Well, despite my Shakalaka sporting a fine ancient mask, it seems I first have to take care of some nuissances before I'm allowed to tackle the Ceadeus. I think they changed this a bit from Tri, as it seems I have to do all the 5-star quest first, while I can clearly remember never beating a Diablos in Tri. Oh well.
I got a few good games in a couple of days back. Took on a Rathian, my first Nibblesnarf and a Rathalos. Rathalos was personal, as I had a lot of trouble beating him for the first time in Tri. I think I came up against a small one this time though and was exalted when I beat it in like 15 minutes without dieing once.
Also took on 2 Volvidon hoping to get a Volvi Carapace to upgrade my hunting horn. Turns out a Carapace is a Volvidon+ drop, so I'm stuck with this horn for quite some time. But hey, at least I could make myself a cool steampunk looking Nibblesnarf helm 
As per usual I am totally not crafting armor in sets and look like a complete fool. Ah, how do I long for the days when strangers would comment me on my fine vestibular taste when hunting online. If my fashion sense didn't just make them up and leave in the first place 
I ran into a similar issue with some kind of part from a Volvidon. It may have been the carapace. All I know is that I was pissed when I figured out I couldn't get it when I needed it because I had fought that stupid thing half a dozen times more than I needed to.
And good luck with that Diabolos. God I hate that thing. They seem like they never show off a hint that they're going to dying. Always feels like a helpless battle.
Shakalaka?! Volvi Carapace?! Nibblesnarf helm?!
You darn kids with your woohaa's and your what's its. You're all hopped on the drugs these days.
GET OFF MY LAWN!!!
Ooooh that's a handy skill. I just completed a full set of the Crimson Qurupeco armor. I've only killed the damn thing once by myself, but in hunts it's been dropping pretty quickly. The armor doesn't do a hell of a lot though. It ups my critical hits, and offers me resistance against wind.... I haven't seen a single scenario where wind resistance would actually be helpful.
The Quropeco armor is pretty good in combination with the hunting horn as it prolonges the stat boosts you can play out. Sadly enough, I now have +9 Maestro, which is, evidently, 1 Maestro short for being effective...Good news is I don't NEED to kill a Diablos. Bad news is that the chief's son is requiring another 2 Rath Talons before he'll get off his rock and build me a base camp near the Ceadeus.
And I think I have hit Monster Hunter saturation for a while. Another 90 hours seems to have done it. Last night I was fighting a Baleful Gigganox (lightning breathing instead of poison breathing). I thought I handled the battle quite masterfully for my first time fighting him, but it hit hards and even with high lightning resistance he eventually won. When it was done and I was being carted off, I didn't feel angry or upset as I normally would be. And I didn't have that urge to get out there and fight again. I just felt... content.
So with that, I'm taking an extended break. Awesome game. So glad I picked it up a second time. It's earned a spot on my top 28. But I think I'm ready for something new. Maybe go back to Smash. Maybe pick up Persona Q again. I will definitely come back and finish this at some point though.
Day 6
While I delay the inevitable battle with the Pink Qurupeco I decided to take on some of the other tasks. I've already tackled most of the monsters that have reappearing with their power upgrades like the Royal Ludroth, Rathian, and Jaggi paks, so most of what are left are the gathering quests. So after hunting down eggs and a few other mind numbing tasks I decided to build up some nerve and take on a real challenge again. And that challenge is pink! The Pink Rathian.
A regular Rathian is no walk in the park, but I've gotten to the point where I can handle one without too much of a threat to myself. They're flying wyverns that are good about swooping down with their claws or tail and poisoning whoever they slash. They also have the lovely habit of breathing fire, which can be generated in smaller burts that will travel a fair distance or they'll just belch out a giant up close and personal inferno. The Pink Rathians, aren't a whole lot different except they're a hell of a lot more aggressive. These things are pissed off and just don't believe in the concept of downtime. As soon as I was eligible for the 6-star quests it was one of the first monsters I fought, and let me tell you that was a stupid idea. I lasted just a few minutes before I was knocked out three times and the guild had to retrieve my beautiful near-corpse. But you can't run from your demons (or monsters) forever so it was time to throw down.
I was a lot more patient this time around, something I'm not good at, and it did pay off. She came close to killing me, but I finally got the better of her, but she had one last surprise for me that makes me hate these pink bastards all the more. Normally when one of these giant monsters is near death it will start to cry out and limp away. It's usually a good opportunity to get in a few good shots before it retreats to a different area. The Pink Rathian on the other hand is a big fat faker. She did the limping away act, but as soon as I started attacking she started the fight back up like it never ended in the first place. She managed to almost kill me because I got just a little too cocky. Anyway alls well that ends well, but that fight ended up being way too close. Guess there's a lesson to be learned there.