Fantasy Legacies: World at War - The Hunter Pathology

[Kumii]

• Chapter 4: Interlude
• Skyla

• Interlude Chapter 4: The Hunter PathologyInteractions: AlphaBlueWolf
  Current Weather: Clear
  Current Time: August 28th, 1337.
  After the group make their way to the cabin to discuss and formulate plans for the coming battles, they decide to take some relaxation time to themselves. The Festival being a week away, the Skyla, Mateo and Rai all decide to relax. With Rai deciding to stay behind with and Mateo, Cora and Skyla wanting to explore the city. They would soon come across a strange poster for a particular Bounty Hunt. An unknown ranked hunt, the poster wants any who accept to hunt an unknown species of Monster that has bee recently making moves in the nearby forests.
  
  Many people warn the group that the monster contract has been up for a month and no-one's been able to even find the monster. Mateo and Skyla look the poster over, one thing draws them in. A cash reward, 120,000 Ether along with whatever materials you obtain from hunting the monster in question. Stuff that could surely be useful for crafting or upgrading as well as some funds for later use. Skyla and Mateo look at each with puzzled looks and begin to deliberate over whether or not they should accept the contract or not.
  
• SkylaLocation: Luminosa
  Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf
  Current Weather: Clear
  Current Time: August 29th, 1337.
  Skyla holds the poster in her hands, looking over the details, "So... Mateo... what do you think? Wanna go after this monster? We could use the money and maybe we can use material from it in our plan?" Skyla wasn't sure if it the best idea, especially with the detail that no-one has been able to locate it for a month. They'd have a lot of competition for locating it but then again they may find an ally to help take it down.
  
  Skyla looked once more at the details;
  Rank - ★★★★★ (Five Star) Monster/Spirit, Extremely Dangerous, Elite Ranked
  Species - Unknown
  Issuer(s) - Convocation and the Church
  Bounty Reward - 120,000 E
  Reason for Hunt - Terrorizing the local ecology/Attacking caravans and civilians/Being a nuisance
  Method of Hunt: Slay or Capture
  
  Then Skyla handed the paper over to Mateo so that he could look it over as well.
  

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

With the plan set, everyone had chosen to take some time for relaxation before they really started work. They had a week to prepare before the day of the festival, and all of them felt like they needed a little downtime after their planning. But Mateo didn't feel like relaxing. He felt too jumpy to relax. He only went along with it because the others thought it'd be a good idea. Mateo could tell Rai felt right at home in the little cabin, relaxing next to the fireplace, and the kids were with him as well. Nikolai seemed so much less tense when there was another kid around, and he seemed like just the companion for Mana and her energy. There were still traces of his nervousness here and there, but he seemed more like himself playing with Mana back at the cabin.

Mateo, Skyla, and Cora had decided to go on a walk to get some fresh air. Mateo thought it would be the best thing for him. He felt deprived of air in the cabin. The walls were closing in and something itched under his skin that made him want to rip it off. Being out in the air felt better, but it was far from relaxation. Part of him only agreed to come along on the walk around the city to make plans for his plans. To memorize their route and get familiar with the area where everything would go down. The Ignis statue. He'd wanted to steer them towards it just so he could get a better look. But before they could complete Mateo's secret goals, Skyla pointed out a poster on the bulletin board.

Mateo read aloud the bolded Spanish words on the top of the board, "Tablero de recompensas." Though he didn't know the exact words and their exact meaning, he pieced it together from the different slips of paper that hung on the board. And even though he wasn't completely fluent, he said the words flawlessly, knowing how to pronounce the vowels and piece together the consonants from the words he did know. "A bounty board. Didn't think we'd see one here. But I guess even the Lucestor have their hands full sometimes."

The board looked pretty clear, and Mateo suspected their defenses, the guards and the beacons and the walls, kept most threats out, and because bounties weren't really Luminosa's style. But so close to festival time they must've had their hands full, and Emmerly kept the Convocation busy, a thought that came bitterly to him as he looked over the details of the hunt, seeing the Convocation's seal on the poster. It reminded him of another poster, one that made him feel sick.

"Don't- Don't say it so loud!" He hissed in a hushed whisper, looking around nervously. He rubbed at his gloves, but saw no one who looked at them strangely, besides for the usual odd looks they attracted for being a unique trio. He let out a shaky breath, then looked over the poster once more.

"I mean, I don't think it's one of y'know," He pointed to himself, "Because they wouldn't ever be hiring someone for that job. Too important and dangerous, and that would fall on the Convocation's shoulder. It must be something that hasn't started bothering them directly. More of a thorn in their side." Mateo nodded, "It could definitely be useful. If you think we can handle it, I say we go for it."

"And it would give me a chance to practice for the big show," he said, tapping his hand on the phoenix book. There was a time where Mateo would've been completely against it. He hadn't been much use to the group at all when they'd started out. But now, he felt like he could actually assist his friends in whatever endeavor they strived to achieve. And if it was hunting down a monster, he felt like he could handle it.

 

[SharkBark]

Mood: Neutral

Rai Ikari

Thunderous Hunter

Nikolai's Family Cabin

"Haven't seen that birdie in a while," said Rai as he came up behind his two friends. "And practice against what?"

He smiled brightly, leaning down to look between Mateo and Skyla, and letting his hair fall over his shoulders. They must have been startled to see him, and he'd been looking forward to their reaction from the moment he stepped out of the cabin. "Don't think you two can get away from me that easily."

Initially, the idea was for Rai to remain behind in the cabin and take care of Nikolai and Mana, while Mateo and Skyla ventured out to explore the city. But he got bored very quickly. The two had only been gone for twenty minutes, and Mana was able to talk Rai's ear off in half that time. Her seemingly endless energy was adorable to him, but boy, did she love to converse. Meanwhile, Nikolai was a lot calmer. He spoke to Rai as well, asking him questions about himself, like about his magic. It actually seemed to Rai that magic really intrigued the boy.

Anyway, it wasn't that the kids were annoying Rai. Don't get him wrong, he would've stayed behind if he absolutely had to. But, why did the others get to see Luminosa while he had to stay behind? It was childish of him, yes, but he felt left out. Plus, if he was going to be a part of freeing Emmerly, he would have to know some escape routes.

So Rai told Mana and Nikolai about him wanting to leave. To his surprise, they were very mature about being left behind. Nikolai even encouraged Rai to go, assuring him that he'd take care of them while he was gone. And so, letting his hair down, Rai went out to the city, looking for Mateo and Skyla.

After a bit of searching for them and purchasing a coat, or rather, receiving a coat from someone of Luminosa, despite Rai being a foreigner, he found them standing by a bulletin board.

Rai looked over Mateo's shoulder at the poster he was holding. As he saw it, Rai perked up, smiling in disbelief. "A bounty poster?" he asked, squinting his eyes to scan it.

"Spirit...extremely dangerous...elite...120,000 Ether?" Rai murmured. "Hold on..." he smiled once more. "Hold on! You two weren't about to go after a bounty without the literal bounty hunter, were you? Well, the former, but you get what I mean."

Kumii AlphaBlueWolf

Code by Serobliss

 

[Kumii]

SkylaLocation: Luminosa
Interactions: AlphaBlueWolf SharkBark
Current Weather: Clear
Current Time: August 29th, 1337.
Skyla covered her mouth when Mateo told her not to say the plan out loud, immediately remembering where they were, "S-Sorry! It just kinda slipped out." Skyla calmed down though after no-one seemed to noticed her slip-up. Mateo made a few good points about it not being a Cabrera Beast, Skyla nodded along with his points, "That and... I feel like if they did post a hunt request for it, the species wouldn't be listed as 'unknown'. They'd at least put it down as a Beast, wouldn't they?" Of course Skyla agreed that they wouldn't post a request for a Cabrera Beast regardless.

Skyla thought for a moment, "Just us? It made be a bit more then we can chew but if we mange to find someone else at the very least--" Skyla nearly choked on herself when heard Rai appeared out of nowhere, "R-Rai!" Skyla coughed as she caught her breath, "S-Sorry, we thought you wanted to relax and we didn't think to invite you!" After a moment, Skyla cleared her throat, "Yes, that would've been... an oversight on our part." Rai really knew how to make Skyla feel stupid sometimes.

"A-Anyways, we were just thinking that this isn't an ordinary creature." Skyla looked down momentarily and then grabbed the poster from Mateo's hands and flipped it over. As she suspected, there was more details;

'Reports say that the creature in question has large brow spikes and spikes covering its wings, forelegs and tail.
Creature seems to be dragon-like in nature.
Reports say it was spotted in and around the local forest and mountain areas. Though it does like to stay in large-open fields.'

As Skyla read the details aloud, she couldn't help but have a puzzled look on her face, "Dragons? They're normally reclusive, aren't they? They don't like to start anything so then why..." She continued to read, "Creature has been seen attacking... other Dragons." This of course raised more questions then gave them answers to, a fact which was painted all over Skyla's face. Why was a Dragon attacking other Dragons? Was this creature even a Dragon in the first place? If so, why didn't the Church or whoever posted the bounty say something and enlist actual Dragonslayers? And lastly, was the group really about to become Dragonslayers?

 

[AlphaBlueWolf]

"Rai!" Mateo exclaimed in unison with Skyla, after his shoulders jumped from the new voice. His heart skipped a beat for second before he realized he recognized the voice. But he thought Rai was supposed to stay back at the cabin. His anxiety melted down into a grin as soon as Rai cracked a joke about the trio leaving on a bounty quest without the famous white haired bounty hunter himself. He joked back lightheartedly, "Well, you were a little late to the party."

Mateo glanced back at Skyla as she found out more details of the creature they were looking for.

"Maybe it has rabies? Can dragons get rabies?" He pondered for a second, then shrugged. "Rabies can make animals do weird things. I once saw a rabid fox who wouldn't do anything but spin in a circle. So, it could have some kind of disease similar to rabies that's making it act the way it is. Or maybe it's not even a dragon at all. Maybe an evasive species that's trying to kill the competition in the area? Whatever it is, it's becoming a problem that Luminosa can't ignore."

"Anyways, I say it'd be good practice for all of us. Shake the rust off. Are we all in?"

 

[SharkBark]

Mood: Neutral

Rai Ikari

Thunderous Hunter

Nikolai's Family Cabin

"Yeah, I'm definitely in." Rai huffed, crossing his arms. "There's definitely some rust to shake off indeed. And some battling to get us back into the groove of it wouldn't be so bad. This'll sharpen us a bit for the possibility of to do some roughhousing when we-" Rai halted and looked around. "You know."

"I'm not too sure why they listed this as a bounty though." he continued. "An Elite-Ranked threat should be left in the hands of Luminosa's top guys and gals, no? At least, that's how they'd do it back in Ironshire. They'd limit it to only SS hunters and higher being able to claim it."

Rai leaned lower and squinted his eyes at the paper.

"Although...I'm not seeing anything like that here. Looks like an open case."

Standing upright, Rai placed his hands on his companions' shoulders again. "Nothing we can't handle though. We've had our share of scuffles with strong foes. One of us even has killed a dragon before." He turned to Mateo and winked.

"So let's claim this bounty then, then split it evenly. 120,000 Ether that's....20, 35...40,000 each?"

Kumii AlphaBlueWolf

Code by Serobliss