A/N: Thanks as always to my friend qazse for help with reaction ideas and thanks to my brother Sai Kunai Blade for the script and the video itself. Be sure to subscribe to his channel Sai Blade if you haven't, because we're almost done with Rage's lores, so Sai might be the only thing to keep this series going if Rage doesn't continue with more lores... Or just take forever to put them out like he has been.
In a desert canyon, a massive beast raised its head and unleashed a massive roar. Elsewhere, a hunter looked on at the beast in horror. "Run! It's Godzilla!" He cried out.
However, there was a second hunter stood off to his left. "It looks like Gojira! But due to international copyright laws, it's not!" Sai declared as he looked on at the beast as well.
This did little to calm down his friend, however. "Still, we should run like it IS Godzilla!" He insisted with more urgency than before.
While Sai somehow remained calm and collected. "Thought it isn't." He reiterated once more, before the two of them turn and ran away screaming in a full-on panic.
Once again, several jaws had to be picked up off the floor after they dropped from the awe they felt upon seeing this monster. "Whoa... That thing is HUGE." Nora said.
"It's gotta be AT LEAST as big as Lao Shan Lung! Maybe even bigger!" Weiss said in shock.
But then, they couldn't help but laugh at the back and forth between Sai and his friend. "Now THAT'S how you make a joke in an opening without ruining the awesome moment!" Yang said.
"Yep. Nice way to work around copyright, too. Just say 'yeah, it LOOKS like one thing, but it isn't.'" Qrow added with a chuckle.
"Oh, yeah. I remember Tai tried to do some comedy skits on open mic night, but he was booed off stage because he was just doing jokes from other comedians and hoping people hadn't heard it before." Summer added.
"But who exactly is Godzilla?" Ilia asked. Rather than answer, Katana simply changed the video to show one of a massive dinosaur-like creature letting out an incredibly iconic roar [1]. "O-oh... I see." She said, clearly shaken up and intimidated along with several others.
"Yeah, I don't think I'm messing with that guy." Roman said.
"But you gotta admit, he looks awesome. And it looks like he's more concerned with that giant bug thing than with people." Coco pointed out.
"Right? It looks like he was hunting that thing, while it was already here, probably causing problems for people. Maybe he shows up to stop other monsters from causing problems, like Nergigante does!" Ruby theorized.
Sai was then seen in the Elder's Recess, peacefully following a Kushala Daora throughout the area. "Elder Dragons. Glorious creatures with almost god-like power steeped in mystery. For as long as we've known about these creatures, there is surprisingly little we DO know about them, due to them normally being an incredibly rare sight and usually too violent to approach under normal circumstances. And with the power they possess, getting near them would normally be a death sentence." The host explained as he was suddenly attacked and rendered unconscious by a Lunastra from out of nowhere.
"So, do we have plans in place for if the monsters get aggressive if we do make those monster safari things we talked about?" Ren questioned.
"The best option would probably be emergency smokescreens or to deploy some form of offensive scent to drive the monsters off without hurting them, like how insects hate certain scents or how cats or usually repelled by the smell of citrus fruits or spicy smells like curry or cinnamon." Winter suggested. [2]
"And we'll have to make the viewing vehicles as reinforced as possible without greatly compromising speed or visibility." Penny added.
Thankfully having recovered from the attack, Sai continued to follow the metallic dragon. "But one thing we HAVE discovered is that every ten years, Elder Dragons have been documented migrating from the mainland of the Old World to the island we've come to know as the New World. Thinking this would be a rare opportunity to find out more about these amazing animals, the Guild organized the Commission and launched the First Fleet to the New World, for the purpose of establishing a settlement in this new and strange land, as well as to find the reason for the Elder Dragon migration, now known as the Elder Crossing." He continued to explain as he finally stopped walking and allowed the Kushala to go about its day. "The seas were much higher and more treacherous back then and the First Fleet was nearly swallowed by the sea. But luckily, a huge tidal wave caused them to crash onto the shore on some rocks, so they just built a city on the rocks around their ship and called it Astera." He added while in Astera, looking up at a ship trapped on the rocks.
Many were quite shocked and angered by how the host worded that explanation. "How could Sai POSSIBLY think it was lucky for a tidal wave to crash their ship on some rocks!? That had to have been life-threatening and no doubt highly traumatic!" Glynda ranted.
"Right? I'd be having nightmares for weeks!" Velvet agreed.
"I mean, it's better than drowning." Blake told her.
"I do have to say though, that was quite resourceful of the First fleet to build Astera on the very rocks they became shipwrecked on. Impressive forethought to say the least." Ozpin admitted.
"Well, when you have lemons, make lemonade." Jaune said with a shrug.
The Sapphire Star was now on a boat, talking to Aiden and Lea [3]. "And like how a new wave of Elder Dragons came with each decade, the Commission sent a request for a new fleet to aid them every ten years... Mostly because the First Fleet was grossly underprepared. The Second Fleet consisted of mostly engineers and technicians, specifically three engineers to every two hunters- because the First Fleet thought they could get by with only TWO. The Third Fleet is composed of 99% scholars and researchers who eventually left Astera in a great flying airship that is the Research Base, but has since been brought down by a Legiana and stuck in the Great Ravine. The Fourth Fleet is the human resources department, who manage our resources and materials, as well as coming up with the idea of pairing hunters with handlers. Then somewhere along the line, they remembered 'oh, crap. We need HUNTERS.' And so they sent for the Fifth Fleet the largest fleet yet, mostly made up of Hunters." He explained, as he now began to talk to the girl who would become his handler.
This caused quite a division between the cast, half of them laughing while the other half groaned at this news. "They get their information on monster by hunting them so they can bring them back to study them, so how did they expect to do that without hunters? That's like a carpenter buying all the nails, saws and hammers they need, but forgetting to buy wood." Adam said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, that might be just a bit inconvenient, to say they least." Emerald agreed.
"Exactly. Each fleet should have had a healthy balance of workers for every profession rather than focusing on a single point, strengthening one front while the others remain lacking. Inefficiency at its finest." Ironwood criticized.
"Oh, come on! You guys have to admit, it's a little funny. It's a hunting commission, so they stocked up on all the researchers they'd need to study things, engineers to make materials for the hunters and HR to manage the hunters, but then they realize 'wait! We've done all this stuff for our hunters, but we don't have hunters!'" Yang laughed.
"~Now THAT! Is! Irony~!" Tekko sang, to which the rest of the crew who laughed were now rolling on the floor, trying to laugh with empty lungs, so no sound came out.
He continued to talk with his new friends, before suddenly, the boat began to rock. "And the newest Elder Dragon to make the Crossing was the absolute titan known as Zorah Magdaros, an enormous turtle with a shell on its back that is a LITERAL volcano!" Sai declared as the behemoth of a creature was shown in all its glory.
"Holy crap! I mean, we knew it was big, but I didn't realize it was THAT huge! That's insane!" Coco said, taking off her sunglasses to make sure she was seeing the creature properly.
"We thought godzilla was impressive, but I think this creature might put even HIM to shame." Cinder agreed.
"What exactly is the size difference between them?" Hazel asked.
Razara pulled out her phone at this. "That particular version of Godzilla is 355 feet tall. Zorah Magdaros is 845 feet tall. So well over twice Godzilla's height." She answered, causing their jaws to hit the floor again.
"And not only is it big, but its hide looks almost impenetrable. I wouldn't be surprised if it shrugged off a Dragonator." Pyrrha agreed.
"Are you all just ignoring it has a volcano on its back!? I'm willing to believe something could grow to that size, I really am, but suggesting it could grow a volcano for a shell is insane!" Weiss said.
"I agree. It's completely impossible? How would it even be possible for something to adapt to produce lava?" Winter agreed with her sister.
"I mean, you're clearly seeing it. And have you forgotten the AT LEAST half a dozen creatures we've seen either swimming through, spitting out or even eating and drinking lava?" Qrow reminded her.
"That has got to be the coolest thing I've EVER seen!" Ruby said, starry-eyed once again.
"I don't know about that, sis. I'd say it's pretty... HOT!" Yang declared, causing everyone to groan in annoyance, a few tossing pillows at her and Nora summoning and tossing a pie at her. Thankfully, Katana made the pie vanish before it connected with Yang's face to avoid another food fight.
"Lame joke aside, that is so epic! Ooh, I wonder if it can shoot lava from its shell so it rains down on hunters?!" Nora asked excitedly. Once again, this caused people to scoot away from her.
The boat ride was shown again, suddenly appearing to be quite a bit more violent than before. "Unfortunately, the Fifth Fleet arrived a little TOO close to the same time as Zorah, which caused a bit of an overlap... In which the boat got stuck on Zorah's back, nearly killed all the humans on board and DID get my cat killed." Sai explained mournfully as the ship was indeed stuck on Zorah's back, causing fires everywhere and causing the boat to tip straight up, forcing him and his handler to grab onto a board for safety, but a sack hit his Felyne in the head and caused it to plummet into the chaos below, the screen going grey as sad music played while an RIP message to the Felyne appeared on screen.
Even the battle-hardened adults were shocked by the events on the screen, Sai's retelling of the events being equally unsettling. "Well, suddenly the First Fleet crashing on rocks doesn't seem so bad. I think Sai and the Fifth Fleet have the better story." Emerald said.
"That has to be the worst luck in the history of bad luck! And I'm definitely no stranger to bad luck." Jaune said, recalling his week as Cardin's personal errand boy, now thinking he had it easy in comparison.
"The whole ship's on fire! Even if it did fall off Zorah's back, how did anyone make it out of that alive!?" Blake asked, shocked.
"Some water probably splashed onto the ship when it fell back into it, maybe put out the majority of the flames. Still, it definitely couldn't have been an easy journey." Adam theorized.
Then, many of the cast, especially the females, were heartbroken as seeing Sai's cat fall to its demise. "Oh, no! The poor kitty!" Summer cried out.
"Okay, yeah, no wonder Sai thought the First Fleet didn't have it that bad. That loss must have hit him hard." Ilia said sympathetically.
"Agreed. I was too quick to judge him for what he said earlier. It was still tactless, but compared to narrowly surviving a burning ship, I'd say the First Fleet had it easier." Glynda admitted.
Neo even snatched Roman's hat off his head. "Rest in peace, noble Felyne. You will not be forgotten, you poor, lost soul." She paid her respects by placing that hat over her chest, before Roman snatched it back with a glare.
Sai was then shown in the Ancient Forest with his handler and the Field Team Leader, observing a Pukei-Pukei that was investigating a large, lava-covered rock. "Thankfully, everyone survived and the boat fell of Zorah's back just fine, but this caused us to lose track of the beast, as it mostly traveled underground, though we would find a handful of burning rocks that came off the monster." He explained, before the group snuck away from the angry frog-head Bird Wyvern.
Then, a great military operation was shown in the works. "So, the Commander decided that, in order to find the answers to the Elder Crossing, that we would set up a massive siege event in order to capture Zorah Magdaros. A legendary feat, considering no Elder Dragon of ANY kind, even ones as small as Kirin, have ever been captured before... So let's start with one the size of a freaking mountain!" Sai explained, before showing a familiar scene of him glaring at the Commander while crickets chirped in the background.
"I'm starting to believe Sai's frustration with the Commander is THOROUGHLY justified." Penny admitted.
"I completely agree. This man is insane. Who was the one that thought it was a good idea to leave him in charge?!" Ironwood questioned.
"The same person who spends all his time chasing around Nergigante." Ren reminded them, The Admiral having slipped many of their minds until this reminder. "Suddenly, the chain of command makes a lot more sense." He said.
"Still, how would they even go about capturing a monster like THAT!? Even if its giant size wasn't a problem, surely the volcano on its back would be an issue!" Velvet said, struggling to understand how anyone would think capturing THIS creature of all Elder Dragons would possibly work.
"Oh, you guys CANNOT tell me you don't at least want to TRY. Think if we actually pulled it off, that would be so epic! We'd literally be legends!" Yang said, daydreaming that she was standing on top of an unconscious Zorah's shell triumphantly with a smug grin, with the monster having swirls for eyes and its tongue hanging out, with her placing down a flag with her emblem on it.
"If nothing else, I'd like the challenge of bringing down a beast of that size." Hazel admitted.
"I worry about them." Pyrrha said quietly to Ozpin.
"I think we all do." He assured her.
Many hunters were then shown firing several forms of heavy artillery at the behemoth as it slowly lumbered towards them. "And so, we went to work on a two-pronged assault: weakening Zorah Magdaros with fire from heavy artillery, before restraining it with binders to slow it down and going on its back to deal greater damage and bring the beast to heel. Things were ACTUALLY going rather well, before an unexpected visitor came and decided they didn't like what we were doing." Sai explained as he was maneuvering around on Zorah's shell.
Suddenly, a Nergigante appeared and began to attack the hunters on Zorah's back. "No! Stop! What are you doing!? What are you doing!? What are you doing?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" A new voice declared as Nergigante's thrashing caused several binders holding Zorah in place to come loose.
Once again, a division was made within the crew, with half of them being surprised and saddened that Nergigante was messing up the operation for the hunters. "What the-?! Nergi, why?!" Ruby cried out in despair, her heroic image of the dragon being shattered.
"They were so close! Why would he do that!?" Neo said sadly, having grown a soft spot for the prickly monster.
And the other half was confused and enraged that Nergigante actively sabotaged this carefully laid out operation. "What is that flying porcupine think its doing!? They almost succeeded in taking down the threat!" Ironwood said furiously.
"Not being much of a balancing force of nature now, is it? Looks like it's literally just there to screw over the hunters." Roman said.
"But what reason could it possibly have to do so? Why would it literally fly into danger to do something that wouldn't benefit it in any way? That goes against everything an animal would do, no matter how intelligent it is." Cinder wondered.
Sai was now facing off with the Eater of Elders upon the monsters shell. "Yes, as it turns out, Nergigante had also been on the trail of Zorah Magdaros for some time. As I've stated before, the Elder Dragons, while immensely powerful, are still animals: they are born, they grow, they age, they mate and raise their own young and eventually- like everything else- they, too, grow old and must pass on. So Nergigante is aware that this Zorah Magdaros is on its last legs of life and is intent to follow it until it passes on. For while Nergigante is, of course, a more than capable predator, it will not pass up the chance scavenge the corpse of a dead monster, because at 845 feet in length, a Zorah Magdaros would keep a Nergigante fed for a VERY long time." The host explained as the Zorah Magdaros spewed lava back at the smaller, spikier Elder Dragon, along with Sai due to his proximity to the angry Durian.
The crew slowly began to accept the reasoning they were given. "Well, I don't like it, but I can understand Nergigante's line of reasoning. It makes a lot more sense to wait for Zorah to pass on naturally rather than kill something that massive. Even if it managed to win, it would likely sustain massive injury, so the meal wouldn't have been worth it in the end." Winter explained.
"Right. But if Zorah was captured, Nergigante would miss out on the biggest feast of its life. Like you said, I may not like it, but I guess I can understand why it did what it did." Jaune added.
"Still, you would think it would just go find something else, rather than fly into danger and fight a bunch of hunters for a meal it still has to wait for." Emerald said.
"Well, we know these Elder Dragons are intelligent, so it likely knew it only needed to do a few small things in order to free Zorah while exposing itself to little danger as possible. It probably knew it didn't have to take on the entire siege." Weiss theorized.
Zorah Madgaros was then seen smashing its way through a wooden dam. "So, thanks to good ol' hedgehog dragon, Zorah managed to escape. And we were unsuccessful in picking its trail back up. Thankfully, we were able to ask the First Wyverians that called this place home long before our arrival about the beast's location and they agreed to tell us... after forcing me to fight a Rathalos and a Diablos." Sai explained as he and his handler were seen talking to a diminutive man in a conical hat and a shroud.
"Well, I mean, it's great that they told him, but couldn't they have just TOLD HIM instead of making him fight a bunch of monsters first? That just seems like a waste of time." Coco said.
"They were probably testing him, making sure he was up to the task of going after Zorah again. I mean, if he can't beat those two, how would he beat a walking mountain?" Blake pointed out.
"But like Coco said, it is kind of a waste of time. Like what if Zorah would get away in that time or something else bad could've happened? Plus, they must know Sai wouldn't go after Zorah all alone." Velvet countered.
Sai and his Handler were seen talking to the tracker in the Coral Highlands. "And after putting a bit more investigation into the New World, we discovered the land of decay that is the Rotten Vale and came to the conclusion that the Vale is actually a final resting place for monsters: they sense the end of their time in this world is near and make their way to the Vale to die, Elder Dragons included. And specifically, the release of the massive amount of Bio-Energy contained by an Elder Dragon is enough to cause the creation of entire new ecosystems, like the Coral Highlands." The host explained, before showing his handler reiterating his statement in greater detail.
Then, they were amazed when they heard the cycle of life that was the Elder Crossing. "Amazing! We of course knew that many insects thrive by laying their eggs in corpses of dead animals and even that some plants and fungi can grow from a carcass, but for an entire ecosystem to be built upon a valley entirely filled with corpses was never even considered to be possible." Penny said, bewondered by the concept.
"It truly is fascinating what nature is capable of when it is left to its own devices, completely undisturbed." Summer admitted.
"What poetic irony it is, an area filled with nothing but death and decay creates new lands thriving with life." Ozpin said with a chuckle.
Sai was then seen flying on a Wingdrake towards Zorah Magdaros. "And it was revealed that Zorah had somehow been lured away from the Rotten Vale and had gotten lost in the Everstream, a massive underground river that runs underneath the entire New World and the focal point of the island's bio-energy, almost like the very heart of the world. And this was a problem, as even a normal Elder Dragon has bio-energy off the charts, so an absolutely massive one like Zorah would be unfathomable. So a release of this level of energy in the heart of the New World wouldessentially overload the Everstream and destroy the entire New World." He explained grimly as he attacked the monster's head.
Many were filled with dread at the information they had just learned. "So, if that thing dies in the Everstream? The New World's just gonna explode or something!? That's insane!" Nora cried out.
"But then, if you can't kill it, how are you supposed to deal with it?" Ironwood asked.
"They'd have to get it out of the Everstream before it dies. But how? There's no way you're just gonna tow something that massive!" Glynda said.
"Okay, I think we can all agree: no Zorah's on Remnant, right? Raise your hand if you agree." Coco said, everyone's hand shooting up except for Ruby. The girl in question let out a simple "Well...", to which those hands in the air came back down to meet their owner's faces.
The Commander speaking to the rest of the Commission was shown. "So, with no time to evacuate and most of the crew insisting we stay and fight, we came up with a separate plan. We took every last remaining resource we had and set up a second siege in the Everstream. And against all odds, we did it. Even with Nergigante trying to mess things up AGAIN, we still managed to drive off Zorah Magdaros, sending it away from the Everstream and out into the deep ocean." Sai explained as the beast retreated into the water and headed out to sea. "And at some point, it must have reached the end of its time here on Earth, because a venture into the Rotten Vale biome of the Guiding Lands reveals the skull of a Zorah Magdaros, meaning our fallen adversary was indeed able to create an entirely new island absolutely teeming with life from every region possible. Truly a wonder of the natural world." He declared, observing the biomes of the guiding lands and stopping with the region similar to the Rotten Vale, where he looked on the the behemoth's skull.
But they were amazed to learn of the creature's ultimate fate. "Incredible. The creature's body actually became a new island. I figured something might happen where its shell became a small island, but I never would've expected that." Glynda said, astounded.
"To become an island that contains every biome... That's amazing. It must be beautiful there." Weiss added.
"I have no idea how a bunch of creatures just suddenly made their way to a dead monster's body in the ocean, but I have to admit, it is truly unbelievable it could hold such an amazing amount of life on its fallen body." Ren agreed.
Ruby gasped at this. "It's just like the cycle of living from The Leo Ruler! When we die, our bodies become the grass, then the Wildebeest eat the grass!" Ruby said, before flicking her hood over her head. "It is all connected." She said sagely.
Sai and many others were now manning cannons and ballista, firing everything they had at the enormous Elder Dragon. "So, after all that, you may be wondering how exactly do you kill a Zorah Magdaros then." He began as he fired some powerful binders to restrain Zorah Magdaros.
Suddenly, a man with a thick mustache was shown talking to his son. "That's the neat thing: you don't." He said simply, pointing to his son to emphasize the point.
This small clip caused a massive beat for the crew. "What?" Ruby, Jaune, Roman, Ironwood and Winter asked.
"Huh?" Blake, Hazel, Adam, Neo, Pyrrha, Ilia and Coco all questioned as well.
"Come again?" Yang, Qrow, Nora, Cinder, Penny, Summer and Velvet inquired also. Literally none of them had been prepared for an answer quite like THAT.
Sai continued to fire a ballista at the massive turtle monster. "There has never been any CONFIRMED record of anyone killing a Zorah Magdaros. There are rumors that one was killed in an epic siege in the Frost Islands near Kamura Village, the beast facing off against a mighty Dragonship, but this is not confirmed, as there were reportedly no survivors. All that's there now is a wrecked Dragonship and the unidentifiable bones of a giant dragon and while Zorah is indeed giant, it is not the only one." The host explained as he continued to use artillery against the beast.
Sai fired another cannon at the monster. "So, until further findings are gathered, this leaves Zorah Magdaros as the only creature that has never been slain by humans. Even the likes of Dalamadur and Laviente, who dwarf even Zorah, have still been slain by hunters and even the one known as the god of all monsters, Fatalis, has been felled by humans, but not Zorah Magdaros. Even our strongest siege weapons only give it pause. It is simply too massive and too well armored with a mountain for a turtle shell... Humanity may well be incapable of killing it." The host admitted as he continued to shoot it.
"Huh? Now is anyone picturing Zorah fighting against either one of the giant snake monsters?" Nora asked.
"That would be AWESOME!" Coco agreed.
"But even they have been slain. And even the most powerful monster they know of, White Fatalis, has been brought down. But they can't take down this one creature? Even outside of the Everstream? Then what can be done against it? What would WE be able to do against it?" Ironwood questioned, going full paranoid now.
"He does have a point. Things could become quite problematic if the creature refused to be repelled like it was in the Everstream." Weiss admitted.
That just makes it more badass! And it just means it'd be a great challenge for us to either try to bring the big guy down or send him packing!" Yang said.
"I'm willing to give it a shot." Hazel agreed.
Sai was now fighting Nergigante on the behemoth's back. "So it is very lucky for us, then, that Zorah Magdaros is a very passive monster, ignoring humans as if we were little more than ants beneath its feet, only actively fighting against us when we put giant barricades in its path. Still, there are still times when humanity must face off against this massive creature... Because it seems like a Zorah Magdaros winds up back in the Everstream once a month! It's ridiculous!" The host ranted as he continued to battle the spiky Elder Dragon.
"What? No way. I don't buy it. That thing is not passive. It probably looks for any problems it can make." Jaune said. But then they heard the ant comparison. "Fair enough." He admitted.
But then, several spit takes occurred with they heard how often a Zorah can be found in the Everstream. "Oh, come on! This is getting ridiculous! How and why do these giant turtles keep coming to the one river they shouldn't be in?!" Adam asked incredulously.
"It clearly seems like the larger Elder Dragons trade intelligence for their massive size." Hazel noted.
But then, everyone turned their heads to the sound of snickering, looking to see Yang and Qrow struggling not to laugh. "It shows up in the same stream once a month... You guys know it's way too easy to make a period joke right now." He said, to which Yang burst out laughing, Qrow following immediately after, earning a few laughs from the less mature cast, but eye rolls from everyone else.
"Why does my family have to be so immature?" Summer quietly sobbed at the actions of her step-daughter and brother-in-arms.
The Sapphire Star was now attacking a large volcanic rock. "When this happens, we face the beasts in a two-stage assault. First, Hunters are dropped onto the beasts shell in order to destroy the four Magmacores, large rocks on its body that stores large amounts of molten rock inside them. One is located roughly on Zorah's lower back, two are found within the depths of Zorah's shell- which is thankfully not filled with lava like a real volcano- and the last one is a horn located on Zorah's nose... Which is more than 800 feet in the air. And destroying these Magmacores usually causes Zorah to reel violently in pain, so you could see how being that high up in the air with nothing to secure you in place could be rather hazardous." Sai warned as he was on the beast's head, attacking the horn, only for the creature to trash around, causing him to plummet to the ground below with a goofy scream. "And there are also rock spires rigged with explosives to be hit with Slinger ammo to bring them down on Zorah." The host added as he shot giant rocks to bring them down on Zorah.
"Well, for not being able to kill Zorah, they are certainly as prepared as they possibly can be." Ozpin noted.
"And can we acknowledge Sai was a total badass there? He brought down a rock pillar on the monster right next to where he was standing and didn't even flinch. Why couldn't I find street goons that awesome?" Roman asked.
Sai was attacking the Magmacores once again, while they started to spew out lava. "Now, thankfully, Zorah cannot reach these Magmacores and therefor cannot attack you, but unfortunately, that does not mean that the Magmacores are safe, as once they start to take damage, the rock splits apart and bursts of lava will shoot forth from the slag. And lava is definitely not something you want shot on you. That is bound to cause a lot of discomfort. Or, you know, death. Then, of course, a Nergigante somehow ALWAYS knows of a Zorah's location, so one will always show up to try and foil the siege, forcing you to abandon your battle with the Magmacores and engage with an Elder Dragon powerful enough to eat other Elders. And this is when Zorah finally takes notice of invaders and tries to blast Nergi with massive globs of lava from its mouth. And since you'll be fighting Nergigante, you'll probably be within the splash zone." He explained as he was fighting Nergigante, only to be hit with a massive spew of lava.
"Oh, goodie. Another creature that can attack with lava, despite the fact nothing should be able to even touch it." Winter said sarcastically.
"I thought we were supposed to have given up logic as far back as Fatalis. You two are having a really tough time with that, aren't you?" Blake asked, both Schnee sisters looking away with a blush.
The humans were now unleashing an all-out artillery assault on Zorah as it approached their barrier. "And this is all in an attempt to weaken and slow Zorah down enough for siege weaponry to cause Zorah pain and force it out to sea and away from the Everstream, similar to a swarm of biting and stinging insects. It's not gonna kill you, but you're not gonna want to sit around and endure that. But this barricade is all that stands between Zorah and the destruction of the New World, so you cannot let it be destroyed... Which is a problem, because Zorah can unleash massive fireballs from its mouth as well as lava, capable of destroying the barrier with three shots at most. And trust me when I say: the burns that come from his Magmacores are nothing compared to the burns from his mouth." Sai declared as he fired a cannon at Zorah's face as it held its mouth open, a raging inferno contained within.
"You know, it's nice to appreciate the differences between Sai and Rage from time to time... Like how Sai doesn't always go into super gruesome details about attacks melting you to the bone or falling dozens of feet to your death or just ending you in a horrifying way like Rage does." Emerald noted.
"I'd definitely call it a breath of fresh air." Velvet agreed.
"I usually prefer when people are descriptive as possible, but that gruesome injury is the one exception." Penny concurred as well.
Suddenly, epic music began to play as Sai attempted to attack Zorah as it brought its head close to blast the barricade. Suddenly, a message appeared from within the beast's burning mouth: "Ragegamingvideos is better". And this burn, along with the explosion that followed, absolutely obliterated Sai, who let out a cry of defeat and collapsed.
Many of the cast couldn't help but laugh at the dig the monster supposedly took at Sai. "Now that's a devastating burn!" Yang laughed.
"Even I couldn't roast someone that bad." Cinder said with a giggle.
"I'm amazed a medic was able to save him after something that traumatic." Pyrrha added with a laugh of her own.
Sai and the others continued to unleash an onslaught of artillery on Zorah. "Now, you may not think that's impressive, destroying a wooden barrier with three fireballs, but its important to remember: Elder Dragons come to the New World to die, so this Zorah is on its absolute last legs of life, only days away from death, possibly even hours. So if it can still destroy a massive barrier with three fireballs, just imagine what it can do in its prime. That and all the punishment we delivered upon it, even MULTIPLE hits from a Dragonator, one of the strongest weapons available, only managed to irritate the monster into leaving us alone. If it had decided to simply stay and fight to its last breath, who knows how poorly things could have ended..." The host said with dread in his voice as Zorah finally crashed into the water and swam away. "Oh, it's also got a small army of Mernos flying around to attack people and distract us." He added as vicious-looking wingdrakes flew around and knocked Sai down as he carried a cannonball to a cannon.
That stopped the laughter again real quick. "Oh, yeah. Somehow we keep forgetting this thing's an old geezer." Qrow said.
"And it's still strong enough to do that much damage." Summer added.
"So if a frail, old Zorah on the brink of death is still capable of taking down a giant barrier with only three shots, just imagine what one in its prime would do." Glynda continued.
"Or how difficult it would be to simply drive off, let alone slay it. I'd have to send Atlas' entire military at it to do anything significant." Ironwood said in minor panic.
"I mean, maybe, but don't forget, they still drove it off with giant spears and outdated technology like cannons and ballistas. I'm sure a couple dust rounds would turn him into turtle soup real quick." Roman tried to reassure the other adults.
"It's possible, but it would be a terrible mistake to underestimate any opponent, Mr. Torchwick, let alone one of this massive size and scale." Ozpin warned him.
Zorah was seen swimming away again, before Sai was shown walking through the Guiding Lands. "But, despite the absolute devastation it can cause, this is only one situation where Zorah become a danger to an entire island. On normal circumstances, even Zorah Magdaros has an important niche to fill in the world, as by constantly exuding lava as it moves through the land, it creates fertile soil for rich plantlife to grow and, when moving across the ocean, it can even lay the groundwork for new islands made from its lava. And when it finally gives its life, its very body becomes a new island for endless possibilities for new life to spring forth. Truly, the circle of life is a miraculous cycle and there is no limit to the potential for new life that can come from the end of life." Sai finished as he continued to marvel at the land before him.
"Well... At least it's only a danger SOMETIMES." Jaune said.
"But if what Sai says is true about one going to the Everstream once a month, that SOMETIMES is still entirely too often." James argued.
"Still, it's nice that it's lava fertilizes everything. So crops probably come in great whenever a Zorah has been through." Ilia added.
"And it makes a new island where pretty much everything can live once it dies. So, all-in-all, I think it's more of a benefit than a danger." Penny agreed.
"Just as long as you ignore the fact it looks like a walking apocalypse." Weiss said.
"You know what we're gonna ask." Razara said.
"It was so cool! Just it's size alone is awesome, but then the volcano for a shell is epic! And the fact it shoots lava is the coolest thing EVER!" Nora said.
"Yeah, the big guy is definitely amazing. I'd love to get a chance to fight one.
"Right? So can we please, PLEASE get one on Remnant?!" Ruby pleaded, alongside Nora and Yang.
"NO!" The rest of the cast shouted.
"But hear me out! Remnant doesn't have anything like the Everstream, so there's no risk! And it can make places turned into barren wastelands by the grim into flourishing landscapes again!" She tried to reason.
Katana pondered again for a moment, before shaking her head. "Sorry, Ruby. I'm going with everyone else on this one. Even if Remnant doesn't have an Everstream, Zorah is still a very powerful and hard to kill monster. And if even one in its prime were to get agitated and go on a rampage, there would be very little the kingdoms and Huntsmen and Huntresses could do to stop it. That's a nope from me. End of discussion." The ice demon told them, causing the three girls to slump in defeat.
"So, what's next?" Yang asked, hoping to get over the disappointment quickly.
"Oh, let's see here." Katana said, checking Rage's list of monsters again, before squinting with a perplexed look on her face to try and read the name. "I remember what this one is, but these names from the frontier were always crazy... Berukyurosu. I think that's how you say it. Either way, get ready. Because this monster is going to be rather... shocking." The hostess said, starting the video.
A/N: Yep! So we're FINALLY set to get some Rise lores in the near future! You can all stop asking now, because it's gonna happen.
[1] We all know the one. The 2014 airport roar.
[2] Yes, I've looked this up before to try and keep my cats from knocking down my ceramics and such. Cats apparently can't stand the things Winter listed.
[3] It turns out, if you look at the normal Monster Hunter wiki, the Serious Handler is actually named Lea. I know, I'm as shocked as you are! Nice find, Sai! OUR handler does not have a name, though. She's not special enough, I guess. Justice For the Handler.