Monster Hunter: The Telepathic Hunter; Ch27: Twin Poison

April 22, 2098. Pokke village.

"Urgh…" groaned Alex. He was bedridden from Chikara overuse, defying his limits while severely hurt. He had really done it during the final moments of his face off against Raiden the Kirin. He was just able to make it back to basecamp, where he was rescued by Anna and Corra. "My… head…" He had a high fever.

"Oh, Alex. You troublesome guy!" complained Corra as she wiped his forehead with yet another damp, cool cloth for what was probably the tenth time in two hours. She had been tending to him from dark to first light, and beyond. "The only thing I can say more is… thank goodness you're alive. You must have the highest luck stat I've ever seen."

Alex chuckled weakly. "Thank… you… Auntie… Corra…"

Corra growled. "Just "Corra" is fine! Stop trying to remind me of my age! Sheesh! You're so rude."

Alex coughed once. "Sorry."

The Chief of Pokke knocked before entering. "Good morning."

"Granny, is that you?" Alex attempted to wave, but got into a coughing fit. "Ugh… Bad idea…"

"Oh, Alex, you are awake." The Chief turned to Corra. "How is he, Corra?"

Corra turned to her. "Well, he's alive enough to be annoying. But I suppose he has seen worse."

The Chief chuckled lightly. "He definitely has. Here, give him this." She held out to Corra the canteen she was carrying. "Anna rounded up the ingredients not too long ago. This is a Power Juice. This should fix him right up."

"Oh, this is the good stuff!" Corra took the canteen and turned to Alex. "Now I'm totally convinced that you may just be the luckiest guy in this world. Time for your medicine." Corra slipped one arm behind Alex's back and helped him into a sitting position. She brought the canteen to his face with her other hand. "Drink up."

"I'm ready." Alex took a swig as Corra brought the canteen to his lips. "Ugh. This is almost as bad as a Psychoserum… Huh? Oh… OH!" Alex felt his body tense up. "Whoa… I feel energy filling up my entire body!" Literally, everyone could see Alex's body glowing yellow. Yellow sparks of static jumped out of him briefly, and then the light faded. "I feel much better now, but I still need some rest." Alex moved his arms around freely and with barely a hint of the previous struggle.

"This isn't normal," remarked Corra. "This insane power of recovery…"

"Corra? What do you mean?" asked Alex.

"Ur… Forget it. What matters is that you are fine. Now, if you excuse me, I'll be heading home."

"Why don't you have Apple make you something to eat? I'm sure you must be hungry. The snacks you brought for yourself are done now, right? C'mon, it's my treat."

"How generous of you. No thanks. I really must be going." The Chief moved away from the door as Corra made her way to it. "Maybe I'll come check on you later. Bye." With that, Corra left.

"Hmmm… I seriously don't get her. I know that she cares about me, but she makes it hard to be certain. How would I put it…? Her words don't match her actions."

"Actually, you are quite right. She has always been this way," said the Chief as she came near. Alex turned to her. "Even around Maxwell, she was sharp tongued but gentle. Whenever Max got in trouble, she would berate him even as she patched him up."

Alex chuckled. "Wow. Thanks for telling me this. I think I'll better understand her from now on. This is just who she is."

There was a knock on the door. "Hello, Alex. How are you feeling?" It was Patricia. "Can I come in?"

This is rare! Alex thought. "Come in, Patricia! The door isn't locked."

"Thank you. I hope I'm not disturbing you," said the Guild Maiden as she let herself in.

"No, no. This is fine. Thank you for coming," said Alex. "Your concern for me is well appreciated."

Patricia smiled. "When I saw Anna, I asked her what the commotion in the wee hours of the morning was all about. I was shocked to learn what happened. I can't believe you went to fight an Elder Dragon without informing me or September!"

"I'm sorry. I did go to Mr. Dota for advice. If it weren't for that, I probably could have lost."

"But, you basically tied," answered Patricia. "You really shouldn't be so reckless…"

Alex laughed. "You wouldn't be the first to admonish me on that. Anyway, while you're here, why don't you finally tell me about your country?"

Patricia gasped. "I did say I would. And you were so busy, you seemed to have forgotten." Patricia selected an available seat.

"If you'll excuse me." Alex laid back down. "Please start when you are ready."

"I'm interested, too," said the Chief.

Patricia gathered her thoughts and her wits. "My country is on a continent on the other side of the world. It is a land built upon one of the ruins of an ancient civilization that went extinct a long time ago. This civilization has ruins all over the world. You might have seen some of them during your various expeditions."

"Whoa. I have. There's one in the Terosu Jungle, on the islet from the shore. Area 10."

"Yeah. Anyway, my country is called "Taiyoniho." Our language is "Nihon." Although, I am from a town with its own unique dialect. Do you remember that phrase I said before?"

"'Yari suru nozomi da,' was it?"

"Yes. A more common and accepted version would be "Suki ni shite."

"Cool."

"Oh, those trees you have in Kokoto, the Sakura Trees. They are originally from my country. They were imported here."

"Whoa! This is mind blowing. I never would have guessed…" Alex was deeply shocked.

"Taiyoniho has an abundance of Sakura trees."

"Now I definitely want to visit this country someday. Say, do they have monsters over there?"

"Oh, yes. Probably even more so than this continent. There are species there that are not even found here. They have their own system of protectors. Oh, there is quite a "healthy population" of Lao Shan Lung over there. Actually, we call them "Raoshanron." Interesting, right?"

"You bet. Tell us more."

"Okay. I guess I should say more about my own village. First, I have a request."

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"In my country, we have a particular way in which we address people. We attach a type of word called an honorific to the end of someone's name. I would like to start calling you Alex-san, meaning Mr. Alex, but you don't like formality. Can I call you Alex-kun?"

"Uh… sure. What does "kun" mean, though?"

"Well, it has no direct meaning, but it is used to address one's friends who are male."

"So, it's like saying, "Alex, my friend?"

"I guess you could think of it that way," Patricia remarked.

"Cool, then I accept. Say, what would I call you? I want to fully get in on this."

Patricia blushed, looking very embarrassed all of a sudden. "You can call me… Patricia-chan. I believe you're older than me by a year or so, so it should be fine." Patricia was twiddling her thumbs.

"Okay. Thank you, Patricia-chan!" said Alex gleefully. Patricia's face became like a ripe tomato. She had known the risks, but took the plunge anyway. The can of worms had been opened, and there was no going back.

April 23rd.

The next day, Alex was well enough to leave the house. He decided to head to Vance's Smithy to show him the materials he was able to carve off from Kirin.

"Good morning Vance," Alex greeted.

"Yo, yo, and good morning," Vance greeted in reply. "I heard you were injured. Are you feeling better now?"

"I sure am. Um, I'm here to show you some interesting materials I got for my trouble." Alex placed his hunter pack on the counter and started unloading.

Vance's eyes widened. "Alex, you… you fought and defeated a Kirin!?"

"Yup. But it was far from easy. It's the reason why I was bedridden."

"Wow. The last time someone brought Kirin 'mats' to me was when Maxwell slayed one. That was almost ten years ago." Vance reminisced for a few seconds. "Alex, in three days, I can make for you one of the most sought after armor sets known, the Kirin EX. Just like our Mafumofu Armor, it's multi purpose, able to be used with any weapon class. I'm just going to need some Kut-Ku webbing and Khezu hide to go with it."

"Wow! This is so cool! Hmm… I have some Khezu hide, but I think I'll have to hunt another Kut-Ku to get the webbing."

"No problem. I can just make the parts that don't require the webbing in the meantime, such as the helmet and chest piece. I need the webbing for the joints in the arm and leg parts."

"Got it. Let me fetch the Khezu hide."

"Ah, I almost forgot. Bring some Thunderbug Juice as well. Two bottles should do."

"Okay." Alex replaced his hunter pack to his back and turned to run towards the house. A few minutes later, he returned. "Here you go," said Alex as he placed the pieces of hide and the two bottles of Thunderbug Juice on the counter.

"Thank you. Have a good "rest of the day!" Later."

"Bye, Vance. I'll see you when I get the webbing." Alex decided to go see Mr. Dota, to tell him of his narrow victory against the Kirin.

Hunter Stats

1. Alex Kasai (HR4)

Weapon: Raven Tessen Dual Blades

Armor: Gypceros Blade Master

Skills: Telepathy, Kasai Potential, Stun Resist, Poison Negate, Thunder Resist, Fire Damage Increase

2. Kotaru Shiki (HR3)

Weapon: Basarios Rock Hunting Horn (Fire Element) {White, Yellow, Light Blue}

Armor: Khezu Blade Master

Skills: Quick Recovery, Wide Area, Thunder Resist, Paralysis Negate

April 24th. Terosu Jungle, Area 2. 1:15 PM.

Today, Alex partnered up with Kotaru for a team siege against Jumbo Village's new problem, a pair of especially vicious Gypceros.

"The final blow!" exclaimed Alex as he dodged a Fire Spit attack. He was facing off with a Blue Yian Kut-Ku, a lucky find. "Dual Blades Dance!" Alex attacked with deadly grace, finally bringing down the Kut-Ku.

"Nice kill, Alex!" praised Kotaru on the side. He had participated in some, but ultimately let Alex handle most of the fight. He was saving his energy and focus for the inevitable rematch he was to have. He would get back at a Gypceros to regain his honor.

The Kut-ku gave its final cry as Alex put away his gold and purple fans made from Garuga materials. "Time to obtain some Kut-Ku webbing for Vance!" Alex took out his Carving Knife. "Hey, Kotaru! Come give me a hand. Don't you want some materials for yourself?"

"Oh, what the heck; why not?" Kotaru bounded up to help Alex, Carving Knife in hand.

Once they were done, Alex drank a Psychoserum and focused. "Okay… I sense two signatures in Area 4. It must be our targets."

"Well then, let's get a move on." Kotaru and Alex began to walk.

Kotaru's weapon was shaped like a guitar, however all Hunting Horn weapons were played like… well, a horn. There was a part that one blew air into to operate the horn mechanism, and a switch to select a note. All Hunting Horns had the White Note, while the remaining two varied with the weapon. The White Note was a fundamental note, as the self-improvement buffs it granted eliminated the speed penalty of wielding such a heavy weapon as well as making it easier to avoid bouncing and leaving one's self open to retaliation. However, a few high level Hunting Horn used the rare Purple Note instead, which granted even greater buffs than the White Note.

Area 4.

Alex and Kotaru came into the area with weapons already drawn. They were almost immediately noticed. "Oh, boy," said Alex.

"Well, what have we here? Bro, check this out." The first was a regular Gypceros.

The second was a variant, a Purple Gypceros. Replace the dull grey coloration with a dull purple, with a green stripe over the eyes. "A couple of Hunters. Let's take 'em out."

"Sorry, but we're gonna take you two out!" Alex corrected the two. "Kotaru, follow my lead."

"Got it."

Alex and Kotaru went forth. The regular Gypceros charged first. "Break!" Alex exclaimed as he went left. Kotaru went to the right. Alex then went in for an opening attack. "Hiya." Alex did a short combo, before jumping back as the Gypceros tried to peck him. "Take this!" Alex cross slashed and broke the crest.

"Grr! You'll pay for that!"

"Not likely," Alex replied. He crouched as the wyvern tried to nail him with its tail.

Kotaru was facing off with the Purple Gypceros. "Hup!" He dodged as the wyvern spat a ball of poison his way. "I am not doing this!" Kotaru brought out his weapon. "Take this!" He performed a feint, a feat only possible while under the power of Movement Speed Up. Just as the wyvern started flying backwards, Kotaru used his forward momentum to rush forward, following up with a rising bash on the bird wyvern's chin, a flash of Fire Element occurring on hit. The wyvern lost control and collapsed. "Take this!" Kotaru smashed his Hunting Horn into the Wyvern's now vulnerable head, scoring immense damage and destroying the annoying crest. Now neither wyvern could use their annoying blinding flash attack. "How do you like that!" Kotaru prepared to finish off the wyvern then and there.

"Oh no you don't!" The Gypceros Alex was facing suddenly broke off in a run at Kotaru, aiming to save its downed brethren.

"What!? Hey, get back here!" Alex gave chase, annoyed at being ditched mid fight. "Grr! Thunder Element: Khezu…"

Kotaru swiped his hammer as soon as the regular Gypceros bared down upon him, smashing it off course by the face. "That's for what you poison wyverns have done to me!" Kotaru placed his full attention on his assailant. Behind him the Purple Gypceros got up, and prepared to attack.

"Kotaru, look out!" Alex flared on his Khezu Cloak as he rushed to the aid of his friend.

"Hup!" Kotaru rolled forward as the Purple Gypceros tried to peck at him.

"Take this! Dual Blades Slash!" exclaimed Alex as he got within range. He cross-slashed the wyvern's left leg, causing it to stagger in pain. "For the finish! Pouncing Wolf Slash!" Alex jumped and did a downward powerslash at the wyvern's neck, eliciting mortal damage.

"NOOO!" cried the Purple Gypceros as it finally collapsed.

"Brother!" The Regular Gypceros took flight and started circling. "I'll get you two if it's the last thing I do!"

Kotaru took the opportunity to go into Recital Mode. "White, White, White, White! Make us Swift and improve our attacks!" Kotaru played the song and both he and Alex were enveloped in a white glow. "Get ready, Alex. You know what to do!"

"Okay, Kotaru. Got it." Alex steeled himself, while Kotaru went out of Recital Mode. The Gypceros began descending to attack. "Here he comes!"

"You're mine!"

"Kotaru, I'll attack first. You'll deliver the final blow."

Kotaru nodded. "Alright!"

"Haiyaa!" Alex jumped and powered slashed as the Gypceros drew near.

"AAAHH!" The Gypceros crashed hard into the ground.

Kotaru quickly went to the head as Alex got off of the wyvern's back. "Fire Smash!" Kotaru swung his Hunting Horn in a circle before bashing the Gypceros' head in.

"Nooo…. I… lost…" The Gypceros cried his last.

Alex came up to Kotaru, and the two fist bumped. "We did it!"

"Yeah. I've gotten my honor back. Well, let's carve them up, and return to Jumbo."

"Right."

Between them two, Alex and Kotaru got to work.