Hello Everyone! Sorry I've been away so long. Had some things come up. Anyways. This is the full, first part of this chapter. I'm gonna get started on the second part tomorrow and will hopefully have enough to post. So, I think I have finally settled on an idea for the Centurion story and I think you guys will like it. Now, another thing to quickly address, I'm sure everyone has seen the newest hero added to For Honor: the Warmonger. Honestly, I love her to death and I've already started forming an idea for her story. However, I have some issues with the timing. I am not sure whether I should post her story after the Black Prior story or if I should move on to the Vikings. It's something to think about. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!
A single, illuminated ship sits on the rolling waves several miles out to sea, the entire deck lit with torches and candlelight. Music can be heard for miles as the wind carries the sound. There is no such occasion like a night of festivities aboard a vessel out at sea after long weeks of hard labor and danger at every turn. Every soul aboard is laughing and cheering as the musicians continue the songs and more beer and liquor is brought up from the bowls of the ship.
Captain Baldur takes a deep draft of freshly poured rum, the toxic liquid burning his throat and muddling his mind in the best of ways. His first mate, Corkwick, is telling Baldur some story from his life before sailing, but the Captain has already had enough booze that he can no longer recognize the language Corkwick is speaking.
Unbeknownst to the crew aboard the ship, a dozen figures are slowly climbing the port side of the hull. Each are armed to the teeth, some with swords and shields, others with bows and arrows. As they reach the top edge of the deck and pull themselves up to cling on the railing, their leader eyes Captain Baldur, recognizing him immediately. The archer beside him does his best to take up a firing position without alerting the ship's occupants. The leader points towards Corkwick and the archer nods, drawing his bow back with an arrow ready. When the leader gives the signal, the arrow flies and pierces Corkwick's throat and the man falls to his side as blood splatters a surprised Captain Baldur.
The music is quickly replaced by shouting and screaming as the men aboard the ship scatter, some running for their weapons, other running for cover, the rest just running as the attackers jump the railing and engage the crew.
Captain Baldur bursts to his feet at the sight of the intruders, drawing his cutlass. The older captain does not hesitate to cross swords with the first man he comes to, the first strike smacks against the man's shield while the next parries his sword; the third slices the attacker's throat, splattering the captain's leather coat with more blood.
The captain moves to engage more of the attackers without pause. He has sailed the sea for two decades, faced off against every foe it has to offer. No amount of men, ships, waves or Monster Girls has been enough to sink his ship and today will be no different. That is, till he sees the figure that is the attacker's leader.
A tall, muscular man stands at the other side of the deck. He wears a bronze masked helmet with a red plume running down its center, studded leather armor down one arm and bronze plate down the other with a battle skirt and greaves; his chest is bare, several scares visible in the fire light. In one hand, he holds a small buckler shield while the other holds a menacing trident. This man had chased Baldur up the coast of Ashfeld, and he had been sure that he would not chase him into Imperial waters, but it seems that Darius Venandi is crazier than the stories say.
Captain Baldur's blood runs cold at the sight of Darius as he brings his hands up in a fighting stance and starts to approach the Captain. Baldur's desperation and anger build to blinding levels as Darius approaches, his cutlass trembling in his hand. Leaping forward, Baldur raises his cutlass and brings it down in a drunken chop. Darius side steps the attack before thrusting his buckler forward and slamming it into Baldur's face, the impact rattling the captain's teeth as he stumbles backwards. When he manages to regain his footing, the bronze clad attacker is already moving in to attack again.
In a panicked flurry, Baldur whips his cutlass back and forth to keep Darius at bay. Reacting to the barrage, Darius lunges to one side after a clumsy swing before driving his trident into the Captain's hip. Baldur yelps in pain as the attacker pulls the trident free, blood dripping profusely from the wound.
Ignoring the pain, Baldur yells as he moves towards Darius again, his cutlass swinging and thrusting more consciously as Darius weaves to avoid the blade. As Baldur moves to thrust again only for Darius to duck to one side before slamming his buckler into Baldur's face again. The hit is softer than the first, enough to send the drunken captain stumbling backwards. Unrelenting, Darius moves in again, his trident shooting downwards to impale the top of Baldur's boot. The Captain lets out a blood curdling cry before it is quickly silenced as Darius slams the shaft of his trident into Baldur's face. As Darius pulls the trident free from Baldur's boot, the Captain stumbles back again only to receive another blow from the buckler, sending him to the deck and his cutlass flying out of his hand.
Baldur's vision passes in and out, the stars above him spinning at high speeds. The Captain tries to push himself up as Darius approaches him, his figure increasing Baldur's dread the closer he comes. When Baldur's vision finally clears, he notices that his entire crew now lays dead on the deck, the attacking group finishing the last few of his men without mercy.
"Captain Baldur Terina," a commanding voice calls and Baldur's eyes dart back to Darius. "You stand accused of crimes against the Iron Legion. What say you in your defense?" Baldur pushes himself up to lean on one elbow so that he can glare up at the red-plumed assailant, his body aching from his wounds.
"You Legion bastards go' nothin' on me. You would attack any man 'er ship that choses tuh sail fer anyone other than you'selves," Baldur spits. The other attackers move in to watch the exchange between Baldur and their leader. In the light of the torches, Baldur can make out the black and green colors of their gambesons.
"Captain!" Baldur turns his head at the call, but he realizes that it is one of the Legion soldiers approaching them.
"Report!" Calls Darius. The soldier makes his way through the small crowd to stand before his leader.
"Sir, there is large group of captives below deck. Half are human and elven women while the rest are Monster Girls of various species." The soldier reports before stepping back to blend amongst the crowd.
"Well now," Darius says as he twirls his trident triumphantly. "It seems the evidence is stacked against you. Anything left to add?" Baldur growls low in his throat before he looks up to glare at Darius again.
"You bastards think this changes anything? The Empire is gonna get its slaves no matter wha' you do-" In one motion, Darius catches his trident in mid-twirl and throws it, the prongs piercing Baldur's skull and pinning it to the deck.
Two days later…
The small fishing town of Perchrock do not get many Legion vessels as they are not a major trading destination, so when Darius sailed his ship, the Serpent, into the small fishing bay they stirred quite the commotion. The crew were greeted with friendly waves and cheers and they brandished their swords and shields heroically. After their ship was tethered, the crew immediately lead the large group of captives off of the cog, the townspeople offering them clothes and food. The Monster Girl captives had been sated and purified before being brought onto the Serpent thus they were safe to release into the town. Some greeted the townsfolk while others made a beeline for the forests beyond.
Darius became a very popular figure in the small town, and he relished the attention. After years in the Imperial arenas, Darius never forgot the feeling that came with being a champion, a hero, a gladiator. Everyone wanted their chance to speak with the so called "Sea Wolf" of the Iron Legion, especially the women. While his armor was impressive in its own right, Darius was a naturally handsome man: chiseled features, long dark hair, sea green eyes, and the sculpted body of both a sailor and a warrior made Darius quite the eye catcher.
When night finally arrived, the town was in a flurry of life. Music, food, drink and dance filled the village as the townsfolk, Darius' crew, and the freed slaves celebrated victory and freedom. The crew of the Serpent were treated like heroes, wanting for nothing as they were showered with praise and affection. Several of the freed slaves approached the crew members, wishing to show their appreciation in private, most of them being Monster Girls.
Darius was the most approached, having several women offer themselves to him in thanks. A proper gentleman and knight of the Iron Legion would have brushed their advances off, but Darius is no knight and thus takes several of the women up on their offer. When the festivities truly begin, Darius is lead off by a small group of women.
One hour later…
"Gods…Damn…ME-AH!" Darius growls in ecstasy as he thrusts his hips into a pale haired elf girl. The elf cries out in pleasure, Darius' ejaculation only driving her own orgasm to a higher level as his cock reaches her deepest parts. As the waves of pleasure wash over him, Darius gives a few more quick thrusts before pulling out of the elf. Her breathing labored, the elf falls sideways before rolling onto her back, her hand going down to caress her netherlips. The sight of the blushing, exhausted, lewdly posed elf is almost enough to revive his erection, but his own exhaustion starts to kick in.
For the past hour he has been both pleasured by and pleasuring two human women, a kikimora, a kobold, and the elf he just finished. His entire is covered in sweat and his hips and back are starting to ache as well. Crawling from his large bed aboard the Serpent, Darius ties a blanket around his waist and leaves the sleeping girls as he steps out onto the deck. A breeze sends shivers up his exposed torso, enjoying the cool air as he looks towards the bright lights of the town.
"I see you have been relaxing," a cool, feminine voice says from behind him. Darius does not react to the intruder. He had been expecting her to show up at some point. As his handler, it was only right for her to check in on him. Darius turns to address the leather clad woman, a sword and dagger sheathed on her belt. Darius smirks at the peacekeeper as she crosses her arms over her chest.
"Nice to see you too, Valeria," Darius says with a smirk. Valeria Anita rolls her eyes at his cocky attitude and flexes the fingers of her prosthetic arm.
"I'm assuming you finished the Baldur, being as you're celebrating?"
"You would assume right," Darius says. "The girls were very thankful for our help. The towns people here are quite hospitable, too. Maybe you should have a drink or something." Valeria sneers under her hood.
"I'll pass, I have work to do."
"Is that your way of saying, 'I'll wait till I get home so Pandora can tinker with my-" Darius' words end suddenly as Valeria raises her prosthetic arm with a loud click as the built-in crossbow loads a bolt. Darius throws up his hands in surrender as he starts to laugh nervously. "Alright alright! It was a joke! A bad one but still meant in good fun!" Valeria aims her arm at him for a long moment before arm makes another click and she refolds her arms again. Darius knows well that Valeria has no issue firing her bolts at him, she has done it more than enough times since he met her almost eight months ago; the peacekeeper just makes it so easy for him to annoy her that it can't be helped.
"Now," Valeria begins. "If you're done acting like a child, I have a new assignment for you." Darius crosses his own arms, his smirk still remaining, and Valeria continues to glare at him. "I have received word of an Imperial ship that disappeared a couple miles east of here," Valeria explains. "No witnesses and no one from the ship has been heard from since. I want you and your crew to go and find out what happened to it."
"Could it not be Vikings?" Darius asks. While the Vikings in the north are known for their raids on villages and settlements, the tribes have been known to prowl the seas for ships to capture and plunder from time to time.
Valeria shakes her head. "No. This was a galleon, far too large and equipped for Vikings to take. The ship was carrying over a hundred slaves, so it is possible that they managed to free themselves and took control, but there have been no reports of the ship washing ashore."
Darius nods. "Alright. I'll have the men start preparing in the morning and we should be sailing by the following day." Valeria nods as she produces a rolled piece of parchment.
"This," Valeria begins as she hands the parchment to him, "is where it is believed that the ship disappeared. Be on your guard; I would rather not lose you just yet, Darius." Darius laughs at her cold toned concern.
"Ah Val, you're care for me warms my heart," he says, using the pet name from Valeria's gremlin lover. The peacekeeper raises her prosthetic arm once again and Darius' arms shoot up instantly.
"You walk a dangerous line, Darius," Valeria growls.
Darius cannot help but snicker to himself. "Have you learned nothing about me?"
Two days later…
"Captain on deck!" calls one of the Serpent's crew as Darius steps aboard. The crew scurries about the ship as they make ready to sail. Darius had just been talking to mayor of Perchrock, making sure that the freed slaves would be taken care of as they made their decisions on what to do with their freedom.
Within the next hour the ship is being oared out to open sea. Darius takes the wheel, enjoying the cool breeze on his skin as the mainland begins to disappear behind him. Before his time in the arenas, Darius spent a lot of time out at sea. His father was a merchant and often dragged him along on his expeditions up and down the coasts of Ashfeld when he was young. While he couldn't stand the merchant trade, with its politics and shade, he loved being at sea and watching the sailors move about their tasks.
The sea is calm, the waves low and giving little obstacle as the Serpent glided through the open expanse of blue. The destination is only six hours downwind from Perchrock and with a steady breeze the ship arrives with no issue.
"Trim to half-sail!" Darius calls as the ship approaches the area that Valeria had described. There was noting unusual that Darius could see from the helm: an open expanse of sea in all directions except for a small island just ahead on the port side.
Darius looks up to the crow's nest that is set into the mast of the ship where his lookout can be seen peering towards the island. "Crow's nest! Report!" Darius calls. The lookout peers through a spyglass towards the island's general direction.
"Small island up ahead, port side! Looks deserted! Large rock spire coming up on starboard!" the lookout calls and Darius looks to the starboard side. Sure enough, a tall, thing spike of stone is jutting out of the water, like a large, dark colored blade stabbing through the ocean. For a moment, Darius pauses; he does not remember the spire being there before. Darius dismisses the thought as he looks back to the port side, more interested in the island.
"C-captain! Captain!" Darius' head jerks upwards towards the crow's nest, the lookout's frantic voice drawing concern from both Darius and the rest of the crew.
"What do you see?" Darius calls up and the lookout leans over the nest's railing, one arm pointing off towards the starboard side.
"Captain! That ain't a spire! I-It's-" the lookout's words drown out in the background as Darius and the rest of the crew look towards the starboard side and see that the stone spire has vanished completely.
A full heartbeat passes and a loud thud rings through the ship as it begins to lean to the right, as if the ship were being lifted by a massive wave on their left side. The crew gives shouts of surprise and fear as they cling to any kind of handhold that will save them from going overboard. Darius follow's suit, latching onto the wheel as the floor of the helm tilts almost to a sheer drop. The ship tips back only for another thud to sound as the ship leans to the opposite side with more shouts wailing up from the deck.
As the ship leans back again, a shrill scream fills the air and Darius looks up just in time to see the lookout tumble from the crow's nest and fall overboard on the port side. Acting fast, Darius clicks the wheel lock into place before jumping over the railing onto the deck. Before he can do it himself, another crew member grabs a large coil of rope and tosses it overboard towards the lookout is already frantically paddling back towards the ship.
"Swim man! Swim!" Darius and the rest of the crew call as he paddles like a beast is chasing him. The thought just passes through Darius' mind as a large, rough surfaced spike breaks through the ocean's surface several feet away from the lookout. Darius and the crew watch in horror as the spike rises up to show it is attached to the head of a massive creature who breaks the surface directly under the lookout, its massive jaws open wide as it bursts through the water to swallow the lookout whole before sinking back down into the depths.
Darius and the rest of his crew stare on in shock before Darius yells, "Stations!" The crew scrambles to their stations, almost trampling each other as they fight of their panic. Darius returns to the helm and takes the wheel before calling, "Full sail! Full sail!" The men move as fast as they can to fulfill Darius' as the ship tips again. To Darius and the rest of the crew's terror, the creature has now burst through the surface again and clamped its jaws onto the deck of the ship.
Darius becomes frozen in fear as he takes in the sight of the beast: a massive head covered in dark colored, bony plates, a mouth filled with serrated teeth, and the long, spear-like point protruding from its nose. He also cannot miss the large, solid eyes that seem to glow a dark violet color. Some of the crew scream and run for any form of sanctuary while others draw their weapons and move to engage the creature. The crew lay into the hide between the bony plates of the creature's head, only to find that it is too thick as their blades do nothing to it.
Darius finds himself staring into the violet orb staring mindlessly at him as an idea forms. And draws his trident from his back before charging towards the creature. Using the railing as a springboard, Darius leaps into the air with a battle cry as he drives the trident into the glowing eye. As he hoped, the eyes glow disappears as Darius is splattered with thick blood, the creature letting out a deep, moaning roar as it releases the ship and thrashes its head. Darius is tossed from the creature's head and slams into the stairs leading up to the helm as the creature falls backwards and disappears beneath the water.
Darius rolls down the stairs, pain shooting through his body as he comes to rest on the floor of the deck. He cannot think straight as he tries to push himself up. Suddenly, hands seize him as his crew lifts him up, only then does he become aware of their cheering. He tries to speak, to give commands, but is interrupted as another crew member shouts over them, "Captain! Starboard side!" Darius stumbles towards the opposite side of the ship with the help of his crew and dread instantly fills him.
Several paces off, Darius sees the spire, what he know realizes is a fin, jutting out of the water as it approaches the ship at a high speed. In front of the spire, Darius can also see how the ocean flows over the creature's head as it speeds towards them. Despair taking hold, Darius mutters a single word, "Brace."
The crew of the Serpent cry out as they scramble for any form of safety, some even jump from the ship, hoping the sea will offer some form of solace. The men holding Darius drop him as they turn to flee. Darius falls forward, grasping on to the railing as he watches the creature speed towards his ship. He does not hold a grudge against his crew, they were assigned to his command and not for very long; they had not yet formed a true bond with his as their captain and neither him with his crew. If it were him, Darius would abandon his captain in their current state, too.
The creature's nose pieces through the side of the ship like a hot blade through butter, its wide head breaking through the hull and keel. Shortly after, the large fin tears through the deck, effectively cleaving the Serpent in two. Darius clings onto the railing as splinters and debris shower around him, the stern and bow turning in on each other as the creature thrashes its way between them. The stern begins to tip backwards, and Darius finds himself hanging from the railing. The pain from his injuries becomes too great and he loses his grip before tumbling towards the churning water.
Darius smacks the ocean's surface with a loud slap ringing through his ears. He opens eyes to see the two halves of his ship sinking along with scraps of debris. He makes out the shapes of some of his crewmembers paddling at the surface while others are sinking motionlessly. His chest becomes tight as he stares up into the light shining through the ocean's surface before everything fades to black.
Later…
Father!...Take the boy! He'll fetch you a decent price at the market…Father please!...Get up you worthless scum…Die…I paid good money on you to win!...Stop…You cost me a lot of steel in that last match…No…No…No!
Darius' eyes shoot open with an aching in his chest as his lungs refuse to exhale. Struggling, he hacks out a painful cough, painful relief spreading through his chest as he resumes breathing normally again. His mind is hazy and yet racing at the same time; the images of the creature destroying his ship, the lookout being swallowed, all these images come back to him in a slow flurry. He tries his best to lift his head, pain shooting through his skull at the attempt, but he pushes himself up despite it.
As his eyes adjust, he becomes aware that he is laying on a sandy ground in some dimly lit place, dressed in only his war skirt. The air is moist and cool, goosebumps raising on his skin as he forces himself to sit up. He finally realizes that he is in some kind of cave, to one side he sees a ray of light shining down through a hole at the top of a sandy incline. On the other, he sees a rippling surface of what appears to be a small pool of water. Darius does his best to push himself up to stand, but only manages to make it to his knees as he crawls to the pool, his mouth craving for any source of hydration. However, as he draws closer, the smell of sea salt assaults him and he growls in disappointment; the pool is sea water.
Darius falls down on his side and rolls to his back, covering his eyes with one arm as both pain, depression, and thirst rack him from head to toe. How could this have happened? What was that big bastard out there? How the hell am I even here? All these questions and more crawl through his mind as he lays in the cool dampness of the cave. All he wants is a drop of water, something to wet his throat so that he can think straight for a moment and the only source of water is not even drinkable. Gods, I know I'm a bastard, but have I not earned a little help? Preferably in the form of a sip of fresh water? His self-pity mounting, he drags his arm down from his eyes to see a pair of glowing, golden orbs staring down at him.
In a burst of adrenalin, Darius throws himself up into a sitting position and rolls onto his back as the golden eyed creature lets out a high pitched squeak. Darius manages to make out a mass of ivory curls disappear into the pool with a splash before it disappears. He pushes himself backwards, his eyes scanning the pool as he ignores the pain shooting through his body. After a long moment, he sees a set of claw tipped fingers poke up to grip the edge of the pool, followed by the head of black rooted, white curls with the golden eyes staring at him again.
Darius locks gazes with the glowing eyes for a long moment before the head pulls itself up higher so that he can see the slender face that is attached to it. He does not move as the Monster Girl continues to stare at him, fear and uncertainty marking her face. Darius does his best to keep his face emotionless, unsure of how to best deal with the situation. He does not know what kind of Monster Girl she is, nor does he know how to react should she attack him. He is in no condition for combat or sex and his purifying supplies went down with the ship
After a long moment of silence, the Monster Girl pushes herself up out of the pool. From what he can see, her body is deathly pale, save for the thin, hooked protrusions on her forearms that are solid black to match her hair roots. She wears what appears to be a silver necklace that connects to blue colored cross top that contains her modest chest, a similarly designed belt and skirt around her hips. He also takes note of the set of gill slits that run down where her ribcage should be. However, as she pulls herself completely out of the water, Darius finally sees the large mass that makes up her lower body: a long, slick figure with three fins and a vertically fined tail.
His eyes widen as Darius realizes that she is a mershark, a more predatory species of mermaids, if the stories are true. He had heard tales that mersharks were vicious and would rip a man from his boat if given the chance. On the contrary, he has also been told that they are gentle and do not attack men unless they become desperate, being of a more modest and shy temperament. Darius has never met a mershark himself, so he waits, doing his best to maintain his composure as he watches the mershark closely.
"Um…" the mershark says and Darius raises up slightly on his hands. Her eyes shift to one side and back as if she is trying to contemplate on what she wants to say. "Um…you…y-you're bleeding…again…" Darius arches a brow at her words as he looks down. Sure enough, a steady stream of blood is flowing down his side into the sand, and from the long, broken line of red leading back to the pool, he has been for a decent minute now.
"Yeah…" he says awkwardly, not knowing what to say. Another moment passes and the mershark starts to awkwardly drag herself towards him, her lower half swaying from side to side to help propel her forward. Darius stays perfectly still as she manages to make it to him so that she can look down at the wound.
"H-here," she says, reaching forward. Darius holds fast as a light green glow forms in her hand as she covers the wound with it. It feels like she is pouring cool water over the wound and yet he sees no signs of it. A second later, she draws her hand away and the wound has closed itself, leaving a reddish scar. She draws her hand away and looks up at him awkwardly.
"Thanks…" Darius says motionlessly and the mershark actually blushes a little. They stare at each other another moment before Darius finally breaks the silence again. "So…Where are we, exactly?" The mershark's eyes shift from side to side again before she answers. "We're on a small island…I brought you here after…after…"
"My ship," Darius finishes for her. The mershark nods, her face falling a degree. He growls as he pushes himself up into a sitting position, the mershark seeming to be distressed by his sudden movement but says nothing against him doing so.
"So, this is the island we saw…before that bastard sunk us…" Darius says coldly. The mershark nods solemnly and Darius mimics her. "And you saved me. How long have I been unconscious?" The mershark takes a long moment to answer.
"I brought you here yesterday…You had a lot of wounds…But I healed them best I could…" she explains. Darius nods again, understanding the situation.
"Thank you," he says. In truth, he wishes she had left him to drown. A captain is supposed to go down with his ship, as he has been told. Plus, there is no telling when another ship will come by to rescue him, let alone if it will be an Imperial ship. Not to mention, he doesn't know if the creature will still be in the area or not.
"Y-you're welcome…" the mershark says with a soft smile that Darius does not return.
"What is your name," Darius asks suddenly and the mershark face breaks out in a blush.
"Uh…S-Senthyn…B-but you can call me Sen…if you like." Darius nods expressionlessly.
"Darius," he says simply.
"I know," Senthyn says and Darius' head shoots up with a brow cocked.
"How?" his question comes out a little more forceful than he means for it to and Senthyn actually leans back at his eagerness.
"Y-your friends t-told me," she says and Darius' eyes go wide.
"Where are they?" Darius demands as his mind races. Senthyn's face turns fearful as Darius looks at her with severe eyes.
"T-they're outside. I-I told them I-I'd- W-wait. Wait!" Senthyn yelps as Darius springs from the ground and trudges for the sandy slope that leads to the surface. Pain shoots up his legs and torso with every step and he is positive the wound on his side is reopened, but he disregards it as he practically crawls up the slope into the open air.
The light stings his eyes as Darius surveys the area, a large sandy area with palm trees sprouting every so often among other small plants. In the distance, Darius makes out the shapes of two people among the trees and makes his way to them as best he can. He steps out on the beach where two men are constructing shelters from large palm leaves and wood around a firepit dug out in the sand. One man is young, probably around nineteen while the other is older, but not old. Both men are shirtless, wearing nothing but their trousers as they go about making their structures.
The younger man is the first to notices Darius standing amongst the trees, his eyes lighting up as he recognizes the shabby, bleeding figure that is Darius. "Captain!" he cries, grabbing the older man's attention. Both men move to Darius' side as the pain finally reaches him, his legs giving way. The younger man catches Darius before he can fall and the other comes to help, both men helping Darius to sit down in the sand. "Captain you shouldn't be running around. You're bleeding for cryin' out loud," the younger man says.
"Kid's right, Capt'in. You gotta take it easy," says the older man. Darius struggles to concentrate as the pain racks him harder than it had in the cave.
"Hey!" a feminine voice calls from the trees. All three men turn to see Senthyn coming out of the tree line, a frantic look on her face. To Darius' surprise, the mershark is now standing on a pair of pale white legs not unlike his own, save for the black, hooked fins jutting from the backs of her calves. She stumbles towards them before kneeling down beside Darius to examine his wound, again. "You can't keep doing that," she says softly as she reaches for his side, her hand glowing again as she closes the wound.
Darius does not say anything to Senthyn as he looks up to the two men from his ship with a hard expression. "Is there anyone else? Any more survivors?" The two sailors look at each other and then back down to their captain.
"Jus' me and Thomas," the older man begins, indicating the younger sailor as Thomas. "And Alister." He jerks his thumb over his shoulder towards the sea. Darius looks past him to where he sees an older, grey haired man wading through the water a few yards away from the beach with a makeshift fishing spear in one hand. He seems too occupied in his task to notice that Darius has appeared.
Darius nods his head, understanding that out of the twenty men assigned to him by the Legion, he has led seventeen of them to their deaths. Captain my ass. "How much of the island have you explored since I've been out?" Darius asks the two sailors standing over him.
"We searched the whole island," Thomas says. "Not much to be found but for palm trees and seagull nests. The area around this place is small reef, though. Plenty of fish to be had. Though, after the water goes over your head, the reef drops off into open sea on all sides." Thomas looks around them for a moment until he spots something in the distance. "And that fucker has been circling around the entire time we've been here," Thomas says, indicating a large, dark colored fin knifing through the water several yards away from shore. All of them, even Alister, watch the fin as it glides several more yards before finally sinking below the waves.
Darius watches the thing with a certain loathing he has not felt in a long time. "What the hell is that thing?" Both Thomas and the older sailor shake their heads as they stare after the creature.
"Naugh' a damn clue. Never saw a creature like tha' in me life." The older sailor says grimly.
"Looks like something out of one of the story books my mom used to show me. Like one of the Monsters from the old times. Back before the Cataclysm." Thomas says. The older sailor snorts at the younger man's words.
"Hog shit," the older sailor says, and Thomas whips around on him with offended eyes.
"Shut your trap, Lincoln. Don't see you coming up with any ideas." The older sailor, Lincoln, starts to retort as Darius clears his throat loudly to get their attention.
"Shut your traps, the both of you." Darius says through gritted teeth. "First things first, is there any bloody drinking water on this damn slab of sand?" Senthyn perks up at his words.
"Oh! Yes, I can give you some." She says quickly before cupping her hands in front of her. The same, greenish glow appears in her hands again as they begin to fill with water. She reaches her hands towards Darius and he cups his hands to receive it. Darius drinks the water feverishly and Senthyn repeats this three times more until Darius has had his fill.
"By the gods! Thank you," Darius says as he leans back on his hands. Senthyn blushes at his thanks. Darius then tries to push himself up to stand, the sailors and Senthyn moving to help him. After he stands, he looks around at them. "Now, we're gonna find out how the hell to get out of here."
"We can't," Senthyn says as she looks at the three of them. "She won't let us leave." Darius, Thomas, and Lincoln look at her with questioning eyes.
"She?" Darius asks in a serious tone. Senthyn starts to look very nervous, which only drives Darius' temper up.
"Sen," Thomas starts. "If you know something, we would really like to know. It might help us think of a way out of here." Senthyn looks between the patient Thomas and the irritated, older sailors for a moment before answering.
"I'll tell you, but not right now; when he have food to cook. But it won't be of any help." Darius stares at the mershark for a long moment.
"Fine. But I want all the details. Nothing left out." He says in a cold tone. Senthyn nods slowly as Darius looks out towards the waves, wondering where the beast was lurking now.
Several hours later…
The group busied themselves with preparing a camp and searching for whatever food they could scrounge. Alister, the grey haired, oldest sailor of their group managed to catch several, sizable fish that prove to be the most productive meal. He does not pay much mind to Darius, seeming to have a cold and uncaring attitude towards his captain. Darius does not take issue with the man, being that he was captain and responsible for the fates of his men. Darius would not be very chummy with himself, either, given the circumstances.
Thomas, the young, blonde headed sailor proved to be a quick hand in capturing several seagulls, as well as plucking and cleaning them. He also seemed to be the life of the group, doing his best to keep everyone in a better mood; though, there was not much he could do to lift the spirits of the already sullen souls of the group.
Lincoln proved to be a knowledgeable seaman as he brought several armfuls of edible seaweed he found growing just a few yards out from the shore. Despite his backwards nature and somewhat aggressiveness, he was an honest soul who spoke his mind, even when the others told him to shut up.
Darius, in his condition, could not help in gathering food and thus set to help the others as best he could by finishing the shelters and gathering wood and dried palm leaves for the fire. With the help of Senthyn, the modest camp came to be quite comfortable, despite everything.
Despite her helpfulness, Darius kept his eye on the mershark. Darius had learned many things in his time as a gladiator, the first being that no one could be trusted. While the mershark seemed to be harmless, he does not want to let his guard down. Every time he inquires about her past: how she came to be on the island, how long she had been here, etc., Senthyn dodges the question and moves on to a new task to improve their camp. While Darius does not expect her to be involved with the creature that circles the island, he does not fully dismiss the idea.
After the camp is finally complete and the food is prepared and served, the five survivors sit and eat in silence as darkness descends. From time to time they will pause as the creature's fin will rise from the water within their view. Sometimes it would sail close to the island, as if the creature were skimming the edge of the reef, while others it would be off in the distance. Regardless, by the time the group finished eating the sun had already disappeared and the moon slowly rising from the horizon.
"Alright," Darius begins as they finish their meal. "Senthyn, its time for that discussion." The mershark nods, her facing falling as she stares into the fire between them.
"Are any of you familiar with Ryugujo?" Senthyn asks.
"That's the underwater kingdom under Zipangu, right?" Thomas asks and Senthyn nods.
"Not just one kingdom, but many of them. Ryugujo refers to the entire underwater nation. Each kingdom is ruled by an Otohime." Senthyn explains.
"An Oto-what now?" Lincoln asks with a brow raised.
"Otohime. They are a kind of sea dragon. They hold great power over the oceans and are considered royalty of the sea. Some can even rival a ryu in power." Lincoln's eyes go wide at her explanation, recognizing that the Ryu are considered to be the most powerful entities over the ocean; some people even consider them demigods, second only to Neptune herself.
Senthyn continues on with her explanation as she talks about a particular Otohime from the reign of the last Demon Lord. Like certain Monster Girls, such as the Mermaids, Elves and Dwarves, the Otohime were not created by the Demon Lord and thus were not violent by nature, save for one that was known as Vemosa. Vemosa was a cruel and tyrannical ruler who attacked other kingdoms of Ryugujo and even led attacks against Zipangu as well. Eventurally, the other otohime joined forces to banish Vemosa from Ryugujo, along with her entire army.
It is then said that Vemosa was later approached by the old Demon Lord and the two formed an alliance. The Demon Lord gave her an underwater fortress to serve as her castle and promised that she would have her revenge on Zipangu. However, Vemosa was not content. She was a prideful dragon and wanted to rule the world herself. Thus, Vemosa moved to betray the Demon Lord and take her powers.
Vemosa's plan failed and she was captured by the Demon Lord. As punishment, the Demon Lord tortured Vemosa until she lost her mind. The once intelligent and powerful otohime was nothing more than a rabid beast from that point on. The Demon Lord, however, was not satisfied with Vemosa's punishment. So, after the torture, the Demon Lord filled Vemosa with a large amount of her own Demonic Energy, transforming Vemosa into a ravenous creature. As a final nail in the coffin, the Demon Lord placed a curse on Vemosa's fort to trap both her and her soldiers in the fortress, forcing Vemosa to devour her own followers for all eternity.
"…and that's all I know," Senthyn finishes. The sailors say nothing for a long moment, the silence being broken by Darius.
"And you think that creature out there is some ancient, cursed dragon?" Darius asks, his question sincere. Senthyn blushes as she thinks before answering. She had never told anyone what she thought of the creature before and Darius' tone makes her second guess herself.
"W-well, it f-fits the description from the story…" she stammers. Darius nods; he does not know whether to believe the legend or not, but it seems to be the only thing that explains the creature that circles the island. It would also explain why the creature didn't attack the ship right away, it had to wait for it to get with the curse's radius.
"So, if the creature is the otohime from the story, the fortress should be nearby, right?" Darius asks and Senthyn nods nervously.
"Wha' you thinkin' cap'in?" Lincoln asks.
"He's no captain," says a gruff voice from the other side of the fire. The other four turn to Alister who has been glaring at Darius the entire time they have been seated by the fire. Even after he returned from fishing, the older sailor seemed to have something on his mind that left him a fowl mood.
"Alister, what you talking about." Thomas asks and the grey haired man turns to him with a glare.
"I said that man ain't no captain," Alister growls, pointing across the fire to Darius who stares at the old sailor expressionlessly. "Never was, far as I'm concerned. Why that peacekeeper bothered to recruit you, I'll never know."
"Alister," Lincoln starts. "Quit before you start talkin' mutiny."
Alister turns on Lincoln with a furious glare. "You can't mutiny on someone who ain't a captain."
"Why don't you say whatever it is you want to say and get it over with?" Darius finally cuts in, his voice even. Alister turns to Darius again, his glare deepening.
"Fine idea," he starts. "How much the Legion paying you?"
"My fair share," Darius states dryly.
"And how much was the Empire paying you?" Alister returns back.
"What do you mean?" Darius asks, a brow raising at the question.
"I mean how much were you making in service to the Empire? Pretty simply question." Alister starts. "Yeah, I know you came from the Empire. Seen plenty of your kind in the last couple of years." Darius knows what he is talking about; recently there has been many instances of knights and warriors deserting the Empire to join other legions for one reason or another. There were many who saw this in different lights: those who saw it as a good thing, since the deserters finally saw how the Empire truly was, while others see it as disgraceful as a soldier should always fulfill his duty regardless of his beliefs.
"You obviously don't know a damn thing about me," Darius says and Alister jumps to his feet.
"I know your kind, you traitorous bastard. If you turned the Empire, what's stopping you from turning on us," Alister growls as he motions to the rest of the group. "How many Iron Legion soldiers did you kill while fighting for the Empire? How much blood is on you hands?" Alister finally sits back down, still pinning Darius with a cold glare. "You best watch your back, because I'll slip a blade between your ribs before you ever get the chance on one of us."
Both Lincoln and Thomas go pale at Alister's words. To threaten a crewmember with such a crime was bad enough, but to do so to your captain was madness. And when Darius stands up, both of the younger sailors go even paler. Alister shoots to his feet as Darius rounds the fire to stand before the older sailor.
Both are equal in height and, despite his age, Alister is just as muscular as Darius. "What you going to do, you motherless-" Alister starts until Darius delivers a right hook to the older man's jaw. Senthyn lets out a yelp, her hands covering her face as Lincoln and Thomas shoot to her side.
Alister stumbles backwards from the hit but regains his footing quickly. Darius starts swaying, his body still aching, but he holds himself steady as possibly as his arms come up into a fighting stance. "You miserable bastard!" Alister roars as he charges for Darius. The older man throws a punch just as Darius ducks to one side before driving another hook into Alister's ribs. He cries out in pain, but it is cut short as Darius delivers another hit to Alister's face. Before Alister can react, Darius grabs hold of his shirt and delivers three more hits to the side of the man's head before dropping him to the ground. He then turns to face the other three who are cowering on the other side of the campfire.
"Now then, if anyone is so curious," Darius begins. "I was never in service to the Empire. I've never seen a battlefield of any kind, save for what I saw while on the Serpent." Darius then turns back to Alister, who is trying to push himself up. Darius grabs the older man by the hair and jerks his head up so that he can look up at Darius. Then, Darius presents his left forearm to Alister, showing a brand in the shape of a three pointed crown. "I was a slave," Darius says before shoving Alister back to the ground. "My father was a merchant with a gambling problem, and worse, he was a bad gambler. The bastard sold me to his creditors to help settle his debts." Senthyn, Thomas, and Lincoln all look at Darius in horror at the new information. Darius had never shared the information with any of the crew, with anyone. "I was later trained as a gladiator and fought in arenas. I fought for someone else's sport." Darius spits as he remembers his time in the arenas. He then turns to Alister, who is now looking up at him with one large eye as the other has started to swell. "Valeria rescued me while on a mission and recruited me after my wounds had healed. I've never sworn any kind of loyalty to the Empire. Far as I'm concerned, the bastards can rot in Hell for all I care." Darius then turns to walk away from the camp and disappears into the dark.
Darius stomps his way along the beach, anger tearing through him as Alister's accusation plays through his mind on a loop. Traitorous bastard my ass, Darius thinks to himself bitterly. The light of the moon disappears as Darius wonders off the beach and into the trees before he comes to the opening of the cave.
Without thinking, Darius stumbles his way into the cave, surprised to find a dim, blue light emanating from inside. Inside the pool on the far edge of the cave, Darius finds what seems to be small, floating lights within the water. Curious, he dips his hand in to investigate, the lights glowing brighter as his hand enters the water. He cannot manage to isolate any of the lights as they slide through his fingers with the water. Finally, he occupies himself with lazily disturbing the lights with his hand as he lays along the pool's edge.
As he watches the lights, his thoughts drift towards the past; to his bastard father, the vile masters he served and fought for, and the other gladiators he faced in the arenas. For his entire life, Darius had served like a mindless drone. He killed every opponent, human, animal, Monster or otherwise. He had spent five years in the arenas, killing anything the Imperials put in his path. Despite everything, he sometimes misses it: the cries of the spectators, the electricity of oncoming combat, and the few moments of victory before he was marched back into his cell until his next match. That was the greatest illusion, it was never his victory in the arena, it was always his master's.
Even now, Darius thinks, his victories are not even his own. Every slaver and pirate he has captured, killed, or sank has been for the Iron Legion's benefit. One less target for them to deal with themselves. But Darius had enjoyed being a captain: the open sea, his crew's shanties as they rolled across the waves, the hero's welcomes they received whenever they docked after a successful hunt. At least with the Iron Legion, his victories brought him some form of reward.
The sound of shifting sand draws Darius from his thoughts, and he rolls to see Senthyn stumbling down the slope into the cave. The mershark comes to the center of the cave as she stares at him for a moment, the glow from the water illuminating her body in an almost surreal manor.
"I came to…to check your wounds," she says, her eyes anxious. Darius grunts in compliance and he sits up, draping his legs into the water. Senthyn approaches him slowly, as if he is a beast that could attack her at any moment. She kneels down beside him, running one of her hands along his side. "Does it hurt?" Darius shakes his head; while it does not hurt, there is an ache that has been humming through him, but he disregards it.
"The wound hasn't healed completely," she begins. "There is an easier way to heal it…but…"
"Sex?" Darius says simply. Even in the dim light, Darius can clearly see how Senthyn's entire face begins to glow bright red. Her mouth hangs open for a moment, showing her sets of dagger-like teeth before she drops her head down to avoid his gaze.
"W-well…there is that t-too…but n-no. That's n-not what I w-as going to say," Senthyn stammers. Darius does not know why, but the sight of her embarrassment gives him a warmth in chest. He has been with shy women before, but he has never met one so…endearing before. "I meant," Senthyn begins, "that I know a spell that will help…I have to lay with you," her face grows brighter as she realizes what she just said. "Beside you! I have to lay beside you…it'll make your wounds heal quicker and…yeah." Darius does his best not to laugh at her stammering, but he finds himself cracking a smile.
"What!?" Senthyn exclaims as she notices his smile. Despite his cold exterior, Darius smile brightens his entire face and makes him all the more attractive, but Senthyn is too embarrassed to truly notice.
"You're quite cute," Darius says simply. Senthyn's face becomes a new shade of red and she buries her face in her hands, not knowing how to react. Holding back more laughter, Darius clears his throat and Senthyn looks at him from over the tips of her clawed fingers. "That spell of yours sounds good, if you don't mind."
Senthyn stares at him for another moment, enjoying how the light from the pool seems to make his eyes glow. After another moment, she nods her head. She takes up a few handfuls of water from the pool and uses them to make a circle of wet sand and has Darius move to lay at the center. When Darius is in place, Senthyn moves to lay beside him. To her surprise, Darius slides his arm under her head so that she is laying on his bicep. She doesn't say anything, but Darius can feel the warmth from her face, and he cannot help but smile again, knowing how flustered she must be. After another moment, Senthyn whispers something Darius cannot understand and the wet sand around them begins to glow the same way the pool is.
"This circle should make your wounds heal by morning," Senthyn says quietly.
"Thank you," Darius whispers back. The two lay in the dark for a long moment, neither knowing what to say, if they are to say anything at all.
"How long have you been on this island?" It is Darius that breaks the silence.
"Almost a month…I think." Senthyn says and Darius leans up in surprise.
"How the hell have you been here a month?" Darius asks in surprise.
"Well…" Senthyn begins. Senthyn had been raised by her fisherman father and her mother. Like Senthyn, her mother was also a sea mage trained in healing magic. A month ago, Senthyn and her mother were following her father's fishing boat as they sailed towards an Imperial port to sell their haul. On the way, her father's boat was being pursued by a ship of pirates and were chased towards the island. Before any of them knew what was happening, the creature had attacked the pirate's ship first, launching up from the depths and slitting the ship in two in one strike.
Senthyn and her mother swam for her father's boat where him and the sailors had been working furiously to increase their speed. They begged him to come to the island with them, but her father refused to leave his men behind and told them to go without him. Finally, Senthyn's mother grabbed her and dragged her from the boat in tears as they both swam for the island. Just as they were sure they were safe, the creature appeared and swallowed Senthyn's mother. In terror, Senthyn dove into a crevasse in the cliff that lead up to the reef around the island where the creature could not see her. She was forced to watch as the beast then turned and attacked her father's boat.
"I saw other ships pass by and tried to warn them, but the beast got to them, too." Senthyn finishes, tears forming in her eyes. Darius brushes them away, her glowing eyes meeting his.
"I'm sorry," he says softly. More tears form and she suddenly clings to him while sobbing. Darius is surprised by her actions and takes a moment to react, finally wrapping both arms around her while she trembles against him. There has been only a few times when he had comforted someone before, and very few of them did any good. The best Darius can think of is to just lay quietly and hold her. Senthyn's sobs become more spaced out over time till they finally stop all together. When she finally looks up at him, her eyes are swollen, and her face is blushed.
"I-I-I'm s-s-so sorry-y…" she breathes and Darius lets one of his hands stroke her back.
"It's okay. You've been alone too long," Darius says softly. When he had been a gladiator, there were many times when he was left alone. His masters had no need of him, and they simply left him in a cell till it was his next exposition, tournament, etc. It would be days or weeks until he was aloud to rest while not in his cell. Even then, he still had to watch his back as the other gladiators tended to try and wound him before the fight, in case they were his opponents. But she didn't need to know that, it was history that he wished would not be remembered.
"Thank you," Senthyn whispers, her head slowly lowering so that it rests just under his chin. Darius does not know to react to her continuous cuddling but does not push her away. He had never been one to cuddle but being that this was part of her ritual to heal him, he wouldn't deny her. Plus, she seems to need the relief and while he will never admit it, the feeling of her pressed against him does not feel to bad. The softness of her body and hair pressed against his skin is comforting and the light smell of sea salt coming from her hair some how puts him at ease. It does not take much longer before he finds himself drifting off to sleep.
The next morning…
"Captain!...Captain!" Darius' eyes slowly open as someone yells off in the distance. He raises his head to survey his surroundings, the sight of the cave bringing back his memory of the current situation. He doesn't know exactly what the spell did, but he definitely feels rested. He then becomes aware of the soft weight that is pressing against his chest and looks down to find Senthyn curled against him, her head resting on his chest. He doesn't know why, but the sight of her laying against him causes his chest to feel tight.
"Captain!" hears the voice again, much closer this time, and realizes that it is Thomas' voice. Another moment passes and he starts to hear the shifting of sand as Thomas draws closer to the cave. As Thomas appears sliding down the incline from the cave entrance, he draws up short as he sees Senthyn curled against Darius.
"Um…should I…come back?" Thomas asks awkwardly. Darius gives no sign of embarrassment but does not get to reply as he feels Senthyn stir against him and raise her head. As soon as the mershark sees Thomas, her eyes widen as she looks between Darius and the younger sailor, her face going a deep shade of red. She rolls away from Darius to rest on her hands, panic playing across her face.
"I-it isn't what you think! I-I-I was using a spell to heal him! A-and, and…" Senthyn stammers. She tries to give a deeper, more broken explanation, but Darius has no patience for it.
"Sen!" The mershark's flurry of stuttered words ends as her face snaps towards Darius who pushes himself up to sit. "It's fine. No reason to lose your head." Darius then stands up and examines the wound on his side, taking note that he no longer feels any pain at all. The wound on his side is gone, no scar left behind as Senthyn's spell seems to have repaired him completely. "Thank you for healing me, Sen."
Senthyn's face goes from a deep red to a soft pink as she nods, unable to respond with words. Darius then turns to Thomas, who has been watching the exchange with awkward confusion. "What did you need, Thomas?" Darius asks and the younger sailor's face brightens as he remembers his purpose.
"Captain! You need to come to the beach! You're not gonna believe this!" Thomas exclaims as he climbs back up the sandy incline and out of the cave. "Hurry!" he yells before disappearing out of the cave entrance. Darius looks to Senthyn with a clueless look, the mershark returning it, before he moves to leave the cave with Senthyn in tow.
As the two of them leave the cave, Darius hears Thomas and Lincoln's voice coming through the trees and follows them to the beach opposite to the camp. When Darius and Senthyn step through the tree line, Darius sees Thomas, Lincoln, and Alister standing together, looking off in the distance, and it does not take long for Darius to realize what it is they are looking at. Almost twenty yards from the beach, sticking out of the sea as the waves crash against it, is the stern of his ship with the rudder facing the beach. The mass of wood seems to be resting against the reef as it does not sway or tip with the waves or wind.
"I see," Darius says loudly to get the sailors' attention. The three of them turn to face him as he steps down the beach. "At least something survived of her." Darius scans the waters up and down the beach, looking for any sign of the beast that could be lurking just beyond the reef.
"Thin' the armory survived, Captain?" Lincoln asks. Darius stares at the wreckage for a moment, unsure whether it could have or not. Even if it did, it is untelling whether any weapons are still in fighting condition.
"It's possible. No telling if anything is still worth using, though. But I suppose it is worth looking." Darius says as he trods towards the waves. Darius does not get very far before Thomas rushes past him and turns.
"Where are you going, Captain?" Thomas asks as he quickly joined by Lincoln and Senthyn.
"To check if there are weapons?" Darius asks with confusion.
"No' without us yer not." Lincoln says. Senthyn gives a bold nod as both Thomas and Lincoln cross their arms.
"I can't ask you to do that," Darius says, moving to go around the small group only for them to place themselves in his path again.
"The hell you can't. You're our captain! It's your job to tell us what to do," says Thomas.
"Not anymore," Darius says. He takes another step forward, but Thomas does not move.
"Well, I say you're still captain so long as you still have your crew. We ain't much," Thomas says, pointing to himself and Lincoln. "But we'll follow you to hell and back, Captian."
"Aye!" Lincoln calls loudly.
"Um…aye?" Senthyn's addition gets some curious looks from Darius, Lincoln, and Thomas, but both Lincoln and Thomas nod in unison before turning back to Darius with a loud, recurring 'aye'.
Then, Alister steps forward to stand beside Darius, a stern look on his face. Darius tries not to form an expression at the older sailor. While the previous night's insult is still raw in his mind, Darius waits to see what Alister has to say. The two of them look gazes for a moment, like two bears sizing each other up. Then, Alister raises his right hand to solute Darius.
"What are your orders…Captain?" the older sailor asks. Thomas and Lincoln smile widely, as does Senthyn. Darius stares at the older sailor for a long moment before reaching his hand out. Alister takes it and shakes it firmly, not taking his eyes off Darius'. When they release, Darius steps back so that he can address them all at once.
"Alright…So, best thing we can do is swim out and get in through the torn side. How close is the stern to the reef's edge?" Darius asks and Alister answers.
"Should be sitting right on the edge from what I can tell." Darius nods to the older sailor's words. Figures.
"Right then. Senthyn," the mershark perks up at the mention of her name. "Can I get you to be our lookout from underwater? If you see the creature coming, come to the surface and shout?" Senthyn looks at the sailors, who are now all looking at her. She hesitates, but nods after a moment. Darius nods his head in satisfaction.
"Alright, let's move out."
The group head into the waves without much delay. Alister is the only one armed, his make-shift spear clenched in one fist as they paddle over the reef. Senthyn swims along with them, her lower body taking on its natural form of a shark. As the group draws closer to the ship's stern, Senthyn swims ahead to scout.
The reef surrounding the small island thrives with many colorful corals and fish, sitting on the peak of an underwater mountain. The edge of the peak is a sheer drop that leads off into open ocean, the sea floor too far down to see.
Senthyn approaches the edge with caution, her eyes scanning the cliff's edge for any sign of movement, her heart beating against her ribcage as she expects the creature to emerge from the depths at any moment. However, there is no sign of the creature and with an increasing feeling of unease, Senthyn swims back to the sailors and tells them it is safe.
The four sailors swim to the opposite side of the stern, the sight of the ravaged ship sends a chill up Darius' spine, he wastes no time as he pulls himself up into the bowls of the decimated ship.
As the sailors entered the remains of their ship, Senthyn continued to watch the depths. Luckily, however, the objective was within sight just as the men pull themselves out of the water. The door to the armory was well secured: a full iron door with double locks. Darius was the only one aboard the ship with a key, that is, till it was sank. Now, a large hole in the side of the wall allows them to enter easily.
Inside, the group finds that a large portion of their weapons and armor have been swallowed by the sea, but plenty of gear has survived to equip four survivors. The mean gather everything that is usable: weapons, armor, flasks and more. By the time they are ready to leave, each man is fully armored and carrying a pack of enough supplies to do them.
The four make their way to the hole in the wall just as Senthyn lets out a cry. "She's here!" Senthyn's words come to late as the creature's massive head bursts through the ocean's surface and lunges for the remains of the ship. The creature's spiked nose pieces through the iron door of the armory as its jaws lock down on the floor. The force nocks the four men to the ground as the stern begins to shift back and forth, making it impossible to keep any form of balance. The sound of the groaning wood and the bashing of waves was deafening, but it did not take long for Darius to realize what the creature was doing: it was trying to drag the stern back into the sea.
Darius tries his best to get to his feet, only for the creature to jerk the stern again and send him back to the floor. The jerking of the stern also caused some of the left over equipment and weapons to come loose from their restraints, forcing Darius and his men to have to avoid the occasional flying sword, ax, or some other lethal object.
"Let's go!" a deep voice calls, and Darius looks up to see Alister, his face grim as he offers a hand to Darius. He takes it and Alister hoists him up to his feet. Keeping his footing is difficult, but Darius manages to help Thomas to his feet and shove him towards the hole leading out of the armory, Alister and Lincoln shambling behind them.
As they make it out, they find that there no more chance of escape out of the armory as the creature's head gives little room to squeeze out, especially as doing so would bring them much closer to the creature's maw. Darius looks for any weak spot that won't immediately prove fatal to exploit but does not see much past the gums of the creature's mouth. Then, just as he is sure there is no alternative, he notices something trickling down from the creature's head and onto the floor. He notices one of the creature's eyes, the massive, lifeless orb oozing puss and blood and remembers attacking the creature right before it destroyed his ship.
An idea springs to mind and Darius rushes forward, running along the wall of the stern. He leaps towards the wall before kicking off, raising his new trident as he drives it deep into the creature's rotting eye. As the trident pierces the eyeball, the creature seems to give no reaction to the wound, but Darius had expected this. Shifting his weight, Darius starts to pull the trident down like a lever. The dead eye bulges as the trident works to pry it from its socket, but Darius is not strong enough to force the orb out no matter how hard he pulls.
Suddenly, giving a shout of surprise, Darius' body drops lower as more is thrown onto the shaft of the trident. He jerks around to see Lincoln clinging onto the trident's shaft, using his arms to bounce himself to help pry out the eyeball. Shortly after, Alister and Thomas join in the effort to free the dead eye. The four struggle for what seems like a long time, long enough for Darius to become aware of the increasing amount of water that has begun to flow over the floor of the stern. This sight only spurs the sailors to work harder as they continue to remove the eye.
As they continue to struggle, Darius hears a loud growl and turns to see Alister pull himself higher with one hand while the other grips a heavy boarding ax. With one swing, Alister manages to hoist himself high enough that he can swing his ax and plunge the head into the top of the bulging organ. Blood and puss splatter him as he braces his feet against the side of the creature's head to help him force the eye out of the socket. With efforted cries, the men manage to free the bloated organ and the four splash down into the shallow cover of sea water below them.
As Darius pushes himself up with a gasp, he looks up just in time to see Alister approach the rotting eye as it sways in the sea water, dangling from a pinkish nerve string. Without swing, Darius severs the nerve and the creature lets out a deafening roar of pain. In one instant, the entire stern is sent spiraling as the creature releases it and thrashes its head in a fit of agony. The creature's spiked nose rips through the walls of the stern, sending splinters and debris into the air as it disappears into the depths again.
Darius had hoped that the nerve had not yet died with its organ, but he had not expected the creature's reaction to be as violent. He also did not expect for the stern to begin sinking so quickly as it was pulled from the reef's edge. The interior of the stern began to quickly fill with water and Darius and his men quickly swam for the nearest exit.
Darius manages to swim to the surface, bursting through the water with a gasp for air.
He immediately feels something clasp around him as he is jerk to one side, but he gives no reaction as Senthyn pulls him back towards the reef. When she lets go of him, he looks to see Alister and Thomas floating on a large piece of wood, their packs sitting on top of it.
"Tha' was bloody fuckin' excellent, Captain!" Lincoln calls as Darius pulls his own pack onto the wood and holds himself above the water, his breathing ragged.
"Couldn't have done it without you, men." Darius says and the two sailors laugh at their victory of the creature. The sailors laugh and jest over their accomplishment, and for the first time in forever, Darius remembers the feeling of a successful hunt. A victory shared with his men over a foe. It is a good feeling, more so that they are the closest thing he has to friends, now. After what seems to be a long time, Senthyn resurfaces again, a grim look on her face.
"I can't find him," she whispers. The victorious tone of Darius, Lincoln, and Alister quickly dies as her words sink into them. Thomas was gone.