Monsters & Mortals

by APStories

Parasitic Yonder

In the dark cave...

"There's a gauntlet here, but it's very dim. It'll take a while to charge it up", Mario said. The cave was infested with Iodromes. An Iodrome is significantly larger than normal Ioprey and possesses a larger crest. Unlike other pack leaders, Iodrome has a more amphibian look, with salamander-like skin that seems to glisten with moisture, and a frog-like throat sac. It also lacks the sharp claws of its relatives, relying more on poison to bring down prey like Aptonoth and enemies. Although not as strong as Flying Wyverns, it can quickly cripple hunters with the power of its pack and poison. Iodrome is a threat due to its speed, agility, considerable strength and poison. When threatened, Iodrome spits Poison from the poison sac in its throat. There was 20 of them, and not a single Ioprey in sight. Fortunately, Iodromes are weak to water and thunder, so Greninja and Luigi could easily take them down. Both Greninja and Luigi readied their weapons. As Mario got to work, Greninja used his Plesioth Lullabane to decapitate one, while Luigi used his Devil Slicer to slice and dice another one.

"Isn't this thing supposed to put monsters to sleep if it doesn't kill them?!", Greninja asked as he killed another Iodrome.

"That would make things way too easy", Sunset answered. Luigi used his Devil Slicer to kill another Iodrome, but a fifth one destroyed the weapon and tossed it aside.

"Okay, then...", Luigi said as he unsheathed a Wailing Cleaver Shin, his most powerful weapon, and annihilated the monster. After killing a sixth monster, Mario realized that he needed to put a Fire weapon into the Gauntlet to light it up. He inserted his Rathalos Flamesword into the Gauntlet, and the light caused the Iodromes to retreat. Fortunately, Mario had something much stronger: a Rathalos Gleamsword. The trio made it to the center of the cave, where a Deviljho awaited. Standing at 41 meters tall, it roared. Deviljho is a very large, bipedal Brute Wyvern characterized by its uniform forest green coloration and muscular upper body. Its thick hide is littered with short, jagged spines that reach a maximum height along the back and tail. Deviljho has a narrow snout with a large lower jaw, covered in multiple rows of teeth spreading outwards from the mouth. It has massive, powerful hind legs, but tiny, poorly developed forelegs that it rarely utilizes. When enraged, Deviljho's back and shoulder muscles swell considerably revealing scars. During this period, areas of its skin will take on a bright red coloration. Deviljho is armed with a powerful set of jaws that it can use to deliver bone-crunching bites to prey and foe alike. Deviljho can also use its jaws to pick up prey and toss it around. It can also throw rocks at hunters using its jaw. In addition, its powerful hind legs allow it to run at relatively high speed and leap considerable distances towards prey. When enraged, Deviljho is capable of producing a mysterious clouded emission that can be shot out of the mouth in a stream at prey. This substance contains the Dragon Element and can be very deadly to hunters as well as other monsters. Deviljho is a nomadic monster, prone to wandering vast distances in search of prey. Its status as a super-predator allows it to overtake the territory of any monster that stands in its path. Because of the extreme amount of energy its body consumes, Deviljho is always in search of food sources. It is known to be cannibalistic, and is also prone to eating prey alive in order to waste as little time as possible in replenishing its energy. Fortunately, the trio had extremely powerful weapons, so they were ready.

"Dear Arceus...", Greninja said as the fight began. Mario ran towards the Deviljho and used his Rathalos Gleamsword to deal some serious damage to the monster's left leg. Greninja used his Plesioth Lullabane to deal some equally serious damage to the monster's right leg. Since the monster was weak to thunder, Luigi's Wailing Cleaver Shin dealt some heavy damage to the monster's stomach.

"The monster's mouth is the weak spot", Sunset said. The Deviljho then used Waterblight on Mario, which made him drowsy, but not sleepy. However, he took heavy damage. Mario ran up the monster's back and stabbed it through the mouth, which dealt more damage than normal. Additionally, the monster caught fire. Greninja followed Mario's lead and stabbed his Plesioth Lullabane through the mouth, which dealt more damage than normal and made the monster sleepy. Luigi, however, dealt the most damage with his Wailing Cleaver Shin. After stabbing the monster's mouth, it became electrocuted. The monster, however, wouldn't give up. It used Waterblight on Mario once again, dealing some heavy damage.

"Press the attack!", Mario shouted. Since the monster was on fire, was sleepy, and was being electrocuted, it was pretty much done for. Mario ran up the monster's back and stabbed it through the mouth, which dealt more damage than normal. Greninja followed Mario's lead and stabbed his Plesioth Lullabane through the mouth, which dealt more damage than normal. Luigi, however, dealt the most damage with his Wailing Cleaver Shin. He stabbed the monster's mouth, dealing some extremely heavy damage. The monster, however, wouldn't give up. It used Waterblight on Mario once again, dealing some heavy damage. Mario stabbed the monster in the heart, slaying the monster.

Outside the cave, the trio rested for a while. "Well... we did it", Luigi said. Suddenly, the ground shook. An inhuman roar filled the void. A gargantuan beast landed in front of the trio.

IN REALITY...

"Congratulations! You've slayed the Deviljho! Now... wait a minute", Sunset said. "Oh... there's one final part. Dear God... it's a massive beast... unlike anything you've seen before... the Safi'jiiva! It's got more HP than the previous four boss monsters combined, and it's leagues more stronger than anything you've ever encountered! The final battle is upon us! It's time to end this game once and for all!"