A Gathering of Three
Boris Yaroslav looked out at the field of monsters. Each was stamping and roaring at the other with centuries of built of hate. Peguila and Maguma had back away and stood weary of the new creature Anguirus. The snarling saurian was impressive in stature but a complete anachronism to world. A beast that was out of place as well as time itself. He pawed and tore at the ground like a bull preparing to charge. A boundless call had awoken Anguirus from his slumber. It had beckoned for him to come. Indeed he had answered that call and found purpose in it's cry. The beast looked around for the source of the signal. The twin horrors that challenged him could not be it's creator. Browsing the area the dinosaur spied the only other form of life there was.
Huddling beneath a pile of shredded metal, a tiny creature shivered at the sight of his omnipotent form. He cocked his scaly head to the left and let a low hissing breath pour from between his pursed fangs. Could this be the vast summoner? Could this truly pitiful and insignificant insect, wield the euphonic heed that seduced him to this wretched world. The tiny human coward as the animal lowered his head even closer to him; allowing his steaming eupnoea to waft over the man's huddled frame.
Gaafa's eyes were moist with tears of fear. Yet, he stood his ground. He did not run at the sight of the ancient thunder lizard. Wiping the terror from his cheeks, Gaafa stood and faced the growling Anguirus that sat before him. He had seen death all too often in his life; especially as of recent. He was tired of running from the idea of life's conclusion. If he was to die today, than let him greet it first, instead of it addressing him before. The monster, whom had just arrived, seemed different than the other giants who raged about the land. It did not seem to be filled with the same anger and lust for finis. It seemed to swell with a different set of feelings. An awareness that was to be embraced and cherished among the death that was wroth about on the stained white fields.
Peguila stepped forward and roared for Anguirus to fear him. Saliva dripped from his tusks, dropping into pools of savoring lust. Anguirus craned his head around and let a rumbling and throaty growl surge through his being. Pupils flared in the dinosaur's red corneas. They focused with assassins intent. Turning around his body, the armored dinosaur slammed it's left taloned paw across the ground. From Gaafa's view point, the great lizard looked more like a pit pull steadying it's body before it's master in guardian stance. Anguirus had braced itself between the two other howling demons and Gaafa.
Unleashing a long honking roar, the reptile began it's attack. Hind legs pumped like pistons; forearms ripped into the snowy earth. The animal charged with speed that belittled it's size. Hundreds of meters were covered in-between gasps of rasping breath as Anguirus hit his target. Lowering his horned head, the monster charged into the stunned Peguila like a scaly battling ram. Tonnage of blood mesh and muscle clapped into the sapphire skies. The winged demon, who had dealt out oblivion time and time again, was sent flying. It's massive bulk slammed into the snow, rifting it's way across a half mile of scarred earth. Several lacerations on Peguila wept blood from Anguirus' feverous horns. Rolling to one side, Peguila struggled to regain breath from his battered body. The god of ice had been sent tumbling. His titan form had touched the ground in such a disgraceful manner. An atrocity that seared and honed his soul.
The shelled dinosaur next turned his attention to the now moving mountain of Maguma. The steel hued walrus was waddling on a path to the attacking Anguirus. The ancient leviathan was already prepared for the blobish creature. Reaching out with his aged mind, Anguirus willed his tail to strike upon the saber-toothed walrus. Swiping left and right, the mace like whip struck the now staggered Maguma. Clubbing strikes ripped torrid flesh from the mammal. The rows of pike thorns ravaged Maguma's blubbered form. Not since the tasteless and fowl submarine had Maguma experienced this sort of pain. The creature braced for an opening to present itself, which thankfully was not a long wait.
Biting down, Maguma gripped the dinosaur's wavering tail in it's bear trap maw. Teeth sliced and crushed as Maguma further deepened his vice like grip. Anguirus howled and barked in pain and frustration. Vainly he tried to pull his tail from the clamping webbed monster, but Maguma had too deep of a hold. Tapping into the reserve of fountain strength that blazed in his body, the walrus heaved his muscled neck and upper body to the side. Anguirus was sent hurtling into the air. Like an ancient Olympiad, Maguma flung the spiky foe such as a ball and mace that would be thrown into the blood soaked arena sky. Anguirus crashed into the earth and rolled before finally coming to rest on his squat belly. The dragon pulled itself up and shook it's horned head befuddled. The walrus titan was easily the largest of the gathered combatants. Strength was underestimated with this creature. Blustering his longing roar again, the dinosaur charged back into the harried fray.
Maguma screamed in pain as the reptile slammed his brownish warty hide into his chest. The nasal horn dug and wretched through the layers of fat and struck bone. The beast's bull momentum pushed back the walrus, moving what was thought once to be the unmovable object. Frantically Maguma did what little he could do in retaliation. Striking down again and again like a lumberjack, the monster brought it's pillar tusk against the armored back of Anguirus. The chiseled teeth chipped and cracked across the carapace. To Anguirus, the strikes were nothing more than softened blows. He ignored the attack and instead pressed further in his goring. Tendons strained and constricted under the onslaught. Anguirus could smell the stagnant blood with his attack. The putrid vile life of the walrus was pouring from his inflict wound. Dripping and mingling in his flaring nostrils. It was a sickening carrion feast that garnered greater hatred within the reptilian behemoth.
Off to the distance, Peguila had finally regained his footing. Towering once more, the monster took to the skies. Expanding wings blotted out the raining sun, casting an overlooking shadow upon the other grappling monsters. The shadow rose and fell as Peguila slammed into the earth behind the entrapped Anguirus. Expanding it's massive lungs, Peguila prepared to enter back into the conflict with renewed vigor. Howling cries mingled with his icy hurricane breath once again. The surging frost left his gaping orifice. The arctic blast surged and swelled as they broke upon the bed of nails. Maguma mourned in anguish; the dreaded weapon of Peguila was entering and stinging his already ruptured flesh. The soft underlying muscle and bone chilled and shrank in dole. Anguirus however was almost oblivious to the onslaught. He could feel the slithering bleak across his shell, but it was no worse than the cold that had consumed him in the brimmed depths of his arrival.
Peguila continued to pour to his hated and vice upon the creatures, their forms where lost in a froth of white coalescing snow. He could not perceive though the veil what counterattack of Anguirus that he was preparing. The dragon beast had thrown the injured body of Maguma to the side and began to rear up upon his hind legs.
Gaafa was amazed at the intelligence of the animal that seemed to want to protect the scientific facility. The four-legged creature was now standing upon it's hind legs, it's shelled back facing the streaming gouts of arctic wind that spat forth from Peguila. Then, in a surprising move, Anguirus threw it's weight backwards, it's body flung towards the leaf green winged kaiju. Peguila's cries of anger were cut shot as the spiked kaiju crashed into him. Both masses of rugged waned flesh tumbled head over heels. Their bodies intertwined and rolled across the tortured landscape.
When they came to rest, it was Anguirus that was back to his feet first. The squat vicious creature barked hissing bays from it's iguana tight jaws. Racing forward, Anguirus sank it's fanged mouth upon one of the nefarious creature's wings. Like a pit-bull, the beast gnawed and tore at the appendage. Anguirus was worrying away the flesh. Tugging and pulling, trying with all his unfathomable might to rip the wing asunder. Peguila wailed at the deploring creature that sought to make him rue his existence. The biped giant managed to stand once again. Flailing his arms, he desperately struggled to fling the accursed saurian away. Leathery flesh ripped and frayed between the hooked ivory teeth of Anguirus. The biblical tug of war ended then. Huge flabby stretches of brawn tore free from their host, casting rivers of red fluid sin to stain the stark white ground.
Anguirus cast the vile rancid meat away. The very taste of this phantom was an ushering blasphemy of wickedness. The putrid flesh lingered and soured him. It gave the dinosaur the briefest of pleasures to see the demon flail and thrash about in agony. Though, not wasting a second, Anguirus launched himself again at Peguila. The winged creature was however ready and caught the four-legged beast in mid charge as it reared up to grab at him. Seizing the sides of Anguirus' head, Peguila used his tattered alar arms and brought his full strength down. Like casting down a stone, Peguila, along with gravity, threw the reptile face down into the snow. The tusked leviathan pressed further and rolled the deadly crocodile like monster onto it's back. An upper hand was finally realized. Peguila lashed out with tri-clawed feet upon the soft gut. Huge rifting trenches raked across the scaly underside. Scarlet blood was bored. Anguirus was no immortal. It was a beast that bled and therefore could die. Howling in madness Peguila continued his butchery.
Anguirus' wide laden red eyes screamed in silent rage. Squirming about, he sought to free himself, but Peguila had him pressed down unto his back. Now the creature was hacking and slashing away at his being, shredding his scaly hide in wantonness destruction. Unbridled and lacking, Peguila was unleashing waves of mutilated sorrow. Ages of solitude had manifested themselves to unquestioned abhorring hate that now poured from a melancholy paled soul. Movements became laggard, thrashing turned to almost stillness. Beneath his clubbing strikes Peguila could feel life leech from the fanged lizard. Vitality was absconding. Stepping back, the wing behemoth gazed upon the shattered enemy. Anguirus wept from a dozen lacerations. Shock flooded and oozed from his hanging bloodied jaw. Lifting his head, Peguila clamored the skies, hollering his strength upon the land.
Behind, he heard the labored breathing of Maguma as it righted itself. The mountain of flesh and bone stood weakly, his tendons strained to keep his frame upright. Boulder growls surged through his overtaxed form. His strength was flagging. Shambling forward on vast webbed feet, Maguma made one last ditch effort to end the towering beast in front of him. Peguila sneered with amusement before he backhanded the raging walrus with a fanned arm. Normally it would be a glancing blow, but the recent wounds inflicted upon Maguma by the primeval Anguirus, had been too much. The injuries were dooming and would lead to his demise.
Ground cracked and ice split. Mounds of blight flesh toppled over. Peguila hissed and reached down with giant grasping claws. Wrenching his talons into the face of the weakened Maguma, the monster ripped open the tusked maw of the fallen mammal. Then, in an act of complete malice and sacrilege Peguila breathed his spoiled vivacity into the mouth and throat of Maguma. Torrid winds of hell's ice filled and coated the very being of the struggling walrus. He could feel his insides chill and slow. Blood turned to thick mesh and organs subsided in their beats. One by one, organic devices shutdown. The once bright vital eyes, now transformed into clouded milky orbs. White sleet crept and crawled, tonguing the deepest of regions. Handfuls of minutes crawled by hands and knees in the maelstrom of violence. A lifetime of pain passed before Peguila ceased it's wrath. Grunting sinfully, the beast dropped the lifeless Maguma to the ground. It's lolling dead head stared with frozen wide eyes. One warrior had finally be vanquished from the battlefield. The other would soon follow.
While the creatures warred, Boris Yaroslav and the others ran out into the field. Abandoning the facility, they rejoined the awestruck Gaafa. A moment to flee from this horrid world had presented itself. And by damn the General would not see it pass so ideally by.
"We need to leave now," Boris shouted in exasperated breaths. "Everyone get in the jeep, we will make our way for the Destroyer Udaloy."
"No," Gaafa replied quickly. "We can't let that winged thing win this. That dinosaur saved us. He has shown no aggressiveness, no ill will to us. It came here and protected us from both of those monsters."
"You're a fool," the Commander cried back dumbfounded. "That Anguirus creature is an animal, it doesn't even have the concept of what we are. We are ants to that thing. It just came here to fight those monsters. Territory, food, it doesn't matter why they are battling. What I do know is that it is not because of us! Now get into the jeep now or you can stay here while this place blows."
Gaafa was going to continue his fruitless argument, when the air was shattered once again by the deafening cries of Peguila. The men turned only to see the emerald leviathan eying them. Barking it's cackling roars once more, it broke into stride and began to make it's way towards them. Hundreds of feet were covered in a matter of steps. In seconds the beast was nearly upon them. They had no time to react, no time to even run. All they could do was embrace the stamping finish that would be delivered upon them. Gaafa closed his eyes and coward his body in preparation for death's cold hand. It never came.
Air shattered as twin massive goliaths crashed into each other in lusting fury. The gathered Russians stood in awe. Anguirus, bloodied and ravaged, had returned to the fight with renewed power. The beast had raced across the withered landscape and plowed into the titan Peguila. The towering age old dinosaur rolled away and bared it's savoring teeth at the rising Peguila that stood near him once again. Seething, the winged monster launched itself upon the sneaky attacker. Barreling it's full might, Peguila steamrolled the weakened Anguirus. The giant lizard fought back, but Peguila had him gripped about his head. The fowl icy beast was using it's superior strength and was slowly, turning his neck. By grains of sand, the thick nape was turned; forcing Anguirus further and further into the snow. Eventually, the saurian was forced give into the tusked monster's strength. The impact of his fall knocked down the gazing onlookers. A very similar scene was preparing to play out once again. An act of repeated hellish violence was being unveiled. Peguila had gripped the upper and lower jaws of the waning Anguirus. Peguila now was stalking; wanting for his essence to fill his victim with it's arctic touch. Anguirus tried to resist, but the length of the conflict, and of his immense journey to this place, had drained him of most of his power.
"We got to do something," Vadim exclaimed at the sight of Peguila attempting to deliver the fatal blow.
Gaafa turned to Boris Yaroslav and his subordinate Vaslov. Determination burned in his deep set eyes. The irises beaded with resolve. The General lowered his brow; he could not bring himself to continue an argument he did not truly believe in. His mind still screamed at the futility of the situation. These were monsters, they were animals that were battling for reasons buried in primitive instincts. Higher thought was not possible with these barbaric beasts. But his heart begged to differ. He had seen first hand this Anguirus twice save them from the cold dredging Peguila. His actions spoke of a higher existence, a deeper thought. A thought that was above anything he had imagined that a mere animal was capable of. The soldier, in his soul, commanded him to repay a debt. If he did nothing, than this evil shall triumph that day. Looking about, he spied a RPG-7 shoulder mounted rocket launcher that had fallen in battle. He scooped it up and turned to Gaafa with grizzled nerve.
"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to get the jeep started," he half spoke mockingly.
The chubby man gave a smile before he jumped into the vehicle. Searching around, it wasn't long before he located the keys and had started the near frozen engine. Vadim had already crawled into the passenger side of the all terrain machine. Vaslov had picked up another RPG-7 that had been laying half buried in the snow as well. The two veteran soldiers clambered into the back of the jeep. They stood through the open wire roof and prepared to aim their 105 mm grenade propelled weapons.
"Go!" the General whole heartily bellowed.
Instantly Gaafa put the metal to the floor. The wheels squealed momentarily before they were able to grip the slippery snow. The machine rocketed across the uneven terrain; taking a handful of hopefuls to aid in a battle that was embroiled in the most lifeless and remote places of the planet. Wind and snow whipped and beat at the grizzled faces of the Russian soldiers. Vaslov struggled to see through the lashing cold. His hands burned and itched upon the rocket launcher's trigger. He would ram his weapon down that profane beast's icy throat. His comrades would be avenged that day by his own chiseled hands. He glanced over at his commander who stood by his side. The man was unblinking. His gaze was fixed upon the winged monster that towered before them. His eyes were set buried in his deep angered brow. Their steel blue cornea's gleamed with wisdom and hate. The young soldier let loose a prosperous cry from the pit of his being. It was scream that unleashed the mounting tension that gripped his bones. A war cry from humans that split the vacuity of their fear.
"Ready your aim," Boris Yaroslav spoke with welling hubris.
Ahead of the charging jeep, matching giants fought with dire peril. Anguirus was unsuccessful at escaping from Peguila's hold. And now, he began to feel the same
tormentful end that the vapid Maguma had suffered. The spiked back dinosaur felt the twisting brisk soul of the tusked kaiju fill his taxed mouth and strained throat. It leeched and wormed it's way down the soft pink flesh; branching into his body like gnarly thorny weeds of frost. The arctic winds was an affliction, an uncharitable rage that had a life of it's own. The monster's boiling blood cooled and slowed among the blanketing essence. Slowly by slowly, Anguirus' movements began to lager. Reaching out and willing his limbs with his mind felt like driving needles. There was nothing more he could do. Weakly he closed his eyes and let the cold overtake him.
"FIRE!" the battle tested general screamed into the sundered sky.
Twin small explosions answered the soldier's command. Gaafa smiled briefly when he saw the two rockets streak over his head. The weapons cut through the sky, leaving behind trails of curling black smoke. The conspicuous warheads went unnoticed to the marauding Peguila. Until they made contact. Peguila roared in anguish and pain as the duet of steel encased grenades exploded against his leathered face. Shrapnel and stinging power seared his orb like eyes. The beast ceased it's icy onslaught and fell backwards; clawing it's face in desperate measure to rid himself of the encompassing pain that braced his skull like a vice.
"Burn in hell you monster," Boris Yaroslav groused to himself as the jeep turned and sped away from the duel monsters.
Anguirus' rolled to his side, his eyes feeble watched as Peguila finally began to regain his composure. Black blood trickled from his facial wounds; it ran and poured to the earth in pools of rancid filth. The tunneling saurian craned his head to see the tiny insects speed away after they had attacked. They were the ones who had called him here, and now they had spared his life from the grasping talons of that cold devil. Turning back, Anguirus bared his fangs and splayed his clawed paws into the earth. Repulsion and rancor daggered from his scarlet eyes. Filling his lungs, Anguirus roared a sound that shattered sky and soul. A cry that rasped with hate, that bellowed with wraith. It was a noise that was pitched with revulsion that the great tomes of man could not capture with pen and script.
Bursting with speed, Anguirus launched himself at the partially blinded Peguila. The animal was too fast for the destroyer of life to prepare for. Tens of thousands of tons of flesh and bone slammed into the sage hued monster. A bullish weight that bowled it and it's attacker head over heels. A cloud of misting snow lifted to the heavens, blotting out the carnage of war from the delicate human eyes that dared to still look on. A whipping tail and a thrashing wing were all they could make out from the veil of white smoke that covered both combatants. It was some time before the shimmering brume would settle and allow Gaafa and his party to view the butchering that had taken place.
Vadim gasped when he saw the shelled lizard grind it's piercing yellow fangs into the soft supple throat of the cringing Peguila. No sound was escaping the monster's tattered voice. Anguirus was crushing bone and sinew in a clasping bite that closed further and further. Only whipping wisps crawled from the clamped esophagus. Like a mountain lion with a fresh kill, Anguirus refused to let up. Even as Peguila clawed at his face; ripping huge tears that sagged with blood, Angilas rebuffed to let go. If the Russian men had not first hand seen the horror that Peguila had wrought, they might have actually felt a smidgen of pity for the dying animal. But as of now, they could only look on with half smiles as Peguila sighed it's final breath in the mortal world.
Lifeless and dead, Anguirus finally released it's titanic hold. The expired creature's head flopped to the ice covered ground. The sound of bone and meat smacking against the earth reverberated across the plains. The devil had been vanquished. An ancient being who's time was long passed, had returned to the earth that had spawned it. A wheezing labored breath seeped from Anguirus' blood stained maw. His eyes were half open, they tinged with weakness and pain. Ever muscle, every fiber begged and cried. The day had unveiled more than would had ever imagined. The ancient beast slowly turned and eyed the tiny beings that had kept him from death's door. Willing his arms and legs, the beast sluggishly crawled towards them. Two of the figures raised small black tubes to his presence. The other two stood their ground and refused to move an inch.
"Don't," Gaafa whispered to the alarmed Russian soldiers. "You don't actually believe those weapons are going to do any good. They are just going to alarm and threaten him."
"I will not stand by and be stepped on like some common ant," the General growled his reply.
"If he was going to kill us, there is nothing that we could do to stop him," Vadim pointed out. "Just let him go, I think he has earned that."
Anguirus stopped his advance just short of the men's jeep. He lowered his head and eyed the assemble of insects that had been the cause of his awakening. Their call had brought him here, it was their call that caused his world to be rent with pain and monsters. Hatred and vice were not the emotions however that he seethed with. Instead, a gentle vigor graced his mind. For the first time, in a long time, Angilas felt he was not alone. He had no idea if he would see these creatures again, no idea if the next time he heard the call that it would be something else.
This day had given him prospects though. Centuries and eons of time now would not be questioned. He was an animal with a purpose. Raising his head to the clouds, the ancient dinosaur let loose one final longing cry; one that would be remembered to those who heard it. Then, in transcending peace, the animal turned and crawled to the icy shore. Quietly, Anguirus slipped into the frozen waters and let his body drift out into the spanning oceans. It was nearly twenty minutes before the monster was completely out of the Russian's sight.
"Now what do we do," the pudgy Gaafa snorted.
"We leave," Boris Yaroslav simply replied as he pressed the button on the controller he had concealed in his breast pocket.
The area exploded in response. Mjöllnir's Summit blew outwards in a storm of splinters and fragmented metal. The once squat ugly build was now a fiery pyre. Orange incandescent flames plied and twisted their way into the frigid sky. Blazing unearthly fires chased the cold and clouds from the area around the men. Once was a field of monster's cries, now transformed into a crackling sonnet of flames and red heat.
"Christ man you could have warned us before you did that," screamed Vadim hoarsely.
The General paid no attention to the whining scientist. Instead he directed his gaze to Gaafa.
"Understand this," Boris began. "The existence of that Anguirus is not to leave us four. What happened here today is that a lot of good men gave their lives to fight two giant animals that had attacked the facility. These monsters killed themselves in battling one another."
"What…" Vadim questioned in surprise. "That creature is a find of a lifetime. We cant keep his existence from the scientific community, let alone the world. He is a product of evolution at it's finest. Virtually unchanged for millions of years. I mean how is he still alive, how did he survive the catastrophe that claimed all of his kind. These are questions he has locked away in him."
"And you want to tell the Russian Government that we put our faith in a monster this day. That we let a powerful creature like that go, when we had a chance to kill it in it's weakened state with the Destroyer Udaloy. Make no mistake I could have had that warship hunt him down and kill him. If he should ever rise again, god forbid in the capital of Moscow, who do you think they will blame."
"Why did you let him go," Gaafa interceded the general as he belittled his friend.
"Because he proved himself a warrior," the old man spat back. "If he should die from his wounds he received today than so be it. But I will not hurry him to his death if he has a chance. By this measure I judge that creature. Do not disillusion yourself, I still think of the beast as nothing more than a brainless leviathan. But he has earned this day. Next time, I will end his life and dispel him from this world that he does not belong in. Now, the Udalov is waiting for us. We should start back. We are going to have a lot of debriefing to do before we get back home."
With that, the men piled into the tan ravaged machine. Starting her engines, they rode away from the flames that licked their backs. They could smell burning fuel for most of the trip. In an hour, they were safely back aboard the floating titan of steel and iron. As they agreed, they dared not breath a word of Anguirus' presence. It was a simple tale of men battling the horror of mother nature's fury. Twin ancient beings who in the end would claim the lives of each other. A narrative that would be logged and sorted in the endless miles of paperwork of the military. It seems, things and beings never do change.
