Entry #74! The Volcanic Sasquatch Ashfall

Height: 100 meters
Mass: 63,000 tons

Powers:
- Black Smoke: Ashfall has a second lung-like organ in his body that he is able to use to store smoke. Usually any type of smoke works, but he prefers to keep a "healthy" amount of black, volcanic smoke stored. When needed, he can breathe this out in a steady stream. The effects of this attack are pretty universal and act the same as normal smoke of various types. It should be noted this does protect him from poison smoke, sense his body can funnel any type of smoke into this organ for future use. It's also not uncommon for him to rapidly breathe in expelled smoke, trying to quickly replenish his storage after being used.
- Flaming Fists: Should the need arise; Ashfall can coat his fists in flame. This allows him to smash hammer-like blows of fire straight into a victim's body!
- Burning Inferno: When enraged, Ashfall can engulf his entire body in fire.
- Coal Blasts: One of the many inorganics Ashfall can feed on is coal, and not for nutrients. His body uses it much like a power plant, but instead weaponizes it. He can spew out a stream of burning coal from his mouth or a quick breath of fire. The fire breath is very short range, so is usually only used for up close encounters, but the coal barrage has a much larger reach, but doesn't do as much damage as the face full of fire. However, the coal he launches does have a habit of actually exploding on contact.
- Methane Blast: Feeding on coal and living in harsh environments, Ashfall has developed the ability to actually breathe methane! Overtime, his breath can fill the air to the point of making it highly dangerous. A single spark is all that would be needed to set off an explosion of massive size.
- CO2: Like volcanoes, Ashfall can release massive amounts of carbon dioxide from his mouth. He’s evolved to be able to breath in oxygen and CO2, but the sheer amount he can release can choke out an air-breathing opponent in mere minutes.

Weakness: None

Biography: There are over eight-hundred volcanoes in the world and over eighty of those are located in Alaska. Every so often, one of these volcanoes would explode, but never have they done more than cover a city in ash or generate some tsunamis and earthquakes. However, in the farthest reaches of the North, a Native American legend is still passed down through the ages regarding the fire mountains.

“When the Great Spirit is angry, she’ll unleash a fierce monster from the depths of the underworld. Harnessing the power of the volcanoes themselves, it could destroy the world of man.”

This fairy tale was passed down for centuries and was eventually used as a scary story to make children behave.

Coincidently, when the world began to fall apart amidst the start of World War K, the volcanoes in Alaska began to erupt one after another. In a domino effect, the blasts attracted world attention. Traditional Native Americans were quick to announce the hell spawn had been unleash, the Great Spirit was angry! From the tip of Aleutian Islands to the interior of the state, they erupted in a domino effect. Fearing the worst, many Alaskans fled into Canada.

As the skies remained dark from the smoke for weeks, the side effects of the continuous eruptions began to begin. From the west coast to the Asian coasts, gigantic tsunamis began to pound away. Thankfully the governments managed to react in time, but still flooding ensued in numerous countries. This world-wide devastation from the volcanoes only enforced the idea of the hell spawn being released by the Great Spirit to wreck vengeance upon the world.

However, as all this went down, the A.K.D.F. had a different theory: a monster was behind this. They began to investigate on their own, believing that the cause was going to be some sort of burrowing monster. To their surprise, they uncovered more information on the legend that was seemingly true. The old stories described not a dinosaur or mole-like creature, but a gigantic Sasquatch creature that had been dubbed Ashfall by the white man upon learning of the story.

Legend states it stands as tall as a mountain with enough strength to hold the world on its shoulders. It could harness the element of fire and was the left hand of the devil himself, even crowned with the same horns of the devil. Its roar was louder than any thunder and the sheer sight of it could drive a man insane. It had roamed the world once before, and its battles with the Great Spirit had created the land in which people now live on.

After being defeated, Ashfall’s power was revoked and it was forced to live off the land like the humans it hated. In its revenge, the creature began to burn the forests until a lone Shaman stood against it. On the peek of the biggest mountain, the Shaman summoned the great powers of beyond and lightning, in the shape of the great Thunder Bird, smashed into Ashfall. As the devil screamed aloud, the ground around it ripped apart and a gate to Hell opened. As the mountain itself was engulfed in the inferno, the monster vanished into the mouth of fire along with the Shaman who stopped it.

As the chain of eruptions continued, the theory of a kaiju behind it began to spread. Naturally, Anchorage and numerous other settlements in the path were completely evacuated, but some remained behind. Among those left in the chain was the host, producers, and cameramen of the now famous TV show “The Hunt”, made famous by its joint venture with the A.K.D.F. that discovered the Sea Devil.

The Hunt once again joined the A.K.D.F. as they arrived with Bruiser, Plague, and Swamp following. The events that unfolded were filmed and broadcast live throughout the world, and the belief of a kaiju appearance in Alaska was strengthened when Taninim left Genesis Island and began a course to the state. A week-long journey through the state found nothing, but the day after the seventh, a series of gigantic footprints were discovered in the wilderness.

The live, special edition broadcast of The Hunt was on top of the charts as the A.K.D.F. analyzed hair samples found within it, discovering that it was from an unknown creature. Some more quick analysis within the same day revealed the monster’s size and weight. For the most part, it seemed as if the legend of Ashfall was coming to life! Various interviews with members of the local tribe, whom had refused to leave the area, all believed that the monster had returned and offered their warnings to the world.

After two weeks, the volcano closest to Anchorage, Mount Spurr, finally erupted! Even stronger than the previous blasts, the volcano sent gigantic chunks of molten rock over the land. Rivers of lava flowed out in a spider web pattern and a thick blanket of ash began to rain down on the city. The forest surrounding the great mountain were quickly set aflame, and as The Hunt filmed and A.K.D.F. watched on, a dark figure appeared within the blaze.

As the cameras zoomed in, the reality of the legend came to be. Looking exactly like what was foretold, Ashfall walked amidst the blaze, totally unfazed by the skyscraper-sized plumes of fire surrounding it. The legendary titan roared aloud as it breathed in massive amounts of smoke. It was obvious the monster was heading for Anchorage and would reach the city in just a mere few hours.

Refusing to believe the Sasquatch-like monster was a hell spawn bent on world destruction, Dr. Himes released his own theory on why it was doing what it was. Discoveries in the last few years have found that a relative of the Gigantopithecus, a gigantic species of great ape, once lived in this area millions of years ago. He believed that this monster was some sort of shoot of that same species and that where Anchorage stands now is where this species once blossomed. The location was hardwired into its brain and thus it believed it was its true home.

While neither he nor Melissa Silver could explain its ability to survive in volcanoes and manipulate fire, their theory on its link to the prehistoric age of apes proved popular, but until the thing was effectively dealt with, it was moot. The creature had to be dealt with before it could reach and burn Anchorage to the ground. Thus, as The Hunt filmed, the three A.K.D.F. monsters were joined by The Hessian. After giving a short interview to the TV show, Agent Styles began to move the machine into position.

With Bruiser following behind, they’d be the first line of defense. If Ashfall got past them, it’d have to face Swamp and Plague defending the city itself. As ash fell to the ground like snow, the gigantic ape came into view. Agent Styles fired off a few warning shots, blasting the ground around its feet with the crimson laser. Ignoring the blasts, the simian moved closer. Bruiser stepped up to plate, barking loudly in an attempt to turn Ashfall away.

Upon hearing the noise, the Sasquatch roared in response. He stopped and smashed his fists against his large chest and stomped his feet. The beast’s arms flew to his side, engulfing his fists into balls of fire. The dog quickly jumped forward, barking again. The two goliaths met in combat, but the Sasquatch had superior strength. Reaching down to grab the dog, its hand was clamped by the dog’s maw. Screaming in rage, the ape began to use his other hand as a hammer, pounding away at the canine’s skull. Sickening blows came one after another, but Bruiser refused to give up.

As blood began to fall from Ashfall’s hand, flames suddenly burst around the dog’s maw! The fighting dog yelped and leaped back, pawing at his charred mouth. As the dog shook its head back and forth, a cloud of black smoke erupted from Ashfall’s mouth! The blackness engulfed the warrior dog, making him choke and fall back, unable to breathe! As the Sasquatch roared in victory, a series of crimson beams ripped through the black cloud and smashed hard into its furry chest!

The ape screamed in pain as the beam tore gashes into his flesh. Unable to see his foe through the cloud, the creature’s maw released a stream of burning coal! The coal flew through the cloud at blinding speeds and exploded on the chest of the Hessian, but the robot was totally unfazed by the coal. As he was distracted by the beams of the Hessian, Ashfall left himself open as Bruiser came around the side.

Before it was too late, the super-sized dog pounced on the side of Fallatch, biting into its shoulders and side. Trying to drag the legend to the ground, the dog’s body suddenly erupted into quills! The numerous quills made the ape scream in pain as fountains of blood sprayed from the many wounds. As the dog fell away, holding a chunk of bloody meat and fur in his maw, the ape stumbled back, pulling at the huge quills stabbed in his body.

As it coated its hands in fire and began to torch the quills, the Hessian stepped forward and lifted its shotgun! With a thunderous boom, the gun fired! Tank-sized pellets flew into Ashfall’s body, tearing out chunks of fur and flesh! The ape screamed in pain as he flew back and landed hard on his back with a titanic thud.

As the Sasquatch struggled to stand, covering his wounds, sensors inside the Hessian’s cockpit began to blare. Agent Styles flicked through the computer as sensors onboard began to detect high rising amounts of carbon dioxide! So fast the carbon dioxide began to spread that Bruiser’s breathing began to weaken. The dog panted, lying down on the ground as the air in the area was displaced by methane!

Not only were high levels of CO2 being given off by Ashfall, but also methane when Agent Styles scanned the area again. As Ashfall stood up, his body releasing high amounts of CO2 and methane, Bruiser was ordered to retreat. Slowly and lazily, the dog stood up and began to walk away in a wobble. Agent Styles wasn’t sure what to do, a single spark could set off a devastating explosion!

As Styles radioed back to the others, the legendary monster approached the robot. Recognizing it as his enemy, Ashfall smashed his huge fist against the dome-shaped head! The cockpit shuddered and sparks burst from numerous screens. Without his normal weaponry, the Hessian switched to a hand-to-hand basis. The so-called “weapon hand” lifted up, the three fingers unfolding and pointing in various directions. A loud hum came from the arm as the hand itself began to spin, forming a circular buzzsaw out of the fingers!

The saw moved upward, slicing from Ashfall’s stomach to lower chest. The Sasquatch screamed in agony and pushed the machine away. As a spray of gore washed over the body of the anti-kaiju robot, Ashfall’s mouth opened wide. Zach’s eyes opened wide, realizing what was about to happen. From the ape’s maw came a stream of fire…

And this fire ignited the methane!

A brilliant light was followed by a mushroom-shaped plume of fire that engulfed the area. The Hessian fell back, set ablaze! Inside the cockpit, numerous emergency lights and programs activated. As flames spread around the fallen machine, Ashfall stepped over its sparking body, continuing on its journey home.

Not far away, the others realized what its appearance would mean for Anchorage. They needed to sway its course. As the monster marched on, Alan Saw and the crew of The Hunt took off by helicopter. Circling the goliath from above, Alan began to shoot the creature in the face, especially the eyes, with kaiju anthrax-loaded sniper rounds. The dose was far from the needed amount to truly infect the creature, but the strikes on and around its eyes got its attention.

Roaring in rage, Ashfall fired at the helicopter, but the craft pulled away just before the coal struck. As insane footage was broadcast live, the helicopter was engulfed in a black cloud of smoke from Ashfall’s maw. While the whole event only took a few minutes, it allowed several other weapons to join the lines of defense. From afar, as the helicopter escaped, Centaur Tanks locked on target and fired. Dozens of Sparrow Missiles launched from the weapons, each striking the Sasquatch and the ground around it. The humanoid was engulfed in a wall of explosions as more and more firepower tore into its body.

The giant began to back away as more and more firepower slammed into it. Unable to penetrate the wall of rockets, Ashfall turned away, but waiting for him was Bruiser! Enraged after its forced retreat, the dog leaned up on its hind legs and came down in a tackle! Barking loudly, the canine began to bite and slash at the ape’s chest. As the legend’s fists were engulfed and fire and began to pound and burn the dog’s fur, Bruiser continued his own assault. As bloody wounds formed on each shoulder and chest of Ashfall, the goliath’s maw opened wide and a stream of hellfire was spat into the face of Bruiser!

The dog yelped and jumped back, smashing his face into the ground. The quick burst of fire had completely burned the fur of his face to ash, and his eyes were now half-blind and turned white! Whimpering in agony, the dog lifted its head and began to growl. As the ape stood tall once more, it breathed another cloud of black smoke from its mouth! The smoke engulfed Bruiser, making the canine cough and gag as he breathed in the smoke. As the dog coughed and the Hessian finally caught up from its previous defeat, something else appeared on radar.

As crew of The Hunt filmed on, a gigantic blur appeared in the smoke-filled sky. Zooming in from west, the familiar form of Heavyclaws! The pilots of the Henz, Inc. machine had gone through weeks of advanced solo and group training to tone their skills, and now they were back in action! The advent of Leoxic had made almost everyone forget about the mechanical crab!

Landing within the burning forest, Heavyclaws snapped its massive pincers. The Hessian looked over at the machine and Agent Styles attempted to make contact, but there was no reply. As Bruiser crawled past the Hessian, the monolith of technology pointed its weapon at the crab. The remote controlled, Russian-made weapon snapped its claws and a mist of white came from its underside. The cold mist spread around it, swallowing up the flames and instantly dousing the blazes. As huge plumes of smoke drifted upward, Ashfall screamed in rage and charged the crab.

The machine jumped back, turning off its extinguishers and launching numerous rockets from its carapace! The explosives tore through the sky, spinning around one another before striking the legend in the chest. The Sasquatch stumbled back, his anger growing more and more.

As General Kurich, onboard the ST-DLX just outside Anchorage, tried repeatedly get in touch with Patrick Pyatt, the battle continued to unfold. The Hessian was ordered to standby and watch, making sure the crab didn’t step out of line. With Bruiser sitting and panting by his robot’s side, Agent Styles began to try and get in contact with the pilots himself. There was still no reply.

As Heavyclaws jumped around the Sasquatch, Ashfall began to release streams of explosive coal and toxic, volcanic smoke from his mouth. The explosives merely pinged off its armor and the smoke had no effect on its body. In just a few short seconds, Heavyclaw’s right pincer fired a gigantic net from its body. The ends of the net tipped with powerful magnetic balls, the trap quickly closed around Ashfall. With the rope of the net still in its huge claw, Heavyclaws began to pull the creature closer. Enraged, the ape’s body began to burn uncontrollably. A plume of fire tore through the wire net, but not even the intense temperatures of Ashfall could melt the net!

After numerous failures to reach Mr. Pyatt and the controllers of Heavyclaws, General Kurich radioed back to Agent Styles. The company had failed to take their threat seriously and once again interfered in A.K.D.F. concerns. Just like Leoxic, Heavyclaws would be viewed as an invading, dangerous force!

As Heavyclaws had Ashfall captured, a crimson beam leaped from the Hessian and cut through the rope that attached the net to the claw. The thick rope quickly burnt in half. Heavyclaws stumbled away, looking at the Hessian as it stepped forward again. Another beam leaped from Hessian, splintering against the faceplate of Heavyclaws. The machine stepped back again, but soon retaliated. Its other arm lifted up and the hidden gatling gun within began to rev!

In a second, the entire front half of Hessian was covered in sparks. Countless tank-sized rounds pinged off its armor. In response, Zach lifted his own gun and fired the shotgun, targeting the opened claw. An explosion of smoke and sparks flew from the claw as the rounds ricocheted within it. As the two machines continued to fire on one another, Ashfall managed to remove the net covering him. In a frenzied rage and his body covered in fire, it charged the distracted Heavyclaws!

Just as it got near, numerous beam cannons and rocket pods emerged from its carapace and pointed at it. Dozens of attacks leaped at the Sasquatch, showering it in firepower once more. The ape fought through the attacks before smashing into the side of the machine. Its collision made the crab seize its assault on the Hessian and focus on trying to get free. The ape grabbed the legs of the machine and, with a show of power, lifted it over his head!

Roaring in defiance, Ashfall turned around and threw the crab at the Hessian! The machine clanged off the body of the Hessian, pounding the humanoid robot to the ground and pinning it down. As sparks erupted from within the cockpit of the Hessian, Zach tried to push Heavyclaws off but the crab’s pointed legs had torn through the unarmored joint of the weapon hand. As Hessian and Heavyclaws continued to struggle to separate, Ashfall got closer to Anchorage and was then approached by Plague and Swamp. The pair were ordered to stand back and not engage the monster until it actually made a move into the city.

The ape stared at the pair and began to move forward after a few minutes, but a sudden wave of gunfire washed over his back. Heavyclaws managed to separate itself from the Hessian and catch up, attacking the monster once more. Enraged, Ashfall spun around, breathing a blast of explosive coal at the robot. The attack splintered against its armor with no effect. The machine fired back with its rockets and gatling guns, but several of the strikes missed completely and smashed into the A.K.D.F. pair. Taking this as an attack on their own, Swamp and Plague were instructed to move into position against Heavyclaws!

The crab was taken by surprise and used its own weapons against the pair, allowing Ashfall to advance into the boundaries of Anchorage. As Plague and Swamp continued to brawl with the pride of Henz, Ashfall’s methane and CO2 release began to flood through the area. It was the land of its ancestors, he belonged here. Near the Westchester Lagoon, the ape began to notice the water was bubbling. A gigantic wall of water lifted up and crashed down, revealing the arrival of Taninim!

The guardian fish mutant confronted the legendary Sasquatch monster, trying to force him out of the city as Plague and Swamp continued to fight with Heavyclaws. The monster continued to battle the Sasquatch until they reached the outskirts, allowing Taninim to employ full use of his ion powers. Beam after beam ripped across its ash covered body, blowing off chunks of fur and flesh. The massive fighting going on the disturbed land had an adverse effect and a powerful earthquake began to rip across the landscape, sending both Taninim and Ashfall collapsing to the ground.

The city itself shuddered with smaller buildings collapsing. A huge fissure opened up, swallowing up homes and streets within the outskirts and reaching onward into Anchorage. Standing up, the two kaiju titans continued their clash, but Taninim managed to gain the upper hand. He pushed the ape into the gapping fissure, sending the beast plummeting into the darkness of the Earth itself. Its loud yells echoed for miles as the great legend vanished into the gullet of the planet.

As Taninim looked into the thirty-meter wide fissure that stretched into Anchorage, an orange glow came from within. Flames began to rise up, coming from a deep river of lava that had formed during the chain of reactions. In hours the city would be flooded in lava. Heavyclaws would return to Henz, Inc. and the battle of Anchorage was deemed a loss on all sides. Ashfall wasn’t captured and was more than likely still alive within the lava flow underneath the city, but one thing was for sure. While the legend of Ashfall said he’d personally destroy the world, his coming did bring about the battle between the Anti-Kaiju Defense Forces and Henz, Inc., a battle that could actually destroy the world in the coming days.

Creative History: Much like the butterfly-type, I’ve always wanted my own Sasquatch kaiju. Now Sasquatch kaiju are nothing new to the genre, thus my hesitance and MM’s World already has Thunder whom fills the “King Kong” niche in finely, even if he’s not a true great ape. As the roster kept growing, I still found myself longing for a Sasquatch and I began looking in different places for answers. Again, they’re fairly common and usually the same monster with different colors and origins. So I began to tweak it a bit.

Instead of making a true Sasquatch, I went with Yeti. That itself is also a fairly common kaiju and I didn’t want a Blizzard rip-off from Primal Rage. So keeping the idea of a specific environment Sasquatch, I looked for other areas. One I idea I had before settling on a volcanic one was a toxic Sasquatch. Imagine a furry version of Hedorah.

This idea actually got pretty far. The idea started out as being a sickly green fur thing that could breathe toxic mist, spit sludge, etc. Eventually the colors changed to black and red, which gave it a fiery look. This gave me a new idea: a volcanic Sasquatch. The basic design remained the same: a giant Sasquatch with ram horns. The ram horns I’ve wanted on my Sasquatch before even deciding what its real powers and origins would be.

Several of the powers planed for the “Toxic Sasquatch” were molded into fire and volcanic attacks. The toxic smog breath became volcanic smoke. The sludge blasts became fire and coals. The toxic fumes coming from his body became ash.

After everything was said and done, there was one final thing that needed to be done: the name. Before bringing into MM’s World, I tested him out at the UCA RPG, taking on the name Voluatch. Honestly, I think that name sucked ass. When doing him for MM’s World, I decided to rename him. I went through a series of words relating to Sasquatch and volcanoes and couldn’t find anything that truly sounded good. It was here that I decided he’d be a simple word monster (sort of like Slick, Reef, Swamp, Plague, etc) instead of a “complicated” named one (like Fenainae, Coccinelia, Rosmarus Maximus) and christened him Ashfall due to the ash that’s constantly falling from his body.

Next: Gun Gray