The sun had started to set and Edon could choose to walk back to the town in slight darkness with almost no risk of attack. Or he could sleep at the camp until morning. Either way he'd need to deliver the steaks before making his choice.

Cyrus chuckled "Well either way what you did was pretty smart. Exploited my weakness of only being able to defend with one arm by attacking rapidly. Tho you were not prepared for that counter attack. You got me good too don't you worry." Cyrus rubbed his side."I've been meaning to ask? Where are ya from? Unless you don't want to. Don't want to force ya into anything." Cyrus was clearly interested in where Armend was from. He had some ideas on where he could be from just by his attitude alone. But there were a few places he could've been from and part of the Abandoned was one of them.

Cyrus nodded "No problem at all. I got another thing I gotta ask you. Could you please try and cooperate with Clara tomorrow. I know it's no fair that I ask only you, but Clara can be. Stubborn as a Duramboros. If you haven't seen one count yourself lucky. She may hold me in high regard, but that doesn't mean she'll like you if I tell her to. You gotta prove yourself so to speak." Cyrus then pushed away his empty bowl and his tone took on a more intense but not intimidating turn. "I know that right now she might not seem like she deserves anything from you, and honestly she doesn't. But when you're out there on the field and that mutual respect that you cuild now is all you have. That is when you realise how worthwhile it is, and how important it is to be able to cooperate. Believe me when I tell you. You will not get far in this job no, this life. If you cannot cooperate. Cyrus then dropped his tone and smiled. "Sometimes your pride's gotta take a dive if you want to succeed, just ask the Chief of my early days. They were a fiasco..." Cyrus then looked at Armend hoping his words didn't fall on def ears. He didn't know Armend like he knew Clara, that's why he tried talking to him not her.

((I assumed since the last few posts were wrapping up the evening it would be okay for me to start out on the next morning. Let me know if there are any problems.))

The ship listed with each passing wave under its long keel, and as its weight shifted the salt sprayed planks creaked like the bones of a stubborn old man. Every so often, one of the crates in the cargo hold would slide across the floor or bump into a wall; but, nothing thus far had broken or bruised. Like as not, the catches of dried Sushifish, the clinking jars of Moga Honey, and the various other goods and tools would make Cantarco's small inlet port just fine. As the first rays of the morning sun spilled over the upper decks, the burly bronzed crew went to work bringing in the sails, deploying the oars, and preparing the trading galley to enter the much shallower shores near the mouth of the river. A motley collection of docks and piers, some surrounded by the smaller boats of the villagers, awaited to greet the much larger vessel; the port's landings had been constructed of what little quality lumber could be gathered on a volcanic island. Despite the fertile soil, the forested patches were limited to the edges of the ocean, pools, and rivers and could only stretch so far before the choking ash and smoke, and the heat from still-cooling flows of lava, twisted and dried them into little more than gnarled matchsticks. Aside from a few dark plumes near the fiery mountain's peaks, however, the sky was a clear and vast expanse so blue it could confuse the senses if one stared too long at the place where the heavens met the seas.

Yet none of this could be seen from a particular bunk, down in the passengers' hold. The porthole had been covered with the small cot's blanket, and the door to the outer hall remained closed. The spartan interior revealed itself only by the light of a single tall, fat candle that burned with a calming scent of spring cherries. By its light, so too did another figure appear in flickering shadows. A young man, his dark colored hair tied into a tail that fell like water between his shoulders, sat on his heels in front of the candle. Both hands upon his knees, back straight, and eyes closed, he took in a deep breath and savored the incense as the tiny flame danced in a draft of ocean-scented air. His loose, dark colored, flowing robes rippled in the breeze, and then all was still.

Kazuki opened his eyes, and steel flashed in the darkness. In one sweeping motion he drew the blade from his back. Its length was such that he had to use one hand to grasp the hilt up high, near the guard over his shoulder, and the other to pull its sheath from the opposite side down past his waist. But in that same instant he rose to one knee and turned his hips, further aiding in the movement of the sword and adding to its speed. The strike cut through the air with a whistle, and at the end of its arc its tip hung frozen in the air. A heartbeat passed, and Kazuki glanced along the blade's gleaming edge.

The candle, its upper half resting flat atop the sword, still flickered. The barest hint of a smoke trail lingered, tracing a path back to the cleanly severed base. Kazuki tilted his wrist to bring it before him, and with the first breath he had let out for several long moments he extinguished the flame and plunged the room into total darkness. Not a moment too early, the door opened and a brighter light spilled into his room.

"Yo, young fella." hailed one of the sailors. "We've dropped anchor at last! Welcome to Cantarco!"

Kazuki nodded as he took the half-candle from where it had balanced on his weapon, and set it down next to its other half. From inside one sleeve he produced a white cloth that smelled faintly of oil, and wiped the wax from the sword before he returned it to the sheath. Though he blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light, he gave a slight but genuine smile of gratitude to the sailor as he rose up from the floor solely by using the balls of his feet. Moments later, his large beige-colored bag slung over his shoulder and numerous other bundles hanging from his belt, he disembarked and felt almost too heavy as he set foot once again on firm, unmoving land. He gazed around like any curious tourist as he made his way from the port to the village proper, but what really drew the townspeople's stares was the Long Sword on his back and the confident way he carried himself. He reached into the front of his robe and made sure his Guild Card still rested inside his breast pocket; it certainly was, with all his information freshly updated from before the ship had left Port Tanzia.

Unlike the docks, the village was built of sturdier materials; stone and bone, much more resistant to the heat, featured far more prominently in the construction of various shaped and sized huts, though their roofs were often of tanned hides stretched tight across frames and treated with water repelling oils. Kazuki had never been to Moga Village, at least not yet, but he imagined that it might be very similar to this place--small, out of the way, almost but not quite isolated from the rest of the world. Yet, perhaps because of these same qualities, it had a homey feel; the people who lived here probably considered all of their neighbors to be their extended family. He hoped an outsider like himself wouldn't be too ill-received.

With a few directions from helpful villagers, he made his way to the local Guild Hall, though really it looked like it might be a town hall in general. That wasn't unusual, as tiny places like this didn't really have any need for the spacious guild halls you would see in Val Habar, much less the monstrous Hunting communes around places like Loc Lac City. As he entered, shifting his bag over to the other shoulder so he could push the door open, his eyes quickly darted around. A Hunter had to take stock of everything in an environment the moment they entered it, whether it was a forest glade, a frozen cave, or the local pub. Especially that last one, depending on how much had been drunk that night.

A small Wyverian woman with an energetic nature belying her age struck him as either the Guild Master, or perhaps a local elder of some sort--she buzzed about as if everything was her business and she had a right to know all of it, so Kazuki guessed she probably did. An older man, still carrying around muscle that hadn't yet given way to age and bearing more than a few scars--though some had grown old enough to fade against his tanned hide--was sitting near the fire. Kazuki noted that his leg seemed most scarred of all, and from the way he sat the elder didn't seem to put much weight on it. A career-ending injury, then. Could this be the retiring hunter?

There were others as well, but though he took note of them Kazuki's senses didn't mark them as particularly notable--or at least, not as notable as the two old-timers. One had to follow the hierarchy, after all, and it was clear that a newcomer should probably introduce themselves to these two before ever presuming to announce their own presence and intentions as a Hunter.

@LeamonZest89"Good morning." Kazuki said as he approached Cyrus. He bowed at the waist, just deep enough that he wouldn't be disrespectful but not quite so deep as to lose his balance with all of his luggage. With his free hand he produced his Guild Card and held it out for the older man. "I am Kazuki of the Akibayashi family, a two-star Hunter. I heard that this village was in need, and came to offer my services. May I ask, is this the Guild Hall?"

Cyrus let out a sigh this wasn't the response he was looking for. "I... I'll see what I can do. You better get some rest, you're going to be busy tomorrow." Jesus they're both stubborn. This is going to be interesting... Cyrus stood up and picked up his bowl. He then headed for the kitchen "You don't have to sleep yet, but try and be quiet I'm going try and nod off myself." Cyrus then gave Armend a nod and headed for his room, he stopped almost forgetting to tell Armend which room was his. "Oh yeah your room is the one over there." Cyrus pointed to a room opposite to the kitchen. Cyrus and the Chief's room were both to the left of the fireplace the kitchen was to the right. Then the a door led out to the training area. But on the opposite wall there were plenty of spare rooms 4 to be exact, and the small weapons store room.





Cyrus rolled himself out of bed know today was going to be hard, he was tempted not to get out of bed but knew that wouldn't be fair. while Cyrus sat at the table having his breakfast the chief hopped around sending mail and keeping the hall clean. She walked past Cyrus and smacked the back of his leg and pointed to the new arrival to the hall clearly a hunter heeding the call for help. Cyrus got up and walked over to greet the new hunter. He smiled at the slight bow "Oh no need to be that formal, especially not with a heavy load like that on your back." he chuckled as the man introduced himself and took the guild card with his left hand "Yep you came to the right place. Nice to meet you Kazuki, Yukumo right? You got some mighty fine springs up there." Cyrus could tell from his garments that he was from Yukumo. He raised and eyebrow "Two star ayy I'll have to get you to look after the rookies. You got two of them who'll be working with you. Fair warning, they aren't on the best terms." He sounded a little sorry for Kazuki.

The Chief toddled over to Armend's room and knocked on the door. "You got a new friend to make!" She then wandered off and vanished. The Chief is weird.



Clara woke from her sleep rubbing her eyes as the sunlight trickled in, she was still thinking about the argument a little. She had talked to her mother about it over breakfast then her mother had smacked her with a large wooden spoon while scolding her. Clara was more annoyed by this then swayed but she couldn't deny the points her mother made about respecting outsiders and how everywhere wasn't as "peaceful" as Cantarco village. Clara mounted the sword back onto her back then headed out for the town hall, she had no armor as of yet but it was going to need a few extra materials to be made to fit her properly. She looked at the hall from a far not wanting to enter just yet, she honestly didn't want to talk with Armend without preparing herself. Gah what do I say?... He's an ass. Mum couldn't explain to him that his way of life might have offended me huh! Why do I have to be the good guy...

Edon gazing under the sun walked to the path. The monsters he fought were brutal and he does not want the chief to think he died. So he will walk back to the village to give the steaks. After that maybe he will train or perhaps meet some other hunters, the chief did say that there were other hunters so it will be a good time to swap tales and rumors. He is also looking forward to his next hunt the hunt he just did was.. 'Fun'.......

The sword and shield allowed him to not be crushed by a aptonoth, and that loprey cares about the food they have rather than the food they will have. He never though this to be hard but he is willing to continue on his adventures.

"Time to get back to the village!

Edon's path would be unopposed until he got all the way back to the hall. Then the Chief would have ushered him into one of the free rooms trying to be quiet. Cyrus and Armend were probably already in bed by the time Edon got back, but the chief's sleeping pattern was more twisted then a dalamadur.

@LeamonZest89"Yes sir, though I'm not a native." His family lived in an area across the Misty Peaks from Yukumo, though they were close enough geographically that they shared certain naming conventions and other things. But his Master had been a Yukumo native, and that was where Kazuki had trained for nearly fourteen years, so it might as well have been his second home. Most of his fashion choice and mannerisms, however, had been purposely chosen to try and emulate his Master, or at least the idealized version of him that Kazuki saw as the perfect Hunter. But then the man said that he would have Kazuki look after some other rookie hunters. The Long Swordsman's mouth quirked downward at the corners just a bit as he sat some of his bags down.

"Ah..." He cupped a hand over his mouth for a moment as he cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I must admit, sir, that I've never Hunted in a group before." Except for a few Quests with his Master before his training had been completed, Kazuki had always gone solo. And he hadn't yet come up against something he couldn't defeat, even if he wasn't anywhere near his Master's level. What was more, he was only a two-star Hunter; he certainly didn't feel qualified to train an apprentice of his own, much less two of them at once.

Cyrus chuckled "Don't look so shocked kid. You ain't training them like you and your master did, you just gotta help them stay alive. And this'll be a good chance for you to learn to work as a group with strangers. You'll need that kind of skill if you're going to go anywhere as a hunter. Cyrus rubbed his chin "Now about this master, does he have a name? I may have worked with him before, I'll admit I've spent my fair share of time up at the Yukumo hot springs so even if I haven't worked with him I might know him." Cyrus offered to help him with some of his luggage "Now let me give you a hand with that, tho I'll only be able to give one since the other is broken." He chuckled weakly. He then looked up as Clara entered the hall and smiled with relief "Clara could you help this hunter with his things, you got another team mate!" He nodded as she agreed to help and then decided that helping with the load he would probably just end up getting in the way. So he took his leave and sat at the large table in front of the fireplace. He then froze as he noticed Armend was on the table next to him, and then that Clara was also in the room. I want to go back to sleep...



Clara took a deep breath before heading into the hall where she was confronted by a new arrival. She was pleased to see a new person but was also a bit on her toes because the last new person was an ass hole sorry is and ass hole. She then looked at Cyrus who asked her to help the new guy with his things, she nodded "No problem!" she had spotted Armend but said nothing. She didn't want her disdain for him leek onto the new person, he hadn't done anything to deserve it. She smiled as she started to help him with his things "Hi I'm Clara, I guess we're working together!" She had a convincing guise on but at this point she wasn't expecting anything great of the newcomer she internally shunned herself for being so narrow minded realising how rude her thoughts were.

Kazuki raised an eyebrow as Cyrus seemed to read his thoughts like an open book. Not only had he deduced his nervousness about taking people under his own wing, the elder had even concluded he was a former apprenticed Hunter rather than one trained by the Guild. Kazuki hadn't even mentioned his Master yet, so how...

Ah. My clothes and behaviors are from Yukumo, but I'm not a native. I'm a two star hunter, but have never hunted with others. I bet Hunters that are formally trained by the Guild only use their local Guild Hall, rather than traveling to another village...and I bet they're trained in group tactics early on, since many Hunters prefer to hunt in four man cells. Therefore, I must have traveled and trained with a single Hunter, rather than in a Guild's classroom with other students.

He nodded to himself, cupping his chin in thought. This man was indeed a Veteran Hunter, to have such a sharp mind and eye for the smallest of details.

@LeamonZest89"My Master only ever told me one name, which was a nickname taken from his preferred weapon. Yukimonji. He wasn't a talkative sort, most of the time, so unfortunately I never learned a great deal about him, other than that he was a G-Rank Hunter but had gotten tired of...I suppose they must have been freelance groups, rather than close friends. He always called them 'randumbs.'" The swordsman sighed as he cast his mind back over those memories...

A much younger Kazuki screamed a battle cry as he jumped off the ledge, before smacking firmly into the Aptonoth's broad, scaly side. His scrabbling hands failed to find purchase as the animal turned to look at him, chewing its cud slowly, then it simply shook him off with a toss of its rump and went back to eating.

"M-Master, what did I do wrong?" he asked, as he picked himself up out of the dirt. The taller Hunter, dressed as always in his pristine white armor, coat, and long scarf, put one hand on his disciple's head. Then his grip tightened with a notable popping sound, and Kazuki gulped as his Master leaned down to look him in the eye. Somehow, under that helmet, there was a glowing red light from the man's glare.

"JE SUIS MONTE, MOTHERFUCKER!" shouted the G-Rank Hunter, before literally lifting and hurling the child at the monster. Kazuki screamed again as he soared, but this time he landed on the monster's back and immediately tried to wrap his legs around its broad sides. The Aptonoth, stunned by the impact, let out a low pitched rumble of consternation...but this time it couldn't shake him off.

"Ah! Thank you Master, I understand now!" Kazuki said, waving with one hand even as the herbivore tried unsuccessfully to buck him off. His teacher merely crossed his arms and nodded with an over exaggerated bobbing of the head in an oddly precise rhythm.

Ah yes. Good times.

@RennyAnother man, about Kazuki's age, emerged from one of the rooms and from the sweat on him Kazuki deduced he must have been training. The fellow waved half-heartedly before sating an itch beneath his shirt, and sat down to a hearty looking breakfast, though Kazuki hadn't noticed who had cooked it or brought it out. Perhaps the small Wyverian lady, though from the way she bustled about she seemed much more important than just a cook. Perhaps they had a Felyne kitchen somewhere in the back.

"Yo! Its nice to meet ya. Nice armor." said the newcomer, though really Kazuki supposed he was the newcomer and this fellow was one of the rookie hunters the veteran had mentioned. The Long Swordsman looked down at his robes, then back at the other fellow.

"Ah, this isn't my armor, though it has a similar style." He said, waving one hand lightly. "Speaking of which, however, I should probably get changed so we can begin our questing."

"Clara could you help this hunter with his things, you got another team mate!" Kazuki looked back at the elder, and the person he had just called out to as she entered the lobby; she had an impressive, though perhaps a little less feminine, build and a distinguishing eye patch. Even if she were new to it, she would probably do well as a Hunter, given the required size and weight of most of their equipment...

"No problem!" she said cheerily, though Kazuki noticed she seemed to go out of her way to avoid looking at the other man seated at the table. She smiled as she started to help him with his things. "Hi, I'm Clara, I guess we're working together!"

"I am Kazuki Akibayashi. It is a pleasure to meet you both." he said with a short bow to each of them. Not one to let a lady do all of the hard work, he took his own share of his luggage to the lodging room Cyrus pointed out, following Clara's broad shouldered form. Afterwards, he stayed in the room but leaned out of the doorway.

"I shall just be a moment--If you haven't already, make sure you eat heartily, Miss Clara. Something with...meat and fish, or a dish with fish and bread, would probably be suitable for you." Never hunt on an empty stomach; that rule, much like not getting hit and hitting the monster until it died, had been iron-clad to his Master. With that, he closed the door and began changing into his armor.

Though it might look like cloth, the Yukumo style Dogi--a sleeveless shirt--and Hakama--the billowing pants--were actually made of thick plant fibers, specifically from Ivy vines and woven strips of Yukumo Wood so thin they were practically ribbon shavings. Still, this weave produced a tough material on par with leather for its protectiveness, yet much more flexible to allow freedom of movement. The belt, or Obi, and waistcloth were made from the same, but required buckles here and there made from plain Iron Ore and delicately hammered out by a proper Smith. The gauntlets, known as Kote, only came up just past the elbows, leaving Kazuki's upper arms exposed. The lack of large shoulder pads actually had a function, however--traditionally, the Yukumo people had a thing for Long Swords, which had a distinctive way of drawing and attacking at once like the Great Sword. If the Great Sword's forte was power, however, the Long Sword's was speed, and thus without anything in the way of an over-shoulder draw the blade could come to bear that much faster.

Kazuki put back on the white scarf, his momento of his Master, and its wide folds fell over his shoulders somewhat. Then he donned the last piece, the flat brimmed hat--Kasa--made from thicker overlapping strips of Yukumo Wood and finished off with a distinctive Gargwa feather.

From his luggage he grabbed a single pack that he had loaded beforehand--after each and every Hunt he always made sure it was stocked fully and well-organized. It contained ten Potions, the glass jars carefully inserted into a leather, box-like pouch with several slots before its front flap was buckled closed; a cloth sack with a lining made from an insulating monster's hide and filled with preserved, well done steaks before the drawstring was pulled tight and tied into a knot that, while it wouldn't come undone from any hustle or bustle, could easily be opened with a yank on one of the loops; a portable barbecue pit, currently folded down into a large metal disk with the spit and crank strapped to its back; a couple of sturdy iron pickaxes and bug nets, kept in separate leather tubes that looked a bit like the quiver for a bow; another small box filled with rectangular metallic plates, whetstones that could be used to sharpen a weapon; and finally, a smaller, regular cloth drawstring pouch with several small, almost egg-like shells filled with a pink liquid. These paintballs had a distinctive color and smell that allowed a Hunter to track a monster for miles before it wore off.

As he double checked that everything was in it place, he remembered that they would likely be hunting in the Magma Highlands near the village. Thus he searched through his luggage until he found one more addition, though he only had two of them at the moment: jars about the same size as the potions, but filled with a milky white liquid. They were cold to the touch, having been kept in a portable ice-box up until now. These cool drinks not only literally cooled the body down, but helped temporarily increase one's resistance to fire and heat, although they didn't last long.

Armed, armored, and prepared to the best of his current knowledge, Kazuki left his room and headed back into the main hall, sitting down at the table to eat with the others.

"So, what Quests are available, sir?" he called to Cyrus.

Kaze gave out a grunt when he cracked his back and observed the village from the dock. "Last time I get on a boat..." He groaned, not overly fond of the hammocks nor the smaller beds. "Give me some comfort and a little danger any day over a glorified tub..." He continued as he moved along to not hold up traffic. on and off the ship. His hammer was nestled at the small of his back and didn't look like it slowed him down as he shifted and moved through the sailors and other passengers. He ignored the merchants, just giving them a vague wave, since he didn't have to buy anything just yet. He'd see what they had once he sort of settled in or after doing some work.

So his destination was a bee-line to the Guild Hall to put in his registration with the village. He doubted he was the first but it never hurt to have more than one hunter, even a rookie. You could only learn how to do the job when you're new. He entered the hall and took a look around slowly. Taking note of the unmanned quest counter and a table currently occupied by an older man, two men around his age judging by appearance, and a woman. They were talking among themselves but the older man would probably have the information he required.

So he approached the table. "Excuse me sir, who do I talk to to register as a hunter?" He asked, his voice a deep rumbling sound. Much like far off thunder. His eyes looked over the others briefly before refocusing on Cyrus.

Edon never liked the idea of sleeping in the hall. The bed he slept in was a little rough, he got used to his own bed back at his home. He wakes up with his weapons beside his bed. He was excited to meet the new hunters, He is also glad that he is no longer near magma. He heard a rumbling sound not with his ears but by his head. He was hungry. He thinks that perhaps there is some food outside? Maybe they served some food.With this feeling Edon grabbed his weapons and rushed outside.

"Now where is the dining hall?" Edon looked around for the dining hall.

He saw a few doors walked around until he saw the dining hall. He could see a few people already there. Maybe they are hunters? He asked himself. He took a deep breath and he walked forward, he saw a table with other hunters sitting. He sat on a chair in the hall, eating with the others.

Cyrus looked at Clara and Kazuki as they headed off with his luggage, he might not have to deal with another argument just yet. Or at all if he was lucky, perhaps this new hunter could tie them together somehow and perhaps help deflate the current animosity between the two. One could only hope. He then looked at the Chief who gestured to the door that was opening revealing a shorter but very well built man walk in, he looked like a viking.

"Looks like were pretty popular now ain't we Chief. I should have broken my arm ages ago!"

Cyrus joked, the Chief wasn't happy with the joke and smacks his right forearm with a long wooden spoon she seemed to summon from thin air. Cyrus hissed from the pain and decided he wouldn't make more jokes like that any time soon. The Chief toddled off and grabbed some soup for herself and took a seat next to Armend, she seemed to have far to much energy for a woman of her age. Cyrus then looked up at the man from his seat and nodded.

"You're looking at him. So you've come to register for the hunters position? Great, the more the merrier! All I need is your name and you skills then you're in, if you can hack it."

Cyrus kept his face neutral he couldn't get a feel for where the man called home, perhaps he was part of a caravan or he just grew up in a city somewhere. Most city folk looked the same to Cyrus.

"We've got quite a few of you now, at least I know I won't be getting bored. Speaking of which here comes another one... Hey Edon if you're looking for food just ask the Chief she'll be more than happy to help you out."

Cyrus called out to Edon as he entered the hall. The chief slid off her stool and got another few bowls of soup and laid them out on the massive table. The table was easily able to hold ten people so everyone should be able to fit easily.

"This one's got some Pin tuna in it, nothing special. But that doesn't mean it ain't tasty!"

The chief seemed adamant her cooking was always good. Which for the most part it was, only time it would taste bad is if you mixed two foods that shouldn't be mixed. The chief toddled back into the kitchen and came out with a extremely long piece of bread. She then slid it onto a equally long plant and placed that onto the massive hall table. Cyrus then pulled out some Zenny and gave it to the Chief.

"Foods on me this time everyone! next time you get your own."

Cyrus then looked over at Kazuki as he walked out of his new room all geared up and ready to go. He then rubbed his chin

"Well the quest was to go after 5 Ioprey but I feel with this many people we might be able to push you a little further than that. Perhaps 15, and if you can manage to get the leader then you'll get some extra credit. But you don't need to, he might be a little tough. Suckers got tougher hide then you'd think. And don't worry about antidotes, I got some delivered to the blue box at the camp."

Cyrus rolled his left shoulder and suppressed a yawn. He then gave Armend a kind of pleading look as he returned to the table then tilted his head over towards Clara who was looking the other direction. He then leaned in and whispered to Armend.

"Yeah you know how I beat you yesterday. Yeah I know this is kind of a dick move but. You owe me something, and that something is an apology for Clara. I know she doesn't deserve it, but who knows you might be pleasantly surprised by the result."

He tone was rather laid back but he was clearly serious, he was coming up with anything he could to try and get Armend to make up with Clara. He was already prepared with a backup plan should Armend disagree.



As Clara assisted Kazuki with his belongings she noticed just how much equipment the man had. Pickaxes, cool drinks and even some potions. This guy knew what he was doing, at least more than she did. He even had tips for her. This instantly made her respect this guy a bit more, she then nodded to him and left him to get changed. She saw more new faces in the hall, she decided she'd introduce herself later. Figured they'd want to talk to the one in charge first. So Clara propped herself up against a wall and closed her eyes. She smelt the soup but didn't go over and try get any. She'd already had food, she sorta regretted it because the soup smelled good and it was free.

The first rookie hunter who had greeted Kazuki left the table, no doubt to get his gear, but just as he was settling down and thankfully receiving one of the bowls of Pin Tuna Soup from the Chief, two more fellows walked in. The elder recognized one of them off the bat, so he was probably another rookie, and Kazuki recognized the big fellow from the boat--they had both boarded the trading galley at Port Tanzia, though he had only seen the man here and there and hadn't really interacted with him much. He too, it seemed, was a Hunter.

The Quest their predecessor intended to send them on was a simple culling quest; after they got their first taste of battle and learned the basics, most Hunters focused their efforts on the larger, stronger, and ultimately more valuable monsters. But small monsters--the ones his Master had always called trash--could be troublesome for the environment and for humans if they overpopulated. So Kazuki, Clara, this Edon, and the two others whose names he didn't know, would be off to hunt fifteen Ioprey...and if they felt confident enough, they could even try to take on the Iodrome.

But...wait...

"Um...isn't it against Guild regulations for a Hunting party to have more than four people, unless a full-scale subjugation has been commissioned?" Kazuki asked Cyrus. For some of the Elder Dragons, sometimes the Guild fielded entire armies or fleets of ships. But normally, to reduce the damage that Hunters did to the monster populations and keep the ecosystem stable, Hunters could normally only form parties of four at a time.

Cyrus groaned as he knew about all the guild rules and what not, tho some rules he didn't mind bending others he would be stead fast about.

"Yeah that is the normal way things are done by the guild. But here isn't really on the list of important places for the guild. Only time they bat an eye at us is if we got an elder dragon problem. I defended this place on my own for a few years. So I'd say it's only fair you guys get a handicap."

Cyrus then sipped his soup and put down the empty bowl. He let out a satisfied sigh as the soup settled in his stomach.

"There isn't a guild outpost here yet either, we're fairly remote when it comes to the guild. Tho with so many of you we might need to build and guild outpost, get in some quests to fill your time when not protecting the village."

Cyrus then looked over at the chief who nodded and hobbled of into a side room. Then she started writing a request for the guild to send over a guild lady and how they would take care of the construction of a small outpost for the guild. She tied the finished parchment up then headed out into the village to ask around and see if everyone was alright with the idea of housing a guild outpost in the town. Cyrus and the Chief were very quick to act, neither of them ever had much time to waste.

Cyrus would then turn his attention back to the Viking and Armend.