Embrace of the Medusi (The Overlords Trilogy Book 2)

by Toby Andersen

  The kind that falls when Medusi blot out the sun.

  The End

  AFTERWORD,

  Thank you so much for reading my novel, Embrace of the Medusi.

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  FANART

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  Also by Toby Andersen

  The Overlords Trilogy

  and related content

  Thrall of the Medusi (1)

  Embrace of the Medusi (2)

  Spawn of the Medusi (3) – coming 2020

  The Trelki Hunt (Short Story)

  previously a member exclusive prequel short story

  included as Prologue in this copy of Embrace of the Medusi

  An Arceth Bestiary

  Volume I & II at the back of this book - Keep reading >

  Extras

  Velella’s Prophecy

  When the world is shrouded in night,

  and dark creatures blot out the sun,

  humankind’s salvation will come from the sky above,

  He will traverse all four corners of the world,

  hounded by the forces of evil,

  gathering allies to his cause,

  When the hour is right,

  his allies will rid the world of its taint,

  destroying the forces of evil,

  The darkness will be cleansed from the world,

  and the reign of the Overlords will finally end,

  But should the chosen not survive,

  nor succeed in his quest,

  humankind will forever be lost,

  The dark threat will enthral the races of Arceth,

  and multiply until it swallows the land and sky.

  Further Excerpts from

  An Arceth Bestiary

  by Amphithaus Potisf III

  A note from the author:

  I have included only a select few excerpts from Volume One of Amphithaus Potisf III’s illuminating bestiary, which will help ground the reader in the basic species of Medusi. Please see the full Volume One in Thrall of the Medusi for more entries.

  Instead, I have included entries from his second volume, which dealt more thoroughly with fauna outside the Aerozoa class, many of which appear in the pages of Embrace.

  I freely admit, I borrowed liberally from this valuable antique resource in relating the story of Totelun, Aurelia, Naus, and Anthrom.

  CELESTIALS

  Referred to in obeisance and common parlance as

  Behemoths, Gargantua, sometimes Overlords.

  The greatest of the Aerozoa, or Medusi, these huge beasts range from around fifty feet across to the greatest ever recorded at over five hundred feet across. They inhabit the skies of our planet, Arceth, generally found at a height range of around two to four miles. Preferring cloud cover they will hide their bulky bodies within as they travel great distances. Their migratory movements were the catalyst that first prompted early mathematicians to posit the planet was in fact spherical and not flat as was first thought. Drifting with the winds, the Celestial will circumnavigate the globe around once every three or so years. Due to weather patterns this is a random movement and Celestials can range between the hemispheres and across tropical, temperate and cold zones.

  They live mainly solitary lives.

  Though no one has seen one up close, the Medologers have powerful telescopes and have taken copious notes. They have found that the body is a large crablike carapace on top; there are no eyes but possibly light sensitive organs, and an array of fighting tentacles around the edge. The larger and older the creature, the more tentacles form. The older specimens develop many horn-like protrusions on their carapace. Little else is known about their long lives, except that no carcass has ever been found, leading many to believe they are in fact immortal.

  The only part of them that has been extensively studied is the tentacle portion below the cloud level. Trailing for miles down to the surface, their stinging tentacles often end just before the ground. As they follow the drift of the creature above, it is relatively simple to avoid the tentacles by studying the wind direction. However, static settlements are frequently smothered in tentacles, powerful enough to knock down buildings. Their sting can incapacitate a fully grown human, and in most cases kill outright, causing a violent seizure and heart attack.

  The size of this creature means that they have never been known to bond with a human host. Clerics of the Order of the Medousa suspect that a human mind would be destroyed if joining were attempted. Common belief is that it would be like joining with a god, and could not be accomplished without death to the individual.

  CEPHEA

  Pronounced ‘se-fear’ rather than ‘see-fear’.

  Referred to in obeisance and common parlance as

  Hiveminds, Medousan Cephea, Mindleechs, Spooks.

  The Cephea is a creation of the Order of the Medousa. Little is known of their origins, but it is thought that through selective breeding, and the use of slave hosts, the Order bred the Cephea to be its instrument in the world.

  The Cephea is an elaborate organic listening and receiving device, capable of instantaneous communication between thralled users over great distance. Without its thralled user, the Cephea is a weak Medusi specimen with no outward defensive adaptations, and only the bare minimum threadlike tentacles, surrounding its central thralling tube. It can still float using the same aerium-sac as most other Medusi. It is more like a tool than a functioning creature in its own right, bred to a particular fashion, and no longer able to survive on its own. Due to its high value, it is often seen only within the protective armour casing worn by a Cephean thrall.

  There is much rumour and superstition surrounding the Cephea, given that it is only a very new addition to the bestiary of known Medusi, but much of this is without merit. Some say they are instruments of torture to their thralled hosts. Some say that the thralling must be against the will of the host in order to take.

  The Cephea has a small cerebellum in comparison to other Medusi, but large in comparison to its size. It is one of the smaller species that exist, and a thralling will not kill a host, indeed, one of the benefits bred into the creature was the relatively low energy need of the Cephea from its host. Where a larger Medusi, like a Chironex – which we’ll cover in a moment – might drain a host in minutes or even seconds, the Cephea can remain with one host for life.

  Reproductive capabilities have been bred out of the species, and they are unable to propagate without the cloning techniques of the Medousan Order, kept secret for generations.

  COMMON MEDUSI

  Referred to in obeisance and common parlance as

  Jellies, Floaters, Fleshless. Incorrectly as Breeders.

  Often confused with Wild Medusi, this species is the smaller of the two and far more common, hence its name. Common M
edusi are found all across Arceth, from desert to temperate climes, jungles to tundra. The crucial difference between them and the more dangerous Wild Medusi is they do not reproduce in the same manner. The Common are naturally asexual and any individual can and will change sex to suit its surroundings, the number of other Commons nearby, and the abundance of food. Most remain as males until a breeding opportunity arises. When a Common decides to change sex, it will signal this change with a brighter and more ‘seductive’ light show – the bioluminescent glow within becomes more attractive to other Commons. When suitably ready, the female will spawn, releasing a cloud of tiny eggs to the wind. Males will race in, coating the eggs with their own fertilizing spray. These spores then float on the wind for a short time before growing into adults. They generally survive best if they land in water, or are eaten by animals and fish. If swallowed, human digestive systems usually flush out Common Ephyrae (offspring or polyps) without more than a sudden bout of diarrhoea. If inhaled, a coughing fit will occur as the lungs attempt to dislodge the foreign body.

  Common Medusi are venerated by the cult of the Watchers or Medologers through their Speakers and Healers. For the innocent and ignorant, and for a small donation, Speakers will identify deceased relatives in the local Common Medusi population. Healers have, over the centuries, voluntarily become thralled to Common Medusi both as an aid to their work and as a symbol of their cult. More recently it has become fashionable to be thralled in this manner even without membership of any offshoot Medologer sect.

  In many cases, the thrall is endowed with enhanced abilities – these are generally random, but often enhance an already existing skill. Many regard this skill enhancement as magic. Observed abilities include enhanced sight and hearing, increased dexterity or strength, spatial awareness, hormonal and chemical regulation. Some fishwife’s tales speak of Healers with magical healing abilities given to them by their Medusi, able to manipulate organs, blood and chemicals in others as well as enhance the body’s natural healing powers, or ease pain.

  Benign and mostly unaggressive, the Common uses its thralling tentacle only as a last resort, preferring to remain unattached. The relatively low energy drain of the Common is another reason it has become a popular Medusi to become thralled to.

  Common Medusi share a bad habit with their Wild counterparts. They tend to congregate and flock together, often infesting ruins and abandoned buildings. The larger the bloom becomes, the more aggressive the normally peaceful Medusi become.

  IRUKI

  Pronounced ‘ee-roo-key’.

  Referred to in obeisance and common parlance as Death’s Fingernail.

  The Iruki is a singularly rare and unstudied Medusi; the tiniest of all known species, and the one with the most potent venom, the Iruki also has one of the strangest of Medusi reproductive cycles.

  The Iruki’s rarity and potency has made it a sought-after venom for use in assassination weaponry. Many high-profile figures have been felled by Iruki venom over the centuries, but always via human interference. There are almost no known cases of wild Iruki stings, and their only known habitat is in the furthest reaches of the Western Darklands.

  There is no antidote for Iruki venom. Victims of even a single sting or drop feel an incredible pain, like their skin is on fire. Muscles and nerves tense and spasm, making the victim contort violently. The human body’s response to the venom can be the most debilitating symptom; the oesophagus, stomach, intestines and rectum all convulse, the body’s way of discharging everything that could be bearing the venom. Of course, the venom is in the bloodstream and this expulsion of all digestive fluid, stomach acid, bile and faeces does nothing to actually help the victim.

  The final constant stage involves continuous firing of the entire nervous system leaving the victim in ceaseless pain. This stage can get so violent that most succumb to heart attacks before long.

  The Iruki is the size of a nail; supposedly it got its common name from the notion that its venom holds the same power as Death holds in his little fingernail.

  Iruki numbers are extremely low and this may have something to do with its bizarre reproductive cycle. The tiny Medusi fertilizes itself twice, but does not lay its single egg, instead letting it grow inside itself. When the egg splits into two, the young polyps then eat the parent from the inside, with the stronger sibling then eating the other. As such, numbers of Iruki never really rise or fall in any dramatic fashion.

  WILD MEDUSI

  Referred to in obeisance and common parlance as

  Jellies, Floaters, Breeders, Fleshless, Death Kiss, Last Kiss.

  Victims referred to as ‘Touched’.

  Not to be confused with their smaller Common cousins, the Wild Medusi are a far more dangerous creature that should be avoided. Though they look similar in most respects – both species feature a bulbous aerium-sac that keeps them afloat, one thralling tentacle and a similar array of thinner threadlike tentacles below the carapace – the two species differ considerably when it comes to behaviour and reproduction. The one clear difference is size; a Common is generally no larger than a human skull, where a Wild Medusi can be far larger. It is in the younger stages where this can be particularly confusing, and dangerous.

  Wild Medusi do not reproduce through spawning, but rather through host impregnation. Their stings are capable of incapacitating a host within just a few minutes. The more stings, the more venom in the bloodstream, the quicker the process. Once disabled, the Medusi will insert an ovipositor tentacle down the throat of the host victim, laying its eggs – usually between eight and twelve – directly into the stomach. Its young will then attach to the wall of the stomach and burrow through into the victim’s body. The ‘touched’ rarely last more than a few hours and it is notoriously hard to reverse any part of this process. See the separate entry on Ephyrae for the Wild Medusi growth cycle.

  Wild Medusi are violent and aggressive creatures and will attack on sight and in groups. They use their thralling tentacle as a weapon similarly to the Chironex, wielding it as a spear when attacked. A victim impaled by a Wild is usually unable to remain functional beyond basic speech and brain activity. The Medusi can drain its victim slowly over a great length of time if food supplies are short, or choose to drain it in seconds. Like the Chironex, it’s not clear if they drain blood, plasma, or even as commonly believed, life force itself.

  Wild Medusi have been observed to bloom – congregate in vast numbers – usually when food is abundant or they have attacked multiple humans in the local vicinity. They can multiply exponentially, each victim producing a hundred or so Medusi. Farmlands, valleys and whole cities have been inundated with them in the past, often requiring extensive measures to exterminate.

  Further Excerpts from

  An Arceth Bestiary Volume Two

  by Amphithaus Potisf III

  LUACHA

  Pronounced ‘Loo-atch-a’.

  Referred to in obeisance and common parlance as

  Amblers, Striders, Scarecrows.

  The Luacha is a strange creature that demands further study than has hitherto been afforded. Even initial research indicates a level of intelligence second only to our own, with social groups, loyalty, and even opinion attributed to individuals. Not something you could say of the average horse.

  Physically, the Luacha seems like a plethora of other fauna sewn together, but evolution shows us that the same outcomes can flow from very different beginnings. Most strikingly, it has four stilt-like legs, each with backward facing knee-joints. The forelegs tower over the back ones, and via a bone-spur, sport vestigial wings made from a rubbery membrane. It is a matter of some conjecture whether the Luacha used to be able to fly, in an earlier incarnation, or whether it is on its way to flight capability in further millions of years.

  A tail like that of a fat-tailed gecko, again leaves many of my colleagues dumbfounded as to its origin. Is it reptile or bird, mammal or even mollusc, as some have suggested? This assertion comes from the wide, frond-covered mouth
, bulbous throat, and insectoid antenna that give it unparallel spatial awareness.

  Their diet consists mainly of smaller creatures, insects, rodents and birds, although they have been seen to sample flora when these others are in short supply. Due to its usual aversion to a plant-based diet, Luacha are employed as farm-labour, warding off creatures that would otherwise strip a farmer’s crop.

  There is talk that Luacha are among the only creatures to have been observed to feast on the flesh of Medusi, and for this reason alone it deserves it’s place in this volume. Its thick blubbery skin is able to absorb Medusi stings, effectively preventing them from reaching its inner organs and disabling it. It isn’t known how must sustenance they derive from eating Medusi species, but animals rarely do anything without some evolutionary reasoning, even if we are not yet sure what it is.

  Human handlers have ascribed many incredible things to the Luacha’s famed intelligence. Farmers claim to have developed a symbiotic relationship with them, able to give them commands as they would with dogs, and have the creatures carry them out. Luacha are observed planting fields, and harvesting crops, without human supervision.

  With their own kind, Luacha are social like most mammals, huddling together and grooming each other, carrying on long keening conversations in what appears to be a fully developed language. Developing schisms have been observed, groups splintering, while others stay incredible loyal to life-partners even to the point of dying in unison.