literature

Crocomire, Scourge of Norfair

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The tunnel had been dug under the surface of the planet Zebes, deep within the crust of the region they called Norfair. It seemed like your run-of-the-mill mining tunnel, it was perfectly cylindrical and plenty wide its entire run, and had tool marks etched in all the surfaces. The soft red rock that made up the majority of the crust here enclosed the entire space, leaving only three exits. The first two of those were the ends of the tunnel, wherever past they lie. The third was my entrance, embedded in the ceiling leading to another cavern.

I walked down one of the paths the tunnel offered me, and soon I came across a strange creature. It seemed to be asleep, oblivious to my very presence. All I could see of it in the tunnel's poor lighting was a thick, red hide and eight beady eyeballs behind closed lids. Not looking for a fight, I snuck past it and went on.

A bit further down the cave, I found that part of the floor was submerged. But it wasn't water, no, it was something else entirely. It took on a light orange hue and flowed like water, it wasn't either magma or lava. No, this was Space Pirate mining acid. I wanted to avoid it, my shields couldn't stop the acid from corroding the Varia Suit itself.

Luckily, across the vat of mining acid led a metal bridge. It seemed to rattle every step I took onto it, as though my weight was too much for it. Not that trying to cross it would be much good; for just beyond the bridge, I could see that the tunnel had caved in on itself, closing it off at that end. I gave up on it and decided to see what the other end had in store.

Sneaking by the strange creature again, I traveled the other direction, until I reached what seemed to be an electrified, spiked fence. Now I had to know what was going on here.

Scanning...Scan complete! By the order of Space Pirate High Command, this barricade is to remain in effect until further notice.

Wait...that reminds me of something, I thought, suddenly and manically digging into my Logbook. It was my Suit's way of storing any data I may collect, via Scan Visor or other means. And, conveniently in cases such as this one, it allowed me to access that data on the fly should I need to know something. Logbook...Lore...Space Pirate Logs...there we go, finally, the right entry!

Cycle 7, Period 4, Rotation 17. Science Team is unable to determine the weakness of the beast that crawls through our mining operation. Until they do, we have constructed a prison of sorts, trapping it in one of our mining tunnels using controlled demolition and Spiked Barricade erection. We can only hope to kill it before it breaches the containment we have constructed.

It was just as I was finishing my reading that the beast from earlier yelled at me. I had yet to realize it at the time, but I hadn't quite been as stealthy as I would have liked. It seemed as though it was still in the process of awakening, but it had me centered in its octuple eyes and everything under my armor on its appetite. Out of pure instinct, I flipped the Arm Cannon setting to Missiles, and let one rocket into its mouth. Strangely enough, he didn't seem hurt by it at all! All I could see him doing was reeling back in pain, buying me some time to get a little data.

Scanning...Scan Complete! Recording to Logbook...
Crocomire is a beast that thrives in deep underground environments. Its hardy systems can store nourishment lasting up to two cycles, and its immense size and weight, combined with its ability to breathe fire, make it a deadly opponent. Complementing this is its hide, both thick and regenerative enough to make it effectively impervious to any weapon. However, corrosives will eat away at it faster than it can regenerate.

A bit later than I expected him to, he stepped back up to me, this time with a current of flame from his mouth. As I dodged and waited for the flames to subside, I charged my Beam weapon, finally firing the shot into the beast's mouth just as I had the Missile. Oddly enough, the thing actually reeled back further than it had the last time!

But from the way it would get back up each time and keep attacking, I knew nothing was working. All I had done was piss it off and knock it back a bit. I had avoided several blasts of flame, landing Super Missiles, normal Missiles and Charge Beam shots alike one after the other, right into that gaping maw. No wonder the Space Pirates were afraid of such a thing, I could see no weapon could even harm it. Give it a world of hurt, perhaps, but even that didn't last long.

Nevertheless, I kept shooting and dodging, hopefully keeping it out of my hair until I could come up with a solution. As relentless and tough as it was, I found that its mouth and throat were rather sensitive and could send the monster reeling back in pain. Soon, I found that I had given myself some breathing room between the barricade and the beast that blocked off the entire tunnel.

Then the realization hit me as I had knocked it back some more. The bridge from earlier loomed directly behind the beast Crocomire, and below that, the acid from before. My mind flashed back to the time before when I couldn't step on the bridge, it couldn't support my weight. Chances were...it couldn't support Crocomire's weight either.

"...corrosives will eat away at it faster than it can regenerate..."

The lightbulb lit up in my head as Crocomire came at me one last time. Seizing the opportunity, I leapt up, landing atop the creature and wedging its mouth open with my free arm and my legs. I pointed my Arm Cannon right down its gullet, held my breath, and let loose my last Super Missile. Sure enough, the thing rushed away from me, right onto the rickety old bridge suspended over the Space Pirate Acid. The impacts of its steps alone were enough to snap the suspension cables, one by one, until the whole thing finally gave way, dumping the beast straight to its doom.

Its final cries of pain subsided into mere gurgling sounds as its last breath was signaled by a burst of bubbles rising to the surface of the liquid.

Even with the beast defeated, I still needed to find a way out of here. I knew that I couldn't go this way anyway, even if the bridge was still accessible to me, the rockslide obstruction prevented me from going any further. I turned back around, heading back to the barricade to see if I could take it down without having to worry about Crocomire.

I heard it roar again as I reached the fence again. It seemed to be coming from the other side...Crocomire survived that dunking? Not only was his survival a looming question, his ability to pass the boundary was also something I couldn't explain.

With a tremendous crash, Crocomire burst through the fence with ease, apparently from the side that wasn't designed to shock and contain large creatures. As he revealed himself, I could see that he had survived as a matter of luck. Its flesh was entirely dissolved, and it seemed as though the acid was working on all its soft, fleshy insides.

Crocomire had come at me through the fence with its dying strength. As what remained of its flesh continued to dissolve, its skeleton collapsed into a heap of bones and flesh at my feet in a rather hilarious and photogenic manner. I couldn't help but grab a photo of it through my Visor.

Before taking the exit that had been revealed by the spectacular death of Crocomire, I prodded its remains with my foot, deciding to give Crocomire a little eulogy. "That's one hell of an acid trip."
The second entry in :iconmetroid-club: and :iconsamusisnotasextoy: contests ([link] and [link] respectively). This time, it's all about the Crocomire, baby! :D
© 2012 - 2024 Thunderchin
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JamieWiles's avatar
This is really great :)