Monster Hunter Legends
Knights of the Tundra – Chapter 3
Having to spend the night in an ice cave wasn't comfortable. William had made a quick, makeshift-sleeping mat, and then had walled himself in by covering the entrance with snow. He had woken up cold and drained of energy, but a hot drink and a couple of rations had sorted it out. His wife was probably wondering where he was. It wasn't uncommon for a Knight to end up camping while out in the tundra. Its harsh conditions and powerful monsters made it hard for most Knights to return to the Citadel without stopping. William had proceeded that morning to head for the ice river, leaving dead Popo in a bad excuse for a trail. The ice river was a common area for combat, as its open land gave hunters room to attack and evade monsters, as well as the occasional ice break…
"It's really cold." Said the old dual blade wielder, who was used to the desert heat. "Um, yeah, it usually is in mountains. Haven't you ever been to any mountains before?" replied the bow master. "…no."
"And you call yourself a hunter…" sighed the bow master.
"You're one to talk. I saw you cringe at the sight of these mountains!" replied the old man with a grunt.
"Shut up, both of you!" Demnos snarled. He had gotten fed up of his squad bickering. Trust the Guild to give me the worst combination of hunters, thought Demnos. The squad had reached the ice river an hour ago, and had been following it for a while with no sign of civilisation. A deafening roar broke the silence, from somewhere on the other side of the river. What had made the roar, none of the hunters knew. Five pairs of eyes scanned the ice cliffs in search of something, but nothing caught their attention. "Hrmm," Demnos murmured, "best be careful in this environment…"
Hidden in the maze of cliffs, William had heard the roar to. But he knew where it had come from. After William had left a dead Popo on the ice river, he had gone back into the cliffs, watching his trail from above. Soon, the Barioth had appeared. Near invisible in a blizzard, the Barioth's white scales had hidden it from William's gaze for a moment. But then, at almost the same time, they had noticed each other. That was when the Barioth roared. Clutching his ears, William dropped down off his ledge and unsheathed his Switch-Axe. The Barioth came leaping at William, over the dead Popo, its bounds causing shakes in the ice. It stopped to a skidding halt, narrowly missing William. He ran into the Barioth's side, hacking with his Axe. This moved the Barioth closer to the ice river, but the Barioth wasn't going easily. William decided on a rather rash tactic. He angered the Barioth further, by attacking and dodging most of its attacks. Then, William sheathing his weapon on the way, headed off towards the ice river at a sprint. He had studied the Barioth's movements all his life, and this hunt depended on those studies being right.
William burst onto the ice river, still running at full pace. He looked down the ice river, and noticed a few hunters from a different region heading his way. The leader pointed and started to jog, waving on the way. William's eyes widened as he looked back to where the Barioth was hovering, and then back to the small group of hunters. William cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "STAY BACK!", but the one at the front didn't seem to be listening. William dropped to the ground as the Barioth flew down, gliding just over where William's head had been.
Demnos hadn't been expecting that. It was the strangest looking monster he had encountered. He guessed from the guild official's descriptions that this was a Barioth. Oh, he thought, that's why he yelled stay back… The man was getting up now, his weapon in his hand. "Can we lend a hand mate?" Demnos called. It wouldn't hurt to give his squad a hunt, if they had wanted one from stepping in Moga Village. The man turned to Demnos, and then looked quizzically at his squad. He made a face as though he was making a decision, then said "Sure. But be careful, this is a biggun!" He ran after the Barioth, which had recovered and was now on the ice river facing Demnos. Demnos grabbed his Greatsword, and headed to join the man. The beast was extremely odd in combat. Many of its moves were unpredictable to Demnos, who blocked a tail swipe with his Greatsword. Demnos swung, but his strike missed and smacked the ice, breaking part of it. "Go for its arms!" he heard one of his squad call. Executing a side swing, he caught the Barioth on the arm. It flinched, and backed off as it saw the other hunters readying to strike. It gave one loud roar, then glided off into the ice cliffs. "Thanks for that." Said the man with the Switch-Axe. "No problem. My squad here was itching for a hunt."
"What was that?" asked the kid.
"That, was a Barioth. And a biggun at that. It'll be back, I'm sure it will be." The man paused, and studied the squad for a second. "I'm being rude," he said suddenly, "Hello! My name is William, and I am a Barioth Knight. To be exact, I am the Barioth Warrior. Do you folks need any hel-" he stopped short as Demnos levelled his Greatsword at William's neck. "I believe you will be coming with us, Monster Warrior."