MonsieurShade

Monster hunter,

Jacque recoiled ever so slightly and offered up a slightly sheepish grin at the tone Reemu used after catching his stare. Once more he waited until both of his newfound companions finished speaking, and then after a moment of digesting the words parted his lips to speak. "I came from a small village that's about three days ride south of here, just a bit past tide island.", He leaned back to allow the felyne server to place his food on the table, moving his book slightly to the left to avoid getting it dirty before he resumed his previous position, "Mama's a barmaid and Pa's a fisherman, well, at least he was a fisherman. Used to work on a boat with him and a few other folks before I became a hunter. Been doing this on my own for a little while now."

He took a moment to scoop a spoonful of rice into his mouth before covering it to allow him to talk in between chews, "Mmf- One of my crewmates had been a hunter himself before he retired for something a bit less hazardous. Taught me everything I know about monsters till he turned me loose to try my hand at going solo. Easier said than done considering what sort of weapon I wield.". This last statement came with the punctuation of the rattling of the massive sword on the hunter's back as he reached up and shook it by the handle, "I'm not particularly fast with this greatsword here, so I like to draw out my fights whenever possible. I like to learn the patterns of what I fight, really get a feel for how a monster operates by giving it a few mock and light attacks before I can come in with the critical blow. Was always taught that even the most subtle shift in a Gogomoa's footing when it charges at you could be the defining factor in whether or not you can get a clean shot at the back of it's neck.". Though he was not aware of it Jacque's body betrayed just how excited he was discussing his method of hunting: He hunched over the table a bit more, muscles tensing with the action as a few of his braids slumped over his face, the inquisitive look in his eyes gave way to a wider, somewhat wilder gleam, one that was easily visible even beneath the braids, and his freckled nose crinkled deeply as his benign, happy-go-lucky smile found itself replaced with an almost cheshire-like toothy grin.

Monster hunter,

Jacque found himself just a bit more bemused by the hunter known as Ronald's somewhat awkward nature, his own upbringing in a tight knit and highly sociable community having left him little experience with those who weren't all that accustomed to greeting a new face like an old friend. Still, Ronald had at least given his first name. The conversation took a slight detour as another hunter -this one female- made her presence known and the introductions began anew.

Jacque waited politely for Ronald and Reema to exchange their greetings before he stepped forward and opened his mouth. Said mouth opening was quickly followed by the audible clack of tooth against tooth at Jacque witnessed Ronald conversing with the felyne server. It was quite a sight to behold for the island hunter. For the sake of job convenience many on his island could understand the native tongue of the lynian species that inhabited the land, but perhaps only a handful could actually have a proper conversation with one. Jacque was most definitely not one of those few. In fact, he could barely make out a few words, let alone respond with anything beyond a jumbled mess that could've been anything from asking the price of an item to insinuating rather heinous things regarding the hobbies of someone's mother.

After the initial shock wore off Jacque returned his attention once more to Reema and nodded with a warm smile, "Jacque Baila. Much like yourself and Ronald i'm fresh off the boat. 'S a pleasure to meet you.". He turned away from the two hunters for a moment, just long enough to order some scalefish, a bit of kokoto rice, and a pint of salty milk before he dragged a seat over to the table to join the others. From the moment he sat down, Jacque began to intently study the other hunter. Though she may have been attractive in a nontraditional manner even with the series of scars that ran down her face, Jacque payed little attention to her aesthetics. Instead he focused on the scars over her eye, on the armor she wore, and above all on the way she moved when she went to pull her weapons from the table. Though some may have misconstrued his staring for a lecherous leer, Jacque's gaze held noting more than an intense curiosity, almost like that of a kecha wacha who had just found something new in it's territory.

The shifting of the sword on his back from his seated position brought Jacque back to reality once more, abruptly ending his observation and giving him a chance to pick up where he'd left off earlier with his greetings. "So-" He began, dropping the leather bound book he'd kept tucked under his arm onto the table, "I've gotten your names, but I don't actually know you guys yet. 'S hardly gonna work if we're gonna be working together to take down the big monsters, yea? I'd like to know who's watching my back out there in the wilds, so who's up for an exchange of some background information?".

Monster hunter,

Apologies for the lack of posts, been waiting for Gravislayer to post again before I made my next one.

Monster hunter,

Although initially confused by the awkward silence, and by the first response he received after said silence, Jacque was quick to recover when Roland made mention of being the latest hunter to arrive rather than the first as Jacque initially thought. His smile faded ever so slightly as the other hunter went on to explain that he was the latest arrival rather than being fresh from battle as originally thought, however Jacque found the man interesting enough to make up for the disappointment.

Jacque mulled over the idea of joining the newcomer for a drink after the other man stepped away to dry himself. He'd already eaten a bit on the voyage, though there was little harm in adding a bit of scalefish and salty milk to the cheese wedge already in his belly, that aside, it would have been rude to simply blow off the invitation to a bit of social interaction with another hunter. This would be a good a place to start as any.

Jacque waited for a bit for Roland to come out of his room, after which he quickly fell in step with him, all the while leaving at least an arm's length of room between Roland and himself so as to avoid any intrusion into personal space. As they walked Jacque made note of the difference in stride between himself and his new acquaintance; Whereas Jacque moved in a sort of loping sort of manner, taking longer and more leisurely strides without heed to the heft of each step, the newcomer carried himself with a different sort of gait, one that was slightly more subdued, a bit shorter in stride, though not without it's own sort of casualness to it. "Sorry about mistaking you for the first arrival earlier. I've never really met another hunter besides my teacher before. Guess you could say my eagerness got the better of me. Name's Jacque by the way. Jacque Baila.".

Monster hunter,

@Gravislayer
Upon finding himself a spare room the hunter known as Jacque found himself nonplussed by the bareness of the room he had claimed as his own. Having grown up in a small village with little in the way of luxuries, the sight of a simple cot, a chest, and a small desk did wonders to ease his transition from the home he'd grown up in and this new island. He unbuckled the baldric that held his sword on his back and leaned the mighty weapon against the small bed, where it was quickly joined by a burlap sack containing his clothing and several books on monster biology. From there Jacque proceeded to remove his armor, starting first with the gauntlets and pauldrons which he absent mindedly chucked onto his supply chest. An action he rather quickly regretted when the articles of armor clattered loudly against the wooden furniture piece.

Jacque winced a bit from the sound, making a mental note as he continued to disrobe to be a bit more careful with what was quite literally the only thing he owned that was guaranteed to keep him from being immediately torn open the moment that something bigger than a velocidrome took a swipe at him. With the weight of his armor removed the hunter took a moment to savor the feeling of lightness before he rummaged through the bag, producing a pair of dark grey cotton pants, a black cotton shirt, and a large and heavily dog-eared book. It was a lovely day out today, so as he finished donning his clothing Jacque decided he may as well do a bit of reading outside an perhaps strike up a conversation or two with the locals rather than staying in his room like a hermit. Though he was no longer armored the hunter still returned the great sword he wielded to its spot on his back after adjusting the baldric to fit his now bare frame, feeling naked and off balance without the familiar weight on his body.

Satisfied, Jacque exited his room with book in hand, enjoying the sensation of the cool floor on his bare feet momentarily until he noticed someone approaching from the opposite end of the hall. Though this person was an odd sight given the fact that they were soaked from head to toe and dripping water onto the floor with each step Jacque still grinned widely as he assumed this man to be the other hunter that the guild receptionist mentioned earlier. "Couldn't wait a day before beginning the great hunt, eh my friend? Must've been quite the mighty water beast to leave you so waterlogged! Tell me, what was it? A gobul? A group of Ludroth perhaps?" He inquired eagerly, an excited gleam in his eye as he mistakenly assumed that his fellow hunter was fresh from a hunt.

Monster hunter,

"Be sure to tie off the lines properly, i'll not have the tide carry our ship off! Have our passenger give you a hand.", "Understood captain! Alright men, you heard the captain, look alive! You, you're that hunter from the southern isle, right? Help me with this line, captain's orders.". The hunter in question looked up from the half eaten wedge of moss cheese in his hand and slowly rose from the barrel he'd claimed as a seat during his voyage. The massive and vicious looking sword strapped to the his back shifted as muscles like cable wires rippled and bulged visibly beneath light brown skin as the man stretched to relieve the stiffness brought on by a long voyage.

After shoving what remained of the cheese into his mouth the hunter picked up a coiled length of rope and exited the vessel to help tie the ship to the dock, doing so with the speed and fluidity of a practiced man before he produced his payment for the voyage and left for the guild hall that had spawned a hero of legend not too long ago. As he moved through Moga village the hunter took in all the sights and sounds that the village had to offer. Like his own island this one was bright and bustling, and it sported the all too familiar and welcoming scents of sea salt and smoking meat, as well as the decidedly less pleasant scent of monster dung from the Aptonoth that moved about the area.

Finding the guild hall in the small town wasn't all that hard: he needed only to find the building with the heads of great beasts adorning the outer walls. He strode over to this building with his head held high, pausing only to place a hand over his heart and then hold it out to the massive head of a Rathalos "I hope your final battle was grand, great sky king." he muttered. That bit of business out of the way, the hunter made his way over to a desk were a young woman beckoned him closer. "Are you another hunter?". 'Another?' He mused with a quirked brow before confirming his identity, "Two hunters back to back, huh? This is shaping up to be an interesting day!" the woman chirped cheerily before going over the same things she'd gone over earlier. As he was allowed to go in search of a vacant room to call his own the hunter's mind began to wander.
The guild in Moga village was small, and yet from such a humble and unassuming place came a hunter that had dared to test their metal against the divine creatures that roamed the untamed wilderness. A true warrior that had faced creatures many had never even laid their eyes on, let alone faced in battle. The hunter's fist clenched as his armor clanked with each stride. Though the old hunter had passed the torch and faded into legend, those divine beings remained. He had to be strong to face them, fast as well, and above all smart. He could not allow himself to fail. This was more than just building a reputation for the hunter. Out there, where few men dared to tread, he there was a challenge for him. One handed specifically to him from the gods themselves.

Monster hunter,

Sorry for the delay, but I should have my first post up by tomorrow. I just got back home from work and am in desperate need of sleep.

Monster hunter,

Jesus christ quru was a bitch and a half to deal with. It didn't even have to summon a jho to get my blood boiling either, the raths were more than enough to ruin my day when I was forced to fight both one of them and qurupeco solo.

Monster hunter,

@CloseEnough It's a good strat with the quicker monsters since you've got more mobility. Bombs and traps are good and all, but there's nothing quite like stacking on the damage by hand imo. Since I always preferred the lance and greatsword I always assumed the tanky role in a group, which made the quick beasties the bane of my existence. I can't even begin to say how many times I went chasing after lucent narga when it went after someone else only to have it suddenly spin around and fling its tail spines at me. Sad thing is I know it's telegraphed, but that doesn't really help when i'm charging head first and lucent decides to do it a few more times after I barely manage to roll out of the way of the first one.
--
@Gravislayer
Just gotta be careful about what wyvern you go throwing a bomb into the meat with. Knowing how deviljhos operate there's a very good chance that you'll have just made more room in its gut for us. The deviljho won't just be hungry it won't just be angry, it'll be hangry. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if savage jhos were regular jhos that stayed hangry for too long now that I think about it.

Monster hunter,

Name: Jacque Baila
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Appearance: Jacque stands just slightly above the average male height at approximately 191cm and weighs 83kg. Jacque's skin is a light shade of brown that is pockmarked darker freckles around his shoulders and on the back of his neck, and by old scar tissue in various forms on his torso, hips, and upper back. His physique is that of a man accustomed to doing manual labor: Strong and sturdy with muscles that more easily resemble taut cables than they do flesh. Jacque is a bit thick around his midsection where his core muscles lie, but he is by no means fat. The best way to describe his body type would be "bear mode fit". As far as facial appearances go Jacque is relatively average in appearance: He sports a slightly rounded face with average sized lips set under a slightly flat nose, pockmarked along the bridge with a small group of fainter colored freckles that are set under a pair of dark grey eyes. Jacque keeps his shoulder length black hair dreadlocked and pulled back into a pony tail during hunts to prevent it getting in his eyes, but allows it to otherwise hang freely.

Personality: A pretty easy going dude who is as home in the wilds as he is at a bar, Jacque is a pretty free spirited individual who sees the hunting of monsters as a time honored tradition and the testing of a man's strength rather than the removal of pests and threats. He treats the beasts that he fights against with the same amount of respect that he shows his companions, never being one to underestimate a monster's strength and intelligence. Jacque knows his limits and does what he can to plan around them accordingly, often preferring to try and drag out his fights a bit to and learn a monster's patterns before fully engaging his foe.

Armour: Jacque wears a full set of low rank blade master velociprey armor
Weapon: Jacque's weapon of choice is the great sword, he's currently in possession of a

Vile serpentblade

Attack: 480
Special: N/A
Affinity: 0%
Sharpness: Yellow/Green

Backstory: Born the son of a fisherman and a barmaid, Jacque's upbringing was about as simple as one could get for a child growing up in a seaside village. Like his father before him Jacque became took up the life of a fisherman at the age of sixteen, taking along with his father and the ten man crew that worked under him to set out to sea in search of a bountiful harvest. For years everything remained simple: Wake up before dawn, go out to the docks, grab a bite to eat, ship out until dusk or until the fish quota was met.

During this time Jacque found out that one of the crew happened to be a retired hunter, and after several weeks of begging and pestering managed to weasel the rare story (and even rarer lesson) out of the old man. One day the fishermen decided to turn in early after an unusually successful fishing trip found them with enough food to see a nice income and feed the small village for at least two months. Unfortunately for everyone aboard the ship, that much fish in one place attracted some very unwelcome visitors. Before anyone could process what was going on the ship was being swarmed by a group of ludroths in search of an easy meal. When the initial shock wore off the crew immediately went about trying to protect their haul from the would be scavengers, beating them back with oars, harpoons, or anything else they could get their hands on.

The commotion of the battle would draw an even bigger threat to the motley crew in the form of a massive lagiacrus unlike any the crew had ever seen before. The beast's hide shone a briny white color, and from its throat came a torrent of lightening that ripped the smaller boat apart in minutes. The last thing Jacque saw before he slipped under the waves and blacked out was the ivory shaded monster's hellish red eyes boring into his. When he awoke again Jacque found himself in an infirmary back in his village alongside the retired hunter and one other crew member. When asked about what happened the hunter admitted to grabbing hold of Jacque and swimming until they were picked up by another fishing boat. A bit more pressing by Jacque would reveal that his father and the remaining seven of the crew never made it bag, having been lost either to the sea or to the ludroths and lagiacrus that had attacked the vessel.
Time went on and Jacque healed and underwent the grieving process alongside his mother, but no matter what he did from that point he always found himself relieving that final moment with the ivory lagiacrus. Initially obsessed with revenge Jacque managed to convince the old hunter from his crew to train him to slay monsters. The next few years of Jacque's life were filled with grueling training comprised of backbreaking physical exercise and countless hours of reading about monsters. In time Jacque would find his desire for revenge beginning to dull as a newfound respect for the beasts he would fight, and it is this respect that would spur him on when he finally began to hunt on his own.

Other: Though it does nothing to stop him from actually hunting them Jacque views monsters to be beings of divine power, or in some cases, literal gods. He mentally ranks each species based on which family it belongs to, with elder dragons and leviathans being at the top of his list in terms of reverence. Although he no longer desires revenge for what the ivory lagiacrus did to his father Jacque still harbors an obsession with hunting it down, viewing the beast as a challenge directed to him specifically by the gods.