Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter. However, I do own my original characters.
Chapter two: Reena
The next morning, the three hunters went to the trade station to await their subject's arrival.
"I wonder what she's like," Ezakiel mused.
"She's prolly damn spoiled, being wealthy and all," Dalmin said.
"But she IS aspiring to become a hunter."
"And requests three renowned experts to aid her. All she gotta do is whup a Kut-Ku, what's the problem with that?" Dalmin seemed confused.
"Maybe she wants to make a good impact by slaying something bigger, like a Rathalos or a Shogun Ceanataur," Zeshen interjected.
"In that case," Ezakiel said, "she's only gonna be overestimated. People would get suspicious when she slays a Rathalos 'all by herself' but doesn't manage to vanquish something like a Gypceros."
"Those are pretty nasty," Dalmin said amused.
"Only until you break their head crest. After that, you just hack away."
"I like it when they play dead. As if we would leave them alone!" Dalmin gave a confident chuckle and flexed his muscles.
"If I recall correctly," Zeshen said, now smiling, "you fell for it the first time and got kicked in the mud."
"Aw, but that was ONE time!" he replied in mock defiance.
"One time too much. Had that been a Gravios, you would have been creamed."
"At least I can be certain that you would weep at my corpse," he said with a big grin, placing an arm around her shoulders and hugging her playfully.
"Get off me, you Conga!" she shouted, now obviously angry.
Ezakiel cleared his voice in an audible way, like a father does when his children are bickering.
"Kids, if you don't stop fighting this instant, you will be grounded for a whole week!" he shouted in mock anger, his eyes glistening with amusement.
The two quickly separated, still smiling.
"Sure thing, pop," Dalmin said mockingly.
Ezakiel smiled to himself as he turned around to take in the view.
The village of Pokke was built on a large hill covered with snow. It overlooked a vast landscape.
To the south he could see the desert, an inhospitable sea of sand and rocks, with just a few oases' dotting its surface. Those who didn't know their way around there had almost no chance to survive.
To the east there was a wide swamp, a dangerous place, home to various deadly monsters. At night, for some reason, venomous gases broke free from underground, poisoning the very soil.
To the west was a large forest, brimming with life and monsters alike. It was easy to get lost in its depths, for the trees stood tall and close together. The adjacent area was mostly hills, a nice, open place to hunt. Vast meadows, no dangers from the territory itself, hardly a chance to be surprised.
To the north, towering high above the land, stood the Nameless Mountain. It's white heights were a challenge for hunters, due to the cold and harsh winds and the constant threat of blizzards or even avalanches.
And beyond that lay the volcanic belt. Ezakiel frowned at the thought of this most dangerous of places. Spacious caverns with molten lava flowing freely, the heat was more than any human could bear for more than a few hours. Luckily, the Guild's alchemists invented a wondrous potion that totally blinded out the heat for about a day.
The greatest threats of this region, however, were the monsters. Ezakiel has never heard of a place that infested with them. They were unusually strong and ferocious, even for their kind, as if the volcano was their stronghold.
He was just looking towards the mountain again when he saw movement on the road.
"Guys, I think they're coming," he called.
His friends snapped out of their bickering and stepped to their leader's side.
"She's s'posed to be along, right?" Dalmin asked.
"Yes, she is. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Zeshen said in a resigned tone.
"Who, me? Never!" he retorted, boastful as ever.
"I wonder how we will recognize her," Ezakiel muttered, more to himself than to his friends.
"C'mon, she's like royalty. Princess Reena's prolly dressed all flashy, like," Dalmin said.
The trade caravan from Kokoto was very close now. The first cart already passed the gates.
She'll be here any minute. Ezakiel thought.
Suddenly, a blue figure jumped off one of the carriages and, after scanning the area, started straight towards the three hunters.
Dalmin grinned as he lowered his head towards Ezakiel's ear.
"Told ya she's flashy!" he whispered smugly.
She was a little taller than Zeshen and looked a few years younger than them, maybe in her early twenties. She had a pretty, round face framed with tufts of short, red hair. Green eyes that seemed to sparkle with life, drinking in the world around her. Her nose was small and pointy and her full lips were curved upwards in a confident smirk. Her lithe figure, not quite as curvy as Zeshen's, was clad in a mostly blue uniform with golden trim. She even wore a matching hat with a wide brim, complete with a long, white feather sticking in the hatband. The uniform consisted mostly of light, fine cotton that allowed her to fight nimbly, but hardly protected her body at all. On the belt that held together her knee-long wrap-around skirt she wore a decent, expensive looking sabre which, due to its size and weight, seemed inappropriate for fighting monsters, so it was likely just for show. A long, slender bow was slung over her shoulder, the quiver strapped to her back. A few more arrows were held in place on the inside of her calves by two short bandoleers.
She approached the group with a confident, almost challenging stride, swaying her hips with every step.
"Are you the ones I'm supposed to meet?" she asked.
"If you are Lady Reena," he replied.
"Please, just Reena's enough." She lifted her hat for a second. "I'm not that fond of my title. Only makes my name longer."
Ezakiel nodded. "I'm Ezakiel. Nice to meet you."
Dalmin rested his hands at his side, flashing a grin. "The name's Dalmin."
Zeshen allowed herself a tiny smile. "My name is Zeshen."
"Great!" Reena exclaimed with a big smile. "Now that we introduced ourselves..." she started, and smiled bashfully, scratching the back of her head. "What're we gonna do next?"
The three hunters looked at each other, none of them saying a word. Reena giggled in embarrassment.
Ezakiel thought for a second.
"First," he said, lifting a finger, "let's go and have breakfast."
Dalmin made a satisfied 'Humph!'
"Second," he lifted another finger, "while we're eating, we're gonna talk about your abilities, how to use you in battle and the like. Third," he continued, lifting yet another finger, "we will decide on what to hunt. Fourth," he lited his last finger, "we," he said, pointing to Dalmin, Zeshen and himself, "will go and accept a scouting quest in the area where your monster of choice lives, go ahead and wait outside of the village. Last, you take your quest and meet us outside," he finished, slapping his fist in his open hand.
"Got it!" Reena said.
"Then what're we waitin' for?" Dalmin exclaimed. "I'm starving here!"
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They decided to have breakfast at Dalmins home. Mostly because it was nearest, but also because he said that he already had something prepared and only needed to add a few things. He wasn't only a great eater, but also a gifted chef, and the one who was always in charge of food when they were out hunting.
"How unusually sharp of you to anticipate Ezakiel's decision," Zeshen said with almost honest respect.
"Yeah, there's more to me than meets the eye," he said, grinning from ear to ear, winking at her.
"Actually," Ezakiel whispered to Reena, "when I came to get him today, he was making that for himself. I just dragged him along before he could eat it."
Reena giggled.
"What're you guys whisperin' about?" asked a curious Dalmin.
"Nothing," Ezakiel said, scratching his head, "right, Reena?"
"Right," she said with a snicker, "nothing at all."
Dalmin pointed a finger at them, opening and closing his mouth as if searching for a good reply.
"Be careful," he finally warned. "I'll prepare all your meals for the next week."
"I always am," Ezakiel replied cockily.
Reena gave Dalmin a confident smirk.
"And I'm sure they'll be great."
Dalmin grinned, and then turned around to disappear into the kitchen.
A few minutes later he came back with a huge tablet about half his size with four plates loaded on it. They contained a substantive meal. He put the first plate in front of his own seat, as always, and then gave the rest to the others.
Someway into the meal, after a few minutes of hungry silence, Ezakiel cleared his throat.
"Okay, attention everyone!" he said, getting it immediately.
"Let's discuss the oncoming hunt. First of all, Reena, tell us a bit about your abilities and equipment."
She nodded, straightening in her chair.
"As you can see, I'm mainly using a longbow, the "Dragon Bow Earth", and a steel sabre for close combat situations. I'm specialized on fighting from a distance, avoiding close combat as much as possible. I'm a decent archer, the best one on the shooting range," she said proudly.
"Shooting range, huh?" Ezakiel said, scratching his chin. "As valuable as the weapon training may be, actual hunting is something completely different. The greatest fencing skills are useless against a charging Tigrex, and you don't need that much accuracy to hit most monsters."
He paused, thinking for a moment.
"How many hunts have you been on so far? What's the most dangerous monster you hunted?" he asked suddenly.
Her pride deflated visibly.
"Only on very few. My biggest kill was a Velocidrome," she said quietly.
The three friends raised their eyebrows at that.
"Well," Dalmin said. "That ain't much, but hey, we all gotta start somewhere."
Reena could only nod.
Zeshen looked surprised.
"Isn't the "Dragon Bow Earth" made out of Lao Shan Lung?"
The others gave her an astounded look before turning their attention back to Reena, who looked even less enthusiastic.
"Well, yeah, but before you ask: I've never even seen one. Daddy bought me that bow." She seemed awkward now. "In fact, he bought me my entire equipment," she continued, lowering her eyes.
"I know what you must think of me right now: That I'm just a spoiled little girl, equipped with gear she lifted no finger for, needing the help of three great hunters just to go through her initiation," she continued sadly.
She then lifted her gaze again, a determined look on her face.
"I know that I'm not as experienced as I look, and I'm certainly not as experienced as you are, but I want to do my best at this. Don't get this the wrong way, I appreciate your help, but I want to do as much of this quest on my own as possible."
Ezakiel looked a little confused.
"That's the right spirit. But if you are so determined, why were you hiring us in the first place? The initiation isn't all that hard, at least not harder than the usual work you'll earn your bread with. In fact, it's easy in comparison."
"It was daddy's idea, actually," she said, sighing. "He's just too worried about me. Ever since I told him that I wanted to become a hunter, he tried to convince me not to. I know he does this because he loves me, but still..." She had a longing expression on her face. "I want to spread my own wings. I want to become everything he is. I want to be a legend, just like him."
Ezakiel remembered what they said about Head Administrator Temura.
"He repelled the legendary Fatalis at the ruins of Shrade, correct?"
She nodded.
The kingdom of Shrade has once been a great, thriving realm. That came to an end, however, as one day a fierce dragon appeared: Fatalis, the dragon of darkness. Its power was incredible, seemingly infinite, and it laid waste to the capitol of Shrade in a single night. The rest of the kingdom soon followed. The dragon, referred to by survivors as nothing short of a demon, disappeared soon after its work was done.
About twenty years ago, however, it returned, setting up its hoard in the still abandoned ruins of Castle Shrade, from whence it attacked the world once more.
It was when all hope seemed lost that a man appeared, clad head to toe in silver, who faced and fought that dragon, wounded it terribly and in the end forced it to retreat into the moonless night sky.
This man's name was Temura, Administrator of the Hunters Guild in Kokoto. He was the champion of the Guild, and after he repelled Fatalis, promoted to Head Administrator.
Ezakiel snapped out of his thoughts as Reena continued.
"I believe he's afraid of loosing me. He did loose his father on the hunt, so I can understand that he doesn't want me to take the same risk, but it is my wish."
Dalmin looked suprised. "Wait, did you say his father died? How?"
Zeshen shot him an angry glare, annoyed by his lack of tact. "Dalmin!"
"No, it's all right," Reena quickly interjected. "I barely knew him, and it has been fifteen years by now." She was quiet for a moment before continuing. "My grandfather, Mordecai, was a champion of the Guild as well. He was the one who trained my daddy to be as strong as he is now. One day he was requested to slay a monstrous beast in the deepest depths of the volcanic belt, a gigantic wyvern known as Akantor. This monster was far more powerful than the regular wyverns, swatting renowned hunters like flies. All hopes rested on his shoulders, but even though the Akantor was never to be seen or heard of again, my grandfather never returned. No one knows what became of him, but I believe that he slew the beast before succumbing to his wounds."
"Must have been tough for your father," Dalmin said.
"Indeed it was. He was mourning for several weeks, and after that, focused more on his administrative duties rather than hunting."
"So, to sum this up," Ezakiel said, "we were hired because your father is overprotective?"
She nodded.
"You could put it that way. You see, I'm no complete rookie. I can fend for myself; it's just that I never actually had a chance to prove it."
"Well now you'll have it," he said with a reassuring smile. "Let's get back to business."
The others nodded.
"What would you want your monster to be like? You know, big, small, fast, slow, whatever."
Reena giggled.
"You sound like some kind of waiter, taking my order."
"We have a lot of beasts on our menu, so feel free to chose." he replied with a grin.
"Well..." she said, lost in thought. "Since I'm an archer, I'd like my monster to be fat and slow, like a perfect target."
Zeshen started to ponder.
"Fat and slow..."
"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Dalmin asked.
"I know," Ezakiel said, nodding to himself. "Khezu."
Reena seemed hesitant.
"Are you sure? I heard it's pretty powerful."
Indeed a Khezu was no easy foe. It was a large, plump wyvern with a thick, flabby skin. It was pretty slow, especially in comparison to other wyverns, but it had an extraordinary power in return, the power of lightning. A Khezu could charge up tremendous amounts of electricity in its skin and release it in its close vicinity, which is a great threat for any close combat fighters, since there was hardly enough time to get away from it when you're not observing it very closely. Also, it was able to shoot spheres of lightning out of its maw, which made it dangerous for ranged fighters as well. It's most dangerous feat, however, was its roar. It was so loud and piercing that those who take the brunt of it were immobilized for a short period of time, giving it enough time to finish them off. Fortunately, the Guild came up with a great and simple solution: Earplugs. These small, flexible balls of Khezu-flab were stuffed in your ears to muffle every sound.
"If you use earplugs, it is a lot easier. Its roar can no longer harm you and you have a great opportunity to attack, too," Ezakiel assured her.
"Well, if you say so," Reena said, sounding more at ease.
"I do. In fact, if you keep your focus up, you can easily do it on your own."
"Really?" Reena exclaimed excitedly. "No kidding?"
"Not at all. With earplugs, an archer has little to be afraid about when fighting a Khezu. Just stay to its side or back all the time. It can be a little tiring, but if you have the stamina it's no problem."
"That would be great. Allright, Khezu it is then." Reena pumped her fist in the air, making the others smile.
"Okay," Dalmin suddenly said, "now that that's taken care of, eat up!"
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