Leviathans.
Leviathans or Aranus-Trigor, the Gods of the Deep are one of the largest creatures of the Outer-Rim planets, they live deep in the waters of the Western Sea and rarely come to the surface, they are worshiped by the Akuna for they bare life and death on their backs.
From the writings of Oshismarie Inastro Sistashion.
The great undulating waves of the morning sea rose and fell like some huge watery beast seeking to rid itself of annoying insects, but the Cronos and the Brilla continued bravely onward in their quest to find the Deities of the waters and return with their prize. High in the sky and unaffected by the temperaments of the water hungry Sundroppers and giant Screechers whirled and sored filling the air with their piercing cries. The air hung heavy with salt and the scent of far off islands, gone were all traces of cooking pots, Karacks and creatures of the land replaced by an endless vista of rolling blue and green.
In the last few days Arn’s stomach had become friends with the sea and as he stood at the prow of the Cronos it seemed to him that all worries had been left far behind, he was no longer King of the Almadra and burdened with all that leadership required, he was just an ordinary warrior eager for the hunt and to test his strength against the great Gods of the Sea.
But I am King he told his mind, I am the son of Karn and my word is law, lifting his head up he drew in a deep lungful of sweet air then looked down at the water where he saw sharped toothed Blood-fish slicing through the prow waves for they had learned that where the hunting ships of the Akuna go death will soon follow. We follow our prey and they follow us he thought, all things live on the death of others and this brought a small smile to his face but not for irony but rather the idea that he was sounding like an Elder of the tribe, “Not yet” he said in a voice to himself, “there are enemies to defeat and Leviathans to hunt before you grow old”. And to add weight to his words he gripped the handrail he was leaning upon and squeezed hard causing the dense wood to creek under the pressure, an enemy to face in battle, an enemy to defeat and bring glory to your name, enemies are all around you…..she is your enemy” and suddenly he found his hands grasping the rail so tightly it broke in two. He looked at the splintered guardrail and tried to erase the image that had appeared in his mind. He dropped the broken bits to the deck and looked out over the waters but it did not ease his memory for the face that he saw belonged to Moonbud.
All about him moved the hurry and bustle of a life at sea; the strongest warriors of both the Akuna and Almadra worked side by side pulling guide ropes, lashing down supplies and all the other monotonous routines that were need to keep the great ship on course. The Outlanders wore their heavy armor even in the heat of day and they were never far from their war axes for they never knew when a raiding ship might cross their path or some other danger rise up from the waves. The Nomads made sure their heads were covered by their horned helmets and even the scantily dressed sea-people wore metal plating on their skulls for they knew that Sundroppers were collectors of heads. The stout crew consisted equally of men and women for both were worthy of the task ahead and at night they could while away the time in each other’s embrace and count the stars in the heavens.
The off-world girl that had been given the name Moonbud was fascinated with the working of the huge sea vessel and was eager to learn the ways of the ship for she had grown up on a small farm and far from the oceans waves. On long summer nights she had often dreamed of leaving her dull home and sailing to far off lands filled with strange people and learning their ways, but then came the Trajon war and her battles with the Youngonie and when she heard of the destruction of her Homeworld she thought her dreams would never come true. Never the less here she was standing on the deck of a great Akuna ship, riding the dark waters of a forbidden world, hunting one of the most powerful creatures in all the Outer-Rim.
If only my mother and brother where here she thought and images of Simon and Niana sprang into her mind, I will miss them. But something strange occurred to her as she looked into their faces with her mind’s eye, my mother’s eyes were blue not brown or was it my brother who had the darker eyes? She shook her head thinking it was the fault of the clear air and not her recollection for she knew that she loved them both very much in her heart, then an old lullaby came to mind.
“Ocean of blue and clouds of white.
Mermaids swim in waters bright.
Darting fish in colors so bold.
Laughter sings in sea’s untold.
Lay your head and go to sleep.
Dreams of love are yours to keep.”
It was a song that her mother had sung to her and it made her smile, “Yes, my mother whose eyes were the color of gold”, and smiling she moved to where her mate was looking out to the sea.
“When will we find the Leviathans?” Her voice was filled with anticipation for she longed to see the huge beasts and decide for herself if the grandiose tales she had heard matched their actual size.
“They will find us” replied the King his eyes remaining focused on the churning water, “The sky-flyers will warn us when the time is right”.
“Are they really as big as some say, I know it is forbidden to kill one so why do we hunt them?’
“On their backs, they carry crystals that the Akuna need for survival, it is like our Grana but theirs is much more concentrated, a single shard no bigger than a Dot-fly can keep them healthy for an entire cycle”.
Moonbud quickly calculated the relationship of that substance to the amount of Grana needed by the Outlanders and although she was no Callaxion like her friend Osh she knew that it was surely a hundred times more powerful than the green salt the Nomads consumed.
“That’s fantastic” Andra said her voice filled with a sudden realization, “Then with our share of the crystals we won’t need to trade with the Ergan-Mar or any other tribe for Grana, we can be free!”
Arn turned to her face her and saw the large pink shell the Cian had given her hang from her neck and this caused him to speak in a harsh tone to his mate, “Have you learned nothing in our life together, we are Outlanders and bound by our laws, we will risk our lives for our brothers and sisters but the crystals belong to them, the sea belongs to the Akuna just as the land belongs to us, they are people of the sea and their gift from the Goddess is poison to us just as our Grana would kill them, we help them because it is our way and theirs, we must follow the trail set down by our past”. But even as the words left his mouth he knew they were not true, if I had followed our laws I would not have her as my mate, perhaps I was wrong in choosing her?
The words that her mate had spoken to her cut deep into Andra’s heart, he talks to me like I was a child, “You saved my life and I have saved yours” she said angrily, “We have shared our bodies and our minds and now you act like we never met!” and shaking her head she walked away.
The King watched her go but did not follow as a small voice in his head called out to him, let her go, she is not one of the chosen.
The twin suns were high in the sky when the Sundroppers began to chatter loudly.
Cian had spent the morning preparing his warriors for the task ahead for he understood the movements of the water like a temple performer understands the dance. The waves became even more intense and there was a smell of bottom sand and rotting vegetation on the wind, Blood-fish began to gather in great numbers leaping high into the air and snapping their powerful jaws together while huge Screechers dipped their great wings enabling them to sore only an arm’s length above the waves.
The Kandrac of the Sea-people stood before his warriors dressed in a close fitting body harness made of stout Rimar hide set with sharp metal studs, it had a steel ring the size of a man’s hand at the back and a sheath that carried a strong knife around the waist, gone were all ornamentations of gold, silver and shells leaving only a strong slim body that would easily cut through the water. The rest of the Akuna wore the same garments and as they stood together they bowed their heads and uttered a prayer to the Goddess of
the Sea.
“Giver of life we thank you for your gift.
Taker of life we return what you give.
Aranus-Trigor rise up to the suns.
God of the deep we come to you.”
Nearby the Outlanders were also preparing themselves, they sharpened their axe’s and lubricated their armor with fish oil so that they would move swiftly, they attached Itarian steel plates to the souls of their riding boots and secured them with strong lacing that ran over the foot and up the leg, the metal was thick and heavy and would surely drag an unlucky warrior to the bottom if they fell into the water.
Andra, had said very little to her mate for she was still burning over the words that he had spoken earlier but as she walked a few steps in her heavy boots she shook her head in dismay, “This will never work, and beside what do we need metal souls for?”
Arn lifted his boot and brought it down hard on the wooden deck checking to make sure that the metal was attached securely, “When we jump from the Boomers we will need the protection”.
“Jump?” Moonbud asked, “Why would we jump from a perfectly good boat?”
The King knew that it was time to explain just what was about to happen, “I feared telling you because it holds great danger and I did not want to trouble your mind”.
Andra’s anger cooled some hearing that her mate did not wish to worry her, he can be such a milk-brain sometimes, “Didn’t we face the Talsonar together and what about the Sagar-Cats in the Caltarine forest and the time I had to fight Ashra-Doom, don’t tell me that this can be worse?”
The King moved close to her and looked into her eyes, “Those were men and creatures of the land, Aranus-Trigor is a God of the deep, he is an island that swims, his breath is like a windstorm, and death follows him everywhere”. Arn moved to the railing and pointed to the water, “The sky-flyers tell us that he will soon rise there, and it will begin”.
Moonbud saw the Sundroppers winging closer to the waves, “You still haven’t told me what the metal on our boots is for?”
“When the God rises we will go out to meet him in the Lightening boats, they will be pulled by the Akuna for only they possess enough speed to overcome the Blood-fish, when we reach the Leviathan we jump on its back, but you must be wary for it is covered in sharp crystals and poison creatures brought up from the depths, then it is a race against time for we must find a large blue crystal and remove it with our weapons then carry it to the boats before the God returns to the darkness”.
“And if we don’t reach the boats in time what then?” Andra asked.
“We will be taken by the water and the Blood-fish will strip our bones of flesh” Arn replied.
“Oh, is that all” Moonbud laughed nervously.
“No” answered the King, “While we walk on the God’s back Sundroppers will attack seeking the creatures that live there and Screechers will seek to carry off those warriors that are wounded”.
Andra ceased to smile, “So we can be killed by flesh-eating fish or cut to shreds on the backs of Leviathans and if that isn’t enough we have to watch the sky for birds that will rip off our heads”.
The King nodded his head, “Yes, but there is no shame if you decide not to go”.
Moonbud moved close to her mate “Where you go, I go” she said with a smile, “Besides we’re Moric-Kan, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Arn looked down at the shell around her neck, losing her would be more terrible then death.
A loud cry was heard from the mast lookouts followed by a penetrating blast from the signal horns of the Nomads for the sky-birds began to form themselves into tight groups and fighting amongst the clusters broke out as they competed for the best positions for attack. The sky itself began to change for the air was filled with electric sparks and a strange humming sound, the water ahead of the ships became calm and the rising and falling waves that a short time before had filled the sea began to subside.
“DROP SAIL” Cian shouted and a few moments later the great wind sheets of the Cronos and the Brilla were lowered to their decks. The Kandrac of the Akuna watched the sea as it started to bubble and churn, “the God comes!” he called out pointing to a great whirlpool of swirling water some distance from the bow of the ship, then he called out to the Outlander King, “are you prepared for death my old friend?”
Arn smiled at the tall Akuna and held up his ax, “Tragi Dar Ramana, death is afraid”.
And hearing the words of their King the Nomads repeated the old saying.
“Tragi Dar Ramana, death is afraid”, they echoed.
Ahead the water continued to boil and churn like a great caldron of Hagar soup, water spouts shot from the surface and then it all began to wash away as a vast something rose up from the depths.
Andra watched wide eyed as the horizon became a wall of water filled with a bright rainbow of colors, blue, green, orange, and red, great beams of light flashed from the water into the sky almost blinding the Selcarie girl. At the same time, the sky-birds began to dive skimming the water and flapping their featherless wings as they grasped squirming life forms in their strong beaks and claws. The lights continued to rise until what looked like an island was born from the water; it had no mountains or hills, only a landscape of jagged crystals reflecting the burning rays of the twin suns.
It can’t be that big? Andra thought for it dwarfed even the mighty Earthshakers that were the lords of the Outlands, and then she realized that she was seeing only the top of the creature, it must be many times larger under the water. Moonbud suddenly felt very small and the ax in her hand seemed like a toy, I might as well be armed with a root-skinner. For a moment or two she thought over her decision to accompany her mate on the hunt but she knew that she could never live with herself if she did, you ran once from death, never again, an image of her past flashed in her mind, the time she forgot her training and left her troopers to die in the war with the Youngonrie, it took her a long time to forgive herself for that betrayal and she vowed that her courage would never fail her again.
The air filled with a thunderous blast as the great sea beast let out a tower of spent air from three of its blowholes; the monstrous columns rose up many times the height of the masts of the Cronos and showered down a blanket of water across the decks of the hunter ships. This was the moment the Akuna had been waiting for and they began lowering the Boomers to the water below.
Arn lifted his heavy ax high in the air and shouted so that all could hear him, “warriors of the Outland, the Gods are watching, show them your courage!” and with his mate by his side he jumped into the first boat and stood at its bow as it rested on the water. As soon as that happened the Outlanders threw long ropes with hooks on their ends into the sea and a moment later several Akuna splashed into the water and quickly attached them to their harnesses.
Andra watched as Cian and his people began pulling the trim vessel through the water at a very fast speed, far greater than any oar-haulers of her Homeworld could have done, she gripped the rails of the boat feeling the ocean spray on her face and the rapid beating of her heart and as they moved toward their prey the warriors began to sing.
“Death rides the waves in colors that dance”.
Live and die are the children of chance.
Strong are our arms and sharp is our tooth.
Life and death are the guardians of truth.”
With each passing moment the Lightening boat baring the King and his mate drew closer to the living God, Andra glanced over her shoulder and saw many other vessels from the Cronos and the Brilla closing in behind as the air continued to crackle with electricity. Cian and his people leaped high out of the water and back again as they glided through the water like Wave-cutters on a lake.
They are truly creatures of the sea Andra thought as she watched the Akuna bounding over the waves and as she observed their Kandrac leading them onward her admiration for him grew. He is a strong man, and then she realized that her mind was drifting and she turned her head
away.
Following close behind the Boombers were the Blood-fish for they sensed that soon they would be feasting on human flesh, like the Akuna they were creatures of the sea but they possessed no feelings other than the need to feed, they were the length of a man with a large mouth filled with razor sharp teeth but they had no eyes and relied solely on their keen sense of smell to guide them to their prey, the pheromone that the Sea-people emitted acted like a repellant but if they were wounded their blood would draw the flesh eaters to them, they moved swiftly but they lacked agility and a strong Akuna could defend themselves with their knife.
Arn stood at the prow of the Boomer and as they drew nearer to the great ocean dweller he reached down to pick up a long steel shaft with a barbed hook on its end, attached to the opposite end of the lance was a heavily braided rope that wound into a woven basket at his feet, the javelin was used to pierce the thick outer skin of the God-fish and hold fast while the Outlanders pulled hard on the rope drawing then close to their prey but there was always a chance that the monster would roll and lift one of its huge fins and send them all to a crashing death. It took great skill to aim the harpoon so that it didn’t strike one of the crystals and bounce off, there would be no ill effects from the spear for Aranus-Trigor felt nothing.
The shafts of light grew more intense as the hunters drew near causing Andra to shield her eyes with her hand then through her fingers she saw Arn lift his spear, draw back his arm and swing forward with all his strength, the shaft curved high in the air then down landing between two large crystals one green and one red, it bit deep into the skin and held fast.
“PULL!” the King shouted, grasping the heavy rope the Outlanders began pulling hard, as soon as the steel shaft struck home Cian signaled to his people and they detached the lines from their backs and drew their weapons, they swam around the boat watching for any approaching Blood-fish. The Boomer reached the harden back of the monster and the Nomads pulled harder lifting the boat from the water and at the same time Arn jumped onto the back of the great beast followed closely by Andra, and as her boot collided with the huge animal she looked down to see it swarming with creatures of all shapes and sizes, there were small crustaceans with waving arms and grasping claws, twisting worms, sand-crawlers, brittle-fish and hard shelled grabbers, poison-tooth bottom dwellers and strange looking tentacle blobs.
The Outlanders fanned out over the crystalline landscape leaving one behind to tend the boat, they moved swiftly for they had very little time to find what they came for. Andra moved to one of the tall green crystals and lifted her ax to strike at the base of the column, but Arn grasped her arm. “Only the blue ones!” he had to shout his words for the air shook with another blast of wind as the great sea creature exhaled once again, “Twice more and he will return to the depths”.
Andra quickly understood that the Leviathan was filling his enormous lungs with air and that he would only remain afloat for two more refilling of his body. Moonbud nodded her head in understanding then followed her mate as he moved across the monsters back. Their footsteps were well chosen for one misstep could spell disaster, but the Gods were on their side for the found what they had come for, a tall crystal that was the color of the winter sky. Arn planted his feet and drew back his ax and swung it with all his might, the edge bit deep and a crack appeared in the hard mineral, now it was Andra’s turn and she swung her Tooth cutting deeper into the crystal, back and forth it went until the King struck one more time cutting the base through and toppling the prize, but by chance a shard of the crystal broke off and sailed through the air cutting the exposed flesh just above Andra’s riding boot. The wound was not deep but blood began to flow trickling down the leg and onto the jagged skin of the huge beast, immediately the creatures that had made their home on the back of the Leviathan swarmed around the injured human, one small crab-crawler moved up the reddened limb and began biting.
“ARTOCK!” Moonbud screamed and swung her free hand down to swat away the annoying vermin then lifted one end of the crystal to carry it back to their boat.
She is injured Arn thought but he knew there would be no time to dress the wound, you are King, your people come first. It was a lesson that he had learned well for he was once a Deathrider, an outcast of the tribe for putting himself above his oath to his people so he lifted the heavy prize and said nothing as they began moving back the way they came.
And as they did the Sundroppers plummeted downwards and began striking at the small sea creatures and the humans that moved upon the mountain of flesh, out of the corner of her helmet Andra could see two Nomads each carrying a blue crystal in their arms. Then one of them stumbled and fell forward impaling his neck on a sharp outcropping, blood flowed freely and drew the attention of a huge Screecher that dropped from the sky, lifted him up and carried him off screaming, the other Outlander continued on for there was nothing he could do for his comrade.
It was hard going for the King and his mate, the huge creature that they stood on began to shake violently and the heavy weight of the crystal they carried threw them off balance causing them to almost tumble onto the sharp spikes but they somehow managed to stay on their feet and continue their hazardous journey to the relative safety of the boat. But the Brilla was not so lucky, the great beast lifted its massive tail fluke and the tip caught the stern of the hunting ship turning it end over end, the mast broke from their moorings and the twin hulls cracked open sending Outlanders and Akuna to their deaths as the tail of the Leviathan crashed down upon them.
Out of the corner of his eye Arn saw the destruction of the great ship, May Isarie grant them place in the Golden Hall he thought but here was little time to grieve.
“BLAAAARUPPP!” another sharp blast of air filled the sky, signaling to the Outlanders that they must reach the Boomers before the God of the Deep returned to its sunless home.
Breathing hard Arn and Andra succeeded in reaching the Lightening boat but as they were lifting the large blue crystal into the vessel a great shutter from the Leviathan caused Moonbud to lose her footing and tumble into the water. Weighted down by the steel plating on her riding boots she began to sink quickly, Arn had only moments to react, he drew one of the twin daggers from his belt and cut the binding holding the metal souls to his boots and then he leaped into the churning sea after his mate. Moonbud only had time to draw in a quick lungful of oxygen before toppling into the water and although she was a good swimmer having spent many summer days near a clear lake by her farm the cold water quickly drain her but rather than panic she strangely accepted her fate somehow feeling that it was the way it should be.
I’m going to die she thought and she waited for images of her past to flash before her eyes for she heard many times that when your life was about to end you thought of those dearest to you, but all she saw was a cold room filled with machines and a figure standing before her, Sergeant Reynolds her old drill instructor and words filling her mind.
“Obey your orders”.
Down, ever down she drifted feeling the darkness engulfing her, I did my duty she thought, I followed orders. Her body felt light, no weight at all, a feather in the wind, all pain, all concern drifting away leaving only contentment, I did my duty, I followed orders.
Then a hand gripped her leg and looking down she saw not the man she loved but Cian cutting the straps holding the metal to her boot and a moment or two later the steel dropped into the darkness and she felt herself being lifted towards the light. Up, up she rose then she broke the surface and filled her lungs with priceless air. But she was not out of danger yet for the Blood-fish smelled the fresh sent of plasma and gathered round the injured human, Andra kicked for the Boomer that was just a short distance away but then the Leviathan began to submerge drawing in water and causing waves to rise up and crash over her head, her heavy armor would have been her end if it wasn’t for the Akuna leader for only his sea-altered strength could have sustained both himself and the girl in the surging water.
Round
and round they swirled as Blood-fish made charges for the flesh of the girl, but Cian’s quick movements saved them time after time until he managed to strike one of the flesh-eaters with his knife and sensing a wounded rival the Blood-fish fell upon the weakened creature and began to devour him. It took every ounce of strength in the body of the Kandrac to reach the Boomer and lift Moonbud into the boat, she lay there, eyes closed gasping for breath as waves broke over the side and the air thundered with the sound of Aranus-Trigor returning to the unsounded depths of the Western Sea. Moonbud’s head spun with dizziness and opening her eyes she tried to see the face leaning over her, after a moment or two it came into focus but the image was not of the man she hope would be there, it was the face of Cian and not her mate. Lifting herself up on one arm she glanced around the small boat looking for any sign of Arn but all she could see were tired Outlanders and blue crystals.
“Where is he?” she asked franticly.
The Akuna leader knew who she was asking for but he did not reply.
Andra pulled herself up and stood on shaky legs as wind and waves rocked the Boomer, “ARN!” she called out to the churning waters, “WHERE ARE YOU?” but no voice answered her pleas only the sound of feasting Sundroppers and the wild cries of hungry Screecher.
At that very moment Egmar and her Handmaidens sat on bended knees before the golden statue of Isarie in the great tent and lifted their arms in prayer.
“Etaro niashto emargorana Isarie tar agro may, Isarie forgive my sins and make me whole”, they spoke filling the scented air with their voices, “We are your children and look to you for guidance, we are the chosen and follow your teachings”.
And standing up the Holy Mother continued the inclination, “We are your servants and we are your……” then she stopped and her body began to shake and tears began to fall from her eyes, “My son” she called out, “MY SON!”
Chapter 22.
The Will of the Gods.