Edmund parked the truck and hesitantly let go of Sebastian’s hand to get out. It was nightfall now, but you could barely tell thanks to the dark clouds hanging in the sky. The low rumble of thunder in the distance made Ed feel uneasy.

The gathering storm wasn’t the worst of it though. There was a presence nearby that was raising his hackles. Something that felt old, powerful, and angry.

“Gods, how is that smell more horrifying than I remember?” Persephone blanched.

Hayden gave her wife a sympathetic pat on the back. “You’ll be alright. Just stop breathing it in for a bit.”

“Is that a good idea? She won’t be able to talk during the fight if she does that.” One of the elven warriors pointed out.

“Let’s get this over with then, so none of us have to breathe in the smell.” Persephone decided.

Hayden nodded in agreement, and motioned for Sebastian to join her to begin their ritual. Bas glanced at Ed and gave him a quick, reassuring smile before going over. While those two had to set up a circle of odd stones and candles, Edmund and the rest prepared to defend them.

The elves were stretching and Emily was sharpening her sword. Ed remembered seeing it displayed on the wall in her office, but he’d never thought before that she could use it. He wasn’t really sure what to do with himself, so he stood with Sid and Persephone watching the water.

“Do they all have this… feeling?” He inquired.

“You mean the unnatural aura of power? Yeah.” Obsidian replied. “This one though, she is quite pissed off.”

“No kidding.” Persephone agreed. “It’s so thick in the air that it’s making me angry.”

Obsidian looked up at the sky. “You’re not the only one. This place isn’t taking well to the thing’s presence.”

“Is that why there’s a storm gathering?” Ed asked.

Sid nodded, and Persephone frowned. “That’s… that’s different.”

Obsidian raised an eyebrow. “How?”

Persephone shrugged. “Well, when I’ve fought these fuckers before, it was during a drought. The land has never fought back.”

Edmund titled his head to the side. “How would the land fight back?”

“It’s not really the land itself, but the manifestation of the magic gathered here. When there’s a drought or famine in an area, there’s also a lot less magic. That’s probably why a leviathan settling in would be easier.” Sid explained.

“Will that make things harder for Hayden and Bas?”

“I… don’t know.” Persephone replied, she turned to look at the pair. “But it seems we can’t ask. They’re starting.”

Ed looked back too and saw Sebastian and Hayden both sitting in the circle now. They had their legs crossed, hands resting palm up on their knees and eyes closed. They were talking, but Edmund couldn’t make out the words over the wind that was now picking up. He wondered briefly how the candles in the circle were staying alight.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

But then he heard movement.

He turned back just in time to see the leviathan rising from the water. It was huge – four times taller than himself – and – fuck.

It looked Wrong.

Edmund may have never seen a leviathan, but when the others described a demon-dragon – this was nothing like the image in his mind. It was thin – too thin – with skin that clung tightly to the bone and looked like it was about to rip apart. It was leathery and brownish-green – something like dying grass.

It stood in the water on two legs, in a way that might have made its body seem human, if not for the abnormally long limbs and neck. It had two hands with five claws on each that looked sharp and jagged as if they had a serrated edge.

But somehow, the most terrifying part was its face. A face that was both human and not. Something long, with sharp teeth and piercing green eyes. A face that was both haunting and haunted – dead and alive.

The only word that he could think to describe it was Wrong – with a capital W. Like Obsidian had said before; it was an abomination.

It opened its mouth and a deep gurgling sound came from its throat.

“Fuck, watch out for the boiling water!” Persephone yelled, just before the water began to surge from the leviathan’s mouth.

Edmund barely got out of the way of the water – he could feel the heat of it near his skin, causing him goosebumps. His heart was pounding in his chest now. Adrenaline taking over his system.

“Keep its attention away from the circle!” Someone yelled.

Ed wasn’t sure who – he was too busy focusing to figure it out. Dodging to leviathan’s water was taking all of his attention. When the water suddenly ran out, and the creature closed its mouth, Edmund thought that perhaps it needed a rest. But then it reached out with those long clawed hands towards the eldest elven warrior – Kurt.

Instead of diving out of the way, Kurt tries to bring his sword up to block the blow, but he’s knocked down by the force of it. Emily goes to his aid, striking at the leviathan’s arm before it can crush Kurt.

The creature turned its attention to her then, swiping with its other hand. Persephone moved faster than the lighting that flashed in the sky to pull Emily out of harm’s way.

The creature tried going for them with both hands next, but all seven fighters began to coordinate themselves against it. All Edmund could hear was the pounding of blood in his ears. He shifted into his wolf form at some point but he couldn’t say when. There was too much happening at once to be remembered correctly.

Then, in a moment of painful clarity, time seemed to slow down. The leviathan had risen back to its full height. Its mouth is hung open and the gurgling sound echoed forebodingly. But it was not looking at the fighters. No, its eyes were drawn to the circle. It was looking– aiming at the circle. At Sebastian.

Ed realised all this in half of an instant and then- then- he doesn’t remember. The next thing he knew, he was standing in water. He blinked several times trying to figure out what happened.

He was standing in the river covered in a terrible smelling black goo. He looked around and notes the leviathan is gone. Glancing back up the slope of the hill that they’d been fighting on, Edmund saw the other fighters all standing staring at him with varying expressions of shock.

Emily was the first to break out of her shock and rush down to him. “Are you okay?”

She started checking him over for injuries and Edmund was suddenly very aware of his current undressed state. He was really grateful that the water came to his waist and seemed to be obscured by the black goo, because being half-naked in front of everyone is embarrassing enough.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Just – I’m going to need the spare clothes I brought in my truck. Um, where did the leviathan go?”

Emily frowned. “What do you mean where did it go? You just killed it!”

“I did?”

“You… how don’t you remember?” Emily wondered in a whisper.

Before they could say anything more to each other, they heard Persephone yelling Hayden’s name.

“What’s wrong?” Edmund called up to the others.

Sora looked down at them. “We don’t know, but something… Sebastian and Hayden are unconscious.”