Monster Hunters

Getting Over It

As Ben slowly and cautiously began to scale the mountainside with James right beneath him, he began to become more and more anxious the higher up they got. As the air thickened around them, Ben began to slowly become overwhelmed with fear and stress. Noticing this, James only knew of a few words of wisdom to give him.

James: Hey, Ben!

Ben: What?!

James: Whatever you do, just don't look down!

Ben: I love how you say that when you're below me, talking to me!

James: Oh, yeah, I guess you're right... Sorry! Just, ummm... Just keep climbing! You'll be alright, I promise!

With the wind blowing into their ears at rapid speeds as they began to grow nearer and nearer to the mountaintop, Ben had thought of a question to ask his newfound mentor.

Ben: Ya know, just out of curiosity, how many times does a Monster Hunter have to climb mountains; or better yet, any tall landscapes in general?!

James: Well, I guess that just depends on what you're hunting! With that being said, I wouldn't assume that you're just not gonna be doing much climbing!

Ben: Oh, well, that's just great to hear!

James: Yeah, I'd hurry and get used to this!

Ben: Well.. I guess I'm getting a tiny bit more used to it the longer we're doing this!

James: Well, that's good! That means my plan's working.

As the two continued to climb, James came to the quick realization that Ben's movements seemed to become more and more relaxed the further they climbed.

James: Man, I wouldn't have imagined that his fear of heights would be easing off of him this quickly... Impressive...

Ben: Hey, James! I can see the top!

James: Really?! Well, what're you waiting for?! Keep climbing!

The two men continued to climb for just a bit longer until they finally managed to reach the top. At the top of the mountain, a massive staircase to a training ground stood before them, which slightly annoyed Ben, but excited him at the same time.

Ben: Are you serious?! We have to climb stairs now?!

James: Well, technically speaking, we could've climbed stairs the entire time.

Ben: Wait, what do you mean by that?

As Ben questioned what James had just said, he watched as James slowly made his way over to a boulder that was next to the staircase they stood before. Once he made his way over to the massive stone, he pushed in on it's top with a piece of it going in as he pressed down. As he did this, Ben noticed that another staircase began to reveal itself that went all the way from the top to the bottom of the mountain that now rested below them.

Ben: Wait a minute, so you mean to tell me that we could've walked up stairs to get here, but instead, you decided to have me, a guy who has never done anything like this before, climb an entire mountainside just to get up here. Is that what you're trying to tell me right now?

James: Well, not really. The only switch that can be used to make those stairs appear is the one I just pressed, and well, I didn't trigger the stairs to appear the last time I was here. That means that we had to climb the mountain to make them appear, but honestly, I probably would've made you climb the mountain either way.

Ben: What?! Why?!

James: Why? Well, think about it. I can't just have some weak ass become a Monster Hunter, so I had to test just how physically capable you are, and I've gotta say, for that to be your first time climbing any mountain, you did it with ease. That type of thing is impressive. With that being said, though, what really made me proud was the fact that I could tell you were slowly getting over your fear of heights the further we climbed.

Ben: What are you talking about?! I don't have a fear of heights!

James: You don't? Then, go look down over that ledge.

Ben glanced over at the ledge James was referring to and saw the same side of the mountain they had just finished climbing up. Gulping at the very thought of looking over it, Ben simply shook his head up and down as a way of showing that he agreed with James.

Ben: Ya know, on second thought, maybe me and heights don't get along that well after all, hehe...

James: That's what I thought. Anyways, instead of continuing to sit here and look pretty, how about we keep walking towards the training grounds?

Ben: That sounds good to me.

James and Ben began the not so long climb up the stone forged staircase as Ben began to notice that James seemed to be teasing him a lot more than before. This brought joy to Ben, for it made him begin to feel as if James was actually warming up to his presence. The two continued their climb for no more than a few seconds until they were both greeted by the sight of the training grounds James had mentioned. The entire area was surrounded by a massive wall that met a dome which covered the entire area. Ben knew nothing but amazement as he allowed himself to become lost in the sight that rested in front of him.

Ben: This place is amazing... It really looks like something out of a dream...

James: Yeah, I'd say it does for someone who hasn't seen it before, but I can be the first to assure you that what you're seeing is as real as it gets.

As Ben continued his gaze of astonishment, he began to slowly glance at all of the different platforms that rested around him and James. With there being five platforms in total, each platform had a new course that each seemed to test a different attribute of the person performing them.

Ben: If you don't mind me asking, what are all of these for?

James: Well, all of these are going to be what your training is going to consist of for quite awhile. As a matter of fact, your first piece of training begins right over there.

James points towards a balancing beam that goes in a horizontal direction with water resting below it. As the two made their way over to the platform, Ben began to examine it in an attempt to realize what it was supposed to test.

James: Ben, I give you your very first piece of training: The Balance Bender...