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It's a calm evening in Seliana, the night-lights are on and the temperature just got even colder. But, thankfully, inside Seliana's infamous Gathering Hub, the outside temperature simply doesn't matter. I mean, I'm sure you could sweat from the beer alone, there.
It's only been maybe a week since the Everwyrm's presence has left the New World, yet more mysteries plague the fifth fleet, are more pressing monsters have shown their faces, along with a new land, formally named the "Guiding Lands."
Evidently, it means the hunters still got some things on their to-do list. And that's where the A-list hunters come in. While everyone else deals with common, more standard issues, the A-list has been tasked with researching and overcoming the mysteries that still surround the new world.
"Man I'm tired... but that was a BLAST!"
yet, even if if rather serious matters are pressing them, the A-list, even if the best of the best, are still hunters - Still regular people, for the most part.
"It was certainly a decisive victory, Crystal. It felt a bit refreshing to take such an easy quest."
Everyone needs a break, no matter how strong minded or important you are. And that's what the Gathering Hub is here for. It not only acts as a central hub for hunters that are in need of partners or wish to participate in current events. It also acts as a place to recuperate - a place to let loose some steam before the next big hunt.
"Pfff, PLEASE!! I think they should've let that up to the B-listers, Star! A Glavenous!? Had me cracking up ever since we received it."
Not all quest are handed out equally, and sometimes, the easy ones fall into the hands of even the A-listers. Luckily, it gives them some added confidence for whatever the Commission has in store for them next.
"So what? I had fun! It's nice to just wail on something simple once in a while!"
It's also in this evening, that a particular group of hunters has come to rest at Seliana's Gathering hub. It is in fact the very same group who had quelled the mysterious Everwyrm just a week prior. They're a lively bunch, consisting of:
"Wonder if granny cat's got that sirloin thing again." Crystal, the energetic and uplifting hunter. He's mostly identifiable for his grey hair and shining, green eyes. He considers himself the face of group, as he is the most outgoing of the bunch, with confidence that often rivals that of the commander. Though, you'll often find his weakness to be his not-so intelligent mind. Primary weapon, Long Sword.
"I do recommend you to not drink too much this time, Crystal. I'd like to discuss about the Guiding Lands with you." Starfall, the serious, stoic and brains of the group. He's blonde, his eyes reflecting that yellow in them along with his signature, strange, wolf ears, that rest on his head. To everyone else, Starfall is the face of this group, purely from how serious he takes his job. Primary weapons: Switch Axe. Charge Blade.
"Pff, I can't even GET drunk, so I'll just be filling the rest of my Glavenous-filled gut with whatever they have to drink!" Raze, the big, headstrong brute of the group. Somehow, she's related to elder dragons, though resembles that of an oversized human girl. She's got long, crimson red hair and large, defining, claw ended, plated arms. She's just a big, red dragon girl and likes to devour whatever she hunts. Primary weapons: Great Sword, Hammer, Her Bloody Claws, Her Fireballs.
...yeaaahh.. she's something special.
This is an odd group, that's for sure. Two of them downright don't even belong in this world, maybe. But the Commission is open to anyone capable of hunting dangerous monsters, (even if they are dangerous monsters themselves.) Besides, if wyverians are okay around here, why wouldn't draconians and... odd eared guys, fit?
The doors of the Gathering Hub open and the cold air from the outside mixes with the hot, more steamy air. Quickly, the group of oddities head inside and shut the doors behind them, sealing them inside the much more comfortable Gathering Hub.
"Pfew... finally outta' the cold." Crystal says, before running ahead of his group towards the big round table in the center of the gathering hub. Starfall and Raze follow a normal pace, eventually joining Crystal, who is pondering on what he should eat before their next hunt.
"I see you're planning ahead, Crystal. I assume then you already know where we'll be going after this?" Starfall remarks.
"I'm just looking! I mentioned earlier how I wanted that sirloin. Leave me be."
Starfall simply rolls his eyes and walks off towards the girls at the quest counter. Raze on the other hand sits down next to Crystal, except instead of sitting on a stool, she sits on the stone floor, as no stool can support her impressive weight. Though this makes her appear only a little taller than Crystal.
"Where's he off to?"
"Hm? Dunno. I think he's just picking out more stuff for us to do."
"Is he?"
Raze looks over in Starfall's direction and just like Crystal suggested, starfall apears to be overviewing the requests with the quest counter girl.
"Hmm... why would he go to her, though? ... actually, speaking of."
Raze looks around her, trying to look for someone in particular that should have followed them to Seliana's Gathering Hub.
"Hey, dummy?"
"Yea- Hey! Don't call me that!"
"Keep your pride outta' this. Where's your sister?"
"My... sister? ... who- oh! You mean Majikaja?"
Raze nods. "Yeah, her. Shouldn't she be here too?"
"Hmmm.." crystal wonders, looking around similarly to how Raze had earlier, looking for their shorter friend. "Well.. you're not wrong that she should be here..."
"She's Starfall's handler, right?"
"Yeah, she's his handler. That's why I believe she should be here. ... she was with us on our return trip, right?"
"Hmmm- yup. I was holding onto her until we came back to Seliana. Maybe she just had business elsewhere." Raze says thoughtfully with a hand, or, claw on her chin.
"Orrr... maybe she's just letting off some steam." Raze suggests, a sly grin growing on her face, knowing dead well what Crystal will say in response.
"Letting off steam? You mean like..."
"Hmhm... It could totally be, Crystal. I mean... Maji is so stressed most of the time. I'm sure she sometimes needs to be alone to just... ease off some worries, Y'know~"
Crystal's face turns a little red, his mind wondering from Raze's suggestive ideas.
"you think so? could she really? ... uuuhh.. no, right? ..."
"Pervert." Raze comments, a mischievous, mean grin plastered on her face as she mocks Crystal.
"P-Per- You were thinking the same! You're as much of a perv as I am!"
"Nah. I NEVER mentioned anything naughty. I was just talking about her taking a nap, pervert." Raze elaborates. Crystal has fallen into her trap oh so perfectly, like cat with a cardboard box.
"That's not what y- I- - you and you're- uugh... nooooo..." Crystal groans in defeat, hiding his face and slouching a little. Raze simply laughs at him, giving him a slap on his back to support him.
"GUAGH!-"
"Hehehe, no hard feelings, dude! It's not like I'm angry with you, or anything."
Also, Raze still did that with her heavy, sturdy, claw ended hand, which weights as much as a bone hammer. Not holding much back, either. So, yeah. That hurt.
"Y-y-yeah-.. t-thanks-... Raze." He replies, his voice strained from the heavy impact on his back.
"..you okay?"
"Y-yeah-... n-n-nothing- .. wrong here-"
"Excuse me for leaving, I had to get updates on the current issues." Starfall apologizes, sitting down next to Crystal, who gives him a sly smile.
"I mean.. I get the whole point of "being efficient." but man, does food not even come to mind first?"
"It doesn't, Crystal. It simply passes me that we should be even considering such a thing before knowing what we're up against."
"Aww-"
"You worry WAY to much, Starfall! Smart people like you should know that you can't be at your best ALL the time. Come on, I'm not going anywhere 'til I'm hungry, anyhow." Raze adds, lifting her large, wooden mug in Starfall's direction, beer spilling over the edge a bit.
"I didn't say a break was unnecessary. I simply said that I'd rather plan ahead before taking actions."
"Oooohhh. Damn, man. I seriously thought you were tryin' to get us to hurry up. My bad G." Raze apologizes, before taking a heavy swig from her mug. "But anyway, Where's Maji?"
"Yeah, where'd she go? Raze said she was holding her until we arrived at Seliana." Crystal joins, leaning his head against his hand, elbow propping it up against the table. (I don't know how to describe this.)
"She told me she had to get some notes from her room. Specifically, her notes on what we know about the Guiding Lands."
"Hm? That place? We were just over there prior to this quest. You already planning on heading back?"
Starfall nods. "Hmhm. I believe that place has more than meets the unsuspecting eye, Crystal."
"Like wha-"
"I think so too, honestly." Raze joins in, taking a small sip of beer. "Remember that energy that came from Xeno'jiiva? The elder dragons were like addicted to that stuff."
"Yeah, Raze." Crystal comments. "You too were addicted to it."
"You're damn right I was!" Raze replies confidently, before reaching into her item pouch and grabbing out a small Dragonvein crystal. "This stuff's like sugar, but for elder dragons!" She says, before throwing the crystal into her mouth and crunching on it like candy.
Starfall and Crystal both simply watch her do that, a bit surprised by how natural it looks.
"..I still am not used to her just... eating those. Especially when they have such high energy concentration.." Starfall remarks, a discontented expression laid on his face.
"I just wonder how her body processes.. literal rocks... ain't no way they come out the other end the same way, right?"
"Oh? You really wanna' know?" Raze asks with a smirk, prompting both Starfall and Crystal to shake their heads simultaneously.
"No thanks." They both say, together.
"..ah, but anyway, back to what I was saying. I can feel that same sugary sweet energy around the air, there. Similar to the Elder's Recess." Raze continues getting back to the original topic.
"I believe there's something over there that's making a massive amount of delicious elder energies that I'd love to stuff my face with!"
"Hmmm..." Starfall hums, thoughtfully.
I mean, it's a good possibility, Raze. I, personally, don't notice any energies, But you've proven us before with Xeno'jiiva that you can sense this energy, so I'll trust your words."
"You do? ... O-of course you should trust 'em! No need to tell me I'm right, Starfall!" Raze plays off, totally not having felt appreciated just now or anything. Starfall just looks a little confused at the usually strong headed dragon girl.
"So, what'chu having, Starfall?" Crystal curiously asks, looking over at the available items. "The menu is.. not in our favor today, at least for what we've been able to get. But I at least can live with it."
"Hmm... well, as you guessed earlier, I wish to return to the Guiding Lands as soon as possible."
"Sooo... anything that keeps me filled for a long time?"
"Not.. necessarily. Just try to prioritize stamina, as I'd like this trip to be longer than our last."
"You guys and your food choices." Raze intervenes, currently drinking her third mug of beer.
"Just eat! If you get hungry, eat again! Kaja's a good cook, anyhow."
"A-am I?" Says a light, timid voice from somewhere close by the group.
"Aha!" Raze interjects with some excitement, placing down her mug and looking behind her to see... nobody? "I knew you'd co- ... wait where did you?
"Welcome back, Majikaja." Starfall greets to the supposed handler.
"H-hi, Starfall. S-sorry that t-took so long, hehe." The girl shyly says, causing Raze to finally turn to Starfall's direction to see their short, grey haired handler in person.
"Ah- Maji! I was wondering when you'd show up!"
Majikaja notices that Raze was talking to her and turns her attention to her. "O-oh.. s-sorry, Raze. I-I thought I-I would be b-back s-sooner." Majikaja says, holding her arm shyly. She's also disappointed that she stood up her friends like that.
Majikaja, Starfall's shy and short handler. Majikaja is defined by her soft, wavy, grey hair and her light green eyes. She's not bad with people, but gets embarrassed pretty easily, uncontrollably stuttering even when she's happy. Apparently, her stutters are a medical condition, but she never elaborated well on it. But, overall, she's a kind girl at heart and takes her job as a handler seriously, like Starfall.
"Eh, no biggy! Just tell big sis next time, oki?" Raze plays enthusiastically, happy to see Maji's nervous little face again.
"..why do you need her to be one of our sisters..?" Crystal asks in a perplexed tone, wondering just what Raze sees in Maji.
Then, another person comes forth, standing next to Maji. "I'm here too, boys!" Ayame, the solo hunter. She has hair that cannot decide between being blond or a very light shade of orange and stands at (almost) the same height as Majikaja. Ayame is the kind to take care of side quests in games, before taking on anything progressive. But here, she mostly hunts by herself, occasionally joining Majikaja's group when she feels like it. Primary weapons: Duel Blades, lance.
"A-Ayame! You're here too??" Crystal asks in surprise to see the illusive girl with the cute one.
"Yeah, duh. I came here with Maji after bumping into her on her way to her room." Ayame replies, bumping Maji with her elbow, making the shyer girl look to the floor all embarrassed.
"S-she just s-stuck to me like g-glue t-the moment we m-made eye contact."
"Hehehe, how could I not! You always look like you need someone to just grab a hold of you." Ayame plays, before wrapping her arms around Majikaja and tightly hugging her. "And never let you go!"
Said girl is now blushing strongly. "A-Ayame! L-let go of m-me! T-this is e-embarrassing.." Majikaja protests, yet it doesn't budge clingy girl one bit. Crystal and Raze both watch this affectionate moment with varying reactions. Raze watches with a grin, finding Maji's protests amusing. Crystal watches blanky, his thoughts strewn with naught by just looking at two girls being so close to one another.
"Ow!"
Starfall notices Crystal's thought process and slaps Crystal om the back of his head.
"What was that for!?"
"Hmm.. no reason." Starfall says, closing his eyes and turning away like nothing happened.
Soon enough, Ayame lets go of Majikaja. the latter having run up next to Starfall for safety, even if she didn't necessarily hate being hugged.
"So, besides Majikaja, what brings you here, Ayame?" Starfall asks, formally.
"Eh, saw Majikaja and just thought it'd be fun to take a hunt with you guys. Besides, It does get a little lonely when hunting with just me and Aki." (Aki is Ayame's pawtner.)
"I see. Though, I wish to advise you that we're not going to be doing something that would be up your alley, Ayame."
"Hm?" Ayame's proud expressions fades to a curious one. "What'chu mean, "not up my alley?""
"By that I mean, we're not going to be doing any of the assigned quests. We'll be going on an expedition to the Guiding lands."
"... Guiding lands?" Ayame asks with a perplexed look on her face.
The rest of the group all are a bit bamboozled by what Ayame just said. With just how new it is, and with just how Ayame is, they've failed to even consider that she might not even know what the Guiding Lands is.
"D-do you not k-know about it, A-Ayame?" Majikaja asks, a bit saddened that Ayame is clueless here.
"..no? Agh.." Ayame scratches her head, really using her thinking muscles. "Nnnope! Flies right by me. It's never appeared on the quest board, so I've never heard of it!"
Raze and Crystal both facepalm at the same time.
"You think there are any thoughts in her head besides Majikaja and quests, or is it maybe empty?" Crystal whispers to the equally dumbfounded dragon.
"Dunno, man. Dunno." Raze replies in a similar whisper.
Starfall gives those two a slight glare, before turning his attention back to Ayame.
"Well, Ayame. Majikaja and I would be happy educate you on it. if you're interested, Please come sit with us." Starfall invites, his stoic look making it hard to read his intentions.
"Okay, sure!" Ayame happily agrees, walking over to where Starfall and Majikaja sit, together. She looks between the stoic guy and the shy girl, deciding on where she should be sittting. It's a dillema, really. The best option is for her to sit between Majikaja and Starfall, but that would mean asking Majikaja to move to another seat, which Ayame is not keen on asking her to do. "Erm.." Ayame interjects quietly as she thinks of the best course of action on how she should proceed.
"Scuse me!" Ayame cheerfully says, taking the seat next to Majikaja and just not bothering with this dilemma.
"N-no problem, Ayame." Says Majikaja, who actually feels quite happy that Ayame is interested in joining them.
"So what's this "Guiding Lands" stuff all about? Is it a mew kind of event? Asks the curious hunter.
"W-well.. i-it's actually a n-new landmass e-entirely. .. l-let me show you." Majikaja offers, grabbing her book from her waist and flipping through it.
"The Guiding lands has a particular phenomenon, where Monsters from all around the world have been appearing in, even if there is no ground connecting it to the New World." Starfall elaborates, Majikaja having found the notes about the Guiding Lands in her book.
"L-look. I-it has b-biomes, e-each representing a l-location of the N-New world. It's.. unimaginable how such a place c-could've come t-to be."
"Woooahh! It looks like a mini version of the New World!" Ayame comments, looking at Majikaja's photographs of the Guiding Lands.
"Y-yes, i-it kind of is."
"Hmhm. Though, besides it's strange and unique nature, I have the feeling that there is more to it then we may think. Mainly, there is a rather high concentration of energy hanging in the air, similarly to the Elder's Recess."
"Mm.. okay. Also, are there any more of these biomes? If we had a mini Recess and a mini Hoarfrost, it'd be a perfect mini world!"
"N-no, a-at least.. w-we haven't found them, y-yet. R-Raze mentioned that she f-felt a strong heat e-emanating from somewhere in the l-lower levels, b-but we hadn't really explored m-much there."
"That's why, Ayame, I wish for us to return there. To not only find out more about the source of this energy, but also to maybe prove Raze's theory correct."
"Hmhm. Though, are you guys going to hunt any monsters, there? Or are you just conducting stuff like field research." Ayame asks the two of them.
"U-uhm. A-actually, w-we kind of h-have to. I-it's hard to e-explain, but we've noticed that w-when we started h-hunting monsters, n-noticeably stronger ones started c-coming."
"Huh? Like.. Kill a Jagras, get an Anjanath?"
"You could say, yeah."
"W-we.. don't know f-for sure. So... m-maybe you can try h-hunting some more m-monsters while we're there?" Majikaja asks Starfall, who nods in approval.
"Yes. Atlough it may seem foolish to mercilessly start hunting there, with it's odd ecosystem, finding out its boundaries would prove useful."
"..soooo, you're going to hunt some monsters, too?" Ayame asks, now interested in joining them.
"I'd say, if we hunt a couple monsters in each "biome" we can monitor this "stronger foe" theory and maybe learn more about the Guiding Lands' ecosystem."
"Hmmm! Okay! That sounds like fun, actually." Ayame says with a smile.
"I take it that means you wish to join us, Ayame?" Asks Starfall, who leans in over the table a little more to make eye contact with Ayame.
"Hehe, sure-y!" Ayame giggles. "I've haven't been on any expeditions ever since Seliana was established, so I'm down to go camping with ya'll!"
hearing those words made Majikaja smile. Ayame is a dear friend to her, so getting to spend time with her on the job is something Maji can look foreword too. Starfall too looks a little happy about this.
"I see. Your help is appreciated, Ayame." Starfall says with a little bow, making Ayame place her hands on her hips proudly.
"No need to thank me!" She says in a cocky voice. "It is from the depths of my heart that I bless you with my presence." Ayame says, acting like a goddess, her hand on her chest and everything. It, though, makes Raze snicker.
"H-hey! Don't laugh! I'm really trying my best here!" Ayame retorts, breaking her character to yell at Raze.
"I'm so sorry, Amechi!" Raze apologizes, a kinder grin on her face. "I just think it's cute whenever you put up this act. Makes me wanna slam you into the ground to put you back in your place!" She adds, a more mischievous grin on her face when she "threats" Ayame.
"Ehehehe... p-please don't, Raze."
"No promises." Raze adds, her predatory gaze giving Ayame a shiver up her spine.
"Eep!" Ayame yelps cutely, before grabbing onto Majikaja from behind and pulling her into another embrace. "P-protect me, Maji~" she says with a fake, worried tone of voice that supposed to make her sound like a maiden in distress.
"A-Ayame..." Majikaja protests, her cheeks glowing red again as her friend pulls her towards her. "C-can you... n-not do this w-while were i-in public?" Majikaja quietly asks Ayame, turning her head to her.
"Hmmm... Maybe when you stop looking so fluffy and sweet!" of course Ayame's unwavering attraction towards Majikaja will not be stopped so easily.
"C-come on... a-are you even going to h-hunt with the rest? O-or are you j-just going to s-snuggle up with me for t-the whole e-expedition... "Majikaja shyly asks, slowly and shamefully covering her mouth with her fluffy jacket as she asks her question, which-
"Eh? Is that what you'd like me to do, Maji~?" Was supposed to embarrass Ayame. But it didn't work and now Majikaja has put her hood on and fully hid her face away, making a cute, embarrassed noise while doing so.
"By the way, I got a surprise you all are going to love for sure!" Crystal boasts, making sure everyone has his attention.
"Oh? And what might that be, Crystal." Starfall asks, almost surprised that Crystal has something special to show.
Crystal slowly dips his hand into his pocket. "Hehehe... check this out!" Then, quickly, he takes it out again and holds it up in the air.
"W-wow!"
"Yoooo!"
"Well, my!"
Majikaja, Ayame and Raze all react with surprise and excitement as Crystal holds up a Gourmet Voucher, presenting it with a proud grin on his face.
"Read it and weep, girls! Since we're going to be there for, presumably, a long time, I decided now's a good time to pull one of these out! You can thank me later. "Crystal boasts proudly. The only one not impressed is Starfall, who knows that Crystal has like 10 of these. But, deciding to he a good friend, he doesn't say anything.
"Thanks a lot, man!" Ayame thanks, anyway. "Man, I was hoping one of ya'll would use one. OOH I'm excited!
"I-I.. a-appreciate it too, Crystal." Majikaja thanks, too."
"Yeah, it'll make sure I don't have to listen to that bottomless stomach of yours after just an hour." Ayame plays, poking Majikaja on her stomach.
"H-hey! D-don't do that!
"Hehe... oookaaay. Anyway, does that mean I get to pick something to eat, now?" Ayame asks Starfall, who still acts as the leader of this group, even if it was Crystal who opted to use the voucher.
"Hmhm." He hums. "Personally, I'd say you should plan accordingly, so you're on full energy when we arrive. But." Starfall looks in Crystal's direction, giving him a pleased smile. "Thanks to Crystal, that's no longer something we should worry about." Crystal gives Starfall an appreciated nod, a full grin on her face.
"Heheha. thanks, man! Then, I'm not wasting any more time. THE STIRLOIN IS MINE!" crystal says in full excitement, getting ready to have a feast.
Only a little time later, the feline chefs have delivered everyone their desired dishes. I'll tell you about them in order from left to right.
Ayame chose primarily fish with veggies.
Majikaja went for food similarly to Ayame, but with a side of chicken.
Starfall took a carefully planned dish, consisting of fish, veggies and meat.
Crystal took his precious sirloin, along with a hearty mix of more delicious meats.
Even if she wasn't hungry, Raze still took a bunch of meat and more meat, with a side of meat. What did you expect?
Crystal is the first to comment on Raze actually eating, when she previously mentioned she would only go when she was hungry again.
"Hey, how come you're eating too, Raze?"
"Hm? What of it? Got a problem with me eating?" Raze asks, feeling a bit pointed out by simply joining them with dining.
"N-no, not at all! I just.. you mentioned prior how you'd only leave when you were hungry again. It's great that you're eating with us, that's not an issue, hehe..!" Crystal elaborates, hoping he didn't upset the dragon girl who'd crush him in an instant.
"Hmp, thought so." Raze says, taking a bit out of some ribs. By that, I mean she just chomped through the bones and all like they weren't even there. "Sho.. nmnmnm... I jusht shaid that to get Shtarfall to Shtop-" Raze swallows with a single, mighty gulp. "Pff.. try and get Starfall to let us have a break. I didn't REALLY mean it."
Crystal listens, but cannot help but still find's Raze's style of eating a bit horrifying. "Y-yeah. Okay. Just wondering, Raze."
Over on Maji and Ayame's side, things are more normal.
"Come on, Maji! Just let me handfeed you some!"
"N-no, Ayame.. i-it's embarrassing-" "shush, hush, my sweet." Ayame says slowly inching a tempura shrimp closer to Majikaja's mouth. "Just accept my gifts..."
And before you know it, Majikaja is shyly eating a tempura shrimp, her face like a strawberry. Makes you wonder just what Ayame really thinks of Maji.
A not engaging in any conversations, Starfall delicately eats at a reasonable, normal pace, acting like he's totally not listening in on both parties on either side of him. How does he do that? He simply turns his fluffy ears in both directions like a cat, one for each group.
On a good note, Crystal's voucher turned out very helpful, as everyone was able to fill themselves up with energy and health. In particular, Crystal and Raze both got excellent boosts from the food.
"And done! Fuff..." crystal exclaims, having finished his dishes, licked clean.
"Heh, I'm glad you had a good fill, man. I could do with WAY more. But I'll just cook up whatever we'll come across, later." Raze says, happy that her teammate got his fill.
"Mmmnn.. e-even with feeding you some, Maji. It's just so much food.." Ayame complains, feeling overfull from the food.
"I-I see, Ayame." Supports Majikaja, who finished her plate faster than Crystal did. "I-I think the f-food is just the p-perfect amount, h-honestly-"
"Says the one with the squishy belly! You try it with ripped abs." Ayame states bluntly.
"H-hey! .. d-don't call m-me c-c-chubby... i-it's mean..." she says back, feeling hurt from Ayame's words.
"..aww... sorry, Maji! Got carried away a little from the.. fullness of my stomach.." Ayame apologizes, rubbing her own stomach lightly.
"..." Majikaja just watches, silently. A little too focused on Ayame now.
"...oh, I see. You want to help me, don't you?" Ayame suggests with a teasing smirk. Majikaja immediately glows red, caught in the act of staring.
"A-aahh! T-t-t-that's not it! S-s-sor-ry, Ayame! I-I didn't mean t-to!" Majikaja quickly apologizes, covering her face out of embarrassment.
Eventually, Starfall stands up from his seat in the middle and takes a step back to get everyone in view. "Is everyone well satiated?" He asks to his team, who all agree wholeheartedly.
"Yeah. In fact, you gotta give me a minute to process everything, Star.." Ayame says, still feeling a bit full.
"I'd prefer we waste no more time, as now we're all at our prime. Also, I'm sure you'll be fine once we arrive at the Guiding lands. It's quite a bit away from Seliana."
"I-If you want.. y-you could probably a-ask Raze to C-Carry you i-instead of taking a w-Wingdrake." Majikaja suggests, Raze leaning forwards to give her own input on what Majikaja said.
"Bah, I can carry the both of you! I'm no weakling, my wings can handle it!" Oh yeah, Raze has got wings.
"No, Raze-" "YES PLEASE! I'd love to be carried with Majikaja in your arms, Raze!" Ayame says with full excitement. Majikaja simply sighs, because now her clingy friend has another way to stay attached to her.
"Hehe, you got it, Amechi!" Raze boasts happily, oblivious to Maji's signs against this idea."
"Then, are there any more objections to heading off to the Guiding Lands?" Starfall continues, seeing how everyone is full of food and energy.
"Mmmm... I think I'm good on supplies.." Crystal says, thoughtfully.
"Since it's an expedition, I'd say keep room in your item pouches for anything we might find while were there. For the rest, I have no obligations on what you decide to bring with you. And, besides. The camp's item box has all we would need in case of emergency."
"Hrmm.. then I'm good, too." Ayame joins, standing up after looking through her own item pouch
"Me too." Crystal too stands up.
"I'll stock up on the field. So I have no objections, either." Raze says, standing up along with everyone else.
"I-I've got m-my equipment w-with me.. s-so I'm good, too." Majikaja joins in, even if she's not a hunter.
Everyone stands ready to roll out towards the infamous Guiding Lands, to discover it's secrets and to make their presence known amongst the large monsters who also have arrived there.
"Alright. Then, shall we-"
Starfall is interrupted as suddenly, somewhere in the distance, a loud explosion is heard.
"Huh!? What's that!?" Crystal asks, looking around franticly for the source of the explosion.
"That's.. could it be the steam worker?" Raze thinks, also looking around for whatever made that noise. Majikaja just holds onto Ayame for safety.
"Suddenly, quick and heavy footsteps are heard coming towards them, before suddenly a Brachidios hops onto the open air platform of Seliana's Gathering Hub. As it adjusts itself it lets out a roar of anger, scaring everyone inside, besides the hunters.
"A-A Brachidios?!" Crystal shouts in shock.
"This.. their not even native to the Hoarfrost! What is-"
"No time to chatter, guys!" Raze says extending her claws and standing in a more battle ready pose. "This guy means business!"
The Brachidios looks around, noticing the hunters before it. It then roars again and charges directly towards them!
"Here it comes!!" Raze shouts, before the Brachidios suddenly takes a turn and rushes directly towards the springs of Seliana's Gathering hub. It then hops into the air, crashing directly into the shallow, hot water with a steamy splash that even blows Crystal back a little.
"W-what the...
"..huh?"
When the steam clears, they can see that the Brachidios is just... chilling? It's simply sitting in its small, water filled crater and enjoying the water.
"... ... w-well.." Starfall stutters, at a loss for words. "That is... surely interesting?"
".. hey, Maji?" Ayame asks. "Is that normal?"
"... .. u-uhm- no! N-not at all... t-their... s-shouldn't be any B-Brachidios here...
For a moment, it stays silent, the group watching the Brachidios relax without a care in the world. But, even if it's proving to cause no harm, it cannot stay here.
Starfall reaches for the Switch Axe on his back and unsheathes it, before looking back at his team. "Looks like we've got other problems on our hands, guys."
Crystal too unsheathes his Longsword, nodding with Starfall's words. "Yeah.. looks like the hunt has come sooner."
"Raze?" Starfall asks.
"Yeah?"
"I need you to remove that Brachidios from the gathering hub. We cannot fight it in here."
"So, just like, throw it outside in the snow?"
"Yes. Ayame!"
"Yes!"
"Make sure Majikaja and everyone else here stays safe. You can join us once the Brachidios has been removed."
"Aww ma-" Ayame retorts, before Majikaja tugs on her sleeve.
"... you got it, Star. Come, Maji." Ayame says, before quickly taking Majikaja away from the dangerous monster.
Starfall, Crystal and Raze stand ready, watching the relaxing Brachidios enjoy its hot spring bath.
"Raze, Crystal. Are you ready?" Starfall asks, his Switch Axe fully powered up.
"You got it, man."
"I'm ALWAYS ready, star!"
"On my mark!
"..."
"..."
"..."
"GO."