***
"WHO DARES TO INVADE MY MASTER'S LAND?!!"
The airship and the mechanical constructs abruptly halted as an intimidating aura emerged from the depths of the forest. Followed by the threat, a humongous beast raised its torso and stood on its limbs.
The very sight of a 24 metres tall creature infused fear in the hearts of the invaders.
"Prince Victor, the mecha-pilots await your orders."
On the airborne vessel's pilot compartment was a man seated in a peculiar chair, raised over the others by a platform. His eyes carried a royal disposition and there was an arrogant smug on his lips as his blond hair swayed in the gentle breeze.
"Commence attack."
The voice lacking even the tiniest tint of fear ordered the army to advance. At once, dozen of 17 metres tall mechanical robots charged at the creature.
Roar!
The Giant Carbon-Scaled Lizard let out a deafening roar which shook the surroundings with its shockwave. It displayed such might that made the mecha-pilots staggered for a moment.
"Fire the cannons."
When the royal offspring seated at the pilot chair deduced that this beast alone could rip his army of 60 machine knights, he didn't hesitate to unleash hell upon the creature. Under his command, numerous cannons affixed on the underside of the flying ship rained energy projectile on the beast.
Boom!
Boom!
Within seconds, the serene grassland had been transformed into a battlefield!
The Giant Carbon-Scaled Lizard managed to survive two shots of the alluring blue-coloured projectile before nimbly avoiding the remaining. As the consecutive shots impacted at the same spot, its scales exposed a faint crack, displaying that the mighty lizard could be taken down, eventually.
But, a tail came slashing at the flying vessel before the cannons could recharge for the second round. Yet, the dozens of engineers quickly manoeuvred the airship in a way that they avoided the strike but ended up destabilising the craft.
Swoosh!
The lizard took a moment to witness the vessel drifting away in loss of stability when a sword came swiping at its neck. The beast instinctively stepped back resulting in the sword's edge missing its target by a few inches.
But the strike was a feint.
Predicting that the lizard will pull back, another mechanical knight had already leapt into the air. Its calculation came true when the reptile promptly placed itself in the path of its sword.
But the beast was smart. Witnessing the descend of a hidden strike, its tail rose with an immeasurable momentum and charged at the robot. The pilot steering the bot couldn't make the strike and ended up defending against the lizard's massive tail.
Deng!
The might with which the tail collided with the bot created a crisp resonance in the air. After pushing the feint strike into a distance, the lizard was forced to defend itself when the flying vessel came back after recharging the cannons.
"Graw...!"
Shot after shot struck the Giant Carbon-Scaled Lizard with a stinging sensation and it was almost surrounded by the mechanical knights. The blades of the broadsword reflected the sunlight as it descended on the beast's scales creating a network of cracks over its defence.
"Go for the cracks. Avoid the tail strike. Restrain the beast."
One of the mechanical knights amplified the voice of its pilot through a device and warned the fellow bots. Followed by the command, about a dozen of robots withdrew from the formation while sheathing their swords. They quickly came back to join the formation but there were chains in their hands.
***
"Recharge those cannons again!"
"Prince, the cannons are draining more energy than we estimated."
"I don't care. Recharge them again and blast a hole through that savage beast."
"...as you say, prince."
There were distress and unrest on the eldest prince's face as the 17 of his mechanical knights had fallen under the claws of the lizard. Upon witnessing the turn of the tide, he roared to charge and fire the cannons again and again. As time passed, the firing efficiency began to drop and energy began to dissipate into nothingness, without bearing fruit.
But there was a streak of hope in his heart. The Giant Carbon-Scaled Lizard was seriously hurt and its black blood oozed from the wounds. Numerous swords had relentlessly rained down upon the beast while a dozen of mechanical knights prevented it from fleeing.
Up above, a vessel was afloat while running on fumes with a prince on board, who's a novice at war. Down below was a battalion of robots draining their energy source while defending and offending the ferocious lizard. Opposing them was a wild beast aged centuries, guarding the outer section of the preserve with its life.
And behind a typical tree was our protagonist witnessing the hour-long brawl.
Though the bizarre energy healed his wounds and bones, he remained hidden to analyse both the parties involved in the battle. With no knowledge of these unknown forms of existence, his curiosity poked its head and urged him to stay put and watch the match.
When a pair of birds flapped its wings as they arrived at their nest, it was then Adam raised his eyes.
The sky was painted with a vibrant shade of golden-orange and there was an array of clouds quickly retreating to the horizon. The fireball of illumination was beyond his sight and warned the advent of darkness.
Crash!
Something heavy and large came crashing right next to Adam and he was thrown away under the exposure to the force. When the dust settled, he saw what it was.
'An arm?'
The construct that resembled a human forelimb lies detached among the woods. Its impact uprooted a couple of trees and damaged a dozen more. Its metal plating exterior and artificial structure reminded Adam of something and he instantly turned to the battlefield.
When his sight captured the images of a rampaging giant lizard swirling a few mechanical knights into a distance, his jaw was dropped. The next instant, the beast began to channel every bit of its strength into its legs before kicking a few bots. They rolled away like a tin can and couldn't stand up again.
"Retreat!"
The blaring was abrupt as the knights launched a stream of final strikes over the beast before fleeing. The voice from the vessel repeated a few more times before going back the way they came.
Roar!
As if you can come and go as you please, the lizard's roar implied. Then it swung its tail and shattered a couple of mechanical knights before they could escape from the grassland.
The beast was enraged but it didn't chase after them. It remained in the grassland staring left and right, expecting any intruders. It stared daggers at the retreating silhouettes while maintaining its killing intent. Though the large body was covered in slashes and blood, it exuded a powerful aura even when swaying slightly.
Till the darkness enveloped nature, the beast held its spot in guard. It occasionally sniffed and growled as if catching the whiff of intruders.
As night veiled the world in its embrace, Adam saw the giant figure cautiously turning around. At once, he dashed away from its path, into the depths of the jungle.
***
Hours later, at the base camp.
A cloud of defeat was looming over the prince as he restlessly roamed in his room. There were a few elders in the room beside him but they were silent. Seated in their chairs, they regularly glanced at the novice commander who had zero field experience, in disdain.
"Dammit...dammit...dammit!"
The sound of grinding teeth resonated in their ears as the prince finally came to a halt. He quickly paced to the table where he pulled his chair and sat with a thud.
"I need your advice."
The response was silence. Even a cicada's chirp couldn't be heard in the backdrop.
The prince was infuriated by the lack of response and roared, "I won't admit defeat to my siblings. I will be the one to acquire the heritage and when I do, I'll make sure to reward you all. I will be the successor of my father and I'll keep my word.
So help me now."