Where is this place? What am I doing here? Why am I here? What happened to me? The Life and Death of The Last Water Nymph Chapter 2: The Two Strangers By Shinieris

Infancy

Chapter 2 – The two strangers

Days turns to weeks, weeks turns to months,
Suddenly I was wrenched out from under the waters.
I was thrown onto the ground right next to pond.
Before my blurry eyes, someone’s head got closer as an ear got closer to my mouth.

“She’s dead.”
The man said.

“How can you tell?”
“She’s not breathing.”
“Should we bury her?”

Wait, who are you trying to bury?

I raised my body from the ground.
My muscles, my bones were all stiff.
So I yawned and stretched my body.
As I did that, I heard a cry from the two men.
I looked at them as they sat a distance from me.
“You said she’s dead!”
“Well, she’s not breathing!”
“If she’s not breathing, how can she still be alive? You trying to say she’s an undead?”
“Oh no! If she’s an undead, she must be a powerful one with that appearance. Holy Lance, smite the unholy beings that profane the High Father!”

I wonder what they’re doing. I simply looked at the man in traveller’s robe chanting something weird.

“Fire of Judgement, burn the heretics of your word!”
The man in traveller’s robe chanted again.

I tilted my head a little, not understanding what he was trying to do.

“There’s no effect!”
“Then she’s not an undead. Even a vampire king will suffer some damage.”
“Then what is she?”
“Why don’t you ask her?!”

The man in plate armor and sword at his waist approached. I know how a sword looks like, but I’ve never seen anyone carrying one. Not even Lord Talbot carry a sword around. He waved his hand at me. I waved back. Cautiously, he got within a foot of me.
“Greetings, my name is Shwarze. What is your name?”

I looked at him, and opened my mouth to speak.
“Ahk… oaa… huuk.”
I couldn’t get a single word out.
Could it be, I have become mute?

“Do you understand what I’m saying? Shwarze.”
The swordsman pointed at himself when he said ‘Shwarze’. He repeated it, then pointed at the man in a robe.
“Garulan.”
He repeated the gesture for Shwarze and Garulan. Then he pointed at me, as if asking me to say my name.

“Ahk… hu… hu… ah.”
Words still won’t come out.
“Ahuhuah? That’s you?”
He asked as he pointed at me.

I shook my head, causing the weed in my hair to fall everywhere.
Including on my breasts.
I had forgotten that I wasn’t wearing any clothes.
So in shame, I ran back into the pond and submerged myself.

Through the water, I heard them talk.
“I get it now, she’s a water nymph. A Pegaeae.”
That must be the robed man, Garulan.
“Water nymph? I thought they died off when the last of the fairy queens was killed?”
“That’s the only explanation. She doesn’t breathe, she prefers water and she can’t speak human language.”
“Wait, if she’s the last of the water nymphs, won’t we make a lot of money selling her? We can retire rich!”
“What are you saying? Sure, royalty would pay thousands of gold for her, but the fairies won’t forgive us. They’ll curse our descendants for seven generations!”
“That sounds harsh!”
“Fairies live long, so their grudge lasts long too.”
“So what do we do?”
“Since we’re lost. Nothing we can do. Maybe it’s best to set up camp here?”
“In the water nymph’s sacred grove?”
“Why not? It’s not like we know where to go.”
“Alright, I’ll gather firewood.”

And so Shwarze went off to gather firewood while Garulan took out stuff from his backpack.
I raised my head a little out of the water, letting only my eyes to be above the water level while the rest of my face stayed under.
Garulan gathered some small twigs from his surrounding, then he chanted something and the twigs burst into flames.
He quickly added more twigs to the fire as Shwarze brought dried wood.

Is that magic?
I couldn’t help but raise myself above water.

Garulan noticed me, and he gestured me towards him.
I looked down at my nakedness and shook my head in refusal.
He seemed to think about something, before he took out a large cloth from his backpack and came towards me.
I was afraid of him seeing my nakedness, so I went back underwater.
Garulan instead waited at the edge of the pond, holding the cloth up as if he expected me to take it.
With much hesitation, I got out of the pond slowly, and he wrapped my body in the cloth as he led me to the fire by the hand. It was a thick cloth, and it was warm.
He told me to sit next to the fire as he took another dried twig.
“Spirit of fire, bring warmth where there is none.”
The twig lighted up.

I was excited, so it really was magic!

He gave me a twig and taught me the incantations.
Of course, I couldn’t speak, so nothing happened.
Shwarze laughed as he cooked something inside a small cauldron over the fire.
I was annoyed, so I ignored him and just played with the fire.
Before long, a nice smell tickled my nose.
It was rabbit stew.
When was the last time I’ve had rabbit stew?

Back home, meat was expensive.
My family couldn’t afford meat.
Not even once a week.
Never even once since father’s left leg went limp after the coal mine collapsed and hurt his leg.
Nobody wanted to hire him.
Father had to work at lower wages despite being a miner for years.
As the only boy in the family, I was the only one who could help.
Otherwise mother or Clarise will have to sell their bodies to the miners everynight.
Father said he would rather die than let that happen.

Now that I’m no longer there, will father die to save mother and Clarise?

Shwarze offered me a plate of rabbit stew.
I took it and ate like a glutton.
I had forgotten how good food taste.
I had forgotten the taste of meat.
When was the last time I ate, I wonder?
How long have I been sleeping inside the pond?

When I was done with my portion, Shwarze poured more rabbit stew.
He offered it to me again with a smile.
I ate, of course.
It was very good.

Then I noticed that Shwarze wasn’t eating.
He simply watched me eat.

Am I eating his portion?
Won’t he go hungry?
What if he die?
What if he hasn’t eaten for a week?

I was afraid that he would drop dead in front of me.
So I gave back the plate with unfinished rabbit stew without a word.
But he pushed it back to me and told me to finish it at least.
He laughed.

So I finished the rabbit stew on the plate and handed him the plate.
Then he poured more of the stew onto the plate and ate.
I simply sat next to the fire watching them eat as I licked the remains of the stew from my fingers.
It was good.
I have never tasted a stew that good.
At home, it was all watered down rat stew and nettle soup.
We couldn’t afford anything better.
At best, we would get some fish if father managed to catch some after working at the coal mine.

After they cleaned out the couldron, Shwarze went to wash the dishes.
At my spring.
I was horrified, so I pushed him away.
Shwarze looked confused as he laid on the grass.
I remained between him and my spring.

“I think she doesn’t want you to dirty her pond, Shwarze.”
Garulan spoke.
I nodded twice.

“Then where would I wash these?”
Shwarze asked pointing at the dirty cauldron and plates in his hand.
Come to think of it, where did he get the water for the stew?
Did he take the water from my pond?

“Perhaps… the lady of the pond would be willing to help fill this pot with water? We need to wash the dishes or it will attract all kinds of wild beasts because of the smell. Don’t worry, we will wash it away from your pond.”
Garulan handed me a pot.
It was a crudely made iron pot, the one we had at home was of much better quality.
Nevertheless, I took the pot and submerged it under the surface, filling it with the pond’s water.
I returned the pot to Garulan.

“I think she can understand human words. She just can’t speak it.”
Garulan remarked.

I nodded.
Shwarze sighed but he made no complain as he went some distance away from my spring and used the water inside the pot to clean the cauldron and plates.
Then they hanged it to dry and went to sleep beside the fire.
I took off the cloth around my body and went back to sleep inside my pond.
It was much more comfortable.

The next morning, they called me from the edge of the pond.
I opened my eyes and raised my head above the water’s surface.
They asked me if I knew the way out of the forest.
I shook my head.
They looked disappointed.
But they weren’t mad at me.
Maybe they already suspected that I didn’t know.

Garulan asked me to refill the pot again.
I did so with half my body still submerged and put it on the edge of the pond.
He thanked me and they both proceeded to cook something.
Is it stew again, I wonder.
Without realizing it, I had already left the pool.
When I noticed my naked body, I quickly grabbed the cloth that I dropped yesterday night.
I sat next to the fire, watching Shwarze drop carrots and some kind of sweet smelling herb into the cauldron.

I wonder if it’s rabbit again.

It didn’t take long.
Shwarze ladled some of the stew and tasted it.
With a grin, he declared that the stew was ready.
He ladled a plate of rabbit stew and offered it to me.
Of course, I accepted it and ate my fill while he put some onto Garulan’s plate.
I finished mine quickly, then returned the plate back to Shwarze.
He ladled more and offered it to me again.
I shook my head in refusal.

Then he asked me if it tasted bad.
He asked me if I didn’t like it.
I shook my head.
He offered it to me again.
I took it and resumed eating.
I noticed he was watching me.
Was it the way I ate, I wonder?
Did I eat like a savage, I wonder.

Garulan declared that he was done and thanked Shwarze for the wonderful meal.
Then he handed his plate to Shwarze and Shwarze poured some stew onto the plate before he joined me.
He kept asking if I wanted more.
I nodded, and he would add more onto my plate.

Meanwhile, Garulan went to my spring with his backpack.
He turned to me and asked for permission to take some water for their journey back.
Of course, I nodded.
There is no need to be greedy.
The pool will still be there even if they drink their fill.
But why did he put the water into bottles?
Why so many bottles?

Once we were done and they started stowing their stuff, they asked me if I at least knew a way out of the meadow.
I was about to shake my head when I saw a fairy flitting about not far from me.
I chased after the fairy, wanting to ask how to get home.
I want to see mother, father and Clarise again.

“Hey, wait for us!”
Garulan called.
“Leave it! Just follow her!”
Shwarze said as he followed close behind me.

I didn’t care about them.
I simply chased after the fairy.
I didn’t even question why the route was so straight,
As if the trees and the bushes moved aside to make way for us.
I simply chased after the fairy.
Shwarze chased after me.
Garulan chased after Shwarze.

Before long, we came upon a clearing.
In front of me, large patches of farmland stretched as far as the eye could see.
The fairy then turned towards me and as if the wind spoke, I heard,
“Go chase your destiny, kree”
With that, she went ‘poof’.

I panicked.
I didn’t want to chase my destiny. I wanted to go home.
I ran back into the forest.
But the bushed blocked my way.
I pushed past the bushes.
But the trees blocked my way.
I pushed past the trees.
But there was no way to advance.
In front of me, was a big rock.
There was no path.
I could no longer go back.

*As always, your comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated. Praises helps me write faster and constructive criticisms helps me write better. Thanks for reading.

Where is this place? What am I doing here? Why am I here? What happened to me? The Life and Death of The Last Water Nymph Chapter 3: Lost in the world By Shinieris

Chapter 3 – Lost in the world

Shwarze came back with some clothes and shoes for me.
It appeared that he bought them from one of the houses nearby.
I wore the clothes he gave.
I didn’t even care that they saw me naked.
It didn’t matter anymore.

“Are you okay?”
Shwarze asked with eyes full of concern.

I said nothing.
What is there to talk about?
I can no longer go home.
Neither to Broomwich.
Nor to my fairy spring.

She said to chase my destiny?
What is my destiny?
What if I don’t want to chase my destiny?
Where will I go then?

Seeing me that way, Shwarze scratched his head before asking,
“Would you like to come with us?”

“Shwarze!”
“What?”
“Can I talk with you for a second?”
“Wait here.”
Shwarze said to me before he went off outside my hearing range with Garulan.

They seem to be arguing about something.
Garulan’s face is a little strange.
Is it anger, shock or fear I see in his eyes?
Shwarze’s face is a lot more honest.
He’s looking very angry at Garulan for some reason.

“Then what do you expect us to do? Leave her here?”
Suddenly Shwarze shouted.
Garulan made a motion as if Shwarze should lower his voice while looking at me from the corner of his eyes.
“It’s our fault that she’s lost out here. If we leave her here, she’ll likely be captured by slavers or bandits!”
Garulan continued to make gestures as if telling Shwarze to lower his voice.
“Don’t tell me to be quiet! She’s our responsibility now. I’m not leaving her here alone.”

Garulan then sighed in resignation before he waved Shwarze away.
Then he sat at the riverbank alone, staring at the setting sun.
It looked like Garulan was sulking.

“Would you like to come with us? We’ll take good care of you.”
Shwarze knelt on the ground looking up at me as he extended a hand towards me.

I took it.

He smiled.
Swarze called Garulan to get ready to move.
We needed to reach an inn before it becomes dark.
Garulan grudgingly got up and picked up his backpack.
It was considerably emptier since he left many stuff back at the meadow.
Shwarze stood up, not letting go of my hand as he picked up his leather backpack.

Now that I’m standing next to him, I realize that Shwarze is really tall.
The top of my head barely reaches his waist.
Or is it because I’m the one who’s small?
I must look like a child to him.

Ten minutes later, I was out of breath.
I was panting like someone who had run a mile.
I always prided myself on my stamina.
How could I be out of breath so soon?

Is it because I’ve been sleeping for so long, my body is too weak now?

Suddenly I was picked up by a pair of strong hands.
Shwarze grabbed me my waist and hoisted me up.
He placed me on his shoulders.
Both my legs were on either side of his head.
He told me to hold on to his head so I won’t fall.

I’m not a child anymore!
I wanted to say to him, but my voice wouldn’t come out.
Still it felt weird to be so high up.
For some reason, this was very embarrassing.

Garulan chuckled seeing me struggle.

My torment ended when we reached a small inn by the side of the road.
But by then, many had already seen me sitting on Shwarze’s shoulders.
It was very embarrassing.
I ignored Shwarze and Garulan for the rest of the night.
Maybe because of that they ordered for me such terrible dinner.
It was very bad.
The bread was the hardest I had ever eaten.
The water tasted like someone had taken a piss in it.
The roasted rabbit was burnt.
The wooden plate looked like it hadn’t been washed for a year.
It was disgusting.

In comparison, they were eating juicy beef steak.
Good ale.
And a slice of delicious mince pie each.
Totally unfair!

Where is this place? What am I doing here? Why am I here? What happened to me? To be lost in the world, How could this happen to me? The Life and Death of The Last Water Nymph Chapter 4: The Black Plume Bandits By Shinieris

Chapter 4 – The Black Plume Bandits

I’m riding on a horse!
A real horse!
Not a wooden pony!
It’s a horse!

Of course I had never ridden a horse before.
I was just a commoner.
In Broomwich, the only ones who could afford their own horses were Lord Talbot and his household.
So of course, I was very excited!

“Is this your first time riding a horse?”
Shwarze who sat behind me asked.
I nodded.
“You know, if you’re going to come with us, you need a name. We can’t just keep referring to you as ‘you’, ‘her’ or ‘she’.”
Garulan spoke.
“You’re right. I think we should name her. Now what would be a good name?”
“How about Riverie?”
“Sounds sad, so no.”
“How about Veronica?”
“Sounds like a stuck up noblewoman. No.”
“Chastity!”
“I knew a girl named Chastity once. She was a whore.”
Garulan looked at Shwarze and frowned.
“No, she really was a whore. She lived in a brothel and was paid to take men up to her room.”
“Well then, why don’t you name her yourself?”

Shwarze thought about it. After awhile, he cried out.
“Nyrae!”
Garulan appeared alarmed.
“Where did you hear that name from?”
Garulan asked.

“Heard it somewhere, a long time ago. Don’t quite remember where. Anyway, it sounds nice. Don’t you agree, Nyrae?”
Shwarze grabbed the back of my head with his strong left hand, turned my face to the right and nodded my head at Garulan.
Did he just force me to accept the name ‘Nyrae’?
And how could Garulan not notice that he was doing this to my head?

“We’re being watched!”
Garulan suddenly warned.
“Should we make a break for it?”
Shwarze asked.
“I don’t know. It’s possible there are traps up ahead.”
“So… fight?”
“Most advisable. I’ll raise a defensive barrier. Spirits of Wind, make the air around us hard as a rock. Wind Barrier!”

No sooner that he finished his spell, dozens of arrows flew out from the bushes on either side of the road.
Seeing as there was no damage, scores of men came out brandishing scimitars and short swords.

“Bandits!”
Shwarze warned as he pulled his longsword from his sheath.
“Spirits of fire, bring death and devastation to my enemies. Fireball!”
Garulan chanted and from his palm a large fireball appeared and launched itself at the center of the approaching bandits on the right side of the road, blasting them apart through an explosion of flames.
“My god who is Herlain. My will is my sword. My soul slashes the air. Aerial Slash!”
Shwarze raised his sword, spreading his aura to cover the blade. Then he swung the sword horizontally, throwing the aura of the blade towards the enemy. It sliced them cleanly in the middle.

It was over in less than a minute.
Shwarze bragged about finishing his side first.
Garulan mumbled about his side being scattered.
They both jumped down the horses gathering the bodies.
Needless to say, they looted the bodies too.

They got 13 Black Feathers.
6 short shords.
2 long swords.
5 scimitars.
11 short bows.
6 daggers.
6 iron helmets
3 leather helmets.
Many pairs of leather shoes.
Many torn and damaged leather armour.
2 gold coins.
12 silver coins.
37 copper coins.

By the time they were done, the bandits’ corpses were wearing nothing more than rags.
Garulan summoned the spirits of earth to open a deep hole several feet from the road.
Shwarze skillfully kicked the corpses into the hole.
There were other people too.

They came when they saw Shwarze and Garulan defeat the bandits.
They looked like locals and thanked Shwarze and Garulan profusely for helping to keep the road safe.
Shwarze gave them some silver coins as thanks for helping them bury the bandits.
They then offered to help carry the loot on their wagons since they were going the same way.
Both Shwarze and Garulan accepted the offer.

Soon after, we left the scene of the crime and went off east.
With three wagons of the locals following closely behind us.
It seemed like Shwarze and Garulan became the caravan’s unofficial guards without anyone noticing.

Where is this place? What am I doing here? Why am I here? What happened to me? To be lost in the world, How could this happen to me? The Life and Death of The Last Water Nymph Chapter 5: The City of Sulsuk By Shinieris

It took two days before we reached the city walls.
The past few nights, we spent camping by the side of the road.
The locals graciously shared their rations with us.
Shwarze assisted by hunting wild game.
The meals were a lot better than the one I had at the inn.
The women taught me how to speak.
It was tough.
Not only was my tongue stiff, my vocal chord wasn’t responding.
By the time we parted at the Sulsuk’s South Gate, I was barely able to speak a few common words.
Shwarze praised me for being a good girl and patted my head.
He really saw me as nothing more than just a child.

Garulan thanked the men for helping them carry the loot.
The locals left the loot by the roadside as they headed for their own destination.
Garulan then hired a few alley rats to help carry the loot to the blacksmiths and armourers.
3 coppers were given to each of the boys.
6 coppers if they could carry double the load.
I couldn’t help but feel like they were being underpaid.
After all, it would barely even cover lunch for one person.
But why do they look so happy?
Maybe they also do this job a few times a day?
Some of the boys looked at me strangely as they carried the leather, swords, and helmets behind us.

Do I look strange?
Maybe it is because I don’t belong in this world?
Is that the reason?
Is there a way to tell that someone comes from a different world?

“Is something wrong?”
Shwarze asked.

I shook my head.
It was just me being too sensitive.
There was no need for Shwarze to be worried about it.
It was just me being silly.

Right before we arrived at a blacksmith, Garulan pulled Shwarze aside.
They whispered something among themselves.
I tried to listen in, but they were whispering in a very low voice.
After a short exchange, Garulan excused himself.
He said he had an important matter to take care of.
So Shwarze, the alley rats and I went to the weaponsmith by ourselves.
Thankfully, the alley rats knew the way.

Once we arrived in front of the weaponsmithy, Shwarze went in by himself.
He came out with a man in his fourties.
Shwarze pointed at the alley rats and asked, “How much?”
“20 gold, I’m not buying the boys.”
The shopkeeper said.

I was expecting Shwarze to argue, to haggle for a better price.
But instead, Shwarze said,
“Done! Boys, bring it in.”
The shopkeeper counted 20 gold coins and handed it to Shwarze.
To the alley rats, the shopkeeper said,
“Move it! Don’t block the road.”
Then he went in, followed by the alley rats.

A few of the alley rats looked at me again before they disappeared inside the shop.
What was that about?

“Nyrae, how about we go have lunch somewhere?”
Shwarze asked as he offered me his hand.
I took it.
And off we go, down a street called “Blooming Street”.
It was a street where flowering plants were planted on the sides of the street.
But instead of the sweet smell of roses, the whole street smelled minty.
Shwarze explained that the minty smell chased rats away.

But as we went further in, I smelled something else.
Something sweet.
Something nice.
Something calming.
Something familiar.

I let go of Shwarze’s hand.
I ran down a side street.
Ran through back alleys.
Slipped through crowds.
With Shwarze chasing me.
Until I finally reached it.

“Come come, have a look.”
The salesman urged the crowd closer.
“I present to you, the rarest of the rare.”
“The rarest thing you have ever seen in your life.”
“Something you will never see again if you live six more lives.”
“Something that nobles and kings will pay a handsome price for.”
“I present to you…”
The salesman removed the cloth on the table, revealing two bottles.
“The blessed waters of the last fairy spring!”

The bottles are full of crystal clear water.
Water that was very familiar to me.

I felt rage.
The salesman was Garulan.
The water inside the bottles was from my spring.
Garulan was selling the water from my spring!

“Aaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!”
I cried in anger.

Garulan saw me and his face paled.
Shwarze caught me from behind.
He told me we were going to eat the best fish in the city.
And that we should get going or the fish will run out.

I struggled.

It was no use.
Shwarze was too strong.
And I was too small and weak.
But it angered me greatly when I saw Garulan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Aaaaaaaa!!!!!”
It’s my spring!
As if in answer to my cries, the two bottles containing the water from my spring lifted itself from the table and flew into my hands.

Shwarze gasped.
Everyone else gasped too.
Garulan looked afraid.

“Isn’t that mind-movement?”
“That’s an incredibly rare magic, isn’t it?”
“It’s said to be a magic of the fairies, right?”
“Maybe the girl drank the water?”
“Maybe the girl was blessed by the fairy spring?”
“Which means it’s real?”

Everyone looked at me.
I hugged the two bottles to my chest.

Garulan gave Shwarze a signal to leave with his eyes.
Shwarze lifted me up and clutched me under his armpit.
“Ah ya, sorry gentlemen. We’re not supposed to be here.”
Then he fled, holding tightly to me.
I held tightly to the bottles as if my life depended on it.

Shwarze ran at full speed along a crowded street.
Zig sagging without losing momentum.
Weaving us through throngs of people going about their lives like usual.
Until finally he skidded to a stop in front of a restaurant.
The restaurant’s name was ‘Fish In Woodchips’.
We went in.

Shwarze asked what I would like to eat.
Of course, I kept quiet.
Not just because I couldn’t speak much yet.
But mostly because I was still angry.
Now I realized why Shwarze was being so nice to me.
They were both plotting to sell the water of my spring!

“Nyrae, how about this Smoked Sweet & Sour Alabaster Salmon?”
Shwarze asked.

I didn’t answer.
In my rage, I had forgotten the language lessons the women of the traveling caravans taught me.

“Oh, this set looks good. Marinated Redline Salmon – oh wait, can’t let you drink wine.”

I kept quiet.

“Oh, this is rare. A plate of South Sea Blood Mackerel, cooked in herbs. Well, we got a little money to spare. How about it, Nyrae?”

I simply hugged the bottles tighter to my chest as Shwarze moved his face closer.
When his eyes peeked around my long hair, I turned to the other side.
All the while, never letting go of the bottles containing the waters of my spring.

“Alright, that’s decided then. We’re both taking Blood Mackerel steak.”

I remained silent.
It was then that Garulan arrived.
I looked up when I heard his footsteps.
When our eyes met, he staggered a step backward.
Then he averted his eyes, looking at Shwarze instead.

Their facial expressing signalled that they were having some kind of conversation.
Shwarze kept raising his eyebrows.
Garulan kept making gestures with his fingers.
At first I thought Garulan was casting a spell, but he was not.
Garulan was using his fingers to signal an amount.

Are they talking about money?

Shwarze then made a face of disbelief.
Garulan took out a sheaf of papers from his jacket and placed it on the table.
Those papers looked thick, probably handmade.
On those papers were things written in red and black ink, with a red stamp at the lower right corner.

Shwarze took a look at each of those.
In just seconds, he cracked a grin.
One that reached from ear to ear.
He was clearly excited.

Too bad I can’t read.

“Nyrae, I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Garulan spoke as he sat down on the chair to my right.
“You know we are adventurers, don’t you?”

I remained silent.

“Adventurers aren’t the wealthiest of folks. Sometimes we had to take a loan. Sometimes, we had to forgo eating. If there is no job, there is no money. And not many would be willing to hire strangers.”
Garulan said, in a voice so soft and gentle, I knew he was lying.

“And now, with you around, money will be even tighter. You can’t do the work that we do. We can’t expect you to help us with our work. But we still need to cloth you, and feed you”
Garulan said, still in the same tone.

“Are you trying to say that I’m a burden?!”
Was what I wanted to say.
But strangely, what came out of my mouth was a melodious sound,
Angry and bitter, but without a word spoken.
Only a melody.

Garulan blanched and immediately closed his hand on my mouth.
Effectively silencing me.

“Shh! Speak common. You’ve learned human language, right?”
Garulan admonished.

“Garulan, what was that?”
Shwarze asked.

“I’ll tell you later.”
Garulan answered, his hand still on my mouth.
It was then that our meals arrived.

“Hey, is this...”

“Blood Mackerel.”

“Are you kidding me?”
When Shwarze shook his head ‘no’, Garulan continued.
“We can’t afford this! Well, actually we can now, but you didn’t know that when you made the order, did you?”

“No worries, we got paid for the loot.”
Shwarze said as he shoved some juicy fish meat into his mouth.

I was suddenly feeling hungry, with one arm holding both bottles tight against my chest, I grabbed the fork and put a little of the fish meat into my mouth.
Deliciousss!
The fishes that father caught after his shift was over was always oily, smelly and hard.
But this, it was like the meat simply melted on my tongue.
I didn’t know that a fish could taste so good!

“Oh? How much did you get for the lot?”
Garulan asked as his tasted his meal.
“20 gold.”
Shwarze said, to which Garulan spewed the contents of his mouth halfway across the table.

“Are you joking with me?! Those things could get us at least 30 gold! You’ve been swindled!”
“Really? Well, we got those without paying a copper, so we made a lot of profits I’d say!”
“Have you forgotten that we paid for transportation?”
“Hey, we basically made a fortune without breaking a sweat. So it’s fine.”
“What about my sweat! Those spells didn’t appear out of thin air, you idiot!”

I simply watched their bickering, while enjoying my delicious fish.
But it was so delicious that I finished it too quickly.
So I swapped plates with them.
It was absolutely delicious.
Heavenly. Yum!

*Hi all, here's another chapter of The Last Water Nymph. Any comments, whether good or bad are very welcomed. Thank you very much for reading.