The Green Beans, Volume 4: Shipwrecked on Smuttynose Island
Page 25
Pan Gu, it seemed, did not enjoy being the recipient of a sneak attack from behind. When the great, green dragon had been struck, the force had been enough to make it lurch forward, coughing out Noodles’ poor, spit-slobbered head.
The Beans speculated that in the long life of Pan Gu, it had seldom been hit so hard, for few creatures could stand on equal footing with the legendary beast.
It spun about immediately, in a blazing flash of serpentine muscle and flashing emerald scales, causing a tremendous splashing and spraying of sea water. Pan Gu loosed a bellow of rage, spewing black smoke and hot sparks from its nostrils. Its eyes churned with discontent, and the thunder seemed to intensify.
Opening its jaws wide, Pan Gu bit into the Crab King. The crustacean’s shell was so hard, the dragon’s teeth were unable to penetrate it. However, the Crab King was clearly in some discomfort, for it released another one of its dinosaur-like shrieks, and it moved violently from side to side, trying to shake free from the grip of Pan Gu.
It was unable to do so, and in defense, the Crab King utilized one of its giant pincers, clamping it down upon the body of its enemy. The dragon flinched, and there was no doubt that the pincer was exerting enormous pressure upon its body. The pair of monsters remained locked together for several seconds, thrashing around the cavern in a ballet of sheer destruction.
The very force of their movements shook the earth, and the Beans felt the ground trembling beneath their feet. As they continued to vigorously wrestle, creating great waves in the water, the monsters broke free from the grip they held on one another. Pan Gu came loose from the pincer, and the Crab King was released from the dragon’s toothy embrace.
As they came apart, their momentum caused each of them to fly back into the cavern’s walls. The tremendous impact shook the place, and great chunks of rock fell from the ceiling, cannon-balling into the water with huge splashes.
Other rocks fell upon the monsters, but they bounced off of their tough exteriors without notice. The giant creatures were focused only on one another, and they were oblivious to the destruction they were wreaking. More pieces of rock fell upon the shoreline where the Beans stood, avoiding them by margins that were far too close for comfort.
“Uh-oh,” Neil said, as a chunk of the cavern’s ceiling plopped into the sand a few feet in front of him. “Let’s grab Noodles’ head and get out of here, shall we?”
“At once!” Jack agreed, while Nibbler woofed his own assent.
Some distance had been created between the monsters when they had separated, but they wasted no time in closing it. The dragon streaked toward its rival like a blur of green lightning, splashing through the water and shrieking with rage. The Crab King stomped to meet its adversary, raising its pincers over its head like weapons of war.
They met like colliding storm fronts, and immediately began exchanging a torrent of furious blows. Pan Gu struck out with its teeth and claws and tail, and each time it landed a hit, sparks flew from the giant crustacean’s shell, which was proving to be downright indestructible. The Crab King lashed out with its pincers and legs, and it found that the scaly hide of Pan Gu was similarly resistant to attack.
Each of them was enormously powerful. Pan Gu had a clear advantage in speed, but the Crab King’s impressive armor made it seemingly impervious to damage, enabling it to withstand an unlimited number of attacks.
Despite their desire to leave the place, Neil and Jack couldn’t help but be somewhat mesmerized by what they were witnessing. After all, it was the opportunity of a lifetime to watch two giant monsters duke it out with one another - and the Beans had front row seats!
“I know we’ve really got to get going, but this is truly awesome!” Neil shouted with glee, hopping from foot to foot with excitement.
“I know!” Jack agreed. “Who do you think will win?”
“It’s anybody’s game to take - just look at them go!”
As they glanced over their shoulders to continue observing the battle of titans, they hurriedly made their way to the place where Noodles’ head lay on the sand. Once there, they picked it up and quickly did their best to wipe the sand and dragon’s drool from its metallic surface.
“I think Noodles is going to be okay,” Jack said with relief.
Though Noodles’ noggin had suffered a few scuffs and scrapes, and it had been subjected to an amount of saliva that anybody would deem unreasonable, it seemed to otherwise be fine. Lefty had built Noodles to last, and the robot’s head looked like it would be okay.
As the monsters continued their epic battle, the cavern deteriorated at ever increasing speeds. The chunks of rock that fell were larger than ever, and huge holes were appearing in the ceiling as it crumbled. The Beans looked up, and they could see a lightning storm raging outside, undoubtedly the result of Pan Gu’s doing. Cold rain fell, and high winds blew about in shifting directions.
“Woof!” Nibbler said with growing alarm.
“We’ve got to get of here before the whole place collapses, or we’ll be trapped!” Jack shouted over the fray.
As the Beans began their hasty retreat, Neil held Noodles’ noggin tight within his arms. They had been through so much to retrieve it, there was no way he was going to risk losing it again. The cavern shook and the earth trembled, but there was no chance he was going to let go of his robotic friend’s head.
Neil, Jack, Nibbler, and Murphy raced for the mouth of the cavern, leaping over obstacles and darting from the path of falling debris. As they passed by the dock, they glanced up at the Queen Anne’s Mild Rebuttal.
The keeper’s ship was rocked as the water was made into a turbulent mess by the monster mash. It remained tethered to the dock, but it rose and descended sharply, causing the keeper to stumble. In his dazed, disoriented condition, there was no chance of him retaining his balance.
With a subdued squawk, the stupefied pirate tumbled over the railing at the edge of the ship’s deck. He fell upon the dock, bounced off of the old driftwood, and then landed on the sandy shore amid a pile of crabs and seashells.
At that moment, the Beans felt a tremendous wave of heat envelope the cavern. Squinting their eyes against the increased temperatures, they looked back at the rampaging monsters.
Pan Gu was releasing a wide stream of flame from its mouth, bellowing as it did so. The Crab King bore the brunt of this fiery expulsion, and its hard shell protected it well, though it did submerge itself beneath the water for a quick cool down.
Pan Gu’s exhalation soon ended, but hot sparks filled the air like a swarm of mosquitoes. Several of the sparks descended upon the ship and the dock, but they quickly died off and disappeared before they could instigate a fire.
However, when sparks found the keeper’s beard, there was a most troubling reaction. The long fuses that protruded from his facial hair were seasoned with age and sunshine, a combination that made them highly flammable. When the sparks landed among the frayed mess of a beard, a pair of those fuses burst into flame, slowly sizzling as they burned away the material.
The fuses, of course, were attached to sticks of dynamite.
“I suppose that should make things interesting - don’t you think?” Neil asked his wide-eyed companions.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I’m No Scientist