Fanfic: Spem Habe (Have Hope)

Author: HypnoHunter

Date Ended: N/A

Chapter 1: The Very Beginning
"Dad, hey Dad, do you think there's life out there in the big blue sky?" asked the little boy.

"Hmm, I don't know son, but it would be quite interesting to find out" replied the man. Yep, i remember that conversation. It was night in the Moga woods. The young boy, 8 years old, was energetic, and had a wide imagination. The man was strong willed, and although he was racking up the years, he could still pull off hard labor.

"Dad, when i grow up, i want to go out there, and discover everything!"

"Haha, ok son, if you say so... but first think about the people here who need your help. Never forget that!" said the man while poking his son's nose. Both of them contemplated the wilderness.

"Ok, son lets head back to the village. It’s late."

"Ok Dad. Race ya' there! Last one there's an ugly Khezu!" The father, reluctant to run, replied: "Haha.... yeah, you go on ahead, I’ll catch up... that boy can't sit still... just like i was."

The man slowly walked toward the village, which was still a long way, when he heard a screech from far away. The man gasped, and started running toward the village. The little boy, who had run into a Kelbi, was unaware of the screech. Suddenly, a shadow flied over the boy. The boy looked up, and saw a pair of wings. The shadow slowly hurried down unto the earth. When the moonlight shone on the shadow, it was beyond recognizable: who else could it be than the infamous King of the Skies? The Rathalos eyed the boy, and the boy learned a new emotion that day: fear. Just as the Rath approached the boy, the man ran at them stood between the boy and the Rath.

"Don't come any closer!!!!" shouted the man. "You won't hurt MY son!!!" Then he slowly looked at the boy: "Run." The boy was reluctant, but the man shouted harder: "Run!!!” The boy ran as fast as he could. He tried to look back, but the man kept shouting: "Run!!!" Just as he arrived at the entrance to Moga village, the last thing he heard was a loud scream. The boy was safe, but one villager was missing...

The little boy went to his house, in a small island some distance from the Moga village, crying. He learned another emotion that day: sadness. His mother, concerned, asked the boy:"Come on, stop crying and tell me what happened".

The boy explained the best way he could. The mother's face quickly changed. Her eyes started to fill with tears. She couldn't hold that emotion for long; she wept greatly. But just as quickly, she went running toward the village. A tragic story, but even more tragic, the little boy....... was me. Shortly after arriving, mom quickly went into the village chief's house. She quickly cried out: "Rathalos in the woods!" The chief was awe stricken. Rathalos were uncommon in the island, and hearing the mother's story, he thought it was an omen. He warned the villagers to watch out for Flying Wyverns in the area.

"Be cautious, people. Be cautious" said the chief. He turned to her.

I'm sorry for what happened....."

"Don't be." she replied, wiping the last tear of her face. She WAS sad, but she saw the world from a different point of view; she thought that everything had a purpose in life. She went to the house, where the little boy (me) was still crying. She took me in her hands, and said: "Spem Habe". Later on, i would realize what that meant: "Spem Habe" is "have hope" in the language of our ancestors. I was confused. "Have hope"? How!? I had lost my father forever, and I was supposed to have hope? I never understood that, until I became a better man.

I grew up sad, but got over it quicker than I imagined. Let's talk more about myself. The name’s Orlando, just so you didn’t know. Life in the village was simple. Everyone gathered resources for the village, each helping the other survive. For some reason, we lived in an island some distance from the village. I didn't know why, but in the future, it would come in handy. More on that later. Actually, I don't remember much about my childhood days... after the incident. I remember that there was an aquatic monster wreaking havoc over the island. Something called... uh... La.. agi... ah! Lagiacrus, that's the one. The chief had called a hunter to aid in the village, and to take down that Lagiacrus. I was shy around him; he looked all tough and scary. But later on, he seemed to be kind with the villagers. I remember lending him some whetstones when he had arrived, and he kindly thanked me. That's when it hit me. Dad said "...but first, think about the people here who need your help." A cool way i could help people: hunting savage beasts that ran amok in the wilderness. Somehow, monsters where really cool. Once, when I was 11 years old, I had a pet Kut-Ku in the farm. You can imagine the havoc it caused, but actually, it was a mini Kut-Ku. It was rather playful and friendly, but the chief was concerned over the safety of the village, so i had to release the Kut-Ku into the jungle. Since then, monsters where my kind of thing. I prepared mentally to begin hunting as early as I could, practicing with swords that the old smithy lended to me. My hope was starting to come out into the open.

Chapter 2: The New Hunter in Town
Much time had passed since the incident. I learned to put the past behind me, but still missed Dad. In the time i had been away from the village (5 years to be exact) i had been inscribing myself on the Hunter's guild. I was pretty happy those days, and thanked the gods that i was finally a hunter. I was wondering what kind of weapons i would use.

"Swords, well duh, that's a piece of cake to use." i said to myself. "Great swords... hmmm, too heavy. Hammers, also heavy. Long swords, good. Axe... you bet! Guns..... guns?? Awesome!"

I stocked up on supplies, my favorite weapons (Sword, Long Sword, Bowgun, Switch Axe). At first, the quests where easy, and i was quickly kickin' Jaggi, Peco and Kut-Ku butt. But once I got to 2* quests, I needed a good team. And i was lucky to find one; I’ll describe those guys for you: Hi, the copy-cat, since he used the same weapon types as me. Expert Lance user. He was a little full of himself, and was a "smart-aleck" as they say. But he had a strong heart and sense of justice, just like me. Second, was Hi. Yeah, really weird nickname, i know. He knew how to use every weapon, but preferred Long Swords. The three of us where nigh inseparable. We were a good team among many hunters in Loc Lac, and slowly but steadily ranked up among many a hunter. Still, we needed one more member, and started to look for potential recruits, in vain. We realized that all we needed where ourselves, so moved along in a "trio" for a long time, until one day. I was recalling all of the stories I’ve heard about famous hunters and the stuff the Guild held secret. I learned about the Elder Dragon Observation Center, since a friend of mine was working with them. She said that many things where kept top secret, but she still told me about many Dragon secrets; for example, the Fatalite crystals, which gave uncontrollable power to any monster who touches them, the fearsome Aurex, a Tigrex unlucky enough to touch these crystals, growing 2 extra wings in the process, among other things. I remember hearing about a guy named Hummel; they said that he and his friend where the first to obtain the 4* G-rank quests. I never imagined it to be possible, since I had only gotten to 5* High-rank quests (for the moment anyways). Learning of this new achievement, I decided to go look for him. But on the way to Hummel's village in the Furahiya mountains, I saw... her. A girl about the same age as me, only shorter, and cuter. She wore Rathalos armor except the helm, letting down her long, brown hair. She had a Long Sword made of Diablos materials strapped to her back. She had blue eyes and seemed to be strong willed, by the look of her face. Eager to know more about her, I walked up to her and saluted her. She had a sweet voice, and her eyes went to your very soul, and......and..... yeah, I’m talking a lot. Let's just focus on the more important stuff. I asked her where she was from, and was astonished to hear she was from Moga too.

"Funny.... I never saw you in the village....." I said.

"Well, my parents lived in a part of the island far from the village" she replied. "Wait, aren't you the kid who's dad..... Uh........."

"Yeah, I’m that kid. Thanks for reminding me"

"Oh, I’m sorry... I knew you're dad, he was funny, and my dad knew him too."

"Well, that's one thing we have in common. Say, you have any friends here?" I asked.

"Well, not any hunter friends. Why?”

I sighed in relief: "Well, I was hoping if you would join my team of hunters. We needed a new member, and..."

She quickly replied: "Really!? Then, I’ll be glad to join you!"

"Uh... well, great! Follow me; I’ll take you to "headquarters". Oh but first…”

“I know, I’ll tell my Dad. He and most of my family moved to Pokke a while back.”

She went to her house, and just as quick exited, following me happily, as if she wanted someone like me to come along. Yeah, now the team was complete.

Chapter 3: Providing our Mettle
Part 1: We arrived at headquarters, which was my house at Moga woods (remember when I said that "in the future, it would come in handy"?). Hi and Gil were sitting there, resting from the twin Daimyo quest. As we entered the house, Hi quickly noticed us.

"Hey, looks like you've found some Los bait" he said.

I gave him the look; it meant that the matter was serious, and he always obeyed. Both Hi and Gil saluted the new member. They were a bit astonished to find that I recruited a girl, out of all things.

"So, you think you have what it takes to join us?" Hi said while laughing. "I thought a new member was bullfango shoot*, but a girl? Haha, no offense, dude... errr, dudette."

"I’m no ordinary girl" replied Kira (yeah, forgot to tell you her name). "I've mastered the Long Sword, and know how to wield it better than you, I imagine."

"Really? replied Hi. "Let's see what you got!"

We went outside to test our skill with the blade.

"Im out" said Gil. "Really tired here. Have fun, you three".

Hi took out his Dragonwood Long sword, Kira took out her Devil Sword, while I used the Death Scythe (made from Ceanataur parts). We were quickly creating a fury of attacks, while Gil watched. Kira seemed to use the sword better than all of us, and Hi was frustated.

"How can a girl be better than me!? That's impossible!!"

"Dude its ok. Don't go all Tigrex on her" I said. "And remember, you're still the best Lancer anywhere". Hi calmed down.

"Well, you're right there."

After some laughs, we sat down and ate.

“So, where you from, Kira is it?” Gil asked.

“Oh, I come from Moga, just like Orlando here.”

“Reeeally?” Hi said, looking at me with a smug smirk on his face. “I suppose you haven’t kept your promise, did you?”

“Hey, I just met her a day ago. I never would have kept it secret if I had known.”

“…Now that that’s settled, let us resume eating.” Gil said while we filled ourselves with Kut-Ku meat. Not for long anyway, for a messenger hawk came to the house. I took the message in its foot, and read it aloud:

"Greetings from the Guild. We have heard of your talents, and are asking for help... no, a favor. We have received word of a Lao Shan Lung approaching the Fortress. To prove your mettle among hunters, you have been requested to repel or slay the beast. Please arrive at the Elder Dragon Observation Center as soon as possible for further information. Tardiness will not be accepted."

Sincerely, the Guild master.

We were given the chance to hunta Lao Shan, and were very, VERY excited. But I was a bit uneasy, too; Laos aren't push-overs, and we were going to find out the hard way.

We arrived at the Elder Dragon Observation Center, where they would explain the quest requirements, dangers, yadda, yadda, yadda.

"The Lao Shan's are giant dragons that have no real habitat; they just keep moving." said Isabel, the friend of mine that had joined the dragon center. "They're not that aggressive, but they will squish you if you stand close to their feet."

"Here that, Hi? Don't wanna' get splattered by another dragon, eh?" Gil said, snickering.

"Oh come on, that Kushala ganged up on me, and you didn't do diddly-squat!!" Hi replied, angrily.

I stepped in: "Ok, guys, enough. Less fighting, more listening!"

"Oh, here comes lover boy to talk about world peace". I swear, if Hi wasn't my best buddy, I would have cut his head in half; but I resisted the temptation, and replied back.

'Hey, we're "buds", right? Let's just calm down, ok?" Fortunately, they did calm down.

"Ok, moving on..." said Isabel, awkwardly. “You guys have to bring plenty of supplies, maybe some Max potions, Lifepowder..."

"Wait, WHY!?" replied Hi. "It's just a Lao Shan! I bet I could kill it with his eyes closed"

"Well, have you even seen a Lao Shan?"

"...Good point. Sorry"

"You'll need weapons with good sharpness, too" said Isabel.

"I'll use my bowgun" I said. "Hi, you can borrow my long sword, and Gil, well, bring your Rusty Claymore"

"It's Gaelic Flame, I just upgraded it!"

"Ok, team, look for some Lifecrystals and Nutrients, we'll need 'em." Before I could leave the building, Isabel called me.

“Wait! Orlando!”

“Huh? What’s the haps?”

“Uh… I just wanted to wish you good luck.”

“Well, thank you, Madame.” She grinned and hugged me. I patted her head lightly. We knew each other since I started hunting. She was beginning to inscribe herself in the E.D.O. when we first met. I kinda’ liked her, until I met Kira……… Erhem……moving on. We went about and agreed to meet at the quest counter when we were ready. I went to Kira to talk.

"Seems you’re a little quiet."

"Yeah, I’m a little shy around your friends..."

'Don't worry, they won't bite... I hope, for their sake." We laughed for a moment, and parted ways to look for supplies.

Part 2: I took my Shakalaka Prized Bow, which fired Dragon S, useful against Lao Shan, and put on my Death Stench armor, which gave me the Auto-reload skill. Gil used his Rathalos Soul armor, while Hi used his Agnaktor set. Kira used her full Rathalos armor set. We finally met at the quest counter. Gil was the first to speak.

"Well, gents, it’s been nice knowing you all".

Kira responded: "Yeah, because you'll be the first one to be knocked out".

Everyone "oooohed" at Kira and "congratulated" her for "talking tuff". We began to mount the Guild balloon, but before I could set foot on it a cloaked man stopped me.

"Here. You just might need it" he said.

He gave me a strange container. I thanked him, but quickly mounted the balloon. I saw him dart off quickly.

"Who was that?" asked Hi.

“That was your mama’.”

We laughed while the balloon took us to the Fort. We saw most of the land surrounding the Fort, which was pretty impressive. Arriving at the massive building, we went inside and prepared ourselves for the fight ahead. We checked for our materials, combined a few; put them in their respective places, etc. While we did this, we felt a large thud. The whole fort moved.

"Hm... I do believe Lao Shan's here".

We quickly went outside; the Lao Shan was already near the fort's gate.

"My Gods, that thing is HUGE!"

We readied our weapons, and the Lao Shan let out a terrifying roar.

"Watch out, everybody!" I said.

Hi and Gil went down and attacked the feet, while Kira and I fired at it from above, me, with my trusty bowgun, and her, with the Ballista. The Lao Shan took notice of the guys attacking it, and swiped them off with its tail. They landed way off the dragon's way. I laughed at their faces.

"Come on guys, he's just a Lao Shan!" They both replied: "Easy for you, you're way up there!”

They got on their feet and continued attacking its legs. Once or twice it fell on the ground, leaving its belly defenseless and allowing Hi and Gil to attack its weak point. After that, the battle was a bit boring, aside from except the tail swipes and the ramming. After a while, I was almost all out of bullets. And surprisingly, the Lao Shan didn't seem to be weakened. I took my last Dragon S, and fired at the beast's damaged back. As it penetrated the shell, the giant dragon let out a LOUD roar of pain. He flailed its head from side to side. I could safely say that it was really having a bad day. And just like that, the Lao Shan was toppled over. We actually defeated the Lao Shan! We were screaming our heads off.

"WOOOO, we did it!"

"I told you I.... I mean, we could kill it".

The guys where quickly carving the beast's body, and Kira and I were descending the ladder when I noticed something. The Lao Shan was................................ Moving. He quickly got on its feet, leaving my friends dumbfounded. I noticed a strange rock on the Lao Shan's back. It had a green tinge to it. That's when it hit me; Isabel had told me that Hummel, the first 4* G-rank hunter, had seen a peculiar crystal from a fight with a Teostra who had gone wild. It ALSO had a green tinge. One thing came to mind: Fatalite. The Lao Shan was drawing power from the Fatalite! I screamed to my friends to take cover, in vain. The Lao Shan sprayed the guys with a weird Dragon element breath attack, and they were tossed aside like little rocks. The dragon, now with ten-fold strength to spare, targeted Kira. He rammed her with its head, and swept her far away. When she landed, the Lao Shan was already preparing its dragon breath. Just in the nick of time, I fired a shot at its horn. The horn broke, and the giant dragon roared in agony. I felt a little dominance over the beast, but it quickly recovered and targeted the Fort. He moved surprisingly quick.

"Oh Gods, with that new strength, he could destroy the whole building! Think, think, think..."

At that moment, I remembered the cloaked man. I took the container he had given me; it had a special-looking shot inside. As I touched it, it filled me with indescribable sensation.

"Well, he did say 'You might need this', so..."

I took the bullet, cocked the gun, and fired at the Lao Shan's snout. In a split-second, there was a big flash. I heard a powerful screech; I had to cover my ears. I opened my eyes, and the Lao Shan was falling on the ground yet again. This time, however, the deed was done for good. I felt a strange feeling inside. We had killed a Lao Shan, and not just any Lao Shan: a Fatalite-infused Lao Shan! But first things first; I went to my friends to help them. They were all unconscious. I dragged them together and used a lifepowder. As they breathed it, they regained consciousness.

"Whoa, I’m gonna’ feel that in the morning'" said Gil, with pain.

“Whoa, did you... did you kill the Lao!? AWESOME! You're going to be famous!"

"Well, you did a pretty good job too. My shots weren't that powerful against it".

We finally carved the body of the defeated dragon. I quickly and secretly took the peculiar crystal and hid it in my bag. After carving what we could, we took everything to the balloon, and lifted off. Everyone was inside, healing, except me and Kira. We watched the Sun set over the Fort. Very big building, by the way.

"Thanks for saving me" she said.

"Well, I couldn't just let you get done by that thing. And technically I......"

Before I could end, she gave me a kiss. Man, those lips of her were so good.

"Uh, never mind... Oh, one more thing: remind never to heed the Guildmaster's requests for as long as I live." We laughed, and watched the horizon. I felt a new feeling that day: love.