It was late afternoon by the time Tatsuma was ready to go. Azen had helped his son gear up with his hunter's armor. It was tradition in Azen's sons not to wear the headgear of an armor set, but after losing his first two sons to a cruel Tigrex slaying mission, Azen made his last and youngest son wear the helmet. Azen left Tatsuma's room for a moment, leaving the young hunter to think to himself and admire the view of the stream outside his window as the sunset's reflection colored the water orange. Tatsuma did not understand why, but whenever his father got angry, his eyes turn yellow. He wished he inherited that, but apparently the orange eyes of his mother was more of a treasure than his father's yellow ones. A warm breeze blew in through Tatsuma's window from outside, and his hair lifted a bit upwards. The touch of the warm wind calmed him, but his trance was broken when his father entered the room with a bundle in his hands.

"You'll need this," Azen said as he unwrapped the bundle and revealed his Bone Katana, "This sword is famous; it should get you access to many parts of the Kingdom if you show it to the guards. May you use it wisely."

Tatsuma took the sword then sheathed it behind him, "Thanks, dad."

"Now, go. You'll only be able to reach Ravenguard by the time midnight sets. Look for a woman by the name of Sarah. She's in her mid-thirties or so. She'll take care of you," Azen recommended.

"Alright. Anything else before I go?" Tatsuma inquired.

"Nothing from me. Just make sure you say goodbye to your mother," Azen said before leaving Tatsuma's room.

Tatsuma took a glance out his window one last time, then went out of his room after giving Mikan a goodbye hug. He first made a stop at Sayako's village, where he received a bag of supplies for his journey from Misaka. By the time dusk came around, Tatsuma crossed through the Unknown Territory and into the Known Territory. He was greeted by guards from the Royal Army with a rather unfriendly front, but upon seeing his orange eyes and the Bone Katana on his back, and they let him pass. Azen and his family may not be officially nobles, but they are treated as such ever since the end of the Human-Monster War.

Passing through fields of grass and trees, Tatsuma felt like he had been walking for a decent amount of time. The moon was high in the sky already, yet he hasn't seen a single trace of any towns around him besides from the occassional courier that passes him by. Tatsuma sighed then stared at his path as he traveled. Afterwards, he heard the ground rumbling. Immediately, he got off the dirtpath that he was following and ran for the treeline adjacent to it. He hid behind a tree, then saw a pack of Iopreys led by an Iodrome, followed by five half-monster half-human things. They were scaly and had red eyes, and they carried axes that looked very menacing. Tatsuma made no sound until the pack of Iopreys and the hybrids left, and he came out of the treeline to investigate. He tracked his new targets a long way, and he found that the hybrids made camp to the side of the road, like highwaymen waiting for their victims. The pack of Ioprey were nowhere to be seen, but the Iodrome was locked in a cage by the hybrid's camp.

Tatsuma slowly backed away from the camp, but as he turned he heard a slap and a gate being locked, followed by someone who was sobbing. Tatsuma faced the camp once more, then waited for a while. The hybrids went to sleep, two of them stayed up to guard the camp. Tatsuma unsheathed his Bone Katana and carefully started sneaking into the camp. The new moon offered little to no light, and the campfire was dying down. Light was very scarce, and like a stealthy Nargacuga, Tatsuma rose from the shadows and slit the hybrid's throat. He applied more force than necessary to hopefully break their neck as well, but the scales of the hybrids proved that they were resistant to bladed weapons. Afterwards, being the genius that he was, Tatsuma sprinted to the fire and stomped it out, which attracted the other guard's attention. However, since the only light source was now snuffed out, the guard couldn't see where Tatsuma may have run off to. The guard only saw a quick glimpse of Tatsuma's figure before light vanished from his sight.

Tatsuma delivered a successful stab at each of the sleeping hybrids' necks while the guard was fumbling about with his axe as he wondered where Tatsuma went. Tatsuma's eyes were already adjusted to the darkness, and he was able to navigate through the camp. The guard was able to see in the dark soon after, and he swung his axe toward's Tatsuma's head. Tatsuma brought his katana upward to deflect the blow, then rolled to the side and delivered a swift blow to the monster's gut. Tatsuma quickly went to the cages and looked for the source of the sobs. He couldn't really see much of what was inside of the cages, so he went back to the fireplace and revived the fire that he stomped out. He made a makeshift torch and went back to the cages. He saw the captured Iodrome, and a few cages after, he saw a person. He peered closer into the cage and saw a girl with fair skin and long white hair. When the girl took a peek at Tatsuma, Tatsuma could see her sky blue eyes, but she hid her face into her palms.

"Hey... What's you're name?" Tatsuma asked.

"...Shiroko..." the girl answered.

"Alright, Shiroko... I'll get you out of here, okay?" Tatsuma said before slicing the lock off with his Bone Katana and opening the cage.

Tatsuma reached in to help Shiroko out of the cage, but she scooted away from Tatsuma. Tatsuma sighed then gently pulled on Shiroko's arm and brought her out of the cage. She stumbled and leaned forward to Tatsuma's chest, then looked up into Tatsuma's eyes. After she saw his glowing orange eyes, she started turning bright red then a soft gasp escaped her lips. Tatsuma held Shiroko's shoulders then smiled at her slightly.

"That didn't hurt, did it?" Tatsuma asked.

"..." Shiroko fainted.

Tatsuma looked dumbfounded at Shiroko's reaction, but he carried her on his back. He sliced the lock on the Iodrome's cage as well, so that it could leave once it wakes up. Tatsuma trudged along the dirt path with Shiroko on his back and he continued his travel to Ravenguard. Tatsuma thought Ravenguard was miles away, but he appeared to be closer than he thought. The town was literally right outside the forest and he walked through, nodding to the guards.

"What is your business here?" a Ravenguard asked.

"Oh, I'm just stopping by here for the night," Tatsuma replied.

"Ah, travelers, eh? Alright, you can go in."

Tatsuma nodded to the guards and continued into the town. He saw a really big building, and entered. The people inside were lively as they drank and ate, then Tatsuma walked to the front desk, still carrying Shiroko on his back.

"Excuse me?" Tatsuma called out.

"Hm?" the woman said at the desk.

"I'm looking for someone called Sarah."

"And who might you be?"

"I am Tatsuma, son of Azen."

"Ah! Azen's boy, eh? Hi! I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you!"

"Ah, hello. My father said you'll take care of me when I get here."

"I'm guessing you'll need a room! Don't worry, I have one free. Will you be sharing a bed with your friend?" Sarah said before pointing to Shiroko.

"Oh, no. She's an acquaintance. We'll have separate beds, please."

"Works for me," Sarah said before going over to a wall filled with keys then took one from the hooks and gave it to Tatsuma, "First door to the left, third floor."

"Thank you," Tatsuma took the key and walked up the stairs and into the room. He left the door open and put the sleeping Shiroko onto one of the beds and then closed the door. Tatsuma locked the door afterwards.

Tatsuma dropped his items by his bed, then took a good glance at the blade of his Bone Katana. He was so engrossed at the detail that his father had formed the blade into, but he was disturbed when Shiroko sneezed. Tatsuma sheathed the Bone Katana and went over to Shiroko's bed. He felt her forehead a bit, but didn't feel anything unusual. Tatsuma put the blanket over Shiroko's shoulders, then stood up from her bed. Tatsuma looked out the window and saw the lights coming from the houses, and smoke coming from the chimneys. Tatsuma didn't see the point of having fireplaces down South, since it was always warm. It was then that Tatsuma realized they were not fireplaces, nor were the buildings houses. They were forges. Ravenguard was the main producer of hunting tools ever since the end of the Human-Monster War. Tatsuma stretched and yawned, then turned off the light. He gave one more look at Shiroko, then went to his bed and closed his eyes. He soon drifted to sleep, comforted by the darkness of the room.

The next day, Tatsuma awoke as the sunshine bathed his face. He opened his eyes slowly and turned away from the sunlight, then saw Shiroko in her bed as she played with her hair. Tatsuma rose from his bed and stretched, then stood beside Shiroko's bed. Shiroko looked up at Tatsuma then stared at him, then she opened her mouth to speak.

"You slept... in that?" Shiroko asked, pointing to Tatsuma's armor.

"I always do, if I'm not sleeping at home," Tatsuma answered, rotating his shoulders.

"Isn't in uncomfortable?"

"A little."

"Here," Shiroko stood up and removed Tatsuma's helmet, then set it down on her bed. She then proceeded to unbuckle his shoulder armor, but Tatsuma stopped her.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be leaving in a bit."

"You're leaving me here?" Shiroko asked, suddenly worried.

"You're free to come along with me, if you want," Tatsuma replied, then smiled at Shiroko.

Tatsuma took his helmet and put it on Shiroko's head, then took his Bone Katana and placed it by his waist. He then proceeded to exit the room. Shiroko stood up and followed after Tatsuma, and she walked behind him as they exited the hotel. Tatsuma waved to Sarah as he left, then he looked up at the blue sky. It was mid-morning, as the sun was halfway up the sky. Tatsuma headed South. It was a long walk, and when noon came, Tatsuma took a break under the shade of a large tree to avoid a heat stroke, especially with summer settling in. Shiroko sat down beside Tatsuma, but left a considerable amount of space between them as they waited for the sun's heat to lessen.

"Do you hunt?" Tatsuma asked Shiroko.

"Yes, I do. I hunt with a bow," Shiroko replied.

"Ah, that's good.I normally hunt with sword and a shield, but my father gave me his old sword."

"I see."

The two conversed and got to know each other more, until finally, afternoon came about. It was not so hot anymore, and the two continued their journey. It was a two-day hike of nothingness but trees and grass and the dirtroad that they followed, but Tatsuma and Shiroko had each other to pass the time. It was at night when Tatsuma saw multiple smoke pillars rising to the sky. Tatsuma and Shiroko continued walking until they saw a sign that read, "New Starfall." Tatsuma quietly hid in the forest that bordered the town, and saw various sizes of hybrids roaming around and forging weapons. He saw lines and large groups of men gathered outside the broken walls, and another line of what seemed to be prisoners judging by how the hybrids were cracking whiplashes above their heads. Tatsuma glared at the sight, then pulled Shiroko to his side.

"Listen, stay here and keep quiet. I'll be back," Tatsuma said.

"Where are you going?" Shiroko whispered.

"I'm going to get some information on the town over there."

"Okay..." Shiroko whispered again before Tatsuma headed off.

Tatsuma was able to infiltrate the town by crawling through a broken wall. Once he passed through the wall, he saw that the guards were facing the other way. Tatsuma crept past the guards and along the back alleys to spy on the area. He first found that there were multiple forges, just like in Ravenguard, but there was also a lot of weapons already stockpiled. Greatswords, lances, all the sorts, but he found that they have been developing plenty of a bowgun variant. It seemed like a mix between a heavy bowgun and a light bowgun, so it must be a medium bowgun. Multiple bolts and arrows were also stockpiled, but Tatsuma couldn't help but wonder where they got all the material for it. Tatsuma sighed, then moved on, but he was met by the view of a barren forest. For perhaps a few miles, there was nothing but quarries and lumber mills at the back of New Starfall, and Tatsuma was amazed that the Royal Army had been silent about this the whole time.

Then, there was a line of women that went to a specifc sector of the town. They'd enter looking all scared, and Tatsuma waited a couple hours to see how they came out. They came out looking broken, the light in their eyes stolen from them. Tatsuma then assumed that it was the breeding sector, where the hybrids were created and formed into the elite infantry of the growing army. Finally, Tatsuma was able to follow where the line of men led. It led to some sort of elevated throne towards the back of the town, and overheard the men swearing loyalty to the person known as Ian. They talked about regaining lost territory, and how the "hammer will fall" by noon tomorrow. Tatsuma couldn't help but get a bad feeling about it, so he started making his way back to where he left Shiroko.

"Shiroko? Shiroko, where are you?" Tatsuma asked as he roamed about the spot where he left Shiroko.

Tatsuma knelt down and tried looking for tracks, but he was met with a swift blow to the head. Everything suddenly turned black.