Deep in a forest two sillhouette can be seen dashing between trees. Behind this two sillhouette is a bulky man with ponted ears and scars all over his old body in nothing but his underwear, carrying a massive bowgun aimed at one of the figure he is chasing.
"BUZZ OFF YOU DAMN PINECONE!!"
He yell before shooting three round of bullets that lodge into the figure of a winged monster clad in reverse razor-sharp scale before exploding resulting in it to fall over and crash into multiple trees.
Taking advantage of the fall the man reload a different ammo into the gun, he jump onto the monster's head and unload the rest of the ammo. He jump down from the monster's head and approach the other sillhouette which is a winged monster with a green scale with a hue of purple on its body.
"Ratia, you a dreadqueen, a single frenzy apex should be nothing for you"
he say as he gently stroke the meek Ratia head before their attention go back to the frenzied monster that trying to get up only for the bullets lodge at the side of its head to explode in a chain, blasting it back to the ground killing it.
"Well...looks like we need to go back into the village to turn this in, since we cant really eat this one"
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Dundorma, a major fortress city known as the world's finest defense against monsters, featuring advanced fortifications like the Dragonator and Dragon Watch, a research institute to study elder dragons. Dundorma also hold a major population of hunters.
Hunters are a nameless agent of the Hunters' Guild that has dedicated their life to hunting down the monsters that threaten humanity, crafting gear out of their remains along the way. Despite hunting being their main job it gradually evolved as time passed from the first hunter to include other tasks like escorting passengers and carrying goods. Among this hunters they are seperated into three category depend on their strength: G-rank, High-rank, and Low-rank with G-rank being the highest level a hunter can get.
Right now in the middle of the city biggest street walk a unique pair: a huge man in light armor with a greatsword on his back and a bigger than normal Dreadqueen Rathia that is out of place but somehow treated like its normal, the rathian especially among kids due to her calm personality. This man is Gallion, a hunter or legendary status for slaying multiple elder dragon level monster including fatalis and its subspecies and even laviente. He is also one of the oldest wyverian with the only living one closest to his age being the leader of the city he is in currently. Next to him is his kinship monstie Ratia, A dreadqueen rathian he been with since he was a kid. Behind them is a wagon with the carcass of monster they kill that morning.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Someone yell to the pair from behind them.
Gallion turn around to see who is it that is yelling only to see a group of 3 people, one in a bulldrom armoe and the other two in velocidrome armor with their weapon drawn.
"You old man what are you thinking bringing a monster inside this town and what is this? No way you kill this yourself. we have to take that materi-questionable carcass of your hand and this beast with us for every one safety you kill stealer"
Say who persumably the leader of the group clearly thinking Gallion is just ordinary oldman and Ratia an easy prey.
"Are they new in town?"
Gallion ask a group of kids thats playing on top of Ratia's back.
"Yeah they just got here last week"
"Did you three fail another yian kut-ku?"
"Just ignore them Ratia, you're not a beast, you're the best grandma we ever had"
"Im telling grandma"
"Dont"
group of children answer Gallion before going back to playing and talking among themselves.
And with that both Ratia and Gallion ignore the group and went on their way much to the groups dismay as they being laugh at by people nearby.
"Who the hell is that old man thinking he is anyway to ignore us like that"
Says the leader of the group as he tighten his grip on his heavy bowgun, just as he about to aim toward Gallion, one of the wyverian merchant there interrupt him.
"I would advise against that young man unless you want to either die painfully or have the whole world coming for your neck"
"And why is that?"
Ask the other group member.
"He is the oldest wyverian hunter ever and due to early age of hunter is absent from any organization such as Hunters Guild and Hunter knight, he travel alot and subsequently alot of thing related to hunting ties back to him one way or another, so if you somehow manage to kill him...get ready to be a wanted man everywhere."
Thats enough to scare the group.
-----
After handing in the carcass to the Hunters Guild, the receptionist come approach Gallion as he was waiting for the processe to finish
"Mister Gallion, His Immenseness has ask for you to meet him"
Says the receptionist.
"What does that kid want with me? Ratia you stay here, imma go meet the giant kid for a bit and you kis dont play near her stink unless you have antidote with you"
"Okaaayyy"
Gallion say says to the kid before making his way to meet his junior, now the head of the place.
-----
Once Gallion arrive in the hall where His Immenseness is at, His Immenseness who is twice as tall as Gallion told the rest of the people there to leave them alone.
"So what do you want me to help with bong head?"
"Big brother Gillion, can you stop with that nickname, im tired of it"
"The only way i'll stop calling you bong head is when i develop dementia and forgot the day that a gypceros baby slip into your tent and use your head shape like a bong"
"...I called you here to ask for your help, a myterious monster is seen at speartip crag"
"So? Let them be, Dalamadur is not a picky eater type of especially when they're molting"
"Thats why. This creature can be seen wearing a dalamadur's skull, which part of the body is wearing the skull is unknown"
"So it could be an oversized shen gaoren, or nakarkos but both is unlikely since shen gaoren is not capable to even kill juvenile dalamadur at it death door and nakarkos is a hoarding type of monster so geographical change shouldve happen at speartip craig and i would've heard about it sooner. Fine I'll investigate, been awhile since I discovered new species"
Just as Gallion about to turn and be on his way, His Immenseness speak.
"Before you go, here is something that shouldve given to your hand long ago"
His immenseness bring out a wraped up weapon and unwrapped it before handing it to Gallion. It is a segmented whip blade, something in between a greatsword and longsword, heavy enough to rival a greatsword but not as wide, Long enough to be a longsword but not as thin.
"Why...now"
Gallion ask
"I remember you ask for one to be made after you saw a hunter using a hunter whip prototype"
"No,no...i mean why now? Didnt i provide the whole white fatalis intact like and even introduce a blacksmith master troverian...more than 3 centuries ago? I even forgot i ask for this..."
Gallion ask toward bongo head emotionlessly, trying his best to hold back his anger especially when he gave not only a whole white fatalis...but the whole family, the normal one, crimson one, the swimming one(what he call dire miralis) and even went out of his way to go and get permission to hunt zenith while fatalis when it first sighted a centuries ago.
"....i forgot"
His Immenseness say with guilt as he cluth his head remembering when Gallion would be angry enough to the level of silently stare into his soul...Gallion would grab him by the head and launch him to the sky which us the reason his head shape the way it is...yes his bongo head is not naturally from hatch.
"YOU-
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Gallion meet up with the sleeping Ratia and start making his way to speartip craig on Ratia's back. Before they take off Gallion could heard the nearby old lady talking.
"Did you hear? They say His Immenseness is testing new type of weapon and I even saw it flying out through His Immenseness hall"
"Ya lo, i saw it too but somehow the noise it make sounds like His Immenseness too"
Gallion with satiated rage, take off to Speartip Craig with his new(long overdue) chain blade.
------
Standing at the edge of a cliff looking into the valley of Speartip Craig, Gallion can see with his own eyes not one, not two Dalamadur skull but three of them, one of an adult dalamadur species and two of a smaller, persumably juvenile dalamadur.
"Bong head not is not lying, it actually is a dead dalamadur and looking at the side of the speartip mountain, this thing has live in here for a while"
Gallion commented on how the side of the mountain at speartip craig which is always clean in it spiralling shape due to dalamadur species habit of carving mountain as a way to make teritories is now can be seen having a bird nest and even some yian kut-ku nest on the upper half of the mountain while the lower half is covered in pale blue mucus
"Three set of skulls and a blue mucus, so its a type of nakarkos, but nakarkos is a more of an ambush predator and the type to make nest where it stay why is it here in a roofless nest and why is the mucus so pale? Does it ditch the ambushing tactic for more active role?"
Gallion start rummaging through the satchel Ratia is wearing, preparing for the hunt with this new nakarkos subspecies.
"Since it is possibly an active hunter now, might as well bring some Mega Dash Juice"
After he done preparing the item, he make one last check of the items, weapon, and armor
"Alright, everything is ready. Now Ratia come here. Goodbye and take care. Dont do dumb stuff like come swooping in to save me, trust me"
Gallion pull Ratia head clos to his as he says those word, is it because he going into the hunt to die? No. It is a ritual he and Ratia did after years of hunting, years of close call with death and multiple companion dying before a final goodbye can be said, wo they two did this incase it is their final day alive and to avoid any guilty feeling from rising in any of them. After that Gallion leap into the valley to face the monster and the last thing he heard from outside is Ratia encouraging roar.
Once inside it didnt take long for Gallion to see the monster, it is a nakarkos but weird one, a giant skull on its head and smaller skull on each of it tentacle but that is not what is weird with it. It is the fact it just a normal size, skeletal armored, dead nakarkos with fleshing falling apart being stretch to the limit, eyes glowing and instead of teetch filled mouth it only has a spiralling blue portal.
------
The fight between a hunter and a dead Nakarkos unsue and goes on for what feels like days. Both damaging each other, blast of blue dragon energy, flesh cut off, sounds of the whip blade curring through the air, clicking sound made by the whip blading going back and forth from whip mode and blade mode until it refuse to stick back together, mountains falling, and roar from both fighter is the only thing heard from the Speartip Craig
By the time the fight ended, the nakarkos stop moving with tentacles cut off, Galion is not on any better condition himself, armor shattered, his long awaited weapon broken due to getting tangles with the monster skeletal armor, and not a single mountain standing in the once spiral mountain filled environment.
"Fo..und...yo..u"
Gillian heard this words when the nakarkos finally died, but he shrug it off since he has someone else waiting for his return with the whip blade handle still in his hand, he make his way out of the battlefield.
After struggling to make his way back out of the valley, what welcome his eyes are groups of people, tents and his old junior bong head. At the sight of him, everyone rush to his side as if welcoming a hero and among them are few familiar faces like the young hunter that tried to bite more than he can chew who now use an babel lance and also the dark skin girls who use to play with Ratia who now tie her balck hair in high ponytail and rocking the sororal armor.
"What is all of this about"
Gillian ask weakly toward his friend bong head.
"To welcome you back, your fight this past ten year has the attention of everyone. When the news of the frequent dragon beams and your roars slow down everyrone come together to witness the outcome whatever it maybe..."
Bong head explain to Gillion who is slowly making his way while talking.
"Haha sounds...like you guys didnt belive in me haha.. atleast its over now, i wanna get some rest"
Gallion says before making a whistle sound to call his partner Ratia. Feeling like he cant walk anymore he try whistling again only to get no respond.
"...Big brother Gillion, Ratia-"
"Say no more...i know"
Gillion cut off bong head as if he already figure out why Ratia didnt come to his side when called, he make his way through thw crowd.
"Despite being a cry baby and a softy,she is loyal, no matter where she will come to my side when called. Who would've thought a dreadqueen could be socute and clingy....guess i shouldve told you to dont forget to eat huh...Ratia"
Gallion slowly and gently place his hand on Ratia lifeless body that has partially taken by nature as if to wake her up.
"By the time we got here she has already went ahead first"
His immenseness says while watching his only living close family left sit beside his partner lifeless body, resting for the finale rest as he sees Gillion body start to slowly petrified slowly crack.
"Did you use it?....the Wyverian Arts"
Ask His immenseness after seeing the state of Gillion body, recognising it as the payment for using the Wyverian Arts, an art that is the origin of Hunter Arts used by Bherna's hunters in the future. It basically combine every hunter arts into one for the cost...of one life force
"Yeah, that thing just.. refuse to fall that i have to use it. I ..even borrow half of Ratia's lifeforce but even if you use alot until less then quarter left...if you just...eat som food...you'll survive...Ratia...you refuse ..to eat with..out me huh....thank you"
Gillion eyes slowly closed as his body petrified completely showing everyone that his story has ended.
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