Monster Hunter: Equestria-Chapter 1
No matter what anybody tried to tell him, there was no way Artemis could ever like the Elder’s Recess. How could he, when about half of the area was inside the heart of a volcano and it happened to be the stomping grounds of some of his least favorite monsters, some of which were elder dragons?. The only small comfort he had going there right now was that the monster he was hunting didn’t typically hang around the volcanic areas of the recess. A Nergigante.
Decked out in a full set of Nergigante alpha armor and a level three attack charm, he walked over to the canteen area of the northwest camp. His handler, who had been watching the oven, saw him approach before giving him a wave. “Hey, Arti, how’s it going?”
Artemis rolled his eyes. “I told you never to call me that,” he growled.
“Yeah, but that didn’t stop me,” she said as she pulled the food she had been cooking out of the oven and placed it on a platter. “Anyway, I made your usual. Enjoy!”
Artemis took off his helmet as his handler placed his meal on a table. “Thanks,” he simply replied, taking a seat to eat his meal.
His handler watched him eat for a while before suddenly saying, “So…taking on a Nergigante?”
“Yep,” he replied in between bites. “I need a tail to make the Nergal Crusher hammer.”
“Just so you can continue using the Diablos Shatterer whenever you want to use a hammer?”
“I like to collect weapons,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Is there anything wrong with that?”
“Not really,” she answered, crossing her arms as she watched him eat. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, “So, why didn’t you ask anyone to come with you?”
He paused immediately. The only movement he made was to slowly chew the food in his mouth. Eventually, he swallowed before replying, “You know damn well why.”
“Yeah, I remember your story, but that was years ago. Ever since the day we landed with the rest of the fifth fleet, the only time I’ve seen you work with other hunters were the two times the commission took on Zorah Magdaros. You’re gonna need someone to watch your back. Don’t you think it’s time to move on?”
Artemis slowed his chewing for a few seconds before taking a drink of ale. “Look, I know you’re worried about me, but…” he paused, his hand mindlessly messaging the center of his chest. “I don’t think I can go through with something like that again.” He gave her a small smile and said, “Don’t worry, it’s only a Nergigante. I’ll be fine.”
His handler let out a sigh before replying, “Yeah, I guess. This isn’t your first Nergi. Just…promise you’ll come back in one piece.”
“I’ll do my best,” he said after swallowing his last bite. Once his helmet was back on, his Kirin sword and shield were securely fastened, and his bag was stocked with potions, herbs, and flash pods, he turned to his handler and said, “I’ll see you when I get back. Make sure there’s a cold drink for me.” She gave him a wave as he left the camp.
He crawled through the exit that led to the crystal cave that Nergigante liked to rest in. It was the main reason he chose to land in the northwest camp. However, as he looked around the cave, he saw no sign of the spike-covered dragon anywhere.
“Huh, wonder where it is?” he asked aloud as he walked to the center of the cave and inspected the ground. Between the footprints and the random spikes lying around, there was enough evidence to show that Nergigante was active. After studying the prints for a few seconds, his scoutflies flew out of their container and began to follow the footprints leading out of the cave. “Those prints must be the freshest…must’ve gone out to hunt.”
He followed his scout flies out of the cave and into the open rock covered area next to it. He only stopped when he found a footprint that was different from the Nergigante prints he was following. “A Teostra?!” he observed, smirking under his helmet. “Well, this just got a lot more interesting.”
As he observed the area more closely, he noticed that the two different footprints converged in one spot. “Looks like the two of them fought here. And, if past experiences are anything to go by, Nergigante threw Teostra over there and…and…” he trailed off as he pointed at the direction he thought the Teostra was thrown.
There were skid marks that came from a large monster sliding a short distance on the ground. But, other than that, there was nothing. No signs of it getting up. No signs of it trying to get away or finish the fight. Nothing. It was like it just disappeared altogether.
“What the hell?!” he cursed above a whisper as he inspected the area further. “Where the hell did he go?! Monsters don’t just disappear!”
It was at that moment that the area around him started to get dark and his scout flies turned from blue to red. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was going on and who was responsible for it. “Shit!” he cursed as he tried to roll out of the dive bombing Nergigante’s way. He managed to avoid it, but he was hit in the stomach by one of the many spikes that exploded off of it. “Gah, fuck!” he screamed as he skidded to a stop.
He began to sit up as he watched the mostly black dragon turn until the two horns on its head were pointed straight at him. It then stretched its purple and yellow wings out as it let out a deep challenging roar. Artemis, meanwhile, took the time to load one of his three flash pods into his slinger and fired it at the dragon.
It flinched back as the flash pod erupted in a bright light, blinding it. As it began to swipe at the air randomly, Artemis got up and drank one of his potions. With some of his damage now recovered, he charged at the Nergigante and struck it several times with his sword.
Nergigante, after recovering from its moment of blindness, hopped away from him and let out an angry snarl. It then got up on its hind legs and loomed over him. Crap, I don’t have time to get out of its way. Artemis thought as he hid behind his shield right as it slammed its wing against the ground. Though, at the same time, he could have sworn that he heard a loud bang behind him as well. He watched as Nergigante dragged its wing toward him until it collided with his shield. He crossed his left forearm across his other arm to try to brace himself, taking several steps back to keep it from bulldozing him. Eventually, it threw its wing out, knocking him to the ground. He let out a grunt as he pressed his hands on the grass to get back up.
Wait…grass?! He looked down at the ground to find grass where he was expecting rock. Then, he looked around to find trees, bushes, and other foliage as well. A forest! That’s impossible! What the hell’s going on here?!
A series of grunts caught his attention. He turned to find Nergigante turning it head in different directions to sniff at the air. Looks like it’s just as confused as I am. He observed as Nergigante pawed at the ground. It let out one last roar before spreading its wings out to lift itself in the air.
After getting back up on his feet, Artemis could only watch as Nergigante flew off into the horizon. Guess this hunt’s a bust, but that’s the least of my worries right now, he thought as he sheathed his sword. I have to figure out where I am and how to get back to the Research Commission.
A sudden, yet familiar, roar caught his attention. An Anjanath! He thought hopefully. Then I’m still in the New World! A feminine scream that came soon after immediately stopped his train of thought. He figured out what was going on almost immediately.
Oh no. No one’s dying on me. Not while there’s something I can do about it. He loaded another flash pod and then ran charging towards the roars and screams.
“And I’m sure you’ve already been filled in on the rest,” a helmetless Artemis concluded to the collection of ponies in the throne room.
When he had rescued Fluttershy from the Anjanath, he had learned a sad truth. He was no longer in the New World, but in a land called Equestria. A land primarily filled with talking ponies, some of which were pegasi and unicorns. To say that he was distraught would be an understatement. Soon after meeting Fluttershy, she insisted that he should meet her friends, particularly, a purple pony Princess named Twilight Sparkle. She in turn said that he should see Princesses Celestia and Luna, the rulers of the land. Which was where he found himself now, talking to the two princesses while Twilight and her friends stood behind him.
“So, if I understand you correctly, Artemis,” the alabaster alicorn, Celestia, began with an authoritative tone. “You’re a hunter from a continent called the New World. And these monsters, Anjanath and Nergigante, are native to your world?”
“Yes, your highness,” he replied with a nod. “I take it they’re not native to yours.”
Celestia shook her head. “Far from it, I’m afraid in over the one thousand years I’ve been alive, I’ve never heard of such creatures. Something that’s becoming a common occurrence as of late.”
Twilight flinched at Celestia’s words. “Um, Princess Celestia, forgive me for asking, but what do you mean by ‘a common occurrence?’”
Celestia and Luna shared a knowing look before nodding at each other. “You see, Twilight, the attack on Fluttershy is only the most recent occurrence of a previously unidentified monster."
“Indeed,” Luna chimed in, “We’ve received numerous reports of unknown monsters showing up within the last week alone. This is just the first time we had a name associated with any of them.”
There was a collective gasp among the six ponies, while Artemis’s eyes just widened in shock. “Now, hang on a sec,” an orange pony named Applejack piped up. “Y’all ain’t suggestin’ that all these monsters came from his world, are ya?” she asked, pointing a hoof at Artemis.
“It’s a possibility,” Celestia answered. “Tell me, Artemis, does a fish covered in lava mean anything to you?”
He gave her a nod. “Lavasioth. It mostly limits its territory to volcanos, but it’s aggressively territorial.”
“A winged creature with horns that digs?”
“Diablos. It’s a herbivore that mostly eats cacti, but it’s aggressively territorial.”
“A giant spider that appears to be wearing the hide of another animal.”
“Nerscylla. An ambush predator that’s known to make its nests near farmland…and it’s aggressively territorial.”
“Wow, that’s some consistent characterization!” the pink pony, Pinkie Pie, exclaimed.
“And consistent with how the vast majority of these monsters have been described in the reports,” the blue alicorn informed.
“Well, what are we waiting for?!” Rainbow Dash, a blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail, brashly said. “Let’s go show these monsters what for!”
“It hasn’t been that easy,” Celestia replied. “We’ve already sent guards to areas where these monsters have been the most troublesome, but they’ve been having trouble just trying to hold them at bay.”
“But, isn’t there anything you can do about it?” Twilight asked.
“We’ve done all we can for now,” Celestia answered sadly. “We’d like to do more, but our hooves are tied. Even without taking into consideration how widespread the problem is, we still have duties that we must perform here in Canterlot.”
There was a small silence in the room before it was broken by Artemis making an exaggerated deep breath. “Well, sounds like I have a lot of work on my hands.”
Everyone stared wide eyed at the hunter. “I’m sorry, dear, what did you say?” Rarity, the white unicorn, asked.
“I’ve got a lot of hunting to do. Starting with that Anjanath.”
“What?! But, dearie, you can’t just go out and hunt that…that…thing!”
“Why not? It’s how I did things in the Research Commission,” Artemis replied nonchalantly.
“I’m afraid Rarity is right, Artemis,” Celestia began to explain. “That might have been how it worked for you in your world. But here…we can’t have you run around as you will on your own to deal with these monsters. Luna and I can’t even imagine the backlash the nobility would give you if you did.”
Artemis just stared silently at the princess, his expression showing clear frustration. Then, he spoke, “Well then, I’m sorry to say this princess, but I’m afraid that both your nobility and you don’t understand the real problem here. Let’s look specifically at Anjanath. Not only is it an invasive species to that forest, but it’s a relentless predator that treats its territory like its own small kingdom. The only reason it left Fluttershy alone was because I was there to make preying on her more trouble than what is was worth. I know that thing well enough to know that it’ll keep its territory near the border to that forest and extend into the town once it realizes that the ponies there will make a consistent food supply for it. So, I’m going to keep that from happening, whether you and your nobility approve of it or not.”
The only ones who weren’t staring at him in shock were Celestia and Luna. They just frowned at the hunter, but not because they disagreed with him. They wanted nothing more than to let him solve the problem his own way, but knew that there would be hoops for them to jump through to do so. So, to try to better understand the situation, they turned to the only pony in the room that ran into Anjanath. “Fluttershy,” Celestia began, getting her attention. “You’re an expert on animals. Tell me, what did you think of Anjanath?”
Fluttershy, who had been mostly silent until now, tilted her head down and said, “It was just as Artemis said…it was a predator that saw me as prey…and it acted like nothing could challenge it for it.”
Celestia gave Fluttershy a sympathetic look before turning to her sister. They gave each other a nod before standing up. Flaring her wings out, Celestia said, “My sister and I will have to take some time to discuss our next course of action. Please excuse us. We will return as soon as we can.” With that, Celestia and Luna walked into the room behind their thrones.
Artemis let out a frustrated groan as he crossed his arms, “Great, so I’ve got to wait around for them to tell me what I already know needs to be done.” He let out a dry chuckle. “Oh, the commander would’ve had a field day here.”
“I know you’re frustrated Artemis,” Twilight tried to console him. “But you have to understand the situation from her perspective. I mean…how would the Research Commission have responded to a creature from another world wreaking havoc?”
“We just let someone go out and deal with it…twice. The first time we had four hunters deal with it themselves. The second time, we let an expert deal with it after he let us know that we were in way over our heads, but the commission still helped him in anyway that they could. So, yeah, we know a thing or two about that.”
Twilight was flabbergasted at first, but soon began to understand where he was coming from. She’d be frustrated too if she was in his position. Right as she was about to respond, he suddenly said, “Though, now that I’m thinking about it, the you guys might be dealing with something worse than what we had to deal with.”
“W-we are?!”
“Yeah. Sure, we had to deal with unnaturally powerful creatures, but we only had to deal with one monster at a time. You have to deal with multiple monsters at once. That alone makes them more troublesome…even before you consider their individual threat levels.”
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t worry too much,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she flew over to him. “I’m sure the princesses are doing everything they can to make sure that you can go get to work.”
“Yes,” Rarity chimed in, “And quite possibly get rid of that garish armor. I mean… it looks like its make of real scales.”
“That’s because it is,” he answered nonchalantly.
“What?!” they all exclaimed in unison.
“My armor’s made from the scales, bones, and spikes from a Nergigante.”
“S-so, you’ve actually killed some of the monsters in your world?” Fluttershy asked softly.
“Yeah…it kinda goes along with the occupation…is that a problem?”
Fluttershy began to slink away, avoiding eye contact with Artemis. Twilight, understanding her discomfort, decided to step up. “You’ll have to understand, Artemis, but Fluttershy has a very special connection with animals. It’s exemplified in her cutie mark.”
“Cutie mark?” he asked, giving her a confused frown.
“Yes, these,” she said, pointing a hoof on the star shaped mark on her flanks. “They’re marks that represent a pony’s special talent. My cutie mark represents my ability in magic and Fluttershy’s represents her ability to understand and take care of animals.”
“…I see,” he muttered as he looked down at Fluttershy. I guess that would explain why she’s slightly nervous around me. I’m sure most of them aren’t comfortable with the idea of killing animals on a regular basis. But with her…it’d be like kicking someone’s kid right in front of them. With a better understanding of the situation at hand, he bent down to one knee and looked directly at Fluttershy. He then softly asked, “Fluttershy, are you scared of me?”
She nodded slowly.
He breathed out a sigh. “Fluttershy, I need you to understand something. While my job is to hunt monsters, it’s not to bring them to extinction.” She began to perk up a little. “Our ultimate goal is population control. Making sure that there aren’t any monsters threatening towns and villages, while also making sure that the ecosystem as a whole isn’t disrupted. And while that does include killing them, we’re sometimes able to complete our task by either capturing them or chasing them off.”
“You…you can capture them?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.
“Yes…but only if I have traps and tranquilizer bombs. Neither of which I brought with me.”
“…Oh,” Fluttershy let out sadly, her head tilting back down.
“I know that this’ll sound harsh, but I’ll have to kill that Anjanath. Its an invasive species that’s actively competing with other animals. If I chase it off, it’ll just be a problem somewhere else. And it’s probably not the only one out there.”
“I…I know,” Fluttershy shakingly replied. “That…Anjanath killed a dear friend of mine. I know you have to do what must be done, but…do you really have to kill all of them?”
Artemis only stared down at Fluttershy silently. She began to think that he would have to do exactly just that. Then, he suddenly said, “Not necessarily.” She began to perk up a bit. “I only go after monsters that are threats. If I run into one that isn’t a threat, then I’ll leave it be.”
“You promise?”
“You have my word,” he replied with a nod.
At that moment, both Celestia and Luna walked back into the throne room. Everyone stood at attention as the two princesses took a seat on their respective throne. “After much consideration,” Celestia began to announce, “Luna and I have decided to allow you to hunt the Anjanath and other monsters…provided you’re accompanied by a guard-”
“No deal,” he interrupted. “I prefer to work alone.”
“Be that as it may, it’s not about whether you want assistance or not. The problem is convincing ponies that you can be trusted to operate in Equestria. Since word from the two of us can only do so much, an official report from a guard should make it appear that you’re working under our rules…even if you’re operating by yours. All the while, the guard can learn from you on how to combat these monsters. Like it or not, these monsters are our problem and we need to be able to fight them.”
Artemis stood frowning at the princess. He was frustrated by the whole explanation, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking. And the more he thought, the more he realized she had a point. He needed to work freely in Equestria, but that would be difficult if he had a bunch of nobles trying to stop him from doing so. And if he needed someone to follow him around to keep them from breathing down his neck, then so be it.
“Alright, I’ll do it…one condition.”
“And that is?”
“That they follow every order I give them. Even if that means running away from the hunt.”
“Of course, it can be done,” Celestia affirmed with a not. “We’ll let the guard know when they come in. We’ve already sent an order for one of our best guards to go with you.”
“Are those two out of their minds!” Captain Iron Sights exclaimed as he slammed a gray hoof on the written order, startling his secretary. “They really want me to assign an elite guard to babysit some freak during this… mess.”
“But, sir, isn’t it natural for the princesses to ask for a high-ranking guard for this type of assignment,” the secretary asked.
The unicorn captain let out a sigh before replying, “Under normal circumstances, it would be a minor annoyance at worst. Right now, it’s almost impossible. Most of our best guards are scattered across the country because of these new monsters and some of the guards here are still trying to investigate the disappearance of a pair of researchers. Now they want me hoof pick a guard to babysit some…freak on the off chance he’s able to deal with them by himself.” He took off his helmet to run a hoof through his black mane. “I still don’t understand how Shining Armor was able to deal with this job.”
“But…sir, what about the princesses? You can’t just ignore an order.”
Iron Sights mulled over her words. He knew he couldn’t disregard an order like that, but he also didn’t feel like he had the means to follow through with it. At least, not in the way the princesses intended him to. Looks like I’ll have to take some liberties with this one. He thought before looking at his secretary. “Give me the files of reserved members of the guard staying in the barracks. Make sure I have their full reports and test results.”
“But, sir, they said they wanted one of their best guards!”
“Then we’ll give them our best reserved guard. Now go!”
With that, she scurried out of his office to get the documents he requested. She returned some time later with various files in hoof, all of which she placed on his desk for him to view. Overall, he was unimpressed by what he saw. Most of the reserved guards were either cadets with lackluster scores or had several personality quirks that kept them from being in the royal guard. Nothing really stood out to him, until he stopped at and read a certain file. The file in question belonged to a pegasus mare named Zarola Recurve.
“Can you bring Private Zarola Recurve to my office at once.” He ordered his secretary.
“Of course,” she replied with a nod before leaving the office.
As he waited, Iron Sights decided to reread the file. Most of her test results were about the same as the other reserved members, but a few scores stood out. The most prominent of which were her archery scores. They were almost perfect. High enough to put some of the more veteran guards to shame. However, they did nothing to cover her close combat and sparring scores. They were some of the most abysmal he’s ever seen. It was pretty much what kept her from being in the royal guard. Although, one look at her profile showed why she had such awful scores.
Her picture showed a frowning purple mare with a short black hair. Her right eye was a dark brown. Her left eye was completely covered by a plain black eye patch. And since this picture was taken when she joined the academy, then he could only assume that the injury occurred before that.
“That’d explain her hoof combat scores,” he muttered to himself. “She’s relied so much on that one eye and has an obvious blind spot that she never learned to compensate for. But, at the same time, it might explain why her archery scores are as high as they are.”
He then heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” he curtly ordered.
The door opened and Zarola Recurve walked in. She had the same standard gold armor the rest of the guard wore, hiding her mane. “Private Recurve, reporting for duty, sir!” she announced with a salute.
“At ease, private.” Zarola shifted to a more relaxed stance. “Tell me, private, have you heard of an alien that’s here in the castle?”
Zarola flinched a little. “An…an alien, sir? No, I’ve never heard so much as a rumor about that. I’ve only heard stuff about those new monsters that have suddenly popped up.”
“And apparently, this alien is related to them. Claims to be a hunter that specializes in them.”
“Um, excuse the interruption, sir, but what does this have to do with me?”
Iron Sights took a deep breath before responding, “The answer’s simple, private. I’m giving you a special assignment. You’re going to be shadowing this hunter.”
Zarola’s ears folded back as she took a couple of steps back in shock. “M-me…a special assignment. I don’t understand. Shouldn’t a more experienced guard be given this assignment.”
“Normally, yes, but I can’t afford to do that right now. Not with everything that’s been going on right now. From what I understand, your main objective will be to monitor him and help keep the public relaxed around him. Even for a reserved guard, you should be more than qualified for this assignment.”
Zarola paused for a moment, not really sure what to think, but she eventually gave her captain a nod. “Understood, sir. What do I need to do specifically?”
“Whatever the princesses tell you to do…plus an additional order from me.”
“And what would that be?”
“I want you to give me a report on everything this hunter does. Don’t spare any details.”
“Is…is that so we can learn how to fight these monsters?”
“That’s one way to put it,” Iron Sights muttered as he pushed out of his desk. “Now, come on, I assume the princesses want you to meet this hunter.”
“That’s probably for the best, sir.”
“Alright, then follow me,” Iron Sights said as he left his office, with Zarola close behind.
Along the way, Zarola couldn’t stop herself from asking, “So, do you know anything about this alien…other than him being a hunter.”
“All I know is his name. The princesses didn’t go into much detail about him in their order.”
“Oh…okay,” Zarola replied with a raised eyebrow. She couldn’t help but wonder why her captain didn’t use his name when he knew what it was.
Soon after, they reached the throne room. Upon entry, they caught the attention of everyone that was in the throne room. While Iron Sights was mostly focused on the princesses, Zarola’s attention was solely on Artemis, who was staring back at her. So, that’s the alien hunter the captain was talking about. He’s bigger than I thought. I probably stand up to his stomach. She noted. That’s some interesting armor he’s got and…is that a crossbow attached to him? … I want one.
“Ah, Captain Iron Sights, so glad you were able to find a guard so soon,” Celestia greeted.
“I decided to make it my highest priority, your majesty,” Iron Sights responded, giving her a salute.
Zarola stepped up before giving a salute of her own. “Private Zarola Recurve, reporting for duty, ma’am!”
“At ease, private.” Zarola complied. “Tell me, did Captain Iron Sights tell you about your assignment?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was told I’d be following the hunter.”
“We’ll see about that,” Artemis suddenly spoke as he stepped up in front of her, much to Iron Sights' annoyance.
“Now look here you-”
“Hold, captain!” Celestia ordered sharply.
“B-but princess, he-”
“Has every right to accept or deny any guard from going with him. He’s the one that knows about these creatures, so he’ll be the one that determines if the guard is suitable or not,” Celestia reprimanded.
Meanwhile, Artemis was inspecting Zarola, who just silently watched him. “So, Zarola Recurve, is it?”
“Yes, sir,” she curtly replied.
“Artemis is fine.”
So, that’s his name. “Yes, sir, Artemis, sir!”
“…Right,” he muttered as he looked over Zarola and realized something. “I don’t see a weapon on you.”
“I use a crossbow, sir. I didn’t feel like it was appropriate for a meeting with my captain.”
“A long-range expert then?” Artemis asked with a raised brow.
“Yes, sir!”
“Mhmm,” Artemis murmured. He didn’t really know how to gauge this pony, then he remembered the conversation he had with Twilight. “Your cutie mark, what is it?”
Zarola was still at first, until she turned and lifted the back of her armor enough so that her cutie mark was visible. It was a wooden wolf’s head with two arrows crossed like an ‘X’ behind it. “I got it chasing away a timberwolf that was harassing my family’s farm,” she informed.
“A timberwolf…are they a monster here?”
“Yes, a fairly common one.”
Artemis nodded before turning to Celestia. “She’ll do.”
“Very well,” Celestia replied. She turned to Zarola before saying, “Private Recurve, you’re to go with Artemis as he hunts a monster, named Anjanath, and operate under his orders.”
“That’s right,” Artemis spoke up as he peered down at Zarola. “That means doing as I say. That means running when I tell you to. Understood?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” Zarola replied.
“…Starting with this order. Call me Artemis, not sir.”
“Yes, Artemis…sir,” she added with a smirk.
Artemis sighed silently. I guess it could be worse. At least we’re only dealing with an Anjanath right now.
In the deep parts of the Everfree Forest, Anjanath was casually strolling through its turf after finishing its meal. A small deer wasn’t as filling as its usual prey, but it needed something to eat after failing to eat Fluttershy. Now, it just wanted something to drink, but paused when it heard a series of growls.
It turned to find that the growls all came from one creature. It had four heads attached to long necks. All four of them glared at the Anjanath before letting out a loud roar.
Anjanath glared back at its challenger before flaring its dorsal fins and roaring at it. But right as it was about to charge at it, the both of them heard a screech-like roar. Anjanath instinctively looked up, as the roar was one that it was all too familiar with.
Before it had a chance to do anything, Anjanath felt two sets of large talons dig into its back. It screamed in pain as it was lifted up in the air and thrown haphazardly. As it tried to get back up, one of the multi-headed monster’s heads clamped down on Anjanath’s neck.
As it struggled against the monster, its fire sacs began to heat up as its nostrils flared out. It turned towards the creature and let out a stream of fire at it. It howled, letting go of Anjanath.
Anjanath backed away, sizing up its first challenger. Its eyes occasionally glancing up at the familiar silhouette of the wyvern flying above. It growled before jumping at the multi-headed monster. It knew that this wasn’t a turf war anymore. This was a battle for survival.