Falconers and the Tomb of Aminus

by MadDonut

Chapter 3 The Monster Hunt

Joel was still laying in the makeshift stretcher being pulled by Igneous. As bad is his manhood probably felt, he didn’t mind much. They had walked in silence for some time that when Joel began to think it was going to be an uneventful journey to the village the pegasus landed just in front of the party. It was Kara he realized and she spoke saying, “I spotted a monster at southwest from our position.”

Igneous responded saying, “great, and to think this was going to be monotonous.”

“Whoa wait, what do you mean monster. I thought you said they were hardly any left.” Joel said struggling to turn his body to look at her.

“Doesn’t mean you’ll never come by one,” Mace said stretching his back as preped himself for the fight.

“Alright stranger you need to get off,” Igneous said as he levitated the higher end of the stretcher dumping Joel on the ground.

“Wait you're not actually going after it?” asked Joel.

“Its our job,” said Kara.

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to be a Falconer Joel?” asked Mace.

“Yea but I need training, don't I?”

Mace nodded his, “yes you do,” he put his hoof around Joel's shoulder and said, “and what better way to learn about killing monsters than doing it yourself. Igneous!”

“What?” he asked.

“Dequip me, and put all my equipment on Joel here.” Mace said.

A minute later Joel had Maces double crossbow suit on. “This idea of yours Mace is gonna get us killed,” Igneous said shaking his head.

“Should have said so before we took three minutes equipping Joel. We will be fine,” said Mace, “I will guide Joel though how to do this and when we finally kill the monster Joel can be inducted as a Falconer.”

“Guys, guys can't we wait till I at least know what i'm doing? Put me out there and I'm gonna die.”

Igneous laughed, “There's the excitement for you,” he turned his attention to kara, “you lead me to its last know position. Mace will catch up when Joel gets over himself and decides to join the rally.”

“Follow closely,” she said as she took off into the sky with Igneous running as fast as he could after her.

Jeol was getting increasingly nervous. He could get pounded into nothing and these guys didn't seem to care, or they were just used to it. There were no monsters on earth only in creepypastas and movies. Mace must have seen his nervousness although Joel wasn't trying to hard hide it, “Don't worry,” he said. “Eartheniers are the safest Falconers yet. You just gotta keep your distance and out of sight.”

“What if we are seen?” Joel asked looking around.

“Again you just gotta keep you distance and out of sight,” he repeated. He then turned started to run, “Come on, you're the one with my Falconering equipment.”

Not wanting to be in the woods alone were monsters might be lurking, Joel decided it was best to go with Mace. The gear that Joel now had on was heavier than he expected but he kept a manageable pace. He did catch up to Mace who seemed to be running without a problem, and talking to him in short burst of breaths he managed, “So what are we supposed to do when we get there.”

“Don't worry,” he said, “I will make sure nothing too bad happens.” That wasn’t too reassuring to Joel

When the finally did catch up with the others they were hiding around a bush closely observing as the beast did it's doing.

Joel looked he saw that it walked on all fours despite having hands. It head looked thickly plated and it had spikes going down the spine of his back. It was a dark black with brown spots in different places but mostly on the underside.

To Joel he could easily admit it was big and that it simply looked scary. “So what's the plan Igneous,” Mace asked.
Without looking back he said, “We do the usual. I get its attention and fight close and up front, Kara attacks from above, and you find its weak points and go from there.”

“Um,” Joel interrupted, “how will I know what its weak points are.”

Igneous must've forgotten that Joel was massively inexperience in this profession. “Daft, just shoot it with explosives then.”

“Explosives!?” Joel asked. He took a nervous look at the equipment he had on finding a new meaning in counter productive safety.

“Ok good? Ready, set go,” Mace said, and immediately Kara took off into the sky with one gust of her wings, and Igneous fell into a dead run aimed for the monster who was about half a football field away. Mace put his attention on Joel, “Ok this is how the equipment works,” he said talking a little fast, “listen up because this is important.”

“Ok I'm listening,” Joel said.

Mace pointed at the chest piece that Joel had on bore. It had a circle in the middle, “Ok that there is how you deploy the crossbows. All you do is you just hit it.”

In the distance Joel heard Igneous shouting taunts at the monster doing his best to get its attention, “Hey over here you unutterably boorish filcher.” It turned around angrily and revealed its snake like yellow eyes. “You bashful greater beast!!!”

“Hey hey listen,” Mace said bring his attention back, “Push the button.”

Joel slammed his hoof to his chest and the arrows popped up so fast it made Joel unwillingly jump. Two reticles, one in front of the other, lowered themselves down into Joel's right eye. When he moved his head the one furthest away shifted slightly in that direction. “Ok,” he continued, “This site right here show you were the crossbows are aiming. There connected to your head and aim roughly where you look.”

“Seems easy,” he said as he looked back at what Igneous was doing. He was just standing there and the monster was still walking up to him.

Mace continued even faster than before, “Ok these bracelets on either of your hoofs regulate what shot your fire. These two levers in front of you are to hammer your shot into the flight grove, and to fire you simply flick your ear back.” Joel was still trying to understand it but Joel pushed him forward to face the monster and he said, “Ok start shooting it.”

Igneous drew two of his four swords in his magical grip and held them just in front of his face just as the monster reared back ready to attack. “Just shoot it?”

It took a swing at Igneous with its right giant sized hand and he rolled out of the way spun the swords around and plunged for the back end of its wrist. It let out a roar and backhand Igneous through the air.

‘Oh shit,’ Joel thought to himself. Doing as taught he fired a shot by flicking his right ear back and the right crossbow fired sending a arrow flying at the monster's chest. It bounced off without the beast even knowing it got hit leaving him to saunter off back towards Igneous. “It didn’t penetrate Mace.” Suddenly Kara came down on the monster's back and started to claw at it aggressively, with the metal claws she had equipped to her hoofs.

“Then shoot is weak spots,” he simply said. “Near the Joints like its neck and inside of its knees and elbows.” Kara was still on its back when it rolled over making her have to take off to safety. Igneous however was back on his hoofs and it appeared that he connected the two swords by the hilts making them one and was running with the looked like a knight's shield he dequipped from his back, levitating in front of him protecting his whole body.

Joel pulled down the right lever hammering another shot into the flight groove. He fired both crossbows this time but they, like the last round, bounced off. “Its armor's too strong,” Joel said.

Knowing he couldn’t possibly hit any weak spots if his life depended on it he said, “fire an explosive round,” he responded, “Just twist the bracelet to the explosive symbol.”

Joel looked down at the golden bracelets that were around his hoofs. They had four symbols and Joel didn’t even know which one was which, “and what symbol would that be?”

“Alow me,” he said frustrated as he took his hoof and twisted the bracelet himself. He pulled down the lever for Joel replacing the old shot with the new explosive bolt. “Fire!”

Igneous was still fighting the monster. He rolled left out of another downward attack and the beast swiped its arm towards him but Igneous stopped it by planting the shield into the ground. He jumped around the arm went under its chest and tried to stab it by throwing his swords upward but it didn't penetrate. Vulnerable, Igneous got grabbed by the monster and were as it lifted him up high above his head and slammed him back to the ground beneath his massive paw. His swords and shield fell as his concentration that was need broke along with getting the wind knocked out of him. Joel then fired the right crossbow just as the beast was about to take a bite out of Igneous. Watching the explosive bolt sail through the air it hit the beast right side of his face.

It reeled back as the bolt exploded effectively freeing Igneous from its grip. Igneous then gathered his dropped swords and shield back to him as he partially retreated. He still wasn’t done with the monster because he was still taunting and shouting at it like a school kid yelling, “Is that all you got you miserably lecherous oaf!”

“Time to relocate hunter,” Mace said. As he quickly dragged Joel away he added, “Rule one my friend. You never want your position to be compromised.”

Joel fired his left crossbow but it contained only a normal wooden bolt which bounced off the monsters armored scales harmlessly. “That's a rule I can follow,” Joel said reluctantly.

They began to quickly move in a wide arc around the fight that was happening between Igneous, Kara, and the beast itself. Kara managed to land on its back again but wasn’t doing much damage. She frustratingly was doing her best jabbing and stabbing it with her left hoof while using her right to balance herself on the bucking beast. “It's armor's too strong,” she anounced as she repeatedly, fruitlessly agonised its back.

Igneous spinning his double bladed sword fast as a propeller attacked the elbow with a downward strike, but the beast, faintly intelligent, effectively throwing Igneous off balance burying the blade of his sword into the dirt. The beast then slammed it down while Igneous was exposed. Quickly he raised his shield and managed to bring it to a stop as it pressed down on his body keeping himself from getting crushed. “Go for its eyes,” he managed to gasp under the immense pressure.

Kara took off from its back saying, “got it.” Igneous then slipped out from under escaping with his shield and back stepped behind a tree just as the dirt where he stood got pulverised, and the tree to soon after sending splinters flying off in all directions.

Joel and Mace finally reached their positions. “Alright keep shooting it and Igneous and Kara can do their thing.”

“Right,” said Joel and he fired another explosive bolt nailing it in the chest.

A flicker of light caught his eye and he looked up to see Kara diving out of the sky at high speeds aimed for the beast with claws outstretched and wings folded. Just as it seemed she was going to collide with the ground he fethers suddenly sprang opened and directing herself she flew right by the monster's face inflicting a bloody gash to the right eye of the beast inflicted by the feathers of metal that lined the outside of her wings.

The monster fell back as it held its wounded face. Igneous fell back a little so as to not get hit if it decided to unexpectedly lash out with new found anger. Again he taunted it saying, “Get up you sickly uncivilized derelict? I'm not done with you yet.” Slowly it stumbled back onto all fours with new found anger.

Another explosive bolt inflicted to the shoulder. With much rage it picked up a nearby boulder and threw it at Igneous. He dodge out of the way by quick stepping to the side with his shield raised blinded to the monster who follow up by charging flooring the Falconer. He quickly planted his shield down to the dirt but the beasts thickly plated head smashed through it causing the shield to sail out of Igneouses AOI and knocking Igneous off to the side as it charged its distant tormentors. (Area Of Influence)

“ItscomingforusItscomingforusItscomingforus, OH GOD MACE!!!,” Joel shouted as the monster smashed through a tree twenty yard in front of them sending wood flying there way.

“Get out of the way!” Simultaneously they both jumped back as the monster smashed through the log they had just abandoned as refuge.

With splinters of wood flying everywhere a decent sized chunk hit Joel in the chest throwing him onto his back and the beast, furious as it was took its place above the downed pushover. The warmth of its breath, the strength of its muscles, eyes that penitrated his and drew out his fear and its fangs primed to bite down and end his miserable life.

Joel braced himself for the inevitable and his right crossbow fired sending an explosive bolt through the monster’s one good eye and with a dull thud, exploded within the head of the beast.

It toppled over blood pouring out of its orphis as it collapses just in front of Joel. “I-I… wha,” he said too stunned to speak properly. Then almost instantly realization hit him “Holy shit I killed it.”

Poking the face of the downed beast Mace said, “My… I think you may have actually killed it. You shot that thing in the eye?”

Landing atop the corps Kara said, “Mace that was a taffing terrible idea to give him your equipment. That could have gotten us killed.”

“Actually,” Mace said bobbing a hoof. “He is the reason we killed it.”

Igneous flicked his blade against the dark scails were as they easily bounced off. “This beast armor was too strong,” Igneous said as he slowly walked up on every one. “I'm Amazed even my swords can’t penetrate it.”

“So now what?” asked Joel as he collapses the his crossbows to his side by pressing the chest button. He liked the raw mechanical feeling it made when doing so.

Turning to look at Joel he said, “I think now we make you a Falconer. You did it, you killed your first monster.”

He took a deep breath exhausted breath. That close call was to close for Joel, “That was much easier than I expected.”

“Just be lucky your still alive,” Igneous said as he mounted his shield on his back, “let's get back to the village. Tell them of this prize, they can harvest it later. Team Coehin may just have beaten us there by now. Daft,” He muttered underneath his breath.

“Ooh I can't wait,” Kara said as she slowly ascended.

“Ehy?” Joel began as he followed Igneous and the gang. “Who is this famous team Coehin

“Team Coehin,” Mace began. “s a team that consist of Igneous father, Karras older sister and my father, and it's been a year since we seen them. Explains our enthusiasm a bit right there.”

“I guess your all excited to see them.” Joel said keeping pace with him underneath the weight of the equipment.

“You wouldn’t believe. My dad taught me everything that I know about being a Falconer, and because of it I am the best monster tracker there is.”

Joel doubted that a little, “Really? The best monster tracker there is?”

Igneous walked on ahead, and with Kara flying somewhere above they left Joel and Mace to talk alone, “Let me tell you a story Joel. Get comfortable because this might last till we get to the village.” It almost did.

They left the monsters corps sitting there and like Igneous said the villagers did eventually harvest it fashioning small plates of armor from the scales with unfortunately became brittle with time.

Author's Note:

Another chapter! Lets hope this last...