User blog:Eiza Borealis/Monster Hunter: Quake - Installment 2

Chapter 4 - The Mysterious Sword
The cold air of the Snowy Mountains bit at Ailain and Eiza as they scaled it's ledges, searching for an elusive and incredibly large Tigrex. They had searched for almost a day, and since it was nearing night, they decided to make camp. Finding a small enclave in a tiny canyon running through a large mountain, Eiza began unloading the tent and firewood. Ailain went out to kill a Popo and bring some meat back. While driving stakes into the ground, Eiza looked out at the mountains, hammering cautiously with an ear open for any roars or heavy footsteps.

After setting up the beds and fire pit inside the tent, Eiza sat down to sharpen his sword. After a few minutes, Ailain returned with some meat, still dripping with blood. Without a word, she began setting the meat up on the pit to cook. "You aren't going to drain the blood?" Asked Eiza.

"What? A little blood never hurt anyone," Ailain said, smiling, "You scared of a little blood?"

"No," replied Eiza, "but I know a fair amount of alchemy and can make some hot drinks out of the blood if you'd save it."

"Oh! Well I guess that's a little more important than a little extra flavor." Eiza smiled as Ailain began draining the blood from the meat into an old abandoned miner's helmet. "My father used to cook the meat with the blood still in it," she said, "It always seemed to taste better that way. I learned to cook from him, I can gladly say that I can cook better than most felyne chefs!"

"Oh, that's very good," said Eiza, "I'll have my steaks gourmet then." Ailain agreed and began cooking. Eiza left his sword behind and walked outside, stating he was going to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Ailain kept turning the meat over on the spit gradually to cook it evenly, and after a while began to eye Eiza's sword with curiosity. She had never seen something as strange is it before - a greatsword with a blunt side, and a side that had two plates and a space between them. The space at the end of the sword was the only visible blade, a curved one that came to a hook. The sword had no other visible blades. On each side, there were five slots that ran from the blunt side to the opening, almost touching both sides. The sword was studded with three greenish gems and was blood red.

After finishing the cooking and Eiza having not returned yet, Ailain let curiosity get the better of her, and dragged the heavy sword over to her. As she looked at the blacksmithing work that had gone into it's creation, she gripped the handle, pulling a trigger that caused five insanely - sharp blades to thrust from the opening opposite the blunt side of the sword, all stabbing into the hard mountainous rock with ease. Ailain let out a startled shriek at this, and covered her mouth quickly. She then stood up, and tried to pick the heavy sword up, to no avail. "How can he carry this thing around, let alone use this as a weapon!?" She said aloud. "Tons of practice," Said Eiza, walking into the tent. Ailain put the sword down quickly and the blades retracted. "I was just um... uh..."

"Looking at my sword?" answered Eiza.

"Y-yeah... it's a very interesting sword." Replied Ailain. Eiza walked over to the sword and picked it up, gripping the handle. The five blades thrust out once more. "Be careful when you pick it up," he said, "These blades can slice carbalite like butter. They're spring - loaded, triggered by the trigger on the handle. When released, the blades retract from a second set of springs. It may seem like an odd sword at first, but it slices when being first used, and rips and tears after dulling slightly. It's a slow starter, but my Eviscerator Blade is one of the finest swords in the world."

"It's special," He continued, "with three slots to add gems to, located along the back of the sword. But a single swing from my blade causes the earth to shake and split, caused by these gems."

"What do you mean? Do they add attack power to the sword?" Asked Ailain. "No," replied Eiza, "They are the only gems in the world that add Earth Element abilities to my weapon."

"Earth Element?" Asked Ailain, "But that doesn't exist!"

"It does," said Eiza, "And I have the gems studding every part of my armor. My plate armor, a lightweight kimono made of woven Lao-Shan plate fibers, covered by a chest-plate of Gaoren shell - there are three gems studding the inner plates of the armor. My leg armor, hybrid Gravios - Gaoren greaves, under a hakama made of the same material as the kimono - three gems stud the belt. My arm guards, simple forearm protectors made of Lao-Shan rubies - studded with three gems. My Tassets covering my belt are made of Gaoren shell held together by Azure Rathalos hide. The loincloth is studded with three more gems. And instead of a helmet, I choose to use a necklace with three more gems in it. In all, my Earth Element rating is over 1800."

"That's... absurd..." said Ailain, "Nobody has been able to use elemental ratings of over 1000 without hurting themselves. And if you have 1800 of Earth Element, the quakes caused by each swing would be so terrific that you wouldn't be able to stand straight!"

"Like I said, lots of practice. And the Gaoren material in my armor gives me more balance. My armor also gives me a special ability that I love - an unsheathing skill that inflicts twice as much damage as normal for every draw slice. So my damage rating, which is around 1400, added with the charging abilities of a greatsword and the elemental rating for each charge puts my fully charged unsheathed attack at a raw attack power rating of around 11000." Ailain bowed her head in frustration. "If I get a critical off while using the spirit blade I'm only at around a damage rating of 3000..." she said. Eiza laughed. "It's alright," He said, "That's a normal area. I have so much elemental power in my sword that it just seems titanic. The food smells good, let's eat!"

Chapter 5 - Quake
The next day. Eiza and Ailain prepared for the fight they had before them. They walked out of the tent, and Eiza jotted some notes down. "What are you doing?" Asked Ailain. "Well I'm not gonna carry all that crap back," said Eiza, "especially not while I have that leviathan of a Tigrex chasing after me! I'm just going to write down where the camp is so future hunters can use it later."

Eiza and Ailain began walking when Ailain stopped Eiza. "I hear something around this corner. Mover slower." So they began walking on their toes, prepared for any sneak attacks. Upon turning the corner of the mountain, a large pack of blangos spotted them, and began charging them. Eiza gripped his sword as Ailain flew out, killing a majority of the blangos and sending the rest running. Eiza let go of his sword. "Well, that takes care of that, I guess." Eiza said. Ailain chuckled. "Nothing is going to keep me from killing that Tigrex, not even a-" A larger - than - normal Blangonga crashed down behind Ailain and roared. Ailain looked and ran towards Eiza, screaming, with the Blangonga in hot pursuit.

Eiza sighed and gripped his sword's handle, still keeping it on his back, and began charging the sword. Each second, the Blangonga drew closer, roaring in fury at the loss of it's pack, and Eiza's sword grew one charge stronger. At three charges, Eiza swung his blade forth as the Blangonga reached him, slamming the blade through the Blangonga's jaw and into the ground. The mountain shook violently as the edge of the cliff upon which the Blangonga backed up on in pain tore away from the mountain. The Blangonga and the cliff fell down the mountainside, with the Blangonga roaring the entire way down.

"That was amazing," said Ailain from behind a boulder, still trying to keep her balance, "You took out half the mountain with one swing!" Eiza smiled. "That's why I've been given the nickname of 'Earth - Breaker'." Eiza looked up at the cliff above them. Aftershocks were still coursing through the mountain. Anything that had been asleep was now awake, and the monster that they were hunting for was now in a foul mood. From the top of the mountain, a massive shadow lunged out and crashed before Eiza and Ailain. It turned it's massive frame once more to Eiza, and let out a roar that shook the mountain. The Tigrex stood before them.

Chapter 6 - Destined Battle
"That's the Tigrex!? It's enormous!!!" Yelled Ailain, dodging a boulder thrown by the beast. "Well, yeah," shouted back Eiza, rolling out of the way of a bite, "I thought you knew! You said your parents and friends were killed by it!"

"But I never got to see what killed them! This is a nightmare!" Ailain drew her sword and held it at ready. "Okay, Ailain, you can do this, it's just a big lizard, nothing special about it." She encouraged herself and ran at the Tigrex, slashing it's leg. The Tigrex turned and charged at her, barely missing. "Ailain!" Shouted Eiza, "Go for it's tail first, chop that off, and it will be easier to hit!" Ailain turned and looked. It's tail? ''How will chopping that off be anything other than cruel? Whatever works.'' She ran at the Tigrex and rolled under it's legs, towards it's back, and slashed at it's tail. The Tigrex let out a roar of pain and turned at her, biting her arm, gashing it deeply. She yelled in pain and grabbed her arm as Tigrex turned at Eiza. "Ailain! Are you okay!?" Yelled Eiza.

"I'm fine! Just distract that Tigrex for a few minutes!" Eiza turned and began charging his sword from his back as the Tigrex charged. As it reached him, Eiza slammed his fully charged sword upon the front of it's face, scarring it and causing it to flinch back as the mountain shook and spikes shot from the ground under Tigrex. The monster, looking for an easier target, faced Ailain, who was trying to patch up her wound and drink a health potion. It began charging at her. Eiza jumped up the cliff side and down upon Tigrex' tail, slamming his blade upon it, and severing it from the Tigrex' body.

The Tigrex flipped over Ailain and into the cliff side, roaring in agony. Eiza grabbed Ailain's hand and threw her over to the opposite side of the battleground. The Tigrex steadied itself and jumped back, then planted it's forearms firmly on the ground and let out a roar the split the side of the mountain. The Tigrex jumped over the falling rockslide and then jumped high into the air, spread it's fourwings, and glided to another spot on the mountain.

Eiza ran over to Ailain and began treating her wounds. "Gee, Eiza, thank you so much for throwing me to this side of the field. It felt so nice." Said Ailain angrily. Eiza smiled. "Any time. Now hold still, this is not going to be pleasant, but it will stop the bleeding." Eiza crushed some mountain herbs and rubbed them on a cloth, then wrapped it tight around Ailain's wound. Ailain flinched in pain. "That burns really bad." She said, gritting her teeth. "Yes, I know. Now come on, we have to go finish that thing off."

Eiza and Ailain ran up the mountain to where the Tigrex was. It was gnawing on a Popo when they showed up, and was not happy about being disturbed while eating. It turned at them and roared, then charged in fury. Eiza drew his sword, charged it, and side - swung it into Tigrex' face, flipping it over into the cliffside. He then ran at it and began charging another attack, when Tigrex finally landed a hit on him with a claw swipe, sending Eiza hurling into another side of the cliff, hitting his head and knocking him unconscious. "Eiza, no!" Yelled Ailain. Tigrex now turned his attention at Ailain, and charged at her.

Ailain drew her sword and ran at Tigrex angrily, slashing it's face three times and it's left arm once as it ran by. The Tigrex turned and began chasing her. She ran to the side of the cliff and turned, then rolled out of the way as Tigrex gnashed it's teeth at her. Ailain covered her eyes, then looked up. Tigrex had become stuck in the wall! Ailain stood and ran at Tigrex, using the spirit blade of her True Devil Slicer on Tigrex head. The Tigrex broke free after this assault, and roared at Ailain, sending her flying towards where Eiza sat unconscious.

The Tigrex began charging them. Ailain closed her eyes tight. "Mother, father... my friends... I've let you all down."

Eiza jumped up as the Tigrex reached them and landed an incredible side kick to it's face, sending it rolling over multiple times. "You've let no one down, Ailain. You're about to kill this Tigrex."

"I can't do it, Eiza. I'm not strong enough!"

"Then let me help you..." Eiza reached around Ailain and gripped the handle of her sword. The Tigrex stood up and roared at them, then began charging again. "Ailain, when I tell you to, jump." Ailain nodded and the Tigrex drew closer, charging and roaring at once. "Jump!" Yelled Eiza, and they jumped simultaneously, high over Tigrex' head as it screeched to a stop. Ailain looked around, amazed that Eiza could jump like this. They began tilting forward, and their feet landed on the top, overhanging edge of a cliff. They then jumped once more, rocketing down towards Tigrex. Tigrex looked up, roared, then jumped at them with an outstretched claw.

The Tigrex and hunters sped towards eachother, and time seemed to slow. Ailain felt the presence of her parents and friends next to her as they thrust out the True Devil Slicer at Tigrex, piercing it's flesh and heart, and slicing down the length of it's body, releasing lightning and shaking the ground below them. The Tigrex continued past them, letting out a final roar and slamming into the cliff as Ailain and Eiza separated and landed on the ground. The Tigrex fell to the ground, dead.

Ailain smiled and cheered shortly, before falling over into Eiza's arms, exhausted. Eiza smiled and picked up his sword and laid Ailain down, wrapping her in his kimono. He then carried her back to town.

Chapter 7 - The Champions of Pokke
Ailain slowly awoke in her house with two felynes next to her. She sat up, holding her head. Her sight was blurred and everything was moving slowly. She looked over as a felyne ran into another room yelling "She's awake! She's awake!" The other felyne put it's paw on her forehead and laid her back down gently as her vision cleared. "Where... where am I?" She asked. "You're at Eiza Borealis' house. Are you feeling okay?" Replied the felyne. Ailain nodded as Eiza and a bunch of other felynes walked into the room. Eiza was wrapped in bandages and was without his kimono on. "Hey, Ailain, you finally woke up. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"A little... warm... how long was I out?"

"About a week. You were extremely tired and had contracted a virus from that Tigrex saliva. We didn't know what was going to happen. You had a high fever and you probably still do."

"The Tigrex... is it dead?"

"Yes. You killed it, remember?" Ailain looked up at the ceiling. She didn't remember anything that happened that day, but went along with Eiza. "You're a hero around here now. You even got promoted to high rank quests." Ailain smiled. "That's good." A tear dripped down her face. "But I'm really happy that you came along. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to kill the Tigrex... I'm so thankful..." She sobbed, "I'm so thankful that you allowed me to go with you!" She sniffled and smiled again. Eiza smiled back. "Any time, Ailain."

"Well now that Pokke village is safe from that Tigrex, you can return to Taruza whenever you'd like."

"Thank you, elder. But I think I am beginning to like this little village." Eiza looked over at Ailain, who smiled back. Eiza smiled and turned back towards the village elder. "I think I'd be very happy if me and my kids could stay here." The elder smiled. I see, love interest, huh?" Eiza and Ailain looked in surprise. "No, it's nothing like that!" they yelled simultaneously. The elder laughed and looked up at them. "Very well then, champions of pokke. As long as you keep up the good work, you can stay here as long as you'd like."

Eiza and Ailain returned to their homes, happy.

"What will we have to do about them, sir?" A man in shadows in an unknown location rushed to a throne and bowed. A man on the throne laughed devilishly. "They seem to have truly proved their worth. It has been a while since anyone has ever been able to defeat an elder monster." The man on the throne picked up a newspaper with Eiza and Ailain on the headline. "Eiza Borealis and Ailain Yurusuchi... it's time that I test your abilities."

The man looked down at his servant. "You asked what to do about them? Hm... how about stir up the den of the Yellow Lao-Shan Lung, and make it attack the fortress. You will then hire assassins to kill them should they decide to actually try and protect the fortress. They'll never be able to kill the assassins and the Lao too, and when they fail at protecting the fortress, we can attack."

"But sir, if they succeed?" The man on the throne laughed. "That's just another phase of the game, my pawn, just another phase of the game."