Author's Note: With college back, updates have been… slower than I'd want them to. But hey, at least I got it out just in time for MH4U, right? Eh, close enough. Anyway, if any of my All Fired Up fans are reading this, worry not. The newest chapter of that is in the works as we speak! Hopefully, that'll be out in the very near future! To those unacquainted with my other ongoing story, if you're a fan of Pokemon, hilarity, and heated battles, I recommend you check it out! It's just a couple clicks away on my profile! As always, don't forget to drop a review! After all, you, the reader, can help shape the future of this story for the better simply by giving some constructive feedback! …But enough shameless self-promotion! Let's get started.

Opening my eyes, I can see a brilliant starry night sky above my head and feel the subtle vibrations of a soft surface beneath me. The air around me is cool and refreshing and I can hear the sounds of conversation, interspersed with a variety of cat noises. It was peaceful, in a strange sort of way. …Don't tell me this is one of those surreal dream sequences where I start reliving my past or something… How cliché would that b—Oh wait, that's right. Almost forgot I live in a world where talking cats exist.

"Oh, Fang, glad to see you're awake. You feeling alright? You've been out for hours."

…And where a certain violet-haired hunter is concerned for my well-being.

"Still a little tired, but otherwise fine. Thanks for asking."

Hunt 3: Skymerald's the Limit

It's the middle of the night, and I find myself sitting up on a bed onboard the Guild Airship, still in somewhat of a daze after the hunt.

"So, Lorica, what exactly happened? My mind's feeling a bit fuzzy."

"I can certainly see why. Mine would be too if I slew a Pink Rathian in a single strike. After you collapsed, I carried you back to Base Camp, where the Felyne medics took over. Thankfully though, I didn't run into a lot of trouble on the way there. Sure, there was the occasional Jaggi here and there trying to take a bite out of you, but they weren't all that hard to deal with." She lowers her head slightly and breathes a sigh. "Still, I should've known there would be one of those in area, especially during breeding season. They're the mates of choice for an Azure Rathalos. I knew I should've kept my guard up…"

"…W-well, hey, d-don't worry. At least you made it out safe and sound, right?"

She pauses, then gives a small grin. "I should probably be saying that to you. You were the one who fell unconscious back there." She then looks at me straight on with those green eyes of hers. "Which reminds me, I'm still curious about something. Are you sure you don't know how you managed to slay that thing? Those blades of yours definitely are anything but run-of-the-mill."

"I wish I did, but I don't. I've had them for a good long while now, but they never did anything like that before."

"I see… Perhaps we can have Marcus take a look at them tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be able to shed some light on the matter."

The ship then begins to slowly descend.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen, we have ny-arrived at Port Tanzia. Remember to take all your belongings with you and as always, thank mew for flying Guild Airlynes."

Once at the dock, we disembark and head back to the Marina, where a ferry awaits past the Aptonoth stables to take Lorica to her home in Port's residential area.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways for now. I take it you're back off to Moga, Fang?"

"…Actually, I'm feeling so beat right now, I think I'll just camp out on the boat again. It's been a long day."

"The villagers won't wonder where you are?"

"Hey, I may not look it, but I am old enough to live out on my own, you know. …And besides, I haven't really been to the village in while. It's not like they're expecting me or anything."

"I see, I see. Then enjoy your seaside slumber." She takes one step onto the ferry and turns to face me again. "But you know, I've never visited Moga before either. Maybe someday you could show me around the place."

…Gotta say. That girl sure knows how to catch me off-guard. "O-oh! Y-yeah, sure. I'd be glad to. …Someday."

And on that awkward note, she boarded the vessel and bid me adieu.

The next day, I didn't even wake up until the sun was shining directly down on my face. When I said I was beat last night, I wasn't kidding. It was already lunchtime. I almost fell over just trying to get out of bed and I didn't even change out of my armor last night. Oh well, if anything tried to attack me in my sleep, I was totally prepared! …Anyway, off in the distance, I could spot a gleaming golden figure and hear familiar voices amidst the bustle of activity. So as fast as my still-drowsy body could take me, I run over to investigate.

"Jumpin' Jaggi! This is some good stew! Where did you get it, Lorica?!"

"Oh, that? It was just a reward from the quest yesterday. I, uh, had a big breakfast and it seemed a shame to just let it go to waste."

"I'd say! It's delicious! What's in it, anyway?"

"It's... um… a secret recipe."

As I walk closer, I can see that it's none other than the violet-haired hunter and her blacksmith friend. Marcus voraciously shovels down a couple more spoonfuls before taking notice of me.

"Oh! Hey there, Fang! Glad ya could join us!"

…

"Hmm…" With discerning gaze and full stomach, Marcus casts his expert eye over my weapons. "H-hey! Wait a second!" …And promptly almost shouts my ears off. "This silvery luster, this exquisite craftsmanship… You were right on, Lorica, these are no ordinary weapons!"

"Oh, so you've seen this type of blades before."

"Seen, no. Heard of, yes." Immediately, the smith's eyes light up like hot forge. "They're part of a legendary category of weapons known in the smithing community as the Ancient set! They're extremely rare! So far, only about eight of have been discovered fully intact! The remnants of bygone civilization, these weapons are perhaps their greatest known legacy!" He points one of my swords skyward, allowing it to gleam in the sunlight. "According to the ancient texts, these blades are known as the Enduring Sacrifice. The alloy it's made of not only helps retain its edge, but is also remarkably lightweight! And though it also means it doesn't have much in way of raw strength, locked away within them is the power to slay dragons!"

Wow. I knew my blades were pretty reliable, but this was all news to me. "That's… pretty impressive."

"'Pretty impressive?!' More like absolutely incredible! How in the world did you manage to get your hands on those?!"

…Another good question. "Well… they actually belonged to a friend of mine. He doesn't use them anymore, so I've been using them ever since. Not sure where he got them, though. …But still, felling a monster like the Rathian in a one blow? How come that kind of dragon-slaying power never showed itself before?"

"Truth is, I'm not really sure. Roasting some small fry like the Great Jaggi, I could see happenin', but a Rathian… Perhaps you lucked out and hit a vital area?"

"I don't think that was the case," Lorica interjects. "From what I saw, it wasn't some 'stab-and-drop-dead' type of situation. The beast was convulsing uncontrollably and black sparks were flying everywhere. If that was just some sort of fluke, then my hair isn't purple."

"Hmm, I see…" The blacksmith's brow furrows tighter. "If that's the case, then there may be one other explanation. The Guild's scholars found a whole bunch of scrolls related to these weapons' origins, wielders, stuff like that. In one of those texts, it is said that their true power is unleashed when—"

SAY WHAAAAAAT?!

A high-pitched scream pierces the atmosphere from the direction of the tavern.

"Hey, d'you guys hear that?"

"Yeah. Wonder what's going on."

And with those words, Lorica and I race ahead across the bridge to find a girl around my height with a pink ponytail and an indigo-and-red suit of armor. And strangely enough, the helmet she wore had what looked to be… a pair of bunny ears. Right at the gate leading to the airship dock, she's yelling vehemently at a trio of other hunters, wielding some very impressive-looking Bowguns, not unlike her own (which, despite what the name might imply, is actually more akin to a rifle than a crossbow).

"What do you mean you won't let me join you, huh?!"

The middle man with an eye-obscuring navy blue hairdo speaks up for the group. "Sorry, but we can't accept just anybody. After all... To sleep, perchance to dream… To monsters, we say 'Nay!' and blast them into oblivion! Masters in the art of sleepbombing tactics, we are…" His two helmeted sidekicks then join in unison. "THE SOMNUS SQUAD!" A brief silence passes, along with no shortage of blank stares, before the squad's spokesman continues. "But yes, we are very selective in who we recruit. An elite group such as ours simply cannot take in every person who asks us.

The rejected hunter gets even more riled up. "So what, you sayin' I'm not good enough?! I'm not strong enough for your little boy band or something?!"

"Oh no, it's not that. We just don't believe you have the firepower we require. Nothing personal."

"…What? I don't have the FIREPOWER?! REALLY?!" And that's when the girl snaps like a raging Diablos. Grabbing her own firearm, her eyes burn with anger as she opens fire like a maniac. "LET'S SEE HOW LACKING YOU THINK IT IS NOW!"

B-B-B-BAM! B-BAM!

The erratic barrage of bullets quickly drives away the Somnus Squad and most everyone else in the tavern in a frenzied panic, like a… like a… Hmm. What's a monster that can send things into a frenzy? Uh… UH… Eh, never mind, it'll come to me later. Anyway, in the midst of all that chaos of people and flying projectiles, there was only one logical thing to do.

"Hey, stop that! I dunno who you are, but if you keep shooting like that, you might hurt somebo—"

WHACK!

…And approaching the trigger-happy hunter was not it. She hits me in the side of my helm with her gun butt and the next thing I know, I'm lying flat on my back.

"HUH?! YOU GOT PROBLEM WITH THAT, YOU SNOT-NOSED BRACHYDIOS?!"

"Uh, yeah! I do very much have a problem with that!" …Is what I would've said. But with her armored knee pressing down on my stomach, it came out more like "U-u-unngh…"

Cue the pin attack Escape Gauge.

With her going on a profanity-laden tirade, I tried struggling free, but it was of no use. Until…

"OK, that's enough there, Little Miss Firecracker." My violet-haired comrade picks her up by the underarms and intervenes. The pink ponytailed pugilist attempts to fire off even more shots, but is handily stymied by the hold. All she can do is flail around like a freshly-fished Plesioth.

"Let me go, you stupid—URRFF!"

Complying with the girl's demands, Lorica does indeed let her go onto the stone floor before helping me get back up. "Like Fang was saying, stop that. Someone could get seriously hurt."

…Whoa. I've seen her blast giant monsters before, but… That. Was awesome.

The fiery-tempered female takes a deep breath and slowly rises to her feet. "All right, all right, I'll stop. Don't get your golden armor in a twist there, girly. For the record, I was only firing Paint shots. If I really wanted to mess 'em up, I would've done it already." Well, that's a relief. …Sort of. "Anyway, sorry 'bout that. I just get really riled up sometimes." She offers me a handshake to try to make peace. "The name's Ira. Ira Fervens. Nice to meet you."

Not wanting to incur her wrath again, I tentatively accept. "Uh, y-yeah… P-pleasure to meet you too. I'm Fang. …Just… Fang."

"So," Lorica interjects, "that was quite the spectacle you put on there, Ira. You wanted get in that badly, huh?"

"Well, obviously! When you've made a big name for yourself like they have, you get to go on all the best hunts! Face off against the biggest and baddest monsters! Get half off on all meals at the tavern! …Which is why I need your help getting what I need to take my weapon to the max!"

…That was… abrupt. "Hey, uh, no offense, but… why would we help you?"

All of a sudden, Ira grabs my hand again with a death grip and a smile-turned-sneer. "Because. I asked you nicely. Got a problem with that, Fang-face?"

"Hey now, play nice."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Goldie." And she lets go.

"But yes," Lorica continues, "Fang has a point. Not only did you smack him upside the head, but after that big fireworks display, do you really think they'd still take you in?"

"Like I said, I'm sorry, OK? Won't do it again, promise. And the Somnus Squad? Please. I'm so over those elitist Poogies. Once I upgrade me Bowgun, I'm totally gonna show 'em whose boss! Then we'll see who gets half off all their meals! AAAAAHAHAHA!" …OK. She cackles like a maniac too. That's good to know.

"Well, you're certainly enthusiastic, I'll give you that. …I suppose we can at least hear you out. What exactly are you are looking for?"

"Actually, I've got pretty much all the things I need already… Except for one. The elusive shining black jewel known as the Skymerald, found only in the fiercest of the Fanged Wyverns: the Stygian Zinogre!"

…Now that's some high-level game. Zinogres are pretty tough as is, but from the looks of it, Ira here wants to take down a souped-up version. I didn't even know the thing had a subspecies to begin with! This is definitely not gonna be a walk in the Quru-park. (And that's not even mentioning the myth of the Desire Sensor, an invisible and mischievous entity whose one purpose in living is manipulating fate to deny hunters the treasures they seek. Superstition, I know, but still.) I look over to my left, curious as to how Lorica would react. …And a subtle smirk wasn't quite what I was expecting.

"What a coincidence. I was planning on hunting one myself. I was saving that quest for later, but I suppose now's as good a time as any. Might as well get all the help we can get." She turns my way. "If that's fine with you, of course, Fang."

"…As long as she doesn't pin me down like a Deviljho again, you can count me in."

So after promptly packing our pouches and a quick pre-hunt meal, three of us board the airship bound for the sweltering hunting grounds of the Volcano.

…

An hour-and-a-half later, the vessel drops us off at the apex: the mouth of Ignis Mons, as it's formally known. With the price of Felvine down again, the Melynx crew would've been perfectly content dropping us off at base camp for once… if it weren't for a certain pink-haired hunter's insistence to, and I quote, "get us off this Duramboros piece of junk before I start bashing some heads in." I'd say why Ira got all mad again, but frankly, I don't know either. All I heard was a plethora of bad cat puns. …Regardless, as our pilots flew back to the port, tails literally between their legs, we disembark onto the scorching ground below. And immediately upon doing so…

"Whew, I feel like a Well-Done Steak up here…" Lorica expresses her disdain for the heat. Can't say I blame her, though; molten lava tends to do that people. Luckily though, I came prepared.

"Here. Two homemade Cool Drinks, mixed by yours truly."

My green-eyed companion says her thanks and promptly partakes of her share with a smile. Ira, on the other hand… not so much.

"Gimme that!" She snatches her bottle out of my hands and chugs it down with surprisingly loud—

BURRRRRP!

…How charming. After using her gauntlet as a napkin, the bellicose belcher then looks back at me, slightly less edgily than before. "Hmm. Not bad. …So, Bone Head, ya made one for yourself or what?" Keyword: 'slightly.'

"I'm good actually. Upshot of wearing light armor like mine is that it's good for dealing with heat. …And to be perfectly honest, I can't drink the stuff. No matter what I add, nothing can quite get that buggy taste out. Blech… But that's beside the point. If everyone's all set, then let's get this done, shall we?"

"Way ahead of you." Within the span of my short little monologue, the poster-girl for pugilism managed to sneak off to a sheer cliff over to our right. "Last one down's a rotten Wyvern Egg." …And she leaps off. We run as fast as possible to the jumping point, where a voice speaks from beyond a thick cloud of smoke.

"Hey! C'mon guys! What're ya waitin' for?! We've got a big bad wolf to hunt!"

…Well, here goes nothing, I guess.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAA—OOF!"

Yeah… that landing could've gone better. …Oh well, at least Lorica ought to have better luck with tha—AAAAAAACK!

WHUMP!

"Oh! Fang! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! Are you OK?!"

"D-don't worry about me… I-I'll be fine… Owww…."

Some Mega Potion and aggressive chiropractics later, the three of us are once more on the move, searching the volcanic fields for our Stygian target. Just another day in the life of a hunter. So with Ira walking on ahead, I thought it was the perfect time to strike up some more conversation.

"So, Lorica, you said you'd already planned on hunting Stygian Zinogre, right?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Any particular reason why?"

"Well, the first time I faced a Zinogre, I had a difficult time taking it down. They hit hard, can stun you with electricity and, despite their size, they're very light on their feet, er, paws technically. My old teammates and I hit a complete wall until we finally got act together. But that was a long time ago. So, with a new team and a subspecies on the prowl, I thought I'd take the chance and see how much I've improved since then."

"Oh, so you want to test your skills, basically."

"Pretty much."

"…Huh. Never would've guessed that. Having seen in you action, I'd say you're plenty skilled already."

"Aw, thank you, Fang. I'm flattered! …But still, hunts like these are good practice. We can't end up becoming complacent in this line of work, now can we? Get even a little rusty, and that's a one-way ticket to becoming monster chum." Can't argue with that. "In any event, since were on the subject of reasons, what about you? What are you fighting for? Everlasting peace?"

"Something like that, yeah. Back at Moga, I helped around the village a lot, gathering resources and defending against monsters in the area. You know, Jaggis, Ludroths, the occasional electric sea serpent, that sort of thing."

"I see. And you're not anymore?"

"Well, since the giant, quake-causing, horned whale got taken care of, things have gotten pretty quiet actually. …Not that I don't like a little peace and quiet, but hunting is my life and they're all doing just fine."

"Ah. A Hunter through and through. …Yep, I was definitely right about you."

"Right about what?"

"You really are stronger than you look."

"Heh heh! Heh heh. Heh…" …Pretty sure that was a compliment!

However, not everyone is all smiles, as Ira stops in her tracks, arm outstretched. "Hey, you two, hate to interrupt your little love fest, but it looks like we've got company." She points to a cave in the distance, upon which emerges a glowing mass of crimson energy. With weapons at the ready, we cautiously step forward across the lava-lit landscape where we soon see the beast in its full, hellish glory. It continues its advance on four crimson-taloned paws, two menacing gray horns held high, and claw-shaped tail poised to strike. Lining its body is a coat of monochrome fur, arcing with the all-too-familiar sable sparks of draconic lightning. So, what's black, white, and red all over? A Stygian Zinogre.

As we continue our approach, our team's resident Bowgunner starts giggling with a devious smile. "Hee hee hee… HAHAHAHAH! Now we get to the fun part!"

"All right, Fang, are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be, Lorica."

With a unanimous shout, we all arrive at the same 4-word conclusion. "Then let's do this!"

The beast responds with a deafening howl.

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!