MH - Erona's Ghosts Finale

Erona’s Ghosts Finale

The hunters reached the top of the length of stairs to find themselves in a large flat, the tower looming not too far away to the northwest.  To the right of the tower, standing next to another set of descending stairs was a man with a large nose and gray hair.  He had in one hand an ancient looking book and in the other a shimmering sword.

“So we finally get to see your face, Remonche,” Rukasu growled, taking aim on the hawkish man.

“It’s over, we’ve killed your pets…” Aramis added.

“I know very well what has transpired,” Remonche snapped, raising one eyebrow curiously as a grin slid across his lips.  “And I can guarantee you that it is hardly over.  In fact, it has just begun.”

“Five on one; even you can’t beat those odds,” Bokaru said matter-of-factly.

Remonche chuckled and raised the book in his left hand to present to the hunters.  “You’d be surprised,” he countered.

“Why’d you do it?” Valin demanded.

“Why?  Well that’s a stupid question,” the hawkish man replied.  “For power!” he shouted, his eyes widening with excitement as he showed off a not-so-sane grin.

“You’re crazy…” Arianna said calmly.

“Don’t you call me crazy!  You’d do the same thing if you were in my position.  Any rational being would!” Remonche argued, lifting the sword to point at the hunters.  “Though I suppose you deserve an explanation for getting this far…”

“Do tell,” Valin encouraged grimly.

“You see, I was once one of the world’s greatest archeologists, delving into the many ruins scattered across this world.  But these ruins, the Yariano Ruins, were different.  After researching the ruins I learned several surprising things about this place and the people that used to live here.  Most surprisingly was the fact that these people worshipped an ancient dragon of their times.  A dragon, do you believe it?!” Remonche began, laughing things that seemed funny only to him.  “Either way…these people where highly knowledgeable, and they somehow learned how to control this legendary dragon to do their will.  The civilization flourished, and all was well.”

“So what happened to this high and mighty civilization?” Aramis asked with a smirk.

“I’m getting there you disrespectful little infidel!” Remonche shouted, throwing his arms into the air with frustration.  “All was well until a group of hunters arrived.  They were after the dragon for the damage it caused to promote the civilization.  When the hunters discovered that the people worshipped the dragon they slaughtered them, but not without a fight, and all but one died in the chaos.  That sole hunter defeated the dragon and seemingly faded into history.  This sword that I hold was the very same one that hunter used to slay the dragon.”

“A fitting end, I’d say,” Rukasu said casually.

Remonche threw a wild eye at the hunter to silence him before going on.  “But not all were killed by the hunters, and those who survived dispersed into the darkest corners of the world, but one of their books remained here.  It was this book that led me to discover that they had planned a safety precaution in case the dragon was slain; a resurrection process!  Put the pieces together and it’s easy to realize my motive.  The power of a dragon at your command means the world is yours!”

“Then where is this dragon?  All you’ve accomplished is slaughtering innocent lives!” Aramis argued.

“Ah, but that’s just it!  As written here, when the dragon died its heart turned into a large hollow crystal and from that point on the crystal would absorb the souls of all who died after the dragon.  Who knows how long this dragon has been resting here, waiting for its crystallized heart to be filled once more?  I was merely…speeding up the process.  Once the heart is full, the dragon can be revived,” Remonche clarified, his wicked grin ever present.

“What would that accomplish?!  Kill everyone so you can rule the world?  There’d be no one to rule,” Bokaru said.

“Oh, I don’t intend to wipe out the entire world…a selection would remain to begin my new world,” the hawkish man said, tapping the book on the side of his head.

“But what is wrong with the world as it is…?” Valin asked.

“It is not…to my preferences,” Remonche answered, a wild eyed expression pressing on his visage.

“You really are mad.  I’ve heard enough, you’re through!” Aramis shouted, lifting up his hammer.

Remonche broke out into uncontrollable laughter, but calmed almost immediately, his face growing dark and calculated.  “Come at me, hunter…and meet my dragon,” he dared, opening his book as he did so.

Aramis did just that, breaking into a dash to cover the long distance between the two.  Remonche began chanting immediately, reading from the book with surprising speed and accuracy.  Before Aramis could even halve the area between them, a pulse of energy sent him rolling.  He rose to one knee and raised his head to stare at Remonche quizzically.

Suddenly, a large, red crystal arose from the field of bones behind Remonche.  Following right behind it were the bones, swirling around the crystal and slowly taking on form.  First was the ribcage, which surrounded the crystal, followed by the hind legs and tail.  Next, two forelegs formed along with two boney wings.  Finally, the skull of an ancient, legendary dragon rose up and took place at the neck.  The skull had a long, sharp horn above the nose with two massive, wicked horns topping the head.  Flesh began to grow about the bones, giving the dragon form and shape.  The process ended abruptly, though, leaving the monster in a zombie-like condition.  Even still, two red eyes began to burn in the age-old eye sockets, showing life within the beast.

Remonche, absorbing in the moment, stopped his laughter and looked up curiously.  “Hmm, it would seem you needed more souls to be fully revived…it matters not, you are able to move and at my command.  I’ll just let you collect those souls for yourself!  Come to my aid, dragon, and take your first prize!” the hawkish man commanded, pointing at the hunters with glee.

The dragon lowered both arms to rest upon the lip of the flat they all stood on, its head lowering as it did so.  A low, unearthly growl seemed to emanate from the beast, echoing through the mountains that surrounded the area.

Aramis, the closest of the hunters to the dragon, nearly dropped his hammer in fear, his jaw dropping in awe.  “By the gods…” he muttered in disbelief, holding his nose to ward off the wretched smell of rotting flesh.

“Haha!  You didn’t believe me?  Then you can be the first to taste my dragon’s wrath!  Get him, my pet!” Remonche shouted wickedly, licking his lips with enthusiasm.

If the dragon heard the hawkish man’s words, it hardly showed it, for the monster just stared forward, taking in its first sight in over hundreds of years.  Finally, as if it had grown bored, the dragon lifted its head as if to take action, which Remonche only cheered on more so.  Instead of turning its attention to Aramis, though, the dragon looked directly down at the man claiming to be its master as if it were insulted by such an idea.  The dragon opened its mouth, a black-like ash falling forth from its jaws.  In one swift motion, the dragon dropped its head, fully engulfing Remonche and lifted its head back up again, its eyes glowing all the brighter.  All that remained of the dragon’s so-called master was his feet, which were already being eaten away by the acidic black ash, and the glimmering sword.

Satisfied, the dragon let out an otherworldly roar that seemed to have an echo of its own despite the help of the mountains.  Aramis took a step back, dumbfounded.  The others began to move towards their leader, afraid that he was paralyzed with fear.  Instead, Aramis turned around, his tell-tale grin showing and said, “Looks like we got a dragon to kill.  Who’s with me?”

Without a word, Valin was the first to step up, followed shortly by Rukasu.  Arianna was next, dragging Bokaru with her.  Aramis laughed nervously, trying to keep his calm.  “Okay guys…that ash of his seems to eat away anything organic so don’t let it touch you no matter what.  As a matter of fact, just don’t let him touch you period, he’s a dragon!”

“Just don’t die, we got it,” Rukasu clarified, patting Aramis on the shoulder for support.

The dragon began to rise from its original deathbed, its tail easily tearing down most of the tower in its way.  It let out another feral cry before launching its head forward to snap at the hunters, who rightly dove aside.  Rukasu was the first to strike, blasting the dragon in the face with a bullet.  Disgruntled, the beast slammed its claw into the ground, trying to crush the little gunner, but Rukasu proved swifter, rolling out of the way of the barrage of crushing punches.  Suddenly, the monster’s right knee gave out on it, and it turned to see Aramis lifting his hammer to swing again.  The dragon had other ideas, backhanding the hunter into what remained of the towers, where he toppled over Remonche’s table and chair and lay there, dazed.

A greatsword dug into the dragon’s left arm that it was balancing on, nearly toppling the surprised beast.  The ancient creature turned to see Arianna hacking away and snatched her up.  A quick toss had her crumbling to the ground.  Bokaru, intent on revenge, came charging in, slashing the dragon in the face with his greatsword.  That only angered the dragon more.  Out lashed one claw, which Bokaru managed to block, but on came the second, this time forcing the hunter to roll.  Seemingly out of the blue, Bokaru couldn’t have expected the tip of a tail erupting from the ground below him.  The bony tail whipped around the hunter and began to retract into the ground again, slamming Bokaru hard on the ground.

Busy with the other hunters, the dragon hardly noticed a lone hunter climbing up its lowered right wing.  When at last it did notice Valin, taking a bullet to the shoulder in exchange for turning its attention, it snapped its wing up, sending the hunter soaring in the air.  With that problem seemingly out of the way, the dragon turned to take care of the annoying gunner, but it was hardly over.  Down Valin fell, strategically onto the dragon’s back where both blades dug in and drug down, leaving two long, painful tears across the beast’s back.  Howling in pain, the dragon reached back to retrieve the hunter, but it just couldn’t reach around its wing to catch the sneaky Valin.  Feeling safe, the hunter planted one icy sword into the dragon’s back and let it do its freezing work while he worked his other sword with both hands, jabbing ferociously in any and all directions.

The dragon flailed and thrashed, but could not relieve itself of the painful itch.  Rukasu took full advantage of this, firing away all across the dragon’s body in hopes to find a weak point.  That point was finally found when a pierce shot punched through the dragon’s half-formed scales around the chest and hit the red crystal, causing it to crack slightly.  To everyone’s surprise, the dragon’s left wing suddenly collapsed, crumbling to the ground as simple bones of old.  A light smoke began to poor from the crack in the dragon’s heart, but the hunters soon realized it was no smoke, but souls.

“That’s it, Rukasu, you did it!  If we break that crystal the dragon will fall apart, and the souls will be free!  Everyone, hit that crystal,” Bokaru said, readying his greatsword once more.

“Easier said than done,” Arianna replied, also lifting her greatsword.

Also surprised, but only shortly, the dragon took full advantage of its lost wing and reached back to snatch up the troublesome Valin, who’s blades remained it the dragon’s back.  The monster slammed Valin onto the ground twice before sliding him roughly across the flat, but it didn’t stop there, opening its eager mouth to unleash a stream of black ash at the already knocked out hunter.

Hardly thinking, only concerned for her friend’s safety, Arianna leapt in front of the stream of ash, blade held defensively.  The flow was so strong it slid her backwards, but it hardly mattered either way for as soon as it touched her sword, crafted from wyvern parts, it began to eat away.  Arianna’s vambraces and helmet, also crafted from wyverns, got splashed by the ash.  The huntress immediately dropped her sword as it faded in her hands and ripped off her helmet and gloves to prevent the ash from touching her skin.  Her tasset had also been hit, but not enough to be concerned of little holes.

Again Bokaru sought revenge, literally tearing off one of the zombie dragon’s right claws with a mighty swing.  He was already going for another slice when the dragon turned to retaliate.  That idea had to wait, though, as a bullet plunged through the dragon’s left eye, blinding it on that one side.  The dragon let out a shrill of pain and retracted from the gunner who stood much too close, but it was all a ploy to make Rukasu stand still, for the beast turned all that movement around surprisingly fast, its right claw coming around to tear into the gunner, the force of the blow so strong it sent Rukasu flying into a distant wall, his bowgun still in his hands.  Dead or unconscious, the couple who remained couldn’t tell.

Before the dragon could claim another victim, though, a flying Aramis, leaping off the top of what remained of the tower, came crashing in on the dragon’s head with hammer leading, the blow breaking off a horn.  The clan leader was not done there, though.  Aramis released one hand from the hammer to clasp the other horn and, still moving with the initial momentum, he spun around it.  The dragon snapped its head up to send the spinning hunter into the air, just above the dragon’s open mouth, but Aramis denied the beast any tasty treat by slamming his hammer on the monster’s mouth to clamp it shut.  Down the hunter fell, but he still wasn’t finished.  With what remained of his spiraling movement, he whipped his weapon around and launched it at the partially revealed heart before plummeting to the ground, where he fell into a roll.

If the dragon had felt pain before, surely it was crying now, for the hammer hit home, shattering ribs to hit the heart, which cracked even more so than when the bullet hit it.  The dragon stumbled backwards and roared, truly surprised, as its other wing fell away, along with its left arm and part of its tail.  Aramis lifted himself to his feet and turned to watch the dragon stumble and fall…right on him.

Dust and smoke filled the whole flat as the dragon hit the ground, blinding Bokaru and Arianna.  When at last the dust settled, Arianna looked on in disbelief as the dragon lay very still.  She scanned the area to find Bokaru checking to see if Rukasu was alright.  The huntress turned to where Valin had once been, but he was no longer there.  Confused, she looked around but could not find her comrade.  All that remained was Aramis, who she knew was below the heap of dragon before her.  It seemed like the battle was over.

Yet to the couple’s horror, the dragon’s right arm began to move, followed by the whole beast, lifting itself back up.  It turned its one crimson eye towards Arianna, who felt completely alone, and roared.  It took all the huntress’s might to keep her knees from knocking then, for she had no weapon and little armor to defend herself from the dragon that stood before her.  As the dragon rose to full height once again, Arianna caught sight of Aramis’ hammer, still barely hanging in the broken rib-cage.  At last it fell, landing nearby its motionless owner.  Arianna took a step back, daunted.

Just then, a barrage of bullets assaulted the dragon, and Arianna turned expecting to see the demolition duo.  Instead, it was her very own boyfriend, wielding Rukasu’s bowgun with ease.  The ancient creature seemed distracted by the bullets and turned its attention that way.  Arianna only had a brief moment to build a plan.  Just before her eyes was a hammer, her obvious choice of a weapon, and her trained eyes picked out a target.  The dragon’s right knee, weakened by Aramis’ first strike, seemed brittle enough to break if a heavy enough blow struck it.  That was her plan.

“Keep him busy, honey.  I’m going to knock him over so you can shoot his heart!” Arianna informed Bokaru.

The hunter tried to respond to his girlfriend, or even give a sign of recognition of her words, but he could tell he was in danger when the dragon cocked its head back.  Thinking quickly, he swung the bowgun over his shoulder and lifted Rukasu.  He barely got his feet going when a stream of ash blasted the wall behind him.  He stumbled and rolled away from the ash, making sure he and his friend were safe.

Without waiting for a response, Arianna dashed off.  She skipped over Aramis’ still form and scooped up his hammer instead, turning to charge the dragon’s right knee.  With all the strength she could muster, Arianna swung the hammer into the dragon knee, which gave away as expected.  She kept going, spinning to a stop and nearly falling over.  She turned just in time to see the dragon topple over and another wave of dust and smoke.

“Now!  Shoot it now!” Arianna screamed.

Bokaru did just that, or at least tried to.  He dropped Rukasu, not so lightly, and whipped out the bowgun.  To his dismay, one of the drawback strings was broken, likely hit by the stream of ash.  A simple fix, Bokaru figured, but he had not the time or resources for such a fix.  Desperate, he dropped the bowgun and charged at the downed dragon, pulling out his greatsword as he did so.  He knew no matter how fast he ran, though; he wouldn’t make it in time.

Suddenly, a figure appeared out of the falling smoke.  It was Valin, the hunter’s shimmering sword in his hand.  The hunter’s tell-tale hood had been torn off by the dragon’s assault, revealing his odd, purple hair, which was sticking up messily as if Valin had just woken up.  He staggered forward, slightly dazed, and lifted the sword with both arms.  He steadied himself and coughed, then shook his head to clear his eyes.  A single thrust, containing all the strength that remained in Valin, pierced into the dragon’s cracked heart.  The hunter twisted the blade once it had punctured the crystal, causing it to shatter instantly.

Defiantly, the dragon let out a cry and tried to lift itself up again, but its right arm fell apart, and so did its spine, until finally the dragon simply was no more.  Souls poured out of the shattered crystal, spreading off into the air and to the bounds of the land.  Once the last soul had been released, the dragon’s remaining crimson eye faded away.

“You did it, Valin!  You killed the dragon!” Bokaru congratulated, slapping his friend on the back as he approached him.

“…yup,” Valin said with a wince, slowly falling forward as his legs gave out on him.  Bokaru caught him and eased him to the ground.

“D-did we do it…?” came a weak voice near Arianna.  She looked around and spotted the ever persistent Aramis struggling to get up.

“Yeah, we did it…now calm down, you had a dragon fall on you,” Arianna scolded, helping Aramis to his feet.

“Yeah…about that…hurts like hell.  Never want that to happen again,” Aramis grumbled.

Arianna handed Aramis his hammer and helped him over to Rukasu, where Bokaru and carried Valin.  To their relief, Rukasu was breathing.  Valin was still awake, but was disorientated and weak.

“Woah!  What happened here, mates?” shouted a felyne nearby.  Bokaru and Arianna looked up to see Harman climbing up the steps, Blake hanging on his back.

“Blake, Harman!  You’re alright,” Arianna said happily.

“Barely.  A rock fell on Blake when we blew up the rest of the ioprey.  I had to leave our bowgun behind and drag his cripple butt up here,” Harman said with a sigh.
“And a good dragging you did, mate,” Blake said, patting his not-so-enthused companion on the head.  “Golly, I hope you guys are alright.  You look mighty beat,” the felyne said, finally taking note of the hunters’ wounds.

“Well…a giant undead dragon can do that to you,” Bokaru replied.

“…undead dragon?” Harman said, finding that hard to believe.

“See that pile of bones over there?  Yeah…imagine that thing alive…kinda, and that’s what we fought,” Bokaru pointed out.

Blake narrowed his eyes and nodded his head as he looked at the dragon remains.  “Mmm, yeah…that smells like something dead to me.”

“We should probably get going…Dallek and Skern said they couldn’t wait forever,” Arianna reminded.

“It hasn’t even been a day yet, we should be able to take our good time getting out of here,” Harman informed.

The group set out, back down the trail that led them to the ruins, leaving the dragon remains and the legendary sword behind.  Bokaru slung Rukasu’s bowgun over the gunner’s shoulder and lifted him onto his back with his greatsword.  Arianna carried the now sleeping Valin on her back, and Aramis managed to tail along well enough.  Still carrying Blake, Harman followed right along.

**

They made a campfire along the trail that night and rested and set out the very next morning.  In no time they reached the blimp and the awaiting sky elders.  With what little first-aid the brothers knew, they patched up the hunters’ wounds and then set off for Sibinus.  That very evening the group managed their way into the guild hall, where Rukasu, Valin, Aramis…and Blake were ushered into the medical hall.  Arianna and Bokaru explained to Gaharru what transpired in the Yariano Ruins.  They went on about everything; Remonche, the wyvern twins, and the undead dragon, all of which the guild elder took in with amazement.

Several days later, Rukasu was able to come out of recovery, thanks to several potions and some tender, love, and care.  Of course, Aramis and Valin also recovered with no troubles.  As for Blake, he was perfectly fine to begin with since the rock hit his head; he had been acting the whole time, which was no surprise to Harman, who could care less anyways.

The hunters’ actions in the Yariano Ruins were told among the guild halls all across the land, and all who heard of Erona’s Ghosts marked them as the dragon slayers.  Little did any know the truth of it all, though, for the hunters didn’t just slay an ancient dragon, they saved the world from the tyrant reign of a madman named Remonche.  Of course, Aramis, Rukasu, Bokaru, Arianna, and Valin were satisfied enough.  The only hard part left for them was to decide what to do next.