Heaven's Roar [Monster Hunter]

3 - Away From the World

For what felt like nearly an eternity, she tumbled. On and on, down and down, for nearly the length of an eternity. Stone after stone she felt bruising her skin, interminable amounts of pebbles that seemed to cut into her flesh. Head over heels she went in a messy storm of ragdolling arms and legs, flailing in futile efforts to cease her endless descent. When she at last slowed to a stop she was battered and bloody, laying at the base of whatever cave she had fallen into.

All around her was darkness. As she lay upon her back and gazed up, she could see naught but an infinite void, dark like the lakes of the Murkmire. Down here, there drifted a strange fragrance. It was odd, yet not unpleasant, and certainly not damp or gross as one would believe an underground cavern to smell. She tried to rise but could achieve nothing more than a twitch of her finger. And so, there she lay.

Luin stared on into that starless night for some time. Thoughts were scarce in her mind as she embraced the dark, though those few things that floated to the forefront of her imagination were oddly peaceful, given the situation.

Better than dark thoughts. Better than worrisome theories of Davik's fate, so far from her on the surface, he and their monsters facing the blizzard of predators alone. There was nothing more she could do now, Luin told herself, and he was a seasoned soldier. He'd faced threats much more dire than a horde of birds, endured situations much worse than what was going on above. She saw the moment he hit the stone and fell limp only once before it was flushed out of her brain.

It was no wonder her thoughts were as they were. It was peaceful here, away from the world. Not a sound arrived to her ears save her own quiet breathing. As time passed, the rise and fall of her chest grew marginally less painful, though she still felt the blood trickling from the cuts and scrapes that decorated her arms and face, still felt the stones embedded in her skin. The stillness of this place had an odd effect on her mind, for she made no effort to stir, had no thoughts of leaving

After a while, something strange happened. A warm glow embraced the stone chamber, its source out of her sight. The light bounced off the walls and above her Luin saw definition at last, the gray barnacles etched into the ridged ceiling. Her head fell to the side and on her left she saw the aureate outline of the Vangan, slain not by her hands or Davik's but the fall. Blood dripped. Just beside it was the light where it was brightest, though nothing beyond. It shone outwards like a filtered lantern, a golden gaze like the eye of a god falling upon her. Luin felt an urge to rise. Her body ached as she lifted herself to her feet. Even still she couldn't make out the thing responsible for this light, its holy incandescence was far too blinding for enlightenment of its material source. But she needed to know. The woman staggered forwards, legs barely lifting that dragged her feet along the cold stone ground. She nearly tripped once or twice; or perhaps she did. Luin couldn't remember the journey towards the light. Or the time it took to get there. She was enthralled by its brilliant radiance, captured in its burning sight. She had lost control of herself.

As she grew closer the light grew stronger, and so too did the smell. When at last the woman came before the light, a mere few feet away from its origin, she at last began to make out its form. The source of light was not singular, but rather a trio: three golden stalks rising from the stone floor, wavering hypnotically, almost akin to the stamen of a plant. In particular, the light seemed to be emitted from a circle-shaped bulb at the end of each. The ground under her feet moved as she leaned closer, face mere inches away, and the smell became intoxicating.

Luin regained her senses for but a moment.

With a scream she flung herself away from the plant, just as the ground split with a terrible roar and a great green maw snapped shut where she had stood, engulfing the light. The thick roots beneath her shuddered and shook while the floral jaws unlocked from one another and returned to their original state, prone in the ground itself. In the last few moments before the light faded, its hunt unsuccessful, she saw clearly that the ground on which she had stood was slick and, though grey like stone, not a natural color.