Finally, here goes some serious action. This is my very first battle scene. I really need your feedback, so read & review, please.
Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter.
Chapter four: Initiation (Part Two)
Bewildered, Ezakiel had to watch Reena fall, shoved down by the very beast that was staggering back to its feet before them. She hadn't even screamed. It just happened so fast.
He didn't even think about the fact that their mission was a failure due to Reenas death or that her father would ruin their careers. Reena had fallen because he hadn't looked out for her. The responsibility as well as the guilt was his and his alone.
No, not alone.
The Khezu stood back up and faced the hole, probably to go and get its prey. Ezakiel stared at the monster as if to burn it to ashes by his mere gaze. The cold biting his limbs, the wind tearing at him, all was forgotten, void. He perceived nothing except the Khezu that killed Reena, the beast he wanted to watch dying.
He pulled his sword out of its sheath, roared like a wounded bull and charged at the red abomination with the fierceness of a thunderstorm. Zeshen was but a step behind him, the slender blades spread out wide, and Dalmin rushed ahead as if the massive armour had no weight. His roar would have honoured the Gravios in whose shell he was clad.
Ezakiel reached the Khezu first. The monster had just turned towards them when his steel cleaved down. The blade cut deep into the joint of its wing but couldn't severe it due to the thick layer of fat. It roared in pain and went down to its knees. In that instant Zeshen appeared to its left and started to hack away at the thin skin that span across the actual wing. Meanwhile, Dalmin engaged it head-on and thrust his gunlance straight in its face, but the rocky tip, albeit sharp and wielded with great force, merely left a scratch on the far too elastic skin.
The Khezu seemed to realize that it was about to get thrown into the hole itself. It pulled back its head, inhaled and let out a bloodcurdling howl. Ezakiel felt as if his head was torn asunder from within. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the scream he collapsed on his knees, dropped his sword and pressed his hands against his ears. The others weren't better of, either.
Making good use of this opportunity, the Khezu cowered for a second and then leaped forward with a powerful wing beat. Dalmin, who was still standing in front of it, was smashed back a few steps by the impact. The monster landed about ten meters behind the group and turned around again.
In the meanwhile the hunters regained the control over their bodies. Ezakiel forced back his wrath, for blind fury would be a deadly mistake against this opponent. "Put in your earplugs!", he shouted to his comrades and quickly took two flabby bulbs of white fat out of a pocket on his belt and stuffed them in his ears. With that, the world grew silent.
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Reena still experienced her fall as if in slow motion. She knew that it could take only seconds before she would be crushed on the rocks beneath her, but at the same time minutes seemed to pass without her descending at all. The large heap of snow she was dropping towards would do little to slow her down. She was doomed and she knew it.
Shoved into a hole by a Khezu. What a pitiful end, she thought indignantly. Are these supposed to be my last thoughts? It's unbelievable! Here I am, mere meters away from death and still I can't think of something better than this! Time seemed to return to normal and just a second later she felt the cold of the snow on her back.
The impact smashed the wind out of her, but for some odd reason sooner than it should have and somehow… different. She had thought that massive rock would be hard and solid, but that which she fell on was soft, flexible and somewhat slippy, though it still shook her very bones. The strange something slowed her fall remarkably, then stopped it and before she could grasp what was happening threw her off again. She fell once more, but only a few feet, and landed unpleasantly on her butt. This time it was rock and a terrible pain shot through her body.
With a moan she staggered back to her feet, holding her aching back. It was then that she realized that she had survived. She had dropped about twenty meters to the ground and was still alive! Whatever was hidden in the snow had saved her live.
However, just as a smile was about to appear on her face, said something moved and her smile became a grimace when she saw what just "saved" her. Beneath the innocent white of the snow an also white figure could be seen, plump and with a very short tail, covered in a thick, flabby hide of fat.
The white Khezu stood erect and started to sniff around. Immediately his eyeless head pointed at Reena, who realized in shock that she should have foreseen this encounter. Actually, she should have been more surprised about the red one, for the quest-description had said nothing about red and the larvae's they had found in the wall had been white as well. It was most likely that the red Khezu had found them by coincidence.
Suddenly a very inappropriate smile formed on her lips. So you're the one I have to hunt. She took the earplugs out of her pocket, put them in and readied her bow with determination. With her right hand she pulled out an arrow and inserted it.
"Just you and me", she said, even though she couldn't hear herself. "Come on! Test me!" With these words she let go of the arrow and began her initiation.
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Again the three hunters charged ahead, but this time they had a plan. Dalmin got its attention with shouts and furious swearing while Ezakiel and Zeshen attacked the flanks. Ezakiel was to its right again, cutting deep into the wing time and time again. The skin that span over the actual wing was thick with fat, but it stood no chance agains the razor-sharp steel. The Khezu roared in pain and anger, but due to their earplugs they remained unharmed.
Zeshen had taken to slashing away at its thick side. Her short swords did little damage, but with each strike small bits of fat were cut loose. She had to literally dig her way into the beast, but she did that bloody work with pleasure. She would make this monster pay for Reenas death with every gash.
Dalmin thrust again, but was still unable to hurt it. Frustrated, he had to accept that his weapon was just too blunt. He raised his shield as the Khezu snapped at his unprotected face and was pushed back by the force of the attack. Then he had an idea. Stepping forward again, he simply smashed the shield in the monsters face with all his might. That did hurt, for the Khezu staggered back a few steps. Blood flowed from its maw and Dalmin could see that it had lost a few teeth.
Suddenly the monster cowered again, charged up electric energy and hurled itself towards Zeshen. The huntress ducked close to the ground to evade the jolting creature. When she regained her footing and turned back to her enemy, it was already preparing another attack.
Ezakiel instinctively screamed a warning, but not even he himself could hear it. He ran forward as fast as he could, but he knew that he wouldn't reach her in time. The Khezu stretched its neck and shot a ball of pure lightning at her.
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The arrow hit the monster square in the face, at the spot that would be called "between the eyes" if it only had any, and got stuck in the fat. The Khezu didn't even seem to notice it, though, for it still sniffed around, even though it had long since found her. Reena began to circle around it, firing another arrow while moving.
This hit seemed to convince the monster that it was actually engaged in combat, for it leaped forward to crush its opponent. Reena sprinted to the side and avoided the attack with ease. Quickly she distanced herself from it and shot it in its side.
Just stay to its side or back all the time. It can be a little tiring, but if you have the stamina it's no problem. Keeping Ezakiels advice in her mind, she continued her strategy. Arrow after arrow struck the beast, but they couldn't penetrate the flabby skin deep enough to deal serious injuries. The Khezu itself attacked more fiercely now, using its flexible neck like a whip, and more than once Reena had to jump aside to avoid a bolt of lightning. She always had to stay neither to close nor too far so she could circle around it effectively and still be out of its range.
Again lightning danced over the fat creature, but this time it leaped forward. Reena had just enough time to roll out of the way as the Monster hit the ground only about a meter away from her. Even from this distance she could feel the raw energy emanating from its body, for her whole body seemed to jiggle and strands of her hair started to rise on their own accord. She immediately stepped back again and continued her assault.
Before long the Khezu was riddled with arrows like a hellish pincushion and bled from numerous small wounds, but that was hardly enough to injure this colossus, let alone stop it. Determined, she send another arrow at it that stung in its neck and reached for another one.
However, she grasped nothing but air.
Bewildered, she noticed that she didn't have a single arrow left.
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Ezakiel pumped his legs as fast as he could, but it was futile. The bolt of lightning rushed forward, ready to roast her.
Dalmin suddenly appeared beside her, shoved her to the ground and raised his shield in the last possible instant. The bolt slammed against it, but since both the shield and the armour were made of rock, the electricity couldn't spread properly, so Dalmin was mostly spared. Zeshen jumped back to her feet and hit his arm with her sword lightly since he couldn't hear her thanks anyway.
When Ezakiel came to a halt beside them, the Khezu shot again and Dalmins shield deflected the lightning like before. Since the Khezu couldn't tell whether its attacks had any effect, it just kept firing. Ezakiel knocked Dalmin on his shoulder to get his attention, and Zeshen looked at him as well. Quickly he took out one earplug and gestured towards his friends to follow suit.
"Okay, listen", he said when they could understand him. "We can't do much damage…" He interrupted himself and jumped to the side to avoid another bolt of lightning that was aiming at him. "…in close combat", he continued. "Dalmin, we need your wyvern-fire!"
The giant nodded. "I'd love to, but I don't have enough time to aim."
"Why do you need to aim at this thing in the first place?" Zeshen asked.
Hastily, they jumped back a bit as the Khezu charged up and leaped at them again. Apparently it came to the conclusion that its attacks couldn't have been effective since its prey was still able to talk.
"Normal Khezus ain't takin' well to fire", Dalmin answered with some delay. "But red ones are almost immune to it. Their damn skin just absorbs it." He avoided a bite that could easily have torn his head off and countered with his shield, but missed. "I'd need to hit it in its maw, but that's easier said than done."
Ezakiel and Zeshen slashed at its wings again, but even though they made it flightless, they couldn't injure it severely. It pulled back its head again and the three hunters stuffed their earplugs back just in time. After the howl subsided, they took them out again.
"You gotta get me an opportunity!" he roared. "Hold its head!"
Suddenly the Khezu snapped its head around and elongated it to more than trice its normal size. It slammed it against Dalmin, but he was prepared. He dug his boots into the ground raised his shield and rammed it at the monsters skull with brute force. Stunned by the power of the impact, the Khezu stumbled back, shaking its head and Ezakiel and Zeshen jumped forward.
Ezakiel flicked his sword around so that he held it like a dagger and thrust it into the monsters neck with all his strength. Zeshen followed suit and together they managed to hold it down for a short while.
That was all that Dalmin needed. He pulled the trigger of his gunlace, held it and shoved the weapon into the Khezu's screaming maw. The wyvern-fire was unleashed into its body like a thunderclap and dealt horrible damage to the beasts' innards. The elastic body inflated as the immeasurable force erupted.
When Dalmin pulled his weapon back, the Khezu was already dead. Ezakiel and Zeshen finished their struggle as well and regained their breath. They pulled out the earplugs, but before they could say anything, they heard the scream of yet another Khezu. It came out of the hole. Without further ado they ran forward.
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Reena desperately drew her sword. It had a good blade, was balanced and light, the perfect weapon for fencing, but against the monster that towered before her it looked like a mere toy. She decided to make the best out of her situation and started to circle around her enemy again.
When the Khezu leapt towards her once more, she jumped to the side, then dove under its wing and struck at its flank. The sword cut into the fat, but it couldn't get through it. She quickly slashed a second and third time without dealing any visible damage and then had to retreat again before she was struck by the lightning the monster was charging up already. When she turned back to it, she could see that the wounds she inflicted didn't even bleed.
In this moment she realized that it was a futile struggle. Her body still ached from her fall and the only weapon she had was useless. She glanced at the cave through which they entered the cavern earlier. The ledge that led to it ended just about two meters above the ground and she was certain that she could climb the wall to its edge, but doubted that the Khezu would give her that much time. Escape was not an option.
She was about to give up when she suddenly remembered one of the lectures her father gave her. Don't think about your opportunities, use them! And if you don't have any, create some! Most battles are decided in your head! It was as if she could hear her father's voice in her mind, scolding her. She regained her composure and decided to follow his advice.
While holding her sword in front of her with her right hand, she searched her pockets with her left one, looking for anything of use, and avoided the attacks of the Khezu as effortlessly as before. Her hand got a hold on something small and when she pulled it out, she saw the bottle of perfume she had bought in Pokke. She was just about to stuff it back when she had an idea.
After avoiding another electric leap, she retreated to the wall and sprayed a lot of perfume on the rock. The Khezu identified her by her smell and she had worn this scent all day. If her guess was right, then the monster followed this odour. She sheathed her sword, stepped aside and readied herself.
As expected, the Khezu jumped forward to rend asunder its seemingly motionless prey and rammed its head against the wall with great force. Teeth splintered as the beast staggered backwards, screeching. As it lowered its destroyed maw, Reena stepped in front of it and shattered the bottle on its nose.
The intensively smelling liquid ran into its nostrils and flooded its sense of smell. As if every single nerve in its body was ablaze, it staggered and roared furiously, flailing around wildly.
Since the most developed sense of a Khezu is the sense of smell, the effect of her attack was an equivalent to blinding it. Reena decided to top it off and took out one of the arrows around her left calve. These arrows were custom-made and she saved them for special occasions such as this one. The arrow she shot now was a sonic arrow that emitted a loud, piercing sound upon impact, just like the sonic bombs hunters normally use.
She inserted it in her bow and shot it at the monsters head and disabled its last working sense. It stumbled back again and somehow managed to trip over its own feet. Reena dropped her bow, drew her sword and charged ahead. With a scream she grabbed the hilt with both hands and thrust it deep into the monsters chest. There she left it and quickly retreated.
Thinking that its opponent still held on to that sword, the Khezu gathered all of its power. Blue lightning danced over its skin and with a roar it unleashed it. Thus it made the last mistake of its life.
The blubber of a Khezu didn't only conduct electricity; it also isolated the rest of its body. The sword in its chest broke through this isolation and thus led the energy into its innards.
The Khezu led out a terrifying howl of agony that seemed to make Reenas blood freeze solid as it burned itself from within. Twitching wildly, it squirmed on the ground, but it was in vain. When the din of the lightning subsided, there was but a scorched heap of fat left of it, with steam coming out of its maw.
It was over.
Reena pulled her sword out of the carcass and used it to cut off a broad stripe of skin which she stuffed in her pocket. She took out the earplugs and savoured the natural silence. When the adrenaline wore off, she could feel again that every muscle in her body was aching. She realized what she had just done, how often she avoided a grizzly death at the last possible second. Her hands began to tremble and then she collapsed on her knees.
Ezakiels relieved calling as he finally found her unharmed already eluded her.