Chapter 11- The Tree
Hey there guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Tardispilot297 here bringing you the next exhilarating chapter of Godzilla: New Dawn! And this one is going to be truly epic. The one downside is that it's also going to be the last chapter I'm going to post for a while as I will be taking the rest of this and next month off for the summer. I will check out any chapter commissions in my PM inbox when I have the time but I can't promise that I will get back to you quickly. Now that being said I wish you all a very happy summer. And now, ON TO THE CHAPTER!
Old Man: Long ago, a group of strangers came to our lands in our people's darkest hour. Their names were Goji, Maya, Jaime, Rodney, CeCe, and Angelo. On that day, nothing would ever be the same again.
The Group continued walking along the road. Having been unable to find any small animals to hunt for food their only source for food was berries collected earlier from a few large bushes. Fortunately they were perfectly stocked on clean water having gathered rainwater from last night to fill their canteens. Still the small supply of food they had left a rather troubling cloud over their heads. A cloud that is soon joined by a large gathering of clouds in the sky up ahead. The Group stops to stare at the site of a large range of mountains a few miles ahead of them. They stood silent for a few moments before Maya broke the silence.
Maya: There it is, the border of the Northern Territories.
Rodney looks along the ground to the left, following the road they were currently on.
Rodney: God, the road goes way out of the way.
Maya: If we cut across this field right here, and climb over those mountains, we'll be there in about a day.
Angelo looks between the mountains ahead and the road to their left.
Angelo: I think we should stick to the road.
CeCe stares straight ahead.
CeCe: I say we go climb the mountains.
Goji turns over to look at Jaime who's body is shaking slightly. Either from excitement or fear is difficult for him to tell.
Goji: Jaime?
Jaime turns her head to look at him. She stares for a while until she looks back to the mountains and takes a deep breath in and out.
Jaime: Yeah. Let's do it.
Goji: (nods his head) Let's go!
CeCe lets out a loud shout in excitement before taking off running across the field.
CeCe: Hell yeah! Let's do this!
A large smile appears on both Jaime's and Rodney's faces as they race after CeCe. Goji exchanges a look with Maya and grins before taking off after them. Maya looks at the group but hesitates for a second to follow them.
Gordon: (flashback voice) Stay with the girl. Keep her alive until we reach you. Those are my orders.
Gordon's words echo in her mind as she continues standing in place and looking over the group ahead of her, and at the smiling face of the child running up ahead. A flash of a memory of her younger sister flickering before her eyes with almost the exact same smile. Maya clenches her fists and brushes the memory aside. Whether she likes it or not she has her orders. If she wished to attain that which was promised to her by her pack leader, she had to accomplish this one final task.
Maya: (whispering to herself) Just a little longer.
Maya regains her composure and begins running after the others leaving Angelo behind.
Angelo: Hey you guys! I think it'd be a lot safer if we ah–
He points towards the road as the others continue running farther and farther away from him.
Angelo: (shouts) You don't know what's in those mountains!
Eventually he just groans and starts running after everyone to try and catch up.
Angelo: Hey you guys wait up for me!
Angelo takes off running across the field but trips and falls over a small rock. He quickly picks himself back up and continues running after the others.
Battling against the cold, roaring wind, Goji grips tightly to the rock wall. The group had been climbing for several hours, each person taking care to not slip and fall. For safety sake Jaime stays close to CeCe, being an exceptional climber herself, who makes sure she's okay as she climbs. Jaime places one foot on a rock but slips a bit causing her to gasp and tighten her grip. CeCe grabs her arm to keep her from falling. Jaime looks down as a small rock falls over the side and out of sight. Her eyes widen as she takes a few deep breaths. She looks up at CeCe keeping a tight hold on her arm.
Jaime: I'm okay. I'm okay.
The group continues climbing until Maya, using her wings to give her a slight boost up the mountainside, comes across a gap in the wall. She flies up to the gap and discovers a narrow path through the mountain. Maya looks down and calls to the others.
Maya: (shouts) Up here! I found a path!
Goji and the others climb up to her and reach the path. Goji stands next to Maya and takes a look inside to make sure it's safe. He turns to Maya.
Goji: I'll go first.
Goji moves his body through the path which was barely wide enough for him to slowly shimmy his way through sideways while holding his pack behind and his sword in front. The others do the same with Angelo having some difficulty in the beginning due to his massive size. Fortunately he manages to get through slowly without getting stuck. They eventually come out in a small area at the foot of a pile of large stones. They get ready to climb up until Angelo clears his throat to get everyone's attention.
Angelo: Uhh, a little help?
They all turn to see Angelo sticking out of the pathway with the rest of his body wedged halfway through. Rodney and CeCe groan as they go over to try and pull him out. Jaime goes over to help as they each grab a part of Angelo and start pulling. Goji meanwhile looks back up at the stone pile before turning back to the others.
Goji: I'll go on ahead. You guys catch up when you can.
Maya nods her head as the others continue trying to get Angelo out. Goji starts climbing up and makes his way towards the top. As he gets closer he starts to hear the subtle sounds of booming in the distance. At first he believes it to be thunder from some approaching storm clouds. That is until he reaches the top and discovers that it wasn't the sounds of thunder that he was hearing, but rather the sounds of explosions. He looks down below where the scene of a massive battle plays out near a small ravine between two large armies.
On one side, charging headlong at incredible speeds, are gigantic quadrupedal KKs that are gray in coloration. Most notably, upon their backs sit a small pile of jagged rocks. Small plants can also be seen growing on their backs. Each creature has a large draconic skull with white eyes that have no pupils and a mouth with large, razor-sharp teeth. They also have large horns growing down from the top of their heads that curl inwards. Their forelimbs are clawed while their hind limbs are hoofed. Their bodies are bulky and armored ending in a short reptilian tail.
On the other, standing their ground in a more militarized formation, are large wooly mammoth-like KKs with large curved tusks. Along with bronze chest armor, leather leg greaves, and helmets reminiscent of ancient greek spartans, each warrior is covered in dense brown fur and has a short tapir-like trunk poking out from under the helmet. They also each have a row of serrated granite spines fortified with metal and ore running down their backs. The ends of their arms are tipped with broad fingers bearing very large claws like an anteater, with the legs being stouter for weight-bearing. Unlike the other army, their troops are equipped with M202 FLASH bazookas and Barrett M82 rifles in the rear firing upon the enemy while the frontline troops meet them with spears, swords, and large circular blade shields which can be thrown like deadly frisbees.
The two armies clash with tremendous ferocity. Spears puncture flesh. Soldiers tossed into the air. Claws and teeth tearing into flesh. Swords splitting open skulls. Rockets exploding across the battlefield. Blade shields flying and decapitating heads. Bodies being blown apart. Beasts charging and swinging their horns impaling soldiers left from right. A soldier leaping onto a beast's back and thrusting their sword through the back of its throat. Both sides unrelenting in the midst of such bloody, unforgiving carnage. The very sight of the battle itself leaves Goji almost speechless. So much so that he is unable to respond to the calling of his name from Jaime and the others as they climb up to join him.
Jaime: Goji? What's the matter? Why didn't you answer…
The rest of the group joins Goji in staring at the battle below.
Rodney: Holy
CeCe: Shit
Jaime stares out at the large numbers of KKs.
Jaime: I've never seen so many KKs in one place before. Why do you think they're all here?
Goji: Most likely fighting over territory or resources. They say the Northern region is practically littered with such conflicts between different KK packs and factions.
Maya: I've heard those rumors as well. Still, I never could've imagined such battles looking like this.
Jaime: So what do we do?
Goji: We do nothing.
Jaime turns to Goji looking surprised and confused.
Rodney: He's right. Squabbles like this don't hold any concern for outsiders like us. Best to just move on and let them be.
Before Jaime could argue Goji places a hand on her shoulder and looks at her with an expression of understanding on his face.
Goji: I know you want to try and help but it's just not our place to intervene in this conflict. And besides, right now we have a more important task, getting you back to your mom. You understand, Jaime?
Jaime looks back at him thinking over his words. She then nods her head.
Jaime: Yeah, I understand.
Goji pats her shoulder and starts to walk along the top of the rock away from the battle. The others start walking as well with CeCe patting Jaime on the shoulder as she walks by.
CeCe: You can't help everyone, shrimp.
Jaime lets out a small sigh and starts to follow behind with Maya watching her as she gets ready to follow herself. As she does she takes one last glance at the battle and notices one particular soldier wearing a red cape fighting against multiple beasts at once. Judging by his attire and skills with a sword they were hardly a common foot soldier. Their sword strikes down foe after foe as they continue to swarm him from all sides. Eventually they surround him and close in with claws and teeth bared. Despite their skills and indomitable will to keep fighting, death seems to be inevitable for them.
Maya continues witnessing the events play out before her with unknown interest. The last time she saw such a fighter face down such overwhelming odds was around 15 years ago. The images of that memory flashing through her mind. Specifically the moment when her mother…
Maya's eyes grow wide and her hand unconsciously grips the handle of her sword. Jaime and the others continue walking until she turns around to see if Maya was still behind them.
Jaime: Hey, Maya. Are you coming or…
She gasps loudly as she sees Maya seemingly leap into the air with her sword drawn and fly down towards the battle.
Jaime: (shouts) Maya!
Jaime's shout causes the others to turn around and see Maya flying away from them. Goji and the others run over back to Jaime and look down at Maya flying headlong into the fighting.
Angelo: (shouts) What's she doing!?
CeCe: (shouts) What the hell is that bitch playing at!?
Goji follows with his gaze at the direction Maya is flying in and sees the soldier below surrounded by beasts. Suddenly it clicks inside his head as he understands fully well the reason for her sudden actions. Without hesitation he grabs hold of his broadsword from over his shoulder and leaps down to follow her. The others watch on in further shock.
CeCe: (shouts) What the hell is HE playing at!?
Rodney groans a little before extending his wings out.
Rodney:(shouts) Just shut up and come on!
Rodney takes off and glides through the air heading straight for the rear lines of the defending army. The remaining three just stare until CeCe shrugs her shoulders and puts on a big smile on her face.
CeCe: Aw what the hell? Who wants to live forever? (laughs)
CeCe pulls out her pipe hammer and charges forward leaving Jaime and Angelo behind. Angelo tries to shout after them but then sees Jaime running down next after CeCe.
Jaime: (shouts to Angelo) What're you waiting for? Let's go!
Angelo stands there and lets out a heavy sigh.
Angelo: Ya know, just once I'd like to have a day where we don't go off risking our lives.
Angelo takes a deep breath and screams at the top of his lungs as he charges down the hill after the others.
Old Man: The single soldier stood his ground waiting for the beasts to strike. Instead a woman with large butterfly-like wings appeared from above and struck down two beasts behind him with one slash of her sword. The sight of her temporarily caught him off guard until he spotted two more beasts out of the corner of his eyes and cut them down with his own sword. The woman continued to swiftly cut down beasts with ease with the skills of a seasoned warrior. Before long, more strangers appeared across the battlefield to aid our soldiers in fighting the beasts.
Old Man: A mad woman wielding a mighty hammer, laughing as if she were playing a game. A large warrior using his brute strength to toss the beasts into the air and smash them against each other. A flying warrior landing in the middle of the rear flank and using one of our rifles to expertly kill beasts from long distances with one round each. A small child who's small stature and swift movements allowed her to sneak up on the larger beasts and throw small metal cans at their faces which exploded into clouds of shrapnel and tore at their flesh, blinding them to allow other soldiers to easily finish them off. And finally a single powerful warrior wielding a mighty sword to cut down hordes of beasts with incredible speed and strength.
Old Man: With the sudden arrival of these new fighters the tide of the battle turned drastically in our favor. The beast army's numbers dwindled as they continued to fall one by one. Until at last the enemy ceased to attack further and instead began to collect the bodies of fallen beasts and retreat. And that was how I came to meet these strange warriors.
Goji and the others regroup as they watch the remaining beasts drag away their dead and retreat. Instead of loud cheering however the soldiers of the remaining army simply stand silent and watch as their enemy leaves their sights. Maya looks over at the caped soldier and speaks to him.
Maya: Victory is yours. It's over.
Caped Soldier: No, it is not.
They then turn to Maya and the others.
Caped Soldier: Come with me. We go now to meet the king.
The caped soldier walks away from them as the group look at each other before following them.
They enter the army's main encampment where the soldiers all sit with looks of exhaustion and dire expressions on the faces of those without their helmets. A number of them bear wounds and bandages of past battles. Clearly this is not the first time they have had to fight the beasts. They pass by another wounded soldier grasping their bandaged arm. They look up from the ground and then stand on their feet slowly, eyes widening and filling with sudden admiration.
Wounded Soldier: My lord.
Goji and the rest of the group turn to look at the soldier confused until they start to notice more of the soldiers standing up as if at attention. The group looks ahead and sees someone walking toward them seemingly towering over all as they walk along past the rows of soldiers. A large crimson tattered cape flowing on the wind behind them. As they approach the once dire expressions on the soldiers faces change and become looks of newfound resolve and determination. Even the caped soldier takes off their helmet and smiles as they continue to approach. Goji soon comes to realize that the towering man walking toward them is in fact their leader or "King" as the caped soldier referred to them.
Their chest armor shining brightly against the sun with a crown sitting upon their head. A faded scar running down the left side of their face under their eye with one of their tusks sliced shorter than the other. The king walks up to the wounded soldier who immediately takes a knee before him bowing their head.
Wounded Soldier: My King.
King: Were you able to hold the right flank?
Wounded Soldier: Our forces suffered many casualties, but we held our position.
The King looks over the wounded soldier and closes his eyes.
King: Mmm. Your numbers have dwindled. I fear you will not survive another attack.
At the King's words the wounded soldier quickly stands backup and addresses him with new found strength in their voice.
Wounded Soldier: No, my king! We will never give up! We will fight to our very last breath!
The King looks at the wounded soldier and smiles proudly at them as he places a hand on their soldier.
King: Yes, I know you will not fail me. Rest now and conserve your strength.
The wounded soldier smiles and bows their head, sitting back down as the king walks away from them to a nearby chair located in front of a tent. Most likely reserved for the king himself. He takes a seat and places his chin onto his closed hand in thought. When he opens his eyes again he glances over at the group standing before them with confusion. He turns to the caped soldier standing near them.
King: Brotuck, Who is this you bring before me?
The caped soldier, now known as Brotuck, bows and kneels down before the king.
Brotuck: My king, these are the strangers who aided me and our forces in battle.
The king turns to the group with an expression of anger and suspicion.
King: This battle is of no concern to outsiders like you. Why did you intervene?
Maya steps forward ready to speak until Goji steps up and speaks first.
Goji: The fault lies with me. I saw this warrior outnumbered and made a judgment call. The others merely followed my lead. If I have disrespected you in some way, then I apologize.
Goji gets down on his knees and bows his head, shocking both Maya and the rest of the group. The King, equally as shocked, stands up from his chair and walks over to Goji and places his hand on his shoulder.
King: Wait! Stand up, please. If anyone should apologize, it is me. These long years of war have made my words harsh and my tone insolent.
Goji stands back up as the King looks at him and the rest of the group with an encouraging smile.
King: Anyone brave enough to face these monsters is a friend.
Brotuck smiles and nods his head in agreement. Goji looks at him and does the same. Maya still remains slightly shocked until Jaime walks up to the king.
Jaime: Um. Excuse me?
The King looks down at Jaime as she musters up the courage to ask him a question.
Jaime: If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is this war?
The King closes his eyes and lets out a heavy sigh.
King: A fair question to ask.
He turns back to Goji and the rest of the group.
King: Sit with us, and I shall reveal to you the truth behind this long, brutal conflict.
The group follows the King to a place in camp where the soldiers all sit and rest around a large king takes a seat and clears his throat before beginning his story.
In his words, long ago a powerful beast went mad and waged war against all that stood in its path. Feeding off the land itself, growing larger and more powerful. In time, all of the neighboring lands had fallen before its might. With only the King and soldier's homeland left to stand against such a threat. The beast desperately craves their lands, for their home is beautiful, peaceful, and above all rich in resources. The beast and its armies would have no doubt destroyed them long ago, however their land was protected by the tallest of mountains. With a narrow ravine serving as the only entrance. And so it was there, with only 300 soldiers, that they were able to stop the beast's armies. The precise position of their forces being easy to defend, and thus making the enemy's vast superior numbers rendered worthless. Year after year, the war raged on. Battle after battle. Skirmish after skirmish. The two armies clashed again and again with no end. Eventually the battle became a stalemate… For the beast strips the battlefield clear of its fallen to use its power to resurrect and rebuild its armies again and again. And so the war continued, seemingly without end. To the point where the current king was but the fifth to defend the gateway to their beloved homeland.
King: And tomorrow will bring the same.
After listening to the King's story Goji and the others sit silently in thought. Until Angelo breaks the silence with a question.
Angelo: I don't suppose you guys know where this "Beast" lives?
Brotuck: The exact location of the beast's lair was ascertained long ago by the second king.
CeCe: Well if you know where it lives, then why not just go now while it's busy rebuilding its army and kill the damn thing?
King: Regrettably that is impossible. The only reason we have held this long is because of the narrow terrain nullifying their numbers. Attempting to fight them on open ground would be paramount to suicide. No, I'm afraid there is no other way.
Maya: But surely you understand that you can't hope to fight this war forever?
King: Perhaps, but until fate dictates otherwise, we will continue to fight and defend our home.
Goji sits silently thinking upon the situation before them. With things as they are even with the group's help the battle would continue to be nothing but a stalemate. And with only one way through the mountains then… Goji suddenly opens his eyes and remembers something important. Something that just might tip the scales of this war in their favor.
Goji: There is another way.
The King turns to Goji in slight confusion.
King: What do you mean?
Goji: There is a separate path through the mountains.
The news of this causes a loud uproar among the soldiers.
Soldier 1: What?!
Soldier 2: Impossible!
Soldier 3: How can that be?!
Maya stands up and shouts over the soldiers.
Maya: It's true! It's how we were able to arrive here in the first place.
The King looks directly at Maya and Goji.
King: How wide is this path?
Goji: Wide enough for troops to move through sideways, weapons held in front and behind.
King: How long to complete the journey?
Maya: About half a day.
King: Will you show us this path?
Goji: Yes, but on one condition. (looks over at Jaime) You ensure this girl will be safe with your people.
The King looks between Jaime and Goji.
Goji: If you can agree to that then we have a deal.
The King nods his head.
King: A fair and honorable request. Very well. I swear to you, on my honor as a king, that the child will be safe among my people.
Goji nods his head. The King stands up and addresses all of the soldiers.
King: My brothers, This war ends now! 50 of our best warriors will join me in direct assault against the beast itself, While the rest of you remain here and defend our position. And while the monsters attack us, we will attack them. So tonight, rest well and eat hearty. For tomorrow, we end this war once for all!
All of the soldiers cheer loudly and then disperse to eat a good meal and get a good night's rest. Brotuck turns to walk away to get ready for tomorrow when the King reaches over and stops him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
King: Not you. You must stay here.
Brotuck turns to the king in surprise.
Brotuck: But I must be at your side.
King: No, I need you here to lead our troops. For if anything should happen to me, you will be king… my son.
Brotuck stares at his father before nodding his head and getting down on one knee.
Brotuck: I promise you. I will not fail you, father.
An hour or so later most of everyone lays asleep in small tents. Except of course for Maya, who quietly slips out without disturbing either CeCe or Jaime from their sleep. The moon hangs high in the sky as Maya walks through the camp. She looks around and notices Goji sitting on a small hill nearby with a blanket draped over his shoulders. Maya walks over to him prompting him to turn around and face her in slight surprise, almost drawing his pistol.
Maya: Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.
Goji relaxes his grip on his gun a little.
Goji: It's fine. Can't sleep?
Maya shakes her head.
Maya: What about you?
Goji: I was always a light sleeper.
Maya: Mind if I join you?
Goji scoots over on the rock he's sitting on. Maya walks over and takes a seat next to her rubbing her arms slightly from the cold. Goji notices this and takes the blanket off of himself and drapes it over her shoulders.
Maya: What about you?
Goji: Cold never bothers me.
Maya: Thank you.
The two of them sit quietly while looking up at the sky. Maya turns back to Goji.
Maya: Why did you lie for me? Back there, with the King, you told him that you leapt in yourself despite the fact you know full well that I jumped in first. Why did you try to take the blame for me?
Goji: Because it's important that we look out for each other.
Maya: Don't lie to me. I'm not part of your pack. I'm only here to protect Jaime. I don't need your protection.
Goji looks directly at her.
Goji: You remind me of someone. Someone who always leaped into danger to help someone else.
Maya: Your brother you mean?
Goji looks at her silently tensing up a little.
Maya: I saw your memories when we connected on the cliff. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. He seemed like a good man.
Goji turns away from her.
Goji: He was the best man I ever knew.
Maya: My mother always believed that our duty in this life was to help protect others.
Goji: She sounds like a good person.
Maya closes her eyes. The memories of her mother are almost like daggers in her chest.
Maya: She was, until she died because of it.
Goji looks back at her and notices the small tears threatening to trail down her face. He raises his hand but hesitates to get closer to her. Instead he reaches into his pocket and takes out a small rag and offers it to her. She looks at it and turns away from him.
Maya: I don't need your sympathy.
Goji puts the rag down on the rock.
Goji: I'm sorry. I'm not very good at these kinds of things.
Maya turns back to him.
Maya: What do you mean by that?
Goji clears his throat and avoids making eye contact with her. He stands up and walks away.
Goji: Try to get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow.
Goji leaves Maya alone on the rock as she watches him leave. Her gaze then turns to the rag left behind on the rock next to her. She picks it up and turns back to where Goji left. She looks at the rag in her hands. A strange warm feeling in her chest. A small smile forms on her face despite her confusion.
The next day just before the brink of dawn everyone in the camp immediately gets to work making the necessary preparations. Passing out weapons, putting on armor, and gathering up rope. Among them Goji, CeCe, Maya, Rodney, and Angelo each put on a set of chest armor that had been forged last night for them to wear for the attack. Rodney loads up a few clips of ammo for the rifle supplied to him while Angelo equips a blade shield on each arm. In the main tent The King prepares for battle himself as attendants assist in putting on his personal armor and helmet. He then takes his sword, shield, and spear and steps out of the tent to lead the assault force. He steps out on top of the hill and gives the signal to begin marching.
King: Forward, my brothers!
All fifty members of the assault force, including The king, Goji and the rest of the group, begin their trek to the mountain path. Goji and the group lead them straight to it and are the first to begin to pass through with the king and his soldiers following close behind. Finally when they come out the other side they deploy several sets of rope to climb down the side of the mountain with. When they reach the bottom The king takes the lead and marches them in the direction of the beast's lair.
Back at camp the sun climbs higher into the sky. Inside his tent Brotuck brandishes his sword and puts on his helmet and cape. While he had fought in several battles beforehand this was the first battle that he would be leading the army as their commander. A heavy responsibility that most people would feel crushed under. Brotuck however had been preparing for it since birth. As prince and future leader of his people. He turns to walk out of the tent and speak to the troops. As he does he notices Jaime helping to sharpen a few swords for the soldiers before passing them out.
When the time came for her to be escorted back to the kingdom for her protection Jaime had argued that she wasn't about to run away while everyone else risked their lives. So instead she managed to convince Brotuck to let her help from the support lines. Such as sharpening weapons and tending to the also helped that she managed to make a dozen more nail bombs to give to a number of soldiers to use. And after seeing her actions in yesterday's battle he had the utmost faith that Jaime would do her part in helping to end this war.
Brotuck turns to the troops lined up and awaiting his words.
Brotuck: My Brothers, the day we've prayed for has finally arrived. Now you all know me, so I'll make this as simple as I can. If it's our time to die, it's our time. All I ask is… if we have to give these beasts our lives, We give them hell before we do!
All of the soldiers shout and roar, raising their spears in the air and bashing their shields against their chest armor. They soon begin to march and take their positions on the battlefield. All the preparations have been made. Both forces stand ready. One way or another, the decades-long war was about to end.
A few miles away the assault group takes their positions. A few feet away the beast's army comes pouring out of a large cave like a living river. The majority of their forces were already on their way for their daily attack on the ravine gateway. After a few moments of observing later the king points out towards the mouth of the cave.
King: Look. There. The last of its army has left.
True to his word the last few dozen creatures leave the cave and charge out of sight. The entrance to the lair now visibly unguarded. Goij and the others stand ready to charge, gripping their weapons tight.
King: Our time has come!
The king leads the charge with Goji and the others running over the hill to follow him.
Back at the ravine the soldiers march in formation and stop just before the small river a few feet away, establishing their main battle line. Silence falls over the gorge as the troops stand ready with the rear troops standing by with bazookas and rifles ready. Brotuck stands overlooking the main field when the sounds of low rumbling begin to rise on the wind. Not far off a large dust cloud fills the horizon with a large army of beasts charging top speed towards their position.
The soldiers stand unfazed by the large enemy force in front of them. As they get closer the soldiers move in close with their shields to build a wall along the line. Brotuck raises his spear in the air to signal to the rear troops.
Brotuck: Rockets ready!
The rear troops load their bazookas and take aim at the enemy. Brotuck slowly lowers his spear to aim the tip at the enemy. This signals the frontline troops to move in closer and ready their own spears to create an impenetrable battle beasts charge closer and closer to the battle line and finally enter the small stream. Brotuck shouts the order for the rear troops to open fire. Within a matter of seconds rockets begin flying through the air and hit the river blowing up scores of beasts at a time. Along with the rocket troops, riflemen begin opening fire and blow apart the enemy ranks as they continue to charge forward. When the beasts finally reach the battleline a number of them are impaled on spears and collide with shields. A few of them are even sliced up the middle with swords.
A few beasts manage to break through the shield wall and charge through the battleline. A few soldiers toss several nail bombs which immobilizes them enough to be finished off with swords and spears. Brotuck leaps into the fray to fight off the next wave. In the rear Jaime moves quickly to help get the wounded off the battlefield to safety. Until suddenly a beast manages to spot her and charge at her with a loud roar. Jaime sees the beast running towards her and quickly searches for a way to defend herself and the wounded soldier. She then spots a discarded rifle and manages to grab it and lift it up to jam the rifle barrel into the beast's mouth and pull the trigger. The beast's head immediately explodes into blood, brains, and skull flying in all directions with some of it landing on her. She lays there in shock for a few moments with her ears ringing until she shakes her head and goes back to dragging the wounded soldier to the rear.
Meanwhile at the cave entrance to the beast's lair the assault force charges forward with weapons raised. They get within a few more feet when some of the large rocks start to move near the mouth of the cave. Suddenly out of the ground spring up massive multi-legged creatures, with thick spiked carapaces, small faces, and long finger-like claws that mimic the shape of pincers. Their carapaces notably resemble rocks, most likely evolved as a form of camouflage. Parts of the body are unarmored, revealing dense musculature and a long tail. They let out loud screeching and charge wildly at the assault force.
The King quickly shouts out orders to his troops.
King: Fortify!
The soldiers immediately close in around The king, Goji, and the others using their shields to cover themselves with their spears sticking out in all directions like a big metal porcupine. The rock creatures leap at them impaling themselves onto the spears in the process. They continue the charge until they just enter the mouth of the cave. The king then shouts out the order to disperse. The porcupine breaks apart allowing the soldiers to spread out and begin fighting the remaining rock creatures with swords and spears. Goji and Maya cut through the weak points in their armor while CeCe and Angelo smash them to bits with Rodney supporting from the rear and taking aim with the rifle. The King continues to charge forward cutting up rock creatures like land sushi. One manages to tackle and bash his shield out of his hand forcing him to dodge another one charging at him.
He spins around and stabs his sword through the back slit in its armor and grabs hold of one of its pincer arms and pulls back hard. Under the tremendous strain the arm eventually gets ripped off allowing the king to use it to beat the rock creature to death with it and pull his sword back out of its corpse. He turns and faces the next one by smashing his fist into its exposed face. This allows him to use his strength to lift it up into the air and smash it into another horde of rock creatures.
Maya flies up into the air and dives down onto a swarm of rock creatures and slices them apart with her sword. A few manage to get behind her but end up getting their heads split open by Goji's broadsword. The two start fighting back to back with Goji and Maya locking hands and the former swinging the latter around kicking creature's faces in and sending them flying. One even gets smashed in midair by CeCe swinging her hammer down and cracking them open like a walnut. Rodney continues firing his rifle quickly changing ammo mags as they run out. Angelo catches a rock creature with both hands and uses his strength to twist its head clean off. The battle rages with the king, Goji, Maya, the trio, and the rest of the soldiers slaughtering rock monsters left and right.
As the swarms continue to pour out of the ground Rodney aims his rifle at the cave ceiling and starts shooting indiscriminately all across the rock ceiling above causing a large part of it to collapse and bury a large portion of the swarm underneath tons of rock and rubble. This allows the assault force to regroup and form a defensive line for the soldiers to fight off the remaining rock creatures. The king meanwhile issues orders for them to hold the enemy at bay while he, Goji, and the others continue further inside the cave. The six person squad runs inside until they come to a large intersection of tunnels.
They look around searching for the right tunnel to head down into. The King spots one with plant roots growing out of it. He points the way for the others and leads them down it. They run down the tunnel climbing up and over large plant roots and vines. They round a corner and head down another tunnel following the trail of plants further underground. They continue down several more tunnels until they come to the entrance of a large underground chamber covered completely in tree roots and branches. The inside is illuminated by large amounts of light blue moss along the ground.
The group begins their descent down into the chamber using the roots to climb down. They make it to the bottom and walk across the chamber keeping their eyes peeled and their heads on a swivel in search of their intended quarry. They search carefully with weapons ready, completely unaware of the sets of eyes watching them from above. Slowly emerging from a hole in the ceiling a massive demonic-looking KK lowers itself to the ground without making so much as a sound. It's form being black in coloration with ten yellow eyes that lack pupils. Four tendril-like appendages ending in four large shock pads extend from its face and flow backward. Its jaws are filled with needle-like teeth and a tongue armed with a bony spike. Its only true organic body parts are its head, spine, and some nervous system. The rest of its body is a telekinetically-assembled mass of vegetation.
The rest of its form that it takes on includes forelimbs made out of loose vines capable of stretching to tremendous lengths, and ending in massive four-digited claws. Blue veins can be seen pulsating all throughout its body, which is held up by four, tree trunk-like legs. Several tree-like structures grow outwards from its back.
It silently places itself onto the ground and slowly stalks the group like a massive wolf spider closing in on its prey. It begins to loom over the unsuspecting group getting ready to strike down upon them. The branches of its body silently make a creaking sound that is quickly picked up on by CeCe's ears which shoot straight up. She spins her head around and spots the horrific site of the beast behind them.
CeCe: (shouts) Look out!
The rest of the group turn around and leap out of the way just as the beast is about to chomp down on them. It begins to chase them down throughout the chamber, chomping its mouth and smashing up the ground with its wooden tendrils. Finally it backs the group into a corner and tries to smash them once more. This time however the group each raise their shields to block the heavy attack. This assault continues several times until Goji, the king, and Maya begin slashing the tendrils apart with their swords. With each tendril blocked by Angelo and CeCe, the more get sliced off by Goji, Maya, and the king. Rodney takes aim with the rifle from behind and takes shots at the beast's head taking out a few of its eyes.
This causes the beast to become even more enraged and charge forward with its mouth opened further with a loud creaking noise. The group splits up to dodge the attack which breaks apart a large chunk of the floor. Each of them raise their shields to block the incoming attacks while using their weapons to fight back and slowly break the beast's body apart. The beast lets out a loud screech in anger as it starts twisting its remaining vines together to form larger, heavier limbs to try and smash them with. The king swings his sword to try and cut it apart but the sword ends up breaking against the stronger bark. Goji thinks fast and tosses his sword over to the king. He then takes a deep breath with energy building up along his spine and his eyes glowing blue. He then lets out a massive blast of atomic energy at the beast which manages to knock it back slightly and allow the king to catch Goji's sword in his hand.
In exchange he tosses Goji his shield to use to defend himself from the beast's counter attack while he uses Goji's sword to chop off parts of its wooden body having been weakened by the heat of Goji's atomic breath. The onslaught continues with the group redoubling their attacks and chipping away at the beast's body. Until finally it lets out another loud screech and launches itself upward to attach itself to the ceiling and lunge itself at the group with its head and enlarged mouth to take more chomps at them. It then lets loose a stream of vines at them which manages to smack CeCe, Rodney, and Angelo into the wall. Another massive tendril attempts to smash Goji from above. Maya extends her wings and flies over to help him block with their combined shields.
The force and weight of the tendril partially smashes them into the ground. The impact causes the ground underneath them to crack apart with their shields dented inward. The King turns to face the beast which attempts another lunge attack at him. Thinking on his feet The King throws Goji's sword with as much strength as he can muster at the beast's head. The sword flies through the air towards the massive head until it makes impact into its forehead, through the brain, and out through the back of the skull. The beast dies instantly and falls to the floor with a heavy thud which shakes the entire chamber. The rumbling triggers the chamber to collapse and fall apart. A large rock falls towards the king threatening to crush him. At the last moment Goji leaps toward him and pushes the king out of the way with the large rock falling on top of him. The king can only watch as Goji and the others are buried underneath the rocks and rubble.
Back outside the rock creatures screech loudly and convulse before falling to the ground dead. The same phenomenon occurs back at the ravine with the draconic KKs dropping dead across the field. Back at the cave the king and his soldiers run out as the cave collapses and caves in on itself. A large cloud of dust covering what's left of the sealed up entrance.
Old Man: The war was finally over, but the warriors were gone.
The King walks through the cloud and finds laying on the ground a single, dented shield. The same kind was given to the group back at the camp. He reaches down and picks it up, staring at it with sadness in his expression.
Old Man: One of their shields was all that was left of them. As for the child, she denied any words of their loss and vanished under the cover of night from our lands, never to be seen again.
*60 Years later*
The king lay upon his bed with his family and subjects gathered all around him. On this day, during his final hours of life on this earth, the old king had decided to share the tale of what happened on that day 60 years ago.
Old King: These strangers who became our brothers and sisters aided us in our time of need and made a difference.
The old king turns his gaze at the old damaged shield that still hung on the wall after all these years.
Old King: Their sacrifice and that of the others defeated our enemy, saved our lives, and ensured our freedom. They will be honored and remembered for all time. The 300 plus 6, but much like the child I believe the five of the six survived. For warriors that great… could not be stopped so easily.
*Present Day*
It was barely dawn as Jaime continued to try and dig out the collapsed cave entrance. Not believing the words of their deaths, she had run away and made it her mission to find her friends and dig them out from under all of the rubble. Even after working all night she had barely made any small progress at clearing the rubble. She desperately tries to move another big rock out of the way only for it not to budge even an inch. Eventually she runs out of strength and slumps down onto the ground in front of the rock.
The built up sadness and despair finally gives way and Jaime begins crying into her legs now pulled into her chest. This continues for several minutes until she starts to hear a small rumbling sound behind her. She lifts up her head and listens carefully at where the sound is coming from. Finally she puts her head directly to the rocks and starts to hear the noise getting louder and louder. Then she starts to feel the rocks shaking with a subtle blue glow coming from behind the rubble. Realizing what that meant she quickly stands up and runs away from the rock pile which soon explodes in a blue beam sending rocks flying everywhere. Jaime drops to the ground face first and covers her head and ears with her hands.
Jaime waits for things to quiet down before standing up and turning around back to the now unsealed cave. Smoke now bellowing out from inside the cave, Jaime walks up to the entrance coughing and waving her arm to try and blow away the smoke. She takes a few more steps until she stops dead in her tracks and sees five figures walking out of the cave and through the smoke towards her. As they get closer and closer, Jaime's smile grows wider and wider.
Duh-duh-duh-duh duh-duh Duh-duh-duh! And with that chapter 11 is complete! I do so hope you guys enjoyed reading this one. For as was stated at the beginning this will be the last chapter I will be posting for while as I will be taking a month long break for the rest of the summer.
List of KKs
Goji: Godzilla
Jaime: ?/Oxygen Destroyer Hybrid
Maya: Mothra
Rodney: Rodan
CeCe: King Caesar
Angelo: Anguirus
King, Brotuck, and Soldiers: Behemoth
Draconic KKs: Methuselah
Rock Creature KKs: Rockclaws
Tree KK: Amhuluk
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HEROS Central: I like to think so too.
So folks until next time, this is Tardispilot297 saying… ALLONSY!