"Dinosaurs!?"
"No, Eren. I would like for you to deliver a personal correspondence to my brother. But yes, the gate does indeed contain dinosaurs, among other beasts."
Like most kids; when Eren was younger, he was obsessed with dinosaurs. He knew the names of hundreds of them by heart. Still into adulthood, even with the fact that monsters roamed through most gates. The idea of dinosaurs tickled the little part of his brain that still thought about them as a child. A world where dinosaurs were real.
"I have two packages here, please heed my - Eren, pay attention." Baelor's voice cut through Eren's daydreaming of the Jurassic era, cretaceous or Triassic. Whichever era the gate would correspond to. Maybe all of them, maybe none.
"Please heed my instructions." Baelor continued with the debrief.
"One package contains a letter for guild business. The other, my own personal letter. Please do not confuse the two; he will likely burn my personal one."
"Burn? Do you two... have bad blood?" Eren asked.
"You are welcome to see it that way. We have a... complicated relationship."
"Right..." Eren knew all too well what it's like to have a 'complicated' relationship with family.
"One last issue before you go; the gate is under the ownership of Atlas Industries. They will watch the gates with keen eyes; undisclosed entry may be required."
"Okay." Really though. Eren was only half paying attention. With feathered and scaled dinosaurs roaming around out there, he was having a hard time not bursting with giddy excitement. He loved dinosaurs. Loved them.
"Good luck." Baelor spoke softly, raising a hand in farewell to the man who was already out the door.
Gate Info:
Location: Jungles of Meso-Americ
Opening time: Once every 3 months for 20 days
Danger level: A++
Owners: Atlas Industries
Last clear: 8 years ago
Rewards: Boss eggs, oil, greater ore, beast cores, plant samples, beast drops
Closing time: 18: 02: 08: 09
---
From a perch high into the sky; atop one of the many towering buildings that littered Tokyo's skyline, Eren watched over a gate.
The gate was massive in scale. Its red vortex swirled ominously in the centre of the road, cars were stopped from entering, as men and women in military red uniforms check pointed anyone that dared try to approach.
Atlas industries. Cars bearing a logo of a red and white triangle passed through the checkpoint with no issues, as if there were some forms of special privilege.
'How do I get in?' He questioned himself, looking around for any other entrances. He could not simply waltz into the portal. There were guards, guns, and a lot of attention.
A convoy of trucks slowly approached; towing Industrial machinery, cranes, drills, and other heavy equipment that were all stamped with the Atlas Industries logo.
'Sneak in under the carriage?' He mused. Having only seen that stuff in movies. Well, he was a Reaper. Maybe it would work, after all, he was as close as a movie star as he could come.
Slowly a truck approached, getting nearer to the gate. Eren took a chance, dropping down to the ground from up high. Landing with barely a sound; like a ghost in the night.
He slid underneath the truck, holding onto the metal undercarriage, securing himself as the heavy vehicle began to come to a halt.
"Good evening boys! Lovely night isn't it." The driver spoke, giving a wave to the two guards that checked every vehicle.
"Yes indeed. Everything accounted for? You have your ID?"
Eren heard their voices with a keen ear. Waiting with baited breath. He held tight to the frame. His hands were like vices, gripping with all the strength they had.
"Yep. Let's get this over and done with. I got money on the table tonight." The driver spoke, making the guards chuckle.
"Alrighty, off you go!" A stamp could be heard, on some paper. The truck began its journey through the checkpoint, passing through the red vortex. It was a smooth transition from the bright lights of the Tokyo skyline to the humid and dense jungles of the lost world.
***
Eren let go of the undercarriage, rolling into the bushes. Hiding as best as one can in an unknown world.
The convoy of trucks continued onward, down a heavily trodden dirt path - Pot holes littered the dirt path like scars on the land.
It really was a lost world; an orange sky like an eternal sunset. Dense trees; a cross between palm and pine with their large trunks and needle like leaves. These were trees Eren had never seen before. Shrubs and plants ate the space in the gaps between these trees. The ground was not covered in grass or moss. It was coated in a layer of thick green vines; each one was thicker than Eren's arm. Yet they looked soft to the touch; like they were inviting all who walked on them.
Insects, small lizards, and rodents ran around Eren's feet. They paid the strange being no mind; continuing with their lives, as if Eren was just another part of the forest. Life thrived in this world, in every corner there were creatures scurrying, flying, and buzzing. Yet in the distance. Humans had made their own little corner in the world.
A base. Industrial in nature, built under a massive white tarp. Inside the base, buildings and structures were being erected. The noise of drills, and the clatter of metal echoed out into the jungle. Even from a distance away. Black smog rose into the orange sky; polluting the air.
Eren had heard how guilds had moved all industry off world. A good thing for Earth's health, not so good for other worlds. He wondered how many worlds were under ownership like this. How many had been claimed by humans; how much damage had been done?
Yet, this was not his business. Not yet. His main goal was to find the elf, Baelor's brother, and deliver the package. He had only been told the man was somewhere within the gate area.
*Ting*
His hairs stood up when looking to the right. His own personal waypoint system; his apex instincts would lead him in the right direction.
Eren took off running. Feet flying over the vines, getting thicker as they moved away from the base. Like a ghostly blur, weaving through trees with ease.
The jungle was alive with the sounds of life. Insects as big as arms crawled along the tree trunks, screeching like they were calling out to others. Birds flew high up in the sky, larger than anything on earth. A bird with a 12 foot wing span glided across the top of the canopy. It was a sight to behold; yet no dinosaurs.
The ring whispered. It wanted some of the wildlife that surrounded them.
"Why? Do you want some of these animals?" Eren asked.
In response, the ring threw out black tendrils towards a mosquito looking thing. Devouring it whole.
"Fine then." Knights arose from the shadows of the canopy. 10 strong.
"This thing wants... How much?"
"... As much many bugs as you can find." With that the knights dispersed. Gathering as much as they could.
Meanwhile Eren ventured onward. Annoyed at the rings aloof request.
Not too far from when he started his venture; a camp came into view. Large tents embedded into a small cliffside, pens of animals both large and small, cages of birds. Yet some of the animals roamed free; a pack of chicken things larger than a guard dog roamed free.
"What kind of camp is this?"
The smog of industry still wafted through. A sickening mixture of chemicals and ash made him nauseous.
A boy, barely old enough to walk. Could be seen wandering around with only a palm leaf as a nappy. His eyes meet the amber ones of the boys.
"WHAAAA! Whaaaaaa!" Crying echoed through the camp.
"Shit!" He exclaimed. It was time to move on. However, women clad in fur and leather ran out from one of the tents. They carried spears with sharp looking rocks on the end; pointing it into the dark where Eren stood. Eyes of amber fierce and ready for a fight.
"Wait, wait." He exclaimed; hands held up in the air.
Eren did not come for a fight, especially not with these people. The women charged in quickly; closing the distance, striking out with spears.
"Atlas. Atlas." They chattered in broken accents. Words spoken with hatred in their voice.
"No. No... Um." He needed to think quickly, "...Baelor?"
"Baelor?" The women questioned in surprise, looking at each other.
Eren was confused, they were speaking English, but it was very basic. "Brother. Baelor's brother?" He attempted to clarify. The women looked at each other again.
They motioned for Eren to go towards one of the tents. Yet the boy was wary; these women were still armed, and they had shown hostility just a moment before.
Inside was a vast decoration of trinkets and skulls, bones hanging from every surface, dried leaves, and plants hung like streamers. Baskets lined the walls, filled with food, clothing and all sorts of items.
With his back turned a tall elf stood looking over the specimen of a prehistoric bird.
"What?" His words were spoken with irritation and disdain. The elf had no time for visitors in the middle of work.
"Uh... I come to deliver this from your brother Baelor-"
*TWHACK*
The poor table nearly cut in two. The elf turned to Eren. Eyes of amber were cold and uninviting. Unlike Baelor he had long black hair, fair paler in complexion. Eyes of coldness, not like the soft ones that Baelor wore. Long dark robes covered in small trinkets. Like bones and little carved pieces of wood.
"What does he want?" A rough and curt voice; far from the gentle one that was spoken by Baelor. This elf's words were like poison, filled with hatred.
"Here. One is about business, the other is from Baelor. I don't know which is which." Despite all Baelor's efforts to tell Eren which one was for work and which one was personal. He chose to not listen; dinosaurs were too important.
*Snatch*
The elf read one at random.
"Tch. Wait here." The elf took wandered outside the tent. Leaving Eren with the bronze women. Some older some younger. All with amber eyes that watched him close
"Hey, do you know where the dinosaurs are?"
"Dinosaurs... hahahaaha." The boy's words were found amusing by the women. They began to laugh. Eren didn't know what was so funny. He just wanted to see dinosaurs.
An intimidating bunch; yet they were also kind, in their own strange way. Watching and pointing to white hair.
It was like he was an exhibit at a zoo.