Chapter 5: Moths to a Flame: Part 1
4 days after the ceremony.
Battra's large, black wings cast a loominous shadow on the jungle below. Battra has been flying now off and on for 4 days. He is searching for something. He thinks he knows where it is, but he has to be sure. The entire Kaiju Army has a warrant out for him, and if he is discovered he will be taken back to the tree and tried for desertion. He is now flying over the Andes mountains now. His large red eyes scan the bases of each peak, he has to find it. Ah! There it is! A small but noticeable opening in the ground below. A tunnel. Battra dives down and lands at the entrance. His claws make contact at the rocky entrance. Battra's compound eyes notice all movement in the cave, suddenly, two pairs of orange eyes shine deep in the darkness.
"Who goes there? What do you want you slimy tree roach? A fight?" the voice spits.
"Tree roach" is a slur towards the moths, The Mutos coined this insult after first meeting the Moths in battle.
"I assure you, Muto, that I do not wish to fight. I come in peace. Would you mind showing me towards your Prime?" Battra snickers.
"You think you can just waltz in here and say hello? How do I know you're not gonna kill him, after all, aren't we at war?" the Muto grins and steps into the light.
"Believe me, if I wanted to I would, but I very much value myself in one piece. Now lets not make this difficult, shall we?" Battra flares his wings and frowns with an evil grin.
"Now, now, let's not make a mess of the base. Why are you here? What do you want from us?" a female Muto steps into the light as well. She has a large scar across her head.
"I would simply like to speak with him, I have something to show him." Battra's tail pinchers rattle like a snake.
You would think that the Andes mountain range is a terrible place to hide, after all, there aren't many caves, but one thing that Mutos can do that other Kaiju can't do is tunnel. The Muto's large forearms and strong muscles make them excellent diggers.
The female Muto and the other six legged Muto lead Battra down the cave. The vibrating and pulsing sounds of Muto eggs and other Mutos talking echo in the darkness. After a couple tense minutes and several heads being turned, the Guard Mutos lead Battra to the throne room. Large rock and wooden doors block the entrance. One Muto opens the door and the trio walks in. The walls of the room are matte black in color. The only light being two large basins of magma that lie in the center of the room. In the far end of the room, shrouded in darkness, lies the throne. The large rock chair, designed to cradle the frame of a Muto, is where the Muto Prime sits. His middle two legs are crossed and he scowls at the trio of Kaiju entering his domain. He sits up and leans forward to speak.
"Leave, you two. I wish to speak to this...creature, alone," The Prime snears. The two guard Mutos exit the room and return to their positions. The Prime gets off his chair to get a closer look at Battra.
"Ahh, so this is the moth that terrorises my men. Have you come for forgiveness?"
"Not, exactly. I have come for another purpose."
"And what is that, to waste my time?"
"No, I come to tell you where the Great Tree is." Battra swallows. The eyes of the Prime flash. He clacks his jaw a bit and then speaks.
"So, you are betraying your own kind. How unlike someone of your species. What makes you do it?" The Prime inquires. He clasps his middle arms. A look of sadness flashes in Battra's eyes. He remembers being cheated of his destiny, and the words his mother said to him. He then gets a look of anger. His wings, along with his bony armor, begin to rattle slightly.
"I have been betrayed, I have had my life, and my destiny, destroyed. I have been cast out of their ranks. I want them destroyed. And I want to help you do it," Battra looks up at the Prime. His eyes eager for a response. The Prime looks at him and thinks for a second.
"I don't need your help. My army can take them. All you will do is hold them back," The Prime turns around and begins to walk back to his throne. Battra pipes up.
"You don't know where they are, you don't know how their troops are trained, you don't know how to get through the line. I do. You need my help. I was the Kaiju Army's lead general. I know what to do to get past the front lines. You need me, you won't win this war without my help!" Battra is getting frustrated. The Muto Prime turns around and looks to Battra.
"I've gotten this far, haven't I? What makes you think I can't go further! Do you know who you are talking to you little roach! I'll crush you!" The Prime rears his two massive front legs over Battra's frame.
"I know your history with Vothra, I can lead you to her. Only I can do that. I want my revenge as well," Battra looks deep into the eyes of the Prime. The Prime ponders this proposal. He then sets his legs on the ground and speaks to Battra for the last time.
"Show me."
Battra, now a general for the Muto Army, is given two battalions of soldiers. He orders them to dig four massive tunnels under the front line, 630 miles straight into the wilderness, right to the entrance to the tree. This took 30 days to entire time, no-one knew. Not even the Mutos on the front line. Before long, the tunnels were finished. The plan called for two tunnels to be dug right to the gates. These two would open up and male Mutos would pour out of the hole. They would then fly over the gates and rush into the surrounding sky. There they would cover while the other tunnels open up right into the floor of the throne room. There, the larger female Mutos and the heavily armored six-legged Mutos would begin breaking down the tree and starting fires. After the tree falls, the Royal Kaiju Army would notice and rush to stop the attack. Then, with the weak defenses, the front line will be breached. The Final Conquest will begin. Soon, the Kaiju world will be shattered.
It wasn't long before Battra began to regret his decision a tiny bit. He visited his men on the front lines and what he saw was brutal warfare. He saw his men attack and rip apart Divine Moths out of the sky. He saw one particular male Muto grab one, and rip her in half. He then ate chunks of her body as she was still screaming in pain. He knew that the Mutos were brutal but he didn't know that they would be this gruesome. He soon began to realize that this will happen 100 fold within the coming weeks. As much as he hated his own kind, he still had compassion for them. After all, they are his flesh and blood. But he had larger goals. After all, all dictators have to betray their own men in order to achieve their goal. Battra was no different. Deep down, we are all monsters.
Notes: Thank you guys so much for the support! I will try to publish chapters on Sundays now that I have found a groove. Be sure to share, review, and favorite this story if you want it to continue. Also, to help you visualize better, look up images of each of the characters and when they speak or when I write about them, look at the images to see just what is happening. Anyways, see y'all soon!