Terror from the deep

You rush to the rail and look for yourself. Immediately, you see a mass of rippling water moving towards the Horizon, moving unnaturally fast. At your side, Melora looks as well. “I told you, monsters are left in the wake of the change storms.”

You nod, watching the approaching disturbance. As it gets closer, you see that it’s not a single creature, but many, moving as a group. You can hear the call to arms go up from your crew, and you turn from the rail to join the preparations.

“Ferra, you’re with me. Alex and Cassie, you protect Melora and Bella.”

Bella shakes her head. “I be needing no protection, lad!”

She closes her eyes and concentrates for a moment, and a glowing purple halberd appears in her hands. She spins it deftly, then looks at you with a nod. Cassie giggles. “Mom can fight, she taught me!”

You chuckle. “Fine, then Alex can come with me while you two keep an eye on Melora and Captain Ben.”

Everyone nods, just as there’s a splashing sound nearby. As you turn, you see a blurred shape come over the rail, spraying water as it lands. It appears to be some kind of cephalopod, mutated and grown to the size of a large human.

It has a humanoid torso and arms, and long fingers ending in sharp claws. Its lower body is a mass of tentacles, as is its head, with a pair of eyes glaring balefully. It has wet, slimy looking skin, and several more land on the deck as the first lunges forward.

The nearest sailor slashes at it with his sword, carving a furrow into its rubbery flesh, but the creature barely seems to feel it. It slashes at the man with its claws, narrowly missing. Several other sailors hack at it with swords and axes, and it takes a surprisingly long time to bring the thing down.

You draw Caliburn and rush to join the fight, as several more foes drop onto the deck. A blast of fire roars past you, slamming into the closest monster. There’s a flash of steam, and the roasted creature drops to the deck, twitching feebly. The next one lunges for you, but a sweep of your blade sends its arm flying off in an arc. Undaunted, the creature leaps at you, blood pouring from the stump of its arm, only to be intercepted by Ferra. The golem girl catches the creature on her bladed arms, and with a couple quick motions, the creature falls to the deck in pieces.

One sailor isn’t so lucky, as a monster leaps at him and wraps its tentacles around him. You can hear a sickening crunch as it squeezes with incredible strength. Other nearby crew hack at the thing, forcing it off the man, and both drop to the deck. Once again, it takes a lot of punishment to put the creature down for good.

The injured sailor groans, obviously badly injured. Suddenly, Cassie is there, her colors a muted blue. She lays her hands on the man, and you can practically see the bones realigning as she heals him.

You spare a glance at Captain Ben and Bella, and see her dispatch a monster with bright sweeps of her weapon, clearly not worried. You turn back to the fight, satisfied that she can protect herself and Melora.

As always, Ferra is an army unto herself, her speed and strength unmatched by the monsters. As if recognizing the danger she poses, more and more throw themselves at her, only to be minced by her bladed arms. When one manages to get behind her, it is instantly immolated by Alex, who is pouring a constant stream of fire from her hands. The efreet has a grin on her face as she roasts her foes, clearly happy to unleash her powers.

You are not idle either, carving through monsters with your enchanted blade. You receive a few cuts from the claws of the creatures, but with most of them focused on Ferra, you’re able to keep yourself from serious injury. Caliburn slices through them easily, barely slowing as you attack relentlessly.

As soon as it began, the attack ends. Almost as if a switch was flipped, the few remaining creatures flee, leaping over the rail and disappearing into the sea. You’re left standing in a suddenly quiet deck, as everyone begins to relax. Cassie moves from person to person, healing the injured crew. You look out over the rail at the now calm water, and nod.