The sun shined beautifully, scattering light across the open field and framing the landscape like a magnificent painting. In the center of this field stood a collection of giant medieval swords stabbed into the ground; they were as tall as skyscrapers and as wide as houses.
The blades were hollowed out, allowing a myriad of colorful lights to shine through, creating different patterns that formed a nearly hypnotizing image. These swords were frames of portals to various worlds where explorers, prospectors, and adventurers could raid and research for resources like elemental minerals, mutated medicinal herbs, and fruits that provided various powerful abilities.
Walking to the front of one of the portals were two explorers preparing to enter. Explorers were people sent on missions for research and item gathering, while adventurers were tasked with killing different monsters to collect their hides, claws, or meat.
This duo of explorers was made up of two beast men. The first was an octopus-beast man named Jet Blake. He was a tall, muscular man with short, spiky red hair that resembled flames raging in the wind. His skin was dark like burnt copper, and his eyes had cross way pupils that resembled those of an octopus. Eight tentacles sprouted from behind him, resembling eight tails.
The second beast man was a female rabbit named Lily, who had short, spiky white hair and large, fluffy rabbit ears sticking out from the top of her head. Her skin was also dark, much like her companion's, and out of the back of her brown leather corset pants was an adorable cotton ball-like tail.
Jet and Lily stood at the entrance of one of the portals. Lily, holding a map, began to list off the supplies they needed for their voyage. "Okay, we have a homing light dagger, burst thunder stone, shadow smoke bombs, poison vials, an invisible elixir, healing elixirs, and... wait, Jet, where are the teleportation crystals?"
Jet tilted his head, then peered into the bag, rummaging through it to find the crystals. "They're in here somewhere; I'm sure I bought two last night." Suddenly, Jet's head perked up as he realized he had accidentally left them on the kitchen counter while packing. "Ahhhh, Lily, don't get mad, but I might have left them at home."
Lily glared at Jet angrily, then grabbed him by his cheek and dragged him, causing him to scream, "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" She gave him an earful, saying, "Why do you keep forgetting things when we're going on adventures? The last time it was the map, and we spent three days stuck in that swamp!"
Jet, while crying and rubbing his bruised cheek after Lily's reprimand, asked in a pitiful voice, "So I guess we're going to have to turn back then?"
Lily looked toward the portal and then to the road leading into town. "No, the journey is too long; we're going to have to do this without the crystals."
Jet looked perplexed and asked, "Are you sure? This is going to be risky. If anything happens, we won't be able to teleport out like usual."
Lily glared at him menacingly. "We wouldn't have to take the risk if someone didn't leave the crystals at home, now, would we?" she replied.
Jet looked away in shame as he and Lily stepped into the portal. On the other side, they emerged into a vast jungle teeming with life, where colossal trees soared toward the clouds, their trunks wrapped in thick vines and moss. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, creating a mosaic of light and shadow on the forest floor. Vibrant flowers in an array of colors flourished throughout the underbrush, their intoxicating fragrances mingling in the warm, humid air. The scene was almost breathtaking, shining with dazzling beauty.
Giant monsters roamed freely, their imposing figures casting shadows across the landscape. Among them were the mesmerizing crystal centipedes, their iridescent bodies glinting in the sunlight as they slithered through the underbrush, leaving a trail of shimmering fragments in their wake. At the forefront of these colossal beings was the Goromona, an awe-inspiring creature that towered an impressive 20 feet above the ground. Its top-heavy body was reminiscent of an ox, muscular and robust, adorned with four formidable horns that curved from its skull. At the center of its forehead rested a striking red pearl, while four fox-like tails swayed behind it, each one resembling a plume of fiery color.
Lily and Jet stood on top of a cliff, gazing at the forest below. Brimming with excitement at such a majestic sight, she jumped into the air, her eyes glistening. "This is going to be so awesome!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with wonder. Then a thought struck her. "I wonder what monsters are here. I think I just saw a Goromona a little while ago. I need to get some information on it for my book."
Lily was a research explorer specializing in monster knowledge. She sold books to adventurers and prospectors about the monsters found in different realms. Her books were almost a necessity for voyages, as they listed the monsters' strengths, weaknesses, and other information that could help adventurers avoid, capture, or kill them. She also included details about the usefulness of their parts and meat, providing descriptions of flavor and texture.
Jet, on the other hand, was a collection explorer. He sought seeds and mineral geodes to bring back to his farm and grow for sale in his shop. He created rings and jewelry that granted various abilities to the users, whether for security reasons for nobles or for adventurers to use on their quests. He also grew plants, such as magic fruits and herbs, which he used to make elixirs that provided resistance to elements, enhanced physical abilities, and regeneration.
Jet's keen eyes spotted several flowers he wanted to research from the cliff. He could almost smell the magnificent discoveries waiting for them here. Jet and Lily jumped for joy as they cheered, "This is going to be so exciting!"
Jet asked, "Which should we go for first, the minerals or the Goromona?" Lily, her fluffy white ears twitching with excitement, replied, "We should go see the Goromona. Your boring rocks can wait."
Jet felt annoyed at her for calling his stones boring. In response, he used one of his tentacles to break off a piece of blue crystal growing on the cliffside where they were standing and tossed it at her feet. The crystal shattered, creating a small burst of blue electricity right in front of Lily, startling her and making her jump back in fear.
"Still think my crystals are boring?" Jet said, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Ha, ha, very funny! Now, can we please go see the Goromona?" Lily asked as she composed herself, trying to appear unfazed. Jet chuckled slightly and replied, "Let's go see your little pet."
Lily's face flushed with annoyance at the thought of Jet referring to such a majestic beast as a pet. The two made their way into the forest, and Lily, using her powerful legs, dashed through the canopy. Her speed was astonishing; each step propelled her forward at a pace rivaling thunder.
Meanwhile, Jet swung from tree to tree using his powerful tentacles, barely able to keep up with Lily's almost impossible speed. As they tracked the Goromona down, Lily noted the footprints it left behind.
While the two continued searching for the Goromona, Lily spotted two individuals not far from the creature's tracks. Something about them seemed off. At first, she thought they might be explorers like her and Jet, especially since adventurers weren't allowed in this realm yet. However, their equipment was unlike that of typical explorers. They carried elemental swords, heavy blast arrows, and wore multiple rings enchanted for speed and strength.
All their gear appeared to be meant for hunting large beast. Concerned that they might be adventurers who had snuck in to gather monster parts early, Lily called to Jet, telling him to follow her so they could confront the strangers.
As they approached the two adventurers, Lily shouted, "Hey, you two! What are you doing out here? It's far too dangerous!" When they got closer, Jet recognized that one of the adventurers was a bear beastman, while the other appeared to be a white Denflare, a species of human characterized by four silver, scaly arms equipped with four-inch claws, a long eastern dragon-like tail, and beautiful, spiky white fur that wrapped around their neck.
The two adventurers, upon seeing Jet and Lily, readied their weapons, aiming them at the pair. The Denflare shouted, her voice filled with fear and desperation, "Who are you? Did the king send you?"
Lily stopped, raising her hand in surrender, not wanting to provoke a fight, especially in such a dangerous area where too much noise could attract extremely dangerous beast. Meanwhile, Jet stood in front of Lily, trying to calm the adventurers down. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down! We're not here to capture you; we're just explorers."
The bear beastman interjected, his paranoia evident in his furrowed brow and hate-filled eyes. "Capture? Why would you want to capture us? Someone sent you here! Flare, let's get rid of them and get out of here!"
Recognizing their confusion about why they had approached, Jet continued to try and defuse the situation, knowing that a fight could lead to disaster. "Wait! We assumed you were trespassing, so we came to warn you that this place is dangerous.
"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" the bear beasts man shouted at the top of his lungs while aiming a crossbow at Jet and Lily.
"CRAP!" Jet exclaimed as he grabbed Lily and jumped out of the way of the arrow, narrowly avoiding it. The arrow struck the ground behind them exploding, causing stone fragments to lodge into Lily's leg, making her scream in pain. "Ahh!"
"Are you crazy? Keep this up, and we're all dead." Jet screamed as he tried to fix Lily's leg.
The bear beast man snarled as he said, "Oh, we'll be fine, but you, on the other hand, you won't make it to see another day."
The bear beastman said as he readied another arrow, the Denflare girl grabbed the crossbow from him, shouting, "What's wrong with you? There are obviously explorers look at their equipment."
The bear beast man retorted, his voice filled with anger, "What if they're just mercenaries
disguised as explorers?" Then they would have attacked by now, no one would risk taking a leg injury in a place like this," the Denflare shouted.
After he finished fixing Lily's leg told the two adventurers in a harsh but quiet tone," Can you too keep it down?"
The bear beast man was annoyed at Jet telling him what to do, after all, he still suspected him of being some kind of mercenary sent after them. he shouted, " I'll speak as loud as I want..."
SLAT!!
Before anyone could even realize what happened, a giant tail slammed the bear beast man into the ground, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood and guts. That splashed onto the Denflare, making her scream as she fell on her behind.
""Oh no!" both Jet and Lily exclaimed as they turned their heads to see a giant Goromona looming over them. Its ruby-red eyes were larger than all of them, instilling a deep sense of danger in their minds.
"Run, run, run!" their instincts screamed with every second they stared at it. Each breath it took sent a powerful gust of wind that pushed them back a few inches. Its silent steps sent shivers down their spines, and each time its teeth were exposed, they felt an overwhelming urge to flee.
Jet quickly grabbed a blue crystal from his bag using one of his tentacles and attempted to throw it at the Goromona's face. But the beast swung its tail at them, trying to crush them.
In a panic, Jet hurled Lily toward the den flare and shouted to her, "Get out of here!" just as the Goromona's tail slammed into him.