CHAPTER 43 - LEVIATHAN

"Leviathan? What the hell is a Leviathan?"NeasJ blinked in confusion. His gaming knowledge was so poor, he didn't even recognize a reefback, the one giant sea creature most players had already encountered.

"Leviathan is a classification term for super sized creatures," Cortana responded calmly.

He froze. "Wait, what?! Super sized? Like... how big exactly?"

"The smallest Leviathan is no less than 30 meters long. Immediate retreat is strongly advised," she said firmly.

"THIRTY METERS?! Holy crap-!"

At that moment, all of NeasJ's curiosity vanished into smoke. He immediately spun around and kicked into full retreat, swimming frantically toward his escape pod.

"Stay calm, bro! Leviathans are huge, which means they're probably slow!"

"Yeah, reefbacks are big and gentle too!"

"Exactly! Long, slow, and peaceful. Nothing to worry about."

The viewers in chat tried to comfort him, but before they could even finish.

ROOOAARRRR!!!

Another unholy shriek split the sea, this time even louder, so loud it sounded like the creature was right behind him.

"SLOW, YOU SAID?! It's right on my ass!!"NeasJ's voice cracked as he panicked.

"I swear it was far away before! That thing's not slow at all! It's gaining on me!"

The stream chat exploded.

"Bro, this Leviathan is clearly not the chill kind!"

"It's not a reefback, it's a carnivore!"

"He's been spotted! It's chasing him!"

"Oh man, my palms are sweating and I'm just watching!"

"LOOK BACK, MAN! At least let us see what's chasing you before you die!"

"HELL NO!!" He roared into his mic, pushing himself harder than he ever had before.

Despite being a few hundred pounds, he suddenly swam like an Olympic athlete. In that desperate moment, his potential exploded, he felt like he could race Brook Linx herself!

But it was no use.

The sea around him stirred violently, churning into a whirlpool. The water was being pulled along with something massive approaching at terrifying speed.

ROOOAAARR!!!

The monster's third roar blasted right behind him this time, nearly rupturing his eardrums. The air reeked of blood and decay.

"I'M DEAD!!!"

NeasJ screamed, but before he could react, something slammed into his waist with crushing force.

He looked down and saw it,a pair of massive, blood red pincers clamped tightly around him.

He didn't even get to turn his head before the Leviathan yanked him into the abyss like a ragdoll. His entire body twisted as the beast dragged him, whipping through the water like he was on a deranged theme park ride.

"AAAAHHH!!"

His scream was high pitched, nearly feminine. The livestream footage turned into a nauseating blur, violently shaking, distorting, with a bone chilling monster roar echoing nonstop.

The viewers could only watch as the camera jolted and twisted uncontrollably.

"Ugh! I'm getting motion sick just watching!"

"The camera's going crazy! What the hell is happening?!"

"This is scarier than any ghost jumpscare!"

NeasJ was dizzy, barely conscious, when he suddenly heard a crack! Pain shot through his waist.

"DID I JUST GET CUT IN HALF?!"

Panic cleared his fogged mind. He was wide awake now, terrified, stunned, and full of adrenaline. Blood rushed in his ears, and for a moment, he was sure he'd been split in two.

Then the screen went black. Everything stopped.

A familiar line of text appeared.

[Warning: Elevated blood pressure detected. Please rest and take a break from the game.]

[Take a moment to relax...]

Suddenly, NeasJ found himself back in the bright pink safety room, full of plush toys, adorable puppies, and kittens.

"Wait... I know this place! Isn't this the safety room from Silent Hill?!"

"Haha! The dev actually reused Silent Hill's safety system in Subnautica?!"

"The old dev's still as sadistic as ever!"

"Damn it, why is it always NeasJ? This happened to him last time too!"

Meanwhile, NeasJ lay motionless on the ground. He didn't care what the chat was saying. First thing he did was grope his waist, still intact.

Only after confirming he hadn't been cut in half did he breathe again.

"Jesus, I really thought that thing ripped me in two..." He flopped back onto the floor, face pale and limbs trembling.

"Damn, that was terrifying!"

"I was scared just watching... but now I can't stop laughing!"

"Bro, the camera shake was like a VR pirate ship from hell!"

"That Leviathan ain't a joke. Scarier than ghost faces!"

"Bastard ain't letting us off easy... again!"

"Still... NeasJ got eaten and we still didn't get to see what the Leviathan looked like!"

"Right?! We begged him to turn around! He didn't even try!"

NeasJ didn't care. He clutched his chest and gasped for air.

"You want to know what it looked like? Play the game yourself. No amount of watching streams can prepare you for that horror..." He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"I need a break or I'm going to the hospital again..."

He knew the viewers only saw a shaking camera and dramatic sound effects. But only when you lived through it, when that thing grabbed you, shook you, nearly crushed you, could you understand how truly terrifying it was.

Like being an ant, under the looming shadow of a giant's crushing fingers.

---BREAK---

At the same time, Natalie, who'd been watching from her phone, lost her playful grin.

She wasn't like the chat full of excited players, she knew what NeasJ just went through.

Minutes later, the traumatized NeasJ ended the livestream. Natalie quietly put down her phone.

"I've decided," she muttered grimly, "I'm not going to the Aurora in this game. Not ever."

That experience had looked way too real.

"Ahem, thats up to you..." Tony chuckled quietly beside her.

"By the way," she suddenly turned to him. "What was that Leviathan that attacked him? That thing was terrifying!"

Tony smirked. "Classified."

"What? Not even a hint?!" she pouted.

"A sense of mystery is part of the experience," he said, deadpan.

"Mystery my ass! You think I want to experience that?"

Tony sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you one thing. Its name... is the Reaper Leviathan."

Natalie stiffened. "R-Reaper Leviathan? Just the name sounds like a boss straight from hell..."

"NeasJ's so useless!" she groaned. "Got killed by the damn thing and didn't even manage to see what it looked like! Just a pair of pincers!"

Tony patted her shoulder with a sly smile.

"Don't worry, sis. You'll see it with your own eyes... sooner or later."

1073 Words.