EP 440 – Story #2 – You are the Hunter living in the Village called Astera.

You are the Hunter living in the Village called Astera. On one of your expeditions you come across a trail of tracks, the kind you never seen before. It looks like an imprint of giant rabbit's paw. Just as you about to investigate the tracks closer the ground rumbles, a dark shadow eclipses you from behind and you hear: "Uhh what's up, doc?"
 You turn around to see who it is that speak with you. He is a big guy, taller than you, wearing some armor made out of metal plates. His skin is covered by tattoos, his face is scarred and he has a big sword on his back.

He looks grittier than you last remember him, but you know this guy is Big Chungus.

"I heard you were looking for me," says Big Chungus. "You've got quite a story to tell."
─ Character: Big Chungus
─ Species: Human (Asterian)
─ Level:??




Big Chungus hands you Tony from AIPD's adoption papers.

"My name is not important anymore," says Big Chungus. "But I guess I'll call myself 'Chungus' instead. How do you like that?"
"It suits you," you say.

Suddenly your conversation is interrupted by a congalala.
 The ground starts shaking again and a creature appears before you. It is huge and looks like a cross between an ant and a spider. Its mandibles clatter and its body is covered with spikes.

Chungus raises his sword and you raise your weapon: a
 small hammer.
The monster lunges at you, its mandibles snapping shut inches away from your face.
Your hammer smashes into the monster's head, sending it flying backward. You follow it and deliver another blow to its chest, killing it instantly.

You find the following treasures:

─ Treasure Bag x3
"Well done!" says Big Chungus. "That was a test to see if you're worthy of my time. Now you can prove yourself to me."
He takes out three treasure bags and hands them to you.

Big Chungus tells you about a very high level hunt that only the most brave can even comprehend of doing, the job is to kill the biggest monster in the land:
 The World Boss.
"There's a special reward for anyone who succeeds," he says. "But you have to be prepared to die trying."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough.

You realize that by saying "The World Boss", Big Chungus is actually talking about the world itself.  You get down on your hands and knees and start hitting the ground with your hammer.
 You feel a strange vibration coming from the ground. Your hammer begins to glow white hot and you hear a sound similar to static electricity.
"Are you ready to go?" asks Big Chungus.

Suddenly the world retaliates:
 You are thrown through the air and land hard on the ground. You try to stand up, but the earth continues to shake. You look up and see that a massive crater has appeared where you stood.

From the crater emerges
 a gigantic form, like a mountain rising from the ground. It stands above the treetops, its shoulders wider than any building you've ever seen. You can see its mouth, filled with teeth the size of trees.

You realize this beast is Gaia: mother of the world!  You and Big Chungus anime run toward her and attack!

As you fight against Gaia, you begin to hear a familiar voice in your mind. It's the voice of someone you thought long dead:
"Hello, little hunter."
You stop fighting and turn around.

"I am the Guardian of the Forest, Gaiyo. And I'm here to help you defeat the World Boss."
Gaiyo? But...
"You must understand that the World Boss is a part of the world.
 That is why the whole world is dying."
"So what do I do?"
"Fight it!" says Gaiyo. "Kill it! Do whatever you need to do, just make sure you win!"

Gaiyo hands you a rocket launcher with special World killing ammunition.  You aim at Gaia and fire a rocket.
 The explosion sends a shockwave through the forest and Gaia seems to recoil. You continue firing until all the rockets have been used. Gaia appears unaffected.
"It won't work!" shouts Gaiyo.

Big Chungus says, "Step aside" and releases a big chungus blast towards Gaia.
 The blast hits the World Boss in the face and it screams in pain.
Gaia roars in anger and the ground shakes even more violently. You grab Big Chungus and drag him away from the crater.

You attempt to make friends with Gaia.

"Why did you do that?" she asks.
"We came to save you," you say.
"You can't save me," she says. "I am the mother of the world.
 I cannot be saved."
"But we can fight together!"
"No. This battle will destroy us both."
You try to convince her otherwise, but Gaia doesn't listen. She attacks and you barely manage to survive.

You give up fighting the world and decide to work at a ramen shop instead.

***
You've spent so much time with Tony and you know he isn't the kind of guy who'd want you to die. So you keep working as a cop and eventually you catch up to Tony's gang.

Next time on "Hammer Earth Z":
 The world ends!
***
You realize that you have a choice to make: fight or flee.
If you fight, you'll probably die. If you run, you might live.
What should you do?