Four hunters covered in varying types of armor make their way through the dense and dark forest, following the tracks of two massive beasts. One of the hunters is covered in a gleaming armor that shines as bright as the sun even in the darkness of the forest. He looks like the main character whereas the other 3 look to be his sidekicks.
As the four quickly maneuver around the many trees, several signs of a turf war had ensued sporadically pop up around them. The monsters that the four hunters are chasing are a mutated species of monsters. The monsters are called called a 'Tempered Monsters' as their DNA has been tempered with by several external forces to make the monster considerably more strong than their former selves.
This tempered monsters are an Anjanath and a Tobi Kadachi. The Anjanath has been having very strange and erratic movements as several villages that have been settled in the New World are being burnt down by this monstrous entity. This is reason why the hunters are chasing it down at the moment.
As for why they are searching for the Tobi Kadachi, someone the leader knows needs a few more Tobi Kadachi claws and scales so he has decided upon killing both the Anjanath and the Tobi Kadachi.
"Leader! My ears are picking up movement in the trees above us! It sounds small and light weight but it might be a threat nonetheless!"
A girl's bubbly voice reaches the ears of the Leader and he puts up his hand and halts his squad. The man in the armor of a golden Elder Dragon named Kulve Taroth looks up at the trees surrounding him. He has always been a catious man but recently he has begun to fear less and less monsters.
"Don't worry about it Katrina, nothing in this forest can hurt us and if it's not the Anjanath or the Tobi Kadachi then I don't really care. Only report if your can sense either of those monsters, other than that let me continue following their tracks."
The Leader's voice was full of blood lust as he had already said this at the beginning of the mission but this woman pushed onto him from the Sixth Fleet is scared of everything and reports everything she hears. The man might be wearing shining armor that glistens like the sun but his soul is dark and looks down upon everyone weaker than him. He truly just wants to get this mission done and then get as far away from these 3 pests as possible.
"Yes'sir!"
The once bubbly tone the woman had has dissipated and has since gone shaky. She hates her temporary leader but she can only grit her teeth and take the blood lust he sends her way without saying a word.
*In the trees above directly above the group of four*
The lantern at Steven's waist starts glowing bright red to tell him there is danger nearby and he looks down at the four people talking below him. It seems Steven's hunch was right and these hunter's are following the traces of the turf war between the Tobi Kadachi and the Anjanath.
Steven sensed these hunter's long ago as they did not try to hide their aura at all nor did run through the forest very quietly. Assuming that they are hunting his newly contracted monster. Steven decided he would feel at their speed by following them for a few hundred feet and all while concealing himself high above them.
Discovering that they were not that fast at all, Steven went onto the next step, testing their hearing and eye sight. It seems that the one in the back noticed him but no one else in the group of four did. Noting she will be the most problematic one, Steven concotes a plan to rid the other party of their eyes and ears.
'The only way I can deal with that woman is if I can separate them.... But how can I do that?' Steven thinks to himself while gliding along the trees tops and following the group. They are relatively close to the battle field where Steven slew his first monster which also means they are also getting closer to the Tobi Kadachi's lair.
Too close for the now over protective Steven.
A deadly glint forms in Steven's eyes as he feels like a beast stalking his prey. Steven begins to go closer and closer to the ground. He has now formed a plan within the few seconds of entering the new mode of concentration that is equivalent to that of a beast.
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With a swift motion, Steven pulls 2 circular objects out of his pouch and loads one into his slingshot. With a precise aim, Steven hits a branch below him that is about 5 feet of the ground. The four hunters instinctively turn their heads to the direction of the sound of a rock hitting a tree and a smile creeps across Steven's face.
He had hit a tree branch 45 feet directly below him so he could get the perfect angle. Since he is above their vision, Steven can remain unseen and have a direct shot that will cripple the group the most.
Loading in the final circular object, Steven takes aim and fires without hesitation. As the poisonous berry hits its mark, the screaming of a woman could be heard as pain sears into her eyes.
That's right, since the groups faces were all pointed at Steven's direction and they were standing still, Steven was able to shot a poisonous berries right into the eyes of the group's scout.
'Yes! The shot hit, as long as I conceal myself and get my Tobi Kadachi back to my house then I can protect and hide it. They will probably be finding a cure for their comrade so I should have a lot of... time?'
Steven begins to question his plan as a scene unfolds in front of him.
"You bitch, what is wrong with you?!"
*Smack*
The woman is thrown on her bottom as the man in golden armor shouts and slaps her with pure rage emitting from his person. The man in golden's aura smells like death as Steven assumes he has killed many in his life time, monsters and people.
The man forcefully wipes the poisonous berries deeper into the woman's eyes and then looks at the mush of the berry on his fingers.
"Hmm, seems like this is a berry I haven't encountered yet, maybe a new species? No, I have seen these effects of irritation but I can't remember where..." the man mutters to himself and then lifts his right leg and implants it into the woman's face.
The woman groans loudly and tries to her best remove the man's golden foot but to no avail. The whites of her eyes have turned red and tears stream down the woman's face as she stares at the man with extreme emotions of anger and despair that Steven does not even wish to begin to comprehend.
"Isn't he unusually cruel towards someone. Hmmm, I seem to have made that woman's life pretty harsh after that. Maybe I should help her out and test my new powers at the same time?"
Steven looks at his hand as a small blue bolt of electricity shoots out of it. He feels that he cannot control it but he is interested on how strong it is compared to what looks like high level hunters.
"*Sigh* Oh well. Guess I'll have to fight sometime soon so might as well be now." Steven says as he jumps off of his branch that is fairly high in the air.
THUD-!
Steven lands on the forest floor with a loud thud and dust flies into the air around him. The cloak he is wearing flutters down around him and the scoutflies at his waist begin to burn a bright red to send Steven sighs of danger. The man in the golden armor and the two hunters still standing stare at Steven with squinted eyes of suspicion.
"Was it you that injured my worthless scout?" the man in gold shouts in a menacing tone towards Steven. Steven scratches his head and shrugs.
"Maybe, but first, why are you so aggresive towards the woman?"
"Because she is a worthless half breed!"
The man didn't even think about for a second and blurted out the statement directly after Steven asked the question.
"Well, I have never heard of a half breed but that's a good enough reason I guess?" Steven says like he is questioning his statement.
"You're damn straight it is a good enough reason to abuse her!" the man says as he grings his foot harder into the woman's face. The woman gives eyes that are pleading for a saviour, someone to help her.
"That's not I was talking about. I meant it is a good enough reason for me to kick your asses." Steven says and vanishes from their sight.
When he reappears, Steven's fist is firmly implanted into the face of the hunter to the Leader's right. The unexpecting hunter is unable to let out a sound before he ends up flying backwards into a tree with a injured back and a severely broken nose.
The other unknown hunter reacts quickly and pulls out a metal box. Steven raises an eyebrow but then he realizes his mistake. The metal box shoots out a stock from the back of it and two longs metal spikes out of the sides.
'Shit, a Heavy Bow Gun!' Steven yells as finally the barrel shoots out of the front and aims directly at Steven's head.
Steven quickly pulls out his sword and shield and puts his head and shoulder against the back of the shield.
POW POW POW!
TINK TINK TINK!
The echoes of gunfire shoot throughout the woods and is followed by the fired bullets bouncing off of Steven's shield. As Steven kicks himself for not taking care of their range first, his is startled by the sound of slow foot steps approaching him.
SHHHHHIIIIINKKKKK
The screaming sound of an incredibly sharp sword leaving its scabbard drowns out the sound of gunfire and Steven reacts by jumping 10 feet backwards.
Looking up from behind the shield for a second Steven can see a Long Sword that matches the man's golden armor.
"I don't know why you are attacking us or why you're so fast but what I do know is that you're a traitor of humanity! I will punish you with the death penalty, prepare to taste the wrath of my Kulve Tarroth Long Sword!" the man shouts while waving his sword around in the air, taunting Steven to come at him.