Several rows of teeth stood open among the lake's surface, glistening a light grey as a few birds used them as perches and provided a free cleaning service in return for its hospitality. It didn't mind them at all nor even a bunch of black and golden-orange beaks poking stuff stuck between its mouth's weapons that have been there since who knows when. Its thick dinosaur-like head stirred and twitched slightly as the flying animals went to work.
A flared mahogany skin color dominated its form but purple swirls interlaced with the rugged scheme while dirty grey spikes lined its side, back, shins, forearms, and belly. Flat elephant-like feet, clawed and webbed, kept sturdy on the rock bed below with six masculine limbs connected as its pillars. A thick, bulbous tail acted as a barricade for prey to hide from predators. Eight bio-lit eyes, two damaged by scars, had a thin layer of eyelid webbing protecting them but it could still see out of the blank, transparent covering. Two ear-like appendages wiggled and bent to accommodate its mood but its large nostrils warned others if it was angered via mist ejection.
A blowhole between the two nostrils could release any excess water but could also spring out toxic gas from its lungs. Gills lining its neck allowed water to filter through but wasn't necessary for collecting oxygen. Several tubes connected to its neck and jaw provided filtered water caught and fed the captured liquid directly into its esophagus, hydrating its body for as long as it stayed in the lake. The creature was extremely complex and to certain inhabitants, it was God among Frankenstein monsters and miscellaneous whatnots the world has yet to figure out how to handle.
Like a hippo resting, it only sat in the water peacefully, not feeling any threat from the fish swimming around it or the animals grazing slash drinking on the shores surrounding the body of water. But...there was one creature it couldn't stand. Every animal feared that one, it loathed it. A simian-based creature just a monster like itself but more deadly than even its own species, or what was left of its kind.
Man. It wasn't Man that killed off its species entirely, leaving it the last one, but they've certainly helped by forcing them out of their homes through forestation, making its group exposed for the world to see...to hunt. And some of Man's friends didn't like the unknown just as much as Man themselves.
It was the Arc-Nine, the Ninth Guardian of the Oculto Escuro Falls, the labyrinth of waterways and jungle lands. Its siblings use to be located throughout the Earth Realm, throughout the planet of the same name in fact. There were forty-eight Guardians; it was what was left of their ageless reign. Its mate, the Arc-Thirty Two of the Caverna de Cristal Mountains, disappearing along with them.
All Arc-bases were each a combination of different animals. None had even slightly a similar combination of creatures to another. It was supposedly a clash of tarantula, Komodo dragon, African elephant, sperm whale, tiger shark, and black mamba snake. Each was unique but now the uniqueness was far gone with only one kind still standing.
It couldn't lie, it was lonely. Without its siblings and friends and even potential mate, all it had was various animals and plants to keep it company. Nevertheless, it remained relaxed through this misery.
The Arc-Nine began to rise, shutting its mouth slowly to let the various birds vacate the premises. It stood at 89 ft with a rough width of 106 ft, including the tail that is. Sturdily, it moved through the lake, fish flying past its ankles narrowly dodging being crushed. The lake floor sounded thunder, shaking beneath the giant creature's massive steps. Suddenly, it halted, turning its head to the side to let a pair of ears listen skyward.
Several different species of bird flocks, some larger than others, scrambled away from the Northern front of the forest. With only two eyes on the right working properly, it noticed more animals scurrying away from the same scene, running quickly across the banks. Standing its ground, it turned to face the danger that threatened its friends. A low growl hovering within its tube-infested throat.
A gurgled roar of a monster responded. Trees were pushed from their homes, sent flying in all directions as a rock and tar creature appeared. Not an Arc nor a Guardian this thing was, but rather an elemental fusion gone wrong with a life force it did not deserve.
To the Arc-Nine, the tar creature was known as the Melted One and what the beast thought it was it didn't know. The tar monsters spit a transparent liquid mixed with an onyx colored substance at the animaloid guardian. It missed but when it hit the bark of a group of trees, it dissolved and contaminated the plant life to a dead nothing.
Narrowing its eyes, the animaloid bellowed a whale-like screech, raising on its hind legs for intimidation. Normally it worked on all creatures, but apparently not this thing.
The Melted One slowly snaked into the water, some of its body ejecting pieces of itself not being able to hold together. Suddenly, it lunged, sticking to the Arc-Nine trying to suffocate the beast. The tar planted the animaloid's feet within its body when the Arc-Nine attempted to push the monster away. The Arc-Nine gave a hoarse cry as the tar creature's inner fluids began biting at its thick skin.
The only thing the animaloid could do was patiently wait until the ooze covered its mouth and nostrils. A blue-purple blast instantly took out a portion of the tar monster; the Melted One reeled back in surprise and agony as its appendages derailed from the Arc, relieving the other of suffocation.
An Arc's energy blast was often a defense mechanism by sensors near the mouth. If covered, these sensors ignite the Arc's stomach gas via internal sparking welts and shoot a beam similar to that of an ion cannon.
The Arc-Nine roared again before covering its mouth area in stray seaweed in the hopes of activating the sensors once more. The tar beast realized what the other was trying to do and backed off, slipping back into the forestry to tend to its wound which was slowly fixing itself but hurt nonetheless. It left its opponent standing neither victorious nor defeated, for what's a victory among monsters if one is not dead?
The animaloid paused for a good several minutes to make sure the enemy was nowhere near its lake anymore before lowering itself back into the water to tend to stinging wounds. Hopefully, those bloodsuckers and cleaner fish would come around and help its injuries by removing corrupted blood particles and infection within the skin and on the surface. A favorable aspect of living near a prey/predatory fish environment with types of medicinal abilities most take for granted.
The Arc-Nine gave a stout moan. The fact that the last monsters like itself around were enemies to the Arc species bothered it greatly. To live a life based on survival, to keep a species from extinction, was a drag and quite frankly, it was tired of this. New wounds every week but to it, they were getting worse each and every battle. Then a new problem came to mind.
Reproduction was the second most disturbing dispute it could not bear. Only five Arcs had the ability to reproduce asexually and the others required a mate. It was unfortunately not one of those five. Without the Arc-Thirty Two, it was damn impossible. It could mate with something similar to its size, like a whale, but a whale can't produce an offspring of multiple breeds. At most, that whale will spawn another whale with minor birth defects like tusks or even unusable legs. It would not have the age immortality of an Arc either.
Shaking these unruly thoughts from its mind, it relaxed on a different topic; one of the life around it. Although it could not have its happily ever after, it could allow others to have them. As a Guardian, it was bound to the Earth, to its duty of protection and creation. Creation, as in watching over new life and ensuring it is always in motion, never straying from its purpose.
That was its job and it was proud of this no matter what problems stood in its way. All life had its ups and downs, it knew this well. The Guardian of the Oculto Escuro Falls, the Arc-Nine, despite everything was happy nonetheless.
AN: See art/The-Arc-Nine-The-Last-Sentry-649045719 for the drawing of the Arc-Nine. I had an idea of a creature comprised of multiple types of animal species almost like a Chimera but varied on size hence the Arc-Nine and its brethren were formed.
It technically exists in the Transformers Universe but it probably won't meet the Transformers in person.