(Hunter's POV)
"So, let me get this straight." Olivia said as she had her arms crossed, "You found this man in the middle of the desert, chased by a Balahara pack. There were no signs of him getting to that specific location and his name is Hunter?"
I was a bit stunned, seeing the member of the Astrum Unit in the flesh. It was very surreal, seeing Olivia standing a couple of feet away from me.
"Yes." Solar said, "That is correct."
Olivia looked at me, "Is that so.....?"
Solar had taken me to the Winward Plains Base Camp, where Olivia was waiting for her along with her palico, Athos. That was even more surreal to see; an actual Palico in the flesh. And not just any Palico, but Athos himself. He was just standing there, his arms crossed as he looked at me. I usually don't really say things like this, but he was just exuding pure aura.
I cleared my throat, "Y-Yea...." I said, "I am sorry, I don't remember much about anything. I just woke on the desert."
I decided to come up with the amnesia excuse, which was a bit of a cliché if I am being honest. But for whatever reason, Solar believed it.
"Interesting." Olivia placed her hand on her chin, "Now that I think about it, the timing seems to be about right."
"That is what I was thinking." Solar said, "Not too long ago, we had a serious incident that the Guild has been investigating. A Sandship collided against an unknown object during a sandstorm, the surviving crew members were taken back to headquarters, but there have been missing members."
"And Hunter here could be one." Olivia said, "We should evaluate his physical and mental health to make sure there are no anomalies. Hunter, I ask again, do you remember anything?"
I need to learn more about this Sandship accident. This could be the key to keeping them from suspecting me. It is all too convenient, I think the System or whatever gave it to me caused this. I don't know if I was tossed before or after the events of the start of the game, but it shouldn't matter. I need to run with this story as best as I can, and I have to find out more about what happened.
"I don't." I nodded, "I am sorry."
"It is fine." She said as he looked at Solar, "The other units are on their way back from a scouting expedition. In the meantime, I want you to have your Handler contact the Guild, ask about Hunter, and his status. If he were a crew member, he must be affiliated with us. There was a Unit we were not acquainted with, truth be told."
Solar nodded, "Of course." She said, "What is the status of our mission so far?"
"We are awaiting orders for now." Olivia said, "But after the others get back and report, we'll continue."
Solar then looked at me, "We should get you to a tent." She said, "The doctor will evaluate you, make sure everything is okay."
I shrugged, "I feel fine."
"That may be so." Solar said as she gestured to the side, "But we need to be sure."
**************
Solar entered the tent, "Well, everything seems fine." She said as she crossed her arms, "Aside from your memory loss, you are in good condition."
I was sitting down on a chair, "Yea...." I said as I looked around, "May I ask what is it the Guild is doing here?"
"Hm." Solar said as she tilted her head, "Well...."
"Right, you don't want to tell me." I said with a chuckle, "I understand."
"We need to confirm your identity." she said, "To make sure you're affiliated with the Guild."
"No problem." I said with a nod, "The faster we can figure that out, the better."
Solar nodded as she sat down on a stool across from me, "So you remember your name and most of your past, right?" She asked, "But not what happened in the shipwreck?"
"I guess so." I said, "It's all so hazy, I am not sure what exactly happened. It's hard to explain."
"It is fine." She said, "I-"
"Solar." Olivia's voice was heard, "Just in luck, we received a report from the Guild."
She walked into the tent, holding some papers.
"Oh?" Solar looked at her, "How quick."
"Apparently, the Guild had identified some of the missing members of the Shadow Unit." Olivia said, "Their whereabouts are unknown, and they have been pronounced dead. The only reason we were told that was because there was a high chance that they could appear here."
"The Shadow Unit?" Solar frowned, "I heard about them.....aren't they a joint force of Hunters and Guild Knights?"
"From what I hear, yes." Olivia said, "It is hard to believe that a simple shipwreck can take them out but one of the members that were identified was only stated to be called 'Hunter'."
Solar looked at me, "Oh?" She said, "A member of the Shadow Unit, huh?"
I blinked, "That.....somewhat rings a bell...." I said, "What does the report say?"
She handed me the papers, "You are a Guild Hunter, proficient in several weapons." She said, "According to the files, you and your Unit are classified information."
"You know what that means, Olivia." Solar said, "Classified Information will end up as erased information."
"Right." Olivia said with a nod, "Just like what happened to you and the Teostra incident."
"The Shadow Unit must definitely have a history of fighting Elders." Solar looked at me, "Big shots, for sure. My fight with an Elder is considered Classified, but for an entire unit to be as well....your group is very formidable."
"But Guild Knights?" I raised an eyebrow, "What's that about?"
"They specialize in hunting Hunters who go against the laws of the Guild." Olivia said
"Yea, I know." I said, "But why would my Unit, who have fought Elder Dragons, have those.....? Hm..."
"For the time being, we will await an order regarding you." Olivia said, "I have already sent word that the Shadow Unit member known as Hunter is with us."
She left the tent, leaving Solar and I alone.
"Well...." Solar looked at me, "That is quite the turn of events."
"Yes." I said
She smiled slightly and stood up, "I know my two team members would definitely be excited to meet you." She said as she headed to the exit, "If you end up staying with us, you could ask our smithy to get you set up with weapons."
After she left, the System Screen appeared in front of me.
[Major Task Unlocked]
- Befriend The Avis Unit
- Hire A Palico
- Rewards: Haki Tree Unlocked
Major Task, hm?
I hope it isn't too hard.
"Alright..." I said,
"Let's see how this goes."