Monster Hunter: The Telepathic Hunter; Ch53: Old Jungle Lightning
May 1st, 2099. Great Forest Area 5, East Continent Fonlon.
Alex rolled to the left as Moonfang leap attacked. A puff of flame occurred as Kotaru got in one overhead slash before moving away. Moonfang ignored him and went after Alex again. Alex timed the leap attack and countered with a jumping backslash at the correct moment. "Grr."
"Oh, are we starting to get on your nerves?" taunted Alex.
"Don't antagonize him!" admonished Kotaru.
"Shards of Darkness." Moonfang's tail bristled as he raised it up.
"Kotaru, now!" Alex seemingly foolishly charged forward.
"Okay!" Kotaru charged at Moonfang's back.
Moonfang pretended to whip his tail forward, causing Alex to move to dodge, however he had a different plan. "Tree of Darkness." His thick, strong tail swiped down to attack Kotaru.
But thanks to the Danger Sense, Kotaru knew he was the true target and dodged easily. "Yeah, no!"
"Huh!?" Moonfang was caught with his pants down. Alex attacked him with a red glowing diagonal slash into his face!
"Water Element: Single Spirit Aqua Slash!"
"Gyaaaahhh!" Moonfang roared in pain. His tail had lodged fast into the ground, so he could not dodge Alex's attack at all. This cost him one of his eyes. "GRRR! HOW DARE YOU! You're going to pay for that!" Alex jumped back, narrowly avoiding a vicious claw swipe. Moonfang's one remaining eye was now glowing a deep red, leaving a red afterimage with every movement of his head. He instantly got his tail free. "I'll disembowel you!"
"Oh, boy! That doesn't sound good. He's really mad now!" Alex could feel incredibly strong intent to kill. Moonfang was now in a state of permanent enragement. His wrath would not subside until both Alex and Kotaru were dead. "Whoa!" Alex swiftly sheathed his longsword and began devoting himself to dodging as Moonfang launched into a frenzy of attacks. "Yikes!"
"Alex!" Kotaru charged after the two to assist.
"Alex, lead him to the tree," relayed Anna's voice.
"Huh? Okay. I'll do my best." Alex rolled out of the way of a menacing wing slice. Upon getting up, he ran for all he was worth towards the giant tree roots.
"Hold still, you wretch!" Moonfang launched scales from his tail before resuming chase. Alex zig-zagged to avoid the sharp scales. "Argh!" The longer Alex breathed, the more furious Moonfang became.
Kotaru had stopped chasing and was observing the situation. Moonfang's attention was completely on Alex. "Huh!?"
Suddenly, Anna and Ai appeared from the path leading to Area 7 charging forth while bearing the Dark Lance. "Paralyzing Pierce!"
"Oh!" Alex threw himself out of their path.
"What the!?" Moonfang also tried to dodge but he was right behind Alex. "GRAAAHHH!" There was a surge of yellow static as Ai's lance pierced into Moonfang's left shoulder area. He became paralyzed.
"This is it! Kotaru, let's do it!" exclaimed Alex as he unsheathed the Aqua Guardian.
Kotaru used the last of his Friendship Thunder Cloak to get into position alongside Alex. Both hunter's swords began to glow white. "Ready when you are, Alex!"
"This… can't… be… how… I… go out!" Moonfang struggled but his body refused to move. "NOOO!"
"Chikara Focus: Fire and Water Element Team Combination: Scalding Dual Spirit Sword ATTACK!" exclaimed Alex and Kotaru as they unleashed a veritable storm of slashes in perfect sync. Blasts of flames and splurges of water were sent everywhere. "Steam Cross, HAAA!" The two ended with a diagonal power slash in an 'X' formation.
Moonfang took massive damage. "You… cretins… got… me…" he said as Anna slammed him with tranq bombs, causing the heavily injured wyvern to fall asleep.
The quartet collapsed onto their bottoms in relief, with a side of exhaustion in Alex and Kotaru's case. "This was… without a doubt… the hardest quest we've ever done," said Ai.
"You said it, Sister," answered Kotaru, breathing hard.
"I could sleep for three days straight," said Alex. "Let's pack it up and return to base camp. I'll wait here with him for the Transport Blimp to come pick him up." Alex took out a flare gun from his Hunter Pack and shot a bright signal into the night sky. He next took out a Ration and ate it quickly. "Ai, let me see your injury."
Ai got up with help from Anna. "Are you sure you have the Chikara for this? You maintained the Khezu Cloak for a long time."
"I'm going to take a long rest, so it should be okay even if I pass out now. Besides, you got some first aid, right?"
Anna nodded. "I did the best I could to wrap up the wound and restrict the bleeding."
"I drank three Mega Potions to come out of the worst of it, but there is still some damage."
"Alex, I'll stay here instead. Take Ai to the Lake in Area 4," said Kotaru.
"Okay."
"Alex, I should probably stay as well," suggested Anna. "It should be fine. Besides, I'm not as tired."
Alex wanted to say otherwise, but HG Telepathy told him things really would be fine. He could already sense the passengers on the approaching Transport Blimp. "Alright. Now…" Alex went over to Ai's right side and placed an arm around her shoulder to support her. "Let's go."
"Thanks."
Area 4.
Because Moonfang's presence tonight had scared everything away, Alex and Ai made it to the lake uneventfully. The two sat down, with Alex having moved to Ai's left side. He carefully unwrapped her bandages and inspected the wound. Even with the bleeding stopped, it still looked bad. "Ai, I'll be frank with you. Once I heal this, I'm definitely going to pass out."
"Then, how about you just collect some water now and we can do this in the safety of basecamp?"
"No can do. I'm no medical expert, but if I don't heal this now, I think your arm will be permanently weakened. It will make fighting in future hunts super difficult for you." Ai gasped. "Don't worry. I'm sure the others will come for us once the Narga is taken away…" Alex looked up, prompting Ai to do so as well. "There's the blimp. Let me get to work."
"Okay. Go ahead."
Alex smiled as he fished out a bottle from his Hunter Pack.
May 2nd. Pokke Village. 2:00 PM.
The next day in the afternoon at the Pokke Village gathering hall, Alex and Anna were personally awarded their new violet colored Rank Stars by Takahashi himself, commemorating their promotion to HR8.
"Congratulations on a job well done, you two. I cannot imagine how difficult it was."
"I would not want to fight one of those things ever again if I can help it," replied Alex. "The next one won't underestimate me. It'll probably strike at me and my squad the first chance it gets."
"I hear you," said Takahashi. "I promise the Guild will make good use of the opportunity to learn more about this dangerous wyvern."
"They'd better. We fought tooth and nail for this," said Anna. "Ai also took a beating. Alex even passed out from healing her with his Water Element technique."
"So I heard when I visited them first before coming here," replied Takahashi.
"I did not wake up until eleven this morning," said Alex.
"As a matter of fact, you still look tired," Getsu replied.
"I've barely recovered half my Chikara energy. I guess I hit rock bottom yesterday."
"Well then, you should get some more rest. How about you come to Minegarde in a few days so that we can have a proper celebration?"
"Sounds wonderful…" Alex let out a yawn. "Sorry."
Takahashi chuckled. "No worries. I'll take my leave now. Next time I visit, I'll stay longer, and maybe even try the hot spring."
"You definitely should," said Anna. "A soothing bath just melts away your worries and stress. It's how I keep my skin beautiful, too!"
"I'll keep that in mind. Well, with that, I bid everyone farewell."
"We were glad to have you, Mr. Getsu!" said September. Alex noticed the hearts in her eyes and became amused.
May 20th. Pokke Guild Outpost Gathering Hall.
"Hey, Alex, you got a special request," said Jaunie. She handed Alex a letter and a quest sheet.
Alex began to read, "Dear Alex,
How are you? Have you heard of Pink Lobsters? They are tasty giant shrimp that can be found in the Metape Wet Jungle. I want to collect some for a party I'm having in Jumbo. Have you heard about me and Clarence hitting it off?"
Alex paused. "Sakura and Clarence… I totally did not see that coming. Clarence, you sly dog! Way to go." He continued the letter,
"Anyway, around this time of year, there are lots of shrimp, but also lots of High-Rank level monsters. Even quite a few G-Rank level foes. Can I ask you to tag along with me a day or two after receiving this letter? Send me a reply as soon as you can.
Waiting faithfully,
Sakura Rosada."
"Hmm." Alex took a look at the quest sheet next. Instead of having a decided target, it had a list of possible encounters. Under High Rank, there were: Gendrome, Iodrome, Bulldrome, Yian Kut-Ku and Garuga. Under G-Rank, there were: Daimyo Hermitaur, Shogun Ceanataur, and both variants of Khezu and Plesioth. There was also a low chance of Kirin and an extremely low chance of Chameleos. "Well darn. This could either be really easy at best or punishingly difficult at worst. What armor should I use?" Alex turned to Jaunie. "Any suggestions?"
"Since you have such a wide range of possible opponents, the All Resist skill should come in handy. Why not just use your Kirin Armor?"
"Hmm, why didn't I think of that? Thanks, Jaunie."
"No problem!" Alex was rewarded with her trademark carefree smile.
"Well, I'm gonna write my response."
"As usual, bring it to me," said September. As a Guild Official, she was the liaison to the Messaging Service. If Alex wanted to recruit someone far away via letters, she was the one to take care of it for him.
Hunter Stats
1. Alex Kasai (HR8)
Weapon: Aqua Guardian Long Sword (Water Element)
Armor: Kirin EX
Skills: HG Telepathy, Kasai Potential, ESP-F, Spirit's Whim, Element Attack Up, All Resist, Item Usage Decline, Elder Dragon Influence
2. Qilin Kaminari (HR8)
Weapon: Ninja Blade Sword and Shield
Armor: Battle 'S' Blademaster
Skills: Kaminari Potential, Strength Up, Speed Sharpener, Detect, Hunger Increase
3. Clarence Scorcher (HR7)
Weapon: Fire Dragon Sword Long Sword (Dragon Element)
Armor: Rathalos 'U' Blademaster
Skills: Strength Up, Reckless Abandon +2, Thunder Damage Increase, Dragon Damage Increase
4. Sakura Rosada (HR7)
Weapon: Azure Sakura Light Bowgun
Armor: Battle 'S' Gunner
Skills:Strength Up, Reloading Speed Up, Precision Up, Hunger Increase
May 23rd. Metape Wet Jungle Basecamp.
The Metape Wet Jungle was a mountainous area south west of Jio Wandoreo City and the two swamps. The zones here varied in elevation, and the basecamp itself was situated on one of the mountains, providing a spectacular breathtaking view all around.
"Alright everyone. May I have your attention?" called Sakura. Everyone turned to her. "Our destination is Area 8 on the map. I don't know what lies in store for us today, but it would be preferable if nothing too awful happened. Let us all keep on our toes and remain vigilant of our surroundings."
"I can share my Danger Sense with everyone continuously without too much drawback," said Alex. Everyone nodded with satisfaction. "Also, I can sense two large Chikara signatures. One of them feels similar to a Plesioth."
"If that's the case, then we should avoid passing through Area 3," answered Qilin. "This is not my first time here. There might be one in the river today. I say our route should be Areas 1, 4 and 6 to get to Area 7 and finally 8."
"Sounds great," said Clarence.
"Let's do it!"
Alex noticed Sakura was a lot more upbeat compared to before. It seemed having a relationship did wonders for people.
Area 1 was an open space surrounded by tall trees whose long branches and leaves nearly blot out the sky. The ground was cluttered with foliage, and thousands of vines hung down from the branches. The group only found some Kelbi here and moved on.
Area 4 was one of two caves in the zone. The entrance was narrow and it did not get that much bigger before narrowing at the exit to Area 6. The outside was a sheer cliff. The quartet carefully climbed the cliff face to get up to Area 6.
Area 6 was a high, small plateau that provided another excellent view of the jungle. It was also currently ripe with a Velociprey pack of six members but no Velocidrome in sight. "I'd rather we didn't get sidetracked, but let's just take them out and avoid some headache," said Sakura.
"Allow me!" exclaimed Qilian as he ran forward, bursting into Khezu Cloak. He got one surprise kill before the remaining five ganged up on him in retaliation. However, Qilin was unfazed and skillfully waded through the pack, thwarting their teamwork and making quick work. "The pests are no more, m'lady," he said jokingly as he sheathed his sword.
"Show-off," commented Clarence as Sakura and Alex chuckled.
The group went towards a long vine and climbed it down to Area 7. This area held part of the large river that flowed through the zone all the way to the sea, which is how Plesioth were able to swim into it. Thankfully, the Plesioth in Area 3 had not come here, so the quartet quickly moved on to Area 8 uneventfully, passing through what looked like a cave entrance.
Area 8 was an interesting cave. It was not very cold, but it was very watery. The walls were littered with several waterfalls, and the ground was covered in ankle-depth water. The was opening in the ceiling large enough for a Chameleos to enter through. There was quite a bit of vegetation growing here, including cattails peeking above the shallow water. The place was also jam packed with small Pink Lobsters.
Sakura's eyes had stars in them. "There's so many! Okay, everyone! Take these special bags I brought, and let each of us capture six of them." Sakura took out four green bags from her Hunter Pack.
"So, twenty-four in all," said Alex as he took a bag. "Hey, this must be the sturdiest bag I've ever held."
"It's so that the lobsters don't tear it with their pincers," said Clarence. "Now, let's get to work before something nasty shows up."
The quartet took around fifteen minutes to gather up their quota. The Pink Lobsters were nimble and could jet backwards at a moment's notice. Alex was the last one to get his final lobster, and then HG Telepathy warned him just as he was about to get distracted celebrating. "Huh!? Everyone, get clear!" He quickly moved away from his spot in the center of the area. Lo and behold, a Khezu slammed into the spot he just was!
"Wah! Not a Khezu!" wailed Sakura.
"The Khezu turned to her. "You hunters should not have come here! I'll zap the lot of you for disturbing my afternoon." His body began to surge with a blue Thunder Cloak. "Thunder…"
"Not on my watch!" cut in Alex as he went to the Khezu's head and delivered a horizontal slash.
"Yeow!" cried the Khezu as he flinched.
"Clarence, Qilin, let's take him down! Sakura, stay behind us and pelt him with Peirce Shots!" ordered Alex.
"Okay!" replied Sakura as she took out her blue and pink Light Bowgun. She then went adjacent to but still behind Alex
"Roger/Alright!" replied Clarence and Qilin respectively. They got into different positions, Clarence on the right and Qilin on the left.
"You think you have me surrounded? I implore you to think again." The Khezu grounded itself with its tail. "Attack, if you dare!"
"Trying to bait us into your Thunder Cloak? What kind of amateurs do you take us for!?" Alex replied.
"Allow me!" said Sakura as she took aim and fired a Crag Shot!"
"Kyyrrgghh!" screeched the Khezu in pain as the round exploded after lodging into his head. He was interrupted from his attack prep stance.
"Attack now!" exclaimed Clarence. He, Alex and Qilin went forward and began comboing with slashes, getting in some damage. They were forced to jump back as the Khezu did a spin around to give him room to breathe. Electrified steam started coming out of his mouth, meaning he was now enraged.
"Argh! I won't take this sitting down!" The Khezu swiftly turned to Clarence and performed a Thunder Leap attack.
"WHOA!" exclaimed Clarence as he hastily and narrowly got out of harm's way. The attack was so fast that without Alex's shared Danger Sense he would not have been able to anticipate it. Such was the difference in power between Low-Rank and higher ranked monsters. Clarence turned around and tried to get another hit in.
The Khezu recovered quickly from its attack and turned to him. "Not so fast!" He stretched out his head, headbutting Clarence!"
"Oof!" Clarence was sent flying and landed on his bottom.
"Thunder Element!" The Khezu grounded itself again as it brought its head to the ground.
"Oh, no!" exclaimed Sakura as she prepared to fire a Cluster Shot this time.
Alex's Super Khezu Cloak flared on as he dashed in front of Clarence. "Not on my watch!" He plunged his Aqua Guardian into the ground hoping to ground himself and protect him and Clarence.
"Super Ground Surge!" the Khezu exclaimed as seven large bluish-white balls of Thunder Element power shot forward across the ground. Sakura and Qilin were forced to dodge as they were in the paths of the outer ones.
"AAAAHHHH!" exclaimed Alex as he was dreadfully electrocuted even with All Resist plus his Super Khezu Cloak. S.K.C shut down as he dropped to his knees, holding on to his longsword to keep from falling over completely. Wh-what gives…!? This worked before when I used my Master's Replica sword, and that one time when I used Eagle Cleaver… Did this fail because of the Water Element of my Aqua Guardian? Water does conduct electricity after all. I wish I had thought of that before. But there was hardly any time anyway.
Author Note
Sorry for the wait, everyone. Those who try to do too many things at once often get nothing done at all. That's me, I guess. I had push to get this done.
I really want to finish my first ever proper fan-fiction. There are 13 more chapters to go. I'm not following a set plot, but I have left hints as to what we are building up towards. Here is an upcoming chapter list. Head's up, some of you may not like Chapter 55 when it come out; for spoiler's sake I won't say why.
54. Master of the Underground Lake
55. Pincer through the Fog!
56. An Emerald Stench
57. Copper Frost
58. The Child of Destruction
59. Sacred Moving Mountain
60. Rise to the Summit
61. Gold & Silver
62. The Floating Ancient Dragon
63. The End Draws Near
64. Absolute Zero!
65. The Ancestral Dragon G3*
66. A Cataclysmic Battle