Disclaimer: All respective rights to the ownership of Monster Hunter to Capcom!
A/N: So here is my attempt to write the beginning to an actual story, hooray for me! I found it rather difficult to get started, but once I got the ball rolling time really flew by. Hope you guys enjoy it!
On a side note, since there are things in Monster Hunter that don't quite make sense (like no fall damage and the Super Man Dive), I'll be trying to work some realism and logic into things to help bridge any gaps I may come across. And since this is supposed to be a real story, it will be a little more serious then my collection of short stories. But enough of me rambling! Reviews are loved, constructive criticism even more so!
"Raizou? Raizou! Get ready!"
The young hunter flinched at the scolding, his attention pulled away, thankfully, from thoughts of his own mortality. He had just begun to shave a few years ago, and now here he was, dressed in his leather hunter garb, preparing to perform what he deemed as a fool's errand. The stone bridge he stood on quaked rhythmically, as did the canyon the bridge spanned. The vibrations tingled his spine, and more so his courage. The young man's hazel eyes dared to drift downwards, past the edge of the bridge. Beneath, an armored hide of immense proportions moved, like a living mountain, almost.
Raizou frowned. No. It was a living mountain. 'Lao-Shan Lung' did mean 'Old Mountain Dragon' in another tongue, or so he was told. Hands almost trembling as he tightened the strap holding his iron helmet to his head, the hunter forced a smile, trying his best to hide his faltering willpower as he finally spoke. "So, all we have to do is jump down on its back with these bombs, right? Then get out of the way before the blast, while making sure not to be stepped on?"
"It'll be easier then playing pin the tail on the Blango! Or a Conga, in your case."
The cheerful reply came from Raizou's partner in this daring raid; Larkin, a determined hunter from the mountain village of Pokke. Larkin also wore low ranking armor, probably a set that had been bought premade like Raizou's attire. Other then that, the only things that these two shared was their age and gender. While Larkin had an unruly mop of blonde hair, clear grey eyes, and a fair complexion, Raizou on the other hand had a tan hue to his skin, matching his light brown eyes and short black hair. Born in the forest village of Kokoto, this had been the first time Raizou had ventured out past the woods and jungles surrounding his home.
It had been an urgent order from the Hunter's Guild that had summoned him here. 'All able hunters were to report immediately,' the notice had read. At first Raizou had been thrilled. He enjoyed hunting in groups, even more so if they were hunting something he had never seen before. However, fighting his first Lao-Shan was an experience he wasn't quite ready for yet.
A hand clapped down on Raizou's shoulder, gripping him tightly. It was Larkin's, of course, though the Pokke hunter's smile wasn't as confident as before. So even he was a little edgy, it seemed. "We'll get through this, Raizou. And if something happens, remember these words of wisdom told to me by an official Guild Knight... 'Girls love scars.'"
At that, Raizou managed to smirk before playfully pushing the other youth back. All his worries seemed to vanish as mirth and camaraderie replaced his fears. Well, almost all of them, anyways. "Like I'll get hurt! Just try not to trip going off the ledge; you'll make me look bad!"
"Haha, so I'll see you at the celebration party, then?"
"Definitely!"
The assurance that they both felt brought honest smiles to their faces. Even if they were about to jump onto Lao-Shan Lung's back, each hunter knew that he wouldn't be doing it alone, and that he'd have someone watching out for him.
"If we don't make it alive?" Holding up his fist about chest-high, Raizou grinned.
"It's a hell of a good day to die." Without a moment's hesitation, Larkin also raised his fist, bumping his knuckles firmly against Raizou's. Although they had just met, they had decided that they might as well look cool for the task they had volunteered for by making up a catch phrase.
Each hunter then gave a quick hand gesture to a pair of Guild workers standing by, signaling them to start the preparations. Both Raizou and Larkin were then given an Anti-Dragon Bomb via a rope harness that allowed the hunters to carry the bombs like one would carry a rucksack. The bombs themselves were the size of 15 gallon kegs, and packed with enough explosive material to blast a hole in a mountain. Which was just what was needed at the moment. Once Raizou and Larkin were on Lao-Shan Lung's back, they had to cut themselves free and light the fuses. Then once that was done, they had just precious seconds to get to safety before the bombs went off.
Standing on the edge of the stone bridge with the bombs strapped to them, the two hunters said nothing before jumping off the ledge to face their destiny. With the added weight of the bomb, Raizou fell a bit faster then expected. Landing hard on all fours, the youth clenched his teeth as his knees and forehead banged into the hard plating covering Lao-Shan Lung's back. Growling to fight the flaring pain, he rubbed his affected areas and thanked whoever had made his armor. Larkin had some trouble as well, but thankfully he had enough sense left in him from the landing to ensure he wouldn't roll off. Already Larkin was pulling a knife from his boot, trying to cut himself free even in his dazed state.
Sitting on his rear, Raizou followed his comrade; pulling his carving knife free from its leather sheath. A shadow passed over the two as they worked. They were directly under the bridge, now. If Lao-Shan decided to stand up, they'd be in big trouble. The thought of being forever a red stain on the dragon's already crimson hide only made them work faster. Flints in hand, the pair set off their own respective fuses before scampering towards the aft end of the massive beast. But doing so first required them to climb over a tall ridge. They were almost over the top when the bombs exploded, the blast echoing through the canyon walls as Lao-Shan roared and shook.
"Aw, crap!" Hunting knife still in hand, Raizou stabbed at the scarlet carapace he was slipping down on. Having lost his grip in the commotion, there was nothing he could do to fight gravity's hold on him as he began to slide down Lao-Shan's side.
"Raizou!" cried Larkin as he dove down after his companion, a part of him wondering if he lost his mind, the other part wondering what would he do upon reaching his friend. Grabbing Raizou's hand, Larkin floundered for a few seconds trying to find a grip with his other hand as they fell. His flailing hand fond something solid to grab, and with a groan, the hunter forced his fingers to wrap tightly around whatever it was. Grey eyes peeking up at their savior, the young hunter smirked. It was the remnants of a ballista shot, buried in Lao-Shan's vulnerable side. Most of the shank had broken off previously, and judging from the color of the wood, it had long been sitting as a thorn in the dragon's side.
"Just.. Keeping you on your toes!" Out of breath from the fright, Raizou dangled precariously at least thirty feet over the ground. It seemed like things were taking a change for the better. At least until Lao-Shan Lung saw it fit to walk right up next to a wooden tower that gunners used to shoot on. Be stepped on, or scrapped off? It was a tough call indeed… Pointing out their next predicament, Raizou shouted up at Larkin. "We got another problem!"
Straining just to hold both of them up, Larkin frowned at the tower Lao-Shan was using to scratch his side. "Hold on! Uh, we can um.. Geez this is gonna hurt!" 'Hold on' was just all about Raizou could do. And as the tower came nearer, both hunters braced themselves for the impact..!
THWAP!
"OW! Ugh, by the gods..! Fay if that was yo-mmf!" Rudely awakened from his dream, the man fussed about as a Felyne ran around the wagon's wooden floor and on the groggy man in a hurry. Sitting up in a flash, he snatched the excited critter as it made another pass by him. "Fay! Calm down already, I'm-"
"MEOW! We're here, nyaa~!" Fay squirmed in her partner's grasp, fumbling to secure her acorn style armor. "Nyaa, where's my helmet?!"
"We're here? Already?" Setting his comrade down, the man handed Fay her helmet, the object that had hit him in the head and woken him up in the first place. He hadn't noticed it at first, but it was definitely a lot colder then when he had gone to sleep. The canvas roof and walls of the wagon allowed some light to penetrate inwards, but all that let him know was that it was at least late morning. The wagon was still moving, too, so the convoy hadn't gotten attacked either. Trying not to step on Fay, he quickly changed from his civilian clothing to his hunter attire; an armor set made from Khezu hide and light armor plating.
All in all, the soft, alluring white hide made him look like a religious practitioner, the way it had been fashioned. There was a hood on his coat, but he usually kept it down, as did he right now. Instead, he left his face mask up, silently enjoying the way the Khezu hide felt up against the lower half of his face, and around his head, leaving only the bridge of his nose, his hazel eyes, and the front half of his midnight colored hair visible.
"Raizou! Why did you want to come all the way to Pokke village anyways, nyaa?" Pulling back one of the heavy flaps serving as doors at the front of their wagon, Fay peeked outside past the wagon theirs was attached to.
"Forgive me for dragging us here, but I was feeling a bit… Nostalgic.." A light smile graced Raizou's lips as his words ended. Brushing back the other canvas flap to the side, he chuckled softly, watching as the convoy made its way up a snowy path leading deeper into the mountains. At the end of the road sat a charming cluster of buildings, their roofs covered in a white blanket of snow.
A/N: Hm.. Had some problems uploading this before, but hopefully this time around it'll turn out fine?
Well that's it for chapter one, folks! Hoping to get some good feedback from any reviews! ^___^