Monster Hunter

Chapter 4

Wendigo

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

Vegeta's eyes swung to the location of movement he detected beside him. A large snake-like creature came out from the darkness, a yellow glow illuminating around its face.

The eyes!

Vegeta flipped backwards on his hands, landing behind some bush coverage. In the same motion he grabbed out two long knives from his waist belt.

He had only basic knowledge of a basilisk, but he was not about to test the theory of their gaze. He would have to blind the creature before taking it out.

He heard a scream come from the direction Bulma was in.

Shit

Vegeta was pinned down by the snake, he couldn't go to her rescue this time. He would barely be able to keep the monster at bay, she would have to manage without him.

Bulma struggled with her restraints. The two mages that had captured her were moving toward her now. She had barely enough power to un-muzzle herself. She could not defend herself without the use of her arms.

The two men were painfully aware of her weakness. Most mages needed to have movement in order to flow the magic through their bodies, almost like a dance or ritual. Tying her up was like cutting her off at the knees.

Think Bulma, Think!

Vegeta was behind the men, in the background, fighting off the ancient snake as best he could. The snake was using Vegeta's weakened state to its advantage. While he was shielding his sight from the creature, it was landing hit after hit on him. Bulma cried out in frustration. It couldn't end like this, not after all the danger they had been through in the past. These idiots would be no match if she could only get free.

Her frustration was making it hard for her to mind skip through every spell she had ever come across. From her family teachings to her time at the mages academy.

Yes, that's it!

Bulma looked around for the perfect object she needed to help her fulfill her plan. The men were upon her now, reaching down to grab her. A sharp rock beside her stuck out, and she immediately smashed her forehead against it. Creating a gushing stream of blood down her forehead. She began the incantation.

The two men, suspicious of Bulma's extreme action, stepped backwards. But B ulma had finished the last word in her spell and looked up at the men. She realised they knew exactly what she was doing.

"You cunt's, you've heard this incantation before, haven't you?"

Before the men could retreat anymore, she flung her body backwards and swung back around. Launching her blood at the men, covering their arms, chest and faces. They immediately began to wail in pain.

Bulma had, like many women who studied magic, ingested a particular mushroom on a regular basis. The mushroom began to deposit certain compounds into the body of the person ingesting it, It's properties along with an incantation, turned her bodily fluid into a highly dangerous, acidic substance. Harming anyone who touched it. It was one of the most protective spells a female mage could learn, it was a last line of defense for the weaker sex but it came at a cost. There was only a certain amount of times the incantation could be activated until it turned their bodies acidic forever, slowly killing them from the inside out. Even this momentary spell would leave a scar on her forehead from the short moments she had transformed her blood into acid, then back again to stop her from injuring herself further.

The men had obviously known about the spell, meaning they had in fact forced a woman to use the spell before. The knowledge did not save them though, they were too slow. As they fell to the ground, their flesh began to melt from their bodies which would cause their eventual deaths. Bulma closed her eyes as the blood from her forehead gash was partially blinding her. She wriggled herself over to the rock and began to cut the ropes she was trapped in.

The men's screams and wails only intensified Vegeta's adrenaline. She had done it, now he could fight this snake without thinking of her.

Vegeta opened his eyes, a pulsating feeling rocked through his body. He could feel the demon's possession bubbling to the surface again. He fought hard within himself to cool its insatiable hunger. His body would not cope with another transformation, let alone his mental state. It would consume him this time, he could not transform, it would end him.

He slammed his fist into the ground, making loud vibrations to confuse the snake. Jumping back he swung his cape around his shoulder, partially blocking his peripheral sight. His body screaming out in pain with every movement.

One strike, that's all I need!

The snake began moving again, slithering into some low scrub. It was going to conceal itself and smell out his vibrations. He jumped around facing the bush but looking at the ground, being careful not to look directly at it. He gripped his two knives tight, as he waited for the snake to strike. It was only moments before he saw it again, the yellow glow from the monster's eyes. He took in a sharp breath as it lunged from the shrubs toward his neck. Vegeta couldn't look directly at the monster, meaning he could not properly evade the attack. He shut his eyes and tried to put his faith in his other instincts. It was then he felt the air pressure change beside his face as two knives screamed past his face. He opened his eyes in time to see two small blades penetrate the snake's eyes. Blinding it. The inertia of the snake hurled it toward him still.

Vegeta's knife drove into the snake's jaw as it came within reach, the blade pierced into its brain. The body went limp, and stopped moving all together. Both Vegeta and the serpent fell to the ground together, crumbling into each other's mass.

Bulma ran over to Vegeta as she saw them fall, she pulled him out from underneath the giant snake.

"You idiot!" Bulma sobbed and hit him softly.

Vegeta cringed at her touch, every part of his body was on fire with pain.

"Did you have to get kidnapped by goons with a basilisk? Of all creatures, woman… a basilisk?" Vegeta said.

Bulma stopped a volley of colourful language escaping her lips, what followed was a deep hearty laugh.

"What is so funny?" Vegeta asked.

Bulma just shook her head.

"Can we just leave this place?" Vegeta asked.

"On one condition" Bulma said.

Vegeta closed his eyes knowing exactly what she was requesting.

"Fine, just get me out of here"

Bulma put the mug full of mead down in front of Vegeta. He winced for a moment while he reached out for it.

The lodge was bustling with loud, drunk voices and a minstrel singing a song on a small stage. Drowning out anything the couple would say to each other.

"You've had your fill of food, now tell me everything" Bulma said.

Vegeta looked up at her and smirked.

"I guess you have earned it"

Bulma shot him a look of irritation. Vegeta just chuckled to himself, enjoying her visible annoyance.

"After I disposed of the trolls wreaking havoc in that small town in the west, many years ago, I heard of a job going on a haunted ship in one of the nearby ports."

Bulma nodded in understanding, sipping from her pint. She remembered the job, it had been their last together before he vanished.

"Turns out it was just smallpox… But I was given free passage to a new land, one on the other side of the world. I thought it would be a good chance to check out a new surrounding and add some knowledge to my already enormous library"

"And to find new people to hoodwink!" Bulma said.

Vegeta just smirked.

"It wasn't long before I found work in a northern village, covered in snow. Reports of possession were too strong to ignore. So I went to investigate, but the local shaman, a spiritual leader of the native tribes, tried to warn me. He told me that one of the locals had become possessed by gluttony and selfishness itself."

Bulma looked up from her drink at him.

"A Wendigo" Vegeta said.