Heavy rain could be heard outside the cabin. A bright flash of lightning illuminated the night sky. A bolt of electricity struck a wooden totem erected a couple of meters above the ground. The ground shook as the force of the blast reverberated through the soil, passing through the nearby cabin.
"Ahh. . . !" A childish voice screamed in fear before a loud crash followed. "Ow!" The admittedly endearing voice cried out.
In a dark room, a young boy could be seen nursing a bruised elbow while sitting on the floor beside the bed. He had just been startled awake and thrown to the ground by the crash of thunder—the poor thing.
His face was scrunched up in frustration, and his bright sapphire-blue eyes appeared on the verge of tears. The snow-white hair atop his head looked recently washed and perfectly matched the coloration of his small pajamas adorned with tiny poogie prints. Despite his plight, he made for a pretty cute display.
Seemingly forgetting his pain, the boy stood up and looked around, only to discover he was alone. He and his grandfather shared a room and a bed, so he rarely woke up unattended in the middle of the night. The bedroom was small, containing only a single bed, a pair of dressers, and a table stool near where his grandfather slept.
The child didn't want to go back to bed alone, so instead, he decided to search for his grandfather around the house. His plan was to wait until his grandfather was ready to sleep. He must be quiet, though, because he doesn't want to inadvertently alert his grandfather to his whereabouts.
As he made his way out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him, he slowly crept down the hall into the central room of the house. There, he discovered a man with shoulder-length grey hair—a shade darker than the young boy's—and a full, well-trimmed beard, standing over a long table strewn with various books and maps. The gentleman appeared to be frantically reviewing notes and marking graphs with an orange quill, making long strokes with the ink.
Sitting on a chair next to the older man was a resting, heavily scarred, aged felyne with white hair and black stripes running across its body. Its rightmost rounded ear had a chunk missing, and a large scar bisected his closed left eye. A contented cat-grin adorned its face as it absorbed heat from the nearby fire.
This man was the boy's grandfather, while the felyne was his grandfather's long-time partner and bonded palico. Although considerably aged, the duo exuded an intimidating yet reassuring presence built through many years of professional hunting. In the past, they were both selected to join one of the various fleets that traveled to the New World, and even though they retired many years ago, they have never lost their edge.
As the boy peeked around the corner leading into the room, several species of tamed creatures glanced in his direction, but quickly lost interest since he was a frequent visitor to their den. Although the felyne's ears twitched, it didn't open its eye to look at him. The boy was confident he made no sounds while sneaking, but it seemed that an animal's ears were more sensitive than he had assumed.
His grandfather collected and raised many different species of life. The kid's favorite was the wigglers, a worm-like species native to the New World that would retreat into the dirt-filled pot whenever he approached too closely. Along with the wigglers, various kinds of hares, lizards, birds, fish, and even penguins nested in their home.
To match the boy's expectations, his grandfather seemed unaware of his arrival and continued working. The boy knew that his bedtime had passed and that he shouldn't be awake. If discovered by his grandfather, he would likely face a mild reprimand and be sent straight to bed. Still, any punishment or admonishment would be unpleasant, regardless of how minor it might be for a child like himself.
Time seemed to pass slowly. Logs in the fireplace gently crackled as the sound of a quill marking parchment filled the room, and rain pelted the abode from outside. The boy watched his grandfather absentmindedly, sleepiness evident on his face as he waited silently. After standing in the hallway and peeking into the central room for a couple more minutes, his grandfather slowly placed the quill in the inkwell with a tired sigh before abruptly speaking up. "Velk, what are you doing up this late at night?" His voice was deep and firm yet affectionate. Velk jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, not thinking that his grandfather had noticed him.
"Uh. . . I uh. . . awake. . . ." Velk barely managed to mutter in broken Mohun. Though anxious, he knew he needed to add more to the story, or soon he would find himself in trouble.
"The thunder was loud. . . . I got scared. . . ." There was still more to the story; however, this wasn't nearly enough to drive the nail into the coffin.
"I fell and hurted my elbow. . . ." Velk quickly mentioned as he held up his bruised elbow, trying to show it to his grandfather, who still had his back turned to him. This lasted for about ten seconds while Velk grew more anxious.
"I'm sorry, Papa." Velk quickly tried to apologize, lowering his arm in defeat. At that moment, the old felyne opened its good eye and stared at the boy. His grandfather also turned around, displaying a wrinkled, kind smile while his dark green eyes regarded the boy.
Although clearly a senior, well into his age, most would recognize the man as an exceptionally handsome individual. Dark purple night robes of fine wyvern silk and fur adorned his body. His head and facial hair were seemingly impeccably maintained, and the muscles visible from his exposed skin were extensive and compact—an appearance that commanded respect.
The man walked slowly toward the boy, who had lowered his head in shame. Crouching down, the man brought himself to eye level with the child, his smile never fading. Just as Velk's grandfather was about to speak, a loud knocking echoed at the door. Every eye in the room turned toward it.
"Stay here," Velk's grandfather ordered as he sauntered to the door. Once there, he looked through a circular peephole and confirmed it was safe. Then, he opened the door.
Opening the door revealed a young, weary-looking youth who was panting. It seemed as though the man had just run a marathon at full speed. He was wearing a dark blue raincoat, soaked from the rain. His tall boots were muddy, and his damp blonde hair fell over his eyes.
The young man appeared surprised by the quick response but quickly regained his composure. "Sir!" he rendered a sharp salute.
"Out with it! You know I don't like being disturbed at this time," Velk's grandfather ordered, rubbing his wrist under his sleeve.
"Yes!" the youth exclaimed loudly to be heard over the rain.
The youth spoke rapidly and loudly, ensuring that all his information would be transmitted. Although Velk could only catch bits and pieces of information here and there, it mattered little to him, as he could hardly understand what they were discussing. The exact opposite was true for the old cat. It hurriedly got up from the stool and ran to a box decorated with numerous cat-paw prints and surrounded by odd-looking tools.
Velk watched the felyne retrieve an enormous blue hammer from the box, far too large for its size. His grandfather turned to look at him, capturing Velk's attention. They engaged in a kind of staring contest; although Velk found it a fun little game, his grandfather did not seem to share that sentiment, a deep-seated frown marring his expression.
His grandfather turned his attention back to the man and yelled, "Quick! Sound the bells!" He also shouted a few extra orders, but Velk couldn't understand them.
"Yes, Sir!" The man saluted again and sprinted full speed toward the center of the village. Velk watched the man slip into the mud while his grandfather turned around. After closing the door behind him, he approached a red box on the other side of the felyne and began to search through it.
Turning to look at Velk with a bag in hand, his grandfather said gravely and sternly, "Velk, listen very carefully to me. Please take this bag and pack all your favorite clothes and belongings into it as quickly as you can. Can you do this for me?" Even though Velk didn't know what was going on, he still listened to his grandfather's words. He accepted the brown backpack and nodded fiercely before quickly scurrying off.
"I need you back out here once you're done. Please hurry!" his grandpa shouted from behind as Velk ran down the hall and into their shared bedroom. Velk didn't understand why he needed to do it, but he felt the urgency in his grandfather's voice and deemed it necessary that he move quickly.
Arriving before their shared dresser, Velk began packing his favorite clothes, as his grandfather had requested. He grabbed a mix of comfy, plain shirts and shorts. Velk knew that he should also pack undergarments and socks, but he didn't consider them important enough to add just yet and would consider them later. . . hopefully.
Eventually, he pulled out his favorite pajama shirt, wearing a broad smile. It featured a Pukei-Pukei face, its tongue sticking out and its eyes rolled back. This shirt was his absolute favorite because he found its expression amusing. Plus, it was incredibly comfortable to wear. There was no reason not to take it with him! He stuffed it into the backpack.
Once he finished packing his clothing, which included one sock and no undergarments, he moved on to his belongings. There wasn't much- only a couple of toys and picture books, which probably weren't important enough to take along, but he packed them anyway. He also included "The Tale of the Five." It was a book detailing the creation myth behind the world and explaining why it works the way it does. Although Velk could barely understand half of the words written in the book, it remained his favorite because he could imagine the enormous dragon deities and ponder what it would be like to meet them.
After deciding he had finished packing, Velk closed the bag and vacated the room. He swiftly made his way back to the central chamber of the house. Upon arriving, he found all the animals had fled except for the stationary wigglers. His grandfather was now decorated in platinum-like plate mail armor protecting his chest, shoulders, legs, knees, elbows, hands, and feet. He had also donned a long blue robe with gold embroidery of an Eastern-style dragon covering most of it. Velk found himself in awe, imagining that his grandfather was one of the elusive Guild Knights of the venerated Monster Hunters he had only heard about in stories.
There was also a sword leaning against the table, which Velk had only ever seen in a display case. It was a rather long blue sword adorned with sapphire jewels along the length of the blade, and it had elongated, wavy black skin flaking from each gem. The edge was serrated and appeared sharp enough to cut yourself just by looking at it, while its handle was long enough to accommodate five adult hands.
The sword was affectionately named "Dragon Fucker" and was renowned for its legendary dragon-slaying abilities. Velk had once inquired why the sword bore that name, but his grandfather merely told him that it was highly inappropriate to refer to it as such in respectable company and advised him not to mention the sword's name for now, lest he face reprimand. This only sparked more questions, but ultimately, he let the matter drop and no longer pressed the issue, keeping his grandfather's words in mind.
To the right of Velk's grandfather stood the felyne, which held a giant blue hammer far too large for its small body. The hammer also resembled the long sword. It was adorned with long, flayed black skin and blue gems decorating its surface. The felyne's armor also looked similar to his grandfather's, with the only difference being the type of dragon inscribed on its back and the hood covering the palico's head.
"Velk, my boy, come here. Quickly!" Velk hurried to his grandfather, holding up the bag before him.
"We don't have much time. I need to give you some important items," Velk's grandfather said as he took the bag from Velk's hands and set it on a nearby stool. He then grabbed a belt that was far too large for Velk but wrapped it around the bag to secure it in place. Next, he quickly placed three items on the table before him.
First, he picked up an ordinary-looking rock and handed it to Velk, saying, "This is a stone that has saved my life many times. I call it 'Maker's Whetstone.' It's a whetstone that never breaks, no matter how many times it's used." Velk wanted to ask what a whetstone was, but his grandfather beat him to the punch by continuing. "Don't worry about it for now; you will learn what a whetstone is in the future."
Then he handed Velk the bag and guided Velk's second hand to the belt. "I will show you how to put the stone inside the belt."
Velk looked at his grandfather with the most confused expression he could muster. His grandfather noticed this and seized the stone and the belt. Velk observed as the stone seamlessly disappeared from his grandfather's hand. His eyes widened in surprise as he tried to grasp what had just happened.
Velk had seen his grandfather, and the palico do many strange things. They could create ice from nothing or start a fire using only their hands or paws, but he never knew how they accomplished it. He had tried multiple times himself but could never make it work.
Soon after, he saw the stone back in his grandfather's hand. "I need you to do what I just did." His grandfather then explained that he needed to focus on the belt and use his mind to store the stone inside it. While Velk didn't really understand what he was supposed to do, he did know that he needed to 'want' to put the whetstone inside the belt.
Velk's grandfather handed the whetstone back to him along with the bag. Velk spent half a minute trying to 'put' the stone inside the belt before something 'clicked' in his mind. He watched the stone disappear from his hand into what he believed was the belt. The boy looked up at his grandpa with a happy expression, seeking praise, only to find his grandfather already focused on the other two items.
His grandfather grabbed a sapphire gem shaped like a star, radiating vitality, light, and power. He brought it to Velk's face, not revealing any acknowledgment of the longing for praise in Velk's bright blue eyes. "This is a very, very, very important gem. It must never be shown to others. Do you understand me?"
Velk nodded again, understanding, as he watched his grandfather store the gem in the belt. Finally, the older man grabbed the final gemstone. It was light brown and glowed with a gentle radiance. The boy could hear the gem humming a pleasant tune as his grandfather picked it up. Like the star gem, this one also exuded a powerful feeling. He watched his grandpa store this final gemstone in the belt as well. "The same can be said for this gemstone. Never show it, and only take it out for no more than a couple of minutes if you must."
The distant sound of a loud bell began to ring soon after all the items were stored in the belt. Velk knew that the ringing indicated danger approaching the village and that every non-combatant should stay in their homes. However, this signal was different; it rang twice in quick succession instead of the usual one. This was meant to warn non-combatants to flee from the impending danger as soon as possible. Villagers were urged to gather in a group and quickly head to Rak-Al-Faar, about a day's travel without rest. Failing to do so would likely result in injury or death, if not worse.
Velk's grandfather hurriedly sat up and grabbed a tiny coat made for Velks personal use. He quickly put it on Velk, ensuring it was nice and tight. Then, he picked him up from his seat and moved him to the floor near the door. Grabbing Velk's tiny shoes, he swiftly put them on his feet.
Velk's grandfather picked him up once more in one arm and positioned his grandson's head near his shoulder. "Hold on to me!" he commanded. Velk wrapped his arms around his grandfather's neck to maintain his grip. The palico also climbed aboard, hitching a ride on the older man, who didn't seem to mind the extra weight.
He moved his hand over the doorknob and opened it to reveal a scene even worse than before: The storm was intensifying. Velk did not understand why his grandfather paused for a moment to glance back inside the house, but he saw his grandpa nod and then ask, "You ready?"
"Yes," Velk gave a curt nod of his own, followed by his grandfather taking one final step through the door and out into the rainy night. . . .