13.
The luminescent water exploded in a flurry of scales, teeth and fury. Erak stabbed it as it flew towards him. The spear tore through the slippery scales like tissue paper and Erak lifted the five foot long primordial looking eel up to show everyone. The little monster had a thick, powerful tail that had propelled it. A long snout, gray-brown thin scales, long arms with yellow talons on thin fingers. It spasmed once powerfully, nearly shaking itself free before it went limp as it perished.
Carrion Eel lvl. 6
“Fucking ugly as hell,” one of the soldiers spat at it as Erak tossed in from his spear with a flick of his wrist. More ripples in the water as more of the eels leapt free, snapping and snarling. They died just as easily as the first one. Erak stood firm, spear flickering this way and that, pieces of eel slapping wetly on the stone walkway.
It ended just as fast as it came, a half dozen of the eels laying on the ground. The survivors looked at him with a mix of awe and shock. They had seen him be a juggernaut of steel, but the speed had been a surprise to them. Erak wanted to smile then, to see their realization he was nearly as fast as he was strong.
“Stop gawking and get ready to move!” Nevia didn’t give them time to get bogged down as she started to shuffle the men forward. Erak started forward after tugging his still soiled gauntlets back on. The heavy steel was reassuring as he marched away from the basement and into the depths of the sewers. The weight of the city above him didn’t bother him, the pale lime green light of the glowing water didn’t disturb him.
He kept his eyes looking forward, searching for anything that would actually give him pause. Another eel leapt at him and he slapped it contemptuously away with his shield. It splattered with bone shattering force, falling limp in a puddle on the pathway across from them.
The paths in the sewers were a twisted maze, time losing meaning as the eels kept rushing to their deaths, Erak slapping them away or spearing them with little trouble. The earlier hope that this would be a challenge was fading rapidly as only the little monsters presented themselves. The pounding of undead fists on metal faded behind them as they distanced themselves from the Hall of Justice’s basement.
Rutledge moved her way to the front, cane clicking on the moist stone, and took up following next to Erak. She did keep him between herself and the water. She wasn’t a fool afterall.
“Have you thought of what else might have changed?” Rutledge asked, her voice was richer, a timbre to it that had previously been lacking. Erak shrugged and stabbed another leaping eel. He was anxiously waiting for the new alert that he had gained another level and more power.
“The Hall of Justice was changed. Our weapons have changed. We have changed. The name Essence itself hints at it. What is the essence of a thing. Your spear and armor are replicas from the Conquering. They have been looked at and thought of as pieces of something great and powerful. That makes them great and powerful for that is their essence based on how they are thought of, at least that is my hypothesis,”
Erak shrugged again. It was interesting enough, but it wasn’t something for him to contemplate on. Especially as he was working his way through an invasion.
“I wonder how something like the Sword of Empire will have changed. The most powerful remnant form the Conquering outside of the Imperial Palace. What makes the essence of something like that, a weapon of war that is revered and reviled?”
Why would he care? It was a weapon and he was willing to use it no matter how it had changed. Another eel lashed at him and he crushed it to the ground with the butt of his spear.
“The follies of youth. You’re willing to use a weapon, but care not how it works. What if that ancient weapon of war is not what it used to be. If it has been changed like everything else and your plan is no longer viable?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Erak dismissed it. If it didn’t work then he’d do something else. There was no option for failure or yielding to circumstances. If the great warship did not kill the chained being in the portal then he would find something else. Or he would grow strong enough to kill it.
“Something to keep your mind on. Also that these eels aren’t fully developed. They look like a similar animal from the Southern Swamps, just changed. They grow to nearly fifteen feet long.”
Erak looked up at that. If these eels were something from the planet and just transported here, then maybe he could face a non-juvenile one and finally push himself over the ledge for another level and more strength.
Rutledge fell back, her wisdom and words left behind like a heavy weight. It did not crack his iron determination, but it was a weight nonetheless. Erak shifted his mind to the more immediate concerns. How a ripple was forming into a wave, a form thrashing the middle of the sewer.
Erak had a moment of thought that the Sage had a way of showing up to impart knowledge right before he needed it. He’d have to think about that later.
Brood Eel lvl. 12
It was monstrous, ten feet of thick, corded muscle rising up and out of the sewer, green glowing water sloughing off of its scales in a waterfall as it rose higher and higher until its wide triangular head brushed the ceiling. The long arms were wide and powerful, five fingers with dagger talons glinting in the dim light. A hiss rumbled up its sinewy body, thick phlegm blowing out of its wide nostrils to spray across Erak.
Erak hefted his spear and rushed it, leaping with ease off the edge of the path to crash into the surprised eel. The creature bowed backward as his spear punched deep as it screamed, the two of the crashing into the water in a spray.
The heat of the water was shocking, a warmth that was out of place in the depths of the world. The wiggling body underneath him tried to escape, only his iron grip on his spear kept him rooted with it. It rose up and out of the water and Erak spewed foul water as he ripped down with the spear, the long blade parting scale and flesh to mingle blood with the green luminescent water.
Shouts were behind him, a bolt flashing by, but Erak was focused. He was wedged tight to scales of the monster, his vision nothing more than brown scales. The eel was hot, growing slick with blood as it flopped around. Erak hit a wall and the breath was crushed out of him and the spear was driven even deeper and the creature screamed even louder.
Its flexible class dug at him, scraping across his armor with a shriek as it landed, half on and half off of the pathway. Erak quickly scurried up, his strong fingers digging through the scales, popping under his gauntlets. He reached its snapping jaws, dodging sword length teeth as he began to squeeze the thinner neck.
The eel grew more panicked, its efforts redoubling as it tried to pull Erak off of its body. Erak dug deeper, his fingers covered in blood as he swung around behind it and away from its grasping talons. His long arms hooked its neck and he began to squeeze as the eel rose up to its full height before diving into the false safety of the water.
Erak took a deep breath before they hit the water and the world turned murky and green. Tighter and tighter he squeezed as the eel bounced off of walls and scraped him across the rough stone of the channel. Time began to blur as his lungs screamed and burned, urging him to release the stale air in his chest.
His mind brought back memories of different water, hot with steam rising off of it in snow capped lands. Of pulling his way through the dark channels of the underground rivers with steel in his hands. And his arms tightened again, as if trying to pull the front of the eel’s neck into his gut.
It grew slower. And slower. Its movements falling away as it began to sink to the bottom of the channel. Erak released it, standing on its back and pushing off, heading to the surface with a powerful shove. His head broke water and his gasp was loud and rang out as his fingers scrabbled to find a ledge before his heavy armor pulled him back in.
Bare hands grabbed his wrists and heaved, pulling him to the path as Erak’s eyes were staring at the new alert. Giddiness rose through him at the claim to strength, more power flowing into him. Julius leaned over him, face wrought with anxiety and worry.
“My lord, are you alive?”
Erak signed a few words to the small scribe and the man paled before looking into the murky waters. He gulped repeatedly as he turned to look back to Erak. He rose and pulled his shirt off and tugged his boots free as he looked down at the water.
“What are you doing?” one of the soldiers asked.
“Lord Bloodsworn left his spear behind and needs it.” Julius dived in with a bit of grace while Erak began to look at how he could strengthen himself.