Goliath

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All characters in this story are mine, unless noted otherwise.

Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk

This one-shot is CANON with The Lost Civilization

One Year Since the Fall of the Alatreon

Goliath was hungry.

That wasn't much of a surprise, to be honest. Goliath was always hungry. He found himself eating quite frequently, devouring whatever was close by whenever he felt the urge. He had been sleeping quite soundly for the last few hours, so now the pangs of hunger were particularly strong, and he needed to find something soon, or else… well, he probably wouldn't starve, but he'd definitely be hungrier, and that was even worse than just being hungry.

Goliath gave a cautious whiff, testing the area around him. He didn't smell anything, which could have been good or bad. There wasn't the smell of blood, which was mildly disappointing. Blood meant injury, and injury meant easy prey. He shifted slightly where he lay, shivering off some of the mud that coated his body, just enough to uncover his eyes. Sifting around, he scoured the cove he currently lurked at the bottom of: a cool, dark pool at least as deep as he was long. He quickly determined that nothing was out of place, and there weren't any interlopers trying to cut in on his territory and claim it for themselves.

If Goliath were just a little hungrier, though, he might have welcomed the challenge. Every now and then, a big-spongy-tasty would trespass on Goliath's cove, intent on claiming it as a nesting ground for himself and the small-spongy-tasties that followed him. Little would they suspect that Goliath had no problems with overpowering and devouring anything and everything that dared impede on his territory. After all, Goliath had taken control of this cove himself by surprising and consuming a swimming-electric-tasty that had dwelled here before, so if the big-spongy-tasties thought Goliath would be easy prey to chase off, they were sorely mistaken.

It seemed as though nothing had entered his cove while Goliath had been sleeping. Content with his dwelling's safety, Goliath sunk back under the mud, before slowly working his way through the muck out of his cove and out into the river. He could hear the pattering rain striking the surface of the water above him, and though it made little difference to him directly, the rain always meant that tasties would be out and about. There weren't any here at the moment - the tasties had long since learned to keep their distance from Goliath's cove - but Goliath was perfectly fine with hunting down his meal, and began working his way upstream.

A couple of tasties swam by, swimming-gray-tasties that Goliath would often eat. The not-tasties called them… Epioth, Goliath thought. The not-tasties liked to give other tasties strange names. Goliath wasn't sure why he was called 'Goliath', or why he considered himself such. The not-tasties always shouted it when they came for him, and while he did not care for what the not-tasties thought, he had to admit he liked the sound of it. They used to call him 'Gobul', though. Why change what they called him, he wondered?

Ah, but such thoughts were pointless. Why try to understand the not-tasties, especially with a pair of swimming-gray-tasties right in front of him, practically begging to be devoured? They certainly looked good, if not a little too small to sate his hunger. Then again, Goliath had to admit that he had grown quite large in the last few years. Certainly he had to be the largest, most magnificent member of his clutch! His brothers and sisters must still be so small!

However… his brothers and sisters most certainly still had their beautiful lanterns as well, something which Goliath so woefully lacked. At the thought, he instinctively looked up at the stalk that protruded from his forehead, where the ruined remains of his once beautiful lantern now hung. He'd lost it in a nasty battle with a pair of not-tasties not long after he'd first left his clutch to claim some territory for his own, when one of the not-tasties had shot his lantern with fire and destroyed it! It had been several years, and he should have regrown it by now (he'd regrown his tail at least three times in the same amount of time), but something must have gotten wedged in his stalk and now Goliath's poor lantern just wouldn't regrow like it should have.

And maybe that had been a good thing. It had taken some time to accustom himself to not having one, but in the long run it might have been for the best. Without his lantern he lacked one of his most dangerous weapons, which made catching tasties more difficult and fending off not-tasties much more difficult. He'd been forced to get bigger, stronger, faster, and more brutal than ever before if he hoped to survive.

His smooth rubbery hide had become thicker and tougher. The spikes along his back had become longer, sharper, and harder. The paralysis venom in his tail had become far more potent than it had ever been. His fangs had grown sharp and numerous, and were stained orange with the countless prey he'd feasted upon. His skill at camouflaging himself in the mud was unmatched now, and he could bury himself without leaving a bump in the riverbed, and had learned to disperse the bubbles he released so they wouldn't give him away. He bore the scars from countless encounters with enemies, both tasties and not-tasties.

Truly he was the mightiest and most fearsome of his species! His only flaw, his glaring imperfection, was his woeful lack of his beautiful lantern! Damn those two not-tasties!

His agitation over his lacking lantern was only making him hungrier, so much so that he didn't even have the patience to try and sneak up on the two swimming-grey-tasties that lingered nearby, chewing on some plants growing up from the mud. With a screech, Goliath pushed himself from the mud and rushed through the water towards them.

They never stood a chance. Goliath was already on the first one before they knew what had hit them, his massive maw enclosing around the swimming-grey-tasty and his fangs snapping down onto the creature's neck, severing its spine instantly. The sweet taste of blood floated over his tongue as the beast twitched and writhed for a moment longer, before dying and going limp. The second creature panicked upon realizing what had happened, twisting its fins to try and escape before Goliath could swallow the first swimming-grey-tasty and come after it. But Goliath had done this many, many times before. Even as the bleeding head of the first swimming-grey-tasty hung out of his mouth, Goliath twisted himself around, snapping his spiked tail at his prey and tearing half a dozen bloody lines into the swimming-grey-tasty's hide. It wasn't enough to kill the creature, but the paralysis that tipped his spikes seeped through its body almost immediately, and Goliath's prey was left twitching and unable to flee.

That gave Goliath the pleasure to take his time with his meal. He was relatively quick the first of the swimming-grey-tasties, chewing on it a little before swallowing, before moving onto the second and savoring it piece by piece. He wasn't sure when the swimming-grey-tasty had finally died, since the paralysis kept it from making any sounds, but Goliath didn't really care.

As he snapped up the last bits of chum remaining of the second swimming-grey-tasty, he felt much better than before. He was still hungry of course, but now he had the energy to go out in search of more prey, perhaps a big-spongy-tasty. He wasn't in the mood for swimming-electric-tasties right now, so he'd avoid them if he spotted one… but perhaps if he found one of those noisy-feathered-tasties close enough to the water, perhaps when one was fishing for food, he'd be able to surprise it and drag it underwater, and then paralyze it to drown it. He'd managed to do that with a green-fiery-tasty once. Now that had been a feast!

With fantasies of possible meals filling his head, Goliath sank back to the floor of the river, before burying himself in the mud and slowly working his way down the river. There was a shoreline about a quarter-mile downstream. Perhaps he'd get lucky and find a tasty or two to eat there.

However, as he made his way towards a small inlet where he knew land monsters would sometimes come to drink or fish, Goliath caught an enticing smell in the water. It was faint, but he could just make out the scent of a small-hopping-tasty in the water! All of a sudden he felt ravenous again! There was just something… magical about the small-hopping-tasties this deep in the forest. They were so ripe, so juicy, so delicious! And they were surprisingly filling for something that Goliath would have barely considered a morsel in other situations. They were hard for Goliath to get hold of though, as the bright red things generally kept to the small streams deep within the more forested areas, far from where Goliath could hope to find them. But now… Goliath could smell one that was close! It was even in the water where he could reach it! How rare! Goliath didn't even hesitate, and once he figured out the direction the scent was coming from, he immediately began swimming in that direction.

The small-hopping-tasty was wonderfully close, waiting for Goliath in the very inlet that he'd been swimming towards in the first place. And it wasn't even on the shoreline or anything, but bobbing enticingly just at the surface of the water, right out in the open where it would be easy pickings for Goliath to sweep in and devour in a single bite! Goliath never thought his luck could be so good!

However, as Goliath shook himself free from the mud and approached the bobbing small-hopping-tasty he couldn't help but feel… uneasy. He felt like this was too lucky for him to have come across such a delicacy right here, and so easy to get hold of. Something just felt off about the whole thing, though Goliath couldn't quite figure out what. It wasn't even running! Oh, but the smell of the small-hopping-tasty was so alluring… Surely it wouldn't hurt just to taste it, just a nibble…

But no! No, he couldn't! Not yet at least. If there was one thing that had kept Goliath alive these last few years after losing his lantern, it was how he'd learned to trust his instincts. And his instincts were telling him not to trust that small-hopping-tasty! There was something wrong… he just needed to find out what it was!

Goliath stared carefully at the small-hopping-tasty, scouring it uncertainly. He desperately resisted the urge to simply open his mouth and consume the whole thing in one quick bite. However, as he stared at the red deliciousness, he finally saw something strange: there was something coming out of the small-hopping-tasty's mouth and up onto the shoreline, a thin tendril or something. That was unusual, or at least, Goliath had never seen something like that before. He carefully raised his eyes up out of the water, glancing around in search of where the tendril led. It seemed to travel up towards one of the nearby trees, tied tightly to one of the upper branches. The tree itself was a rubbery type that bent and twisted if you pushed against it, and more of the tendrils seemed to be twisting the tree nearly sideways, making it strain as though the entire thing would snap in two at a moment's notice. But it still held somehow. So why was there a tendril going from the small-hopping-tasty to the bendy tree, and why was the tree bent like it was?

Something strange was definitely going on. Goliath carefully smelled the air. There were a lot of common smells: small-prancing-tasies, swimming-grey-tasties, chewy-green-tasties, and the distant smell of furry-yowling-tasties… He could smell the trees and the grass, the mud and the rain. Nothing seemed out of place. But then the breeze shifted slightly, blowing towards him from land, and Goliaths' eyes narrowed as a familiar but hated smell wafted towards him.

Not-tasties.

He could smell not-tasties on land. His eyes darted around, searching for them, but he couldn't see them… but they were there, Goliath knew it. While he couldn't place their location, if there was something Goliath knew, it was that it had something to do with that bent tree!

With a below of anger, Goliath coiled himself up just under the surface before lurching up out of the water of the inlet, arcing through the air towards the tree. He landed with a wet splash in the thick mud not a dozen yards from the base of the tree, and there was a shocked yelp. Two small shapes abruptly bolted out from behind the tree as Goliath lumbered towards it, but he kept his momentum as he whipped his tail around, swinging his spikes towards the tendrils holding the tree down. With a twang, the tendril snapped, and the bent rubbery tree abruptly swung upright. Behind him, there was a splash as the tendril connected to the red-hopping-tasty yanked the red deliciousness from the water, sending it flying through the air before splattering into the mud near the base of the tree.

So that had been the plan! If the tendril had been severed while Goliath had been eating the red-hopping-tasty, he very well could have been pulled clear out of the water against his will! Well… perhaps not, since he was quite large… but that had been the intent, certainly! With a growl of fury, Goliath spun about, glowering viciously at the not-tasties that had attempted such a trick.

There were two of them, one smaller and one larger. The smaller was covered in the fur of a cold-sliding-tasty (which Goliath had a chance to savor during one of his trips up to colder waters), and seemed to have developed a large, clubbed claw! The larger was covered in the fur of a blue-honeyed-tasty, and had a very pronounced talon at the end of one arm and a sturdy shell on the other. There didn't seem to be any other not-tasties in the area, but Goliath would have to be on guard, just in case…

But the two of them were not expecting Goliath to be here, despite the trap they had set. Goliath could smell the stink of fear on them as the pair of them took a nervous step back at the sight of him. That's right, fear him! This was what all the not-tasties should smell like when they looked upon him!

"Oh, geez, it's him! It's Goliath!" the smaller not-tasty shouted. "I don't think we're ready for this, Desig!"

"No, we can do this, Erin!" the larger not-tasty replied. "Let's stick with the plan from before! It may not have fallen for the frog trick, but we can still beat it!"

Goliath wasn't actually sure what the not-tasties were saying (he'd caught his name in there, but not much else), but judging by how they tensed and readied themselves, it was clear that they were planning on fighting, despite how afraid of Goliath they clearly were. Well, if that was the case, then Goliath would have to show them just how foolish this decision was! With a loud bellow, Goliath inflated himself to full size, protracting his spikes in full. Let them see Goliath in his full majesty!

The smell of fear grew stronger for a moment, but the not-tasties refused to flee, and the larger one charged forward even before Goliath was done growling at him, the smaller one close behind. Goliath grumbled irately to himself; this wouldn't happen if he could figure out how to bellow as loud as a lot of the land tasties could, with enough force to make not-tasties freeze and reel in pain. But he had no powerful roar, just as he had no lantern, and he had learned to make due.

As the larger not-tasty approached, Goliath sunk himself a little lower into the shallow water and mud and abruptly deflated in one quick burst. He aimed the massive ejection of air down at the ground just in front of him, and the wave of air blasted a spray of water and mud up into the air towards the not-tasty. It yelped in surprise as it found itself buffeted by thick clumps of sticky mud, and despite raising its shell to defend itself, soon the not-tasty was positively coated in the thick, sticky substance. The mud clung tightly to the not-tasty, dripping with water and seeping into the blue-honeyed-tasty fur it wore, making its movements awkward and slow as it attempted to shake off the sticky, heavy substance.

Goliath lurched towards the fumbling not-tasty, lumbering towards it awkwardly across the mud. The not-tasty stumbled out of the way, just barely avoiding Goliath's many fangs as he snapped them down towards it. It wasn't quick enough, however, and Goliath managed to clip the taller not-tasty with its flipper, throwing it to the ground. There had been a resounding clang however, and Goliath grumbled as a dull throb ached through his flipper; he must have struck against the not-tasty's shell under the mud, for the taller not-tasty leapt back to its feet, hardly worse for the wear. Its dodge had sent it splashing through the water as well, which had effectively washed most of the mud off the not-tasty's body, letting it move freely again.

Goliath squealed in shock, though, as a dull pain suddenly thumped across one of his hind legs. Goliath quickly spun around, only to receive another strike to his side by the smaller not-tasty and its massive clubbed claw. The not-tasty certainly did not look as though it should hit this hard, though thankfully the heavy claw didn't seem to be breaking Goliath's skin. It really hurt though! With a hiss of anger, Goliath puffed himself up. The smaller not-tasty yelped in surprise as its clubbed claw abruptly rebounded on the next swing, bouncing uselessly off of Goliath's thick, rubbery hide. There was still a dull throb of pain from the impact, but it was much less painful now that Goliath was inflated.

As the not-tasty staggered, trying to regain its footing, Goliath quickly shifted his weight and smacked his side against the smaller not-tasty, pulling a satisfying cry of pain from it as it was thrown backwards through the mud. With a twist, Goliath prepared to roll towards the little creature. The smaller not-tasty shouted in fear, scrambling to its feet and bolting away as Goliath spun himself over, washing through the mud as his considerable bulk spun about, wheeling across the shallow water towards it.

Unfortunately, the creature was quick enough to leap behind the rubbery tree it had tried to trick Goliath with before, and Goliath slammed into the side of it. The entire tree groaned and leaned under Goliath's weight, but refused to crack or splinter, and Goliath grumbled irately as he was forced to flop back onto his belly. He twisted back to face the smaller not-tasty, but the little creature was keeping itself safely on the far side of the rubbery tree now. Goliath tried to lurch around the side of the tree, but the smaller not-tasty was surprisingly light on its feet for having such a heavy claw (which had somehow shifted to the not-tasty's back; not-tasties' bodies confused Goliath greatly).

Goliath could feel his agitation and hunger growing as he tried to outmaneuver the not-tasty around the sides of the rubbery tree, but he just couldn't match its agility. He was starting to feel a rumbling in his gut, and if this fight took too long, he might even consider consuming the not-tasty itself, despite his dislike of them! With a bellow of rage, Goliath lunged at the base of the tree, twisting to the side and smashing his bulk against it. He could feel some of his sharp spikes puncture the wood and shatter from the force of the impact, but it was worth it as the tree shivered and trembled to its core by the force of the blow, and had the desired effect of making the smaller not-tasty yelp in fright and leap away from the tree. With the not-tasty caught off guard, Goliath quickly lumbered around the side, forcing the small creature away from the tree. Goliath hissed venomously as it crawled through the mud towards the retreating not-tasty.

However, there was a sudden, sharp jab of pain from his tail, and Goliath whined in irritation. He snapped his head around, and though it was a challenge to see past his inflated self, he spotted the larger not-tasty using its talon to cut shallow lines into Goliath's tail. Goliath growled in agitation, and with a quick motion, swung his tail away from the not-tasty before snapping it back like a whip.

The not-tasty was quick, and brought up its shell to defend itself, but Goliath had great strength, even in its tail, and the blow staggered the not-tasty back a step or two and sent its shell to the side. Plenty of time for Goliath to pull its tail back and swing it back down at the not-tasty. It managed to bring its shell back around again, but had poorer placement this time; though the shell managed to block the largest of Goliath's spikes, a couple of the smaller ones managed to pierce around the side of the shell, stabbing against the exposed flesh along the upper arms of the not-tasty.

The not-tasty shouted in pain, leaping away from Goliath's tail before the spiked appendage could strike at it again, but already the damage was done. As the taller not-tasty moved to bring his shield up again, it began struggling to stay standing as the potent paralysis venom that tipped Goliath's proud spikes began to seep through it. In a few moments the not-tasty was twitching wildly, and his feet gave out from under him, making him fall face-first in the shallow water as paralysis overwhelmed him.

Goliath turned victoriously towards the not-tasty, contemplating what to do next. For any other tasty, this would be the perfect time to start eating, but Goliath hated the sharp edges of the not-tasties in his mouth. In the position the not-tasty was in, it might drown instead, but if the paralysis wore off too quickly, it would just get up and keep fighting. Flattening the not-tasty would work just as well though. With a twist to the side, Goliath shifted his weight, preparing to roll his body over the not-tasty.

However, he heard a sudden shout from the smaller not-tasty, and for a moment his attention was diverted. Glancing over to the source of the sound, Goliath grumbled in confusion as the not-tasty suddenly lobbed a small, shiny stone at him, which bounced off his rubbery hide and towards his face. Goliath didn't know what the smaller not-tasty was trying to accomplish, but it wouldn't stop him from-

The world around Goliath suddenly erupted in whiteness, and he squealed in shock, stumbling backwards. What was this? He couldn't see! Where did the not-tasties go? The not-tasties… had they blinded him? That… that wasn't fair! But wait… no, he wasn't blind. Looking down, he could see the water underneath him, and the mud below that. But the world around him was so pale and white… Looking up at his ruined lantern stalk, Goliath realized that there were wisps of haze twisting around the appendage. Fog? Had the not-tasties summoned fog? How had they done that, creating such a thick fog so quickly?

His shock vanished quickly upon remembering the not-tasties, and he spun about, trying desperately to strike at them, even though he couldn't see. He could hear them and smell them, but he just couldn't get a bead on them. They didn't seem to be attacking him at the moment, but Goliath wouldn't rest until his vision returned. Thankfully, the rain seemed to be beating down the haze around him, clearing the air. Soon Goliath was able to see again, and he immediately began to scour around in search of the not-tasties.

He spotted them over near the river, crouched next to each other. The smaller not-tasty appeared to have come to the aid of the larger not-tasty, pulling him from the water during his paralysis and keeping him from drowning. They were both drinking some green water of some kind, and seemed to be getting into fighting condition again. Goliath hissed irritably. He hated how resilient these not-tasties could get sometimes!

The two of them were preparing to attack him again, however, and had started making their way towards him cautiously. Goliath grumbled to himself in frustration. This was not going as cleanly as he had wanted it to. He'd need to be more… subtle about this.

The larger not-tasty was attacking him head on again, and Goliath tensed. He waited until the not-tasty was close, before once again dipping low to the ground and ejecting all of the air in his hump at once. The not-tasty was ready this time, leaping back to avoid the wave of water and mud that Goliath blasted at it, but in the moment that the water and mud were in the air, Goliath quickly dug himself deep into the mud under the shallow water.

As soon as he was under the mud, he paused, patiently waiting. It took a few moments, but the two not-tasties began to shout to each other, and Goliath was sure that there was confusion in their calls. He'd been successful! His size made it a challenge to hide himself in the mud like this, yet Goliath was able to pull it off! He waited for a few moments longer, not willing to lift his eyes or nose above the mud for fear of giving himself away, but soon he was able to hear the cautious steps of the not-tasties through the mud, and began to work his way through the sticky goop towards them.

Goliath crept towards the not-tasties through the mud, avoiding carelessly giving himself away. The water lingering over the mud was not deep, and the not-tasties could easily walk through it, but still they couldn't see him! A testament to his skill, for such the mighty, massive Goliath to be able to creep up on them like this!

Goliath was practically underneath the larger not-tasty before the smaller one yelped in shock, shouting at him to move. The not-tasty jumped back, bringing up his shell as Goliath protracted his spikes, clanging loudly off the hard surface. But several of the spikes went around the shell as well, puncturing into the blue fur covering the larger not-tasty wore. Goliath hissed ecstatically as the not-tasty cried out in pain and the sweet smell of blood wafted into Goliath's nostrils.

The not-tasty staggered back in pain, dropping to his knees and clutching his shoulder as blood oozed from the wounds on his leg and gut. Goliath shook himself out from the mud, and pushed himself to full height, towering over the not-tasty as he struggled to point his long talon at Goliath threateningly, while still trying to hide behind his shell. Goliath opened his mouth, baring his fangs at the not-tasty. Goliath wouldn't eat the not-tasty, but he would certainly make sure it regretted trying to trick him with delectable red-hopping-tasties and battling him.

But as Goliath bore down on the larger not-tasty, there was a roar of fury from the smaller one. Goliath turned in surprise as the smaller one charged straight towards him, swinging its massive clubbed paw towards his head. Goliath braced himself, but he'd felt the force of the smaller not-tasty's paw, and it couldn't do that much damage, even if it did manage to hit him in the-

Goliath squealed in shock as the not-tasty's claw came down on him, hitting him like a falling boulder and rattling his skull! He howled in pain, stumbling backwards as his vision swam and he wobbled on his feet, trying to keep himself from flopping to the ground. Agh! How could a not-tasty so small have a clubbed claw so hard and swing it with such force? Goliath could barely see straight!

Goliath wasn't sure how long he staggered in place - that not-tasty hit hard! - but finally he managed to shake off the dizziness in his eyes and head, and immediately scanned around for the smaller not-tasty. But it and the larger one were gone from where they'd been again! Goliath hissed angrily, growling as it twisted around, scouring the surroundings for the pair, until finally he caught sight of both of them rushing between the nearby trees up the side of a hill and out of the mud.

The not-tasties stumbled away, the smaller not-tasty helping the bigger one up the slope and into the trees. Goliath's eyes narrowed irritably as they vanished into the foliage. No sense chasing them now; he'd tried hunting the not-tasties through the trees before, but he was simply too big. They were gone now, and Goliath knew there was no point in continuing this.

That was two more not-tasties that he hadn't killed. They'd put up a decent fight, much fiercer than Goliath would have thought for their size, and he really should have killed them to spare himself future trouble, but he never liked killing things he did not want to eat. It was so… wasteful. Other tasties could eat them instead, and then grow bigger so Goliath could eat the more-filling-tasties! It was simple logic. He supposed other large tasties would kill things for simply infringing on their territories, but Goliath didn't understand the purpose behind that. He'd never held territory in such high regard as other creatures seemed to.

How long had it been since the last time he'd actually killed a not-tasty? How many had come for him since then? It had been… two mating seasons since the last not-tasty had died, crushed under his bulk and impaled on his spikes. There must have been hundreds of not-tasties that had come for him ever since. So many had run away from his strength, or had been dangerous enough that Goliath had been forced to run instead. Goliath hated running! He did not wish to be eaten, however…

Goliath sulked as he slunk back into the river. The not-tasties had come for him, set a trap for him! That meant that more not-tasties would be coming for him soon, more and more, stronger and stronger! His meat must surely be delectable for them to desire his death so much! Why else would the not-tasties come after him like this, if not to devour his no doubt savory meat?

It seemed like the time to move on from this place had come. As much as he had enjoyed wresting the cove from the control of that swimming-electric-tasty, he would have to leave it now and find someplace new. He would find someplace without not-tasties one day, a place he could conquer and claim as his own, and eat to his heart's content… but this was not that place. The not-tasties would come for Goliath again, but he would not be there when they returned.

Perhaps it was time for another trip to the islands off the coast. He had to be careful though; the not-tasties that had broken his lantern were out that way. Goliath would need to make sure to avoid them.

A meal before he set off down the river wouldn't be bad, he supposed. He allowed himself to drift to the riverbed and buried himself in the cool mud, before slowly working his way downstream searching for tasties. It might take a few swimming-gray-tasties to fill him up, but…

A squealing sound echoed through the water, and Goliath froze curiously as something came swimming his way. It was… something different. It was like a blue-and-orange fish, but very big, with sharp teeth. It had long legs and wide fins however, and looked as though it could go up on land like Goliath could. Goliath had never seen this creature before. It swam very quickly, darting around and moving very strangely. Was this thing dangerous? Was it strong? Was it cowardly?

Most importantly, was it tasty?

Goliath supposed it didn't matter. He could feel his hunger growing, and this possibly-tasty was right in front of him, and looked much more filling than swimming-gray-tasties. He slowly crawled through the mud towards the maybe-tasty, preparing to suck the creature into his maw. He would certainly eat well before his journey.

Story prompt suggested by Pixelsaber

Author's Note: Please Review!

I imagine this is a lot what it feels like when a low-rank hunter takes on a high-rank monster, not knowing what to expect or how much damage they'll really take. And at this point in the story, Goliath is a high-rank monster. Goliath was another 'character' of mine that I grew fonder of then I'd ever thought he would, as shown in his rather important roles at certain parts to TLC. I never got around to naming him until way late in TLC, but I remembered a particular event quest in Tri where you had to fish out a Gobul that was max size gold crown. He was the World Eater of Gobuls, where you were barely as tall as its knees. I sort of used that idea and created Goliath.

Two more things of note: firstly, I'm getting back into the 1000 words a day writing goal. I've been using this time between TLC and its sequel as sort of a break, but I'm pushing to try and bring it all back. What I'm mostly doing is writing 1k words on DLC chapters, and then spending whatever other time I have that day working on writing and compiling information on the sequel. Secondly, the reason I'm doing all this… I've kind of run short on DLC chapters. I'm currently working on three multi-chapter stories to release one after the other, one of which is nearly done, but two others that are not quite there yet. There's one I'm working on that's looking as though it'll be upwards of five chapters long. As such, I can't promise bi-weekly releases for too much longer, but hopefully I'll be able to get chapters out without descending into that one-a-month release schedule I had during most of the TLC releases.

Playing: Pokemon X, MH3U
Listening: Bravely Default OS, The New Pornographers, The Jayhawks, Bjork
Watching: AnderZEL livestreams