Gfantis vs the Guest Monsters

by Matthew Dennion

Author’s Note – The third installment of our Gfantis vs “Guest Monster” series features K. H. Koehler’s Raiju from her novel Raiju: A Kaiju Hunter Novel. We would like to extend a very special thank you to Mrs. Koehler for letting G-fan use Raiju and proudly announce that her publishing company Severed Books has an entire line of kaiju books now available! Hopefully some of those beasts will face Gfantis somewhere down the line as well!

  New York City

  Present Day

  It would be hard to imagine a better day than today. The sun is shining bright in the sky, it’s warm but not hot maybe about 75 degrees, and I am riding my bike through New York City. The girl of my dreams, my girlfriend Aimi, has her arms wrapped around me as we skirt through the city. Every time we come to a red light she pulls my head around to sneak in a kiss. I am enjoying one of those kisses when I think that’s it has been going on for a long time. It’s not that I am complaining about it. I just don’t want to clog up traffic in the middle of the largest city in the world. I pull away from Aimi and look at the traffic light to see that it is still red. At that point, I notice that there is no traffic moving across the intersection which never happens in New York. I look to a side street and see that all of the cars are sitting there not moving. I check the sidewalk to see that all of the people there are frozen in time as well. There are several birds stuck in the air, not flying just staying still. Even Aimi seems to be frozen. Her beautiful face is still in the exact same place that it was when we were kissing.

  From the corner of my eye, I see a tall, beautiful, Asian woman with stunning red eyes, and long blood red finger nails walking from the sidewalk in my direction. She is wearing a full body length kimono with flames on it that appear to be dancing around her body as she moves. Finally, everything sinks in. For a guy with a genius level IQ sometimes I can be pretty dense when it comes to stuff like this. This day is so perfect because it is a dream. With me though, dreams are never just dreams. My name is Kevin Takahashi and I am a keeper, which is a name for wizard who has the power to call fourth a kami. The kami are ancient gods of immense size and power beyond imagination. Long ago many of them were rulers of the world but they were eventually trapped deep within the earth and now they can only be called fourth by a keeper such as me. Each keeper can only call fourth their designated kami and I am lucky enough to call fourth Raiju the kami of fire and the most powerful of all of the ancient gods!

  When Raiju needs to contact me she takes the form of the woman walking toward me. While this may sound kind of creepy it is way less intimidating then her true form. So I appreciate this approach. She stops in front of my bike and as usual she disposes with the small talk and gets right to the point, “Master, soon we shall be called into battle again. A powerful threat is quickly approaching.”

  My heart drops. The last time a threat approached it came in the form of Qilin. Qilin was also a kami that had been tainted by man’s nature. He had degenerated from his true form into something out a Lovecraft novel. I was able to call on Raiju and she destroyed Qilin but not before a large chunk of the city was demolished.

  I take a deep breath and ask the obvious question, “Is there another kami coming to New York?” The kami and their keepers are drawn to each other by some mystical force. Since the incident with Qilin I have had the thought in the back of my head that Raiju and I might draw another kami into the city, putting thousands of life at risks.

  Raiju shakes her head, “No master, it is not a kami that approaches but rather a dragon. A dragon of the sun. This beast is powerful. He has slain two kami in the recent past. He approaches from the sea and he seeks to take the sun’s power that the humans are harvesting near the river.”

  I give her an odd look, “Why would a dragon of the sun come from sea? And what do you mean he wants the sun’s power that the humans have taken?”

  Raiju smiles answering only part of one of one my questions, “The ways of dragons are often strange and paradoxical. One may live in the sea and look to the sun for its sustenance.” Raiju starts walking away from me with a final comment, “Call me when the dragon arrives master. It has been many centuries since I have battled a dragon. I will stop this kami slayer. The remaining kami in the world are mine to slay and I will not allow a dragon to deny me of this pleasure!”

  I wake up in bed to find my pillow soaked with sweat. I reach over to the table next to my bed, grab a cigarette, flick my fingers causing a small flame to appear on them and then I use it to ignite my cigarette. Being the keeper of the kami of fire also gives me the ability to create and control fire from within my body. I still have not figured out exactly what I can do with this ability but I can sure as heck use it to light a cigarette. When I get myself calmed down a little bit I decide that I had better try to get ahead of this problem. Through a combination of not knowing what Raiju was and who I really was combined with self-doubt caused the Qilin situation to evolve into the disaster it eventually became.

  I pull out my Smartphone and do a search for New York City and the power of the sun down by the river. To my surprise I get a hit about a new solar power plant being developed at the river front where numerous buildings were destroyed leaving the area open and empty. Given that the city lost several power plants during the Qilin affair it is no surprise that the city was trying anything to get a fresh power supply up and running. A solar power plant seemed as a good idea as any.

  I figure that I have decoded at least part of Raiju’s cryptic message. Next I search for the dragon of the sun. Mainly I find references to Quetzequatl a winged serpent god associated with Native American tribes in Mexico. Raiju was specific in stating that the approaching monster was not a kami but specifically a dragon. So I cross Quetzequal off of my list of potential monsters. I scroll down further in my search and come across a site for a tabloid magazine.

  Now normally I would think that these magazines were reserved for crazy people but given the recent events of my life who I am judge what’s crazy? So I click on the link. It takes me to a website about a monster called Gfantis. According to the report, Gfantis is a massive dinosaur like kaiju that the government has been keeping tabs on. Gfantis is described as being roughly 55 meters long, with yellow skin, a series of sharp irregular spikes running down its back, and a massive crescent horn on the top of its head. The monster apparently is solar powered as its body is able to directly absorb the sun’s light. At this point in the article I am still thinking this part of some writer’s imagination until I read the next paragraph.

  Gfantis was reported to have battled and slain the Mesopatamian dragon god Tiamat as well as the Norse serpent god Jormungandr. Again a few years ago I would have laughed at the idea of a seven headed dragon and a snake so big it could wrap around the entire earth being killed by a solar powered dino-monster. Like I said that was then and this is now. Given all that Raiju had said in my dream, the evidence suggested that this Gfantis was real and that he was going to attack the new solar plant.

  Then something I had not considered enters my mind. Tiamat and Jormungandr were two of the most powerful gods in their respective mythologies. I mean Jormungandr fought Thor himself to a draw on several occasions. I don’t know how well comics and movies relate to the actually god but if there was even a hint of truth in them then Thor was no pushover. He is like Superman powerful. Raiju was one of if not the most powerful gods in the pantheon she descended from but given the track record of Gfantis was even she powerful enough to stop him? A sensation I have not experienced since I met Raiju reintroduces itself to me as cold shiver runs down my spine. I finish my cigarette and slowly go back to sleep.

  I wake up the next day and hear my dad freaking out! Ever since my mother was killed back in the first kaiju attack on San Francisco my dad has been watching the Kaiju News Network or KNN nonstop. He is convinced that he can protect us from another attack by evacuating the area as soon as possible. I hear him scream, “Kevin, another kaiju! Hurry we have to get to the subway!” As he is running
up the stairs to my room I pull a Spider-Man by climbing out of my window, grabbing my bike, and heading off. Sorry dad but if there is anything I can do stop another disaster I am going to do it.

  I tune the radio on my bike to the KNN to hear a reporter yelling frantically, “A kaiju is swimming up the East River and entering the city. The military is aware of the situation and is mobilizing. They are asking that citizens use the subway system to evacuate the area as quickly as possible. The transit system is sending extra trains to the area to help with the evacuation.”

  I turn the corner and push my bike to its top speed when I see the river in the distance. The reporter is quite for a moment and then he comes back on the air confirming what I already knew, “We are getting reports that the monster is reptilian in appearance with yellow scales and large spikes protruding from its back. The kaiju matches the description of the monster Gfantis whose exploits have been recorded in a well-known tabloid magazine!”

  I am listening to the report and still heading for the river when I see what appears to be a jagged mountain range moving slowly up the river. I have never seen a barge like that before so I make the pretty safe assumption that I have found Gfantis. I reach the river and start riding parallel to monster while he continues to swim up the river. The creature is massive. If it wanted to it looks like it could destroy the city and the military would be able to do little about it. I don’t know what the monster’s intentions are but after Qilin I am not going to wait around until it starts eating people.

  Gfantis continues swimming until he reaches the site of the new solar plant. The monster then stands on its hind legs reaching its full height. When I see its head reach into the sky, I am amazed that it even fit in the river. I look up at a waterfall raining down on me as Gfantis shakes his body sending the water still on it raining down over everything at the water’s edge. The monster looks down at the newly installed solar panels and roars. The sound is so loud that it shatters windows for five blocks. I put my hands over my ears to keep my eardrums from following suit.

  The kaiju then begins to wade ashore. Now I understand that Gfantis is supposedly solar powered and that he may just destroy the solar plant, absorb whatever energy he wants, and then leave. But really when does a kaiju surgically destroy one thing in a city and then leave? Answer never. Gfantis crushes the first solar panel and I realize that unless I want that to happen to a city full of people that it is time to call Raiju. A sword composed of fire appears in my hand. I swing it in the air creating the sign of Raiju out of flame. I hold the sword above my head and prepare to drive it into the ground and call fourth the kami of fire. Then I hesitate as the thought crossed my mind that Gfantis has already killed two gods. What if it kills Raiju as well? Aside from the devastation Gfantis could bring to the city, deep down I am not sure that I am prepared to lose Raiju myself. I hear laughter in my head followed by Raiju’s voice, “Your concern amuses me master, but it is unwarranted. Release me! I shall destroy the dragon who would slay gods!”

  The area we are in is largely abandon and I figure that if the two creatures are to battle then this is the best place for them to do it. I let loose a primordial scream and then I plunge the sword into the ground. A pillar of fire shoots up into the clouds. The heat from the pillar vaporizes the water on the street that had fallen off of Gfantis’s body. I look up and see Gfantis staring at the pillar. His eyes are wide open with a confused look upon them.

  The pillar of fire condenses as Raiju’s true form begins to take shape. No matter how many times I see Raiju her appearance still astonishes me. She is massive, nearly the size of Gfantis himself. She is bipedal with her arms and legs ending in raptor like claws. Her body looks like a cross between a Chinese dragon and a lion. She is covered in a mix of fur, feathers, and fire. Her head is wreathed by long curling horns that extend down her back and to the tip of her tail. Her face has the same Chinese dragon lion mix to it that her body does, but it is her eyes that captivate me. She has deep blue human eyes and that is her most terrifying aspect.

  A snake like tongue emerges from her mouth and runs across her lips. She smiles as she looks at Gfantis. I look into her eyes and I can see that she is already relishing the battle that is about to come. I can hear her in mind, “You are correct master. I have been looking forward to this confrontation.” She then roars and leaps at Gfantis.

  Gfantis is unprepared for Raiju’s feline like speed and agility. She crashes into him and sends him toppling over to the far side of the river. She uses her body to pin Gfantis to the ground and then she begins to use her claws to tear apart the dragon’s face.

  Each time that Raiju penetrates Gfantis’s skin flames sprout out from the wounds. The flaming wounds are one of the many attacks that make Raiju a formidable opponent.

  Gfantis smashes his right claw into Raiju’s face sending her flying off of him and into a nearby building that I am thankful is abandoned when it collapses on top of Raiju. Gfantis lumbers toward the destroyed building when it explodes outward as Raiju leaps from the rubble. She lands in front of Gfantis and flames streak across Gfantis’s body as Rajiu slashes across his torso first with her right claw and then with her left. My stomach turns when I see a massive letter X of flames burning in Gfantis’s chest.

  Gfantis roars in pain, lifts his claw above his head, and then brings it down on Raiju’s neck. The force of the blow drives her into the ground as the street shatters around the outline of her body. Raiju is lying in the crater created by her body and I cringe as Gfantis lifts up his foot and brings it crashing down on Raiju’s back. The ground shakes and my heart skips a beat as the monster stomps on her three more times. With each stomp, he sends blades of fire into the air that once composed part of Raiju’s body. I am starting fear that I am seeing the end of Raiju when she rolls out of the way of the fifth stomp and toward the leg Gfantis is using balance himself with. She digs her claws into his calf and then stands up pulling Gfantis’s leg with her and sending him toppling onto his back.

  Despite myself I jump into the air and shout, “Yes!” Maybe it is not the best time to cheer like I am watching a pro wrestling match but there really is not much else I can do assist Raiju. Gfantis is still on the ground when Raiju bends down and opens her mouth letting out a wave a white hot flames that engulf Gfantis’s entire body. The smell of asphalt and concrete burning assaults my nose as the ground beneath Gfantis liquefies. I think this battle is just about wrapped up when Gfantis’s tail swings out of the inferno, strikes Raiju on the side, and knocks her into the river.

  A cloud of steam explodes into the air as Raiju’s flaming body makes contact with the water. All of the sudden I feel like I am in Stephen King’s novel The Mist. There are huge monsters right in front of me and all I can see is wall of white. The steam begins to clear a little and I can see Raiju standing up in the middle of the river. I see here spring forward and then I hear Gfantis roar in what sounds like pain.

  The steam clears a little more and I can see Raiju with her claws latched onto Gfantis shoulders and her teeth buried in his neck. Gfantis looks down at Raiju and I can just feel the hatred in his eyes. He roars once more but this is a different roar than before. If the last roar signified pain then this much deeper roar clearly shows that Gfantis is angry. He grabs Raiju by the top of her head and her left shoulder. He then throws her down onto the field of solar panels crushing the majority of them. As Raiju attempts to stand up he strikes her across the jaw with his claw and then follows with a kick to her midsection.

  Gfantis looms over Raiju but before he can strike her again she opens her mouth and unleashes another inferno into the monster’s face. The attack does not cause much damage to Gfantis but it disorients him long enough for Raiju to put some distance between the two of them.

  Raiju steps back and I can hear her in my head, “Help me master. This dragon is a juggernaut! No matter what I do I cannot seem to harm him.” I know what Raiju is asking of me. She needs me to give her a power boos
t but given how nothing has hurt Gfantis so far I do not know if giving Raiju an additional power boost will help or not. Gfantis begins to close in on Raiju again. I focus on studying him as he is walking. I look for any kind of weak point that we can use against him. I see his tail swing back and crush one of the few remaining solar panels. When this happens I notice that the spikes on his tail and back flicker. As his spikes flicker Gfantis stops moving forward for a second and looks back at his tail. He seems almost calm for a moment.

  Then a thought occurs to me. It is a little crazy but I am desperate and I need something. I think that maybe this is the one monster was going to make a surgical attack on the city. I mean people often thought the worst of me. Maybe I had wrongly done the same to Gfantis? Gfantis had avoided the rest of the city and swam up the river solely to the power plant at which point I directed Raiju to attack him. I almost slap myself thinking that a debate over the stereotyping of monsters could wait for another time but then again I don’t have another plan on back up.

  I send my thoughts out to the kami, “Raiju, listen I am going to give you boost but I don’t really want you to use it to attack Gfantis.”

  Raiju screams in my mind, “Master, I can defeat this dragon!”

  I cut her off, “This is not about who we can and cannot beat this about saving lives! Now listen to me. I want you to jump into the middle of the river where I will give you an extra charge with my chi. I then want you to occasionally strike Gfantis and then jump backward out of his range. You seem to be more agile than he is so I think you can do that. I want you to keep him interested enough in continuing to battle you until you are clear of the city and he has an open path back to the ocean. When we get there we will finish this battle.”

  Raiju almost purrs in my head, “Very well master, I will lead him out of the city and then I will end this battle!” Raiju leaps back into the middle of the river and Gfantis follows her. When she is in the water I create another fire sword between my hands. I then channel all of my strength, thoughts and emotions into it. The flaming blade doubles in size at which point I aim the sword at Raiju and send all of that power flowing into her. The flames around her body begin to crackle and double in size. When Gfantis reaches the center of the river she leaps at him and slashes her claws across his face. He swings back at her but Raiju nimbly leaps out of his range. Gfantis roars a challenge at her and then begins to walk forward.

  I use all of my remaining strength to climb back onto my bike. The monsters may only be taking a few steps down river but when you are the size of a building each step covers several city blocks. This pattern continues for a very long 20 minutes before we are clear of the city. From this spot, there is nothing between the ocean and Gfantis but marshlands, fields, and forest. My bike is running on empty when I tell Raiju the final part of my plan, “Raiju, I want you to get behind Gfantis, grab onto his spikes, and then send all of your power into them. Then I want you to disappear.”

  Raiju is not overly fond of this plan but she complies with the request. Raiju moves toward Gfantis. The kaiju takes a swing at her which she ducks under and then slides behind him. She then grabs the spikes on his back and I watch as they begin glow like a sun going supernova. This is the part of the plan that I am going purely on hope that it works. Gfantis is solar powered so he gets his energy from the sun, but the law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed only changed from form to another. As Raiju sends her energy into Gfantis I am pray that his spikes are capable of changing hellfire into solar energy.

  The glow from the spikes continues to increase in intensity until it becomes blinding forcing me to close my eyes. When the light subsides I open my eyes to see the spikes on Gfantis’s back absorbing the last of the energy. He quickly turns from side to side looking for Raiju but she is nowhere to be found. Gfantis roars triumphantly and then turns and begins heading back toward the Atlantic Ocean with only a few sparsely populated towns on the way that can be easily evacuated. He will return to the ocean with minimal damage to property and hopefully no loss of life.

  I am watching him walk off into the distance when I hear Raiju in my mind, “A wise plan master, giving the monster what he wanted and then providing him with a clear path back to the sea. You have saved many lives. Rest assured though master, that I could have defeated the dragon if you had let the battle continue.”

  I smile and say with complete honesty, “I know that you could have beaten him Raiju, but right now I am beat. I need to get home and get the standard I need to be more responsible in a crisis speech from my dad before I can finally get some sleep.”

  The End

  GFANTIS VS CHIMERA

  Story by Matthew Dennion

  Art by Dave Coleman