Monster Hunter Legends
Knights of the Tundra – Chapter 2
The ship pulled in at Moga Village, greeted by a local dressed in the armour of this region's Guild outpost. Demnos didn't really care for the Guild – he only cared about how much money he was payed. He had given up his old life with the Desert Nomads, and after an unsuccessful bout at hunting, had become a mercenary for hire. He still retained his famed weapon though – Siegmund, the evil looking Greatsword made of Rathalos materials. The local shook hands with Demnos, then his squad. After she finished, she said, "Good. If you'll just come with me, I will get a transport organized to take you to the tundra." The squad headed off, uncertainly following the Guild official. None of them had ever been to Moga Village. The bow master of Demnos' squad approached the official. "May I ask, is the tundra in the same area as the Pokke Mountains?"
"In the sense that they are both in the north, yes." The official replied.
"Oh. So are they like the mountains? Cos' if they are, we won't have much trouble."
"No, I believe they surround a frozen river, so much of the lowlands is frozen as well. The temperature is much lower than the Pokke Mountains, and the actual mountains and cliffs are extremely jagged." The official explained, smiling.
The bow master's face went pale, and he nodded slowly then retreated to the back of the group.
The bow master may have feared the tundra, but William did not. Growing up as a Knight in the tundra trained you in the ways of safely navigating its dangerous cliff faces. At the moment, he was standing precariously on the peak of an ice cliff, looking for any sign of a Barioth. He noticed a few dead Popo littered about, and decided to drop down and check it out. He slid awkwardly down the sloped side of the cliff, using his sharp gauntlets in an odd way of balancing. He dropped down suddenly, and he realised he had reached an entrance to the cave system that snaked its way through the ice mountains. "Don't want to run into a Gigginox now…" he noted out loud. Heading down a safe pathway that ran down the outside of the mountain, he heard the echo of a roar. He was closing in on the Barioth. And it was a biggun… he had just stepped in one of its footprints.
When the Guild official had said "transport", Demnos hadn't expected this. They were travelling to the tundra on a carriage being pulled by Aptonoth. Demnos had asked why, but the official had only replied with "You'll see!". The kid from Pokke spoke up. "This sucks. I wanna hunt some monsters damnit!"
"Are we gonna actually hunt any monsters?" said another.
Demnos turned around from the front of the carriage, a furious glare on his face. "That depends. Would you like to go into a hunt against monsters you've never seen before, monsters that can live on land AND water? You guys would not last A MINUTE. Now stop yapping, and focus on the mission!" Demnos just finished saying, then the carriage was jerked forward as the Aptonoth that were controlling the carriage sped up alarmingly. "Now were talking!" Demnos grinned. The driver looked at him, opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and went back to steering. The lance enthusiast was peering out the back of the carriage, and he nervously said "Erm… cap'n? You might wanna see this." Demnos cautiously moved to the back of the carriage. He looked out, and his eyes widened in alarm. "What the?"
Out on the track behind them, an alarming number of small bird wyverns were chasing the carriage! Demnos moved back to the front, and the driver said, "Never seen a pack of Jaggi before?" chuckling to himself.
Even the Barioth's snores were loud. Keeping his distance, William had tracked the Barioth through the snow. He had lost it at one point, but had eventually caught up with it. For such a big wyvern, it had managed to be very stealthy and quick. William was choosing what to do next: his whole hunt could depend on how he handled the sleeping Barioth. Night had fallen not long ago, and he needed to get to a shelter soon. This was his dilemma. He could go and find shelter, and track the Barioth in the morning, or, he could wound it now and combat it. "Nah." He said softly, and turned to go. But, just his luck, a Baggi had snuck up behind him, and now chose to lash out at him. Crying out, William stumbled, pulling out his Switch Axe to deal with the Baggi. The Baggi did not realise the danger it was in till the last second. William, his back to the Barioth, had not seen it wake up. He had not seen it circle around just out of the Baggi's eyesight, and Williams. Which was why he was so shocked when the Baggi was thrown to the side by a powerful gust of wind, and the following Barioth. "Oh, shit…" William muttered, as he realized he would have to fight to get away successfully. Luckily, the Barioth was busy ripping the Baggi to shreds, and this gave William some extra hits. Striking its back first, William jumped to avoid its sweeping tail, as the Barioth swung round. He then sliced at its forearms, running past them on his way to the Barioth's tail. But he had not remembered the Barioth's size: in a moment it had knocked him flat on his back with a second spin. Leaping up quickly to avoid the Barioth's vicious fangs, he headed off out into the snow, sheathing his Switch Axe and going into a sprint. He zigzagged wildly, not daring to look back. He kept running, and dived into the first visible cave. In one way, he had chosen to find shelter…
On the Aptonoth carriage, Demnos' squad had fallen asleep, the Jaggi long since gone. Demnos had been dozing, but an odd noise in the distance had woken him. Taking over the driving from the old man whose carriage it was, he asked, "How long will it take to reach the tundra?"
"My Aptonoth can only take you as far as the snow forest, but then it is only about a two hour walk to the ice river and the village there. You and your… squad, should reach it by mid-morning if you set off early."
"Perfect. Nothing like a freezing cold morning to get you going." Demnos replied groggily.