Chapter Text
Loud noises rang out across the Ancient Forest.
Byleth paused her writing and lifted her head from her notebook. The sun appeared high in the sky, signaling the many hours that passed since she left camp to begin her research. Stretching her stiff limbs, she began packing her things and readied herself to head into the next sector.
As a scrivener from the Royal Paleontology Scriveners, a public organization that studied the ecologies of monster species, Byleth documented and researched the characteristics and habitats of monsters for the Hunter’s Guild—a prominent governing association.
While its’ main purpose is to prevent existing species from extinction and prevent any further damage to the ecosystem, the Guild also regulates hunting activities and many other tasks such as keeping the people and cities safe from harm.
Byleth helps them out on many occasions and informs them of environmental changes due to unnatural causes, which they pass along to an observation team of another branch.
Although scriveners typically travel in groups with hunters to protect them, Byleth needed no such insurance. She was not classified as a hunter, but she learned from one of the best and could hold her own against large and fierce monsters, such as the Rathalos and even the Tigrex.
Byleth could fend for herself, and it also helped that her senses were keener than humans thanks to her mother’s lineage.
Again she heard loud noises in the distance, followed by a roar. Byleth placed a hand on the longsword hilt strapped to her hip. It wasn't uncommon for monsters to be in turf wars or hunters to be engaged in battle.
But, it seemed odd to her mainly because there shouldn’t have been any aggressive wildlife in the area. She already checked before traveling to this section.
Byleth would need to scan the area again if she was going to continue with her research.
When Byleth made it near the forest’s center, trails of snow could be seen on the soil. Byleth stopped. The humidity in the Ancient Forest made it impossible for anything such as snow to form. She touched the flakes, still cold…
Byleth pulled out her notes to jot down the information. The sound of battle was even closer and she started running. The trees parted ways into an open clearing and that was when she saw it.
A monster she had never seen in combat with an injured hunter. The glaive he wielded had split in half and the Kinsect that usually accompanied such hunters was nowhere to be seen.
He was severely injured on top of that; blood was seeping from his abdomen, the gashes that ripped his armor showed through, and the heavy labored breaths as he gasped for relief.
The dragon-like monster fired an icy breath toward the hunter, which he narrowly avoided but stumbled in the process. The monster took this opportunity to flit into the air, readying for a deadly attack.
Byleth’s body moved before she could think.
She ran in front of the hunter, assuming a steady stance to intercept the attack with her sword, and immediately countered, landing a hit that flinched the sizable monster.
“Hey, are you alright?” Byleth asked the fair-haired man.
She was able to save him just as the monster swopped down to land the finishing blow. The hunter stared up at her with unfocused blue eyes, slumping against the broken glaive as he tried, but failed, to prop himself back on his feet.
Now standing between the two, Byleth waited with bated breath for the monster’s next move. From the looks of it, the winged monster took a beating from its earlier battle with the glaived hunter, and perhaps sensing its disadvantage, it took flight.
The wings it bore spread wide, blue scales reflecting like crystals. The crowned ice upon its head sparkled, giving the monster an elegant yet vicious gleam as it disappeared into the skies. The strong gust hurled at them was strong enough to have them both topple over.
Once the dust settled, Byleth realized they were both blown a small distance from each other. She ran over to the hunter, “Hey!”
He was knocked unconscious. An ice shard lay near his head, the debris seemingly struck him during the monster’s escape.
Byleth surveyed the area. The distance to her campsite wasn’t far, since she initially was out on an expedition that had fewer monsters roaming about but an unexpected encounter with an unknown monster in battle with this man left her baffled.
Byleth quickly patched him up with the few materials she had on hand to stop the bleeding, and carefully hoisted the hunter on her back. A pained groan escaped his mouth, “I know it hurts, but endure it for just a bit longer.” She soothed.
His feet dragged on the ground when she began moving. Other than being tall, the man was rather heavy. Something glinted against her eyes, Byleth glanced at the floor to find the broken glaive.
Even damaged, she could see the details adorning the blade and how well maintained it was kept. It would be a shame to leave behind, so Byleth strapped it on her person with much difficulty due to the injured individual on her back and began her trek.
The campsite wasn’t that large; just a decent-sized tent for two, a campfire set for meals, and a makeshift workshop to analyze and transcribe the environmental anomalies.
Inside the tent, Byleth placed the hunter on her cot and proceeded to strip his upper armor. The wound was a nasty gash with deep red marks going down from his ribs.
Now that she was back at camp, Byleth had all the necessary items to properly tend to the hunter. She had already forced him to drink an herbal medicine to cleanse his body for any potential toxins and a recovery potion to help ease the pain. Next, she would need to suture the wound on his sides…
Byleth let out a deep breath, focusing and preparing her mind for long the procedure.
Several hours later, the man woke.
“...Where am I?” The hunter rasped out.
“My campsite. You were injured during your fight with a monster and lost consciousness afterward. How do you feel—”
“My weapon—!” He attempted to rise but grimaced in pain.
“Easy,” Byleth gently pressed his shoulders, lowering him down. “I have it. You still need to rest,” She glanced at the bandages, blood now seeping through. “Your wounds’ opened back up, I’ll need to change them.”
He watched as she rummaged through her bag. She reached over to cut his bandages loose and grabbed a wet cloth to clean the area.
He still held his gaze while she gently wiped his sides, jaws taut from the pain. After elevating his body just a bit, Byleth then began applying the new bandages to his sides. Her hands wrapped around his waist as if to hug him. The hunter let out a choked cough.
“Sorry, I’m almost done,” She said, trying her best to quickly wrap the cloth. He said nothing but turned his face away, staring intently at one spot for a while.
Once finished, Byleth let out a satisfied hum.
“Thank you… for saving me and for tending to my wounds,” The hunter said sincerely. “My name is Dimitri. Might I ask the name of my savior?”
“You’re most welcome and my name’s Byleth.”
“Byleth, I see. If it isn’t too improper, are you Wyverian?”
His eyes stared at her seafoam hair and slightly pointed ears, telling signs of those of Wyverian descent.
The answer was obvious, but Byleth answered anyways, “That’s right, I am.”
Dimitri smiled. He possibly asked such a question to catch his bearings.
“How about you?” She asked this time, “Are you a hunter from the Guild?”
He nodded, “I had accepted a commission regarding that large winged monster. There have been sightings of it in various regions before I finally tracked it down; although I had meant to slay it, regrettably, I’ve been reduced to this state,” Dimitri smiled ruefully.
“I thought it was common for the Guild to dispatch members of four to take on commissions,” It was customary, but sometimes Byleth would see two or even solo hunters.
“Yes, well… my fellow hunters all went to different regions in search of clues to the monster’s whereabouts. I was able to come across it by chance and then engaged the beast in battle.”
Byleth held a palm to her chin, staring at Dimitri. If she had not come across that battle, Dimitri would have most likely died today. Facing a monster of that size alone was enough to cause hesitation, but to recklessly face it alone?
At that moment, Byleth’s eyes met Dimitri’s, but instead of breaking eye contact, he gave a forced smile.
…Perhaps he already knew what he did was foolish. The weariness surrounding his eyes did not seem to stem from the fight but from something else entirely.
“You should get some sleep,” It would do her no good to assume things about a man she just met. Everyone had their own circumstances and it was not her place or business to judge.
When Dimitri laid down and closed his eyes, Byleth made to leave, grabbing the dirtied cloth in hand when he spoke.
“Byleth.”
She turned to see him still with eyes closed as he continued, “Are you perhaps a hunter as well?”
“No, though my father is.”
Dimitri’s eyes flew open in surprise, “A Wyverian hunter?”
Byleth chuckled, she could understand his shock. There were hardly any Wyverian hunters.
Other Wyverians usually lived together in small villages, and having a larger lifespan than humans, the people dedicated their intellect to workmanship, trading, and researching in collaboration with the Hunter’s Guild.
The Wyverians’ small population was partially due to them not reproducing very often—perhaps not finding the need because of their lifespan, so it seemed like a storybook fairytale when her mother fell in love with her father and she came to be born.
“Nothing like that, he’s human like you and half of me too.”
“Half of you…?” Dimitri asked, confused.
She nodded, “My biological father’s human.”
“Oh! I see, so you’re half human.”
“I hope you’re not too disappointed I’m not a fully-blood Wyverian?” She spoke in a joking manner.
“No, not at all!” Dimitri shouted, sounding horrified. His face winced, “It’s just—although I witnessed just a short moment, your skill with the longsword was magnificent. I didn’t mean to imply anything untoward—”
Byleth gave a small laugh, “Relax, I was just joking, and thank you. Now, no more questions. It’s time for you to rest.” With that, she opened the tent’s flap—the moon at her backside illuminating the night sky, “Good night.”
Late that following morning, Byleth folded a note into a package and tied it securely around the Cohoot’s leg, “Be sure to deliver my message to my father,” She gently scratched the bird’s head and with a satisfied hoot the Cohoot took off toward the Guild's headquarters.
Byleth’s gut feeling told her the abnormalities involving the environment might be due to the monster Dimitri fought. The information she sent to Jeralt told of her concerns (she sent along the ice shard for good measure), and if he shared her suspicions then he would pass along her report to the observation team. They oversaw any news of elder dragons and kept observation logs in storage for high-ranking hunters to review.
Although they’ve been around for many years, the general information wasn’t much since little was known about the monsters; only a handful had been recorded throughout history.
She opened the tent's flap and was surprised to see Dimitri already up.
“Oh, you’re awake,” Byleth grabbed a stool and sat beside the cot. “I was going to head out and get breakfast, but how’re you feeling?”
Dimitri looked himself over, slowly moving to test the limits of his injuries, “A bit better, all thanks to your attentive care.”
He still looked pale, but for now, Byleth was satisfied he was out of immediate danger. Now that she’s looking closely, he was rather handsome. The wheat color of his hair was pleasant, and the sharp angle of his face gave him a mature look—though when he smiled, his features turned boyish.
She liked looking at him, “I’ll be back, then.”
“Wait!”
She was already at the tent’s outlet before looking back.
He hesitated, “Are you going alone?”
She raised an eyebrow, before nodding, “I’m the only one here, after all.”
“You’ve said so yourself that you are not a hunter—I do not doubt your skills with the blade, but that monster could still be roaming about. Were you to encounter it alone and…” Dimitri’s face darkened.
“I know very well what manner of tricks it utilizes to strike at hunters, that beast is cunning as well as tactical, ” He spoke in a low gravelly tone.
It seems Dimitri had history with the monster, and with the dimmed look in his eyes, Byleth knew it had to be something more complicated than what he was willing to share.
“There’s nothing to worry about, I won’t be far. I’ll just be checking the traps I placed earlier and grabbing a few ingredients.”
He still seemed reluctant to let her go alone, but he didn’t press further.
Byleth may have been skilled at fighting, but unfortunately the same could not be said about her trapping skills. Three out of five net traps she placed were disentangled, and only two had caught something—a small-sized Kelbi.
She hoped for a large one to save for lunch, but with her skills, such monsters could easily break through her traps. Small or not, their horns held medicinal properties and could be put to good use, one that she could use to hopefully get Dimitri back on his feet.
Byleth mostly kept to herself, but any time she came across troubled hunters out in the field, she gladly offer her assistance. This time was no different, though Byleth couldn’t deny her curiosity about Dimitri and his untold story.
The next few weeks were a nice change of pace to Byleth’s everyday routine. Dimitri was better than when she first dragged him to camp, now he was able to move around and help with small tasks.
He had more than enough experience creating traps, so when he volunteered to make more from the materials she had and to teach her, Byleth had thankfully accepted.
He demonstrated his method of placing traps—indiscernible to monsters so they would easily trigger them—and the types of specific webbing used to create a more powerful grip. In turn, she would show him the types of flora and insects used to create a variety of items with a stronger potency and edible plants when food was scarce.
They slept in the same tent, much to Dimitri’s embarrassment. She didn’t mind, it helped her keep a closer eye on his health, and she was rather fond of him..
While she slept on the floor, Byleth had to force Dimitri to continue sleeping on her cot. Initially, he adamantly refused, but when she weighed his health against her comfort, it was clear which was the better choice. He reluctantly accepted, though every night he would still ask her to change her mind.
Whenever Byleth went out to hunt for lunch, she only allowed Dimitri to follow along if he did not exert himself and only watched. Even if she told him to just rest, the man apparently did not know how to stay still.
“If it isn’t too intrusive, what reason was it that you find yourself out here alone?” Dimitri asked as they sat near the campfire during dinner. It had become common to trade stories or ask questions about the other while they ate.
Byleth continued stirring the cauldron, a delicious aroma wafting around the fire as they waited for the stew, “I was here investigating the irregular changes in the environment.”
Jeralt was head of the 1st Division in the Hunter’s Guild. Upon hearing rumors of strange anomalies across multiple regions, he had reason to believe the appearance of an elder dragon.
Each monster was separated by species and characteristics; however, monsters that classify as elder dragons were entities that commanded elements surpassing that of normal species. It would be akin to describing them as nature itself taking form, causing natural phenomena and disasters.
Happy with the stew’s consistency, Byleth filled two bowls with a hearty serving and passed Dimitri’s his. After eating two spoonful, she continued, “You know how the Guild keeps hunters posted in areas they’ll be venturing to each commission?” Another spoonful.
“Yes, that is to better prepare us for hunts, so we can plan accordingly where to set up camp,” Dimitri said, watching as Byleth ate.
Her bowel was empty so she poured another helping and began anew, “There were reports of frost in areas that didn’t make sense, so I was there to investigate the weather changes. Perhaps, you know what I mean?” She didn’t miss the way Dimitri’s eyes narrowed.
“Ah, the monster I’ve been tracking…” He said quietly. Dimitri idly stirred his spoon, in thought.
Of course, he would know. Byleth found traces of snow just before she had found him fighting. Reports of snowfall in the upper mountains of the Coral Highlands wouldn’t seem as questionable, since it was at an elevation where snow could be possible, but at the Ancient Forest? It was obvious to see what sort of problem it could cause to the ecosystem.
The mood always dampened whenever she brought up the dragon-like monster. Once, Byleth had asked Dimitri—for how long he tracked the beast, and with a tight smile, he replied ‘too long.’
“Anyways, don’t glaive users usually have a Kinsect companion?” Byleth changed the subject as she served herself a third bowl.
“Ah, yes they do,” Dimitri responded sheepishly, his spirits slightly lifted. “I’m somewhat a peculiar case.”
“How so?”
“Well…” He hesitated. “They are not fond of me.”
When Byleth stared at him, he elaborated, “When I call upon them during battle, they either do not respond or flee the scene entirely. This has happened on numerous occasions…”
“My father had taught me how to wield a glaive from the time I was able to walk,” Dimitri had a distant faraway look in his eyes. “The glaive I carry once belonged to him and many years later I have made it my own… with the exception of the Kinsect—which I have only recently begun having one accompany me.”
“Hmm…” Byleth pondered in thought. Even without a Kinsect companion, Dimitri was a rather skilled hunter. Based on what she witnessed, his form focused more on brute strength which in some ways could be considered reckless, though it made sense that such a rough fighting style was not suited for the Kinsect’s supporting role.
“You fight just as well, with or without one,” she commended.
He lifted a hand to his neck in embarrassment, mumbling a quiet thank you before looking away.
“Where is your Kinsect, then?” Byleth glanced in the cauldron, still enough for one more serving.
Dimitri was still on his first bowl, he hardly touched his food. If she thought about it, he seemed more interested in watching her eat. When he caught her staring, Dimitri gave her a soft smile and gestured for Byleth to help herself.
Well, if he insisted… she scooped the last remaining bit of stew and resumed eating.
“Ah, it’s currently with one of my companions. She’s been helping it acclimate to fighting alongside hunters. Perhaps you’ll get a chance to meet her, along with my other companions.”
“I’d like that,” Byleth smiled.
They sat in relative silence, the crackling of the firewood in the night air soothing as was the sound of critters in the distance.
“Well, we have an early morning ahead of us tomorrow,” Byleth rose. “We need to fix up your glaive and I know just the place to get the materials,”
Dimitri looked surprised, “You know how to forge, Byleth?”
She gave him a confident smile, “No.”