Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Monster Hunter, only how the story goes. The characters and world of Monster Hunter belongs to Capcom. The only thing that I do own are the OC's of the story. I do apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: We pick up right where we left off in the previous chapter. Our boy Jacob has found that there more of these little camps out there.
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Chapter Three: Encounters of the Good the Scary and the Ugly
Jacob could hardly believe that there was another camp out in this forest as he stirred his beans for the third time. From the look on this map, it didn't seem to be too far from where he was. He noticed that it was a pretty good distance from the camp that he had found toady. He looked over the map and also noticed that there was a third camp further to the north. Thinking that there might be something useful to his situation at either one of them, Jacob decided to pay a visit tomorrow. He would have gone today, but he felt as if had enough excitement for one day already. Jacob planned to leave early in the morning when he figured that the wildlife might hopefully still be asleep. He looked over to the pot of beans and from the smell of them, he could tell that they were ready. Grabbing a clean spoon from the drawer, he moved over to a table to chow down on his meal. He said a quick prayer letting God know that he was grateful to be alive and to hopefully find a way back home.
As he was eating his beans, Jacob glanced over to the window that faced the cliff and wondered if the purple theropod was still out there. Holding the pot with one hand and the spoon in the other. He rose from the table to the window. When he looked out, he saw that the dinosaur-like creature was gone again. Though wondering where it went, it was then that he noticed that the sky was starting to change different colors. Thinking that the sun was going down, Jacob finished the rest of the beans before using what water the boat had to wash the dishes. Moving over to the closet he opened it and pulled out a blanket to use to keep him warm through the night.
The sun went down and stars littered the sky when Jacob settled down on the couch. Laying his head against a pillow on the armrest of the couch, Jacob had a hard time falling asleep, mostly due to where he was and what kind of day he just had. He muttered to himself, "If I knew that I was going to end up in some crazy world full of really large and strange creatures, then I think I should have just stayed in the car."
He laughed a little at how funny that had sounded to him. Turning on his side, Jacob wondered if his family was starting to worry about him. He would have called when he reached the island, but because of all that had happened, he couldn't reach them. Jacob could only hope that they wouldn't give up on him and would be hoping that he was coming home. He did think there was a way home, but just didn't know how.
Turning on his back again, he looked up at the ceiling as he thought about how he got here. For the most part, he knew that it had something to do with how the storm was acting. All that crazy lightning zapping just about everywhere, and those odd pillars in the water. He shook his head as he wondered, "What were those all about?"
He couldn't exactly wrap his mind around it as his eyes started to droop. Before he fully shut them he wondered, "What would Superman do in this situation?
"Uh, Lord, please watch over me and my family." He said a quick prayer before drifting off to sleep.
…
It was hours later when he started to awaken again. Deciding not to try and fool himself by saying none of this was real, Jacob sat up and took a look out the window. The night sky filled with stars told him that it was still night, but when he looked to the clock on the stove he saw that dawn might not be too far away now. Jacob moved over to the stuff that he had brought and rummaged through it. He managed to find himself a coat in case it was a little chilly in the mornings here. Putting the coat on, Jacob once again left the boat. Before coming out onto the deck of the boat, he looked about to see if there were any creatures out and about. Not seeing anything, he came down the rope ladder and went down the path.
Jacob thought about singing again, but decided against it to avoid waking anything up. When he had climbed onto the cliff, he checked to see if anything was around before walking through the other entrance. He stuck under the shade as he followed the map in the notebook, which he was smart enough to bring with him along with the bag in case he found some items here too. Keeping his thumb in the pages were the map of the area was, and followed it to the east.
He soon found himself by the slope that went down to the ocean. Looking ahead, he saw a path within some rocks and wondered where it went. But when he looked to the map again, Jacob saw that the camp was still north of his position. He looked to his left and saw a path that was made by a really large root of a tree. Jacob carefully made his way up the root. It ended at more solid feeling ground and Jacob came across another two set of paths. He took the path to the right, hoping that it would bring him to the camp. He had disappeared into a more covered spot in the forest just as something moved down the other path.
Jacob saw some rotten looking trees that also looked like temporary hiding spots. The teen also noticed large mushrooms growing on the sides of other trees. Jacob walked through the area and noticed large Pterosaur looking animals roosting up in the branches of the trees. Moving quietly as to not wake them up, Jacob soon found himself before a pond that went further down a more rocky path. Looking to his left he saw a wall of vines that went up into an opening. Taking a quick peek at the map, he found that he had reached his destination. Putting the notebook back in the bag, Jacob slung it over his shoulder and started climbing up the vines. The climb was a little tricky at first, but he fought to keep his grip on the vines.
He panted when he reached the top and pulled himself up. Jacob looked around and found himself at the other campsite. Like the other one to the west, this one had been abandoned, even if it did look in better shape. And also like the other camp, it had a tent, an eating area and a large wooden chest. The tent, while one side had fallen, was in much better shape unlike the last one. But before he could move to see what he could find in the camp, a low growling noise came from below.
Keeping low and out of sight, Jacob moved to the opening and looked down. He didn't see anything at first, but he noticed some movement on his right and scooched to where he could see better. He thought that it might be the purple theropod, but he was proven wrong again when he saw an entirely different creature. This one looked like an overgrown, silver squirrel with spikey fur and a snake's head. Jacob kept out of sight as best as he could, and watched as the new creature walked up to the water before the wall of vines and lowered its head to take a drink. Jacob became fascinated by this new creature. It wasn't bigger than the purple theropod, but he could tell that it was just as strong. It wasn't long when the silver squirrel-like creature raised its head before turning and heading back the way it came.
Jacob watched it go before it completely disappeared. When he was sure that it was gone, Jacob got up and turned his attention back on the camp again. Moving to the tent first, he opened the flap to find a couple of moldy looking beds inside. He didn't recall anything like that with the other camp, but kept searching. He managed to find a small bandana that looked to still be good. That was about all that he could find. He moved on to the chest and remembered yesterday. He opened the lid and carefully opened it up. After successfully opening it, Jacob moved to look at the contents. He grimaced when he saw that it was full of old meat and bones. He waved his hand in front of his face to get rid of the horrid smell. He didn't know how this survived for however long it was in there, but he did know that this wouldn't do him any good.
Ignoring the meat, saw hardly anything of value that would help him to survive. Figuring this camp was a bust, Jacob decided to leave. He started to move for the opening that he came through when he noticed something growing on a stalk. The stalk itself was growing from what looked like a piece of giant tree. He picked what looked like a hard red fruit from the stalk and thought that it might come in handy.
Jacob moved to the opening and started the climb back down. When he reached the bottom again, he looked out to see if the silver snake was still out there or anything else. But he didn't see anything so he released his grip on the wall of vines. He walked through the rotten trees and came upon a hollow looking one. It was then that he heard the sound of bellowing coming to his ears. He moved to stay close to the rotten tree and looked around for the source of the noise. He looked around the tree and saw a small herd of different creatures. They were much smaller than the Hadrosaur-like animals, and they seemed kind of like Stygimolochs but with a much bigger crest. He saw that a couple of them were a little bigger and had much larger head crests than the others of the herd. He guessed that there was a size difference between the males and females of this group. The sound of growling put Jacob on edge and he looked to see the giant lizard from yesterday enter the area. It seemed to put the herd on edge as they moved away from it. But one of the males Jacob guessed tried to fight the predator off as it remained behind. It tried to ram into the large lizard, but the predator met it head on and knocked the smaller animal back. Jacob wanted to help the creature but became afraid when he saw the large lizard open its jaw wide and started swallowing the other animal whole. Jacob watched in fear as the smaller animal went down, trying to kick and fight its way out. But it was too late when it completely disappeared down the lizard's throat. He could only watch with terrified eyes as the lizard's meal caused its belly to bloat out.
Jacob moved into the hollow rotten tree for cover and placed his hand over his mouth to keep himself from throwing up. It had been one of the most horrifying and disturbing things he had ever seen. He took deep breaths to try and calm himself, and froze when he heard the sound of scrapping against the ground. Jacob quickly figured that it must be the lizard's bloated belly and its poor victim. The teen remained absolutely still when the large lizard passed by the hollow tree, hoping that it didn't notice him. Jacob didn't move when it stopped and started sniffing the air. That's when Jacob lifted a piece of the fabric of his shirt to his nose and sniffed it. It was faint, but he somewhat smelled of the rotten meat from the chest. Jacob started to shake when he noticed the big lizard's eye next to one of the holes in the rotten tree. It hissed as it moved to ram into the decaying wood. Jacob jumped out of the tree and rolled across the ground as the lizard forced its way through.
Jacob quickly got onto his feet and noticed a pretty big branch on the ground. He picked it up and planned to use it as a weapon. Jacob rushed for the opening of the area and glanced back to see the large lizard right behind him. He was surprised to see that even though it had a big belly, it was moving surprisingly fast. They came out of the shaded area just as the sun started to rise over them. When they were before the slope that went down to the sea, Jacob jumped out of the way to avoid being hit by the lizard.
The lizard tried to turn on a dime, but it was slow to do so. When it did, Jacob readied the piece of wood like a bat. The giant lizard came at him and he swung the piece of wood. It smacked against the lizard's head and made it cry out in pain as a chunk of the wood broke off. The reptile backed away for a moment and Jacob kept the stick ready as he thought it might try something. The teen winced from the loud shriek from the big lizard and he almost didn't react in time when the lizard came at him. Jacob aimed right for the big lizard's throat with his next swing.
When the lizard looked to smack into him with its extended belly, Jacob swung the stick really hard. The smack of the wood caused the lizard's belly to ripple for a moment and it backed up with a gag. Jacob backed away as it started hacking. The lizard turned away from him and ended up spitting out its meal from earlier. The ravenous reptile coughed up a little more from the blow to its throat. Jacob cringed from what he had seen before dropping the remainder of the stick and making a break for the boat.
Jacob made it to the tall grass and started to go down one of the paths. When he made it to the edge of the cliff, he looked over to the slope and saw the lizard starting to leave the area. He watched as it disappeared into another part of the forest. Jacob breathed a sigh of relief and bent over as he tried to catch his breath. Deciding that he needed to take a break, Jacob climbed down to go back to the boat. He was unaware however that the spikey snake-squirrel had been watching the skirmish from up in the trees.
…
When he got back, Jacob came down the steps and plopped right down on the couch. Placing his head in his hands he tried to keep himself calm about the situation that he had been in. He felt so scared that he had come close to getting eaten, but then it crossed his mind about how he had managed to stand his ground against the lizard. Jacob knew that not every fight, and he prayed that not every encounter ended in one, he wouldn't be able to defend himself with a wooden stick. He looked around for what he could use as a weapon. He then noticed the axe mounted on the wall. It was in case there was a fire, but Jacob figured that it would be better than nothing.
Taking the axe off its perch, Jacob then thought of also using the dagger that he found yesterday. Jacob decided to take just about everything in that bag and strapped it to his back again. Holding the axe in hand and fixing the dagger to his belt, Jacob felt a little more prepared for the dangers of this world.
…
Jacob pulled himself onto the cliff and looked about. He didn't see any signs of the snake-squirrel, the giant lizard or the purple theropod in sight. Feeling that it was good to go, Jacob carefully made his way through the opening and turned left when he hit the tall grass. The teen came across the river and saw that the herbivorous creatures out and about and starting to graze. Keeping his distance from the herd, Jacob quickly made his way across the water and through the trees before taking a right.
He followed it and found that it dropped twice. Looking down, he saw a wall of vines that made it easier for him to climb up and down. He repeated the action twice and came face to face with a cliff that overlooked a small pond and a tall tree. Beyond that there was a bit of a steep slope that went into another part of the forest. Looking down into the pond, Jacob noticed a couple of big fish swimming about and from the looks of them, they were pretty nasty. Deciding not to mess with them, Jacob kept an eye out for dangers as he made his way to the cliff that had a wall of vines growing on the side of it too.
Once he was standing at the top of the cliff, Jacob moved up the slope and paused a moment to see if there was anything up ahead. Not seeing anything at the moment, he cautiously made his way into the shady part. It wasn't long when he came upon another smaller herd of those creatures by the river. Not too far from them, a couple of those big lizards seemed to be lounging around, not minding a thing. Jacob looked for a way to get around them when he watched them get up and go up into the nearby trees.
Knowing that it was a little risky, Jacob still made his way through the shadows of the forest. He kept his eyes up to the trees and saw that the lizards looked down at him and were watching him. Keeping his hands on the axe in case they were to come down, Jacob moved to get out of there. The lizards didn't seem to make any moves while Jacob came into a more sunny part of the forest. He found himself between two walls of vines and a couple of paths that went in different directions into the forest. Moving close to the wall of vines on his left, Jacob quickly took out the journal and flipped through the pages. He found the map in no time and looked to his position. He saw that the third camp was close by. Getting an idea, Jacob put the journal away and grabbed the axe before climbing the wall of vines. When he reached the top, he was met by an astounding sight. Before him stood a large wall of roots and branches and from the look of it, they looked to be really thick. Thick enough to keep a good number of the wildlife out. He looked to the bottom and noticed an opening big enough for him to crawl through.
Moving up to the wall he got down on his hands and knees to move through the vegetation. When he came out to the other side, he looked up to see a disheartening sight, the camp was completely torched. Everything, from the tent to the large chest, had been charred nearly beyond recognition. Sitting on his rear, he shook his head, "Whelp, this was a bust.
"But what am I gonna do now?" He asked himself before popping the journal back out. He flipped over to the map section and turned it to the other maps. He saw that there were more little camps in the different terrains, but some of them were looking pretty far. He looked at a spot that was between the forest and what looked like a pretty large desert. There seemed to be a name, but the ink was badly smudged.
Snapping the book shut, Jacob prepared himself to leave the ruined camp. But before he could move to crawl back underneath the roots, he heard the sound of flapping overhead. Glancing up, he could see a large shape flying through the air. From the looks of it, it draconic in shape. Its wings were attached to its forearms and had a spikey, clubbed tail at the end. Jacob decided to get out of there before it spotted him as it was currently circling overhead.
Quickly crawling under the roots, Jacob found himself back in the forest. The sound of flapping didn't cease and he looked up to see it descending into the forest where he saw the lizards and the herbivores. Jacob sighed as he thought that it might be a while before the creature left. Jacob carefully made his way down the wall of vines and started to wonder about his next move. He was brought out of his thoughts when the sound of loud footfalls brought him back to reality and looked up. He gasped when he saw the purple theropod standing at the edge of the clearing.
Jacob nervously held the axe close to him as he watched its movements. It didn't seem to notice him as it looked to be growling at something further in the forest. Jacob then guessed that it must be towards the dragon in the woods. Slowly he started walking towards the shady part of the forest to his left while not taking his eyes off the dinosaur-like creature. Jacob kept his breathing silent and steady as he neared the shade of the trees. But when he stepped on a loose stone, Jacob cried out as he tripped and fell onto his side. The teen groaned when he hit the ground pretty hard on his side. He froze when he felt a pair of eyes looking at him. Looking up, he saw the purple theropod looking right at him. Even though he knew that it was a pretty stupid move, Jacob quickly got up and turned to run.
Jacob ran as fast as he could through the forest and heard the growls and footsteps of the dinosaur-like creature right behind him. He didn't look back once as he ran deeper into the forest. The teen didn't even acknowledge that there were a few of those big lizards up ahead in the trees. Jacob made a sharp turn to the right when he saw an opening and found himself in a cave. Jacob came to a small intersection before looking back. Though he wasn't seeing anything at the moment, he could hear the sounds of the creature shuffling into the cave behind him and quickly started moving again. The walls of the cave were lined by what looked to be glowing moss of some kind. Jacob saw a small opening that he could fit through. Tossing the axe through it first, Jacob quickly started to crowd through it. But as he started to go through, the fabric of his shirt suddenly got caught a little on the rocky opening. The teen felt that the situation was starting to grow worse and worse for him. His fears were just when he glanced down the way he came and saw the creature's yellow eyes thanks to the glowing moss. Starting to breathe a little heavy, Jacob frantically fought to get through the opening. He could hear the sounds of his shirt ripping and looked to see the creature coming towards him. Jacob gave a good tug and the shirt ripped. The boy fell through the opening and onto the ground with another groan of pain.
Jacob lifted his head and his eyes widened when he saw the eye of the beast looking through the opening right at him. He grabbed the axe before shuffling to move away from the opening. The sounds of the creatures growls only made Jacob get up and move much faster through the cavern. The cave started to go up a little and there was a bit of a gap between Jacob and another section. Looking down he saw more moss and a few insects here and there. When he looked across the other side, his eyes widened when he saw some more animal bones laying near the edge.
Wondering if there might be a way out, Jacob pulled out the journal and flipped it to the map of the forest. Thanks to the light from the moss, he was able to see well enough. He pointed a finger to where the third camp was located and ran his finger along the path. He saw the turn that he and the purple theropod took and found that the cave was indeed on the map. Looking up he silently thanked whoever had made this map. Looking back down, Jacob saw a spot on the map and thought that it could be the platform across from him. He traced a finger and found that there was a path that lead right to the part of the forest with all the big lizards. Jacob also knew that going back was going to be a bit of a challenge, what with him being chased and all. He then noticed a spot on the map that looked where he had gone into the crevasse to escape the purple theropod. The path before it led right from the entrance that they had come. Jacob then wondered if they had passed by it when they rushed through. He began to process what he had found out. Quietly moving away from the opening, Jacob kept his voice low when he asked himself, "If this leads right back to where we were running, then where is it?"
The sounds of light snoring filled the cavern and it made the teen look around. He moved to the opening and looked about but he didn't see anything. The sounds of snoring did get louder though and Jacob wondered if it was the creature. Jacob took a small running start before leaping across the gap. He landed on his knees and held his breath and didn't move in case that the creature would hear. When there were no audible signs other than snoring, Jacob gave a silent sigh of relief. Carefully making his way to the other side of the platform, he came to what he considered quite an adorable sight. The purple theropod was laying on its side and had its jaws open as it snored away. The scene made Jacob smile a little and thought that the creature looked really peaceful.
His smile dropped a little when he noticed that the creature was laying between him and the exit that he needed to take. Looking for an easy way down, Jacob didn't see one and then thought that if he were really careful, then he could drop down and sneak past the sleeping giant. Moving to the other side of the platform, Jacob kneeled down and gently lowered the axe towards the ground. He winced a little before letting go of the object. It clattered against the ground and Jacob cringed when he heard stirring from the other side. But after a moment it seemed to calm down again. Taking a deep breath he started to climb down and felt his feet dangling in the air. He let go and fell into a crouch before grabbing the axe and moving to press against the platform of stone. Jacob didn't hear the purple theropod stirring so he figured that he was in the clear for the moment. Carefully and silently making his way around, the teen peeked to see that the dinosaur-like creature was still asleep. Tiptoeing around the slumbering beast, Jacob made his way towards the opening. He looked back to see that the purple theropod was still fast asleep. Jacob chuckled and said, "Must be a heavy sleeper."
But his light comment and laughter seemed to make the beast stir and the teen tensed up at his mistake. The purple theropod started moving around and would be on its feet soon. Quickly turning he started running once again. Jacob didn't look back even as he exited the cave. Undeciding of which way to go, he took a chance and turned to the left. The frightened human came upon the two walls of vines once again but kept on running. He didn't see the dragon from before and figured that it must have flown off. Jacob came sliding to a stop when he saw three of those big lizards in the middle of the path. They looked at him and screeched.
Holding the axe at the ready, Jacob glanced back to see if the purple theropod was coming. He didn't see anything and turned his focus back to the lizards in front of him. One of them rushed towards him and Jacob swung the axe. The lizard stopped before the axe could hit it. Jacob ended up swinging through empty air and stumbled backwards. The lizard came at him and the young man jumped to the side while unintentionally letting go of the axe. Jacob managed to get back onto his feet and thought he was holding the axe when he lifted his hands. But he became surprised when he saw it but a few feet right behind the lizard.
Jacob fumbled around his body for what to use to defend himself when he suddenly remembered the dagger. He whipped it out and said to the lizards, "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of this if I were you."
But it didn't deter them as they all once again screeched at him. Jacob started waving it around and it put the three on the defensive. The lizards would try to come at him, but he made them back away when he waved it at them. The teen decided to use that to his advantage and swinging as he moved around the trio to the axe. When his foot brushed against the handle of the axe, Jacob kept the blade of the dagger pointed at the trio of lizards while reaching down for the axe. His fingers curled around the handle and his picked it up. He held both weapons at the reptilian trio and looked for a way out. Jacob gasped when one of the lizards leapt at him and ducked out of the way. But he didn't move out of the way in time and he gritted his teeth from the slash marks he received to his right arm. Despite the pain, he kept the weapons lifted at the lizards and took a glance at his wound. Three slash marks had been cut horizontally on his arm and a little blood leaked from them.
Jacob tried to think of a way out of his situation and glanced about. He saw the opening that he had come through a little while ago about a good distance away. His head snapped back to the lizards when they screeched at him again. The lizard that managed to scratch him leapt again, but Jacob lashed out with the broad side of the axe this time. The metallic end collided with the reptile's skull and the blow sent it tumbling away from him. The other two lizards were a little shocked by what just happened while Jacob grinned a little.
But the joy seemed to be short lived when the lizard got back up again. Jacob slowly started to back up towards the openings in the clearing when the lizards suddenly tensed up. The teen saw them back away and turn to another direction. Figuring that it was something bad, Jacob looked around and saw the purple theropod coming towards the clearing. Quickly re-sheathing the knife, Jacob then turned and ran to get out of there before it noticed him. And noticed him it did when it saw the teen running away before slowly following after him.
Jacob rushed through the opening to the forested area and carefully but quickly made his way down the slope. He glanced back to see if he was being followed. He didn't see anything, but didn't slow down for a moment. Jacob came to a stop when he found himself at the edge of the small cliff that overlooked the pond. Fear clouding his judgement, he started to move to get to the other side of the area, but accidentally causes himself to stumble and cried out as he fell over the edge.
The human teen landed in the pond below with a big splash and it startled the two big fish a bit. Jacob surfaced with a gasp for air and looked about to see how his predicament was fairing. He worried when the large fish started to come at him. Jacob looked for a way out and saw that he was limited to what appeared to be a cave. Quickly making his way through the water, Jacob found his feet on the land again and kept making for the cave. When he was just underneath the shade, Jacob glanced up the slope to see the purple theropod staring down at him from the shade of the trees. Not lingering for a second more, Jacob quickly rushed into the cave and up a slope within it.
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Author's Note: I know that this isn't a great place to have cliffhanger, but the next chapter, I plan for Jacob to have a bit of a near brush with death. And once I get that chapter done, I'll be returning to the finale of Book 2 of Avenging Avatar. Happy Holidays and be sure to thankful for all you have. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time.