Dragon Quest Monsters

[A.J.]

(This is my first RP of Dragon Quest and I have minimal knowledge of the topic, only having played Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest Monsters 2 for the Game Boy Color, so bear with me. In this Fan-Fiction, the Monsters are able to talk!)

Prologue


Morrie looked out at the ocean from atop his small house, a slight breeze blowing his brightly colored scarf behind him. Sighing, his eyes went from the distant waves to the sunset above him, a beautiful sight.

"Another is needed. One...better than the rest. Monsters are stirring, and only the chosen can stop them. I fear that Devin may be approaching. His team is unbeatable, even by me. Only one person has ever defeated him, and that was long ago. But where will such a person be found? I cannot tell, for only the Goddess herself is aware of the fate of our beautiful lands." He said to himself, lowering his eyes to the ground.

Chapter 1: Hope

A.J. ran through the woods, trying to avoid the children who planned to jump him and take his money.

"****!" He shouted as he ran through a small clearing, revealing a metallic shack. He tripped over a small root protruding from the ground, just as his pursuers came into view.

"Hey, there he is! Get him!" One of them shouted, pointing straight at A.J., whose eyes were filled with fear. Morrie, observing the affair, snapped his fingers. Morrie's Hell Warrior hopped down in front of A.J., blocking the others' path to him.

"What the hell is that thing!?" One shouted.

"Crap, a monster!" Another screamed, taking off. The others followed his example, soon becoming shadows in the dense forest.

"Are you ok?" Morrie asked as he hopped down from his roof. A.J. slowly nodded and clumsily pulled himself to his feet.

"Whoa...how did you get a monster to help me?" He asked curiously.

"I am a monster tamer. It is simple, once you get used to it." Morrie stated proudly.

"Cool! How do I become one!?" A.J. exclaimed.

"Well, there's two options. The first one is that you pay millions of dollars for scouts to find a team of monsters, and then pay me a few million more to participate in my arena. Or, you can get a list from me containing relatively weak-leveled monsters to find. When you find all three, you come back here. I'll see what happens then." Morrie said, noting the shock on A.J.'s face from the first option.

"Well, I guess I can try the list...is it hard to find them?" A.J. replied.

"No, but that is only because you need to do more than find them. By defeating them in combat, you earn the right to have them accompany you on your journey." Morrie stated, trying to make it as easy as possible for A.J. to understand.

"Does that mean I have to fight them? Well, I guess I could try. I need a weapon though..." A.J. said, trailing off.

"Hmm...I'll be right back. Stay here." He said, taking off in the direction of his home as A.J. stared blankly at him.

"I guess I can spare a rusty sword...as for the list, I've got one in mind..." Morrie thought as he grabbed a sword that was being displayed at the reception area of his arena. Sticking his hand into his pocket, he grabbed a small slip of paper and exited the home.

"These should do..." He said, handing the items to A.J., who immediately slung the sword around his back. A.J. picked up the note and read it:

Here is the Monster List, which you must both find and successfully capture to become an Official Monster Tamer. Here is the full information you need on them:

Name: Devi
Species: Dracky
Location: Where the sea air is salty and fresh.

Name: Anvil
Species: Hammerhood
Location: A town of thieves and crooks alike.

Name: Komo
Species: Komodo
Location: A place where wishes come true.


A.J. read the note over again and again, memorizing every detail.

"The first one is an easy one, and close to our location as well. I did it purposely so you would have a partner to bring with you, so you won't be alone." Morrie said as he winked at A.J., who tilted his head a bit.

"But...aren't you coming with me? Isn't it dangerous out there?" A.J. asked, puzzled. Morrie shook his head and turned to face the direction of the sea. A.J. watched his eyes flicker, as if he was giving off a hint, then understood partially.

"Is one of them over there?" A.J. asked, hoping for a straight answer.

"I don't know, you tell me." Morrie replied. A.J., a little angered by Morrie's carelessness of his well-being, stormed off towards the sandy hill that made up the shore.

"Heh, who knows? He might actually make it..." Morrie said as a small giggle escaped his throat.

   A.J.'s eyes flicked around his unfamiliar surroundings, looking for even the slightest hint of danger. A few gulls flew by in the distance, but that was all that was in plain sight. Suddenly, a small giggle erupted behind him, and A.J. turned and whipped out his sword, slashing at the noises' source.

"Watch it!" A small demon-like creature shouted as it dodged A.J.'s attack and flew above him.

"Are you Devi?" A.J. shouted as he raised his sword in a professional-like manner.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" It replied as it shot a small fire spell at A.J., who hopped out of the way just in time, avoiding a rather "crispy" end.

"I've been sent to defeat you and recruit you to my monster team!" A.J. shouted proudly. Devi laughed for a moment, then dove down at A.J., trying to hit him. A.J. sidestepped and stuck out the dull end of his blade, which the creature hit subtly.

"Oww...not bad for a novice, but your not gonna beat me!" Devi shouted as it retreated above A.J., trying to recover from it's previous attempt.

"I'm more than a match for you!" A.J. shouted, spinning his blade then dropping it. Blushing, A.J. bent down to pick it up.

"More than a match? You're like 14! What are you gonna do? Drop your sword on me, like you just did?" Devi shouted as it laughed at its own joke, and A.J.'s mistake. A.J., enraged, heaved his sword into the air, straight towards the Dracky.

"What the he-" Devi begun, but was cut off by the sudden impact against its throat. It fell helplessly to the floor.

"L..lucky throw..." It said weakly as a last attempt at a joke. A.J. shot his arm into the air.

"Hell yeah!" He shouted, then ran over to Devi, who begun lifting itself up.

"Well...I know when I'm beat. But I'm NOT calling you master!" Devi joked, walking over to A.J., who was flooded with joy.

"One down, two to go!" A.J. said to himself as he pulled out the small note Morrie had given him and sloppily crossed out Devi's name on it with the tip of his sword.

"Hmmph...so where to next?" Devi asked as it settled itself on A.J.'s shoulder. A.J. was about to reply when a shout could be heard from down the shoreline.

"Help!" A feminine-like voice called, and A.J. looked to Devi for guidance.

"Should we go?" He asked.

"Why not? It's not like we can't afford not to." Devi replied lazily, a small yawn escaping from his mouth. A.J. nodded and took off in the direction of the shout.

[A.J.]

Chapter 2: Saviour

"Help me!" The words became louder and louder with each yard A.J. and Devi crossed. Finally, they reached the source. A young girl, about A.J.'s age, was the source. She was hanging off of the base of a cliff with a 50-foot drop until you hit a rough water with rocks spiking through it.

"Don't worry! I'll get help!" A.J. shouted, peering cautiously over the cliff's edge.

"I..I can't hold on much longer!" She shouted, tears swelling in her eyes. A.J. bit his lip, trying to think of how to get her up.

"Got any ideas?" A.J. asked Devi, who was deep in thought.

"Hmmm... maybe we can try pulling her up?" Devi said, but A.J. shook his head.

"She's too far down. We'll have to try something else." He replied. "Maybe you can fly down and pull her up?"

"Nope. I'm not strong enough for that...hey, I've got it! I can go and make a small cave a few feet above the water's surface by bashing it in. Then, you can slide down and grab her, then push both of you into the cave. Then you can hop down into the water." Devi replied, smiling. A.J. considered it for a moments, carefully weighing the options at hand.

"What do we do once we reach the water?" A.J. asked.

"Uh...I didn't get that far." Devi replied hastily, then shot down the cliff's edge, beginning to make the cave. A few moments passed, and then a loud scream followed, breaking the silence. As soon as A.J. heard it he slid down the cliff, grabbing onto the girl just as she let go. Her facial expression was that of both shock and curiosity together. A.J., praying that Devi had finished, closed his eyes and pushed inwards at the same exact spot that Devi had pointed out.

The makeshift cage was barely big enough for both of them, and they had to huddle together to fit.

"We've got to jump out now, or we'll freeze to death in here." A.J. said, and the girl hastily nodded. Gripping his neck, they jumped out of the cave and into the cold waters. Luckily, neither of them hit any rocks as they plunged deep into the icy depths. A.J. felt the girl's grip loosening around his neck and he grabbed her arms, pulling them both above the water.

"Devi! What now?" A.J. screamed in between spitting up a bit of water which had managed to escape into his lungs.

"Woosh!" Devi replied, and a small whirlwind picked up A.J. and the girl and landed them safely on the cliff. A.J. took a moment to look the girl over. Her icy-blue hair, soaked with seawater, lay flat across her back in a tangled mess. She had blood-red eyes, which were returning the same look at A.J., and sharp incisors. Her ears were perked up in an elven-like fashion, and she was about four inches shorter than A.J., who continued to watch her. Around her neck, crossed like an x, were two black straps with a bright white line streaking through them. she had miniature black wings and a long tail, pointed like Devi's.

"Thanks for saving me..." She said as her face turned a deep-red as she noticed A.J. was staring at her.

"Huh? Oh, it was nothing..." He said, smiling in a care-free fashion.

"My name's Dinah. What's yours?" The girl asked.

"I'm A.J., and that's Devi." A.J. replied, pointing at Devi.

"Nice to meet you. I'm sure your wondering how I ended up down there..." She said, trailing off. A.J. nodded.

"Well, I come from a different planet, only accessible by a Gate Key. But I think I dropped it...well, anyways, I came here to see what another world was like. I exited the door onto the cliff and carelessly stepped over the cliff. I started screaming for help, and you came. You pretty much know the story from there..." She said.

"Umm...this may be personal, but, uh, why do you have wings and a tail?" A.J. asked.

"Oh, I was fused with a Dracky, much like Devi, and got these results. It's quite popular in my world. Why, do you not like it?" She asked, concerned.

"N...no! It's not that, it's fine! I was just wondering because I've never seen anything like it." A.J. said, his face turning the same shade of red Dinah's face had been a few moments before. Dinah giggled at A.J. and then turned to the waves.

"I guess I won't be going back to Avalonia for a while then..." She said, sadness creeping inside her. A.J. walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want to come with us? If you've got nowhere to go, then I insist!" A.J. said cheerfully. Dinah's face lit up like a lamp.

"Really!? Do you mean it!?" She exclaimed, and A.J. nodded.

"Thank you!" She repeated again and again as she gave A.J. a gigantic hug.

"She's....crushing me...." He thought as she finally let go.

"So, where exactly are we going?" She asked.

"Uh, we've got to go to Pickham next. But you have to stay near me and Devi there, it's a town filled with theives and common crooks alike. My second monster is there." A.J. said.

"Monster? Do you collect them or something?" She asked, curious.

"Nah, I'm going to be a Monster Tamer!" He said proudly, trying to impress Dinah. Unfortunately, it worked.

"Cool! How do I become one?" She asked.

"Uh, we don't really have time to go back t-" A.J. said, but was cut off by the saddened look on her face. "If we find any monsters on the way that don't have a tamer, we'll recruit it for you!" A.J. covered up, smiling. Dinah's sadness was quickly replaced with happiness.

"Ok. We'd better get going then." Dinah said, hopping up.

"Uh, why?" A.J. asked, confused.

"Well, the sun is setting. We won't make it before dark if we don't go now!" She said, then took off down the main road leading to Pickham.

"Hey, Dinah, wait up!" A.J. shouted, grabbing Devi's arm and taking off after her.

[A.J.]

Chapter 3: Damsel in Distress...Again

Dinah and A.J. reached the gates of Pickham just as the last rays of sunlight beamed down on the surface of the planet.

"Hmm...I suppose we'll need equipment, no?" A.J. asked, looking at Dinah.

"I guess. We can split up, you go buy us some equipment and I'll get a room in the Inn. Do you have any money." Dinah replied.

"Uh, yeah. Here, this should cover it. I'll meet you at the Inn when I'm done. Lock the door when you get in the room, and don't open it for anyone but me. K?" A.J. said, handing her about 10G. Dinah nodded, and begun weaving in and out of the alleyways as A.J. made his way to the equipment shop. He browsed for a few minutes, then selected a nice-looking dagger for Dinah.

"Do you think she'll like it?" A.J. asked Devi, and he nodded. A.J. placed the knife on the counter of the shop and pointed to a new sword on display up top.

"What's special about that sword?" He asked curiously.

"That sword is called, "Tamer's Fantasy". It's a special sword usable only by those who have at least one monster in their team. If you want it, it's 500G." The man, a big, scruffy-looking fellow, said, grabbing it and handing it to A.J. as they exchanged items, money for weapons.

  Dinah heard footsteps behind her. She was sure of it.

"Is anyone there? A.J.?" She called nervously, shuddering. When no reply came, she begun to walk faster and faster, little by little. But it was no use. The man behind her grabbed her and pushed her to the wall. The alcohol in his breath made her wince, and she begun to shake nervously.

"Ey there, little girlie. How about we ave' ourselves a good time?" He asked, releasing one hand and reaching for the zipper on her shirt.

"A.J.! Help me!" She screamed, trying to wriggle free of the man's grip. A.J. perked his head up at the sound of his name and tore out of the store, and new sword already unsheathed.

"Nobody's gonna help you now, little girlie." The man responding, grabbing her zipper and unzipping it very slowly, as if he enjoyed it.

"Hey, ****, leave her the hell alone before I shove this sword so far up your ass, you'll be pissing steel!" A.J. shouted as he pointed his sword straight at the man.

"A.J...." Dinah said quietly as the man dropped her to the ground and pulled out an old, rusted scimitar from his coat.

"Who the hell are you? Her boyfriend?" He repiled, wiping his scimitar with his old coat.

"Uh..." A.J. said, blushing like crazy.

"Not anymore you're not!" He said suddenly, and charged at A.J. with his sword out.

"Woosh!" Devi shouted as he swooped down and breathed out on the man, catching him in a violent tornado. He fell to the floor, then picked himself up and brushed excessive amounts of dirt off of his coat.

"Hmmph. You'll pay for that." He said, and spun his sword.

"To hell I will!" A.J. shouted, and smashed his sword onto the man's scimitar so hard that it snapped in two. The drunk fell to his knees as A.J. raised his blade to the man's neck.

"Get out of here. Now. If I EVER see you again, you're dead." A.J. said, and the man clumsily rose and ran away.

"You'll regret this!" The man shouted as he limped off. A.J.'s thoughts immediately turned to Dinah, who was slumped on the ground as though her spirit had been broken.

"Dinah, are you ok?" A.J. asked, but her eyes avoided his and fell to the floor without a reply.

"Dinah, I asked if you were o-" A.J. begun, but he was cut off as her head reached up to his and their lips connected. The held there for a few moments, then came apart slowly. Devi whistled at the sight. Both children were blushing, and, though they both wanted to speak, they were at a loss for words.
They silently walked towards the Inn, and A.J. dropped a few coins on the counter. The man slowly handed them their keys, and they proceeded to the second floor, where their room was situated.

"Dinah..." A.J. tried talking, but Dinah quickly lay in her bed and turned her shoulder. A.J. just shrugged and turned to Devi, who was laying on A.J.'s bed.

"So...was she any good?" Devi asked when he was sure Dinah was asleep.

"What?" A.J. asked, laying down in his bed as well.

"Was she any good at kissing?" Devi repeated.

"Uh, I guess..." A.J. said, thinking back to what happened.

((P.S., here's a picture of Dinah for reference... http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/summonnight-ss2/art-004.jpg))

[A.J.]

Chapter 4: Partners

A.J.'s eyes flicked open, sunlight blasting from the open window directly onto his face.

"What time is it, Devi?" He asked, yawning.

"Dunno, like 9?" Came a reply from across the room, where A.J.'s partner Dracky was fluttering about.

"Crap, we gotta get out and look for this monster!" A.J. shouted, hopping out of his bed without bothering to make it.

"Is Dinah up?" A.J. asked as he connected the straps around his back that linked to his sword.

"Up and ready!" Came a reply from the bathroom.

"K, good. Let's get outta here!" A.J. exclaimed, just as Dinah exited the restroom. They fell into single-file, exiting the Hotel on A.J.'s lead.

"A.J., where are we going?" Dinah asked, cocking her head to the left.

"I'm not sure, I guess we'll just look around." A.J. replied, not looking her in the eyes. What happened last night was just too odd for his liking, and he'd prefer it if he could distance himself from her. Dinah nodded and looked at the ground.

"I guess we should go over to the entrance, I figure that's where it will show up." A.J. said, taking off. Devi followed slowly, keeping an eye on Dinah. They ran for about fifteen minutes before they reached the entrance, where, sure enough, a little hooded creature wielding a hammer was waiting.

"So, you're the Tamer whose supposed to be my Master? Hmm, I expected better from Morrie. Oh well, I guess I could use you as a warm-up!" It taunted, heaving it's large hammer into the air. A.J. smirked and flicked out his sword, brandishing it with pride.

"You sure you wanna fight? It'll be much less painful on your account if we don't." A.J. replied, snickering.

"Your overconfidence makes you a much easier target, so I suggest you lose it. Now, if you don't mind, let us stop gawking like drunken fools and let us begin." The Hammerhood answered, and Dinah flinched at the words drunken fool.

"Be careful!" She shouted. A.J. nodded and lurched forward, catching the Hammerhood off-guard. It barely swung its hammer to evade the attack, and ended up sliding back a few inches in the process.

"Is that all you've got?" The Hammerhood said, a faint grin across his face. A.J. confidently shook his head and did a short 180-degree spin, slicing deep into the edge of the hammer. The Hammerhood sighed and swung his hammer, knocking A.J. back a few feet. Devi snickered while Dinah ran over to A.J., who hadn't even attempted to get up.

"A.J., are you ok?" She asked frantically, lifting his head.

"Yeah...I'll live..." He said, and slowly pulled himself up. Dinah gave him a small hug then nudged him in the direction of the Hammerhood, whose patience was growing smaller by the minute.

"I'm growing weary. Let us finish this." It said, and charged at A.J., who jumped into the air. The Hammerhood fell for it, running right under A.J., who snapped his blade down in mid-air. It clanged against the Hammerhood's tough head, who fell slowly to the ground. By now a small slime was watching, admiring A.J.'s natural abilities.

"You win, I suppose. But I won't listen to you until you conquer the last one on the list, and he's the toughest of them all." The Hammerhood said, defeated. A.J. nodded and a small grin spread across his face, but it slowly dissappeared as the man he had beaten up yesterday appeared, plus a few friends.

"Ello', miss me? I told you you'd pay, and now you will!" He said, his rotten teeth exibiting themselves as he erupted into an enormous laughter, his friends following his example. He pulled a small knife out of his pocket and charged straight for Dinah, who screamed as loud as her lungs would allow.

"Dinah!" A.J. shouted, diving in front of her and smashing the knife away from them. A.J. hit the ground hard, then looked up at Dinah, who was staring at him, her face a slight reddish color.

"D..does she have feelings for me or something?" A.J. thought, his face turning red to match hers. But then her face turned to terror as a man lurched at A.J., stabbing him in the throat. Or at least he would have, if A.J. hadn't rolled to the left and cut up across his face, making him scream in pain. Anvil and Devi had finished off two of the thugs, and were just about to get the last one when a small explosion knocked them both back. The man from the previous night was throwing bombs, and the next one was aimed specially for Dinah.

"Dinah, no!" A.J. shouted as he reached for her, but fell to the floor.

"Don't worry, miss! I'll save you!" An unknown voice shouted, and a small slime shot up and swallowed the bomb whole. It exploded in his stomach, and he replied with a short "excuse me" and looked at the drunk, who was scared out of his mind. A.J. charged at him, pointing the blade at his neck.

"Don't you even try touching her again, or I'll hunt you down and skin you alive. Are we understood?" A.J. said.

"Why? Why do you care so much about her?" The man asked out of both curiosity and fear. The curious look and slight red tint on Dinah's face betrayed her emotions. A.J.'s eyes flicked from Dinah to the man, then he bagan to speak.

"She's my girlfriend." He said, then raised his sword, blunt-end first, and brought it down upon the confused man, knocking him out. Dinah ran over to him and hugged him hard, then did a thing similar to what had happened the previous night: they kissed. But, unlike the previous night, it was not out of shock and curiosity, it was out of happiness, and it lasted much longer. When their lips parted a few minutes later, their eyes connected and A.J. smiled, and Dinah's face reflected his like a mirror.

"Umm, excuse me if I'm interrupting, but I was wondering if you'd be my tamer." The slime that had saved Dinah said, and Dinah hesitantly fell out of A.J.'s grip. Dinah picked up the blue slime and kissed him on the head, then nodded.

"Of course you can!" She said, then hugged him for saving her. A.J. smiled and picked up Anvil, hooking his hammer to his back. Devi hopped on his shoulder, and they left Pickham, setting for Wisher's Peak.