Chapter 250: Leviathan

It was a day that the mermen of Silisia would never forget. Out of an enormous crack that split the kingdom into two emerged a monster whose razor-toothed maw was large enough to fit a hundred mermen in a single bite. It had nine large eyes embedded in its head like a crown.

Its claws came out next and clutched the edges of the fissure, revealing long forearms that could easily snatch any fleeing prey. As it revealed the rest of its gigantic body, the mermen were paralysed by a fear that was primal and tattoed in the subconscious part of their minds which recognised the creature for what it was - a hunter of their kind.

Its hunched body was covered in overlapping scales that were a metallic grey colour. Forelegs that looked powerful enough to crush a mountain into rubble, emerged from the fissure. And the creature roared. A terrifying blast of sound and waves spread out with such force that it injured the weaker mermen whose spirits couldn't stand its power. It was the wake-up call that snapped many of the mers out of their paralysis. Fear clouding their minds, the mers cared not for the orders of the king as they spread out in all directions, some even towards the surface.

Instead of chasing after the escaping mermen, the monster lowered its body so its head was bent over its cupped claws.. Very gently it opened its mouth and unfurled its tongue. A black three-eyed serpent rolled out onto its careful claws. The monstrous creature then made a sound that reverberated in the water. The serpent was very small compared to how large the claws were. It was still asleep, recovering from the shocking changes that had taken place in its body.

___

Rowan too had heard the sounds of the monster roaring inside the water. Judging from how loud and deep the sound had been, the anti mage was already guessing at the nature and size of a creature that could accomplish such a feat.

The waves had abated but now they faced another danger from deep under the ocean. The crewmates were rightly alarmed.

"We have to get out of here," the captain said to Rowan. The anti mage could smell the fear wafting off the sailor.

He had been planning to head to Coop island anyway. Rowan nodded to the captain.

"Chart a route straight to Coop island."

"Coop?!" The captain spluttered. "But-"

"We're heading to Coop island," the blond calmly informed the captain. Steely blue eyes stared down the captain who looked like he had more to say but decided it was better to keep his mouth shut. The man had strong survival instincts and knew what was good for him. Disagreeing with the blond anti mage seemed like a good way to find himself being thrown overboard.

"Yes," he agreed. "Coop island it is. I'll get the navigator and chart a route as fast as we can!"

Rowan smiled and dismissed the captain. When he turned back to the ocean, he saw a head pop out of the water.

"Mermen! So many mermen!" A sailor shouted in alarm. "We're getting attacked!"

Rowan didn't think so. The expressions of fear and confusion on the faces of the fish-men gave him pause. Putting this observations together with the sound he had heard from the water, Rowan was able to guess what was happening. To have heard the sound from the surface, he could only imagine how loud it had to have been underwater.

Several disoriented mermen who had never been to the surface were further cast into more panic when they saw the ship. Some of them even swam to the hull of the ship and began scratching at the wood to climb aboard.

"What's going on with the mermen?!" The captain turned to ask Rowan whose power he recognised and sheltered under during this moment of chaos.

The anti mage looked down at a young mermaid who was sobbing even as her nails tried to find purchase on the smooth wood.

"Raise the sails," Rowan replied. "It is time to leave."

Several terrified screams pierced the air like whistles before the water parted not too far away from the ship.

Rowan's eyes went wide when he saw the nightmarish creature that burst out of the ocean with a goosebump-inducing roar. Its emergence caused several forceful waves that pushed the ship further away from it.

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The mers were frozen in fear. Their limbs refused to move when they beheld the leviathan whose nine eyes were focused on the serpent in its claws.

Rowan thought that the monster was seemingly protective of whatever was hidden in its cupped claws. Such a terrifying creature belonged in the stories of legends so the anti mage couldn't fathom where it had come from. Most of all, he was curious about the thing in its claws which it was staring at with unwavering eyes.

"S-sir," the captain whispered as if he feared that the thing would hear his voice and come for the ship. "What do we do-do now?"

Rowan's cool eyes assessed the monster. Could he take it on in a fight while avoiding damage to the ship? It was too high of a cost.

"Leaving now might attract its attention," he told the captain who was shaking in his boots. With how terrified he appeared, the anti mage was surprised that the man hadn't pissed his pants already. "Tell everyone to stay calm and avoid making loud noises."

Rowan's voice was low. Still, the creature heard it. Three of its eyes turned to look at the ship and at the blond man who returned the gaze without a ripple in his blue eyes. Having been noticed, the sailors were rooted like petrified trees. The captain could hear his own heartbeat bang like a drum in his ears. One of the men let out a loud sob that sounded out too audibly over the unnatural silence that had taken over their ship. He clamped his hands over his mouth immediately.

Rowan turned his head a fraction to give the sailor an unimpressed stare. Next time, the anti mage thought to himself, he would have to find a pirate crew. Buccaneers were a crazy lot that tended to roll with surprising and dangerous situations better than most law-abiding sailors. But then again, the men had come here ready to fight mers and hostile humans, and not this product of their nightmare come alive. Not even pirates were going to stay cool under the pressure of such a terrifying monster. He felt a bit more forgiving towards his crew.

"Sir," the sailor whispered again. "Are we all going to die?"

"Some of us, maybe," Rowan answered truthfully. Even for him, it was impossible to protect every single one of them if the thing decided to attack. "I can kill it but not without a fight that is sure to destroy the ship."

"You'll fight it? You sound confident," the sailor said with awe. If it was any other person saying this to him, the captain would think him mad; for the line between bravery and stupidity was very thin. However, he was astute enough to realise that the blond man who had hired his crew was more than he seemed. Arrogant and stupid people could be brave in the face of such adversity but the anti mage had the quiet kind of self-assurance that came with strength and intelligence.

Rowan looked away from the captain and faced the creature. Standing at the edge of the deck, the anti mage watched it carefully so that he could swiftly detect any hint of aggression or movement towards the ship. Several minutes had already passed since its emergence and it still hadn't attacked anything or anyone.

The anti mage wondered just what was it that the monster was cradling in its claws. The claws had small gaps that allowed some vision of what it was holding. From his vantage point, he could see something black in colour but its shape was unrecognisable from so far away.

Below him, surf and waves calmly hit the ship. Many of the petrified mermen had realised that the thing didn't intend harm towards them. One by one, and as quietly and unobtrusively as possible, the sleek creatures vanished under the waves and away from sight.

___

A full bright moon hung above a surreal scene. It painted a ship swaying listlessly while a monster bobbed in the water, cupping its sharp claws as if it was about to scoop water into its mouth.

"Should we leave as well?" The captain whispered to Rowan. "The big guy doesn't seem interested in us."

Rowan too was wondering the same thing.

"There's a chance that it might attack us when we unfurl the sails."

"Then what do we do?"

"Pray to your gods and hope that it continues to ignore us."

There were only two choices at this moment. One, take a proactive decision and risk gettin attacked. Two, wait for the monster to leave and hope that it would do so without paying them any attention. In the end, the element of danger existed in both scenarios.

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