Monster Hunter Legends
Knights of the Tundra – Chapter 1
William stared out over the wall of the Citadel, into the seemingly never-ending tundra. For years he had seen the view, and every time it had amazed him. Looking back, he realized he had probably ended up late to many lessons because of it. Secluded high in the tundra, the Citadel loomed as an impenetrable force, stopping unauthorized access to the lands beyond. What those lands were nobody knew for sure. It had always seemed odd to William that the Barioth Knights secret fort was defending something nobody knew about. "Not my problem." William muttered to nobody in particular.
The Barioth Knights may have been known to the Guild, but what they did and how they trained was kept under lock and key, only to be seen or heard by the Knights themselves, or allies deemed trustworthy. But the Knights weren't on good terms with the other two of the Grand Trio much. The Tigrex Samurai remained neutral, and the other clan… erm, who were they again? That's right, the Narga Clan or something. That's how out of touch the Barioth Knights were with anyone. Except for infrequent contact with Moga Village, the only town they kept in contact with was at the bottom of the tundra. It was a small fishing town, keeping the Citadel's location secret from unfriendly inquirers. The Barioth Knights had always kept to themselves. Folk liked to speculate why, coming up with zany theories. William's favorite was that the Knights were hiding a powerful weapon that could destroy the Guild, and that they had found it in the lands beyond the Citadel. William smiled to himself, content with the fact that nobody knew where they where, and no one could harm them.
But far away, across the sea in the Guild's capital, Dondruma, years of hard work were beginning to pay off. The Guild had secretly kept tabs on the Knights activity, and had figured out who their Monster Warrior was. They needed his knowledge of the Barioth to train new hunters in combat. He would soon get a visit from the most infamous mercenary hunter in all of Minegarde – Demnos. He was now bound for the shores of Moga, his squad of hunters vomiting over the side of the boat. "Oh come on guys… a bit of water and you start chucking yah guts up! Get used to it!" Demnos barked at his motley crew. There was no real continuity in his squad – there seemed to be a hunter from every nook and cranny of Minegarde. A bow master from Kokoto, a lance enthusiast from Jumbo, a kid from Pokke and an old dual blade wielder from the desert, all assembled to aid Demnos. "Lao-Shan almighty…" Demnos sighed as the bow master nearly fell over the edge.
Meanwhile up in the Citadel, William casually prepared to go on a Barioth hunt. He needed the hunt to go on his record, as it would help his credibility when he ventured out to Moga. His friends had called his style of combat "erratic" and "goofy" when he was young, but that was before he had found out he was the Barioth Warrior. His mother, the Citadels acting Elder, had kept it secret, apparently "as a joke". "Oh yeah, real funny, laugh it up…" William had remarked, sixteen at the time. He had quickly learned the three traits, the three things that his ancestor had gained from the Barioth. At least, he thought they were the three traits, but his mother had called them that, and really, she wasn't serious at the best of times. He repeated them to himself every time before a hunt. "Endurance, heat and balance." William had finished putting his armor on and headed towards the exit of the Citadels wall. Strapping his Switch Axe to his back, he heaved the heavy bar off the wooden door, and headed out into the tundra.
Little did he know, an elite team of hunters was on their way to find him… "KID! Stop fooling around! If we don't work as a team, we'll never find the Barioth Knights!" growled Demnos, his patience wearing thin. If all goes well, Demnos thought, a sneaky smile creeping onto his face, I can find this Barioth Warrior by myself…