Monster Hunter: The Telepathic Hunter; Ch50: The Land of the Tremors
April 3rd, 2099. Alex's house, Pokke Village. 9:30 PM.
Alex was sitting on his bed, legs crossed, meditating. It was something that Treshi had taught him to do when he needed to contact Maxwell, or just to focus and prepare himself mentally on/for an upcoming event. The fact that the spirit of General Tiggy had returned to the world and posed a challenge to him was puzzling. Of all the weird stuff that had taken place since he learned he was a Kasai, this was truly top of the list, cake stealing even.
Earlier today, he had delivered the final materials needed for upgrading his Imperial Sword Longsword to the Aqua Guardian stage to Vance. It would be ready in a few days. For now, there was one other thing perplexing Alex, more than his upcoming showdown with the pair of tyrant Flying Wyverns. He was having one of the biggest premonitions he ever had. Something incredible was going to happen in the near future, and he just knew it would be worse than a Shen Gaoren or a Lao Shan Lung. He was even feeling an unbridled amount of straight fear. Throughout the day, everyone he interacted with had picked on it and asked him 'how he was feeling,' or 'what was wrong,' and the like. He had no answer, and thus caused the village to worry about him.
Just, what is going on? I can't even focus enough to get into my mind and consult Maxwell. Am I developing some sort of paranoia due to what I've experienced in my hunting career so far? thought Alex. He inhaled, held the breath for a few seconds, and then exhaled. "I guess I should give up and try to go to sleep." As soon as that thought was finished, there was a knock on the door. "Huh? Who is it!?" Alex exclaimed as he got up.
"Hey, nephew! It's me, your favorite Aunt!" was the reply.
Alex all but rushed to open the door on hearing that. "Corra!? Impossible. Who are you and what have you done with her? Showing up in the middle of the night and trying to trick me!"
Corra laughed before playfully socking Alex upside the head. "You know, you could be a little more considerate when people visit you in your hour of distress. I could not just go to sleep after Anna hounded me this afternoon. So here I am. Do you plan on letting me in?"
Alex just nodded dumbly and went back in, Corra following and closing the door behind her. "Just… Wow," he uttered as he led her to the kitchen. He and Corra sat down at the table. "Um, I wouldn't say you would be my favorite…" he said, trying to make banter.
Corra giggled. "Oh, you…" After that, silence fell for a long moment.
"How is your back? Is your spine okay?"
"You're asking that after the heat death of the universe? I'm much better now."
"Great." More silence.
"Hey, have you ever wondered what my Elemental Affinity is?" Corra spoke up out of the blue.
Alex looked at her squarely. "Aren't you a Water-type, just like me?"
Corra shook her head with a smile. "Nope. Sure, my hair is blue. But, it's a dark shade of blue; I'm actually a Dragon-type." Alex gasped. "55 percent of people with dark hair colors are typeless, having no affinity. About 35 percent gain either Fire, Water or Thunder. There are no people with dark shades of hair colors that have the Ice Element. The remaining 10 percent, as well as 20 percent of those born with black hair that stays black after the completion of their initial training, gain the Dragon Element. The remaining 80 percent of black haired folks either remain typeless or exclusively develop the Thunder Element, in a 50-50 ratio. The Dragon Element is rare among Hunters, but I'm one of the lucky few to have it."
"I must have skimmed over this information when I was learning about Affinities from Master Koto. My mind is blown right now."
"Hold on to your Talisman, I haven't even gotten to the abilities I am granted. I am immune to high pressure winds, I have a tougher basic bodily defense even without armor on, and I have a greater ability to heal even compared to other Hunters. These abilities are called Wyvern Wings, Dragon Scale, and Draconic Vitality, respectively."
"WHOA! And I thought you were amazing before, Corra!"
Corra first looked embarrassed, and then a little sad. "Thanks… But there is a downside. 100 percent of Hunters with the Dragon Element are more prone to anger and aggressiveness. The Dragon Element is actually a very dark element." Alex gasped. "I hate bringing this up, but this is part of the reason why it was so easy for me to attack you when we first met. It didn't help that I wasn't in the right frame of mind due to my grief over the loss of Maxwell."
"Hmmm…" Alex looked thoughtful. Then all of a sudden, he got up, went to Corra's side of the table, crouched and pulled her into a hug. "I don't remember telling you this openly, so I should do so while I have the chance. It's been more than a year since that event, too."
"Alex?"
"I forgive you, Corra. You've worked more than hard enough to earn my good graces. I'm glad to have you here with me. Thanks for coming here to talk with me, and distract me from my worries."
"No… thank you, Alex." Corra returned the embrace. Jokingly, she said, "You're not my favorite nephew, but you might just be the best in the world." The two soon released. "So, is there any chance that I can convince you to let me join your confrontation with those Tigrex? I am down for some payback to the one who crushed me."
"Uh, ah… Sure… Just bring a Hunting Horn weapon, though. I have already thought about which other two I'm going to recruit for a four-man platoon. I was going to ask Anna to join as well, but I think you could take her place just fine."
"I see you'll want some Recital buffs. No problem."
"I'll be sure to defend you."
"Nah, just focus on taking them down as quickly as possible. They can't hurt us if they're dead, right?"
Alex chuckled. "I suppose you have a point. I wish everything was as simple as that." Alex went to the back of the counter and heated some leftover tea from his suppertime so that the two could share a drink.
Hunter Stats
1. Alex Kasai (HR7)
Weapon: Devil Slicer Long Sword (Thunder Element)
Armor: White Monoblos 'S' Blade Master
Skills: HG Telepathy, Kasai Potential, ESP-F, Spirits Whim, Artisan, Heroic Comeback, Fire Resist, Cursed Protection, Water/Thunder/Ice/Dragon Damage Increase
2. Corra Kasai (HR7)
Weapon: War Bongo Hunting Horn (Thunder Element) {White, Red, Yellow}
Armor: Cephalos 'S' Blade Master
Skills: HG Telepathy, Kasai Potential, Heat Negate, Hunger Halved, Water Resist, Cold Increase, Ice Damage Increase
3. Beverly Kasai (HR8)
Weapon: Aqua Spear Plus Lance (Water Element)
Armor: Gravios 'S' Blade Master
Skills: HG Telepathy, Kasai Potential, Sleep Negate, Endurance Up, Guard Increase, Fire Resist, Water Damage Increase.
4. Qilin Kaminari (HR7)
Weapon: Dragonwood Long Sword (Paralysis Attribute)
Armor: Kut-Ku 'S' Blade Master
Skills: Kaminari Potential, Vitality Up, Strength Up, Fire Resist, Ice Damage Increase
5. Ismarelda Ryuko (HR6)
Weapon: Great Nova Hammer (Thunder Element)
Armor: Cephalos 'S' Blademaster
Skills: Heat Negate, Hunger Halved, Water Resist, Cold Increase, Ice Damage Increase.
April 4th. White Night Dunes Basecamp, Sekumeaya Desert. 1:25 PM.
Alex thought about the conversation he had this morning with Ismarelda prior to leaving to pick up Qilin for this hunt, Beverly meeting them in Rekusara before they come to the Sekumeaya. Ismarelda had insisted on joining him despite him already having a proper squad of four, saying she did not believe in the "Curse of Five" and that unexpected occurrences in hunts were bound to happen anyway. As Hunters, danger was their job, essentially. After a solid five minutes of arguing, Alex no longer found it in him to deny her. Anna also wanted to join, but Alex held fast against it. There was no need to allow his lover into a potentially super dangerous situation, more so than usual this time.
With their preparations out of the way, Alex and Corra combined their HG Telepathy power to quickly locate their targets. The two Flying Wyverns were holed up in Area 7. One by one, the quintet took the basecamp well to the underground lake.
Area 7.
"Do you really think he'll show up today?" asked Tyram.
"I have already sensed his arrival," responded Tiggy. "It would also seem that he has brought quite a bit of help, so we will have quite a fight on our claws."
"Doesn't matter. We were contracted to only test him, and maybe kill one of his allies, before fleeing if we felt the need. But I know you will want your full revenge."
"You can bail if you want. Though I was allowed to come back, I don't plan on staying. If I can take him to the afterlife with me, then that will be a nice bonus."
"I'll take you up on that. It will be an honor fighting alongside you, Tiggy Sir."
Just then, the five Hunters came out of the Area 6 underground lake cave. "Hi, Tiggy!" greeted Alex as the group spread out while becoming at the ready. Corra went behind Alex and immediately got into Recital Mode.
"Everyone, I have a compound song that will grant four buffs in one go," relayed Corra to only the group. "You all need to guard me for twelve seconds straight, starting… now!" Corra began playing.
Seeing that something was up, Tiggy and Tyram began charging at Alex and Corra. Beverly moved towards the front of Alex, just as Movement-Speed-Up, and Attacks-Harder-To-Break activated. She raised her shield as Tiggy did a flying leap attack. Tyram went to the left and Ismarelda got into his path.
Corra was singing as the others defended her, "White, White, White, White…" Alex joined Ismarelda against Tyram. "...White, Red…" Qilin did a juiced up slash on Tiggy as Attack-Power-Up activated for everyone. "...Red, Yellow. Improve our Speed and Precision, strengthen our Attacks, and bolster our Defense!" Just as Corra finished, Tiggy did a spin attack. Qilin was knocked away but did not feel it all that much, while Beverly blocked the attack like it was nothing, not even being pushed back an inch despite standing on sand. "All set, everyone! Now let's go wild!" Corra exclaimed as she got out of Recital Mode.
"Perfect!" Ismarelda followed up with a bonk to Tyram's side as Alex dodged a claw swipe from him. Due to her increased strength, the wyvern really felt it.
"OW! Why, you!" Tyram charged at her.
"Oh, no you don't!" Alex activated Khezu Cloak and chased after him.
At the same time, Tiggy was having a rotten time having to split his focus between three attackers. Beverly always took the opportunity to shield his attacks, providing more opportunities for Corra and Qilin to score even more attacks. "I promised to pay you back for what you did to me!" Corra had edged him.
"I heard Alex defeated you before. Sorry, but you won't even get to fight him again this time, not while I'm around!" taunted Qilin.
"Don't get cocky, you ants!" Tiggy growled out. Then, for the first time in a long time, he was forced to jump back for a reset! It was hurtful to whatever was left of his pride after having been defeated once. "HRAA!" He slammed the ground with his dominant left claw and some stones were launched. Beverly blocked a stone while Corra and Qilin rolled out of the way. While the eldest Huntress was still holding up her shield, Tiggy went up before her. "Dragon Element: Sonic RRROOOAAARRR!"
"AAAHH!" screamed Beverly as she was blown away by dark orange colored vibration energy shockwaves unleashed from Tiggy's roar. There was no way to block that at point-blank range. She landed hard on the sand, her entire body screaming in pain.
Just as Alex hacked off half of Tyram's tail, he noticed what happened out of the corner of his left peripheral vision. "Beverly!" Alex turned back to Tyram, whose face and limbs now had some red instead of blue, meaning he was enraged.
"You're not going anywhere! You're going to pay!" Tyram did a flying leap at Alex. Alex flared his Khezu Cloak and simply ran forward. When he got near Ismarelda, he took her nearest available arm and gave her a temporary cloak as well.
"I want to check on Beverly, but this guy is in the way. Let's finish him off as quickly as we can. I trust Corra and Qilin with keeping Tiggy at bay."
"Alright. Let's do it," replied the former head maid of the Wandoreo household. She was not surprised at Alex's ability to share his electric cloak as she had taken time to train with him and Anna after buying a house in Pokke. Alex, having become a fantastic Head Hunter, took great joy in helping his co-workers however he could. He unknowingly followed in the footsteps of the Kasai Way. The Kasai Clan had not only racked up glory for themselves, but also helped regular Hunters and those of other Clans to become stronger. They had made a truly invaluable contribution to the initial 100 years of the Hunter's Guild's existence. The Kasai "lit fires of inspiration" wherever they went and in whatsoever they did.
Tiggy tried to finish off Beverly while she was trying to recover, but Corra and Qilin were struggling to prevent him. It was seven minutes into the battle and the Recital Buffs from the start had worn off, but with Corra's hands tied she could not reapply them. Tiggy on the other hand had caught his second wind in his enraged state, attacking harder and faster. Qilin tried many times to paralyze the tyrant wyvern, but Tiggy was having none of it due to his hatred of Long Sword weapons courtesy of Alex.
"What's wrong!?" Tiggy jeered as he finally landed a claw swipe on Qilin, gravely injuring one of this legs.
"Aaahh!" Qilin collapsed to his knees and dropped his sword.
Corra's eyes widened and she threw all of her might into her next attack, sending Tiggy sliding back a few meters across the sand. "Alright, you! It's me and you now. You may not know this, but I'm Maxwell's sister. I'm going to avenge him by defeating you!"
"Is that right? I was hoping to take Alex down with me, but I suppose you could work just fine!"
Huh!? Alex did not like the sound of that. He really wanted to bust out Super Khezu Cloak, but that was impossible without his Thunder Element secondary affinity. He dodged as Tyram tried to take advantage of his alleged distraction.
Ismarelda took the opportunity to attack "Thunder Element: Thundering Hammer!" Three bright flashes of blue electricity occurred as she did a triple bash combo, injuring one of Tyram's back legs.
"You're done," stated Alex as he got into stance, Grace glowing red.
"Darn… NO!" Tyram reacted too late as Alex unleashed a Lightning Spirit Sword Attack to finish him off. "GYAAAAHHH!" So much for his plan to flee if things got too much for him.
In the background, two blue lines clashed with a brown one. "Shi…" cursed Tiggy.
Alex felt a strong shock to his heart. "Huh!?" He turned over to see Corra and Beverly before Tiggy. Corra had stopped one of Tiggy's claws by parrying it with her Hunting Horn. Beverly's lance was fatally embedded into the right side of Tiggy's neck… However, his right claw was dead center in her chest. "NO!" he screamed as he and Ismarelda began rushing to them.
Corra looked at Beverly as Beverly looked down at the wound in her chest, the lingering Dragon Element energy fading away from Tiggy's claw. She let go of her lance and fell backwards. "This… isn't good…" she managed to utter.
Tiggy also collapsed. He was not getting up again, not from this. "I wasn't aiming for her… but I'll take any Kasai I can get today… Farewell, fools."
"Bastard!" Corra yelled as she power-smashed Tiggy's head, not allowing him to die just from his wound, but finishing off his story herself.
Alex arrived first, shutting off Khezu Cloak as he crouched to inspect Beverly. Ismarelda came soon after, but decided to help Qilin. "Beverly…" said Alex softly.
Beverly weakly took off her Hunter Pack. She spoke using telepathy to conserve energy as her bleeding wound made it increasingly harder to breathe, "Alex, I'm not sure if Healing Spring can save me, but we have to try. In my pack is a large bottle of water I collected from a hidden spring in the Kluputios Marsh. Use it. I trust you."
Alex nodded. He made Corra get the bottle while he tried to focus on calming down his emotions for the task at hand. If he messed this up, he would lose a family member when he could have prevented otherwise. "You got this, man," encouraged Qilin. His injury was healed with a Mega Potion from Ismarelda.
"Thanks," Alex replied as he took the bottle from Corra. "Here goes." Alex opened the bottle and dumped all of its contents over Beverly's chest. To her credit, she bore with the pain as best as she could. Alex placed one hand on Beverly's lance and the other firmly over the wound, as he closed his eyes. The lance would further bolster his ability to control the Water Element. "Chikara Focus: Water Element: Super Healing Spring!" exclaimed Alex with confidence and command.
Everyone stared in wonder as the lance, the water and Alex's hand over the wound all glowed a brilliant green. Beverly closed her eyes, and just smiled. Her breathing rate steadily stabilized as the glowing stopped. "Good… work… Alex."
Alex let out a few tears of joy as he carefully got Beverly into his arms. "Don't scare me ever again," he whispered.
Beverly weakly returned the hug. "I won't," she whispered back.
