My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 156: Lord of the Seas

From the Dead Sea, a monstrous figure began to appear. Its head was that of a dragon, while its massive body that only a small part of was visible was that of a snake. From its sapphire scaled body tentacles similar to those of a squid protruded. Its green eyes fixed themselves on the figures of Joshua and Raven.

This was what Raven had been afraid of when he found out it was the Dead Sea that they had found. In one of the legends, he had heard it was the home of one of the most powerful monsters that have ever existed. The Leviathan!

"Hm, it has been some time since I last received a visitor here. What is your name?" The giant serpent asked in a voice that sounded like crashing waves. Full of untold depths and unbridled wrath. Its eyes were entirely fixed on Mr Thomas as if it did not even register Raven's existence.

"I am Joshua Thomas," Josh replied while looking curiously at the serpent. "May I know yours?"

"Well met, Joshua. I am Sigrun. The guardian who watches over this place. I must say it has been a long time since I conversed with a Lord of the Damned." Sigrun bowed his large head to get a better look at the figure. 

At this point, the two men could accurately gauge the size of only Sigrun's head. From the tip of his scaly beard to the horns' apex on his head, it was roughly a size of twenty-four foot. Or four times the size of a six-foot man. It was obvious to them that he would have no problem at all in swallowing them whole if he so wished.

"Lord of the Damned? Forgive me, but I don't know what you mean." Josh replied, while feeling calm. He could tell that this creature had no ill intentions towards him, but at the same time, he felt like Sigrun would devour Raven if he were alone.

A loud laugh echoed out from the depths of the belly of the beast as it threw back its head. It was like Josh had said something hilarious. The problem was that the two men had no idea what he found to be so funny. They could only look at each other with confusion in their eyes. When Sigrun noticed this, the laughter eventually died down.

"I apologise. Usually one of your kind knows exactly what they are before they are turned. This is most unusual. Though, it does explain why you never concealed your presence. Anyone connected to this place would never be so stupid as to broadcast their arrival." 

Sigrun chuckled mirthfully while continuing to observe the confused pair. He took a bit of time to organise his thoughts. It was a good thing for himself to explain the existence of this little one to him. After all, he would be the key to allowing him to leave this place to stretch his legs whenever he wished. For that to happen, he would have to be on good terms with Josh.

"Ok, seeing as you seem to know nothing then let me explain. You are a Lord of the Damned, otherwise knows as a Wraith."

Sigrun's statement drew a sharp hiss from Raven. He had heard of these creatures but did not know the finer details. Only that they could become mighty and were feared by every race. 'Damn! He really lucked out!' Raven thought as he became a little jealous. 

"A wraith is a type of existence that is dead but still retains its soul. As such, they can control the souls imprisoned here. How many depends on the strength of each individual wraith and will grow with time."

Josh tilted his head while he tried to absorb this information. He knew he had changed, but how could he have known that he was actually dead? Though, it would explain why he turned ethereal from time to time. 'It must be because of my new state that I don't feel any panic even when hearing I'm dead.'

"There are many abilities that a wraith can utilise, but it would take too long to list them. In my own opinion, the greatest ability is the fact that they can freely enter and leave this space anytime. As you have noticed, you are even able to bring along passengers for the ride."

For a brief moment, Sigrun spared Raven a glance. Raven shivered as he felt a hint of bloodlust in it. There was no way these two would ever be friends! Raven slowly edged away from the behemoth, he was unwilling to put his life on the line based on blind faith. It was like putting a juicy steak down in front of a starving dog and expecting it to not take a bite. 

"Are you able to teach me how to control these powers?" Josh suddenly asked. He would probably understand them over time, but that was something they were short on. They still had to rescue the others from the vampire city after all.

"I can, but there is a price. Would you be willing to pay it?" Sigrun's giant eyes came close to Josh at this point. As if he did not want to miss a single one of his movements while he thought about it.

"Depends. Will you tell me the price before I agree?" 

"Of course!" Sigrun let out another chuckle that betrayed his horrifying form. "It's actually straightforward. You and I will make a pact. You shall provide me with transport should I ever wish to leave this place. In return I will come to your aid should you summon me through our pact."

Josh could not help but let out a wide grin when he heard this. To have Sigrun as a personal backer would make him nigh untouchable. Then his bubble burst as he realised something. Sigrun was an aquatic creature. Which meant he would not be able to summon him if he got into trouble on land. 'Guess it doesn't really matter anyway. I always planned to live on the sea as much as possible.'

"You have a deal!"