"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The alliance could only watch in horror as the 156 feet tall Wraithbeast and the three 330 feet long Ice Worms rampaged across the battlefield. The Wraithbeast whips its tentacles around, sending any humans it hits flying. Many died from either the initial impact or when their bodies slam against the ground. Those that did survive turned out to be the unfortunate ones when the monsters descended upon them. Men were either ripped apart or devoured while the women were stripped of their clothes and raped.
Arches and mages unleash a barrage of arrows and spells but the massive demons don't even show the slightest signs of being injured as they wreak havoc. "A Wraithbeast and three Ice Worms?!" Iris shouted in shock. "How in Laurentia's name are they here?!" She charges in and beheads an ogre about to crush a foot soldier with his mace.
"I don't know but we're in serious trouble now!" Jane gritted her teeth as she blocks in incoming strike and slashes the knee of an orc, the wailing aberrant knelt before Farasha slices his throat open. "We need to fall back!"
"We do that and we're letting the bastards gain a foothold!" Iris argued. They've come so far, she wasn't about to let the soldiers' sacrifice be in vain. This was the closest they've ever been to be to pushing back Garan and it was slipping through their fingers.
"But we'll be overwhelmed before we can even try think of a counterattack! Pride won't do a thing here!" Jane countered.
"Jane's right. It sucks but the alternative is a repeat of the past." Claudia agreed, albeit with some reluctance. Iris clenched her fists but couldn't deny they brought up very good points, though it doesn't mean she liked it..
Just then, Shagaru Magala flies over head and bombards the Wraithbeast with Frenzy Virus- projectiles, making it roar as it halts its advance to shield itself with his tentacles. Other then some singed marks, it showed no damage. The other pair of tentacles that are not shielding the Wraithbeast resorts to slapping any projectile gets close. Clicking his teeth in frustration, Shagaru opens his mouth and fires a powerful Frenzy Virus-fueled energy beam at it.
However, one Ice Worm opens its maw and unleashes its own breath attack, the ice blue clashes with purple and black as the breath attacks struggle to overpower the other before ending in an explosion with neither side hurt. Before Shagaru can come up with another plan, the other Ice Worms fires their ice beams at the Elder Dragon, forcing him to duck and dodge from them.
He was so focused that he failed to notice two tentacles wrapped around his back left leg and tail until he felt something pull him down and looks down to see the Wraithbeast had a hold on him.
"Don't you fucking dare." He warned but the Wraithbeast ignored it and whips the screaming Elder Dragon around before tossing him into the alliance's direction. Many got out of the way with only several goblins too stupid to notice before Shagaru crashes on them, turning them into paste. Shagaru groans as he slowly gets up disoriented, clutching the side of his head in pain to lessen it.
"Hey, are you alright!?!" Janne rode her horse next to him as she ordered her troops to form a defensive parameter as they fall back. Iris followed after her while Claudia and Farasha ordered a retreat.
"Aside from being tossed, yeah I'm in one piece." Shagaru said, growling as he looks over to where the Wraithbeast is. "That said, those four are a massive pain in the ass and if we don't do something, we're gonna have a bigger disaster on our hands."
"Can't you use that thing you transformed against the Savage Dracon?" One of the foot soldiers wondered as she blocks an incoming sword strike and allowing her allies to finish the orc.
"Collateral damage." Shagaru replied grimly. "With the alliance tightly packed here, I would run into accidentally stepping on all of you and even if given the chance, I can only focus on one target at the time." He didn't say it out loud, but there's also the problem of keeping the Qurio in line. Fighting four demons at once would allow his control over them to wane and the Qurio would attack everything on sight, whether they were allies or enemies.
Safi'jiiva is out of the question. Using the Sapphire of the Emperor risks friendly fire and no magic, barring Celestine's and Olga's, can replicate the shed skin of Xeno'jiiva to withstand the effects. So is Shara Ishvalda as he has no control over his power on making earthquakes and would throw Eostia in complete disarray if he even tries to go all out.
The Monster Shifter racked his brain to try to think of another form to use. Then his eyes landed on the Crystal Pillars and an insane yet bold idea came to mind. It's risky but much better than the other alternatives. "Janne. Reroute all the soldiers towards the trees on the southwest parts. I have an insane and stupid idea, but one that guarantees the complete destruction of the demons." He said.
"And how are we going to do that, exactly?" Iris raised an eyebrow. With the Wraithbeast and three Ice Worms active, there was going to be mass casualties in the process and Jack admitting his best Monsters would risk hurting his own allies was a detriment as well.
"Simple, I'm the bait." Shagaru said simply. Before she can react, the Elder Dragon spreads his wings and takes flight, flying over the demon horde, specifically where the Wraithbeast and Ice Worms are. "Hey assholes, come and get me!" He taunted, firing several Frenzy Virus powered energy blasts unto multiple demons that caught their attention and all roared as they unleashed their breath attacks in an attempt to hit him, which he dodged with ease. The Ice Worms slithered away from the humans and after him, crushing any demons unable to get out of their way whilst the Wraithbeast leaped
"Andros!" Iris shouted, reaching forward with her hand before Janne pulled her back. When she turns to argue with the blonde princess, she shakes her head. "I don't know what he's planning, but he's buying us time. We can't let his efforts go to waste." She told her. Janne could understand Iris' frustration and worry. Aside from doing something so impulsive, if the Monster Shifter fall in battle, it would completely demoralize the coalition and a repeat of the failed expedition is inevitable.
But at the same time, Jack had engaged the Savage Dracon and came out victorious. Whatever he planned by being the bait, Janne was sure he had an idea to turn the tide of the battle. The princess of the Holy Aurelian Kingdom clenched her fists but slowly nods her head in agreement. "Soldiers, form a defensive line back to the trees!" Iris barked at the soldiers with shields, who raise them and began making a tactical retreat while making sure to cut down any demon that tries to attack them. Farasha and Claudia joining them as they form a perimeter.
Back with Shagaru Magala, he was swerving in the air to avoid being hit by the Ice Worms' ice beams. He narrowed avoided one aimed at his face. Despite their hueg size, the Ice Worms are able to slither at speeds that allowed them to keep up with the Elder Dragon who was already booking it towards the Crystal Pillars.
'Almost there!' He thought, seeing he was at the nearest Crystal Pillar while avoiding whatever weapons or spells the demons below could throw at him. However, a roar catches his attention and he barely looks behind him before a black sphere of dark magic struck him from behind, making him roar in agony as the Wraithbeast delivers a well-placed shot. This gave one of the Ice Worms the chance to fire its ice beam, hitting the Elder Dragon's right wing.
Without one of his wings to support him, Shagaru barrel rolls towards the Crystal Pillars. The humans saw this and gasped while the demons cheered, thinking the Monster Shifter is going to be defeated. Little they know about his real plan.
"NOW!" Shagaru yells as he slaps the MonTrix right before he is about to collide against the pink wall in front of him. A dark blue flash consumes him and everyone witnesses the light. Anyone's who witnessed the Battle for the Bread Hills know that the massive flash bigger than the usual means that Jack is going shapeshift into something massive.
Claudia's heart nearly stopped. Is Jack going to use the Monster he calls "Gaismagorm", the one he used to overpower the Savage Dracon? Despite his earlier claims of not wanting to use it for fear of friendly fire, it seems that the desperation forced him anyways. The thought of those flying leeches descending into the battlefield sent shivers down the Dawn Templar's spine, reliving the moment of them draining the bandits from before.
Yet when the flash disappears and everyone can see again, Claudia could feel her jaw drop and even feel her hands loosen its grip on her sword as it fell with a clang and she heard multiple sounds resonating from both the humans and demons as they slack-jawed at the sight before them
"By Laurentia's name....." Iris gaped besides Claudia as Farasha and Janne looked stunned.
(Dalamadur Battle Theme Part 2 of 2 - Monster Hunter 4)
What Jack transformed into is a massive serpentine-like creature is coiled around one of the Crystal Pillars with red eyes, numerous fangs and many hook-like spikes along its body which start out clustered around its head and neck, and becoming more spread out along its long body, with a small cluster near the tip of its tail, which is topped with a pair of red barbs that it can rattle in a manner similar to rattlesnakes. The back has 2 massive spikes with medium-size ones behind them.
It has a pair of large clawed forearms and another pair on the hind legs, though it's more akin to small spurs similar to pythons, boas, and anacondas. Its chest has glowing vents, which huffs steam. But the thing that stands out of all is the sheer size and length of the entity.
The highest of the three Crystal Pillars stands almost 990 feet in height, surpassed only by even the short mountains in Eostia. The monster currently coiled around the structure surpasses it by more than 400+ feet, hence why it literally towers above them all. They would've thought an ancient beast like the Savage Dragon had awakened to destroy everything if not for the all-too familiar black and blue hourglass symbol seen on the right shoulder of it.
"DALAMADUR!" The Serpent King Elder Dragon bellows, his voice booming for miles and causing demons closest to it to be knocked down by the shockwave. Humans and demons alike stared agape as they're too shocked to say any words. They thought Gaismagorm was already huge, but Dalamadur dwarfs even the Archdemon of the Abyss.
Suddenly Farasha and Janne realized why their mothers agreed when Celestine proposed for an alliance to take back the Forgotten Everlands, as a means of showing Jack that the kingdoms and Eostia as a whole was not seeking to control him. Because the high elf was afraid of the Monster Shifter turning on them if he thinks they're out to put him on a leash.
The silence was only cut when several ice breams struck the chest of the Elder Dragon courtesy of the Ice Worms. Even the Wraithbeast joined in by grabbing whatever it can, be it boulders or even corpses of other demons and chucking them at Dalamadur in the hopes of taking it down. However, his sheer size, coupled with the scales, for protection, means Dalamadur barely registers whatever's hitting him. It was the equivalent of an adult being pelted by a child with crumbled paper balls.
"That's the best you can do? I've seen prostitutes hit harder!" Dalamadur mocked the Wraithbeast and the Ice Worms' efforts. In response, the Elder Dragon opens his jaws wide like an anaconda as he channels white and blue flames before unleashing a massive flamethrower formed like a vortex straight at them. The three giant demons barely managed to slip away but one Ice Worm was too slow and shrieks in agony as the flame melted its icy armor and burned alive, writhing in a vain attempt to put out the flames, crushing more monsters underneath it or unintentionally setting them ablaze in the process.
The remaining Ice Worms roar in anger and fires their ice beams to avenge their brethren. The Wraithbeast opens its mouth and fires a dark colored energy beam as well, hitting Dalamadur squarely in the chest. Yet once again, the Serpent King Elder Dragon barely acknowledges them as he hisses.
"DIE! Dalamadur roars, rearing his up rear up and roaring to the skies. Suddenly, dozens of meteors covered in blue and white flames descends from above and headed straight towards the demon horde, rocking the battlefield as explosions and bodies flying joins the cacophony of of wails and shrieks of the the victims. (1) Most of the alliance were safe thanks Jack's idea of retreating to the southwest where the thick forest would provide protection if debris flew about.
If there were any human survivors after being raped, tortured or devoured alive by the monsters, Dalamadur has given them the small comfort of a quick death to end their suffering. "Holy shit." One of the archers muttered as the alliance witness the massacre in front of their eyes.
"Seriously, how many monsters does this Andros guy has?!" Another soldier whispered. "At this point, many nobles would try to flock to Celestine to have him by their side."
"Hmph! Knowing nobles, they'll probably start to claim stakes on the Monster Shifter to increase their influence." A female knight scoffed, making some nod their heads in agreement. Janne, Farasha and Iris overheard this and grim expression crossed their faces knowing how politics work. They would notify their mothers (Farasha and Janne at least, Iris would report this to Serafina who shares a shard of Laurentia like Celestine) and hope that no one would be stupid enough to try it.
By the time the meteor shower ended, 55% of the horde were dead, some using the corpses as shields. The Wraithbeast lost four tentacles while the Ice Worms had there horns broken. But they remain the most stubborn as they attacked the Elder Dragon once more, using whatever energy they have to unleash their strongest breath attacks. Some gargoyles and imp joined in despite the massive size disadvantage. Though their efforts, once again, did little to hurt the Elder Dragon.
"Still up for more?" Dalamadur questioned with a smirk. "Because I have one more trick up my sleeve!" His tail reaches for the MonTrix symbol and turned it vertically. But rather than change form, Dalamadur's color changed from blue-ish gray to red and gold. And if one looked closer, more forward facing hooks appear from its upper head and gotten bigger.
"SHAH DALAMADUR!" The Serpent Emperor Elder Dragon bellows. Normally ice attacks would have some effect in this form, but since his body is stone cold at the moment, it deflected some of the pain. And Shah Dalamadur would quickly eliminate the threat by unleashing his far more powerful flamethrower vortex breath attack on the Wraithbeast and Ice Worms, causing their roars on pain to be heard by everyone as they're incinerated by the flames.
Not content with just that, Elder Dragon moves his head and upper body around around as he delivers a sweeping attack to eradicate the smaller demons into oblivion. Seeing the deaths of the Wraithbeast and Ice Worms, the demon horde's moral completely broke as they made a hasty retreat, trampling over each other as they fled from the Serpent Emperor Elder Dragon to avoid becoming barbeque. Though being punished by Olga would hardly seem better, at the very least she still needs them alive for her army.
Shah Dalamadur hisses with delight seeing the remaining demons going back to Garan. He easily could've attacked from his position but decided leaving them alive would send a message to Olga about him not playing around. "And don't ever fucking come back!" He barked at them. Once the last of the demons faded into view, silence remained before Shah Dalamadur rears his head up and roars to the skies, showing to the world that the battle is won.
(Quest Complete! - Main Theme version - Monster Hunter World OST)
Soon the sounds of cheering broke it as the alliance soldiers stepped out of their hiding places and celebrated their victory. Hugs, shaking hands, and even throwing their helmets into the air in jubilation as the humans triumphed over the demons and regained their honor in reclaiming the Forgotten Everlands.
As the humans celebrated, Shah Dalamadur looks over to where Garan and the Black Fortress where, narrowing his eyes. He was aware that Olga would not take the loss of the Forgotten Everlands lightly and was either planning to send spies to infiltrate them or assassins to eliminate him before he becomes too much of a threat.
'But until we cross that bridge, we need to capitalize on securing as much as the Forgotten Everlands as we can before Olga decides to counterattack regardless of how many losses she had taken.' Shah Dalamadur thought as he slithers down from the Crystal Pillar and transforms back into Jack. Not soon after, he was swarmed by many alliance soldier who congratulated him and patted him, even raising him on their shoulders as the Monster Shifter awkwardly smiled, giving a thumbs up.
Black Fortress
"I see." Olga frowned when her spies returned and gave their findings on the most recent events. The alliance had reclaimed the Forgotten Everlands and are now building a base on it to solidify their foothold on it. Well technically, it was Jack Andros who did most of the heavy lifting. Once again, he shocked Eostia with a massive snake-like monster that dwarfed even the Monster he used to defeat the Savage Dracon.
The monster who fled from the Everlands following the deaths of the Wraithbeast and Ice Worms sought refuge in the Savage Badlands which was causing trouble for them as they already had monsters who refuse to leave Garan in fear of being targeted by the Monster Shifter. She would've dealt with them but her powers waning, she's forced to reserve her strength lest the leash holding the demons back broke and it would cause more trouble for them in the long run.
Still, Jack has yet to show hostility towards dark elves outside of those with the intent to kill him. Olga then a bright idea. Despite his feats, Andros is still a human and mostly importantly, a man. Perhaps he can be "persuaded" by other means if brute force didn't work. On the subject of monsters, Olga has yet to receive reports on the scouts she'd send several weeks ago. Either they'd been killed by adventurers and patrolling knights or decided to look for female cunts to used. Olga scoffed, she swore to punish them if they ever return.
After all, it's not like they allied themselves with humans.