Neyan smiled as she stared up at the huge ship, getting ready to board so it could leave for Adela. She sighed relaxedly, leaning against a wooden post situated on the dock, thick rope seperating people from the shallow water below. She looked down the shore, which seemed to stretch forever until it was out of sight, lost in the horizon. Serendipity was such a colorful, beautiful land... However, she was still excited to see the land of the Dragon-Riders. She was excited to see what new adventures awaited her in a different place.
"Ten minutes! Boarding in ten minutes!" A male voice sounded out over the massive crowd that had gathered on the docks. Neyan let her eyes wander over everyone. There were so many who carried over nine bags in their hands. Over nine! It was insanity. After all, Neyan only carried what she truly needed. That being, her medicine bag. It was small, but packed full of herbs, potions, and even a couple spellbooks for occasional review of her craft.
She stood, skipping to the front of the docks and sitting on the edge, staring out at the vast expanse of dark-blue water. The sky above her was a slight grey, which only grew darker the farther you went out. She bit her lip, feeling a little nervous. A storm on your first trip by boat? Not a good thing. She remained optimistic, though. Maybe the clouds only looked bad? For all she knew, it'd just be a small drizzle. Yeah! She then let her eyes wander to the boat. It was a massive vessel, the masts practically piercing the skys, the sails sporting an off-white color. It wasn't too fancy a vessel, but it wasn't too ragged, either. It had definately taken bumps and had seen much use, from the clusters of barnacles stuck to the underside of the hull and the scrapes and gauges to the wooden boards, most likely from close encounters with coral reefs or sandbars.
She smiled, finally hearing the call to board. She joined in with the other passengers, climbing up a large ramp that had dropped down for everyone, seeing the smiling faces of the rest of the crew as she made her way to topside. She saw the sails being readied, the deck being swabbed, and barrels of luxury goods being wheeled into the cabins for the richer passengers. Her smile grew wider, having a feeling that the trip would be better than she originally thought.
A bell rang near the crow's nest, the ship being untied from the dock, the anchor being lifted as the sails opened and it took off from the shore. Neyan's blonde hair blew in the wind, looking out at the ocean in awe as they distanced themselves from the dock, the people on the beach now appearing as tiny as ants. She walked through the door and down the stairs to her cabin, sighing in relief at the warmness of the inside of the ship.
Down in the bilge, a creature stirred. It was not like many sentient beings, with a solid body. Instead, this creature was made entirely of living water. It rose from the pooled water once it knew that it was alone. It "stood" on the water in its usual humanoid form.
It scanned the compartment to get a better understanding of its surroundings. It always admired these large vessels, even though it did not understand why beings that could swim needed them. Maybe it was for the same reason it was here. Traveling in the waters of the sea was easy, but was rather horrifying. The creature had heard the cry of a beast that lived beneath the waves. Even if it could not detect or harm him, the monster simply scared the water being, and forced him to find a vessel to hide in. It did not matter where the vessel was headed, for this being had no place to go or be. It was simply riding the currents, hoping to get somewhere.
Caught up in thought, the water creature did not even notice that a young sailor had come down to inspect the bilge water level. Seeing the creature, he ran off as fast as he could. "M-MONSTER! MONSTER IN THE BILGE!" he cried. This made the creature feel bad. He did not want to scare anyone. Feeling remorse for what he had done, he sank back into the water below him, and hid.
As Neyan prepared to enter her cabin, she squealed as the sailor pushed into her. She fell against the door, eyes narrowed in his direction as she stuck her tongue out. She frowned, looking back at where he had run from. A monster? In the bilge? How bad could it possibly be, to fit in there so easily? Out of curiosity, she decided to make her way down there.
As she entered, she put her hands behind her back, looking around and smiling widely. She rocked back and forth on her feet, not seeing this 'monster' anywhere. Perhaps the sailor had just been seeing things? Or heard a strange noise? Either way, she wanted to make sure before she jumped to conclusions. "Hellooo! Mr. Monster Man?" She called in her same high-pitched tone, walking further inside, looking all around.
"Another one..." thought the being. Another human had come down to this dreary place. Was she not warned by the other one of his presence? Staying concealed as part of the bilge water, it watched her from a distance.
The being was waiting for the human to leave, but then she did something strange. She was... calling it? This human even referred to it as "Monster", something that struck fear into most of her kind. She was really down here to find him, and was not afraid.
This was odd. Moving closer, the being observed this one. Without emerging, its movement was like a gentle current, easily missed by the untrained eye. The watery being hoped this one could not sense its magic, like some humans were able to do. It also hoped it could not control water.
She sat down in a criss-cross position, pouting as she groaned in disappointment. These sea trips were always so boring. It was very rare that you got to see such excitement whilst onboard. A real monster? In the bilge, of all places? The idea was so thrilling! But as she sat, looking around, it became more and more clear that it might've all been false.
She rested her head in her palm, drawing little patterns on the floor with her fingers. "Come on...! I just wanna talk... Are you scared?" She asked, suddenly jumping to her feet and stomping around. "Did that mean, old sailor scare you? Poor thing! I outta teach him a lesson!" She exclaimed, getting in a clumsy boxing stance and throwing a few playful punches.
This human's actions perplexed the water being. She was inviting it out, and... trying to use combat stances to do it? As much as it wanted to reveal itself, it was hesitant. This one would probably run in fear like the others as soon as it did, right? Even if she was trying to summon it, would this still stay once she got her wish? Perhaps it was worth a try.
Moving to a safe distance, so as not to startle the human, the being began to rise. At first the bilge water merely swelled upwards, akin to a wave on the ocean. The more it rose, the more it began to take shape. However, the being would not reveal itself completely. It was still too nervous.
From what was raised above the waterline, a head was formed. On it was a face with a single eye and a mouth. Water flowed down over where the other eye would be, forming the shape of what looked like hair. The face held a worried expression, but was focused on the human. The being would not speak. It anticipated the strange human's next move.
Neyan blinked, watching the creature rise up from the water. She didn't react, at first, just stared with wide eyes as the creature took form, sprouting a head, face, and torso. She stood up straight, her hands behind her back politely as she smiled. "Hi!" She giggled, tilting her head. "My name's Neyan! Neyan Addyanna! What's your name, stranger?" She asked, taking a few steps forward.
She walked slowly, her movements calm as she for once toned down her usually hyper attitude to keep from startling it. When she heard the word, 'monster' being screamed from the bilge, she didn't expect... This. Just look at it! The worried expression, the loose, liquid form... What real harm could it do?
She eventually inched herself right in front of it. "Hey... It's ok... I'm not scared, see?" She closed her eyes, smiling as she lifted her hands up by her sides. "Can... You not talk? Oh no... You probably don't even know human words, do you?" She huffed, realizing that she just might've been talking to herself the whole time. Now those theories about her being crazy were somewhat valid... She shrugged, reaching forward with a finger, touching it's chest. As her finger got wet, she yipped, jolting back. Well, it was definitely made of water.
The elemental was surprised. He did not expect such... enthusiasm from this human. She did not scream or yell. She did not run. She did not retaliate in any way. Instead, she was actually talking to him, and doing so with interest and... kindness.
He rose a little more from the water, but still not completely. He was becoming more and more comfortable around this one, a feeling he was not accustomed to. The "eyebrows" still had their worried shape, but the mouth was starting to curl up into a smile. He was hesitant to speak, but even if he was not, he would not have been able to get a word in amongst the human's excited chatter.
She moved up, making him nervous again. He recoiled at her touch, even though he could barely feel it. There was really nothing she could do to hurt him physically, but malicious intent always hurt in a different way. It was good that this was not the case here. She was only curious, and even jumped back after the touch.
"I... I am..." he started nervously. "I am... F-Fluvial..."
It took quite a bit of effort o do that. The elemental was not used to opening up to others.
Neyan giggled as she heard him speak. "You do talk! Yay! I'm not completely insane!" She cheered, circling around him. "So, what are you doing on a big ol' rickety ship, Mr. Fluvial? Shouldn't you be out having fun in the open ocean or something?" She questioned, but quickly regretted it. The poor thing was obviously scared easily, and she could only imagine what was in the water that could keep him from staying there.
Looking to change the subject, she immediately shot in front of him with a smile. "Um... Nevermind! Say, are you magical!? I looove magic! I'm going to Adela to look for some jobs! I am a healer, after all!" She talked at a mile a minute, not slowing down to breathe. She was talking so fast, that she couldn't seem to grasp how stupid her question was. Water didn't just stand up like a person and grow a face naturally. Of course he was magical. Although, she definitely didn't give Fluvial enough time to answer. She was just too busy talking.
When she finished, she was practically panting for air, as she had used it all in her excitement. She blushed in embarrassment, scratching the back of her head. "Um... Sorry." She laughed nervously. "My name's Neyan Addyanna. Can you say that? Knee-On Add-E-Anna." She pronounced it slowly for him.
Fluvial was uncomfortable with this emotion. Excitement was not something he was used to, especially of this magnitude. He wanted to answer this human's questions. He wanted to tell about the monster lurking in the deep, or his ability to control the water around him, or anything really. However, the water elemental could not get a word in edgewise and he was much too timid to interrupt.
"Neyan... Addyanna..." those were the only words he was able to say after such an onslaught.
Subconsciously, his pillar rose some more. The elemental was becoming more and more comfortable with the human's presence. Now, he was as tall as an average human. His "head" floated in the air about an inch higher than his "shoulders". Two small floating orbs of water also materialized, forming "hands". With these, he twiddled the nubby "fingers" awkwardly, not knowing what else to do with them.
Neyan watched him rise up, still smiling as he took shape in front of him. Now he looked far more human. Well... As human as a water elemental could look. She giggled, watching him twiddle his fingers as she tilted her head. "So, Fluvial... What can you tell me about yourself?" She asked, sitting once more in front of him. Why would anybody want to hurt him, or run away from him? He was harmless! Twiddling his fingers nervously... Always with these sad, pathetic eyes... He was actually pretty cute and funny, in Neyan's eyes.
She looked up, hearing laughing and talking on the upper deck. Oh, how cool it would be to introduce people to her new friend... To show everyone how nice and gentle he was. But seeing that sailors reaction... It made her unsure. Maybe they'd be nicer than that? Still, it only took one person panicking for an entire ship crew to come and attempt to kill him. She didn't want to do that to Fluvial... He seemed skiddish enough as it was...
"Umm..."
Fluvial lowered himself down, feeling uncomfortable with standing taller than the human.
"T-There is not... There is not a lot to tell..." he stuttered, looking away.
The water elemental did not want to disappoint the human girl, especially after she had been so kind and welcoming. However, he could not think anything interesting about himself to talk about.
Just then, some heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the crude stairs. It was the sailor from before, followed by what looked to be his superiors. They were armed with cutlasses drawn from their sheaths, prepared for any "monster" that they would find down here. Startled by the sounds, Fluvial fell back into the bilgewater and his from sight.
"It was right over here!"
The three crewmen walked over and happened upon the woman.
"It is but a girl!" the one officer jeered, sheathing his sword. The other one followed suit. "I apologize miss, but this area is off limits to passengers." he said politely.
The first crew member protested, claiming that this was not what he saw. He swore up and down that it was a creature of water, skulking around menacingly. His officer scoffed and waved him off, before reaching a hand down offering help the young woman up.
Neyan frowned, blinking at Fluvial. How could a walking, talking man of water not have a lot to tell about himself? Out of anyone, Neyan suspected he would have seen at least something interesting in his lifetime. She shrugged, smiling cutely. "It's ok! Some people just don't have a lot to tell! I understand!" She promised.
Her eyes widened as the approaching crew members could be heard coming down to the bilge. She turned sharply, prepared to hide Fluvial from anyone willing to hurt him. Not that her small frame would hide him much, but she was still willing to try. She whipped her head back around at the sound of Fluvial's form crashing back into the puddle of bilgewater. Sighing in relief, she plopped down onto her bottom just as the men arrived.
She giggled in amusement as the crew members had their fun with the first man's claim of seeing a monster. She looked up as she saw one of the men extend their hand to her, which she took without hesitation. As he pulled her to her feet, she turned to the first man, frowning. "Monster? Me? Am I really that scary...?"
She batted her eyelashes, deciding to have her own laugh at what the other two men thought was a ridiculous statement. She knew better, though. But to call Fluvial a monster wasn't all that accurate. For he was more human than anyone she had ever met... He wasn't hostile, he wasn't shady, he seemed modest, he seemed down to heart, and most of all, it looked like he just wanted to fit in. She noticed something else, beyond all that. He wasn't immediately annoyed with her.
With a grin, the superior officer began to walk away along with his two underlings.
"Come along miss." he said calmly, but with authority.
Fluvial only watched. He would not dare reveal himself with the other humans about. This saddened the elemental. He did not want this girl to leave, for she had been the only one he felt comfortable around in a long time.
As night approached, most of the passengers in their cabins and fast asleep, Neyan opened her door as quietly as she could, wincing as the hinges creaked loudly. She tiptoed outside, going down the long hallway in hopes that none of the crew were patrolling around at this time. She made her way down to the bilge, every step cracking and popping as she pressed her weight down onto it. She descended down until she hit the bilge floor, looking around at every puddle for signs of her watery friend.
She tried ignoring the sounds of crashing waves, thunder, and the occasional rock of the ship as an obviously heavy storm raged outside. She sat on the floor, slightly nervous that she would be caught down here. Nevertheless, she wanted to talk to Fluvial again. "Psst! Fluvial? Are you still here?" She asked quietly, tapping her fingers together.
Maybe the incident with the crew members from earlier that day scared him off? It was sad to think about, but it was a possibility. Neyan would probably leave as well, if she was constantly threatened by people that wanted to hurt her. She huffed after not hearing a response for a while, looking down at her lap sadly before standing and making her way to the stairs.
Fluvial dared not rise up, lest another human see him and get frightened. The storm raged outside, making everything scarier to one who normally glides beneath the waves. The elemental was sulking in the dark and dirty bilgewater, thinking of the friendly human he had spoken with earlier. He regretted not having the courage to show himself to the others, to speak out and convince them to let her stay. She would not come back now, not after a whole day had passed. He continued flowing around in his depressed state, only snapping out of it when someone visited once again.
It was her! The human had returned, and was once again searching for him. He watched her with delight in his entire being. This delight faded once she turned to leave. The water bubbled and swelled as he rose out of it. He simply could not let her go now. It was not certain if she would ever return, and he was too scared to go find her on the boat. He stood there, but she obviously did not see. The timid elemental summoned what courage he could, finally letting his voice ring out louder than it had ever sounded before
"W-wait!" he said. Hopefully she heard him. If not, she would leave, and Fluvial would blame himself for a long while to come.
As she began her walk up the stairs and out of the bilge, she paused, hearing Fluvial's all too familiar voice. She turned, smiling widely, happy that her friend was still here. He was skittish... Too skittish to be anywhere else in the scary ocean than right here in this ship, where nothing could hurt him as long as he stayed hidden. Of course, she didn't know that he couldn't be hurt anyways.
She trotted back down to where he was, no longer silent as her feet clapped against the wooden boards. She stopped in front of him, hands behind her back. "It's a good thing you said something! I was just about to leave..." She giggled slightly, wincing at a loud clap of thunder, a wave crashing against the side of the ship, causing it to tilt. "These storms at sea scare me..." She admitted, frowning.
Fluvial's worried frown curled up into a slight smile. He was happy his friend had come back, but was also feeling something else. It was an odd and indescribable feeling, one the elemental had no experience with before. Humans called this pride. He was proud of his accomplishment, being able to speak at a higher volume than normal. Because of that, Neyan was back, and that was good.
The commotion outside scared the human. She even admitted to it. The pride vanished right away, and was replaced by both worry and the feeling of worthlessness.
"I am sorry... I cannot help you."
Neyan shook her head, smiling. "It's okay, Fluvial. I'll be alright." She thought it was so sweet that the being cared for her safety and happiness so much. Where others would have just shrugged and told her to piss off, he actually seemed saddened that he couldn't do anything. Then again... Nobody could. Unless you were a grand wizard that could cause tornadoes to form with a twirl of your fingers, or split the sky to let sunlight shine through, then there was no way that anyone could keep her from being scared. She accepted this fact, and decided to put on a smile for him.
Another crack of thunder echoed across the sky outside, Neyan flinching slightly. She bit her lip, closing her eyes tightly before opening them again. "I'm okay... I'll be okay..." She murmured, more to herself than to Fluvial. She sighed, trying to calm her nerves as she sat down. After a long, awkward silence, she looked at him. "Haven't you ever wanted to see the rest of the ship...?" The question came suddenly, but she was genuinely curious. Besides, talking about random subjects helped to distract from the storm raging outside...
Above them, on the main deck, salty sea-water crashed onto the wooden boards as the captain did his best to maneuver the ship through the thick, misty rain and violent tides. The lightening that cracked the sky was enough to blind a man, and the constant tilting and tipping of the ship against the waves was pure nausea. Despite all this, they carried on. That is... Until something disturbing was spotted by a single crew member at the bow of the ship. His telescope focused on the thing in question, very hard to see in the black of night, through the furious storm. Whatever it was, it seemed to be alive... Snaky, winding, fins protruding from the water... It was terrifying, but amazing all at once. Above all else, the creature in the distance didn't seem passive whatsoever. In fact, it seemed to be swimming straight for them.
The girl claimed to be alright, but the elemental knew better. He could see just how much the sounds of the storm bothered her, clear as his body. Fluvial blamed himself for her fear, since he was unable to do anything about it. At least she tried to make him feel better by putting on a forced and insincere smile.
Did he want to see the rest of the ship? Fluvial could not deny his curiosity. However, would that be acceptable? Humans in the past were fearful of the elemental. Just because this one was friendly, did not mean the rest would be as well. Most likely, they would be afraid. He had seen this many times before.
"I do not know... Won't the humans be afraid?" he said in his usual sad and low-key tone.
Neyan frowned, thinking for a moment and looking towards her feet as she considered his words. Fluvial was right... The rest of the people traveling on the ship were foolish, and would most likely waste no time in attacking fluvial on sight. Or, running away and screaming. Even if he did nothing to them, really. She grinned as she got an idea...
In Connlaoth, where she first learned of her gift, she had just barely experimented in her spare time with beginner spells. One of those spells was for invisibility. Perhaps it could work on humans as well as other beings? Still... It had been a long time since she had dabbled with anything other than healing spells. She just had to pray that it would work, if they would ever need it.
She looked back at her friend, smiling and shaking her head. "I've got it covered!" She somewhat lied. She had no idea how safe her friend would be out there... And there was a good chance that she didn't have it covered. But she would do whatever she could to fix the situation if something went wrong. Was this a bad idea? Maybe. But as usual, Neyan didn't consider the consequences of her actions.
Fluvial's attention fell downwards, focusing on his own twiddling fingers. He really was not sure this was a good idea, and was reluctant to go through with this. It did not matter what the human planned to cover... whatever it was she was covering... with. He did not want to cause trouble for anyone, or put anyone in such a situation.
The elemental was not willing give any input, even if he had the chance. Just then, there was a loud bang on one side of the boat. Something very large had struck, and the entire boat somewhat listed from the force of the impact. Fortunately, this tilt was quickly corrected. Down in the bilge, the sound and forces were more intense. Still, the sturdy wooden hull was intact.
Fluvial, his body being comprised completely of water, was unaffected by the force. The shock waves passed harmlessly through the elemental, making the water jiggle. The listing also failed to affect him. His body worked like a gyroscope, and he stayed standing straight up as the floor tilted the way it did.
Neyan found herself stumbling as the boat was slammed against by something... Big. She waited for the boat to straighten itself out before standing slowly, looking towards the stairs leading out of the bilge with a concerned look. The sound was probably nothing... A sandbar, perhaps. A big wave. Probably nothing to get too excited about. She looked at fluvial, her eyes training on his. "Hey... You can trust me."
Her words were accompanied by a big, confident smile, her innocent eyes blinking as she looked at him for confirmation. "You know you can trust me, right? I won't let them hurt you!" She promised, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her eyes, still smiling. "Now, get that worried look off your face, sailor! We've got work to do!" She playfully marched up the stairs, hoping he'd follow her.
As she reached the hallway with cabins on either side, that's when the rain and thunder became even more apparent, as well as the crew on topside's panicked voices. "I'm telling you! I saw a creature out there! It couldn't have been a whale!" The man who had spotted the creature yelled to his captain. "And you lost sight of it!? You let it go right up under us and scrape the hull!?" The captain yelled. "M-Maybe it didn't!" Another crew member claimed. Neyan bit her lip. If the impact didn't wake the people, then the crew's screaming would.
Her theories were correct. In minutes, couples, children, old men and women, and even important diplomats were leaving their cabins, moving down an opposite hallway towards the port-side balcony, all murmuring amongst each other as they tried to find out what the issue was. A perfect opportunity for Fluvial and her to slip by, but even then... Did she really want to? With all this talk of creatures beneath the waves? She gulped, looking back at the bilge, where her friend stood silently.
Fluvial watched as the human recovered herself, and eventually walked up to the next deck. He advanced only to stop before the first stair. The timid elemental only stared at the wooden steps, pondering if he should really continue.
The sounds of people above did much to discourage Fluvial, almost making him turn back. However, he did trust this human. She seemed confident in the way that she knew what she was doing. One step was all it took, and Fluvial did just that. A few moments passed before he ascended to the second stair. One by one he continued, eventually climbing at slow walking pace. At the top, his sad and watery eyes focused on Neyan.
Neyan looked at her friend, playfully rolling her eyes. She lifted her hands to the sides of his mouth, attempting to change his frown to a smile and failing miserably as her fingers went straight through his watery form. Well... That was awkward. Taking her hands away, she looked towards, the hallway, which was clear of crew members or passengers. "C'mon!" She urged, sprinting down the hallway and making a sharp left instead of right. This wasn't the way to topside...
Heading down a staircase that spiraled slightly, expecting Fluvial to keep up with her, she headed down to the bowels of the ship, where a ballroom rested. Many people sat at tables around it, listening to a band play their lutes, flutes, and other instruments on a grand stage with a dragon insignia above it. Neyan walked up to the dancefloor without care, instructing her friend to do the same. She gazed at the men and women dancing to the slow and delightful music, her eyes shining with amazement. "See? This isn't scary..." She whispered to him, giggling. "People can be nice and calm..."
She was interrupted by the sound of a hideous roar from outside, the dancers and band looking around in utter confusion and even slight fear. Neyan winced again. What was that noise? Seriously... Something much worse than a storm was happening here... It was scary for her, so it must've been horrifying for Fluvial.
Up at topside, the crew was fast at work pulling ropes to maneuver the sails and shoveling water out of the deck with buckets as the captain desperately tried to keep them on course. The storm had only gotten worse, and the creature hadn't been seen for awhile. That was, until the loud roar echoed across the cloudy night sky. It was guttural, low-pitched, and the type of sound that could make the most skilled warrior terrified for his life. As the crew members began to ramble amongst one-another out of fear, the captain remained focused, fighting off his instinct to abandon ship as he gulped nervously.
Looking off to the side, his eyes widened as a towering, spiny dorsal fin pierced up through the choppy waters. He finally let go of the wheel, unmanly whimpers escaping his mouth as a long, scale-covered tendril shot up from the water, curling back before colliding down onto the rear of the ship, taking out both the cabin and the passenger bunks. The entire front end of the ship raised up from the water, everything trembling from the power of the attack. Neyan, still in the ballroom with her friend, only had a moment to react as a crew member raced in as soon as he spotted the fin on topside.
"EVERYONE BRACE YOURSELV-" He never had time to finish before the loud crash sounded, causing the floor to split and tilt, water flooding in through the main entrance. Neyan's surprised scream was silenced as she was hit by the wall of water, sending her spiraling and soon drowning as she was unable to swim back to the surface of the lake now forming in what used to be the ballroom..
Fluvial followed at his own, slow pace as his human friend whipped around the hallways. It was difficult, but he was eventually able to catch up with her. The elemental stopped in his watery tracks once he reached the big room full of people. He stood in the doorway, unwilling to walk any further. The humans here acted very odd, pairing up and moving in a strange way together. The most unnerving part was how they all seemed to be doing the exact same motions without telling each other what to do. Well, at least they were too busy to notice him.
The loud roar of the same giant sea creature interrupted everyone, and Fluvial retreated back into the hall to avoid detection. Another human was running quickly towards him now, and the nervous elemental fell back into the form of a puddle out of fear. The frightened man ran right past, before bolting into the room. There was an enormous and horrifying crash before a torrent of water swept him up and into the room.
Camouflaged by more water, Fluvial scanned around for his friend. Humans were not like him, and could not last underwater. Once he saw Neyan struggling to get her bearings in the chaotic pool, and failing. He could not let this human die, not when she had been so nice to him. The elemental was unable to help before, but this was his element now. Here, he was not so useless.
Fluvial, still blended into the rushing seawater, cleared all water away from Neyan to create a cylindrical dry spot for her to catch her breath in. His "face" appeared on the wall of the vertical tube of water. He still bore his usual worried expression, hoping he had not messed up somehow.
Neyan paddled for dear life, holding what little breath she had as she tried desperately to get to the surface. But as the ballroom filled with water, there was no surface to be found. She panicked, air escaping her lungs in clouds of little bubbles as she began to lose strength, her paddling slowing to a pathetic halt as she began to sink. Suddenly, the water around her was pulled away by an unseen force, leaving her in a huge cylindrical tube of oxygen. Still laying on her side, almost no energy to spare, she coughed out over and over, seawater pouring from her mouth as she tried to regain composure. She was alive... And that sad face on the side of the cylinder was to thank.
Smiling at Fluvial, she stood shakily. He had actually saved her life. She could hug him, she was so happy. Except... Him being water and all, that would only serve to get her even more soaked than she already was. Looking around, she finally caught sight of the stairs, which were a ruined mess from the huge crack that split the ballroom in half. Through the wall of water, multiple loud, muffled roars could be heard, as well as the screams of civilians and crew members alike. "C'mon!" She looked back at Fluvial, now worried herself as she could only imagine what was happening to the others on topside.
She ran off, trusting her friend to remain following her with the huge tube of air. As they reached the top of the stairs, the water began to shallow-out until it was only knee-deep, but even then, the floor was tilted so badly that balance was the real issue. Even here, on the side of the ship in the empty hallway, she could tell the amount of mayhem that had been occurring while she nearly drowned. Some huge creature had struck the ship very hard, and now they were sinking. Fast.
Her attention shot out to the sea, where a huge tendril pierced the surface of the water, snatching a seaman off the main deck and dragging him back in, his screams echoing all around. The same tendril came back up, ripping through the side of the ship and creating yet another huge breach. The floor shook as the monster ripped the hull to pieces, Neyan deciding to keep moving. As she came closer to topside, the water got deeper, the civilian bunks in shambles with wood boards and cluttered, destroyed furniture laying in massive piles, water shooting in from multiple holes and filling the area around her up to her waist. She looked beneath the water, noticing a huge hole that went all the way to the ocean. Looking up, she noticed the stairs just above, broken apart from the main impact, like everything else. As she prepared to jump up, however, a loud groan of pain stopped her.
Neyan turned, her expression filling with sorrow as she noticed an old man trapped under tons of debris, struggling to keep his head above water. Walking up to him, she quickly lifted a few boards off, enough to free him from his confines. Upon closer inspection, his legs were shattered, and he had a huge cut in his side. Dragging him to a floating bed, she laid him down, waving her hands over his open wound. "Stay still... Do not move." She ordered, the man looking at her through squinted eyes. "Thank you, miss... Thank you..." He repeated, placing a hand on her cheek. Smiling, her hands glowed as she slowly closed his wound.
Looking out through the tiny peephole she had to topside, two tendrils waged war on the men fighting them off with harpoons, bows, and other useless weapons. Left and right, they were grabbed, thrown, and even torn apart by the monstrosities. "What... What god is punishing us with a beast so foul...?" The old man asked. Neyan frowned, pulling a bone-mending potion from her robe and forcing him to drink. "I don't know... I wish I did, but I really don't." Neyan could cry from how scary of a scenario this was... Never in her life had she been so close with death.
The column followed Neyan around, at least until the water was low enough for her to breathe. The water elemental followed cautiously yet quickly, wishing that the human would slow her pace a bit.
The chaos ensuing all around was very unnerving for Fluvial, making him much more frightened than he usually was. He had hoped to join the seawater and drift away from all this. Deep down he wondered why he had not done so already. Then it occurred to him, he was here for the human. For his... friend. He was compelled to make sure the delicate human remained safe.
Fluvial looked on with wonder as Neyan healed the other human. He wished he knew more skills like she possessed. Maybe then, he could be more useful in this situation. The elemental watched on as the sea creature assaulted the ship itself. He slowly recoiled backwards from the horrific sight, putting some distance between him and the two humans. He could not look away from the carnage, and this fixation prevented the realization that a third smaller tendril had risen from the deep.
It fell, smashing clean through the hull right on top of Fluvial's "head". There was nothing in its wake. Even the elemental could not be found anymore. He had simply disappeared.
As Neyan conducted her spells, effectively healing the old man, who stood and hobbled off with Neyan towards a small gap in the debris. Hearing the sound of water splashing up behind her, Neyan instinctively turned towards the sound of the smaller tendril rising from the water, her eyes wide as it coiled back to slap the deck of the ship. "FLUVIAL!" She shouted, her efforts in vain as the scaly, monstrous tendril crshed down atop her friend and the already smashed-up stern.
The impact shook the half-sunken ship more than the terrified crew realized, the men manning the harpoons being tossed from their stations as other crew members with spears and bows stumbled against the massive surge of power. Almost the entire stern fell beneath the crashing waves, the deck splitting down the middle as water shot up through the slice in the wood, knocking every man off their feet, some falling off and into the water. Neyan and the old man were shoved through the gap by the wall of water, both of them clinging onto a broken beam as the white, foamy waves shot past them, Neyan accidentally gulping down a lot.
Coughing, she stood once the force of the impact ceased, looking around the wreckage frantically for her watery friend. Alas, he was MIA. Forcing back tears, she grabbed the old man by the wrist, shooting down a mostly intact hallway as she did her very best to find a way to safety. Many negative thoughts crossed her mind, however... She was on a massive, sinking vessel in the middle of nowhere, with a raging beast ruling the seas below her. There was no way to safety, and she knew it. Her fate was here, on this ship. Starting to panic, she did something that she very rarely ever did. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" The curses shot from her lips in quiet whispers, her chest heaving as she clearly had no idea what to do.
She stopped, leaving the old man outside as she took a right into a cabin that was missing a good portion of its wall. Looking over the edge at the choppy waves, she had the impression from the odd silence that the barrage of tendrils was done. Her estimations were proven wrong as something new popped up from the surface. In loud, massive watery explosions, three eel heads shot from the water all around the ship, even more tendrils shooting up with them. The snaky appendages coiled themselves around the masts on the main deck, snapping them loose from the already weakened woodand letting them crash through the deck, sending all the crew members falling to the floors below as the deck gave away from the immense weight. The eel heads proceeded to thrust themselves through the hull, emerging again with mouths full of passengers and crew alike. One tossed a catch of at least 9 people into the air, catching them as they flew above its head and swallowing them whole.
Frozen with fear, the eel that stared at neyan opened its jaws, jagged, ugly fangs glistening as it suddenly propelled forward, hissing loudly. Neyan gave a scream, placing a magic barrier over the door just as the eel crashed through the gaping hole in the cabin wall, making it even larger. Its nose smashed against the barrier, the creature reeling back and roaring in both anger and slight pain as it dove back beneath the waves. Dropping her shield, a sigh of relief escaped her lips, but was short-ived. The tendrils grabbed either edge of the main deck, pulling apart with all their might as the huge ship creaked and cracked under the strain. Soon enough, the vessel split apart unevenly into three or four different pieces, which sank quickly.
From where Neyan and the old man were, the walls collapsed in on themselves, the floor cracking apart and giving away as it began to tilt inwards towards the heart of the ship. Neyan clawed for dear life, her efforts in vain as she fell to the water below...
Fluvial recovered his watery form, taking in a bit more water than he needed to. The monster's swipe was startling and terrifying, but it did not hurt him. It could not hurt him.
The elemental looked around, but did not see his friend. He had never been this worried about a human's safety before, and he blamed himself for losing her. He darted around quickly, gliding effortlessly through the water that surrounded him. The creature reared its ugly head, or rather, heads. This only added to the fear that the elemental felt.
He continued his search, doing what he could to ignore the scene of horror. There was nothing that could be done for the rest of the humans. The only one he needed to protect was Neyan. Fluvial would be unable to forgive himself should she perish.
There was a terrified scream, followed by a strike by the monster. Was it her? The head was sent reeling back by some unseen force. If it was her, perhaps she had survived that savage strike. The elemental was making his way towards the opening when the boat was split apart. Although brief, but Fluvial caught sight of Neyan through wreckage. She was alive, but had fallen into the water below.
As quick as a raindrop, Fluvial dropped himself downwards into the water. Once he was united with the ocean, he swiftly made his way to the girl. He formed an orb of air around his friend, and followed her as she fell downwards. To cushion the human's fall, he stopped the orb just before she reached the seafloor. The water was shallow for her, with the entire weight of the ocean held back on all sides.
Neyan hit the water harder than she could possibly imagine. It hurt badly. If she wasn't wearing the robe, it most likely would've taken skin off. Luckily, it did not. Instead, she sank at a rapid pace, nearly unconscious as she wasn't able to muster the strength to paddle her way back to the surface. Like a guardian angel, Fluvial surrounded her in a thick bubble of air to protect her from the drowning effects of the ocean. She was still fairly out of it, suspended as she floated on the thick air limply.
All around her, debris, furniture, and human bodies splashed down, sinking past her until they reached the sea bottom. In no time, that's where Fluvial and her landed. Just above, where a small ray of moonlight splashed across the water's surface, the remnants of the mighty ship came down, in at least four separate pieces. The masts came down like spears, hitting the seafloor with loud crashes. Following them, the hull of the ship landed, torn apart and not at all resembling much of a ship anymore.
Luckily, nothing hit them, but just somewhat concealed them in a fort of debris and ruin. At this point, Neyan had regained consciousness, looking around at everything with wide eyes. She said nothing, unable to put any words to the chaos that surrounded them. It wasn't the wreckage of the ship that kept her silent, rather, it was the dead that surrounded her. To speak would mean to disrespect them and their lives. She couldn't bear to do that. Looking above, her eyes widened even more at the silhouette of the beast that caused the tragedy.
She could see the thousands of tentacles that assaulted the ship before, as well as the four ugly eel heads, but something was there that had managed to stay hidden the entire time. A gelatinous hood, similar to that of a jellyfish, but with curved tusks protruding from its underside, where the eel heads and tenticles protruded from. As quickly as she could inspect this monster, however, it was gone. She slowly turned to Fluvial, placing her hand on the watery bubble that surrounded her.
With tears in her eyes, she gave a weak, yet thankful nod. "Thank you..." Her voice quivered.
Fluvial's watery form rose from the waist deep water. He looked around, still appearing worried.
"What do we do now?" he asked, preoccupied with the sight of falling debris.
The human may have been safe now, but there was a danger that the elemental did not know about, let alone consider. No fresh air was making it down from the surface. It would take some time, but eventually the bubble would be filled with carbon dioxide.
The elemental did not need to breathe oxygen. This was not a danger to him.
(After your next post, I want the thread to end there. Sorry for not posting for a long time, I've been thinking of what to do with this for awhile. I've come to the decision that I want to turn this into a larger event with more people. I'll PM you with more information soon.)
"Swim up... As fast as you can." She told him, gulping. She already felt the air around her getting thinner with every breath, letting her know that it wouldn't be long before she suffocated. She looked up towards the surface, seeing just how far away it was. Depressurizing would be an issue, one that could leave her seriously injured, but she would never survive if she didn't have access to more air.
She looked back at her friend, giving a series of quick nods. "Now. I'm not gonna last much longer if you don't. Besides, we need to keep moving. That monster could come back to search the wreckage at any time." She warned. Perhaps it was paranoia, but Neyan could've sworn she saw a tendril in the distance of the deep blue. Even if it was paranoia, it was nothing to scoff at. Seabeasts love rummaging through sunken vessels. That was always what sailors had told her.
"Once we get to the top... Swim back the way we came. We need to alert those people on the docks."
"Umm... Okay." replied the elemental.
It was no question that he would obey. The human knew what to do, and Fluvial would do all in his power to help his new friend.
Water wrapped around her body, but the bubble remained around her. The least he could do was keep the pressure of the seawater off her as he lifted her off the seabed and up towards the surface. He went as quick as he could, just as he was ordered. The pocket of air rose through the sea as a balloon does through the sky. After only a minute or two, they had surfaced.
The bubble was no longer needed, but the water that was Fluvial still gripped her to make sure she would not go back under. The next part of the order was to head in the direction from whence they came, but he did not know which direction that was. He had not seen it when he was on board, and the monster attack had turned everything around.
He said nothing about this, not wanting to disappoint or anger his new friend. The elemental knew the general direction of "land". That would have to be enough. He began moving her towards it, taking her past the floating bits of wreckage and debris.