Chapter 9: Menace of the wasteland
At the harbor of Astera, a crowd could be seen forming. Normally, this would be an everyday thing when the Argosy returns with supplies. However, worry is etched on the faces of all present for within the center lies a grievously injured hunter with two medics working to mend his wounds. Burns mar his body from the neck down, with his head being sparred due to his now destroyed headwear.
The Commander, having just arrived, looks on, a dark expression on his face. "HUNTERS! GATHER ROUND!"
The group now looks on to their chief, awaiting what he is going to say next.
"It has come to my attention that a strange anjanath is running around the area recently. Thanks to the hunter trio's efforts, we have manage to better understand this unique version of the fierce jaw wyvern."
" This anjanath is seen to have a powerful physique, flames fiercer than any before it-" as he mentions the firepower of Evans, he gestures to the burnt victim of his wrath. Some of the nearby hunters break out in a cold sweat, imagining them being in this hunter's place.
The Commander continues, " and, from what we can assume, a higher level of intelligence. From now on, if you see an anjanath bigger than its peers, do NOT engage. observe what you can and report its whereabouts. For the more bolder of you, we will assign both a codename and bounty order on this creature" He then proceeds to pull out a mission poster. The surrounding hunters gasp as they observe the mission details.
The poster states how the mission is called 'The Volcanic variant' with a star rating of 7. This shows the significant threat Evans poses for normally, an anjanath would range a threat level of 4-5. "That is all needed to be said. Now GET TO YOUR STATIONS!"
"'SIR, YES SIR!'"
Unaware of the bounty now placed on his head along with the many hunters now itching to take his head to write their names in a path of glory, Evans begins to stir trouble within his new territory. His first victim was a Kulu-ya-Ku. Evans stumbled upon it enjoying an egg in a cave. With a grin on his face and as quietly as his large frame can muster, he stealthy approached the gluttonous egg thief, too occupied with its meal to notice Evans. The poor bird wyvern, now finished with, its meal, turns around, ready to wash its feathers in the nearby pool of water after a long hunt, only to come face to face with Evans, dorsal fins puffed out.
AUGHGRAAAAAAH! GRAAAAAAH!
POOF!
Possibly due to either how loud and close Evans was, or probably from the stress of seeing a large t-rex in its face, the Kulu-ya-Ku's Feathers exploded off of its body. The now Featherless bird, passes out, falling straight into the egg remnants below. "HAHAHAHAH! Now THAT's priceless!" Chuffing and proud of his prank's success, he turns and leaves. Little did he know, that because of this, a legend spreads amongst the hunters of a naked bird wyvern running around, collecting leaves and honey to cover itself to rid the cold affecting it.
BANG! CRASH!
As Evans was making his way back home, he heard the distant sounds of two heavy objects colliding. Curious, He towards the source of the sound, which happens to be near his home at the marsh. There he sees two wyverns fighting. One of them is a Barroth, which seems similar to him, but the color of mud and has a rock formation for a face. The second however is a fish like creature, currently shooting mud at the Barroth. The jyuratodos, having blinded its territorial competitor, wraps itself around the mud brute attempting to strangle it. The Barroth, not letting this happen, slams its head into the marsh, causing the Jyuratodos to slip off.
The two continue to slug it out, unaware of Evans, happily enjoying the unexpected wrestling match. "Yeah! get him! no, don't throw mud idiot, tackle! TACKLE!" He was clearly rooting for the Barroth. As if Evans cheers was really empowering the Barroth, it rocketed into the Jyuratodos, sending both crashing into the wall, dust flying everywhere. As the dust settles, Evans sees, that the Barroth remains standing, while the fish wyvern beneath it lies motionless, likely to not get up again.
RAW! RAW! AHHHHHH!
The Barroth after releasing a victorious roar, now spots Evans. Confident from its victory over its long hated rival and not sporting any serious injuries, it charges at Evans. "Fool."
Unworried, Evans meets the charge head on.
BANG!
The two brute wyverns butt heads, nether gaining or losing ground. Evans suddenly twists out of the way, causing the Barroth to stumble due to its momentum. Taking the advantage, He grabs the now unbalanced landslide wyvern by the neck with his jaws. Evans then rears his head up, taking the Barroth with him and slamming it into the ground, Cracking it into many pieces. Looking at the now unconscious mud walker, Evans mutters to himself "Who knew that those wrestling videos back then would help me now. Huh. strange how life works." And with that, Evans swaggers away, back to his humble abode, ready to enjoy the sun's warm embrace.