The Children of the Elder Dragons~Prologue
The Ancient Civilisation, once powerful and technologically advanced, now nothing but ruins and remnants of an age past. Their ancient towers dot the lands, but what secrets do they hold? The Guild seeks the technology within, of new weapons and powerful armours, but far more lies within the walls of those towers however- the history and legends the Ancient Civilisation recorded.
One such legend tells how the Old Wyverian gods created the world- a world they wished to see either flourish or fail without the influence of their divine whims- a world completely and utterly free to advance, be diverse, and become more than what it was simply created to be, or to collapse in on itself.
One of the old gods, however, Erebus- god of night, and order sought to control the world and use the power embedded within it to bring his brethren to heel. The gods found out Erebus' plan and sought to punish him. It is said that gods cannot be slain so they sealed him away on a continent uninhabited by man and only home to a few monsters. A powerful veil would separate Erebus from this world, keeping him at bay.
Erebus, however, would not be still and simply accept his fate, so he sought to escape- but how? The veil prevented Erebus from using his power, so he began to construct a form through which he could channel his power and break through the veil. He succeeded, a creature with large black wings that eclipse the sun, fiery breath that could burn kingdoms to the ground, and a screeching roar that could be heard for miles. As this draconic form lay waist to the edge of the veil. As Black Flames poured from its mouth seeking to destroy the veil, the body and the power invested in it passed through, but the veil kept Erebus' mind at bay.
Erebus raged and cursed his brethren, while the large black dragons body lay free of his control, outside the veil. The Dragon lay there for many days while its adolescent mind fought to control the remnants of Erebus' power, and when it did, it began to rise. The Black Dragon became aware of a few things as it came to: the large-no-the enormous crystals that protruded from the ground, and a rumbling sound that seemed to emanate from above the ceiling of the crystalline cave-from the sky. Most alarming however, was the tugging sensation the Dragon felt in its chest that was drawing him towards the back of the cave where a dull, throbbing glow seemed to come from the intersecting crystals. It became more than a tugging sensation and felt like its very life was being drawn from its body, so the Black Dragon spread its wings and began to flee that terrifying place. Going forward, that was the only time this Great Black Dragon would ever feel fear.
Erebus had failed but he had nothing else to do but try again and so he continued to do so, crafting new forms. From the greatest serpentine creature of all with a roar so deep it could shake the foundations of a mountain to the regal quadrupedal Dragon who manipulates fire as easily as the wind moves the leaves. He continued to hone his craft- pushing legendary beasts through the veil more ancient and powerful than any of the monsters that walk the earth naturally. Unnatural and as unkillable as a god.
These disasters, these cataclysms, these living forces of nature are the Elder Dragons.
The Guild has often speculated as to the actual intelligence of the Elder Dragons, for it is well known among the high-ranking guild members that the Elder Dragons were sentient enough to wage war against the Ancient Civilisation rather than fight among themselves as so many other monsters do. Despite this knowledge its still unclear the extent of their sentience. The Elder Dragons that inhabit the Frontier Lands are far more powerful and aggressive than their counterparts that inhabit the lands of Minegarde and the kingdom of Dondruma. What the Guild does not have the answers to is why do Elder Dragons behave in the mysterious ways that they do? Why not fight one another more often outside of simple territorial disputes? Why inhabit the towers and other ancient structures strewn across the land? With the Guilds discovery of the New World, a new question comes with it- Why do the Elder Dragons travel to this New World to die, and what draws them there? Perhaps you know, but there's more to it than what meets the eye.
Well, my dear hunters, these are things you should know before we begin to follow along with our hero's tale, and I – NO! Hands down yer young whippersnapper! I'll only explain a little, the rest you must figure out.
Alright young'uns, yer see, when the Elder Dragons pass through the veil, they're aware of what they are- a fallen gods vessel of destruction that doesn't fit into the natural order of things. Most of them, particularly the more powerful and sentient ones are aware of the threat that Erebus poses to the whole world- but how do they fight and defend against something that can suck their life and power right out of them?
Well, firstly, you don't- but you do. I'll explain in a moment yung'uns.
Well, you familiar with the expression 'fight fire with fire?'- Yep! That's how
Taking a page from Erebus' book the Elder Dragon's would each find a vessel and imbue it with their power, so their vessel can stand guard against Erebus should be break through. The Elder Dragons, however, cannot create vessels and other monsters no matter how powerful are simply not intelligent enough. So, who is?
Humans of course! The most numerous, dangerous and fast-growing population in the world. Not the Ancient Civilisation however, they fought a long and bloody war against one another, so-no, just regular humans with untapped potential.
I know what you're thinking- they kidnap!? Yup, one kid for the safety of the world. They take an infant and raise it as they would one of their own.
I know what you're thinking again- that's a lot of people and they don't even know if Erebus will break through- correct, sharp one aint'cha.
Let's go back to the guild for a second- when they are faced with a dangerous threat, they don't just send in some High Ranker with his buddies to deal with the problem do they? No- they send their best G-Rank hunters, la crème de la crème to face the situation.
Now, pray tell, how do you think the Guild knows who their G-Rank Champions are? Well, only after years of training, hunting, slaying and ranking up- so that's what the Elder Dragons do…to an extent. The Eldest of their respective kinds (often the first one that ever passed through the veil) take and child and raise it- then once every 50 years they hold a tournament.
This legendary tournament is held at the largest of the Ancient Towers- a place heavily inhabited with Elder Dragons, so much so that the guild doesn't come within a hundred miles of it. This tournament determines the real strongest 'Children of the Elder Dragons' & they are sent to guard the veil.
For they can stand where their Elder parents cannot
They can use the power that would limit their parents
They are the heroes- so shall we begin now?
Oh- What?! You Whippersnappers are inquisitive ey- well, what do you want to know?
'What about the rest of the Elder Dragon Children that don't win the tournament?' – Wait and see.
'What was the reason the Elder Dragons fought the Ancient Civilisation?' – Wait and see
'What about the towers, why do they live and guard there?' – Wait and see.
'What about- waaait, the answer is gonna be "wait and see" isn't it'?
Ah! Finally, one of you yung'uns starting to catch on- so, the rest of you, just wait and see- let's begin, finally.
Authors Notes: PLEASE REVIEEEEW!
Yay! I finally did it. Phew, I've been wanting to write a Monster Hunter fanfiction for yeeeeears now and the first step has been taken! Can I get a 'WHOOP WHOOP'
For real though I've been playing Monster Hunter for 11 years now and am very familiar with the lore of the games right from the 1st generation (Monster Hunter Freedom) All the way to the Fifth Generation (Generations Ultimate is cool and all, but MH4Ultimate will always be the best of the handheld console games- fight me ) I've played World and the whole idea of Xeno'Jiiva helped me make a far more believable backstory and premise for this whole story. Now, granted I can't know everything- I may check the reddit forums and read the wikia pages more than I study, but I'm definitely GONNA miss some vital piece of lore that could ruin the continuity- SO PLEASE REVIEW – and tell me I stuffed up (but nicely) and also just tell me what you think of the writing and help me make this story truly great. So, thank you so much to anyone and everyone who reads this story- I hope you stick with me. I'm super passionate about these games and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!
Stay safe and Happy Hunting!
What I'm Reading: James Barclay~ Elfsorrow (So damn good!)
What I'm Playing: Dragon Age: Inquisition (for the 5th time-still good) & MH World Baby!
What I'm Listening To: Kamikaze~ Eminem & my own playlists on Spotify (full of classic bangers if you ask me :))