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Description

Sex: Male

Species: Evolved mutant salamander

Location of origin: Black Mountain, Pennsylvania

Date encountered: July 1st, 1979

Total height: 15.5 meters (51ft)

Total weight: 500 metric tons

Threat level: Very high

Aggression level: High

Known mutations:

- Advanced cellular regeneration allows The Patriarch to heal grievous wounds almost instantaneously. Only decapitation or being blown to pieces can kill him for good.
- Massively enhanced physical strength due to evolution.

- Mutagenic bile can be spewed from the mouth that causes random and spontaneous mutation in victims. The bile is identical in function to The Flesh Shaper's.

- Prehensile tail with a false mouth on the end which can be used to snare enemies in a toothy grip.

- Organic plasma cannon replacing left arm. The weapon utilizes superheated gas to fire destructive bolts of searing hot plasma in four round bursts. Excess heat is vented from enlarged pores on the right shoulder. The temperature of the plasma projectiles has been measured at 7000 degrees Fahrenheit.

History:

After what appeared to be a successful test of Black Mountain's anti-mutant virus designed to target the "Belua Gene '' in all mutants, it seemed as though The Patriarch had finally perished. The creature's body lay motionless on the testing room floor in a pool of its own foamy saliva. Before congratulations could be given, the creature's vitals suddenly spiked back to life. All bodily activity went into overdrive, and The Patriarch's body began to violently convulse as life energies surged through it. Steam rose from it's bubbling skin and muscle could be seen slithering and writhing beneath it. There was a loud snap, and the creature got back up on all fours, arching its back as it's skin literally started to pull and tear open as though unable to fit on it's frame any longer. Flesh fell off in slabs as the creature's back legs began to lengthen and become digitigrade. The creature's spine arched and rays of bone erupted from it's back with strands of flesh loosely connected to each one. The creature's swollen left arm began to increase in size until it dwarfed the other arm, fingers falling off and regrowing until the resulting appendage resembled the barrel of a cannon rather than a hand. Veins massively widened and detached from the flesh, forming tubes filled with a noxious glowing gas that fed into the new limb. The scientists looked on in horror as the creature continued to transform before their very eyes into something more horrible than before. The creature rapidly grew in size, bones snapping, rearranging and healing to accommodate a monstrous frame. The end of the creature's tail split horizontally, forming a grasping appendage lined with razor sharp tooth-like spines. At last the creature stood upright and unleashed a deafening roar that shattered the observation room glass window.

This triggered a facility-wide alarm as security personnel were hastily armed and sent to respond to the threat. The creature immediately focused its attention on escaping it’s prison and threw it’s hulking mass at the concrete walls lining the testing area. With each successive blow, the monster succeeded in cracking the concrete further and further until it broke away huge slabs of concrete that exposed power cables and piping behind it. Security crews arrived in the nick of time and immediately opened fire on the creature with their Auger-SPRs and Bratton Mk II rifles. The mutant was merely annoyed by these projectiles, except for the ones that penetrated into exposed tissue and drew blood. The monstrosity lashed out with its pincer tail, but was unable to land a hit on the agile humans. The monster shrieked in fury as the glowing tubes on it’s left arm began to glow a neon yellow color. Steam billowed from the opening in it’s palm before it fired a quadruple burst of searing hot plasma at its human assailants. Some of the security crew managed to escape the blasts, however others were vaporized instantly and the ground they stood on was reduced to molten slag.

The beast fired again, this time at the breach it had created in the wall previously. The blasts effortlessly melted through several feet of metal piping, supports and rock like butter. Continuous blasts succeeded in melting all the way to the rock foundation of the facility. The security crews re-engaged the creature, aiming for vulnerable areas like the eyes and any open wounds on the mutant’s body. Retaliation from the creature came swiftly, and a sweep from it’s organic plasma cannon incinerated humans and environment alike until it had eliminated the troublesome pests. Shrieking in victory, the creature resumed it’s efforts to excavate an escape route until the light of the outside world shone in through the testing area. At last, freedom was nigh as the creature rammed itself into the opening it had created and squeezed it’s way into the outside world. Bellowing in triumph, the mutant allowed it’s lungs to be filled with fresh air from the outside after years of being confined as the human’s guinea pig. Not wanting to linger around it’s prison any longer, the monster strode into the surrounding forests and disappeared from sight. The incident was considered a disaster and a massive oversight on the part of the facility’s construction. They hadn’t anticipated that not only the virus wouldn’t work, but that the creature would develop incredible abilities from it as a result. The testing facility was likewise not built to contain such a creature. All that aside, now remained the task of finding the creature and destroying it before it caused any more damage.

Many options were considered to try and defeat the beast, including deploying prototype Mk 3 Rosalis or releasing another mutant such as VIPER or The Living Graveyard to kill The Patriarch. However, given the presence of the mutagenic virus in The Patriarch’s cells, there could be unknown and devastating consequences should these other mutants be exposed to it. Another option was put forward in the form of further developing the virus to where it would actually kill The Patriarch instead of enhancing it. However it would take far too much time to develop it further, and by then the creature could have inflicted countless casualties and destruction. It didn’t take long for scout teams to locate The Patriarch resting in a lake 4 miles from Black Mountain. The virus-laden bile in the creature’s saliva had already been gradually seeping out into the water and causing horrendous mutation in any fauna it came into contact with. Fortunately, no major streams or rivers flowed into the lake, and any waterways could be dammed up to prevent the contaminated water from flowing to major water sources. However, the mutants within the lake would need to be eliminated to prevent any animals from feeding on them and contracting the virus.

A plan was set in motion to poison the lake and kill any living thing in it, save for The Patriarch which would likely be able to resist the poison. Trucks carrying drums of the poison arrived on the scene, and soon gallons of the deadly liquid were poured into the lake. As The Patriarch would likely be awakened by the change in the water, several tanks and troops had massed to attack the creature when it surfaced. It didn’t take long for the effects of the poison to be seen: one by one, dead mutated animals floated to the surface, some still alive and writhing with their last breaths. The center of the lake began to bubble with activity as the angry Patriarch rose to the surface, it’s height allowing it to stand straight up out of the water from the bottom. The creature roared aloud as the poison harmlessly sizzled on it’s skin. Before the abomination had time to get it’s bearings, it was bombarded by heavy ordinance from the nearby tank column. Wave after wave of high velocity, explosive shells slammed into the monster’s body until the sheer ferocity of the bombardment knocked it back into the murky waters of the lake.

The creature thrashed in the poison-stained waters as handheld rockets and grenades were thrown into the lake, causing enormous columns of water to shoot into the sky. The beast gurgled as it’s senses were overloaded by the intense bombardment. The creature could feel the water begin to rumble as the roar of incoming aircraft could be heard above. The roar increased in intensity until the water suddenly was lit ablaze by a concentrated napalm strike on the lake. The explosion forced the creature to the surface where it was lit ablaze by the incendiary liquid. The flames burned the monster’s flesh with hellish intensity, but the Patriarch itself seemed only mildly bothered by the flames. The beast brought it’s left arm to bear and fired off a volley of plasma at the forces on the beach. The barrage’s poor accuracy missed most of the human attackers, but some near-misses caused severe 3rd degree burns on soldiers who stood too close to the impact areas.

The creature waded closer to shore while not completely ablaze but otherwise unharmed. The creature fired another volley of plasma, this time striking several armored vehicles and melting through their armor as though it were wax. The heat bloom from the projectiles impacting against their targets caused nearby troops to spontaneously combust, become horribly burned, or completely vaporized. The air was filled with the smell of burning flesh and hair as troops ran around on fire as terror and confusion quickly set in. Some of the tanks resumed fire on the burning creature, but it had no effect aside from angering it further. Another burst of plasma followed by a stream of bile from the mouth resulted in several destroyed vehicles and several troops showered in mutagenic bile. Some began to mutate into Neo-Goblins on-the spot, while others became terribly ill. Regardless of the outcome, their fates were sealed. Now coming ashore, the raging mutant charged the remains of the armored column and batted aside vehicles like toys. Several of the newly spawned Neo-Goblins attempted to attack their “creator”, but were swiftly dealt with by a burst of plasma.

The Patriarch continued it’s slaughter of it’s attackers until none remained to tell the tale. The beast had moved on, leaving behind a burning lake, scorched bodies, and metal slag-heaps. With the operation ending in catastrophic failure, the situation was looking dire. To make matters worse, The Patriarch was last seen heading in the direction of Oak Falls, the same city that was attacked by The Progenitor years ago. The ramifications of the creature attacking Oak Falls would be unimaginable: an entire city destroyed, hordes of Neo-Goblins and other mutants spreading like wildfire. It was clear that The Patriarch had to be destroyed before it could reach any kind of populated area. The issue of how to actually kill the creature was a large one, however the US Army had learned some things from their first encounter with the creature. For one, slow-moving vehicles were easy prey for the creature’s plasma cannon. As such, fast-moving aircraft like Helicopters or fighter planes would be a better option to engage it with. However, none of these possessed the firepower to actually kill the creature, and would serve as distractions at best. A projectile or bomb capable of penetrating thick armor would be required.

The USAF still had access to several ASM-A-1 Tarzon bombs from the Korean War. Though occasionally prone to malfunction, the bombs were able to obliterate fortified locations with ease. It would take a day or two for the bombs to be delivered, precious time that the Army didn’t have. In the event that the bombs couldn’t be delivered on time, the entire town of Oak Falls was evacuated as The Patriarch continued it’s encroachment on the city. At the last minute, another plan was proposed to lure The Patriarch into the town quarry using The Progenitor’s call, wherein the creature would be trapped and subjected to heavy bombardment from these armor-penetrating missiles. This would largely spare the town from catastrophic damage and prevent an outbreak of mutation. With all the pieces set, several loudspeakers were set up in the town that would put out a call recorded from The Progenitor’s attack, in hopes that it would draw the mutant’s curiosity. After several hours, The Patriarch arrived at the edge of town to find the entire area devoid of human activity. Hesitant at first, the creature slowly progressed into the town on the lookout for a potential ambush, the glowing sacs on it’s weapon-arm pulsating with vile energies eager to be unleashed on any foolish attacker. The Progenitor’s guttural call continued to echo throughout the abandoned town, acting like a siren’s call that drew The Patriarch closer and closer to the quarry. It was unknown if the mutant recognized the call as being specifically of its former mate, or if it came here believing it to be another creature seeking courtship. Regardless, it did not display overt territorial behavior aside from some hesitancy. Clearly this creature was smarter than it looked, and was suspecting this on some level to be an ambush.

Arriving at the quarry at last, the creature stood at the edge of the massive dig site and looked around for the source of the beckoning call, but found nothing but dust and stone. The creature responded to the artificial call with a bellow of its own in an attempt to draw out the mystery creature. However rather than a return call, it received the same sound that had been repeating over and over again. Before it had time to process this peculiarity, it’s body was rocked by several explosions that knocked it off balance and sent it tumbling into the quarry below. The creature quickly regained its footing with little to no injury from the fall. It let out a wet snarl as it spotted several humans atop the ridge of the quarry armed with shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. These small creatures let loose another salvo of anti-tank rockets that impacted against the mutant’s fleshy hide with little effect other than enraging it. The beast raised it’s cannon-arm and fired off a burst of superheated plasma that vaporized the ridge the humans were perched on. Too late however, the humans fled before the projectiles found their mark. Suddenly, the sky was filled with the sound of propellers and just then, several YAH-64 helicopters soared overhead and opened fire with their tremendous firepower.

Large caliber ammunition, rockets and missiles all peppered the creature’s body, enraging it further and prompting a retaliation. The creature spewed a stream of steaming black liquid from it’s mouth at one of the choppers, showering one of the wings with the vile substance before it also fired off a burst of plasma at the aircraft. The choppers managed to avoid direct hits, but the near-misses still managed to sear the metal to the point of warping. The creature changed tactics and lashed out with it’s clamp-like tail and successfully grabbed a chopper by the cockpit. With a flex of it’s powerful muscles, the mutant flung the chopper into the side of the quarry and utterly obliterated it. Infantry around the quarry attempted to provide covering fire for the helicopters, but their combined efforts did not appear to be having any effect on the creature. The bunker buster bombs were desperately needed, as another chopper was shot down by a burst of plasma that reduced it to molten slag and wreckage. Now completely berserk, The Patriarch used its tail to grab ahold of a large boulder and fling it like a projectile at the humans shooting down at it from the top of the quarry. The massive boulder slammed into the quarry wall and caused a collapse that took several men with it to their demise. A static-laden radio message indicated that the bombs were 7 minutes away from the drop zone. For those on the front lines, 7 minutes was an eternity when choppers were dropping like flies and several men had already been killed.

With most resistance neutralized, The Patriarch turned tail and attempted to scale the quarry wall in a bid to escape and fight another day. The remaining 2 helicopters focused their fire on the rock wall the mutant was attempting to climb, chipping away at it in an attempt to slow the creature’s progress. A volley of missiles struck the creature in the back where flesh and sinew was exposed. The smallest amount of blood trickled from the wound, but it was enough to set the creature off once more. Adjusting it’s position to get a clear shot with it’s arm weapon, the creature fired a volley of plasma that scored several direct hits on the aircraft that utterly obliterated it. Suddenly, the last helicopter unexpectedly retreated from the mutant. The creature fired off another burst of plasma that missed its target entirely. Believing the humans to have given up on their efforts, the creature resumed it’s climb when the sky roared with the sound of incoming jet engines. Stopping and looking up, the creature spotted several aircraft high above releasing several smaller objects from underneath. The monster fired off a volley of plasma at the incoming projectiles that destroyed some, but did not prevent all of them from hitting their mark. Several earth-shaking explosions rocked the quarry followed by the shriek of pain from the mutant within.

The entire inside of the quarry was choked with smoke, but movement could still be seen within. The Patriarch was still alive; it’s body mangled by the bunker buster bombs yet it was still standing. It’s flesh bubbled and foamed as it’s regenerative properties kicked into overdrive, quickly healing the damage inflicted by the bombs. Another four bombs landed on and around the mutant, causing even more catastrophic damage that tore off it’s cannon arm and blew a massive hole into it’s back and shattering it’s spine. The creature lay on the quarry floor crippled and helpless as it’s regenerative properties attempted to heal the damage. Just as The Patriarch was about to stand back up, another cluster of bombs whistle down from the sky, the creature let out a final bellow of defeat, seemingly accepting it’s fate. The bombs hit their mark, and utterly obliterated the mutant. When the smoke finally cleared, all that remained of the “Father of Monsters” was steaming gore and viscera. The creature ironically met its fate in the same place as it’s mate years ago. In the aftermath, the creature’s remains were gathered up and disposed of, and Oak Falls was reopened to its residents.

Description

Sex: Male

Species: Evolved mutant salamander

Location of origin: Black Mountain, Pennsylvania

Date encountered: July 1st, 1979

Total height: 15.5 meters (51ft)

Total weight: 500 metric tons

Threat level: Very high

Aggression level: High

Known mutations:

- Advanced cellular regeneration allows The Patriarch to heal grievous wounds almost instantaneously. Only decapitation or being blown to pieces can kill him for good.
- Massively enhanced physical strength due to evolution.

- Mutagenic bile can be spewed from the mouth that causes random and spontaneous mutation in victims. The bile is identical in function to The Flesh Shaper's.

- Prehensile tail with a false mouth on the end which can be used to snare enemies in a toothy grip.

- Organic plasma cannon replacing left arm. The weapon utilizes superheated gas to fire destructive bolts of searing hot plasma in four round bursts. Excess heat is vented from enlarged pores on the right shoulder. The temperature of the plasma projectiles has been measured at 7000 degrees Fahrenheit.

History:

After what appeared to be a successful test of Black Mountain's anti-mutant virus designed to target the "Belua Gene '' in all mutants, it seemed as though The Patriarch had finally perished. The creature's body lay motionless on the testing room floor in a pool of its own foamy saliva. Before congratulations could be given, the creature's vitals suddenly spiked back to life. All bodily activity went into overdrive, and The Patriarch's body began to violently convulse as life energies surged through it. Steam rose from it's bubbling skin and muscle could be seen slithering and writhing beneath it. There was a loud snap, and the creature got back up on all fours, arching its back as it's skin literally started to pull and tear open as though unable to fit on it's frame any longer. Flesh fell off in slabs as the creature's back legs began to lengthen and become digitigrade. The creature's spine arched and rays of bone erupted from it's back with strands of flesh loosely connected to each one. The creature's swollen left arm began to increase in size until it dwarfed the other arm, fingers falling off and regrowing until the resulting appendage resembled the barrel of a cannon rather than a hand. Veins massively widened and detached from the flesh, forming tubes filled with a noxious glowing gas that fed into the new limb. The scientists looked on in horror as the creature continued to transform before their very eyes into something more horrible than before. The creature rapidly grew in size, bones snapping, rearranging and healing to accommodate a monstrous frame. The end of the creature's tail split horizontally, forming a grasping appendage lined with razor sharp tooth-like spines. At last the creature stood upright and unleashed a deafening roar that shattered the observation room glass window.

This triggered a facility-wide alarm as security personnel were hastily armed and sent to respond to the threat. The creature immediately focused its attention on escaping it’s prison and threw it’s hulking mass at the concrete walls lining the testing area. With each successive blow, the monster succeeded in cracking the concrete further and further until it broke away huge slabs of concrete that exposed power cables and piping behind it. Security crews arrived in the nick of time and immediately opened fire on the creature with their Auger-SPRs and Bratton Mk II rifles. The mutant was merely annoyed by these projectiles, except for the ones that penetrated into exposed tissue and drew blood. The monstrosity lashed out with its pincer tail, but was unable to land a hit on the agile humans. The monster shrieked in fury as the glowing tubes on it’s left arm began to glow a neon yellow color. Steam billowed from the opening in it’s palm before it fired a quadruple burst of searing hot plasma at its human assailants. Some of the security crew managed to escape the blasts, however others were vaporized instantly and the ground they stood on was reduced to molten slag.

The beast fired again, this time at the breach it had created in the wall previously. The blasts effortlessly melted through several feet of metal piping, supports and rock like butter. Continuous blasts succeeded in melting all the way to the rock foundation of the facility. The security crews re-engaged the creature, aiming for vulnerable areas like the eyes and any open wounds on the mutant’s body. Retaliation from the creature came swiftly, and a sweep from it’s organic plasma cannon incinerated humans and environment alike until it had eliminated the troublesome pests. Shrieking in victory, the creature resumed it’s efforts to excavate an escape route until the light of the outside world shone in through the testing area. At last, freedom was nigh as the creature rammed itself into the opening it had created and squeezed it’s way into the outside world. Bellowing in triumph, the mutant allowed it’s lungs to be filled with fresh air from the outside after years of being confined as the human’s guinea pig. Not wanting to linger around it’s prison any longer, the monster strode into the surrounding forests and disappeared from sight. The incident was considered a disaster and a massive oversight on the part of the facility’s construction. They hadn’t anticipated that not only the virus wouldn’t work, but that the creature would develop incredible abilities from it as a result. The testing facility was likewise not built to contain such a creature. All that aside, now remained the task of finding the creature and destroying it before it caused any more damage.

Many options were considered to try and defeat the beast, including deploying prototype Mk 3 Rosalis or releasing another mutant such as VIPER or The Living Graveyard to kill The Patriarch. However, given the presence of the mutagenic virus in The Patriarch’s cells, there could be unknown and devastating consequences should these other mutants be exposed to it. Another option was put forward in the form of further developing the virus to where it would actually kill The Patriarch instead of enhancing it. However it would take far too much time to develop it further, and by then the creature could have inflicted countless casualties and destruction. It didn’t take long for scout teams to locate The Patriarch resting in a lake 4 miles from Black Mountain. The virus-laden bile in the creature’s saliva had already been gradually seeping out into the water and causing horrendous mutation in any fauna it came into contact with. Fortunately, no major streams or rivers flowed into the lake, and any waterways could be dammed up to prevent the contaminated water from flowing to major water sources. However, the mutants within the lake would need to be eliminated to prevent any animals from feeding on them and contracting the virus.

A plan was set in motion to poison the lake and kill any living thing in it, save for The Patriarch which would likely be able to resist the poison. Trucks carrying drums of the poison arrived on the scene, and soon gallons of the deadly liquid were poured into the lake. As The Patriarch would likely be awakened by the change in the water, several tanks and troops had massed to attack the creature when it surfaced. It didn’t take long for the effects of the poison to be seen: one by one, dead mutated animals floated to the surface, some still alive and writhing with their last breaths. The center of the lake began to bubble with activity as the angry Patriarch rose to the surface, it’s height allowing it to stand straight up out of the water from the bottom. The creature roared aloud as the poison harmlessly sizzled on it’s skin. Before the abomination had time to get it’s bearings, it was bombarded by heavy ordinance from the nearby tank column. Wave after wave of high velocity, explosive shells slammed into the monster’s body until the sheer ferocity of the bombardment knocked it back into the murky waters of the lake.

The creature thrashed in the poison-stained waters as handheld rockets and grenades were thrown into the lake, causing enormous columns of water to shoot into the sky. The beast gurgled as it’s senses were overloaded by the intense bombardment. The creature could feel the water begin to rumble as the roar of incoming aircraft could be heard above. The roar increased in intensity until the water suddenly was lit ablaze by a concentrated napalm strike on the lake. The explosion forced the creature to the surface where it was lit ablaze by the incendiary liquid. The flames burned the monster’s flesh with hellish intensity, but the Patriarch itself seemed only mildly bothered by the flames. The beast brought it’s left arm to bear and fired off a volley of plasma at the forces on the beach. The barrage’s poor accuracy missed most of the human attackers, but some near-misses caused severe 3rd degree burns on soldiers who stood too close to the impact areas.

The creature waded closer to shore while not completely ablaze but otherwise unharmed. The creature fired another volley of plasma, this time striking several armored vehicles and melting through their armor as though it were wax. The heat bloom from the projectiles impacting against their targets caused nearby troops to spontaneously combust, become horribly burned, or completely vaporized. The air was filled with the smell of burning flesh and hair as troops ran around on fire as terror and confusion quickly set in. Some of the tanks resumed fire on the burning creature, but it had no effect aside from angering it further. Another burst of plasma followed by a stream of bile from the mouth resulted in several destroyed vehicles and several troops showered in mutagenic bile. Some began to mutate into Neo-Goblins on-the spot, while others became terribly ill. Regardless of the outcome, their fates were sealed. Now coming ashore, the raging mutant charged the remains of the armored column and batted aside vehicles like toys. Several of the newly spawned Neo-Goblins attempted to attack their “creator”, but were swiftly dealt with by a burst of plasma.

The Patriarch continued it’s slaughter of it’s attackers until none remained to tell the tale. The beast had moved on, leaving behind a burning lake, scorched bodies, and metal slag-heaps. With the operation ending in catastrophic failure, the situation was looking dire. To make matters worse, The Patriarch was last seen heading in the direction of Oak Falls, the same city that was attacked by The Progenitor years ago. The ramifications of the creature attacking Oak Falls would be unimaginable: an entire city destroyed, hordes of Neo-Goblins and other mutants spreading like wildfire. It was clear that The Patriarch had to be destroyed before it could reach any kind of populated area. The issue of how to actually kill the creature was a large one, however the US Army had learned some things from their first encounter with the creature. For one, slow-moving vehicles were easy prey for the creature’s plasma cannon. As such, fast-moving aircraft like Helicopters or fighter planes would be a better option to engage it with. However, none of these possessed the firepower to actually kill the creature, and would serve as distractions at best. A projectile or bomb capable of penetrating thick armor would be required.

The USAF still had access to several ASM-A-1 Tarzon bombs from the Korean War. Though occasionally prone to malfunction, the bombs were able to obliterate fortified locations with ease. It would take a day or two for the bombs to be delivered, precious time that the Army didn’t have. In the event that the bombs couldn’t be delivered on time, the entire town of Oak Falls was evacuated as The Patriarch continued it’s encroachment on the city. At the last minute, another plan was proposed to lure The Patriarch into the town quarry using The Progenitor’s call, wherein the creature would be trapped and subjected to heavy bombardment from these armor-penetrating missiles. This would largely spare the town from catastrophic damage and prevent an outbreak of mutation. With all the pieces set, several loudspeakers were set up in the town that would put out a call recorded from The Progenitor’s attack, in hopes that it would draw the mutant’s curiosity. After several hours, The Patriarch arrived at the edge of town to find the entire area devoid of human activity. Hesitant at first, the creature slowly progressed into the town on the lookout for a potential ambush, the glowing sacs on it’s weapon-arm pulsating with vile energies eager to be unleashed on any foolish attacker. The Progenitor’s guttural call continued to echo throughout the abandoned town, acting like a siren’s call that drew The Patriarch closer and closer to the quarry. It was unknown if the mutant recognized the call as being specifically of its former mate, or if it came here believing it to be another creature seeking courtship. Regardless, it did not display overt territorial behavior aside from some hesitancy. Clearly this creature was smarter than it looked, and was suspecting this on some level to be an ambush.

Arriving at the quarry at last, the creature stood at the edge of the massive dig site and looked around for the source of the beckoning call, but found nothing but dust and stone. The creature responded to the artificial call with a bellow of its own in an attempt to draw out the mystery creature. However rather than a return call, it received the same sound that had been repeating over and over again. Before it had time to process this peculiarity, it’s body was rocked by several explosions that knocked it off balance and sent it tumbling into the quarry below. The creature quickly regained its footing with little to no injury from the fall. It let out a wet snarl as it spotted several humans atop the ridge of the quarry armed with shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. These small creatures let loose another salvo of anti-tank rockets that impacted against the mutant’s fleshy hide with little effect other than enraging it. The beast raised it’s cannon-arm and fired off a burst of superheated plasma that vaporized the ridge the humans were perched on. Too late however, the humans fled before the projectiles found their mark. Suddenly, the sky was filled with the sound of propellers and just then, several YAH-64 helicopters soared overhead and opened fire with their tremendous firepower.

Large caliber ammunition, rockets and missiles all peppered the creature’s body, enraging it further and prompting a retaliation. The creature spewed a stream of steaming black liquid from it’s mouth at one of the choppers, showering one of the wings with the vile substance before it also fired off a burst of plasma at the aircraft. The choppers managed to avoid direct hits, but the near-misses still managed to sear the metal to the point of warping. The creature changed tactics and lashed out with it’s clamp-like tail and successfully grabbed a chopper by the cockpit. With a flex of it’s powerful muscles, the mutant flung the chopper into the side of the quarry and utterly obliterated it. Infantry around the quarry attempted to provide covering fire for the helicopters, but their combined efforts did not appear to be having any effect on the creature. The bunker buster bombs were desperately needed, as another chopper was shot down by a burst of plasma that reduced it to molten slag and wreckage. Now completely berserk, The Patriarch used its tail to grab ahold of a large boulder and fling it like a projectile at the humans shooting down at it from the top of the quarry. The massive boulder slammed into the quarry wall and caused a collapse that took several men with it to their demise. A static-laden radio message indicated that the bombs were 7 minutes away from the drop zone. For those on the front lines, 7 minutes was an eternity when choppers were dropping like flies and several men had already been killed.

With most resistance neutralized, The Patriarch turned tail and attempted to scale the quarry wall in a bid to escape and fight another day. The remaining 2 helicopters focused their fire on the rock wall the mutant was attempting to climb, chipping away at it in an attempt to slow the creature’s progress. A volley of missiles struck the creature in the back where flesh and sinew was exposed. The smallest amount of blood trickled from the wound, but it was enough to set the creature off once more. Adjusting it’s position to get a clear shot with it’s arm weapon, the creature fired a volley of plasma that scored several direct hits on the aircraft that utterly obliterated it. Suddenly, the last helicopter unexpectedly retreated from the mutant. The creature fired off another burst of plasma that missed its target entirely. Believing the humans to have given up on their efforts, the creature resumed it’s climb when the sky roared with the sound of incoming jet engines. Stopping and looking up, the creature spotted several aircraft high above releasing several smaller objects from underneath. The monster fired off a volley of plasma at the incoming projectiles that destroyed some, but did not prevent all of them from hitting their mark. Several earth-shaking explosions rocked the quarry followed by the shriek of pain from the mutant within.

The entire inside of the quarry was choked with smoke, but movement could still be seen within. The Patriarch was still alive; it’s body mangled by the bunker buster bombs yet it was still standing. It’s flesh bubbled and foamed as it’s regenerative properties kicked into overdrive, quickly healing the damage inflicted by the bombs. Another four bombs landed on and around the mutant, causing even more catastrophic damage that tore off it’s cannon arm and blew a massive hole into it’s back and shattering it’s spine. The creature lay on the quarry floor crippled and helpless as it’s regenerative properties attempted to heal the damage. Just as The Patriarch was about to stand back up, another cluster of bombs whistle down from the sky, the creature let out a final bellow of defeat, seemingly accepting it’s fate. The bombs hit their mark, and utterly obliterated the mutant. When the smoke finally cleared, all that remained of the “Father of Monsters” was steaming gore and viscera. The creature ironically met its fate in the same place as it’s mate years ago. In the aftermath, the creature’s remains were gathered up and disposed of, and Oak Falls was reopened to its residents.