Chapter 1: Beginnings
Planet Shear.
A place where it's running wild with dangerous native fauna and flora. If either didn't kill you, then chances are it would be your next door neighbor with a grudge against your life. Humans are dangerous like that. In fact, everything in planet Shear can kill you. Even the air itself, if it becomes irradiated. That's the thing about Shear that humans love so much. The radiation.
You see, humans have discovered a long time ago that there is a highly concentrated amount of natural Bohrium deposits on planet Shear. Bohrium happens to be a type of radioactive metal that can be used as a fuel source. Using Bohrium power plants, they would generate electricity that can power their weather control machines, or make a light bulb brightly lit. Humanity slowly populated the planet with their numbers, effectively colonizing it years later. Despite the daily struggle between the humans and the native lifeforms of Shear, the humans would slowly spread their numbers and expand their colony more on this planet they claim as theirs, just so they could get more Bohrium from the ground.
A derisive snort sounded from the shadows, as an invasive organism watched a small hamlet of colonists from a distance. From an outsider's glance, humans are a territorial species that shout and warble their vocal language at one another, so confident in their individuality, and so indignant when some part of their life had been changed that did not benefit them. Partially hairy primates that uses strange tools to change the landscape, hunt the dwindling food, or as a means of recreational entertainment. One would theorize that due to such an evolution of creature, their reliance of these strange tools have regressed their evolution to the point where they no longer needed to become stronger. No edged claws, no sharp fangs, no piercing spines, lack of hardened hide, or any remarkable trait other than being smart enough to use and make their strange tools. Easy prey.
A saurian monster emerged from the shadows, more than 20 feet tall and sporting a large frame with spikes and barbs. It's skin was as black as midnight, and his rage toward these upright tailless monkeys blacker than that of midnight. His eyes and mouth glowed with the fury of fire, and was very much capable of breathing it out in a forceful exhale. He would teach these humans his wrath and hunger, and would enjoy doing so. To the humans, they would label such a creature like him as a 'Goliath'. But even then, the creature didn't care about the human languages or the funny sounds they make. He didn't care about the tools these colonists use for whatever their purposes were. He even didn't care if the humans just up and left his territory today. Sadly for them, he did mind that the human colonists were here and within his territory now. And them being in his territory means that they are liable to get hunted and eaten by him. Such is the emergent life for the shadow skinned Goliath.
But if the Goliath could agree on one thing, if he ever had the capacity of the cognizant thought to agree on things, he had in common with the humans, then it would be their ability to use tools. The humans with their odd technology that served to make human lives better, and the Goliath's thrown boulder that was careening to the colonists destination.
A heavy slam of rock against flesh and metal alerted everybody, resulting in screaming and shouted human languages that the Goliath did not understand, and did not cared to listen to. He leaped high into the air and used his own body as a projectile, thudding hard in the center of the colonists living quarters, and alerting them of who was attacking. The Goliath fiercely roared, announcing his presence to the colonists and began hunting each and every human down. Ripping flesh from bone, making their blood pool into the soil, hearing the screams, this was the moment that the Goliath enjoyed the most as each of such things made his blood flow a little more quicker within his veins. Heart pumping to the maximum to each life ended, slaying and devouring man, woman and child, this was what the predator lived for. The hunting of the prey. And it felt good to the Goliath.
It was only an hour later that the monster found all the humans and brought them down from their perch. They would do well to remember that no one should ever intrude within a predator's territory. Gore and sinew filled the Goliath's face as he feasted on his hunt, which would make any human still alive and watching the spectacle feel a pang of horror and a sudden sickness. The Goliath didn't care, and continued feasting.
Upon consuming several corpses from the latest attack, a whispering was heard during the Goliath's feasting. He looked at the general direction to where the whispering was heard, but found nothing. Even his heightened senses detected nothing, aside from the random animals that was out of the way and avoiding the humans and him. But the whispering sounded like it was so far away, yet he could hear it over the wind.
The Goliath growled and continued eating his hunted prey. He will have to investigate that noise later when he is not busy establishing his new territory. But even then... the whispering... It sounded as though it was beckoning to him.
Then suddenly, little red fires dropped from the sky as the Goliath was feasting. He jerked up to look at the flares, then looked up to the sky. What kind of bird dropped those here? Could be a dangerously big bird. The Goliath's instincts tells him to avoid such a creature, since such a big flying thing could take him on. The Goliath left the area to give the intruding beast room. He might come back later to pounce on it.
But in reality, the 'big bird' was actually a dropship.
As the Goliath slinked away, four hunter mercenaries were preparing for their deployment at the distillery. A famous trapper sporting a harpoon gun with hat and mustache, a bearded mining and demolitions expert that carried a welding laser for a supportive role, a hardened soldier assaulter in red armor who seeks glory in battle with his lightning gun, and a sniper markswoman with a medgun and an affiliation with CIG9 wearing a light white and black reconnaissance suit.
The dropship hovered over the deployment zone and the people within the carrier leaped out of the vessel. When they reached terminal velocity and neared the ground, they activated their jetpack systems and prevented themselves from receiving serious fall injuries and death, only to land safely and ready to hunt for the beast they sought to put down.
The famous hunter known as Griffin Hallsey stepped forward and viewed his surroundings. After taking in the scenery, he took a spike shaped tool from his back and speared it into the ground. "I got this place monitored."
"Good." The glory soldier commented. "If monster doubles-back, we'll know." He was named Aleksey Markov, and he took to the front of the group.
"Are we going to stick around here and wait politely for the critter to come back? Needless to say, but I'm not much for sitting on my hands." Said the heavy bearded one. Henry 'Hank' Allen was his name.
"We can follow the tracks. That's a start." The woman in the black and white recon suit said, pointing at the trail that no doubt lead to their target. She was known as Valerie 'Val' Wolski.
"Alright. Let's get the show on the road and lay the bugger down." Griffin said, running forward and prompting everyone to move as a group.
The tracking of the monster took several minutes of non-stop running. Several animal corpses were discovered as they followed the trail. The warmth of the bodies told the hunters that each dead critter was a recent kill. After a few more minutes of constant running, one of the hunters finally piped up. "I think I see something move." Griffin said, stopping and pointing at a direction. The other hunters looked at Griffin before looking off in the direction he pointed at. The trees and shrubbery covered in snow blocked out much of everyone's vision, and it didn't help that it also started snowing too.
But then everyone saw a black mass coming to them in the form of a silhouette. It quickly approached them before they could recognize what was approaching. "Uh... ROCK!" Shouted Hank.
Everybody ducked out of the way of the incoming boulder, but as it impacted the ground, it shattered into thousands of rocky shards and exploded, pelting everyone in the process. Everyone slowly got up and groaned painfully. But Val issued the use of her healing burst ability. It's always important to have a medic on the team in cases like this. After mending her allies wounds, Val decided to voice her opinion on the recent projectile of landmass that was hurdled their way. "... Where the hell did that come from?"
"I do not know... Let us find out." Markov said, getting up to find out who, or what, was responsible for the slab of rubble that dangerously came their way.
The pack then decided to make a speedy pursuit to the direction of the boulder throwing threat. With any luck, they will finally catch up to their target and then finally take it down. A distant roaring could be heard from the distance, but the hunters pressed on.
The Goliath had ran around his new territory and ate much of the animals that were in his way. The Goliath had the instinctual feeling that something was chasing him. When he had his fill of meats from prey that got in his way, the Goliath then made an effort to find better ground to lose his pursuers. And for good measure, he decided to throw a rock at the location where he calculated they might have ended up. That aught to buy him some time. Maybe they will get the hint that he doesn't like to be followed?
The Goliath found a nice little alcove within a cave system and felt as though he should rest there. He climbed up the rock wall and got himself comfortable on a spot that seemed like a nice place to rest. Then, a different feeling coursed through his body that made him spasm and shake. He could feel his muscles reform and bone structure restructuring as his body became bigger. Bulkier. Stronger. A devastating roar cut into the air as his mind took control of his transformed body. If there was a simile that could describe what it felt like to transform into a new body in this fashion, it would be the like the equivalent of taking every kind of euphoric drug that heightened your senses then riding that high into ascension. It was painful, but it was the good kind of pain. The Goliath looked down and inspected his body, clenching his claws into fists and witnessing the new strength. And everything seemed... Smaller. But in truth, Goliath had gotten bigger. Slightly slower, but bigger still.
Speaking of smaller things, the Goliath had caught the scent of the creatures that was chasing him. The pursuers! They must not have received the Goliath's warning, via his rock throwing messaging system. Out of curiosity, the Goliath slinked down and backed away, listening closely to these creatures as they approached.
"Hallo... The trail of tracks is cold here." said Griffin, approaching the end of the Goliath's tracks. The Goliath wanted to growl at these humans and their tracking skills, but kept silent.
"You think that monster is here?" Markov questioned.
"I would think so. That rock came from this direction." said Griffin.
"How about using your planet scanner, eh? Might tell us where the stone thrower might be." Said Hank.
Griffin nodded and perused onto his person for a device. Upon clicking one of its many buttons, Griffin got his reading and pointed in the general direction where the Goliath is. "This way!"
The Goliath stopped his breathing as the hunters closed onto his location.
They got closer.
They got more closer.
They got even more closer and... They went past him.
The Goliath sighed a breath of relief and decided to sneak his way out of the caverns, the hunters unaware that their mark had passed right under their noses. Or... Above them in an alcove.
The Goliath felt as though these human hunters knew what they were doing. They had an air of... danger about them. But the Goliath didn't care. If he had to, he would fight them face-to-face. They didn't seem so tough either! The Goliath could easily take one of them down. But all four at once with a sufficient amount of teamwork on their side? That might take some effort. Oh well. His armor was slowly regenerating and his health was full to the brim. But he felt the need to feed on more meats to gain energy for the next transformation. Ah, wouldn't that be the perfect itch to scratch? To get that high once again! And become stronger for it! Just a few more morsels to hunt and devour and the Goliath would be-
-attacked by the same group of hunters that was tracking him, pointing and firing their strange tools at him. Didn't he give them the slip?
Griffin fired his harpoon gun, its payload stabbing at the Goliath and pulling him toward the trapper. "Not as sneaky as you think, eh?" Even though the Goliath's armor had withstood the small sting of damage, he still felt the pain it dealt. That had made the Goliath angry. He charged at the offending hunter and knocked him away with the barraging and unavoidable collision of a Goliath's might. The Goliath prepared to strike the trapper down with a downward strike when lightening blasted into his face, making him miss his mark.
A man in red armor wielding what might have been a Tesla coil weapon, distracted the Goliath. Whatever it is, it hurt like hell, and it made the Goliath mad. Deciding on the spot, the Goliath decided to give the other offending hunter another element that hurt like hell. A burning hot flame straight from the monsters mouth.
"Get back!" Markov shouted, backtracking and firing his lightning gun at the Goliath, of which was approaching him with a wall of spouting fire.
Val descended to Griffin's side and helped him up. After assisting the old trapper, Val then aimed her tranquilizer at the Goliath and unloaded a few rounds into his hide.
The Goliath could feel his stamina lessened after the darts pierced his armor and skin. It made him even more mad. Furious even. Sluggish, but still filled with fury.
Before the Goliath could fight off the new threat that slowed him down, explosions landed on and around him, damaging his armor to the point were his health was now being permanently wounded. He leaped out of the way as the ensuing barrage pocked the ground with burning craters. And from a distance, he saw a bearded man chuckling and smiling. Was he the one that lobbed those explosives onto his back? That cocky grin of his, plus with everything that is happening to the Goliath at this moment, made the Goliath beyond the point of furious. Rage filled his body, which changed his flight-or-fight response to focus on fighting all the way. Needless to say, the monster snapped.
In quick succession, the Goliath ripped a rock out of the ground and hurled it at the bearded human, and immediately leaped towards the harpoon human and the flighty female human. Several swipes plus a charge was all it took to incapacitate both of the hunters, and now there was the lightning soldier and the bearded man to deal with. The Goliath decided to take down the bearded man next, leaping towards him.
"Val! Griffin!" Markov would shout, going into the fray and trying to assist his downed teammates.
Hank, meanwhile, would contend with a very pissed off Goliath. He was slowly losing his life to the monster, and Markov wasn't there to support him. A bad choice of tactical teamwork for the hunters to split up then and there.
Markov went to Val first, picking her up and assessing her wounds. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine. ... Where is Hank?" Val asked.
"Er... I'm sure he will be fine." Markov said with what enthusiasm he could muster.
"Go to him, Markov. He needs the assistance. I'll help Griffin here." Val said.
"Not to be the one to bugger up your party, but... Here he comes again!" Griffin shouted to the two.
Val ascended with the use of her jetpack, lifting off the moment Griffin said the word 'again'. Markov, however, simply turned around and got a full dosage of mean monster claws to his torso. The Goliath had apparently made short work of Hank, and was now pummeling the glory soldier to the ground with a pounce attack. Val shot her sniper rifle at the monster while Griffin took out his custom classic pistol and aimed it at the monster.
The pain made the Goliath flinch enough to release the pounced prey, but he was not going to stop from bringing the hurt onto these trespassers. The humans dug their own grave when they riled up the Goliath. The Goliath pursued after the nearest threat and... got the glory soldier pinned down by a pack of blitz leopards. The Goliath stared as the red armored hunter got pinned by the native beasts, which got the soldier mauled in the process. If the Goliath could grin, he would. The Goliath then turned and stared at the medic. The gaze he gave Val was very menacing to feel. The Goliath then targeted the last hunter, using a leaping smash attack that broke one of her legs in the process. The blitz leopards incapacitated a roaring Markov and dragged him away, while Griffin was cursing aloud the whole time and shooting his pistol.
The support was dead, the assault dragged off by blitz leopards, the trapper mauled by the Goliath's claws, and the medic broken and pinned to the ground. It was obvious that the Goliath had won this fight. He roared triumphantly into the air, so sure and confident that there was no threat that could possibly topple him. This is what he lived for. The fight. The moment. The glory. The Goliath felt incredible and unstoppable.
After the victory cry of war, the Goliath's gaze now settled on Val's broken body, still with a broken leg and pinned down with a heavy foot. The Goliath leaned down onto the hunter and growled, his mouth watering and baring teeth that threatened to rip and consume flesh. Val could only look on in terror as the Goliath's maw inched closer and closer.
Just as the Goliath planned to bite down on the hunter's skull and end her life, the whispers began again. It sounded so loud now. Loud enough that it even interrupted the Goliath from enjoying his recent prey item. The Goliath looked at to where the whispers were coming from. It wasn't close, but he can tell that the whispers were beckoning him again. The Goliath looked back down onto his pinned prey, which was looking right back at him with a pained and frightened expression, which slowly turned into curiosity.
The Goliath was suffering from a decision that he was trying to make. Would he go towards the whispers? Or devour this hunting party? He already killed the bearded man and the Goliath figures he could eat all of them in quick succession. But the whispers... It beckoned him... Welcomed him... Invited him... It was hard to make out what the whispers said. What were they saying?
The Goliath, ignoring his hunger for fresh meat, moved off and away from a very surprised Val. She noticed that the beast seemed to be distracted with something as he looked off in the distance. The beast slowly lumbered away, making Val breathe a sigh of relief. When Val was sure that the monster was out of earshot, Val whispered into her com device. "This is Valerie. Bucket, get a recovery team down here now. Lazarus is going to have his hands full."
"π΄ππ πΆππ ππππππππΎππ πΏπΆππΆππΎπ? πΌ πΆπππππ ππ½πΆπ ππ½π πππππππ π½πΆπ π·πππ πΉππΆππ ππΎππ½ πΆππΉ ππ½πππ π½πΆππ π·πππ πΈπΆπππΆπππΎππ?" A robotic voice replied to Val.
"Actually, the monster decided to leave us alive."
"... ππππ πΆππΆπΎπ?"
"I repeat, the monster lost interest in us and went off in a direction to the southeast. My current team is in no condition to track our target and I request extraction."
"π»ππ! π―π½πΎπ πΎπ ππ½π π»πΎπππ ππππ ππΈπππΆππΎπ ππ½πππ ππ½π πππππππ π½πΆπ πππ»π πΆπ πΆπππΆ πΎπ π½πΆπ πΈππΆπΎπππΉ πΆπ πΎππ πππππΎππππ πΆππΉ πππ»π ππ½π π½ππππππ πΆππΎππ. πΌ'π πππ ππππ π½ππ ππ π πππΈπππ ππ½πΎπ!"
"Bucket. Lazarus. Please."
"π©ππ ππ πππππ, π±πΆππππΎπ. π ππππ ππππ πππΆπ π½πΆπ π·πππ ππππ ππ ππππ πππΈπΆππΎππ. π»ππππππ, πΌ ππππ πΎππ»πππ ππ ππΆπ·ππ ππ» ππ½π ππππ ππ» ππππππ, πΆππΉ π½π ππΎππ½π πππ ππΈπ πΆ π»πππ πππ πππ πΆπ»πππ ππππ πππΆπ π½πΆπ π·πππ π»ππππ π½ππΆπππΉ. π―π½π πΏπΆπππΎπ-ππππ ππΎππ π·π ππ½πππ πΎπ ππππ ππ½πΆπ πππ ππΎπππππ."
"Hurry up. I think Griffin is bleeding out, and I thought I saw Markov get dragged away by blitz leopards. I do know that my leg is broken and I'm assuming that Hank is dead. Cannot confirm if his corpse is intact or devoured. Be advised."
"πππ π ππ½πΆπ, π±πΆππππΎπ. πΉπππΎππ ππ ππππ πΉππππΎππΆππΎππ."
Out of all the days of being on this bloodthirsty planet, this one had to take the cake in being the strangest one. Why did that monster leave?
The Goliath scaled mountain after mountain, crossed river after river, lumbered through forest after forest. The Goliath didn't know how he could tell, but with each hour that passes, he could hear the whispers growing louder. It felt as though he was getting closer. Sure, the errant animal that had the misfortune to be in the Goliath's path proved to sate his hunger from time to time, but he was undeterred to travel to where the whispers originated.
After much traveling in the span of a day, the Goliath met upon the tallest mountain he ever found, covered in trees. There was a small formation of snow near the top of this mountain, while bird calls constantly singed from the trees below, making their mating calls and tweeting at one another in disputes of territory. The smell of poultry was heavy in the air. He looked upon the mass of tree covered rock and soil and growled his disdain. Was this where the whispers had led him to all this time? A mountain filled with bird wildlife? Throwing a rock or blowing fire at the flying critters might enable the Goliath some easy snacking, but he would have to be hard pressed to hunt enough of them to get a full belly.
Or would have, had the whispering distracted the Goliath even more so than ever. The Goliath huffed and growled more in contempt. He was nearing the limit of humoring these whispers for so long, following where they originated and coming to a stop at this giant mountain. Well... Since he's already here, he might as well find out what is making the whispering noises that lead him here.
The Goliath lumbered on and trekked through the mountainous forest, pushing trees out of the way and scaring nearly every bird in his wake. The day crawled into the night as the Goliath still sifted through the wooded mountain and tried to look for the source of the whispers. At least there was an inexhaustible supply of flying food, ready to be snatched out of the air. Two birds with one stone. Or in the Goliath's case, several birds with one boulder.
Speaking of boulders, the Goliath found one of such that seemed to have the whispering coming from it. The Goliath missed it many times since the birds tried to chase him away from their nests and distracted him from hearing the whispers there. And since the Goliath ate most of the birds during his search of the source of the whispers, he only noticed it now without the distractions. He grabbed at the giant rock and rolled it to the side, revealing a dark cave that lead down. The wind seemed to be drawn into the cave somehow, almost as though the tunnel entrance was hungry for air. Yet the whispers were stronger down in the dark. Barely clear enough to make out what the whispers were saying, though the Goliath had no means of understanding what the whispers meant or said to him.
But still, the Goliath pressed on. He entered the huge tunnel and wandered down and deeper into the mountain. Even when the light from the surface faded away till only darkness persisted, he continued on. If the Goliath could ever summon the feeling of thankfulness, he would be thankful about his eyes being able to glow in any light level. And even then, his superior sense of smell guided and helped him, despite bumping his head in certain places of the tunnel from time to time. The whispers were becoming so loud to him now. The Goliath could tell that he was getting very close.
After a long descent, the Goliath finally came to a vast, dark chamber. The air was stale, but filled quickly with a fresher supply thanks to the Goliath's earlier dislodging of the boulder from the cave entrance. The place was dark. Darker than midnight. Darker than... Okay, let's say that it was about as dark as a black hole contained in a lead container with a 10 foot thick wall and painted with vantablack paint, and leave it at that simile. And if that wasn't enough, there was a floating sphere that was black in color too, which was about the same dimension in size. It was about 25 feet in diameter.
... Wait. Sphere?
The Goliath noticed the sphere being there and eyed it carefully. The whispers were... coming from it. So that was what he heard the whole time over this long distance? All the way from the human place he hatched in? The Goliath sniffed at the sphere, but it had no scent to it. He wasn't even sure if it was made of the same stone as the cave. Could it be one of those human devices that used the Patterson equation? The Goliath wouldn't know if this black sphere could use the Patterson equation, since he was too stupid to know what a Patterson equation is. And the Goliath had a bestial mind, so simple concepts and ideas were not so understandable to the beast either, such as thinking about where the sphere could have came from, or wondered about who built it. The devices that uses the Patterson equation tend to piss of the Goliath the most, since he could sense them and... well... It just pisses him off for some unexplainable reason. It was like his HNA was wired to hate things that uses the equation mechanically. All that the Goliath knows is that something silently called him here. And since he is here, he discovered that the black sphere was the thing that is making the whispers.
What to do.
The Goliath placed his clawed paw onto the smooth surface of the sphere since there really was nothing else to do. Well... Aside from gnawing on it to see if this thing was edible or just smashing it to pieces to finally get the whispering to stop.
But at the very moment his claws gently pressed onto the surface, the whispering became clear!
...
...
...
Clear as mud. He couldn't understand what the whispering is saying to him. Whatever words they were saying to him simply made no sense. It was at this point that the Goliath had just enough. He was done humoring this whispering sphere. He brought his claws back and readied to attack it.
~Stop.~
The Goliath immediately turned around to face this new voice. In the dark, he saw some blue glowing lights, but the Goliath's sense of smell had identified that this creature was some kind of large tentacled mollusc. Oh great. It's what those humans identify as a Kraken monster. Its appearance was tall, squid-like, and Lovecraftian in nature. Its wings glowed and hummed with electricity, and the other monster looked down on the Goliath with four condescending and glowing eyes, having blue and black skin. If it wasn't bad enough, the Kraken was 25 feet taller than the Goliath, making it obvious that the saurian was outmatched by the flying tentacle monster in size.
But that didn't deter the Goliath as he stood his ground and roared defiantly at the taller monster, not caring if his health was still damaged from the fight with the human hunters. He didn't care if he was in another monster's territory. He found the black sphere and he's going to protect it from any and every thief, human or monster.
The Kraken raised his claws up. ~Calm down. I have no desire to challenge you. I just wanted to tell you that trying to break that thing wouldn't work. Believe me, I tried.~
The Goliath tilted his head and stared at the intruding Kraken, though he kept his aggressive posture. The Goliath knew that the Kraken was talking to him, but the Kraken didn't make any sounds at all. Not even lip movement, even though the Kraken didn't have any lips to speak with. Just how was this Kraken speaking to the Goliath without verbal communication?
The Kraken pointed to the black sphere with one of his claws. ~The dark orb was the device that enables me to speak to you. You can hear its whispers too, correct?~
The Goliath turned and peered at the dark orb for a quick glance before turning back to keep an eye on the Kraken, in case the other monster was going to do something that he didn't like.
~Relax. You will know that as I speak to you with my mind, or telepathy as the humans call it, you will know that I am not deceiving you. Unlike the flawed method of speech through verbal words, lies can be detected easily this way. Believe me, I had the whole day to figure out how to reach into a mind and read their memories and knowledge. But I suppose that was thanks to the whispers in the dark orb.~
The Goliath tried to wrap his head around this new concept of communication. The Goliath didn't understand, since he doesn't know how to generalize the concept of communication. Or understand what a concept is. Or understand what was happening to his mind as he was processing new concepts he had never thought of before. Or understand what those concepts were. All these new ideas and thoughts was making the Goliath's head hurt painfully as he tried to understand. He voiced his struggle with a growl.
~I know that you are having difficulty trying to understand this new information. Try not to force yourself.~ The Kraken telepathed to the Goliath, whom then lowered himself down into a sitting position. ~I suppose that if it wwasn't for me, you wouldn't be hearing the whispers. So... I will assume that you want an apology from me, correct?~
The Goliath clicked his teeth and made a smaller growl, turning away to face the dark orb and stare at it.
If the Kraken could scoff, he would do it. ~... I suppose that is your way of saying that you don't care if I did say sorry.~
Minutes passed as the whispers were the only sounds that echoed and filled the chamber. Other than that, there was a dead silence between the Goliath and the Kraken. Although, if it wasn't for the whispering, it wouldn't really have been an awkward silence. But it was still very awkward between the Kraken and the Goliath since it would seem like they have gotten off on the wrong footing.
The Kraken, after letting the minutes go by for a time, decided to finally speak up. ~Listen. I know that I am not one to ask anything of you, but... I have been coming to a decision lately.~
The Goliath didn't budge as he continued to stare at the dark orb.
The Kraken continued with his communing thoughts. ~This dark orb has unlocked an ability within us, and I came back to it to try and understand why. The whispering had only started when I had first touched it, but I didn't think that it could be heard by anyone other than me. I did take the precaution to block the entrance to the dark orb with a boulder so that only I would know about it's location. Even though I took precautions, you must have still heard it from nearby, Correct?~
Well. Not nearby in the sense that the Kraken would put it. The Goliath remembered that he had traveled in the span of a whole day trying to find where the whispering came from, his adventure starting at the human living place where the snow was heavy, and after defeating the hunting group that tried to kill him.
~That far away, huh? Then I suppose there is no sense to keep blocking the entrance anymore, since anyone that can hear the orb from THAT far away is going to come here regardless.~ The Kraken said, getting up to approach the dark orb and stare at it.
The Goliath turned and stared at the Kraken warily. He sensed no harmful or deceitful intentions from him, but there was still so much that the Goliath did not understand. One question that was presenting itself to the Goliath's mind was the most prevalent. Why him? Why did the whispers lure him all the way into this cavern and under the mountain? Why did it choose him to receive this gift? And how did the Kraken got involved in this?
~I am sure the dark orb chose you for a reason. If anything, the whispering could be heard by every animal, every human, and every creature that shares our abilities, or 'monsters' as the humans call us. But if that were true, then there would be more activity here. I had only discovered it by chance when I was chasing an animal down here. By that of an accident, I bumped into the orb and it somehow activated to my touch, letting me hear its whispers and allowing me to develop my telepathy.~ The Kraken then pawed at the dark orb, looking like he was rubbing off some dust from its surface. ~In fact, I believe I started thinking in the human speech pattern hours later. I guess it could have something to do with me eating their brains, and that their knowledge was slowly absorbed by my mind. ... But anyway.~ The Kraken turned towards the Goliath. ~I was wondering if you could join me in analyzing this orb?~
The Goliath turned to the Kraken and grumbled. He wanted him to join and analyze this thing? All that the Goliath knew was that it made whispering sounds and granted whoever touched it the ability of telepathy. Oh, and from the Kraken's description of his recently developing abilities, the power to absorb knowledge or gain intelligence, whatever it is, by digesting the grey nerve clump in the skull of a creature.
~I can do most of the hard scientific work, if you want. You can do much of the heavy labor.~
The Goliath growled low and long at that.
~Oh don't be like that! How about this? I hunt for your food in exchange for your services. I may be lanky, but I am a proficient hunter. Although, if you want something from me, you can hunt for my meals. Does that sound any better?~
There was a long pause before the Goliath gave his answer with a short, but hesitant trill.
~... I'll assume that that is a yes. With some luck, we might be able to find out more about this dark orb.~ The Kraken said, stepping back and gurgling.
The gurgles could be gurgles of content, not that the Goliath was sure that they were of contentment or not. Aside from that, a thought came across the Goliath's mind. If there are going to be more coming because of the whispers that this dark orb was making, it wouldn't bother the Goliath too much to accept more monsters into their little gathering. Actually, calling it a gathering doesn't sound very good to the Goliath. ... Pack. Yes, that sounded better. And if there happened to be more than one Goliath that would come around and decided to be part of the pack, then... It could get confusing to differentiate between different Goliaths that were in the same pack. The Goliath guesses that they could be given a label or rank? Some means of identification? A word to be called by?
~The word you are looking for is a name.~ The Kraken answered.
A name! Yes! The Goliath could give the other Goliaths names. And perhaps to the other monsters too! But in truth, if the Goliath were to start naming other monsters one day, he would probably start off with giving himself a name. He looked at the Kraken as he pondered over the thought.
The Kraken looked back at the Goliath. ~Hmm... Interesting. You really want to give us names? You do realize that that a silly human habit?~
The Goliath trilled and contemplated on his own name. What would sound like a good name? The humans keep calling him a Goliath, so maybe he can take some of the pronunciation of the word and put it into his own name? Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe he could start his name using a 'G' sound. After much thought and practicing the different sounding names that started with the letter G, the Goliath have finally decided on what to call himself. ~... Garthis.~
If the Kraken could roll his eyes, he would. ... Oh no, that was a silly human habit too. The Goliath, now called Garthis, chortled at the Kraken's disdain. The Kraken growled for the first time ever in Garthis' presence. ~And I suppose that you're going to give me a name to annoy me with?~
Garthis delighted in this new idea that the Kraken presented to him, and proceeded to think up a name. Since the humans call the Kraken's breed of monster 'Kraken', Garthis would think of a 'K' sounding name. With the slightest of effort, Garthis found the perfect name for the Kraken. ~Kraivod!~
The Kraken, now the anointed Kraivod, growled even more at this turn of events in an annoyed way and went to the tunnel that lead to the entrance. If Garthis could smile, he would. He felt a tingle of pride and joy swelling up within his chest that contained his flame. And even better, he managed to annoy a Kraken that was bigger than him without getting viciously mauled! But at that moment, Garthis was feeling somewhat tired after the long trip to getting to this mountain. Someplace nice to sleep sounded good to him. Although the stone floor in this underground chamber wasn't exactly the softest place to lay on, Garthis would think that he could make himself a bed to sleep on. He was pretty sure that Kraivod wouldn't mind.
Two months later.
The monsters of planet Shear has driven away the humans. Much of the human technology had remained forgotten, as the bones of the deceased primates littered the ground. Nearly all of the wildlife was hunted to extinction, with the exception of bird wildlife that spends their entire lifetimes flying or small critters that proved to be of no interest to any large predator. The monsters of Shear, the invasive creatures that had hunted the humans and devoured them to extinction on this world, had resorted to territorial aggression. Fighting happened every day. Food was scarce, which had eventually resulted in monster-on-monster killing and feeding, sometimes resulting in cannibalism when two monsters of the same breed battle at one another. Monsters that were born in their beginning stages of evolution would find no hope in acquiring a territory to stake their claim on. Other monsters in their last stages of evolution would protect their territory, and punish those to death when challenged by younger upstarts. That is until their wounds become superficial, making them a target among the younger challengers.
It was only when the last of the humans had left, or died, that the monsters of Shear had migrated to far distances to claim territories of their own. Due to the short gestation period and incubation period of the monster eggs, the population of the monsters grew tremendously large, skyrocketing in the span of days.
And here on Bird Mountain, a name that Garthis came up with a long time ago, had been visited by competitors only a week and a half later. Garthis had to fend off his newly claimed territory from many monsters that challenged him for the land. Most of the battles were easy for him, but there had been times where he had to rely on help from his pack to drive them away.
Garthis stood guard and on watch, overlooking the mouth of a cave and much of the landscape that surrounded the mountain. Endless trees flowed out in the land, but there was also an ocean that was at one side of the mountain, and a large flatland that was part sand and part grass, which eventually ended in a beach. There also happened to be several gigantic empty metal crates near the entrance of the mountain's cave.
Garthis sighed in an annoyed manner. Kraivod is taking too long this time around. When Garthis learned from Kraivod that they would have better chances of studying the dark orb with human technology, there was much debate between the two regarding whether they should or shouldn't go and acquire the necessary technological tools. Eventually, Garthis came to the decision that if Kraivod really had no other means to analyze the dark orb, he would have to go on his own to claim the human technology.
~Still looking out for him, eh?~
Long scythes had been creeping under Garthis' neck and abdominal so slowly, he didn't realize it. Not until the familiar voice was basically singing in his head. Oh. Her.
Days after the humans had finally left Shear to the monsters, and when Kraivod and Garthis wasn't paying too much attention, a monster had managed to intrude into their territory. When they finally found her, they tried chasing her away every day and night. But they then remembered that the dark orb had the power to whisper to select monsters from long distances away, and she didn't seem like she was attacking them either. When they finally debated and agreed to let this other monster touch the dark orb, they waited patiently for her to return to them. Sure enough, she came back, noticed them but didn't run that time, inspected and touched the orb, and was now able to telepathically communicate to Garthis and Kraivod.
And it was on that day that Garthis had named her Wylow.
Garthis sighed, blowing little plumes of smoke and fire from his mouth, followed by a trill.
~You know how he gets invested in his research. If I didn't know better, he has a very perverted obsession with that human technology. I mean... What else is there to understand about a big globe of murmuring silence that can make you think-talk with someone else?~ Claws danced on Garthis' back playfully, running through his spikes and tracing his scales.
Garthis snorted.
~Ha ha ha ha! So what if you don't know either! At least it gives us time to talk for a bit. You know... Get intimate?~
A grumble, followed by a shrug enabled Garthis to free himself from the scythes that was holding him.
A hiss emanated from behind him as a slithery, almost snake-like creature came in front of Garthis. This monster had no eyes, and seemed to float just above the ground, where her leg-tendrils were neatly folded and tucked, and a long tail accentuated her form. This monster was feminine in shape, though it wielded two scythes on the first pair of arms. Her second pair of arms was folded. A very human gesture. Garthis didn't know where she learned that from since he was very sure that Wylow had never seen a human do that, or seen a human once in her life. Though she had no eyes to speak of, she gave him an unamused leer. ~You're no fun.~
Garthis stared at the Wraith. Not exactly 'staring back', since Wylow still didn't have any eyes. ~... You do realize that the more time you talk to me, the less food we make from our livestock?~
Wylow growled in annoyance. ~Oh enough about the ice slugs! When will I go on another hunt? At least those are fun at times, and I get to hang out with the pack! It's like all we do is just stay here until Kraivod gets back!~
~Glaciapod.~
~What?~
~That's what the humans call them.~
There was a pause before Wylow responded. ~... I know that. It's just... Urgh! I'm just getting stir crazy sitting here, you know? I want to do something!~
~Well, I could convince you to take my place while I go to the glaciapod pens and pick up where you left off.~
~Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. That sounds WAY TOO BORING! Just to sit here and... Look at stuff...~ Wylow slumped to the ground and purred, pushing her body onto Garthis' legs. She didn't care if dirt discolored her pink and white mottled skin coloration.
Garthis hissed a sigh. ~When is that damn squid getting back?~
~Come ooooooooooooooooooon~. Could you get Ganny or Balhu to do our stuff for once?~
~Wylow, everyone agreed to take turns with their responsibilities. And on top of that, I don't particularly trust Ganny and Balhu taking care of the glaciapods by themselves. At least not without supervision.~
If Wylow could pout, she would have. And Garthis knew she would, given the chance to use another human gesture to annoy him or Kraivod. But the world was slowly running out of things to hunt and eat. Much of the ecosystem was getting torn apart and deeply disturbed by the monster presence. Hunting for food had gotten so bad that Garthis was looking for alternatives. But once Garthis explained to Kraivod of the situation, he simply left for many days. However, he eventually returned with cool blooded slug animals that produced a glowing, edible gel. The gel was unappetizing, since it was like eating edible paste that was slimy, and left a slight aftertaste of dirt and mint. And slime. But at least it didn't affect their health too much when on a constant diet of the secretion. Hell, Garthis was convinced that it happened to be Balhu's favorite food. But then again, his reply to eating anything that was edible always ended with 'I like this.' But still, he was a lovable oaf. And Ganny? Well... Let's just say that she's just plain creepy.
However, far in the distance, Garthis could see a familiar speck coming into view. His eyes trained on the speck and he saw it take the familiar paths that it always took when coming back to the den. Garthis sighed in relief. ~Okay, he's here. I suppose we can take a break from our duties this time.~ He communed, stepping over Wylow and proceeding down the mountain and to the front of the cave entrance. Wylow hissed a sigh, but followed after Garthis.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, Kraivod came back with a metal crate that he was pulling. Four wheels was affixed to the crate, making it into a ramshackled and larger version of a wagon. He was met upon by the familiar faces of Garthis and Wylow. He gazed at the both of them. ~... I assume that you are... ah... Going to bother me about something again?~ Kraivod said.
Wylow slithered forward and hugged onto Kraivod, surprising the Kraken with unintended affection. ~Kraaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiv~! Garth is boring~! Wyl want play~!~
After stunned silence, Kraivod sulked and adopted annoyance to his expression. Can a Kraken even look as though it was annoyed? The only creatures that could tell if another monster was annoyed were the monsters that had made physical contact with the dark orb. ~... I can tell that you have been hanging around Ganny too much.~
~Well duh!~ Wylow said, letting go of Kraivod. ~So what did you find on your travels this time?~
Kraivod was hesitant, of which Garthis picked up on right away and approached. ~What did you find?~ He said, curious.
Kraivod burbled, but turned and carefully reached into the metal crate to sift through various items. After only around 5 or 10 seconds of inventory sifting, Kraivod pulled out some kind of wriggly looking animal. It wore a second skin and looked ragged in appearance. A cursory glance would fool the untrained eye that it might be a malformed reaver, which was a type of aggressive primate native to Shear. But both Garthis and Wylow got a good look at Kraivod's catch.
It was a human. It looked to be of a middle aged man with more scars than the stars in the sky, with a chunk of flesh missing and healed over from his left leg. He had brown facial hair, but was bald headed. What looked like eternal fear was welled up in his expression.
~KRAIVOD! WHY DID YOU BRING ONE HERE?~ Garthis was growling madly, keeping his anger towards the pathetic primate with sheer will. The little human curled up and made a shrill yelp.
Kraivod stepped back from Garthis' mental lash, but he kept calm and confident. ~I know, I know. I shouldn't have brought one with me without us discussing about the implications first. But when I found this one, I had to make a decision then and there, and decided to take it with me.~
~BUT WHY, KRAIVOD? WHY? WHY BRING THOSE HATEFUL THINGS HERE?~
Kraivod stood tall and growled. ~It's for my ongoing research on the orb! Alright? I needed someone that could use the technology I gathered from the colonies. The whispers of the orb can only tell me so much!~
~... What are you planning?~ Garthis asked in earnest, yet his mental voice still had a sliver of anger.
Kraivod breathed in and sighed. ~... I was thinking we should force it to touch the orb so we can listen to it as it listens to the whispers.~
~... Hmm. So this has to do with your dark orb research?~ Garthis asked.
~Yes.~ Kraivod answered.
There was a long pause. So long that the fourth party that was silent the whole time finally thought up. Which was the telepathic equivalent of speaking up. ~Um... Are you saying that this tiny tiny thing... is a human?~ asked Wylow.
~Well... Yeah.~ Kraivod replied.
~And since you asked, you will be the one to carry him to the den.~ Garthis said, walking to the crate and picking out the heaviest items to carry.
~... Wh... Whua-what? Wh-Why me?~ Wylow stammered, clicking like crazy.
~You were always curious about wanting to see a human for yourself. So you get to carry it. I want nothing to do with that... thing. Just keep it away from me.~ Garthis said, picking up several items and moving into the cave entrance.
Wylow and Kraivod looked at each other after Garthis was gone from their vision. ... Well. Kraivod's vision and Wylow's way of seeing the world. ~... Well, you heard him. The human is yours to carry. ... Oh, and try not to kill, eat, or injure it, please? Researching it won't work very well when they have been chewed to death.~
Wylow hissed as she was handed the human. Claws clasped around the small creature, making it squirm in a last attempt of defiance, or escape. A warning hiss made the human eeped again and remained still. Wylow grumbled. ~I hope this thing doesn't become some kind of pet. I would rather let it starve than let it eat any of our food.~
~I think humans are meat eaters, like us. But I think they have a preference for sweet tasting things, like milk and honey.~ Kraivod said, taking some items from the crate/cart to carry into the den. He traveled there with Wylow with her human in her hold.
~What is milk and honey?~ Wylow asked.
Kraivod sighed. He hopes that his research with the dark orb will finally be over with.
A/N: I had this story flourishing into my head the moment I heard that Evolve will be free on all consoles in the future.