(Hunter's POV)
"They're back." Solar said as we walked towards the entrance of the camp, "They had a scouting expedition and spotted a path that leads to another region."
I stood next to her as I saw several Seikret being ridden back into camp, "I see...."
I watched as I saw the first Seikret carry a familiar face; Alma. Behind her, a young boy was looking around. I knew that was Nata, I recognize that face anywhere. Alma's seikret stopped and I saw as she dismounted, a slight smile on her face as she helped Nata off.
Behind her, I saw another familiar face; Gemma. She had a smile on her face as Erik was next to him, both mounted as well. It was very surreal, seeing such a beautiful pair of faces. I meant Gemma and Alma of course.
As they dismounted, Solar waved at them, "Hey guys!" She called out, "Welcome back! Did everything go well?"
Behind Erik, I saw some other Hunters who dismounted. I recognized them being the other hunters from other units. My guess is that they escorted Alma and the others, considering those aren't hunters.
"Solar!" Gemma said as she walked up to us, "The scenery in the plains is beautiful, you should come and see a camp we set up, overlooking the grassland!"
"Oh, I would love to." Solar smiled
Alma and Gemma walked up to us, and the two immediately laid their eyes on me.
"Oh, who is this person?" Alma said, her hand on her chest as they stood in front of us, "I don't recognize him. Is he a newcomer?"
"Sort of." Solar gestured at me, "This is Hunter."
Gemma raised an eyebrow, "Quite the name." She said, "Don't you think so, Alma?"
"Yes, it is quite...amusing, to be honest." Alma smiled slightly
"Well, amusement aside, this person is someone of importance." Solar explained, "I helped him in the middle of the desert; he was chased by a pack of Balahara. Hunter is a survivor of the Sandship that shipwrecked."
"What?" Alma said with surprise, "He was in the ship?? I heard that the accident was terrible. If we can examine the site, I can confirm what exactly happened! There is something more to it."
"He can tell us, though." Gemma said
"Due to the nature of the accident, Hunter has a form of memory loss." Solar said, "He doesn't remember much of what happened. But one thing is for sure; he is a member of the Shadow Unit."
"Ehhh?!" Gemma exclaimed, "The Shadow Unit?! I heard of them!"
"The Shadow Unit...." Alma said, "The files on them are classified information....that must mean that..."
"That's right." Solar said, "Hunter here is a veteran.....hunter...."
I nodded, "It is good to meet you." I said, "I hope we can get along."
I was trying to stay calm.
The truth is, it is quite weird to admit that I had a crush on these two. I am trying to stay composed here, I mean it is Alma and Gemma. This wasn't a dream; it was really them. I couldn't believe that was in front of them.
"R-Right...." Gemma said, "You're....a...."
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Alma said, composing herself, "That means you were meant to come here, right? What sort of mission did you have? Erm, if you even remember that."
"I do not." I said, sticking to the story, "But I suppose I will have to wait for an order from the higher-ups."
"Right....." Alma said
"For the time being, he is with us." Solar said, "I've asked Olivia and she allowed it. Gemma, do you happen to have an extra set of Hope Armor?"
Gemma nodded, "I think so." She said, "And I do believe it is his size...."
Solar looked at me, "If you want, go ahead and get geared up." She said, "It is going to take some time for the order to come through, so I suppose we can use some help."
"Solar." Alma spoke up, "There was an issue with our friends at Kunafa. I wanted to come and retrieve you, it could be related to a Monster."
Solar nodded, "Understood." She said, "Gemma, I'll be counting on you. Get him his weapon as well."
"Right." Gemma nodded, "Come with me, Hunter."
**************
"How does that fit you?" Gemma said with a slight smirk
I was inspecting the Hope Gear, which was fitting me quite snugly on me, "It's good." I said, "Lighter than I expected."
"You think so?" She said as she stood in front of her forge, "Well, I'm glad it is comfortable."
I nodded, "Yea." I said, "So, what was the scouting expedition about?"
Maybe they just found the path that leads to the Scarlet Forest. Alma mentioned an issue with the Kunafa village, which I assume has to do with the Doshaguma, maybe. I don't really know what the events are; all of this is quite different from what I remember from the plot of the game.
"We found a path that leads to another region." Gemma said, "But Olivia and Solar haven't really given the okay to investigate further. There is an issue with some monsters in this region still, so we'll wait on that."
"I see...." I said
"Alright!" She slapped her table excitedly, "What weapon do you use? Or you don't remember? Well, no matter, I got all of them....or most of them...let me check...."
She turned around and walked over to a large space next to the forge, and she bent over, as if checking for something. The sight that was in front of me was very insane; Gemma was bending over. It was too crazy that I simply looked away, completely flustered.
"Oookay..." I muttered
"Okay!" She said, "I am missing four weapons. The Switch Axe, The Bow, the Insect Glaive, and the Hunting Horn. But if you get me the right materials, I can craft them for you. Could take a few hours, though..."
"Oh." I said as I looked at her, she had straightened up and looked at me with a slight smirk, "I see."
According to Olivia, I was proficient with several weapons. Could that relate to what I used the most in the actual game? Because if it did, then it would probably be Longsword, Lance, and Gunlance. In that order, they are my Top 3.
But I was recently enjoying Hunting Horn and Heavy Bowgun lately before the Omega update.
Can I only get one weapon? I mean, I can't use two since I don't have a Seikret with the weapon sling. I also wonder how the armor and its skills will work.
"I'll take the Longsword." I said as I scratched my cheek
"Longsword it is." Gemma said as she pulled out a sheathed Hope Longsword from where she was, walking over, "Flashy and cool! I like it!"
She handed it to me and I took it in my hands, strapping it on my back. It didn't feel quite heavy, but I could feel its weight. If that made sense at all.
"Thanks." I said, "Do I owe you anything?"
"Oh, don't worry." She said with a smile, "These Hope Weapons are on the house. Obviously, any other weapon made by monster parts will require the parts and a bit of zenny, you know~"
"Of course." I nodded
"Say, are you good with that Longsword?" Gemma asked me, a slight smirk on her face
"Yes." I said, "I would say so."
"Wanna test it out then?" She asked as she looked past me, "We can get someone over there to help us."
"Huh?" I said as I looked behind me, seeing where we were
"A handler~" Gemma said, "Sasha is available, I am sure."
I saw that on a stool, a young woman was sitting down and writing on a notepad. She was short, from the looks of it, and petite. She had dark red hair and green eyes, wearing what looked like leather armor with a jacket over it.
"Sasha...?" I said
"Yes." Gemma said, "Let's go see what she can authorize for you to go and hunt."
"Get that memory back in your cranium!"