Chapter 221 The wonders of nature (1/2)
I realise now that my brain, or rather my fancy new antennae, were telling me that I was about to have my legs bitten off in a savage and painful manner by a large creature emerging from the murky waters to my left.
Unfortunately I was simply unable to process the information quickly enough. I mean, when you start receiving sensory messaging from the future, it kind of wigs you out a bit. Up until this pointy my new antennae had only been providing me with a mild buzzing sensation. When it lit up so suddenly I was momentarily overwhelmed. So much so that even though I knew I was about to leg my legs chomped off, it still happened!
Ouch!
The offender is a rather large hippo looking creature with rough leathery skin and a moss covered sh.e.l.l that had been visible above the water line, looking for all the world like a hump of dirt, much like any of the others.
Now the d.a.m.n fatty looks decidedly smug as I fall to one side, cursing internally and triggering my healing gland. The cold fluid floods my system, rus.h.i.+ng to the site of my lost limbs which begin to regrow at an almost visible pace and I scramble with my four remaining legs to get myself clear of the monster.
[MASTER?!] Crinis shrieks, [What happened?!]
[”Ambus.h.!.+ Fat Hippo thing on the left! I've lost a couple of legs, cover for me!”] I shout.
[AHHHH!!!!]
My mind is overwhelmed by Crinis hysterical screaming as the little tennis ball on my back EXPLODES with tentacles that start seeking towards the left side, latching onto and tearing at the Hippo-Turtles face at breakneck speeds.
Irritated at the sudden retaliation, the hippo rises out of the water and charges towards us at surprising speeds. Fast! Huge! FAT!
The monster is much larger than I'd first thought and certainly more bizarre! Small piggy eyes and those adorable little flappy ears sit above a typical broken toothed, oversized hippo mouth. The head extends out from under a thick, dome shaped sh.e.l.l on the end of a long turtle neck. The entire thing rests upon four squat hippo legs that pump at a rapid pace as the huge monster dashes out of the water, grunting angrily as Crinis continues to shriek at it and tear at its face.
As the beast runs towards me the ground is rumbling under my feet! I push with all of my might but I can't activate dash without all of my legs! Great time to learn that! Thanks skill! Come on legs, regenerate quick or I'm going to be building a more intimate relations.h.i.+p with this dirt that I was quite prepared for. Just before I get stomped into ant pate and served on crackers, Tiny dashes in from the side and meets the charging hippo with one shoulder.
BOOM!
The impact is colossal and the ground shudders under the impact of these two t.i.tans. As more of the creature emerges from the water I get a clearer picture of its size. Hippos are quite large creatures back on Earth, everyone knows that. Fast, big mouth, plump grey skinned killing machines that like a swim. This guy is a touch larger. I'd say he's about the size of a minivan.
You hear what I'm saying?
A MINIVAN!
[Crinis! You need to try and get at his legs! Buy me a little time!]
My smaller pet, she of the ink chainsaw, is still screeching a the monster. Her earlier wordless hollering has given way to a deafening tirade that promises endless violence in the most graphic terms I can imagine. So caught up in her blood red diatribe is she, that I'm not even sure he heard what I said.
In any event, as the Hippo Turtle rights itself and recovers its balance after being knocked aside by Tiny, Crinis gradually begins to transfer her tentacles away from the monsters face where, despite her most violent effort, minimal damage has been done.
Not only is the sh.e.l.l tough as nails, it seems the skin aint no slouch either.
[Go hard Tiny! This guy look tough!]
”ROOOOO!” Tiny bellows, the fire blazing bright in his eyes.
He's ready to go!
Fists sparking, the ape launches himself into the air and brings both fists down in his patented ape smash, directly onto the hippo turtles sh.e.l.l. The flabby beast grunts as all of the air is forced out of its body in a whoosh and it slams belly first into the ground.
Electricity flows out of Tiny and into the beast, stunning it momentarily as lightning crackles over its sh.e.l.l and leathery skin. Snarling, the beast forces its feet back under it and turns to engage the offending ape, snapping at him with those huge jaws.