Keepers

Extirpation

Tobias Marner stepped out into the foggy autumn morning. The bells placed on the door jingling as it closed behind him. He walked down the road toward the market to place orders for the days meals, as he did everyday. The sun was yet to rise though its glow could be seen on the horizon. It was a far more welcoming sight than yesterday's eclipse.

The fleeting darkness the day before was one he never wished to witness again. It had filled his bones with fear he had yet to overcome. He shivered as he recalled the eerie feeling that had come over him.

Hollers and noise from the port reached his ears as he grew closer to the shore. He stepped through the large gate leading into the market. The air felt strange. What was it that was different about the day? He wondered.

Noise.

It should have been louder. He looked around him, people stood in groups murmuring. A frown marred his face by the time he reached his destination.

"Ahoy there, Toby." Sylias Durr, a robust middle-aged man with a permanent smile plastered on his face, greeted.

"Good morning, Sylias. I'll have the usual and two dozen of the eastern Titus. We've got guests from around there and they have a big appetite" Tobias replied.

Sylias let out a loud guffaw at Toby's words. He went ahead to ready the requested goods.

"Say, Sylias, what's going on this morning? Why's everyone standing around?" Tobias asked after taking the package from Sylias.

"They're 'ol talking 'bout ta sea monster some sailor saw. I say 'e was drunk out of his mind." he answered, shaking his head disapprovingly. He handed the remaining fish to Tobias.

"I been here 'ol night" he continued. "I ain't seen no sea monster, didn't hear nothing either. They're supastitious, the lot 'o them".

Tobias chuckled at the robust man's words. He thanked him for the goods and went on his way. Murmurs reached his ears as he walked.

"Did 'ye hear? It has claws longer than a sword!" he heard someone say.

"Oh, yes! I hear that Barnaby's refusing to set sail. Says 'e ain't risking his life for 'ol the fish in 'ta sea." another replied.

Sylias may ridicule the idea of a sea monster and Tobias would have as well. Except, Hadrian had opened his eyes to a hidden world. The world of keepers and dark powers. A sea monster circling the waters around Heus was suddenly no longer a laughable matter.

He sped up his pace, eager to reach the temptress as though its mere wooden walls could provide solace from so dark a creature. Yet, it was home, the only safe place he'd ever known. After having a tough childhood homeless on the streets, the temptress was more than a solace.

Mud squelched under his feet as he walked. The sun had begun its assent, its rays illuminating the dark corners of the port city. It was a beautiful day.

He stopped short, blood running cold in his veins.

Heus was the largest man-made port the world had. Ships came and went daily, a large majority transporting varieties of fish from around the world. As such, birds frequented the port city. Their cries could be heard long before first light. And yet, the sun had risen and Tobias could hear not a single caw, screech or song.

He turned around and looked toward the sea. The sun's golden rays glistened on the water, rippling calmly with the current of the sea. A soft breeze blew the stench from the port inland. It was peaceful or so it seemed.

His heart sped up, it pounded against its cage. Could it be? Was a dark monster truly lurking around the city, waiting to strike? Turning, he ran towards the temptress. Fear washed over him, dread settled in the pit of his stomach. The packages in his hands slipped out of his grip. He did not stop. Something deep in his heart, his soul, told him to run. To get Hadrian and hide in a deep, deep hole.

The temptress came into view. He sped up. A few stragglers and bystanders watched him sprinting towards the inn-house. Just as he began to slow down to avoid running into the front door, the world went to chaos.

Disoriented and confused, he looked around only to realise he was flat on the ground. People were running out of their homes, children were screaming, their mothers clutching onto them. He pushed himself onto his feet and started towards the temptress. Again, the tune of chaos, of doom was played. It danced in the air, reaching far and wide.

Tobias had never heard a more terrifying sound. A bellow filled with wrath and despair shook the ground he stood on. The earth trembled in fear and dread of what was to come. The promise of death and destruction could be heard in the terrible creature's cry. Frozen with fear, Tobias watched as the monster approached from the shore line.

The creature burst out of the water, the action sending splashes of water as far as the temptress where he stood. It rose to full height towering over all the surrounding buildings including the tall pier head. It had scales as black as night, eyes a deep red. Its large feet shook the ground with each step and in its path left houses ruined and earth upturned. Long, sickle-shaped claws raked the earth with each step.

Another bellow left the beasts large mouth. Wide jaws exposed an array of sabre-like teeth. Its drastically long tongue rolled out onto the ground. The enormous beast lowered its head to the ground sniffing, searching. It's tongue rolled back into its mouth and forward it proceeded, heading straight for the temptress.

Tobias jerked out of his frozen state. He turned and sprinted toward his home, only one thought in mind.

Hadrian, Hadrian, he whispered over and over.

Alas! The behemoth behind him was faster. It's feet covering lengths in one lazy gait. Impetuously and unanticipatedly, a large mass that was the beast's long and weighty tail, slammed into Tobias' right side. His thoughts stopping short as his soul was ripped from his body by the ineluctable force of the blow. His body sailed through the air and rolled to a stop on the ground. Broken bones left his corpse useless and deformed as it lay still in a muddy puddle.

The colossal monster then turned and with a s***h of its enormous fore-limb, razed the walls of the temptress to the ground. The wodden structure creaked and groaned as it collapsed, taking with it all that were within. With unprecedented grace, the creature turned and walked back to the water, gliding away into the distance.