"Father? I have a father? Does he know my father?" —My father?! What you know about him?! What did you do to him?! —He felt tremors in the earth; some large rocks in front of him began to move.
—I hope you'll be just as useful to me. —The titan's arm moved slowly toward his nape. —I want you to show me why you're so valuable. Don't do it for me; do it for the thousands who have died for you.
Slowly a colossal shell-shaped rock began to rise. Its sides were much more rocky. A monster lifted itself, a giant coconut crab, with a shell of the same rusted stone that had coated the beast of the forest. It had two big claws in front and six long legs. It was over fifteen meters long. It had a big scorpion tail coming off the back, that was divided into a few stone sections. It emitted its characteristic screech, as in the forest. The perversion of thousands of hungry people.
Vanrra stepped aside, he ran away from the huge pincers. He could still hear the stranger's evil laughter. The crab crept slowly towards him. Whitish foam was coming out of its mouth. Two blue eyes burned like bonfires in the dark.
Little by little, the crab's movements grew faster. —Where are you going to run, little bunny? Who will save you? Who will you beg for help?
Vanrra hid behind some rocks. —What is this thing?!
—Come on, let it out! I'm dying to see it! Make him scream! —The crab leaped at the rock. Vanrra began running again. Wherever Vanrra went the monster would pounce on his position. Vanrra was tired and ducked into a small cave. —Come out! Come out, little bunny, come out! Come play with me! Come have fun!
Again and again the crab's pincers struck the cave. Vanrra began to hyperventilate, going into shock. Just plain fear. He went deeper into the cave until he couldn't go any deeper. He ripped his skin. He was about to pass out. Blow after blow, his heart was bursting. One of the pincers was just going to enter the cave and it opened and shut over and over. Each slash was strong enough to rip a bear apart.
Before the pincer could rip him in half, a great flash of lightning illuminated the night valley. The monster paused at that point. Through the cave's limited view, he saw how the crab was rammed by a titan; the pincer became stuck in the cave and was torn out at the root. The monster spewed milky fluid from its wound and screamed like a thousand demons.
He could see the titan through the cave, the red color of the titan was reflecting in his eyes. It looked just like the one from the village, same build. A humanoid, over fifteen meters tall, in tactical combat armor. He knew at once that this titan was the same one he had seen in his dream before the calamity. It had a series of metal plates sticking out like wings from the rear of its arms. It wore a closed helmet, in the Burgundian style, with a crest on the crown.
The titan rushed in at the monster, trying to tear off its shell by brute strength. The crab snapped the other pincer shut with supersonic speed, the force shoving the titan back like a leaf. He dropped to the floor.
The titan was enraged and roared in fury. Steam started to seep from its armor. He pried loose a large metal plate that was sticking out from under his knee and used it as a giant knife. The crab lunged again, driving its claw forward. The force was so great that it knocked the titan down again.
The titan drew the knife from his other knee. He jumped up, and charged the beast. He ran diagonally to one of the big hoodoos, and he kept running along the rock wall, using his momentum. He jumped to the shell. The creature lifted its stinger. But the titan caught it in the air, and dropped it on himself. Hacking at the base of the stinger, over and over, until he cut it off. He was steeped in that milky blood.
The crab screamed, thousands of cries and moans all at once. It began to move jerkily and charged the warrior. It managed to get an armor plate from the titan's right forearm and shook him all over. The titan planted himself into the ground and tried to yank the pincer back to amputate it. Both beasts pulled, each at the limit of his weight in his own direction.
The crab drew its legs into its shell and hit the ground with a thump. The earth shook. The titan's forearm tore off with that sudden movement. His wound gushed blood, spraying bits of flesh all over. He let out a great cry of pain, louder than the screams of the monster. The titan looked at the open wound, steam rising hot from his flesh.
The crab had gone into its shell, all that was left was a large rock. The titan roared in rage and ran for the shell. He took the big rock from under and tried to lift it up. It was impossible. The titan howled in rage, louder and louder. More steam came out of him. Squeezed with all his might, with yet more hatred. Slowly, the earth cracked beneath his feet as he lifted the rock over his head. He threw the rock over his shoulders. The shell of the crab was upside down. He attacked the soft spot and mangled it with his blades. He hacked at the flesh with all his fury, ripping it apart fiber by fiber. Soaked in that whitish honey.
The titan snorted like a big ogre, puffing steam. With one last mighty roar he rolled over the desert. He was an avatar of strength, an elemental force of the universe.
Ahriman said. —I knew you wouldn't disappoint me.