TIMING: Current LOCATION: Storm's Eye Trench PARTIES: Mateo (@fearhims3lf) & Leviathan (@faustianbroker) SUMMARY: Two strangers meet on a dock and decide to go blow up a beak. CONTENT WARNINGS: gun (weapon) use
—
There was no formal plan. How could there be? Most people didn’t know what the hell was going on, and Leviathan wasn’t going to stand up and tell them how to defeat this thing. It had gotten by so far by skirting under the radar of the powers that be, eliminating any witnesses that might have been able to report back on its turncoat status. No one could know, it thought as it stood there on the docks, staring at the beak in the distance and seething. No one could know until the final blow could be dealt. This demon had a physical form, and Leviathan knew all too well that bodies were capable of being severely damaged. It also knew that Emilio and some others had decided to start attacking the parts of the demon they could see, be it a massive leg sticking out of the ground or the smaller versions of this beast that seemed to form up from the very ooze that dripped from its three-story-tall feathers. This would help. It couldn’t instruct anyone, but the ones that were wise to this sort of thing were starting to figure it out on their own. Now, how best to —
A loud thud to its left drew the demon’s attention away from the horizon, eyes falling on a sizable case of some kind. Beside it stood a stranger, and Levi watched curiously as he unlatched it and started to assemble… something. Some kind of weapon. Levi looked up at the beak on the horizon, and smirked. “Do you… need a hand?” Though it seemed obvious, it wanted to know exactly what this person planned on doing. Perhaps their intentions were aligned.
—
Well, by some miracle, the idea that he had had weeks ago turned out to be an actual option. Mateo was only mostly kidding when he said that people should come up with explosive ideas to take down the giant things in the ground. And then people actually started doing it.
They used blunt objects, which weren't ineffective, but those took way too much time for Mateo's liking. He'd given out a few grenades here and there, but he saved the best weapon for himself. The best hunk of rocket launching metal nefarious funds could buy. An M20A1 bazooka.
Mateo had never had a use for it before, but there was no better time than right then, when the last piece that needed shooting was several hundred yards away, in the middle of the water. He smirked to himself as he unlatched his case and began assembling his weapon, only barely registering that someone spoke to him. The guy was handsome, in a Baywatch sort of way that Mateo was into, but didn't really grab his attention entirely with his bazooka in front of him.
“A hand? Uh…not really? Just gotta get this thing together and aim. Not much to it.”
—
“Huh. What’s the range on that thing?” He nodded his head at the beak. “If that’s your target, which I’m assuming it is, it’s much farther away than it looks.” Which was true — the beak was far more massive than anyone standing on the shore realized, and it was common to misinterpret the size of objects that far out at sea. “It’s out in the trench, you know? Storm’s Eye Trench. Bit of a swim. But… I could be convinced to give you a lift.” One might assume, from the boats docked near them, that he meant on such a vessel. But of course he didn’t, because he was a sea demon, and swimming was what he did best.
“Also? I bet you’d get the best bang for your buck if you were able to aim that thing right down into the beast’s throat, eh? I could help with that.”
—
Mateo arched a brow with a huff, almost offended at the question. Then again, not everyone had a propensity to use lethal weaponry. Shrugging, Mateo answered enthusiastically, “It's about a thousand yards, but its most effective range is closer to three-hundred yards. That's when the biggest boom happens.” Mateo pulled out a missile and loaded it carefully into the bazooka, latching the case shut and shouldering it as he stood.
“How far do you think it is?” It couldn't be over a thousand yards, could it? If he really needed to, Mateo thought he could possibly find a patch of land in the middle of the water, but he'd still need help at that point. Being surrounded by salt had its disadvantages, and Mateo didn't think he'd be able to blip his way above it. Whether he liked it or not, he may very well need to ask for a lift. Or convince the guy to do it, as he so lovingly stated.
“So what'll it take, Baywatch? ‘Cause, uh, if I touch that water, we're kinda fucked. You really think you can use one of these boats to get me over there and near the mouth?”
—
Leviathan glanced over at the boats, then scoffed. “No, not with those,” it answered simply, shrugging off its jacket and letting it fall to the dock beneath their feet. “You’re in luck, I was already planning on heading out there and seeing what damage I could do on my own. That weapon of yours seems a foolish thing to turn my nose up at, however.” Fingers grasped the hem of its shirt and pulled it over over his head, sharp gaze cutting across the horizon to meet Mateo’s. “You said you can’t touch the water, right? I’ll keep that in mind. Give me just a moment.” Where it would normally have dove directly into the water, it apparently needed to keep some part of itself dry for this unexpected passenger, and its head would be easiest. This form would need a long, flexible neck, it thought as it conjured up the vision of the monster it was prepared to become. The boots were kicked off and the pants were quick to follow, but the humanoid’s form was already shifting as it stepped off the edge of the dock. Scales bloomed across his skin, his bottom half fusing and reshaping itself as it disappeared beneath the dark waves, one hand catching on the dock to keep its head out of the drink. Those fingers became claws and the whole creature grew rapidly in size, losing that humanoid shape in favor of something that would be swift in the water, and dangerous to a massive bird beak.
Soon, all that sat above the water was the massive, dragon-like head, the huge maw full of teeth parted in an amphibious grin as the sea demon flexed the sailfin that ran down its neck and back, letting out a hiss and lowering its head onto the dock so the stranger could climb aboard.
Didn’t catch your name, it spoke into the other’s mind. I am Leviathan.
—
Okay so the sexy lifeguard was getting undressed, and had there been cameras, the scene would've obviously been in slow-motion. “Yeah, can't touch the water. And if I do, I'm gonna be really pissed. So will my partners.” Mateo rolled his eyes, believing this was turning into a show off session.
But of course! It wasn't! At all. And in a matter of seconds, the sexy lifeguard was something from a thalassophobia TikTok.
Mateo blinked and fell back in surprise and a little panic. He crawled backwards, minding the giant maw in front of him. If his heart was still beating, Mateo knew it'd be pounding, but instead his fear turned his skin into ice. It paralyzed him momentarily, but Mateo brushed it away and grabbed for his cannon. He aimed it, ready to shoot until the voice of what used to be the man entered his mind? What the fuck?
“How-how are you doing that?!” Mateo’s finger hovered over the trigger, trembling. “What the fuck are you?!”
—
Hey now, let’s not be hasty, stranger, Leviathan warned, its half-dozen eyes carefully watching the man’s finger hover over that trigger. I’m trying to help you, remember? Does my origin really matter? It was never usually quick to admit what it was, because most people — understandably — heard the word demon and freaked out. Especially people who had been exposed to one for as long as the people of this town had. It didn’t matter that Leviathan had little interest in enslaving them or basking in their worship like most demons, they would naturally assume the worst and work against it. And right now, that was the last thing Leviathan needed.
I need this demon gone. For my sake as much as for anyone else’s. That was only a half-truth: Leviathan would suffer the worst fate of all if this beast was released, one that it could not speak of. Would not speak of, because that would be giving it too much credit. It would not work. Leviathan would not allow it. Help me kill it. I promise to return you safely to shore. Its head still rested on the planks of the dock, reptilian lips pulling back to expose those teeth in another unsettling grin. The clawed, webbed foot that still clung to the wood lifted slightly into the air, and what could possibly be this beast’s version of a pinkie finger was raised to the stranger, curled harmlessly away from him, about the size of his head and ready to shake on it. Your name?
—
“D'uh…uh…huh?!” Putting the weapon aside for a moment, Mateo scrubbed at his face until he saw stars. Of course sea monsters had to be real if undead were. He'd seen fairies and human alligators, and even damn dancing records. Nothing should've surprised Mateo by then, but seeing something like Godzilla in the flesh felt monumental. The thing (the guy?) was huge!
“Fuck. Um, my name is Mateo.” He said aloud, “Wait, do I have to talk out loud or are you reading my mind?” His brows sewed together worriedly, “Actually, stay out of it! Don't need you sifting through my private shit, okay?” Huffing, Mateo scrubbed his face one last time and inspected the giant digit before grabbing his stuff and stepping onto it warily.
“You better not drop me.”
—
No, I am not reading your mind, Leviathan responded, amused. Speaking aloud would be beneficial. It couldn’t really pick out specific words if it wanted to, more like intent, but that thankfully wasn’t a passive ability. I simply lack the necessary anatomy to speak human language like this. It blinked again as Mateo climbed (begrudgingly) aboard, moving slowly away from the dock as it lifted him up where he could rest on the demon’s head, using its sailfin for support.
I wouldn’t dream of it.
Leviathan was fast in the water, even having to keep its head and neck elevated above the waves for Mateo. The beak on the horizon grew larger and larger as they approached, even surpassing Leviathan’s own scale, restricted as it had been by the shallow water near the docks. That was okay, though. They just needed to pry it open. Leviathan swam right up to it, pausing for a moment to ‘speak’ to Mateo. Hold on tight, I’ve got to get higher. Once given the signal, the demon hooked its claws into the beak, relishing the satisfying way it crunched and cracked in its grip. More legs made themselves apparent as more of its body slipped out of the water, all digging into the beak and helping propel it upward. Leviathan snaked around the beak like a bit of rope, fully circling it several times as they rose up, up, up into the air. The bird demon’s maw was narrowing the higher they got, and once Leviathan could keep its lower half securely in place, it used three pairs of front legs to get leverage in the crack that separated the upper beak from the lower, wrenching it open slowly.
As it did this, there was a terrible sound from deep down in the bird demon’s gullet, and a cacophony of feathers as smaller versions of itself started to cascade upward toward them, flying frantically with gnashing teeth and clacking beaks.
Ah. This may be a problem, Leviathan mused, moving its head out of the way as the flock of demons burst from the beak, swarming overhead before starting their attack on the pair.
—
So Godzilla had taken a mare onto its body like a noble steeds, venturing forth toward a giant beak with legs on it. Godzilla and a mare. Working together to destroy a beak. Not a sentence Mateo had expected to curate in his head, but it was done. Well, not really. Because of course not! Of course they had to rise even higher. Of course more legs appeared. And of course, there were also demons to take care of.
Mateo scrubbed at his face and set the strap of his weapon over his chest, securing it tightly against him. For good measure, he even latched a carabiner around a reinforced loop on his vest that fed a metal wire to the weapon itself. No way Mateo was going to let their one shot get away. Even if he was thrown into the water, there was still a chance. He just hoped it didn't come down to that.
“What do we do? I got a pistol, but I doubt that's gonna work on these things.” As he looked around for a solution, Mateo was bombarded by small beaks. They tore a few holes into his vest and jostled the mare around a bit, but after a few swings of his fist, he had just a moment of reprieve to yell out. “Can you call an exorcism?! Puta madre…!” Mateo was knocked away by a flurry of feathers, thrown to the side until he was sliding down Leviathan's side helplessly. He scrambled to find purchase, finding none with his hands, but by some miracle hooking onto one of the smaller spikes with the strap to his weapon.
Mateo dangled dangerously close to falling, unable to get himself back up while he was continually attacked. “Please tell me you got a priest on standby!” He called out bitterly, with just a hint of irritation. “Or you got some kind giant laser radiation blast you can shoot out since you're basically Godzilla!”
—
Well, this was frustrating. Leviathan reeled back from the onslaught of bird demons, snapping at them as they swarmed around its head and divebombed its passenger. A pistol will work, it corrected Mateo, they are only flesh and bone. It took a bite out of the air, crushing a half dozen man-sized lesser demons between its jagged teeth.
No. But I have an idea.
Spitting out the lesser demons, Leviathan craned its long neck around to scoop Mateo up onto its muzzle. Climb in my mouth, you’ll be safest there, it told him, jaws agape. Once he’d done as instructed, the demon clambered up the last stretch of the massive beak to its tip and dug its claws in, wrenching the massive mouth open like a living pry bar. It was a slow affair, and Levi made sure to keep its mouth slightly ajar so Mateo could see, but closed enough that the lesser demons couldn’t get to him, try as they might.
Finally, Leviathan pulled the beak open enough to slip inside, using its front and hind limbs to keep it that way and angling its head carefully downward. Take your shot, straight down into the throat it spoke into Mateo’s mind, glad that it did not have to try and speak aloud with a person sitting on its tongue. When you do, I will climb back out and get us as far away as possible from here. Remain in my mouth, so you aren’t touched by the seawater when I dive in. I won’t swallow you.
Probably.
—
“Your–your mouth?!” Something cold ran down Mateo's back at the prospect of being in a creature's mouth, growing colder still as he was tossed around a little with its muzzle. Sure, he was Baywatch for a moment, but the giant bite he just took of the demons set Mateo on edge. He could very well be eaten and die a miserable, slobbery death. Then again, if they didn't destroy the damn beak, everyone, including Mateo, was going to die anyway. There wasn't much of a choice.
Gritting his teeth, Mateo allowed his body to be moved. He refused to let himself gag, ignoring the way his feet sank slightly into Levi's squishy tongue and the way the inside of his mouth smelled. While Levi did whatever he needed, Mateo was only jostled around slightly, though it was still enough to cause him to trip. He caught himself on one of Levi's wet teeth and grimaced.
“Just had to be your damn mouth, huh? Not really my thing to be swallowed whole.” A small chuckle escaped Mateo at his comment, and he shook his head in disbelief. Never did he think he'd be in Godzilla's mouth, preparing for what felt like a final showdown. Even if they didn't make it, Mateo always did say he wanted to go out with a bang. That could be his chance, even if it felt a bit premature.
Hopefully Wyatt and Xóchitl weren't mad at him for long if that was the case.
“Okay.” Mateo said breathlessly and anxiously while he steadied his footing and prepped his weapon. At that range, the bazooka was going to cause some serious damage. Enough to likely see if from a few miles away.
“Go!” When Levi finally opened his mouth to reveal their target, Mateo swallowed thickly. His finger trembled as it hovered over the trigger, but remained firm against Mateo's shoulder while he took aim with the scope. The throat seemed long enough to give them time to flee from the explosion, but there was no way to tell until he took the shot.
Smiling, Mateo pulled the trigger with a whisper to himself. “Boom.”
—
The moment it heard the weapon discharge, Leviathan was snapping its mouth shut again and blocking off the back of its throat with its tongue in an attempt to make good on the promise that it wouldn’t swallow Mateo. It kicked the beak open as far as it could, its long body sliding out of the enormous mouth to make a quick escape. From there, it was as easy as falling into the ocean below, and with a massive splash, the pair were spared from the worst of the explosion. Even so, the demon’s back end felt the heat of the blast and it was glad for the cold reprieve of the seawater, twisting around beneath the surface to see the beak shatter into thousands of pieces. Its gaze was drawn down into the dark depths of the trench, where the bird demon could now be seen writhing in agony, half its head blown to bits. Leviathan inwardly cheered — with a wound like that, it wasn’t long for this world. Another minute, tops.
The bird demon shrieked though its voice was muffled by the water, its many eyes flying open and locking onto the sea demon that floated beside it, only a third of its size.
Thought you were gonna get away with it, did you? Leviathan pressed into its mind, not caring (or perhaps forgetting) that it still had a mental link with Mateo. I will not be made into a battery for this fucking town. Enjoy death.
Final words spoken, Leviathan sped toward the harbor and surfaced again, opened his maw to let Mateo breathe, looking up at the sky where the smaller versions of the bird demon spiraled and screeched in pain before simply dissolving midair and dropping like clumps of sludge into the water below.
We’re done here.
—
Battery? A diabolical plan? Whatever Leviathan was, he was powerful enough to be targeted in some grand scheme. Rather than ask about it though, Mateo kept his mouth shut and thanked his lucky stars that he saw light rimming the edges of Levi’s teeth. Next time a mouth was being offered to him, Mateo hoped it was in the comfort of his bed. Less smoke clogging the space and more fun that way.
“All right, Godzilla.” Mateo waved away the smoke that plumed from the bazooka and skipped his way out of Levi's mouth. “If you ever need more fire power, call me. Or, you know, if you wanna just fuck around. I got a whole setup.” Mateo grinned and slid the bazooka off his shoulder, chest pumped with triumph as Levi departed.
He couldn't wait to tell his much smaller and more handsome Godzilla about everything. Mateo preferred that mouth and that skin much more. Turns out, size actually does matter.
