#also zenos???? is inside a random elezen????

[birues]

Stormblood patches be like

[0bsidian5ire]

Hunting Variations

Summary: With Gyr Abania now free from the Empire, Clan Centurio is primed and ready to track down all the A and S Rank hunts the Garleans ignored. Unfortunately for the clan, the Warriors of Light are pretty sure Zenos hunted down anything Clan Centurio would consider an A or an S Rank.

Fortunately for everyone, this turns out to not have been the case after all...

This was spawned by the following ficbit: Hunting Definitions

Eyrikoel Sundyrbyrtsyn shifted his aether, and the arid canyons of Rhalgr's Reach were replaced with the busy streets surrounding Kugane's aetheryte crystal. The roegadyn breathed deeply of the salt sea air and sighed in contentment. With Zenos yae Galvus dead and Gyr Abania and Doma freed, there was now time for the Warriors of Light to go on what served them as vacations. For Eyrikoel, that usually meant joining in Clan Centurio's high rank hunts or wandering the various regions the Warriors of Light had already journeyed through to see if anyone needed help with anything that hadn't been deemed a pressing need the first time they had gone though. Today, he was going hunting.

That morning, Leaudaste, the head of Clan Centurio, had sent Eyrikoel a recorded message via linkpearl about a possible S Rank in Yanxia and how it would be preferable if Eyrikoel and the other Warriors of Light who hunted with Clan Centurio could meet up with him in Kugane to discuss where Clan Centurio would be going next. Eyrikoel had passed on the message to Kharagal Meirqid and Nhagi'a Tyunn, his fellow hunting partners and Warriors of Light, and let the rest of the Warriors of Light staying in Rhalgr's Reach know that he would most likely not be back for at least a week. After packing enough supplies for a long-term clan hunt, he had left for Kugane.

Eyrikoel threaded his way towards the Kugane docks, letting his huge size part the crowd before him. While Clan Centurio might maintain a seal exchange and bill posting at the Hostelry, most clan members gathered elsewhere. The clan's overall lack of formality clashed too much with the Hostelry's traditional Kugane flavor for them to feel comfortable there. Instead, they gathered at the Astera, a dockside tavern that shared its back wall with a smithy. Most of the Kugane based hunters swore by both the quality of the Astera's food and the smithy's innovative metal work.

Inside, the Astera was quieting down. Late morning in Rhalgr's Reach translated to late night in Kugane and by now, the only people still eating in the tavern were Kharagal and Nhagi'a, and Leaudaste, the leader of Clan Centurio. Eyrikoel grinned when he saw the massive platters of food they were eating from where still steaming from the oven and took the free seat at the table between Nhai'a and Leaudaste. "And here I was hoping you would wait for me before eating," he teased as he put a thick cut of steak and a selection of miq'abobs on his plate.

"You pack too slow," Nhagai'a teased, "or better yet, get a bag that has a better space compression enchantment on it so you can keep more in it." The miqote's ears twitched, giving away how serious he wasn't.

"And I keep telling you, I like my bag the way it is," Eyrikoel said. True, it was old and the enchantment on it wasn't as powerful as the newer ones were, but it was one of the few things he had from before the Calamity.

"Too bad," said Kharagal, "the Arcanists' Guild is coming out with some new ones based on that hyperbolic space version of the enchantment I found. Those are a lot more... flexible then the old ones are."

"No kidding." Eyrikoel eyed the Accompaniment Node that followed Kharagal everywhere. It also doubled as her storage space due to a version of the space compression enchantment she had found on an Azys Lla computer. She had given a simplified version of it to the Archanists' Guild to experiment with and experiment with it they had.

Leaudaste cleared his throat in the lull in the conversation. "So about Gyr Abania, you did not happen to learn of any new hunts, did you?"

"Not exactly," Eyrikoel grunted around his steak. "We were so busy with the Imperials we didn't get many chances to ask about hunts in particular."

"We know more then that," Nhagi'a said and put down his tankard of ale. "The locals did tell us that the XIIth Legion didn't do any monster exterminations themselves and didn't let the Gyr Abanians do any either." He snorted. "There's certainly plenty of normal monsters everywhere that need to be killed, just no high rank ones."

"And we think we know why that is," Kharagal grumbled. "Zenos was obsessed with hunting to the point he overhunted everything around Ala Mhigo. Anything that needs our expertize to hunt was probably killed a long time ago."

"And here I was hoping I would have an interesting visit to Gyr Abania," Leaudaste almost pouted. For the older elezen, that meant months tracking monsters through wilderness. "I guess I will have to settle for only sending some of the elite mark hunters to Gyr Abania. If the low rank monster populations have run unchecked for so long, it is the least Clan Centurio can do." He shrugged. "Who knows, they might find something worth hunting."

Eyrikoel nodded. "I know Ala Ghiri and Ala Ghana will appreciate it. Now what's this you were saying about there being an S Rank in Yanxia?"

Leaudaste's eyes lit up. "Ah, the S Rank. It turns out the Garleans left behind a lot of their magitek when they pulled out of Yanxia. One such piece of magitek is a warmachina that has been turning on and attacking people at random."

Kharagal, Nhagi'a and Eyrikoel glanced at each other. That kind of thing happened a lot with warmachina. "What makes this one an S Rank?" Nhagi'a asked.

"Reports say it is a prototype of an automated armored weapon." Leaudaste shrugged. "No one has seen anything like it. And no one knows where it comes from or disappears to."

"So it's a standard track and kill hunt," said Kharagal. "Only we're tracking something automated." She finished off her mug of coffee and stood up. "Sounds simple enough."

Nhagi'a snorted. "Yeah, it's not Allagan magitek for once. That stuff..." he shook his head and reached down for Vanargand. "Finding out the Allagans lightning-proofed all their electronics was annoying. I really hope the Garleans don't figure out that trick."

Kharagal and Eyrikoel laughed at that and picked up and secured their own weapons. Nhagi'a loved thunder spells and tended to over-rely on them. Watching him find out that he couldn't use them very effectively in Azys Lla had been hilarious.

"In that case, have fun," Leaudaste told them. "Just do not come back to me and complain if it is more difficult then you thought it was."

"Since when have we ever done that?" Eyrikoel deadpanned as he, Kharagal and Nhagi'a left the Astera. As they walked down the street that led to the rest of Kugane, Eyrikoel sorted though his linkpearls until he found the one tuned to Clan Centurio's linkshell. "Braya," he called into it. "You said you and your party were exploring Othard. Are you all still in the region?"

"Yeah, why?" came the reply.

"Leaudaste said there's an S Rank in Yanxia." Eyrikoel couldn't quite conceal his grin at that.

There was a curse on the other end of the line. "Guess Hersande's group beat us to finding one. We'll meet you in Namai?"

"Yeah," Eyrikoel said, "and that goes for everyone else listening in. If you want to come join us, head for Namai." Before he could hear the chatter of hundreds of Clan Centurio hunters discussing hunting logistics, he pulled the linkpearl out of his ear. "Let's go!" he said to Kharagal and Nhagi'a. "We've got a hunting party to lead!" And the three of them teleported out of Kugane.

A week later, Eyrikoel was watching Kharagal and Nhagi'a sort though the former S Rank Gamma's parts when the Clan Centurio linkshell buzzed. "Eyrikoel," Leaudaste's voice filtered though. "Get over here. I have the reports from Gyr Abania and I think you should see them."

"We'll be right over," said Eyrikoel. He turned to Kharagal and Nhagi'a who had finished dismantling Gamma's computer and were packing it up to bring back to the Ironworks. "Leaudaste found something in Gyr Abania; he wants to see us."

"So Zenos didn't kill everything worth killing then?" Nhagi'a snorted. "That's a first."

"Well, we're not going to find out by standing here," said Kharagal and she teleported back to Kugane. Eyrikoel and Nhagi'a followed suit.

Unlike the last time they were at the Astera, the canteen was filled with people. Eyrikoel elbowed his way though the crowd to the bar where Leaudaste was, Kharagal and Nhagi'a close behind. Scattered over the bar's surface were lots of file folders and even a few Garlean-style photographs. "What's all this?" he gestured at the bar.

Leaudaste smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Before I answer that, I need to ask the three of you a question. Not as members of Clan Centurio, but as Warriors of Light." At that, Eyrikoel started. Clan Centurio was one of the few places where being a Warrior of Light had never mattered before. At his silence Leaudaste continued, "When Zenos said he was good at hunting, did he mean he was good at actual hunting or did he mean he liked killing things that are hard to kill?"

Eyrikoel blinked. He'd never thought of it that way, but in hindsight...

"That explains so much," Nhagi'a groaned as he held the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe we didn't consider the possibility that Zenos meant something different then we do when he talked about hunting."

"Yup. First rule of hunting," Kharagal muttered. "Always know why your prey does what it does and he never bothered to figure that out about us." She shook her head. "No wonder his obsession with us felt so weird."

Eyrikoel nodded at that. "It sounds about right. He thought we were like him because we fought so much." He snorted at how ridiculous that was. "The only times I saw him enjoying himself was when he fought people who fought back. When people didn't give him a big enough challenge, he got bored." He considered that and looked at Leaudaste. "I think you're right. I don't think he was good at what we consider hunting to be. I have a hard time seeing him have the patience to hunt anything he didn't think was hard to kill."

"I admit I guessed that was the case," said Leaudaste. He pulled some files off the countertop and handed them to the Warriors of Light. "Those are some of the reports the XIIth Legion got over the years of some of the more... outlandish shall we say... monsters in Gyr Abanin." He laughed. "I can not imagine why anyone who claims they are a hunter would ignore any of them."

"You don't say," said Nhagi'a, flipping though the file in his hand. "Giant antlions, giant dhruva, giant hornets, giant sapria, giant fire-breathing crag claws-- Wait," he picked out a sheet of paper and looked over it. "Why would anyone in an Imperial Legion let a fire-breathing crag claw munch on cerulum supply convoys for..." he squinted at the paper. "Over a year? That makes no sense."

"Because the legatus of the XIIth Legion was an idiot when it came to logistics," Eyrikoel supplied without skipping a beat. As much as he had opposed Giaus and Regulus' attempted conquests, he did respect that they had run their legions well. Zenos hadn't. Eyrikoel was confident that such an attack on a cerulum supply convoy would not have continued for long when the XIVth Legion had occupied Gyr Abania. They were certainly vigilant at preventing such attacks from happening to the rail line the Phantom Train ran on in Eorzea.

"Same thing goes for Theodoric," said Kharagal, her nose deep in her own file. "It looks like he had a habit of leaving restless dead behind, maybe on purpose, and the XIIth Legion obviously didn't do anything to put them to rest. Aw!" she cooed as she turned a page. "He bred war griffins. Specifically ones with blue feathers." She pulled out a photograph of a large griffin, one that was a shade of iridescent blue. "That is beautiful."

"If you think that is impressive," Leaudaste interrupted, "then you should see this." He held up one of the larger Garlean-style photographs and everyone went silent in awe. It was a picture of clouds crackling with purple lighting over Ala Mhigo. Outlined by the lighting was what looked to be a gigantic charging horse with a shaggy mane and tail and a thick branching horn on its head. Eyrikoel thought the lighting seemed to be coming from the horse rather then the clouds. "This was found in a file that dates back to when Gyr Abania was taken over by the XIVth Legion. The file describes a giant flying horse that is found in the middle of some of Gyr Abania's levinstorms. Depending on who was recording the sighting, it seems as if the horse might be the one making the levinstorms, instead of just being attracted to them."

"And he's still alive?" Nhagi'a asked, an odd look on his face.

"Yes, mainly because the XIVth Legion discovered that for all intents and purposes, it eats all forms of levin, including the levin produced by Garlean beam weaponry. Its last sighting was right around the time Omega crashed into Gyr Abania." Leudaste put the photograph down and looked around at all the awed Clan Centurio members. "So, who wants to take a first stab at tracking it down?" And everyone started talking at once.

Nhagi'a nudged Eyrikoel and Kharagal and motioned towards the back of the canteen. They followed him to a quiet corner table away from the excited hunters. On the way, Nhagi'a snagged the photograph of the horse. "I know who this is," he tapped the horse. "It's Ixion," he whispered, a touch of wonder in his voice. Eyrikoel didn't hear that tone from him very often.

"Who?" Kharagal asked.

"Ixion," said Nhagi'a. "He crops up in stories about Rhalgr. He's supposed to be Rhalgr's steed and some stories say he's one of the few beings capable of carrying Rhalgr's levinbolts unscathed." He squinted at the photograph. "Looks like the stories were right." Out of nowhere, he burst out laughing.

Eyrikoel stared at him. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing," Nhagi'a gasped. He laid out the photograph on the table. "It's just... How could Zenos say he was bored when Ixion is still around?"

Eyrikoel looked down at the picture of a horse that was most likely powering an entire levinstorm and started laughing himself, followed closely by Kharagal. It really was the perfect way to put everything wrong about why Zenos had gone after the Warriors of Light.

After the three of them had calmed down, Kharagal grinned at Nhagi'a with a knowing look in her eye. "So I assume hunting Ixion should be the next thing on our agenda so that you can tame him before everyone else finds him?"

"It's that obvious?" Nhagi'a ruefully snorted.

Eyrikoel chuckled. "The last time you were this in awe of something, you'd seen Markab for the first time. Guess we now know why."

Nhagi'a nodded in agreement before going quiet. He gave the photograph of Ixion a long look before tucking it into his robes. "We should have Avlia come with us when we hunt Ixion," he said. Avlia was the paladin in Nhagi'a's party and another one of the Warriors of Light.

"Why? She's never gone hunting with us before and this looks like it'll be a long one," said Kharagal.

"Yeah, I know," said Nhagi'a, "and that's why I want her to come." He picked at his claw-beds, a sign of nerves, and looked between Eyrikoel and Kharagal. "Ever since we fought Zenos in Ala Mhigo she hasn't been doing well. She's bothered by what he said about us being just like him."

Kharagal rolled her eyes at that. "Not this again."

Nhagi'a sighed. "I know. You, me, Eyrikoel and most of the other Warriors of Light... We do like fighting just fine. But what we really want is what happens after we win and the fighting is over. Avila..." he sighed, "Avila was a gladiator before she was a paladin. She didn't have to be a gladiator, but she liked... still likes, the kind of showy fighting that went on in the coliseum and the reputation she gets though it." Nhagi'a gulped. "Himalgeim says she can't see a difference between liking that kind of fighting and how Zenos liked fighting. I thought if we could show her that the kind of hunting Clan Centurio does is different then the kind of hunting Zenos did, it might help her see that she doesn't like fighting the way Zenos liked fighting either."

"That's not a bad idea" Eyrikoel said. He didn't understand Avila's problem himself. However, he was a Warrior; fighting was how he made his Inner Beast stronger so he could protect the people he cared about. He supposed it might be different if he fought just because he liked the fighting for its own sake. "Should we ask her tomorrow?"

"Yeah," said Nhagi'a and yawned. "It's late and the time shift is going to be crazy to deal with as it is."

"I vote we crash at Hancock's," said Kharagal. She yawned herself.

Nhagi'a gave Eyrikoel a look and nodded. Kyrikoel got up and stretched. "Let's go," he said. "Hopefully the Ruby Bazaar doesn't freak out at the sight of us coming home bloody from hunting again."

Nhagi'a and Kharagal both laughed at that and staggered after him. It was time for sleep and then... the hunt for Ixion.

Author's Notes: If there's anyone in the game who has heard Zenos' perspective on hunting, it would be Clan Centurio. I can easily see people joining up with the clan for the exact same reason Zenos hunts down the WoL. Only to find out that's not how Clan Centurio actually works. The mental image of Zenos sitting down and doing all the research into what makes the WoL tick like the hunting community figures out how to force S Ranks to spawn was hilarious in its improbability. As was the idea that Zenos didn't ever try to take down Ixion while he was in Gyr Abania...

Leudaste is mentioned as being the guy who started Clan Centurio back in Heavensward, but we never actually meet him. So I decided he was an expy of the Admiral from Monster Hunter: World!

Originally posted here.