Valen woke up early the next morning, still in the mindset of being in the wilderness and having to keep watch with Rapha?lle. It took him a moment to remember that they were in a safe location and they did not have to worry about a monster jumping them.
He was still completely awake though, so he got up from his bed and started his morning routine.
Once he felt properly awake and ready to take on whatever the day might throw at him, he quietly exited the room they all shared and went out into the ship proper. It was mainly a huge space where everything was somewhat chaotically organized. Most of the space was taken up by winding stairs leading up towards the back of the ship, which Valen followed towards where the Third Fleet Master conducted her business.
The Third Fleet Master was consulting with some of her subordinates when Valen arrived. They seemed to be discussing their plans, and he did not doubt that he would be informed of the details once they were finalized. She noticed him quickly and put an end to the conversation herself by dismissing the researchers. She then beckoned Valen to approach.
“Hunter Valen… Or Sky Piercer, as it seems you are.” Valen raised an eyebrow. Maybe one of their Handlers told her that title. “I do not believe I ever introduced myself properly. You already know I am the Master of the Third Fleet, but you may call me Masani. We have some tasks we would require of you and Hunter Rapha?lle, but I will wait for her.”
He nodded. “Indeed, it would be better if you did not have to repeat yourself.”
“While we wait, may I ask some personal questions? Just out of personal curiosity, but you are an unknown to us, and it seems that you are respected by your peers.”
“I don't mind… To preempt some of the more common questions, I received my title for being able to slay a Valstrax alone without assistance. I know it was necessary, but I did not take joy in the act. Since then, I had my new armor made and was kept as a hunter taking care of emergencies. Eventually, I signed up for the Fifth Fleet, and to my surprise they elevated my role to that of the guardian of Astera, a role that I now share with the Blue Flare.”
The Fleet Master took a long puff from her metal pipe, taking her time to ponder what he just said before replying. “If I remember the scope of the Huntsman’s role well, we should assign Rapha?lle to most tasks to allow her to prove her worth and can craft better equipment, yes?”
“That is how we have done it in Astera so far, yes. Mostly I am with her in case we meet an unknown hostile Elder.”
“We did confirm the presence of a Kirin here, but apart from that the Elders are making themselves scarce, which we are finding odd. It kind of puzzles me, I expected the New World to be a hotbed for Elder Dragons, but so far we have seen nothing like it… There have been sightings of a Valstrax flying around for several months though.”
“It is strange indeed. And we made the same Valstrax sighting. It seemed to even have taken a more active part during a large-scale operation a while ago, but we should wait to talk about that until everybody is awake.”
“And we won’t have to wait any longer, I believe the rest of your group is coming.” She said while looking behind Valen, who turned around. Sure enough, the rest of their group was there, having seemingly decided to move out of their room together.
He nodded at them and stepped to the side so that they could speak face-to-face with the Third Fleet Master, who greeted them. “I welcome you to our Airship, which is also our Research Base. You may excuse us for the unusual layout, but we are almost entirely composed of Scholars, and the few Hunters that were with us are only able to defend us against the few Monsters that find this place. We had no opportunity to send them out in the field for extended periods… Until now.”
“So you need our help for something, right?” Sophie asked.
“We do. You may have noticed our Airship is land-bound. It was in a worse state when we crashed, but we managed to repair it over the years of our seclusion. However, there is still one thing to repair if we are to take it back to the air: the Balloon. Unfortunately, it requires materials from a local monster, and we did not dare risk being without defense for long enough to accomplish the Hunts needed. Besides, even though they have gained experience over the years, our Hunters aren’t qualified for such a task. They are not A-Listers.”
Ikari nodded. “I can understand, they are not cleared to be the first hunters to slay a brand new Monster. It requires special training or the ability to prove yourself against monsters you never encountered. Valen did not go through that training himself, or so he told me, but given his accomplishments, he did not need to.”
Masani then turned towards Rapha?lle. “So I wanted to send you, Hunter Rapha?lle, on a hunt for the Paolumu. I am certain you would have encountered on your travels, they are the flying Wyverns who can inflate their throat.”
“You want me to hunt one then?” Rapha?lle asked.
“It will be challenging, and it would be best if you manage to not damage the sacs as much as you can. Can you work with these constraints?”
She only took a split second to nod. “I will do it. I think I can manage it with my weapon.”
“Then you may prepare yourself and depart.” The Third Fleet Master concluded. She then looked at Valen. “Would you assist in the patrolling of our home in the meantime? If it isn’t too much to ask from you?”
“This is fine for me. At least I should be able to go further away than your hunters… Ikari, do you feel okay accompanying me, or want to stay here?”
“I-I…” He stammered, before taking a deep breath and said with a more confident voice. “I’ll stay with you for the first couple of days at least. I’ll just discuss it with the researchers another time.” Valen smiled and nodded.
“Then I wish you good luck in your endeavors. May the Sapphire Star light your way.”
“And may it light yours.”
Taking the dismissal as it was, the group nodded and walked back toward their room together. They put on their gear, Valen and Rapha?lle doing it in turns as they each desired their privacy while doing so.
Once this was done, they headed out. At the exit of the hollow where the Airship was located, they had a last couple of words with each other. “Good luck Rapha?lle. Expect an air blast from the Paolumu, think about what a Kushala can do and I would say you may expect some similar tricks from it.”
“Good point! I wish you good luck too Valen.”
And each of them went their way, having their critical tasks to complete.
A few days had passed since they arrived at the Research Base of the Third Fleet, and several things had happened.
Rapha?lle’s hunt went very well, and the Researchers were impressed with the care she took not to harm the throat sacs. Their pristine condition meant that they would not require another hunt, so they managed to fix the balloon in one go. Then they were all tasked to explore the Rotten Vale, as up until now only the Tracker had been able to explore it, as she had the experience of avoiding monsters.
If they had to describe the Rotten Vale in one word, it would certainly be “Decayed”. Everything that was in it was either decomposed or seemed meant to assist in that task. The biggest surprise was when they discovered a huge skeleton that was confirmed to be of a Dalamadur… But it was far bigger than the only living specimen that had been discovered until now. Their Handlers also confirmed it was extremely old, and that they couldn’t even give a precise estimation of its age.
They also spotted a couple of the local monsters, one being a Fanged Wyvern that led a pack of its own like a Great Jagras or Great Jaggi. They had to be wary about it though, as it demonstrated the ability to inject paralytic venom from its bite, or even spit a glob at it at short range. Valen’s armor would partially protect him, but Rapha?lle’s lighter armor meant she was at risk of it. The Researchers of the Third had named it Great Girros from the reports the Tracker made.
The other monster they discovered, they all agreed, was almost certainly a cousin of a monster they knew about in the Old World: they shared the same main method of locomotion, which was to curl up in a wheel and roll on their spine. They also shared the same body physiology of a giant head with a strong jaw, two massive, sturdy feet, a tail as thick as their body, and stubby arms.
What set them apart was that while one was covered with minerals, had a diet consisting of rocks, and had a flame sac inside it, the one they encountered was instead covered in a sticky tar-like substance which it used to cover itself in numerous bones to protect its skin.
They had a couple of close calls with it, but its way of locomotion was noisy, so they could hear it approaching from a far enough distance. The name given to it was Radobaan, which was most assuredly chosen to reinforce the link with its rockier cousin, the Uragaan.
One Radobaan, however, was very aggressive, and the group needed to fight it off and wound it before it finally backed off and left them alone. Valen was glad that Ikari was not as shaken by the encounter as he had been by the appearance of the Rathalos during their last expedition together. He seemed to have made a real effort to work through his issues.
They only spent a couple of days on the expedition, however, and then made their report back to the Research Base… Where they were met with an unexpected surprise.
“Hey, my favorite Hunters! The Commander decided that I should try to join you after the latest feat I have accomplished!” Aiden and Lea had also managed to find the Research base. However, what also surprised Valen was that he was wearing a brand-new set of armor. The look and parts were familiar to him but he couldn’t place what monster it was.
“Aiden? This is a surprise indeed. And what is that new armor? It looks familiar…”
“Surprised? This is from an Astalos!” Valen raised an eyebrow behind his helmet. “Shocked? So were we! Me most of all though…” Valen barely had time to groan before Aiden continued, “It had attacked one of the expeditions in the Ancient Forest. It was only a juvenile, but it did not want to retreat, so I ended up having to take it down. We suspect it may have been riled up by Zorah’s Earthquakes… The gear is not as good as it would be from an adult one, but I’m satisfied with it. It also allows me to take this for a spin.” Aiden pointed to the weapon that was sheathed on his back, a Gunlance made from the same parts as his armor.
Valen chuckled. “Ever the jack of all trades are you, Aiden?”
“At least I can fit in any team! You know that it is better than being a single master of one!”
During Valen and Aiden’s banter, Lea explained more in detail what they had done during their absence. They had just arrived at the Research Base, but she gave some of the progress the Researchers back in Astera made on Zorah Magdaros.
“Oh, we should go in, Masani asked that we bring you to her once you arrived. She has some tasks to give you.” Aiden finally said.
“Then let’s go, we should not make her wait.”
They all entered inside the Airship, where the Third Fleet Master was waiting for them. She waved for them to approach with her free hand and when they were close enough, she said. “I see you are back from your expedition. I suspect you made some of the same discoveries as the Tracker?”
“We did.” Sophie said. “We met two of the Large Monsters she documented, though we did not encounter the third one.”
“I’m not surprised, the Odogaron are relatively scarce, and they roam deeper in the Vale. Also, I suggest you be more careful on future expeditions. Since the Earthquakes a month ago, there have been some shifts reported in the usual movements of the monsters in the surroundings, so expect anything.”
“We will be careful, don't worry!” Sophie proclaimed.
“But this was not why I required your presence. I called you here because we are finally ready.” She had a smile on her face.
Sophie gasped. “Do you mean…”
“Yes, the repair crew confirmed that the Airship is now ready to get back into the air. We were waiting for you so that we could finally do the test flights. All pre-flight tests have been done and cleared. They are all waiting for my word.”
Everybody from the small group looked at each other, smiles on their faces, for those that didn’t have their helmet on. It truly showed that their work had results.
They all followed Masani to the prow of the ship, which had a space so they could see outside on a balcony. She then explained some of the difficulties they had dealt with during their stranding.
The main difficulty of the airship’s repair was that due to the way it crashed, the researchers had been forced to remodel the internal layout early on so that they could have a stable environment to work on. But doing so created problems in the repairs later on, as it meant that the ship would now be permanently tilted backward when in flight instead of being horizontal, which was the main delay in repair. It would also mean the ship wouldn’t be able to dock at Astera until they built a special deck that allowed it to land in its tilted position, or else everything would lose equilibrium inside.
It was a good thing Airships were designed to be able to fly for weeks straight, which would give enough time for the Engineers in Astera to accomplish their job when they got back there.
Once they were all settled on the balcony, she shouted: “All aboard!”
A researcher, who had training in manning an airship replied. “All hands are aboard, ready to leave at your command!”
“Then we leave!” Masani replied.
The ropes tying the Airship to the ground were undone, and immediately, it visibly started to move, no longer tightly bound to the earth. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, it started to rise. Then it picked up speed, and smoothly rose, as the pilot was certainly trying to make sure the ship stayed level at all times.
Taking off in an airship was always an amazing moment for Valen. And given that this time it was basically on the airship’s first flight, it just made the moment more impactful.
Once they were high enough in the air and they were certain there were no issues, Masani looked at the group.
“We are now back in action, thanks to you. We won’t head back to Astera immediately, however. We need to make absolutely sure there aren’t any issues, so we’ll make several flights around the zone, but in a week we should be able to get back to Astera. This ties into the next thing I wanted to talk to you about. Hunter Rapha?lle and Handler Sophie, the Tracker wants you to join her in the Rotten Vale tomorrow, she has found out something and wants you to help her with it. Hunter Valen and Aiden, you should probably stay with us so that you can make sure nothing attacks the ship.”
“That seems wise. The last thing you need is a Legiana attacking, especially right after you just got airborne again.” Legiana was the name the Third Fleet had given to the agile Flying Wyverns of the Highlands. Their unique wing structure gave them unmatched maneuverability and speed among the coral towers that made up the Highlands, although Valen privately thought that Nikki could easily beat them in the open sky.
“Indeed, which is why I was waiting for all of you to be available to protect the ship should we be attacked. So far it looks like everything is fine.”
A bit of silence followed that remark, as everybody looked around. Then Masani continued. “We have discovered many things over the years in the Coral Highlands, but what the Tracker has discovered in the Rotten Vale outweighs all of what we studied. It is truly one of the keys to the mystery behind the Elder’s Crossing. I am certain you will agree once you have heard what she has to tell you.”
Sophie nodded. “I am writing the report of the expeditions we have made in the Vale, but my early conclusions are leading to that as well.”
“Then I believe we-” Masani’s reply was cut short by a violent rocking that wracked the ship as if something had violently impacted it.
Valen managed to grip the railing to stop himself from losing his balance, then immediately looked around and pointed to a blue shape winging nearby. “Legiana! You were right. It seems like it has been attracted to our ship somehow.”
“Then go! Valen, Aiden, you need to go deal with it before it manages to damage the balloon!”
Before Valen could agree, a voice cut through them. “No.” To their surprise, it came from Rapha?lle. “Valen, stay here. Me and Aiden can deal with it, but somebody needs to stay with the ship so that it can land safely.”
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The tension rose as everybody realized what Rapha?lle had just done; she had given an order to a hunter who was technically her superior in rank. But before Valen could chastise her, he looked at her face, uncovered by her helmet, which held a look of determination and certainty, echoed by her stance and creating an effect like she had a natural aura of confidence. He then knew for certain that she was a natural leader. She could rally people to her and lead them in times of trouble.
So he made his decision and nodded, to the surprise of everybody else. “Go, I’ll stay here as our last backup, but do not overexert yourself. Remember, you need to be in top shape for tomorrow.”
“That was my intention.”
“Masani.” Valen looked at the Third Fleet Master, who flinched when the Flying Wyvern emitted a piercing shriek. “Do you still have gliders in good shape?”
She nodded. “At the top deck, we have kept them ready before taking off.”
“Then go, the both of you. Once you launch yourselves I’ll throw a Flash Pod. Good luck.”
The duo did not waste time, given the wyvern was still trying to break through the wood with its sharp talons, as they dashed out of the prow of the ship. Valen immediately loaded his Slinger with a Flash Pod, which was a fragile container with a bug inside. He waited a bit until he finally heard Aiden and Rapha?lle shout: “WE LAUNCHED!”
With that, he aimed at the Wyvern and pulled the trigger. The container traveled the short distance in an instant and he knew his aim struck true. He averted his sight and closed his eyes before the container broke upon the Wyvern’s head, shielding himself from the blinding flash of light emitting from it.
The Legiana shrieked in pain and plummeted downwards, but when Valen unshielded his eyes it had already caught itself. It looked at Valen and shrieked again as rime crystals began to form on its chest, a sure sign that it was preparing to unleash a volley of ice crystals at the airship in retaliation. It surged upwards and threw its wings wide, but before it could send its frozen needles flying a battle cry rang out with ferocity matching the Legiana’s own.
Valen looked to the sky to see Rapha?lle diving towards the wyvern with her glaive drawn and a fury that reminded Valen of Nikki’s duel with the maddened Valstrax. The Legiana rolled to the side in a desperate attempt to avoid Rapha?lle’s strike, but she quickly adjusted with a flourish of her glaive and the hiss of a compressed air blast. A shriek of pain rang out from the Legiana as Rapha?lle struck true, slicing the Legiana’s delicate wingtips to ribbons with a vicious flurry of blows.
The Legiana staggered and began to flee, much of its aerial maneuverability lost without the use of its smaller wingtips to make adjustments mid-maneuver, while Valen leaned forward in shock as Rapha?lle continued to plummet towards the ground below.
However, he quickly came to realize that his concern was unnecessary as Rapha?lle sent her Kinsect out with a whistle and fired a grapple line to latch onto its carapace. Proving remarkably strong for its size, the Kinsect hovered in place while Rapha?lle swung herself in pursuit of the wyvern, using the speed of her descent to help her cover the distance. Hobbled as it was, the Legiana hadn’t managed to make it very far, and Rapha?lle was able to cover the distance with only one more air blast.
While she had less speed this time, she was far better positioned to land upon the wyvern’s back, at which point she drew her hunting knife and began trying to sever the Legiana’s wing tendons. The Legiana screamed once more as it continued to flee, diving into the coral and carrying Rapha?lle out of sight, quickly followed by Aiden’s glider. Valen sighed as he watched Rapha?lle’s abandoned glider flutter away in the wind. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
Valen was waiting at the railing of the airship’s deck again. Aiden was next to him, and both of them were wearing their full armor. The Legiana hunt had gone smoothly, and Aiden had returned to the ship the night before. He had guided a team to pick up the body of the Legiana earlier that morning after Rapha?lle had guarded it from scavengers all night. Its body was currently secured on the deck, waiting to be processed by the Smithy once they were back in Astera. With the aggressive Legiana now taken care of, the ship was now back in the air. .. The Third Fleet master confirmed that they would start the journey back to Astera in a few days now that they were more confident in the state of the Airship. In the meantime, Rapha?lle had departed for the Rotten Vale to meet with the Tracker.
It was not that long ago that she departed, but Valen and Aiden were currently on standby to be able to assist her in short order should she need it. They believed that she should be able to take care of herself, but anything could happen, especially with the perturbations Zorah caused during its trip through the Great Ravine.
They were staring at the spot towards which Rapha?lle departed and were waiting for a sign of either her return or her requesting assistance. If she did, they would both go help, as they knew that she could judge pretty well if something was out of her league.
The duo thus stayed still, looking at the ground from their position, until Aiden broke the silence. “So… You think she’ll be the one to lead the Fifth Fleet?”
Valen hummed, then nodded. “She’s talented, and she learns quickly. I believe she will fit the role well. And as much as people tell me I should, I do not like leading, so I prefer leaving that role to others. People also like her, and she has the charisma needed to make people rally behind her. That’s why I did not protest her taking charge like that yesterday. I’m more surprised you didn’t since you are the other candidate for this role.”
“I do not like leading that much anyway, I’m more of a follower. I tried a couple of times and I spend too much time worrying about every aspect that it worsens my fighting abilities too much. She does it so naturally that she’ll do a much better job than me.”
Valen shifted his position on the railing to face Aiden. “I can understand. I have been thrust into the position to lead myself, and while I manage, I do not believe that is where my strength lies. I can work with full teams, but I’ve been working with Adem solo for so long that it’ll take a bit for me to get used to doing so.”
Aiden nodded. “Yeah, I gathered that about you after all the time we’ve spent together. You are a good man, Valen, do not forget that.”
Valen was about to thank Aiden when a light coming from the ground attracted his attention. It was a red flare. Which could only mean that Rapha?lle was calling for aid.
“Jaggi’s Ball, she’s in danger! We need to go!” Aiden exclaimed.
Valen did not waste the time to answer and immediately whistled for his Wingdrake, then put on his helmet. Adem took the time to climb on his shoulder and the small monster was already beating its wings furiously to reach them as soon as it could. Valen heard Aiden whistling to his own Wingdrake before he shot the grappling hook incorporated in his Slinger to the Wingdrake, which secured him to the harness and then jumped over the railing. The monster was a bit destabilized by suddenly taking his weight, but it recovered quickly enough. Adem was clutching tightly to him, making sure he wouldn’t fall from such a great height.
Shortly after, Aiden’s Wingdrake caught up to them, and they looked at each other and nodded. It was either Rapha?lle or Sophie who fired the flare, more likely Sophie since the Rotten Vale’s geography made it so that a lot of the area was covered by a ceiling. If the Huntress needed to focus on surviving, she couldn’t just run to open air to fire it.
The Wingdrakes plunged towards the valleys visible down below, where all they could see were bones.
One of the peculiarities of the Rotten Vale was that it was directly below the Coral Highlands. While the Highlands occupied the surface level of the region, the Rotten Vale made the “bed” of it, and was comprised of several levels itself. So they had to dive through the Highlands before they could reach the Vale.
They flew through the different layers, passing through the giant coral rocks that had a flat top, before the pink trees that looked at home, but unnatural compared to regular trees, before they finally reached the transition zone, where the coral started to morph into decomposing bones.
Valen had thankfully noted where the flare came from, so he had steered the Wingdrake towards that direction, and they came into view of Sophie, who looked quite panicked.
“There you are… Thank you! I do not know why Rapha?lle fired the flare, I just relayed it as soon as I could. We were chatting with Kora before we were jumped on by an Odogaron. We retreated while she took care of it, and I lost the Tracker in the process, but not long after she fired that flare. I do not know why, but it only means that something else came, I do not believe the Odogaron would be enough to cause her trouble.”
Valen looked at Aiden, who nodded in response. “We’ll go help her. Do you know which direction the flare came from?” Sophie pointed in the direction that went deeper into the bowels of the Vale. Valen barely took the time to thank her before he started running in that direction, followed by Aiden and Adem.
The trio ran, as they had no time to waste since they were not sure of the level of danger that Rapha?lle was facing. Valen did not know for how long they ran before a roar sounded in the distance, that for some reason evoked a memory buried deep into him. They knew it was a sign that they were getting closer, so they redoubled their efforts and continued to head in the direction of the roar.
Another roar resounded through the valley, much closer this time, and this time, Valen knew that he had heard such a roar like this before… But he could not place where or when, and this worried him. He felt like he had to know where it came from, but his memories came up empty. Valen shook his head and focused back on running. Adem was galloping on all fours to keep up with him, and Aiden was tailing him. The miasma that permeated the deeper layers of the Rotten Vale was denser here, and they barely could see in the distance.
Their determination to not let their companion fall to a threat she wasn’t equipped to deal with kept the three of them on their pace, but Valen knew that they would have to slow down soon if they did not reach their target fast, lest they be too tired to even render aid.
Finally, they could see a massive shape moving through the miasma, seemingly chasing something. They couldn’t see her yet but Valen was quite certain it was chasing Rapha?lle. It now meant they were pretty close so they pushed themselves to cross the remaining distance between them.
Finally, the miasma seemed to clear before them and revealed an open area where Rapha?lle was running away from the monster that was chasing her… A yellow hulking shape, striped blue, with a gigantic maw that could emit roars that were able to pulverize bones should they make the mistake of being close enough…
A shape that Valen knew all too well, because the moment he spotted it, he froze to the spot, and the Rotten Vale melted away… Replaced by a burning village all around him.
Valen knew that place, he knew it too well. It was the place of his nightmares. It was where everything began for him… For the worst. It was when his life crashed down. It was when he lost everything.
The shape in front of him was hulking, bigger than what it was a moment ago. It prowled in front of him, as it knew that it could play, since it was the only other living thing, all other life having been snuffed by its claws and teeth. It stared at him, the yellow scales baleful in the morning light, a sickly yellow with the smoke and dust permeating the air. Its blue stripes are devoid of all majesty, being only a travesty of its former glory.
Valen wasn’t a seasoned, respected, admired hunter. He was only a child, a child that lost all that he knew that day. A child who was petrified in terror. A child who knew that his time was about to end.
That giant maw licked its teeth, it knew it could savor this instant, that it had all the time it wanted. Glistening drool dropped on the ground, reflecting the light, tainted red. It paced towards him, doing one step at a time. It took a deep breath and enjoyed the odor of his fear that for sure permeated the air. Then it held its breath and roared.
A split second after Valen saw the motion, a wave of concussive air slammed into him, and even though weakened by the distance, it was still enough to knock him to the ground. He whimpered, he knew that there was nothing he could do against this beast, this monster. Nothing in this village could. He was faintly aware of something that tried to push him to the side but he didn’t know what.
Then suddenly something in its demeanor shifted. And it seemed to be no longer willing to play with him. It reared back, anchored its clawed wings on the ground, tensing its whole body… Then exploded in motion.
The footsteps made the ground shake, the ground cracking under the sheer mass of the monster as it barreled towards him. Valen wanted to close his eyes, to not see his death coming towards him, to not see that dark, cavernous maw engulf him whole. He could not avert his gaze, transfixed as he was by his certain end.
It came closer and closer, and Valen still stood, knowing everything was about to end for him… And just when the monster was a couple of lengths away, it prepared itself to jump. Then unexpectedly something slammed into it, fouling him, and causing it to lose its stride, and it rolled away once, then regained its balance. However, instead of turning towards Valen this time, it faced a shadowy shape, much smaller than the monster, but it wasn’t afraid of it.
Suddenly a memory, buried deep within him flashed, and he remembered.
He remembered how this day ended in the same manner. When a colossal Hammer slammed into that monster and diverted it as well. A figure clad in red had challenged his demise and made sure it could not inflict terror anymore. That figure gave its life, to make sure Valen was safe. But… He had forgotten that and only remembered the terror of that day.
Distant voices called to him, both from the figure and from next to him. And suddenly, with a sharp slap that turned his head aside, the village melted away, and he was back in the Rotten Vale… The monster resolved itself into a Tigrex, which Aiden was trying to distract as much as he could, using his shield to repel its attacks.
“-wster, WAKE UP!” a voice shouted from next to him, and Valen could see Adem shouting to him, looking completely panicked.
Valen looked into the Felyne’s eyes, who immediately exhaled in relief, but was still panicked. “This isn’t the past you Meownster, you are the Sky Piercer, and we need you! Aiden is holding on, but he cannot do his best if he has to protect you. Rapha?lle went to chase the Odogaron which is trying to pursue the Tracker, we need you meow!”
Taking a deep breath, trying to calm his raging heart, Valen held it for a bit, before exhaling and opening his eyes. His gaze sharpened, and he focused on the monster. “Thank you, Adem… You are right, I am needed.” And he stood up, unsheathing his weapon, holding it at its side.
He stared at the Tigrex, whose oh-so-familiar form still threatened to plunge him back into his past, to detach him from the present moment. But he could see the difference now. While the monster of his nightmares had a gaze full of anger, of hate, this one only had hunger, but was still outside reason. It was desperate, but it wasn’t malicious. It simply tried to live.
Their preferred course of action would have been to leave it alone while it hunted to satiate its hunger… But it was too desperate, too deep into that starvation-induced madness that it would chase them over an easier meal. They could only grant it mercy. Both to stop its pain and to protect themselves.
Valen’s childhood was cut short by a Tigrex, only saved by the nick of time by a Hunter that saw the fires from far, away and was only able to save him… That hunter fought fiercely, and felled the foe… But not without receiving a grievous injury himself. His final words to Valen were to remind him that most monsters were not as full of hate and that he shouldn’t pursue a road to hate… However, this memory had been buried by the nightmares.
“Find your path, live.” Were the final words of that Hunter, whose name he never was able to find out.
Valen now remembered… And he knew he found his path, but first, he needed to do one more thing. He needed to vanquish the monster of his nightmares.
The Tigrex slammed its paw into Aiden’s shield, who dug his heel in and was pushed back but held. The wyvern was laser-focused on his current foe, and was not aware of Valen… Who now saw an opening.
Valen dashed forward, his pounding steps shattering decayed bones under his feet. His armor seemed to glow with intensity, sharing his newfound determination, and aiding him in his purpose. He held his weapon with both hands and prepared himself to do something reckless… But he was certain of the outcome. He was certain he would prevail.
The distance to the wyvern was close, but it still did not notice him, it was attempting to bite Aiden, to overpower his defenses. And it was its mistake.
After it failed to bite through Aiden's shield, which had angled it to deflect the attack, Valen jumped, igniting the thrusters on his back to increase the distance. He soared through the air, the rumbling sound of the machinery echoing through the area.
That was finally what snapped the Tigrex out of its tunnel vision, it turned its head to figure out the strange sound. But it was already too late.
Gravity found him again after he cut his thrusters off, having depleted the whole store of energy at once. And his weight slammed on the Tigrex’s head, who was not expecting it. He immediately unsheathed his carving knife and stabbed it in his throat, giving him a solid grip on the monster. With his other hand, he squeezed both the lever and the trigger on the weapon, morphing it into the sharpened and pointy Sword mode, while a glow started to build up from the top thrusters.
Valen then plunged the weapon through the throat of the monster, though only the tip penetrated through for now. Then he started speaking. “I have made mistakes in my life. One that I regret above all. I also know that my past is not the greatest, having suffered tragedy from young… But I'm tired of it. I’m tired of my nightmares being plagued by you. I’m tired of freezing because a monster reminds me of your species.” His weapon sank deeper into the flesh, the blade starting to glow crimson through the energy building up in it, a whistling now audible. “I say, no more! My past shaped me, but it needs to stop haunting me. I want to protect, to make sure we can protect this New World.”
The Tigrex was now panicking, trying to swing its head side to side to try to throw Valen off… But his grip was steel-clad. “And for me to achieve that goal… I need to vanquish my nightmare. I am the Sky Piercer, and I tell you this: BE.” The whistling rose to a pitch, and the weapon looked like it could take no more. “GONE!” Valen pulled out his knife and released the trigger controlling the energy buildup, and it released all at once, the full energy of the Dragon phial, made of distilled Valstrax blood, exploded out of the weapon. The force big enough to catapult him away from the monster, a cloud of gore expelled everywhere. He looked behind him and controlled his flight, morphing his weapon back to Axe mode while doing so, and then once he touched down on the ground, slammed the axe tip into the ground, the increased resistance helping kill the momentum caused by the shockwave.
Once he stopped, he exhaled the breath he had been holding, and looked at the result… Which was not pretty.
The Tigrex’s head had been completely separated from its neck, the explosion powerful enough that it was catapulted into Aiden’s shield, who was now recovering. The stump on the body was completely exploded, which would make any monster or hunter scared of what could cause such a thing. The body convulsed once, then became still, blood starting to rain all around the arena, with a bit of mist permeating the air.
Everybody was silent, Valen, Aiden, and Adem, Rapha?lle having long since left the arena once the trio arrived. Valen was breathing hard, and tried to wipe his helmet, blood having splattered on it and covering part of his vision. He could still see the shocked face of Aiden. He took a deep breath and then exhaled.
A loud hiss distracted his attention, which reminded him that he had pushed his weapon to the limits, and it was venting the fumes remaining in the phial while it glowed ominously. He thus immediately removed the spent phial, and threw it away while it cooled down. Then he looked at Aiden.
His companion seemed to have finally recovered his spirits and said. “Gog, Valen.”
Valen chuckled, then laughed, he laughed hard, because he felt that a tension that had been present in him since a long time ago finally dissipated. A shadow that plagued him for years finally lifted, and he could truly feel free. Aiden chuckled nervously at first, but eventually joined him, while Adem simply shook his head and sat on the ground.
“Thank you Aiden, I needed that… I think I might have gone overboard though.”
“I think it was understandable… You have been messed up by a Tigrex when you were young?”
Valen shook his head. “You have no idea… I’ll explain the tale when we have some time, I need to collect my thoughts about this…”
“I understand, we should make sure Rapha?lle and the Tracker are safe.”
“Let’s go then, then I’ll need a long rest.”
They nodded and followed Adem who could smell Rapha?lle, though barely through the omnipresent fetid odor of the Vale. But Valen walked with a newfound lightness, as he was finally free from his trauma, having achieved the perfect form of catharsis.
Yes, I did plan how this chapter would go for a long while, it is one of the TWO key moments of this book. What is the other you may wonder? You have to wait and see!
I also know that trauma does not work like this too, but I’m telling a story, and my experience with such things is lacking. Sorry if I offended some because of this, this was not my intention.
A new question for all of you, what is your favorite Monster Hunter theme? Mine is surprisingly Kulve Taroth's, but I’m curious if it’ll be Valstrax for everybody or if you prefer others.
