22nd of December, 1639, 3:12 AM, 18 kilometres East of Emilia-Romagna region
Under the moonlight of the Mediterranean, or rather the Rodenius Sea, the natural light provided by the late night was disturbed by that of man. A spotlight scanned the waters as an Italian Coast Guard ship traversed the waters. Inside, a coast guard officer shined the spotlight of the ship as he could hear his superior inside.
"We've reached the reported site of the capsizing. Will update if found." The man said. He then approached the edge of the vessel as he looked out towards the water. It was dark, but the light should shine well enough onto a life jacket. That is if the fishermen were even wearing one.
The officer yawned as he shook his head. This was a matter of life and death. But he couldn't help but get used to the job. Saving migrants and refugees at sea made him think of two missing fishermen as an easy night at work.
Suddenly he could hear commotion from the side as he quickly looked to see two of his men roughhousing around a fish that jumped into the boat. One was laughing while the other was angrily berating his fellow officer. The superior rolled his eyes as he called out, "Hey focus you two! The sooner we find the fishermen, the sooner we head home!" He said in annoyance as he continued to look out towards the sea.
But then another fish jumped into the boat as it knocked his binoculars out of his hands and into the sea as the officer yelped in annoyance, "God damn it! ... Huh?"
The boat was suddenly being infested with jumping fish as the other officers now started to try and push back the sea creatures. The officer looked down as he could see a huge group of fish swimming away. But amidst them all was some floating debris.
"Hey men focus! I think we found something!" He yelled as they were now getting ready to save the fishermen. But then a hard wave hit them despite the calm night air which caused the officers on board to hold on. The superior kept his hat on as he held onto the railings of the ship before they felt a vibration.
But then the man looked up. The fish were jumping for a reason. They were swimming away desperately.
...
5:04 AM, Rimini
Matia Conti had been a train driver for a good twenty years now. What was a childhood nerd interest became his dream come true when he gained that promotion. But of course no matter how perfect the job is, Matia is no stranger to the grumpiness of having to wake up early.
Despite the calendar on the wall being marked, Matia knew what was today. He had a train ride from Rimini to Rome and of course like any other worker, the middle aged man with greying hair, fair skin and a light stubble on his chin was drinking some coffee and enjoying some breakfast.
Matia eyed the clock. 50 minutes left until his scheduled train to Rome. He quickly finished his breakfast and drank his coffee as he went to the bathroom to go wash his face.
The morning went on in his routine. The outside was still dark as night due the winter months. Much of the city was sound asleep still with those taking leave from work and school to enjoy the holidays.
Suddenly the peace was broken. 5:14 am. Matia yelped and fell to the floor as he was buttoning up his shirt and quickly the lights went out. Sounds of car alarms could be heard as Matia grabbed his phone and shined his light around. A strong tremor just hit. Was it an earthquake? Matia quickly slipped on his shoes as he rushed out his home. Beyond his gate he could see his neighbours in equal panic as the Christmas lights on the trees and then eventually in their homes flicker on.
Matia looked to his side. His next door neighbour Caterina held an infant in her arms as the man approached. "Morning uh, Caterina. You alright?"
The younger woman looked to Matia as she nodded, "Goodness yes we're alright. That was a seriously strong earthquake huh?" Caterina said through the wailing car alarms as she looked out to the neighbours checking if their home was alright.
Down the street, a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes leaned against her news van as an equally young man with fair skin and black hair popped out from the back. "Got the camera," the man said. "What can we record here exactly, Elena?"
"The biggest news story of the month, Gabriele," Elena said as she pulled out her microphone. "This is much better than some Christmas Street Fair story. Come on start rolling!"
Gabriele rolled his eyes as he positioned the camera on his shoulders. And with the signal of the countdown with his fingers, Elena then spoke.
"I'm standing here in the coastal suburbs of Rimini, mere moments after a tremor hit the city. It is about 5:10 AM. As you can see err, there's an initial reaction by the residents here from the tremor but it seems to be there wasn't much damage that has happened..."
Back inside his home, Matia turned on the TV as on the screen was the same reporter from last night that showed the Christmas fair. In fact it looked like she was on his street. The man grumbled as he pulled out his phone to text with his superior if the train ride for later was gonna continue on.
But then another tremor hit as this one was strong enough to make him fall to the floor. Some sort of loud sound resonated through the house as by some miracle the electricity stayed on.
On the TV, Elena looked back in fear as she spoke into the mic. "I-it appears another tremor has hit the area! Some sort of possible...." But then the same loud sound once more resonated through the air. It didn't sound like an earthquake.
The pair ran to the intersection as a dull orange glow shined against them. They looked out towards the street to see what was happening. And at that point Gabriele nearly dropped his camera.
Matia couldn't believe his eyes. Suddenly thinking that the TV was lying to him, the man ran out towards his balcony as he looked up. It was real. It was happening.
It was here.
A giant, five headed creature shook the ground with both its heavy legs and its air-piercing roar as below, the residents of those near the marina desperately tried to run away. Most of them were still in their sleepwear, having nothing but the clothes on their backs as they ran. But the sickening sound of screams paired with sizzling churned the stomachs of those witnessing the catastrophe as the middle head then let out its fire breath, burning down houses, trees, and people alike.
Elena couldn't believe her eyes. She stood there silently in horror until she remembered her journalistic journey. And as Matia was inside his home running around to get his things, Elena's shaky voice spoke into the microphone. "T-there appears to be some large creature attacking the residents near the Remini Marina! I— I can't believe my eyes it is like a movie and— oh my god!!"
Matia ran out of his home as he could see police immediately approaching. People all around ran out of their homes in terror as the ground shook below from the footsteps of the monster.
The creature above, a hydra released its toxic breath as those who were lucky enough to not be burned to a crisp ran out of luck the moment they breathed in the poisonous air. Those convulsing on the ground would be grateful if they were crushed or burnt instantly.
Elena continued to speak shakily at the sight as the roars resonated through the air while Gabriele kept a brave, steady aim at the absolute giant which looked to be as tall as a tower. "T-to those in Rimini there has been no emergency responses so far but if you are seeing this please stay safe and cautious! Run... oh my god it's heading towards here!!"
Caterina ran out of her home with nothing more than her phone, a bag of her baby things, and her son in her arms as she started to panic a bit. And seeing the stream of crowd run down the street, she followed quickly.
The sight of the neighbourhood south of the marina turned from leafy seaside to literal hell as bodies were strewn about. Some crushed, most burnt, and plenty poisoned. The hydra heads looked around as they growled before they set their sights on a tall structure shining in the night. It was taller than anything else in the puny mortal village. And with that its collective mind had one objective.
'Destroy Doors to the World.'
Elena and Gabriele hopped in their van as the woman was on the wheel with her colleague focusing on the monster. She spoke as she tried to drive through the crowd. "You letting the studio see this!?"
"Hell yeah I am! This is fucking crazy!" Gabriele said, bewildered as the local morning news show didn't even get a chance at introduction, instead reporting the catastrophic attack.
Matia jogged down the street before he looked ahead. "Caterina, hey!"
The woman looked back as she desperately tried to comfort her infant. "M-Matia! What do we do!?" She said in desperation as behind them the monster neared closer to the tower by the train station. It seemed like no matter how fast they ran or how slow the giant seemed, they were going at the same speed.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"S-shit uh..." Matia looked down as he fiddled with his ID which showed he was a trusted train driver. Train driver... he looked up to see a police officer announcing through his megaphone.
"Keep moving everyone, quickly head south as fast as you can! That's it! Keep calm!" The officer said. Matia quickly ran to them. "Sir you have to—"
"N-no listen! My name is Matia Conti, I'm a train driver! I had a train being prepared for my ride at 6 am! We can use it to quickly evacuate those who can't run fast enough!" Matia said as his heart was beating quickly. He showed off his ID to the officer, who eyed it and then looked back.
"Hey sir! We have a train driver here volunteering for the evacuation effort!" The young man yelled to an older looking police officer who quickly jogged to them.
"Seriously? Then— okay we don't have a choice!" He then spoke into the radio on his shoulder. "All units, begin rallying up any civilians to Rimini Train Station! Prioritise the women, children, and elderly! We have a train for them!" The officer said before he looked to Matia. "Thank you for your help, sir. Now go!"
Matia nodded quickly. With that he ran back to Caterina as the megaphone now told those running to head straight for Rimini train station. "Come on now Caterina, hurry!" He said as the woman nodded shakily and started to run.
Each step the van shook more violently as Gabriele then pointed to a nearby alleyway. "There, hurry!"
Elena nodded as she drove the news van into the alleyway. With that, Gabriele then went out back to the backdoors as he focused the camera on the hydra. The closer view showed green, glowing eyes, sharp scales and... what looked to be armour? But then the middle head looked straight at Gabriele as the man shouted. "DRIVE!!"
Elena looked back before she yelped as she accelerated the van, in time for a burst of fire to nearly burn them as the houses around were set aflame.
Matia arrived to the station where there was a regional training waiting for him. People desperately crowded onto the platforms as they tried to get the doors open. Matia sighed deeply as he looked to Catarina. "Hop in quick, alright?" He said as he went to the furthest door down the train. With a key, he quickly opened up the door as immediately some started to follow him inside. Matia got in the driver's cabin, and after he made sure his door was locked, he started the train up, and opened the doors as the lights inside flickered on. With that the evacuees of Rimini started to pour in.
...
Back in Rome, Giovanni Canessa was having an early start to his morning. He yawned as he was in the kitchen preparing himself some coffee. Barely dressed in just a button up and his dress pants, the man was waiting somewhat impatiently for his espresso to finish. Giovanni looked out the window. Still quite dark, but the restlessness of the prime minister was caused by his anxiety of the demons up north.
Suddenly an aide barged in as she panted quickly. Giovanni looked back, wide eyed as he sighed in annoyance. "Jesus Rita you nearly—"
"Prime minister! Italy's under attack!"
The man went wide eyed. Any world leader dreaded to hear those words. Their nation was under attack. The aide grabbed a remote and quickly turned on the TV. There, a major news outlet was rebroadcasting a news story from a smaller company in Rimini. There was a giant beast attacking the city.
"Get minister Moretti, quickly!" Giovanni said as he ran out of the kitchen while he left his now finished espresso behind.
...
Matia tapped the arm rest of his seat impatiently as it looked like there was an endless sea of refugees that poured in. But then another roar came in as everyone looked back to see what was happening.
Gabriele focused the camera up ahead. The hydra roared as it approached the apartment tower by the train station. "Oh god..." Down below, Elena could see the residents pouring out desperately from the tower. And with a loud roar, the beast started to breathe fire against the building as it was immediately set aflame.
Elena closed her eyes tightly as the screams of those burnt plagued the air. But then she had to look as the ground shook again. Gabriele captured on camera the hydra standing on its hind legs, as its front ones leaned against the tower. And there, Elena realised what was gonna happen. "Ohhh god!" She said in a panic as she started to reverse the van away from the monster.
At that point the train was too full and in a panic those who remained on the platform started to run away. The hydra then pushed and toppled the tower over.
"Shit!" Matia then quickly pushed the throttle and with that the train started to desperately chug along. The ground shook once more as the tower then fell over. Thick, dusty clouds of destroyed concrete covered the station and the street below as Elena again hid in an alleyway.
The hydra was now back to roam freely as it believed it destroyed the Doors to the World. Its heads scanned its surroundings before it eyed some strange creature slithering on the ground... but then, it could see puny humans inside. The hydra roared loudly as it started to run after the train.
The evacuees inside screamed in terror as those on the far end of the train nearest to the hydra ran forward to the other cars. The hydra roared as the middle head then blew flames to the back end of the train, engulfing it in fire. Matia desperately tried to get the train to go faster but due to the overweight capacity it was barely chugging along.
The hydra continued to run after the train until one of the heads looked up, only to spot something in the distance. There was some sort of mountain up ahead... but it was rather linear. And it could spot small castles on top of the mountain. No, it wasn't a mountain.
'Destroy Doors to the World.'
The hydra roared with intent to now seek and destroy as it started to head further southwest.
Back on the ground, the news van's headlights could barely get through the dust as Elena carefully drove out of the alleyway she hid themselves in. Amidst the dust, only the flickering lamp posts and Christmas lights were the only things assisting the survivors in the dust as most of them roamed aimlessly, not knowing what to do. A few houses around them were also on fire, crackling flames in the night as some of those who owned these homes desperately tried to put it out with mere garden hoses.
"Jesus... those big guys seriously wanted to cause as much destruction as possible," Gabriele said as he aimed the camera all around before he spoke. "Shit speaking of, where did it go?"
Elena looked around as well before she could hear distant roars from the left side. "Looks like it went south." She said as she quickly drove off to chase after the beast.
The hydra traveled through the neighbourhoods of Rimini with obviously no regard for the people below as it eyed those who were trying to run away from the giant. The middle head was about to launch a barrage of fire towards the street before it roared in pain as something hit it.
The people below looked back and ran towards safety. The Italian Army was now rolling into the city as soldiers were quickly assisting any civilians in the vicinity. Most were attacking the hydra: so far only conventional infantry and machinery were on ground, having to hold back the giant by themselves until further help could arrive.
...
Silvio looked towards a live feed provided by a helicopter as it was shining down a spotlight towards the hydra. He gripped the table tightly as he eyed the screen, shakily breathing.
Giovanni looked to his minister as he approached the man. He could see he was troubled, and knowing Silvio for years, he knew why.
Silvio blamed himself for this attack. They were too focused on the outside that they didn't foresee an attack of this magnitude. It was his fault, he had Italian blood on his hands. And right now, they have to take this creature down asap.
...
General Esposito of the Italian Army was a somewhat controversial figure. He mysteriously rose through the ranks despite not exactly doing much, but due to their best generals being in Topa, he had to do. He eyed the giant ahead as he spoke into the radio. "Keep concentrating fire, men!" He said, a safe distance away from the frontline as he watched his units fire at the giant. But then the radio crackled to life.
"Sir I don't think even anti-tank shells are affecting this thing!"
"It's big and slow for Christ's sake, just keep shooting!" Esposito said harshly.
"Y-yes sir."
Elena and Gabriele meanwhile drove through the rubble behind the beast as the cameraman kept his sights on the giant. The woman spoke. "A-as you can see the first of the Italian army has arrived to try and take down this absolute monster and— to those near the area we have received word to evacuate! Those within 5 kilometres of Rimini is under mandatory evacuation I believe!"
The hydra heads roared in annoyance and anger as its skin was continuously pierced by the Italian Army. And with a glowing neck, it was now preparing to fight back.
"Fire inbound!" One soldier said as they started to take shelter away from the attack, and moments later the street where they were was engulfed in flames.
"Men what the hell are you doing!?" Esposito barked into the radio. "Keep suppressing fire onto the target!"
"But sir the streets are on fire!!"
"Just follow my orders, soldier!"
"Y-yes sir."
With hesitance, the soldiers immediately got out of their safe haven as they then started to once more fire at the giant. The hydra roared again loudly as one particular attack from a Centauro managed to pierce its chest. And in anger, each head focused onto the soldiers on the streets as a heavy, dark green gas then fogged up the road.
Those not in a Centauro immediately fell to the ground, coughing violently and convulsing from the poisonous air as one of the tank destroyers spoke into the radio. "We've been gas attacked! We *cough* we're retreating sir, we're sorry!"
"No! God dammit continue laying fire!" Esposito said in anger that is until the ground below him shook. And moments later, the general was no more as he was stomped.
...
"Sir, we've lost contact with General Esposito, along with some of our units nearest to the target."
Silvio took a deep breath. He then looked through his options further. But for now, he spoke. "Tell those men to get out of there! Just keep those people safe. We can't bring in the air force or else we might risk civilian casualties!"
"Yes sir!"
Silvio then gulped. This was their first defeat so far. And it was right on Italian soil. The Siege of Rimini was a defeat.
...
The hydra roared in pain from its bleeding wounds. As toxic blood dripped onto the streets below, the hydra tried to remedy itself, licking its wounds that reached deep into its flesh until one of the heads spotted the local park. In it was a small lake, of perfect size for it to heal in. The hydra let out a huff as it started to approach the lake, with some of the heads disposing of any armed response on the streets that were still trying to take it down.
As it headed to the park, large puddles of toxic blood flooded the streets of the suburbs which was just as lethal as the monster's poisonous breath. And with that, the hydra sank into the lake. Within seconds, the water turned from a peaceful blue to a deep red-green mix as the hydra sunk into the water as much as it could. Any fish and birds unlucky enough to be in the lake died seconds after, floating on the water as the hydra healed itself.
The hydra roared in relief as Elena and Gabriele continued to follow in their van. The pair gagged at the simple sight of dead civilians and soldiers around the area, with burning buildings and rubble that juxtaposed with the cheery Christmas lights on the streets and trees.
...
"What's the status of the target?" Silvio asked as he watched the live feed still.
"It... looks like it's still proceeding southwest, sir. If it doesn't stop it's possible it will reach San Marino in due time."
"San Marino? ...wait." Silvio then started to look through his files again. He knew San Marino as their micro nation neighbour with its capital on a mountain. With medieval castles and towers on top to defend itself in the olden days. With the mountain's very steep northern slope that hid the people from any invaders. It... "Oh god. This thing thinks it's heading for Tormeus. Shit!"
"Huh? What is it, Moretti?" Giovanni said nervously as he sat up in his seat to look to the minister.
"It's heading right for San Marino, prime minister. It thinks it's in Topa. No wonder it attacked that apartment tower, it must've been commanded to attack any large wall-like structures." Silvio said. "Get in contact with San Marino, they need to get out of there pronto!"