9 A Hop and a Skip

I'm far enough up in the sky that all they should be able to see is my silhouette… and I'm currently not looking particularly different from Fatalis with all the black right now… May as well change my looks a bit. However… I still want to be the big bad black dragon™, so instead I'll change myself to look like perhaps (in my disgustingly humble opinion) the most badass looking black dragon there is.

My head shifted to be angular and pointed, while my mouth became almost beak-like, my dark red eyes blended in with my face while a glowing bright red gem that ironically looked like an eye, took the focal point between them, my body was overall rather slender and narrow, and several horns sprouted from the sides and back of my head to curl around similar to a crown. Along my back was a row of bone-white spikes going all the way down to my tail which ended with 6 thagomizers in 2 triple prongs. And now… I was the spitting image of Kalameet from Dark Souls!

…If he was many MANY times larger. Probably should change that too…

Being so far up, I went directly above the town and obscured my form using the blinding light of the sun, I then subtly shrunk myself down quite a bit- just enough to still be big but not gargantuan.

[Current Size: 50 Meters (Length), 15 Meters (Height), 70 Meters (Wingspan)]

I then brought my wings close to my body, and dropped directly down. Upon reaching just above the town, I spread my wings once again and with a small tilt to bleed momentum, struck the ground near the entrance. Despite the landing being a lot lighter than what I could've done, it was still hard enough to send a rumble through the town, as several hunters couldn't keep their footing, and the ground beneath me was slightly cratered with multiple spider webbing cracks.

In the time they were taking to recover, I was easily able to read all of their minds, and, using my advanced level of calculation, was rapidly deciphering their language. Barely 10 seconds had passed, and I already had a decent grasp of it, which was good since the foremost hunters were already running at me ready to attack, while those at the back had ranged weapons that they fired.

Embracing my new look as Kalameet a bit, the gem on my forehead suddenly increased in brightness as a circular wave of red light emanated from it, before all the hunters in front of me were lifted off the ground and held aloft using telekinesis. Much the same as the currently floating hunters, dozens of arrows, primitive bullets and even a few insects from the glaive users had been halted in midair. All of this was also accompanied by a piercing noise like that of a train slamming its brakes- which echoed in their heads using telepathy.

The noise wasn't that loud in reality, just in their minds, and it wouldn't cause them any harm… however it seemed painful enough to cause multiple hunters to scream and cover their ears, while the few who hadn't attacked me yet looked on in horror. I then dropped the floating hunters, crushed every projectile that wasn't an insect into a ball, and connected a telepathic thread to every sentient being in the camp, before relaying a short message in their recently deciphered language-

"I have not come as an enemy… attack me again, and that shall change."

My assurance did little to quell the terror I could smell emanating from them, and if anything, the show of telepathic and telekinetic abilities made it even worse… A few were even talking with each other about me possibly being Fatalis, here to kill them all. Better clear things up I guess…

"Bring out a representative so we may talk. I will not start any conflicts… but I will end them."

I only had to wait a few minutes before a gruff looking man who garnered obvious respect from everyone was pushed forward. Guy looked like he hadn't been given his morning coffee yet, and was just told that his dog got run over. Flanking him was a man wearing mostly plate armor with a longsword, just from his movements I could tell he'd seen some shit, but he didn't falter… and he was the only one to not emit an ounce of fear.

On the representative's other side was a more happy-go-lucky kind of guy, with a large bone greatsword, who wore plate armor over his arms and legs, yet left his chest and head bare. Is it mean to think of him as being idiotic? Because I think wearing such little armor when you're strong enough to wear it in the same way a regular person wears clothing… makes you either cocky, dumb, both… or damn good. He still smelled of fear… but more than anything else- anticipation. He also smelled… much the same as the man he was flanking, they're related? Eh, probably his grandson or something.

I was brought out of thoughts (which lasted less than a second) by a commotion occurring off-shore. That wouldn't happen to be?...

I looked out to sea while communicating with the commander "You wouldn't happen to have some ships set to arrive today would you?"

He seemed taken aback by my question, before warily answering yes.

"Right… well I'm assuming one of them shouldn't be on Zorah Magdaros' back… right?"

"WHAT?!" I hadn't communicated with anyone else, so his sudden outburst caused quite a few hunters to prepare for combat. I just looked at them with amusement, before this time communicating to everyone.

"We'll continue this conversation shortly, I'll just save your people real quick" And before they could wonder about that sentence, I took to the air and toward the ships. From the thoughts of the commander, I could see how he was planning multiple different contingencies to kill me… but he was smart enough to keep them as contingencies so long as I appeared peaceful… just that action alone cemented in my mind about how much more trustworthy the people in this world were… or was it naivety? Perhaps honorable is the correct term? Yes I think that fits, most any human organization in other worlds wouldn't hesitate to stab me in the back.

Either way… without even knowing it, they'd already been judged worthy in my mind.

I could have reached the ships instantly- whether that be through portals, sheer speed or space/time distortion, but I didn't want to come off as unfathomably powerful… just extremely powerful… like being the equivalent of Fatalis bigger, stronger, better, smarter… better, cousin. Did I mention better yet? Like hell I'd play second fiddle as the most awesome black dragon there was.

As I reached the fleet, I was amused to see that Zorah Magdaros had picked up on my presence, and was currently shivering in place- despite the lava flowing down his back. He was so scared that he didn't even attempt to run, and just lowered his head in submission as I arrived. I mostly ignored him while using Telekinesis to pick up the ships in the water, and on his back, as well as anyone thrown overboard. I then sent the poor lizard a comforting message using telepathy- essentially saying that so long as he didn't annoy me, he was free to proceed, before flying back toward Astera.

The way I see it, Zorah Magdaros is just an old lizard who's, well… behaving like the animal he actually is. And yeah, he might be a smarter animal than most… but still just an animal. He doesn't do anything out of malicious intent… nor does he hate anyone or anything without good reason, he's just big enough to basically be a living natural disaster. So I didn't mind cutting him some slack, and unless he had something I wanted (he didn't), or attacked me (also didn't), then I didn't mind leaving him alone or even showing him some kindness.

Unlike Zorah, the people in the ships didn't have any reservations, and everyone with a ranged weapon began firing upward in an attempt to shoot me down. None of them came close, and it wouldn't make a difference if they did… but much the same as my entrance in Astera, I released a high pitched screech that caused them all to cover their ears, before telling them to knock it off unless they wanted me to drop them in a volcano… an actual one this time.

They calmed down upon seeing Astera below us… but also realized they were high enough up that a drop would see them all dead. The Commander was still outside, and while he had everyone on alert, he wasn't trying anything as I settled the ships into the port. And as the last one hit the water, I turned to him- "Now… where were we?"

If before he found me to be a possible threat on the level of Fatalis, now he'd upgraded my classification to that of a natural disaster- especially after he overheard how Zorah acted upon my arrival "Why… are you here?"

I knew that if I answered even slightly in favor of being hostile, then consequences be damned, they'd fight tooth and nail regardless of the futility… and I could respect that "You can rest assured, like I mentioned earlier, unless you attack me, I have no intention of attacking you. My actual reason for visiting you all… is because I find your culture to be interesting, and I'd like to experience it… Specifically the food."

He calmed down quite a bit after hearing the first half, and straight up grinned wide upon hearing the second half. "I'll uh, let the chef know." He could barely stop himself from laughing out loud, as his lips were slightly twitching, and I wasn't prideful enough to not spot the hilarity of the situation myself.

I brought my head down and looked eye to eye with the commander "So here's the deal… I get to observe your people and live among them for a few months, and in return, shall defend your base of operations from any threats… sound good?" I felt like a shady salesman… and probably sounded like one a bit too.

His face went back to serious and wary "Sure, uh… right this way."

I was led around the camp (despite my reduced stature I was still way too large for most places), and was followed around by a crowd of very wary hunters. I could feel a message being passed around, but whether that was to attack me or not I wasn't bothered to find out… yet afterwards I didn't have such a large crowd… aside from the researchers who I was half tempted to mess with due to them not-so subtly documenting my every move.

From there time passed in the blink of an eye, and true to my word, Astera very easily became the safest human settlement on the planet- with my passive aura scaring the crap out of any monster that got within spitting distance of the edges. Saying that… I still didn't help them at all when it came to dealing with external threats… like Zorah Magdaros, Nergigante or Xeno'Jiiva. I was far too busy relaxing and enjoying my short little vacation.

My favorite place was the canteen, and my favorite person was the Meowscular chef, a cat-like Lynian with a badass scar over one eye, and a very buff physique. The man was good enough at cooking that I was genuinely tempted to eat him to gain his skills. Anyway the canteen was personally upgraded by me using a large crystal slab that the chef could turn on and use to cook things without the use of wood or coal- along with multiple new cooking utensils that made his job easier… and made the food appear quicker.

He was also another person who didn't fear me, and just treated me as an (albeit larger) normal customer. Which was good, I liked the chef both for his skill, and the pride he took in his work, so while a tiny part of me just wanted to demand what I wanted, I respected him enough to follow the rules he'd set. Eventually we'd become friends, both due to us treating each other as equals, and because I kept hunting down random monsters (many of which had never been seen before) for him to challenge his skills against.

He even introduced me to the Grammeowster Chef, a lovely grandmotherly Lynian like himself who he claimed had taught him everything… and who I'd subtly added a few decades of life to. Sadly the main Chef had refused immortality, yet had at least accepted my offer to increase his strength… though only because, in his own words- "If I'm strong enough, that means I can hunt down ingredients for new dishes myself!"

Heh, what a very… chef-like answer. I'd spent time with both him and the Grammeowster Chef, and using telekinesis had become rather adept at cooking through their teachings. Onto the smithy…

The smithy and by extension the Forgemaster, was in a similar situation. While they did fear me initially, it quickly passed when they found out how helpful my presence was in forging. I'd helped them set up a few fire crystals near the bellows- which massively increased the heat, and by extension, lowered the time it took to do their job. I'd also commissioned an armor set to be made for my current body… more as a fun test than anything else, mainly because the metal I'd given them was that of the Atlantis Leviathans, and I wasn't sure if they even could work the material.

By the time a few months had passed, they'd begun construction of a smaller, yet more concentrated and powerful forge, specifically for smelting it… but it was time I headed out. Sadly I hadn't encountered the Admiral during my stay, and annoyingly only discovered the reason why right before I left… the aura I was releasing repelled monsters right?

Well the Admiral had instincts and a mentality that were practically identical to a monster! So every time he got close, he was sent scampering back into the wild. I was only able to talk with him for a few hours before leaving, which was enjoyable, if annoying in the sense that I couldn't do so sooner. The man was a beast, and readily accepted when I offered him the chance to become more monsterish… his only stipulation being that he couldn't afford to give up on his humanity yet.

Using my abilities, I enhanced his lifespan while simultaneously strengthening his body with multiple different upgrades- like compressed muscles made of steel like fibers, eyes that could switch between spectrums, a jaw and teeth powerful enough to bite through metal, an affinity with lightning, and the strangest yet most important one… I granted him the ability to release an aura of his own, something that had always been missing for him.

After his transformation, he'd obviously been excited, yet had finally asked what it would all cost. A bit late… but I'm sure it's a price he'll be more than happy to pay. "Keep the chef safe."

He was thrown for a loop at my request, but laughed loud and boisterous the next second "HAHAHAHA! Leave it to me! So long as I live he'll never have to fear!"

And that was really all I wanted to hear. I spent a bit longer just chatting with him, before leaving to say my final goodbyes to everyone, then… I flew a ways off and activated my cheaty method of traveling through dimensions…

[Dimensional Travel]

In the short time it took me to begin disappearing from the Monster Hunter world, I mused to myself about the strangeness of a human wanting to become a monster. The Admiral might be a case many would bring up for that… but he truly wasn't. He was a man that simply felt more at home among animals. What they called monsters were just that… animals. No, a monster had a different meaning… multiple of them in fact.

One could be a monster due to sheer unrivaled power, or power so far above the norm that it was considered monstrous. This could also translate as ability. A genius of unmatched ability could be called a monster, just the same as someone inhumanly skilled at a task could be, and also the same as someone born with, granted, or who acquired more power than what most could fathom.

Of course someone or something could be called a monster due to appearance- like calling a scary or ferocious creature a monster, something as mundane as sharks and crocodiles could fall in this category under many people's perspectives. The same applied to Monster Hunter, though thankfully unlike most human worlds, it didn't lead to mass killings and genocide of an innocent species, at most they hunted due to necessity of food and safety.

There was a final category… and one that I put far more weight behind. That of someone being called a monster due to their actions. What would you call someone who committed the most heinous of crimes, those who did such things out of enjoyment or on a whim? Monsters. I had plenty of innocent blood on my hands from several different battles that ended with innocent casualties… but I never went out of my way to do it. They didn't weigh on my mind either, and I didn't consider myself a monster for it. What mattered was intent.

A human wanting to become a monster huh? Laughable… humanity already had the capacity to be monsters… and it's ironically only because he wasn't one that I granted him the power he sought.

But what if one day I hear the opposite… a monster wanting to become human? Hmmm… but I can't think of a single reason why they'd want such a thing. The very thought repulses me, as I feel that becoming human would be lowering myself… weakening myself. This is the chance I've been granted, and I've long since given up on being human… to do so would be to take a step back from accepting myself.

A monster being human… I see no reason for such a thing. But I suppose it's their own life… besides, what monster would even want such a thing?

As the few seconds of reflection during Dimensional Travel came to an end, I was deposited into the burning remains of a city- instantly picking up on the ludicrous levels of radiation in the atmosphere. Turning around made me grimace "Fuck… I jinxed it."

In the distance, a humanoid entity towering above the city turned and looked at me- their emaciated appearance a horrifying sight on the burning horizon. As I watched, I noticed how a soft glow began overtaking its back, as what looked like several dorsal plates began lighting up a menacing purple.

I sighed in both sadness and resolve "Hello… Shin"