Atrox

Atrox the Bounty Hunter

"Only treasure and gems are important to me. Everything else is useless."

Before Atrox had hatched, his clan was raided by a neighboring rival. The sudden besiege had left is clan destroyed and desolate. Many have been massacred. Others were taken as captive to serve as slaves. One of those was Atrox's egg. When he was born, he knew nothing of the joy of birth. No, the first thing he saw was the cruel eyes of his captors.

"Death is a harsh mistress; however, Cruelty is her queen."

Being a lowly slave, Atrox was subjected to harsh treatment. Even as a hatchling, he'd already be forced to work long hours everyday. If a mistake was made, his captors would flog him severely for it. Scars could be seen running all over his body. Sometimes they would starve him just for the fun of it. Food would be nothing but a scrap of morsel or even leftover garbage. He was overworked, abused, and malnourished. There were nights he'd cry himself to sleep, trying to forget the pain. Everyday he would wish he was dead. Anything was better than this cruel life.

"To every problem there is a solution. In this case, it is rebellion."

Atrox didn't stay a weak dragon for too long. He soon realized that crying and moping about wouldn't do him any good. It would only show his captors how weak and vulnerable he was. From that moment on, he killed off his emotions. Only survival was in his mind. He couldn't stay here longer. If the harsh environment won't kill him, his captors would. He needed to escape. Overpowering and rebelling against them was the only way.

"They underestimate me. They may be strong, but my will to escape is stronger."

One day, Atrox accidentally committed a grave mistake. This anger his captors. Chaining him, they took turns beating him up to no end. Finally, he has had enough of it. No longer would he allow them to take advantage of him. With adrenaline rushing through his veins, Atrox managed to break off the chains. Wound and bruises were all over his body, yet he couldn't feel them. No, the only thing he could feel was deep anger and hatred. With an animalistic roar, he charged at his captors and killed them off one by one. All the harsh manual labor he had done made him stronger. They couldn't stand a chance against him.

He couldn't stay here anymore. Others would soon know what he did and kill him. Killing a master was treason. A torturous death was its punishment. Without regret or remorse, Atrox left the clan, running and never looking back.

"I have nothing to rely on but myself. Others cannot be trusted."

Atrox was left to fend for himself out in the vast Scarred Wasteland. Food and water was scarce. He was wounded and hungry. While he was mindlessly walking, he came across a bazaar. There were merchants here and there selling goods, but he had no treasure to buy anything. He needed a job. Some way to earn treasure.

Suddenly, a disturbance had occurred. A spiral ran past him, shoving him out of the way. Angered, Atrox chased after it and caught the dragon. It turned out that the dragon was a thief who had stolen goods from a merchant. When he returned the stolen items back, the merchant gratefully thanked him and graciously paid him for the help. It then occurred to him that this could be a way to earn a living.

"What a better way to live than take advantage of the weak? They cannot fend for themselves so I will help them. As long as they give me treasure in return..."

It was then he decided to become a bounty hunter. It wasn't difficult to find jobs. The Scarred Wasteland was filled with many criminals and fugitives. Of course, he too was a fugitive so he donned a lionheaddress as a disguise.

It didn't take long for him to become famous throughout the land. His services were always in demand especially by the rich. Atrox enjoyed seeing his treasure grow and grow. It always wasn't enough. He needed more and more of it. But life wasn't always good to him. It was hard to find a different place to settle down every now and then.

Being an independent creature, Atrox had never thought to join another clan. His experience from his last clan was horrible. However, it all changed when he met his clan leader. The dragon offered him safety and a stable home. He could work and leave as often as he'd like, but at the end of the day, he had a home to return to. The offer was too good to pass up so Atrox agreed to join the clan. He'd stay in here for as long as he was getting something useful out them.

Eventually, however, Atrox grew to like his clan. He finally had a family and a home of his own. He felt satisfied, complete, and for the first time...happy.