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Zalthom, ruler of the Silver Sea, swam through the deepest, darkest parts thereof, protecting the creatures that dwelled within it… Aside from the ones he ate.
Eons ago, Zalthom created the merfolk, whom he called his children. From the waist up, they closely resembled those of the human race, if one could overlook their dramatically pale skin and bony figure. From the waist down, however, they looked more like the entity that had created them, with extremely long, furry tails that could be brown, black, gray, or even white.
Tails that split three ways at the fin.
He gave to their merking a special scepter, with three sharp prongs, capable of great magic. This he would use to defend his people in times of trouble, and would protect with his life.
They lived in almost-perfect peace in their coral city. The peace was interrupted every once in a while as they engaged in war with their neighbors, the sharks, who lived in a city of stone, but usually they were on good terms with each other.
These merfolk knew nothing of the surface, for they had lived all their lives on the floor of the Silver Sea. They believed that the water continued forever upwards, and that the souls of dead merfolk were allowed to swim upward on and on and on, through the Eternal Waters.
If one committed a great sin, or failed in their duties to Zalthom before one died, then one would not be permitted to swim upward, and would be forced to remain at the spot in which they had died, swimming forever in circles.
It has been years since the sharks and the merfolk have been at war, and all is peaceful, all is quiet.
But the merfolk have other, less friendly neighbors.
The Seryms, small, shriveled creatures with beady red eyes and fangs of epic proportions, these things seem to thrive on evil, and have magical abilities that none know the limit of, though they rarely use said magic. Perhaps it drains them too much?
A rather dashing young merman, with a silky white tail and a shaven head possessing a bit of whitish stubble stood guard at the main gate of the Coral City. This young merman was Rover, a member of the Coral City Guard Corps.
More commonly referred to as the CCGC, it was an organization that took in promising young mermen aged ten and up, and trained them to fight for and to protect their home. Their heads were shaven (for minimum water resistance), and upon joining they took an oath to die for their city, and never to wed as long as they remained in service to the City, and to their king.
Beside Rover stood a young lad of eleven, guarding the City gates for the first time since he became a member of the CCGC. His posture was rather lacking, unlike that of the man beside him, who floated erect, but the boy looked proud to be protecting his home.
The two had been keeping a silent vigil ever since their shift had started, but at last the boy, whose name was Rikthom, decided to break the uncomfortable silence.
“Have Seryms ever attacked while you were on duty?” He asked, looking up at the merman beside him.
“Once or twice. They did not do much damage. I and the guard with me repelled them easily.” Rover replied, shifting slightly, sliding his hand a little ways down his whalebone spear. He thought he’d seen a movement… But no, it was nothing.
“What are they like?” Rictthom asked eagerly.
“They are foul little pests, though their fangs would make fine daggers. The stench they emit is dreadful.” He wrinkled his nose just thinking about it.
His companion laughed. “I hope some attack on our shift! They’re not hard to fight, are they?”
“No, quite easily defeated, actually. They seem to be very bad strategic thinkers. I don’t know why they keep trying; they pose no threat. Really, they are more a source of entertainment on otherwise dull gate guarding shifts than anything else.” He’d seen something. He knew he had.
“Erafzal was joking about them the other day. He says they’re nothing but overgrown-” The boy’s voice was cut off abruptly with a shout of surprise as several Seryms materialized out of nowhere, followed by more Seryms…. And more Seryms…. And more Seryms…. There were now an overwhelming number of them, more than any mer had ever seen at one time.
“Rikthom! Go, sound the alarm! Warn the city!” Rover shouted as the Seryms surged forward, his eyes wide with terror.
“NO! I’ll fight ‘em off!” Rictthom replied rebelliously, lowering his spear at the charging horde.
Those were the last words that ever left his mouth.
Seven Seryms attacked him at once, sinking their fangs into any vulnerable spot they could find.
Thus the poor boy died, a look of horror and intense pain upon his features.
Rover stared at his body a moment, shocked, then turned and swam through the gate as quickly as he could, singing the note that caused it to swing closed.
He knew it wouldn’t hold long, seeing how delicate coral was, so he swam with all his might, shouting as he went “The Seryms! The Seryms have attacked! AR-”
His warning was cut off by an explosion behind him that sent the water surging wildly about him.
The Seryms had destroyed the gate with their black arts.
Rover was thrown forward, spinning through the water until he disappeared into the space underneath the Singers’ Tower.
Winded, he could do nothing but listen to the shrieks about him as the Seryms made their way through the city in one large, overwhelming wave, killing all the merfolk they could find as they went.
Somehow, by Zalthom’s mercy, Rover stayed untouched, unfound.
Time passed, and all grew silent. Cautiously, he swam out from under the Singers’ Tower, looking with sorrow upon the destruction about him.
He must find any survivors.
He swam here and there throughout his beloved city, looking for any living mer. He knew that at least a few had to have survived!
Right?
He must have been searching for some time when he heard a cry of distress, faint but close at hand. Swiftly, he made his way towards the sound, a growl emerging from his throat as he saw a mermaid pressing herself against a wall, three Seryms all rushing towards her at once. Throwing himself between them and her, he shielded himself with his large tailfin, which all three of the Seryms latched onto.
Adrenaline filling him and keeping him from noticing the pain, he swung his tail swiftly towards a wall, slamming the Seryms into it full-force, killing them quickly.
The mermaid stared at him a few moments, then swam away, calling her thanks over her shoulder in a trill of musical notes.
Rover saluted her, trailing behind her through the streets. Now that he had found her, he would have to guard her with his life. Especially if they were the last two surviving merfolk.
Suddenly, he heard a scream of utter terror. Forgetting about his charge, he swam towards it as fast as he could, finding himself confronted by a wall of Seryms, who were chasing two mermaids, and one female mer-child.
He joined them in retreat, every once in a while turning to cut down their pursuers. At last, he and the other three reached the gate, and he noticed the one he had rescued before attempting to get out. She obviously didn’t know the note that opened the gate.
Rover sang it as loudly as he could, and the somewhat damaged gate swung open, allowing him and those with him to throw themselves out of it.
As he passed by the guardhouses on either side, he cut through the thin support beams with his spear, causing the structures to topple over sideways, effectively blocking the gateway behind them. He swam quickly to rejoin the others, who were milling about some distance away, looking distressed and confused.
“You will now follow me. I will lead you to the refugee cave, where the Coral City Guard Corps has prepared food enough to last us at least a Zalthomla.” He stated, leaving no room for argument. The mermaids and mer-child followed him, none of them saying a word.
Several Zalthom-lengths away from the city was a little cave, with fish stored in cages made of coral were kept for situations such as this. The mermaids and mer-child found places to float around the cave, crowding close together, looking frightened. Except for one, a particularly waspish-looking mer, who sat by herself in a corner, counting her heartbeats. Obviously, she was one of the Time Keepers, and was determined not to lose track.
Rover placed himself at the front of the cave, swimming back in forth, blocking the entrance, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign that Seryms were near. After all, it wouldn’t do at all for them to be found out by a wandering patrol. It seemed that they were the last living merfolk… Of course, he didn’t know this for sure, but it was better to protect these individuals as best he could than to slack off and get them all killed, which could very well result in the end of the race of mer.
 Ithtar · Fri Jan 01, 2010 @ 08:52pm · 0 Comments |
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