Monster Hunter
Chapter 3

Basilisk

Every trot of his loyal steed sent a bolt of pain through his body. The transformation alone tore at muscles and tendons as his body shifted and grew, not to mention the damage the unusually massive bear had inflicted on him. It would take over a week for him to feel somewhat normal again, and it had only been half a day at this point. He had a long recovery ahead of him.
He hated that it had come to the use of such demonic power, but he gave in to it, the monster and its disgusting call for blood and gore. He had no other choice than to depend on it in the moment. He released it once he saw the bear going for Bulma. He had screamed at her to stay back, but she did not heed his words and got involved, contributing to him having to use the darkness he had acquired. He was bitter that his hand was forced.

"You can't just… just ignore this forever!" Bulma finally blurted out, she had been quiet since leaving their camp.

Vegeta was motionless, he let his pain drown her voice out. No way was he getting into a discussion with her now, it would solve nothing and possibly even stall his plans. She would be told the truth once he had what he needed in his hand. If he could just ignore her prodding until then, the plan may still work.

"First you turn up after years of being missing, and now this?" She threw her arms up in the air, scaring her horse a little.

"Calm yourself woman, or you will scare the horses!" Vegeta growled.

Fuck!

"I'll scare the horses? You just turned into… into…. Well I have no clue what! Vegeta what is going on?" She shrieked at him.

Vegeta closed his eyes, clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on his horse. She continued to throw questions at him. Her voice was getting louder and more ear piercing as he ignored her barrage.

Do not engage!

All he needed to do was finish this job, and he would have what he needed to cure himself for good. If he could just manage to get it done without revealing anything to her, without transforming again. He could fix this.

"Are you listening to me Vegeta?!" He heard Bulma bellow behind him.

Silence.

"I deserve some answers! This is ridiculous, how long will you pretend nothing happened?! For god's sake Vegeta, you turned into a monster!" Bulma spat out, she immediately grabbed at her mouth in regret, trying to get the words back in and down her throat from where they escaped.

Vegeta's horse stopped, he slowly turned around to face her. His face was screwed up in anger to the likes of which she had never seen.

"A monster?" He repeated softly with venom in his voice.

"I...I didn't.. I'm so sorry" Bulma meekly replied, she couldn't look him in the eye.

Vegeta was staring at her with a wild look in his eyes. He just turned around from her on his horse and slapped it into a gallop.

"Wait Vegeta! I didn't mean it, please wait!" She cried out after him.

She fumbled around with her horse's reins and tried to follow after him. But he was too quick and she lost him within moments.

Bulma searched for Vegeta all along the main road. She rode her horse up and back a handful of times, in the case that she missed a turn off or an unbeaten path. However, it was growing dark. She became more and more frantic as the light started to disappear. The nearest town would be half a day's ride away, she had worked out. She had to camp out, alone.

The horse snorted and neighed at the sounds of the woods around them. Bulma shook nervously, the horse was sensing her unease at their current situation, while she felt the presence of the highly alert beast beside her, and it made her more jumpy. They were both feeding off the others anxiety, spiraling into a horrible bubble of fear.
She was accustomed to camping out alone, especially when she went on tours to gather stock for her shop. But this place, this part of the world was unknown. She had no idea if it was safe to sleep out in the open, or if she should seek shelter of some kind. Were there bandits? Kidnappers? Monsters? She knew nothing of the area.

Crack

"Who is that?" Bulma called out in fear, her voice shaky.

She saw slithering movement behind her as she scanned her surroundings. Something was out there, watching her, following her at every turn. Her skin was covered in goosebumps, her whole body was on edge. Her legs were getting ready to run, as she swung around trying to follow the visual activities going on around her.

She was barely able to let out a scream before the leathery creature was on her.

Vegeta bent down and investigated the marks in the dirt. A struggle had definitely happened between three people, and something else he couldn't identify. The markings were not something he had ever seen before. The horse, however, had fled the scene, but it appeared that someone had followed it on horseback.

What have I done?

Vegeta clenched his fist and smacked it down on his thigh. He was angry with his actions and his unwillingness to let her in, again. He was so afraid of her thinking he was now a monster. But he couldn't bring himself to leave, he had turned back around to try and meet back up with Bulma. He needed her, he was so close to fixing this.

Vegeta's head came up with the rest of his body, a look of determination had spread across his face. He had let her down by running away from her, and running from the answers she needed of him. He had made a massive error.

Vegeta slipped his left foot into the stirrup of his horse and swung himself up into the saddle. As Vegeta mounted his horse and with a swift movement of his arms and legs, the horse galloped into action. Taking them both toward where Bulma had been taken.

I need to make this right! Please don't be too late!

Bulma sat with her legs to the side, her wrists tied together and a muzzle across her face. She was careful about how she looked around the men's camp. The creature was surveying and guarding the camps borders. Shrubs and grass withering in a poisonous death as it moved over them.

Where the hell did they get that damn monster from? Bulma thought to herself as she swallowed hard.

She had only ever seen them in books and in paintings. Never had she seen one in the flesh, she was not sure if its gaze was truly deadly or not. But she did not plan to find out. These men were barely strong enough to get her to comply on their own. How could they be controlling such a thing?

The aura around the camp shifted and her anxiety suddenly grew from the depths of her core. Bulma looked up, eyes widened.
Vegeta was crouched in the bushes ahead of her, staring into her eyes as if trying to convey a message to her. It was as if she had materialised him in front of her, how did he always manage to hear her silent calls?
She started to panic, he didn't know what these mages had in their control. Her captors had thankfully, not noticed Vegeta yet. But it was only a matter of time before they, or the monster, did. She started to move her face around, trying to figure out how to un-muzzle herself without directing attention to herself. She had to warn him.

Bulma looked back toward Vegeta, but he had already made his move. He had changed his position, he was going for the two men who had tied Bulma up. Through short sharp breaths, Bulma tried to scream and get free. She had to try something, anything. She needed to warn Vegeta about the monster guarding the camp, that was under some sort of spell. The same magic that trapped her into submission now.
The commotion she made managed to make the two men face her, so their backs were turned away from Vegeta. Giving him the opening he was looking for.

The two men looked at Bulma with disdain and annoyance. They managed to only make a step toward her before they were aware of Vegeta behind them. He had silently emerged from his cover in the bushes. But his presence was hard to ignore.

"Looks like the cretin took our bait, Marlow" The shorter of the two men said with a slight grin.

Bait? Bulma thought as she considered what the man had just revealed.

The taller, stockier man began to laugh as he raised his hand and flung his fingers toward Vegeta.
Bulma, shaking thoughts from her mind, kicked herself into gear and summoned all of her powers to her own hands, bringing up a gust of wind. Pushing away the magic that contained her and she managed to get up onto her knees, the muzzle coming free in her magical defensive spell.

"VEGETA! THEY ARE CONTROLLING A BASILISK!" She screamed, her hands finally breaking free.

Bulma watched as Vegeta hardly had time to register what had happened before the snake was on him, a sinister yellow light glowing in the darkness.