The two worlds clashed like tectonic plates, with ripples of battle echoing throughout the forest. On one side, was the surge of Primates, bristling with brute strength and primitive intelligence. Just walking was enough to crush the fresh bones beneath their feet.
On the other side, were the unnatural Chimeras. Flesh warped amalgams that were seemingly made from the Primates, but stitched together with a multitude of other unidentifiable creatures in a unique manner. They were the weaker of the two forces, but they possessed an advantage on numbers and an unyielding tenacity that had no end.
The two sides fought like mad, showing no mercy while tearing at each other with all they had. For every 2 chimeras that fell, one primate died, but that didn't slow them down at all. In fact, they seemed to grow even more desperate.
Despite the odds, both sides were evenly matched.
But standing above them both, calculating the perfect time to move were their tyrants. The Chimera Corpse, and the Silverback.
They were well aware of the delicate balance before them since they had experienced it for a long time, and fought to a stalemate once before as well. They knew that they were just as equally matched as their armies, and so the one that would have a weaker force, would be the one to lose in a battle involving them.
But if both sides armies were equal, then how would the balance tip in ones favour without their intervention?
Luck. The only thing that they couldn't control. Whoever was favoured by that intangible variable, would be the winner.
And sure enough, that icebreaker did come. But not in the form that either of the two expected.
The ground began to shake once more, as the tremors shook and rattled the already crushed bones that the two sides fought on. But it went even further than that, it began to rise right below the feet of the Primates. Eventually turning into a tall mound, before bursting wide open.
The jaws of a giant sand worm now revealed, were open wide. It easily swallowed several Primates in just one bite before slamming its maw shut. Still rising, it climbed higher and higher into the sky, before countless empty eyes opened from all over its body.
It had been sleeping in the ground peacefully for an unknown amount of time, however the echoes of the battle above had awakened it from its slumber.
It gazed down upon the breakfast meal before it, but its joy didn't last too long when a large palm wrapped around its neck, gripping tightly. The Silverback then forcefully pulled the rest of its body out of the ground before grabbing onto the struggling worm with its other hand.
With just a single pull, it tore the creature in half, killing it on the spot. But it was already too late, the damage had been done which the other had noticed.
Despite its size, the Chimera Corpse was surprisingly fast and ridiculously flexible. Its body was more like soft clay rather than muck, and so it elongated as it stretched over the battlefield, straight towards the Silverback.
And in response, the Silverback opened its own maw, exposing its array of teeth and sharp fangs. Roaring, it's voice boomed as a sonic cannon condensed in a single point.
It easily tore through the Chimera Mass, blasting away its top half too, causing its fragments to split apart and scatter all over the battlefield and even beyond it. But this was not enough to kill it.
Each fragment of the Chimera Mass wriggled and wormed back to life, before latching onto the nearest Primate or fragment of itself that it could. The smaller pieces would merge and grow large, before heading right towards the Silverback, while others would attack and assist the Chimeras below.
The main mass which was half the size it used to be, continued forwards as the Silverback charged right towards it too.
These Chimeras, were obviously growing on the number of their dead. The fresher the corpse, the better. Before, their growth was slow, but after today they would surely surpass even them. They had to end it in this battle, they had to end it today.
**
While the battle persisted onwards though, a certain fragment that was sent barrelling away the farthest, ended up on the outer edges of the carrion forest. Panicking, it quickly began to make its way towards the centre.
The Chimera Masses ability allowed it free control over its body, so in cases where it was split up like now, it could manually take control of each fragment and have them attack separately. However, if a fragment was too far away, or too far apart from the centre for too long, it would shrivel up and die.
But at this rate, it seems like that would be the case. It was too far and too slow to get back to the original in time, and it could already feel its consciousness drifting away. Although loosing this small piece of itself wouldn't be that big of an issue, it would like to keep all of its strength if it could.
Right when it was about to give up though, it felt something change in the air. Something familiar with a scent it hadn't experienced, but one that it was born remembering along with a particular instinct attached to it.
Nearby there were 3..? No.. 4 souls with divinity. If it consumed those, it would gain more than enough strength to get back to its greater body, and perhaps it could even get stronger.
Twisting, the blob of flesh shifted into a shape that resembled a leopard, even going as far as to mimic its bone and muscle structure. Then, focusing as much force as it could in its legs, it accelerated like a bullet.
In an instant it had disappeared, now travelling across the forest at an eye blinding speed. As it ran, it could feel its strength dropping, but the souls it sensed were weak. Just one hit would be enough to kill them each, and so it wouldn't waste too much time.
Just a few moments later, it could already spot them. And conveniently, right in its trajectory was a human girl. It couldn't see its face, but its long raven coloured hair was a dead give away.
But its gender truthfully didn't matter. It would killer her, and then the boy, and then the... whatever that thing was, as well as the.. hang on, didn't it sense 4 souls? It could only see 3 beings.
The Chimera Fragment leaped, outstretching its claws and bearing its fangs right at the girl with her now only being a couple inches away from certain death.