Rumble…
Beneath the earth, almost half a league down.
There lay a cavern, great in size and deep in length.
Crystalline roots lie about twisting and turning over each other.
And in the epicenter, there slumbers; a great red dragon. Almighty in size, red in color with blots of black hues that ended near the end of its body.
Rumble...
The earth cracked and shook. Chunks of solid stone began to fall from the cavern ceiling, revealing the still dark early morning sky.
The dragonian beast was beginning to awaken, the crystal roots that entangled it were beginning to strain under the raw strength the dragon was channeling.
For the longest time… everything was so hazy and unclear, I couldn't even think. Was this death?
One moment all I remember was the sensation of falling, numbness, a flash… and then something in between. But what was it? I try to remember, but I can't. Like fine sand through spread fingers; I can't remember jack shit.
What I do remember though, was the "Beat" three times it tolled growing stronger with each pulse.
On the third beat. I gained knowledge of gods, well… that's what I call them anyway.
They seemed so familiar, yet for the life of me I can't tell why. It was like I had known them, stole great power from them.
I had their names on the tip of my tongue.
In due time perhaps I will know.
I felt unsteady.
The haziness and forgetfulness were beginning to clear...
I felt for the first time in age's.
Did I survive?
Rumble…
"What was that?" I thought worriedly.
I decided to test the waters and see how injured my body was.
Lungs that were bigger than an elephant inflated with oxygen.
Before I could question why I breathed in so much, the earth began to shake violently.
Panic started to creep it's way into the reincarnated man's mind.
I couldn't feel my heart beating or dropping in fear.
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Bindings that were stronger than steel support cables snapped under the raw strength Safi'jiiva was producing. More boulders began to crash down as his thrashing shook the entire cavern.
In an instant, he was in the air. Flying well over a hundred feet in just a few seconds. In a minute, the Red Dragon was out of the cavern.
It took about a minute before he realised he was in the air.
"HOLY SHIT!" he tried to yell.
Only the roar of an Emperor of God's answered.
The reincarnation of Safi'jiiva froze mid-air, stopped utterly in fear of his own voice.
Gael felt a sensation.
It took but a split moment to realise that he had stopped flying.
It is said the bellows of a fear-filled dragon can still be heard to this day.
Safi'jiiva started to plummet towards the aged trees of the Ancient Forest.
The sturdy-build trees that lasted through the toughest of weather and storm shattered into naught but splinters.
Battered stone which withstood even the greatest test of time broke into small chunks as the reincarnated man-turned-dragon skidded across the rough morning dew covered ground.
Everything was wrong.
I was too big, too strong, Inhuman in every way possible.
One does not fucking survive a fall and break trees along with solid fucking rock.
One also doesn't fucking fly.
What was wrong with me?
The Red Dragon slowly shook off the rubble that was on its gigantic body.
The dizziness that had robbed my sight soon cleared and-
Oh my god... I could see everything. From the collected dew on the matted grass beneath me, to my right… a small cliff that held a cluster of tropical trees.
I could even make out the pattern on the leaves that the tropical cluster made up.
To my left were ferns, the tropical trees that I just mentioned… And a very familiar dead tree with thick long leafy vines collected at the end of a long branch.
I knew that dead tree. It was a trap ment for monsters to get tangled in its thick vines when they crashed into it.
A pit formed in my stomach.
Isekai shit like this isn't fucking real, this was just a bad dream or some LSD trip gone wrong right? Right?
Yeah, that's right. It's just bullshit, well-crafted bullshit but bullshit non the less.
Just take a deep breath and everything will be fine and OK.
I inhaled-
Lungs were filled with enough air that it could fill a zeppelin.
Everything that I had tried to collect, sputtered out of my mouth immediately.
I noticed the utter inhuman growls and snarls that came from my throat.
"Nonononono" were my only thoughts. I was beginning to have a panic attack.
My stomach started to flip and turn, I started to hyperventilate, my thick cord like muscles started to bulge and weave underneath my skin.
I started to dry heave.
I was gonna turn Cataconic there was no fucking doubt about it.
SLAM
A sudden noise from behind me, to my newfound senses, it was louder than a bomb going off.
I turned my head.
There, behind me. Sat a long, thick red barbed tail that was speared into the ground.
Golden serpentine eyes widened.
It turned its head forward, facing the downhill shore that led into the sea.
Slowly. I lifted up my left hand.
My hand was normal. It was the human hand I always had since the day I was born-
Claws befitting to rule all of existence and willing to snuff out any and all resistance met his sight.
It stared at its hands. It took in every detail about his hands, he turned them around, looked at every red scale that was muted by black, he also looked at where his nails used to be, now replaced by talon like claws.
The hand fell limbly to the ruined and damp ground below.
I was numb.
Golden serpentine eyes refocused.
Water.
One last kernel of denial was chained to his mind by every iota of sanity he had.
It pounced.
Almost immediately he was at the shore that met the sea.
The stone had spider cracks because of the raw weight It had.
I don't know how long I stared at that water, maybe it was because I didn't want the truth?
I lowered my head and saw-
A sight that I was all too familiar with, after all… I spent several days a week farming him.
The great reflection of Safi'Jiiva stared back with what he could guess was a horrified expression.
I felt something in the air. It was fiery, ancient and it felt so full that it was about to erupt.
I looked to the horizon and… as if my own reflection didn't confirm enough.
A living black volcano known as Zorah Magdaros walked towards the New World and with it… came my New Life.
I felt something within me snap.
Rage that would scorch the world a thousand times over boiled in my veins.
Wings that held the very cosmos itself unfurled with the desire to drown existence in its shadow.
Golden eyes turned into hellish red serpentine pits that would pierce even through the veil of reality.
Reins had been put around the world. A slave to the Emperor of God's will.
A cry of help came from the Red Dragon.
A call from beyond.
And so shall the world answer.
The colossal beam of starlight and bio-energy penetrated the sky itself.
And a fable that was older than an age was brought into my mental fold.
Morrígan Dagda had an annoying morning so far, first; she had woken up all sweaty and her hair matted down cause of That dream again.
After doing her limited morning rituals she went down to the mess hall to get a nice breakfast to at least soothe her cranky nerves.
As the door to the mess hall opened, she noticed two things, one was the smell of nice damn food and drink, second, was the excited atmosphere that was among her peers as they were told the night before that they were going to land soon in the early morning.
She brought a hand up to her face to rub out the last dregs of drowsiness that still plagued her.
She was careful in her steps to make sure she didn't bump into anyone or any of the Felynes that were delivering food or talking to each other.
She quietly made her way to a table in the back that was only occupied by one person.
As she sat down the bench creaked in protest.
Propping up her elbows on the table, her head lay in her palms, fingertips unconsciously rubbing her eyelids in an effort to get the tiredness and crust out of them.
"God's dammit." she thought to herself.
What kind of Hunter was she really? If you can't beat off sleepiness then you might as well not even be a Hunter at all!
She huffed in annoyance, maybe there was an energy drink somewhere on this ship.
"Hey, you alright?" asked the black haired woman across from her.
"Yeah, thanks for asking." replied Morrígan.
She chuckled. "They're serving energy drinks near the serving station, you should go get one." She told Morrígan.
Salvation!
"Wait, really?" Morrígan said, stupefied over such an answer.
"Yes, really." The woman said.
"They've been serving it since people started coming into the mess hall." The woman also supplied.
Morrígan's mouth did an O.
"A-ah, well… thanks for letting me know." stuttered Morrígan.
Just as she moved to get up and get an energy drink before she could embarrass herself even further-
"Yo!" Came the enthusiastic shout of an orange haired chainmail wearing man
"AH!" Yelped Morrígan as she was startled by the sudden entrance of the youthful man.
"Woah! Did I scare you? Sorry, didn't mean to." the orange haired man said.
He walked over and sat himself on Morrígan's table
"Anyway. Did you hear? We're almost there, they said the fleet is gonna arrive in port soon." said the youth filled A-lister.
"Really?" said Morrígan quietly while trying to still her rapid beating heart from the shock earlier.
"Yep, I couldn't even sleep right last night due to the excitement I had." said the man.
"I see…" replied Morrígan.
The youthful A-lister leaned back on his seat.
"Man… I don't know about you, but it feels like ages since I left home to join the Commission…" said the now nostalgia filled man.
"So, ya ready to tackle this new world by the horns? Are you nervous?" rapid-fired the oranged haired A-lister.
"A bit of both really." said Morrígan.
"Believe you me, I get it. Anything could happen to us, but hey, that's half-"
The man was suddenly cut off by a woman with done up hair grabbing his shoulder.
"Yup with whatever he's saying" interrupted the woman.
The newcomer fixed her gaze on Morrígan.
Her eyes widened with recognition.
"Hey! Aren't you one of the A-list Hunters?"
Morrígan nodded her head.
"What? No way! So are we!" said the riled up chainmail clad man.
"Hey, tell us your name," he continued.
"Morrígan Dagda." Said the woman in question.
The man in chainmail hummed.
"Ah, well my name is Gai!" Said the now identified man.
He continued "And this here is-"
He was interrupted by the woman again.
"I can introduce myself." She said with a baleful stare.
"Jeez, alright. I'm sorry, no need to kill me before we get to the new world."
She huffed at him in annoyance.
"Well, my name is Megumin. Current handling A-lister in the Fifth Fleet."
"Anyway, enough of the formal stuff, here have some Jho."
Megumin handed Morrígan a tankard of good ole Jho.
"Now, how about a toast. For our arrival to the New World."
"Alright! Here's to the A-list! And the Commission!" shouted Gai while lifting up his tankard
As they gulped down their Jho, Gai was the first one to finish.
"So… tell me, what's your theory? Elder dragons gotta migrate to the New World for a reason.
Before Morrígan could reply. Gai continued.
"After running the Research Commission for Forty odd years. The guild is itching for an answer."
"Yes, yes they do" Morrígan dryly quipped.
Gai humphed in response before continuing
"They say the Fifth Fleet's got the best shot at cracking this mystery case, and I agree!" he shouted out the last bit.
"Keep it down will you, people are starting to look at us" Megumin said in annoyance.
"Sorry" he mumbled.
"Hey, speaking of. A-listers usually work in pairs of two. Did you sit down with your partner yet?" Megumin said with a curious tone.
Morrígan was about to shyly give her truth when somebody at the table next to her knocked over her stool and hurried to the open window port.
"An escape." she thought.
Morrígan sat up and gestured goodbye to them while she started to make her way over to the window port and the woman with goggles.
She was about to greet the girl that was tinkering with her eyewear when she cut Morrígan off.
"Listen to that. Waves are starting to get rough and pick up, and that's gotta mean landfall soon."
She turned around to face Morrígan, adjusting her eyewear onto her head.
"You're on the A-list, right?"
"Yeah, I am."
Before they could continue the were interrupted by-
"Meow!" that came from a tiger striped orange, white and black felyne.
Morrígan's eyes lit up with recognition.
"Bastet!" she exclaimed.
"I was wondering where you were!"
She began to nuzzle the Felyne, with it purring all the way.
"Well… Meowdy'do to you too little buddy." said the A-listing handler.
"I'm not psychic, but I do have pretty good ears. Ah, put'er there! I'm Aqua! I happen to be an A-lister mysel-
The ship rocked and shook
Shouts of alarm rang throughout the mess hall.
"Quick! To the bridge!" yelled Aqua.
They reached the stairs to the main bridge in record time.
As soon as they reached their destination, the ship was beginning to tip over.
Screams of fear and shouts of anger rang throughout the entire ship.
They ran to the top of the ship as a black volcano-like creature began rising out of the sea like a thing that should not be.
Today could not get any worse.
As it turned out, it could.
Everything went to shit when a blue beam lit up the sky.
So that's how it was going to be… Fine, be like that.
Now then to get used to this new body and power.
I was a shell, an echo of what I really should be.
All because I didn't have my heart.
Because a fable that was older than an eon told the story of how a small dragon in his cunning made the God's in heaven wage war on one another.
By the time the war ended they were all weakened and could not fight any longer.
And the small dragon one by one, carved out their hearts. The very cores of the gods. And ate them one at a time.
In the end? He was King of All, no longer was he small, no longer was he powerless.
And for the gods that had no hearts were shattered into innumerable fragments that would later on become the Elder Dragons.
Until one day, the first man came and convinced the Emperor of God's to tear out his own heart and gave it to man.
And my reaction to all of this?
When the fuck did Monster Hunter World become Dragon's Dogma?!
Oof. Truth be told this damn chapter would have been out by yesterday had I not had writers block and later on went to sleep for the entire fucking day. Whoop de doo.
Another note, I'm sorry if the ending felt rushed or the pacing was hell. Cause while writing this, somehow... I got a hella lot of mental fatigue while writing a simple 2000 word chapter. Something that more experienced writers would be able to do in their sleep no doubt. Such is the curse of being a uber new fanfic writer.
absolute noob to this, if anybody wants to beta for me... I dunno. PM me or something and we can go from there.
Anyway, thanks for reading this new thing that should have been out yesterday. If your wondering what my update schedule is... it's... Every couple of days, hopefully. Don't worry, by tomorrow I should be working on the third chapter.
Well what ever, if you caught the references then good on you. If you also like the story, don't forget to rate, review and all that good stuff. See you later.