The Colossaeus, Part I

**The Colossaeus, Part I** is the seventeenth episode of *Primal* and the seventh episode of the second season.

## Synopsis

Spear, Fang, and Mira's journey home is threatened by a mysterious threat at sea.

## Plot

The Viking Chieftain washes up from the river and crawls onto a rocky shore, succumbing to his injuries and bleeding to death. As he lies flat on his back, dying, three beautiful women come down from the sky, intending to take him away. But as the Chieftain floats towards them, from the pool of his blood appear pairs of red arms, grabbing him. Sending him through a hole and down a tunnel, revealing to be red goblin-like monsters. The Chieftain crashes to the ground, finding himself in an underworld of magma. He sees the same creatures toss corpses of other fallen viking warriors into the lava, the Chieftain sees them, stepping back in horror. He then sees a door at the top of a flight of stairs, the wind blowing right at him as if to summon him, he walks up to it. He then meets a gigantic horned creature sitting on a throne, the Chieftain is horrified as the creature’s eyes burn with fire. The floor opens a crack under the Chieftain, he then sees the body of his oldest son, Eldar, flowing in the magma. The creature opens its palm in front of the Chieftain conjures a fireball which displays an Spear and Fang from within. The creature appears to offer the Chieftain another chance to exact vengeance on the duo. With his heart and mind tainted by rage, hate, and vengeance, he accepts then is engulfed in flames, transforming into a dark, fiery entity.

Meanwhile, Spear sits on the beach, watching a bird and a turtle while Mira sits on top of the boat’s figure piece. She then jumps off and walks over to Fang, curled up with her newly laid eggs. Fang wakes up and sees Mira, who then decides to turn back and gather supplies for their trip, apparently annoyed with Fang’s stubborn overprotectiveness. Spear goes over to Fang’s nest, looks over the eggs then at Fang who won’t even let him move her eggs. Spear then fills the boat with some rocks and twigs, Mira catches onto his plan. Mira lures Fang with some meat while backing up to the boat, Fang follows her while Spear comes out of the bushes and takes all three eggs from the nest, into his arms. He goes towards the boat while Mira continues to distract Fang. But the t-rex soon catches him in the act and makes him return her eggs to the nest. As Spear walks off, Fang turns back to the nest and sees one egg has disappeared! She sees Mira running off with it. Before she can reach the boat, Fang cuts her off but sees Spear with the rest of them. She comes to him and he returns them by putting them in her mouth. She then hits him upside the head with her tail, sending him to the ground. Most likely on purpose in retaliation. She returns the two eggs to the nest then sees Mira has the third, putting it in the boat. She then sees Mira and Spear put together a new nest in the boat for her eggs to stay in. Fang finally complies and carries her other two eggs in her mouth to the boat, jumping in then curling up with them on the boat. The trio then sets sail from the river to the open ocean. By nightfall, a shooting star passes while they peacefully sleep. Fang briefly wakes up to scratch her back on the mast, she sees something in the very far, foggy distance but dismisses it before sitting back on her eggs and falling asleep.

In the morning, Spear wakes up and uses a net to catch loads of fish, bringing them up onto the boat. Before he can eat one, he sees something in the fog; a giant ship rowing towards them. Three smaller ships come to them and attach grappling hooks to the boat, Spear stands his ground with a spear and shield and Mira climbs the mast, preparing her bow and arrows while Fang puts her eggs in her mouth to protect them. The ship pulls in and rams them then releases a group of Ancient Egyptians warriors. Spear and Mira fight them off before another boat with Egyptians rams them. Releasing a giant Egyptian named Kamau, towering over Spear. Spear grabs a sickle and charges in but Kamau just hits him to the side. Mira fires a few arrows but they barely phase him, he is about to shake the mast but Fang stands to face him. Standing on one foot, kicking him back. But he punches her in the snout, making her drop her eggs. Two of them land in the nest but one bounces to the side and smashes! Killing the unborn baby dinosaur!
Spear regains consciousness, he, Mira and Fang are all in shock, Fang roars in grief then attacks Kamau with him fighting back. Spear and Mira join in to avenge their friend’s destroyed egg. However, their fight ends suddenly when they all look up to see the Queen of the Egyptians holding the two remaining eggs as well as an army of soldiers behind her. The group is forced to be taken prisoner with Spear and Mira in shackles while Fang is held down with chains on a board with wheels. The Queen gives a satisfied smug.

The boat is set on fire as the trio is taken aboard the Egyptians’ ship with the warriors and Kamau, who’s wounds are treated. The ship brings the trio into the giant ship, the Colossaeus, seeing it’s like a city. Spear and Fang are separated from Mira, ending up in two cells beside one another. Spear comforts the heartbroken Fang over the loss of one of her eggs and her two surviving ones being held hostage. They then see Kamau being put into another cell, realizing he’s a prisoner like them. The caveman and dinosaur still show distrust and anger after he murdered one of Fang’s unborn babies. Kamau appears to regret accidentally smashing the egg as well as sympathizing with Spear and Fang for being imprisoned and enslaved by the Queen.

At that time, Mira is led to another prison and locked with a few young women. She just sits on a bench in despair. While Spear and Fang try to get some rest.

Later on, Fang wakes up to see Egyptians holding up a giant shackle and she attacks, killing a couple but one manages to shackle her ankle. She continues to fight back with Spear helping through the bars of his cell. But the Egyptian Queen comes, revealing she has one of the surviving eggs, ready to smash it! Spear is forced to soothe Fang and follow the Queen’s orders.

Mira sees out the window something in the fog then some smaller boats, rowed by slaves with Spear and Fang aboard with Kamau and Egyptian soldiers. The ship is then bombarded with arrows as it opens to release the soldiers and Kamau, Spear and Fang have no other choice but to follow along, the former taking the guard’s spear.

They see that they are forced to fight in an invasion of a Babylonian kingdom, against the soldiers with elephant mounts. Kamau is about to be stomped on by an elephant but he pushes it to the ground. Spear mounts Fang and they go in, killing off any Babylonian soldiers in their way. Even taking down a couple elephants. Spear sees the guards at the gated wall firing arrows, then climbs up the wall, passing Egyptians using a ladder and takes down several soldiers. Fang then sees some Egyptians using a large battering ram on the gates, she helps them smash through the gates as the Babylonian king comes with more guards. Spear and Fang both roar their hearts out in victory of penetrating the fortress.

## Characters

* Spear
* Fang
* Mira
* Vikings
	+ Viking Chieftain
	+ Eldar (corpse)
* Egyptians
	+ Egyptian Queen
	+ Kamau
	+ Colossaeus
* Babylonians
	+ Babylonian King
* Fire Giant
	+ Imp-like Humanoids
* Sky Women
* Fang's eggs

## Trivia

* This episode introduces two new human groups based on Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations.
	+ The giant ship may be a reference to the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon", due to the various Babylonian elements involved in the ship and its crew.
		- The Queen who owns/rules the ship could be an homage or possible reference to Semiramis, who was the one who originally constructed the Hanging Gardens and later became a queen.
		- The Colossaeus draws clear inspiration from Ancient Greek/Egyptian Thalamegoi, the ancient world's pleasure barges. It also bares striking resemblance to the description given to a couple of these giant vessels, such as the Tessarakonteres and the Syracusia - especially with the towers, and decorated gardens.
	+ The conflict between the Babylonian soldiers and the Egyptians may be loosely based on the real-life "Battle of Carchemish", which took place on the bank of the Eupherates River and was fought by the Assyrians and Egyptians.
* The transformation of the Viking Chieftain into a lava/flame monster is the same fate that the Viking Warrior from "Jack and the Lava Monster" in *Samurai Jack* suffered under Aku's hands. Although in the Lava Monster's case it happened before he died, rather than after.
* The way Spear and Fang take down the elephant with the Babylonians is similar to *The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King* when Legolas takes down several orcs as well as their Oliphant mount. The giant battering ram is also possibly a reference to Grond from the same film.
* The elephant mirrors a charge made by Mammoth Matriarch in "A Cold Death".

## References

 "Sea of Despair" • "Shadow of Fate" • "Dawn of Man" • "The Red Mist" • "The Primal Theory" • "Vidarr" • "**The Colossaeus, Part I**" • "The Colossaeus, Part II" • "The Colossaeus, Part III" • "Echoes of Eternity"