The Ledger Leech Part I

Izhari’s paw extended forward towards the crystal as Tomita lurched through the water behind her. The fluid seemed to resist every step. After a moment, Tomita noticed the consistency of the pond seemed to be turning heavier. Izhari herself began to realize it was becoming harder to move. Her desperation and elation had distracted her too much, and now she could barely lift a foot. Behind her, Tomita himself also let out a grunt of strain. The fear set in now.

“Tomita…” Izhari asked.

Tomita felt the dread rising within his chest too. Something was off. His hand reached for Izhari out of instinct. Behind him, the water began to bubble, but neither of them noticed.

“Izhari! We should get out of-”

His words were cut off by the massive tendril that wrapped around his leg and pulled him below the surface with a yelp. Izhari heard the commotion and strained to turn.

“Tomita!!” she called out, but before she could react, she was also ensnared.

Water rushed around her as she slammed through the murk and onto the muddy pond bed. Screaming caused the dense, thick, dirty water to flood her lungs. Beside her, she could hear Tomita struggling as well. Years of habit had trained her to not drop her staff, so it was still clasped in her hands. Izhari tried to stop choking long enough to focus on a spell, but before she could gather herself, the two of them were lifted from the water and back into the air.

Water rushed through Izhari’s nostrils with a burn as she gagged and coughed while their captor held them upside down. Beside her, Tomita was trying to clear the thick muck from his eyes and figure out what was happening. His gaze processed the spindly arms that were holding the air.

“Izhari! Izhari! We’re being held by two tentacles! Something is in the water!” Tomita shouted from nearby.

Izhari focused her mind and inhaled with a snarl.

“Kill this thing!!!” she shouted.

A glowing purple explosion radiated from her body that roared and spun around them before bursting in a concussive boom. But nothing happened. The tentacles were unharmed. Tomita realized in terror that they were still in danger. Then the laugh came. From beneath the water, a deep, sinister chuckle bubbled from an enormous being that began to rise from the darkness. Tomita looked down to see a wretched, bloated body breaching the waves.

It was pale, the color of stained paper with purple veins streaking its swollen stomach. The tentacles protruded from its head, which was eyeless. The only feature was an enormous, disproportionate mouth made of heavy, leathery lips. It was like a leech with a wide human mouth. The enormous mouth spoke.

“Oh ho ho. It has been quite some time since I have met a maji…” growled the gaping mouth as it lowered Tomita as Izhari towards its waiting teeth that were each as large as Tomita’s head.

Tomita screamed out and shook in strain as he tried to free his arms from their bindings. Izhari was still too shocked from her spell failing to be able to speak. The swollen beast lowered them down to be even with its mouth. A dripping, pustule-marked tongue extended from its mouth and licked the two of them as they screamed out.

“Delicious. Delicious. A maji and a hume. I will enjoy this!” the mouth bellowed.

“Enjoy what?!” shouted Tomita.

Another chuckle boomed into Izhari’s chest.

“I am the crystal keeper. If you wish to use this crystal, you must pay my toll,” snarled the beast.

Blood was already pooling in Izhari’s head. She felt sick. Her body was swaying back and forth. It felt like whatever was in her stomach was going to erupt outward at any moment. Tomita was barely faring any better. Still, he kept his wits and pressed on.

“Fine! What’s the toll? Put us down and I’ll pay it!” he shouted.

“Oh no, I like hanging my customers this way. It makes the transaction so much… sweeter…” smiled the mouth as its stained teeth moved within inches of Tomita’s head.

“Well quit being coy and tell me what I need to pay!” Tomita demanded.

Tomita was getting annoyed now. The tentacles moved the two of them closer together. Then, another set of smaller, snakier tentacles rose from the water. Their ends were barbed. Tomita let out a shout of fear as the two tentacles moved closer to him and Izhari. Izhari felt Tomita’s fear welling in her chest and clasped her staff closer in anticipation.

“Don’t you touch her!” shouted Tomita.

“Oh, these don’t hurt. They’re my memory syphons,” stated the bloated, festering beast.

“I consume joy. I consume happiness. I devour whatever is in your mind that gives you comfort. I am Gologog, the Dream Leech. My body is one with this pond. And your maji has no power over me. I was there when the olde magix were crafted, and I will be here long after you are gone.”

The bulbous tongue ran along Izhari’s fur, matting it in a gloop of slime.

“You’re an ancient one…” she asked.

Another laugh.

“Yesssssss,” it hissed.

“Now, pay me what I wish, and you can proceed.”

Tomita tried to face the mouth but he was spinning around slowly as the tentacles toyed with their prey.

“What is it you demand as payment?” he asked the beast.

There was a pause for dramatic effect, then the beast hoisted itself fully out of the water to reveal its sore-riddled body and innumerable tentacles. The mouth returned to its place right next to Tomita.

“You’re happiest memories,” it purred.

“What?” asked Tomita.

“If you wish to use the crystal, you must give me your most cherished and most pleasant memory. Each of you. Then you may depart.”

Dread flooded Tomita’s body and it was at once fully his own dread as well as Izhari’s. The proposal was sincere, they were incapacitated, and the longer they hung around, the greater the risk that hunters would return. Tomita cursed himself for being so sloppy and rushing into the water. Izhari did the same. She spoke first.

“When you say ‘give you our most cherished memory’... What do you mean by that?” Izhari asked.

The snakelike tentacles moved towards her head.

“It means I shall syphon it from your mind and spirit forever, letting it become my meal. You will not even remember that you lost it. It will be gone from you for all time,” smiled the wretched mouth.

Now the dread felt even heavier.

For Tomita, the dread was about something else. He had only just seen Izhari create a happy memory for maybe the first time a few weeks ago. A lifetime of cruelty and strife had meant that happy memories were rarer to her than the most precious of stones. Tomita did not want her to lose that. So he spoke as quickly as he could.

“No! I will not let you do that to her. Take mine! Take as much as you need!” he shouted.

The mouth and snake tentacles moved to him once more.

“And why would I do that?” asked the beast.

“Tomita! No!!” cried Izhari.

“Because I offer you something truly unique. I have already lived and died in another world. You can have as many happy memories from that time as you need. Just not anything from the time I’ve arrived in this world.”

“Tomita no! Please no!” begged Izhari.

“Izhari, stop! Listen to me! I already cast those memories away when I jumped from that building. But your happy memories, those are precious and scarce. Let me do this for you!” demanded Tomita.

The mouth was intrigued. A deep, rattling growl emanated from its depths as it breathed in the taste of Tomita. The tongue returned to smother him in rank saliva and remnants of memories long gone. Tomita choked as he held down his gag reflex. The tongue pulled away after thoroughly surveying his body.

“A life of sorrow and disappointment. Excellent. Excellent. Your happy memories are all the more valuable and shall be all the more delicious, salary man,” teased the beast.

“You can have them, you son of a bitch. They didn’t amount to enough anyway. Just do not touch her or take any of mine since I’ve been here. Deal?”

“Agreed,” smiled the mouth.

“Tomita, no wait!” screamed Izhari, but it was too late.