"Here you go. Take this, this, this, and. . . this." The purple-haired Abi handed over a collection of items to Velk, who had just arrived at her desk. He wasn't even able to get a word out before he was bombarded by the stuff. The assortment included: Velk's new set of armor, the guild-certified hunting knife, an iron sword and shield, a smaller kit of leather armor made to be worn by a felyne, a small bone axe, a long iron spade, a small iron hatchet, an iron pickaxe, and last but not least, a small palm-sized guild card.
Taking the pile into his arms, Velk grew a despairing smile as he was burdened by the weight of his new collection, which consisted of multiple sharp weapons and tools: Ones he would preferably not drop on himself. He expected to be given his and Ash's new equipment quite early after his arrival, but he wasn't expecting to receive them this early.
"Uh. . . . Where do you. . . I put these?" Velk had horrible handling of the items given to him, and he felt like he was going to drop something as his back was straining to carry it all.
"Bring them to your dorm and quickly get dressed in your protective gear; I already have an assignment for you! You may find some of your dormmates in there, though, so don't hurt anyone!" By the time Abi was finished, Velk had already started rushing towards his room as quickly as he could with Ash in tow. His muscles had already begun to strain under the weight of his bundle. On Velk's way to the dorm room, Velk had accidentally dropped the iron spade, the knife, and the guild card, but luckily, Ash was there to pick up the drop-offs.
Arriving at their new sleeping quarters, Velk and Ash had difficulty opening the door: Velk because he was so over-encumbered, and Ash because of his diminutive size. Fortunately for them, it seemed like someone heard their shuffling and opened the door to see what was happening.
"Ahhh!" Velk barely had the time to cry before he crashed; all the items he was holding slid across the ground, spreading out in an unorganized fashion.
The door opened to reveal a shirtless, dark-haired man with equally dark eyes and tanned skin, and a curious expression. That curious expression quickly turned to surprise, then to shock, as Velk stumbled into the room and tripped, dropping all his belongings on the wooden floor. Velk had been leaning against the door as he attempted to wiggle his hand into grabbing the doorknob, but when the man suddenly opened the door, he lost balance and fell.
"Oh no!" A young woman's voice rang out from a nearby bunk in half distress and half giggle.
Velk quickly recuperated from the tumble and immediately started to pick up his items while looking around the new place. The dorm contained two bunk beds, a table with a couple of personal possessions placed atop it, and chairs. Multiple guild banners also decorated the room, hung above the windows and the door. All in all, it was a homely little shanty.
"Peri! What are you doing? Help him!" The woman called out to the man, still standing in the doorway, looking startled and stunned.
He quickly came to his senses and burst out laughing before saying, "Sorry about that," and then hurried to help Velk collect his belongings. Ash had already rushed towards Velk to ensure he was alright before helping out with the cleaning.
Sighing in relief, Velk smiled before saying, "Thank you" to the man who decided to help him. Velk, who had been lost in thought and was grabbing his stuff much slower than he usually would have in such a situation, sped up on the work.
"Don't mention it. My name's Peridal, by the way. What's yours?" Peridal asked as he grabbed the leather vest nearby.
"Velk."
"Velk. . . . Are you perhaps named after the elder dragon?" He started to laugh after asking and picked up another piece of equipment.
"Yes. . . ." Velk dejectedly answered, knowing what was coming next.
"Oh, hahaha. That's too funny." Peridal continued laughing at Velk's expense before returning his mind to the task at hand.
Once everything was assorted, Velk, Ash, and Peridal moved the items to the nearby unoccupied bunk and placed them atop the sky-blue bedding. After clapping his hands twice, Peridal said, "And that should be everything." He then extended his hand to Velk for a handshake.
Understanding what Peridal was aiming for, Velk joined hands with him, and they shook on it. "It's good to meet you, Velk." Peridal said before turning towards Ash and addressing him, "And who might you be, little one? Before holding out his hand once again.
"Meow, wow!" Ash responded to his greeting and took his hand into his two paws before shaking.
"His name's Ash." Velk often introduced Ash since most people didn't speak Lynian and couldn't understand a felyne's spoken language. Even he couldn't directly communicate with Ash as much as he would like. It takes a great deal of time and patience to learn Lynian: Time and patience, Velk did not possess at the time. One of the basic requirements for becoming High-rank within the guild requires the hunter to have a proficient understanding of at least two Lynian dialects.
"Yup, I heard. Well, it's nice to meet you too, Ash," Peridal started, "As you already know, my name is Peridal, and this is my mate, Marcia." Peridal directed Velk's and Ash's attention toward the woman who had not moved from the bed since they arrived. The woman they laid their eyes upon was a lighter-skinned, lithe brunette with pale eyes and a sharp nose. Although Peridal called Marcia his 'mate,' it would be more appropriate to call her his wife.
The practices and traditions of humans and wyverians often reflect those of the wyverns. Courtship rituals, in particular, are almost directly mimicked from the rathalos and rathian, which are seen as the pinnacle of mating behavior and are thus idolized as 'the perfect pair.' Though it's been heavily documented by wyvern researchers that rathalos who dominate large territories are known to take multiple mates when and if the option presents itself. . . .
"Hey~! Hey~!" Marcia waved toward the trio and continued. "That was quite the tumble. Are you fine?" She had a concerned appearance as she asked for reassurance.
"Nice to meet ya, Marica," Velk returned the greeting before patting himself up and down and saying, "And yeah, I'm all good. Thank you."
"No problem." Marcia smiled at his words.
Everyone went silent after the introductions, and things became somewhat awkward as no one seemed to know what to say or do. Velk looked around the room in quiet contemplation before asking in a curious tone, "So, did I interrupt anything?"
Peridal was the one who responded, saying, "No-no, Marcia was only helping me get ready this morning. Getting into gear is a bit of a hassle if you're all alone. But now that you're here. . . ."
Marcia interrupted with, "Okay, looks like my work here is done then. Cya later, Velk, Ash. I'll see you soon, Peri," and got up from the bed before heading outside. Everyone only watched in silence as she walked out.
As soon as she left, Peridal turned to Velk and asked, "Hey, how about you help me, and I'll help you guys?"
Velk was pretty sure that Peridal was asking about his gear, so he responded, "Yeah, sure."
Ash joined in on the conversation with a short, "Mew!"
(. . .)
"And the knife goes in here. . . . Perfect!" Peridal slid the knife into the sheath firmly secured on Velk's back. Velk and crew had just spent a little more than half an hour getting outfitted in their gear. When Velk and Ash arrived at the dorm room, Peridal had already been midway through getting suited up, but despite the previous preparation, he still took the longest amount of time due to the complexity of his armor, while Ash took the shortest.
They didn't just spend the entire time quietly, though. During the process, Velk asked numerous questions about the guild and their other dormmates. He learned that the other two he would be staying with had woken up earlier and were already out and about. Velk was also informed that the group often wakes up early and that today was an exception for Peridal due to the rally. Peridal had come in fourth place in the race and was sore after exerting himself so much yesterday, so he slept in.
Velk gathered from Peridal that he was a High-rank hunter, and the only reason he even stayed within the guild-commissioned housing was that it was cheaper and easier than living alone. He could probably convince Marcia to live with him quite easily, but again, "cheaper." Apparently, Peridal, who was quite stingy with his zenny, was saving up for something big.
Now, all geared up, Velk looked over himself in the mirror. Outfitted in a tight and durable leather set—created out of multiple types of hides, chiefly aptonoth, and made up of a vest, leggings, boots, and bracers—he thought he looked striking in appearance. He was still wearing his grandfather's old belt around his waist, which now carries multiple satchels and assortments. Of course, Peridal was confused about why Velk would want to wear the old belt rather than the new one, but Velk only explained that it held sentimental value and didn't elaborate any further. All in all, he was done getting ready; all that was left was to attach the sword's scabbard and don the shield.
Looking towards Ash, Velk found him garbed in a similar set of equipment and playing around with the bone axe he was given for hunting. "Hey, be careful with that," Velk warned Ash.
"Meow?" Ash just looked towards Velk, head tilted as if asking why.
"Yeah, don't hurt yourself," Velk added, which only caused Ash to grow a wayward grin. Velk and Ash knew that if anyone was going to hurt themselves while playing with their weapon, it would be the former. Still, knowing that won't stop Velk from caring about his friend.
While Velk and Ash had their conversation, Peridal finished with his preparations and finally attached his Charge Blade, a giant sword and shield that can come together to form an axe, to the weapon holder on his back after some difficulty. Due to how large and clunky the weapon type was, it was never an easy process to handle such a beast. Now complete, Peridal turned his sight towards Velk and Ash and yelled, "Okay, I'm off. Have fun, you two!" before leaving while waving his hands.
Neither of the two could give their goodbyes before Peridal disappeared from their view. This caused Velk to turn to Ash and ask, "Well, I guess we should get going as well, shouldn't we?"
"Meow, wow."
(. . .)
"What took you so long, Velky!"
"Don't call me that."
"Oh, what's wrong? I thought Velky was a perfect nickname."
Velk could only sigh through his nose in exasperation at Abi's teasing before he said, "There was a slight mishap in my room; nothing big, just. . . unexpected. Having everything knocked out of his hands had slowed him down tremendously, and getting introduced to his roommate and their mate took some time.
"I told you not to hurt anybody," Abi said matter-of-factly.
"I didn't hurt anyone. . . ." Velk tried to rebut.
Abi listened to Velk's words but ignored them and exclaimed, "Anyway, I managed to save that commission for you because I hid it from the rest of the newbies. When I saw it this morning, I couldn't help but think it would be perfect for your first guild quest! Here, take a look at this." She handed Velk a flier with a colorful picture on it.
Looking at the flier most closely, Velk was able to read. . .
{Gathering Quest}
{Title: Rock On, Iron Man!}
{Conditions: Deliver 50 iron.}
{Difficulty: 1 Star}
{Client: The Rak-Al-Faar Guildmaster}
{Description: Dear, oh dear, the iron supply is running low due to recent investments, and we need to resupply. Looks like we will need to send a certain someone out and fast!}
{Reward Money: 1000z}
{Time Limit: 1 Week}
{Location: Mistyweather Mountains}
{Probable Monsters: Altaroth, Aptonoth, Bullfango, Kelbi, Mernos, Remobra, Vespoid.}
{Environment Info: Wild Monsters Sighted}
"Wow! It's almost as if it were made just for me. It's perfect for my first assignment." Velk was amazed that he would be paid so much for a simple gathering quest. Luckily for him, he knew where Mistyweather Mountains was and that it should only be a day's walk from where he was.
"Yup! Just like I knew it was. Hahahahaha." Abi broke out in an almost pained laughter.
While Velk was reading over the flier once again, he noticed that the commission came directly from the guild master and wondered if the sudden need for iron was because of him. Assuredly, that couldn't be the case. . . right? Many new hunters had joined the guild during the rally and probably needed their own tools, which would have diminished the iron supply by quite an amount.
"I think I will take this one." Velk expressed his agreement with Abi and decided that this would be his first mission for the guild.
"Perfect! Let me just write down your name here, and you should be all set to go." She took the flier back from Velk and wrote down his name in almost perfect Mohun with the feather and ink sitting off to the side. With his name printed on the flier, it was officially recognized as Velk's commission, and the time limit had started ticking. Attempting to hand back the flier to Velk, Abi suffered at his hands as, in hasty action, the flier was practically ripped from her grip and into Velk's grasp.
Growing an excited grin on his face, Velk turned to Ash with the flier now in his hand and said, "Look, Ash, it's our first mission!" Ash pumped his paws enthusiastically in return for Velk's eagerness. "Let's go~! Let's go~!" Velk instantly grabbed Ash's tiny paws and started dragging him towards the exit, but before they could leave, they were cut off by the quick-moving Abi, who had hurried in front of them, blocking their departure.
"Where do you think you're going so soon? I still need to explain the finer details and make sure you understand what you need to do. Plus, how would you even bring back all the iron you need? Unless you have a cart or mount of your own, that is?" Abi's words all but stopped Velk and Ash in their tracks, and upon realizing their mistake, they grew wry smiles.
"Whoops! Okay, we'll listen. I was a little too excited," Velk answered for their error.
"Come back to the desk and listen to me. Now!" Abi told them sternly and led the way back toward the desk.
The two boys followed along cooperatively, but along the way, Velk asked, "Speaking of a cart, we don't have one. What do we do about that?"
Opening the side entrance to the back of the desk, Abi responded to Velk's question with, "Oh, don't worry about that. You can borrow one of the guilds, but if you break it, you will need to pay. . . ."