The Leviathan had appeared roughly an hour after we had finished making our defenses. We began to direct a bright light towards it with massive flame lit lamps that had been fueled by the oil we had brought up to the towers. Next, we began throwing the barrels of oil remaining at the docks toward the beast. Once they had drifted close enough to the monster, those who had archery skills shot flaming arrows towards the barrels, igniting the oil within them and setting the sea ablaze. We then began to open fire on the Leviathan with cannon and rifle fire. All that could be heard was the igniting of gunpowder and the blasts of the canon.

The results of these attacks...served nothing but to enrage the beast. Although we did end up doing damage due to weakening the Leviathan's state with the fire and bright light, it retaliated with an attack that dealt ten times the amount of damage that it had received. It spit boiling hot water towards us, which killed tens of the defenders on the walls, while leaving several dozen scalded. It began to attack the ships that had surrounded it. With its tail it enwrapped one of the ships, and with a crunching sound, snapped the ship in half. It dove down into the water, only to reappear by penetrating the hull of another ship, leaping far into the sky and landing back in the water. It then approached the last of the militia ships, raising its body high and body slamming the ship, crushing the ship and its crew.

How could this have happened. We had prepared for the battle, gathered men, weapons, and supplies to help bolster our forces, researched about its weaknesses, yet... how... how could this have happened.

These were the thoughts that had begun to flood my brain along with the distinct feeling of terror and despair as I looked on to the carnage before my eyes. The sea was a fiery red and three shipwrecks could be seen as they began to slowly sink to the depths of ocean. At the port, bodies laid strewn all over the walls, while more screams of terror and agony could be heard from those who had survived.

Then, it launched an attack of boiling hot water toward the walls, killing tens of soldiers once again. Many of the wounded were not as lucky the second time around, and perished while emitting shrieks of agony.

The Maelstrom and the remaining cannon crews had been firing at the beast the entire time, yet it still continued to attack as if nothing could hurt it. Then, the Maelstrom began to sail headfirst toward the beast. I could see crew members beginning to bail off the ship as it began a suicide run at the Leviathan. The monster noticed this and began to attack the ship. However, it was not able to stop it, and soon the ship crashed into beast. A loud explosion ensued from the collision and the beast was lit aflame. I could roughly make out a silhouette being launched from the explosion. It was the captain.

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I ran as fast as I could toward the docks and dove headfirst into the dark waters, ignoring the possible dangers that lay within. If found then captain slowly sinking down to the depths, so I swam as fast as I could, catching up to the sinking body. I managed to grab him in time and brought him ashore.

The captain began to have a coughing fit as he looked out into the ocean.

“Hah, so we weren’t able to kill it, but it seems like we were at least able to scare it off,” he said.

I turned to see that the beast was beginning to flee. It had taken on too much damage during that last attack and was now swimming for its life.

The captain then directed his gaze toward me and asked,

“Do you know why I let you onto the crew that day?”

I shook my head in response. He was becoming paler by the second, and a deep gash leaked out a crimson red from his body. I knew that he hadn’t much time left, so I tried to reduce the amount of useless chatter between us.

“I let you onto the crew that day because I saw a spark in you. Although you yourself may have only been filled with desperation, I could see the light of determination to survive within your eyes. If we had not picked you up that day, I’m sure you would have still been able to find a way to keep living. However, people like you, whose determination to keep pushing forward no matter the adversities they face, are one in a million. I couldn’t let that chance slip by,” he said.

He began to have a coughing fit, with blood spewing from of his mouth with every agonizing cough.

“If I had had more time, I was planning on training you to become my successor. However, now that seems to be an impossible dream.” His words drifted off as if reminiscing about something, then he turned his gaze back towards me and gave me a heartwarming smile.

“Live on young man, and carve your name into the history of this world, so that you shall never be ignored again.”

Those were his last words before he died. When morning came, the rest of the crew and I regrouped and decided on our course of action. We would hunt down the Leviathan, kill it and avenge our fallen brothers. No matter how long it took, we would make it pay for what it had done. That night, as the citizens of Lithania returned to the city, we purchased a new ship and began our hunt anew.