Monster Hunter: The Telepathic Hunter; Ch44: Return of the Phantom
Hunter Stats (Reminder)
1. Alex Kasai (HR6)
Weapon: Plesioth Finswords Dual Blades (Water Element)
Armor: Kushala 'S' Blade Master + Expert Gem Decoration
Skills: HG Telepathy, Kasai Potential, Focus, Terrain Negate, Wind Pressure Breaker, Thunder Damage Increase, Elder Dragon Influence, Reckless Abandon+1.
2. Beverly Kasai (HR8)
Weapon: Valhalla Lance
Armor: Gravios 'S' Blade Master
Skills: HG Telepathy, Kasai Potential, Sleep Negate, Endurance Up, Guard Increase, Fire Resist, Water Damage Increase.
3. Qilin Kaminari (HR6)
Weapon: Death Prize Sword and Shield (Paralysis Attribute)
Armor: Kut-Ku 'S' Blade Master
Skills: Kaminari Potential, Vitality Up, Strength Up, Fire Resist, Ice Damage Increase
4. Mighty Harold (HR7) (Guest Hunter)
Weapon: Plesioth Fin Blade Greatsword (Water Element)
Armor: Tigrex 'S' Blade Master
Skills: High Grade Earplug, Autotracker, BBQ Expert, Thunder Damage Increase, Dragon Damage Increase.
February 23rd, 2099. The Forgotten Land, Ancient Tower Environs, East Continent.
Alex stirred awake. His body was practically radiating with burning pain. When he tried to open his eyes, he found his vision to be spotty. He was feeling anemic and weak, as if he had lost a lot of blood. "Owww…. What… hap-... -pened… to… me? I feel… so… very… weak… and my body… hurts… like… he…ll. Ughhh…." Alex closed his eyes. He could hardly see anything anyway. He just barely caught a glimpse of the sky, if the dark grey clouds were anything to go by between the erratically moving black spots. "Huh? Wait… I just realized… I'm lying… on something… warm… and fuzzy… and vibrating softly?" Alex could feel that his upper body was elevated compared to his legs.
"You filthy human… How long do you plan on using me as a pillow!?" went an angry voice.
Alex's eyes shot open. "HUH!? Who said that?"
"I'm right below you," replied the voice, just as ticked-off sounding as before.
Alex turned his head to the right. Adrenaline was pumping through his system, and his vision had improved slightly. He made out the head of a horse, with a single azure twirly horn growing out of the forehead. There was a white mane running down the length of the neck. Alex stared at the face for a few silent, awkward seconds, before his eyes widened further. "A… a… a… Kirin!?" The only thing that stopped Alex from jumping off in his shock was his completely injured body resisting any movements besides those of his head. "Rats… I can't get up. I can hardly move."
"Grr… Neither can I, seeing as you landed on top of me, using me to cushion your 'fall from the great heavens.' Just what crazy stunt were you pulling?"
It all came back to Alex upon hearing that. "Crap…! I fell… from the… top of… the tower….! Luna pushed… me off…!
"You were… thrown from the Ancient Tower's summit!? That's a lie… You would be dead, Chikara enhanced or not!"
Alex could not even cringe. He chuckled weakly. "My Aunt… told me I… was the luckiest person… she had ever known. Perhaps she… wasn't exaggerating…" Alex turned his head up to the sky. "I wish… it would rain… Oh, yeah, there's… that bottle of spring water… in my pack. My left arm… is close, but I can't… feel anything from it."
"Ugh, what does a bottle of water have to do with anything? You're a weird human," the Kirin replied.
Alex chuckled weakly again. "Maybe I am…, considering what I'm about… to ask you. Would you mind… giving me just a tiny little jolt? I really need to… get some control back to my arm. I am asking… no, begging for… your trust…"
"My trust? Are you insane? What reason would I have for trusting a human?"
"I suppose there isn't anything I could say to gain your trust. I have no desire to fight you. I really need to get back to my comrades, as soon as possible. Besides, I've already slain one of your kind before, and got a good armor set as spoils."
"What? Ah, now I get it. You're Alex Kasai. You are the one who defeated Raiden… All the less reason to trust you, but fine. You're lucky I'm not nearly as stringent as him. Thunder Element: Brief White Glow."
"Aaagghhh!" Alex felt a short but strong shock to his entire body. "Owww… Couldn't you have lowered the voltage a little?" Alex wiped his face with his left hand. Then he noticed he was now actually able to use it.
"You're welcome. Now, what do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to heal the both of us." Alex reached into his Hunter Pack and rummaged until he got ahold of the bottle. He took it out, opened it and splashed its contents all over himself and the Kirin.
"Ack! Cold! Is this necessary?"
"Yes. Now, hold on a moment." Alex closed his eyes and focused intensely. "Chikara Focus: Water Element: True Healing Spring." A shining green light began to emanate from the water. Alex felt his Chikara drop a lot, but the pain began alleviating and his physical stamina increased. Once the technique was over, Alex promptly got up and stepped away.
The Kirin got up a bit sluggishly. "This is… amazing. I feel as if I was never hurt at all." He turned around a few times and even walked here and there, checking himself out. Once he was satisfied, he turned to Alex. "I must say, color me impressed. So, what happens now?"
"Like I said before, there is no need for us to fight. I don't know how much time has passed since I fell down here, and my comrades are likely unaware that I'm still alive. I must rendezvous with them. And so, this is where we part ways." Alex looked around. He found that the venue he was in was completely unfamiliar. He was in some open space with ruined pillars and stone works. "What is this place? Some sort of secret area or something?"
"I've heard a few monsters and humans call this place, "The Forgotten Land"," answered the Kirin. "Now, I suggest you skedaddle before you attract the attention of Gin and Kin. Their nest is around here and they hired me to guard their young while they went in search of food."
"Gin and Kin? Who are they?"
"A Silver Rathalos and Gold Rathian mating pair."
"Silver Rathalos!? Gold Rathian!?" Alex had occasionally gotten Jaunie to give tidbits about the higher echelons of High Rank and G-Rank rated monsters. The two the Elder Dragon just mentioned were among the most feared of G-Rank, along with terrors like Rajangs, the Solitary Children of Destruction, and Nargacugas, the Lethal Jet-Black Panthers. "Warning acknowledged! I'm outta here!"
"Wait. Before you go… I would like to see you again. You are a most intriguing hunter. Let us meet up again and share a sparring battle, not to the death. You would make a great training partner. I'm sure Raiden informed you of the situation we Kirins face."
"Uh, sure. He did."
"Thank you. The exit is that way." The Kirin pointed using his horn to what appeared to be a wall with a giant hole in it. It was the bottom-most part of the tower.
"Thanks a bunch. Maybe I'll see you in a month or so? Bye." Alex turned on his Khezu Cloak and sprinted off.
Past the hole was a flight of ruined, spiraling stairs. As Alex raced up it, he hopped over quite a few gaps. The stairs led to what appeared to be a dead-end. However, Alex noticed that there were small holes in the wall before him, out of which bits of light and a current of air streamed into the small room he appeared to be in. Experimentally, he felt his hands all over the wall, perhaps searching for some hidden switch or…
"Whoa!" exclaimed Alex as the wall suddenly swung around, pushing out into Area 4 of the tower, the balcony outside. The coast was clear, so Alex closed his eyes and focused. "I really hope they haven't left yet… Ah, I feel them! They're at the basecamp. HG Telepathy: Long Distance Messaging! Beverly, can you hear me?"
"Alex!? Is that really you!? Oh, thank goodness, you're alive!" replied Beverly's thoughts. "What happened to you? You were gone for two hours. I truly feared the worst."
"Um, it's a long story. I'm coming to meet you guys. Um, could you meet me halfway?"
"Sure, no problem. Qilin and Harold are resting. The three of us worked hard to bring those two Fire Dragons down, but the boys did take a beating, especially Qilin. Harold landed the finishing blow on the Teostra and I felled the Lunastra."
"Great! You're awesome, Beverly!"
Two Hours Ago…
Beverly stood up, her head down. She appeared to be shaking, slightly. "How… How dare you…?" Her voice was low and strained. "HOW DARE YOU!"
"Stop giving me that face," replied Luna as she landed on the tower. "I don't care for it. You're going to join him, shortly."
Beverly growled. "No… I will avenge him. You're going to pay for that!" Beverly aimed her lance forward and charged at Luna.
"How pathetic." Luna jumped into the air and unleashed a stream of flames, attempting to keep Beverly at bay.
"Water Element: Tranquil Rage!" Beverly continued undeterred, her form glowing a vibrant aquamarine. Steam erupted as Luna's flames parted around her.
"What the… AAAHHHH!" Luna fell from the air after having been pierced by Beverly's upwards thrust.
"My queen!" Delsol turned to Luna's aid, but Harold had other plans.
"You have some nerve looking away in the middle of a fight!" Harold landed a heavy horizontal slash into Delsol's back. The Male Fire Dragon slid back the force, and was even bleeding.
"Graaahh! How!?" Delsol returned his attention to Harold. "How did you…!?"
"It's called an Asura Drug. It boosts a Hunter's strength for five minutes, then I'll be left with severe fatigue for an hour. I have just under three minutes left to take you down."
Delsol growled. "Why, you insolent human! I'll crush you!" Delsol charged, his Solar Wave aura activating.
Harold got into a guard position, but Delsol never got to him. "Huh?"
"Huf, huf… What are you waiting for? Finish him!" Qilin was there with his blade stuck into Delsol's side. The Elder Dragon was once again paralyzed, yellow static crackling from his spasming body.
"C-c-curse y-y-uooo!"
In the background, as Harold set up for a Charged Great Slash, Beverly was putting work on Luna. Her ability rendered the Elder Dragon's fire attacks useless, and even with how heavy her weapon was, she could somehow evade attacks instead of having to stand still and block. Her movements flowed with the grace of a small stream, but her attacks were as fierce as a river affected by a rainstorm. Luna just kept on piling up wounds, until…
"Argh!" Luna finally collapsed, having had enough. She was defeated. "No… No! How can this be!?"
"You angered the wrong Kasai!" Beverly put away her weapon to her back as her powerup faded. Steam was coming off of her, and she did have a few, non-serious burns. A steaming puddle was at her feet as well. "Ugh, I've forgotten how this feels… It's been too long since I last used this move." Beverly stepped back a few paces before sitting down in an undignified heap. She caught her breaths.
"Luna!? LUNA!? NOOO!" Delsol forced himself out of the way before Harold could land another attack. In his rash move, he slammed into Qilin, sending the poor Hunter rolling.
Delsol leapt at Harold with menace. "Crap!" Harold quickly tried to roll out of the way, but one of his legs was nicked by a claw. "AAHHH!" Harold landed on all fours. Despite the pain, he got up as quickly as he could. He had taken a year after coming out of a long vacation to reach HR7 and he was not about to lose here. "Take this!" Harold swung his blade.
"Oh no!" In his rage at the loss of his mate, Delsol had again leapt at Harold. Everything went dark. A purple line clashed with a red one. "NOOOoooo!" When the darkness broke, Hunter and Monster alike were on the ground. One sported a mortal wound, the other was simply exhausted. "Darn… I guess I'm… going to… join you… Luna….." Delsol slowly died.
Harold was breathing heavily, clutching his left arm. "Finally… It's over." His Greatsword lay on the ground in front of him.
"We did it, Alex…" said Beverly.
"Darn it all." Qilin punched the ground. "We won, but at what cost…"
Hunter Stats
Alex Kasai (HR6)
Weapon: Saber Longsword (Fire Element)
Armor: Gypceros 'S' Blademaster
Skills: HG Telepathy, Kasai Potential, Poison Negate, Thunder Resist, Stun Time Increase
March 13th. The Forgotten Land, The Ancient Tower Environs, East Continent.
After regrouping with his team and leaving the East Continent, Alex had gone home to Pokke, parting ways with Beverly for a season. He was grateful to her for what she taught him so far, but he felt he had been away for long enough. He spent the rest of February taking things a bit easier, while getting in some home training. He even took some time out of his apparently busy schedule to take Anna out on their first date. He took her to Jumbo and, as disconcerting as it would seem, the two even shared a rented yacht that day. Alex's water-based motion sickness was truly a thing of the past, so the two had fun.
Anyway, Alex was here in the "Forgotten Land" to fulfill a request. He smiled as he spotted the Kirin he met before. "I wasn't expecting you so soon, Alex Kasai. It's been what, about three weeks? But I suppose this works for me."
"Hey, I didn't quite catch your name last time," Alex replied.
"I am Raigiri. It will be my pleasure to train with you."
Alex took that as his que to draw out his new longsword. After previously having Vance create a new Iron Katana Gospel, Vance was able to upgrade that to the 'Saber' with mats from the Lunastra that Beverly shared with Alex. Even if this was a training battle, it was still difficult to damage a Kirin, so Alex came prepared with Fire Elemental power. "The honor is mine, Raigiri!" Alex got into his stance: one foot went behind the other, his arms held his longsword in an overhead guard with the point facing his opponent.
Raigiri did a little dance, hopping around a little and kicking his front and back pairs of legs in sequence. "Let's set some ground rules. You have a long sword. No Spirit Attack for you, and no Homing Super Bolt for me. How does that sound?"
"Fine by me," Alex replied. "Raiden called that move "Homing Kirin Bolt." I got distracted by making fun of the name and got the most dreadful electrocution of my life. Not even a Khezu's Thunder Cloak hurt as badly as that." Alex shivered.
"Noted. Let us begin." Raigiri brandished his horn and charged at Alex.
"Here's a move I have not used in a while." Alex ran to meet his opponent. However, he stuck his sword into the ground and vaulted over Raigiri. Upon landing, he spun around bodily with a horizontal slash. Raigiri kicked out his back legs with surefire accuracy, stopping Alex's attack with the tough undersides of his hooves. "Whoa!"
"Interesting… Let's test your reflexes." Raigiri did a short dance. "Thunder Element: Lightning Scatter!"
"Khezu Cloak plus HG Telepathy!" Alex focused as his blue cloak of electricity enveloped him. He began dodging as bolts of lightning came down around him at random. Not a single one hit him, showing how much Alex had improved since Raiden used this attack on him, and how much of a difference HG Telepathy's danger sense made.
"Impressive," complemented Raigiri as his attack ceased.
Alex powered down. Maintaining Khezu Cloak indefinitely throughout battles was never a good idea. "Thanks, but now it's my turn. Brace yourself!"
"Come!"
Alex went forward. He attacked resolutely, but Raigiri proved to be very nimble, no-selling his slashes and swings. He jumped back as Raigiri suddenly kicked out his front legs. "Huh-whoa!" Alex rolled to the left as a lightning bolt struck the spot he just was. It was a moment like that that made him really appreciate how much of an upgrade HG Telepathy was. He was convinced few could have dodged that follow up attack.
"Say, Alex, forgive me for prying but, why don't you go all-out? I'm sure you have a lot more than this. You haven't landed a clean hit on me yet."
"It is true that I am holding back. It is not that I underestimate you, Raigiri. It is just that my Super Khezu Cloak takes a huge deal out of me compared to the regular version. Besides, this is supposed to be a friendly practice."
"I… want to see it. Land a hit on me with it, and we'll stop right here. Thunder Element: White Glow!" Raigiri's body began to shine with crackling white static.
"Leaving me with no other choice? Fine." Alex focused intensely. A flaring red coat of static appeared. "Chikara Focus: Super Khezu Cloak!" Alex held his Saber longsword firmly as he charged.
Raigiri charged as well, brandishing his twirly, blue horn. "Thunder Lance Gallop!"
As the two warriors met, everything went dark. "Fire Element: Fire Slash!" A red line bisected a white line, unleashing a blast of flame as it happened. The darkness cleared to reveal an unharmed Alex in the after pose of his attack. Raigiri was on the ground, sporting a cauterized gash on his visible side. "Looks like I win this one."
"Looks… that way… indeed." Raigiri got up slowly. "I promise I won't lose next time, though."
Alex turned to the Phantom Brute. He smiled as he sheathed his sword. "I don't think I'll be visiting for a while. I'd better make myself scarce before one or both of those two show up to rend me apart. See you later."
"Take care, Alex Kasai."