Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Monster Hunter, only how the story goes. The characters and world of Monster Hunter belongs to Capcom. The only thing that I do own are the OC's of the story. I do apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: No time skip this time, but I do plan for this chapter to be a pretty long one.
\_|_/
Chapter Six: Rulers of the Wildspire
The next morning, Jacob woke up feeling really hot and sweatier than usual. It was then he remembered that he had spent the night in the desert and that it became really warm in the morning. Rising up on the cot, Jacob stretched a bit before crawling out of the tent. When he stood to his full height, he pulled out the map to see what else was out here in the desert of the Wildspire Wastes. He saw that there were a few more camps out there and figured to at least see if there was anything useful at them. With his pack, his dagger and the journal in hand, Jacob walked out of the camp. He climbed down the vines and turned to see a few Apceros walking by, not paying him or the Kelbi any mind as they walked down the slope. Making sure to avoid spooking them, any of them, Jacob kept his distance before making to one of the openings in the rocks. He walked down the path and came to the river that started from the falls and went under the rock bridge before continuing on. Before walking up the bridge of stone again, Jacob took a glance to the waterfall and the tunnel that was hidden behind it. Quickly shaking his head to focus himself, Jacob focused on what was in front of him and started up the path. He went through the cave and came out the other side of it without attracting any attention. Turning to his left he started for the forest where he heard the growls from that creature yesterday. When he neared an opening, Jacob remained still to see if he could still hear any growling coming from the dragon like creature that he heard the previous day. When he didn't hear anything, Jacob took a deep breath and remained on guard as he entered the forest area. All seemed pretty peaceful in the area as some flying creatures flapped overhead. They looked down at the teen as Jacob made his way deeper into the forested area. He came into a more open area within the trees and saw lots of vegetation growing around him. However, when he turned to walk in another direction, he stumbled a bit and slowly looked down to see that he had stepped into a pretty big footprint. From the looks of it, there were up to three toes on whatever was here yesterday. Deciding not to linger in case it was to return, Jacob quickly stepped away from the footprint and turned to head off in another direction. He came to another opening in the area just when he heard the sound of flapping coming from overhead. Having an idea of what it could be, Jacob quickly hightailed it out of there. He cleared the opening but stopped a moment to look back. Even from the distance, he saw a large green wyvern descend into the forest. Curiosity compelling him, but also warning him to not get too close.
Moving closer to the entrance, Jacob peered back into the forested area to see the wyvern, who had a hide is a dull, muted green and the lower mandible features a long, protruding chin spike. On the wyvern's upper back and wingtips were covered in a moss-like fur and while her clubbed tail lacks bony spikes. The wyvern seemed to be looking around for a bit. Remembering to keep out of sight, Jacob quietly pulled out the journal and quickly flipped through the pages on the monsters. He found a similar image and quietly read aloud, "Rathian, female counterpart to the Rathalos. Though her tail lacks bony spikes of her counterpart, it makes up for this fact by having sharp and highly poisonous needles."
"Okay, so I'll definitely need to avoid this one." Jacob decided as he closed the book and looked back into forested area. He watched as she scratched the ground a moment before moving off further into the area.
Deciding enough was enough, Jacob tuned and walked on through the new area. He found himself on the outskirts of the maze-like area of the Wastes. Before putting the journal away, he took a quick look at the map again for where the other camps were located. There was one located in the middle of the maze not too far from where he was. Closing up the book, Jacob put it away and started down into the maze. Taking a left, he came upon a small herd of Kestodon standing underneath an arch of stone. He thought of trying to rush through them, but saw a wall of vines on a wall not too far from him. Hoping to find another way around them, Jacob dashed for the wall of vines and ascended up onto a higher level of the Wastes. He found himself amongst a large collection of cacti. He saw a path through the cacti ad quickly went through it. But as he neared the end of the path, he noticed a particular round looking cactus sitting on the edge of collection. Kneeling down, Jacob grabbed hold of it and found it not to prickly. With a slight tug, he managed to break off a piece of the cactus and fell onto his rear. He winced from the slight bruising from his backside, "Ouch."
Getting back up, Jacob looked to the cactus in his hands and saw that the cactus piece was mostly intact. No holes could be seen anywhere. Deciding to keep it for later, Jacob placed it into his pack before moving to the other side of the level. He was glad that there were some vines that allowed him down and he started his descent. When his feet touched the ground again, Jacob glanced about to see if anything was out and about. He heard something approaching from above where he just was and frantically looked for somewhere to get out of the way. He noticed an opening in the rock wall. Making a dash for it, Jacob managed to reach for it and looked back. He didn't hear anything, but he did hear some squawking. The teen quickly jumped down and landed in a crouch. Pressing his back against the wall of vines, he waited with slow breathing and glanced up to the opening. The sound of squawking didn't seem to stop, but it didn't get any closer.
Looking ahead, Jacob's eyes widened when he saw that he had found the second camp. Rising up on his feet, Jacob walked into what was an indention in the rocky area. Jacob quirked a brow at how bad of a place this was located. He thought that all it would take would be a Rathian or something else pretty big to look down and they'd be able to level the camp. Deciding not to stick around for too long encase that were to happen, Jacob walked into the camp to see that the tent was ruined and the cookout area was a mess. The only things that seemed to be in better shape was the chest and something leaning against the far wall of the camp. Jacob walked up to whatever it was and became surprised when he saw not only a large thin sword leaning against the rocky wall, but what appeared to be two really big knives of sorts. Recognizing the sword as a katana, he picked it up by the sheath before grasping the hilt. He slid it out and took a look at the blade. The edge was still sharp and he figured that it would be useful for helping to defend himself. Putting the katana into its scabbard, Jacob placed the sword's belt over his shoulders. Jacob then picked up the two big blades and swung them around a bit. Seeing that they were pretty sharp as well, he decided to take them as well. Thankfully, they came with a holder of their own and he managed to attach it to his back as well after rearranging the katana.
When all was said and done about his new weapons, Jacob moved on to the chest and opened it up. There wasn't much, just a few extra vials of potions and some other things that didn't seem to be very helpful to him. Taking the vials out, he placed them into the pack and decided to get out of there.
Jacob managed to climb back up the wall of vines and didn't hear or see whatever was making the squawking sounds he heard earlier. He hoped that he could make it to the other two camps before he had to head back to the Ancient Forest. Pulling out the map again, he looked to see that there was a clear path to where he needed to go. Jacob started down the path and turned to the right. The sound of a deeper growl put him on alert and he looked back to see a Barroth, maybe the same Barroth coming down a path. Without even thinking, Jacob started running down the path and came upon a rock formation in the middle of a path before a large puddle of water and a fork in the road. Jacob looked about and saw that he could try the two paths, but thought that he might be overrun within moments by the Barroth. He looked to his left and noticed a spot that he might be able to crawl and hide in. Dashing for it just as the Barroth was coming down the path, Jacob dropped down and started crawling in just as the Barroth came upon him.
When he was halfway in, Jacob tensed up when the Barroth lowered its head down to the opening and growled again. Jacob waited to see what it would do and scooted in further when it started rubbing its head against the rocks to try and get to him. When he reached the other side of the crawl space, Jacob glanced back to see that the Barroth finally gave up and went on its way. Taking a deep breath, he turned to the darkness of a cavern that was surprisingly not too dark. Moving further into the tunnel, Jacob gasped when he came upon a large white wall. But squinting he found himself actually before a large spider web, evident by the spider sitting in the middle of the web. With a quick motion of his hand, he caused the spider web to fall and the spider scurried away. With the obstacle gone, Jacob went further.
The human teen found himself within a vast cavern that had a little sunlight pouring in from cracks in the ceiling and from openings in the walls on path across the gap. Looking down, he found himself at the top of a large drop that had a wall of vines that went down both this drop and another. Jacob quickly made his way down and found himself before an underground river. Across it was a wall of vines that went up another wall and to the path above him. A gust of wind blew behind him and he looked to see an opening in the rock wall. He walked down the path to see a cliff face and blow into further darkness. But when he walked a little further, he suddenly found himself at the third camp that he was searching for.
This camp was in pretty decent shape like the first camp that he found when he came to the Wildspire Wastes. He looked about the camp, but didn't find anything really useful unfortunately. When he looked in the chest, he was disappointed even more to find nothing in it. He didn't think it was a total bust as he thought that this would be a good place to fall back to.
Leaving the camp, Jacob waded across the shallow underground river to the wall of vines. Ascending up to the path, Jacob soon found himself next to a bunch of stalactites and what appeared to be hard looking fruits. He plucked one off of the stem before putting it into the bag. He looked both ways of the path before deciding to consult the journal for directions of the final camp. Pulling out the journal again, he looked to find that the last camp he was heading to was up north. And the way he needed to go was to his left.
But as he walked down the path, Jacob became a little worried when he found himself before a nest and a few piles of bones. The teen gulped as he realized that he was in a beast's lair and they could come back at any moment. Jacob glanced about before making his way through the lair. He glanced at the nest and found a trio of eggs just sitting there. Knowing better than to mess with them, Jacob kept going and neared the exit of the lair. But just when he had made it halfway up the path and was about to be in the humid desert again, the sounds of familiar squawking stopped him in his tracks. Looking back, Jacob saw two large bird-like creatures coming in. They looked like large dodos with clawed hands. With a quick trip of his study session, he remembered the name Kulu-Ya-Ku.
Jacob noticed how hungrily they were looking at the nest and the unguarded eggs within it. Jacob thought of minding his own business as he turned to get out of there, but as he thought about it, he knew that those eggs wouldn't survive with these two about. Making a choice, the human reached behind him and removed the two smaller blades from his back. They slid from their place with ease and Jacob turned to face the two egg thieves. The two Kulu-Ya-Ku walked right up to the nest and one of them started to reach its talons for one of them when Jacob placed one of the blades safely under his arm and picked up a rock with his free hand. He placed it into the slinger before firing it at the face of the other Kulu-Ya-Ku. The rock smacked into the face of the Bird Wyvern and they both squawked in surprise. They looked over to the human and he shouted, "Leave them alone ya jerks!"
The Kulu-Ya-Ku's both squawked before rushing from the nest towards the human teen. Jacob held the blades at the ready and jumped out of the way when one of them pecked at the ground as it came through. With a swing from his blade, he sliced through the arm of the attacking beast and it screeched in pain from the blow it received. Jacob then followed up with another quick slashes and the Kulu-Ya-Ku moved back from the deadly weapons. The other came in with a swipe of its claws and Jacob moved to block it. He found that the Dual Blades didn't offer much protection as he was knocked onto his back from the force of the blow. Jacob tried to scooch away from the two as the first tried pecking at him again. With a lash of his foot, he kicked the Kulu-Ya-Ku against the face. Though the move didn't do any damage, it did seem to make it much madder as Jacob was able to get his footing under him. The two Bird Wyverns came at him with low screeches and he held his blades at the ready. One of the Kulu-Ya-Kus suddenly started to dig in the dirt and managed to pull a large rock from the ground. Thinking that he was in trouble, Jacob started to back away from the two and yelped when the Bird Wyvern with the stone leapt at him and brought it down hard. Jacob rushed to one side of the lair and turned to see them coming at him again. With a holler, Jacob rushed forward and sidestepped when the one with the boulder tried to bash into him with the rock and managed to slash its back leg. The Bird Wyvern squawked from the pain and the teen followed up by another swipe of his blade that went along the creature's tail. He was unprepared for the second Kulu-Ya-Ku when it knocked him off his feet with a swipe of its talons. Jacob grunted when his back hit against a tall rock and winced from the pain that he had received. Keeping a strong grip on his Dual Blades, he looked up to the two Bird Wyverns looked at him with what could pass off for glares.
But all three were interrupted when they heard the sounds of flapping coming from the entrance that led up a small cliff. They looked to see the Rathian fly into the cave with an ear-splitting roar. She landed before the nest and protectively stood over it. Jacob worried for now he was caught between the two egg thieves and a ticked off mother. The two Kulu-Ya-Ku's squawked at the danger that they found themselves in, but tried to seem intimidating by standing their ground. The one with the boulder in its claws leapt at the Rathian, but the queen of the skies stepped back and the rocky weapon caused cracks within the sandy ground. The Rathian took to the air for a moment to try and swipe at the Bird Wyvern with her poisonous tail, but the appendage bounced off when the Kulu-Ya-Ku used the boulder to protect itself. The Kulu-Ya-Ku then moved back further into the lair and the Rathian chased after it.
Jacob wondered how he was going to get out of this when he noticed that the other Kulu-Ya-Ku had moved. He looked around to see that it had moved around the battle and was trying to go for the nest while the mother monster wasn't looking. Thinking it a sneaky move on its part, Jacob looked around and saw a good-sized bone. Putting away the Dual Blades for the moment, Jacob took the piece of bone and applied it to his slinger. He aimed for the Kulu-Ya-Ku and launched the projectile. The bone piece nailed the Bird Wyvern in the side and it made it yelp in both pain and surprise. Jacob started moving towards it but decided to switch tactics a bit. Instead of going for the Dual Blades again, he reached for the hilt of the katana and pulled it out. Holding the blade at the ready, he dropped down and slid underneath the Kulu-Ya-Ku while running the katana along the belly of the beast. It was a shallow cut, but it was enough to cause the Bird Wyvern to shriek in pain. When he rose onto his feet again, Jacob stood between the Kulu-Ya-Ku and the nest. Jacob readied himself as the Kulu-Ya-Ku turned to face him again. They both swung their respective weaponry at each other and miraculously, the claws and blades bounced off one another.
The Rathian was still trying to land a hit on the Kulu-Ya-Ku it was facing but was having some trouble when it jumped back when she swung her tail. But when her back was turned, the Flying Wyvern happened to see the human and the other Kulu-Ya-Ku going at it beside her nest. She roared as she became furious at the two so close to her brood, but she was blindsided when the Kulu-Ya-Ku she was facing landed a heavy hit against the side of her head with the rock.
Jacob glanced away from his fight to see the Rathian fall to the ground. His lack of focus cost him as well as the Kulu-Ya-Ku he was fighting knocked him to the side with one swipe of its claws. Jacob fell onto his stomach with a grunt and shakily propped himself up on his elbows. He looked back to see to see the Kulu-Ya-Ku reaching for the nest again while the other one was keeping a watch on the downed Rathian. Tightening his grip on his sword, Jacob quickly got off the ground and swung the blade over his head with both hands holding it. With a yell he sliced right through the Kulu-Ya-Ku's hand, flesh, bone and all. Jacob then moved protectively in front of the nest again and pointed the bloodied blade at his adversary.
Everything seemed silent as the appendage had fallen away from the rest of the body. Jacob, the other Bird Wyvern and the Rathian all looked to the Kulu-Ya-Ku as it stumbled away from the nest and looked down at its bleeding stump and let out a blood curdling screech that went up to the heavens. The distraction allowed the Rathian to get up with a roar and she flapped into the air before spinning around. The more bulkier part of her tail smacked against the side of the other Kulu-Ya-Ku and sent it flying into the one with the severed hand. They both crumbled into the dust and Jacob looked up to the ticked off Rathian. But her focus didn't seem to be on him for the moment. She was looking at the two egg thieves. The Rathian opened her mouth and Jacob could see red at the back of her throat. Guessing that she was about to use her fire breath, he decided that it might be best to high tail it out of there.
The two Kulu-Ya-Kus were starting to get up again when the Rathian unleashed her fury upon them. She shot a fire ball at each of them and both Bird Wyverns screeched in pain from the fiery projectiles when the fires exploded against them and knocked them off their feet again. While the one that had both of its clawed hands whimpered as it got back up, the other one had fallen over again due to blood loss and being burnt alive. It squawked in agony from its wounds while its companion started to flee. It rushed right past Jacob who was trying to hurry out of the Rathian's lair and he watched as it ran into the sunlight and sand covered hills. Jacob looked back to see the Rathian move past the dying Bird Wyvern to its nest to check on her eggs. Jacob didn't linger a moment more as he started running out again. From down the hill, the Rathian looked up from its nest to see the human disappearing from her sight. She cocked her head a little before looking back down at her potential offspring.
Jacob panted when he made it to the top of a hill that was a good distance away from the entrance to the Rathian's lair. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself from all the excitement. Shaking his head he commented, "I don't know who put a camp so close to a nest, but sure do hope that they knew what they were doing."
He took a deep breath and looked at the new location that he was in. There were dunes just about all around him, some large rock spires jutting out of the sand here and there. But what really surprised him was the really big rock spire that towered just about everything else in the area. Speaking of the area, Jacob looked around again and didn't see any signs of the piece of fried chicken that had ran through earlier. Not dwelling on it, Jacob shook his head and returned the katana to its scabbard before pulling the journal out of his pouch again. He flipped it to the Wildspire map and read the notes about the spire, "The Grand Spire is the biggest landmark that can be seen even from the mountains before the Great Ravine. Located underneath the Grand Spire are the Commission's camp and that of the Grimalkynes as well.
"Note: The dunes before the spire are the feeding grounds of the Barroth and are frequently patrolled by Diablos. The Diablos burrow underneath the sands and will attack intruders on sight." He read as well, and getting worried. Jacob looked about to see if there was any movement in the sands, but luckily, all was still for the time being.
Jacob thought it best to move silently and slowly to avoid drawing any attention to himself if that one movie taught him anything. Putting the journal away, Jacob started to carefully move across the desert. Glancing up when a shadow passed over him, he looked to see creature's flapping overhead. Jacob thought they were somewhat like the creatures back in the Ancient Forest. When reaching the top of another dune, Jacob looked down to see a spot of odd-looking ground.
But before he could wonder about it or go in a different direction, the ground started to shake. Jacob looked about to see what was happening and saw a big shape moving towards him. He recognized it as the Barroth from earlier and quickly ran to get out of the way. The Barroth slammed its head into the sand and created a large groove through the dunes as it ran after him. Jacob yelped when he ended up tripping over his feet and rolled down the sand dune. Coughing as he stood back up, Jacob looked up to see the Barroth raising its head and a puff of steam came from the crown on its head.
Jacob removed the Dual Blades from his back and prepared for what was about to get hairy. He glanced behind the Barroth and saw dark clouds rolling over the Wildspire Wastes and thought that a sandstorm was coming in. The teen was snapped back into focus when the Barroth came charging at him again. Quickly jumping out of the way, he rolled back onto his feet and came with a slash of the twin weapons. But all he managed to do was knock some mud off of the creature's hindleg. The Barroth in turn came swinging at him with its tail. Jacob ducked down from the swinging appendage and scrambled to get back up again. He moved back from the Brute Wyvern and saw one of the flying creatures overhead just as the beginning of the sandstorm started to hit. He thought to use it to get away. Quickly putting the Dual Blades away again, Jacob dodged another charge from the Barroth before aiming his slinger at the flying creature and firing the grappling hook. The hook smacked against the side of the flier and it fell out of the sky. But before it could hit the ground, he stopped itself. Jacob watched as it turned towards them and let loose a really loud shriek.
(Cue Rulers of the Wildspire from Monster Hunter World)
Everything turned hazy from the sandstorm just as the ground started to shake again. But from the feeling under his feet, Jacob felt like it was coming from underneath the ground. Both he and the Barroth moved to get out of the pit with Jacob in front of the Mud Slinger. The human made it up to the top first and yelled when the Barroth came up right behind him. Jumping to the ground, he avoided being trampled by the Brute Wyvern. They both tensed up when they heard the ground boom and Jacob peered over the side. His eyes widened when he saw some of the sand starting to move towards the center of the spot. He was really caught off guard when something exploded out of the ground with a high-pitched roar and much more sand was pulled down into the hole. Jacob quickly moved away from the shrinking dune and got up to start running for his life again.
He stopped when he heard a high-pitched roar coming from behind and turned to see a shape engaging the Barroth. All he could really see were a large set of horns on its head. The sandstorm was starting to get much worse and prevented him from seeing what it was. He watched as the two large beasts were circling each other and the Barroth charged for the new creature. The horned creature jumped out of the way before bashing its tail against the side of the Barroth's face. The blow knocked the Brute Wyvern onto its side. Jacob decided to high tail it out of there before either one of them saw him. Looking around while keeping his eyes covered, the teen could barely make up the silhouette of the spire up ahead. He dashed for it while the Barroth started to get back up again. It looked between the other beast of the desert and to the fleeing human. With a swing of its tail, it knocked the other monster back before giving chase to the smaller being.
Jacob was halfway there when he heard the sound of a high-pitched whistle coming from behind him. The human tried to go much faster and jumped forward when the Barroth slammed its head in an attempt to crush him. Quickly scrambling back onto his feet, Jacob once again started running for his life again. He commented to himself, "The wandering of the desert for forty years is looking a lot better than this!"
But things didn't seem to appreciate his attempt at humor when the ground suddenly started shaking again. The ground between him and the Barroth exploded when the other creature came up from the ground again. It caused Jacob to tumble down another dune. He lifted his head to once again see the Barroth fighting against the other beast. The two were literally butting heads as their craniums collided against each other. Jacob got back onto his feet and started looking around. He grew nervous when he found himself before a large rock wall and there didn't seem to be any escape from the battling titans.
The second creature managed to knock the Barroth down and the Brute Wyvern slid down the sandy dune towards Jacob. Jacob moved out of the way to avoid being crushed between the Barroth and the rock wall behind him. The Barroth no longer seemed interested in the human when it got back up, for it rushed back up the dune towards the beast hidden in the sandstorm. But the other creature seemed to be done with the fight as it suddenly leapt down into the sands. Both Jacob and the Barroth looked about to see if it was gone or if it would pop back up. It turned out to be the latter when the creature burst from the sand on the Barroth's right side. The Brute Wyvern gave a yelp when it was tackled from the side and sent flying back down the hill. Jacob yelled as he backed up and the Barroth collided against the rock wall back first. Jacob had moved too far as he suddenly lost his balance. But before he could try and stop himself, the other creature came down the slope and managed to catch the Barroth under its belly with its horns. With a mighty heave of its head, the horned creature sent the Barroth flying through the air just as Jacob lost his footing. He screamed as he fell down into a deep hole and blacked out when he landed on his side at the bottom.
(End of track)
The last thing he fully heard was the sound of the high-pitched roar.
…
Jacob didn't know how long he had been laying within the hole, but he groaned from the pain that he felt. Jacob opened his eyes and found himself looking into that of a skull. With a scream he sat up and moved away from the skull and stopped with a feeling of dread when he felt something underneath his hand. He slowly looked down to find himself touching a rib from another bone pile. Getting up, he moved away from the bones. He gave a frustrated cry, "Ugh! I'm so sick and tired of piles of bones and stuff!"
Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Jacob looked around to see where he's ended up. Looking up to the top of the hole, he saw that the sandstorm was starting to die down. He tried to think of a way out when his stomach started to rumble. It was then that he started to smell something, and whatever it was was starting to smell really good to him. Jacob turned to see a tunnel. Figuring that was where the smell was coming from, Jacob walked down the tunnel and found the walls coated with that glowing moss. He came to an intersection and saw a glow coming from the tunnel on the left. In case there was some trouble ahead, Jacob removed the Dual Blades from his back. When he felt ready, he carefully moved forward.
Jacob came to a drop that miraculously had a wall of vines growing on the side. Jumping down, the teen came to the opening and found himself before the final camp in the Wildspire Wastes. Like the other tents in the area, it was still standing after all this time. And the large chest was sitting along the far wall of the camp. It didn't look like there was anyone around, but when he looked over to where the tables were, Jacob saw that there was a bowl of something sitting on top of the oven that had a dying fire at the bottom. Placing his Dual Blades back, Jacob looked around and called out, "Hello! Anyone there."
Moving further into the camp, Jacob looked about for any signs of people or whatever inhabited this place. As he looked about the enclosing walls, Jacob's eyes passed over a figure standing out in plain sight. He gasped and looked to where he saw them, but rubbed his eyes after seeing that there was no one there. Jacob called out again, "Hey! Anyone there!"
But if there had been someone else down in the hole with him, they didn't answer. Nor did they make any sounds if they had left. Walking up to the oven, Jacob noticed a small note on the table. He picked it up and was surprised when it read, "Take this soup. We will meet again when the time is right."
"When the time is right?" Jacob asked in confusion. Setting the note back down, he walked over to the bowl of soup on the oven and saw a spoon sitting in the bowl. Feeling a little weary about accepting food from a stranger, but the rumbling in his stomach seemed to override his sense of reason. And for some reason, Jacob felt as if this person had helped him before. Deciding to trust in this person at least for now, Jacob took the spoon out of the soup with a small pinch of it. He raised it to his lips and took an experimental sip.
Seeing that he wasn't feeling poisoned or anything, Jacob picked up the bowl, winced a little from how warm it felt in his hands and drank it down in one go. Feeling satisfied with the soup in his belly, Jacob set the bowl down and didn't waste any more time in this place. Walking over to the tent, he lifted the flaps and was a little surprised to see another journal laying on the cot. Moving to pick it up, Jacob opened it up to see that instead of anything about the journey to the new world, this one was filled with illustrations with various weapons. He found some with swords, the Dual Blades, some ridiculously big axes and other kinds of weapons. Deciding to hold on to this journal as well, he placed it into his bag. Leaving the tent, Jacob went over to the large chest at the far wall, he opened it to find a cloak of sorts. The coloring was green, but Jacob didn't fully know of its uses. But deciding to take it with him just in case, he placed the cloak into the bag.
With nothing else in the camp, Jacob thought it best to head back to the Ancient Forest and to his uncle's boat. But as he came out of the camp, Jacob wondered how he was going to get out of the hole. But he didn't dwell on it for too long as he wondered about the other tunnel. Deciding to do a little more exploring that day, Jacob climbed back up the wall of vines and walked back to the fork in the road. He saw that he would have to crawl underneath to go through and that it looked to be a bit tight even with his weapons strapped to his back. Lowering himself down onto his hands and knees, Jacob crawled through the opening. When he reached the other side and stood back up again, he was met with an incredible sight.
Within a space beneath the large spire of the Wildspire Wastes and had an opening that allowed a good deal of sunlight through, was a small village. Most of the huts were comprised of small tents made of leather and there were small fire pits here and there. Jacob wondered about this place and took notice of some markings on the sides of the walls of the tents. Some looked like pawprints and others looked large feline like creatures. Thinking of that little hat for a cat he found, Jacob became more and more curiouser. He also wondered where everyone of this little village was. But deciding not to linger any longer, Jacob turned and went back out the way he came.
When he was on the other side of the entrance to the little village, Jacob walked back to the hole he fell down. He carefully made his way around the piles of bones before looking up to the opening above him. It didn't seem to be too big of a climb for him. Plus, there were a lot of places for him to grab a hold of. Grabbing onto the rock wall, Jacob began the climb out of the underground hideaway. Taking the climb one step at a time, the human teen managed to make it to the top.
Jacob had to wince when he came out into the sunshine and pulled himself out onto the sands of the desert. He looked about to see if the Barroth or that other creature was nearby. Walking up the dune, he looked down and saw that the large hole still had some sand pouring down into who knows where. Carefully making his way to the opening, Jacob peered down to see mostly a sand covered ground, a few rocks jutting out from it and a couple of something's glowing down there. Jacob was about to turn and leave when something suddenly pricked him from behind. Gasping from the pain and suddenly feeling like he was starting to go numb, Jacob glanced back to see a large wasp-like creature right behind him. Jacob couldn't even reach for his weapons as he started to lose his balance. With a slight cry he found himself falling the second time that day.
The human grunted when he landed in the sandy pile at the bottom of the hole and laid there for a moment. When he could feel movement in his body again, Jacob lightly groaned as he sat up. Looking to where he had fallen into now, he had to squint when he saw a still shape not too far from him. Jacob gasped when he saw that it was the dead body of the Barroth from earlier. He then realized that the other creature could still be around.
(Cue Diablos from Monster Hunter)
Not wanting to stick around himself, Jacob got up and looked around for an exit. He saw one on both his left and right with a few other ways to go as well. Jacob thought that it might be best to go right and started to make a dash for the opening. But behind him, the sand started to stir. Jacob hadn't gone but ten steps when the ground started shaking. He fell onto his back with a yelp of surprise when the ground before him exploded. When he looked again, Jacob's eyes widened to see that the creature that had fought and most likely killed the Barroth was standing before him. It was a large, brown, bipedal wyvern with powerful armor plating covering much of its body. The most noteworthy feature of the creature was a pair of massive, solid bull-like horns above its red eyes. The Diablos also possess a pair of tusk-like fangs and a large, spiny neck frill. Their tail ends with a heavy, studded club that can be used to ward off attackers. It was standing on a pair of stocky, wide-set legs and possessed a broad upper body complete with thick, muscular wings. Quickly remembering what the journal had said, Jacob guessed, "Guess I've run into the Diablos, huh."
The Diablos gave its high-pitched roar before lowering its head making the teen cover his ears and the Beast of the Sand came charging at the human. Jacob barely had any time to evade the charging Flying Wyvern as he rolled out of the way when it went by. Getting onto his feet again, Jacob quickly whipped out the Dual Blades again and held them at the ready. The Diablos turned itself around and snorted before trying to ram its horns again into the human. Jacob rushed forward as well and dodged at the last second while trying to swing his right blade. The Diablos managed to lift its head to avoid the blade and tried to swing its tail at the human. Jacob moved to where he wasn't hit by the club on the Diablos' tail, but the thick portion of the appendage managed to knock him off his feet. Jacob tumbled along the sand and dropped the Dual Blades in the process. Jacob groaned as he picked himself up again and looked around for his weapons. He saw that they were sitting between him and the Diablos that was already charging at him again. Knowing that there wasn't enough time to get them, Jacob got to his feet and ran to get away. But had he noticed when he ran, that his bag had also fallen from his side and the cactus he had collected earlier had tumbled out. But the Diablos seemed to ignore it as it chased after the human. Both Jacob and the Diablos went through an opening just as something else had come in and its foot stomped down next to the bag.
Jacob had come into a section that had sand falling down all around him without a way out but the one he came through. Another roar made him look back to see the Diablos coming towards him. Reaching behind him, Jacob removed the katana from its sheath and held it towards the Flying Wyvern. The Diablos narrowed its eyes and snorted just as Jacob prepared himself for the worst. But just as the Diablos took a step towards the human, another high-pitched roar echoed through the cave.
(End of track)
Jacob became greatly confused as the Diablos he was facing stopped in its tracks. The Flying Wyvern glanced back to the opening and Jacob gasped when he saw a second pair of horns coming through. A second Diablos, one that was a bit larger than the first, walked into the pouring sands chamber. From what Jacob could see, this new Diablos looked like it had seen a fair share of battles over the years, plus on the top of her horns, he could barely see white that ran from the head to the tip of the horns. The new Diablos gave a low growl to the first and it looked between it and the human. Jacob was still worried even when the first turned and walked out of the falling sands chamber. The second Diablos watched it go for a moment, and when its tail disappeared out of sight, it turned its attention back to the human teen.
Jacob kept the sword at the ready, not knowing how this was going to play out. The Diablos' stride didn't break as it marched right up to the human. The teen didn't make any sudden moves, only holding the sword with the tip pointing at the large Flying Wyvern in front of him. It finally stopped when it was a few feet and raised the upper half of its body to where it was looking down at the teen. Jacob then noticed something being held on top of the Diablos' head. His eyes widened when he saw that it was his bag. He was even more surprised when he watched as the Diablos let the bag fall from its headand it landed before his feet. Jacob looked at the bag for a moment before looking up to the creature before him and said, "I don't understand. What's going on?"
As if to answer the teen's question, the Diablos lowered its head and moved it to where it wouldn't skewer him with its horns. When its face was but an inch from his face, Jacob watched as the Diablos' opened its maw and something fell out of it. The cactus piece he had torn off earlier stopped at his feet. Slowly re-sheathing the katana, Jacob carefully kneeled down to pick up the cactus piece. With a questioning look, he looked to the Diablos and asked, "How does one little piece of cactus prevent me from not being skewered?
"I don't get anything that's happened in the last few hours. And I'm still so confused about the last few days." Jacob said, feeling frustrated of how he's nearly died again, plus all the other crazy stuff that he's ee through. The Diablos wasn't able to give any verbal advice, but it seemed to give a small snort in reply to him. Jacob then looked to the cactus piece in his hands and said, "Well, I guess you can have it."
He placed it on the ground and took a step back. The Diablos looked to the teen for a moment before leaning down and taking the piece into their mouth again. Jacob watched as the Diablos ate the piece. An awestruck Jacob watched as the Diablos turned and slightly ducked when the tail came a swinging. When the Diablos disappeared through the opening, Jacob grabbed the bag from the ground and adjusted it back.
Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the opening and peered around the corner to see both Diablos' leaving the underground area. Jacob looked around and saw the Dual Blades laying on the ground where he had dropped them. Waiting for the right opportunity, Jacob waited until both Flying Wyverns had gone out through one of the openings and quickly made his way over to the weapons. He bent down and picked them up before placing them back into their spots on his back. When he was sure that the two Diablos were gone, Jacob turned and left through another opening.
\_|_/
Author's Note: That was a pretty long chapter, and it was full of some neat twists in my opinion. I really do like the Rathian and the Diablos, and I do have a few plans regarding them and other favorites of mine. The next chapter, we go back to the Ancient Forest and Jacob runs into a couple of familiar faces. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time.