The docks of Anteronia are where major trade happens, and with that trade comes travelers worldwide. Such travelers include the two sailors who find themselves unloading cargo late into the early morning, out of the prying eyes of the Judicators and their adherence to strict laws.
One of the sailors, a brawny orcish woman, huffs as she places a barrel down onto the pier. She wipes her brow and leans against the barrel. "Guh. This is back-breaking work, and for what?"
"For us to keep our mouth shut," says the lithe catboy. He drags along a smaller crate, panting heavily as he gets it halfway down the gangplank.
The orc picks the parcel up in one hand and hoists it over her shoulder. "You'd better get a move on if you wanna make sure this gets to where it needs to go."
"Yeah, yeah, I… wait." The cat sniffs, his ears alert, his whiskers twitching. "Do you hear that?"
"Forget hearing it… do you smell that? Guh, did you open up a can of tuna or something?"
"It's not me this time," the feline pouts.
With a wet plap, a large, webbed hand grabs onto the side of the pier. This is followed by another one from the other side, surrounding the two sailors as two lumbering forms with glowing yellow eyes heave their bulk over the side, pinning them back-to-back.
"Oh, fuck no!" the cat yowls, turning and sprinting away from the situation, leaving behind his fellow sailor.
"Ya lily-livered coward!" shouts the orc. "Come back here and fight like a man!"
As she says this, one of the slick, shiny, scaled creatures swipes at her, smacking the barrel with such force as to make her stumble back into the arms of the other ichthyoid intruder. Its gills flap as it growls at her, sharp teeth spread past large, quivering lips.
"Oh, by the gods!" The sailor says, struggling and straining against its grasp. "You won't take me without a fight, ya beasts!"
The forward fishman’s large, saucer-like eyes reflect her grimace in the moonlight. It reaches forward, pressing a wet and clammy hand against her cheek.
She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Oh, my luck's run out, ain't it?"
A bellowing roar fills her ears when a flash of pink streaks the air before the sailor. Embedded in the woodwork is a shield-shaped like a heart, humming with magical energy.
"What is this?" The sailor blurts, but just then, the shield glows, projecting a larger heart that wraps around her and knocks the two freaky fish guys out of the radius and back to the pier's edge.
"Those who would break the sanctity of someone's chastity, face me, the protector of this city!"
The fishmen stumble back to their feet, groaning, roaring, and stumbling toward the one who would stop them.
The figure lights up the darkness in a dazzling display of pink energy, leaping and twirling in a gymnastic degree across the sky and landing behind them. She scans over them through heart-filled glasses, smirking as she reaches for her shield. It thrums with magical energy and attaches itself to her wrist.
"By the power of Chastity, I shall smite you! Take your lust-fueled hearts and disappear from this world, once and for all!"
With a wave of her arms, taking on the shape of a giant heart, Chastity unleashes a blast of magical energy that strikes the two of them, engulfing the creatures in the harsh rays of her might.
What's left behind is a pile of smoldering cinders, leaving a crispy fried fish smell through the dock.
The orc sailor watches this whole exchange, her mouth slack-jawed. "They aren't gonna believe this at the pub," she says.
Chastity giggles, stepping up to the sailor and poking the bubble that protects her. "That's okay, citizen. All in a day's work to keep your virginity safe."
The orc blushes deep at that. "What’d you say to me!?”
Chastity giggles, a finger upon her cheek. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me!”
A tiny creature hobbles up beside Chastity, squeaking playfully. Its own heart-focused eyes are big as it looks at the magical girl.
"Ah, right, well you take care, sailor, and remember, you're safe here in Anteronia!"
The sailor shakes her head and lifts the parcel, kicking the barrel over and rolling it down the pier. "I'm gonna need a drink."
It's a calm and pleasant morning on the beach of Anteronia. Before the crowds arrive with umbrellas and blankets, two twenty-somethings rush through the sandy shores, giggling and enjoying each other's company. The young man chases his companion, wrapping his arms around her from behind and nuzzling her back.
She leans back into him, letting the waves lap around her ankles.
But their time alone is not so lonely after all, as it isn't just the salty sea breeze that blows to their ears, but a mournful, haunting, beautiful sound.
The woman pulls away from her beloved, holding his hand as she leads him toward the source of the sound, curious and adventurous.
Sea-foam crashes about their ankles as they traverse the dangerous terrain. They are not dressed for a hazardous excursion, so their clambering over the rocks is slow, deliberate, and careful. Yet, they must continue, for the song is far too enticing to ever want to miss it.
They soon arrive at a small bowl featuring one rock poking out from the swirling waters, and sitting on that rock is a sight to behold, indeed, for upon it is a being of unquestioning beauty. From the tip of her tail, resting upon the rock, fins wiggling placidly, to the scales that sparkle in the shine of the water trickling down between their plates, up to the curvy body, full and lively, and the green hair that rolls down her water-shining shoulders. She is the epitome of the aquatic beauty, the strange and alluring call of the sea.
Both of the early-morning lovers find themselves stepping into the water. The moment their feet touch the waves, the woman's song ends, and she sits there upon the rock, frozen for a moment.
The woman among the two beach-goers grips her male companion's hand. She tugs him away, but a moment passes, and the creature upon the rock turns around, a smile creeping over her face. She is naked as she lounges there, curling her finger in closer, ushering them both toward her.
The man is the first to step close to the mer creature, the water lapping at his ankles, calves, thighs, and waist.
The mermaid slips out of the rock and splashes before him, pressing her body against his and locking her lips to his.
He eagerly returns the kiss, wrapping his arms around her, gripping at her thighs, her tail swishing about, pulling him around before she presses him against the rock.
His female companion stomps up to the two, grabbing the maid by the shoulder and tearing her away from the man, a scowl on her face.
The mermaid looks at her with wide eyes, mouth agape. Still, they widen more when the woman presses her lips to the maid's, dancing with her in a battle of dominance, lying upon the man as his back is against the stony outcropping.
The maid is sandwiched between the two, her hands moving to stroke and caress the two lovers. As their hands graze over her body, feeling every inch of her, she relinquishes herself to them.
And so the mermaid sings a much different song as the kisses of the surface dwellers pepper her shoulders, cheeks, and neck. As breasts squish against breasts. As the rock-hard cock of the human man rubs over her butt, the mermaid rubs back against him, moaning in a low and melodious tone.
The two humans step back from her, letting her slip back into the water down to her face. The man steps forward, his cock right in front of her face, while the woman steps up beside them, reaching into the water, grasping her wrist, and pulling it up to her own lips.
The two of them snicker and watch as the merperson stares up at them, frowning, then diving in, wrapping her lips around his length, plunging her fingers between the woman's clam.
The mermaid sucks and slurps, bobbing her head, curling her fingers, stroking the woman's clit with her thumb, servicing the two with such reckless abandon. Her slurping and her sucking and her fingering are like that of someone hungry after a long day's travel.
From her ministrations, the man is the first to arrive. He grits his teeth and releases, sending his salty spunk down her throat, and he collapses upon the rock again, his chin up over the water. Panting, he blinks and looks around at the rocky outcropping, now just part of the sea.
Meanwhile, the mermaid turns her lips underwater and to the woman, plunging her tongue into the human's depths. The woman gasps and grabs the mermaid by the head, leaning forward, water spraying up into her mouth.
She spits, staring up at her companion, who swims toward her, for she cannot walk anymore.
She desperately tries to pull herself away from the mermaid. The maid's mouth continued going at her, and she slipped, gasping in the exclamations of delight.
The man dives down to grab the mermaid and pull her away from the woman. Something substantial grabs him by the stomach, pulling him away, ripping him from his beloved and out to the ocean beyond.
The woman holds onto the mermaid, gasping as the water gets higher and the waves rougher, but riding more waves of delight as she gets closer and closer. Through an explosion of joy, she climaxes, her eyes fluttering, her gasps calming down. When she finally finished, she yanked away, disappearing into the ocean.
—
The following day, an old man walks along the shoreline, only to stop when he sees a figure sprawled out on the road. The young man lies there, staring at the sky, his chest slowly rising and falling as the old man looms over him.
"You alright, son?" the old man asks. "Looks like you had a wild Anteronian night.
The young man swallows and glances over to the old man saying. "You don't know the half of it."
There is nothing like the bustling of a morning rush at Baker's. The cafe across the street from scenic Statue Park is always a hotbed of activity and gossip, especially on a weekend morning. Even while the workers there take orders and fill coffees and bake pies, they have the chance to gossip, and gossip knows no bounds recently.
"There's old man Saltsea," purrs Adrian, the black cat handing a black coffee to one of the regulars. "Something's been biting the sailor lately, I can tell."
Libi takes the change from her customer, the human woman perking up to glance at the old feline sitting on his own, a coffee in one hand, attention buried deep into the newspaper. "How can you tell?"
"Please," chuckles the kitty boy. "I've been trying to figure that one out for a while. Sometimes, a pussy cat's gotta have a bit of the barbs in him, and those sailor types were always up for femboys."
"That doesn't answer my question," Libi continues, turning and thanking the next customer.
"Oh, he's been sullen since the weird stuff happening at the docks and beaches the other day."
Libi quirks an eyebrow. "What sort of stuff?"
"Strange and sexy stuff," he says, winking. "But nothing I'm interested in. I'm not exactly a fish kinda guy."
Once the rush dies down, Libi approaches the corner table with a small croissant on a plate. She places it down before Old Man Seawater, letting it clink against the tabletop.
The feline sailor lowers his newspaper. His fur is scraggly and gray. He glances at the pastry and then up at the woman who left it for him. "I didn't order this," he grumbles.
"You're reading about the disappearances," Libi says. "I want to know about them."
He briefly regards Libi, his eyes widening as he stumbles to his feet. "As I live and breathe—it can't be… Chastity?"
Libi pulls out a chair and plops right down into it, leaning in. "Chastity…?" She breathes in through her nose and shakes her head. "No, I'm not her. But, you're familiar with the old protector of the city?"
"Let me tell you a tale," the old man says, nodding. "Then, you'll know…
—
The young man walks along the boardwalk on the shore. The gentle lap of waves, the bustling of the city's nightlife, and the smell of salt and fried foods mix the whole affair. He carries with him a bag slung over his shoulder and makes his way with purpose towards the beach.
But he isn't the only one on the beach. As he makes his way down to the sand, taking the same trip he has taken many times before, a figure leans up against a pillar, arms folded over her chest.
"Off to your secret rendezvous point?" asks Purity, the Magical girl protector of Anteronia.
The man grips his pack, taking a step back.
"You're the young man who was taken by the mermaid the other day," she says, standing up. "The one whose girlfriend is still missing."
"What do you want?" he grunts.
"I want to help you rescue her."
"And how exactly do you plan to help out?"
"I will find out once you tell me what happened when you washed up on the beach."
"That… agah!"
Purity spins around, raising her magical shield in front of the young man. She deflects the incoming jet of water, splashing off her shield, but hitting with such impact as to send her back a bit on the sand.
A figure stands at the beach, her fish-like body silhouetted by the moon. The figure's upper half is that of a humanoid woman but scaled, and her form is both thick and strong, muscled and insulated. She wears armor of bright colors, shining like a pearl. When she scowls at the magical girl, she reveals sharp teeth, trap-shut together. In her grasp is a coral-laced trident, sharp and angry.
Purity slowly stands, her shield still up. "So, are you the one who's been kidnapping people, taking their purity?"
The mermaid warrior lifts her arm, pointing her trident at the magical girl. "They're treated better than what you did to us all those years ago, champion of the land-dwellers. Now, I shall conquer you and these lands in the name of my people!"
Purity smirks slightly. "Sorry, lady, but I don't think you'll be conquering much on that tail of yours.”
The warrior narrows her gaze. "We shall see about that, Pink Champion. I am Alda, protector of my people."
"I'm Purity, nice to meet you."
"You won't get the woman back, nor anyone else, unless  you can defeat me."
“Well, I'm glad we can be so straightforward."
"When I conquer you," Alda says, grasping the trident in both hands, "I shall claim this city as my own!"
"Well, it doesn't quite work like tha-aaah!"
Alda bends her tail and springs forward, leaving a crater of sand in her wake as she launches ahead. She spins around, slapping her tail downward at Purity.
At the last moment, the magical girl holds her shield up, taking the blow, but sand shoots up around her in a heart-shaped ring.
"Holy fuck!" she yelps. "You're strong!"
"I've been training all my life for this confrontation, human!"
"Then… I hope I don't disappoint!"
The magical girl Purity thrusts her heart shield forward, throwing the strong mer warrior off her and onto the sandy beach before her.
Through the air, her opponent flips, landing on the near tip of her tail, balancing upon perfectly toned muscles, almost like a snake rearing up against her opponent, a trident held in her hands.
"Where are the missing Anteronians?" Purity asks, standing between the warrior and the civilian man, keeping her shield up. "And who exactly are you?"
The warrior lifts her trident in one hand, striking her breastplate with the other, "I am the Champion of the great Abyssal city, here to bring judgment to your land-dwellers and murderous ways."
"Is that right?" says Purity, digging her boots into the sand. "And what gives you the right to kidnap people? To lure them in with the pretense of fun and love, only to drag them away to the murky deep?"
Alda snorts. "And who are you to presume our purpose, killer of the fish folk?"
"I'm Purity," says Purity, forming a heart in both hands and holding it over her chest. "I'm the protector of the virginity and sanctity of love here in Anteronia! And you've violated it with your traps."
Alda narrows her gaze. "Is that what you believe?" she asks. "Well, Purity, be you someone else carrying the mantle or Chastity in a new guise, you and your kind have sinned against me and my people!”
Alda leaps in a flopping attack, thrusting her trident forward. Still, Purity parries it, pushing the fish woman aside to fall onto the sand.
The magical girl holds out her shield, sending a ray of pink energy towards her opponent.
Alda spins her trident, the sheer speed of the maneuver deflecting the beam and sending it shooting off toward the sea. The magic ripples through the water, sending waves on either side as it crashes through the shoreline.
"Calm your tits!" Purity shouts.
"I am calm. Focused, determined!" Alda snarls, lifting her tail and slapping the magical girl on the calf. That muscle is so powerful and the scales so rough that it sends Purity tumbling forward, face-planting into the sand.
Alda rolls from her downed position to lay on the magical girl, hooking her trident over her head and pressing the coral against the human's throat. Hissing, she whispers into Purity's ear.
"I've worked my body to face off against the powers you possess. All so I can have the satisfaction of having my revenge."
Purity coughs, wheezing as air barely passes through her throat. The only thing keeping her from being crushed is her perfectly positioned fingers, keeping the bar from pressing against her, cutting off her breath.
"Y… you're clouded," she coughs. "You're not thinking straight!"
"This is the only thought I've had for many years!" the fish woman says, whispering this thought to the magical girl's ear. Her sheer weight pushes Purity down, squishing her against the sand and immobilizing her under this mermaid’s mercy.
Purity croaks with a questioning squeak, shifting and gripping the rough and rocky trident.
"That thought," the mermaid continues, "Is what manner of coward can single-handedly destroy two of our greatest men with naught but a simple strike."
Purity's eyes roll back, her breath getting more and more ragged.
"And you are disappointing to me," Alda snarls. "Is this the best your people can muster? Are you all that's able to face me?"
Tears well up in the magical girl's eyes as her breath gets hoarser and hoarser.
"Tch… what a waste," Alda growls, and suddenly, as she gets the magical girl into that hold, she lets go, rolling off of her.
Purity gasps, rolling away from the fishy female and scrambling to sit up.
Alda plants her trident on the ground and stands, leaning upon it, watching Purity with disgust and contempt on her face.
Purity stumbles to her feet and dusts off of her jacket. "You let me live?" she gasps. "Why?"
"I'm not like Chastity," the mermaid growls. "I will not kill that which is defenseless."
Purity pants, shaking her head, taking a few more deep breaths before she speaks up again. "Then, you'll have to take me with the others."
Alda blinks, digging her trident into the sand. "Excuse me?"
"I've lost to you. As a warrior, you should have some victory over me. If you will not take my life, then take my service. I can’t offer you the city. But I can offer you myself.”
Alda hops on her tailfin, slowly approaching the magical girl until she's standing before her, chest to head, looking down at the human through narrowed eyes. "And what can you possibly offer me?"
"My body, of course. Like the other women that were stolen."
Alda turns around, facing the sea. "I do not need a servant," Alda says. "What I want is a worthy adversary."
Purity lowers her hands. "Is that all? I can get you that."
Alda quirks an eyebrow, smirking through sharp teeth. "Is that so? I doubt that.
"A rematch then… when we're both prepared. Trained to face each other in all the skills we have."
Alda taps her trident against the ground. "Perhaps… three days." She snaps her finger. "Male, my throwing trident!"
The young man yelps and scoops up the trident, rushing toward Alda. She snatched it from him and took his bag from the poor passerby. "Payment rendered. I'll return with your lady love on the day of the battle. Here, on this spot. Should you win, Purity, I shall bring forth all the captured land dwellers."
Purity rubs her neck. "And if you win, I'll submit myself to your justice for the crimes committed by the previous defender."
Alda lingers her gaze on Purity for a moment, nods, and then, with the power of her impressive tail, leaps into the air and dives into the water, leaving the magical girl and the young man to watch in awe.
"What cock did you lose a fight with?"
Libi looks up from the book she's been reading, her gray eyes like a deer caught by a spooky sound in the middle of the night.
"Bitch, is that how you start a conversation now?"
The gnome smirks, standing by the table in the library. She plops her own massive tome next to Libi and hops onto it. With a snap of her fingers, she commands the book to flutter its pages to a particular point. "I do what I want, and apparently, so do you," she says, pointing to the handkerchief tied around Libi's neck. "Though what you do seems to be a bit more fun."
"Ah, this…" Libi says, stroking her throat, the throbbing of pain still fresh in her mind. "Nah, don't worry about it." 
"Hidden marks, a hoarse voice. Seems like Libi's been laid. It must have been something else, indeed. So, you gonna tell me of your conquest of cock?"
"No, I'm going to study."
Gimmegee tilts the book Libi reads up, examining the cover. "Ugh, oceanic history? Snore. Can you figure something that's at least somewhat magically enthralling instead of something so bare-bones and booooring?"
Before Libi herself can respond, another voice joins in on the table. "And here I thought you would enjoy history as purported by some burly sailors, Gimmegee."
The woman beside them has grassy green hair, her earthy smile giving Libi a fresh gulp of air in this grilling set of questions.
"That's rich, coming from you," says Gimmege. "Don't you have some posies to pluck, Melia?"
"Now, now, no need to be so snippy. We all have our diversions from our studies. I'm curious about the sudden interest in everything beyond the shore."
"Oh yes," says Gimmegee, resting her cheek in her hand, "Do tell me why you're reading up on fish and water."
Libi sighs and closes the book, placing her palm on the cover. "I'm looking into the disappearances and the tales of mermaids."
Gimmegee snorts. "Mermaids? Prissy little opera divas, thin as a rail and drag sailors to their doom? That's nothing. Mermen, now, those are something else." She says. "Oh, I'd lay on the beach just to have one of them wash ashore on top of me."
"Well, of course you would," says Melia, adjusting her glasses. "And you'd try to say it was for scientific research."
Gimmegee shoots a glare at Melia. "No, I wouldn't be so uncouth as to mix business with pleasure."
"Didn't you get dicked down by a werewolf in the tournament?"
"That was a tournament of Pleasure, not business!"
Libi frowns. "There weren't any merfolk in that tournament, were there?"
"Who the hell knows?" Gimmegee says, shrugging. "The headmistress is still trying to figure out how to unlock everyone's memories. For all we know, I didn't get fucked by a hunky husky boy and it was just an illusion."
Melia smirks, "No matter how much you wish it were true."
"Oh, by the gods, let me remember his name," the gnome whines, wrapping her arms around her waist.
"Hey, Libi, you're blushing."
Libi shakes her head, turning to Melia. "Hm?"
"You thinking about something you saw now?"
"No," says Libi. "Something I didn't see. It could be nothing," she says, pushing herself up from the table, "Or it could be everything. I'll need to look more into it. Thanks, girls."
—
Old Saltsea sits in his little corner at the cafe, drinking coffee, when Libi approaches him and sits across from him again.
"What do you want, little lady?" growls the old cat, his whiskers twitching.
"There's more to your story, isn't there?"
Old Saltsea sighs, scratching behind his ear with a rough and quick fury. "Gaah… them fish folk are a dangerous lot. That's all you need to know."
"I don't think that's the case," Libi says. "You know where we live, Old Saltsea. You know how important our home is."
The cat's tail twitches, and he stands up, a growl in his voice. "I have no idea what you're talking about, lass!"
She holds her hand out to him. "You've been hiding something from me, no… from yourself, right? Can I take that burden, at least for now?"
"You can… do that?" He asks, his eyes softening slightly.
"It's worth a try. Plus, wouldn't you like to hold a young woman's hand?" she asks, a soft smile on her face.
The old man sighs and reaches out for her, his paw shaking with age, but he grabs his wrist with his other hand and lunges for it, grasping onto Libi.
The connection is instantaneous, and the girl gasps, flying back on her seat with a loud and desperate gasp.
Her eyes roll back, and her body shakes, but it only lasts momentarily. A long enough moment for the people at the cafe to turn and watch her with a mix of worry, pity, disgust, and confusion.
She excuses herself, taking herself from the situation and into the alleyway.
Years of bottled-up emotions. Decades of deceiving himself, all of it hit her at once, and as she stumbles out of the dinner and into its alleyway, the aura she gives off catches the attention of a little creature sitting on the rooftop, watching her with a scrutinizing gaze.
There is no city more grand to the surface dwellers than Anteronia. Still, to the inhabitants of the world beneath, it is but another blight upon the sun-scorched and water-deserted surface. They instead have something much more beautiful, a city whose name does not pass the lips of any surface folk still living. Whose antediluvian secrets hold truths best never found in the tomes of the old academy.
It is where old gods are worshipped in rites blasphemous to the ways of the upper gods. It is where dark dealings in darker depths occur. It is a place of great mystery and of greater import.
But for Alda and the many others who live there, it is home.
The warrior swims down past the outer ring of defenses, a network of coral and weed and tunnels and all matter of underwater folk, to reach her way down beneath to places far more fantastic, where light is a danger and where the mournful keening of the inhabitants is a jubilant cry of delight to herald the returning champion.
Among the ones seeking to find her is a massive creature, its eye reflecting its whole body as it moves ponderously through the sea. It rumbles with a bellow far below what humans can hear. Still, to the mermaid, it is a casual conversation that sounds like this.
"You have returned home, my daughter. Were you successful in cowing the surface dweller?"
She lifts the soaked satchel over her shoulder, holding it out upon the end of one trident. "I have received from him what you have asked. But there was a complication. I have found her, Chastity, or the one that has taken her mantle."
The giant eye widens momentarily, and the rumbling is so deep and loud that it warms the mermaid's bones.
"Did you destroy her?"
"I defeated her, but she had issued a challenge to me so that I may overwhelm her in a fair fight."
The enormous creature's grumbling groan heats the water around it, bubbles rising from the boiling temperatures beneath her fins.
"You are one of honor, Alda," the leviathan says. "But you must be wary of what the surface-dwellers can do, lest you forget what they have done to your kin."
"I shall never forget what I saw that day. That is why I must prove strong enough to defeat and humiliate."
"Your heart is strong in your conviction," the abyssal creature groans, and from the blackness of the sea emerges a long, sucker-filled arm, which caresses under her cheek and then hooks the satchel. "This trinket shall prove useful in our superiority over the outside world."
"I shall not let you down, my master," she says, bowing her head.
"You must train well to defeat your life foe," the master rumbles, the satchel and its contents disappearing into the void. "You have experience more than this magical monstrosity up above, but you may need more to fight on her level."
"More…? What more is there?"
Swimming up from the darkness is a fish-like creature, bejeweled in bioluminescent light, the most brilliant of which hangs from her crown, dangling and tantalizing Alda with its allure. But the maid keeps her resolve against the beautiful lantern. She focuses instead on the old crone's milky eyes and the sharp rows of teeth.
"Your opponent is a guardian of her kind, much as you are a guardian of your own," speaks the witch. "But she has something you do not."
The crone claps her hands together, and a prismatic display dances between her fin tips, her smile widening greater and far more brilliantly than even the brightest scales.
The master rumbles to fill in the crone's words. "She possesses magic."
The mermaid narrows her eyes, tightening her grip on her weapon. "You wish me to use magic against my opponent?"
"It is only natural to fight against your opponents with their weapons," says the crone.
There's a moment of hesitation within the warrior, but she finally lowers her head, closing her eyes before the two. "Oh, ancient and powerful beings beneath the sea. What shall I do?"
"Swim deeper than you have gone before," rumbles the master, his arm placed upon her back, urging her toward the deepest darkness. "Train your body to make the journey, and deep down, you shall find a treasure worthy of our greatest guardian."
"Once there," continues the crone, her webbed finger pointed into the trench. "You shall find what you need to be able to face your foe on her level. To humiliate her fully."
"And hopefully, rumbles the master, "to show the whole of their so-called great city that we are here, and we are the masters of this domain."
"I will do what I must," says Alda, placing a clenched hand upon her breast. Without hesitation and without asking for a chance to rest or resupply, she kicks her fin and plunges deep into the water, traversing deeper down into the darkness until the light of the crone becomes but the furthest mote, and then finally swallowed by the pure darkness.
In the pitch blackness, Alda sings, her voice guiding her to forgotten structures far beyond the eldest beings. Even older than her master.
Her voice carried, making its way up to her sisters. These other mermaids listen to her conviction in the caves, where a handful of surface dwellers live, listening to the songs played by the people of this city.
And despite the strange circumstances that brought them here, it is the most beautiful and saddest song they have ever heard.
The days in Anteronia progress, and Purity arrives at the beach. The sun gently peaks from the shore, glowing warmly upon the waves. The stiff sea breeze tugs at her skirt, her hair fluttering. All of this is expected, but what is unexpected is the crowd of people sitting on the boardwalk, cheering and screaming out her name.
She flashes a forced smile up in their direction, her heart-shaped eyes narrowing through her lids, glancing around and latching onto the man she had rescued the other day.
"Oh, of course," she grumbles to herself. "Free show for all of you, isn't it?" she asks no one in particular.
A splash and a gasp catch her attention. Purity whirls around, her shield materializing as she turns toward the sea.
Alda stands upon her tail, grasping a trident firmly as she narrowly gazes at the magical girl and then up at the people watching above.
"So," the mermaid growls. "You bring witnesses to face your downfall. This shall make my victory all the sweeter."
"Not exactly what I wanted for our rematch," Purity says, gritting her teeth and glancing over her shoulder. "I'd rather this be a more intimate session."
Alda snorts. "What, so that you may trick me? Don't you worry, human--I have a trick of my own."
She holds her hand up in the air, and a seaweed ball is clenched in it. "With this, I shall have the power to beat you!"
And with that, she opens her mouth wide, stuffing it with the seaweed ball. She chews, smacking her lips and gulping with gusto, sighing and smiling at the human before her. "What's the matter?" she asks, pointing her trident at her. "Are you afraid to come at me?"
Gulping, the magical girl nods and steps slowly forward toward the mermaid. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. This is going to be embarrassing."
"Ha, I would only be embarrassed if I had any regard for these land-dwelling vermin!" Alda shouts, gripping her trident, waiting as the magical girl steps forward steadily. Alda licks her lips, already feeling the effect of the magic plant from the bottomless abyss upon her body.
Purity rushes forward, swinging her shield toward Alda, and Alda hops back, her trident thrust forward, deflecting off the shield, causing her to stumble around.
Purity ducks into the surf, rushing to tackle the mermaid back into the sea. Suddenly, a blow to her chin sends her falling back into the sand, her face throbbing.
“W… what…?”
Alda steps up toward her, smirking as she presses a foot against the magical girl's chest, pointing the trident right at her throat. "Look at what you've made me do," the mermaid says, pressing against the woman's chest. "I had to grow these ugly things, replace my tail so that I could up my game against you. And what do you give me? Nothing but disappointment."
"Is it disappointment you're getting from me? Or something else?"
Alda frowns, tightening her grip on her weapon. "What are you prattling on about?"
"About this!" says Purity, focusing on her magic. And with that call comes a blur and blinding pink light, which strikes the mermaid and everyone around her. With it, the mermaid stumbles back, rubbing at her eyes, falling as her new legs do not allow her to stand very tall, and soon, warm arms wrap around her, tackling her down to the sandy ground.
The polearm is of little use with the human so close to her, and when the vision returns to Alda's eyes, she gasps in shock at what she sees. The human, usually dressed conservatively, has now removed all her garments over her body.
"What in the deep blue sea are you doing!?" Alda gasps, her face a mask of blush.
The people on the boardwalk blink and rub their eyes in confusion, but soon, they, too, see the sight before them.
And there was much cheering from the audience.
"Giving you a true Anteronian welcome," says the magical girl, a broad smile on her lips, her heart-shaped eyes beaming.
Alda stares at her, a blush forming on her face as she feels the warm squish of the magical girl's body upon her own. She squirms underneath her, gritting her teeth, growling. "Get off me, you human!" she snarls.
"I know you are, at least for now!" says the magical girl, sliding her arms up to the mermaid's cheeks and holding her gently. "The previous guardian of the city harmed your people. Isn't that right?"
Alda's eyes tremble when she hears this. "You… you admit that you slew my brethren with no cause?"
"No," says Purity, shaking her head. "I know your people weren't coming here to harm us. They were coming here to make friends. Tell me, how intimate are the people of the sea, Alda?"
Alda's grip loosens, dropping her trident upon the sand. "I'm a great warrior," she says, her arms shaking. "I must avenge the ones who have fallen."
"I'm not the enemy you seek. She's dead. We are not our ancestors."
"But I… kidnapped your fellow land dwellers."
"Are they safe?" asks the magical girl.
Alda sighs, finally exhaling. "Yes… they are unharmed."
"Show me."
"I can't, I… I'm stuck like this for… for a bit."
Purity giggles and leans in, pressing her lips to the fish girl's cheek. We should take off some steam while I finish that good old Anteronian welcome.
Alda closes her eyes, tilting her neck gently. "I… you're trying to beat me with this…" she says; when she opens them, there's a fire upon them again. She wraps her newly acquired legs around Purity's waist. She rolls over, planting the magical girl on the sand and sitting up upon her. "I am still a warrior," she growls, reaching up and unclasping her armor. "All things I do, I do in conquest."
Purity giggles. "Well, I'm the guardian of this city. I've taken terrible monsters before. Think you can beat me?"
With a sharp grin, the fish woman pulls off her armor, letting her tits free. "Oh, I relish the opportunity."
And upon the boardwalk, there is much cheering.
Purity lies on the wet sand, the warm waves lapping up around her naked body. Her heart thumps quickly as she watches the transformed mermaid straddling her, similarly unclothed and smiling down at her. "So," the magical girl asks in a breathy voice, "is the great Alda ready to settle this generation-long grudge?"
"I've always been ready," Alda says, hands grasping Purity's, pinning her down, her kelp-like soaked hair hanging down and draping over Purity's shoulders, drizzling sea water over her skin. Through a sharp-toothed grin, the mermaid continues. "No matter what form the challenge takes, I'm ready."
"Funny," Purity says, her heart eyes fluttering, "This doesn't feel like you're settling anything. Feels like you're having fun."
The fish woman frowns at this, a blush forming on her face. "S-shut up!" She gasps.
"Gladly," responds Purity, who pushes herself up, her lips smashing against Alda's.
Feeling the connection, Alda presses her body flat against the human, their breasts squishing together, nipples rubbing and dancing as their mouths collide. With her newly-formed legs, the mermaid hooks onto the magical girl, keeping them together as she parts her lips, letting her tongue slide out, beckoning her partner to part her own and let her in.
When Purity opens her mouth, she unleashes the floodgates, allowing that trailing tentacle of a tongue to delve into her, swirling in a tempest of temptation.
Purity writhes and grinds against Alda, her panting huffs and her sighs rising from her throat, even as the tongue finds its way, pushing past her mouth and deeper into her depths.
Meanwhile, the people of Anteronia watch the spectacle happening before them, cheering from the crowd as they witness the bonding of land and sea before them.
And among the watchers is Old Saltsea, who trembles at the sight, the old man's paws gripped tightly to the railing.
"What's the matter, old man? Don't like a little girl-on-girl action?" nudges one of the onlookers.
"It's not that," says the old cat. "It's just all the years wasted not realizing that these people under the sea are people, just like you and me, with their wants, needs, and the genuine and honest desire to make connections.”
Alda sits up, pulling her tongue out of Purity and rearing back immediately, taking in a deep, hearty breath of fresh air. "Aaah… fuck, that feels good…" she says, snickering down to her partner. "How's that, huh?"
Purity coughs, clearing her throat. "You think that's the thickest tongue that's been down in me? You gotta be more original than that."
Alda shakes her head, webbed hands running down Purity's sides. She scoots back, pausing, a soft gasp rising from her. "O… oh.."
"Feel something you like?" the magical girl asks.
"I think so," gurgles the mermaid. She presses herself up against Purity. With her legs now separate appendages instead of a single long tail, her womanhood can press against the soft skin of her partner, squishing the mound of delight between her legs against Purity's stomach and lower.
And when she does get lower, and their lips rub and catch and slick over one another, that's when Alda's gasp returns, adding to it a quivering sighing moan.
"Ah… I-I think you found something… a pearl… perhaps?"
Alda bites her lips and reaches down, grasping the magical girl by the leg, lifting her thigh up, and holding it against her chest. "Yeah, I think I did," she says. With the leg up against her, she scoots across Purity's thigh, slipping her sex against Purity's, letting them press and kiss and grind. "By the seas…" she gasps. "What is this… fucking brilliance…?"
Purity closes her eyes, pushing her hips forward, grinding in tandem with her partner. "Mmmgh… n-never jousted clams b-before?"
Alda pauses for a moment, blinking and then shaking her head. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but it sounds like a dumb pun!"
She thrusts forward, and at the same time, she grazes her sharp teeth over the magical girl's leg. "Do I have to bite you to quiet your tongue?"
“Ha… n… no…” Purity says, biting her own lip and rubbing against Alda. J-just keep it up… feels good."
"Oh, I will…" says Alda, nodding and kissing Purity's calf. "But not because you like it. Because it really does feel good!"
As the two continue to rub and grind against one another, Alda's belly burns with delight and anticipation. Her whole form, from the tips of her fingers down to her newly-formed toes, shudders with the electric delight. She tightens her grip upon her partner's leg, pushing further and harder against Purity's body. Their most sensitive nethers clash and smash and send those jolts throughout her. She rolls her eyes back, her panting breaths getting higher and higher with each thrust, her claws digging against the magical girl's skin as she finds herself closer, closer, closer…!
"Aaaaaaah!"
Alda lets go, falling back against the ground, holding tightly to Purity by her legs, not wanting to let go but rocked by the explosive climax, the excitement, the collaboration. All of it makes her wonder and realize and bask. But most importantly, in her mind, she begins to question.
But there's not a lot of time for that, for the crowd's cheering makes way to the shouts of surprise and dismay. The people rush and disappear from the boardwalk as uniformed guards arrive, each wielding mancatchers and adorned in ways to cover their eyes, ears, or mouths.
Purity pushes herself up, catching her breath and turning towards the boardwalk. "We got to get out of here," she pants. "Before we're caught."
Grasping onto Purity's arm, Alda says. "There's only one place for us to go."
And before the magical girl can say anything else, she finds herself whisked away, splashing into the water, with no room left to breathe.
Water wraps around naked skin, wrapping around Purity's exposed form. It is a shocking cold, coupled with the suddenness of her being bodily thrown into the sea without her recollection or her consent.
The sun shimmers through the water, casting bending rays that caress Purity's body. She reaches up toward that surface, attempting to break through. It is instinct, after all.
But when the looming form of the judicator steps up to the water's edge, it breaks the serene illusion.
They shove their mancatcher through the water, the spiked collar driving itself towards her exposed throat. She instinctively opens her mouth to scream, but only bubbles rush out.
That's when strong, scaled arms press around her tummy, yanking her deeper through the darkness, where the sight of the guard dissipates through the haze of the sea.
Alda swims around Purity, hands on the woman's shoulders. The mermaid's tail has returned to her, majestic and powerful as it swims in the water, allowing her to face the awkwardly floating Purity.
The way Alda's hair flows in the water is a majestic sight that is so different from the hardened warrior who traveled to the surface, and the concern that wavers in her expression is so out-of-character as well.
But can Purity really know what that character actually is?
The question continues as Alda presses her lips to Purity's. Instead of the firm and dominating tongue, she is greeted with a pocket of air slipping into her mouth.
Greedily, the human gulps it down, and a headache she didn't know she had disappears as her mind clears up.
Now, she is carried by the mermaid, a hand upon her back and another bundling her legs underneath her knees.
Purity blushes, glancing away towards the abyss they find themselves going to.
The magical girl clings closer to the mermaid, kicking her legs and shaking her head, that cloying, clawing fear beating in the pit of her heart.
Alda parts her lips again, but instead of hot-tonguing action, the mournful and haunting song of the sea emerges from her lips. The soft sounds caress the magical girl's ears, bouncing around in her brain and soothing her in such ways that only sailors dread to love.
The human's grasp relaxes, and she holds tenderly to the neck of the mermaid, leaning in and nuzzling against her.
But Alda nudges her away, letting go of her and pointing to the flapping gills on her neck.
Purity shrugs and blushes, nodding in response.
So instead, she's carried below without holding too much deeper onto her, towards a cliff with an opening.
The sun still breaks through the surface, so it is not too deep, and the song that escapes Alda's lips is accompanied by other parts. The chorus fills Purity's chest with warmth, and she crosses her legs as they proceed into the cave.
Alda's masterful strokes through the tunnels leave Purity's head spinning, or perhaps the lack of air again. No matter because Alda springs up from the water. The two break the surface into a cave, shimmering with light piercing through a tiny hole in the ceiling and reflecting upon the crystals lining the walls. Purity's first breath is filled with wonder at the whole spectacle.
Now shoulder-deep in the water, Alda reaches back and untangles her hair. "Well, here we are, Purity. I have upheld my end of the bargain."
"Your end of…" Purity asks, spinning around in the water, only to gasp and instinctively cover her chest at the sight before her, her eyes widening.
Sitting in the cave, in stone-cut furniture, are women, each in various states of dress, from naked to swimsuits and coverings of seaweed to a full gown.
"So, they are safe…" Purity says, whirling around, “So, shall we bring them back?"
Alda shrugs. "I can arrange for them to return home, but I can't force the ones who want to stay to stay."
Purity frowns. "W… what do you mean?"
Alda pushes herself up, sitting her tail on the pool’s edge. "Ladies, would someone like to explain to your guardian here?"
One of the swimmers stands up, adjusting her suit and approaching the pool's edge. "You're Purity? Surely, you understand what living up there in Anteronia is like. The contradictions and the lies of a city of requited love."
Purity squeezes as she forces herself to maintain eye contact with the woman. "W-well, yeah."
"I was stuck up there… stuck with no idea how to unstick myself. But the people down here… they've shown me the error of my ways. They've shown me that I can have a life here."
"Stuck as a prisoner?"
"No!" The woman says, turning and walking back to her seat. She picks up a pile of seaweed, grasping it in her hand. "No, not like that at all. With this, we can return to the sea—the cradle of life, and be free of the things the air and land has brought us."
"I would very much like to go home," says the woman in the gown.
There is a collective murmuring with a few women while the others remain quiet.
Alda sighs. "Anteronia is the city of Requited love. So why not give love to our sisters up above? That's what my kin tried when your former protector wiped them out. They wanted to save your people from the life they were living up above by stopping something terrible that would soon happen. Now, we can only save what we can through conquest."
Purity pushes herself up, getting face-to-face again with Alda, a seriousness in her face and gaze unlike before.
"What terrible thing is happening? Tell me!"
Alda takes a deep breath and holds tightly to Purity. "Have you ever asked what those sailors were bringing to your city?"
A pleasant young woman walks along the beach on a breezy summer morning. She wears a pink jacket over her bathing suit and stares at the sea. Her quiet contemplation ends when the soft spray of the ocean reveals the soothing tones of a melodious voice.
She follows this sight, approaching a rocky cove, the water lapping up around her ankles.
Perched upon the rock is a familiar sight—a fishy woman with the upper body of a proud warrior and a mighty tail that rests upon the cropping.
The woman on the beach nods when she sees the newcomer, a spread spreading across her lips. "What? Didn't want to bring your land legs?"
Alda smacks her tail on the platform, snorting slightly. "No. It is far too much hassle to get what I need to transform, Purity."
Purity rests her hands in her pockets, shrugging. "I figured you'd want to go another round, for nostalgia's sake."
"How short do you uperworlders live?" Alda asks. "It can't have been but a month."
"I'm just being dramatic," Purity resigns. "But I did want to give you some information."
"Your message said as much," Alda responds, tossing a glass bottle in Purity's direction.
Purity catches it, examining the contents. "Hey, and you filled it up, too. How nice."
"Sea water makes for a bad drink," Alda admits. "So, what did you want to share with me?"
Purity tugs the bottle under her arm, blowing a buzz between her lips, her gray eyes glancing around the cove. "Well, I looked into that cryptic notion you left me on back in the cave."
"About the cargo?"
"That's the one."
"And did you find what you were looking for?" Alda asks this, a slight smirk on her lips.
"Maybe. I don't know. It's hard to tell. Everywhere I look, it's like I'm hitting a brick wall. Or, uh, flopping on land, as it were."
"I can follow your analogy well enough.
"The thing is that I'm afraid of what it might mean. Something is going on in my city. Something underhanded, but organized."
"The waves remember a time before the city was the way it is," Alda says, stroking a finger along the rock, "But the people below feel there's nothing that can be done about our sister city. I was hoping you'd find the answer."
Purity sits, placing her bottle on the sand next to her. She wraps her arms around her knees, resting her chin on them. "If only things were simple. But that's why we have allies to help us out."
The mermaid snorts. "Allies… help. What good are they in the face of overwhelming odds?"
"You're a warrior," says Purity. "You should know that when fighting is needed, sometimes all we can do is our best to ensure the least damage happens. I throw myself in danger to save the people who could be hurt worse than me, and my friends help save me when I'm in over my head."
Alda leaps off her rock and splashes out of the water, sitting next to Purity now. "You're right. Sometimes, we have to plunge and find ourselves in the unknown depths. Who knows what more we can find out if we do?"
Purity smirks, shifting to face the mermaid. "You mean you're looking for some help getting yourself a pair of legs?"
"Not so much, no," says the mermaid, reaching over the bathing Purity and lifting the bottle up, clenched between her fingers. She shakes it and holds it up to Purity. "But maybe looking to show you a different perspective."
Purity grabs the bottle. "Well, if you want, I'm all for a new adventure myself!"