FOREWORD:

From here on down, information about the Dungeon starts to get lacking so I was forced to use my imagination.

Udaeus raises its sword and Jonah quickens away just as it comes chopping down to where he had been standing. There is a loud clanging slam as the blade strikes the ground, along with a wind that blows past him.

That sword would have pulverized me if I stayed there! He thought. I need to figure out a plan of attack!

The Monster Rex stares down at Jonah and raises its left, but Jonah can see the punch coming and jumps aside so that massive bony fist strikes the ground to create a crater where he was standing. Then notices something while staring up at Udaeus.

What's that in it's chest?! He thought. Ah, that's its stone!

Upon keening his Insight, Jonah can foresee Udaeus stabbing down at him and getting its sword stuck in the ground. That is when he gets an idea and takes out the Hunter's Pistol.

The Monster Rex does just as Jonah had forseen, then quickens past while still keening his Insight as he manages to get dangerously close to Udaeus, take aim at that stone, and fire. The quicksilver bullet travels all the way up past the ribcage to strike the stone, cracking it.

But not break it.

Udaeus shudders then lashes out with its left hand. Jonah had forseen the hand coming and jumps upward as that massive black bony hand is about to pass underneath him.

Damn it! Jonah thought in frustration just as his Insight shows him something else.

That left hand suddenly stopping and rising to effectively grab Jonah, sending his world spinning as there is a sudden hard grip around him. He regains his senses upon the realization that his left arm is pinned but at least his right one is free and still clutching the Saw Cleaver.

The Monster Rex raises the Moon-scented Hunter higher to stare closely at him as his legs dangle freely.

I should have kept keening! Jonah thought while snarling back at Udaeus. That is what I get for underestimating its intellect!

His Insight shows him a coming tightening of its grip to be followed by getting thrown back down. Jonah manages to furl the Saw Cleaver just as the grip tightens, causing him pain. With all of his strength, he slashes downward toward himself; slashing its thumb so that it gives way and disintegrates to cause Jonah to slip out of its grip to do a free fall. Keening his Insight, the Good Hunter manages to land on his feet.

Damn it! He thought upon the realization that his left hand is now empty. But I have to stay focussed on Udaeus! Time to trick him!

Jonah keens his Insight while feigning a mild injury and bewilderment. It works as he foresees Udaeus lashing out at him with its mangled left hand. While quickening, Jonah unfurls the Saw Cleaver and lunges at the coming hand in a vicious overhead arc to chop through all of its fingers in one savage strike. He immediately turns while looking up at its left arm and leaps while quickening to fiercely chop into the upper part of its left arm, shattering that arm all the way up to its shoulder.

The Moon-scented Hunter lands, just as his Insight next shows a multitude of large spikes sprouting up out of the ground. He quickens away just as a row of large black bone spikes sprout up out of the floor. More of them sprout up and Jonah dodges. More sprout up and again he dodges.

Yeah, he's getting desperate. He thought. Uh, oh.

Jonah next gets the image of Spartoi rising from the ground, and they do so as they make a beeline toward him. He quickens at them, chopping through them to get further away. He looks back to see Udaeus staring back down at him with a now missing left arm and its sword blade pointing down with tip resting into the ground with the blade flat against itself.

I was right in my hunch of its cleverness. Jonah thought. Keeping its sword close like that will prevent me from getting to its stone.

More Spartoi rise and the Good Hunter disperses with them.

Yeah, it's trying to tire me out so that it can deliver the killing blow. He thought while chopping through more Spartoi. I gotta end this as soon as possible.

Then it comes to him . . .

Yeah, I think I will.

Jonah quickens his way over to Udaeus, provoking a reaction from it by having it raise its sword in the attempt to stab him as he can foresee. In order to pull this off, he is certain to keep his Insight keened.

He twirls away just as the tip of the blade stabs and chops through a Spartoi. The Monster Rex raises its blade again and stabs, missing him as he chops through another Spartoi. On and on, all while Jonah manages to work in a rhythm.

There! Jonah thought eagerly as he twirls.

The tip of the blade comes down in the attempt to stab him once again and Jonah strikes hard, causing the black sword to shatter all the way up to its hilt.

Due to the sudden lose of its blade and its continuing momentum from its intent to stab Jonah, Udaeus loses its balance and sharply leans forward as it ends up dropping its arm. The Moon-scented Hunter leaps up on the next spin with the Saw Cleaver high in both hands with an effort of intensity on his face and chops through Udaeus' wrist, causing its hand to disintegrate and its hilt to fall with a clang.

Jonah lands and next quickens up to the base of Udaeus' spine and chops, causing the Monster Rex to fall backward. He quickens up inside of its ribcage to its cracked stone and chops into it, causing the stone to shatter and Udaeus to disintegrate, along with the Spartoi.

The Good Hunter sighs upon taking a moment. The sweat dripping off of him.

What's that Floor below going to offer next, I wonder? He thought.

Jonah reaches inside his coat and takes out his water bottle for a long drink, having forgotten how thirsty he was. He lowers his water bottle while looking at the entrance to the Floor below now being open. He is about to go when . . .

Oh, yeah, the Hunter's Pistol. As he keens his Insight for it. Ah, there it is. After finding it and going over to pick it up.

I have only one bullet left. He thought. I better make it count for whatever monster I might face further down.

The next Floor down greets him with a red crystalline sky that gives the impression of twilight. All around are grassy rolling hills with patches of trees dotting the landscape. Keening his Insight rewards him with the entrance to the next Floor down and large humanoids with horns.

Jonah takes out the Saw Cleaver and starts walking toward that exit. He does not get far when rustling in the grass nearby gives him the image of being jumped by large humanoid monsters with horns. Moments later, from every direction nine Ogres try to get the jump on him with spiked clubs. Three of them are killed in one stroke before the rest could land, then quickens through the rest so that they end up leaving their stones behind for him to destroy, then move along. He does not get far before he is confronted by six more Ogres and kills them all as well.

The next Floor after that one is of forest and ponds. He keens his Insight to get a check of the monsters around.

Nothing. Not even their birthing places. He thought. This must be another one of those safety zones. Let's see if there is anything to eat.

As Jonah feels hunger pangs this time.

It must be noon up above. He thought. Time is hard to measure down here. It seems to fly on the wing while at the same time stand still. I guess I will have another one of those travel breads, but I will be supplementing it with whatever fruit I might find on this Floor.

Jonah takes a travel bread out and eats it. He encounters a lake and takes a drink from it. He pours out the water from his canteen, then refills it with water from that lake. There are bushes with clumps of large dark purple berries. He picks one of those berries and eats it, finding it to have a tart sweet taste and eats some more. After eating his fill, he moves on toward the entrance to the Floor down, finding it by keening his Insight.

He arrives at the entrance to the lower Floor and descends. The Floor below is revealed to him to be a multitude of trails passing through what appears to be stone walls all around, lined with bestial winged statues.

Are those Gargoyles? Jonah wondered. They are! But those seem more bestial than the Cainhurst ones and their wings are more pronounced and on their backs.

The Moon-scented Hunter keens his Insight to see which trail will take him to the next exit down and finds it. He starts his walk and those Gargoyles make their move. Seven attempt to dive upon him, only to get chopped for their troubles, despite being made of grey stone. Three more also attempt to land on him, but Jonah makes quick work of them as well. They all leave their stones for him to destroy.

Jonah quickens along, stopping for a moment to let whatever Gargoyles there are to attempt to dive upon him, then disabuse them of him being easy prey.

In time, he reaches the exit down and descends.

The next Floor down is of mountains that reach high to the distant ceiling, like the Floor above they are also arranged so that there are trails passing through them as well. Jonah keens his Insight and finds the exit going down at the end of one of those trails. He also perceives monsters with bodies of lions and heads, wings, and front legs of eagles.

No sooner does he traverse the desired trail when Gryphons attack him in the same manner that the Gargoyles had done. And just like with the Gargoyles, he systematically slaughters them as he chops off heads, wings, even through entire bodies, leaving their stones for him to destroy.

Jonah arrives at the entrance to the next Floor down and descends, entering onto a Floor that is a forest of huge trees in that they are tall, but are straight with evergreen branches high up. The ground has little in the way of vegetation.

The Good Hunter encounters a massive spider's web strung up between two trees, with strands as thick as spaghetti and immediately keens his Insight to see more detail.

Up in those branches are monsters part woman part spider.

Not entirely like the Nightmare Apostles but close. Jonah thought.

He chops through the web and quickens through, effectively tearing through it. An Arachne quickly descends while screeching and Jonah turns and quickens back at it, chopping its head off. It leaves its stone behind for him to destroy.

In the keening of his Insight, Jonah is able to make out thin strands of webbing around the forest. While the obvious webs like he just chopped through are few, those very fine webs are virtually everywhere.

Ah, it must be an alarm system of sorts. He deduced. Breaking a thread will bring those spider women down upon me. Well then, I shall not disappoint them.

With Insight still keened, he casual breaks a string, causing an Arachne to quickly descend on a thread like a bungie cord while screeching in an attempt to grab Jonah, only to get slaughtered with a single chop when he swung at an overhead arc. He destroys its stone and moves on.

All through that forest toward the exit to take him down to the next Floor, Jonah broke their fine web lines to get the attention of their owners and slaughter them, then destroy their stones.

The Moon-scented Hunter arrives at that exit and descends to the next Floor. There, he encounters what could only be best described as grassy plains with towering craggy cliffs spaced out and rising to the ceiling of this Floor. Jonah keens his Insight to find the entrance to the next Floor below and finds it along with another kind of enemy, only one type like the Floor above, and starts walking. He does not get far when he encounters those enemies in question.

It is a herd of twelve Hippogriffs and upon their noticing him, they make roaring neighs and take flight as they charge at the Good Hunter.

Jonah dodges and quickens around them, chopping through legs and wings, and some necks. At one point, one of them was a second away from divebombing him from behind only for him not to be there as he twirls to his left with Saw Cleaver now furled to be alongside it and slash it deeply through its neck in an upward arc, then unfurl the Saw Cleaver and twirl to his right while wielding it in both hands to chop down through its back in a downward arc. He pulls back just as another Hippogriff attempts to gore him coming from his right side, then spins left to swing low and chop out one of its hind legs.

With the last two Hippogriffs put out of action, he goes about dispatching the maimed survivors. With only stones now left behind, he destroys them and leaves. Further along, he encounters another herd of Hippogriffs, albeit smaller this time with only five members, as they attack from one of those nearby craggy cliffs.

And they all suffer the same fate; as do several more herds further along that consisted of anywhere between six to ten Hippogriffs.

Jonah arrives at the entrance to the next Floor down and descends.

Oh, now this is different. He mused while looking around.

The environment of this Floor is like the inside of a volcano with the ground, walls, and ceiling now of red rock with more rocks strewn about the place. There are black cracks in the walls with red light shining from within them.

This seems more like some place near Yharnam. Jonah thought while wincing at the sight around.

The Good Hunter locates the entrance to the next Floor along with the monsters of this one. He walks along and is soon confronted by Flame Rocks and quickens toward one of them and swings, chopping through one of its leg to take it out from underneath it.

It's a bit tougher than those black ones I fought further up. He noted.

He twirls again and chops through its stumpy rock neck, taking its head off and making it disintegrate to leave its stone behind, along with Kaenseki. The next Flame Rock tries to punch him but misses and Jonah takes that opportunity to chop off one of its arm, then a leg. He does the same thing to the other Flame Rock, and they leave their stones behind for him to destroy.

Continuing on this Floor and the next two Floors down, he encounters and defeats more Flame Rocks.

After the Floors with the Flame Rocks, he is on a Floor with a sandy plain where he is being confronted by a group of thirty Fomoire that stand taller than himself.

They rush forward in their attempt to encircle Jonah, but he quickens at them and chops through several of them, separating their upper halves from their lower halves, all of which disintegrate to drop their stones. Like a whirlwind of death, he chops through them all. Soon, there are only stones in place of those monsters and proceeds to destroy them and moves on.

Jonah arrives at the entrance to the next Floor and descends. This Floor has high but rolling hills over a grassy field that stretches around for miles. It is here that he encounters Mad Bison. The first herd consists of twenty members and they charge at him as a group with the intention of stomping Jonah to death as his Insight had warned him.

But Jonah quickens around to the back of the herd and starts chopping off back legs. By the time the ones in the front had figured out what was wrong and tried to counterattack, they were reduced to several and Jonah quickens behind them and chops off their back legs too. After that it is a simple matter of going around and decapitating the Mad Bison as they thrash about bellowing in pain. They leave behind their stones that Jonah destroys and he moves on to find the exit to the next Floor down.

That next Floor down is a rocky landscape that dips into what looks to be dozens of canyons. Keening his Insight, Jonah finds the exit in one of those canyons and begins his trek to it. There, he is confronted by an Armarosaurus, a monster with three heads, spikes across its body, and a tail with a tip like a club.

Jonah foresees the monster lunging at him with all of its heads, and he quickens around to its left and decapitates one of its heads, making that head disintegrate. The monster roars in agony and immediately lashes out with its tail. If not for his Insight, he would have been struck but the Moon-scented Hunter is quick to twirl with a fierce overhead arc and chops into its club tail, effectively splitting it to cause the monster to roar in pain once more. Jonah effortlessly dislodges the Saw Cleaver and twirls to decapitate the other head, making that head disintegrate, then chains into another twirl to decapitate the last head. And the whole monster goes still then disintegrates to leave its stone behind for him to destroy, then continues onward.

On his way to the exit, he encounters four more Armarosaurus at different points in the canyon and repeats that same tactic against each of them like he did with the first one, though managing to chop the clubs off their tails instead of splitting them.

Jonah arrives at the entrance to the other Floor below and descends it. That next Floor down consists of rocks and sand with more brown in them than red, and not even a single blade of grass is to be seen. He keens his Insight for the entrance to the next Floor below and finds it, along with something else.

That seems like Udaeus. He thought as he is shown the image of a huge monster of that nature. Wait, what was this Monster Rex called again?! Balor, of course!

The Good Hunter takes out his canteen, takes another drink of water, and puts the canteen away. He starts walking toward his destination with a grim expression while thinking out his strategy on how to best Balor.

That tactic I used against Udaeus might work against Balor since they both have similar forms. He thought.

During the Hunt back in his world, Jonah had learned that a tactic that defeated one monster could be used against another monster of a similar nature.

Upon getting close enough, the entrance to the lower Floor melts away to be replaced by solid ground. There is a rumbling that causes a slight tremor throughout the ground.

Balor rises to reveal that it has tar black skin with a dragon head ringed with bony spikes perched atop a long yet muscular neck with bony spikes. It has a large single solid red eye above a mouth full of white teeth as large as the blades of great swords and shaped like them. It has red spots dotting the various areas of its lean muscular body with a raised area in the center of its chest with raised ridges leading out from it to radiate across its chest. Large bony spikes protrude out of its arms that end in large three digit hands with huge black claws. And just like Udaeus, it has no lower body and instead a mass of skin with large bony spikes protruding out of it.

The Monster Rex finally stops rising and glares down at Jonah who also glares back up at it. Balor opens its toothy maw and utters a loud chilling roar.

NOTE:

Balor's description is from a Danmachi Memoria Freese game. It is on Youtube.