And company they have. Balthier is confined to attempting to carry on steering at first, but is forced to give up - there's no helping it; at some point he'll shout at Nazca to see if she can make heads or tails of anything to do, but he's more useful fending off the creatures come to find a meal.

They're perfectly adapted - low, twisting bodies clinging to every surface with ease, utterly undeterred by the rocking of the boat, unlike the two-legged passengers. He's rarely been more thankful for the Masamune, though gods only know how it ended up in his possession. He isn't going to shy away from using something that slices through flesh and bone like water.

When he ends up near Sonja, it's to kick something back into the water from over the ledge. Something like thunder rolls, deafening everything for a long, unsteady moment, and waves crash over onto the deck, carrying with them more eels. He swears.