Sails carried a boat through calm waters of the sea, its wood cracking from the strength of the wind. Many of the crew members were on a break, because the ship was getting carried extremely easily. Many opted to take a nap inside while a few were still on the deck, gazing at the open waters.

One of those people was a young woman called Cavik, standing in the front of the boat, letting her long brown hair tied into a ruffled ponytail flap in the wind. She took a deep breath before going down to meet fellow members of the boat, all of which weren't part of the crew.

Hunters they were, although they couldn't call themselves that since they hadn't hunted anything yet.

Cavik was more antisocial than she liked to admit and one of her acquaintances, Ghep, felt hard to approach. The most distinctive feature about him was how short he was with dark almost black hair. Sitting on the flat wooden planks with a book in hand that had a strange cover, he kept mumbling words while reading the text but Cavik couldn't understand a single one.

Ghep could be preparing a ritual for all Cavik knew.

"Hey!" She heard somebody call her, making her turn to the source only to spot the other hunter she met at the docks. "Looks like I finally found you!"

The young man with a bit of a plump body type greeted with a cheery smile, glad to finally find his acquaintance, "Man, I've been looking all over for you two since we left the harbor. I couldn't spot you at all."

Cavik looked around the boat for a moment before looking back with a raised eyebrow, "This ship really isn't that big."

The man sheepishly scratched the back of his messy white mop, "I get easily lost. The name's Hog by the way."

Cavik spotted the extended hand Hog offered her and gingerly took it while saying, "Cavik."

"Nice to meet you, Cavik," Hog gave her another smile before pointing at Ghep, "Is that one of your friends too?"

"No, not really. I'm on my own here actually," Cavik said with the shake of her head, before leaning on the railing of the ship, not really keen on continuing the conversation. Hog had other plans though and followed Cavik.

"Come on, don't be like that. We're here for the same reason, right? Might as well get to know each other a little," Hog suggested before looking at Ghep. He approached the avid reader, who was completely oblivious to his surroundings.

"Hey there," Hog said, prompting Ghep to look up.

"...Hey," Was all Ghep let out before turning his attention back to his book, much to Hog's chagrin. He stood up before tilting his head from Ghep to Cavik, and back to Ghep before breathing a sigh with his hands on his hips.

"You two aren't social types, are you?" Hog more stated than said.

"Nope/Mhmm," Cavik and Ghep answered at the same time, causing Hog to slump.

"Alright, can I at least ask when we're going to land?" He was getting desperate, trying to keep the conversation going.

"We should see the harbor in a minute or two," Ghep answered, not tearing his eyes away from the book, "The captain said something an hour ago."

That left Hog completely confused. "Wait, he said we are going to land in a minute an hour ago?"

Ghep sighed, "No, I meant we were going to land in an hour an hour ago."

Hog's face lit up in understanding, but he just couldn't find a single way to continue this conversation anymore, causing his smile to fall immediately after. He took a seat on one of the barrels without much fanfare and proceeded to just wait until they reached the harbor.

And that one minute was the longest the three had ever experienced.

The land was close by to Ghep's words, but the unloading of the ship took way longer than it should have. The captain of the boat ran into many problems when it came to the import of wrong goods and the administrators didn't let a single passenger exit the ship until they were done.

With that in mind, and an annoyed Cavik finally leaving the port behind with only her bag filled with provisions, she entered the port Asteros while leaving her two acquaintances behind. There was supposed to be a meeting of all the new hunters that had joined in this month's recruitment plan anyway.

Navigating through the harbor took some time because Cavik was enthralled by the architecture around her. While everything looked rustic because the most common material used were wood and bones, several nuances like water-powered lifts and steps hammered into the small mountains for easy climbing made the place more advanced upon closer inspection.

The harbor was bustling with activity as well.

Palicoes, small cats walking on two legs, worked manual labor while hunters hung about the place with their menacing weapons on their backs, the wood cracking under their feet as the whole harbor was built on top of the waters of the sea.

Something told Cavik that somebody must have fallen through the wooden platform at some point. Pushing that thought aside, for now, her goal was to go inside the gathering hall which was the meeting place.

Pushing through a few people and stalls offering weapons and goods, she found the place she was looking for. The hall resembled more of an arena from the outside more than a hall though. Many large tusks, taller than any regular human, curved into the shape of a stadium, with the top being draped over with colorful cloths and rags.

Cavik, being brave enough to enter, saw many hunters chatting inside, most of them wearing usual gear that wasn't meant for combat. More so for long marches through the treacherous lands filled with monsters ready to be slain, something Cavik wanted to try for herself.

Finding a table that wasn't filled yet with drunken hunters already slurring or filled with gamey meat that usually wasn't to Cavik's liking, she opted to get some coffee, even if it would be bad.

The boat didn't offer anything remotely similar.

"No, relish is not coffee," Cavik remembered one of her conversations with a sailor and hid her head inside her hands while letting out a groan.

Now it was only time to patiently wait for the meeting to start.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

"Ugh, 'join a hunter's guild' they said. 'It'll be fun' they said," Complained a short platinum-haired girl while crossing her arms, "I had more fun playing hopscotch without chalk."

Lower, being one of the few new hunters that weren't inside the gathering hall yet, was leaning on the cold small mountain formation, the stairs directly above her creaking with activity.

"Never understood how those drunkards can like alcohol so much. Makes me sick," She resented while waiting outside for the meeting to start. The more time she got to spend away from the smelly crowd, the better.

While she kept her gaze at the hall below her, one mischievous black-haired lad with a single braid next to his ear stared down at Lower before a small grin adorned his features. He tied a rope around his leg and secured it to the wooden railing before dropping down slowly to Lower.

She didn't suspect a thing, her stare fixated at the hall and once the lad let himself hang by his single leg while his head was at the same level as Lower, he turned to her.

"Hey," Was all he said to make Lower yell in surprise while jumping slightly in the air. The lad was laughing all the while, even though blood was rushing into his head but Lower was less than impressed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She yelled at the lad while he gave her a mock salute, still hanging upside down while giggling uncontrollably.

"Sniper, at your serv—pfft, no I can't do this seriously," He said while finally letting out a laugh.

"Again, what do you think you're doing?" Lower asked again impatiently, "I don't have time for some stupid schemes you'd think of."

"Ah, don't be like that, it's fun to just screw around for a while. Besides, you're a hunter like us, you should be down inside that hall," Sniper said while pointing down at the hall.

"Then why aren't you down there?" She said while crossing her arms while Sniper shrugged.

"Don't really have company to go down there and celebrate," He answered.

"And hanging upside down while scaring me to death is supposed to make me go down there with you?" She pointed out with a raised eyebrow, "You probably never had a girlfriend, right?"

"Hey, that's kind of mea—" Suddenly, Sniper dropped on the wooden planks with a dull clap while the rope he was tied to was mysteriously cut, as the end landed on top of Sniper as well.

"Owwww…" Sniper groaned in pain while he rubbed the back of his head. He turned his gaze up to where he had his rope tied only to spot another hunter as well.

"Now, I'm not one to not admire a woman, but that was a poor display of courtesy," The hunter said with blond hair while wearing a pair of glasses. He was holding a small knife in his hand, indicating he was the one who cut the rope.

He eventually climbed down to the same level as the two before helping Sniper up with an extended hand. He eventually took it and gave the four-eyed blond a curt nod.

"Wasn't expecting the one who cut my rope to offer me a hand to get back up," Sniper said with a smirk in place while still trying his best to ease the small headache he had. The combination of rushed-up blood and a hit on the head wasn't enticing.

Chifle, the one who cut the rope, rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't be offering it in the first place if I didn't think you were worth my time."

"High and mighty, I see," Sniper said with a chuckle, "Though I didn't catch your name."

"Chifle," He said, "And I know yours already, Sniper. You were kind of too hard to miss and hear."

"Too true," Sniper admitted before both of them turned back to Lower.

"Now, I don't think you told us your name mis—" Chifle started but nobody was to his left, only the view of the harbor below him. He stared at the void for a moment before turning back to Sniper with a menacing scowl while grabbing his garb.

"She escaped, and it was your fault that she left, you imbecile!" Chifle accused him, much to Sniper's bewilderment.

"What!? How is that my fault!?" He defended himself.

"Do I have to spell out for you how hanging yourself in front of a girl is bad!?" Chifle roared.

"Now hold up, context is kind of important here!" Sniper pointed out while trying to wriggle out of Chifle's iron grip. A blow of the horn interrupted the bickering duo, making them both turn to a single black palico with a horn on top of the arena tower.

Chifle eventually let go of Sniper, and soon whispered, "That's the start of the meeting, right?"

"Yeah," Sniper confirmed.

They both shared one last glance before bolting down the steps to reach the hall as soon as possible before it was too late.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

"Please, you have to tell me how you made this lance, this is important," Drodez said while having his hands on one of the many lances the merchant had in stock who barked a laugh.

"I could but I believe you should be somewhere else, lad. Your horn already honked," The merchant said, much to Drodez's confusion.

"Wait, what? I didn't hear anything," He said with wide eyes while the merchant breathed a sigh before bringing the boy to look on top of the arena tower that was at their level. The shop was placed on top of the small mountain after all.

"See that palico there?" Drodez nodded, "That's a sign the recruit gathering had already begun. He should pick up the pace with your weapon choice."

Drodez stared at the palico for a few moments before his eyes bulged out because he was a recruit as well.

"Oh sh—" He stopped himself while throwing the lance back at the merchant without any indication. The seller caught the lance with a huff.

"Sorry! I have to go, bye!" He shouted while sprinting at top speeds to the stairs leading down to the hall, but that would be too slow for the spiky brown-haired spear enthusiast.

He jumped over the railing of the wooden stairs, air rushing into his ears before he landed on the wooden planks which screeched in protest. He didn't know he jumped in between Sniper and Chifle before speeding into the hall.

"Hey, wait!" Sniper shouted, trying to keep up with Drodez. He didn't hear them however and continued his sprint inside the hall.

He thankfully reached the arena, and on time too if that menacing-looking hunter on top of the perch was any indication. What he wasn't expecting though was loud panting from behind him.

He turned around to find both Sniper and Chifle catching their breaths, hands on their knees. Sniper was the one who recovered first before addressing Drodez.

"I have to say," He wheezed out, "You're quick on your feet. Though I would appreciate if you didn't almost land on top of us."

"Seconded," Chifle agreed, making Drodez sheepishly scratch his cheek.

"Eheh, sorry. Kind of forgot I was supposed to be here when the horn blew," He admitted, making Sniper bark a small laugh.

"That's fine," He said before outstretching his hand, "The name's Sniper, a pleasure to meet you."

Drodez gazed at the hand for a fraction of a second before shaking it with a smile on his face.

"I'm Drodez," He said before turning to Chifle who had an unamused stare before exasperatedly sighing and offering his own hand as well. His lips slightly curving upward.

"Chifle," He said and Drodez took his hand as well, "Now, let's get going. The leader is probably speaking and we can't hear much here."

As the three got closer and closer through the crowded hall, they were able to hear more and more of the leader until he was fully audible.

"—ad to see all of you made here safely. Sometimes, some just aren't lucky for a few reasons," The leader said, his speech silencing the bickering crowd while having his hands behind his back. The scar on his bare scalp made him look intimidating, but he had an inviting smile.

"Now, I'm one to not mince words so let's get straight to the point of this meeting," He said before a pair of hunters brought a large bulletin board, almost as big as the perch itself.

"Since we had a lot more hunters join us than we expected, some of you are going to a different guild than ours," A few murmurs reached the leader's ears, making him extend his hands to calm people down.

"Now now, don't get all uppity. These guilds have been handpicked by us, and some of them are, I dare say, even better than us," He reassured before turning his attention to the board, "Every single one of you has been assigned to an appropriate guild."

Some hunters were confused while others weren't happy by this predicament, even if the leader tried to reassure them they were in good hands.

He then crossed his arms. "Then, after finding out who you are with, if you're not with us, you're gonna have to wait for a caravan to pick you up. You'll be called when an appropriate caravan comes."

Every single hunter after the leader finished bolted to the bulletin board, trying to find out if they stay here or go somewhere else. Cavik and company weren't one of them.

"That's kind of stupid," Cavik said, still sitting on the table with Hog and surprisingly Ghep. The three had found each other again, though it was more on Hog's insistence to actually sit together.

"I mean, there are a lot of us here. It makes some sense," Hog tried to argue but Cavik shook her head.

"No, as far as I can see, this guild is the most renowned. It would make sense for most hunters to apply here," Cavik explained and Ghep hummed in agreement.

"And by putting them into less known guilds, the hunters can feel a little cheated that some are just lucky to stay here," He said while closing his book shut, "I don't really care."

"Oh," Hog exclaimed before putting a hand on his chin, before looking at the hoarding crowd, trying to check the huge bulletin board, "Alright, Imma go check where we're placed. Can't help but feel excited."

"You do you if you want to check for us as well. Saves us the trouble to push through that crowd," Cavik said and Hog gave her a thumbs up before disappearing inside the hoard of people.

"So…" Cavik started while turning to Ghep, "Do you have a reason to become a hunter?"

"Not really no," He answered curtly while leaning on the table with his head.

"Ah, I see," Was all Cavik said while she played with an empty cup of coffee, swirling it even though nothing was in it. She was kind of hoping for Ghep to continue the conversation, but he looked less than willing.

"Wow, I guess I'm not the only one terrible at small talk," Cavik thought, breathing a sigh with a mixture of a groan because of the awkward silence between the two hunters. She knew she shouldn't have agreed with Hog to sit together.

"Hey!" She heard somebody call her out and eagerly turned around to see who it was. She wanted to get out of this dumb situation as soon as possible. Too bad fate had different plans.

Spotting three more hunters together as a group, Sniper was waving at her while the two behind kept close to him. Cavik's problem was that she didn't know any of them and since Sniper was greeting her like an old friend, she became cautious.

"Hey," She exclaimed.

"So, is your name Cavik?" Sniper said, much to Cavik's bewilderment, making her eyes go wide.

"How do you know my name?" She asked warily, but instead of answering, Sniper pumped his fist while turning to the two behind him.

"Score! See? I told you I'm good at finding people," He boasted while Chifle rolled his eyes, again.

"You literally asked like six hunters before we found her," He said while pushing Sniper aside and turning to Cavik. He gave her a deep bow, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Cavik. My name is Chifle, and these two morons behind me are Sniper and Drodez respectively."

Cavik stared at Chifle for a solid second before letting out, "The fuck?"

Sniper immediately snorted while nudging Chifle with his elbow, "And you're telling me I scare girls away easily."

A vein popped on Chifle's forehead before giving Sniper a fake smile. "How deep do you want me to bury you?"

Sniper pulled his hand away while having a sheepish grin, "I would be happy if you didn't bury me at all."

"No, no, I insist that—" And their bantering began yet again, Chifle accusing Sniper of many things that didn't necessarily tie to the braided lad.

Drodez, being the one having some sense, turned to Cavik with an apologetic expression, "Sorry for the both of them. I didn't know I was this bad at making friends."

"You and me both," Cavik agreed before easing her wary stare with a sigh, "So, will you explain to me why they knew my name?"

"Well, we were already at the bulletin board and found out that seven people are going to the Treehouse guild. You were among them as well," Drodez explained, still sounding more apologetic than he should.

"Oh, well that explains quite a lot actually. Hog actually went to check on me, and…" Cavik paused while looking at Ghep with a perplexed expression before embarrassment flooded her senses, "I don't think we've actually exchanged names."

The reader looked up from his book before a tiniest of chuckles escaped his lips, "It's Ghep."

Drodez's eyes widened before adorning a wide smile, "Well, that makes things a lot simpler!"

"What do you mean?" Cavik asked, turning his attention back to the lance maniac.

"Well, that means that five of us are already here with the sixth one on the way!" Drodez happily exclaimed, taking everyone back.

Ghep was torn away from his book at the announcement, stunned as well while Cavik's jaw was unhinged. The bickering duo stopped in a position where Chifle was about to give Sniper a noogie.

The silence, or at least a form of silence between them since the hall wasn't quiet at all, was broken when Hog came in to see five hunters staring at each other like they spotted a Kirin.

"Um, what's going on here?" He asked, bewildered by the display.

"I honestly have no clue myself, Hog," Cavik admitted, her jaw snapping back into place, "Apparently these people are supposed to come with us to the… what did you call the guild again?"

"The Treehouse guild," Drodez and Hog answered at the same time, making Cavik sigh.

"Great, so that makes six of us now. Who is the last one?" She inquired.

"Apparently somebody called Lower," Hog answered first.

"Has anybody met… them yet?" Cavik asked the group but all of them shook their heads or made other types of confirmations.

"The only one we met that was notable was a girl that just left us without telling her name," Sniper said before Chifle butted in with crossed arms.

"You mean the one you scared her away," He corrected, making Sniper throw his hands into the air.

"And what does that have to do with anything?" He asked.

"Everything," Chifle answered seriously.

"Could you two stop your bickering?" Ghep suddenly intervened, annoyed, to say the least, "If I was a girl I would run away from you two as well."

The rest of the group winced and or whistled at Ghep while Chifle's other vein appeared with a vengeance, and stomped his way towards Ghep, "What did you say?"

"You heard me, now leave me alone," Ghep said dismissively.

"Why you little—" A smack against the head from Drodez made Chifle snap back to him, his scowl ever-present.

"Sheesh, calm down. You'll find another girl to pester soon anyway," He said, his words piercing through Chifle's scowl, making him slump on a chair and crossing his arms. He mumbled a few words, but none were tangible to the rest through the somewhat loud crowd of hunters.

"Excuse me?" The group heard somebody call them out, and Lower appeared through the crowd, almost invisible with how short she was. Spotting only Cavik and Hog, she stepped forward before continuing her question.

"I wanted to know where the people from the Treehouse guild are supposed to—" Her eyes suddenly landed on the duo of Sniper and Chifle she met a few moments ago and stared at them for a solid second.

"Never mind," She said before immediately turning away and tried her best to escape from the two maniacs, but Hog was faster than her, grabbing her shoulder.

"Your name's Lower, right?" He asked, and Lower immediately stopped her stride while jerking her head back at Hog.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, bewildered.

"Well, because you were on the bulletin board with us assigned to the Treehouse guild," Hog explained while Lower narrowed her eyes.

"Wait," She looked at Chifle and Sniper before she threw her hands into the air, "Oh this day just can't get any better."

"Well, it just got better for me," Chifle remarked before Lower gave him a pointed stare.

"You, and you," She pointed at Chifle and Sniper, "At least five meters away from me."

"Oh come on, I wasn't that bad, right?" Sniper said, but Lower didn't agree.

"Ten meters," She corrected herself.

A few snorts came from the unlikely group's mouths before a loud horn interrupted them.

"Hunters who were assigned to the Treehouse guild to the lifts! A caravan will be waiting for you up there!" The announcer shouted through the crowd, earning the attention of our group.

"That's our cue, I guess," Drodez said, earning nods and one or two groans from the rest.

"Let's just get this over with," Lower said, defeated before taking the front with a few of the new members following her as well.

"Hmm, maybe this isn't going to be as bad as I thought," Chifle remarked, making Sniper snort.

"Whatever floats your boat. Come on, I'm actually kind of excited myself," He said with one arm on his hip before the rest went with the group as well.

Once they met a guide that allowed them to take the wooden lift up the cliff while the group already was filled with banter. Some were getting more acquainted than others, but all became silent once their lift reached its destination.

What they didn't expect the guide to do was to take them past the usual gate inside the monster territory.

Tensions grew the farther they went into the forested area, but it didn't take long before they reached their spot. A simple caravan ready to take them to the guild with a hunter already waiting for them, leaning on the caravan.

The woman cladded in heavy armor that looked more like a suit than something people would bring into battle had an enormous shield on her back with a matching sword as well. She wore a contemplating expression, looking into the forest with a calculating gaze.

Once she heard the group's footsteps, she perked up, giving the newbies a wide smirk. She told the guide she would handle everything else from here before turning to the group.

"Form up by height!" She shouted in a sudden authoritative tone, forcing the group to do as they were told. It took a little while for them to make a line from highest to shortest.

First was the scheming Sniper, the second was lance-driven Drodez, third being the women horder Chifle, fourth the stalwart-but-shy Cavik, fifth the care-free Hog, sixth was the bookworm Ghep, and last was the snappy Lower.

"Damn everyone and their height," She muttered under her breath while the woman was sizing them with a critical eye. Some gulped under the stare while others tried to stand tall. She then brought a piece of parchment from… somewhere and began to call everyone's name one by one.

Once all of the authoritative work was done, her analyzing stare fell before a wide smile formed on her clean face.

"Now these are recruits with some spice. Welcome everyone, we're going to get inside the guild soon enough," She said before pointing at herself with a thumb, "My name is Kros, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She wasn't waiting for a response because she continued her small speech.

"Hope we won't disappoint you with our accommodation. Now, everyone get inside the wagon, we have no time to waste!" She urged, and the group eventually formed a slightly tighter fit than was comfortable, much to the chagrin of the more reserved members.

"Ok, could you please stop stabbing with your book!?" Chifle said with an annoyed tone at Ghep who was giving him a flat stare.

"Not like I have much room to work with. I don't like this either," He pointed out.

"Hey, could you get your elbow off of me!?" Sniper pleaded, but Hog couldn't.

"That's not my elbow!" He rebuked.

"Hey! Calm yourselves down there!" Kros ordered, he only hunter outside, before she whistled loudly into the forest for reasons the newbies had no idea about.

Loud stomps soon reached their ears, making them all grow silent and were either getting curious at what the sound was while others were more anxious than anything. A single snap of a tree resonated from the forest while the stomps grew louder.

"Storm! Come out of hiding, the place is clear of any other hunters!" Kros shouted, and once her eyes landed on Storm, another smirk formed on her features.

"Who the hell is this Storm?" Lower asked, impatience filled her voice.

"Our ride," Was all Kros said before a mighty roar resonated through all of those who were present, "Took you long enough."

With everyone way too curious about who this 'Storm' was, Sniper and Drodez peaked out of the caravan, but the sight only made them shriek.

A giant leviathan with pale-blue scales glistening in the afternoon sun with an elongated neck and long tail. In its back were stones piercing its scales that crackled with electricity while the same charged rocks were on its head like small horns. It was dragging its body through the forest with surprising sluggishness for such a noble-looking monster.

"T-T-T-That's a Legiacrus!" Drodez shouted, snapping his head to Kros, "Are you trying to kill us!?"

"What? No, this one is a friend and the one who will pull the cart," She said with a wide smirk before turning to the group back in the caravan, her arms spread wide.

"Welcome to the Treehouse guild! Let the ride never end!"

AN: Hello and welcome to the fic The Treehouse guild, where we get to see seven new recruits either love their stay at the guild, or regret their life decisions! This is NOT a fic to be taken seriously, it's only meant to be an enjoyable read.

Every single OC in this fic is inspired by the awesome people in the Fanfiction Treehouse who gave me their consent to write this piece of work. Their names reflect their actual names on our discord server.

If I piqued your interest and want to join said discord server, feel free to use the link below!

Link: gg/9XG3U7a

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the read and had a great time. A future chapter isn't probably not going to come out soon unless the reception is positive as I don't want to offend anyone.

If any of you aren't happy with my depictions, feel free to DM me.

God's speed.