“Look out!!” D’s left hand shouted as another enormous wave hit the side of the boat, pinning him against the outer cabin wall. Coughing up the salty water that had forced itself into his lungs, he looked up at the beast before him. He, the dunpealess hunter, and some of the sailors, each crewmate carrying a weapon, were out on the deck trying to destroy the colossal monstrosity. The hunter turned his head and watched Nakoia draw a gun and fire three shots. She hit it in the head dead-on, but the bullets had no effect, for the creature was made completely of water. Water, in the shape of a giant serpent.
Its neck carried its giant head dozens of feet above the boat so that it could open its cavernous jaws and mercilessly spray massive amounts of water at its enemy. Tentacle-like entities rose out of the water and fell against the vessel, liquefying back into water and splashing onto the deck the moment it made contact. The beast shimmered in the sunlight that was at its back, casting rainbows and waving lights onto the ship and D wondered for a moment how something could be so beautiful and yet so terrifying at the same time.
Although the creature had not been there for very long, the inhabitants of the ship were already going into a state of panic as the ruthless beats began to break away the outer side of the ship. D had met some nasty guardians in the past, but this one just might take the cake.
“D!” The parasitic symbiote barked. “In the water! Look in the water!”
The hunter tried to stand up, but the water coming at him wave after wave was hard to push against. He had to get down and crawl, and after a short struggle, he was able to grab the edge of the boat and look over the edge. “...What... am I looking for...?” The dunpeal sputtered, trying to keep the water out of his lungs.
“Anything that’s not water!”
Wiping his face with his hand, D tried to focus his eyes, his vision blurred by the amount of salt water he was soaked in. After a moment he spotted something, a grayish ball just under the spot where the beast’s neck rose out of the water. “...What...?”
“Kill it!” The symbiote growled.
The hunter looked around, then grabbed one of the sailors that had a harpoon in his hand, who looked even more out of it then D did. The dunpeal dragged him over to the edge of the boat and pointed to the gray ball under the water. Spotting the entity, the crewmate understood the gesture and fired his harpoon in that direction. As the weapon hit, the serpent gave out a hideous roar, gushing water out of its gaping mouth. And when the sailor pressed a button on his implement and reeled the spear in, taking the gray creature with it, the beast liquefied, splashing its enormous liquid body back into the waters of the ocean and creating a huge wave, causing the boat to rock back and forth again. The crewmate fell backwards, flinging the harpoon and the creature back against the wall of the cabin.
After a few moments of letting everything settle down, D straightened up and looked at the gray creature before him. A small, translucent goblin pulled the spear from out of the middle of its body and hissed at the hunter. He tried to get closer to the injured creature, but it leaped off the side of the boat and disappeared into the deep green of the sea.
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“I can’t believe you let that thing get away.” Brock said entering the bunk room behind D. “I mean, it was right there! Two feet in front of you!”
“Three feet.” The hunter said sitting down on a wooden chair and taking off his soaked cloak and hat, which he had barely saved from being washed off the boat into the ocean.
“Whatever. You know what I mean. You’d think a dunpeal like you’d be able to catch that damn gremlin.”
“Goblin.” Janet said peeking in the door.
“Imp.” Brock argued.
“No, it was a gnome.”
“Gnome?”
“Fairy!” Erin said scampering by. Closing the door behind her, Janet turned to follow the rambunctious girl.
“Crazy women...” Brock said. “Well, we better get something good out of this.” He smirked and looked over at D. “You can have the dunpeal chick though, she might bite me.”
The hunter wasn’t listening. He was busy digging through his bag for a change of dry clothes.
The navigator frowned. “You’re so damn boring.” He turned and opened the door, pushing past Nakoia as he left.
Already changed into some clean clothes, the dunpealess entered the room and looked at D. “What was that thing...?”
The dunpeal looked up at her. “...I’m not sure.”
“I am.” The symbiote said, now in his goblin form, peeking from behind the table, and speaking in such a serious tone it was just plain awkward. “It was an elemental djinn.”
“And what is that?” The hunter asked.
“Like me, D.”
The dunpeal blinked. “But... that’s impossible.”
“What is that??” Nakoia said narrowing her eyes at the symbiote creature. “It looks just like that other thing.”
“......This one’s harmless.” D said, annoyed that the goblin let his presence be known.
“Not entirely!” The symbiote jumped on to the table and bowed. “My name is Aiokan. ‘Tis a pleasure to meet you, milady! Gah--!”
“Uh!” D said rolling his eyes and, grabbing the ‘djinn’ by the ear, stuffed the creature in his bag and tied it closed, then looked back at the girl behind him.
Nakoia let out a little laugh. “All I’ve got to say is that has to be the ugliest pet rabbit I have ever seen.”