FSE

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A/N Start:

This story contains extreme and sexual themes. Viewer discretion is advised.

If the following themes are unsettling for you, I advise you to leave the page:

- Monster Sex

- Vore

- Size difference

- Domination

- Violence

Not all themes have been introduced yet, though are planned.

This chapter should wrap up most of what I wanted to establish and let pan out. I haven't played fully through MH Stories 1 or 2, to be honest, and had to do some research. We'll be approaching 'sauce' soon enough.

I've enjoyed people's comments on both Fanfiction and SoFurry...! I've taken note of some desired monsters that may make an appearance down the road. ;)

A/N End

"Back. Away."

My anger had not gone unnoticed by Nargacuga. I wasn't able to hide the hatred, fear, and confusion that erupted.

The once-peaceful scenario became tense. Only one person didn't back off, that being the Rider who stood in between us and the man.

"Hey," the Rider called out to me. I swallowed, readjusting my thoughts and receiving his serious gaze. I needed to snap out of it. Otherwise, Nargacuga would feel influenced to do something rash.

"Sorry," I quickly dismounted Nargacuga, taking a deep breath and looking away. My attention fully went to Nargacuga, who tried looking around me. Now that it was known I hated him, he refused to let it go.

"He's not a threat," I held Nargacuga's head, forcibly directing him to look at me. "Nargacuga, please." He finally looked. I saw my anger channeled through him, ready to kill on my behalf. It chilled me, yet morbidly flattered me.

_"You hate him," _Nargacuga announced to everyone around us. He was right, but that didn't matter at the moment.

"Yes, but he's not a threat." That response wasn't going to be enough. I could tell Nargacuga was searching for an excuse to leave, to attack; a method he knew he could comfortably carry out.

"Nargacuga," I begged tersely. Hating someone wasn't a variable that excused murder. My seriousness was met with wordless attention. His growling tapered off, leaving a speculative silence that warily anticipated the next few seconds.

My hands retreated, keeping a check on him while spinning around. I needed to demonstrate my discomfort, yet remain professional. It was a fragile balancing act, where if the rope snapped, an angry brute wyvern would catch you in his jaws and that would be that.

"Elder... Barnes." I struggled to get the words out. His hands folded repetitiously over one another and he nodded, mostly focused on Nargacuga.

I heard a surprised gasp behind me. Xander was bucked off by Nargacuga, no longer wanting anyone on top of him. I disregarded this and sighed, looking amongst everyone.

"I'm sorry for my reaction. I'm just gonna put this bluntly, you brought the last person I wanted to see at this meeting." I looked over at Elder Einzel, her face baffled.

"I... don't understand," I motioned her to stop, patting my leg agitatedly.

"It's my fault, Elder. I didn't tell you enough about my past." There was much to break down that I didn't feel like getting into.

Elder Barnes' age hadn't treated him well. The hair that used to cover the top of his head was gone, leaving a thin layer of grey fuzz on the sides. His face was mushed, never lacking a wrinkle no matter his expression. While others would describe it as charming for an old person, all I saw was stubbornness. Those green eyes: a constantly stirring cauldron of bad ideas. I could tell he had never let go of his ideals and was running himself haggard chasing misbegotten goals.

His robe was an illustrious silver, a forest green sash wrapped over his shoulder and around his waist. These were the marks of a lead researcher–a pioneer as he believed himself to be–yet would never proclaim due to a humbleness he pretended to have.

"So, how'd you find me." My arms stretched out, fingers wiggling in fake celebration. I didn't want to give him the spotlight but was confident I could pick apart his behavior if I did. The bait was taken. What others saw as a rattled man composing himself, was a man prepping a performance.

"I haven't stopped searching. I... had to come as soon as Elder Einzel informed me of your situation." His posture was that of a concerned parent. The only emotion aside from concern was the continued movement of his hands as they nervously kept on.

"You got a lot of nerve, being in front of me." Barnes looked sick. Each time I expressed further hatred, he grew more worried about Nargacuga. As much as I wanted to milk this moment, everyone was waiting to understand our dynamic. I continued talking when Barnes was unable to respond.

"Did you ever tell Elder Einzel that you put this stone in my arm, along with others?" I cooly conducted myself. To my disappointment, Barnes had grown defensive enough to begin speaking.

"You and the others were unhealthy. My methods were a desperate attempt at saving lives, all while furthering vital research."

"Bullshit, is that what you believe and spout?" Nails dug into my palms, reminding me to not take the easy route and drag his ass out of the village. The man was a cockroach. I needed to ensure that any seeds he planted got uprooted.

"You were young, and lucky to have survived after what you did." The mysteriousness behind his response was enough to prompt other's involvement. I always hated the way he phrased his words, doing whatever it took to redirect people's doubts.

"Barnes told me he understood your condition and even warned about the blight that is inside of you," interjected Elder Einzel. "Now I'm not sure what he did to deserve your frustration, but can you at least let him offer some insights regarding your condition?"

It took a sharp, concentrated inhale to not lose my breath through a harsh chortle. I didn't want to ridicule Elder Einzel, though also didn't want Barnes to have the time of day to compose a lie that would further involve him.

"I understand your intents were positive, but I can assure you, whatever understanding Barnes has claimed to have of my situation, it's a crafty excuse to inhumanly chase studies I escaped long ago." Barnes took a step forward, to which Nargacuga's breath blew my hair toward him angrily. He stopped and masked his rising frustration with a hurt look.

"My studies were not inhumane, they were desperate. Not for myself, but for you and other subject's critical conditions." Before I could reiterate how that same justification was asinine, Chief Omna cleared his throat.

"Let's not talk in a loop. Your past will reveal the dupe." I took a moment to process his wit, realizing Chief Omna was inviting me to share my past more elaborately.

"Right," I squeezed my eyes, rubbed them, and readied myself for a more informative explanation.

"Elder Barnes believes that the kinship stones are capable of eliminating all known diseases from humans. Cancer, flu, whatever sickness you can think of. It was a long shot theory, but he was able to explore it with the lie he's used twice now, which was through people who were 'terminally sick'." Barnes was painfully listening, wanting to interrupt terribly.

"I was never sick in the village, though Barnes was able to convince parents that an illness affecting the younger generation had formed benignly inside of us. It wasn't harmful, yet could turn into something fatal. This, of course, was a lie that permitted him to conduct the surgery that resulted in this," I held up my arm, showing off the kinship stone.

"You were in danger," Barnes claimed. I shook my head, feeling a calmness as I studied everyone. Chief Omna, Elder Einzel, Xander, the Rider. Everyone wanted me to continue, knowing there was more.

"Danger, that's what he preached to people's parents. I was an orphan, and so I was the first to receive the treatment. As for me being sick," I stopped and licked my lips, snorting and shaking my head, "he injected me with a disease. Not sure what it was, but it made me feel like shit and was enough to convince people that their kids were next, should they hold off on not letting Barnes perform his miracle work."

Pieces were coming together. I felt zero doubt in the air, each detail invoking a newfound horror and confusion.

"Barnes believed that if he injected black blight into a human, then extracted it with another kinship stone, the blight would leave his patient along with any ailments they had." I fought back a smirk, seeing Xander's eyes widen.

"But the blight didn't leave when we did that, it spread throughout your body!" I shot Xander a finger gun, crossing my arms and looking fully at Barnes.

"Exactly. But that didn't stop him from prepping trials." Now came the part of the story I wasn't too proud of. Looking at the ground, I continued with reserved emotions.

"All kids, me included, had to be isolated from the world where his tests were run. I went what felt like a few days without seeing the outside, though I lacked a concept of time. He said that constant rest was needed and sent Riders off on excursions in an attempt to obtain the black blight. Methods of obtaining it consisted of finding kinship ore with the blight and harvesting it, attempting to collect the black mist in a vial and condensate it into an injectable liquid, and at one point, purposefully misaligning a rider's relationship with a monstie to create black blight." Flittering my eyes a few times, my tone shifted to shame.

"I feared Barnes, a lot. I was afraid, desperate, and..." I drew in a deep breath, closing my eyes. "I accidentally burned the village down and ran away."

Barnes had the gall to intervene. "Accidentally?" He focused on that one shameful detail, all other parts of the story were worthless to him. "You started a fire in my facility and it spread throughout the entire village. You tried to kill everyone."

My eyes enlarged and my ears pulled back. "I led other kids out of the facility and started that fire in hopes of killing you. I didn't intend for it to spread all across. I was a young, scared idiot." A nudge to my side pulled me back. I hadn't noticed I was leaning forward, growing increasingly aggravated. Nargacuga was brushing my arms with his beak, prompting my arms to uncross and embrace him.

_"I'll kill him right now," _He promised softly. Everyone but me shifted uncomfortably upon hearing this, though I chuckled.

"Please don't," I said while running my fingers across his lip. While I found this endearing, Chief Omna had to speak up and not let the silence dance around Nargacuga's statement.

"An unintentional tragedy indeed. I see now why you chose to secede, er, well, not secede, but... leave." Chief Omna amused all but Elder Barnes with his wording.

"Your interpretation, while most unfortunate, has skewed vital details of your story_," _started Barnes, but Xander interrupted.

"I don't know man, that made pretty good sense to me. And as an ethical researcher, I can safely say that your practices were not only unethical but worthless. Your escapee here is living proof that your extraction nonsense wouldn't have worked." Xander's response had pushed the right button. Elder Barnes' disposition was quick to reveal itself.

"Arrogance," he spat_. _"Just what is it you know that will save those I could have?" Xander rubbed his forehead and laughed jeeringly.

"Uh, first off, you were saving zero lives. Second, your ability to hear Nargacuga speak is one of the many abilities we've uncovered that is the result of the black blight being inside of him," Xander pointed at me and shrugged, not feeling a need to say much else.

"You..." Barnes was speechless. I unhurriedly approached him, shrugging at his predicament.

"Listen, Barnes, even if you came up with something that spun this story heavily against me, or if you had any sort of insight to offer that could help me? I wouldn't want it. So just take whatever it is you want to say and walk out of this village with it."

A dark side of me wished Barnes would show himself more, but a nagging tiredness was ready for him to leave. With a slow, apologetic fall of his head, he prepared to see himself out. Before making his leave, his pupils glided up and rested upon me with a cryptic gaze.

"I could have saved her." His voice was hushed. No one else could hear his parting words but me. "You shouldn't have received such a blessing." A final look at his expression told me this wasn't goodbye. Elder Barnes unhappily strode out, not delivering farewells to anyone.

"Chief Omna," spoke the Rider, curing the air of its eeriness.

"What is it, Akulla?" Xander put a hand over his mouth, causing me to either want to laugh or chastise him. The Rider's name was Akulla, who disregarded Xander's reaction.

"Makili Pietru." I had no idea what that name referred to, but Chief Omna had matched Akulla's wavelength upon hearing the name.

"Ah, yes. He left quite the mess." No one else was following the two. I hoped Xander would know something, but he merely shook his head, just as lost as me and Elder Einzel.

"He is an elder dragon. A manticore with two forms," Akulla shared. Xander was immediately scribbling information onto a fresh page.

"Makili Pietru is darkness itself, the bringer of black blight. Versa Pietru is the bringer of light," Xander bounced off of Chief Omna's words.

"So Makili Pietru, this elder dragon can spread black blight?" Chief Omna nodded at this, abandoning his rhymes.

"Not just to wild monsters, monsties as well." Akulla crossed his arms, drumming his fingers.

"Monsties are bound to us, soul to soul. The kinship stone merely supports that bond, it isn't what maintains it. I fought Makili Pietru, though the events leading up to that taught me a lot about the kinship stone and bonds with monsties." Akulla had a lot to share, being careful to unpack specific details at a time.

"My main Monstie, Ratha, was inflicted with black blight by Makili when he succeeded in spreading black blight across the land. In the process of saving him, my kinship stone had been destroyed. I was still able to pull him out of being blighted though, simply by embracing him." Xander stopped writing. I didn't know what to ask or say, still brainstorming how all of this translated into my situation.

"You're saying that the kinship stone didn't matter," stated Xander.

"Soul to soul," quoted Akulla. This time, I shook my head.

"I... need my stone to communicate with Nargacuga though, so is my scenario different?" Akulla beamed with curiosity, his uncertainties to my question sparking an energetic sway in his body.

"Like I said, the stone merely supports the bond, and activates it, however you want to think of it. What I'm saying is that you gained special abilities for bonding with a monster through the kinship stone, but without it, you'd still be capable of maintaining it," Akulla clicked his tongue and added, "at least, so long as you believe in yourself."

Xander was elated with the details he had to work with. "Your abilities are different, but based on Akulla's story, I'd say..." tap, tap, tap, his pen flicked in an attempt to finalize his thoughts.

"What's different, is that your bond was forged with a monster, not a monstie," finished Akulla. "All of our bonds are forged with a monstie from birth. You bonded with Nargacuga, an adult, in ways I don't think Riders ever have."

A lump formed in my throat. 'Bonded' was certainly a way to put that, but I wasn't going to tread into the raunchier details. "Alright." I walked to Nargacuga, spacing out and swinging my arms in contemplation. He had been very quiet, looking interested in Akulla throughout this exchange.

_"What is it that you're interested in knowing." _Nargacuga was ready for action. Whatever was to happen next would test any questions regarding my abilities, and Nargacuga was currently sizing up Akulla.

"Well that depends on you two," Akulla clapped his hands and rubbed them in anticipation.

"Akulla came back from an expedition when Chief Omna relayed your story I shared," commented Elder Einzel. Akulla scratched his head timidly.

"Well, I didn't really know whether to believe it, to be honest." A defensiveness lit up in me, sensing his doubts in my abilities, or perhaps experience.

"I, I don't have much experience as a Rider." I crossed my arms and clacked my teeth, questioning my own words with the tilt of my head. "Actually, I never became a Rider. This bond happened unexpectedly."

"Man, just say it already," chuckled Xander.

"Only if he wants to," Akulla said and shrugged, to which I shot a querulous glare.

"If you have a suggestion, I'm listening!" I jumped slightly when Nargacuga pushed me with his head. He had a ready look.

"...What?" I felt a sense of envy and curiosity flow through me. Nargacuga was fond of Akulla, the idea of a bond between Rider and Monstie. Upon discussing the uniqueness of ours, it seemed a flame had been lit.

The exchange was silent, but I read him loud and clear. This was a matter of what I was willing to do, and everyone was just waiting for me to express I was ready.

"Yeah..." I muttered understandingly, patting his head. "Akulla, I appreciate you coming from wherever you came. Not just that, but welcoming us, hearing out my story, then sharing yours." My thumbs retreated into my pockets, hands hanging as I teeter-tottered on my feet. "I have a lot more to talk about, to share, to listen to, but ultimately, I just want to explore this further."

Resolve grew and grew, blending with everyone else's. A shared objective was becoming clear, me being the last component to chasing what I had feared I would chase alone. "If you want to stick around, I'd appreciate it. We want to explore our capabilities further," I looked at Nargacuga, my hands forming fists. "Not just us, other monsters." Nargacuga was not as agreeable with this, but it was that exact unease and their support that drove us into the unknown, wanting to conquer our fears.

"That's all I was waiting for." Akulla looked at Chief Omna, who dipped his head in acknowledgment.

"He is not a Rider, nor is Nargacuga a Monstie, but your bond is undeniably that of which we wish to help you understand." I didn't know how to express our gratitude. Elder Einzel did so for us, smiling and bowing.

"If that's that, then let's get right to it. I'm gonna grab Ratha." Akulla ran off, leaving no window to respond. Instead, I directed my question to Chief Omna.

"Uh, Ratha?" Chief Omna chortled.

"His closest Monstie, a Rathalos." I opened my mouth but had no response.

_"And what of this journey we're setting off on?" _Nargacuga was my biggest concern in this ordeal, who now replied on my behalf.

"Well..." Chief Omna cleared his throat, looking at us amused.

"You're going to meet another monster."