Monster Hunter Pie

by BronyArmitage

Chapter 5 - Underneath the Surface

Pinkie opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. She had awoken next to her bed, rather than in it. A party hat askew atop her bright pink hair. She blinked slowly, the world steadily coming into focus. She sat upright, confetti showered about the room. A few balloons, now low on helium, hovered lazily close to the ground. She stood up, collecting herself and brushing the confetti that clung to her onto the floor. Her room was a mess. It appeared as if a tornado had passed through, thrown a party, and then left the owner of the home with a mess. A smile crossed her face, and she remembered a few of the parties she'd thrown back at the academy. Most of the mornings after them ended up much like this. A destroyed room, and very little recollection of what had happened. She made her way out the front door, promising to clean up later in the back of her mind. She brushed some confetti out of her hair and the wind took it out to sea.

"Time to see what Lyra has lined up for me today." she had started to approach the liaison's counter when she felt the ground start to rumble. She took hold of the nearest structure as the earthquake's intensity increased. She shut her eyes tight and waited out the quake. A few moments passed and the shaking stopped. She opened her eyes slowly, expecting to see the village in shambles, or a tsunami coming to wash them away, but that wasn't the case. Watching her fellow villagers returning to their routines made her feel slightly ashamed of how tight she'd gripped the support beam outside her home. She shook her head rapidly, dispelling the negativity before moving on to speak with Lyra. "Hey, boss!" she raised a hand, grinning. Lyra was slumped over on her counter, her breathing slow and even.

Pinkie moved until she was parallel of the liaison. "Lyra?" her voice was gentle. She wanted her to wake up, but she didn't want to be rude, either. "Lyyyyraaaaa?" still speaking softly. She started to get impatient and pulled another egg-shaped bomb casing from the pouch at her side, bringing out a Jaggi's windpipe soon afterwards. She stuck the windpipe into the shell and threw it up into the air, before taking off in the other direction. She ducked behind a large barrel and stuffed her fingers in her ears. Even muffled, the newly crafted Sonic Bomb made her grit her teeth at the shrill noise it emitted. She heard Lyra let out a shriek and then a dull 'thud' followed as she fell off her chair.

"Pinkie?! Dammit, girl!" the liaison dug her pinky in her ear, as if that would banish the high-pitched whine. She shook her head a few times to try and dispel it before it finally faded, letting the rest of the world's sounds return. "What was that for?!" she looked furious, and Pinkie was trying to suppress laughter.

"Y-you...Pfft...Ahem. Sorry. You wouldn't wake up." the Hunter spoke, managing to compose herself. "I need to know what I'm supposed to do today."

"And a tap on the shoulder didn't occur to you?!" Lyra shoved a piece of paper across the desk at her. It had a picture of a monster that Pinkie had become familiar with while gathering: an Epioth. They were gentle herbivores that spent the majority of the time underwater. "You went right to the Sonic Bomb!" Pinkie had stopped paying attention, reading the requirements. "My ears are going to be ringing for days after this!" she slammed her hand on the counter, making Pinkie jump. "Pay up." Pinkie gave her the quest fee, a measly 200 Zenny, and made for the hunting grounds.

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Pinkie ambled along, enjoying the beautiful weather. It was a bit humid, but not unbearable, and there was enough of a breeze to make it quite enjoyable outside. Not too cold for a swim, though, which Pinkie was excited about. She had to carve three sets of Epioth guts, which she was not excited about. She'd gotten better about how queasy carving made her, but it was still not one of her favorite things to do, and she wasn't sure that anything would change that.

The Hunter reached the shore after walking for about ten minutes. What made her uneasy was the fact that nothing had been there to hinder her. In fact, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of any living thing since she'd gotten to the hunting grounds. Not even the Aptinoth or Kelbi that were usually abound, foraging for their breakfast. There had been no Jaggi to challenge her upon her invasion of their territory, and not a single Ludroth had reared its serpent-like body from the shallow water to take a snap at her. Nothing. She looked out over the water, the sun glimmering off the surface, and she saw an Epioth raise its long neck out of the water, its smooth, wet scales shining in the light.

Pinkie took two steps back and a deep breath before bounding out into the water, diving under and swimming closer and closer to the Epioth. This area was normally full of them, but now, she only saw one. Which, while better than not finding any, did nothing to put her mind at ease. Where had everything gone? Why was there such a lack of monsters in her normally infested hunting grounds? The Epioth noticed her rapid approach and turned to try and swim away. As soon as its back was turned, Pinkie accelerated up, pushing herself up with enough force that her entire body breached the water and she was able to draw her weapon and put the head of the axe into the top of the Epioth's skull, killing it immediately. She left the axe there for a moment as she swam around to the creature's belly. She carved it open, reaching inside with a pained look on her face. She pulled out some entrails and put them into her bag. She felt something brush up against her leg and spun around. She saw a pack of Sharqs swimming circles around her, drawn out of hiding by the scent of blood in the water.

Pinkie moved slowly to her weapon, pulling it out of the Epioth's head. She knew Sharqs were scent hunters, and would probably leave her alone if they could eat the Epioth without conflict. She started to swim backwards, noticing the blood trailing from her pouch and mentally kicking herself for not realizing that the entrails made her smell like a smorgasbord to the Sharqs. She looked for a possible escape, but two Sharqs were approaching her. She could feel their bloodlust, but knew they weren't nearly as durable as an Arzuros. A few dodges and swings later, she left the two dead Sharqs in her wake as she swam towards a cave. There was no longer blood trailing from her bag. The entrails were finally cleaned out.

Pinkie passed through an underwater archway made from stone. She swam closer to the bottom, finding an oxygen giving stone and managing to fill her lungs with fresh air before spotting another pair of Epioth. She smiled, swimming for them. This was going to be an easy way to make money if every quest was like this. She thought she heard something buzzing faintly to her left, but she just blamed the fact that she'd been underwater for a fair amount of time. She was close to the next Epioth as the buzzing got louder and louder. She turned to her left to see an absolutely massive monster rushing for the pair of herbivores. Its body was thinly veiled by lightning as it let out a piercing cry before smashing into the docile creatures, killing them on impact.

Pinkie's eyes widened in panic. This thing was huge. Twice as big as the Rathalos she'd seen last week. It had piercing yellow eyes and swam with surprising grace, despite its size. Its front and back legs were a bit short, and it was clear that this thing was supposed to stay underwater. Pinkie swam up to the surface quickly, looking for the nearest escape route. She broke the surface of the water and saw a ivy covered cliff. She swam over quickly and started to climb up. She had no idea what this thing was, but she was sure she couldn't fight it.

"Pinkie? Hey, Pinkie?!" Lyra's voice rang out in the panicking Hunter's head.

"Little busy right now, Lyra!" she had started to climb, trying not to look back out of fear of what she may see.

"The Guild just informed me that a Lagiacrus has been spotted in the area. They think it's been the source of all these earthquakes. Are you okay?!" Lyra sounded scared, which didn't help Pinkie out at all.

"Is that what that thing is?!" she yelled, and she heard the buzzing again.

"It's a leviathan class monster with a mastery of electricity. It uses the spikes on its back to build up and store the lightning in its body." Lyra recited, as if reading from a textbook. "You need to get out of there, Pinkie! That thing is g-" whatever Lyra said next was drown out by the cliff above Pinkie being struck by a ball of concentrated electrical energy. It detonated the stone above her and the force of the blast actually blew her off the ivy. She felt herself falling through the air, helpless, and then she hit the water, dropping fifteen feet below the surface after impact.

Pinkie was a bit dazed, and she shook her head slowly, getting her bearings. She saw the Lagiacrus turning to face her, its golden eyes boreing into her soul. She turned and immediately started swimming. Not towards an escape, though. She swam for the corpses of the Epioths. The Hunter felt a low rumble reach her through the water as the Lagiacrus growled, moving smoothly towards her. It used its webbed tail to push itself through the water, its body coiling with each push. Pulling her carving knife out rapidly, she gashed opened one Epioth, tearing out its innards and shoving them haphazardly into her pouch. She could feel the leviathan getting closer, its deep breathing and the crackling of the spikes on its back making her level of panic rise. She had sliced open the last Epioth when all the noises stopped, she could no longer hear the Lagiacrus, and she wanted to believe it had left.

Reaching into the insides of the third Epioth, Pinkie slowly turned her head to the left. Nothing. Then around to the right, looking to see if it had circled around behind her. Nothing. Empty water for as far as she could see. She pulled the insides out of the Epioth, adding them to her collection. That was it. She was done. She turned to face the Lagiacrus's victim and came face-to-face with the beast itself. It was truly mammoth in size. Its head was as large as her entire body. It opened its mouth wide, rearing back before lunging at the Hunter. Pinkie made herself as small as possible and drew her weapon. Having decreased her surface area, the axe was taller than her and she held it vertical in front of her. She felt the titanic jaws of the Lagiacrus bite down, hard, on the weapon. It recoiled immediately, blood flowing from its mouth, mingling with the water. It swiped at its face with its claws, as if it could chase off the pain.

Pinkie took immediate advantage of the situation and turned, swimming away as fast as she could. The Lagiacrus let out a roar that was powerful enough to send small waves after the Hunter. Swimming back under the archway, she moved past the Sharqs, paying them no mind as she heard the Lagiacrus giving chase. She pumped her arms and legs, forcing her body as quickly as she could towards the shore. All she needed to do was get up on land. She took a chance, looking back over her shoulder, and saw a very unwelcoming sight. The leviathan was charging at her, full speed. She changed her trajectory and barely dodged the monster's tackle. The undertow it formed with its rapid movements, however, dragged her faster than she could ever swim. To her great fortune, it was dragging her closer to the shore. Once she gained control of herself, she was able to swim up to the surface, scrambling onto the shore a moment later. She had made it, she was safe.

Pinkie looked out to the water, the Lagiacrus raising its head up out of the water. It bared its fangs, and she could see little bolts of lightning forming in its mouth. It reared its head back, lunging forward and hurling the ball of lightning at her. She scampered away from it, barely dodging in time. She stood up straight, triumphantly.

"What now, you big, dumb beast?!" she threw her hands in the air, taunting it as it sunk back below the surface. "Yeah, you better run!" her false bravado was shattered as the Lagiacrus burst forth, jumping high out of the water and up onto the shore. It landed with enough force to shake the ground and knock Pinkie off her feet. "Woahwoahwooooah! Oof!" she landed hard on her rear, feeling something pop. "Oh no." she looked up as the leviathan turned to face her. It looked big underwater. It looked monumental on land. She didn't even stop to think. She took off the way she had come, back through the wetlands, the Lagicrus giving chase. Her muscles screamed and her lungs burned as she ran with every ounce of strength she had. The monster wasn't nearly as fast on land as it was in the sea, but it wasn't slow by any means. She took a hard right as she reached the area where she had encountered the Arzuros. She ran into the cave and, mid-run, started pulling things out of her bag. The first was what appeared to be a box with a pressure plate on the top. She could no longer hear the Lagiacrus and stopped running. The other item she'd pulled out was a large net.

Pinkie dropped into a crouching position and opened the box, careful not to disturb the pressure plate. The inside of it was lined with explosives and she lined the box with the net gingerly, making sure it fit just so around the inside of it. She closed the lid of the box, satisfied with her results. There was only one way into this cave, and only one way out. As she drew closer to the entrance, she could hear the Lagiacrus eating. As it came into view, she saw the Aptonoth that had fallen prey to the mighty leviathan. She moved as close as she could without drawing the monster's attention and started digging through the wet mud. She burried the airtight Pitfall Trap and stood up. She heard it click and whir, indicating that it was ready.

"Hey! Meanie!" the Lagiacrus turned away from its meal to face her. "Come and get me!" she turned and took off, the leviathan immediately pursuing. Then, she heard it. The satisfying 'thud' of the explosives going off, and the wail of the Lagiacrus as more than half of its body was swallowed by the muck. Its back legs were tangled up in the net, and its forelegs flailed, trying to drag itself out of the hole. Pinkie wanted to turn around and enjoy her success, but it wouldn't hold the beast for long. She had never run so fast in her entire life.

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As Pinkie entered the town, she could hear a faint chatter from the square. She'd turned the entrails into the, what she assumed was magical, Guild delivery trunk at the base camp. There were a few worried voices, which she recognized as Lyra and Rarity, mingled with voices of disappointment coming from Magnum and Thunder. As she descended the stairs towards them, everyone fell silent.

"What?" she looked at all of them. Sweat was still pouring down her face and she knew she reeked. Having handled entrails for the better part of an afternoon mixed with the smell of her sweat, she knew she didn't smell pleasant. "Is there something in my teeth?" Lyra broke through the crowd and ran up, hugging her. "Oof! Easy, Lyra! That monster did a number on me, and I didn't even fight it."

"You made it." Lyra said, backing up. There were tears in her eyes. "I thought you were dead. I lost my connection with you right after I warned you about the Lagiacrus." she wiped her eyes. "I was sure it had killed you."

"How did you lose your connection to me?" Pinkie asked, cocking her head to the side. Lyra just shook her head.

"Electricity has a way of interfering with it. That's why I couldn't talk much during the Arzuros hunt. The storm made it difficult." she took a deep, calming breath. She was just glad to have her friend home in one piece. The other villagers had dispersed, leaving only Lyra, Magnum and Pinkie standing in the center of town. "Anyway, I'm going to have to go report your success. Glad you're back!" Lyra returned to her counter. Pinkie and Magnum stood in silence, staring at one another.

"You know this isn't over, right?" Magnum broke the silence. Even without him explaining himself, Pinkie nodded. She knew what he meant. "That thing needs to die, and you're the only one that can make that happen anymore." he crossed his arms sternly in front of his chest. "I'll be with you every step of the way. You proved yourself out there today. You managed to not only escape with your life and minimal injuries, but you still completed the mission. I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't impressed." he patted her arm. "Keep up the good work." at that, he made his way back to the smithy.

Pinkie watched the sun as it started to sink into the ocean. Despite all of what had just happened, the only thing she could think about was how different the Lagiacrus's tail had looked from the one she'd seen breaching the water on her first day at Moga Village.

Comments

[Regal Shadow]

*reaches end*
MOAR!!! That is, if it's alright with you...

[Chrome Masquerade]

Pinkie passed through an underwater archway made from stone. She swam closer to the bottom, finding an oxygen giving stone and managing to fill her lungs with fresh air before spotting another pair of Epioth. She smiled, swimming for them. This was going to be an easy way to make money if every quest was like this. She thought she heard something buzzing faintly to her left, but she just blamed the fact that she'd been underwater for a fair amount of time. She was close to the next Epioth as the buzzing got louder and louder. She turned to her left to see an absolutely massive monster rushing for the pair of herbivores. Its body was thinly veiled by lightning as it let out a piercing cry before smashing into the docile creatures, killing them on impact.

Uh oh! Heeeere it comes!