Chapter 134

Lykan

Luring a Leviathan

As he flew away from Brenna he felt a weird form of connection to her. A feeling that so long as she believed in him, then her beliefs would somehow be able to change the very fabric of the world. The feeling that even now as he struggled alone, she herself struggled to be able to improve all so she could fight by his side. It was a strangely humbling feeling and one that gave him conviction that he could succeed even now.

Not only was she by his side, but for the first time he felt like she not only saw, but accepted him. This was something he had always blocked off from people in his past. The fact that he was judged by his home community as being unworthy, it was a stigma that burned an imprint on his soul. One that scared him so deeply and violently that he was left mute and numb to the sensation. For fourteen years, two sets of seven year cycles, he had gone through life with the stigma that he was to be unworthy of true lasting relationships.

In a way that fear of lasting relationships was why he was granted the class Wanderer, so that he always had a chance to move on before truly being found out by the people he met. Yet, there were some like Ghane who found the real Lykan, ones who saw beyond the veil that he put up to protect himself.

“…Do it.” Brenna called out, her voice but a bare whisper on the wind.

As he heard her voice he looked back and saw her small silhouette stand out among the distance. True to form she could almost tell even now that he was about to let doubt creep into his mind. Taking a deep breath to center himself, he paused over the location where he remembered first exiting the ocean for air. This was also the spot where he felt so alone, when he could not immediately find his direction to Brenna. He looked around again for markers or areas that could help identify distance and location. In the end the light of the overhead sun was all he could find for direction. It wasn’t the best of situations, but it was all he could find to help him at just a glance.

He looked around once more he realized he was just wasting time. Either the plan Brenna had come up with would work, or it wouldn’t and then they would have to come up with another plan. With that in mind he took in a deep qi filled breath, then dove into the ocean.

Splash.

The water was colder than he remembered. While the true temperature of the water didn’t affect his body, he realized that the colder water would have a direct impact on his ability to move about and escape. He could not afford to get caught by the beast. So he practiced seeing how fast he could force his way straight down. His body moved as gracefully as a non-native species could amongst the deep ocean currents. Surprisingly he found that he could out pace a few of the smaller fish that had been attracted to his unique qi signature.

As he dove deeper he found that he began to understand the qi structures of the various aquatic species a bit better. Aquatic creatures had a unique qi structure that was more ovular in scope. Thinking back even the diamond formation held by the leviathan seemed to have more of a double-bladed icicle structure to it than an true uniform diamond. The only problem was the beast was so large and massive that it blended together. The body and size of the beast hid many of the finer details of its core. Still the more he dove the more he felt he was onto something. The shape and form of the core did as much to define the environment that the holder would operate in, as did the body and composition. With that, Lykan made a note after this to study the core shapes of birds and aviary creatures. He felt he had unwittingly created his core in the manner of flying creatures.

So profound was his new discovery that he almost wished to go back up and talk to Brenna about his theory. Of course he couldn’t do such an act. He knew that if he did such a thing, then it would come across as him being afraid. He was afraid, part of his mind told him this creature was on a scale never seen in the other biomes. Even the fresh water sharkto-puses were small in comparison to this behemoth of the deep. The fact that the creature was so large that it had to feast on scaled sharks was a clear sign of its prowess. Looking at the biomes showed that the Titan’s for all their faults had a way of finding creatures that would balance out an entire echo-system. All this is to say that the animals were all chosen for a reason. In a way it felt like they were playing the role of the Gods. Or likely trying to make it so the Gods themselves were not needed, but that was a topic for a different day and time.

Pulse.

A giant bubble of energy rumbled deep down below Lykan. It was so distant that he could only feel the echo of power being carried on the ocean currents. Still feeling the power was unmistakable, it was the leviathan, the same one Lykan had been following earlier. He wasn’t certain if there was another leviathan here, logically the species had to have a counterpart, unless the creature reproduces asexually, Lykan mused to himself. Though if it did reproduce asexually that would mean a few factors would have to contribute to the sudden want to reproduce. Lykan figured one of those factors for triggering self-reproductive cycles would be the escape of this environment. If such an event was accurate, then that likely meant the leviathan could be the original monster brought here by the Titans themselves. That this entire biome was created and saturated with plants and supporting fish, all to create an echo-system capable of sustaining the leviathan. That thought alone was enough to send chills down his spine.

Looking around Lykan saw no other signs of leviathans, meaning the others had all died off, or were what is more likely. The remaining leviathans were all killed by this, the queen of the leviathans. He didn’t know how he knew for certain that this leviathan was a female, but he felt it at the very core of his being. This was part of why he felt killing this beast was so imperative. If it was just a male then even if it was released into the wild it would eventually die out. But as a female she would be able to spread her vile spawn as a last ditch curse to the world. It was at this point that Lykan promised he would not let this happen. He would stop her, that or injure her enough that Brenna could finish the job in his stead.

Still Lykan needed to get closer if he was going to work Brenna’s plan.

Pulse.

This bubble was far closer, but still dissolved a few hundred meters below him. As he continued his descent he tried to feel the texture of the qi being used by the monster. He tried to see if there was a glimpse into the power being wielded by such an amazing creature. Just feeling the power it was clear that the creature had a deeper insight into the way of qi. Just by witnessing this creature in true battle, Lykan felt he would be able to understand more about this illusive energy. An energy that was both completely foreign to his planet, while at the same time able to adapt to his planet’s unique environment so completely that he wondered about its true origin. But that was a question for a different time and place.

Instead, Lykan moved to where he thought the beast was heading. Even with Lykan heading straight down as fast as he could, he felt the leviathan was just moving at a leisurely pace for a being of its immense size. He almost wondered if he would even be enough of a meal for the massive leviathan to even consider worthy of attacking. With this revelation he realizes the true brilliance of Brenna, who suggested that he make the pattern of a scaled shark on the bubble. Something that would clearly be large enough to draw the attention of the great beast, while making it so the instincts of the predator would be focused on a larger meal rather than one Lykan’s size.

Pulse.

A strange tingling sensation ran down Lykan’s spine. This was it, his chance to strike. While he himself would still be well outside of the effective range of the bubble, his vast domain of Qi Control and Qi Alter would not. These two categories of power were aided by Lykan’s newly expanding sense of Telekinesis, or the art of moving objects at a distance. In a flurry he focused all three powers and tried to create an area of effect that spread far and wide, creating a giant ovular form in the bubble.

He felt the competing power brush up against his, then easily dissolve and break off, heading back to the source.

Badump.

Lykan’s heart beat furiously for a second as he stared on in wonder if the creature was going to come from that action. For a moment he wondered if he had done enough to pull the creature’s interest. Then another thought took over, more instinct than anything. The instinct told him to run. So that is what he did. Before he heard confirmation that the return pulse would be enough to draw the leviathan’s attention. Before the return pulse even left his field of sight he began scrambling upwards through the thick cold water that felt like swimming through dense molasses, more than anything. Especially when every second of speed counted.

He surged straight up, his spiraling mana and qi vortex both working overtime to help pull him up as quickly as possible. All the while he hoped he wasn’t veering off course in the slightest. For at this depth, even the slight misdirection of an angle could mean a few hundred more meters of water to swim, hundreds of meters that Lykan could not afford to fight through.

Sloosh.

A massive force of energy surged from beneath Lykan’s feet. Within a second he felt the pressure of displaced water lunging him ever upwards. This was good as it was a slight burst of speed. It was also a terrifying position as it meant that Lykan would easily be captured by this creature should it turn its full attention on him. With that he focused his mind and prepared for the next step.

Pulse.

The pulse of energy was right up on him. With a quick thrust and poke he carved a hole into the top of the sonar sphere as it came towards him. This time he didn’t even seal his entry point. Instead he just focused on what would come next. Just as Brenna had suggested, Lykan chose a spot at the far end of the ever expanding sphere and created a divot on the side, once again using Qi Control, Qi Alter, and as much Telekinetic force as he could muster. This time while he applied the pressure he did so delicately, and pulled back after initial contact. The idea was to mimic the movement away of a massive oceanic creature.

Due to the way qi worked, or at least the way Lykan was able to use qi, he could only do so much with the substance at one time. Thus he kept his invisibility ability dormant at this time. Also while he used his qi for other actions, his ability to use his qi vortex to help propel him upwards was impossible to achieve. So instead he had to focus on the slow speed of just being able to circulate mana throughout his meridians to provide much needed lift.

Swoosh.

Another wave of force pushed Lykan up in his ascent as the leviathan again darted towards the left. Right where Lykan had given the impression that the large creature had been heading away. The force being generated by the leviathan was so immense and close this time that he felt himself being pulled down and over, with the movements of the great beast.

The beast got to its destination and paused, circling about wildly looking for the creature it was hunting.

Pulse.

This time Lykan felt he was not so much over top of the bubble like before but barely above and to the right. Still Lykan kept with the plan. Once again he quickly punched a hole through the bubble, then immediately set about summoning a giant obstruction over and to the right of the ever expanding sonar bubble.

Whoom.

Once again the beast charged forward, creating massive waves of force that pulled Lykan in and down towards the massive creature as it searched for food that was nowhere to be seen.

Now lykan was close. So close that he could see the light of the artificial sun shining through the waves from overhead. He had clearly been pulled off course at one time or another during this mad flight of fantasy.

The leviathan found small schools of fish, which it ate down in droves by simply opening its massive jaws and swallowing everything in its wake. The creature charged forth blindly, Lykan was now close enough to witness this key feature. When the leviathan’s mouth opened, it would close its eyes tightly. Lykan didn’t have time to determine why such an act would be performed by the monster, but he was thankful that the beast did do such a thing. This meant, that his final act might just work. That he could finally lure the beast out of its ocean depths.

Still charging forward, Lykan felt the thick oppressive weight of the ocean sludge loosen around him. Still he continued to climb ever upward, changing his angle to go directly for the bright shining sun that showed a way to freedom.

Pulse.

This was it, the final time. So close was the monster that Lykan didn’t have time to punch a hole and create a divot in the sphere. So hoping that he would not be considered a consolation prize for a beast that had chased this imaginary foe for so long through the oceans, Lykan acted.

Ping.

Once again Lykan created a giant indented figure that made a sizable hole appear almost instantly in the sonar bubble of the great leviathan. While this divot was not created right under Lykan it was still close enough that the charging Leviathan was able to breach the surface of the water before Lykan could. Still Lykan was prepared to be slower than the beast. Rather than fighting against the creature, he decided to use the creature’s own momentum against it. This time when the beast’s movements generated suctioning waves of force that pulled Lykan in, he went with them. Going so far as to let the waves carry him up to the base of the neck of the Leviathan.

Lykan was up an out of the ocean first, before the remainder of the wave shot up from behind Lykan and thrust him towards the exposed and outstretched neck of the monster who was no longer in its native habitat.

Thrum.

Lykan channeled qi energy into his bo-staff which conducted the foreign energy easily. The bo-staff pulsed with power as he brought up the glowing bo-staff and lunged it towards the beast’s throat.

Thud.

Lykan landed the blow cleanly, the tip of the staff able to easily penetrate the toughened scales of the massive beast. The beast floundered for a moment as Lykan continued to drive the shaft of his staff deeper, until finally his hands hit the scales, thus stopping his forward momentum.

He had been successful, his first strike executed flawlessly. There was only one problem, given the size of the beast his staff was little more than the size of a toothpick for the beast.

“AHHH!” The monster cried out, in pain. As it twisted its long neck around and focused on Lykan.

Lykan for his part realized his mistake and quickly pulled the staff out from the beast’s neck.

Swoosh.

The massive leviathan lunged for the pesky gnat that dared to sting its neck.

Fortunately Lykan was already moving away, bloody staff in hand as he prepared for his next attack. He knew this would be a long drawn out battle. With that in mind, he smiled to himself as he prepared for round two.