Monster Hunter Legends

The Tigrex's Rage – Chapter 3

Kai's first day of travel had been easy. Reaching Pokke village by mid afternoon, he had bought some supplies from the locals and headed down through the regions gate. He was now in free territory, just him and the monsters. He pulled out his map, and looking for the jungle, located his destination. He had wanted to avoid the swamp, but it looked as though he would end up camping there for the night.

Now, Kai was setting up traps around his camp. The swamp was the gap between the mountains and the jungle, a harsh area with numerous powerful monsters. The sun was going down, and it cast an eerie glow on the swamp. Kai could hear a party of hunters far off, fighting what sounded like an Iodrome and its pack. Their odd screeching was perfect for the strange surroundings. Finishing his last trap, Kai went back to his tent. It was set up on high ground, a fair way from the nearest cave. Hunters were usually not taught how to set up a camp – the Guild made sure hunters never had to hunt longer than a day. That, and the Guild supplied camps ready made for the hunters. For the Samurai however, a lot of their hunts were unofficial, so the Samurai were taught how to survive in the wild, protected from monsters in the night. Kai's tent was camouflaged by its green colour, blending in to the moss covered stone. The moon was rising now, and Kai could see the odd poisonous puddles appearing down in the marsh lowlands. "Poor sucker who steps in them…" he said to himself.

"Aww… shit!" cried the mysterious follower. He had just stepped in an odd purple puddle, and he was starting to feel woozy. Quickly grabbing an antidote, he sculled the whole thing till he felt better. Kai's follower had also set up camp, under a rock ledge. It gave natural protection from monsters, and also cut down on a lot of time putting up a tent. He had had the worst luck following Kai. He had managed to lose him for a while upon first entering the swamp, and then got into a fight with a Shogun Ceanataur, slowing him down even more! "Darn it." He muttered as he stepped in another puddle.

Night passed, and Kai woke early. He packed up camp quickly, and was soon on his way across the swamp. He had chosen to take a direct route cutting across a corner of the swamp, which would take him to the river that eventually flowed into the jungle. Kai wondered how he was going to find his guide to the Great Forest. His path through the swamp was mainly over high ground, away from the marshes and caves. A sound caught his attention. It had been a tumble of rocks, or something… he couldn't be sure. Looking to the east, he recalled the rumours he had heard as a teen about the mercenary village hidden in the swamp. They were supposedly concealed in an extremely harsh marshland, a favourite habitat for lethal monsters. He continued walking, and hours later the swamp had melted away. He was now in an unnamed forest, which he supposed led to jungle. A roar echoed off in the distance, and Kai quickened his pace. He wanted to avoid monsters as best he could, as it would only slow him down. Another roar, this time closer. Looking around, Kai could only see the forest. A shadow passed over the trees, and Kai looked up just in time to spy a Rathian flying off.

The Rathian had shocked Kai's follower, and he had nearly given up his hiding place in fright. He hadn't been out this far out in the wild before – he had mainly stuck to the mountains and swamps, with a couple of trips to the desert. Looking down from the tree he was up in, he saw Kai start jogging, obviously trying to avoid the Rathian. Following through the trees as best he could, he lost sight of Kai once or twice among the dense foliage. He continued on, and roughly a half hour later, came to a stop. He had spotted the end of the trees – and also Kai. Kai was down at a stream, looking up and down, as if he was deciding which way to go. The follower leant forward, trying to see the stream more clearly, and felt something drop from his pocket.

Kai could not remember the stream well. He had been to a point in its travel once before, where it became a river, but had never been this far up. He sat down, and just as he did, heard a soft clink. Turning around quickly, he noticed a shining object glint in the sunlight. Getting up and walking over, he looked down. It was a small zenny, Minegarde's currency. He sighed, and realized what had been making the strange noises. Looking up, a boy dropped out of the trees just in front of him. "Hello, Tenma."

"Hey Kai…" murmured Tenma. He was short for a boy his age, his Tigrex armour having been re-sized.

"You realize your brother is going to kill you when he finds out you've been following me." Said Kai, giving Tenma his sternest look.

"You'd really send me back? I'm here to help you! I just…"

"Just what?"

"Just… the Grand Elder made it sound so terrible, making you go alone. I wanted to help you out originally, but then I got used to sneaking around. I heard the Grand Elder's meeting. He didn't seem to like you much." Tenma said, avoiding Kai's eyes.

Suddenly, Kai laughed. "You're the complete opposite of your brother! Not in the eavesdropping part, but in the way you would go against the elders! Ha!"

"So… you're not sending me back to the temple?" asked Tenma, hopeful.

Kai looked at Tenma seriously now, as if deeming him strong enough to help. "Ok. I won't, but I will send word to your brother. Makoto will be really worried about you."

Shaking hands, Kai explained the situation to Tenma, and how he was going to find a guide to help them. "You think we'll be lucky enough to find him?" asked Tenma, not sure of Kai's idea. "I'm not so sure either, but we can try."

Kai and Tenma had already walked a fair way down the stream, and the greenery had changed to a more jungle based one. Kai suddenly stopped and flung his arm out to stop Tenma as well. "What?"

"Quiet." Replied Kai. Up ahead, there was a rustle in the trees. Then a loud screech broke the silence, and the Rathian from before burst out onto their path. Unsheathing their weapons, Kai and Tenma got ready to fight.