Chapter 7 - Schwellenangst:
Author's Note:
Quite a few of you seemed to be worried about Val and Rachel… but I'm not going to reassure you! For all you know, their relationship is ruined forever! And you're not gonna find out this chapter either. You'll just have to wait and see…
This chapter we're going to finally get around to showing off what Shiro and Malakai are up to. I bet they're on a boat. I don't know much about sailing, but I did a bit of research, so hopefully I don't embarrass myself. Please, enjoy!
XXX
Schwellenangst: Fear of crossing a threshold to embark on something new.
The high seas were remarkably boring. They had been sailing for nearly a week, and yet not a single thing of note had happened. For all the dangerous monsters that lurked beneath the waves, not a single shadow had been spotted by any of the crew. The ship Malakai and Shiro had chosen to take them to Moga was a mid-sized, lightly armed, merchant-class vessel.
It only had a single ballista on either side of the ship and a hunting gong attached to the main mast. The armaments were mostly just to discourage any monsters from attacking. A few shots from a ballista would send the smaller monsters and sharqs scurrying, and a single strike from a hunting gong would stun larger monsters long enough for the ship to get away.
There was only one monster, besides an Elder Dragon, that could pose a threat to the merchant-class vessel. And that was the Lagiacrus. A Lagiacrus was large enough to capsize the ship if it tried to pull itself on deck, and it was fast enough to catch up to the vessel even if stunned by the hunting gong. A Lagiacrus' lightning was more than enough to catch the vulnerable sails on fire, and the beast was big enough to sometimes cause flooding by knocking holes into the hull of the ship.
The mid-sized ship wasn't armed with cannons, which would usually be used to ward off a Lagiacrus. The only thing that could stop a monster as strong as a Lagiacrus was if Shiro or Malakai jumped off the boat to engage the beast in the water. Malakai was more than thankful that they hadn't encountered any Lagiacrus during their voyage… he wasn't exactly adept at underwater combat.
The captain of the vessel had called it the safest voyage he had ever been on. Malakai took this to mean that the journey back would more than likely be worse, and knowing his own luck, probably a Lagiacrus attack. The crew of the vessel didn't have Malakai's negative outlook. They firmly believed that the reason they hadn't encountered even a single monster was because of Shiro.
Shiro had been spending her entire time on the ship fuming, pacing back and forth across the deck in full combat gear, muttering to herself how much she hated sailing. That she had 'forgotten' how much she loathed it. And that going to Moga wasn't even remotely worth being on a ship. The crew believed Shiro to be some sort of deity, and that her anger was what was keeping the monsters away.
Shiro didn't find it amusing, however, and would often verbally assault or threaten the crew whenever they called her 'The Goddess of Monster Repellant.' She had already thrown one of the crew overboard, though he was swiftly rescued, and was beginning to threaten to break bones. Malakai wisely chose to stay below deck to avoid Shiro's wrath.
Malakai let out a sigh as he leaned back against his cot. While Shiro was busy fuming, he had been trying to think of ways to convince the inhabitants of Moga to agree to their request. While Shiro claimed to be able to convince the Moga inhabitants to do whatever she wanted, Malakai wasn't so certain. If Shiro really was from Moga, then Malakai had no doubt the inhabitants would at least meet with her to discuss their request, but there was no guarantee they would agree.
Malakai had a feeling they would want something in return. And the best thing he could think of was 'protection.' But what was protection really worth? If anything, it sounded like a threat. If you don't help us, we'll raze your village to the ground, that's what it sounded like. Moga was so isolated anyways that it would be difficult to attack… and if Harmony Guild's attack on Loc Lac was successful, then it wasn't like the Hunter's Guild would pose much of a problem.
Maybe I should specify protection from monsters? Malakai wondered to himself as he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't know much about Moga, but because of how isolated it was, it probably had a lack of hunters on the island. And there were plenty of sea and sky faring monsters that could take advantage of Moga's defenselessness.
It was the best thing he could think of. He could probably spare a few Knights of the Wolf members after the battle of Loc Lac, sending them over to Moga to keep the peace. He wasn't sure how enthused Moga would be about their methods, however… as far as he knew, Moga subscribed to the Hunter's Guild method of dealing with monsters. The villagers would probably be more than skeptical of the Harmony Guild's tactics.
But maybe Moga would ask for something completely different. Maybe more trading! It would be much easier than protection, Dundorma had plenty of trade ships rearing to trade with new areas. The more trading, the better, after all.
"Land ho!" the captain's voice cut Malakai's train of thought off. With another sigh, the Harmony Guild's Guildmaster hopped off his cot and stretched. They were finally here… who knows what could happen? Maybe the Moga villagers wouldn't mind doing this favor for free?
Fat chance, Malakai muttered internally as he made his way above deck. There was no doubt in his mind that the villagers needed something. The former hunter went to stand next to Shiro, who was standing right by the landing board, ready to jump off the ship the moment it docked.
The captain sailed the ship into Moga's docking bay, but his ship wasn't the only ship docked at Moga's port. Malakai's eyes widened at the enormous frigate docked only a few meters away from their ship. It was armed to the teeth with cannons, ballistae, and it even looked like it had a dragonator. The Argosy was painted in large gold letters across the stern of the frigate.
"That's The Argosy?!" Malakai all but exclaimed as their mid-sized merchant vessel dropped its anchors and docked at Moga's docking bay. Malakai had seen and even spoken to the Argosy Captain on more than a few occasions… but he had never actually seen the man's ship.
"Yup. Twenty guns, eight ballistae, and a dragonator… enough to make any monster piss its pants!" the captain chuckled heartily as it walked up behind the two Harmony Guild members. The captain was a large man, though it was difficult to tell if it was muscle or fat that made him so big.
"It's not that impressive," Shiro grumbled as she jumped off the ship and landed on the dock with a loud thud.
"She's just upset," Malakai assured the captain, waiting for the landing bay to be lowered before getting off the ship.
"I know, boy," the captain chuckled. "She's a landlubber, but a fine-looking one. The only good kind of landlubber."
"Don't say that to her face… she'll probably break yours," Malakai cackled as he hopped off the ship and into the small village of Moga. "And we need you to get us back home!"
"Aye, that be true!" the captain called back, puffing up his chest with a sense of importance. He watched Malakai retreat into the center of the small village, before heading back to his cabin to get some well-deserved rest.
Small was probably an overstatement when describing Moga. It was pathetically tiny. Malakai could easily run from one side of the village to the other in well under a minute. As long as he didn't trip and fall, or break through any of the wimpy-looking boards that made up the village floor. Moga wasn't actually built on land… the inhabitants had built a floating village attached to an island. Why they did this instead of just having their village be in land, Malakai had no idea. It seemed impractical and dangerous.
Being right next to the water was probably way more dangerous than being further in land… a sea monster could easily leap over the edge of the port, snatch one of the many kids Malakai could see standing around, and disappear back into the depths long before anyone could do anything about it. Maybe that's why everyone looks so glum… they're realizing their huge mistake and are regretting it, the former hunter thought.
The entire village had gone quiet the moment Shiro leapt off the ship. They had all stopped whatever it was they were doing, working, playing, or even just chatting, to stare at the two intruders as they made their way into the center of the village. Shiro had her head held high, but by the stares and glares she seemed to be getting, Malakai was no longer confident if she really held as high a standing in the village as she thought she did…
Malakai spotted the Argosy Captain standing near a load of crates next to the village center. There was a man standing on top of the crates that the Argosy Captain had probably been talking to before Shiro jumped off the boat. The Argosy Captain was armed with his Barbarian longsword like he always was, but that wasn't what concerned Malakai.
What concerned Malakai was the massive man standing next to the Argosy Captain. He was wearing some type of white armor the former hunter didn't quite recognize, but his helmet completely covered his face. Two huge horns extended from either side of the helmet, making Malakai think that it was some type of Diablos armor. But he had never seen Diablos set like that…
The armored male stood a good foot taller than the Argosy Captain, assuring Malakai that it wasn't the armor that was making the man look so big. On the armored man's back was an enormous, white greatsword, equally as huge as its owner. There was no doubt in Malakai's mind that this man was a hunter.
Shiro marched up straight to an elderly man who was sitting on a stool in the very center of the village. He was smoking some sort of pipe, calmly watching Shiro approach him. "Moga Village Chief Juunko… it's been awhile," Shiro said as she stepped up to him.
"Indeed it has… Mother," Juunko said after a few seconds of silence, exhaling smoke from his nostrils as he spoke.
"Things really haven't changed much since the last time I was here, huh?" Shiro asked.
"Things haven't changed in four hundred years… and things certainly won't be changing any time soon," Juunko said, calmly inhaling on his pipe.
Shiro eyes narrowed, seemingly getting the underlying meaning behind those words. "Oh really?" she asked, an incredibly fake smile spreading across her face. "I don't think you're thinking big enough. A lot can change in just a short amount of time… even me. You don't have to call me Mother anymore, you know… I have a name now. It's Shiro."
Juunko rolled his eyes. "What do you want from us, Shiro?" he asked, glaring at her. "We're not feeling particularly generous towards you or that man you're with at the moment."
"Oh?" Shiro asked, glancing back at Malakai. "I'm guessing that means… you've already heard about what happened, then."
"Our dear Argosy Captain had been in Dundorma right up to the attack," Juunko explained, crossing his arms. "We know all about your little Harmony Guild."
"Do you now?" Shiro asked, curling her hands into fists.
Malakai took the opportunity to step up next to Shiro and put a hand on her shoulder. "We're unarmed!" he hissed rather loudly, reminding her that they couldn't really afford combat at the moment.
"I can take 'em… all of 'em," Shiro replied, hissing right back at Malakai.
Clearing his throat nervously, as he still didn't like the look of that hunter, he tried diplomacy again. "If you've already heard of us, then that saves some explaining," Malakai said, stepping closer to the Village Chief. "We're just here to ask for a favor. And in return, we'd be willing to grant you any number of things…"
"Leave," Juunko said, glaring up at Malakai. "You can do us all a favor and just leave."
"Well, I can't really do that," Malakai admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "But please, consider our offer."
"Yeah… consider it… 'cause the Hunter's Guild won't be around much longer to help you out," Shiro snarled, glaring at Juunko. She may have been three hundred years his senior, but he didn't even flinch from her glare.
"I've given it all the thought I needed… now leave," Juunko ordered, gesturing towards the massive hunter standing next to the Argosy Captain. The armored brute made his way towards the chief, each step causing the wooden planks under his boots to creak and groan from his weight.
Malakai took a step backwards as the huge hunter approached them, but Shiro eagerly stepped forward, pushing Malakai behind him. Sure, Malakai was, at one time, the number two hunter in the Hunter's Guild… but that was when he was armed and up against monsters. Not only had he never seen this particular hunter before, Malakai was unarmed. Shiro, however, had no such misgivings.
"Then I guess we'll just have to show you how much better the Harmony Guild is, then!" the white-haired woman exclaimed. She cocked her fist back, before throwing it forward with all her might, aiming at the hunter's chest.
The hunter moved with a swiftness unbecoming of a man of his size. He caught Shiro's punch without even flinching, before counter-attacking nearly instantaneously. He delivered a mean right hook across Shiro's face, striking her before she even knew what hit her.
The punch connected with so much force that Shiro's head spun around one hundred and eighty degrees. Vicious cracking sounds filled the air as bones and sinew were snapped by the sheer force of the hunter's blow. Shiro stared at Malakai, who was standing directly behind her, with wide eyes. Maybe she had bitten off a bit more than she could chew…
XXX
Zim panted as he followed behind the much faster Rajang. Ni moved almost effortlessly through the thick snow as they both scaled one of the tallest mountains in the region. The winds only became stronger the higher they went, but Zim pushed himself to make sure he could keep visual contact with Ni. His apex state prevented him from becoming cold or contracting frostbite, but it wasn't much help in actually navigating through the blizzard.
It took several hours to scale the largest mountain in the Arctic Ridge. Ni made it up first, far ahead of Zim. The Rajang pulled himself onto a ledge about half a kilometer below the zenith of the mountain. Imbedded into the side of the mountain was a large opening, big enough for four Rajangs to fit through at once.
Ni looked down to see Zim still making his way to the ledge. The hybrid's progress was slow as, although the fall off the mountain likely wouldn't hurt Zim, the climb back up would be incredibly tedious. Zim took his time finding handholds, making sure each one was firm enough for him to climb higher and higher.
"Please tell me that this was just a test and that there's actually an entrance at the base of the mountain," Zim groaned as he pulled himself onto the ledge, spotting the cave as he did.
"I'm afraid not," Ni shook his head. "The climb is difficult on purpose… putting an entrance at the base of the mountain would only invite unwelcome intruders."
"Like Deviljho?" Zim asked, glancing up at Ni.
"If that is what you call the brute-beasts, then yes… Devil Joes," Ni muttered, testing out the new word Zim taught him. "The Devil Joes as you call them are one of our main sources of competition out here. We don't want any of them getting into our home."
"You keep saying 'our'… how many Rajang live here?" Zim asked as he followed behind Ni into the cavern. "I thought Rajang were solitary creatures."
"And who told you that?" Ni asked, cocking his head.
"Well…"
"Exactly. My suggestion is that you forget everything that you know about us," the Rajang said. "Otherwise you're just going to embarrass yourself."
"Noted," Zim nodded. "How many Rajang call this place home, then?"
"A lot… I've never counted," Ni shrugged. The cavern was quite dark, but neither Zim nor Ni had any troubles navigating.
"Huh… are there any other… groups of Rajang? Your species have been spotted all over the place, and usually alone or in pairs… that's why humans think you're solitary monsters," Zim explained. The deeper into the cave they went, the darker it became. With no natural light, even with their night vision, the two monsters began to go blind. But they kept forging onwards.
"Tribes. Groups of… Rajang are called Tribes," Ni explained. "And yes, I do know of one other Tribe of Rajang located in a volcano. But we're the mother Tribe, they came from us."
"And if I were to ask them, would they say the opposite?" Zim asked.
"They think we're sister Tribes… that our Tribes both came from a common, true Mother Tribe. But that's just ridiculous," Ni replied. "They don't have any proof!"
"Right…" Zim trailed off. Ni seemed to get pretty worked up over the little dispute. To Zim, it didn't seem like a big deal… but another part of him wondered how sophisticated Rajang society really was.
"Anyways… you actually came at the perfect time," Ni said as the cavern began lighting up. Small crystals were growing out of the floors, walls, and ceilings, producing a soft, glowing light.
"Why's that?" Zim asked.
"In just a few days, the young Rajang are going to go on their first solo hunt," Ni said, a small grin splitting his face as the light got even stronger. "It's a ceremony, of sorts. The young will make their first steps towards adulthood. So you're just in time to join them!"
"That's perfect," Zim said, his eyes lighting up as he realized what a huge coincidence this was. It was the perfect opportunity. "I can learn everything I want, and participate in a Rajang ceremony. Is there anything I should know before I jump right in?"
"Yes, there is. As far as the ceremony goes, you're a bit late to the party. There are three parts, and the first was last night," Ni explained. "The second takes place today and tomorrow, and the third and final part, the hunt, takes place in three days."
"I've missed the first part, huh? Damn… that sounds about right," Zim sighed, rubbing his temples. "What did I miss?"
"The first part of the ceremony consists of the mothers passing on their sons and daughters to the Gray One, who deems them worthy or unworthy of the trials ahead. It's the easiest of the trials, but the Gray One may deem you incapable of competing," Ni explained. "He checks for physical deformities and weaknesses that could make it dangerous for you to continue. And 'being a flesh-mammal' is one of the biggest deformities in the book."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence…" Zim deadpanned. "What happens to those who cannot compete?"
"There are many tasks for those unworthy. Keeping track of the food, cleaning, repairing the dens, even taking care of the young," Ni said. "But it's not often the Gray One determines someone cannot compete. But those who can't never get to harness electricity, and thus never earn the right to mate."
"Their bad genes are culled from the Tribe…" Zim muttered. "Who is this Gray One you keep speaking of?"
"You'll see in just a moment," Ni explained as the long hallway they had been walking down suddenly opened up into an enormous cave. The cave was incredibly well-lit, with dozens and dozens of the light crystals growing out of every nook and cranny of the cavern walls. Zim could see dozens of smaller caves burrowed into the walls of the main chamber, likely dens of individual or paired Rajangs as he spotted several of the monsters lounging in front of some of the mouths of the dens.
And growing out of the far side of the chamber was an enormous crystal. It easily reached thirty meters into the air, and jutted out from the wall a good ten to twenty meters. It took up a huge portion of the chamber, and gave off an immense amount of light. The top of the crystal seemed to be relatively flat, because lying on the very tip was another Rajang. This one a deep gray color.
The moment Ni and Zim padded into the chamber, the Gray One looked up from his spot on the giant crystal. Spotting the human entering his territory, he let out a loud roar. Ni shoved Zim forward, before leaping backwards just as the Gray One jumped off the crystal, summersaulting through the air, before landing only a few feet away from Zim. Other Rajang began poking their heads out of their dens to see what the commotion was all about. Upon seeing the human, they quickly bounded over to get a good seat for whatever was about to happen next.
With the Apex state still swirling around Zim, he stood strong in the face of the approaching Rajang. The Gray One marched right up to Zim, dwarfing the hybrid and even Ni with his size. The fur on his back stood on end, much like a normal Rajang's would when it went into rage mode. Though his spiked fur turned black instead of gold, and red lightning jumped across the hairs.
The Rajang bent down, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in Zim's scent. Almost immediately, the Gray One pulled back, his eyes wide. "You're one of us," he said simply. It wasn't even a question, just a statement.
"I am," Zim affirmed, nodding his head, though he was a little surprised by how quickly the Gray One accepted it. "And I have come to learn."
"To learn?" the Gray One asked, cocking his head.
"I have only recently discovered my hybrid status. I want to know everything I can about my other… thirty-five percent of me," Zim explained, remembering that Shiro said he wasn't a fifty-fifty split. "Ni told me about the ceremony that your kind is in the middle of. I would like to participate."
"Participate?" the Gray One asked, flicking an ear. "Participating means being treated like one of us. And even if you smell like us, it doesn't look like you could participate like us."
"Try me," Zim growled. "I came here to embrace my other side. I can and I will participate."
The Gray One's eyes narrowed, the red lightning jumping around his pelt becoming more intense as he stared down at the hybrid. "Very well… I will allow you to participate. But that means you must pass the first trial. Who will be handing this young one off to me for his entrance into the ceremony?!" the huge Rajang roared, glancing around to see if anyone would claim him as their spawn.
Zim grinded his teeth together. Ni had said that the young Rajang's mothers passed them onto the Gray One for the ceremony… since Zim came without anyone, no one could pass him onto the Gray One. He could fail without ever really getting a shot.
The huge room was quiet, everyone glancing around to see if anyone would even let the hybrid have a chance. The Gray One waited several minutes, and when it looked like no one was stepping forward, he said, "An unclaimed child cannot participate. Without heritage, it is impossible for one to complete the tasks required of them during the ceremony. To accept this hybrid would be dooming him to failure. As such-"
"I will claim him!" Ni shouted out, stepping forward. Zim glanced up to see a heavy frown on his face, as clearly he didn't want to claim Zim. "Regardless of his heritage, he is still one of us. He should at least have the right to try."
The Gray One's eyes narrowed at Ni, but he didn't lash out at the smaller Rajang. "If you claim the hybrid as your own, then present him to me for a test of his worthiness," the Gray One declared.
Ni nodded his head and pushed Zim forwards, standing right behind the hybrid as they closed the gap between Zim and the Gray One. "I present to you my own flesh and blood. Just as I took the trial all those years ago, so must he too do the same," Ni said, as if reading off a script. Zim couldn't help but wonder if he had done this before.
"I accept your offering, and shall judge him as I judge all others of our kind," the Gray One replied, before looking down at Zim. "Your young one, Ni, has no horns, no fur, no tail, and no claws. His fangs look puny and his arms are pitifully small and weak. Any one of those things would be more than enough to disqualify your young one. However… he has been touched by the Gold Beast, which is even more deserving of a disqualification."
Mutterings of, 'The Gold Beast,' echoed throughout the crowd as they spoke as quietly as they could to each other. "The Gold Beast?" Zim asked, cocking his head. Did he mean Nova? Did he know about the Shagaru Magalas?
"The Gold Beast! The great golden dragon that spreads its darkness all across the world. The Rot, we call it. When it infects one of our brethren, they must be expelled from our home… lest they infect everyone else," the Gray One growled.
"I know he has the Rot… but he's also human! It's not affecting his mind at all. I think humans suffer from the disease in a different way," Ni argued.
"Maybe it's not affecting him yet, but who knows when it might?!" the Gray One replied.
"Hold on… the Rot? Do you mean the frenzy virus? I don't have that," Zim said, trying to find some way to convince the Gray One to let him compete. "I've long since surpassed the frenzy… it doesn't affect me in the way you think it does. It only makes me stronger now. It's called the Apex State… and I have full control over it."
"Regardless, you have too many physical imperfections to give my blessing to," the Gray One said.
"I think an exception should be made!" Ni protested, stepping forward. "Zim may have the body of a flesh-mammal, but his strength marks him as one of us! I saw him fighting one of the brute-beasts one on one. With his bare paws."
It was basically a complete lie… Ni had arrived just before Zim would've attacked the Deviljho. But the Rajang knew that Zim would've been able to fight the much larger monster, even without Ni's help.
Once again, the crowd began muttering, this time it carried an impressed vibe rather than a disgusted or shocked one. Fighting a Deviljho clearly carried weight amongst their society. "Alone against a brute-beast?" the Gray One asked, narrowing his eyes again.
"With no lightning," Ni continued when it looked like the Gray One was starting to reconsider his evaluation of the hybrid. "Believe it or not, Zim is more than strong enough to tackle the second trial!"
The Gray One continued to glare at Zim for several minutes more before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Very well. Your young one has my blessing. He may move on to the second trial…" he said. "On one condition."
"One condition?" Zim asked, raising an eyebrow. "What would that be?"
"You said you had full control over your… apex state, as you called it?" the Gray One asked. "If that's the case… then you'd be able to turn it off, right?"
"Of course," Zim scoffed, focusing for a moment, before letting go of the apex state. The black mist that swirled around him vanished. Despite him not wearing a shirt or chest plate of any kind, the crystals' light was especially warm. But if Zim had to go outside in the blistering cold without the apex state to protect him… he could easily freeze.
"In order to continue with your trials, you must promise not to use this apex state of yours. Not once, not under any circumstance. Doing so will immediately disqualify you," the Gray One growled. "Understood?"
"I understand," Zim nodded, though it felt a little weird to say so without the apex state changing the pitch of his voice.
"Good… then as part of your next trial, you will begin a test of your training," the Gray One said, smirking slightly. "Over the course of the next two days, you must prove to your proctor that you have the necessary training and strength in order to take on your first hunt."
"Fine," Zim rolled his eyes. Of course, he didn't have any training yet, but he had heard descriptions of Rajangs fighting, and he had seen Ni fight the Deviljho, if only briefly… and once in a dream. He could handle it. "Who's my proctor?"
"Jor-Kul!" the Gray One roared out into the crowd. It took Zim a second to realize that was a name… and that he was requesting for the Rajang in question to step forward. Zim and the others waited, before a thin-looking Rajang finally pushed its way through the crowd.
Not 'thin' as in 'unhealthy.' The Rajang in question looked plenty healthy… it just wasn't quite as bulky as someone like Ni or the Gray One. Jor-Kul was still quite large, bigger than Ni, though not as large as the Gray One, but its arms were much thinner than Ni's. Its horns also curved a different direction than either Ni's or the Gray One's.
"I am here, Gray One," Jor-Kul said. It took Zim until the Rajang had opened her mouth for him to realize she was female. Which would explain the thinness and the differently curving horns… he spotted a few more female Rajang in the crowd, though he hadn't thought much of it until now.
Jor-Kul's voice was rather rough, even more rough than the Gray One's. Despite her smaller arms, she did carry herself with an air of power. Zim realized that the Gray One must've picked her specifically because he was sure Zim would fail her tests.
"Jor-Kul, it shall be your task to test the young one's training. If he passes your inspections within the given time frame, then he shall be allowed to take on the third and final trial," the Gray One said. "Is that clear, Jor-Kul?"
"Of course, Gray One… I'm sure he'll be… fine…" Jor-Kul grinned down at the hybrid. It was at that moment that Zim suddenly felt the urge to activate his apex state once more, though he beat that urge back. This was going to be a long two days…
XXX
Whew! That was a nice long one for all of you! Two huge pieces of equal importance. Hopefully the constant bold and italics text swapping back and forth didn't get too annoying. Before I sign off, there are just a few things that I'd like to talk about! First, starting with two names. Juunko, the Moga Village Chief, is a name I made up for him. It's pronounced with a 'Y' and not a 'J' so it sounds like 'Yung-co.' Where 'co' is pronounced like you would when you shorten 'company' down to 'co.' But Jor-Kul is pronounced exactly how it sounds… and yeah, now that I think about it, it kinda looks like Superman's dad's name, Jor-El, right? Heh, weird, and definitely something I just now realized.
Anyways… lots of fun things that happened in this chapter. Who is the man in the white armor? Is he a hunter? What kind of armor is he wearing (think MH Tri)? What about Zim? Is he going to be able to pass the second trial? All that and more, next time! So stay tuned until then!