It was warm, I hated being to warm, I could feel my body react to the heat. "Meoooooow! Ashie!" Sh-Shui...? Is that you? I opened my eyes and my little Felyne companion was next to me holding a plate, I took an inhale and it was cooked fish. I sat up and rubbed the sleep and grogginess from my head. I stood up and made my way to the table, Chamberlein placed the plate on the table where I sat and he sat across from me with his own plate.
"Chamberlein?" He looked up listening, as if his life depended on it.
"Is that your given name?" Chamberlein's ear sank as he meowled, "No, a name given to be by the guild." I smiled gently my heart was clenching in almost what seemed like agony, "Would you like a new name?" Chamberlein's ears rose again listening closer, "What about...Shui, it means water." Chamberlein jumped up in victory and exclaimed, "What a wonderful name Ashie! I shall treasure it always!" I gave one more sad smile stifling the tears beginning to rise. "One more thing, Shui, we are partners, friends, You have the freedom and right to walk around and do whatever you like, as well as sleeping in an appropriate place."
Shui bowwed and I wiped a loan tear away, the one thing I wished, was that my kitten before he passed understood how much I really loved him, I was willing to pay everything I had to make sure he came home to me...but I couldn't afford it, the only thing I could give him was a painless death, rather than suffering in pain. Even now as I feel my throat tighten and my heart break, I hope that my kitten knew that his Momma always loved him and wanted to give up everything to make him better.
I stood up, and nodded toward Shui, "Alrighty then, I will be heading out now, take care Shui, keep up drinking water its hot today!" I pulled on my leather armor and my weapon. I headed out the door and saw Junior above the boxes again directing people where the trade goods go. He told me that I should head over to the Quest Counter and talk to the girl there and he'll meet outside. So I did, I walked oer to the girl in the red guild uniform and she laughed heartily, "Alright hunter! Junior has informed me about your situation and so I have picked out some starting missions for you. She handed me my first quest paper, it read, 'Collect Unique Mushrooms!'
I deadpanned, a gathering mission, she wagged her finger, "Don't be fooled, Gathering Missions can be just as dangerous as hunting ones. Now go meet junior outside the Village and I will see you when you get back!" I nodded and headed towards the Hunting base outside the village. Junior was there he explained how to maximize the time I'm outside the village instead of just collecting the mushrooms to try free hunting and collecting other things I needed. I know before I left my honey looked really low, I ran past the heard of aptonoths and started to collect the honey from the deserted honey combs I could find. I glanced to my right and there looked to be small logs where little toadstools were sprouting from. I ran over and started to pick I looked at my quest to match up the picture of the Mushrooms I needed. Luckily I found the Unique-Shrooms and some Blue Shrooms so I can make the potions.
"No need to hunt, we have plenty of time Until sundown, you found a lot of items you needed yes?" I turned and nodded the leather face guard covering my mouth and nose to avoid any toxic gasses. Junior waving his spear in a darker direction motioning for me to fallow closely. We moved slow and quiet with the wind blowing in the same direction we were pacing in. He held his hand palm facing me. A signal to stop and freeze. I looked up at him, he was staring intently at me and then his gaze moved further ahead. Once my eyes met his target I gasped softly. Little pink velociraptor creatures were scurrying about, pecking at bones and husks of weaker monsters. I was nervous, I froze in place, he was going to teach me how to hunt, and this was going to be the first monster I slay. I could see Junior see my hesitation he shook his head and sighed as he positioned himself behind me, I could feel his chest at my back. Then I felt him bend his knees and body forcefully, making my body take on a stance he grabbed my shield and strapped it on my left arm and after he was done he took my Night Saber and placed the hand in my right hand. My body shook but calmed when he stepped in front of me.
That is the basic stance for your weapon. Now, Jaggis are quick little things, they'll dodge, but when you take down one at a time they are easy. Remember, swing, swing, block or swing, swing, swing, roll. I nodded again, this was my chance to learn. I have always watched my cousin and uncle fence growing up, but never learned. As I stepped forward they Jaggis barked...almost, as they saw me approach. There were three, and just one of me, huh, funny odds. I gripped my blade as one approached jaws bared, I time my swing and sliced it across its neck, not severing its head though. Another across its small torso. I saw it pull back and open its jaws wide to snap, I drew back in a small hop as it barely missed my neck. Junior had already speared and pinned the one that was sneaking up on me to the ground, right through the throat. "Remember, these are monsters, its not like fighting another human, these wyverns act purely on the instinct to kill." I her the bark in front of me and when I turned my head the Jaggi had thrown its body into me, and as I fell it swooped down getting ready to dig into me with its teeth, I crossed my sheild over my body before I brought it across its face in a hard, shielded back hand. I hit it so hard it fell over on its side next to me and when that happened I held the sword in a stabbing position and thrusts downwards as hard as I can. I felt the tension of its hide break and I heard the blade slice through. The Jaggi gave a last whimper before it lay there. Lifeless.
I didn't know what to feel, glad that I was alive but insane that I feel happy after killing something. I could feel tears form as I lowered my head I heard another sputter and whimper, Junior had probably killed the last one. I felt his chest at my back again and a soft whisper, "C'mon, you can do it, you still have one more thing to learn." I knew what he was talking about, but I played dumb. He was talking about carving. and Using the hides, scales, fangs, and bones to make better armor and weapons. His hand gently grabbed mine with the sword and he tugged it free from the Jaggi's dead body. I whimpered, "D-don't make me do this Junior...I just killed it...no remorse for its life." My voice was trembling I was about to break. Junior sighed, "I have to kid, If you are going to save Moga, you have to learn all of this, you need to crawl before you walk, soon you will have no problem with these things. Now...take your sword like this and..." I watched below as he guided my hand and sword through the hide, skinning the dead Jaggi. Soon I had enough hide after carving all three of them to make armor. From what Junior told me, Jaggi armor is a little better than armor.
My hands were bloody, I could feel myself shaking everything around me was moving in slow motion as the sun began to set. Junior pulled me up by my arm and wrapped it around his shoulder as he placed his other arm around my waist. We stood up and we began to walk back into Moga. Everyone was watching as he let me go. I was walk forward, but that's all I could tell. I didn't want to look at anyone and be told that they were proud of me for taking a life. I walked up to the quest counter and placed the mushrooms on the desk along with the quest sheet itself. I slowly walked back to my hut, there was a small fountain in the corner, I peeled off my armor and began to wash away the day. Soon Shui came through the door, "Hello Ashie, how was your day hunting?" As I finished washing off I turned around and teared up. Shui saw, and slowly trotted his way over before holding up a paw to wipe my tear. "You were always sensative Miss Ashie." I sniffled, "I took a life Shui...it's not fair..." I softly whimpered trying to keep back my sobs.
"I know Miss Ashie, but we all will meet our end someday, and some will die sooner than others, its all apart of life. If you were to die out in the fields, why, I'd be very heartbroken Miss Ashie, so much so that I wouldn't work for the guild anymore, I would live a quiet life here in Moga, living on with your memories." That's when I truly let out a sob, and it was the sob that led to all the other ones. I had hugged onto my little furry friend as I cried. It wasn't fun having to do this, if only there were a way to just tell the monsters to leave this place alone...but how stupid does that sound? Soon my sobbing quieted down to soft gasping, Shui hand ushered me to stand and guided me to the bed where I laid down. Shui sat and watched me, he knew my body was going to shut down any second. Finally as my head began to sort its feelings and thoughts out, my eyes closed, and as I forgot about the contents of the day I drifted off into sleep. Where my body could mend and rest from the days excitement.