Forty Years of This [Monster Hunter World]

Chapter 12

"There's a metal rod in my leg." The Commander looked out the window at the gathering storm. "The Doctor wasn't kidding when she said she was going to do something weird."

"Metal rods for femur breaks aren't weird, Commander." The Quartermaster sat beside him for the first time since the Commander had been allowed visitors following his surgery.

"No? Seems pretty weird to me."

"Can a common practice be weird? Regardless, I think it's poetic. Repurposing your weapon like that. Melting it down and reshaping it, making it a part of you."

The Commander's face twisted into a frown. They'd lacked the proper metal in their supply, but the same metal made the core of his blade. The switch-axe had been broken but not irreparable, but when both the Doctor and the Quartermaster mentioned the limited resource, he'd offered it up for salvage. He had made the decision, and it tore at his heart.

"I don't want to think about that."

"I've set aside the rest of it..." The Quartermaster's voice grew low as if he were sharing a secret. "It's still your weapon. Even if it takes a different form."

"I didn't expect you to be so sentimental, but thank you."

The Quartermaster left right before the rain hit. The initial pattering was soothing for the Commander, but the patter quickly became a pounding. The wind lifted, pressing against the window and shifting the pressure in the rooms of the infirmary. A slight, primal fear began to pool in the Commander's stomach as the first storm heralding a hurricane hit Astera.

A few hunters came by, gleefully greeting him, before sealing the window with thick shutters and a heavy fabric. If the glass shattered, the Commander would be fine. None of them expected a tornado, as the mountain would break it before it could form.

The first night of storms, the Quartermaster stayed with him. He shifted the chair so that he was between the Commander and the window, but everytime the wind howled against the glass, he stiffened. The Commander didn't need to guess why.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to hold your hand?" The Commander grinned in his jest. He hadn't meant it in sincerity, but when the Quartermaster nodded and reached out, he took the man's hand in his own.

In the few days before the heart of the tempest, the Commander often found himself left alone with little more than a visiting palico and a book. Every free hand was put to securing the ships and Astera, and he found himself quite lonely. But when the hurricane hit in earnest, the Quartermaster quickly slunk into his room.

"Nervous?" The Commander felt on edge himself, but the bravado helped soothe him.

"Of course." The Quartermaster moved the chair so that it was almost on top of the Commander's bed. He was as far from the window as he could be while still putting himself between it and the Commander. "We didn't expect the Crossing to happen so soon, and the last time I was in a storm this bad, I fell off a ship. And broke my tibia. Got covered in bugs. The only good thing was I started to know you."

"Well, I don't think you need to worry about going overboard this time, but if you break your leg and end up covered in scoutflies, you can be my roommate."

There was a fondness, a yearning, in the Quartermaster's expression before lightning cracked and the wind slammed against the walls hiding the gentle look behind nerves and thinly veiled fear.

"I will take you up on that the next time I break my leg and get covered in scoutflies."

The Doctor offered the Quartermaster a bedroll to sleep on, but he found being near to the ground unnerving and cold. A sore neck and stiff back from sleeping on the chair were far more preferable to him. She regarded him with a sort of pity but ultimately left him to it.

When the storm had finally died and the seas had finally calmed, vigor returned to Astera. The sea seemed to have lowered after the storm, something no one understood, but the ship that had been docked in preparation for the voyage home was half beached while the flag ship was well on dry land. How the sea level could have dropped, none of them knew, but it did not rise again. The Celestial Pursuit was still high above the ocean, if higher now, and the Forgeman's Intent was laying nestled among rocks and trees on the mountain side. They ultimately left it there.

Before he left, the Admiral stopped in on the Commander. He ran his hand through his hair to calm his nerves then faced his friend.

"Hey Commander." He grinned. "Holding up alright?"

"I'm still in one piece. Tell your kids I said hello."

"So... you've decided to stay? I'll be gone for at least five years, you know."

"Yes, and be careful not to question me again on it, or I might change my mind. But..." The pain had dulled, but it still took him and cut his thoughts in two. "But this place will fall apart without me. That, and I would rather be unable to hunt here, on the cusp of the new world and on the edge of our understanding, than be stuck doing whatever work they'd put me on back home."

"████, I'm sorry." The Admiral hung his head. "I shouldn't have--"

"Shut up." The Commander glared up at him. A fire burned in his eyes that chased away the softness of self pity and the playfulness of jest. "Admiral, I joined you on that hunt, and we both underestimated that beast. Do not leave here trying to shoulder the blame by yourself-- while a leader assumes the failures of his subordinates, he also understands where fault lies. That fault lies with both of us, and you can't address that by taking it all on yourself. You do us both a disservice.

"And the last thing I need before you leave is for you to take that guilt with you. ███████, you are my oldest friend. Don't you dare leave me here with anything but a smile and a promise that you'll tell your kids about our adventures."

The Admiral straightened his back and smiled down at the Commander. "Alright then, Commander. I solemnly swear to tell my kids how their uncle decided to stay and pave the way for them. Maybe even a few will come back with me."

"I'd like that. Any kids of yours have to be wily enough to survive here. Go home, Admiral. I relieve you of your current duty. Just make sure to write."

"Of course, ████. Just try not to break your other leg while I'm gone."