Ỗxa, The Taker of Voices

"The sea air grows cold. There appears to be a fog slowly descending over the horizon. I wondered if we were lost. We'd been in this sea for weeks, with no one knowing whether to turn his cock north or south. We weren't even sure if we were heading back from where we came to go out. All I knew was that our supplies were running low. Two men, thicker than thieves, were caught squabbling like vultures on a piece of salted breath and a few bits of cheese. One of us succumbed to scurvy and the rest go mad to the point that we all stay away from each other lest our hunger makes us dream the unimaginable.

As I sit in my room, I wonder if I made the right choice. I was told this would be a simple fishing trip. One of the crew's friends had a perfect fishing spot and we'd reap the rewards of the trade once the catch was filled in the nets. I figured I could use the money so that I could become an adventurer, maybe rise through the ranks and form my own group. Mother told me stories of my father who was a high-ranking adventurer. It'd been my dream to be like him. Yet now, as I shiver from either the cold or the fear, a shiv in my hands to use against the next fucker who comes through my door, I'd actually be content to shovel shit from the docks.

The mist grew thicker. We continued to sail. In the silence, I heard two men talking aboard the ship. Something about the mist itself. Then, I heard screams. Something heavy crashed against our boat. I fell to the ground with a hard thud, dropping my shiv as I did so.

"FEEEEEEGAN! WHYYYYYYY IS THE MIIIIIIST SO THICK?!"

"I KNOOOOOOOOOW NOOOOOOOOOOT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

I covered my ears as a sound so warped pierced through the very edges of my mind. What was that? I wanted to go out and check, but my heart was weak. I just laid on the floor, turning my mind away as my crew screamed out one by one. I don't speak. I have lost my voice. I pray to the gods that winds blow my sail until I am free of this madness. I heard the groans of men and women as they fall into the sea forgotten, all while an existence the likes of which men can't comprehend, moves through the water. 

I pray my stomach not growl for... the ship continues to move. I pray my voice be not taken just like the others.

- An excerpt from a closed journal found in a man's home.

Well patrons,

Here is Ỗxa, the Taker of Voices, depicted by Misterelsen on Fiverr. I actually like how this turned out as it definitely shows Ỗxa to be as large and vast as I hope the novel conveyed. If you look closely, you'll see frames of various victims falling into the sea, having been taken by the creature.

WttW