“Wha' in the Kraken's name we be ye thinkin!?” Walton shouted, strolling behind Lucy and Ivy through the street. “I told ye I will do the natterin'!”

Lucy glared at him. “Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you had an excellent plan without getting us killed.”

Walton shook his hands up. "He wasn't goin' t' scuttle me, fool! Sometimes ole hearties like t' make dark jokes on each other."

"Uh-huh. And what was your plan in the first place?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

Walton stopped and placed his finger on his chin. "Why… The plan was… was…"

Lucy shrugged with her eyes rolling. "Hm! This is why the captain should do all the talking."

Walton growled and clenched his fists. "Ye be nah fit t' be the cap'n! Thanks t' ye, mermaids are goin' t' bite our asses in the sea!"

"I thought mermaids are beautiful creatures," said Ivy. "I dreamt of making love to one in the sea. Heeheehee!"

Walton glared at the tomboyish cat girl. "Only fools fall fer mermaids, lass. Em sea devils will drown ye 'n peel yer skin t' the bones. Trust me. I had seen how ghastly thar flock are."

Ivy gulped.

Lucy shook her head and continued her stride. Daylight rose over the towering buildings, but the mist still covered the streets. Only a few pandas crept around in the mist.

"If we go to Mermaid Reef during the day, we should be safe," she suggested. "They are only active at night, right?"

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Walton grimaced, but he nodded. "Mermaids hate the light. Some say they we be born in the darkness from the deepest depths o' the sea. Others thought they be sea demons who escaped from the Undersea. But light does protect sailors in thar nest."

Ivy glanced at the wooden planked ground. She could see the misty waters beneath the cracks. "If mermaids are all female fishes, how do they-"

"Enough, Ivy," Lucy ordered. "We should remain silent until we reach our ship. Too many ears might stir up trouble here for us."

"Oh, right, right."

Walton chuckled.

*****

Back on the ship, Lucy told the entire crew where they will sail next. Some of them were skeptical, especially Walton, but most of them remained loyal to their captain.

It only took one hour/one day to reach Mermaid Reef in the middle of nowhere at sea. Skinny seamounts rose over the ocean around sharp rocks at the bottom. It looked like a giant forest of towering rocks on the shiny blue floor. Different shipwrecks lay in waste, broken and dead.

Lucy peeked through her spyglass as her notification appeared.

You discovered Mermaid Reef! A haunted place where uncautious ships never returned from. If you hear beautiful singing voices, beware! Mermaids rule the reef, and they will hunt you if they see you in their territory. Sailors have known little about the reef and how the mermaids dominated it. Some speculated the reef was once been an island populated by a tribe. When a cataclysm sunk the island, the tribe turned themselves into mermaids to survive. Only the females survived and built their own nests under the water. Don’t ask how they reproduce. Although many tales were told, you should highly avoid Mermaid Reef. If you enter, you will find many treasures hidden in the wrecked ships. Still, the risk is yours.

Indeed, the reef has a large ship graveyard. All of them looked the same, no matter their shape and size. Dark mahogany hue wood, torn sails, and no bodies or skeletons aboard.

Lucy lowered the spyglass and checked the sun. It hasn't set yet in the east, which means Lucy and her crew still have time. But they still need to hurry.

"Halt here!" She ordered. "Get the rowboat ready!"

Time to hunt for contraband cargo in the mermaids' home.