MH:TLC Chapter 6, Hunting the Great Jaggi Part 2

Hunting the Great Jaggi Part 2

Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine.

The two of them worked quickly preparing their plan of attack against the Great Jaggi. To begin with, the pair of hunters were forced to repel down the sides of the cliff by using the willow vines hanging over the edge. Eleanor had been mildly against the idea of trusting their lives to the durability of a string of vines, but once Levin made note of how little time they probably had, her enthusiasm for the idea increased.

Once they'd dropped to the valley, the field itself, the two of them truly set to work. The Aptonoths seemed to ignore them completely when they walked through the herd. The Kelbi were wary, and tended to prance away if either of them got too close, but none of them seemed too worried about the presence of the hunters. The adult Kelbi seemed to be much more concerned with the possibility of an approaching threat. Levin sent Eleanor off with the pitfall trap, giving her instructions on how to open it and where to place it. Levin himself set out to keep watch over the entrance into the field they were preparing, shooing away Kelbi standing watch in order to find a good vantage point to get a good view through the crevice. Eleanor moved quickly, hurrying over to one of the exits that Levin claimed was the closest to the Jaggi nest deep in the forest.

Levin's plan was that they would lure the Great Jaggi into the trap as soon as possible, in order to deal as much damage as they could right off the bat. Should the Great Jaggi manage to free itself from the trap before they could fatally wound it, it would most likely attack them in retaliation. However, once it was weakened to the point where it would try to attempt a retreat, its best exit would be blocked forcing it to fight so long as Eleanor and Levin kept their positions guarding the other exits.

Following Levin's instructions, Eleanor found a soft spot of earth near the middle of the path leading out of the fielded area. With a grunt of effort, she forced the conical trap into the dirt, wedging it in as deep as she could. Once she'd pushed the trap deep enough to satisfy herself, she replicated Levin's instructions to activate the trap, twisting the upper third of the cone counterclockwise. With a click, the Laciacrus crystals snapped into place.

Eleanor jumped back quickly as the energy emitted by the crystals powered up the small trap and the internal mechanisms made the cone unfold. With a high pitched hiss, the small rods holding the crystals extended into the air a few feet above Eleanor's head, and with a soft thump, came down simultaneously and wedged themselves into the soil, lighting up as they sent their charge into the earth. With the rods emitting their charges, the latch to the Saturnian's confines snapped open and the small white creature leapt from its captivity and immediately sunk into the earth, greedily attempting its escape.

Eleanor watched, still perplexed at the Saturnian's abilities, as the earth shifted and churned, and seemed to melt away. With a sound like a sigh, the soil collapsed into a mushy state, barely different from the surrounding soil if you neglected the darkened soil and uprooted grass. Lastly, with a hiss, the cone fragmented apart across its seams unraveling a wide net across the viscous soil, thin rods from within pulling the whole thing under. A spider web-like mark on the ground was the only sign that the net was even there.

Curious about the consistency of the soil, Eleanor tossed a small rock into the area, whistling in awe as it dropped below the surface as easily as if it had fallen into water. Well, perhaps not that easily, but still it sank much faster than Eleanor expected. Eleanor had to admit the Saturnian certainly was worth the effort to capture and bring with them, and even felt a sliver of pity for the thing as she watched it break the surface occasionally, looking for a way out of its captivity.

Her admiration of the Saturnian was cut short when Levin called out to her, telling her to get a feel for the field they'd be fighting in. She'd been given this order before in the last few weeks, given the task of determining the layout of their arena so she'd know when and where all obstacles were, even if they were behind her or just out of her line of vision.

Looking around, she could see the field was very simple. No big changes in elevation, the field was mostly flat save the small inclines leading through the crevices out of the area. Walking across it, the terrain was solid, no excess moisture or small rocks to slip her up. There were several large boulders jutting from the ground in the southwest corner of the area, which could be used for cover if needed. And there were only three exits, two of them close together on the northern end of the field and the last, where Levin stood guard all by itself on the west side.

Satisfied she knew what was necessary to make use of the field, she hurried over to Levin to check up on the location of the Great Jaggi. Kelbi irately danced out of her way as she ran by and a few Aptonoth grunted at her.

"Is it coming this way?" she asked hopefully as she approached.

"Can't be certain," Levin replied, gazing down the pathway. "It's not moving from its location yet, so it must have caught something, but if you listen, you can hear quite a bit of noise still."

Eleanor perked her ears to the wind, and the faint but definite call of Jaggis echoes down the crevice. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means that not everyone is eating," Levin explained. "Now, Jaggi are many things, including irritating, but they do tend to their own. They won't return to their nest until all of them have eaten, and that means that whatever they caught, once it's done they'll be on their way to the next hunting ground."

"So they'll be here soon?"

"Here or one of the other two fields in their path," Levin corrected her. "Now, before we do this, let's make sure we know what's going to happen during this fight…"

"You go all out and I provide support, right?" Eleanor said irately. "That's how we always do it."

Levin grinned. "Not this time, Ellie. This time, I'll just be keeping its attention. My sword's tough enough to fend most of its attacks, so I'll just be defending, but it'll be up to you to hit it hard. If it starts looking at you ugly, though, I'll hit it a few times to keep its focus on me. But this is your show this time. Think you can handle it?"

"Easily," Eleanor replied with a grin.

"Good to hear," Levin said. "Don't get overconfident though. One mistake and this big boy will send you flying across the field. The only other issue is to thin out the Jaggis that'll be traveling in the Great Jaggi's hunting party. We'll get ourselves a couple hiding spots, and once the big boy shows up to chew on the herbivores in this field, we'll use the distraction to pick off his little helpers. Once he's only got two or three left we can focus on the man himself, got it?"

"Got it."

A high pitched roar echoed down the crevice. The herbivores in the field began getting restless, uncertain what to do. The herd of Kelbis evidently decided it was best to move on, however, and the whole of the herd took off down the northern path unblocked by the trap. The Aptonoths stayed, still chewing nervously on the grass in hopes the hunting party wouldn't come their way.

"That's our signal to get ready," Levin said nervously. He glanced at Eleanor, studying her face to determine her mood. "You ready?"

Eleanor could feel the nervousness mounting in her belly, but forced in down and nodded.

"Then let's go," Levin said. "Let's grab a spot behind those boulders and let's see whether big boy chooses door number one."

The two of them hid quickly as the honks and barks of the Jaggi hunting party echoed down the crevice. They stood in silence behind the rocks, waiting as the sounds continued, seeming to grow neither softer nor louder. Eleanor began to fidget, growing impatient. She sighed in frustration, earning a weary shrug from Levin, who seemed to be getting irritated as well. He seemed better at holding it in, though.

Suddenly, the eldest Aptonoth in the herd reared up on its hind legs, raising it head up to a height of perhaps thirty feet as best Eleanor could tell, with its gaze intently on the crevice in the direction of the hunting party's last kill. With a honk of dismay, the large creature dropped back to all fours, the reverberation of the impact nearly knocking Eleanor off her feet. The creature released a loud honk of warning to its brethren, calling them together to move out.

Levin turned excitedly to Eleanor. "Good news," he said simply, and Eleanor grinned in fierce determination. She could tell what the Aptonoth were panicking about without him telling her.

The Great Jaggi was coming their way.

Already, she could feel a small rumble beneath her feet of a large creature approaching. It wasn't as powerful as she thought it would be, but Levin and Marshall had told her it wasn't a very big or strong creature. But still, it must be quite large to shake the earth. The yips of the Jaggi hunters grew closer as well, echoing loudly out of the crevice and around the field. The Aptonoth were still circling up, preparing to leave, many of them not quick enough to gather on the first call.

With a rush, a swarm of over a dozen Jaggis burst out of the crevice, grouping together at the entrance of the field, honking at the terrified herd of Aptonoth. And then their leader came through the path, the Great Jaggi. Easily five times bigger than a regular Jaggi and several feet taller than her, Eleanor could easily tell how the monster had gained supremacy in the pack. Its frill fluttered as the creature howled, ordering his pack to attack.

Immediately the whole pack, with its leader in the center, lurched forward towards a medium-sized Aptonoth that was lagging behind, still a good fifteen yards from the circle of the herd. Several Jaggis danced between the stray and its herd, forcing it to a halt. With a panicked cry, the elder Aptonoth gave the order to run, leading the herd away and out of the field, leaving the slow Aptonoth to its fate. Several of the remaining Jaggis attempted to pull more of the herd away from the cluster, but the creatures remained defensive and the herd funneled out of the field, escaping to safer grounds.

Left to fend for itself, the lone remaining Aptonoth backed away fearfully from the encroaching pack. The Jaggis circled ecstatically at the prospect of their kill, and the Great Jaggi approached the prey slowly, allowing his followers to wear it down.

"Get ready now," Levin told Eleanor, patting her shoulder and snapping her out of her reverie. She realized she'd been shaking in… fear? Uncertainty? Anticipation? She couldn't tell why, but at Levin's touch she jerked back to reality and nodded quickly in reply. Levin studied her for a moment to be sure she was ready then nodded back in acceptance. He motioned over to the path where the Jaggi pack had come from, behind and to the right of the pack. "Head over that way and begin firing on my mark. I'll come at them from the other side."

Eleanor did as she was instructed and quietly worked her way along the edge of the field, constantly glancing over to the Jaggi pack to make sure she wouldn't be spotted. She needn't have worried though; the pack had its entire focus on the weakening Aptonoth they had pinned in a corner. Nearing the crevice, she wedged herself behind an outcrop of rock and watched the hunt of the pack unfold as she waited for Levin to move in.

The Aptonoth was nearing its breaking point, with the pack of Jaggis nipping at it and occasionally going in for an attack. The Great Jaggi stood patiently, waiting for the right moment to attack. Finally, with a frustrated honk, the Aptonoth twisted itself to swat away one of the Jaggis with its tail, sending the small creature flailing back. This was apparently the opportunity the Great Jaggi was waiting for, because it burst forward at that moment, twisting its body sideways and lunging at the Aptonoth. With a loud smack, the large carnivore collided with the broadside of the Aptonoth, sending the creature to its side on the ground with a heavy thud.

Eleanor caught a flash of motion. Levin had appeared from his hiding spot, sword at the ready, and was motioning toward the pack. Eleanor understood: with the pack totally focused on the kill, they'd be so ingrained they wouldn't notice the loss of their comrades. She swung around her bowgun and loaded it with level 2 Normal Shots, then aimed down her sights at the Jaggi that was in the back of the pack. As Levin closed in, he wrenched his sword free of its sling and brought it down on the nearest Jaggi. With that, Eleanor fired.

With a pop, the shot struck the unsuspecting Jaggi in the back of the head, dropping it to the ground with little to no sound. Levin's target found its long neck and head detached from its body rather unceremoniously, and fell as well. Eleanor glanced cautiously at the rest of the pack, but as they suspected, the thrill of the kill was too much excitement for them to notice anything else. With a feeling of satisfaction, Eleanor chose her next target and fired, dropping it as well.

The assault of the two hunters on the pack continued as the Great Jaggi sunk its teeth into the Aptonoth, shredding the struggling beast's flesh and bones. With a shake of the carnivore's head, the herbivore's neck snapped, and the large beast ceased its struggles, large limbs becoming limp and dropping motionless to the ground. The Great Jaggi shook its prey once more to be certain it was no more, then released the corpse from its mouth. It turned triumphantly to its pack to announce their victory.

Eleanor nearly laughed at the look of confusion on its face as Levin yelled, "Showtime!"

The Great Jaggi howled in fury, and the rest of the pack turned in stupefaction, giving Eleanor and Levin a little more time to drop two more of the tagalongs, reducing the number of remaining Jaggis to six. But Eleanor felt a shiver shoot down her spine as the Great Jaggi's bright red eyes pierced into her, his rage and thirst for vengeance obvious. Her courage fell apart as the large creature barked in rage at her. Flashes of memories of the Rathalos maw shot into her head at the sight of the Great Jaggi's wide mouth and sharp teeth, frill fluttering threateningly. She nearly fell over backwards as the leader of the pack took a step forward, preparing to charge at her.

But from the Great Jaggi's right came the swing of Levin's great sword, blunt end hitting the large creature square in the leg. "Wrong target, asshole!" Levin cried as the Great Jaggi stumbled. "I'm the one you want, big guy!"

The pack leader lost its footing momentarily with his leg buckled under by Levin's blade, head and body bobbing wildly at the sudden assault and loss of balance. But it recovered quickly, baring its fangs at the new and closet threat. With a bark, it called its comrades to his defense, preparing to attack.

"Now's your chance, Ellie!" Levin called, twisting his sword into a defensive stance against the oncoming Jaggis. "Hit it hard!"

Eleanor snapped out of her trance, mentally berating herself for losing focus, and loaded her bowgun with Pierce Shot. She brought the bowgun up to bear as the Great Jaggi lunged at Levin and was deflected by the thick blade. The image of the shot's path aligned itself in Eleanor's vision, zeroing in on the pack leader's center of mass, and Eleanor fired the shots off in quick succession. She watched as the long-chambered bullets opened up to reveal long thin blades that spiraled through the air until impact. The bladed shots tore into the Great Jaggi's flesh just over the legs, imbedding themselves deep in its skin and making the creature cry out in pain.

It turned its focus back to Eleanor, but Levin brought its attention back to himself with a quick thrust of his weapon that tore into the beast's other leg. Levin dodged away as the Great Jaggi attempted to bring his teeth down on him, rolling over to the pitfall trap that had so far gone unnoticed by the pack.

Eleanor continued her assault, switching over to Pellet shots and firing several rounds in quick bursts into the creatures flank. Once again, the creature turned his attention to her, and once again, Levin pulled its attention back to him, drawing the large beast ever closer to the trap. However, the Great Jaggi appeared to grow irritated, and barked an order to his pack. Immediately, four of the remaining Jaggis branched off from Levin and began circling their way over to Eleanor, allowing the Great Jaggi to focus the whole of its attention on Levin.

Eleanor cursed and rolled to her right as one of the Jaggis charged and jumped at her. She brought her bowgun around to shoot, but found another one following up in an attempt at her throat. On instinct, she brought the butt of her bowgun up and struck the Jaggi across the face, sending it sprawling and giving her time to aim down and pull the trigger. The bowgun bucked in recoil and Pellet shot tore through the Jaggis leg.

The small carnivore cried out in pain as one of the remaining Jaggis charged Eleanor from the right. She twisted towards it, but the small creature danced around her, staying out of her path of fire and jumping in for a strike. She sidestepped the attack, but tripped over the body of the dying Jaggi on the ground and fell on her back. Two of the Jaggi leapt at her triumphantly from the front, but she brought her bowgun up and fired. The shrapnel of the Pellet shot tore through the neck of one and cut up the chest of the other, causing it to cry out as its pack mate dropped.

Eleanor rolled away from the corpse and leapt to her feet as the wounded Jaggi charged wildly. However, its wound was making it weave wildly, unstable from blood loss. Eleanor sighed in pity and pulled out her hunter's knife as the creature wobbled toward her, sinking the blade into the creatures back as it bit at her blindly. The creature dropped to the ground dead, leaving one last Jaggi. The creature looked at its comrades nervously before deciding to circle around Eleanor carefully, hissing at her.

However, Eleanor lifted up her bowgun and aimed at it. "Sorry," she said to the Jaggi, knowing it couldn't understand. "I guess you guys are used to Levin and Marshall. But my weapon's a little different than theirs are." She pulled the trigger and the unsuspecting Jaggi dropped as shrapnel tore through its chest.

She turned quickly as the Jaggi dropped, returning her focus to Levin. The Great Jaggi had apparently been led successfully closer to the trap, but Levin was looking winded from staying on the defensive the whole time. Eleanor quickly swapped out the Pellet shot for more Pierce rounds and aimed, pulling the trigger. The rounds slammed into the Great Jaggi's lower neck, just above its arms, making it cry out in surprise and pain. It glanced over in rage at Eleanor, angry and shocked that she'd taken out the members of his pack.

However, by removing his attention from Levin, the great sword user had plenty of time to pull back his blade and slap the Great Jaggi across the face with the flat end of his weapon. The Great Jaggi went sprawling across the ground at the impact, howling in rage at the assault. Seeing the pack leader was completely enraged at him, Levin quickly rolled away from one of the Jaggi's attacks and placed himself immediately between the rising Great Jaggi and the pitfall trap.

Eleanor used the opportunity to reload her bowgun with more Cluster shots and close the distance between her and the remaining members of the pack. With a squeeze of the trigger, the three rounds flew out of the chamber and tore into the Great Jaggi's flank, splattering bright blood on the ground. However, the fury of the beast was unperturbed, and with the full force of its weight, it twisted to its side and flung the whole of its body at Levin. Eleanor called out to Levin in worry, since his vision was mostly blocked by his sword in its defensive position.

However, it seemed Levin knew what was coming as he braced himself and threw his body to the side as the Great Jaggi flew past him. The pack leader stomped down his foot, attempting to turn around and attack again. However, the inertia of his attack carried him over the pitfall trap, dropping him feet-first into several feet of liquefied soil.

"Now Ellie!" Levin called, pulling a potion out of his pack to heal himself with. "Hit him hard!"

"Got it!" Eleanor replied, and loaded more Pierce shots into her weapon as the Great Jaggi realized what had happened to him. The two remaining Jaggis in the pack hurried over to him, but danced around the edges, uncertain how to help their struggling leader. Eleanor unloaded her rounds, shots embedding themselves in the Great Jaggi's flesh on its back and neck.

The Great Jaggi barked an order to the Jaggis, and the two quickly turned to Eleanor as she reloaded, preparing to attack. But Levin dashed between them and her, catching them by surprise. He heaved his great sword behind him and brought it around in a wide swing, catching both of the remaining Jaggis. The blade tore through the neck of the first Jaggi, beheading it, but only partially cut through the second and sent it skidding across the field.

Eleanor continued her assault on the Great Jaggi as it struggled through the pitfall trap, switching between Pierce shot and Pellet shot, depending on how much of a clear shot she had on the Great Jaggi's body. All the while, the creature wrenched its way ever closer to the edge of the trap. Finally, the beast found a foothold underneath all the muck of the trap and began working its way up and out.

"Ellie! Finish it!" Levin called, moving into the Great Jaggi's path to block its path. The creature slammed its head into Levin's guarding sword with an enraged bark, knocking the hunter back.

Eleanor quickly popped out the remaining Cluster shots in her bowgun and loaded a Crag shot in. She quickly lined up the sights just as the Great Jaggi turned his head towards her and turned to attack. She squeezed the trigger and let fly. However, the Great Jaggi managed to duck aside, avoiding taking the shot to the head or neck; however, it was unable to dodge the shot completely, and the explosive round lodged itself it the beast's back, just behind his arms. The Great Jaggi roared in irritation at the round piercing his hide.

Then the shell erupted. With a burst of flame and heat the round detonated in the beast side. The Great Jaggi howled in agony as the muscles and bone of his side were laid bare for a moment before blood gushed from the wound onto the ground.

Eleanor grinned in victory, but froze when Levin called out in warning. Its death imminent, the beast charged blindly at Eleanor. She scrambled to load another cartridge of Crag shot into her bowgun, and managed to load the shell into the chamber, but the beast was on her before she could cock the shot into place. Eleanor ducked quickly, rolling to the side as the creature's maw snapped at her. She jumped to her feet, reaching for the handle to load the shell, when the beast twisted its body entirely around, jaws brought down at her waist.

Eleanor twisted to the best of her abilities to escape the bite. Perhaps it was her speed that saved her, or maybe blood loss had made the beast dizzy and unable to accurately attack, but Eleanor sighed inwardly in relief as the jaws of the Great Jaggi slid past her without connecting.

But suddenly her world was jerked around and she found herself flailing around next to the Great Jaggi's head, dragged along the ground. Panic began to set in and she swung around desperately, trying to determine what was happening. The Great Jaggi shook its head wildly, and Eleanor felt each fierce tug. She looked down at her waist and realized the problem: the Great Jaggi's teeth had missed her waist but had become lodged in her belt buckle. The beast head dragged near the ground alongside her, unaccustomed to the awkward weight on its head as it swung and bucked in an attempt to dislodge her.

Eleanor reached back to her hunter's knife, desperate to cut herself free of the Great Jaggi. But suddenly a flash of light and searing pain tore through her skull as her head collided with a rock on the ground, making her drop the hunter's knife. She watch hopelessly as it clattered away, and flailed her arms, trying to loosen the strap.

"Let go off her, asshole!" Levin appeared out of nowhere, great sword a swinging, and the edge of the blade tore along the creature's leg. The creature howled in rage, but with a snap of his arms, the blunt of the sword cracked against the monster's skull, stunning it. The shock held the creature still for a moment allowing Levin to pull out his own hunter's knife. With a quick cut, Eleanor dropped to the ground, and quickly crawled away fearfully from the Great Jaggi.

She looked back in time to see Levin bring his great sword over his back, preparing to strike the stunned Great Jaggi with an overhead blow. Eleanor watched, shocked, as the sword seemed to glow a deep red that seemed to grow brighter as Levin gathered his strength. Eleanor cringed, however, when she caught sight of Levin's eyes. Instead of their usual kind, bemused look, they seemed to glow with cold, unparalleled rage and hate.

With a roar of rage, the red light seemed to erupt as Levin brought the sword over his back and swung it down. But the Great Jaggi had seemed to come to its senses, and bobbed away. It didn't escape entirely though, the point of Levin's great sword cutting through the beast's neck, splattering a line of blood on the ground. The Great Jaggi seemed too close to death to notice, though, and with a powerful lunge, the creature caught Levin full on and sent the hunter sprawling across the field, his great sword clattering away.

Delirious and half-dead from the battle, the Great Jaggi charged Levin blindly. Eleanor panicked as Levin lay stunned on the ground from the hit, and quickly brought up her bowgun. She cocked the shell and lined up her sights as the Great Jaggi bore down on Levin. Her hands shook out of fear and uncertainty, but she squeezed the trigger.

The shell flew through the air and wedged itself in the creature's neck, right inside the gaping wound left by Levin's blade. The impact made the Great Jaggi stumble, and it twisted in confusion, trying to determine the location of the attack that hit it when the Crag shot detonated.

The blast completely fragmented the creature's neck, separating the head completely from the body and burning up the muscle in the surrounding area. The head dropped lifelessly to the ground and rolled a few feet before stopping. The body stood motionless for a moment, muscles twitching erratically here and there, before it tipped over as well, shaking the ground with a thud when it hit the dirt.

Levin finally snapped back into focus and lifted himself up, observing the carnage before him. The two of them sat in silence for a long minute, unsure what to say. Suddenly, Levin barked in laughter, jolting Eleanor out of her daze. Eleanor sat staring at Levin in confusion, before the relief and sense of victory bloomed inside of her, and she found herself laughing as well.

The two continued to laugh for several minutes, finally letting the chuckles die away into relieved silence. Levin pointed at Eleanor's hands. "You can put that away now, you know." She realized she was still tightly clutching the trigger of her bowgun, and released it sheepishly with a grin, slinging it back over her back. "Nice shooting, by the way," he said.

"Thanks," she replied. "Nice… sword swinging I guess. I don't know how to say it."

"Close enough."

A thought popped into Eleanor's head. "What was that thing you did back there? That glowing thing?"

Levin frowned. "Oh that? It's a… I don't know how to describe it. Sort of a release of energy from the weapon. It puts extra weight into the blade when you bring it down. I guess it's hard to explain properly. I'll tell you about it some other time."

"Not now?"

"We have other things to do," Levin said with a grin. "I need to collect the Saturnian and tally the kills. And you? You need to carve your kill." He pointed over to the headless body of the Great Jaggi.

All at once, realization seemed to set in on Eleanor as she gazed at the corpse of the Great Jaggi. "My kill," she whispered.

"That's right," Levin said. "Step one in becoming a great hunter complete."

Waves of emotion surged through Eleanor. So many different emotions. Pride, satisfaction, relief, joy. She'd finally done it, killed a big monster. She hadn't done it herself, but still. It was like Levin said; she was on the right path to becoming great.

A great hunter.

A new emotion surged forward, overpowering the rest of them. She felt stronger with this emotion. Better.

Determination.

She'd become a great hunter for sure. She'd kill these monsters that threatened people. She'd kill them by the dozens, hundreds even. She'd make sure people knew who she was, that she was a powerful and unstoppable force, that she was the undisputed best. Completely fearless of the beasts. She'd killed one big monster; she'd kill the rest too.

"My kill."

.

Levin frowned uncertainly as Ellie gazed at the Great Jaggi corpse. She had an unusual look in her eye, not one he'd expected. Elation he'd expected, or relief. But this was a different look, something more basic and primal.

Hate? Sort of. But this seemed more frightening than hate.

Greed? Close, but not quite. Too passionate. Then it clicked with him.

Bloodlust. Levin shivered in fear. Ellie had killed a creature and enjoyed it, or found herself a reason to pursue a path of death and destruction. For some reason, she found joy in killing the Great Jaggi and the feeling would no doubt spread, filling her mind with the urge to kill.

This needed to be fixed. Levin knew he wouldn't be able to reach her by himself. He wasn't certain of what she'd gone through to make her so hateful of monsters, but he was sure it wouldn't be fixed so easily with a sit-down to talk it out with her. He and Marshall knew of a method that might work, but the event was still a couple months away.

He'd need to be careful about how he dealt with Ellie until the right time came. They'd certainly have to avoid large monsters as often as they could. Too much of a boost in ego could result in Ellie getting stuck in an overconfident state, unable to return to a calm attitude towards hunting. Marshall had told him about hunters gone over the edge before, believing all monsters were meant to be hunted. At best, they'd end up in a prison for poaching. He couldn't allow that to happen to Ellie. She could still be saved, he was sure of it.

Levin sighed in frustration and turned away as Ellie tore her knife into the Great Jaggi corpse, and walked over to the pitfall trap, where the Saturnian still was occasionally breaking the surface, trying to escape. He'd need to talk to Marshall as soon as he could, and prepare for the worst.

.

Author's Note: Please Review!

Okay, I didn't get quite as much of this chapter done during finals week as I hoped to, but I did get good grades, so that's a good trade off IMO. Next chapter probably will be up after Christmas, but before New Years. No promises though. I'm expecting at least two new video games for the holidays, and I expect those will sap my time fairly effectively.

I looked at the Monster Hunter story archive recently and realized I'm already in the top ten for length. What the hell. I've still got at least 30 or so chapters planned for this story. I'm not even going to estimate the word count for how long this will be when it's finally done. If I can make it to the chapter when I introduce certain characters, I know the story will go all the way to the end. There are some scenes and characters I have in my head that I just can't wait to write! I want to get there! But I have to make the story good until I get to that point, so bear with me.

For those of you who celebrate it, Merry Christmas! Happy holidays for the rest of you! (I don't want to rattle off the rest of them. I'm too lazy and probably won't get them all. Apologies.)