Ruler Of Iron And Flesh

Inian had been viewing the area from the perch on top of the ship. He saw the ground beneath them turn from desert to a mountainous type environment. He had spotted a few low-tier monsters running on the ground, but according to Oliver, they are nothing compared to a high-tier monster.

He shivered as the air got colder and he wrapped a cloak he bought around himself. He had been diligently watching, hoping to catch a view of the high tier beast they were currently tracking.

Una soon appeared at the perch and said to Inian, "Make sure you are extra attentive now. Our scanners are picking up the energy levels that only a high-tier can emit. That means we are very close."

She went back down to the main deck of the ship. Inian viewed the scenery around him. The landscape became much more rocky the more they flew over it. The grey side of a mountain was on their right as they were flying around it.

Inian could feel the ship slowing as the rest of the crew kept an eye out for the high-tier creature they tracking.

The air stilled, and Inian could feel his heart racing. His eyes darted, looking for any sign of a monster when he heard the gentle roar off to his right. It was guttural and deep, making most of those people who would hear it go the other way.

Inian looked to where the sound came from. There was an opening they were passing by on the rock face, and what he saw made Inian mutter, "holy shi...."

The high-tier monster was looking at them from a giant cave on the mountain. It's gigantic hand clasped the opening and it stepped out. It's appearance was like a giant ape with four arms instead of two. It's teeth were as sharp as their Tiger swords and looked like they could do much more damage. It roared at the incoming ship.

Inian could hear Oliver roar, "Higher elevation!! get some distance and suit up in your exoskeletons!"

Inian jumped down to the main deck and could see everyone scrambling. Marc was getting into his exoskeleton, but he was struggling because his hands were shaking so much. Inian hastily moved to equip his own exoskeleton. Una and Beast were each controlling a cannon and aimed it at the monster.

They fired the cannons, shooting balls of energy down at the monster. The shots landed a couple of solid blows on the monster's c.h.e.s.t and shoulder, but the monster easily shrug them off.

It looked at the ship with anger, and great feathery wings sprouted from it's back. It jumped up towards the ship, quickly gaining elevation.

"It has F***ing wings on it's back! Your information about the monster was wrong!" Screamed Una.

Inian and Marc had just enough time to put on their exoskeletons when they heard Oliver say, "I'm sorry guys, I've messed up."

The giant monster flew up to meet the ship. When it got closer, it became obvious that it was at least twice the size of the whole ship. It roared once more and swung a hefty paw at the rear of the ship, collapsing the engines.

The ship began dropping, and over the wind Blyke could be heard yelling, "brace for impact! Inian and Marc each grabbed onto a pole that supported the roof on the deck. Inian could see his world spiraling down as the wind whipped past his ears.

He looked to see Marc scrunching his face with the effort to hold onto the ship. Inian tried to look at everyone else but couldn't see them anywhere.

He clutched the pole even tighter. Suddenly he felt a jerk on his body and went flying. Then darkness covered his vision.