A Hunter's Training (for EffyDearest)

[Aeternam]

Aged twenty six, Lorna was an exiled Nora who nowadays lived in Meridian. As a Hawk of the Hunters Lodge, she lived a pretty good life, especially after Talanah had recently became the new Sunhawk. Unlike Ahsis, who acted aggressively towards other tribes, Talanah welcomed anyone in the Lodge, which encouraged once again people from all around the known world to come and join them. The only recent downside to her life had been the death of her former Thrush (or apprentice), a young Oseram man whose name was Falion - he had died after carelessly engaging a Stormbird near the Great Overrun Hunting Grounds. While he fought the bird, Falion hadn't noticed when a Trampler spotted him. The result was not a beautiful sight, but Lorna made sure to avenge his death by killing both machines. From that day on - which had been two months ago -, Lorna decided that whoever her next Thrush was, she would make sure that he or she learned the importance of preparing properly before engaging any machine.

This morning in particular, Lorna woke up very soon, but decided there would be no point in going back to sleep. So she quickly took a bath and put on her armor before going out. She knew it didn't matter the time, the Hunters Lodge was always open anyway. Even after many years living there, her Nora armor still called attention from the people around her, but by now both her and the citizens were used to it. She didn't like the Oseram armors - they were too heavy and would get in the way. Her outfit was a Nora Silent Hunter Heavy Armor, which actually wasn't that heavy despite its name. The green of the suit fit well enough with her black hair and tanned skin, and around her waist she wore a black leather belt, an item once owned by one of the Old Ones, but now her property. As she walked, Lorna couldn't get rid of the sensation that this day something was going to happen. She only hoped it wouldn't be a bad thing.

[EffyDearest]

Skipping, slipping, sipping Scipio.

A few days of journeying so far, a few days and the outskirts were finally in view. Days of terror, not knowing where merchants would be and constantly being low of supplies to craft. Fear kept Scipio's heart beating as he skipped down a trotted path. A very long, trotted path. He hadn't told a single person from the Nora tribe that he was leaving. His kin and people who he had considered friend were left in the dark of his absense for their minds to slip around memories and piece together his possible death. Or maybe it was obvious he was deserting them. He had spent a few days sipping on a heavy drink of his thoughts and decision to leave after all, hiding out at the hunting grounds in the Sacred Lands for some suns and moons. Pain struck his heart savagely at the thought and Scipio was sad.

Only remotely. Only temporarily.

Passing by some of the machines he had to sneak past was awe-stricking. He had spotted flocks of Glinthawks and made certain to be far from them, saw Shell-Walkers and had to run fast from the herd and laid low for hours from persistent Watchers. It was not a journey he was enjoying, thinking himself mighty unprepared for such a travel. The thing that kept him going was barely even his own curiosity and bravado-- it was knowing he had no place to go back to. If he returned after being missing he would be shamed for his sharp actions. This kept him on his toes to make it to Meridian.

The Nora's simple structures and quiet lifestyle was what he was used to, so seeing the lavish stone layouts and huge city shocked him, almost making it hard to believe himself awake. He must have been killed by the Sawtooth he had ran from for a few miles and not actually escaped. It was probably very queer for him to be asking every single person for directions to the lodge, but it was likely even more peculiar to see him there in general being from the tribal location. After a few weird looks and questions for his health (Scipio was filthy and had a paleness in him from his lack of decent sleep) he was sent on his way to the lodge with a few snickers.

"Kid there's no one looking for a Thrush anyway."

"Fire and spit." His words were chilled and sassy. A fresh adult, seeing his eighteenth winter recently, kept the same cocky attitude towards life that one would except a human of that age to have.

The lodge looked incredible from the outside, its main entrance revealing tons of people at the ready to interact with. He wasn't sure how to.. join mostly. He had to ask someone who was at the lodge's counter named Aidaba to even realize he had to be sponsored.

"Fire and spit.." he repeated again but under his breath. It would be rather hard to convince a skilled Hawk to take him on. He was still in basic Nora gear and had no modifications. He felt naked. His hair could have also used a trim. His hair was messy, a soft brown that was reaching down his neck and into his eyes. His physique wasn't someone special either. He was nearly half a head shorter than most of the grown men there and a lot scrawnier. Scipio's spirits were immediately dampened, but not over.

"Guess I'll have to find a hawk.. somehow," he thanked Aidaba and went to stand by the entrance to think. He had less than a hundred shards on him so he didn't want to waste it on food or a place to stay for the night to wash up. Those weren't important. Not like hunting. All he wanted was to slay the machines.

And he would soon.

[Aeternam]

The first thing Lorna did once she arrived at the Lodge was greet Ligan, her former Hawk by the time she entered the Lodge as a Thrush. She'd never understand why he had chosen to retire - of course he was a bit old, but the man's prowess was amazing. Of course not Redmaw prowess, but still an awesome thing to see, especially given his age. After his retirement - which also meant Logan's Thrush, Lorna herself, had been one of the only Thrushes in the Lodge whose Hawk hadn't died by the time they became Hawk themselves. This made Lorna happy at least, since she did like the old man. Once inside, her gaze went around the place. The statue of a Thunderjaw stood tall in the middle of the entrance hall. Lorna never liked it. She hated Thunderjaws almost as much as she hated Stombirds, to the point sometimes (given she was prepared for the event) she'd slay them on sight.

As her gaze moved on from the Thunderjaw in the middle of the two sets of stairs which lead to the floor above, Lorna raised an eyebrow at the sight of a young man whose outfit was that of a Nora. Even after Ahsis's death and Talanah's ascension as the new Sunhawk, it was rare for a Nora to join the Lodge, probably because they were too busy afraid of the Matriarchs and and All-Mother's wrath to actually do something interesting. Regardless of her curiosity, however, as a Hawk Lorna avoided going straight to him. Instead, she walked right past the man and to the counter.

"Good morning, Aidaba." She greeted her, receiving a smile and a 'good morning' response from the other woman. Just as she was about to move away, however Aidaba spoke up again:

"Maybe it's a coincidence that you are here so soon, but that Nora boy right there is looking for a Hawk." Aidaba pointed out at him, which only confirmed Lorna's suspicion. As she thanked Aidaba and walked away from the counter, Lorna wondered if the man was also an outcast. Well, by now she wasn't actually an outcast anymore - her exile had been of eight years, but it had been over a decade since Lorna left, which meant probably a lot of people she knew were either dead or thought she was dead by now. Well, she didn't intend to change that. As she walked away and went upstairs, Lorna could hear as Aidaba called the Nora mean and told him about her. She knew pretty well that she was currently the only Hawk of the Lodge who didn't have a Thrush, which meant the man would probably come to her. Not that it bothered her, but Lorna still hadn't gotten over Falion's death. Maybe it was time to move on.

[EffyDearest]

Apparently his search wasn't meant to be a long one. Scipio scarcely had begun to be lost in his own thoughts when Aidaba called him back. She didn't have many words to say, mostly gesturing him to a person and describing them as a 'thrushless hawk'. That was all Scipio needed. He thanked the woman with a warm smile and started to gather up not only some encouragement to talk to the older woman, but also excuses as to why he was a good candidate despite his wayward appearance and filthy skin. That couldn't have been too uncommon, he thought. Scipio pushed the negative from his mind and made his way over to her.

"Excuse me, Miss?" The words barely eeped out of him when he appraoched her. Scipio already didn't like looking up at her just to speak. He also made note of her being more toned, likely much more experienced than he could fathom with the machines. Had she seen things that he hadn't even encountered on the journey there? He had taken the main roads and stayed in hiding for well over half of it, so there was probably a lot he missed.

The bow on his back had no special markings, nor did it look like it had been modified properly or maintained. The arrows in his quiver were lacking, either from an intense fight or foolheartedness of not preparing for battle. It was definnitely the latter. His entire presentation was skewed and Scipio knew miracles would not help him today. He wasn't feeling lucky. But if this was the only way to keep progressing then it was what he would do.

"You're Lorna, right? Aidaba back there told me about you," he started slowly. "I'm also from the Nora tribe.. though you might have noticed." He gave her a cheeky smile in place of actual conversational skills. He may have felt like a badass in the Nora lands were the machines were mostly simple, keeping out of Ban Ur territory and getting hellaciously lucky with tripcaster trial to get a Blazing Sun on his first try. He barely managed a Half Sun on the other two for the Nora hunting grounds.

He sighed. He had to get to his point. He steeled himself and had a more determined look, ready to get to hunting.

"I just arrived. I gained access to the lodge but I want a Hawk to be a Thrush under. For self improvement."

[Aeternam]

Lorna was already expecting the man to look for her after hearing Aidaba talk to him, so she wasn't surprised when she heard his voice calling her. As the huntress turned around, the first thing she did was take a better look at him; her eyes, grey in color, quickly scanned his body, taking note of everything - his outfit, his weapons, the way he moved while talking to her. From that last thing, Lorna could tell he was a bit nervous. She suppressed a chuckle at his remark of his Nora dressing, deciding it would be better to keep his nervousness on for a while, since it would make things easier for her. In order to do so, she waited for him to stop talking, then crossed her arms just below her chest and gave him a sharp look, moving her head up and down in an excessively slow motion. For all this while, the woman didn't say anything.

"I see." Was the first thing she said. As she did so, Lorna stepped back. "It's been a while since I left the Sacred Lands, so tell me. Is there a new tradition of not presenting yourself? Because some people around here may find it to be extremely rude." If he wasn't trying to become her Thrush, she probably would've said that in a teasing way. But instead, she forced herself to keep the same sharp expression as before, her voice never faultered. However, regardless of him giving her a response or not, Lorna walked around him and stopped after a few steps, speaking up once more:

"As you already know - please, do not interrupt -" She said. "In order to enter the Lodge, you must prove yourself by getting three Half Suns at any of our Hunting Grounds. However, that does not make you a member, since a member senior must accept you as an apprentice first." All the while, Lorna continued to occasionally walk from side to side, though her gaze never left Scipio. Some people in the Lodge found this habit of hers to be a bit unnerving, but right now it was exactly the effect she was looking for. "What they don't tell you, however, is that a Hawk - which includes me - usually hopes you to prove yourself before accepting you as a Thrush. And I'm not talking about earning these stupid half suns, hunting in the Grounds is not the same as hunting in the wild. Besides, anyone could get even a Blazing Sun there if they're lucky enough"

Lorna finally stopping her walk, and did so right in front of him again. "So, what you think? Do you think you can perform a real trial and hunt a really dangerous machine outside a Hunting Ground, where no one is going to save your skin if you fail? Don't get me wrong. If you accept, the risk of dying is both very real and very high to anyone, even an experienced hunter." As she said that, she pointed at the Thunderjaw statue which was big enough to tower over the second floor too. "I'm talking about this kind of machine, not the Watchers and Scrappers you can find in the Sacred Lands."

Once she had finished her speech, Lorna simply stood there and waited for his answer. She knew being put face-to-face with such a decision would make cowards give up right there - actually, her true trial was the question itself. She didn't really expect any new hunter to be able to take down a Stalker or a Thunderjaw, especially one who came from the relatively peaceful Sacred Lands.

[EffyDearest]

The ambiance surrounding Scipio tensed up. He.. seriously forgot to say his name? Her words were stabbing without even being toxic. Everything he had said up to that point felt like it fell flat- like she was denying any entry right then and there for a displacement of his manners. Scipio felt shame just from a single quip, realizing immediately he was far from home where he could treat people how he felt with his words. The hunter was going to refuse to give up. The huntress had begun circling him but not leaving him, so to him it was a sign she was going to forgive his mistake. At least he hoped.

He stayed silent and maintained staring ahead, trying to not give her the inch she was digging for. Figuring being aware of her tactic would help him with his stoicism was preposterous; Lorna terrified him. Every word she spoke slashed at his heart with eviserating blades. While she was likely speaking from example she was unknowingly smacking him down further. His soul felt a little hurt at the last bit. He'd definitely never explain to her his trials- especially because three Blazing Suns likely wouldn't have dawned her attention. It took him no more to understand any time he spoke to her out of turn, without being humble, or arrogantly he would be put in his place. He did not want to make that mistake for a while, lest it harm his chances to really hunt.

As she stood in front of him again the decision was finally pushed into his hands. Scipio had not seen a Thunderjaw before. He had heard the name but only in whispers. Was that statue really.. the size of one? He compared it to the Sawtooth that had already chased him down. It was several times larger with more mechanisms attached than he could even count. It was very easy to swallow his pride here and admit he would die. But he couldn't turn down the challenge of the hunt. He'd bring more fire arrows. That'd certainly help. Just a long, burning battle. . . he wished.

"I..." he started slowly, unsure how to word this. If he did it wrong it meant the end of his career quickly, and if he did it wrong the other way he'd get himself killed by something he couldn't even spot a weak point on. Before he could proceed, however, he had to amend mistakes. "Apologies miss.. My name is Scipio. I left the Nora tribe unannounced with little plans to return. I only want to hunt, not spend time listening to them worship All-Mother."

After a deep breath he seemed ready to explain his answer. Now..I don't want to tell you I can take down that.. that thing you call a Thunderjaw. I've never even heard of it. If that.. statue is to-scale then it would be a lie for me to say I know how to fight it. But I will, if it's the only way you'll let me become a Thrush."

[Aeternam]

Lorna watched every small move of him, much like a hawk analyzing the best ways to take down its prey. Once the young man had told her his name and the reason he left the Nora, she couldn't help but nod in agreement - she understood how he felt, since it was exactly for that reason that she had left the Sacred Lands also. Maybe she could actually like him after all, despite the fact that he still seemed a bit careless judging by his weapons and arrows. Lorna decided that it would be the first thing she'd call his attention to once he had became her Thrush. But for now she had to keep the acting. It was working, despite his obvious attempts to seem unaffected by it, and it was something Lorna enjoyed very much.

"Well, Scipio-" As she said that, she allowed herself to drop the hard expression, though that sharp gaze was still there. "As much as I do like the way you think about the Nora so-called tradition, your proving will be the challenge of a true hunter. I am not talking specifically about the Thunderjaw" Lorna shifted her position a bit, her eyes moving for a second to the statue. "No. As much as a Thunderjaw is a huge challenge, I wouldn't expect a new hunter to bring one down. It simply has too much firepower, and engaging it without knowing what to do is certain death." She crossed her arms once again. "But make no mistake. You will not be facing a Thunderjaw, but the enemy I've chosen to you can be an even tougher challenge to an unprepared hunter than any war machine."

"A Stalker. The worst nightmare of experienced hunters, because it could kill you long before you even noticed its presence." At that, Lorna made sure to be dead serious in both voice and expression. She needed Scipio to understand what she was tasking him with, even though she would (secretly) follow him, was no joke. It was a very real life threat, and if he didn't be careful, he would died. "There is no amount of luck that is gonna help you with this one. A Stalker is not a very resistant machine - it should be quick enough to kill it as long as you know where you are aiming at -, but hitting it will be a problem if you don't plan out every step carefully." She meant it. Stalkers were among the most hated things among hunters, and with good reason. Even experienced Hawks dreaded being surprised by one in the wild. "But luckily for you, there is an area Stalkers like just outside Meridian and across the river at the western gate."

And with that, Lorna stopped and waited to see what would be his reaction. She hadn't gave him any real information about the creature he was going to hunt down because she wanted to see if he was going to look for such information by his own initiative. Most reckless newcomers didn't, so she would have to beat that out of him as soon as possible if that was a problem. Though the moment he accepted supposingly have to kill a Thunderjaw, Lorna had already made her decision: she was going to accept him as her Thrush. But first she needed to see his skills in action against a real enemy, and a Stalker, despite being a dangerous machine, wasn't so overpowering dangerous like a Ravager or a Thunderjaw, just required a bit of skill to plan ahead its invisibility.

[EffyDearest]

Lorna loosening ht was still a cause for concern for Scipio. Her aura remained just as frightening, so the huntress's goal to strick soem quick fear in worked wonders. He gave her an understanding nod, thankful even to All-Mother for him not having to fight against such a behemoth today. Hopefully never. Well that part wasn't true. Scipio envisioned himself fighting things even larger and conquering them all the same. He wouldn't of course mention that to Lorna, lest he be put in his place.

But what was worse to fight than a Thunderjaw? A Stalker? What.. was that?

Scipio tried his best to move the paintbrush in his head to the grain of the words she spoke. He wasn't a very good marksman and tended to practice with two arrows hoping one would hit when he had to go for specific parts of the machines' bodies. But he knew he could probably get a Tear weapon.. except he couldn't. Right. The lack of shards came to mind. It was no matter. This Stalker had something about it that would be its downfall: it was his only target to become a member of the lodge. Scipio nodded to her challenge as she finished up. He swallowed the warning slowly and it felt icy.

"I-I will find it, and I will kill it." His eyes struggled to meet hers but did so anyway, and kept staring ahead. What he was lacking was the knowledge of their camoflauge and how to properly spot and take one down. He had no clue of the warning signals they would place around to heed them of intruders. He had no idea of the sheer damage a strike from them could do. All he had were his few medicinal plants and enough crafting supplies for about forty arrows. Not fire arrows. He'd perhaps ask a local or two about them, but then he decided against it. He didn't want to bother people who weren't hunters for information they didn't know, and he didn't want the hunters lodge to think of him as such an amature.

Scipio was uncertain when he was allowed to break eye contact with his potential hawk. "I'll.. get right on that, then," he expressed, turning. "Outside to the Western Gate. Got it."

[Aeternam]

The Hawk watched with an expectant look, hoping the young hunter would want to know something other than their location about the machines he was tasked with hunting. He obviously had no idea of what to expect from fighting a Stalker, if his confusion was any indication of that. Lorna sighed at that. She decided this would be the very first thing she'd have to get ridden off once his training began. Anyway, the huntress quickly gathered her hunting equipment and decided it was time for her to go after him. Having lived over a decade in Meridian, Lorna had no trouble at all to find a better route and reach the western gate before her possible future Thrush arrived there. She got outside the city and then hide behind a rock pillar as she waited for Scipio to come. Lorna was thankful to her Nora Silent Armor - it was so light, Lorna could even run almost noiselessly while wearing it, and its green color helped with forest camouflage.

As she waited, Lorna took her time to take a look at her weapons. She had only her sharpshot bow - of which the big size made it slower to shoot, except that it had three modification slots improving its handle, meaning readying it for each arrow with it was actually quicker than firing with a default hunter bow. Alongside that, Lorna had a Nora spear, a tripcaster and different types of arrows with her. She knew tearblast arrows were essential to disable the Stalkers' invisibility system and cannon. By then, it would've already suffered enough damage so that a single strong blow from her spear or a precise shot should be enough to finish it off. Even then, just in case she had brought her tripcaster also, thinking it would come in hand given the possibility of more than one Stalker showing up.

Once she had made sure everything was okay, including medicinal plants, Lorna put them back in place. It was a bit hard to carry three weapons and be able to alternate them with efficiency, but luckily she had a lot of practice with carrying up to five of them in some occasions (fighting a Thunderjaw really wasn't an easy thing), so three wasn't a problem at all.

[EffyDearest]

Most hunters had something to fend off machines or people who got too close. Scipio did not have any such device. He was stuck at the mercy of his bow and a tripcaster he didn't even have enough blaze canisters for. He thought to stop at the marketplace from a few people he overheard chattering from. It didn't, however, compel him hard enough as he passed right back outside of Meridian. He had to consult his regional map in order to even remember where he was going. On the outskirts of town again he found a merchant and quickly wasted away the last of his shards on potions and two hunter arrow packs.

This was really crazy. Scipio thought of backpedaling and running back to the lodge. It wasn't mean-spirited to say out of everyone who had access to the building he was the least experienced; Scipio needed info. Yet he still remained headstrong. Time became a factor to him. He wasn't trying to take forever to get his trophy, so what if he got a bit bruised up? Lorna would at least be able to see he didn't need to spend a whole day preparing just to kill a single machine.

His overall lack of knowledge on machines was laughable. The most dangerous thing he had even done was almost lose to a Sawtooth. But that meant he hadn't encountered Bellowbacks, seen a real Behemoth, or tasted stings from herds of Scrappers. He couldn't even honestly say he learned from his mitakes with the Sawtooth, just that he survived with a lot of luck and speed.

It hadn't really been that long a journey to the area Lorna described to him. The sun had only dropped down but a little for the time. He was, however, already in peril. He was very tired. Scipio really hadn't been rested for days on his path to Meridian, and the very first thing he did was sign himself up to go back out and fight a new machine. But this was the life he was trying to fulfilll and live. He stayed lost in his own world and thoughts. He wished he had asked someone at least what a damned Stalked looked like.

Scipio didn't even notice the red glow as he walked past and set off an alarm. Panic filled his heart instantly. He opted to thrive and started sprinting as hard as he could which proved to be his best choice. There was an explosion immediately where he had just been. That would have BEEN the end. A low, digital growl emitted from behind him. His heart started to beat almost painfully fast. He turned just in time to see the beast.

Its tail was ludicrous in length with a sharp point that would seemingly pierce a human fatally without much notice. The machine was black, unlike previous installments from GAIA. It had weird contraptions on its sides and its back.

He tried to draw an arrow and fire it but after losing his nerve from the surprise of the attack his aim was wayward and he struck just short of its left paw. Then its stealth generator turned on and it started to blend in with its surroundings.

"You.. you can do that?" Scipio said in a hushed voice. Every second was another insult to himself for not asking the lodge for information first. He was going to potentially see death tonight. It was obvious in his eyes, which were already trying to hide a few tears and some fear. He pulled his arrow again and was turning around slowly, unsure. All he knew was as it moved very faint brushings of the surroundings would distort. But even then all he knew was the growl got closer and closer, until it was snarling right behind him. He turned and shot at it again, getting a clean wound in its body. Feeling good about it was bad though until the victory was earned.

Scipio tried to load a second arrow to fire again and hit something more critical. He wanted to get that stealth generator so he'd have an advantage. It roared up to attack again and he braced himself to roll only to find himself leaping very far behind a tree. Bullets! Fire and spit! Fire and spit! He was left winded from his flat landing but at least he was safe from that attack. Without warning the tail he had been so afraid of before came crashing into the side of the oak he was behind. The gash it made to the plant had him speechless. He tried to peer out from his hiding spot to see its location. It was time to flee. He couldn't, however, see anything. But he could hear the rumbling of the machine, the same rumbling he heard only moments before. More bullets. He looked only fast enough to push himself inches out of the way. He had little energy to keep dodging like so.

Scipio decided the best course of action was to get up.. and run. Run as hard as he could until his body wouldn't let him anymore. It took the last of his will however simply to stand. And the Stalker stared him down, not bothering to hide. Sweat rolled down his face in a mix of tears. He embraced the death as the Stalker lept for him.