A/N: There's lots of characterization and world building to be had, but definitely expect lots of hunts and action to be coming in this story. ;)

Chapter Two

Red Flags

Arri was wide-eyed as the Black Rathalone arrived in port at Astera. According to the stories, it had once been a humble base for the Hunters to operate from, but now it was very expanded, and housed several large buildings to accommodate the larger operation going on there these days.

One of the biggest rules of the Hunter's Guild though, was that the balance of nature should not be disturbed, thus the settlements in the Nee World were very humble and never expanded into large cities. While Hunters should stay at the top, the ecology of the world mattered greatly in making sure it ran smoothly. This was why most Hunts took place— To eliminate a threat to the cycle of the world, usually when a Monster population gets out of hand or one particular Monster gets too powerful.

Stepping off the ship, Arri was grateful to be on steady land at last. The battle on the ship had ruined any sense of calm she had for the sea at this point, making it equally as stressful as life on land for her now.

"The Guild will be awaitin' your report," she found the Captain speaking to the two Hunters that had come with them. He then motioned to the large Monster carcass being taken from the ship. "We'll get this one settled, then you can come claim what's yours."

The male Hunter nodded silently and headed off. Kaelyn noticed Arri and gave a small wave and smile before following him.

Approaching the Captain, the man seemed to ignore Arri, but she could tell that it was on purpose as he gritted his teeth and averted his gaze.

"Captain—"

"What do I have the honor of doing for the renegade blacksmith?" He side-eyed Arri, who gulped at this hostile greeting.

"I was… wondering where I should go," Arri questioned. "I'm supposed to meet with the head Blacksmith of Astera—"

The Captain wordlessly pointed across the bustling marketplace of Astera, to where a lift used to send cargo and people up and down to the different levels of the settlement.

"Right up the lift is the smithy," the man told her. "Don't get into trouble on the way there."

It's not that far, Arri thought defiantly, but she dipped her head respectfully.

"Thank you," she spoke before heading off into the marketplace.

Many different goods from the New World and the Old were being traded around in the large market. She recalled seeing drawings depicting this market as being much smaller, back when her Mother would have roamed this settlement, and was astonished at how much it had all grown.

A Felyne pirate, by the looks of it at least, was flaunting the cleanly cut-off head of what appeared to be a Kula ya-Ku, a bird wyvern who specialized in its arms that could grab and utilize basic tools such as rocks.

"This ain't your ordinary Kula-ya-Ku," the largely-built Felyne spoke loudly to the small crowd. "It was found in the Elder's Recess, its diet consisting of the crystals there— It had given its feathers a powerful and beautiful elegance."

He was right about that, at least. The usually white feathers were a more silvery color, and as if to demonstrate it, the Felyne grabbed a knife and slashed at the side of the head, the iron of the blade snapping easily. This caused some wowed murmurs from the onlookers.

"Neow, whose got a bidding?"

Hands went up and sailors shouted out their money offers, as the Felyne laughed triumphantly. Arri continued on, trying to break her interest from the scene, when she ran into someone sturdy enough to make her nearly fall back from the impact.

"Sorry about that," Arri told them, gazing up at the hulk of a man, who turned to eye her, several deep scars visible along his face and down his exposed chest.

"Hrm," the man grunted, nodding to her before moving past, leaving Arri watching him with slight confusion.

Stupid Hunters... Well, I guess that was better than nothing, she thought as she continued on, being more careful as she finally reached the lift.

She watched others go first, grabbing on to the large metal chains of the lift to be hoisted up. For a few moments, she could only look up in awe at the legendary structures she had only heard about back in the Old World.

"Watch out!"

At that shout, Arri turned just in time to get out of the way as a few men came and latched cargo to the chains of the lift, holding on to go up along with them.

Finally steeling her nerves, Arri grabbed hold and began to be hoisted up. As it took her over the marketplace, she shielded her eyes with her opposite hand, gazing out onto the sight of the Sun hitting the coast, mesmerized by its enchanting glow.

I wish I had been one of those of the first wave who came to this untouched land, Arri thought. How amazing it must've been then.

Once at the second floor of Astera, Arri let go, watching some others behind her continuing up, following them with her eyes and seeing, to her a surprise, a large ship that had been hoisted up and made into a building.

Adding that to her list of perplexed questions, Arri headed inside of the circular building that was likely the Smithy, based on the sight of fire and smoke and the sound of clanking metal on metal. She smiled as she entered, feeling the heat on her skin, knowing this sort of place was where she belonged.

"Ey! You're her, aren't ya," came a voice that Arri couldn't locate.

Somebody jumped down from above, landing in front of her. Surprised, Arri looked up, trying to figure out why the man in front of her was up there.

He was a twenty-something man with tanned skin glistening from the heat of the Smithy. His hair was pulled back into an orange, tangled ponytail, and goggles sat atop his head, covered in as much soot and dust as he was.

"The girl whose an expert at smithing, I can tell from the looks on ya," the guy said with a smirk.

"My look…?"

"Yeah! You looked nervous and lost, then ya' looked like you just returned home for the first time in years," he explained. "I know that feeling very well!"

Arri sighed. "Well... The sea voyage wasn't exactly a pleasure cruise, unfortunately, I definitely missed this environment."

Grinning wider, the man continued with, "Right-o! The name's Gunter, I'm responsible for all new recruits arrivin' in Astera."

Gunter extended a hand, the glove of which was covered in some sort of oil. Arri took it and shook with a small smile, not minding, feeling like getting dirty as quick as possible would just make her seem more impressive.

"I'm glad to be here, sir. I'm—"

"Trust me, we all know who ya are," Gunter said, waving a hand dismissively and then chuckling. "We're expectin' great things from ya… But what of the little project you were given?"

Arri had been dreading when that'd come up, clutching the bag at her side and looking around.

"Can we go somewhere else to look at it?"

Gunter nodded and took her through the many rooms, where weapons and armor and other creations were being smithed from metal, bones, wood and more. They eventually came to a side room that had a long table, with various parchments that detailed blueprints and designs.

"Damned heathens, I tell ya," Gunter muttered as he cleared the table off and motioned to it.

Arri set down her pack and pulled out the two guns she had created during the journey to the New World, unraveling the cloth from around them. One of them, of course, was missing a lot of components and very incomplete, but the other caught Gunter's eye immediately, and he grasped it gently to bring it up for examination.

"That's a hell of a job," Gunter said, his voice wavering slightly in awe. "The cylinder… The loading mechanism… Makin' guns this small has always been something that's alluded even master Blacksmiths!"

Arri smiled a bit, unable to hide her happiness at the praise. "I would have never tried if the Guild hadn't allowed me to come to the New World."

"I heard the voyage was a lil tough, ey?" Gunter set the gun back down and let out a hearty laugh. "You seem to have the luck of your ancestors upon ya!"

"How did…" Arri shook her head, unsure of how word of the voyage's troubles could have spread when they had just landed. "Nevermind. I'm sorry I could not complete the full task."

Gunter waves a hand dismissively. "As if, girl. We always give oncoming apprentices more difficult tasks than they're up for— It just so happens you're already so damned good, we had to give ya' something too difficult for most of us here!"

A big weight lifted off of Arri's shoulders, knowing that she hadn't failed, but merely did as well as they would have expected— Though, some deep, defiant part of her wished she could've gone beyond their expectations and blew their minds… But she didn't want to push it.

"When can I begin?"

Gunter thought about her question for a moment. "Well—"

The sound of shifting metal on creaking wood made them turn, seeing two men clad in heavy iron armor standing in the doorway now, looking very professional and standing prideful.

"Arri of the Sapphire Star," one of them spoke in a deep grumbling voice, "You're to report to the Hunter's Guild Captain of Asters immediately."

Arri was surprised by this, looking to Gunter who nodded to her before stepping towards the two men.

"Just a moment, and we'll be done and she'll go on her way," Gunter told them, putting on a more deep and sophisticated voice.

The two Hunters reluctantly nodded and turned away, standing by the doorway as they waited for her.

"What's this all about…?" Arri leaned in close to whisper.

"Nothin' too bad I bet. You might need this either way," Gunter whispered back, handing her the completed gun she had created, wrapping up the other one. "If ya don't mind, I'd like to study your work while you're gone. Come and see me again, let's say uh… Tomorrow evenin'."

Arri nodded, looking to see if the Hunters were watching as she hid the gun in an inner pocket of her cloak.

"Thank you," she spoke louder, dipping her head respectfully to Gunter.

"I'll be seeing you, lady Blacksmith," Gunter said exaggeratedly, giving a deep bow, and topping it off with a wink to Arri that the Hunters couldn't see.

Down near the Astera Marketplace, a large wooden building loomed, the base of which seemed to be made from half of a large sailing ship. There were a few strong-looking Hunters standing watch, intimidating those in the market from coming too close to the building's entrance.

As Arri and the two Hunters grew close to the entrance, a woman emerged through the cloth doorway, yelling slurs at a younger man who stumbled past her and rushed off.

"—and don't come back til you learn the blasted rules of the Guild," the woman finished yelling at the man. She scowled, then noticed Arri approaching. "Oh boy, more rule breakers, hm?"

Arri had no idea who the woman was, but she carried the confidence and demeanor of someone in charge. She was fairly tall and bulky, wearing a sort of fur-laced iron armor that showed much of her midriff and chest, seemingly on purpose.

"Captain of Astera—" Arri began to speak, but was quickly cut off.

"You killed a monster. That's not really something a non-Hunter would do," the woman spoke, getting closer and gazing down at Arri with a disapproving look. "What were you thinking?"

What was I thinking? Arri wondered to herself. She recalled wanting to help the two Hunters on the ship, not wanting to see them die… But why? She hated Hunters, so why not just hide with the rest of the crew?

"I knew we needed them for any dangers after that Monster," Arri spoke carefully, thinking before speaking, "So I acted to make sure they could continue to protect us." She nodded as if satisfied with her own answer.

"Thinking logically, huh? That's definitely a Blacksmith's mind in there...But you've got the nerve of a Hunter for sure," the Astera Captain spoke with a grin, motioning for Arri to follow.

They walked beyond the building the Astera Captain had exited, towards a large platform where the body of the Beotodus had been laid out, and was being examined by some Wyverian scholars. As they approached, they bowed politely out of the way.

"This is quite the catch, we've never seen a sub-species of Beotodus," the Astera Captain spoke, putting a hand on its side where the scars were visible. "Can you tell us anything about it?"

"Well, er… It seemed to be able to… Call lightning from the sky," Arri recalled, remembering the dazzling white light and scars along the deck of the ship, "And when it did, another scar appeared on its side."

"Interesting," the woman said, before nodding for her to continue.

I'm not a researcher or anything, does my word even mean anything on this? Arri thought. She knew that the Hunters on the ship probably were too entangled in the fight to have noticed exactly what had happened, and sighed before continuing.

"The horn is tough and metal, and it glowed red-hot from the lightning strike," Arri stated, waving a hand to gesture casually to the Monster. "It was probably seeking a place to gain a new scar, maybe it's like a trophy for them."

The Astera Captain raised an eyebrow at this. Arri knew it sounded odd, but thinking about how the Monster acted, and how it had attacked for seemingly no reason, it was all she could conclude.

"Now that is interesting," the woman spoke, nodding in approval. "We'll have to study it more. But what shall it be called?"

It took Arri a moment to realize the woman was looking at her expectantly after the question.

"Um… You're asking me?"

"Well you killed it from what I hear," she said with a smirk.

"I did not! It was that guy— The Hunter, he finished it—"

The Astera Captain shrugged. "Both of those Hunters said you defeated it, and the Captain of the Black Rathalone told the same story, and the entire crew even."

"None of the crew even saw anything happen," Arri protested. "And the Captain was passed out from the lightning strike anyways."

"Regardless, Guild policy and honor would dictate it's your decision," the Astera Captain said, looking more seriously at her. "You wouldn't dishonor the Hunter's Guild, would you?"

Arri was conflicted. Admitting to slaying a Monster broke the rules of the Guild, didn't it? Because she wasn't a Hunter.

"I, erm… I'm not a…"

"A Hunter? Tell that to everyone else who knows who you are," the woman said. "Come on then, out with it. I'd love to hear it straight from you."

I'm getting too much attention just like back in the Old World, Arri thought with an internal scowl.

"The… Thunderseeker," Arri said firmly. "The Thunderseeker Beotodus. Due to my theory about why it did what it did."

Expecting either scrutiny or laughter, she was surprised when the woman simply nodded and looked to the nearby Wyverian scholars.

"You lot hear that? The Thunderseeker Beotodus! Get to work on discovering why this thing existed so far out to sea," she commanded.

The Wyverians' ears perked up excitedly and they got close to the Monster again, continuing their work, speaking to each other in hushed tones.

"As for you, little Sapphire Star," the woman said, turning to Arri once more, "I've got quite the proposition for you."

Oh great, was all Arri could think at that moment, kicking herself mentally for getting into this mess.

That first night in Astera, Kaelyn found herself drinking herself silly before finally making her way out from the Guild's Canteen, stumbling and muttering to herself before she spotted a familiar figure waiting for her outside.

"If it aint The Ripple," Kaelyn said, smirking as she used the man's Hunter title. "Gonna help me get home safely?"

He looked at her through his narrow eyes, shaking his head slowly. He was wearing simple cloth clothing and leather armor, still looking very professional and battle-ready, though more comfortable than the heavier armors they would usually wear.

"I'm here to bring you to the Captain," the man said seriously.

Kaelyn frowned. "Thought we were meetin' tomorrow," she said with a slur from her drunkness. "Did you lie to me, Nedan?"

"Well, that's changed due to new developments," Nedan said with a sigh. "You'd already decided to drink to your hearts content anyways, I'm sure."

"Well, yeah, but… Oh well."

Kaelynn stood up straight, nearly tumbling over. She reached up and felt her blonde hair in frizzy tangles from the constant wetness from the sea, and scowled.

"Even if I wasn't drunk, no way I'd show up this way," the woman said angrily.

"I'll stall as long as I can, but please hurry," Nedan said to her.

She grinned. "Thanks Neddy."

Rolling his eyes under cover of night, the man turned and walked off.

Kaelyn and Nedan had known each other since their youth when they first began their Hunter training. Kaelyn had been ten at the time, and Nedan thirteen. Both were being hailed as prodigies of the Seventh Fleet, and were set to be sent out alongside that fleet.

However, things changed quickly when it came time for them to ship out. They were stopped by the Admiral of the Fifth Fleet, who singled them both out and took them on a Special Assignment into the rocky ramparts of the Old World.

They didn't know why it had to be them specifically. The task was long and arduous, leaving them tired but incredibly stronger, but by the time they had returned, the Seventh Fleet had already been long gone for the New World.

Uncertain of why things had gone that way, Kaelyn and Nedan bitterly worked in the Old World, taking on more and more difficult tasks, til they had become living legends amongst their peers.

Then, when the Hunter's Guild couldn't hold them back anymore, they were to be finally sent to the New World a few years after the Seventh Fleet had left.

"Why?" This was all they could ask when they confronted that Fifth Fleet Admiral once more, who had returned to the Old World for many years in order to oversee duties there.

"You needed to grow stronger for the task ahead," he had told them.

That was about all they could gather from him, before they were put on the merchant ship, the Black Rathalone, and sent off to the New World at last.

When they had neared the port of Astera, Nedan brought up the girl Arri's revelation once again to Kaelyn.

"It was because of her, this much must be true."

"Yeah… That Fifth Fleet Admiral chose us to protect her, or something," Kaelyn had stated. "But why?"

"Fate, perhaps," Nedan had said, shaking his head to show he had no real understanding of why. "Maybe it was direct orders from someone even higher in the Guild."

There was no way to know for sure. Kaelyn thought about it all as she prepared herself, drinking a potion that would help clear her fuzzy mind a bit, and making herself look respectable before heading off to the Gathering Hub of Astera, where they were to meet up that night.

Once inside of the meeting room, she took note of the three individuals that were at the table. At one end, opposite of where she had come in, was the Astera Captain, and behind her was the large stain-glass mural of sorts that depicted the stories of old about the Sapphire Star and the Tale of the Five.

On either side of the table was Nedan, and to Kaelyn's surprise, Arri.

"This is a bit unexpected," Kaelyn commented as she stepped in and stood near Nedan, giving Arri a big grin.

"What's that look for? I'm just here at the behest of the Captain," Arri said with slight embarrassment, looking towards the woman at the end of the table.

"It's true. Due to troubling reports, I've gathered you three here together," the Astera Captain said, her voice very stern. "Nothing spoken here leaves this room, understood?"

They all nodded, the tension in the air getting thicker as they stood at attention.

"We've received three red flags, a warning from our patrol ships out at sea," the Astera Captain explained. "They tell us of any signs of imminent danger to Astera."

"Is… three flags bad?"

The question was understandable, but Arri looked around nervously as if it was a stupid one. Kaelyn nodded to her reassuringly, as she was wondering the same thing.

"A terrible thing. It means they've seen something horrid and will be heading to the Seliana outpost to report it was well."

The Astera Captain paused for a moment, shocking the other three with how unsteady she seemed to be, nervous even:

"Three red flags specifically means: 'The land is not safe.'"

"Not safe? In what way," Nedan pondered.

"In a way that means all ships are not to return to land, until we fix it. That's how dangerous the situation is."

To Be Continued

The Queen's Wrath