Red Hunter Redemption: Chapter 1
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As the group walked away from the gate, there was a brief explanation of what was going on. «So you are saying that you're not from this world? » Mercer asked. « Seems that way. » Dutch responded, far calmer than in the previous encounter.
« Well this is good news. Surely explains a lot. But first, let me give you a tour. » Mercer then said. « Sorry sir, I know you wanna give us a hand but…we're a bit busy. There were more of us back in that abandoned town. » Arthur said.
Mercer simply smirked. « Not to worry. By how you describe your world, I think we found them. » he then reassured the group. « Oh thank goodness. » Dutch sighed in relief. « Are they all right? Any injured? » he then asked slightly worried.
« Some yes, but not from the experience I believe. Most only had older wounds. A scouting team found them near the forest, attacked by a pack of Jagras. » Mercer explained. « Jagras? You mean those damn yellow lizards we met on the way here? » Micah asked.
« So you met them too? Yeah, they're probably them. » Mercer then said. « Just for curiosity, how many did you kill? » he then asked. « Must have been around six or seven. Nasty little bastards. » Arthur answered.
« Good to hear. We were having a Jagras problem. There might be more, but first, let's get to Astera. » Mercer said, before the group was greeted by a large gate, made out of rocks shaped like bones.
« Wow. » Eden said in awe. « Amazing, ain't it? » Mercer said with pride. « Well sure it's something. » Dutch admitted. « It's like nature meant for us to build Astera right here. » Mercer then said.
« If God wanted you to build Astera he would not have created those Jagras bastards. » Micah complained. « Relax Micah. I'm sure those folks here know what they're doing. » Dutch reassured the man.
What greeted the group next was Astera itself. It was built primarily out of wood, some taken from ships by the looks of it. Rather than a city it was more like a base. There were docks, supply caches, trade posts, and so on.
« Looks more like a workshop than a city to be honest. » Dutch admitted. « Yeah. Astera is still a work in progress to be honest. » Mercer commented. « Well I sure like it. Simple, efficient…free. » Dutch then said as he looked at the base.
He was snapped back to reality as he saw the rest of his gang, helping some of the other members of Astera. Many seemed to be in bad shape. Among the group there were Erica and Aiden. «{Probably belong to poor Miss Eden group.} » he thought to himself, as he ran alongside Arthur and Micah.
« Folks! You have no idea how good is to see you! » Dutch exclaimed as he ran forward. Aiden looked at Dutch confused, before realizing what was going on. « I assume you're with these people. » he greeted the man.
« Yeah, I'm the leader of these people. Name's Dutch Van der Linde. There here are Arthur Morgan and Micah Bell. » Dutch introduced himself. « Name's Aiden. Gotta say, your people are a life saving so far. » Aiden said as he turned to the group.
« Just helping some folks. You really had a rough ship wreck son. » the elderly man of Dutch group said. « You could say that again. » Erica sighed, before turning to Eden. « Good to see you're well. Are you all right? Injured? » she asked.
« Not at all. Mostly thanks to these people. » Eden answered, referring to Dutch, Micah and Arthur. « They seems to be good people. » Erica then said. « So, what's with the Wroggi outfit? » Aiden then asked.
« The hell is a Wroggi, son? » Arthur asked. Aiden sighed at the question. « Yeah, figured you didn't know. Don't worry, your people told me about everything. Seems honest. » he then said. « So it's true. We really are in another world. » a young African-American woman with brown eyes and dark hair pulled neatly into a French braid said.
« I'm afraid so, miss Tilly. » Dutch admitted. « Hey! We need an hand! » one of the hunters exclaimed, calling back the rest of the group. « Sorry, we still have some people to heal. » Erica admitted.
But before the rest of Dutch gang could go help, they were called by Mercer. « Hey you! We need you to the meeting office. The Commander wants to see you. He has already been informed, but still. » Mercer then motioned the group.
« Sure. Let's meet this gentleman. » Dutch responded as he continued to look at the base. « Look at all the people! And the stuff! » Eden said in awe. « Yeah, here we have it all, hunters to do the exploring, scholars to do the research, and technicians to keep them going…» Mercer explained. « A small piece of paradise if you ask me. » Dutch then said.
After a bit of walking, the group finally found themselves in the meeting office. « Commander, here they are! » Mercer then exclaimed, gaining the attention of an elderly man with grey hair and a scar in his face.
He arrived in front of the group, and greet Eden first. « Welcome to Astera. I'm glad you made it. Somehow, I knew you would though. » he said in a stoic tone. « Thanks, sir. » Eden responded. He then turned to Dutch.
« And you must be Dutch Van der Linde. The group had informed our officials that you are the leader of these people. » the commander said. « That would be me. » Dutch said. « I'm sure that team field leader Mercer and huntress Eden here has already informed you about who we are, and how this world works. » the commander said.
« The basics, yes, but enough to understand just what's going on. » Dutch responded as he shook his hand. The commander then turned to the rest of the people in the council. « All right. Now that Mr. Van der Linde is here, alongside huntress Eden, we can begin the council. » he said with a serious tone.
In the council, there were several individuals. There was a small old man with pointy ears, a woman with dark hair and skin, another man with pointy ears, this time far taller than the other man, another small man with white moustache, a man with dark skin, and a bipedal muscular cat.
« Now that we're all here, let us begin council. » the commander said, gaining the attention of everybody. « After tracking a migrating elder dragon across the sea… » he explained, before pointing at Eden and Dutch gang «…the Fifth Fleet have finally arrived in Astera. Give them a warm welcome. » he finished.
« Joining Astera is also another group, surprisingly not even from this world. The man right here, » he pointed at Dutch, « is Dutch Van der Linde, the leader of these people. » he explained. « It is peculiar that people from another world seem to be…so similar to us. » the taller man with pointy ears said.
« Only thing peculiar is why you have damn pointy ears. What, you're an elf or something? » Arthur asked rudely. « Now Arthur, let's try to get along with these gentlemen. » Dutch intervened. The man with pointy ears simply laughed.
« No offense taken. I should have picked my words more carefully. As for your question, I'm a Wyverian. A being somewhat similar to humans. » the man, a Wyverian apparently, responded.
« A Wyverian, huh? Any relations to those freaks of nature out there? » Arthur asked. « Perhaps. » was the Wyverian response. « Anyway, this is the Commission's core team. You should all get to know each other. » the commander intervened.
« Now, back to business. There are two things I wish to discuss. First of all, it's regarding of the more recent monster that made it to the Elder Crossing: Zora Magdaros. A huge monster with a mountain of fire on his back. » the commander explained.
« that's the monster that shipwreck the, well, ship, I was in! » Eden exclaimed. Dutch widened his eyes in shock. « That big? » he asked. « Elder Dragons have been with us since the dawn of time… » the smaller man with pointy ears said, « altering the ecosystem, reshaping the land, leaving disaster in their wake… »
« Well that's damn uplifting. » Micah complained out loud. « Every decade or so, they flock to this continent. The question is…to what purpose? » the tiny Wyverian continued. « I am sure that with the help of the Fifth Fleet, we'll find the answer. » the commander said.
« Sure is a lot of responsibility, miss. » Dutch placed a hand on Eden shoulder. She simply smiled. « But I'm ready to carry them. I'm ready to get my hands dirty! » she exclaimed. « Now that's the spirit, miss. You would have been fine in our gang. » Arthur said proudly.
« Let me tell ya, she's a sharp shooter. » Dutch then said to the commander. « I'm sure she is, Mr. Van der Linde. Speaking of you, now comes the second part of the meeting. » he said with a smile which turned into a serious face in the latter part.
« Van der Linde and his people are not part of their expedition. They aren't even part of this world. But I heard reports of you fending off a Jagras attack. Seven kills, not bad. » the commander said with pride. « That's the same number we killed back then in the forest. Although, they did most of the killing. » Eden added, pointing at Dutch, Micah and Arthur.
« So I have a proposal for you. You can stay here. I am willing to allow your people to stay. The only condition, is that you give us some sort of support with your abilities, as hunters. Or, you can pick the next boat to the old world. » the commander proposed.
« I'm sorry to inform you that you can't stay here without, well…earning your share. We don't have the resources necessaries. If you choose the latter option, I can assure you, that you could go to the Old World with no discrimination. You could settle there, find a good job. Perhaps you could even find a way back to your home world. There is no shame in picking this choice. I do realize, that this is a dangerous world for you. » he then continued after a small pause.
Dutch remained silent. Sure, this "New World" was far more dangerous than the West. But to go to the Old World? If it was anything like their Old World, he shivered at the thought. « {And what? Go in all of that civilization?} » he thought to himself.
He could not allow it. But then a thought came to his mind. What if this was a blessing in disguise? Thinking back, what did his gang ever do? Rob, kill, pillage…. was that really a life worth to live?
All he wanted was to settle down as a free man. And now, thinking closely, he had an idea. What if he and the gang settled here? Doing something ACTUALLY useful, fruitful, and being free at the same time?
He turned to his gang members. « Well folks, you heard his proposal. » he said. A short silence followed. « Listen…I know this seems like a curse for most of you. » he said, knowing that this was pretty hard on everyone.
« But…what if this was a blessing in disguise? » he then asked, his eyes sparkling for the first time in a long time. This gained the attention of all of his gang members. « What if this…was what we were looking for our entire lives? » Dutch asked.
« Settle down….and being free at the same time… » the elderly man murmured. « Yes Hosea. Maybe we can't return to the West…but we can achieve what we wanted here! Doing something useful in our damn lives and being free at the same time! » Dutch exclaimed.
« This place sure ain't a piece of sunshine. » a busty woman in her mid-20 with blonde hair that curled at the ends and green eyes commented. « I know, miss Karen... » Dutch said, « and that's why I ain't forcing you to stay. »
Everybody was shocked by the latter part of Dutch sentence. This isn't something that he would had said back in their world. He always said that the gang should stay together. « I understand that this….all of this…might be too much for you. Hell, it might be too much for me. » he said, realizing that this was a far more dangerous world than his.
« The West is hard. No doubt about that. But the West also doesn't have…giant damn lizards and dinosaurs and…fucking dragons. So it's perfectly understand if you think the Old World is safer. Commander said it. There ain't no shame in leaving. » Dutch continued.
He remained silent for a while. « But I'm not going. » he then said, with a determined tone. The group remained silent for a while. « If you think, » Arthur was the first to speak, « that a couple of lizards are enough to get me off your back…you're seriously wrong, Dutch. ».
« 30 years I stayed by your side. You think that I…no, WE, will leave you like that? » Hosea said. « You gotta be more convincing boss. » a young man with black skin and neat, relatively short black hair, with little in the way of facial hair said proud.
« I said that this ain't a piece of sunshine, not that I plan to leave. What, you think the Grizzlies were a piece of heaven? » Karen said. It was obvious that no member of the gang intended to leave, dragons or not.
Dutch smiled at the scene. It seems that he and the gang found what they were looking for. He then turned to the commander. « Well it looks like we settled things down. » he then said. However, before the commander could speak, he raised his index finger.
« But…I have one condition. Just a small one. » he then said. « As you said, we ain't part of your research team….and we keep being that way. I, just like all members of my group, value freedom above everything else. It's why we live this life. » Dutch explained.
« Dedicating your life to freedom. I respect that. All people should try and achieve that. » the commander said with a tone of respect. « So here's the proposal. What if we, instead of working with you…we became allies with you? We get to live as we want, but we also help you in case of need. We're hard-working people. As miss Eden said, we're ready to get our hands in the mud. » Dutch proposed.
The commander gave it a quick thought, but saw no flaw in his proposal. « Very well, Dutch Van der Linde. From now on, the Van der Linde gang shall be a critically important ally to Astera. In case of need, we shall inform you. We will perfectly understand if you refuse. May this be the beginning of a wonderful life in the New World. » the commander then said.
« Thank you, mister. » Dutch said. « Originally, there was also a third topic of discussion, a Jagras problem in the Ancient Forest. But, the combined actions of the various Van der Linde gang members have already decimated the pack. So that would be it- » the Commander was explaining, before some shouting interrupted him.
« Dutch! Dutch! » a woman was shouting as she ran towards the council. « Miss Marson! » Dutch exclaimed. « Oh thank goodness, you and Arthur are all right. » she said, having calmed down. « Abigail, what is going on? » Arthur asked worried.
« It's John! He wasn't with us after that damn light hit us! » she exclaimed. « Calm down. Who is this John? » Eden asked concerned, trying to calm the woman down. « He…he's my husband. Went alongside Mr. Bell when we were in the Grizzlies… I thought he might have…I dunno, teleported here with all of us…. » Abigail answered the young girl.
« It seems a member of your group is missing. We will send a research squad immediately. » the commander reassured the woman. « Please commander…let me investigate as well. The Van der Linde gang has essentially saved my life when dealing with the Jagras….it's the least I can do. » Eden asked.
« Oh thank you so much miss. » Abigail thanked the girl. « Eden. The name is Eden. » Eden introduced herself. « Abigail Marson. » Abigail introduced herself. « I'll go as well. He would had done the same thing. » a slim-built man, with black hair and a dark complexion, notably having a moustache that's shaved in the middle, with a prominent scar on his eyebrow, hidden by his hair said.
Arthur simply sighed. « All right, might as well come as well. » he begrudgingly said. « I'll come as well. But first, let's get Eden a weapon. And also, a little Palico was found looking for her. » Mercer said.
« Wait…did he say that its name was Niko?! Is he all right!? » Eden asked worried. « He's mostly fine. Washed up ashore after the shipwreck. He was worried for you. » the commander said. « But first, let's get you a weapon. Come on, I'll show you your new home. » Mercer said as he gestured Eden.
« Thank you! » Abigail exclaimed once again. « Oh, before we go, do you have any personal idem of John? » Eden asked. Abigail was confused by her question, but gave her a piece of cloth. « Yes. Here, a piece of cloth he lost from his wagon. Thought you guys had dogs you could use to track him down. » she then said.
After that, Eden opened a small jar containing several fireflies, green in coloration. They went out and surround the piece of cloth, only to return to the jar a couple of seconds later. « Perfect. The scoutflies have memorized John scent. We should be able to track him now. » Eden said.
After a while, Arthur, Eden, Mercer and the moustache man arrived to Eden's home. « Here. This is your new home. » Mercer said. Eden quickly went inside. In the meantime, as she was busy picking her new weapon, Mercer turned to Arthur and the other man.
« All right, Arthur and… » he begun to say, before being interrupted by the other man. « Javier. Javier Escuella. » the other man presented himself. « Very well. While she's busy picking her weapon, here, have some supplies. » he said, as he handed the two a bunch of bottles.
« It's all the necessary in this world. Antidotes, dash juices, health potions… » he listed. « Wait, "health potions"? What's this? Whiskey? » Arthur joked. Mercer smirked. « Maybe it is in your world. » he shot back.
Javier handed him a small bottle. « Here, grinto. Have a taste. » he said. And with that, Mercer opened the small bottle and sipped a bit, before spitting it out. « Alcohol? This is how you heal yourself!? » he asked shocked and disgusted by the taste.
« Well it makes things dull when you have to get…. well…dirty on the medical job. » Arthur said. Shortly after that, Eden came out with what seemed to be a mix between a rifle and a crossbow. « I'm ready. » she said determined.
« What the hell is that? » Arthur asked. « That's a light blowgun. Good for fast shooting and easy to carry. » Eden explained. « You sure? That thing looks heavier than a machine gun. » Javier commented.
« Don't worry, I can carry this. » she replied with a smile, before her eyes caught something. « Wait, is that…Niko! » she exclaimed. The small humanoid cat, desperately looking for her, turned to see where the voice came from, and ran into her arms.
The two embraced each other, glad to meet again after a terrifying experience. Arthur pinched his nose at the sight. « Sure. Why the hell not. » he commented.
After some other preparations, Arthur, Javier, Eden, Niko and Mercer were out in the forest, looking for John. Eden and Mercer were on the back of Arthur and Javier horses. They would have to learn how to ride one eventually if there was to be collaborations between the Commission and the Van der Linde gang, but given the situation, there was not time at the moment. They had dispatched the scoutflies, but so far there had been no luck. However, finally, the scoutflies found a lead.
« There! The scoutflies found some tracks! » Eden exclaimed. They were definitely horse tracks. « Come on, there's some tracks going deeper in the jungle. » Javier said. « You think it's John? » Arthur asked.
« Hardly know anyone who rides horses around these parts beside us. » Javier responded. And with that, they begun following the tracks. « So, tell me more about this New World. Our New World was discovered when an Italian guy was looking for the Indies. » Arthur begun to struck a conversation.
« We discovered this continent when studying the movements of the Elder Dragons. It's always good to know where these beings are moving. » Mercer responded. « Believe me, I get it. If I was in your position, I would do everything in my power to keep those damn things under watch. » Arthur responded.
« And from there, well, the whole Commission was developed, not just to study the Elder Dragons, but to understand everything about this continent as a whole. We haven't explored deep enough, to be honest. » Mercer continued.
« An unexplored wasteland full of potential? Just like our New World then. » Javier commented. « Yeah. We haven't done much in 40 years. » Eden admitted. « To be honest, it took us a little bit more than 40 years to colonize our New World. » Javier responded.
« Enjoy it as it is now. Unexplored and free of bureaucrats. Free in general, to be honest. » Arthur commented. « I just hope this John is fine. As my grandfather always said, "Safety comes first." » Eden commented.
« Your old man seems like a wise person. » Arthur commented. « He was among the first to explore this continent. He was part of the First Fleet. He always used to write about how great and wild this place is, and now that I see it… he wasn't lying. » Eden admitted.
« Was? Is he dead? » Javier asked. Eden shook her head. « Officially he went missing. I haven't heard from him in years. » she admitted, a bit sad. « My condolences, miss. Hosea would had liked that guy. » Arthur then said.
As the group went deeper in the forest, it became harder for the horses to move in the terrain. « Damn it, horses are struggling. » Arthur commented. « Looks like they're not used to jungle terrain. » Mercer commented.
« Nah. They're more for open plain traveling. » Arthur responded. As the group progressed, however, Eden noticed something. « Guys! Over there! You see that? » she said, pointing at a carcass. It was the carcass of a dead horse, half eaten by scavengers.
« John was riding that horse when we left Blackwater. » Javier said. Eden descended from the horse and went closer, looking for any items with John scent. They begun sitting down on various parts of the horse, only to go by the right side of a nearby water stream.
« There, the scoutflies are pointing at that direction. » she said, as she pointed at where the flies were heading. « Let's see if he can hear us. » Javier then said, as he begun shooting in the air with his revolver.
« HEY! HELP! HERE! » a voice was heard coming from the same direction of the scoutflies. « Come on! He seems in trouble! » Eden said, as she went back on Arthur horse back with a little help from the man.
But after a while, they found themselves in front of a ramp, with some vegetation. It could be climbed, but the horses had to be left. « We need to leave the horses safe. Tie them by that tree, Arthur. » Javier said.
After tying the horses and climbing the wall, they had to move through several roots and branches, forming an obstacle course that slowed the group down considerably. « Mierda (shit), it's hard to move around here. » Javier cursed.
« Don't worry. You'll get used to it. » Mercer reassured. As they walked forward, John cries for help became closer and closer. « We're coming, John! » Javier exclaimed. « John! Where are you! » Eden called.
« Marston! » Arthur also called the man. « John! Where are you!? We're here to save you! » Mercer also called. « Down here! Over the edge! » a voice was heard nearby. « Over there! » Javier exclaimed as he ran towards the edge of a cliff.
« All right! Pipe down, Marston! » Arthur shouted annoyed. « Don't worry, we're friends with your boss, Dutch! » Eden assured the man, as he ran over to help Javier pull him out. He had fairly long, collar-length, right-parted dark hair.
He also had huge, bleeding scars on his face. « That's quite the scratch you got there. » Arthur commented. « Here. It's a healing potion. It should help recover. » Eden said, as she gave the liquid to the man.
Some of his scars begun to heal, but a lot of them remained. « Thanks miss. » he thanked Eden. « The name is Eden. You must be John Marston, right? » she asked. John looked at Javier and Arthur.
« How does she know my name? » he asked. « Your wife asked for help, and she decided that you deserved better than becoming Jagras food. » Arthur joked. « Jagras? That the name of those damn lizards? » John asked.
Both Eden and Mercer remained silent for a while. « Mr. Marston, I don't want to alarm you but… » Eden begun, but was not able to continue. « You're no longer in your "United States". You're not even in your own world. » Mercer continued.
« Well that explain a lot of things. What did I miss? » John asked, as he was picked up by Mercer and Javier. « We found a new place. Believe or not, I think we're gonna settle down. » Arthur responded.
John smirked. « Well that's a new one. » he joked. « What, the New World? » Arthur joked back. « Nah. Dutch settling down. » John responded. « Well it's either that or come across things deadlier than a Jagras. » Javier said.
« Don't die yet, cowboy. » Arthur encouraged the man. « We can't go back the way we came. Let's try this way. » Eden proposed. « Hopefully this will lead us out. » Javier commented. Luckily, they were able to reach the horses.
Unfortunately, they had company. Another pack of Jagras, hungry for food. « Up there! » Eden pointed at the pack. « Perfect. » Arthur cursed. John was placed on one of the horses, while the rest of the group prepared to face the Jagras.
They formed some sort of human wall against the incoming Jagras. Mercer and his huge sword took a large swing, cleaving one of the Jagras in half. Arthur, with his sawed-off shotgun, completely blew one of the Jagras head.
Javier used his revolver to hit another in the eye, the bullet piercing its brain. Eden used her light blowgun to hit a Jagras by the side, the shot piercing the lungs and killing it immediately. But it was far from over.
The Jagras were being more careful this time. Instead of rushing to the kill, they walked in circles on the tree tops and branches. This made hitting the critter far harder. « Screw this, we're just wasting bullets. Get on the horses! » Arthur commanded.
The group wasted no time. While in a normal situation they could wait for the Jagras or bring the fight to them, right now the mission was to save John. A potion was useful when dealing with a quick heal, but he needed more than that.
The group got on their horses and made a run for it. « Come on! Let's head back to Astera! » Mercer exclaimed. « Astera? » John asked. « A research base Dutch has chosen as a place where to settle down. Apparently this continent is their version of America and they just discovered it. » Arthur explained.
« Urgh…I don't feel so good. » John complained. « Don't worry. Jagras are not venomous. It's like being bitten by…a small animal. » Mercer explained. « Like a dog. » Javier continued. « I knew a feller, got bitten by a dog. Died an hour later. » John said.
« You're not going to die. » Eden reassured the man. The group begun to ride to the way back to Astera, but were soon chased by the Jagras. With their long limbs, they begun to make quick progress.
Unfortunately, this time, they didn't have the cover of the trees this time. « Come on fellers! Fill them with lead! » Arthur exclaimed. One of the Jagras was very close to one of the horses, but had the unpleasant experience of having its torso blow off by Arthur shotgun.
Another tried to jump, but was shot by Eden with her new revolver. « I'm SO in love with this thing! » she exclaimed. « Why go bigger when you can go better! » Arthur exclaimed as he shot another Jagras. « Not going to lie. She's good! » John complimented the girl.
« Yeah, she has a good aim. Figured that gun out in less than five minutes. » Arthur added. « It's not that different from many of our training guns. Reloading aside. » Mercer noted. The Jagras begun to perform a flanking manoeuvre against the group, while at the same time being out of sight of the gun.
« They're trying to flank us! » Javier exclaimed. « Keep going! We need to outrun the bastards! » Arthur shot back. A part of the pack moved on the right, while the other moved on the left in a pincer manoeuvre.
« Get out of here, you scaly bastards! » Javier shouted, as he hit a Jagras in the legs. « Keep them away from the horses! » Arthur commanded, as he took another shot. The chase continued for a while, but not after long, the Jagras realized that these preys were not worth it. Too fast and too dangerous.
As such, they begun to retreat. « I think they're going back into the forest! » Eden exclaimed. « Jesus, never seen such determined lizards! » John exclaimed. « Are you all right, John? » Eden asked.
« Think so. » the man responded. « You know, we're gonna need a better story for that scar. » Arthur joked. « So being eaten by oversized iguanas ain't good enough for you? » John asked irritated.
« You see those walls? We're almost there! » Mercer reassured John. Soon, the group reached one of the gates. « Open the gate! We have a wounded here! » Mercer exclaimed, before the gate was quickly opened.
As they entered, a group of hunters helped John get down from the horse. Racing in front of everybody was Abigail. « You're alive! Oh, you're alive! » she exclaimed in relief. The hunters and Dutch group grabbed the man, but he cried out in pain.
« Ay, careful idiotas (idiots), his leg is injured! » Javier coursed. Abigail then turned toward Javier, Arthur, Eden and Mercer. « Thank you, thank all of you! » she said glad that her husband was safe.
« Don't worry, we'll patch him up! » Mercer reassured the woman. « Thank you, my good friends. And thank you too, Arthur. » Hosea thanked the group. « An excellent saving operation. » a voice came from behind.
It belonged to the commander, who had a glad face. « Haven't done anything special. Met another group of those damn Jagras. » Arthur responded. The commander raised an eyebrow. « Another pack? It must have been the effect of Zora Magdaros. It's causing ecological disturbances. Normally there aren't as many Jagras packs around these parts. » the commander commented.
« By the looks of it, it was composed by eight members, 10 tops. » Mercer explained. The commander crossed his arms at the news. « The effects of Zora Magdaros mere presence are bigger than I though. Jagras packs are never that large normally. » he said with a serious tone.
« None the less, we have found some places where you can stay. I know you aren't under my command, but it's not safe out there. » the commander told the group. « No kidding. Those things are as fast as wolves and as agile as cougars. » Arthur commented.
« For now, I think you should rest. Not even a day and you probably faced death not once, but four times. Besides, it's getting dark. » the commander then said. « Come on, I'll show you where our dorms are. » Hosea said, as he motioned Javier and Arthur.
This looked like the beginning of a new era for the Van der Linde gang.
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!