Chapter 5

She opened her eyes…finding herself lying on a bed in a dimly lit room. She blinked twice, yawning, and shaking off her sleep as she adjusted to her surroundings. But just as she moved, she felt her back press against something or rather someone. Surprised, she turned her body over and saw a familiar face lying beside her. A face belonging to a person she loved with all her heart.

He was staring at her, a gentle expression on his handsome face. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

She smiled in response and turned around to properly face him. "Nope." She leaned towards him, and their lips met in a tender kiss, which soon grew heated as he climbed over her, caging her with his arms. Eventually, the need for air made the two lovers separate.

"Morning."

"Good morning to you my beautiful flower."

She groaned, a slight flush on her cheeks, and lightly slapped his bicep. "God, yer such a sap!"

He smirked, nuzzling her nose with his own. "You love it."

In response, she abruptly flipped him over. "I bet ya love it when I go on top don't ya?" She emphasized her question by lightly rubbing herself on him, eliciting a grunt from the man underneath her. "This is punishment for waking me up and teasing me."

Unsurprisingly, the man didn't seem to be bothered and instead laughed. "I love a woman who can kick my ass."

Again, she grew flustered from his words. She always hated how he made her feel like a teenage girl again. "Damn it why do ya have to be so-"

"Iris? Leo? I'm not going to come inside there knowing you two are probably naked, but I'd like to inform you that we've been waiting for fifteen minutes. So, I suggest you both-"

"Oh don't be so uptight! Hey, take your time you two!"

The man chuckled, staring up at the ceiling. "Leave it to Sven to ruin the mood."

"He has a point though." She got off him and moved to grab her clothes from the floor. "We did agree to go on this one last hunt before we get hitched, which by the way was yer idea."

"For the record, it's not like we're quitting being hunters just cause we're getting married. It's just to celebrate our last day of freedom before you know…being stuck with me for the rest of your life."

She rolled her eyes, "Wow, I'm shivering in my boots already…Umm, where did my underwear go?"

"Oh, it's right here," he said, picking it up from the floor on his side of the bed. Just then, a mischievous look came over him. "Hey mind if I keep it?"

"Leonardo!"

…

Iris woke up with a gasp. She sat up and kicked the covers of the bed. She held her forehead, groaning. Not this again… She had no idea why those dreams had returned after so long, but she hated them...hated to be reminded of what could have been. Letting out a sigh, she got off the bed and moved towards the bathroom to freshen up and prepare for the day.

When she went towards the canteen for breakfast, she saw Sven, Damian, and Anna sitting by one of the tables. Strangely, Shaw wasn't there. She was hesitant to approach them after her outburst the day before. But when Sven noticed her, he waved and ushered her over. Tentatively, she walked over to them.

"Morning Iris," Sven greeted with a smile. He didn't appear to be angry or awkward around her despite what happened yesterday. It was as if it didn't happen at all.

"Good morning Ms Thorne," Damian said. Beside him, Anna opted for a simple nod of acknowledgment. "You're just in time. I grabbed a plate for you." He gestured towards the large plate of food in front of her filled with different combinations of meat, fish, and grains.

"Thanks, kid," Iris replied, sending Damian an appreciative look.

"No problem."

"Honestly, I don't understand how you hunters eat so much," Anna commented, glancing at their plates. "Your portions are enough to feed two- no three people at once! How none of you are fat is amazing."

"When you fight giant beasts for a living, you tend to burn a lot of calories doing so," Sven said as he bit into a skewer of meat. "The energy we gain from eating so much is incredibly useful in a hunt…as well as other activities if you know what I mean." He emphasized that last point by smirking at Damian, who groaned while Anna laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Please don't."

"Why so embarrassed? I clearly recall you enjoying my-mmph!" Anna's words were muffled by Damian covering a hand over her mouth.

"Anna…" he growled, face reddening. The woman laughed again and leaned against his shoulder.

"Looks like city-boy is embarrassed," she teased, poking his cheek.

Sven chuckled. "Indeed. If only Shaw were here to see this."

"Where is Shaw by the way?" Iris asked.

Sven placed his cup back on the table. "Oh right, forgot to tell you. He was called over earlier to assist in transporting and escorting some heavy materials to one of the neighboring villages. He's a big guy so it's obvious they asked him to help. He'll likely be back later this afternoon or evening."

"Oh, I see."

"So, it's just the three of us this time," Sven said with a smile. Seeing this, Iris felt guilty at how she had snapped at them the other day. It took her a little while to understand that they were just concerned about her, as good friends do. She had to apologize.

"…I…I would like to apologize for yesterday."

"Apology accepted," Sven replied quickly.

She frowned. "What? But I swore at ya and acted like a bitch!"

"And?" Sven raised an eyebrow. "Shaw and I know you never meant it. You were angry and emotional and needed some time off, so we gave it to you."

"But-"

Sven placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over it alright? We're not angry at you. But as your friends, we are concerned for you and don't want you to do something that will get you killed. As long as you're aware of that, we're fine with whatever decisions you make."

"I…Thanks. I don't deserve ya guys."

He smiled at her. "Hey, that's what friends do."

…

After they finished their breakfast and Anna left to return to tending her store, the three were left standing in the middle of the village plaza.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Damian asked. In response to that, Iris stilled for a moment before turning towards Sven.

"How long has the rookie been with us?"

"Umm…about a month now, maybe a little more."

"And how many hunts has he done with us?"

"More than can I count."

"Then I think it's time."

Sven looked at her in surprise. "You think so?"

Iris nodded, glancing briefly at the confused Damian. "I think he's ready."

"Ready for what?" the young man asked.

Sven placed a hand on Damian's shoulder. "The test…to see if you are worthy of receiving your Hunter's License."

At this, Damian could only stare in shock, eyes wide and mouth open. "I…I…you really think I'm ready?" he asked in disbelief, looking to Iris for confirmation. The woman simply nodded.

"I have nothing more to teach ya. It's been a little over a month now and I'd say yer skills have improved a lot. It's high time ya try out the test to receive yer license."

"I-I don't know about that…"

Sven frowned at Damian's hesitance. "Where was that confidence you showed to Shaw and me back when we first met? Don't tell me you're chickening out already?"

"It will be worth it kid. Trust us."

When Damian still didn't seem convinced, Iris sighed. "Look, all this time whenever ya go on a hunt, it's always been under my name, which means my mates and I will be the ones credited for completing quests. If ya have yer own license, ya don't have to rely on us anymore. Isn't that great?"

Damian knew if he wanted to achieve his goal, he had to do this. "Alright, I'm ready."

Sven grinned and clapped him on the back. "I knew you had it in you."

"What about Mr Shaw? Shouldn't we wait for him to come back?"

"We can make it a surprise," Sven suggested. "Once he comes back, you can surprise him. What do you think Iris?"

The woman nodded. "I think that's a great idea."

"Well then let's not waste any more time. Where do you think he should take the test?"

Iris thought about it for a moment. "The nearest arena is at Port Tanzia, which is about an hour away if ya take an airship."

"Then it's settled. We're heading to Port Tanzia."

An hour later, the three of them arrived at their destination, Port Tanzia, the central hub for the Guild operating in the Moga region. Aside from being a large city, it also doubled as a very active and well-renowned trading port for ships from various regions to sell and trade their goods. Official Guild business was conducted here as well, and many aspiring hunters came here to take their tests in the port's sizable and famous coliseum.

Damian followed behind Iris and Sven as they waded through the crowds of people before heading up a flight of stairs taking them to the main city area and the location of the market. As they walked through the market, he could see dozens of traders lined up around the area, selling and trading their goods to a variety of people. He saw many different things he had never seen before, and it took all his willpower not to get distracted.

Eventually, Damian saw it. In the distance, he saw a massive circular structure that dwarfed every building in the area. That must be the Tanzia Coliseum… He continued to follow Iris and Sven until they arrived at the entrance to the arena. There, they approached one of the counters.

"Hi! What can I do for you?" the receptionist greeted.

Iris pointed her thumb back at Damian. "He would like to take the exam."

"I see. And are you, his mentor?"

"I am." Iris took out her ID and license and gestured for Damian to do the same. The latter was told to eventually hand over his ID to the receptionist.

"Alright, please wait." Damian watched as the receptionist turned around and briefly disappeared behind the curtain before returning about a minute later, this time followed by another person. It was an older-looking woman, with shoulder-length grey hair and dressed in formal Guild wear.

The woman appeared to gasp. "Oh my…Iris?"

"Hey."

"I haven't since you since…since you know…"

Iris raised a hand. "Stop, just…You know how I don't like it when people bring it up."

"Right, sorry." She turned her gaze onto Sven. "Sven. It's been what, ten years? I can tell you've grown a lot judging by the armor you're wearing." The woman then looked around. "Where's Shaw?"

"Good to see you too. And to answer your question…" Sven shook his head. "Shaw is busy handling some requests."

"I see." And then she finally turned her attention to Damian. "You must be the rookie training under Iris."

"I guess it's time for proper introductions. Rookie, this is Theresa. She serves as one of the judges for the exam," Iris told him.

"She's also a retired huntress, a badass one to boot," Sven added. "Additionally, she was the one who had been there to judge us when we were about to get our licenses all those years ago.

"I may be retired, but I can still kick your asses easily," Theresa said.

Damian opted for a bow, recalling how it was common courtesy to respect the elderly. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am. My name is Damian."

Theresa bowed in return. "It's nice to meet you too Damian. Now then, you're here for the exam? Then please follow me."

Damian glanced at Iris and Sven, the latter giving him a thumbs up. "Good luck kid."

Iris, on the other hand, opted for a simple encouraging nod. Damian smiled at that before following Theresa inside the entrance to the coliseum.

Once they were gone, Iris and Sven turned back to walk towards the market. The exam would likely take a few hours at most, so they tried to think of ways to spend the time.

"So…it's been a while since we last stepped foot in this place," Sven said, trying to start a conversation.

"Yeah."

"I wonder if ol'Max is still around."

Iris snorted. "That old coot? He's basically immortal. It's a wonder he somehow hasn't bitten the dust yet."

Sven laughed. "Wanna check? Perhaps grab a meal as well?"

Iris grinned. "Sure."

…

Damian had initially thought they would immediately put him in the middle of the coliseum and start the test, but what he didn't expect was what he had to do beforehand. Why hadn't Iris nor Sven told him about this?

"What?"

"You heard me; the exam has two parts. You'll first be doing a written test and after that will be the physical test. Don't worry though, the questions aren't that difficult. Any competent hunter could answer them."

"Right…"

Theresa gave him a friendly pat on the back. "You'll do good. Considering you were trained by Iris; I reckon you'll have no problems at all."

Well, that was very reassuring…

Damian continued to follow Theresa down the hallway before they stopped in front of a wooden door. There was a sign with the words "Test Room" stuck onto it. She gestured for Damian to enter. The young man took a deep breath and entered the room.

Behind the door, Damian found himself standing inside a small dimly lit room. There was a single table and chair in the middle of the room, with a piece of paper on top, a pen, and a candle. Theresa instructed him to sit down and listen to her instructions.

"You have forty minutes to finish the test. No questions will be entertained, and you must answer all the questions. Are you ready?"

Damian took another deep breath to calm his nerves. He stretched his fingers briefly before giving a firm nod to Theresa. She looked over at the clock in the room. "Then your timer starts…now!"

Here goes.

…

"I have to say, after all these years ya haven't lost yer touch," Iris said, taking a sip from her mug of ale. "Considering yer now old and all."

"Right? We thought you'd be dead already!"

Max growled and flipped them off before returning to working on the food on the grill. The old grizzled Felyne cook had been surprised at their return to Port Tanzia and considering they've been gone for a long time, he thought they may have changed.

He hated how wrong he was.

Iris and Sven were still the same annoying brats that frequented his diner all those years ago. They were adults for god's sake, shouldn't they learn to respect their elders? Though it was odd that Shaw wasn't with them considering the three were practically inseparable. Whatever, the less the better I suppose. He shook his head and placed the steaks onto two plates before handing them over to them.

Sven grinned, placing a coin on the table. "Thanks, Max."

The Felyne grumbled, taking the coin before turning away to wipe at the table. "So…what have you been up to?"

"Same old, same old," Iris responded, biting into a piece of steak.

"We took a rookie hunter under our wing," Sven said. "He's currently over at the Tanzia Coliseum conducting his exam."

"Huh…Sounds like you've been busy."

"Yeah. I guess we have," Iris muttered, wondering how Damian was faring at his exam.

…

The young man in question was currently sitting on a bench in the armory as he adjusted the straps on his gauntlets. He had finished the written portion half an hour ago and was now preparing for arguably the most important part of the exam, the physical test. He didn't know what to expect, other than being told to pick a weapon of choice, though he was more limited in terms of armor.

To his dismay, they had temporarily taken away his Maccao armor and modified Bow in exchange for preset equipment. He was now forced to use a basic Iron Bow and Chainmail gear as a result. Luckily, they had allowed him to bring a limited number of items he wished to use for the test and recalling what Iris taught him, he had chosen carefully.

Just then, the door to the locker room opened. Damian glanced at the door and saw a Felyne peeking their head inside.

"Ready?"

"Give me a minute."

"Alright. If you are ready, head straight towards the gate."

When the Felyne left, Damian sighed and stood up. This was it. If he failed this test now, he could never face his seniors again. Even worse, he'll have nothing to show for by the time he comes home. Despite being told that those who failed the exam could always try again after three months, Damian refused to do so. He had to pass. Taking a deep breath and slapping both hands over his cheeks, he grabbed his Bow and stepped out of the locker room and towards the Coliseum gates.

There, he spotted the Felyne from earlier standing by the lever. He nodded at the Felyne, who then pulled the lever, lifting the gate as Damian stepped through it. He squinted briefly at the brief flash of sunlight before his vision cleared and he found himself standing within the famous Tanzia Coliseum. From the inside, Damian was in awe at how massive it was. He also noticed that the whole interior was enclosed by metal caging, which separated the actual arena from the audience. Damian guessed that aside from audience safety, it also served to prevent flying monsters from escaping.

"Hello!"

Damian turned towards the voice and saw three people sitting by the pews. He recognized Theresa among them, though he had no idea who the other two men were.

"May we know your name?" one of the men asked. He was a bearded fellow who appeared to be Theresa's age.

"It's Damian. Damian Dimitrov."

"Right, Mr Dimitrov, allow me to explain the rules. As you can probably tell, you're standing in the heart of Tanzia's Coliseum, and I'm sure you know what the purpose of a coliseum is don't you?"

Damian nodded as the man continued his explanation.

"Your objective is to simply slay or subdue a randomly chosen monster. You will be judged based on how well you performed. You are free to use the area at your disposal. However, asking for help is strictly prohibited, not that you'll receive any help, to begin with. The test ends when either you or the monster is unable to fight any longer."

"If you are worried about getting killed, do not worry," Theresa added. "We have countermeasures for that…though if the situation escalates before we can do anything then that's too bad."

Damian gulped.

"Anyway, it's time we start. Give us a signal when you're ready." When he gave them a firm nod, the judge raised his arm. "Bring forth the monster!"

Damian steeled himself and his nerves as he watched the gate on the other side of the coliseum slowly began to open. The young man had no idea what monster was waiting behind that gate, but he couldn't afford to lose his composure now. The moment the gate fully opened; a loud roar echoed throughout the coliseum. And then, the beast charged out from the darkness, revealing itself. Damian's eyes widened and he stared in shock at what he had to face. It was a beast he recognized and one that he and his seniors had once hunted during one of the requests they took in another village.

A Rathian.

"Do you think the rookie is doing alright?" Sven asked as they wandered through the market.

"Beats me. But knowing that kid, he'll likely manage. He's shown great improvement under my tutelage, so I won't be surprised if he passes. The kid's got a bright future ahead of him if he continues to grow." When she noticed Sven chuckling, she frowned at him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing…Just that you've clearly warmed up to him. And you were so cold to him too back when he first started."

She huffed. "Ya know that I hate incompetence, so I had no choice but to start big to toughen him up. Once he showed actual dedication and the strive to improve, it wouldn't be right to ignore his efforts any longer."

"To think you had been so opposed to this idea of mentoring in the first place. I'm glad Shaw suggested it."

"I suppose it has been a nice change of pace," Iris admitted.

Sven simply smiled. "Good to hear that."

As they continued their walk through the marketplace, a certain vendor caught Sven's attention. He promptly tapped Iris's shoulder.

"What?"

"Look. That vendor is selling spicy omelets. It's been a long time since we had some of those. What do you say?"

Without realizing it, Iris's mouth began to water, and she hastily wiped it away with her sleeve. The spicy omelets sold by the wandering vendors here had always been her favorite snack whenever she visited Port Tanzia. Gods, has it been that long since I ate one? Even though they had just eaten a hearty lunch, she supposed an extra snack wouldn't hurt. "Alright, let's go."

The two approached the seller, who appeared to be busy preparing some ingredients. Iris spoke to catch his attention.

"Excuse me."

"Excuse me."

Iris froze, realizing that a secondary voice had spoken at the same time. She turned towards the source of the voice…and her eyes widened in surprise. Oh my god.

"Iris?" the other woman asked.

"H-Hey Rosemary…" The huntress couldn't believe it. What was her younger sister doing here?

Sven, however, was pleasantly surprised. "Rose! I haven't seen you in a while."

The woman's demeanor shifted upon greeting the hunter. "Hi, Sven!"

Meanwhile, Iris awkwardly stood there, not knowing what to say. After all, what were you going to say to your sister who you hadn't seen or talked to for more than a year now?

"Sorry but, are you three going to just stand there, or are you going to order something?" the seller asked, interrupting their moment.

"Oh sorry!" Rosemary apologized. "Three spicy omelets please."

"Rose-" Iris was about to protest not paying on her own before her sister shook her head at her.

"Don't worry, it's my treat."

After some time, the three got their snacks and moved to a more secure location to talk. They settled upon a bench overlooking the port below. They ate in silence before it eventually became too awkward.

"How have ya been Iris?" Rosemary began.

"I…I have been well. And you have been doing well too?"

"I'm doing fine as well, just ya know with some extra responsibilities."

Iris scowled. "Damn it Rose, every time we meet-"

Her younger sister sent an equally fierce scowl back. "I don't know what's wrong with that stubborn head of yours, but what yer doing right now isn't going to help anyone."

"I thought I told ya to never bring this shit up again!"

"Why? Just so you could run away from it again?"

"I'm not running away!"

"That's bullshit and ya know it!"

"Hey, you two-"

They both turned to glare at him. "Shut it Sven!" The man promptly yelped and immediately shut his mouth and went back to eating.

"It's been over a year now Iris. Don't ya think it's time to come back?" Rosemary said in a calmer voice.

Iris sighed. "Ya know I can't do that."

"She needs you, Iris," Rosemary pleaded. "She may be doing well now, but it's not fair for you to be separated from each other like this."

Iris shook her head wistfully. "It's better this way. What she needs is someone stable, and I'm far from being a person like that. Hell, let her forget that I even existed in the first place."

"It's not right…it's not right…" Rosemary repeated. "It's just not right."

"I'm sorry Rose but…I just can't." Iris stood up from the bench and began to walk away with Sven following behind her. Just when she thought it was over, she heard Rosemary speak.

"Ya know…ever since he died, you've changed Iris." Sven saw Iris clench her fists. "My older sister, who was once a rebellious but sweet girl changed to become whatever the hell this is. Come back to us Iris. I know yer hurting but we're yer family, and we can help ya."

Sven noticed the slight tremble on Iris's shoulders. Please don't lash out at your sister, the only other family member you have left…Sven pleaded in his mind. To his relief, Iris didn't. He saw her eventually take a deep breath and said, "We're done talking here."

"But-"

"I'm sorry but this is goodbye. C'mon Sven."

Reluctantly, he followed her, sparing a glance back at Rosemary who slumped back down onto the bench. I'm sorry…

It had been more than five minutes since the fight against the Rathian began as the judges continued to watch the battle, taking note of Damian's movements, and discussing amongst themselves.

"He seems to be doing alright so far," one of the judges noted. Unlike the other two, he was far more youthful-looking. "I do wonder why he's not making use of 'dash-dancing'…"

"That's because it doesn't exist here in the Old-World Andre," Theresa said. She couldn't blame the younger man for asking. He was someone born and raised in the New World and was taught techniques not practiced in the Old World.

"Really? Well, that's a bummer. Why not teach them then?"

"Old-World hunters can be very…stubborn. We've been taught the same techniques for generations, so having something new shoved at us, especially one that is arguably more effective, can have the opposite effect and make us not want to learn them," Theresa explained. "It's a hunter's pride thing, took me a while to acknowledge the fact that our old ways can seem archaic. Though Wilhelm right here was even more stubborn than I am." She teasingly nudged the other man sitting beside her with her elbow, who grumbled and continued to write down on his notes.

"Leave me alone…"

...

Down in the coliseum arena, Damian was busy dodging and weaving through the onslaught of attacks from the Rathian. He managed to land several arrows onto the Wyvern's body, but it didn't appear to be affected by them and continued to attack. Damian wasn't given many opportunities to attack, and he feared he'll not only become exhausted quicker but run out of arrows as well. Not to mention, this Rathian seemed hellbent on trying to kill him!

Remembering that he brought the items beforehand, he sprinted away to create distance between him and the Wyvern as he rummaged through his item pack. But the Rathian immediately gave chase, and Damian knew he wouldn't be able to outrun it.

C'mon, c'mon! Aha! Just as the Wyvern lunged forward to bite him, Damian quickly threw something in front of him and immediately closed his eyes. Suddenly, a flash of light exploded in the arena. He heard a roar and opened his eyes to see the Rathian staggering back, dazed from the flash bomb he had just thrown.

…

Back at the pews, the judges seemed impressed by Damian's maneuver.

"Oooh, making use of a flash pod to create some breathing room?" Andre noted with greatly renewed interest.

Theresa grinned. "More of a flash bomb but yeah, great move on his part. Most people who take the test don't bother to flash the monster, thinking they could rely only on their weapon. It's great that's he's utilizing his items."

…

With the Wyvern stunned, it allowed Damian to reassess his strategy. He rummaged through his pouch, taking out a vial filled with yellow liquid. He had recognized it as what was called 'dash juice' and was vital for stamina-heavy combat. He downed the entire thing in a few gulps. Recalling that he also grabbed two vials of enhancing drugs, he took them out as well, popping them open and drinking them in their entirety. Iris had told him about these drugs, which hunters often took when hunting powerful monsters. Too much of it was harmful to the system so Damian made sure to only grab one vial each. He continued to rummage through his pouch once again and took out a small tube. It was a coating used to empower arrows. After quick deliberation, he decided to save it for when it mattered.

While the Rathian was still stunned, Damian took this opportunity to observe the beast. He took note of its soft belly in contrast to its armored hide. He also noted the quills on its tail, which he knew was venomous as well as the Wyvern's fiery breath, which he had the misfortune of almost being burned by it once. The young man knew that since he was alone now, he couldn't rely on his team to distract his target.

It wasn't long before the Rathian snapped out of its dazed state and turned towards Damian, roaring at him. Re-energized thanks to the dash juice and temporarily powered up from the enhancing drugs, Damian was now ready to properly face the beast head-on.

Immediately, the Rathian's mouth began to light on fire.

Uh oh.

The Rathian shot a barrage of fireballs at him, forcing Damian to dodge each one of them. Just when he thought it was over, the Rathian suddenly followed it up by charging towards him. He jumped out of the way in time just as the Rathian ended its charge with a backflip. Swiftly regaining his balance, Damian aimed and shot an arrow at the Wyvern as it hovered in the air. It was a direct hit, eliciting a pained roar from the Rathian, though it wasn't enough to drop it from the air. He quickly dove to the side as the Rathian retaliated by trying to grab him with its claws.

However, his act of moving out of the way left him lying on the ground and before he could get up, the Rathian was on him immediately, pinning him down onto the ground with its claws.

"Shit!" Damian cursed as he found himself unable to move. The Rathian growled at him and was about to bite his head off when it let out a pained snarl and jumped back. Damian stood up, placing his knife back into the sheathe before making a run for his Bow that he had dropped. But the Rathian quickly gave chase. And once again just as it lunged, an explosion of light occurred, blinding it.

Now's my chance! Immediately, he began to rapidly fire arrow after arrow at the Rathian, each shot aimed at its exposed underbelly. The Rathian roared in pain as the arrows pierced through its body. Wounded and now enraged, it powered through the pain and proceeded to charge towards Damian again.

Realizing that the Rathian was barreling straight towards him, Damian sheathed his Bow and ran. A quick look around the arena and he saw no way of avoiding the beast. It wasn't long before he found himself near the edge of the arena. Knowing he could never outrun the Rathian, a frankly crazy idea formed in his head. He had no idea if he had the skill to do so, but he had no choice. With the Rathian rapidly closing in, Damian took the plunge. The moment he neared the wall, he ran up the wall and did a backflip…landing right on the Rathian's back. The Wyvern crashed into the wall, causing the protective caging to shake violently. Shaking its head, the Rathian realized Damian was on its back and it immediately began to thrash its body around to knock him off.

"Woah!" Damian held on to dear life as the Rathian struggled violently. Firmly gripping onto the Rathian's back, he reached for his knife and brought it down onto the Wyvern's back. It roared as its thrashing grew even more violent, but at the same time, Damian began to furiously stab his knife repeatedly onto its back. Adrenaline fueled him and Damian kept on going even as blood splashed onto his face and armor.

In one last desperate attempt to get it off its back, the Rathian moved to the edges of the arena and slammed its body against it. Before he could get crushed, however, Damian leaped off the Rathian's back and sprinted a good distance away.

He had mere seconds before the Rathian would attack again. He quickly reached for his pouch and took out the tube from before. Grabbing an arrow, he popped it open and poured the coating over the arrowhead as quickly as he could. At the same time, the Rathian had recovered and immediately charged straight towards him. Here goes! Damian raised his bow and aimed down at the charging Wyvern. Wait for it…

The moment it got close, he let loose the arrow as it soared through the air…and pierced the Rathian clean through its mouth and out of the back of its skull. The Wyvern was sent stumbling mid-charge and would have crashed into Damian if he hadn't moved out of the way in time.

There was silence as the dust began to clear. Damian cautiously approached the Rathian, having no idea if it was dead or still alive. Suddenly, it lifted its head and snarled at him, prompting Damian to draw his bow again. But as sudden as the action had been, the Rathian's body stilled, and its head fell lifelessly onto the ground as blood began to pool around it. It had drawn its last breath.

Damian breathed a sigh of relief and moved to pluck his knife off the Rathian's back. He then turned towards the judges. He didn't say a word, only waiting for the judges to say something first. After what felt like an eternity when it had only been a minute, Wilhelm was the one to break the silence.

"Congratulations Mr Dimitrov, you've finished the test. I suggest you now visit the medical wing and wait there to recover while awaiting further news."

"Thank you…"

And with that, Damian slumped off towards the medical wing, the aftermath of the drugs beginning to take a toll on his body. Too tired to celebrate, as soon as he saw a bed, he fell onto it and immediately fell asleep.

When Iris and Sven returned to the coliseum, Damian had just waved goodbye to Theresa. He appeared to be holding an envelope in his hands. He looked up and saw his seniors approach him.

"So…How did it go?" Sven asked, raising an eyebrow.

Damian didn't answer, looking down at the envelope and back at the two hunters, an impassive expression on his face.

"Well? Say something." Iris insisted, beginning to get impatient.

More silence. Annoyed, Iris was about to grab him by the collar but stopped when Damian…smirked? He placed a finger on the bridge of his glasses and said, "I did it."

"What?"

Damian waved the envelope in front of them. "I passed. I'm eligible for a license now."

It took a full five seconds for Iris and Sven to process that information before expressions of happiness formed on their faces. "I knew you could do it," Sven said, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"I take responsibility for that," Iris exclaimed, puffing out her chest in pride.

"Hey! Shaw and I helped too…"

"Well, it's under my name, so…"

"That is not fair Iris."

She ignored him. "Either way, now that yer full-fledged hunter rookie, ya don't need to rely on us anymore. You can finally go independent and make a name for yerself all on yer own."

Damian grinned widely and bowed in gratitude. "I honestly can't thank you enough, Ms. Thorne! As well as Mr Sven and Shaw… Without your help, I would have never been able to make it this far…"

Sven chuckled. "No need to bow on us kid, we're not that old."

"Besides, it's something ya deserve. Yer hard work and dedication to improving was admirable and is perhaps the reason you've come this far." To Damian's surprise, Iris walked up to him and ruffled his hair. "Congrats. Also, ease up on the formalities yeah? Just call me Iris, you've earned it."

"T-Thank you!"

Sven sent Iris a knowing look. "Hey Iris, we are a team of three, right? What do you say we make room for one more?"

Damian tilted his head in confusion.

Iris shrugged knowingly, sending a glance to Damian. "I don't know, does he have what it takes?"

"You mean…" Damian trailed off, looking to Sven for confirmation. The man gave him a nod. In response, the young man quickly stood straight. "I do!" He coughed and cleared his throat. "I mean, I do."

"I actually don't mind having ya on our team. Unfortunately, our Hunter Ranks are way above and ya wouldn't be able to go on proper quests with us." Iris said with a shake of her head.

Damian's shoulder slumped in dismay, but Iris was quick to quell his worries. "Don't worry though. I'm saving the spot for ya. Until then, take yer time and gain more experience while raising your rank. Once you've gained enough experience, we'll gladly have ya join us."

"Really?"

Iris nodded, to which Damian bowed repeatedly again. "Thank you so much Ms. Tho- I mean Iris."

"Once Shaw comes back, what do you say we celebrate by going out for drinks at that famous tavern at Dundorma?" Sven offered.

Iris agreed to that. "Sounds good to me." She glanced at Damian. "I suppose we could bring the kid too, though he'd likely only drink juice or something considering he's underage."

Damian snorted. "Fuck the law."

Sven's eyes widened before he broke into laughter. "Haha! You've really taught him well Iris!"

When they arrived back at Batu Village, a small celebration was held in response to Damian's newly minted status as a hunter. Drinks and food were held in the canteen as even the Chief himself congratulated the young man for his achievement. He received gifts from several of the villagers, whom Damian had helped fulfill their requests and helped out in the village. And later that night, Anna had dragged him off towards her home to give him his own personal reward. But by the time the celebration had ended, they realized something was wrong.

To Iris and Sven's confusion, Shaw hadn't returned that afternoon or evening. Iris and Sven had been worried before Ximena gave them a letter written and sent by Shaw. It stated he was staying the night at the other village and would come back the next morning. Relieved, the two hunters called it a night and retreated to their rooms.

However, Shaw never returned the next day… or the day after.

…