He's a Mess of a Man

Book One ~ Chapter Three

The sky kept growing darker and the woods seemed to extend in every direction. Lucio turned in a slow circle, peering through the trees, "So... are we still following that magic trail you found earlier?"

Leviathan shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. I may have forgotten about that. The wyrm attack drove it clear from my mind. Give me a moment, I can find it again." Leviathan closed his eyes, trying to pick out the faint hint of old magic. But something else pressed on his senses. Something close, overwhelming, and foul.

Lucio grabbed Leviathan's arm and his eyes flew open, "Don't panic, but whatever you're doing can wait!" Lucio pointed to a pale, slimy shadow gliding through the trees followed by another, and another, all closing in on the two.

Leviathan flung out his hand, focusing his magic in a bolt of brilliant fire. It crackled through the cold air, flying at the nearest shadow. Lucio's facial expression was that of amazement. The creature twisted at an impossible angle, whipping around a tree like a long pale rope. A voice sounded from the darkness, a voice that sounded horribly familiar to Leviathan. "Oh, such nasty little mortals! How dare you assault my lovely children!" Before he could place the voice, more shapes emerged from the trees.

"Keep doing that thing with the fire! I've got the rest!" yelled Lucio. The creatures slithered closer. Close enough for Leviathan to finally see. Worms. Dozens of them. Each is the length of a person with tiny beady eyes and way too many teeth. They poured out from the trees, a glistening and undulating grey horde. "Ah ha! Take that!" With one swipe of his sword, Lucio cleaved two worms in half. But the pieces continued to wriggle forward, jaws working blindly. "Eurgh! I think I'm gonna be sick!"

The two stood back, Lucio's sword sang through the air, followed by the flash of Leviathan's magic. Despite their efforts, more worms kept coming. Leviathan's heart sank, "We can't hold this many at bay! They'll overwhelm us before long!" he huffed, "We have to run!"

"But-!" sputtered Lucio.

"Come on! There's no time!"

Lucio hesitated briefly, frustration in every line of his face. Leviathan groaned and grabbed his arm, dragging Lucio off into a dead sprint. But the pale ropey worms effortlessly kept pace with the two. Some took to the trees, swinging between them like wriggling vines. Others glided over the snow, leaving thick trails of grey slime. "How many of these damn things are there in this forest?!" Lucio yelped. The two finally emerged from the dense trees and collapsed onto the ground, legs wobbly from their frantic escape. The worms were countless at this point, a seething and vicious mass of grey flesh and teeth. Leviathan's lungs burned as he tried to catch his breath. Lucio staggered to his feet, "I refuse to die by a worm!" he huffed, "I'll kill you all, you disgusting vermin!"

The worms stopped at the very edge of the woods. A massive and undulating creature lazily glided to the edge of the tree line, "You... you always were the nastiest little mortal." All the color drained from Lucio's face when the creature came into view. Leviathan felt as if he were going to throw up. But the hideous thing didn't move. In fact, all the worms had stopped. They howled and gnashed their teeth, they wouldn't leave the shelter of the trees. "Run away, little mortals. And if you ever return..."

Leviathan shakily stood, tugging Lucio's hand, "What are you waiting for? Lucio, let's go!" He stumbled after him, eyes still blank. The two ran until they stumbled to a stop, clutching at their sides. The sky grew brighter, the two stood on a vast, open tundra bathed in pale red light. Lucio kept looking over his shoulder, back at the distant forest. "What were those things?" Leviathan asked, "The big one... it spoke like it knew you... like you'd met before."

Lucio numbly shook his head, "I don't know that big one... And I don't wanna stick around to find out what those things were. We should get out of here as soon as we can."