Monster Hunter Stories:
Dark waves crashed against the small boat making it's lone passenger grumble at the rocking motion. Despite having been a fisherman's son which meant he'd been on different kinds of vessels since childhood the man still hated the days when the ocean turned rough. Now as he did everything he could to stop water form making his boat collapse he wanted to curse himself for venturing out late at night. Suddenly a bright light flashed across the vessel and the young man found himself staring at a different boat with several more passengers all heavily armed.
"What are you doing here these waters are restricted?" One of the passengers questioned pointing a spear at the young man. Based on the strange masks they wore and tribal looking clothes they were probably from one of the nearby islands. Reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a small map he used it to show where he'd departed from and his destination. Grabbing the old paper map from him the warrior pointing the spear at him passed it to what he assumed was their leader.
"Kolove Island is a good deal south of here did you get lost or was your ship blown off course?" the warrior questioned his spear still trained upon the young man. Nodding that it was indeed the second case he didn't know if they believed him but it was his only chance at escaping alive. Before he could say anything else the other warriors had joined their brother in pointing their intimidating looking spears at him.
"Men like you should be more careful nights like these are when Lagicriuslike to hunt." A much calmer feminine voice explained as their leader removed her mask to reveal a beautiful dark skinned woman with dark green eyes staring at him. Unlike her fellow warriors she had a bracelet which contained a shining orb that seemed to glow in the cold yet beautiful moonlight. Gazing at the bracelet he could already tell it was a family heirloom or something from her village that was unique to her. Remembering the stories a drunken fisherman had spouted about there being people who actually tamed monsters instead of hunting them it was beginning to make sense.
"Damn storms blew me off course." He explained as the young woman nodded that it was in face believable. Almost immediately the warriors all lowered their spears making it clear they weren't going to attack him. When the last one had lowered their weapon she walked onto his small boat and started inspecting his cargo making sure he wasn't concealing anything from them. After she'd finished checking the last box she nodded that he was okay and climbed back onto her own vessel.
"We can escort you to our village but it's far too dangerous traveling at night." She explained as the man nodded it was an acceptable compromise. Nodding at the largest warrior they climbed onto his boat and started moving the boxes onto their ship making it clear they weren't going to leave it behind. At first he was got to object but seeing as how they outnumbered him five to one it was better if he just accepted their help. When they had finally loaded the last of his boxes onto the ship they instructed him to climb aboard where he proceeded to be seated with a warrior on either side of him to serve as guards.
"Do Lagicriusnormally attack small fishing boats." He questioned as the warriors looked at him like he'd just asked the world's dumbest question. When they had finished laughing at the comment she leaned in close enough the man could see the drops of water on her beautiful face. Under different circumstances he would have found the woman attractive but having guards on either side of him like a prisoner ruined the mood. Still there was something about those dark green eyes he couldn't help but find more intoxicating than a Mizitsune's bubbles.
"When the moon's full like tonight Lagicrius will attack everything that moves." She replied as the man swallowed hard obviously upset at the woman's comment. Some monsters were incredibly territorial and considering he'd never even seen the one in question he knew she was probably right. When he'd first accepted the job he'd questioned why the client was offering so much just to escort a few boxes. Unfortunately the money was just too good of an opportunity for the young man to pass up so like a fool he'd accepted the request without much thought.
"In that case your assistance is most welcome my name is Arthus by the way." He explained as the young woman merely stared at him in reply. What kind of fisherman didn't know about the feeding habits of perhaps their greatest enemy unless of course the fisherman story was just a cover. Maybe he'd been adrift so long that he'd forgotten tonight would be a full moon but it still didn't make his story about merely passing through believable. Studying his every glance reflected in her eyes the young woman could tell he wasn't revealing everything but right now she didn't have enough to question him.
"Sieana and you really should be more careful not every clan out here is as generous." Sieana replied bright green eyes reflecting the starlight within her gaze. She was a tall slender woman her body not what you might consider overly endowed but just shapely enough to be considered beautiful. Unlike the other warrior's masks that were solid blue hers possessed a solid purple line down the middle which he assumed represented elevated rank. Additionally the woman had a few pieces of jewelry on which lead him to believe she was either the clan's shaman or more likely the chief's daughter.
"Allow me to express my gratitude once more for rescuing me since this creature is evidently something to fear." Arthus replied half-bowing as the young woman chuckled at his response. She had a cute laugh that seemed to be warm and inviting yet mysterious at the same time. When she'd finished laughing the man couldn't help wishing to hear it once more but her bracelet lit up cutting their conversation short. Moving to where her face was over the side of their boat she was peering into the cold dark water clearly looking for something.
"Stay alert men there's a Lagicrius somewhere around here and we're going to capture it." Sieana explained as the man looked at her in disbelief. After everything she'd just told him about how dangerous the creatures in question were she was actually going to risk their lives capturing one. Maybe in her village facing down such a creature was some kind of passage into adulthood but it didn't mean anything for him. Nevertheless the other warriors nodded they understood her orders and began moving towards a small island across from their current location.
"Why is capturing one so important?" Arthus questioned as the woman shushed him pointing at her bracelet. Until now he'd only caught glimpses of it and he knew it was important but wasn't exactly sure why. Upon closer inspection the gem inside it was glowing brightly it's glow nearly illuminating the young woman's face and the smile etched upon it. Before he could question her any further there was a loud roar as the creature swam past their boat it's wake causing the vessel's rocking motion.
"Mighty big one lady Sieana are you sure this is a good idea?" A warrior questioned Sieana before another loud roar shook their vessel. Unlike last time however the creature had decided to surface a little and they could see it's golden eyes staring at them with blood lust inside its gaze. Reaching for some nearby rope the woman dashed forward leaping into the black water intent on capturing her prey. After what seemed like an eternity the woman returned with a confident smiled on her face before showing the rope was gone as the other warriors cheered her bravery.
"Capturing one is a right of passage into true adulthood so after it wears itself out I will capture it and bond to it with my kinship stone." Sieana explained as the foreign man's eyes lit up in recognition of her words. While he'd of course heard stories about tribes which tamed and bonded with monster he'd always assumed the stories were just drunken ramblings. As he stared at the young woman with a newfound respect he couldn't help wondering if all of the warriors considered themselves monster tamers as well.
"I assume that once you've tamed said beast we'll return to your village?" Arthus questioned hoping it didn't come across as rude or cowardly. Sure he'd just witnessed something only a handful of outsiders ever got to see but he still needed to reach his destination before dawn if possible. While other people would have simply called it quits he like the woman had an important reputation to uphold. Making her way over to him she offered him a bright yellow fruit that when he bit into tasted wonderful and unlike anything he'd eaten before which made it clear it was unique to her village.
"We'll return just as soon as the bonding ceremony is complete my father will be most excited to hear of my success." Sieana explained as they both smiled at each other making it clear they were excited about her conquest. Unfortunately the moment was ruined as there was a sharp tug and the rope she'd fought so hard to secure was ripped off taking a metal binding with it. Clamoring around in the darkness everyone was doing whatever they could to find some way of locating the escaped monster. Before anyone could react there was a sharp burst of lighting which crashed upwards into the ship and everything went black on Arthus.
"Get away foul beast you'll not harm the man so long as I draw breath." Arthus heard Sieana growling as the light slowly returned to his eyes. Standing over him was the brave warrior doing everything she could to keep the monster from reaching him and making him into a late night snack. Deciding it had waited long enough the creature's tail smashed into the woman causing her to drop her rather impressive looking ax. Moving on pure instinct alone the man rushed forward sliding under the creature's tail grabbing her ax then rising up standing over her protectively.
"Enough we are not your pray." Arthus growled loud as he could doing his best to seem intimidating. Closing his eyes the young man waited for the inevitable pain followed by nothingness but after several minutes was confused yet relieved when it never came. Upon opening his eyes the creature was staring at him confused but unwilling to attack either of them. Before either of them could react the very creature which had just attacked them pressed its snout against the man's outstretched hand.
"No freaking way how did you manage to form a soul bond with a Lagicrius we just met?" Sieana questioned as the young man stared at her just as confused by the events. When he'd yelled at the sea monster he'd expected it to kill him but now it was acting almost playful towards him. Running his palm over the creature's snout it gave an almost content noise that he assumed meant it was happy with the young man's attention. Glancing back over at the young woman he couldn't help smiling despite the look of confusion and jealousy on her face.
"What's a soul bond?" Arthus questioned looking at the scene of carnage around him. Luckily her entire crew seemed to be okay with her fellow warriors either safely on floating pieces of the ship or clinging to rocks. Before he could finish his assessment the creature nestled up against him before lowering its body and presenting their back to him. Clearly the beast wanted something from the young man but despite calming the rage burning inside the creature's eyes he didn't fully understand.
"Soul bond is the term we use for anyone who can tame a monster without a kinship stone. Basically it sounds cooler than saying you formed a bond for unknown reasons, and she wants you to climb onto her back." Sieana explained as the young man looked at the creature who purred in reply. Gathering all of his courage the man climbed onto the creature's back and instantly the monster took off into the water the speed beyond anything he'd experienced before now. After swimming past several large rocks the creature returned to the small part of the ship where the young woman waiting for him was surprised as the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the creature's back so that she was sitting behind him.
"Do you realize this changes everything?" Sieana questioned as the young woman felt the ocean breeze rushing past her. Not only had she failed to capture a Lagicrius but a complete outsider had bonded with it despite having no kinship stone. Add in the fact that almost all of his cargo had been destroyed when the creature first attacked the ship and it meant he couldn't return to business as usual. Right now though as he sat there feeling the wind rush past them and seeing her brown skin reflected in the morning sun he didn't care. Upon making it back to the small beach where the crew was stranded he noticed they were all frowning at him.
"What's got you all so upset?" Arthus questioned as the largest warrior brought one of his ship's boxes over to him. Realizing it was partially ripped open he decided to peel what remained of the paper covering it. What greeted him was anything but what the young man had been expecting as countless eggs that he'd never seen before were visible to everyone assembled on the beach. Despite having never seen them before he understood it didn't look good since in the villager's eyes he might be a smuggler.
"Back off men if this creature believes him innocent then clearly someone is manipulating him." Sieana growled causing the young man's face to change into surprise. Considering how important monsters were in their village's eyes he'd been almost certain she'd be calling for blood. Instead she grabbed the box and moved up the shore a little bit placing the box inside the soft sand and making sure the eggs weren't in any real danger. Moments later she returned and motioned towards an far off village making it clear she wanted to return and leave the eggs right there as if nobody had ever found them.
"I promise that my client said it was merely a simple deliver and if I had known then I would have refused." Arthus explained as the young woman placed a finger against his lips. Clearly she didn't want to hear anything from him right now still trying to decide if she believed his story. Climbing back onto the Lagicrius she waited for him to mount the creature's back so they could return home and discuss it more in safety. Deciding she was right he climbed onto the creature's back and they sped off in the direction of a small island that upon getting closer was lined with people waiting for them.
"Papa this is Arthus he not only managed to tame a Lagicrius but in the process saved the lives of not only myself but our entire hunting party." Sieana explained to an older man with silver hair as he blushed at her words. While technically accurate she might have been embellishing the truth just a little bit making him feel a tiny bit uncomfortable. Nodding at her words the old man began instructing warriors to find her crew and bring them home and when they clasped a hand over their chest he understood it was a sign of respect. Before he understood what was happening the old man was circling the outsider studying him as if both the man and the creature were both mysteries that needed investigating. After what seemed like an eternity the older man stepped in front of him staring deep into his eyes then pulling into a deep hug.
"Come my son we have much to discuss." Sieana's father explained as he grabbed the young man's hand and began leading him towards a large hut overlooking the entire village. When they'd entered the elder's hut the young man couldn't help staring at the countless murals displayed in front of him. Depicting all sorts of ancient battles between man and monster it was more impressive than anything he'd seen in any library.
"As you can see humans and monster have been fighting each other since the dawn of time. With that being said a small number of tribes like ourselves have chosen to exist alongside the monsters instead of hunting them." Sieana explained as she ran a hand over the ancient tapestries. At the very top was the image of a dragon with blood red eyes and scales blacker than night itself which resembled something from a nightmare. Opposing it was a beautiful white dragon and both seemed to be fighting each other for the right to call themselves alpha. Upon looking at it the man felt shivers run down his spine making it clear he understood the message it was supposed to convey wasn't understandable and that made him nervous.
"We believe one day both of these monsters will return and when they do it will herald either the dawn of a new age or the end of all life." Sieana's father explained as the younger man gulped at the weight of his explanation. Monsters fighting each other was never a good thing but if his words proved true it would be nothing short of a disaster. Gazing at the images on countless murals he couldn't help feeling like he'd seen all of this before even if it was only in a fever induced dream. After studying all of the images his eyes came to rest on the young woman he'd just fought alongside and rescued staring at him.
"Will you stay and help us prepare for the coming danger?" She questioned as the young man's gaze returned to the images in front of him. While he couldn't say for certain if the pictures elicited feelings of dread inside him but there was certainly a sense of excitement building inside him. After several minutes he looked back at the older man and his beautiful daughter and nodded in agreement that he would stay. Grabbing his wrist the young woman pulled him outside in order to watch the sun rise upon the first day of his brand new life.