Red Hunter Redemption, Chapter 2
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I still can't believe all of this. A new whole world. Stranded in some freaky version of America filled with beasts and all sorts of freaks of nature. Hardly the place I thought we were gonna settle down. Dutch says this is a blessing in disguise. Maybe it is. Maybe it ain't.
Apparently this "guild" sent an expedition to this place. They discovered it 40 years ago. Some of us were already young men even before they found this place. But apparently "Elder Dragons", beast that bring destruction only industrialization can truly bring, come here every couple of decades. They wonder what's the reason. Maybe they spend their winters in their country club in this continent. It can be anything.
Luckily for us, no Elder Dragon has decided to shows its ugly face here in this research base, Astera. Only Jagras. Nasty little bastards. They hunt in packs like wolves, but are as ferocious as cougars. There is this Elder Dragon, Zora Magdaros. Caused some of the ships bringing new folks here to shipwreck. No dead, but lots of injuries. It also caused some of them Jagras to move from their home territories. Just like us after Blackwater.
Jagras packs are getting closer to the base than they usually do, apparently. We turned it into a business. We killed plenty and plan to sell their pelt. They mostly use it for armour, apparently, but we know how to sew. The women do, anyway.
Locals are nice. Naive, if I have to be honest, but nice. We met this girl, Miss Eden. She's a good shooter, but damn she can't get on a horse. Lord we tried to teach her, but so far the horses hate her.
Field Team Leader Mercer has accompanied us in some hunts. Good leader. Strong kid. He was born here; he never saw the Old World. I hope he never does. All that civilization would break his poor heart.
Then there's the commander. He seems experienced. He knows how to lead people. Dutch and him are going along. He respects him; he respects US. This is something I haven't seen for a long time.
So far everybody is getting along with the folks here. Except for one. Micah. God damn Micah.
-Arthur Morgan journal, 1 week since the day they got stranded in Hantachi
Arthur finished writing his journal. It has been a week since he and the rest of the Van Der Linde gang were stranded in this world. They didn't stand idle during this week. They familiarized themselves with the territory.
Some still had an hard time to this new situation, but others found some jobs to help the research base. While Arthur walked on the various stairs, he met a man, his back bent down as he was scribbling down something.
« Morning. » he greeted the man. « Morning to you. » the man responded. He then sighed. « So the Fifth has arrived. » he said in a tired tone. « You seem more surprised about that than us coming from another world, partner. » Arthur said.
« I'm getting used to that. I'm not really surprised, just…worried. » the man responded. He then turned to Arthur, having stopped looking at his blue print. « I'm the airship engineer of the Second Fleet. I work on flying machines: airships, and so on. » he presented himself.
« And why are you so worried about the Fifth Expedition? They seem fine to me. » Arthur noted. The man sighed again. « After the Third Expedition arrived, they insisted upon crossing the Great Ravine, so they got their ship converted into an airship and off they went. » he explained.
Arthur soon realized what happened next. « And then they got stranded. Did I guess right? » Arthur guessed. « It was going well, but when they crossed the ravine, they got attacked by a flying monster and were grounded. » the engineer answered.
« You knew them folks? » Arthur asked. « Some of them yes. They were reckless, but as I was the one who designed the airship… » the man begun, before being interrupted by Arthur. « Don't beat yourself about it. It ain't your fault, partner. » he reassured the engineer.
« Ever since, I'm working on better airships in the hopes of saving them, but between the New World bad winds and the ravine, it has been a failure after another. » the engineer sadly admitted. « I can try to talk to Dutch. We might be able to get to them with the horses. » Arthur reassured the man.
« That would be a good act. Thank you. In the meantime, you won't catch me calling it quits. » the engineer thanked Arthur. « Keep that attitude up partner. » Arthur smiled at him, as he descended from the stairs.
As Arthur walked in the main plaza of the base, he met a familiar face. « So Hosea, » he greeted his old friend, « how's the shooting range doing for you? » he asked.
Hosea turned to Arthur with a smile. « The kids are doing fine. They all have good eyes. Sharp reflexes as well. Plenty however chose some of those ridiculous weapons. » Hosea responded. He and some other members of the gang had begun training the hunters how to shoot with their guns, in case the need came.
So far, they all pulled an impressive show, but many preferred some of the larger weapons native of this world. « Like that damn sword Mr. Mercer has? » Arthur asked.
« How the hell do they even carry that thing. Lenny and Bill tried to lift that damn thing; they say it's heavier than a bear. » Hosea commented. Arthur shrugged his shoulders. « Beats me. ». A short silence followed.
« So how's Dutch? » Arthur asked. « He's fine. Doing better than he was a couple of weeks before. » Hosea responded. « I haven't seen him this happy in a while if I have to be honest. » he then added. « Still can't believe he decided to finally settle down. » Arthur said.
« That's a new one for me too. But we needed to settle down eventually. » Hosea answered the man. « You think this the best place we could have taken? » Arthur asked his old friend. Hosea had a melancholic smile on his face.
« Honestly I would had preferred if we went West. To OUR west. » Hosea answered in full honesty. « Who knows, maybe we can return somehow. » Arthur said hopeful. « I'm a bit doubtful on that, Arthur. » Hosea sighed.
Then Arthur turned to the sight of Eden, a bit in pain from her last riding lesson. She was alongside some of Dutch's gang members and Aiden. « Still better than the Grizzlies, to be honest. » Arthur said, as he walked toward her. « Looks like you didn't have that good of a day, huh? » Arthur said sympathetically.
Eden groaned in pain. « Damn, those things…once they get angry, they're impossible to control! » she complained. « Relax, it ain't something you learn with a snap. » a man reassured her. He was a large and heavyset man, though he appeared to be somewhat fat. He had brown hair and a bushy beard. Though not bald, his hair was clearly receding and he also seemed to be missing some teeth.
« Well at the same time, I've never seen someone getting trampled out of their horses that many times. » Micah commented sarcastically, gaining an annoyed look by the gang. « Perhaps they don't like the likes of you. » he then added, gaining a glare from Eden.
« I don't know about that. They seem to let you ride them just fine. » Aiden mocked the man, gaining a few laughs of approval from the rest of the gang. Micah turned to the young man. « You think you're funny, young man? » he asked with a tone full of venom.
« Am I not? » Aiden shot back. In response, Micah punched him in the face, causing him to fall down. « Woah! » Eden exclaimed, as she walked up to him to give Micah a lesson, only to be held by Arthur, while the rest of the gang held Micah.
« Maybe I don't feel like being laughed by the likes of you. » Micah hissed at the young man. « STOP IT! » a voice came from behind Micah. It was Dutch, who had finished a conversation with the commander.
« You fools punching these fine gentlemen, who have given us a chance to settle down!? Is this how you thank them?! » he scolded the gang, but in truth he seemed (thankfully) more focused on Micah.
He then walked up to Aiden worried. « You all right, son? » he asked, as he helped him get up. « I'm fine, he didn't punch me that hard. » Aiden responded, with a smirk on his face. « I would say to keep your gang in check, Mr. Van der Linde, » the commander said in a serious tone, «but that would be an unjust accusation to most of the gang. ».
Dutch simply sighed. « I'm terribly sorry, my good sir. I apologize on his behalf, he's a great worker but damn he can be unbearable. » Dutch apologized. « Good to know you finally figured it out! » the large bearded man commented.
« Shut it, Bill! » Micah shot back. « Enough! » Dutch shouted. This was enough to keep everyone silent. He then turned to the commander. « Anyway, you were saying that there were some problems? » Dutch asked the elderly man.
« Indeed. You're doing a fine job against Jagras, but they're not the only problem we're dealing with. » the commander explained. « What seems to be bothering you folks? » Arthur asked.
« A Kestodon herd is getting out of control. It's because of Zora Magdaros. It got everything riled up. » the commander explained. « It would be extremely useful of your group if you helped Miss Eden in investigating the herd, alongside quell their numbers. That is, if you agree. » the commander then proposed. « I will also tag along. The more, the merrier. » Mercer then said.
« I don't mind myself. » Dutch responded to the commander proposal. He then turned to his companions. « Anyone has any complains? » he asked. « Because if you don't, we have a work to do. »
He then motioned again to his companions. « Arthur, Mr. Summers, Mr. Escuella, Mr. Williamson, Mr. Bell, get yourself ready. » But Eden raised an eyebrow at the last surname. « Do we really need Micah? » she asked annoyed.
« Well he might be useful for once in his life. » Arthur sarcastically commented. « Shut up, Arthur. » Micah complained.
After they were all geared up, the group moved up to find the Kestodon herd. It didn't take them much to find the herd, who was grazing alongside some Aptonoth. They had an appearance similar to a Pachycephalosaurus. Some were bright orange in colour and had a large head crest, with some headbutting other members of the herd. Others were bronze in colour and lacked the head crest of their companions.
« These, my friends, are Kestodons. » Mercer explained. « Jesus, that thing is as big as a bison! » Arthur exclaimed. « I guess animals are smaller in your world. » Mercer commented. « Animals generally don't bring the end of the world from where we came from. » Dutch told the Field Leader.
« Still, it's weird to see Kestodons grazing around these parts. » Mercer commented. « Where do they usually live? » Javier asked. « They prefer drier climates. This region is too humid for them. » Mercer told the man.
« Not enough to keep them away, it seems. » Arthur commented. « All right, gentlemen. If they are anything like a buffalo, these things hit hard. We need to stay away as much as possible. » Dutch explained the gang.
He pointed first at Summers, which name was Lenny, and Javier. « Mr. Summers, Mr. Escuella, you take those bushes there. » he commanded the duo, pointing at a large fern. « You got it boss. » Lenny answered.
« Mr. Williamson, Mr. Bell, you take those rocks. » he commanded Bill and Micah to a group of rocks. « Fine, as long as I don't have to stay with him too long. » Bill sighed.
« As for me, I'll take the high ground with Arthur. » he then pointed at a rocky platform. « Mind if I join? » Eden asked. « Not at all. Hosea said you're a good shooter with that thing. » Dutch complimented the girl.
« As a hunter, I did have some training. » Eden explained. « If you don't mind, I'll just watch. » Mercer said. « Should be able to handle it. » Arthur shot back. Soon, everybody was in position. The whole gang, with the exception of Mercer and Eden, were equipped with rifles.
Dutch took his aim at a large Kestodon, casually grazing the ground. It suddenly rose its head up, looking at Dutch. It didn't care much for its presence. It didn't seem threatening. It had no idea of what was going to happen.
Dutch pulled the trigger, the bullet coming out of the rifle and hitting the Kestodon in the eye, only to pierce its brain seconds later. The herd was shocked by the noise, but had no time to react.
Soon, all the gang members begun to shoot mercilessly at the unaware Kestodons. Micah laughed as he shot one of the beasts through the lung. Lenny headshot another large individual, and Javier shot the back of the head of a smaller specimen.
Eden as well was doing well with her ballista, having shot a large individual, almost obliterating its lungs. Soon, before they could even realize, the entire herd was killed off. « I think that's all of them! » Bill exclaimed.
« Sure looks that way. I guess the mission is finished. » Mercer commented. « Get your knives ready! We'll carve anything we need from those things. And leave enough for Miss Eden. She did as much as we did. » Dutch told the gang.
« No problem, Dutch! » Arthur exclaimed. Soon, all had their knives ready. The skin was what they were looking for, but they also begun collecting meat and the skulls of the beasts. « Damn, these heads are as big as me! » Lenny commented.
« It means they're males. They use it to headbutt against rivals during the mating season. » Eden explained. « Barely made it in here and already a small expert, aren't we? » Arthur commented. « I did a bit of homework. » Eden smiled.
However, she noticed something in the distance. « Over there! There's two more! » Eden exclaimed. Indeed, there were two Kestodons running for their life. « Looks like we have some runners. » Arthur commented.
« Should we take them out? » Dutch asked to Mercer. « Nah. You killed plenty. We need to quell their numbers, not to exterminate them. » Mercer told Dutch. The latter simply shrugged his shoulders.
« But of course. » he said with a smile. But as the Kestodons ran, a large beast emerged from the forest, capturing one with its massive jaws. It shook its head violently, killing the Kestodon on the spot, and then it swallowed it whole.
All of that, in sight of the group. « Woah! » Arthur exclaimed. « Jesus. » Lenny then commented. The creature stared at the group for a while, and then vanished into the thick jungle. « Is it that the creature that attacked you when you met Miss Eden? » Javier asked.
« Definitely not the same folk, but yeah. Definitely the same kind of beast. » Dutch answered. « That's a Great Jagras. » Eden explained. « Wait, that thing is a Jagras? » Micah asked surprised. « The Jagras you had been killing are juveniles. Adult Jagras are known as Great Jagras, or Jagrasdromes. They help their young to grow up faster than they would without them by spilling out their pre-digested meals. » Eden explained, glaring at Micah.
« So we've been killing momma boys all this time? » Arthur asked. « She probably didn't even realize. They don't have the best parental cares. » Eden told Arthur. « An agitated Great Jagras is bad news for us. Think you can handle it? » Mercer asked the group.
« Well we can't really chase it. Don't think we'll do enough damage to it without being prepared. » Arthur admitted. « Well it will come back none the less. After all, I definitely would after seeing all this meat lying around. » Eden commented.
After hearing that, Dutch went deep in thought. « Got an idea, Mr. Van der Linde? » Mercer asked. « Not an idea. A plan. » Dutch answered. He turned to his gang. « Gentlemen, help me tie up one of the carcasses to that tree over there. » he pointed at a large tree.
He then turned to Eden. « Miss Eden, you know anything we could use against this thing? » he asked the girl. « Great Jagras have three weak spots: its front limbs, its head, and the belly. After swallowing its prey, a Great Jagras belly swollen up like a balloon, making it an easier target. » she explained.
« Think this could help? » Micah asked, showing the group a red cylinder-shaped object. « Jesus, where did you get that!? » Arthur exclaimed shocked. « What is that thing? » Mercer asked curious. « Dynamite. It can blow some serious holes. Now where did you get that? » Dutch explained, before asking Micah.
« Found it in a box while we were Jagras hunting. Might be more of them out there. » Micah answered. He then turned to Dutch. « So, you want me to put it there? » he asked. Dutch shook its head in disapproval.
« No. We don't have any clues wherever that thing will show up. We will use it in time. For now, let's get to work gentlemen! » he exclaimed.
After a while, everything was set up. The biggest Kestodon was tied to a tree, the remaining corpses were moved away, and everyone was in an ambush position. « Now, remember the plan gentlemen! » Dutch exclaimed to get everybody's attention.
« First, we'll let that thing eat the Kestodon. Then, Mr. Mercer will come out of the bush alongside Arthur and will begin taking hits at it. While that happens, I want you gentlemen shooting at that thing mercilessly. » Dutch explained the plan once more.
« Now, are we ready? » he asked the gang. « Are we goddamn ready? » he asked again. « Ready! » everybody exclaimed. « Ready whenever you are. » Mercer said. « Good. Now, we wait. » Dutch then said.
They all had taken different positions: Dutch, Eden, Lenny, Javier, Bill and Micah were hidden in a bush, Arthur was hidden behind a rock and Mercer was hidden behind a log. Soon after Dutch made the question, the Great Jagras arrived.
The beast didn't notice the group, which was well hidden. It probably didn't even care. But what it did care for was the large carcass tied to a tree. The creature walked to it cautious, looking out for any nasty surprises.
It then sniffed the carcass a couple of times to check if it was edible. After that, it grabbed the head and begun swallowing the carcass, using its powerful jaws to rip it off from the tree. Just as Eden said, its belly become massive like a balloon, and it was harder for it to walk.
After it had finished eating, Mercer came out of the log and charged at the beast. With a mighty battle cry, he hit the creature in the forelimbs, causing it to roar in pain. Then Arthur charged from the opposite direction, shooting the beast in the head with his sawed-off shotgun.
While the beast was distracted, the rest of the group let hell loose. « Remember! Great Jagras has three weak spots! The front limbs, the head, and the belly! » Eden exclaimed. « You heard her gentlemen! POP THAT FUCKING BALLOON! » Dutch shouted to his gang.
After the initial shock, however, the Great Jagras roared in anger, and partially rose up with its back legs to slam its belly to Mercer and Arthur. The duo managed to dodge, but the following attack, an arm swing, was able to hit Arthur.
He was sent flying for a couple of meters, only to hit the nearby stream. « Arthur! » Eden shouted worried, as she begun uploading all of her magazine against the beast. The rest of the gang shared the same fury. « Come on fellers! Pull all the led we have against that thing! » Dutch ordered.
« We're trying! Our bullets are doing nothing against that bastard! » Micah protested. The beast then turned its gaze toward the group. After hitting Mercer with a tail swipe, it charged at the group at full speed.
The gang barely managed to dodge the incoming attack, and still they felt it. It was almost like being hit by a train. Before the group had much change to recover, it begun to roll on itself. Luckily, the attack was slow enough to allow the gang to dodge it.
At this point, steam was coming out of the beast nostril, and he roared with fury and anger. « Woah! He's mad now! » Eden exclaimed. « Wow I would have never guessed! » Micah cursed the girl for the obvious observation.
In the meantime, Mercer helped Arthur to get up. « Come on! The group needs us! » Mercer exclaimed. « Oh, I ain't quitting yet! » Arthur shot back, as he grabbed his rifle and begun shooting at the beast, gaining its attention.
In an attempt to hit the outlaw, it begun vomiting pieces of partially digested meat everywhere. After a while, it had return to its original self. « Well I was kinda hoping we would get to pop your belly, sir. » Dutch mocked the beast, before taking a shot with a revolver.
All it did was receiving a glare from the beast, who prepared to bite the man. However, Eden came to the rescue. It planted a large bullet to the ground next to the beast, and then jumped toward Dutch.
As the beast stepped on the bullet, a large explosion followed, which caused the creature to fall down. Luckily, thanks to Eden, Dutch was not in the range of the attack. « Thank you, Miss Eden. » Dutch thanked the girl.
« All right folks! Kick it while it's down! » Arthur exclaimed as he begun shooting at the beast. He was soon followed by everybody else, while Mercer hit the back of the creature with his massive sword.
However, it was quickly back on its feet. It tail swift and arm swung everybody near it, and roared once again. Micah was knocked back considerably. However, he quickly got up and lit up his dynamite stick with a light switch.
Then he pulled out his revolver and begun shooting at the beast, trying to get its attention. « Hey you slimy reptilian son of a bitch! » he shouted at the beast. The creature growled at the man, showing its impressive jaws and teeth.
« You must be huun-gry. » Micah mocked the beast, who began charging at him. « Well, eat up! » Micah said at the last second, ad he dodged. The beast mouth was wide open, and he took an opportunity to throw the dynamite inside the beast.
When it shut its jaws, nothing seemed to happen. But as it was preparing for another charge, the dynamite stick blew up. The strong belly of the beast was able to make sure it didn't completely blow up, but the inside of the beast was badly damaged.
It roared in pain, and coughed large quantities of blood, and soon after it collapsed on the ground. The group watched the beast, lifeless on the ground. Eden then turned to Micah. « Nice throw. » she said emotionless.
« You're welcome. » Micah groaned annoyed. Eden sighed. «You're the greatest jerk I've ever met in my life, but…thank you. » she admitted. She then turned to the rest. « Thank all of you. » she thanked the whole group.
« Think nothing of it. » Dutch responded, before turning to Arthur. « You all right, son? » he asked worried. « I'm fine. Damn that thing hit hard. » Arthur admitted. « What matters is that you're fine. That you're all fine. Proud of you boys! All of you. » Dutch told the gang.
«They can pummel us as hard as they like, but we always get back up and fight. And the same can be said about you hunters. » he complimented both the gang and the two hunters. « That's what we are. Hunters and outlaws, working together as a team. » Dutch then said.
« So, how are we gonna split the carcass? » Micah then asked. « We'll decide when we arrive in Astera. In the meantime, come on boys! Let's build something we can use to carry that thing! » Dutch exclaimed.
After a while, the group had made a small cart where it put the various body parts of the Kestodons and the Great Jagras. But as they traversed the forest, Eden found something. They were large feathers, as long as her arm, in blue-green coloration.
« Wait! Look at this! » she exclaimed, as she picked up one of the feathers. « Any idea what this is? » Arthur asked concerned. Mercer turned towards the direction of loud stepping sounds. « Something not good. » he answered the man, before motioning the group to hide.
The noise and feathers came from a large beast, slightly resembling a chameleon, frog looking eyes. It had a pair of wings and was covered in green, feather-like scales that varied in colour throughout its body, excluding its orange underbelly covered in white osteoderm-like protrusions. It also had vibrant feathers around its neck and wings.
It moved its long tongue around randomly and, after a while, it puffed its neck feathers, before shooting purple goo at random. « Momma never told him spitting is bad manners, apparently. » Arthur joked.
« Something's got him agitated. » Mercer told the group. « We that threatening? » Bill asked. « Hardly. Don't think humans are the top dogs around here. » Dutch admitted. The group the noticed a large rock, steam coming out of it and it seemed like there was lava inside.
« What the hell is that thing? » Arthur said as he looked at the rock. « That Zora Magdaros? » Lenny asked. « Nope. But it might come from him. » Mercer hypothesized. He then turned to the group.
« Come on, we need to report our findings first. » Mercer motioned the group. « I think we also have to do some unfinished business as well. » Dutch said, as he pointed his gun at some bushes. Behind it, there was a Jagras, hissing at the group.
« That thing isn't really a threat. You don't have to shoot it. » Eden told him. « Momma might not care for her young, but maybe they do. I would. » Dutch told the girl. « Besides, you said momma feeds the babies. They're not gonna live long without her. » Dutch continued.
« Not at all. Jagras are actually capable of hunting on their own even without their parents. They simply grow up faster with them. You don't need to kill it. You don't need to exterminate them. » Mercer explained.
Dutch lowered his gun at this news. « So leaving it alive won't bite us later? » Arthur asked. « Yes. We can leave it. It probably didn't even know we killed his parent. » Eden responded. Dutch simply smirked at the answer, and then turned to the creature.
« Heard that? You get to live a little longer, partner. » he mocked the creature. He then pulled a piece of meat from his pocket. « So long, feller! » Dutch exclaimed, before throwing the piece of meat to the creature, who easily grabbed and scurried off to the jungle.
And with that, the group walked to the sunset back to Astera.
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!