1343
The sun rose over the deserted isle.
Joseph stepped out of base camp with confidence.
"Looks like we're finally getting started."
Callum walked up behind him. "Yeah, it's time for hunting."
Zach showed up. "Remember, our target's the Arzuros. It looks bluish."
Ben grinned. "Who cares about how it looks? Let's just go kick its ass!"
He raised his axe into the air as he yelled this. The monsters joined in on the excitement by roaring.
All of them set out, having no clue at all what they were doing.
"So wait, how do we find it?" Joseph asked.
"Uh… split up." Callum suggested.
"Yeah sure, sounds good."
After they all went their own seperate ways the first to encounter it was Callum.
"Huh, looks like I was right. Aight, time to tell the others…"
His thoughts froze.
"I have no idea how to tell them it's here."
The Arzuros roared.
"Well, no choice. Sorry to all of ya, but it looks like I'll be taking the credit for our first victory."
He ran forwards with Sanchez. The monster was confused but targeted Sanchez, who dodged under the swipe.
Callum ran around it and started slashing, while Sanchez bit and swung his tail at it.
After a few seconds of attacking Callum didn't notice any effect.
"Heh, yer a tough one." He observed with unwarranted confidence "Then, it looks like we've got no choice. Sanchez, let's combine our strength!"
Sanchez looked back with confusion.
"Lemme on yer back."
Sanchez now understood.
Callum ran over to him and jumped, landing awkwardly on Sanchez's back before sliding off.
He then got back up again and climbed on the normal way.
Sanchez started to dash around the enemy while Callum slashed. This was effective in damaging it more.
The Arzuros used more claw swipes, which Sanchez jumped over. It was a few seconds before he realised something was missing here.
Sanchez turned his head to spot Callum passed out on the ground nearby. He'd failed to consider the increase in height while evading. Callum had also not considered that leather armour really isn't effective for stopping damage.
The cart felynes wheeled Callum away, Sanchez just awkwardly watched him go before deciding to follow back.
The Arzuros continued to wander around the area, victorious.
Ben ended up near the sea.
"Uh… did Zach say if it was underwater or not?"
Just then he spotted a bluish shape moving around underwater.
"Found ya."
"Still though… Hey Plessy, how am I gonna get down there? Cause I can't swim, remember?"
Plessy lowered himself to the ground.
"Sounds great."
The piscine wyvern dived into the sea with a hunter clinging to his back.
They approached the bluish object and found a serpent-like monster.
"So yer the Arzuros, huh!?" Ben tried to yell, forgetting he was underwater.
The monster roared in response, surrounding itself in electricity.
"Heh, looks like I'm gonna be taking all the credit." Ben thought, knowing next to nothing about monsters.
Plessy charged into the Lagiacrus head-first, knocking it back. He then followed up with a hip-check.
Ben was knocked away from him but was only slightly fazed, starting to wildly slash at the leviathan.
Most of these missed as he slowly float away.
Plessy launched himself into his enemy, before using a beam of pressurised water.
This was barely dodged and the Lagiacrus clamped its jaws around his neck. He then activated his electricity.
Plessy roared with pain from the attack.
Ben tried to move closer to help, but was unable to do anything. Plessy was then released and started to float away, barely conscious. This turned the Lagiacrus' attention to Ben. Exactly what he wanted.
The Lagiacrus charged at him. He didn't have the option of dodging, so he just attacked back.
Both took damage and Ben was knocked away.
As he came to a stop, he found it difficult to focus.
"I can't afford to pass out. This is nothing. I can still… keeping going."
The same thing repeated multiple times, but Ben still managed to cling on.
It was only getting harder and harder to see, but Ben kept on raising his weapon.
The Lagiacrus paused to analyse him for a few seconds. Even after all these hits, he was still going. It then ignored this and took another charge forwards.
It was then cut off by a headbutt. Plessy used the opening to grab and swim away as quickly as possible.
The Lagiacrus watched them go and considered following, but then decided against it. It turned around and disappeared into the ocean.
When Plessy got back to land, he threw Ben off and checked him. He was already unconscious. Plessy didn't know when he passed out, but that didn't really matter.
The cart felynes picked him and up and took him away, with Plessy following.
Back on the land, Daimyo wandered around with Joseph crouched on his back, ready to attack the Arzuros the moment they spotted it.
It worked out well that they spotted it a few seconds later, wandering around the area.
"Hey dude, that's our target." Joseph announced.
Daimyo started to charge towards it.
The Arzuros saw them approach and prepared to intercept.
The monsters clashed, Daimyo's claws being blocked by the Arzuros'. Joseph suddenly thought of a really cool move. He kicked off Daimyo's back and launched himself over the Arzuros' head.
As gravity pulled him down, he drew his sword for a slash across the monster's back. As it howled in pain he hit the ground at an awkward angle.
Daimyo just stood around awkwardly, not sure what to do.
Joseph managed to get back somewhat awkwardly, barely styling it out with a "Heh."
"Need to work out the landing." He thought, before something in his brain yelled at him to jump away.
As he dodged, the Azuros' claws crashed into the ground.
It took a second to process that it missed, before following up with more, which were stepped around.
"I'm won't hit that easy, ya know?" Despite his attempts to seem carefree Joseph's focus on dodging was causing him to jumble his stock cool lines together, but he didn't notice.
Daimyo launched a beam of pressurised water, causing the enemy to stumble. Joseph then slashed at its chest.
Daimyo jabbed it with his left claw, while Joseph stabbed at it.
Daimyo then used his other claw, while Joseph followed this up with a spirit combo.
As Joseph sheathed his sword, Daimyo knocked the Arzuros into the ground with both his claws.
Both of them froze up as they realised how cool what they just did was.
As the Arzuros recovered, Joseph had an idea for his next move. The excitement didn't wear off fast enough for him to reconsider.
"Daimyo, keep it distracted for a few seconds. I've got a plan."
Daimyo's excitement also didn't wear off fast enough for him to realise he should find out what the plan is before agreeing.
The Hermitaur jumped towards the Arzuros and punched at it, then using a beam of water to push it back slightly.
The Arzuros retaliated with its own attacks, but these were blocked. As the last strike was stopped, it heard a noise behind it.
Joseph stood behind the monster, ready to draw his sword.
"Heh, where are ya lookinGAH"
Joseph was crushed under the weight of the Arzuros as it sat down.
He could no longer feel most of his body.
"Hey, I give, okay, I'm sorry, just get off!"
Joseph tried to slash at the monster but due to his current situation this had no effect. He kept trying, swinging his longsword around with no strength.
"D-Daimyo! Do something! I'm gonna die! Ya gotta-"
Daimyo finally snapped out of staring at this in shock and charged into the Arzuros, causing it to roll off.
The Arzuros got back up quickly, starting its opponent down. Daimyo got readied his claws.
Tension filled the air until it was cut off by cart felynes showing up to carry Joseph away.
He ended up passing out while he was trapped.
Daimyo just awkwardly walked off.
Zach and Zappy wandered up a hill. A felyne appeared before them.
"You gotta go back to the port, nya."
"What happened?"
"Three faints and the quest's over."
"...It's been ten minutes."
"Yeah. And?"
The group met up again in Tanzia.
There was a long silence.
"I think our plan had some problems in it." Callum finally said.
"Yeah. Some." Joseph agreed.
"Well it's not like we can do much to prepare against lightning, right?" Argued Ben.
No one even wanted to ask what happened to him. Zach was the next to speak.
"We probably got too into it, didn't we? With it being our first hunt and all."
"I figured it'd be more… cool and stuff." Joseph thought aloud.
Callum and Ben both agreed.
"Dunno. It is what is. Even if something ridiculously cool was possible, it's probably not for us. We've just gotta survive."
"Yeah, fair enough."
Zach still kept going, focused on this now.
"We've gotta keep going, cause this is our new life. And probably our last chance. So let''s just… live like they did."
"They?" Ben asked.
"The two we took our surname from."
This provoked a feeling of awkwardness from the entire group, quickly diffused by Callum adding "Let's try and end up differently, though."
"Yeah, that's the plan." Zach continued "So don't worry. As long as all eight of us are here, like we've always been, things'll be fine."
The next time they went hunting they stuck together. They still ended up getting their asses kicked somewhat, but that was besides to the point. All that mattered was surviving. So long as they all kept going, nothing else mattered.
Yo, I still don't remember how to write author's comments anymore, but now's a good enough time to explain what this is, three chapters in.
From the title and content so far it should be pretty obvious this is a prequel, but it's not ending at just this story, rather it's a collection of stories set before when the main plot began.
If you haven't checked out the main story then I'm gonna warn you that this really doesn't work as a starting point at all. I imagine that this was pretty easy to understand even without context of why they're in these places but some of the later chapters will work off what's brought up in the main plot.
The release schedule for chapters will be whenever they're done mixed with when G has gotten to the point where reading them will make sense.
If I was smart I would've already written these chapters beforehand, but I've never been smart in my life, so I'm sorry in advance if there's delays.
Well regardless of my complaining about myself, I hope you enjoy the rest of the stories here whenever they're released.
Also as an extra note even though I said this would release separately to the main series consider this an apology for not meeting this week's deadline for G since due to poor time management I still haven't finished the new chapter, it should be up sometime soon hopefully.