Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Monster Hunter, only how the story goes. The characters and world of Monster Hunter belongs to Capcom. The only thing that I do own are the OC's of the story. I do apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.

A/N: There's quite a bit going on in this chapter. Jacob gets to know more about his new friends and will come face to face whom this arc is also about.

P.S. As promised, I send a special shout out to those who guessed the name of the Flying Wyvern from the previous chapter. To .luki.200 and _, nice job on identifying the Espinas. Also since no one seemed to recognize the scene, it was based off of when Anne from Amphibia met the Stone Guardian.

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Chapter Thirty-One: Learning and Planning

The large group of Felynes still stared up at Jacob who couldn't help but feel a little awkward given the situation. His eyes wandered over a sea of different colored furs and outfits. The outfits they were wearing were mostly like they were pirate like, but some looked a little more fancy than the others. One Felyne, that looked like they had a long white beard and wearing an outfit nearly identical to that of the captain's own, stepped up and looked to Floot when they questioned, "Floot, what is going on here?"

"Joc, I can explain everything." A nervous looking Floot started to say. But he was stopped when they heard the approaching footsteps of the crew member approaching. Jacob was caught off guard when Floot suddenly tackled into him from behind and knocked him to the floor. Jacob grunted when he hit the wooden floor and glared up at the Felyne on his back. Two more Felynes quickly grabbed the teen's wrists and pulled him towards a corner of the room. Floot and the two moved in front of him while a few others also stood in front to hide the human. Floot looked back and quickly said, "Just stay down until it's safe."

Jacob was thinking the opposite as he started to get back up, but two other Felynes were quick to push him back down. The door opened up and Jacob heard a gruff voice, "What are you mangy fleabags doing in here?"

"N-N-Nothing." Joc stammered, wanting to keep the poacher from getting suspicious. Jacob heard the poacher mimic what the Felyne said, "N-Nothing. Like you lot are good enough to do anything other than tend to our whim."

His insults may have been hurled right at the cat people around him, but Jacob couldn't help but feel a great sense of sympathy for them. Trying to look between the spaces between the Felynes, Jacob could see the poacher's legs and Joc standing across from the guy. Joc then asked, "What is it that the captain wants?"

"He's says that a number of you are to help prepare tonight's feast." The poacher relayed the order. He sounded a little smug when he added, "And you're to get it ready by sundown."

That caused a lot of worried murmurs within the cat people. They became silent again when the man shouted, "Shut your traps, the lot of you!

"Now get to work!" He barked before leaving the room. The door slammed shut behind the poacher and everyone seemed to be breathing a little easier. Jacob moved to where he could sit up and the Felynes closest to him moved to give him a little room. Joc moved to stand at the front and said, "This is not a good time for stowaways to be sneaking aboard the Captor.

"As we have just witnessed, the crew is starting to get restless." He ranted as he looked to the others. A good deal of the room nodded or murmured in agreement. Floot moved to stand between Jacob and the rest of his people and said, "But this human isn't merely a stowaway. He's promised to help us."

"So he's with the Guild?" Another Felyne in the crowd asked. But Floot shook his head, "He says that he's not. But I have a feeling that he can help us escape from the Captor."

"I can." Jacob promised and stood up. He removed both the mouth piece and the hat to show them his true face. Looking around the feline room he said, "I will help you all get out of here."

"In case you two furrgot something, those meat heads have just about everything on lockdown. The boats, the Meowrnos. Everything to aid in our escape." Another shook his head like it wasn't going to work. Jacob moved over to a window and saw one of the smaller ships sailing not too far from the Captor. With a motion of his head to the outside he asked, "What about the smaller boats?"

"The haulers?" Another Felyne questioned as they tilted their head. He shook his head, "It would be impossible to sneak everyone aboard. Their sailed by a crewman and a Felyne partner."

"And how well do they get along?" Jacob asked and moved away from the window. Floot waved the question off with a scoff and said with a glare, "The entire human side, meow offense, are complete jerks to us Lynians no matter where they're working in the crew."

"Well, how many of you can those little boats fit?" Jacob asked, a plan somewhat starting to form in his mind. Floot and the other Lynians looked to each other and murmured amongst themselves. The first Felyne he had met turned his head to Jacob and said, "I think that one of those boats can hold all of us."

"What about those from the other boats?" He asked, wondering about the Lynians on board them. Floot shrugged, "If we all squeeze together we might fit."

"But how would we move to one of those smaller boats without drawing too much attention to ourselves?" Joc questioned, not sure of any of this plan. Then he pointed out, "And, even if we do manage to secure one, what's to stop the Captor or any of the other haulers from sinking ours and us to the depths of the sea?"

"We could cripple the ships." Jacob suggested, drawing some interests from the Felynes. Then the teen asked, "Judging from the cannons and the giant crossbows-"

"Ballista, actually." Floot corrected when he raised a furry finger. Jacob glanced to the Felyne and Floot quickly said, "Sorry."

"Judging from those types of weapons, then there's probably both a lot of gun powder and perhaps some really long rope." Jacob continued and leaned against the wall next to the window. Joc nodded in agreement, "Yeah.

"What exactly are you getting at?" He asked and crossed his furry arms. Jacob then said, "Well, should someone pile up all the gun powder at one end of the ship, perhaps near the back where the rudder is and shoot the ballista arrows with rope at some of the smaller boats and maybe vice versa, it should stall everything just about all but our own getaway boat."

"Could work. Especially timed right." Some of the Lynians conversed amongst themselves. One did ask a doubting question, "But won't the crew find it suspicious when we start to move all the items?"

"Not if we do it carefully." Jacob told them. Gesturing to them he said, "Keep yourselves occupied by getting that feast ready. While some are cooking or whatever you got to do, others can get what they need to pull this off."

"If someone can snag a few of the keys to the Mernos' chains, we have a way to get us on the Captor and those on the smaller boats to get to the escape boat." Floot threw in. Joc then came in with another question, "But how do we stop the lines from being cut or the explosives from being set off?"

"I guess…" Jacob turned away as he tried to think. There was only one way to pull it off. Looking to them he shook his head, "The only way to keep the crew off of everything else, then someone's going to have to distract them long enough.

"And I'm going to be the one to do it." He volunteered himself. This caused a lot of wide eyes amongst the Lynians as Floot questioned, "Are you crazy, meowster? Those guys outnumber you. They'll tear you to shreds!"

"Well, I'm not going to ask you guys to risk your lives." Jacob shook his head. Floot walked up to the teen, took his hand into his paw and shook his head, "We're deciding to risk our lives in an escape. If we can at least buy some time for those who will be able to, we should take it."

"You sure? I won't blame you for wanting not to fight." Jacob asked, not wanting them in danger. With his free hand, Floot placed a furry fist over his heart and smirked, "Our tribe is full of fighters. And I would be honored to fight alongside you, Meowster."

"What are you exactly calling me?" Jacob asked when he arched a brow. Floot gave a kindhearted smile as he said, "You are my friend and you plan to fight for us. I would be honored if I can be your partner for this task."

"If you're willing to fight alongside me." Jacob shrugged. He was surprised to see a large number of the Lynians move forward and they placed a furry fist over their hearts. Jacob laughed a little and said, "Guess I've got myself an army to back me up."

"You sure do." Floot agreed with a toothy grin. They both looked to Joc and the human teen asked, "Where's the control's for the monster's cages?"

"What?!" Practically the whole room shouted. One Felyne at the back asked, "What makes you want to deal with them?"

"I'm not going to leave anyone behind. And that includes the monsters." Jacob shook his head. After thinking it over to himself, Floot then said, "There's a meowster control to the cages within the captain's personal quarters."

"That one might be tricky to get to." Jacob frowned at the thought, knowing that part wouldn't be easy. Joc stepped up and said, "If you're willing to keep the crew busy long enough to get all the other stuff done, then I will sneak in to open the cages."

"You sure? It'll be dangerous." Jacob pointed out. Joc nodded in agreement, "It's like Floot said. You're doing much for us.

"And if furreeing us all from the tyranny of the Captor is what you really plan to do, then I guess I'll follow you as well." Joc nodded with a grin of his own and placed his fist over his chest. Jacob smiled as they now had a plan. Joc looked to the rest of his people and said, "Alright. Let's keep these sons of Gigginoxes attention occupied."

"Yeah!" The rest of the room agreed as they pumped their paws into the air. While Joc and a few others quickly rushed out of the room to get started on keeping the crew of the Captor busy, another started rushing off to get the necessary items together. The door closed behind the second group and left only a few remained in the room with Jacob and Floot. The blue furred Felyne looked to the teen and asked, "So, what now?"

"Now? I'm going to take a quick look at the latest catch." Jacob said to him as he started to leave the room. Floot rushed to get in front of him and raised his paws to warn, "I wouldn't do that, Meowster. She's quite angry after what happened today."

"Be that as it may, she and her brood are part of the reason I got involved." Jacob said as he placed the two pieces of his disguise back on and moved past him. The teen looked out the door after opening it and saw that the coast was clear. He moved to head back down the stairs with Floot right behind him.

They moved down the to the level where the Flying Wyverns were being kept and they stopped when they heard movement on the level of the ship. They moved to hide and ducked down behind some medium sized barrels in the stairwell. They heard at least two voices and Jacob recognized them as he heard the taller, skinner one say, "I can't wait to get paid for all these critters."

"Tell me about it." The shorter, chubbier one agreed. Then he said, "Though I have no idea what we'll get for the Azure Rathalos. Though he's showing to be able to breath fire, he ain't got no poisonous talons."

"A birth defect perhaps?" The taller one inquired. The shorter didn't sounded like he cared, "Eh, not us that's gotta worry about him once he's been bought."

Their voices lowered as the two continued to talk while going up the stairs. Floot was the one to peek over the barrels and then motioned for them to move when the coast was clear. They walked through the hallway flanked by the large cages and Jacob turned his head to where the blue Rathalos was being kept. The young Flying Wyvern still lay on the ground and had his back to the bars of the cage. Jacob wondered why the young Rathalos had been born without poisonous talons. He didn't stay for long as he continued after Floot. As they approached the door to the stairwell, a question passed through Jacob's mind and he asked, "What was the deal with that ship earlier?"

"The Argosy?" Floot asked and Jacob nodded. The Felyne then told him as they opened the door, "The Argosy was once a grand ship that belonged to Captain Trae who was furriends with the Research Commission of the Guild when they were dealing with the Elder Crossing."

"I read about that." Jacob said as they started down the stairs. He was still curious and asked, "Has it always looked like that?"

"Ha! Heck, no." Floot shook his head. With a sigh he said, "Let's just say that the Argosy has fallen from the grace it once was when it fell to new owners sometimes after the final fall of Jiva."

"Jiva?" Jacob asked himself before focusing on the task at hand.

…

They passed the level with the cargo hold where they first met and went down another level to where the sea dwellers were being held. As they came to the door, Jacob jumped a little when he heard something make a loud bang on the other side. Floot looked to the human teen and said, "The Lagiacrus has been like that ever since we brought her on board."

"What else is down here?" Jacob asked and helped Floot to open the door. Floot shrugged as he pulled, "Her and a few Piscine Wyvern."

"What like Jyuratodus?" The human asked when they got the door open. They stepped into the room while the Felyne shook his head, "No, what we have down here are some Plesioths."

"Plus, all the smaller critters." Jacob added as they walked down the rows of cages. Floot nodded in agreement while looking into one of the cages. Inside was a large fish-like creature, but instead of being brown and covered in mud, this Plesioth creature inside was blue in color, its arm-like flippers stuck out a bit more and had shark-like teeth in its mouth. The Plesioth moved about in the cage and Jacob looked in the other cages. There were two green Plesioths to his right as they came to the last cage on the left. The sounds of scrapping and banging could be heard from the cage. Inside this one, the cage looked a little small for the Lagiacrus as she thrashed about and banged on the walls and bars. She was able to turn her body, but it looked a bit of a hassle to do so.

The Lagiacrus seemed to calm down a bit when she sensed the two's presence behind her. With a growl she twisted her head and lunged for the bars. Her head banged against the iron and she glared at the two. Both Jacob and Floot were greatly frightened by the fury of the Leviathan. But the former took a deep breath to calm before moving a little closer and removing the hat and face mask again. Showing her his true face he waited to see her reaction. But the Lagiacrus continued to growl at the two and her eyes hatefully glaring down at them. With a slight shake of his head, Jacob looked to Floot, "If only we could show her an act of good will, such as bringing her eggs to her."

"Only the captain knows where they would be. And I haven't seen any sign of them on board." Floot told him. Sighing for yet another obstacle in the way, Jacob turned back to the growling Leviathan before him and carefully placed his free hand on the bars. With a sympathetic look he said, "You've been through so much so quickly. And I know what it's like to be ripped from your home."

It seemed to cause her gaze to soften a little while behind him, Floot was watching with a surprised look. Jacob still wondered about doing an act of good will and saw that she was bearing a few scratch marks. He started look around before glancing to the end of the level of the Captor. He noticed some big crates and asked, "What are those?"

"Medical supplies. In case someone gets hurt." Floot told him. Walking over to one of the crates he ripped the top off and saw some odd-looking devices. Floot came over, hopped onto another crate and said when he looked in, "Those are Healing Boosters. You push the plunger to let loose a healing mist made from Vigorwasp sacs or from Vitality flowers."

"Yeah, I'm going to pretend that doesn't sound quite as gross as I heard that." Jacob said and took one out of the crate. Coming back to the Lagiacrus' cage, the human teen pointed the tip through the bar and pressed on the plunger. A green gas was quickly released and it spread through the cage and towards the Lagiacrus. The she-Leviathan gave a worried growl as it came closer and looked to try and move away from it. But she was quick to relax when the mist caused the wounds she had sustained to heal.

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Up higher in the kitchen area of the Captor, Joc was working with a few others as they sliced, diced, grilled and prepared the feast for the crew. The older Felyne glanced around to see the human side of the crew mostly loafing about the kitchen. When it looked clear, he moved towards a grey furred and whispered, "Go and signal the others. Get them up to speed on the plan."

(Cue Up is Down from POTC: AWE)

"Aye." His friend nodded before walking away. The Felyne slipped out of the kitchen and made sure to keep his head down when he passed by a crew member. He waited a moment before quickening his pace to do his part of the plan.

Taking out a small knife, the Felyne moved to the starboard railing of the Captor and used a cannon to lean against the wood while using both paws to hold up the blade. Thanks to his position with the sun, he used the reflection to get the attention of the Felyne from one of the smaller boats. Someone answered when he saw a bright reflection coming from the other vessel. Resorting to using the reflection to communicate, the Felyne informed the other Lynian about the plan and to inform the others on their side while he moved to the other side of the ship to tell the rest. When he received the all clear, the Felyne moved off to do his part.

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Another Felyne, one with jet black fur and ragged clothing, quickly made his way through or around crew members as they searched for the keys to the Mernos' chains. He offered some quick apologies when a crew member yelled at them before continuing on his way. The Felyne came up to a cabinet on the main deck and looked about to see if anyone was looking. Seeing that the coast was clear, the Felyne opened up the cabinet and took out a few keys. Quickly hiding them underneath his tunic and making sure that no one was on to him, the Felyne gave a small meow before closing up the cabinet again.

Acting fast, the little feline creature moved over to where the Mernos for the Captor were being kept. A guard was stationed before the captive fliers, as usual, and had his arms crossed. The man looked down to the Felyne who casually approached. The Felyne waved a paw and said, "I'm heading over to the other ships to tell the crew to get ready furr the celebration. Mind unlocking a Meownos furr me?"

"Whatever." The man rolled his eyes and took out a key from his shirt. The Felyne quickly moved to grab onto the rope attached to the Mernos' foot and held on tight. When the shackle released, the crewman scared the Flying Wyvern into the air. The Mernos shrieked before taking off for one of the boats. The Felyne held on to the rope while keeping a paw over the keys under his shirt. The Mernos took off with its passenger in tow.

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Down in the bowels of the ship, the rest of the Mernos were starting to gather all the barrels of gun powder and other explosive items into a spot where it would do some serious damage. One was running over with a horn full of gun powder when another stopped him, "We need that to leave a trail when we get the signal."

"Mrow. Okay." His friend nodded before setting it to the side. They heard a couple of knocks on the door and recognized it as the alert. Those in the room stopped what they were doing and moved to hide.

Once the group was all hidden, the doors opened and a sailor walked into the room. From their hiding spots, they saw that the crewman didn't look to be in a mood for games as he looked about with a questioning look. The Felynes all tensed up when he looked in the direction of the explosives in the corner but relaxed again when he turned and walked away.

After a few minutes of waiting, they got another secret knock telling them that it was good to get back to it. They emerged from their hiding spots and quickly looked for more stuff that would make a big boom.

(End of track)

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Back down in the cages of the sea dwelling monsters, Jacob and Floot were still standing before the bars to the Lagiacrus' cage when they looked to see a Felyne running up to them. The red and black furred Lynian panted when he stopped before them and said, "We're almost ready with our parts."

"Then we'll get ready to do ours." Floot nodded before looking up to Jacob. The teen nodded in agreement and they moved to follow after the Felyne. As they walked, Jacob could only hope that he wasn't leading the Lynians nor himself into what could be their last moments.

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Author's Note: And I'll end it there. Next, we get into a massive sword fight pirate style and we'll see if the plan pays off. And I know that like with Velkhana, the actual meeting between Jacob and the Lagiacrus was a bit short, but I do hope that it was worth it. There will be more interactions between the two later on in the story arc. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See all of you next time.

P.S. And now, I wanna be honest with you guys about something. While I would have loved to see Lagiacrus in World and even if they are in Rise, I don't know if I would want to face them without underwater combat. After all, the Rathalos' battles are a lot more fun and challenging when he's up in the air, so it stands to reason that facing Lagiacrus underwater would make the experience worthwhile. Even though I have never played Tri, I would still love to face Lagiacrus at his finest in his element. I know that everyone's got their opinion on the matter, but I just wanted to throw mine out there.