Kaze simply watched the interactions between the village chief and the wounded hunter. So this was the retired hunter of the village? Interesting. "My name is Kaze and I use Hammers, I'm not particularly experienced. Also if you need it I can butcher monsters." He stated before holding his hand out for a shake. "And your name?" He asked, no one having said any names just yet. Food was provided as more hunters appeared, this got Cyrus an appreciative nod as he set his hammer down and took a seat. The older man mentioned five ioprey, then upped it to fifteen along with the ioprey leader as a bonus.

This got the hammer man to thinking since the Yukumo man was talking about guild rules. "So no one gets in trouble they could hunt the ioprey leader and I could go alone and slay the five ioprey. I'm assuming this is starting stuff so it shouldn't be too difficult, right?" He suggested. He had seen a couple of the prey species and while they looked agile and dangerous they also looked fragile. If memory served they were bird part of the avian species despite the lack of wings. Maybe it was because of their movements and light hollow bones? He'd ask sometime later.

Cyrus gave Armend a weak smile as he watched his face contort with obvious anger. Sorry Armend... he thought to himself as he watched him walk over to Clara. She turned and looked at him and seemed slightly amused. Cyrus hoped this was a good sign then turned to Kaze.

"Pleasure to meet you Kaze. My name is Cyrus."

Cyrus accepted the shake with his left hand then slightly shifted his shoulder making a soft cracking sound. He then put a hand up to his chin and nodded approvingly.

"Hammer ayy, not a bad choice. Not mine personally but to each their own."

He then shook his head at Kaze's proposal of taking on the Ioprey single handed.

"Thank you for the offer but that still wouldn't solve our problem, besides it's probably too dangerous anyway. You'll all be going together for the first few jobs. Hopefully the townsfolk agree to setting up a guild outpost. Then you'd be able to get quests from across the land, but then you would only be able to go in groups of four. But any close to home missions to the magma highlands will be perfectly fine if you all go."

Cyrus then looked around the room smiling at this new gang of hunters he'd be training and watching grow. Tho he still wasn't sure if more were coming, the hall couldn't take much more!



Clara looked over at Armend as he walked towards her, she saw the look on his face and met it with her own scowl. She narrowed her eyes expecting him to say something stupid. Then he apologised. Clara was taken back and her expression instantly changed. She felt a little bad, the pig headed fighting enthusiast had said sorry first. This made her think about how she barely even considered it.

"I... I am also sorry. What I said was inconsiderate... I don't know you or your home enough to have made a claim like I did..."

She choked for a brief moment before sighing.

"Lets just forget this who thing happened... S... Start fresh..."

Clara's words seemed genuine but the tone was a little off. She was clearly not pleased with the way Armend saw things, but she was also ashamed of her behaviour. In the end she realised how stupid the whole thing was and was going to be kicking herself about it for a while.

Cyrus's reassurance didn't entirely soothe Kazuki's worries. Cantarco seemed a nice place, and these new Hunters didn't seem like bad folks, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to risk having his Guild Card revoked for their sake. He felt relieved when the big fellow, Kaze, brought up the idea of making it two separate Quests, but Cyrus was adamant because he deemed it too dangerous. Kazuki quirked an eyebrow at this, and then had a realization--none of the new folks seemed to have any actual training. They weren't recruits fresh from the Guild, or former apprentices like himself. Had they really just taken to this dangerous, high stakes career on a whim? He wasn't quite sure how he felt about such a seemingly lackadaisical attitude towards the nigh-sacred art of Hunting.

"...Well, best to make it quick then, everyone." he said, carefully stacking his empty dishes and wiping up after himself with a napkin. He rose from the table, shouldered his sword and his pack, and headed for the door before looking back at the others.

@LeamonZest89@Renny@SantosGabriel77@Kazemitsu"Ioprey are small and weak, but attack in numbers. Sometimes they will take a running start and leap at you; other times they'll bite, but they tend to draw to full height due to the size difference." he began, reciting what he had learned from a mix of training manuals and experience. He hadn't actually hunted Ioprey yet, but he knew they were very similar to Velociprey and Jaggi, which he had slain more than a handful of times. "They are agile and may dodge by leaping sideways or circling--most say they tend to go left, our right, when they do that. But the most dangerous thing is their poison." He pointed to his own throat. "They will move like someone choking on phlegm, but their spit is very fast. It flies in an arc and can go further than you think. Though it would probably wear off before it killed you by itself, it's fast acting and needs to be dealt with before you continue fighting."

He had taken note of Kaze's Hammer, Armend's Dual Blades, and Edon's Sword and Shield, and if he had to guess Clara probably used another heavy type of weapon. The Ioprey wouldn't require much strategy, though--after avoiding or blocking their attacks, they could be easily dispatched. The Iodrome, on the other hand...

@LeamonZest89@Renny@SantosGabriel77@Kazemitsu@Zeroth



A group of carts finished rolling into the village and finally all came to a halt. Inside, a notable amount of commotion could be heard going about, most notably noises of grown men laughing. It had be a loooong trip to get over to this volcano but it felt short due to the banter and merriment. In fact, it took a bit long for people to even notice they were at their destination until the driver knocked on the cart door to get them out of their fun time. Everyone inside murmured and joked as they each got off. Men with their wives, some with their buddies, but most notably, one singular woman who seemed rather out of place in the bunch. She was talking and smiling with the group so it was obvious that she had some sort of belonging with them. However, despite her dress and demeanor, there was one thing on her person that made it obvious what exactly they were talking and why they all got along so well. It was the large Hunting Horn strapped upon her back. Indeed, she was a hunter and, ironically enough, the only hunter from that cart.

Tamietta took in the view of this new village with plenty of awe. Despite her having gone overseas many times in the past, this time was largely different. For starters, she hadn’t gotten out of the village for a few years before now. More importantly, she was alone this time. No parents to keep on eye on her, no guardians, no brothers. Just her and her wits. The freshness of it felt so inspiring, but she needed to keep her eyes on the prize. In short time, she found none other than the Guild Hall of this village. Heaving her large bag up, making sure it didn’t tear on the Hunting Horn, she pried the doors open and took a quick look around. There seemed to be a group already here...Perfect. Without missing a beat, she said her first words in this new, but soon to be familiar, domain.

“Tamietta: So are you all my new hunting companions?”

She also didn’t realize she was probably interrupting but, oh well. You live and learn.

Clara looked down at Armend and a weak smile managed to creep its way onto her face.

"I shouldn't have expected you to unload your past to someone you just met. I'm going to go get ready, I'll see you in a bit."

As she walked away from Armend Kazuki started detailing out the treats that the Ioprey possesed, and then that the Iodrome would be much harder. Then door opened and a new girl walked in. Clara was secretly happy because out of the 5 hunters there she was the only girl, now there were 2 girls and 4 boys. She noted the Large hunting horn on her and nodded before looking at her. She held out her hand to the new companion.

"Yep. I'm Clara, welcome to the party."

Clara's face sheepish as Cyrus yelled at her.



Cyrus sat at the table as the stealthy chief had made her way next to him unseen and was whispering to him. He nodded and went to speak then noticed that Kauki was already getting ready to leave and Clara was accepting a new girl who'd walked in while he was talking to the chief. He sighed.

"Hey! Clara! You don't get to accept people into this group! You are still accepted tho new girl but still I'm the boss! My name's Cyrus, the person you're all taking the place of! Also Kazuki hold it for a minute! Not everyone is ready to go, plus I got some new info for all of you. So get your butts over here introduce yourselves then listen up!"

Cyrus would then wait for everyone to gather around the table and the Chief would toddle off and get back to stirring her seemingly endless pot of soup. A felyne then crept through the door and slept next to the fire place.

Edon had finished half of his food. He was being silent, observing how everyone behaves. He thought about what they were talking about. Lopreys are pretty easy, a quick bash followed by clean strike will stun the monster before stabbing him as a final blow. He then heared Cyrus, he was already at the table. He also noticed that Cyrus is a.... strict, well he always know that Cyrus was like that but never experienced only heard.

"I understand.."

Edon also noticed someone enter. He noticed the hunting horn with her. A fascinating weapon indeed.

The crew that was currently gathered was rather small in terms of numbers. The first to greet was a woman named Clara who outstretched her hand. Immediately afterwards, however, another voice interjected, yelling at her that it was his job to accept people into the group, not her. Tamietta simply shrugged it off. He might be right, but that doesn't mean she'll agree. She firmly took the hand of the larger woman and shook it. "Tamietta: No worries. It is a pleasure to be here." She said with a smile to let her know that, at the very least, Tamietta didn't mind the greeting. Shortly after, the yelling man introduced himself at the previous hunter, Cyrus. Good. He probably would have a few good tips to hand out so listening up seemed like a good idea. He demanded the others sit put a moment and introduce themselves. No sense in opposing.

Placing her Hunting Horn down so it leaned on the table without getting in the way, she plopped down on one of the seats with a thud. It seemed an older woman was making a stew or soup. She hadn't eaten in quite some time so any would be welcome. "Tamietta: Miss, when that stew is done, I would most certainly want a bowl. Just looking at the steam, it looks great!" She announced over towards the chef with another smile. Turning back towards the group, she put her arms on her leg and looked at each of them. Now that she had a closer look at them, she could already tell they were taller than her. That's fine. She's used to that. So long as that heigh meant strength. Taking up on Cyrus's advice, she cleared her voice and decided to start.

"Tamietta: My name is Tamietta Nafay. It's a pleasure to make all over your acquaintaces. I hope your day is well." She said with a nod of her head and the characteristic warm smile she had plastered on her face. This time in particular it seemed small, but still somehow having a presence. A usual welcoming smile...but nothing wrong with usual.

Before Kazuki could push open the door, someone else did so as they entered from the opposite direction. He stepped back, sighing softly as yet another new Hunter entered...however, with a note of gratitude he realized this girl not only carried a proper Hunting Horn, but her own pack as well, and from the way she held the two it seemed she knew a little more about using them than these others. Perhaps another apprentice like himself?

When Cyrus called him back to the table, however, he couldn't help but grimace. This was why Quests were usually written on parchment and posted on a proper Quest Board--you didn't have to sit down, wait for everyone to have their breakfast, listen to the whole room introduce themselves, and wait for someone else to tell you what your job was. You just read the description, paid the deposit fee, and went off on the Hunt. But the sooner they were away the better, and once these rookies had more experience under their belts maybe they could start taking separate Quests.

"I am Kazuki Akibayashi, two star Long Sword Hunter. I trained in Yukumo and worked at Val Habar previously. Pleasure to meet you all." he said loudly to introduce himself to everyone else. With that out of the way he didn't sit back down, since he had already eaten and it was too much trouble to take off his pack and sword again. Instead he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and staring expectantly at Cyrus.

Kaze simply listened as he ate. Didn't hurt to listen to experienced hunters like Kazuki. Although from his walks he already knew how the prey species tended to attack, except the status ailments like poison from the ioprey. Another person came in, wielding a hunting horn, and just started talking. Very rude. But he got her name while he ate the pin tuna soup, Tamietta. Clara, the other girl, welcomed her to the group only to have Cyrus reprimand her. A bit of a squabble already? Shaking his head he emptied his bowl of its contents. He hadn't been particularly hungry but it never hurt to eat before you started to travel. Well overeating was bad but that wasn't an issue.

Before he could stand Cyrus wanted everyone to sit, eat, and introduce themselves. Couldn't they do that on the way to the job? It's not like it's right outside the town gates. He listened to the others introduce themselves, Tamietta and Kazuki. Crossing his arms and resting them on the table he just gave the group a dull look. "Kaze, hammer." He grunted out, it'd be a pleasure to meet them if they weren't forced into an introduction. He just wanted to go hunting already and learn some stuff.

As everyone sat and started introducing themselves the Chief quickly slid a bow of soup in front of Tamietta and gave her a quick smile, the chief did enjoy the girls enthusiasm.

"You enjoy that soup now. I've got plenty more where that came from!"

With that the Chief toddled of back into the kitchen and put out the fire beneath the pot of soup. Cyrus then sat through the introductions Clara introducing herself last, he was displeased with the general tone of the boys. Kaze and Kazuki seemed to be impatient, especially Kaze. Tamietta seemed alright but she'd only just gotten there so he couldn't tell if she was a little to keen to go smash some monsters. And He knew Clara was wanting to get going already. Edon was quiet but Cyrus figured he better get the info out before people started getting too rowdy.

"Ok so the chief just told me the towns folk were for the outpost considering how many of you there are. Now It'll take a day or two for the designs to be made, but while you are out on your quest I'll go and speak to the builders and get them to incorporate your accommodation into the design. Until the building is done you'll all be bunking here. So you'll have to get along for at least a week or two. Then you can go at each other throats in your own home. Now here's your Quest paper. Make sure you are all ready before you leave. This is a learning experience for some of you so I don't want you to miss anything. Also I won't be able to pay you all that much but it's the best I can do for the moment... I'll see you all when you get back."

With that Cyrus stood up and tossed Kazuki the quest paper, he was the highest ranking to Cyrus' knowing so he got the paper. It had 15x Ioprey as the main goal with a reward of 1100Z and a sub quest of kill an Iodrome with a 1500Z reward. Cyrus was already heading out the door, he needed some fresh air.



Clara took a seat not yet having gotten her equipment ready, but she had already eaten at home so she didn't ask for any soup. She smiled at everyone as they introduced themselves but seemed fairly unimpressed by Kaze's introduction.

"Hi everyone. I'm Clara, it's nice to see so many people have come to help our little town. Thank you all."

She was ass kissing a little but she was also genuinely happy to see so many able bodied people form across the seas coming to help her home in a time of need.

After Cyrus had finished talking she quickly got up and went to get herself ready, people were waiting on her so she didn't want to take to long. She grabbed her great sword and stuffed some potions into her pack. She also grabbed a pickaxe just encase and some whetstones.

Edon drank from a cup before introducing himself to the new hunter.

"Hello! My name is Edon, nice to see that there is more people who wants to be become a hunter!"

Edon was preparing to receive a quest. He checked his weapons, he puts his sword in his sword in a sheath and his shield on his back. He walks towards the door and wait for the others.

Kaze seemed impatient, but perhaps he had the same idea as Kazuki did and just wanted to get the job over and done. Clara didn't eat as Kazuki had suggested to her earlier. Hopefully she had eaten at home, but normal meals might not have the same effect as the hearty regimens Hunters tended to keep themselves to--typically a Hunter would stick to two ingredients, like dairy and vegetables or meat and fish, but eat them in variety and large quantities. All of the physical activity and wear-and-tear on a Blademaster's body meant they needed a great deal of protein and calories for energy; conversely, keeping the body healthy and the metabolism smooth with other foods would help one shake off the harsh elements they were exposed to or grant them extra stamina.

The muscular woman seemed genuinely happy they were there, though, and as Kazuki watched her take up her greatsword and grab a few extra things for her pack he nodded to himself--it seemed she would be a quick learner. The other fellow, Edon, seemed eager as well. With his addition of the Sword and Shield, their party would have a good balance. Tamietta's Hunting Horn and Kaze's Hammer were blunt and heavy weapons, good for crushing hard scales or thick plates of hide. The Hunting Horn also made use of its music and the hunter's spiritual energy to channel power to others, while the Hammer channeled such power instead into the Charge technique to deliver crushing blows with pinpoint timing. The Great Sword also worked well with the Charge technique, but was a cutting weapon. It was excellent for hit and run tactics along a monster's side and legs, or heavy blows to its head if a Hammer user wasn't around, but could be a hard weapon to learn "properly" rather than just relying on its raw power.

Contrasting these heavy weapons, Edon and Kazuki would be the ones moving swiftly around the creature to try and bleed it from as many different cuts as possible. The long reach of Kazuki's blade and the Spirit Combo technique would allow him to cut tails even on tall beasts, and build up extra power the longer the fight went on. Edon's rapid attacks and extra defense, however, would allow him an easy switch between evasion and blocking. And while right now it wouldn't have any such qualities, later on they could get him a set that had paralytic, poisonous, or elemental qualities to exploit monsters' weaknesses--the quick hits of lighter weapons like Dual Blades and the Sword and Shield meant that such coatings could be repeatedly applied and rapidly overcome a monster's immune system.

With introductions out of the way, Cyrus tossed Kazuki an official Quest posting. The dark haired Hunter snatched it out of the air reflexively before he even knew what it was; looking over it, he noted that 2600z seemed a bit on the low side, but then again the village wasn't in great financial straits at the moment. But no matter--the important part of this journey would be the materials. Fifteen Ioprey was a lot for a beginner-level culling quest...but that meant they could get a lot of Ioprey materials, as well. And Ioprey Armor would be an excellent set to start with for these rookies.

"Thank you, Elder Cyrus." Kazuki bowed to the man once more, and then started to head for the door again. He didn't leave immediately, but held the door open for the others politely. Assuming everyone followed him and the group exited the Town Hall, then headed up to the Departure Gate of the village where their transportation waited, he would offer everyone in the group one last piece of advice--he didn't want to seem like he was bossing everyone else around, but he was, after all, the experienced one. Relatively.

"Clara." he called to the Great Swordswoman, "I'd like you to come with me; we're going to focus on hunting the Iodrome. Kaze, you mentioned you have experience with being a butcher--as you, Edon, and Tamietta hunt the Ioprey, whenever you've cleared the immediate area of threats I want you to help them carve up all the 'prey bodies--Pay specific attention to getting their Scales, Hides, Claws, and Fangs. You can also cut the Poison Sacs out of them, and Small Bones. Leave nothing behind if there's a use for it, but don't worry about ruining any of the materials during the fight. Do whatever's necessary to kill them without getting injured."

"And everyone, whenever you're not fighting a Monster, always pay attention to your environment." he added, turning to address all of them rather than anyone specifically. "If you see ore veins, mine them. If you see Herbs or other useful plants, pick them. If you come across bugs, catch them. All kinds of things are used as materials for Armor and Weapons that you might not expect, or can be made into helpful items. Every Hunter worth their salt is also an excellent survivalist and a bit of a craftsman."

With that said, they would--assuming--be off, and the adventure would begin...

Kaze didn't even pay attention to the talk of money. But he listened to the small bits of information that Cyrus told them. They'd be bunking in the town hall for roughly two weeks until the guild hall was actually built. He was used to sharing space with people so he wasn't particularly bothered. If it got to much he'd set up outside of town. Close enough to be safe but far enough to be left alone. He watched Cyrus and Clara, both seemed displeased with his halfassed introduction, he really didn't care. They'd get to know him through action, not words. Anyone could talk a fair game but few could actually back anything up.

The final member to actually talk was the sword and shield guy. Edon. With everyone introduced they left the building and went for the Departure Gate. This is where Kazuki spoke up, making a plan for the group to do both parts of the job. "Shouldn't take too long. When we're done with the prey should we just come and help you two?" He questioned, he was assuming that they could take out fifteen ioprey before Kazuki and Clara could take out the iodrome. As he moved he shifted his gear a little revealing the five iron picks he carried, a couple healing potions, a couple cool drinks, a little satchel that held three paint bombs, and the ever present hunting knife to carve up kills. He looked to carry little, he'd probably learn to carry a lot more.

@Kazemitsu @Zeroth @LeamonZest89 @SantosGabriel77



The other hunters introduced themselves while the older woman gave Tamietta her soup. She gave a smile and a nod to her both to show that she'll most certainly enjoy it and that she's definitely gonna be asking for more. She started quietly but quickly devouring her food as Cyrus told them their temporary living conditions. She didn't quite mind the fact that the Guild Hall wasn't built yet because, as he pointed out, the group would be together. That'd be an excellent time to learn about her new brothers-in-arms outside of doing hunts. In the present time, Cyrus threw the quest paper over to Kazuki as she peered over to see what the quest entailed. Ioprey and Iodrome...she remembers hearing about them on her trips with her family, but never quite met one. Wonder what they're like?

Kazuki began to gave the group instructions on how to handle the hunt. Being told what to do isn't exactly pleasant, but his battle plan sounded fine for the most part. However, the idea of her not facing the Iodrome displeased her...greatly. She let him finish as it was rude to interrupt, but she zoned out for most of his instructions instead. It wasn't out of a lack of respect there, but more so that this was info she's well since known about. She had most of her tools already on her person as well. She had nothing to worry about outside of killing some Ioprey and facing this Iodrome. The name suggested that it was a "pack leader" sort of monster too...The Ioprey better be following it.

She took off the large leathery bag that had been on her back and started riffling through it to make sure everything was present. Potions, cool drinks, and a few herbs were in one section. Her nets and pickaxes were in their own separate sections as well, with a durable section being dedicated to flash bombs. She didn't know what this monster could do yet, but flash bombs were always helpful...blind a whole pack of them and start ripping into them before they can get out of their daze. She also took out her hunting knife for a moment to check how it looked. Just fine...same sharpness and edge as it always had. Perfect. She sheathed it back in and nodded towards Kazuki as he finished

"Tamietta: Make sure not to kill this Iodrome too fast, alright?" She said with her characteristic smile as she stretched.

She then made her way to a nearby changing room before waving to the others. "Tamietta: I'll be just a moment. I can't be hunting in something so fragile now." She said as she closed the door.

Cyrus headed down to the local pub and chatted with the townsfolk about the guild building they were meant to build. Most seemed happy, the owner of the bar sure was, some hunters were very heavy drinkers so more money for him. Some of the patrons didn't like the idea of lots of hunters constantly coming and staying in their village but then again the security such an outpost would provide couldn't be ignored.

The chief toddled around the kitchen cleaning up bowls and such ready for another wave of her soup.



Clara was alright with the idea of splitting up, but there was really no need. The Iodrome was a sub quest and didn't need to be taken out, but the plan seemed solid enough. She nodded to Kazuki "Alright then, I guess we'll head out now?" She looked over at Tami who said first she needed to change. Clara nodded and watched he walk off into the changing room.

After Everyone was ready the group would set out (this is purely to save time.) the walk was short but still had plenty time to chat among themselves. Clara herself didn't really say anything, she was more focused on getting the job done.

"Shouldn't take too long. When we're done with the prey should we just come and help you two?" asked Kaze. Kazuki stopped and thought for a moment, while Tamriette smiled and stretched.

"Make sure not to kill this Iodrome too fast, alright?" she said before she turned back to the Town Hall. "I'll be just a moment. I can't be hunting in something so fragile now." Kazuki grimaced but said nothing to her. The Long Swordsman finally answered the former butcher.

"Technically, when the Main Quest of a mission is completed, all Hunters are to return to a Base Camp as soon as possible, and then return to the Guild Hall they departed from. "Over Hunting," like having a party that's too large, is dangerous to the ecosystem and thus forbidden save for special circumstances or specific types of missions." he explained. "If you think you'll finish the Ioprey before we've brought in the Drome--say, you've killed twelve out of fifteen with no issue--then it'd be preferable for you to come help us then and not afterwards. Unless you're fine with abandoning the Drome entirely should we not kill it in time. I'd prefer to get the materials." Truth be told, Kazuki was also a sort of perfectionist--he hated having to leave sub-quests unfulfilled in most cases.

"Alright then, I guess we'll head out now?" Clara said. Kazuki didn't detect any disapproval from her, so it seemed like she would go along with his plan. The Long Swordsman nodded, and as soon as Tamrietta returned they were off.

Kaze raised one of his bushy eyebrows at what Kazuki said. "I've read over the rules and regulations before, old and new, and I've never seen a rule that dictates one must leave the extra portion of the job behind if the main part is complete. Plenty of them about poaching or or hunting unregistered." He said while Tamrietta went off to get changed into armor. Saying something about fragile on her way. Was he the only one who liked a little metal in his clothing?

Clara finally spoke up, asking if they'd head out now, once Tamrietta came back in her hunting gear. They could discuss things as they moved out towards the hunting grounds. Maybe they could ask Cyrus, the elder hunter, about all of this when they get back since he seems to have wandered off.

Edon followed the group near the gate....

Edon considered Kazuki as a pretty experienced hunter. Edon already has a strategy, even if he fails Kaze and Tamietta will help him. He does not want to do this like the Aptonoth. He wants to do something not risky, he is also eager to chop every single thing in the loprey's body.Maybe make an armor, something that looks like that is made for bladeusers or at least something close.Edon looked at the group. Mean while Kaze spoke:
"I've read over the rules and regulations before, old and new, and I've never seen a rule that dictates one must leave the extra portion of the job behind if the main part is complete. Plenty of them about poaching or hunting unregistered."

Edon looked back at Kaze

"Good to know that there is someone who knows rules that is coming with me!" Edon said. As he is waiting until they are ready to depart..