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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4957771" data-attributes="member: 3285">Ocean Meets Sky: Part 5 – The Elder EidolonThe world spun, as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.  Beldin and Sebastian staggered as if drunk, their minds scrambled from the awesome force that emanated from the statue. Kham stood alone, his mind accustomed to dealing with such mind-rending attacks since his first encounter with the Unspeakable One.The thing, which seemed indistinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence, and squatted evilly on a rectangular block or pedestal covered in undecipherable characters.  The tips of the wings touched the back edge of the block, the seat occupied the center, whilst the long, curved claws of the doubled-up, crouching hind legs gripped the front edge and extended a quarter of the way down toward the bottom of the pedestal.  The cephalopod head was bent forward, so that the ends of the feelers brushed the backs of the forepaws that clasped the croucher's elevated knees.  It slowly unfurled, stretching its wings as it rose to its full height.  Kham was overcome with fear.  The thing thundered one step forward at a time, advancing on Beldin and Sebastian.Kham knew he had to do something.  The thing's blasphemous tentacles reached for Beldin’s face.  Kham suddenly came to the realization that it knew he was there, but was ignoring him.  He was insignificant to its existence, as relevant as a fly assaulting a castle.But he had to try.“Skiz!”  He yelled down to his talking pet rat.  Skiz’s head popped up.“We out of the water yet, boss?  You’ve got to warn me about these things sometimes…”“You’re breathing air, aren’t you?  When I say so, you give me the Ladies and you keep giving them to me until I say otherwise, got me?”“Sure, boss, but—““Now Skiz!”The rat shoved two pistols to the top of the haversack.Kham drew them both and fired. The bullets ricocheted off the back of the bizarre idol. It didn’t even react.“Now!”He drew two more pistols and fired.  The two pistol blasts sparked off the idol’s head.“Now!” Kham’s voice faltered, but Skiz gave him the pistols anyway.He took careful aim and fired twice more.  The sound was deafening and smoked filled what little air was in the cavern.  There was a new sound of stone grinding on stone.  The idol turned to face him. “Well, at least I’ve got your attention,” said Kham.The thing took slow, shuddering steps towards him.  He could feel its disgust, its utter superiority, as a palpable presence.  That it was toying with them, he was certain.Skiz was busy trying to reload the pistols.  It was difficult for the rat to do it, but he had learned over time.  They had never encountered a situation where so many pistols would be needed so quickly.  Kham drew Talon and Coomb’s dagger. The idol came closer.  Its tentacles waved obscenely in the air, feeling in all directions.  And yet two long ones stretched toward him with the careful motions of a lover’s grasp.There was a bellow of rage.  Beldin struck the idol so hard that he elicited a chip from its foot.  Knocked off balance, the idol whirled to face an opponent it thought defeated.Sebastian hurled a pale blue orb.  The blow struck true, and spreading cracks of rime snaked through the statue’s body.  There was the distinct sense of a presence withdrawing…and then the statue crumbled, collapsing in on itself, until there was nothing but powder. “What in Illiir’s name was that?” asked Beldin.“That,” said Kham, “was Leviathan.”</blockquote>

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