The Forgotten Isle

The Wayfarer continued to rock wildly in the waves.

The added weight of the angry beastial Ruin on the deck was not helping the situation. The boards groaned under his weight and in one spot, his foot broke through.

Inside the cabin, those who were still conscious could watch as items began to roll towards the left side of the ship. She was beginning to tip over, leaning heavily towards the starboard side.

One more heavy wave was all it took to capsize her, the mast plunging under the waves as the underside of the ship rose above the water.

Ruin was thrown into the ocean once again, and those inside the cabin could watch as water began to pour in.

Ryko was knocked aside as the cabin door burst open, ocean water pouring in. He squinted in the darkness, only the occasional flash of lighting allowing him to see. He could make out the soft glow of Orridai's markings in the corner. Step by step he made his way through the now knee-deep water. He grabbed Orridai and pulled the daemon up on to one of his shoulders.

"Everyone make sure you're ready to hold your breath!" He shouted over the roar of the water pouring in. "We're going to have to try and swim out!"

He reached back under the water and grabbed a hold of Percy, pulling him out of the soup as well and placing him on his shoulder.

Umbra and Balamel could watch as the ship capsized. They could try and swim back and maybe climb on top of the wreckage but other than that... it seemed as though they were stranded at sea. It wouldn't be long before severe fysa poisoning set in and killed them, that was if the waves didn't drown them first.

"Well Fuck." Umbra wheezed, noticing the ship capsizing and sinking. "Thats not good." Twisting around so he could see Balam, he gestured towards what was left of the ship. "Could try climbing on it? It didn't sink with you in beast form earlier." He reasoned. "And it's better than having your guts liquefy in the ocean."

Ruin snarled and roared as he was ripped away from the ship once more, writhing in the poisonous ocean. Ducking under the surface, his body lit up like a horrifying fish, the eyes along his tail lighting up with a cyan glow to match the collection of eyes on his head.

He circled the ship angrily, like an eldritch eel. Though, a lightning strike lit up something even more tantalizing than the ship, a smaller shape drifting in the torrent... something closer to his size.

'Destroy' the fevered voice in his head commanded, turning his sights instead towards balam, aiming to rise up from below and snap at his belly and tail, jaw unzipping farther down his neck as the thought of destruction spur him on.

Vesper looked at Ryko incredulously as the ship rocked and rolled, and eventually tipped. He saw the water rushing in, and his heart sank.

He saw ryko collecting people, and looked over to Leto, taking little time to consider her comfort before picking up the leyr, with surprising delicacy. "Terribly sorry madam, but it seems time to go. I won't let you drown though. Stay in my arms. " he says with all seriousness, his eyes burning angrily at the situation as his form ripples again, as if something larger is trying to push its way out .

Leto had thoroughly been tossed about the cabin at this point and was hardly in much shape to complain. Vesper picking her up made the Leyr tense, and she briefly looked as if she were about to protest. However, she thought better of it and bit her tongue. She chose not to struggle. That would just make things more difficult, and this was not a good time for that. She could save her complaints for more important things, and at the end of the day, her inner pragmatist usually won out. Idealism worked better when one wasn't in life-threatening situations, as she had come to learn.

Leto shoved whatever thoughts she had out of her mind and simply nodded, setting her discomfort aside. "I'm inclined to agree with you on that first part, though I don't think I have much choice except to trust you here." She finally seemed awake enough to process her emotions and looked anxiously at the rising water sloshing beneath their feet. "Hope there's some bright ideas for how we'll make it out of this one alive, because I feel like our chances are starting to look a little grim."

Seeing as everyone had mostly been gathered up, that needed to be, Lohrian was willing to take his bets as well. He wasn't exactly the best swimmer but that was their only option. Following Ryko's lead whenever he moved, Lohrian was ready to go.

Ryko looked over the group before he adjusted the daemon and leyr he was carrying. "We've got one way out at the moment." He replied, gesturing over his shoulder towards the door where water was pouring in.

He turned and began to make his way towards the door, the current pushing against him as he went.

Percy reached out towards Lohrian as he was carried away, trying to grab a hold of the leyr so he wouldn't be left behind some how.

Balam glanced up, confusion clear. The ocean could do that?

He wasn't particularly interested in becoming a ptheran smoothie so he started to head towards the ship -- pausing as he caught sight of something beneath the waves. He didn't have much time to process before it latched onto his tail, earning a metallic shriek as he whipped his tail back and forth against the grip, long spurs growing out at the end alongside his hind talons. He attempted to get a few swipes in with his claws, but couldn't see well through the dark waters, and decided pushing on towards the ship was better than remaining a sitting fare out here.

The feral beast held on tightly with rows of wicked teeth, searing into balams flesh as his long body twisted around the massive ptheran, kicking at his stomach and clawing at his back and hips with savagery, seeming to have no fear of injury, a mad beast.

Blood thundered in his ears as the dark voice in his mind continued to block out all sense, sinking him deeper into the need to destroy anything he touched.

Ryko managed to force his way through the flood of water, only slipping once on the way. “Hold your breath!” He yelled to Percy and Orridai before he ducked under the water.

He swam through the dark ocean, doing his best to swim towards the distant flashes of lightning. Without them, it would have been very disorientating and he might have accidentally swam down towards the deeper depths of the ocean.

With the help of his wings, he steadily propelled himself towards the surface.

Lohrian managed to grab on to Percy’s hand but as Ryko pushed through the current, his fingers slipped.

Luckily, Ryko’s tail was within grasp and the leyr managed to grab on to it before the current could carry him away. He was tugged along into the dark depths, the ocean water stinging him as he went. The feeling of his lungs burning for air was all too familiar and definitely not something he expected to experience so soon after his last event.

Vesper followed suit behind Ryko and Lohrian. The cabin was nearly full of water at this point. Vesper had to tread the water to stay in the small air pocket that remained. He had to hold Leto up as well so she wouldn’t drown.

After taking a deep breath, he did manage to push through and come out on the other side.

Ryko breached the surface of the ocean, he and Percy breathing in a massive lung full of air in unison. He could feel something or someone clinging to his tail so he did his best to lift the tip of his tail to the surface.

Percy coughed a few times, spitting out some water as he did. He reached up and wiped at his eyes, hating the way the water stung him and made his head spin.

“L-Lohrian?” The small, colorful leyr called out. He had felt Lohrian’s hand slip from his own and was worried he might be stuck back down there, drowning in the cabin.

The waves were rough and after watching The Wayfarer capsize, Roan soon realized that might be a fate his little boat would suffer as well.

A large wave sent him sailing towards the over turned Wayfarer. His bow crashed into the side of the boat, the sound of splintering wood reaching his ears. His ship began to drift back but came to a sudden halt. Somehow they had gotten stuck together.

As Ryko broke the surface, Lohrian had managed to pull himself along the length of Ryko's tail. Feeling his lungs screaming for air, lohrian scrambled up Ryko's body, climbing up his back like a tree. As his head ripped from the water, he too took a massive breath, sputtering ocean water that had gotten in his face. He hadn't heard Percy's call dur to being underwater, so for the current moment, he was left latched onto the pink ptheran, talons and all.

Ryko winced as he felt Lohrian scamper up his back like some sort of feral kittern. “Damn, ouch, ouch, little dude.” He huffed, squinting one eye shut as Lohrian practically climbed up on his head. He did his best to keep everyone above the water but now he had three ‘people’ clinging to him. Staying above the water wasn’t easy. He turned and began swimming back towards the overturned boat, using his tail as a rudder to keep him going in a straight line despite the waves.

Balam shrieked again as claws raked down his sides, reflexively reinforcing himself with his Fysa. At the very least it'd burn away some of the excess that was building up -- even he wasn't feeling too great, right now, scratches aside. He paid no mind to Umbra as he whipped his head around and dove, his mind only on his "opponent." He was out for blood now, blade-like jaws seeking purchase in anything that wasn't his own flesh or fur as his wings thrashed through the water to try and batter the other creature off. A few points of light swaying in the dark water tipped him off to who this was, his temper only flaring further.

Vesper kicked with his powerful legs and webbed feet, ignoring the pain in his knee at the initial movement. He seemed to cut through the water with relative ease, you'd think he was semi aquatic or something.

He held tightly to Leto, holding her bridal style against his chest as he made his way up, he hoped. A flash of lightning illuminated shadows above him, wich served to affirm him that he was indeed going the right way. Moments after ryko and company broke the surface, vesper and his small cargo follow suit, gasping and sputtering as waves knock them around.

Following Ryko's example, Vesper also began making his way toward the boat, while nudging leto up onto his shoulders and offering to still hold her arms tightly.

"Climb up here so you can breathe better! I'm going back to the boat!" He shouted over the storm and raging ocean, threatening to drown out his voice even at this short a distance.

Ruin only felt blind rage searing through the pain as Balam turned on him, the massive noodle kicking out at the giant bird like a cat with a toy, though Balams fur was dense, and his claws weren't long enough to gain purchase as large powerful wings began to beat down on him.

It wasn't long before Ruins grip failed him, limbs pushing back with the force of the wings and the current around them.

Balam managed to strike near his shoulder, causing the beast to cry out and release the wicked tail that thrashed at him, clipping his side.

Enraged, Ruin circled away, trailing dark purplish blood. He was already in a constant state of low fysa poisoning thanks to his artifact...but things were getting worse as he took in seawater, his wounds singing with pain.

He tried to circle balam, but his strength was fading....his form, starting to ripple as his bioluminescent glow began to flicker. He was slowing down.