The survivors huddled together in the wealthiest zone of the city. Many were injured and even more were dead by the abomination and nobody dared to go out of their safe zone and many were simply too terrified to even think about it. How were they supposed to survive against something that shrugged off their most powerful siege equipment?
It had been a few days since the beast first attacked. The fires of the initial attack had been long been extinguished and not even the embers remained. Nobody realized how dark their home was until now. The empty streets, the dark alleyways, even the cold air that nipped at their skin. Not even the sound of the nocturnal wildlife was present. Dried blood painted the walls and stone roads, while several half eaten bodies were strewn around. Their innards painting a grisly display for all to see.
Silence...
That was the only thing accompanying them and it was terrifying. The ominous stillness constantly reminded them that something was the cause of it, and that something was in the form of an ancient beast they had unknowingly awakened. A predator from possibly some bygone era and the thing that was told in nothing but stories.
Everyone was dead tired, the guards especially... or what was left of them. The very few had stayed up for days now and they didn't want to waste any more lives trying to find an escape route. All of them underestimated the Monster. They assumed that he was a loud, but unintelligent creature who acted on pure instinct. How wrong they were because he proved them wrong.
When he left for the first time with wounds, they all assumed he went back to wherever he came from. He didn't do anything like that. What he did was far more terrifying...
He waited until a group was outside the city walls, and he was crouched down near the entrance. The small group was quickly taken aback and he used that moment to kill them and even use the last of one as a lure. He constantly circled around the city, noticing the lack of entryways for escape. When they tried to use ropes to scale down the sides of the walls and run, he was quicker than a striking serpent and gobbled up whoever was foolish enough to attempt to take that chance.
Their impenetrable city was backfiring against them horribly. There was only one way out and the Monster knew that; he knew that if they wanted to escape then they had to come right to him. It terrified them, not only because of his size and abilities, but because of how intelligent he was proving himself to be. They had faced the untamed wildlife and even the vile Grimm, but neither one had proven to be as smart as this creature.
His silence was also the other alarming factor they had come to realize. If he wanted to, he could sneak up on them and there was nothing they could do about it. No matter how they tried to escape, whether it was if he wasn't near them or if he was half asleep; he knew they'd come to him eventually. The second attempt proved that he was able to sneak around because he hid in the woods, out of their sight but not out of his.
He was stalking them, whittling them down little by little. It was only a matter of time when nobody made it back and all that was left of their great city was an empty tomb. Things were looking rather dark and some people heard Grimm in the distance, only driving their hopes further into the ground.
The Faunus miner clutched his head tightly as he heard the pleading of someone in the distance. Tears slid from his eyes as he rocked back and forth because he knew that no one was going to save the poor man. The Monster always left the last one in the group as a lure, hoping that they'd open the gates and allow him to charge inside. After the second time he charged and slammed into the gate, they decided not to open it anymore and try to save the person.
"Someone... please... I... don't want... to die... please... help..." The man pleaded quietly and everyone covered their ears. His voice sounded so terrified and he crawled through the empty street. His left leg was nothing but a mere stump and left a bloody trail in its wake. He was the most recent unfortunate victim and the Monster had chewed his leg off, leaving him alive to draw more people out.
"We have to help him." A young guard said.
"Are you crazy?! Look beyond the main gate!" An older man shouted and pointed. Numerous eyes were drawn towards the direction and they looked through the metal gaps in the gate and towards the main entrance.
Although faint and shrouded by darkness, they could see the Monster's head peeking around the corner. All seven of his eyes stared at them unblinkingly and what appeared to be two bodies impaled on his tusks could faintly be seen. After what felt like an eternity, he slowly retreated from sight and silently left without them knowing.
The Faunus miner kept rocking back and forth. His companions were one of the first ones to be sent out and they never made it back. He already knew their fates and felt terrified of what was coming next. A part of him knew that the beast was toying with them, he could kill them all if he wanted to but he was keeping them alive for some reason.
He wasn't paying attention to what anybody was saying. His hearing was muffled and everything felt like it was underwater. Everyone, including him, looked up when they saw several colossal stone walls erupt from the ground and block everything off. The ground shook as they ascended and a thunderous rumble made them stumble before everything went dark.
People bumped into one another and started to panic the longer they were in the dark. Fortunately, several torches were lit and slightly illuminated the area and everyone looked up to see that they were trapped in a stone dome. More shaking made them look at one another in alarm before looking at the entrance to see the Monster's arms in front of the gate.
He bent down and stared at all of them unblinkingly before raising his head up and looking around. A destroyed building to his right made him make his way towards it and he smashed it further, creating more rubble to which he used his giant arms to scoop it towards the entrance. Whatever light from the outside gave them little hope was snuffed out as the Monster sealed them off.
His hunger had been satiated and he knew from the past that people would retaliate and seek out his home. By snuffing them out, he could save energy and feed on them when they perished inside.
After making another rock wall in front of the entrance, he trekked off into the wild to sleep, letting the inhabitants kill themselves. Plus it allowed him to heal from the wounds he gained from their attacks. Something he had to constantly keep in mind whenever more people showed up in the future.
So much had changed since the Monster's been asleep. More types of Grimm and animals to consume, territory to be marked, and a lonely call into the wild to be sent out. He was in his cave and licked the blood off the wounds on his arms. Some of the spears had managed to wedge their way in between the cracks of his armor and pierce his flesh. Licking the wounds cleaned them and he could heal shortly after. While he didn't know that his body would naturally heal rapidly, he was simply going off of instinct like always.
It had been several days since he attacked the city, forcing the survivors into the stone dome that would act as their tomb. He opened his mouth and yawned deeply before letting out a rumbling groan as he stretched. The sound vibrated off the walls and he slowly started to trek out of the cave, stopping momentarily to shake his body like a canine shaking off water.
A few minutes went by and he exited the cave, letting his eyes adjust to the brightness of the day and inhale deeply. Several scents reached his nostrils and he exhaled before making his way through the forest. His body bumped against several of the colossal trees and he rubbed his face against one of them, crooning at the rough texture and pleasant scent. He didn't know how much time had passed, the concept was practically foreign to him but the trees were much larger than what he remembered.
Large footprints were left in the soft soil as he made his way towards the cliff overlooking the city. Branches swayed above his head and the sound of rushing water reached him. Eventually he made it to the cliff and immediately stopped to yawn and shake his body some more. Bits and pieces of damaged armor shed off his body and naturally regrew at an alarming pace.
His face twisted and he sneezed once, the sound akin to a cannon going off, before he made it to the edge. The faint scent of blood in the wind reached his nose and he lied down at the edge, looking at the large valley and fields, with the sealed off city in the distance. That gnawing hunger seemed to have subsided and he stretched a bit hooking his claws over the side of the edge and sliding down.
Rocks and chunks of the side of the mountain were chipped off as he descended. He pushed himself off and landed on the right side of the river that headed into the village. Copious amounts of dirt and pebbles kicked up as he landed and sniffed the air a few times. The sound of rushing water made him realize how thirsty he was and he dunked his mouth underneath the cool waves of the river.
Gallons upon gallons of water entered his mouth and was quickly drank. Whatever bacteria, parasites, or viruses that lurked in the water was quickly killed once it entered his mouth. Everything, from his saliva to his horrid stomach acid, was at a high enough temperature to kill it. No disease seemed to be able to infect him, his species had evolved to that point thousands of years ago. However, he didn't know this, just like how he didn't know he was possibly the last.
After drinking his fill, he made his way towards the city. Each step he took made a large footprint in the ground below and he ignored the aftermath of his carnage. A murder of crows feasted on the remains of a body. One of them pecked at the eyeball of a farmer and eventually managed to tear it from the deceased owner's socket. It cawed once and flew off along with the rest of them when the Monster stomped by.
He entered the main gate and climbed over a destroyed house, cracking the wood easily as he made his way to the stone dome. Standing up on his hind legs, he gripped a part of it and dug his claws into it, cracking it easily. He tore a hole in it and peered inside.
From an outside perspective, it was pitch black, but it was clear as daylight to him. What he saw inside was a mass of dead bodies, each one with a wound across their throat and a pool of blood underneath them. Boiling hot saliva dribbled off his teeth and onto the ground as he saw a feast in front of him. What he didn't know was that all it took was nine days for the ones trapped inside to kill one another and themselves.
Most were driven mad from fear and paranoia. Parents mournfully snuffed their children in their sleep to avoid them from being eaten by the malevolent beast outside and the lower class rose up against the upper. It was a bloodbath that the Monster didn't know about and he certainly didn't care. All that mattered was that he had a feast in front of him and that would finally satiate his hunger.
He placed his hands on the stone dome and it slid back into the ground, causing the earth to rumble. The evening sun breached this once dark place and he simply climbed over the wall into the wealthier district and landed inside.
Dust kicked up and he bent down near one of the bodies, sniffing it a few times before opening his mouth. His tongue slithered out and coiled around the corpse, quietly pulling it into his mouth and swallowing it whole. He moved onto the next one and the one after that. There was no rush at all and he took his time eating each one. One after another, the bodies slid down his throat and dropped into his stomach, being dissolved by his powerful stomach.
Once he was done, he wander around and expand his territory. Out of pure instinct and curiosity for the world around him. The Grimm he consumed tasted better than before, the only problem was that he hunted them and dropped their numbers considerably right now. However, due to his recent massacre, their numbers shot up exponentially due to the mass of negativity.
Minutes turned to tens of minutes and that eventually turned into hours of him feasting. Not a single body was left and he was full enough to go back to sleep and be content for the next day or two.
Blood was mixed in with his saliva and his tongue slithered out and cleaned his sharp teeth. A hearty belch echoed across the quiet area and he rumbled in content before turning around and making his way towards the metal gate. His claws gripped it and he easily ripped it from its place, tossing it behind him like a frisbee and hitting the building. Since it struck near the bottom, the building began to shake then collapsed and kicked up a wave of dust in its wake.
He slammed his shoulder into the barrier and caused the stones to easily give away before he tumbled to the other side. Some of the dust went up his nostrils and he sneezed loudly. The noise was akin to a cannon going off and it echoed across the land, scaring a few birds in the distance. He shook his head a few times and made his way back to his cave.
Times were different from the last time he was awake. It was clear these people were as well just like the environment; the ones who gave him offerings were most likely gone and it was one of the few reasons as to why he left them alone. However, he had acquired the taste for human flesh ever since he hatched. Anything and everything that had a pulse was considered food to him, but after they managed to damage him enough for him to cause him to retreat to heal, he started to pick some things up.
People were smarter now and they had more powerful weapons. The only reason he was able to do as much damage as he did was because he caught them by surprise and their lack of knowledge of him gave him an edge. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the feeling of wariness pestered at him. It was an instinctive feeling that he needed to not be so reckless, lest he become the one being hunted and eventually fall due to his untamed behavior.
That itching feeling in the back of his mind was present in his dreams as it was whenever he calmed down from a feeding frenzy. Something would make his brain itch before gently caressing it with knowledge that he never would figure out through experience. An example would be the calls he would make into the wild or how he instinctively knew how to summon a wall of rock.
Abilities like that just came natural to him and he was only following what he felt was equally as natural. This information usually came in the form of dreams and he would usually find himself in an open field at night, wandering around the wilderness from a time long forgotten by the world. Figures that resembled something related to him were nothing but shadowy apparitions. Sometimes these dreams were basked in nothing but a great wave of destructive energy and the agonized roars, shrieks, and howls of these figures filled his mind.
Usually it woke him up and threw him into an enraged frenzy before he would calm down and go about his day.
He let out a deep rumble as he trekked back to his cave. Due to his mind being occupied with the thought of sleep and expanding his territory, he didn't noticed the hooded figures hiding out of sight, watching as he made his way back to his home.
Several days had passed and the Monster rumbled lowly as he trekked through the wilderness. He had left to conquer more land as his territory and would frequently mark noticeable areas either by scratching surface with his claws, or urinating on several spots. This also allowed him to find his way back to his cave. Animals fled at the sight of him and the Grimm that attacked were often eaten alive, filling his stomach and keeping him full. Although they disappeared after death, the moment they entered his stomach, they were similar to any other animal that was unfortunate enough to be eaten. Sometimes he preferred Grimm as opposed to regular animals.
Regular animals needed to breed and keep their numbers in supple, not to mention they stayed away from his territory and would often have a sense of impending doom whenever they got in range. The Grimm were overpopulated in some areas and would constantly intrude and attack him. It was fine most of the time since he was naturally drawn to violence and enjoyed the rush sometimes. However, he still loathed their existence and knew in his untamed soul they were upsetting a balance in some ways.
He came across a large open field and looked around, noticing that the tall grass flowed like waves in the wind. With each large step he took, he created an equally large footprint in the soft soil. To his left was more woods, but to his right was a large river with countless aquatic life inside. His hunger had been satiated for the most part but he was thirsty and blood could only do so much as to quench that.
His jaws dipped below the cool surface of the water and he began to drink gallons upon gallons. With each colossal gulp, his thirst was satiated little by little and when he raised his head, he could feel copious amounts of water drip off his chin. It landed back into the river with large splashes and he dunked his mouth back under, gulping more and having his fill.
Movement ahead made him look up suddenly across the river and spot a few villagers freeze in their spots. They clutched their tools tightly and a few shook in their boots. Each one was similar to the farmers at the city, but they reminded the Monster of the ones back when he first hatched. Their extra appendages and other features like antlers, animal ears, and even more robust stature were the first things he noticed.
A part of him wondered how long they were standing there and how he didn't see them. The color seemed to drain from their faces as he stood at his full height and stared at them blankly. Had he been hungrier, he would've gobbled them up but he simply made a noise. It was a deep rumble that seemed to vibrate the air and ground below them.
They were stunned by the noise and found that they literally couldn't move. He immediately seemed to notice this and stopped making the noise, watching as they fell on their rears and scooted away from him. One of them screamed loudly, their voice echoing across the area and he finally noticed the village in the background. It was small; a simple storm could knock their fragile houses down but it reminded him of the village so long ago.
He remained utterly silent and the simple behavior of something so large and aggressive looking being silent put the already terrified teens in a more panicked state. It wasn't long before the villagers were near the teens, holding their fragile looking weapons. As opposed to the steel weapons and armor that the city near the cave had, these people didn't possess anything more advanced than wood and stone. Their clothes made of nothing but animal hide and they didn't seem like the kind to be sedentary.
It seemed like they were a nomadic tribe and followed whatever or wherever was either safe or had an abundance of food. His cave was such a place but he wasn't too keen on sharing his food supply. It was his territory and they would simply be intruders.
One of them threw their stone spear at him and shouted something at him. It bounced off his armor and he locked all seven of his eyes at the one who threw it. He stood up on his hind legs and slammed his fists into his chest. Each impact echoed across the land and intimidated the tribe. They went silent and froze in their spots when he slammed his fists down on the shore, kicking up mud and water in the process.
All he had to do was take four steps and he was already on top of them. He didn't however because they immediately made themselves small as possible in hopes of him not seeing them as a threat. Just before they could do anything, a shriek was heard in the distance and the Monster stopped looking at them. His gaze slowly turned to his left and down the field was slightly larger than him.
It was a colossal serpent Grimm with membranous wings towards the top half of its body. Its head was like a cobra and two large fangs gleamed in the sunlight while its white mask was cracked in some places. Sharp spines ran along its spine and muscular body while its tail waved in the wind like a whip. The tip of the tail flicked in the air once and a loud boom was heard, causing the villagers to cover their ears at the sudden sound.
The Monster just slammed one of his fists into his chest a few times and readied himself. A loud combination of a rumble and a snarl bounced around in his throat and he stared at the large Grimm. The two started to circle one another; the Grimm slithered across the ground while hissing and the Monster's shoulders bounced as he continued to circle around it. Each step he took shook the ground like mini earthquakes.
A raspy shriek suddenly tore from the Grimm's throat and it slithered towards him at the speed of a train. The Monster bellowed as he rushed towards it and lunched towards it. However, the Grimm was quicker than what he realized and it managed to circle around him, using its tail as a whip and suddenly strike him in the back. It managed to hit one of the crevices in his armor, causing a wave of hot pain to flood his body.
He roared at the sensation and spun around, slashing the air but didn't hit anything. The Grimm slithered around the strike and opened its mouth, biting his forearm but didn't manage to sink its fangs in thankfully. Giant globs of potent neurotoxin shot out of its fangs and slid down his armor. A hot sizzle was heard as some of it hit the ground and the Monster grabbed the Grimm's throat and spun it around, slamming it onto the ground and backing up.
It managed to recover quickly and shrieked at him, slithering around him several times. His larger size was used against him and every time he tried to turn and hit it, the serpent was already in another spot and striking him with its tail. He stumbled forward when it crashed into his back and coiled around him, trapping his arms close to him and using its muscular body to keep him bundled together.
Both of them fell onto the ground and he was staring up at the sky. The sun was blocked when the serpent hovered above him and spread its wings, opening its mouth and diving towards him. His tongue shot out at the speed of a bullet and caught it by its throat, throwing it to the right and he rolled around, using his weight to apply pressure on it and get it to loosen its grip on him. When his arms had enough wiggle room, he grabbed the middle of its body and pried it off of him.
His tongue retracted and he slammed his fists several times on the Grimm, causing it to slither away from him. He rolled upright and snarled as the Grimm coiled up and hissed at him. Pain surged through both of their bodies and he snarled quietly before rushing at it. Just as soon as he got close to it, it sprang up into the sky and spread its wings. It shrieked at him as it flew around him, spitting the toxin at him and quickly hitting him with powerful divebombs.
He glared at it as it dove at him again, hitting him in his face with its tail. The strike stunned him and he stumbled to the side, spitting some blood from his mouth and turning up at the flying creature. Each graceful twist and turn it did in the sky caused the branches and leaves on the trees to sway.
When it dove towards him, he slammed his fists into the ground and summoned a rock wall. It suddenly sprang up and the Grimm's eyes widened suddenly as it tried to move out of the way. It slammed into the wall and crumbled to the ground, hissing in pain as it slowly made itself upright. At the speed of a bullet, it coiled up and lunged towards the Monster when he rounded the corner.
His right arm shot out and gripped its jaw. Its body started to coil around him but he swung it over his shoulders and slammed it on the ground once. The ground shook like an earthquake as the Monster raised the Grimm over his body and repeatedly slammed it onto the grassy surface below. With each slam, it lost a bit of its strength and he reared his claws back and clenched them together.
The sound of his arm swinging through the air sent gusts of wind in its wake as he slammed his fist onto the side of the Grimm's head. A raspy shriek escaped its mouth and he climbed on top of it. It tried to bite him but he slammed both his fists on the back of its head and sent it crashing to the ground. He then gripped its fangs and snarled as he pulled them apart.
With a sudden snap, the Grimm's fangs were broken off and he ignored the wild thrashing below him. Its tail whipped around erratically, causing the tip to crack through the air several times and booms to be heard from afar. One of the erratic strikes hit the Monster in his back and struck in one of the crevices, causing him to bellow in pain. It was a one in a million chance that it managed to hit him, but all it did was make him angrier and more violent.
He raised his fists and repeatedly slammed down on the back of the Grimm's head. Each strike stunned it further and further, shaking the ground several times until he raised his arms one last time and they glowed brightly. He slammed his fists down onto the Grimm and it eventually stopped all together. It had no more strength and he started to wildly eat away at the back of its head. Scaly flesh beneath the bone armor was torn into and he started to eat away at it, little by little. Red ichor splattered against his teeth and the taste was different compared to the others.
A red orb was seen at the center where its brain was supposed to be and he quickly sank his teeth into it and gobbled it into his mouth. It had a fleshy texture to it, a bit chewy if one would describe, but the moment he swallowed it after chewing for so long; a rush of knowledge was worming its way into his brain.
He stumbled to the side, not noticing that its gargantuan corpse was starting to disappear, and let out a mixture of a rumble and a guttural growl. It wasn't necessarily a painful sensation, but it was different and he didn't know what was going on. Flashes of memories seemed to bounce in his mind, mainly about the Serpent's hunting pattern. Once he fell asleep, it would make more sense but for now he would bask in his glory at eliminating another predator that threatened his territory expansion.
Standing up on his hind legs, he started to slam his armored fists into his chest. Each hit sounded like the mountains were collapsing and his roar seemed to echo across the lands. It was the call that he was the one who owned of these lands and nothing, or nobody, was going to stand in his way.
After a few more chest pounds, he slammed his fists on the ground and looked around. The Grimm's body had disappeared and the tribe was gone from their previous spots. They must have fled the moment the Serpent emerged from the woods and didn't want to stick around to see two titans battling to the death. It didn't matter because he was full after consuming the Grimm and tucked himself into his boulder form, taking off in a random direction it seemed.
However, the tribe was watching from the safety of the bushes. They had seen the Monster take on the Grimm that had plagued them for so long and had mixed feelings about the beast. On one hand, they saw it as a divine being; on the other hand, they heard stories of the destruction it could cause. Stories passed down by generations about a creature that gobbled up people who misbehaved and it was usually used to scare children into good behavior.
Now that they saw it with their own two eyes, they didn't know what to feel. Unlike the city that fell, to which they had no knowledge of, they were willing to stay away from him. Provide offerings in exchange for their lives, and live by the lessons that their ancestors had passed down to them.
None of that mattered to the Monster though. His main concern was to continue to hunt, adapt, and survive the world ahead. When he felt good and comfortable, he'd sleep the years away like before. Each time he slept, he'd be armed with knowledge for future encounters.
He'd be up for a while though...
I apologize for not updating recently. Life's been busy and I'm more focused on that than this site. Other than that, thanks for reading and I'll see you all later. See ya.