Hi this is my novel "the diary of a monster hunter". after looking for so long i couldnt find that novel i really wanted to read...so i have decided to write my own. this is my first novel so it may be all over the place XD (prepare your eyes). please give feedback as it would be appreciated novel can also be found on: https://royalroadl.com/fiction/16164/the-diary-of-a-monster-hunter cups hands and bows synopsis: In an alternative medieval world , humans considered the weakest race cowers in fear as monsters and demons roam the lands. Follow Jacque as he uses his wits and human ingenuity to make a living in this harsh world. (A Witcher franchise inspired story) Prologue The pungent odour of moldy cheese and stale bread assults my nose, as I stretch my limbs the cold iron bars dig against my tender flesh sending a throbbing pain up my shoulders. As I massage the swollen slave brand a sea-parched voice jolts me and my neighbours awake. "Wake up you miserable brats, today's your lucky day". An hooded silhouette walks towards us, footsteps like a dancing nightingale in the autumn wind. Pita pata. "Are these all you have?" "Yes sir'ah, fresh of the boat from Calabar, fine pieces if I were to say so me self." "Healthy?" "As a landlubber can get, arrived this mornin, premium stock ain't none one touched the lasses yer has me word sir'ah" The hooded stranger lifts his head, morning rays reflects off his face revealing a pair of eyes dark as night itself. He takes out a gold coin tossing it to the merchant.) "Sir'ah..thi" "Pack em up I'll take them all" "Ri...right away sir'ah" The merchant stumbles as he hands the keys to the man, he looks up and down hoping to remember every detail, ensuring he will never forget this stranger. -A voice pulls him back into reality- "Good carriage! I'll take it..." The merchant watches helplessly as the Man disappears along with a carriage full of slaves... Endless chatter fills the carriage. Blessed by Sipher eleven goddess of the wind the excited voices of children permeates into the surroundings. "Who is this man?" "I reckon he's a noble..didn't ya see that gold coin? N'vr seen one in me life." "Noble? What bullsh#t didn't you see his eyes?...have you seen a noble with charcoal eyes?...he's got to be those demon kin from the east" "Gasp..yo..u mean those demon kin?...The ones loved by Nor the goddess of darkness?" "Aye...ive seen one before, hair and eyes like the night" "Shh...let's not speak...what if he hears us...I heard that demon kin loves to torture sick and weak people by stabbing iron rods into them..." Yet the children's chatter were not doused, like adding wood to fire the conversation became more and more exaggerated... "Hey Jacque what do you think?" Curled in the corner, a small boy lifts his head, ponders, and says a phrase that immediately doused the flames. "Why...did he buy us?" Outside the carriage, sitting on the drivers set, a strange glint can be seen from the man's eyes...Good seeding...He sighs, looks into the horizon and mumbles "Maybe...no...it must work...it has to." (And so it begins...The dawn of a new age...from the mumbles of a madman) Prologue end
Chapter 1- The Journey begins The sun hung high in the sky as the radiant rays leaked though the wooden shutters. The hut was not large, but one can see that it is well managed due to the lack of dust on the furniture. A worn candle lay melted on the hard-Oak table next to a worn old bible…a middle-aged woman forces the shutters open, gazed lovingly at a young boy asleep in the corner in a large bundle of hay. “Jacque its time to wake up” “just a few more seconds” Jacque groaned “rise and shine. Its high noon already, the cows need milking and we’re fresh out of fire wood. if only your father was still here” the woman sighs ‘when the enlistment came, I told him not to go…he promised he’d make a fortune yet after you were born your dad never came back’. “Don’t worry ma I’ll set off right now, with the blessing from Sypher the goddess of wind I’ll be back by dinner” Jacque beamed Jacque jumped up from his hay bed, eyes shifting towards the kitchen. he notices a piece of black bread and a few slices of cheese. Eyes beaming, he shoves the foods into his pockets, pushes the door open and sets off with a crude axe. “Jacque make sure to come back before dinner, you know one mustn’t stay in the wicked forest at night. Make sure not to wonder to deep okay? “ The young boy stops moving, his eyebrow twitches slightly. Turning around he smiles at his mother waves his arm and hurries off. Ma always worry too much, when I grow older I must stay by her side to take care of her, with dad missing who will be the pillar of the family? Jacque thought as he ran down the road towards the wicked forest. The little village of Escanor, located 10 miles west of port town Calabar. The humble village marks the boundary of the wicked forest. Representing the outer branches of humanity. As to why such a forest was named ‘wicked’, this was due to a myriad of ghostly rumours surrounding it, rumours so vast that even as I drink in an inn in Calabar can I savour the astonishing tales of the forest, rumours that send a chill up your spine, whist igniting the curiosity of others. From the depilated moans of a female wraith to the harrowing cries of ghouls, sounds of weeping children to the creaking noises of the wood…but listen…always listen…everyone who speaks of the rumours have always heard it…a gentle sound…almost…impossible to catch but it is there…always there…the crying melody of a flute… HA surely you jest, why would villagers go into a forest where even the bravest of men tread carefully you may ask. Yet the answer is simple…Greed…yes, a beautiful sin, the wisperwhod (wisper-hood) of the wicked forest is renown throughout the human territories, living wood, hard as iron itself, blessed by Mal god of nature, cursed by Nagul (XD) god of death to be ashen forever. This black wood is the raw material for the sentient liveships. It is as if a pie fell from the heavens and handed on humanities doorsteps…Yet surely you aren’t here to hear me blabber about the 100 uses of wisperwhod…no no, you are here for a story, a tale. And I have one just for you an absolute true story of Jacque the Warrior of Oblivion… … hmm… this name…may need some work… As Jaq walked towards the wicked forest he took out the black bread from his pocket and nibbled on it. The curse Nagul casted on the wisperwhod is indeed strong…even the bread baked with its wood cannot escape its curse, good thing the taste isn’t affected he thought otherwise he really would go up to Nagul and slap him. Jaq was not an ignorant fool, he knew the rumours of the forest however he also knew that by selling wisperwhod even his broken family can survive, but deep-down he knew that money was not his reason of venturing the cursed woods. Hmm? You want to know why? Sigh…alright. Tis a sad tale really, hmm let me see: There once was a priest, Who prayed to the gods, O bless these people, protect them lord. Down came a star, falling though the skies. Untainted blood once a year, A dull axe one can wear. Tragic isn’t it, a sacrifice for the greater good, it’s worth it right, don’t ya think? One child for a prospering village…she wasn’t even 5 when it was their turn… that the thing with you humans, deep down you are darker and eviller than any beast, yet one thing, a sliver of light in the darkness. Hope… yes indeed…. the rumours. “Its real, the rumors are real” Jaq drones on aloud, villagers on the path gazes at Jaq sympathetically, shakes their head and walks on. I know its real, I've seen her, that evening I was late for dinner, in the corner of my eye, hiding behind the trunk of wisperwhod it was her, she hasn't aged a day. This time I must find her…Ma would be happy, the more Jaq thought the happier he became before thirty minutes he arrived at the wicked forests. “Work hard young man, humanity needs you for you are the future, as the workhorse of industry the magic association will pay 10 coppers for one bundle of wisperwood”, Jaq recalls the red and blue poster pinned on the town bulletin. “todays a good day, I can probably gather 3 bundles” Jaq finished his bread prayed to the gods, and walked into the forest. The air was humid in the forest, as Jaq tread amongst the rows and rows of black trees the damp undergrowth as if sensing a foreign existence groans quietly. Pita pata…listen…the sound of leaves shoved forcefully by a powerful set of legs, PITA PaTa the sound grows louder, heading towards Jaq. As he hears the strange footsteps Jaq smiles and pulls out the cheese from his pockets… “hmm…SOOO hungry…hmm” a low monotonous voice echoes though the quiet forest. Pita pata, the nearby bushes part and a human faced bird swaggers out…the bird the size of a rooster with human feet as wings and human hands as legs…if any visitors sees this “bird” they would undoubted be scared shitless, yet Jaq remained unusually calm. He tossed the cheese at the bird and waited for it to “him” to inspect it. “guide of the forest, blessed by Mal, you are the most beautiful of creations, as per the contract of the star, please take me to the land of promises” Jaq ass kissed for about ten minutes before the bird, who was circles the cheese, gave a slight nod, using his “feet” in a fluid motion he picks up the cheese and eats it then proceeds to swaggers away beckoning Jaq to follow. This bird known to the locals as the “guides of the forest” is slightly intelligent and like a parrot can mimic human phrases, the locals of the village discovered that by giving the birds food they can show them where the best wisperwhod ripe for harvest are. However, this bird is extremely prideful, and only after severe ass kissing would the bird show you the way. Jaq was thankful that after many generations the guides which was influenced by the population of humans required less ass kissing than its predecessors. Legend has it that when the first chief discovered the bird he ass kissed for 4 hours straight before the bird finally stopped staying “I your father knows the way” truly a fearsome opponent. As Jaq wipes the cold sweat from his forehead he follows behind the swaggering guide as he heads deeper into the forests. As Jaq ventures into the forest on his quest to collect wisperwhod the faint sound of a flute, carried by the gentle wind spreads though the forests. In a faraway land a king holds a piece of parchment and frowns “are you sure Escanor is no more?” the eunuch stutters “ye...es your majesty”. “Sigh… as long as Mt Qing exist we won’t run out of wood, tell the ministry to buy as much wisperwhod as they can, go quickly” “This servant obeys” the eunuch stands up, bows, and hurries towards the door. “WAIT” “Your majesty?” “Keep it under wraps, I don’t want the public to know…REMEMBER…he…no…they cannot know” “I understand, this servant will excuse himself” the eunuch walks out the palace and into his room, he takes out a strip of paper and writes: “Winter has come to the continent of Europa, it is done”, he rolls the strip, ties it to a pigeon and watches as it flies away. “If there was another way I would take it…all for the survival of mankind…liege I hope you will forgive me” the eunuch faces the palace and gives a deep bow… End of chapter 1
can be done im still building the bestiary. story is set on the beginning stages of human conquest, hunting rathalos will be a team effort XD
Chapter 2- The Reunion As Jaq and the guide brave though the harrowing woods, the earth groans beneath them, a low rumble of the earth jolts the guide awake, it collapses on the ground feeling the tremors passing though with its human hands…after a while the guide jumps up and groans “Hmm…trouble…bait needed…live” …It stops, Jaq can see its beady little eyes scanning the surroundings carefully before finally landing on Jaq. Wide eyed, as if realising something, the ugly bird lets out a shriek, with uncanny speed the bird turns around and darts into the forest… “what in the world” Jaq blurts out. Something is wrong, this has never happened before, a sound that can frighten the guide which thrives in the forest is not good, I better hide for a while and observe the situation. The young boy’s eyes scans the surroundings and very quickly in an experienced manner, he rolled his sleeves up and scampered up the widest wisperwhod tree he could find. “I wonder what caused such a strange noise” he thought As the rays of the setting sun touched the black trucks of wisperwhod, like a longing lover, a heavy sigh can be heard…echoing throughout the forest. High up upon the branches of a stout yet wide tree sat a small skinny boy. Traces of doubt and worry can be seen on this face. Was I too worried? maybe it wasn’t anything. Maybe the guide was just over sensitive, after all it’s a monster…who can predict what a monster will do right? Jaq comforted himself, the sun has begun to set yet he still haven’t gathered a single piece of wisperwhod. At this rate I’m not even going to make it back in time for dinner, Ma is going to be real angry with me this time, unfortunately my ass is really going to bloom tonight... Still…why did the guide run? Surely it cannot be for no reason. Jaq has always been a curious boy, he knew the area well and was adamant that the guides would never abandon their duty for no reason. “there must be a reason… As Jaq pondered, a sudden thought passed his mind. The guides of the forests were known to be prideful…could it be that it thought my cheese wasn’t good enough for him and wanted to teach me a lesson and scare me…yes…that must be it, god dammit I knew monsters can never be trusted just wait till I catch that chicken…but what was that noise? Hmm no matter, it was probably caused by a fallen tree!” Jaq could not help but curse out. Sigh, what a naïve young boy…wisperwhod is known to be as hard as iron, would a tree who survived the curse of the death god, and blessed by the god of nature be so easy to fell? Naïve, simple minded, stupid… “it seems I over estimated this chicken, his plot has been foiled, I should get busy with gathering” As Jaq was about to climb down, in the corner of his eye something seems to have moved, he felt a chill up his spine as cold sweats started rolling down his forehead. would seems as if time had stopped, as he stood there like a frozen statue, his mind froze as if wanting to play dead, hoping that whatever’s behind him would leave him alone. “Do you really think that the chicken ran away for no reason?” a sweet voice rang out, it carried a playful tone, as if teasing Jaq to turn around, it was a voice of a young girl, its tone filled with a sense of longing and reminiscences, yet like a recording crystal the faint scent of unlife (basically undead tone/flat tone/ unnatural) cannot be masked. Jaq knew this voice, a distant memory in his mind, the voice of his missing sister, an uncanny voice that seems to be exactly as he remembered 2 years ago. “why not turn around? You know its so boring here we haven’t had a proper chat in so loooong, don’t you want to see me?” Realising that he was not in immediate danger the surge of adrenaline flooding his system dies down, giving Jaq control over his body again. “you…who are you, your voice sounds familiar, yet I can tell something is lacking” Jaq could not help but enquire about the strange voice, he has heard of monsters that prey on children by tempting them so he dared not turn around for it is said that as long as one does not stare into the eyes of these creatures known as Dryads, they hold no power over you. “I’m not a Dryad you fool…get that though your numskull” Jaq was shocked. This creature can read minds?? If not a Dryad, is this another monster? What sentient creature would be so bored for them to wander into the outer layers of the forest? Jaq curiosity peaked, and he could not help but steal a quick glance at the creature. But before he could turn his head the playful voice laughed. “ha…you scoundrel…when I tell you to look you don’t look…not I tell you not to look, you actually dare to peek at this maiden, what a coward, you don’t even have to balls to take a look? well this miss wont entertain you anymore…humph” …The young boy turns his head only to see that nothing, but air stared back at him…his mind blanks out, the creature is nowhere to be seen. This…right now Jaq was seething… “Waaaah…do you mean I don’t want to look, if it wasn’t that this grandpas body was frozen into a popsicle I would have instantly looked…if it wasn’t to all the dangers and negative rumours which caused this grandpa to mistaken you for a Dryad you think I would be scared huh, what do you mean I’m a coward. Do you have the guts to appear in front of this grandpa right now?” Jaq bloodshot eyes glinted with a fierce light, trying to stabilise his raging emotions he took a few deep breaths and muttered “If the tiger doesn’t show his prowess, people will think I’m a sick cat. Let today be a lesson for you, don’t mess with I Your Fa..” “hmm…you called?” the playful voice said A young girl appeared from thin air right in front of Jaq, she wore a tattered blood stained white dress with a ripped hole down her chest. Looking at her chest Jaq face instantly bleached, he could not help but tremble, his knees felt weak as he collapsed on the wide branch. Shuffling back as far as he could, he curled into a ball holding his head and started praying. The girls rib cage has be spread like a pair of wings, spreading as wide as possible (Viking torture method called the blood eagle), inside her chest cavity was nothing, not even a heart can be seen. The girl, who was floating beside Jaq seems to have noticed his pale face, nodded with a sense of understanding. “Ah you must be thinking, where my heart. The answer is quite simple…” The girl lifts her delicate hand and grasps her hair, she then opens her skull, reaches in…and removes a still beating heart... “I normally keep it in here, damn heart keeps falling out” the girl said a matter of factly “who are you…” Jaq finally speaks, it was a quite whisper, no longer containing the sass he displayed earlier. Just these words seem to have drained the remaining energy he had, the words trembled and shook in the air, only a whisper could be hear. “Me? I’m your sister…has your brain gone to mush? Look at me I haven’t changed a day” “what. Are you?” Jaq having recovered from the initial shock how looked at the girl carefully. He couldn’t help but suck his breath in. indeed she was exactly like she was that day. When the village priests preformed the ritual, and took her heart and brain. “you should go back to the village, ma will scowl you, it’s getting late…won’t be safe here in the forests with the full moon out” the girl changes the subject. “what about you sis? Come back with me least ma will know you still as carefree as before” Jaq wanted to say but looking at his grotesque sister the words lay stuck inside his throat. The girl smiles at Jaq, puts her heart back into her skull and fades into the shadows… Jaq head was throbbing as a myriad of emotions erupted within him, he hated himself for his cowardly behaviour…this was his sister, she sacrificed herself for the village, let the priests pull her apart…a young girl who just turned 5 suffered so much, was she lonely in the dark forests? All by herself for 2 years? How could he have the guts to shun her…if it wasn’t for her their family would have starved to death… Jaq thought back to the worried expression on his sister’s face as she told him to go back quickly. His heart tightened, Ma was always strict on his studies and his sis was still worried about him even after she died… Jaq wiped his tears turned towards the village and ran… “I need to tell ma, sis is still with us…it doesn’t matter if she’s disfigured…we can get used to it… The silver rays of the moon illuminated the forests, giving it a eerie atmosphere. The hooting sounds of owls, the melody of the wind as they danced around the ancient trunks. Pita pata. A set of light footsteps echo though the dense dark forest. “Almost there, Ma wait for me…” the boy thought… End of chapter 2