Just a short notice, I don't plan for this to be a long story. I have about 7-8 chapters planned in total so yeah, keep that in mind. That aside, I have mixed feelings about how this chapter turned out. I rewrote it several times, with all sorts of changes and this ended up being the final product. Nonetheless, I do hope you enjoy...

...

Chapter 2

The first thing Iris saw when she went downstairs to get breakfast was the rookie himself, already seated on one of the tables with a plate of food in front of him. In a somewhat stupefied state, she simply stood there. Wow, he's up early. Damian, sensing someone watching him looked up from his food and gave her a wave.

"Good morning Ms Thorne. I was about to finish breakfast." He pushed a plate of food in front of him. "I got you a plate. I wasn't sure what you liked so I grabbed whatever was nutritious and hearty enough so apologies if you don't like it…"

"…Right. Good for ya for waking up early. Otherwise, I would have dragged yer ass off the bed." She made her way over to the table, taking her seat in front of him. She pulled the plate towards her and looked at it. Huh, he got me a good mix of everything. Most new hunters she met ate primarily meat for their meals, thinking it would make them stronger. Eating only meat, however, can only get you so far. She was mildly impressed that Damian at least had a sense of what a well-balanced diet was for hunters.

They ate in silence and neither spoke a word to each other even after Damian finished his food. As it was still early in the morning, the inn was quiet and only a few people could be seen here. Later as Iris was about to finish her plate, the two heard footsteps. Damian looked up and saw a rather sleepy-looking Shaw and Sven walking down the stairs. Shaw spotted her and Damian and waved at them.

"Hey."

Damian opted for a simple nod while Iris clicked her tongue as Shaw and Sven sat down next to them. "I can't believe the rookie is more disciplined than both of ya."

The two gave her apologetic looks. "Sorry…" Shaw said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Won't happen again," Sven muttered, his gaze kept downwards.

Iris stood up and picked up her now empty plate. "I'm going to register us for a quest. The two of ya go have breakfast. And rookie…" She narrowed one eye at him. Damian sat straight, trying his best to appear confident. "Do whatever the hell ya want. But make sure yer here by the time I get back capeesh?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good."

By the time Iris left, Damian sighed and laid his head on the table. Shaw noticed this and gave him a friendly pat on the back. "You get used to it."

…

Some later, Iris returned with a small piece of paper in her hands. She saw the fully geared Shaw and Sven already standing by the entrance to the inn. "Got us a quest."

"Oh nice, what kind?" Shaw asked.

"Just a missing person quest. It's in some remote village in the desert. Shouldn't be too hard for the rookie."

Sven raised an eyebrow. "What on Earth made you choose a quest over at some remote village?"

Iris shrugged. "It was a special request from the Guild. Nobody seemed to want to take it and considering how busy everyone else is, they decided to give it to me. Anyway, as I said, it's just a missing-person quest. Shouldn't be too hard for a rookie." She looked around the area. "Speaking of the rookie, where is he?"

"He went off to the armory to buy some armor and a weapon."

Just then, they heard hurried footsteps heading their way. They looked back and saw Damian jogging towards them, dressed in basic leather armor. "Apologies! I hope I didn't make you wait."

"No worries," Shaw reassured him.

Meanwhile, Iris was too busy staring at the Iron Bow strapped to Damian's back. "That's yer weapon?"

Damian quickly realized she was talking to him. "Oh! Yes, this is my weapon of choice."

"Why?"

Damian was confused by her question. "Huh?"

Iris sighed. "Never mind. Forget I asked. C'mon, let's go find an airship." She turned around and began to walk away with Shaw and Sven following suit. Damian, still confused by her question, nonetheless trailed behind them as well.

"If it isn't rude of me to ask, where are we going?"

"We're going to the airship port of course!" Shaw answered before receiving an elbow to his side from Sven. "The heck was that for?"

"That's not what he meant dumbass."

"Oh!" Shaw turned his head towards Damian and grinned as they continued walking. "We're going to the Desert!"

"…Huh?"

It was several hours later when the airship they took began to descend. Damian hastily put on his gear before exiting his room and making his way toward the deck of the ship. Upon stepping out onto the deck, he was immediately blasted by hot desert air. I should have brought a veil… He saw Iris, Shaw, and Sven already there, the three of them fully geared and already on deck.

"Ready to go rookie?" Shaw asked.

"Yeah," Damian answered, following them down the ramp and stepping foot onto the ground. He looked around, finally being able to take a good look at the village they were going to work at.

Batu Village was situated around a clear and constantly running natural spring, which Damian guessed was the source of livelihood for the village. The people appeared to live in huts made from mud, a great source of protection against the hot desert sun and the cool desert night. Surrounding the village was a wall made from clay, the only way of protection for the village from the creatures of the night. Damian noted that as they arrived within the village center, he barely spotted any hunters wandering around, nor was the market very busy. It was a far cry from the busy streets of Val Habar and Dundorma.

After asking passing villagers about where the Guild post was, they finally spotted the Guild counter. At first glance, it didn't appear to look like one, but the big and obvious symbol of the Guild banner hung over it, albeit in a rather dilapidated state. Unlike the rest of the village structures, it wasn't inside a hut, instead, it was an open space covered by a simple tarp made of the skin of an unknown beast. Damian could see a lone brunette-haired woman sitting behind the counter, attention occupied on a book in her hands. She didn't even look up when they approached her.

"What is it?" the woman asked in a dull tone, a huge contrast to the normally bright and cheerful responses from other Guild receptionists. "If you have any complaints, you can screw off. I'm busy here."

Iris rolled one eye in response. "If that's how ya respond to someone answering a call for help, then we might as well just leave."

The woman snapped her book shut and turned to glare at Iris, who glared back. "What do you want?"

Shaw could see Iris about to form an aggressive retort, so he quickly intervened, snatching the quest paper off Iris's hands. "We took a quest sent by this village to locate a missing person. We're just here to help."

The receptionist narrowed her eyes at the hunters before taking the quest paper. They watched as she read it before placing a stamp over it. "Alright, off you go now."

"Thank you," Shaw said, wrapping an arm around Iris's shoulders to pull her away and prevent a possible verbal spat. Once they were a sufficient distance away from the counter, Iris roughly freed herself from Shaw's grip.

"What a rude bitch."

Shaw sighed. "She was rude for a receptionist but let's just focus on the quest alright?"

After a quick trip to the market to buy supplies, the group made their way over to the village gates. Two men holding spears stood by the gate and when they saw the hunters approaching, they quickly went to unlock the wooden gate.

"Ready for your first quest Damian?" Shaw asked the young man.

Damian nodded, adjusting his helmet. "Ready as I'll ever be."

As the gates opened, revealing the vast desert before them, Damian took a deep breath. Here we go…

…

It had been some time since they left the village. Damian followed his seniors closely as they traversed through the desert. He was thoroughly amazed by the experience of walking through a place like this yet at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what sort of powerful creatures called this place home. Considering how harsh this place is, they must be incredibly strong. The only creatures they have met were packs of sand swimming Wyverns, which Damian was told were called Cephalos. Iris had explained to him that they were cowards, not willing to attack anything bigger than them. They were of little danger to hunters; however, it was when they were in the presence of a leader – a Cephadrome – was when they became dangerous.

It wasn't long before they spotted what they were looking for. There in front of them was an abandoned cart in the middle of the path. Ignoring Iris's calls, Damian quickly ran over to the cart, hopeful to find their missing person. But as he looked around the cart and over it, there wasn't anyone on it. The only thing left were packets of greens covered by a tarp.

"There is nobody here!" Damian announced.

Iris and the rest ran over to him. "Idiot! Don't go running off without my permission!"

"Easy Iris, the rookie only wanted to help," Shaw said. "And he's right, I don't see anybody here…"

"Could whatever have attacked killed them as well?" Sven wondered.

Iris shrugged. "Possibly."

Damian shuddered at the morbid thought. Killed? Possibly eaten as well?

"Well, whatever it is, it is likely long gone by now. Let's go back to the village to report the-" Just then a low rumbling could be heard.

"Huh?" And then Damian heard shouting. It was Shaw.

"Get out of there rookie now!"

He felt the rumbling underneath his feet. Instinctively, he ran and jumped out of the way…just in time as a large dark shape burst out of the ground underneath, shattering the cart into pieces.

"Shit a Cephadrome!" Shaw quickly unfurled the Gunlance on his back. Sven also took out his Longsword in preparation for the battle. However, Iris remained calm and simply stood there.

"Time for yer first practical exam rookie!" she exclaimed "Let's see what yer made of."

"What?" He looked back at Iris, who crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. He sighed, unfurling his Bow, stepping away from the group, and running towards the direction of the Cephadrome. The Piscine Wyvern was swimming in the distance, watching the hunters cautiously. It saw one of them split up from the group and quickly decided to go after it. It opened its mouth filled with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth and rapidly swam straight for Damian.

Damian tried his best to aim his Bow, however, he was not used to the weight of the arrows and his own wobbly hands made it incredibly difficult. C'mon Damian focus! You can do it! However, he saw the Cephadrome closing the distance between them rapidly and in a panic, he let loose an arrow. It flew straight towards the Cephadrome, missing its mark and grazing the beast's torso. It was enough however to startle the beast and cause it to change course. This time, it opted to swim in a circle around Damian, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"C'mon!" Damian let loose another arrow, missing completely.

Seeing this, the Cephadrome attacked again. Damian instinctively rolled out of the way in time before letting loose yet another careless arrow.

…

In the distance, the three hunters watched as Damian fought the Cephadrome, neither side being able to land a solid hit yet.

"You think he needs help?" Sven asked.

"Just wait," Iris answered.

"…Hey, don't you find it odd that the Cephadrome is alone? I mean, normally they're always surrounded by a pack." Shaw said.

Sven held his chin in thought, "Come to think of it, yeah. And they don't normally attack humans unless necessary. What do you think Iris?"

The woman hummed, "Yeah, it's odd."

They continued to watch Damian and the Cephadrome, noting that the rookie hunter was missing most of his shots.

"Doesn't look like he's even able to hit the damn thing. Talk about shitty aim." Sven remarked.

Shaw scoffed, "Having shit aim with any of the ranged weapons is normal at the start. And I seem to recall a certain someone who also used to be like that." he smirked, nudging Iris with his elbow.

The woman simply responded by stomping on his foot.

…

Damian was getting frustrated. He was unable to hit the monster at all and he was also beginning to run himself dry. He reached towards his back for another arrow, realizing that he only had a few arrows left. He cursed under his breath, realizing the gravity of his situation. But he couldn't give up now and let Iris and the rest do the work. He was determined to do this on his own and prove he had what it took to become a hunter. He had to make these shots count.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Alright, remember what the books said… He had to stay focused and calm. A panicked hunter would act carelessly and get themselves killed while a composed one would observe the monster and react accordingly. So, with that, he decided to do the latter.

He watched as the Cephadrome continued to circle him, waiting for another opportune moment to strike. The moment it attacked, he decided he would shoot an arrow at it, hoping it will pierce the briefly exposed neck or even its mouth.

Suddenly, it made its move, rapidly turning towards him, and attempting to bite him. Damian swiftly dodged to the side and shot an arrow. This time, it hit its mark, firmly piercing the Cephadrome's torso. The creature squealed in pain and quickly swam away.

I-I shot it! I actually shot it!

Just then, the Cephadrome turned back and charged at him again. Seeing this Damian waited for it to get closer before swerving to the side and shooting an arrow at it just as it briefly exposed its body. It hit its mark once again, lodging itself into the creature's spine.

"Gotcha!" Damian exclaimed in joy, finally being able to damage the monster properly. He then checked for the number of arrows he had left. Only two remaining… Suddenly, the Cephadrome disappeared. Damian blinked twice, thinking his eyes were deceiving him. How could something so big vanish in an instant?

Just then, he felt something solid hit him on the back, sending him tumbling onto the ground in pain. He reached and touched his back before looking down at his hand. Sand? And then, another surge of pain hit him from an unexpected angle. Damian was knocked onto the ground, groaning in pain. He had to figure out where it was coming from! Readying his Bow, he swiftly turned around, only to find nothing.

Suddenly, the Cephadrome burst from the ground in front of him, launching itself through the air and towards Damian, intent on ramming him with its powerful boomerang-shaped skull. Startled, the young man jumped back to dodge the attack but failed to prevent the tips of the Cephadrome's razor-sharp fins from grazing his left arm. He hissed in pain as the Wyvern swam away and continued to circle him.

"Curse you-" He froze. Something was wrong. I can't move my left arm? He tried to move his fingers…and suddenly dropped his Bow. He tightly gripped his left arm, feeling the blood from the cut running over his fingers. W-What's happening to me?

…

"Uh oh, looks like the rookie got hit by one of its spikes," Sven commented.

"Seems like it," Iris said nonchalantly. Beside her, Shaw looked at her incredulously.

"Don't you think we should you know…help him?"

"Nah, let him handle it on his own. We only intervene if necessary. And besides…" Iris tapped the Gunlance on Shaw's back. "Ya got the means of getting there quickly, right?"

The hunter grinned at the prospect of being able to try out the new upgrade to his weapon. "Hell yeah."

They watched as Damian avoided another attack, however nearly stumbling in the process.

"Oh well you look at that, the rookie's movements are slowing down," Sven noted. "I think I agree with Shaw here. Someone should step in and help."

Iris sighed. "Fine. Shaw, ya know what to do."

…

With one arm numb and useless, Damian was forced to resort to his knife to defend himself. He was already exhausted, not used to fighting for this long.

The beast attacked again, and Damian jumped out of the way, falling to the ground with a thud. He tried to push himself off the ground but found himself unable to with one arm. Determined not to give up, he resorted to crawling on the ground with one arm, trying to reach the knife he had dropped when he jumped out of the way. He was vulnerable and the Cephadrome knew this as it immediately and rapidly swam towards him. Damian crawled as fast he could towards his knife. C'mon, c'mon!

The Cephadrome closed the distance between them, mouth open and baring its teeth. At the same time, Damian inched ever closer to his knife. His hand reached out to grab it just as the Cephadrome lunged forward. This was it, he was going to die, he thought.

Suddenly it was as if time had stopped. When he looked back, his eyes widened as he saw what looked like a large metal rod slam down onto the Cephadrome's head just as it surged forward. The resulting hit stopped the Cephadrome hard in its tracks, the force and weight of the attack powerful enough to cause the Wyvern's lower body to rise into the air like a seesaw.

And then the explosion followed.

Damian was stunned, unable to speak, and eyes still as wide as saucers even as blood splattered onto him. He didn't hear his name being called until he felt someone shake him.

"You alright?"

Damian shook his head and saw Sven standing over him. He turned his gaze towards the Cephadrome lying dead in front of him, a part of its head completely blown off. Looking back at Shaw, Damian could only muster a simple nod.

"Did you see that? I came in like Valstrax and absolutely thrashed this thing!" Shaw exclaimed, a happy bounce in his steps.

"You sure did," Sven remarked with a chuckle.

Damian tried to stand up but found it difficult with just one currently functioning arm. Sven saw this and crouched down in front of him. "Is your arm still numbing?" he asked. Damian answered with a nod. Seeing this, Sven reached into his pouch and took out what appeared to be a blue-colored fruit. "Eat this. It will help get rid of the numbness."

"What is it?"

"It's a Nullberry. We hunters carry these all the time to get rid of abnormal statuses. Don't ask how, it just works."

Damian took it and popped it into his mouth. Almost immediately, he felt the numbness disappear and was able to move his arm. At the same, however, he now felt the sting of pain where the Cephadrome's spikes had cut him. He quickly reached into his pouch to take a swig of a Potion he had bought from the market.

"Rookie!" Iris called. Damian grunted as he stood up and shakily walked towards her. He couldn't bear to look at her after his failure. The huntress was hunched over near the Cephadrome's body, a knife in her hand. "Ya know how to carve this thing right?"

…

When they returned to the village, they were greeted by the Guild receptionist from before. "You're back. And I assume you've succeeded?"

Iris nodded in response. "The culprit was a lone Cephadrome. And we've slain it without a problem."

"And the victims?"

"Dead. We found their remains inside the stomach," Iris stated. Next to them, Damian grimaced, the horrifying image of cutting open the beast's stomach and finding human body parts making him sick.

The receptionist sighed, somehow not affected by the morbid reveal. "I assume you want your payment now?"

"Yes."

"Alright, follow me…"

"WAIT!"

They turned and saw a tanned young woman running towards them. She was dressed in a simple green blouse and skirt and a linen cap over her long black hair. Damian couldn't help but stare at her as she stopped to catch her breath in front of them.

"Can we help ya?" Iris asked the woman.

"You…You took the quest to search for my missing father, right?"

"…Oh, you're the client?"

"Yes, I posted that quest a day ago. So…where is he?" she asked, looking around. Her tone of voice was hopeful, which made it even harder for Damian to bear the bad news. It didn't seem like Iris, Shaw or Sven wanted to tell her. With a heavy heart, he approached the young woman.

"May we know your name?"

"It's Anna," she answered, her tone still hopeful. "Why?"

"Well, you see miss Anna…" He reached into his pouch and took out a small object. He gently took one of her hands and placed the object onto her palm. "I'm sorry."

He watched as Anna stared blankly at the object in her hand, unmoving and silent. After several seconds, he finally noticed the slight tremble of her shoulders before she suddenly dropped to her knees. He quickly caught her before she hurt herself. Damian had no experience in consoling a shocked and grieving person so he hoped that pulling her into a hug would work. He felt her flinch briefly but quickly relaxed into his arms.

"Just let it out," he whispered onto the top of her head. When he finally heard sniffling, followed by sobbing, he let out a sigh. This was not what I signed up for…

...