Monstrum Venator

Chapter 1: Littlewood

"SCREEAACH!!" and suddenly I was on the ground. Whatever made that noise startled Ebonheart- and me too. oh well, proceeding with caution suddenly sounds like a better idea anyways, so I grab the reigns and begin making way to Littlewood, my village. As I approached there was a great wind, and suddenly a large winged beast broke through the smoke and flew away, till I could see it no more. Only then did I run into the village, only to find charred bodies and burning buildings... It was a massacre. I slowly stepped around the bodies, until I found the ruins of my house, smoldering and destroyed, and the scorched body of a child on the porch. I slowly approached, shaking from sorrow. looking closely at the body I saw what I hated to see the most- A necklace made of an arrowhead on a chain. The very necklace I gave to Jarrin after his first hunt, made with the arrow he used to kill his first doe. I grabbed the arrowhead so hard it pierced my hand, and ripped it from his neck. Looking down at the bloodstained keepsake in my hand I vowed for some sort of vengeance. Whatever the beast was that did this, it had to die- and any like it.

"You know what you have to do," A voice came from behind me, "and you have what it takes to get it done. Someday." I turned around to see a Young woman behind me, dressed in a motley but oddly fashionable outfit. She didn't look rich but she certainly wasn't a peasant. "Who are you?" I asked hesitantly. "Don't worry about that for now. You will find out soon enough. For now take these-" and she turned to a trunk that I hadn't noticed before. Reaching in she fished out a sword, seemingly made of silver, chain mail, and a large, deadly looking... Book? "I'm sorry ma'am but what am I to do with these? These will help me kill the dragon?"
"Dragon? No, no, no, that was a wyvern. Similar, but dragons either have no legs or 4 legs. And this tome here is to set you on your path. The sword and armor is to aid you. Now let me see the necklace." She said pointing to the arrowhead still in my hand. Hesitantly I held it out to her, and she quickly put her hand on top of it, and pulled it away. It was no longer bloodied, and my hand w as not cut, instead there was an odd marking on my hand and the chain on the necklace was fixed. "How did you do that? What did you do?" "I've given your necklace a small enchantment, and given you a mark of protection. You will need it." I looked back down at the mark, the put the necklace on, and when I looked up she was gone, no sign of her.

I look at the book in my hands, on the cover was an odd creature, with the body of a lion, face of a man, and tail of a lizard of some sort. Underneath read "Monsters, Spirits, and other sorts of Evil." A note peaked from one page with the same symbol now scarred in my hand. I took it out and examined it-
"Rowan, This book is to help you on your path. You already know your first target, the wyvern. It is injured so it should be able to be killed by even a beginner, but that doesn't mean it isn't still deadly. Search this book to find what you will need to do to kill it, and make haste! The Pit knows a wyvern is a problem. Now go, it is time to take your new path as a hunter- a monster hunter." I gazed at the sword beside me, blade gleaming in the sun. There in the middle of the ruins of Littlewood I opened the book and perused till I found the correct page. "Wyvern, a draconic creature related to a dragon. It has two hind legs and then wings like that of a bat that it uses to assist it in walking on land. These large creatures are capable of breathing fire, but due to this they have a major weakness- a weak spot in the throat. A well placed sword or arrow will cause that thing to catch itself ablaze, and only its inside is protected from flame."

"Well that's just dandy! How in the world am I supposed to get to the throat? Come at it while it's sleeping?wait... That's not a bad idea... Yeah, that's what I will do, I'll stick it while it is sleeping. Anything that was willing to destroy my village, my friends, my family- it doesn't deserve the chance to fight."