Tartarus Beckons by Edmund Batara (reading an ebook .TXT) 📕

Suddenly, it was over. Tyler breathed a sigh of relief and discovered he was muddy all over. Bare and fallen trees met his sight as he looked around. Water was ebbing back into the sea and the karve was nowhere to be found.

Kobu and the Gothi suddenly appeared at his side.

“I apologize deeply, sire. I had believed you would magically transport yourself,” said the exile.

“It’s okay, Kobu. You couldn’t have known that my movement would be limited to crossing clear terrain. Blindly teleporting would have resulted in being stuck within a tree trunk or two,” laughed Tyler. He was insanely giddy with the feeling of being alive. For a few seconds, his world was engulfed by crashing water, lots of it, and it was one of the most dreadful experiences Tyler had undergone. It was the closest thing to drowning, and an encounter the mage swore he won’t repeat again.

“I sensed something massive, Ivar. Really huge. Bigger than the island. It was coming this way,” he told the Gothi. Tyler cast another spell to check where the entity was now positioned. It had stopped and was now closer to the island.

“And it’s not moving anymore. The damned thing is staying near the island,” he added.

“Oh, fuck. I think I know what it is,” said the Gothi in an alarmed tone.

“Care to share that delightful insight with us?” asked Tyler.

“A kraken. Not the Kraken, of course. But one of its offsprings. A rare occurrence. Kraken do not usually venture close to land. But they’re attracted to eruptions of magical energy. Those involving vast amounts of it. The magical creation of your island must have attracted the creature.”

Offspring? There’s more?

Chapter Two

Blue Mountain

“What do you mean by offspring? The seas are full of those massive things?”

Ivar laughed merrily. Tyler didn’t think the question was that funny. Then he realized he must have looked ridiculous, covered with mud and leaves. An observation which was confirmed when the Gothi reached over and started removing leaves from Tyler’s dirt-encrusted hair.

“I look like shit, don’t I?”

“Nope, just like that swamp monster thing,” said Ivar as he sniggered, then louder as his self-control gave way.

“You’re a jerk,” said Tyler as he pushed Ivar’s hand away, and walked towards the beach. “I’ll take a bath in the sea. How come you know so much about these things?”

“I did tell you about engaging in foreign trade, using the sea routes to the south and west. Of course, I did my homework before deciding on that venture. A single monster could sink my entire investment,” Ivar explained as he followed the mage.

“And the kraken?”

“That was the first creature I looked up,” grinned the priest of Odin. “I’ve seen the movie, but the reality was worse than whatever Hollywood could cook up.”

“You weren’t pulling my leg when you said there are more krakens?” asked Tyler, apprehension marking his tone.

“Nope. But there’s only a few of them. Upon birth, they are pitted against each other, and only the strongest survive. Even as adults, they continue such unhealthy family relationships. No wonder they’re solitary creatures and tend to stay in the deepest parts of the ocean.”

The trio had reached the sea and Tyler immediately dove into the surf. Upon surfacing, he started cleaning himself.

“Do you think that creature would stay long? Even if it’s attracted to the energy which created the island, the remnant of the magical power used to raise the land is bound to dissipate sooner or later,” he asked the priest.

“Well, that depends on how long the process would take. In the meantime, you might have a problem on your hands,” replied Ivar.

Tyler stopped what he was doing and stared at him.

“Problem? I don’t have plans of making use of that place as of now, so what’s the big issue?”

“Well, all the priests of the Norse and Greek pantheons knew about the island. In fact, they’ve been warned against claiming it or even setting foot on it without your permission. If they were informed, then the rulers have also been told about it. But the presence of the kraken complicates matters. Trade will be greatly affected. And Maljen will be the first to feel its negative effects.”

“Don’t tell me I have to handle the damned kraken, too! I still have to help the dokkalfr. I don’t want Freyr running after my head, he did keep his end of our bargain. Hedmark would have been our graves if not for him,” protested Tyler.

“Don’t look at me, man. I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t even expect a kraken to come and stick around these parts. Otherwise, I would have insisted on another site for the planned magical academy.”

Tyler looked at the sky.

“This stinks!” he shouted.

“That’s deities for you. A gift and a burden at the same time,” Kobu laughed.

“Wait. Can’t the pantheons handle this for once? I mean, there’s a task waiting for me, courtesy of a Vanir god, mind you, and this headache would unduly delay its completion,” blurted Tyler. Tangling with a gigantic entity bigger than the island was not on his to-do list.

“Deities seem to avoid dealing with the Kraken and its kind. Stories abound about the likes of Thor and Poseidon regularly tangling with monsters of the deep, the hafgufa for one, but I still haven’t come across one which told of a battle between a kraken and a deity.”

“What’s a hafgufa?” asked Tyler.

“The word means sea mist. Another sea monster said to be as big as an island.”

“Shit. I think I know why they avoid it. It has innate magical resistance. I discovered that interesting detail when I tried examining it utilizing a spell. And assuming that it has other magical abilities is one proposition likely to be proven true,” said Tyler. “What if I don’t do anything?”

“Your choice, my friend. But you’ll be blamed for all the miseries Skaney would suffer. There are only two major trade ports in this realm, and both would be sorely affected, even if