Apparently I didn't make it clear that this is set in a massive AU setting. My bad. This story could be considered an alternate timeline to canon alongside the Godzilla elements. Several of you seemed a little confused on that, but reviewed in a respectful way. For that, I thank you. Yes, Salem plays a role in this story different from hiding in the shadows.
Chapter 6: Genesis
Lake Matsu, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 1st, 8:35 AM
The Beowolf lay on its belly watching the one across from it do the same. The Bright Circle had reappeared in the sky above, taking the place of the Night Circle that watched over them when the Big One soared into the darkness. Many others were joined with it basking in the early sun. Warmth was a new sensation not known until the Bright Circle rose. The warmth was a feeling.Feelingwas Nice. Nice was good.
Would the Big One return? Things...dark before Big One appeared. Felt nice when it around. Nice was good. Mouth felt...dry. Dry was...bad. Could it end the bad? Perhaps, but how? Wet moving ground nearby. Water. Looked nice, nice was feeling. The Beowolf gently lapped up some of the water. Oh, so that made dry throat better. The Grimm would need to drink to make thirst go away. It was nice to learn new things.
The sky above darkened as the Big One did indeed return. The Big One made many trees flat as it lay down like they were. Oddness filled the pounding chest of the Beowolf, same as the thirteen other Grimm as the Big One narrowed eyes at them. Aggressive response. Hesitant...confused? Big One leaned forward and sniffed them. Why? Smells were...important? The Beowolf would remember for later.
Big One had not hurt them. Instead, it put out a clawed finger and held it before the Grimm. Chest suddenly felt cold. Cold was bad feeling. Bad feeling is...fear. But fear is unfounded as the Big One rubbed the claw gently against the Beowolf. Warmth came back and the Beowolf was happy to feel warmth again. It liked this and committed to memory that affection brought a feeling of happiness, and happiness was preferred to the cold feeling of fear.
Yes. The Grimm committed several things to memory as Monster X looked over the tiny beings that were similar to it. So different now than when they had mindlessly attacked the large kaiju, attracted to his presence by the turmoil of his mental anguish fighting Keizer Ghidorah. The Big One was kind to them. The Grimm would remember the kindness and seek it as much as they could. For now, the Beowolf had a goal of discovering new good feelings with the Big One and Those Like It.
Lake Matsu, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 1st, 11:26 AM
The Beowolf ended its thirst once more, lowering its mouth to drink up some of the wonderful water. Others like it stood on the water's edge also enjoying the cool liquid. The Beowolf saw one of the Nevermore holding a fish by the end of its tail, beak clenching to keep the fish from flopping back into the water. Said Nevermore didn't move for several moments, staring into nothing as it held the fish, before abruptly raising its neck and swallowing the fish. The Nevermore blinked in surprise, chirping to itself softly and ruffling its feathers. Its version of a shrug for an avian body.
The Nevermore didn't appear to feel bad, so did that mean the Beowolf could swallow the finned creature as well? It swiped a claw through the water to grab hold of one of the fish, the slimy animal doing its best to escape the Beowolf's iron grip. It sank its teeth into the tender flesh and ripped away a mouthful of meat. New feelings and sensations came from its mouth and lit up its tongue in a good way. This sensation...taste...was a new feeling. It was a warm feeling. And warm was good after all.
Its belly now felt full in a way similar to when drinking water, but different enough for the Beowolf to know that eating the fish was needed. Eating ended hunger. Hunger was bad feeling. The Beowolf would remember that hunger could be quelled when it ate something. What all could be eaten to stop hunger? It was warm/exciting to learn more about food.
The other Grimm followed this example and filled their bellies with the tasty fish, each demonic figure left satisfied ending their thirst or hunger. Four Beowolves, two Ursa Majors, two King Taijitu, two Boarbatusks, two Lancers, and two Nevermore stood in or near the water just…thinking. They all turned to the forest around them and towards the Big One, and these Grimm sought to learn more about the world.
Lake Matsu, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 1st, 3:48 PM
The Beowolf watched as one of the Boarbatusks cornered a furry animal against a thick tree. Was the monstrous pig hungry again? They hadn't gone far from the Big One and had not encountered anything that caused fear. Unless the furry creature hurt the Boarbatusk? The black and white creature was small like finned fish, so was the small creature food? It had no sharp claws or teeth to tear flesh, how would it attack them with no way to harm them?
The furry animal stuck its tail straight up, stomping its little paws on the ground in an aggressive display. Hmmm, the little creature thought itself a fierce beast? The sight made the Beowolf's chest feel...light. Light was feeling. Feeling was amusement. Amusement was nice. Nice was good. Oh, what was the harmless little creature doing now?
The black and white animal had aimed its rear at the confused pig. What was that supposed-
"Squeeeeee!" the Boarbatusk went running away as fast as it could. The creature had sprayed some kind of liquid into its face, a bad odor obliterating the nose of the pig Grimm. The frantic boar ran past the Beowolf, assaulting its nose with the horrid smell too.
The Beowolf turned back to the demon before it, fear filling its chest like cold water as the little monster's eyes shined with red light. Fear was bad, and bad smell must be avoided at all costs. The Beowolf backed away from the harmful beast, eyes locked and doing its best to not turn its back. The Beowolf learned not to mess with the black and white creature that stuck its tail up. They were scary.
Lake Matsu, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 1st, 7:15 PM
The warmth from the Bright Circle was fading away, replaced with the cold that joined the appearing Night Circle. The Beowolf shivered as the wind blew harshly, trees and shrubs creating a chorus of noise from their movement. Fur kept some warmth in, but not as much as the Grimm would like. How could it make cold less bad? Were the others cold like it? Looking over at the nearest Grimm, another Beowolf, it saw how it shivered from the cold too. How could they stop this?
The other Beowolf noticed it staring, tilting its own head as their eyes met. The beasts watched each other, unsure of what to do next. The Beowolf looked down at its paw, wondering if it could change the situation somehow. Its question was answered by the other Grimm walking over and snuggling against its body. This contact by the other brought warmth, not unlike when the Bright Circle shown in the sky. Similar, but different. Different wasn't bad.
A quick glance around showed that others were pairing up to fight off the cold with warm contact. Contact was nice. Nice was good. The Beowolf would remember that snuggling brought the good feeling of warmth when it was cold. Just another thing to add to the growing number of things it learned. Oh, how it would like to continue learning more. For now, it would enjoy the closeness being with the other brought.
The Beowolf looked at its companion, their blood-red eyes not blinking. It was nice to have this bond. Warmth was felt in its chest, becoming more familiar to the Grimm as a feeling of...contentment. Did the others feel this as well? It wondered what they were thinking. Hmmm, despite the cold winds piercing the air, the Beowolf was relaxed enough to close its eyes and let its awareness slowly fade away.
And for the first time in the history of Remnant, a Grimm experienced sleep and the wondrous realm of dreams.
Lake Matsu, Northern Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 1st, 8:27 PM
Having spent nearly the entire day laying down and watching over them, Monster X still wasn't completely sure what to make of the small creatures wandering about the area and just doing stuff. When he'd woken from his strained sleep on the beach and returned to this body of water, he'd been surprised to see the beasts act so calm near him. He remembered how a large number of them had attacked him while under the mental assault of the Ghidorah, more than the fourteen currently resting near the water's edge. He'd nearly decided to destroy them upon returning to his...nest, considering they were the same type of creatures as that beam-spewing thing he had killed the night before.
Except, when he was near them he could sense smaller portions of Kaizer Energy within them. The very same energy source that he drew power from now resided inside their beastly forms too. That in and of itself was not a new experience for Monster X; his masters had pitted him against failed Kaizer experiments before, but the way the energy felt in these creatures was oddly calm. The best way that X could describe the sensation he was feeling was that the little monsters felt like smaller versions of himself. Not near as advanced, of course, but if they had enough time to adapt would that change?
So he'd settled for affectionately rubbing one of their faces and observing their behavior. Having done nothing but kill and destroy for as long as he could remember, choosing a more peaceful solution was a little satisfying. No, scratch that. He felt so very out of place. Killing and destroying came so easy to him. When it's all you've done for two-hundred and fifty years, it becomes as instinctual as breathing or blinking.
Still, destroying the little ones wouldn't do anything for him. They could not harm him, so why waste his time and energy smashing them? He hadn't even been inclined to kill the aquatic beast the night before, it just made the poor decision to repeatedly attack his face with an energy beam. Clearly, the creature would not have left him alone unless dealt with. So X fell back on the only thing he knew; killing.
X had been free from his prison for only one day and he still felt like his body needed significant rest. Spending this recovery watching the little ones was interesting so far. Eating and drinking, checking out the forest, plucking out the grass, etc. The creatures were cautious, but didn't let that stop their exploration.
The entire situation was just so strange to the Xilien weapon. Although many times his masters had amped-up their mind-altering machines to the point he would blackout and not remember what he'd done, never before had Monster X encountered another creature like himself. X had been to hundreds of planets and environments in his existence, and after so much time amongst the stars, he'd come to accept the depressing reality of being the only one of his kind. Until, that is, awakening on this planet.
It brought so many questions to his mind. Were these creatures, the little ones and the larger one, experiments his masters had created? The large thing he killed last night stood near 55-meters, a height Monster X himself had once been. The major difference, however, was that creature fading into nothing when he'd killed it. Nowhere in the universe had X seen a phenomenon like that before. If he killed the little ones would they disappear too? Possibly, but they weren't attacking him so he was content to leave them be.
Sudden movement below caught his eyes, dragging him out of his mental contemplation. One of the insectoid creatures had rolled onto its back while it slept, and X was treated to the sight of its six legs kicking into the air. The Lancer's head was twitching side to side, the rest of its body slightly shaking. Was the creature having some kind of night terror? None of the other creatures were acting in such a way, each of them slumbering peacefully.
X carefully reached out with his left hand and placed his armored finger in the mass of legs. The Lancer latched onto his digit and nuzzled its chitinous cheeks against him happily. Soothed from the warm contact given, the Lancer took a deep breath and went back to quietly snoring. X's lips pulled back over his teeth by themselves from the sight, happy that the little one was no longer suffering from whatever filled its mind. His smile faded, however, as his previous thoughts on the armored creatures returned.
Raising his hand away and back to resting on his stomach, X pondered on the various lifeforms he'd seen since awakening. The aquatic animals the little ones feasted on were found throughout the universe on many planets, as were the feathered birds hiding within the treetops. The bipedal, hairless apes were similar to the ones from the images planted in his mind during stasis, denizens of the planet he was supposed to attack. Yet, once more, he was confused by the black and white creatures that superficially resembled himself. How? Why?
The kaiju had to bust out of his prison, which was buried within a mountain, indicating he'd been trapped for a long time. Was this the planet his masters wanted to destroy? If so, they obviously failed, seeing as how the hairless apes were not extinct. So where did the little ones come from? His masters never showed images of any creatures like them alongside the apes. So was he on a different planet? And if he was...is this where he was born? It was a possibility considering the presence of the little ones.
With the little ones sleeping X decided it was time to explore more of the planet. Sitting up and manipulating the gravity around him, X floated into the air to figure out which way he wanted to go. Last time he'd gone to the western shoreline, traveling mostly above forests and mountains sparsely intertwined with fortified highways. He turned to the north, where the landmass covered in tundra was located and contemplated whether he wanted to head that way. The cold wouldn't impede him at all, and he knew that something lived there after viewing the planet from the mesosphere. Would he perhaps encounter more of the little ones there too? X wouldn't mind that possibility at all, and it would give him a chance to see if he could implant keizer energy into their bodies by choice and not by accident.
With the kaiju's mind made up, he willed his body forward leisurely towards the snowy landmass.
78 AGW, May 1st, 9:02 PM
The waves below Monster X were calm and quiet as he flew 100 meters in the sky. With the sun gone the temperature had dropped to near freezing, but in return, the wind was now nonexistent. In the thirty-five minutes the kaiju had been moving, he hadn't encountered any vessels in the water or the air. A pod of breaching whales about four miles back was the only thing X crossed paths with so far, which he stopped to watch for a few enjoyable minutes. Such beautiful creatures having fun with no fear of him even though he was practically on top of them.
"Gruuuuuooo!"
A pained roar to his left brought him out of his thoughts. Turning his head to look where the sound originated, X could see four ebony, serpentine creatures with wings and armored bellies dive-bombing another serpentine creature on the ocean's surface. The creature in the water was covered in scales shaded a greenish-brown, while its underbelly looked to be a pale yellow. Its long body was 150-meters in length and 20-meters in diameter, with two sets of dexterous limbs that ended in three-toed hands and feet. Three pairs of yellow horns, extended out of the creature's draconic head, while a set of whisker-like tendrils were attached at the end of its snout, just above the nostrils. Yellow, razor-sharp teeth filled its snarling mouth. A single row of sharp, yellow spikes ran down the back of the creature's neck and body, ending just before the 'tail'. The tail itself was a beautiful fin that looked like a giant piece of seaweed, although as it was currently thrashing about it lacked that serene appearance.
"Graaooooohhh! Rooooohhh!" The green-colored dragon cried out in pain when one of the serpentine creatures bit into one of its back legs. It retaliated by turning and biting the spot where the monster's left wing met its body, sharp fangs digging deep into the ebony flesh. With a rough jerk of its head, the green dragon tore the appendage off. The other creature cried out in pain, letting go of the dragon's leg and falling into the ocean, its remaining wing unable to keep it airborne.
The dragon didn't waste this opportunity, grabbing hold of the armored creature and clamping powerful jaws onto the back of its neck. It looked as if the dragon was going to tear through and kill the creature, but the other three ebony serpents stopped their fellow from death by sinking their own teeth into the dragon. The three bullies pulled the dragon out of the water and stretched its body, their intent to pull the creature apart abundantly clear. The dragon cried out once more in pain, tensing its muscles in an attempt to bite or claw the nearest serpent.
By this point, X had seen enough. With a minor thought, he floated towards the fight, silent as the void. The ebony serpent with the missing wing was the first to notice his approach. Its blood-red eyes widened as X grabbed hold of the wing and yanked the creature out of the water. The Xilien kaiju grabbed the armor plating protecting the serpent's face, his hand nearly eclipsing the Grimm's skull. Crushing the monster's head was trivial, its corpse tossed aside before it had even started fading away. His assault gained the attention of the other monsters, one of whom let go of the dragon and fired a yellow beam from its mouth.
Just like the night before when X fought the other giant creature, this attack did nothing to him when it impacted his chest. He clapped his hands into the monsters head, crushing its skull with no resistance. With its brain destroyed the armored creature plummeted to the water to join the first. This distraction gave the green dragon the opening it needed, managing to angle its head enough to sink its teeth into the neck of one of the monsters. Sharp claws dug into the unprotected back, keeping the bucking monster from throwing the dragon away. With teeth and forelimbs secured, the dragon curled its body and lashed out with a powerful kick to the face of the other monster with its back legs. The strike was enough to get the creature to remove its jaws from the dragon's body, and sent several teeth flying away in the process.
With two of the three serpents no longer holding onto the dragon, its weight brought it down to the water with a large splash. The serpent held in its grip jerked and pulled, but it was unable to get away from the dragon, only causing more waves from its movement. The dragon increased the pressure exerted by its jaws further and further, causing the serpent to screech in pain until…
Crunch!
The serpent's head fell into the water as the dragon bit through the creature's neck. Shoving the fading corpse away in disgust the dragon turned to the remaining serpent. It seemed to finally realize that it was not going to win the fight and turned to make its escape. The dragon, however, had other ideas for the beast. With a surge of power from its corded muscles, the dragon lunged out of the water and clamped onto the serpent's tail. The sudden addition of nearly 50,000 tons dragged it down to the ocean kicking and screaming like a child that knew it was about to get a spanking from their parent.
The dragon didn't give the serpent a chance to fly away. In seconds it had sunk its claws into the serpent's neck, keeping it in place despite it bucking and thrashing in fear. Without warning the dragon's throat bulged, like it was about to throw up, but what happened was much more impressive. Water shot out of the dragon's mouth and struck the back of the serpent's head. It was like someone had taken a fire hose and given it steroids, the force of the water hitting like a blade and piercing the serpent's skull. The writhing creature ceased all movement and started to fade away before it was tossed aside like a cheap toy.
The dragon turned to look at X with narrowed eyes, body tense and ready to attack. Monster X slowly closed his fists in preparation to destroy the green dragon if need be. Neither made a move towards the other, the dragon floating in the water, and X hovering in the air. The standoff was finally broken by the dragon slightly tilting its head, taking a few quick sniffs of the air between them.
"Hmmm. You look like one of them, but smell like one of us." The dragon spoke to itself softly, its confusion evident by its scaled brow furrowing.
Monster X stared at the dragon for a few moments before responding, "Is that right?"
"You...can speak?" The dragon's smooth voice was shocked upon hearing X say something.
"Of course I can speak. Why wouldn't I be able to?" X couldn't help the irritation seeping into his gravelly voice, nearly rolling his blood-red eyes.
"Very strange...what do they call you?" the dragon twitched its tail unconsciously, betraying how utterly confused it was.
"My masters called me Monster X." He answered, crossing his legs and 'sitting' thirty meters above the water's surface.
"Masters? Are you for real?" the dragon scoffed at his answer. "That is not a name. That is a title. A designation."
"I...it is the only thing I have ever been called. Sometimes they would call me 'warrior', but that was only if the heat of battle became fevered," X muttered, not sure how to respond to what the dragon said. He waved a hand towards the dragon expectantly, "What is your name?"
"My name is Shenlong, Guardian Deity of the Seabed," The now named Shenlong answered with pride. He twisted around to look at the mostly faded corpse of the last remaining armored serpent, then looked back to X. "I could have destroyed those beasts myself. I have done so for many years. But...your assistance is not unappreciated. You have my thanks, Monster X." The dragon tilted its head down in what would've been a bow if his body's physiology were different.
X felt a warmth enter his chest upon hearing the dragon's words. His years of servitude under his masters had conditioned him to expect other kaiju to attack him relentlessly, with little regard for whatever situation he was involved in. To encounter a kaiju that didn't want to tear out his throat was pretty refreshing and a welcome change to the usual affair of senseless violence. Even if he was sure he could snap Shenlong in half with ease, calmly talking to the dragon so far turned out to be the much better outcome. A surprising break from all the killing eased his battle-hardened mind.
He looked to the near-gone corpse as well, gesturing to it as he asked something he wanted to know for over a day, "What are these creatures? I've been around several of the smaller ones and killed a larger one that came out of the ocean to attack me, but I have never seen anything like them before."
Shenlong's whiskers twitched as he stared at the armored kaiju, "So you aren't one of them?"
"No, I'm not. At least I don't think I am," X denied, though he was uncertain of his own words. Considering their passing resemblance to himself, the question of what they were weighed on his mind heavily. The major difference being that these beings seemed completely mindless, excluding that small group hanging around the lake he rested at. He needed answers of some kind. "I don't know what planet this is and I have never seen anything that looks like me before. Can you tell me if any of them have ever talked to you before?"
"You don't know...where did you come from that you have not seen them before? And what do you mean, 'I don't know what planet this is'?" Shenlong asked in disbelief, his scaled brow frowning.
"I broke free of the asteroid that I was kept a prisoner in yesterday. It was buried inside of a mountain that I had to force my way out of, and the first thing I saw was the hairless apes that were digging into it." X scratched his head and frowned as well. "I have no idea how long I was trapped there. The last thing I remember was my prison heading for a planet my masters were planning to conquer, then I woke up when the containment system keeping me asleep finally failed."
"You came from the stars?" Shenlong asked, glancing up to the sky unconsciously.
"I've spent my entire life traveling through space under the control of my masters," X admitted quietly, shaking his head and trying to get the conversation back on track. "What are these creatures? I've never seen a lifeform dissolve into nothing after death, nor have I seen anything that remotely resembles myself."
Shenlong brought his paws together across his belly, looking once more at the spot the serpent once was, "They are soulless monsters that relentlessly attack anything that isn't one of them. The humans, the animal people, kaiju, and even regular animals, if they see them they attack until either killing it or they are killed themselves." He motioned to how nothing remained of the serpents. "When they die they fade away and leave no trace they ever existed behind. The bigger ones, such as those serpents, are dangerous due to their size alone. But they, along with the giant walking ones, have learned to use powerful energy attacks that can do a lot of damage."
"I didn't find them to be a threat, and the smaller ones even less so." X wasn't trying to sound like he was boasting. It was simply a fact.
"Yes...I saw that. You are different from any kaiju I've ever encountered. I have never seen one of our kind become as large as you are either. Curious…" Shenlong mused, eyeing X like he was a puzzle in the process of being assembled. "Regardless, they aren't too troublesome if you keep your guard up. Every once in a while, I have seen them overpower and kill a kaiju by outnumbering them, like what these ones tried. Considering how much larger you are and how their beam attack did nothing, you may not have to worry about them. There is something out there that-"
"Is everything ok father? You've been up here for a long time." Another dragon poked their head above the water's surface, golden eyes widening when they saw Monster X.
The second dragon looked very similar to Shenlong, with a few differences that made telling them apart easy enough. For one, this dragon was a shade of teal green with a gray belly, instead of the greenish-brown of Shenlong. It was also smaller in size compared to Shenlong. It was only 80-meters long and 10-meters wide, with smaller horns that ended in round nubs instead of sharp points and shorter whiskers that ended just past its head. The same spikes ran down its spine, but just like its horns, they had yet to sharpen into a truly defensive weapon. A fin topped-off the dragon's tail as well, proportioned to match its size like every other part of its body. Even had the dragon not called Shenlong 'father', it was clear the smaller kaiju was the offspring of the older beast.
When Shenlong spoke, his words were quite stern, "I am fine, Manda. Those serpents did not pose any real threat to me. Didn't I tell you to remain in the cavern until I returned?"
The rhetorical question caused the smaller dragon, Manda, to coil in on himself nervously. "Yes, but I was really worried about you. You don't normally take this long to fight off the monsters. I...I got scared, I thought maybe you were hurt."
"I understand son, and I know you constantly worry when I have to leave. You got that from your mother." Shenlong nuzzled his rough cheek against his son's, both dragons making a pleased hissing noise. When he pulled back his stern frown had returned. "Even so, I have told you that when I am fighting the monsters you are to stay hidden and not come out until I tell you it's safe. You are not strong enough to fight them yet, and if the humans or their demon were to get hold of you…" The older dragon let the implications speak for themselves, knowing his son's imagination would fill in the blanks.
"I'm sorry for disobeying you, father. It won't happen again." Manda apologized quietly, knowing he'd made a mistake. Shenlong nuzzled his son once more, before waving a paw towards the water.
"Your heart is in the right place, my son. But your concern will do you no good if you get killed. Go back to our home and wait for me. We will discuss your punishment when I return." With the final word said, Shenlong turned back to X as Manda dived below the surface. "He means well, but like all younglings, he is quick to ignore common sense when his emotions surge."
"Having someone care about you and whether you are safe is not a bad thing. I wouldn't go too hard on him," X, still hovering cross-legged above the water, giving his own opinion on the adolescent kaiju. The Xilien folded his hands in his lap as something Shenlong said nagged at him. "You were about to tell me something before your son interrupted. You also said the humans have a demon of some kind?"
"There is a human female that rules over their species, but she is beyond anything of their kind that I have ever seen. Many of the humans have special abilities they train to fight the soulless beasts, and once upon a time they fought each other, but she is on a completely different level." Shenlong rolled his body so that X could see part of his stomach laying in the water. The yellow scales were marred by an ugly scar. X's combat-trained mind analyzed how the epicenter looked like something pierced the dragon's flesh, damaging the scales in a 5-meter diameter, then trailed towards his front limbs in a jagged line that extended nearly 15-meters. It almost looked like a bolt of lightning had etched itself onto the dragon. "She looks like a human, but I am not ashamed to say she is more akin to a demon wearing human skin. I had been fighting off one of the human's machines of war that intruded upon my territory, and after damaging it enough it retreated to one of their settlements."
"I foolishly decided to pursue the flying machine so that I could destroy it completely, and perhaps destroy whatever place they kept it so another could not be made so soon. I finished off the flying drill and even managed to destroy two of their walking machines that have drills for arms." Shenlong paused to take fill his lungs with air. "Their settlement had thrown up a barrier of some kind, but I wasn't interested in destroying their city. Taking out their machines was my only goal. After I had smashed all of their weapons, I headed back out to the sea to look over my family, but I didn't get maybe fifty meters before she appeared."
"What happened then?" X gently asked, knowing that the situation was not going to end well.
Shenlong exhaled through his nostrils, a puff of steam dissipating in front of his face. "She came in on a flying machine of some kind, moving like she was born on the wind. Before I knew what was happening she threw a fireball at my face. It stung a little, but I wasn't fazed by it. She flung several more at me, achieving the same result as the first. So I responded by trying to slam her out of the sky with my body." Shenlong chuckled to himself as he remembered how foolish he'd been.
"In my anger, I left myself completely open and the human made me pay for it. When she retaliated, I expected her to throw another fireball, but she instead struck me with some kind of red energy the likes I'd never seen before." Without realizing it Shenlong had moved one of his paws over his scar. "It hurt. It pierced right through my scales like I was a powerless hatchling. She missed my heart, barely, and was about to attack me again when my mate…" His words trailed off quietly, the painful memory just as fresh the day it happened.
Shenlong's eyes hardened as he clamped down on his emotions. He nodded his head towards a very distant landmass west of them. "Since then I have stayed far away from any land controlled by the humans or faunus as much as I can. I have had the misfortune to see fellow kaiju slaughtered by this human female, be they attacking a human settlement or keeping to themselves. Sometimes they put up a decent fight, maybe put her on the defensive. But the end result is always the same: her alive and one of our kind dead."
"I see…I will remain cautious of this being should I encounter her," X responded, even if privately he did not believe one of these humans would pose a threat to him. His tongue was held out of respect for all the information Shenlong had given him, however, and the fact that Shenlong mentioned a mate that seemed to no longer be among the living. "I have just one other question to ask you if you don't mind."
"I can spare a little more time," Shenlong answered.
"You said these armored creatures are mindless, that they attack everything in sight without pause. Have you ever seen them...not do that?" X knew his query was not worded well, but he wasn't sure how exactly to ask.
Shenlong's whiskers twitched at the question. "If you are asking if I have observed them behaving like normal animals, the answer is no. They are not like us, humans, or regular wildlife."
"So you've never seen them investigating their surroundings, then? You've never seen them sleep?" X pressed, hoping he didn't sound too strange.
"No. They simply do not behave that way." Shenlong gave the Xilien kaiju a look. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm just curious about this planet. I want to learn everything I can about it." X didn't particularly enjoy lying to the elderly dragon, but if the small group at the lake were behaving in a way that was not normal, the alien felt it best not to mention them right now. Besides, it was time for him to move on and continue his exploration of the planet. "I appreciate you speaking with me. I have never had positive interactions with other kaiju before. I...enjoyed our talk."
Shenlong did not respond for several moments, still eyeing X like he was a purple sky. Whatever he was looking for he let it slide, nodding towards the massive alien, "I did as well. You are a strange being Monster X, but not unpleasant to be around. Once more you have my thanks for stepping in to assist with those serpents. Perhaps we will have a chance to talk again soon."
Shenlong dove below the surface and headed towards his home, leaving X hovering in the air alone. He unfolded his legs and continued his journey towards the snowy northern landscape. With everything he'd learned, it was clear that the planet he found himself on was very different from any he had visited before.
Perhaps had Monster X been paying closer attention he may have noticed the lavish yacht adorned with a sigil of a snowflake wading in the ocean waters.
Standing on the deck at the stern of the luxury watercraft was a woman looking through a pair of high-tech binoculars. She looked to be in her late-30s, with pale skin and paper-white hair, held in a tight bun, and a hint of crow's feet at her hard blue eyes. Despite the cold, she wore a lightweight dark blue coat that was tightened around the waist with a sturdy belt, with a stylish white cravat covering her neck. Durable, but still somewhat fashionable, dark blue pants and white boots covered her lower half. Hanging on her belt was a gray, double-bladed weapon.
The weapon looked as if someone has fused a sabre and a dagger at their hilts. The sabre was three-and-a-half feet long, while the dagger was a foot. Both blades appeared razor-sharp and well taken care of. There was also a slight reddish glow from the hilt, hinting at the Fire Dust within. A fierce weapon for a fierce woman.
Lowering the binoculars, the woman frowned heavily at the sight she'd witnessed. Though the yacht was far enough away she hadn't been worried about being caught in the fight between the dragon and the Feilongs, her interest peaked when that other grimm showed up to assist the dragon. She'd never seen something like that before, and for the first time in nearly five years, she'd felt powerless. She couldn't tell how large the floating grimm was, but she knew it was the largest she'd ever seen. She remembered listening to her father tell wondrous stories when she was a child, of fantastical grimm and kaiju, the likes were not seen in modern times.
She wondered if his courage would have held in the face of such a beast.
She put the binoculars down on her deck chair and grabbed her scroll, but before she could access anything on it she was interrupted by soft footsteps behind her. She turned to see her butler, Klein, standing with his hands held at his back.
"Will you be heading to bed soon, Miss Schnee? It's rather cold out tonight," Klein asked politely.
"I'll only be out a few more minutes. When will we arrive in Atlas, Klein?" Willow pulled up her messages and saw she had one from Jacques. It was easily ignored for now. She and her children were returning from a vacation to Vale, and she didn't want to waste time speaking with him. There was one other message from her Executive Market Analyst, something about a rival company having an accident of some kind at a dig site. That message could be read tomorrow when she had time to go over any details more thoroughly. She pulled up the quarterly reports she'd been looking over before the spectacle of kaiju and grimm took place, eager to finish reading the data.
"We should make landfall by 9 o'clock so long as we don't encounter any obstacles. Are we heading straight to the manor or were there any errands you need to take care of?"
"Straight to the manor, Klein. Weiss and Whitley won't be skipping out on their morning training just because it's a little later than normal. After that, I'll be calling the board together for a meeting," Willow nodded to herself, pleased with the report that worker morale was up 13% in the last three months. Approving extra sick time turned out to be the right decision, it seemed. "I have some plans that I need to lay out and get started."
"Very well Miss Schnee," Klein responded quickly, nodding to her in concern. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call for me."
Shion, Western Mistral, Remnant
78 AGW, May 1st, 10:35 p.m.
Lisa sat quietly, glumly, at her worn desk as she read through her emails concerning the footage of the fighting grimm. She'd done her best with her editing software to clean up the static and see if any of the doubled clips could be corrected. Alas, aside from lessening some of the blurriness by adjusting the contrast and exposure, none of the captured footage could be improved in any meaningful way.
Despite this, she'd hoped to get some positive feedback from the news outlets about her footage. The best response would be a job interview for a field reporter position, and if that was out of the cards she'd settle for starting out as someone's assistant. She had to start somewhere, after all! Instead, her inbox was filled with rejection after rejection.
From Remnant Broadcasting Company: Unfortunately, the footage you've sent is too damaged for us to use on our programming at this time. Our producers wish to thank you.
From Remnant News Network: Our news company is not in the business of airing doctored film to the public. Grimm fighting grimm is impossible…
From Vale News Network: The footage you sent looks like two guys in rubber suits from a bad Mistralian film. Please do not waste our time with this kind of material…
From Schnee TV: Schnee TV prides itself on accurate news stories and journalistic integrity. We are not interested in whatever fake news you're trying to pawn off…
Email after email read much the same and had the same basic response: No one thought her footage was real and they didn't want to air it. Lisa couldn't fight the feeling of disappointment that surged through her chest. Another potential story that she hoped would get her noticed fell through. For three years now Lisa had pitched her vlogs to any news outlet she could. Her vlogs ranged from important coverage of political events, to information about local businesses, health and safety concerning food or medicine, and much more.
Sometimes her vlogs were more personal in nature, but most of them had to do with the goings-on in the world around her. In fact, her site, TheLavenderLogs, had started with a few videos of her angrily calling out the city council for their lack of response to a local company being caught spraying untested pesticides in the apartments of low-income faunus families. One of the families happened to be an old friend from school and his two sons, both of whom developed lung issues from the chemical used in their building.
When Lisa found out what had happened, she lost it. Her friend was getting nowhere with his landlord or the police, so she took it upon herself to make those first few vlogs. Within days she had people joining her website, curious about the videos after word-of-mouth from her friends helped make people aware they existed. Soon, what started as an angry rant over the injustice done towards her friend and others in his situation turned into amateur investigative journalism on the part of the then twenty-four-year-old.
Over three months of hounding council members, the police, the corporate thugs, and the apartment owner with a vlog update every few days finally got satisfactory action taken. The apartment owner decided that going to prison for allowing her tenants to be poisoned was not in her best interest and turned over evidence to the police that directly linked the company to the pesticide, with emails from them stating it was a new 'sealer' meant to keep moisture out of the buildings' wood. The CEO then agreed to a deal of no jail-time in exchange for paying all medical expenses for those that were affected by the chemical, on top of having to publicly announce what they'd done.
Seeing her hard work pay off, and seeing the tears of joy from her friend when he found out his boys would get the treatment they needed, told Lisa exactly what she wanted to do with her life: become a reporter. She wasn't strong like a huntsmen or huntress, she had no training that would qualify her for police or military work, but with her persistence and refusal to let bad people get away with bad things she was the catalyst for change taking place. You didn't have to have a gun or a sword - or a gunsword - in order to make the world a little better. Her words were her weapon.
Yet, even with all the good stories she had vlogged about, all the positive feedback from members of her site, one thing seemed to be in the way: her lack of education. Lisa had barely graduated from high school, being held back during her senior year. Then when it came time for higher education, she wasn't able to afford it. Her lacking grades made sure a scholarship was out of the question as well. To the major news outlets, it didn't matter that she had professionally covered several good topics despite being an amateur. It didn't matter that she'd been at it for three years now with no sign of slowing down. Her lack of a degree stopped any talks of employment. Gone were the days where someone could get on-the-job training and grow into their chosen career. It almost made you want to…
Lisa stopped herself from thinking more depressing thoughts. She took a deep breath and held it for thirty seconds, then let it out slowly. She repeated this several more times, focusing on her breathing in an effort to calm back down. The doctor at the urgent care clinic told her if she couldn't afford the medication needed to keep her bipolar disorder in check, she had to find constructive ways of managing her illness.
And how lucky was she that her vlogging site served a secondary, though just as important, purpose of doing just that. Doing her best to keep her breathing regular, Lisa couldn't stop the smile that appeared when she read over the most recent comments to her video of the giant grimm fighting.
-RideTheLightning 1 hour ago
Whut? Is this for realsies? This is awesome Lisa!
-QuickerPickerUpper 57 minutes ago
I, too, have noticed the turtles aren't around as much as they used to be.
Also, HOLY SHIT! What kind of Grimm is that!?
-FashionPolice 50 minutes ago
Have any of the academies seen this? If not, I could show my professor tomorrow.
-WhenDovesCry 48 minutes ago
Uh...this is concerning. If that Grimm were to go near a populated area…
-LarkSkywalker 45 minutes ago
How is a huntsmen or huntress supposed to fight that? I'm seriously considering staying with my bodyguard gig after seeing that thing.
-Rosebud4Life 41 minutes ago
Don't worry! Once Queen Salem is told about it, she'll destroy it like she does all the monsters!
-SniperWolf 39 minutes ago
Rosebud4Life, Oh look, it's the fanatic again. Twas only a matter of time before you showed up. FACT: 'Queen' Salem might fight off kaiju and some of the larger Grimm, but she does NOTHING to help out the everyday people.
Racial tension? Nothing. Villages being swarmed by Grimm? Nothing. Hell, she lives on the edge of Vale and somehow Roman Torchwick has yet to be arrested.
-Rosebud4Life 38 minutes ago
SniperWolf, Queen Salem does the best she can! Killing kaiju that attack our cities is a lot of work and if she fights them that means the rest of us don't have to. If it wasn't for her a lot of people would be dead. She loves us and has always been here for us.
-SniperWolf 37 minutes ago
Rosebud4Life, This is the problem with you religious freaks. You refuse to admit there's anything wrong when Salem just sits in her palace, oh my mistake, Beacon Academy, with her feet kicked up doing nothing 95% of the time. I'm not ungrateful that she's killed a lot of kaiju, or that she helped unite the world to end the Great War when the kaiju first appeared, but she has become a lazy, self-gratifying TV personality at this point. Maybe if you grew up a little you'd see the truth.
-Rosebud4Life 35 minutes ago
SniperWolf, I'm growing just fine. I drink milk, thank you very much. Even if you can't accept Salem into your heart, she still loves you. I'll pray for you when I go to bed tonight.
-FashionPolice 33 minutes ago
SniperWolf, You've been warned before about attacking someone for their religious beliefs. At this rate Lisa is gonna ban you if you keep it up.
Rosebud4Life, Worshiping the Queen is fine, as is supporting the idea of her fighting off a dangerous kaiju, but please remember that if someone doesn't agree with your beliefs, that is their right.
-Rosebud4Life 31 minutes ago
FashionPolice, I'm sorry :(
-FashionPolice 30 minutes ago
Rosebud4Life, You're fine. Just remember to not be pushy on here.
-SupernovaKush 28 minutes ago
Back on track people! -watches video- Lisa, honey, you really need to upgrade your scroll. That being said, doesn't anyone else find it weird that a Grimm attacked another Grimm? And that the bigger one didn't kill Lisa? I know for a fact some of us, including yours truly, are huntsmen-in-training. Is no one else concerned about the behavior of that thing?
-Quicksilver 25 minutes ago
SupernovaKush, It's not normal at all. Grimm don't have the sentience needed to decide they need to wash themselves. And they've always be seen working together, not against each other. Note how the Leviathan was the instigator, and how the bigger one only killed it after being attacked. Then it doesn't kill the human within literal arms reach?
I don't like it. The whole thing stinks like a Schnee TV holiday special. I'll show my sisters and my dad, they might know something about it.
As always, love the vids Lisa. You're the best. 3
The vlogger sighed happily as she read over each message. Seeing people discussing her work, proving that she wasn't doing it all for nothing, never failed to fill her with warmth. She was telling a story and people were interested in what she was saying. And this was a story that needed to be told. Grimm fighting grimm just didn't happen. And even if it did, this new monster could be a true city killer. People had the right to know, and if the press weren't interested in informing them, then it was her job to tell everyone willing to listen.
Glancing at the corner of her scroll she saw it was nearly 10:40. Her smile slowly disappeared as she stared at the time. She had to be at work in twenty minutes, and because she was the best worker her boss had, Lisa was expected to be ready to serve no later than 11:10. What a set of circumstances she found herself in where the only job she could find due to her lack of skills was the one that technically required the least amount of work. All she had to do was take her clothes off and dance…
Lisa put her face in her hands, taking another deep breath and holding it for nearly a minute. This wasn't going to be forever. She just had to keep working hard and she would eventually get her break. The young woman ran her hands through her hair, gently easing out any knots that had formed while she slept during the day. Logging into her site, she typed up a quick message to her followers.
-CaptainLavender just now
Hey ensigns! I'm about to head off to work, but I wanted to let you guys know that I sent the footage to multiple media sources. Sadly, no one seems interested in running a story about this grimm. So I have to ask a huge favor from you guys. Please share this with anyone you know. Spread the word about it as much as possible, and hopefully, the general public will be aware sooner, rather than later.
I'll try to make another vid in the morning when I get home, but can't promise anything.
Love you all, Lisa.
She didn't stay logged in to see if any further responses were made. Her place of work was just three blocks from her apartment, but she couldn't afford to be late. Her boss liked to passively threaten his girls about taking a cut of the money they earned as punishment for any screw-ups, real or perceived. Lisa had yet to see him actually do this, but she wasn't about to find out if he planned to make good on the threat.
Before she left, however, there was one last thing she needed to take care of. Getting up from her chair that was missing two of its wheels, she walked towards the kitchen, where a squar cage sat atop an unused end table. The cage had been thrown out by a neighbor whose pet rabbit had passed from old age. It was perfect for her new house guest.
The small meganulon within chipped excitedly when she approached, flying to the front of the cage and clinging to it. Lisa poked her finger through the cage and gently stroked the insect on its back. The cat-sized dragonfly clearly liked being pet, arching its back and making affectionate noises reminiscent of a cricket. She continued her actions for another minute before moving to grab a sealed container from under her sink. When she returned to the cage with her container, the meganulon tilted its head curiously.
"I've gotta go to work now, so you'll have to make this last." When she popped the lid to reveal several dead grasshoppers, her new pet nearly rattled the door of its cage it was so excited. "Yeah, you like grasshoppers don't cha? Nummy nummy little buggies for Meggie. Yeah."
"You have to be on your best behavior when I'm gone, ok? Can't have the landlord find out about you. A rabbit or a dog is one thing, but I don't think he'll appreciate having you here," Lisa talked to the insect, not knowing if it could understand what she said. Some experts debated quite fiercely about the intelligence of the various kaiju species that roamed the planet, with no firm stance from the scientific community on the matter. In the day since taking her home, Meggie had behaved well and not caused any trouble, so Lisa could only guess if the bug was listening to her or just doing whatever it wanted regardless of the silly human standing in front of it.
"I'll see you in the morning ok?" With one last gently stroke of her finger Lisa grabbed her purse, scroll, and a small handgun. She'd yet to be attacked while heading to and from work, but rowdy, horny drunks were not to be underestimated. After locking all three deadbolts on her apartment door she headed downstairs with her mind thinking back to the footage of the giant grimm, and wondering what the next few days would bring.
A big shout-out goes to JessesanMan for their help with editing and being my muse. Such a great guy.
Also, the time it took for this chapter to be published is partially a result of some personal things happening. However, it's my goal to try not taking as long next time. I'm going for 8-10k a chapter, and between work and school I'm not left as much time to write as I'd like.