GODS OF ASEROTH: The Prodigal Son: A monster is born (12 page)

CHAPTER 7

     “Where is Lampus?” asked Leosher, right after he woke up. He swam out of the bed chamber and asked again “Where is Lampus? He owes me a little something.”

    
When Virgil heard him, he came to him “How are you now, brother?”

    
“I am fine. Where is Lampus?”

    
“He is over there” said Urey, who was standing close by, while pointing towards a hall “He is in the dining hall with Usere and the others.”

    
Leosher walked in the hall and sat on the grand dining table “When is my crowning?”

     “Whenever you want” replied
Lampus humbly “I am ready, just as we decided.”

    
“Let us do it right now.”

     “Hold on”
Usere interuppted “Do not you want to have preparations before the crowning? I mean, we are underwater right now, how can you not want to make the moment special, my lord?”

    
“Alright,” said Leosher, while looking at Lampus and the rest “Make all the preparations you need, in two hours and after that, I am the king of the mermaids.”

    
Azar smiled “My lord, please do not be so anxious, for the entire world is yours for taking. You just have to wait.”

    
Leosher smiled mockingly and then left the room and went into his bed chamber. He slept for some time but then Virgil woke him up

     “Get up brother
it is your big moment.”

    
There was a big smile on Virgil’s face because he was happy for his brother. There was a grin on Leosher’s face as well. He swam over to the armoire and pulled out his broken armor and his red cloak, for he was getting ready for the crowning. The cloak and the armor hindered him in swimming but he wore it anyways. Then he tied his hair back and brushed his beard thoroughly even though it made no difference. He was definitely the youngest, and the only humanly king of the mermaids, for he was only a little over 18 years old.

    
The he latched his scythe on his back, for that was the only weapon he had left. He had lost his spears in the Leviathan’s tenetacles but he had managed to keep the scythe. He left the bed chamber and into the halls and then he followed the red carpet out of the castle.

    
There was a big crowd outside the castle, waiting for Leosher, their new king and Lampus was standing in the front to crown Leosher. There was a big, childish yet sinister smirk on Leosher’s face and soon, it got even bigger when he stood in front of all of the citizens of the sea. There was everyone in the sea from mermaids and mermen, to sharks, from trouts to swordfish. There were eerie and bizarre creatures too but they were all the way in the back, where Leosher could not pay attention to them.

   
Lampus came close to him and stood next to him and addressed the crowd

    
“This is the man who possesses the power of a god and the strength of the Leviathan, for he conquered the beast that had been troubling our kind for centuries. I am proud to say that this man, standing next to me shall be your king.” Then he looked at Leosher “You are the most courageous creature I have ever met.”

     T
here was a thunder and Ramases came down in the water. He came down like all the other gods came down, engulfed in a fire ball. He was wearing a gold armor, just like Arusus, for all the gods wore gold armors. He came down on a chariot which was being pulled by blue and green man-sized sea horses. He wore a battle skirt and had a thick red beard and long red hair. He was white, unlike Arusus and Leosher. He wore sandals just like all the rest wore but Leosher was better than him at something. Leosher was a great fighter and his body showed it. Leosher’s body showed every muscle and it was very toned but Remases’s body was not. His body was not toned as much as Leosher’s, which showed Leosher’s superiority over him.

    
He came down and blessed Leosher “You truly are the prince of all gods, for only you could do such an incredible thing like the one you have done.”

     He
put a gold crown on Leosher’s head. The crown was jaw dropping and lavish. Then he gave him two spears. They were a gift from another god that Leosher had scored. First the Scythe, forged in Aseroth, a gift from Arusus, and now the Spears, forged in Aseroth, a gift from Remases.

    
Ramases looked at the crowd and said “I pronounce, Leosher, the prince of Aseroth and the king of The Empire, the king of the sea. From this day forth, the sea will favor and help Leosher in every situation, whether it is bad or good and all its residents shall listen to Leosher’s command no matter what.”

    
There was a chant all around the sea “Long lives our king, Leosher.” Even Lampus, instead of being jealous, chanted for his new king. Leosher loved all of this and wanted it to never stop but alas, he had to leave, for it was time to find the hidden valley.

    
“We do not have any more time to waste,” Leosher said out loud, “Let us go to the surface and continue towards the hidden valley, for we have other, important matters to tend to.” He looked at Barian “Get the men ready, we leave this moment.”

    
Barian and the others swam up but Leosher just jumped and soon, he was out of the waters and onto the ships. Just as all the men resurfaced, the effects of the red flowers wore off and now, if they tried going back into the water they would die. Leosher stood on the bowsprit and shouted out “All sails ahead.” Barian’s crew quickly listened and soon, the ship was moving fast. No one knew where to go, for none had seen hidden valley because only Leosher could see it and the people protecting the weapons could see it.

     On the way, Leosher felt something around his neck; it was the Talisman of Remases. It was around his neck all along and he finally realized that this was what kept him from drowning
when he was fighting the Leviathan “Alas, even if I did not want any help, I was given help.” He was slightly angry, therefore he ripped off of his neck and stared at it “You were great help but I do not need help, for I am Leosher, the prince of Aseroth.” He dropped it in the water and leaned back on a pole and stared ahead.

    
Leosher and his men stayed at sea for two days and still there was no sign of the hidden valley and they were running low on provisions.

    
“Master,” said Barian “We only have a day left until we completely discharge ourselves from food. We have already eaten some of the animals we had and we do not wish to eat more of them, for we might need then in battle. Maybe you should ask for help from the gods.”

     
Leosher looked at him angrily “You know I would rather starve than ask for help from the gods. If they give it as a gift, it is fine by me but I shall never ask for help.”

     “B
rother,” Virgil joined the conversation for he knew the condition the men were living in “Do not let your stubbornness and arrogance deprive you from the throne, for finding the hidden valley is our highest priority right now. You should talk to the gods because if you do not have any men, you will never be able to take over Thraenus.”

    
Azar, Usere and Urey said the same but Leosher did not listen until Neiham finally asked him too. Her manner was sweet and motherly which drove Leosher to ask the gods.

    
He went into his bed chamber and blew out all of the candles. He pushed the bed away and created a space for him to sit in. He sat crossed legged and meditated until Asurot came into his thoughts. Both met in the same white void but this time, Leosher was clean.

    
“Leosher, why have you called me?”

    
“Mother, I have something to ask for.”

    
“I do not wish to help you for you have disrespected me and the other gods.”

    
“Mother,” Leosher smiled “I do not ask for a favor. I wish to make a contract with you.”

    
“Continue,” said Asurot, for she knew it was something special and he was serious “tell me what you want?”

    
Leosher said with a smirk “I want you to show me the way to the hidden valley and I shall do one thing you wish me to.”

    
Asurot laughed and replied “The seed of evil has been planted in your heart and the gods are afraid you might turn against them. I will show you the way but in turn, I ask for your word that you will give up the throne of Thraenus and Aseroth if you grow evil.”

    
Leosher and Asurot agreed on this and both were tied in a contract which could not be broken, no matter what.

    
“Leosher, a cloud shall guide you to the hidden valley and your provisions will be refilled. Now good bye, and have a safe journey—Son!”

    
Leosher got up and went outside and just as Virgil and Urey saw him, they came to him running, “Did you talk to the gods?” asked Urey “Did you ask them for help?” added Virgil.

     “Where is Barian?
Call him.”

    
Barian was summoned and Leosher talked to him “Follow the red cloud, in front of the ship, for it will lead us to the hidden valley however I will have to spot the valley.”

    
“Very well my lord,” said Barian “I will get us to the valley.”

     He quickly
went to the back of the deck to steer the ship and Leosher went back in his bed chamber and put his bed back in place and slept after that.

    
Azar and Neiham went to sleep in their own bed chambers too, for they were old and tired but Usere, Urey and Virgil stayed up attentively and helped Barian in navigating. Urey had the best eyes in the entire group, for he could see the farthest without any mistake and that was the reason he was one of the best archers in Thraenus. He kept his keen eyes on the cloud and never took them off.

    
Soon it was night fall and all went to sleep except Barian’s crew. They could not, for they were sailing the ships. After some time, during the middle of the night, the cloud vanished away. It was pitch black and the only bit of light that was coming from the cloud showing the way, had gone away as well. The crew was very scared for they could see nothing except their own mates with the help of the lanterns but that was all they could see and suddenly, there was a crash. The ships had crashed in something but there was nothing up ahead. It was like an invisible wall ahead. The crash was so hard that it woke everyone up and they all came out of their chambers to see what had happened.

    
Leosher was the first one to come out and he was left jaw dropped to see what had happened. Virgil and the others followed him but no one knew what was going on except Leosher.

    
“What is it?” asked Neiham “What is it my lord?” Azar asked the same.

    
“We are here” said he “This is the hidden valley.”

    
“But I do not see anything” said Urey. Usere laughed at him and smacked his brother in his head “Exactly, only Leosher can see it.”

    
Leosher walked on the bowsprit of the ship and then jumped. What seemed like air to everyone else was cold, hard ground for Leosher. Virgil and all the others saw him and followed him.

    
They stood on the bowsprit and jumped and just as their feet touched the ground, the picture became clearer. The invisibility of the valley only worked without contact but on contact, a creature could see it. As they moved forward, they saw that the entire land was barren, just like the land of Mortemus. It was rocky and lifeless. There was no grass but edgy and sharp rocks and crunchy, dead leaves. They were there from dead trees. Every step the warriors took, the leaves crunched and created loud noise. Even breaths echoed in the land. The ground had many cracks and was very brittle as well. There were many salt deposits and many dead fish at the edges. The land was huge. It was big and had many mountains. It was an island.

    
After walking for about half an hour on that rocky and dangerous road that led to the mountains, Leosher finally heard a noise that was not from his mens’s walk,

    
“Stop where you are!” a hooded figure riding a horse, stood on top of a hill and shouted at Leosher “You are not meant to be here.”

    
Leosher did not like being stopped therefore he yelled at him “Come down and face me like a man.”

    
The hooded figure rode down the sharp hill on his black horse and other hooded creatures followed him and soon they stood in front of Leosher

    
“We are the protectors of this valley, put here by Samael himself. State your business or perish.”

   
Leosher smirked and said mockingly “How naiive, I am here to kill you and get the weapons. I am the son of Asurot, Leosher, and the king of The Empire.”

     “Yes, we can see it. You are the one who spotted it all, we saw it.”

     “I want the weapons,” Leosher demanded “And I will kill anyone for them.”