A New Challenge
Nikiri, the newest hunter of the village guild, ran with all her speed in the Forest and Hills area, in her hands, a wyvern's egg, her armour, being lightweight, provided a nice boost to her running speed. Very soon, she finally made it to the base camp, with an expectant Takuya waiting for her.
"Five minutes and twenty three seconds!" Takuya called, staring at the hourglass used to time her. "Impressive!" Nikiri gently placed the wyvern's egg into the delivery box, alongside the two that Takuya collected, panting madly, having been running from the far end of the area to the other, carrying a heavy delivery.
"I...I got the egg...there were no monsters chasing me..." Breathed Nikiri.
"Actually, there were no monsters around here, I just wanted to see what you'd do if you thought there were monsters." Takuya explained. This ended Nikiri's panting and got her mad.
"Takuya, you liar!" Growled Nikiri, glaring at her mentor hatefully. "I was really scared running with that egg!"
"Whoa, calm down, Nikiri!" Chuckled Takuya, lightening the mood. "It was how I was taught to do egg runs. Most of the time, there will be monsters not too happy to see you stealing their eggs, so this exercise trained your mind to respond to that. And you did well on it!"
"Still! You know how I feel about monsters right now!" Nikiri argued.
"It's been a week since that Velocidrome encounter. You did well handling the lesser monsters, like the Bullfango and Velociprey." Takuya replied.
"Still, it is the large monsters I get nervous about." Nikiri mumbled, showing her insecurity. Being attacked by two Velocidrome was a dreadful experience for Nikiri; Takuya, taking note of this, placed a hand to her shoulder.
"Don't worry, we can take it one step at a time. You managed to complete the hardest of the non-hunting quests without much difficulty, that's a start!" Takuya encouraged with a smile, prompting Nikiri to mimic.
"Thank you, Takuya. Your lessons prove valuable as the days march on." Nikiri thanked.
The two hunters packed up base camp and began the long hike back to the village across the many hilled areas that were safe from large monsters. After an hour, they managed to see the village in the distance.
"There it is, good old Mellua Village." Takuya smiled as they made their way to the entrance.
"That is the first I have heard of the village's name." Nikiri said.
"Most of us just call it the village, but yeah, Mellua's the name." Said Takuya as they made their way past their house, past Chikko's armoury and to the hunting guild hall. Once there, Eiko welcomed the pair by giving them the reward money.
"Here you go!" Takuya said to Nikiri and handed her the full amount without splitting it with himself.
"Takuya! You know I do not like it when you and the others give me your cut of the rewards!" Nikiri groaned. "At least take a third!"
"You need it more than I do, Nikiri." Takuya said.
"Besides," Interjected Eiko. "Last I recall, Takuya has over 500,000 zenny in his chest!" This made Nikiri gasp.
"Amazing, Takuya! You could buy the entire village with that money!" Nikiri fawned in amazement.
"Not really, the really good weapons alone costs over 100,000 zenny, without going into upgrades. Besides, being a high-rank monster hunter makes it build up over time!" Takuya responded
"High...rank?" Asked Nikiri.
"Oh, that's right!" Eiko gasped. "You're still new, so you don't know the ranking system we have here!" Eiko took out a small chalkboard and drew a small diagram. "There's three ranks to being a monster hunter: you start off at low-rank, where you do the lowest risk jobs available, you, Tenji and most of our guild members are in this rank."
"Which isn't anything to work up over, since it still offers tough quests." Takuya explained.
"High-rank is the rank Takuya, Chikko and Hyobe are in, the risk level is higher and monsters are stronger. You can only be promoted to high-rank if you are recognised by the guild master." Eiko went on.
"The three of us got to high-rank after we helped repel a Lao-Shan Lung, it wasn't easy, lemme tell yah!" Sighed Takuya remembering that fight.
"Then...there's G-Rank..." Eiko grimaced at the thought.
"G-Rank?" Asked Nikiri.
"Only the elitist of elite can take on G-Rank quests." Eiko explained. "The monsters there are monstrously strong and can defeat even the strongest of hunters..."
"Is there anybody in our guild in G-Rank?" Asked Nikiri, curious to know.
"Aside from our master...two..." Said Eiko, and at that moment, Nikiri felt a dark presence looming behind her, she slowly turned around to see the enigmatic Agran, the magician hunter, cloaked and hooded in black. "He is one of them..."
"If you have time to chat to little girls, you have time to file a quest." Agran spoke darkly, slamming a quest slip onto the bar along with a small bag of zenny, Nikiri caught a glimpse at the request requirements: "Hunt 3 Diablos", making her shiver in fear.
"V-Very well!" She said, taking his payment and stamped the quest slip, and as quickly as he came, Agran set off.
"He is scary!" Squealed Nikiri, but remembered their conversation before. "Who is the second G-Rank hunter?"
"I'd...rather not say..." Sighed Eiko; respecting Eiko's silence, Nikiri decided not to pry.
"I understand." Said Nikiri.
"Good answer." Smiled Takuya. Suddenly, the wooden thump on the floor, signalling the guild master approaching, was heard by Nikiri and soon, the guild master, Kyoryo'oni came before them. The old master looked at Nikiri and smiled.
"Little one!" Grunted the guild master. "How are you finding the quests?" The master's deep, loud voice startled the timid Nikiri, but she kept her cool.
"I-It is going well, master!" Nikiri reported. "Takuya is teaching me the basics of normal quests, like herb gathering, defeating a number of Hornetaurs, and-"
"What?! You haven't killed your first monster, yet?!" Kyoryo-oni asked, almost insulted.
"W-Well, no! I-!" But before Nikiri could finish, the large master laughed hard at this.
"You've gotta be joking, kid! I killed a Kut-ku on me first day!" He laughed inconsiderably, not taking into account Nikiri's hurt feelings. Just then, Kyoryo-oni thought of something. "In fact! That's a great idea! Time to prove yer salt!" He slapped a quest slip onto the bar, the same way as Agran did, but this time the quest read "Hunt a Yian Kut-ku!"
"Hunt one o' these, and I'll take ye mare seriously!" Just the mention of this made Nikiri quiver in fear.
"M-Master!" Takuya objected. "Nikiri still hasn't hunted a Velocidrome, she still needs it's armour to have a hope of defeating a Kut-ku!"
"Don't give me none ae that, Takuya!" Growled the master. "I took one doon with nae armour and mah bare hands! This wee lass has a bow and leather armour, that'll be plenty!"
"I-I cannot!" Nikiri choked, close to tears, but held it in.
"Huh?! What'sat? You can't kill a monster?! Then why are you a monster hunter then?!" The master replied. By this time, everyone had turned their attention to the situation.
"Then at least let me come with her! She can't kill a Kut-ku by herself!" Takuya persuaded.
"Hmmm…Yer right, maybe she does need someone be her side, but it shouldn't be a high-rank hunter! That'll take the fun right oot it!" Kyoryo'oni decided, then pointed to Tenji, who was watching the scene too. "You! Boy! You'll go with Nikiri and help her!"
"Me? O-Okay!" Tenji said and went to prepare. Nikiri still didn't feel better, but having someone with her made her feel more comfortable.
"B-But you can't-!" Takuya tried to talk his master, but was stopped by Nikiri herself.
"I-It is okay, Takuya...If master wants me to defeat this foul beast...then I will do my best!" Nikiri spoke, feigning courage, impressing the master.
"Great! Now go prepare! I'll even gae you this fer free!" The master spoke and passed Nikiri a small silver sphere. "It's a sonic bomb, think ye'll find it handy!" He limped off back to his room.
"Urghh! I can't believe that stubborn old Gravios!" Growled Takuya. "He can't just ask a new hunter to hunt a wyvern in their first week!"
"That's not important now, we must prepare Nikiri for the trials ahead!" Eiko scolded Takuya. "How do you feel?" After a long pause, Nikiri responded.
"I would be lying if I said I was not terrified beyond humanly possible..." Nikiri mumbled in low self-esteem, but was encouraged by Takuya.
"Don't worry, I know you can do this!" Takuya comforted. "Tenji's fought a Kut-ku before, just follow his instructions and you'll be fine!" Nikiri looked into Takuya's trusting eyes and nodded.
"I understand!" Nikiri spoke with courage.
Before long, both Nikiri and Tenji were assembled at the docks with Takuya and Eiko seeing them off.
"Alright, Tenji, I'm trusting you with Nikiri's life, okay?" Said Takuya. "Remember, stay on it's blind spot and don't let Nikiri get hurt!"
"I'll do my best, Takuya!" Said Tenji with confidence.
"Thanks, Tenji!" Grinned Takuya.
"Okay, Nikiri, you have your potions and arrows set?" Asked Eiko, getting Nikiri ready.
"Yes, they are in my item pouch, just like Takuya taught me!" Nikiri smiled. "And I have my arrows equipped with Power Coating for extra damage!"
"Good, good, if you find yourself hurt, take as much potions as you need." Eiko instructed.
"Alright, Nikiri, Tenji, this quest should be easy, work together, don't attack and get hit if it's not worth it, and don't let the Kut-ku's fireballs hit you." Takuya taught the two.
"O-Okay!" Nikiri nodded, still keeping her cool. Without hesitation, the two hopped on the boat and headed for the Forest and Hills area.
"Did I do the right thing?" Sighed Takuya to Eiko. "I mean, c'mon! A Kut-ku? She could barely defeat a Velocidrome without divine intervention!"
"Sometimes we just need to believe, which is how they'll improve..." Eiko said, looking at the boat sail into the distance.
"Waaaah! I am so scared!" Cried Nikiri, once they were away from hearing distance from Takuya and Eiko, pacing through the boat in a fast tone. "I've never hunted a monster before! I don't know if my bow can handle a monster like this! I-I didn't even pack a flash bomb! T-Tenji! What do I do?!"
"Whoa, calm down, miss Nikiri!" Tenji said with a level head. "A Kut-ku is statistically the weakest of the wyvern class monsters. As long as we don't sustain too many hits and hit it back enough times, this should be easy for two beginner hunters."
"Wow! You are smart when it comes to hunting!" Nikiri smiled at the young hunter.
"Y-Yes, well..." Tenji blushed. "Sometimes smarts is all I have..."
The two arrived at the forest base and set up camp. The dark secluded forest gave cover against all monsters, allowing the two to prepare without interruption.
"Phew! That's the tent up!" Sighed Tenji, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Okay, split up the items the guild provided and-" But to Tenji's dismay, Nikiri had already taken all the items, including First-Aid meds, Rations, which she was eating currently and Paintballs.
"Hm? Did you say something, Tenji?" Asked Nikiri with a full mouth.
"Err...nothing, miss Nikiri..." Tenji sheepishly said, taking only the provided whetstones and ventured on into the forest, looking at the map that he was left with. "Now Kut-kus are native to area 10, their nesting grounds. This will be advantageous for us, as we can launch a sneak attack on it, getting a few hits in while it's confused."
"What if we disturb it before then?" Asked Nikiri.
"Not to worry, miss Nikiri, my armour has the sneak skill, no monster can detect me unless I attack it." Tenji explained.
"Amazing! What are my skills?!" Nikiri squealed in glee.
"Hate to break it to you, but the armour you have is only good for gathering quests." Said Tenji.
"Aww!" Sulked Nikiri.
The pair crept into area 10, the nesting grounds of the Kut-ku, and sure enough, there was the beast: a red wyvern with a big beak, small wings and very large ears. It was feasting on the carcass of a dead Bullfango.
"Okay, here's our plan of attack." Spoke Tenji quietly. "I'll sneak round and get in it's blind spot. When I'm in position, fire as many arrows as you can at it, when it sees you, I'll come out and attack it from there. Whatever happens, don't stop firing arrows."
"What if I hit you?" Asked Nikiri.
"It'll be fine, since you and I will have the Kut-ku in-between us, your arrows will only hit him, not me." Assured Tenji. Nikiri nodded.
"Understood!" Tenji silently crept up to a tree where the Yian Kut-ku couldn't see him and waved for Nikiri to commence the attack.
"Okay, Nikiri...this is your first real monster hunting quest...please...don't make me screw this up..." Nikiri silently chanted to herself; taking an arrow from her quiver, placed it on her bow and pulled back, ready to fire the first shot that will signal the beginning of her monster hunting career...
She let loose her arrows which made contact with the wyvern, causing it to flinch and turn it's attention to Nikiri. But Nikiri, despite her intimidation, kept firing arrows, making sure each of her charged shots hit. The wyvern roared and was ready to attack Nikiri until Tenji finally launched his attack and began using his Shield and Sword made of Plesioth parts to attack it. The Kut-ku flinched once more and now turned it's attention to Tenji. The giant Wyvern blasted a fireball which Tenji swiftly dodged and kept taking swings at it's legs, hoping to knock it over, but his anticipation failed as the Kut-ku did a spin and Tenji was sent flying back from the wyvern's tail.
"Tenji! Oh no!" Nikiri gasped and saw the Yian Kut-Ku approach Tenji. "If he takes one more hit, he'll be defeated!" Suddenly, Nikiri remembered the item that the master had given her: the Sonic Bomb. Quickly, she opened her bag and took it out. "I hope this works!" She pressed the button and threw it and it exploded, causing an ear-splitting screech, causing Tenji and Nikiri to cover their ears instinctively and the Kut-Ku to recoil in agony.
"You did it! It's down!" Tenji cheered as he quickly guzzled down a Mega Potion. "Keep attacking!" Tenji kept up the attacks while Nikiri also kept up her firing while the Kut-Ku was paralyzed. But the Kut-ku quickly regained it's senses and roared in anger. "Nikiri, it's enraged! Stay on your toes!" The wyvern began firing fireballs all around it, just missing the two, then made a charge for Nikiri, but as she was in the process of recovering from the last dodge, she took the charge hard.
"Aghh!" Nikiri squealed as she was sent flying back from the attack. "Oww!" The Kut-Ku roared victoriously as it was about to make one more attack on Nikiri, until Tenji intervened and attacked with his sword once more, but then the Kut-ku suddenly fell down and appeared to be snoring.
"Thank goodness…" Sighed Tenji as he helped Nikiri up. "Are you okay, miss Nikiri?"
"I-It is nothing…Just knocked back a little…" Nikiri said and drank a few potions.
"The Yian Kut-Ku is asleep. My Plesioth Finsword has a sleeping agent applied to it and makes most monsters fall asleep." Tenji explained. "But we don't have long before it awakes." Immediately, Tenji began to put barrels right next to the Kut-Ku.
"What are you doing?" Questioned Nikiri.
"Bombs do a large amount of damage to monsters, but can be tricky to pull off, with the monster jumping around, so putting it to sleep is a good way to do it." Tenji said and took several steps back. "Miss Nikiri, care to do the honours?" Nikiri thought for a moment and realised.
"Oh!" She drew her bow and aimed it for the large barrels filled with explosives. Thankfully Takuya taught Nikiri how to use bombs as well: anything can make large bombs explode if hit, but can hurt you if you're close, so long range attacks are best. She prepared an arrow and let it fly. The explosion that followed was so fierce, Nikiri could feel the heat blast her in the face. When the blast eventually ceased, the Yian Kut-Ku was in the middle, who gave a large roar as it fell to the ground, defeated.
"We did it!" Tenji laughed happily.
"We did it…?" Nikiri gasped unsure how to make of the news. "W-We did it!" She cheered as she hugged Tenji. "You were amazing, Tenji! Th-The way you used your sword to make the beast sleep was incredible!"
"You were good too! You saved my hide against the Kut-Ku with that Sonic Bomb!" Tenji congratulated. "Well, let's go carve it before heading back." Tenji and Nikiri went to work on carving the Yian Kut-Ku, gaining it's parts like it's wings, scales and even ears. "Well, that was fun! Let's head back and give master the good-" But suddenly the area grew really dark as it was covered by shade.
"Hm? Time must fly when hunting monsters, I never knew it was this late?" Nikiri naively guessed.
"No, it's still early day…Something doesn't feel right…" Tenji spoke, but when he looked up to inspect the sun, he gasped in shock.
"Wh-What is it…?" Nikiri gulped nervously.
"Nikiri…We need to run…" Tenji spoke, fear spelled across his face and body as he shook nervously. Nikiri looked to see what was bothering him so and soon felt the same wave of fear.
High in the sky, coming down towards them was a wyvern that dwarfed the Yian Kut-Ku in terms of length, height and ferocity, also red in colour, but was an even darker red. All across it's scaly body were scars of many wounds, one in particular caught Tenji's attention as it was across the wyvern's eye.
"This was…the wyvern who killed my parents…" Tenji said as he and Nikiri looked at this new foe: the Rathalos.