Kain was going to die; that was, if he couldn't come up with a way to avoid getting eaten within the next few seconds.

Reacting out of instinct alone, he unsheathed his sword and twisted to the side. The action sent him skidding into the gaping hole in the deck the nightmare had created. At that exact moment he gripped his sword with both hands and swung forward. It sliced through a tentacle and into the side of the ship, drawing a high-pitched scream from the creature.

The nightmare suddenly tore free. Blood and slime streamed down from the wounded appendage. Kain grimaced, but held tight to his blade as the liquid coated his arms and cap. His mind was racing, attempting to connect the creature's appearance, and cries, to a name. Then, it clicked.

It's an iku.

There were only a handful of iku in the world, and most people never encountered them. Thankfully, Artemios had ensured that Kain read up on all the nightmares of the sea. Their weakness...

The bow jerked up, straightening out the ship.

"Rhode, you alright?" he heard Melitta shout.

"Give me a moment, I'll be fine," the siren replied. "Just need to pull myself back up."

Despite the confidence in her tone, worry flitted through him. Until that moment, it hadn't occurred to him that Rhode would've been in the most danger out of all of them. When the ship tipped, she'd been in the crow's nest. From the sound of it he could only assume that she'd managed to keep herself from being thrown into the ocean.

"Kain?" Melitta asked.

"I'm hanging in," he called back. "The nightmare?"

"Gone," she confirmed. "For now, at least."

Relieved, he turned his eyes to the storeroom beneath him. The crates weren't too far from his feet, and after a moment's consideration he swung so he could brace his feet against the wall. Then, he drew in a deep breath. This is going to hurt.

He jerked backwards. It took a minute, but he managed to pull his blade free, sending both him and the sword flying backwards. Pain laced his back as the impact stole the breath from his lungs. Still, he had his sword, the nightmare was gone, and he hadn't died... so it seemed to be a pretty optimal outcome in his opinion. He sheathed his weapon and sat up, debating simply jumping off of the crates.

A loud crack resounded through the air as an impact sent the ship rolling to the side. It nearly capsized, before straightening out once again. Kain was sent to the storeroom floor with a oomph then scrambled to his feet. All of this made something very clear--the iku hadn't disappeared, just changed strategies. How do you fight something hiding in the ocean?

Deciding that he was useless below deck, Kain darted for the hallway. The second he had his hands around the rungs of the closest ladder, another impact had him flying into the wall. His shoulder ached, but he forced himself to continue his trek topside. If this continued, they could forget keeping up with the kidnappers. The Airlea would be in pieces.

He managed to make it up the ladder before the iku threw itself into the ship again. His eyes searched for the others and relief flooded him as he spotted Rhode and Melitta clinging to the main mast. Dalphie was holding onto the doorway of Artemios' office. She must've found a way up when Kain was facing off with the iku.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to take a chance and made his way to the side of the ship the iku kept ramming into. He grabbed the railing with a death grip, shifting his head to peer over the side. Weakness... weakness... Fire!

The slime coating the iku's entire body was flammable, and like oil, it burned even in water. The only trouble was that the slime also coated the side of the ship, and Kain himself. If they set the thing on fire...

It slammed into the ship again, and Kain heard something break beneath the deck. He swore. There was no time to think about the consequences.

"I need a lantern!" he shouted.

He kept his grip on the ship, peering over his shoulder to see if Dalphie had heard him. Realization flashed across her face, and she disappeared into Artemios' office. Meanwhile, deciding he couldn't just wait for her to run it to him, Kain started the precarious trip across the deck. A full minute had passed, and Dalphie hadn't returned by the time he made it to the door. A glance inside revealed she'd pulled up the hatch in the office, and disappeared into Artemios' cabin on the floor below.

What is she doing? Not willing to wait and find out, Kain fought with the hook keeping a lantern hanging on the wall of Artemios' office. It took him a moment, another crash nearly sending him flying into the desk, but he freed it and darted back out onto the deck. In those seconds, he prayed to whatever gods felt like listening that he wasn't about to set everything around him, himself included, aflame. Returning to the side of the ship, and he studied the ocean for the nightmare that seemed determined to bash the Airlea to pieces.

C'mon... c'mon...

The midnight waters were dark and empty. The world almost seemed to stop as Kain realized he'd made one, major mistake: the iku was no longer below him. The next crash sent him, and the lantern, flying over the railing as the nightmare struck the opposing side. He plunged deep into the sea while scrambling to keep ahold of his makeshift weapon. The flame flared for a split second--looking as if despite being in the water, it might not go out--but then disappeared. The oils left behind by the iku weren't enough to protect it.

Kain released the now useless lantern and focused on swimming up. The second his head broke the surface, he drew in deep, calming breaths. His eyes skimmed the inky waters around him, as if focusing could tell him where the iku had gone. He opened his mouth to call for someone to throw him a rope, but paused as something--more likely, someone--flew over the railing. It only took a second for him to realize that it'd been Melitta, as her shimmery tail appeared within seconds of the mermaid joining him in the water.

"You shouldn't've--"

"You can't fight like this," Melitta interrupted as she surfaced next to him. "I can. Rhode's trying to find something to pull you up. Meanwhile, I'll keep you alive. Still feel like arguing?"

Kain hesitated, then shook his head. "Dalphie?"

"Still missing," Melitta replied. "Now, try not to get eaten."

With those encouraging words, she swam down, no doubt searching for where the iku had disappeared to. Kain forced himself not to follow, knowing he'd just get in the way. Only a handful of minutes passed before something suddenly curled around his ankle. Within the same moment, he was being dragged down. He grabbed at his ankle, hands uselessly scrabbling at the slick tentacle that seemed to be slowly covering more and more of his leg. Sensing how useless the action was, he scrambled for his sword, then, froze as a flash of movement caught his attention.

As quickly as it' grabbed a hold of him, the iku released his leg, the water vibrating with the force of it's unholy shriek. Melitta hovered in the water before him, blood wafting through the waters around them. Had she injured it somehow?

She gestured up, startling him into action. He swam for the surface once again, redoubling his efforts as he could feel movement taking place below him. He had to remind himself that fighting beneath the ocean was Melitta's forte, not his own. He'd only get in the way if he tried to help. Just as his head broke into the open air, calls of his name came from the deck. He furrowed his brow.

"Dalphie?"

"Give me directions, Kain! I just need one shot."

The faint glow to the air made something about the situation click in his head. She was a siren, and she wanted him to direct a shot. She must have gone for her bow instead of a lantern. Had she lit fire to one of her arrows?

He turned in a full circle, attempting to spot any bit of the iku that might be visible above the water. Seeing nothing, he took a deep breath and dove down towards where he'd left Melitta. He couldn't make anything out of the black depths beyond her shimmery, blue-silver scales. The moment he'd come close enough that he felt that he had her attention, Kain gestured towards the ship, hoping she'd come to some conclusion about him needing to talk to her. He then surfaced again, and waited a few seconds.

The second Melitta joined him, he explained the situation. She furrowed her brow, a frown playing across her lips.

"I think... I think I can do it," she decided, then turned her head towards the deck. "Be ready."

Then, without another word, she dove back down. Fear pulsed through Kain's body, a feeling of uselessness accompanying it. He hated this situation of waiting--knowing that whatever Melitta had planned, it was dangerous, and he was useless to help her.

Only seconds had passed before tentacles suddenly began to break the surface. They swung through the air, Kain having to jerk back to avoid being hit. Seeming to need no directions for such a clear shot, Dalphie fired an arrow. The flames streaked through the air as the head buried itself through one of the thick limbs. For a second, nothing happened.

Then, chaos.

Flame exploded across the surface of the water, as it consumed the iku. Kain was sent flying back, before he plunged down into the water once again. The cool ocean soothed the burning pain that streaked across his skin, putting out the flames before they could fully take hold. Thankfully, the waters must have washed away the majority of the blood and slime that'd drenched his body on deck.

"Melitta!"

The little mermaid was nowhere to be seen. For a full minute, he felt as if his heart had stopped. He couldn't tell if the flames were consuming the side of the ship, nor could he see if Melitta had managed to escape the iku before it'd caught fire.

Then, she surfaced only a few feet from where he was treading water. Relief flooded his system.

"You're okay."

She nodded, a tired smile on her lips. "Somehow."

A loud 'crack' echoed through the air, then the sound of something being poured off of the Airlea. A white powder flooded the water, putting out many of the flames. Realization flickered through him--they must have broken into the cargo hold and broke open one of the barrels of flour. That, plus some of their precious water, protected the slime covered ship.

Like Kain and Melitta, the Airlea would survive with only minor burns. 

A/N:

Sorry this took so long to get out! I just couldn't make this chapter flow the way I wanted to. Eventually, I decided it has to be one of those chapters that I'm just not satisfied with for now. I'll probably come back and work on it later. Hopefully, moving on means that we'll go back to having regular updates.

Cross your fingers with me~~

So, questions:

What are your thoughts on the iku? The action? How about Melitta's choice to jump in? Reckless, or smart?

Um... that's all I have for right now, haha.