Chapter 38: The Three-tusk Yayper and the Green Breams.
In all the majority of dimensions that exist, people tend not to like living things that drop from trees. It usually doesn’t end well, something dropping from a tree onto yourself. Elcon, being the most untamed of the four lands connected to the tunnels between worlds and being most connected to the wasteland without end, has plenty of nasty things that drop from trees.
There are many creatures that will live among, on and even inside blue-leaved upside-down oaks, one such of these creatures is the three-tusk yayper. The yayper is a cheery friendly beast, one that fills the forest with its cheerful cries.
It also happens to be a hulking rippling mass of flesh that is excessively carnivorous.
A stout torso like a collection of barrels!
Six trailing scarf-like fleshy wings as flexible as tentacles, each one possessing the strength to crush an oak tree!
A pair of ludicrously small legs with ludicrously big claws!
A hideous head, like a crushed cylinder with a pair of floppy flaps for ears, deeply set into its face are two cheerful brown eyes!
As for its mouth? Two tusks jut out from smiling fat lips, framing a bulbous nose, a third tusk descends from the upper part of the mouth. Behind these tusks are rows of sharp tearing fangs!
The tusks are actually shining white, as the three-tusk yayper spends much of its leisure time polishing them.
Only the back of the three-tusk yayper is covered in leaf-like blue fur, as for its skin, this is a actually a lime green. Thus, the three-tusk yayper is both highly conspicuous and capable of cunning camouflage at the same time.
The three-tusk yayper is far from being the most dangerous of dropbeasts but is generally considered quite hazardous due to the sharp tusks, claws and the fact that it has six arm-function limbs. Generally things with that number are considered a pain.
Thankfully the yayper is actually a very good natured predator and will never kill more than it can eat. Unfortunately it can eat quite a considerable amount.
It’s lack of magical abilities keeps it from being a truly horrific dropbeast, unlike its cousin, the wood-channeling yayper.
“Yay-yay-yay-yay-yay!” it cried happily as it fell towards Loro and the Caralid family.
“Aw no! You gotta learn the rules newcomer!” Loro roared.
The Caralids panicked, and Turmeric was just confused as to what was going on, why were they on the riverbank? What was Loro shouting about? Turmeric could not however remove his earplugs himself.
The yayper tore through the air, yayying all the way, Loro however took action!
She made a series of odd clicks toward the jade river, following that, a bunch of heavy metal fishheads arose from the water, they opened their mouths and glowing green laser-breams shot out towards the yayper. This was not an ability that heavy metal fish normally had.
The beams shimmered toward the yayper which prompted distressed yays from its mouth. This was not enough for it to give up though, and flapping its limbs it avoided the green bream agilely, becoming like an oversized leaf being wafted about by the presence of the green lasers. The attacks had stopped its rapid decent though.
“I betya think yer real clever don’t you? You gotta learn the rules of this river and rule is that this is my river kid, and you don’t drop on it!” Loro roared.
Loro whistled in a blade-like fashion. Several blade-like shadows shot out from the jade waters, the yayper tried to avoid these too and began to get a sense that it had bitten off more than it could tear.
However when it tried to dodge, the blade-like shadows would twist and shake, managing the slash it anyway!
As these blade shadows fell and plopped back into the river, it became clear what they were, broadsword-eels! Now such an eel indeed can cut and twist about, but normally they cannot leap from the water into the air!
The Yayper was wounded, but it was unresigned, it would take some effort to return to the upside-down forest on the ceiling and it didn’t want to return empty clawed.
Loro was furious at this and let out a deep warbling cry. The yayper, getting a little used to the pattern got tense and gave great attention to the seemingly serene jade river.
Nothing happened.
Just as the Yayper was about to joyfully yay, something moved in the river.
It rushed down, a large lumpy fin cutting through the water. As it came under the Yayper a tail lifted up from the water and then it slammed down. Sprays of water went everywhere but most amazing of all was that the spray that came at the yayper transformed into furniture! Chairs, couches, stools, tables!
Kejo, Imsi and Yerdl cheered as the yayper was battered by furniture and in distress retreated to the upside-down forest, so thoroughly cowed that it wanted no more beef with Loro and the caravamel.
The Caralids’ cheers quickly enough came to an end when they realised the furniture was falling back towards them, but still, the three-tusk yayper had been driven off!