Author's Note: Well, college is back in session now. Hooray for slower updates! …Sigh… Oh well, not much I can really do about that. I'm just glad I was able to get it done! As with last chapter, keep the reviews coming! With the advice I got from the previous one, I've dialed back the onomatopoeia a bit, though it's still very much present. Thus is the magic of reviewing, faithful readers! So, tell me what you liked and what could be improved, especially with regards to the battle scenes! But enough intro! Let's get started!

"So, this is the quest you have in mind, Lorica?"

"That's correct. A gourmet chef is seeking out special ingredients to make a dish for a high-end client. At the top of this list is something said to bestow vitality and vigor to whoever eats it. Giant grape-shaped fountains of youth, I believe he called them. They're quite difficult to obtain, so he decided to enlist the help of hunters, offering first taste to those who complete the task."

"Hmm. Sounds easy enough. …Almost too easy. What's the catch?"

"Well… this wonder food can only be obtained deep in the heart of Rathalos territory."

Hunt 2: Grapes of Rath

After some time to rest and recuperate, I was all set to go on my first non-solo quest in a long time. My dual blades were as sharp as ever, my pain was pretty much gone and I stopped bleeding out of 12 different places, which was definitely a plus. My body was ready for the hunt ahead. ...Except for one thing.

Clunk!

My chest armor falls off, broken into two distinct halves.

"Uh, that… might be a problem."

"Certainly looks that way." Lorica turns around and gestures me to follow her. "Come on, Fang, it appears some repairs are in order."

Back at the Marina, after I take a moment to change into something a bit more decent in the hut next to my sleeping quarters we head across pier to the local smithy. I mean sure, a half-vest and some shorts may not be much, but it's better than parading around practically naked for the time being. Upon arrival, we're greeted by a cheery, reasonably-buff guy with reddish-brown hair in a similarly-colored leather apron.

"Hey, if isn't Lorica! How're things goin' for ya? Still giving those monsters the ol' stab-n'-blast?"

"As always. Lightning Blaze still performs like a dream! Some of your best handiwork yet, my friend. And how about you? Still caught up in a whirlwind of orders?"

"Yeah, but it's nothing I can't handle! It's been a whole year since I started out working here; I'm totally used to it now!"

Naturally, hearing their familiarity left me a bit confused. "Um, you two know each other?"

"Oh, right, I should probably do some introductions first." She clears her throat. "Fang, meet Marcus, aspiring blacksmith and childhood friend ever since we grew up in Loc Lac. He may not have been here the longest, but he's a veritable prodigy at crafting weapons! And, Marcus, this is Fang, a Dual Blades user I saved from the jaws of a Deviljho at the Sandy Plains just earlier today. He may not look it, but Fang here is a fellow G-Rank Hunter. I'm pretty sure he's stronger than he looks." …Not quite the way I was hoping to be introduced, but I guess it works. "Anyway, I know you must be drowning in requests right now, but do you think you could fix his armor? It got broken up pretty bad from the fight."

I lay out my equipment on the counter, which Marcus promptly inspects. A short moment later, he flashes a prideful smile. "Of course I can! No problem at all! As I always say, I can do anything as long as I put my hammer to it!"

"Glad to hear it!"

"OK then! Back in a Flash Bomb!"

And the sprightly blacksmith retreats back into the orange-tinged workshop with a sprint.

While waiting for repairs to get done, I thought I'd take the opportunity to continue the conversation.

"So, what else is on this chef's list besides these special grapes? Is it just a matter of gathering up herbs and stuff?"

"Not quite, Fang. Also on the list are prime cuts of Rathalos Meat, so we're taking this thing down. And not only that, but it's the middle of Rath breeding season and the nearby Yukumo Village isn't interested being attacked by extra-aggressive wyverns."

"Can't blame them there; I wouldn't want my home getting destroyed either. …But first off, I have to ask, where is Yukumo anyway? I've never heard of it."

"It's situated in a mountain range near the Misty Peaks, about 2 hours via airship. I've never been to the actual village, but I hear they have great hot springs." She looks at me intently with those green eyes of hers. "But speaking of asking things, I've got a question for you. Where are you from? Judging from your style of clothing, I'm guessing you hail from a warmer climate?"

"Uh, y-yeah actually, you're right." …Just a couple hours with this girl, and I've never felt more exposed in my entire life. "Moga Village, born and raised."

"That small floating seaside village just a short boat trip away from here?"

"Yep, that's the one. It may not be the largest or most lavish place to live in, but I like it. So long as giant horned whales aren't causing earthquakes, it's pretty peaceful."

She shoots back a confused look. "Giant horned whales?"

"It's a long story."

A brief silence passes, leaving only the distant sounds of pounding hammers, steaming metal, and a domesticated Aptonoth relieving itself in its stable to fill the conversational gap. …Awkward.

"Anyway, Fang, like I said before, we're up against a Rathalos here. Are you prepared? And I mean, completely prepared?"

"You bet."

Remember the last time I wasn't?

GRRRRRRAAAAAAWWWR!

Yeah. Wouldn't want that happening again. A winged monstrosity with poisonous claws, fire-breathing ability, and a thick hide of red scales… It may not be a ravenous Deviljho, but it's definitely not something to be underestimated.

"I already stocked up a while back, Lorica. Potions, Mega Potions, a whole cache of Dung Bombs, you name it, I've got it with me."

"Excellent. Looks like we don't have to worry about you becoming a crunchy pile of jaegar schnitzel this time arou—"

A voice yells from behind the counter, accompanied by a series of loud footsteps. "Outta my way! Coming through!" Hardly breaking a sweat, the fired-up forger reappears on the scene. "One set of Bone Armor patched up and ready to go, Fang!"

"M-Marcus! Y-you're back! …That was impossibly fast."

"Eh, not really. It's not like I had to make it from scratch. As long as you got some good Armor Spheres on hand, repairs are breeze! Heat 'em up, and they'll bond to just about anything, even bone! It's really just a matter of making sure it's all pieced together right. So take it! Everything's as good as new! Actually, scratch that! I think you'll find it even better than new!"

Naturally, I was a bit skeptical about his claims, but upon closer inspection, I saw my equipment was in pristine fighting condition, free of even the slightest crack. I tap the breastplate a couple times with my finger, and it actually seemed much harder than before. I had no idea how that even worked, but I was grateful nonetheless. I pay the fee, bid him farewell, and change back into my armor, meeting up with Lorica at the airship dock a few minutes later. Spotting me in the distance, she signals the vessel's cat captain, who then shouts out, "All aboard the nyan-stop flight to Misty Peaks!" With me onboard, we then begin our ascent into the clouds.

…

A two-hour ride later, we both disembark at a scenic clearing without incident. Yep, no crashing face first into the ground this time; no one in their right mind is going to mess with someone carrying a 10-foot exploding spear shaped like a lightning bolt. Working together certainly has its perks.

"And here we are! What do you think, Fang?"

A few yards or so ahead, a crystal clear waterfall flows down, forming a wide ankle-deep stream in the green landscape underfoot. All around me, a lush and verdant forest thrives, filled with several different types of trees and bushes. And along the banks, various Neopteran (read insect-like) creatures crawl about business, grazing on mushrooms. So, in short,

"Amazing… I take it you've been here before, Lorica?"

"That I have. Quite a few times actually. I don't have a Map on me, but I do know the area pretty well."

"So, what's first? You wanna search for these rare grapes or should we go-"

Before I could finish my sentence, a faint, but distinct roar rings out.

"Hunting for the Rathalos? Yeah." She points to the wall of crashing water behind her. "There's a cave behind the falls. Get ready."

After stepping through the entrance and shaking off some of the excess water, I find myself in a spacious and surprisingly well-lit cavern. In addition an unknown yellow light source coming from the western side, a rather large ceiling cavity does a good job of illuminating the place. And it's under that leaking sunlight that we can spot a large, spiked dragon, complete with wings, tail, and countless… blue scales. …Of course. It could only mean one thing.

"A subspecies… Well, that changes things a bit."

Monster variants with different appearances and battle tactics. Just what we needed… In this case, the blue Rathalos, or Azure Rathalos as it's officially called, isn't drastically different from its crimson-colored counterpart. Same toxins, same fireballs, same ferocious attitude. But just like virtually every monster subspecies, it does have one major thing going for it: it's just plain nastier in a fight.

"You certainly know your stuff, Fang. …But yes, we definitely need to stay on our toes."

As I unsheathe my Dual Blades, Lorica gestures me again. "On my mark. One…Two… Three!"

In unison, we charge ahead quickly, but carefully, as to not slip on the damp cavern floor. Hearing our echoing footsteps, the dragon turns to face us and lets out a deafening

RAAAAAAAAWWR!

The wrathful Rath charges in turn, jaws glowing with intense heat. With another roar, a fireball as big as me flies at frightening speeds toward the violet-haired hunter but…

"Not today!" …Disperses harmlessly against Lorica's large indigo shield. Now that's what I'd call quality craftsmanship. "Fang! I'll keep it occupied in the front! You take the other end!"

"Got it!"

Seeing as it's the only part I can reach (curse you, short stature), I once again go straight for the monster's legs.

"Demon Mode!"

With a surge of energy, I slash again and again in an effort to literally trip it up. It cries out in pain and staggers back slightly, but soon turns my way with its piercing gaze. With fangs set ablaze, it rears back its head and lunges for a bite. I sidestep to the left, giving Lorica the opportunity to dish out a hearty Gunlance uppercut straight to its chin.

"I've got you now!" She then fires off a series of three shots, each one knocking its head upward further than the last. "Go!"

Seizing the opportunity, I dash as fast as I can and go for a lunging upward stab to its chest.

"Hrrr-RAAH!"

But they don't connect. Just before contact, I get hit with a strong wind, knocking me flat on my bone-covered butt. Looking upward, I see the Rathalos flying high out of my reach. The beast redirects its attention to the golden armored girl several yards away, its mouth filling with flames. A fireball shoots out and hits the ground to behind her, quickly followed by another landing to her left. However, none of this throws her off her game as she continues her course ahead. But just a few yards away from the dragon, a third ball of fire hits its mark. For an agonizing few seconds, I didn't know what happened to her. But when the smoke cleared, I got my answer.

"That's not going to work on me!" She blocks it handily and then immediately fires off two shots. However, the target is no longer within her sights.

"Huh? Where'd it go?"

In a blur of motion, I manage to spot the dragon circle around behind her, its talons bared.

"Behind you!"

But unfortunately, my warning was too little, too late. Despite her attempts to dodge, the Rath's claws gash through her left shoulder plate, leaving a rather painful-looking wound on her shield arm.

"Lorica, you OK?!"

"…I'll be fine. It didn't cut that deep. It's the poison we need to worry about." I start fumbling around in my pouch for an Antidote, but she beats me to the punch with her own supply. "Thankfully though, that shouldn't be a problem." In one big gulp, she downs the vial of light-blue liquid and rises back to her feet as if nothing happened. "Let's get back to business, shall we?"

She slams the butt of her weapon on the ground, allowing her to reload and try to blast the beast down from grace. But as the azure King of the Skies continues to circle menacingly over our heads, the girl just stands there, tracking its movements from behind her shield. I was beginning to wonder if should be bracing myself in the very near future.

"Uh, not to be a backseat hunter or anything, but what are you doing? I don't really like the way that dragon's glaring at me…"

"I'm waiting for it get closer. Gunlances aren't exactly known for their range." The Rath then stops and turns, fixated on my purple-haired companion. "Here it COMES!"

I dive off to the side away from the azure behemoth headed straight at us without hesitation. Then I hear two shots fire. Followed by a loud THUD!

Looking back up after my… less-than-graceful evasion effort, I see the 'Los grounded, struggling to get back up.

"Now's our chance, Fang! Attack!"

"Got it!"

With its back exposed, I waste no time jumping on and whaling away at the Rathalos' wings, as Lorica slams down her weapon like a guillotine and lets loose at the dragon's face.

"Burst Fire!"

"Whirling Cleaver!"

A large blast and seven alternating slashes later, the beast roars out in pain and returns to its feet. And though damaged and bleeding from the roots, the Rath's wings flap faster and faster, lifting their owner off the ground and out through the ceiling. …With me on top.

"Wh-wh-whoa!"

I try pulling out my blades, but they're both firmly lodged in its bevy of blue back scales.

"Faaang!"

As I hang on for dear life, I grip tightly to my weapons as the Rath tries to literally get me off its back atop the scenic waterfall from before. …The view would be breathtaking if I weren't in mortal danger. It swerves every which way: up, down, side to side; heck, it even does a couple of loop-de-loops! …There was only one thing I could do.

Bleeeugh!

…Well, besides that, at least.

"You… are… going… DOWN!"

With all the strength my motion-sick self could muster, I plunge my swords deeper in its hide, sending a surge of black lightning coursing through its body. Its wings flail about wildly as it begins falling…

RAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!

And cue the crash landing. The impact sends me flying through the air, blades in hand, hurtling in an arc towards the ground at a speed that I just know would hurt.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"I got you!"

Whump!

Skidding back in the shallow stream, the golden-armored hunter catches me handily without losing her balance.

"L-Lorica!"

"Quite the stunt you just pulled there. Must say I'm impressed."

"It's not like I did it on purpose, but thanks."

"…And that you're actually lighter than I thought you'd be."

"Y-yeah, well, being parted from your lunch tends to that people…"

I was half-expecting a twinge of disgust, but she just lowers me onto the river's bank and nonchalantly grabs her Gunlance. "Then I hope that means you're hungry for more, because it certainly is!"

And the dragon lets out another deafening roar and charges ahead. One step… two steps… three steps… and then—

CRASH!

It trips over itself, slipping headfirst at our feet. This was it: time for the endgame.

"Hii-yaah!" With a swift downward thrust of her spear, my green-eyed comrade pins the Rathalos' head to the ground below. "Now go!"

"Not a problem! …Demon Mode!"

And that's when things got blurry. A rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins, I just go wild on the monster at hand, not holding back in the least the maelstrom of slashes I unleash all over its body.

"Demonic Echo!"

Several upward slices to the torso.

"Demonic Tornado!"

A series of spinning slashes to the legs.

"Demonic Bladestorm!"

And a flurry of alternating strikes to the wings for good measure.

Before the beast even knows what hit it, Lorica's Lightning Blaze then begins glowing red-hot at the tip. "And now for the coup de grace! Wyvern Fire!"

KABOOOOOOM!

And a legion of scaly blue fragments fly off in the explosion. Without so much as a twitch, the once-menacing Rathalos lays motionless at our feet, tongue hanging limply out of its mouth. …We did it.

"Nice work there, Fang! I can certainly see you've earned your rank."

I'd say something along the lines of 'Was there any doubt?', but the answer to that one was obvious. So instead, I just opt for a simple, albeit somewhat sheepish "Th-thanks. You too."

She flashes back a bright smile… And pulls out a short, waist-mounted knife.

"But now comes the dirty part. You got your hunting knife ready?"

"Yep. Let's do this."

With knives in hand, Lorica and I soon start slicing out the select portions of meat as per the request: Rath sirloin, Rath tenderloin, and a nice healthy portion of good ol' Rath tail meat. It was kinda like carving up the gigantic Thanksgiving turkey. Or butchering a scaly cow. …Gutting a giant fish? …Well, whatever it was, it meant I was definitely gonna take a nice long bath once I got back; the whole messy process soaked me in various monstrous body fluids that I'd rather not go into detail about. …But hey! That's one part down! Only one more to go.

"So Lorica, now that Yukumo is safe from being burnt to crisp, you got any leads on those elusive ingredients this chef guy wants?"

"Unfortunately, no. Even in my past hunts, I didn't see any signs of grapes around here, giant or otherwise."

"Does the Quest Info have any more details?"

"I don't think so, but I suppose I could check." She pulls out a small piece of paper and browses it briefly, then flips it over. On the back, there's a couple small lines of handwriting. "Hmm… What have we here… 'P.S. Oh yes, I almost neglected to mention, the grapes I am requesting aren't actually grapes. They don't grow on vines. In fact, they aren't even fruit. The elusive ingredients for which I am searching are in actuality Rathalos—" She abruptly stops reading.

"Huh? Why'd you stop? What's it say?"

"…Look. Just… look."

I lean in closer and read it for myself. "…Oh."

"Care to do the honors, Fang?"

"N-not really, but… OK…"

SLSH! SLSH!

QUEST COMPLETE!

There's really no nice way to put this, so I'll just go right out and say it. Today was the day that I castrated a dragon. Yep, that's right, castrated. Emasculated. Neutered like a domestic pet. Luckily for the 'Los, he wasn't alive to feel the pain of that injury, but still. …As a guy, I can't help but cringe a little at its fate. And given we had to wait for the Guild Airship to pick us up, I probably would've dwelt on that unsettling matter more if it weren't for happened next that afternoon…

"Hmm. You're awfully quiet back there, Fang. Something wrong?"

"O-oh, it's nothing. Just feeling a bit exhausted is all."

She turns my way, and soon dons a bewildered gaze. "Uh, why you walking all cross-legged? …You know, if you need to go, there's plenty of trees around here…"

"No, no, it's not that. I'm just… I dunno, feeling a bit bad for that Rathalos we just—LORICA! LOOK OUT!"

From behind my fellow hunter, a large pink-scaled creature dives down, wings outstretched, at breakneck speeds. With hardly a thought, I push her to the side and lunge ahead with my blades, aimed straight at the monster's chest.

"HRR-RAAAAAAH!"

RAAAAAAAAAAAWR!

A deluge of black lightning courses out of weapons and into the entire body of the would-be predator, causing it to convulse violently as it hits the ground. Using all the strength and willpower I've got left, I push them deeper, surging in even more lightning, knocking it backwards through the air. It then lands again with mighty crash… lifeless.

"Haah… Haah… L-Lorica, you alright?"

"F-Fang?! What was… That was… How did you even do that?!"

"I-I… I-I don't know, exactly…"

Thud!

I crumple to knees, feeling extremely drained. She then runs to my side with a concerned look in her verdant eyes. As my vision blurs, she appears to mouth some words to me that either look like "Are you OK?!" or "You are so screwed." I'm horrible at reading lips but I guessing it's the former. I wanted to respond, but…

Everything went black.

Author's Note: Hey again! It's me. Normally, I try not to put two Author's Notes in one chapter, but I just thought I'd say couple more things before the chapter's end. One, yes, the characters in this story call their attacks, and yes, the attack names are faithful to the game's (which this case, being 3 Ultimate's) names. …Except for Fang's repertoire. Aside from Demon Mode, I took a few creative liberties with those ones. Why? Because frankly, "Demonic Echo" sounds way cooler than "Double Slash". Oh, and two, yes, Hunters do indeed have Thanksgiving. Think less Pilgrims and Native Americans, and more Felynes and coexistence.