by Mark B Frost
“You’re going on a dangerous quest, Lord Councilor. Take no offense by my word, but your demise is a true possibility. I can’t ask my crew to wait forever away from home. We’ll give you a year to finish your journey. If in a year we haven’t received a signal from you, we’ll head back to Felthespar with the news that you’ll not be returning.”
They exchanged a nod and then shook hands. The crewmen returned to the ship and headed out to sea. Atheme stood for a while watching their ride home sail away, then walked over to the makeshift camp that had been set up.
“I suppose that we might as well get started,” he announced.
Serene looked inland to where Abaddon had disappeared. The ship had made anchor just off of a small patch of beach, with large rocky outcroppings to either side. The land beyond was uninviting, at best. The sandy, welcoming beach ended abruptly and turned into a few yards of grassland, which led to an intimidating and ancient forest. The trees were ugly and gnarled, twisted by years of struggling for survival in unforgiving soil. Over the treetops, the jagged peaks of daunting mountains could barely be made out.
“Something is coming,” she announced, frozen where she stood. “Something big.”
Atheme drew his sare and spoke the release phrase to tap a Feeler matrix. “Doluncad.” He ran a sweep over the forest, but sensed no living creatures that might explain Serene’s statement. “I can’t—”
“No, it’s over there!” she interrupted as she turned and pointed to the ocean.
At the same second that Atheme spun about, there was an eruption of water. He was nearly knocked over by the monsoon that ensued. When the mist cleared enough for him to see, a gigantic serpent reared out of the sea and high into the sky above them. It was easily over a hundred feet long, and the length of its body had dozens of leathery wings that allowed it to hover.
“It’s Leviathan!” Serene shouted over the noise of the screeching serpent. The beast struck, the entire coil of its body moving at blinding speed to snap at the ground upon which the humans stood.
Even as Atheme was still layering himself with grey magic, he barely saw the attack coming. “Relm, get down!” He dashed to her and snatched her up, then fiercely jumped clear of Leviathan’s huge maw. It struck the empty ground hard with its nose, but did not seem phased by the impact. As it raised its head it spotted the area where Atheme had set up camp, as well as the peists that were bellowing in fear and struggling to run from the bonds tying them down.
Serene roughly separated herself from Atheme and raised both of her hands slightly. Her feet lifted a foot above the ground and a force field of silver lightning crackled around her. Her eyes turned bright silver, almost white, and her expression became fearsome. “Thanks for the help,” she said to him, “but I’m well capable of handling myself.”
He crouched into a battle pose and extended his sare out to fighting length, three feet of staff with blades exposed. He was about to respond to Serene’s remark, when Leviathan launched itself forward into the campsite. Atheme and Serene simultaneously dashed forward to attack, but it quickly pulled away and flung itself high into the air, most of the campsite and all three of the peists swallowed in a single strike of the great maw.
Atheme quickly turned on the beast and unleashed a powerful spell matrix. “Orien dolcar, norinchi soroccom,” he chanted, and thousands of fire particles seared the air around Leviathan’s head. The heated air collapsed inward and the monster was set completely ablaze. After a few seconds the flames died out, leaving Leviathan staring down at the caster with annoyance.
“I take it that leviathans aren’t affected by fire magic, eh?” he said, scratching the back of his head.
“Most powerful water creatures aren’t,” Serene chastised.
The Lord Councilor sneered at her attitude shift, but again did not have time to make a response before the creature launched its next attack. It emerged completely from the water and flew higher into the sky, then stretched itself out straight and pointed its open mouth in their direction. There was a loud humming in the air, and Atheme barely heard Serene shout across, “Move away!” before everything became a blur of noise and pain.
His body was flung across the beach, blown back by a powerful sonic screech. He tore halfway through a large boulder before coming to a stop. The defensive barrier of his grey magic held up better than the stone through which he smashed, and he quickly managed to launch back to his feet. In spite of his defenses the attack resonated deeply through his frame, and his body was wracked with a jarring pain.
He tuned it out and wasted no time launching his counterattack, immediately chanting the words that would unlock his matrixed Stormbreak. “Sirluman tarakni kra!” he roared. A tremendous blast of heat and energy struck Leviathan in the center of its serpentine length, sending waves of agony ripping through its frame and smashing it fiercely into the ground. As half of its body landed in the ocean, the shock of the myriad of lightning strikes grounded further, redoubling the intensity of the attack.
As the beast landed Serene glided swiftly out of the way and sailed over to Atheme. She checked his body briefly. After noting that he was mostly unharmed, her look of concern turned to one of anger.
“You idiot! Do you know what you’ve done?”
His eyes opened widely at this unprovoked attack. “Clearly I don’t.”
“Leviathan is capable of absorbing electrical energy into its body. The more it absorbs, the more powerful its sonic attack becomes. You just gave it a huge power boost!”
Atheme stabbed his sare into the ground and reached up to rub his temples. “Alright, so fire doesn’t hurt it, and lightning makes it stronger. Can I use ice magic on it, or will that cause it to summon up the legions of hell or something of the like?”
Serene blushed at the clear vexation in his voice. “Ice magic hurts it, but not much, I’m afraid,” she said in a softer tone.
He retrieved his sare and turned back to the beast. “Tell me how I kill it.”
Even as she spoke, Leviathan had already recovered and began to lift itself back into the sky. “No one knows if it can be killed. It’s the only one of its kind, old as the gods and with power comparable to theirs. Some of the gods thought it might be some sort of evolved dragonspawn, or even a relative of Elzaniru himself.”
“Theories about what it is doesn’t help us right now. Is there a way to make it leave us alone?”
“Leviathan has shown a penchant for hunting agents of the gods, though no one is actually certain why it seems to have a vendetta against us. Most likely it’s here for me. It couldn’t sense me when we were over the weak ether currents of the ocean, but felt once we hit land. Other than letting it kill me, I don’t know how to make it leave us alone.”
He sighed and his shoulders drooped. “Beautiful.” His mind raced for a few seconds as he watched Leviathan regain its position in the sky. “It can fly, but it doesn’t seem to come very naturally. It undoubtedly prefers the depths of the ocean. Our only option is to retreat inland until it either gives up chase to return to the sea, or loses sight of us in the forests.”
With a sudden and unexpected whip of its massive body, Leviathan straightened its long frame and pointed its mouth at them once more. The air began to hum and vibrate again. Atheme tried to crouch and prepare to leap away, when he realized that he was frozen, as a tingling sensation ran through his limbs.
“I can’t move!”
“It has me too,” Serene responded. “Paralysis was one of the powers it gained from the lightning it absorbed.”
Leviathan now took its time gathering energy, and gradually small charges of electricity began to wrap around it and fill its mouth. The two humans could do nothing but stand and wait for the attack. Atheme could feel the tremendous amount of power the serpent had already built up, and knew he would not survive this next attack.
“I have no choice,” he whispered softly to himself, then started to gather his own powers together. He locked in dozens of hi
s white and grey magic enchantments and prepared to execute a Phase Shift. He hoped Haste would give him enough freedom to grab Serene and get out of the way. This was not without risk, as he had only once successfully used the spell, and was not certain he could do so again without accidentally casting himself into oblivion.
Even as he was on the brink of triggering the technique, Leviathan struck first. A blinding ball of yellow energy came crashing straight down upon them, and the sudden surge in the ether currents tore away his barriers and made it impossible to activate Haste. Time seemed to almost stand still, and he felt the ball of destruction closing in on him one inch at a time.
Then a shadow appeared between him and the approaching blast. Atheme smiled and closed his eyes, immediately recognizing that salvation had arrived. Leviathan’s attack stopped a few short feet before it reached him and Serene. Both of them were suddenly released and blown back by a shockwave as the ball impacted the shadow. Atheme did a nimble backflip through the air and landed easily on the ground, Serene used a silver energy barrier to bring herself to a stop, and both watched as the mass of energy exploded outwards and engulfed the beach. The Lord Councilor focused to shield out the explosion. As the smoke cleared, the sight before him confirmed that Abaddon Daemon had made his reappearance.
Felthespar’s Champion stood smoking and crackling from the blast, but was clearly unscathed. He looked over his left shoulder and gave Atheme a grin. “I can’t believe you’re out here having a party without me, Tethen. Here I thought we were the best of friends.”
He returned the grin and waved a hand nonchalantly in front of his face. “You’re the one who decided to run off and scout the area. Speaking of which, did you find anything interesting?”
Serene rolled her eyes as the two soldiers disregarded the dangerous foe that loomed over their heads. Abaddon turned and looked up at it. “Nothing as interesting as what you’ve found here, I’m sad to say. Might I have a go at it? Or do you need to finish this one off for yourself?”
Atheme collapsed his sare and returned it to its loop on his belt, then had a seat on a nearby rock. “I’m all partied out. I think I’ll call it a day on this one. Feel free to clean up.”
Abaddon closed his eyes and his hair and cape began to move about as if tousled by a strong breeze. “Gladly.”
Leviathan was enraged by the interruption Abaddon had created. It eagerly turned its attention to the newcomer, preparing another energy blast to send his way. The man gathered energy of his own for a few seconds more, then looked up to see Leviathan’s mouth opened at him.
“That same attack? Come now, don’t bore me.” He rapidly unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the sky, holding it firmly with both hands at the hilt. The Unholy Blade flashed with a dark glint and Leviathan fell back as if stricken. It coiled and wrapped its body around its head, seeking to hide from the woeful blade.
Abaddon brought Kargaroth down and held it in front of him, then raised his left hand and motioned for Leviathan to come to him. The beast slowly uncoiled itself and stared down, showing signs of uncertainty for its next move.
Finally it decided to go for the kill. It flew back and dove straight into the ocean, then gathered momentum and torpedoed out of the water at Abaddon. He responded by launching himself hard to his left, moving in a blur of black and purple and landing just outside of Leviathan’s jaws as it passed. He executed a powerful two-handed uppercut with Kargaroth, biting deep into the serpent’s neck. It quickly jerked away and again retreated into the air, writhing in agony all the while.
The Daemon watched his foe suffer for a moment and returned Kargaroth to its sheath. Leviathan looked down with fierce, bloodshot eyes and screeched in murderous rage.
The man could not repress a slim smirk. “I guess you’re not used to getting hurt, are you?” he taunted. “Then this is truly not your day. Continue with me, and only more pain awaits you.”
The beast turned itself about and sent the end of its tail crashing at him. Abaddon easily avoided the attack, but Leviathan quickly followed it with another, then three more. It seemed to be possessed, as it began to alternately attack with head and tail. The human’s speed was far too great, and the creature soon realized it was never going to make contact. It flew in a wide circle around the beach, and as it passed over reached into the forest and used its tail to uproot a huge number of trees. When it was once more positioned above the ocean, it turned and sent the wooden missiles raining down on the beach.
Abaddon did his best to evade the attack, but one of the giant missiles caught him and ground him deep into the sand. Leviathan straightened its body out again and sent wave after wave of energy blasts crashing into the ground. Atheme and Serene were forced to retreat to the outskirts of the forest behind them. The Saint quickly made her way to Atheme and erected a powerful barrier of her silver lightning.
As Leviathan thrashed about in the air and hissed shrilly in victory, Abaddon crawled out of the crater he was buried in and pushed aside broken sections of tree trunk. Atheme watched through Serene’s barrier in amazement. Abaddon was easily the most resilient man the Lord Councilor had ever met, but even he should have been unable to survive an assault of that magnitude.
As he began to wonder if his friend was drawing upon the higher powers of Kargaroth, the answer was made clear. Abaddon looked up at Leviathan, which had ceased its victory dance and was once again screaming angrily.
“Enough. I gave you an opportunity to escape with your life, but you do not have the sense to fear your superiors. If sea monsters have an afterlife, then hope it’s a good one.”
Leviathan began to dash forward again, but this time the man made no attempt to dodge. Instead he raised his left hand and snapped. The small nick he had carve in the serpentine neck suddenly exploded with a bright purple light. For only a single second did the monster struggle against this attack, as the line of light traveled all the way around its neck. When the circle was complete, it flared again even brighter. Leviathan’s head fell to the ground below, severed from the body, which thrashed about uselessly as it slid back into the ocean.
Abaddon walked to where his companions stood on the outskirts of the forest. Atheme looked at the disembodied head and shook his own head sadly.
“It’s a shame to see such a marvelous creature slain,” he commented. “Especially one so unique as that. But it left us with no alternative.” He turned and looked back at Serene. She grew pale as she glanced nervously at Abaddon, who was his normal expressionless self. “This was not a good way to start our quest,” Atheme continued. “We’ve lost our mounts, more than half of our supplies, and the beach where Captain Yoshim plans to meet us is in ruins.”
The beach was indeed in a state of chaos. Only a small amount of sand blanketed the forest of destroyed trees now covering it, and the repeated poundings from Leviathan had nearly sent it sinking into the ocean. Even now the tidewaters were lapping against the side of the serpent’s head as a stream of its blood joined with the foamy waves.
“We should get moving,” Abaddon suggested. “Without our peists this trip is going to take much longer. We cannot afford to idle.”
Atheme nodded. “Agreed. I’m going to look around and see if any supplies or tools can be salvaged, then we’ll move.”
“This forest is not very deep. It thins out about a mile to the south. There’s a clearing next to a spring there. I’ll await you in the clearing. Something I found seemed it might merit further investigation.”
Atheme watched as his friend headed off into the woods, then began carefully making his way onto the beach to search for supplies. Once Abaddon was out of sight, Serene dashed over and grabbed his arm.
“Atheme, did you see what he did? He’s using Kargaroth’s power! He’s still in control of it! This is very distressing.”
He raised an eyebrow in response. “It would seem that we saw the same thing, but interpreted it very differently. Indeed, Abaddon is in control of Kargaroth, not the other
way around. Not once the entire battle did his eyes turn to that empty blackness that marks the Hell Knight, and both his voice and what he said seemed to imply that he was speaking, never the gods within the sword. It seems to me that we have nothing to worry about, other than winning all of our upcoming battles with incredible ease.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her shoulders. “Please, just talk to him. Each time that he uses the sword gives the gods another chance to break through the barrier we’ve erected and gain control over him. I just want to minimize our risks.”
Atheme looked deep into her silver eyes. For the first time since the day he had first seen her beautiful face, he did not like what he was seeing. “Of course, Serene,” he said gruffly. “I’ll talk to him, as you wish.”
He turned his back to her and again headed to scour the beach. Something inside of the Saint complained about his behavior, but she squelched it and turned away from him, looking impatiently into the forest where she could feel her mission walking away from her.
Chapter 31.
The Great Fire
Kulara stood atop the battlements, staring down into the empty Ducall Forest below. To his left stood Lord Herald Michean Kassil, and to his right Kinguin. Behind him, the main courtyard was filled with thousands of Felthespar’s soldiers, all at attention and ready to march into battle. Kulara had assured them that if everything went according to plan they would see no action today. In spite of these promises, he was less than certain himself.
Everything below seemed peaceful, but Myris had assured him the Cainites would be arriving within the hour. Given this, the General was becoming increasingly skeptical of his own eyes. He took a step back and looked around the battlements, finally locating Myris and signaling him over. The former Cainite glided effortlessly through the ranks of mages and archers, already garbed in his new grey outfit. It had been tailored to perfectly resemble his old ensemble, without the mask he had once worn.