The seasons quickly came and went in the blink of an eye. It was all a blur to the Monster and he would constantly search for more food, eventually expanding his territory little by little. Urinating on a tree here and there, clawing boulders and the sides of mountains, to even killing Grimm that constantly entered his domain.

He left the village alone for the most part, but his curiosity did get the better of him and he would occasionally wander into their home. New scents peaked his interests and some things smelled better than others. For example, the wooden building that kept the salted meats for storage always drew him in and the people took notice of that. While other scents irritated his nose and caused him to leave.

The Monster usually left things behind like pieces of its armor. They learned to quietly take part of it and incorporate it into their lives, allowing them to survive the harsh winters and have bountiful harvests when he dug up large areas of the ground. A set of rules was usually set up for the younger children and even outsiders... that no one was to ever disturb the creature in its home, lest they invoke its wrath.

Outsiders wouldn't listen though, they came to the village with the assumption they could either tame the beast or slay it... no one made it back. The Monster assumed it was an offering and left the village alone. To him, it was a free source of food but to the villagers, it was an unfortunate incident like some of the others. No matter how much they tried to prevent people after the warnings, they still perished in the end.

It had unfortunately earned the town a rather grim reputation over the years. People went missing and the village warned outsiders who wished to enter the town to stay away; it worked for some, who would spread the word, while others ignored the warnings and continued on. They would perish and only add a more infamy to the already infamous village.

Right now, the Monster held a screaming warrior down on the ground with one hand, ignoring the man's struggles. His large clawed hand gripped the warrior's leg and began to pull, barely reacting the thrashing below him before a wet tear was heard. A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the air as the man howled in agony while blood sprayed from the mutilated stump where his leg previously was.

An annoyed snarl was heard as the Monster raised the man up then slammed him down. The screaming stopped momentarily and an agonized groan was heard before the man was raised in the air again then slammed down once more. Blood splattered across the rocks in front of the cave as the Monster repeatedly slammed the man on the ground, listening to his bones snap violently before letting him dangle in the armored claws.

The body was mangled beyond all comprehension and the Monster sniffed it, cringing in disgust before throwing the corpse away without a care in the world. He tucked himself into a ball and started to roll away, not caring as he rolled over dozens of bodies and flattening them. A group of people had come by recently and started to tear up the forest, his domain and woke the Monster up from his slumber.

A smoldering trail was left in his wake as he continued to roll his way towards the village. He stopped at the edge of the cliff when he spotted that nothing was out of the ordinary and rolled off the side of the cliff, plummeting down the side and eventually crashing into the bottom. The occupants in the village had rushed inside their homes as he started to approach.

His nose caught the scent of meat and started to head in that direction, easily traversing across the river easily. He bent close to the ground and constantly sniffed, eventually spotting a pile of salted meat and going close to it. A flock of birds took off into the sky in the distance and the Monster raised his head, looking in the direction of them. He tilted his head in curiosity and tucked himself into a ball, rolling off down the field.

Large mounds of fertile soil was easily dug up and he simply rolled in the direction. From an outside perspective, all everyone could see was a large molten boulder spinning towards a certain location. While the villagers normally feared and hated the Monster, they had to admit that it did provide them with some much needed benefits. Manure for their crops, the pieces of broken armor for the winter and to heat their homes, and even digging up the soil for them to plant more crops.

The only downside was it ate a lot of their game, they would be lucky if they were able to catch a couple of deer or elk. As much as they wanted to expand with the low population of Grimm, a part of them felt like it would upset the Monster.

A chorus of voices was heard and the Monster stopped in his tracks, listening intently in his boulder form. The vibrations in the ground were felt easily and he turned to his right a bit before rolling off in that direction, leaving a small trail in his wake. He rolled towards the origin of the voices for the next several minutes before stopping behind a mile away and bending down.

His body was close to the ground as he snuck towards the origin of the noise and eventually came across a tree line, stopping a bit before it. A large open area was seen and a series of unfamiliar scents entered the Monster's nose.

Dozens, maybe even a hundred, people were in a camp nearby and the Monster just watched them. He blinked all seven of his eyes before quietly curling back into a boulder and waiting patiently. One of the men stumbled over in his drunken state and coughed wetly before leaning against the Monster and vomiting on the ground. The wet sounding splattering of the chunky vomit managed to spill over part of the Monster's body and he coughed some more.

"Disgust-" The man didn't get to finish before a large claw wrapped around his body and pulled him inside the boulder. An almost silent cry of alarm was barely heard before it was forever silenced by a quiet snapping and tearing noise. It went quiet and a pair of saliva covered boots was spat out from a small opening.

After several minutes, bits and pieces of armor was spat out as well and the Monster waited patiently, shifting around so that he was peeking through a crack in his boulder form. He wasn't even hungry at this point but the mere sight of intruders was enough to make him aggressive.

The sky started to darken bit by bit and the tents began to illuminate. Nocturnal wildlife slowly emerged from their shelters and went out into the night to scrounge around for sustenance. The Monster just continued to watch the camp unflinchingly. A fermented smell reached his nose and it made it tingle a bit, the Monster had seen some of the townsfolk drinking something that smelled similar to what he was currently smelling.

His eyes flicked to several people calling out for someone. Their words weren't understood by the Monster but the volume of their voices grew louder as they got closer to him. It seemed that they were looking for the man that was eaten a few hours ago and more people joined the search party. Clouds covered the broken moon and the area grew darker.

Slowly but surely, the Monster completely encased himself in his boulder form, leaving no illuminated parts to be seen. He knew the people were getting closer and he began to tense his muscles. The closer they got, the more he was ready to pounce and he was practically vibrating with anticipation.

The group of ten saw a pair of boots and bits of armor from their drunken companion. Each piece was covered in a clear slime and they slowly raised a torch up, backing up considerably when they saw a large boulder. It wasn't there several hours ago and it felt unnatural, just being in its immediate vicinity was enough to bring out an unknown sense of dread.

One of them opened his mouth but no words came out as a forked tongue wrapped around his entire torso. He gave a muffled scream and was pulled into the boulder. The others quickly sprang into action and shouted in alarm while holding onto his legs and waist. They tried to pull him out of the grip of the beast and even tried stabbing inside the boulder.

Several seconds passed and the screaming grew more desperate. The man kicked his legs wildly and one final, muffled, bloodcurdling scream was heard before a wet crunch met everyone's ears. Almost instantly, the thrashing stopped and they managed to pull their companion's lower body out.

The only problem was that it was only the lower half of his body that came out. Internal organs spilled onto the soil and blood seeped into the earth, staining it a rich crimson color. A large arm shot out and slammed into another person, crushing their body into a red paste.

"By the gods..." One of them scrambled back as another arm shot out and the boulder began to unfurl. Everyone stared in fear as seven eyes opened in unison, each one glowing in the dark and stared at them. They saw a creature that came from their worst nightmares and covered their ears when it opened its mouth and let out a thundering bellow.

The Monster's roar rippled across the air and he watched as the people scramble away from him, running as fast as their legs could carry them. He lumbered after them, snarling wildly as he gave chase.

"Run! Run! There's a-" Another person didn't get to finish before a large arm swiped him into the air. His screams echoed across the sky and multiple people watched in horror as he tumbled across the ground and his body became mangled beyond comprehension.

They turned their heads to see the Monster holding a person in his hand, ignoring the screaming as he placed the woman in his mouth and snapped his jaws shut. Blood flew through the air as he tossed the body to the side and moved onto the next person, slamming them into the ground numerous times before throwing them away.

A cacophony of screams met the Monster's ears and he just wildly wreaked havoc across the camp, swatting people the side with a single swipe of his arm. The warriors that tried to fight back were either crushed or consumed viciously, making their way down the Monster's gullet and dissolving in his stomach acid.

Disgusting noises came from his throat as he gurgled loudly before sending a ball of molten rock at some tents. The ball glowed brightly and pulsed several times before suddenly exploding, showering the shelters and a few inhabitants in the scalding substance. Both melted quickly, but the latter thrashed around wildly as they tried to get the molten saliva off of them.

Several horses galloped towards the Monster and he snarled in pain when a few javelins were thrown into his exposed parts in his armor. The metal tips pierced the soft flesh and blood squirted from the attack. Several more were thrown into him and he gave a quick squeal of pain before ripping a few out and tossing them to the side. He looked at the group of horses and their riders before narrowing his eyes at one of them.

When one of them got close enough, his claws shot out and gripped the animal tightly. The horse squealed in terror as the Monster lifted it up before rearing his arm back and throwing the animal forward. It gave another earsplitting squeal as it was thrown at the speed of a rocket at a few people, killing them upon impact.

The group of horse riders rushed towards him and he raised his arms, feeling a surge of power flow through them. He suddenly brought them down and caused glowing fissures to suddenly appear in the ground. Shouts and squeals of alarm were heard as the horses and their riders were thrown into the air. The Monster swung his claws and eviscerated the group, scattering their bodies across the area.

People scattered in several directions as they tried to flee the horrible beast. The Monster just chased them down and killed them without a shred of mercy. Even the ones that managed to get away for some time were found eventually. Some he ate, others he killed for no reason other than they were trespassing on his territory.

He raised held the last person in his hands up to his face. The woman screamed in terror as the clouds parted and the moonlight illuminated the area and she caught a full view of the beast. It was surrounded by a sea of corpses and fire. No matter how much she pleaded and struggled, there wasn't anything she could do as she was brought closer to its jaws.

Strands of saliva formed a bridge between some of his teeth, but it was stained red from the blood. Large chunks of flesh could be seen dangling in between his teeth and the horrible scent of death reeked from his maw. She was tossed inside his mouth and swallowed whole, sliding down his throat quickly before dropping into his stomach. It was dim, scalding hot, and stuffy inside but she faintly saw several people screaming in horror as they tried to claw their way out as they began to dissolve from the stomach acid.

No matter how much she screamed along with he rest, their cries of help went unheard. They called into the night but it didn't answer back...

The Monster retreated to his cave and slept, deep rumbles bounced around from his throat and he brushed his claws over his face. He slowly woke up when there was the sound of skittering and all seven of his eyes opened up one by one. His mouth opened up and stretched as he yawned deeply, flicking his tongue several times before it slowly retracted.

He sluggishly got up and started to make his way out of the cave, secreting a black sludge on the walls before continuing outside. There was a small offering and the Monster bent down to sniff it before swiping it away from him when he smelled poison. Granted, it wouldn't do anything to his gargantuan body, but it was clear the locals were still attempting to weaken him.

It was foggy out and he quietly made his way through the forest, lumbering through the wilderness and inhaling the scent of pine and other things. The moist air was pleasing to feel as it soothed the unarmored parts of his body. Although the wounds had healed, there was still some traces of phantom pain. Some of the warriors had fought to the bitter end but ended up in his stomach shortly after.

A series of loud clicking and throating croaks reverberated from his throat and he looked around. Nothing was heard in response so he tried again, slowly growing louder and louder with each attempt. When it was clear that no one was responding, he bent back down and started to wander through the forest again, leaving colossal footprints in the ground.

Birds chirped in the distance and a few flew near his head before suddenly flying off when he raised his arm and swatted at them. Soft soil underneath his feet made him look down and sniff it before rubbing his body around in it, kicking up mounds and relishing in the cool feeling. Bits and pieces of damaged armor started to flake off and he rolled upright and shook himself several times.

It sounded like boulders falling off a mountain with each piece being shed and several more would regrow in time. His mouth felt unpleasantly dry and he tucked himself into a boulder and started to roll in the direction of the river. Trees were pushed to the side and uprooted, fallen trunks were snapped as if they were mere twigs, and boulders were reduced to pebbles when he rolled through them.

Eventually, he made it to the bottom of the waterfall and unfurled himself from his traversal form. His large arms were spread to the side as he bent down to the river and dunked his mouth underneath the surface. Countless gallons of water were greedily gulped and one of his several eyes snapped to movement in the water. As quick as a viper, he snapped his jaws around nearly two dozen salmon.

Each fish wiggled around wildly and their tails slapped against his teeth before he squeezed just a tad bit. Almost all of them went still immediately and he tipped his head back to allow them to slide down his tongue. Warm blood mixed in with cool water to create an oddly pleasing sensation and an audible gulp was heard. He dunked his head back underneath the water to gulp some more but stopped when he spotted a group of villagers frozen stiff.

He slowly lifted his head out of the river and water dripped from his tusks, giving him an even more monstrous appearance.

Neither sides did anything. He just stared at them while they did the same, but the former wanted to see their next move. His eyes trailed to the deer that they were carrying and they quietly gulped. Fortunately for them, he wasn't hungry now and the most he wanted to do was sleep.

One of them took a step towards the village and his head snapped to them, causing them to freeze in their tracks. His claws were submerged in the river and he could faintly feel the tingle as wildlife bumped into his appendages or tried to latch onto the surface.

More villagers came out when they saw the three but froze when they got closer and spotted the Monster hidden in the fog across the river. He stared at them with all seven of his eyes and they immediately noticed that he was larger than he had been in the past. Which meant that he wasn't finished growing yet; that was enough to cause more despair to bubble in their systems.

"Slow movements..." One of them whispered quietly and slowly started to make his way towards the village. A few other tried to coax the three but stopped when the Monster lifted his right claw and brought it down, causing a large wave of water to splash the ground.

More people came and the Monster's lower jaw started to vibrate several times. A deep, guttural grown escaped his throat in warning and raised his fists slightly before bringing them down. He did this several times and it made them look at him then at one another in confusion.

It didn't take long for them to figure out that he was warning them, not of danger, but they were intruding on his territory. Technically the whole valley was considered his territory, but they didn't know that.

He was an animal, an extremely aggressive and dangerous animal, but an animal nonetheless. Certain things set him off and any form of challenge or danger was met with violence. So the townspeople made a list of rules when he got this close.

Don't look him in the eyes since he saw that as a challenge and would grow aggressive.

Never turn your back on him because if they did that, then he'd see them as prey and give chase. It didn't matter how fast they ran because he'd either crush them in his boulder form or pull them back with his tongue. He was also patient enough to wait for the prey to tire themselves out before lunging in.

Keep as much distance as between them and him while also not making any sudden movements.

Avoid making loud noises such as shouting and banging things together. It made him restless and he assumed it was a roaring match over dominance.

Making themselves look unassuming as possible was their best chance at survival. Someone had curled up into the fetal position in front of him and although he hurt the boy, he backed off when he saw that he wasn't a threat.

The last rule was to never underestimate him. He was an extremely intelligent creature and learned from his mistakes, a prime example is when he knows when his food is poisoned or not.

These rules are what they lived by ever since first encountering him. If they left him alone and made themselves as unassuming as possible, then he'd leave them be.

"Easy, boys. Just keep your head down and walk to the sound of my voice." A hunter said as he would make a low noise. The teenagers he was beckoning did as they were told and kept their heads down while walking backwards.

The Monster just growled lowly as he watched them make their way to the other townsfolk. They jumped when he let out a curt noise before stopping and perking up. He raised his head and looking in several directions before listening closely. He could somewhat hear the sound of horses galloping and men shouting to slay the beast.

With one final snarl at the townspeople, he tucked himself into a boulder and rushed off to meet the group.

For the next few hours, the townspeople hunkered down inside their homes as they heard a series of bloodcurdling screams. The screams were drowned out by the Monster's wild roars and the distant sound of the earth shattering from the attacks.

It was a good thing they had a form of self-preservation unlike many outsiders.

After the massacre, the Monster's infamy grew to a whole new status. He quickly ate the corpses and went to his cave to rest. However, instead of his normal rest, he fell into a deep slumber. He secreted a black sludge that blocked off the cave from the rest of the world and hardened into a nearly unbreakable substance that was hot to the touch.

When the village tried to observe the Monster, they found the entrance to the cave blocked off. Nobody could break whatever black rock covered the cave and they didn't want to. They wasted no time in building over the entrance, adding countless warning signs and other precautions.

At first, they continued with their normal routine in giving the Monster offerings. It was only when they checked back the next few days to slowly realize that the Monster was either resting or dead. However, they knew it was the former and a few of them discussed what to do.

While they were discussing, the Monster slept peacefully in the cave. Over the past few months, he had been continuously hunting and consuming Grimm, animals, and people who were foolish enough to intrude on his territory. This latest massacre was enough to fill his stomach for his rest.

Time seemed to drift by and it was hard to tell how much had passed. On occasions, the Monster would briefly wake up to adjust his position before falling back asleep. His cave walls that was previously covered in a thick resin hardened over time. It mixed in with the environment and eventually formed into a rare dark mineral that would probably be rich in value in an untold number of years. Just a handful was probably enough to set someone up for life if they managed to successfully extract it.

His armor started to change as well, certain sections started to turn pitch black like the dark minerals and become nearly unbreakable.

The outside world seemed to move on. People had slowly heard about the massacre that night and many sought justice by slaying the beast. However, they couldn't find him despite their best efforts. No matter how hard they looked, he was nowhere to be seen and the villagers that knew either stayed silent, moved away, or died. Eventually, people gave up and tried to move on with their lives.

Only through stories did people know of his existence.

As the years slowly passed, legends started to circulate around the existence of the Monster. Some said that it came from the stars while others say that it was the God of Darkness' most vile creation. There were even several groups that worshiped it in twisted ways. People from all over the globe wanted to learn about it. None more than two certain individuals, but for opposite reasons.

One wanted to learn about him due to his curiosity and find a solution to kill him in case he was a threat, the other wanted to control him and use him to do her bidding. Neither one could find the beast but could feel that he was here on Remnant. His presence was far more ancient, primordial even, and they shuddered at the feeling. An aura so deeply rooted within the world's foundation that it felt unnatural in a sense.

A fairy tale was eventually created about him. About a vile beast that consumed the souls of the unfortunate and would destroy anything that intruded on its territory. For the most part, it was just a story meant to scare little children into behaving, otherwise they'd be gobbled up by the beast.

However, the older generations within the village closest to the Monster's cave knew how true the tale was. They had experienced it while their grandchildren and great grandchildren were oblivious to the fact that the creature they heard so many stories about dwelled so closely. None of them knew that the little trinkets they carried around their neck was from the beast and were constantly reminded to never lose them.

Many drawings and paintings depicted the beast standing over a mountain of corpses while towns burned in the background. He had many names; The Beast, The Vile One, Monster of the Mountains, but the one that referred to him the most was The Ancient. Nobody knew how long he's been there but the older generation knew that he was from a species that was possibly older than them.

As for the Monster, he just slumbered in his nest. It was perfectly insulated and sealed off from the rest of the world. Not a single soul knew about his actual existence and the ones that did were dying off. It didn't matter if they lived or died, that was the nature of things after all.

In his dreams, he could see a time when others of his kind roamed free. They fought, killed, mated, and continued to live the best way they knew how. Wild and completely free. At the time, there were no people and Grimm were much more abundant to constantly keep the others fed.

However, that came to an end when two figures erased the others with a sweep of power. Their faces weren't seen, but a deep rooted sense of hate bubbled in the Monster's system. While they were gone and he couldn't catch their scent, he had the instinctive knowledge of their presence. Just the mere feeling was enough to cause him to shift around in his sleep and snarl quietly.

The feeling eventually passed and the Monster returned back to his peaceful slumber. A thick, black cocoon covered his body and he could feel a tingle in his brain, it was an odd sensation but pleasant at the same time. Flashes of memories of the time long forgotten would play through his head and he didn't understand them now, but he most likely would the older he got.

Deep rumbles were all that could be heard in his cocoon that was buried deep inside the cave that was further located inside the mountain. Rock, dirt, and eventually trees would cover the entrance and forever conceal the location until a certain point of time in the future.

Unfortunately, man would mettle with some things out of his control and nature would balance itself out one day.

I apologize for the lack of updates for this story. This chapter was meant to come out last month but I got busy and I felt like I was rushing things. Nothing but to say other than let's get into the reviews.

Mkfhda: Thank you for your support. I think the last one was too cliché and wanted to do something different this time around.

Ant9472: Yeah, I still go back and play it to kick back and relax. It's a shame the servers shut down, it probably could've been a good game had they continued to work with it.

Rook435: I enjoyed this review. As for the time passing, I'll think of something when it comes to it. Otherwise, thank you.

T3ddy: Yeah, my last version was like that and I didn't want to go the same route.

WittierTomb490: Indeed. As for other Monsters, that remains up for debate but the chances are low.

Jack Redhawke: Not all of it.

Austin: Thanks for the review. As for the setting, it's in between prehistory Vale and Vacuo.

ShinyGiratinaA001: He probably won't mutate into a giant Grimm or anything like that. As for the timeskip, there might be one in a few chapters but its hard to say how many. Thanks for reviewing.

Jevil77: You're welcome.

GrokmoreDakka: Thank ya, I will.

Well, thanks again everyone. Bye.