Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Reyna doesn't respond to the comment, simply taking off her helmet and setting it next to her placemat. A Palico dressed like a fancy maid (complete with wig, though that shouldn't be too strange for someone like Varik) comes down from the staircase, which she promptly flags down and hands a Gourmet Voucher.

"I'll have the Full Bloom Platter, and my grouchy friend here will have a look at the drinks menu."

The cat-creature meows and nods, running back up the stairs to a hidden kitchen.

"If you change your mind and get hungry after looking at what they have to offer," Reyna remarks, "get your own platter."

Varik actually breaks out of whatever mood he was in due to the smell when being called grouchy as he's sitting down.

"I'm not grouchy.", he says, while proceeding to look grouchy.

He takes off the belt that holds his sword, as well as his shield, and puts them besides himself. Then he also takes his armor off, and Reyna may actually be shocked by how much younger Varik looks without it. Sure, he's still pretty buff, but all of a sudden he went from someone who looks like a young adult to someone who actually looks like they're 16-17.

"I normally wouldn't take that off even while eating, 'cause that Arena world can be dangerous at any moment. But I'm guessing this place is a bit safer.", he says before grabbing a menu and looking it over.

If Reyna pays close attention to him, she'll be able to spot a moment where Varik's eyes are actually visible. She may not like what she's seeing though, as there's some really thick shadows under his eyes, and said eyes have a weird vibe to them. Nothing dangerous, but more like...

Well, like he's a broken person.

"... this stuff does actually sound pretty good.", he says. "Maybe I'll use some vouchers for food after all. ... does any of this have steak?"

"Not really, 'cause then you'd lose.", Tahn jokingly reminds him, smirking back before ascending the stairs too. They soon reach a door.

"That was more fun than I thought. Guess we won't really be having much troubles when we do this for real.", Tahn says before opening the door.

Botar is standing on the other end, and the suddeness of the giant's appearance makes Tahn jump and shriek for a moment, ending up hiding behind Loki until he realizes who's in front of them.

"That was faster than we'd anticipated. Well done.", Botar says, slightly amused at Tahn's reaction.

"Well, I assume you are here to finish the job? let's go."

Mero walked back to the forest, the depressing aura was still there, if not stronger. And, Abby was leaning on the wall, twirling the key on her finger.

"You guys are finally back. I thought you were dead!"

After recovering from the initial surprise at the sight of Botar waiting for them behind the door, Loki's lips curl into a slight smile.

"Was there ever any doubt?" he replies. "Now that we've proven ourselves capable of working together, let me know when Pseudo wants us to infiltrate the Cyber Angels' stronghold."

He glances back at Tahn.

"And for whatever the Hel it might be worth, your cleverness is admittedly quite admirable, Tahn."

Reyna notices Varik's true face, but she doesn't prod him about it. That would be rude. Instead, she shushes him. "I used a voucher, that covers everyone else including you."

The Palico from before comes down carrying something big on a covered platter. It runs and places it in front of Reyna, then pulls the cover off to reveal three large softboiled eggs, a glistening rare steak, a miniature mountain of biscuits, and some kind of chocolate substance with a giant dollop of whipped cream on top.

"And this is a small portion for hunters!" Reyna comments before scooping out half an egg with her fork and swallowing it whole.

The Palico also passes Varik a menu.

"Oh yeah, you can make a platter out of a combination of any six items on that menu." Reyna devours the rest of that egg.

Meat

Courage meats:

• Wyvern Thigh: A long time in the stew makes it very chewy.
• Wyvern Skirt Steak: Best served thinly sliced and grilled over charcoal.
• Wyvern Egg: A precious plunder from a wyvern's nest.
• Wyvern Tail: The tail from a flying wyvern. Worth trying at least once.
• Wyvern Head: A staple of haute cuisine, it also occasionally features in celebratory feasts.
• Wyvern Filet: The most highly valued cut of wyvern meat available.

Resilience meats:

• Tough Meat: Working your way through this chewy meat has the added benefit of strengthening your jaw.
• Thorny Meat: Still attached to the thorny scales from which it was cut, it calls for slow, careful eating.
• Bullion Meat: Relatively expensive, but sometimes you've just gotta treat yourself.
• Steeled Meat: Hard enough to break a tooth, but the protein and vitamins it packs almost makes it worth it.
• Wild Chicken: Best enjoyed by savagely cutting into it and shoveling into your mouth with abandon.
• Marinated Carpaccio: Steeped in a secret sauce, this raw meat is literally dripping with flavor.

Vigor meats:

• Aptonoth Meat: A staple of any hunter's diet which is used in a wide variety of meat dishes.
• Apceroast: Almost always served in large portions, this meat is a favorite among ravenous hunters.
• Diced Steak: Relatively good quality meat cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
• Giant Sirloin: A lovely slice of Aptonoth meat that's tasty and filling.
• Big Bite Burger: A burger prepared the way it was meant to be: almost too big to fit in your mouth.
• Giga Steak: Well-marbled steak so delectable that it's hard to put down even long after you've been full.

Acumen meats:

• White Liver: Loved for its goopy texture.
• Barbecued Short Rib: Mostly fat, this flavorful meat can be dangerously addictive.
• Tangy Tripe: A stomachful of this makes it oddly difficult to sit still.
• Hot Heart: A cut of meat prized for its texture, enjoyed best when devoured piping hot.
• Rich Rump: An exceptionally rich cut of meat from one of a monster's most prized body parts.
• Grand Foie Gras: Its creamy texture and rich taste make it a much sought-after ingredient.

Artillery meats:

• Peon Turkey: Sadly, it's more bone than meat.
• Great Mutton: Highly versatile, it's used in a wide variety of dishes.
• Herbivore Egg: An omelette made from this could feed several hungry families.
• King Turkey: Its meatiness makes it more than worthy of its moniker. Puts Peon Turkey to shame.
• Magma Mutton: Succulent mutton that grows even richer in taste the longer it's stewed.
• Kaiser Turkey: A leg so imperially meaty that even King Turkey pales in comparison.

—

Fish

Courage fish:

• Ridgemane Tuna: Its meat is as tasty as its mane is audacious.
• Serpentine Salmon: Twisty and curvy, it looks more like a snake than a fish.
• Courageous Eel: One bite and you'll be brimming with courage.
• Sushifish: Delicious, with just the right amount of fat. Well-liked near and far.
• Ancient Seabream: Gourmet fish that has been prized as a delicacy since ancient times.
• Boorish Yellowtail: Though criticized for its vulgar appearance, this fish is actually the epitome of courage.

Resilience fish:

• Jumbo Whelk: Larger shells fetch a higher price.
• Scallop Chips: Scallops dried for preservation. They can also be used to make a tasty soup.
• Choice Abalone: First-rate in size and taste.
• Violet Abalone: Its aroma and flavor have transformed as much as its coloration.
• Precious Abalone: Hailed as a delicacy among delicacies.
• Large-horned Turban: Study of its biology has not yet uncovered the use for its large horns.

Vigor fish:

• Squad Sardine: They form into regiment-like schools to protect their territory.
• Samurai Tuna: Notable for the patterns on its head resembling a samurai helmet.
• Gajau Gill: Needs to be cooked for a long time, but the wait is definitely worth it.
• Gajau Liver: Packed with good fats, it's both delicious and nutritious.
• Shogun Tuna: Markings along its entire body evoke the image of a full suit of samurai armor.
• Fiery Seabream: This blazingly red fish looks as though it's perpetually aflame.

Acumen fish:

• Bent-backed Shrimp: Its distinctively contorted body makes this shrimp difficult to eat.
• Armor Crab: A crustacean with a shell that looks like a suit of armor and is just as tough.
• Coral Shrimp: Petite, but with a dazzling rose-colored shell.
• Fortress Crab: It attracts symbiotes to live on its shell, making its body seem larger than it is.
• Queen Shrimp: Reigns over other shrimp as their queen.
• Millenary Crab: A magnificent crab said to live for a thousand years.

Artillery fish:

• Osseoctopus: It has a brittle texture that's almost like chewing on bone.
• Pink Caviar: Brilliantly pink fish eggs, lightly pickled in salt.
• Lily Squid: Said to bring on flashes of insight.
• Ballerina Octopus: Cooking it makes its legs curl up like a dancer.
• Soulful Caviar: Fish eggs so delicious they move the soul.
• Sovereign Squid: A squid whose size practically demands that it be regarded as a ruler of something.

—

Vegetables

Courage veggies:

• Magnicelery: Once you develop a taste for it, you'll find it hard to resist.
• Rapscallion: Eaten raw, its flavor is so sharp that even a Deviljho might shed a tear.
• Jewel Cactus: Large and packed with juicy, fleshy meat.
• Dragonbloom: A flower with fruit as tough as wyvern scales.
• Kingly Cactus: A cactus of majestic, almost king-like, quality.
• Fatty Tomato: A gourmet tomato bursting with sweet juices.

Resilience veggies:

• Stonecorn: A stalk of corn that takes almost superhuman strength to shuck.
• Steadfast Spud: The tenacious roots it spreads make for back-breaking work come harvesting time.
• Exquisite Shroomcap: A delectable mushroom that even chefs are wont to pop into their mouths while cooking.
• Moonlit Mushroom: A mushroom that glows faintly like the moon.
• Spirit Shroomcap: The glow of this mushroom can only be described as otherworldly.
• Soiled Shroomcap: Surprisingly difficult to find, they were once thought to be only a legend.

Vigor veggies:

• Plumpkin: An imposing, gorgeously proportioned pumpkin. Its taste is almost irrelevant.
• Cudgel Onion: As its name suggests, its sharp taste and rough appearance are almost ogreish.
• Shinebloom: Its aroma paints the mind with an image of soft, dappled sunlight.
• Sunkissed Grass: An herb claimed to have broad remedial powers.
• Goldbloom: A flower that radiates golden beauty.
• King Truffle: Even a pinch of this adds volumes of delightful aromas to any dish.

Acumen veggies:

• Aromaticelery: Its aroma varies greatly depending on how it's prepared.
• Prismatic Paprika: Its coloration varies greatly depending on how it's prepared.
• Tainted Fruit: A fruit that's ripened in spite of the extreme conditions of the Rotten Vale.
• Heavenberry: Its flavor is praised as a taste of heaven.
• Elysian Fruit: It has an aroma so magical it seems to come from another world.
• Millionfold Cabbage: It boasts a phenomenal texture thanks to its innumerable layers of leaves.

Artillery veggies:

• Kut-Ku Bean: The occasional bean is hot enough to have you spouting fire like a Yian Kut-Ku.
• Molten Mango: A mango that ripens quickly after it's picked, and continues to seethe with heat long after.
• Rockfruit: A fruit with a tough, rock-like rind.
• Divineapple: A tropical fruit that's tricky to grow.
• Wildfruit: Its wild taste is a favorite among gourmets.
• Emerald Durian: A rare fruit that shines like an emerald, and is almost as valuable.

—

Drinks

Perception drinks:

• Tater Mud: A drink that goes down as easy as it sounds.
• Dragon Ale: Strong enough to knock out a wyvern, though how that was tested is left up to the imagination.
• Demontater Brew: Bitter enough to put a hole through a Deviljho's stomach.
• Wyvern Amber Ale: An aromatic, full-bodied brew.
• Goldenfish Brew: Consider yourself lucky to get your hands on this holy grail of brews.
• Dragonkiller Sake: Rice wine distilled according to a long-researched process. The epitome of sake.

Fortune drinks:

• Hunter's Brew: The perfect refreshment after a long hunt.
• Star Brandy: Its bottle features the Research Commission's famous sapphire star on its label.
• Master Ale: Brewed with roasted malt, this rich, velvety brew is popular with beer aficionados.
• Ratha Whiskey: Whiskey aged in a barrel scorched by a Rathalos's fiery breath.
• Astera Beer: The local brew of the Research Commission. Perfect for celebratory toasts.
• Blessed Wine: It holds the record for the longest time at the top of the rankings in Wine Hunter's Monthly.

Preparation drinks:

• Greathorn's Gulp: Made with the powdered horns of animals native to Hoarfrost Reach.
• Auspicious Ale: Traditionally gifted to travelers as a good-luck charm for the road.
• Butterbrew: A bracing brew made by fermenting fresh-picked butterbur from the Reach.
• Fortified Honeywine: The carefully selected natural ingredients in this brew warm the body to its core.
• Entrancing Alembic: This fruity spirit's sweet aroma bewitches any who catch a whiff.
• Tequila de Locos: An insanely potent spirit drunk by foolhardy hunters to prove their mettle.

Trailblazer drinks:

• Glacial Vodka: The Canteen's elevated vodka on the rocks, now served boldly atop an icicle.
• Toasting Tequila: A cheery vintage used to celebrate a successful hunt and other happy occasions.
• Snowmelt Snifter: The clean taste of freshly melted snow makes this a tradition for post-fight make-up toasting.
• Frostpeak Fizz: A luxurious drink served over silvery shards of ultra-dense ice.
• Crystal Quaff: A delicate drink so clear it looks as if bubbles are rising up out of an empty glass.
• Searing Spirit: A single sip of this potent brew starts a fire racing from the belly to every extremity.

Luxord shakes his head. "In a manner of speaking, I did die. Rather, the empty husk of my body that you all met before was destroyed, and rejoined with my metaphysical heart, returning me to life as one whole man."

Edited by KiriK on Apr 15th 2020 at 8:17:07 AM

"Alright. He will likely contact you before the end of the week. He'll have to share it with our temporary allies first, to ensure they don't try launching any attacks while you're in there.", Botar says, moving out of the way for Loki and Tahn to come through, the latter showing Botar a pouty glare for a moment.

He's taken by surprise when Loki compliments him again though, looking as surprised as he feels.

"W-well, um... thanks. Same to you too.", he says, then smirking again. "I'm glad I'll be tackling this mission with someone who knows what he's doing. I've got a good gut feeling about this."

"Don't jinx it now.", Botar says, after which he starts walking. "Pseudo's a bit busy right now, so if you want I'll bring you to the cafeteria to get something to eat."

Tahn puts his hands in his pockets, not following, seemingly waiting for something.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 15th 2020 at 12:28:18 PM

Mero's World

Shulk smiles, saying "Well, I for one didn't die. At least permanently. Got in a fight, in over my head. Came back afterwards, The arena's nice like that."

Before he can follow after Botar, Loki notices that Tahn hadn't moved from his spot.

"Something on your mind? Botar didn't forbid you from enjoying a well-earned meal, you know."

"Huh? Wait, so that one voucher will serve as a full meal for two people? And I'll have eight more of those?"

Cue her big meal actually appearing, and Varik looks stunned to the point of speechlessness, though that only lasts a few seconds.

"T-This is what counts as one meal for you!?", he asks. "This would be a feast for m-"

Cue him making a weird gasping sound that cannot be described, it only being universally recognizable as the sound someone makes when they interrupt themselves due to seeing something amazing.

"That's a steak.", he says, looking down at it, then accepting the menu.

"Alright, I want the same meal you're having, which is... uh... is it Wyvern Skirt Steak? It-"

Another gasp-like sound.

"Giga Steak!? ... That one. I'm going with that one, final answer. And uh... 'Courageous Eel'? I don't buy this actually working, but sure, I'll give it a shot. As for a drink... Entrancing Alembic, I guess. And vegetables..."

He raises an eyebrow.

"Mushrooms? No thanks. Ooh, a truffle? Alright, that one. The King Truffle.", he says. His sour, grouchy mood seems to have disappeared for a moment, as he appears genuinely excited.

Tahn blinks.

"Huh, well, I'm not allowed outside my cell, so I'm waiting for the big guy to send me back."

"Pseudo has actually granted you an exception this time around, as gratitude for your cooperation. So come along.", Botar says, to Tahn's surprise. He starts looking wary, clearly not actually trusting Botar, but he goes along with them anyway.

Loki simply follows after Botar, twirling a dagger in one hand as he does so.

"For up to sixteen people, actually. Sure you don't want anything else?" Reyna prods. "You can get a fifth and sixth item. Then again," she muses, "that's probably meant for hunters who spend almost every day running around and slaying huge monsters."

She stabs a fork into a slice of her steak, cuts out a smaller piece, and offers it to Varik... while in the same motion eating the entire rest of the slice to ensure he gets the message that he's not getting anything more off her plate. "Noticed you seem to have a thing for steak."

Edited by KiriK on Apr 15th 2020 at 6:15:03 AM

"I think if I get more I would explode. I usually get through an entire day with less than a fourth of this.", Varik says. "Spend most of my money on booze, cause then I'll sleep well at night."

Then he looks surprised when Reyna offers him a piece of steak, honestly looking much less surprised at her making clear the rest of the steak is off-limits.

"Y... you're giving me a piece? Even though I'll also get some food?"

He takes the piece with his own fork, muttering a soft, unusually meek 'thank you' before taking a bite out of it.

"T-this is really good.", he mutters.

"See? Had to make sure you'd like it," Reyna says.

"A Custom Platter for the young lad here! Giga Steak, Courageous Eel, Entrancing Alembic, and King Truffle!"

A short while later, the Palico waiter (waitress?) comes down with everything on a covered platter. The steak and eel sit together in a small stew of some sort, the drink comes in a wooden tankard, and the truffle has its own side plate. There's also French bread and a dish of some kind of molten cheese.

Reyna resumes eating her own dish. "I'll have your sides," she adds between mouthfuls, "if you don't want 'em. There's sauces, salt n' pepper in those featureless bottles on the table."

Edited by KiriK on Apr 15th 2020 at 6:23:24 AM

He looks it all over when it arrives, then at Reyna when she comments, surprising him yet again.

"You'd still be hungry enough after everything you ordered?", he asks, perplexed. He then looks back at his dish and, naturally, starts with a piece of the steak, though dips it in the molten cheese first before eating it.

"Really good...", he softly mutters, repeating himself. And as he moves to continue eating, Reyna should notice something that, without a doubt, would surprise her... as it would probably surprise anyone else too.

Varik himself doesn't realize it, but the combination of this meal and the smell... makes tears flow down his face.

... This kid has gone through some shit, Reyna concludes after finishing her entire stack of biscuits. Must be his first good meal in a looong time.

"Hey, uh... you okay? It looks like you're crying."

"W-what?", Varik asks as he looks up at her again. He feels his face with his arm, wiping the tears off.

"Huh, I... I didn't even realize..."

He glances down.

"I'm sorry... you must be embarrassed to have brought me here. This looks like a place for some impressive people, and then you bring me, and I start...", he says, sighing.

"It's just that... I can't help it. I'm usually more composed than this, but this smell, and this food, it... it reminds me of the home I grew up in. I can't explain why, but this place smells just like it..."

Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 15th 2020 at 1:36:42 PM

"This place is my home," Reyna says in an attempt to reassure Varik. "My big adventure to save the world began with getting shipwrecked on an island to the southeast of here, one dominated by monsters."

She takes a big field guide off her utility belt and sets it down on the table, opening it to a page depicting a ferocious monster resembling a T. rex. "That Nargacuga you fought makes the monster Anjanath look like a wimp, and an Anjanath was the first thing to ever put me in real danger. You're not some nobody compared to the average hunter. In fact, you'd compare to the master-rank hunters in terms of what you've fought, and that's just from what I've seen."

Edited by KiriK on Apr 15th 2020 at 6:40:46 AM

Varik glances down, his eyes visible yet again. They look much less broken this time around, as it's overshadowed by doubt and insecurity instead.

"You're lucky to have a home like this.", he says. He looks at her book as he cuts a piece off of the eel to eat, then looks surprised, and for a moment, he appears excited again.

"That monster looks like a T-Rex. So you've fought dinosaurs too? I fought them during my own jour-"

He pauses, and back to insecure he goes.

"... Thanks though, for the compliment.", he says. "..."

He puts his fork down right before he was about to eat something.

"Hey, I'm... sorry. About just watching while you were fighting. I really only fight for money, but knowing how nice you are, I think I'd hate myself if that had ended badly for you and I could've prevented that."

"... What's a dinosaur?" Reyna asks, totally serious, mid-egg-eating.

Her expression quickly turns somber, though. "I... At the end of the day, I just fight for money too. My world's ecosystem is a fragile one, what with the top of every food chain always being some world-shaking abomination, but that just means you can make big money off helping to keep it in check. I was sorta born into this job; the daughter of two hunters, meant I'd have to be a hunter myself. It's literally in our genes, but if I could just drop all this..." She sighs "I think I might. I just feel a pull that keeps me here; a feeling of... well, belonging. This is where I should be, like it or not."

Then she suddenly brightens up. "But enough about that, let's look at some more monsters!"

Edited by KiriK on Apr 15th 2020 at 6:52:21 AM

Varik looks surprised in a more comical way this time around.

"You don't... uh, well, they're the ancestors of present animals. Big, lizardlike creatures. Like... a T-Rex is a bit like a dragon, but without wings or fire breath. Nobody knows how they got wiped out, but according to my classroom teacher, when school was still a thing for me, they were most likely wiped out by a meteorite that hit the ground hard enough to kick up ashes into the sky that blocked the sun for a long time, causing plants to die, plant-eaters to die, and then the meat-eaters to die. And the creatures that lived through this got to eventually evolve into normal animals. ... and people apparently, but that's a whole other story."

He then listens to what she says.

"Oh... well... I'm not sure if it helps, but... seeing how you handled that dragon, I think you're really good at it. ... Sorry if that's not much, I kinda suck at these kinds of things. Used to be much better at it in the past."

When she offers to let him see more monsters, he nods, interested, and continues to eat while watching.

"... Huh. We just classify things like that as Brute Wyverns."

"So you might've seen Deviljho's name a few times in the menu... and heeeere's what it looks like." Reyna flips to a page with the big ol' murder pickle on it.

"Deviljho is a Brute Wyvern like Anjanath, and it's the apex predator. The only non-Elder Dragons that can stand up to it are monsters that punch on the same level as Elder Dragons, like Rajang or Bazelgeuse. It goes wherever it wants, and it fights and eats until either it's full or it's dead. Most of the time, monsters that stick to ruling their own region don't even stand a chance against it."

There are some documented images arranged in sequence of a Deviljho flipping a Diablos over itself and snapping its horn off, just to demonstrate.

Varik looks at the picture of Deviljho and swallows the food he had in his mouth as he listens.

"... how are you all still alive?"

"Long story short, according to some books in my room..."

Reyna leans back. "At the beginning of time, there were only two species: humanity, and five dragons. Then, upon being questioned as to why nothing else existed, the dragons fucked off and became the world. Basically, humanity was first, so we rule. Or, well, that's not everything."

"A long time ago, there was an ancient civilization that used the beasts of the world, even the Elder Dragons, as tools and slaves. They toyed with life... and paid the price when the Black Dragon, Fatalis, destroyed everything out of vengeance for the numerous deaths and near-extinction of its kind. However, remnants remained. The Ancient Civilization had created super-soldiers, genetically modified crossbreeds of humans with a convergent species known as Wyverians, to carry out their skirmishes in the Dragon Wars. With the Ancient Civilization gone and nature back in control, the descendants of those super-soldiers have used the strength and skill they inherited to enforce balance in the ecosystem. When a monster starts acting strange or an Elder Dragon drives out an entire ecosystem from a region to make its nest there... the Monster Hunters put it in its place."

She grins. "Pretty cool origin story, right?"

"Yeah, that's a lot cooler than what they taught us in my world.", Varik says. "There, there was a random explosion in the empty universe, with the elements released from it becoming stars and planets. My planet was a ball of lava until the sky formed and it started to rain, flooding everything. Lifeforms began to exist in the water, eventually growing and evolving until they, at some point, were able to leave the water and come onto land. Then the dinosaurs, then the meteorite, then the survivors eventually evolving into animals and people."

Beat

"Basically, your world is metal and mine is junk.", he says. He then tries to grab more food... only to realize he actually finished his meal, to his astonisment.

"Holy... it's been years since I've eaten this much. I'm gonna get such a stomach ache later."

He puts his fork down and a small smile forms on his face.

"... but I think it was worth it."

Reyna grins wider, only to realize she didn't finish her meal.

"... That's weird. But good. It means this conversation was... fulfilling." She giggles a little before immediately contradicting herself by devouring the rest of her steak.

She hands Varik the promised nine Gourmet Vouchers. "I had fun, Varik. I'll leave the portal open so you can come back anytime to use those vouchers. Maybe we'll cross paths again while you're visiting."