Hello everyone! Break is over and I've gotten my motivation back! I also may have grinded my Master Rank until I was at one-hundred and eighty three... Yeah.
Also my apologies for the reupload. I tried to post my completed chapter but it instead decided to put my incomplete draft. I'm also sorry for the wacky science, as I'm not the best when it comes to genetics.
Onward with the Story!
Quiet gripped the table as the group of Old World hunters processed the information that had just been given.
Richard leaned back a bit in his seat and stared upward in thought. Nina was silent under her helmet and was gently grabbing her armored knees under the table. Angela had a hand on her chin and her emerald eyes were scanning the table.
The explanation had been long and relatively quiet. Richard, Angela and Nina had remained silent throughout the entire talk. Eclipsen had explained most of what had transpired, with Hether jumping in to confirm some things.
Eclipsen had his hands clasped together in front of his face, his crimson eye staring over his armored knuckles. Hether had her book closed on the table and her arms were crossed on top of the pages of the large leather bound tome. A look of worry and anxiety graced her features, her eyebrows tilting downward and her mouth bent into a frown.
Richard let out a sigh and leaned forward, breaking the silence and drawing Eclipsen's crimson eye towards him. Richard stayed quiet for a moment as he sent a look into the empty bottom of his wooden tankard. He then looked up, his sky blue eyes now holding nothing but seriousness, contrasting his playful mood like the sun burned brighter than the moon.
"I'm sorry but, I don't really know how to feel. It's just... This is so strange. The second weirdest thing I can think of is Fatalis armor and that black sword."
He said, a hint of his humor coming back in the second part of his sentence. Angela shared a nod as she rubbed her hand on her face. Eclipsen's crimson eye remained steadfast, his oval shaped pupil only conveying neutrality.
Hether glanced at her partner, and the striking realization that she couldn't read his mood was like the sound of a hammer on metal.
"I have to agree with Rich. I don't want to be biased, since what you've told us suggests that She's not out to hurt anybody. But at the same time..."
Angela said, using the familiar shortened version of Richard's name. Her tone carried doubt and her sentence trailed off, her feelings of being caught between a rock and a hard place clear in her expression.
"We can't just jump into trusting her. She's still part monster, humanoid or not."
Nina finished Angela's words for her, and Hether swore that she saw a glint of turquoise behind the eyes of Nina's Ceadeus helm.
A sound of armor clinking drew Hether's eyes back to Eclipsen, who was lowering his hands down onto the table. A frown graced his features, and it looked like he had suddenly aged. The sense of seriousness and experience that he had fell into while he had recounted his battle with Fatalis had returned.
"I understand. I trust her, wholeheartedly. But I know that trust can be misplaced, so I ask you to keep being suspicious. Please, keep an eye on her in case she does do something to hurt somebody or Astera as a whole."
Hether felt disbelief fill her being. She leaned forward and her mouth moved automatically.
"What? Why do we need to be suspicious of her? You've seen how she acts around Brad, the Head Smith, even the Commander! She doesn't want to hurt anybody."
Hether's pleading was immediately cut off by the piercing gaze that Eclipsen sent her. The look didn't carry any warning or undertones. Instead, Eclipsen's crimson eye all by itself was unsettling for some reason.
"I believe you, but monsters are unpredictable. Always have been, always will be. You can anticipate what a monster will do next, but you can't be surprised when it does something you didn't expect. You can think a monster will turn left and there's a very real chance it could turn right instead."
Hether looked into Eclipsen's eye for a moment and found that there was a softness behind the veil of neutrality. The lesson in the words was clear and Hether nodded in response. To remain suspicious was wise even when you are sure that your allies can be trusted.
A silence fell back onto the table, with Eclipsen looking around at his old team in thought. Richard's eyes were stuck looking at something on the tables surface, while Angela looked at Hether with an unreadable expression. Hether returned the look with one of interest, looking at Angela's emerald eyes with her own amber orbs. No-one knew where Nina was looking, as her helm obscured all of her features.
"I want to set down a ground rule."
Eclipsen's voice broke the silence. The three hunters looked at him immediately, their expressions shifting to ones of patient expectation. Like the look a soldier gives their commanding officer when waiting for orders.
"I ask that we treat her with respect and kindness, regardless of who and what she is. Until she does something to deserve harsher treatment, I expect you to regard her with the same warmth Hether and I have."
The three nodded in understanding, not bothering to word their feelings on the matter. Hether looked around like the sky had turned green. She had expected them to object or at least voice their opinions, but the three simply nodded and went back to thinking.
The sound of footsteps drew the group's attention, with Eclipsen jerking visibly in surprise before looking.
The topic of conversation had arrived. Nergigante looked at the table with curiosity at the newcomers and a second layer of what seemed to be boredom. Eclipsen and Hether lifted themselves from their seats while Richard, Angela and Nina stared at Nergigante with interest.
The Elder Dragon looked at the table quietly. She made no move to approach, which struck Hether as odd. Upon further inspection, the Handler noticed that Nergigante didn't seem to be in the best of moods. Her shoulders were slightly sagging, her tail which was normally suspended a few inches above the ground was now slack and looked to have dragged across the ground and her expression was slightly saddened.
Hether reached out and grasped Nergigante's hand and gently pulled on the limb, drawing the Elder Dragon towards the table. Eclipsen motioned towards the empty seat between Hether and himself, offering the seat to Nergigante freely. She looked downward at the spot for a moment before approaching fully.
"I haven't introduced you to my old friends have I? Come on. We'll get some food too."
Eclipsen said, posture carrying a sense of welcome that had quickly overode the seriousness. Nergigante nodded and moved to sit down, her tail unconsciously moving out of the way for her rear to meet the seat.
"You know, if you'd said she was hot I would have been more open to the idea."
Richard's statement broke the tension like an icicle falling from the edge of a roof, with Eclipsen turning to see his friend with a shit-eating grin. Angela quickly put her hand onto her face and starting giggling. Nina's armor covered body relaxed visibly and she placed her arms on the table once more.
"Dammit, Richard."
Angela said as she smacked the fellow hunter on the arm, barely being able to do so through her laughter. Eclipsen only shook his head with a smile as he waved over a Canteen Palico who delivered menus for the group.
-Transition-
"So how exactly did you four meet? I know Eclipsen fought Fatalis alone, but he only occasionally mentioned you guys."
Hether asked after swallowing a bite of meat. Nergigante barely looked up from her own plate, and continued to scarf down her large steak with somewhat unrefined use of her fork. Richard wiped his mouth with a cloth, cleaning it of the barbeque sauce that found it's way onto his chin despite his care in eating the meal.
"Well, it was a long time ago. We've been working together for what? Almost forty years now? We met before Eclipsen met Sundancer, if that helps any."
Richard said as he wiped his now bare hands with his handkerchief. Angela was busy consuming her salad sprinkled with meat and Eclipsen was listening closely while eating his own ham sandwich. He didn't have that much of an appetite today, for some reason.
Hether looked around at the four hunters for a moment, a flash of confusion and disbelief showing in her eyes.
"How old are you guys?"
"Fifty-two."
Eclipsen said as he placed his sandwich down. Hether looked at him in utter disbelief before Richard answered as well.
"Forty-six, as of last month."
Angela was next to answer, and Hether's surprise only grew.
"Forty-eight. I was born two years before Richard."
Nina spoke next, though her answer was quick and it was obvious that her age was a sort of sore topic for her.
"Fifty."
A moment of quiet passed.
Then Hether stood up like a rocket, her mouth opening and her face only displaying surprise. She accidently bumped Nergigante's plate in the process, drawing an annoyed growl from her.
"HOW?! You all look so young! I'm only twenty-four and I feel old already!"
Eclipsen chuckled and Richard openly laughed at the outburst, with Angela only allowing herself an amused smile. Nina remained silent and continued to slip small potato fries under the chin of her helmet.
Hether looked around, noticing that the entire Canteen had looked at her shouting. She flashed an embarrassed smile as she say down, trying to ignore the soft chuckles from everybody in the area.
"Well, after our fight with Shagaru Magala, we found out the Frenzy Virus in our bodies was doing all sorts of weird stuff to our DNA. You want the long or short explanation?"
Richard asked as he moved his plate to the side. Nergigante eyed the last wing on Richard's plate as he did, and upon receiving a nod from the man, she reached forward and took the last piece.
Hether opened her book and flipped to a fresh page. She pulled her quill off her shirt and dabbed it on the side of the page before looking back at Richard.
"Long story, please."
Richard stared at Hether for a moment before looking over at Eclipsen. His crimson eye glanced at Richard before he lifted his sandwich off his plate.
"She does this often."
He said before taking a large bite. Richard nodded before continuing.
"Well, alright then."
-Transition-
"Give it to us straight, Doc. How screwed are we?"
"Not at all. Quite the opposite, actually."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, erm... How do I explain it? You are aware that human DNA is double strand, correct?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, it seems that the Frenzy Virus has bound itself to your DNA. It made a sort of... Extra strand of information on your DNA. It made your DNA triple strand instead of double."
"How the hell is that even possible?"
"We don't rightly know. It seems that your prolonged exposure to the Virus allowed it some wiggle room in your bodies, allowing it to bind to your DNA directly. The third strand on your DNA is actually only compromised of the Frenzy Virus."
"What does that mean for us?"
"Well, it seems that you've only reaped the benefits of the Virus. The aging process in your cells has slowed significantly and it seems that your immune system had become far more powerful. The information in the Frenzy Virus has also greatly increased oxygen content in your blood and seems to give your cells the ability to generate a substance that increases your muscle output."
"I'm not following, doc."
"You've essentially gained a few decades of life and your strength has been permanently augmented."
"Alright, so what's the catch?"
"I'm sorry?"
"There's always a catch. There is no way that there isn't a drawback to this."
"Well..."
"Come on, I said to tell us everything."
"Well, this is just my assumption, but I would say that it's likely that your can no longer have children."
-Transition-
"Oh wow... That's actually really cool! I mean, I don't know much about Biology, but that seems like a once in a lifetime thing."
Hether said as she finished jotting down that Richard had just explained. The black haired man nodded as Angela finished eating her own meal.
"Oh it is. There's only been three recorded Shagaru Magala, and we just so happened to draw the lucky lottery."
Angela nodded as a Canteen Palico took her plate along with some of the others before walking away. Hether closed her book and tucked away her quill before looking back at the four hunters, her expression turning somewhat somber as she did so.
"I'm sorry you guys can't have kids. That seems like a horrible thing to have happen to you."
She said, some apology and sympathy in her voice. Richard simply shrugged at the statement.
"Eh. I don't know about the rest of us, but it's not really a bother to me. We can always find an apprentice."
Angela, Nina and Eclipsen nodded. They knew that they hadn't ever felt the need to find a loved one and settle down, as Hunting had been their calling since they had started. Even Eclipsen, who deep down no longer found his profession enjoyable like he had before Fatalis, had come to the conclusion that raising a child would be somewhat hindering to his tasks. As well as unfair to the child if he one day didn't return from a hunt.
Nergigante was still quiet and watching the hunters in silence. Eclipsen watched her out of the corner of his eye, his slitted pupil noting even the slightest things that were off about her mannerisms.
"You never explained how you guys met though."
Hether said with a coy smile. Richard chuckled before leaning forward, a twinkle in his sky blue eyes. Angela let out a sigh as Richard began to speak.
"Well then, get cozy because it is quite a story."
-Transition-
Richard and Angela sat quietly as the wind whipped by. Storm clouds loomed on the horizon, occasionally joined by a flash of lightning and the sound of distant thunder.
"So, when is this guy going to get here?"
"Soon, Rich. We've been waiting for five minutes."
"I know, I know. I'm just excited. It's the guy who killed a Fatalis, for Wyverians sake."
He said as his left leg bounced wildly. He was far more excited than he said he was, partly due to his ADHD and the fact that he was about to meet the equivalent to a Hunter God.
Angela rolled her eyes and went back to sharpening the point of her Gunlance. She had been with Richard since they were children, having grown up in the same village and in houses directly next to each other. She helped to keep Richard in check most of the time, but he was getting better with age.
"So why exactly did they pick us to hunt down an Amatsu?"
Richard asked as he stopped bouncing his leg and leaned back into his seat. They were both sitting on a log that was carved into a bench, with the piece of makeshift furniture being surprisingly comfortable.
"Because we've hunted more than one Kushala Daora. Not to mention that Rusted Kushala that attacked Forkleaf Village."
Angela answered. It was true that they were very much qualified to hunt an Amatsu, as they had hunted a kill count of almost ten Kushala in around two years. It spoke of both how rare Kushala Daora really were and how skilled they were with handling wind based Wyverns.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But that also begs the question-"
"Why did they ask the famed Eclipsen to help? Because it's smart to hire at least one hunter who is overqualified for the job and one hunter who is underqualified. Teach the newer hunter and the already seasoned ones some new tricks."
Angela answered as she tucked away her whetstone and folded her Gunlance into it's compact form. Richard sent a look of questioning at her before speaking again.
"Really? I didn't know we'd be having a fourth for the trip."
Angela sighed theatrically and rolled her eyes before clipping her Gunlance to her back. Richard spared an embarrassed and apologetic look in response.
"You really should read more of the Quest description than just what monster we're hunting. Her name is Nina, and she's actually older than us. She just doesn't have experience with Elder Dragons that fly as main defence."
Richard nodded before turning his attention to the storm clouds hanging in the distance. Lighting occasionally flickered across the black mass, and that brought a question to his mind.
"Don't Amatsu only make wind storms? Why is there lightning in that storm?"
Before Angela could answer, the sound of heavy footsteps caught the ears of the two before a voice soon joined the noise.
"Because the Amatsu isn't maintaining the storm. Those clouds are natural. The Amatsu is just hiding in them."
A sense of dread filled the back of both of their minds as they looked over to see who was approaching.
A man dressed in Blademaster Fatalis armor walked towards them, the helmet of his armor missing along with the backplate of the armor that was normally seen on the Blademaster Fatalis set. His ghostly pale hair was a veritable lions mane and was combed back to form a thick waterfall of white locks. His two crimson eyes were like fiery coals in the low light area, and bore slitted pupils.
He also had a brown colored sack slung over his shoulder that made metallic clinking noises as it moved.
A black sword rested in it's sheath at the back of his waist. It was a simply designed blade, with a black wrapped handle and T shaped guard that made way for a thick obsidian blade that ended in a wicked hook. Runes were etched into the fuller of the blade, and tiny speckles of what looked like glowing red stars were visible in the etchings.
Richard relaxed once he realized that the uneasy feeling he was getting was from the Fatalis armor that the man wore. It also marked the man as Eclipsen, the one who had successfully killed a Fatalis.
"Really? How often does an Amatsu do that?"
Richard asked as he leant further back into the bench. Angela glanced at her partner before searching her item pouch to make sure everything was in it's chosen place.
"Not often. Amatsu normally maintain their own storms, but once in a great while it will stumble across a storm that looks more comfortable to it and it will set up shop."
Eclipsen said as he pulled the brown sack from his shoulder and set it down on the ground. Richard watched as Eclipsen reached into the bag and pulled out a small shield to go with his sword and the helmet to his armor, along with a brown belt that was brimming with pouches.
Richard leaned forward and offered his hand, a smile crawling it's way onto his face.
"Richard. A pleasure to meet you."
He said, his grim growing as Eclipsen glanced at his hand before returning the gesture.
"Eclipsen. I hope this hunt goes well."
-Transition-
"Well that was anticlimactic."
Hether said with a disappointed look. Richard's proud expression swiftly switched to one of hurt as he placed his hand in his chest in mock offense.
"How dare you?! Such a story is one that begins legends!"
He said with a gasp and ended with a theatrical point of the finger upward. Angela spared a mocking snort and Eclipsen allowed himself a twitch of a smile.
As the group shared a small chuckle, they failed to notice a dark armored person walking towards their table.
It wasn't until the person was standing almost directly behind Nergigante that the Elder Dragon herself noticed. Her spines quickly began to rattle quietly and her instincts told her to react.
She stood up like a spring board, whipping around to look at the person with her sharp fangs bared and a growl in her throat.
The group jumped and turned along with Nergigante, finding a person dressed in a complete set of male Gore Magala armor with a Leumundsbruch Insect Glaive on their back.
The person took a step back and lifted their hands, stopping Nergigante from leaping at them like she had planned. Her claws relaxed and she dropped her attack mode.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"
Before things could go back to escalating, Eclipsen reached out and tapped Nergigante on the shoulder. She glanced at him, her yellow orbs distant and uninterested. Eclipsen held back from asking her what was wrong, and decided quickly that he would ask her later.
"Hether, Nergigante, this is Fabien. He's another of our team."
Eclipsen said as he gestured towards Fabien. The man offered a small bow before gazing at the rest of the group. Hether raised an eyebrow before speaking.
"I thought normal teams only had four members."
Eclipsen nodded before answering. Fabien waited patiently, his gaze, despite being hidden behind his helm, centered on Nergigante whose own eyes were lowered towards the ground.
"Normally they do, but at one point Nina was injured and Fabien was the only one able to stand in for her at the time. He eventually became a permanent member of the team."
"Really? What happened?"
Hether asked as she sat back down, her curiosity centering on Nina. The armored woman finished slipping a fry into her helmet before elaborating.
"My leg got twisted one hundred and eighty degrees around when it got caught by a Nakarkos."
The rest of the table flinched remembering the incident, while Hether visibly cringed at the thought. Nina continued after everyone was done reacting.
"The doctors said that the nerves had been almost severed and my bones had been broken so badly that they said it almost earned the use of the word 'shattered'. I was stuck in bed for almost eight months and six more months after that were mostly physical rehabilitation and a steady diet of Potions."
Hether nodded and gave a look of sympathy while Nergigante and Eclipsen slowly sat back down. Fabien circled around the table slowly before taking the vacant seat between Angela and Nina, his Gore Magala helm contrasting well with Nina's Ceadeus helmet.
"I'm sorry. How is your leg now?"
Hether asked out of true concern. She cared for everyone, whether they were strangers or neighbors or even new arrivals to Astera. Nina's helm lowered a bit before she responded.
"It's fully healed now, but the doctors told me to drink a potion when it starts to feel like something's pinching me at the waist."
As the conversation continued, Eclipsen devoted the majority of his attention towards Nergigante. Her gaze was centered on the table and her actions only conveyed mild attention. It began to click with the Hunter that something had taken place while she was at the Workshop.
Eclipsen knew for a fact that nothing could have happened between FÃna and Nergigante, so that only narrowed down the options to-
It hit him then. The Smithy was where they forged armor made of monsters. It was a small amount of armor, but it was armor nonetheless. As the realization sank in, Eclipsen felt the need to reach out to Nergigante. Maybe talking about the situation or a simple hug would suffice?
Eclipsen pondered it for a moment before he came to a decision. He lifted his right hand from the table and moved to place it on Nergigante's shoulder. It would at least draw her attention for the moment.
That's when the alarm horn blared.