Arrival. I arrived amidst chaos. Well, more like the aftermath of chaos. The docks are a mess. The village chief, who welcomed me when I stepped off the boat, explained that they had experienced an earthquake just before my ship came in. He assured me such tremors were rare, unheard of, and speculated that a new, dangerous monster that recently moved into the area might somehow be behind it. He expects me to do something about it. I don't think this is what Teacher had in mind when he sent me to Moga Village to get experience. But here I am and this is why I chose to become a monster hunter.
My name is Khory Kaijubanne.
And this fishing village will be my new home.
The villagers were mostly busy setting the place back to rights, but they did take the time to show me where I'd be staying. My place was roomier than I expected it to be, and what it lacks in privacy it makes up for in a lovely view of the bay. It feels empty without Teacher though. I never thought I'd miss my pallet in the corner of his hut, but at least it was familiar. No matter, I'm old enough to set out on my own now. I've moved my few belongings into the chest. There's also a table, a large bed, and little else. Maybe that will change eventually, but for now it's enough. The voyage here wore me out. I think I'll go to sleep early. Tomorrow promises to be very busy.
First Solo Hunt. I've been neglecting my journal this week. In my defense, I've been kept occupied by all manner of errands. I've been helping the people of Moga get back on their feet, mostly by trekking off into the island's wilderness and foraging for raw materials. There's an abundance of useful plants, insects, and mushrooms. There are even places to mine and plenty of game. I'd gotten quite good at hunting both the herbivores and the numerous small jaggi that run in packs all over the island. Today, however, I faced my first serious monster alone, without Teacher by my side. I took my first step towards becoming a monster hunter worthy of the name. I battled and slew a Great Jaggi.
I have hunted Great Jaggi before, with Teacher guiding and watching over me. Somehow, facing it alone, the monster seemed much larger and ferocious.
The beast and its pack of lesser jaggi came upon me while I was collecting honey. Thankfully, I heard its howl before it saw me, thus I was ready with sword and shield drawn. Jaggi are aggressive predators, prone even to attack larger carnivores, relying on their numbers to even any odds. As the pack leader roared its challenge at me, the others, around six jaggi, circled and struck.
It was a hectic fight. My leather armor was too light to simply absorb the strikes of the small jaggi. First I thinned out their numbers, all while dodging the Great Jaggi. I'd take the occasional swipe at the big male to enrage it. It responded with sweeping lashes of the tail that sent the lessers flying, and me as well if I didn't duck fast enough. When it paused to howl, calling in more pack members I really tore into it and wrecked its proud frill. I knew our struggle was nearing the end when it retreated, limping badly.
If Teacher had been with me, he would have said, "now things will become difficult. We follow it to its nest where the whole pack will fight all the harder."
The jaggi nest is a frightful place. The ground is carpeted with bones and the stink of blood and rotting meat is staggering. There, the bulk of the pack rallied around their leader and made a final stand. Most people consider jaggi dangerous pests, but I've always admired them for their fearlessness and tenacity. Here, the battle continued as before, with me retreating behind a large rock more than once as the wounded leader rampaged. Here, it finally ended.
For my work I earned a spectacular bruise across my back from the Great Jaggi's tail when I failed to dodge fast enough and a bite wound on one shoulder, but I survived and claimed the beast's claws and skin. It's finally time to have the village smith start crafting me a new set of armor... the first set I earned myself.
Lagiacrus. I'm ashamed to admit, my confidence is shaken.
Up to this point, my trust in my skills has grown. Hunting jaggi, jaggia, ludroth, even Great Jaggi has become routine for me. Then, today, I went hunting epioth in the cove. Epioth eat aquatic plants and are easy to swim right up to. I was in the midst of a small group of them when, behind me, I heard a a sudden rush of water and a squeal. There it was—the monster the fishermen say smashed up their boats and the village chief claims caused an earthquake.
It was a sleek leviathan, larger than any other monster I'd ever seen, and I was only dozens of meters away, exposed and alone in its home environment. It had just taken an epioth, but ignored its kill when it saw me. My heart leapt into my throat. I swam for my life. If it had swum after me, I never would have made it to shore. Instead it paused to spit an electrical blast my way, which I was able to dodge. I made it to dry land before it did and was already off and running when it hauled onto shore. I didn't look back; I have no idea if it tried to follow, but all the way I swear I could feel its breath upon the back of my neck.
This is the monster the villagers want me to slay. They know I'm not ready yet and were just happy to have me back alive, but I wonder if I'll ever be ready. The chief seems to understand my misgivings and has suggested I travel to Loc Lac, city of monster hunters. He suggested I join with a group on their hunt to boost my confidence. Maybe that's not a bad idea.
I'll have to sleep on it. If I can sleep at all tonight.
My name is Khory Kaijubanne.
And this fishing village will be my new home.
The villagers were mostly busy setting the place back to rights, but they did take the time to show me where I'd be staying. My place was roomier than I expected it to be, and what it lacks in privacy it makes up for in a lovely view of the bay. It feels empty without Teacher though. I never thought I'd miss my pallet in the corner of his hut, but at least it was familiar. No matter, I'm old enough to set out on my own now. I've moved my few belongings into the chest. There's also a table, a large bed, and little else. Maybe that will change eventually, but for now it's enough. The voyage here wore me out. I think I'll go to sleep early. Tomorrow promises to be very busy.
First Solo Hunt. I've been neglecting my journal this week. In my defense, I've been kept occupied by all manner of errands. I've been helping the people of Moga get back on their feet, mostly by trekking off into the island's wilderness and foraging for raw materials. There's an abundance of useful plants, insects, and mushrooms. There are even places to mine and plenty of game. I'd gotten quite good at hunting both the herbivores and the numerous small jaggi that run in packs all over the island. Today, however, I faced my first serious monster alone, without Teacher by my side. I took my first step towards becoming a monster hunter worthy of the name. I battled and slew a Great Jaggi.
The beast and its pack of lesser jaggi came upon me while I was collecting honey. Thankfully, I heard its howl before it saw me, thus I was ready with sword and shield drawn. Jaggi are aggressive predators, prone even to attack larger carnivores, relying on their numbers to even any odds. As the pack leader roared its challenge at me, the others, around six jaggi, circled and struck.
It was a hectic fight. My leather armor was too light to simply absorb the strikes of the small jaggi. First I thinned out their numbers, all while dodging the Great Jaggi. I'd take the occasional swipe at the big male to enrage it. It responded with sweeping lashes of the tail that sent the lessers flying, and me as well if I didn't duck fast enough. When it paused to howl, calling in more pack members I really tore into it and wrecked its proud frill. I knew our struggle was nearing the end when it retreated, limping badly.
If Teacher had been with me, he would have said, "now things will become difficult. We follow it to its nest where the whole pack will fight all the harder."
The jaggi nest is a frightful place. The ground is carpeted with bones and the stink of blood and rotting meat is staggering. There, the bulk of the pack rallied around their leader and made a final stand. Most people consider jaggi dangerous pests, but I've always admired them for their fearlessness and tenacity. Here, the battle continued as before, with me retreating behind a large rock more than once as the wounded leader rampaged. Here, it finally ended.
For my work I earned a spectacular bruise across my back from the Great Jaggi's tail when I failed to dodge fast enough and a bite wound on one shoulder, but I survived and claimed the beast's claws and skin. It's finally time to have the village smith start crafting me a new set of armor... the first set I earned myself.
Lagiacrus. I'm ashamed to admit, my confidence is shaken.
Up to this point, my trust in my skills has grown. Hunting jaggi, jaggia, ludroth, even Great Jaggi has become routine for me. Then, today, I went hunting epioth in the cove. Epioth eat aquatic plants and are easy to swim right up to. I was in the midst of a small group of them when, behind me, I heard a a sudden rush of water and a squeal. There it was—the monster the fishermen say smashed up their boats and the village chief claims caused an earthquake.
It was a sleek leviathan, larger than any other monster I'd ever seen, and I was only dozens of meters away, exposed and alone in its home environment. It had just taken an epioth, but ignored its kill when it saw me. My heart leapt into my throat. I swam for my life. If it had swum after me, I never would have made it to shore. Instead it paused to spit an electrical blast my way, which I was able to dodge. I made it to dry land before it did and was already off and running when it hauled onto shore. I didn't look back; I have no idea if it tried to follow, but all the way I swear I could feel its breath upon the back of my neck.
This is the monster the villagers want me to slay. They know I'm not ready yet and were just happy to have me back alive, but I wonder if I'll ever be ready. The chief seems to understand my misgivings and has suggested I travel to Loc Lac, city of monster hunters. He suggested I join with a group on their hunt to boost my confidence. Maybe that's not a bad idea.
I'll have to sleep on it. If I can sleep at all tonight.