Frontier Lineage

By Thomas A. Hawk

All characters appearing in this work belong to me, myself, and I, unless otherwise stated. Credit for the initial idea of this work goes to Kerashana. Monster Hunter belongs entirely to Capcom.

Chapter 1-A Reluctant Hunter

Okay, let me just start this off easy… My name's Damien. Damien Ulrick. What friends I have call me Dane, which is admittedly not many people. I have blue eyes and medium-long black hair. I'm twenty years old, about six-foot-one, and last I checked, I weighed one hundred and seventy-four pounds.

Now, I'm sure that whoever's reading this is probably wondering, "Why the hell is this Damien guy writing a description about himself?" Well, the answer to that is because I'm frickin' bored. Want to hear my story? Well, I'll be using this journal here to tell it. Not that anyone will actually read this, considering that once I'm done in this country I'm pitching this thing into the nearest available fire pit.

So, why am I writing in this if I'm going to destroy it in the end? Again, my answer remains; I'm frickin' bored. And I'm guessing you're now wondering why I seem to be in such a sour state of mind. Truth is, I'm almost always like this. Can't a guy have a personality? Jeez, some people…

I guess this is the part where I write down what my current situation is then. Well, right now I'm on the bottom deck of a trade ship heading towards the town of Newake. Some new settlement, recently founded on the eastern frontier, about five hundred miles from the Great Desert. I don't care, I'll only be there a couple days, a week at most. See, unlike many people who breath air, I have a goal. And no, not a dream, a goal; there's a distinct difference between the two. My goal is to get the hell out of this country. Why, you may ask? So I don't have to deal with my grandfather anymore.

Of course, you should know that my grandfather has been dead and buried for almost half a year now. But, like any other overbearing grandparent, he decided to make me follow in his footsteps and become a hunter. For reference, I'll copy down the letter he wrote for me to read after he passed.

"Damien,

Dearest grandchild, I understand that you will soon be off into the world on your own, and that you may not have a direction to go in once you are. So, as my final gift to you, I pass on my dream to you. I have sent my old Yukumo traveler's armor and an Iron Katana to you to begin your career as a hunter. I've taught you everything I can about the use of long swords, so I trust you will be able to put it to good use. And I understand that you have a great interest in scholasticism; I put in a recommendation at the Guild for you in case you wish to apply yourself there. In any case, these are my last gifts to you. I only ask that you use them well. May we meet in the next life on the great hunt,

Grandpa Ulrick"

Yeah, gramps? Thanks, but I'm not interested. Did you ever even ask me what I wanted? Sure, hunters are great. They risk their lives for the rest of us, they do the dirty jobs for others, they help our communities thrive. I have respect for 'em, but that doesn't mean I want to be one.

'But why is that? Hunters are the greatest people in the world!'

News flash, hunting isn't the only goddamn job in existence, y'know. And that whole 'Guild recommendation' thing? Yeah, that's the reason I'm on this damn ship.

Which is why I'm trying to leave the country. I hear there's a place across the eastern ocean where monsters don't exist, and instead business and mercantilism are the founding of a great nation, not slaughtering giant creatures that threaten to kill us every hour of the day. I guess the hunting gear gramps sent me will work out pretty well for my journey; hunters get free passage on most trade vessels. Since I technically am a hunter, the Guild decided to assign me to this village on the frontier. Little do they know, first chance I get, I'm gonna book it and get out of here.

And yes, I do realize I probably sound like an asshole by saying that. Do I care? No. See, it's not that I don't like people, but I absolutely loath the fact that my entire life I've had to live being told what to do. Well, guess what? I'm doing my own thing now. And I won't let a single fuckin' person stop me.

"God. Freaking. Dammit. How much farther is this damn village?!"

"It's only about another hour or so, hunter. No need to get so worked up about this," a nearby sailor answered, joining Damien on the portside railing. "You look like a tough customer. I'm sure this will be a good jig for ya, aye?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm getting sent out into the middle of nowhere to some small town that isn't even on the map, and for what? Abso-fuckin-lutely nothing!"

"Seems you've got a bad case of homesickness, aye lad? Don't worry, it'll pass. And hey, no need to yell. I can hear ya just fine."

"Fine, whatever, just leave me alone, alright?"

"One of those loner-types, huh? Yeah, you'll be a perfect pick for this village…" the sailor chuckled to himself before returning to his work. Damien sighed to himself and rubbed his temples in irritation, not at all pleased with his current situation.

"Frickin' Guild and their goddamn rules… Why the hell would they set up a village all the way out in the boondocks and decide to send me to it?" he mumbled to himself, pulling his wide-brimmed hat down to shield his eyes better. "Somehow, I think this is Gramps' fault… Goddamn fossil doesn't know when to leave me alone, even when he's dead and buried…"

"Starboard side, captain! I think I spotted somethin' over there!"

"I saw it too! Looked like a Lagiacrus, it did!" another crew member called. "Captain, what do we do?!"

Damien glanced up and off in the direction the man had called, irately scanning the ocean surface for any signs of the creature. A few brownish-red spikes protruding from a deep blue-scaled back broke the surface of the water for a moment, but just as quickly disappeared below the waves.

"Hunter, if it gets close to the ship, do you believe you could fight it off?!" the captain shouted at the traveling hunter.

"No, but I probably have to anyways," Damien mumbled to himself, sighing and grasping the handle of his long sword. Despite it being just the basic iteration of the long sword tree, it had a surprisingly sharp edge, and was tempered far beyond the normal means, no doubt because of his Grandfather's insistence on leaving a reliable hunting tool for him to use. Of course, if anything, Damien was hoping he wouldn't have to draw the blade anytime soon. Just stay the fuck away from the ship… I don't feel like dealing with setbacks!

Fortunately it seemed that his wish was granted, as the last any of the others on the ship saw of it was the leviathan swimming away from their ship. Some cheered and applauded Damien, as if he had atually done something to drive it away.

"I tell ya, he's got that 'huntin' sense'! He's a natural!"

"He can even make a beastie as strong as a Lagi turn tail and run!"

"I don't know how you did it, hunter, but we're in your debt," the captain said, bowing a bit to the blue-eyed hunter.

You people are frickin' idiots… It was luck, not 'hunting sense'! Dumbasses…

"Well, get this ship to dock within the hour and all debts will be paid. Deal?"

"Of course, right away!"

And so the journey came to its thrilling conclusion with the ship (its name really escapes me) coming to dock at the village of Newake. I will admit, it is a rather nice little settlement. Right by the beach, lots of grass, moderate sized timber buildings… Fort-like walls surrounding the entire perimeter, that kinda stuff you'd expect of a beach town. Maybe I'll work on my tan while I'm here, make a good impression when I arrive in Kual.

But, before I get too far ahead of myself here, I think I should explain that whole 'hunting sense' thing. A while back, a bunch of wackjobs decided to attribute their dumb luck to some sort of spiritual essence within themselves. Seeing as to how people will believe just about any crap that they hear nowadays, regular people began to eat up this rumor like hot cakes, and soon enough even veteran hunters were swearing by this so called 'sixth sense'.

It might help to have a proper description of what the sense actually does though, huh? Based on the sterling genius that was put into this idea, there are three parts: focus, aura, and armor. Focus is what they use to describe getting a lucky hit somewhere a monster's scales should protect, but for whatever reason didn't at the time; a chink in the armor, if you will. Aura is like bug spray for monsters; if you have a big enough aura, you can repel creatures from your vicinity through sheer power of will. Yeah, complete bullshit, I know. And lastly is armor, which is basically what they say when you get clubbed hard enough to break every bone in your body, yet you somehow manage to survive.

But enough about that crap. Back to my thrilling adventures. The village head was quick enough to welcome me, as were the rest of the townsfolk. Truth be told, they're even bigger idiots than the crew from that ship. Honestly, a guy in traveling robes carrying a long sword shows up, and it's like a god literally came from the heavens to speak with these lunatics. This is what I don't get; why the hell are hunters worshipped like deities if they drop dead by the dozen every day? I don't think gods are supposed to die; at least, not any important ones. Right? Yeah, I thought so.

"Ah, welcome, welcome! You must be the hunter assigned to our village, no? Welcome to Newake, my friend!" the Village Leader said, laughing heartedly. He, along with several other villagers of the settlement, had set up a small welcoming party for Damien, something that made him cringe the second his eyes landed on it.

"Yeah… I guess this is what being welcomed is supposed to feel like," the hunter noted somewhat dryly. The others took it as a joke though, laughing as if he had told the pun of the century.

"Ah, a lad after my own heart! I can tell we'll get along just fine, hunter! Might I ask for your name? The Guild told us they were sending someone, but not-"

"I'm Damien," he said quickly, cutting off the leader's sentence. The man looked at him in a stunned silence for a moment before bursting out into laughter.

"Ah, not only a hunter and a comedian, but a man who likes to get straight to the point as well!"

Comedian? Are you fucking kidding me? "Okay, well, good to meet everyone, but it was a long trip, and I'd like to get some rest without feeling like I'm going to vomit. Where do I stay?"

"The hunters lodging, in the southeast corner of the village; come, we'll show you the way. Jakar, Liko, grab his boxes!" Two heavyset men stepped from the crowd, easily hoisting one of Damien's supply boxes each and carrying them towards the lodging. The others followed as well; it was a very small community, only about twenty people total, so it seemed more like the entire town was staring at the back of Damien's neck.

"See here, the Guild decided to start exploring the eastern borderlands to map out more of the world and open up new hunting grounds," the village leader explained. "This is the first settlement there is, meaning this is history in the making!"

"I'm so sure," Damien replied uninterestedly. The elder just laughed again in response, as did the other townspeople. Dear god, I'm surrounded by idiots…

"You definitely seem tired, my boy! Don't worry, no other hunters have arrived, so you have the building all to yourself! Rest well, my friend!"

"Yeah. Good bye."

As soon as I entered the building, I dragged all my things to the farthest room from the door possible and set up my 'home base'. I really don't want to deal with these people, but if I'm going to get out of the country, I'm going to need their help. Well, I could always just kill myself, but that has several rather unfortunate implications as well, so I'm going to abstain from that for the time being.

Lodgings aren't bad. Each room has a bathroom and a bed, along with a couple candles for light. First pick definitely has some benefits, though; I chose a room that only has one share wall with another, meaning that if I get lucky, I'll be able to sleep at night. Actually, check that; if I'm lucky, I'll be out of here before any other hunters even show up. Granted, my luck is about as shitty as an Aptonoth's pen, but maybe things will look up for me. Maybe. Knock on wood.

Well, for day one, there definitely has been a lot going on, so I guess this ends today's passage. I'm really bad at this sort of thing… Okay, well, until next time… or page… whatever. Don't judge me.

Author Notes: Please review! My my, Damien is certainly rather coarse in his language, no? I've generally kept the F-bombs to a minimum for The Master Corps, and I used it a few times in The Hunter's Oath, but I'm pretty sure this is a record for the number of times I've used it in one chapter. Granted, he might be the only one to ever swear this harshly, but that's his character. The idea of mixing events in with journal entries is actually something of an experiment of mine. I had debated writing it entirely from a first person perspective, but I realized that wasn't really what I wanted for Damien, given how strongly worded he is. It also frees up space for the passage of time, and helps show his true thoughts more accurately. It really helps with how brutally honest he is, though he does love his dry quips a lot, doesn't he? Ah, the freedom of humor...

As I'm sure you also noticed (if you have read my previous works or my in-progress one), this is a much shorter chapter than what I've been putting out. TMC had an average of 10,000 words per chapter, while Frontier Lineage will be more along the lines of a 2,500 word average. A much shorter story, yes, but that was the original idea. I got a pm from user Kerashana around the time I was finishing up THO that recommended a premise I could use for a story, and after some thoughtful consideration I worked it into something I could find enjoyable to write, concise in content, and fun for all! ...Or most, but hey, I can't please everyone, right? So, my thanks to Kerashana for the idea!

I gotta say, my writing has slowed down considerably though, which I suppose isn't a good thing, but isn't necessarily bad either. For one, I've had a lot of time to play Super Smash Bros. 4, as well as complete whatever assignments my professors decide to torment me with next. That being said, the short length of these chapters is more manageable for me, and don't require intensive editing either, so dashboardgecko gets a break as well.

As one final note, this story takes place in the same 'world' as The Hunter's Oath Trilogy, but is meant to be ambiguous in regards to when it's placed on the timeline. It could be before Remembrance, or it could be after The Master Corps; characters might be mentioned, but no specific plot points will be spoiled in this story. So fear not, my faithful readers; this is another tale entirely! ...Which also brings up another point that almost slipped my mind! Previous works have had a focus on the 'Rule of Cool' in order for things to work out, but seeing as to how this is a more comedic story, you can expect to see more Rule of Funny instead. That being said, there will still be cool fight scenes! I could never write a story without some of those, after all!

Playing: SSB4, MH3U, Fire Emblem: Awakening

Reading: The Lost Civilization: DLC by dashboardgecko

Watching: Achievement Hunter, The Walking Dead, RWBY Volume 2

Listening to: Avenged Sevenfold, Rise Against