//------------------------------//
// 10. We Are The Champions 
// Story: Monster Huntress Diamond 
// by HappyPillz 
//------------------------------//

Rarity woke the next morning to extremely sore muscles and a lot of noise outside her door. Pulling herself out of bed, she made her way across the floor, cringing with each step. After a quick shower and change of clothes, she made her way toward her door, but she was not prepared for the sight that awaited her outside. A large crowd had gathered, and Cyradel was directing a large cart hauling the body of the pukei pukei they had slain the night before. 
Leonys was talking with several people at the edge of the crowd, and he stopped abruptly and waved her over the moment he saw her.
“There’s our star hunter! Come on over here!" he laughed heartily. “Cinnamon filled us in on the what and where of yesterday, so we were able to find the pukei pukei you guys took down. And bloody hell, you took it down hard.” He whistled. “From the damage done to that thing, it must have put up one hell of a fight. Normal ones wouldn’t have lasted through anywhere close to the beating you gave that one.” He eyed her seriously. “Told you that you’ve got what it takes. Now you know I wasn’t blowing smoke out of my ass.”
Rarity smiled. “I didn’t think you were, but I didn’t quite have that high of an opinion of my abilities. I guess I didn’t quite know what I was capable of just yet.”
“Speaking of capabilities…” Leonys said, “Cinnamon mentioned that you somehow tracked the monster. Any idea how you did that? Or if you could do it again?”
“I really don’t know…” Rarity said. “I was just looking for machalite ore, and for some reason my magic thought that the monster was machalite. I have absolutely no explanation for it, and I don’t know if it would work again without finding another monster and trying it.”
“Well, I guess that, as long as you’re willing, that should be our next goal,” Leonys said. “Would you be up to helping us try to track and hunt more? Everyone will feel much safer with you helping us hunt, and I’m sure that Cyradel is going to need more to research if we’re going to solve what’s going on here. That’s not to mention the hunting rewards, as well, which I need to discuss with you as well.”
“Hunting rewards?” Rarity repeated.
“Of course!” Leonys emphasized. “You didn’t think we’d just let you put your life on the line for us and not compensate you for it, did you? We’re paying you for that monster. Hell of a lot, too, as you took down an aberrant. I’ll have it sent to your house later, so you don’t have to worry about coming to claim it. If I were you, I’d have Reneris work your materials into some new gear, and hit the canteen up for the most expensive meal and drinks you can. You’ve earned it.” He smiled broadly. 
“That sounds lovely, thank you,” Rarity smiled genuinely. “And I think I can help out with your research now. I don’t think I’m quite as fragile as I once thought.”
“Great! Thank you, we really appreciate your help with this. When you’ve got the time, go see Cyradel and I’m sure she can tell you what the next best step would be.”
“Cyradel? Why Cyr?” Rarity looked at him quizzically. “I figured you’d be in charge of it.”
Leonys shook his head. “Cyradel is the one researching them, so she’s going to know what she needs from where. You’d be much better off getting your orders straight from her.”
“Makes sense,” Rarity agreed. “Alright, I’ll make sure that I stop by and see her, then.”
“You might want to give her a little time though,” Leonys laughed. “I think she’ll have her hands full for a little while.” He clapped her on the back, then walked off into the crowd, chatting loudly with others as he went. Rarity watched him leave, then turned toward the canteen for some much needed breakfast.
“Rarity!” Zuny greeted enthusiastically. “Welcome! What can I get for you this morning?” 
“I have no idea, Zuny,” Rarity admitted. “Give me a moment.” She inspected the menu when a familiar voice called from behind her, “She’ll have a wyvern filet, barbecued short ribs, and a star brandy, and I’ll have the same. On me, of course.” 
Zuny wagged a claw at Sydreol. “Syd, you know that Aerylla would yell at you for drinking this early in the morning.” 
Rarity chuckled. “Well, she’s not here, and I think that I’d appreciate it this morning; I could use a bit of loosening up after yesterday.”
“Hear, hear!” Sydreol cheered. “Drinking buddies! Huzzah!” 
Rarity stared at him seriously. “Drinking in the morning is not a habit I intend to adopt, Syd.” His expression fell. “However…” she continued, “drinking buddies does sound nice. Maybe you, me, Ren, and Cinnamon could have a bit of a celebratory drink tonight? Assuming they’re both free, of course.” 
“Hell yes! The booze shall flow freely!”
Rarity laughed. “I don’t quite know about that, but I look forward to it.”
Sydreol smirked at her. “I dunno, something tells me you’ll be shitfaced before long.”
Rarity gasped in indignation. “I’d never! I’ll be keeping you all in check, I’m sure! A lady never overindulges, after all.”
“A lady never swears, punches a guy in the face, and threatens to shove his nuts down his throat, either.” 
“Touché.”
They sat in silence for a minute, which Rarity thought must be a record for Syd, before he turned to her.
“Hey, about last night; sorry to have doubted you there. You must have gone through hell fighting that aberrant, I probably shouldn’t have outright dismissed the thought you could have done it.”
“It’s ok,” Rarity affirmed. “I wouldn’t have believed me, either. I’d have been even harder to convince, actually, even with proof right there.”
“So… does this mean you’re going to actually be a hunter with us, then?" he asked hopefully. “We could really use the help, and if you can take that kind of monster down, you’re definitely more than capable.
Rarity considered for a moment. “Well, I am pretty much duty bound to hunt these things at this point, and aside from being nearly dead several times, I came back without a scratch, so I suppose there’s no reason to not help.”
Sydreol pumped his fist in the air. “Yes! Kickass! Rarity the aberrant hunter joins the squad!”
“I suppose so,” she laughed, though her laughter was silenced as she caught sight of the food that Zuny was bringing out. “Sweet Celestia, that’s huge… and smells so good…”
“Damn right. Nice thing about being a hunter is you get to eat here all the time. Pretty much a requirement, actually.”
Rarity paused just before taking a large bite and looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean by that?”
“I guess you wouldn’t really know about the added benefits of Zuny’s food. Her cooking actually gives you an added boost to your physical, mental, or other capabilities. I don’t know how she manages, but it does. It might boost your physical strength, or make you just a little more agile than normal, or maybe just give you a little ol’ boost of flat out luck, but it’s indispensable to eat here before heading out on a hunt. Come to think of it, you might want to talk with Renny about some decorations and armor abilities. You’d be surprised what they can do for you on hunts.”
“Interesting…” Rarity mused, tucking into her meal and noticing a subtle strength filling her as she ate. 
“You said you nearly died several times…” Sydreol continued. “You took some damage out there, huh?”
“You could say that,” Rarity said with a wince. “I think the first serious injury I got was when it hit me with its tongue.”
“Really? I know they can hit hard, but usually they use their tongue to just knock you down; they more just leave bruises than much else.”
“It broke my ribs.”
“The fuck? It hit you that hard? What kind of demondrug was that thing taking?”
“I know, I really do owe Faan my life. She gave me a bunch of items before I left; if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had anything to heal me when we ran into that monster.”
“Shit…”
“Yeah. I know.” Rarity sighed. “It’s a scary thought. And that wasn’t all. It also poisoned both Cinnamon and me; I thought I was going to dissolve and burn from the inside out. The other was, well, more my stupidity than anything else. I shot it with slicing ammo in the tail, and then it tail swiped me right when it went off and I got hit with some of it.”
Sydreol inhaled sharply and winced at that. “Oh, that is one nasty wound to get! Those things are meant to make gashes that don’t close! How the hell did you get out of that? Potions don’t work! Not even a hi-potion would fix that!”
“Faan had packed sushifish in my item kit,” Rarity said. “I had to dig to find it, but I found some.”
“Shit…” Sydreol smacked himself in the forehead. “I hadn’t even thought of that, and I’m just sitting here. You knew sushifish cured bleeding? And then you were able to think of it in the middle of a high pressure situation like that? Damn, girl. You’re even more of a hunter than I thought. Honestly, once you get more actual experience, you’re going to be an unstoppable force.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, you know,” Rarity teased.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m serious, though. You have the ability, all you need to do is hone the skill and learn the tricks of the trade that might not be quite as obvious.”
“Such as?”
“Hmm. Of course you would put me on the spot like that. Ass.” Sydreol rubbed his chin while Rarity stuck her tongue out at him.
“How about this? Were you aware that each monster species has innate types of weaknesses?”
“Weaknesses like what? Like, their wings are weaker than the rest of them?”
“Not really, though that definitely could be the case,” Sydreol said. “What I’m talking about is in terms of weapons and elements. A sword attacks differently than a hammer does, and those differently than a bow. Some monsters you’re better off attacking with slashing weapons like swords, some with smashing weapons like hammers, some with shooting weapons like bowguns.”
Rarity nodded. “That makes sense, though how would I know what to bring?”
“You would have to know what you’re hunting, for starters. Usually you know ahead of time what you’re looking for. You were unlucky that you randomly wandered into something. Usually when we go on a hunt, we’ve been requested to go deal with something specific that’s been spotted. Even the aberrant monsters usually have at least a hint of what we’re looking for and where. As for what would be most effective, Cyr has a hunter’s guide in her lab. That has a section with physiological data that tells about their weaknesses in greater detail.”
“Oh yeah! I’ve seen that guide! I only read the really brief summaries, though.”
Sydreol shrugged. “That’s fine. Until you know what you’re hunting, there’s no point in reading all the extra stuff.” He paused. “I guess… unless you run into random monsters like you did… huh. Maybe I’ve been really lucky my lazy ass didn’t run into shit like you did.” He shook his head and continued. “Anyway! Like I was saying! Monsters can have elemental weaknesses, too! Some weapons or bowgun ammo even have elemental properties like fire, ice, water, thunder, or even dragon elements. They can also be empowered with status effects like paralysis or poison. Some things are weak to those. Or, they might be strong to them.Like, you don’t want to bring a weapon that has a fire element imbued into it against a monster that lives in a volcano. You probably wouldn’t fare too well. In fact, you’d be a dumbass if you did that. It’d be like trying to drown a fish.”
Rarity giggled. “You speak as though you know from experience.”
“Only three times. But the last time doesn’t count, the fish totally looked like it was drowning, so I count it as a win.” 
Rarity burst out laughing. “Ok, so pick the right weapon, and pick the right element. Eat here before. Bring all the items. Anything else?”
“Nah, I’m all tapped out for wisdom. Ask again later. It’s food time,” Sydreol said with a smile. He held up a knife to Rarity and she returned the gesture, crossing knives before digging in to eat.

**********

Making her way from the canteen, Rarity headed toward the forge, spying Reneris hammering away. She approached, garnering the smith’s attention immediately.
“Well, if it ain’t our new little celebrity. Way to go, kid. Wouldn’ta thought you’d have had it in ya, to be honest. Takin’ down an aberrant, and with newbie gear, to boot. I bet nobody else is even considering that part. That shit I gave ya was just that - shit. Could take down basic stuff, that’s about it. It would take someone skilled to actually take down something big with it. You got me pullin for ya, kid, that’s for damn sure. If you can make that good of use of shit weapons, I want to see what you can do with my good stuff. You’ll need it, too, ‘cause pukei pukei are small fry compared to the other monsters out there. Not to scare ya, just… you need to be prepared.” 
“Thanks for the warning,” Rarity responded. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know that Syd and I were thinking of getting together tonight for some celebratory drinks; you’re welcome to join us if you want.”
Reneris’ mouth turned up slightly into a smirk. “I’m always up for tossin’ back some booze with that asshat. Count me in.”
“Also, I was just talking with that asshat over breakfast and he mentioned decorations and armor and abilities, and that I should ask you about them. Could you let me know what that’s all about?”
“Sure, though I’m not gonna explain it to ya like your a fuckin’ baby. Long story short, all wyverian armor and weapons empower ya when you equip em. You just need to know what and how to make use of ‘em. Same with decorations; they’re basically gems you can add to your gear that gives you more capabilities. They’re not easy to come by, but if you can, they’re worth your while.”
Rarity thought about what Reneris had said. “If they’re on all Wyverian equipment, are there enchantments on my current gear?”
“Yeah, but trust me, they suck. Won’t help ya for shit.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow.
“Hey! Don’t look at me! I don’t set the fuckin’ abilities on this shit! I just hammer ‘em together! See this?" she pointed at the sign above her. “Says blacksmith! Not magic ability maker! You don’t like the special enchantments on your gear, go dig up some thousand year old graves and yell at the people that made the blueprints, not me. I do my best to make alterations to the existing blueprints, and I do alright, but a lot of ‘em still suck. Tough shit.”
“Fair enough,” Rarity conceded. Her voice adopted a tone as silky as she could muster. “I found no flaws in your work, it performed beautifully for me. Took down an aberrant, remember? And it brought me home safe and sound.” 
“Fuck yes, it did.” Reneris said proudly.
Rarity internally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Since we’re talking about gear, do you think you could craft me some new stuff? I brought back materials from the pukei pukei, as well as some machalite ore.”
“Oh, I’ll do that and more,” Reneris confirmed. “Your mats will make great gear I’m sure; that aberrant is sure to have better properties than regular materials. I’ll do you better than the machalite, though. Go ahead and sell that to Faan. I’m makin’ you a piece of gear from my own stuff, pick what you want.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary!” Rarity protested. “I can earn-“
“Shut yer fuckin’ face!” Reneris snapped. “You can fuck shit up like nobody else can, and I want to see my stuff doin’ it. So think it over. It’s not like I’m givin’ ya a whole damn arsenal, ya know. Just pick one weapon. Make it count.” 
“Ok.” Rarity nodded resolutely. “I can do that. Thanks, then.” 
“Don’t mention it. As in seriously, don’t. I don’t want those other two knowing that I did this, I’d never hear the end of it.” 
“My lips are sealed,” Rarity promised. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Reneris glared at her. “Why the fuck did you say some stupid shit like that?”
“O-oh,” Rarity stammered, “force of habit, from a friend back home.”
“Never say that in front of me again.”
“Duly noted.” Rarity nodded nervously. “I’m… gonna go visit Faan now.”
“Yeah. Go do that.” Reneris waved her off. “Fuckin’ weird,” she mumbled under her breath.

**********

“Faan! Are you there?” Rarity called to the seemingly empty shop. A loud crack and a shuddering countertop answered her, followed by Faan appearing from beneath, rubbing her head gingerly. “I’m so sorry!” Rarity apologized, running over. “I didn’t mean to startle you!” 
Faan smiled with one eye closed, still rubbing her aching head. “It’s no problem, I’ve always been jumpy. I’m used to it.” Her entire demeanor shifted instantaneously. “Enough about that, though, I heard the news! You took out an aberrant! I told you! How was it? Was it scary? Was it super easy for you? I bet it was, wasn’t it? You probably were like, sneezing on it and it died, right?”
“Actually, about that…” Rarity began, “that’s why I’m here right now. I’m here to say thanks. Because without your gift, I would have died. Several times, actually.” Rarity rubbed her elbow uncomfortably. “Potions, antidotes, sushifish, I needed them all. Usually I don’t accept gifts like that; at home I’m known more for giving than receiving, so it was a bit… odd feeling for me. But, if you hadn’t made me take it…” Her eyes were starting to tear up a bit. “Just… thanks. For thinking of my safety.”
Faan looked at her thoughtfully. “You know what you need right now more?”
Rarity blinked blearily several times. “What?”
“Hugs. C’mon. You know you need ‘em.”
Rarity sniffed loudly and smiled, gratefully accepting a hug from Faan. “Dammit, you guys are all too good to me.” 
“Just be glad Reneris isn’t around to see or she’d be flipping out. And we’re not being too good to you, we’re just looking out for you. And considering how you’ve just killed a dangerous monster for us, I’d say it’s mutually beneficial. So, don’t think of it as us giving you special treatment if that makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“Fair enough.” Rarity conceded. “I suppose I should ask while I’m here, do you have anything that can help with sore muscles? I’m a bit… worn from yesterday. Actually, I should probably take a closer look at everything you’ve got, now that I think of it. Are there other items I might need out there?”
Faan put on her best saleswoman face. “I’m glad you asked!" she chuckled. “Actually, there’s quite a bit of stuff you could find useful. For starters, dash juice should significantly help your muscles feel better; it’s great for restoring energy when you’re feeling tired, too - and I don’t mean sleepy tired, I mean exhausted-from-running-your-ass-off-from-a-monster tired. There are nulberries that cure elemental blights, cleansers that remove foam, deodorant to remove stench…”
“Beg your pardon?” Rarity gasped, daring a sniff at herself. “I do shower regularly, you know.”
Faan waved her off. “No! I don’t mean like that, sorry! You don’t smell bad! There are monsters out there that emit clouds of gas that are so foul they are virtually disabling. If you get the odor of the fumes on you, you literally can’t stomach potions until it’s gone. We call that stench. Trust me, you don’t want to be stuck with that. There are demondrugs and armorskins, which boost your natural strength and defenses, respectively. If you’re so inclined, I even sell books that teach you how to create these items from raw, gatherable ingredients to help you while you’re out in the field.”
Rarity looked shocked. “Wouldn’t that hurt your sales, though?”
Faan shrugged. “Not really. It’s still a lot more convenient to buy them pre-made, I also sell some of the components, and besides, people can only carry so much with them. Once you’re out there, when you’re out, you’re out. I’d rather you forage some materials and make your own and survive. I like you guys too much to put money first. If that’s too mushy for you, though, and you’d rather I give you a merchant’s answer, dead hunters spend less than live ones.”
“Uh,” Rarity chewed her lip nervously. “That’s… a good point, and well made.”
“I know, right?” Faan said cheerily.
“I guess I’m going to need to come back in a while and do some proper shopping. I brought back some materials I can sell you, and Leonys said he was going to send a reward over for the pukei pukei, so I should have some money soon. Oh!” Rarity suddenly gave a start. “I just realized that I have no idea what anything is even worth around here! Can you tell me how much a standard potion costs, just for reference? I’d hate to come with enough money to buy only two things or something.”
Faan giggled. “Sure, but I doubt that’d be a problem. I don’t think you realize just how much Leonys will be paying you for hunting that monster.” She grinned. “Anyway, regular potions are sixty zenny. For more reference, Zuny generally charges around two hundred zenny for meals at the canteen, and drinks usually run thirty or forty. And if you wanted some dash juice for your sore muscles, that’d set you back fifty zenny.”
“Got it. I’ll go see if Leonys has sent anything over then; if I want to shop, I’m going to need the money, and I’m going to need some of that dash juice if I want to have any chance of keeping my training session with Jorahn today.”
Faan stared at her in disbelief. “You still want to go to the training grounds after yesterday? I heard you literally collapsed last night!”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Rarity admitted. “But what can I say, it’s… well, it’s fun.”
“Attacking stuff… is fun.” Faan repeated, deadpan. “Yep. You’re a hunter, through and through.”
Rarity stood motionless in thought for a long moment, then smiled. “You know, I guess I am.” 

**********

A large envelope was waiting on Rarity’s counter when she arrived home; Cinnamon was already inside, sitting on her bed and holding an envelope of her own, with a wide grin stretched across her muzzle. She spared a glance toward Rarity, then motioned toward the counter. “You’ll want to open that. Now.” 
Rarity approached it curiously and opened the missive. A letter fell out, along with a large number of bundled bills. 
“That would be your payment.” Cinnamon said, pointing out the obvious. “And before you notice and comment, yes, it’s more than mine, and yes, I’m fine with that. Felynes are known as support for hunters; you did the most work, you got the most reward. Don’t worry, I still got plenty.”
Rarity opened her mouth to respond, thought for a moment, then closed her mouth and smiled, nodding. “I think I can live with that.”
“Good. Now read what they sent you and count your money. I want to know how much they paid you.”
“Right.” Rarity unfolded the letter, reading over the contents.
Rarity,
On behalf of the citizens of Miliesu Village, I would like to thank you for your service in slaying an aberrant pukei pukei and agreeing to assist in further hunts to both protect the village and progress research on the aberrant phenomenon. While you continue to assist us in these endeavors, we will extend the terms on your home lease - you may continue to stay rent free until such time as our research needs into the aberrant problems have been satisfied and your assistance is no longer considered a requirement.
Enclosed you will find your payment for your hunting of the aberrant pukei pukei. A summary of payment is as follows:
Standard fee for pukei pukei: 15000z
Aberrant variant bonus: 10000z
Contribution to research: 10000z
Total compensation: 35000z

Rarity looked up from the letter. “I can’t believe they’re letting me stay here for free even longer!” 
Cinnamon was sitting agape in shock. “Thirty five thousand zenny? Holy shit! Rowrity, that’s more than twice as much as normal! I guess having your horn lead us to that thing paid off after all; minus the whole almost dying part, you know. That sucked. We should pass on that next time.”
“Agreed,” Rarity laughed. “I’d prefer not to almost die next time, too. Speaking of which, I have a shopping spree to go on. After that, I think I’m going to spend a while in the training area if I can. Also, Syd, Reneris and I are going drinking tonight, so you had better be showing up, too.”
“Oh, hell yeah! I’m all for that! Canteen, here we come!” 
“I don’t think Zuny will be able to handle the three of you together,” Rarity laughed. “I’d better be ready to be the peacekeeper tonight.” Cinnamon made a rude gesture at her and snickered, but Rarity just waved it off, laughing. She grabbed her bag of materials and several stacks of zenny, heading out the door. “See you tonight at the canteen!" she called as she turned with a smile.
Her smile vanished quickly.
Lycadran was walking her way, and it didn’t appear to be coincidental.
Shit.
“Well hello, my little monster whisperer,” she greeted with venom in her voice. “I see you went and found one of your friends, killed it, and became the hero of the town for it.”
Rarity stared at her for a moment, her cheeks burning with fury. “I risked my life to kill that… thing… and you have the gall to accuse me of faking it?”
“Please, I’ve been a hunter for my entire life, and I haven’t been able to even track one of those things yet, let alone kill one, and then you traipse in here, not knowing your ass from a hole in the ground, and you just so happen to find one, track it down, and kill it. I’m not stupid, you know.”
“I beg to differ.” Rarity said hotly. “I have something you don’t have.” She pointed to her horn. “See this? It’s called a horn. Because I’m a unicorn. U-N-I-C-O-R-N. And this horn lets me do magic. And my magic can find ores and gems and apparently for some weird reason aberrant monsters. I don’t know why, I didn’t ask for it, and it almost got me killed yesterday. But what I do know is that your worthless ass wasn’t there to help, so don’t give me shit about it.”
“Worthless- listen here you stupid bitch-“
“You know…” Rarity mused, “you’re getting rather loud, and it’s starting to attract some attention.” She glanced around at several people who had stopped nearby to curiously see what the commotion was. “I’d hate for Leonys to think that you were… I don’t know… DISTURBING THE PEACE.” She finished loudly.
Lycadran’s expression soured immensely as she looked around; even more people had stopped by now, and soon it would look like a crowd had gathered around them. Lycadran spat on the ground at Rarity’s hooves. 
“I’m keeping my eyes on you, you fucking bitch.” With that she stormed off, breaking through the lines of people before Leonys could show up.
Rarity sighed. “I really owe him for making that rule.” She shook her head as she watched Lycadran’s form vanish around a corner. “Conspiracy theory, much? Sheesh.”

**********

The day passed quickly; Rarity spent a good deal of time, not to mention zenny, at Faan’s shop, and she had left with a large assortment of healing items and survival tools, as well as the book that Faan had mentioned. Whatever was going to happen out there, Rarity was going to be prepared. She was thankful for her enchanted bag and its increased capacity, that was for sure. 
After shopping, she tried out a dash juice, and she was glad that she did; her aches vanished, and she felt more energetic than she had in weeks. The remainder of her afternoon and evening had been spent with Jorahn in the training grounds, honing her skills and venting the building frustrations from her encounters with Lycadran. A trip home for a little rest and a shower brought her to nightfall, and she headed out the door to the canteen for what she assumed would be a couple celebratory drinks with her new friends. She smirked. It was going to be rough work keeping them in check all night, she was sure.