Lagiacrus and beyond. It was on the Argosy trading vessel that I caught my ride back to Moga Village. Even as the ship approached, I could see the docks filling with people. A crowd greeted me at the end of the gang plank. They welcomed me back with a cheer, but there was an anxious tone to their voices and I soon learned that the Lagiacrus had again been spotted in Moga waters. There was even evidence that it had come as far as the center of the island to sun itself.
The village chief approached through the crowd and took a long slow look at me from head to toe then asked, "How do you feel, kid?"
"Like going hunting," I answered, and met his grin with my own.
The monster's roar was utterly deafening. All I could do was cringe and hold my hands over my ears, but I recovered quickly, and was already on the move when the beast lunged. I knew from experience how fast these giants could strike, covering dozens of feet in a single pounce. I charged towards its flank, unsheathing my switchaxe as I closed in, and struck it twice before retreating.
The Lagiacrus retaliated, twisting its body to bring its tail around to swat me—if only I weren't already dodging. I had already fought an amphibious monster, the Royal Ludroth. While the Lagiacrus was larger, mostly in length, it moved in many similar ways. I danced around it, observing its behavior and marking those patterns I found familiar. Even as it loomed over me, I held my own; anticipating when to dodge, when to retreat, and when to attack.
Our sparring match ended when I succeeded in severing the end of its tail. The Lagiacrus squealed, though, it seemed more insulted than injured as it retreated towards the beach. I knew it was heading for the water and I dreaded fighting there. Round two would be on its home turf.
The King of the Sea is a name I've heard applied to the Lagiacrus, and it's a title well deserved. There's no denying the speed and grace with which it moved through the waves. The fight became all the harder as I struggled just to keep up with it. My only real advantage was my own small size as I swam under its chin and scored a solid strike on its chest as it blasted the area in front of it with lightning. It tried to sweep me away, but I clung on like a leech and struck again, letting my armor absorb the punishment. Only when the spines on its back began to glow, forewarning of a massive electrical surge, did I scramble to get away.
I focused my hit and run assaults on its wounded chest, drawing blood with each successful attack. The titan of the sea raged and shattered the stone column I'd hidden behind with a single sweep of its tail. Still, I survived, and the Lagiacrus was visibly tiring. It fled a final time, taking refuge in a sea cave. Now I had it cornered on dry land and it was time to execute my end game plan. As soon as I exited the water I tossed a flash bomb into its face. Dazzled, the monster flailed to fend off any attack but I simply ran past, using this moment of respite to set a pitfall trap. Angry and wounded, the Lagiacrus spotted me and made a final lunge, only to become snared. As the monster had shown me no mercy during our fight, so I showed it none, detonating a bomb next to its head to finish the struggle.
It was over. Even as I contemplated my battle and how far I'd come as a hunter, though, the ground trembled beneath my feet. The Lagiacrus was dead, but the earthquakes continued. The chief would be most disappointed; he'd been so sure of the tremors' cause. Perhaps another, even grander monster made the earth tremble, something akin to the Jhen Mohran I'd fought off at Loc Lac. Upon my return, the village was in an uproar and the search was on for the true culprit, but regardless of what was discovered, I knew one thing for certain.
If there was yet another monster that needed to be hunted, no matter how large or fierce, I was ready to take it on.
The village chief approached through the crowd and took a long slow look at me from head to toe then asked, "How do you feel, kid?"
"Like going hunting," I answered, and met his grin with my own.
The monster's roar was utterly deafening. All I could do was cringe and hold my hands over my ears, but I recovered quickly, and was already on the move when the beast lunged. I knew from experience how fast these giants could strike, covering dozens of feet in a single pounce. I charged towards its flank, unsheathing my switchaxe as I closed in, and struck it twice before retreating.
The Lagiacrus retaliated, twisting its body to bring its tail around to swat me—if only I weren't already dodging. I had already fought an amphibious monster, the Royal Ludroth. While the Lagiacrus was larger, mostly in length, it moved in many similar ways. I danced around it, observing its behavior and marking those patterns I found familiar. Even as it loomed over me, I held my own; anticipating when to dodge, when to retreat, and when to attack.
Our sparring match ended when I succeeded in severing the end of its tail. The Lagiacrus squealed, though, it seemed more insulted than injured as it retreated towards the beach. I knew it was heading for the water and I dreaded fighting there. Round two would be on its home turf.
The King of the Sea is a name I've heard applied to the Lagiacrus, and it's a title well deserved. There's no denying the speed and grace with which it moved through the waves. The fight became all the harder as I struggled just to keep up with it. My only real advantage was my own small size as I swam under its chin and scored a solid strike on its chest as it blasted the area in front of it with lightning. It tried to sweep me away, but I clung on like a leech and struck again, letting my armor absorb the punishment. Only when the spines on its back began to glow, forewarning of a massive electrical surge, did I scramble to get away.
I focused my hit and run assaults on its wounded chest, drawing blood with each successful attack. The titan of the sea raged and shattered the stone column I'd hidden behind with a single sweep of its tail. Still, I survived, and the Lagiacrus was visibly tiring. It fled a final time, taking refuge in a sea cave. Now I had it cornered on dry land and it was time to execute my end game plan. As soon as I exited the water I tossed a flash bomb into its face. Dazzled, the monster flailed to fend off any attack but I simply ran past, using this moment of respite to set a pitfall trap. Angry and wounded, the Lagiacrus spotted me and made a final lunge, only to become snared. As the monster had shown me no mercy during our fight, so I showed it none, detonating a bomb next to its head to finish the struggle.
It was over. Even as I contemplated my battle and how far I'd come as a hunter, though, the ground trembled beneath my feet. The Lagiacrus was dead, but the earthquakes continued. The chief would be most disappointed; he'd been so sure of the tremors' cause. Perhaps another, even grander monster made the earth tremble, something akin to the Jhen Mohran I'd fought off at Loc Lac. Upon my return, the village was in an uproar and the search was on for the true culprit, but regardless of what was discovered, I knew one thing for certain.
If there was yet another monster that needed to be hunted, no matter how large or fierce, I was ready to take it on.