Wayne lagged behind Apocalis, preoccupied with absorbing his surroundings. From afar the area had seemed as though it were just another mountain. Now that they were ascending rocky steps scaled for creatures their size, it became clear that everything around them, while unrefined and coarse, was still carved with intent. Wayne’s imagination ran rampant as it tried to picture what a kaiju architect or stonemason might look like.

“Come,” Apocalis rasped as he reached the peak of the ascent.

Since the duo had landed at the base of the steps, Apocalis’ demeanor had shifted completely. What was once a four-hundred-foot-tall blowhard had become a stoical creature more befitting the title of ‘king’. Wayne still held no genuine respect for it, but he still found its ability to reign in such a bombastic personality impressive.

Wayne crested the height of the ascent and was greeted with a gigantic dome-shaped chamber. The outer rim was lined with coarse stone columns to support its roof, with the center of the room sporting a collection of stone mounds in a circle, with their height increasing gradually along each side as they reached the back of the atrium. The largest mound, situated at the far end of the chamber from the entrance, was the tallest, clearly the seat of the king.

“We gather in this hallowed ground to plan our every move,” Apocalis spoke as he sauntered around the perimeter of the meeting area. “Each stone is one’s seat. The height and position in the circle denotes the occupant’s standing relative to their peers.”

“Your plans towards what end, my king? I still don’t understand the goal of this ‘campaign’ of ours, or why we’re doing it,” Wayne inquired as he remained near the entrance.

Apocalis guffawed. “The annihilation of humanity of course- what else?” It turned and faced Wayne. “The ‘what’, I will permit you. As for the ‘why’, our campaign began for a multitude of reasons. The obvious should be humanity’s unchecked growth. The entirety of this world was one our home, but now, the surface is alien to us. We set foot upon the land, and we are attacked. What turned the sparks of ire into the inferno that is our mission, however, you will not know until you are ready.”

While Apocalis’ statement of the kaiju’s intentions was far from a surprise, it still made Wayne’s stomach do a flip. There it was, confirmation that kaiju were not simply beasts wreaking havoc without thought. Their actions were part of a calculated effort to bring humanity to its knees. Grim of a truth as it was, Wayne knew he couldn’t dwell on it for long. He couldn’t be caught showing any kind of hesitation regarding a species their kind were supposed to loathe. Instead, he shifted his attention towards the stone circle.

The marks and scratches upon each gave subtle insights into the variety of kaiju that once roosted upon these stones. Where one was covered in claw marks, another was smooth and pristine. Their shape varied wildly, with one seeming akin to a bird’s roost, and another with a slope in the back such that a kaiju of a smaller stature might scale it with greater ease. One characteristic was common about all these features, however: they all seemed rather old. “How long has the current order been established?” Wayne inquired with a dry tone.

“After my awakening, I carved a new hierarchy with myself at its head. We have seen many summers since without a shift in power,” he answered.

Summers, plural. Wayne had died in Apocalis’ emergence event, so that meant that he had been gone for a minimum of two years. His dorsal plates flexed slightly at the flash of anxiety that surged through his body. That was the minimum, but he currently had no way of telling exactly how long he had been dead.

“There is no need for such uncertainty, however,” Apocalis spoke in a reassuring tone. The kaiju had assumed Wayne’s anxiety sprang from uncertainty regarding his current standing. “If you strive to serve your king, you will inevitably climb the ranks and encourage all to renew their faith.”

Apocalis’ choice of words had piqued Wayne’s curiosity. If the world hadn’t been conquered by now, Wayne could deduce that their efforts had hit a snag. Was this so-called ‘lack of faith’ the cause, or the product of such delays? Even Kaiju could suffer from low morale, it seemed. Wayne mulled it over, but the first part of Apocalis’ statement looped in his mind. Had its quip about climbing the ranks been a call to action?

Wayne bowed his head in feigned fealty. “What do you expect of me, my king?”

Apocalis smiled a sanguine smile. “My second in command, Skathar, is a loyalist through and through. The third in our hierarchy, Rei Sol, was the King of all titans before I usurped him. I find his level of dedication…Wanting.”

Rei Sol was a large, golden kaiju who had emerged in Brazil. It leveled half of Natal before it had eventually been beaten back. Due to its divine visage, some began to speculate giant monsters were a form of retribution sent by God. Wayne could never forget a creature such as he, as it was Rei Sol’s emergence that necessitated the creation of a classification system for Kaiju to begin with. Regarding Skathar, Wayne recalled footage of a smaller insectoid kaiju that attacked the shores of Greece. It wasn’t too long after the classification system had been finalized, so debates raged over whether the creature qualified as an A class monster like the mighty beast that emerged before it, or if it was simply close to the peak of B class.

Size, destructive potential, and perceived intelligence were the main factors in classifying a monster, but destructive potential was the most heavily weighted of the categories. Rei Sol’s size, intellect and destructive potential were astronomical, so its classification was simple. With Skathar, it wasn’t overly large, and its intelligence was indeterminate, but the destruction it was capable of couldn’t be denied. How much had Skathar changed if it was able to defeat the likes of Rei Sol?

“I can assume you have intuited your task,” Apocalis groused to rouse Wayne from his thoughts. “You seem to get lost in your head quite often, subject. Pray your intellect compensates for your current meager physicality.”

Wayne sputtered and stammered in response. “Y-Yes, your highness! I apologize, all of this is so new, you understand!”

Apocalis huffed. “Your isolation made you soft. You will need to acquaint yourself with your true nature if you wish to stand above the likes of Rei Sol.” The beast spread its wings. It was intent on making its departure.

With its words and this sudden display, Wayne scrutinized Apocalis’ form more closely. He had dismissed his surprise at the wings on Apocalis’ back as him simply having missed them, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense that it lacked wings entirely when it made landfall. Its increased bulk and stature made more sense now that such dramatic changes as the growth of entirely new limbs was a confirmed possibility.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Scour the lands. Fight the mindless beasts who call them home. Consume their flesh and adapt. I must go, I am needed on the surface.” Apocalis leapt into the air, and scarlet flames poured from orifices on its back which kept it aloft. “Titans are beings of primordial chaos, ever changing. You will learn this when you have faced enough hardships.” It turned towards one of the holes in the stony shell encompassing the throne room.

With a blast of heat and the slow descent of embers, Wayne was left to his lonesome.

Wayne retraced the steps Apocalis had taken around the room’s perimeter. In that moment of silence, he almost felt normal, if only for a moment. The sensation of his tail dragging on the rocky ground, the limited range of motion of his limbs, the calling of enigmatic creatures echoing in the distance, all of it kept him from fully forgetting his predicament. His eyes rested on the throne, and he stopped. The seat of the King.

Wayne felt anger begin to boil to the surface. That bastard had another thing coming if it thought that he would be the key to ensuring it could be done. Apocalis had the audacity to tell him that he just had to work his ass off to earn its favor; get stronger so that he could have the honor of being a servant to an egotistical monster whose greatest aspiration is genocide. No, not a chance. Wayne wasn’t going to devote the rest of his life towards being a pawn in someone else’s game. He may be a part of this new ‘order’ whether he liked it or not, but that didn’t mean he had to play the part they had assigned him.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he couldn’t rebel by spending his days in indolence. He had been turned into a kaiju for a reason, and there was no way in hell that it was so he could bring about the destruction of his own kind. Then, it hit him. Apocalis’ words echoed in his mind. “As my subject, you will be instrumental in the success of our campaign.” Wayne smiled. He was instrumental in its success, huh?

If that was the case, then certainly he had the potential to be its undoing instead. What if, rather than joining the kaiju in their plot, he did everything in his power that he could to undermine their efforts? What if instead of a destroyer of humanity, he became a protector? Wayne liked the sound of that. He would follow Apocalis’ advice to grow stronger and climb the hierarchy, but his goal wouldn’t be to serve Apocalis, it would be to usurp him and claim the throne for himself. If he became the king of all monsters, none would dare to challenge his authority. He could order every kaiju in the world to cease their attacks on mankind. Yes, yes! This was perfect!

Of course, saying something and doing it were entirely different beasts. His fear of kaiju had turned him into a paranoid shut-in, and now he was making plans to fight his way through them? There was no way he could pull this off! Wayne hung his head as a rumbling whine escaped his maw. He was at the very bottom at present. If he had any hopes of embracing this course of action, he would begrudgingly have to heed some of Apocalis’ advice. He needed to get stronger.

Even if it turned out that he didn’t have what it took to follow through with such an ambitious plan, he had nothing to lose from training and getting better acquainted with his new body’s capabilities. The so-called ‘Land of the Titans’ would provide all that he’d need to get started if Apocalis was to be believed. There was no point in lingering by the throne, so Wayne made his way out and began to descend the mountainside and into the jungle below.

***

It was a strange feeling, walking among trees that brushed against his midsection. They were towering tropical features that would’ve blocked out the sun for any below them, but at Wayne’s current size, it was more akin to walking in a field of overgrown grass. The thick wooden trunks grazed his tough hide like mere twigs and slowly, a path in the jungle was carved in his wake.

Wayne still found the mental disconnect regarding his stature disorienting. He needed to acclimate quickly however, as he was there to hunt, not for a leisurely stroll. As the region of forest he had been wading through gave way to craggy hills and grassy vistas, he laid eyes upon his first potential target.

A herd of hefty herbivorous creatures with bony bodies lumbered about as they gorged themselves on the foliage around them. They reminded Wayne of a strange cross between a cow and a reconstruction of an ankylosaurus, but with eyes that were barely visible thanks to the smooth plates which covered the top of their bodies. These defensive structures were irrelevant to a beast as large as he was, as he could likely fit his entire jaw around them. Wayne hunkered down and prowled within the forest’s perimeter, staying as low as he could. He wanted to be as close as possible before he attempted to lunge into action.

His heart pounded in his ears as a strangely intoxicating wave of anticipation washed over him. He embodied an apex predator in that moment, even despite his relatively clumsy advance. Just as his size would prove advantageous in taking these creatures down, it would hinder him. Trees and trunks gave way with the shuffling of leaves and creaking of wood that splintered under his weight.

One of the beasts raised its head and peered in his direction.

He locked eyes with it. Did it see him?

The silence was shattered as it bellowed, and the entire herd bolted.

It was now or never! Wayne leapt from the tree line and pursued the herd of creatures. The beasts were fast, but Wayne was faster. Within mere instants, he was close enough to reach one of the larger creatures at the back of the pack. Instinct took over as he lunged forward with a shrill roar. His ravenous maw snapped shut and his teeth sunk deep into warm flesh.

The beast roared in agony and flailed helplessly as it was lifted off the ground. The rest of the herd continued their stampede, and none spared their captured companion a glance.

Wayne stood there, beast in his mouth as he watched the rest of the herd flee. He had done it! His first prey, and he had caught it all by himself! Adrenaline coursed through his veins, but it wouldn’t take long for it to wear off. He remembered he had a living creature in his mouth and dropped it to the ground.

It struggled to escape, but its injuries were too great for it to reach its feet.

Wayne grasped it with his hands and held it there.

And so, the problems began. He had to eat this thing, this innocent creature that was squirming and screaming in his grasp. He wasn’t so soft-hearted as to feel bad about eating meat, it was more the thought that he would need to eat it raw. He grimaced as he thought of how it would feel to eat the warm, bloody, uncooked flesh of this thing. How every piece of hair and bone would be impossible to separate from the sinew considering his size and clumsy digits.

Tired of its flailing and feeling remorse for the fear he had been subjecting it to, Wayne resolved to put it out of its misery so he could work through his dilemma in peace. One deft slice of a claw, and it went limp. He had never butchered an animal himself, so even if he knew he couldn’t get upset over what was just a fact of life, a pang of guilt still reached him.

No matter how many times he considered biting into the corpse in his hands, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Just because he was a kaiju didn’t mean he had to eat his food like this! No, he had standards! This place was deep underground, perhaps it had a hot geyser, a lava spout, or a volcano of sorts; he could cook his food there. He scooped the beast’s corpse back up in his mouth and set off in search of the means to sear its flesh to perfection.

He didn’t realize it at that moment, but the excitement he felt at the prospect of enjoying a well-cooked meal made his tail sway behind him.