The Story of Monster Hunter Corps.

[jammin001]

Here's the first chapter in a series that I'll be writing on my guild Monster Hunter Corps. Hope you enjoy it! Comments and questions are appreciated :).

On a side note, this is a fanfic, and much discussed in these stories did not actually happen in the way described.

The stories do contain somewhat violent imagery at times...so be warned!

You can find other chapters here:
Chapter 2: Post 7
Chapter 3: Post 17
Chapter 4: Post 27
Chapter 5, Part 1: Post 47
Chapter 5, Part 2: Post 63
Chapter 5, Part 3: Post 72

Monster Hunter Corps.
Chapter 1: The Answer to Death

Varn Malmathod struck the wall of the barracks with his naked fist, causing the smear of blood on the rough hewn wall to widen. Carefully, he examined his fist, removing a large splinter sunk deep in the flesh between his fingers before striking the wall again in a last, furious blast of emotion. Another three squires dead, and for what? Lack of information? Experience? Not since before Yupine had made Varn one of the first knights of the realm had he felt so helpless. Men were dying under his command, and nothing he tried seemed to help. It didn't make him feel any better that no one was doing better. The creatures were becoming bolder and more intelligent with each day that passed. Maneuvers and strategies that had once worked on the dumb beasts were now all but useless as new monsters joined the battles wielding strange powers and attacks.

The general military was all but useless, focused on signing up as many farmers and craftsmen as they could entice. The class guilds, once thought to be the saviors of Xen, were turning out to be nothing more than a power-hungry, squabbling bunch of fools focused on personal glory. Even Varn's beloved commander Yupine wasn't immune to the guild intrigue, wasting valuable time and resources on stealing information from the other guilds. Something needed to be done, and soon. All he knew was that he wasn't going to allow another person to die under him because he was unprepared.

"I heard the wall groaning in pain and thought I'd come see if it was ok," a familiar voice said from behind him containing the hint of ever present laughter.

Staring at the blood stained wall, Varn wasn't in the mood for company, especially this kind. A joke wouldn't bring his men back, and only soiled their memory. Bitingly he answered, "I thought you were out hitting on that new acolyte at the clinic."

"She's certainly pleasant on the eyes, but her tongue's as sharp as Raymond's hidden dagger." A tall figure walked up to the wall in front of him, wearing those silly robes that the battle priests insisted on. Glancing from the wall to Varn's fist he said, "I guess I didn't have to worry about the wall; looks to me like it won that fight, captain."

Looking down at his fist, he noticed the pain for the first time, and clamped his teeth shut before a groan could escape. When he tried to open his hand, fire lanced up his arm causing dark spots of pain to dance before his eyes. Once the spots cleared, he said through gritted teeth, "I don't need your help priest. And don't call me captain, you never have been, and never will be under my command."

The lines of laughter turned to steel in the handsome face. "First of all, I'm a templar. I gave up the path of priest with my sister's death. Secondly, I'll always call you captain in her memory."

The pain from his hand was nothing compared to that caused from those words. Varn still remembered her face, youthful and confident, glowing with pride at being one of the first chosen to enter his unit. Now whenever he thought of her a second face overlapped the first, one covered in blood; skin and meat ripped from eye to throat.

"I know there was nothing you could have done to save her, but don't you ever think I'll let either of us forget her. Now give me your hand." Varn couldn't stop the hiss of pain that escaped his clenched lips as his hand was roughly grasped. "That's what I thought, it's broken." A bit of the sparkle returned to the man's eyes. "Next time try pounding a pillow, it may not be as satisfying, but it's certainly safer." Taking a firm hold of his hand, the templar muttered the words "Assist Heal" beneath his breath. As the spell hit him, Varn braced himself against the flaming itch that forced bones back together, and skin to reform. Stoically, he stood unflinching until the process had finished.

Flexing his hand, he grudgingly said, "Thank you El."

"It was no problem captain." The laugh returned to his voice. "Now was there some reason you were allowing the wall to beat your hand to a pulp?"

The last thing he wanted to do was to talk about the deaths on his conscience, especially with this man whose sister's face haunted him more than any other. El was right though; his sister's memory should never be allowed to fade. So haltingly at first, Varn told him of the many deaths, including the disastrous battle that day, and his anger and frustrations at the military and guilds. Unusually quiet, El listened to it all, not even interrupting the flow of words with his usual quips. By the end, his anger had faded leaving him feeling tired. "The thing is, something needs to change. I need to do something to better prepare my men for the battles they're going to face, because they're certainly not getting the help they need from the military or the guild."

"It sounds to me like you need to form an independent corporation."

He knew he shouldn't have shared everything with El, no matter the debt he owed his sister. "This is serious. I need a solution, not a joke!"

"I am being serious." Varn noticed for the first time that the templar's face was unusually deep in thought. "It's like those groups the merchants are putting together to share information and goods. They call them corporations. Instead of creating one to make it easier to buy and sell goods, you should create one to make it easier to learn monsters' weaknesses."

"I've already got a unit under my command, what does it matter if I call them a corporation, or anything else?"

"The difference is that instead of relying on the fighters guild to provide you with men and intel, you're going to do what the merchants do and gather the best people together from many different fields and classes. Instead of just focusing on what your guild knows or can steal from the others, you'll have the experience of every man under you adding to the corporation's knowledge and expertise."

Varn thought about it for a minute. "That's not a bad idea. It would certainly help to have a variety of skills going into battle. How am I going to recruit across class lines though? Everybody knows that each person's allegiance is first and foremost to their guild."

El broke out in a grin. "You use the guild's rules against them. Remember that law the governing guild heads just passed allowing groups to be formed between the classes for the purpose of, "Expanding and sharing knowledge of the world of Xen through economic means?"

"Yeah, that's what the merchants use to form those corporations, isn't it? How's that going to help me? I don't want to make money, I want to stop more senseless death!"

"And how much money do you think the military and guilds have invested in every soldier?"

Varn had never even thought about that. The idea of placing a monetary value on a person's life was distasteful. "I have no idea."

"With the cost in training alone for each person, don't you think it would be economically beneficial to keep them alive with the additional knowledge your corporation will provide them?"

"I guess it would."

El was warming up to his idea, "Of course it would. And it would only take a few weeks before people began to notice that your corporation was actually working to save lives and thereby saving the government money."

Varn was beginning to see where he was going with it. "And once that happens, there's going to be other corporations, or sub-guilds formed from our example. It'll spread throughout the military, with hundreds of groups forming, bringing together the knowledge and experience of all the classes!"

"Exactly, and by that time, there's nothing the guild heads will be able to do to change it. The only thing we have to do to start it all is come up with a name."

"A name? Shouldn't we first figure out who we're going to recruit, or how the chain of command is going to be set up?"

El shook his head, "No. Every great idea starts with a name, one that will inspire people, and cause them to want to become part of it."

Varn thought about it for a moment. "So what do we call it?"

With a laugh El said, "Monster Hunter Corps. of course!"

[BellaAnimorum]

No complaints here, use that imagination!
Ironically enough, I damaged both my hands in college by beating the hell out of a wall in a drunken stupor (my nerves dont work as right and the knuckles are almost completely numb...)
Very dark, interesting setting, like aftermath of an awakening. :eek:
If you're going to have graphic imagery I would suggest a disclaimer, as in times before some fanfics were downright bloody and gruesome (shoutout to thrakx on that one)

Keep it going! :D

EDIT: Hindsight being 20/20, maybe we should keep the comments on this to the guild thread... sorry to butt in.

^^"

[jammin001]

Yeah I'll put in a disclaimer...but I probably won't get any more graphic than I did.

[MarvHartigan]

wearing those silly robes that the battle priests insisted on.
hahahahaha xD

Very good story, although I want to point that Varn is the creator of MHC and it is his idea, and also my sis didnt die under his command xD

Cleared those 2 important points, I must say that my char is too cool to be true, just like me xD

Keep the good work mate, I want to see more soon =D

Adios!

[Callypso]

Nice! :D

Detailed and intriguing. *-*

*waits for more*

[CyroMega]

Wow. Awesome so far. Keep it up o3o.

And cally. Gtfo. Jk jk >_>

[jammin001]

I was struck with the idea of this story today, and had to get it down. Don't expect the stories to keep coming this quickly though! ;) I tried to add a lot of action to this one...which I couldn't really do with the first since it was mainly background stuff. Hope you enjoy!

You can find other chapters here:
Chapter 3: Post 17
Chapter 4: Post 27
Chapter 5, Part 1: Post 47
Chapter 5, Part 2: Post 63
Chapter 5, Part 3: Post 72

Monster Hunter Corps.
Chapter 2: The Economics of Battle

"You've certainly been busy captain compiling a list of likely recruits to the Corporation. There must be close to fifty names here, and you've even included the strengths each candidate will bring to MHC." El was glancing through the stack of papers, impressed. "Perhaps you've missed your calling; I can see you exchanging your armor for the robes of a librarian."

"No way." Despite the dark rings around his eyes, Varn's voice was full of energy. "The only man in this room who'll be wearing a dress is you."

"Now captain, don't give up on the idea of robes until you've tried them. When the breeze blows beneath them just right..."

Varn cleared his throat loudly. "I wanted you to take a look at this profile first. I think he'd be the perfect addition."

"Hmm, not exactly the type of person I would have chosen right away, but now that I think about it..."

****

Magus sauntered down Summerhill Street, his dark hair artfully arranged by the mild breeze. The colorful cloak nonchalantly thrown over one shoulder made him look like a well to do townsman out for a stroll. Very few people in Xen knew of the powerful enchantments on that cloak, or what it had cost him. Not that money was a big deal to Magus. He had learned a long time ago that all it took to fill one's pockets was to connect people. Everyone desired something, and Magus took pride in his ability to connect those people with the ones who could satisfy their desire. If you were smart enough, when kron changed hands, some of it stayed in yours. Nothing in life is free, and the knowledge of making such connections was a valuable commodity.

As he was approaching his town house, he noticed the flash of colorful robes from the corner of his eye. Hoping he wasn't too late, he reached into his pocket for the transparent herb he always kept there, and prepared to cast the simple spell.

"Hail Magus! I was hoping you'd be coming this way."

Sighing to himself, he carefully replaced the herb into his pocket. Only a second too late. Straightening his shoulders, he forced a cheerful grin, "Sozo, it's good to see you. Why the formal greeting? I hope it isn't business that brings you here to see me." The politely friendly words flowed smoothly from his lips, years of practice overcoming his discomfort. It wasn't that he disliked the red headed priest, on the contrary, there was much about her that he admired. Whenever he was around her though, he felt an itch under his skin as if those hazel eyes, no matter how friendly they seemed, were judging him. As a rogue, Magus knew his place in life was to live off others; certainly he'd never hurt someone else, but to make a decent living you had to be willing to benefit from others fortune, and misfortune. It was just a part of life. Sozo, on the other hand, lived the life of a true priest, completely for others. Deep down he knew who the nobler was.

"Actually, I'm sorry to say, it is businness," Magus was surprised to see that she really did seem to regret the meeting wasn't a casual one. "The Corporation has just received a report on the newly opened Cobalt Caves. As I'm sure you're well aware, the mineral deposits contained within them are of the utmost importance to the war effort." Magus did know very well. It was his own report to MHC that had caused the push to open the caves back up after years of being closed. "We've been keeping an opperative in the vicinity of the caves, and it was only yesterday that we lost contact with him."

"The expeditionary force?"

"There's been no contact from them either."

It wasn't looking good. It was rumored the caves had closed the first time because of monsters coming to the surface from tunnels deep within the earth. Magus had a contact near the caves that he had used for years to receive valuable minerals easily accessible with little mining, so he knew there had been no dangerous activity within them. If something had changed though; if something had been awakened by the recent operations...

"MHC wants us to go check it out. With your knowledge of the caves, you're the perfect person to scout them out." Giving a cheerful grin, Sozo continued, "And of course I'll be there to help you in any way necessary."

As always, her grin intensified the itch beneath his skin. He just hoped he wouldn't be experiencing it the whole mission. Not even his enchanted cloak could protect him from the combination of those eyes and that grin.

****

Sozo tried to be silent, she truly did. She followed the same steps as Magus, sought out the same shadows, but where the ground seemed to cushion Magus' feet, stones tripped up Sozo's. Where the shadows embraced the rogue as a part of itself, it rejected her, causing moonlight to brightly reflect from her colorful robes. Magus, for his part, didn't criticize her clumsiness, or hush her noisiness. In fact, he even helped her through the more difficult spots, quietly explaining where she needed to place her feet, and how to best hide her appearance. Sozo wasn't used to being stealthy though, and knew she was more a liablility on this mission than an asset.

If she had been paired with any other person, perhaps things would be different. There was just something about Magus that made her hypersensitive to everything she did. He moved so smoothly, and with such confidence in his own abilities that she knew she could never be his equal here. More importantly, he always radiated that confidence in everything he did. For as long as Sozo had known him, she had always felt inadequate around him, and it caused her to question herself now, with every movement she made.

Maybe it was because of her uneasiness around Magus, or maybe it was because of her lack of stealth training, but as they approached the cave's entrance, a stray ray of moonlight caught her full on, revealing her dazzling robes, as well as the glowing eyes of a creature out of nightmare. Before the hulking form could move more than a step in their direction, a shadow broke off from in front of her, and with the fluidity of a striking snake, struck the creature in the flank as the word, "Blindside," floated on the night air.

"Quick! Increase my strength!" A brief feeling of pride skittered across her racing mind at the fact it only took her a moment to get over her panic and whisper the words, "Fist Up."

Before she could bless him further, Magus was a blur of motion, the whirr of his blade mingling with the night sounds, as the gently spoken, "Threaten," played in quiet harmony to the chorus of tree frogs and anxious crickets. As the creature shook off the affects of the rogue's initial attack, she knew it was already gravely injured, and was preparing a spell of her own to help finish it off, when she caught the glimmer of a second pair of eyes coming from the cave's mouth. Changing her focus to the new attacker, she quietly commanded, "Spirit," freezing it in place. "There's another one over there Magus."

"Two actually," the rogue calmly answered, and in a movement so quick she barely caught it, he dipped his dagger in a vial, in the same motion slashing the monster across it's fur matted chest. Turning from his opponent, Sozo now saw what the rogue had, a third creature crouched low, and ready to spring upon him. As the first creature convulsed at the rapid effects of the poison, it spent its remaining stregth in a final slashing attack at Magus' back. With a choked off cry, she watched in horror as the beasts's claws met the rogue's back. Remarkably, his cloak seemed to shift towards the attack, acting as a protective barrier to stop the attack. As the monster fell to the ground with a dull thump, she quickly cast a healing spell on Magus, finding he had surprisingly few wounds.

As the third creature sprang, Magus became a blur, dodging the creature's initial attack and striking multiple times, the quiet harmony of, "Threaten," again playing on the night air. By the time the creature she had paralyzed began moving again, a second body lay on the ground. "We need to go. Now." The quiet determination in his voice unnerved her.

"Why? There's only the one left, and then we can check out the cave."

"The cave is lost already; overrun by some dark force." As if in answer to the ominous words, a dozen set of eyes glimmered from the shadows of the cave. Dodging around the previously paralyzed creature, Magus placed both feet in a position to give himself the greatest flexibility of range and motion, and in a feat Sozo had rarely seen done, he sprang forward with the softly spoken, "Circle Trap," as he rotated his body in a deadly arc, his dagger a shining line of force in the moonlight.

With the attack finishing, he sang out, "Blindside," again paralyzing the creature between himself and Sozo, before gracefully leaping over it's back. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled something out, and placing it to his lips said, "Evil Voice," in an unnatural barritone. A thin stream of powder, glimmering in the moonlight, flew through the air to strike the largest creature at the cave's entrance, making it instantly commatose and blocking the rest from reaching them.

Gently grasping her arm he said, "Let's go," and without complaint she followed him to safety. All the way back, she couldn't help but think back on his cool confidence, and fluid grace in battle. She knew the next time she faced an opponent, she'd be a stronger person because of it.

****

Magus sank into the feather bed gratefully. It was nearly dawn, but they had succeeded in safely leaving the caves, and had even filed a report with Varn, who hadn't appreciated being woken in the middle of the night. He had grudgingly agreed that it had been necessary though, after hearing the details of their mission.

Surprisingly, since leaving the caves, he hadn't felt the itch of Sozo's eyes on him. Perhaps it was his greater respect for her that caused it to leave. He again pictured her in his mind from that night, bravely standing before the monsters, healing him of his wounds, paralyzing the creature that surely would have killed him, and calmly strengthening him with spells. He knew now, from her example, what it truly meant to be a member of Monster Hunter Corp.

[jammin001]

I particularly enjoyed writing this second story, because I was able to show how MHC's plan of bringing people together from different classes is workking here to make each a better person; not that the real Sozo or Magus needs to be made any better, you're both awesome :D. In the story, both are heroic figues, with great, though different strengths, and each sees a weakness in themselves when they compare themselves to the other. By the end of the story, those doubts fade, because they each come to realize (consciously or subconsciously) that by MHC bringing them together, each is made stronger.

I hope these stories show the community what great people there are in MHC, and how much respect I have for all of them.

[stevewins]

Very Good Torean. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. And that wasn't a joke. I almost fell off. But very good. You weave the words to create a vivid picture in ones mind.

[Callypso]

That was a great addition, Torean! :D I love the way you describe the SoS skills. Looking forward to more. ^^

[MarvHartigan]

Wow, this one had more action, and as Callypso said, u describe things very well... I could imagine Magus dodging those mobs atks very clearly, also his cloack protecting him, and Sozo spiriting & and clumsily advancing towars the cave xD Also te light shining on her and magus slicing the mobs!

Keep the awesome work! *wants moar nao!* o:

Adios!

[jammin001]

Thanks for the encouragement guys :). I'm glad you liked it. I'll try to start on Chapter 3 soon.

[Magusbrrj]

Whoa! That was awesome, Torean! I enjoyed it a lot! hehehe!! :)
You truly catch how I own those monsters...lol! :D

[waffaddict]

I really enjoyed this fanfic. I usually don't read non-anime fanfiction, but somehow this caught my attention. I managed to read both chapters while at work and got so caught up I didn't realize my work day was over. I'm eagerly awaiting future chapters. Keep up the good work.

[jammin001]

Whoa! That was awesome, Torean! I enjoyed it a lot! hehehe!! :)
You truly catch how I own those monsters...lol! :D

Thanks Magus :). It was really easy to write your fight sequence since I'm a rogue too lol. I had a lot of fun writing that.

I really enjoyed this fanfic. I usually don't read non-anime fanfiction, but somehow this caught my attention. I managed to read both chapters while at work and got so caught up I didn't realize my work day was over. I'm eagerly awaiting future chapters. Keep up the good work.

I'm glad you gave my stories a shot and enjoyed them :D. I'm glad to see there's some other people in the community reading these instead of just my guildies. Even though I've written them about my guild, I've written them with the entire community in mind, trying to add to the overall SotS experience, and maybe help fill in some of the gaps in the SotS storyline.

Chapter 3 is over half finished now, and I hope to have it finished by tomorrow night. Darn you work for keeping me from my game and writing like that! *Shakes his fist at his job, before seeing one of his paystubs* Er...maybe works not so bad afterall :D

[BellaAnimorum]

Er...maybe works not so bad afterall :D

ROFL! Yeeeesss, the best gamers are the ones who balance their real lives with their game lives. Good man!

[jammin001]

This story is a little longer than the others and deals with a theory I have about the game. I hope you enjoy it! :D

You can find other chapters here:
Chapter 4: Post 27
Chapter 5, Part 1: Post 47
Chapter 5, Part 2: Post 63
Chapter 5, Part 3: Post 72

Monster Hunter Corp.
Chapter 3: The Guard's Booty

The monster's scream of agony was cut short by the gurgle of blood flowing into its lungs. "Too easy," Maxon said, wiping his sword off on the corpse's hairy body. As he flipped his sword to clean off the other side, his blade began to vibrate where it touched the monster. Stumbling backwards in surprise, he cried, "What's going on?"

"Don't you know what's happening?" his brother Windblower asked, looking bored. A sonic vibration began to emanate from the corpse, soon growing strong enough to hurt Maxon's ears. In amazement, he watched as the body began to shake violently until with an earsplitting, "Ping!" it exploded into a million brilliant motes of ruby light, flying off in every direction. Seconds later the motes flew back to the spot the corpse had lain moments before, and with a flash of blinding light, coalesced into a blood red jewel the size of an egg.

"It's a xen stone," Windblower stated, leaning back against a tree.

"Of course it is, I can see that now." Maxon's hand was beginning to hurt from holding his sword, as the vibrations caused from the xen continued to move through it. "I just never seen one drop before."

"So what are you going to do with it?"

"I'm not sure...probably sell it."

****

The brothers walked into the bar, weary from their day fighting monsters. Sitting down at the counter, Maxon took off his guard's helmet and sat it down in front of him. Maybe he would buy a new helm with the money he got from the xen. This one was getting fairly dinged up, especially considering it's old owner, one of the guards at Arcarinas Square, had used it for years before passing it on tho him as a gift. Turning to the bartender he said, "Juice please."

"What kind would you like? Grape, orange or tangerine?"

Looking into his nearly empty coin purse he said, "Well, I can't really afford the tangerine, so I think I'll get grape."

Turning to his brother, the bartender asked, "And what would you like sir?"

"I will take one slush."

"Are you serious?" Maxon asked in amazement. "Those things are expensive! You'll use all the money we earned today on it, and they're not even all that good."

"That shows what little you know," Windblower stated, counting out the kron, and placing it on the counter. "They're fantastic."

"Whatever, it's your money." Maxon got up wearily from the bar stool. "I'm going to put up a sign to sell my xen." Walking to the far wall, he took a piece of paper from the stack provided, and dipping the nearby quill into some ink, wrote out his advertisement for the xen stone, which he then posted on the board along with the other advertisements.

Making his way back to the counter, he found that Windblower was gone. "Where did he go now?" he said to himself.

Overhearing him the bartender placed the juice in front of him stating, "He said he'd be right back. I guess he didn't have enough money for the slushie."

"Figures." Maxon took a sip from the glass, savoring the sweetly tart flavor. As he lifted his glass for a second drink, someone sat on the stool beside him.

"That's a Brynhild guard's helmet isn't it?" a piping voice asked.

Turning his head, he saw that the person in his brother's seat was a boy of about ten. Thinking he looked familiar, he inspected him, noticing the leather apron he was wearing. "Yes it is. Aren't you the blacksmith's apprentice?"

The boy looked relieved. "Yeah that's right. I wasn't expecting you here for another hour. It's a good thing I came early to get some milk. I've been wanting some all day. Here take this," he said, taking off his backpack and thrusting it into Maxon's arms. "The bag is enchanted to hold more, otherwise my master wouldn't have been able to fit all of this batch into it. Well, I'm going to go see my friend Mixmon now. He's got tons of milk, and I won't have to pay for it." Before he could ask what was in the bag, the boy took off at a run.

Confused by the encounter, Maxon opened the bag. Since the light wasn't very good where he was sitting, he tilted it towards a nearby window. As the evening rays hit the inside of the backpack, a bright red glow began to emanate from within. Placing his hand inside, he pulled out a half dozen xen stones with a gasp. Looking inside, he was amazed to see hundreds, perhaps even thousands of them filling the enchanted bag. Quickly dropping the xens back into the bag, he closed it tight, looking around to see if anyone had noticed the xens. Seeing no one had, he sat back, trying to figure out what had just happened.

****

Windblower glided back into the bar. He loved the way everybody stopped what they were doing to stare at his newly aquired mage robes. He made sure to meet each person's gaze, lifting an eyebrow at their inquisitive stares. Most looked away quickly, while some gave an uneasy chuckle, but all knew the power of these robes and of those who wore them.

He was nearing the counter, taking pleasure in the gentle swish of his robes on the wood floor, when his brother's powerful grip on his arm disrupted his glide, causing him to stumble. "Come over here, I need to show you something." A curious onlooker chocked on his food at Windblower's withering gaze which he had meant for his brother, who was focused on the back of the room.

Windblower's anger soon turned to puzzlement, as he watched his brother look around furtively, seeing if anyone was watching them. Since most knew it was unhealthy to pay too close attention to a mage, none were. Taking a seat at an empty table at the back, his brother pulled a blue backpack out from under his cloak. Impatience flashed acroos Maxon's face. "What are you waiting for? Sit down?" Curious as to what might be causing him to act so out of character, Windblower did so without complaint.

Maxon opened the backpack, thrusting the open end into Windblower's face, "Take a look at this."

In amazement, he saw that the bag was filled with xens. "What did you do? Where did you get these?"

"The blacksmith's apprentice gave them to me. I guess he thought I was someone else."

Pulling one out of the bag, Windblower said, "Where could he have gotten all of these? There's no way on person could have gathered so many. There must be hundreds here." Taking a closer look at the stone he frowned. "Give me that xen you got earlier today."

"Why do you need mine? Isn't there enough there for the both of us?" At Windblower's frown, Maxon dug into a pocket, and pulled it out before handing it over. "Geez, alright."

Pointing to the ceiling he muttered, "Magic Fire." As soon as the fire lanced from his hand, he made a fist. In response, the fire coalesced into a ball, floating above his head. Maxon whistled. "Nice move. Where did you learn that?"

"Just something I picked up along the way; now be quiet." Expecting a comeback, he was surprised when his brother said nothing. He must be pretty shaken. Turning to the two xens, he examined them closely for a minute before nodding his head. "Just what I thought. Look at the one I got from the bag. See that line running down the center?"

Maxon squinted at the xen. "I guess."

"That means it's been used already, and failed to merge with whatever piece of equipment was being enhanced."

"It's a failed xen? I thought they just, well disappeared when they didn't work."

Windblower snorted in amusement. "Of course they don't just disappear. Everything has to go somewhere." He lowered he eyebrows in confusion. "What I want to know is what that apprentice was doing with these. The blacksmith has a binding contract with the city to destroy any failed xen stones. Otherwise, they could be resold to people who never knew that they had already failed, and would do so again."

As if on cue, a child's voice sliced through the hum of conversation. "Let me go! I told you I didn't know!"

Looking towards the doorway, Windblower watched as two burly Brynhild city guards strode into the bar, one half dragging the blacksmith's apprentice by the back of his shirt. On a closer look he saw that in fact only one of them was a Brynhild guard, the other, from the insignia stamped on his breastplate, looked to be from Candyvault. The larger of the two looked around the room impatiently. "Where's the guy you gave them to. Is he here?" He lifted the boy above his head, turning him in every direction. Choking from the shirt strangling him, the boy frantically looked around before pointing to the back of the room, or more precisely Maxon.

"That's him there in the back?" The boy gurgled a yes. Tossing him to the floor he shouted, "Everyone out, now! This is official city business! Everyone except that scrawny thief in the back. He stays."

As everyone scurried out of the room, Maxon stood up. "Did he just call me scrawny? And a thief?" Windblower hadn't seen his brother so angry in a long time.

"Be careful, he's a city guard."

"I don't care if he's Yupine himself, no one calls me scrawny and gets away with it."

When the last of the people had left the room, the two guards stormed over to the table. "Give me the backpack. Now. And pray you didn't look inside."

"Oh, I looked inside alright, and I don't think I'll be giving them back. I can make a fortune off of these things. The way I see it, better me then some crooked guard."

The burly guard glared at him before laughing. Turning to his partner, the guard from Candyvault, he said, "Did you hear that? This whelp thinks we were going to sell them. This child thinks he's going to keep the bag from us." With each word, Windblower watched as his brother got angrier until all the six foot two of him was shaking in rage.

Laughing louder the guard said, "If you only knew what we were doing, you'd know how foolish you sound. Yeah, we're getting paid for those xens, but it's not because we're selling them, it's because of how we're "disposing" of them." The Candyvault guard joined in as if his partner had made a joke.

Suddenly, Windblower remember something Betran had told him about xen stones when he became a mage. "You're recombining the failed xens with monsters. But that's not only against the law, it's also kept secret that the process is even possible. Once you merge a failed xen with a monster, it will drop an unmarred stone when it dies, but the stone will always fail."

Scowling, the guard said, "You're a little too bright for your own good; now you're going to have to die."

Maxon reached for his sword. "That's what I wanted to hear. Come on bro, we can take them. It'll be too easy. I remember seeing this one at the south entrance of the city. He's only a glorified babysitter, making sure none of the green recruits leave the city before they're ready."

With a roar, the guard pulled his sword, crying, "Slash!"

Blocking the attack with his shield, he twisted it in his hand shouting, "Shield Crash," as he smashed it into the guard's chest, stunning him with the force of the blow.

Windblower couldn't watch his brother's battle with the gate guard for long, since the second one had drawn his sword and was advancing. In a bored tone he stated, "Magic Ice." The guard stood wideyed, as thousands of ice crystals began to twist around him. Moments later his armor was covered in frost, and he could barely move from the shivers wracking his body.

In amusement, he watched the guard flounder his way forward. Lifting his hand, he prepared to cast another spell when his brother yelled out, "Broken Sword!" breaking his concentration. Annoyed he said, "Do you always have to be so loud when you're in combat?" When Maxon didn't answer, his annoyance deepened. "Fine, since you're too busy to answer me, I'll just have to make you not busy. 'Frost'." With that one word, a hurricane of ice shards flew through the room, enveloping the two guards in a miniature blizzard. Before the spell dissipated, Windblower said, "Lightning." Arcing rays of blue-white electricity struck the two guards, the brilliance from which caused the ice shards to flash with the harsh light of winter. The guards convulsed in pain as the lightning burnt its way through their bodies.

"What'd you do that for?" Maxon demanded. "I have this fight under control."

"Of course you do. 'Lightning'." Windblower sat down in a chair, leaning back so only the back legs were touching the floor.

"Stop doing that, I want to have some fun with this one for calling me scrawny."

"Don't worry you'll get your chance. 'Lightning'."

"I said...now look what you've done. They're dead." Sure enough both guards fell to the floor, the frost slowly disappearing from their armor.

Windblower smirked, "Sorry about that."

"Whatever." Sheathing his sword, he turned to the backpack saying, "So what are we going to do with this?"

The mage looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I know the perfect person to give that to."

****

"Do you think it was wise making them members of the corporation? It was only an accident they came across the xens." El sat in a chair, tossing one of the blood red stones from hand to hand.

"It's not how they came across them that impressed me, but what they did with them. They could have sold them, but instead they brought them to us. I think that shows their character better than any other test we could have given them."

"Well, you're the captain, captain. So what do we do with them now? Turn them over to the guild heads?"

Varn stared at the open backpack thoughtfully. "We don't have any proof the blacksmith is merging failed xens with monsters. Accusing him of doing so would cause an uproar, one that may come back to hurt us."

"But we've got to do something! This can't be the only batch. There's probably thousands of xens out there that people have discovered, not knowing that they're doomed to fail."

"I know. I don't want to delay any more than you do, but it's necessary. Don't worry. Now that we know what the blacksmith has been doing, he'll get what he deserves. Monster Hunter Corp. is on to him."

[Hebitualiar]

Ohhhh. I couldn't make it through the first part and hopelessly ignored the second part but I did read the third part thoroughly and loved it! ^^ Great job :D

[Maxon1]

thats was the best one yet. but why does maxon have to b 6'5''? .-. hes only 6'2''

[jammin001]

Ohhhh. I couldn't make it through the first part and hopelessly ignored the second part but I did read the third part thoroughly and loved it! ^^ Great job :D

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the action sequence :). I try to make them as detailed as possible, and had originally planned on making a long action scene at the beginning, but didn't want the story to be that long. The first part had a really cool scene describing a xen dropping...but not much else. The second part had some important filler information describing how Maxon got the guard's hoard of failed xens.

thats was the best one yet. but why does maxon have to b 6'5''? .-. hes only 6'2''

I'm glad you like it Maxon :). I'll go ahead and change your height to 6'2". I guess being 6'4" myself, I was thinking of you as being a very large, powerful knight, someone bigger than me :p.

[Hilux]

Wow, I am both impressed and jealous! Our guild use to create short stories about events and people we know, but never to this extent, or with this skill. We need to recruit someone with your writing talent for our guild! Keep it coming!!

[Hebitualiar]

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the action sequence :). I try to make them as detailed as possible, and had originally planned on making a long action scene at the beginning, but didn't want the story to be that long. .

^^' ehehe, no no, I mean, the chapters :D I loved the third chaaapteeer. :P The whole chapter. XD I don't really like the action scenes so much, I skip those, therefore I didn't read the second chapter. I loved the beginning of this chapter the most ;D

[jammin001]

^^' ehehe, no no, I mean, the chapters :D I loved the third chaaapteeer. :P The whole chapter. XD I don't really like the action scenes so much, I skip those, therefore I didn't read the second chapter. I loved the beginning of this chapter the most ;D

Ah lol. My mistake :D.

[stevewins]

Torean I must say, Another exceptional piece of work. You weaved the words very intriquately. Or however that's spelled. You've got a knack for this. Keep goin. I can't wait to read more.

[blake3470]

Bump....great story!! It's really good. Keep it coming. ^_^

[jammin001]

Bump....great story!! It's really good. Keep it coming. ^_^

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it :D. My next chapter is on hold for a few days since I'll be writing a story for the current forum MVP contest. Check that thread soon for my ghost story submission :).

[jammin001]

Here's my newest story. This one stars Sarneftra and Sephirn. Hope you like it!

You can find other chapters here:
Chapter 5, Part 1: Post 47
Chapter 5, Part 2: Post 63
Chapter 5, Part 3: Post 72

Monster Hunter Corp.
Chapter 4: The Ghosts of Memories

The veil of tears posed no obstacle to Sarneftra's aim. With the choked off cry of, "Wind Blow," she let lose a final arrow to fly with the pentrating force of air, hitting the creature with a concussive blast and sending it to the ground. As the tears glistened on her face like the melting of a spring icycle, she said, "One hundred, just as I promised. Fifty for you mother. Fifty for you father. May their deaths bring you peace for another year." Turning her back on the clearing filled with monstrous corpses, she walked away, leaving a part of her sorrow behind. There was still one stop she needed to make before the day's end; one stop before she could completely lay aside the rage of emotions for another year.

****

Sephirn approached the tomb carefully. Not for the first time that evening he wished he had Magus' skill to blend into the shadows, or Varn's ability to deflect massive blows. Instead, he whispered, "Bless," renewing his magical defenses, and hoping he wouldn't need them. His job, as explained by El, was purely reconnaissance; not his strongest skill, but necessary tonight since there was no one else in the corporation available to take the mission.

Fragments of music wafted on the night air, proof there were those in the rogue's guild preparing for a long night of entertainment. Sephirn pursed his lips. He knew not everyone spent their nights in prayer during these troubled times, but there were those who didn't seem to care that people were dying every day. The world had gone crazy with the theft of the Solstice Sphere, yet some led their lives as if nothing had changed.

Rounding a corner, he stopped to stare at the entrance to the tomb. For years, the rogue's guild had placed the remains of their most gifted and loved members within the passages of those catacombs. The only ones allowed within the tomb outside of the guild were the select clerics and priests who layed the dead to rest. Even with the arrogance most rogues showed, they knew they were ill prepared to take care of the dead, and so had allowed the priest's guild some access to their burial grounds. Since Sephirn had conducted several ceremonies within the tomb, he knew their paranoia was justified; many princes didn't live in the luxury of a dead rogue.

As he studied his surroundings, El's words played through his mind, "We've had reports of deaths taking place in Eir, near the tomb. The bodies were smashed, and in some cases unrecognizable." He didn't know what had the power to smash a body, but he didn't need El's warning to know that he needed to be careful.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he crept to the tomb's entrance. Still nothing. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking for, but whatever it was wasn't outside tonight. From inside the mouth of the catacombs, he could just make out the flicker of mage fire torches coming from the main atrium. Parts of the tomb were always lit to allow mourners to visit at all times of day and night. Though his orders were to check out the exterior of the tomb, his curiosity got the better of him, and he stepped inside.

The gray darkness seethed restlessly around him as he made his way towards the torch light. A feeling of foreboding tingled down his spine, almost forcing him back. Shaking it off with irritation, he continued forward, the hem of his robe making a soft swish against the bare stone of the floor. As he approached the torchlit main room, the feeling intensified, causing him to stop just in time to see a shadow break away from the wall before him. A jolt of fear lanced through his body, and without thought he thrust his arm forward, palm open and cried, "Ghost Steal." A blue tinged aura of spiritual pressure snaked from his hand, gloomily lighting the surroundings, and as it struck out at the target he saw in horror that it was not some monstrous creature, but a human. A girl.

****

Sarneftra had been standing just outside the main atrium's entrance for some time now, thoughts of her parents barring her from going to their grave. It had been five years today since their death; five years since they had left her and the loving home they had made together, for the last time.

She could still see her mother laughingly flipping five knives at a time through the air in a constant loop, their blades glinting brightly in the summer sun. How she would cry out in mock anger as her father, from behind a tree, shot each from the air with the ting of metal on metal. The last knife always flew at her father who never flinched as it struck the tree, inches from his face. His jaunty grin showed his complete trust in his wife, and though she might berate his games, Sarneftra knew her mother had returned that trust in equal portions. The love the two of them had had for each other transcended themselves to include Sarneftra. She had known that when she was with them everything was right with the world.

Under the influence of the ghosts of memories, she didn't at first notice the dull thump that radiated from the floor from the other side of the atrium. Nor did she notice the slight thrill of warning that tingled her fighter senses. Only moments later, when a hulking stone figure stomped into the room before her, did she realize her mistake at letting her guard down so much, and involuntarily took a step back from creature. As her mind raced trying to figure out what the monster was and what she should do, a cry behind her forced the creature to stop in the middle of the room. Watching it turn to face her, she suddenly felt a numbing blast of energy explode through her, leaving behind dead numbness.

Staring at the giant golem, a man ran in front of her, his worried face floating before her vision next to the monster's. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." Sarneftra screamed silently for the man to turn around, to run away. The creature stepped forward.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be here tonight, so when I saw you move, I just cast my spell." She felt a vibration in the soles of her feet as the monster took another step towards them.

"Don't worry, it will wear off in a minute." Waves of terror rushing through her body were held still by paralysis, and as she helplessly watched the creature come even closer, she looked around wildly for some escape.

"Is everything alright?" the man asked worriedly. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you." The creature was now only a few feet away from them, its stone body audibly grinding with each movement it made. Tears flowed down her frozen cheeks as she watched the nightmarish monster lift its club like arm into the air, brushing the ceiling fifteen feet above them, and causing a flurry of stone particles and dirt to fall to the floor.

"What is it?" She watched as the harbinger of fear flashed across his face, and too late he turned around.

****

Sephirn had only a moment to see the golem as its arm came rushing down towards him, but in that moment he knew what it was. He had heard stories of the ancient creatures made from stone and brought to life through arcane means to act as guardians. The practice had only been possible by the most skilled of wizards, and none now living could duplicate the power of those spells. He knew he had found the killer, the thing that had smashed those bodies. He also knew his would be next.

The trunk like arm fell onto his shoulder, sending vibrations of cruhing bone through his body, mirroring the sound his ears picked up of the snapping of his arm. Flying through the air from force of the blast, he hit the wall of the tunnel and crumpled to the ground as a barrage of pain overwhelmed his senses. Unable to breathe, he felt his lungs jerk, attempting to take in air; attempting to scream. His eyes focused for a moment on the golem, and as darkness began to creep across his vision, he saw the girl standing like a statue before it, a statue he had sculpted.

He knew that if he didn't do something, the girl would die because of him. Fighting back against unconsciousness, his lungs were finally able to take a jerking breathful of air that felt like fire burning through his chest. Knowing he didn't have much time, he forced back his body's inclination to use his next breath to cry out at the pain, and instead gargled out, "Holy Cure." He didn't feel the dribble of blood come from his mouth along with the words, and he didn't fight the darkness any longer.

****

Unable to take her eyes from monster that had swatted the man across the room like a bug, she watched as it lifted its arm again, this time facing her. Knowing there was nothing she could do, she closed her eyes, her lashes heavy under the terror of her tears. Expecting the pain of the creature's arm, she was surprised when a tingling warmth suffused her body, breaking the paralysis. Unable to control her body for a moment with its new freedom, she fell backwards as the giant's arm swooped through the space she had just been standing.

Not knowing why she was still alive, her fighter's instincts overcame her confusion, and she scrambled backwards across the floor like a crab, her bow scraping against the stone beneath her. The monster lumbered after her, swinging its arm down inches from her feet with the loud crash of breaking stone. Quickly, she placed her feet against the monster's fist, and pushed back with all her might, using the momentum summersault her backwards.

Rolling to her feet, she grabbed her bow off her back, and as the creature came at her again, she knocked an arrow crying out, "Ankle Binding," with all the rage of emotions caused from the terror of the last five minutes, and the horror of the last five years.

****

Sephirn didn't want to come back, but a sense of terror driven duty wouldn't allow him to stay in the pain free darkness. It took a moment for his eyes to focus through the dark spots floating before them, and another one to realize what he was seeing. The girl was dancing nimbly out of the golem's reach, all the while sending arrows streaming with powerful forces of air at it. He could hardly believe it when with blast of breaking granite, the golem fell to the floor.

He took another rattling breath as the girl rushed towards him. When she reached him, he heard her gasp in horror, before she began going through her pouch. He wanted to tell her it was ok, that it was his fault for letting his guard down, and almost causing her death. He wasn't afraid of dying, and it was enough for him that he had helped her in some small way to survive. The energy wasn't in him to say any of this though, and he knew it wouldn't be much longer. The darkness promising freedom from pain was already tinged with the light of another world, and he felt himself drawn uncontrollably towards it. So when he was turned over onto his back, he hardly felt the pain caused from the stabbing of jagged bone spearing his flesh.

"Please, you can't die, not today." He felt the drible of liquid run into his mouth. His body reflexively coughed it out as it blocked his final breaths. "You're not going to die! Not like them!" More of the liquid entered his mouth, as softly callused fingers massaged some of it down his throat. The warmth of the liquid began to overcome the pain, and this time when the darkness came, there was no otherworldly light with it.

****

"Did you see Seph's report?" Varn asked, pacing restlessly around the room.

"If it wasn't for that girl Sarneftra, he might have died. I should never have sent him into that situation without having further information," El said grimly.

"There was no way you could have known that the ancient golems had woken up after hundreds of years of inactivity. Even the rogue's guild that had guarded the secret for so long didn't know what was happening."

"So what do we do now?"

"We make sure no one else ignorantly enters the tomb, and we invite someone else to join us."

"Sarneftra?"

"We need people like her in Monster Hunter Corp."

[stevewins]

Very good Torean. Again another edge of your seat thriller. I like how you used the skills to their full advantage. I can't wait for more so get more up soon.

[Maxon1]

Very good i liked it

[Callypso]

That was great! You really know how to draw readers in and tug on their emotions. Keep it up, Torean!

[Dragonfly77]

Good story. I really liked it. ^^

[Rivan]

Been lurking in the forums today, and I happened to come across a link to this in another thread. I decided to read them all at once instead of posting after each one, so I hope you don't mind. ^^; Anyway, I loved them! Extremely descriptive, but that's even better. And in the third chapter, I loved how Windblower used lightning every time he replied to Maxon. xD I can't wait to read the next chapter. Or the one after that!

[jammin001]

Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement :D. I'm glad you liked them. I'm still trying to figure out how to go from here. I've been pairing up people in my guild for each story...and since there's 3 active members left, that makes it difficult where to go from here (odd number). I'm thinking of writing my next story based on Monique and Toru, but since Toru has been mostly inactive for a while because of her comp, I'm not sure. Well, we'll see how it goes.

I hope to continue to keep you all entertained, and make sure to tell all your friends to check these stories out!

And remember, these stories are based on "real" people, and I could have never written them if not for my guildies :). Now everybody who reads this thread knows how awesome they are!

[Friendly_dragon49]

ZOMG sweeeeet! I was amazed with the whole thing (including your other chapters xD I never really commented.) And I love my character so far, and seph's pretty sweet too....Though....I always imagined sarn to be clumsy like me xD But she's awesome lolz.

[jammin001]

ZOMG sweeeeet! I was amazed with the whole thing (including your other chapters xD I never really commented.) And I love my character so far, and seph's pretty sweet too....Though....I always imagined sarn to be clumsy like me xD But she's awesome lolz.

Maybe she is clumsy...just not at that moment :D.

[xyangster]

"You're recombining the failed xens with monsters. But that's not only against the law, it's also kept secret that the process is even possible. Once you merge a failed xen with a monster, it will drop an unmarred stone when it dies, but the stone will always fail."




Haha, this explains so much! :P I'm really impressed how well you use your imagination to fill in the gaps on what happens around Solstice. Write write write :)

[jammin001]

Haha, this explains so much! :P I'm really impressed how well you use your imagination to fill in the gaps on what happens around Solstice. Write write write :)


Thanks Kremie :D. Now that you're a member of MHC there'll be a story about you soon. So if there's anything you'd like me to know about your character to add into it, let me know.

I've already got the plot for chapters 5 and 6 penciled out. The next one will feature Monique and Varn, and the sixth one will be Lag and myself (w00t finally writing about me :p).

[CyroMega]

Lol you make me wanna join MHC just for the stories D:

[jammin001]

Hmm...got a guild cyro? ;)

[Callypso]

HE'S TAKEN! D:

FPU and MM. :3 ~
NO TRIPLE GUILDING, CY! D<

*ignores the fact that she's in 4 guilds 'cause technically it's just quadruple-guilding* x3

[jammin001]

HE'S TAKEN! D:

FPU and MM. :3 ~
NO TRIPLE GUILDING, CY! D<

*ignores the fact that she's in 4 guilds 'cause technically it's just quadruple-guilding* x3

Rofl *Dangles immortality through an MHC story under Cyromega's nose* :p

No but seriously, there's a lot of great guilds out there, and I'm glad you're both in one...or two...or four :D. Too bad for you I'm in the best :cool:.

[stevewins]

Dang right Torean, MHC ftw. (Not a really well concealed bump post >_>;;;)

[Callypso]

xD I'm sure we all think our guild(s) is/are the best. >:3

[xyangster]

xD I'm sure we all think our guild(s) is/are the best. >:3

For us at least, it's not so much that we "think" MHC is the best as we KNOW it!
mwehehehehe :D

[CyroMega]

xD I'm sure we all think our guild(s) is/are the best. >:3

Ha well FPU/MM are the best just because I'm in them....xD-

>_> <_<

and because of all the other great ppl in both ._.--although MHC pwns cuz of the stories D:

[BellaAnimorum]

Mon-!
Busy studying?
Hope your papers come back with better grades than I ever did... >_>"

(Psst, C's get degress!)

[jammin001]

Soon after I started writing this, I knew it was going to be much longer than my other stories, so I've broken it up into two parts. Here's part one, and I hope to have part 2 finished by the end of next week. I hope the suspense isn't too much for you!

Part 1 is from Varn's point of view, and part 2 will be from Monique's. Enjoy!

You can find other chapters here:
Chapter 5, Part 2: Post 63
Chapter 5, Part 3: Post 72

Monster Hunter Corp.
Chapter 5: Unwanted Knowledge from a Potion

Part 1: Transformations

Varn strode across Arcarinas Square preoccupied. He hardly noticed Monique as she struggled to keep up with his fast pace. Things were not going well. The monster attacks were becoming more frequent, with newer and more ferocious creatures turning up every day. Also, the attacks were becoming more coordinated, as if there was someone planning everything out from the shadows. No matter what he did, there was never enough intelligence, and never enough people to make a definitive difference.

"Hee hee hee!" a phlegmy voice cackled. Distastefully, Varn saw that he had wandered near the insane old man who traveled the streets of the city like some vagabond; a very rich vagabond. "If you need to go to the bathroom, why did you come to me? I can't help you go to the bathroom! Wah ha ha!" Varn didn't know which was worst, the same stupid joke he told every time someone approached him, or the crackling of mucus in his voice, a precursor to thick drool that always ran down his chin when he spoke.

As he began to hurry past, he heard Monique speak behind him, "I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am about your son. I'm sure he was a great man."

"What are you talking about girl? There's nothing wrong with my son, he's a soldier. If you find out anything about him, you let me know, you here?"

With a sigh, Varn turned around. He'd been through this before; had even tried to help out the old man himself a few times. In amusement, he watched as Monique's face changed from pity to confusion. "But I gave you his letter yesterday. Don't you remember?"

"Hee hee hee! I never saw you before in my life, girl." Spittle splattered from the old man's mouth. "My son doesn't write letters. Never a one. Someone did give me his old diary today though. Nice fellow, though he wasn't very talkative. Just ran off after I gave him some money for the trouble. It says my son's fine." The old man turned his head in Varn's direction, and his bleary eyes suddenly sharpened.

Monique began, "But sir..."

"Is that you Varn? The leader of Monster Hunter Corporation?"

Surprised to hear the name of the corporation from a commoner, he sharply asked, "How do you know that name old man? That's kept secret from all but a select few."

"You'd be surprised what people will say in front of a harmless, crazy old man. Hee hee..." his laugh ended in a wheezing cackle.

Turning to Monique he said, "Let's get going. We've got too much to do to waste our time here."

He took a step forward before the old man wheezed, "Wait! I have something for you!"

Impatiently, Varn faced him again. "What is it? I can't be spending all day her listening to your crazy rambling."

"Varn, he's just an old man who's lost his son.." He waved her to silence. The man might deserve pity, but he didn't have enough wit to know when people were kind or condescending, so in the end it didn't matter how he treated him.

A glint of something entered the old man's eyes, as if to contradict Varn's thought. Reaching into his dirty coat, he pulled out a vial and thrust it forward. "You'll need this potion. It's a powerful elixir. You seek answers; this will provide some of them."

Carefully taking the vial, Varn said, "What do I do with it? How will it provide me with answers?"

"Go find the bathroom on your own, I'm not going to stick around to wipe your bottom! Wah ha ha ha!" The old man turned around and wandered off, his laughter a drunken cadence to his steps.

****

Varn waited until getting back to the guild barracks before examining the potion. It looked similar to a common heal potion anyone could pick up at a local vendor. Holding it up to the light, he noticed the color was slightly different; a bit darker than the average red. "Maybe you can discover what this is Monique." He handed her the potion.

Taking the vial, she looked at it dubiously. "I don't know. It's been a long time since I studied potions with Mordine. I gave up that path a long time ago. Shouldn't Sozo, or Sephirn be here to examine it?"

"They're both away on missions. Just do your best, there must be something you can discover from it."

"I'll try." Holding it up to the light, she swirled it around, a slight frown marring her smooth cheeks. Carefully pulling off the stopper, she sniffed the contents, crinkling her nose. "It smells like a common heal potion, and looks like one, except for the slight color variation."

"Yeah, I noticed that too."

Handing back the potion, she said, "Sorry I can't help you any more than that. Like I said, it's been a long time since I was an acolyte."

Varn took the vial and stared at it thoughtfully. Nodding his head as if he had just come to a decision, he took off the cork stopper, and guzzled the potion down.

"Varn!"

"The old man said it would give me answers, and that's what we need more than anything right now." He waited a moment. "Doesn't seem to be doing anything. Maybe it was just a heal potion after all. Hmph."

"I still say that wasn't a good idea. You should have at least waited until there was a healer here to keep an eye on you."

The slight tingle beginning to spread through his body was hardly noticeable. "Like I really have anything to worry about from that old crackpot anyway. He makes horse dung look dangerous."

"I was told he used to be great once, one of the mightiest wizards in the land."

"You saw him today. Does he look like a mighty wizard?" A loud buzzing noise filled his ears. Shaking his head, he stuck a finger in his one, trying to clear it out.

Monique looked at him worriedly. "Something's happening isn't it? I knew it was a bad idea."

"Nothing's..." Varn's voice came out as a squeak.

"He's turning you into a rat! A mouse! I hate mice!"

Varn was beginning to think drinking the potion was a bad idea after all. The tingling through his body was quickly turning to fire. Looking down at his hands, he watched in horror as his skin writhed. "What's happening to me?" The squeak in his voice smoothed out to a soprano before he finished.

"Varn! Tell me what to do! Assist Heal."

The fire racing through his veins abated slightly, as the spell healed frayed nerve endings, though it did nothing to stop the writhing skin, or the loud buzz filling his head. Suddenly weak he collapsed, his armor clanking against the wooden floor. As if from a distance he heard Monique's voice crying out in panic. The world was a blur of motion; a blur that slowly darkened into oblivion.

****

The light trickling in through his dark eyelashes made Varn's head ache. He closed his eyes tighter against the pain, hoping it would all go away. His thoughts were far away, and his limbs felt like lead. All he wanted to do was embrace the darkness of unconsciousness again.

A soft sob followed by the words, "Assist Heal," forced his thoughts into motion. He wondered why he didn't feel any affects from the spell. You could always feel the sensation of the magic, massaging your wounds to heal, unless, that is, there was nothing to heal. He must not be hurt. Why the sobbing, and the attempts to heal him then?

Slowly opening his eyes, he blinked, as long lashes seemed to partially hide his vision. Turning his head, he saw the sobbing was coming from Monique who kneeled next to him. "What's going on?" his voice came out as a tired sounding soprano.

As Monique lifted her head, Varn's heart twisted in sympathy as he saw the tears glistening on her cheeks. "Oh Varn, I tried to heal you but I couldn't. My spells aren't strong enough."

A wave of emotion filled his eyes with tears as he heard the anguish in her voice. "It's alright. I feel fine. There's nothing to cry about." He tried to sit up, and was surprised to find how much the weight of his armor dragged him down. He must be weaker than he thought.

"Let me help you." Varn was confused by the pity in her voice.

With Monique's help, he was soon propped up against the wall. When he tried to move his arms, he was surprised to find that his armor hung on him loosely His once tight fitting gear now hung across his body as if he were still a boy, except across his chest where it was uncomfortably tight. Shaking his head in confusion, a few wisps of long, dark hair crossed his right eye to shine in the midday sun. "What's wrong with me?" The unnatural soprano voice held the sound of his growing terror much better than his previous baritone would have.

"It's what I've been trying to tell you." Monique began to sob again.

"What? What is it?"

"Varn...you're a girl!"

He heard the words, but they didn't make any sense. "Of course I'm not..." Stopping, he attempted to make his voice deeper. "Of course.." The mellow alto was even worse, and in horror he realized that it was true. He was a girl. He was a she!

"I told you you shouldn't have drank it. I tried everything I know to change you back, but I can't." Monique's sobs were triggering a tide of emotion in him...her, and Varn soon felt herself sobbing along with her. Monique lifted her head when she heard the echoing sobs. "Here, it's going to be ok, we'll figure it out." As the templar's arms went around her, Varn felt a wave of gratitude and comfort, as the strength of the hug seemed strengthen to her. They held each other tightly for a long time.

"We'll figure this out Varn, it's going to be ok. The first thing we need to do, is go to Mordine. We're Monster Hunter Corps. after all. No problem is too big for us."

[Callypso]

o__O Well, that's.. unique. xD I just wonder what Varn's gonna say.

[jammin001]

o__O Well, that's.. unique. xD I just wonder what Varn's gonna say.

It's a unique twist that will make more sense once I post the second part :D. I think he'll enjoy it. This is not only the story of Varn...but the story of Gem Hunter, his alt.

[BellaAnimorum]

Yeehaw!
Superhero alter egos FOR THE WIN!
Oh yeah, I'm ready for part two.

[Trashknight]

I smell TG... Always fun when applied properly. =^.^=

[MarvHartigan]

lol, even though Varn has 2 female alts... that was unexpected and funny rofl xD

*wants the second part*

Adios!

[shiningkittenfur]

Rofl
this is a great story ^^~ keep up the great work!

*eagerly looking foward to part 2*

[Maxon1]

nice i hope to read the second part

[xyangster]

LOL The mighty Varn turns into a girrrrrrrl! xD

Not that girls can't pwn :x

[stevewins]

Nice Twist, I never saw that one coming lmao. Out wiff part two !! X:

[Dragonfly77]

O.o next part plz!!

[BellaAnimorum]

Since you are going away for a while Torean, come back with two or three chapters! xD

[HI-TEK]

.-. wow


UltraTek 9X Archer

[Tamdots]

Hey Torean we all miss u! when r u coming back? and how much longer do we have to wait for part 2 of ur story?!?!?!

[davisf18]

WoW! I hadn't ever seen this its awesome!

Great story, especially when Varn is like "no im not a girl.....im not...." then its like he thought "OH SNAP!" hahaha classic C:

[cresting]

HE'S TAKEN! D:

FPU and MM. :3 ~
NO TRIPLE GUILDING, CY! D<

*ignores the fact that she's in 4 guilds 'cause technically it's just quadruple-guilding* x3

I agree, you make me want to join the guild for these amazing stories. You're really good at writing, keep it up! I'll keep reading in the meantime!

[jammin001]

I'm sorry it took so long for me to post a new story, especially when I was right in the middle of one. The bad news is this is still not the end of Chapter 5 (blame Mordine, he kept on hogging the story!), but I plan on finishing it with the next installment. Thanks again guys for all the positive feedback, and I hope you enjoy it!

You can find other chapters here:
Chapter 5, Part 3: Post 72

Monster Hunter Corp.
Chapter 5: Unwanted Knowledge from a Potion

Part 2: Mordine

Gem Hunter sat on the edge of the balcony watching the sunrise. For most of her life she had been an early riser, but until now she never remembered taking the time to watch the morning come to life. As the first rays of sunlight turned the lightly clouded sky a burnished gold, she felt a thrill. Never would she have believed such joy could come from something so simple.

Even as the golden rays filled her with pleasure, beneath it she was consumed with worry. Underlying thoughts and emotions tugged her in a dozen different directions. There was so much that had to get done, and her current state made all of it more difficult.

"Gem Hunter?" the soft voice came from behind her. It was still hard getting used to that name, although she agreed with Monique that the alias was necessary. No one could know who she was and they had to make sure it stayed that way, even if it meant using the name in private.

Pausing a last moment to take in the beauty before her, she finally turned around. "Is it time?"

"He's expecting us."

****

Monique couldn't help the fidget that came from his penetrating gaze. "It's like I said Holiness, a curse has been placed upon this girl." She took a quick look at Gem Hunter, marveling at how relaxed she seemed to be. Even Mordine's unnerving stare didn't seem to affect her. She wished she had just a little bit of that confidence. Maybe it was just that he was her master, or had been. Even though she was now a templar and was no longer required to learn under anyone in the Priest's guild, the memories of her time here were still sharp.

"You come to me with this girl, and a fanciful tale of how she had once been a man, and you want me to turn her back, no questions asked?" The deceptively calm voice did nothing to protect her from the steely look he gave her. "Did you at least bring me the bottle she supposedly drank from?"

Trying to keep her hands from shaking, she pulled the bottle from her pouch, and handed it to him. Taking the bottle with a long look, he muttered a cantrip below his breath as he lifted the bottle towards the altar. The vial suddenly filled with a malignant, purple vapor that seeped out and began wrapping itself around Mordine's wrist. "Holy Cure." The quiet voice seemed to linger in the air, slowly growing in power until it began to manifest in a golden glow surrounding the paladin. The purple smoke seethed as the glow intensified, until cracks of light began running through it. A moment later, the vapor broke apart into nothing.

"I don't care about your silly secrets girl, but that was wizard's magic, and extremely powerful at that. There was a spell on the bottle set to go off if anyone attempted to discover what its contents were by magical means." Monique caught her breath at the look he gave Gem Hunter. "You need to tell me what's going on here, starting with where this came from." He shook the bottle violently as he spoke.

"Holiness, like I said, there's not really anything we can tell..."

"Girl." The command in his voice forced her mouth shut. "You were one of my most gifted pupils." She couldn't be sure, but for a moment she thought there had been a hint of pride in his eyes. "You're no longer my pupil, and for that reason I have chosen to overlook your involvement in that group." Something of the surprise she felt must have shown on her face because with a laugh he said, "You didn't truly think myself and the other guild leaders wouldn't notice what was going on did you?"

Glancing at Gem Hunter, she saw a slight frown mar her confident bearing. "I'm not sure.."

"Enough!" The word blasted through the room with the force of unquestioned authority. "I will not play these games any longer! I respect the loyalty you are showing to those you are protecting, but your responsibility is first and foremost to this guild."

Monique knew he was right. Mordine and the priest's guild had given her everything, making her the person she was today. She owed everything to them. Knowing what she had to do, and hating herself for it, she opened her mouth to answer him.

"It was the crazy old man." In surprise, Monique turned to look at Gem Hunter. The woman stared back at the paladin defiantly. "He was the one who gave it to me."

"Do you honestly want me to believe that buffoon traipsing around Essene with a flower in his hair could have..."

"Not him. The vagabond in Brynhild looking for his son."

The anger in Mordine's eyes at having been interrupted changed to one of thoughtfulness, a look Monique had seen many times on her old master's face. "You know something."

Mordine looked at her sharply. "Now look here, girl..."

All the frustration that had built up in Monique over the last two days finally overwhelmed her, forcing away her anxiety. Coldly she said, "As you yourself have stated, I am no longer your pupil. Both of us know why I decided to break from the path of accolyte, and if you have any problems with that, then you need to take discuss it with me, not take it out on...this girl." Monique silently berated herself for almost giving away Gem Hunter's true identity, which made her even angrier.

"Of course I'm not..."

"I'm a templar now, a distinction no one can deny that I have earned on my own, and I demand the respect of my rank! I came to you out of respect, and I thought friendship, not because you once berated me for not learning my spells quickly enough!"

Mordine's subdued voice belied the hint of humor in his eyes. "Of course you're right g...Monique. Forgive an old man his memories of the joy an impetuous and gifted young student brought to him. I can see you are still as impetuous now as you were then."

As the anger faded away at his words, Monique suddenly realized what she had said. "Holiness, I didn't mean..."

"Of course you meant it, and you were right. I have been treating you as a student." For a moment, a look of sadness crossed his features. "And you're no longer my student." Before Monique could respond he turned to Gem Hunter. "You say the old man in Brynhild gave you this potion?"

"That's correct."

"He was one of the greatest, a wizard of unparalleled power and insight. He was actually the one who made it possible for us to transform upon reaching our third rank. If not for him, many of this lands most powerful warriors would never have experienced their full potential."

Monique saw that Gem Hunter's thoughtful expression mirrored her own. "So what you're saying is.."

"What I'm saying is that this girl's transformation was by design. I also believe that I can reverse it."

"You can?" Gem Hunter's voice rose in excitement, before dropping back to it's calculating confidence, "How?"

"You need to answer a question for me first."

Guardedly Gem Hunter replied, "I will if it breaks no confidence and brings no harm to anyone."

Smilingly tightly, Mordine said, "I would expect no less from you. Answer me this, will Monique's involvement in your group bring any harm to her?"

"She will face no more danger than she would naturally fulfilling her role as a templar, and I believe she is better prepared now than she ever has been for the dangers all of us face."

"Do you swear this?"

"I do."

Mordine stared at Gem Hunter intently for a few moments. "I believe you. If you wish to return to normal you need to bring me a Cariscobana."

"But the only place you can find those are at Devil's Plateau!" Monique burst out. It had taken her and four trusted companions several hours of intense battle to procure two of the stones necessary for a friend's change to priest. Now it was only her and Gem Hunter, who was at only a fraction of her fighting strength, and they couldn't afford to seek help from anyone else without risking the entire corporation.

"That's correct. You will have to travel to the ruins of Phildevilt. The Pich Morguls there are the only creatures known to create the stones by way of the secretion of their saliva mixing with the minerals found there."

"If that's what we need then we'd best get going."

Monique couldn't believe Gem Hunter was ready to go just like that. "But shouldn't we first..."

"There's nothing more we can do here. Not until I'm back to normal." Gem Hunter's eyes glistened as her shoulders straightened resolutely.

For the first time, Monique realized what it was costing Gem Hunter to go through this ordeal as she saw her unshed tears. "You're right. Let's go."

As they turned to leave, Mordine said, "Oh, and Varn Malmathod?" He laughed at the looks of surprise and consternation on their faces before continuing, "As you go forward on this quest, you need to ask yourself why this is happening to you. Even though you believe the old man to be crazy, the genius of his past life is still there."

Looking at him consideringly Varn replied, "Don't worry, Monster Hunter Corp. takes nothing for granted."

[xyangster]

I get first comment after your comeback installment!
Gosh, Tor, I am so genuinely impressed by your talent, and I can't wait to read part three -- or, for that matter, any other writing you produce.

Your devoted reader :)
Krem!

p.s. btw, changing to Templar does not in fact require caricsobanas :3 But well, for the sake of plot convenience?

[jammin001]

I get first comment after your comeback installment!
Gosh, Tor, I am so genuinely impressed by your talent, and I can't wait to read part three -- or, for that matter, any other writing you produce.

Your devoted reader :)
Krem!

p.s. btw, changing to Templar does not in fact require caricsobanas :3 But well, for the sake of plot convenience?

Ha...shows you what I know :p. I was actually wondering that when I wrote it, but didn't check into it. I'll make the change to it.

[BellaAnimorum]

Templars need them to change to Holy Avenger, don't they?

Woot! Awesome work Torean, I'm diggin' it totally (but I.. I'm still a girl! Dx")

This part made me sad though because of Mon's absence.

^^"

[noodlehead01]

Wow Torean!! I have to say i really like the story...I am sooo happy i am party of this awsome guild now.. Cant wait to see what happens next.... Keep the good work up...*(*hugz*)*

[jammin001]

Templars need them to change to Holy Avenger, don't they?

Woot! Awesome work Torean, I'm diggin' it totally (but I.. I'm still a girl! Dx")

This part made me sad though because of Mon's absence.

^^"

Don't worry Varn you won't be a girl for much longer :p. Yeah, writitng this has made me miss Moni too. Anyone heard from her recently, or know what she's up to?

[BellaAnimorum]

Not a clue, but maybe she will come back. Goodness knows we will be here when that happens.

[stevewins]

I have a feeling she's been there all along. Maybe on an alt or something. Or maybe she's had real life issues? When she comes back we'll still be here. And Very good job on the story Torean. As always I can't wait for the next installment. Keep up the good work ^^

[Deviot_Aviot]

D= i need to read moar!

[jammin001]

Here's my final installment of Chapter 5. Sorry it took so long to finish...but I hope it was worth it!

Monster Hunter Corp.
Chapter 5: Unwanted Knowledge from a Potion

Part 3: Desert Dangers

The two rested briefly beside a cliff face, the desert’s chill night soaking through their armor as if they wore nothing. In Gem Hunter’s experience, only the frozen city of Jotunnheim was colder, with nights so frigid the winds could turn your bare skin to ice in a matter of seconds.

She wrapped Magus’ enchanted cloak around herself more tightly. Monique had insisted on giving her as much protection as possible, even if it meant borrowing the rogue’s most prized possession. Since he was away on a trading mission, Gem Hunter doubted he would ever know they had taken it; unless the cloak wasn’t returned. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened to them in that case.

As her thoughts wandered, a shiver wracked her petite frame, this time not from the cold. Her battle of wills with Mordine had taken more out of her than she cared to admit, and she fervently hoped she would never have to face the guild leader under similarly trying circumstances. It had taken all her willpower to remain outwardly calm before him. She didn’t know how Monique had stood up to him the way she had. If Gem Hunter had been the focus of his ire, she wasn’t sure she could have done the same. As she thought back in admiration at the poise and command Monique had shown her past mentor, something she had said began to nag at her.

“Moni?”

The templar turned at the sound of her voice. “Yes Va…er Gem Hunter?” That she had almost made the mistake of saying her real name bothered her. Although it hardly mattered in this remote location, it showed how much pressure the templar was under.

“I was remembering what you told Mordine, about him knowing why you gave up the path of an accolyte. What did you mean by that?”

Monique was quiet for a long time. Gem Hunter began to worry that she was prying into something personal, something she wasn’t meant to know. Just when she was about to tell her it wasn’t important, the silent form sighed. “It’s the same reason I joined Monster Hunter Corp.” After another pause she continued, “There is evil at work in Xen, evil that few are aware of. Even you don’t understand everything that is going on, although you’ve seen more than most.”

The words chilled her in a way the desert night couldn’t. “Are you saying you know what’s going on? Why haven’t you ever said anything?”

“It hasn’t been an easy thing for me to accept. I didn’t know if you would understand, not when I wasn’t sure I did.” Thin lines of silver ran down her face to glimmer brightly in the starlight.

Gem Hunter walked the few steps over to her, and placed her arms around her. With the contact she was able to notice for the first time the shivers of emotion running through Monique. “It’s all right. You don’t have to tell me unless you want to. Whatever it is, I promise it won’t affect our friendship. You’re doing so much to help me, there’s nothing I can ask of you to repay it.”

They sat beside each other for several minutes before Monique choked back the last of her sobs. “It’s my brother. We used to be so close to each other until he changed. His name is Allastor…”

****

Monique searched the body of the Pich Mogul without success. This was the third they had been able to find sleeping throughout the ruins, none with any trace of Cariscobana. Now as the eastern sky began to lighten, she hoped they would find one of the rare stones soon. Once the sun was up, even worse things would begin roaming for food.

As they continued their search, Monique wondered if she had done the right thing telling Gem Hunter about her brother. Both of them had entered the cleric’s guild at the same time, but where she had joined in order to help others, she had always felt there was some darker ambition held by her brother. Shortly before he left, she had found him in the woods…

“Is that you, Allastor?” Monique asked the dark figure hidden in the wood’s deep shadows.

“What are you doing here, Monique?” She had never heard her brother’s voice so harsh.

“There’s a child missing from the village. Many of us are out searching for him.”

A soft whimper came from the deeper shadows of a tree her brother guarded. “I thought I told you to remain quiet.” Allastor’s words were as sharp as any knight’s steel blade. “Illusion Quake.”

As the warm glow of magic coalesced in the air, Monique saw for the first time the frightened figure of a small boy cringing beneath it. Realizing what was about to happen she cried, “No, you can’t!”

Bright flashes of light began flickering within the magic sphere as with the crack of splitting granite, a line of energy flowed down from it, connecting magic to earth, and tearing through the child.

In horror, Monique watched the body spasm on the ground, the shadows slowly overtaking it as the light of the magic dimmed. “What have you done?” she choked out.

“What you’ve never been able to sister. I do what is necessary to become stronger. Revival.”

“I don’t understand…” The figure of the child became visible once again in the bright light of the spell.

“One can never have power, sister, unless they demand it.”

The boy’s lips twitched in an involuntary moan. “Please don’t let him hurt me again.”

Her brother had done nothing when she had taken away the boy and healed his wounds. When she searched for him the next day to confront him, she had been unable to find him. Monique clearly understood at that moment that she too needed to become stronger, not for power, like her brother, but to fight the darkness that had claimed him. She had immediately sought out Mordine.

Over the last couple of years she had heard some disturbing rumors about a ruthless man seeking out those with talent, and willing to do anything to further his goals. She knew it was her brother, and worst yet, she thought she could see the picture the pieces to the puzzle were forming. The theft of the Solstice sphere, the increase in monster activity, and even the disappearance of princess Adeline’s sister. All of it led to one thing: Allastor’s demand for power.

****

“Are you alright?”

Gem Hunter felt gingerly at her shoulder. Magus’ cape had saved her from the sharp claws of the Pich Mogul, although the following tumble across the desert’s rocky ground had been less than pleasant. Spitting out sand, she replied, “I’m fine, check the body.”

A moment later, Monique exclaimed, “There’s one here!” She took out a dagger and began cutting away at the tough fur of the beast. “Just give me a second to cut it out.”

Picking herself up from the ground, Gem Hunter took a step towards the templar, when she heard the click of claw on rock behind her. Turning around quickly, she watched in shock as the Bistall lifted its deadly stinger above its head. Without time to think, she threw herself away from the deadly, scorpion like creature just in time to dodge it. She cried out in pain as she landed hard on her injured shoulder. As fire lanced down her arm, she wondered how such a large creature had managed to sneak up on her.

With lightning reflexes, the Bistall skittered towards her. “Varn!” Monique’s cry blended with the insect like chirp of the monster as it plunged its stinger into her thigh. The scream, ripped from her chest, cut off as darkness overtook her.

****

The first thing he noticed was the aching throb running through his body. The second thing was the wet tongue feeling its way across his face like the hands of a blind man. With a groan, he swiped at the tongue’s owner, ignoring the discomfort the movement caused.

“I see you’re finally awake.”

Varn opened his eyes to the sight of El slouching in a chair beside his bed. As El’s poodle went for his face again, he shoved it off the bed with an indignant yelp.

“It looks like you’re back to your manly self,” El smirked.

With a groan, he put a pillow over his head. “So you know?” he mumbled from beneath the fabric.

“Monique didn’t have much of a choice, with you near death and everything. You know, she killed the Bistall that went after you.” Varn could hear the admiration in his voice. “She then carried you all the way back here, using a considerable amount of magic fending off the affects of the poison. She didn’t want to tell me who you were at first, but in the end I got the story. You must have really impressed Mordine, for him to come here personally to look after you.”

“It was an unusual case.”

“You certainly made a cute girl. If you hadn’t been my captain…” Varn groaned again. Laughing, El went on, “He said you’ll be experiencing muscle pain because of the transformation for a few days. Oh, I have something to show you.”

He took the pillow from his head. “What are those?” he asked, staring at the two potions, one of which he was afraid he already knew the answer to.

“This is the crazy old man’s concoction,” he answered, holding up the dark red one. “Windblower was able to duplicate it when I gave him the dregs of the original. And this is the antidote Mordine came up with.” The second was clear as water.

“Get rid of them both. Why would you have Windblower remake that stuff?”

“Because it seems to me that it did what the old man promised it would; answer questions. Even if they weren’t the questions we expected.”

“The only questions I see it answering are those any man would have about the mysteries of a woman’s mind.”

El laughed. “As valuable as that insight would be, I was thinking more along the lines of Allastor.”

Varn was silent for a moment. “It’s good to finally know our suspicions were correct, and that there really is someone working from the shadows. That information was supplied by Monique, though, not by the elixir.”

“It may not have come directly from your transformation, but we may never have learned about Allastor without it.”

Varn waved aside the rhetoric. “What does that have to do with recreating the potion? Now that we have the information, we have no use for it.”

“On the contrary, with this new threat, why wouldn’t we use every weapon at our disposal to discover additional information?”

“You mean use the potion for infiltration purposes? It seems dangerous.”

El stared at the elixir thoughtfully. “Against Allastor, Monster Hunter Corp. needs to be prepared for anything.”

[xyangster]

Varn waved aside the rhetoric. “What does that have to do with recreating the potion? Now that we have the information, we have no use for it.”

“On the contrary, with this new threat, why wouldn’t we use every weapon at our disposal to discover additional information?”

“You mean use the potion for infiltration purposes? It seems dangerous.”

El stared at the elixir thoughtfully. “Against Allastor, Monster Hunter Corp. needs to be prepared for anything.”

Haha, I get the sneaking suspicion that more comical gender change is in store for us? Like, for instance, el taking a turn discovering the mysteries of the female mind? ;)

Anyway, I claim again the first review after your installment :'D
How many ways can I say you are a fantastic writer? I admit I'm skeptical about most fanfiction, but this is so good! Genuine plot development and suspense -- as always, can't wait for more.

[Deviot_Aviot]

Very nice! I'm addicted to its originality and excellent details. And the way you pictured Alastor's treatment of the boy truly reflects his pre-evilness.

can't wait for the next chapter!

[jammin001]

Haha, I get the sneaking suspicion that more comical gender change is in store for us? Like, for instance, el taking a turn discovering the mysteries of the female mind? ;)


Hmm...I wonder who else has a cross-gender alt I could write about? *Glances at Krem's siggy* ;)

Thanks Krem and Deviot for the positive feedback :D. I'm glad you both liked it.

[Deviot_Aviot]

XD that wouldn't work, all of his female alts are equally powerful with the male...more powerful than the males even =/ (there's this whole clas difference thinghy)...

so a massive power boost after changing to a female? =D

[xyangster]

XD that wouldn't work, all of his female alts are equally powerful with the male...more powerful than the males even =/ (there's this whole clas difference thinghy)...

so a massive power boost after changing to a female? =D

If that was in reference to me -- I'm a girl. T_T

GIRL POWER :'D

[BellaAnimorum]

Hmm...I wonder who else has a cross-gender alt I could write about? *Glances at Krem's siggy* ;)

BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

*Ahem

Yes it's truly entertaining, keep 'em coming Tor! We roots for joo!!

[pixielaces]

Wow got bored at work and was just checking out the forums and i came across this damn its sooo good cant wait for more
your newest fan

[jammin001]

Wow got bored at work and was just checking out the forums and i came across this damn its sooo good cant wait for more
your newest fan

I'm glad you liked them :D. It's always nice to hear from someone who's read my stories for the first time. I want to start the next chapter soon, I've just been really busy at work lately, so haven't even had much time to play.

If anyone wants to read some other stuff I've written, you can check out 3 stories I wrote a year ago on one of my characters *Xen Man*. Here's a link to it: http://www.outspark.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48153
I wanted to write more stories in this series, but I stopped playing *Xen Man* and ended up just giving up on the idea.

Thanks again for all of the positive feedback. Like I've said before, the stories are easy to write, since the people in my guild are so awesome. I'm just sad that I haven't been able to play as much, and some of my guildies aren't playing anymore.

[cresting]

Hmm...I wonder who else has a cross-gender alt I could write about? *Glances at Krem's siggy*
~~~
You stay away from my alts! Makes me scared for my scout and appy's gender...not that I'm accually in any of these stories anyway.

They're still amazing though. Keep it up Tor!

[Rivan]

I can't get over this. I love it! x3 Gotta tell me your secrets, Mr. Torean. You just have to. xD

[stevewins]

I loved the story Tor. Just...just forget I have a female alt >.> Other than that it was mui excellente.