For Monster Honor

by ChaosEater69

This is going to be a collection of stories pairing the heroes of "For Honor" with monster girls. The settings from the game all exist in the same world as MGE and there will be references to both sources. Note: I do NOT own either of the sources mentioned! Also this story is rated M for sexual content and violence/gore. Hope you enjoy.

8. Chapter 5 (2 of 2)

Hello Everyone! So, yes, I didn't get it up when I said I would. What's new? Anyway, I'm gonna start the Centurion story when I can. It might be a while but it will get done. I want to thank everyone who has been with me thus far and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It is the longest by far and it is one of my favorites. Thank you guys!

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Several hours later…

After Senthyn had told them of Thomas' disappearance, the sailors had become drearily silent. When Senthyn's help, they managed to get their equipment back to shore. Senthyn had tried to tell them how she continued to look for him after helping Darius to the surface, as if she were trying to take blame for his death. The sailors assured her that she had done everything she could, but that did not lift her or any of the others' spirits.

The rest of the day consisted of Darius, Lincoln and Alister going through the equipment they managed to secure. The majority of it consisted of an odd assortment of armor, daggers and short swords, as well as a few jugs of spirits and freshwater. Darius managed to keep hold of the trident he had used to escape the stern along with an iron buckler. Alister kept the boarding ax while Lincoln found a short sword and targe shield. After the equipment was sorted, the sailors went about chores: Alistor took up another makeshift spear and went to fishing, Lincoln went to gathering palm leaves and wood, and Darius went hunting for gulls with his trident.

Senthyn followed Darius as he stalked the birds up and down the beach, trying her best to form some kind of conversation with him, but it was hopeless. She could only manage a few words from him at a time, if any at all, and finally gave up as she settled for helping him carry his kills along the beach.

Every now and again, the looming shape of the creature's fin would appear, causing any of the sailors to stop their task and watch it go by. Senthyn's reaction was always fearful, but the sailors only had one feeling towards the beast beneath the waves: malice. Their hands would grip their weapons tighter, itching to carve their pound of flesh out of the beast as it slipped along the edge of the reef.

As the sun began to set, the remaining survivors brought their contributions back to camp and began preparing for dinner. Alister supplied plenty of fish, Lincoln brought a week's worth of dried wood, and Darius had killed enough gulls to feed everyone three times over while Senthyn supplied them with freshwater.

They ate in silence, their spirits low at the loss of their friend. When the men couldn't eat no more, Darius brought out one of the jugs of spirit and popped the cork. "It's not a proper toast, but its better than nothing," he says as he raises the jug over his head. "To Thomas, taken to early, but remembered forever."

"To our fellow crewmen, and our ship taken from us," Lincoln says, his head held low as he raises his empty hand above his head.

"And to those who fell before us," Alister says, his eyes darting toward Senthyn and she smiles sadly at him.

"Here here!" the four of them call. Darius takes the first gulp of spirts, the liquid scalding his throat and warming his stomach. He then passes it on to Lincoln, Lincoln to Alister, and finally Alister to Senthyn. Senthyn hesitates, the smell of the spirits making her nose wrinkle, but in sense of comradery, she takes a gulp of the jug. As soon as the spirits make it down her throat, she practically coughs it back up, lowering the jug quickly as she tries to clear her airways. Darius takes the jug from her before she can drop it, Alister and Lincoln chuckling at her as her face begins to glow a fresh shade of pink.

The jug makes a few more trips around the campfire, Senthyn taking sips while the men take much larger gulps. As the jug makes its rounds, the group begins to share stories of past adventures. Darius told stories of past hunts with the crew, which Senthyn found very interesting. Lincoln reenacted a occasions from his days as a fisherman, often describing massive fish that he had pulled in on his own; Senthyn found the stories amusing while the other two sailors were skeptical. Alister told stories of famous commanders he had sailed with long before the younger members of the group were even born. Lincoln would often interrupt the stories to ask how old Alister is, most often because he did not believe the older sailor was actually alive at the time of his stories. Alister would only change the subject and continue his stories while Darius and Senthyn listened with interest.

"…then, the Vikings tried to flank us as the landed another few ships further down the beach, but-"

"Ahh!" Lincoln screams suddenly, cutting off Alister's story and making the group jump to their feet. "Ghost! Phantom!" Lincoln yells as he scurries around, his hand fumbling for his sword. Senthyn throws herself behind Darius as he takes up his trident, his eyes focusing on a shadowy figure coming up the beach. Alister raises his ax, ready to split the intruder in two as it makes its way up the beach. However, as it comes closer, the figure takes on a very human shape, and once it steps into the light, it has a very familiar face.

"Thomas?" Alister asks as Thomas steps into the light of the campfire, his clothes and pack soaked and dripping with water. Thomas holds his hands up, his face shocked and confused as he watches his friends stare at him with weapons drawn.

"Y-yeah. Its me. I would also like to stay in one piece, please." Thomas says as the rest of the group's eyes widen at the sight of their friend.

"The hell tha' is Thomas," Lincoln says as he steps around Lincoln with his sword drawn. "Sen said she couldn' find you as the ship went down. How the hell you standin' here then?"

Thomas keeps his hands up but gives Lincoln a peevish glare. "I know she couldn't find me, you twat. I was kind of preoccupied." Lincoln doesn't lower his sword as he returns the glare.

"Yeah, with wha'?"

"That would be me," a smooth, feminine voice answers from behind Thomas. A mass of dark, flowing hair appears behind Thomas, with lightly tanned skin and a pair of magenta eyes that pin Lincoln with her own glare. She stands almost even with Thomas and presses one of his arms between her sizeable breasts as she clings to him. She is dressed in a white, wrap top and loose fitting loincloth. The rest of the group then notices what appears to be a massive of tangle snakes around her legs, only Darius realizes they are not tangled around anything and they are not snakes, but tentacles.

"You're a scylla," Darius says, lowering his trident. The new Monster Girl shifts her eyes in his direction, her glare still persisting.

"It seems one of you has an extra braincell to rub together. I'm assuming your Captain Darius?" she asks and Darius nods to confirm.

"I'm Lythrana," the scylla says. "I happened to be in the area when that broken ship of yours fell of the reef. If I hadn't seen Thomas about to drawn trying to make it to the surface, he would have drowned." Thomas steps forward, throwing his pack down next to the fire.

"Lythrana pulled me into a crevice on the cliff face under the reef. After that bastard out there," Thomas throws a thumb over his shoulder towards the sea, "left, she pulled me up to the reef and healed my wounds." Lincoln and Alister look at each other and then to Darius, who is listening intently. Darius does not know if he appreciates the haughty attitude of Lythrana, but she saved Thomas' life and that earns her his thanks.

"Thank you, Lythrana," Darius says, his tone even. The scylla nods curtly.

"You're very welcome. Thomas has spoken very highly of you-eh," Lythrana's words end suddenly, her eyes locking onto something behind Darius. She then goes back to clinging against Thomas in a fearful manner. "You have a mershark with you?!"

Darius looks over his shoulder at Senthyn, who is peering around him after she realizes that Lythrana is not hostile. Planting his trident into the ground, Darius places a hand on his hip as he stares down the frightened scylla. "Yes, her name is Senthyn. She helped save us when our ship was attacked. Is that a problem?" Lythrana narrows her eyes at him for a moment and then at Senthyn. Her face does not calm down until Thomas places his hand on her forearm and strokes it.

"If it wasn't for Senthyn we wouldn't be here, Lyth," Thomas says, using a nickname that gives Darius pause. Lythrana looks at him nervously before straightening herself.

"Very well, if she is your friend." Lythrana says finally.

Darius turns his head so that he can look at Senthyn over his shoulder. "Do Scylla and Mersharks have issues?" Senthyn eyes shift sideways.

"Mersharks have a bad reputation. There are a lot of us who tend to be aggressive and lash out. The rest of us are guilty by association." Darius feels a stab in his chest, remembering the previous night when he was accused by Alister for being a deserter for the Empire.

"I'm sorry," Darius says before turning back to the group.

"Well, if we could, I would tell you to repay us for the toast we just did for you," Darius says to Thomas. "But I suppose sharing a drink with us will just have to do." Alister and Lincoln give hearty laughs to this as they raise the half empty jug with enthusiasm. Thomas grins broadly and accepts the jug before taking a large gulp. He then offers it to Lythrana, who arches a brow at it before taking a sip, her face screwing up in disgust as she sticks her tongue out and hands it back to Thomas.

As the celebration continues, Thomas explains how Lythrana had pulled him away from the sinking stern and helped him recuperate. She didn't specify how she did it, not that it was not obvious; the only way for a man to recover injuries the likes that he described, being underwater no less, was to make love with a Monster Girl. It was also obvious that the scylla has grown attached to the younger sailor, clinging to his arm and laughing at his antics. Love at first sight, Darius thinks to himself.

After another round of drinking, Lythrana opens up with her story of how she came to be trapped around the island. Apparently, she had been drifting throughout the sea for some years now, trying to find the right man to settle down with. A day or so ago, she was traveling along the sea floor when she noticed the beast swimming up from behind her, unknowingly having wandered into its territory. Using her tentacles, she made herself a cocoon and kept very still, hoping the creature would mistake her for a rock. Luckily, the creature passed by her and she slowly made her way towards the cliff and made her way up.

"…I can't tell you how many times that creature passed me on its way home. I'm lucky it wasn't in the mood for fine dining," Lythrana says with a sigh. The others, however, hold their breath. Lythrana notices this and looks around at the small group in concern.

"You said you saw where that thing sleeps?" Darius says, breaking the silence.

"Um…yes? It looked like an old fort; I think. The outer walls were mostly collapsed but that's what it looked like. The brute seemed to go there quite often from what I saw." The rest of the group looks around at each other with concern as Lythrana's words hang in the air. The scylla watches them for a moment, their silence only building her anxiety. "Is there something I'm not aware of? You people are making me quite nervous."

After a moment, it is Senthyn who brings up the legend of Vemosa. Lythrana's eyes brighten with recollection at the mention of the old story. "It does seem to fit…I suppose…" Lythrana says after hearing Senthyn's explanation; though, it seems to give the scylla more anxiety rather than comfort.

"Well, now we know where tha' bitch is sleepin'," Lincoln growls, taking another sip of the spirits.

"We can't just pop down to that beast's den and have a look around, Lincoln. It could come back at any time while we're there. Suicide ain't the way to go." Alister says wisely.

"That is true," Darius says, drawing everyone's attention. "But I think it would be a good idea." Both Senthyn and Lythrana look at Darius as if he has lost his mind. "We need to find some kind of weakness," he says before anyone can argue. "The more we know about this creature, curse or no curse, the better chance we have of getting off this island and back to the mainland."

No one says anything for a long moment, the only sound being the wind and the waves. Finally, Alister raises his head. "Captain's got a point, but I say we leave the plans for the daylight. Tonight, lets drown our worries." Darius catches a knowing look in Alister's eyes and nods, the group has had enough excitement for one day. There will be plenty of time to plain their escape, but tonight they will belong to the spirits.

The jug makes several more trips around the circle till it finally runs dry. Lincoln calls for the second bottle, his speech slurred and messy as sea foam, but no one manages to get up and retrieve it. As the waves continue to roll, the group shares story after story and eventually Alister, Lincoln, Thomas, and even Darius start to carry the tune of a few sailing shanties. Both girls eventually join in, the spirits loosening their inhibitions.

Lythrana stops clinging to Thomas as much, moving on to get up close and affectionate with Alister and Lincoln and all three men don't seem to mind sharing her attention. She give Darius a few inviting looks, but every time she does her face breaks off into a wide smile before laughing and going back to the other three sailors.

"Alright," Darius says, being possibly the most sober member of the group. "I am retiring for the night. If you need me, I'll be in the cave." Darius pushes himself up unevenly, slowly making his way through the tree line in short, stomping steps.

"Ah!" Darius spins around, almost falling over at the sound of Senthyn's voice. Despite his blurred vision and the darkness of the tress, he manages to see a figure hunched over in the dark.

"Are you alright?" Darius asks as he slowly makes his way to the doubled over mershark and manages to get her back on her feet.

"I- hic- I th-hic-ink so…" she says in broken speech. He cannot help but find the soft sound of her hiccups to be adorable as she sways in the dark. Suddenly, they both go rigid as a piercing cry rings through the trees. "I-hic-t came fro-hic-m the beach-hic-," Senthyn says as she trods off toward the beach. Darius does his best to follow her without stumbling over his own feet as he catches up to Senthyn, almost colliding with her.

"What's going…on?" Darius trails off as his eyes manage to focus for a single moment. Back towards the camp, Darius sees Lythrana on the other side other campfire. Her body is illuminated in the flickering lights of the fire. She is fully naked and straddling an equally naked Thomas, who is also grunting as she bounces on top of him. If that were not bad enough, Lincoln was also kneeling behind the bucking Lythrana, joining the young couple in their love making while Alister stood to the side so that Lythrana could take the older sailor's cock into her mouth.

Darius looks to the now quiet Senthyn, her face almost glowing as she watches erotic display, her eyes practically popping out of her their sockets. Wanting to help her, Darius takes her hand and leads her away from the beach and back towards the cave in silence. When they finally make it to the cave, Darius falls down in the soft, cool sand and sighs heavily.

"Sorry you saw that," he says with a sigh. "I thought they might go for that, but I wasn't su-" Darius' words end suddenly as he feels a foreign weight straddle his hips. Looking up in surprise, Darius looks up into the blushing face of Senthyn, her eyes glowing a shade of gold. She places her webbed hands against his chest, her expression determined, yet she does not move from this pose for a long moment; so much so that Darius begins to worry.

"Um…Senthyn?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?" Senthyn's eyes dart sideways at Darius' question. In truth, she had planned to kiss him, but as soon as she straddled him her mind went completely blank and she even forgot what she wanted to do.

"I…-hic- I want to…have…" Senthyn starts nervously.

"Have sex?" Darius asks and Senthyn can only bring herself to nod in response. "Is this…your first time?" Senthyn nods again. Darius is not surprised, the mershark makes it painfully obvious, but he finds her demeanor enduring; even sexy. "Would you like me to take the lead?" Darius asks and she nods again, more vigorously this time.

Darius reaches up to cup the back of her head and gently pull her down so that he can place his lips over hers. It is a soft kiss, a single brush of his lips on hers. He then deepens it slightly, extending the contact and opening his lips so that he can taste hers. She tastes of sea salt, but there is a headiness to her that captivates him.

Senthyn's senses reel at the taste of Darius. The feeling of his hard, toned body under her while having his lips against hers is something out of a fairy tale. She can taste the alcohol over his lips, bittersweet and intoxicating, and when she feels his tongue brush against hers it is as if a bolt of lighting sparked in her mouth. She moans softly as he lets his hands run down her back, his calloused hands exploring her body. She can't wait to explore his, too.

Darius pushes himself up and breaks the kiss so that he can remove Senthyn's top. Darius had seen plenty of women in his time that were spectacular, but in this moment, highlighted by the glowing pool in the cave, Darius had never seen a more beautiful woman than Senthyn. Her breasts are modest and perky and he finds himself sliding one of his hands up her stomach to touch her chest, the mershark shuddering at his touch. He then leans forward to kiss her abdomen letting his hands pull her closer before he makes a trail up her stomach with his tongue before working his way up the soft mounds of her breasts.

Senthyn is not ready when Darius takes one of her nipples into his mouth. It is far more intense than she thought it would be. With every slide and flick of his tongue, fire shoots through her nerves and she cannot control the moans that ensue and echo through the small cave. She wraps her arms around his head, clasping him to her chest as he continues to explore her chest with his tongue. When he is finally done tormenting her, she is already panting and needy for him.

Darius' eyes go wide as Senthyn unties her skirt and lets it fall in a heap beside them. The sight of her naked body is enough to drive him mad with lust. Her hips are small and dainty, the soft flesh leading to a perfect, enticing V that is begging for his attention. Wanting to make this night special for her, Darius takes her by the hips and leads her forward so that he is laying on his back while she straddles his face.

Senthyn is utterly confused as she straddles Darius' face, her face burning red as she realizes that she is completely exposed to him. However, any embarrassment is burned away as soon as she feels his lips enclose her center and the first flick of his tongue sends lightning through her body. She lets out a high pitched squeal that quickly dies into an extended moan as he runs the full length of his tongue along her swollen clit. She digs her fingers into his soft hair as she continues to work her body with his mouth. She could have never imagined this would feel so intense. While she is on top, Darius has her at his complete mercy as every weak point is exploited by his tongue.

Darius latches onto Senthyn's clit with his lips to give it several soft sucks as he feels her body rigid. The taste of her orgasm is sweet and delectable, the noise she makes from it is even better. As her pleasure subsides, Darius lays Senthyn on her back before leaning over her body. She is panting and blushing all over now, the look in her eyes reminds him of plenty of other women he has been with, and yet hers are so much more special to him.

"Are you ready?" Darius asks and he removes his battle skirt. Senthyn's eyes widen at the sight of Darius' member and he notices how her legs jerk inwardly.

"Y-y-yes…" she studders. Darius massages her thighs, her limbs receding so that he has full access to her body. He starts out slow, wanting to hurt her at little as possible. He starts by running his length against her nether lips, the juices coating his cock and making her shiver. "Darius…" she coos, her eyes hooded as she stares at him with need. Darius nods as he lets his tip kiss her folds. He expects her to be tight, but he is unprepared for just how tight the mershark's body is. It feels as if her body has suctioned to him, preventing him from pulling out of her. He takes a moment to allow her body to adjust before moving again.

Tears form in Senthyn's eyes as she accepts Darius into her body. It hurts, but not in a bad way. It takes her a long moment to acclimate to his length, especially when she realizes that he only went in halfway at first. When he finally hilts himself inside her, she is sure that his tip is kissing the entrance to her womb. Senthyn hugs her body around Darius, neither moving for a long time. When Darius does move, however, he reaches between their bodies to tease her clitoris and excite even more moans from her.

Every thrust threatens to send either of them over the edge as Senthyn's walls clamp around Darius to the point of pain. Despite her slickness, it feels like he is thrusting into a suction tight vice. Senthyn cries out as Darius increases his speed, his need for release becoming almost carnal. Senthyn is the first one to climax, her body closing around Darius like a vice as he continues to thrust against her, her face frozen in a soundless cry of ecstasy. She hold on to him as he continues his thrusts, moaning weakly as his cock kisses her cervix. When he finally releases with a guttural growl, she gasps as an intense heat feels her center before spreading throughout her limbs.

Darius rolls off of Senthyn, collapsing beside her. It had been a while since he had been with a woman that pleasing, despite the simplicity of the exchange. Normally he would have spent at least an hour teasing Senthyn till she was begging for him to take her, but this had been carnal and intense. He did not dislike it.

"That…was nice," Darius breathes as he stares up at the cave ceiling. He waits a moment, expecting a reply that never comes. When he raises his head to look at Senthyn, he finds that she is fast asleep, her breathing deep and steady. With a grin, Darius lays back and relaxes against the sandy floor. Just as he is about to fall asleep, he feels something soft drape over his chest and looks to see Senthyn curling against him in her sleep. The sight of her nuzzling against him is enough to revive his erection, but ignores it, putting his arm around her shoulders and laying his head back again. The feeling of her against him is nice to him.

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The next morning…

Darius comes awake at the sound of gulls echoing through the cave. He breathes in deeply, his muscles aching. He stretches his arms wide, the muscles straining for relief. When he opens his eyes, he finds that Senthyn is already awake, her eyes open wide as her face is a deep shade of red as she lays her head on his chest.

"Um…" Darius begins as he stares at the unmoving mershark. "Sen…you okay?" Senthyn's eyes flick towards him.

"Mhm, yes," she answers curtly. Her eyes dart back so that is looking directly in front of her. Darius says nothing for a long moment, staring worriedly at Senthyn.

"Sen, you're scaring me. What's the matter with you?" Senthyn does no respond for a long moment. Without warning, she quickly rolls over so that she is laying with her back to him, her head still laying on his bicep.

"I got drunk last night…" she says emotionlessly. Darius' stare darkens with even more worry as he stares at Senthyn's back.

"Yes," he answers. Another long pause.

"And we had…sex…" Senthyn says hesitantly. Darius' heart clenches in his chest, not knowing where the conversation is going and not sure he wants to find out.

"Um…yeah," Darius says unenthusiastically. Another long pause hangs between them, Darius' blood running cold.

"Was it…good?" Darius blinks as her words echo in his mind.

"Um…yeah? It was nice," Darius says. Senthyn rolls over suddenly so that she can look at him, her golden eyes holding back tears.

"You swear?" she asks, her eyes staring at him with anger as the tears she is fighting back start to form. Never in his life had he ever seen someone so adorable as Senthyn looked right now. So innocent and vulnerable, he doesn't know whether to hug her as tight as he can or kiss her breathless. Without giving it much thought, Darius pulls Senthyn against him. The mershark gives a loud eep as Darius presses his lips against hers.

Senthyn's mind goes completely blank. She remembers the kiss from last night, the heat of his breath and body, the feel of him both against and inside her. It was hot and heady and electric, but not this one. Right now, Darius is cool and soothing; his kiss calming and yet paralyzing.

When Darius pulls back so that he can look at Senthyn, her tears have finally fallen and she visibly crumbles, burying her face in his chest. She begins to tremble as she cries against him, happiness filling ever inch of her body and soul. For an entire month she had been isolated on the island, the creature's fin passing in the distance a constant reminder of her tragedy, the only company finally being Darius and his crewmembers. She is utterly thankful they lived and that she is not alone anymore. What's more, she has found something in Darius, something that she had seen between her parents, and wished for herself one day.

Darius is not sure what to do with the trembling mershark. Sex, he understood, but he had never had a relationship before; the women he often slept with were gone shortly after they were done. Very rarely was he ever around long enough to see them again or they returned to him. He did not mind it that way, emotions are messy. But now, while this vulnerable Monster Girl clutches onto him, he cannot shake this desire to comfort her. Putting his arms around her, he places a kiss on the top of her head, her trembling becoming less intense. Senthyn does not move for a long moment, only moving when a low, rumbling sound emanates from the mershark's guts.

Darius gives a chuckle as Senthyn covers her face with her hands, still pressed against Darius' chest. "Alright. Let's dress ourselves and go find breakfast. I need to talk to the others about something." The two gather their clothes, rinse their bodies of sand in the cave's pool and dress before stepping outside.

The two find the others already cooking breakfast, cooked seagull eggs and fish.

"Bou' time you two showed up," Lincoln calls cheerfully, waving a skewered fish in the air at them. The four other members seemed to be in much higher spirits, not that it was a mystery as to why, but Darius did not bring up the previous night's events.

After the meal was eaten and everyone was engaging in conversation, Darius called everyone to attention. "You're not going to like what I have to say," Darius warned as he spoke. Senthyn and Lythrana both eyed him nervously, but his crew slouched forward with knowing looks on their faces.

"You want to go down to the fortress, right?" Thomas says. Darius nods, the two Monster Girls look both terrified and stunned.

"Yeah," Alister begins. "Had a feeling you'd want to see it, soon as Lyth talked about it yesterday."

"Nothing else better to do," Lincoln says with a shrug. The two Monster Girls only become more astonished at the crew's nonchalant attitude towards venturing down to the creature's lair.

"Are you men out of your ever-loving-minds? There is no way we'll manage to get down there without that beast noticing us," Lythrana protests as Senthyn shakes her head while trembling.

"I don't think so," Darius begins. "If we have you to help us get down there, we should all go unnoticed." Lythrana arches a brow at the captain for a moment, his intent becoming clear.

"You realize that I have to concentrate in order to change my tentacles, yes? The more stressed I am, the harder it becomes. The first time was pure luck, what makes you think we'll manage again?" Lythrana demands and Darius has the nerve to smile.

"Well, it is short an eye, now."
The scylla looks at him in confusion and Thomas recounts how the trio escaped the creature the previous day. Lythrana is both astounded and horrified by their feat, and to her own dismay, she starts to agree with Darius.

"It…it could work. I am not sure how the creature actually hunts…but…perhaps…" Lythrana says, visually struggling with the idea. The crewmen exchange woeful expressions before looking back at their captain.

"Well," Alister begins. "Anyone else got more to add to the issue?"

Darius looks to Senthyn, her face masked with worry. "You don't have to come, Sen. Nor you, Lythrana. We're not mounting an attack; we're looking for information. That's it." Senthyn is quiet for a long moment, staring into the sand at her feet. The idea of swimming into that beast's lair is the stuff of nightmares, literally in her case as she had suffered with them for a long time when she was first trapped on the island. But, now, she has Darius and the others. They would protect her and she them…

"I'll go…" Senthyn says quietly. Darius smiles and nods, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"So will I," Lythrana says, Thomas smiling at her.

After coming to the consensus, the group goes about finalizing the plan and preparing their equipment. After some deliberation, they finalize that Senthyn and Lythrana will cast spells on the crew to allow them to breathe underwater, allowing them to swim alongside Lythrana as she uses to her camouflage to hide them from the creature while Senthyn uses her magic to ward off any other predator that might be lurking below. The equipment was difficult to prepare as the men struggle to find armor that was sturdy enough to protect them but also light enough that it would not impede them reaching the surface should the need arise. Finally, they settle on combinations of hodgepodge leather pieces and cotton gambesons. Darius, however, went with even less; wearing two sleeves of hardened leather scales, his battle skirt, trousers, and metal greaves. His choice reminds him of his days in the arenas, but he does not comment on that. Lythrana and Senthyn are also given the few pieces that would fit them, as well as a pair of short swords each; neither have any experience with using weapons, but something is better than nothing to Darius' mind.

With their equipment ready, the group makes their way towards the surf, wading into the deeper parts of the reef before submerging themselves. With a little hesitation, Senthyn, her lower body transforming into its true form, swims to Darius and places a soft kiss on his lips. Darius kisses her back, the feeling of cold air filling his mouth, nose, and lungs. Darius had heard of this spell, the one spell that all marine Monster Girls are taught as it will allow their future husbands to follow them into the sea without fear of drowning. When Darius pulls back from the kiss, he takes a deep breath through his nose. The feeling of water filling his airway is not so different than that of air, the spell making it seem almost as natural as the other. Darius then turns to the rest of the group, seeing Lythrana doing the same to Thomas, Allister, and Lincoln.

"Everyone ready?" Darius asks, his words coming out almost as clearly as they would be on land. The group nods before they make their way towards the edge of the reef, the open expanse of ocean and depths both breathtaking and horrifying to them. The group crouches low to the ground as they watch for any sign of movement in the distance around and below. After what they believe to be long enough, Lythrana moves her tentacles to form a kind of shell over her body, keeping two to drape behind her for stability. The skin of her tentacles becomes rigid and blackish-blue, similar to the cliffside.

"Okay," Lythrana says and the others clamor under the tentacles before they slowly make their way over the edge of the cliff. Letting the two draping tentacles scrape along the cliff side, the group slowly float down into the black depths, the group clinging to Lythrana's hands, shoulder and hips as they all keep a lookout for any movement in the distance.

It is almost an hour before Lincoln gives a loud hiss, signaling Lythrana to stop. Her draping tentacles loop and catch the side of the cliff as the others collapse around them, leaving only a few gaps in between for the others to peer through.

A combination of absolute terror and disdain washes through Darius as he sees the creature come into view. It is massive, as he already knew, its form similar to that of a shark. The black plates covering its head extend to the large dorsal and pectoral fins and midway down its back, the rest of its body more rigid and wrinkled, like that of a seahorse, with a large, serrated tailfin. The creature passes by them unassumingly, its empty eye socket towards them. Darius has the idea that they could proceed despite the creature's presence but thinks against it in case the creature can sense their movement. In a few, long sweeps of its tail, the creature passes along the cliffside and drifts out of sight.

Darius looks to the rest of the group: the crewmen look back, stern looks on their faces as they give nods of affirmation, Senthyn has her eyes closed as she trembles, and Lythrana has her face buried against the cliff side, also trembling. Darius strokes Senthyn's back assuringly, Thomas doing the same to Lythrana, and the group proceeds with their descent a few moments later.

As they continue downwards, the shape of the underwater fortress comes into view. Darius had heard stories about the castles and fortresses of Ryugujo, and the site below them confirmed those stories: the fortress circular, pressed against the side of the ocean cliff. The outer wall is constructed like a large, checkered dome of stone with structures rising up inside. Parts of the dome of collapsed while the rest is covered with coral and sea vegetation. Darius also notes the large hole that seems to have been broken through the dome, leading into the largest of the structures inside.

The group float through one of the openings in the top of the dome, coming to the roof of a tower connecting to the largest structure, the main keep by Darius' guess. The buildings under the dome show the same weathering and neglect as the dome, at least, those that have not been crushed by debris. The groups spreads out to look for any kind of entrance, Alister noticing a patch of crumpled wall in the side of the tower they now stand on. Darius nods without a word and the group follows him into the opening.

The interior of the tower is pitch black, Senthyn remedying this with another spell as a glowing bubble manifests in her palm. She repeats this till there are five glowing orbs floating around the group and illuminating the inside of the tower. The hole opens into what Darius presumes is the underwater equivalent of a stairwell, though the floor is smooth stone as its original occupants had no need of them. The walls, ceiling and floor are covered in coral, barnacles, and bottom-feeders scurry and slither to avoid the glow of Senthyn's bubbles. Darius takes point, awkwardly descending the 'stairwell' with the others following suit, the bubbles floating between each member of the group.

Darius cannot shake the dreadful feeling that seems to exude from the fortress. The emptiness echoes into him, the darkness oppressive as he descends further into the depths of the fortress. Luckily, he reaches the bottom without delay; a stone arch opening into a hallway with the same overgrowth as the rest of the fortress. Darius draws his trident and buckler before waving for the rest to follow him and the crewmen draw their weapons as well.

The group makes their way slowly through the corridors of the fortress, looking for any kind of clue as to how to defeat the creature and only finding more products of decay and scavengers living in the remains. From what Darius can see, the fortress was once lavish, the walls decorated with carved murals, stands to display artifacts and weapons, and many more testaments to luxury. Now, the murals are hardly visible, save for a few faded portions and any items that may have once been lustrous are now dingy or destroyed.

"Shit!" Darius spins, his trident raised as Lincoln hisses, looking down the opening of another corridor that the group had just passed. "I saw something," he says again, pointing his sword down the black expanse of the hallway. Darius and Senthyn move to flank him before one of the bubbles begins to drift down the hall. They watch as it reveals more coral and overgrowth, more bottom-feeders retreating from the light, but nothing different than what they have already seen. The bubble stops after about twenty feet and begins to make its way back to them.

"What did you see?" Darius asks and Lincoln looks at him with serious eyes.

"Though' I saw something glowing move, Cap'in. Something small an' quick."

"It could have been a fish. There are plenty that live this far down that produce light from their bodies naturally," Lythrana says. Darius does not look at her as he stares down the corridor.

"Let's see where this goes," Darius says, stepping into the corridor, one of the glowing bubbles floating just over his shoulder. The group look at him in disbelief, but do not argue as they follow him.

The corridor yields little more than they had already seen, and there does not seem to be any sign of life other than evidence of aquatic scavengers. However, Darius stops suddenly as another archway appears on the side of the hallway. Darius waves and points towards the arch, letting the others know. Thomas moves behind Darius while the others bring up the rear. The bubble floats ahead of Darius as he rounds the corner, and the gladiator sucks in a breath at what the light reveals.

The arch leads into a room, the walls cluttered with overgrowth, but Darius is focusing on the floor. Skeletons litter the entire space of the room's floor, many of them incased in rusted armor, their upper halves appearing human while the lower halves are long stretches of vertebrae with slender ribs down the lengths.

"Mermaids," Senthyn whispers as she swims into the archway. Darius nods as he realizes this and approaches the pile of skeletons, looking for any clue as to how they died. The bones seem to be intact, most of the skeletons being whole and undisturbed, save for the occasional crab, sea slug, and other scavengers that have taken residence amongst the bones.

"Captain," Thomas says, waving for Darius to join him near one of the room's walls. Darius goes to him and sees what grabbed the younger sailor's attention. The wall Thomas is looking at is scrawled with what appears to be writing: deep, sharp cuts in the stone that appear to make symbols similar to those of Zipangu writing. Some of the carvings seem deliberate and carefully applied while others are cruder, as if made in haste. Darius turns to the two Monster Girls of the group.

"Any chance either of you know what these mean?"

Senthyn and Lythrana move forward, the two sailors backing up so they can examine the scrawling while Lincoln and Alister take up defensive positions at the archway. Senthyn recognizes the words as Ryugujian, but the decay of the wall and the overlapping of the characters makes it hard to fully understand them. However, she manages to make out a few parts.

"'She waits…She watches…She…eats,'" Senthyn says aloud, her voice becoming more nervous as she reads. The other symbols have similar messages; warnings for anyone reading them to leave this place while they still can.

"So, wait, that story you told us said she was meant to eat her army, right?" Thomas asks, Senthyn stops to look at the younger sailor. "If that's so, why are these guys here, still in armor?"

"Starvation," Darius says, and they all turn to him. "After she was cursed, they tried to escape the fortress, but realized they couldn't leave either because of the curse. Vemosa probably ate the ones she could get to, but the ones who managed to hide in the fortress probably didn't last too long, eventually dying off from hunger when whatever supplies that had ran out." The entire room fills with dread from Darius' explanation, the image of these soldiers huddling together in their final hours plaguing their minds.

"I found something," Lythrana says, breaking the tension from Darius' explanation. Darius, Senthyn, and Thomas move to her and she points to one of the more intentional looking carvings. "It says, 'With this spear, I chain you to your throne. This home, freely given, shall cage you. Your army that served, shall feed you. Your ravenous hunger shall shape you. With this spear, one without treachery shall end you.'"

The words hang in the air for a long moment as they sink in. "So…the legend is true?" Thomas asks, looking from the wall to the pile of skeletons littering the floor.

"So it seems," Lythrana says. "Though the stories don't say anything about it having an exit clause." Lythrana cups her chin as she thinks this new information over.

"Would breaking the curse even be worth it?" Darius asks. "If she was an otohime, then changing her back would only make her more of an issue, right?"

"Not quite," Senthyn says. "A curse strong enough to hold an otohime isn't an easy thing to cast. Most likely the Demon Lord would have fought and wounded her, first. So, if the curse were broken, she would return to her weakened state. She would be vulnerable."

Darius nods at the explanation. "It's more of a lead than we've had for the last two days. I say we look for the trident from your story and see if we can remove it."

"One problem, Captain," Lythrana begins. "One of us has to be 'without treachery'. I'm guessing that means that the one to remove the trident would have had to never betrayed someone, most likely in any sense of the word. Curses are often tricky like that, so I've been told." Lythrana looks at the three of them and even to Alister and Lincoln, who are looking back and forth between the small group and the dimly lit corridor. "Can anyone here honestly say that they have never betrayed someone; never broken a promise? I'll be the first to admit that I have."

"She has a point," Lincoln says. "I've broken a few promises in me life. Ne'er outrightedly betrayed no one, but if this curse is tha' strict, won't be me to break it."

"Aye, can't say I've kept every promise I ever made, either," Alister says.

Darius moves towards the archway, Alister and Lincoln standing up at his approach. "Well, we won't find out until we find it and try," Darius says as he exits the room, one of the glowing bubbles following him. The others follow suit and they enter the corridor once again. "Any ideas where the trident might be?"

"The story said that they fought in the throne room, I'm guessing that's where it is," Senthyn says. Darius nods as he leads the group down the corridor, hoping he is leading them in the right direction.

Navigating the fort is not so treacherous as Darius had expected, the worst obstacle being urchins and the more dangerous bottom dwellers that have occupied the halls of the fortress, but otherwise it has been an easy task. Although, having any sense of direction has proven almost impossible; the fortress lacks any form of windows and there are no useful landmarks to distinguish one location from the other. After what seems like an eternity of wandering the dreary halls, Darius rounds a corner and is greeted by the dim glow of the deeper ocean coming from a large hole in what he assumes used to be where an archway would have stood.

Approaching the hole, Darius peers into what used to be a large, lavish room. The ceiling is high above them, the entire room big enough to house an entire army of mermen. However, Darius realizes that it already is; just like the room they found before, the entire floor is littered with the remains of countless skeletons, only these are broken and scattered about the area. Darius looks to the massive hole in the room's wall and realizes that whatever caused the damage came from inside the room.

Yep, the creature went through there. So that must mean… Darius looks to the opposite end of the room. There appears to be an old throne, carved stone that protrudes out of a raised platform, its appearance obscured by overgrowth. But, just a few feet away from the throne, Darius sees a shaft sticking perfectly vertical out of the floor, many skeletons surrounding it as if they died trying to free it.

Darius approaches the shaft and, sure enough, it is a trident pierced into the floor. Unlike the rest of the fortress, the trident is pristine; no rust, coral, or any sign of age. The metal of its pommel, shaft, and head shine in the dull light of the ocean floor as if it were just left there for him to find. Darius begins to reach out for the trident, wrapping his fingers around the shaft-

"Captain," Darius jerks at the sound of Thomas' voice. He turns to see the boy several feet away, towards the opposite side of the room from where they entered. "You might want to see this."

Darius looks to the trident for a moment, but steps away to see what Thomas has found. As he approaches, he finds Thomas looking down at the body of a large shark. This would not trouble him so much, given where they are, but the body is fresh. The shark has been eviscerated, its fins ripped off, and it is covered in many deep cuts and what appear to be bite marks.

"What do you make of this, Captain?" Thomas asks. Darius does not answer him immediately. The creature would have eaten this shark whole, and the bite marks are two small to be a larger predator. They seem almost human.

"Captain!" Darius jerks around to see Lincoln bend down to pick something up from the ground and hold it up. To his horror, it appears to be a severed human arm, skin still present on the bones.

Before Lincoln can say anything, something small and white swims past Lincoln, tearing the severed arm from his grasp and darting upward towards the ceiling. Lincoln lets out a curse in surprise, his and everyone else's eyes following the white shape towards the ceiling. It is then that they become aware of the numerous sets of glowing eyes that are staring down at them like a horde of bats.

The group stares up at the eyes, their bodies hidden in the shadow cast on the ceiling from the large hole in the chamber's wall. Darius places a hand on Thomas and begins to slowly pull him back, his eyes locked on the ceiling. He slowly waves for his group to move back towards the hole they entered through and they get the message. Senthyn and Lythrana manage to make it back to the hole, first, with Lincoln and Alister only a few feet away, leaving Darius and Thomas being the furthest out.

Just as Lincoln steps into the hole, his foot lands on a loose piece of debris, his foot slipping and clicking against a rusted shield that sends out an echoing clang through the chamber. The sound is answered by a chorus of high-pitched shrieks as a mass of white objects erupt from the ceiling, swimming too fast for the group to get a good look.

"Move!" Darius yells as he grabs Thomas and shoves him towards the hole. While they are able to breathe and stay submerged, moving underwater is still more difficult that on land for the men. The spell allows them to move more freely underwater, but there is still more resistance and the men are much slower than the swarming creatures.

Darius' instincts kick in as one approaches him from the side, his trident whipping around in a sluggish twirl. He manages to have the head in position just as the white creature lunges for him, its open mouth being impaled on his trident from the momentum. From this, Darius manages to get a look at the creature.

A merman, he believes. Its skin and scales pale white and pulled taught over its bones, the ridges of its ribs and collar bones plainly visible. Strands of thin hair float around its head, the face misshapen and grotesque. As Darius kicks the creature off his weapon, blood pluming from its mouth, he also sees the set of jagged teeth set in its jaw. He sees two more swim towards him, his hand drawing the trident back instinctively; however, the other creatures move to the corpse of their companion, grabbing onto it before sinking their teeth into the dead flesh in a cannibalistic frenzy. Sickened by the brutal display, Darius moves to rejoin his group as quickly as he can while the rest of the swarm moves to attack them.

The swarm is just upon them as Darius and Thomas manage to reach the hole. Lythrana reaches out for Thomas, the younger sailor taking it as she pulls him and Alister through the hole and out of sight. Senthyn does the same and Darius follows suit, Lincoln already holding her other hand, and is completely stunned when she pulls him and Lincoln off their feet and beside her so that she can wrap her arms around them. With no outright explanation, Lythrana and Senthyn, while holding onto two of the men each, burst down the corridor as if propelled by some unknown force at incredible speeds, Senthyn's glowing bubbles floating several feet in front of them. When Darius sees the bubbles round a corner, he is sure they will crash until he sees Lythrana pull ahead of Senthyn and make the turn without issue. When Senthyn does the same, the jerk from their acceleration is almost enough to make Darius cough up his guts, but he manages to contain himself.

To his horror, Darius notices that whatever trick Senthyn and Lythrana are using to swim at such a speed is also prevalent to the merman creatures as he sees several sets of glowing eyes come into view behind them, a few of their hideous, snarling faces illuminated by the light of the bubbles ahead of them. One manages to catch up to Senthyn, twisting itself so that it can lunch for the fins of her tail. Just before the creature can reach her, Darius twists and thrusts his trident forward, the shaft slipping through his fingers as it impales the merman through the temple, Darius grasping the shaft again at the pommel. He jerks the body forward just enough so that he can kick it off, the body floating behind before being set upon by its companions, the rest of the swarm still giving chase.

By means that Darius is unaware of, the bubbles manage to lead the group through the corridors till they arrive at a familiar looking archway, the one leading up through the tower they entered the fortress through. As the girls carried the men, several of the mermen creatures managed to catch up to them, the crewmen lashing out with their weapons to keep the creatures at bay. With every wounded attacker, the swarm would set upon their wounded and cannibalize them while the rest continued the chase.

As Senthyn and Lythrana reach the archway, they suddenly come to a halt. Darius becomes aware of their heavy breathing; their method of propulsion having almost exhausted them. Without missing a beat, Darius rushes them through the archway as the swarm draws closer. As the rest of the group climbs the tower, Darius turns back towards the archway and raises his trident. Thrusting it into the top of the arch, Darius jerks down until the crumbling wall and ceiling give way just as the first members of the swarm reach him. A shower of debris and dust crumbles over Darius and the first few mermen, but Darius does not hesitate as he begins to follow his group up the tower.

The climb is not easy as he has little ability to swim with the spell's effects, the smooth surface of the floor does not help, either. Although, he is relieved to not hear anymore hissing from the merman creatures for the moment.

"Captain!" Darius looks up to see Lincoln holding a position just above him.

"I bought us some time," Darius says with a huff. "Let's move!"

Lincoln reaches out for Darius to take his hand, pulling the Captain up to his level before shoving him forward. "Lead the way, Captain!"

Darius nods to Lincoln, not noticing the glowing set of eyes just behind him. When the creature's face becomes illuminated by the bubbles, Darius cannot react fast enough as the creature sinks its teeth into Lincoln's neck and tears out a large bite of flesh. Lincoln's eyes bulge as blood begins to plume from his throat, his hand drifting towards his neck lazily as his face is frozen in bewilderment.

With a growl, Darius lashes out with his trident again, catching the creature in the chest and throat. The creature gives a sickly whimper as the light fades from its bulbous eyes. Just as Darius jerks his trident free, another creature appears from below and jerks Lincoln and his attacker back down the tower.

"No!" Darius yells as he lunges for Lincoln, noticing the third creature too late. Just when he is sure the creature will sink its teeth into him, he watches as an axe blade splits the creature's head open, blood pulsing out as the axe is jerked free.

"Come on!" Alister roars as he grabs Darius and jerks him upwards, shoving him towards Thomas and the Monster Girls as they ascend. Darius gives little resistance, the image of Lincoln's face scarring his mind. Alister and Thomas take up the rear as Darius, Senthyn, and Lythrana pull them along.

Thomas turns just in time to see another creature coming up the passage, thrusting his sword into its chest. The creature cries out just as two more immerge as well. Thomas tries to pull his sword free but does not have time as one of the oncoming creatures surges forward and bites into his shoulder, its bony arms encircling him and digging their claws into his back. Thomas lets out a painful cry as Alister brings his axe down, catching the creature in the back of the neck. Thomas shoves the creature off and kicks it away, blood drifting from the wounds.

"Thomas!" Lythrana yells as she pushes past Darius to check on Thomas.

"Take him, girl! Move!" Alister yells as he shoves Thomas towards her. The scylla does just that as she takes him into her arms and pulls him up towards the top of the tower. The group manages to make it back to the large opening in the top, Lythrana going ahead with the bleeding Thomas.

"Let's go!" Darius hisses as Senthyn passes through the hole and reaches for them. Both men take her hands and she pulls them out and up.

"AH!" Alister cries out as he is jerked back towards the hole, almost bringing Senthyn and Darius with him. Darius manages to see several of the creatures inside the hole, hissing and baring their teeth at them as a few of them grip at Alister's leg. Darius lunges for Alister's hand to help Senthyn keep her grip, the mershark doing her best to help jerk the older sailor out of their grasp.

"Let him go you bastards! I'll kill you all! I'll kill you!" Darius yells, lunging for the open hole with his trident. Alister grasps at the straps of Darius' armor and shoves him back, the gladiator in shock at the sailor's actions.

"Captain," Alister begins, his voice calm and meaningful. "Get that trident, Captain… Kill these miserable bastards… And kill that bitch of a fish-whore." With a grunt of effort, Alister shoves his hand out of Senthyn's grasp, the creature's pulling him back into the tower with blinding speed as the older sailor twists and raises his axe.

"Alister!" Darius calls as Senthyn grabs and pulls him towards the surface, seeing Alister decapitate one of the creatures before watching the fortress disappear beneath him.

---

Two days later…

Darius watches as the black fin of the massive creature sails through the water almost a two hundred meters away from the beach, making another jagged cut into the sliver of wood he has beside him. He has been watching the creature for the last two days, sitting in the same spot on the beach from dawn to dusk; the same spot where him and the rest of his group left to find and explore the underwater fortress.

After Darius, Senthyn, Lythrana, and Thomas resurfaced, Darius was almost delirious. He tried to fight against Senthyn, tried to return to the fortress to help Alister. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving Alister and Lincoln to be eaten by those twisted creatures skulking at the bottom of the ocean. It took hours for Darius to stop fighting, whether from exhaustion or just despair he didn't know.

As Lythrana and Senthyn went about treating Thomas' wounds, Darius found himself sitting on the beach, watching the waves roll, his mind plagued with guilt that left him unable to move. He sat on the beach for hours, Senthyn trying to coax him back to camp with food and conversation, but he was unresponsive. He sat on the beach for hours, well after the sun had fallen. The only time he moved at all was when the creature's fin passed by and he would follow it with his eyes till it passed out of his peripherals.

He didn't feel any anger or malice toward the creature anymore, he didn't feel anything then, only self-loathing. However, as the moon rose just over the horizon of the ocean, he noticed the creature's fin sailing into view in front of him again before it started to shift towards the beach and dive. At first, Darius had not thought anything of it. The creature was returning to its lair. But then he remembered the words on the fortress wall.

He leaned back as his thoughts turned from melancholy; why does the creature return to the fortress? It is meant to be her 'cage', to keep her trapped, and yet she can come and go as she pleases. He also began to wonder why the swarm of mermen creatures hadn't followed them out of the fortress. They would've caught the rest of the group more easily as Senthyn and Lythrana had already been worn out from their high-speed swimming. Yet, they settled to leave them to make their escape while killing Alister…it did not make sense.

From there, Darius stayed awake for the rest of the night, watching as the creature's fin rose from the waters again the following morning, sailing out a distance away from the beach before continuing its circle of the island. He then began to keep count of how many times the creature rounded the island, first by making marks in the sand, then by carving marks into pieces of wood laying around him. By the end of the first day, the creature rounded the island twenty-five times.

Darius makes another mark on his current piece of wood, recording the twelfth round for the creature. He has yet to figure out a reason for this circling. He thought perhaps the creature learned of their excursion into its lair and was waiting for a chance to attack them, as if they would leave the safety of the island, again; but Darius thought better of it. The creature is too large to survive on just humans, it would need much larger prey in order to stay fed, even if they were the only food source available. He doesn't believe that it is a territorial instinct, the creature has apparently been trapped around the island for centuries now. Darius concocts several more theories that he ultimately thinks himself out of as the creature makes another round, Darius making a thirteenth mark as it passes him. His thoughts distract him as Senthyn walks up the beach to stand behind him at a distance.

"Darius," she says, and he turns suddenly as her voice startles him. She stiffens for a moment at his sudden defensiveness, but calms as his demeanor softens immediately when he realizes it is her. "We've prepared some food. Are you hungry?"

Darius nods his head; he hasn't eaten sense before they scaled down to the fortress; the depression and later obsession making him ignore his growling stomach. Looking up at the sun now at its peak, he realizes that he has not eaten in almost two days.

"Okay," Senthyn says, a soft smile on her face. She leads him back to the camp where Lythrana and the wounded Thomas are waiting for them. Thomas, despite the severity of his wounds, appears in perfect health now, save for the large wound on his exposed shoulder that is now a pinkish scar. Thomas smiles softly as Darius and Senthyn approach the camp while Lythrana only nods to them before dividing the meal into portions.

"Captain, glad you could join us," Thomas says as Darius takes a seat around the smoldering campfire. Lythrana says nothing as Senthyn takes her seat as well, the scylla then passing the portions around so that everyone has theirs. The group eats in silence, none of them knowing what to say after the horrendous events from their excursion to the fortress. After the meal is eaten and the scraps disposed of, Senthyn invites Lythrana to join her in gathering more wood for the fire, leaving Darius and Thomas alone.

"How are your wounds, Thomas?" Darius asks after the Monster Girls are out of ear shot.

The younger sailor gives a weak smile. "I'm fine. Lythrana saw to that, not like I need to explain how."

Darius nods, understanding perfectly. Thomas begins to say something else when he stops suddenly, turning towards the waves. Darius follows his line of sight, seeing the creature's large fin sailing by. Thomas says nothing, his face emotionless as the fin glides up around the island and out of sight. Darius reaches for his piece of wood to mark the new round, only to remember that he had left it behind.

"We ain't getting off this island, are we, Captain?" Thomas asks, his face still expressionless.

Darius looks at the sailor for a long, silent moment. "I don't know, Thomas."

Thomas only nods in response. Without a word, he takes out a knife from his belt and a small, smooth sided stone before running it over the edge of the blade. "Well, at least we have some fine Monster Girls to keep us company," Thomas says with bitter humor, his tone digging painfully into Darius. He was the captain and he had led his ship into destruction and the last remnants of his crew into the mouth of the beast. He failed them.

"I mean," Thomas begins again. "We could wait for another ship to come by, I guess. Wait for the creature to strike and them we just get the girls to do that 'super swimming' to get us out of here. Though, no idea how that works for us exactly. We stay too long underwater and we won't be able to come back up. Though, wouldn't mind it too much. Settling down with Lythrana sounds mighty fine to me. What about you, Captain…Captain?"

Thomas stares nervously at Darius, who apparently has been staring at the younger sailor's hands very intensely for a moment or so. The young sailor looks down at the knife with a raised brow, unaware of the flurry of thoughts in his captain's head.

His mind ablaze, Darius jumps up from the sand and runs down towards the surf, Thomas jumping up with a yelp to follow him.

"Captain!" Thomas yells, but Darius cannot hear him as he runs down to the edge between the dry and wet sand of the beach. Thomas catches up to him quickly, his face worried and confused. "Captain, what the hell is in that head of yours?"

Darius says nothing for a long moment, his eyes squinting as he stares out over the ocean. "How far away were we when that thing attacked our ship?" Darius asks, almost absent mindedly.

Thomas looks at him as if his captain has finally lost his mind. "Um…couldn't have been more than fifty meters from the edge of the reef, I guess?"

Darius nods. He does not say anything for a long moment, Thomas looking at him, out to the ocean and then back to his captain. Then, Darius looks up the beach, the creature's fin slicing through the water for the fifteenth time.

"Look how far away it is," Darius says, Thomas squinting as he judges the distance.

"Um…I guess…maybe a hundred meters?" Thomas says unsure.

"A hundred and twenty," Darius says, his voice certain. He finally understands. He turns to Thomas, his face turning into a confident smile that does not calm Thomas' nerves. "The bitch is trying to break her tether."

---

Two hours later…

"Excuse me?" Lythrana demands, outraged at Darius's apparent, newfound knowledge.

"She's scraping away at the curse's hold. That's why she's circling the island." Darius says. Lythrana just shakes her head, not understanding how he came to this deduction.

"And how did you discover this?" the scylla demands, crossing her arms in disbelief.

Darius nods, his face a crooked smile. "Well, I had many questions to begin with. For starters, I wanted to know why the thing is circling the island. I've seen sharks do that for prey, but this thing didn't do it for the Serpent, she just went straight for us. I also wanted to know why those things in the fortress didn't come after us when we got out. There was plenty of them to chase us, yet they didn't try and come after the rest of us."

Darius then looks to Thomas, who is sitting by the campfire as Darius explains his theory. "Then, I saw Thomas sharpening his knife. The grinding made it come to mind and that's when I realized that the creature didn't attack our ship until we were closer to the reef. That's also when I remembered the words down in the fortress; it was supposed to cage her, yet she's out and those mermen things aren't."

Lythrana wrinkles her brow as she tries to understand Darius's logic. "So, you think she is able to somehow break the curse on her own?"

"No," Darius says. "Not break it, just stretch it. She doesn't care about changing back to her old self, she just wants to be free from the fortress. She wants to roam and hunt, just like any hungry animal. The mermen aren't strong enough to escape the curse, but she was an Otohime that could tangle with the old Demon Lord herself. It's taken her all these centuries to scrape this far from the fortress. Who knows how much longer she has before she's able to leave it completely?"

There is an air of silence for a long moment, Lythrana staring daggers at Darius the entire time as Darius stares back at her with the same confident smirk.

"You are a fucking lunatic," Lythrana growls.

"Lyth-" Thomas begins before the scylla turns her glare on him.

"Don't 'Lyth' me, Thomas. This man is spouting utter nonsense. Sure, we've come to learn that the Vemosa legend has some truth to it. That doesn't mean any of his talk about it is true. Not to mention this man has already led two of our group to their deaths!"

"Hey!" Senthyn gasps angrily and the scylla turns towards the mershark, her anger flaring.

"You know it's true! Had Darius not said anything about going down there, Lincoln and Alister would still be alive. We should have been looking for a way to get off of this bloody island instead of playing adventure! What do you have to say about that, Captain?"

Darius's face is no longer smirking. She has a point, and he cannot deny it. It is his fault that Lincoln and Alister are gone. They could have avoided the fortress and gotten off the island instead, maybe coming back with the Legion's aid and possibly putting an end to the creature once and for all. But Darius does not let her harsh words degrade his resolve.

"Lincoln and Alister knew the risk. We all did, Lythrana," Darius says in a shallow voice.

Lythrana's eyes flare with anger, her tentacles carrying her forward in a rush as she draws back to strike him. Just before her hand can make contact, a strong grip wraps around her wrist and she looks in surprise to see Thomas. The young sailor then pulls her back before planting himself firmly between his captain and Lythrana.

"Thomas, what are you doing?!" Lythrana demands and Thomas crosses his arms.

"He's right, Lyth. We all knew the risks when we went down there. Everyone on our ship knew the risks of sailing for the Iron Legion. Hell, we knew the risks when we swore to serve Ashfeld under the Legion's banner! This was no different. We're not just sailor's, Lyth, we're soldiers. We are all prepared to die." Thomas steps aside so that he can look at Darius. "I don't know if what you're saying is true, Captain. But I think you have more of an idea than I do." Thomas then reaches his hand out to Darius, and Darius takes it in a firm grip, his smirk returning.

Lythrana stares at the two of them, completely bewildered at Thomas' blind loyalty. Her confusion only sparks more anger, tears now building in her eyes as she glares at her lover. "So, what? You'll just go waltzing down to that fortress again? How many of us will come up that time? Half? One? None of us? I won't let you, Thomas! I finally found the man I love and…and I won't…hic… I wo- hic…" Lythrana's words fail her as she begins to sob, tears rolling down her face.

Thomas goes to her immediately, wrapping his arms around her and she does the same. A pain racks through Darius's chest at the sight of them. He thinks about his crew, about Lincoln and Alister, and whether or not any of them had someone like Thomas and Lythrana, waiting for them back on the mainland. He then looks to Senthyn, her eyes cast on the ground as she looks down at her crossed hands. If he were to die, would she weep for him, he thinks to himself. They had only slept together once, calling what they have a relationship is a large overstatement, but he has become attached to her. He's never thought about the aftermath of his death before; as a gladiator, he would have just been dumped in a pit for the maggots or fed to the hounds, forgotten save for the passing memory of some spectator. As a ship captain, only his crew would remember him, or Valeria, but that was it.

"No one else has to die here," Darius begins, Thomas turning to look at him, Lythrana still clinging to his chest. Senthyn is also looking at him, her eyes seeming to glow in the dimming light of the sun. "Because no one else is going back down to that fortress, save for me."

"What?" Senthyn gasps, Darius looks at her for a moment before turning back to Thomas and Lythrana, who is now looking at him with puffy eyes.

"I've thought on it, hard, and I believe that I can pull that trident out of the ground. I've never betrayed anyone, never sworn an oath to anyone other than Valeria after she rescued me from the arenas. No one else has to come, I just need the water-breathing spell and I can go on my own."

"No!" Darius turns at the sound of an outraged Senthyn, her eyes glowing with anger. "I will not let you go alone."

Darius glares at her in frustration. "I won't be responsible for anyone else's death, Sen. I'll go down alone, pull the trident, and the rest of you can get off the island."

Senthyn grits her serrated teeth at Darius. "I'm not leaving you behind."

Darius glares more intensely at the mershark, frustrated with her. "Sen, leaving me behind is the only wa-" Darius's words are cut off as the normally timid and mild Senthyn draws her arm back and slaps Darius across the face.

The entire world slows down as Darius's face stings from the slap. He never would have expected the hit from her, and when he looks back to her she is still glaring at him.

"I told you about my mother, how she said to leave her behind. How I had to watch that thing eat her," Senthyn growls as tears start to flow down her face. "I'm not leaving you, or anyone else I love behind, ever again."

Darius stares at her for a long moment, still taken aback by the hit and the fact that she has just confessed her love for him. He has never had someone tell him that before; a certain part of his anatomy on a few occasions, but never him in entirety.

Swallowing hard, he cracks his lips to answer her. "Okay," he says, his voice low in a raspy whisper. Senthyn nods several times before she erupts into tears, instantly latching onto Darius's chest.

After the two groups of lovers finally calm and reunite to form a plan, they come to a consensus: the four of them shall use what materials they have to build a raft big enough to carry Thomas yet light enough for Lythrana to pull. After that, Darius and Senthyn will return to the underwater fortress and make for the trident and hopefully remove it to break the curse while Thomas and Lythrana take the raft and make it outside the creature's radius and return with another ship. Darius tells Thomas to only come close enough to the island to see it through a spy glass; if there is a smoke stack rising from the island when he returns, then Darius and Senthyn succeeded; if not, then he is to turn the ship around and never go near it again.

Once the four have finalized the plan, they decide to use what little sunlight that is left of the day to relax. They sit around they're ever growing campfire in conversation till Thomas gets the bright idea to produce their last jug of spirits. Both Monster Girls give sour expressions at the sight of the jug, while Darius and Thomas take it in a solemn silence. They raise it in a silent toast to Alister and Lincoln before taking swigs of the jug, passing it on to Lythrana and Senthyn who do the same. Both Girls hiss at the harsh taste, but the jug started to slowly make its way around the four members steadily.

As before, both Monster Girls are the first to feel the effects of the spirits. Lythrana becomes a giggling mess, pulling herself into Thomas' lap and kissing him at every opportune moment while making double-entendres whenever she pleases. Senthyn is much more sedate, swaying absentmindedly with hiccups that Darius finds adorable. Darius and Lincoln laugh and joke with the intoxicated girls, not bothering to talk about anything of a serious temperament as Lythrana interjects every time they try.

"I…I have a question…" Lythrana begins brokenly. "Sen…Have you and…D-darius done it yet?"

The mershark becomes extremely red in the face, but she cannot help but to smile drunkenly. Lythrana bursts out laughing at her shyness, Thomas and Darius laughing at Lythrana's display.

"I bet…haha…I bet that was scary, huh?" The scylla says, leaning against Thomas.

"Wh-what hic you mean?" The drunken mershark asks.

"Giving him head. Those teeth must have given him a fright! Ha!" Lythrana chuckles. The scylla, however, does not notices the nervous look on Senthyn's face. Despite her drunkenness, she becomes aware of Senthyn's thoughts. "You didn't?"

"Well… hic…I hadn't…" Senthyn stammers, her face growing even hotter. Thomas tries to hide a laugh while Darius shakes his head.

"That's awful! You have to give your man some affection, Sen. Here, watch this!" Lythrana yells before sliding out of Thomas' lap. The younger sailor does not have time to react as she moves to undo the string of his trousers.

"Wow! Lyth, wait not like th-Ah! Oh…fuck!" Thomas calls as Lythrana frees his member before taking it into her mouth, her body turned so that Darius and Senthyn have ample view of her technique.

Darius turns his head when he realizes what she's doing, not too surprised since he witnessed her and the other crewmen the first time they had drank together.

"So…You want to get him nice and hard…then tease him a little with your tongue…I like to do this," Lythrana says, showing Senthyn different ways to use her mouth in between doing so to Thomas, who has given up on trying to stop her and just enjoying the sensations.

"Right! Well, Sen, why don't we leave these two alone an-" Darius starts as he tries to get up before Senthyn pulls him back to the sand. She looks at him with hooded eyes, her face flushed and breathing heavy.

"I…I want…hic to try…it" she says slowly, her hand going to the waistband of Darius's trousers. His breath catches in his throat as Senthyn pushes him down so that she can pull his clothes down to free his hardening cock. The first time she saw it, it had made her nervous and self-conscious, now, it only makes her more eager. Since he is already hard, Senthyn moves to tease the tip like Lythrana and done, swirling her tongue around the head.

Darius moans deeply, Senthyn's tongue too good for words. However, when she starts to gently suck on the tip, he remembers Lythrana's earlier jest. Senthyn slowly begins to move her head up and down his shaft, taking him into her mouth one inch at a time. Darius's hard hammers against his ribs at every suck, both out of fear and pleasure as he moans loudly for her.

Senthyn moans at the salty taste of Darius's skin, the feeling of him in her mouth more pleasurable than she would have thought. She had heard stories of doing this from other women and Monster Girls, but she had never expected to do it herself. Now, she wouldn't mind doing this every day for the rest of her life.

"Try to take him all the way in … You don't have to do it every time, but he'll like it!" Lythrana calls as she continues to do the same to Thomas, the younger sailor crying out in pleasure.

Senthyn goes back to sucking Darius's tip before forcing her throat down his cock. Darius cries out as he feels her take him into her warm mouth completely. She had only been able to take half of him in her mouth comfortably, so doing this is almost enough to hurt. She isn't able to hold it for long, and she ends up pulling back with tears in her eyes.

"By the…Gods!" she gasps, still surprised by how much there is of him.

"It'll get easier with practice!" Lythrana says, another pleasure-filled gasp from Thomas serving as her proof.

Senthyn ignores the scylla as she goes back to sucking Darius, his moans becoming louder.

Darius's head spins from the pleasure and Senthyn goes back to sucking him, his fear of her teeth a distant memory now. This is not the first time a woman has done this for him, nor is it the best, but he appreciates Senthyn's effort and to her credit, she is surprisingly talented.

"Sen…gah! I'm about…to…Gods…Ah!" Darius cries out as his pleasure begins to mount. Senthyn does not stop, in fact, she quickens her pace. She remembers the stories from other women and how they ended. She wanted know what Darius tastes like, and moans when he finally explodes in her mouth.

"There ya go!" Lythrana cries, finishing Thomas off with her hands as he erupts, his semen slowly coating her fingers.

Darius gives a slow gasp as Senthyn slowly slides her mouth off of him, milking him for the last few drops of his pleasure. She gives him a hooded look as she swallows, satisfied with the taste of him. Darius has never seen a more sexual sight that Senthyn in this predatory state, and he doesn't fight her as she mounts him, her hand stroking his cock back to erection. The rest of the night becomes a blur of pleasure and moans as Darius soon finds himself passing out.

---

The Next Morning…

Darius wakes first, the sun only just beginning to rise over the horizon. Finding the other half-naked members of his group, he awkwardly wakes everyone, dresses himself, and moves to prepare breakfast.

After the meal is finished, Darius and Thomas went about disassembling the shelters that Thomas and the others had built while Darius had been recovering while Senthyn and Lythrana began weaving strips from palm leaves into durable strands to make rope. The work was tedious, but the tasks were completed eventually. Darius and Thomas then took the ropes that the Monster Girls had made and used them to bind the timbers into a sturdy structure that would survive the waves.

After testing the raft's ability to hold against the surf and weaving more rope, Darius and Senthyn gathered their supplies for the decent while Lythrana and Thomas gathered their own for the journey back to the mainland. Thomas guessed that it should only take him a day and a half to reach Perchrock. The town should have a ship that would agree to come to their aid and should only take a half day to return a fully manned ship. If not, he would swipe a dingy and return for Darius and Senthyn as fast as the wind would carry him.

When everything is gathered and arranged, Darius is armored in the same leather armor as the first descent, his trident and buckler in hand. Senthyn is now wearing what can be considered full leather armor, or, at least her top half anyway, with two short swords on her hips and a makeshift spear.

After Thomas and Lythrana gather enough supplies and fill enough containers with freshwater, with Senthyn's help, the four of them load them onto the raft and secure the lines for Lythrana to pull it.

Darius and Senthyn enter the water first, Thomas pulling the raft into the surf behind them. Senthyn gives Darius a worried look before she kisses him. Darius deepens the kiss, his tongue brushing against hers as the familiar rush of cold air fills his lungs.

The kiss is almost enough to send Senthyn reeling, electricity sparking in her mouth as she wrestles his tongue with her own. But she pushes back, breaking the kiss. She takes a deep breath before looking at him with sad and needy eyes. They have a job to do, they both know it.

As Darius and Senthyn submerge themselves, Thomas and Lythrana pull the raft far enough out so that it won't be pulled back to the shore by the waves. Once Lythrana secures the ropes to her waist, she follows Senthyn and Darius to the edge of the reef, making sure that the raft is far enough back that the creature won't notice it. The group waits for a long while, Thomas watching the surface anxiously while the three underwater watch the blue expanse.

After thirty minutes, a little earlier than Darius had expected, he sees the creature's head for off to their left, its massive body materializing from the haze before passing by them in its slow pace. It's one glowing eye pointed toward them, they have no idea whether it sees them or not, but they're breathing becomes much easier as the creature passes them before disappearing again.

Darius holds up his hand, waiting for the right time to let Lythrana go. He counts five minutes in his head, giving the creature enough time to start its next bend around the island and hopefully enough time for Lythrana to get out of range before the creature notices.

"Now!" Darius hisses lowly. Lythrana wastes no time as she launches forward at full speed, pivoting upward as the ropes connecting her to the raft go taught. She breaches the water for a moment before she splashes down again, the raft being pulled behind her and an impressive speed.

Senthyn takes Darius hand pulls him in a similar fashion down the side of the cliff, though not as quickly as Lythrana. While Senthyn's spell allows him to adapt to the pressure of the ocean, it does work automatically. While he can descend faster than normal, he still cannot take on the pressure the same way Senthyn can.

Their nerves screaming, Senthyn and Darius manage to reach the bottom of the cliff, the familiar sight of the fortress's dome coming into view, though it is only a mild comfort. Once they slip in through one of the spaces in the dome, Senthyn pulls Darius under the stone wall, instantly turning to capture him in her arms.

Darius is stunned and worried as the now trembling mershark latches on to him and he puts his arms around her as well. He then becomes aware of her sobbing.

"Did…d-did they make it…?" Senthyn studders through her sobs and Darius presses his cheek against her hair.

"I think so…" Darius says; he has no idea if what he is saying is a lie or not, though. He could not see the raft as they descended. Though, he is sure he would have noticed the creature coming back their direction again. "I think they made it. Now it's our turn." Senthyn holds onto Darius a moment longer before slowly pulling away, her face burning, and he is sure she would be drenched in tears if they were above land. She looks up at him and nods, her lips trembling. Darius places a kiss on her lips, quick and easy. "Let's go."

Senthyn holds onto Darius for another moment before pulling way, offering her hand to him. He takes it, and she pulls him down towards the fortress. The entire structure resembles a fortress that could be found on land, with towers and walls, but the fortress is designed to force invaders into interior areas for close quarters combat as well as give the protectors areas to take cover. From what Darius can guess, the main chamber would be much more difficult to reach, but the massive hole in the chamber allows Darius and Senthyn easy entry.

Inside, Darius sees the same collection of bones, the throne at the back of the chamber, and the unblemished trident sticking out of the floor in the center of the room. Darius then looks up towards the ceiling and sees a mass of creatures clinging to the ceiling, the same creatures that had killed Lincoln and Alister.

Darius has to swallow the hate that wells up inside him as he watches the creatures resting in a manner that reminds him of bats as they huddle against the stone ceiling, one of the creatures lulling their heads or shuddering from time to time. He watches them for several moments as Senthyn watches him with both terror and worry. She is not sure what his plan is, but she knows it will not be pleasant.

After what feels like a long time, Darius leans towards Senthyn slowly before whispering, "Can you get me to the trident without waking them?"

Senthyn thinks for a moment, she does not know for sure how these creature's hunt. Yes, they are mermen, but whatever they have become in their time down here is nothing she recognizes; thus, she has no idea just how well they can sense intruders. I don't know, Senthyn mouths to him, unsure how to approach.

Darius nods, calculating his next approach. He looks up to the creatures again and then back to the trident. Darius has no idea how he can get to it without alerting the creatures, and he has no idea what pulling that trident will do, but he needs to pull it and finish this curse. His men, Alister, and Lincoln should not have died in vain, he won't allow it.

Deciding on a plan, and not liking it at all, Darius leans towards Senthyn and whispers to her again, "Get me to that trident, and I'll rip it up as quickly as possible. If it doesn't come up in the first go, rush us back out as quickly as possible."

Senthyn looks at him with a fearful stare before glancing inside towards the trident. She hesitates, but nods. Taking his arm, she takes a deep breath before surging forward. Within a second, Senthyn drags Darius into the chamber just within reach of the trident. With a growl of effort, Senthyn throws Darius forward, his free arm thrusting out to find the cold metal shaft of the trident. The momentum of the throw causes him to surge past the weapon before he finds a foot hold. Without hesitating, Darius grasps the shaft with both hands and tries his best to force the trident upwards.

He growls in effort, his knuckles bleaching, but the trident does not budge.

"Darius!" Senthyn yells and Darius looks to see the mershark pointing towards the ceiling. Looking up, he sees the creatures stirring, some of them even turning their heads and chittering to their fellows.

Darius turns back to the trident, getting lower as he tries to force it from the ground, this time feeling the slightest budge from it. Breathing out exhaustedly, Darius looks down to where the trident is anchored and realizes the source of his trouble; while the trident has remained pristine, the round around it has not. Coral and sediment have grown around the blades of the trident, effectively grasping them like vices.

Looking back up to see the first of the creatures to swim away from the ceiling, Darius turns back and begins to kick at the trident's blades, doing his best to free it. He manages to break some of the coral away, but it remains difficult as the weapon refuses to budge.

"Darius we have to go!" Senthyn hisses as she swims to him, pulling at his shoulder as he tries to pull the trident up.

"It's clamped to the ground; I almost have it!" Darius growls as he heaves against the trident's shaft.

Realizing his determination, Senthyn swims around to the opposite side of the trident and tries to assist him in pulling it free. The two manage to bring the trident up slightly, but it remains embedded in the floor despite their meager progress. Senthyn grits her teeth as she throws herself backwards, trying to pry the trident free or at least loosen the blades. When she opens her eyes, she only manages to make out the shape of one of the creatures rushing forward at Darius's back.

"Darius!" Senthyn shrieks.

Without flinching, Darius spins, slamming his buckler into the creature's face in a vicious backhand. The sound of bones cracking against metal sings through the water and both Senthyn and Darius notices the numerous creatures closing in on them. Unslinging the trident from his back, Darius thrusts the polearm forward as another creature lunges for him, the head burying itself into the creature's face.

Senthyn watches as Darius dispatches a creature before turning to face another. Senthyn glances over her shoulder and sees one rushing for her as well. She unsheathes one of the swords from her back, unsure what she is actually doing. Darius had shown her a few techniques to use before their descent but fighting underwater and on land are completely different. The creature lunges haphazardly, its arms out wide and its teeth bared, but Senthyn breathes, like Darius told her, and shifts sideways before plunging her blade into the creature's throat as it slips by her. The creature lets out a struggling gasp as blood flows from its neck in a smoky cloud. The creature does not go far before another of its kind swoops down and carries it off to be cannibalized.

Senthyn and Darius manage to hold off several of the creatures, slashing, stabbing and bashing when they come into range. Darius makes several attempts to try at the ancient trident again, but the creatures continue to impede him every time. Another creature circles around Darius at a high speed before finally surging forward, letting out a high screech as it bares its teeth at him. Darius sways to one side awkwardly, still not used to the feeling of moving underwater, but he compensates so that he can deliver a swift hook to the creature's head. It cries out before it slams face-first into the ground, knocking up clouds of dust and bones on its way as it tumbles across the floor. A tingle goes up his spine and Darius spins, coming face to face with another creature.

Just when he is sure the creature will bite, it cries out in pain as it is suddenly lifted over his head, almost knocking him over with its tale. His eyes going wide, he watches as Senthyn drags the creature above him while having her teeth sunk into the creature's bicep. The creature lashes out at her with its other arm, but she jerks her head from side to side, the creature screaming out in pain as she does so. With a final hard jerk, Senthyn rips the boney appendage from the creature, a cloud of burgundy blood exploding from the wound before she bats the creature away with her tail. She growls at the next creature that comes to collect the wounded creature, her eyes seeming to glow as she exposes her serrated teeth. Darius is not sure if he should be scared or impressed, but another creature lunges for him before he can make up his mind.

The two continue their combat against the swarm, Senthyn becoming more accustomed to combat than she thought possible as her predatory instincts kick in. Now having both swords drawn, Senthyn no longer hesitates as she slashes, stabs, bites, and bashes all the creatures that come towards her.

Darius notices the change in Senthyn as the battle continues, but he is too focused on his own battles to marvel at the mershark. Whipping his trident around, Darius slashes the throat of another creature, blood exploding from the wound just as two other creatures come and drag its body away. He's counted twelve kills, and preemptively counts a thirteenth as another rushes him. He lunges forward, ready to plunge his trident under the creature's chin, but falters, stepping on a loose skull that rolls under his weight. The creature notices and speeds up its assault, its jaws open wide and intent on Darius's throat. Just before the creature can strike, Darius brings his trident up to guard, the creature's jaws clamping around the weapon as the force of the attack throws Darius backwards. He manages to regain his footing, the creature does not stop as it tries to force him down on his back, its claws raking against his minimal armor and exposed patches of skin. With a grunt of effort, Darius twists the trident and sends the creature past him.

Just before it can turn to attack again, Darius plants the head of his trident into the creature's tail, pinning it to the ground. It lets out a painful shriek as he stomps on the tail before driving the weapon into its midsection and then into its skull. Just as he pulls the trident free from the corpse, another creature darts in, shoulders Darius off the corpse, and carries it away. The hit knocks Darius to the ground, his breathing labored as lands amongst the bones. When he opens his eyes, he finds numerous sets of glassy black eyes staring down at him, their mouths slowly opening and closing like eels. He finds it strange, how such a large group is doing so poorly against two attackers.

The thought does not last long before realization hits him; they are not trying to kill them right off. The creatures are trying to wear them down, allowing a few creatures to die in order to produce more food for the group at large. Realizing this, Darius bolts upright and regains his footing. Another creature lunges for him, but he slams his buckler into its face and sends it reeling. He pays the attacker no mind as he goes for the pinned trident, his eyes focused on the ancient weapon.

Dropping his own trident, Darius takes the shaft of the trapped weapon and heaves upward again, gritting his teeth in effort. The weapon refuses to budge any further despite the effort and Darius is too focused to notice that the creature he hit has returned, its claws raking up his back. He lets out a strained growl as he ignores the attacker, doing his best to free the trident.

"Darius!" Senthyn cries as she dives down to protect him, driving one of her swords into the creature's face before bating it away. The sight of his wounded back racks her with fear, but he continues to struggle with the trident that she realizes that he is okay for the moment.

"Senthyn they're trying to wear us down! We need to get this thing up now!" Darius growls. Senthyn's eyes go wide as another creature attacks, ignoring Darius's words as she plunges both blades into its throat, its body quickly collected. "Senthyn help me!"

The mershark growls at her lover's cry and she goes to his aid despite her instinct to fight. She grabs hold of the trident again and heaves in time with Darius. Growling in frustration, Darius throws himself backwards again, straining against the weapon's shaft as it refuses to move. When he notices another creature move in to attack Senthyn, Darius lays the creature out with another strike, both out of protective instinct and frustration.

Just as the two of them try to heave again, a loud, high pitched shriek rings through the chamber. Darius and Senthyn cover their ears as the sound threatens to deafen them and Darius looks up to the source of the cry. The creatures clinging to the ceiling are collectively crying out, small groups of them quickly releasing the ceiling before bolting down towards the floor. Darius fears the worst but realizes that they are swimming towards the holes and archways that lead out of the chamber. The cry quickly dies down as the creatures completely exit the chamber, the sudden quiet almost more haunting than their cries.

Senthyn looks around in bewilderment, unsure what is going on, but Darius is looking towards the massive hole that leads outside the chamber. During their battle, neither Darius nor Senthyn had been paying attention to the light from the surface, which had become almost nonexistent now, Darius only able to see because of his eyes adjusting to the visibility. But, in the gloomy distance, he can see a single, pale light as well as the massive shadow it is attached to.

Fear racking him at the approaching creature, Darius moves back to the trident and begins to pull with renewed vigor. He feels the trident move slightly, but it stays anchored, nonetheless.

"Senthyn help me!" Darius calls, but she does not move, her eyes locked on the massive figure approaching the fortress. "Senthyn I can't pull this up without you! Senthyn!" Still, the mershark does not move. The sight of the creature approaching them locks her in a fearful hold, her body locked in place.

Growling, Darius closes the distance between them and pulls Senthyn back towards the trident. He pulls her face so that they are eye to eye before he kiss her. It is a rough, forceful kiss, but it succeeds in bringing Senthyn back to her senses.

"Help me Senthyn!" Darius pleads in a husky growl as he grips the tridents shaft again. It takes a moment for his words to register, but she finally nods nervously before going to the trident as well.

The two make no more progress than had already been done, the trident sill clamped to the chamber floor. Darius's eyes cannot help but shift towards the hole, the ever clarifying shadow sinking dread into his heart every moment, but also renewing his efforts and as he frantically tries to rip the trident up. He gives another jerk at the shift, this time losing his footing and falling among the bones at his feet. He curses as he forces himself back up, though he flinches when he feels something press against his palm.

Looking down, he sees his discarded trident, scowling as his frustration continues to rack him. His eyes go to the pinned trident's head, the blades still locked into the overgrown floor. However, an idea forms as he takes hold of his own weapon.

Pushing himself up with his weapon in hand, Darius rounds the ancient trident and slams the pommel into ground at the head of the ancient weapon. Senthyn watches him in confusion, not sure what to make of it as Darius manages to force the pommel of his trident into the space between the pinned blades.

"Senthyn," Darius cries and the mershark looks at him with fevered eyes. "Lift on this!"

The mershark looks at him in confusion for a moment, but then realizes what he has done. She releases the pinned trident and takes hold of Darius's, heaving it upward with all her strength while Darius goes back and pulls on the on the trapped trident. Immediately, the two begin to make progress, but their victory is cut short as a low, loud roar sounds, the entire fortress vibrating from the sound. The creature has spotted them.

Ignoring the fact, the two continue their work as the creature whips its massive tale to increase its speed. Darius throws all his strength back and upwards while Senthyn tries to keep in time with him when lifting, sliding Darius's trident further down to give more leverage.

Both can feel the currents created as the creature enters the fortress' dome, its massive strokes current surges that remind Darius of storm winds, its roar continuing to shake the decrepit walls. Neither stop their work, too focused and desperate to free the trident as the creature's head enters the chamber, its one glowing eye illuminating the chamber in dull, violet light. The creature shifts so that it approaches Darius and Senthyn on its side, the creature's maw open wide as it moves to devour the two.

Darius, now completely aware of their situation, lets out a piercing cry as he throws himself back in one last effort to free the trident. Senthyn follows suit, using the last remnants of her strength to assist him, knowing well it may be the last thing she ever does. With a soft, yet audible ring, the ancient trident breaks free from the floor, a deafening explosion of sound following it that is visible as it distorts the water around them.

The explosion lifts the massive creature and causes it to slam into the chamber's ceiling with a threatening duet of painful roars and the cracking of collapsing stone. Senthyn rushes and clings to Darius as the creature continues to roar in pain as debris rains over its body, holding on to her gladiator with her eyes clamped shut.

Darius, holding the mershark, watches in astonishment as the enormous creature begins to glow with a faint violent light, just like its eye. As it writhes in pain, its body begins to slowly shriek and reshape itself. Its tail fins recede and fuse back into its tail, its dorsal fin follows suit, but the pectoral fins begin to warp and change their shape completely. The body exterior of the head begins to crack and give way, revealing strands of white, matted hair. The roars slowly become more so like screams as the creature size decreases. When the light surrounding the creature's body fades, the only thing left is the shriveled remains of what Darius believes to be the Otohime, Vemosa. The skin of her seahorse like tail and humanoid upper half is a dark brown, the flesh pulled taught over her bones, her hair is a mass of tangled white, a pair of jagged horns wrapped in them, and she now lays motionless just as the bones surrounding them do now.

"Senthyn…" Darius begisn, realizing just how exhausted he is through his labored breathing. "I think…we did it."

It takes a moment for her to finally loosen her hold on him, but Senthyn finally looks up at him with puffy, bloodshot eyes while her bottom lip trembles furiously. She nods before latching herself against him again, and he cannot help but laugh, his voice ringing through the eerie quiet of the fortress.

He starts to pull her away so that he can kiss her, but something catches his eye. The spot where the trident was just planted in the ground begins to glow with the same violet light he just saw. Dumbfounded, he watches as it begins to spread out in evenly cut lines, a feint hissing sound coming from the light as he beings to trace itself over the floor and under the bones of Vemosa's victims.

Senthyn finally breaks away from Darius long enough to notice this as well, her sense of dread returning to her. "We have to move," she whispers, lightly pushing Darius back towards the throne at the opposite end of the chamber.

Darius watches the glowing lines in confusion for a moment before he realizes that Senthyn is doing. Holding onto the ancient trident, he turns to try and run just as Senthyn takes his hand and swims with him towards the throne. She pulls him behind it and latches onto him again, fear eating at her heart again.

"What is happening?" Darius whispers as he holds her against him.

"I don't know," she answers. "But it terrifies me."

Darius pulls her to the edge of the throne's back so that he can see out into the chamber. The lines have formed what he can make out to be a circle with several strange patterns inside. What gets his attention, however, is the large cloud of glowing smoke that has begun to erupt from the center of the circle, where the trident was once pinned. He watches as the lines come to completion, the cloud of smoke now reaching the ceiling of the chamber, and with a loud whistle the cloud begins to swirl like a tornado.

Watching bones be sucked up from the floor, Darius pushes back towards the center of the throne's back as the cloud begins to create a powerful suction current. He hears the crumbling of stone and debris, as well as a familiar, deafening shriek from the mermen creatures as he guesses that they are pulled into the swirling cloud. He does his best not to think about them as he holds Senthyn against him, not sure what is about to happen.

The shrieking finally ends suddenly, which allows Darius to hear the low growling that is approaching them. Opening his eyes, Darius is greeted with the horror that is Vemosa, in all her decaying glory, lunge at Senthyn's back.

Pushing past the mershark, Darius uses the shaft of the trident to drive her back, her claws raking against his armored sleeves as he shoves her into the current of the cloud. Senthyn lets out cry of horror as she sees the otohime just before Darius gives another shove to send her into the current. The force whips her up from the tail, and Vemosa goes horizontal. Darius watches as she is swept past the edge of the throne and disappears. Satisfied that she is gone, Darius turns to give Senthyn a smile, but the mershark only has terrified alarm on her face as she raises one of her arms.

Before Senthyn can warn him, Vemosa, who managed to cling to the edge of the throne, grabs onto the back of Darius's armor and pulls him with her. He manages to grab on to the edge of the throne and hold himself, his legs begin swept into the current as Vemosa latches onto his ankle, trying to escape the current as well.

Senthyn grabs at his armor, trying to pull Darius back to safety but fails as the current's strength and the added weight of Vemosa makes it impossible. Darius tries to help pull himself back to safety, but he quickly realizes that it is useless.

"Senthyn," he says breathlessly.

"Darius push! I've got you!" Senthyn cries as she tries to pull him back.

"Senthyn I can't!" Darius growls as he tries to get her to listen to him.

"You can! Push! Push, please!"

Realizing that she will not listen, Darius grabs her wrist and pull her so that he can place a kiss on her lips. "I love you," he whispers before pushing off of the throne.

"Darius!" is the last thing he hears Senthyn say before the loud whistling of the cloud deafens him. He grips the trident as the current slams him into the floor, allowing Vemosa to latch onto his chest with her jagged claws.

Coming face to face with the mummified Monster Girl, Darius twists so that he is on top of her when they slam into the floor again, Vemosa letting out a pained gasp as Darius raises the ancient trident over his head.

"Smile you bitch!" he cries as he drives the trident into her opened mouth, blood exploding from her maw as the two tumble over each other before being pulled into the cloud.

As Vemosa and Darius are consumed by the swirling mass, the cloud collapses on itself and causes another loud explosion to shake the fortress. This time, the chamber is filled with a cloud of dust as debris beings to fall all around the chamber.

Senthyn sinks against the back of the throne, wailing at the loss of Darius; her grief making her oblivious to the destruction around her. She had watched her parents die, friends that she had come to cherish, and now her first love. How many more, she thinks to herself as she wails.

She does not know how much time passes before the sound of debris falling stops, but her voice has become hoarse and her throat is throbbing. She stays still, wanting to just disappear in the darkness of this empty fortress. She does not want to leave this place without Darius; she doesn't know if she has the strength to.

Just then, her eyes burst open as a soft sound comes from the other side of the throne.

"Sen-…"

She recognizes the voice immediately. She pushes herself up and looks around, unable to make out any features through the cloud of debris and darkness.

"Sen…" the voice says again, and she bolts towards it, colliding with something in the process.

"By the Gods! Wha-! Sen?!" Darius protests as Senthyn slams into him with enough force to knock him off his feet. The two of them float to the floor, though the landing still hurts as his aching body cries out for relief. However, feeling the sobbing mershark against him is a comforting feeling in its own right.

---

Four days later …

After Thomas and Lythrana managed to escape the island, the two managed to return to Perchrock by dusk. The few people that saw Thomas coming into port with a scylla pulling the raft were utterly perplexed, at least until a few of them recognized him to be apart of the Serpent's crew.

Thomas wasted no time going straight to the village elder and explaining the situation and requesting aid, which he allowed without haste. The following morning, Lythrana and Thomas were aboard a fishing vessel sailing back towards the island. Thomas had warned the captain to keep his distance at first, but when Thomas spied a pillar of black smoke coming from the island, the entire ship could hear him as he cried out in triumph.

Thomas and Lythrana greeted Darius and Senthyn with much enthusiasm, overjoyed that they succeeded and were safe. The captain and crew of the shipping vessel were eager to learn the ending of the group's tale, many casting an eye to the wonderous trident that Darius carried, but they sought to treating their wounds and feeding them a proper meal.

Back at the mainland, Darius was approached by the stern Valeria, who had overheard Thomas' conversation with the village elder setting sail again. Darius recounted the events on the island and Valeria was astounded. She congratulated him on defeated the creature and gave condolences for his crew and told him to rest while she reported to her superiors.

Since then, the four survivors have taken a much needed rest in the cozy village of Perchrock.

---

Three months later…

Darius sighs heavily as he sinks into a large washbasin of heated sea water. It has been three months since Valeria made Darius the captain of a new ship and crew. His galleon, the Razor, is much more equipped with than the Serpent, though he misses the ship…and its crew.

He had been cautious of returning to the role when Valeria gave him the orders, but Thomas and Senthyn urged him to do so, and he couldn't argue with them. He took to the new ship steadily, and he had become acquainted with his new crew, too. He spent many hours with them, unlike the crew of the Serpent. Darius knows each of them by name and they all know his story. It also helps to have Thomas as his first mate. The younger sailor proved invaluable in the short time he held the position.

Darius groans as the water works out the aches in his back. They had just tracked down another slaver ship, this one giving more of a fight that Darius was used to. He sustained a few injuries but having Senthyn as the crew's healer has proven the most useful, in many ways.

As if on cue, the mershark steps through the doors of his cabin dressed in the Legion's colors. She normally wears some light armor, but she's only dressed in the overshirt and trousers for now.

"How are you feeling?" She asks as she approaches the tub, unlatching the front of her shirt.

Darius smiles at her as she undoes her clothes, slowly slipping out of them. "Couldn't be better."

She giggles at him as she removes the last of her clothes. She enters the basin with him, her legs shifting into her shark-like tail before she curls herself next to Darius. He kisses her lips softly and she settles against his chest with a sigh.

"I think I'm getting used to this," Senthyn says with a sigh.

"Glad to hear it."

Senthyn gives another giggle before she twists herself so that she is sitting in Darius's lap, her breasts only inches from his mouth.

"I especially like this part," she says with a grin before pulling Darius's face between her breasts. Darius does not waste time as he takes one of her nipples into his mouth, gently sucking and massaging her mounds as she coos out of pleasure. He gives both of her nipples a soft kiss before he looks up at her, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"I love you, Sen."

She smiles down at him with a bright smile. "I love you, too." She leans down to kiss his mouth, which serves as the distraction he needs to reach for the item laying on the floor beside the basin. When Senthyn pulls back from the kiss, Darius is holding the object up so that Senthyn sees it.

"What is that?" she asks curiously. Darius is holding a small wooden box, about the side of his palm up for her to see.

"I bought this last time we were in port. I've been waiting for the right time to give it to you."

With a brow raised, she takes the box from him and stares at it curiously. "What is i-" Senthyn's words catch in her throat as she opens the box. Inside is a silver ring, a large aquamarine gemstone sitting atop it while being held in place by four, tiny, silver shark's teeth. Senthyn cannot form words as she looks at the beautiful ring, especially when Darius takes the ring from the box and slips it onto her ring finger.

Darius smiles as he looks at the ring on her finger, happy that it fits. He has had this ring for almost a month now, just waiting for the perfect moment to give it to her. He knew he would marry her as soon as they were off that cursed island, but he couldn't manage to pick the right moment, till now.

"Will you mar-Ah!" Darius cries out as Senthyn latches her arms around his neck, almost squeezing the life out of him. "Sen…Sen…I can't…Breathe…" he chokes before she finally loosens her hold on him. When she pulls back so that he can look her in the face, her face is dripping with tears.

"Yes…Yes…" she says, her lips trembling.

Darius smiles as he pulls her in for a kiss, cherishing the taste of her.