Soooo... This chapter is way too long overdue. I really don't have an excuse other than for the first few months I took an unannounced break from Monster Hunter World to avoid burning myself out. But that doesn't make up for how long I was actually gone. Long story short, Fanfiction can be an annoyance to work with. I usually have to type the entire chapter in one go in the copy and paste portion of the doc manager, which can take a few hours. If I close the page, Fanfiction reloads the page when I come back and I lose all my progress. But trying to download the chapter as a Document causes so many formatting errors I want to punch something. Doesn't seem like such a problem, except it is because I have a damaged wrist. Typing for long periods of time causes it to flare up in pain like its been stabbed. I was a wuss and didn't want to deal with that so I kept putting off typing the chapter, despite having this ready to be typed for the last several months. Eventually, I came up with a solution. Type this up over time in a different word document that I can save, then just copy past it into Fanfiction afterwards. I'm embarrassed it took me this long to come up with that...
It's not perfect, I still have to manually fix any errors this does cause, as well as add in things like line breaks and spacing manually, but its much easier this way.
Once again, I'm truly sorry for the long wait.
A big thanks to the reviewer Roos-Skywalker, who gave an absolutely amazing review. I can't actually respond to it without giving away major spoilers about both the story and the characters, but trust me when I say that it was a big kick in the pants to get back to typing this! And Roos, please don't be afraid to keep giving reviews like this. You did not hurt my feelings in any way. Blunt force reviews like this are what I need to improve, straight up pointing out my flaws and smacking me in the face with them! But just know this, I'm kinda aiming for a more amatuerish story. It's not meant to be taken seriously, and I'm only writing this as a free time project. This originally started out as a joke after all, I'm kinda trying to keep to that origin.
Now lets get this out of the way, I don't own Monster Hunter World, or any existing characters in it. I only own Nov Sinclair, Dov Sinclair, and Gaia Treathers.
Chapter 5: First Steps
Caught off guard, I eloquently asked for Nov to elaborate, with, "W-what?"
Sighing, Nov explained, "I could ask why you became a hunter, or why you fight or other stuff, but what I am really looking for is best answered by what I asked. What is your purpose, or really, what is your goal in the New World?"
Pausing, I delved into my thoughts, looking back for my reason for first joining the Research Commission.
It must have been only five minutes, and I was starting to panic! For the life of me I couldn't draw up anything other than blanks! Figuring there was nothing to lose, I took a breath, ready to give the honest answer of not knowing why, when as quick as a thunderbug a memory flashed through my mind!
It was years ago now, way back when I was a little girl. My father, a long-time Hunter having recently retired due to injury, was regaling me with stories of lands far across the sea, long left unexplored. These lands were for many years thought impossible to reach, when the impossible was suddenly made possible thanks to sea faring advancements. It was with a heavy heart that my father was forced to retire, having nearly shattered his back dealing with a brutally strong Tigrex! He explained how he had heard of the now explorable lands just before his last mission and made it his dream to one day help chart the new continent. His new dream was crushed in the jaws of a Tigrex not long after it was formed. So, in my child mind I promised to myself I would fulfill my father's dream and return to him with my own stories of these new lands.
I was given training by my parents, mostly my mother, as my father couldn't lift anything heavy. I could only use the Sword and Shield as it was all I could lift, but with my parents only knowing their weapons, I only had myself to learn to use it. Somehow, I got into the Hunter's Guild despite my less than stellar weapon skills. Over the years, I forgot my promise, and instead it morphed into an unconscious desire to join the Research Commission to reach the New World. Somehow, I made it in as an A-Lister, and here I am.
With my promise, or purpose in this case, fresh in my memory I focussed back on Nov and gathered my words. Taking a deep breath, I confidently answered, "My purpose, or my goal, is to fulfill a dream. Not just my own dream, but the dream of another, who was forced to give it up before he even had a chance to begin it. If along the way I have to be a leader to others, I will! Nothing will stop me from becoming a Hunter here in the New World, whether or not you decide to train me!"
I met Nov's stare head on, letting him search my eyes for any signs of wavering, not that I show any! Letting the staredown continue, I was starting to sweat slightly from the sheer intensity of Nov's gaze. Before I could finally blink, Nov finally let out a smirk, as he threw his head, shouting out a boisterous, and very sinister sounding, laugh. I heard a few people startle a ways behind me from the sudden laugh, and distinctly heard one of the chef's minions curse as something clattered to the ground.
Nov looked back at me, his eyes glinting with something, hopefully surprise. Holding onto his smirk, Nov said, "Well yah little firecracker, y'all impressed me! Very few regular Hunters 'ave the confidence to match mah stare. A'ight, yah got my approval, we'll train yah!"
Thankfully, I didn't make a fool of myself despite how caught off guard I was, both by Nov's acceptance, and his sudden accent? I could see Dov elbow Nov a few times while whispering something into his ear, causing the black haired Ace to jump slightly before covering his mouth to give a clearly fake cough. The brown haired Ace then moved to my side, slinging an arm over my shoulder in celebration, saying "Told you the odds were in your favour! Don't you worry, as your teachers we'll make you a damn legend in your own right. Oh and don't mind Nov's sudden accent, it slips sometimes, mostly when he's really shocked, or too tired to care. In this case, it's the former. You really threw my bro for a loop by holding his stare, only two others besides myself have held it for any length of time, and you held it until Nov relented!"
Seeing as Dov had me held in place, I could only nod my head rapidly in gratitude, a smile breaking out on my face as I said, "Thank you both so much! I'll do my best not to disappoint you!"
Suddenly, Nov's smile became almost predatory, his accent having disappeared and his tone dropping deep, and said, "First of all, either you do or you don't, try isn't in our vocabulary. If you don't do it, get stronger until you can do it. Also, don't thank us yet, cause come tomorrow, you're gonna wish you ran when you met us."
Ignoring the violent shiver that went down my spine at Nov's declaration, I switched my focus to Dov as he quickly said, "Speaking of which, meet us here early tomorrow morning! Nov's gonna get an idea of where you stand properly, as well as get some prep work out of the way. Most of your training will occur out in the field, and what doesn't will occur on rest days when we can focus more on important points like some history and pre-hunt preparation, stuff like that."
The two then stood up in tandem. Offering me their goodbyes, Nov with a silent two finger salute and Dov with a joking bow, the two left the Canteen, heading off who knows where. Having had my appetite ruined by Nov's warning, I left the Canteen as well.
With the day to call my own, I went about wandering Astera, trying to learn the layout of the sprawling Commission town. I was starving by the time lunch rolled around, making me realize how stupid it was to skip breakfast. Hurrying back, I found a small table for myself and quickly got the largest lunch meal I could order, a sandwich almost as wide as my shoulders with more ingredients than I could comprehend. A side bowl of fruit and a cup of coffee completed the meal, and before I knew it, the food was gone and I was feeling far better!
Seeing as I still had nothing to do, I made my way down to the Workyard to see if I could offer any help. I'd rather do work than wander aimlessly, plus it might do me some good to build a better reputation with people for when I, somehow, become the Fifth Fleet Master. Arriving, I found that Aiden and Elise had been given the task of helping move freight, so I quickly joined them, after confirming with the Provisions Manager that I wanted to help. Between the three of us, we made quick work of the task, completing it in time for dinner. The Provisions Stockpile Head et us go with a thank you, and the offer to come back after dinner to keep working to earn some easy Zeni. Aiden and Elise looked ready to decline, probably having done this for far longer than I had, but I found some merit in the idea. Some extra Zeni, and the chance to tucker myself out early, hopefully making it easy to fall asleep quickly. I still found the idea of sleeping in what was supposed to be someone else' bed slightly discomforting.
We made our way to the Canteen, Aiden dragging me along with the help of Elise surprisingly, they must be hungrier than I thought. Dinner was a blast with Aiden and Elise. Despite being exhausted, Aiden still had the energy to boast about how he would become one of the greatest Hunters the New World would ever see. Elise just let it go, more interested in eating. I took my time eating my meal, enjoying the Seared Sushifish coated in a savoury sauce, with a large cup of Hunter's Brew to wash it down.
With the last meal of the day behind us, Aiden and Elise parted ways with me. The A-Lister and Handler duo came to the agreement to head back to the Quarters to relax for the evening. I, in the meantime, made my way back to the Workyard to continue helping out. The Provisions Stockpile Head seemed genuinely shocked to see me, but quickly swapped the look out for a smile, before sending me off to help out the other Hunters with putting away stock, taking inventory, and several other tasks.
The work kept me busy well until sunset. With the day now finally behind me, I slowly trudged my way back to the Fifth Fleet Master's quarters, sore and exhausted from the long day, ready to sleep till early morning. Luckily, all my exploring had proven beneficial, as I was able to make it back directly. I had barely made it through the quarter doors before I started slowly pulling off the leather clothes I wore, dropping them without care on the floor. By the time I had reached the large bed, I was only in my underclothes and breast wraps. I kept the underclothes on, but the wraps joined the rest of the clothes on the floor. Heaving out a sigh of relief at finally letting my girls breath, I collapsed unceremoniously onto the bed, sleep following me soon after.
-The Next Morning-
It was with a loud yawn that I found myself awake early the next morning. Looking around blearily, I found the room exactly as I had left it the night before, clothes strewn across the floor and wearing only my underclothes. Looking back down, I found myself to be in almost the exact same spot I had collapsed to sleep in. I must have been even more exhausted than I originally thought. Normally, I shift around at least a bit in my sleep, not like Aiden who flops like a fish out of water, but more than Elise who sleeps as still as death.
Pushing myself up, I was given more evidence of a deep sleep when I was greeted with pops from my joints and back. Giving out a groan as I stretched out on the bed, earning several more pops and a few cracks, I stood up with a yawn.
Slowly running through my morning routine to wake myself up, I threw a soapstone into a cauldron of warm water by the fireplace, followed by my clothes and armour to get them clean. I made the bed, brushed the knots out of my hair, and did my teeth. Coming back to my clothes a quick fifteen minutes later, I took them from the water and laid them flat out on a heated rock slab close to the fire to dry. It was one of the perks of being a high ranking Hunter in Astera, having your own cleaning area for clothes and armour, the regular and newer Hunters had to use a community area. Seeing as it would take a short while for my clothes to dry, I went to wash myself in the nearby pool. Normally, I would leave the clothes in a hamper until a small pile grew so I could clean them all in one go. But considering all my other casual clothes were not fit for training, cleaning the gear made sense. The armour, minus the toughened leather pieces that gave the protection, and my breast bindings were made of soft supple leather, making them easy to clean and dry. What little actual fabric present was small enough to clean and dry just as quick. The toughened leather sections were made to be removable for cleaning and to make the armour into casual wear.
Quickly cleaning myself, I returned to my now dry outfit. Quickly donning the leather clothing, I stepped out of the quarters. Astera in the extreme early morning was far different than anything I've seen so far, which honestly, hasn't been much. Astera at first light, with the sun barely starting to crest the horizon, was like a ghost town. Not a single Hunter could be seen in the area, I could only imagine that the Workyards might have some early workers. Speaking of which, not even the early risers could be seen this early, making Astera seem eerie with the lack of usual activity. Though I was slightly unnerved by the uncommon quiet, the tranquility and crisp cold air helped to calm me, something I rarely get to enjoy. Between Aiden being so energetic, and my love of sleep respectively, tranquility and the morning breeze are a treat to experience.
Taking my time, I slowly made my way towards the Canteen. I was expecting to see nobody there, the only reason for coming this early is the memory of Dov telling me how early a riser Nov naturally is, even if this seemed to be a little extreme.
Arriving, I was surprised to see Nov sitting alone at a table, a cup of what I can only assume to be coffee in hand, staring out over Astera at the rising sun cresting over the ocean horizon. Making my way towards him, I prepared to make my presence known when Nov suddenly turned his head towards me. I could see the slight surprise in his eyes, before he closed them with a small chuckle. The Hunter beckoned to the seat across from him.
As I sat down, Nov pushed a cup on a stone plate towards me. Somehow, the cup held still warm coffee? It was obvious Nov had been here awhile already, so there should be no way a cup he brewed when he arrived could still be warm. Lifting the cup, I looked down at the plate, and saw how Nov kept the drink warm. The stone plate had a small hollow cavity in it, covered by a metal grate. The cavity held several still glowing coals, suspended in a slightly orange liquid that slowly bubbled. Curious, I looked up at Nov, who had already begun explaining, "The liquid is Fire Herb dust mixed with Gunpowder, diluted in water to get rid of the explosive properties and make it more of a fuel. The Fire Herb is what generates the heat, the Gunpowder helps the thicker liquid bubble and release the heat easier. The coals were just the spark to get the process started."
I looked at the older Hunter in awe. I never thought that the ingredients used in making bombs of all things could be used in such a domestic way! If I had any doubts about what I could learn from Nov and Dov, this burned those doubts away.
"Drink your coffee quickly, afterwards I'm taking you into the forest to get an idea of your actual physical abilities, then I'll set you up with a weapon." Nov stated. His words had brought me out of my reverie, then the words sunk in. Excited, I began to drink the coffee, getting another shock that Nov had got the drink just how I like it. Obviously, Nov was a bigger coffee addict than I realized if he could guess other people's coffee preferences like this.
It was a quick five minutes later that I finished my coffee, Nov taking back the cup and plate without a word. My cup, along with his own, was left at the Canteen counter, alongside a small note and a handful of Zeni. The plate, meanwhile, was dumped into a small hole dug up with Nov's foot, some water being used to wash any remaining liquid out, before the hole was covered back up.
Afterwards, Nov began leading me out of Astera. On the way out, he handed me a container, inside of it was what looked like meat broth? Looking to Nov confused, he sighed and explained, "It's a high calorie, filling energy soup. We don't have the time or materials handy to make you a proper meal, so that will replace it. It'll fill you up all the same, gives you just about the same amount of calories and energy, and can be taken on the go. Only thing it lacks is variety in taste."
Looking back at the soup, which didn't look appetizing in the slightest, I just shrugged my shoulders. I knew Nov had a point, in that we couldn't make a proper meal, and it was clear I would need the energy that a meal provides, so this was necessary. The soup went down about the same way a regular potion does, thick and a little slimy. It tasted vaguely like the wyvern soup they served on the Fleet boats, but even more bland. Shaking my head as a shiver went down my spine, I handed the container back to it's rightful owner.
It took an hour of hiking through the outskirts of the Ancient Forest before Nov and I made it to a clearing that had clearly been set up ahead of time. So many different items littered the clearing, including a set of weights, a target, and what looked like a folded up bow leaning on a box? There was more, all clearly for some form of physical activity, but those stood out first, and Nov quickly stood in front of me before I could properly look at more.
Crossing his arms, the ebony haired Hunter stood straight and began explaining, "Alright, here's what'll be happening. I'm gonna have you go around and do as much of each exercise as you possibly can. It'll let me get a good idea of things like how strong you are, how much you can endure, your stamina, and so on and so forth. For the first while, I'll have you go from one exercise to the next without any break. That'll give me a good idea of your actual stamina. Remember, I'm not asking you to tear yourself apart though, so only go to your physical limits, and pace yourself, it wouldn't do any good if you passed out. Any questions?"
Being honest with myself, I was very intimidated by what Nov just said, but knowing that Nov needed this to properly train me, I worked past it. However, I did have one question which I asked after he finished. Confused, I asked, "Just one. I get that this is your part of getting to know my limits, but shouldn't Dov be here to at least get the same idea?"
Nov just immediately chucked, obviously expecting the question. Responding to my question nonetheless, he said, "Dov isn't here cause there's no way he would wake up this early for anything other than a hunt, or an emergency. Dov loves his sleep, not that I don't, but he can sleep in easily. I, meanwhile, am a naturally early riser, usually up not long after the sun starts to rise. Getting up before the sunrise is a rarity for me though. I was honestly not expecting you to arrive so early, so you surprised me when you showed up. I can tell you aren't an early riser by the way, so don't worry about forcing yourself awake just to meet some false expectation from me. My body is adapted to less sleep than most, you need the amount of sleep you need, no ifs or buts about it. Just don't make me wait until midday or I'm dropping a cup of hot coffee on you."
Despite the grin on Nov's face, I couldn't tell if he was joking about the threat or not, which was more than a little unnerving. This Hunter has managed to unnerve me more in two days than Aiden can in a week, which is an accomplishment in its own right. I caught a small length of rope, barely catching Nov saying something about pulling up my hair for my own sake. Doing as he, probably, said, I removed my side braid, my forest green hair falling around my shoulder. Quickly pulling it into a low hanging ponytail, I tied it in place, letting it fall to about mid back.
Following Nov to the center of the clearing, where the man stood silent. Reaching him, I was ready for whatever he had in store. Seeing this, the Ace Hunter clapped his hands with a yell of, "Let's get started!"
What followed was two hours of physical hell, though it honestly felt like two days of torture! I was pushed to my limits on everything! How long I could run, how much I could lift, all the basics you'd find on a regular Hunter physical test. But he also tested things like my flexibility, how long I could hold my breath, individual muscle strength, even my reaction time where he would throw rocks at me randomly throughout the test and I had to catch them! There was other specific stuff, but the reaction time was the worst! Luckily, Nov only ever aimed at the body, but he threw the rocks hard enough to leave welts if I didn't catch them! The more generally used muscles, like arms, legs and core, were repeatedly tested, though spread out to not overwork them in one go.
To my own amazement, I lasted the entire training session without collapsing! Though once Nov called an end to the testing, I immediately fell to my hands and knees panting for breath. I heard Nov walk up to me, and felt a pat on my shoulder, earning a hiss as that was one of the areas Nov landed a rock on. Looking up with a small glare, I found Nov's hand held out, offering to help me up. Grabbing the hand, noticing with disappointment that the older Hunter's hand completely engulfed my hand and even part of my wrist. Nov slowly hoisted me to my feet, and began leading me over to a log bench. He sat me down before reaching off to the side where an equipment box sat.
Nov handed me two things. A larger than normal high energy ration, which almost immediately I began scarfing down. The other thing was a metal canteen filled with ice cold water, evident by the condensation on the metal. Never had water ever felt so refreshing! Nov had taken a step back and crouched down in front of me, allowing me a moment to gather myself, and get some of the food and water in me.
Seeing as my focus was now on him, Nov began talking, "First things first, take a half hour break before we move on to getting you a weapon, though I think I know what belongs in your hands."
Nodding, I let the man continue, which he quickly did, "Now, I'll be completely honest with you. You completely smashed any expectations I had for you! Not only did you last the entire session, for every form you completely blew past what I thought you would do! And you did so with a form of natural grace to you! Despite your smaller size, you did better than most higher ranking Hunters twice your size! Even more importantly, you were great with your reaction time, only takin' a few hits 'ere and there! The rocks yah couldn't block yah tried to dodge right away. Most 'unters freeze if a hit comes at 'em that they weren't expectin'. Yah dodged almost outta reflex! Tha's good to 'ave as a Hunter!"
Clearly I had shocked the man if his accent slipping out near the end was any indication. While I was slightly insulted that he brought up my smaller than normal stature, I couldn't help but chuckle after he finished. My little snicker made Nov realize what he was doing, quickly hiding his accent with a cough. Nov looked back at me, continuing as if he never slipped into his accent, "Like I said, you did far better than I thought. Combined with your smaller size, and you will be one hell of a dangerous Hunter, able to hit hard while being hard to actually hit."
Nov quickly quelled the small bit of frustration I felt at being smaller with that. I've never truly seen my below average height as an advantage before! It made me feel a bit better about my size, even if I still would love to at least be closer to the height average of Hunters.
Nov, meanwhile, had walked away to the other end of the clearing. I watched as he walked up to two training targets, a large bullseye target made of solid wood, and an old tree trunk wrapped in toughened leather that was smashed into the ground. I was wondering how we would use them, since the trunk was blocking half the bullseye, and the trunk target needed a full range of space to effectively use. Usually, the trunk targets were placed once and never moved again, usually the largest ones. The regular sized ones, standing around nine feet tall, and weighing at least a few hundred pounds, required three or four of the physically strongest Hunters to lift or move.
I was then given the shock of my life when Nov proceeded to wrap his arms around half the trunk, grabbing it. The monster of a man then began lifting, pulling the trunk from the ground! Once out of the ground, Nov began walking with the training post on his shoulder! That trunk was at least nine and a half feet tall, and must weigh at least six hundred pounds, and Nov was carrying it over his shoulder like it was firewood! I nearly pissed myself in fear at the tremor that came when Nov slammed it down in the center of the clearing! It was the stark realization of how far off I was from Nov's level that made me quietly mutter to myself, "What the fuck?!"
Nov walked back over to me, and I paled when I didn't even see a drop of sweat on his face! I just about fell back in fear when Nov stopped in front of me. The man clearly saw the fear I felt, both in my eyes and complexion. Sighing, Nov crouched down and I flinched when his hand was raised. Said hand just fell lightly on my head. Softly, Nov said, "Look, down freak out, Dov and I aren't like normal Hunters, myself especially due to circumstances. You'll learn what those differences are as you train with us and get to learn more about us. But for now, just put it out of your mind, and know that while you will be strong, you won't be able to do things like that."
Between Nov's calming tone and soothing hand on my head, I calmed down. There was no doubt in my mind that Nov and Dov were both monsters among men, I had known when the two had arrived in Astera with two different weapons both on them, something never seen among Hunters.
"Seeing as you no longer look like you'll pass out in fear of me, let's go get you your weapon!" Nov said with a grin. Nodding at him, having finished my ration and the water just before Nov pulled his stunt, I stood up to follow him. He brought us to the center of the clearing where the trunk target stood.
Nov held up a hand, making me stop in place. He walked back past me, towards the equipment box. Pulling out two bows, and their quivers, one was sheathed on his back. The bow Nov put on his back was covered in spiky fur, mostly white with some dark blue near the base. The fur ran up most of the bow's arms, leaving only the tips bare. Along the outer edges of the arms were dark blue spines, three on each arm, getting progressively smaller the farther along they went. Two larger spines jutted out from where the arms met the handle, sticking straight out almost like a guide for the arrow. The coating injector I could barely make out, hidden in the fur near the handle. The quiver was made of pale blue leather, with the white fur covering both ends, and a blue spike jutted from the bottom. The arrows themselves had blue fletchings, though I couldn't see anything else about them.
The second bow was far more generic, clearly made of metal like most starting weapons for new Hunters. It was clear though, even from where I stood, that the bow was made of a far higher quality material than the starter gear. Nothing else really stood out about the bow, a handle connected to two metal arms, a bowstring between them, and a coating injector jutted out from the handle. A regular metal quiver held the arrows.
Nov suddenly unsheathed the metal bow, unfolding into a fully ready weapon. Nov then took something from within his coat, a multi-tool by the looks of it. The Ace Hunter began tinkering with the bow, moving down the bow while apparently loosening and tightening different parts along the bow. It took about a minute before Nov stopped his work. Clearly the metal bow was meant for me, and I grew nervous as I began to remember how bad I was with the bow. It had felt right in my hands when I originally used it, but I could never land an arrow on the target, and even somehow managed to get an arrow to bounce back behind me and nearly hit a bystander!
Steeling my nerves, I put my trust in Nov. He was the expert here, so if anyone could help me pick up a weapon, it would be him! Standing straight as Nov reached me, I listened with rapt attention as he began talking, "This is one of my old bows that I stopped using after I got some better materials, not that the metal weapons are terrible. I never sized it up after I got a better bow, so it's a little small for me. It might be a bit big for you, but small enough for you to use until we get one your size. I also reduced the draw weight to your strength, otherwise you'd never be able to draw back an arrow."
Seeing that Nov clearly knew the bow was meant for me helped my growing confidence that he could help me. Taking the offered weapon, once again sheathed, I strapped the quiver around my waist and unsheathed the bow. Immediately, the weapon just felt right in my hands, just like last time. It was heavier than before, but nothing I couldn't handle. Nov gestured behind me to the target set up at the edge of the clearing. Pulling out an arrow, a hopeful smile on my face, I drew back the bowstring, arrow notched. Taking a breath, and throwing out a small prayer, I let loose the arrow. I heard a small whistle followed by a wooden thunk. A smile appeared on my face as my prayers were answered!
Looking at the target, I found an untouched bullseye, and my hopes and confidence plummeted as I recognized the arrow stuck in a tree past the bullseye, a good five feet to the left of the bullseye' outer ring.
My head and shoulders drooping in shame, I let my arm holding the bow drop. I could hear Nov walk up beside me, as tears began to prickle at the corners of my eyes. Not even looking up, I raised my arm to return Nov's bow, while the other went to the quiver to get ready to take it off. However, Nov never took the bow.
Looking up at him, I noticed he was only looking at me with a raised eyebrow? Though once he saw the look of shame on my face, he quickly adopted a soothing smile, and calmly said, "I'm only here to fix a few small mistakes you made. I'm not gonna stop you just because you missed one arrow on your first shot."
Happy to know I was being given another chance, I blinked away the tears and hurriedly notched another arrow to fire when Nov quickly grabbed my hand before I could let the arrow fly. Looking back at him confused, Nov just looked back at me with a smirk, making me realize he still had to point out my small mistakes and help me fix them.
"First things first, let me ask you a question. When using a bow, or any form of ranged weaponry for that matter, that you have no experience in, how are you supposed to land an arrow without looking at your target?" Nov asked blankly. Like a smack to the face, my biggest mistake was pointed out to me. Every time I've used the bow, I've always either looked away from my target or clenched my eyes in prayer. And Nov was right, there was no way you could hit a target that you couldn't see! But then something occurred to me, he said inexperienced hunters specifically, so I went to ask him why when he cut me off.
Without saying anything, Nov quickly drew his bow with one hand, and brought out an arrow with the other. In the span of a few seconds, Nov had readied and fired an arrow from a relaxed stance, and not once did he break eye contact with me. Hearing a thunk, I turned to see Nov's arrow sticking out of the target, having landed a perfect bullseye! Looking back to him shocked, he spoke with a smirk, "Get enough experience and you'll be able to land shots based on other senses, such as sound and scent alone, possibly even based off a monster's presence. In the case of a stationary target though, you just have to memorize the position and adjust from there."
Before I could lose myself to my own imagination, Nov had me readying another arrow, but didn't let me fire it. Using an arrow to point out my mistakes, through painful pokes, he practically forced me into proper form. My aiming arm needed to be kept straight, my back needed to be straight too. My legs were forced to become square with my shoulders, and he had me practice pulling back the bowstring in one calm and clean movement. Evidently, when I had pulled back my first shot, my arm had been shaking and jerky, causing the arrow to shift out of the proper notch and fly off randomly once released.
It took a few dozen tries before Nov would let me actually let loose an arrow, having to run through the motions of drawing and firing an imaginary arrow before he would let me do so for real. Once I got the go ahead though, I was ready to go. Taking a deep breath, I shook out my sore shoulder. Going through everything Nov fixed for me, I lined up my feet with my shoulders which stayed relaxed. I straightened my back and aiming arm, and drew back an arrow in one clean and smooth motion. Most importantly, I never let my eyes stray from my target. Taking a deep breath, I let the arrow go, watching it fly towards the target.
With a loud thunk, the arrow struck the target! It wasn't a bullseye, being about halfway between the center and the outer ring, and slightly off to the side, but it still hit the target! A massive grin grew on my face, as I had finally properly used a weapon! Looking back at my teacher in happiness, I could see a happy smirk on his own face. He motioned at me to continue going, to my own excitement. For the next hour, I repeatedly used the bow to land clean shots on the target, with not one arrow missing! I only got a handful of bullseyes, and repeatedly had to go collect my arrows from the target when I ran out. Those quivers can hold more arrows than should be possible but whatever.
I was ready to go for far longer when Nov stopped me again. This time, he took the bow from me, to my own disappointment. He took me over to a shaded area of the clearing and sat me down. What followed was a talk about my other major issue, my lack of self confidence. Nov explained that a Hunter needed confidence to be able to fight properly, confidence in themselves, in their fellow Hunters, in their weapons and skills, just confidence in general. A Hunter without confidence is a Hunter with a suicide wish was one thing that got stuck in my head. Nov ended the conversation with, "You have just as much worth as any other Hunter out there, including Dov and I. It's why I hate honorifics, so don't call me Sir or anything. Just call me Nov, and call Dov by his name, otherwise his already big ego will get even bigger."
Before I could respond to that, I heard a yell of indignation behind me. Spinning around I found Dov looking offended. It was then I realized how late in the morning it was! The sun was high in the sky, not a cloud in sight! Dov had walked up to Nov in the time I wasn't looking, and was now standing beside him silently. Nov quickly regained my attention when he said to me, "Dov here will take you back to Astera. Grab something to eat at the Canteen, then he can get his preparation training out of the way today as well. I'll be by the Canteen around this time tomorrow to bring you back here, and I'll have a bow made up for you in time for tomorrow as well. Don't bother going to the smithy for one."
Before I could question Nov, he stood up and walked off towards the equipment box. Standing up at Dov's indication, I began following him. Seeing as I couldn't ask Nov, I decided to ask Dov instead, questioning, "Uhh Dov? What did Nov mean by he'll have a bow ready for me, and to not go to the smithy? They could easily make one for me within the hour, couldn't they?'
Dov never stopped walking, just turning his head around to answer my question, "The smithy can make weapons fast, that much is true thanks to their machines and multiple workers. Problem is, they only ever make one size. Nov does all the weapon forging for the two of us, and does so completely by hand. The end result is of higher quality, and he can adjust the sizes and fine tune the weapon to better fit the user. Nov doesn't hate the smithy or its workers, just the fact they make the forging process so easy and non-personal."
Add another tick for the superiority of Nov and Dov compared to regular Hunters. Not one Hunter that I know of can make their own weapons, having to rely on Blacksmiths and forges to do so for them.
Dov and I had only been walking for a few minutes when a loud explosion came from the clearing! I was about ready to rush back to see what happened when Dov stopped me with a grin on his face. Dov quickly explained, "Nov is a combat maniac, and as a result knows how to use each weapon to a great degree. The bow and bowguns get less use than the other weapons cause Nov prefers to do things up close and personal. The Bow and Arrow does have a form of closer range combat dubbed Bow Dancing, but it's a rarer practice. You'll mostly see mid ranged combat from bow users. Nov however, has taken Bow Dancing and made it even more up close and personal to fit his preference. He'll probably teach you all three forms in the end., but just know that Nov's personal style is far more aggressive than other bow techniques, and includes far more explosions."
I was confused and a little disturbed at the information, but satisfied so I let it go. Knowing that Nov was probably the cause behind the explosion, I went back to following Dov. As I was following him, another question popped into my mind. It wasn't really important, more just me being curious, but I asked anyway. Speaking up, I asked, "By the way, what was that bow that Nov was using? I've never seen anything like it?"
Dov, who once again never stopped walking, looked back at me with a grin, a teasing look in his eyes. Responding, he said, "You are just naturally a curious one. How about this, I'll tell you once we get back to Astera and get some food. We need to step up the pace if we want to make it to the Canteen in time for good seats!"
Pouting at being denied information, I still picked up the pace to match Dov, who was now moving at a light jog through the Ancient Forest. I was excited to see what Dov would teach me though, as Nov had already taught me so much in the few hours I was with him. It was made evident I would be learning far more from him when another explosion echoed from the clearing, louder than the last, followed by Nov shouting out a loud "Ah've still go' it!"
AND FINALLY THE NEXT CHAPTER ARRIVES! It took more time then I would like to admit, more than a little Advil, and even some tears. Oh and a lot of coffee. I won't drag this part out since I want to get this posted sooner rather than later.
Keep up the amazing work my fellow Hunters! - Ace Hunter Nov