MH:TLC Chapter 8, Royal Ludroth Trouble Part 2

The Royal Ludroth's head dipped lower, its snout enlarging as it inhaled the scents around the corpse of the dead Ludroth. In its unprepared state, Eleanor pulled the trigger, the muzzle flashing a bright burst of yellow flame. At the same moment, Levin lurched forward, charging the Royal Ludroth just a fraction of a second after the firing of the round.

The Royal Ludroth barely had time to register the sound of the bowgun firing before the round collided with its bright yellow mane, digging deep into the spongy material just over a foot behind its head. It reared back in surprise at the object digging into its neck, noticing Levin approaching. Its eyes narrowed, and it prepared to roar its challenge of attack.

Then the Crag Shot exploded. The eruption of flame detonated with such force that the Royal Ludroth's head bucked back, flailing around like a ragdoll for a moment. Finally the alpha male managed to regain control, shaking his dazed head to ward off wave of dizziness. By that time, Levin had closed the distance between the two of them to a minimum, and was bringing his great sword over his back and down onto the Royal Ludroth.

Eleanor had to whistle in surprise at the dexterity the Royal Ludroth possessed, sliding its head out of the way at the last moment despite its dazed state. Levin's sword still came down on the alpha male, but only managed to shear off a large chunk of the monster's mane. The Royal Ludroth roared in fury at the pair of them, barking its intent to attack at them as Eleanor dashed out of the tree line, sliding more shots into the bowgun's chamber.

Levin slipped to the Royal Ludroth's side as Eleanor fired several Pierce Shots, catching the creature in the mane. Levin jumped forward, great sword swinging in horizontally to smash into the Royal Ludroth's front legs, but hit only air as the creature used its strength to push itself up onto its hind legs.

Levin twisted awkwardly, trying to recover his momentum and dodge away, when the Royal Ludroth flopped down, its large mass catching Levin slightly and knocking the great sword user backwards into the sand. The Royal Ludroth turned, teeth bared as it prepared to bite down on Levin.

Levin brought up his sword defensively as the Royal Ludroth lunged, the small teeth scratching and gnawing against the bone blade. Levin kicked wildly against the creature's neck, attempting to free his weapon as Eleanor fired rounds at the visible flesh behind the mane. The enraged alpha male continued to tear wildly into Levin's blade, despite the rounds tearing into its body.

The creature groaned in annoyance as it twisted its head, trying to break past the wide body of the sword. With an agitated twist, the Royal Ludroth wrenched the great sword out of its mouth, pulling Levin, who refused to release his weapon, along with it and throwing him across the beach. He leapt to his feet quickly, trying to recover in case the alpha male charged again.

As the Royal Ludroth turned to face Levin, Eleanor fired another Crag round. The blow hit the creature on the back, enveloping it temporarily in flame as the shot erupted. With fury, Royal Ludroth turned back to Eleanor. At the sight of it changing its target, Levin charged forward, intent on keeping its attention off Eleanor.

But Eleanor was suddenly caught by surprise as she loaded more Pierce rounds when the Royal Ludroth coiled back, then leapt through the air at her. She abandoned the shells in her hand, letting them fall to the ground as she dove away wildly from the airborne creature. However, she was unable to move fast enough, the Royal Ludroth's leg colliding with her side, sending her sliding across the sand.

She pushed herself back up to her feet, preparing to jump away in case of another attack, when the Royal Ludroth reared back on its hind legs again. Eleanor was confused for a moment, thinking it was preparing to body slam again, despite nothing being underneath it. But from its mouth it hocked up a large blob of light blue liquid, hurling it at her faster than she could dodge.

She winced, preparing for the impact, when Levin appeared between the two of them, bringing up his sword and blocking the orb from connecting with her. However, while most of the goop slid harmlessly off the side of the blade, some of it had splashed onto Eleanor, and to her dismay began seeping into her skin. She brushed her hand against her skin as quickly as she could, but before she could stop it, mucus had completely been absorbed.

Suddenly she felt a wave of weariness overcome her, as though she hadn't slept in days. It was strange, she didn't feel like falling asleep, she just felt… drained. She tried to get to her feet, but every time she attempted to, her legs began to buckle underneath her. She just couldn't seem to get her strength up to where it should be.

"Did you get hit by any of it?" Levin asked as the Royal Ludroth flopped to the ground, growling at them.

"I… I…" If Eleanor had had the strength, she would have been stunned at the lack of strength she had, even if just for talking. "I think so…" she managed to stammer.

"Well then get away from here!" he told her. "I'll draw its attention until the effects of the mucus wears off."

"I… yeah, ok…" Eleanor forced out, twisting around onto her knees and crawling to her feet. She stumbled forward, wobbling across the sand until she reached a rock outcropping near the tree line, and hid behind it as Levin charged the Royal Ludroth.

Eleanor fumbled numbly with the ammo in her pouch, pulling out Pierce rounds to replace the ones she'd dropped in the sand. She barely registered any feeling at all as she slid the rounds into the chamber, one after the other. She grunted in subdued anger. How did solo hunters put up with this feeling when fighting Royal Ludroths anyway?

She heard yelling and looked up at the battle on the beach, and blinked in surprise as she realized the Royal Ludroth was charging at her, Levin sprinting close behind to catch up. Her mind barely registered the need to get moving, but she managed to slide the cocking mechanism back into place and get up and moving.

Each step seemed like she was wading through quagmire as she ran across the beach. She wasn't sure exactly how fast she was going, but it felt like a crawl to her no matter the speed. Her eyes glanced back to the Royal Ludroth constantly as she ran a circular path on the beach. As it approached the tree line, Eleanor was shocked at the speed at which it turned around, flipping over and aiming at her again before charging straight at her.

Eleanor dove on instinct, trusting her reflexes to do what she knew her numbed senses wouldn't be able to pick up for her. She managed to roll out of the way of the Royal Ludroth's charge, but landed poorly on the sand as she tried to push herself back to her feet. She felt a dull pain rush up her body, and knew she'd be in a world of hurt once the effects of the mucus wore off. She pulled out a potion, drinking it quickly and throwing the used bottle into the sand as the Royal Ludroth skidded to a halt and turned around to charge her again.

Eleanor turned quickly to the side as the Royal Ludroth gained ground on her, cutting out of its path. She passed Levin as she ran as he was pulling out his sword. She glanced back and saw him bring down the blade into the path of the creature. The Royal Ludroth was unable to slow from its rush, but Levin had pulled out his weapon too late to get a solid hit on it, the great sword cutting a deep gouge into the bulk of its tail.

The Royal Ludroth growled in anger at the injury, flipping around yet again when it had gotten far enough away from Levin. Eleanor groaned in frustration as it charged again, directly at her once again.

Suddenly her world flipped over. She grunted in surprise and confusion, finding herself face down in the sand, legs working furiously to get her moving again. She looked down at her feet, and cursed at the sight of one of the dead Ludroth's tails. She had apparently tripped over it when she had her attention on the Royal.

She tried to get back up to her feet, but the effects of the mucus were still sapping her energy, making her want to lie down rather than fight the Royal Ludroth. She slid her bowgun sideways across her back as she forced herself to her knees, taking aim at the charging alpha male, the strap keeping the weapon steady. She fired off a couple rounds as the Royal Ludroth bore down on her, but the enraged creature hardly flinched as they impacted. Eleanor felt fear well up inside of her as the distance between the two of them closed, the large creature intent on running her down as she tried to stand up.

Suddenly, a rush of adrenaline tore through her veins, fiery strength nearly overwhelming her after the lull in vigor than had only moments ago held her down. Without thinking, she lurched forward, her returned strength launching her out of the Royal Ludroth's path and several yards across the beach. With a surge of enthusiasm, she slid several rounds back into her bowgun as she turned back around to face the confused Royal Ludroth, who stood stunned at the apparent vanishing of its target.

With the Royal Ludroth confused, Eleanor had time to aim as it glanced around. Her bowgun's muzzle flashed as it fired, Pierce rounds slicing through the air and stabbing into the creature's forearm and back. It howled in pain, turning to find its aggressor. It coiled back, preparing to leap at her, when Levin caught up with it, bringing down his great sword on the Royal Ludroth's wind leg.

The Royal Ludroth howled at them, completely losing its mind in rage. Levin brought his sword back around, preparing to cut into the creature's side, when it tilted its body away from him. Eleanor saw a flash of recognition light up on Levin's face, only a moment before the Royal Ludroth twisted its entire body around, rolling its entire mass across the ground, smashing into Levin and sending him flying across the sand.

Eleanor rushed forward, continuously firing rounds into the Royal Ludroth's mane, attempting to pull its attention away from Levin, who was attempting to recover himself several yards away from the enraged creature. The shots proved ineffectual, however, as the anger of the Royal Ludroth overrode its reason, allowing it to ignore the pain from the bowgun shots tearing through its spongy mane and piercing into its throat.

The Royal Ludroth turned to Levin as he returned to his feet, coiling back and preparing to lunge. Levin fumbled with his sword dragging in hastily behind him as he moved out of the way. The creature leapt forward, nearly striking Levin despite his motion to get out of the way. With the immediate danger sliding across the beach, Levin pulled out a potion, downing it quickly as the Royal Ludroth turned to lunge again.

Eleanor's hands flew as she slid a shell into the chamber. She lined up the sights and pulled the trigger, igniting a bright flame at the end of the barrel as the shell flew out. The round flew across the beach, striking and sticking on the Royal Ludroth's belly just behind the creature's forelimb. The impact hardly registered on the angered creature's face as it coiled back, preparing to jump at Levin again.

The Crag Shot detonated as the Royal Ludroth's body began to unravel, the force of the blast sending the uncoiling Royal Ludroth toppling over onto its side. The creature flailed as it hit the ground, its fury keeping it from getting back to its feet in a timely manner. Eleanor ejected the cartridge, closing the distance as she slid several Pellet rounds into her bowgun, preparing to unload them on the Royal Ludroth. She saw Levin rushing forward, no doubt planning to take advantage of the creature as it was downed as well.

But as she approached, the Royal Ludroth twisted its head, spotting her. Eleanor had only a moment of realization before it twisted its body around, forgoing its effort to get back to its feet and instead opting to roll in her direction. Eleanor attempted to twist around and dive out of the way, but the Royal Ludroth's speed was overwhelming, and in a fraction of a second the creature was on top of her.

The impact of the Royal Ludroth rolling into her side jarred her bones. A wave of pain smashed against her nerves, making her cry out in agony as the force of the Royal Ludroth slammed her back, sending her flying through the air. She felt as though she'd been hit by a boulder as the world spun around in her vision while she crashed across the beach. She could feel her bowgun poking and jabbing her body as she rolled, the little pieces and parts digging into her armor.

She felt herself slide to a stop in the sand, a dim realization over the pain coursing through her bones and the stabbing pain in the arm the Royal Ludroth had hit. She crawled to her feet as quickly as she could, turning fearfully towards the creature that had struck her, despite the piercing pain lancing up her arms.

The Royal Ludroth had brought itself back to its feet, and was only a few feet away from her, looking down on her. It roared menacingly, its injuries and burn wounds not even making it appear phased. It bore its fangs at her and reared back its head, preparing to clamp down its jaw on her.

Suddenly, it was as though she was in the Qurupeco's cave again. Fear washed over her. She couldn't win like this! The monster was too strong, too aggressive! A strong offensive wouldn't work, she'd have to defend, hide away until the danger was lessened. But the opportunity to do so was gone with the Royal Ludroth hovering over her, ready to strike. She trembled in fear as the Royal Ludroth's neck began to uncoil, its head diving toward her.

A shadow fell between the two of them, deflecting the Royal Ludroth's fangs to the side as it bit down. It shook its head in dizziness from the impact, spotting Levin pulling his sword up defensively between it and Eleanor.

"Get up!" he called to Eleanor. "It's angry, but we have to fight it back!"

"I… I can't," Eleanor stuttered, her fear overwhelming her. "It's too strong. I'll lose if I fight like that."

Levin glanced at her and cursed as the Royal Ludroth snapped at him, butting its head on the blade, trying to get around the wide edge of the great sword. When the creature reared its head back to prepare another lunge, Levin reached into his satchel, pulling out a small ball.

"Close your eyes!" he called out to Eleanor as the Royal Ludroth snapped at him. Eleanor saw him squeeze the ball and toss it at the Royal Ludroth's face. She snapped her eyes closed as the alpha male blinked in surprise.

Eleanor heard a crackling pop, and even behind sealed eyes, a flare of light flashed into her vision. She peeked open her eyes in surprise when she felt Levin grab her by the armor and drag her to her feet. She found herself next to him, the two of them making a break for the tree line. Looking back, she looked back at the Royal Ludroth and found it flailing its head around wildly, pawing its eyes and howling in rage.

"Wh-what was that?" Eleanor asked.

"Flash bomb," Levin replied. "It'll be blinded for a while. But we need to get hidden while we have the chance. If you're in that damn feared state, we definitely won't be able to win without getting badly hurt."

Eleanor suddenly felt angry with herself. Here they were, trying to take down a monster, doing fairly well (as far as she could tell), and now these damn fears of her were interfering and forcing them to run. But even as she tried to force the fears down, the images of falling rocks flashed brightly in her head, strengthening the terror she felt.

The two of them ducked into the bushes that grew thickly just beyond the end of the beach. Levin turned to watch the Royal Ludroth as it recovered, while Eleanor sat up against a tree trunk, shaking her head in frustration at the results of their hunt. She had been so close! So close to getting past the fears that haunted her mind!

"It can see again," Levin told her quietly. "It'll look for us for a while, but going through the forest really is not something it does well. If it comes our way, we can make a break for it. It won't be able to keep up with us if we cut through the forest."

"We're… giving up?" Eleanor asked dejectedly.

Levin sighed. "Seems that way," he replied. "I was hoping to scare it away at least. But the risk of one of us getting hurt during this fight with your fear hindering you is too high to risk fighting the Royal Ludroth in these terms. So we'll back off for now, and come back later when your fears have abated a little bit more."

Anger flared up again in Eleanor, furious at her fears. Why did these fears have to be swirling inside her? Why did they have to hinder her? Dammit, what right did they have to be there!

"No!" she said loudly. "We won't!"

Levin blinked and frowned in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

Eleanor stood up shakily, forcing down the terrors that tried to bring her back down to her knees. "I won't let these damn fears get the best of me!" she told him, determination growing inside her. "If I don't beat back my fears now, when will I? A month from now? A year? I refuse to be that worthless!"

Levin studied her, even as she forced down the shivers her fears were sliding down her spine. He looked over at the Royal Ludroth, who had recovered, and was tearing across the beach searching for the two hunters. He seemed to be locked into his thoughts, uncertain how to proceed.

Then he grinned at her. "If you put it that way, it doesn't look like we have much of a choice in the matter, does it? I was going to let the Royal live to fight another day, but I suppose today's just as good a time as any to show it who's boss, huh?"

Eleanor's eyes widened in surprise. "You're going to let me fight it?"

"After that little speech of yours? How could I not?"

Eleanor paused for a moment, and then smiled in return. "Good."

"The only issue we have is the Royal's aggression," Levin said, turning to look thoughtfully at the beach. "If we're going to beat this thing, we'll need to hit it so hard it'll forget to be angry at us. It needs to fear us instead."

Eleanor frowned, looking over at the rampaging alpha male, which was tearing around the rocks on the beach, hoping to find the two of them hidden behind them. "How are we going to get it to hold still long enough to hit it that hard, though? The only thing we have that'll stop it is the trap you brought, and you said it was pretty worthless on wet ground. What other options do we have?"

Levin thought for a moment. "Check your ammo bag," he told her. "Do you have any shots on you that could poison or paralyze it?"

Eleanor rifled through her pouch, pulling out three yellow rounds. "Only a few Paralysis Shots," she replied. "I don't really use effect shots like these that often, so I only pack them if there's extra space in my pouch. Sorry."

"We'll need to change that train of thought in the future for bigger monsters like this," Levin sighed. He continued to scan the beach head, trying desperately to find some method of stopping the Royal Ludroth cold.

Then he snapped his fingers. "That'll do it!" he said enthusiastically, reaching into his pouch. "How many Crag shots do you have left?" he asked as he dug through his pack.

Eleanor glanced into her pouch. "Four," she replied. "But they don't faze the Royal Ludroth enough to really knock him senseless. He won't hold still long enough for me to get a good shot at a weak point."

"And if you could get it to hold still?" Levin asked with a grin.

"I could put all four on his face and blow his brains out," Eleanor replied. "But our issue was getting it to hold still in the first place."

"And that's what we'll use this to do," Levin replied, tossing her something from his pack. Eleanor caught it clumsily, taken by surprise, and looked at the object in her hands.

She raised an eyebrow at Levin questioningly. "The shock trap? But I thought it was a bad idea for us to use it in wet areas."

Levin scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I did. That's why I'll be the one taking all the risk in this plan."

"What risk?" Eleanor asked nervously. "All you have to do is get the Royal Ludroth to step on the trap, don't you?"

Levin sighed. "Not good enough this time," he replied. "No way the Royal's gonna give us enough time to plant the thing, and it's not dumb enough to run right into a trap it sees us plant. The only way we're gonna get the Shock trap to work is to… increase its area of effect."

Eleanor frowned in confusion, looking over the beach. Then it was like the figurative light bulb had gone off over her head. "The creek. You're going to set off the trap while the Royal Ludroth is in the creek. Then it'll affect it no matter if it doesn't step over it."

"You got it."

"But how are you going to get it into… wait." Eleanor shot a terrified glance at Levin. "You can't be serious."

Levin shrugged nonchalantly, despite signs of fear and uncertainty flickering across his face. "I've told you before, Ellie. When partnered with a bowgunner, a melee fighter generally acts as an aggressor to pull a monster's attention. To put it in a less flattering light, I'm the bait and you're hook."

"Are you insane?" Eleanor yelled. She clamped a hand over her mouth when the Royal Ludroth's head snapped their direction, its ears straining to find the location of the outburst. The two of them slid behind a pair of tree trunks, obscuring the creature's view of them. Eleanor edged around the side of the trunk, peeking out as the alpha male waited for a sign of movement. Eventually it shrugged off the sound, turning back to the rocky area in front of it.

Eleanor glared at Levin, and opened her mouth to talk him down, but he just shook his head, cutting her off. "It's got to be done if we want to beat this thing, Ellie," he told her. "Besides, we're members of the Lost, remember? It's like the people in this world are saying, insanity runs in our blood."

"You're asking to get yourself killed," Eleanor hissed.

"Maybe," Levin replied. "But I'm putting my faith in the belief that'll you'll keep me alive. I'll lead the Royal into the creek, and after I get out but before it does, you activate the Shock trap and throw it in. The Royal'll get shocked, and you'll have a clear shot at its head."

The uncertainty in Eleanor began creeping back into her head, fear starting to well up inside her again. "But what if I…"

"No time for that now," Levin cut her off, pointing at the beach. The Royal Ludroth had finally noticed their footprints in the sand next to the tree line, and was making a bee line their way. "Remember, I'm counting on you!"

Before Eleanor could muster a reply, Levin turned and shot out of the trees onto the beach, catching the Royal Ludroth by surprise. The alpha male was only stunned for a moment, however, and lurched forward, intent on running the great sword user down. It growled in rage as sand flew up behind it from its claws.

Eleanor stood dumbfounded for just a moment as the hunter and monster tore across the beach, before snapping herself back into focus and breaking out of the forest to tail behind them. She tightened her grip on the trap in her hands as she ran, attempting to close the wide gap between herself and the Royal Ludroth that had opened in her moment of hesitation.

Levin hit the water of the stream at a near sprint, rapidly losing speed as he waded through the water. The Royal Ludroth, however, barely slowed as it reached the stream, kicking up an enormous splash of water on both sides as it tore through the water. In its element, it closed the distance between itself and Levin in only a few moments. It reared back to try and sink its teeth into Levin.

But Levin heard it coming, jumping to the side as the creature's jaw clamped down. The alpha male's momentum kept it going past Levin, its claws tearing against the slick rocks and sand sitting on the creek bed. It skidded for a few feet before its balance gave out and it flopped forward, legs sprawled out and head and neck lying on the ground. Eleanor couldn't be certain, but she figured the Royal Ludroth was just over halfway towards the other side of the creek.

Levin wrenched himself out of the water, his dull yellow armor soaked through with water, and with a glance back at the alpha male, began sloshing his way back to Eleanor's side of the creek. The Royal Ludroth twisted its head around at the sound, and with a growl, pushed itself upright and twisted around to begin the chase again.

Eleanor fumbled with the Shock trap, twisting the dial on top to activate it as she closed in on the creek. With a click, the dial snapped into the activated position, siphoning energy from the Lagiacrus crystals inside. The trap hummed as the energy inside built up.

Eleanor skidded to a halt a couple yards from the creek, watching desperately as Levin dragged his feet through the water. The Royal Ludroth howled in rage at the sight of both the hunters in his line of vision, and pitched forward into a charge, tearing through the water. Eleanor raised the trap, holding it awkwardly, clutching the edge like a Frisbee.

A flash of uncertainty tore through her. What if she threw it too early? Levin would be shocked, and would no doubt fall face first into the water, possibly drowning if the paralysis affected him too much. What if she threw it too late? The Royal Ludroth would charge its way out of the creek, unaffected by the shock trap in the water. What if? What if? What if?

No! Don't accept those options! There's only one course of action!

She felt a rush of adrenaline, and her vision narrowed. She could see the Royal Ludroth tearing after Levin, and Levin rushing desperately for dry land only a few feet away. Everything else in the surroundings dimmed in her vision. She felt the sand sift under her weight as she shifted her center of mass, preparing to throw. The rest of the beach was of no consequence. She knew she was acting in a risky manner, allowing herself to succumb to the strange over focused feeling. But all that mattered right now was stopping the Royal Ludroth cold.

The distance between Levin and dry land closed. When he was only a foot away from the sand, Eleanor twisted her arm, throwing the spinning trap through the air. It glided over the sand, wobbling on the breeze, before zipping past Levin and splashing into the water.

Bursts of light and pops of electricity spiderwebbed out from the point of impact, sending thousands of volts of electricity through the water. The charge caught the Royal Ludroth first, the charge tearing through its body a puling a strangled and pained cry from the creature. The once charging alpha male spasmed and tripped over itself, falling headfirst into the charged water. It howled in pain as it twitched violently in the water, unable to move.

Already Eleanor's hands were sliding the first of her remaining Crag shots into her bowgun's chamber. But even as she did it, worry overwhelmed her, and she risked a glance in Levin's direction, afraid that she'd thrown too early and paralyzed Levin as well. But a wave of relief swept over her when she spotted him panting several yards away. He glanced at her, no doubt wondering if she was firing yet, forcing her back into focus. She lined up her sights, allowing the imaginary trajectory of her shot to appear in her vision.

She squeezed the trigger, letting the shot fly across the beach and water and impacting on the Royal Ludroth's mane, half a foot from its face. Eleanor was already ejecting the used cartridge and pulling the next one out of her pack as the shot detonated, a blast of flame shredding the Royal Ludroth's mane to pieces and sending scorching head across its head. It yelped in agony as another Crag shot was locked into the chamber. The sights were lined up again as the alpha male twitched, still unable to move.

The bowgun fired again, and yet another eruption of fire detonated near the Royal Ludroth's face, making it cry out again in pain. And again Eleanor reloaded, sliding another Crag round into the chamber.

The remaining two rounds fired within only moments of each other, each of them blasting more and more of the spongy material from the Royal Ludroth's mane. As the final shot erupted, Eleanor lowered the sights on her bowgun, trying to gaze through the dark smoke that was billowing up from the Royal Ludroth's burning mane.

She cursed in exasperation when the smoke cleared, revealing the Royal Ludroth, steaming and smoking and still twitching sporadically, but certainly still alive.

"What does it take to kill this thing!" she yelled, followed closely by another string of swears.

"Not much more, I think," Levin replied. "Just keep hitting it! Try to get it down before the trap burns out!"

But as Eleanor began sliding a round of Pierce shells into the chamber, she looked up at a sudden silence in the area. With a jolt of realization, she noticed that the crackling and popping of the current through the water had suddenly stopped. Her eyes snapped over to the Royal Ludroth, and a twinge of fear flickered through her as the alpha male straightened up from its formerly crumpled position and roared at them in rage.

But it was tired, that was certain. Its breathing was heavy and its eyes were slightly unfocused, hardly able to keep its attention on either of them. She swore she saw it glancing downstream, and wondered if it was thinking about making a break for it. But Eleanor flinched back as the creature lurched forward, charging straight for Levin, apparently deciding to continue its attack on the two hunters.

"I've got this," he told her, pulling out his great sword and swinging it behind him as the Royal Ludroth headed his way. Eleanor blinked in surprise as the red glow she'd seen before began to spread from Levin's sword and across his body as his muscles tightened, preparing to swing.

But as the Royal Ludroth picked up speed, Eleanor caught a glimmer of nervousness sweep over Levin's face. She realized that if the alpha male was moving too quickly when it reached Levin, the sheer inertia of its size would barrel it into the great sword user even if he brought the sword down to kill it.

Her mind raced, trying to think of a way to slow the Royal Ludroth down. Then a thought hit her, and her hands flew into her ammo pouch, pulling out the remaining Para shots she had available and quickly sliding them into the chamber of her bowgun. She quickly took aim, not bothering to aim for the head, but rather the legs of the beast. The muzzle flashed.

The shot impacted only a couple inches behind the Royal Ludroth's foreleg. Eleanor grinned in triumph as the shot took partial effect and the alpha male stumbled, the serum inside the shot causing the nerves in its leg to tighten and spasm. But still the Royal Ludroth continued to charge, hardly phased due to its exhaustion.

She fired again and yet again, her two remaining Para shots striking the Royal Ludroth's hind leg that was in her vision. Once again, the Royal Ludroth bucked, the muscles in its leg giving way underneath it. But it was slowing down, Eleanor noted with relief. What had been a charge at first was slowing to a crawl. Admittedly, it was a very quick crawl, considering the size of the alpha male, but still a crawl nonetheless.

Levin grinned as the speed of the creature dropped, and his grip tightened as the Royal Ludroth got closer, and when the distance was at the very closest he could risk, he roared in effort, bringing the great sword over his back.

But a flash of realization seemed to flicker over the Royal Ludroth's face, and before the last gap could be closed, it twisted around as it had before, neatly pulling a complete turnaround only a couple yards away from Levin. However, it wasn't enough to completely escape Levin's swing, and the mass of metal and bone sunk into the rubbery hide of the creature's tail as it whipped around behind it.

The Royal Ludroth howled in pain as the blade tore completely through its tail. With a neat arc, the grey tip of the alpha male's tail disconnected, flying through the air and landing with a thump in the sand. Blood spurted from the wound and the sand was soon speckled with red. With a twisting glance at its latest injury, the rage vanished from the Royal Ludroth's howl and was replaced entirely by fear. With a pant of terror, it took off with a speed Eleanor thought it shouldn't have had in it, running full tilt for the creek bed and downstream.

"It's making a break for it!" Levin yelled, wrenching his great sword out of the sand as the Royal Ludroth hit the water. "Shoot it, before it gets away!"

"Got it!" Eleanor replied, sliding Pierce rounds into the chamber and opening fire. Several rounds connected with the Royal Ludroth's body, but the last couple rounds ricocheted of the trees that stood near the bank as it lurched around the bend.

"After it!" Levin called, swinging his great sword onto his back and running across the beach. Eleanor slid her bowgun onto her back and tailed after him.

Both of them were forced to run as fast as they could just to keep pace with the Royal Ludroth as it ran in terror away from the two of them. Eleanor's hands always seemed to leap towards the handle of her bowgun as the Royal Ludroth turned the corners, hoping the change in direction would slow it down enough for her to get a couple clear shots at the creature's side. But the alpha male showed tremendous dexterity, despite its mass and injuries, and took the turns at such ridiculous speeds that a wall of water would splash up against the opposite bank, uprooting any unfortunate shrubbery that had grown close to the water.

As they rounded a bend, the two hunters cursed loudly at the sight of the wide river straight ahead. The Royal Ludroth still had almost thirty yards lead on them, and at the sight of the river, it seemed to speed up even further at the thought of escape into the water. Knowing she wouldn't have another chance, Eleanor swung her bowgun around, Pierce rounds firing at the desperate creature. Several of the shots punctured the Royal Ludroth's hide, but it refused to slow.

At ten yards away from the river, the Royal Ludroth dropped, lowering its body into a slide, smoothly gliding into the churning water and disappearing under the waves in a blink of an eye.

The two hunters continued running until they reached the river bank, looking hopefully into the water for some sign of the running monster. All they received for their effort was the quick glimpse of the Royal Ludroth's mane breaking the water several dozen yards out for a brief moment, before it dipped under the water permanently.

"Damn it!" Eleanor swore. "We were so close!"

"No kidding," Levin sighed, shaking his head. "It always sucks when you get really close to finishing a mission, only to get the rug pulled out from under you."

She gazed downriver in irritation. "I suppose chasing it is out of the question."

"Afraid so," Levin replied. "On foot we stand a chance of at least keeping up, but the water is its territory. We don't stand a chance catching it down there if it doesn't want us to. If we knew the location of the Ludroth nest we could hunt it down there, but apparently no one in the village has been able to find it for the last several generations."

Eleanor sunk down, flopping weakly into the sand at the edge of the river's edge. She glared angrily at the sky, mentally berating herself for letting the Royal Ludroth escape. Only a few more shots and maybe it would've dropped. Maybe.

"Nice work, by the way."

Eleanor glanced over at Levin. "What do you mean?" she asked. "The Royal Ludroth got away."

"True, but our goal wasn't to kill it, remember? Just ward it off from the area. And I think that after that beating, it won't be returning to this part of the forest for a long time."

He grinned at her and laughed. "Besides, we took this mission to get you over your fears. And after facing down the Royal with that risky maneuver we pulled earlier, I think it's safe to say you've gotten past them for the most part."

Eleanor blinked, thinking back. She realized Levin might be right. "I wasn't the one being chased by the… Royal, though," she admitted. "Can we really say I'm doing better if I wasn't the one in danger?"

"Sure," Levin replied. "It's far easier to put yourself in danger than it is to be trusted with someone else's safety, in my opinion at least. You times that trap throw perfectly, despite the risk of messing up and missing our opportunity. And that trick slowing it down with the Para shots? Freaking genius. No hesitant hunter could've pulled that off with such little time."

Eleanor found herself grinning under the wave of praise. "Maybe you're right," she said, getting back to her feet. "With praise like that, I feel like a could take down a dozen Great Jaggis right now."

"Don't jinx us," Levin said with a smile. "We've still got the hike back to Boma. If you tempt fate like that, we're bound to run into an annoyance for sure."

"Fine, fine," Eleanor said, waving him off. "So we're just going to head back? I feel kinda bad heading back empty handed."

"We'll head back up the creek and grab the Royal's tail, then," Levin said. "That'll make something nice to hang on your wall."

"You could use it more," Eleanor replied as they began walking. "I had more in my pack when I got to the village than you do right now in that minimalist's hole you live in."

Levin laughed loudly as they continued their walk upstream.

"Is this punishment for something?" Eleanor groaned as she tore through the trees with her hunting knife. "I thought I'd done well today."

Levin hoisted the drooping Royal Ludroth tail back onto a sturdy location over his shoulder and laughed. "Just consider this bonus training for a job well done. Navigation is a useful skill for any hunter, and if you're going to be living in this area for your apprenticeship, you're going to need to learn the area sooner or later. That's why you're leading the way back and I'm just carrying our spoils of war."

"You're an ass," Eleanor growled, pulling another laugh out of Levin.

With a flash of light, the two hunters strode out of the forest into a wide clearing. Eleanor blinked as the evening sun sent glaring light into her eyes. "At least we're going the right way. If nothing else, I know Boma's west of here."

"Well that's something," Levin grinned. "Wonder what'll happen when we get to the ocean, though?"

"Oh shut up," Eleanor grumbled as they started across the field.

Eleanor didn't mention it at first, but as they walked across the field, she couldn't help but feel that there was something inherently wrong with the area they were in. When she glanced back to Levin, her unease was clarified when she spotted Levin hide a grimace with a false grin. She knew something was amiss, but for the life of her she couldn't tell what it was.

The trees were rustling like normal. There weren't any large footprints on the ground that she could make out. None of the foliage looked strange or different. There wasn't any smoke or ominous sights in the distance. She couldn't hear any large monsters approaching…

Then it hit her. She couldn't just not hear anything coming; she didn't hear anything at all. Aside from the rustling of the trees and grass, there wasn't any sounds coming from the forest at all. No sounds of Kelbi, birds, or even Aptonoth in the distance. There were no living creatures in the area at all.

In the dead silence, her ears perked up at the sound of a thumping in the distance. She stopped where she stood, just over halfway through the field, focusing on the sound to determine what it was. It was like a long-resonating drum, beating continuously in the distance. And it was growing louder.

As the sound grew, she realized it wasn't the sound of a drum, but more closely resembled the flap of wings. Her mind immediately snapped to the memory of the Qurupecos she'd helped slay, but this was a deeper resounding thump of wings. Belonging to something… bigger?

She turned to Levin to get his thoughts on the sound, and froze at the look of fear on his face. He wasn't even trying to cover it up.

"We're in trouble," he said quietly. Without a second thought, he grabbed her by the shoulder of her armor and began running towards the tree line. "Run!" he yelled as the thumping flap of wings grew louder, seeming to be honing in on them. The two hunters sprinted for the safety of the trees, trying to close the last twenty yards as the sound of wings grew ever louder.

An enormous shadow appeared in Eleanor's peripheral vision, but before she could turn to look in the direction to see what it was, a blast of heat blew her and Levin off their feet and falling gracelessly onto their backs. The two hunters rolled to their feet, only to find a wall of bright flames cutting off their path into the trees. Eleanor glanced up at the sky, catching a dark figure circle around on the horizon, its features faded by the light of the setting sun.

"This way!" Levin called, dropping the Royal Ludroth tail and pulling her towards the far edge of the flames. But as they approached, the large shape swooped over again, and a line of flame erupted in their path, blocking their escape. Eleanor glanced up to try and make out what the creature was but was blasted back by a powerful gust of wind as it flew overhead, knocking her to the ground yet again.

Black smoke billowed into the sky, blotting out the shape of the creature as it continued to circle. The only way they could determine its location was the powerful flaps of the creature's wings. A growl echoed from the wall of flames closest to them and they immediately turned toward it, prepared to dive away from any attack.

But the ground shook under them as a thunderous thump slammed behind them in the middle of the field. The two quickly turned, finding themselves face to face with the creature itself. Bright green scales glittered in the light of the fire, and giant wings spanned across at least a dozen yards as the monster pulled them in from flight. It kicked its feet back and Eleanor saw the creature's chest expand.

Eleanor's vision blurred as the monster released a powerful roar. Her hands instinctively flashed to her ears, desperate to stop the vibrations that were tearing through her head. Panic began to well up inside her at the sound, and visions of a destroyed building back in her own world appeared in her head. She began to hyperventilate as the echo of the roar died away, fear welling up.

"A Rathian," she heard Levin whisper in dread. "We're screwed."

Author's Note: Please Review!

Ok wow that took a long time. I'm not going to be giving time estimates from here on in due to the obnoxious about of time I'm giving to my classes this semester. I'll keep the story going, sure, but they'll be sporadic. Apologies. Maybe I'll be able to do some writing during spring break, but no promises.

So a cliffhanger. My first, I think. I hope you like it!

Reading: The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton; I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Playing: Bioshock, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Listening: Beirut, Daft Punk