Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. "The Legacy of a Hunter" is copyright Keiichi Hikami.

Miranda placed a wooden cup down on the table. A young boy covered in bandages from head to toe sat sulking in front of her.

"Come on, drink up before it gets warm." But the boy , Kio, ignored the drink and looked away. He wasn't very tall – not much taller than her in fact. His hair was dark brown. The way it curled made her a bit envious. He was about fifteen years old and his face was still childish, making him look cute. The armor he wore was chain armor, a cheap and common armor for beginners.

But the most distinctive thing about him were the dual swords he carried. The Gradios Ultimus were rare weapons and she had never seen them before until Kio came. She wondered how he had gotten them, for there was no way he could have obtained them at his current ability.

Cocotte village's bar was open at all times. Since it was where the hunters did business, it was natural that people would gather and there was never a time when it was empty. They also served food so many villagers stopped by for a break during the day.

Today was another disgustingly serene day. In Cocotte village, the sun always shone, making it summer-like all year-long. Temperatures rose at surprising speeds regardless of the weather and she was afraid the cold water in the cup would soon become lukewarm, the air being so heavy from the heat.

"Hey, don't be so depressed." But when she said that, it seemed to have the opposite effect on him for his head dropped all the more and he slowly reached for the mug, downing it in one drought.

"Arghh! Why can't I beat it?" Kio suddenly shouted out, unable to contain himself anymore.

"Four straight losses, was it?" As Miranda smiled grimly, Kio suddenly beat his head on the table.

"Something ain't right! I mean, Bullfangos are supposed to paw the ground before they charge! That's when you dodge and can attack their unguarded back. Why does that particular Bulldrome charge so many times in a row? It's just an overgrown boar and yet it follows every move I make! Arghh!"

As he shouted, he gestured with big movements, as if he were fighting an imaginary Bulldrome.

Actually it was her fourth time watching him act out his fight. He hadn't listened to the village chief's advice and came back defeated each time. She thought he'd slow down, but the next day, even before his wounds healed, he ran off to the forest again. This had been going on for four days in a row now. The only good thing was his determination and perseverance. He wasn't discouraged easily.

"You don't have to be so stubborn. Why don't you hunt something different for a change?"

"No, a man shouldn't go back on his word. I will kill that Bulldrome."

The rules were that a hunter could not return unless he completed or gave up the mission. That's why most hunters plan and carefully prepare before leaving on missions. But no matter how carefully prepared, the unexpected happens. She heard it was common that hunters would go on a hunt only to find that there was more than one monster or that they had brought the wrong tool.

In those times when a hunter couldn't complete their main mission, they brought back useful resources like ores and herbs or thinned out the population of smaller monsters - anything that would be useful for the village. They wouldn't get the full reward but they did get their bond money back and a little extra.

Fighting against big monsters on a first encounter lowers the chance of success. It would be much better for both the village and the hunters if they first spent their time taking easier missions and researching and planning well before they took on a large monster. Actually, most hunters did just that, but for some reason Kio seemed intent only on killing a Bulldrome and each loss made him all the more determined, regardless of the scorn of his fellow hunters.

"I want to become a great hunter like my father!"

"Your father?"

"Yeah! My father was one of the greatest hunters who ever lived! When I was little we lived in a small village not far from here where he was the only hunter. With dual swords he was invincible, charging into packs of monsters and demolishing them. And he never used traps or tools and fought with only his strength and skill!"

It was pretty unbelievable that someone like that existed. Oh, she had heard of hunters like that who could kill Wyverns single–handed in legends and rumors, but she was sure that they were not real. The village chief was a good example.

Wyverns or Flying Wyverns were just what their names describe. Dragon–like monsters that can fly. But they weren't just any monster. They were the ultimate predators at the top of the food chain. They were remarkably hard to kill, even with all the traps, plans, and manpower human's had. Some hunters hunted the Wyverns for rare materials and others, unfortunately, for the thrill, but most people simply ran away as fast as they could. The Wyverns were the unquestioned conquerors of the world.

To be honest though, she had never seen one. Whether or not Kio's stories were true or not, it seemed to be his father's influence that made Kio act the way he did.

"So did he teach you how to use those swords?"

"Nah, he died when I was little so I learned to use them myself. These swords are my only inheritance. But I swear that someday I will become as great as him."

Ah, now I understand. It was hard to believe that such a hunter existed or that Kio would ever become like him, but she could tell how much Kio respected him.

"Oh, well. I'm cheering for you."

"I don't need your help."

He looked cute when he was trying to sound tough, especially when his face reddened with embarrassment. His recklessness was a problem, but seeing him and hearing his story made her want to cheer for him a little longer.

Even though she was sure he'd keep failing for a while.

Thank you for reading!

Whew! This chapter was hard to translate. I know it sounds strange in some parts so please forgive me. There were a lot of expressions unique to the Japanese language and it took some time to figure out how to change them into English.

The best thing about translating is that you get to share great stories with other people. The greatest drawback though is that you can't change the story in any way even if you know "This would make the story better!" Oh, well.