Natsumi whipped the pistol out of thin air, then fired three times at the shadowy figure rummaging through the stuff on her boat.

There was a scream. Followed by a splash. Then the night was quiet again. She kept her pistol on her, aware of the mana its bullets had siphoned and stepped slowly down the dock. There weren't any other boats or ships here. It was past seven in the morning; all the fishermen had already gone out, she was just looking to drift and sleep.

The morning was cool and the salty fragrance of the sea called to her, but who was this fool? When she got to the edge of the pier, the wood creaking beneath her boots, she aimed her pistol at the water.

It was still dark out, but the sky was turning pink, and if she was still docked here, she'd be charged a parking fee. "Hey," she said, licking her lips and looking at every wave breaking against her little boat. "You got ten seconds to get your ass out here or Imma start shooting again."

She tried to sound firm. Brave. Confident. But the longer she was on land, the weaker her magic would get, and the more vulnerable she would be. Natsumi was a short, pale human. Her long dark hair tied back and out of her face, she was curvy, had a resting bitch face, and wasn't the least bit intimidating. Instead, guys seemed to think her "easy" until she pulled out her trusty old pistol and shoved it in their faces.

When nothing stirred, she decided that she'd hit that shadowy figure and they were dead. What had they even wanted? She barely kept anything but her essentials on the boat. Maybe they were one of the customers from the restaurant where she'd picked up a shift... she shuddered, feeling grossed out at the thought they might've tried hiding on her boat so they could surprise her when she arrived tired and needing to sleep.

She stepped onto her boat, untied it, then kicked off from the pier with her paddle. Something reached out of the water and grabbed it. Before she could scream, a boy was climbing onto her boat.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Natsumi grabbed both sides, afraid it would capsize, but the boy plopped inside with a wet splash and looked up at her through a thick head of black hair that covered his brown face.

"Who the hell..." she started to say. Then she spotted the blue scales that covered his legs. Except he had no legs. It was a tail.

"Lady, you will take me home," said the boy. Except it was more like sang. He had big dark eyes and stared at her like a lost puppy. "It's the least you can do after nearly slaying me."

Natsumi blinked. She didn't know what to even say. She was a pirate, not an escort. Did he have gold? What was in it for her? And how wasn't he dead? Didn't she shoot him? Had she really missed all her shots? She wasn't that bad of a shot.

But none of that managed to get out of her mouth. The boy was a mermaid. Or merman. A sea monster.

"Where?" she managed to ask.

"Beyond the Gale Sea," he said running his hands through his wet hair and slicking it back to show his forehead. He was human to the belly button. Then he was fish.

She shook her head. "No, that's uncharted waters... nobody knows what's out there. Not even the grizzly old sailors go that far."

He made a face. "I know what's out there. And if you take me home, my parents will reward you. And I shall be quite pleased."

"And who the fuck are you?" She didn't like his haughty attitude one bit. She wasn't sure she wasn't dreaming. Had she drunk too much last night? No, she hadn't drunk at all. She had no gold.

"Prince Arakhi of the Gale," he said.

"A prince?" she asked. Her heart rate quickened ever so slightly, but she tried not to let that show. She sensed a big pay day ahead. "Your parents, the king and queen then? What would they pay to have their son back?"

"As many sea diamonds as you can carry," he said, crossing his arms. "Now I tire of these questions. You've already shot at me three times. I shall rest. You shall row."

She bit her lip. He was an annoying little brat. Did she even want to venture out that far? And what the hell were sea diamonds? Diamonds from under the sea? Before she could ask him, he'd curled up on the bottom of her boat, snoring away without a care in the world. She almost hit him with her paddle.

Instead, she sighed and summoned more of her magic. She'd wanted to sleep, but now she'd have to take her little boat out further than she'd ever gone before. "I hope the boat doesn't sink," she said bitterly. The kid could probably swim to safety and leave her out there to drown.