The Charoda stared up, studying them all with gleaming eyes as they responded to her presence. Patiently she listened, giving full attention to each member of the crew's response, even those that did not speak. A mistake.
Leigo could not have anticipated the worse, no matter his caution toward the creature. And, to the others their inquiries were answered with no other than a deafening shock. How dangerous could a single Charoda be, even with the unusual twinges of churning beckoning energy around Anselm? Her mouth opened, with a single syllable "I-" before her eyes flew wide, her proverbial hairs standing on end, and gills flaring wide. With grace and speed she turned in the water, looking away from the other.
Her mouth turned out of sight, as another came forth in fierce defiance of her apparent grace, bringing with it unbridled strength and speed. The water itself beneath the Charoda seemed to open, parting as if some terrifying maw. What seemed like rippled of white disturbed water was quickly recognized by the more observant as rows upon rows of hundreds of finger length jagged teeth, protruding out of the parting water. That's when the water rose, sweeping a now gasping Charoda upward, the water pouring downward seamlessly morphing into the surface of thin transparent skin, spanning outward at in what seemed to be in that moment at least several meters in width, the concealed length assuredly much more impressive. Some terrifying gigantic toothed creature that had snuck up on an inhabitant of the ocean itself had jutted from the water, claiming it's prize without fear.
A true testament that there is always a bigger fish in the sea. A sea that belonged to nobody. A bay that belonged to nobody. Whatever the intentions of the Charoda all thoughts of it were lost as the creature, sliding upward, sending water asunder upon them all, clamped it's jaws firmly shut, a fine jet of blood shooting toward the boat, in some cereal and terrifying manner, falling with precision into the still, or again, open mouth of Tallis, coating a vivid hue across his lips and cheeks. With the sullying jet the grinding sound of the Charoda's frail bones and cartilage breathing without resistance. Just as another dozens jets of blood fell into the water around their fragile boat.
Gravity taking charge, the beast began to slip back into it's watery domain, the fresh grave of their Charoda acquaintance, with more speed than any aboard could process let alone respond. In fact, none had even managed to close or rip away their eyes and gaze from the terrifying ordeal as the faint outline of a rigid dorsal fin, characteristic of a deadly shark, went disappearing into the equally transparent water, swallowed by the murderer's own wake. And, the cold unforgiving eye of the water's frigid darkness itself stared with absence of thought upon each and every form of the boat. The only impression it giving forth being that of absolute and unmitigated hunger...
As those of the party were released from their horrifying spell of the post storm creature, clad in transparent skin, and wearing the shape of a gigantic shark, the small boat bucked and tremored beneath them, a whitewash of water bombarding their legs, and filling the base of the boat. Poole was the first to speak, unwithheld urgency in his commanding voice as his attention completely abandoned Feira.
"Arm yourselves!" A violent solution for a violent man.
None had foreseen the dangers of the water from it's calm surface, none as anticipated a danger so unnatural. The waters surrounding the city had been utterly unexplored since the storm had struck, and in hind sight the presence of horrifying beasts should have been expected. It was not, and now all aboard knew without a doubt, that this might have been their death. The mistake that would claim them all. Had Poole, the prepared sailor, been prepared enough? Would the spears strapped to the boat's exterior and the miscellaneous weapons within their weighty crate save them from the uncertainty, the horror, that lurked below them. More importantly would their small crews skills match this challenge? Questions that gripped them all as a fin faintly began parting the water yards away, then disappearing again.
.
