In this chapter things start to heat up! Part 2 will be up before long, so sit tight. Please read and review. I really need your feedback on this. Even a simple "That was good" will do.
And again, don't mind a few typos.
Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter
Chapter three: Initiation (Part one)
Ezakiel Zeshen and Dalmin entered the Guild Hall. The bulletin board on which the quests were hung out stood right beside the entrance. Basically it consisted mostly of a large wooden board with dozens of small sheets of paper pinned to it. On these papers the conditions of the quest were listed: A short description of what to do, the reward and the place where the quest is to be fulfilled. The three hunters soon found what they were looking for, for on one paper it said that a Khezu was obstructing hunting in the mountains near Pokke. The client probably was an inexperienced hunter who works alone and thus stood no chance against the monster.
Ezakiel put the paper back on the upper-right corner of the board and went to the counter. The receptionist from the day before was there again and looked at them with her typical smile.
"Greetings, hunters," she greeted. "Have you decided on a quest?"
"Indeed," Ezakiel said with a nod. "We would like to do some scouting in the mountains."
She seemed surprised. "We have many quests for experienced Hunters. Why would you want to go on a scouting mission?"
"It appears to us as if there are rather few quests in the mountains near Pokke, even though normally there are more monsters than we can hunt. We want to update the bulletin board to a more recent status."
"And bash the occasional beastie in the meantime," Dalmin said with a smile.
"Very well, as you wish," the receptionist said. "The reward will be 3000 Zeni, as always. Good hunting!"
The three hunters nodded and left the Guild Hall.
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Reena stood at the marketplace to wait for the others. She had been looking through the offered products and bought a few. One of them was a bottle of perfume, a rare luxury in a remote place like Pokke. It was an intensive odour, but at the same time not obtrusive, made of some kind of mountain herb. She quickly put on a bit and enjoyed the nice scent. It couldn't hurt to smell good while hunting, after all.
She was just looking at the offerings of a merchant for hunting equipment when Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen returned.
"Yo, Reena. We found somethin'!" Dalmin hollered from afar. She hastily put her treasure in one of her pockets and turned around.
Ezakiel ordered his friends to get earplugs and other necessary items and then addressed Reena. "We found a quest with a Khezu. It hangs in the upper-right corner of the bulletin board in the Guild Hall. Go get it before it's gone. The fee is 500 Zeni. Do you have that much?"
She simply nodded. Since she was from a wealthy family, money never was a problem. At that moment she carried about 40000 Zeni which she saved from her pocket money.
Ezakiel returned her nod. "Good. The hunt takes place in the mountains, so prepare for unpleasant temperatures. We'll go and buy the necessary supplies, then leave the village through the northern entrance. Once you're ready, just follow the path. You'll find us then."
"Alright, until then!" she said, turned on the heel and headed to the Guild Hall.
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Upon her arrival she searched the bulletin board. The paper hung just where Ezakiel said it would. She took it and went to the counter. The woman at the desk eyed her thoroughly but of course didn't recognize her.
"Greetings," she said. "Are you new in the village? If so, I'd need to see your Guild Card."
"Um," Reena started, "actually, I don't have one. I came here for my initiation."
The receptionist raised her eyebrows. "Really? With your equipment I expected you to be a member of the Guild already." Reena stifled a sigh, and the woman continued. "Oh well, whatever. Then show me what you have decided to hunt."
Reena gave her the paper and after examining it she nodded. "Very well. A Khezu is an unusual choice for an initiation, but that is not my problem. When you return, bring me some proof of your victory. In this case a piece of skin should suffice. If you manage to do that, you will be accepted into the ranks of the Hunters Guild. Good hunting."
"Thank you! Until then, farewell," Reena said. She didn't like how this woman had pronounced when you return, as if she really wanted to say if you return.
I'll show you, you snipe! She grumbled silently as she leaved the Guild Hall.
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She approached a group of erratic boulders, located near the northern road. Ezakiel stood there, leaning his back against it. He noticed her in the same instant she noticed him and knocked against the stone with his gauntlet. Dalmin and Zeshen stepped out of their shelter behind it.
"Is that woman always so mean or does she just not like rookies?" Rena asked instead of a greeting and portrayed the short conversation to them.
Dalmin exploded in roaring laughter and held his stomach. "You just saw her from her best side! Just wait how she goes when you throw a Blangonga off a cliff. I swear, someday someone's gonna hire us to hunt her." The others started to laugh as well.
Ezakiel clapped his hands upon regaining his breath. "Okay, guys. Let's get going lest we'll be seen together." With that they started towards the mountain.
"How long will this hunt take anyway?" Reena asked.
Zeshen put a hand on her chin and looked to the summit. "It should take about two days to reach the mountain and begin our ascend. We know some safe paths that make this ordeal a lot easier. The hunt itself is difficult to assess, but it shouldn't take longer than three days. All in all about a week, I think."
Reena was shocked upon hearing that. "A whole week? I've never been out hunting for so long!"
Ezakiel raised his hands helplessly. "That's very common for your average quest. We've even been hunting for two weeks once."
Dalmin grinned. "Oh yeah, I remember that one all right," he said and slammed his fist on his chest plate. "That was when we've been hunting that Gravios in the volcanic belt. The damn critter was pretty beaten and hightailed it outta there. Tried every trick in the book, like hidin' in the lava, flyin' over ridges and even diggin' itself in and actin' like a rock. We got it in the end, though, 'cuz rocks don't usually bleed."
Ezakiel nodded. "This hunt takes so long because Khezus are cave-dwellers. The mountain is full of cave-systems, and the descriptions on the note were also quite useless. We gotta find it first, and that takes time.
Reena sighed in defeat.
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The journey was quite eventless. They marched the entire first day and about half of the second before they reached the mountain and immediately began their ascend. This proved to be a lot less exhausting than Reena had feared, for the paths Zeshen mentioned earlier led up in serpentines, thus they didn't have to actually climb. They spent their time with stories of their hunts and talked about hunting, monsters and the life in the city. At the dawn of the third day they finally stood before the entrance to a cave with walls covered in ice.
Reena felt a chill run down her spine at the mere though of going in there. "Is Khezu in there?" she asked unenthusiastically.
Ezakiel nodded. "Maybe. Like I said, the mountain is full of caves. This is just were we start looking."
Reena sighed. "I hope we get this over with fast. I'm getting cold from merely looking into it."
"Then take one of these potions," he said and handed her a tiny red bottle with just enough liquid for one sip. It was a so called hot drink, conceived by the alchemists of the Guild to help hunters endure cold temperatures for a long time. There were also cool drinks, which worked just as well in great heat. Both lasted about a day per bottle.
She took the bottle gratefully, pulled out the cork and drank. Immediately a comfy warmth spread over her entire body. "Ah, that feels good…" she moaned delighted. The others drank a hot drink as well. With that done they made their way into the cave.
After a short while they suddenly heard a strange chirping sound that seemed to come straight out of the wall. Reena looked around, frightened. "What's that sound?"
Ezakiels face lighted up. "Maybe this hunt won't take as long after all."
"What do you mean?"
"This is the cry of Khezu-larvae. Khezus lay their eggs in ice walls like these here, where they hatch and grow. After only about four years they're adult. They grow quite quickly due to their very flexible bodies.
"And what does that have to do with our hunt?" Reena asked clueless.
"Simple," he said in a pontificating tone. "Khezus always lay more than one egg at once. Since the larvae's keep growing, they soon need more space. Then they dig deeper into the ice. You can't hear them anymore when they do that. This happens about a week after hatching. This chirping means that a pretty fresh nest is nearby since we can still hear them. The Khezu that laid these eggs should still be around, they don't exactly like to travel, you know."
Dalmin crossed his arms over his chest and addressed Ezakiel. "Whaddaya mean, shall we take 'em out?"
"Of course," Ezakiel answered. "We can't let these monsters grow up and kill people. You know what to do."
Reena raised her eyebrows in wonder. "And what would that be?"
Dalmin grinned at her. "Wait and see."
Suddenly Zeshen drew one of her swords and started to walk along the wall, hitting it with her blade every few steps to listen to the sound. Eventually she hit a spot that sounded distinctly hollow. She took a few steps back and gestured towards the wall with her free hand. Dalmin chuckled and readied his gunlance.
Ezakiel pulled Reena back a bit and told her not to move. She watched the giant aiming. Suddenly he thrust his Weapon into the wall and pulled the trigger on the handle.
A loud explosion disturbed the silence and shattered ice flew around everywhere. When her ears stopped ringing, she noticed that the chirping had become a hoarse, many-voiced screeching. She stepped closer and looked in the hole Dalmin blasted in the wall.
Inside the wall she saw four small white things with flabby, slimy skin which reminded her of giant maggots. They opened and closed their maws continuously, which were already filled with rows of sharp teeth. Their legs and wings were still undeveloped, only small bulbs on their bodies showed where they would once be. The sight was so disgusting that she had to turn away to prevent nausea.
"Nasty, ain't they?" Dalmin asked cheerful, obviously unfazed by these abominations. "Snappy, too. Here, watch this!" With a grin he held his fist in the hole, waited a few seconds and pulled it out again.
A Khezu-Larvae dangled from his arm, trying to dig its teeth into the solid rock. When Dalmin saw her disgusted expression, he wiggled his arm, causing the slimy thing to wobble. Reena turned away, retching.
"Get rid of that! I'm gonna vomit!" she screamed. Dalmin bellowed his deafening laugh again.
"That's enough, Dalmin," Zeshen said annoyed. "End it."
Still grinning, he plucked the squirming beast off his arm and tossed it back in the hole. Then he drew his weapon again and pointed the muzzle at it. Ezakiel pulled Reena back again.
Dalmin grinned at them one more time. "You ready?" With that said he pulled the trigger again, but this time he held it.
A hissing sound could be heard, and at the tip of the lance a short, red-glowing beam appeared, growing for about three seconds. Suddenly a blinding flash of light burst out and a deafening din made them shudder. Flames shot out of the hole, licking at the shield Dalmin held protectively in front of his body.
After a while the mist cleared, and Dalmin, hurled against the wall by both the recoil and the shockwave, got back up on his feet. He opened his gunlance just over the handle, causing a small, empty shell to be ejected, and put in a new one, which he took out of a pocket at his hip, made out of stone like the rest of his armour. He then strapped his weapons on his back again and put his fists at his hips triumphantly. "That's it!" he declared grinning.
Reena stood there, dumbfounded, and stared at him with big eyes. "WOW!" was everything she could say. Zeshen interrupted her marvelling by snapping at Dalmin. "Stop gloating and move. It's quite possible that the Khezu heard that too, and I don't want to face it in this narrow tunnel."
Still smiling, he bowed mockingly went on. The others followed him.
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The cave eventually led to a large cavern. A narrow stone ledge screwed its way up towards a wide hole in the ceiling. It also led down, but ended about two meters above the ground. In the middle of the cave was a large heap of snow. It was obviously empty and had no other exit besides the one they came through, so they decided to make their ascend towards the hole.
Once they arrived at the surface, Ezakiel looked down again and seemed to ponder about something. "This looks like the ideal hoard for a Khezu. It could easily come and go through this hole without having to go all the way through the caves. Even though that's where they live, they usually hunt outside since they can smell their prey better that way. That's what our friend is most likely doing right now.
Reena looked around nervously. She couldn't help it to feel watched, but of course that was nonsense. Khezus don't have eyes, so they can't watch you. They smell their prey.
For some reason this thought disturbed her, but she couldn't lay a finger on it. She looked around again but couldn't make out anything, neither on the snow around them nor on the cliffs behind her. But she could swear that she heard something, and it wasn't the wind.
She snapped out of her thoughts when Ezakiel called her back to the group, for while she was searching the area they already marched on without noticing that she was left behind. She scolded herself for her innattention and made her way to them.
She could only take one step before she heard a deafening screech clanging from the rocks. She looked up in fear. A huge, red body seemed to literally drop from the sky.
Straight towards Reena.
The monster spread its wings to slow its descent. Reena quickly jumped back to avoid being squashed but thus came dangerously close to the edge of the hole. She gazed down the abyss and shuddered.
"Watch out!" Ezakiel roared.
She whirled around just in time to see the red Khezu stop flapping its wings. It dropped the last few meters with its wings out far. When it slammed to the ground it emitted a strong gust of wind that hurled Reena off her feet.
In this instant the whole world seemed to pass by her in slow motion. She could see the monster towering before her, a gigantic red mass of fat, and even though it still stumbled back to its feet it seemed to move away from her. Suddenly her point of view lowered.
It was then that she realized that she dropped down the hole – and to death.