After exiting the room, Abi led the still-confused Velk down the hall and back into the busy lobby. Although Ash had not yet finished his tests, Abi informed Velk that he should be done shortly. She pointed out a chair for Velk to sit in while he waited. Velk sat in the chair and glanced at the large clock, noticing that it was only 4:26 in the afternoon.
Abi returned to the counter, and Velk watched as she pulled out several books and documents he would likely need to fill out. Seeing this, Velk felt somewhat disappointed. He had expected much less paperwork and much more endurance testing and similar activities before he could join. Velk gazed at a woman, whom he assumed was a little older than himself, talking to a guild receptionist, and wondered if she, too, would feel let down by the lack of challenge or if her experience would differ wildly from his own.
The purple-haired Abi returned to Velk, holding a heavy-looking stack of books, some of which Velk recognized, along with a folder and a quill. She sat in the chair opposite Velk and placed all the items on the table in an orderly fashion. The books were neatly stacked, and the quill rested off to the side.
Abi picked up the quill and wrote "Velkhana, Hunter," on the cover of the blank folder in what Velk would call 'pretty handwriting.' She opened the folder and took out the documents hidden within. There were not many of them, but they were brimming with text and blank spaces. She grabbed the quill and began writing a few things in the documents.
Velk was able to glean a few things about the guild from the documents he read. First and foremost, they were rather thorough about assessing their personnel's information. Everything about his character—from his appearance to his displayed personality—was being recorded in those sheets. And secondly. . . paperwork. They love their paperwork.
To him, it seemed that any information documented would need to be continuously updated as he grew and matured. Occasionally, Abi would ask him questions such as, 'what his diet regularly consisted of' and 'how much sleep he generally obtained every night, and so forth. Eventually, Abi had him stand up so she could measure him with a string marked at specific intervals and have him weigh himself against stones on a large balance.
Velk watched Abi fill out the sheet while waiting for Ash to return. Occasionally, Abi would ask him to stand up so she could measure his body with a long string. She would then record the information in the document and continue asking him questions or just making small talk while she worked.
Once she finished the documents, she put them back into the folder and moved them to the side. Then, taking the book on top of the pile, she passed it over to Velk. "This is the general rules and regulations book. Inside will be the rules you need to follow now that you are part of the guild. It shouldn't be too different from what you're used to, but breaking some of the rules may lead to the loss of your life. Please exercise caution."
After briefly skimming the new book, Velk happily placed it into his bag. He then turned back towards Abi. She then grabbed another book and handed it to him.
"These books from here on are usually not given out for free, but the guild master had paid for them and told me to give them to you. You should be grateful that the guild master has taken a personal interest in you. Don't disappoint her."
The book she had handed him was about the classification of monsters and what that meant. Velk had never seen this book before, so he gladly accepted it. He wasn't sure why the guild master decided to show him such kindness, but he'd happily make use of it.
Abi also gave him books on different medical ingredients, traps, and how they worked, locations of interest, and various weapon styles. There were also two more books, but Velk already owned those. They were about monsters and their habits, and an easy survival guide for the wilderness. He handed them back to the confused Abi, who accepted them with a slight hesitation.
"I already have these two. I don't need any copies. Please give them back to the guild master for me." The guild master had already done enough for Velk. He didn't want to take any more advantages than he already had.
Abi just nodded and received the two books back. "Alright then, now all we have to do is wait for your felyne friend to get back, and then I'll guide you two around the base." She was kicking her legs as she spoke, and it seemed like she was back to her cheerful mood. Velk couldn't help but wonder whether she had an illness or something, given how much her behavior changed from one minute to the next.
As if by circumstance, Ash reared his fluffy head around the corner not too long after his thoughts passed. Ash immediately bounded towards Velk with the brown-haired receptionist who helped him in tow. He seemed exceptionally excited, and Velk couldn't help but get riled up himself.
The receptionist who guided Ash made her way toward Abi and leaned into her ear to whisper something. Velk was not able to hear anything being said. Abi just nodded and said a few things back after blinking in surprise a couple of times. The brown-haired receptionist then straightened her skirt and turned to look at Velk and Ash.
"It was nice getting to know you, Ash, and. . ." She looked directly at Velk.
"Velk," He replied.
"And Velk. I hope to see you two more in the future." She bowed and then sent a wink toward Velk before walking off while waving toward the group. Velk didn't know the gesture's intentions and could only wave back. Rose often winked at him when she was planning something against Maeve, Ash, or Ethran, so he wondered if she had a plan against someone, and she desired him to be a part of it.
"Alright! Put the books in your bag, and let's head over to the Bonding Room! There, we will get you two bonded so that Ash can become your palico!" She jumped from her seat, lifted one of her arms, and struck a pose. It was embarrassing to watch, but Velk was glad she was in an excited mood rather than anything else.
She ran to the counter and opened the swinging door leading behind it. "Come~! Come~! Let's get moving!" She beckoned him to follow her while smiling. Velk looked toward Ash with an unsure smile and raised eyebrows; Ash just shook his head.
"Let's go." Velk and Ash started to follow Abi through the counter and down the hall
Velk once again caught sight of all the magnificent trophies enhancing the beauty of the guildhall. Ash had gone in the opposite direction for his tests, so he had not gotten to see these trophies; thus, he looked around quite excitedly.
While walking, Velk stared at Abi as they strode down the hall. She had both hands clasped behind her back and was swaying from side to side. Occasionally, she would jump or spin and had started watching her steps to avoid the lines on the floor.
Never had Velk seen such a playfully serious girl of her age in his life, so it was an odd experience just observing her. Ash eventually joined in her little game and started avoiding the lines, too. He attempted to outpace Abi in the 'little race.' Abi sent a knowing smirk back at Velk, signifying that this was her plan from the beginning. Velk worriedly chuckled when Abi noticed that Ash had overtaken her in their 'race' and that she grew a mock-frustrated expression.
Once they arrived at the Bonding Room, Abi stopped moving and straightened out her dress. Ash kept going down the hall, not realizing that they had already arrived at their destination. It didn't take long for him to notice that no one was following and look back to see that they had finished moving. He gave a confounded cat grin before rushing back over to them.
Abi opened the door and entered the room. It was the same size as the testing room Velk had been in previously, but there were two long, padded tables next to each other and a wooden desk with a chair to the side of the room. There were also a couple of beige slips of paper atop the table, along with another one of those weird pen things.
Now adopting a resolute appearance, Abi looked at the two and said, "Okay, I'll need you both to take off your shirts and lie face down on the tables. I will be drawing the bonds onto your backs, and they will bond the two of you together until removed. I've heard that this operation is a little painful, so you'll have to bear it. Is that alright?"
This was the first time Velk had heard that he would need to get the bond engraved into his body, but then he remembered that his grandfather had an oddly shaped tattoo in the middle of his back and could control its opacity at will. He recalled that the tattoo was a circle with many different shapes and patterns inside, and markings around it. Velk thought that it looked like an intricate flower within a big hexagon.
"Um. . . sure?" Velk looked toward Ash to get his confirmation. Ash nodded back and started to slowly take off his shirt.
Velk also started to undress right then and there. Abi would often try to taunt the hunters whenever she was tasked with drawing the bond, but she believed that she had already had enough fun with these two for now. She watched as the two took off their shirts and hopped onto the table.
Velk didn't know how Abigail was supposed to get the bond onto Ash's body, with all his hair covering it, and he hoped it wouldn't be too painful for his friend. He decided to voice his question to alleviate any worries he and Ash may be feeling.
"Ah. . . how are you supposed to draw the bond onto Ash? Will you need to remove his hair? Will it be painful for him?" Velk could see Ash tense up at the thought of needing his hair removed for the procedure. Ash had always kept it groomed, so losing it seemed to worry him.
Abi came up with a quick and decisive response. "No. We have a pen designed for the lynians that deals with this problem. There's no reason to worry. He'll only feel around the same pain that you will."
Hearing this, both of the now awaiting canvases calmed down a great deal. "Oh, yeah? That's good," Velk responded sarcastically. He was glad that Ash would not be harmed, while Ash was happy that he would not need to lose his precious hair.
Abi sat two beige slips onto Velk's and Ash's backs and began carving. The process involved Abigail cutting through the slips, replicating the shapes shown on them. The bonds had to be as close to the original as possible for the procedure to work, meaning everything must be drawn perfectly.
Because the bonding actually required Abi to cut through the skin, she needed to ensure there wasn't too much movement between the two. To do that, she strapped them down to the table without them even noticing. Sometimes people freaked out when they realized they were being tied down to the table, so Abi had gotten really good at doing it in secret.
During the procedure, Velk grunted and occasionally yelped in pain while getting his skin torn. Ash didn't fare any better than Velk did. Velk realized that while getting skin carved off and holes poked into it was painful, the rune settling caused the most pain. He could feel a burning sensation burrowing into his skin. The same held true for others who obtained the rune, and once the process started, it could not be stopped without causing severe damage to the recipients.
Ash had absolutely not wanted to go through with it, but knowing that Velk could be crippled if he bailed—something Abi had stressed—kept him on the path of righteousness. Hence, the two teary-eyed children slowly put their shirts back on.
"Oh, quit your whining. I have seen pickles with more guts than you two." Abi kept a warm and gentle smile on her face, but all Velk and Ash could see was a smiling demon waiting to entrap them in their new worst nightmare. It was borderline torture to embark upon the journey they had set off on not even forty minutes ago.
Once the two were dressed, they awaited their upcoming instructions, tears still staining their faces. Abi looked at them confusedly for a couple of seconds before remembering that she would probably have to lead for some time. Most individuals acted like this after getting bonded, so it wasn't anything new.
"You both should now be able to sense where each other are at, and Velk, you should be able to roughly see the amount of power that your palico possesses." It sounded really simple to Abi, but the other two were still in no position to suitably interpret what she meant. They just looked at each other weekly and nodded in understanding.
"Could you please give us a moment? We need some more rest before you explain any more to us." Velk was practically pleading at this point. They both desperately needed some time to recuperate.
"Yes. Both of you should sit back down and rest for a while. I will give you ten minutes until I begin explaining in-depth." Abi had expected this as many asked for the same thing. She'd never undergone the bonding ceremony, so she couldn't relate, but she had witnessed it enough to empathize with their feelings.
After ten minutes, Abi sat up from the chair near the table and got Velk's and Ash's attention. They were no longer crying, but they still had tired expressions. Velk was almost asleep by the time Abigail tried to get his attention, and he promptly woke up with a jolt.
"I will again explain what the bond does and how to use it. Listen carefully; I don't want to repeat myself." It was surprising how many people didn't get what she said the first time and needed a second explanation, so she had gotten rather sick of repeating herself. "Both of you are now connected through what one of the ancient civilizations called a Bond. It allows you to use the rune to sense each other's whereabouts and basic needs. Velk, you should now be able to see how strong your palico is and how much. . . 'power' he has.
The ancient civilization developed a way to steal life force from dead wyverns and empower weaker beings. It's displayed as a number system, and for each number your palico goes up, the stronger your palico will become. Do you understand?" Although Velk did not fully understand, he still nodded anyway.
"How do I see these numbers? I don't know what to do." Velk didn't know how to find the 'numbers' she was talking about. If it were anything like the belt, it shouldn't be too hard.
"I don't know. I was simply told that you could see it just by wanting to. It doesn't make much sense to me either, but lots of the ancient civilization's gadgets and enchantments work that way."
So, in a nutshell, it did work just like the belt. Velk used his 'intent' to find the numbers Abi was talking about, and, to his surprise, a small rectangular grey screen with text appeared in his mind.
[[Palico]]
Name: Ash
Age: 4
Species: Felyne
Level: 1
[Stats:]
Health: 100
Attack: 10
Ranged: 10
Defense: 10
He looked around and asked, "Do either of you see this?" Both Abi and Ash looked at him weirdly before Abi seemed to understand what he was getting at and said, "No, we can not see. It's something special to you and other hunters bonded with a palico."
This cleared up Velk's questions, but as he did not know what the stats actually meant, he could only take random guesses, even though they were, for the most part, self-explanatory. He did not understand how Ash had ten defense without armor, but he credited it to the unique system.
Once again, putting on a cheerful smile, as if she did not just hurt them badly, Abi opened the door leading back out into the hall and asked, "Shall we go explore the rest of the guild?"