Boarded!
The setting sun gave the waves a shimmering grace that was not uncommon in Selbina as the afternoon tired. The lazy port was deep into the busy season, and although adventurers from all across the world had come to the town on their own dangerous duties, Selbina retained it's quiet, lulling atmosphere of paradise. A few small fishing boats were on their way in from a lethargic day's work, and most of the citizens had resigned themselves to chatting frivolously with the outlanders about all things imaginable. The few tiny sandstone huts that populated the town were soon glowing with faint candlelight from inside, as yet another day retreated over the idle village.
At the southern side of the town, facing the sea, a single wooden pier extended into the ocean. Several eager travelers crowded the pier, all awaiting the arrival of the renowned Intercontinental Ferry, which was promised to take them to beautiful lands far across the sea. One traveler, a young woman clad in odd, baggy fishing garb, lay in slumber against one of the wooden pillars. A rickety looking fishing pole rested in her dozing grasp, with a loose line cast over her shoulder into the shallows. Suddenly, a tall shadow was cast over her sleeping frame, and the instant ceasing of the sun's gentle rays stirred the fisherwoman to wakening.
"Are the fish even around at this time of day?" A steely, disdainful voice drew the fisherwoman's attention. Standing indignantly above her was a tall, lithe woman clad in light scale armor, the color of bronze. Her fiery red hair was tucked under a colorful bandana, and a thin sword dangled loosely at her side. A faint smirk played over her face as she watched the other woman knowingly.
"Uh, well…you never know when you might catch the big 'un, my friend," and the fisherwoman sprang to her feet, suddenly devoid of tire, "The name's Laurowyn, ma'am."
The armor clad woman stared blankly back at Laurowyn for a moment, the responded sarcastically, "That's great…"
She turned and began to walk briskly down the pier, considering her affair with Laurowyn officially over. Laurowyn, however, would not let things go so easily. "'Ey! Wait up!"
The swordswoman kept walking.
"Aren't ya going to tell me your name?" Laurowyn flitted comically around behind her, stumbling over her baggy fishing trousers.
Still she ignored Laurowyn.
"Hey! I'm not following ya for no reason, ya know!"
Laurowyn's quarry stopped at the end of the pier. A group of haughty looking sailors crowded around, chatting with relief…the Ferry was now visible in the distance, cruising calmly towards Selbina.
"I need a bodyguard," exclaimed Laurowyn, "These parts can get rather tough…all the vicious creatures ye can find crawling onto the deck o' the big ship, and there's plenty o' dishonest adventurers at the end of this ride, in the town called Mhaura…Nawt much a poor fisherwoman can do to defend 'erself, if ye catch my drift."
The swordswoman turned and stared at Laurowyn with an expression of ridicule, as if she found the woman to be joking.
"You look pretty strong," Continued Laurowyn, "Besides…I'm sure you could use some extra cash…"
The warrior woman snapped to alertness at Laurowyn's last word. "You'll pay me…if I protect you?"
"Oh yeh! And handsomely, too." She responded enthusiastically.
"Well then, Ms. Laurowyn…" Came the warrior, "I'm at your full service," and she saluted loosely.
Laurowyn swung her fishing rod happily, "Awright then!"
Just then, the Ferry pulled up next to the dock, and a wooden ramp clattered down onto the pier from the side of the boat. The waiting travelers rushed forward eagerly, and Laurowyn's new bodyguard turned to board as well, but then stopped short and turned back to Laurowyn.
"And so you know…my name is Gelawyn."
"Oh, that's great," Laurowyn jeered at the mercenary. "Now hurry up! Boats don't board themselves y'know…"
Gelawyn couldn't help but express a slight snicker toward her charismatic employer. They boarded the ferry, both in good moods, ready to encounter whatever the ocean might throw at them.
Below deck, the two voyagers found a pair of sailors exchanging tales. One looked as if he had just joined the crew, with his sharp uniform looking as if it were fresh from the tailor. It was not so with the other, however, and the veteran sailor took every opportunity given to impress a newcomer.
"Aye, mate, I say it could swallow this entire boat wi' one bite o' it's jaws! And it's teeth! They're massive, I tell ya. The size of you and I, even!"
"You're pullin' me leg, mate. Monsters like that don't really exist. 'Ow do I know you ain't fibbin'?"
"I saw 'er with me own two eyes! I'm a sailor that wouldn't lie about this, mate."
Gelawyn turned her head to look at the rugged swashbucklers exchanging their fanciful tales.
"It's called the Sea Horror, mate, and it could kill you by just lookin' at ya!"
The new bodyguard scoffed at the old sailor's colorful recollections. She turned to examine her odd companion, who was seated against a barrel, tinkering with a strange fishing lure, which slightly resembled a green raccoon. "Do you think this Sea Horror nonsense is true?" She inquired.
Without looking up, Laurowyn responded, "I sure hope it is! Catchin' a beastie like that is sure to get a bloke some reward."
A few moments later, the automatic slap of the ferry's giant rowing mechanisms started up, and the boat set into motion. A united sigh of relief was voiced by the many adventurers seated in the cargo bay. A few of the travelers stood and made their way up the stairwell to the top deck, and the open air.
"Fools! All o' 'em…All it'll take is a split secon' an' the Sea Horror'll be using 'em fer toothpicks, "The rusty sailor spoke up loudly once again. "If yer ask me, I'm stayin' below deck, an' hopefully I'll keep me skin."
Gelawyn sighed in distaste towards the speaker, and made to cross into the adjacent cabin, but then noticed that her quirky employer had taken off up to the upper deck with the others. She grunted defensively, and followed slowly, with her arms crossed over her chest.
Gelawyn found Laurowyn up on deck, eccentrically readying bait and tackle on her fishing rod. Gelawyn gave another elongated sigh -- from both stress, and relief that her troublesome companion hadn't been consumed by a fish only a crazed sailor could imagine. Laurowyn threw the line into the breaking waves, with a presumptuous look in her eyes.
"Oh, you sure look ready to catch a legendary sea monster," Gelawyn scoffed at her.
"'Ey! You finally got the spirit!" Laurowyn shouted back gleefully. "Why don't 'ya come and take a gander at these waves, they're…Hey! Wait a tick, I've got a bite!"
Immediately Laurowyn stood up straight and gained a stone-faced expression, jerking the pole and reeling in rhythm, watching the line with an expert's concentration. Gelawyn sat against the deck railing on the starboard side, watching in amusement, waiting to be impressed. It wasn't long before Laurowyn had conquered her catch.
With a grunt of exertion and a single mighty heave, she tore the creature, a giant blue sea crab, from the pulling waves, swinging it gracefully out of the water like a sling. Laurowyn turned the pole sideways as she swung, so that her prize would not fly off the other side of the deck. Half a moment later, the shell of the crustacean, bigger than Laurowyn's own head, collided with Gelawyn's face as it spun in the air. The soldier was thrown effortlessly from her place on the deck, and dropped with a second's scream into the water below.
Gelawyn had to fight with all her strength to stay above the surface in her heavy armor, and she had to cling to a splinter in the side of the ferry to stay with her only method of survival in the vast ocean. "YOU FOOL!" She screamed shrilly.
Meanwhile, Laurowyn was calmly recasting her bait. "What are you doing down there, Gelawyn? I'm not paying you to swim around with the fish, you know."
"WHAT! Are you…I'm not…ARGH! Just throw me a rope or something before I drown, you idiot!" The normally calm soldier roared at her ignorant companion.
"Well if you didn't want to be in the water, you never should have jumped in the…Aha! I got another bite!" Laurowyn launched back into her intent angling mode, neglecting her bewildered bodyguard.
Gelawyn roared wrathfully, contemplating her next line of insults for Laurowyn, but suddenly, something solid hit the bottom of her floundering feet. For a moment she thought she had hit a rock or something along those lines…but then, the object below her began pushing upward, and before she knew it, she was rising out of the water against her will.
Laurowyn froze where she stood, gaping in disbelief at what she saw only a few feet in front of her; A massive red octopus, bigger than an elephant, had lifted itself out of the water, it's huge green eyes locked on the blue sea crab that was scuttling around the deck. Gelawyn was lying on her stomach on top of the creature's broad head, and the line to Laurowyn's fishing pole was protruding from its mouth.
The Sea Horror had come again.
The other travelers who had occupied the deck had gone screaming below, leaving only a fascinated fisherwoman and a clueless blue crab on the boat's outside. Laurowyn was transfixed in wonder at the enormous Sea Horror, but when it stretched two of its arms across the deck and clung to the planking, she finally found the sense to duck out of the way. She immediately began tugging on the fishing line again, in dire effort to pull the giant octopus towards her. All the while, Gelawyn was frozen and silent in terror.
After the monster had found a suitable grasp on the boat, it began to haul its great torso over the side, and on to the deck itself. The weight applied to the ferry pulled the entire vessel to tilt almost completely onto its side. Laurowyn continued to gape in awe at the gargantuan spectacle she was beholding, and when it had finally lugged its entire body onto the boat, Gelawyn rolled, in a panic, off of its head.
The warrior hit the deck abruptly and with a loud grunt of pain. This drew the terrifyingly massive creature's attention to the horrified woman. The monster turned slowly and ominously to face Gelawyn, and it hungrily opened its huge mouth lined with gleaming teeth whose size did not belie the eccentric sailor's recount. She screamed again and frantically pulled the thin sword from its place at her side, but before she could draw back far enough to take a swing at the leviathan, a single, sinuous tentacle came whipping down to whack Gelawyn soundly in the chest.
Laurowyn didn't seem to notice as the gargantuan monster set about beating Gelawyn senseless. The intruding beast seemed to find it all amusing. After it struck the helpless woman, it would shake and emit a sound that was oddly similar to a chuckle. All the while, Gelawyn was left screaming and wriggling around on the deck, unable to escape.
"Help…Me!" Gelawyn roared in between strikes.
For the first time, Laurowyn seemed to notice the peril that had befallen her bodyguard. "What do ya think you're doing, Gelawyn!" She shouted vehemently, "You're going to scare it away!"
Gelawyn clenched her teeth and yelled with rage, fully expecting to be struck again by the Sea Horror. The creature in question, however, had diverted its attention to the curious blue sea crab, who was shuffling around on the opposite side of the deck. The woman took the opportunity to scramble to her feet and back away from the humongous sea beast, watching it cautiously. Suddenly it occurred to her, as the Sea Horror crept slowly towards the crab, why exactly it had decided to board the ferry.
With her bravery instantly recovered, the soldier sprinted forward, and with a single, mighty kick, she sent the troublesome shellfish flying off of the boat, and into the ocean several yards away.
The Sea Horror quickly squealed in witnessing its quarry disappear from its grasp so easily. The octopus pulled all eight of its tentacles under its great body, braced, and then launched itself like a catapult off of the ferry, after the blue crab. The fishing line, still locked in the creature's mouth, pulled the entire pole out of Laurowyn's hands, and her beloved instrument was torn from her with the Sea Horror's departure.
Gelawyn panted with relief and exhaustion, and then collapsed onto the deck. Laurowyn sighed with anguish, and then trotted over to Gelawyn's side. "Darnit, Gelawyn! You let it go!"
The warrior closed her eyes and clenched her fists, struggling to contain her anger. "Give me…my…cash…and then I never…want to see you…again, "She seethed.
Laurowyn thought for a moment, and then responded with a puzzled tone, "Cash? Oh, did I say I would pay ya in cash? I meant I'd pay you in bass!"