The fog parted with an abrupt blast, revealing dark, bulbous appendages that coiled around the ship's hull and latched onto the masts.
Enormous waves rose and crashed against the deck, forcibly hoisted by a greater force, its massive shadow looming underneath the waters.
Nysa nearly lost her footing as the vessel swayed from the impacts, its wooden creaks punctuating the raucous calls of oarsmen and sailors alike. The passengers thrust themselves into the lower cabins amidst screams and shouts while the magister rounded his men with practiced skill.
"A Sea Monster!" he bellowed. "Take up your arms; protect the passengers and the goods! As long as we injure it badly enough, it will let us pass!"
Of course, that was a hope, not a rule. Sea Monsters were notoriously aggressive, perhaps as much as Eidolons, and no seafarer closed an eye without the creeping dread of a bloody demise in their unhinged jaws.
