Tales of the Sapphire Stars I: An Encroaching Encounter

H

Disclaimer

The following is a dramatized novelization of the times and experiences I had with the game Monster Hunter World. All rights for the game belong to Capcom. co.

〜To all my hunter brethren of now and from here on. You all are the true Sapphire Stars〜

〜H〜

As the first rays of the sun shined upon the bustling base of Astera, many of the hardworking members of the commission kept on going with their early morning tasks.

"How long 'till we get those boxes over to the forge! C'mon, Fiver put some back on it won't cha!"

"It seems we are running low on the goods from that list. Perhaps next time the Argosy is in port you could request some of the items written on this list? The ones in red are the most essential ones, we can get the other ones from any hunter able to spare a quest"

"You, get these new quest leaflets over at the board on the canteen. You, take these ones to the hub. Move it, people! We need to have them ready before the Hunters start rushing in!"

"Man I'm starving, let's go see what the chef has in store for today! Gotta fill the tank before heading out"

As such, the Tradeyard was busy with people and Felynes carrying craters, scholars, and researchers arguing about many different topics, and Hunters preparing to leave for the day's work.

Near the gate where a pair of Hunters had just departed from, in front of the giant quest board made of reddish oak, stood a girl wearing green garments and what seemed like a pair of goggles on her head. The fresh smell of the wood from the floor of what used to be the dock of a former vessel, mixed with the fragrance of sea salt in the breeze, was the only thing keeping her company.

Carrying a giant book with a strap that ran over her shoulder, she was gazing at its pages while she chewed on a piece of the famous Astera Jerky.

〜The Encroaching Anjanath〜

As we're gearing up to deal with ZM, we need to secure Astera as much as possible. It's too much of a risk to have that Anjanath roaming so close to the base. Henceforth we hereby request it to be hunted immediately.

Requirements: HR 4 Reward: 4320 Zenny

The leaflet loosely attached by flat pins to her book had such a message written on it. She stared at it with a broad smile while she tapped her heels in anticipation.

"I keep telling you to check the stock at least three times before submitting the final report to the chief Nahdee!"

Suddenly her attention was robbed by the sharp exclamation from a glasses-wearing member of the Fourth fleet, or a "Fourth" for short. He was accompanied by a shorter, bulkier Fourth tinkering with the beads of an abacus, while he huffed and puffed in an annoyed fashion. They were standing near a pulley-esque contraption covered by a mountain of papers, better referred to as the bounty and investigation management center.

"It's not MY fault if the chef keeps feeding those brutes twice as many portions as they do to US regular people you know?! That's why they keep changing the number of goods at the last minute!"

Those words made the girl twitch her face in disdain, as she closed her book and let it hang all the way down her waist. She gobbled the last piece of the jerky and started walking towards the two Fourths, only to be stopped by a figure coming from behind them. She was a familiar face, an ebony skin colored woman with a subdued cerulean blue blouse. Her hair was slightly unkempt, yet decorated by a simple bone ornament with a jade bead.