Chapter 3: Life in Astera

(One month later)

Jaune panted hard. Clutching his sword, the basic iron and steel that was standard issue to all starting hunters of the Fifth Fleet, he attacked the barrel with renewed ferocity. Behind him, the Excitable A-lister, Serious Handler, and a group of Fivers who had nothing better to do nodded in approval.

There were many things required to being a monster hunter, with weapon skill being only one of them. Geography, ecology, nutrition, physical fitness, biology, weapons maintenance, hunter tools, note-taking, and, horror of horrors, paperwork were just a few of the others.

Jaune's training was divided into two parts. Practical training with Excitable A-Lister, and theories with the Serious Handler and the various researchers in Astera. In all honesty, it was just like regular school, except he was the only student and both of his teachers worked him to the bone, physically and mentally.

Nearly all of the Commission members were nice people who readily gave him tips and advice when he asked. Jaune could sort of get why his mentor thought the Grimm wouldn't be attracted to the base. Besides the general anxiety that preceded hunters before going out, the members of the Commission were very lively. There was no gloom that hung in the air like it did on Remnant, despite the fact that this world held monsters that equaled or even surpassed the Grimm in danger levels.

The Chief Ecologist explained it to him, during one of his refresher lessons for hunters. "We don't try to fight against the ecosystem, my boy. We are a part of it, just like the monsters that also inhabit this world, and we've accepted that. Live, enjoy life, and die; we give and we take in equal measure, there is no higher calling."

Words to live by, he supposed.

When he was not training, he helped out in Astera and got to know the other members of the Commission. Some days he was asked to help out in the forge carrying supplies, next he was in the tradeyard sorting through fish and ore, then off to the kitchen to help wash the dishes.

The bipedal cats, Felynes, who comprised the kitchen staff was surprised that a human would offer to help them out, but they happily accepted him into their ranks, even if they forced him to wear a hair net.

Why they weren't wearing full body suits and why their hair wasn't falling into the food, Jaune had no idea.

Of the Commission members, he especially liked Fiver Bro, a man wearing what looked like steel plate who Jaune always found eating at the canteen. The hunter was happy to share stories with him, and Jaune sat with him during meals if his mentors went on missions.

The best part? He got paid for his work as well as learn at the same time.

But let us skip all the training stuff and get right into the action, shall we?

"Jaune! Come here for a sec," said Excitable A-lister. He sounded excited for some reason.

Jaune stopped gutting the fish, taking out the gills and intestines and throwing them into the pile. He looked at the Fish Aficionado, who smiled and nodded her head.

"Sir, what's up?" He asked, cleaning his hands on a bucket of water.

Excitable A-lister smirked at his new moniker. "Remember the Pukei-Pukei last month?" he asked.

"How could I forget," replied Jaune. Running for your life was not something you just stop thinking about.

"The Smithy came and made some armor and weapons for you!" said the A-lister. "Your share in the spoils, so to speak."

Jaune frowned. "But I didn't kill it."

"Yeah, but everyone who helped out with the hunt gets a share of the monster materials. Me, who did the most work, get the lion's share, but you get a cut too," the A-lister explained. "Just enough for a new set of threads and a light weapon, though, but still."

Jaune looked to the Fish Aficionado, who tilted her head in agreement.

"Yup, that's how it works around here. The hunters usually just discuss it amongst themselves who gets what, though, if everyone had equal contribution to the work. Failing that, rock, paper, scissors. The ones who carried the monster back to base, alive or dead, get a cut too, but much smaller compared to those who actually hunted it," she added. "You should go check it out for yourself."

"Thanks," said Jaune, and he let his mentor lead him to the Smithy.

"Tada!" Said the Young Smithy when he presented Jaune's new Pukei-Pukei armor.

It was green. The body was made of Pukei-Pukei hide, held together with belts and a small metal breastplate. The legs and arms were similar but decorated with some yellow feathers for design. The helmet was also made of hide, complete with mouth covering and goggles. Finishing the entire set was a belt that held many pouches to store items in.

In all, it looked like proper hunter equipment, and the Smithy was giving it to him for free.

"Your mentor paid the labor costs. Don't worry, he's rich, he won't even notice this."

Never mind.

"Ha! You can pay me back when you become an awesome hunter yourself!" said the A-lister.

"Thanks, Sir."

The A-lister and the Young Smithy smirked. "What are you waiting for, try it out!"

Minutes later, Jaune was dressed in his brand new outfit. That was when he noticed a strange feeling in his body, almost as if he had become stronger.

While admittedly he had become more physically fit after a month of training, it was not to the point that he felt like he could bench press twenty barrels like what he was feeling at the moment.

"How does it feel?" asked the Young Smithy.

"It's comfortable, but what's this sensation I'm feeling?" asked Jaune. It really was comfortable, he felt like he could sleep on it on hard ground and still wake up feeling refreshed. But the strange feeling concerned him.

"Those are armor skills," said the A-lister.

"Armor skills?"

It was the Serious Handler who answered. "Remember the Aura you mentioned last time?"

Jaune nodded. Ah, so it was not a bad feeling.

"We have a bit of a similar concept here called Bioenergy, life energy, that flows from the continent, through all living things, and then back again." She began. "As you might have guessed, monsters are very powerful when they are alive and contain a huge amount of bioenergy. When hunters slay them and use their parts for gear, the bioenergy keeps the parts 'alive' in a sense, and some of the monster's power is retained in the armor."

"Whoa," said Jaune. "Does the bioenergy run out?"

"No," she replied. "When you wear the armor, you are now sharing your own bioenergy with it, almost making it an extension of your own body."

"It's what makes us hunters so dangerous," quipped the A-lister. "The stronger the monster, the stronger the armor, and the more powerful we also become."

It made sense, Jaune thought. The words of the Chief Ecologist echoed in his head. The people in this world never unlocked their Aura. Instead, they took advantage of the power of the monsters around them. Idly he wondered how a Huntsman from Remnant would fare against the monsters of this world. Or, if he unlocked his Aura then wore monster armor, wouldn't that be awesome?

"So, what power does this armor give me," he asked, checking out his own Pukei-Pukei armor.

"Pukei-Pukei was above all a survivalist. He's not the strongest monster in the forest, so he had to live in the sidelines, keeping himself away from the likes of Rathalos and Anjanath," said Serious Handler. "With that in mind, you should expect to have stronger attacks while you're in perfect health, as well as gain more benefits from food. Oh, and a resistance to poison too."

Jaune nodded. All of that sounded useful.

His musings were interrupted by the Young Smithy. "Now, about your weapon," he said, turning to the A-lister. "We haven't actually made it yet, since we wanted to know what you'd like first."

"A sword and shield," answered Jaune.

"That was quick. Any reasons why?"

"Back on Remnant, my ancestor wielded a weapon named Crocea Mors," said Jaune. "It was a sword and shield combo, only the shield is collapsible and can be used as a scabbard. My dad said it made it easier to store and carry, but I'm pretty sure it still weighed the same, though."

"Sounds like a charge blade," commented A-lister.

Jaune remembered the weapon type being mentioned before in one of their lessons. "Yeah, but it's not as complicated, and I want to learn the basics first. So, I guess that's why I want a sword and shield, at least right now."

"It's settled then," said the Young Smithy. "Come back in about two or three days, we'll get it done for ya."

Two days later, and a beautiful but deadly weapon arrived in Jaune's hands. The sword, a mixture of steel and Pukei-Pukei scales, was poisonous, owing to the poison sac on its guard. The shield was just an ordinary steel shield, but with Pukei-Pukei scales mixed in as well.

Jaune was slowly going through his meal, with the Meowscular Chef paying very close attention to him, when his mentor clapped him on the back.

"Mmph!"

He barely managed to swallow his mouthful. The Chef glared at both him and the new intruder.

"Now that you have your armor and weapon, let's talk mission!" said the A-lister.

"Already?"

"Yup! You've been confined here, what, a month? It's time for you to head out and go into the wild!"

Jaune was not as confident. "Correction, it's only been a month. You really think I'm ready for it?"

"Of course! Remember the Great Jagras you fought when we taught you the slinger and clutch claw?"

They were at the arena, where hunters fight monsters that were captured, mostly for training but sometimes for entertainment. Such monsters were almost always those who were either too numerous for the ecosystem to handle or too dangerous to be left alive.

The Commission would NEVER think to hunt monsters purely for fun and profit. Never.

(Elsewhere, the gold covered monster known as Kulve Taroth sneezed. She shook her gold-plated head and moved on, her beautiful, solid gold mantle swaying behind her.)

But back to our aspiring hunter.

"Yeah, strap it on, just like that," said Field Team Leader. The Excitable A-lister was smiling widely behind Jaune.

After a few tries, he finally got the contraption attached firmly to his arm.

"Good. Try to give it a few test runs."

Jaune did so, firing a few stones that were littered on the ground. The stones hit the wooden palisades loudly.

"Now the clutch claw."

Jaune activated the secondary mechanism. The sharp grappling hook flew, hitting the palisade violently but did not connect, unable to find a proper grabbing spot.

"Good," said Field Team Leader. "We'll practice on the Great Jagras you captured the other day. Remember, make sure the monster is not enraged when you cling onto it, I'll be shouting you tips as we go along."

As if on cue, pounding could be heard on the gates on the other side of the arena.

"Wait, what?" said Jaune. "I'm going to be fight now?!"

"Don't worry about it," quipped the A-lister. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens. Now go out there and ready your weapon!"

"This is too sudden!" shouted Jaune even as he took out his sword and shield.

"This is fieldwork!"

The gates opened, revealing the very same Great Jagras that Jaune collided with the Pukei-Pukei on his first day here.

"Look, it recognized you!" said the A-lister.

"What?!"

"Oh, it's getting angry! Better calm it down fast!"

The Great Jagras charged at him.

"AAAAAHHH!"

"Yeah, I remember," said Jaune, glaring at his mentor.

"Hey, you did just fine! Not a single scratch! Nice dodging skills, by the way. If you want, you can even ask the Smithy to craft you some Great Jagras gear; since it's your kill, you own most of it!" said the A-lister.

"Why didn't you mention it before?"

His mentor scratched his cheek bashfully. "Eh, I might have forgotten," he said.

Jaune stared.

"But anyway," A-lister changed the subject. "About that mission. I'm thinking of just a gathering quest, something to help you familiarize with the layout of the Ancient Forest. You won't need to fight any monsters, and I'll be close by in case something happens, that good?"

Jaune considered it. "Yeah, that sounds good. When do we start?"

"In a bit, it'll only be for a couple of days," A-lister replied. "Word from the Research Base says that the Sapphire Star is done with their mission in the Elder's Recess, so we'll be having a big celebration when they get here."

Author's Note:

I believe armor skills are purely a gameplay thing, it being due to bioenergy is my own headcanon.

Thanks for reading!