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: I do hope that this chapter is worth the wait. I plan to not only add a little mystery to the story over all, but a pretty interesting fight and a teaser at the end of the chapter as well.
\_|_/
Chapter Forty-Five: The Murderer of the Wildspire Wastes
Jacob's bad feeling continued to grow as he and the two Diablos stood in the middle of the cave. He began to hear something breathing, but it sounded like it was heavy breathing. The Diablos growled at the sound of the intruder while the teen looked around for it. The creature on the ceiling silently moved as the two Diablos slowly moved away from the opening. Jacob made sure to stay close to the two while moving up on the sand dune in the middle of the cavernous space. He looked up at the hole made by Valiantops when he had saved Jacob from the Barroth all those months ago.
(Cue Stalking – Hold Your Breath from Monster Hunter World)
But as he continued look up where the moonlight shone down through the opening, Jacob noticed something close to the opening. It made a squishing sound as it moved along the ceiling. He squinted to try and see it better, but with it being in a more shaded spot it was so hard to see it. And from what he could see of it, it almost looked like a Flying Wyvern. This new creature came a little closer and Jacob became very surprised when it extended its neck towards the hole. But his eyes really widened when the neck extended a lot.
Jacob gasped when the thing's head came into the light. The new Flying Wyvern was white in color with visible veins along its head and most likely its body. A pair of lips opened up to reveal a toothy maw that looked much like a sinister grin. Jacob screamed in fright at the sight of it, "That is the most freaky, ugliest thing that I've ever seen!"
His shout caused both Nana Diabla and Valiantops to look up. Their eyes widened at the sight of the new intruder and they roared up at it. Jacob removed his sword from its scabbard and held it at the ready with his shield.
(End of track)
The new monster gave an ear-splitting roar that made all three on the ground cringe from the loud and eerie sound. The pale beast dropped down from the ceiling and twisted itself in midair before landing on the ground with a thud. Jacob could see the beast a great deal better due to the moon light from the openings. It looked like a naked, faceless wyvern to him. The sight of the visible veins nearly made Jacob sick to his stomach.
The new monster gave another ear-splitting roar and turned its head between the three of them. Valiantops gave his own shrill roar before charging forward towards the pale beast. The new creature waited for a moment before jumping out of the way of the charging Diablos and Valiantops could barely stop himself from ramming into the wall. The mysterious monster gave a growl before extending its neck forward and swatted Valiantops in the side with its head. The blow didn't seem to be enough to hurt the Diablos, but it did make him move away from this bizarre adversary.
The new monster gave another roar and it made Valiantops cringe from the sound. The enemy beast quickly acted upon this by spinning around and extending its odd-looking tail. It seemed to be enough to trip the Diablos up and Valiantops stumbled to regain his footing. The new monster lunged forward and with its shoulder it knocked Valiantops to the ground.
Jacob quickly acted by rushing forward with his sword raised. The new monster must have heard or sensed him coming because it turned its body around. The teen was unprepared when the beast extended its neck and swatted him back. Jacob tumbled in the sand and moved to get up again. When he looked up he gasped to see the new monster rushing right at him.
He was quickly saved by Nana when she came in and swatted the new monster in the side with her clubbed tail. The pale beast crashed into the ground with a pained cry and it struggled to get up. Jacob rose onto his feet and kept both his sword and shield at the ready. Valiantops managed to pick himself back up and charged for the downed monster. But the mystery beast was able to move out of the way by extending its neck towards the wall and grabbing onto it with its teeth. It pulled its body out of the way and the Diablos missed. They all watched as the new monster pulled itself up the wall. Looking down, Jacob saw where it had latched on and saw teeth marks that matched what he saw in the family's cave. This is the murderer that they were looking for.
The new monster quickly made its way across the ceiling and it surprised them by letting it dangle by its tail. They became confused when it started to swing back and forth. Jacob's eyes widened when he saw the new monster use some kind of electrical ability. It threw its head towards Valiantops and fired what appeared to be a ball of electricity. The ball smacked into the Diablos and Valiantops gave a roar as electricity coursed through him. When the Diablos fell to the ground, Jacob shouted in worry, "Valiantops! No!"
Nana Diabla gave a shrill roar up at the monster while moving to stand between it and her downed friend. Jacob didn't know how they were going to get this thing out of the cave. But he couldn't dwell on it when the pale monster turned its attention on him. Jacob kept the blade pointed at the monster as it swung itself again and let go of the ceiling. The human teen thought about dodging when a large shape suddenly barreled past him and headbutted the new monster away from him. The pale beast was sent crashing into the sands. Jacob was really surprised when he said, "Grumper?!"
The Anjanath had arrived in the nick of time to help. The Brute Wyvern roared at the Flying Wyvern just as the pale monster picked itself up. Grumper's throat started to glow red while Jacob moved to stand beside the Anjanath. The pale monster got back up and Grumper moved forward to lunge forward to take a fiery bite. But the new monster suddenly gathered itself and created an aura of electricity. When Grumper smacked into the field, he roared as he touched the aura and fell to the ground.
Knowing that they needed help, Jacob removed the shield from his arm and with a swing of his arm he threw his shield. The shield managed to pass through the aura ad smack against the creature's side and got a small shriek out of it. The beast canceled its aura and turned its freakish head towards him. Growing really worried, Jacob prepared his sword.
The monster gave its shrill roar and charged towards him. Giving a holler himself, Jacob rushed forward with his sword in a ready position. The beast extended its neck and the teen quickly dropped down to avoid the monster's teeth. He slid on the sand before getting up again and swinging his sword. The blade managed to cut the beast's neck a little and earned a small squeal from the pale monster.
Jacob was put on the defensive when the pale monster started to wildly swing its extended neck at him. The teen moved back to avoid either getting swatted or the teeth from this thing. After a few steps, Jacob's back suddenly bumped up against something and he looked back to see that he was literally against the wall. He looked back to see the pale monster menacingly coming closer to him. Jacob tried to think of a way to get out the situation he was in. But his hesitancy cost him when the creature's neck extended towards him and started to wrap around his person. The action caused him to drop his sword and he cried out as he was lifted from the ground.
Jacob became really worried when he felt uncomfortable pressure from the squeezing and cried out as the creature's grip became tighter. He was thankful when both Grumper and Valiantops collided against the creature, causing its grip on Jacob to loosen and the human boy falling to the ground. Jacob checked himself to see if anything felt broken, but breathed in relief to feel mostly intact. He looked around for his sword and saw it lying not too far from him. The teen moved to get it when he looked over to the large monsters.
The Anjanath and the Diablos were squaring off against the new beast while Nana Diabla remained close by the human. Grumper's throat started to heat up and he threw his head forward and unleashed a stream of fire at the beast. The unknown creature jumped out of the way of the flames and Valiantops took the opportunity to burrow under the sand. The ground rumbled as the Diablos moved about. With a shrill the mystery monster turned and jumped into the air just as Valiantops burst from the sand with a shrill roar. The sand burrowing wyvern seemed ticked off that he didn't manage to land a hit while pulling himself out The Diablos and the Anjanath looked up to see the pale beast drop down between them. It fired multiple spheres of electricity from its maw and the four quickly moved to get out of the way. The spheres either dissipated or smacked into a rock formation. Grumper got around the beast and with a roar he leapt at the pale beast. With a well placed kick to its side, the Anjanath sent the monster falling onto its side. The pale monster struggled to get up again and both Grumper and Valiantops moved to continue the attack. But they were both stopped when the beast let out its shrill roar before huddling its body and creating an electrical aura. Jacob thought that if he were able to get his shield and throw it again, it would be enough to touch this thing without anyone getting shocked. But he didn't have the opportunity to go and get it when the aura suddenly canceled and the pale monster got up with a twist of its body. The action kicked up a lot of sand and it made them all shield their eyes. But the pale monster took action of the distraction and extended its neck to give a sharp swing of its head. The monster's faceless cranium smacked into Grumper's and it knocked the Anjanath to the ground. When Valiantops looked, the enemy monster repeated the action, but unleashed an electrical sphere at the same time at point blank. The ball of electricity shocked the Diablos and the pale monster tripped up the sand burrower with its tail. Nana Diabla tried to go on the offensive, but the eyeless thing jumped up in the air, extended its neck and delivered an uppercut to her in a somersault with its head. As her head snapped upward, the pale monster landed on its feet and delivered another blow by smacking into her with its side. But as the elder Diablos fell to the ground, the pale monster gave a roar when it felt something stick into its side before ripping out again.
It moved away before turning its eyeless face to Jacob who stood with his sword at the ready. With a glare he pointed his sword at it as he said to the thing, "I'll kill you if you touch any of them again!"
(Cue Boo! from The Scorpion King)
Both he and the pale monster gave a holler. But this time, Jacob didn't cringe from the loud wailing sound as he rushed right at it with his sword raised. When the monster tried to strike at him with its neck, Jacob once again dropped down and slid on the sand to avoid the appendage. He managed to deliver a slash to the beast's side and it earned a pained cry from it.
Jacob moved out of the way when it tried to smack into him with its side, and turned and slashed again at its tail. The blade managed to nick the appendage and Jacob was quick to use the grappling hook to pull him towards one of the rock formation when it turned its head towards him and lunge forward. The thing's face smacked into the sand while Jacob managed to reach a higher advantage point. It lifted its head from the ground up to him and jumped to try and bite him. But Jacob let go of the rock and fell just when its jaws snapped on empty air. With a twist of his body as he fell, Jacob landed a good size slash on the creature's neck. The human teen grunted when he hit the sand and looked up to see the neck retract. It was about to go on the attack again when out of nowhere, Grumper came in, twisted his body and smacked the face of the white beast with his tail. The blow knocked the beast back and it growled when it turned to face the two. Jacob stood up and held the sword at the ready while Grumper snarled at the white monster.
The Anjanath rushed forward to attack, but the white beast jumped onto the rock formation. Grumper was about to turn to blast some fire at it, but the white monster was quicker by extending its neck forward and wrapping it around the Anjanath's throat. Grumper gasped from the restriction of air and Jacob knew he needed help and fast. A growl made him look back to see Valiantops standing there. With a motion of his left arm, Jacob fired the grappling hook. The Diablos caught it in his mouth and with a twist of his body, he yanked the human off his feet. Time seemed to slow down as Jacob readied himself. Valiantops let go of the hook and sent Jacob flying right at the thing. Holding the sword with both hands, the human yelled as he came down. With a downward slash, the blade tore through the creature's neck. It howled as blood splattered onto the sands at their feet.
The creature flailed its head around as its blood continued to leak from the wound Jacob gave it. Jacob readied his blade for another swing and said with a glare, "I warned you."
With another holler, he swung the blade again. The sword struck the same spot and the sounds of ripping flesh echoed throughout the cave. A second later, the beast's head fell to the floor and its body continued to flail about as the legs continued kicking for a moment. The four waited a moment to see what would happen with the mystery creature as it continued to flail about before it stopped moving altogether.
(End of track)
When they were sure that it was dead, they breathed a little easier. Well, more like panted from exhaustion from the fighting. Jacob looked to the monsters that towered above him and hoped that they wouldn't fight each other. While Valiantops gave Grumper a warning snarl, Nana Diabla growled at him, as if telling him to stand down. The Diablos calmed down a little and Jacob carefully placed a hand on Grumper's side to keep him from attacking as well. Valiantops looked between the human and the Anjanath before giving a small snort, like he was content for the moment. The two Diablos then turned to head to head for the falling sands chamber.
As the two left them alone, Jacob wondered how Grumper had managed to find him in the nick of time when he did. But the teen was too tired to worry about that right now. He looked over to the body of the mysterious creature and noticed something on its hip. Moving a little closer, Jacob saw a symbol that had been branded onto its skin. He thought it was the same symbol like on the Argosy, but this one was very different. This marking looked to be three different beasts circling around what appeared to be a four pointed star. Thinking that it might be important, Jacob brought his pack around and rummaged around in it.
A moment later, he brought out his phone. He had turned it off after the night he had been in contact with his family. There were a few cracks since the fights he had been in. Turning it back on for a moment, he went to the camera to take a picture of the mark. When it made the noise, it made Grumper look to him and move closer. Jacob pointed to the mark on the creature's body, "This might be connected to the Captor somehow?
"Just don't know how yet." He shook his head and turned the phone back off. Jacob couldn't help but let out a yawn and so did Grumper. The Anjanath moved to the top of the sand dune and laid down to sleep. Jacob figured that if his friend was gone by the time that Nana Diabla and Valiantops woke up, then things would be okay. He went over to the opening to the falling sands chamber to see both Diablos lying down in the middle of the room. And from what he could hear, they sounded like they were already asleep. Making his way over to his Brute Wyvern friend, Jacob laid down on the sand as well. With his back on the sand, he looked up at the stars and his mind was spinning with so many questions. Where did that thing come from? Did the Captor bring it from some other place and just leave it? And one he never really stop asking himself, would he get back home?
But the sound of an Anjanath snoring was starting to lull him to sleep as he slowly started to close his eyes. Jacob's head fell onto its side while the Anjanath twitched in his sleep.
As the four friends drifted off to sleep, they were unaware that something had been watching. On the south west part of the main cave, there was an opening. And across that opening was a pathway that led towards the dunes. On a spot that had a clear view of the cavernous space, a three toed foot stomped down as its owner gazed upon the two sleeping on the sand dune. The new creature gave a small growl as its tail swished. On a particular swing of its tail, it almost looked like a blade as it reflected the light of the moon.
\_|_/
Author's Note: I do understand that the Khezu is not indigenous to the New World, but there will be more of an explanation for it being there. And if I can be honest with you guys, if there is a monster more horrifying than the Deviljho in creepiness sense, it would be the Khezu. And I wouldn't really say I hate Deviljho, I was mostly upset with it when it ruined my capture hunt so it made it a little easier to make it a bad guy in the story. The mark on the beast's hide is to add some mystery. With the filler chapter, it's going to be a cross between a dream I once had and an experience that I had while playing the game. After that, we get to the next story arc with our mystery monster from the end of this chapter. 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 all next time.