The Lost, Jacob

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine.

Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake

This story is CANON with The Lost Civilization

"The awakened, the enlightened man says: I am body entirely, and nothing beside; and soul is only a word for something in the body. Your body is a great intelligence... Your little intelligence, brother, which you call 'spirit', is also an instrument of your body, a little instrument and toy of your great intelligence."

Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

June 14

So I-

Right. I should-

I'm not sure how to start this. Do I introduce myself? Am I supposed to treat this like I'm talking to somebody, or like I'm making a report? Is it like 'this happened, then this happened'? Refer to graph 1A for details? See attached bibliography for sources?

No. This is for personal use. I'll keep it casual.

Alright, I'll just introduce myself. To the dia- journal, I guess. I know these things supposed to be private, but just in case, I'll make a note of it. Maybe one day I'll go senile and need to remind myself who I am.

And now I'm depressed. We're off to a great start.

Right, moving on. My name's Jacob Fredricks. It's a simple name, but it's the one my mom gave me, so I'll stick with it. I was born September 8th, in a small town in northern Ohio, though that probably doesn't mean as much as it used to, since there's not exactly an Ohio anymore. Not that the place where Ohio used to be isn't there anymore, but it's probably not called 'Ohio' anymore. It's probably just grasslands or something, or forest. I don't really know, maybe it's in the ocean by now, if it's been a really long time, so I guess-

Sorry, I'm getting off topic.

Who am I apologizing to, myself? The dia- journal?

Forget it, Ohio doesn't matter. Because an inanimate object can totally forget things. I'm so bad at this.

Okay, screw this. Just press on and don't worry about stupid little turns of phrase. Zerg rush. Zerg rush!

Like I said, born September 8th. I think I'm 25 years old right now, but the timing's all messed up. The whole Lost crystal thing really distorted things. You could make an argument that I'm something like ten thousand years old or something like that, but I don't think stasis or whatever those things did to us really counts.

Oh, yeah, I'm a Lost, too. One of the 'awakened' ones, or whatever. I'm not sure how to describe this easily, but I'll try. So, I come from a world (though 'time' would probably be more accurate) where there-

You know what, let's skip that. Auru said diaries are for personal use, right? Just trying to note things that happened? This thing's supposed to be about me, for me. I don't need to remind myself what a Lost is. And future, senile me can suffer if I forget. Or just ask your kids or grandkids! Or caretaker! Get it together, future me!

Okay, short version. I'm one of a group of Lost that woke up in the Volcano hunting grounds a few years back, after the thing they call the Alatreon was killed. The first few months after awakening are kind of a blur for me, but apparently that's to be expected. First they carted us off to some place called Frost Town, then I joined a group headed for Loc Lac. I spent about a couple years there before joining a couple guys I'd met in a journey to the southeast.

The guys I left Loc Lac with ended up not being the greatest people in the world. Turns out the reason they were leaving Loc Lac in the first place was because they'd tried to scam the locals with a pyramid scheme or something like that, and when they'd gotten figured out they tried to get out of Dodge until the heat cooled down. From what I heard, they were going to try and claim I was the ringleader and pin the whole thing on me if things went sour. Luckily for me, when the lawmen caught and arrested them, they'd already pegged everything on them. I guess when they got interrogated, their stories didn't line up, so the lawmen let me go.

Great start, right? Try to make friends and nearly get framed for a life in prison. Not exactly the best beginning to a new life.

That left me in a whole different pickle, though. I didn't get sent to prison, but all the money I had was taken in case it was part of the scam, leaving me in the middle of nowhere with no friends, no cash, and no real work skills. I'm not much of an entertainer, and mercy knows I don't know how to farm or smith or anything like that.

I mean, I'm not expecting a dental plan or paid sick leave, but my upbringing didn't really prepare me for a career search in a weird, mixed medieval/mid-industrial world. And finding a job wasn't going to be easy in the first place for an almost-convict. It's not like I've got a prisoner brand on my arm or anything, but if anyone asks why I'm so far away from any other Lost, my explanation isn't going to be great, and I'm not a good liar.

My only real selling skill is plumbing, unfortunately. Dad was the local wrench jockey back home, and guess who got cheap labor out of his teenage son, claiming that dismantling sinks and toilets for two bucks an hour 'built character'? The only thing it built was my desire to get out of that town. Trust me, there is no glamour in being the kid who has to help his dad unclog pipes on the weekend.

Of course, it just so happens that knowing my way around pipes helped me survive. Apparently what the villages down in the southeastern side of the country are known for are their hot springs. There's this place east of here called Yukumo that's really popular with hunters in particular, and quite a few villages have at least one small spring that the locals use.

Well, the village I was in at the time had a few pipes burst, and nobody really had any idea how to fix it. The guy that usually repaired the stuff had retired and moved to the other side of the country, and they hadn't had time to hire a replacement yet, so their only other option was to call a repairman from one of the other villages in the area.

I was passing by at the time, and made an offhand comment about their design, and apparently that was all the information they needed to rope me into helping. I tried to refuse, but then they offered to pay me. I wasn't sure if the price they offered was fair - I'm still trying to figure out how valuable goods and services are here - but considering all I had in my pockets were lint and a few random knick knacks from back home, I really couldn't refuse. It didn't help that my hands were itching when they tried to rope me into this whole thing.

Oh, right, maybe I should write about this. I don't really know much about this 'Lost madness' thing, but apparently I've got it. It's like, if I see something that's broken, my hands get itchy, and they don't stop itching until it's fixed, or until I fix something. It's weird, like I can't stand to see things that don't work. I mean, it's not cruel to me, thankfully. It doesn't start itching if it's something that I can't fix. If I see a broken stone bridge, my hands aren't going to bother me until I build a new bridge. If I see a broken sword, I'm not doomed to suffer until I learn forge work and repair it myself.

But it can get bad. I have an old pocket watch my grandpa gave me, this old clinker that my great-grandpa used to own, the type you need to wind to keep it ticking. Back in Loc Lac I decided to stop winding it, just to see what happened. Soon as the watch stopped ticking, my hands started itching, telling me to wind it. I ignored them, but the longer I put it off, the more it itched. I managed to last a little over a day before I couldn't take it anymore. My hands felt like there were needles stabbing into them, and I'd scratched them until my hands were red and raw. I think I broke down crying once or twice. My neighbors thought I was crazy, which admittedly, I probably am. When I couldn't take it anymore, I finally wound it again, and the itching vanished, like it'd never been there in the first place. Left me with red and swollen hands though, which I needed to see a doctor about.

So, yeah, soon as I saw the broken pipes and my hands started itching, I was probably doomed from the start. At least I was able to get them to pay me for my services. I had them throw in free meals and board while I was working there, and we had a deal.

The itching isn't an issue when I'm working, thankfully, because it took about a week to fix their system. It's not too bad if I'm working to fix something, just kind of like an ache that forces me to keep working. At least it allows me to eat and sleep. I needed a couple days just to figure out how everything worked. After years working with dad, I could tell their system was kinda archaic, but I managed to cobble everything together and get them back in business. Nero (the innkeeper) was very grateful, and offered me a full-time job at the springs, repairing piping around town. Again, I wanted to refuse, but a week's worth of pay wasn't exactly enough that I could retire to the Caymans, and since I still didn't understand the value of the zenny they'd paid me, I wasn't sure whether or not they'd given me enough to keep trekking around in search of a better place to live.

So I took the job, and now, three months later, I'm still here, making sure all the piping is working properly. My dad must be laughing in his grave right now. Or I assume he's in his grave. Again, the whole Lost thing complicates things.

I guess it's not all bad. The pay's actually pretty good for what I'm doing, now that I've got a better understanding of its value. The work isn't too hard either, and the locals think I'm some sort of engineering genius (which I'm not, but I'll let them think what they want as long as it means they keep paying me). I also get go into the springs for free, which is a nice luxury. I probably have enough money to get to the other side of the country if I wanted to (Tanzia seems like a pretty interesting city), but at the moment I'm at least content with the way things are.

Might as well describe the place. Right now, I live in a place called Corel Village, in a little hut down the hill from the inn. Corel's bigger than it sounds, large enough to be called a 'town' and not a 'village' like the name implies. It's an out-of-the-way place in the south-eastern mountains of Theron, or at least the locals tell me it's out of the way. I can't really say otherwise, since I haven't really been to that many other places other than here and Loc Lac.

The local specialty of Corel is, you guessed it, hot springs. The main inn has quite a few soaking pools spread out over a couple acres, making it one of the bigger springs in the area. That Yukumo place is supposed to be the biggest and best hot spring town in the country, but it caters more towards hunters. Corel's mostly a resort for civilian tourists, and a lot of their business comes from passing travelers. Needless to say, there was some real worry about the piping breaking before I got things fixed.

I guess I can talk to the people I know here while I'm at it. My best friend (I think I've mentioned him before) is a guy named Auru Arcadian. He's the guy that first asked for my help in fixing the piping near the springs, and eventually the one that convinced me to stick around after that. You'd think that'd have made him my enemy, all things considered, but he's a good guy, and it's kind of hard not to like him.

He's lived in Corel for his whole life, and for good reason too: he's the chief of the village. Or he pretty much is. His old man's still technically the chief, but really in name only from what I've seen. Auru takes care of all the duties himself. Really smart too, because people are always going to him for advice. Maybe 'wise' is the right word? He's the one that acts as the village representative when emissaries are passing through, and he heads off to all the yearly conference between all villages in the area. So, yeah, when you ask who the chief of Corel Village is, it's Auru.

He's pretty interested in Lost stuff, and asks me about my old civilization sometimes, though I really can't offer him that much. I can tell him stories about life back home, and give him vague descriptions about how certain machines worked, but I'm really not the guy to talk to about those kinds of things. My specialty is in pipes and pumps (loathe as I am to admit it), but anything else is out of my expertise.

Though I have been teaching him Morse code. My old man was a war buff back in the day, and made me learn Morse in case of an emergency. I think the emergencies he expected were more along the lines of thermonuclear winter or a zombie outbreak, not whatever this future is. There aren't any radios around anymore, or at least I haven't seen any, so Morse is a little pointless if you're only using it to talk to someone who's three feet away from you. Auru likes it though, and he's a smart guy. Maybe he'll figure out some use for it that I can't. Maybe I should teach him semaphore when he's figured Morse out.

Did I mention he's Wyverian? He's Wyverian. Big guy, like six and a half feet tall. Pointy ears, sharp nose, scaly legs, the whole shebang. All that, and I think he's something like thirty years old at the most. Maybe. Wyvernians are supposed to live a really long time, so maybe he's in his sixties or something. He certainly talks like an old fogey, so I guess it's possible.

But we spend a lot of time hanging out together. I'm not really sure why. He's the leader of the village and I'm the guy that fixes the pipes. Quite the odd couple, to see us hanging out. But he's a nice guy, and has really done a lot to help me become a part of the village. He's actually the one that got me writing in this dia- journal. He says it's a good idea to write down your thoughts, says that it helps you remember things better, like the little details and the subtle signals and stuff. Not sure how much of that is true, but he got me this journal, so I should at least use it.

Next up are the girls running the hunters' goods store, Liz and Patty-

Okay, this is getting a little long. I'm taking a look back at what I've written, and it's a mess. I don't know why Auru thinks this'll be good for me. Maybe I'll tear out the first few pages and start fresh tomorrow, or whenever I do this again.

If not, goodbye for now. Signing off. Whatever.

Jacob

Am I supposed to sign these at the end?

August 1

Okay, it's been a while. Sorry. I don't know who I'm apologizing to. The dia- The journal or myself. I've kind of been feeling bad that I haven't been doing this, since I told Auru I'd give it a shot. But we've been preparing for a pretty big event in town the last couple days. I figured that kind of thing was reason enough for me to get back into the swing of this journal thing.

Now, festivals aren't too uncommon in Corel, not really. I've been here for five months and we've already had three. There's the spring festival, the harvest festival, the equinox festivals, yada yada the list goes on. But a few days back, Auru told the village that a very important person called 'Lady Yeta' would be visiting Corel, and that we needed to be ready to welcome her.

Apparently she's the priestess from a nearby temple, making her rounds between the villages of the area to offer her blessings to those that live in the region. I didn't really understand the appeal (still don't for that matter), since I've never been a very spiritual person and I hadn't even known that there was a temple in the area, but the rest of the town got fired up and started preparing the village for her arrival.

Anyway, I ask around a bit, and old woman Josie sat me down and told me Yeta's the priestess of Mount Ataraxia, some huge peak off to the east of here. She does all the standard fare, blessings and prayer and a life of relative purity, acting as emissary to whatever gods or spirits this area believes in. Maybe she does exorcisms and stuff too, who knows. I asked what made her so special, and apparently most of her holiness is due to Mount Ataraxia, which is considered holy ground for the sole fact that any monsters that come to live within the borders are almost completely docile.

I had to ask twice about that bit, just to make sure I heard right. Monsters that live on that mountain aren't a threat to humans. They live in complete peace with each other, and pose next to no danger to human civilization as we know it at all. At least, they don't when they're on the mountain.

But there are exceptions, apparently. You can't just find a random monster hanging out in the forest, strap a saddle to it, and expect to ride off into the sunset. You'd get bucked off and trampled. If you're a hunter and you think you can just gank the first monster you see and it won't fight back, you're in for a world of hurt. And if a Rathalos and Rathian live on the mountain and get hungry, and some there's some Kelbi hanging out near their nest, then it's venison for dinner. But there's no territory disputes or anything between the larger monsters, no battles for dominance. Apparently you can walk around and see monsters just hanging out peacefully around each other. They say humans can even approach the most dangerous beasts without fear of harm, and Priestess Yeta herself had physically touched every living creature on the mountain.

It's supposed to be the blessing of some local god. The spirit of tranquility and inner peace is supposed to have claimed the land as his or her territory, and all living creatures that dwell in its domain are 'washed clean of hatred and aggression'. I don't know that I believe that sort of thing, myself, but I asked Auru about it later and he said he's been there himself and touched the fur of a living Arzuros, and the creature didn't attack him. Auru isn't a liar, as far as I know, so I guess the stories are at least a little bit true.

Anyway, because of those effects, the locals consider the mountain a holy ground and hunting anything within the shadow of the mountain is completely forbidden, despite the number of large monsters that call the place home. They've got an agreement with the Guild and everything. Hunters are barely allowed in the area, much less given the opportunity to kill or capture anything.

It's all very interesting, but I'll maintain a healthy dose of skepticism about the stories. Maybe it's something in the water? I should probably make sure I don't say things like in front of the priestess or anyone else in the area. Josie certainly drilled it into my head that I needed to be extra polite and courteous if I ever spoke to her.

Back to the village. I've heard that the streets are being lined up and decorated, so this girl's visit is going to be turned into a proper festival. I figure the villagers just want an excuse to have a big party. Or maybe the priestess' arrival means more business. Or hell, maybe they just revere her that much. I'm not really sure which is more likely. Could be any of them, honestly.

I can't really say I've seen any of the decorations, though. I've been working overtime making sure all the hot spring equipment is in prime condition. There was a pretty nasty pipe burst when one of the Felynes ran a boiler too hot and blew a gasket through one of the walls of the bathhouse. Launched it with enough power to tear a hole through the roof of Jack's produce shop and embed itself in a support pillar of one of the guard towers down the hill. That was a delight to fix. Thankfully I only had to deal the boiler itself. The rest of the crap was someone else's problem.

There was supposed to be a welcoming party and gathering for the priestess in the village square when she arrived, but by the time

Sorry, fell asleep at my desk. I was too knackered to go to last night's welcoming party. Fixing the boiler was exhausting.

Still pretty tired. I'm gonna sleep in a little and then see what's going on in town in the morning. I guess they'll wake me up if something breaks.

August 2

It's really late at night right now, but I feel the need to write in this diary. My day's been pretty interesting, if not a little hectic near the end. Nearly got my arm broken by a very angry woman, and I didn't even do anything wrong!

The day started off nice enough. It was nearly midday before I managed to drag my hide out of bed and stumble out into town. I ran into Patty and Liz at the fletcher's, and they told me I missed the priestess coming into town late last night, though it wasn't that big a deal. Apparently she entered town so quietly that people barely realized that she'd arrived. I thought she'd come into town with some majestic procession, but all she came riding in on was an old carriage drawn by a couple Popos. I saw the thing sitting by the inn myself: it wasn't fancy, no special colors or symbols, just plain Yukumo timber with a bit of green paint on it. I guess people might not have realized she'd even arrived were it not for her entourage. She had several guards and a couple, I don't know, hand servants or something with her. A pretty small group for someone with her position, maybe. I don't know.

A lot of the locals and tourists went up to talk to Yeta during the day. She was set up on some elevated platform and people were already lined up to speak with her and get blessings or whatever when I woke up. I only really saw her from a distance though, so I could never get a good look at her, at least not during the day.

But like I said, the priestess didn't really matter to me. The entire central square was decorated, food stalls were set up, lanterns were lit, and everyone was out about town, and for the first time since I came to Corel, I actually got to enjoy the festival! Usually when there's some sort of party in town, something breaks, or someone breaks something, and it's up to me to fix it. Not today though; all of the pipes and pumps managed to hold out all day, which means I essentially got the day off. Finally got a chance to try that Dragon Head meat they sell. It's always gone by the time I have a chance to buy some.

I wanted to hang out with Auru while I had some time off, but he spent the day up at the main inn and bath house, where Yeta and her groupies were staying. Guess that's the duty of the chief. Thankfully, Patty and Liz were open to explore the village with me, so I wasn't wandering around by myself like a complete loser.

Now, I did have a lot of fun at the festival, but while I got most of the day off, I did have to check up on everything at the springs as evening rolled around. Visitors really pick up as the sun goes down, so I usually have to keep an eye on the pumps around then to make sure nothing gets overworked.

I made my way up to the main inn where the priestess is set up, and I'd been hoping to get a look in passing, but I guess the girl was off in one of the private baths. The only person I saw was this one woman with her who was apparently the captain of her guards, named Ashei, standing guard outside the changing rooms. Scary-looking girl. She had this dark, piercing stare that felt like it could bore holes through stone. It seemed like if she ever looked at you, she was sizing you up, figuring out the best five ways to kill you if you turned out to be a threat. Gotta admit though, it was kind of insulting that she only looked at me for like half a second when she saw me, before staring at that old crone that runs the fabric shop for five or six seconds.

Who am I kidding, I could probably be overpowered by a Poogie with leprosy. Half a second's generous.

Well, I wasn't just gonna hang around and wait for her just to get a look, so I head off to the boiler room to make sure things are working fine. They all seemed shipshape for the most part, though one of the boilers was running a little hot again, and we do not need another hole in the wall. I need to make a note to tell Rata and Tosker to use less coal.

But as I'm finishing up my last few checks and I'm cleaning myself off, I hear footsteps behind me, and before I can think about it I get slammed to the ground! I barely even knew what hit me, and I'm eating dirt with my arm twisted behind my back and feeling like it was gonna snap in two, with someone's knee digging into my back! It takes me a second or two just to register what's going on, and the next thing I hear is someone shouting at me and accusing me of being a peeping Tom! I look back and it's Ashei, spitting venom and cursing at me for trying to ogle the priestess herself in the bath!

Now, here's the thing: I know this place inside and out by now. I know that the machine room is right next to the private baths. I know the only thing keeping me from getting an unadulterated view of whoever is in the baths at the time is a fairly thin wooden wall. I know that it wouldn't be hard to cut a hole in the wall and get my jollies ogling women. I know that!

I know that because that's what the last mechanic did. I know that he got caught and chased out of town by all the angry women, and that's why he lives on the other side of the country these days. "Retirement" my ass! I also know that most of the women in this town could pop my head off and use it as a tetherball, and some of them run much faster than I can. There are only a couple things in this world I'd be willing to die for, and a little T&A isn't one of them.

Well, I try to make my argument, but Ashei isn't having any of it, and the next thing I know I'm being hauled through the inn, and she's swearing I'm going to make sure I suffer the full weight of the law, and so on and so on. And I'm panicking, because I've already had one close call with prison time and I really do not need another, but thankfully the first person we ran into was Auru.

Now, as I've said, I'm not a spiritual man by any stretch of the imagination, but I send my praises up to whatever being had the courtesy to make Auru my best friend in this village. Hell, I'll send a grateful nod to the 'god of tranquility' on Ataraxia if he's the one responsible, even if one of his devotees could use an extra dose of that famed tranquility.

So this girl goes off for a while when we meet Auru, I guess thinking that the village chief of all people would be willing to dole out some punishment, but Auru comes to my aid, explaining that I was the inn's mechanic, and that I was supposed to be here. Ashei was kind of flabbergasted. I guess I look kind of young for the 'head mechanic' of the hot springs. Guess she thought that of course the healthy young man is slinking around the private baths for less than savory reasons. Can't really fault her logic, honestly, but I'm still a little spiteful.

Now, thankfully, Ashei was positively mortified at her mistake. Or, at least, I think she was; her face was really hard to read. At the very least she apologized to me a whole lot for accusing me. I was tempted to be a bit of an asshole about the whole thing, but I really didn't want to start something with a woman that had put me in an armlock before I could blink, so I brushed it off and asked her to just leave me alone so I could finish my work and go back to the festival. I think Auru was a little proud of me for being so diplomatic about the whole thing, even if I didn't exactly say things very politely. She agreed, thankfully, and let me go on my way.

But that's not the end of it. I keep going with my work, maybe a little slower than usual thanks to my sore arm. Auru comes to check up on me after a little while, and I tell him I'm fine and send him off to do his village chief stuff. I'm making decent time and planning to head back down to the village proper when someone walks up behind me. Now, my nerves are already a little fired up from my last encounter with someone creeping up on me, and the second I hear footsteps I spin around like I'm gonna be knifed.

It wasn't Auru, and thankfully it wasn't Ashei. No, it was Yeta herself. And holy crap, she was pretty.

I don't say that lightly. I had this sort of mental image of what a priestess would look like when I first heard about her, and she really fit the bill. About as tall as me, straight black hair down to her thighs, dark brown eyes, curved face. She was even wearing those Japanese-looking clothes that they give the guests here at the inn (I can't remember what they're called). Really looked the part. There aren't many girls like her in Corel, that's for sure.

I guess she must have gotten the story about what happened from Auru or Ashei, because the next thing I know she's bowing and apologizing personally for the actions of her guard, and hoping I can find it in me to forgive her. Honestly, the whole thing made me feel really awkward, someone like her apologizing so profusely to me. I tried to brush it off and pretend like it wasn't a big deal, but she wasn't taking it and insisted she make it up to me. I guess she takes all this stuff just as seriously as Ashei does.

Somehow or another, I was once again too caught up in the flow to really get myself out of the whole situation, and before I know what's going on, Yeta's essentially roped me into joining her for dinner as a way to apologize, dragging me back to her room. It was a pretty awkward situation at first, if only because Ashei was sitting in the corner of the room and giving me this level look, which had me on edge for most of the evening.

But the food that the village offered her while she was staying at the inn was WAY beyond my pay grade, and I rarely get to eat anything that's really fancy so I wasn't going to miss my chance, especially since the Dragon Head meat by itself killed my budget for the next month or so. I've learned I'm not that fond of caviar, at least.

Also, I can't help but wonder if the 'Blessed Wine' is actually blessed or if it's just a name? Is it polite to serve something that's called 'Blessed' to a priestess, if it isn't actually blessed?

At least the conversation was pleasant. Yeta and I spent most of the dinner talking with each other. She seemed genuinely interested in what I did, though I can't imagine why. Also, she had a pretty big interest in Lost culture. She said she'd been reading a lot of the books and novels that have been reprinted in the last couple years, and really enjoyed going to see the plays based on old Lost movies and TV shows. Apparently the theater in Yukumo's been doing stage shows of the original Star Wars trilogy, and episode 5 is set to have their opening night in a couple months.

I admit, I was somewhat tempted to spoil the ending for Yeta, just to see her reaction, but I just didn't have the heart. The girl said she was utterly devastated when Obi-Wan died, just imagine what kind of reaction she'd have to that. I kind of want to go and see the shock on the faces of the locals for the 'I am your father' bit near the end.

The director must just love having an untainted audience though; Yeta said they're planning shows of The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, and Planet of the Apes. Guy's got a real line up ready, though I can't imagine how he's gonna pull some of those off.

For that matter, how did he do a Star Wars stage show in the first place? Creative stage props? Maybe I should visit Yukumo when I've got some time off and check it out myself.

Anyway, somehow I spent something close to four whole hours talking to Yeta. Really lost track of time. I guess it was just sort of comfortable, being able to talk about things I used to love like I was back home in Ohio. Books, stories, movies - or stage shows, I guess. I think we spent about thirty minutes just going over what we thought of Lost music. Yeta had this excitable joy when she was talking about all this stuff. I wonder if I acted like that when I read those books for the first time, or heard a new song, or saw a new movie or show. It was nice finding someone that I could really relate to, even if only a little bit.

Before I knew it, it was well past midnight, and Ashei started making less-than-subtle hints that I should see myself out. Yeta didn't seem too pleased with her chasing me out, but I really didn't like the look she was giving me either. I guess Ashei's a little overprotective of the priestess. As much as I liked talking with Yeta though, I really didn't feel like making Ashei miffed, so I said I was tired and I was ready to head home. I thanked them as politely as I could before taking off and coming back to my house.

If nothing else, I guess I can see why people like Yeta so much. At least personally. I still don't know anything about this magic mountain or whatever, but the girl herself is a pretty nice person.

Usually I'm really tired after a long day like today, but tonight I'm wide awake. I wonder why.

August 12 -

I feel like an idiot. It's been over a week since Priestess Yeta left Corel, and the villagers have been giving me hell about it ever since. I caught a bit of a stomach virus after Yeta and her group left the village. Too much food from the festival, probably. Maybe that Dragon Head meat doesn't agree with me, or that caviar I had. But apparently someone saw me talking to Yeta during the festival and thought my absence meant I was heartbroken, and now the entire village thinks I'm a lovestruck sop with hearts in his eyes over a girl he talked to for a few hours.

I need to figure out who started this rumor. Auru's been looking a bit guilty recently, so I'm pretty sure I know who the culprit is.

August 22

Note to self: NEVER LET PATTY TRY AND SHOOT AN APPLE OFF YOUR HEAD.

Also, avoid drinking with her and Liz at all costs.

Also, don't drink any more Goldenfish Brew. That stuff is dangerous. Maybe avoid Wyverian whiskey while I'm at it. My memory gets a little hazy after the first couple shots of that. For that matter, maybe I should give up drinking entirely if last night is going to be any sort of standard.

Also, refrain from telling Lost tall tales from here on in. If William Tell can cause this kind of mess, I shudder to think what sort of chaos stories like Paul Bunyan could cause. Patty would probably try and go out and tame herself a big blue Popo or something.

At least I learned that Auru is a funny drunk. I don't know who taught him about 'your mom' jokes, but sweet mercy he was slinging them left and right! I hope he doesn't remember last night. That'll make tomorrow morning so much more fun. I've never seen a Wyverian blush before.

August 28

I'm going to kill someone. Some wandering Lost busker put on a show out in front of the inn yesterday looking for loose change. Said he wanted to become a Therian music sensation. You see people like that every now and then, trying to make a buck off of old Lost tunes.

But he specialized in country music of all things! I HATE country music! My dad and uncle listened to it all the damn time! I thought I escaped it! And now half the village is humming the lyrics to a bunch of crappy songs that were on the radio back in our time! Dammit! The next time that guy tries to pass through the village, I'm breaking his guitar.

At the very least, Auru and Patty both seem to dislike that garbage as much as I do. I knew they were good people. Tosker apparently loved it though, and sings it all the damn time, which is not fun with his high-pitched yowling. Felynes are not made for singing.

Could be worse, I guess. Could be disco.

September 9

Corel had another famous visitor today. This one arrived by surprise, unlike Priestess Yeta, but with much more fanfare and prestige. His name is Doctor Dante Welsh, and he's apparently a well-known researcher, at least as far as researchers can be. I mean, I've heard a lot of weird rumors about crazy experiments and scientists and stuff out in the western side of Theron and up in Loc Lac, but nothing around these parts.

Dr. Dante is a pretty big name in this country though. He was the one to discover how to use airweed to make air filters (philters? They're spelled funny on the packaging) which lets hunters fight monsters that can swim. I guess that one invention by itself revolutionized hunting in this country sixty years ago, especially in the wetlands and along the coast, where wounded monsters could escape just by jumping into a river or the sea. That's not all though. He also upgraded ancient ballistae to act as a match against Jhen Mohran out in the desert, improved shock traps to make them more potent than before, and is said to have had a strong hand in the development of the hunter's weapon called the switch axe. All that, and apparently he's done extensive research into monster biology and ecosystems, and has aided the Guild in understanding the movements of monsters in the country. There's even talk that the Guild's called on him to do research into the remains of the Alatreon itself.

I mean, he must be pretty impressive to have done all that. That's all the stuff I picked up just talking to the other villagers and hunters in Corel, and probably isn't half of what he's accomplished.

He arrived at the village sometime yesterday evening, as I said, without warning. Unlike Yeta, he came into town with a lot of fanfare. He rode in with a long convoy of seven carriages, all of them being quite elaborate and brightly colored. Red paint, golden trim, the whole shebang. He even had a troupe of four hunters with him as personal guards too. Kind of gaudy in my opinion, but the other villagers were pretty impressed by it all.

Some of the wagons had a few tagalongs riding in them. They looked mostly like regular folks, except for a couple hermit-looking guys in the back wagon that were covered in dirt and jibbering like a couple of loons. They had this big old box filled with like forty mixed mushrooms, for who knows what. I know hunters in this time use mushrooms for a whole bunch of things, but these were all sorts of colors, and sure as hell weren't portobellos. I kept my distance from them. I'm crazy enough without the extra help.

Anyway, when the old guy rolls into town, the first thing he does is start asking around for people with 'special characteristics' or something like that. From what I gathered, he was on a big research expedition for 'unique individuals', or people that have some rare knowledge. Apparently a couple of the tagalongs in his caravan are smiths that know some good forging technique, and the goons with the mushrooms can eat them with no negative effects. Though, considering how out of it they act, I'm not so sure about their credentials.

So that's what Doctor Dante starts doing as soon as he's gotten himself a room at the inn: asking around in search of special or learned people. Patty showed off that she could reload a bowgun really, stupidly fast, but that didn't impress the doc. One of the local hunters (I think his name's Coro) said that he could attack a monster and never have his dual blades deflect off the harder scales, but apparently that's not too uncommon a skill for hunters to have.

After that, though, there wasn't really anyone impressive, and it pretty quickly became what felt like a hokey talent show full of bogus, unprovable claims. Josie tried to catch his attention by saying that her bones ached when it was going to rain, but old people have been complaining about that kind of crap since before I was born. George claimed that he could eat meat raw and it would give him the energy of a dash juice, but that didn't take either. And Tosker claimed on his honor that he had the ability to 'detect' the exact location of monsters, as well as what type of monster it is and whether or not it's sleeping or not. I don't think anyone bought that one.

Well, the only real 'special ability' I have is my Lost madness, and I try not to advertise that. It's not really much of an ability in the first place, and just makes life difficult for me. So I kept to myself and let the rest of the village try their hand at catching the doc's attention.

On a side note, Rata made an interesting acquisition for the springs. Apparently one of his cousins works in Frost Town, and has access to a unique type of coal that you can only find in the volcano itself, and he managed to get hold of a few boxes worth of the stuff. It's supposed to stay hot for DAYS, if the stories are true, and some of the more expensive stuff can last for WEEKS. If we can get a supply of that coal, we could probably reduce maintenance time and coal costs by quite a bit. That means we could keep things running with a fraction of the effort. Work smarter, not harder and all that.

We'll be doing a test run on one of the smaller boilers tomorrow morning.

I wonder if that'll cut into my paycheck if it works?

September 10

Well, I'm alive. I feel like that's not something that should have to be clarified at the start of a diary entry, but after today, I can't help but feel like it's something worth noting.

The coal was certainly unique, I'll give Rata that much, but in that it was less coal and more along the lines of a small explosive. Apparently Rata's cousin mixed up the order or something, and sent us 'volatile coal', which really just fits its name, doesn't it? Honestly, I should have been tipped off by how hot the coals were, even before we set the damn things on fire. But hey, this is a country where building supports are made using the bones of colossal monsters, flame sacs from fire-breathing dragons are used as makeshift kerosene lighters, and hunters wield weapons with pure elemental energy inside glass bottles.

Mysterious hot rock is a super-potent and long-lasting coal? Sure! Why not! Or no, it's actually an explosive? Fine! I'm not even surprised. Makes as much sense as anything else at this point.

Anyway, to make a long story short, there a new hole in the side of the machine room and I need to rebuild another boiler. That's two in the last month. Hopefully that doesn't reflect too badly on my performance as mechanic, though the first one wasn't my fault!

Also, I need to stay awake tonight to make sure I don't have a concussion. At least Patty volunteered to stop by and keep me company overnight.

A launched piece of metal may or may not have taken out the axle of one of Doc Dante's wagons as well, forcing him to stick around in town for another couple days for repairs. That'll probably come back to bite me in the ass sooner or later, but it's not like I'm trying to impress him or anything. Auru gave me a lecture though.

I suppose this gives me reason enough to try and rework the system to make it a little more efficient. I've been meaning to add a few extra valves and maybe an expansion tank to the system to keep this kind of thing from happening again. Maybe I can rig up a pressure relief valve while I'm at it? I'll need to speak with Linus about forging me something that'll work along those lines. And a bypass with a filter! The minerals in these springs are KILLING me with all the buildup in the fittings.

In the meantime, I'll need to get creative with pipe routing to make sure business doesn't take too heavy a hit from all this. Old Nero was telling me that the next big fad in Yukumo is hot spring foot baths or something along those lines, so maybe I can work with that? Maybe we can have a public foot bath with shallow water out front of the building, charge folks a fraction of the price to soak their feet? Eh, I'll ask Nero about it in the morning. We'll figure something out.

It occurs to me that I'm getting way too comfortable with this occupation. Lovely. If my father had a grave, I would piss on it.

No, I wouldn't. That's going too far.

But I would pour out a bottle of cheap vodka on it. He could never stand the stuff.

September 12

It seems that my father continues to mock me from the great beyond.

It's been a couple days, and I managed to finish the temporary repairs on the system sometime yesterday afternoon. I can't really do much more at the moment, not until Linus finishes molding me some more parts, but I managed to reroute one of the smaller pipes to a small pool near the front of the property and turned it into a foot bath like we talked about. The locals are a little uncertain about it, but the travelers in the inn seem to enjoy the luxury. Nero thinks it has promise. We'll see how it goes.

The boiler is less exploded than it was two days ago, and is almost in one piece again, if not functional yet. With luck, my improvements will drop the chances of me dying in an explosion from 9% down to about 3%, which, hey, is better than nothing. I mean, better than no adjustment, not a nothing-percent chance, because that would be glorious.

Who am I trying to explain this to?

Hell with it. Short version: things are being improved, and my job's a little safer. It's not like my job entails survival odds on par with hunters or anything, but these old boilers are finicky devils, and I'd rather not risk my bacon if I can avoid it. I mean, I'm not aiming for OSHA compliance or anything (any inspector would have an aneurysm if they saw the kind of crap people cobble together in this time) but all improvements are appreciated.

I wonder if I should try to introduce the idea of 'workman's comp' to Nero? Actually, better wait until I've been working here at least a year before I try to blow his mind with higher health and safety standards.

Aren't potions like over-the-counter morphine mixed with antibiotics? They're like the equivalent of five bucks, too. Maybe I shouldn't complain about the healthcare situation in Theron too much.

Anyway, after two days of hard repair work, I finally slogged back to my hut for some well-deserved sleep. I mean, the work's only on hold until I have the materials to keep working, but hey, a break's a break.

Thing is, as soon as I'm back to my hut and about to conk out for a solid ten hours or so, there was a knock at my door. I was half tempted to come at whoever was there with a wrench and chase them off, but thankfully I decided against that route. The need to do that is more common than you think, especially since Patty's been trying to drag me to the bar again on my every free night.

To my surprise, it was Doctor Dante himself, with Auru right behind him. And the four thugs/hunters that were acting as the guy's guards. Really glad I didn't come out swinging.

Now, right out of the gate the doc starts talking, and between my sleepiness and two days of work, it took me a little bit to really register what he was saying. It didn't help that he was using more technobabble and sci-fi lingo than I'm really familiar with. After about thirty seconds, I finally figure out that he's questioning me about the plumbing system I've got set up at the springs, wondering where I got the idea for the design. So I kind of give a vague explanation about my upbringing and about how I learned about plumbing from my father, and I guess I start rambling about pumps and valves and stuff like that, but I'm dead on my feet so I'm sure that my explanation is about as clear as mud.

Then he asked me if I wanted to accompany him to his laboratory in Loc Lac so he could use my 'expertise' to drastically improve the water situation there. That woke me up.

I imagine I had a pretty stupid look on my face at the time, but I guess the old guy was caught up in his own tangent then, explaining his motives. The city of Loc Lac has a natural oasis near the center of the city which supplies a lot of water to the people that live there, but it's not enough by itself, not for what used to be the largest city in the country. There are a lot of pumps and pipes that pull water from the aquifer underground, and they need to be kept running almost constantly to meet demand. Breakdowns and damage are a constant worry, and a lot of work is going into improving the efficiency so the water keeps flowing.

Apparently a city in the desert always has a bunch of issues when it comes to keeping its populace hydrated. Who knew?

Doc Dante said that demand's gone down a bit since the Alatreon attack killed a lot of people, but a lot of the pumps were damaged during the attack as well, and the quick replacements aren't really holding up. They need better equipment and systems to keep things from breaking down so the city can keep a consistent supply of water being drawn up from underground. That's where I apparently come in. My 'Lost expertise' may offer the city some method for improving the system, to keep people from going thirsty. I may be able to offer some insights that could help save a lot of lives.

At least that's what Dante thought. I thought he was overestimating my abilities, and told him as much. He seemed disappointed, but told me to think on it. He said he'd stick around in Corel for a few days while I finished fixing the boiler, and if I changed my mind, I could join him and the others in the caravan when he left.

After that he went back to the inn, and his guards followed him, leaving me alone with Auru. I asked him what he thought about the whole thing. He seemed uncertain, but told me that if I really did have the knowledge to improve things in Loc Lac, I could help a lot of people. He didn't sound really happy about the idea though. I'm not either, really. I mean, I know my goal at the start was to get enough money to leave this town, right?

But-

I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

September 14

Boiler's fixed now, for the most part. I've added the valves and stuff I mentioned before, and everything seems to be in working order. I want to wait a week or so to make sure that I didn't mess anything up, but so far there aren't any problems.

Word's got out about Dante's offer, and a lot of the other villagers are pestering me about whether or not I'm going to take him up on it. Some of them are kind of excited at the prospect, thinking that it'd be great if someone from their village were able to help the great and mighty Dante with his work. Kind of odd thinking, especially since I haven't even lived in Corel for a full year yet. I don't think people really realize that if I take the guy up on the offer, I might not come back. I guess Auru hasn't really told people that part of the story. I certainly haven't felt like talking about it.

It doesn't help that the doc's been coming to speak to me whenever he can to try and convince me to join him. And it also doesn't help that he's actually a pretty decent guy. He came to watch me while I was fixing the boiler, and for a little while he didn't really say anything and just observed my work. It got kind of awkward after a while, so I asked him about some of the other projects he was working on at the time.

It was a little hard to understand him past all the technobabble, but he's definitely a guy who really loves his work. That much is obvious. He's pretty old, and his face gets really serious when it comes to talking about his experiments and research, but his eyes light up like he's a kid talking about a new toy or his favorite game. He was prattling on for almost a full hour, talking about his experiments, things like trying to build a better shock trap, improving antidotes, experimenting with leaf crystals and powders (which sounds like some kind of drug to me), and something about a smoke bomb/teleporter (not sure what that was all about).

And that's just the hunting related stuff. The water situation in Loc Lac is one of the basic welfare things he's working on as well. Dante is really dedicated to improving and preserving human life through the country. I remember thinking he wasn't really that big of a deal when he first showed up in Corel, but now I'm beginning to understand why people revere him so much. I'm beginning to actually want to go with him and help him out.

Auru told me that, if I choose to go to Loc Lac, we've gotten word from Yukumo that an apprentice mechanic is willing to come and take my place. Rata and Tosker have been picking up my knowledge ever since I've started working here too, so the new guy won't be completely baffled when he shows up. I realize that a few of the things I've installed here are a bit against the norm to how people usually install things. So things will keep plugging along even if I leave. I guess that's good.

It's supposed to be good. But I don't like it.

I need to give Dante an answer soon. If I don't go, I'm wasting his time by keeping him here. If I do go, then I need to let Auru know so he can send a letter to my replacement.

I could use a drink right now.

September 15

I've decided. I'm going to join Dante on his trip to Loc Lac. I'm going to try and help out to fix and improve the pumps and get the water situation repaired.

I don't know how long it's going to take though. Maybe it'll only be a couple weeks. Or months. Maybe it'll be years.

Maybe when I get there, I won't know jack, and they'll boot me out. I don't know.

I want to come back to Corel after I'm done though. I like the people here. I like my job, much as I hate to admit it. I like my friends.

But what if it really does take years? What if my knowledge can really help a lot of people, but I need to stay in Loc Lac for the rest of my life just to implement everything and keep everything running?

I don't know. I just want to come back one day.

Auru gave me a gift: a sword and shield he'd inherited from his father, made from some Tundra saber-tooth monster. I tried not to accept it, not some heirloom that belonged to him, but he insisted. He wanted me to use it to protect myself if there was trouble on the road. I still didn't like it, but I eventually accepted, if only so I'd have something to remember him and everyone else in the village by. Maybe I can find someone to teach me how to use a sword. One of the others in Dante's caravan is a weapon smith. Maybe she can teach me a couple things.

Anyway, Auru promised he'd write. The Felyne mail service is super fast, so it'll only be a couple days between letters. That way I can keep in touch. I told Rata and Tosker to write me if something goes wrong and I'd try to reply as quick as I could. Auru said the villagers going to throw me a going-away party. I don't really want them to.

Josie gave me a scarf for the journey. Kind of useless, considering I'm traveling to a desert city, but I still appreciated it. I guess it will keep the sand out of my mouth, if nothing else.

Liz and Patty said they'd make a big cake, though I'm pretty sure neither of them can cook so who knows how that'll turn out. I think they were planning to use Linus' forge to bake it. Liz was proud of me and congratulated me on moving up in the world, but Patty was crying a bit when I told them. She promised that she'd come visit me in Loc Lac when I got settled in. We'd been getting pretty close the last couple months, and I kind of thought we might-

I'm gonna miss them both. I'm gonna miss everyone.

I've got to get ready. I need to pack.

I'll do it tomorrow.

September 18

Just writing in this diary one last time before I take off for Loc Lac. All my stuff's packed and ready, and all I need to put away is this diary. I'm probably not going to write anything inside it until I get to Loc Lac, so I'll write down what I can for now.

The going-away party was last night. It was pretty nice to have everyone in the village wishing me well and seeing me off. I'm really going to miss everyone.

Dante said that the trip would only take a couple weeks between here and Loc Lac, so we'll make pretty good time once we're actually on the road. Though, he's planning on stopping in a couple small towns and villages between here and there to make the same offer he made to the villagers in Corel, asking if there was anyone around with special abilities or skills that could help the common good of the country.

I think I'm getting used to the idea though, this 'for the good of the country' thing. I know I'm going to miss everyone that I've made friends with in Corel, but at the same time, I'm finally getting a little bit excited at the idea that I'm going to be making a difference and helping people. As much as I hated my father making me his cheap labor, the idea that I can actually use my knowledge to help people is kind of invigorating.

Maybe I can really do some good with what I know. Maybe I can make my friends here proud of me, even if it means I have to live in Loc Lac. Maybe I won't be so busy that I can't at least come back to visit my friends when I have some time to spare. Maybe this is actually a really good decision on my part. I guess I'll find out pretty quickly.

I can see one of Dante's guards coming up the path. Guess this is it.

I just had a thought: what wagon am I riding in? They're not putting me in the same cabin as those goons with the mushrooms, are they? I really hope not. I'm not feeling quite that adventurous.

Well, that's it for now. Next stop, Loc Lac.

October 3

My name is Auru Arcadian. It is with a heavy heart that I open this diary and write in it. The words that fill these pages are not my own, but those of my good friend, Jacob Fredricks. And yet, it falls on me to fill in the last entry. I feel I must.

Jacob is dead.

During his journey to Frost Town, Dante's caravan was attacked by a Rathian. It came on them suddenly, by the reports, and killed many in only a few moments. Nearly all were killed, save for five: Doctor Dante, his assistant, and three of the four hunters he had hired as his escort.

I know not how or why only they survived, and not the others that journeyed with them, but the Guild has assured me that their investigation proved that it was merely fortune that they lived. The hunters claim that they were only doing their job, rushing to protect the man that they were hired to before realizing that the others were so threatened. I cannot help but feel a cold anger in my chest, that they could not protect anyone else. That they could not protect Jacob. I should be glad that they even survived such an attack from so dangerous a creature, but I am not.

No. That's not fair. I'm not angry at the hunters. I'm angry at myself.

It hurts me now to even write these words. I heard the news several days ago, and yet some part of me wished to deny the truth. Even as proof of the attack came to us from the Guild, even as the remains were returned to us, I refused to believe the truth. Even as I lay my eyes on the bloodied tatters of his clothing, even when the Guild returned the sword and shield I had given him, now chipped and dented, even when at last, they handed me this diary, the leather bindings stained dark with his blood, still I did not wish to admit it. As I write these words, I feel as though I am admitting to that which I did not wish to. That my friend is truly gone, and I will never see him again.

And it was all my fault. Jacob didn't want to leave the village. I didn't want him to leave the village, and yet I still encouraged him to do so. I told him it would be good for him. I told him it would lead him to great things. I believed all the things I said, but all it did was kill him.

Should I have been more selfish? Should I have told him to stay, even if I believed that the journey would be the best for him at the time?

I know I shouldn't be tormenting myself like this. I know such wishful thinking is pointless. I know all this, but I can't help it. I just want my friend back.

The villagers are preparing a funeral for him. I will be performing the eulogy, though I don't deserve to. He always told me that I was smart, that I always knew the right words to say. But now I cannot find the words. I cannot tell a grand speech about him. I can only say what I know of him.

He was not strong or brave. He was not wise. He was not a great orator or highly respected in Corel. But he was my friend, and he was a good and kind man, quick with a smile and eager to help people. That is all that is important to me about him, and that will be how I choose to remember him.

I write these words knowing that they will never be read. Though this diary contains the thoughts of Jacob's last few months of living, they will not be seen by anyone else. Our way in Corel Village is to cremate the bodies of the deceased. As we have no body, instead we shall burn what the Guild has returned: his bloodied clothes, the tools he had taken with him to Frost Town, and this diary. The remains will be put into an urn, which I plan on molding myself.

After the funeral, I will be making a journey with his urn to lay him to rest. Jacob once joked with me about what he wanted people to do with him once he died: he wanted his body filled with gunpowder and thrown into a volcano, so he could go out with a literal bang. I'm sure he was merely fooling, but even in jest I will see it through. I plan to travel to Frost Town next week, where I will fill his urn with the most volatile materials I can find, and then journey to the core of the Volcano hunting grounds, and give him the sending-off he desired.

I fear that all this talk of death has left me feeling melancholy. I can write no more here. The funeral is two days from now, and I have much to prepare.

Farewell, Jacob. I hope that you can forgive me, for leading you to such an abrupt end. I hope you are well, whatever lies beyond the veil of death. I will remember you well, and you will be greatly missed.

Your friend, now and always,

Auru

Author's Note: Please Review!

Welcome to Charon! I hope you enjoy the ride. Things may not seem too exciting in the story at the moment, but don't worry, it'll pick up soon enough.

So, yeah, as you can see, Charon is yet another experiment in writing style, one that I just couldn't get out of my head. I admit, I've never been a big fan of first person storytelling, but I just wanted to give it a shot. I promise that only the Charon story will be written like this. This may put off some readers, but this story will be written entirely in diary/journal format. Another little inspiration taken from the original Dracula book, which was written in a similar style, as well as the more recent book The Martian. It's an interesting method of writing, admittedly. The writer lives out their lives as normal, then returns to their journal to try and summarize what has happened from their own point of view. And makes for very abrupt changes in tone as well, heheheh… Each chapter is going to be written from a different person's perspective as the story progresses, so you'll never know who's going to be next on the docket.

I was tempted to lace the chapter with a bunch of spelling errors and typos to indicate someone making mistakes as they wrote by hand, but I felt like that would be a little too much.

And yes, the story will be its own entity here on FF. While I was planning to add it to the DLC stories, I realized that the story would be far too long and spread out to really fit in there. Charon is looking like it will be longer than Underground and After Life, maybe even put together. The Charon chapters will also be releasing slowly, and I might have to fill the gaps in my schedule with other DLC stories, and I don't want to break apart the story flow if I don't have to. So, Charon will be its own entry, just to keep things clean and neat.