Monster Hunter: Stars of Hope

Chapter Thirty-Two: Phantoms

"Huh", Nia muttered as she laid back, resting on a stretch of vines she found that was comfortable enough for her to do so even with her Greatsword strapped to her back, "When did I slay an Altaroth?". She was reading through her hunter's notes, trying to pass the time while waiting for her friends to find her, and starting to question her choice at the beginning of her career as a hunter to let someone in research fill in most of the data for her after each mission. Certainly, she had no memory of ever slaying one of those small, vaguely ant-like neopterons, which left her rather confused when she saw the number '1' scribbled into the spot for the count of that monster she had slain. Either the researcher that filled this in made a miscalculation or the Vespoid hunt she did in her early days as a hunter saw one of the poison smoke bombs she used hit more than she could have noticed. Of course, there were also a few entries for large monsters that she actually had never seen before, which caused her to lean towards both the idea that they had gotten her notes mixed up with someone else's and a desire to opt out of this service as soon as she could.

Still, it would be a long time before Nia would have the chance. After all, she had been left waiting alone at the base of the cliff for a few hours now, a quick check of her pocket watch confirming this. Unfortunately, there had been no sign of her friends since she was knocked down. In truth, she was worried for the safety of her friends more so than her own, especially given the presence of a Rajang and a rather disgruntled Espinas in this jungle, but she knew that it would be better for her to try and focus more on anything other than this worry. She didn't want to give herself reason to go looking for her friends while they were looking for a way to get to her; That would just be a good way to get everyone lost.

Having read through her hunter's notes a few times and already exhausted the area for any ecological observations she could make to pass the time, Nia was soon left without anything to really do. As soon as she closed her book and placed it back in her bag, she stretched a bit, place her hands behind her head, and simply began to take in the sounds of the rainforest around her. All sorts of critters that were likely no threat were vocalizing in the distance, the leaves of the canopy above her were rustling rather gently in the breeze, and the sound of a stream running down from the cliff trickled through her ears. It was all so serene, enough so that it made her reconsider the resentment she held for the Shrouded Rift. After all, her reasons for hating this place were moot now; the Well that caused so much pain and was once primed to cause so much more was gone, she was only a couple days maximum from the forward camp, and she had even found herself less despising of the local shakalaka as of late. After all, she knew that every living thing had a reason for being they way they were, including those belligerent little blighters.

Certainly, having to survive on their own out here wasn't the worst reason she could think of.

Eventually, Nia felt herself begin to doze off, comforted enough by her place of rest and the soothing sounds around her that she soon struggled to resist her tired body's desire for sleep. Yet, before consciousness could leave her, she felt a small rock land on her forehead, shocking her back awake as she bolted into a half-upright position. Holding her hand to her forehead with a confused wince, Nia beheld the stone that had struck her now lying on the ground. Quickly, her eyes darted around to ensure that none of the shakalaka she was just thinking less spitefully of a moment ago had tossed that at her, before another tiny rock landed on the top of her head. Realizing that this disturbance had to have come from the cliff up above her, she wasted no time in looking up to the top of the two hundred foot tall formation, only for her eyes to go wide at what she saw.

It was the Rajang.

Miraculously, it had not seen her, as it was simply scanning the horizon in front of it rather than looking straight down. However, that was where Nia's fortune ended, as she could see that the beast not only still beared its glowing, golden mane of rage, but that its powerful arms were tensed so hard that they seemed to pulse red even from where she was looking at them from. It was clear to see, even from this distance, that the beast had taken part in more combat intense enough to push its ire even further beyond that which it displayed last time; a reality that briefly made her terrified for her friends and even that Espinas from earlier as well. Though, survival instincts quickly informed her that she should be terrified for herself presently, as the beast could look down and spot her at any moment.