MonsieurShade

Monster hunter,

Bones, meat, skin, sinew, claws, and teeth, all very useful things to a hunter. Each with it's own particular use both to hunter and civilian alike. Jacque, having claimed his prize, stood by and watched the others work for a moment, taking the opportunity to cram the second herb into his mouth before setting his sights on the large body of the fallen Great Jaggi. Reema had stripped away a good portion of the body parts used, however there was one thing that she'd neglected. "One last thing before we go.", He strode over to the corpse and began tugging a bit at the exposed flesh along the back legs. After wiping away a bit of the steadily coagulating blood Jacque produced his own hunting knife and inserted it into the heel of the Jaggi. He worked quickly, his experience as a fisherman having taught him to slice and firmly and persistently pull at the flesh in one smooth motion to get the best results.

Jacque came away with a long white strip of sinew, the achilles of the Great Jaggi, and draped it over his arm before he repeated the process with the other leg. Sinew was one of the many things that hunters that used melee weapons overlooked, however Jacque knew well how useful the stuff was. Tough and resilient, and yet brilliantly elastic, monster sinew made for a brilliant binding tool. Jacque had even heard rumors that monster sinew even saw use as bow strings for hunters that preferred ranged weaponry, although he'd yet to find a bow user to ask if it was true or not.

His final prize collected, Jacque turned to the other three hunters and beamed at them. The moment they got back he was certain that everyone would probably tend to their weapons and any wounds that they had, he was no exception. But there was no way in hell that he would allow them to end their day with just that. "When get get back and finish cleaning and patching ourselves and our gear up, I say we celebrate. Food and drinks on !" he barked. With the way Jacque spoke it sounded as if he didn't even remotely entertain the idea that the others might have preferred to rest. With him it was work hard, celebrate harder, and rest when you no longer had the strength to physically move. He picked up the Jaggi's head and tucked it under his arm before moving to help Reema with the hide. About halfway through lifting it, Jacque turned to Elysia and nodded to her, "Elysia, right? I trust you're joining us on the festivities, yeah? We missed you at the meet n' greet yesterday so today seems as good a time as any for us to get to know you. Besides, I want to see if you can party as hard as you fight!".

Monster hunter,

"Well, this wasn't exactly how I expected my first hunt off the island to go, but it sure as hell was fun! Suffice to say we're brothers in blood now!", Jacque stated as he picked up his helmet and gingerly sheathed his sword before belting out a slightly pained laugh. With the adrenaline from battle still pumping through his veins and holding most of the pain at bay, the hunter found himself to be positively giddy at the moment. The pint sized newcomer was showing an almost surprising amount of regret despite her previously fiery temper, something Jacque found to be mildly amusing, "Don't worry about it, this sort of stuff comes with the job after all.".

Jacque started to move towards the spot where the head of the Great Jaggi used to be, then clucked his tongue softly in mild annoyance as he found himself met with a stump. The head had rolled down the hill at the lip of the cave. A minor inconvenience, but one that could be quickly remedied. "Huh. Guess i'd better go get that head back back if we're to bring a proper trophy. Don't want the villagers to thing we just happened upon a carcass after all.". He began trudging down the hill without bothering to wait for a response for the others, doing a bit of a self checkup as he went. Though the armor had done its job, his shoulder was throbbing- Jacque knew that after a thorough cleaning of the tooth marks he could expect a nice crop of scabs and more than a few bruises in the morning-, his hand was singing a similar tune, though to remedy that he'd be needing a few stitches and a potion, his head was starting to hurt a bit from the collision with the Great Jaggi's jaw, and his legs cramped from being pinned under the beast. All in all a productive day in the life of a monster hunter.

Jacque rifled through his armor a bit and came away with an herb which quickly found itself being crammed into his mouth. Adrenaline may have been one hell of a drug, but Jacque knew the moment he came down from that high he'd be hitting the dirt real quick without something to heal him up a bit and numb the pain. He powered through the bitter tasting plant as he came face to face with the blank stare of the Great Jaggi's head. Detached from the body the thing almost looked fake; with it's leathery scales, frill, and the outcropping of fur on the top of it's head, it looked as though it had been cobbled together with parts from different creatures to see what suck. Still, bizarre or not the beast was a holy thing, and it deserved to be treated as such. Jacque knelt down and placed his helmet beside the Jaggi's head, "I thank you for honoring me with combat, and for giving me the opportunity to see how my comrades fight. I hope that you final moments were grand." he muttered. Jacque traced his hands along the creature's muzzle, trailing them upwards slightly as he bend down and pressed his forehead against the head of the Jaggi. He stayed like that for a few seconds, almost entering a trance like state before he snapped back to reality.

After donning his helmet once more, Jacque hefted up the head of the Jaggi and trudged back up the hill, taking a tad bit longer than before due to the incline and the additional weight. "Well friends-" He began once reaching the top, "I say now's as good a time as any to take our carves and whatever else we need and get gone before something else shows up. It'd be just our luck if a successful hunt got cut short by something bigger an' meaner arriving on the scene.". His warning given Jacque gently placed the head on the ground and turned expectantly to Elysia, "I trust you're getting a carve or two as well for your efforts, yeah? Might not be the kelbi you wanted, but hey, better than nothing, right?".

Monster hunter,

Jacque felt relief crash over him as the swarm of Jaggi he'd been trying to guide into Roland was dispersed in a flurry of blades. The large hunter may have had strength to spare, but his stamina would have only lasted him but so long if he'd continued to waste his energy on false attacks. "Seems like a fair trade. The next blow is mine!" Jacque roared thunderously, excitement visible on his face as he realized that he was now free to really throw his weight around.

The hunter sheathed his weapon and took off like a shot while Reema and Roland did their part and kept the rest of the pack off of him. The Great Jaggi, despite being on death's door, still had a bit of fight left in it. Upon hearing the clanking of Jacque's armor as he rapidly approached, the Great Jaggi turned so that it's flanks were facing both Jacque and Elysia. Jacque drew his weapon in response to the action as he prepared for what he figured would be a standard hip check. He was surprised when the monster spun around with swiftness that could only be considered impressive considering it's grievous injuries, catching Jacque's shoulder with its massive tail as it twisted around to snap at him. Jacque grit his teeth as he felt a dull pain in his right shoulder where the tail had struck him like a metal rod. He spun with the momentum, ducking just in time to avoid having his head torn off by the monster's snapping jaws, although his helmet was knocked off when his head collided with the lower jaw.

He tensed and brought his weapon high over head as he got a good view of Reema's handiwork on the Great jaggi's exposed flank. Time seemed to slow a bit for Jacque as his vision tunneled. He glanced about wildly at each visible cut, looking for a good opening. 'There!' Jacque's mind screamed as he eyed a branch of cuts branching up from the beast's underbelly. Muscles developed over many years of labor brought the great sword down on the cluster of cuts, leaving a ragged tear in the weapon's wake as the weapon dug in, tore free, and lost sharpness all in the span of two seconds. The results were decidedly less than pretty: A gouge of blood and what Jacque could only assume to be a coil of small intestine spilled from the wound. The Great Jaggi bellowed in agony and rage before it spun around for one last attack, defiant even in it's last moments.

Jacque felt a combination of intense pressure and a series of knife-like pricks in his right shoulder as the Great Jaggi's teeth sunk in. At full health the beast might have very well torn the armor and a chunk of flesh free with the action, but alas, this was not the case. The monster could only drool and hold Jacque in it's jaws, giving two or three weak shakes of its head as shock set in and its body started to give out. His weapon clenched in his right hand, Jacque found himself in need of a different weapon to finish the job. Fortunately for him, the Great Jaggi happened to be sprouting a weapon out of its head.

The hunter planted his feet and reached over with his left hand, doing his best to ignore the jolts of pain that his right shoulder offered in protest. The handle of the switch axe was much too far to reach, however the blade itself was a different story entirely. Jacque gripped a portion of the weapon and pressed down with all of his strength, feeling the blade bite into his gloved hand as it penetrated the skull of the Great Jaggi. It was at this moment that he was grateful that the blade wasn't at full sharpness, after all; between the shuddering of the monster and the resistance it's skull offered to the intrusive weapon, Jacque felt as though part of his hand may have very well have been sheared off by his actions rather than simply cut open. There was a sickening cracking sound before the Great Jaggi offered up one last shudder and crumpled to the ground, bringing Jacque down with it. Tired and bloodied Jacque managed to pry his arm out of the beast's mouth, though he could do little else more besides squirm with futility as the dead Jaggi's weight pressed down on his legs.

Monster hunter,

"This is shaping up to be one hell of a day..." Jacque mused aloud as he followed after his companions to aid the new arrival on the scene. The hunter launched himself from the ledge and landed with a roll and a short grunt of discomfort as his armor pinched him in a few places. His plans were shot, this was a small source of annoyance to him, as was the fact that the calamitous noise that came with the new hunter's assault on the Jaggi pack and their leader could very well lead to some unwanted attention.

Jacque rose and pulled his weapon from his back, but did not engage immediately. Keeping the great sword directly in front of him, Jacque slowly began to encircle the other fighters, occasionally making a mock lunge at a Jaggi that veered a bit too close for his tastes as he tried to get a feel of what was going on. Reema and Roland were holding their own, much to his approval, and it even seemed as though a plan was being worked to coerce the Great Jaggi into a pinch maneuver. Jacque, for his part, began doing what he could to act as crowd control, lest the large beast try and fall behind it's emboldened allies. The hunter snarled and swung his weapon in a wide horizontal arc, putting only enough force into it to convince the jaggi attempting to swarm him that getting close was a bad idea. The idea was further concreted when one jaggi attempted to lunge at Jacque from behind, mistaking his large and clunky appearance to mean he was slow, only to find itself impaled on the vicious blades of his swords when he twisted around with almost monstrous speed. Jacque was all too familiar with the way pack hunters liked to operate: cut off, crowd, and attack the blind spots, a standard tactic that he'd seen many times with velociprey. It was only too unfortunate for the Jaggi that they weren't quite as swift in their attack as the prey family tended to be.

Jacque twisted back around and flung the body of the Jaggi at it's comrades with a wet sucking sound as flesh was yanked away from metal. The other Jaggi, in response to the sight of the broken body of their pack mate being thrown at them, deftly sidestepped and jumped out of the way. "What are you waiting for? I'm here! COME AT ME!" Jacque barked as he lunged forward again with his weapon to force the other Jaggi to either sidestep or jump back. He continued to work the group of jaggi that attempted to surround him, stepping in time with each lunge to get them to move in the direction he wanted them to. Adding to this Jacque would occasionally widen the arc of his swings, serving two purposes: the first and most obvious was to prevent a rear attack like that which was being set up for the Great Jaggi, and the second -and more important- reason, was to ensure the jaggi focused almost exclusively on Jacque as he slowly guided them closer and closer to Roland.

Monster hunter,

Jacque's face was an unreadable slab as he crept around Reema to get a look at the beasts that milled about below their hiding spot. His movements were different than the casual loping manner that he'd used to get to the caves. The clanking that had come with his previously leisurely gait was deafened to near imperceivable levels that would have required either prior knowledge of his presence, or for one to specifically be focusing on the sounds around them to pick up on. "I packed pretty light today since I wasn't expecting to run into something big. Got all the hunting essentials, but i'm pretty low on medicinal aids." Jacque whispered as he spared a glance at Roland.

He was a tad worried about Roland's change of mood, fearing that the other man might jump into things too fast if his mind wasn't in the right place. Still, the prospect of a hunt, and of the chance of seeing how the other two would operate was extremely tempting. Jacque's jaw tensed a bit as he weighed the pros and cons of a battle at the moment before he spoke once more, "I'm still up for a fight provided we're all good to go. But first i'd suggest finding a way around the Jaggi to further into the cave and find what we set out for, then take them on the way out. We might find something useful in there that could help us. Not to mention it'd give us a chance to figure out wether or not we want just the Jaggi or the entire pack, Great Jaggi included.".

Monster hunter,

Though it may have been a joke at his expense Jacque took pride in Reema's remark regarding how his appearance might have served to draw the attention of beasts. The armor he wore was one that he himself had painstakingly collected the components for, and as such, he tended to it just as much as he did his weapon. As the trio moved farther and farther away from the world of man Jacque became a little less animated, making very little sound save for the occasional sigh of contentment or the odd sniff to see what scents the breeze carried with it. This was true bliss for the hunter. He may have relished the feeling of being in a village, but absolutely nothing could compare with being in the wild: The open space, the variable scents and sounds, and the view of the beasts as the roamed free, it all resonated with Jacque in ways he could never describe in words.

The thought of fighting a Rathalos out here, however, was very easy for Jacque to describe, "It'd certainly be a difficult battle. Plenty of open sky for the king to take flight for an advantage. No dense forest would mean that it'd have no issue making split second movements by land or air either. Winning a fight like that out here would certainly be something to remember. Still, the sky kings aren't what I would be most worried about meeting out here.". Jacque gestured to the grazing herd of Aptonoth, briefly chuckling as he watched a few of the older infants play in between the bodies of their elders, "I'd more so be worried about running across a Deviljho. The ravenous beasts are highly nomadic since their extreme metabolism forces them to devour anything that can't run away quick enough. A herd like this? Full of younglings? Easy pickings.". To Jacque all monsters were sacred, but there were only a few that he truly feared. The deviljho was one such monster- a hyper predator that dethroned and devoured nearly anything that stood in its path.

He felt a chill go up his spine at the thought of running across the creature out here with him so unprepared for true combat. Jacque forced himself to brush aside his fear as he considered where he believed the trio's next move would be. The sea was definitely a place he wanted to visit soon, it showed it his eyes as he peeked over Reema's shoulder and they lingered on the patch on the map. He wanted to see if he could find his true quarry, but not yet. He was still too inexperienced, not to mention woefully under equipped. If he was to visit the sea it was to be done with a hunt in mind. "I say we go to the caves for now." He reached over Reema's shoulder and tapped the spot on the map with a nod, braids bouncing with the action, "Might be a good place to dig up some mushrooms for later. I may not be familiar with the lay of the land here but unless i'm wrong, mushrooms like to grow where there is little light, yes?".

Monster hunter,

"So I'm the last to arrive, eh? Sorry for the wait my friends, found a rusted patch on my armor and couldn't bring myself to leave until it was gone!" Jacque stated upon finally coming into view, adding with his statement a hearty laugh as he plodded towards Reema and Ronald in his armor. Though a coat of mist cover the land Jacque's armor still managed to give off a luminous shine whenever the stray beam of sunlight caught the right patch. The massive sword on his back rattled lightly with each step, it's massive tooth like spines creating an interesting keening/squawking sort of sound as they occasionally rubbed against armor, not unlike the vocalizations of the creatures both the weapon and armor were made from.

The excitement was visible on Jacque's face as he came to a stop and placed his hands on his hips. It being his first time hunting with someone else gave Jacque high hopes for the day, both in terms of learning and coming across something good to bring back. As this was mean to be a simple scouting jaunt, his load out was light; a whetstone and two dried herbs that he'd brought from overseas. He lamented the fact that he was unaware that the felyne cook offered the first meal for free, as he would have simply waited until the morning came to purchase a steak rather than the fish he'd eaten yesterday. Such was the way things were, Jacque supposed. "SO!" He all but barked with glee, "Are we ready to set off then?".

Monster hunter,

Jacque let go of the breath he held and chuckled a bit with relief as he found his answer well received. Ronald's answer was a bit different that his own, though Jacque found that he could definitely understand the other hunter's line of reasoning. Monsters were so unlike humans: A man could be innocent and pious all throughout his life, but in the end even the most honorable of men could be made to lie and cheat if given the proper motivations, a monster on the other hand, simply was. A monster could not lie, for it could not be honest, no more so than a gust of wind or a crashing of waves could be. Monsters were simply divine forces of nature, above the petty machinations of man.

Jacque's more excitable demeanor returned as he took Reema's free hand, this time not content this time to wait for Ronald to finish. Rather than a regular shake, Jacque firmly gripped Reema's hand and brought both of their arms onto the table, looking for all the world as though he intended to arm wrestle. Following this, Jacque leaned over the table and, after a few awkward attempts did the the same with Ronald's free hand. The result was Jacque sitting with arms crossed over one another as he gripped his new comrades hands, "It's settled then, yes? WE HUNT,erm, SCOUT AT DAWN!" he roared cheerfully.

The Many Adventures of the Life Guards (Shade and Diz)

Having been in the process of helping Viola lift a large crate housing a quartet of cheetah cubs, Reece found himself jolting upwards with a barely suppressed yelp of surprise at the sudden intrusion into his mind. The action caused him to release the crate, leaving his partner to stumble and let go as well before she could get her fingers smashed under the heavy wood. "The fuck is your problem man?! Are you trying to damage the supplies!?", The woman hissed venomously as Reece looked around wildly. Reece looked at her incredulously "You didn't hear that just now?!", "Hear what? Your retarded ass mouth breathing? Or the sound of your noodle arms straining to lift the crate?", "Oh ha-ha, very funny. Those voices just now, you didn't hear it?". Viola's face scrunched up in confusion, "Voices? What voices?" "You're shitting me, right? I swear it sounded like people whispering. Like, A LOT of people."

Viola rolled her eyes with disgust and gestured to the open expanse of dark beach, "There's one around for miles. The only one I hear right now is you blabbering instead of helping me with this crate.". Reece couldn't believe it, he'd heard the voices as clear as day. It wasn't like he was high, Manny already said that he would kill him if he tried sampling the supplies, that is, if he wasn't handed over to the Penguin instead. 'One toe out of line, and the Penguin will kill you' Reece felt a cold spot form in his stomach as the message slowly replayed in his subconscious. He'd always considered himself a hardened man, ran with a few gangs in his youth, served time for grandtheft and assault, but his partners? His boss? They were stone cold killers. Reece didn't realize Viola had been trying to get his attention until she punched him in the chest. He flinched and buckled over slighty, "Done day dreaming, asshole? We don't have all night you know. Hurry up and-" THUMP. Both Reece and Viola jolted with a start as the heavy hands of Percy came down on the large crate and effortlessly hoisted it into the air, "You two still haven't loaded this yet? What's the hold up? We're on a time crunch ain't we?" The impossibly large man rumbled with a voice comparable to roiling thunderclouds.

Viola shrugged and gestured to Reece, "Says he's hearing voices", "Oh yeah? And what are the voices saying?". Reece looked up at Percy and properly drank in just how much larger than him he was. Reece was no shortstack, standing at an even six foot with a body built from more than his fair share of brawls and heavy lifting, but Percy? Percy was an absolute monster in comparison. He towered over Reece by nearly seven inches, and had a physique that suggested that the man would have been far better suited to wrestling grizzly bears than working as hired muscle. A glance at Percy's large hands instantly tipped Reece off to the fact that Percy could have very easily wrapped them around his throat and crushed his windpipe rather than just grabbing him earlier. "It's nothing. Guess the wind's just playing tricks on me." Reece said in a hushed tone. Percy and Viola only glanced at one another and shrugged, "If it's nothing then stop wasting time. Viola, Manny wants you to take another patrol shift while Reece and I unload this stuff. Reece, pick up that bird cage over there. You screw this job up for us and I swear i'll snap your neck." Percy stated in a disturbingly calm and measured tone.

As Viola set off to look around and Percy carried off the crate of cubs, Reece picked up the kestrel cage that had been dropped a bit earlier and started to move forward. He was surprised to find out as he took his first step that he was shaking quite badly. The voices, disturbing though they may have been, might have had a point...

Monster hunter,

Everything seemed to be going well thus far. Jacque found himself pleased with the way his would be comrades were responding to one another, as well as himself. Better still, Reema seemed rather open to jumping right into the thick of things first thing tomorrow provided she liked what she'd heard, a plus if he'd ever seen one. Still, as Ronald finished explaining his own views on the hunt Jacque found his smile fading a bit as he realized that his own answer may end up sending up a few red flags if he worded it improperly.
While some hunted for glory, or for the sport of the hunt, Jacque viewed what he did as fate at work. To him monsters he fought were more than mere beasts; they were sacred things, beings of a great and sometimes divine nature who stood as the ultimate challenge for man to face. Jacque took another bite of his food and chewed slowly, acting as if he were seriously debating what to him was a question with an obvious answer.

After mulling over how he'd going about saying it Jacque took a swig of his drink and cleared his throat. "Well, you don't have to worry about me doing this for fame and fortune. I find the creatures that I hunt to be a true testament to one's skill, and to the determination one has to face down any challenge in their path. If you want me to go on a more personal level, I find these monsters to be creatures borne of a divine source. I even consider a few to be as gods that have taken solid form. I could care less about hunting monsters for popularity, all I want to do is honor them the only way I can: By answering their challenge with sweat, steel, and blood, even if it costs me my life. If my answer satisfies you then I would be happy to accompany you on your scouting.".

Though he spoke with pride there was a wavering note of caution in Jacque's voice as he'd explained his motivations. He remained calm and collected on the outside, though on the inside he was on pins and needles as he waited to see whether or not Reema and Ronald would take what he'd said serious, or if they'd simply write him off as crazy.