Colossus By Choice: Book 1 Verse 5

3001 P.G.E. (Post-Godzilla Era)

[Universal Date: Day 118]
[Planet: Pyrestar]
[Capital: Silver Sun City]
[Location: City wall limits]

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The enemy force of ape men continues to carry out its routines, preparing for a new attack most likely given their latest actions of storming Silver Sun City's outer walls. Meanwhile, these soldiers continue to keep their captured prisoners in bindings; based on what they've told the prisoners, it seems they want some survivors to spread word about what they've done here. Out of all the prisoners, Taum and Skrill have gone the furthest in formulating something close to approaching a proper plan; a Draconi youngling admitted as an apprentice to the city scouts and an elderly Radent caught on a smuggling run is certainly an odd combination.

Thanks to their plan, the prisoner holding now smells of Tigrex urine. The smell is so obnoxious that some of the ape soldiers have been ordered to clear out the stink manually. Some of the minor units utilize their magic to forcefully blow the Tigrex urine extract downwind; the magic and natural wind currents carry the scent out into the wilds, all according to plan. Once the stench is fully expelled, the ape soldiers return to their normal duties, allowing Taum and Skrill to continue formulating the next phase of their escape plan.


(Skrill): The extract is downwind. Hopefully, it'll be only a matter of time before one of those ugly pickles comes looking for a tasty challenge.

(Taum): Then that leaves these bindings. Even if the ape soldiers are completely distracted by a roaming Deviljho, we still have no means of cutting through this wiring.

(Yun-Tao): Leave that part to me.


Taum and Skrill turn to their left and see a large Oxbul tied up next to them. It seems like she's been listening for a while to their plan despite their whispering, as she shows no signs of surprise or shock; rather, she seems quite determined and ready to add to their escape plan. This surviving blacksmith showing interest in aiding the plan catches Taum and Skrill off-guard, prompting them to look at each other with worry and confusion; this indecisiveness annoys Yun-Tao greatly, prompting her to lean in close with her downward-curved horns towards Taum.

The large woman's angered expression being right up in Taum's face unnerves him greatly.


(Yun-Tao): Are you gonna leave that part to me?


The youngling Draconi takes a deep breath and straightens himself up to get Yun-Tao to move back; she obliges, looking somewhat satisfied that she's gotten him to show some thicker skin.


(Taum): Only if you have a worthwhile addition to our plan.

(Yun-Tao): Fair enough, youngling. See my right horn, here? The very tip is a modified utility tool that I designed myself for emergencies. It's got both a cord cutter and a laser burner.


The city scout apprentice takes a closer look at the Oxbul blacksmith's right horn and sees that the front half of it is clearly mechanical, given her horn's size, it could easily fit the applications she spoke of. While Taum stares hard at it, one of the ape soldier wardens passes by, forcing Taum, Skrill, and Yun-Tao to quickly look inconspicuous. Once he passes by, the Draconi and Oxbul prisoners continue to converse about these new additions to the escape plan.


(Taum): And you can't activate them with your hands tied, right?

(Yun-Tao): Exactly. We cant do it right now, but when that distraction of yours comes through, I want you to use your teeth to pull the cap off. That should trigger the cord cutter, which I can use to cut everyone's bindings. And if need be, I can also quickly perform temporary heat sealing with the laser.

(Taum): Which will be our backup plan, just in case our chances of escape look unfeasible, to make it look like we haven't broken out. The heat seals will be relatively weak due to your laser burner's low intensity.

(Yun-Tao): Smart boy.

(Skrill): Great. Now we just wait, then.


The unlikely trio finally starts to relax after a long period of tension and bated breath.

That all changes when the ape commander comes around to inspect the prisoners. Unlike all the other ape soldiers, the commander exudes a presence that instills a real sense of dread into everyone, including the ordinarily boisterous Oxbuls. As he continues to walk in front of the prisoners that have been lined up, he stops in front of Taum, Skrill, and Yun-Tao; he then turns on the spot and looks down on them, making direct eye contact with the young Draconi city scout. Although his gaze is piercing and fills Taum with great anxiety, he maintains eye contact and tries to prevent his body from shaking as much as he can.


(Primatus Joa): I am Primatus Joa, commander of the first expeditionary assault force of the Iwi-ki. You're all probably wondering just who we are, and why I attacked the city's walls.

(Taum): You're the forgotten tribe, aren't you? From Humanity's home world?


The confidence with which the youngling Draconi responds to the ape commander's opening to his speech intrigues him. He promptly grabs Taum by the shoulder and helps him up to his feet, allowing the city scout apprentice to better look up into his eyes; he's still extremely small by comparison.


(Primatus Joa): Indeed. You've been paying attention to your history lessons, youngling. It's true. Forgotten we may be, but not extinct like you may have once thought. And soon, the entire universe will remember us for all time.

(Taum): You won't win.

(Primatus Joa): You seem so sure, wingless Draconi. We've completely overwhelmed the combined might of this sector of the City Scouts and the band of travelling Oxbul blacksmiths that had stayed here.

(Taum): Even with the forces at your disposal here, and any in reserves, you can't keep Silver Sun City cut off. Reinforcements from the other home worlds and colonies will come, and your forces will be routed. Even entering war with any one of the species will force you into conflict with a full alliance.

(Primatus Joa): And who said our goal is to beat any of the sapient species of the universe?


The Draconi youngling and veteran Iwi-ki commander stare each other down. Their exchange of words has replaced Taum's prior feelings of fear and tension with confidence and determination; he no longer fears for his life, but instead is prepared to give it all up to prove that he isn't afraid to fight to the bitter end. Before either of them can do anything else, loud roars in the distance get the attention of everyone present. Primatus Joa moves on from engaging in debate with Taum to address whatever creature is making the racket outside the city walls; he whispers instruction to one of his elite lieutenants as he passes by and heads to the smashed gates.


(Iwi-ki Blooded): Alright, round up the prisoners! March them toward the storage rooms further into the city limits and lock them up tight. We don't want them dead, but we also don't want them getting away!


Some of the lower Iwi-ki Unblooded prepare the prisoners for transport, standing them up and lining them up. As they march the prisoners to board the Apceros-drawn carts a short distance away, more roaring in the distance catches everyone's attention; this prompts the Unblooded to speed up prisoner boarding. Just as Taum, Skrill, and Yun-Tao get aboard the last cart, an Unblooded warrior is suddenly flung at them; the 3 of them manage to duck under the ape soldier's body in the nick of time. When they turn back, they see a frenzied panic from the Iwi-ki forces as something charges through the hole in the walls at breakneck speeds.

Several more Unblooded recruits are thrown aside by this charging Monster, but the trio still can't tell what exactly the creature is. However, their curiosity is soon answered once they hear the iconic piercing roar that forces them all to cover their ears so as to not incur too much damage from the ear-splitting noise. The Monster then shows itself fully after it performs a spinning tail whip that knocks away Unblooded and Blooded Iwi-ki soldiers alike.

The orange scales, the blue stripes, and the winged quadrupedal frame are unmistakably that of the fearsome and relentless Tigrex.

Before the ape soldiers can retaliate, the Flying Wyvern sucks in a huge amount of air and unleashes a roar so loud and forceful that all of the Iwi-ki surrounding it are blown away outright.


(Yun-Tao): That's a goddamn Tigrex!

(Taum): You said it'd attract a Deviljho!

(Skrill): Technically, it was you who said that a Deviljho would come. I only brought up the possibility that--


Skrill's technicality is interrupted by yet another ear-piercing roar from the absolute muscle-head of a wyvern.