!"

"I found something else, too," he replied, sitting back up with the phone in one hand and the granola bar in another. "Tell you what, when we stop for the night, I'll show you a couple photos I have from my time."

"Wait, you actually have some?! How?! Where?!"

"On this little thing here," Lloyd said, lifting the phone a couple inches higher as he tore open the granola bar wrapper with his teeth and took a bite. "I'd love to show you now, but it isn't safe to drive with a phone in your hands, regardless of what you're actually driving."

"Why don't you take Mister Popo's reins? I'd love to see them now too, y'know!"

"I don't know how to drive this thing! I'm used to pedals and gearshifts, not ropes and giant walking furballs!"

Author Notes: Please review! Now this is the true start to Driven's story! Chapter 1 was more of a prologue than anything, as enjoyable as it was to write a modern-style setting for once. I'm more of a fan of these kinds of settings anyways, so familiar territory, here we come!

Something I realized after reading TLC was that we never really got to witness an awakening from a Lost's perspective. I PM'd with dashboardgecko quite a bit over those details, and came to the conclusion that not only was it an incredibly disorienting experience, but that it would likely leave the Lost with very scattered memories and thoughts depending on how well their mind survived the period spent inside the crystal. That was something I had to consider with Lloyd's character though: what kind of madness would best fit a character like him? Well, if you'll recall, he's a photographer, or an artist of sorts. While it's an important part of the creative process, artists don't necessarily like their work being criticized. Ergo, Lloyd gets defensive when he feels he's being attacked or 'critiqued'.

Another point I wanted to address was the stuff a Lost could potentially bring through time with them, and if it would survive or whatever. Food and drinks was easy enough, considering the Lost themselves were unaffected appearance-wise, but what about electronics? Batteries might still drain, right? Well... Apparently they actually wouldn't if they were turned off. Funny how that works, huh? Reminds me of a DLC chapter I proposed to gecko some time ago, where Harker came onto an old worn out 3DS from his time and managed to fix it and play Monster Hunter on it.

And of course, another fun aspect of this story was making not just the Lost characters, but the Therian ones as well. I originally planned for the trader character to be hostile towards the Lost and eventually come around to Lloyd's presence, but I had some difficulties figuring out how I could really make that work along with everything else I have planned. So, I settled on the idea of Selipa's character, and she's pretty much become one of my favorites already. I have a hard time deciding whether or not I like her more than Rosa, though... You'll just have to see what she's all about next chapter!

Playing: Hyrule Warrriors Legends, Super Smash Bros. 4, Fire Emblem Fates

Watching: One Punch Man, Silver Spoon, Archer, Noragami