Call of Kerberos: Twilight of Kerberos, The - Jonathan Oliver Page 0,47

shrieks, Silus drew his sword.

There was a moment of quiet then before the sea erupted.

The leviathan's body left the water, arcing high - its jaws opening to catch the gulls that were too slow to escape - and Kerberos itself was eclipsed by its bulk, a vast shadow falling over the deck of the ship.

Silus shielded his eyes and could see a mass of tentacles lining the creature's underside, just before it crashed back down, throwing up a wave that pushed the ship rapidly to starboard.

Silus lost his footing and his sword skittered out of reach.

He stumbled twice before he managed to regain his feet and he snatched up his weapon just in time to sever the tentacle that slithered towards him. Dark purple ichor sprayed into his eyes and Silus didn't have time to clear his vision before another tentacle snaked in behind and lifted him from the deck.

A deep lowing sound came from the creature as it drew him near and the pupils of several of the vast eyes that dotted its head dilated as they studied him. Silus saw his image repeated in those dark pools and he willed himself to relax as he saw beyond them.

There were Chadassa crawling all over him, their thoughts an incessant buzzing chatter as they communicated with each other. From somewhere in the distance he could hear the call of his brethren and he tried to respond, but a bolt of white hot pain was driven into his mind when he lifted his head. He tried to buck against the onslaught of the creatures, but found that it was their will alone that held him; a horrendous buzzing that itched at the back of his mind.

A Chadassa with a barbed spike swam into view and drove the weapon deep into his side. The anger that he felt at the injury was fed back to him by the other Chadassa - a continual loop of rage - until it became so acute that it was almost painful.

He cried out and his call echoed from the depths of the canyon that fell away a short distance beyond him.

And then the Chadassa were swimming away and he suddenly found that he could move.

He could feel the lightless depths of the canyon calling to him, where more of his kind grazed and bred and reared their young in peace.

It wasn't peace that was burning through him now however; just the pure and hateful anger that the Chadassa had instilled in him. He could still feel them somewhere out of sight, feeding his rage. Nurturing it.

Four of his kind swam into view; a male and female adult and, behind them, two calves.

The group called to him as friends.

He shot them a warning response - this much he could just about manage - but they didn't recognise the change that had been wrought in him, they only saw one of their kind and they continued to approach.

The young darted ahead of the group and he went for them.

The calves were easily broken and soon the water was clouded with their innards. The female of the group tried to flee but he lashed out with his tentacles and pulled her in close, before gouging at her side with his teeth.

Even as the male barrelled into him, he closed his jaws and killed his mate.

There was the rich iron taste of blood in the water as he turned on the last surviving member of the group.

The whispering of the Chadassa increased in volume as he squared off against his opponent. The male was bigger than he, the crest of bone that rose from his back marked with the many striations of age. He only hoped that with that age had come frailty, but the vast form that now barrelled towards him showed no sign of weakness.

They grappled and, as he managed to force his opponent to the lip of the canyon, he could see the Chadassa swimming into view as they moved in to observe the fight.

He disengaged and backed out of range of his opponent's tentacles before rushing forwards, barrelling into the side of the enemy, taking him over the edge of the canyon and smashing him into the far wall. Great chunks of stone crumbled away and fell slowly into darkness.

Bellowing his victory he smashed into his opponent again and this time there was the rending of flesh. His opponent was fading in and out of consciousness now and, before he could regain his faculties, his tentacles