Just beneath the surface

The remnants of the lost kingdom

When Fernando opened his eyes, everything was still black. He could hear the faint cries of people from afar, screams, and cannon fire.

"Could the rest of the crew be here now?" He asked himself.

"No, it's not your crew fool", a voice whispered. Fernando stood up, and looked at his surroundings. Still, it was all black.

"Do you not remember these cries Fernando? Or were you dead when these cries echoed over the blood stained waters?" The voice asked.

"Who are you?" Fernando asked.

"You do not need to know. All you need to know are your sins. You failed to acknowledge them, you see. Mind if I give you a clearer picture?" The voice replied. Suddenly Fernando felt like he was pulled by the arms. He was dragged into the light, where he fell onto a wooden deck. He looked around him, and he saw something he never wanted to see again. The gnarly faces of the men he saw aboard his dead brother's ship. Their screams were horrid. A mixture of wild rabid screams, sharp shrills, and deep groans. Each throwing Fernando to the other.

"Do you get it? The souls of these men have not yet been put to rest! And it's your fault", the voice whispered.

"Why would I regret killing pirates? All of you are the devils of the sea!" Fernando exclaimed.

"Pirates? devils of the sea? You seem to be in a misunderstanding here, Fernando. You really are heartless. Well then again I don't need you to remember just yet, but I am certain it will come to haunt you again someday; your sin", the voice whispered.

"To be more frank, you are a failure! You have failed so many only to succeed on your own accord. And where has that ruthlessness brought you now hm? You may think you have changed, but your past can never be parted from you!" It continued. The screaming echoing in his head once again. He wanted to wake up, yet, he couldn't. He knew that if the dream kept up, it would reveal the giant serpent that would always appear in his dream. Once a dream reaches a brain's capacity to fathom, it could force the brain to shut down.

"Fernando!" A voice shouted.

"What now?" He asked.

"Fernando, wake up! It shouted again.

"Where am I?" Fernando asked. Once again, it was dark, but there was just the right amount of light to see about. The sensation was different, as he was less constricted. He knew he was now awake. Still though, his arms and legs were chained, and he couldn't move.

"Those fish people knocked you out, basically everyone too, and sent us here. They already picked one of us off", Jahmil replied.

"There's only seven of us left, the others were killed in the skirmish", Andres continued.

"Thank goodness both of you are still alive! Anyway, we need to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible. I'm pretty sure they're going to pick one of us again", Fernando replied.

"These chains seem rather loose, I'll try to break free", Andres said.

"It's pointless, even if you unchain yourself, there is no hope of escaping out of this place alive. Those creatures have a knack for smelling, and they can track down all the way to the coast", a voice spoke from the darker corner of the cell.

"Who's there, is it one of us?" Fernando asked. Jahmil shrugged, also unsure of who the man was. He didn't notice his presence ever since he set foot in the prison cell.

"A man, once a king, now a prisoner, a prisoner to foul creatures, and a failure", it replied. Fernando leaned forward to try to see what was in the corner, and in the process what little light there was shone in his face.

"You- you're eyes!" The voice exclaimed. Fernando has two toned eyes, which was the same for Jahmil and Andres.

"What about them?" He asked.

"You- you descend from my forefathers!" The man replied.

"Who are you?" Jahmil asked. Slowly squeezing out of the chains.

"Just like you, I am from the royal descent of the Atleantean king. I am Mard Geerus, the current Quezian king", he replied.

"You're from Atlantis?" Fernando asked, stunned by what he heard.

"Yes", Mard Geerus replied. "My ancestors were part of the twelve reigning kingdoms of Atlantis, all under the rule of the great Atlantean high king, lord Atlantaeus. By his orders, we deserted Atlantis, along with the other kingdoms. By a powerful storm, we were sent here, our home land. We have lived here for over seven generations, but thirty years ago, the natives of this realm took over", he continued.

"You mean those fish people?" Jahmil asked.

"Yes, they are called the mherekast by my people. Robust in build, tall in stature, my people were no match for them, and now we are subjected as their slaves", Mard Geerus replied. "For twenty years I have been a prisoner, and in that time, my skin has never touched the sunlight", he continued.

Suddenly desperate calls and screams echoed from outside of the cell. It sounded like a woman in severe distress.

"And in those twenty years, I have to hear these screams. Every single day, I have to hear these screams. Now they echo in my dreams too. Perhaps this was the Mherekast's true intent", he said.

"Why? What's happening right now?" Fernando asked. Suddenly chanting followed, a chorus of deep grunts and calls.

"The Mherekast worship a beast as their deity. The beast lives in the mountains, but comes here every dawn to feed. And guess what it feed on, yes, it feeds on my people. Honourable sacrifices, perhaps that is what the Mherekasts think. The beast is called the Asgeleon, the creature that even the Mherecast fears", Mard Geerus replied.

"One of your men was brought to the cell intended for those to be fed to the Asgeleon, but as you are now, there is no way you can free him. Do not even think of charging out there", he continued. Fernando looked at the hole that gave light to the cell, which had grown brighter ever since he woke up. What's taking them so long? He thought. Suddenly a faint whistle zinged through the air and slammed the wall of the prison cell.

"Ready!" A voice shouted from outside."Fire!"

The sound of muskets filled the air, as the crew let loose a volley. The men at the cannons prepared it for ignition.

"Sir!" Pedro shouted as he and some of the men broke the chains binding Fernando and the scout unit.

"I'll explain to you how much you nearly messed up, but I'll save that for later. First, take this, leaving it is your first mistake", Pedro said, handing a revolver to Fernando.

"Thank you. Now, there's a man in the corner, break him free. He is this settlement's king", Fernando instructed.

"Yes sir", Pedro replied. The mherkasts were overwhelmed by the marines, and began to chant louder.

"This was the worst moment to pick a fight with the Mherekasts!" Mard Geerus shouted. Suddenly a roar echoed through the air. A shrill roar, and the people knew where it came from. A Mherekast foot soldier took the woman hostage, but Randall was quick to outflank it, and shot it from behind. Now the galloping of the beast could be heard. The Mherekasts looked to the forest, and out came the Asgeleon bursting from the underbrush. It was massive, probably around thirty feet in length, and thrice a person's height. It had eight legs, each having fins, and tipped with claws that were literally daggers. It's head resembled that of a shark, but it was more terrifying than one. It's back was lined with three rows of spines, which looked like they could be ejected at any time. It's eyes were locked onto Fernando, and it was ready to charge. Fernando readied his revolver, preparing to fire. Some of the soldiers fired at the beast, but their bullets barely scraped its rock hard scales. Despite the flurry of bullets, the beast never took its gaze from Fernando. With his musket, Pedro tried to shoot the beast in the head, as it seemed like a weak spot, but still to no avail. The Asgeleon charged, and the Mherekasts cheered in grunts and screams. Fernando pointed his revolver at the beast, his aim trained straight between the beasts eyes, and fired. The force of the beast colliding with the bullet was enough for Fernando's light but extremely strong obsidian musket ball to pierce into the creature's skull. The beast stopped, part of its brain began to bleed, yet it refused to stand down. Fernando loaded again, but the cannon took the beast out before he could finish. The cannonball hit the beast's side, knocking it out. The mherekasts were silent, and knelt. Fernando went closer to the Asgeleon to deliver the killing blow. For the first time in thirty years, Mard Geerus saw the two suns shining above him. Speaking in the Mherekast language, he asked if there was any more need for a confrontation. The Mherekasts dropped the weapons and surrendered. The Quezian people cheered, rejoicing in their freedom.

"Our brothers of Royalty have saved us! Rejoice, for we shall celebrate tonight!" Mard Geerus exclaimed. The people cheered, and cleaned the area in preparation for the festivities.