The lone vessel carved through the ink-black waters of the unknown sea, sails straining as it raced at full speed. Most of its occupants huddled below, seeking refuge from the night's biting chill. Only a few unfortunate souls patrolled the deck, vigilant against emergencies.
Elton was one such soul. For him, the past weeks had been a whirlwind. First, triumph: landing the coveted job on Kaaroa's official vessel crew. The pay increase promised a decent life for his family, and he'd finally mustered the courage to ask out his childhood sweetheart. Then, the blow: conscripted onto a long, secretive expedition. Details? None given.
"Man, this sucks," Elton muttered, shivering as he trudged the deck, clutching his oversized coat. The cold gnawed deep into his bones. A sneeze ripped through him. He stumbled to the railing, peering down. His heart seized.
Below, clinging desperately to the hull as the water tried to wrench her away, was a woman. Only her head breached the surface, long hair streaming back with the current; the rest vanished into the dark depths.
"MAN OVERBOARD!" Elton bellowed, whirling to alert the crew. Seeing heads snap towards him, he dropped his coat. But as he turned back, a face filled his vision—horribly close. Behind it stretched only a long, serpentine neck, vanishing below the railing.
Shock paralyzed him. In the frozen instant, a claw tore through his gut.
Below deck, tension crackled in the cramped quarters. Corvus had slipped away some time ago, yet silence had reigned until now.
"So," Mikel finally broke it, his voice tight. "Mind explaining what all that was about?"
Nelly sat rigidly on her hammock, gaze fixed on the opposite wall. "Nothing much. Just an old story from the capital. Security's tight there, so tales are rare. Your friend was one of those names."
"Stop dancing around it and spit it out already," Kiera growled from the floor, arm resting on her knee, radiating bored contempt.
"Right," Kevin stammered. "Long story short? Your friend killed another kid in the capital. But his family name… and some witness statements… got him off. No charges."
"And?" Kiera's glare burned into Nelly's back, forcing the noblewoman to turn and meet it. "So what? If he ain't rotting in a cell, it means self-defense. What's wrong with that?" Kiera pushed herself up, matching Nelly's defiant posture. "Not all of us get soft lives, doll. I've got blood on my hands, too. Did it protecting my family. Won't apologize for it."
"I see what you animals lack," Nelly hissed, her eyes beginning to glow with an unnatural light. "Any sense of justice."
An invisible pressure slammed down, thick and suffocating.
Kiera barked a harsh laugh. "There it is! You don't give a damn about justice. You just hate sharing a room with us filth, right?"
"Nelly, stop—" Kevin tried, freezing under the intensity of her luminous gaze.
Mikel scrambled up, hand closing on his crossbow. This is bad. What do I even—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The frantic clanging of the alarm bell shattered the suffocating tension. Footsteps pounded outside the door, jolting them all. The oppressive pressure vanished as if snuffed out.
Chaos reigned on deck. Crewmen stood frozen in horror, staring at the mangled remains of their shipmate. Standing amidst the gore was a nightmare: a creature encased in thick, chitinous carapace. It had a stumpy, humanoid body with four arms—two ending in wicked claws, two in blade-like limbs. Perched atop a long, thin stalk rising from its back was a grotesque humanoid head, its face now ripped in half.
An ice lance materialized from the darkness and hurtled towards the head. It struck true, shattering the already ruined visage, but the creature barely flinched.
Cesara landed on the deck, eyes blazing. "The head's just a lure! Focus on the body!" Another lance formed beside her and shot towards the crab-like torso. It slammed into the thick carapace with a resounding crack—and shattered. The creature stumbled back but surged forward with a piercing shriek.
THOOM!
The entire vessel lurched violently, tilting precariously as something massive slammed into its hull. More creatures scrabbled over the gunwales. Some resembled the crab-thing. Others were serpentine, seven feet tall, with webbed hands and feet. But the true threat loomed beneath the waves—a leviathan trying to capsize the ship.
Cesara clenched her fists. Barely an hour past the Wall. Too soon. They'd anticipated an attack, but not this swift, not this fierce.
"Laxasia!" Cesara commanded, her voice cutting through the din. "Take charge! Nothing gets below decks! Old Man! Find their weak spots—relay the information!"
"Captain! Where are you going?" Laxasia yelled, deflecting a slashing limb.
Cesara flashed a fierce grin. "Someone's got to deal with that annoying fish!" Her eye ignited with power. She leapt impossibly high, soaring above the ship's mast. As she reached the apex, a colossal spear of ice coalesced above her outstretched hand. Then she plunged, spear-first, over the side and straight into the churning black water below. A massive geyser erupted where she vanished, marking the start of her battle with the beast beneath