Red Hunter Redemption: Preview
Earth 259.123, Grizzlies West mountain range, continent of North America, year on planetary Gregorian calendar: 1898
Three wagons try to cross these snowy mountains. Inside are battered and cold people, some greatly injured. They were the Van der Linde gang, A gang of criminals, dissidents and free-thinkers who have chosen to reject a corrupt system of power and live instead by their own code.
But long gone are the days where the American continent was a lawless wasteland. As progress arrived, gangs like this one are on the brick of extinction. And judging by the look of the group, it seems like they saw better days.
In the leading wagon, there were two women, a child and a man on the back, and on the front, driving it, were two men. The man in the back exited it and walked forward. « Abigail says he's dying, Dutch. We'll have to stop some place. » he said, gaining the attention of the man called Dutch.
« Okay. Arthur's out looking. I sent him up ahead. » Dutch responded. He was an average built man of approximately 6 feet in height with a thick, black moustache and soul patch under his lips, brown eyes and black, slick backed hair that curls at the end.
« If we don't stop soon, we'll all be dying. » the man beside Dutch said. He was a lean, elderly man with neat, silver hair cut short and a clean-shaven face. « This weather, it's May…. » the woman commented in the back. She was a young woman with blue eyes and dark brown hair, which she wore tied in a bun.
« I'm just hoping the law got as lost as we did. » the elderly man commented. Then, he noticed a figure in the blizzard. « There. » he pointed at the figure. « Arthur! Any luck!? » Dutch exclaimed to be heard in the blizzard.
The man in the blizzard, Arthur, was an approximately 36 years old man, with a muscular build perfect for his position, and a head of thick, brown hair, with green eyes. He also had a scar near his chin.
« I found a place where we can get some shelter. » Arthur told Dutch. « Let Davey rest while he…. » he continued, interrupting himself to find a way to properly address the situation, « you know. » was all he said in the end.
He then turned to the opposite direction to guide the group. « An old mining town, abandoned, it ain't far. » Arthur then explained. « Come on! » he then said, as he leaded the group.
After a while, the group finally reached the mining town. The elderly man opened one of the houses, revolver in one hand to meet prepared any unpleasant surprises. Brightening the inside of the building with his lantern, he checked the interior to see if it was safe.
After realizing the house was clear, he sheathed his gun and motioned the group to get inside. « Get him here. » he then said. The whole group entered the abandoned building, with Arthur and another man bringing the injured man in the back of Dutch wagon.
« Miss Gaskill… »Dutch said to one of the women of the gang, «get that fire lit quickly. ». He then turned to another woman. « Miss Jones, bring in whatever blankets we have. ». Then he turned to a rather robust individual. « Mr. Pearson, see what we got in terms of food. » he said.
In the meantime, Abigail was inspecting the injured man, but realized that he was not breathing. « Davey's dead. » she then said. Dutch remained silent for a while at the news, like everybody else. « There was… » he paused, « nothing that you could have done. » he then continued.
As a native ritual, one of the men of the gang placed two coins on the eyes of the dead man. « What are we going to do? We need supplies. » a member of the gang said. « Well, first of all you're gonna stay here…. » Dutch responded, « and you are gonna get yourself warm. ».
« Now, I sent John and Micah scouting out ahead. » Dutch explained the group. He then turned to Arthur. « Arthur and I, we're gonna ride out see if we can find one of'em. » he then said. Arthur was surprised by this decision.
« In this? » he asked. «Just for a short bit… » Dutch responded after a few seconds of silence, «I don't see what other choice we have. » he explained. The man, however, realized that the group morale was low, and he knew that they were cold, hungry, in pain and afraid.
« Listen… » he begun, trying to reassure his followers, « listen to me all of you, for a moment. » he then said after a somewhat long pause. « Now, we've had… » he begun, trying to say the right things for the current situation, « well, a bad couple of days. » he admitted, not hiding the reality of the situation.
« I loved Davey… » he said, his voice full of regret over the death of the man, « Jenny…. » he then said, « Sean…Mac…they might be okay, we don't know. »
A long pause followed. « But we lost some folks. » Dutch fully admitted, in a tone that explained that he took the full blame for the event. « Now, if I could…throw myself in the ground in their stead…I'd do it…gladly. » he then said, with Arthur turning towards the man with an understanding look.
« But… » Dutch continued, « we're gonna ride out… » he pointed at the door, « and we're gonna find some food. » he then explained. « Everybody, we're safe now. » Dutch then said, « There ain't nobody following us through a storm like this one… » he then reassured the group.
« And by the time they get here… » he continued, «well, we're gonna be…we're gonna be long gone. » Dutch reassured the group again, who nodded in understanding. «We've been through worse than this before. » he then said.
« Mr. Pearson… Miss Grimshaw… I need you to turn this place into a camp. » he turned at the two individuals. « We may be here for a few days. » Dutch explained. He then turned to the rest of the gang.
« Now all of you… » Dutch said, interrupting himself, « all of you….get yourself warm. » he then told the rest of the gang. « Stay strong. Stay with me. We ain't done yet! » Dutch finished. No cheering crowd reacted to his small speech, but the whole gang was far less afraid than before.
After that, Dutch and Arthur exited the building. But, as they exited, Dutch noticed something glowing. It wasn't far, not at all.
It was in the middle of the street beside the building, and despite the fact that there was a blizzard outside, it was clearly visible none the less. « What the hell…. » Arthur said, as he too noticed the anomaly.
It was a light blue, circular object, taller than some of the buildings in the abandoned town. Both Dutch and Arthur moved closer to it with caution, not knowing what to expect. But before the two could react, the anomaly shined even brighter, and soon the two were engulfed in light.
Several light years away from Earth 259.123.
Planet Hantachi 273.947, somewhat near the coasts of the newly discovered Comanerican continent.
On one of the many versions of the planet Hantachi, an expedition was undergoing. After the discovery of the Comanerican continent, nicknamed "the New World" by the native population, several expeditions had been sent to discover its secrets
This was the Fifth Expedition. But the exploration of the New World is not the sole purpose of this Expedition. In the canteen of one of the ships of the Fifth Expedition, a young brunette woman with freckles descended with a somewhat considerable amount of meat for such a young lady.
She decided to sit in one of the tables alone. She didn't really have the chance to socialize much, despite the length of the voyage. However, her lonely time was short lived, not that she complained, as a young man with orange hair arrived.
« Yo! Did ya hear? We're almost there! » the man exclaimed excited. The brunette laughed a bit at the regard. « Yeah, I know. Heard the waves picking up. And that's gonna mean landfall. » she then said.
The young man raised an eye confused. « You did? » he asked. « Don't worry, I'm not psychic, but I do have particularly good ears. » the girl responded. The young man chuckled at the response. « Not what I thought. So, ready to grab the new world by the horns? » he then asked.
« I think so. I don't know about you, but it feels like ages since I left home to join the Commission… » the girl responded. The young man smiled at the girl. « Nervous? » he asked. The girl shrugged her shoulders. « A bit, not gonna lie. » she responded.
The orange haired man sighed. « Believe me, I get it. Anything could happen to us, but hey, that's half the- » the man was about to finish before another girl, one with long black hair, pushed him slightly aside to greet her other companion in this Expedition.
« Hey, aren't you one of the A-list hunters? » she asked. « You bet! » the brunette responded. The young man widened his eyes in shock. « What? No way! So are we! » he exclaimed. « Hey, tell us your name! » he then asked the brunette.
« My name is Eden. Pleasure to meet you guys. » she then said, greeting the duo with her hand. « My name is Erica, a pleasure as well. » the other woman, Erica, said. « And my name is Aiden. How about a toast? » the young man, Aiden, said as he brought a cup of beer to Eden, who gladly accepted.
« Thanks! » she said happily, before a bipedal cat in clothing reached the trio. Eden petted the critter, who purred a bit. « How are you doing, Niko? » he asked the cat, who smiled at her. « To the A-list! And the Commission! » Aiden then exclaimed, as he got up and raised his cup of beer, as the trio cheered for the occasion, before taking a long sip at the beverage.
« So tell me, what's your theory? » Aiden asked Eden. « Theory about what? » she raised an eyebrow confused. « Oh come on, the Elder Dragons must migrate to the New World for some reason. » Aiden answered.
This was also one of the reasons behind the various expeditions was figuring the motif behind the Elder Dragons migration. Elder Dragons are among some of the most powerful creatures in Hantachi, bringing destruction everywhere in their wake.
After taking another sip at his cup, he pointed a finger at Eden. « After running the Research Commission for 40-odd years, the Guild's itching for an answer! » he exclaimed, catching Eden and Erika by surprise.
« They say the Fifth Fleet's got the best shot at cracking this case, and I agree! » he then proudly declared. « Well…maybe they're migrating for food? Even an Elder Dragon's gotta eat! » Eden shily commented.
Aiden busted into laughter at the answer. « Well that would be so anti-climatic! » he said, still laughing. « Still, it IS plausible. » he then added, after having calmed down a bit. « Yeah, I get it. I sure hope it IS something better than grocery shopping. » Eden smiled.
« Hey, speaking of. A-lister usually operate in teams of two. » Erica then intervened. « Have you sat down on your partner yet? » she then asked. Eden rubbed her arms a bit ashamed. « Not really. I haven't really figured out someone, but I'm sure I'll find the right person. I mean, we aren't THAT near to the- » Eden responded, before the ship begun to shake dangerously.
« What the!? » Eden said, before the ship begun to rise above the water. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she and her bipedal cat, Niko, ran off towards the deck of the ship to see what was going on.
Greeting her was a stormy weather and what seemed to be a huge wave. But it was no wave. Raising over the water was what seemed to be a volcanic formation, which dwarfed the Fleet's ships, magma and lava coming out in large quantities.
As the formation rose from the water, Eden and Niko were forced to hold for their dear life. Unfortunately, Niko was struck by a sand bag, and he felt town. « Niko! » Eden shouted, before the ship itself felt down from the back of the volcanic formation, alongside the girl.
When she woke up, Eden found herself in a hellish formation, magma pouring out from every crevice. She then saw the ship, stuck between two large rocks. « Hello!? Anybody there!? » she exclaimed, trying to gain the attention from anyone, but with no luck.
« {I have to do something…} » she thought, before the ship begun to slide down from the rocky side. « Damn it! It's not safe in here! » she exclaimed to herself as she had to escape. She ran to the opposite direction, but suddenly, the path she took, which originally was horizontal, become a vertical climb.
Fortunately, she was able to climb the rocky side, although not easily. « {I really should take a diet.} » she joked to herself to ease the situation, as she nearly felt down. It didn't help that several rocks were falling down on her.
Luckily, none hit the target. After a long climb, she finally reached the top, only to be greeted by flying pterodactyl like beasts with pointy beaks with sharp teeth and draconic wings. « oh wow, Wyverns! » she exclaimed in awe, this being the first time she ever encountered the beasts.
However, her awe was short lived, as the beasts tried to peck and bite the poor, unarmed lady. « Shoo! Shoo! » she exclaimed as she tried to scare away the Wyverns. Mere seconds later, the ground begun to move again.
« Could it be that I'm on a- » she said out loud, before another Wyvern tried to attack her. « Damn it! I don't have time for this. Time to hike my ride! » she said, as she ran forward the edge of the volcanic formation.
After a long run, she jumped off the edge and, using a weird bird shaped arm-slinger, she grabbed one of the Wyverns by the foot, halting her fall. It was then that her thoughts were confirmed. Because the volcanic formation was not a volcano.
It was a living creature. It resembled a bipedal turtle with a large black beard. The Wyvern managed to dodge the giant beast, and so Eden was unharmed. After passing the giant, she had the time to realize where she was.
She could finally see the shores of the New World and, for a moment, all her fears were gone. « {The New World.} » she thought to herself, as she admired the lush coastal vegetation. But her awe, once again, was cut short, when her Wyvern got tired of carrying the girl.
It begun to squirm around to free himself from the thing attached to its foot, but to no avail. As both Eden and the creature struggled for control, however, they did not notice the lush vegetation in front of them.
Soon, the Wyvern ended up slamming itself against the vegetation, and Eden felt on the ground.
Luckily for her, she had no broken bones. She was far luckier than the beast that carried her, which was on the ground, its neck broken from the fall. She stumbled a bit, dazzled for the fall. « Ow, ow, I should definitely halt the falling down business for a while. » she commented to herself as she started to regain consciousness.
However, as she recovered from the fall, she also noticed something else in the small forest area. Two humans, flat on the ground, wearing hats and heavy coats. They seemed more fitted for the cold winters of the village of Pokke instead of the tropical land the new world offered.
Dashing these last thoughts aside, she went to assist the two. Maybe they were still alive. As she ran towards the two men, she didn't ask herself where did they came from, but focused on helping them.
She checked their pulse and confirmed that the duo were alive. She then begun to shake the one with the beard to get him to return to the land of the living. « Hey! Are you all right? Can you hear me? » she said worried as she continued to shake the man.
After a while, the latter groaned, as he slowly rose up. He then looked around, surprised and shocked, to see both the young lady and the jungle paradise he was in. he then begun to shake the other man too.
« Dutch? Dutch! Wake up, ye lazy bastard! » he told his comrade, who simply rose up as well. He was equally surprised to see what surrounded him. « Well this sure doesn't look like hell to me. » Dutch said.
Eden raised an eyebrow in confusion. « Uh…hell? What are you talking about? » she asked, not having an idea of what the stranger was talking about. The bearded man then turned to the young woman.
« You there miss. You know where this place is? This sure doesn't look like the Grizzlies. » the man asked. After a few seconds of silence, Eden finally responded. « Oh! This? This is the New World. » she answered.
Dutch raised an eyebrow annoyed. « Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down? The whole damn States are in the New World! » the man said. « States? What are you talking about? » Eden asked confused.
The two men turned to each others, eyebrows raised. « Really? United States? Land of the free? The Wild West? Confederate States? Doesn't that ring any bells? » the bearded man asked. « Honestly this makes it even more confusing. I've no idea what you're talking about. » Eden responded, even more confused.
Dutch was getting annoyed by the girl at this point. « Listen miss, I'm most of the time a very calm and reasonable individual, but you're starting to push it with this little- » he begun to say, before the bearded man called him.
« Dutch! Dutch! » he exclaimed shocked. « What Arthur? » Dutch asked, before he too realize what the other man, Arthur, was talking about. The duo watched in shock and confusion the Wyvern on the ground, every now and then twitching a bit from involuntary spasm caused by the fall.
« What the hell… » Arthur said, not believing what he saw. In the meantime, Dutch turned towards Eden. « Ok. Let's just say that we believe you now. What the hell is that thing? » he then asked. « That's a Wyvern. But all things considered…I think we have some explaining to do. » Eden admitted.
She then moved her hand to greet the two strangers. « Let's start with the basis. My name is Eden. Yours? » she asked politely. The two men looked at each others, trying to decide what to do. After a while, the one named Dutch shook her hand.
« The name is Dutch Van der Linde. Feller here is Arthur Morgan. We and our group were passing the Grizzlies West Mountains. We had a bit of an accident, » Dutch said, hiding the shady business that got his gang into trouble, « we reached this abandoned mining town. Me and Arthur were going out looking for food but…dunno how to say it, a strange light of some sort appeared right in the middle of the blizzard. Damn light engulfed us…and then we woke up here. » Dutch finished.
« As for the United States, » Arthur begun, « they're the land of the free. That before it became a law hell. Nothing special, had a Civil War, fought some Native Americans, nothing great. » he finished.
« So what about you? What's a pretty lady doin in this little piece of paradise? » Arthur then asked. « Well, I'm an A-list hunter. I volunteered her to explore this new continent, the New World under an expedition funded by the Guild. I'm a member of the Fifth Expedition, or Fifth Fleet. » Eden explained.
« Does that mean we can find some sort of civilization down this hellhole? » Dutch asked. « Yes. And- hey look over there! » she begun to say, before noticing an abandoned camp. « Can't believe I'm saying this, but that ain't the civilization we're looking for. » Arthur commented.
« No, but it can still help us finding it. » Eden explained as she raced for the tent. After entering the tent, she grabbed a red book and, after a quick scan, she found it useful. « Here, come look at this. » she said after Arthur and Dutch reached her.
« It's a map…or at least part of it. » she explained the duo. « Sure looks that way. I can work with that. » Arthur said after a quick scan. Eden pointed a finger at the extreme left of the map. « Looks like we're right about here. » she explained.
She then moved her finger to the opposite direction. « The Research Commission's base of operation is here. This is where my ship was supposed to dock. » she then explained again. « Must had have an hell of a shipwreck. » Arthur commented.
« All right. Here's what we will do. As I said before, there's more of us. We will reach this base, hire a couple of your "hunters", and look out for the rest. I ain't dealing with no damn Wyvern. » Dutch then said.
« Sounds good. » Arthur agreed. « Perfect. The map should help us finding the base. This way! » Eden then said as she ran to the opposite direction, soon to be joined by the two men. They found themselves in front of a small river valley, with several beasts grazing.
They were grey in coloration, with black stripes in their back. They had a large crest in their heads and spikes in their tails. Arthur was about to pass out. « No this…this ain't real. » he said, before turning to Eden.
« Hey miss, please….please slap me in the face. I need to wake up from this. » he almost begged the young woman. « No slapping. But I have another method. » she said, as she grabbed one of the ear lobes of the man and pulled hard.
« Ow! » Arthur cried out. It wasn't a slap, but it was enough to convince him that he wasn't dreaming. « My aunt used to do it for discipline. It's surprisingly effective. » Eden explained. « Sure looks that way. » Arthur responded as he massaged his ear.
« You know…this surely clears all doubts I have about you. » Eden admitted. The two men looked at her slightly confused. « To be honest, I wasn't sure if I should had bought the whole "you came from another world" story. » she admitted.
« Another world? » Arthur asked confused. « Well this surely ain't the States. Or any damn part of the world I know. » Dutch then said. « But after your reaction… I now have no doubts you're telling the truth. You can't fake disbelief in the sight of an Aptonoth. They are everywhere! » Eden commented.
« Well as long as we stay away from those fellers. If they are anything like bison, they are fast, nasty sons of bitches. » Dutch then said worried. « Not to worry, Aptonoth are extremely docile creatures, as long as you don't point a weapon at them, they'll ignore you. » Eden smiled at Dutch.
« Speaking of weapons, not to be rude, but for being an "hunter" you ain't much equipped. » Arthur commented. Eden raised an eyebrow confused, before realizing what he was talking about. « Oh, well, I was supposed to receive my weapons in the Research base, but… » she admitted, before Arthur gave her a revolver.
« Here. This will come in handy. Know how to use it? » he asked. After a quick inspection, she had the gun mostly figured out. « I think so. it must be a long-ranged weapon. You pull the trigger and the bullet comes out of the hole in the front. But…how do I reload it? » she said, before admitting that she didn't know the reloading system.
Arthur grabbed the gun and showed her. « First, you push this little lever here, » he showed the girl, « then you push this small barrel in the middle. After that, you pull out the hammer to remove the old bullets, and then you place the new bullets. Then you put the barrel back in place. » he finished explaining.
« Got it. But…wouldn't you remain without a weapon? » Eden asked. Arthur grinned slightly at the question. « Nah. I've got a bigger gun. » he said, as he showed her his sawed-off shotgun. « Oh. Yeah. Definitely a bigger gun. » Eden commented as she saw the gun.
« Hey miss Eden, is that the Research Commission's Headquarters? » Dutch asked, as he saw a large flag like structure in the distance. « Yeah! There it is! Come on, let's get going! » Eden encouraged the two.
As she ran off, Dutch looked at Arthur. « Didn't expect you would give her your revolver that easily. » he said. « Meh, just didn't want a dead weight. Could be useful for the search. Besides, if she tries anything funny, we have bigger firepower. » Arthur explained.
Dutch simply nodded. « Of course, of course. » he then said. He then gestured Arthur to come. « Come on, lets get going. » he then commanded. As the duo reached Eden, they realized that the main road was blocked by large, fallen down trees.
« Looks like we have to go around. » Eden admitted. « Sure looks that way. Jesus those are some tall trees. » Arthur commented. After a bit of scanning of the surrounding, Eden found a passage in the jungle.
« There, I think I found the way back to base! » she exclaimed. « Well it doesn't hurt to try. » Dutch commented as he walked alongside the girl. As they reached the end of the small tunnel, they found themselves blocked by vines.
« We should be able to move through these. » Eden commented. « Arthur? Feeling like pushing? » Dutch asked. « Sure, why the hell not. » Arthur responded, as he begun pushing aside the vines.
He was quickly followed by Eden and Dutch, the former admiring the lush vegetation, and the latter far more vigilant. And he needed to be, as the trio soon found itself with company. A weird lizard-wolf creature, with light green scales with blue and reddish stripes covering its body, as well as a blue-coloured underbelly, came out of the underbrush.
It hissed at the trio, with Arthur and Dutch having already pulled out their guns. Eden was a bit slower to react, but had drawn none the less. The creature was soon joined by other members of its kind, who begun to surround the three humans.
The initial creature reared up on its back limbs and begun to screech, before its head was blown right off. « Hey! You fellers look like you need a hand! » a man shouted from behind the back, riding on top of a horse. He had shoulder-length, blond hair, as well as a thick horseshoe moustache and side-whiskers.
« Micah! Boy am I glad to see you! » Dutch exclaimed as he too begun shooting at the creatures. Soon, an entire shoot out occurred in the small piece of jungle, with the creatures trying to attack the humans, but to no avail.
One of them tried to attack from the left, but Eden caught it first and shot it through the head. Another tried to attack from the right, actually jumping on top of Arthur, before the latter stabbed it several times through the stomach and the head.
One of the creatures tried to attack from the heights, but it was caught by Dutch. « Careful! They're coming out of the tree tops! » Dutch exclaimed as he shot the creature. After a while, none of the creatures were left alive.
« Good shooting boys. And you too miss. » Dutch complimented the group. « Thanks. Pretty sure these are the first monsters I've killed in my career as a hunter. » she admitted. « May you kill plenty more. » Arthur complimented her.
« So, who's the lady here? » Micah asked. « Oh, right. Micah, miss Eden here. Miss Eden, Mr. Micah Bell. » Dutch introduced the two. « And if you're asking yourself what is going on…well, you're in another world. » Eden then said.
« Sure looks that way. » Micah commented, as he watched the corpses of the creatures he killed. He then turned to Dutch. « So boss, where's the rest of the gang? » he asked. « No idea. That's why we're heading towards the base this lady here was headed too. We'll hire a couple of hunters, and then we'll find the rest of the group. » Dutch explained.
« Hope this helps somehow. » Micah said. « Don't worry, I'm sure that there are plenty of professionals there that are willing to go for free. They'll find your people. » Eden reassured the group. « That would be a life saving. » Dutch said glad.
« Say Micah. You sound awful calm for being stranded on another world. » Arthur commented. Micah shrugged his shoulders. « If you fellers wanted to see me freaking out, you should have seen me with those damn dinos I met earlier. » he said.
In the meantime, Eden was looking curiously Micah's horse, and the man noticed. « So, interested? » he asked a bit annoyed. Eden snapped back to reality and backed up a bit. « Oh. Sorry. It's just…what's that creature you're riding? » she asked.
Micah simply smiled at the question: it was obvious that the natives of this planet probably never saw an horse. As a matter of fact, a couple of centuries before his birth, Native Americans didn't see a horse until the Spanish arrived in their new world.
« This right here is a horse. Name's Baylock. Don't worry, he won't bite. » Micah said. Eden begun to stroke the nose of the creature, intrigued by it. « We actually have a similar creature in this world. It's called Kirin, far less tame than your horses. » she told the group.
« That's because you haven't seen a wild one. Could break your skull in a matter of seconds. » Arthur joked to the girl, who stepped back a bit, gaining a few laugh from the group. « Relax. You're in no trouble now. Come on fellers, let's get to that damn base! » Dutch motioned the group.
« I'm glad you're all right Micah. » Arthur said as the group departed. « Always. » was the other man response. « if you don't mind telling me…what are you guys exactly? Micah said that you're a gang or something? » Eden asked curiously.
« Just a group people who want to live free. Sometime we have a couple of…problems. But most of the time no one bother us. » Dutch slightly lied to the girl. « And what happened in these mountains? You got lost? » Eden then asked.
« Yep. Damn blizzard made travel a living hell. » Arthur answered. « What about you? You said that you are a hunter and researcher. What do you even research? » Dutch then asked. « Everything about this whole new continent. Wildlife, flora, other sentient races, you name it. » Eden proudly explained.
« Any other centres of civilizations 'round here other than the base? » Micah asked. Eden shook her head. « Nope. Pretty sure that base is the only sign of known civilization in the New World. » she explained.
« Guild doesn't want to colonize much? » Arthur asked. « Well the New World was discovered only recently. » Eden answered. « How recently? » Micah asked curious. « 40 years ago. » Eden responded.
« Jesus! » Arthur said a bit shocked. « Was just a boy when you fellers discovered this place. We even had a civil war 10 years later yet you fellers only made a base here! » Dutch admitted. « A civil war? » Eden asked curious and worried.
« Damn Dixies were ruining the US. Had it coming if you ask me. » Dutch said a bit irritated. « Sorry it's just that….here we don't really have the time to disagree with one another. Guess you don't have monsters where you came from. » Eden said.
« Just different ones to be honest. » Arthur mumbled. « And just what other kind of freak shows this little piece of sunshine holds? » Micah asked a bit worried. « Well, if your friends were afraid of a Wyvern, they should not meet a Rathalos, the king of the sky. » Eden said with a smirk.
« King of the sky? » Arthur asked. « A giant Wyvern capable of breathing fire and with poisonous talons. It could eat an Aptonoth for a snack! » Eden answered, with a tone a bit similar to an adult trying to tell a scary tale to a child.
« Keep your eyes peeled in the sky, fellers. This hellhole has dragons that can turn a dino for dinner. » Dutch told Arthur and Micah. « Not a dragon. A Wyvern. » Eden corrected the man. « Difference being? It's a giant lizard that can fly and breath fire. » Arthur asked annoyed.
« Wyverns only have four limbs, a pair of wings and a pair of legs. Dragons have six limbs, a pair of wings, a pair of front limbs and a pair of back limbs. » Eden explained. « Does it change anything regarding its killing abilities? » Arthur asked.
« I totally have to not tell you guys about Elder Dragons then. » she teased. « Yeah. You do that. » Dutch groaned. « Come on, we're getting closer. » Eden then said, pointing at the now closer base.
« Come on then, let's get going. » Dutch motioned the group, before being halted by Arthur. « Something wrong Arthur? » Dutch asked. « Hey miss Eden. Can you recognize this? » Arthur asked, as he pointed at the ground. In it, there was a large track, five fingers by the looks.
« Is that…a track? » Eden pondered. « You think it's that Rathalos boy you mentioned earlier? » Dutch asked. « It's not. It's too small and has five fingers. Rathalos tracks mostly only have three, rarely four, the maximum number of fingers they have. » Eden explained as she examined the tracks.
« Well whatever it is its fresh. Gotta stay careful. » Arthur said. « All right fellers. We don't want any bad surprises. Ready your weapons in case the son'a bitch decides to show up. » Dutch ordered.
The whole group was tense and had their guns ready. The beast who left those tracks was near and they had no idea where it was. And they were right to be prepared, because the beast was preparing an ambush.
Suddenly, from nearby bushes, a large beast emerged, far larger than the smaller creatures that attacked the group earlier. It greatly resembled an Iguana and had yellow scales with orange accents and a bluish underside. It also had a mane of hairs that resemble dreadlocks.
The beast charged in, knocking the group down, and got itself on top of Arthur. « Arthur! » Eden exclaimed worried. « Get off him, you son of a bitch! » Dutch shouted as he begun unloading his magazine at the beast.
On the ground, Arthur was stabbing the beast with its knife, creating some small cuts, not enough to kill or heavily damage the beast, but enough to get it off. However, it was far from finished with the group.
Luckily, a saviour came from the sky. A robust man jumped on the back of the beast like it was a rodeo. « Don't mind me! » he exclaimed on top of the beast. « Not minding, son! » Dutch shot back as he watched the show.
The beast, trying to get the man out of his back, lunged in front of some logs, blocking the road, the sheer force of the impact shattering the barrier. « This way! Hurry! » the man exclaimed, as he ran to the opposite direction, with the beast chasing after him.
« Well you hear him, boys! After him! » Dutch ordered, as he ran towards the same direction. Soon, Micah, Eden and Arthur followed suit. « Here, get on Micah's back miss! » Arthur exclaimed as he grabbed the young woman and sat her on the back of Micah's ride.
The four finally found themselves in front of a large gate. Unfortunately for them, the beast was blocking the path. Suddenly, however, from outside the forest, another giant jumped to grab the other beast.
It resembled a Tyrannosaurus; it had black and grey fur on its back which coupled with its flesh-toned scales, made it look similar to a vulture. Its hide was primarily pink in colour, while a dark pelt covered its back which ended in a ruff at the neck, leaving the head bald. Large fangs protruded from the monster's lower jaw, giving it the appearance of an under-bite. It's massive jaws were counterbalanced by a bulky tail, the underside of which was lined with quills. Compared to its powerful hind legs, the monster's forearms were extremely small.
It begun to throw the other beast around like a ragdoll, while Dutch, Arthur, Eden and Micah watched helplessly. « What the fuck is that thing!? » Arthur screamed almost in terror. Dutch was a bit quicker to react to the shock.
« Micah! Ran on the right side of that thing! Arthur, you go left! » he shouted the two. « What about you!? » Micah exclaimed. « JUST GO DAMN IT! » Dutch shouted. The two did as ordered, and Dutch was forced to go in the middle, trying to avoid getting stomped by the giant.
« Oh god, oh Jesus… » was all Dutch was able to say in that situation. « Come on, jump! » the man from before shouted. « Jump, damn it! » Arthur shouted as well. Finally, Dutch was able to find the time to reach the gate.
He leaped forward, narrowly avoiding the tail of the dinosaur behind him, and landed painfully on the other side of the gate. After that, the man from before cut a rope, which resulted in the gates getting closed.
And with that, it was other; the dinosaur walked in the jungle alongside its recent kill, and the group had the time to recover. The saviour of the group arrived to help Dutch get up. « Hey, you all right? » he asked worried.
But as he lent an hand for Dutch, the latter simply swatted the hand away. « DON'T FUCKING- » Dutch shouted, interrupting himself realizing that this wasn't the best way to get around things.
« My apologies Mister. In other occasions, I would have been more civilized, but I…no, WE, had one hell of a day. » he calmed down. « That's perfectly understandable. Take all the time you need. » the other man said.
« By the way, name is Dutch Van der Linde. Gentlemen over there are Arthur Morgan, Micah Bell and Miss Eden. » Dutch then said, greeting the group for the man, who lent the hand again to greet him.
« My name is Mercer. I'm the Field Team Leader around here. » he presented himself. « Welcome to Astera. » he then told the group.
If you're wondering what is going on in the story, this fanfiction is actually related to the Second Universe, most specifically, the Universalia War, which I called Universalia Fight Club back in the day.
To have a better understanding of what's going on, check out Second Universe Tales: Universalia Fight Club, but only chapter 1, as it's the sole chapter that will remain the same, as I'm planning to rewrite the series once again.
In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review so I can learn your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions, so stay tuned.
See you on the next chapter!