Amos pushed open the door and entered; the guild hall tavern was as bustling as ever.
The reason why Dundorma's Guild Hall tavern was called the People's Tavern was precisely because it didn't restrict entry to customers who weren't Hunters.
Thus, when they saw this one-armed elderly man in everyday clothes, most Hunters didn't find it strange at all, continuing to eat and drink as they were.
Only a few young Hunters who had received guidance from Amos at the training camp and knew about his glorious past hurriedly stood up, nodding and bowing slightly to show their respect.
Making his way to the counter, Amos spoke up, "I need to go to the office area upstairs."
The young guild receptionist didn't recognize him, her expression looking somewhat troubled. Fortunately, at that moment, the guild supervisor who had been dozing off beside the quest counter for decades as if it were a single day opened his eyes.
"It's been at least ten years since you last came to the tavern here," the elderly wyverian said, taking out his pipe and chuckling softly.
Amos casually replied, "Well, I don't really care for drinking."
After the two old-timers exchanged a few casual pleasantries, the guild supervisor lifted his chin toward Amos. "If you want to go up, go ahead by yourself. It hasn't changed much from over a decade ago, so I won't show you the way."
Amos gave an "Mm" and, under the curious gaze of the receptionist, walked alone up the stairs leading to the office area.
Familiar with the route, he arrived at the door of an office and raised his hand to knock.
"Come in." The voice that came from inside was the deep tone characteristic of a middle-aged to elderly man.
Amos pushed the door open and entered.
Behind the desk piled high with documents sat a burly elderly man with graying hair. His forehead bones were prominent, and his facial features were as angular as rocks, much like his strong, unyielding character. (Guild personnel universally love hide coats.)
"Fabius, your hair has gone completely white too."
The old man instinctively looked up. Seeing the visitor clearly, he froze for a second, then stood up from behind his desk with pleasant surprise, walking over quickly.
"Amos? What brings you here?"
"I came specifically to see you. Would you believe that?"
"You old rascal..."
The two old men shared a laugh and hugged briefly.
They were of similar age, belonging to the same generation, and both had once been top-tier combatants for the guild, fighting side by side more than once.
Since Amos was mainly active around Minegarde Town at that time, they didn't have too many chances to meet. Calling them bosom buddies might be a bit of a stretch, but they could be considered good old friends.
After inviting Amos to sit, the old man named Fabius was about to call for staff to prepare some tea, but Amos stopped him.
"Don't trouble yourself. I'll just say one thing and then go."
"What is it?" Fabius smiled and sat down in another chair opposite him.
"It's about my granddaughter."
"You have a granddaughter?" Fabius was surprised. His impression was that Amos had remained unmarried his whole life.
But he quickly realized. "You mean the child of your disciple 'Crimson Blade,' right? I remember that kid. It seems she became a Hunter a couple of years ago too?"
"Mm." Amos nodded his chin slightly. "The day after tomorrow, in the Arena Challenge, she'll be participating, hunting a Yian Kut-Ku."
"Yian Kut-Ku? She shouldn't be twenty yet, right?"
"Mm, not yet an adult. She just made 3★ right after turning seventeen." Amos's tone inevitably carried a hint of boasting.
"...Young people these days are really something." Fabius sighed and shook his head. "In our day, those who made 3★ in their early twenties were considered geniuses, right?"
"Mm... If you have time the day after tomorrow, you could go to the arena to watch."
"Huh?" Amos's shift in topic was too quick; Fabius was a bit slow to react.
Amos placed his hand on his knee, lowering his head slightly. "That child uses a Gunlance, the type that emphasizes offense. But her use of the large shield is really not up to par.
"I'd like to ask you to take a look, and preferably offer some guidance after the battle ends. I'd be deeply grateful."
Fabius looked at Amos with some surprise. In his memory, this was the first time he'd seen the latter lower his head to ask someone for a favor.
"...The Crimson Blade's child, huh."
Then he smiled and said, "Since you've put it that way, of course I'll go. There's no need for you to owe me a favor like this.
"Just like how you sometimes go to the training camp as an instructor, guiding the young is precisely the duty of us old folks, isn't it?"
—--
In the arena's preparation room, she was alone.
Isis didn't much like this feeling of solitude. Fortunately, it wasn't the first time, so she couldn't really say she was unused to it.
"But... I still prefer the feeling of hunting with companions, after all."
Isis muttered to herself, then immediately shook her head vigorously. No, now wasn't the time to be thinking about such random things!
She stuffed several pieces of ration into her mouth one after another. With a full stomach, one is less prone to random thoughts.
Forcing down the food in her mouth, she patted her cheeks to perk herself up. Isis carefully inspected the armor and weapons provided by the event.
Since the opponent this time was a Yian Kut-Ku, far stronger than the previous Velocidrome, the performance of the armor and weapons had also been upgraded.
The armor was the Cephalos Set, forged from Cephalos materials combined with metals like Machalite Ore. Its defensive performance was somewhat better than the previous Chainmail Set.
Most importantly, this set provided decent heat resistance (Fire Res +10). Although it still fell into the category of 2★ Hunter-level armor overall, it could be considered targeted for dealing with a Yian Kut-Ku.
The weapon was the "Eizenlitter." This model of Gunlance was still a branch within the extensive derivative tree of ore-based Gunlances, essentially an advanced version of the Iron Gunlance. The two weren't very different in shape and weight distribution; rounding it off, it wasn't much different from her Defender Gunlance either.
The only thing to note was that her accustomed Defender Gunlance was a Wide-type, while the Eizenlitter in her hands now was a Normal-type. The shelling range was longer, but the relative power was somewhat reduced.
For her, this was a bit of bad news, not too small but not too big either. After all, she had always been accustomed to close-quarters combat, and she was more comfortable with the most powerful Wide-type.
The items were still those basic ones, though three Sonic Bombs were added.
Yian Kut-Ku had keen hearing and huge ear flaps like scarves. If these three Sonic Bombs were used well, they could play a crucial role.
Since her Slinger had been confiscated upon entry, she had to throw the Sonic Bombs by hand this time, which she really wasn't used to for a moment.
Isis carefully separated the fuses of the Sonic Bombs and wrapped them around her belt. This way, just a hard pull would ignite the fuse. Though still not as convenient as the Slinger, it could save a second or two.
When all preparations were complete, she sat down on a chair, closing her eyes to rest.
Not long after, event staff came in to confirm her readiness. After confirming everything was in order, the horn announcing the imminent start of the arena battle sounded.
Following that came the erupting cheers and screams from the spectator stands.
The clean and brutally violent fight last time had earned her quite a bit of attention.
Many people hoped she could take down a Yian Kut-Ku in a few strikes like she did with the Velocidrome. But anyone with a little relevant common sense knew that was impossible.
The two weren't on the same level in terms of size, scale hardness, vitality, or anything else.
Compared to the warm-up match a few days ago, this was the real fight.
Shouldering her weapon and fully armed, Isis adjusted her helmet, walked out of the preparation room, and entered the arena through a dim passageway.
With the change in lighting, the sunlight was a bit glaring, and the cheers from the stands became much clearer.
"Meow! Go for it meow! Look here meow!"
Familiar shouts mixed within the noisy human voices caught her attention. Isis turned her head to look. On the spectator stands not far from her, Clawdia, Sajji, and big sister Francesca were holding a banner over two meters long, jumping up and down. The banner had words like "Go for it" and "Must win" written on it.
Next to them, Grandpa Amos and Altaïr were also waving to her with smiles.
The tiny bit of nervousness Isis originally felt suddenly melted away.
She moved her joints, bounced lightly on her toes a couple of times in place, feeling eager and ready to go.
The moment the bell symbolizing the start of the arena battle rang, before the iron gate blocking the monster had even fully lifted, Isis was already charging out at full speed.
The giant orange-red bird, tucking its wings and swaying its head, stepped out slowly from behind the gate, not yet having had time to let out a single intimidating roar.
When it saw a small, inconspicuous gray ball land right in front of it...
(Translated by yourtl.app)
TL NOTES — LORE SECTION Some terms and creatures referenced in this story may be unfamiliar to readers new to the Monster Hunter universe. The following entries provide additional context.
MONSTERS
Cephalos — A sand-swimming Bird Wyvern found in arid desert regions. Smaller than its alpha variant the Cephadrome, the Cephalos spends most of its time submerged beneath the sand, ambushing prey from below. Its tough, heat-resistant hide is commonly used to craft armor suited for encounters with fire-based monsters.
PEOPLES
Wyverian — A long-lived humanoid race found throughout the Monster Hunter world. Wyverians are distinguished by their pointed ears, elongated limbs, and four-fingered hands. Owing to their extended lifespan, they often occupy positions of deep expertise, serving as Guild officials, master blacksmiths, researchers, and elder advisors.
PLACES
Minegarde Town — One of the oldest and most prominent Hunter Guild hub cities in the Monster Hunter world. It serves as the central setting for the earliest entries in the main series and is considered a historical cornerstone of organized hunting culture.
EQUIPMENT
Gunlance shell types — Gunlances are classified by their shelling type, which governs the behavior of their explosive rounds. Normal-type shells fire multiple rounds in quick succession over a moderate range. Wide-type shells release a single concentrated blast at very close range, rewarding aggressive point-blank combat. Long-type shells travel the greatest distance but demand careful positioning. Isis favors the Wide-type for its raw close-quarters power.