Chapter 2
"Alright, Mr. Bohn, this book contains all the information you need regarding the Master Rank hunters that you wish to recruit for the… classified mission. You may skip to chapter 3 if you want to see the hunters' names immediately."
"Thank you very much, Ayane."
"Can I get you anything else, sir?"
"No, that'll be all."
One day, the Guild official was approached by a woman named Ayane, best known by her moniker 'the Serious Handler'. The wyverian lady he'd been in contact with for the past week had been secretly pulling favors from the other leaders at Astera and Seliana, just as he'd been covertly collecting information from passing hunters. She had assigned Ayane to work as Mr. Bohn's associate, for the time being, something he was very thankful for after seeing the amount of administration he ought to deal with.
So far, interviews with the residents revealed that nearly all of them had seen the Alatreon's shadowy presence from the distance, although they frequently misidentified the unknown creature with a Velkhana or a Nergigante, both of which were well-documented Elder Dragons native to the New World.
Bless them, Mr. Bohn thought. If they knew the unknown creature was actually an Alatreon, they'd quite possibly fell dead from sheer terror alone.
"Miss Ayane, are you certain that these people are qualified hunters?"
"Yes sir, the 3rd Fleet Master is certain of their abilities. Regardless, you should read the documents first before making your decision."
Records held by the Field Team Leader showed that up to three dozen hunters were being considered in preparation for a hunting mission against the Alatreon. These hunters were already participating in Master Rank hunts, ranging from Rank 25 up to Rank 75.
If these people were as good as the leaders of Astera and Seliana said, then there might be a chance to keep things under control.
Mr. Bohn entered his lodge and sat down as he read the names on the documents.
Julia de Ruyter, a 33 years old huntress from Moga Island. With brown skin, dark brown hair, and emerald green eyes, Miss de Ruyter was known to be an exceptional hunting horn user, though she claimed to prefer acting as a support member of whatever hunting party she joined. She was a member of the 4th Fleet, and for some unstated reasons, Miss de Ruyter refused to train herself on wielding other weapons.
Adam Asterion, a 28 years old hunter who also hailed from Moga Island like the previous one. Mr. Asterion was almost identical to Miss de Ruyter save for his steel-grey eyes and darker skin color. This hunter was proficient in using dual blades as well as sword and shield, and also experienced in hunting underwater monsters. He had a scar above his left eye, allegedly left by a rampaging Lagiacrus that he took down using barrel bombs, though Mr. Asterion would not talk about it further.
Willow Castillo, a 25 years old hunter who was raised in Yukumo Village by his foster parents. He had raven hair, hazel eyes, and a slightly pale skin tone. If the profile was to be believed, Mr. Castillo originally joined the 5th fleet not as an A-List Hunter, but as a research assistant, only becoming a hunter in response to his crippled friend asking for a replacement. His weapon of choice was the light bowgun, but for the last two years, Mr. Castillo was trying to learn how to use a heavy bowgun and a long sword.
And the so-called Sapphire Star herself, Ellen Summers. A 30 years old huntress with light brown hair and matching eye color, Miss Summers was part of the A-List Hunters who went investigating rumors of an ancient Elder Dragons along with the Wyverian Tracker and was ultimately responsible for ending the threat that Xeno'Jiiva posed to the New World's ecosystem. This huntress was quite adept at using both the insect glaive and the long sword in her hunts.
Mr. Bohn and Ayane were feeling somewhat skeptical. They wanted to gather a second group of hunters as a possible backup in case this group failed their task, but the 3rd Fleet Master assured them that these four hunters should be enough to at least repel the Alatreon until they can muster enough force to finally kill it.
Perhaps, for now, they could do nothing but send the current group into the hunt and wait for results.
-O-O-O-O-O-
These crystalline canyons… they were rife with bioenergy traces. It was likely that the crystals were not geological in origin.
This place must've been where Elder Dragons gathered before they went to die, the Alatreon mused. It carefully stalked across the plateaus of the Elder's Recess as it scanned the area of any threat.
Top tier monsters were quite prevalent in the area, as the Alatreon were able to identify its residents, such as a Golden Rathian and its mate Silver Rathalos, a flaming Uragaan, one of those carpet-bombing monsters with explosive scales, a Kushala Daora strolling around casually, and a Deviljho munching on a carcass. To be frank, the scenery and its inhabitants were similar to the Sacred Land or the Ingle Isle, save for the massive crystals jutting from every surface. Nearly everything that lived there was carnivorous, except the Uragaan which ate minerals.
Aside from the occasional herbivores that it could ambush, the environment was kind of boring, so the creature decided to go the other way. Maybe the outskirts of the Elder's Recess had something new to offer.
It swiftly scrambled across the uneven landscape as it took flight and hid behind a stormy cloud for protection. Even with its mastery over all elemental powers, the Alatreon preferred to conserve its energy unless it got caught in an unavoidable fight.
The gleaming red light from the volcano's lava rivers was all the Alatreon could see from the air, but then it sensed a great source of bioenergy.
Or, rather, what used to be a bioenergy source.
The Black Dragon dashed toward the place where it sensed the flow. The quick flight led it into a cave system, covered in more crystal and a little flooded but tall enough for it to walk comfortably in there.
The Alatreon landed in front of the cave's mouth, curious and uncertain of what it might find. Seeing all the water in the cave's floor made it wary. It sniffed the water to make sure the substance wasn't poisonous to it, only taking a step in the watery floor after sniffing it several times over. The creature's worry that it must travel by keeping its head down was unproven, thankfully, as the cave's ceiling was fairly higher than anticipated. Except for the Black Dragon itself, there was no other life form in the cave.
After following the weird sensation on foot for half an hour, the Black Dragon discovered the origin of the bioenergy flow; a translucent egg located inside a round chamber.
Not just any egg, however. This egg easily towered over the Alatreon, being so big and shiny it could be mistaken for an actual crystal if not for the slime or webbing scattered all over it. It was suspended above the ground by several beams, which had fallen over after the egg's content seemingly hatched and walked away.
Wait a second, hatched and walked away?! The Alatreon instantly assumed a defensive posture for fear that whatever came from that egg was still lurking around. There wasn't any roar, hiss, or any sound that indicated the presence of an enemy, but the creature decided to not let its guard down so quickly. Its eyes watched the chamber suspiciously, taking notes of the burnt markings littering the walls and floor. They were surely signs of a fire breathing monster. Perhaps there was a struggle here, and the destruction caused by the thing from the egg was its attempts to escape its invaders?
Were the invaders human hunters?
The Black Dragon surmised that, if the humans got to the New World first, then it was very likely that they found the egg first and tried to eliminate the mystery hatchling.
Whether the mystery hatchling escaped or died was beyond the Alatreon's knowledge.
The trail didn't stop there, as the Alatreon was able to sense more bioenergy emanating from somewhere else. And unlike the one he found right now, this bioenergy flow seemingly came from a still-living creature… and it's pulsing intensely. What was it? Was it the mystery hatchling, or another egg like this one, or maybe even whatever foul beast that could lay eggs as big as this one? The Alatreon had to see. It had to know who did it and why.
Dark clouds once again swirled in the sky as the beast took flight once more, heading to the direction of the flow.
-O-O-O-O-O-
Before the hunt was commenced, Ayane, the hunters, and the leaders of Astera and Seliana held a brief assembly. They intended to share some information that could help them during the dangerous task.
"Do we know where the Blazing Black Dragon is currently residing?"
"Yes, sirs and madams. The Alatreon has been sighted in the skies above the Guiding Lands, above the Secluded Valley to be precise."
"Why would it go there? The Secluded Valley is home to a powerful red monster, theorized by Miss Summers and the Wyverian Tracker to be an adult Xeno'Jiiva. Is the Alatreon seeking to challenge the creature in the hopes of claiming the area for itself?"
"It could be that the Valley is immensely rich in bioenergy deposits and the Black Dragon wishes to capitalize on the intense energy flow for its own uses."
"How about its vulnerability? Is there any weak spot on the Alatreon's body that we can target?"
"Not that we know of. The creature's body is covered in thick plates and sharp, pointy scales."
"So far we can only speculate that its massive horns are the source of the Black Dragon's powers. Try breaking its horns off and see if the creature's powers can be reduced without them. Elemental-based weaponry should do the job nicely."
"We should keep an eye for further changes, but for now, we should gear up for the hunt in the Secluded Valley."
And with that, the four hunters left the assembly room in preparation for the hunt. It was very brave of them to accept the mission without protests or feelings of doubt, but mere willpower alone wouldn't be enough to challenge the Blazing Black Dragon. Only the strongest and most prepared of hunters could hope to stand up against its elemental judgment.