Dragon

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Monsters

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Dragon #74

"Brethren of the Guild of Naturalists!"

T h e   h u m   o f   c o n v e r s a t i o n   i n   t h e   h a l l
f e l l   t o   a n   e x p e c t a n t   h u s h   a s   t h e   s p e a k e r ,   a
s h o r t ,   b a l d i n g   m a n   i n   t h e   r o b e s   o f   a
Guildmaster, raised his arms for silence.

?For untold years, there has been no
s i g h t i n g   o f   t h e   T e e t h   i n   t h e   E a r t h ,   m o r e
p r o s a i c a l l y   k n o w n   a s   t h e   L a n d   S h a r k ,
and even in the Guild there were many
who dismissed the tales of this spawn of
sorcery as little more than legend.

? T o n i g h t ,   h o w e v e r ,   w e   h a v e   w i t h   u s   a
m a n   w h o   h a s   n o t   o n l y   s e e n   o n e   a l i v e   a n d
b e e n   w i t h i n   t h r e e   p o l e s   o f   t h e   b e h e m o t h ,
b u t   a c t u a l l y   h u n t e d   i t   f o r   t r o p h y !

? F r o m   t h e   l a n d   o f   M o r n   ?   A ? a h b   t h e
H u n t e r . ?

T h e   G u i l d m a s t e r   s t e p p e d   b a c k ,   h i s
p l a c e   t a k e n   b y   a   t a l l ,   r u g g e d   m a n   i n
sandy-colored robes; black-bearded, hooknosed, burnt and weathered by sun and
wind. Without preamble, he addressed
the expectant Guildsmen.

? I ? v e   h u n t e d   a l l   k i n d s   o f   g a m e ,   b u t   l i k e
m o s t   o f   y o u   I   n e v e r   t h o u g h t   t h e   b u l e t t e ,
the land shark as you call it, was anyt h i n g   b u t   t h e   s t u f f   o f   l e g e n d .   H o w   c o u l d
s u c h   a   b e a s t   s w i m   t h r o u g h   t h e   e a r t h   l i k e
a   f i s h   t h r o u g h   w a t e r ,   e v e n   i f   i t   w a s
m a g i c a l ?

? T h e n ,   f i v e   y e a r s   a g o ,   I   w a s   i n   a   l i t t l e
known and even lesser traversed area of
M o r n   w h e n   I   h e a r d   r u m o r s   o f   t r i b e s   t h a t
tracked such a beast, digging the earth
from where the bulette had passed, taking
t h e   m u d   t h a t   t h e y   f o u n d ,   a n d   s m e a r i n g   i t
o n   t h e i r   p l o w s .

?I asked the reason for this strange
p r a c t i c e   a n d   w a s   t o l d   t h a t   i t   m a d e   t h e
p l o w s   c u t   t h e   e a r t h   l i k e   t h e   p r o w   o f   a
b o a t   c u t s   t h e   w a t e r .   I   b e g a n   f o l l o w i n g   t h e
source of these rumors, to the east, deeper
i n t o   t h e   i n t e r i o r   o f   t h e   s p a r s e l y   p o p u l a t e d
wilderness.

?I was approached by the headman of a
native village shortly after my arrival on
h i s   p r e m i s e s .   H e   c o n f i r m e d   t h e   s t o r i e s   I
had heard, and from what he said I began
t o   g e t   a n   i d e a   o f   t h e   n a t u r e   o f   t h e   b e a s t .

? I t   e x i s t e d   ?   t h a t   m u c h   s e e m e d   c e r t a i n
?   a n d   i t s   u n c a n n y   p o w e r s   m u s t   c o m e
f r o m   a n   a b i l i t y   t o   s e c r e t e   a   s l i m e   f r o m   i t s
s k i n   t h a t   w o r k s   l i k e   t h e   p o t i o n   f o r   t r a n s m u t i n g   r o c k   t o   m u d ,   k n o w n   t o   s o m e
wizards and alchemists. But this secretion
m u s t   b e   w e a k e r   t h a n   t h e   p o t i o n   i n
s t r e n g t h   a n d   d u r a t i o n ,   a n d   i t   s e e m s   t o
w o r k   o n l y   o n   e a r t h ,   n o t   r o c k .

? T h e   h e a d m a n   s a i d   t h a t   h e   w a s   g l a d   I
h a d   c o m e   t h i s   w a y .   H i s   v i l l a g e   w a s   b e i n g
terrorized by an enormous rogue bulette,
a n   a l b i n o   o f   t h e   s p e c i e s ,   t h a t   t h e   n a t i v e s
c a l l e d   ? M o b h   I d i c h ?   ?   T h e   G r e a t   W h i t e
O n e .   M a n y   w a r r i o r s   h a d   t r i e d   h u n t i n g   i t ,
b u t   i t   w o u l d   e i t h e r   p i c k   t h e m   o f f   s i n g l y ,
o r ,   g a t h e r i n g   s p e e d   b e n e a t h   t h e   s u r f a c e ,   i t
w o u l d   b u r s t   f o r t h   u p o n   a   s m a l l   g r o u p ,
j u s t   a s   a   p o r p o i s e   l e a p s   o u t   o f   t h e   w a t e r ,
and devour them all.

? T h e   h e a d m a n   a s k e d   m e   i f   I   t h o u g h t   I
c o u l d   k i l l   i t .   I   d i d n ? t   k n o w   i f   I   c o u l d   o r
not ? but I knew I wanted to try. . . .?

T h e   h u n t e r   p a u s e d ,   p e r h a p s   s a v o r i n g
t h e   a n t i c i p a t i o n   t h a t   h e   k n e w   h i s
audience was feeling.

? W h e n   I   f i r s t   s a w   a   b u l e t t e   o n   t h e   s u r f a c e ,   i t   f i t t e d   a l l   t h e   p a r t i a l   d e s c r i p t i o n s   I
had heard. Its body was articulated, and
c o v e r e d   i n   t h i c k ,   s c a l y   p l a t e s   t h a t   b u i l t   u p
i n t o   a   c a r a p a c e   o n   i t s   b a c k .   P a r t   o f   t h i s
s h e l l   c o u l d   b e   e x t e n d e d   t o   b e c o m e   t h e
h o r n y   f i n   t h a t   p r o d u c e s   t h e   w e a v i n g   f u r rows that criss-cross the land shark?s
d o m a i n .   I t s   s t o c k y ,   p o w e r f u l   l i m b s   c a n   b e
r e t r a c t e d   w h i l e   i t s   m u s c u l a r   t a i l   i s   p r o p e l l i n g   t h e   b e a s t   t h r o u g h   t h e   e a r t h .   T h e
m o u t h   o p e n s   a l m o s t   t o   a   r i g h t   a n g l e ,
r e v e a l i n g   a   g a p i n g   m a w   f i l l e d   w i t h   r o w s
of dagger-like teeth.

? T h e   b e a s t   i s   w a r m - b l o o d e d   a n d
b r e a t h e s   a i r ,   s u r f a c i n g   t o   d o   s o .   I t   i s   l i k e l y
t h e y   b e a r   l i v e   y o u n g ,   b u t   i f   s o   t h i s   i s   d o n e
b e n e a t h   t h e   s u r f a c e .   A s   f a r   a s   I   k n o w ,   a
pregnant female has never been seen.

? I   c a n   t e l l   y o u   a r e   w o n d e r i n g   h o w   I   g o t
c l o s e   e n o u g h   t o   t h e   b e a s t   t o   f i n d   o u t   a l l
o f   t h i s   w i t h o u t   b e i n g   e a t e n .   W e l l ,   y o u   c a n
f i n d   o u t   t h e s e   t h i n g s   f r o m   a   dead  one just
as well ? and I found a way to  kill  the
bulette that has worked for me time and
again since the first.

?From what I had been told, I figured
that the bulette hunts by tracing vibrations in the earth, rather than by scent.
So, I caught myself a kobold. A horse
would work just as well, but they?re
much too valuable to use for bulette bait.
I found a solitary tree, tied the kobold to
the trunk on a short rope, and nestled
myself in the branches with my heavy
crossbow in hand.

?The kobold circled frantically. I sent
an occasional reminder in its direction
with my crossbow when it started to slow
down, and after a while the constant
movement of the kobold in the small area
had done its task. I sighted a large fin
weaving across the plain. It circled the
tree, spiraling inward, and then abruptly
made its final rush.

?As it burst from the earth, jaws wide
open and mud streaming off its flanks, I
let fly with a large quarrel smeared with
poison ? right down its gullet.

?What?s that? Yes ? only one shot,
thanks to the poison. Really, once you?ve
got the technique down, it?s quite easy.
I?ve killed others since the first day, but
there?s always something special about
the first one. I still keep the hide of The
Great White One as a memento. . . .?

At this point A?ahb the Hunter pulled
on a cord, and a cloth behind him fell
away to reveal a huge skin stretched on a
frame. The meeting dissolved in chaos as
members of the Guild fought to be the
first to examine it.

(An earlier version of this article
appeared in  Dragonlords  --  Yet Another
Fantasy & Sci-Fi Roleplaying Magazine.)