Emergence: Kaiju Invasion

[Zarm]

Bridgewell swore under his breath.

"We should try again- a vehicle or something, in its scale. In case a visual signifier gets us a response. But I think that's officially plan B. We're back to Ba-pef as a source of intel. This thing is either ignoring us, or something- this destroyer of life- has programmed it to transmit a message. We may just be talking to an answering machine recording, here."

It was an absurd notion... but little more absurd than the circumstances.

But the idea of something that could control these kaiju- send one on ahead as an answering machine... or, even if this beast was acting of its own volition, something significant enough to warrant a herald, voluntarily or involuntarily, serving it...

That notion didn't seem so absurd, as desperate as he wanted it to be. It just filled him with a cold, dead terror.

[Billzilla1974]

Hanjiru's attempt to calm the mountain of muscle that was Tyrosus had failed. The ursine titan attacked the icy dragon, going for her jugular with speed that no one would expect to come from a creature of that size and shape. The sudden assault by Tyrosus was thankfully cut short however, as Hanjiru summoned forth a concentrated blizzard of ice-laden wind and snow, increasing in its frigid intensity before finally exploding. Though the attack had the desired effect of preventing Tyrosus from killing Hanjiru, its aftermath revealed the unfortunate truth. Hanjiru was apparently low on energy, and the frigid storm had used up all the energy she had for the moment, leaving her unconscious roughly half a mile away. With the Ultra-low-temperature dragon out of the fight, Tekuta was unmoving, seemingly caught between keeping the eggs out of harms way, and protecting his new ally.



The crustaceous defender's indecision might've cost him dearly, if it weren't for his crimson companion a couple dozen meters in front of him. Ignus Lung was far less hesitant than his crab like friend, had been hoping the new arrival's voice could soothe Tyrosus from his rage, but those hopes were dashed after witnessing the failure of this peaceful tactic. Having seen the sheer speed and ferocity Tyrosus had in battle, the volcanic reptile had to think quickly. He doubted that his physical might would be able to match the Rex of the North's. Ignus also knew he could fly, but with his frost colored ally out for the count, and Tekuta stuck defending the eggs (of a kaiju he still didn't recognize), he couldn't chance it, and risk giving the bear a shot at either of them.

Digging would have similar problems, but the gold-clad daikaiju didn't rule it out completely, recognizing that the bear could be immobilized if some tunnels were dug under him.
Charging up a "lightning slam" was out of the question, unless a lucky thunderstorm passed over the battlefield. Shutting his jaws, Ignus Lung inhaled deeply through his nostrils, leaned his head and shoulders back, and clenched his toes into the British Columbian soil. The fire dragon's scales began to shine, his body resembling a miniature sun for a few moments, a sign that Ignus Lung wasn't going to hold anything back. Pushing his tail into the ground to reduce recoil, the Monster of Myth Jerked his head and upper body forward, launching a cascade of orange-white flames, with blue sparks of energy forming and dissipating from the beam's full intensity. Warping the air as it went, the river of 100,000 degree, superheated flame hurtled towards Tyrosus.

[Zarm]

The battlefield exploded into chaos. Ignus Lung didn't seem to be assuming Tyrosus was out for the count- Tekuta couldn't afford to, either. Rolling the eggs into their ditch, he began to work frantically, arms and ray in concert to blast dirt back into place.

Tekuta spared a sidelong glance, both eyestalks fixed on the frail and fallen figure of the stricken paragon that had bought him the time he needed.

She was larger than he; frail and fragile as she looked, he had no doubt that he could not move her with any rapidity- and Ignus Lung's touch burned.

That left him with only one option, and he feared that it was a long shot indeed. Over the chaos of the battlefield, he screamed at the top of his kaiju lungs.

"Sangrazotz! Sangrazotz, come quickly! I need your help!"

[Godzilla165]

Amelia arrived outside of the Strategy room and peered inside through one of the glass windows. It appeared that most of the people that should’ve been there, were... Accept her.

“Damn.” Amelia cursed to herself; she didn’t want to have to do an awkward, high school walk of shame into class after showing up late. Though, it looked as though she didn’t have much choice. Taking in a deep breath, Amelia gently cracked open the door and eased her way inside. As she slipped into the room, she noticed that James and the rest of their group had made it back before she did, and was currently giving her a smug little grin.

Seeing his irritating face immediately made Amelia straighten up and walk to her seat with confidence, shaking hands and greeting different generals and ambassadors along the way. What the hell was she so worried about before? She wasn’t some bright eyed newbie anymore. Amelia took her place beside Spade, opened her notebook and focused in on what the current situation was.

“Nice of you to join us, Amelia.” Hugo McAvoy, an aging British Diplomat said, looking at her over his thick speckled glasses.

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world, old man.” Amelia retorted with a sly grin.

“Yeah well, the world is counting on people like us to keep it from being burned to the ground, so why don’t we all get down to business?” James rudely piped in.

Amelia internally rolled her eyes until they reached the back of her skull. James was right, but why did he have to be so... “Bleh”, about it? What Amelia wouldn’t give to be surfing right now...

Blinking her eyes to regain focus, Amelia dialed in on Bridgewell and the other generals and put her listening ears on. What Amelia didn’t notice, was a certain Jones of Hayden sat in the very back of the Strategy room. He didn’t have any notes aside from a single, miniature notebook and black ink pen. Though, Hayden didn’t really need any notes; he was just there to enjoy the show.

[JAGzilla]

Langley, British Columbia

A flicker of strange emotion sparked in Sangrazotz's heart as he watched Tyrosus suddenly break free of his apparent trance and lock his jaws around the stranger's neck. He had no name for it; it was almost... a bit like... fear, maybe? But not for his own sake? Was that possible? Could fear be felt on another being's behalf? It seemed a preposterous idea. He'd certainly never experienced any feeling remotely like that in all his thousand years of existence. He'd been afraid of other kaiju on many occasions, sure. But that was perfectly logical, a basic component of any self-preservation instinct. But fear for them? What kind of messed-up sense did that make?

And yet, there it was, trickling up inside him, making his blood run cooler than usual. An aversion to seeing the crystal dragon be attacked. Had it been Lung over there getting his spine chewed through, Sangrazotz would've been chuckling to himself, enjoying the show as his infuriating enemy suffered. But he wasn't enjoying this.

Perhaps, he rationalized, it was because he was still hungry. Yes, that was it; he didn't want to see good food go to waste. Blood was no good to him splattered all over the countryside, and that was inevitably what would happen (and continue to happen for a long, brutal time) once Tyrosus broke through those gleaming scales. And... wait, scratch that- as he peered more closely at, or rather through, the stranger's translucent hide, he realized he couldn't actually see any veins inside her. Nerves, yes, but if she actually had blood pumping through her body, it must've been buried so deeply that Sangrazotz wouldn't be able to access it anyway.

It was at that point that he became aware of another wave of cold air blowing his way. There was nothing soothing about this one, though, and he shivered and fluffed his fur at the unpleasant, bone-chilling sensation. Tyrosus seemed to be getting the worst of it, though: snow, materializing from nowhere, whirled madly around the bear and his quarry, and he began to shudder, his grip visibly slackening... he actually let go, and-

WHOOOSH!

A hurricane of icy air battered the blood bat, sending him tumbling helplessly for a moment, before he regained his balance, wincing as his injured wing gave a painful jolt from the strain. He returned his gaze to the battlefield below, to find that Tyrosus and the dragon had been hurled in opposite directions, perhaps half a mile apart, now. She was down, unmoving... unconscious, or dead, he couldn't tell.

Well, that was that, he told himself bracingly. She wasn't food, and her immediate danger had passed, perhaps permanently, so he no longer had any reason to give her a second thought. Problem solved! Lazily shifting his position as he glided, he turned to take stock of the bear's condition... just in time to watch him become engulfed in a howling torrent of hellfire. A mile away, and he could still feel the heat rolling off of that inferno, all trace of the cold instantly burned away. Ignus Lung had taken the gloves off, it seemed.

The horrifying sight also burned away whatever lingering desire Sangrazotz had to stay and witness the remainder of the battle. He wanted no part whatsoever of that nightmare. Angling back toward the distant mountains, the red-eyed fiend gave a few careful flaps and began to make his way clear of the warzone.

It was at that point, of course, that Tekuta decided to become a problem again. His high, grating screech, tinged with a note of desperation, echoed across the landscape.

"Sangrazotz! Sangrazotz, come quickly! I need your help!"

What?

For the second time in a matter of minutes, Sangrazotz experienced something totally new and impossible. No one had ever, not once, asked for his help. Why should they have? Every other kaiju hated him, and he couldn't blame them in the slightest. He'd likely have hated himself, were the positions reversed. He was a predator, and his fellow kaiju were his prey. They were supposed to avoid or resist him at all costs, and had always played that part to the best of their ability. That was how the world worked.

Until now. Unless he'd misheard? Surely... but no, a glance behind him confirmed it: the ape-crab was staring intently his way, his array of eyes filled with a silent plea... which, in and of itself, had the opposite of its intended effect. With an internal sneer, Sangrazotz turned away, powering onward. If he could get to safety and hurt Tekuta in some way on top of it, so much the better!

...but...

Aaarrrgh!

The curiosity would haunt him for the rest of his days. Hating himself, he spun stiffly back around, forcing his body to head back toward the danger, because he had to know what had brought this fundamental, unnatural break from character on.

Descending slowly, glancing away to ensure that Tyrosus and Lung were still occupied, he landed lightly in front of Tekuta, taking care to remain out of reach of the smaller kaiju's short-range weaponry. Treachery was unlikely from the upstanding bleeding heart, but there was no point in taking risks.

Looking into the center of the crab's eye cluster, quietly relishing Tekuta's awkward inability to safely look him in the eye while they conversed, Sangrazotz tilted his head inquisitively to one side.

[Zarm]

Lifting one arm from the action of scooping dirt, Tekuta gestured at the fallen beauty.

"She cannot dwell here. She needs to be removed to safe environs. I am insufficient to lift her, and Ignus Lung cannot touch her. But together, you and I can bear her from this place."

Tekuta scooped the last of the dirt over the eggs, patted it down... and, with a deep breath to brace himself, looked Sangrazotz squarely in the eyes.

"Surely you feel it, too. She is unique. Something new and precious. We cannot simply let her be lost to the Great Bear's rage.

Whatever the avian's response, Tekuta knew that he was at the scavenger's mercy, either way.

***

Location: U.N. Strategy Room

The sound of hasty, flustered footsteps drew several pairs of eyes to the main elevator bank, where a man in a rumpled military uniform was making his way quickly toward the council table.

“My apologies for my tardiness,” he called out, in a thick but understandable accented English. “New York traffic was frightful, and outside the building I had to make my way through a gauntlet of female protestors in crimson costumes, who seem to think that the fate of the world being managed by five men is a greater crisis than the giant creatures rampaging through our cities and killing millions. It has been quite the introduction to America.”

Gathering himself, and breathing heavily from what appeared to have been a hasty flight through the mazes of U.N. corridors, the man reached the table and dropped the armload of scattered papers, clinging about a half-open briefcase that he had been carrying, onto the table-space before the sole empty seat- and a fair margin of both his neighbors'.

“As I said, my apologies. Everything about my seat at this table has been quite hastily arranged by my government. I have little doubt that I am here for a little other reason than that I was nearby, have security clearance, and speak a passable English. Unlike your governments, we’ve had only about a day to adjust to the existence of this council and our participation in it- in amongst many vast adjusts to many dire things. But, for whatever time I'm here- and I suspect that it will be only for as long as my government is in too much chaos to find a more qualified appointee- I hope to work to bring good out of this.”

He dropped both palms onto the table, hunching forward to draw nearer to the four men who were staring- some coolly, some in open disbelief- in his direction.

“Perhaps I can make some small amends for my disorganized and tardy appearance by bringing good news. While it appears that the Council has already dealt with one contact attempt in my territory without success, groundwork has already been laid for another. I've been in contact with a team back home, and a video link to this... this giant beetle-creature should be ready within the next five minutes.”

Belatedly, the man straightened, and extended a hand to general Li, his closest neighbor.

“Sorry, there's no reason to assume that my reputation precedes me. My name is Farouk Gamal.”

[Andrew the Gojifan]

Location: The Pacific/Indian Ocean
Where two oceans meet, a giant cruises, guided by her senses, she hears her heartbeat.
She becomes invulnerable, and speeds across the ocean, to save someone vulnerable.

[JAGzilla]

UN Strategy Room

"Li Tāo," he replied, accepting another handshake. "And... well, I won't tell you not to worry about being out of your depth. You've just been thrown headfirst into one of the most important roles in history, after all. But rest assured that none of us are truly better prepared than you for dealing with a crisis of this particular nature. This will be a challenging learning experience for humanity as a whole, but I'm confident that we will figure something out. And with any luck, your arthropod guest will play a significant role in that process shortly."

…………………………………………………………………………….


British Columbia

Sangrazotz responded by tilting his head even further to the side, making his surprised confusion clear. What an odd idea. Assisting the weak and needy was... well, it was what strange creatures like Tekuta or Fennikusu did. Sangrazotz did not. The weak were opportunities, and should be taken advantage of as such. What purpose did saving them serve? It only put the rescuer in needless risk, or let a good feeding opportunity go to waste. Really, the fact that Tekuta was even having to ask for help here showed the folly of his way of life: it was so unnatural that he couldn't even live it alone, being physically ill-adapted for it. He had to rely on the assistance of others as much as the wretches he protected.

His first thought was that he should ignore this insanity and walk away. That was what made sense. But the crab taking the chance of making full eye contact was astounding: he clearly felt very strongly about this, and was fully prepared to risk his life. And again, that was his problem. He denied Sangrazotz many things, and the vampire would normally have been glad to return the favor.

But, curse it all, Sangrazotz was no longer wracked by pain and terror, and somehow, in some way, the fallen stranger was responsible for that. Some deep, dark part of his soul felt... grateful... and a need to repay the debt. It was stupid, it was irrational, it may well have been suicidal... but it was there all the same, and it wasn't going away no matter how he wanted it to.

Slowly, reluctantly, Sangrazotz settled himself back on his hind legs and raised his wings. Using the tip of one, he gestured gently toward the crystal dragon. He angled the other wing's claws sharply toward Tekuta, letting them glint in the light of the rising Sun. He wanted to be clear on where they stood.

I do this for her. Not for you.

Then he flapped lightly over to the stranger's side, throwing an impatient glare back in Tekuta's direction.

[Zarm]

As larger machinations swirled about them...

In the Strategy Room, Gamal introduced himself to each man in turn, then took his seat at the table, awaiting word that the video link was ready.

In British Columbia, two frequent foes worked in common purpose to hoist an insensate green dragon and begin to awkwardly, ponderously cart her north, off of the battlefield.

The next moves in this global game now lay in the hands of others. Each could only play their part, watch the actions of other minds unfold around them, and hope that naught arose to spoil their ambitions...

[Zarm]

Double post.

[Zarm]

Location: Near the center of Marianas Island

Past a fallen log, over a rise; past the carcass of several native animals that were ignored and a scorched wasteland of brush leading up to the lakeside that would give an emotional creature pause, a molten pit bubbled and burbled. It was a deep red-orange, seeming to glow with an internal light, to Asyrax’s sensory inputs.

Resonance pulses through the earth had revealed a pocket of unusual density; that had warranted investigation as a potential source. Subsequent analysis had been slow- perhaps frustratingly-so, if such concepts had any place in Asyrax's calculating intelligence. But it neither questioned the speed of its thoughts, nor experienced the distraction of emotional processes; only the distractions of alternating background calculations and processes that would, seemingly unpredictably, rise to the forefront of processing priority and need to be relegated down again.

Asyrax did not question its performance, or its nature; comprehending that it now was, when it previously was not, had been enough self-revelation for one day.

The completed analysis indicated that the small lake represented a molten source of the metal marianasium, heated by means unknown and presumed sub-surface. Its composition was not pure; rather, it was thoroughly laced with the compound designated ‘ambrosia,’ providing the ordinarily-durable metal with the viscosity sufficient to stay liquid at comparatively low temperatures on the surface layer and edges; no crustings of sloughed-off metal coated the surface of the lake..

Such a source would require processing to separate the two compounds- but their interwoven chemical structure should allow then marianasium to be converted- at a heavily-lossy ratio- to ambrosia in sufficient quantities.

One of the background processes running perceptual subroutines noted that the radiant heat in the air was relatively contained, and insufficient to explain the asymmetrical charring of ground and vegetation that was not present in proximity to the lake along other vectors- but this observation was flagged low priority, and did not interrupt the operational procedures which now occupied the forefront of Asryax’s central processing consciousness and motor cortex.

Pace unflagging and unbroken from its cross-country trek until the instant before immersion, Asyrax stopped short of the lake-shore by inches, coming to a halt with unnatural precision. Both arms lowered, angling downward, to cross above the surface of the lake- the flanking, raised piped atop them once again swiveling on their pivots to align into a perfectly-straight tube, both thinner and far longer than either arm; joining into a single, seamless whole as their tips met, and plugging directly into Asyrax’s chest.

This time, it was not the barrel of a projectile-weapon, braced against the chest for recoil dampening; rather, like a straw, the tip was lowered into the molten sea of metal- sending ripples out across the surface of the lake as Asyrax began to drink…

[Andrew the Gojifan]

Location: Near the Centre of Marianas Island.

Thanatos neared th molten pool. It was one of his biggest interests. His senses told him there was a formidable enemy near, and it was not Asyrax. Then he stopped dead in his tracks. Something lit inside of him. This was a battle for the most important resource on earth. Thanatos let loose a roar and began to transform...

[JAGzilla]

Near the Center of Marianas Island

Asyrax carried on with its infernally hot 'meal'. Its optical and auditory arrays continued to scan the surrounding area all the time, analyzing and cataloguing everything they came into contact with. The optical units which were currently trained upon the pool noted an anomaly, a sort of current pushing its way across the surface, independent of the relatively still, slowly bubbling majority of the lake. This current was directly approaching Asyrax's own position. Its auditory units also recorded an anomaly, a low rushing, whooshing sort of sound emanating from the pool, independent of the standard hiss and pop. This seemed to grow louder as the current drew closer.

Asyrax instantly began to process these observations, sifting through its vast archive of knowledge for an explanation. Simultaneously, however, its sensory arrays also detected the familiar sight and sound of Thanatos approaching from another angle.

This combination presented a complex challenge for its currently sluggish processing capabilities, and it therefore found itself unable to instantly respond when the surface of the pool abruptly exploded, showering it with thousands of gallons of molten metal.
.....................................

Kronos opened his jaws wide, letting out an echoing groan of excitement. A new toy had come to play, and so soon after the last ones! How great was that? This one was big, too- as big as Kronos himself was, if not maybe even bigger; his eyes didn't get all that great a look at it in the second that passed between breaching the surface and striking. There was a lot of it to smash, anyway, and that would mean a lot of fun!

He lunged, snapped, clamping his teeth down on the thing's crossed arms. At the same time, his tentacles lashed out, wrapping around its legs. Digging his flippers into the rocky bottom at the lake's edge, he yanked backward, trying to knock his prize off its feet so it couldn't run away...

[Zarm]

Asyrax attempted to calculate the optimum options. In theory, it should already know the correct response- but something interfered with its processes.

With something like what might have been regret in an emotional creature, Asyrax absorbed what it had drawn up already as raw molecular matter, mere atomic building blocks that conveyed none of the benefits that either material might confer- repairing the last of the damage it had incurred, and had slowly been healing, from the earlier discharge of Thanatos' attack.

Its priority tree was clear on the next required actions, but it had yet to form a priority tree on sub-goals when confronted with more than one viable target. The first target was a more imminent attacker, but its damage potential was unknown. The first was a known quantity, but not yet an imminent threat.

The incisors clamped around its limbs seemed to pose little threat to its epidermal integrity in their present configuration. Powerful tentacles, however, had significant grip-strength, and Asyrax lacked the leverage to counter them. Only its weight was a struggle for the grasping appendages; one they were rapidly overcoming-

Lost in its calculations, Asyrax did not make the decision to extrude its form into the ground as an anchor or preventative measure by the time its feet left the ground, toppling it onto its back with a thunderous thud that shook the ground. Molten material splashed everywhere as its legs fell into the scalding liquid, and the tentacles began to drag it into the lake...

[KaijuCanuck]

Location: Langley, British Columbia

As the flames dissipated, leaving a blackened crater of singed fur and desecrated farmland in its wake, a burnt Tyrosus heaved himself back to his feet across the battlefield from where he had begun. Trails of smoke issued forth from his body, revealing spots of cracked and burnt skin. Tyrosus had an incredibly high tolerance for pain - even so, the burns pierced through his body as he moved his muscles. A rage-filled shriek of fury signalled Tyrosus' displeasure. The double-fisted punch of ice and fire had been shocking and unexpected from the two dragons, but Tyrosus quickly zeroed in that one was down for the count - the crystalline one, whose assault of pleasantness on Tyrosus still confused him to no end, was down for the count. She was being attented to by Tekuta and Sangrasotz- which meant that, for the moment, they too were no longer a threat. Satisfied, Tyrosus turned his growling face towards Ignus Lung. His maw crackled with a sizzling red, building energy - with a great snap of his neck, Tyrosus opened his jaws and let his shredder breath rip forward, barreling straight into the Monster of Myth's chest.

USS Patton

"Who's in charge? Is Major Semaj still with you?"

Semaj stepped forward from the crowd, and handed Lietuenant Miller a weary salute.

"Right here, Lieutenant," he said. "I wish I could offer some insight on the b-"

Semaj was interrupted by a great rocking of the ship, the massive form behind him disappeared and a a wave of water crashed onto the deck. The shell-shocked mass of surviving UNEIS members looked up see Epizona disappearing into the sky. Entirely bemused, Semaj turned to the Miller. "Right then. Anywhere on board I can get a beer?"

[JAGzilla]

Kronos was jerked halfway out of the pool as his hulking victim crashed onto its back. The impact tore the arms loose from his jaws, and he let out a surprised moan as the freezing air of the Outside struck unexpectedly at his exposed scales. It took a moment before he caught up with what had happened, and realized he should probably press his advantage while he had it.

Heaving his awkward bulk backward, he slid into the warm, sludgy embrace of his home and hauled with his tentacles, dragging the thing he'd captured halfway in with him. He stopped there, not wanting to kill it too quickly, and chuckled evilly as the molten metal hissed and sizzled against its skin. But... weird. Something was missing.

It wasn't screaming. Kronos eyed it with dull confusion, wondering what was going on. Toys always screamed or squeaked or made some kind of objecting noise when exposed to the heat of the pool, but not this one. It wasn't doing much of anything to fight back, either, just kind of taking its beating without reaction so far.

So he'd caught a tough guy, huh? It was gonna make things hard and give him the silent treatment?

Well, that just meant he was going to have to work to make it hurt, and that actually sounded pretty fun.

Releasing his tentacles, he lunged forward, clamping his jaws around one of its ankles, digging his teeth in as hard as he could. They didn't seem to be punching through very deeply, but that was okay. With a sadistic growl, he threw himself backward, pulling the thing fully beneath the surface. Then he swung his own body sideways into a powerful roll, viciously twisting and trying to rip off his captive's leg...

[Zarm]

Asyrax's sluggish calculations had calculated one thing- if it had been calculating at the rate it was supposed to be calculating, the cephalopod would already be a corpse. Multiple missed opportunities were already catching up to it as its thought-processes lagged behind actions.

Current assessment priority had to go to its new circumstances, however. The molten material was having an adverse dermal effect; the outer sheath was heating, beginning to collect and radiate warmth; Asyrax calculated that prolonged exposure would eventually soften it and render even the predator's teeth a potential threat. Shifting mass to a denser structure was always possible... but seemed unwise in the midst of molten immersion, as the side-effects were unknown.

Efficiency demanded that Asyrax open further ports along the immersed surface and resume absorption efforts, and so it was done- but now, the creature was attacking-

Unexpectedly, Asyrax found itself beneath the surface. Opening itself up to full absorption, it began to draw in the molten mixture in earnest- and as a side-effect, the predator's attached jaw began to sink into its surface as well. Increased stress on its leg-joint was a simultaneous factor, however- Asyrax was uncertain whether the kiaju's head would be absorbed for processing, or its own leg would lose structural integrity, first.

[JAGzilla]

Kronos was pretty sure he could feel the leg weakening as he rolled again, giving the limb a violent shake for good measure. He chomped down hard, trying again to break that annoyingly tough skin, when-

He yowled in shock, accidentally opening one of his eyes, and then yowled again and slammed it back shut as the molten Marianasium badly burned it. But that was the least of his problems: his teeth had not only broken through, they were still going without any help from him- his whole jaw was being sucked into the creature's flesh.

What the heck was happening?! Unaccustomed to having the tables turned on him, he flailed wildly, trying to dislodge himself. He slapped at his plaything-turned-attacker with his tentacles, hoping he could get it to-

His tentacles were being sucked in, now.

The unfamiliar sensation of fear started to creep into his mind. This wasn't right! He was supposed to be the one doing the intimidation, and his prisoners were just supposed to yell until they died. Clearly, this messed-up freak of a toy was broken, or something, screwing up the system like this. Who did it think it was?!

His flailing increased in intensity as he began to panic, and- YES! With a gross sucking sound, his jaw finally came free, but his tentacles were still trapped. He had to free them! With a determined groan, he lunged back into the fray, snapping his jaws down on the beast's head!

A metaphorical lightbulb lit up in his head a few seconds too late. His teeth were already sinking into the sucking abomination's skin again.

Panic taking hold, Kronos broke and tried to flee. Whirling his body sluggishly around, awkwardly dragging the thing with him, he dove for the bottom of the pool. Pumping his flippers, now pushing his evil toy with him, he powered downward, picking up momentum, and-

WHAM!

With a rattling jolt, he smashed the thing hard into the rocky bottom.

[Zarm]

Just as Asyrax processed the realization that it had neither the free metabolic processing bandwidth, nor the inclination, to absorb a kaiju, the creature slammed it into the rocky seabed, tearing free. A simple physics calculation was all the proof required that the amount of torque and muscle-pressure available to the average mature kaiju trumped Asyrax's attractive force; absorption of the unwilling was not a viable tactic ongoing.

Instead, Asyrax used that attractive force to adhere its legs to the rocky ground, merging with it- and for the first time since combat had begun, as its opponent recoiled, Asyrax had several seconds to calculate ahead instead of having to catch up with current events. Maximum absorption was still underway, as was priority refinement- but the timescale required to separate usable quantities of either material was in the minutes, and absorption of all it needed would last well beyond a combat timescale. And this was not a battlefield in which it could endure indefinitely.

That brought it back to its prime directive; the sole motivating purpose that its consciousness had absorbed in equal measure with self-awareness- and the surge of alien sensation that did not have a logical component; a chest-tightening, structure-tensing, calculation-disrupting impulse that surged through its being, both disruption and fuel-source-

-Annabelle...!-

-It was time to kill kaiju.

From its stable platform, Asyrax brought the sonic unit in its chest to bear and discharged seismic waves through the liquid medium- then launched off the sea-floor with a rocket-burst from its heels, an electrically-charged fist cocked back to deliver its blow.

[JAGzilla]

Kronos had just managed to grasp the fact that he was free, and started trying to work out what should happen next, when a sledgehammer and lightning bolt somehow struck his chin at the same time. Most of his lights promptly went out, and all he could process were vague sensations of cold and spinning before he slammed down hard and found himself lying on his back on the shore, tongue lolling out and blood dripping from a pair of empty tooth sockets. His three good eyes cracked open, vision swimming almost as badly as his senseless mind. But after a moment, he started to make out trees a few hundred feet away... and something large moving among them...