BEHEMOTH

001 - Giants by the Sea

A strong smell of ocean salt carried up the coastal cliff to a cart by the side of a muddy track. At the head of the cart sat two men, one in a frayed red robe and apron, the other a youth in a crude stitched jacket. In the cart behind them were three men in padded armour. The man in the robe had a spyglass held up to his eyes. Beside the cart crouched a giant man, his shoulders haunched and head hung against his chest. Even squatting this giant was the height of ten men. At his feet were a massive club and round leather shield.

"Time, Magnus?" The robed man spoke.

"A quarter past noon sir." The youth in the jacket replied.

Out across the sea was another coastline. The stretch of water between the two lands was calm, a light wind stirred the waves to small white crests. Magnus shifted uneasily, looking down the cliff top road and out to sea. Some ways away to the north he could see the stone walls of the city and the castle on the bluffs behind it. Even from here he could just about make out the deep pockmarks and scars that marked the walls, the ruined houses and burnt out towers.

"Sir?" Magnus called out to the Alchemist. "Sir, how much longer do you reckon this war will go on? Will the black skins keep coming forever?"

"No need for that 'sir' business Magnus, I've told you, just call me Festus."

"Yes sir." Magnus replied.

Festus lowered his spyglass looking at Magnus. "Not much longer. Not long at all now. It has been what, five years?"

"Yes sir, uh, Festus, sir."

"Five whole years. How time flies, eh Magnus?" Festus smiled. "Well, no worries, not much longer. I do believe this is all going to end very soon indeed."

"Only sir, Festus, I want to join too. Me and my friend Rolf, we're both of age now. Last year my sister joined and year before my brother."

"Have you been tested?"

"Yes sir."

"And?"

"A grade six sir, no core. And Rolf has a grade three."

"Sorry Magnus, you know how it is. Only grade two and above can undergo the treatment. You and Rolf have no chance." Festus raised his spyglass and looked back out to sea.

"Yes sir." Magnus fell silent.

"Ah!" Festus exclaimed. "Here they come!"

From the distant shore came a swarm dashing on the waves at an incredible speed. There rose a great insect buzz, a thousand wings beating and cutting through the air. Magnus paled, his heart thumping. They tore through the sea towards them, louder, a hundred howling beasts dashing madly at them.

On the beach below were the giants, the hundred fighting fit men and women that had received the Alchemists treatment and grown enormously. The shortest stood eight and a half foot tall, others ranged from nine to fifteen feet. Towering above them were the sentinels, the massive hulking brutes, one which was half crouching up on the cliffs next to the cart - Magnus looked from the horde approaching the giants on the beach to the sentinel.

"Look at that," Festus said. "Fantastic, no? That's the biggest swarm I've seen. Must be going all out this time." His eyes were bright in anticipation.

"Will we be alright sir? Should I move back down along the road?"

"No need, we're perfectly safe."

Down on the beach the army of a hundred giants arranged themselves into a formation, tallest at the flanks and a line three giants thick at the centre. The foremost held long shields, a line of wood and metal facing out. The rear ranks held long spears and spiked clubs. Magnus saw that several stacks of javelins, each the length of a tree, had been placed at intervals along the beach.

The roar - the buzz of wings slicing through the air over the sea grew. An oncoming wave of black skinned creatures, closer with every breath - Magnus could make them out now, each individual monstrosity. They had the size and form of a human, the same underlying shape, but with large translucent wings, their skins entirely black. A deep lustre, shiny and smooth. Each creature was different, monstrous in a different way, he'd seen the bodies up close before - no two were quite alike. Some had only an extra appendage, an arm or leg growing where it should not. Others had grotesquely malformed limbs, either massive or withered entirely, sharp black horns and black teeth and claws, all covered in the same black skin.

The giants on the beach moved, several lifted the javelins and with a grunt threw them. The javelins soared up and into the swarm of black skins, the giants threw again - and once more - their movements swift and practised. Then they were at the shore, their wings throwing sand and sea spray, clawing and swooping with high pitch shrieks.

One tore at a giant's shield, ripping it from his arms and digging its fangs into his throat. Another soared over their heads and rushed at a giant at the rear, a net brought it down to the ground where it received a fierce blow and lay still. More giants threw nets bringing down creature after creature. Spears and blades bounced off, only scratching or tearing their wings, but a blow from a club would knock them clean out.

More and more, the creatures threw themselves at the giants on the shore, tearing and clawing in a mad desire to see them dead - a dozen giants fell, but the line held, the taller giants at the flanks marched forward, throwing nets and battering them with their clubs, slowly encircling the black swarm.

The swarm broke. Their shrieks rose in pitch, they threw themselves forwards one last time, then as a single entity leapt into the air, far above the giants. Magnus tightened his fist. This was the most dangerous moment - it had happened every time they attacked for the last five years - the creatures rose into the sky, tens of feet out of range of the giants, and then split - flying in every direction over the land, some towards the city, some over the cart and further inland.

The sentinels got to their feet, looking out over the treetops - the one next to the cart raised his arm and swatted a creature out of the air. But that was only one. By his count Magnus reckoned that at least fifteen of the creatures had escaped. The giants were on the move now, splitting into squadrons, the wounded being treated and the dead left where they'd fallen. On the beach were the broken bodies of at least fifty creatures and a dozen giants. Magnus recognized one - his neighbour from the city, and another, a girl a few years older whose name he couldn't remember.

"Exciting, exciting!" Festus grinned. "That must have been the biggest swarm this year. I told you we'd be safe, see?"

"Yes sir." Magnus replied.

"Oh don't be so glum." Festus put his spyglass away in a fold of his robe.

In the mud nearby was the monstrosity, a mess of broken limbs and torn wings. From up close Magnus could see a black oil glisten on its skin, where the skin had torn he saw that the creature's blood was red. He heard a distant shriek - somewhere a creature had been caught, or had found its prey.

"Listen, I've just had a thought." Festus tapped Magnus of the shoulder. "I'm doing some special work, a little experiment that doesn't require you to have a core. Maybe you and your friend could be part of that. What do you think?"

"Really? Of course! Will it make us strong? Able to fight the black skins?"

"Sure. Maybe, well, potentially. Its up to you, of course. You in?"

"Yes!" Magnus grabbed the Alchemists hand.

"Haha, alright. Ok. We're done here, come on, back to the village." Festus motioned to one of the men behind them who took the spyglass from his hands.

"Sir!" Magnus took the reins and they set off down the road away from the cliffs. The sentinel squatted down again on the cliffs looking out across the sea.