16
Leviathan
Shadewyrm
This is a tale that very nearly never reached human ears.
Shadewyrm
This is a tale that very nearly never reached human ears.
Once, there was a fisherman and a sailor by the name of Philip Trapper. Philip was the first mate of a seabound vessel, the ‘Waterwalker’, from the fishing town of Rivernet Landing to the glorious city of Pallatock. The ship was packed with salt and rum, along with fishing nets and spare hooks. Little food was packed, as the ship was to be sourced mainly by fish, so there was enough room to pack other amenities, such as blank maps and ink.
The crew slept in the belly of the ship, forced to experience the brunt of the endless waves. However, the captain and higher-ranking officers were permitted their own quarters. Philip’s room was located just under the captains, and was kept mostly above water.
On this particular night, the wind howled through the sails, creating ghostly screams that resonated for miles along the rough surface of the sea. Philip slept restlessly, the worn oak beams of his cabin keeping time with the gale. The music seemed to reach deep into his mind, chilling his blood. He sat up, striking a match to light a lantern.
‘Thud. Thududud. Thud.’
It was coming from the floor above- which could mean only one thing.
The captain was in trouble.
Philip always kept his saber nearby, in case he ever needed to fight. Now was one such occasion, so he made sure to remember it before climbing the stairs onto the main deck. Most of the men were still sleeping, so Philip knew that the interlopers must have been sneaky. He barely dared to breathe as he came upon the door into the captain’s room.
The door’s hinges were shattered, tempered steel turned into dust. The door itself had a mighty dent in it, clearly made from a steel-toed boot. Inside, blood stained the brown carpet that covered the boards. Two of the deckhands held the captain’s arms, while the third-in-command was grasping him around the neck. The captain himself was choking, but still putting up a fight, his arms and legs flailing wildly.
Without a second thought, Philip plunged his saber through the third-in-command. He screamed in hatred, forcing it through his heart, and then farther. His hands were covered in blood, his eyes glowed like burning embers against his ashen face.
Crewmen crowded in behind him, rough arms forcing him down. Philip couldn’t understand the questioning look on their faces as they lowered him into the water. His eyes opened- he never realised he closed them- and he beheld a huge dragonlike creature, it’s jaws open, waiting for the next meal to fall into it. As the light of the lanterns from the ‘Waterwalker’ faded, he realised why his life would end short.
It wasn’t just the third-in-command’s blood on that sword.
It was the captains.
Philip stirred, and water flowed from his lungs, soaking the cracked stone beneath him. He was down on his hands and knees, weakness overcoming him. He could sense beings surrounding him, but a slimy cloth was wrapped around his eyes. Portions of it hung down over his face, reminding him of… seaweed? Sure enough, when he pried his eyes open, he could see a green haze.
An image flooded his mind, too clear to be imagined. A ring of white pillars surrounded him, their tips sharpened into spears. In the center of the ring lay a black base covered in a square red cloth secured with jewels. A book floated above the table, supported seemingly by nothing except the air itself. Legions of humanoid creatures floated outside of what looked like an air bubble. Their skin was coloured in shades of purple and green, and their hands and feet were webbed. Gill lines were visible on their necks, and they wore nothing but loincloths. Some carried staffs tipped with coral, while others held tridents and weighted nets. A symbol could be seen on a few, marking the elite warriors.
Philip spun, looking for the source of the thought . When his eyes found their mark, he recoiled in terror. What was speaking to him was the very thing that had brought him to this place. The reptilian face stared, and Philip got the feeling that he was being analyzed on more than one level- his thoughts, his fears, his emotions of rage and shock.
“Let me tell you the story” said the dragon. “Of how I came to dwell here, and how this powerful civilization crumbled under my unholy gaze.”
This place was once called Sunshire. It was a holy temple in the heart of an ancient city, whose name not even I remember. The people who lived here still surround you, enslaved by my power. I am not an evil being- I merely have a stronger will than those who would oppose me, and so I, naturally, am in control. This place was glorious- they would have survived to this day, if not for a cataclysmic event that brought me from my prison of rock to feast upon their life. Above the sea, two nations waged war. They each sought powerful magic to bring an end to the devastation. Little did they know that the power they searched for was one and the same, and when they both arrived at the location of such force, a battle raged for weeks. All fell except for one champion from each nation. These two lunged for the magical item, a trident. It split, causing a shockwave that opened the earth and unleashed untold horrors upon the unknowing world. I, myself, was one of these beasts. A legendary Leviathan, trapped in the earth for countless years, awaiting my time of glory. When I saw the light of day for the first time in millenia, my sanity was lost. A thousand years of planning went to waste in my thirst for revenge. I was locked in the darkness, waiting in an endless slumber. But nothing can truly be endless- and my prison was broken. I scoured the seafloor, consuming all life, hunting anything that dared to breathe or move. I was furious that my life had been wasted doing nothing, while these whelps got to see the light of day, to have luxury. I wanted what they had. I wanted it so, so badly. And so, when I saw this city, growing larger on the horizon, I knew what I had to do. Shouts of warning turned to screams of terror as I passed over the submerged walls of his city. The wise turned and fled, but the foolish stayed to fight off the new threat. Their blood filled the water, and I smiled in glee. Some of the citizens tried to run, but nobody can outrun me. I am the ultimate hunter. My teeth ground into their flesh, cutting ribbons out of their mortal bodies. They tried to hide inside of their buildings, but I was too strong. The walls of their houses crumbled, and those inside fell. Soon, only their king remained. He stood in the very place that you do, beside the book of history. And he smiled as my jaws closed around him, inviting death into himself. When I beheld the city I had claimed as my own, I realised what had happened. What I had wanted for myself, I destroyed, and all the people with it. I had become an evil creature. I cried out in agony, begging the heavens to set things right. The world faded into darkness, and when my eyes opened again, I was surrounded by spirits, thousands of ghosts from the people i had killed. I tried to flee, but could not leave. I have been trapped here, held by the curse I bestowed upon myself. You are the first man to come floating down to me- the first one to see my curse and hear my story. And so, I will let you go. I will not be forgotten again. I will not be trapped here forever. And when I am free, I want them to know me. Take this book, so that you might have a memory of this conversation. Write in it what I have said to you, and share it with all who will listen. I will know if you break this promise, and I will find you.
Philip woke up, sweat dripping from his face. He felt wood beneath him. Opening his eyes, he was a fishing dock. Gazing out at the sea, he could see that a large fin was bobbing in the waves. His hand clasped a leather-bound book, his eyes narrowed in determination. He stayed late into the night, writing about what he had seen. When he was finished, he slept, and was satisfied.
Excluding this, there are 1464 words in this story.
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